Day: December 21, 2012

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
17. Most of its strains are harmless E COLI
Escherichia coli (E. coli) are usually harmless bacteria found in the human gut, working away quite happily. However, there are some strains that can produce lethal toxins. These strains can make their way into the food chain from animal fecal matter that comes into contact with food designated for human consumption.

20. Fort Knox transport? BAR CART (bar chart)
Fort Knox is actually a US Army base, but it lends its name to the adjacent facility that is more correctly called the United States Bullion Depository. Most of the US gold reserves are in “Fort Knox”, although it isn’t the biggest gold repository in the US. That honor goes to the vault under the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in Manhattan. Most of the gold stored in the New York vault belongs to foreign nations and banks.

22. “Dies __” IRAE
“Dies Irae” is Latin for “Day of Wrath”. It is the name of a famous melody in Gregorian Chant, one that is often used as part of the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass.

23. Zion Church letters AME
The African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church was founded in 1816 in Philadelphia.

24. Alien-seeking gp. SETI
SETI is the name given to a number of projects that are searching for extraterrestrial life. The acronym stands for “search for extraterrestrial intelligence”. One of the main SETI activities is the monitoring of electromagnetic radiation (such as radio waves) reaching the Earth in the hope of finding a transmission from a civilization in another world.

26. Stromboli seller SBARRO
The Sbarro chain of pizza restaurants was founded by Italian immigrants, Gennaro and Carmela Sbarro.

30. Novi Sad citizen SERB
Novi Sad is a city in Serbia and is the second largest metropolis in the country after the capital Belgrade.

Serbs are an ethnic group native to the Balkans in southeastern Europe. Although they exist as a minority groups in many countries in the region, Serbs are the majority ethnic group in Serbia, Montenegro and in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

32. “Out Here on My Own” musical FAME
“Fame” is a film that was released in 1980, and was remade in 2009. The original movie was also the basis of a successful television series and a stage musical. “Fame” was a second choice for the title, as the original screenplay was named “Hot Lunch”. It turned out that “Hot Lunch” was the title of an existing porn film, so the producers decided to make a change.

35. Nice quencher EAU
“Eau” is the French word for “water”.

The city of Nice lies on the Mediterranean coast of France, not far from the Italian border. Although it is only the fifth most populous city, Nice has the second busiest airport in the country (after Paris), thanks to the vast number of jet-setting tourists that flock to the French Riviera.

37. Racers on a run BOBSLEDS
“Bobsleds” are so called because competitors in the sport originally would bob in and out of the sled in order to increase its speed.

45. Old railway operator’s hat KEPI
The kepi is that circular cap with a visor, worn in particular by the French military.

55. French vineyard CRU
“Cru” is a term used in the French wine industry that means “growth place”. So, “cru” is the name of the location where the grapes are grown, as opposed to the name of a specific vineyard. The terms “premier cru” and “grand cru” are also used, but the usage depends on the specific wine region. Generally it is a classification awarded to specific vineyards denoting their potential for producing great wines. “Grand cru” is reserved for the very best vineyards, with “premier cru” the level just below.

58. USDA inspector, at times? PORK COP (pork chop)
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) actually dates back to 1862 when it was established by then-president Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln referred to the USDA as the “people’s department” as our economy had such a vast agrarian base back then.

64. Supervisory serf, in Chaucer REEVE
“The Reeve’s Tale” is the third of Geoffrey Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales”. A reeve was a senior official in the days of Anglo-Saxon England, perhaps a chief magistrate of a town.

65. Last name of three related baseball All-Stars 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.

66. Words spoken before the Senate ET TU
It was Shakespeare who popularized the words “Et tu, Brute?” (And you, Brutus?), in his play “Julius Caesar”, although the phrase had been around long before he penned his drama. It’s not known what Julius Caesar actually said in real life just before he was assassinated on the steps of the Senate in Rome.

68. 100 satang BAHT
The baht is the currency of Thailand, and is subdivided into 100 satang.

69. One-time Sinclair rival ESSO
The brand name Esso has its roots in the old Standard Oil company, as it uses the initial letters of “Standard” and “Oil” (ESS-O). The Esso brand was replaced by Exxon in the US but ESSO is still used in many other countries.

