Category: Alan Olschwang

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Chewed the fat SCHMOOZED
“To schmooze” is to chat intimately, a word that comes from the Yiddish “schmusen” meaning ‘to chat” .

Back in the day, a wealthy man would “bring home the bacon” and sit around with guests and “chew the fat”.

10. Aristophanes satire, with “The” WASPS
Aristophanes was a comic playwright of Ancient Athens. He is known to have written at least forty plays, eleven of which have survived almost intact. Aristophanes was famous for writing plays that satirized life in the city, and was apparently much feared by public figures. Some say that the ridicule Aristophanes brought down on Socrates in his play “The Clouds” helped bring about his (Socrates’) trial and execution.

15. Obligatory joke response WHO’S THERE?

Knock, knock!
Who’s there?
Irish
Irish who?
Irish you in the name of the law!

There’s a “knock, knock” line in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”, although it’s no joke:
Knock, knock, knock! Who’s there, i’ th’ name of Beelzebub? Here’s a farmer that hanged himself on the expectation of plenty. Come in time, have napkins enough about you, here you’ll sweat for ’t.

16. Buddhist who has attained Nirvana ARHAT
“Arhat” is a Sanskrit word, the exact translation of which is somewhat disputed, with the various Buddhist traditions assuming different meanings. Translations vary from “worthy one” to “vanquisher of enemies”.

Nirvana is a philosophical concept in some Indian-based religions. In the Buddhist tradition, nirvana is the state of being free from suffering i.e. not experiencing craving, anger or other afflicting states.

19. ER needs IVS
One might need an intravenous drip (IV) in an Emergency Room (ER).

20. Bowls, e.g. STADIA
The Greek word “stadion” was a measure of length, about 600 feet. The name “stadion” then came to be used for a running track of that length. That “running track” meaning became our contemporary word “stadium”.

23. Start to do well? NE’ER
Ne’er-do-well

25. Suffix with malt -OSE
Maltose, also known as malt sugar, is a disaccharide made up of two glucose units.

26. One of a fictional trio ARAMIS
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.

28. Road Runner, e.g.: Abbr. ISP
An Internet Service Provider (ISP) is just what the name indicates, a company that provides its customers with access to the Internet. One way that ISPs differentiate themselves from each other is in the way in which end users are connected to the ISP’s network. So, there are cable ISPs, DSL ISPs, dial-up ISPs and satellite ISPs. I’d go with cable if I were you, if it’s available in your area …

Time Warner Cable Internet is an Internet service provider (ISP) that was previously known as Road Runner High Speed Online.

30. Beantown tower, with “the” PRU
The Pru is the familiar name given to the Prudential Tower in Boston. It is currently the second highest building in the city, after the John Hancock Tower. However, if one includes the height of the radio tower on its roof, then it is the highest building in Boston. When it was completed in 1964, the Pru was the tallest building in the country outside of New York City.

In the days of sail, the natural trade routes across the Atlantic involved a lot of ships arriving in Boston directly from West Indies. One of the main cargoes carried by these vessels coming from the West Indies was molasses. An abundance of cheap molasses led to an abundance of baked beans in the port city, and all those baked beans gave rise to Boston’s nickname “Beantown”.

37. “La Strada” co-producer PONTI
The Italian film producer Carlo Ponti was not quite as famous as his celebrity wife, Sophia Loren. Ponti met Loren as a contestant in a beauty contest he was judging in 1950. Back then she was a budding young actress still using her real name, Sofia Lazzaro. The two married in 1957 even though divorce was illegal at the time in Italy, so Ponti was still married to his first wife.

“La Strada” is a 1954 drama movie from Italy directed by Federico Fellini and starring Anthony Quinn. Quinn plays a strongman who makes a living as an itinerant strongman, performing “on the road”. “La Strada” translates into English as “the road”.

39. ’60s pro-war words LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT
Amid all the political turmoil and civil unrest that surrounded the Vietnam War, the slogan “America, love it or leave it” was used by members of the pro-war faction.

