Day: August 19, 2015

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
4. Snapple’s __ Madness MANGO
Originally “Snapple” was name of just one type of juice made by a company called Unadulterated Food Products. The drink’s name was a contraction of “snappy apple”. The company’s name was changed to the Snapple Beverage Corporation in the early 1980s. Snapple was sold in 1994, and is now a brand name owned by Dr Pepper Snapple Group.

9. Jet black EBONY
Ebony is another word for the color black (often shortened to “ebon” in poetry). Ebony is a dark black wood that is very dense, one of the few types of wood that sinks in water. Ebony has been in high demand so the species of trees yielding the wood are now considered threatened. It is in such short supply that unscrupulous vendors have been known to darken lighter woods with shoe polish to look like ebony, so be warned …

The color “jet black” takes its name from the minor gemstone known as jet. The gemstone and the material it is made of takes its English name from the French name: “jaiet”.

16. “Irma la __” DOUCE
“Irma la Douce” is a wonderful Billy Wilder movie, released in 1963. It stars Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. Lemmon plays a maligned Parisian policeman, and MacLaine is the popular prostitute Irma la Douce (literally “Irma the Sweet”). Don’t let the adult themes throw you as it’s a very entertaining movie …

20. Provence pronoun ILS
“Ils” is the French for “they”, if not referring to feminine nouns (when “they” translates as “elles”).

Provence is a geographical region in France, in the south of the country. The region was once a Roman province called Provincia Romana, and was the first Roman province beyond the Alps. It is this Roman name “Provincia Romana” that gives Provence its name.

23. “My Antonia” novelist CATHER
American novelist Willa Cather wrote what’s called the “prairie trilogy”, books that tell the story of Swedish immigrants living in Nebraska. The titles in the trilogy are “O, Pioneers!”, “The Song of the Lark” and “My Antonia”. Cather won the Pulitzer Prize for another novel, “One of Ours”, that is set in Nebraska and the French battlefields of WWI.

29. “Barnaby Jones” star EBSEN
The actor Buddy Ebsen is best known for playing Jed Clampett in television’s “The Beverly Hillbillies”, as wells the title character on the seventies detective series “Barnaby Jones”. Ebsen had been cast in the role of the Tin Man in the 1939 movie “The Wizard of Oz”, but he developed an allergy to the aluminium dust that was used in the makeup. He ended up in hospital and had to walk away from the part. Ebsen blamed “The Wizard of Oz” on persistent problems that he had with his lungs in subsequent years. But Ebsen lived 16 years longer that any of the other major cast members of the film, so maybe he got the last laugh!

Barnaby Jones is a character on the detective show from the seventies called “Canon”. The Jones character was played by Buddy Ebsen. Ebsen then starred in the title role of the spinoff show called “Barnaby Jones”.

32. Lilly of pharmaceuticals ELI
Eli Lilly is the largest corporation in the state of Indiana. The founder, Eli Lilly, was a veteran of the Union Army in the Civil War, and a failed Mississippi plantation owner. Later in life he returned to his first profession and opened a pharmaceutical operation to manufacture drugs and sell them wholesale. Under Lilly’s early guidance, the company was the first to create gelatin capsules to hold medicines and the first to use fruit flavoring in liquid medicines.

34. Strange: Pref. XENO-
The Greek combining form “xeno-” means “strange, foreign”, as in xenophobia, a fear of foreigners.

39. Long-jawed fish GARS
The fish known as a gar is very unusual in that it is often found in very brackish water. What is interesting about gar is that their swim bladders are vascularized so that they can actually function as lungs. Many species of gar can actually be seen coming to the surface and taking a gulp of air. This adaptation makes it possible for them to live in conditions highly unsuitable for other fish that rely on their gills to get oxygen out of the water. Indeed, quite interesting …

42. Order in the court WRIT
A writ is an order issued by some formal body (these days, usually a court) with the order being in written form. Warrants and subpoenas are examples of writs.

