Category: Al Hollmer

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Political statistician Silver NATE
Nate Silver is a statistician who first gained notoriety by developing a forecasting system that predicted the future performance of baseball players. He then made a name for himself in the world of politics by predicting the outcome of the 2008 US presidential race. Silver successfully predicted the outcome of the election in 49 of the 50 states, missing out on Indiana, which Barack Obama won by less than 1% of the vote. Silver publishes his polling data at the website FiveThirtyEight.com.

16. Indian mausoleum city AGRA
The most famous mausoleum in the world has to be the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. The Taj Mahal was built after the death of the third wife of Shah Jahan, Mumtaz Mahal (hence the name of the mausoleum). The poor woman died in childbirth delivering the couple’s 14th child.

17. Dodge Chargers, e.g. MUSCLE CARS (giving “Muscle Beach”)
The original Muscle Beach was located on the south side of Santa Monica Pier in Southern California. Bodybuilders started working out on the beach back in the 1930s when exercise equipment was installed there as part of the WPA program. Some of the equipment was removed in the fifties, so the bodybuilding community shifted to the Venice Beach Weight Pen. That area was developed and is now known as Muscle Beach Venice.

By definition, a “muscle car” is a small vehicle with a large or maybe oversized engine.

20. Rescue squad pro EMT
Emergency medical technician (EMT)

21. Gerald of Tara O’HARA
Rhett Butler hung out with Scarlett O’Hara at the Tara plantation in Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone with the Wind”. Tara was founded not far from the Georgia city of Jonesboro by Scarlett’s father, Irish immigrant Gerald O’Hara. Gerald named his new abode after the Hill of Tara back in his home country, the ancient seat of the High King of Ireland.

25. Hyundai’s home SOUTH KOREA (giving “South Beach”)
South Beach is a neighborhood in Miami Beach, Florida, the name of which is often abbreviated to “SoBe”.

Seoul is the capital city of South Korea. The Seoul National Capital Area is home to over 25 million people and is the second largest metropolitan area in the world, second only to Tokyo, Japan.

27. House of Henry VIII TUDOR
The Wars of the Roses was a series of civil wars fought for the throne of England between the rival Houses of Lancaster and York. Ultimately the Lancastrians emerged victorious after Henry Tudor defeated King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field. Henry was crowned King Henry VII, and so began the Tudor dynasty. Henry Tudor united the rival houses by marrying his cousin Elizabeth of York. Henry VII had a relatively long reign of 23 years that lasted until his death, after which his son succeeded to the throne as Henry VIII, continuing the relatively short-lived Tudor dynasty. Henry VIII ruled from 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry VIII was the last male to lead the the House of Tudor, as his daughter Queen Elizabeth I died without issue. When Elizabeth died, the Scottish King James VI succeeded to the throne as James I of England and Ireland. James I was the first English monarch of the House of Stuart.

29. Camera named for a Greek goddess EOS
I’ve been using Canon EOS cameras for decades now, and have nothing but good things to say about the cameras and the lenses. The EOS name stands for Electro-Optical System, and was chosen because it evokes the name of Eos, the Titan goddess of dawn from Greek mythology.

In Greek mythology, Eos is the goddess of the dawn who lived at the edge of the ocean. Eos would wake each morning to welcome her brother Helios the sun. The Roman equivalent of Eos is Aurora.

30. One of the Canaries: Abbr. ISL
The Canary Islands are located off the northwest coast of Africa. The islands aren’t named for the canary bird and in fact the bird is named for the islands. The name of the Canary Islands comes from the Latin “Canariae Insulae” which translates as “Island of the Dogs”, the original name for the biggest island now called Gran Canaria. In the days of Ancient Rome the island was noted as a home to a large number of very large dogs.

31. Cyber Monday events SALES
“Cyber Monday” is the Monday after Thanksgiving, when retailers offer incentives to online shoppers in the hope of boosting sales. The term “Cyber Monday” was coined in 2005 in a press release issued by the website Shop.org. In recent years, consumers have been spending more money online on Cyber Monday than any other day in the year.

