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Constructed by: Christina Iverson & Taylor Johnson
Edited by: Patti Varol
Today’s Theme: None
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… a complete list of answers
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Bill’s time: 12m 11s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
1 Cohen persona : ALI G
Sacha Baron Cohen is a comedian and comic actor from England. He is perhaps most famous for playing the characters Borat and Ali G on the small and large screens. I’m wasn’t a fan, but I must admit that I really enjoyed 2020’s “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”.
13 City on the Mississippi, for short : NOLA
The city of New Orleans, Louisiana has the nickname “The Big Easy”. This name might come from the early 1900s when musicians found it relatively “easy” to find work there. The city is also known by the acronym NOLA, standing for New Orleans (NO), Louisiana (LA).
The Mississippi River runs right through the Midwest. It originates in Lake Itasca, Minnesota and flows into the Gulf of Mexico about a hundred miles below New Orleans. The name Mississippi is a corruption of a Native American name “misi-ziibi”, meaning “Great River, Father of Waters”.
18 Angiogram image : AORTA
An angiogram is (usually) an x-ray image taken of the circulatory system. The image is often enhanced by the introduction of a radio-opaque “dye” into the bloodstream.
19 NPR podcast hosted by Sam Sanders until 2022 : IT’S BEEN A MINUTE
Journalist Sam Sanders hosted the weekly pop culture podcast “It’s Been a Minute” on NPR from 2917 until 2022. He left NPR to host another pop culture podcast, one called “Into It” on the “New York” magazine website Vulture.com.
28 Revolutionary group? : THE SOLAR SYSTEM
Heliocentrism is the astronomical model that has the Earth and other planets revolving around the Sun at the center of the Solar System. The geocentric model holds that the Earth is the center of the Universe.
31 “Elementary” star : LIU
Lucy Liu is an actress from Queens, New York. Liu’s big break came when she was chosen to play the Ling Woo character in “Ally McBeal”. I liked her in the 2000 film “Charlie’s Angels” but as I am no fan of Quentin Tarantino, I did not enjoy the movie “Kill Bill”. I do enjoy one of Liu’s more recent projects in which she plays Joan Watson, one of the two lead characters in the TV crime drama “Elementary”.
If you’ve seen the American television show “Elementary”, you will know that it is an adaptation of the classic tales by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that are set in the present day. “Elementary” is similar in look and feel to the excellent BBC series “Sherlock”, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as a modern-day Holmes. We can pick up “Sherlock” in some parts of the country as part of “Masterpiece Mystery” on PBS.
33 Righteous Babe Records founder DiFranco : ANI
Singer Ani DiFranco founded her record company Righteous Records in 1990 in order to gain independence from the established record industry. She had to change the name to Righteous Babe Records as there already was a Righteous Record label, one that published gospel music.
41 Otherworldly : ETHEREAL
The Greek philosopher Empedocles proposed that there are four elements that made up the universe, namely earth, water, air and fire. Aristotle later proposed a fifth element which he called aether (also “ether”). Aether was the divine substance that made up the stars and planets. We’re still using the term “ether” with a similar meaning.
42 Musical Reed : LOU
Lou Reed was best known as a rock musician and songwriter, and was especially associated with the fabulous 1973 hit “Walk on the Wildside”. Reed is less well known as a photographer, but he published two collections of his work. The first was released in 2003 under the title “Emotions in Action”, and the second in 2006 called “Lou Reed’s New York”. Reed passed away in 2013.
43 “Llama Llama Misses __”: rhyming book by Anna Dewdney : MAMA
“Llama Llama” is a series of children’s books penned by author and illustrator Anna Dewdney. The series is remarkably successful, and has been adapted into plays, musicals and an animated Netflix series.
