Day: March 19, 2015

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
11. Doo-wop syllable SHA
Doo-wop developed in the 1940s and can be described as a vocal-based R&B music. Even though the style has been around since the forties, the name doo-wop wasn’t introduced until the early sixties.

14. Modern address URL
Internet addresses (like NYTCrossword.com and LAXCrossword.com) are more correctly called Uniform Resource Locators (URLs).

15. Seedless raisin SULTANA
I believe it’s more common in the US to refer to dried sultana grapes as “golden raisins”. When I was growing up Ireland, sultana wasn’t only the name given to the seedless white grape itself, but also to the dried raisin that was derived from the grape.

16. Oakley forte AIM
Many regard Annie Oakley as the first American female superstar, given her celebrity as a sharpshooter in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. She toured with the show all over Europe, and performed her act for the likes of Queen Victoria of England and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. Supposedly, using a .22 caliber rifle from 90 feet away, Oakley could split a playing card edge-on, and shoot five or six holes in the card before it hit the ground!

17. Cape Town’s nation: Abbr. RSA
Cape Town is the legislative capital of the Republic of South Africa (RSA), and is one of three capital cities in the country. Bloemfontein is the judicial capital, and Pretoria is the executive capital.

19. Jurist in 1995 news ITO
Judge Lance Ito came in for a lot of criticism for his handling of the O.J. Simpson murder trial. The lead prosecutor in that trial was Marcia Clark, you might recall. I read the book that’s Clark wrote about the trial called “Without a Doubt”, and she pointed out one trait of Judge Ito that I think is quite telling. Ito would almost always refer to the prosecutor as “Marcia”, while addressing the men on both sides of the case as “Mister”.

24. Govt. stipend provider SSI
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is federal program that provides financial relief to persons with low incomes who are 65 or older, or who are blind or disabled. The SSI program is administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) even though the the Social Security trust fund is not used for the SSI payments. The SSI payments come out of general tax revenue.

27. Spot relative FIDO
“Fido”, the name for many a dog, is Latin for “I trust”.

31. Fictional Melbourne Dame EDNA
Dame Edna Everage is the outrageous character created and played by Australian comedian Barry Humphries. I saw him/her perform live in a San Francisco theater some years ago, and what a great show it was …

32. SONIC’s Quarter Pound Coneys, e.g. FOOTLONG HOTDOGS (giving “foot rub”)
Sonic Drive-In is a fast-food restaurant chain that is noted for its carhops who serve patrons on roller skates.

37. “Sweet as apple cider” girl of song IDA
“Ida! Sweet as Apple Cider” is a song that dates back to 1903 when it was written by Eddie Leonard and Eddie Munson.

38. Extinct emu relative MOA
Moas were flightless birds native to New Zealand that are now extinct. The fate of the Moa is a great example of the detrimental effect that humans can have on animal populations. The Maoris arrived in New Zealand about 1300 AD, upsetting the balance of the ecosystem. The Moa were hunted to extinction within 200 years, which had the knock-on effect of killing off the Haast’s Eagle, the Moa’s only predator prior to the arrival of man. Moas were huge creatures, measuring up to 12 feet tall with their necks stretched upwards.

39. 1985 sci-fi classic BACK TO THE FUTURE (giving “backrub”)
In the fun 1985 movie “Back to the Future”, Marty McFly finds himself back in 1955, and is trying to get BACK to his FUTURE, which is 1985. But on the other hand, 1985 is really Marty’s present, before he went back in time. Why does time travel have to be so complicated …

48. “Argo” setting IRAN
“Argo” is a 2012 movie that is based on the true story of the rescue of six diplomats hiding out during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis. The film was directed by and stars Ben Affleck and is produced by Grant Heslov and George Clooney, the same pair who produced the excellent “Good Night, and Good Luck”. I saw “Argo” recently and recommend it highly, although I found the scenes of religious fervor pretty frightening …

49. Flying Cloud, for one REO
The REO Motor Company was founded by Ransom E. Olds (hence the name REO). The company made cars, trucks and buses, and was in business from 1905 to 1975 in Lansing, Michigan. Among the company’s most famous models were the REO Royale and the REO Flying Cloud.

