Day: October 20, 2014

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
14. Cain’s victim ABEL
In the story of Cain and Abel in the Book of Genesis, Cain murders his brother Abel. Subsequently, God asks Cain, “Where is Abel thy brother?” Cain replies, “I know not. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

15. Lotion additive ALOE
Aloe vera has a number of alternate names that are descriptive of its efficacy as a medicine. These include the First Aid plant, Wand of Heaven, Silent Healer and Miracle Plant.

17. Ashram authority GURU
“Guru” is a Hindi word meaning “teacher” or “priest”.

“Ashram” is a Hindu term that traditionally describes a place of spiritual retreat, one that is typically located in a remote location conducive to spiritual instruction and meditation.

18. Agent Scully on “The X-Files” DANA
“The X-Files” is a very successful science fiction show that aired on the Fox network from 1993 to 2002. The stars of the show are David Duchovny (playing Fox Mulder) and the very talented Gillian Anderson (playing Dana Scully). By the time the series ended, “The X-Files” was the longest running sci-fi show in US broadcast history.

19. Rubber tree product used in paint LATEX
Latex is a naturally occurring polymer made by some plants, that can also be made synthetically. About one in ten of the flowering plants in the world make the milky fluid called latex. It serves as a defense against insects and is exuded when a plant is injured or attacked by insects. Latex is collected commercially and is the source of natural rubber, which can be used to make things such as gloves, condoms and balloons.

20. “What is our flatware made of, Lone Ranger?” STERLING, SILVER (the Lone Ranger rides Silver)
“The Lone Ranger” was both a radio and television show, dating back to its first radio performance in 1933 on a Detroit station. The line “Hi-yo, Silver! Away!” was a device used in the storyline to signal that a riding sequence was starting, so cue the music!

24. “Sonic the Hedgehog” developer SEGA
Sonic the Hedgehog is a title character in a videogame and the mascot of Sega the game developer. Sonic was set up as a rival to Nintendo’s mascot “Mario”.

28. Red, White or Black SEA
There are four seas named for colors in English: the Yellow Sea, the Black Sea, the Red Sea and the White Sea.

36. “What does it take to succeed in Hollywood, Tonto?” TALENT, SCOUT (Tonto rides Scout)
On the television version of “The Lone Ranger”, Tonto was played by the actor Jay Silverheels. Famously, the Lone Ranger’s horse was called Silver and Tonto’s mount was named Scout. But in the early shows, Tonto rode a horse called White Feller.

39. Quahog, for one CLAM
Quahog is another term for “hard clam”, the clam that is commonly harvested on the eastern shores of North America. The quahog may also be called the “chowder clam”. Hard clams are the largest of the clams commonly sold, with the cherrystone clams being a little smaller.

43. “What makes up my mane, Roy Rogers?” HAIR, TRIGGER (Roy Rogers rides Trigger)
Roy Rogers had a famous horse, a palomino named Trigger. When Rogers met up with Trigger, he was a “horse-for-rent” who appeared regularly in films. He was called Golden Cloud back then, and one of his roles was as the mount of Maid Marian, played by Olivia de Havilland, in “The Adventures of Robin Hood”. After Rogers rode Golden Cloud in his first major movie, he bought him and renamed him Trigger.

49. Meryl who played Julia Child STREEP
Meryl Streep has had more nominations for an Academy Award than any other actor, a tribute to her talent and the respect she has earned in the industry. I am not a huge fan of her earlier works but some of her recent movies are now on my list of all-time favorites. I recommend “Mamma Mia!” (you’ll either love it or hate it!), “Julie & Julia”, “It’s Complicated” and ”Hope Springs”.

Julia Child was of course the American chef who is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public. During WWII, Julia Child joined the OSS (the Office of Strategic Services), the predecessor to the CIA. She worked for the OSS in Washington, Ceylon and China. While in the OSS, she met her husband Paul Child who was also an OSS employee. Paul joined the Foreign Service after the war, and it was his posting to France that created the opportunity for Julie to learn about French cuisine. If you haven’t seen it, I highly, highly recommend the movie “Julie & Julia”, one of the best films of 2009. Meryl Streep does a fabulous job playing the larger-than-life Julia Child.

