Day: March 26, 2013

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. PC screens largely replaced by LCDs CRTS
Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) are the screens that are found in most laptops today, and in flat panel computer screens and some televisions. LCD monitors basically replaced Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) screens, the old television technology.

16. “Dallas” matriarch ELLIE
Miss Ellie was the matriarch of the famed Ewing family, around which the TV series “Dallas” was written. For most of the series, Miss Ellie was played by Barbara Bel Geddes, and once in a TV movie of Dallas by Molly Hagan. Barbara Bel Geddes left the show in 1984 and was replaced by the celebrated actress Donna Reed. When Bel Geddes decided to return to the show the following year, Reed was fired, much to Reed’s chagrin, and a lawsuit ensued.

20. Fountain of Rome TREVI
The Trevi Fountain is a huge fountain in Rome, the largest constructed in the Baroque style. The tradition is that if one throws a coin in the fountain then one is guaranteed a return visit to the city. Tourists throw in an amazing 3,000 euros (over $4,000) every day. The money is collected and is used to stock a supermarket for the needy of the city.

27. Houston of Texas SAM
Sam Houston was the first President of the Republic of Texas, a US Senator for Texas, and governor of the state. Houston was also Governor of Tennessee in his earlier life and is the only person in US history to have been governor of two different states. The city of Houston is of course named for Sam, and the city boasts a statue of Houston that’s the largest free-standing statue of any American.

36. World’s largest rainforest AMAZONIA
The Amazon rainforest is the world’s largest, 1.4 billion acres of rainforest that includes territory in nine different countries in South America. Those 1.4 billion acres represent more than half of the rainforest that’s left on the planet.

38. Pearl Jam singer Eddie VEDDER
Eddie Vedder is the singer of the alternative rock band called Pearl Jam. As a songwriter, Vedder released a solo album in 2007 which is also the soundtrack of the interesting film, “Into the Wild”.

39. Early whirlybird, for short GIRO
“Giro” is a reference to the autogyro, an aircraft that uses an unpowered rotor to create lift, and a powered propeller to provide thrust. The first autogyro was flown in 1923 in Spain, where it was invented.

42. Body wash brand OLAY
Oil of Olay was developed in South Africa in 1949. When Oil of Olay was introduced internationally, it was given slightly different brand names designed to appeal in the different geographies. In Ireland we know it as Oil of Ulay, for example, and in France it is Oil of Olaz.

43. Dressy ties ASCOTS
An Ascot tie is that horrible-looking (I think!) wide tie that narrows at the neck, which these days is only really worn at weddings. The tie takes its name from the Royal Ascot horse race at which punters still turn up in formal wear at Ascot Racecourse in England.

46. Mariachi’s headwear SOMBRERO
In English we think of a sombrero as a wide-brimmed hat, but in Spanish “sombrero” is the word for any hat. “Sombrero” is derived from “sombra” meaning “shade”.

The name “Mariachi”, used for a typically Mexican popular band, is said to be a corruption of the French word for “marriage” (i.e. “mariage”). This perhaps dates back to the times of Napoleon II when France had political and cultural influence over Spain.

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

53. Wax-wrapped cheese EDAM
Edam cheese takes its name from the Dutch town of Edam in North Holland. The cheese is famous for its coating of red paraffin wax, a layer of protection that helps Edam travel well and prevents spoiling. You might occasionally come across an Edam cheese that is coated in black wax. The black color indicates that the underlying cheese has been aged for a minimum of 17 weeks.

64. Abrasive mineral EMERY
Emery is a very hard type of rock that is crushed for use as an abrasive. Emery paper is made by gluing small particles of emery to paper. Emery boards are just emery paper with a cardboard backing. And emery boards are primarily used for filing nails.

69. Continental cash EURO
The European Union (EU) today stands at a membership of 27 states. The Euro is the official currency of only 16 of the 27. The list of states in the EU that don’t use the Euro includes the UK, Denmark and Sweden.

73. Author Uris LEON
Leon Uris is an American writer. Uris’s most famous books are “Exodus” and “Trinity”, two excellent stories, in my humble opinion …

Down
2. Essen’s region RUHR
The Ruhr is a large urban area in western Germany. The region is heavily populated and is the fifth largest urban area in the whole of Europe after Istanbul, Moscow, London and Paris.

I knew a man back in Ireland, a German national from the city of Essen. He had very sad tales to tell from the days of WWII. As a young boy he lost his (socialist) parents during the Nazi purges early in the war. In 1943 he was living with his grandmother and still attending school when he was drafted into the army along with the rest of his class (at 14 years of age). His platoon leader was his school teacher who made a point of tutoring the boys in place of military drilling. One day he was on guard duty with his class/platoon at the dam above the city, and along come the Dam Busters with their bouncing bombs. The raid was successful (from the perspective of the Allies), but he described terrible famine faced by the people below the dam due to flooding of the farmland that surrounded the factories.

