Day: November 20, 2012

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
5. “Go __, Tigers!”: 1968 Detroit baseball theme song GET ‘EM
The origins of the Detroit Tigers baseball team’s nickname seems a little unclear. One story is that it was taken from the Detroit Light Guard military unit who were known as “The Tigers”. The Light Guard fought with distinction during the Civil War and in the Spanish-American War. Sure enough, when the Detroit baseball team went into the Majors they were formally given permission to use “The Tigers” name by the Detroit Light Guard.

15. Martini garnish OLIVE
The name “martini” probably takes it name from the “Martini & Rossi” brand of dry vermouth, although no one seems to be completely sure. What is clear is that despite the Martini name originating in Italy, the martini drink originated in the US.

18. Show hosted by 23-Across FAMILY FEUD
“Family Feud” is an American game show that has been remade in countries all over the world. We even make a version in Ireland that we call “Family Fortunes”.

20. Uncommon, to Caesar RARA
“Rara” is the Latin for “rare”.

22. Muse for poets ERATO
In Greek mythology, Erato was the Muse of Lyric Poetry.

23. Popular TV personality (11/20/1932-6/2/2012) RICHARD DAWSON
English actor Richard Dawson is perhaps best known as the most successful of the many hosts of the television game show “Family Feud” over here in the US. Personally I remember him best for playing Corporal Peter Newkirk on the sitcom “Hogan’s Heroes”. Dawson was married to famed British sex symbol Diana Dors from 1959 to 1966.

27. Royal Navy letters HMS
HMS stands for Her Majesty’s Ship and is a prefix used in the navies of some monarchies, most notably the UK’s Royal Navy.

28. Brightness nos. IQS
Although it is correct these days to say that the abbreviation IQ stands for “intelligence quotient”, the term was actually coined by German psychologist William Stern, so it actually is an abbreviation for the German “Intelligenz-Quotient”.

44. Fish-fowl connector NOR
Something that is “neither fish nor fowl” is something that is not recognizable, is nothing familiar at all.

49. With “the,” 23-Across’s nickname on 18-Across KISSING BANDIT
One of the endearing characteristics of Richard Dawson as host of “Family Feud” was that he would always give the female contestants a friendly kiss. This routine earned him the nickname “The Kissing Bandit”.

56. Healing plants ALOES
Aloe vera has a number of alternate names that are descriptive of its efficacy as a medicine. These include the First Aid plant, Wand of Heaven, Silent Healer and Miracle Plant.

58. Lugosi of horror films BELA
Bela Lugosi was a Hungarian stage and screen actor, best known for playing the title role in the 1931 film “Dracula” and for playing the same role on Broadway. Lugosi found himself typecast for the rest of his career and almost always played the role of the villain, often in horror movies. When he passed away in 1956, his wife had him buried in the costume he wore playing Count Dracula on Broadway.

59. Flag Day month JUNE
Flag Day in the US is June 14th every year. The day commemorates the adoption of the US flag on 14 June 1777. Flag Day in Canada is February 15th, although Flag Day (“Jour du Drapeau”) in Quebec is January 21st.

60. 23-Across’s catchphrase on 18-Across SURVEY SAID
In the game show “Family Feud”, contestants had to guess answers given in surveys of 100 people.

62. Area behind a high altar APSE
The apse of a church or cathedral is a semicircular recess in an outer wall, usually with a half-dome as a roof and often where there resides an altar. Originally apses were used as burial places for the clergy and also for the storage of important relics.

64. Blue Cross competitor AETNA
When the health care management company known as Aetna was founded, the name was chosen to evoke images of Mt. Etna, the European volcano.

66. Migratory herring SHAD
The shad is also known as the river herring. The eggs (roe) of the female shad are prized as a delicacy in the Eastern US.

67. California berry farm founder KNOTT
In the twenties, Walter Knott sold berries, preserves and pies from the side of the road. In 1932, Knott picked up a new berry from Rudolph Boysen’s farm in Anaheim, California, a hybrid of blackberry, raspberry and loganberry. He sold the new berries at his stand, giving them the name “Boysenberries”. Boysenberry Pie became a signature dish at a small tea room that Walter Knott’s wife opened up near the location where the family sold fruit. The tea room became so popular, with lines waiting to be served that Knott expanded, adding shops and displays to entertain diners. Over time he built a volcano, a little gold mine, and a ghost town and lots of themed stores. The location just grew and grew, evolving into the huge theme park that it is today called Knott’s Berry Farm.

Down
1. Percussionist from Liverpool STARR
Ringo Starr’s real name is Richard Starkey. Before he joined the Beatles (replacing drummer Pete Best), Starkey played with the Raving Texans. It was with the Raving Texans that he adopted the name “Ringo Starr”, because he wore a lot of rings and he thought it sounded “cowboyish”. Back then his drum solos were billed as “Starr Time”.

2. Hawaiian porch LANAI
Named after the Hawaiian island, a lanai is a type of veranda.

4. Singers Washington and Shore DINAHS
Dinah Washington was the stage name of the blues and jazz singer Ruth Lee Jones. Apparently when she was once performing at the famed London Palladium she announced (with Queen Elizabeth II sitting in the Royal Box), “There is but one Heaven, one Hell, one queen, and your Elizabeth is an impostor.” That would have created a bit of a stir …

Dinah Shore had a lot of success as a singer in the forties and fifties in the Big Band Era, and then in the sixties as a hostess of variety programs on television. Shore was also a big fan of golf, both as a player and a spectator. She founded the Colgate Dinah Shore golf tournament which is now the Kraft Nabisco Championship, one of the four majors on the LPGA Tour.

