Day: November 11, 2012

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
10. Former Facebook marketing director Zuckerberg RANDI
Randi Zuckerberg is the sister of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Randi is the former marketing director of Facebook, and now runs her own social media firm called R to Z Studios.

19. Forum attire TOGAE
In Ancient Rome the classical attire known as a toga (plural “togae”) was usually worn over a tunic. The tunic was made from linen, and the toga itself was a piece of cloth about twenty feet long made from wool. The toga could only be worn by men, and only if those men were Roman citizens. The female equivalent of the toga was called a “stola”.

20. Cork objections NAES
I’ve been to Cork many times, and I’ve never heard anyone use the word “nae”. I more associate “nae” with the Scots …

Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland. Cork has been a major port for many years, and was the last port of call for many, many Irish emigrants to America. When these Irish people reached the US it was common for them to give their point of origin as “Cork”, whereas they may have come from almost anywhere in Ireland. It’s because of this that many descendants of Irish immigrants who had been told they were from a Cork family often find out they were under a misapprehension as their ancestors just sailed from Cork.

22. West Point mascot MULE
The Army’s mascot has been a mule since 1899. The mule was chosen as it is a symbol of strength and perseverance.

24. Bric-a-__ BRAC
Bric-a-brac was a French phrase that was used as far back as the 16th century, but it is no longer used in France. Back then it was a nonsense term meaning “at random” or “any old way”. Since Victorian times we have used the phrase in English to mean a collection of curios, statues and the like. In modern usage, bric-a-brac tends to be a selection of cheaper items.

31. Forty-niners’ score ORE
The California gold rush actually started in 1848. The first to exploit the find were those people already in California. By 1849 the word had spread and gold-seekers started to arrive from all over the world. The “out-of-towners” who arrived in 1849 became known as forty-niners.

32. “__ Boot”: 1981 film DAS
I am ashamed to say that I have never watched the whole of the 1981 movie “Das Boot”, even though I love WWII submarine films. The film drew great critical acclaim, good news for the producers as it is one of the most expensive films ever made in Germany. The story is about the German U-boat U-96 on a patrol in October of 1941.

36. Triathlete, at times PEDALER
An Ironman Triathlon is a race involving a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a marathon run of just over 26 miles. The idea for the race came out of a debate between some runners in the 1977 Oahu Perimeter Relay. They were questioning whether runners, swimmers or bikers were the most fit athletes. The debaters decided to combine three local events to determine the answer, inviting athletes from all three disciplines. The events that were mimicked to come up with the first triathlon were the Waikiki Roughwater swim (2.4 miles), the Around-Oahu Bike Race (115 miles) and the Honolulu Marathon (26.2 miles). The idea was that whoever finished first would be called “the Iron Man”. The first triathlon was run in 1978, with fifteen starters and only twelve finishers. The race format is used all over the world now, but the Hawaiian Ironman is the event that everyone wants to win.

39. Lisbon’s Vasco da __ Bridge GAMA
Vasco da Gama left on his first voyage of discovery in 1497. da Gama journeyed around the Cape of Good Hope, the southernmost tip of Africa, and across the Indian Ocean making landfall in India. Landing in India, his fleet became the first expedition to sail directly from Europe to the sub-continent. Vasco da Gama was well known for acts of cruelty, especially on local inhabitants. One of his milder atrocities was inflicted on a priest whom he labelled as a spy. He had the priest’s lips and ears cut off, and sent him on his way after having a pair of dog’s ears sewn onto his head.

42. “Approaching Alaskan landmark” DEAD END (&) BRIDGE AHEAD
The Gravina Island Bridge project in Alaska was a planned $400m replacement of a ferry service to an island with about 50 residents. It became known as “the bridge to nowhere”.

47. French actor Delon ALAIN
Alain Delon is an award-winning French actor, once called “the male Brigitte Bardot”. Delon hit the headlines in 1968 when one of his bodyguards was found shot in the head outside his home. Delon found himself held for questioning, but he was released and the crime was attributed to a Corsican crime family.

52. Store that welcomes dogs PETCO
The PETCO logo includes the two company mascots, Red Ruff the dog and Blue Mews the cat.

53. Posies NOSEGAYS
A nosegay is a posy, a bouquet of flowers. As one might expect, a nosegay is designed to make the nose gay and joyous with the aroma of fresh cut flowers.

