Day: March 3, 2015

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. With 69-Across, subject of this puzzle DOCTOR
(69A. See 1-Across WATSON)
In the marvelous Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Holmes’ sidekick Dr. Watson is referred to only by his family name, except for two occasions when it is revealed that his first name is John. However, in a third and final mention, Dr. Watson is called “James” by his wife, apparently a lapse in memory on the part of the author.

7. Portrayer of 1-/69-Across in “Sherlock Holmes” (2009) JUDE LAW
Jude Law is a wonderful English actor, and a big name in Hollywood these days. He makes a great romantic lead, witness his performance in “The Holiday” released in 2006, in which he starred opposite Cameron Diaz. He and Diaz were nominated by MTV for the best on-screen kiss that year!

I do love the big screen adaptations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “Sherlock Holmes” stories. However, I found the 2009 film “Sherlock Holmes” to be dreadful, and actually fell asleep in the cinema when I went to see it. Robert Downey, Jr. plays the title role and the marvelous Jude Law plays Dr. Watson. I didn’t even bother to go see the 2011 sequel “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows”.

16. Satan EVIL ONE
Satan is the bringer of evil and temptation in the Abrahamic religions. The name “Satan” is Hebrew for “adversary”.

17. “The Diary of Anne Frank” police GESTAPO
The acronym “Gestapo” is a contraction for “Geheime Staatspolizei”, or “Secret State Police”. The Gestapo was formed in 1934, not long after Adolf Hitler took power as Chancellor of Germany in 1933.

Anne Frank has to be one of the most famous victims of the Holocaust. This is largely because the story of this young girl lives on in her widely published diary, and in adaptations of the diary for stage and screen. Anne Frank was a German until she lost her nationality in 1941 when the Nazis came to power. By this time she was living with her family in Amsterdam, as the Franks chose to flee Germany in 1933. When the Germans occupied the Netherlands, the family went into hiding in the attic of Otto Frank’s office building (Otto was Anne’s father). There the family hid for two whole years until they were betrayed. The family was split up, and Anne and her sister died from typhus in a concentration camp in 1945.

18. Muscle-to-bone connectors TENDONS
Tendons (also called “sinews”) are bands of collagen that connect muscle to bone. Tendons are similar to ligaments and fasciae, which are also connective tissue made out of collagen, but ligaments join bone to bone, and fasciae connect muscle to muscle. We also use the term “sinew” to mean muscular power.

19. Audio jack label MIC
A jack is a socket that accepts a plug, allowing a connection to some electrical circuit.

26. Northern California town that once had a palindromic bakery YREKA
The California city of Yreka developed from a miners’ camp called Thompson’s Dry Diggings. “Yreka” derives from the name for Mount Shasta (wáik’a) in the Shasta language, which translates as “North Mountain” or “White Mountain”. There is, however, a story related by Mark Twain that the name “Yreka” comes from the word “bakery”. Back when the area was a mining boomtown, a baker was preparing a canvas sign with the word “BAKERY”. Leaving it out to dry, all but the B could be seen through the canvas. This reversed “-AKERY” was read by a stranger, and he presumed that the sign gave the name of the camp, and read it as “YREKA”. The name stuck.

32. Kool-Aid instruction STIR
The drink we know today as Kool-Aid was invented by Edward Perkins and his wife, in Perkins’ mother’s kitchen in southwest Nebraska. Kool-Aid is now the Official Soft Drink of the state.

33. Ostrich kin EMU
The emu has had a tough time in Australia since man settled there. There was even an “Emu War” in Western Australia in 1932 when migrating emus competed with livestock for water and food. Soldiers were sent in and used machine guns in an unsuccessful attempt to drive off the “invading force”. The emus were clever, breaking their usual formations and adopting guerrilla tactics, operating as smaller units. After 50 days of “war”, the military withdrew. Subsequent requests for military help for the farmers were ignored. The emus had emerged victorious …

The ostrich is a flightless bird that is native to Africa. The ostrich is extensively farmed, mainly for its feathers but also for its skin/leather and meat.

