Day: November 15, 2014

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
11. Key of Brahms’ Symphony No. 4 E MIN
Symphony No. 4 in E minor by Johannes Brahms was his last symphony.

Johannes Brahms was a leading German composer during the Romantic period. Brahms is one of the “Three Bs”, often grouped with Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven.

15. Former Lagos-based carrier AIR NIGERIA
Air Nigeria was founded in 2004 as a joint venture with Virgin Airways. Virgin withdrew from the arrangement in 2010 and the airline ceased to exist in 2012.

Lagos is a port and the biggest city in Nigeria. Lagos used to be the country’s capital, until it was replaced in that role in 1991 by Abuja, a city built for just for this purpose.

16. “__ Girl”: 2012 best-seller GONE
“Gone Girl” is a thriller novel written by Gillian Flynn that was first published in 2012. The story tells of a man whose wife has disappeared, with the reader not being certain if he is involved in the disappearance. The book was adapted into a movie of the same name released in 2014, starring Ben Affleck.

17. Item on a therapist’s office table, maybe KLEENEX BOX
Even though Kleenex is sometimes used today as a generic term for a tissue, Kleenex is a brand name owned by Kimberly-Clark. Kleenex facial tissues came about after WW1. The material used in the tissue had been developed as a replacement for cotton that was in high demand as surgical tissue during the war. The material developed was called “Cellucotton” and was used in gas mask filters. It was first sold as a facial tissue under the name Kleenex in 1924.

20. Xi preceders NUS
The Latin equivalent of the Greek letter nu is “N”. An uppercase nu looks just like the Latin capital N, however, the lowercase nu looks like our lowercase “v”. Very confusing …

21. Cuthbert of “Happy Endings” ELISHA
Elisha Cuthbert is a Canadian actress who came to world attention playing Kim Bauer, Jack Bauer’s daughter on TV’s “24”. After “24”, Cuthbert played one of the lead characters on the sitcom “Happy Endings” that ran from 2011 to 2013.

23. Florida pros BUCS
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers joined the NFL in 1976 along with the Seattle Seahawks as expansion teams. The Bucs had a tough start in the NFL, losing their first 26 games. Things went better in the early eighties, but then the team went through 14 consecutive losing seasons. Their luck changed again though, and they won the Super Bowl at the end of the 2002 season.

25. Like cockatoos CRESTED
Cockatoos are birds closely related to the true parrots. The name “cockatoo” probably comes from the Malay “kaka” (parrot) and “tuwah” (older sibling).

29. Smoke shop choice PANATELA
A panatela is a long thin cigar. It is a about the length of a “regular” cigar, but is not much wider than a cigarette.

30. Term coined by Dior A-LINE
Christian Dior was a French fashion designer. As WWII approached, Dior was called up by the French military, drawing a temporary halt to his career in fashion. He left the army in 1942 and for the duration of the war designed clothes for wives of Nazi officers and French collaborators. After the war his designs became so popular that he helped reestablish Paris as the fashion center of the world.

31. Capital of Belarus MINSK
Minsk is the capital of Belarus, formerly known as the Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. One of Minsk’s more infamous residents was Lee Harvey Oswald who lived there from 1960 to 1962.

34. Sole piece FILET
The group of flatfish known as soles take their name from “solea”, the Latin word for “sandal”.

35. Starbucks offering CHAI
Chai is a drink made from spiced black tea, honey and milk, with “chai” being the Hindi word for “tea”. We often called tea “a cup of char” growing up in Ireland, with “char” being our slang word for tea, derived from “chai”.

Starbucks is a coffee company based in Seattle, Washington. It is the largest coffeehouse company in the world and has over 19,000 stores. In the 1990s, Starbucks was opening one new store every single day! Starbucks is named after the chief mate on the Pequod in the Herman Melville book “Moby Dick”.

37. Nook reads ZINES
A fanzine (also “zine”) is a fan publication with a very limited circulation, dealing with a very specific subject matter. Fanzines are usually desktop published and distributed electronically or as photocopies.

The Barnes & Noble electronic-book reader is called the Nook. The Nook accounts for 10-15% of electronic book readers in the world.

39. Nightingale and others HEROINES
Florence Nightingale is known as the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale worked as a nurse, tending wounded soldiers during the Crimean War. There she became known as “The Lady with the Lamp” as she routinely made her rounds during the night. Not long after returning to London, Nightingale set up the first secular nursing school in the world, at St. Thomas’ Hospital.

43. Ultra Set Trap maker D-CON
“d-Con” is a line of rodent control products that has been around for over 50 years.

44. Qatar locale ARABIA
Qatar is a sovereign state in the Middle East occupying the Qatar Peninsula, itself located in the Arabian Peninsula. Qatar lies on the Persian Gulf and shares one land border, with Saudi Arabia to the south. Qatar has more oil and gas reserves per capita of population than any other country in the world. In 2010, Qatar had the fastest growing economy in the world, driven by the petrochemical industry.

