Day: September 5, 2014

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
9. Savors, with “in” BASKS
Our verb “to bask”, meaning “to expose one to pleasant warmth”, is derived from the gruesome 14th-century term “basken”, meaning “to wallow in blood”. The contemporary usage apparently originated with Shakespeare, who employed “bask” with reference to sunshine in “As You Like It”.

15. Hwy. paralleling I-95 US-ONE
US Route 1 runs from Fort Kent in Maine right down to Key West in Florida.

I-95 runs from down the East Coast of the US from northern New England to southern Florida. Although it is one of the oldest interstates in the country, it isn’t complete. There is a section of the route in Pennsylvania and New Jersey that is served instead by the New Jersey Turnpike. The current plan is to “finish off” I-95 in that area in 2018.

16. Exceptional practical joke? GREAT JAPE (from “great ape”)
“To jape” means “to joke or quip”. The exact origins of “jape” are unclear, but it does seem to come from Old French. In the mid-1600’s “to jape” was a slang term meaning “to have sex with”. No joke!

The hominids are the great apes, and belong to the family of primates called Hominidae. Extant genera that make up the family Hominidae are:

– chimpanzees
– gorillas
– humans
– orangutans

17. Wrist brand TIMEX
The Timex Group, the manufacturer of watches, evolved from the Waterbury Clock Company that was founded in 1854 in Waterbury, Connecticut. The company achieved tremendous success in the early sixties largely due to an innovative marketing campaign. Advertisements featured the memorable tagline “Timex – Takes a licking and keeps on ticking”. In 1962, one out of every three watches sold in the US was a Timex.

18. Condos, to the management UNITS
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).

19. Arrest readings: Abbr. RTS
Rights (rts.)

21. Lunch spot DELI
The word “delicatessen” (or “deli” for short) came into English from the German “Delikatessen”. The Germans borrowed the word from French, in which language “délicatesse” means “delicious things (to eat)”. The term’s ultimate root is “delicatus”, the Latin for “giving pleasure, delightful”.

22. Michelangelo’s “David,” e.g. NUDE
When Michelangelo’s famous statue of David was unveiled in 1504, it was at a time when the city-state of the Florentine Republic was threatened by rival states (including Rome). The statue depicts David after he has decided to fight Goliath, and the subject is sporting what is described as a “warning glare”. David was originally placed outside the Palazzo della Signoria, the seat of government in Florence, and that warning glare was directed very deliberately in the direction of its enemy, Rome. The original statue of David can be seen in the Accademia Gallery in Florence, where it has resided since 1873. There is a replica of the statue in its original location in the public square outside of the Palazzo della Signoria.

23. What bearded men get in blizzards? SNOWY JOWLS (from “snowy owls”)
The term “jowl” can be used for the jaw or the cheek, and more specifically for a fold of flesh hanging from the jaw.

The snowy owl (also “snow owl”) is such a beautiful-looking creature, I think. The snowy owl has plumage that is thick and white making it well-adapted for life north of the Arctic Circle.

27. Band from Birmingham, Eng. ELO
The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) is a symphonic rock group from Birmingham in the English Midlands. The band’s manager was Don Arden, father of Sharon Osbourne (wife of Ozzy).

Birmingham is the second-most populous city in the UK, after London. It is located in the West Midlands of England, and was originally a market town. Birmingham grew in size dramatically during the Industrial Revolution, and was once known as the first manufacturing town in the world. The city takes its name from the Beormingas, an Anglian tribe that settled the area in the 6th or 7th century. Birmingham’s nickname is “Brum”, and natives of the city are called “Brummies”.

29. Distressed, with “up” HET
Someone who is “het up” is “heated up, angry”.

30. Cast aspersions SNIPE
“To snipe” is to attack with snide criticism, especially from a safe distance. This usage of the term is an extension of the older meaning, to take a shot from a hidden position (as in “sniper”). Such a shot was originally taken when hunting the game birds called “snipes”.

32. Plenty SCADS
The origin of the word “scads”, meaning “lots and lots”, is unclear, although back in the mid-1800s “scads” was used to mean “dollars”.

