Day: February 21, 2015

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Modern location code IP ADDRESS
An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a numerical label assigned to every device on a computer network.

10. Vertical sides JAMBS
A door or window jamb is the vertical portion of the frame. The term “jamb” comes from the French word “jambe” meaning “leg”.

17. Baby, for one SPICE GIRL
The five members of the English pop group the Spice Girls are:

– Scary Spice (Melanie Brown, or Mel B)
– Baby Spice (Emma Bunton, and my fave!)
– Ginger Spice (Geri Halliwell)
– Posh Spice (Victoria Beckham)
– Sporty Spice (Melanie Chisholm, or Mel C)

20. “Shadow of the Vampire” Oscar nominee DAFOE
Willem Dafoe is an American actor, from Wisconsin. He was born just plain William Dafoe, but didn’t like being called “Billy”. So, he changed his name to Willem, which was the pronunciation of his name by his Scottish babysitter. Those Scots …

“Shadow of the Vampire” is a horror film released in 2000. It is a fictional account of the making of the 1922 German vampire movie “Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens”, which in turn is an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”. I don’t do vampires …

22. Mr. __!: old detective game REE
The full name for the old mystery game is “Mr. Ree! The Fireside Detective”. It was first published in 1937 and frankly it sounds like a great game, even by today’s standards …

23. Churchill’s “so few”: Abbr. RAF
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the oldest independent air force in the world (i.e. the first air force to become independent of army or navy forces). The RAF was formed during WWI on 1 April 1918, a composite of two earlier forces, the Royal Flying Corps (part of the Army) and the Royal Naval Air Service. The RAF’s “finest hour” has to be the Battle of Britain when the vastly outnumbered British fighters fought off the might of the Luftwaffe causing Hitler to delay his plan to cross the English Channel. This outcome prompted Winston Churchill to utter the memorable words:
Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.

25. Chess tactic PIN
In the game of chess, a piece is said to be “pinned” if it cannot move without exposing a more valuable piece to capture.

27. Reagan era mil. program SDI
One of the positive outcomes of President Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) was a change in US defense strategy. The new approach was to use missiles to destroy incoming hostile weapons, rather than using missiles to destroy the nation attacking the country. The former doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction went by the apt acronym of MAD …

30. “Die Hard” cry adapted from an old cowboy song YIPPEE KI-YAY!
The phrase “Yipee Ki-Yay” is uttered very colorfully by the Bruce Willis character in the “Die Hard” series of films. It appears that the phrase is a variant of “yippie yi yo kayah”, a refrain in a 1930s Johnny Mercer song called “I’m an Old Cowhand”, which Bing Crosby performed in the movie “Rhythm on the Range”.

37. “The Hangover” star ED HELMS
The comedic actor Ed Helms got his big break in television on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show”, after which he joined the cast of “The Office”. Helms is now making a name for himself on the big screen. Notably, he co-stars in the “The Hangover” series of films.

“The Hangover” is a comedy film released in 2009. The action revolves around a bachelor party in Las Vegas. The critics liked this one, although I didn’t really enjoy it too much.

39. Is worth something, in dialect AIN’T HAY
“That ain’t hay” is an idiomatic expression meaning “that’s a great deal, important”.

41. One may involve a homonym PUN
Homonyms are words that have the same spelling and the same pronunciation but different meanings e.g. skate (a fish) and skate (worn on the foot). However, the term “homonyms” can also apply in common parlance to words that are pronounced OR spelled the same way but have different meanings. So one might also called the words ere, air, err and heir all homonyms as they all can be pronounced the same way. Strictly speaking, this is a list of homophones. I know, I don’t like ambiguity either …

42. Like the Negev SERE
The Negev is a desert region in southern Israel. The largest city in the Negev is Beersheba.

43. Range for some power measurements ZERO TO SIXTY
The power of an automotive engine might be measured in the time taken to get from zero to sixty miles/hour.

46. “The Spanish Tragedy” dramatist KYD
Thomas Kyd’s most famous work is “The Spanish Tragedy”, written in the mid to late 1580s. Even though Kyd was a recognized dramatist within his own lifetime, he fell foul of the standards of the Privy Council of the day and was imprisoned and tortured for allegedly being an atheist. He died soon after, impoverished.

47. Behan’s land ERIN
Brendan Behan was an Irish writer and playwright. His most famous work is probably “Borstal Boy”, an autobiographical novel. Borstal is a term used in the British Isles for juvenile detention. Behan was quite a character, famous for being a heavy drinker (“a drinker with a writing problem”, as he described himself). The drink eventually put him in an early grave, at 41 years old. I used to walk to school in Dublin right past the pub where he spent many hours every day.

49. Chinese dynasty during Caesar’s time HAN
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China and lasted from 206 BC to 220 AD. It came after the Qin Dynasty, and before the Three Kingdoms.

54. 1946 Literature Nobelist HESSE
Hermann Hesse was not only a novelist, but also a poet and a painter. Hesse’s best known work is probably his 1927 novel “Steppenwolf”.

58. Nice parting ADIEU
A formal way to say “farewell” in English might be “adieu”. “Adieu” is the French for “goodbye”, from “à Dieu” meaning “to God”.

