Day: April 23, 2016

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Loves to solve, say? ANAGRAM
“Loves” is an anagram of “solve”.

8. Mavens SHARKS
I’ve always loved the word “maven”, another word for an expert. Maven comes into English from the Yiddish “meyvn” meaning someone who appreciates and is a connoisseur.

16. Company that annually honors “Women of Worth” L’OREAL
L’Oréal is a French cosmetics company, the largest cosmetics and beauty company in the world. Here in the US, L’Oréal runs a “Women of Worth” program that honors women who volunteer in their communities.

17. Batter’s dream MEATBALL
In baseball, a “meatball” is a pitch that’s easy to hit, one pitched right down the middle of the plate.

18. 2015 World Golf Hall of Fame inductee O’MEARA
Mark O’Meara is an American golfer from Goldsboro, North Carolina. He is known as one of the American players who competes in international tournaments more than most, and has a reputation as a real gentleman all around the world.

19. Action figures? ODDS
That would be betting “action” …

20. 1954 film based on the short story “It Had to Be Murder” REAR WINDOW
“Rear Window” is a fabulous 1954 Hitchcock movie that is based on a short story called “It Had to Be Murder” by Cornell Woolrich. Stars in the film are James Stewart, Grace Kelly, with Raymond Burr playing the “bad guy”. Great, great movie …

22. Four-time Australian Open winner AGASSI
Renowned tennis professional Andre Agassi wrote an autobiography called “Open”, published in 2009. An amazing revelation in the book is that Agassi’s famous head of hair was actually a wig for much of his playing career. Can you imagine how hard it must have been to play tennis at his level with a rug stuck on?

24. LBJ theater NAM
Vietnam (“Nam”)

Here are a couple of quotes from President Lyndon B. Johnson, all related to the Vietnam War:

– We are not about to send American boys 9 or 10 thousand miles away from home to do what Asian boys ought to be doing for themselves.
– Peace is a journey of a thousand miles and it must be taken one step at a time.
– The last thing I wanted to do was to be a wartime President.

25. Key of Mozart’s Symphony No. 39 E-FLAT
My reading tells me that Mozart wrote four symphonies in the key of E-flat:

– Symphony No. 1 (K. 16)
– Symphony No. 19 (K. 132)
– Symphony No. 26 (K. 184)
– Symphony No. 39 (K. 543)

What was once called Mozart’s “Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major (K. 18)” is now generally attributed to Carl Friedrich Abel, with Mozart getting credit as arranger. Mozart was a young boy when he made that arrangement.

27. Fix, as a toy SPAY
Our verb “to spay”, meaning “to surgically remove the ovaries of” (an animal) comes from an old Anglo-French word “espeier” meaning “to cut with a sword”.

29. Kisser YAP
“Kisser” and “yap” are slang terms for the mouth.

32. Weapon with a nock ARROW
The nock is the slot that is cut into the end of an arrow into which the string is placed as the bow is drawn.

33. Subatomic particle PION
“Pion” is short for “pi meson”, and “kaon” is short for “K meson”. A meson is an unstable subatomic particle, made up of one quark and one antiquark.

34. Former Italian statesman Moro ALDO
Aldo Moro was Prime Minister of Italy from 1963 to 1968 and again from 1974 to 1976. After leaving office, Moro was famously kidnapped in 1978 by militant communists known as the Red Brigades. The kidnappers were demanding the release of several prisoners in exchange for Noro’s safe return. The Italian government was resolved not to bend to blackmail by terrorists and after 55 days of captivity, Moro was shot ten times and killed in the trunk of a car.

38. Rapper Nate DOGG
Nate Dogg was the stage name of rapper Nathaniel Hale from Clarksdale, Mississippi. Nate Dogg is no longer with us as he died at the age of 41 after suffering multiple strokes.

