Day: September 4, 2015

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Big name in arcades SEGA
Sega is a Japanese video game company headquartered in Tokyo. Sega actually started out 1940 in the US as Standard Games and was located in Honolulu, Hawaii. The owners moved the operation to Tokyo in 1951 and renamed the company to Service Games. The name “Sega” is a combination of the first two letters of the words “Se-rvice” and “Ga-mes”.

Our word “arcade” comes from the Latin “arcus” meaning “arc”. The first arcades were passages made from a series of arches. This could be an avenue of trees, and eventually any covered avenue. I remember arcades lined with shops and stores when I was growing up on the other side of the Atlantic. Arcades came to be lined with lots of amusements, resulting in amusement arcades and video game arcades.

15. Baseball commissioner emeritus Bud SELIG
Bud Selig was the Commissioner of Baseball for Major League Baseball from 1998 to 2015. Selig became acting commissioner in 1992 after the resignation of Fay Vincent. The team owners searched for a new commissioner for six years, and finally gave the permanent job to Selig in 1998.

Emeritus (female form “emerita”, plural “emeriti”) is a term in the title of some retired professionals, particularly those from academia. Originally an emeritus was a veteran soldier who had served his time. The term comes from the Latin verb “emerere” meaning to complete one’s service.

17. Affectionate moniker for a holy river? OUR GANGES (“Our Gang” + “-es”)
The River Ganges rises in the western Himalaya and flows through the northeast of India before crossing into Bangladesh where it enters the Bay of Bengal. The Ganges is worshipped by Hindus as the goddess Ganga, and is the most sacred of all rivers in Hinduism.

The “Our Gang”, also “The Little Rascals”, was a series of short films about a gang of neighborhood kids. Created by producer Hal Roach, one of the series’ claim to fame is that it ranked boys and girls, black and white, as equals, something extremely ground-breaking in its day.

19. Entry mechanism STILE
A stile is a structure allowing people to pass over or through a fence, while at the same time preventing livestock from escaping. The derivative term “turnstile” describes a revolving structure in a wall or fence that allows the controlled passage of people.

20. Less prosaic ODDER
Something that is prosaic is “like prose”. We use the term “prosaic” to mean “dry, arid, ordinary”, as in comparing prose to poetry … well, in a way …

23. __-Picone: women’s fashion label EVAN
Evan-Picone is a women’s fashion house co-founded by Charles Evans and Joseph Picone in 1949. One of Evan-Picone’s claims to fame is that it was the first company to use darts in the pockets of women’s clothes to inhibit tears and rips.

27. High court delivery LOB
In say tennis, a player who rushes the net can be sent back by throwing up a lob that goes over his or her head.

30. Job application ID SSN
The main purpose of a Social Security Number (SSN) is to track individuals for the purposes of taxation, although given its ubiquitous use, it is looking more and more like an “identity number” to me. The social security number system was introduced in 1936. Prior to 1986, an SSN was required only for persons with substantial income so many children under 14 had no number assigned. For some years the IRS had a concern that a lot of people were claiming children on their tax returns who did not actually exist. So, from 1986 onward, it is a requirement to get an SSN for any dependents over the age of 5. Sure enough, in 1987 seven million dependents “disappeared”.

31. Duffer’s nineteenth-hole litany? GOLF GRIPES (“golf grip” + “-es”)
A “duffer” is a golfer, and not a very good one.

34. Eponymous physicist James JOULE
James Joule was an English physicist who spent much of his life working in the family brewing business. Joule used his work in the brewery to study the relationship between heat and mechanical work. In honor of his achievements, his name is used for the unit of energy in the International System of Units (i.e. the joule).

36. Star __: Asian spice ANISE
Star anise is a spice similar to anise in flavor, even though it is obtained from an evergreen tree native to Vietnam and southwest China that is unrelated to the anise plant. The spice is obtained from the tree’s star-shaped fruits.

