Category: Pancho Harrison

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Argentine grassland PAMPA
The Pampas are fertile lowlands covering a large part of Argentina, Uruguay and some of Brazil. “Pampa” is a Quechua word meaning “plain”.

11. Cell unit: Abbr. MIN
Most cellphone plans are based on minutes …

19. Oklahoma natives OTOES
The Otoe (also Oto) Native American tribe originated in the Great Lakes region as part of the Winnebago or Siouan tribes. The group that would become the Otoe broke away from the Winnebago and migrated southwestwards ending up in the Great Plains. In the plains the Otoe adopted a semi-nomadic lifestyle dependent on the horse, with the American bison becoming central to their diet.

20. Poetry middle name ALLAN
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.

21. “Double Fantasy” artist ONO
“Double Fantasy” is an album released by John Lennon and Yoko Ono on 17 November 1980. Three weeks later, John Lennon was gunned down by Mark Chapman outside Lennon’s apartment building in New York City.

30. Dr. concerned with rhythm DRE
Dr. Dre is the stage name of rapper Andre Romelle Young. Dr. Dre is known for his own singing career as well as producing records and starting the careers of others such Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent.

31. __ tai MAI
The Mai Tai cocktail is strongly associated with the Polynesian islands, but the drink was supposedly invented in 1944 in Trader Vic’s restaurant in Oakland, California. One recipe is 6 parts white rum, 3 parts orange curaçao, 3 parts Orgeat syrup, 1 part rock candy syrup, 2 parts fresh lime juice, all mixed with ice and then a float added of 6 parts dark rum.

42. Those, in Tijuana ESAS
Tijuana is the largest city in the Mexican state of Baja California, and lies just across the US-Mexico border from San Diego. Tijuana is also the most westerly of all Mexican cities. A lot of Tijuana’s growth took place in the twenties as tourists flocked south of the border during the days of prohibition in the US. One of the many casinos and hotels that flourished at that time was Hotel Caesar’s in the Avenida Revolución area. Hotel Caesar’s claims to be the birthplace of the now ubiquitous Caesar Salad.

52. Floride, e.g. ETAT
In French, Florida (Floride) is a state (état).

53. Desdemona’s husband was one MOOR
Desdemona is one of the main characters in William Shakespeare’s play “Othello”. She is the daughter of a Venetian senator called Brabantio whom she vexes by eloping with Othello, a man not of her race and several years older than her.

58. Fictional plantation TARA
Rhett Butler hung out with Scarlett O’Hara at the Tara plantation in Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone with the Wind”. Tara was founded by Scarlett’s father, Irish immigrant Gerald O’Hara. Gerald named his new abode after the Hill of Tara back in his home country, the ancient seat of the High King of Ireland.

61. “Madness put to good use”: Santayana SANITY
George Santayana was a Spanish philosopher who was raised and educated in the US. There are several famous quotations attributed to Santayana, the most famous of which is probably:

The one who does not remember history is bound to live through it again.

63. Richard’s “Stakeout” co-star EMILIO
Emilio Estevez is one of the members of Hollywood’s famous “Brat Pack”, having appeared in “The Breakfast Club” and “St. Elmo’s Fire”. Estevez’s father (and can’t you tell it from looking at him?) is actor Martin Sheen. Estevez decided to keep his father’s real name, and not the stage name of “Sheen”. Charlie Sheen is Emilio’s brother, and Charlie’s real name is Carlos Estevez.

“Stakeout” is a fun 1987 film starring Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez as two cops working the night shift on a stakeout operation. The subject being surveilled is played by the lovely Madeleine Stowe.

66. Marcus’s partner NEIMAN
Herbert Marcus, along with his sister Carrie Marcus Neiman and her husband A. L. Neiman, were partners with a tidy of profit of $25,000 from a business they had founded. This was in 1907 Atlanta, and they were offered the chance to invest in a new company that was just starting to make “sugary soda drinks”, a company called Coca-Cola. The partners declined and instead returned to their home of Dallas and founded a department store they called Neiman-Marcus.

70. Classic comedy duo BOB AND RAY (gun)
“Bob and Ray” were a comedy team who worked together for over 40 years, performing mainly on radio and television. Bob Elliott started out as disk jockey, and Ray Goulding as a news reader.

75. Jet-setter’s transport, perhaps CESSNA
The Cessna Aircraft manufacturing company was founded in 1911 by Clyde Cessna, a farmer from Kansas. Cessna is headquartered in Wichita and today has over 8,000 employees.