44 Some spooky stories : ATTICS
An attic or loft is a room or space located below the roof of a building. The term “attic” is a shortened form of “attic story”, the uppermost story or level of a house. This term “attic story” originally applied to a low, decorative level built on top of the uppermost story behind a building’s decorative facade. This use of decoration at the top of buildings was common in ancient Greece, and was particularly important in the Attica style. That Attica style was so called because it originated in the historical region of Attica that encompassed the city of Athens. And that’s how our attics are linked to ancient Greece.
52 Sub standard? : SONAR
The British developed the first underwater detection system that used sound waves. Research was driven by defense demands during WWI, leading to production of working units in 1922. This new sound detection system was described as using “supersonics”, but for the purpose of secrecy the term was dropped in favor of an acronym. The work was done under the auspices of the Royal Navy’s Anti-Submarine Division, so ASD was combined with the “IC” from “superson-ic-s” to create the name ASDIC. The navy even went as far as renaming the quartz material at the heart of the technology “ASDivite”. By the time WWII came along, the Americans were producing their own systems and coined the term SONAR, playing off the related application, RADAR. And so, the name ASDIC was deep-sixed …
54 Label giant : AVERY
Avery Dennison Corporation was founded as Kum Kleen Products in 1935, by R. Stanton Avery. Kum Kleen Products were the first manufacturers of self-adhesive labels.
57 “Let’s Get It On” singer : GAYE
“Let’s Get It On” is a song by Marvin Gaye, first recorded in 1973. The song’s lyrics have to be among the most sexually charged in the popular repertoire, and helped to earn Gaye a reputation as a sex icon.
58 Nestlé brand : EDY’S
Dreyer’s ice cream sells its products under the name Dreyer’s in the Western United States, and Edy’s in the Eastern states. The company’s founders were William Dreyer and Joseph Edy.
Nestlé is the world’s largest food company. It was founded in 1905 in Vevey, Switzerland where the company headquarters is to this day. Although the company came into being as the result of a merger, it retains the name of one of the co-founders, German confectioner Henri Nestlé. Henri Nestlé’s real breakthrough product was baby formula.
Down
1 MacDowell of “Groundhog Day” : ANDIE
Andie MacDowell is an American actress who seems to turn up in quite a few British productions set in that part of the world. Most famously she was the love interest in the fabulous film “Four Weddings and a Funeral” starring opposite Hugh Grant. I also enjoyed another of her movies, “Groundhog Day”, which is a fun tale set back here in the US.
“Groundhog Day” is a 1993 comedy film that has already become a classic. The star of the movie is Bill Murray, with Andie MacDowell putting in a great supporting performance. “Groundhog Day” is set in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania although it was actually filmed in the town of Woodstock, Illinois.
7 Native people of Guatemala : ITZA
Guatemala in Central America became independent from Spain in 1821, first becoming part of the Mexican Empire, and then becoming completely independent two years later.
9 Piques : AROUSES
The words “whet” and “pique” can both be used in the sense of sharpening, or awakening one’s interest or desire.
10 Travel guide? : NORTH STAR
Because the orientation of the Earth’s axis shifts, albeit very slowly, the position of north relative to the stars changes over time. The bright star that is closest to true north is Polaris, and so we call Polaris the “North Star” or “Pole Star”. Because of the relatively stable position of Polaris in the Northern Sky, it is a useful navigational tool. 14,000 years ago, the nearest bright star to true north was Vega, and it will be so again in about 12,000 year’s time.
11 Big name in British art : TATE
The museum known as “the Tate” comprises four separate galleries in England. The original Tate gallery was founded by Sir Henry Tate as the National Gallery of British Art. It is located on Millbank in London, on the site of the old Millbank Prison, and is now called Tate Britain. There is also the Tate Liverpool in the north of England that is located in an old warehouse, and the Tate St. Ives in the west country located in an old gas works. My favorite of the Tate galleries is the Tate Modern which lies on the banks of the Thames in London. It’s a beautiful building, a converted power station that you have to see to believe. As of 2018, the Tate Modern was the most visited art museum in the UK.
