Day: February 17, 2015

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Command from a bailiff OYEZ!
“Oyez” is an Anglo-French word traditionally called out three times, meaning “hear ye!”

14. Like Mini Coopers BOXY
The original mini was a fabulous car, one that I drove all over Ireland in my youth. It had a unique front-wheel-drive layout that took up very little space, allowing for a lot of room (relatively speaking) for passengers and baggage. One space-saving trick was to mount the engine transversely, so it sits rotated 90 degrees from the norm. That engine had a capacity of only 848cc. In 1961, a Mini Cooper model was introduced, a sporty version of the Mini. The Mini Cooper was a phenomenal hit, especially after repeated wins in the Monte Carlo Rally. The Mini marque has been owned by BMW since 1994.

18. Particularly welcome casino visitor HIGH ROLLER (giving “highway”)
In the world of gambling, a “high roller” is a person who brings a relatively large amount of money to the table and who routinely risks big sums.

23. Court case that generates a media frenzy, say CAUSE CELEBRE (giving “causeway”)
“Cause célèbre” is a French phrase that we have imported into English, describing an issue that arouses widespread controversy. The expression translates from French as “famous case”. The term originated with a large collection of court decisions published in 1762 called “Nouvelles Causes Célèbres”.

30. Handsome god APOLLO
In Greek and Roman mythology, Apollo was the son of Zeus and Leto, and the twin brother of the goddess Artemis. Among other things, Apollo was worshiped as a god of light and the sun, truth and prophecy, as well as healing and plague.

33. Granada gold ORO
Granada is a city and province in Andalusia in the south of Spain. Granada should not to be confused with Grenada (different spelling), the island nation in the Caribbean that was invaded by the US in 1983.

37. “CSI” facilities LABS
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.

38. Tee sizes, for short SML
Small (S), medium (M) and large (L).

42. Geese formation VEE
Apparently geese fly in a V-formation for a couple of reasons. One is that it makes for efficient flight and conserves energy. The leading bird gets no advantage, but every following bird gets to “slipstream” a little. It has been noted that the lead bird drops to the back of the formation when he/she gets fatigued. It’s also thought that the flock can stick together more easily when in formation, so it is more difficult to lose someone along the way.

47. Handsome god ADONIS
In Greek mythology, Adonis is a beautiful young god loved by Aphrodite. Adonis dies in a hunting accident (gored by a boar), but not before he gives Aphrodite a child. Adonis was originally a Phoenician god “absorbed” into Greek lore (Phoenicia is modern day Lebanon). The child born of Adonis to Aphrodite was called Beroe, after which is named Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon.

50. __ Raiders: consumer advocates NADER’S
“Nader’s Raiders” is the name given to the hundreds of young activists that came to Washington to help Ralph Nader in work investigating government corruption.

Ralph Nader has run as a third-party candidate for the office of President of the United States four times now, in every election from 1996 to 2008. Nader’s name was first first linked with the presidential race in 1971, when the famous Dr. Benjamin Spock offered to stand aside as candidate in the 1972 race if Nader would agree to run, but he declined.

52. Abe Lincoln nickname RAIL SPLITTER (giving “railway”)
Before Abraham Lincoln was elected president, his political campaign used the nickname “the Rail Splitter” to emphasize his humble upbringing. Lincoln had worked at splitting fence rails in his youth.

68. Former South Korean leader Syngman __ RHEE
Syngman Rhee was born in Korea, but received much of his education in the US, including a Ph.D. from Princeton. The very much westernized Rhee returned to Korea in 1910, a Korea that by then had been annexed by Japan. Soon after he found himself President of a Provisional Government of Korea based in Shanghai, but was eventually ousted for misuse of power. After WWII, Rhee was installed as President, heavily backed by the United States. However, Rhee’s rule proved to be more like tyranny and during the Korean War his relationship with the US Government became very strained. He stayed in power until 1960 when student revolts became popular enough to force him out of office. The CIA flew him out of the country and he went into exile in Hawaii, where a few years later he died of a stroke.

71. Jedi guru YODA
Yoda is one of the most beloved characters in the “Star Wars” series of films. Yoda’s voice was provided by the great modern-day puppeteer Frank Oz of “Muppets” fame.

Down
2. Toy with a spool YO-YO
Would you believe that the first yo-yos date back to 500 BC? There is even an ancient Greek vase painting that shows a young man playing with a yo-yo. Centuries later Filipinos were using yo-yos as hunting tools in the 1500s. “Yo-yo” is a Tagalog (Filipino) word meaning “come-come” or simply “return”.

4. Louisiana music style ZYDECO
Zydeco is a style of folk music that evolved from Creole music in Louisiana. The name “Zydeco” is imitative of the French word for green beans, “les haricots”. The term arose from a popular dance tune called “Les Haricots Sont Pas Salés” (“The Green Beans Ain’t Salty”).

5. Olympics fig. ATH
Athlete (ath.)

6. French monarch ROI
Roi is the French word for “king”.

7. One below birdie EAGLE
The following terms are routinely used in golf for scores relative to par:

– Bogey: one over par
– Par
– Birdie: one under par
– Eagle: two under par
– Albatross (also “double eagle”): three under par
– Condor: four under par
No one has ever recorded a condor during a professional tournament.