The French city of Nice is on the Mediterranean coast in the southeast of the country. Although Nice is only the fifth most populous city in France, it is home to the busiest airport outside of Paris. That’s because of all the tourists flocking to the French Riviera.

60. Baklava flavoring ROSE WATER
Rose water is a flavoring used in some foods. It is made by steeping rose petals in water.

Baklava is a very sweet and rich (and delicious) dessert pastry made from layers of filo dough filled with nuts and sweetened with honey or syrup. The name “baklava” comes from the Ottoman Turkish name for the pastry.

63. Cocktail portmanteau APPLETINI
An appletini is an apple-flavored martini, a cocktail containing vodka and an apple-flavored beverage such as apple brandy. One recipe is:

– 1 part sweet vermouth
– 1 part dry vermouth
– 4 parts vodka
– 3 parts apple juice

A portemanteau was a large suitcase, one that could be taken apart into two separate pieces. The word “portmanteau” is French for a “travelling bag”, from “porter” (to carry) and “manteau” (a coat, cloak). We also use “portmanteau” to mean a word that has been melded together from two parts (just like the suitcase). This usage was introduced to the world by Humpty Dumpty in Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”. He explained to Alice that the nonsense words in the “Jabberwocky” poem were actually portmanteau words. For example “slithy”, from “slimy” and “lithe”.

64. Start using Twitter, say LOG ON
Twitter is a microblogging service that limits any post sent to just 140 characters. In a sense, it is similar to this blog. Here I send out a post once a day containing information that I think might be useful to folks (thank you for reading!). I’m not sure if I could use Twitter, but I’m at least thinking about it …

65. Victoria’s Secret purchase BOYSHORTS
Boyshorts are a style of women’s underwear that look similar to men’s knit boxer shorts, hence the name.

Victoria’s Secret was founded in 1977 in San Francisco, California. The founder wanted to create an environment where men were comfortable buying lingerie for their wives and girlfriends, an alternative to a department store.

Down
2. Urban, e.g. POPE
There have been eight popes named Urban who have led the Roman Catholic Church. Pope Urban I was in office from 222 to 230 and is the only one of the eight to have been sanctified. Urban VII’s papacy was the shortest in the history of the church. He died from malaria just 13 days after having been chosen as Pope in September 1590.

3. Boorish Sacha Baron Cohen persona ALI G
Ali G is a fictional character created by British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. Baron Cohen achieved international fame playing another of his personae, Borat, the protagonist in the 2006 movie “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan”.

5. 1993 rap hit DRE DAY
“Dre Day” is the cleaned-up name for a 1993 single released by rap artist Dr. Dre, with a guest appearance by Snoop Doggy Dogg.

6. Low-quality paper RAG
A low-quality newspaper is often referred to as a “rag”. There are a lot of rags out there …

7. Home of Phillips University ENID
Phillips University was a private school in Enid, Oklahoma that was founded in 1906 as the Oklahoma Christian University. Phillips ran into financial problems in the nineties due to declining student enrollments, and went bankrupt in 1998. The facility is now used as a satellite campus by Northern Oklahoma College.

9. Instagrammed item SELFIE
Instagram is a photo-sharing application, one that is extremely popular I hear. Instagram was started in San Francisco in 2010. Facebook purchased Instagram two years later, paying $1 billion. The billion-dollar Instagram had just 13 employees at the time …

11. Pac-12 sch. whose mascot carries a pitchfork ASU
Arizona State University (ASU) has a long history, founded as the Tempe Normal School for the Arizona Territory in 1885. The athletic teams of ASU used to be known as the Normals, then the Bulldogs, and since 1946 they’ve been called the Sun Devils. The team mascot is a scary chap called Sparky the Sun Devil, who carries pitchfork.

12. “Swingin’ Soiree” DJ MURRAY THE K
Murray the K was the professional name used by disk jockey Murray Kaufman who was very successful in the fifties, sixties and seventies. Kaufman got his big break hosting an all-night radio show that he called “The Swingin’ Soiree”.

24. “Double Indemnity” genre FILM NOIR
“Double Indemnity” is a classic film noir released in 1944 and starring Fred MacMurray, Edward G. Robinson and Barbara Stanwyck. Based on the James M. Cain novella of the same name, it’s all about a woman who kills her husband for the insurance money. The title “Double Indemnity” refers to the double payout clause in the life insurance policy in the event of an accidental death. And that’s what the wife tried to show investigators, that the death was accidental.

28. Australian wind DIDGERIDOO
When I was growing up in Ireland, there was a famous Australian entertainer we used to see all the time on TV called Rolf Harris. One thing for which he was noted was playing his didgeridoo, a wind instrument that was used by indigenous Australian peoples as far back as 1500 years ago. It has a remarkably rich sound.

31. Step on stage PAS
The the world of ballet, a “pas de deux” is a duet in which the dancers dance together. A classic pas de deux has a particular structure. It starts with a short entree followed by an adagio and two variations, one for each dancer, and ends with a short coda. The term “pas de deux” is French for “step for two”, or I suppose “dance for two”.

