Day: May 13, 2014

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
5. “Nana” novelist Émile ZOLA
“Nana” is a novel by the French author Émile Zola. It is the ninth in a series of twenty books collectively given the title “Les Rougon-Macquart”. The series follows the life of a fictional family during the Second French Empire in the second half of the 19th century.

14. Scott of “Happy Days” BAIO
Scott Baio is the actor who played Chachi Arcola in the great sitcom “Happy Days” and in the not so great spin-off “Joanie Loves Chachi”. Baio also played the title role in a later sitcom called “Charles in Charge”. Earlier in his career, he played another title role, in the 1976 movie “Bugsy Malone”, appearing opposite a young Jodie Foster.

The fabulous sitcom “Happy Days” originally ran for 11 seasons, from 1974 to 1984. That makes it the second longest-running sitcom in the history of ABC (behind “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet”). “Happy Days’ spawned several spin-off shows, two of which became very successful. Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams played two characters who later featured in “Laverne and Shirley”, and Robin Williams first played Mork from Ork on a “Happy Days” episode, which led to “Mork & Mindy”.

15. Red-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.

16. One of the archangels URIEL
Uriel is one of the archangels in the Jewish and Christian traditions.

18. Disreputable guy ROUE
“Roue” is a lovely word, I think, describing a less than lovely man. A roue could otherwise be described as a cad, someone of loose morals. “Roue” comes from the French word “rouer” meaning “to break on a wheel”. This describes the ancient form of capital punishment where a poor soul was lashed to a wheel and then beaten to death with cudgels and bars. I guess the suggestion is that a roue, with his loose morals, deserves such a punishment.

19. Capone cohort Frank NITTI
Frank Nitti was one of the top henchmen working for Al Capone. Unlike American-born Capone, Nitti was actually from Italy and was born near the city of Salerno. When Capone was eventually put away for 11 years for tax evasion, Nitti was convicted of the same crime. Nitti was only imprisoned for 18 months, and when released he was labelled as the new head of Capone’s Chicago Outfit. However the truth seems to be that he was just a frontman, with others making the decisions.

20. Agreement in a Massachusetts city? CONCORD CONCORD
The Massachusetts town of Concord was founded back in 1635 by a group of settlers from England. The settlers negotiated the purchase of six square miles of land from the local Algonquian people. The negotiation and acquisition proceeded so peacefully that the settlers named their new home “Concord” in a gesture of appreciation. Famously, there was to come a less peaceful time for the town, as the Battles of Lexington and Concord fought on April 19, 1775 were the opening military engagements in the Revolutionary War.

24. Charlemagne’s realm: Abbr. HRE
Charlemagne was the first king to use the title “Holy Roman Emperor”, even though the Holy Roman Empire was not actually founded until over a century later when Otto I was crowned Emperor. Otto was the first of an unbroken line of Holy Roman Emperors who ruled Central Europe until 1806.

26. Adobe dwelling in a Colorado city? PUEBLO PUEBLO

A pueblo is a Native American village, a term used in the American Southwest. The buildings in a pueblo are usually made of stone and adobe mud.

The city of Pueblo, Colorado is located just over 100 miles south of Denver. The city takes its name from a settlement established by fur trappers around 1842 that they called “El Pueblo” or “Fort Pueblo”. The original buildings were adobe structures, hence the “Pueblo” name.

32. Wanted poster abbr. AKA
Also known as (aka)

43. Go bonkers SNAP
The word “bonkers” meaning “crazy” originated in the fifties. The term might come from navy slang meaning “slightly drunk”, behaving as though one received a “bonk” on the head.

44. Gelatin garnish ASPIC
Aspic is a dish in which the main ingredients are served in a gelatin made from meat stock. “Aspic” is a French word for “jelly”.

46. Attention-calling type: Abbr. ITAL
Italic type leans to the right. The style is known as “italic” because the stylized calligraphic form of writing originated in Italy, probably in the Vatican.

49. Hanging sculpture in an Alabama city? MOBILE MOBILE
Mobile, Alabama was the first capital of French Colonial Louisiana, founded in 1702. The city takes its name from the Mobilian tribe of Native Americans who lived in that area.

53. 1977 Steely Dan album AJA
Steely Dan’s heyday was in the seventies when they toured for a couple of years, although the group mainly focused on studio work. The band was formed in 1972 and broke up in 1981. The core of the band reunited in 1993 and they are still going strong today.

56. “Scream” director Craven WES
Wes Craven is a very successful film director and writer specializing in movies of the horror genre, which means I don’t watch them! Craven is responsible for “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and the “Scream” films.

58. Bovine in a New York city? BUFFALO BUFFALO
Buffalo is the second most-populous city in the state of New York. The city takes its name from Buffalo Creek that runs through the metropolis (although the waterway is called Buffalo River within the city). The source of the name Buffalo Creek is the subject of much speculation, but one thing is clear, there were never any bison in the area.

