Day: December 3, 2012

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Mascara recipient LASH
Variations of mascara have been around a long time, and certainly there was a similar substance in use in Ancient Egypt.

10. Naval jail BRIG
A brig, short for brigantine, is a type of ship. It was the use of brigantines as prison ships that led to use of “brig” as the word for a jail or prison cell on a seagoing vessel.

15. Swiss capital, to the Swiss BERNE
Bern (or Berne) is the capital city of Switzerland. The official language of the city is German, but the language most spoken in Bern is a dialect known as Bernese German.

19. “My great hope __ laugh as much as I cry”: Angelou IS TO
Maya Angelou is an African-American autobiographer and poet. Angelou recited her poem “On the Pulse of Morning” at the inauguration of President Clinton in 1983.

23. Mattress make SERTA
Serta was founded in 1931 when a group of 13 mattress manufacturers came together, essentially forming a cooperative. Today, the company is owned by eight independent licensees in a similar arrangement. Interesting …

26. Airport screening org. TSA
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was of course created in 2001, soon after the 9/11 attacks.

27. WC LOO
When I was growing up in Ireland, a “bathroom” was a room that had a bath and no toilet. The separate room with the commode was called “the toilet” or sometimes the W.C. (the water closet). Apparently the term closet was used because in the 1800s when homeowners started installing toilets indoors they often displaced clothes and linens in a “closet”, as a closet was the right size to take the commode. It has been suggested that the British term “loo” comes from Waterloo (water-closet … water-loo), but no one seems to know for sure. Another suggestion is that the term comes from the card game of “lanterloo” in which the pot was called the loo!

30. “Stop-__”: UGK hit N GO
UGK, an abbreviation for Underground Kingz, was a rap duo formed in 1987 comprised of Chad “Pimp C” Butler and Bernard “Bun B” Freeman. Butler was found dead in a hotel bed in 2007. It was determined that he died from a combination of sleep apnea and overdosing on pain medication.

40. Ballet bends PLIES
The French word for “bent” is “plié”, and in the ballet move known as a plié, the knees are bent.

41. Flightless Aussie bird EMU
The emu has had a tough time in Australia since man settled there. There was even an “Emu War” in Western Australia in 1932 when migrating emus competed with livestock for water and food. Soldiers were sent in and used machine guns in an unsuccessful attempt to drive off the “invading force”. The emus were clever, breaking their usual formations and adopting guerrilla tactics, operating as smaller units. After 50 days of “war”, the military withdrew. Subsequent requests for military help for the farmers were ignored. The emus had emerged victorious …

46. CBS-owned cable movie sta. SHO
Showtime (SHO) is a competitor of the Movie Channel (TMC) in terms of program lineup, although both channels are in fact owned by CBS.

49. All the details, casually BALL OF WAX
The phrase “whole ball of wax” is probably a corruption of “the whole bailiwick”.

Bailiwick is a word dating back to the mid-1600s, and originally meant the “district of a bailiff”.

57. Venezuelan natural wonder ANGEL FALLS
Angel Falls in Venezuela is the highest uninterrupted waterfall in the world, at a height of 3,213 feet. The waterfall is named for an American aviator called James Angel who was the first to fly a plane over the falls.

63. Pub game DARTS
Darts is a wonderful game often played in British and Irish pubs, even over here in America. The scoring in a traditional game of darts is difficult to describe in a sentence or two, but the game of darts called “Round the Clock” is simply hitting the numbers 1 through 20 in sequence.

Down
3. Nissan compact SENTRA
The Nissan Sentra isn’t a bad alternative to the Honda Civic, I’d say (I loved my Honda Civic Hybrid).

9. Sawbuck, to a Brit TENNER
“Sawbuck” is slang for a 10-dollar bill. The term was applied to the bill as the Roman numeral X (ten) resembles the end of sawhorse.

10. HMS Bounty’s ill-fated captain BLIGH
Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall wrote “Mutiny on the ‘Bounty'”, based on a true story. They followed up their successful novel with two more works, creating what is now called the “Bounty Trilogy”. The three books are:

1. “Mutiny on the ‘Bounty'”, the tale of the mutiny against Captain Bligh.
2. “Men Against the Sea”, the story of Captain Bligh and the eighteen men set adrift in an open boat by the mutineers.
3. “Pitcairn’s Island”, a narrative about the lives of the mutineers on South Sea islands after the mutiny.

11. ’80s-’90s wisecracking TV mom ROSEANNE
The comedienne Roseanne Barr is perhaps best known as the star of her own sitcom called “Roseanne”. In 2012 Barr unsuccessfully vied for the Green Party’s nomination for US President. She didn’t give up though, and was successful in winning the nomination of the Peace and Freedom Party. In the 2012 presidential election she earned over 60,000 votes, and placed sixth in the list of candidates.

13. Former Prizm maker GEO
Geos were small vehicles manufactured by General Motors mainly in the nineties. Geos were designed to compete head-to-head with the small imports that were gaining market share at the time in the US. Some Geo models that you might remember are the Metro, the Prizm and the Storm. The cars were actually built as joint-ventures with Japanese manufacturers. The Prizm was a GM/Toyota project, the Metro was GM/Suzuki, and the Storm was GM/Isuzu.

18. And others, in bibliographies ET ALII
Et alii (et al.) is the equivalent of et cetera (etc.), with et cetera being used in place of a list of objects, and et alii used for a list of names. In fact “et al.” can stand for et alii (for a group of males, or males and females), aliae (for a group of women) and et alia (for a group of neuter nouns, or for a group of people where the intent is to retain gender-neutrality).

