Day: August 8, 2014

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Type type PICA
A pica is a unit of measure used in typography. One pica is equivalent to 1/6 of an inch. Each pica unit contains 12 “points”.

5. He was originally called Dippy Dawg GOOFY
The Disney character Goofy first appeared as Dippy Dawg in 1932. Goofy became famous for his “How to …” series of cartoons in the 1940s which dealt with everything from snow skiing to sleeping, and from football to riding a horse. Goofy’s last theatrical appearance was in a 2007 work called “How to Hook Up Your Home Theater”.

10. Plastic option VISA
Did you know that Visa doesn’t issue any credit cards? Visa just sells the electronic systems and infrastructure to banks who then put the Visa logo on their own cards so that both the customer and merchant know to use the VISA system when making a transaction.

14. Doofus BOOB
“Doofus” (also “dufus”) is student slang that has been around since the sixties. Apparently the word is a variant of the equally unattractive term “doo-doo”.

15. Navel observation INNIE
A person’s navel might be an “innie” or an “outie”.

16. Turow book set at Harvard ONE L
“One L” is a name used in general for first year law students.

Scott Turow is an author and lawyer from Chicago. Turow has had several bestselling novels including “Presumed Innocent”, “The Burden of Proof” and “Reversible Errors”, all three of which were made into films. He also wrote the autobiographical book “One L: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School”.

17. Oversized European import? JUMBO JETTA (from “jumbo jet”)
James Anthony Bailey collaborated with P. T. Barnum to establish Barnum and Bailey’s Circus. It was Bailey who negotiated the deal to buy a famous elephant from London Zoo in 1882, the one called “Jumbo”. It was the exposure that Jumbo got in the circus that brought into common usage our term “jumbo” meaning “huge”.

The name Jetta is one in a series of names related to winds that has been used by Volkswagen. Jetta comes from the German for “jet stream””, and the model name Passat comes from the German for “trade wind”.

19. Other, in Oaxaca OTRO
Oaxaca is a state in the southern part of Mexico on the Pacific coast. The state takes the name of Oaxaca, its largest city.

20. Half a sci-fi name ARTOO
Artoo’s proper name is R2-D2. R2-D2 is the smaller of the two famous droids from the “Star Wars” movies. British actor Kenny Baker, who stands just 3 ft 8 ins tall, has been the man inside the R2-D2 droid for all six of the “Star Wars” movies.

25. Summer known for kitchen supplies? TEFLON DONNA (from “Teflon Don”)
Teflon is a brand name for the polymer called PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene). Teflon is used as a coating for nonstick pans, a lubricant in machinery and as a graft material in surgery.

Donna Summer is known as “The Queen of Disco”, with great hits like “Love to Love You, Baby”, “I Feel Love” and “Hot Stuff”. In the late sixties and early seventies, LaDonna Gaines (her real name) lived and worked in Germany. There she met and married an Austrian actor called Helmuth Sommer. They divorced not long after the marriage, but Donna kept his family name, just changing the “o” to “u” to give her the stage name of “Donna Summer”.

John Gotti was the boss of the Gambino crime family from 1985. Gotti was known as the Teflon Don and took over leadership of the family from Paul Castellano when he was gunned down, allegedly on Gotti’s orders. Gotti remained head of the New York family until he was sentenced to life in prison in 1992. Gotti died of throat cancer after ten years behind bars.

35. In development, as software BETA
In the world of software development, the first tested issue of a new program is usually called the “alpha” version. Expected to have a lot of bugs that need to be fixed, the alpha release is usually distributed to a small number of testers. After reported bugs have been eliminated, the refined version is called a “beta” and is released to a wider audience, but with the program clearly labeled as “beta”. The users generally check functionality and report further bugs that are encountered. The beta version feeds into a release candidate, the version that is tested just prior to the software being sold into the market, bug-free. Yeah, right …

37. Be nostalgic for old Nordic currency? MISS THE MARKKA (from “miss the mark”)
The markka was the currency of Finland that was used until it was replaced by the euro in 2002. The markka was introduced by the Finns in 1860 to replace the Russian ruble.

42. Cath. honorific MSGR
“Monsignor” (Msgr.) is a form of address used when speaking to some high ranking members of the Roman Catholic Church. The word “monsignor” comes from the Italian “monsignore” which in turn comes from the French “mon seigneur” meaning “my lord”.

45. Pal of Picasso AMIGO
The artist Pablo Picasso’s full name was Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso, a name he was given right from birth. Got that?

