Month: November 2012

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Early sunscreen ingredient PABA
Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), or now its derivatives, is the “active” ingredient in sunscreens in that it absorbs UV radiation. PABA derivatives are used today as PABA itself fell out of favor due to its tendency to stain clothes and to cause an allergic reaction in some users.

13. Tater SPUD
The word “spud” is used as a slang term for a potato and was first recorded in the mid-1800s, in New Zealand would you believe?

A “tater” is a potato.

19. Devilish toon TAZ
The carnivorous marsupial known as the Tasmanian devil is aptly named, in the sense that the only place the animal is found in the wild is on the island of Tasmania. The “little devils” are about the size of a small dog, and they have the strongest bite for their size of any known mammal.

20. Maine-et-Loire mate AMI
Maine-et-Loire is a department in northwest France. Maine-et-Loire is home to the Loire Valeey and its abundance of beautiful chateaux.

29. Hot time in Maine-et-Loire AOUT
Août is the French for August, and juillet is French for July (note that the name of months aren’t capitalized in French).

30. Renaissance painter __ Angelico FRA
The title “Fra” (brother) is used by Italian monks. Fra Angelico was an Italian Renaissance painter.

31. Like a spot in “Macbeth” DAMNED
Lady Macbeth is an evil and treacherous woman in William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”. The most famous line uttered by Lady Macbeth has to be “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!” In this line, Lady Macbeth is frantically rubbing at her hand trying to get rid of an imaginary bloodstain left there after she committed four murders.

33. Pac-12 team UTES
The Runnin’ Utes are the basketball team of the University of Utah. The team was given the nickname the Runnin’ Redskins back when Jack Gardner was the head coach from 1953 to 1971. The “Runnin'” part of the name was chosen because Gardner was famous for playing quick offenses. The “Redskins” name was later dropped in favor of the less controversial “Utes”.

Pac-12 is an abbreviation for the Pacific-12 Conference, a college athletic conference in the western US. The Pac-12 has won more NCAA National Team Championships than any other conference. The Pac-12 was founded in 1915 as the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC). Over time as it grew, the conference went by the names Big Five, Big Six, Pacific-8, Pacific-10 and became the Pacific-12 in 2011.

35. “Pretty Woman” co-songwriter ORBISON
Roy Orbison had to be one the sickliest looking performers I’ve ever seen. Orbison had a very sallow complexion, pock-marked from teenage acne. The yellowish skin tone came from a severe bout of jaundice as a child. Perhaps poor nutrition affected him and his siblings, because all of them had very poor eyesight, with Roy almost blind and wearing very thick lenses from a very young age. He was also very ashamed of his head of hair, which was almost a ghostly white, and so he dyed it jet black even when he was young. Despite all this, he was immensely popular in his heyday with teenage girls, particularly in Canada and Ireland for some reason. On a tour of Ireland in 1963, the Irish police had to stop one of his performances in order to pull a bevy of local lasses off poor Mr. Orbison …

42. Nov. voting time TUES
Election Day was chosen by Congress back in 1845. The month of November was selected as it suited an agricultural society, following the fall harvest and yet not too far into winter, which could make travel difficult. Tuesday was chosen so that people had time to travel to polling stations. Monday elections might have meant that some would have to start out on Sunday, and that could interfere with Christian services.

44. Streaker in a shower METEOR
The two most famous meteor showers are the Perseids and Leonids. The Perseid meteor shower is most visible around August 12th each year, and the Leonid meteor shower is most notable around November 17th. The Perseids appear to emanate from the constellation Perseus, and the Leonids from the constellation Leo (hence the names Perseids and Leonids).

45. Remote power sources AAS
AA batteries might be used to power a remote control.

48. City near Yorba Linda BREA
The city of Brea, California takes its name from “brea”, the Spanish word for “tar”.

Yorba Linda is a city in Orange County, California. It is an affluent community, and is regularly listed as the richest city in the country based on median household income. Yorba Linda is also home to the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum.

55. “Honor Thy Father” author TALESE
Gay Talese is an American author, famous as a journalist in the sixties at “The New York Times”. His 1971 book “Honor Thy Father” is a tale about the Bonanno crime family.

56. Sargasso Sea spawner EEL
The Sargasso Sea is an area within the Atlantic Ocean, and is famous for being home to many species of Sargassum, the algae floating on the surface that gives the area its name. The Sargasso Sea is also where both the European and American eels lay their eggs and hatch their young. The young eels (or “elvers”) then head east or west, depending on the species.

