Day: September 26, 2014

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Hamlet, for one DANE
The full title of William Shakespeare’s play that we tend to call “Hamlet” is “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”. It is the most performed of all Shakespeare’s plays and it is also his longest, comprising a full five acts.

5. Happy hour sandwich SLIDER
Sliders are small hamburgers. One suggestion is that the “slider” originated in the US Navy, with the name being a reference to greasy hamburgers sliding back and forth across the grill as a ship pitches and rolls. More recently, the slider became associated with the White Castle fast food chain of restaurants. White Castle introduced the “Slyder” in 1985.

11. Modern film effects, briefly CGI
Computer-generated imagery (CGI)

15. Roman board game similar to modern backgammon TABULA
Tabula is a dice game that was played in Ancient Rome that appears to be very similar to backgammon, and so is thought to be the modern game’s ancestor. A text that dates back to about 600 AD tells us that tabula was invented by a Greek soldier called Alea.

16. Cartoon Chihuahua REN
“The Ren and Stimpy Show” is an animated television show that ran on Nickelodeon from 1991 to 1996. The title characters are Marland “Ren” Höek, a scrawny Chihuahua, and Stimpson J. Cat, a rotund Manx cat. Not my cup of tea …

17. Seriously uncool dairy product? NON-PHAT MILK (sounds like “non-fat milk”)
In hip-hop circles, the term “phat” means excellent or first-rate.

20. 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.

21. Sitcom world ORK
“Mork & Mindy” was broadcast from 1978 to 1982. We were first introduced to Mork (played by Robin Williams, of course) in a special episode of “Happy Days”. The particular episode in question has a bizarre storyline culminating in Fonzie and Mork having a thumb-to-finger duel. Eventually Richie wakes up in bed, and alien Mork was just part of a dream! Oh, and “Nanu Nanu” means both “hello” and “goodbye” back on the planet Ork. “I am Mork from Ork, Nanu Nanu”. Great stuff …

22. Nail polish brand ESSIE
Essie Cosmetics is a company that was founded by Essie Weingarten, and which is now owned by L’Oreal. Apparently, Queen Elizabeth II will only wear Essie’s Ballet Slippers color nail polish. Well, that’s what Wikipedia claims …

24. Enjoy a TV psychologist? HAVE ONE’S PHIL (sounds like “have one’s fill”)
Dr. Phil (McGraw) met Oprah Winfrey when he was hired to work with her as a legal consultant during the Amarillo Texas beef trial (when the industry sued Oprah for libel over “Mad Cow Disease” statements). Oprah was impressed with Dr. Phil and invited him onto her show, and we haven’t stopped seeing him since …

31. Renée’s “Chicago” role ROXIE
The wonderful 1975 musical “Chicago” is based on a 1926 play of the same name written by a news reporter called Maurine Dallas Watkins. Watkins had been assigned to cover the murder trials of Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner for the “Chicago Tribune”, and used the story that unfolded as the basis for her play. Annan became the character Roxie Hart, and Gaertner became Velma Kelly. I’ve only ever seen the movie version of “Chicago” and never a live performance …

Renée Zellweger’s big break came in the 1996 movie “Jerry Maguire”. A few years later she followed that up with a string of successes in “Bridget Jones Diary” (2001), “Chicago” (2002) and “Cold Mountain” (2003). My wife and I love watching her play Bridget Jones, and as someone coming from the British Isles I have to say she does a remarkable job with the accent. She worked hard to perfect that accent, and of course she had a voice coach. She also went “undercover” and worked as a temp in an office for three weeks fine-tuning her skills.

32. Pulitzer author McMurtry LARRY
The author Larry McMurtry’s most famous novels are 1975’s “Terms of Endearment” and 1985’s “Lonesome Dove”, for which he won a Pulitzer. McMurtry also co-wrote the adapted screenplay for 2005’s “Brokeback Mountain”, which is based on a short story by Annie Proulx.

37. Boom, e.g. SPAR
On a sailboat, the boom is the spar that runs along the bottom of a sail.

41. Mad Max or Dirty Harry ANTIHERO
An “antihero”, perhaps in a movie or novel, is the “hero” of the piece, but someone who doesn’t exhibit the qualities associated traditionally with a hero. An antihero might not be brave and courageous, or might like moral fortitude or nobility of mind and spirit. Examples might be Severus Snape in the “Harry Potter” series of children’s novels, Gordon Gecko in the “Wall Street” movies and Jack Bauer on the TV show “24”.

