Day: December 9, 2015

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
7. Like cotton candy SPUN
What we call “cotton candy” here in the US has some interesting names in the rest of the world. Back in Ireland it’s candyfloss, and in France it “barbe à papa” (Dad’s beard). In Australia it is called fairy floss, which is actually the original name for cotton candy, first used when it was introduced at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904.

11. Fund-raising org. PTA
Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)

17. Utopian EDENIC
The word “Utopia” was coined by Sir Thomas More for his book “Utopia” published in 1516 describing an idyllic fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. More’s use of the name Utopia comes from the Greek “ou” meaning “not” and “topos” meaning “place”. By calling his perfect island “Not Place”, More was apparently making the point that he didn’t think that the ideal could actually exist.

18. WWI aircraft TRIPLANE (containing TR-ANE, i.e. parted Trane)
The heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) company called Trane was formed in 1913 by father and son James and Reuben Trane. James was a Norwegian immigrant, and Reuben earned his mechanical engineering degree at the University of Wisconsin.

20. They may coordinate with floor mats SEAT COVERS (containing SEA-RS, i.e. parted Sears)
Richard Sears was a station agent on the railroad. In the late 1800s, he bought up a shipment of unwanted watches that was left at his depot and sold the watches to other agents up and down the line. He was so successful that he ordered more watches and then came up with the idea of using a catalog to promote more sales. The catalog idea caught on, and by the mid 1900s Sears was the biggest retailer in the whole country.

25. Big maker of chips INTEL
Intel is the world’s largest manufacturer of semiconductor chips. The company was founded in 1968, and the name “Intel” is a derived from the term “int(egrated) el(ectronics)”. Recognition of the Intel brand has been greatly helped by the success of the “Intel Inside” campaign that started back in 1991.

29. Bedstead part FOOTBOARD (containing FO-RD, i.e. parted FORD)
The industrialist Henry Ford was born in Michigan, and was the son of an Irish immigrant from County Cork. Ford’s most famous vehicle was the one that revolutionized the industry: the Model T. Ford’s goal with the Model T was to build a car that was simple to drive and and easy and cheap to purchase and repair. The Model T cost $825 in 1908, which isn’t much over $20,000 in today’s money.

33. MSN, for one ISP
An Internet Service Provider (ISP) is just what the name indicates, a company that provides its customers with access to the Internet.

The Microsoft Network (MSN) used to be an Internet service provider (ISP). These days, MSN is mainly a web portal.

43. Middle name on many patents ALVA
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. Edison had 1,093 patents in his name in the US, and 2,332 patents worldwide.

44. BYU or NYU SCH
Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah has about 34.000 students on campus making it the largest religious university in the country. The school was founded in 1875 by Brigham Young, then President of the Mormon Church.

The main campus of the private New York University (NYU) is located right in Manhattan, in Washington Square in the heart of Greenwich Village. NYU has over 12,000 resident students, the largest number of residents in a private school in the whole country. NYU’s sports teams are known as the Violets, a reference to the violet and white colors that are worn in competition. Since the 1980s, the school’s mascot has been a bobcat. “Bobcat” had been the familiar name given to NYU’s Bobst Library computerized catalog.

45. In the opposite order VICE VERSA (containing VI-SA, i.e. parted VISA)
“Vice versa” is a Latin phrase meaning “with position turned”. We always pronounce this term “incorrectly”. In Latin, a “c” is always a hard sound, and a “v” is pronounced like a “w”. The pronunciation should be something like “wee-kay wehr-sa”.

Did you know that Visa doesn’t issue any credit cards? Visa just sells the electronic systems and infrastructure to banks who then put the Visa logo on their own cards so that both the customer and merchant know to use the VISA system when making a transaction.

48. Modern address starter HTTP …
“http” are the first letters in most Internet links. “http” stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol.

53. __ in November N AS
November is the eleventh month in our calendar. The name comes from the Latin “novem” meaning “nine”, as November was the ninth month in the ancient Roman calendar.