35. “I __ Fine”: Beatles hit FEEL
“I Feel Fine” is 1964 song recorded by the Beatles. The song starts out with a distinctive single note played by John Lennon. Lennon moves his guitar against the amplifier while playing the note, so as to get a feedback effect. The claim is that this was the first note ever to deliberately use guitar feedback during the recording of a pop song.

37. Antlered beast ELK
The elk (also known as the wapiti) is the one of the largest species of deer in the world, with only the moose being bigger. Early European settlers were familiar with the smaller red deer back in their homelands, so when they saw the “huge” wapiti they assumed it was a moose, and incorrectly gave it the European name for a moose, namely “elk”. The more correct name for the beast is “wapiti”, which means “white rump” in Shawnee. It’s all very confusing …

38. Portrayer of 1-/69-Across in the BBC’s “Sherlock” MARTIN FREEMAN
Martin Freeman is an English actor who got his big break playing a leading role (Tim) on the original UK version of the mockumentary “The Office”. Freeman portrayed a very similar character (I thought) in the 2003 movie “Love Actually”, where he played the male “extra”. Freeman’s career has really taken off since then. He is Dr. John Watson on the British detective show “Sherlock”, and also Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit” trilogy of movies.

“Sherlock” is a BBC crime drama in which Benedict Cumberbatch plays a modern-day Sherlock Holmes, with Martin Freeman playing the Dr. Watson. The show is produced in Cardiff, Wales by many of the same team involved in the reboot of the “Dr. Who” sci-fi series. Excellent television …

42. World games org. IOC
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded in 1894, and has its headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

43. A bit open AJAR
Our word “ajar” is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which “a char” means “slightly open”.

44. “C’est la __” VIE
“C’est la vie” is French for “that’s life”.

47. Battery end ANODE
A battery is a device that converts chemical energy into electric energy. A simple battery is made up of three parts: a cathode, an anode and a liquid electrolyte. Ions from the electrolyte react chemically with the material in the anode producing a compound and releasing electrons. At the same time, the electrolyte reacts with the material in the cathode, absorbing electrons and producing a different chemical compound. In this way, there is a buildup of electrons at the anode and a deficit of electrons at the cathode. When a connection (wire, say) is made between the cathode and anode, electrons flow through the resulting circuit from the anode to cathode in an attempt to rectify the electron imbalance.

55. Game won by discarding all your cards UNO
In my youth I remember being taught a great card game, by a German acquaintance of mine, called Mau Mau. Years later I discovered that Uno is basically the same game, but played with a purpose-printed deck instead of the regular deck of playing cards that’s used for Mau Mau. I hear that Mau Mau is derived from the game called Crazy Eights.

56. Iditarod jacket PARKA
A parka is a hooded, often fur jacket that is worn in cold weather. The original parka was a pullover design, but nowadays it is usually zipped at the front. “Parka” is the Russian name for the garment , absorbed into English in the late 1700s via the Aleut language.

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race covers a massive 1,161 miles, from Anchorage to Nome in Alaska. The race starts every year on the first Saturday in March, with the first race having been held in 1973. The fastest finishing time was set in 2002 at just under 9 days. The first few races only used a northern route, but then a southern route was added to the roster every second year. It’s kind of a good thing, because when the racers take the northern route they don’t even pass through the town of Iditarod!

59. DKNY rival YSL
Yves Saint-Laurent was a French fashion designer, actually born in Algeria. Saint-Laurent started off working as an assistant to Christian Dior at the age of 17. Dior died just four years later, and as a very young man Saint-Laurent was named head of the House of Dior. However, in 1950 Saint-Laurent was conscripted into the French Army and ended up in a military hospital after suffering a mental breakdown from the hazing inflicted on him by his fellow soldiers. His treatment included electroshock therapy and administration of sedatives and psychoactive drugs. He was released from prison, managed to pull his life back together and started his own fashion house. A remarkable story …

Donna Karan is an American fashion designer, creator of the Donna Karan New York (DKNY) clothing label. Karan was very much raised in the fashion industry, as her mother was a model and her stepfather a tailor.

62. Dannon yogurt brand ACTIVIA
Danone is a French company that sells a wide range of food products, as well as bottled water. Here in the US Danone sells under the brand name “Dannon”. Examples of Danone products are Evian bottled water and Activia yogurt.