“Mad Max” is a series of Australian movies starring Mel Gibson in the title role. Well, Gibson played the lead in the first three films and Tom Hardy plays Max in the fourth movie, which is currently in production. Apparently “Mad Max 5” is also in the works.

“Dirty” Harry Callahan was the protagonist in a series of five movies starring Clint Eastwood:

– “Dirty Harry” (1971)
– “Magnum Force” (1973)
– “The Enforcer” (1976)
– “Sudden Impact” (1983)
– “The Dead Pool” (1988)

44. Serape wearer SENOR
“Serape” is the English pronunciation and spelling of the Spanish word “zarape”. A zarape is like a Mexican poncho, a soft woolen blanket with a hole in the middle for the head. Most serapes have colorful designs that use traditional Mayan motifs.

46. Followers’ flowers? PHLOX OF SHEEP (sounds like “flocks of sheep”)
Phlox is a genus of flowering plants found mainly in North America. A common name for the plant is Jacob’s Ladder.

50. Isabella, por ejemplo REINA
In Spanish, a queen (reina) was Isabella, for example (por ejemplo).

Queen Isabella I of Castile was recognized as a formidable sovereign, and was perceived as a joint ruler with her husband, King Ferdinand II of Aragon. The pair united their two kingdoms in a move that heralded the unification of Spain.

51. Teacup feature EAR
Apparently the handle of a teacup can be referred to as its “ear”.

52. These, to Thierry CES
“Thierry” is a French boy’s name.

55. WWII battle site, for short IWO
Iwo Jima is a volcanic island located south of Tokyo that today is uninhabited. There were about a thousand Japanese civilians living on the island prior to WWII. In 1944, there was a massive influx of Japanese military personnel in anticipation of the inevitable US invasion. As the Japanese military moved in, the civilians were forced out and no one has lived there since.

56. Sign on a hacker’s door? GONE PHISHIN’ (sounds like “gone fishin’”)
Phishing is the name given to the online practice of stealing usernames, passwords and credit card details by creating a site that deceptively looks reliable and trustworthy. Phishers often send out safe-looking emails or instant messages that direct someone to an equally safe-looking website where the person might inadvertently enter sensitive information. “Phishing” is a play on the word “fishing”, as in “fishing for passwords, PIN numbers etc.”

61. “__ and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”: ’70s best-seller ZEN
“Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” is a 1974 book by Robert M. Pirsig. The book features many philosophical discussions that take place as the author travels with his son by motorcycle from Minnesota to Northern California. Pirsig’s original manuscript was rejected 121 times by publishers prior to being accepted, which is a record for a subsequent bestseller according to the “Guinness Book of Records”.

62. Code of silence OMERTA
Omertà is a code of honor in southern Italian society. The term has been adopted by the Mafia to mean a code of silence designed to prevent a Mafioso from becoming an informer. For example, the famous Joe Valachi was someone who broke the code of silence in 1963, informing on the New York Mafia. Valachi’s story was told in the movie “The Valachi Papers”, with Charles Bronson playing the lead.

64. Masthead VIPs EDS
The masthead is a list often found on the editorial page of a newspaper that gives the members of a newspaper’s editorial board.

65. Response to constant carping NAG NAG!
The word “carp” used to mean simply “talk” back in the 13th century, with its roots in the Old Norwegian “karpa” meaning “to brag”. A century later the Latin word “carpere” meaning “to slander” influenced the use of “carp” so that it came to mean “find fault with”.

66. Last little bit DREG
The “dregs” of a liquid are the sediment, what’s left behind after pouring. We also use the term figuratively to describe the least valuable part of anything.

Down
3. The Darlings’ dog NANA
In J.M. Barrie’s play and novel about Peter Pan, Peter takes takes the Wendy Darling and her two brothers on adventures on the island of Neverland. Back in the real world, the Darling children are taken care of by a nanny, a Newfoundland dog called Nana. It is Nana who takes Peter Pan’s shadow away from him as he tries to escape from the Darling house one night.

