Month: May 2015

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
11. Holding pattern nos. ALTS
Airplanes might be held in a holding pattern at a certain altitude (alt.) while waiting to land.

16. 1974 N.L. batting champ Ralph GARR
Ralph Garr is a former left-handed batter who played for the Braves, White Sox and Angels.

18. Morales of “Criminal Minds” ESAI
The actor Esai Morales is best known for his role in the 1987 movie “La Bamba”, which depicted the life of Ritchie Valens and his half-brother Bob Morales (played by Esai).

“Criminal Minds” is a police drama that has aired on CBS since 2005. I haven’t seen this one …

19. In Paris, in Paris ICI
“Vous êtes ici” are important words to know when navigating your way around Paris. They mean “You are here”, and you’ll often see them on maps in the street.

20. For whom New York’s Queensboro Bridge was renamed ED KOCH
Ed Koch was a Democratic Representative in the US Congress from 1969-73, and then Mayor of New York City from 1978-89. From 1997 to 1999 Koch was a “judge” on the TV show “The People’s Court”. And in 2004, he collaborated with his sister Pat Koch, and wrote a children’s book called “Eddie, Harold’s Little Brother”, a tale about Ed’s own childhood experiences.

As the Manhattan end of New York City’s Queensboro bridge is located by 59th and 60th streets, it is commonly called the 59th Street Bridge by local residents. One of those local residents was Paul Simon and he wrote a little ditty called “The 59th Street Bridge Song” and recorded it with Art Garfunkel in 1967. We might know it better by the lyric “Feelin’ Groovy”. The song’s theme is “slow down, you move too fast”. The span’s name was changed to the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge in 2011 in honor of the city’s former mayor.

21. Diamond discovered in the ’60s NEIL
I saw Neil Diamond in concert about 15 years ago, and I must say he does put on a great show. His voice is cracking a bit, but that didn’t seem to spoil anyone’s enjoyment. I’ve also seen Diamond interviewed a few times on television, and I wouldn’t say he has the most scintillating of personalities.

22. Tight ends? TEES
The ends of the word “tight” are bother letters T (tees).

26. Child player STREEP
Meryl Streep has had more nominations for an Academy Award than any other actor, a tribute to her talent and the respect she has earned in the industry. I am not a huge fan of her earlier works but some of her recent movies are now on my list of all-time favorites. I recommend “Mamma Mia!” (you’ll either love it or hate it!), “Julie & Julia”, “It’s Complicated” and ”Hope Springs”.

Julia Child was an American chef who is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public. During WWII, Julia Child joined the OSS (the Office of Strategic Services), the predecessor to the CIA. She worked for the OSS in Washington, Ceylon and China. While in the OSS, she met her husband Paul Child who was also an OSS employee. Paul joined the Foreign Service after the war, and it was his posting to France that created the opportunity for Julie to learn about French cuisine. If you haven’t seen it, I highly, highly recommend the movie “Julie & Julia”, one of the best films of 2009. Meryl Streep does a fabulous job playing the larger-than-life Julia Child.

29. “Camelot” Tony winner, 1961 BURTON
The actor Richard Burton was born in South Wales, as Richard Jenkins. The actor took “Burton” as a stage name in honor of his schoolmaster and mentor Philip Burton.

“Camelot” is a Lerner and Loewe musical based on the legend of King Arthur. The show was first shown on Broadway in 1960 and ran for 873 performances, with Julie Andrews and Richard Burton starring. “Camelot” was made into a very successful film version that was released in 1967 starring Richard Harris as King Arthur and Vanessa Redgrave as Guenevere.

30. Character in “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” QUESTION MARK
“What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” is a 1960 novel by Henry Ferrell about two aging sisters called Jane and Blanche Hudson. Famously, the film was adapted for the big screen in 1962, with Bette Davis and Joan Crawford playing Jane and Blanche respectively. Bette Davis scares me, especially in this film, so I have never watched the whole thing …

38. Fed. property overseer GSA
The US Government’s General Services Administration (GSA), as the name suggests, provides general services to other federal agencies. So for example, the GSA manages office space for the other agencies, and transportation.