77. Dutch painter of “The Cat Family” STEEN
Jan Steen was a Dutch painter active in the Dutch Golden Age, the 17th century. Steen’s most famous work is probably “The Feast of Saint Nicholas”, which you can see at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

82. Andean ancient INCA
Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro discovered the Incas in 1526, marking the beginning of the end for an ancient civilization that was to be ravaged by brutal Spanish colonists and by imported smallpox. The last leader of the Inca was Atahualpa. Pizarro staged a mock trial and then condemned Atahualpa to execution by burning. A Spanish friar intervened on behalf of the condemned man, as Atahualpa believed that if he was burned his soul would not move on to the afterlife. Pizarro, was kind enough to have Atahualpa garroted instead.

84. Baseball family name ALOU
Felipe Alou is a former professional baseball player and manager. Alou managed the Montreal Expos from 1992 to 2001, and the San Francisco Giants from 2003 to 2006. Alou was born and raised in the Dominican Republic and came to the US to play for the Giants in 1955. Felipe’s brothers Matty and Jesús followed him to the US, and into Major League baseball.

91. Supermodel Sastre INES
Inés Sastre is a model and actress from Spain.

92. Pueblo Revolt tribe HOPI
The Pueblo Revolt took place in 1680, and was an action taken by the Pueblo Indians against the Spanish who settled what is today New Mexico. The local people had basically welcomed the new settlers in the area and then lived under Spanish rule for just over 80 years. Spanish atrocities eventually ignited a revolt resulting in 400 Spanish deaths and the 2,000 settlers moving out. However, the Spanish returned just 12 years later.

93. Sucker that debuted in 1931 TOOTSIE POP (gun)
Tootsie Pops were developed as a derivative product from the popular Tootsie Roll candy. How popular, I hear you say? About 60 million Tootsie Rolls and 20 million Tootsie Pops are produced every day!

108. But, to Brutus SED
The most famous man with the name “Brutus” in Ancient Rome was Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger. It was this Brutus that Julius Caesar turned to when he was assassinated on the steps of the Senate. William Shakespeare immortalized Brutus by featuring him in his play, “Julius Caesar”, and giving his victim the line “Et tu, Brute?”

113. Pablo __ y Picasso RUIZ
Pablo Picasso’s full name was Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso, a name he was given right from birth. Got that?

117. ’60s-’70s compact resurrected in 2012 DODGE DART (gun)
The Dodge Dart was produced by Chrysler from 1960 to 1976. “Dart” was the name chosen by the team managing the car’s development program. However, Chrysler executives didn’t like “Dart” so spent a lot of money with market researchers to come up with a new name. That name was “Zipp”. Zipp was quickly rejected and the Dart name was resurrected.

124. Path to enlightenment ZEN
Zen is one of the Buddhist schools, and it developed its own tradition in China back in the 7th century AD. Zen is a Japanese spelling of the Chinese word “chan”, which in turn derives from the Sanskrit word “dhyana” meaning “meditation”.

125. Notre Dame’s river SEINE
Notre Dame de Paris is the spectacular Gothic cathedral that sits on the Île de la Cité, one of the islands in the middle on the River Seine in Paris. Notre Dame is home to many beautiful and significant artifacts, the most famous of which is the Crown of Thorns supposedly worn by Jesus Christ at his execution, which was placed in the cathedral in 1239. It’s also home to some magnificent gargoyles on the roof, and you can climb up to the roof and take a very close look at them.

127. Wimbledon courts, in essence LAWNS
The Wimbledon Championships of tennis are held at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club located in Wimbledon, a district of London. The Wimbledon Championships started in 1877, and are still played on grass.

130. Oscar winner Witherspoon REESE
Reese is not actually Ms. Witherspoon’s given name. She started out life as Laura Jeanne Witherspoon. Reese is her mother’s maiden name.

Down
2. Fragrant extract ATTAR
Attar is a fragrant essential oil obtained from flowers, and the term may particularly refer to attar of roses.

3. Yellowstone bellower MOOSE
Yellowstone National Park was the first National Park to be established in the world, when it was designated as such by President Grant in 1872. What a great tradition it started! The American National Parks truly are a treasure.

Yellowstone National Park takes its name from the Yellowstone River, as the park is located at its headwaters. Yellowstone River was named “Roche Jaune” by French trappers (“Yellow Stone” in French), which was likely a translation of the Minnetaree name for the waterway, which they called Rock Yellow River.

