Day: August 25, 2014

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. “Around the World in 80 Days” navigator Phileas FOGG
“Around the World in 80 Days” is just a wonderful adventure story, written by French author Jules Verne and first published in 1873. There have been some great screen adaptations of the story, including the 1956 movie starring David Niven as Phileas Fogg. In almost all adaptations, a balloon is used for part of the journey, perhaps the most memorable means of transportation on Fogg’s trip around the world. However, if you read the book, Fogg never used a balloon at all.

5. Lou of soul music RAWLS
Lou Rawls was an American soul and blues singer known for his smooth vocal style. With his singing career well on the way, Rawls was asked to sing “The Star Spangled Banner” in 1977 at a Muhammad Ali fight in Madison Square Garden. This performance led to him being asked to sing the anthem many, many times in the coming years with his last rendition being at a World Series game in 2005. Rawls passed away in January of the following year.

10. Immediately, in memos ASAP
As soon as possible (ASAP)

14. Folk singer Guthrie ARLO
Arlo Guthrie is the son of Woody Guthrie. Both father and son are renowned for their singing of protest songs about social injustice. Arlo is most famous for his epic “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree”, a song that lasts a full 18m 34s. In the song Guthrie tells how, after being drafted, he was rejected for service in the Vietnam War based on his criminal record. He had only one incident on his public record, a Thanksgiving Day arrest for littering and being a public nuisance when he was 18-years-old.

20. Often sculpted anatomy parts TORSOS
“Torso” (plural “torsi” or “torsos”) is an Italian word meaning the “trunk of a statue”, a word that we imported into English.

21. Campus email suffix EDU
The .edu domain was one of the six original generic top-level domains specified. The complete original list is:

– .com (commercial enterprise)
– .net (entity involved in network infrastructure e.g. an ISP)
– .mil (US military)
– .org (not-for-profit organization)
– .gov (US federal government entity)
– .edu (college-level educational institution)

23. Logician’s abbr. QED
QED is used at the end of a mathematical proof or a philosophical argument. The QED acronym stands for the Latin “quod erat demonstrandum” meaning “that which was to be demonstrated”.

24. First African-American major-league coach Buck O’NEIL
Buck O’Neil was a first baseman and manager with the Kansas City Monarchs, a team in the Negro American League. In 1962, O’Neil made baseball history when he was named as the first African-American coach in Major League Baseball, for the Chicago Cubs.

25. Condé Nast fashion monthly GLAMOUR
The women’s monthly magazine “Glamour” was founded in 1939 as “Glamour of Hollywood”.

27. Pachyderm in stereotypical hallucinations PINK ELEPHANT
“To see pink elephants” is to hallucinate from drunkenness. The term was probably coined by author Jack London, as he wrote in his novel “John Barleycorn” in 1913:

… the man whom we all know, stupid, unimaginative, whose brain is bitten numbly by numb maggots; who walks generously with wide-spread, tentative legs, falls frequently in the gutter, and who sees, in the extremity of his ecstasy, blue mice and pink elephants. He is the type that gives rise to the jokes in the funny papers.

31. Yale student ELI
Eli is the nickname for a student or graduate of Yale University, a term used in honor of the Yale benefactor Elihu Yale.

35. Ravi Shankar’s instrument SITAR
Ravi Shankar was perhaps the most famous virtuoso (to us Westerners) from the world of Indian classical music, and was noted for his sitar playing. Also, Shankar was the father of the beautiful pop singer Norah Jones.

36. French peak MONT
“Mont” is the French for “mount”, and is in “Mont Everest”.

38. Volga region native TATAR
Tatars are an ethnic group of people, mainly residing in Russia (a population of about 5 1/2 million). One of the more famous people with a Tatar heritage was Hollywood actor Charles Bronson. Bronson’s real name was Charles Buchinsky.

42. Nickname for Wrigley Field hero Ernie Banks MR CUB
First baseman Ernie Banks was known as “Mr. Cub”, and played his entire 19-year professional career with the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs retired Banks’ uniform number 14 in 1982, making him the first Cubs player to be so honored.

44. Condo division UNIT
The words “condominium” and “apartment” tend to describe the one type of residential property, a private living space with facilities shared with others residing in the same building or complex. The difference is that a condominium is usually owned, and an apartment is rented. At least that’s how it is in the US. The word “condominium” comes from the Latin “com” (together) and “dominum” (right of ownership).

46. The Beatles’ “__ Jude” HEY
“Hey Jude” was originally a song called “Hey Jules”, written by Paul McCartney. He wrote the original song for John Lennon’s son Julian, in an attempt to comfort the boy during his parents’ divorce.

47. PDF file creation program ADOBE ACROBAT
Adobe Acrobat is the software used to create .pdf files. Most of us are more familiar with the associated application called Adobe Reader, because that’s what we use to read those .pdf files.

