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Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
20. Between Europe and America, say ASEA
The continent of Europe was named for Europa, a Phoenician princess of Greek mythology.

Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian explorer. Vespucci was the man who established that the landmass discovered by Christopher Columbus was not the eastern coast of Asia, but rather was a “New World”. The newly-discovered supercontinent was named “America”, coming from the Latin version of Vespucci’s first name “Amerigo”.

23. Three-letter sandwich BLT
The BLT (bacon, lettuce and tomato) is the second-most popular sandwich in the US, after the plain old ham sandwich.

26. Belmont Stakes racer HORSE
The Belmont Stakes is a horse race held in June each year, at Belmont Park racetrack in Elmont, New York. The Belmont Stakes is the last of the US Triple Crown races, following the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes.

28. J or D, for J.D. Salinger INIT
Initial (init.)

J. D. Salinger was a very reclusive author, most famous for his novel “Catcher in the Rye”. Salinger fought in WWII after he was drafted into the US Army. He saw action on Utah Beach on D-Day, and in the Battle of the Bulge. He also spent a lot of time interrogating prisoners due to his knowledge of French and German, and he was one of the first Americans to go into a liberated concentration camp. He later spent time in hospital suffering from what was then called combat stress reaction, as he tried to deal with what he saw in the German camps.

30. w/o delay ASAP
As soon as possible (ASAP)

Without (w/o)

32. Apple desktops IMACS
The iMac is a desktop computer platform from Apple introduced in 1998. One of the main features of the iMac is an “all-in-one” design, with the computer console and monitor integrated. The iMac also came in a range of colors, that Apple marketed as “flavors”, such strawberry, blueberry and lime.

34. Fodder holder SILO
“Silo” is a Spanish word that we absorbed into English, originally coming from the Greek word “siros” that described a pit in which one kept corn.

36. Gael, for one CELT
A Gael is anyone who speaks or spoke one of the Erse tongues. There are actually three Erse languages. Irish, Manx (spoken on the Isle of Man) and Scots Gaelic. In their own tongues, these would be Gaeilge (in Ireland), Gaelg (on the Isle of Man) and Gaidhlig (in Scotland).

40. *Command to an attack dog SIC ‘EM
“Sic ’em” is an attack order given to a dog, instructing the animal to growl, bark or even bite. The term dates back to the 1830s, with “sic” being a variation of “seek”.

42. The Emerald Isle ERIN
“Éire”, is the Irish word for “Ireland”. “Erin” is an anglicized version of “Éire” and actually corresponds to “Éirinn”, the dative case of “Éire”.

Ireland is called the “Emerald Isle” (and described as “green”) because of all that green grass that grows due to the seemingly non-stop rain.

43. Rodriguez of the Yankees ALEX
Professional baseball player Alex Rodriguez earned more nicknames than just A-Rod. He has been called “the Cooler” by some players as there is a perception that teams go cold when he joins them and hot when he leaves. He has also been called “A-Fraud” by teammates because of another perception, that he is over-demanding. On top of all that, Rodriguez was suspended by Major League Baseball for the entire 2014 season, after he admitted to using performance enhancing drugs.

44. Starter for 007’s car? ASTON
Aston Martin is a British car manufacturer, founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin. The Aston part of the company name comes from Aston Hill, a famous site for hill-climbing cars that is nearby the original factory. Aston Martin cars are much loved by the British entertainment industry. James Bond was given one in “Goldfinger”, and Michael Caine drove one in the 1969 version of “The Italian Job”. Also, Roger Moore’s character drove a yellow Aston Martin in the seventies television show “The Persuaders!”.

James Bond is the creation of the writer Ian Fleming. Fleming “stole” the James Bond name from an American ornithologist. The number 007 was “stolen” from the real-life, 16th century English spy called John Dee. Dee would sign his reports to Queen Elizabeth I with a stylized “007” to indicate that the reports were for “her eyes only”.

45. First name in perfume COCO
Coco Chanel was a French fashion designer. Perhaps because I am a man, clothes design is not my forte. However, if I had to pick a designer whose clothes I really liked, it would be Chanel. She had a way of creating simpler designs that looked so elegant on a woman.