64. Natives of Tibet’s capital LHASANS
Lhasa is the capital city of Tibet, and the name “Lhasa” translates as “place of the gods”. However, Lhasa used to be called Rasa, a name that translates into the less auspicious “goat’s place”. Lhasa was also once called the “Forbidden City” due to its inaccessible location high in the Himalayas and a traditional hostility exhibited by residents to outsiders. The “forbidden” nature of the city has been reinforced since the Chinese took over Tibet in the early 1950s as it has been difficult for foreigners to get permission to visit Lhasa.

66. Unlisted candidate WRITE-IN
A write-in candidate in an election is one for whom one can vote, but one whose name does not appear on the official ballot. Electors have to take the extra step of writing the candidate’s name on the ballot, an added step that makes it really hard for the candidate to emerge victorious. In a 1967 local election in Ecuador, a company ran a marketing campaign for a foot powder called Pulvapies, using the catchphrase “For Mayor: Honorable Pulvapies”. Some electors wrote in the name Pulvapies on their ballots, and the foot powder won …

68. Portrayer of 1-/69-Across in CBS’ “Elementary” LUCY LIU
Lucy Liu is an actress from Queens, New York. Liu’s big break came when she was chosen to play the Ling Woo character in “Ally McBeal”. I liked her in the 2000 film “Charlie’s Angels” but as I am no fan of Quentin Tarantino, I did not enjoy the movie “Kill Bill”. I am having fun watching one of Liu’s more recent projects, in which she plays Joan Watson, one of the two lead characters in the TV crime drama “Elementary”.

If you’ve seen the American television show “Elementary”, you will know that it is an adaptation of the classic tales by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that are set in the present day. “Elementary” is similar in look and feel to the excellent BBC series “Sherlock”, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as a modern-day Holmes. We can pick up “Sherlock” in some parts of the country as part of “Masterpiece Mystery” on PBS.

Down
1. Rigid beliefs DOGMAS
A dogma is a set of beliefs, with the plural being “dogmata” (or “dogmas”, if you’re not a pedant like me!)

2. Tableware company named for a New York town ONEIDA
Oneida Limited makes an awful lot of flatware, with operations all round the world. The company takes its name from Oneida, New York where the business started.

3. ER diagnostic tool CT SCAN
A CT (or “CAT”) scan produces (via computer manipulation) a three dimensional image of the inside of an object, usually the human body. It does so by taking a series of two dimensional x-ray images while rotating the camera around the patient. The issue with CT scans is that they use x-rays, and high doses of radiation can be harmful causing damage that is cumulative over time. An MRI on the other hand (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), uses powerful magnetic fields to generate its images so there is no exposure to ionizing radiation (such as X-rays). We used MRI equipment in our chemistry labs at school, way back in the days when the technology was still called Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging (NMRI). Apparently the marketing folks didn’t like the term “nuclear” because of its association with atomic bombs, so now it’s just called MRI.

5. Eyeball-bending gallery display OP ART
Op art is also known as optical art, and puts optical illusions to great effect.

6. TV host Kelly RIPA
When Kelly Ripa secured the co-host spot on morning television with Regis Philbin, she was still acting in “All My Children” in a role she had been playing for over ten years. After a year of holding down two jobs, she eventually gave up the acting job.

7. Watercraft rider JET SKIER
“Jet Ski” is actually a brand name, owned by Kawasaki Heavy Industries of Japan. The generic term, not often used, is “personal watercraft”. Most people use the term “Jet Ski” generically, although “WaveRunner” is also popular. But that’s another brand name, owned by Yamaha.

8. Eye layer containing the iris UVEA
The uvea is the middle of the three layers that make up the eyeball. The outer layer is called the fibrous tunic, and the inner layer is the retina.

The iris is the colored part of the eye with an aperture in the center that can open or close depending on the level of light hitting the eye.

