Day: September 25, 2013

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Pizza Quick sauce brand RAGU
The Ragu brand of pasta sauce is owned by Unilever. The name ” Ragù” is the Italian word for a sauce used to dress pasta, however the spelling is off a little. In Italian the word is “Ragù” with a grave accent over the “u”, but if you look at a jar of the Unilever sauce, it is spelled “Ragú” on the label, with an acute accent. Sometimes I think we just don’t try …

14. “The Andy Griffith Show” tyke OPIE
Opie Taylor is the character played by Ron Howard on “The Andy Griffith Show”. Opie lives with widowed father Andy Taylor (played by Andy Griffith) and his great-aunt Beatrice “Aunt Bee” Taylor (played by Frances Bavier. Ron Howard first played the role in 1960 in the pilot show, when he was just 5 years old. Howard sure has come a long way since playing Opie Taylor. He has directed some fabulous movies including favorites of mine like “Apollo 13”, “A Beautiful Mind” and “The Da Vinci Code”. And today, “Opie” is a grandfather …

15. Olin of “The Reader” LENA
The lovely Lena Olin is a Swedish actress, clearly someone who had acting in her blood. Her mother was the actress Britta Holmberg and her father the actor and director Stig Olin. Olin had a very successful career in Sweden, often working with the great Ingmar Bergman. Olin’s breakthrough international and English-speaking role was playing opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” released in 1988. Way back in 1974, the lovely Miss Olin was crowned Miss Scandinavia in a beauty pageant for Nordic women held in Helsinki, Finland.

16. Cheers for a torero OLES
“Toreador” is an old Spanish word for a bullfighter, but it’s a term not used any more in Spain nor in Latin America. In English we use the term “toreador”, but in Spanish a bullfighter is a “torero”. A female bullfighter in a “torera”.

17. Like a blue moon RARE
As there is a full moon once every four weeks, approximately monthly, there are usually twelve full moons in any given year. However, every 2-3 years, depending on the phase of the moon at the beginning of the calendar year, there may be a thirteenth full moon. The “extra” full moon is called a “blue moon”, although no one seems to really know why the term “blue” is used, as far as I can tell. Which of the thirteen full moons that is designated as the blue moon varies depending on tradition. My favorite definition is from the Farmer’s Almanac. It states that as each of the seasons normally has three full moons (twelve divided by the four seasons), then the season with four full moons is designated as “special”, then, the THIRD (and not the fourth) full moon in that “special” season is the blue moon. Complicated, huh?

18. Overcast, in London GREY
The spellings “gray” and “grey” are used on both sides of the Atlantic, but “gray” appear about twenty times more often than “grey” in the US. That same ratio is reversed over in the UK.

19. Animation pioneer WALT DISNEY (Ltd. denotes a “limited company”)
In Britain and Ireland the most common type of business (my perception anyway) is one which has private shareholders whose liability is limited to the value of their investment. Such a company is known as a private limited company, and has the letters “Ltd” after the name. If the shares are publicly traded, then the company is a public limited company, and has the letters “plc” after the name.

24. Peasant dress FROCK
A frock is a woman’s dress, but “frock” also describes a robe worn by monks. Our use of “frock” comes from the Old French “froc”, which back in the 12th century was a monk’s habit.

27. Warren Harding’s successor CALVIN COOLIDGE (Inc. denotes an ”incorporated company”)
President Calvin Coolidge, the only US President to have been born on July 4th, was known as a man of few words. It was while he was serving as Vice-President in the administration of Warren G. Harding, that Coolidge earned the nickname “Silent Cal”. There is a famous story told about Coolidge’s reticence that I would love to think is true, attributed to the poet Dorothy Parker. Sitting beside him at dinner, she remarked to him, “Mr. Coolidge, I’ve made a bet against a fellow who said it was impossible to get more than two words out of you.” His famous reply: “You lose …”

A company that has incorporated uses the abbreviation “Inc.” after its name. By incorporating, a company forms a corporation, which is a legal entity that has legal rights similar to those of an individual. For example, a corporation can sue another corporation or individual. However, a corporation does not have all the rights of citizens. A corporation does not have the Fifth Amendment right of protections against self-incrimination, for example. It is perhaps understandable that the concept of “corporations as persons” is a frequent subject for debate.