24. Crotchety oldster COOT
Geezer and coot are two not-so-nice terms for an old man.

34. Five-time Olympic gold winner Nadia COMANECI
Nadia Comaneci won three golds in the 1976 Summer Olympics and was the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of a ten in the gymnastics competition. Comaneci published a book called “Letters to a Young Gymnast” in 2003, and now lives in the United States.

36. “Jeopardy!” host Trebek ALEX
“Jeopardy” first went on the air in 1964, and is another successful Merv Griffin creation. But it took the introduction of Alex Trebek as host in order to bring the show into the big times. Trebek has been host since 1984.

44. Central African country about the size of Massachusetts RWANDA
The Tutsi are the second largest population of people in Rwanda, with the Hutu being the largest group. The bloody conflict that has existed between the Tutsi and Hutu peoples dates back to about 1880 when Catholic missionaries arrived in the region. The missionaries found that they had more success converting the Hutus than the Tutsi, and when the Germans occupied the area during WWI they confiscated Tutsi land and gave it to Hutu tribes in order to reward religious conversion. This injustice fuels fighting to this very day.

47. “To be, or not to be” speaker HAMLET

To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The Slings and Arrows of outrageous fortune;
Or to take Armes against a Sea of troubles …

There has been centuries of debate about how one interprets Hamlet’s soliloquy that begins “To be or not to be …”. My favorite opinion is that Hamlet is weighing up the pros and cons of suicide (“to not be”).

48. Ukrainian port ODESSA
The city of Odessa in Ukraine was founded relatively recently, in 1794 by Catherine the Great. The city was originally meant to be called Odessos after an ancient Greek city believed to have been located nearby. Catherine liked the way the locals pronounced the name as “Odessa”, so went with the less Greek-sounding name.

51. Alleged Soviet spy Hiss ALGER
Alger Hiss was US government official involved in the establishment of the United Nations. Hiss was accused of being a spy in testimony to the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) in 1948. Hiss vigorously denied and fought the accusation but eventually served over three years in jail on related charges. The consensus seems to be that Hiss was indeed a spy, but there may be new evidence available when the HUAC’s papers are unsealed in 2026.

53. “Deadliest Catch” boatful CRABS
“Deadliest Catch” is yet another reality show, although this one is perhaps worth a look. It is produced for the Discovery Channel and deals with the exciting life on board fishing boats in the Bering Sea.

55. “__ fair in love …” ALL’S
The proverb “All is fair in love and war” has been attributed to the English writer John Lyly, and is from his book “Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit”. “Euphues” is also the source of our word “euphemism”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Mascara recipient LASH
5. Lie in store for AWAIT
10. Naval jail BRIG
14. __ rug AREA
15. Swiss capital, to the Swiss BERNE
16. One and only LONE
17. Hollywood TINSELTOWN
19. “My great hope __ laugh as much as I cry”: Angelou IS TO
20. Impressive property ESTATE
21. Dugout leader MANAGER
23. Mattress make SERTA
24. Outdoor seating option CANE CHAIR
26. Airport screening org. TSA
27. WC LOO
29. Italian three TRE
30. “Stop-__”: UGK hit N GO
31. Classic theater name BIJOU
33. Ignore socially SNUB
34. Festive centerpiece adorned with the starts 17-, 24-, 49- and 57-Across CHRISTMAS TREE
39. Big cat’s cry ROAR
40. Ballet bends PLIES
41. Flightless Aussie bird EMU
42. Pickle’s place JAR
45. Computer application file extension EXE
46. CBS-owned cable movie sta. SHO
49. All the details, casually BALL OF WAX
52. Group of eight OCTAD
54. Not taking sides NEUTRAL
55. Pointed abode A-FRAME
56. Gets hitched WEDS
57. Venezuelan natural wonder ANGEL FALLS
59. __ above the rest A CUT
60. Just right IDEAL
61. Flower-loving buzzers BEES
62. Peeps from pups YIPS
63. Pub game DARTS
64. Miss in Mex. SRTA

Down
1. Most current news, with “the” LATEST
2. Crops up ARISES
3. Nissan compact SENTRA
4. Assails HAS AT
5. Blessed with skills ABLE
6. __ behind the ears WET
7. Yummy smell AROMA
8. Needing, with “of” IN WANT
9. Sawbuck, to a Brit TENNER
10. HMS Bounty’s ill-fated captain BLIGH
11. ’80s-’90s wisecracking TV mom ROSEANNE
12. Cloak-and-dagger doings INTRIGUE
13. Former Prizm maker GEO
18. And others, in bibliographies ET ALII
22. Unhittable serve ACE
24. Crotchety oldster COOT
25. Stick up ROB
28. Drinks in the a.m. OJS
31. “I need a sweater!” BRR
32. Baseball arbiter UMP
33. Yearbook gp. SRS
34. Five-time Olympic gold winner Nadia COMANECI
35. Called to account HAULED UP
36. “Jeopardy!” host Trebek ALEX
37. Common dinner hour SIX
38. Make really mad TEE OFF
39. Civil War soldier REB
42. Write quickly JOT
43. Frightened AFRAID
44. Central African country about the size of Massachusetts RWANDA
46. Less fresh STALER
47. “To be, or not to be” speaker HAMLET
48. Ukrainian port ODESSA
50. Thirsts (for) LUSTS
51. Alleged Soviet spy Hiss ALGER
53. “Deadliest Catch” boatful CRABS
55. “__ fair in love …” ALL’S
56. Technique WAY
58. “Dig in!” EAT

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