4. Alleged ability ESP
Extrasensory perception (ESP)

6. Traditional Hanukkah serving LATKE
A latke is a delicious potato pancake (I’m Irish … so anything made with potato is delicious!).

The term “Hanukkah” derives from the Hebrew for “to dedicate”. Hanukkah is a holiday lasting eight days that commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple of Jerusalem after successful Jewish revolt against the Seleucids in the 2nd-century BCE. The story of Hanukkah includes the miracle of the one-day supply of oil actually kept the menorah alight for eight days.

7. “THINK” sloganeer IBM
IBM was founded as the Tabulating Machine Company in 1896. The company changed its name to the Computing Tabulating Recording Corporation (CTR) in 1911 and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1916. The name of International Business Machines (IBM) was given first to the company’s Canadian subsidiary, and then its South American subsidiary. In 1924, it was decided to adopt the International Business Machines name for the whole company. Good choice …

8. Issue of MADD DUI
In some states, there is no longer a legal difference between a DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) and a DUI (Driving Under the Influence). Other states retain that difference, so that by definition a DUI is a lesser offence than a DWI.

Candice Lightner lost her 13-year-old child to a drunk driver in 1980. Soon after, Lightner formed the group Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

12. Bottled spirits GENII
“Genii” is an accepted plural of two related words: “genius” and “genie”.

The “genie” in the bottle takes his or her name from “djinn”. “Djinns” were various spirits considered lesser than angels, with people exhibiting unsavory characteristics said to be possessed by djinn. When the book “The Thousand and One Nights” was translated into French, the word “djinn” was transformed into the existing word “génie”, because of the similarity in sound and the related spiritual meaning. This “génie” from the Arabian tale became confused with the Latin-derived “genius”, a guardian spirit thought to be assigned to each person at birth. Purely as a result of that mistranslation the word genie has come to mean the “djinn” that pops out of the bottle. A little hard to follow, I know, but still quite interesting …

13. Big name in chips INTEL
Intel is the world’s largest manufacturer of semiconductor chips. The company was founded in 1968, and the name “Intel” is a derived from the term “int(egrated) el(ectronics)”. Recognition of the Intel brand has been greatly helped by the success of the “Intel Inside” campaign that started back in 1991.

18. Composer Carmichael HOAGY
Hoagy Carmichael’s was born Hoagland Howard Carmichael. Carmichael’s remarkable first name was given to him in honor of a circus troupe called “The Hoaglands” who stayed at the Carmichael house during his mother’s pregnancy. Now that, that’s a story …

24. Indiana player HARRISON
“Raiders of the Lost Ark” is, in my humble opinion, the best of the Indiana Jones franchise of movies. This first Indiana Jones film was released in 1981, produced by George Lucas and directed by Steven Spielberg. Harrison Ford was Spielberg’s first choice to play the lead, but Lucas resisted as he was concerned that he would be too closely associated with the actor (as Ford played Han Solo in “Star Wars”, and also appeared in Lucas’s “American Graffiti”). Tom Selleck was offered the role but couldn’t get out of his commitments to “Magnum, P.I.” Eventually Spielberg got his way, and that was a good thing I’d say …

26. Iditarod terminus NOME
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race covers a massive 1,161 miles, from Anchorage to Nome in Alaska. The race starts every year on the first Saturday in March, with the first race having been held in 1973. The fastest finishing time was set in 2002 at just under 9 days. The first few races only used a northern route, but then a southern route was added to the roster every second year. It’s kind of a good thing, because when the racers take the northern route they don’t even pass through the town of Iditarod!

27. Marked, as a ballot EXED
Today a “ballot” is a piece of paper used to cast a vote. Back in the 1500s, a “ballot” was a small “ball” used in the process of voting.

28. “Sing it, Sam” speaker ILSA
The movie “Casablanca” was released in January of 1943, timed to coincide with the Casablanca Conference, the high-level meeting between Roosevelt and Churchill. The film wasn’t a box-office hit, but gained critical acclaim, winning three Oscars including Best Picture. The signature song “As Time Goes By” was written many years earlier for a 1931 Broadway musical called “Everybody’s Welcome”, and was a hit in 1931 for Rudy Vallee. But today we all remember the Casablanca version, sung by Dooley Wilson (who played “Sam” in the film). Poor Dooley didn’t get to record it as a single, due to a musician’s strike in 1943, so the 1931 Rudy Vallee version was re-released that year and became an even bigger hit second time round.