56. Mama bear, in Madrid OSA
Madrid is the largest city in Spain and the capital. Madrid is located very close to the geographical center of the country. It is the third-largest city in the European Union (after London and Paris). People from Madrid called themselves Madrileños.

57. 1980s Peppard co-star MR T
Mr. T’s real name is Laurence Tero Tureaud. Mr. T is famous for many things, including the wearing of excessive amounts of jewelry. He started this habit when he was working as a bouncer, wearing jewelry items that had been left behind by customers at a nightclub so that the items might be recognized and claimed. It was also as a bouncer that he adopted the name Mr. T. His catch phrase comes from the movie “Rocky III”. In the film, before he goes up against Rocky Balboa, Mr. T says, “No, I don’t hate Balboa, but I pity the fool”. He parlayed that line into quite a bit of success. He had a reality TV show called “I Pity the Fool”, and produced a motivational video called “Be Somebody … or Be Somebody’s Fool!”.

“The A-Team” is an action television series that originally ran in the eighties. The A-Team was a group of ex-US special forces personnel who became mercenaries. Star of the show was Hollywood actor George Peppard, ably assisted by Mr. T and Robert Vaughan.

The TV and film actor George Peppard was from Detroit. Peppard starred opposite Audrey Hepburn in one of the greatest movies of the sixties, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. He played the lead in two very successful television shows: “Banacek” in the seventies, and “The A-Team” in the eighties.

58. Some deal closers HANDSHAKES (containing HAN-ES, i.e. parted HANES)
The Hanes brand of apparel was founded in 1901. A related brand was introduced in 1986 called Hanes Her Way.

62. Hit-by-pitch consequence DEAD BALL (containing DE-LL, i.e. parted DELL)
Dell, the computer manufacturer, is named after the company’s founder Michael Dell. Michael Dell started his company in his dorm room at college, shipping personal computers that were customized to the specific needs of his customers. He dropped out of school in order to focus on his growing business, a decision that I doubt he regrets. Michael Dell is now one of the richest people in the world.

64. West Point students CADETS
West Point is a military reservation in New York State, located north of New York City. West Point was first occupied by the Continental Army way back in 1778, making it the longest, continually-occupied military post in the country. Cadet training has taken place at the garrison since 1794, although Congress funding for a US Military Academy (USMA) didn’t start until 1802. The first female cadets were admitted to West Point in 1976, and today about 15% of all new cadets are women.

66. Italian noble family ESTE
The House of Este is a princely dynasty in Europe. The House of Hanover that ruled Britain from 1714 to 1901 (when Queen Victoria died) was perhaps the most notable branch of the House of Este. The House takes its name from the town of Este in the province of Padua in northern Italy.

67. Danish port named for a Norse god ODENSE
Odense is a city in Denmark, named after the Norse god Odin. One of the most famous sons of Odense was Hans Christian Andersen, the author of children’s stories.

69. Hammer-wielding god THOR
In Norse mythology, Thor was the son of Odin. Thor wielded a mighty hammer and was the god of thunder, lightning and storms. Our contemporary word “Thursday” comes from “Thor’s Day”.

Down
2. Like llamas ANDEAN
The Andes is the longest continuous chain of mountains in the world, running right down the length of the west coast of South America for about 4,300 miles. The highest peak in the range is Mt. Aconcagua, at an elevation of 22,841 feet. Interestingly, the peak of Mt. Chimborazo in Ecuador is the furthest point on the Earth’s surface from the center of the planet. That’s because of the equatorial “bulge” around the Earth’s “waist”.

Many female mammals lick off their newborn. That’s not an option for llamas as their tongues only reach out of their mouths about half an inch. Instead llama dams nuzzle their young and hum to them.

4. Effort DINT
A “dint” is an effort or power, as in “he made it by dint of hard work”. “By dint of” is a new expression to me, but it has been around since the early 1300s. I must have been out that day …

5. City in New York’s Mohawk Valley UTICA
Utica in New York is known as “Second Chance City” these days, due to the recent influx of refugees from war-torn parts of the world and from Bosnia in particular. These immigrants have helped revitalize the area and reverse a trend of population loss.

