Day: February 7, 2015

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Three-volume biography of Winston Churchill THE LAST LION
“The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill” is a set of biographies of the British leader that were published over three decades. The first volume, called “Visions of Glory, 1874-1932”, was published in 1983. The second, called “Alone, 1932-1940”, was published in 1988. The final volume, called “Defender of the Realm, 1940-1965” wasn’t published until 2012. The last volume had been left unfinished by the author William Manchester when he died in 2004. One year before his demise, Manchester asked writer Paul Reid to complete the biography, which Reid did.

12. Summer, at times CPA
Certified public accountant (CPA)

15. Reversible chemical process ION EXCHANGE
Ion exchange is a chemical process, often used in the purification of drinking water and the softening of household water, although there are many other uses. One version of the technique involves passing a liquid over a resin in a cartridge. “Bad” ions in the liquid are exchanged for “good” ions from the resin, so the resin cartridge collects the contaminants and the treated liquid passes out of the cartridge. The process is reversible, so the cartridge can be “back-washed” and reused.

17. Collectible late-’50s auto EDSEL RANGER
The Edsel Ranger was produced by Ford for the 1958-1960 model years. Only a few thousand cars were produced each year, so the Ranger is considered very collectible.

18. Mattel game since 1992 UNO
In my youth I remember being taught a great card game, by a German acquaintance of mine, called Mau Mau. Years later I discovered that Uno is basically the same game, but played with a purpose-printed deck instead of the regular deck of playing cards that’s used for Mau Mau. I hear that Mau Mau is derived from the game called Crazy Eights.

19. Inventing initials TAE
Thomas Alva Edison was nicknamed “The Wizard of Menlo Park” by a newspaper reporter, a name that stuck. He was indeed a wizard, in the sense that he was such a prolific inventor. The Menlo Park part of the moniker recognizes the location of his first research lab, in Menlo Park, New Jersey.

20. Almost null? EINS
In German, one (eins) is almost zero (null).

23. Four-time All-Star Oriole outfielder Jones ADAM
Adam Jones is an outfielder who was drafted in 2003 by the Seattle Mariners and who was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in 2008.

25. Former prime minister who grew up in Milwaukee MEIR
Golda Meir was known as the “Iron Lady” when she was Prime Minister of Israel, long before that sobriquet came to be associated with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Golda Meir was born Golda Mabovitch in Kiev (in modern-day Ukraine), and when she was a young girl she moved with her family to the United States and settled in Milwaukee. As a teenager she relocated to Denver where she met and married Morris Meyerson, at the age of 19. She and her husband joined a kibbutz in Palestine in 1921, when she was in her twenties. Meir had been active in politics in the US, and continued her political work in Palestine. She was very influential during WWII, and played a leading role in negotiations after the war leading to the setting up of the state of Israel. By the time she was called on to lead the country, Meir had already retired, citing exhaustion and ill health. But serve she did, and led Israel during turbulent times (e.g. the massacre at the Munich Olympics, and the Yom Kippur War). She eventually resigned in 1974, saying that was what the people wanted.

28. Certain red giant C STAR
A carbon star (C star) is a star with an atmosphere rich in carbon, more carbon than oxygen. Such an atmosphere is very “sooty” and as such might appear very red in color when viewed through a telescope.

Red giants are very large stars with a relatively low mass. The atmosphere of a red giant is also very inflated and extends a long way into space so the surface of that atmosphere that we see is relatively cool, which gives it a red color.

30. One often looking down SNOB
Back in the 1780s, a “snob” was a shoemaker or a shoemaker’s apprentice. By the end of the 18th century the word was being used by students at Cambridge University in England to refer to all local merchants and people of the town. The term evolved to mean one who copies those who are his or her social superior (and not in a good way). From there it wasn’t a big leap for “snob” to include anyone who emphasized their superior social standing and not just those who aspired to rank. Nowadays a snob is anyone who looks down on those considered to be of inferior standing.