35. Warm underwear LONG JOHNS (giving “Long Beach”)
The Port of Long beach is the second busiest port in the country, after the Port of Los Angeles. Long Beach is also home to the magnificent RMS Queen Mary, which the city purchased in 1967 to use as a hotel and museum.

The long underwear known as “long johns” were likely named for the heavyweight boxer John L. Sullivan, and were first produced in a mill in Derbyshire in the north of England.

41. Notre Dame’s Parseghian ARA
Ara Parseghian coached the Notre Dame football team from 1964 to 1974, a period known as “The Era of Ara”.

45. Dashboard Confessional rock genre EMO
The musical genre of “emo” originated in Washington D.C. in the 80s, and takes its name from “emotional hardcore”. “Emo” is also the name given to the associated subculture. Not my cup of tea …

Dashboard Confessional is an emo band from Boca Raton, Florida.

46. Painter’s deg. MFA
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

47. Root beer brand HIRES
Hires Root Beer was introduced way back in 1876, making it the longest continuously-made soft drink in the country. The basic formulation was developed by Philadelphia pharmacist Charles Elmer Hires.

49. Easter season feast PALM SUNDAY (giving “Palm Beach”)
Palm Beach is the most easterly town in Florida, and is located on a barrier island. Palm Beach is separated from the cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth by the Intracoastal Waterway.

Palm Sunday is a celebration in the Christian tradition that falls on the Sunday before Easter Sunday. The day commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, soon after he raised Lazarus from the dead. The faithful carry palms on the day, a reference to the palms scattered in front of Jesus by the welcoming crowd. In many churches, the palms are saved from Palm Sunday and then burned on Shrove Tuesday, The ash from the palms is then used to anoint the faithful on the next day: Ash Wednesday.

54. 1492 caravel NINA
A caravel was a Portuguese ship that was small and very maneuverable. Caravels had triangular lateen-rigged sails which allowed them to sail quite close to the wind. Caravels were indeed quite small, only accommodating a crew of twenty or so sailors. Christopher Columbus’s Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria were all caravels.

60. Shindig by the shore, and a hint to the starts of 17-, 25-, 35- and 49-Across BEACH PARTY
“Shindig” is such a lovely word, I think, describing a party that usually includes some dancing. Although its origin isn’t really clear, the term perhaps comes from “shinty”, a Scottish game similar to field hockey.

63. Smallest of the litter RUNT
Back around 1500. a runt was an old or decayed tree stump, and by the early 1600s “runt” was being used to describe animals that were similarly old and decayed. Ultimately “runt” came to mean the smallest and often sickest in a litter.

67. Root beer brand DAD’S
Dad’s root beer was developed by Ely Klapman and Barney Berns in 1937, and was given the name “Dad’s” in honor of Klapman’s father who used to make root beer for his family at home.

Down
2. Fund-raising target ALUMNUS
An “alumnus” (plural … alumni) is a graduate or former student of a school or college. The female form is “alumna” (plural … alumnae). The term comes into English from Latin, in which alumnus means foster-son or pupil. “Alum” is an informal term used for either an alumna or an alumnus.

3. Food truck order TOSTADA
In Mexican cuisine, a tostada is a flat or bowl-shaped tortilla. “Tostada” translates literally from Spanish as “toasted”.

4. Wedding RSVP card, e.g. ENC
Enclosure (enc.)

RSVP stands for “répondez s’il vous plaît”, which is French for “please, answer”.

5. Chocoholic’s favorite tree? CACAO
Chocolate is made from the seeds of the Theobroma cacao tree. The seeds are very bitter and the traditional drink made with the seed was called “xocolatl” by the Aztecs, meaning “bitter water”. That’s how our “chocolate” got its name.

6. Hokkaido seaport OTARU
The Japanese city and port of Otaru is just a 25-minute drive northwest from Sapporo. Just like Sapporo, Otaru has a famous beer that shares the city’s name.

