Day: March 7, 2013

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Theme MOTIF
A motif is a recurring element in an artistic work or design.

6. Woody’s “Annie Hall” role ALVY
I suppose if there is any Woody Allen movie that I enjoy watching, it’s “Annie Hall” from 1977. I think Diane Keaton is a great actress and she is wonderful in this film. You’ll see Paul Simon as well, making a rare movie appearance, and even Truman Capote playing himself. The film is also famous for sparking a movement in the fashion world to adopt the “Annie Hall” look, that very distinctive appearance championed by Diane Keaton as the Annie Hall character.

14. NBC’s “Weekend Today” co-anchor Hill ERICA
Erica Hill was the co-anchor of “CBS This Morning”, and before that she was co-anchor of CBS’s “The Early Show”. Hill moved in 2008 to NBC News and now co-hosts the weekend edition of “Today”.

16. Marching band instrument TUBA
The tuba is the lowest pitched of all the brass instruments, and one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra (usually there is just one tuba included in an orchestral line-up). “Tuba” is the Latin word for “trumpet, horn”.

20. “¡Viva el matador!” OLE
“Matador” is a Spanish word used in English for a bullfighter, although the term isn’t used in the same way in Spanish. The equivalent in Spanish is “torero”. “Matador” translates aptly enough as “killer”.

22. Winter airs NOELS
“Noël” is the French word for the Christmas season, ultimately coming from the Latin word for “birth” (natalis). Noel has come to be used as an alternative name for a Christmas carol.

23. Plastic __ Band ONO
The Plastic Ono Band was a so-called super-group, brought together by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1969. Members of the group included John and Yoko, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Keith Moon.

34. Big name in big banking CITI
During the global financial crisis of 2008-2009, the US government rescued Citibank by providing loan guarantees and two payments of $25 billion each. It turns out that the government made a tidy profit on that deal, as Citibank has since repaid the loans in full, along with interest.

35. Nick-named actor NOLTE
The actor Nick Nolte got his first big break playing opposite Jacqueline Bisset and Robert Shaw in “The Deep”, released in 1976. Prior to that he had worked as a model, and in fact appeared in a magazine advertisement for Clairol in 1972 alongside fellow model, Sigourney Weaver.

36. Miss Piggy, to Miss Piggy MOI
The Muppet called Miss Piggy has a pretentious air, and so refers to herself as “moi”. In 1998, Miss Piggy even released her own perfume called “Moi”.

39. Communication no one hears: Abbr. ASL
It’s really quite unfortunate that American Sign Language (ASL) and British Sign Language (BSL) are very different, and someone who has learned to sign in one cannot understand someone signing in the other.

40. Cabbage salads SLAWS
The term “coleslaw” is an Anglicized version of the Dutch name “koolsla”, which in itself is a shortened form of “Koolsalade” meaning “cabbage salad”.

42. At an angle: Abbr. OBL
Oblique (obl.).

43. Leg bone TIBIA
The tibia is the shin bone, the larger of the two bones right below the knee. The tibia is the strongest weight-bearing bone in the human body. “Tibia” is the Roman name for a Greek flute and it is thought that the shin bone was given the same name because flutes were often fashioned out of the shin bones of animals.

50. “… to market, to buy __ pig …” A FAT

To market, to market, to buy a fat pig,
Home again, home again, jiggety-jig.
To market, to market, to buy a fat hog,
Home again, home again, jiggety-jog.
To market, to market, to buy a plum bun,
Home again, home again, market is done.

66. Shah’s fate EXILE
The last Shah of Iran was Mohammed-Reza Shah Pahlavi, as he was overthrown in the revolution led by the Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979. The post-revolution government sought the extradition of the Shah back to Iran while he was in the United States seeking medical care (he had cancer). His prolonged stay in the United States, recovering from surgery, caused some unrest back in Iran and resentment towards the United States. Some say that this resentment precipitated the storming of the US Embassy in Tehran and the resulting hostage crisis.

67. “Buddenbrooks” novelist MANN
Thomas Mann was a German novelist whose most famous work is probably his novella “Death in Venice”, originally published in German in 1912 as “Der Tod in Venedig”. The story was famously adapted for the big screen in 1971, in a movie starring Dirk Bogarde.