59. “__ Always a Woman”: Billy Joel song SHE’S
Billy Joel wrote the song “She’s Always a Woman” in 1977 for his wife and business manager Elizabeth Weber Small. Elizabeth was known to be a tough negotiator, one who would “steal like a thief” and “never give in”. But Joel’s stance was that “she’s always a woman to me”.

65. Fed. arson-investigating org. ATF
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is today part of the Department of Justice. The ATF has its roots in the Department of Treasury dating back to 1886 when it was known as the Bureau of Prohibition. “Explosives” was added to the ATF’s name when the bureau was moved under the Department of Justice as part of the reorganization called for in the Homeland Security Act of 2002.

69. Bhutto’s overthrower ZIA
Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq was the President of Pakistan from 1978 until he died in 1988. Zia died in a plane crash along with US Ambassador to Pakistan Arnold Lewis Raphel and several other VIPs. The official investigation into the cause of the crash concluded that the plane was probably brought down by sabotage.

72. PC port USB
Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard dealing with how computers and electronic devices connect and communicate, and deal with electrical power through those connections.

79. Ab __: from the beginning INITIO
“Ab initio” is a Latin term meaning “from the beginning”.

82. Former Piston Thomas ISIAH
Isiah Thomas played his whole professional basketball-playing career with the Detroit Pistons, and he is now the head coach with Florida International University’s Golden Panthers. When you’re out shopping for popcorn, keep an eye out for the Dale & Thomas brand, as it’s co-owned by Isiah Thomas.

85. Mr. Nahasapeemapetilon of “The Simpsons” APU
The fictional Kwik-E-Mart store is operated by Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, on “The Simpsons” TV show. The convenience store owner doesn’t seem to be making much use of his Ph.D in computer science that he earned in the US. Apu’s undergraduate degree is from Caltech (the Calcutta Technical Institute), where he graduated top of his class of seven million students …

87. Machu Picchu dwellers INCAS
Machu Picchu is known as “The Lost City of the Incas”, and it can be visited on a mountain ridge in Peru, 50 miles northwest of the city of Cuzco in the southeast of the country. The name Machu Picchu means “old peak”.

94. Co. once led by Baryshnikov ABT
American Ballet Theatre (ABT).

Mikhail “Misha” Baryshnikov started his dancing career with the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad before defecting to Canada in 1974. The only time my wife ever lined up to get an autograph was when she did so outside the stage door after seeing Baryshnikov dance in Syracuse, New York many moons ago. The man is a god in her eyes …

96. Play around (with) FUTZ
To futz around is to waste time on trivial matters, to fool around. “Futz” is probably derived from a “not so nice” word that has been merged with “putz”.

103. Joe for DiMaggio? CAFFE
“Caffè” is Italian for “coffee”.

106. Real estate giant Webb DEL
Del Webb was a real estate developer famous for developing the retirement community called Sun City in Arizona.

113. Poker Flat creator HARTE
“The Outcasts of Poker Flat” is a short story by Bret Harte, first published in 1869. Harte was a storyteller noted for his tales of the American West, even though he himself was from back East, born in Albany, New York.

114. Carpe __ DIEM
“Carpe diem” is a quotation from Horace, one of Ancient Rome’s leading lyric poets. “Carpe diem” translates from Latin as “seize the day” or “enjoy the day”.

115. “Family Ties” mother ELYSE
“Family Ties” was one of the first TV shows that I enjoyed when I arrived in the US back in 1983. I found the situation very appealing, with two ex-hippie parents facing off against an ultra-conservative son. The main characters in the show were Michael J. Fox as Alex, Meredith Baxter-Birney as Alex’s mom Elyse, and Michael Gross as Alex’s Dad Steven. But some future stars had recurring roles as well, including Courteney Cox as one of Alex’s girlfriends and Tom Hanks as Elyse’s younger brother.

118. Old Icelandic literary work EDDA
The Poetic Edda and Prose Edda are two ancient works that are the source for much of Norse mythology.

122. Insect repellent compound DEET
DEET is short for N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide, an active ingredient in insect repellents. DEET is most often used to repel mosquitoes by applying it to the skin and/or clothing, but is also used to protect against tick bites.

Down
1. ’60s sitcom set at Fort Courage F TROOP
Relatively few people outside of the US saw the American sitcom “F-Troop”, which was made in the sixties. I remember watching the show as a young lad because it was picked up by the Irish national television service. The only other country that showed “F-Troop” was Australia.

2. Right Bank attraction LOUVRE
The Musée du Louvre has the distinction of being the most visited art museum in the whole world. The collection is housed in the magnificent Louvre Palace which used to be the seat of power in France, until 1682 when Louis XIV moved to Versailles.