12 Calypso-influenced genre : SKA
The musical style known as calypso originated in Trinidad and Tobago, but there seems to be some debate about which influences were most important as the genre developed. It is generally agreed that the music was imported by African slaves from their homeland, but others emphasize influences of the medieval French troubadours. To me it sounds more African in nature. Calypso reached the masses when it was first recorded in 1912, and it spread around the world in the thirties and forties. It reached its pinnacle with the release of the famous “Banana Boat Song” by Harry Belafonte.
15 Yellow hue : CANARY
What we now know as the domestic canary was first brought to Europe from Macaronesia, off the coast of Africa, by Spanish sailors in the 1600s. Macaronesia is a collection of four archipelagos that includes the Canary Islands. The name of the islands comes from the Latin “Insula Canaria” meaning “island of dogs”, a reference to the many large dogs found locally. So, the canary bird is named for the Canary Islands, which in turn are named for dogs.
17 Adventurous brothers of 1990s Nickelodeon : PETES
“The Adventures of Pete & Pete” is a comedy TV show on Nickelodeon. The title characters are two young brothers, both of whom have the name “Pete Wrigley”. One uses the nickname “Big Pete”, and the other “Little Pete”.
20 Good ways to save, initially : IRAS
Tax shelters are methods used to reduce taxable income, hence reducing tax liability. Tax shelters can be legal or illegal. The most common example of a legal tax shelter is a sanctioned retirement plan, such as an individual retirement account (IRA).
24 Katey of “Sons of Anarchy” : SAGAL
Katey Sagal played Peggy Bundy on “Married … with Children”. Later she took over as star of the show “8 Simple Rules” in the middle of its run, when John Ritter passed away unexpectedly in 2003. Sagal then appeared on the FX drama “Sons of Anarchy”. In 2004, she married Kurt Sutter who created the “Sons of Anarchy” series.
“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.
25 Gym ball? : PROM
A prom is a formal dance held upon graduation from high school (we call them “formals” over in Ireland). The term “prom” is short for “promenade”, the name given to a type of dance or ball.
26 Minuscule : EENY
“Minuscule” is one of those words that’s often misspelled, usually as “miniscule”.
27 “Sorry, did I just gross you out?” : TMI?
Too much information (TMI)
30 “Doctor Zhivago” heroine : LARA
The heroine of Boris Pasternak’s epic novel “Doctor Zhivago” is Lara. The Lara character was inspired by Pasternak’s mistress Olga Ivinskaya.
“Doctor Zhivago” is an epic novel by Boris Pasternak that was first published in 1957. I haven’t tried to read the book, but the 1965 film version is a must-see, directed by David Lean and starring Omar Sharif in the title role. The story centers on Yuri Zhivago, a doctor and poet, and how he is affected by the Russian Revolution and the Russian Civil War.
39 Fields of comedy : TOTIE
“Totie Fields” was the stage name of comedian Sophie Feldman. “Totie” is a corruption of “Sophie”, and was the nickname she was given as a child.
45 Umbilical variety : INNIE
The navel is essentially the scar left behind when the umbilical cord is removed from a newborn baby. One interesting use of the umbilicus (navel, belly button) is to differentiate between identical twins, especially when they are very young.
46 Terra __ : COTTA
In the history of ceramic materials, earthenware (also “terra cotta”) is a relatively old material. It is porous, and needs a ceramic glaze to make it impervious to liquids. Stoneware was developed later, and is impervious to liquids in its own right due to the higher firing temperature. Porcelain came later still, and is fired at even higher temperatures to produce a stronger, harder and finer material.
48 Starburst? : NOVA
A nova (plural “novae”) is basically a star that suddenly gets much brighter, gradually returning to its original state weeks or even years later. The increased brightness of a nova is due to increased nuclear activity causing the star to pick up extra hydrogen from a neighboring celestial body. A supernova is very different from a nova. A supernova is a very bright burst of light and energy created when most of the material in a star explodes. The bright burst of a supernova is very short-lived compared to the sustained brightness of a nova.