Hokkaido is the second largest island in Japan, after Honshu. It lies to the north of the country, and its largest city is the capital, Sapporo.

7. Battlefield board game STRATEGO
The wonderful board game called Stratego derives from a traditional Chinese game called “Jungle” or “Animal Chess”. The major difference between Stratego and Jungle is that in the latter the identity of the pieces is not hidden from one’s opponent.

8. Prof’s aides TAS
Teaching assistant (TA)

9. Marx playing with strings HARPO
Harpo Marx was the second oldest of the Marx brothers. Harpo’s real name was Adolph, and he earned his nickname because he played the harp. Famously he didn’t speak on screen, a routine he developed after reading a review that he performed really well when he just didn’t speak!

14. Gp. with the album “Secret Messages” ELO
ELO stands for the Electric Light Orchestra, a symphonic rock group from the north of England. ELO’s manager was Don Arden, father of Sharon Osbourne (wife of Ozzy).

28. Stutz contemporary 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.

The Stutz Motor Company was a manufacturer of luxury cars in Indianapolis. Stutz was noted as a producer of fast cars and luxury vehicles for the elite.

32. Huge mess SNAFU
SNAFU is an acronym standing for Situation Normal: All Fouled Up (well, that’s the “polite” version!). As you might imagine, the term developed in the US Army, during WWII.

33. 1977 Steely Dan album AJA
Steely Dan’s heyday was in the seventies when they toured for a couple of years, although the group mainly focused on studio work. The band was formed in 1972 and broke up in 1981. The core of the band reunited in 1993 and they are still going strong today.

34. Country singer K.T. OSLIN
Singer K. T. Oslin is best known for her string of country hits in the eighties.

37. Bethesda-based medical research org. NIH
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is made up of 27 different institutes that coordinate their research and services. Examples of member institutes are the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute on Aging.

The community of Bethesda in Maryland lies just northwest of Washington, D.C. The original settlement in the area was called “Darcy’s Store”. a reference to the original store that drew settlers to the location along the toll road between Georgetown and Rockville. The community’s name was changed to Bethesda in 1871 by a local postmaster, after a Presbyterian church called the Bethesda Meeting House. Bethesda is home to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and to the National Naval Medical Center. During WWII, Bethesda also hosted the Norwegian Royal Family while their country was occupied by German forces.

38. Lunches and brunches REPASTS
Our word “repast”, meaning “meal”. came to us via French (in which language “repas” is “meal”). Ultimately the term comes from the Latin “repascere” meaning “to repeatedly graze”.

40. “Tartuffe” playwright MOLIERE
Molière was the stage name of French actor and playwright Jean-Baptiste Poquelin. It is amazing how well the comedies of Molière, written in the 1600s, entertain us on stage today. Among his best-known plays are “The Misanthrope”, “The School for Wives” and “Tartuffe or the Hypocrite”.

43. Horn of Africa nation ERITREA
Eritrea is a country located in the Horn of Africa, surrounded by Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti and the Red Sea. Some scientists believe that the area now known as Eritrea was the departure point for the first anatomically-modern humans who first left Africa to populate the rest of the world.

46. Submissions to eds. MSS
An editor (ed.) has to wade his or her way through a manuscript (MS) that has been submitted.

48. Nymph chasers SATYRS
The satyrs of Greek mythology came with a very high sex drive. They are the “rude” male subjects drawn on the side of old Greek vases. The nubile maidens known as nymphs were often an object of attention for the satyrs.

50. Data transmitter MODEM
A modem is a device that is used to facilitate the transmission of a digital signal over an analog line. At one end of the line a modem is used to “modulate” an analog carrier signal to encode the the digital information, and at the other end a modem is used to “demodulate” the analog carrier signal and so reproduce the original digital information. This modulation-demodulation gives the device its name: a MOdulator-DEModulator, or “modem”.

51. “Cheers” waitress DIANE
Diane Chambers was one of the original lead characters in the sitcom “Cheers”. Diane was played by actress Shelley Long.