57. Forest’s 2006 Oscar-winning role IDI
“The Last King of Scotland” is a 2006 film adaptation of a 1998 novel of the same name by Giles Foden. The story tells of a Scottish doctor (played by James McAvoy) who was employed by Idi Amin (played by Forest Whitaker). The title of the piece comes from the fact that Idi Amin offered his services as King of Scotland, should he ever be needed.

66. POTUS backup VEEP
The Vice-President (Veep) is a backup for the President of the United States (POTUS).

69. West Point team ARMY
West Point is a military reservation in New York State, located north of New York City. West Point was first occupied by the Continental Army way back in 1778, making it the longest, continually-occupied military post in the country. Cadet training has taken place at the garrison since 1794, although Congress funding for a US Military Academy didn’t start until 1802.

Down
2. Polynesian capital APIA
Apia is the capital city, and in fact the only city, of the Pacific island-nation of Samoa. The harbor of Apia is famous for a very foolish incident in 1889 involving seven naval vessels from Germany, the US and Britain. A typhoon was approaching so the safest thing to do was to head for open water away from land, but no nation would move its ships for fear of losing face in front of the others. Six of the ships were lost in the typhoon as a result and 200 American and German sailors perished. The British cruiser HMS Calliope barely managed to escape from the harbor and rode out the storm safely.

3. WWII German missile nickname BUZZ BOMB
“Buzz Bomb” and “Doodlebug” are nicknames for the V-1 flying bomb used by the Germans to attack England during WWII. The bombs were powered by simple pulse jet engines that made a buzzing sound, giving the V-1 its nickname.

4. Log shaper ADZ
An adze (also adz) is similar to an axe, but different in that the blade of an adze is set at right angles to the tool’s shaft. An axe’s blade is set in line with the shaft.

6. Capital on the island of Luzon MANILA
Many moons ago I spent a couple of very happy years living in Manila in the Philippines. I had an apartment there, and residing in the apartment building next door was Imelda Marcos, along with all of her shoes I assume …

7. Texter’s “Holy cow!” OMG
OMG is text-speak for Oh My Gosh! Oh My Goodness! or any other G words you think of …

8. Mario Brothers console NES
The acronym Super NES stands for Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Our kids probably have one somewhere …

“Mario Bros.” started out as an arcade game back in 1983, developed by Nintendo. The more famous of the two brothers, Mario, had already appeared in an earlier arcade game called “Donkey Kong”. Mario was given a brother called Luigi, and the pair have been around ever since. In the game, Mario and Luigi are Italian American plumbers from New York City.

10. Jordin Sparks/Chris Brown song covered on “Glee” NO AIR
The TV show called “Glee” has become very popular. The storyline focuses on a high school glee club in Lima, Ohio.

12. “Iliad” wise man NESTOR
A nestor is a wise old man, named for Nestor, the sage who gives counsel in Homer’s “Iliad”.

17. Blood typing, e.g. LAB TEST
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”.

22. Calypso offshoot SKA
Ska originated in Jamaica in the late fifties and was the precursor to reggae music. No one has a really definitive etymology of the term “ska”, but it is likely to be imitative of some sound.

32. British travel feature, in the past? DOUBLE L
The past tense of the word “travel” is “travelled”, at least it is in the UK and Ireland. And “travelled” has a double L.

36. Philip __: 16th-century Italian saint NERI
Philip Neri lived in the 16th century in Rome, an Italian priest who came to be known as “Apostle of Rome”. He was the founder of a group of secular priests called the Congregation of the Oratory.

38. __-Tass ITAR
TASS is the abbreviation used for the former news agency, the Telegraph Association of the Soviet Union (Telegrafnoye Agentstvo Sovetskovo Soyuza). When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1992, the Moscow-based agency’s scope changed, along with its name. It is now known as the Information Telegraph Agency of Russia (ITAR-TASS).

40. Fair-hiring abbr. EOE
An Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE).

41. Many AARP mems. SRS
AARP is now the official name for the interest group that used to be called the American Association of Retired Persons. The name change reflects the current focus of the group on all Americans aged 50 or over, as opposed to just people who have retired.

46. Genesis mountain ARARAT
Mount Ararat is in Turkey. Ararat is a snow-capped dormant volcano with two peaks. The higher of the two, Greater Ararat, is the tallest peak in the country. Ararat takes its name from a legendary Armenian hero called Ara the Beautiful (or Ara the Handsome). According to the Book of Genesis, Noah’s ark landed on Mount Ararat.