41. Second-century date CLI
The year 151 CE is written as CLI in Roman numerals.

42. Sister of Dakota ELLE
The actress Elle Fanning’s most notable performance to date (probably) was playing Aurora in the 2014 movie “Maleficent”. Elle’s older sister is actress Dakota Fanning.

44. Dig for hard-to-get clams? DUN
“To dun” is to insist on payment of a debt. The etymology of the term is unclear, with one suggestion that it dates back to a famous debt collector in London named Joe Dun.

“Buck” and “clam” are both slang terms for “a dollar”. The term “buck” has been around at least since 1856, and is thought to derive from the tradition of using buckskin as a unit of trade with Native Americans during the frontier days. It has been suggested that “clam” has a similar derivation, a throwback to the supposed use of clams as units of currency in ancient cultures.

48. “Ocean’s 11” co-star DEAN MARTIN
Dean Martin was the stage name of singer and actor Dino Crocetti. Martin was famous for his numerous hit songs such as “That’s Amore”, “Volare” and Everybody Loves Somebody”, as well as his film career with Jerry Lewis. Off screen, Martin was a member of the famous “Rat Pack” as he was a great friend of Frank Sinatra. Martin was always associated with Las Vegas and when he passed away in 1995 the lights on the strip were dimmed in his honor.

“Ocean’s 11” is a great film from 1960, starring Frank Sinatra as Danny Ocean, supported by fellow Rat Packers Peter Lawford, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Joey Bishop. The original storyline is updated for the excellent 2001 remake, with George Clooney playing the lead, supported by Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Carl Reiner. In the 1960 movie, the love interest is a character called Beatrice Ocean, played by Angie Dickinson. In the 2001 version, the love interest gets a new name, Tess Ocean, and is played by Julia Roberts. The 2001 remake (Called “Ocean’s Eleven”, note the spelling) spawned two sequels: “Ocean’s Twelve” in 2004 and “Ocean’s Thirteen” in 2007.

51. Dog with a typically blue-black tongue CHOW
The Chow Chow (also just “Chow”) is a breed of dog that originated in China. The Chinese name for the breed is “Songshi Quan”, which translates as “puffy-lion dog”, a rather apt name given its appearance …

55. They often drive people home RBI MEN
In baseball, you have got to get those Runs Batted In (RBIs). Apparently, the first team to routinely track RBIs was the Buffalo Bisons.

60. Sturm und Drang novelist GOETHE
“Sturm und Drang” translates from the German into “Storm and Stress” or perhaps “Storm and Impulse”. “Sturm und Drang” was the name given to a movement in German literature and music in the latter half of the 18th century. The writer Johann Goethe was a major proponent of the movement, which took its name from a play by Maximilian Klinger. The term “Sturm und Drang” has come to mean “turmoil, upheaval”.

61. Fusible alloys SOLDERS
Solder is a metal alloy that is used to join pieces of a work together using the principle that the melting point of the alloy is below the melting point of the workpieces.

Down
1. Shell collection AMMO
The word “munitions” describes materials and equipment used in war. The term derives from the Latin “munitionem” meaning “fortification, defensive wall”. Back in the 17th century, French soldiers referred to such materials as “la munition”, a Middle French term. This was misheard as “l’ammunition”, and as a result we ended up importing the word “ammunition” (often shortened to “ammo”), a term that we now use mainly to describe the material fired from a weapon.

6. Dormant Turkish volcano ARARAT
Mount Ararat is in Turkey. Ararat is a snow-capped, dormant volcano with two peaks. The higher of the two, Greater Ararat, is the tallest peak in the country. Ararat takes its name from a legendary Armenian hero called Ara the Beautiful (or Ara the Handsome). According to the Book of Genesis, Noah’s ark landed on Mount Ararat as the Great Flood subsided.

9. Corny stuff HOMINY
Hominy is a dish consisting of dried kernels of maize that have been treated with an alkali. The term “hominy” is derived from a Native American word for “maize”.

10. Staples Center, e.g. ARENA
The Staples Center is a sports arena in Los Angeles that opened in 1999. The Staples Center is home to several sporting franchises, including the LA Lakers and LA Clippers basketball teams and the LA Kings hockey team.