37. Where some climbers take smoking breaks? CIGARETTE BUTTES (“cigarette butt” + “-es”)
“What’s the difference between a butte and a mesa?” Both are hills with flat tops, but a mesa has a top that is wider than it is tall. A butte is a much narrower formation, taller than it is wide.

43. Town in a 1945 Pulitzer-winning novel ADANO
“A Bell for Adano” is a novel written by John Hersey. Hersey’s story is about an Italian-American US Army officer, Major Joppolo, who found a replacement for a town’s bell stolen by fascists. “A Bell for Adano” was made into a film in 1945, the same year the novel won a Pulitzer.

44. Highlights of the hippo ballet in “Fantasia”? JUMBO JETES (“jumbo jet” + “-es”)
A jeté is a leap in ballet, coming from the French word “jeter” meaning “to throw”. A jeté en avant is a “leap to the front”, towards the audience.

The term “jumbo jet” describes a widebody aircraft. The first jumbo was the four-engined Boeing 747 introduced in 1970. Then followed the three-engined McDonnell Douglas DC-10 that same year and the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar a few months later. The Airbus A300 was the first two-engined jumbo, which entered service in 1974.

47. WWII female WAC
The Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) was formed in 1942, and the unit was converted to full status the following year to become the Women’s Army Corps (WAC). Famously, General Douglas MacArthur referred to the WACs as his “best soldiers”, saying they worked harder, complained less and were better disciplined than men. The WACs were disbanded in 1978 and the serving members were integrated into the rest of the army.

50. “You’re the __ That I Want”: “Grease” song ONE
“Grease” was, and still is, a very successful stage musical with a blockbuster film version released in 1978. “You’re the One That I Want” is a song that was written especially for the movie, one which made it to number one in the charts, followed soon after by the “Grease” theme song.

52. 1960s educational experiment NEW MATH
“New Math” was a novel method of teaching mathematics that became popular with the powers that be (not so much with students and teachers!) in the sixties. Central to New Math was set theory. The impetus for introducing the new methodology was the Space Race, as there was fear in the US that the country was not generating enough science-oriented mathematicians to compete with Soviet engineers and physicists.

59. Vital vessel AORTA
The aorta originates in the heart and extends down into the abdomen. It is the largest artery in the body.

62. Milliseconds? TINY TIMES (“Tiny Tim” + “-es”)
Tiny Tim is the nickname of Timothy Cratchit, the little disabled boy in the Charles Dickens novella “A Christmas Carol”. “A Christmas Carol” is such a popular book that it has not been out of print since its first publication in December 1843.

The classic 1843 novella “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens has left us with a few famous phrases and words. Firstly, it led to popular use of the phrase “Merry Christmas”, and secondly it gave us the word “scrooge” meaning a miserly person. And thirdly, everyone knows that Ebenezer Scrooge uttered the words “Bah! Humbug!”.

66. “Amarantine” musician ENYA
Enya’s real name is Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin, which can translate from Irish into Enya Brennan. Her Donegal family (in the northwest of Ireland) formed a band called Clannad, which included Enya. In 1980 Enya launched her very successful solo career. She sure does turn up a lot in crosswords!

70. Deco designer ERTE
Erté was the pseudonym of French artist (Russian born) Romain de Tirtoff. Erté is the French pronunciation of his initials “R.T.”

Down
1. “SNL” staples SPOOFS
“Saturday Night Live” (SNL)

4. Clarence Odbody, in a Capra classic ANGEL
The Christmas Classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” was released in 1946, and is a Frank Capra movie starring James Stewart and Donna Reed. The film’s screenplay was adapted from a short story called “The Greatest Gift” by Philip Van Doren Stern. Remember the famous swimming pool scene? That was shot in Beverly High School gym, and the pool is still in use today.