The Mohawk River in New York State is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The river is named for the Native American Mohawk people.

6. Cowboy legend __ Bill PECOS
Pecos Bill has become a character in tall tales of the Old West after having been introduced in 1917 by author Edward O’Reilly. Legend has it that Bill was travelling in a covered wagon from Texas with his family when he fell out unnoticed by the party. He was lost near the Pecos River, hence his name. He was found and raised by a pack of coyotes, but years later was recovered by his real brother. Pecos Bill grew up to be a cowboy and married a woman called Slue-Foot Sue who he met riding a giant catfish down the Rio Grande.

7. Fill and then some SATE
“Sate” is a variant of the older word “satiate”. Both terms can mean either to satisfy an appetite fully, or to eat to excess.

9. “The Haj” novelist URIS
“The Haj” is a novel by the very successful American author Leon Uris. It is set in Palestine in first half of the 20th century.

10. Siesta NAP
We use the word “siesta” to describe a short nap in the early afternoon, taking the word from the Spanish. In turn, the Spanish word is derived from the Latin “hora sexta” meaning “the sixth hour”. The idea is that the nap is taken at “the sixth hour” after dawn.

11. Often-fried tropical fruit PLANTAIN
There is no botanical distinction between bananas and plantains. The terms simply describe fruit intended for eating raw (bananas) and fruit intended for cooking (plantains).

19. Fallon’s predecessor LENO
Jay Leno was born James Leno in New Rochelle, New York. Jay’s father was the son of Italian immigrants, and his mother was from Scotland. Leno grew up in Andover, Massachusetts and actually dropped out of school on the advice of a high school guidance counsellor. However, years later he went to Emerson college and earned a Bachelor’s degree in speech therapy. Leno also started a comedy club at Emerson in 1973. Today Jay Leno is a car nut and owns about 200 vehicles of various types. You can check them out on his website: www.jaylenosgarage.com.

Jimmy Fallon was a cast member for a number of years on “Saturday Night Live” before getting his own talk show in 2009, “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon”. Fallon took over “The Tonight Show” from Jay Leno in 2014. I’m not a huge fan …

21. TV channels 2-13 VHF
TV frequencies here in North America are divided into two bands. The VHF band covers channels 2 through 13; the UHF band covers channels 14 through 83.

25. Computer debut of 1981 IBM PC
The IBM PC entered the personal computer market in 1981, and was by all accounts a surprising success, even to many IBM executives. The PC was directed at the business world, and in 1983 IBM made its first foray into the home computing world with the introduction of the PCjr. Codenamed “Peanut” during development, the PCjr has been described as one of the biggest commercial flops in computing history. Various reasons have been cited for the failure, including the poorly-designed keyboard, relatively high price and lack of compatibility with existing IBM products.

26. Cholesterol initials LDL
LDL (low-density lipoprotein) is one of the compounds responsible for transporting fats around the body. When LDL is combined with cholesterol it can be referred to as “bad cholesterol”. This is because LDL actually transports cholesterol into the inner walls of blood vessels leading to atherosclerosis.

28. Title for Noël Coward SIR
Noel Coward was the most flamboyant of personalities, a playwright, composer and actor. Coward worked in a remarkable range of genres. He wrote the wonderfully airy play “Blithe Spirit”, as well as the Oscar-winning WWII naval drama “In Which We Serve”. A couple of his more famous songs, many of which he performed himself in cabaret, were “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” and “London Pride”.

30. Seal-hunting swimmers ORCAS
The taxonomic name for the killer whale is Orcinus orca. The use of the name “orca”, rather than “killer whale”, is becoming more and more common. The Latin word “Orcinus” means “belonging to Orcus”, with Orcus being the name for the Kingdom of the Dead.

There are three families of seals. The first is the walrus family, the second the eared seals (like sea lions), and thirdly the earless seals.

