Day: December 4, 2014

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Barge, for one SCOW
A scow is a flat-bottomed boat with squared-off ends that’s often used for transportation, usually pushed or pulled by a barge. Often a scow can be seen carrying junk or garbage.

15. Obi-Wan portrayer ALEC
Sir Alec Guinness played many great roles over a long and distinguished career, but nowadays is best remembered (sadly) for playing the original Obi-Wan Kenobi in “Star Wars”.

16. Maine college town ORONO
The town of Orono is home to the University of Maine, founded in 1862. The college is actually located on an island (Marsh island) lying between the Penobscot and Stillwater rivers. The town of Orono is named after Joseph Orono, a chief of the Penobscot Nation.

17. Oft-pickled fish ATLANTIC HERRING (hiding “Cher”)
Cher’s real name is Cherilyn Sarkisian, born in 1946. In her acting career, Cher was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar of 1984 for her performance in “Silkwood”. She went further in 1998 and won the Best Actress Oscar for playing Loretta Castorini in “Moonstruck”.

22. London facilities LOO
When I was growing up in Ireland, a “bathroom” was a room that had a bath and no toilet. The separate room with the commode was called “the toilet” or sometimes the W.C. (the water closet). Apparently the term closet was used because in the 1800s when homeowners started installing toilets indoors they often displaced clothes and linens in a “closet”, as a closet was the right size to take the commode. It has been suggested that the British term “loo” comes from Waterloo (water-closet … water-loo), but no one seems to know for sure. Another suggestion is that the term comes from the card game of “lanterloo” in which the pot was called the loo!

London is the largest metropolitan area in the whole of the European Union (and one of my favorite cities in the world). London has been a major settlement for over 2,000 years and was founded as a town by the Romans who called it Londinium. The name “Londinium” may have existed prior to the arrival of the Romans, and no one seems too sure of its origins. Famously, the City of London is a one-square-mile area at the center of the metropolis, the area that marked old medieval London. “The City”, as it is commonly called, has its own Mayor of the City of London (the Mayor of London is someone else), and it’s own City of London Police Force (the London Metropolitan Police are the police usually seen on the streets, a different force).

23. Otologist’s concern EAR
Otology is a branch of medicine dealing with the ear. The prefix “oto-” means “pertaining to the ear”.

24. Cartoon still CEL
In the world of animation, a cel is a transparent sheet on which objects and characters are drawn. In the first half of the 20th century the sheet was actually made of celluloid, giving the “cel” its name.

25. Studious-looking dwarf DOC
In the original Brothers Grimm fairy tale called “Snow White”, the seven dwarfs were not given any names. The names were added for the 1937 classic Disney film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. The seven dwarfs are:

– Doc (the leader of the group)
– Grumpy (that would be me, according to my wife …)
– Happy
– Sleepy
– Bashful
– Sneezy
– Dopey

26. Strikes out FANS
“To fan” is to strike out, miss the ball, a baseball term.

29. Educational stage GRADE LEVEL (hiding “Adele”)
Adele is the stage name of English singer Adele Adkins. Adele’s debut album is “19”, named after the age she was during the album’s production. Her second album was even more successful than the first. Called “21”, the second album was released three years after the first, when Adele was three years older.

33. Part of a Latin trio AMO
“Amo, amas, amat: … “I love, you love, he/she/it loves”, in Latin.

34. Subatomic particle MUON
A muon is a subatomic particle that is similar to an electron but very unstable. A muon has a mean lifetime of only 2.2 microseconds.

35. Colleague of Sonia and Clarence ELENA
Elena Kagan was the Solicitor General of the United States who replaced Justice John Paul Stevens on the US Supreme Court. That made Justice Kagan the fourth female US Supreme Court justice (there have been 108 men!). I hear she is a fan of Jane Austen, and used to reread “Pride and Prejudice” once a year. Not a bad thing to do, I’d say …

Sonia Sotomayor is the first Hispanic justice on the US Supreme Court, and the third female justice. Sotomayor was nominated by President Barack Obama to replace the retiring Justice David Souter.

Clarence Thomas is the second African American to serve on the US Supreme Court. Thomas replaced Thurgood Marshall who was the first American with African heritage to serve. Thomas is generally regarded as the most conservative member of the court. He doesn’t have a lot say, verbally anyway. Thomas made a joking remark in January 2013 during oral argument, the first time he had spoken at all during oral argument for almost seven years.

