Category: Ed Sessa

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. __ Men, pop band whose name derives from its members’ homeland BAHA
The Baha Men are so called because they hail from the Bahamas. Their big hit was “Who Let the Dogs Out?” which has been ranked as third in a list of the world’s most annoying songs!

14. Instruments for Israel Kamakawiwo’ole UKES
Israel Kamakawiwo’ole was a musician from Honolulu who had a hit in 1993 with a medley of “Somewhere over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World”. Kamakawiwo’ole passed away in 1997 at only 38 years of age, due to complications from morbid obesity. At one point, Kamakawiwo’ole weighed 757 pounds.

15. Case for notions ETUI
An etui is an ornamental case used to hold small items, in particular sewing needles. We imported both the case design and the word “etui” from France. The French also have a modern usage of “etui”, using the term to depict a case for carrying CDs.

“Notions” are miscellaneous items, especially the likes of needles, buttons and thread.

17. Bar for some dancers LIMBO POLE
The limbo dance originated on the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean. The name “limbo” is an alteration of our word “limber”, which isn’t surprising given what one has to do to get under that bar!

19. “The Grand Budapest Hotel” actor DAFOE
Willem Dafoe is an American actor, from Wisconsin. He was born just plain William Dafoe, but didn’t like being called “Billy”. So, he changed his name to Willem, which was the pronunciation of his name by his Scottish babysitter. Those Scots …

22. Org. that holds your interest? S AND L
Savings and Loan (S&L)

23. LBJ agency OEO
The Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) was created during the Lyndon Johnson administration. The agency was responsible for administering the War on Poverty programs that were part of the President Johnson’s Great Society agenda. The OEO was shut down by President Nixon, although some of the office’s programs were transferred to other agencies. A few of the OEO’s programs are still around today, like Head Start for example.

24. Reuters competitor UPI
Founded in 1958, United Press International (UPI) was one of the biggest news agencies in the world, sending out news by wire to the major newspapers. UPI ran into trouble with the change in media formats at the end of the twentieth century and lost many of its clients as the afternoon newspapers shut down due to the advent of television news. UPI, which once employed thousands, still exists today but with just a handful of employees.

The Reuters news agency was formed way back in 1851 by German-born, British entrepreneur Paul Julius Reuter. Reuter had checked the feasibility of a news service for a couple of years prior to launching the agency, and the technologies he used for his study were the telegraph and carrier pigeons …

32. Complain CARP
The word “carp” used to mean simply “talk” back in the 13th century, with its roots in the Old Norwegian “karpa” meaning “to brag”. A century later the Latin word “carpere” meaning “to slander” influenced the use of “carp” so that it came to mean “find fault with”.

40. Street vendor’s snack PRETZEL
Pretzels originated in Europe and are especially popular in Southern Germany where a pretzel is known as “Brezel”. Pretzels were introduced into the US in the 1800s by immigrants from Germany and Switzerland who came to be known over here as the Pennsylvania Dutch.

42. Cosmetic surgeon’s procedures, briefly LIPOS
Liposuction dates back to the 1920s when it was developed by a surgeon in France. However, the procedure quickly lost favor when a French model developed gangrene after surgery. As a result it wasn’t until the mid-seventies that modern liposuction took off, after being popularized by two Italian-American surgeons in Rome.

44. Salts TARS
A Jack Tar, or just “tar”, was a seaman in the days of the British Empire. The term probably arose due to a sailor’s various uses of tar back then, including waterproofing his clothes and using tar in his hair to slick down his ponytail.

49. NBC sketch comedy SNL
“Saturday Night Live” (SNL)

63. Like one who really gets IT? TECH-SAVVY
The term “savvy”, meaning “understanding”, comes from the French “savez-vous?” that translates as “do you know?”

64. Sea divers LOONS
The bird known as a loon here in North America is called a diver in the British Isles. The name “diver” comes from the bird’s habit of swimming calmly and then suddenly diving below the surface to catch a fish. The name “loon” comes from an Old English word meaning “clumsy” and reflects the awkward gait of the bird when walking on land.

66. Carpe __ DIEM
“Carpe diem” is a quotation from Horace, one of Ancient Rome’s leading lyric poets. “Carpe diem” translates from Latin as “seize the day” or “enjoy the day”.

67. Cuban music genre CONGA
The conga line is a dance that originated as a Cuban carnival march. It became popular in the US starting in the thirties. The dance is apparently named after the Congo region of Africa, and it was originated by slaves who were brought from there to Cuba.

68. Daly of “Judging Amy” TYNE
The actress Tyne Daly really came into the public eye playing Detective Lacey in “Cagney and Lacey”. From 1999 to 2005, Daly played the mother of the title character in the TV show “Judging Amy”.

69. Everyone, in Essen ALLE
Essen is a large industrial city located on the River Ruhr in western Germany.

Down
2. “Ran” director Kurosawa AKIRA
Akira Kurosawa was an Oscar-winning Japanese film director. His most famous movie to us in the West has to be “The Seven Samurai”, the inspiration for “The Magnificent Seven” starring Yul Brynner, and indeed a basis for “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”.

