Category: Emma Oxford

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Constructed by: Emma Oxford
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): A Quick Word, Initially

Themed answers look like common phrases that include a two-letter word. That word is reinterpreted as an initialism. Clever …

• 18A Big bash honoring detectives? : PI DAY CELEBRATION (PI = private investigator)
• 27A Take steps to prevent patients leaving mid-appendectomy? : FIGHT OR FLIGHT (OR = operating room)
• 47A Certain facial recognition pro? : THE WIZARD OF ID (ID = identity document)
• 63A Really annoy the computer help desk? : TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT (IT = information technology)

Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 6m 52s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

6 Every which way : AMOK

The phrase “to run amok” (sometimes “to run amuck”) has been around since the 1670s and is derived from the Malay word for “attacking furiously”, “amuk”. The word “amok” was also used as a noun to describe Malay natives who were “frenzied”. Given Malaya’s troubled history, the natives probably had a good reason for that frenzy …

15 “Better in Time” singer Lewis : LEONA

“Better in Time” is a 2007 song released by English singer Leona Lewis. The “Better in Time” title refers to how the woman in the song will feel eventually, after a break-up with her partner.

18 Big bash honoring detectives? : PI DAY CELEBRATION (PI = private investigator)

The first three digits of the mathematical constant pi are 3.14. Pi Day has been celebrated on March 14th (3/14) every year since 1988, when it was inaugurated at the San Francisco Exploratorium. In countries where the day is usually written before the month, Pi Day is July 22nd, reflecting the more accurate approximation of pi as 22/7. Interestingly, March 14th is also Albert Einstein’s birthday.

23 __-Magnon : CRO

Remains of early man, dating back to 35,000 years ago, were found in Abri de Cro-Magnon in southwest France, giving the name to those early humans. Cro-Magnon remains are the oldest human relics that have been discovered in Europe.

24 Rock gp. sometimes joined by Young : CSN

The supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) is made up of David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash. The band can grow to “CSNY” when the trio is joined by Neil Young. Fans have been known to call the act “C, S, N and sometimes Y”, a play on the expression that names all the vowels, “A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y”.

26 Besmirch : TAR

“Besmirch” is a derivative of “smirch”, with both words meaning to “make dirty”. In particular, to besmirch is to sully someone’s reputation.

27 Take steps to prevent patients leaving mid-appendectomy? : FIGHT OR FLIGHT (OR = operating room)

The appendix is a small tube connected to the cecum in the large intestine. It is more correctly called the vermiform appendix, with the term “vermiform” meaning “worm-shaped”. It is generally accepted that the appendix no longer has a meaningful function in humans, and has lost its function through the process of evolution.

32 Kid-friendly card game : UNO

UNO is a card game that was developed in the early seventies and that has been sold by Mattel since 1992. It falls into the shedding family of card games, meaning that the goal is to get rid of all your cards while preventing opponents from doing the same.

38 Certain English collegian : ETONIAN

The world-famous Eton College is just a brisk walk from Windsor Castle, which itself is just outside London. Eton is noted for producing many British leaders, including prime ministers David Cameron and Boris Johnson. The list of Old Etonians also includes Princes William and Harry, the Duke of Wellington and George Orwell. Author Ian Fleming was also an Eton alumnus, as was Fleming’s iconic character James Bond, although 007 was expelled by the school.

41 Oregon port named for a fur merchant : ASTORIA

The city of Astoria, Oregon developed around Fort Astoria, which was established in 1810. Fort Astoria was a fur-trading post built by John Jacob Astor’s Pacific Fur Company, hence the “Astoria” name.

John Jacob Astor was the patriarch of the famous American Astor dynasty. He was the country’s first multi-millionaire, making his fortune in the trade of fur, real estate and opium. In today’s terms, it has been calculated that by the time of his death he has accumulated a fortune big enough to make him the fourth wealthiest man in American history (in the company of the likes of Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Bill Gates, Henry Ford and John D. Rockefeller).

43 Grayish green shade : LODEN

“Loden” is a German word, describing a thick woolen cloth used to make outer garments, that we have imported into English with the same meaning. Traditionally, the cloth has a green hue, and that grayish-green is sometimes referred to as loden green.

44 Fictional terrier from Kansas : TOTO

Toto is Dorothy’s dog in the film “The Wizard of Oz”, and in the original book “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum. Toto was played in the movie by a dog called Terry, but Terry’s name was soon changed to Toto in real life due to the success of the film.