43. “Happy Pills” singer Jones NORAH
The beguiling Norah Jones is the daughter of famous sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar, and is one of my favorite singers. If you haven’t heard Jones sing her song “Come Away with Me”, you just haven’t lived …

47. Game with Skip 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.

50. Ally in a TV courtroom MCBEAL
“Ally McBeal” is a very successful television show that aired from 1997 to 2002. It starred Calista Flockhart in the title role, as a successful lawyer. I must admit, I never watched the show, but I am told by a kind blog reader that it’s good viewing. It was created by David E. Kelley, who is also the man behind other successful legal dramas including “The Practice”, “Boston Legal” and “Harry’s Games’. Kelley is married to actress Michelle Pfeiffer.

57. Like mil. volunteers ENL
Enlisted (enl.)

58. “MacGyver” actor Dana ELCAR
Dana Elcar was an actor most noted for his recurring role on television’s “MacGyver”. In “MacGyver” he played Peter Thornton, MacGyver’s best friend and boss. Elcar developed glaucoma for the last years of his life, which eventually caused him to go blind. He continued acting even with his affliction. As he lost his sight, Elcar’s condition was written into the “MacGyver” storyline. He also played the blind character Vladimir in his last stage performance, in Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot”.

62. Second of 13 popes LEO II
Pope Saint Leo II was leader of the Roman Catholic Church for less than a year, before he died in 683 CE.

64. Gumshoe TEC
“Gumshoe” is a slang term for a private detective or private investigator (P.I.). Apparently the term “gumshoe” dates back to the early 1900s, and refers to the rubber-soled shoes popular with private detectives at that time.

65. Syrup type MAPLE
About 75% of the world’s maple syrup comes from the province of Quebec. The US’s biggest producer is the state of Vermont, which produces 5-6% of the world’s supply.

66. __ Rapids, Iowa CEDAR
Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in the state of Iowa. The city is named for rapids on the Cedar River on which it is located. The river itself was named for the red cedars that grew along the river’s banks.

67. C&W’s __ Ridge Boys OAK
The vocal quartet known as the Oak Ridge Boys were founded as a southern gospel group during the fifties called the Oak Ridge Quartet. The foursome changed their focus to country music in the seventies, and changed their name at the same time.

Country & western (C&W)

Down
3. Wheel-spinning rodent HAMSTER
The rodents known as hamsters are commonly kept as house pets. Male hamsters are called bucks, females are called does, and baby hamsters are known as pups.

4. Author of “Hawaii,” “Alaska,” and “Texas” MICHENER
The author James A. Michener won his Pulitzer in 1948 for his collection of short stories set during WWII called “Tales of the South Pacific”. The stories are based on Michener’s own experiences and on tales that he learned while stationed there during the war. The book was published in 1946, and three years later the musical “South Pacific” opened with a storyline drawn from Michener’s book. Michener was also known for his novels that were lengthy family sagas all based in a particular location, e.g. “Alaska”, “Hawaii” and “Texas”.

5. Psychologist Alfred ADLER
Alfred Adler was one of the group of medical professionals that founded the psychoanalytic movement. Today Adler is less famous than his colleague, Sigmund Freud.

6. Lamp gas NEON
The basic design of neon lighting was first demonstrated at the Paris Motor Show in 1910. Such lighting is made up of glass tubes containing a vacuum into which has been introduced a small amount of neon gas. When a voltage is applied between two electrodes inside the tube, the neon gas “glows” and gives off the familiar light.

8. Parkay, say OLEO
Emperor Louis Napoleon III of France announced a competition to develop a substitute for butter, a substitute that would be more accessible to the lower classes and more practical for the armed forces. In 1869, a French chemist called Hippolyte Mege-Mouries came up with something that he called oleomargarine, which was eventually manufactured under the trade name “margarine”. The name “oleomargarine” also gives us our generic term “oleo”.

Parkay is a brand of margarine that was introduced in 1937.

9. New Jersey township named for an inventor EDISON
The township of Edison, New Jersey was established as Raritan Township in 1870, but changed its name to Edison in 1954. That change was in honor of inventor Thomas Edison who worked in the Menlo Park section of the township. The motto appearing on the town seal is “Let There be Light”.