“Ran” is a 1985 Japanese-French film directed by Akira Kurosawa that is in part based on William Shakespeare’s play “King Lear”. The movie tells of an aging warlord who steps down in favor of his three sons. The title translates from Japanese “Chaos” or “Rebellion”.

6. “Then again,” in tweets OTOH
On the other hand (OTOH)

8. Fuel type DIESEL
There are two main types of internal combustion engine. Most cars in the US use spark injection engines (gasoline engines) in which a spark plug sparks in order to ignite the fuel-air mixture. A diesel engine, on the other hand, has no spark plug per se, and uses the heat generated by compressing the air-fuel mixture to cause ignition.

9. “Soldier of Love” Grammy winner SADE
The singer Sade’s real name is Helen Folasade Adu. Although she was born in Nigeria, Sade grew up and lives in the UK. She was the lead vocalist for the English group Sade, and adopted the name of the band. The band’s biggest hits were “Smooth Operator” (1984) and “The Sweetest Taboo” (1985).

10. Nonstick cookware brand T-FAL
Tefal (also T-Fal) is a French manufacturer of cookware, famous for its nonstick line. The name “Tefal” is a portmanteau, of TEFlon and ALuminum, the key materials used in producing their pots and pans.

11. Anti-consumerist portmanteau popularized in a 2001 best-seller AFFLUENZA
“Affluenza” might be described as the obsessive pursuit of perceived wealth accompanied by debt, anxiety and waste. The term is a portmanteau of “affluent” and “influenza”.

12. 2011 animated film set in Brazil RIO
“Rio” is a 2011 animated movie about a male blue macaw who is brought to mate with a female blue macaw in Rio de Janeiro, hence the movie’s title. Fans can go see “Rio 2” that was released in 2014.

18. Stillwater’s state: Abbr. OKLA
The city of Stillwater, Oklahoma is located in the north-central part of the state, in the area that is sometimes known as “Tornado Alley”. One of the city’s claims to fame is that it is home to Oklahoma State University.

21. Capitol insider POL
Politician (pol.)

25. Novelist De Vries PETER
Peter De Vries was a novelist and editor from Chicago. Several of De Vries’ books were adapted for the big screen, most notably perhaps “Reuben, Reuben”.

26. Pastoral poems IDYLS
An “idyll” (also “idyl”) is a short poem with a pastoral theme, usually depicting the scene in romantic and idealized terms. The word comes from the Greek “eidyllion”, which literally translates to “little picture” but was a word describing a short, poem with a rustic theme.

28. Athlete lead-in TRI-
An Ironman Triathlon is a race involving a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a marathon run of just over 26 miles. The idea for the race came out of a debate between some runners in the 1977 Oahu Perimeter Relay. They were questioning whether runners, swimmers or bikers were the most fit athletes. The debaters decided to combine three local events to determine the answer, inviting athletes from all three disciplines. The events that were mimicked to come up with the first triathlon were the Waikiki Roughwater swim (2.4 miles), the Around-Oahu Bike Race (115 miles) and the Honolulu Marathon (26.2 miles). The idea was that whoever finished first would be called “the Iron Man”. The first triathlon was run in 1978, with fifteen starters and only twelve finishers. The race format is used all over the world now, but the Hawaiian Ironman is the event that everyone wants to win.

30. Submission encl. SAE
An SAE is a “stamped, addressed envelope”. An SASE is a “self-addressed, stamped envelope”.

33. French postcard word AVION
“Par avion” is the French term for “by airplane”. We’re used to seeing “par avion” on a blue sticker under the words “Air Mail” on our mail.

39. ISP alternative DSL
The abbreviation “DSL” originally stood for Digital Subscriber Loop, but is now accepted to mean (Asymmetric) Digital Subscriber Line. DSL is the technology that allows Internet service be delivered down the same telephone line as voice service, by separating the two into different frequency signals.

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 …

40. Author of macabre tales POE
Edgar Allan Poe lived a life of many firsts. Poe is considered to be the inventor of the detective-fiction genre. He was also the first notable American author to make his living through his writing, something that didn’t really go too well for him as he was always financially strapped. In 1849 he was found on the streets of Baltimore, delirious from either drugs or alcohol. Poe died a few days later in hospital at 39 years of age.

41. Old cereal box stat RDA
Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) were introduced during WWII and are a set of recommendations for the standard daily allowances of specific nutrients. RDAs were effectively absorbed into a broader set of dietary guidelines in 1997 called Recommended Daily Intakes (RDIs). RDIs are used to determine the Daily Values (DV) of foods that are printed on nutrition fact labels on most food that we purchase.