32. Jacuzzi effect EDDY
Jacuzzi is one of those brand names that has become so much associated with the product that it is often assumed to be a generic term. The Jacuzzi company was founded in 1915 by the seven(!) Jacuzzi brothers in Berkeley California. The brothers, who were Italian immigrants, pronounced their name “ja-coot-si”, as one might suspect when one realizes the name is of Italian origin. The company started off by making aircraft propellers and then small aircraft, but suspended aircraft production in 1925 when one the brothers was killed in one of their planes. The family then started making hydraulic pumps, and in 1948 developed a submersible bathtub pump so that a son of one of the brothers could enjoy hydrotherapy for his rheumatoid arthritis. The “hydrotherapy product” took off in the fifties with some astute marketing towards “worn-out housewives” and the use of celebrity spokesman Jack Benny.

33. 50+ group AARP
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. The AARP has two affiliated organizations. The AARP Foundation is a charitable arm that helps older people who are in need. AARP Services sells services such as insurance and advertising in AARP publications. In 2008, AARP services made over $650 million selling insurance, and about $120 million from selling advertising space in AARP publications.

34. Score after deuce AD IN
In tennis, if the score reaches “deuce” (i.e. when both players have scored three points), then the first player to win two points in a row wins the game. The player who wins the point immediately after deuce is said to have the “advantage”. If the player with the advantage wins the next point then that’s two in a row and that player wins the game. If the person with the advantage loses the next point, then advantage is lost and the players return to deuce and try again. If the one of the players is calling out the score then if he/she has the advantage then that player announces “ad in” or more formally “advantage in”. If the score announcer’s opponent has the advantage, then the announcement is “ad out” or “advantage out”. Follow all of that …?

37. 1999, 2000 and 2001 Best Actor nominee (he won once) RUSSELL CROWE (LLC denotes a “limited liability company”)
Russell Crowe is a highly successful actor from New Zealand. Understandably, he doesn’t like people to call him “Australian”, even though it was in Australia that he launched his acting career. Not too long before the 9/11 attacks, the FBI contacted Crowe to inform him that al-Qaeda was plotting to kidnap him as part of a general attack on high-profile “American” icons. For a few months the New Zealander was guarded by Secret Service agents.

A limited liability company (LLC) is a company structure that limits the liability of the owner or owners.

43. Japanese fish dish SUSHI
Sushi is a Japanese dish that has as its primary ingredient cooked, vinegared rice. The rice is usually topped with something, most often fish, and can be served in seaweed rolls. If you want raw fish by itself, then you have to order “sashimi”.

44. Battery post ANODE
The two terminals of a battery are called the anode and the cathode. Electrons travel from the anode to the cathode creating an electric current.

46. “Dear” one? ABBY
The advice column “Dear Abby” first appeared in 1956. Pauline Phillips was Abby back then, but now the column is written by Jeanne Phillips, her daughter. The full name of the “Abby” pen name is Abigail Van Buren, which Pauline Phillips came up with by combining “Abigail” from the biblical Book of Samuel, and “Van Buren” after the former US president.

47. __ qua non SINE
“Sine qua non” is a Latin phrase that we use to mean “the essential element or condition”. The literal translation is “without which not”. One might say, for example, “a challenging crossword is the sine qua non of a good newspaper”. Well, crossword fans might say that anyway …

51. Duds TOGS
“Toggery” is another word for clothing, sometimes shorted to “togs”. For example, back in Ireland we call a bathing suit “swimming togs”. The term “toggery” comes from the Latin “toga”.

“Duds” is an informal word for clothing, coming from the word “dudde” that was used around 1300 as the name for a cloak.

53. Eat too much of, briefly OD ON
Overdose (OD)

58. Coyote’s coat FUR
The coyote is a canine found in most of Central and North America. The name “coyote” is Mexican Spanish, in which language it means “trickster”. Coyotes can sometimes mate with domestic dogs, creating hybrid animals known as “coydogs”. Coyotes can also mate with wolves, creating a “coywolf”.

59. Bridge player’s blunder RENEGE
To renege on something is to back out of it. It’s a word commonly used in card games like bridge and whist. A renege is when a player doesn’t follow suit, even though there may be a card of the suit led in his/her hand.