Down
6. Part for a singer ALTO
In choral music, an alto is the second-highest voice in a four-part chorus made up of soprano, contr(alto), tenor and bass. The word “alto” describes the vocal range, that of the deepest female singing-voice, whereas the term “contralto” describes more than just the alto range, but also its quality and timbre. An adult male’s voice (not a boy’s) with the same range as an alto is called a “countertenor”.

7. Oz visitor LION
Bert Lahr’s most famous role was that of the cowardly lion in “The Wizard of Oz”. Lahr had a long career in burlesque, vaudeville and on Broadway. Remember the catch phrase made famous by the cartoon character Snagglepuss, “Heavens to Murgatroyd!”? Snagglepuss stole that line from a 1944 movie called, “Meet the People” in which it was first uttered by none other than Bert Lahr.

8. TiVo ancestor VCR
TiVo was introduced in 1999 and was the world’s first commercially successful DVR (Digital Video Recorder). If you don’t have a DVR, you might want to consider getting one. For those who enjoy television, it’s very liberating …

10. It precedes “Substituted Ball” in the Definitions section of the “Rules of Golf” STROKE
Golf’s rule book features one principle that isn’t actually listed as a rule, but more as a preamble:

Play the ball as it lies, play the course as you find it, and if you cannot do either, do what is fair. But to do what is fair, you need to know the Rules of Golf.

11. Pickled veggie CUKE
Cucumber (cuke).

13. Tropicana Field team RAYS
The Tampa Bay Rays is a relatively “young” franchise, being formed in 1998. The initial name of the franchise was the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. and while known as the Devil Rays the team finished last in the league in almost every year. The name was changed to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008, and I am told the Rays started into a streak of winning seasons soon after.

26. Shaggy’s pal, to Shaggy SCOOB
“Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” is a series of cartoons produced for Hanna-Barbera Productions, first aired in 1969.

30. Violinist’s supply ROSIN
Rosin is a solid form of resin derived from plant sources. Rosin is formed into cakes that players of stringed instruments use to rub along the hairs of their bows to help improve sound quality.

31. Member of the Five College Consortium, familiarly UMASS
The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass) is the largest public university in New England. UMass was founded back in 1863, although it took a while to get the school into service. Construction work was delayed and the college went through two presidents before William S. Clark took charge. He cracked the whip, completed the construction and enrolled the first students in the same year that he took over the reins, in 1867. As a result, although Clark was the third President of UMass, he is regarded by most as the school’s founding father.

38. World No. 1 tennis player between Martina and Monica STEFFI
Steffi Graf is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Germany. She won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, more than any other man or woman other than Margaret Court. She is married to another former World No. 1, Andre Agassi.

49. Old Testament queen ESTHER
Esther was a Jewish queen, wife of the Persian king Ahasuerus. Esther is also the heroine of the Book of Esther in the Bible. By the way, Esther is the only book in the Bible that doesn’t mention “God”.

52. Mushroom piece STEM
A mushroom isn’t a complete living organism per se but rather is one part of a fungus, the fruiting body that is responsible for distributing reproductive spores. The mushroom generally has three main components: the stipe (or stem), the pileus (or cap) and the lamellae (or gills) under the cap which distribute the spores.

53. Club where “music and passion were always the fashion,” in song COPA
The Copacabana of song is the Copacabana nightclub in New York City (which is also the subject of the Frank Sinatra song “Meet Me at the Copa”). The Copa opened in 1940 and is still going today although it is struggling. The club had to move due to impending construction and is now “sharing” a location with the Columbus 72 nightclub.

54. “Right on!” AMEN
The word “amen” is translated as “so be it”. “Amen” is said to be of Hebrew origin, but it is likely to be also influenced by Aramaic and Arabic.

58. Folksy Guthrie ARLO
Arlo Guthrie is the son of Woody Guthrie. Both father and son are renowned for their singing of protest songs about social injustice. Arlo is most famous for his epic “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree”, a song that lasts a full 18m 34s. In the song Guthrie tells how, after being drafted, he was rejected for service in the Vietnam War based on his criminal record. He had only one incident on his public record, a Thanksgiving Day arrest for littering and being a public nuisance when he was 18-years-old.