51. Classic name in shoes MCAN
Thom McAn footwear was introduced in 1922 by the Melville Corporation (now CVS Caremark). The brand was named after a Scottish golfer called Thomas McCann. The Thom McAn line is epitomized by the comfortable leather casual and dress shoe, so sales have really been hurt in recent decades by the growing popularity of sneakers.

52. Poignant game show personality? MOVING VANNA (from “moving van”)
Vanna White is the lady who turns the letters on the “Wheel of Fortune” game show. White is big into knitting and crochet, and has her own line of yarns called “Vanna’s Choice”.

56. Sunflower St. school KSU
Kansas State University (KSU) was founded as the Kansas State Agricultural College in 1863 during the Civil War. The main KSU campus is located in Manhattan, Kansas.

The official nickname of Kansas is the Sunflower State. One of Kansas’s major crops is the sunflower. The sunflower is the state symbol, and Mount Sunflower is the highest point in Kansas.

57. Lake Victoria country UGANDA
Uganda is a landlocked county in East Africa lying just to the west of Kenya. Uganda was ruled by the British as a protectorate from 1894 and gained independence in 1962. Uganda is very much associated with the tyrannical rule of Idi Amin in the 1970s.

Lake Victoria is the largest area lake on the continent of Africa. It was named by English explorer John Hanning Speke in honor of Queen Victoria of the UK. Speke was the first European to set eyes on the lake.

58. Tapenade ingredient OLIVE
Tapenade is traditionally made from olives, capers, anchovies and olive oil. The name comes from the Provençal word for capers, “tapenas”.

61. Expert on Icelandic sagas? MISTER EDDA (from “Mister Ed”)
The Poetic Edda and Prose Edda are two ancient works that are the source for much of Norse mythology. Both Eddas were written in the 13th century, in Iceland.

“Mister Ed” first aired in 1961 and ran for almost five years. It was a very successful show (and even made it to Ireland!). Mister Ed, the talking horse, was a palomino that had the real name of Bamboo Harvester. Mister Ed’s “voice” was that of actor Allan “Rocky” Lane, a star of a lot of B-movie westerns from the forties and fifties. In the show, Mister Ed would only talk to the lead (human) character Wilbur, played by Alan Young, leading to some hilarious situations. Mister Ed had a stunt double and stand-in for the show, another horse called Pumpkin. Pumpkin later played the horse that made frequent appearances on the show “Green Acres”.

66. “A Shot in the Dark” actress Sommer ELKE
Elke Sommer is a German-born actress who was at the height of her success on the silver screen in the sixties. Sommer won a Golden Globe as Most Promising Newcomer Actress for her role opposite Paul Newman in 1964’s “The Prize”. She also sings and has released several albums. Now Sommer focuses on painting, producing artwork that is strongly influenced by the work of Marc Chagall.

“A Shot in the Dark” is the second of “The Pink Panther”series, released in 1964. The main character is Inspector Jacques Clouseau, played brilliantly by Peter Sellers. This one is a lot of fun …

69. Winter Palace resident TSAR
The Winter Palace is a magnificent building in St. Petersburg in Russia, home to the Russian tsars (and tsarinas). The Winter Palace houses the famous Hermitage Museum. I was lucky enough to visit the Palace and museum some years ago, and I have to say that I have rarely been more impressed by a historical building.

Down
1. Lunchbox staple, casually PBJ
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich (PB&J or PBJ)

3. Gymnast with five Olympic golds COMANECI
Nadia Comaneci won three golds in the 1976 Summer Olympics and was the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of a ten in the gymnastics competition. Comaneci published a book called “Letters to a Young Gymnast” in 2003, and now lives in the United States.

4. E.g., e.g. ABBR
The Latin “exempli gratia” means “for the sake of example”, and isa phrase we often use in English. “Exempli gratia” is almost always shortened to “e.g.”

5. Boy toy GI JOE
G.I. Joe was the original “action figure”, the first toy to carry that description. G.I. Joe first hit the shelves in 1964. There have been a few movies based on the G.I. Joe figure, but, more famous than all of them I would say is the 1997 movie “G.I. Jane” starring Demi Moore in the title role. I think this movie had some potential, to be honest, but it really did not deliver in the end.

6. Unrepeated event, in England ONE-OFF
I learn something new every day. Apparently the adjective “one-off”, meaning “unrepeated”, is used more on the other side of the Atlantic. I use it all the time. It’s not a one-off thing with me …

7. Mich. neighbor ONT
The Canadian province of Ontario takes its name from the Great Lake. In turn, Lake Ontario’s name is thought to be derived from “Ontari:io”, a Huron word meaning “great lake”. Ontario is home to the nation’s capital of Ottawa as well as Toronto, Canada’s most populous city (and the capital of the province).