The wonderful sitcom “Cheers” ran for eleven seasons on NBC, from 1982 to 1993. “Cheers” spawned an equally successful spin-off show called “Frasier”, which also ran for eleven seasons and often featured guest appearances of characters from the original “Cheers”. The Cheers bar was styled on the Bull & Finch Pub in Boston (in which I’ve had a pint of Guinness two!). The owner of the Bill & Finch cleverly agreed to the initial interior and exterior shots, charging only one dollar. Since then he has made millions from selling “Cheers” memorabilia, and also from increased trade.

57. Around-the-horn MLB plays DPS
Baseball players will often throw the ball to each other after an out, usually in a predetermined pattern. Typically, after an out at first, the first baseman throws to second, then the ball is thrown to the shortstop, to third, and finally to the pitcher. This practice is referred to as “around the horn”. The term also applies to some double plays, when the pattern of the throwing play resembles the around-the-horn practise.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Political statistician Silver NATE
5. Sell for COST
9. Learn HEAR
13. Lacking company ALONE
15. “__ way!” ATTA
16. Indian mausoleum city AGRA
17. Dodge Chargers, e.g. MUSCLE CARS (giving “Muscle Beach”)
19. Doesn’t keep ROTS
20. Rescue squad pro EMT
21. Gerald of Tara O’HARA
22. Vision-related OPTIC
23. Take __ the waist IN AT
25. Hyundai’s home SOUTH KOREA (giving “South Beach”)
27. House of Henry VIII TUDOR
29. Camera named for a Greek goddess EOS
30. One of the Canaries: Abbr. ISL
31. Cyber Monday events SALES
33. Previously AGO
34. Backs (out) OPTS
35. Warm underwear LONG JOHNS (giving “Long Beach”)
38. Edges RIMS
41. Notre Dame’s Parseghian ARA
42. Had a bug AILED
45. Dashboard Confessional rock genre EMO
46. Painter’s deg. MFA
47. Root beer brand HIRES
49. Easter season feast PALM SUNDAY (giving “Palm Beach”)
54. 1492 caravel NINA
55. “Peace out, Pablo!” ADIOS!
56. Like ham in some omelets DICED
58. Little one TOT
59. Future flower SEED
60. Shindig by the shore, and a hint to the starts of 17-, 25-, 35- and 49-Across BEACH PARTY
62. Run out of steam TIRE
63. Smallest of the litter RUNT
64. Derisive look SNEER
65. Rose support STEM
66. Rich rocks ORES
67. Root beer brand DAD’S

Down
1. “Whatever you want” NAME IT
2. Fund-raising target ALUMNUS
3. Food truck order TOSTADA
4. Wedding RSVP card, e.g. ENC
5. Chocoholic’s favorite tree? CACAO
6. Hokkaido seaport OTARU
7. Battlefield board game STRATEGO
8. Prof’s aides TAS
9. Marx playing with strings HARPO
10. Narcissistic indulgence EGO TRIP
11. Most pretentious ARTIEST
12. Imps RASCALS
14. Gp. with the album “Secret Messages” ELO
18. Uncertain responses EHS
22. Signs off on OKS
24. Trucker’s expense TOLLS
26. To-do HOO-HA
28. Stutz contemporary REO
32. Huge mess SNAFU
33. 1977 Steely Dan album AJA
34. Country singer K.T. OSLIN
36. Awesome quality, as of mountains GRANDEUR
37. Bethesda-based medical research org. NIH
38. Lunches and brunches REPASTS
39. Cry of success I MADE IT!
40. “Tartuffe” playwright MOLIERE
43. Horn of Africa nation ERITREA
44. Signified DENOTED
46. Submissions to eds. MSS
48. Nymph chasers SATYRS
50. Data transmitter MODEM
51. “Cheers” waitress DIANE
52. Savings and checking: Abbr. ACCTS
53. Slangy affirmative YEH
57. Around-the-horn MLB plays DPS
60. Good bud BRO
61. “Wait, there’s more” AND …

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