11. It’s brewed in infusers LOOSE TEA
A tea ball or tea egg is more usually called a tea infuser. It is basically a ball, made of perforated metal or mesh, into which loose tea is placed. It has been superseded by the modern tea bag. I drink an awful lot of tea, and have a tea ball here at the house. Trust me, life is a lot easier using tea bags …

12. Political writer Coulter ANN
Ann Coulter is a conservative political commentator. Coulter has written three best selling books:

– “High Crimes and Misdemeanors” outlines her case for the impeachment of President Clinton.
– “Slander” argues that President George W. Bush was given unfair coverage by the media.
– “Treason” is a reexamination of the Cold War, suggesting that the the extent of Communist infiltration was underestimated.

13. Director Anderson WES
Wes Anderson’s most famous movie is probably “The Royal Tenenbaums”, released in 2001, not my favorite film by any stretch. However, his 2007 release “The Darjeeling Limited”, that I enjoyed.

15. With 48-Down, 1-/69-Across creator Arthur CONAN
(48D. See 15-Down DOYLE)
According to author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, his Sherlock Holmes character was based on a Dr. Joseph Bell for whom Doyle worked in Edinburgh. That said, Bell actually wrote a letter to Doyle in which he said “you are yourself Sherlock Holmes and well you know it”.

25. Paella spice SAFFRON
Saffron is the world’s most expensive spice by weight. The spice is derived from the saffron crocus. The spice itself is the dried stigma found in the flower of the plant.

Paella is sometime referred to as the Spanish national dish, but not by Spaniards. In Spain, paella is regarded as a typical regional dish from Valencia.

28. Noah’s flood insurance ARK
The term “ark”, when used with reference to Noah, is a translation of the Hebrew word “tebah”. The word “tebah” is also used in the Bible for the basket in which Moses was placed by his mother when she floated him down the Nile. It seems that the word “tebah” doesn’t mean “boat” and nor does it mean “basket”. Rather, a more appropriate translation is “life-preserver” or “life-saver”. So, Noah’s ark was Noah’s life-preserver during the flood.

30. Message-spelling board OUIJA
The Ouija board was introduced to America as a harmless parlor game at the end of the 19th century, although variations of the board date back to 1100 BC in China, where it was apparently used to “contact” the spirit world. The name “Ouija” is relatively recent, and is probably just a combination of the French and German words for “yes” … “oui” and “ja”.

31. Superman player Christopher REEVE
The actor Christopher Reeve was most associated with his portrayal of Superman in the late seventies and early eighties. Reeve became paralyzed from the neck down when he fell from a horse in a jumping event in 1995. He passed away in 2004.

34. Former Boston commuter org. MTA
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is referred to as the MBTA, or more usually “the T”. It’s called “the T” because the company’s logo is the letter T in a circle. The MTBA was founded in 1964 as a successor to the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA). It was Boston’s MTA that inspired the 1959 hit for the Kingston Trio called “M.T.A.”

36. “Welcome to Hawaii” gift LEI
“Lei” is the Hawaiian word for “garland, wreath”, although in more general terms a “lei” is any series of objects strung together as an adornment for the body.

40. Mork’s sign-off NANU NANU
(50D. Mork’s people ORKANS)
“Mork & Mindy” was broadcast from 1978 to 1982. We were first introduced to Mork (played by Robin Williams) in a special episode of “Happy Days”. The particular episode in question has a bizarre storyline culminating in Fonzie and Mork having a thumb-to-finger duel. Eventually Richie wakes up in bed, and alien Mork was just part of a dream! Oh, and “Nanu Nanu” means both “hello” and “goodbye” back on the planet Ork. “I am Mork from Ork, Nanu Nanu”. Great stuff …

41. Southwestern tableland MESA
“Mesa” is the Spanish for “table”, which gives to our English usage of “mesa” to describe a geographic feature.

54. “Sold!” punctuator GAVEL
A gavel is a small hammer that is rapped on a table or desk to call a meeting to order, or perhaps to signify a sale at an auction.

56. Spanish silver PLATA
“Plata” is the Spanish word for “silver”.

58. Four, on some sundials IIII
Strangely enough, when Roman numerals are used on the face of a clock, the number 4 is represented “incorrectly” as IIII, rather than IV. However, the number 9 is represented “correctly” as IX. There are a number of theories to explain this, and no matter which is correct, I still find the dichotomy quite interesting!