10. Silly blunder BONER
“Boner” is one of those words that I just don’t like because it can be used offensively. The term can also be used to mean a faux pas, an error.

12. PX shopper 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.

A PX is a Post Exchange, a retail store operating on a US Army Base. The equivalent store on an Air Force Base is called a Base Exchange (BX). At a Navy installation it’s a Navy Exchange (NEX), at a Marine Corps installation it’s a Marine Corps Exchange (MCX) and at a Coast Guard Installation it’s a CGX.

13. Robin Hood’s bow wood YEW
Yew is the wood of choice for the longbow, a valued weapon in the history of England. The longbow is constructed with a core of yew heartwood (as the heartwood resists compression) that has a sheath of yew sapwood (as the sapwood resists stretching). The yew was in such demand for longbows that for centuries yew trees were in short supply in Britain and the wood had to be imported from all over Europe.

Robin Hood is a figure from English folklore, celebrated in story and song. Some stories suggest that Robin Hood the outlaw was actually a real nobleman, the Earl of Huntington. Robin Hood’s famous companion was Maid Marian. Interestingly, the legend of Maid Marian (full name Lady Marian of Leaford) had been around for centuries before she became associated with Robin Hood starting in the 1700s.

27. Cookie fruit FIG
The Fig Newton is based on what is actually a very old recipe that dates back to Ancient Egypt. Whereas we grew up with “Fig Rolls” in Ireland, here in America the brand name “Fig Newton” was used, named after the town of Newton, Massachusetts where they were first produced.

31. Piques SNITS
The exact etymology of “snit”, meaning “fit of temper”, isn’t really known. The term was first used in print in the play “Kiss the Boys Goodbye” by Clare Booth Luce, which dates back to the 1930s and is set in the American South.

Our term “pique” meaning a “fit of ill feeling” is a French word meaning a “prick, sting, irritation”.

37. “The Seven Year Itch” actor Tom EWELL
The actor Tom Ewell is best remembered for playing the male lead in the “The Seven Year Itch”, both on the Broadway stage and in the 1955 Hollywood movie. I also know Ewell as the “bad guy” in one of my favorite movies, 1949’s “Adam’s Rib”.

“The Seven Year Itch” is a 1955 movie by Billy Wilder that is based on a stage play of the same name by George Axelrod. “The Seven Year Itch” stars Marilyn Monroe, and Tom Ewell as the guy with “the itch”. Perhaps the most famous scene in the film is the one with Monroe standing over a subway grate allowing the updraft to billow the skirt of her white dress above her knees. The manoeuvre was meant to cool her down, but I think it had the opposite effect on some in the audience! The phrase “seven year itch” had been used by psychologists to describe declining interest in staying monogamous after seven years of marriage.

39. Trident, e.g. GUM
Trident chewing gum was introduced in 1960, and was marketed as a gum that aided in dental health. The original formula included three enzymes that were thought to soften dental tartar. This trio of enzymes gave rise to the name “Trident”.

40. Anti-apartheid org. ANC
The African National Congress (ANC) started out as the South African Native National Congress in 1912 with the goal of improving the lot of Black South Africans. After years of turmoil, the ANC came to power in the first open election in 1964.

Apartheid was the system of racial segregation used in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. “Apartheid” is an Afrikaans word meaning “apart-hood, the state of being apart”.

41. 1987 title law-enforcing cyborg ROBOCOP
“RoboCop” is an action movie that was released in 1987, starring Peter Weller in the title role. Weller wore a very impressive “robot” suit for the film, the most expensive item on the set, costing over a million dollars. Weller would lose three pounds a day in sweat alone as temperatures inside the suit went to over 100 degrees F.

45. “Anne of Green Gables” community AVONLEA
“Anne of Green Gables” is a 1908 novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery that she set in the fictional Prince Edward Island community of Avonlea. Montgomery wrote several sequels to “Anne”, with them all being set on Prince Edward Island (PEI), from where the author hailed.

46. Poison drunk by Socrates HEMLOCK
For humans, eating just 6-8 fresh leaves from the poisonous hemlock plant can be fatal.

