Day: June 20, 2014

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
9. Lexicographer’s concern USAGE
A “lexicographer” is someone who compiles a dictionary. The term comes into English via French from the Greek “lexikon” meaning “wordbook” and “graphos” meaning “writer”.

14. Dutch export 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.

15. Big Apple sch. CCNY
The City College of New York is a college of the City University of New York. The City College was founded as the Free Academy of the City of New York in 1847, and was the first free public institution of higher education in the whole country.

18. With 56-Across, memorable snack food slogan … or a hint to what’s hidden at the end of 24-, 32-, 40- and 50-Across BETCHA CAN’T
(56A. See 18-Across EAT JUST ONE)
“Betcha can’t eat just one” is a famous slogan introduced by the Frito Company for the Lay’s brand of potato chips, and that was way back in the 1960s.

Lay’s potato chips were introduced in 1938 by Herman W. Lay. Lay started selling his chips out the trunk of his car, travelling all over the US. In those days the chips were pretty much handmade, but Lay put an end to that in 1942. He invented the first continuous potato processor in 1948, and chips started to take over the world!

22. Glass on a radio IRA
Ira Glass is a well-respected presenter on American Public Radio, most noted for his show “This American Life”. I was interested to learn that one of my favorite composers, Philip Glass, is Ira’s first cousin.

24. Source of much government history NATIONAL ARCHIVE (giving “chives”)
Chives are the smallest species of edible onion, and a favorite of mine.

32. Tax-exempt outlet DUTY-FREE SHOP (giving “hops”)
The foodstuff that we call “hops” are actually the female flower of the hop plant. The main use of hops is to add flavor to beer. The town in which I live here in California used to be home to the largest hop farm in the whole world. Most of the harvested hops were exported all the way to the breweries of London where they could fetch the best price.

35. Crash site initials EMS
Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

46. 1980s Mets relief star Jesse OROSCO
Jesse Orosco is a former baseball pitcher who played for several teams including the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Orosco had a long playing career, retiring when he was 46 years old. Partly because of that long career, he holds the major league record for career pitching performances: 1,252 games.

49. Like some elephants ASIATIC
There are only three species of elephant living today, with all others being extinct. These are the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant (or “Indian elephant”). As is well known, the African elephant is distinguished from the Asian/Indian elephant by its much larger ears.

53. 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.

55. With 5-Across, musician for whom a classic Gibson guitar model is named LES
(5A. See 55-Across PAUL)
Les Paul was a guitarist, songwriter and inventor. When he was 33 years old, Paul was involved in a near-fatal car crash that left his right arm and elbow shattered. Surgeons offered him the choice of amputation or a rebuilding of the limb that would leave him unable to bend his elbow. He told them to set his arm at just under 90 degrees so that he could at least hold his guitar and perhaps play it.

65. Series curtailer ET AL
Et alii (et al.) is the equivalent of et cetera (etc.), with et cetera being used in place of a list of objects, and et alii used for a list of names. In fact “et al.” can stand for et alii (for a group of males, or males and females), aliae (for a group of women) and et alia (for a group of neuter nouns, or for a group of people where the intent is to retain gender-neutrality).

69. June observance D-DAY
The most famous D-Day in history was June 6, 1944, the date of the Normandy landings in WWII. The term “D-Day” is used by the military to designate the day on which a combat operations are to be launched, especially when the actual date has yet to be determined. What D stands for seems to have been lost in the mists of time although the tradition is that D just stands for “Day”. In fact, the French have a similar term, “Jour J” (Day J), with a similar meaning. We also use H-Hour to denote the hour the attack is to commence.

Down
5. Banned chem. pollutant PCB
Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)

8. Wet suit material LYCRA
What we call spandex in the US is known as Lycra in the British Isles. “Spandex” was chosen as the name for the elastic fiber as it is an anagram of “expands”.

9. “Covert Affairs” airer USA
“Covert Affairs” is a very successful action drama made by the USA network. It’s all about CIA trainees and the fictional Domestic Protection Division. I’ve never seen the show myself, but it’s “on the list” …

10. [Not my typo] SIC
“Sic” indicates that a quotation is written as originally found, perhaps including a typo. “Sic” is Latin for “thus, like this”.

11. Like some numerals ARABIC
The numbers that we use in English and most other languages (0, 1, 2, 3 etc.) are Arabic numerals, also called Hindu-Arabic or Indo-Arabic numerals. The concept of positional numbers was developed by the Babylonians, and the first use of “zero” is attributed to mathematicians in the Indian subcontinent.

12. YMCA world headquarters city GENEVA
Genève (Geneva in English) is the biggest city in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. I’ve been to Geneva only once and sadly, what I remember most is how expensive it is. It is in fact the fourth or fifth most expensive city in the world.

The YMCA is a worldwide movement that has its roots in London, England. There, in 1844, the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) was founded with the intent of promoting Christian principles through the development of “a healthy spirit, mind and body”. The founder, George Williams, saw the need to create YMCA facilities for young men who were flocking to the cities as the Industrial Revolution flourished. He saw that these men were frequenting taverns and brothels, and wanted to offer a more wholesome alternative.

21. Do COIF
A “coif” is a hairdo. The term comes from an old French term “coife”, a skull-cap that was worn under a helmet back in the late 13th century.