50. Nine-digit-number issuing org. SSA
Social Security Administration (SSA)

A Social Security number (SSN) is divided into three parts i.e AAA-GG-SSSS, Originally, the Area Number (AAA) was the code for the office that issued the card. Since 1973, the Area Number reflects the ZIP code from which the application was made. The GG in the SSN is the Group Number, and the SSSS in the number is the Serial Number. However, this is all moot, as since 2011 SSN’s are assigned randomly.

51. Bad-mouth DIS
“Dis” is a slang term meaning “insult” that originated in the eighties, and is a shortened form of “disrespect” or “dismiss”.

55. CBS forensic drama CSI
The “CSI” franchise of TV shows has been tremendously successful, but seems to be winding down. “CSI: Miami” (the “worst” of the franchise, I think) was cancelled in 2012 after ten seasons. “CSI: NY” (the “best” of the franchise) was cancelled in 2013 after nine seasons. The original “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”, set in Las Vegas, is still going strong and has been doing so since 2000.

57. Start of the “Mister Ed” theme song, and hint to who is asking 20-, 36- and 43-Across A HORSE IS A HORSE …

A horse is a horse, of course, of course,
And no one can talk to a horse of course
That is, of course, unless the horse is the famous Mr. Ed.

“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”.

64. North Carolina fort BRAGG
Fort Bragg in North Carolina is a very large Army installation that covers over 250 square miles. The base is named for General Braxton Bragg, the native North Carolinian who commanded the Confederate Army forces during the Civil War.

67. Quotable Yogi BERRA
Yogi Berra is regarded by many as the greatest catcher ever to play in Major League Baseball, and has to be America’s most celebrated “author” of malapropisms. Here are some greats:

– “It ain’t over till it’s over.”
– “90% of the game is half mental.”
– “Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.”
– (giving directions) “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
– “It’s déjà vu all over again.”
– “Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t go to yours.”
– “A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.”

68. “Canterbury” story TALE
Geoffrey Chaucer was an English author. He is often referred to as the father of English literature because he established vernacular English as a legitimate language for artistic works, as up to that point authors used French or Latin. Chaucer’s most famous work is actually unfinished, a collection of stories called “The Canterbury Tales”, all written at the end of the 14th century.

69. Eve’s mate ADAM
Eve is named as the wife of Adam in the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament. However, Adam’s wife is not specifically named in the Qur’an.

71. Google find SITE
Google is the most used search engine on the Internet. The Google site now receives over one billion queries every single day. Google.com is the most visited website on the Internet.

72. VAIO PC maker SONY
VAIO is a line of computers manufactured by Sony. The name was originally an acronym of Video Audio Integrated Operation, but this was changed to Visual Audio Intelligent Organizer on the occasion of the brand’s 10th anniversary in 2008.

Down
1. Sporty English autos JAGS
Jaguar started out as a manufacturer of sidecars for motorcycles back in 1922, when the company was known as the Swallow Sidecar Company (SS for short). The company changed its name to Jaguar after WWII, because of the unfortunate connotations of the letters “SS” in that era (i.e. the Nazi paramilitary organization).

6. __ Bator ULAN
The name “Ulan Bator” translates from Mongolian as “the Red Hero”, and is Mongolia’s capital city. The “Red Hero” name was chosen in honor of the country’s national hero, Damdin Sükhbaatar. Sükhbaatar fought alongside the Soviet Red Army in the fight for liberation from Chinese occupation.

9. Cents partner DOLLARS
The guilder was the currency used in the Netherlands until it was replaced by the euro at the start of 2002. One-and-a-half guilder used to be called a dalder (or thaler). It is “dalder/thaler” that gave us our word “dollar”.

10. One of five Norwegian kings OLAV
Of the many kings of Norway named Olaf/Olav (and there have been five), Olaf II is perhaps the most celebrated as he was canonized and made patron saint of the country. Olaf II was king from 1015 to 1028 and was known as “Olaf the Big” (or Olaf the Fat) during his reign. Today he is more commonly referred to as “Olaf the Holy”. After Olaf died he was given the title of Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae, which is Latin for “Norway’s Eternal King”.

