Day: May 27, 2014

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
6. Gimlet garnish LIME
A gimlet is a relatively simple cocktail, traditionally made with just gin and lime juice. The trend in more recent times is replace the gin with vodka.

10. Gangster weapons GATS
“Gat” is a slang term for a gun that is derived from the Gatling gun, the precursor to the modern machine gun. The Gatling gun was invented by Dr. Richard J. Gatling in 1861. Apparently he was inspired to invent it so that one man could do as much damage as a hundred, thereby reducing the size of armies and diminishing the suffering caused by war. Go figure …

14. Martini garnish OLIVE
The name “martini” probably takes it name from the “Martini & Rossi” brand of dry vermouth, although no one seems to be completely sure. What is clear is that despite the Martini name originating in Italy, the martini drink originated in the US. The original martini was made with gin and sweet vermouth, but someone specifying a “dry” martini was given gin and dry vermouth. Nowadays we use dry vermouth for all martinis and the term “dry” has become a reference to how little vermouth is included in the drink. Famously, Noel Coward liked his drink very dry and said that a perfect martini is made by “filling a glass with gin then waving it in the general direction of Italy”.

15. Everglades denizen, for short CROC
Crocodiles and alligators do indeed bear a resemblance to each other, although they belong to distinct biological families. One of the main ways used to distinguish them is by their teeth and jaws. Both the upper and lower sets of teeth of a crocodile are visible when its mouth is closed, whereas only the upper teeth of an alligator are visible with the mouth shut.

17. Rubbish BALDERDASH
“Balderdash” means a senseless jumble of words, and was originally (back before the late 1600s) a jumbled mix of liquids, like maybe beer and wine, or even beer and milk!

19. Rush-order letters ASAP
As soon as possible (ASAP)

21. Rubbish HOGWASH
“Hogwash” means “rubbish, of little value”. Hogwash was originally the name of the swill fed to pigs.

23. Rubbish MOONSHINE
The use of “moonshine” to mean “rubbish, nonsense”, that’s new to me although I did indeed find it in the dictionary …

30. Expressive rock music subgenre EMO
The musical genre of “emo” originated in Washington D.C. in the 80s, and takes its name from “emotional hardcore”. Not my cup of tea …

33. Lowest deck on a ship ORLOP
The orlop is the lowest deck on the ship, the place where cables and ropes used to be stored. The name “orlop” comes from the Dutch word “overlopen” meaning “to run over”. The idea is that all these ropes “ran over” each other while in storage.

We just replaced the deck in our backyard, and now actually have two of them, one higher than the other. We’ve christened the lower of the two “the poop deck”. Darned dog …

35. Rubbish HORSEFEATHERS
The term “horsefeathers” is probably a euphemism for a similar word that’s a little more rude. The term is said to have been coined by cartoonist Billy DeBeck in 1928. DeBeck’s most famous strip is called “Barney Google”.

44. Colorado skiing destination ASPEN
Aspen, Colorado used to be known as Ute City, with the name change taking place in 1880. Like many communities in the area, Aspen was a mining town, and in 1891 and 1892 it was at the center of the highest production of silver in the US. Nowadays of course, it’s all about skiing and movie stars.

49. Pesky insect GNAT
Gnats are attracted to the smell of rotting food, and to vinegar. Simple homemade traps that use vinegar are often constructed to attract and kill gnats.

50. Psychologist Alfred ADLER
Alfred Adler was one of the group of medical professionals that founded the psychoanalytic movement. Today Adler is less famous than his colleague, Sigmund Freud.

51. Rubbish POPPYCOCK
It is thought that the relatively gentle term “poppycock” comes from a Dutch word for “dung” combined with a Latin word for “excrete”. Not so gentle after all …

53. Rubbish TWADDLE
“Twaddle” is a trivial talk, and is a word that has been around since the late 1700’s. It probably evolved from the earlier term “twattle” that had the same meaning.

56. Cantina hors d’oeuvre TAPA
“Tapa” is the Spanish word for “lid”, and there is no clear rationale for why this word came to be used for an appetizer. There are lots of explanations cited, all of which seem to involve the temporary covering of one’s glass of wine with a plate or item of food to either preserve the wine or give one extra space at the table.

An hors d’oeuvre is the first course in a meal. “Hors d’oeuvre” translates from French as “apart from the work”, really meaning “not the main course”.

57. Rubbish APPLESAUCE
I am learning so much today. Apparently “applesauce” is slang for “nonsense, rubbish”.

63. Anemia treatment IRON
The term “anemia” (or “anaemia” as we write it back in Ireland) comes from a Greek word meaning “lack of blood”. Anemia is a lack of iron in the blood, or a low red blood cell count. Tiredness is a symptom of the condition.

66. Penny CENT
The official name of our smallest denomination coin is a “cent”, and our use of the word “penny” is just a colloquialism derived from the British coin of the same name. However, in the UK the plural of penny is “pence”, whereas we have “pennies” in our pockets.

67. “The Wanderer” singer DION
The singer and songwriter Dion DiMucci went by the stage name of just “Dion”. Dion’s most successful year was 1961, when he released his big hits “Runaround Sue” and “The Wanderer”.