3. “Magic __ House”: kiddie lit series TREE
The “Magic Tree House” series of children’s books were written by Mary Pope Osborne.

4. Battleship barrage SALVO
A salvo is a simultaneous discharge of guns. Ironically, “salvo” comes from the Latin “salve” meaning “be in good health”. Salvo was originally the name given to the firing of guns in the air as a sign of respect or greeting for an important visitor. Good health!

5. Curly-tailed pooch PUG
The pug is a breed of dog of Chinese origin. Our current family pet is a boxer/pug cross, a good-looking mutt!

7. Caribbean liquors RUMS
Rum was first distilled by slaves on the sugarcane plantations of the Caribbean in the 1800s, with the tradition being that the very first production came from Barbados.

11. Author Haley ALEX
Not only did Alex Haley write the magnificent novel “Roots”, but he was also the collaborator with Malcolm X on “The Autobiography of Malcolm X”. His 1976 novel “Roots” is based on Haley’s own family history, and he claimed to be a direct descendant of the real life Kunta Kinte, the slave who was kidnapped in the The Gambia in 1767. If you remember the fabulous television adaptation of “Roots”, you might recall that Kunta Kinte was played by LeVar Burton, who later went on to play another famous role, Geordi La Forge on “Star Trek: the Next Generation”.

12. Bistro beverage WINE
“Bistro” was originally a Parisian slang term for a “little wine shop or restaurant”.

13. Stack’s role in “The Untouchables” NESS
“The Untouchables” is a crime series that originally ran on television from 1959 to 1963. Star of the show is Robert Stack who plays Eliot Ness.

The actor Robert Stack appeared in many Hollywood films, but he is best known for his TV appearances. Stack played the lead in the crime series “The Untouchables” and was the host of “Unsolved Mysteries”.

18. “How low can you go?” competition LIMBO
The limbo dance originated on the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean. The name “limbo” is an alteration of our word “limber”, which isn’t surprising given what one has to do to get under that bar!

24. Convent resident NUN
Convents have been religious houses since the 1200s, but it wasn’t until the 1700s that convents became purely female institutions.

28. Pennsylvania Mennonites AMISH
The Amish are a group of Christian churches, a subgroup of the Mennonite churches. The Amish church originated in Switzerland and Alsace in 1693 when it was founded by Jakob Ammann. It was Ammann who lent his name to the Amish people. Many Amish people came to Pennsylvania in the 18th century.

The Mennonites are a group of religious sects that originated in the Friesland region of the Low Countries. The various denominations are named for Menno Simons who was a contemporary of the Protestant Reformers who followed Martin Luther.

29. Call before “Polo!” MARCO
Marco Polo is a game of tag that is played in a swimming pool.

31. Dogie catcher LASSO
“Dogie” is cowboy slang for a motherless calf in a herd.

37. Type of baggy ’40s suit ZOOT
A zoot suit has pants that are fairly loose fitting, except around the cuff at the bottom of the leg. The pants also have a high waist. The jacket of the suit has wide lapels and wide padded shoulders. Zoot-suits were popular in the US in the thirties and forties, and were often associated with the African American, Latino American and Italian American ethnic groups. Over in the UK, the zoot suit was worn by the “Teddy boys” of the fifties and sixties. “Zoot” is probably just a slang iteration of the word “suit”.

45. Snooty sort SNOB
Back in the 1780s, a “snob” was a shoemaker or a shoemaker’s apprentice. By the end of the 18th century the word was being used by students at Cambridge University in England to refer to all local merchants and people of the town. The term evolved to mean one who copies those who are his or her social superior (and not in a good way). From there it wasn’t a big leap for “snob” to include anyone who emphasized their superior social standing and not just those who aspired to rank. Nowadays a snob is anyone who looks down on those considered to be of inferior standing.

47. ’60s chic MOD
“Mod” is short for “modernist”, and describes a subculture that originated in London in the late fifties. Young men who called themselves mods tended to wear tailored suits, listen to pop music and drive around on Italian motor scooters. Mods came into conflict with another subculture that emerged at the same time in the UK called the rockers. Rockers were into rock and roll music, and drove motorcycles I remember as a young kid in school having to declare myself as either a mod or a rocker. I don’t think our “gangs” back then were quite the same as they are today though …

48. “The Godfather” hoodlum Luca BRASI
Luca Brasi is one of Don Corleone’s most loyal “enforcers” in Mario Puzo’s novel “The Godfather”. In the big screen adaptation, Luca Brasi is played by ex-wrestler and professional bodyguard Lenny Montana. The role launched a very successful television character-acting career for Montana.

