Category: John Guzzetta

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Constructed by: John Guzzetta
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: None

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

Bill’s time: 14m 21s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 With 40-Across, juice choice : SOLAR …
[40A See 1-Across : … POWER]

Solar panels are arrays of solar cells that make use of what’s known as the photovoltaic effect. We are more likely to have learned about the photoelectric effect in school, in which electrons were ejected from the surface of some materials when it was exposed to light or other forms of radiation. The photovoltaic effect is related but different. Instead of being electrons ejected from the surface, in the photovoltaic effect electrons move around in the material creating a difference in voltage.

6 Tesla, for one : SERB

Nikola Tesla was born in the Austrian Empire in a village located in modern-day Croatia, and later moved to the US. Tesla’s work on mechanical and electrical engineering was crucial to the development of alternating current technology, the same technology that is used by equipment at the backbone of modern power generation and distribution systems.

10 Bands on the radio : AM/FM

Amplitude modulation/frequency modulation (AM/FM)

16 Disney Junior’s “Royal Detective” : MIRA

“Mira, Royal Detective” is an animated children’s TV series that premiered on Disney Junior in 2020. The show is set in the fictional Indian kingdom of Jalpur and follows the adventures of Mira, a 10-year-old girl who is appointed as the royal detective. Mira is the first South Asian protagonist in a Disney Junior show.

17 Tenochtitlan, e.g. : AZTEC RUINS

Tenochtitlán was a city-state that was the capital of the Aztec Empire in the 15th century. It was located on an island in Lake Texcoco in the Valley of Mexico. After Tenochtitlán was captured by the Spanish in 1521, they leveled the city and their own settlement, which grew into today’s Mexico City.

18 Mocha option : ICED

Mocha is a port city in Yemen on the Red Sea and was once the principal port for the capital city of Sana’a. Mocha was the major marketplace in the world for coffee until the 1600s, and gave its name to the Mocha coffee bean, which in turn gave its name to the mocha brown color, and the flavor of coffee infused with chocolate.

19 “Owner of a Lonely Heart” band : YES

“Owner of a Lonely Heart” is a 1983 song recorded by British prog-rock band Yes. It was written by the band’s South African guitarist Trevor Rabin.

20 Yang counterpart : YIN

The yin and yang can be illustrated using many different metaphors. In one, as the sun shines on a mountain, the side in the shade is the yin and the side in the light is the yang. The yin is also regarded as the feminine side, and the yang the masculine. The yin can also be associated with the moon, while the yang is associated with the sun.

21 Got to the point? : TAPERED

I used to think that the word “taper” was used for a slender candle because said candle was “tapered” in shape, but it’s exactly the opposite. It turns out that our word “tapered” comes from the candle. “Taper” and “tapur” are Old English words meaning “candle”. From these nouns arose the verb “to taper” meaning “shoot up like flame”. This meaning evolved into “become slender” from the idea that a candle’s flame has such a shape.

23 Verses versus verses : MC BATTLE

Battle rapping (also “rap battling”) is a contest in which two or more rappers “fight it out” using opposing, improvised lyrics. I’d be annihilated …

25 “Set __ the doors O soul”: Whitman : OPE

“The Last Invocation” is a poem by Walt Whitman that was first published in his 1891 collection “Leaves of Grass”:

At the last, tenderly,
From the walls of the powerful fortress’d house,
From the clasp of the knitted locks, from the keep of the well-closed doors,
Let me be wafted.

Let me glide noiselessly forth;
With the key of softness unlock the locks—with a whisper,
Set ope the doors O soul.

Tenderly—be not impatient,
(Strong is your hold O mortal flesh,
Strong is your hold O love.)

31 Almost ready for the tooth fairy : LOOSE

The tooth fairy is a mythical figure who is said to leave money under the pillow of children who have lost a baby tooth. She is often depicted as a small, winged fairy who flies through the night to collect teeth. I saw an estimate that she collects about 300,000 teeth every night from children all over the world …

33 Colosseum feature : ARCH

The Colosseum of Rome was the largest amphitheater in the whole of the Roman Empire in its day, and could seat about 50,000 people. The structure was originally called the “Amphitheatrum Flavium” but the name changed to “Colosseum” after a colossal statue of Emperor Nero was located nearby.