32. Grasp KEN
“Ken” is a noun meaning “understanding, perception”. One might say, for example, “half the clues in Saturday’s crossword are beyond my ken, beyond my understanding”.

34. Jackson Hole’s county TETON
Jackson Hole is the name of a beautiful valley in Wyoming formed between the Teton and Gros Ventre Ranges. The name “Jackson Hole” is also used locally for the town of Jackson, located in the valley.

41. 1980s “SNL” regular PISCOPO
Comedian Joe Piscopo is best known for being a member of the “Saturday Night Live” cast from 1980 to 1984. He appeared on the show at the same time as Eddie Murphy, but never enjoyed the same level of success as Murphy did after SNL.

44. Sacred beetle SCARAB
Scarabs were amulets in ancient Egypt. Scarabs were modelled on the dung beetle, as it was viewed as a symbol of the cycle of life.

45. Name derived from the Tetragrammaton YAHWEH
“Tetragrammaton” is a Greek word meaning “consisting of four letters” It is the name given to the four-letter word in Hebrew for the name God. The four letters are usually translated into English as YHWH, with “Yahweh” used as the ancient pronunciation. Another pronunciation that has been used is “Jehovah”.

52. Cheat, in slang BURN
The verb “to burn” can mean to cheat, to swindle or indeed to victimize. This usage actually dates back to the mid-1600s.

55. Hullabaloo STIR
Our word “hullabaloo” meaning a “commotion” is a derivative of an older term “hollo-ballo”. “Hollo-ballo” was a word used for an uproar in the north of England and Scotland.

57. Most massive known dwarf planet ERIS
Eris is the largest known dwarf planet in our solar system. It is also the ninth largest body orbiting the sun, a fact that helped relegate Pluto (the tenth largest body) from its status of planet in 2006. Eris was discovered in 2005.

59. Fair-hiring initials EEO
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) is a term that has been around since 1964 when the Equal Employment Commission was set up by the Civil Rights Act.

61. 2012 British Open winner ELS
The South African golfer Ernie Els has one four major championships: the US Open in 1994 and 1997, and the (British) Open in 2002 and 2012.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Modern location code IP ADDRESS
10. Vertical sides JAMBS
15. Ability to stand? TOLERANCE
16. “What I always get” USUAL
17. Baby, for one SPICE GIRL
18. Ward cry? NURSE!
19. “Bless __ …”: Psalm 68 YE GOD
20. “Shadow of the Vampire” Oscar nominee DAFOE
22. Mr. __!: old detective game REE
23. Churchill’s “so few”: Abbr. RAF
25. Chess tactic PIN
26. [Oh, my!] GASP!
27. Reagan era mil. program SDI
30. “Die Hard” cry adapted from an old cowboy song YIPPEE KI-YAY!
33. Trap catchings LINT
35. Wager LAY
36. Get comfy NESTLE
37. “The Hangover” star ED HELMS
39. Is worth something, in dialect AIN’T HAY
40. Fifth-grader’s milestone, maybe AGE TEN
41. One may involve a homonym PUN
42. Like the Negev SERE
43. Range for some power measurements ZERO TO SIXTY
46. “The Spanish Tragedy” dramatist KYD
47. Behan’s land ERIN
48. Robot extension? -ICS
49. Chinese dynasty during Caesar’s time HAN
51. Little BIT
52. “__ yourself!” BRACE
54. 1946 Literature Nobelist HESSE
58. Nice parting ADIEU
60. Baklava flavoring ROSE WATER
62. One removed from the company? LONER
63. Cocktail portmanteau APPLETINI
64. Start using Twitter, say LOG ON
65. Victoria’s Secret purchase BOYSHORTS

Down
1. Tiny ITSY
2. Urban, e.g. POPE
3. Boorish Sacha Baron Cohen persona ALI G
4. Style DECOR
5. 1993 rap hit DRE DAY
6. Low-quality paper RAG
7. Home of Phillips University ENID
8. Full of spunk SCRAPPY
9. Instagrammed item SELFIE
10. __ bug JUNE
11. Pac-12 sch. whose mascot carries a pitchfork ASU
12. “Swingin’ Soiree” DJ MURRAY THE K
13. It doesn’t include benefits BASE SALARY
14. About to crash? SLEEPY-EYED
21. About 1.8 tablespoons, vis-à-vis a cup ONE NINTH
24. “Double Indemnity” genre FILM NOIR
26. Basic ideas GISTS
27. Despicable sort SLEAZEBALL
28. Australian wind DIDGERIDOO
29. Willing consequence? INHERITING
31. Step on stage PAS
32. Grasp KEN
34. Jackson Hole’s county TETON
38. Court call LET
39. TV input letters AUX
41. 1980s “SNL” regular PISCOPO
44. Sacred beetle SCARAB
45. Name derived from the Tetragrammaton YAHWEH
50. “Far out!” NEATO!
52. Cheat, in slang BURN
53. Notice ESPY
55. Hullabaloo STIR
56. Text status SENT
57. Most massive known dwarf planet ERIS
59. Fair-hiring initials EEO
61. 2012 British Open winner ELS

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