The classical Greek Athenian philosopher Socrates fell out of favor with the political leaders in Athens who put him on trial on trumped-up charges. He was found guilty of corrupting the youth of the city-state and of not believing in the gods of the state. The sentence levied was death by drinking hemlock.

48. Spenser’s “The __ Queene” FAERIE
Edmund Spenser was an English poet, required required reading at school where I grew up. His most famous work is “The Faerie Queene”, an epic poem and one of the longest ever written in the English language.

52. Mrs. Gorbachev RAISA
Raisa Gorbachova was the wife of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. There’s no doubt that Raisa’s charm and personality helped her husband as he worked to change the image of the Soviet Union.

54. Old Norse explorer ERIC
According to Icelandic tradition, Erik the Red was the man responsible for founding the first Nordic settlement in Greenland. Erik had a famous son, the explorer Leif Ericson.

58. Common street name ELM
The most common street name in the US is “Second Street”. “First Street” comes in only at number three, and this is because many cities and towns forego the use of “First” and instead go with “Main” or something more historical in nature. “Elm Street” appears on the list at number fifteen.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Hearth dust ASH
4. Snapple’s __ Madness MANGO
9. Jet black EBONY
14. Shade of green PEA
15. Exemplary IDEAL
16. “Irma la __” DOUCE
17. Flock member RAM
18. Intimate CLOSE
19. Trailing IN TOW
20. Provence pronoun ILS
21. Structures with many layers? HENHOUSES
23. “My Antonia” novelist CATHER
25. To some degree SORT OF
28. Situation before a two-run homer ONE ON
29. “Barnaby Jones” star EBSEN
32. Lilly of pharmaceuticals ELI
33. Hardly talkative TERSE
34. Strange: Pref. XENO-
35. Take down __ A PEG
36. Like a shady boulevard … and like this puzzle, in terms of its 12 border answers TREELINED
39. Long-jawed fish GARS
42. Order in the court WRIT
43. “Happy Pills” singer Jones NORAH
47. Game with Skip cards UNO
48. Lavish affairs FETES
49. Ambition DRIVE
50. Ally in a TV courtroom MCBEAL
52. Payment for a return RANSOM
53. Brunch cookware item OMELET PAN
57. Like mil. volunteers ENL
58. “MacGyver” actor Dana ELCAR
60. Get (a ship) ready to sail again RERIG
61. __-pitch softball SLO
62. Second of 13 popes LEO II
63. “You beat me” I LOSE
64. Gumshoe TEC
65. Syrup type MAPLE
66. __ Rapids, Iowa CEDAR
67. C&W’s __ Ridge Boys OAK

Down
1. Jam fruit APRICOT
2. Maritime route SEA LANE
3. Wheel-spinning rodent HAMSTER
4. Author of “Hawaii,” “Alaska,” and “Texas” MICHENER
5. Psychologist Alfred ADLER
6. Lamp gas NEON
7. Cut that may need stitches GASH
8. Parkay, say OLEO
9. New Jersey township named for an inventor EDISON
10. Silly blunder BONER
11. Walk faster than OUTSTEP
12. PX shopper NCO
13. Robin Hood’s bow wood YEW
22. Try to tempt with USE ON
24. Party throwers HOSTS
26. “Hip, hip, Jorge!” OLE!
27. Cookie fruit FIG
29. Wield EXERT
30. Prove otherwise BELIE
31. Piques SNITS
35. Beautify ADORN
37. “The Seven Year Itch” actor Tom EWELL
38. Jeopardize ENDANGER
39. Trident, e.g. GUM
40. Anti-apartheid org. ANC
41. 1987 title law-enforcing cyborg ROBOCOP
44. Meets, as a challenge RISES TO
45. “Anne of Green Gables” community AVONLEA
46. Poison drunk by Socrates HEMLOCK
48. Spenser’s “The __ Queene” FAERIE
51. Online letter EMAIL
52. Mrs. Gorbachev RAISA
54. Old Norse explorer ERIC
55. Marketing leader? TELE-
56. Nudge PROD
58. Common street name ELM
59. Pastoral expanse LEA

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