13. Tyrannosaurus __ REX
The Tyrannosaurus rex (usually written T. rex) was a spectacular looking dinosaur. “Tyrannosaurus” comes from the Greek words “tyrannos” (tyrant) and “sauros” (lizard), and the “rex” is of course Latin for “king”. They were big boys, measuring 42 feet long and 13 feet tall at the hips, and weighing 7.5 tons.

21. ABC drama about a missing plane LOST
“Lost” is a science fiction drama that originally aired from 2004 to 2010. The show kicks off with a passenger airliner crashing a tropical island as it flies from Sydney bound for Los Angeles. I haven’t seen the show myself and hear that the intriguing plot didn’t really come to a satisfying conclusion. Others would disagree …

22. “__ Rhythm” I GOT
“I Got Rhythm” is a song composed by George and Ira Gershwin in 1930 for the musical “Girl Crazy”. The song was performed by Ethel Merman in the original production on Broadway. “I Got Rhythm” makes another appearance in a George Gershwin work, in the 1951 musical film “An American in Paris”. Gene Kelly sang the song in the movie, while tap-dancing.

25. Dials next to speedometers, for short TACHS
The tachometer takes its name from the Greek word “tachos” meaning “speed”. A tachometer measures engine revolutions per minute (rpm).

29. Jai __ ALAI
Even though jai alai is often said to be the fastest sport in the world because of the speed of the ball, in fact golf balls usually get going at a greater clip. Although, as a blog reader once pointed out to me, you don’t have to catch a golf ball …

31. Blackjack half ACE
The game of “twenty-one” was first referred to in a book by Cervantes, the author famous for writing “Don Quixote”. He called the game “ventiuna” (Spanish for “twenty-one”). Cervantes wrote his story just after the year 1600, so the game has been around at least since then. Twenty-one came to the US but it wasn’t all that popular so bonus payments were introduced to create more interest. One of the more attractive bonuses was a ten-to-one payout to a player who was dealt an ace of spades and a black jack. This bonus led to the game adopting the moniker “Blackjack”.

33. Designer Aldo GUCCI
Gucci was founded in Rome in 1921, by Guccio Gucci. Guccio’s son Aldo took over the company after his father’s death in 1953. It was Aldo who established the international presence for the brand and opened the company’s first overseas store, in New York City.

37. With 38-Down, yuletide quaffs EGG
38. See 37-Down NOGS
“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.

It’s not really clear where the term “nog” comes from although it might derive from the word “noggin”, which was originally a small wooden cup that was long associated with alcoholic drinks.

40. G.I. field ration MRE
The Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) comes in a lightweight package that’s easy to tote around. The MRE replaced the more cumbersome Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) in 1981, a meal-in-a-can. In turn, the MCI had replaced the C-ration in 1958, a less sophisticated meal-in-a-can with a more limited choice.

44. Riot squad’s supply TEAR GAS
The technical name for tear gas is a lachrymatory agent, meaning that it causes tearing (“lacrima” is the Latin for “tear”).

45. Readings on 25-Down: Abbr. RPMS
Revolutions per minute (rpm)

46. Bloodhound’s quarry ESCAPEE
Bloodhounds have an amazing sense of smell, and are particularly bred to track humans. Bloodhounds have been used to follow humans since the Middle Ages.

53. Orkin targets PESTS
Orkin is a pest-control company. If you want to learn more about insects, you might want to visit the O. Orkin Zoo, a permanent exhibit at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. The exhibit has over 300 live insects, all displayed in their natural habitats.

54. Mount in Exodus SINAI
According to the Bible, Mount Sinai is the mountain on which Moses was given the Ten Commandments. The Biblical Mount Sinai is probably not the mountain in Egypt that today has the same name, although this is the subject of much debate. The Egyptian Mount Sinai has two developed routes that one can take to reach the summit. The longer gentler climb takes about 2 1/2 hours, but there is also the steeper climb up the 3,750 “steps of penitence”.

56. Greek i’s IOTAS
Iota is the ninth letter in the Greek alphabet. We use the word “iota” to portray something very small as it is the smallest of all Greek letters.