31. Valentine card hugs OOO
In the sequence XOX, the X represents a kiss, and the O a hug. OOO is a string of hugs, and XXX a string of kisses. Hugs and kisses …

32. Flat hats TAMS
A tam o’shanter is a man’s cap traditionally worn by Scotsmen. “Tams” were originally all blue (and called “blue bonnets”), but as more dyes became readily available they became more colorful. The name of the cap comes from the title character of Robert Burns’ poem “Tam O’Shanter”.

34. Barrel support STAVE
The word “stave” was originally the plural of “staff”, a wooden rod. To “stave off” originated with the concept of holding off with a staff. In the world of barrel-making, a stave is a narrow strip of wood that forms part of a barrel’s sides.

35. Soccer legend who turned 75 in 2015 PELE
Pelé is the nickname of Edson de Nascimento, a soccer player who has used the name Pelé for most of his life. Pelé is now retired, and for my money was the world’s greatest ever player of the game. He is the only person to have been part of three World Cup winning squads, and is a national treasure in his native Brazil.

40. Device for binge-watching DVR
DVR (Digital Video Recorder)

I’m a big fan of binge-watching, the practice of watching perhaps two or three (even four!) episodes of a show in a row. My wife and I will often deliberately avoid watching a recommended show “live” and wait until whole series have been released on DVD or online. I’m not a big fan of “tune in next week …”

42. Gardner of the silver screen AVA
Ava Gardner is noted for her association with some big movies, but also for her association with some big names when it came to the men in her life. In the world of film, she appeared in the likes of “Mogambo” (1953), “On the Beach” (1959), “The Night of the Iguana” (1964) and “Earthquake” (1974). The men in her life included husbands Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra. After her marriages had failed (and perhaps before!) she had long term relationships with Howard Hughes and bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguin whom she met through her friend Ernest Hemingway.

49. Arcade coins TOKENS
Our word “arcade” comes from the Latin “arcus” meaning “arc”. The first arcades were passages made from a series of arches. This could be an avenue of trees, and eventually any covered avenue. I remember arcades lined with shops and stores when I was growing up on the other side of the Atlantic. Arcades came to be lined with lots of amusements, resulting in amusement arcades and video game arcades.

50. African threat TSETSE
Tsetse flies live on the blood of vertebrate mammals. The name “tsetse” comes from Tswana, a language of southern Africa, and translates simply as “fly”. Tsetse flies are famous for being carriers of the disease known as “sleeping sickness”. Sleeping sickness is caused by a parasite which is passed onto humans when the tsetse fly bites into human skin tissue. If one considers all the diseases transmitted by the insect, then the tsetse fly is responsible for a staggering quarter of a million deaths each year.

54. Knotted neckwear ASCOT
An Ascot tie is a horrible-looking (I think!) wide tie that narrows at the neck, which these days is only really worn at weddings. The tie takes its name from the Royal Ascot horse race at which punters still turn up in formal wear at Ascot Racecourse in England.

58. Diner breakfast order HASH
“Hash”, meaning a dish of beef and vegetables mashed together, is a very American term and one that really surprised me when I first came across it. “Hash” just seems like such an unappetizing item, but I soon found out how delicious it was. The name “hash” in this context comes from the French “hacher” meaning “to chop”. Back in the early 1900s the dish called “hashed browned potatoes” was developed, which quickly morphed into “hash browns”. From there the likes of corned beef hash was introduced.

59. Chorus line? ALTO
In choral music, an alto (plural “alti”) is the second-highest voice in a four-part chorus made up of soprano, (contr)alto, tenor and bass. The word “alto” describes the vocal range, that of the deepest female singing-voice, whereas the term “contralto” describes more than just the alto range, but also its quality and timbre. An adult male’s voice (not a boy’s) with the same range as an alto is called a “countertenor”.

60. Card or D’back NLER
The St. Louis Cardinals baseball team was originally called the “Brown Stockings”, changing their name to the “Perfectos” in 1899. The new name obviously didn’t go down well with the locals, as the owners changed it one year later to the Cardinals.