The 1961 hit “The Wanderer” was recorded by the singer Dion. The backing group for the recording was uncredited, but was actually a vocal group called the Del-Satins. Dion had sung with the Belmonts, but went solo in 1960.

68. Witherspoon of “Legally Blonde” REESE
Reese is not actually actress Witherspoon’s original given name. She started out life as Laura Jeanne Witherspoon. Reese is her mother’s maiden name.

“LEGALLY blonde” is a 2001 comedy film starring Reese Witherspoon as a girlish sorority president who heads to Harvard to earn a law degree. “LEGALLY blonde” was successful enough to warrant two sequels as well as a spin-off musical that played most successfully in London’s West End (for 974 performances).

Down
2. Suffix with plug -OLA
“Plugola” is the public promotion of something in which the promoter has a financial interest, but without the promoter disclosing that interest. Plugola is similar to “payola” in that it is a form of promotion, but unlike payola, it’s perfectly legal.

4. Convenient meal named for what it was designed to be eaten in front of TV DINNER
The term “TV dinner”, which describes a prepackaged frozen meal, was actually a trademark for C. A. Swanson & Sons back in 1953. Swanson’s original prepackaged meal was sold as “TV Brand Frozen Dinner” and came in an aluminum tray so that it could be heated in an oven. Swanson stopped using the name in 1962 and now “TV dinner” is a generic term.

6. Calculator readout, briefly LCD
Liquid-crystal display (LCD)

7. CPA’s recommendation IRA
A certified public accountant (CPA) often recommends contributions to an individual retirement account (IRA).

8. Six-Day War statesman Dayan MOSHE
Moshe Dayan had a long and distinguished military career (including command of Israeli forces during the 1956 Suez Crisis). He also played a pivotal, and militarily active, role as Minister for Defense during the Six-Day War of 1967. He was a very recognizable figure with a black patch over his left eye. Dayan received that injury when he was fighting for the Allies in Vichy French Lebanon during WWII. He was using a pair of binoculars that was hit by an enemy bullet, smashing metal and glass fragments into his eye.

The Six-Day War took place from June 5th to June 10th, 1967, and was fought between Israel and its neighbors Egypt, Jordan and Syria. By the time the ceasefire was signed, Israel had seized huge swaths of land formerly controlled by Arab states, namely the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank of the Jordan River and the Golan Heights. The overall territory under the control of Israel grew by a factor of three in just six days.

9. Letter between Delta and Foxtrot ECHO
The NATO phonetic alphabet is also called the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) phonetic alphabet. It goes Alfa, Bravo, Charlie … Zulu.

10. “Skedaddle!” GO AWAY!
“Skedaddle ” is a slang term meaning “run away” that dates back to the Civil War.

11. Former German territory __-Lorraine ALSACE
Alsace-Lorraine was a territory in the German Empire from 1871 to 1918. The territory was created when Germany annexed most of Alsace and Lorraine from France in the Franco-Prussian War. The area reverted to French control after World War One, and is now called Alsace-Moselle.

13. Second-year students SOPHS
The term “sophomore” has been used for a student in the second year of university since the 1680’s. The original meaning of the word was “arguer”. The term has Greek roots, from two Greek words that have been artificially combined in English. The Greek “sophos” means “wise”, and “moros” means “foolish”.

18. Architect Mies van der __ ROHE
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was a German architect who was routinely referred to simply as “Mies”. I am a philistine, I know, but Mies’ buildings look very plain to me. However, he did come up with two far-from-plain sayings: “less is more” and “God is in the details”.

23. CEO’s degree MBA
A chief executive officer (CEO) might have a master’s degree in business administration (MBA).

The world’s first MBA degree was offered by Harvard’s Graduate School of Business Administration, in 1908.

27. Electric shaver brand NORELCO
Norelco is a brand of shavers and personal care products made by Philips. The brand name was introduced as the company was barred from using “Philips” in the US in the early 1940s. The name Norelco was chosen as an acronym for “NOR-th American Philips EL-ectrical CO-mpany.

31. Boozehound SOT
Our word “sot” comes from the Old English “sott”, meaning a fool. The word “sot” started to be associated with alcohol and not just foolery in the late 1500s.

36. Wooden Mortimer SNERD
Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen’s most famous character was Charlie McCarthy, but Bergen also worked with Mortimer Snerd.

39. City near Lake Tahoe RENO
Reno, Nevada was named in honor of Major General Jesse Lee Reno, a Union officer killed in the Civil War. The city has a famous “Reno Arch”, a structure that stands over the main street. The arch was erected in 1926 to promote an exposition planned for the following year. After the expo, the city council decided to keep the arch and held a competition to decide what wording should be displayed, and the winner was “The Biggest Little City in the World”.

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.

40. Legato’s opp., in music STAC
Staccato is a musical direction signifying that notes should be played in a disconnected form. The opposite of staccato would be legato, long and continuous notes played very smoothly.