25. Calla lily family ARUM
The Calla Lily is a common name for a lily of the genus Zantedeschia. There is a lily genus called Calla, but the Calla Lily isn’t in it. Now that, that is confusing …

28. Nav. noncom CPO
A Chief Petty Officer (CPO) is a non-commissioned officer in the Navy and Coast Guard. The “Petty” is derived from the French word “petit” meaning “small”.

29. Right triangle part: Abbr. HYP
The hypotenuse is the longest side of a right-angled triangle.

38. Adidas competitor AVIA
The Avia brand name for athletic shoes was chosen as “avia” is the Latin word for “to fly”, and suggests the concept of aviation. Avia was founded in Oregon in 1979.

The brand name Adidas dates back to when Adolf “Adi” Dassler started making his own sports shoes in his mother’s laundry room in Bavaria after returning from WWI. With his brother, Adi founded Dassler shoes. The companies big break came in 1936 at the Berlin Olympics, when Adi persuaded American sprinter Jesse Owens to use his shoes, and with the success of Jesse Owens came success for the fledgling shoe company. After WWII the brothers split, acrimoniously. Adi’s brother, Ru-dolf Da-ssler, formed “Ruda” shoes (later to become Puma), and Adi Das-sler formed “Adidas”.

41. Text-scanning technology, briefly OCR
Optical character recognition (OCR) is the conversion of scanned typewritten text into digital text. Basically OCR is turning a photograph into text document.

44. Sky, to Sarkozy CIEL
Nicolas Sarkozy was President of France from 2007 to 2012. Sarkozy’s wife is perhaps as famous as the President himself. He married the singer-songwriter Carla Bruni at the Élysée Palace in 2008.

48. GM navigation system ONSTAR
The OnStar system was developed as a joint venture between GM, EDS and Hughes. The product itself was launched in 1996. Today, OnStar is only available on GM cars, although it used to be offered on other makes of car through a licensing agreement. OnStar is a subscription service that packages vehicle security, telephone, satellite navigation and remote diagnostics.

52. City near Lake Biwa KYOTO
Lake Biwa is in Japan, located northeast of the city of Kyoto. It is the largest freshwater lake in the whole country.

57. PSAT takers JRS
Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT)

58. Luau entertainment feature UKE
The ukulele (“uke”) originated in the 1800s and mimicked a small guitar brought to the Hawaiian Islands by Portuguese immigrants.

60. Some Bronx lines ELS
“Els” are elevated trains.

The New York City borough known as the Bronx takes its name from the Bronx River that runs through it. The river was named after Jonas Bronck, an early immigrant to the Dutch colony of New Netherland. Bronck’s farm gave rise to the name “Broncksland” and “Bronck’s River”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. “Good one!” HAHA!
5. See 55-Across PAUL
9. Lexicographer’s concern USAGE
14. Dutch export EDAM
15. Big Apple sch. CCNY
16. Procreates SIRES
17. Monk’s wear ROBE
18. With 56-Across, memorable snack food slogan … or a hint to what’s hidden at the end of 24-, 32-, 40- and 50-Across BETCHA CAN’T
20. Company name tag? INC
22. Glass on a radio IRA
23. Symbol of industry BEE
24. Source of much government history NATIONAL ARCHIVE (giving “chives”)
30. Campaign staple ORATION
31. Surveillance device SPY CAM
32. Tax-exempt outlet DUTY-FREE SHOP (giving “hops”)
35. Crash site initials EMS
36. Eggs that may be served with grits ROE
37. Roadside purchase GAS
40. Theme of many a ballad ROMANTIC LOVE (giving “cloves”)
46. 1980s Mets relief star Jesse OROSCO
49. Like some elephants ASIATIC
50. Warning to a would-be rebel DON’T ROCK THE BOAT (giving “oats”)
53. Souse’s woe DTS
54. A little light RAY
55. With 5-Across, musician for whom a classic Gibson guitar model is named LES
56. See 18-Across EAT JUST ONE
61. Bound LEAP
64. Desolate STARK
65. Series curtailer ET AL
66. They lack pelvic fins EELS
67. Short and sweet TERSE
68. Deprives (of) ROBS
69. June observance D-DAY

Down
1. Start of some royal titles HER
2. Flap ADO
3. Rainforests, for many HABITATS
4. Hotel pool, say AMENITY
5. Banned chem. pollutant PCB
6. More than just pass ACE
7. No later than UNTIL
8. Wet suit material LYCRA
9. “Covert Affairs” airer USA
10. [Not my typo] SIC
11. Like some numerals ARABIC
12. YMCA world headquarters city GENEVA
13. Value ESTEEM
19. Desolate HARSH
21. Do COIF
24. Bump on a branch NODE
25. Calla lily family ARUM
26. Logical connector NOR
27. End of __ AN ERA
28. Nav. noncom CPO
29. Right triangle part: Abbr. HYP
33. Quite a stretch EON
34. Ripped into SET AT
37. Deteriorate GO TO SEED
38. Adidas competitor AVIA
39. Religious faction SECT
40. Queue after Q RST
41. Text-scanning technology, briefly OCR
42. Secures, in a way MOORS
43. Native suffix -ISH
44. Sky, to Sarkozy CIEL
45. Called LABELED
46. Most unusual ODDEST
47. Perform a pirouette, say ROTATE
48. GM navigation system ONSTAR
51. Supply with a spread CATER
52. City near Lake Biwa KYOTO
57. PSAT takers JRS
58. Luau entertainment feature UKE
59. Pinch NAB
60. Some Bronx lines ELS
62. Like A LA
63. Would-be social worker’s maj. PSY

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