41. Idaho’s Coeur d’__ River ALENE
The city, lake and river in Idaho called Coeur d’Alene are all named for the Coeur d’Alene People, Native Americans who lived in the area when it was first explored by French Canadian fur traders. “Coeur d’Alene” translates from French as “heart of an awl”. The Native American people were given this name as they were perceived as shrewd traders by their Canadian counterparts.

42. Northwestern legend SASQUATCH
The sasquatch or bigfoot is our North American equivalent of the yeti, the ape-like creature said to inhabit the Himalayas. Bigfoot is supposedly hiding out mainly in the Pacific Northwest of North America.

43. Divinity sch. SEM
Originally, a “seminary” was where plants were raised from seeds, as “semen” is the Latin for “seed”. The first schools labelled as seminaries were established in the late 1500s. Those first schools were more likely to be academies for young ladies back then, rather than for trainee priests.

46. Final: Abbr. ULT
Ultimate (ult.)

49. Pujols’ team, on scoreboards LAA
Albert Pujols is a professional baseball player with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Pujols is a native of the Dominican Republic, and moved to the US in 1996.

51. Holliday companion EARP
Wyatt Earp is famous as one of the participants in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Earp was a city policeman in Wichita, Kansas and also in Dodge City, Kansas. Earp was also deputy sheriff in Tombstone, Arizona where the O.K. Corral gunfight took place. Years later, Earp joined the Alaska Gold Rush and with a partner built and operated the Dexter Saloon in Nome.

The famous gunslinger Doc Holliday was from Georgia, and received the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery in Philadelphia. Holliday moved to the Southwest after he contracted tuberculosis, in the hope that the climate might be good for his health. He first settled in Dallas, where he soon discovered that he could make a better living gambling than by running a dental practice. It was while gambling in saloons that Holliday got involved in gunfights and built a reputation as a gunslinger. The most famous shootout in which he was involved was the Gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona when he fought alongside the Earp brothers. Holliday survived his many gunfights, but eventually succumbed to the disease in his lungs. He died in Glenwood Springs, Colorado at the age of 36.

56. Silicon mineral QUARTZ
Quartz is a form of silicon oxide, and is the second most abundant mineral found in the Earth’s crust, after feldspar. The name “quartz” comes into English via German and probably ultimately derives from a Slavic word meaning “hard”.

59. Long, on Lanai LOA
“Loa” is the Hawaiian word meaning “long” as in “Mauna Loa”.

Mauna Loa on the “big island” of Hawaii is the largest volcano on the planet (in terms of volume). The name “Mauna Loa” is Hawaiian for “Long Mountain”.

Lanai is the sixth largest of the Hawaiian Islands. Lanai was first spotted by Europeans just a few days after Captain Cook was killed on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1779. In 1922, the Hawaiian Pineapple Company bought the whole island of Lanai and turned most of it into the world’s largest pineapple plantation. Since then, Lanai has been known as “The Pineapple Island”. Today, 98% of the island is owned by Larry Ellison, the CEO of Oracle, and 2% is owned by the State of Hawaii.

60. Hillside entrances ADITS
An adit is specific type of mine access, a horizontal shaft that extends into the mine. This can be compared with the more traditional vertical shaft that is used for access into most mines. Adits make sense when the ore is located inside a mountain or hill, as opposed to “underground”, as they allow the mine entrances to be on the valley floor.

65. Bronson film with four sequels DEATH WISH
The “Death Wish” series of movies stars Charles Bronson as a vigilante patrolling the streets of New York dishing out his perfunctory form of justice. The original 1974 “Death Wish” film was based on a 1972 novel of the same name by Brian Garfield.

66. Spanish heater? EL SOL
“El sol” is Spanish for “the sun”.

Down
1. Beau SWAIN
A swain is a country lad, or a beau. Back in the 12th century a swain was a young man who attended a knight.

A beau is the boyfriend of a belle, a young lady.