11. Statement before taxes are dealt with? READ MY LIPS
President George H. W. Bush used the famous phrase “Read my lips: no new taxes” in an address to the 1988 Republican National Convention. Many believe that the promise was a significant factor in Bush’s victory in the subsequent election. Many also believe that the fact that the president had to agree to an increase in some taxes in 1990 helped Bill Clinton to defeat President Bush in 1992.

12. Pecan pie syrup KARO
Karo is a brand of corn syrup, an industrially manufactured sweetener derived from corn.

13. Popular side SLAW
The term “coleslaw” is an Anglicized version of the Dutch name “koolsla”, which in itself is a shortened form of “Koolsalade” meaning “cabbage salad”.

15. Bug on the road CLASSIC BEETLE
VW stands for Volkswagen, which translates from German into “people’s car”. The original Volkswagen design was the Beetle and was built under a directive from Adolf Hitler, who wanted a cheap car built that ordinary people could afford to purchase. He awarded the contract to engineer Ferdinand Porsche, whose name (paradoxically) would forever be associated with high performance, expensive cars. The Beetle was the official name of the VW model released in North America, but it was usually referred to as a “Bug” here in the US, and a “Beetle” elsewhere in the world.

25. Tasmanian-born Flynn ERROL
Errol Flynn was born 1909 in Tasmania, Australia where he was raised. In his twenties, Flynn lived in the UK where he pursued his acting career. Around the same time he starred in an Australian film “In the Wake of the Bounty” and then appeared in a British film “Murder at Monte Carlo”. It was in the latter film that he was noticed by Warner Brothers who brought him to America. Flynn’s non-American heritage shone through even while he was living the American dream in California. He regularly played cricket, along with his friend David Niven, in the Hollywood Cricket Club.

26. Appliance brand owned by Electrolux FRIGIDAIRE
Frigidaire made the first self-contained refrigerator in 1916. Just three years later, the company was taken over by General Motors, who owned it right up to 1979. Frigidaire also made the first home freezer and room air conditioner.

Electrolux is a Swedish company, the second largest manufacturer of household appliances in the world (after Whirlpool). The company was founded in 1919 mainly to make vacuum cleaners. Electrolux owns dozens of brands including Frigidaire and Westinghouse.

28. Pangolin snack ANT
The pangolin is also known as the scaly anteater. It is the only mammal that has a layer of protective scales made from keratin that covers the skin. Pangolins are highly prized by hunters, for their meat and their armor. They are in danger of extinction, and yet there is no more highly-trafficked species on the planet.

30. Oscar winner for “Skyfall” 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.

I have not been a fan of Daniel Craig as James Bond (preferring Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan in the role). However, I saw “Skyfall” when it first came out and have been won over. “Skyfall” is one of the best Bond films so far, in my humble opinion. Adele’s rendition of the Oscar-winning title song, which she also wrote, is an added plus …

32. “Rock or Bust” band AC/DC
The Heavy Metal band known as AC/DC was formed by two brothers in Australia. The group is usually called “Acca Dacca” down under.

34. Like jousters ARMOR-CLAD
Tilting is the most recognized form of jousting. Jousting can involve the use of a number of different weapons, but when lances are used the competition is called “tilting”. Jousting took place in a roped-off enclosure that was called the lists, or list field. In later medieval times, some castles and palaces had purpose-built “tiltyards” that were used for jousting. Do you remember where the Beach Volleyball events were held in the 2012 London Olympics? Well that was Horse Guards Parade, the former tiltyard for the Palace of Whitehall that was used in the time of King Henry VIII.

36. Cholesterol letters 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.

47. Legal claims LIENS
A lien is the right that one has to retain or secure someone’s property until a debt is paid. When an individual takes out a car loan, for example, the lending bank is usually a lien holder. The bank releases the lien on the car when the loan is paid in full.

