Category: C. W. Stewart

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Email for the spam folder, probably SCAM
Apparently the term “SPAM”, used for unwanted email, is taken from a “Monty Python” sketch. In the sketch (which I’ve seen) the dialog is taken over by the word SPAM, a play on the glut of canned meat in the markets of Britain after WWII. So “SPAM” is used for the glut of emails that takes over online communication. I can just imagine nerdy Internet types (like me) adopting something from a “Monty Python” sketch to describe an online phenomenon …

9. Indy participant RACER
The first Indy 500 race was held on Memorial Day in 1911. The winner that day was one Ray Harroun. Harroun had seen someone using a rear view mirror on a horse-drawn vehicle, and decided to fit one on his Marmon “Wasp” motor car. Supposedly that was the first ever use of a rear view mirror on a motor vehicle.

15. Fiddling emperor NERO
The Great Fire of Rome raged for five and a half days in 64 AD. Of the fourteen districts of Rome, three were completely destroyed and seven more suffered serious damage. The emperor at the time was of course Nero, although reports that he fiddled, played his lyre or sang while the city burned; those accounts are probably not true. In fact, Nero was staying outside of Rome when the fire started and rushed home on hearing the news. He organized a massive relief effort, throwing open his own home to give shelter to many of the citizens who were left living on the street.

17. Flightless flock EMUS
The emu has had a tough time in Australia since humans arrived on the continent. There was even an “Emu War” in Western Australia in 1932 when migrating emus competed with livestock for water and food. Soldiers were sent in and used machine guns in an unsuccessful attempt to drive off the “invading force”. The emus were clever, breaking their usual formations and adopting guerrilla tactics, operating as smaller units. After 50 days of “war”, the military withdrew. Subsequent requests for military help for the farmers were ignored. The emus had emerged victorious …

18. Swarm member GNAT
Gnats are attracted to the smell of rotting food, and to vinegar. Simple homemade traps that use vinegar are often constructed to attract and kill gnats.

24. Flamenco cheer OLE!
Flamenco is a style of Spanish music and dance. The origin of the word “flamenco” isn’t clearly understood, but the explanation that seems most credible to me is that it comes from Flanders in Northern Europe. Given that “flamenco” is the Spanish word for “Flemish” and Flanders is home to the Flemish people it makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?

32. Bygone TV control HOR
Remember the “horizontal hold” and “vertical hold” on old TV sets? Our kids have no idea what we had to go through …

33. Reef denizen EEL
Nowadays we use “denizen” to mean simply a resident, but historically a denizen was an immigrant to whom certain rights had been granted, something like today’s “resident alien”.

38. Nursery rhyme fiddler CAT
The nursery rhyme “Hey Diddle Diddle” has been around at least since the mid-1700s.

Hey diddle diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon,
The little dog laughed to see such fun,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.

41. Luau bowlful POI
Nowadays the word “luau” denotes almost any kind of party on the Hawaiian Islands, but to the purist a luau is a feast that always includes a serving of “poi”, the bulbous underground stems of taro baked with coconut milk.

50. Joyous hymn PAEAN
A paean is a poem or song that expresses triumph or thanksgiving. “Paean” comes from the ancient Greek “paian” meaning “song of triumph”.

51. Lee follower REB
Robert E. Lee is renowned as a southern officer in the Civil War. Lee was a somewhat reluctant participant in the war in that he opposed the secession of his home state of Virginia from the Union. At the beginning of the war, President Lincoln invited Lee to take command of the whole Union Army but he declined, choosing instead to stay loyal to his home state.

52. Cold War jet MIG
The Russian fighter jets that we know as “MiGs” are so called because they were designed by the Mikoyan-and-Gurevich Design Bureau, and MiG is an acronym for “Mikoyan-and-Gurevich” in Russian.

58. Capital on the 30th parallel CAIRO
Cairo is the capital city of Egypt. It is the largest city on the continent of Africa and is nicknamed “The City of a Thousand Minarets” because of its impressive skyline replete with Islamic architecture. The name “Cairo” is a European corruption of the city’s original name in Arabic, “Al-Qahira”, which translates as “the Vanquisher” or “the Conqueror”.

63. Aquatic predator ORCA
The taxonomic name for the killer whale is Orcinus orca. The use of the name “orca”, rather than “killer whale”, is becoming more and more common. The Latin word “Orcinus” means “belonging to Orcus”, with Orcus being the name for the Kingdom of the Dead.