37. They don’t sound as welcoming as they are HOSTELS
The word “hostel” sounds like “hostile”, which isn’t very welcoming.

41. Bolivian president Evo MORALES
Evo Morales has been President of Bolivia since 2006. Morales has a socialist agenda, and as such his government is a close ally to the regimes of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela and Fidel Castro in Cuba.

44. Blues musician Mahal TAJ
“Taj Mahal” is the stage name of blues musician Henry Fredericks from Harlem, New York. Fredericks says that his stage name came to him in a dream about Gandhi and India, and social tolerance.

45. NASCAR Hall of Fame locale: Abbr. NCAR
The NASCAR Hall of Fame opened its doors relatively recently, in 2010. It is located in Charlotte, North Carolina.

54. 33-Across filler LARD
(33A. 54-Across holder TUB)
Fat, when extracted from the carcass of an animal, is called “suet”. Untreated suet decomposes at room temperature quite easily so it has to be “rendered” or purified to make it stable. Rendered fat from pigs is what we call “lard”. Rendered beef or mutton fat is known as “tallow”.

57. Tannery output SUEDES
Suede is leather made from the underside of the skin, mainly from a lamb. As such it is very soft, although not as durable as leather made from the exterior skin. The soft leather was, and is still used for making gloves. Back in 1859 these gloves were called “gants de Suede” in France, or “gloves of Sweden”. So, the name “suede” comes from the French word for Sweden.

Leather is of course made from animal skins. When the flesh, fat and hair is removed from the skin and it is dried, the resulting product is called “rawhide”. An additional treatment of the skin with chemicals that permanently alter the protein structure of the skin is called “tanning”, and the resulting product is “leather”.

61. Fr. title MME
In France, some women (femmes) might be addressed as “Madame” (Mme.).

62. “… and the __ below / As hush as death”: “Hamlet” ORB
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.

66. Original “Burn Notice” airer USA
“Burn Notice” is an action drama TV series that originally aired from 2007 to 2013 on the USA Network. The show’s title refer to “burn notices” issued by intelligence agencies, a document that discredits a source or agent that has become unreliable.

68. Rx notation TER
“Ter” is the Latin word for “three”, commonly used in the medical world on prescriptions as part of the expression “ter in die”. “Ter in die” is Latin for “three times a day”, abbreviated to “TID”. “Bis in die” (BID) would be twice a day, and “quater in die” (QID) would be four times a day.

There seems to some uncertainty about the origin of the symbol “Rx” that’s used for a medical prescription. One explanation is that it comes from the astrological sign for Jupiter, a symbol put on prescriptions in days of old to invoke Jupiter’s blessing to help a patient recover.

Down
1. Haberdashery item TIE TAC
I used to wear a tie pin (or “tie tack, tie tac”) in place of a tie clip many moons ago, but it just left little holes in my expensive silk ties!

Back in the 14th century a haberdasher was a dealer in small wares. By the late 1800s, the term had evolved to mean a purveyor of menswear, and in particular was associated with the sale of hats.

2. Beginners with boards HODADS
“Hodad” is a slang term that dates from the fifties. It’s used to describe someone who hangs out at the beach, but someone who isn’t a surfer. Hodads were mainly into cars and music.

4. Author Harper LEE
Nelle Harper Lee is an author from Monroeville, Alabama. Lee wrote only one novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird”, and yet that contribution to the world of literature was enough to earn her the Presidential Medal of Freedom and a Pulitzer Prize. Harper Lee was a close friend of fellow author Truman Capote who was the inspiration for the character named “Dill” in her novel.

6. Open-weave fabric SCRIM
“Scrim” is the name given to that transparent fabric that hangs down onto a theater’s stage, often used with special lighting for various effects.