8. Specialized, committee-wise AD HOC
The Latin phrase “ad hoc” means “for this purpose”.

11. NBC show since 1975, briefly SNL
NBC first aired a form of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) in 1975 under the title “NBC’s Saturday Night”. The show was actually created to give Johnny Carson some time off from “The Tonight Show”. Back then “The Tonight Show” had a weekend episode, and Carson convinced NBC to pull the Saturday or Sunday recordings off the air and hold them for subsequent weeknights in which Carson needed a break. NBC turned to Lorne Michaels and asked him to put together a variety show to fill the vacant slot, and he came up with what we now call “Saturday Night Live”.

12. Barely manage, with “out” EKE
To “eke out” means to “make something go further or last longer”. For example, you could eke out your income by cutting back on expenses. I always have a problem with the commonly cited definition of “eke out” as “barely get by”. Close but no cigar, I say …

13. Ukr. or Lith., once SSR
Ukraine is a large country in Eastern Europe, a Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) before the dissolution of the USSR. In English we often call the country “the” Ukraine, but I am told that we should just say “Ukraine”.

The nation of Lithuania is a former Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) sitting on the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe.

21. Bochco legal series LA LAW
“L.A. Law” ran on NBC from 1986 to 1994, and was one of the network’s most successful drama series. It took over from the equally successful “Hill Street Blues” in the Thursday night 10 p.m. slot until, after a six-year run, it was itself replaced by yet another respected drama, “E.R.” The opening credits showed that famous California licence plate. The plate was on a Jaguar XJ for most of the series, but moved onto a Bentley towards the end of the run. For each series the registration sticker was updated, so no laws were being broken.

Steven Bochco is a television producer and writer. He created such shows as “Hill Street Blues”, “L.A. Law” and “NYPD Blue”.

24. Forearm bone 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”.

25. Some DVD players SONYS
Sony was founded by Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuka. The two partners met in the Japanese Navy during WWII.

29. ’50s four-wheeled flop EDSEL
The Edsel brand of automobile was named for Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford. Sadly, the name “Edsel” has become synonymous with “failure”, which was no fault of Edsel himself who had died several years before the Edsel line was introduced.

30. 16th-century Spanish fleet ARMADA
The most famous Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England in order to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I in 1588. It failed in its mission, partly due to bad weather encountered en route. Ironically, the English mounted a similar naval attack against Spain the following year, and it failed as well.

31. Hoi __: the masses POLLOI
“Hoi polloi” is a Greek term, literally meaning “the majority, the many”. In English, “hoi polloi” has come to mean “the masses” and is often used in a derogatory sense.

33. Heroic Schindler OSKAR
Oskar Schindler is the protagonist in the Steven Spielberg movie “Schindler’s List”. Schindler was a real person who survived WWII. During the Holocaust, Schindler managed to save almost 1,200 Jews from perishing by employing them in his factories. After the war, Schindler and his wife were left penniless having used his assets to protect and feed his workers. For years the couple survived on the charity of Jewish groups. Schindler tried to make a go of it in business again but never had any real success. He died a pauper in 1974 in Hildesheim, not far from Hanover. His last wish was to be buried in Jerusalem. Schindler was the only former member of the Nazi Party to be buried on Mount Zion.

35. Giants Hall of Famer Mel OTT
At 5′ 9″, Mel Ott weighed just 170 lb (I don’t think he took steroids!) and yet he was the first National League player to hit over 500 home runs. Sadly, Ott died in a car accident in New Orleans in 1958 when he was only 49 years old.

36. Brewers Hall of Famer Robin YOUNT
Robin Yount is a former major League shortstop and center fielder, playing his whole career with the Milwaukee Brewers. His brother Larry had a pretty amazing career. He hurt his arm in a warm-up toss before his first appearance in the Majors. He couldn’t play that day, and never made a pitch in a Major League game. Has to be the shortest baseball career known.

41. Utah city near the Golden Spike OGDEN
Ogden, Utah was the first permanent settlement by people of European descent in what is now the state of Utah.

The First Transcontinental Railroad was a cooperative project between the Western Pacific, the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific Railroad Companies. The Western Pacific Railroad constructed line between Oakland and Sacramento in California. The Central Pacific Railroad laid line from Sacramento to Promontory Summit, Utah. The Union Pacific Railroad put down tracks in a westerly direction, from the existing network terminus near Omaha, Nebraska, all the way to Promontory Summit. It was the connecting of the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads at Promontory Summit that completed the First Transcontinental Line in 1869. The driving of the Golden Spike (also “Last Spike”) symbolically completed the project. That spike was pounded into the ground by Leland Stanford, president of both the Southern Pacific and the Central Pacific railroads. The spike can now be viewed in Stanford University, the school founded by and named for Leland.