The American bison is sometimes referred to as “buffalo”, even though the species is only a distant relative of the true buffalo, more usually called the African buffalo.

65. __ fide BONA
“Bona fide(s)” translates from the Latin as “in good faith”, and is used to indicate honest intentions. It can also mean that something is authentic, like a piece of art that is represented in good faith as being genuine.

66. NATO alphabet ender ZULU
The NATO phonetic alphabet is also called the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) phonetic alphabet. It goes Alfa, Bravo, Charlie … Zulu.

69. Baldwin or Guinness ALEC
Alec is the oldest of the acting Baldwin brothers. I think Alec’s big break was playing Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan in “The Hunt for Red October”, but thank goodness that role was taken over by Harrison Ford for the subsequent Jack Ryan movies. Baldwin made a name for himself in recent times playing Jack Donaghy on “30 Rock”, opposite Tina Fey. He has also hosted the sketch show “Saturday Night Live” on more occasions than anyone else (16 times).

Sir Alec Guinness played many great roles over a long and distinguished career, but nowadays is best remembered (sadly) for playing the original Obi-Wan Kenobi in “Star Wars”.

70. Earns with difficulty, with “out” EKES
To “eke out” means to “make something go further or last longer”. For example, you could eke out your income by cutting back on expenses. I always have a problem with the commonly cited definition of “eke out” as “barely get by”. Close but no cigar, I say …

73. Light-tube gas NEON
The basic design of neon lighting was first demonstrated at the Paris Motor Show in 1910. Such lighting is made up of glass tubes containing a vacuum into which has been introduced a small amount of neon gas. When a voltage is applied between two electrodes inside the tube, the neon gas “glows” and gives off the familiar light.

Down
2. Bath powder mineral TALC
Talc is a mineral, actually hydrated magnesium silicate. Talcum powder is composed of loose talc, although these days “baby powder” is also made from cornstarch.

3. Italian “Toodle-oo!” CIAO!
“Ciao” is the Italian for “‘bye”. “Arrivederci” is more formal, and translates as “goodbye”.

4. Rub elbows (with) HOBNOB
“To hobnob with ” means “to rub elbows with, associate with”. The term dates back to the mid 1700s and is derived from “hob and nob”, a phrase meaning to toast each other in turn, or to buy alternate rounds of drinks.

8. Don of “Cocoon” AMECHE
Don Ameche was such a gentleman. He starred in the fun movie “Trading Places” in 1983, and was required to use the “f-word” in the script. According to co-star Jamie Lee Curtis, Ameche went around the set before the scene was shot, and apologized in advance to everyone for having to use bad language.

10. Songwriter Clapton ERIC
Can you believe that the great Eric Clapton only had one chart-topper in the US? In 1974, Clapton released a cover version of the Bob Marley classic “I Shot the Sheriff” and ended up selling more copies of that song than Bob Marley did himself.

27. They’re played at luaus UKES
The ukulele originated in the 1800s and mimicked a small guitar brought to the Hawaiian Islands by Portuguese immigrants.

Nowadays the word “luau” denotes almost any kind of party on the Hawaiian Islands, but to the purist a luau is a feast that always includes a serving of “poi”, the bulbous underground stems of taro baked with coconut milk.

28. Wyatt of the Wild West EARP
Wyatt Earp is famous as one of the participants in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Earp was a city policeman in Wichita, Kansas and also in Dodge City, Kansas. Earp was also deputy sheriff in Tombstone, Arizona where the O.K. Corral gunfight took place. Years later, Earp joined the Alaska Gold Rush and with a partner built and operated the Dexter Saloon in Nome.

37. Swordplay sword EPEE
The épée that is used in today’s sport fencing is derived from the old French dueling sword. In fact, the the sport of épée fencing is very similar to the dualing of the 19th century. The word “épée” translates from French as “sword”.

39. Boy in “A Christmas Carol” TIM
Tiny Tim is the nickname of Timothy Cratchit, the little disabled boy in the Charles Dickens novella “A Christmas Carol”. “A Christmas Carol” is such a popular book that it has not been out of print since its first publication in December 1843.

50. Ger. neighbor BEL
Belgium (Bel.) shares a border with Germany (Ger.).

51. Atmospheric pressure line ISOBAR
An isobar is a line on a weather map connecting points of equal barometric pressure.

52. Impudent BRAZEN
Someone described as “brazen” might also be described as “shameless”. The term “brazen” comes from the Middle English “brasen” meaning “made of brass”. The suggestion is that a shameless person has a hardened, brass-like face.

53. Sternward ABAFT
On a boat the term “abaft” means “towards the stern”.

54. Roberts of “Pretty Woman” JULIA
The Hollywood actress Julia Roberts is from Smyrna, Georgia. Roberts got her big break after starring opposite Richard Gere in the hit 1990 romantic comedy “Pretty Woman”. She was paid $300,000 for her performance in “Pretty Woman”, a little less than the $25 million paycheck she was to earn for appearing in 2003’s “Mona Lisa Smile”. Roberts was married for a couple of years to country singer Lyle Lovett, and her older brother is actor Eric Roberts.