36. Musical dir. RIT
Rit. (or sometimes ritard.) is the abbreviation for ritardando, a musical direction to slow down the tempo.

40. P&L column YTD
On a income statement, a profit & loss figure (P&L) might be year to date (YTD).

43. Word in a dramatic warning IDES
There were three important days in each month of the old Roman calendar. These days originally depended on the cycles of the moon but were eventually “fixed” by law. “Kalendae” were the first days of each month, originally the days of the new moon. “Nonae” were originally the days of the half moon. And “idus” (the ides) was originally the day of the full moon, eventually fixed at the 15th day of a month. Well, actually the ides were the 15th day of March, May, July and October. For all other months, the ides fell on the 13th. Go figure …

In Act I of William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” a soothsayer warns the doomed emperor to “beware the Ides of March”. Caesar ignores the prophecy and is of course killed on the steps of the Capitol by a group of conspirators on that very day.

44. Shout for the picador OLE!
In Spanish bullfighting, picadors are horsemen that take on a bull in pairs, using lances to jab the poor creature. The picadors have a specific job, to lacerate the muscle on the back of the bull’s neck and to fatigue him before the toreros (bullfighters) are let loose.

45. Keep out DENY ACCESS (hiding “Enya”)
Enya’s real name is Eithne Patricia Ní Bhraonáin, which can translate from Irish into Enya Brennan. Her Donegal family (in the northwest of Ireland) formed a band called Clannad, which included Enya. In 1980 Enya launched her very successful solo career. She sure does turn up a lot in crosswords!

50. Bargain bin abbr. IRR
Irregular (irr.)

51. Big __ SUR
Big Sur is a lovely part of the California Coast, south of Monterey and Carmel. The name “Big Sur” comes from the original Spanish description of the area as “el sur grande” meaning “the big south”.

59. Comes to terms NEGOTIATES A DEAL (hiding “Sade”)
Sade’s real name is Helen Folasade Adu. Although she was born in Nigeria, Sade grew up and lives in the UK. She was the lead vocalist for the English group Sade, and adopted the name of the band. The band’s biggest hits were “Smooth Operator” (1984) and “The Sweetest Taboo” (1985).

62. Razz TAUNT
Not so much here in America, but over in the British Isles “blowing a raspberry” is a way of insulting someone (I think it’s called “a Bronx cheer” in the US). The verb “to razz” comes from a shortened form of “raspberry”.

64. Sea birds ERNS
The ern (also erne) is also called the white-tailed eagle, and the sea-eagle.

65. “Waiting for Lefty” playwright ODETS
Clifford Odets was a playwright, screenwriter and director from Philadelphia. “Waiting for Lefty” was the first play by Clifford Odets that made it to stage, in 1935. The storyline deals with cab drivers who are planning a strike. Famously, the play breaks through the “fourth wall” by placing actors within the audience who react to the action taking place on the stage.

66. Cad’s comeuppance SLAP
Our word “cad”, meaning “a person lacking in finer feelings”, is a shortening of the word “cadet”. “Cad” was first used for a servant, and then students at British universities used “cad” as a term for a boy from the local town. “Cad” took on its current meaning in the 1830s.

Down
1. Rescue acronym SWAT
SWAT is an acronym standing for Special Weapons and Tactics. The first SWAT team was pulled together in the Los Angeles Police Department in 1968.

2. Roman statesman CATO
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.

3. Capital once called Christiania OSLO
Oslo is an ancient city, founded around 1048. The medieval city was destroyed by fire in 1624 and was rebuilt by the Danish-Norwegian King Christian IV and renamed Christiania. In 1877 there was an official change of the name’s spelling to “Kristiania”, and then more recently in 1925 the name was restored to the original Oslo. Things have gone full circle as the center of Oslo, the area that would have been contained by the original medieval walls, has recently been named Christiania again.

5. Super Soaker, e.g. WATER GUN
The Super Soaker brand of water gun first went on sale in toy shops in 1989. Since then, over a billion dollars worth of Super Soakers have been sold.

7. Cal. page DEC
December is the twelfth month in our calendar but was the tenth month in the old Roman calendar, hence the name (“decem” is Latin for “ten”). Back then there were only ten months in the year. “Ianuarius” (January) and “Februarius” were then added as the eleventh and twelfth months of the year. Soon after, the year was reset and January and February became the first and second months.