47. __ Bator ULAN
The name “Ulan Bator” translates from Mongolian as “the Red Hero”, and is Mongolia’s capital city. The “Red Hero” name was chosen in honor of the country’s national hero, Damdin Sükhbaatar. Sükhbaatar fought alongside the Soviet Red Army in the fight for liberation from Chinese occupation.

50. Actor Lugosi BELA
Bela Lugosi was a Hungarian stage and screen actor, best known for playing the title role in the 1931 film “Dracula” and for playing the same role on Broadway. Lugosi found himself typecast for the rest of his career and almost always played the role of the villain, often in horror movies. When he passed away in 1956, his wife had him buried in the costume he wore playing Count Dracula on Broadway.

52. Dorm VIPs RAS
RAs are resident assistants or resident advisers, the peer leaders found in residence halls, particularly on a college campus.

53. Tropical plain SAVANNA
A savanna (also savannah) is a grassland. If there are any trees in a savanna, by definition they are small and widely spaced so that light can get to the grasses allowing them to grow unhindered.

64. Pedro’s January ENERO
In Spanish, “el año” (the year) starts in “enero” (January) and ends in “diciembre” (December).

68. Win an Olympics prize MEDAL
In the Ancient Olympic Games, the winner of an event was awarded an olive wreath. When the games were revived in 1896, the winners were originally given a silver medal and an olive branch, with runners-up receiving a bronze medal and a laurel branch. The tradition of giving gold, silver and bronze medals began at the 1904 Summer Olympic Games held in St. Louis, Missouri.

Down
2. Tulsa sch. with a Prayer Tower ORU
Oral Roberts University (ORU) is a private school in Tulsa, Oklahoma. ORU was founded relatively recently, in 1963 by the late televangelist Oral Roberts. The campus includes a Prayer Tower at its center, a spectacular glass and steel structure designed by architect Frank Wallace. The tower includes an observation deck, and is a popular tourist attraction. The school’s sports teams are known as the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles.

4. Cuba, por ejemplo ISLA
In Spanish, Cuba “por ejemplo” (for example) is an “isla” (island).

5. Kimono-clad entertainers GEISHAS
The Japanese term “geisha” best translates as “artist” or “performing artist”.

The lovely Japanese kimono is a garment worn by men, women and children. The word “kimono” translates simply as “thing to wear”, with “ki” meaning “wear” and “mono” meaning “thing”.

6. Maker of Ultra acne treatments CLEARASIL
Clearasil acne medication was developed in 1940 by Ivan Combe and Kedzie Teller. Combe promoted the product by sponsoring the television show “American Bandstand” for many years.

7. Sci-fi pilot Solo HAN
Han Solo is the space smuggler in “Star Wars” played by Harrison Ford. Ford was originally hired by George Lucas just to read lines for actors during auditions for “Star Wars”, but over time Lucas became convinced that Ford was right for the pivotal role of Han Solo.

9. Quarterback Tony ROMO
Tony Romo is a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. Romo is also an avid amateur golfer and has even tried (albeit unsuccessfully) to qualify for the US Open golf championship.

11. *Beverage-named Denver arena PEPSI CENTER
Pepsi Center in Denver is home to the NBA’s Denver Nuggets and the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. The facility opened in 1999.

18. Corp. heads CEOS
Chief executive officer (CEO)

23. Latte-colored BEIGE
Our word “beige” comes from the Old French “bege”, a term that applied to the natural color of wool and cotton that was not dyed.

The term “latte” is an abbreviation of the Italian “caffelatte” meaning “coffee (and) milk”. Note that in the correct spelling of “latte”, the Italian word for milk, there is no accent over the “e”. An accent is often added by mistake when we use the word in English, perhaps meaning to suggest that the word is French.

24. Ex-NBA star Odom LAMAR
Lamar Odom is a basketball forward in NBA. Apparently Odom loves candy, and that’s how he earned his nickname, “The Candy Man”. Odom is married to Khloé Kardashian, and the couple’s wedding featured on an episode of the reality show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians”. Not a show that I have ever seen …

31. Cousin of org COM
The .com domain was one of the six original generic top-level domains specified. The complete original list is:

– .com (commercial enterprise)
– .net (entity involved in network infrastructure e.g. an ISP)
– .mil (US military)
– .org (not-for-profit organization)
– .gov (US federal government entity)
– .edu (college-level educational institution)

33. Corn oil alternative 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”.

35. Foe in “Batman v Superman” LEX LUTHOR
“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” is a 2016 movie starring Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill in the title roles. It’s a superhero film, so I probably won’t be seeing it, despite an impressive supporting cast. That includes Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor and Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth.

