Category: Tom Pepper

Advertisement

Constructed by: Tom Pepper & Zhouqin Burnikel
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: None

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

Bill’s time: 15m 35s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Online confirmation : I’M NOT A ROBOT

Alan Turing created the Turing test in 1950 as a way of checking a machine’s ability to exhibit intelligent behavior indistinguishable from a human. The essence of the test is an evaluation of a text conversation between machine and human. The evaluation is carried out by someone who only knows that one of the conversants is a machine, but not which one is which.

12 __ sum : DIM

Dim sum is a Chinese cuisine made up of small portions of various dishes. The tradition of serving dim sum is associated with the serving of tea, when small delicacies were offered to travelers and guests along with tea as a refreshment. The name “dim sum” translates as “touch the heart” implying that dim sum is not a main meal, just a snack “that touches the heart”.

15 Keyboard solo with several movements : PIANO SONATA

A cantata is a piece of music that is sung, as opposed to a sonata, which is a piece that is played on some instrument, often a piano. A sonatina is in effect a sonata that has been labeled as something lighter and shorter.

20 Some two-yr. degrees : AAS

Associate of Arts (AA)

25 Chai spice blend : MASALA

Masala chai is an Indian drink made with black tea (the “chai) and mixed spices (the “masala”).

31 Place where people might exchange rings : PAWN SHOP

I remember the bad old days growing up in Dublin, Ireland, when my mother had to go to the pawnshop (bad times!). I’d wait outside with my brother, looking up at the pawnbroker’s sign, three gold balls hanging down from a metal bar. This traditional sign used by pawnbrokers is said to date back to the Medici family as the sign had symbolic meaning in the province of Lombardy where the Medici family reigned supreme. Because of this connection, pawnshop banking was originally called Lombard banking.

33 Utah’s state rock : COAL

Utah named Topaz as the state gemstone in 1969. In 1991, coal was designated as the state rock, followed by copper as the state mineral in 1994.

34 Trees rich in terpenes : PINES

There are many species of pine tree (well over 100). The smallest is probably the Siberian dwarf pine, which usually grows to less than 10-feet tall. The tallest is the ponderosa pine, which regularly grows to over 200-feet tall.

35 “This Is Us” director Ken : OLIN

Ken Olin was one of the stars on the hit television series “thirtysomething”, playing Michael Steadman. After “thirtysomething”, Olin moved behind the camera and is now a producer and director.

“This Is Us” is a television drama that debuted in 2016. The storyline centers on three siblings Kevin, Kate and Randall Pearson and their parents Jack and Rebecca Pearson. Kevin and Kate are the surviving members of a triplet pregnancy. Jack and Rebecca decide to adopt Randall, a child born on the same day as the surviving siblings. The adopting family is white, and the adopted child is black.

41 Pamplona party : FIESTA

Pamplona, Spain is famous for its San Fermin festival held in July every year, the highlight of which is the Running of the Bulls. Every year, 200-300 people are injured in the bull run, and 15 people have been killed since 1910. If you get to Pamplona two days before the Running of the Bulls, you can see the animal-rights protest event known as the Running of the Nudes. The protesters are as naked as the bulls …

42 Froths : SPUMES

Our word “spume”, which we use for “froth”, comes from the Latin “spuma” meaning “foam”.

43 “I w-wish I’d brought a sw-sweater!” : BRR!

Until the early 1880s, the word “sweater” applied to clothing worn specifically for weight reduction by “sweating”.

45 __ chi : TAI

More correctly called “t‘ai chi ch‘uan”, tai chi is a martial art that is mostly practiced to improve overall health and increase longevity.

46 Post production? : NEWS

“The Washington Post” (WaPo) is the oldest paper still being published in the DC area, having been founded in 1877. Famously, “The Post” reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein led the media’s investigation into what we now called the Watergate scandal. “The Washington Post” was purchased in 2013 by Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon.com.

55 Prehistoric beast with a large bony frill : TRICERATOPS

A triceratops was a dinosaur that kind of looked like a rhinoceros, but with three horns. The name “triceratops” is derived from the Greek for “three-horned face”.