10. Gris-gris wearer’s practice VOODOO
Voodoo is a religion that originated in the French slave colony of Saint-Domingue on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola.

13. Baseball family name ALOMAR
Sandy Alomar, Jr. is a professional baseball player from a famous baseballing family. His father is former major leaguer Sandy Alomar, Sr. and his brother is former second baseman Roberto Alomar.

18. Giant star OTT
At 5′ 9″, Mel Ott weighed just 170 lb (I don’t think he took steroids!) and yet he was the first National League player to hit over 500 home runs. Sadly, the former New York Giants star died in a car accident in New Orleans in 1958 when he was only 49 years old.

22. Composer Grieg EDVARD
Edvard Grieg is Norway’s best known composer, active in the Romantic Era. Grieg’s most famous works are the gorgeous “Piano Concerto in A minor:”, and his incidental music for the play “Peer Gynt” by Henrik Ibsen.

26. Country settled by freed American slaves LIBERIA
Liberia is a country in West Africa. The country was founded in 1847 by former American slaves who were repatriated to Africa. As a result, the Liberian flag resembles the US flag, and the country’s motto is “The love of liberty brought us here”.

27. Home of Utah Valley University OREM
Orem, Utah was originally known as “Sharon” (a Biblical name), then “Provo Bench”, and in 1914 it was given the family name of a local railroad operator called “Orem”. Orem gave itself the nickname “Family City USA” and sure enough in 2010, “Forbes” rated Orem the 5th best place in the country to raise a family.

33. Performing siblings’ surname OSMOND
The Osmond Brothers were performing at Disneyland in the early sixties when they were spotted by Andy Williams’ father. He was so impressed by their performance that he told Andy to book them on his TV show, after which they became regulars from 1962-69.

34. ACLU concerns RTS
Rights (rts.)

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has its roots in the First World War when it was founded to provide legal advice and support to conscientious objectors.

36. __ chi TAI
More properly called tai chi chuan, tai chi is a martial art mostly practiced to improve overall health and increase longevity.

38. “Curb Appeal” network HGTV
HGTV first went on air in 1994, as the “Home, Lawn and Garden Channel”. The name was shortened (the lawn was dropped) soon after, but nowadays it’s just known as HGTV.

39. Airline to Amsterdam KLM
The acronym KLM stands for “Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij”, which translates from Dutch as “Royal Aviation Company”. KLM is the flag carrier for the Netherlands, and is the oldest airline in the world still operating with its original name. It was founded in 1919. KLM merged with Air France in 2004.

Schiphol is the main airport in the Netherlands, located in Amsterdam. The airport is built on land reclaimed from a large lake which was notorious as a location where many ships foundered in violent storms. For this reason the area was given the nickname “Ship Hole”, or “Schiphol” in Dutch.

41. Santa __: West Coast winds ANAS
The Santa Ana winds are the very dry air currents that sweep offshore late in the year in Southern California. Because these air currents are so dry, they are noted for their influence over forest fires in the area, especially in the heat of the fall. The winds arise from a buildup of air pressure in the Great Basin that lies between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada. Under the right conditions, that air spills over the peaks of the Sierra Nevada and basically “falls” down the side of the Sierra range, heading for the ocean. As the air falls it becomes drier and heats up so that relative humidity can fall to below 10% by the time it hits the coast.

44. Horned grazer GNU
A gnu is also known as a wildebeest, and is an antelope native to Africa. “Wildebeest” is actually the Dutch word for “wild beast”.

45. Gris-gris, for one AMULET
Gris-gris are voodoo amulets that some believe protect the wearer from evil, and can even protect from pregnancy. Originating in Africa, a gris-gris is usually a small bag that is often inscribed with verse from the Quran. The bag contains small ritual objects.

46. Downhill challenges MOGULS
Moguls are the series of bumps in the surface of snow that arise naturally as a succession of skiers make turns on a slope.

47. Fashionista Trump IVANKA
Ivanka Trump is the daughter of Ivana and Donald Trump. Ivanka is an Executive Vice President in her father’s company and acts as a judge alongside the Donald on the TV show “The Apprentice”.

48. Turmeric relative GINGER
Turmeric is a plant in the ginger family that is native to southeast India. The rhizomes, modified underground stems, of turmeric are often boiled, dried and ground into the orange-yellow spice called turmeric. Turmeric is a common ingredient in curries, and also in mustard to which it imparts a yellow color.