50. “… __ is given”: Isaiah A SON
“Unto us a son is given”, are words from Handel’s “Messiah”. They actually come from the book of Isaiah:
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

51. Sub builder DELI
The word “delicatessen” (or “deli” for short) came into English from the German “Delikatessen”. The Germans borrowed the word from French, in which language “délicatesse” means “delicious things (to eat)”. The term’s ultimate root is “delicatus”, the Latin for “giving pleasure, delightful”.

52. It may be pitched WOO
The slang phrase “to pitch woo” means “to kiss and cuddle”, and has been around at least since the 1800s.

55. High-level predator PUMA
The mountain lion is found in much of the Americas from the Yukon in Canada right down to the southern Andes in South America. Because the mountain lion is found over such a vast area, it has many different names applied by local peoples, such as cougar and puma. In fact, the mountain lion holds the Guinness record for the animal with the most number of different names, with over 40 in English alone.

56. Hamlet’s satisfied comment about the starts of 20-, 32- and 39-Across? AY, THERE’S THE RUB
A “rub” is a difficulty or obstruction. The usage predates Shakespeare, and comes from the game of lawn bowls, in which a rub is a fault in the bowling surface. The oft-quoted phrase “there’s the rub”, comes from Hamlet’s famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy:

To die — to sleep.
To sleep — perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub!

61. Dadaism founder ARP
Hans Arp was a French artist renowned for his work with torn and pasted paper, although that wasn’t the only medium he used. Arp was the son of a French mother and German father and spoke both languages fluently. When he was speaking German he gave his name as Hans Arp, but when speaking French he called himself Jean Arp. Both “Hans” and “Jean” translate into English as “John”. In WWI Arp moved to Switzerland to avoid being called up to fight, taking advantage of Swiss neutrality. Eventually he was told to report to the German Consulate and fill out paperwork for the draft. In order to get out of fighting, Arp messed up the paperwork by writing the date in every blank space on the forms. Then he took off all of his clothes and walked with his papers over to the officials in charge. He was sent home …

Dadaism thrived during and just after WWI, and was an anti-war, anti-bourgeois and anti-art culture. The movement began in Zurich, Switzerland started by a group of artists and writers who met to discuss art and put on performances in the Cabaret Voltaire, frequently expressing disgust at the war that was raging across Europe.

62. Virgin America’s frequent-flyer program ELEVATE
Virgin America is a US-based airline that operates out of San Francisco International Airport. The airline was founded by Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, although Virgin only has a 35% share in the company. That’s because by law, no more than 25% of a US airline can be owned by a foreign interest.

64. Commuter’s choice BUS
We use the term “bus” for a mode of transportation, an abbreviated form of the original “omnibus”. We imported “omnibus” via French from Latin, in which language it means “for all”. The idea is that an omnibus is a “carriage for all”.

65. Backs out RENEGES
To renege on something is to back out of it. It’s a word commonly used in card games like bridge and whist. A renege is when a player doesn’t follow suit, even though there may be a card of the suit led in his/her hand.

66. “The Murders in the __ Morgue” RUE
“The Murders in the Rue Morgue” is a short story by Edgar Allen Poe that is recognized as the first “detective story” ever written. The murder is solved when it is determined that the murderer was actually an orangutan.

69. Old atlas abbr. SSR
The former Soviet Union (USSR) was created in 1922, not long after the Russian Revolution of 1917 that overthrew the Tsar. Geographically, the new Soviet Union was roughly equivalent to the old Russian Empire, and was comprised of fifteen Soviet Socialist Republics (SSRs).

Down
2. Hall of fame ARSENIO
Arsenio Hall got his big break with his role in “Coming to America” with Eddie Murphy in 1988. The following year he started hosting “The Arsenio Hall Show”, which ran until 1994. He had a loyal group of fans in the audience that had the habit of almost “barking” while pumping their fists in the air. The raucous move became so popular it extended far beyond the influences of Arsenio, and to this day it is still used as a mark of appreciation in some arenas. Not by me, mind you …

3. Tenor Domingo PLACIDO
Plácido Domingo is a Spanish tenor, from Madrid. Famously, Domingo was one of “The Three Tenors”, the performing trio that brought classical arias to the masses. The other two “Tenors” were fellow-Spaniard José Carreras and Italian Luciano Pavarotti.