7. Old Scottish officials THANES
Thanes were Scottish aristocrats. The most famous thanes have to be the Shakespearean characters Macbeth (the Thane of Glamis, later Thane of Cawdor) and MacDuff (the Thane of Fife). Other thanes in “Macbeth” are Ross, Lennox and Angus, as well as Menteith and Caithness.

8. Capital on the Grand River LANSING
Lansing, Michigan is unique among US state capitals in that it is not a county seat, even though it is located in Ingham County. The county seat is Mason, Michigan.

The Grand River is the longest river in the state of Michigan. The length of the river gave rise to its Native American name “O-wash-ta-nong” meaning “far-away-water”.

9. Like Dvorák’s Symphony No. 8 IN G
Antonín Dvořák was a composer from Czechoslovakia who spent three years working and composing in the United States. He was the director of the National Conservatory of Music of America in New York from 1892 to 1895. Certainly here in the US, Dvořák’s best known work is his Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”, which is often referred to as “The New World Symphony”.

Antonín Dvořák wrote his “Symphony No. 8” on the occasion of his admission to the Bohemian Academy of Science, Literature and Arts. In fact, Dvořák’s dedication for the symphony reads “To the Bohemian Academy of Emperor Franz Joseph for the Encouragement of Arts and Literature, in thanks for my election.”

10. Fancy molding OGEE
An ogee is a type of S-curve. Specifically it is a figure consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite directions (like an S) but both ends of the curve end up parallel to each other (which is not necessarily true for an S). An ogee arch is composed of two ogees, with one being the mirror of the other and meeting at the arch’s apex.

13. Organ with scales PINE CONE
Yep, the individual “plates” of a pine cone are called “scales”.

34. Alphabetical orders? BLTS
The BLT (bacon, lettuce and tomato) is the second most popular sandwich in the US, after the plain old ham sandwich.

36. Literary count, familiarly DRAC
“Dracula” is a novel written by the Irish author Bram Stoker and first published in 1897. Dracula wasn’t the first vampire of literature, but he certainly was the one who spawned the popularity of vampires in theater, film and television, and indeed more novels. Personally, I can’t stand vampire fiction …

49. Shilling spender SOMALI
The shilling is the official currency of Somalia. The shilling is divided into 100 “senti”, or “cents”.

Somalia is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Sadly, the nation is noted today for a devastating civil war and for its use as a base for pirates who prey on ships passing through the Indian Ocean along the Somali coast.

50. 2003 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor recipient TOMLIN
Lily Tomlin is a comedian and actress who got her big break as a regular member of the cast of “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” in the late sixties and early seventies. Tomlin created several great characters on the show. My personal favorite is Ernestine, the condescending telephone operator with the marvelous nasal voice and snorting laugh. Ernestine was fond of saying “One ringy dingy …” I really enjoy Tomlin’s performances as an actress, notably in the movies “9 to 5” and “All of Me”, and on the TV show “The West Wing”. I went to her stage show many years ago in San Francisco, and just did not enjoy it. I was devastated …

51. Marinates STEEPS
“To marinate” is to steep food in a seasoned liquid before cooking. The original meaning of the verb, back in the mid-17th century, was to pickle in sea brine. The term comes into English via the Old French adjective “marin”, meaning “of the sea”. So our words “marinate” and “marine” are related. Quite interesting …

53. Honey beverages MEADS
Mead is a lovely drink, made from fermented honey and water.

55. Sci-fi figure DROID
“Droid” is short for “android” and is used to describe a robot that resembles a human. The Latin word “androides” was used in English in the 18th century to mean “like a man”. Science fiction writers introduced us to “android” in the early 1950s.

58. Haggis ingredient SUET
Fat, when extracted from the carcass of an animal, is called “suet”. Untreated suet decomposes at room temperature quite easily so it has to be “rendered” or purified to make it stable. Rendered fat from pigs is what we call “lard”. Rendered beef or mutton fat is known as “tallow”.

Haggis is the national dish of Scotland. It is savory pudding made from the heart, liver and lungs of a sheep, mixed with onion, oatmeal, suet and spices. The pudding was originally cooked in the sheep’s stomach but these days is usually prepared in a sausage casing.