There is a famous exchange in the movie “Casablanca” that results in the piano player Sam singing “As Time Goes By”.

Ilsa: Play it once, Sam. For old times’ sake.
Sam: I don’t know what you mean, Miss Ilsa.
Ilsa: Play it, Sam. Play “As Time Goes By.”
Sam: Oh, I can’t remember it, Miss Ilsa. I’m a little rusty on it.
Ilsa: I’ll hum it for you. Da-dy-da-dy-da-dum, da-dy-da-dee-da-dum…
Ilsa: Sing it, Sam.

An equally famous exchange takes place a little later in the film, resulting in a reprise of the song:

Rick: You know what I want to hear.
Sam: No, I don’t.
Rick: You played it for her, you can play it for me!
Sam: Well, I don’t think I can remember…
Rick: If she can stand it, I can! Play it!
Great stuff!

30. Q.E.D. word ERAT
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”.

34. Carriage MIEN
One’s “mien” is one’s bearing or manner. “Mien” shares the same etymological root as our word “demeanor”.

35. Nouveau-Mexique, e.g. ETAT
In French, New Mexico (Le Nouveau-Mexique) is a state (état).

36. Head of the Untouchables NESS
Eliot Ness was the Treasury agent charged with the task of bringing down the notorious Chicago gangster Al Capone. When Ness took on the job in 1930, Chicago law-enforcement agents were renowned for being corrupt, for being on the take. Ness handpicked 50 prohibition agents who he thought he could rely on, later reducing the group to a cadre of 15 and ultimately just 11 trusted men. That group of 11 earned the nickname “The Untouchables”, the agents who couldn’t be bought.

38. Sonoma prefix OENO-
In Greek mythology, Oeno was the goddess of wine, giving us “oeno-” as a prefix meaning “wine”. For example, oenology is the study of wine and an oenophile is a wine-lover.

Did you know that there are far more wine grapes produced in Sonoma than Napa? Within Sonoma County some of the more well-known appellations are Chalk Hill, Anderson Valley and Russian River Valley. Personally, when I want to visit the wine country, I head for the Russian River Valley as it’s far less crowded and much more fun than Napa Valley.

39. TA’s boss PROF
A university professor (prof) often has a teaching assistant (TA).

42. Honeycomb cell shape HEXAGON
Honey bees create a structure within their nests called a honeycomb that is used to contain their larvae and also to store honey and pollen. The honeycomb comprises hexagonal cells made from wax.

43. Development sites UTERI
The Latin “uterus” (plural “uteri”) translates as both “womb” and “belly”. The Latin word was derived from the Greek “hystera” also meaning womb, which gives us the words “hysterectomy”, and “hysterical”.

45. Witch who was a Popeye nemesis SEA HAG
The Sea Hag is Popeye’s archenemy, sailing the seas with her pet vulture Bernard, on her boat called “The Black Barnacle”.

48. Community service club, with “the” LIONS
Lions Club International is an organization focused on the promotion of understanding across political and sectarian lines and on the support of charitable entities. Lions Club was founded in 1917 in Chicago by businessman Melvin Jones. Lions Clubs are open to adult male members, but Lioness Clubs are open to adult females and Leo Clubs are open to younger members.

49. Penta- plus two HEPTA-
The prefixes “hept-” and “sept-” both mean “seven”. The difference is that the former is Greek and the later Latin. “Hept-” is added to roots of Greek origin, and “sept-” to roots of Latin origin e.g. heptagon and September.

52. “Believe” singer CHER
When Cher recorded the 1998 song “Believe”, the audio engineers routinely corrected the sound of Cher’s voice to ensure that all notes were sung with perfect pitch (all singers “cheat”, it seems!). The software that does this pitch correction is called “Auto-Tune”. Then, for a bit of fun, the same engineers played with the Auto-Tune software and created a special effect in her voice that she so liked it was left in the final release. You can easily detect the strange effect if you listen to the song. The process is now called the “Cher Effect” and is used by other artists in their recordings.