65. Mild cheese GOUDA
Gouda is a cheese that originated in the Dutch city of the same name, although today Gouda is produced all over the world and very little of it comes from the Netherlands. Gouda is often smoke-cured, given it a yellowish-brown outer skin and that characteristic smoky taste.

67. Hook’s right hand SMEE
In J. M. Barrie’s play and novel about Peter Pan, Smee is one of Captain Hook’s pirates and is Hook’s right-hand man. Smee is described by Barrie as being “Irish” and “a man who stabbed without offence”. Nice guy! Captain Hook and Smee sail on the pirate ship called the Jolly Roger.

Down
1. Mother May I? movements STEPS
“Mother May I?” is a kid’s game in which one might say “Mother, may I take 3 steps forward”, perhaps.

2. Fluffy clouds CUMULI
Cumulus clouds are low-level clouds that look very “puffy”, with clearly defined edges and flat bases. “Cumulus” is Latin for “heap, pile”.

4. Monument Valley sight MESA
The spectacular Monument Valley, with it’s magnificent sandstone buttes and mesas, lies within the bounds of the Navajo Nation Reservation near the Four Corners region in the Southwest. The valley has served as a spectacular backdrop in many Hollywood movies. I always remember it as the location where Forrest Gump decided to stop running back and forth across the country.

6. Boxer’s hotel KENNEL
The boxer breed of dog (one of my favorites!) originated in Germany. My first dog was a boxer/Labrador mix, a beautiful animal. Our current family dog is a boxer/pug mix, another gorgeous creature.

7. Caspian Sea land IRAN
Before 1935 the country we know today as Iran was called Persia by the Western world. The official name of the country since the Iranian Revolution of 1979 is the “Islamic Republic of Iran”.

The Caspian Sea is a landlocked sea lying between Asia and Europe. By some definitions, the Caspian is the largest lake on the planet. The name “Caspian” comes from the Caspi people who lived to the southwest of the sea in South Caucasus.

8. Sticky writing? NOTE
The Post-it note was invented at 3M following the accidental discovery of a low-tack, reusable adhesive. The actual intent of the development program was the discovery of a super-strong adhesive.

11. They may be political CARTOONS
The word “cartoon” was originally used for a “drawing on strong paper”, a durable drawing used as a model for another work. The term comes from the French word “carton” meaning “heavy paper, pasteboard”. Cartoons have been around a long time, with some of the most famous having being drawn by Leonardo da Vinci.

13. Former Riverfront Stadium player RED
Riverfront Stadium was home to the Cincinnati Reds baseball team and the Cincinnati Bengals football team from 1970 to 2002, although in the latter years the facility was called Cinergy Field. The Reds moved to the Great American Ball Park in 2003, and the Bengals moved to Paul Brown Stadium in 2000. Riverfront Stadium was demolished by implosion in 2002.

26. Flibbertigibbet TWIT
“Twit” is a word not used very often here in America. It’s a slang term that was quite common in England where it was used for “someone foolish and idiotic”.

A “flibbertigibbet” is a silly, scatterbrained person. Back in the 16th century, a flibbertigibbet was a gossip or a flighty woman.

31. Many a character in TV’s “The Americans” SPY
“The Americans” is an entertaining TV drama set during the 1980s at the height of the Cold War. The main characters in the show are two Soviet KGB officers living as a married couple in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. I enjoy this one …

36. Opposite of nuts? SOUP
The American expression “from soup to nuts” means “from beginning to end”. The idiom comes from the description of a full course dinner, with soup to start and nuts as a dessert.

37. Italian dessert TIRAMISU
Tiramisu is an Italian cake. The name “tiramisu” translates from Italian as “pull me up”, and is often translated into our English phrase “pick-me-up”.

39. Popular exercise regimen TAE BO
Tae Bo isn’t an ancient martial art, and rather was developed as a form of aerobic exercise in the 1990s. The discipline was introduced by taekwondo expert Billy Blanks who gave it the name Tae Bo, a melding of “taekwondo” and “boxing”.

40. LAPD alert APB
An All Points Bulletin (APB) is a broadcast from one US law enforcement agency to another.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is the third largest local law enforcement agency in the country, after New York PD and Chicago PD. Among other things, LAPD is famous for creating the first Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team in the US, in 1965.

42. Cold Stone Creamery purchase CONE
Cold Stone Creamery is a chain of ice cream parlors based in Scottsdale, Arizona. The chain takes its name from the frozen granite stone on which servers mix in “toppings” or other flavors of ice cream.