4. Carson followed him PAAR
Jack Paar was most famous as the host of “The Tonight Show”, from 1957 to 1962. When he died in 2004, “Time” magazine wrote that Paar was “the fellow who split talk show history into two eras: Before Paar and Below Paar”. Very complimentary …

5. Follow the bears SELL
The terms “bull” and “bear” markets come from the way in which each animal attacks. A bull thrusts his horns upwards (an “up” market), whereas a bear swipes with his paws downward (a “down” market).

15. Parma pals AMICI
Parma is a city in northern Italy, famous for its ham and cheese.

16. SpongeBob SquarePants feature BUCKTEETH
SpongeBob SquarePants is a cartoon character in a television series. He first appeared in 1999.

18. Kerry or Snowe: Abbr. SEN
Former presidential candidate John Kerry enlisted in the Naval Reserve in 1966 and went straight into Officer Candidate School. Kerry’s first post was as an ensign on a frigate in the Vietnam theater, mainly working on rescue missions picking up downed pilots. He requested a transfer to Swift boat duty. While serving on Swift boats Kerry was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts.

Olympia Snowe is believed by many pundits to be the most moderate Republican Senator in the US Congress. Snowe is retiring in January 2013. I think that she will be sorely missed by those who like to see moderate politicians in Washington, on either side of the aisle.

28. Old music halls ODEA
In Ancient Greece an odeon was like a small theater, with “odeon” literally meaning “building for musical competition”. Odea were used in both Greece and Rome for entertainments such as musical shows and poetry readings.

29. Follower of Mary LAMB
Mary had a little lamb …

35. Carpentry grooves DADOS
In the world of joinery, a dado is a slot cut into a piece of wood across the grain. On the other hand, a “groove” is a slot that is cut with the grain.

37. “Ta ta,” to Tati ADIEU
“Adieu” is the French for “goodbye” or “farewell”, from “à Dieu” meaning “to God”.

Jacques Tati was a very famous filmmaker in France.

40. Étienne’s equal EGAL
“Egal” is the French word for “equal, alike”, and a word we sometimes use in English. The national motto of France is of course “Liberté, égalité, fraternité”, meaning “Liberty, equality, fraternity (brotherhood).

Étienne is a French name, the equivalent of Stephen in English.

43. Formerly, in former times ERST
Erstwhile means “in the past” or “once upon a time”.

46. Command, to the bard HEST
“Hest” is an archaic term for “behest, command”.

47. Oscar winner Paquin ANNA
Anna Paquin is an actress from New Zealand who won an Oscar as an 11-year-old for her role in “The Piano”. In the HBO series “True Blood” she plays Sookie Stackhouse, a role for which she won a Golden Globe.

54. Cover of a kind ALIBI
“Alibi” is the Latin word for “elsewhere” as in, “I claim that I was ‘elsewhere’ when the crime was committed … I have an ‘alibi'”.

57. Hardy work POEM
Thomas Hardy was a novelist and poet from Dorset in England. Hardy thought of himself mainly as a poet, but he is best remembered for some very fine novels, such as “Far from the Madding Crowd”, “The Mayor of Casterbridge”, “Tess of the d’Urbervilles” and “Jude the Obscure”.

58. Margaret Mead’s milieu SAMOA
“Coming of Age in Samoa” sounds like a fascinating book. It was written by American cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead and published in 1928. In the book, Mead examines the behavior of youths in Samoa, making some comparisons with youths in America. One major observation she made was the smooth transition from childhood to adulthood of Samoan girls, compared to what she described as a more troublesome transition in the US.

61. Old West gang family name DALTON
The Dalton Brothers were a family of outlaws in the Old West. Prior to becoming outlaws, the brothers actually were lawmen. The Daltons jumped to the other side of the fence when they were refused payment for work that they had done enforcing the law.

62. Weena’s people, in a Wells novel ELOI
In the 1895 novel by H. G. Wells called “The Time Machine”, there were two races that the hero encountered in his travels into the future. The Eloi are the “beautiful people” who live on the planet’s surface. The Morlocks are a race of cannibals living underground who use the Eloi as food.

64. Cavalry rifle CARBINE
A carbine is a weapon similar to a rifle or musket, but with a shorter barrel.

68. Grain bristle AWN
Awns are hair or bristle-like structures found in numerous species of plants. In some species, like barley, the awns can contain photosynthetic tissue.