44. Photo blowup: Abbr. ENL
Enlargement (enl.)

49. Blueprint detail, for short SPEC
Blueprints are reproductions of technical drawings that are contact prints made on light-sensitive sheets. Blueprints were introduced in the 1800s and the technology available dictated that the drawings were reproduced with white lines on a blue background, hence the name “blue-print”.

53. Cable Guy of comedy LARRY
Larry the Cable Guy is the stage name of stand-up comedian and actor Daniel Lawrence Whitney. Whitney’s famous catchphrase is “Get-r-done!”

54. The Gem State IDAHO
Idaho has the nickname the Gem State, mainly because almost every known type of gemstone has been found there. Idaho is also sometimes called the Potato State as potatoes are such a popular crop in the state.

57. Warning from a driver? FORE!
No one seems to know for sure where the golfing term “fore!” comes from. It has been used at least as far back as 1881, and since then has been called out to warn other golfers that a wayward ball might be heading their way. My favorite possibility for its origin is that it is a contraction of the Gaelic warning cry “Faugh a Ballagh!” (clear the way!) which is still called out in the sport of road bowling. Road bowling is an Irish game where players bowl balls along roads between villages, trying to reach the end of the course in as few bowls as possible, just like in golf!

58. Elvis __ Presley ARON
Elvis Aron Presley (aka “the King”) was the younger of two identical twins. His brother was stillborn, delivered 35 minutes before Elvis. The brother was named Jesse Garon Presley. So, though born a twin, Elvis was raised as an only child.

60. Hip-hop Dr. DRE
Dr. Dre is the stage name of rapper Andre Romelle Young. Dr. Dre is known for his own singing career as well as for producing records and starting the careers of others such Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent.

63. Caracas’ country, to the IOC VEN
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) abbreviates the country-name Venezuela to “VEN”.

64. Athens : omega :: London : __ ZED
Omega is the last letter in the Greek alphabet, and zed is the last letter in the British English alphabet.

The letter named “zed” has been around since about 1400, and derives from the Greek letter zeta. The spelling and pronunciation of “zee” used in America today first popped up in the 1670s.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Command from a bailiff OYEZ!
5. Circle calculation AREA
9. They smell NOSES
14. Like Mini Coopers BOXY
15. Pond croaker TOAD
16. Swine squeals OINKS
17. Gave the once-over EYED
18. Particularly welcome casino visitor HIGH ROLLER (giving “highway”)
20. Alpine song YODEL
22. Ear-splitting LOUD
23. Court case that generates a media frenzy, say CAUSE CELEBRE (giving “causeway”)
30. Handsome god APOLLO
32. Get really angry SEE RED
33. Granada gold ORO
34. Irritate ANNOY
37. “CSI” facilities LABS
38. Tee sizes, for short SML
39. “Nice job!” … and, in another sense, a hint about the first words of 18-, 23-, 52- and 60-Across WAY TO GO!
42. Geese formation VEE
43. Leafy veggie baked for chips KALE
45. Bitten by bees STUNG
46. Angled pipe fitting ELL
47. Handsome god ADONIS
50. __ Raiders: consumer advocates NADER’S
52. Abe Lincoln nickname RAIL SPLITTER (giving “railway”)
55. Principal role LEAD
56. Diet food phrase NO FAT
60. Irritate to the breaking point DRIVE CRAZY (giving “driveway”)
66. Shredded TORE
67. Construction beam fastener RIVET
68. Former South Korean leader Syngman __ RHEE
69. Golf club used for chipping IRON
70. Blissful settings EDENS
71. Jedi guru YODA
72. Small change CENT

Down
1. Do as directed OBEY
2. Toy with a spool YO-YO
3. Deleted, with “out” EXED
4. Louisiana music style ZYDECO
5. Olympics fig. ATH
6. French monarch ROI
7. One below birdie EAGLE
8. Specialized, committee-wise AD HOC
9. Bit of pasta NOODLE
10. Frying liquid OIL
11. NBC show since 1975, briefly SNL
12. Barely manage, with “out” EKE
13. Ukr. or Lith., once SSR
19. Feels remorse over RUES
21. Bochco legal series LA LAW
24. Forearm bone ULNA
25. Some DVD players SONYS
26. Sinuous swimmer EEL
27. Less cowardly BRAVER
28. Insurgent group REBELS
29. ’50s four-wheeled flop EDSEL
30. 16th-century Spanish fleet ARMADA
31. Hoi __: the masses POLLOI
33. Heroic Schindler OSKAR
35. Giants Hall of Famer Mel OTT
36. Brewers Hall of Famer Robin YOUNT
40. Pest in a swarm GNAT
41. Utah city near the Golden Spike OGDEN
44. Photo blowup: Abbr. ENL
48. Sea spots? ISLETS
49. Blueprint detail, for short SPEC
51. Sexy EROTIC
53. Cable Guy of comedy LARRY
54. The Gem State IDAHO
57. Warning from a driver? FORE!
58. Elvis __ Presley ARON
59. No-frills shelter TENT
60. Hip-hop Dr. DRE
61. Free (of) RID
62. “__ changed my mind” I’VE
63. Caracas’ country, to the IOC VEN
64. Athens : omega :: London : __ ZED
65. Assenting vote YEA

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