34. Short hike for a beginner? MAIDEN JAUNT (from “maiden aunt”)
A “jaunt” is a short pleasure trip, although back in the 1500s the word described a tiresome journey. Back then, one would “jaunt” a horse, meaning that one tired it out by riding it back and forth.

37. Goodman’s forte SWING
Clarinetist and bandleader Benny Goodman was known as the King of Swing.

39. Prepare for a siege DIG IN
Our word “siege” comes from a 13th century word for a “seat”. The military usage derives from the concept of a besieging force “sitting down” outside a fortress until it falls.

40. “Voices Carry” pop group ‘__ Tuesday TIL
‘Til Tuesday was a New Wave band from Boston that performed and recorded from 1982 to 1988. Aimee Mann got her start with “Til Tuesday, as bass player and vocalist. The band’s best-known song is the hit “Voices Carry”, released in 1985.

41. 1964 Nobelist’s monogram MLK
Martin Luther King, Jr. was only 35 years old when he won the Nobel Peace Prize, making him the youngest person to be so honored. King was given the award for his work to end racial segregation and discrimination using non-violent means. The following year he was awarded the American Liberties Medallion by the American Jewish Community.

45. Discreet email letters BCC
A blind carbon copy (bcc) is a copy of a document or message that is sent to someone without other recipients of the message knowing about that extra copy.

48. Jack’s friend resting on the hill? JILL AT EASE (from “ill at ease”)
The “Jack and Jill” nursery rhyme dates back at least to the 1700s:

Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.

52. 1975 Pure Prairie League hit AMIE
Pure Prairie League (PPL) is a country-rock band from Waverly, Ohio. The band takes its name from a fictional temperance union that was featured in the 1939 Western movie “Dodge City” starring Errol Flynn.

54. “A Few Good Men” playwright Sorkin AARON
The wonderful screenwriter Aaron Sorkin got his big break when his stage play “A Few Good Men” was picked up by a Hollywood producer. Since then Sorkin has written great films including “The American President”, “The Social Network”, “Charlie Wilson’s War”, “Moneyball” and the excellent “The West Wing” television series. There is a new television show of his showing on HBO these days that is getting good reviews called “The Newsroom”.

57. Pretentious showoffs, or, another way, what one would do to create 16-, 23-, 34- and 48-Across POPINJAYS
Back in the 12th century a “popinjay” was a colorful parrot. By the 14th century the word was being applied to people who were considered beautiful, but by the mid-16th century the term applied to people who were vain and talkative.

Down
2. Iroquois League tribe ONEIDA
The Oneida people originally lived in the area that is now Central New York. The Oneida were one of the five founding nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, also known as the Five Nations or Iroquois League (i.e. the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and Seneca).

5. NBA legend, familiarly DR J
Julius Erving is a retired professional basketball player who was known as “Dr. J”, a nickname he picked up in high school. Dr. J was a trailblazer in many ways, being the first player associated with slam dunking and other moves above the rim.

6. Org. that regulates vaccines FDA
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

8. Damaging combination ONE-TWO
A one-two punch combination might do a little damage.

12. Rang tragically KNELLED
The word “knell” is used for a solemn ring from a bell, often associated with death or a funeral. “Knell” comes the Old English “cnell” and is probably imitative in origin, sounding like a peal from a large bell.

20. Barrett of Pink Floyd SYD
Syd Barrett was the lead singer and a founding member of the English rock band Pink Floyd. Barrett was only active as a musician for just over ten years. He retired from the music scene in 1975 and spent the next 30 years living off Pink Floyd royalties until he passed away in 2006.

Pink Floyd were an English rock band founded in 1965. The band’s most famous albums were probably “The Dark Side of the Moon” and “The Wall”.

25. Pope Francis, e.g. JESUIT
Saint Ignatius of Loyola (also known as Inigo Lopez de Loyola) was a Spanish knight from a noble family in the Basque region of Spain. He left behind his easy life to became a hermit and a priest, and eventually founded the Society of Jesus (The Jesuit order of the Roman Catholic church).