48. Main __ DRAG
The main street of a city or town is often referred to as the “main drag”. The main drag is where horses would “drag” along most of the wagons and buggies back in the day.

49. The Aragón feeds it EBRO
The Ebro is the longest river in Spain. The river was known by the Romans as the Iber, and it is the “Iber” river that gives the “Iberian” Peninsula its name.

The Aragón is a river in the north of Spain that rises in the central Pyrenees and empties into the Ebro.

53. River to the Baltic ODER
The Oder river rises in the Czech Republic, and forms just over a hundred miles of the border between Germany and Poland. Downstream, the Oder breaks into three branches that empty into the Gulf of Pomerania in the Baltic Sea.

The Baltic is a sea in northern Europe that is much less saline than the oceans. The lower amount of salt in the Baltic partially explains why almost half of the sea freezes over during the winter. In fact, the Baltic has been known to completely freeze over several times over the past few centuries.

57. Show with Kenan Thompson, briefly SNL
Kenan Thompson is an actor and comedian who is perhaps best known as a “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) cast member, joining the show in 2003. Thompson holds the record for the most celebrity impressions on SNL, at over one hundred.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Loves to solve, say? ANAGRAM
8. Mavens SHARKS
14. Sudden and swift METEORIC
16. Company that annually honors “Women of Worth” L’OREAL
17. Batter’s dream MEATBALL
18. 2015 World Golf Hall of Fame inductee O’MEARA
19. Action figures? ODDS
20. 1954 film based on the short story “It Had to Be Murder” REAR WINDOW
22. Four-time Australian Open winner AGASSI
24. LBJ theater NAM
25. Key of five Mozart symphonies E-FLAT
27. Fix, as a toy SPAY
29. Kisser YAP
32. Weapon with a nock ARROW
33. Subatomic particle PION
34. Former Italian statesman Moro ALDO
35. Side with waves CRINKLE-CUT FRIES
38. Rapper Nate DOGG
39. Obligation DEBT
40. Copious AMPLE
41. Second-century date CLI
42. Sister of Dakota ELLE
43. Got up AROSE
44. Dig for hard-to-get clams? DUN
46. Harder to hold EELIER
48. “Ocean’s 11” co-star DEAN MARTIN
51. Dog with a typically blue-black tongue CHOW
55. They often drive people home RBI MEN
56. Leave alone LET SLIDE
58. Check ARREST
59. Tangled up ENSNARED
60. Sturm und Drang novelist GOETHE
61. Fusible alloys SOLDERS

Down
1. Shell collection AMMO
2. Grant factor NEED
3. Ever so slightly A TAD
4. Plays nice GETS ALONG
5. Deprive ROB
6. Dormant Turkish volcano ARARAT
7. Quite a distance MILES
8. Yawn-inducing SLOW
9. Corny stuff HOMINY
10. Staples Center, e.g. ARENA
11. Statement before taxes are dealt with? READ MY LIPS
12. Pecan pie syrup KARO
13. Popular side SLAW
15. Bug on the road CLASSIC BEETLE
21. Remove roughly RIP OUT
23. Rubberneck GAWK
25. Tasmanian-born Flynn ERROL
26. Appliance brand owned by Electrolux FRIGIDAIRE
28. Pangolin snack ANT
30. Oscar winner for “Skyfall” ADELE
31. Ask POSE
32. “Rock or Bust” band AC/DC
33. Kitchen tool PEELER
34. Like jousters ARMOR-CLAD
36. Cholesterol letters LDL
37. What’s on the menu FARE
42. Tangle up ENMESH
43. “You’re lyin’!” AIN’T SO!
45. Yet to be fulfilled UNMET
47. Legal claims LIENS
48. Main __ DRAG
49. The Aragón feeds it EBRO
50. It may precede a deal ANTE
52. Bring on HIRE
53. River to the Baltic ODER
54. Forms a union WEDS
57. Show with Kenan Thompson, briefly SNL

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