Day: May 16, 2014

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
9. One on the lam, perhaps PERP
Perpetrator (perp.)

To be “on the lam” is to be in flight, to have escaped from prison. “On the lam” is American slang that originated at the end of the 19th century. The word “lam” also means to “beat” or “thrash”, as in “lambaste”. So “on the lam” might derive from the phrase “to beat it, to scram”.

13. DH, usually ALER
Baseball’s American League (AL) allows a designated hitter (DH) in each team’s lineup, whereas the National League (NL) does not.

14. Novelist Jaffe RONA
Rona Jaffe was an American novelist perhaps most famous for two of her books, “The Best of Everything” and “Mazes and Monsters”. “The Best of Everything” was published in 1958 and has been compared with the HBO television series “Sex and the City” as it depicts women in the working world. “Mazes and Monsters” was published in 1981 and explores a role-playing game similar to Dungeons & Dragons and the impact it has on players.

15. Mixed bag OLIO
Olio is a term meaning a hodgepodge or a mixture, coming from the mixed stew of the same name. The stew in turn takes its name from the Spanish “olla”, the clay pot used for cooking.

19. “Silver Lining” album maker RAITT
Bonnie Raitt is a blues singer, originally from Burbank, California. Raitt has won nine Grammys for her work, but she is perhaps as well known for her political activism as she is for her music. She was no fan of President George W. Bush while he was in office, and she sure did show it.

20. Tulsa sch. ORU
Oral Roberts University (ORU) is a private school in Tulsa, Oklahoma. ORU was founded relatively recently, in 1963 by the late televangelist Oral Roberts.

23. Bay State 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.

“The Bay State” is one of the nicknames of Massachusetts. Other nicknames for Massachusetts are “The Old Colony State” and “The Codfish State”.

31. Irish __ SEA
The Irish Sea is the stretch of water separating the island of Ireland from the island of Great Britain. More than 12 million ferry passengers cross the Irish Sea annually between Ireland and Great Britain. I’ve been one such passenger on more occasions than I can remember …

33. Palm Pre predecessor TREO
The Treo is a smartphone that was originally developed by a company called Handspring. Handspring was bought by Palm Inc. Subsequently, the Treo was phased out and replaced by the Palm Pre.

34. Like “la” in Fr. FEM
“La” is a French word meaning “the”, and is used with feminine (fem.) nouns.

35. Smelting waste DROSS
When metals are smelted, there is a scum made up of impurities that floats on the surface of the molten metal. This scum is called “dross” and is drawn off and discarded. The term “dross” then came to mean any waste or impure matter.

Metals are found in ore in the form of oxides. In order to get pure metal from the ore, the ore is heated and the metal oxides within are reduced (i.e. the oxygen is removed) in the chemical process known as smelting. The oxygen is extracted by adding a source of carbon or carbon monoxide which uses up the excess oxygen atoms to make carbon dioxide, a waste product of smelting (and of course, a greenhouse gas).

36. “White Fang,” for example? WILD PROSE (from “wild rose”)
“The Call of the Wild” is the most widely published novel of writer Jack London. The book tells the story of a dog named Buck that is forced into the hard life of a sled dog in the Yukon. When I was at school in Ireland, we got to read London’s follow-up novel “White Fang”. “White Fang” is a companion novel that the tells the tale of a wolf-dog that is born in the wild but eventually settles into a domesticated life.

43. Nice setting MER
“Mer” is a French word for “sea”.

The French city of Nice is on the Mediterranean coast in the southeast of the country. Although Nice is only the fifth most populous city in France, it is home to the busiest airport outside of Paris. That’s because of all the tourists flocking to the French Riviera.

50. Item tied with a decorative knot OBI
The sash worn as part of traditional Japanese dress is known as an obi. The obi can be tied in what is called a butterfly knot.

55. Réunion, par exemple ILE
Réunion is a French island in the Indian Ocean, located east of Madagascar. As the island is a department of France, and has the same status as French domestic departments, Réunion is actually part of the European Union.

57. W, for one DIR
West (W) is a direction (dir.)

60. Endless spiel? SEVEN YEAR PITCH (from “seven year itch”)
A spiel is a lengthy speech or argument designed to persuade, like a sales pitch. “Spiel” comes to us from German, either directly (“spiel” is the German for “play”) or via the Yiddish “shpil”.

65. Yu the Great’s dynasty HSIA
The Xia (also “Hsia”) Dynasty was the first Chinese Dynasty, lasting from about 2070 to 1600 BCE.