4. Latino Muppet prawn PEPE
Pepe the King Prawn is a character on the show “Muppets Tonight”. Pepe is part of a vaudeville double act with his partner Seymour the Elephant.

6. __ Paulo SAO
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil. São Paulo is also the city with the highest number of helicopters in the world. This is partly driven by the horrendous traffic jams in São Paulo, but also by the wealthy having a very real fear of being kidnapped on the city’s streets.

11. Spell-casting art MOJO
The word “mojo”, meaning magical charm or magnetism, is probably of Creole origin.

13. “Cape Fear” actor NOLTE
The actor Nick Nolte got his first big break playing opposite Jacqueline Bisset and Robert Shaw in “The Deep”, released in 1976. Prior to that he had worked as a model, and in fact appeared in a magazine advertisement for Clairol in 1972 alongside fellow model, Sigourney Weaver.

The 1991 film called “Cape Fear” is a Martin Scorsese remake of a 1962 movie of the same name. The 1991 version stars Robert De Niro and Nick Nolte, and there are also cameo appearances by Robert Mitchum and Gregory Peck who starred in the 1962 original.

24. Assigner of G’s and R’s MPAA
The Motion Picture Association of America’s (MPAA) film-rating system (R, PG-17, G etc.) is purely voluntary and is not backed by any law. Movie theaters agree to abide by the rules that come with the MPAA ratings in exchange for access to new movies.

26. Teddies and such LINGERIE
“Lingerie” is a French term, but as used in France it just means any underwear, worn by either males or females. In English we use “lingerie” to describe alluring underclothing worn by women. The term “lingerie” comes into English via the French word “linge” meaning “washables”, and ultimately from the Latin “linum”, meaning “linen”. We tend not to pronounce the word correctly in English, either here in the US or across the other side of the Atlantic. The French pronunciation is more like “lan-zher-ee”, as opposed to “lon-zher-ay” (American) and “lon-zher-ee” (British).

The item of lingerie known as a teddy can also be called “camiknickers”. The alternative name was used when the one-piece garment was introduced in the twenties, a combination of a camisole and panties (aka knickers).

40. Tyke LITTLE SQUIRT (gun)
“Tyke” has been used playfully to describe a young child since at least 1902, but for centuries before that a tyke was a cur or mongrel, or perhaps a lazy or lower-class man.

48. Toothbrush handle? ORAL-B
The Oral-B toothbrush was introduced to the world in 1950, designed by a California periodontist. The first “model” was the Oral-B 60, a name given to reflect the 60 tufts in the brush. In 1969, the Oral-B was the first toothbrush to get to the moon as it was the toothbrush of choice for the crew of the Apollo 11 spacecraft.

50. 1974 title role for Dustin LENNY
The 1974 movie called “Lenny” is a biopic, about the life of comedian Lenny Bruce (played by Dustin Hoffman). It’s a pretty sad tale, as Lenny Bruce died of a morphine overdose in 1966.

52. Henry James biographer Leon EDEL
Leon Edel wrote a highly respected biography of author Henry James, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize.

53. Alley Oop’s kingdom MOO
“Alley Oop” is a comic strip that ran for four decades starting in 1932. “Alley Oop” was drawn by V. T. Hamlin.

57. Infomercial cutter GINSU
Ginsu knives are more famous for their hard-sell television ads than they are for their efficacy in the kitchen. The Ginsu phenomenon took off in the seventies when two brothers found a set of knives called “Eversharp” that were being manufactured in Ohio. The brothers changed the brand name to something more exotic, and Japanese in particular (Ginsu), and then produced ads that made references to Japanese martial arts. I think they made a fortune …

59. Nutritional stds. RDAS
Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) were introduced during WWII and were replaced by Recommended Daily Intakes (RDIs) in 1997.

62. Church pledge TITHE
A tithe is traditional payment of one tenth of a person’s annual incomeand is usually given to a church. Tithing is a practice taught in many traditions and according to a 2002 survey, about 3% of American adults donate 10% or more of their income to a church.

65. Site of a Biblical plot EDEN
According to the Book of Genesis, Adam and Eve lived in a garden “in” Eden, with Eden being geographically located by reference to four rivers including the Tigris and the Euphrates. Some scholars hypothesize that Eden was located in Mesopotamia, which encompasses much of modern-day Iraq.

70. Baccarat call BANCO
Baccarat, in all of its three variants, is a relatively simple casino card game. Baccarat is the favored game of chance for James Bond 007, and it looks so cool when he plays it! Banco!