46 Bobby of the Bruins : ORR

Bobby Orr is regarded as one of the greatest hockey players of all time. By the time he retired in 1978 he had undergone over a dozen knee surgeries. At 31 years of age, he concluded that he just couldn’t skate anymore. Reportedly, he was even having trouble walking. While still 31 years old, in 1979, Orr became the youngest person inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Prior to that, in 1967, Orr became the youngest person named the NHL’s Rookie of the Year.

47 Certain facial recognition pro? : THE WIZARD OF ID (ID = identity document)

“The Wizard of Id” is one of my favorite comic strips. The strip was created by Brant Parker and Johnny Hart back in 1964. The storyline centers on a wizard in the medieval kingdom of Id. The king of Id refers to his subjects as “Idiots”.

57 Actress Seydoux : LEA

French actress Léa Seydoux is perhaps best known to US audiences for portraying Bond girl Madeleine Swann in two movies: “Spectre” and “No Time to Die”. I best know her for playing the charming antique dealer in the magnificent film “Midnight in Paris”.

59 Uneasy feeling, with “the” : … WILLIES

A fit of the willies is a spell of nervousness. The expression is probably a derivative of “the woollies”, a colloquial expression meaning “nervous” that is likely to be a reference to itchiness caused by wool garments.

66 Neptune’s realm : OCEAN

Neptune was a Roman god, of both the sea and of freshwater. He was sometimes known as “Neptunus Equester” as he was also the god of horses and patron of horse-racing.

67 Home of the Blue Devils : DUKE

Duke University was founded in 1838 as Brown’s Schoolhouse. The school was renamed to Trinity College in 1859, and to this day the town where the college was located back then is known as Trinity, in honor of the school. The school was moved in 1892 to Durham, North Carolina in part due to generous donations from the wealthy tobacco industrialist Washington Duke. Duke’s donation required that the school open its doors to women, placing them on an equal footing with men. Trinity’s name was changed to Duke in 1924 in recognition of the generosity of the Duke family. Duke’s athletic teams are known as the Blue Devils.

68 “Into the Woods” song sung by two princes : AGONY

“Into the Woods” is a Stephen Sondheim musical that premiered in 1986. The storyline uses characters from several fairy tales, including “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Jack and the Beanstalk”, “Rapunzel” and “Cinderella”. The borrowed characters are held together with an underlying original tale about a baker and his wife who long to have a child, but cannot due to a curse placed on them by a witch.

70 Missouri River Native : OTOE

The Native American people known as the Otoe and the Missouri were the first tribes encountered by the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The meeting took place in 1804 at a point on the Missouri River that is now known as Council Bluffs.

Down

1 Pet food brand : ALPO

Alpo is a brand of dog food introduced by Allen Products in 1936, with “Alpo” being an abbreviation for “Allen Products”. Lorne Greene used to push Alpo dog food in television spots, as did Ed McMahon and Garfield the Cat, would you believe?

2 Form of nonviolent protest : BE-IN

Just before 1967’s “Summer of Love” in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, a Human Be-In was held in the city’s Golden Gate Park. The Be-In is described as a “happening”, a gathering triggered by a new state law banning the use of LSD. The term “Human Be-In” is a play on “humanist sit-in”.

3 Jedi voiced by Tom Kane on “The Clone Wars” : YODA

“Star Wars: The Clone Wars” is an animated TV series that aired from 2008 to 2020. In a novel move, the series was launched in 2008 with a theatrical feature film bearing the same title, which was also animated. In terms of the timeline in the “Star Wars” universe, the Clone Wars kick off just after the end of the action in the movie “Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones”.

6 Pt. of USA : AMER

The first known use of the phrase “United States of America” is in a letter dated January 2nd, 1776 from Irish-American Stephen Moylan, who was serving as acting secretary to General George Washington. Writing to Washington’s aide-de-camp Colonel Joseph Reed, Moylan stated:

I should like vastly to go with full and ample powers from the United States of America to Spain [to seek foreign assistance for the cause].

7 First name of two Spice Girls : MEL

“Mel B” is the stage name of Melanie Brown, who came to fame as a member of the Spice Girls musical group. She took the name Mel B to distinguish herself from fellow band member Melanie Chisholm (Melanie C). Mel B was also known as “Scary Spice”, a nickname given to her by the media. American viewers saw Mel B on the TV show “America’s Got Talent” from 2013 through 2019, on which show she served as a judge.

