Month: May 2015

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Flock leader PASTOR
A pastor is a minister or priest in some Christian traditions. “Pastor” is the Latin word for “shepherd”.

15. Co-creator of the Rutles, a parodic band ERIC IDLE
Eric Idle is one of the founding members of the Monty Python team. Idle was very much the musician of the bunch, and is an accomplished guitarist. If you’ve seen the Monty Python film “The Life of Brian”, you might remember the closing number, “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”. It was sung by Idle, and was indeed written by him. That song made it to number 3 in the UK charts in 1991.

The Rutles were originally a fictional pop group that parodied the Beatles. The group was created for a comedy television show in the seventies by Eric Idle (of “Monty Python” fame) and Neil Innes. The Rutles really gained wide approval after starring in a mockumentary TV film in 1978 called “All You Need is Cash (The Rutles). George Harrison of the Beatles actually appeared in the TV movie, and helped with its production. In 1997, the Rutles were resurrected as a touring band that still performs today.

16. Good feelings during Jewish bread celebrations? CHALLAH DAY CHEER (sounds like “holiday cheer”
Challah is a special braided bread that is eaten by Ashkenazi Jews on the Sabbath. The bread is served to commemorate the manna that fell from the heavens as the Israelites wandered around the desert after the Exodus from Egypt.

18. iComfort maker SERTA
Serta was founded in 1931 when a group of 13 mattress manufacturers came together, essentially forming a cooperative. Today, the Serta company is owned by eight independent licensees in a similar arrangement.

20. Greek peak OSSA
Mount Ossa in Greece is located between Mt. Pelion in the south, and the famed Mt. Olympus in the north. Mount Ossa is also known as Kissavos.

21. Vietnam Veterans Memorial designer LIN
Maya Lin is a Chinese American born in Athens Ohio, and is an artist and architect. Her most famous work is the moving Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Lin was only 21-years-old when she won a public design competition in 1981 to create the memorial. Although her design is very fitting, sadly Lin was not a popular choice for the work given her Asian heritage. As she said herself, she probably would not have been picked had the competition been judged with the knowledge of who was behind each submission.

25. Cautionary tale about Greek bread? PITA AND THE WOLF (sounds like “Peter and the Wolf”)
Pita is a lovely bread in Middle-Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. Pita is usually round, and has a “pocket” in the center. The pocket is created by steam that puffs up the dough during cooking leaving a void when the bread cools. The pockets were a big hit in the seventies when someone came up with the idea of using them for fillings hence creating pita sandwiches or “pita pockets”.

As is the case for many I am sure, Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” was my introduction to the world of classical music, as it was played for us at school many, many moons ago. Prokofiev wrote the piece as a commissioned work for the Central Children’s Theater in Moscow, in 1936. He loved the idea of the project, and wrote the story and music in just four days!

34. Big opening MAW
“Maw” is a term used to describe the mouth or stomach of a carnivorous animal. “Maw” is also used as slang for the mouth or stomach of a greedy person.

35. Calf neighbor TIBIA
The tibia is the shin bone, the larger of the two bones right below the knee. The tibia is the strongest weight-bearing bone in the human body. “Tibia” is the Roman name for a Greek flute and it is thought that the shin bone was given the same name because flutes were often fashioned out of the shin bones of animals.

36. Scraps ORTS
Orts are small scraps of food left after a meal. “Ort” comes from Middle English, and originally described scraps left by animals.

40. Draw, as a portrait LIMN
“To limn” is to describe, or portray in a painting or a drawing. “Limn” has the same root as “illuminate”, in the sense of illuminating a manuscript.

41. Home of minor league baseball’s RubberDucks AKRON
The Akron Rubber Ducks is a Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. The team name is a reference to Akron’s long association with the rubber industry, having been home to Goodyear, Firestone, Goodrich and General Tire.

43. Friend of Eeyore ROO
In A. A. Milne’s “Winnie-the-Pooh” collection of stories, Pooh has many friend in Hundred Acre Wood. Besides Christopher Robin, who doesn’t actually live in the wood, the list includes Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, Rabbit, Tigger and Owl.

44. Signs of island hospitality LEIS
“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.

45. Baker of only one type of Indian bread? NAAN CONFORMIST (sounds like “nonconformist”)
Naan (also “nan”) bread is very popular in Indian restaurants, as well as in other West, Central and South Asian cuisines. Indian Naan is traditionally baked in a clay oven known as a tandoor.

49. Conquistador’s treasure ORO
“Conquistador” is the Spanish for “conqueror”.

50. Decorative swimmer KOI
Koi are also called Japanese carp. Koi have been bred for decorative purposes and there are now some very brightly colored examples found in Japanese water gardens.

51. Mont Blanc, par exemple ALPE
Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in the Alps. The name “Mont Blanc” translates from French into “white mountain”. The mountain lies on the border between France and Italy, and it has been generally accepted for decades that the summit lies within French territory. However, there have been official claims that the summit does in fact fall within the borders of Italy.