45. Word after Premier or Grand CRU
“Cru” is a term used in the French wine industry that means “growth place”. So, “cru” is the name of the location where the grapes are grown, as opposed to the name of a specific vineyard. The terms “premier cru” and “grand cru” are also used, but the usage depends on the specific wine region. Generally it is a classification awarded to specific vineyards denoting their potential for producing great wines. “Grand cru” is reserved for the very best vineyards, with “premier cru” the level just below.

46. Like roulette wheels SPUN
The name “roulette” means “little wheel” in French, and the game as we know it today did in fact originate in Paris, in 1796. A roulette wheel bears the numbers 1-36. A French entrepreneur called François Blanc introduced the number “0” on the wheel, to give the house an extra advantage. Legend has it that Blanc made a deal with the devil in order to unearth the secrets of roulette. The legend is supported by the fact that the numbers 1 through 36 add up to a total of “666”, which is the “Number of the Beast”. Spooky …

50. Extinct dove relative DODO
The island of Mauritius lies in the Indian Ocean, about 700 miles east of Madagascar. One of Mauritius’ claim to fame is that it was the only place where one could find the renowned flightless bird called a dodo. The dodo became extinct less than a century after it was discovered, due to human settlement on the island.

51. Food fit for a queen bee ROYAL JELLY
Royal jelly is a glandular secretion from worker honey bees. It is used to feed all bee larvae. Most of the larvae are fed royal jelly for just three days, and these larvae develop into drones (males) and workers (sterile females). When the existing queen honey bee grows old or tired, the workers replace her by choosing several small larvae to feed with copious amounts of royal jelly. This triggers the development of a new queen, with fully developed ovaries for the laying of eggs.

55. Device used in WWII pilot training TRAMPOLINE
The first modern trampoline was developed in 1936. The apparatus was given its name from the Spanish “trampolín” meaning “diving board”. Trampolines were used during WWII in the training of pilots, to give them exposure to some spatial orientations that would be encountered during flight. Trampolines were also used by astronauts training in the space flight program.

56. “Nebraska” Oscar nominee DERN
Bruce Dern is a Hollywood actor with quite a pedigree. Dern is the grandchild of former Utah governor and Secretary of War, George Henry Dern. Bruce’s godparents were Adlai Stevenson and Eleanor Roosevelt!

“Nebraska” is an intriguing 2013 comedy movie starring Bruce Dern. The film was shot in color, but was converted to black-and-white for screening. Anyone interested in comparing the effect of color versus black-and-white, might want to note that there are plans for a limited release of the color version.

Down
4. Calisthenics exercise KNEE BEND
Calisthenics are gymnastic exercises designed promote physical health. The term “calisthenics” comes from the Greek “kallos” meaning “beauty” and “sthenos” meaning strength.

5. Article for Nietzsche EIN
Friedrich Nietzsche was a German philosopher. Not my cup of tea …

7. F Sport maker LEXUS
The F Sport is a sporty vehicle in the Lexus F line of high-performance vehicles. The “F” was chosen to represent both “Flagship” and “Fuji Speedway”, where the vehicles were test-driven during design and development.

8. Wall St. figures ARBS
“Arb” is short for an arbitrageur, one who profits from the purchase of securities in one market and the subsequent sale in another, hence taking advantage of price discrepancies across markets.

9. __ Negro: Amazon tributary RIO
The Rio Negro (Spanish for “black river”) is a tributary of the Amazon in South America. The Rio Negro is the largest blackwater river in the world. A blackwater river is a slow-moving waterway that flows through forestation, collecting decaying vegetable matter that turns the water to a dark coffee color.

10. “Castor and Pollution” artist MAX ERNST
“Castor and Pollution” is a 1923 oil painting by artist Max Ernst.

Max Ernst was a painter and sculptor, a pioneer in the Dada movement and Surrealism. Ernst was born near Cologne in Germany in 1891 and he was called up to fight in WWI, as were most young German men at that time. In his autobiography he writes “Max Ernst died the 1st of August, 1914” a statement about his experiences in the war. In reality, Ernst died in 1976 having lived to the ripe old age of 85.

11. Not exactly the modest type EGOIST
An egoist (also “egotist”) is a selfish and conceited person. The opposite would be an altruist.

14. California Gold Rush town NEVADA CITY
Nevada City is a city in Northern California, located about 60 miles northeast of Sacramento. The city was settled in 1849, when it was named simply “Nevada”, Spanish for “snow-covered”, a reference to the appearance of the mountains in the area during the winter. The name was changed to “Nevada City” in 1864, in order to avoid confusion with the state of Nevada.

The California gold rush actually started in 1848. The first to exploit the find were those people already in California. By 1849 the word had spread and gold-seekers started to arrive from all over the world. The “out-of-towners” who arrived in 1849 became known as forty-niners.