39. Pie order ANCHOVY PIZZA
Anchovies are saltwater fish that are quite small, although their adult size can vary from under an inch to over 15 inches depending on the species. Vegans should beware, as they are a ingredient in several common foods including Worcestershire sauce and Caesar salad dressing.

47. Creator of Heffalumps MILNE
Alan Alexander (A.A.) Milne was an English author, best known for his delightful “Winnie-the-Pooh” series of books. He had only one son, Christopher Robin Milne, born in 1920. The young Milne was the inspiration for the Christopher Robin character in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories. Winnie-the-Pooh was named after Christopher Robin’s real teddy bear, one he called Winnie, who in turn was named after a Canadian black bear called Winnie that the Milnes would visit in London Zoo. The original Winnie teddy bear is on display at the main branch of the New York Public Library in New York.

The elephant-like creatures in the “Winnie the Pooh” stories by A.A. Milne are known as Heffalumps.

48. Fighter acronym MIG
The Russian fighter jets that we know as “MiGs” are so called because they were designed by the Mikoyan-and-Gurevich Design Bureau, and MiG is an acronym for “Mikoyan-and-Gurevich” in Russian.

51. “M*A*S*H” actor FARR
Actor Jamie Farr is best known for playing the cross-dressing Max Klinger in the sitcom ”M*A*S*H”. Although Farr landed a role in the 1955 movie “Blackboard Jungle”, his career didn’t really take off until he started appearing regularly on “The Red Skelton Show”. Years later he managed to get a one-episode appearance in ”M*A*S*H”, and his character and performance were received so well that he became a regular on the show. Farr actually did serve in the US Army in Korea, although it was after hostilities had ended. The dog tags that Farr wore when filming ”M*A*S*H” were the one’s he actually wore while serving in the military.

53. Warning CAVEAT
A caveat is a warning or a qualification. “Caveat” is the Latin for “let him beware”.

57. Bonanza LODE
A lode is a metal ore deposit that’s found between two layers of rock or in a fissure. The “mother lode” is the principal deposit in a mine, usually of gold or silver. “Mother lode” is probably a translation of “veta madre”, an expression used in mining in Mexico.

A ”bonanza” is a mine with a rich pocket of ore that can be exploited. “Bonanza” is the Spanish word for a rich lode, and we imported the term into English. “Bonanza” originally meant “fair weather at sea”, and from that came to mean “prosperity, good fortune”. Ultimately, “bonanza” comes from the Latin “bonus” meaning “good”.

58. Capital on I-77 CHARLESTON
The state capital of West Virginia is the city of Charleston. The city started out as the settlement of Fort Lee in 1787, founded by Colonel George Clendenin of the Virginia Rangers. It is speculated that the name change, first to Charles Town and then to Charleston, was in honor of Col. Clendenin’s father, whose name was Charles.

Interstate 77 runs in a north-south direction from Cleveland, Ohio to Columbia, South Carolina.

61. Term coined by Hugh Hefner CENTERFOLD
In the magazine world, a centerfold is large illustration that is folded to form the central spread of a publication. Famously, Hugh Hefner used the centerfold of “Playboy” magazine for a large color photograph of a nude model, and since then the term “centerfold” has been used for a model who has featured in such a layout. Playboy’s first centerfold model was Marilyn Monroe.

Down
2. Relative of a stilt AVOCET
The avocet is found in warm climates, usually in saline wetlands where it uses its upcurved bill to sweep from side-to-side in water searching for aquatic insects on which it feeds. Avocets, and other similar species, may go by the common name of “stilts”, a moniker applied to them because of their long legs.

7. Literary symbols of daybreak LARKS
“To be up with the lark” is to get out of bed very early in the morning, especially at daybreak. The use of the lark to symbolize daybreak goes back quite a ways. Chaucer refers to “the bisy larke, messager of day” in “The Knight’s Tale” in the 14th century. William Shakespeare speaks of “the lark at break of day arising / From sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven’s gate” in his Sonnet 29.