7. Author Haley ALEX
Not only did Alex Haley author the magnificent novel “Roots”, but he was also the collaborator with Malcolm X on “The Autobiography of Malcolm X”. His 1976 novel “Roots” is based on Haley’s own family history, and he claimed to be a direct descendant of the real life Kunta Kinte, the slave who was kidnapped in the The Gambia in 1767. If you remember the fabulous television adaptation of “Roots”, you might recall that Kunta Kinte was played by LeVar Burton, who later went on to play another famous role, Geordi La Forge on “Star Trek: the Next Generation”.

8. Whitman’s “Song of __” MYSELF
Walt Whitman is considered one of the greatest American poets. He was born in 1819 on Long Island, and lived through the American Civil War. Whitman was a controversial character, even during his own lifetime. One view that he held was that the works attributed to William Shakespeare were not actually written by the Bard of Avon, but rather by someone else, or perhaps a group of people.

10. Cabeza, across the Pyrenees TETE
“Head” is “cerbeza” in Spanish, and “tête” in French.

The Pyrénées is a mountain range that runs along the border between Spain and France. Nestled between the two countries, high in the mountains, is the lovely country of Andorra, an old haunt of my family during skiing season …

11. Tapenade discard OLIVE PIT
The dish known as tapenade is traditionally made from olives, capers, anchovies and olive oil. The name comes from the Provençal word for capers, “tapenas”.

12. Lombardy dialect MILANESE
Milan is Italy’s second largest city, second only to Rome. Milan is a European fashion capital, the headquarters for the big Italian fashion houses of Valentino, Gucci, Versace, Armani, Prada and others. Mario Prada was even born in Milan, and helped establish the city’s reputation in the world of fashion.

There are twenty administrative regions of Italy, on of which is Lombardy, which is in the very north of the country. Lombardy’s capital is the city of Milan.

18. NYSE trader ARB
“Arb” is short for an arbitrageur, one who profits from the purchase of securities in one market and the subsequent sale in another, hence taking advantage of price discrepancies across markets.

22. It may be a toy DOG
The toy group of dogs is made up of the smallest breeds. The smallest breeds are sometimes called “teacup” breeds.

25. Fluish symptoms AGUE
An ague is a fever, one usually associated with malaria.

26. Doofus DOLT
“Doofus” (also “dufus”) is student slang that has been around since the sixties. Apparently the word is a variant of the equally unattractive term “doo-doo”.

28. Procter & Gamble brand BRAUN
Braun is a manufacturer of consumer goods based in Kronberg, Germany.

32. Sic on LET AT
“Sic ’em” is an attack order given to a dog, instructing the animal to growl, bark or even bite. The term dates back to the 1830s, with “sic” being a variation of “seek”.

34. Entrance support JAMB
A door or window jamb is the vertical portion of the frame. The term “jamb” comes from the French word “jambe” meaning “leg”.

35. “Watch how wonder unfolds” snacks OREOS
There’s an iPhone app featuring the Oreo cookie. It’s a game in which one twists Oreo cookies apart, “licks” the cream from the center and then dunks the remainder of the cookie in a glass of milk.

40. Fall setting EDEN
In the Christian tradition, the “fall of man” took place in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve succumbed to the temptation of eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, against the bidding of God. As a result, Adam and Eve were banished from Eden to prevent them becoming immortal by eating from the tree of life. The first humans had transitioned from a state of innocent obedience to a state of guilty disobedience.

49. Unsullied CHASTE
“To sully” is to stain, tarnish. The term is often used in the context of sullying or tarnishing a reputation.

53. Angkor __: Cambodian temple WAT
Angkor Wat is a temple in Cambodia built in the 12th century. The beautiful building is iconic in Cambodia and is even featured in the center of the country’s national flag.

54. Wavy pattern MOIRE
A moiré pattern is a phenomenon in physics, a so-called interference pattern. If you lay two sheets of mesh over each other for example, slightly offset, then what you see is a moiré pattern. “Moiré” is the French name for a textile that we know simply as “moire”. The rippled pattern of the textile resembles that of the interference pattern.