53. Cork setting EIRE
County Cork in is in the southwest of Ireland, and takes its name from Cork, the country’s “second city”. County Cork has many claims to fame. For example, it is home to Cobh, the port where many emigrants set off to the US, Canada and Australia. Nearby is the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Crosshaven, the oldest yacht club in the world (founded in 1720). And Cobh was the last port of call for the Titanic on its fateful crossing of the Atlantic.

54. Kiss and cuddle, in Kent SNOG
“Snogging” is British slang of unknown origin that dates back to the end of WWII. The term is used for “kissing and cuddling”, what we call “making out” over here in the US.

Kent is a county in the southeast of England. Kent is a little unusual in that it shares a “land” border with France. That border nominally exists halfway through the Channel Tunnel, one end of which comes to surface in the Kent port of Folkestone.

57. Medical suffix -OMA
In the world of medicine, the suffix -oma is used to denote a swelling or a tumor. For example, a lipoma is a benign fatty tumor.

58. Pic source NEG
One might generate a picture (pic) from a negative (neg).

59. Northwest end? -ERN
Northwestern

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Hamlet, for one DANE
5. Happy hour sandwich SLIDER
11. Modern film effects, briefly CGI
14. Troubled cry ALAS!
15. Roman board game similar to modern backgammon TABULA
16. Cartoon Chihuahua REN
17. Seriously uncool dairy product? NON-PHAT MILK (sounds like “non-fat milk”)
19. Farm resident ANT
20. Mauna __ KEA
21. Sitcom world ORK
22. Nail polish brand ESSIE
24. Enjoy a TV psychologist? HAVE ONE’S PHIL (sounds like “have one’s fill”)
28. Long cold spell ICE AGE
31. Renée’s “Chicago” role ROXIE
32. Pulitzer author McMurtry LARRY
33. Church cry AMEN AMEN!
37. Boom, e.g. SPAR
38. Chose, with “for” OPTED
40. Flier on the beach KITE
41. Mad Max or Dirty Harry ANTIHERO
43. “__ directed” USE AS
44. Serape wearer SENOR
45. They may be pulled STUNTS
46. Followers’ flowers? PHLOX OF SHEEP (sounds like “flocks of sheep”)
50. Isabella, por ejemplo REINA
51. Teacup feature EAR
52. These, to Thierry CES
55. WWII battle site, for short IWO
56. Sign on a hacker’s door? GONE PHISHIN’ (sounds like “gone fishin’”)
61. “__ and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”: ’70s best-seller ZEN
62. Code of silence OMERTA
63. Sleekly designed AERO
64. Masthead VIPs EDS
65. Response to constant carping NAG NAG!
66. Last little bit DREG

Down
1. Dungeonlike DANK
2. Natural heartburn remedy, some say ALOE
3. The Darlings’ dog NANA
4. Alleged ability ESP
5. Feel a strong need (for) STARVE
6. Traditional Hanukkah serving LATKE
7. “THINK” sloganeer IBM
8. Issue of MADD DUI
9. Addition, perhaps ELL
10. Collects a lot of, as chips RAKES IN
11. Attend uninvited CRASH
12. Bottled spirits GENII
13. Big name in chips INTEL
18. Composer Carmichael HOAGY
23. Doesn’t remain silent SPEAKS UP
24. Indiana player HARRISON
25. They provide addresses ORATORS
26. Iditarod terminus NOME
27. Marked, as a ballot EXED
28. “Sing it, Sam” speaker ILSA
29. Skip on the sea CAP’N
30. Q.E.D. word ERAT
34. Carriage MIEN
35. Nouveau-Mexique, e.g. ETAT
36. Head of the Untouchables NESS
38. Sonoma prefix OENO-
39. TA’s boss PROF
42. Honeycomb cell shape HEXAGON
43. Development sites UTERI
45. Witch who was a Popeye nemesis SEA HAG
46. Cherish PRIZE
47. Cut down HEWED
48. Community service club, with “the” LIONS
49. Penta plus two HEPTA-
52. “Believe” singer CHER
53. Cork setting EIRE
54. Kiss and cuddle, in Kent SNOG
57. Medical suffix -OMA
58. Pic source NEG
59. Northwest end? -ERN
60. Blue SAD

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