8. One of a literary trio ATHOS
Alexandre Dumas’ “Three Musketeers” are Athos, Porthos and Aramis, and their young protégé is D’Artagnan. A musketeer was an infantry soldier who was equipped with a musket. Funnily enough, the three “musketeers” really don’t use their muskets, and are better known for their prowess with their swords.

10. O.T. book ESTH
Esther was a Jewish queen, wife of the Persian king Ahasuerus, and the heroine of the Book of Esther in the Bible. By the way, Esther is the only book in the Bible that doesn’t mention the word “God”.

12. Combat game LASER TAG
The name “Laser Tag” is really a misnomer as lasers are rarely used in the game. The “guns” actually send out infrared light, and not laser light, which is picked up by infrared detectors worn by the players.

13. Quislings TRAITORS
We use the word “quisling” for a person who is a collaborator with enemy forces during wartime. The term comes from Norwegian Vidkun Quisling, who led a regime during WWII that collaborated with the occupying Nazi forces.

14. Colombo’s country SRI LANKA
Colombo is the largest city in Sri Lanka. It is also the commercial capital of the island nation, whereas the administrative capital is Kotte (or more formally “Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte). Kotte is in fact a suburb of Colombo.

23. Et __ SEQ
The Latin phrase “et sequens” or “et sequentia” is used in English to mean “and following”, and is abbreviated to “et seq”.

25. “Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak” writer SUN TZU
Sun Tzu was a Chinese general in the 6th century BC who wrote a famous treatise called “The Art of War(fare)”. I’ve even seen the principles in Sun Tzu’s book applied to modern business.

27. Atlas section EUROPE
The continent of Europe was named for Europa, a Phoenician princess of Greek mythology.

29. 1951 Reagan co-star BONZO
“Bedtime for Bonzo” is a 1951 comedy film about a man training a chimpanzee. The man in question is played by future US president Ronald Reagan. After Clint Eastwood was elected mayor of Carmel, California, Reagan called up Eastwood and asked him, “What’s an actor who once appeared with a monkey in movie doing in politics?”. Eastwood appeared with a monkey in the film “Every Which Way but Loose”.

33. Only Super Bowl won by the Jets III
Super Bowl I was played in January 1967 between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Packers emerged victorious in a game with a score of 35-10. That game was officially known as the AFL-NFL Championship Game, as the name “Super Bowl” wasn’t applied until two seasons later. That “first” Super Bowl is now known as Super Bowl III and was played between the New York Jets and the Baltimore Colts. The Jets came out on top.

35. R.E.M. hit, with “The” ONE I LOVE
“The One I Love” was a song released in 1987 by the rock band R.E.M. The lyrics are somewhat cynical. The song starts out with “This one goes out to the one I love”, but then the second line is less wholesome, “A simple prop to occupy my time” …

41. Justice Dept. agency ATF
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is today part of the Department of Justice (DOJ). The ATF has its roots in the Department of Treasury dating back to 1886 when it was known as the Bureau of Prohibition. “Explosives” was added to the ATF’s name when the bureau was moved under the Department of Justice (DOJ) as part of the reorganization called for in the Homeland Security Act of 2002.

44. City near Bethlehem EASTON
The Lehigh Valley metropolitan area in Pennsylvania is primarily composed of the three cities, Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton.

45. Specialized cactus branch AREOLE
Areoles are bumps on the side of cacti from which grow clusters of spines. These areoles are one of the features of cacti that distinguish them from other succulent plants.

48. “Real Time” host MAHER
Bill Maher is a stand-up comedian and political commentator. Maher has an HBO television show called “Real Time with Bill Maher” which is essentially a follow-on from the very successful “Politically Incorrect” program that started out on Comedy Central.

49. 14th-century Russian prince IVAN I
Ivan I was Prince of Moscow from 1325, succeeding his older brother Yuri III, who in turn succeeded their father Daniil Aleksandrovich. Daniil was the first Prince of Moscow, the first in a long line that culminated in Ivan the Terrible, who became the first Tsar of Russia.