52. Jai alai basket CESTA
A cesta is a wicker scoop strapped to the wrist that is used for catching and throwing the ball in jai alai.

53. Pollux or Arcturus, to an astronomer K-STAR
Stars are usually classified based on the color of the light that they emit. These classifications are, from hottest to coolest, O, B, A, F, G, K and M. One way to remember the order of these letters is to use the mnemonic “Oh, be a fine girl, kiss me”. The colors of these stars range from blue (class O) to red (class M). Our sun is class G, a yellow star, but I think we all know that …

59. Cosby/Culp TV series I SPY
The very successful TV show “I Spy” ran from 1965-68. Robert Culp played secret agent Kelly Robinson, opposite Bill Cosby who played Alexander Scott. I saw Bill Cosby perform live in San Jose not too long ago, and what a great evening it was! Sadly, Robert Culp passed away in 2010, pronounced dead after a fall just outside his home. He was 79 years old.

61. www access ISP
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 …

63. Actress Gardner AVA
Ava Gardner is noted for her association with some big movies, but also for her association with some big names when it came to the men in her life. In the world of film, she appeared in the likes of “Mogambo” (1953), “On the Beach” (1959), “The Night of the Iguana” (1964) and “Earthquake” (1974). The men in her life included husbands Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra. After her marriages had failed (and perhaps before!) she had long term relationships with Howard Hughes and bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguin whom she met through her friend Ernest Hemingway.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Early sunscreen ingredient PABA
5. “Let’s get goin’!” C’MON!
9. Put __ act ON AN
13. Tater SPUD
14. Hard to believe LAME
15. Wine quality NOSE
16. Campground sound #1 SIZZLING STEAKS
19. Devilish toon TAZ
20. Maine-et-Loire mate AMI
21. In-crowds A-LISTS
23. Campground sound #2 BABBLING BROOK
27. Curt refusal I WON’T
29. Hot time in Maine-et-Loire AOUT
30. Renaissance painter __ Angelico FRA
31. Like a spot in “Macbeth” DAMNED
33. Pac-12 team UTES
35. “Pretty Woman” co-songwriter ORBISON
37. Some comedy sketches SATIRES
42. Nov. voting time TUES
44. Streaker in a shower METEOR
45. Remote power sources AAS
48. City near Yorba Linda BREA
50. Track contests RACES
51. Campground sound #3 CRACKLING FIRE
55. “Honor Thy Father” author TALESE
56. Sargasso Sea spawner EEL
57. Forest’s 2006 Oscar-winning role IDI
60. Campground sound #4 RUSTLING LEAVES
64. “__ baby!” ATTA
65. Swimmer with pups SEAL
66. POTUS backup VEEP
67. Hightail it TEAR
68. Pays (for) POPS
69. West Point team ARMY

Down
1. Subtle “Over here …” PSST
2. Polynesian capital APIA
3. WWII German missile nickname BUZZ BOMB
4. Log shaper ADZ
5. Mount Everest? CLIMB
6. Capital on the island of Luzon MANILA
7. Texter’s “Holy cow!” OMG
8. Mario Brothers console NES
9. 16 oz. ONE LB
10. Jordin Sparks/Chris Brown song covered on “Glee” NO AIR
11. Desires from ASKS OF
12. “Iliad” wise man NESTOR
17. Blood typing, e.g. LAB TEST
18. Wrestling pair TAG TEAM
22. Calypso offshoot SKA
24. Years in old Rome ANNI
25. Chit IOU
26. Crunch source NUTS
27. Promise before a parson I DO
28. Hawk’s cause WAR
32. British travel feature, in the past? DOUBLE L
34. Clean and then some STERILE
36. Philip __: 16th-century Italian saint NERI
38. __-Tass ITAR
39. Pass target RECEIVER
40. Fair-hiring abbr. EOE
41. Many AARP mems. SRS
43. Rep. counterpart SEN
45. Play a part, or play part ACT
46. Genesis mountain ARARAT
47. Heel-click follower SALUTE
49. Dating stumbling block, perhaps AGE GAP
52. Jai alai basket CESTA
53. Pollux or Arcturus, to an astronomer K-STAR
54. Brings down FELLS
58. Judge DEEM
59. Cosby/Culp TV series I SPY
61. www access ISP
62. Revivalist’s prefix NEO-
63. Actress Gardner AVA

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