50. Bills featuring Ben C-NOTES
Benjamin Franklin is featured on one side of the hundred-dollar bill, and Philadelphia’s Independence Hall on the other side. There is a famous “error” in the image of Independence Hall. If you look closely at the clock face at the top of the building you can see that the “four” is written in Roman numerals as “IV” as perhaps one might expect. However, on the actual clock on Independence Hall, the “four” is denoted by “IIII”.

53. Full extent GAMUT
In medieval times, the musical scale was denoted by the notes “ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la”. The term “gamma ut”, shortened to “gamut”, was used to describe the whole scale. By the 1620s, “gamut” was being used to mean the entire range of anything, the whole gamut.

54. Cards, e.g. NLERS
The St. Louis Cardinals were originally called the “Brown Stockings”, changing their name to the “Perfectos” in 1899. The new name obviously didn’t go down well with the locals, as the owners changed it one year later to the Cardinals.

59. Designer Wang VERA
Vera Wang’s first choice for a career was figure skating, but she failed to make the 1968 US Olympics team. She switched to the world of fashion, and is now famous for her designs of wedding dresses … but also costumes for figure skaters.

62. Neighbor of Leb. ISR
Israel (Isr.) is a neighbor of Lebanon (Leb.).

64. Part of a modern address DOT
Internet addresses (like NYTCrossword.com and LAXCrossword.com) are more correctly called Uniform Resource Locators (URLs).

URLs always included a “dot”, as in “dot com” or “dot gov”, for example.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Type type PICA
5. He was originally called Dippy Dawg GOOFY
10. Plastic option VISA
14. Doofus BOOB
15. Navel observation INNIE
16. Turow book set at Harvard ONE L
17. Oversized European import? JUMBO JETTA (from “jumbo jet”)
19. Other, in Oaxaca OTRO
20. Half a sci-fi name ARTOO
21. Cash in REDEEM
23. “Wow!” MAN!
25. Summer known for kitchen supplies? TEFLON DONNA (from “Teflon Don”)
28. News __ ITEM
30. Christmas purchase FIR
31. Campaign target VOTER
32. Tamper with DOCTOR
35. In development, as software BETA
37. Be nostalgic for old Nordic currency? MISS THE MARKKA (from “miss the mark”)
42. Cath. honorific MSGR
43. Running without moving IDLING
45. Pal of Picasso AMIGO
49. Mannerism TIC
51. Classic name in shoes MCAN
52. Poignant game show personality? MOVING VANNA (from “moving van”)
56. Sunflower St. school KSU
57. Lake Victoria country UGANDA
58. Tapenade ingredient OLIVE
60. Breather LUNG
61. Expert on Icelandic sagas? MISTER EDDA (from “Mister Ed”)
66. “A Shot in the Dark” actress Sommer ELKE
67. Lead in the theater? USHER
68. Knee-slapper RIOT
69. Winter Palace resident TSAR
70. Head lock TRESS
71. Join the game ANTE

Down
1. Lunchbox staple, casually PBJ
2. Marker IOU
3. Gymnast with five Olympic golds COMANECI
4. E.g., e.g. ABBR
5. Boy toy GI JOE
6. Unrepeated event, in England ONE-OFF
7. Mich. neighbor ONT
8. Qualified FIT
9. Long YEARN
10. Gris-gris wearer’s practice VOODOO
11. Aim INTENT
12. Composed SERENE
13. Baseball family name ALOMAR
18. Giant star OTT
22. Composer Grieg EDVARD
23. Season opener? MID-
24. Tiny bit ATOM
26. Country settled by freed American slaves LIBERIA
27. Home of Utah Valley University OREM
29. High pts. MTS
33. Performing siblings’ surname OSMOND
34. ACLU concerns RTS
36. __ chi TAI
38. “Curb Appeal” network HGTV
39. Airline to Amsterdam KLM
40. Began to take effect KICKED IN
41. Santa __: West Coast winds ANAS
44. Horned grazer GNU
45. Gris-gris, for one AMULET
46. Downhill challenges MOGULS
47. Fashionista Trump IVANKA
48. Turmeric relative GINGER
50. Bills featuring Ben C-NOTES
53. Full extent GAMUT
54. Cards, e.g. NLERS
55. Broadcast AIR
59. Designer Wang VERA
62. Neighbor of Leb. ISR
63. Dam or madam SHE
64. Part of a modern address DOT
65. Had ATE

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