62. Actor Connery SEAN
The actor Sean Connery is most famous for playing the original James Bond in the successful series of movies. Back in his native Scotland, Connery is very active in politics and is a member of the Scottish Nationalist Party. He actively campaigns for Scottish independence from Britain and has stated that he believes Scotland will achieve that goal within his own lifetime. He must be a little disappointed with the result of the recent referendum on the subject in Scotland …

63. Television award EMMY
The Emmy Awards are the television equivalent of the Oscars in the world of film, the Grammy Awards in music and the Tony Awards for the stage. Emmy Awards are presented throughout the year, depending on the sector of television being honored. The most famous of these ceremonies are the Primetime Emmy Awards and the Daytime Emmy Awards. The distinctive name of “Emmy” is a softened version of the word “immy”, the nickname given to the video camera tubes found in old television cameras.

64. “Doctor Who” network BBC
The iconic science-fiction television show “Doctor Who” was first aired in 1963, and relaunched in 2005 by the BBC. The relaunched series is produced in-house by the BBC in Cardiff in Wales, the location that is the setting of the successful “Doctor Who” spin-off called “Torchwood”. The new show is about the Cardiff branch of the Torchwood Institute which investigates incidents involving extraterrestrials.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Toast spreads JAMS
5. Head-and-shoulders statuette BUST
9. Charitable sort DONOR
14. Cain’s victim ABEL
15. Lotion additive ALOE
16. “Drab” color OLIVE
17. Ashram authority GURU
18. Agent Scully on “The X-Files” DANA
19. Rubber tree product used in paint LATEX
20. “What is our flatware made of, Lone Ranger?” STERLING, SILVER (the Lone Ranger rides Silver)
23. Pea container POD
24. “Sonic the Hedgehog” developer SEGA
25. NFL scores TDS
28. Red, White or Black SEA
30. Reddish-yellow ORANGE
35. Toward the ship’s rear AFT
36. “What does it take to succeed in Hollywood, Tonto?” TALENT, SCOUT (Tonto rides Scout)
39. Quahog, for one CLAM
41. In the past AGO
42. Write with acid ETCH
43. “What makes up my mane, Roy Rogers?” HAIR, TRIGGER (Roy Rogers rides Trigger)
48. Environmental prefix ECO-
49. Meryl who played Julia Child STREEP
50. Nine-digit-number issuing org. SSA
51. Bad-mouth DIS
52. Rock concert gear AMPS
55. CBS forensic drama CSI
57. Start of the “Mister Ed” theme song, and hint to who is asking 20-, 36- and 43-Across A HORSE IS A HORSE …
64. North Carolina fort BRAGG
65. “It’s a __!”: “Easy!” SNAP
66. Abound TEEM
67. Quotable Yogi BERRA
68. “Canterbury” story TALE
69. Eve’s mate ADAM
70. Bakery array CAKES
71. Google find SITE
72. VAIO PC maker SONY

Down
1. Sporty English autos JAGS
2. Lie against ABUT
3. Nothing more than MERE
4. Drink inelegantly SLURP
5. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you” BAD IDEA
6. __ Bator ULAN
7. Top 40 numbers SONGS
8. Poke fun at TEASE
9. Cents partner DOLLARS
10. One of five Norwegian kings OLAV
11. Evening, in ads NITE
12. Above OVER
13. Tyrannosaurus __ REX
21. ABC drama about a missing plane LOST
22. “__ Rhythm” I GOT
25. Dials next to speedometers, for short TACHS
26. C sharp equivalent D-FLAT
27. Step in a flight STAIR
29. Jai __ ALAI
31. Blackjack half ACE
32. Pre-eminent NOTED
33. Designer Aldo GUCCI
34. Spirit of a culture ETHOS
37. With 38-Down, yuletide quaffs EGG
38. See 37-Down NOGS
40. G.I. field ration MRE
44. Riot squad’s supply TEAR GAS
45. Readings on 25-Down: Abbr. RPMS
46. Bloodhound’s quarry ESCAPEE
47. Unthinking RASH
53. Orkin targets PESTS
54. Mount in Exodus SINAI
56. Greek i’s IOTAS
57. Field of expertise AREA
58. Quaint “Listen!” HARK!
59. Fairy tale baddie OGRE
60. Crystals in a shaker SALT
61. Change the decor of REDO
62. Actor Connery SEAN
63. Television award EMMY
64. “Doctor Who” network BBC

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