55. “A good deed __ ever forgot”: “Huckleberry Finn” AIN’T
“The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain was first published in 1884, not here in the US but rather in England. The original launch planned for the US had to be delayed until the following year because some rascal had defaced the plate for one of the illustrations, making an obscene joke. Once the problem was spotted a new plate had to be made, and 30,000 copies already printed had to be reworked to cover up the obscenity.

67. Happens to BETIDES
“Betide” is an old word for “happen, happen to”. Most often today we hear it in the phrase “woe betide (someone)” meaning “bad things will happen to (someone)”.

Down
1. D.C. fundraisers PACS
A Political Action Committee (PAC) is a private group that works to influence the outcome of a particular election or group of elections. Any group becomes a PAC by law when it receives or spends more than $1,000 for the purpose of influencing the outcome of an election. In 2010 the Supreme Court ruled that PACS that did not make direct contributions to candidates or parties could accept unlimited contributions. These “independent-expenditure only committees” are commonly referred to as “super PACs”.

5. “C’est magnifique!” OO LA LA!
“C’est magnifique!” is French for “It is magnificent!”

6. Genetic messenger RNA
Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) is an essential catalyst in the manufacture of proteins in the body. The genetic code in DNA determines the sequence of amino acids that make up each protein. That sequence is read in DNA by messenger RNA, and amino acids are delivered for protein manufacture in the correct sequence by what is called transfer RNA. The amino acids are then formed into proteins by ribosomal RNA.

7. Ancient landing spot ARARAT
Mount Ararat is in Turkey. Ararat is a snow-capped, dormant volcano with two peaks. The higher of the two, Greater Ararat, is the tallest peak in the country. Ararat takes its name from a legendary Armenian hero called Ara the Beautiful (or Ara the Handsome). According to the Book of Genesis, Noah’s ark landed on Mount Ararat as the Great Flood subsided.

8. King Saud University city RIYADH
Riyadh is the capital of Saudi Arabia, and is located near the center of the country. The name “Riyadh” translates from Arabic as ‘the gardens”.

11. Summer quaffs ADES
“Quaff” is both a verb and a noun. One quaffs (takes a hearty drink) of a quaff (a hearty drink).

12. Martinique et Réunion ILES
In French, an island (île) is a piece of ground (terre) in the sea (mer).

The island of Martinique in the eastern Caribbean is actually a part of France, and is referred to as an “overseas department”. As such, Martinique is part of the European Union, and even uses the euro as its currency. The island is fully represented in the French National Assembly and Senate, just like any department within France. It’s sort of like the status of Hawaii within the US.

Réunion is a French island in the Indian Ocean, located east of Madagascar.

13. Michael of “Arrested Development” CERA
Michael Cera is a Canadian actor, a very talented young man who is riding high right now. He played great characters on the TV show “Arrested Development”, and the 2007 comedy-drama “Juno”. More recently he played the title role in “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”.

15. URL ending EDU
The .edu domain was one of the six original generic top-level domains specified. The complete original list is:

– .com (commercial enterprise)
– .net (entity involved in network infrastructure e.g. an ISP)
– .mil (US military)
– .org (not-for-profit organization)
– .gov (US federal government entity)
– .edu (college-level educational institution)

17. Disney’s Montana HANNAH
Miley Cyrus became famous playing the Disney Channel character “Hannah Montana”. Miley is of course the daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus. When she was born, Billy Ray and his wife named their daughter “Destiny Hope”, but soon they themselves calling her “Smiley” as she was always smiling as a baby, and this got shortened to Miley over time. Cute …

22. Pet food creator Paul IAMS
Iams dog food was produced by the animal nutritionist Paul Iams. He felt that household pets were suffering somewhat by being fed a diet of table scraps, so he developed a dry dog food that he felt was more nutritious and suitable for pet dogs. He founded the Iams company, now part of Procter & Gamble, in 1946.

24. Place for quiet, at times SET
Quiet on the set! Action!

25. Yukon warmer 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.

Canada’s federal territory known as Yukon takes its name from the Yukon River. “Yukon” means “Big Stream” in the local Gwich’in language.

26. Mural beginning INTRA-
Intramural sports are conducted within a certain geographic area, as opposed to varsity sports which are played with teams outside that area. The term “intramural” comes from the Latin for “within walls” and first applied to events held between teams based within the walls of a city.

27. 1980s-’90s heavyweight champ TYSON
The boxer Mike Tyson has said some pretty graphic things about his opponents. For example:

– About Lennox Lewis, “My main objective is to be professional but to kill him.”
– To Razor Ruddock, “I’m gonna make you my girlfriend.”
– About Tyrell Biggs, “He was screaming like my wife.”

28. Grumpy, say DWARF
In the original Brothers Grimm fairy tale called “Snow White”, the seven dwarfs were not given any names. The names were added for the 1937 classic Disney film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. The seven dwarfs are:

– Doc (the leader of the group)
– Grumpy (that would be me, according to my wife …)
– Happy
– Sleepy
– Bashful
– Sneezy
– Dopey

30. Theatrical honors OBIES
The Obies are the “Off-Broadway Theater Awards”. The Obies are presented annually and the recipients are chosen by “The Village Voice” newspaper.