37 Netflix series whose fifth season concludes with the election of Tony Blair : THE CROWN

“The Crown” is a historical drama produced for Netflix that covers the life of British Queen Elizabeth II from her marriage to Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. For the first two seasons, Elizabeth is played by Claire Foy and Philip by Matt Smith. For the next two seasons, Olivia Colman and Tobias Menzies take over as Elizabeth and Philip. The show finishes up with Imelda Staunton and Jonathan Pryce in the roles.

Tony Blair was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for ten years, from 1997 to 2007. Blair moved his Labour Party from the left towards the center, utilizing the moniker “New Labour”. Under his leadership, Labour won a landslide victory in 1997 and was comfortably elected into power again in 2001 and 2005. Blair stepped down in 2007 and Gordon Brown took over as prime minister. Labour was soundly defeated at the polls in the next general election, in 2010.

42 Charlotte __ : RUSSE

Charlotte Russe is a cold dessert consisting of Bavarian cream set in a mold layered with ladyfingers. The dessert was named by its creator in honor of Princess Charlotte, daughter of British King George IV, and in honor of Czar Alexander I of Russia (“russe” is French for “Russian”).

43 Alternative introduction : AKA

Also known as (aka)

44 Unimpressive ride, in ’70s slang : ECONOBOX

“Econobox” is a slang word describing a small, fuel-efficient car, one that is relatively “boxy” in styling. The term arose in the 1970s as a result of the 1973 oil crisis. Examples of econoboxes are the Ford Escort, Dodge Omni, Geo Metro and the Honda Civic.

53 Lindros in the Hockey Hall of Fame : ERIC

Eric Lindros is a retired Canadian hockey player. During his NHL career he played for the Philadelphia Flyers, the New York Rangers, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Dallas Stars. Early in his career, Lindros was nicknamed “The Next One”, a reference to the moniker “The Great One” that was used for the great Wayne Gretzky.

54 One with artistic training? : BONSAI TREE

The term “bonsai” is used more correctly to describe the Japanese art of growing carefully shaped trees in containers, although it has come to be used as the name for all miniature trees in pots. “Bonsai” translates literally as “tray planting”.

57 Philosopher Descartes : RENE

The great French philosopher Rene Descartes made the famous statement in Latin, “Cogito ergo sum”. This translates into French as “Je pense, donc je suis” and into English as “I think, therefore I am”. Anything pertaining to the philosophy of Descartes can be described by the adjective “Cartesian”.

60 Feijoada morsel : BEAN

Feijoada is a Brazilian stew made with black beans cooked with various meats and vegetables. It is considered the national dish of Brazil. The name “feijoada” comes from the Portuguese word “feijão” which translates as “bean.”

Down

2 Primordial stuff : OOZE

“Primordial soup” is an expression that was coined in 1924 to describe a liquid that is rich in the compounds necessary, and in the conditions that are necessary, for the emergence and growth of the first life forms.

6 Box at the gym? : SAUNA

As my Finnish-American wife will tell you, “sauna” is a Finnish word. It is pronounced more correctly as “sow-nah” (“sow”, as in the female pig).

7 Airport north of PIT : ERI

Erie International Airport (ERI) is located five miles from the city of Erie, Pennsylvania. The airport is named after Tom Ridge, the 44th Governor of Pennsylvania and the first US Secretary of Homeland Security. He was born in Erie and is a former mayor of the city.

Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) provides passenger service, but also is home to a military facility operated by the Air Force Reserve Command and the Air National Guard. The world’s leading caterer to airlines, LSG SkyChefs, makes all of its meals for North and South America in its facility at PIT.

9 Stones that make up Northern Ireland’s Giant’s Causeway, e.g. : BASALTS

The Giant’s Causeway is located on the north coast of Ireland. It is a series of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns that was created by a volcanic eruption about 60 million years ago. The lava from the eruption cooled and solidified into columns, which were then eroded by the sea. It is a magnificent sight, one that we Irish sometimes refer to as the “8th Wonder of the World” …

10 Nice friend : AMIE

The French city of Nice is on the Mediterranean coast in the southeast of the country. Although Nice is only the fifth most populous city in France, it is home to the busiest airport outside of Paris. That’s because of all the tourists flocking to the French Riviera. Something described as “à la niçoise” is “of Nice”.

11 Many kombuchas : MICROBREWS

Kombucha is a fermented drink made with tea, sugar, bacteria, and yeast. The tea is first steeped in hot water, then sugar is added and the mixture allowed to cool. The bacteria and yeast are added, and the mixture is allowed to ferment for 7-10 days. During fermentation, the bacteria and yeast convert the sugar into alcohol and acetic acid, which gives kombucha its characteristic sour taste.