69. .975 cents? ZINC
95% of the metal in a US penny is zinc.

The official name of our smallest denomination coin is a “cent”, and our use of the word “penny” is just a colloquialism derived from the British coin of the same name. However, in the UK the plural of penny is “pence”, whereas we have “pennies” in our pockets.

70. Teri’s “Young Frankenstein” role INGA
The lovely Teri Garr had a whole host of minor roles in her youth, including appearances in nine Elvis movies. Garr’s big break came with the role of Inga in “Young Frankenstein”, and her supporting role in “Tootsie” earned her an Academy Award nomination. Sadly, Teri Garr suffers from multiple sclerosis. She is a National Ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

72. “Remember to look __ the stars and not down at your feet”: Hawking UP AT
Stephen Hawking is a theoretical physicist from Oxford, England. Hawking owes much of his fame in the world of popular science to his incredibly successful book called “A Brief History of Time”. “A Brief History of Time” has sold over 10 million copies and was on London’s “Sunday Times” bestseller list for over four years. Hawking does a wonderful job of explaining many aspects of cosmology without losing the average reader. There is only one equation in the whole book, and that equation is of course is “E = mc2”.

73. Director Vittorio De __ SICA
Vittoria De Sica was an Italian director and actor. De Sica was director of the film “The Bicycle Thief”, released in 1948. Many deem “The Bicycle Thief” to be the greatest movie ever made.

78. Bussing overseer? MISTLETOE
To “buss” is to “kiss”.

83. “Horrible” Viking of comics HAGAR
“Hagar the Horrible” is a comic strip that was created by the late Dik Browne and is now drawn by his son, Chris Browne. “Hagar the Terrible” (not “Horrible”) was the nickname given to Dik by his sons.

86. Guerra’s opposite PAZ
In Spanish, there is war (guerra) and peace (paz).

98. He played Uncle Albert in “Mary Poppins” ED WYNN
Ed Wynn was a comedian and actor, especially popular on his own radio show. Wynn migrated from radio to the small and big screens, moving from comedic to dramatic roles. His most noted film performance was in 1959’s “The Diary of Anne Frank” in which he played Albert Dussel, the dentist who hid from the Nazis with the Frank family. For this role Wynn was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

100. Two-time ’70s Stanley Cup champs FLYERS
The Stanley Cup is named for Lord Stanley of Preston, the Governor General of Canada from 1888 to 1893. Lord Stanley’s sons became avid fans of ice hockey while in Canada, and so he donated the trophy in 1909, originally as a challenge cup for the country’s best amateur club.

102. Mondale and Quayle, once VEEPS
Walter Mondale served as US Vice president under President Jimmy Carter. Mondale was also the Democratic candidate who lost to President Ronald Reagan in 1984, losing in the biggest landslide in the country’s history. Mondale only won electoral votes in his home state of Minnesota and the District of Columbia.

105. Garbo, for one SWEDE
Famously, Greta Garbo lived a life of seclusion in New York City after she retired from the entertainment business. Commentators often associated her need for privacy with a line she uttered in the great 1932 movie “Grand Hotel”. Her character Grusinskaya the Russian ballerina said, “I want to be alone (…) I just want to be alone”.