Pope Francis was elected on 13 March 2013 as the 266th Bishop of Rome and leader of the Roman Catholic church. The new pope is famously taking a much simpler and more modest approach to the office, as he did with his life back in Argentina. Francis is the first pope since 1903 not to reside in the papal residence, choosing to live instead in the less lavish Vatican guesthouse.

27. Brain teaser ENIGMA
Our term “enigma” meaning “puzzle, riddle” comes from the Greek “ainigma”, which means the same thing.

30. __ Jose SAN
Seeing as there is no accent over the letter E, my guess is that this clue refers to the city of San Jose, California.

San Jose is the third-largest city in California and is located at the heart of Silicon Valley. The city was founded by the Spanish in 1777 and named El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe. Under Spanish and Mexican rule, the territory of Alta California had its capital in Monterey. When California was made a US state, San Jose was named as the first capital, in 1850. Subsequently, the state legislature met in Vallejo in 1852, Benicia in 1853, and finally settled in Sacramento.

31. Word with living or bitter END
The phrase “living end” is a colloquialism, as in “you are the living end!” meaning “you are so outrageous!”

The “bitter end” is a conclusion of a difficult situation. The phrase is nautical in origin. “Bitts” are pairs of posts on the deck of a ship or on a wharf around which mooring lines are wound to secure a vessel. The “bitter end” of a cable or rope is the part at the extremes of the line that is wound around the bitts.

33. “The Situation Room” airer CNN
“The Situation Room” is a CNN news show aired in the afternoons, and hosted by Wolf Blitzer. I’m not a big fan of the format, to be honest …

34. Top designer? MILLINER
A milliner is someone who makes, designs or sells hats. Back in the 1500s, the term described someone who sold hats made in Milan, Italy, hence the name “milliner”.

35. Reel relatives JIGS
Jigs and reels are types of folk dances.

36. Fever with chills AGUE
An ague is a fever, one usually associated with malaria.

37. Place in Monopoly’s orange monopoly ST JAMES
The street names in the US version of Monopoly are locations in or around Atlantic City, New Jersey (such as “St. James Place”).

38. Lower-cost Nintendo offering WII MINI
The Wii mini is smaller version of the incredibly successful Wii gaming console that was released in 2012.

42. Relative of Inc. LTD
In Britain and Ireland the most common type of business (my perception anyway) is one that has private shareholders whose liability is limited to the value of their investment. Such a company is known as a private limited company, and has the letters “Ltd” after the name. If the shares are publicly traded, then the company is a public limited company, and has the letters “plc” after the name.

A company that has incorporated uses the abbreviation “Inc.” after its name. By incorporating, a company forms a corporation, which is a legal entity that has legal rights similar to those of an individual. For example, a corporation can sue another corporation or individual. However, a corporation does not have all the rights of a citizen. A corporation does not have the Fifth Amendment right of protections against self-incrimination, for example. It is perhaps understandable that the concept of “corporations as persons” is a frequent subject for debate.

46. Was too sweet CLOYED
“To cloy” is to cause distaste by oversupplying something that would otherwise be pleasant, especially something with a sweet taste.

47. Pen occupants CONS
Convicts (cons) are found occupying the penitentiary (pen).

“Pen” is a slang term for “penitentiary”. Back in the early 1400s, a penitentiary was a place to do “penance”, a place of punishment for offences against the church.

50. Reprimand ending A NO-NO
That would be a no-no …

51. Hindustan ruler RAJAH
“Raja” (also “rajah”) is word derived from Sanskrit that is used particularly in India for a monarch or princely ruler. The female form is “rani” (also “ranee”) and is used for a raja’s wife.

“Hindustan” is a historical name for the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent. The name translates as “Land of the Hindus”. I am told by a kind blog reader that the term “Hindustan” is frowned on by some inIndia because of its religious connotation.