60. “Major Barbara” playwright SHAW
George Bernard Shaw was a very successful Irish playwright. Shaw is the only person to have been awarded both a Nobel Prize for Literature, and an Oscar. He won his Oscar for adapting his own play “Pygmalion” for the 1938 film of the same name starring Leslie Howard and Wendy Hiller. Most people are more likely to have seen the musical adaptation of “Pygmalion” that went by the title “My Fair Lady”.

“Major Barbara” is a 1905 play by Irish author George Bernard Shaw. The title character is Barbara Undershaft, a Major in the Salvation Army who spends a great deal of her time helping the poor. Barbara takes offense when her father donates money to the Salvation Army, money that he earned selling munitions.

63. French wine word CRU
“Cru” is a term used in the French wine industry that means “growth place”. So, “cru” is the name of the location where the grapes are grown, as opposed to the name of a specific vineyard. The terms “premier cru” and “grand cru” are also used, but the usage depends on the specific wine region. Generally it is a classification awarded to specific vineyards denoting their potential for producing great wines. “Grand cru” is reserved for the very best vineyards, with “premier cru” the level just below.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. With 69-Across, subject of this puzzle DOCTOR
7. Portrayer of 1-/69-Across in “Sherlock Holmes” (2009) JUDE LAW
14. Not straying from the subject ON TOPIC
16. Satan EVIL ONE
17. “The Diary of Anne Frank” police GESTAPO
18. Muscle-to-bone connectors TENDONS
19. Audio jack label MIC
20. Took charge of RAN
21. Wise folk SAGES
22. Rewrite for the screen ADAPT
24. Set a price of ASK
26. Northern California town that once had a palindromic bakery YREKA
29. Mentally sound SANE
30. Live, in the studio ON AIR
32. Kool-Aid instruction STIR
33. Ostrich kin EMU
35. “I __ Fine”: Beatles hit FEEL
37. Antlered beast ELK
38. Portrayer of 1-/69-Across in the BBC’s “Sherlock” MARTIN FREEMAN
42. World games org. IOC
43. A bit open AJAR
44. “C’est la __” VIE
45. Cry for seconds MORE!
47. Battery end ANODE
49. Rise dramatically SOAR
53. Sticking point PRONG
55. Game won by discarding all your cards UNO
56. Iditarod jacket PARKA
57. Wood finish STAIN
59. DKNY rival YSL
61. Press __ KIT
62. Dannon yogurt brand ACTIVIA
64. Natives of Tibet’s capital LHASANS
66. Unlisted candidate WRITE-IN
67. Erode, as savings EAT INTO
68. Portrayer of 1-/69-Across in CBS’ “Elementary” LUCY LIU
69. See 1-Across WATSON

Down
1. Rigid beliefs DOGMAS
2. Tableware company named for a New York town ONEIDA
3. ER diagnostic tool CT SCAN
4. Day care attendee TOT
5. Eyeball-bending gallery display OP ART
6. TV host Kelly RIPA
7. Watercraft rider JET SKIER
8. Eye layer containing the iris UVEA
9. Dull-colored DINGY
10. Senior officials ELDERS
11. It’s brewed in infusers LOOSE TEA
12. Political writer Coulter ANN
13. Director Anderson WES
15. With 48-Down, 1-/69-Across creator Arthur CONAN
23. Jury member PEER
25. Paella spice SAFFRON
27. Ceramics oven KILN
28. Noah’s flood insurance ARK
30. Message-spelling board OUIJA
31. Superman player Christopher REEVE
34. Former Boston commuter org. MTA
36. “Welcome to Hawaii” gift LEI
38. Secure in a harbor MOOR
39. Quotation puzzle ACROSTIC
40. Mork’s sign-off NANU NANU
41. Southwestern tableland MESA
42. Tough kid to handle IMP
46. Thing ENTITY
48. See 15-Down DOYLE
50. Mork’s people ORKANS
51. Quite like AKIN TO
52. Gives away to the cops RATS ON
54. “Sold!” punctuator GAVEL
56. Spanish silver PLATA
58. Four, on some sundials IIII
60. “Major Barbara” playwright SHAW
62. Hole-making tool AWL
63. French wine word CRU
65. “Grab a chair” SIT

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