57 Crystal and Rock, notably : OSCARS HOSTS

Billy Crystal is an actor and comedian who first gained fame as the character Jodie Dallas on the seventies sitcom “Soap”. Crystal is also famous for hosting the Academy Awards, and has done so nine times. Only Bob Hope has hosted the event more times, and he did so on 18 occasions.

Chris Rock is a great stand-up comedian. Interestingly, Rock cites his paternal grandfather as an influence on his performing style. Grandfather Allen Rock was a preacher.

Down

1 Tablet with Procreate : IPAD

Procreate is a digital painting app for iPads, the first version of which was released in 2011. The app’s developer is Savage Interactive, a company based in Tasmania.

3 Brand whose name derives from the Greek for “water nymph” : NAYA

The Naya brand of bottled water uses a spring in the Laurentian Mountains in Quebec as its source. Bottled water; don’t get me going …

The Naiads of Greek mythology were water nymphs associated with fountains, wells, springs and streams. The saltwater equivalents of the freshwater Naiads were the Oceanids.

6 Capital north of Addis Ababa : ASMARA

Asmara is the capital and largest city in Eritrea. The same city is known locally as “Asmera”.

7 Marinara ingredients : ROMAS

The Roma tomato isn’t considered an heirloom variety but it is very popular with home gardeners, especially those gardeners that don’t have a lot of space. It is a bush type (as opposed to vine type) and needs very little room to provide a lot of tomatoes.

Italians use the term “marinara” not for a sauce, but in the name of a recipe that includes a tomato-based sauce. For example, “spaghetti alla marinara” would be a spaghetti dish, served “mariner’s style”. The tomato sauce that we call “marinara” is called “salsa di pomodoro” in Italy.

9 Secret rival : BAN

Ban was the first roll-on deodorant, introduced in 1952. The formulation for Ban is the same as the brand called Mum, the first commercial deodorant, which dates back to the late 1800s.

10 Senators’ supporters, most likely : OTTAWANS

The Senators are the NHL hockey team based in Ottawa, Canada. The current team, founded in the 1992-93 season, is the second NHL team in the city to use the name “Senators”. The original team was founded in 1917, and had a very successful run until the league expanded into the US in the late twenties. The cost of operating in what became the smallest NHL city eventually drove the Senators to St. Louis where they played for a year as the Eagles before finally folding.

29 Beefy-T brand : HANES

The Hanes brand of apparel was founded in 1901. A related brand was introduced in 1986 called Hanes Her Way.

32 Bloodmobile unit : PINT

The first bloodmobiles were introduced in 1941. American surgeon and medical researcher Charles R. Drew came up with the concept, as one of his many innovations in the field of blood transfusion.

36 Confidentiality doc : NDA

Non-disclosure agreement (NDA)

38 __ cheese : PIMENTO

Pimento cheese is a spread that is particularly popular in the US South. It is usually made using sharp cheddar cheese, mayonnaise and pimentos. Pimento cheese is sometimes referred to as the caviar of the South. Yum …

A pimiento (also “pimento”) is a cherry pepper in the chili family. It used to be stuffed into Spanish olives by a tool that took out the pit at the same time. Sadly, in these days of modern technology, the pimiento is usually pureed now, mixed with a gum and formed into neat strips, before being stuffed into the olive. Nothing is what it seems anymore …

41 Men following an order : FRIARS

The term “monk” tends to be used to describe a male member of a religious order. More correctly, the term is limited to members of a community of men that lives a contemplative life apart from the world. The related term “friar” also applies to male members of a religious community, but friars work with the community at large.

45 “__ & Bertie”: animated series starring Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong : TUCA

Tuca & Bertie is an animated sitcom that first aired in 2019. The show’s title characters, voiced by Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong, are two birds: Tuca Toucan and Bertie Songthrush.

46 Gp. whose alphabet includes Romeo and Juliett : NATO

The NATO phonetic alphabet is also called the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) phonetic alphabet. Alfa, Bravo, Charlie … X-ray, Yankee, Zulu.

In the NATO phonetic alphabet, the letter J is represented by the word “Juliett”. Note the spelling “Juliet” isn’t used. This is for the benefit of French speakers, who customarily treat the ending “t” as silent.

52 Classic game opener : TIC

When I was growing up in Ireland we played “noughts and crosses” … our name for the game tic-tac-toe.

/p>