51. System for blind readers BRAILLE
The Braille system of reading and writing was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, who was himself afflicted with blindness. Braille characters are composed of six positions or dots, each arranged in two columns of three dots each. Every dot can be raised or not raised, given a total of 64 possible characters.

56. Leb. neighbor SYR
Lebanon (Leb.) is a neighbor of Syria (Syr.).

57. Actress Peeples NIA
Actress Nia Peeples played the character Nicole Chapman in the TV series “Fame”.

66. Vichyssoise veggie LEEK
Vichyssoise is a thick puréed potato soup that can be served hot, but is usually served cold. As well as potatoes, a classic vichyssoise contains leeks, onions, cream and chicken stock. Although the origin is disputed, it seems that the vichyssoise was invented in America, albeit by a French chef. That chef named his soup after the town of Vichy in France.

67. Pantry pests ANTS
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.

Down
1. Ex post __: retroactively FACTO
“Ex post facto” is a Latin term that we use in English to mean “subsequently, retrospectively”. A ex post facto law is one that retroactively changes the legal status of actions that were committed prior to the law being acted. The term “ex post facto” translates literally as “from after the action”.

2. Lightweight synthetic ORLON
Orlon is the brand name used by the DuPont Corporation for the acrylic fibers the company developed in 1941.

5. Giant birds of myth ROCS
The mythical roc is a huge bird of prey, reputedly able to carry off and eat elephants. The roc was said to come from the Indian subcontinent. The supposed existence of the roc was promulgated by Marco Polo in the accounts that he published of his travels through Asia.

6. Minor league rink org. AHL
The American Hockey League (AHL) is the so-called development circuit for the National Hockey League (NHL), the equivalent of the minors in professional baseball. The AHL’s playoff trophy is called the Calder Cup, which is named for Frank Calder who was the first president of the NHL.

7. St. in which most of Yellowstone is located WYO
Yellowstone National Park was the first National Park to be established in the world, when it was designated as such by President Grant in 1872. What a great tradition it started! The American National Parks truly are a treasure. The over two million acres of Yellowstone NP lie mostly in the state of Wyoming, but also extend into parts of Montana and Idaho.

8. Poet Amy LOWELL
Amy Lowell was an American poet, the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1926 for the collection of her poems called “What’s O’Clock”.

9. Cherry-topped treat SUNDAE
There’s a lot of speculation about how the dessert called a sundae got its name, but there seems to be agreement that it is an alteration of the word “Sunday”.

11. Bigfoot’s other name SASQUATCH
A yeti is a beast of legend, also called an abominable snowman. “Yeti” is a Tibetan term, and the beast is fabled to live in the Himalayan regions of Nepal and Tibet. Our equivalent legend in North America is that of Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch. The study of animals whose existence have not yet been substantiated is called cryptozoology.

25. Fist pump or high-five, e.g. GESTURE
The celebratory gesture that we call a “high-five” is said to have been invented by former baseball players Dusty Baker and Glenn Burke when they were both playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the later 1970s.

26. Cleveland’s state OHIO
Cleveland, Ohio was named after the man who led the team that surveyed the area prior to founding of the city. General Moses Cleaveland did his work in 1796 and then left Ohio, never to return again.

29. Mauna __ KEA
Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii, the peak of which is the highest point in the whole state. Mauna Kea is in effect the tip of a gigantic volcano rising up from the seabed.

31. Actress Stone of “The Help” EMMA
The actress Emma Stone really came to prominence with her performance in the 2010 high school movie called “Easy A”. My favorite film in which Stone appears is 2011’s “The Help”.

“The Help” is a 2009 novel by Kathryn Stockett and a drama film released in 2011. “The Help” tells of a young white woman in the South who writes a book about the racism faced by black housemaids in the early 1960s.

32. “She Walks in Beauty” poet LORD BYRON
George Gordon Byron, known simply as “Lord Byron”, was an English poet active in the early 1800s. Byron was equally as famous for his poetry as he was for the wild excesses in his personal life. Byron lived much of that life outside of England, and fought for revolutionaries in both Italy and Greece. He died from a fever contracted while fighting for the Greeks against the Ottomans.

“She Walks in Beauty” is one of the most famous poems written by Lord Byron. The poem is very descriptive of an elegant and beautiful woman. He wrote it the day after seeing his cousin, who was in mourning, walking by in a black dress set with spangles. The opening lines are:

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies

37. Brass band bass TUBA
The tuba is the lowest pitched of all the brass instruments, and one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra (usually there is just one tuba included in an orchestral line-up). “Tuba” is the Latin word for “trumpet, horn”. Oom-pah-pah …

39. 2014, por ejemplo ANO
In Spanish, the year (año) 2014, for example (por ejemplo).