71. One may include a walk-off homer RECAP
In a recap on a sports show, one might get a second look at a walk-off homer in a baseball game.

78. Blood typing letters ABO
The most important grouping of blood types is the ABO system. Blood is classified as either A, B, AB or O, depending on the type of antigens on the surface of the red blood cells. A secondary designation of blood is the Rh factor, in which other antigens are labelled as either positive or negative. When a patient receives a blood transfusion, ideally the donor blood should be the same type as that of the recipient, as incompatible blood cells can be rejected. However, blood type O-neg can be accepted by recipients with all blood types, A, B, AB or O, and positive or negative. Hence someone with O-neg blood type is called a “universal donor”.

81. URL opener HTTP
Internet addresses (like NYTCrossword.com and LAXCrossword.com) are more correctly called Uniform Resource Locators (URLs).

85. It means nothing at Arthur Ashe Stadium LOVE
In tennis the score of zero is designated as “love”. Some people believe that this usage originates from the French “l’oeuf” (the egg). The idea is that the written character “0” looks like an egg.

88. Bolivian bears OSOS
In Spanish, “osa” is a female bear, and “oso” is a male.

95. Scout shirt feature EPAULET
Epaulet (or epaulette) comes from the French, and literally means “little shoulder”.

101. In-flight beverage? TANG
Tang is a fruity drink that is sold in powdered form. The sales of Tang “took off” when John Glenn took Tang on his Mercury flight. However, it is a common misconception that Tang was invented for the space program. That’s not true, although it was included in the payload of many missions.

104. White-plumed wader EGRET
At one time the egret species was in danger of extinction due to excessive hunting driven by the demand for plumes for women’s hats.

106. Long bone TIBIA
The tibia is the larger of the two bones right below the knee, and is the strongest weight-bearing bone in the human body. “Tibia” is the Roman name for a Greek flute and it is thought that the shin bone was given the same name because flutes were often fashioned out of the shin bones of animals.

110. Caterpillar rival DEERE
John Deere invented the first commercially successful steel plow in 1837. Prior to Deere’s invention, farmers used an iron or wooden plow that constantly had to be cleaned as rich soil stuck to its surfaces. The cast-steel plow was revolutionary as its smooth sides solved the problem of “stickiness”.

112. Mount near Catania ETNA
Mt. Etna is the largest of three active volcanoes in Italy. Mt Etna is about 2 1/2 times the height of its equally famous sister, Mt. Vesuvius.

Catania is the second largest city on the island of Sicily (after Palermo). Catania has a long and rich cultural history, and today is best known as a center for technology industries earning it the nickname of the “European Silicon Valley”.

116. Head of France? TETE
“Tête” is the French word for “head”.

117. High-speed PC connection DSL
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.

118. Andean tuber OCA
The plant called an oca is also known as the New Zealand Yam. The tubers of the oca are used as a root vegetable.