43. It may be extra sharp CHEDDAR
Cheddar cheese takes its name from the English village of Cheddar in Somerset. Over 50% of the cheese sold in the UK is cheddar. Here in the US cheddar is the second most popular cheese sold, behind Mozzarella.

46. Territory divided in 1889 DAKOTA
The Dakota Territory was formed in 1861 and ceased to exist with the admission to the Union of the states of North Dakota and South Dakota. The territory was split into two states in 1889 largely due to lobbying by the Republican Party, which enjoyed a lot of support in the Dakota Territory. The admission of two states added to the political power of the party in the US Senate, by adding four safe Republican seats.

48. Infiniti’s infinity symbol, e.g. EMBLEM
Infiniti is a division of the Nissan Motor Company, and is Nissan’s luxury brand. Acura is the equivalent luxury brand for the Honda Motor Company, and Lexus is the more luxurious version of Toyota’s models.

53. Formation fliers GEESE
Apparently geese fly in a V-formation for a couple of reasons. One is that it makes for efficient flight and conserves energy. The leading bird gets no advantage, but every following bird gets to “slipstream” a little. It has been noted that the lead bird drops to the back of the formation when it gets fatigued. It’s also thought that the flock can stick together more easily when in formation, so it is more difficult to lose someone along the way.

57. Fleece-lined boot brand UGGS
Uggs are sheepskin boots that originated in Australia and New Zealand. Uggs have sheepskin fleece on the inside for comfort and insulation, with a tanned leather surface on the outside for durability. Ugg is a generic term down under, although it’s a brand name here in the US.

59. Mayo to mayo ANO
In Spanish, the period between May (mayo) and May (mayo) is a year (año).

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Email for the spam folder, probably SCAM
5. Comparable AKIN
9. Indy participant RACER
14. __ socks TUBE
15. Fiddling emperor NERO
16. Drop names, maybe? ERASE
17. Flightless flock EMUS
18. Swarm member GNAT
19. Nodding off at a meeting, say BORED
20. Ballplayer’s home renovation advice about the bare hallway floor? PUT A RUNNER OUT
23. Caution to drivers SLO
24. Flamenco cheer OLE!
25. “… but I could be wrong” OR NOT
27. Tech’s home renovation advice about a dark basement? INSTALL WINDOWS
32. Bygone TV control HOR
33. Reef denizen EEL
34. Small drink NIP
35. Autumn bloom ASTER
38. Nursery rhyme fiddler CAT
39. Pleasing to the palate TASTY
41. Luau bowlful POI
42. Wheels CAR
43. Limit CAP
44. Housekeeper’s home renovation advice about a cheap fourposter offer? TURN DOWN THE BED
50. Joyous hymn PAEAN
51. Lee follower REB
52. Cold War jet MIG
54. Bartender’s home renovation advice about the tiny kitchen sink? MAKE IT A DOUBLE
58. Capital on the 30th parallel CAIRO
60. Mill site POND
61. Sticky stuff GLUE
62. Day one ONSET
63. Aquatic predator ORCA
64. Catches GETS
65. Mild cheese GOUDA
66. Bucks, perhaps DEER
67. Hook’s right hand SMEE

Down
1. Mother May I? movements STEPS
2. Fluffy clouds CUMULI
3. Lie alongside ABUT ON
4. Monument Valley sight MESA
5. Sharp-cornered ANGULAR
6. Boxer’s hotel KENNEL
7. Caspian Sea land IRAN
8. Sticky writing? NOTE
9. Energized anew REBORN
10. In the vicinity AROUND
11. They may be political CARTOONS
12. Chicago-to-D.C. dir. ESE
13. Former Riverfront Stadium player RED
21. Chopper topper ROTOR
22. Provoke ROIL
26. Flibbertigibbet TWIT
28. Ewe or doe SHE
29. Pay attention in class LEARN
30. Drizzly WET
31. Many a character in TV’s “The Americans” SPY
35. Quick on the uptake APT
36. Opposite of nuts? SOUP
37. Italian dessert TIRAMISU
38. Raucous call CAW
39. Popular exercise regimen TAE BO
40. LAPD alert APB
42. Cold Stone Creamery purchase CONE
43. It may be extra sharp CHEDDAR
45. Came closer to NEARED
46. Territory divided in 1889 DAKOTA
47. Spell TRANCE
48. Infiniti’s infinity symbol, e.g. EMBLEM
49. Weaken DILUTE
53. Formation fliers GEESE
55. Apple product IPOD
56. Zoomed TORE
57. Fleece-lined boot brand UGGS
58. Gear tooth COG
59. Mayo to mayo ANO

Return to top of page