43. NASDAQ buy STK
Stock (stk.)

The computerized stock trading system known as the NASDAQ was created in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers. NASDAQ stands for National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations. NASDAQ was the successor to the over-the-counter (OTC) trading system that was common at the time. OTC trading is done directly between two parties without being facilitated by an exchange.

44. Invasive apps ADWARE
Adware is “advertising-supported software”, an application that includes ads in some form so that the developed can generate revenue. Sometimes deceptive practices can be used to entice a user to install such programs, so adware can sometimes be classed as malware (malicious software).

46. Grammar stickler, e.g. PEDANT
A pedant, someone who is pedantic, is a person “who trumpets minor points of learning”, a person who tends to nit-pick. “Pedant” comes via Middle French from the Italian word “pedante” meaning “teacher”.

51. Cola Wars cola PEPSI
“Cola Wars” is the phrase used to describe the competing marketing campaigns of Coca Cola and PepsiCo. Coke is winning …

52. Arafat of the 58-Down YASIR
Yasser (also Yasir) Arafat was born in Cairo in 1929, the son of two Palestinians and the second-youngest of seven children. Arafat was beaten by his father as a child and so did not have a good relationship with him. Arafat did not attend his father’s funeral, nor did he visit his grave. The beatings were apparently administered because the young Arafat was repeatedly attending religious services in the Jewish quarter of Cairo. Arafat’s explanation was that he wanted to “study the mentality” of the Jewish people.

58. West Bank gp. PLO
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was founded in 1964. The PLO’s early stated goal was the liberation of Palestine, with Palestine defined as the geographic entity that existed under the terms of the British Mandate granted by the League of Nations back in 1923. The PLO is recognized as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people by over one hundred countries, and was granted observer status (i.e. no voting rights) at the United Nations in 1974.

The bulk of the Palestinian territories are located in the West Bank. The term “West Bank” is a reference to lands west of the River Jordan.

59. Thriller writer Deighton LEN
I used to walk my dog right past author Len Deighton’s house years ago, as we lived in the same village in Ireland (probably my only claim to fame!). Deighton wrote the excellent espionage thriller “The IPCRESS File”, made into a 1965 movie starring Michael Caine.

61. NASDAQ listings COS
Companies (cos.)

62. __ out a living EKE
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 …

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Wall calendar page MONTH
6. Gimlet garnish LIME
10. Gangster weapons GATS
14. Martini garnish OLIVE
15. Everglades denizen, for short CROC
16. Muffin spread OLEO
17. Rubbish BALDERDASH
19. Rush-order letters ASAP
20. Words of commitment I DO
21. Rubbish HOGWASH
23. Rubbish MOONSHINE
28. Speed contests RACES
29. Make, as a DVD copy BURN
30. Expressive rock music subgenre EMO
31. Speaker SAYER
32. Teen’s skin concern ACNE
33. Lowest deck on a ship ORLOP
35. Rubbish HORSEFEATHERS
41. __ zone: restricted air space NO-FLY
42. Understands GETS
44. Colorado skiing destination ASPEN
47. Help on stage CUE
49. Pesky insect GNAT
50. Psychologist Alfred ADLER
51. Rubbish POPPYCOCK
53. Rubbish TWADDLE
55. Musical sensitivity EAR
56. Cantina hors d’oeuvre TAPA
57. Rubbish APPLESAUCE
63. Anemia treatment IRON
64. Shipwreck survivor’s refuge ISLE
65. “Don’t worry!” IT’S OK!
66. Penny CENT
67. “The Wanderer” singer DION
68. Witherspoon of “Legally Blonde” REESE

Down
1. Unruly crowd MOB
2. Suffix with plug -OLA
3. Zero, in soccer scores NIL
4. Convenient meal named for what it was designed to be eaten in front of TV DINNER
5. Listens to HEEDS
6. Calculator readout, briefly LCD
7. CPA’s recommendation IRA
8. Six-Day War statesman Dayan MOSHE
9. Letter between Delta and Foxtrot ECHO
10. “Skedaddle!” GO AWAY!
11. Former German territory __-Lorraine ALSACE
12. “Next week, on …” bit TEASER
13. Second-year students SOPHS
18. Architect Mies van der __ ROHE
22. Sales meeting aid GRAPH
23. CEO’s degree MBA
24. Pained cry OUCH!
25. Yes-__ question OR-NO
26. “See ya!” I’M OFF!
27. Electric shaver brand NORELCO
31. Boozehound SOT
34. Short basketball shot LAYUP
36. Wooden Mortimer SNERD
37. Ages and ages EON
38. Foam pad style resembling a dairy case container EGG CRATE
39. City near Lake Tahoe RENO
40. Legato’s opp., in music STAC
43. NASDAQ buy STK
44. Invasive apps ADWARE
45. Apply liberally and carelessly SLAP ON
46. Grammar stickler, e.g. PEDANT
48. Fencing weapon EPEE
50. Top room ATTIC
51. Cola Wars cola PEPSI
52. Arafat of the 58-Down YASIR
54. __-back: relaxed LAID
58. West Bank gp. PLO
59. Thriller writer Deighton LEN
60. Apply USE
61. NASDAQ listings COS
62. __ out a living EKE

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