The Arizona Diamondbacks joined Major League Baseball’s National League in 1998. By winning the World Series in 2001, the Diamondbacks became the fastest expansion team to do so in Major League history.

61. Yemeni seaport ADEN
Aden is a seaport in Yemen, located on the Gulf of Aden by the eastern approach to the Red Sea. Aden has a long history of British rule, from 1838 until a very messy withdrawal in 1967. A native of Aden is known as an Adeni. Some believe that Cain and Abel are buried in the city.

62. __ Moines DES
The city of Des Moines is the capital of Iowa, and takes its name from the Des Moines River. The river in turn takes its name from the French “Riviere des Moines” meaning “River of the Monks”. It looks like there isn’t any “monkish” connection to the city’s name per se. “Des Moines” was just the name given by French traders who corrupted “Moingona”, the name of a group of Illinois Native Americans who lived by the river. However, others do contend that French Trappist monks, who lived a full 200 miles from the river, somehow influenced the name.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Under the weather LAID UP
7. Like cotton candy SPUN
11. Fund-raising org. PTA
14. Provoke INCITE
15. Subtle glow AURA
16. Trip segment LEG
17. Utopian EDENIC
18. WWI aircraft TRIPLANE (containing TR-ANE, i.e. parted Trane)
20. They may coordinate with floor mats SEAT COVERS (containing SEA-RS, i.e. parted Sears)
22. Quarterback’s target END
23. Payroll deduction TAX
24. Volcanic debris ASH
25. Big maker of chips INTEL
27. Till compartment ONES
29. Bedstead part FOOTBOARD (containing FO-RD, i.e. parted FORD)
33. MSN, for one ISP
36. Meander ROAM
37. Under the weather ILL
38. Went different ways … or what each of six sets of circled letters literally represents PARTED COMPANY
42. Homer’s path ARC
43. Middle name on many patents ALVA
44. BYU or NYU SCH
45. In the opposite order VICE VERSA (containing VI-SA, i.e. parted VISA)
48. Modern address starter HTTP …
52. Tickle AMUSE
53. __ in November N AS
56. Mama bear, in Madrid OSA
57. 1980s Peppard co-star MR T
58. Some deal closers HANDSHAKES (containing HAN-ES, i.e. parted HANES)
62. Hit-by-pitch consequence DEAD BALL (containing DE-LL, i.e. parted DELL)
64. West Point students CADETS
65. Corner key ESC
66. Italian noble family ESTE
67. Danish port named for a Norse god ODENSE
68. Pen STY
69. Hammer-wielding god THOR
70. Got nervous, with “up” TENSED

Down
1. Deliberately misinforms LIES TO
2. Like llamas ANDEAN
3. Mountaineering aid ICE AXE
4. Effort DINT
5. City in New York’s Mohawk Valley UTICA
6. Cowboy legend __ Bill PECOS
7. Fill and then some SATE
8. Run smoothly PURR
9. “The Haj” novelist URIS
10. Siesta NAP
11. Often-fried tropical fruit PLANTAIN
12. With affection TENDERLY
13. “Act your __!” AGE
19. Fallon’s predecessor LENO
21. TV channels 2-13 VHF
25. Computer debut of 1981 IBM PC
26. Cholesterol initials LDL
28. Title for Noël Coward SIR
30. Seal-hunting swimmers ORCAS
31. Valentine card hugs OOO
32. Flat hats TAMS
34. Barrel support STAVE
35. Soccer legend who turned 75 in 2015 PELE
38. Most like a schoolmarm PRIMMEST
39. Precision ACCURACY
40. Device for binge-watching DVR
41. “How relaxing!” AHH!
42. Gardner of the silver screen AVA
46. Cornerstone abbr. ESTD
47. Furthermore AND
49. Arcade coins TOKENS
50. African threat TSETSE
51. Got a C in, say PASSED
54. Knotted neckwear ASCOT
55. Relief from the sun SHADE
58. Diner breakfast order HASH
59. Chorus line? ALTO
60. Card or D’back NLER
61. Yemeni seaport ADEN
62. __ Moines DES
63. Wager BET

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