50 Shuffle gadget : IPOD
The iPod Shuffle was introduced in 2005 and is the smallest of Apple’s line of audio players. The Shuffle was the first iPod to use flash memory.
51 Artisan’s platform : ETSY
Etsy.com is an e-commerce website where you can buy and sell the kind of items that you might find at a craft fair.
52 Short list of stars? : SAG
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was formed back in 1933, at a time when Hollywood stars were really being exploited by the big movie studios, especially the younger and less inexperienced performers. Early supporters of the Guild included famous names like Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney (you could imagine them in a negotiation!). Past presidents of SAG were also big names, such as Eddie Cantor, James Cagney, Ronald Reagan, Howard Keel, Charlton Heston, Ed Asner and Melissa Gilbert. SAG merged with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) in 2012 to create SAG-AFTRA.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Cohen persona : ALI G
5 Within : AMID
9 Insects that may reproduce without males : ANTS
13 City on the Mississippi, for short : NOLA
14 Terminal point : GATE
15 Pond noise : CROAK
16 Entry-level perk? : DOOR PRIZE
18 Angiogram image : AORTA
19 NPR podcast hosted by Sam Sanders until 2022 : IT’S BEEN A MINUTE
21 A lot to manage? : ESTATE
22 Foolhardy : RASH
23 Understand : GET
24 Keys left for a housesitter : SPARE SET
28 Revolutionary group? : THE SOLAR SYSTEM
31 “Elementary” star : LIU
32 Before : AGO
33 Righteous Babe Records founder DiFranco : ANI
34 24-hour post : INSTAGRAM STORY
41 Otherworldly : ETHEREAL
42 Musical Reed : LOU
43 “Llama Llama Misses __”: rhyming book by Anna Dewdney : MAMA
44 Some spooky stories : ATTICS
48 “But I can probably manage on my own” : NO WORRIES IF NOT
52 Sub standard? : SONAR
53 Make things interesting, so to speak : UP THE ANTE
54 Label giant : AVERY
55 Single serving, say : DOSE
56 Lo-cal : LITE
57 “Let’s Get It On” singer : GAYE
58 Nestlé brand : EDY’S
59 Bound : LEAP
Down
1 MacDowell of “Groundhog Day” : ANDIE
2 Pilfers : LOOTS
3 Rather brief concession speech : I LOST
4 “Only Happy When It Rains” rock band : GARBAGE
5 Accept : AGREE TO
6 Word with drag or sail : MAIN …
7 Native people of Guatemala : ITZA
8 Judge : DEEM
9 Piques : AROUSES
10 Travel guide? : NORTH STAR
11 Big name in British art : TATE
12 Calypso-influenced genre : SKA
15 Yellow hue : CANARY
17 Adventurous brothers of 1990s Nickelodeon : PETES
20 Good ways to save, initially : IRAS
24 Katey of “Sons of Anarchy” : SAGAL
25 Gym ball? : PROM
26 Minuscule : EENY
27 “Sorry, did I just gross you out?” : TMI?
28 Window shade : TINT
29 Opposite of a speaking fee? : HUSH MONEY
30 “Doctor Zhivago” heroine : LARA
31 “It’s not you, it’s me,” maybe : LIE
35 Service provider? : TEAWARE
36 Well-protected storehouse : ARMORY
37 Part with teeth : GEAR
38 Date components : SLASHES
39 Fields of comedy : TOTIE
40 Waste stream’s discharge point : OUTFALL
45 Umbilical variety : INNIE
46 Terra __ : COTTA
47 Soak, in a way : STEEP
48 Starburst? : NOVA
49 “How __!” : RUDE
50 Shuffle gadget : IPOD
51 Artisan’s platform : ETSY
52 Short list of stars? : SAG
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