Day: October 7, 2014

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. 18th Greek letter SIGMA
Sigma is the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, and is the one used for an “ess” sound, equivalent to our letter S. Sigma is used in mathematics to represent a summation, the adding together of a sequence of numbers.

6. Instagram account creator USER
Instagram is a photo-sharing application, one that is extremely popular I hear. Instagram was started in San Francisco in 2010. Facebook purchased Instagram two years later, paying $1 billion. The billion-dollar Instagram had just 13 employees at the time …

10. Gunpowder container KEG
Gunpowder is the earliest known explosive chemical. Also called “black powder”, it is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal and saltpeter (i.e. potassium nitrate). The saltpeter is a powerful oxidizing agent, providing the oxygen to burn the sulfur and charcoal, which acts as the fuel in the mixture. Gunpowder was invented by the chinese in 8th century.

14. Campus sports gp. NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) dates back to the Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. When his son broke his nose playing football at Harvard, President Roosevelt turned his attention to the number of serious injuries and even deaths occurring in college sports. He instigated meetings between the major educational institutions leading to the formation of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS) in 1906, which was given the remit of regulating college sports. The IAAUS became the NCAA in 1910.

16. Symbol of a good try E FOR EFFORT
Apparently the phrase “E for effort” originated as a WWII campaign in the US to help boost productivity in factories.

18. To be, to Cato ESSE
“Esse” is the Latin for “to be”. “Sum” means “I am” and “erat” means “he, she was”.

Cato the Elder was a Roman statesman, known historically as “the elder” in order to distinguish him from his great-grandson, Cato the Younger. Cato the Elder’s ultimate position within Roman society was that of Censor, making him responsible for maintaining the census, and for supervising public morality.

Cato the Younger was a politician in the late Roman Republic, noted for his moral integrity. He is also remembered for an extended conflict with Julius Caesar.

20. Place to apply gloss LIP
Lipsticks have a remarkably long list of ingredients. Die-hard vegans have to be careful in their choice of lipstick, as most contain beeswax. and the “shimmering” types often contain fish scales. Yuk …

26. Organ near the stomach SPLEEN
The spleen has a couple of functions in the human body. It removes old red blood cells, and recycles the iron contained therein. The waste product of this recycling is bile. It also holds a reserve of blood that can be released when necessary (if the body goes into “circulatory shock”). Greek and Roman physicians ascribed to the theory that the body had four basic substances, the so-called four humors. All diseases were caused by these four substances getting out of balance. The four humors were:

– Black bile (melancolia)
– Yellow bile (cholera)
– Phlegm (phlegma)
– Blood (sanguis)

Out terms “splenetic” and “venting one’s spleen” are derived from this concept of have the humors out of balance.

34. Ornamental pond fish KOI
Koi are also called Japanese carp. Koi have been bred for decorative purposes and there are now some very brightly colored examples found in Japanese water gardens.

35. JFK postings ARRS
The Idlewild Golf Course was taken over by the city of New York in 1943 and construction started on a new airport to serve the metropolis and relieve congestion at La Guardia. The Idlewild name still persists, even though the airport was named after Major General Alexander E. Anderson from the first days of the project. When the facility started operating in 1948 it was known as New York International Airport, Anderson Field. It was renamed to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in 1963, one month after the President was assassinated.

39. Christmas tree FIR
The custom of decorating trees at Christmas seems to have originated in Renaissance Germany. Those first trees were placed in guildhalls and were decorated with sweets and candy for the apprentices and children. After the Protestant Reformation, the Christmas tree became an alternative in Protestant homes for the Roman Catholic Christmas cribs. The Christmas tree tradition was imported into Britain by the royal family because of its German heritage. That tradition spread from Britain into North America.

44. Persian Gulf ships OILERS
An “oiler” is an oil tanker, an ocean-going vessel used to transport crude oil.

The Persian Gulf is in effect an inland sea although it technically is an offshoot of the Indian Ocean. The outlet from the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean is one of the most famous maritime “choke points” in the world: the Strait of Hormuz. About 20% of the world’s supply of petroleum passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

45. “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” author DH LAWRENCE
“Lady Chatterley’s Lover” is perhaps the most famous novel by the English author D. H. Lawrence. The novel is renowned for its explicit description of sexual encounters and its use of strong language. “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” was first published in 1928, but so “edgy” was the content that the first unexpurgated edition wasn’t published in the UK until 1960.

50. Before, to Frost ERE
The wonderful poet Robert Frost was a native of San Francisco, but lived most of life in New England. He also spent a few years in England, just before WWI. Frost was well recognized for his work during his lifetime, and received four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry.