119. Daily newspaper index DOW
Dow Jones & Company was founded as a publishing house in 1882 by three newspaper reporters, Charles Dow, Edward Jones and Charles Bergstresser. Today, the company’s most famous publication has to be “The Wall Street Journal”. In 1884, Charles Dow started reporting the average dollar value of the stock of eleven companies, an index which spawned a whole host of metrics that carry the Dow Jones name to this day, including the renowned Dow Jones Industrials.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Argentine grassland PAMPA
6. Teacher’s request SEE ME
11. Cell unit: Abbr. MIN
14. Wise words ADAGE
19. Oklahoma natives OTOES
20. Poetry middle name ALLAN
21. “Double Fantasy” artist ONO
22. Pageant accessory TIARA
23. Item on a resolution list STOP SMOKING (gun)
25. Wiggly belt? JELLO SHOT(gun)
27. Abate EASE UP
28. Headliner STAR
29. Choose to participate OPT IN
30. Dr. concerned with rhythm DRE
31. __ tai MAI
33. Some are inflated EGOS
35. Stick-to-it-iveness TENACITY
40. Listed in England? LEANT
42. Those, in Tijuana ESAS
44. Look askance GLANCE
45. __ test ACID
47. Flour or sugar, e.g. FOOD STAPLE (gun)
51. High degrees NTHS
52. Floride, e.g. ETAT
53. Desdemona’s husband was one MOOR
54. Stage direction ENTER
55. One may be coed DORM
56. Words to one taking off DON’T GO
58. Fictional plantation TARA
61. “Madness put to good use”: Santayana SANITY
63. Richard’s “Stakeout” co-star EMILIO
64. Blast from the past OLDIE
66. Marcus’s partner NEIMAN
69. Closet contents, maybe LINEN
70. Classic comedy duo BOB AND RAY (gun)
73. Snacks in shells TACOS
75. Jet-setter’s transport, perhaps CESSNA
77. Dutch painter of “The Cat Family” STEEN
78. Blessing elicitor AH-CHOO
79. Deal with, as thirst QUENCH
82. Andean ancient INCA
83. Trailing BEHIND
84. Baseball family name ALOU
87. Prefix meaning “vinegar” ACETO-
89. Further ALSO
91. Supermodel Sastre INES
92. Pueblo Revolt tribe HOPI
93. Sucker that debuted in 1931 TOOTSIE POP (gun)
96. M.I.T. grad, often ENGR
97. Opposed AVERSE
99. Splendor POMP
100. “I have no idea” GOT ME
102. It’s often between two periods SENTENCE
105. Tiff SPAT
107. Ready, as a keg TAP
108. But, to Brutus SED
111. Brink VERGE
113. Pablo __ y Picasso RUIZ
115. Plant with stickers NETTLE
117. ’60s-’70s compact resurrected in 2012 DODGE DART (gun)
121. Vigorous effort ELBOW GREASE (gun)
123. Use 121-Across on SCOUR
124. Path to enlightenment ZEN
125. Notre Dame’s river SEINE
126. River frolicker OTTER
127. Wimbledon courts, in essence LAWNS
128. Cockpit calc. ETA
129. Vampire’s undoing STAKE
130. Oscar winner Witherspoon REESE

Down
1. Got set for a shot? POSED
2. Fragrant extract ATTAR
3. Yellowstone bellower MOOSE
4. Latino Muppet prawn PEPE
5. Took over ASSUMED
6. __ Paulo SAO
7. Yellowstone buglers ELKS
8. A-list ELITE
9. Got by MANAGED
10. Captivate ENGROSS
11. Spell-casting art MOJO
12. Not up to it INEPT
13. “Cape Fear” actor NOLTE
14. Really hard to hum along to ATONAL
15. Bad-mouth DIS
16. “That’s the spot!” AAH
17. Miracle-__ GRO
18. Use the feed bag EAT
24. Assigner of G’s and R’s MPAA
26. Teddies and such LINGERIE
32. Data INFO
34. Fill to the bursting point SATE
36. Fixture in many an office hallway CANDY MACHINE (gun)
37. Digging INTO
38. Sch. staffer TCHR
39. Polite rural affirmative YES’M
40. Tyke LITTLE SQUIRT (gun)
41. Very affected TOO TOO
43. Without SANS
45. __ energy ATOMIC
46. Fang CANINE
48. Toothbrush handle? ORAL-B
49. Home-school link: Abbr. PTA
50. 1974 title role for Dustin LENNY
52. Henry James biographer Leon EDEL
53. Alley Oop’s kingdom MOO
57. Infomercial cutter GINSU
59. Nutritional stds. RDAS
60. “__ a stinker?”: Bugs Bunny line AIN’T I
62. Church pledge TITHE
65. Site of a Biblical plot EDEN
67. In need of a massage ACHING
68. Midday event NOONER
70. Baccarat call BANCO
71. One may include a walk-off homer RECAP
72. Like pre-digital recordings ANALOG
74. Fixes the fairway, say SODS
76. Made tidy NEATENED
78. Blood typing letters ABO
80. Bus. driver? CEO
81. URL opener HTTP
84. Cries of discovery AHAS
85. It means nothing at Arthur Ashe Stadium LOVE
86. Go on first OPEN
88. Bolivian bears OSOS
90. Tea serving? SPOT
94. Dazzle IMPRESS
95. Scout shirt feature EPAULET
96. Largest penguin EMPEROR
98. Breaks off SEVERS
101. In-flight beverage? TANG
103. It doesn’t last CRAZE
104. White-plumed wader EGRET
106. Long bone TIBIA
108. Condition STATE
109. “It’s nobody __ business” ELSE’S
110. Caterpillar rival DEERE
112. Mount near Catania ETNA
114. Doze, with “out” ZONK
116. Head of France? TETE
117. High-speed PC connection DSL
118. Andean tuber OCA
119. Daily newspaper index DOW
120. Piece that can follow the ends of the nine longest puzzle answers GUN
122. Pint-size WEE
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