9. “Downton Abbey” title LORD
In the incredibly successful period drama “Downton Abbey”, the patriarch of the family living at Downton is Robert Crawley, the Earl of Grantham or Lord Grantham. The character is played by Hugh Bonneville.

11. 1964 Ronettes hit DO I LOVE YOU?
The Ronettes were a sixties “girl group” from New York City who worked with famed record producer Phil Spector. Their most famous hit was probably “Be My Baby” from 1963. The lead singer of the group was Veronica Bennett, who ended up marrying Spector in 1968. Veronica left him in 1974 to become “Ronnie” Spector, “the original bad girl of rock and roll”.

18. Org. chronicled in “The Puzzle Palace” NSA
“The Puzzle Palace” is a 1982 book by James Bamford book that deals with the history of the National Security Agency (NSA). As perhaps might be expected, release of the book was fraught with controversy. The Reagan administration threatened legal action if Bamford did not return classified documents that the government claimed were released in error. Those documents dealt with the illegal monitoring of domestic communication and surveillance of Americans without a warrant.

19. Glamour rival ELLE
“Elle” magazine was founded in 1945 in France and today has the highest circulation of any fashion magazine in the world. “Elle” is the French word for “she”. “Elle” is published monthly worldwide, although you can pick up a weekly edition if you live in France.

The women’s monthly magazine “Glamour” was founded in 1939 as “Glamour of Hollywood”.

24. More crafty CANNIER
The adjective “canny” is of Scottish origin, and was formed from the verb “to can” meaning “to know how to”. The idea is that someone who is “knowing” is careful, canny.

25. Sci-fi author Lester __ Rey DEL
Lester Del Rey was a science fiction author in his own right, as well as the editor at Del Rey Books. Del Rey Books is a branch of Ballantine Books that was established in 1977 as specialty scifi and fantasy imprint.

26. Capacitance unit FARAD
A body is said to have a certain capacitance when it can store an electrical charge. The SI unit of capacitance is the farad, a unit that is named after the physicist Michael Faraday.

28. Passé NOT IN VOGUE
“Passé” is a French word, meaning “past, faded”.

30. Wade’s opponent ROE
Roe v. Wade was decided in a US District Court in Texas in 1970, and reached the Supreme Court on appeal. The basic decision by the Supreme Court was that a woman’s constitutional right to privacy applied to an abortion, but that this right had to be balanced with a state’s interest in protecting an unborn child and a mother’s health. The Court further defined that the state’s interest became stronger with each trimester of a pregnancy. So, in the first trimester the woman’s right to privacy outweighed any state interest. In the second trimester the state’s interest in maternal health was deemed to be strong enough to allow state regulation of abortion for the sake of the mother. In the third trimester the viability of the fetus dictated that the state’s interest in the unborn child came into play, so states could regulate or prohibit abortions, except in cases where the mother’s life was in danger. I’m no lawyer, but that’s my understanding of the initial Supreme Court decision …

31. Jeans choice LEES
The Lee company that is famous for making jeans was formed in 1889, by one Henry David Lee in Salina, Kansas.

32. Stows, as cargo LADES
The verb “lade” meaning “to load” comes from an Old English word “hladan”. Lade also used to mean “to draw water” and indeed gave us our word “ladle”. So “lade” and “ladle” are close cousins.

34. “__ Lisa” MONA
“Mona LIsa” is a marvelous 1950 song that topped the charts for Nat King Cole for eight weeks. The song was written for the film “Captain Carey, U.S.A.” that was released that same year, starring Alan Ladd. “Mona Lisa” won the Oscar for Best Original Song.

46. Credit card issuer CITI
During the global financial crisis of 2008-2009, the US government rescued Citibank by providing loan guarantees and two payments of $25 billion each. It turns out that the government made a tidy profit on that deal, as Citibank has since repaid the loans in full, along with interest.

48. Magazine with many white dresses BRIDES
“Brides” is a monthly magazine that was first published way back in 1934. The mission of the magazine is to provide resources for brides planning a wedding.

52. Actress Hagen UTA
Uta Hagen was a German-born American actress. Hagen married Jose Ferrer in 1938, but they were divorced ten years later after it was revealed that she was having a long-running affair with Paul Robeson. Her association with Robeson, a prominent civil rights activist, earned her a spot on the Hollywood Blacklist during the McCarthy Era. This forced her away from film, but towards a successful stage career in New York City.