67. Coach K’s team DUKE
Mike Krzyzewski is a coach and former basketball player from Chicago, Illinois. As a young man, Krzyzewski captained the Army Cadets basketball team, before serving in the Army for five years. After resigning from active duty, Coach K (as he is called) eventually took the head coaching job with the Army Cadets followed by the head coach’s position with Duke, where he has been since 1980. Today, Coach K also coaches the US International team.

70. 1974 CIA spoof S*P*Y*S
“S*P*Y*S” is a 1974 comedy starring Elliott Gould and Donald Sutherland as two men mistaken as spies and targeted by the KGB. With all those asterisks in the film’s title, one has to assume the movie was intended to capitalize on the success of the 1970 Gould/Sutherland vehicle called “M*A*S*H”.

Down
2. First lady after Lou ELEANOR
Eleanor Roosevelt was the daughter of Elliot, brother to President Theodore Roosevelt. Eleanor met Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was her father’s fifth cousin, in 1902, and the two started “walking out together” the following year after they both attended a White House dinner with President Roosevelt.

Lou Henry met future president Herbert Hoover while the two were studying at Stanford University. After graduating with an engineering degree, Herbert Hoover headed off to Australia to pursue his career. As a result, Hoover made his proposal of marriage to Lou Henry via cable. Henry accepted by return wire. After they were married, the couple moved to China where Hoover continued his career as an engineer. There, Lou Henry Hoover became proficient in the Chinese. After her husband became US President, Ms. Hoover became the only First Lady to speak an Asian language.

3. Attendants RETINUE
A “retinue” is a body of aides who attend an important person. The term comes from the Old French “retenue” that had the same meaning, although the literal translation is “that which is retained”. The idea is that the aides are retained to attend the VIP.

4. One putting a tyre into a boot BRIT
In North America we use the word “trunk” for the storage space in the back of a vehicle as that space is reminiscent of the large travelling chest called a “trunk”. Such trunks used to be lashed onto the back of automobiles before storage was integrated. On the other side of the Atlantic, a trunk is known as a “boot”. The original boot was a built-in storage compartment on a horse-drawn carriage on which a coachman would sit.

5. Sellout sign, briefly SRO
Standing room only (SRO)

7. Pantry raider ANT
The word “pantry” dates back to 1300 when it came into English from the Old French “panetrie” meaning a “bread room”. Bread is “pain” in French, and “panis” in Latin.

8. Lake near the Kirkwood Mountain Resort TAHOE
Lake Tahoe is up in the Sierra Nevada mountains, right on the border between California and Nevada. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in the country. It’s also the second deepest lake, with only the beautiful Crater Lake in Oregon being deeper. Given its location, there are tall casinos that sit right on the shore on the Nevada side of the state line where gambling is legal.

10. She, in Lisbon ELA
Lisbon is the capital of Portugal. Lisbon is the westernmost capital city in Europe, and indeed is the westernmost large city on the continent. It is also the oldest city in Western Europe and is hundreds of years older than London, Paris and Rome.

11. Sitcom family name RICARDO
In the hit television show “I Love Lucy”, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz played Lucy and Ricky Ricardo.

Lucille Ball was at the height of her success while she was married to Desi Arnaz. The couple met in 1940 and not long afterwards eloped. Lucy had several miscarriages before she gave birth to her first child in 1951, just one month before her fortieth birthday. A year and a half later, while “I Love Lucy” was garnering large audiences, she became pregnant with her second child, a pregnancy that was written into the television show’s script. In fact, the day that Lucy gave birth on the show, was the same day that she gave birth in real life.

12. Thick soups POTAGES
A potage is a thick soup or stew, and is named after the Old French word “pottage” meaning “potted dish”.

17. Some Windows systems NTS
Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7; they’re all based on the Windows NT operating system. There is a common perception that Windows NT (WNT) takes its name from VMS, an earlier operating system developed by Digital Equipment Corporation. “WNT” is what’s called a “Caesar cypher” of “VMS”, as you just augment the letters of VMS alphabetically by one to arrive at WNT. Bill Gates disputes this derivation of the name, and in a 1998 interview stated that the NT originally stood for N-Ten and that the marketing folks at Microsoft revised history by changing it to “New Technology”.

18. Sea eagles ERNS
The ern (also erne) is also called the white-tailed eagle, and the sea-eagle.

22. Indicator of possession in the bathroom HERS
As in “His and Hers towels” …

25. Failed ’80s gridiron org. USFL
The United States Football League (USFL) was started in 1983 as a league playing during the spring and summer. The league’s backer’s thought there would be a lot of interest in watching and attending games during the NFL’s offseason. The USFL folded after three years, so apparently the backers were wrong …

27. Janitor’s tool DAMP MOP
A janitor is someone who takes care of the maintenance or cleaning of a building. An older definition of the term is “doorman”. Our word comes from the Latin “ianitor” meaning “doorkeeper”.