56. Organization name selected over “Buffalos” in a close 1868 vote ELKS
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE) was founded in 1868, and is a social club that has about a million members today. It started out as a group of men getting together in a “club” in order to get around the legal opening hours of taverns in New York City. The original group voted on a name for the group, with an 8-7 vote deciding in favor of “elks” over “buffalos”. The club now accepts African Americans as members (since the seventies) and women (since the nineties), but atheists still aren’t welcome.

61. 63-Down hrs. EST
Eastern Standard Time (EST)

63. Tumblr HQ site NYC
Tumblr.com is a website that hosts private blogs.

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Big name in arcades SEGA
5. Show pride BEAM
9. Speck ATOM
13. A or B, in preparations PLAN
14. Hard to watch UGLY
15. Baseball commissioner emeritus Bud SELIG
17. Affectionate moniker for a holy river? OUR GANGES (“Our Gang” + “-es”)
19. Entry mechanism STILE
20. Less prosaic ODDER
21. Canceled (out) XED
23. __-Picone: women’s fashion label EVAN
24. Have regrets FEEL BAD
27. High court delivery LOB
29. Storm dir. ENE
30. Job application ID SSN
31. Duffer’s nineteenth-hole litany? GOLF GRIPES (“golf grip” + “-es”)
34. Eponymous physicist James JOULE
36. Star __: Asian spice ANISE
37. Where some climbers take smoking breaks? CIGARETTE BUTTES (“cigarette butt” + “-es”)
42. “What’s in __?” A NAME
43. Town in a 1945 Pulitzer-winning novel ADANO
44. Highlights of the hippo ballet in “Fantasia”? JUMBO JETES (“jumbo jet” + “-es”)
47. WWII female WAC
50. “You’re the __ That I Want”: “Grease” song ONE
51. Nursery purchase SOD
52. 1960s educational experiment NEW MATH
55. Spirit LIFE
57. 22-Down sound YIP
59. Vital vessel AORTA
60. Amazon transaction, e.g. E-SALE
62. Milliseconds? TINY TIMES (“Tiny Tim” + “-es”)
65. Port array DOCKS
66. “Amarantine” musician ENYA
67. Kick back REST
68. With 6-Down, savings NEST
69. It contains diamonds DECK
70. Deco designer ERTE

Down
1. “SNL” staples SPOOFS
2. Loses, in a way ELUDES
3. Plant manager’s domain? GARDEN
4. Clarence Odbody, in a Capra classic ANGEL
5. Cookout item BUN
6. See 68-Across EGG
7. Author Haley ALEX
8. Whitman’s “Song of __” MYSELF
9. Braying beast ASS
10. Cabeza, across the Pyrenees TETE
11. Tapenade discard OLIVE PIT
12. Lombardy dialect MILANESE
16. Points of origin GENESES
18. NYSE trader ARB
22. It may be a toy DOG
25. Fluish symptoms AGUE
26. Doofus DOLT
28. Procter & Gamble brand BRAUN
32. Sic on LET AT
33. Fascinated by INTO
34. Entrance support JAMB
35. “Watch how wonder unfolds” snacks OREOS
37. Said “Pretty please” to, say CAJOLED
38. Harmoniously IN UNISON
39. Determined countenance GAME FACE
40. Fall setting EDEN
41. Foundation BASE
45. Exultation JOY
46. Found the right words for, maybe EDITED
47. More affable WARMER
48. Swear ATTEST
49. Unsullied CHASTE
53. Angkor __: Cambodian temple WAT
54. Wavy pattern MOIRE
56. Organization name selected over “Buffalos” in a close 1868 vote ELKS
58. Yearn PINE
61. 63-Down hrs. EST
63. Tumblr HQ site NYC
64. Jaw YAK

Return to top of page