54. Court figures: Abbr. ATTS
Attorney (att.)

55. Horne on stage LENA
Lena Horne was an American jazz singer, actress, dancer and civil rights activist. Horne started out her career as a nightclub singer and then began to get some meaty acting roles in Hollywood. However, she ended up on the blacklist during the McCarthy Era for expressing left wing political views. One of Horne’s starring roles was in the 1943 movie “Stormy Weather” for which she also performed the title song.

56. Garr on screen TERI
The lovely Teri Garr had a whole host of minor roles in her youth, including appearances in nine Elvis movies. Garr’s big break came with the role of Inga in “Young Frankenstein”, and her supporting role in “Tootsie” earned Garr an Academy Award nomination. Sadly, Teri Garr suffers from multiple sclerosis. She is a National Ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

60. Prov. where the CN Tower is located ONT
When I last took the elevator to the top of the CN Tower in Toronto back in the eighties, it was the tallest freestanding structure in the world. It lost that title in 2007 during the construction of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the building which still has that honor. The CN Tower was built by the railway company Canadian National, which gave it the name. Since Canadian National sold the tower in 1995, it has been known as Canada’s National Tower, although I don’t think many people worry about what the CN stands for!

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Barge, for one SCOW
5. Go up to one’s ankles WADE
9. Saw to a seat LED IN
14. Launder WASH
15. Obi-Wan portrayer ALEC
16. Maine college town ORONO
17. Oft-pickled fish ATLANTIC HERRING (hiding “Cher”)
20. Kit for Mr. Fixit TOOL SET
21. Bygone OLD
22. London facilities LOO
23. Otologist’s concern EAR
24. Cartoon still CEL
25. Studious-looking dwarf DOC
26. Strikes out FANS
29. Educational stage GRADE LEVEL (hiding “Adele”)
33. Part of a Latin trio AMO
34. Subatomic particle MUON
35. Colleague of Sonia and Clarence ELENA
36. Musical dir. RIT
37. Feature shared by the women vocalists concealed in 17-, 29-, 45- and 59-Across ONE NAME
40. P&L column YTD
41. Not from around here ALIEN
43. Word in a dramatic warning IDES
44. Shout for the picador OLE!
45. Keep out DENY ACCESS (hiding “Enya”)
48. Bargains BUYS
49. Blvd. cousin AVE
50. Bargain bin abbr. IRR
51. Big __ SUR
53. “So that’s your game!” OHO!
54. Had a little lamb ATE
55. “Just walk away” LET IT BE
59. Comes to terms NEGOTIATES A DEAL (hiding “Sade”)
62. Razz TAUNT
63. Ordering aid MENU
64. Sea birds ERNS
65. “Waiting for Lefty” playwright ODETS
66. Cad’s comeuppance SLAP
67. Fries, say SIDE

Down
1. Rescue acronym SWAT
2. Roman statesman CATO
3. Capital once called Christiania OSLO
4. They have very big calves WHALES
5. Super Soaker, e.g. WATER GUN
6. Ended a flight ALIT
7. Cal. page DEC
8. Bounced off the walls ECHOED
9. “Downton Abbey” title LORD
10. Drop the ball ERR
11. 1964 Ronettes hit DO I LOVE YOU?
12. How an embarrassing question may be asked INNOCENTLY
13. “Mission aborted” NO-GO
18. Org. chronicled in “The Puzzle Palace” NSA
19. Glamour rival ELLE
24. More crafty CANNIER
25. Sci-fi author Lester __ Rey DEL
26. Capacitance unit FARAD
27. Well in the lead A MILE AHEAD
28. Passé NOT IN VOGUE
30. Wade’s opponent ROE
31. Jeans choice LEES
32. Stows, as cargo LADES
34. “__ Lisa” MONA
38. Much of 19- and 48-Down ADS
39. Really drops the ball MESSES UP
42. Potato spot EYE
46. Credit card issuer CITI
47. Beats badly CREAMS
48. Magazine with many white dresses BRIDES
52. Actress Hagen UTA
53. Aware of ONTO
54. Court figures: Abbr. ATTS
55. Horne on stage LENA
56. Garr on screen TERI
57. Wedding choice BAND
58. “What __ could it be?” ELSE
60. Prov. where the CN Tower is located ONT
61. Bus. card number TEL

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