59. Rostov rejection NYET
“Nyet” is Russian for “no”, and “da” is Russian for “yes”.

Rostov is a Russian town located just over 100 miles northeast of Moscow. Rostov is one of the oldest towns in the country, and is a major tourist destination.

61. Sox, in line scores CHI
The Chicago White Sox Major League Baseball team was established in Chicago in 1900 and originally was called the White Stockings. The name was changed because the abbreviation “Sox” for “Stockings” was regularly used in newspaper headlines.

62. Boy toy? KEN
Barbie’s male counterpart doll is Ken, and Ken’s family name is Carson. Barbie’s full name is Barbie Millicent Roberts. When Ken was introduced in 1959, it was as Barbie’s boyfriend. In 2004 it was announced that Ken and Barbie were splitting up, and needed to spend quality time apart. Soon after the split, Barbie “met” Blaine, a boogie boarder from Australia.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Theme MOTIF
6. Woody’s “Annie Hall” role ALVY
10. Slash mark? SCAR
14. NBC’s “Weekend Today” co-anchor Hill ERICA
15. Some parasites LICE
16. Marching band instrument TUBA
17. See 60-Across MALE CAT OR TURKEY
20. “¡Viva el matador!” OLE
21. Has the stage IS ON
22. Winter airs NOELS
23. Plastic __ Band ONO
24. Summoning gesture BECK
26. See 60-Across SLANG FOR A SLEUTH
34. Big name in big banking CITI
35. Nick-named actor NOLTE
36. Miss Piggy, to Miss Piggy MOI
37. Neglects to mention OMITS
39. Communication no one hears: Abbr. ASL
40. Cabbage salads SLAWS
42. At an angle: Abbr. OBL
43. Leg bone TIBIA
45. Applications USES
46. See 60-Across BOTHER ENDLESSLY
50. “… to market, to buy __ pig …” A FAT
51. Smudge on Santa’s suit ASH
52. Snowman’s accessory SCARF
55. Hearing subject SUIT
57. Summer shade TAN
60. Trio suggested by the answers to 17-, 26- and 46-Across TOM, DICK AND HARRY
64. Sword with a guarded tip EPEE
65. Kept HELD
66. Shah’s fate EXILE
67. “Buddenbrooks” novelist MANN
68. Wild about INTO
69. Provide room for growth, perhaps REPOT

Down
1. Jogging instrument? MEMO
2. Unwritten test ORAL
3. Roofer’s purchase TILE
4. Hard water? ICE
5. Going up against FACING
6. Part for a singer ALTO
7. Oz visitor LION
8. TiVo ancestor VCR
9. So far YET
10. It precedes “Substituted Ball” in the Definitions section of the “Rules of Golf” STROKE
11. Pickled veggie CUKE
12. First family member ABEL
13. Tropicana Field team RAYS
18. Date-setting phrase AS OF
19. Rich relatives? UNCLES
23. “Count __!” ON IT
24. Story-telling song BALLAD
25. Handyman’s approx. EST
26. Shaggy’s pal, to Shaggy SCOOB
27. Unsettled state LIMBO
28. Not straight up ATILT
29. With money at stake ON A BET
30. Violinist’s supply ROSIN
31. Member of the Five College Consortium, familiarly UMASS
32. Swimmer’s need TOWEL
33. Temper tantrum HISSY
38. World No. 1 tennis player between Martina and Monica STEFFI
41. Abundant, plantwise LUSH
44. Tax shelter letters IRA
47. Become pitiless HARDEN
48. Ascribed, as blame LAID
49. Old Testament queen ESTHER
52. Mushroom piece STEM
53. Club where “music and passion were always the fashion,” in song COPA
54. “Right on!” AMEN
55. Fries seasoning SALT
56. Menu choice after an “oops” UNDO
57. Dancing blunder TRIP
58. Folksy Guthrie ARLO
59. Rostov rejection NYET
61. Sox, in line scores CHI
62. Boy toy? KEN
63. Send packing AXE
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