50. “Still Standing” co-star Jami GERTZ
The actress Jami Gertz is probably best known for playing one of the leads in the sitcom “Still Standing”. Gertz is married to wealthy businessman Antony Ressler. Together the couple were listed as the number-one donor to charity of any celebrity in the year 2010.

53. Sputnik letters CCCP
The abbreviation CCCP stands for “Сою́з Сове́тских Социалисти́ческих Респу́блик”, which translates from Russian as “Union of Soviet Socialist Republics”, the USSR.

The Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite towards the end of 1957, the first in a series of SPACE missions. That first satellite was just a “ball” trailing four antennas. The ball was only 23 inches in diameter. Sputnik 2 was launched just a month later, and carried the first living passenger into orbit, a dog called Laika. The word “sputnik” means “co-traveller” in Russian.

54. Sailor’s direction ALEE
“Alee” is the direction away from the wind. If a sailor points into the wind, he or she is pointing “aweather”.

59. It’s nearly 700 mi. south of Sea-Tac SFO
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) serves as the main base of operations for Virgin America, and is also the maintenance hub for United Airlines. SFO was the site of a 2013 crash of an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 that resulted in three fatalities.

Sea-Tac Airport is more fully known as Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Sea-Tac is the main hub for Alaska Airlines.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Grooming tool RAZORBLADE
11. Holding pattern nos. ALTS
15. Disappears EVAPORATES
16. 1974 N.L. batting champ Ralph GARR
17. Huge success MONSTER HIT
18. Morales of “Criminal Minds” ESAI
19. In Paris, in Paris ICI
20. For whom New York’s Queensboro Bridge was renamed ED KOCH
21. Diamond discovered in the ’60s NEIL
22. Tight ends? TEES
24. Weather report abbr. SSE
25. Casual qualifier SORTA
26. Child player STREEP
29. “Camelot” Tony winner, 1961 BURTON
30. Character in “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” QUESTION MARK
34. Try to win WOO
37. Do a fixer-upper job REPAINT
38. Fed. property overseer GSA
39. Pie order ANCHOVY PIZZA
42. Family secret, perhaps RECIPE
43. Best in a restaurant OUTEAT
47. Creator of Heffalumps MILNE
48. Fighter acronym MIG
51. “M*A*S*H” actor FARR
52. Surfeit GLUT
53. Warning CAVEAT
56. Realize SEE
57. Bonanza LODE
58. Capital on I-77 CHARLESTON
60. Through OVER
61. Term coined by Hugh Hefner CENTERFOLD
62. Bonds WEDS
63. Winnings PRIZE MONEY

Down
1. Pays REMITS
2. Relative of a stilt AVOCET
3. Comparatively kooky ZANIER
4. Photo __ OPS
5. Learning method ROTE
6. Gave rise to BRED
7. Literary symbols of daybreak LARKS
8. One of a literary trio ATHOS
9. Prepare for takeoff, maybe DEICE
10. O.T. book ESTH
11. 18 for graduating high school, e.g. AGE NORM
12. Combat game LASER TAG
13. Quislings TRAITORS
14. Colombo’s country SRI LANKA
23. Et __ SEQ
25. “Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak” writer SUN TZU
27. Atlas section EUROPE
28. Bug PEEVE
29. 1951 Reagan co-star BONZO
31. Mole, maybe SPY
32. 31-Down strategy TAP
33. Only Super Bowl won by the Jets III
34. Virtuous feeling WARM GLOW
35. R.E.M. hit, with “The” ONE I LOVE
36. Blocked OCCLUDED
40. Ones saying “warmer,” perhaps HINTERS
41. Justice Dept. agency ATF
44. City near Bethlehem EASTON
45. Specialized cactus branch AREOLE
46. In TRENDY
48. “Real Time” host MAHER
49. 14th-century Russian prince IVAN I
50. “Still Standing” co-star Jami GERTZ
53. Sputnik letters CCCP
54. Sailor’s direction ALEE
55. Time spent in one’s seat TERM
59. It’s nearly 700 mi. south of Sea-Tac SFO

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