Melanie C is a member of the English girl band the Spice Girls, with whom she has the nickname “Sporty Spice”. “Mel C” got the gig with the Spice Girls by replying to an ad in “The Stage” magazine, and auditioning alongside about 40 women who responded to the same ad. Sporty Spice really is quite sporty, and has completed the London Triathlon … twice.

9 __ Khan : KUBLAI

Kublai Khan was the leader of the Mongol Empire from 1260 to 1294. Kublai Khan was a grandson of Genghis Khan. Kublai Khan had a summer garden at Kanadu, which famously was the subject of the 1797 poem “Kubla Khan” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

10 Paul Newman hockey film : SLAP SHOT

“Slap Shot” is a 1977 comedy film about a minor league hockey team representing the fictional factory town of Charlestown, Pennsylvania. The team resolves to win over the hostile crowds attending their games by resorting to violent play on the ice. Paula Newman portrays the team’s player-coach, with Newman later proclaiming that it was his favorite movie role that he ever took on. Newman also shared that prior to filming, he rarely used foul language, but during and after shooting “Slap Shot”, his language was “right out of the locker room!”

13 Ancient Greek marketplace : AGORA

In early Greece, an agora was a place of assembly. The assemblies held there were often quite formal, perhaps for the reading of a proclamation. Later in Greek history, things became less formal as the agora evolved into a marketplace. Our contemporary word “agoraphobia” comes from these agorae, in the sense that an agoraphobe has a fear of open spaces, a fear of “public meeting places”.

19 __ oil : CANOLA

Canola is a type of rapeseed, and Canola oil is made from the seeds. The particular cultivar used in oil production was developed in Canada, and the name Canola in fact comes from “CANadian Oil, Low Acid”.

25 Juilliard deg. : MFA

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

The Juilliard School, now located in the Lincoln Center in New York City, was founded in 1905 as the Institute of Musical Art. The school was named in honor of Augustus D. Juilliard, a successful textile merchant who left a substantial amount of money for the purpose of advancing music in the US. The immense popularity of the school is perhaps illustrated by its acceptance rate. In 2007 the school had 2,138 applications, and only 162 students were admitted. That’s an acceptance rate of well under 10%.

27 Gasohol, e.g. : FUEL

Gasohol is a fuel mixture made from 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline. Gasohol can be used in most internal combustion engines.

30 “Sons of Anarchy” actor Perlman : RON

Ron Perlman is a Hollywood actor noted for playing roles that require heavy make-up, as well as for voice-over work. Notably, he played the title character in the superhero film “Hellboy”, and its sequel “Hellboy II: The Golden Army”.

“Sons of Anarchy” is a popular FX crime series about an outlaw motorcycle club in California’s Central Valley. Apparently, it is the most successful FX show ever.

36 iPad speaker : SIRI

Siri was originally developed as a standalone app by a startup company of the same name. Apple acquired the company in 2010 and integrated the technology into their operating system.

42 Foray : SORTIE

A sortie is an attack by an armed unit, and usually a breakout by forces that are besieged, The term “sortie” comes directly from French and means “a going out”. “Sortie” is also used for a mission by a combat aircraft.

48 Coup d’__ : ETAT

A coup d’état (often just “coup”) is the sudden overthrow of a government, and comes from the French for “stroke of state”. The Swiss-German word “putsch” is sometimes used instead of “coup”, with “Putsch” translating literally as “sudden blow”. We also use the abbreviated “coup” to mean “sudden, brilliant and successful act”.

50 Mavericks city : DALLAS

The Mavericks (also “Mavs”) are an NBA franchise in Dallas, Texas. The team was founded in 1980, and the Mavericks name was chosen by fan votes. The choice of “Mavericks” was prompted by the fact that the actor James Garner was a part-owner of the team, and Garner of course played the title role in the “Maverick” television series.

52 Unlikely heroines in operas, typically : ALTOS

In an opera, a contralto or alto rarely plays the female lead. Rather, she usually portrays a supporting female, a villainess or perhaps even a young boy.

61 __, zwei, drei : EINS

“Eins, zwei, drei, vier” is German for “one, two, three, four”.

64 Mer contents : EAU

In French, a “mer” (sea) is a large body of “eau” (water).

65 Fight-ending letters : TKO

Technical knockout (TKO)