Sinclair Oil has been around a long time as the company was founded back in 1916 by Harry F. Sinclair. Sinclair Oil sponsored an exhibit at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1933-34 that focused on the Age of the Dinosaurs and the era’s relationship with the formation of petroleum products. The exhibit included a huge model of a brontosaurus that was a big hit with the fair’s attendees. Sinclair cashed in on the popularity of the dinosaur theme by selling rubber dinosaur toys at gas stations and eventually adopted the brontosaurus as part of the company logo.

70. Cambodian cabbage? RIELS
The Cambodian riel was first introduced in 1953, and was taken out of circulation by the Khmer Rouge in 1975 when they completely abolished money on taking control of the country. After the Vietnamese invasion of 1978, money was reintroduced and the Cambodian people are still using the “second” riel.

Lettuce, cabbage, kale, dough and moola (also moolah) are all slang terms for money.

Down
1. Simple life forms AMEBAS
An ameba (or “amoeba” as we spell it back in Ireland) is a single-celled microorganism. The name comes from the Greek “amoibe”, meaning change. The name is quite apt, as the cell changes shape readily as the ameba moves, eats and reproduces.

4. Soft rock TALC
Talc is a mineral, actually hydrated magnesium silicate. Talcum powder is composed of loose talc, although these days “baby powder” can also be cornstarch.

5. Walt Disney’s father ELIAS
Walt Disney was one of five children, the son of Elias and Flora Disney. Elias was an Irish Canadian, and Flora was from Ohio.

6. “The River Murders” co-star LIOTTA
The actor Ray Liotta is best known for playing Henry Hill in the Martin Scorsese film “Goodfellas”.

7. Gloucester’s cape ANN
Cape Ann is 30 miles north of Boston and is on the northernmost edge of Massachusetts Bay. The Cape was first mapped by the explorer John Smith. Early in his adventurous life Smith had been captured and enslaved by the Ottoman Empire. His “owner” in his days of slavery was a woman called Tragabigzanda, and apparently the slave and owner fell in love. What we know today as Cape Ann, Smith originally called Cape Tragabigzanda in her memory.

Gloucester, Massachusetts is a city on Cape Ann. Gloucester is a fishing port and a popular spot for tourists.

8. Hope-Crosby road movie destination BALI
“Road to Bali” is a is the sixth in the seven “Road to …” movies that star Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour. “Road to Bali” is unique among the other films in the series in that it was the only one filmed in color.

Bali is the most important tourist destination in Indonesia, and is an island lying east of Java. In recent years, Bali’s tourist industry has been badly hit in the aftermath of two terrorist bombings. The first one, in 2002, killed 202 people, mainly foreign tourists in a nightclub.

10. Noted dream-ending words FREE AT LAST
“Free at last” are words used by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the end of his “I have a dream …” speech:

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

I remember listening to the full text of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s “I have a dream …” speech not long after I moved to this country. I think I am man enough to admit that my eyes misted up as I listened to the words. I also recall thinking how lucky I was to have been invited to live in this great country, which was facing up to some of the sins of its past.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

11. Varnish ingredient LAC
Lac is a resin secreted by some insects. The insects leave the resin coating branches of trees. The tree branches can be harvested and processed to make what’s called seedlac which can be used in varnish, especially varnish that is used to finish violins.

19. Snack company with a triangular logo NABISCO
The National Biscuit Company was formed in 1898 with the merger of three existing bakery businesses. The company name today is Nabisco, an abbreviated form of National Biscuit Company.

33. Aurora’s Greek counterpart EOS
In Greek mythology, Eos is the goddess of the dawn, who lived at the edge of the ocean. She would wake each morning to welcome her brother Helios the sun. The Roman equivalent of Eos is Aurora.

38. Legendary bridge expert Garozzo BENITO
Benito Garozzo is considered by many to have been the world’s greatest bridge player for quite a few years. Garozzo was nicknamed “the submarine”, as it was said he could “see underwater”. That was an allusion to his uncanny ability to read the opponents’  cards when he was defending a contract.

40. Pupil’s place IRIS
The iris is the colored part of the eye with an aperture in the center that can open or close depending on the level of light hitting the eye.

41. Tree with yellow ribbons, in song OAK
A yellow ribbon is symbolically worn by people awaiting the return of a loved one, usually from military service overseas, but also from a penal institution. The song “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” tells the tale of a convict returning home. His loyal loved one is waiting for him and she ties a whole boatload of yellow ribbons around the old oak tree to greet him.