10. Hawaiian root TARO
The corm of some taro plants is used to make poi, the traditional Hawaiian dish (that I think tastes horrible). When a taro plant is grown as an ornamental, it is often called Elephant Ears due to the shape of its large leaves.

13. Latin trio word AMO
“Amo, amas, amat: … “I love, you love, he/she/it loves”, in Latin.

21. Unit of speed KNOT
A knot (kt.) is a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour. Traditionally a vessel’s speed was determined by using a “chip log”. A chip log is made up of a wooden board attached to a line wrapped around a reel. The line (called a “log-line”) had knots tied in it at uniform spacings. To determine the vessels speed the board was thrown overboard and the line allowed to unroll. The speed was then the “number of knots” paid out in a fixed time interval.

22. Had too much ODED
Overdose (OD)

26. Dorm figs. RAS
RAs are resident assistants or resident advisers, the peer leaders found in residence halls, particularly on a college campus.

34. Potpourri quality ODOR
The French term “pot pourri” literally translates to “rotten pot”, but in France it used to mean “stew”. Over time, the term “potpourri” evolved in English usage to mean a “medley”, and eventually a mixture of dried flowers and spices.

35. “The Great” boy detective NATE
The ‘Nate the Great” series of children’s novels was written (mainly) by Marjorie Sharmat. Nate is like a young Sherlock Holmes, with a dog for a sidekick called Sludge. Some of the books have been adapted for television.

36. Greek consonant TAU
Tau is the 19th letter of the Greek alphabet, the letter which gave rise to our Roman “T”. Both the letters tau (T) and chi (X) have long been symbolically associated with the cross.

39. Bridge column datum BID
That would be a bid made in the card game of bridge.

41. Nymph in Homer’s “Odyssey” CALYPSO
In Greek mythology, Nereus and Doris had fifty daughters, and these were called the sea nymphs or nereids. The nereids often hung around with Poseidon and were generally very helpful creatures to sailors in distress. Mainly they were to be found in the Aegean, where they lived with their father in a cave in the deep. Some of the more notable names of the nereids were: Agave, Asia, Calypso, Doris, Erato, Eunice and Ione.

“The Odyssey” is one of two epic poems from ancient Greece that is attributed to Homer. “The Odyssey” is largely a sequel to Homer’s other epic, “The Iliad”. “The Odyssey” centers on the heroic figure Odysseus, and his adventures on his journey home to Greece following the fall of Troy.

44. Ticker __ TAPE
Stock price information used to be transmitted over telegraph lines by “stock tickers” that produced the famous “ticker tape”, a paper tape with stock symbols and prices printed on it. The “ticker” got its name from the noise it created when it was printing. Even though ticker tape is no longer used, the concept lives on in the scrolling electronic tickers that stream across the bottom of a television screen when there’s a financial program airing.

45. Loan sharks USURERS
“Usury” was originally the name given to the practice of lending money at interest, but the term now refers to lending at excessive rates of interest.

46. Eponymous city founder ROMULUS
According to tradition, Rome was founded by the twin brothers Romulus and Remus. The pair had a heated argument about who should be allowed to name the city and Romulus hit Remus with a shovel, killing him. And so, “Rome” was born!

An eponym is a name for something derived from the name of a person, as in the “sandwich” named for the Earl of Sandwich.

53. Oklahoma tribe OSAGE
The Osage Nation originated in the Ohio River valley in what we now call Kentucky. They were forced to migrate west of the Mississippi by the invading Iroquois tribe. Most of the tribe members now live in Osage County, Oklahoma.

54. Playful fish-eater OTTER
The fur of the sea otter is exceptionally thick. It is in fact the densest fur in the whole animal kingdom.

57. “His,” per Ambrose Bierce HERS
In Ambrose Bierce’s “The Devil’s Dictionary”, the entry for the word “HERS” is:

HERS, pron. His.

Ambrose Bierce was, among other things, an American satirist. He wrote a satirical lexicon called “The Devil’s Dictionary” published in 1911. The book is still popular today, with an updated version released in 2009. It includes “new” definitions from Bierce that were not included in his original work. Roy Morris, Jr. wrote a biography about Bierce called “Ambrose Bierce: Alone in Bad Company”.