39. Brand for greenskeepers TORO
Toro is a manufacturer mainly of lawn mowers and snow removal equipment based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The company was started in 1914 to build tractor engines.

42. Sgt., for one NCO
An NCO is a non-commissioned officer in the armed forces. Usually such an officer is one who has earned his or her rank by promotion through the enlisted ranks. A good example would be a sergeant.

46. Grand Marnier flavor ORANGE
Grand Marnier is a very tasty orange-flavored liqueur from France. It is a blend of Cognac brandy, distilled essence of bitter orange, and sugar. There is a lot of Grand Marnier consumed in France as part of desserts, especially the delicious Crêpe Suzette. The drink was created by Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle in 1880, hence the name.

52. Harp relative LYRE
The lyre is a stringed instrument most closely associated with Ancient Greece, and with the gods Hermes and Apollo in particular. According to myth, Hermes slaughtered a cow from a sacred herd belonging to Apollo and offered it to the gods but kept the entrails. Hermes used the entrails to make strings that he stretched across the shell of a tortoise, creating the first lyre. Apollo liked the sound from the lyre and agreed to accept it as a trade for his herd of cattle.

54. Actor Morales 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).

56. Composer Rorem NED
American composer Ned Rorem is famous for his musical works, but also for his book “Paris Diary of Ned Rorem” that was published in 1966. Rorem talks openly about his sexuality in the book, and also about the sexuality of others including Noel Coward, Leonard Bernstein and Samuel Barber, much to some people’s chagrin.

60. Springfield watering hole MOE’S
Moe Szyslak is the surly bartender and owner of Moe’s Tavern in “The Simpsons” animated TV show. I don’t really care for “The Simpsons”, but Hank Azaria who supplies the voice for the Moe character … him I like …

61. Paris : terre :: Bonn : __ ERDE
In German, the Earth (Erde) is one of the planets (die Planeten).

After WWII, Bonn was chosen as the capital of West Germany, a choice promoted by Chancellor Konrad Adenauer who was from the area. After German reunification, the capital was moved to Berlin.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Flock leader PASTOR
7. Old ARCHAIC
14. Film genre ACTION
15. Co-creator of the Rutles, a parodic band ERIC IDLE
16. Good feelings during Jewish bread celebrations? CHALLAH DAY CHEER (sounds like “holiday cheer”
18. iComfort maker SERTA
19. Spiritualist’s sighting AURA
20. Greek peak OSSA
21. Vietnam Veterans Memorial designer LIN
23. Newspaper thickener ADS
25. Cautionary tale about Greek bread? PITA AND THE WOLF (sounds like “Peter and the Wolf”)
33. Scores MANY
34. Big opening MAW
35. Calf neighbor TIBIA
36. Scraps ORTS
37. Commandment word SHALT
40. Draw, as a portrait LIMN
41. Home of minor league baseball’s RubberDucks AKRON
43. Friend of Eeyore ROO
44. Signs of island hospitality LEIS
45. Baker of only one type of Indian bread? NAAN CONFORMIST (sounds like “nonconformist”)
49. Conquistador’s treasure ORO
50. Decorative swimmer KOI
51. Mont Blanc, par exemple ALPE
55. “A good deed __ ever forgot”: “Huckleberry Finn” AIN’T
57. Blush cause SHAME
62. Ability to laugh at deli bread … and at three other answers in this puzzle? RYE SENSE OF HUMOR (sounds like “wry sense of humor”)
65. Planned ARRANGED
66. Hit with force RAMMED
67. Happens to BETIDES
68. Fight OPPOSE

Down
1. D.C. fundraisers PACS
2. Pine ACHE
3. Take the lead STAR
4. Slope TILT
5. “C’est magnifique!” OO LA LA!
6. Genetic messenger RNA
7. Ancient landing spot ARARAT
8. King Saud University city RIYADH
9. Speculative bond rating CCC
10. Jaunty greeting HI HO!
11. Summer quaffs ADES
12. Martinique et Réunion ILES
13. Michael of “Arrested Development” CERA
15. URL ending EDU
17. Disney’s Montana HANNAH
22. Pet food creator Paul IAMS
24. Place for quiet, at times SET
25. Yukon warmer PARKA
26. Mural beginning INTRA-
27. 1980s-’90s heavyweight champ TYSON
28. Grumpy, say DWARF
29. Hesitant thought WILL I?
30. Theatrical honors OBIES
31. Control, in a way LIMIT
32. Followers FANS
33. Halloween effect MOAN
38. Seek guidance from LOOK TO
39. Brand for greenskeepers TORO
42. Sgt., for one NCO
46. Grand Marnier flavor ORANGE
47. Malfunction indicators, perhaps NOISES
48. Thing gone wrong MISHAP
51. Many an 8-Down native ARAB
52. Harp relative LYRE
53. Sassy PERT
54. Actor Morales ESAI
56. Composer Rorem NED
58. Hardest part HUMP
59. It’s used in rounds AMMO
60. Springfield watering hole MOE’S
61. Paris : terre :: Bonn : __ ERDE
63. Word with game or point END
64. Not to FRO

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