60. Start of an intermission? ENTR’-
The term “entr’acte” comes to us from French, and is the interval “between two acts” (“entre deux actes”) of a theatrical performance. It often describes some entertainment provided during that interval.

64. USCG rank CPO
A Chief Petty Officer (CPO) is a non-commissioned officer in the Navy and Coast Guard. The “Petty” is derived from the French word “petit” meaning “small”.

The US Coast Guard (USCG) has the distinction of being the country’s oldest continuous seagoing service. The USCG was founded as the Revenue Cutter Service by Alexander Hamilton in 1790.

65. Federal benefits org. SSA
The Social Security Administration (SSA) was set up as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. The first person to receive a monthly retirement benefit was Ida May Fuller of Vermont who received her first check for the sum of $22.54 after having contributed for three years through payroll taxes. The New Deal turned out to be a good deal for Ms. Fuller, as she lived to 100 years of age and received a total benefit of almost $23,000, whereas her three years of contributions added up to just $24.75.

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Three-volume biography of Winston Churchill THE LAST LION
12. Summer, at times CPA
15. Reversible chemical process ION EXCHANGE
16. Material flaw RIP
17. Collectible late-’50s auto EDSEL RANGER
18. Mattel game since 1992 UNO
19. Inventing initials TAE
20. Almost null? EINS
21. Dodges EVADES
23. Four-time All-Star Oriole outfielder Jones ADAM
25. Former prime minister who grew up in Milwaukee MEIR
27. Raise ERECT
28. Certain red giant C STAR
30. One often looking down SNOB
32. File, for one TOOL
33. 54-Across holder TUB
35. Lucrative venture GOLD MINE
37. They don’t sound as welcoming as they are HOSTELS
41. Bolivian president Evo MORALES
42. Net AFTER TAX
44. Blues musician Mahal TAJ
45. NASCAR Hall of Fame locale: Abbr. NCAR
46. Go (through) SIFT
48. Goes for COSTS
52. Capturer’s triumphant words GOT ‘EM!
54. 33-Across filler LARD
56. Cheer ROOT
57. Tannery output SUEDES
59. Smoke, perhaps CURE
61. Fr. title MME
62. “… and the __ below / As hush as death”: “Hamlet” ORB
63. Asset disposal option AUCTION SALE
66. Original “Burn Notice” airer USA
67. Bank counter convenience DEPOSIT SLIP
68. Rx notation TER
69. Runoff facilitators STORM DRAINS

Down
1. Haberdashery item TIE TAC
2. Beginners with boards HODADS
3. Put on a throne ENSEAT
4. Author Harper LEE
5. Wheelbarrow feature AXLE
6. Open-weave fabric SCRIM
7. Old Scottish officials THANES
8. Capital on the Grand River LANSING
9. Like Dvorák’s Symphony No. 8 IN G
10. Fancy molding OGEE
11. Audacity NERVE
12. Well target CRUDE OIL
13. Organ with scales PINE CONE
14. Followers APOSTLES
22. Would-be designer, perhaps ART MAJOR
24. Had an impact MATTERED
26. Basic rental ROOM
29. Who’s sorry now RUER
31. Smudge BLOT
34. Alphabetical orders? BLTS
36. Literary count, familiarly DRAC
37. Loiters HANGS OUT
38. “For certain” OF COURSE
39. Regulatory legal association STATE BAR
40. Breeze (through) SAIL
43. Hard-to-define influence X FACTOR
47. Platitude TRUISM
49. Shilling spender SOMALI
50. 2003 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor recipient TOMLIN
51. Marinates STEEPS
53. Honey beverages MEADS
55. Sci-fi figure DROID
58. Haggis ingredient SUET
60. Start of an intermission? ENTR’-
64. USCG rank CPO
65. Federal benefits org. SSA

Return to top of page