58. Juice you can’t drink: Abbr. ELEC
Electricity (elec.)

59. Attorney general after Barr RENO
Janet Reno was Attorney General of the US from 1993 to 2001. Reno was the person to hold the office second longest, and was our first female Attorney General. In 2002, Reno ran for Governor of Florida but failed to win the Democratic nomination. Thereafter she retired from public life.

William Barr was the US Attorney General for two years in the administration of President George H. W. Bush. When not working, Barr is a very enthusiastic player of the Scottish bagpipes!

60. Gas company with a green-bordered logo HESS
The Hess Corporation is an oil company based in New York City. In 1964, the company started selling toy trucks with the Hess logo on them, in Hess gas stations. The company has been selling them every since, bringing out new models just before Christmas. Hess toy trucks have become quite collectible and the old ones can fetch a pretty penny.

61. Profiled penny prez ABE
The US one-cent coin has borne the profile of President Abraham Lincoln since 1909, the centennial of Lincoln’s birth. Fifty years later, a representation of the Lincoln Memorial was added to the reverse side.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Dancing shoe item TAP
4. Initially AT FIRST
11. Doo-wop syllable SHA
14. Modern address URL
15. Seedless raisin SULTANA
16. Oakley forte AIM
17. Cape Town’s nation: Abbr. RSA
18. Farm hauler TRACTOR
19. Jurist in 1995 news ITO
20. Area NECK OF THE WOODS (giving “neck rub”)
23. “Come __!” ON IN
24. Govt. stipend provider SSI
25. __ Addict: fragrance brand DIOR
27. Spot relative FIDO
28. Hound NAG
31. Fictional Melbourne Dame EDNA
32. SONIC’s Quarter Pound Coneys, e.g. FOOTLONG HOTDOGS (giving “foot rub”)
37. “Sweet as apple cider” girl of song IDA
38. Extinct emu relative MOA
39. 1985 sci-fi classic BACK TO THE FUTURE (giving “backrub”)
48. “Argo” setting IRAN
49. Flying Cloud, for one REO
50. “… __ is given”: Isaiah A SON
51. Sub builder DELI
52. It may be pitched WOO
55. High-level predator PUMA
56. Hamlet’s satisfied comment about the starts of 20-, 32- and 39-Across? AY, THERE’S THE RUB
61. Dadaism founder ARP
62. Virgin America’s frequent-flyer program ELEVATE
63. Pipe turn ELL
64. Commuter’s choice BUS
65. Backs out RENEGES
66. “The Murders in the __ Morgue” RUE
67. Star quality EGO
68. Ballpark officials SCORERS
69. Old atlas abbr. SSR

Down
1. Alienate TURN OFF
2. Hall of fame ARSENIO
3. Tenor Domingo PLACIDO
4. Concerning AS TO
5. Gang lands TURFS
6. Reasons for breakdowns FLATS
7. Result of many a bite ITCHING
8. Deserve RATE
9. Storm output SNOW
10. Hawaiian root TARO
11. Took marriage vows SAID I DO
12. Top-ten tune HIT SONG
13. Latin trio word AMO
21. Unit of speed KNOT
22. Had too much ODED
26. Dorm figs. RAS
29. Words of woe AH ME
30. Idle, with “off” GOOF
33. Fired LIT
34. Potpourri quality ODOR
35. “The Great” boy detective NATE
36. Greek consonant TAU
39. Bridge column datum BID
40. Decorator’s recommendation AREA RUG
41. Nymph in Homer’s “Odyssey” CALYPSO
42. Baby bootee, often KNIT
43. “Wait, there’s more” HOWEVER
44. Ticker __ TAPE
45. Loan sharks USURERS
46. Eponymous city founder ROMULUS
47. Co-dependency figure ENABLER
53. Oklahoma tribe OSAGE
54. Playful fish-eater OTTER
57. “His,” per Ambrose Bierce HERS
58. Juice you can’t drink: Abbr. ELEC
59. Attorney general after Barr RENO
60. Gas company with a green-bordered logo HESS
61. Profiled penny prez ABE

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