48. Maxwell Smart’s nemesis KAOS
The satirical comedy series called “Get Smart” was the creation of Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, and starred Don Adams as Agent 86, Maxwell Smart. Agent 86 worked for the spy agency CONTROL, alongside the lovely Agent 99. CONTROL’s sworn enemy was the criminal organization called KAOS. Smart’s shoe phone was a hilarious prop used in almost every episode. When Smart dialed the number 117, the shoe converted into a gun. Cool stuff …

52. “The Devil Wears __” PRADA
“The Devil Wears Prada” is a 2003 novel by Lauren Weisberger that is set in the fashion industry. One of the main characters in the story is Miranda Priestly, the tyrannical editor-in-chief of the the fictional fashion magazine “Runway”. It has been suggested that the Priestly character was inspired by Anna Wintour, the real life editor-in-chief of “Vogue”.

53. Motrin competitor ADVIL
Advil and Motrin are brand names for the anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen.

57. Lana of Superman lore LANG
Smallville, Kansas is the town on Earth in which Superman grew up (as Clark Kent). One of Clark’s best friends in Smallville, and the romantic interest of his youth, was Lana Lang.

58. Film feline ELSA
The life story of Elsa the lion was told by game warden Joy Adamson, who had a very close relationship with the lioness from when Elsa was orphaned as a young cub. Adamson wrote the book “Born Free” about Elsa, and then “Living Free” which tells the story of Elsa and her three lion cubs. In the 1966 film based on “Born Free”, Adamson is played by the talented actress Virginia McKenna.

61. Attention from Dr. Mom TLC
Tender loving care (TLC)

62. Milne marsupial ROO
Like most of the characters in A. A. Milne’s “Winnie the Pooh”, Roo was inspired by on a stuffed toy belonging to Milne’s son Christopher Robin.

Marsupials are mammals that carry their young in a pouch. Better-known marsupials are kangaroos, koalas, wombats and Tasmanian devils. As you can perhaps tell from this list, most marsupials are native to the Southern Hemisphere.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. __ Men, pop band whose name derives from its members’ homeland BAHA
5. Bit of a speech WORD
9. Prolonged look STARE
14. Instruments for Israel Kamakawiwo’ole UKES
15. Case for notions ETUI
16. Attach AFFIX
17. Bar for some dancers LIMBO POLE
19. “The Grand Budapest Hotel” actor DAFOE
20. Kiss a frog, so it’s said BREAK THE SPELL
22. Org. that holds your interest? S AND L
23. LBJ agency OEO
24. Reuters competitor UPI
27. All out AT FULL SPEED
32. Complain CARP
36. Attic forager RAT
37. Family nickname AUNTY
38. Went too far with OVERDID
40. Street vendor’s snack PRETZEL
42. Cosmetic surgeon’s procedures, briefly LIPOS
43. Nursery supply SOD
44. Salts TARS
45. Evasive language DOUBLESPEAK
49. NBC sketch comedy SNL
50. Portuguese king REI
51. Not connected APART
56. Snoring, e.g., and a literal hint to what’s hidden in 20-, 27- and 45-Across SLEEP DISORDER
61. Case study? TRIAL
63. Like one who really gets IT? TECH-SAVVY
64. Sea divers LOONS
65. Switch ending -EROO
66. Carpe __ DIEM
67. Cuban music genre CONGA
68. Daly of “Judging Amy” TYNE
69. Everyone, in Essen ALLE

Down
1. Light sources BULBS
2. “Ran” director Kurosawa AKIRA
3. Ones with fab abs HE-MEN
4. Similarly sinful AS BAD
5. Broke down WEPT
6. “Then again,” in tweets OTOH
7. Dismiss RULE OUT
8. Fuel type DIESEL
9. “Soldier of Love” Grammy winner SADE
10. Nonstick cookware brand T-FAL
11. Anti-consumerist portmanteau popularized in a 2001 best-seller AFFLUENZA
12. 2011 animated film set in Brazil RIO
13. PC file extension EXE
18. Stillwater’s state: Abbr. OKLA
21. Capitol insider POL
25. Novelist De Vries PETER
26. Pastoral poems IDYLS
28. Athlete lead-in TRI-
29. It’s not hot for long FAD
30. Submission encl. SAE
31. Last stroke, usually PUTT
32. Common maladies COLDS
33. French postcard word AVION
34. Utter disgust REPULSION
35. “No __!” PROB
39. ISP alternative DSL
40. Author of macabre tales POE
41. Old cereal box stat RDA
43. Weblike SPIDERY
46. Before, of yore ERE
47. Largish jazz ensemble SEPTET
48. Maxwell Smart’s nemesis KAOS
52. “The Devil Wears __” PRADA
53. Motrin competitor ADVIL
54. Party hearty REVEL
55. “Go ahead, make my day!” TRY ME!
57. Lana of Superman lore LANG
58. Film feline ELSA
59. Silhouette of a bird, for Twitter ICON
60. You might pick up a pebble in one SHOE
61. Attention from Dr. Mom TLC
62. Milne marsupial ROO

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