55. Military chow hall MESS
“Mess” first came into English about 1300 and described the list of food needed for a meal, from the Old French word “mes” meaning a portion of food or a course at a meal. This usage in English evolved into “mess” meaning a jumbled mass of anything from the concept of “mixed food”. At the same time, the original usage in the sense of a food for a meal surfaced again in the military in the 1500s when a “mess” was a communal eating place.

57. Strange: Pref. XENO-
Xenophobia is the uncontrollable fear of foreigners. The word comes from Greek, with “xeno” meaning guest, stranger or foreigner, and “phobia” meaning fear, horror or aversion.

58. Therefore ERGO
“Ergo” is the Latin word for “hence, therefore”.

61. Alaskan seaport NOME
Nome, Alaska has over 3,500 residents, the majority of whom are Native American. The next largest ethnic group in Nome is the white population.

62. Osaka wrestler SUMO
Sumo is a sport that is practiced professionally only in Japan, the country of its origin. There is an international federation of sumo wrestling now, and one of the organization’s aims is to have the sport accepted as an Olympic event.

The Japanese city of Osaka used to be called Naniwa, with the name changing to Osaka some time before 1500. “Osaka” can be translated either as “large hill” or “large slope”.

63. Henry VI’s school ETON
The world-famous Eton College is just a brisk walk from Windsor Castle, which itself is just outside London. Eton is noted for producing many British leaders including David Cameron who took power in the last UK general election. The list of Old Etonians also includes Princes William and Harry, the Duke of Wellington, George Orwell, and the creator of James Bond, Ian Fleming (as well as 007 himself as described in the Fleming novels).

King Henry VI of England succeeded to the throne when he was just nine months old, making him the youngest ever to sit on the English throne.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. PC screens largely replaced by LCDs CRTS
5. Exchange goodbyes PART
9. Breed, as salmon SPAWN
14. Ghostly glow AURA
15. “Nothin’ doin’!” UH-UH!
16. “Dallas” matriarch ELLIE
17. Sleight-of-hand scam SHELL GAME
19. Cold temperatures TEENS
20. Fountain of Rome TREVI
21. Levies on smokes and booze SIN TAXES
23. Prefix with present OMNI-
26. Playfully shy COY
27. Houston of Texas SAM
30. Agenda item BULLET POINT
36. World’s largest rainforest AMAZONIA
38. Pearl Jam singer Eddie VEDDER
39. Early whirlybird, for short GIRO
40. Winding curve ESS
42. Body wash brand OLAY
43. Dressy ties ASCOTS
46. Mariachi’s headwear SOMBRERO
49. Filmed like most of today’s films SHOT IN COLOR
51. Hyphenated ID SSN
52. Fair-hiring abbr. EOE
53. Wax-wrapped cheese EDAM
55. Alphabet soup, so to speak MIXED BAG
60. Have an inkling SENSE
64. Abrasive mineral EMERY
65. Fight fiercely to the end SLUG IT OUT
68. Barely burn SINGE
69. Continental cash EURO
70. Armory supply, and a hint to the starts of 17-, 30-, 49- and 65-Across AMMO
71. Left one’s seat STOOD
72. Slight impression DENT
73. Author Uris LEON

Down
1. Plaster bandage CAST
2. Essen’s region RUHR
3. “Magic __ House”: kiddie lit series TREE
4. Battleship barrage SALVO
5. Curly-tailed pooch PUG
6. “So that’s what that means!” AHA!
7. Caribbean liquors RUMS
8. It might be broken at a party THE ICE
9. Prepare some letterpress printing SET TYPE
10. Appeal PLEA
11. Author Haley ALEX
12. Bistro beverage WINE
13. Stack’s role in “The Untouchables” NESS
18. “How low can you go?” competition LIMBO
22. Grounding rule, perhaps NO TV
24. Convent resident NUN
25. “On second thought, that’s not true” I LIE
27. Long stories SAGAS
28. Pennsylvania Mennonites AMISH
29. Call before “Polo!” MARCO
31. Dogie catcher LASSO
32. Reminder to take out the trash? ODOR
33. Fritters away time IDLES
34. Gets within a stone’s throw of NEARS
35. Check for size TRY ON
37. Type of baggy ’40s suit ZOOT
41. One and only SOLE
44. Colored, hippie-style TIE-DYED
45. Snooty sort SNOB
47. ’60s chic MOD
48. “The Godfather” hoodlum Luca BRASI
50. Discontinued CEASED
54. Lead or zinc METAL
55. Military chow hall MESS
56. “You’re looking at the one and only” I’M IT
57. Strange: Pref. XENO-
58. Therefore ERGO
59. Scrapbook adhesive GLUE
61. Alaskan seaport NOME
62. Osaka wrestler SUMO
63. Henry VI’s school ETON
66. Spigoted server URN
67. Came down with GOT

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