64. Benelux locale: Abbr. EUR
Back in 1944, the three neighboring European countries of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg made a customs cooperation agreement. This was known as the Benelux Agreement, with the name taken from the first two letters of participating country names. The term “Benelux” is now used to describe several more agreements and structures shared by the countries.

67. Souse’s woe DTS
The episodes of delirium that can accompany withdrawal from alcohol are called Delirium Tremens (the DTs). The literal translation of this Latin phrase is “trembling madness”.

The word “souse” dates back to the 14th century and means “to pickle, steep in vinegar”. In the early 1600s the usage was applied to someone “pickled” in booze, a drunkard.

Down
2. Longtime ISP AOL
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 …

6. High-tech release of 2010 IPAD
Apple’s iPad has really pervaded our lives since it was introduced in 2010. We probably won’t see many pilots walking around airports laid down with briefcases chock full of paperwork anymore. Alaska Airlines replaced all that paperwork in 2011 so that now each pilot carries an iPad weighing 1½ pounds instead of a briefcase weighing perhaps 25 pounds.

7. Voice-activated app for 6-Down SIRI
Siri is software application that works with Apple’s iOS operating system. “Siri” is an acronym standing for Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface. You’ve probably seen the ads on television, with folks talking to their iPhones asking for information and responding with a voice. I hear that Google is a little scared by Siri, as Siri is non-visual. There’s no need to touch a screen or a keyboard to work with Siri, no opportunity to click on one of Google’s ads!

9. African country that was a French colony ALGERIA
Algeria is a huge country, the second largest in Africa (only Sudan is larger), and the largest country on the Mediterranean. The capital of Algeria is Algiers, and the country takes its name from the city.

20. Island ring LEI
“Lei” is the Hawaiian word for “garland, wreath”, although in more general terms a “lei” is any series of objects strung together as an adornment for the body.

21. Patriots’ org. NFL
The New England Patriots football team was founded in 1959 as the Boston Patriots. The “Patriots” name was selected from suggestions made by football fans in Boston. The team played at several different stadiums in the Boston area for just over ten years, before moving to their current home base in Foxborough, Massachusetts. At the time of the move, the “Boston” name was dropped and changed to “New England”.

25. Modern film effects, briefly CGI
Computer-generated imagery (CGI)

26. Understanding KEN
“Ken” is a noun meaning “understanding, perception”. One might say, for example, “half the clues in Saturday’s crossword are beyond my ken, beyond my understanding”.

28. __ the Great: boy detective NATE
The ‘Nate the Great” series of children’s novels was written (mainly) by Marjorie Sharmat. Nate is like a young Sherlock Holmes, with a dog for a sidekick called Sludge. Some of the books have been adapted for television.

29. Rob Reiner’s dad CARL
The multi-talented Carl Reiner is from the Bronx, New York. Reiner was married to singer Estelle Roberts. You might remember Roberts from the film “When Harry Met Sally”directed by Carl’s son, Rob Reiner. Estelle was the woman in the deli who said the famous line “ I’ll have what’s she’s having” on seeing how excited Meg Ryan apparently was with her sandwich.

30. Hershiser of ESPN OREL
Orel Hershiser is big into poker now that he has retired from Major League Baseball. Hershiser lives in Las Vegas and when he isn’t working for ESPN, apparently he is at the poker tables.

31. Oil bloc OPEC
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was founded in 1960 at a conference held in Baghdad, Iraq that was attended by Iraq, Kuwait, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Nine more countries joined the alliance soon after, and OPEC set up headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland and then Vienna, Austria in 1965. The basic aim of OPEC was to wrench control of oil prices from the oil companies and to put it in the hands of the sovereign states that own the natural resource.

35. FICA benefit SSI
A kind blog reader pointed out to me that SSI is not in fact a FICA benefit.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is federal program that provides financial relief to persons with low incomes who are 65 or older, or who are blind or disabled. The SSI program is administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) even though the the Social Security trust fund is not used for the SSI payments. The SSI payments come out of general tax revenue.

The Federal Insurance Contributions Act tax (FICA) was introduced in the 1930s as part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal. FICA payments are made by both employees and employers in order to fund Social Security and Medicare.

37. Ruddy, as a complexion RUBICUND
Someone described as “rubicond” has a healthy rosy complexion. The term arises from the Latin “ruber” meaning ‘red”.

38. Places to plug in mice USB PORTS
Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard dealing with how computers and electronic devices connect and communicate, and deal with electrical power through those connections.