2. Leek relative CHIVE
Chives are the smallest species of edible onion, and a favorite of mine.

The leek is a national emblem of Wales (along with the daffodil), although I don’t think we know for sure how this came to be. One story is that the Welsh were ordered to wear leeks in their helmets to identify themselves in a battle against the Saxons. Apparently, the battle took place in a field of leeks apparently.

3. Game sometimes played near a garage HORSE
HORSE is a simple game played with a basketball and a hoop. The idea is that one player makes a basket using a certain move and technique, and then subsequent players have to make a basket the same way. Anyone failing to make a basket is assigned a letter in the word HORSE, and after five letters, you’re out. A quicker game is called PIG.

4. Twin Cities airport, on luggage tags MSP
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP)

5. Milo’s pug pal, in a 1989 film OTIS
“The Adventures of Milo and Otis” is a movie about and orange tabby cat called Milo, and a fawn-colored pug called Otis. The film was originally released in Japanese in 1986, and then was revamped for English audiences in a version released in 1989.

7. Frat letters ZETAS
Zeta is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet, and is a precursor of our Roman letter Z. The word “zeta” is also the ancestor of the name “zed”, which became “zee”, the pronunciation that we use here in the US.

9. Sub base? DELI
The word “delicatessen” (or “deli” for short) came into English from the German “Delikatessen”. The Germans borrowed the word from French, in which language “délicatesse” means “delicious things (to eat)”. The term’s ultimate root is “delicatus”, the Latin for “giving pleasure, delightful”.

21. Lake Thun feeder AAR
The Aar (also called the “Aare” in German) is the longest river entirely in Switzerland. A famous spot along the Aar is the Reichenbach Falls in the center of the country, actually a series of waterfalls near the city of Meiringen. These falls are renowned in the world of literature as it was here that Sherlock Holmes fell to his supposed doom with his nemesis Professor Moriarty (in “The Adventure of the Final Problem”).

Lake Thun is located in the Swiss Alps and is named for the city of Thun, which is located on its northern shore. For decades after WWII, Lake Thun was used by the Swiss government as a dumping site for thousands of tons of unused munitions.

27. “You can call me he. You can call me she” speaker RUPAUL
RuPaul is a famous drag queen who has developed a diverse career beyond performing on stage. He works as an actor, model, author and a recording artist. Famously, RuPaul doesn’t mind whether one addresses him as “he” or as “she” …

“You can call me he. You can call me she. You can call me Regis and Kathie Lee; I don’t care! Just as long as you call me.”

30. Campaign pros POLS
Politician (pol.)

34. Some prayers AVE MARIAS
“Ave Maria” (“Hail Mary” in English) is the prayer at the core of the Roman Catholic Rosary, which itself is a set of prayers asking for the assistance of the Virgin Mary. Much of the text of the “Hail Mary” comes from the Gospel of Luke.

38. Like aspen leaves OVATE
Something that is “ovate” is egg-shaped.

The “quaking” aspen tree is so called because the structure of the leaves causes them to move easily in the wind, to “tremble, quake”.

45. Office suite door abbr. ESQ
The title “esquire” is of British origin and is used differently today depending on whether one is in the US or the UK. Here in America the term is usually reserved for those practicing the law (both male and female). In the UK, “esquire” is a term of gentle respect reserved for a male who has no other title that one can use. So a mere commoner like me might receive a letter from the bank say, addressed to W. E. Butler Esq.

49. ’80s “PM Magazine” host LAUER
Matt Lauer became the news anchor for NBC’s “The Today Show” when he landed the gig as co-host after Bryant Gumbel retired from the job in 1997.

50. “Behind the __ I’ll convey myself”: Polonius ARRAS
A famous arras is seen in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”. In one pivotal scene, Polonius is hiding behind a tapestry listening to an argument between Hamlet and Gertrude. Hamlet hears Polonius, mistakes his identity and stabs wildly through the cloth, killing Polonius. The name “arras”, used for such a tapestry, comes from the French town of Arras which was famous for the production of fine wall hangings.

52. Schwarzenegger’s middle name ALOIS
Arnold Schwarzenegger was born in Graz in Austria, the son of the local police chief. Schwarzenegger’s family name translates into the more prosaic “black plough man”.