40. “Spare” cut of meat RIB
Spare ribs are so called because “spare” can indicate the absence of fat.

43. ’60s hippie gathering BE-IN
Just before 1967’s “Summer of Love” in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, a Human Be-In was held in the city’s Golden Gate Park. The Be-In is described as a “happening”, a gathering triggered by a new state law banning the use of LSD. The term “Human Be-In” is a play on “humanist sit-in”.

48. “The Good Wife” attorney Florrick ALICIA
“The Good Wife” is a legal drama showing on CBS starring Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick, a litigator who returns to practicing the law after spending 13 years as a stay-at-home mom. I haven’t seen the show, but I hear good things …

50. Mexican food in a corn-husk wrap TAMALE
A tamale is a traditional dish from Central America composed of a starchy dough that is steamed or boiled in a wrapper made of leaves. The dough is called masa, and can include many different ingredients including meat, cheese fruit and vegetables.

53. Potato press RICER
A potato ricer is a kitchen tool used to force potato through small holes that are about the diameter of a grain of rice. It usually looks like a large garlic press.

56. Slugger Sammy SOSA
Sammy Sosa was firmly in the public eye in 1998 when he and Mark McGwire were vying to be the first to surpass the home run record held by Roger Maris. McGwire fell out of public favor due to stories of steroid abuse (stories which he later admitted were true) while Sosa fell out of favor when he was found to be using a corked bat in a 2003 game.

62. Cowboy Rogers ROY
Cowboy actor and singer Roy Rogers’ real name was Leonard Franklin Slye, and his nickname was “King of the Cowboys”. Roy Rogers married Dale Evans in 1947. Evans’ nickname was “Queen of the West”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. “Around the World in 80 Days” navigator Phileas FOGG
5. Lou of soul music RAWLS
10. Immediately, in memos ASAP
14. Folk singer Guthrie ARLO
15. “Such a tease!” OH YOU!
16. Lecture location HALL
17. Schoolroom cutup CLASS CLOWN
19. Concerning AS TO
20. Often sculpted anatomy parts TORSOS
21. Campus email suffix EDU
23. Logician’s abbr. QED
24. First African-American major-league coach Buck O’NEIL
25. Condé Nast fashion monthly GLAMOUR
27. Pachyderm in stereotypical hallucinations PINK ELEPHANT
31. Yale student ELI
34. Membership fees DUES
35. Ravi Shankar’s instrument SITAR
36. French peak MONT
38. Volga region native TATAR
41. Two times tetra- OCTA-
42. Nickname for Wrigley Field hero Ernie Banks MR CUB
44. Condo division UNIT
46. The Beatles’ “__ Jude” HEY
47. PDF file creation program ADOBE ACROBAT
51. System for blind readers BRAILLE
52. Peeled PARED
56. Leb. neighbor SYR
57. Actress Peeples NIA
58. “Marry me!” BE MINE!
59. Dunked cookie OREO
61. Performances in a big tent, where you’d see the ends of 17-, 27- and 47-Across CIRCUS ACTS
64. One often lost in the laundry SOCK
65. “That’s it for me” I’M OUT
66. Vichyssoise veggie LEEK
67. Pantry pests ANTS
68. So far AS YET
69. Misses the mark ERRS

Down
1. Ex post __: retroactively FACTO
2. Lightweight synthetic ORLON
3. Blinding light GLARE
4. Talk around the water cooler GOSSIP
5. Giant birds of myth ROCS
6. Minor league rink org. AHL
7. St. in which most of Yellowstone is located WYO
8. Poet Amy LOWELL
9. Cherry-topped treat SUNDAE
10. ”Now I get it!” AHA!
11. Bigfoot’s other name SASQUATCH
12. Take turns ALTERNATE
13. Walk heavily PLOD
18. State of matter SOLID
22. Calls the game UMPS
25. Fist pump or high-five, e.g. GESTURE
26. Cleveland’s state OHIO
28. Cashew or pecan NUT
29. Mauna __ KEA
30. Waiter’s carrier TRAY
31. Actress Stone of “The Help” EMMA
32. “She Walks in Beauty” poet LORD BYRON
33. Wrong INCORRECT
37. Brass band bass TUBA
39. 2014, por ejemplo ANO
40. “Spare” cut of meat RIB
43. ’60s hippie gathering BE-IN
45. VCR inserts TAPES
48. “The Good Wife” attorney Florrick ALICIA
49. Says assuredly CLAIMS
50. Mexican food in a corn-husk wrap TAMALE
53. Potato press RICER
54. “Come on in!” ENTER!
55. Many talk show hosts sit at them DESKS
56. Slugger Sammy SOSA
58. Cigar remains BUTT
60. Brief approvals OKS
62. Cowboy Rogers ROY
63. Signal to an actor CUE

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