6. Spiral-horned antelope ELAND
An eland is a large African antelope, in fact the largest on the continent.

8. Madonna title role EVITA
“Evita” was the follow up musical to “Jesus Christ Superstar” for Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Both of these works were originally released as album musicals, and very successful ones at that (I remember buying them when they first came out). For the original album’s cast they chose Irish singer Colm Wilkinson (or C. T. Wilkinson, as we know him back in Ireland) to play “Che”, the narrator of the piece. “Evita” was made into a film in 1996, with Madonna playing the title role.

9. B or C of the Spice Girls MEL
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)

11. Indian __ OCEAN
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the oceans, after the Pacific and Atlantic.

24. Grammy winner India.__ ARIE
India.Arie is an American soul and R&B singer, born India Arie Simpson.

29. Quid pro __ QUO
Quid pro quo is Latin for “something for something”, a swap.

33. Opal finish? -INE
Something that is iridescent like an opal (i.e. opaline), has a lot of lustrous colors. “Iridescent” comes from the Latin word “iris” (“iridis” in the genitive case), the word for “rainbow”.

34. Brother of Jack and Bobby TED
Ted Kennedy was the youngest boy in the family that included his older brothers: Joseph Jr. (killed in action in WWII), John (assassinated) and Robert (assassinated). Ted Kennedy went into the US Senate in 1962 in a special election held after his brother became US President. He remained in the Senate until he passed away in 2009, making him the fourth-longest-serving Senator in history.

41. Bright star NOVA
A nova is basically a star that suddenly gets much brighter, gradually returning to its original state weeks or even years later. The increased brightness of a nova is due to increased nuclear activity causing the star to pick up extra hydrogen from a neighboring celestial body. A supernova is very different from a nova. A supernova is a very bright burst of light and energy created when most of the material in a star explodes. The bright burst of a supernova is very short-lived compared to the sustained brightness of a nova.

46. Latin 101 word ESSE
Esse is the Latin for “to be”.

49. Where to get Seoul food KOREA
Seoul is the capital city of South Korea. The Seoul National Capital Area is home to over 25 million people and is the second largest metropolitan area in the world, second only to Tokyo, Japan.

50. “A Doll’s House” playwright IBSEN
Henrik Ibsen was a Norwegian playwright, considered by many to be the greatest playwright since William Shakespeare. Ibsen was famous for shocking his audiences by exploring subjects that offended the sensibilities of the day (the late 1800s).

“A Doll’s House” is probably the most famous play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The play deals with the feminist awakening of the lead character, Nora Helmer. “A Doll’s House” is sometimes referred to as the “first true feminist play”.

55. Rains cats and dogs TEEMS
It has been “raining cats and dogs” at least since the 1700s, but no one seems to know the origin of the expression.

57. One who rarely has low spirits? LUSH
“Lush” is a slang term for a heavy drinker. Back in the 1700s, “lush” was slang for “liquor”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Winter coaster SLED
5. “Go __, Tigers!”: 1968 Detroit baseball theme song GET ‘EM
10. Verb for thou DOST
14. Vehicle at a stand TAXI
15. Martini garnish OLIVE
16. Empty room phenomenon ECHO
17. Unattributed, as a quote: Abbr. ANON
18. Show hosted by 23-Across FAMILY FEUD
20. Uncommon, to Caesar RARA
21. Taking care of the job ON IT
22. Muse for poets ERATO
23. Popular TV personality (11/20/1932-6/2/2012) RICHARD DAWSON
26. Syr. neighbor ISR
27. Royal Navy letters HMS
28. Brightness nos. IQS
30. Put a match to IGNITE
35. Vocal quality TONE
39. 18-Across list topper NUMBER ONE ANSWER
42. Proboscis NOSE
43. Did, at some point USED TO
44. Fish-fowl connector NOR
45. Syr. neighbor LEB
47. Go toe-to-toe VIE
49. With “the,” 23-Across’s nickname on 18-Across KISSING BANDIT
56. Healing plants ALOES
58. Lugosi of horror films BELA
59. Flag Day month JUNE
60. 23-Across’s catchphrase on 18-Across SURVEY SAID
62. Area behind a high altar APSE
63. “Aha!” I SEE!
64. Blue Cross competitor AETNA
65. Part of an agenda ITEM
66. Migratory herring SHAD
67. California berry farm founder KNOTT
68. Used car sites LOTS

Down
1. Percussionist from Liverpool STARR
2. Hawaiian porch LANAI
3. Ritualistic evictions EXORCISMS
4. Singers Washington and Shore DINAHS
5. Cost GO FOR
6. Spiral-horned antelope ELAND
7. Faint of heart TIMID
8. Madonna title role EVITA
9. B or C of the Spice Girls MEL
10. Sits on the kitchen counter until dinner, say DEFROSTS
11. Indian __ OCEAN
12. Not even ajar SHUT
13. Chore list heading TO DO
19. Quaint country consent YES’M
24. Grammy winner India.__ ARIE
25. Bread choice WHEAT
28. Place to overnight INN
29. Quid pro __ QUO
31. Future beetles GRUBS
32. Rejection on top of rejection NOS
33. Opal finish? -INE
34. Brother of Jack and Bobby TED
36. Admitted OWNED UP TO
37. Opposite of paleo- NEO-
38. Act inappropriately ERR
40. Accepted BELIEVED
41. Bright star NOVA
46. Latin 101 word ESSE
48. Behind bars IN JAIL
49. Where to get Seoul food KOREA
50. “A Doll’s House” playwright IBSEN
51. “That’s so cool!” NEATO
52. Quick flash GLINT
53. Needing practice in BAD AT
54. Smaller map, often INSET
55. Rains cats and dogs TEEMS
56. Auction condition AS IS
57. One who rarely has low spirits? LUSH
61. Hog the phone YAK

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