57. Approval letters USDA
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) classifies meat into eight different grades:

– Prime
– Choice
– Select
– Standard
– Commercial
– Utility
– Cutter
– Canner

58. 1984 Hugo Award winner Timothy ZAHN
Timothy Zahn is a science fiction author. Zahn has written both short stories and novels, including a very successful series based on the “Star Wars” screenplays by George Lucas.

The Hugo Awards are presented annually for excellence in science fiction and fantasy writing. The awards are named for Hugo Gernsback who founded the sci-fi magazine “Amazing Stories”.

61. One has one: Abbr. SYL
The word “one” has only one syllable (syl.)

63. The Bahamas were once part of it: Abbr. BWI
The former British West Indies (BWI) was made up of eight colonies: the Bahamas, Barbados, British Guiana, British Honduras, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, the Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands.

The Bahamas is a group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean, lying in the same island chain as Cuba and Hispaniola. The Bahamas was a British colony for many years but became independent in 1973, although it retains membership in the British Commonwealth.

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Chewed the fat SCHMOOZED
10. Aristophanes satire, with “The” WASPS
15. Obligatory joke response WHO’S THERE?
16. Buddhist who has attained Nirvana ARHAT
17. Pellet shooter AIR PISTOL
18. Informal qualifier SORTA
19. ER needs IVS
20. Bowls, e.g. STADIA
22. Boglike MIRY
23. Start to do well? NE’ER
25. Suffix with malt -OSE
26. One of a fictional trio ARAMIS
28. Road Runner, e.g.: Abbr. ISP
30. Beantown tower, with “the” PRU
31. Fight sound POW!
32. Ram CRASH INTO
37. “La Strada” co-producer PONTI
39. ’60s pro-war words LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT
41. Idaho’s Coeur d’__ River ALENE
42. Northwestern legend SASQUATCH
43. Divinity sch. SEM
44. Follow SEE
46. Final: Abbr. ULT
47. Common sense SMARTS
49. Pujols’ team, on scoreboards LAA
51. Holliday companion EARP
55. Seconds MORE
56. Silicon mineral QUARTZ
59. Long, on Lanai LOA
60. Hillside entrances ADITS
62. Convinced of SURE ABOUT
64. Sad TEARY
65. Bronson film with four sequels DEATH WISH
66. Spanish heater? EL SOL
67. Illegal heaters? ARSONISTS

Down
1. Beau SWAIN
2. Leek relative CHIVE
3. Game sometimes played near a garage HORSE
4. Twin Cities airport, on luggage tags MSP
5. Milo’s pug pal, in a 1989 film OTIS
6. “Enough already!” OH, STOP IT!
7. Frat letters ZETAS
8. Diminish, in a way ERODE
9. Sub base? DELI
10. Common word in history texts WAS
11. Food court lure AROMA
12. Gulf Coast trawler’s gear SHRIMP NET
13. Like some anthems PATRIOTIC
14. Doesn’t give up on STAYS WITH
21. Lake Thun feeder AAR
24. Taken off RISEN
27. “You can call me he. You can call me she” speaker RUPAUL
29. Least extroverted SHIEST
30. Campaign pros POLS
32. Yearbook signer CLASSMATE
33. Great teacher, often ROLE MODEL
34. Some prayers AVE MARIAS
35. Barely beat, with “out” NOSE
36. Lilted sound TRA
38. Like aspen leaves OVATE
40. Be virtually the same as EQUATE TO
45. Office suite door abbr. ESQ
48. Derivative of the past RETRO
49. ’80s “PM Magazine” host LAUER
50. “Behind the __ I’ll convey myself”: Polonius ARRAS
52. Schwarzenegger’s middle name ALOIS
53. Get up ROUST
54. They may be winding PATHS
57. Approval letters USDA
58. 1984 Hugo Award winner Timothy ZAHN
61. One has one: Abbr. SYL
63. The Bahamas were once part of it: Abbr. BWI

Return to top of page