25. Rabologist’s collection CANES
A rabologist is a collector of walking sticks. I guess that the term is somewho related to the Greek “rhabdos” meaning “rod”, but I am not sure …

27. Oil producer OLIVE GROVE
Virgin olive oil is oil produced from olives with no chemical treatment involved in the production process at all. To be labelled “virgin”, the oil must have an acidity level of less than 2% and must be be judged to have “a good taste”. Extra-virgin olive oil comes from virgin oil production, and is the portion with acidity levels of less than 0.8% acidity that is judged to have “superior taste”.

31. Worked in a rush? MINED
A miner might be part of a gold rush.

37. Ristorante order ZITI
Cylindrical pasta is known in general as “penne”, and there are many variants. For example, ziti is a particularly large and long tube with square-cut ends.

38. Ins. plan HMO
Health maintenance organization (HMO)

40. “South Pacific” screenwriter Paul OSBORN
Paul Osborn was a screenwriter who most notable works were the screen adaptations of “East of Eden” and “South Pacific”.

The 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “South Pacific” is based on stories from the 1947 book “Tales of the South Pacific” by James A. Michener. “South Pacific” really is a classic show, featuring some classic songs like “Bali Ha’i”, “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair”, “Some Enchanted Evening” and “Happy Talk”.

45. Color in the four-color process CYAN
Four-color printing uses four different color inks: cyan, magenta, yellow and black. The black ink is also known as the “key”. The first letters of the colors (with black being”key”) give the more common name for four-color printing, namely CMYK.

“Cyan” is short for “cyan blue”. The term comes from the Greek word “kyanos” meaning “dark blue, the color of lapis lazuli”.

47. Barre move PLIE
The French word for “bent” is “plié”. In the ballet move known as a plié, the knees are bent.

A “barre” is a handrail used by ballet dancers for warm-up exercises and to provide support when practicing certain moves.

48. It’s out on a limb ULNA
The radius and ulna are bones in the forearm. If you hold the palm of your hand up in front of you, the radius is the bone on the “thumb-side” of the arm, and the ulna is the bone on the “pinkie-side”.

49. Duma vote NYET
“Nyet” is Russian for “no”, and “da” is Russian for “yes”.

A Duma is a representative assembly in Russia. The word “dumat” in Russian means “to think, consider”.

53. Louis in a ring JOE
Joe Louis was World Heavyweight Boxing Champion from 1937 to 1949, during which time he defended his title 26 times, a record that stands to this day. Many regard Joe Louis as the first African American to become a national hero in the US. Louis was also a passionate golfer and became the first African American to play a PGA Tour event, teeing off in the San Diego Open in 1952

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Emergency beeper SMOKE ALARM
11. Key of Brahms’ Symphony No. 4 E MIN
15. Former Lagos-based carrier AIR NIGERIA
16. “__ Girl”: 2012 best-seller GONE
17. Item on a therapist’s office table, maybe KLEENEX BOX
18. Airing ON TV
19. Coin feature EDGE
20. Xi preceders NUS
21. Cuthbert of “Happy Endings” ELISHA
23. Florida pros BUCS
25. Like cockatoos CRESTED
26. Plain HOMELY
29. Smoke shop choice PANATELA
30. Term coined by Dior A-LINE
31. Capital of Belarus MINSK
32. __ room REC
33. Zest RIND
34. Sole piece FILET
35. Starbucks offering CHAI
36. Commonly rented item DVD
37. Nook reads ZINES
38. Raise HOIST
39. Nightingale and others HEROINES
41. Full of grime SMUTTY
42. Discharged EGESTED
43. Ultra Set Trap maker D-CON
44. Qatar locale ARABIA
45. Word after Premier or Grand CRU
46. Like roulette wheels SPUN
50. Extinct dove relative DODO
51. Food fit for a queen bee ROYAL JELLY
54. At any time EVER
55. Device used in WWII pilot training TRAMPOLINE
56. “Nebraska” Oscar nominee DERN
57. Hill prize SENATE SEAT

Down
1. Benefit SAKE
2. Not so hot MILD
3. Wash. neighbor OREG
4. Calisthenics exercise KNEE BEND
5. Article for Nietzsche EIN
6. Bureau AGENCY
7. F Sport maker LEXUS
8. Wall St. figures ARBS
9. __ Negro: Amazon tributary RIO
10. “Castor and Pollution” artist MAX ERNST
11. Not exactly the modest type EGOIST
12. Smash MONSTER HIT
13. At all IN THE LEAST
14. California Gold Rush town NEVADA CITY
22. Intelligence failure LEAK
24. Diminutive suffix -ULE
25. Rabologist’s collection CANES
26. Stubborn HARDHEADED
27. Oil producer OLIVE GROVE
28. Psychic MIND READER
29. A lot PILES
31. Worked in a rush? MINED
34. Certain master’s area FINE ARTS
35. Advises COUNSELS
37. Ristorante order ZITI
38. Ins. plan HMO
40. “South Pacific” screenwriter Paul OSBORN
41. Carve SCULPT
43. Play, maybe DRAMA
45. Color in the four-color process CYAN
47. Barre move PLIE
48. It’s out on a limb ULNA
49. Duma vote NYET
52. Source of iron ORE
53. Louis in a ring JOE

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