40. En pointe ON TOE
“En pointe” is a French term used to describe the ballet technique of dancing on the toes.

41. Place to store cords WOODSHED
A cord of wood has a volume of 128 cubic feet. More commonly it’s a neat stack measuring 4 feet high, 8 feet long and 4 feet deep.

45. Slalom curve ESS
Slalom is an anglicized version of the Norwegian word “slalam” that translates as “skiing race”.

56. Columnist Bombeck ERMA
Erma Bombeck wrote for newspapers for about 35 years, producing more than 4,000 witty and humorous columns describing her home life in suburbia.

57. Country singer McCoy NEAL
Neal McCoy is a country music singer from Jacksonville, Texas. McCoy’s big hits are “No Doubt About It” from 1993 and “Wink” from 1993. Although I’ve never heard any of McCoys songs, I’m guessing that my favorite would be 2005’s “Billy’s Got His Beer Goggles On” …

58. SFO overseer FAA
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was set up in 1958 (as the Federal Aviation Agency). The agency was established at that particular time largely in response to an increasing number of midair collisions. The worst of these disasters had taken place two years earlier over the Grand Canyon, a crash between two commercial passenger airplanes that resulted in 128 fatalities.

San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Pizza Quick sauce brand RAGU
5. Boxer’s weapon FIST
9. Frankly declare AVOW
13. Parade instrument HORN
14. “The Andy Griffith Show” tyke OPIE
15. Olin of “The Reader” LENA
16. Cheers for a torero OLES
17. Like a blue moon RARE
18. Overcast, in London GREY
19. Animation pioneer WALT DISNEY (Ltd. denotes a “limited company”)
22. Too scrupulous for ABOVE
24. Peasant dress FROCK
27. Warren Harding’s successor CALVIN COOLIDGE (Inc. denotes an ”incorporated company”)
32. Jacuzzi effect EDDY
33. 50+ group AARP
34. Score after deuce AD IN
35. Line on a map STREET
37. 1999, 2000 and 2001 Best Actor nominee (he won once) RUSSELL CROWE (LLC denotes a “limited liability company”)
43. Japanese fish dish SUSHI
44. Battery post ANODE
46. “Dear” one? ABBY
47. __ qua non SINE
51. Duds TOGS
52. Cry of pain YIPE!
53. Eat too much of, briefly OD ON
54. Poems of praise ODES
55. Company’s main activity, and a hint to a different three-letter abbreviation hidden in 19-, 27- and 37-Across CORE BUSINESS
58. Coyote’s coat FUR
59. Bridge player’s blunder RENEGE
60. Work on a garden row HOE
62. Garden pest ANT
63. Low points on graphs MINIMA
64. Benelux locale: Abbr. EUR
65. Billboard fillers ADS
66. Lacking a musical key ATONAL
67. Souse’s woe DTS

Down
1. Frat letter RHO
2. Longtime ISP AOL
3. Got tiresome GREW OLD
4. Not in the know UNSAVVY
5. Old West defense FORT
6. High-tech release of 2010 IPAD
7. Voice-activated app for 6-Down SIRI
8. Football supporters TEES
9. African country that was a French colony ALGERIA
10. “Well, that’s weird” VERY ODD
11. With 12-Down, sign with an arrow ONE
12. See 11-Down WAY
20. Island ring LEI
21. Patriots’ org. NFL
22. Serving success ACE
23. Horrible BAD
25. Modern film effects, briefly CGI
26. Understanding KEN
28. __ the Great: boy detective NATE
29. Rob Reiner’s dad CARL
30. Hershiser of ESPN OREL
31. Oil bloc OPEC
35. FICA benefit SSI
36. La-la lead-in TRA
37. Ruddy, as a complexion RUBICUND
38. Places to plug in mice USB PORTS
39. More reserved SHYER
40. En pointe ON TOE
41. Place to store cords WOODSHED
42. Beats by a whisker EDGES OUT
43. For instance SAY
45. Slalom curve ESS
47. “Fine” SO BE IT
48. Words accompanying a shrug I DUNNO
49. Like much metered parking NOSE-IN
50. Head-scratcher ENIGMA
56. Columnist Bombeck ERMA
57. Country singer McCoy NEAL
58. SFO overseer FAA
61. Hesitant sounds ERS

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