55. Bee flat? HIVE
“Flat” is a word more commonly used in the British Isles than here. A flat is basically an apartment or condominium. The word “flat” is Scottish in origin, in which language it meant a “floor in a house”.

56. Noted O.J. Simpson attorney F LEE BAILEY
F. Lee Bailey is a former criminal attorney whose name has name has been associated with many high-profile cases. Bailey was one of the attorneys who defended O. J. Simpson, and so a member of the so called “Dream Team”.

After having been acquitted of the murder of his wife and Ronald Goldman, O.J. Simpson wrote a book called “If I Did It”, a “hypothetical” description of the murders. Publication of the book was cancelled due to public outrage at the prospect of Simpson making money from the crime for which he was widely perceived as having committed. After Simpson was held financially liable for the murders in a civil trial, the rights to the book were transferred to the Goldman family. The Goldmans changed the book’s title to “If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer”, and then published. The Goldman version had a cover with the word “If” in very small letters, so the title seems to read “I Did It”.

60. Bartlett cousin BOSC
Bosc is a cultivar of the European Pear grown in the northwest of the United States. The Bosc is that pear with a skin the color of a potato, with a long neck. I always seem to use the potato as my point of reference. How Irish am I …?

The Bartlett is the most commonly grown pear outside of Asia, a cultivar of the European pear. Back in the UK, where the Bartlett originated, it is called a Williams Pear, or more completely a Williams’ Bon Chretien (Williams’ good Christian). Several Williams trees were imported to the US in 1799 and planted in Massachusetts. The land on which the trees were planted was eventually bought by one Enoch Bartlett, and he started to distribute the pears and basically introduced the variety to the US. He didn’t know that the pears were called Williams, so he named them after himself!

64. Tractor maker DEERE
John Deere invented the first commercially successful steel plow in 1837. Prior to Deere’s invention, farmers used an iron or wooden plow that constantly had to be cleaned as rich soil stuck to its surfaces. The cast-steel plow was revolutionary as its smooth sides solved the problem of “stickiness”.

Down
2. Data INFO
Our word “data” (singular “datum”) comes from the Latin “datum” meaning “given”. The idea is that data are “things given”.

3. Classic Pontiacs GTOS
The Pontiac GTO was was produced by GM from 1964 to 1974, and again by a GM subsidiary in Australia from 2004 to 2006. The original GTO’s design is credited to Pontiac chief engineer at the time John DeLorean, who later was found the DeLorean Motor Company.

4. “Won’t you be my neighbor?” TV host MR ROGERS
The “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” TV show starred Fred Rogers. It was the second longest running series on PBS television after that other iconic children’s show “Sesame Street”.

10. Musical inspired by “The Taming of the Shrew” KISS ME, KATE
“Kiss Me, Kate” is a musical written by Cole Porter first produced on Broadway in 1948. Cole Porter had a string of successes in the twenties and thirties including “Gay Divorce” and “Anything Goes”, but he found his career in decline in the forties. “Kiss Me, Kate” proved to be a dramatic come back, and was the only one of his shows that ran for more than 1,000 performances on Broadway.

William Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew” is about a courting couple. The male is Petruchio, a gentleman of Verona, and the female is Katharina, the so-called “shrew”. As the play progresses, the “shrew” is “tamed” and becomes an “obedient” bride … a controversial storyline in the contemporary world, to say the least. Regardless, modern adaptations have been made, including 1948’s Broadway musical “Kiss Me Kate” and the 1999 romantic comedy “10 Things I Hate About You”.

23. Legal matter RES
“Res” is the Latin for “thing”. “Res” is used in a lot of phrases in the law.

24. God, in Grenoble DIEU
Grenoble is a city at the edge of the French Alps. Grenoble hosted the 1968 Winter Olympic Games.

28. “Seinfeld” co-creator LARRY DAVID
Larry David was one of the creators of the sitcom “Seinfeld”, and was a co-writer of many of the episodes. David also stars in the HBO comedy “Curb Your Enthusiasm”.

33. Progressive Insurance spokeswoman FLO
Flo is a perky character featured in ads for Progressive Insurance. Flo is played by comedienne and actress Stephanie Courtney.

36. “Dracula” star Lugosi BELA
Bela Lugosi was a Hungarian stage and screen actor, best known for playing the title role in the 1931 film “Dracula” and for playing the same role on Broadway. Lugosi found himself typecast for the rest of his career and almost always played the role of the villain, often in horror movies. When he passed away in 1956, his wife had him buried in the costume he wore playing Count Dracula on Broadway.

38. Christmas season YULETIDE
“Yule” celebrations coincide with Christmas, and the words “Christmas” and “Yule” have become synonymous in much of the world. However, Yule was originally a pagan festival celebrated by Germanic peoples. The name “Yule” comes from the Old Norse word “jol” that was used to describe the festival.