56. Numbers for songs?: Abbr. SYN
The word “numbers” is a synonym (syn.) for the word “songs”.

58. Kung __ chicken PAO
Sichuan (also Szechuan) is a province in southwest China. Sichuan is noted for its cuisine, which is hot and spicy as it uses plenty of garlic, chili peppers and the Sichuan peppercorn. A famous Szechuan dish in the US is Kung Pao chicken.

59. Alcatraz, e.g.: Abbr. ISL
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary was a maximum high-security prison operating from 1934 to 1963 on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. The US Army had opened Fort Alcatraz on the island back in 1859, and constructed the first prison there in 1868. The first buildings that were to become the Federal Penitentiary were erected between 1910 and 1912, and again were used as a military prison. The construction was modernized and became the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in 1934. The Federal prison housed famous inmates like Al Capone, The Birdman of Alcatraz and “Machine Gun” Kelly. The prison was closed in 1963 by Attorney General Robert Kennedy, as the cost of operation was excessively high and major capital improvements were needed.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. How an airport shuttle travels TO AND FRO
9. Savors, with “in” BASKS
14. Take a load off UNBURDEN
15. Hwy. paralleling I-95 US-ONE
16. Exceptional practical joke? GREAT JAPE (from “great ape”)
17. Wrist brand TIMEX
18. Condos, to the management UNITS
19. Arrest readings: Abbr. RTS
21. Lunch spot DELI
22. Michelangelo’s “David,” e.g. NUDE
23. What bearded men get in blizzards? SNOWY JOWLS (from “snowy owls”)
26. Place to luxuriate SPA
27. Band from Birmingham, Eng. ELO
28. Glorifying work ODE
29. Distressed, with “up” HET
30. Cast aspersions SNIPE
32. Plenty SCADS
34. Short hike for a beginner? MAIDEN JAUNT (from “maiden aunt”)
37. Goodman’s forte SWING
39. Prepare for a siege DIG IN
40. “Voices Carry” pop group ‘__ Tuesday TIL
41. 1964 Nobelist’s monogram MLK
44. Destroy, in a way GUT
45. Discreet email letters BCC
48. Jack’s friend resting on the hill? JILL AT EASE (from “ill at ease”)
51. Pull up stakes, briefly RELO
52. 1975 Pure Prairie League hit AMIE
53. Comfy room DEN
54. “A Few Good Men” playwright Sorkin AARON
55. Supply near the register MINTS
57. Pretentious showoffs, or, another way, what one would do to create 16-, 23-, 34- and 48-Across POPINJAYS
60. War need? ENEMY
61. Perturbed IN A STATE
62. Warning sound SIREN
63. Storage place TOOL SHED

Down
1. Appear TURN UP
2. Iroquois League tribe ONEIDA
3. Wane ABATE
4. “Shoot!” NUTS!
5. NBA legend, familiarly DR J
6. Org. that regulates vaccines FDA
7. Dupe REPRO
8. Damaging combination ONE-TWO
9. On the other hand BUT
10. “Just like me” AS I DO
11. To a degree SOMEWHAT
12. Rang tragically KNELLED
13. Some discriminators SEXISTS
16. Tries (for) GUNS
20. Barrett of Pink Floyd SYD
23. Lost one’s footing SLID
24. “Uh-uh” NOPE
25. Pope Francis, e.g. JESUIT
27. Brain teaser ENIGMA
30. __ Jose SAN
31. Word with living or bitter END
33. “The Situation Room” airer CNN
34. Top designer? MILLINER
35. Reel relatives JIGS
36. Fever with chills AGUE
37. Place in Monopoly’s orange monopoly ST JAMES
38. Lower-cost Nintendo offering WII MINI
42. Relative of Inc. LTD
43. “Consider that a gift” KEEP IT
45. Dress down BERATE
46. Was too sweet CLOYED
47. Pen occupants CONS
49. “I’ll take a shot” LET ME
50. Reprimand ending A NO-NO
51. Hindustan ruler RAJAH
54. Single-file travelers, at times ANTS
56. Numbers for songs?: Abbr. SYN
58. Kung __ chicken PAO
59. Alcatraz, e.g.: Abbr. ISL

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