“Pretty Woman” is a great movie, a 1990 romantic comedy starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. The film was originally written as a very dark story, with the female lead not only a prostitute, but also a drug addict, The Disney studio who took up the project demanded that it be rewritten as a modern-day fairy tale, and what a good decision that was.

59. Traditional Stetson material FELT
Stetson is a brand name of hat, manufactured by the John B. Stetson Company of St. Joseph, Missouri. The so called “cowboy hat” that Stetson pioneered was such a success that the company became the largest hat maker in the world, producing over 3.3 million hats per year.

60. With 48-Across, Western neckwear BOLO
(48A. See 60-Down TIE)
I’ve never worn a bolo tie, and was surprised to discover that it is a relatively recent invention. The first bolo tie was apparently produced in Wickenburg, Arizona in the late 1940s by a silversmith. The bolo takes its name from the boleadora, an Argentine lariat.

62. Gospel writer LUKE
The Gospel of Luke is the third book of the New Testament. It is believed that the author of the Gospel of Luke was the same person who wrote “Acts of the Apostles”, the fifth book of the New Testament.

67. Org. with SEALs USN
SEAL is an acronym used by the US Navy’s SEa, Air and Land teams. The SEALs were born out of the Navy’s special warfare groups from WWII, like the Underwater Demolition Teams and the Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons. The Navy SEAL unit was established soon after President Kennedy’s famous speech in which he announced the plan to put a man on the moon, as in the same speech the president allocated $100m of funding to strengthen special operations forces. The Navy used some of this money to set up guerrilla and counter-guerrilla units, which soon became the SEALs.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Carve in stone ETCH
5. “Nana” novelist Émile ZOLA
9. Diagnostic aids TESTS
14. Scott of “Happy Days” BAIO
15. Red-wrapped cheese EDAM
16. One of the archangels URIEL
17. State secrets? BLAB
18. Disreputable guy ROUE
19. Capone cohort Frank NITTI
20. Agreement in a Massachusetts city? CONCORD CONCORD
23. “That’s awesome!” OOH!
24. Charlemagne’s realm: Abbr. HRE
25. Highland refusal NAE
26. Adobe dwelling in a Colorado city? PUEBLO PUEBLO
32. Wanted poster abbr. AKA
33. Go right or left TURN
34. Do figure eights, say SKATE
38. Likely to mouth off PERT
40. Slap a sale price on RETAG
43. Go bonkers SNAP
44. Gelatin garnish ASPIC
46. Attention-calling type: Abbr. ITAL
48. See 60-Down TIE
49. Hanging sculpture in an Alabama city? MOBILE MOBILE
53. 1977 Steely Dan album AJA
56. “Scream” director Craven WES
57. Noise detector EAR
58. Bovine in a New York city? BUFFALO BUFFALO
64. Take up a hem, say ALTER
65. __ fide BONA
66. NATO alphabet ender ZULU
68. Pasture FIELD
69. Baldwin or Guinness ALEC
70. Earns with difficulty, with “out” EKES
71. Bakery pastries TARTS
72. Thorny bloom ROSE
73. Light-tube gas NEON

Down
1. Recede EBB
2. Bath powder mineral TALC
3. Italian “Toodle-oo!” CIAO!
4. Rub elbows (with) HOBNOB
5. Moment of attack ZERO HOUR
6. Sign to take out the trash ODOR
7. Praise highly LAUD
8. Don of “Cocoon” AMECHE
9. Roads under rivers TUNNELS
10. Songwriter Clapton ERIC
11. Use, as a chair SIT ON
12. Tri- plus one TETRA-
13. Lose traction SLIDE
21. Stable youngster COLT
22. Sun or moon, to a poet ORB
26. Dada PAPA
27. They’re played at luaus UKES
28. Wyatt of the Wild West EARP
29. Post- opposite PRE-
30. Up to UNTIL
31. Signs off on OKS
35. Not a supporter ANTI
36. Cow’s fly swatter TAIL
37. Swordplay sword EPEE
39. Boy in “A Christmas Carol” TIM
41. Devoured ATE
42. Competitive look GAME FACE
45. Fraidy-cats COWARDS
47. Rye buy LOAF
50. Ger. neighbor BEL
51. Atmospheric pressure line ISOBAR
52. Impudent BRAZEN
53. Sternward ABAFT
54. Roberts of “Pretty Woman” JULIA
55. On the trail of AFTER
59. Traditional Stetson material FELT
60. With 48-Across, Western neckwear BOLO
61. Quelques-__: a few, in French UNES
62. Gospel writer LUKE
63. Butter look-alike OLEO
67. Org. with SEALs USN

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