13 Rose in a King title : MADDER

“Rose Madder” is a novel by Stephen King that was published in 1995. Apparently, it is not one of his better works (I don’t read King myself). It deals with domestic violence and incorporates elements of Greek mythology in the storyline.

23 Iditarod figure : MUSHER

Mushing is the use of one or more dogs to pull a sled. “Mush” is thought to come from the French “marche” meaning “go, run”.

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race covers an incredible 1,161 miles, from Anchorage to Nome in Alaska. The race starts every year on the first Saturday in March, with the first race having been held in 1973. Finishing times range from over 8 days to 15 days or more. The first few races only used a northern route, but then a southern route was added to the roster every second year. It’s kind of a good thing, because when the racers take the northern route they don’t even pass through the town of Iditarod!

27 Birth country of “The Girl With Seven Names” memoirist Hyeonseo Lee : NORTH KOREA

Lee Hyeon-seo (born January 1980) is a North Korean defector and activist who now lives in Seoul, South Korea. She escaped from North Korea in 2007, crossing the border into China, where she lived in hiding for several years. Hyeon-seo wrote a 2016 memoir about her experiences titled “The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector’s Story”.

30 “The Phantom of the Opera” author : LEROUX

Gaston Leroux was a French author and journalist best known for writing “The Phantom of the Opera”, first published in 1910. As a journalist, Leroux was involved in an investigation into the Paris Opera. The basement of the opera house contained a cell that was used to hold prisoners in 1871, something that Leroux featured in his most famous novel.

36 Italy’s __ Cime di Lavaredo : TRE

Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Three Peaks of Lavaredo) is a mountain group in the Sexten Dolomites of northeastern Italy. It is probably one of the best-known mountain groups in the Alps. The three peaks are:

• Cima Piccola (Little Peak)
• Cima Grande (Big Peak)
• Cima Ovest (Western Peak)

38 Soccer center? : CEES

There are two letters C (cee) in the center of the word “soccer”.

39 Marathoner’s wear : RACE BIB

The marathon commemorates the legendary messenger-run by Pheidippides from the site of the Battle of Marathon back to Athens, and is run over 26 miles and 385 yards. The first modern Olympic marathon races were run over a distance that approximated the length of the modern-day Marathon-Athens highway, although the actual length of the race varied from games to games. For the 1908 Olympics in London, a course starting at Windsor Castle and ending in front of the Royal Box at White City Stadium was defined. That course was 26 miles and 385 yards, the standard length now used at all Olympic Games. Organizers of subsequent games continued to vary the length of the race, until a decision was made in 1921 to adopt the distance used in London in 1908.

45 Welles who narrates “The Magnificent Ambersons” : ORSON

“The Magnificent Ambersons” is a 1942 film that is based on a 1918 novel by Booth Tarkington. The film is a little controversial in that RKO, the studio that made the film, cut a substantial amount of footage and reshot a happier ending, against the wishes of producer and director Orson Welles. The film tells the story of a wealthy Indianapolis family whose fortune changes with the arrival of the automobile age.

48 Unbeatable services : ACES

As in tennis, perhaps.

50 __ Ha-qodesh: Hebrew for “holy ark” : ARON

The Torah ark is found in a synagogue, and is the ornamental container in which the Torah scrolls are stored. The word “Torah” best translates as “teaching” or “law”. The Torah ark is referred to as the “Aron Kodesh” in Hebrew, meaning “Holy Ark”.

51 Focus of an art museum in Las Vegas : NEON

The Neon Museum in Las Vegas opened in 1996 and features many old signs from the heyday of the Las Vegas Strip. Much of the museum is a “boneyard”, housing about 150 signs on 6 acres of land.

55 Actress Long : NIA

Nia Long is an American actress who is probably best known for playing Will Smith’s sometime girlfriend and fiancee Lisa Wilkes on the TV show “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air”.

56 Play about Capote : TRU

“Tru” was written by Jay Presson Allen and is a one-man play about Truman Capote that premiered in 1989. There is a classic anachronism in the piece. It is set in Capote’s New York City apartment at Christmas 1975. At one point the Capote character talks about suicide, saying that he has enough pills to stage his own Jonestown Massacre. The Jonestown Massacre didn’t happen until three years later, in 1978.