109. “L’immoraliste” author GIDE
André Gide was a French author, and a winner of the Nobel Prize for literature in 1947.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Kerfuffles FLAPS
6. Quaint shoppe word OLDE
10. Former Facebook marketing director Zuckerberg RANDI
15. Basic lessons ABCS
19. Forum attire TOGAE
20. Cork objections NAES
21. Add baubles and bangles to ADORN
22. West Point mascot MULE
23. Beyond the burbs RURAL
24. Bric-a-__ BRAC
25. “That’s it for me” I’M OUT
26. Object of devotion ICON
27. “Just ignore landslide warnings” OVERLOOK (&) FALLING ROCKS
31. Forty-niners’ score ORE
32. “__ Boot”: 1981 film DAS
33. Covenants PACTS
34. Together UNITED
36. Triathlete, at times PEDALER
39. Lisbon’s Vasco da __ Bridge GAMA
40. Ga. summer hours EDT
41. Big time ERA
42. “Approaching Alaskan landmark” DEAD END (&) BRIDGE AHEAD
47. French actor Delon ALAIN
50. Have regrets about RUE
51. Drop-line link ME A
52. Store that welcomes dogs PETCO
53. Posies NOSEGAYS
56. Horrifies APPALS
59. “__ Always a Woman”: Billy Joel song SHE’S
60. “Sorry, you can’t avoid strip mall traffic” NO OUTLET (&) DETOUR
63. Work in a play ACT
65. Fed. arson-investigating org. ATF
66. Homer, for one HIT
67. Change ALTER
68. GP’s gp. AMA
69. Bhutto’s overthrower ZIA
72. PC port USB
73. “Road under construction … still” SLOW (&) MEN WORKING
76. Sugar unit LUMP
79. Ab __: from the beginning INITIO
81. Carousing ON A BINGE
82. Former Piston Thomas ISIAH
84. Green prefix ECO-
85. Mr. Nahasapeemapetilon of “The Simpsons” APU
87. Machu Picchu dwellers INCAS
88. “Napping mandatory for sleepy drivers” REST AREA (&) NO STANDING
94. Co. once led by Baryshnikov ABT
95. Gallivant GAD
96. Play around (with) FUTZ
97. Important person to believe in ONESELF
101. Wooded SYLVAN
103. Joe for DiMaggio? CAFFE
105. One 81-Across, perhaps SOT
106. Real estate giant Webb DEL
107. “Animals jaywalking, use caution” DEER CROSSING (&) WRONG WAY
112. Swinging entrance GATE
113. Poker Flat creator HARTE
114. Carpe __ DIEM
115. “Family Ties” mother ELYSE
116. Lying over ATOP
117. Turn inside out EVERT
118. Old Icelandic literary work EDDA
119. Pitch fork? TUNER
120. Buzzers BEES
121. Second tries REDOS
122. Insect repellent compound DEET
123. Excites SENDS

Down
1. ’60s sitcom set at Fort Courage F TROOP
2. Right Bank attraction LOUVRE
3. “It’s a deal” AGREED
4. Carson followed him PAAR
5. Follow the bears SELL
6. Ready to ship out ON BOARD
7. Spirited adventures LARKS
8. Unwilling to listen DEAF
9. Spirited adventure ESCAPADE
10. Transport on tracks RAILCAR
11. Fess up ADMIT
12. High times? NOONS
13. It may be generic DRUG
14. Trespass INTRUDE
15. Parma pals AMICI
16. SpongeBob SquarePants feature BUCKTEETH
17. It might be decided by a nose CLOSE RACE
18. Kerry or Snowe: Abbr. SEN
28. Old music halls ODEA
29. Follower of Mary LAMB
30. Ready for use ON TAP
35. Carpentry grooves DADOS
37. “Ta ta,” to Tati ADIEU
38. Derby margins LENGTHS
39. Bearded beast GNU
40. Étienne’s equal EGAL
43. Formerly, in former times ERST
44. Contaminated IMPURE
45. Letter opener? DEAR
46. Command, to the bard HEST
47. Oscar winner Paquin ANNA
48. Plunder LOOT
49. Starting from AS OF
54. Cover of a kind ALIBI
55. Thus far YET
56. When an afternoon meeting might start AT TWO
57. Hardy work POEM
58. Margaret Mead’s milieu SAMOA
61. Old West gang family name DALTON
62. Weena’s people, in a Wells novel ELOI
64. Cavalry rifle CARBINE
68. Grain bristle AWN
69. .975 cents? ZINC
70. Teri’s “Young Frankenstein” role INGA
71. Mellows, maybe AGES
72. “Remember to look __ the stars and not down at your feet”: Hawking UP AT
73. Director Vittorio De __ SICA
74. Grammar class subject NOUN
75. Scepter wielders KINGS
76. Turkish coins LIRAS
77. Food label recommendation USE BY DATE
78. Bussing overseer? MISTLETOE
80. Requirement NEED
83. “Horrible” Viking of comics HAGAR
85. Ministered to ATTENDED
86. Guerra’s opposite PAZ
89. Stock owner RANCHER
90. Counterbalances OFFSETS
91. Muslim mystic SUFI
92. Humble pie eater DOORMAT
93. Really digging INTO
98. He played Uncle Albert in “Mary Poppins” ED WYNN
99. Like many company cars LEASED
100. Two-time ’70s Stanley Cup champs FLYERS
102. Mondale and Quayle, once VEEPS
103. Hollowed out CORED
104. Logical prefix ASTRO-
105. Garbo, for one SWEDE
108. Kind of review RAVE
109. “L’immoraliste” author GIDE
110. Brings home NETS
111. Collage application GLUE
112. Yakety-yak GAB

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