38. First name in country REBA
Reba McEntire is a country music singer and television actress. McEntire starred in her own sitcom called “Reba” that aired on the WB and the CW cable channels from 2001 to 2007.

40. Mr. Clean rival AJAX
Ajax cleanser has been around since 1947, and it’s “stronger than dirt!” That was the most famous slogan over here in the US. On my side of the pond, the famous slogan was “it cleans like a white tornado”.

“Mr. Clean” is a brand of household cleaner from Procter & Gamble. “Mr. Clean” is a sold as Maestro Limpio in Mexico, Monsieur Propre in France, and as Monsieur Net in French Canada.

47. Sprouts incisors TEETHES
The “incisors” are the front teeth. The name comes from the Latin “Incidere” meaning “to cut”.

49. Home to Sean O’Casey ERIN
“Éire”, is the Irish word for “Ireland”. “Erin” is an anglicized version of “Éire” and actually corresponds to “Éirinn”, the dative case of “Éire”.

Seán O’Casey was an Irish playwright noted for his works exploring the plight of the working class in Dublin. O’Casey’s most famous works are “Juno and the Paycock” and “The Plough and the Stars”.

54. Clairvoyance ESP
Extrasensory Perception (ESP)

61. __ Dolorosa VIA
The Via Dolorosa is a street in Jerusalem along which Jesus is said to have walked while carrying his cross on the way to his crucifixion. The name “Via Dolorosa” is Latin for “Way of Grief, Sorrows”.

62. French quencher EAU
“Eau” is French for “water”.

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Trick or treat, e.g. VERB
5. Center of authority SEAT
9. One on the lam, perhaps PERP
13. DH, usually ALER
14. Novelist Jaffe RONA
15. Mixed bag OLIO
16. Be a part of treaty negotiations? GET IN ON THE PACT (from “get in on the act”)
19. “Silver Lining” album maker RAITT
20. Tulsa sch. ORU
21. Satisfied sound AAH!
23. Bay State cape ANN
24. Unexpected political upheaval? SUDDEN PURGE (from “sudden urge”)
29. Trick or treat, e.g. NOUN
31. Irish __ SEA
32. It helps smooth things out SANDER
33. Palm Pre predecessor TREO
34. Like “la” in Fr. FEM
35. Smelting waste DROSS
36. “White Fang,” for example? WILD PROSE (from “wild rose”)
40. Words after give or take A HINT
43. Nice setting MER
44. Touch ABUT
48. Humorous JOCOSE
50. Item tied with a decorative knot OBI
51. Shore thing DUNE
52. One that keeps bumping into senators? AWKWARD PAGE (from “awkward age”)
55. Réunion, par exemple ILE
56. Midnight indicator, maybe XII
57. W, for one DIR
58. Champagne toast? SALUT
60. Endless spiel? SEVEN YEAR PITCH (from “seven year itch”)
65. Yu the Great’s dynasty HSIA
66. “No problem” EASY
67. Coach K’s team DUKE
68. Bibliog. term ET AL
69. Trick RUSE
70. 1974 CIA spoof S*P*Y*S

Down
1. Drifter VAGRANT
2. First lady after Lou ELEANOR
3. Attendants RETINUE
4. One putting a tyre into a boot BRIT
5. Sellout sign, briefly SRO
6. It’s quite a stretch EON
7. Pantry raider ANT
8. Lake near the Kirkwood Mountain Resort TAHOE
9. They’re often blocked POP-UP ADS
10. She, in Lisbon ELA
11. Sitcom family name RICARDO
12. Thick soups POTAGES
17. Some Windows systems NTS
18. Sea eagles ERNS
22. Indicator of possession in the bathroom HERS
25. Failed ’80s gridiron org. USFL
26. Indicator of possession DEED
27. Janitor’s tool DAMP MOP
28. Like much spam UNREAD
30. Calming words NOW NOW
37. Agreeing words IT’S A DEAL
38. First name in country REBA
39. It may be left in a copier: Abbr. ORIG
40. Mr. Clean rival AJAX
41. Concerned question about a sick friend HOW IS HE?
42. Most gross ICKIEST
45. Developed BUILT UP
46. Word from a grumpy gambler UNLUCKY
47. Sprouts incisors TEETHES
49. Home to Sean O’Casey ERIN
53. One full of hot air DRYER
54. Clairvoyance ESP
59. Is more than a bystander AIDS
61. __ Dolorosa VIA
62. French quencher EAU
63. Pack animal ASS
64. Deli choice RYE

Return to top of page