46. Pee Wee in Brooklyn REESE
Pee Wee Reese was a shortstop who played his professional career with the Brooklyn and LA Dodgers. Reese is remembered not only for his skill on the field, but for his very visible support for teammate Jackie Robinson, who famously struggled to be accepted as the first African American player in the majors.

48. “Pygmalion” playwright SHAW
George Bernard Shaw’s play “Pygmalion” was adapted by Lerner and Loewe to become the Broadway musical “My Fair Lady”. The musical spun off the wonderful 1964 film of the same name, starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison.

49. Radial __ TIRE
Radial tires (actually “radial-ply tires) are so called because the cord plies embedded in the rubber are arranged radially from the centre of the tire. This means that the plies are at right angles to the direction of travel. In older tires the plies were criss-crossed over each other, at angles of 60 and -60 degrees from the direction of travel. Such tires are called “cross-ply” or “bias” tires.

52. Out of the wind ALEE
“Alee” is the direction away from the wind. If a sailor points into the wind, he or she is pointing “aweather”.

53. Goneril’s father LEAR
“King Lear” is one of William Shakespeare’s tragedies. Lear’s three daughters figure prominently in the storyline. The three are, in order of age:

– Goneril
– Regan
– Cordelia

54. Country singer Lovett LYLE
As well as being famous in his own right as a successful country singer, Lyle Lovett is known for his marriage to the actress Julia Roberts in 1993. The pair had a whirlwind romance lasting just three weeks before they eloped and were wed. The marriage was also relatively whirlwind, lasting less than two years.

56. Source of DVD warnings FBI
“The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by fines and federal imprisonment.”

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. 18th Greek letter SIGMA
6. Instagram account creator USER
10. Gunpowder container KEG
13. Contest submission ENTRY
14. Campus sports gp. NCAA
15. Call, retro-style DIAL
16. Symbol of a good try E FOR EFFORT
18. To be, to Cato ESSE
19. Just okay SO-SO
20. Place to apply gloss LIP
21. Use unwisely, as time WASTE
22. Movie for all G-RATED FILM
26. Organ near the stomach SPLEEN
29. Playground threat I’LL TELL!
32. Rips TEARS
33. Clash of clans FEUD
34. Ornamental pond fish KOI
35. JFK postings ARRS
36. Straight-A student’s bane B-PLUS
38. Show sleepiness YAWN
39. Christmas tree FIR
40. Follow one’s new job, in Realtor-speak RELO
41. Private student TUTEE
42. Go up alone FLY SOLO
44. Persian Gulf ships OILERS
45. “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” author DH LAWRENCE
48. Gaze intently STARE
50. Before, to Frost ERE
51. Like skyscrapers TALL
55. Bee flat? HIVE
56. Noted O.J. Simpson attorney F LEE BAILEY
59. Bone-dry ARID
60. Bartlett cousin BOSC
61. Like the man of one’s dreams IDEAL
62. Marry WED
63. ”Yeah, sure!” I BET!
64. Tractor maker DEERE

Down
1. Goes out with SEES
2. Data INFO
3. Classic Pontiacs GTOS
4. “Won’t you be my neighbor?” TV host MR ROGERS
5. Nautical consent AYE
6. Not up to the job UNFIT
7. Check (out) SCOPE
8. Musical skill EAR
9. Singer in an interrogation room? RAT
10. Musical inspired by “The Taming of the Shrew” KISS ME, KATE
11. Fort Worth-to-Dallas direction EAST
12. Merriment GLEE
15. Passed out cards DEALT
17. Caramel-topped custard dessert FLAN
21. Like some very bad pitches WILD
23. Legal matter RES
24. God, in Grenoble DIEU
25. Reasons for school absences FLUS
26. Sheet music quintet, and with 31-Down, what the first letters of 16-, 22-, 36-, 45- and 56-Across represent STAFF
27. Danger PERIL
28. “Seinfeld” co-creator LARRY DAVID
30. Farther down LOWER
31. See 26-Down LINES
33. Progressive Insurance spokeswoman FLO
36. “Dracula” star Lugosi BELA
37. Furrow the fields PLOW
38. Christmas season YULETIDE
40. Part on stage ROLE
41. Muscle spasm TIC
43. Destroy, as files SHRED
44. Premium plane seat, usually ONE-B
46. Pee Wee in Brooklyn REESE
47. Upright ERECT
48. “Pygmalion” playwright SHAW
49. Radial __ TIRE
52. Out of the wind ALEE
53. Goneril’s father LEAR
54. Country singer Lovett LYLE
56. Source of DVD warnings FBI
57. Easy throw LOB
58. Help out AID

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