42. “Foucault’s Pendulum” author ECO
Umberto Eco is an Italian writer, probably best known for his novel “The Name of the Rose” published in 1980. “The Name of the Rose” was adapted in 1986 into a movie with the same title, starring Sean Connery.

46. Simon and Garfunkel, e.g. POP DUO
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel performed together as “Simon & Garfunkel”, as I am sure we all know. The friends started singing together way back in the fifties when they were still in school together. The name of their act at that time was “Tom & Jerry”.

59. “All day soft. All day smooth” lotion KERI
Keri lotion was introduced by Bristol-Myers Squibb in 1960. Keri Lotion is now made by NOVARTIS Pharmaceuticals.

60. Folklore fairy queen MAB
In Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”, Mercutio refers to the fairy known as Queen Mab. It seems that Queen Mab was Shakespeare’s creation, although she became popular in subsequent works of literature. For example, she is referred to in Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick”, in Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility”, and Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote a large poetic work called “Queen Mab: A Philosophical Poem”.

61. Pier gp. ILA
The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA).

62. Kabuki relative, and a hint to five puns in this puzzle NOH
Kabuki is a Japanese form of theater involving dance and drama. In the original Kabuki theater, both male and female parts were played by women. In contrast, the Noh dramas have the male and female parts played by men.

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Ease up ABATE
6. Culture sites LABS
10. Method for deciding FLIP
14. Recognition of achievement MEDAL
15. “The doctor will be __ ten” IN AT
16. Red inside RARE
17. Most of its strains are harmless E COLI
18. Jazz-loving surfer? ONLINE CAT (online chat)
20. Fort Knox transport? BAR CART (bar chart)
22. “Dies __” IRAE
23. Zion Church letters AME
24. Alien-seeking gp. SETI
26. Stromboli seller SBARRO
30. Novi Sad citizen SERB
32. “Out Here on My Own” musical FAME
34. “Was __ I saw yesterday …?” IT YOU
35. Nice quencher EAU
37. Racers on a run BOBSLEDS
39. Farm job for Perry Mason? WILD GOOSE CASE (wild goose chase)
42. Grin scope EAR TO EAR
43. Negatives NOS
44. Like clear winter air CRISP
45. Old railway operator’s hat KEPI
47. Labels TAGS
51. Like many audits ON-SITE
53. Lavish affection (on) DOTE
55. French vineyard CRU
56. Limited worker TEMP
58. USDA inspector, at times? PORK COP (pork chop)
60. Insignificant woodpile? MINOR CORD (minor chord)
64. Supervisory serf, in Chaucer REEVE
65. Last name of three related baseball All-Stars ALOU
66. Words spoken before the Senate ET TU
67. Burger and fries, say ORDER
68. 100 satang BAHT
69. One-time Sinclair rival ESSO
70. Cambodian cabbage? RIELS

Down
1. Simple life forms AMEBAS
2. Morphed into BECAME
3. Worshipper ADORER
4. Soft rock TALC
5. Walt Disney’s father ELIAS
6. “The River Murders” co-star LIOTTA
7. Gloucester’s cape ANN
8. Hope-Crosby road movie destination BALI
9. Affects emotionally STIRS
10. Noted dream-ending words FREE AT LAST
11. Varnish ingredient LAC
12. It may be rolled over, briefly IRA
13. Fondle PET
19. Snack company with a triangular logo NABISCO
21. Wildlife protection area REFUGE
25. [Yawn] I’M BORED
27. Deli supply RYES
28. Pestered without letup RODE
29. Danger conclusion? -OUS
31. Sings with gusto BELTS IT OUT
33. Aurora’s Greek counterpart EOS
36. Many a parent ADOPTER
38. Legendary bridge expert Garozzo BENITO
39. Give notice WARN
40. Pupil’s place IRIS
41. Tree with yellow ribbons, in song OAK
42. “Foucault’s Pendulum” author ECO
46. Simon and Garfunkel, e.g. POP DUO
48. Submit ACCEDE
49. Submit shamelessly GROVEL
50. Building managers SUPERS
52. Host EMCEE
54. Overthrow, often ERROR
57. Plant holders POTS
59. “All day soft. All day smooth” lotion KERI
60. Folklore fairy queen MAB
61. Pier gp. ILA
62. Kabuki relative, and a hint to five puns in this puzzle NOH
63. Some are inalienable: Abbr. RTS

Return to top of page