37. Hotelier Helmsley LEONA
Leona Helmsley was a high-rolling real estate investor and hotel operator in New York City. She was convicted of income tax evasion in 1989 and sentenced to 16 years in jail. At her trial a witness quoted her as saying “We don’t pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes.” No wonder she was known as the Queen of Mean …

40. __ 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.

48. “Acoustic Soul” artist India.__ ARIE
India.Arie is an American soul and R&B singer who was born India Arie Simpson in Denver, Colorado.

50. Crawfish habitat BAYOU
A bayou is a marshy inlet or outlet of a lake or river, usually with stagnant or slow-moving water. The exact origins of the term “bayou” is uncertain, but it is thought perhaps to come from the Choctaw (a Native American people from the southeast) word “bayuk”, meaning “small stream”.

“Crawdad” and “crawfish” are alternative names for crayfish, with “crawdad” being more common in the south of the country.

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

60. Smidgen TAD
Our word “smidgen”, meaning a small amount, might come from the Scots word “smitch” that means the same thing or “a small insignificant person”.

61. Pollution-monitoring org. EPA
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

62. ISP alternative DSL
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 …

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Shoot for the stars GO BIG
6. Group of musical notes CHORD
11. Buddy PAL
14. Get off the couch ARISE
15. Part of a mechanic’s bill LABOR
16. Green prefix ECO-
17. *Menace to society PUBLIC ENEMY
19. Pod veggie PEA
20. Between Europe and America, say ASEA
21. Permeates SOAKS IN
23. Three-letter sandwich BLT
26. Belmont Stakes racer HORSE
28. J or D, for J.D. Salinger INIT
29. Musical sense EAR
30. w/o delay ASAP
31. Gator kin CROC
32. Apple desktops IMACS
34. Fodder holder SILO
36. Gael, for one CELT
39. Wild (over) GAGA
40. *Command to an attack dog SIC ‘EM
41. Joint for a dummy KNEE
42. The Emerald Isle ERIN
43. Rodriguez of the Yankees ALEX
44. Starter for 007’s car? ASTON
45. First name in perfume COCO
47. __ Bator ULAN
49. Conclusion END
50. Actor Lugosi BELA
51. Sudden gush SPURT
52. Dorm VIPs RAS
53. Tropical plain SAVANNA
55. Spat TIFF
57. Needle aperture EYE
58. Unemotional, and a hint to the hidden word in the answers to starred clues COLD-HEARTED
63. Came in first WON
64. Pedro’s January ENERO
65. Brings in at harvest time REAPS
66. Pecan or almond NUT
67. Short-straw picker LOSER
68. Win an Olympics prize MEDAL

Down
1. Opening GAP
2. Tulsa sch. with a Prayer Tower ORU
3. Highchair user’s protector BIB
4. Cuba, por ejemplo ISLA
5. Kimono-clad entertainers GEISHAS
6. Maker of Ultra acne treatments CLEARASIL
7. Sci-fi pilot Solo HAN
8. Having lots to lose OBESE
9. Quarterback Tony ROMO
10. Low-humidity environment DRY AIR
11. *Beverage-named Denver arena PEPSI CENTER
12. Crush the midterm ACE IT
13. Cash advance LOAN
18. Corp. heads CEOS
22. Criticizes KNOCKS
23. Latte-colored BEIGE
24. Ex-NBA star Odom LAMAR
25. *Many a news story, alas TRAGIC EVENT
27. *Add zest to SPICE UP
31. Cousin of org COM
33. Corn oil alternative CANOLA
35. Foe in “Batman v Superman” LEX LUTHOR
37. Hotelier Helmsley LEONA
38. Looks after TENDS
40. __ Paulo SAO
44. Colony with tunnels ANT FARM
46. Call off CANCEL
48. “Acoustic Soul” artist India.__ ARIE
50. Crawfish habitat BAYOU
51. After-Christmas specials SALES
53. Attached using thread SEWN
54. Texting while driving, e.g. NO-NO
56. Release FREE
59. Dr. of hip-hop DRE
60. Smidgen TAD
61. Pollution-monitoring org. EPA
62. ISP alternative DSL

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