Day: May 20, 2013

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
14. Legend automaker : ACURA
Acura is a division of the Honda Motor Company, and is Honda’s luxury brand. Infiniti is the equivalent luxury brand for the Nissan Motor Company, and Lexus is the more luxurious version of Toyota’s models.

15. 1988 Cy Young winner Hershiser : OREL
Orel Hershiser is big into poker now that he has retired from Major League Baseball. Hershiser lives in Las Vegas and when he isn’t working for ESPN, apparently he is at the poker tables.

17. 1978 hit for the Commodores : THREE TIMES A LADY
The Commodores were very big in the seventies and eighties. The group’s original members first got together as freshman while attending what is now Tuskegee University, and got their big break opening for the Jackson 5 on tour. The Commodores most famous member was Lionel Richie.

21. Minnesota Wild’s org. : NHL
The Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul has six Major League sports teams:

– Minnesota Twins (baseball)
– Minnesota Vikings (football)
– Minnesota Lynx (women’s basketball)
– Minnesota Timberwolves (basketball)
– Minnesota Swarm (lacrosse)
– Minnesota Wild (hockey)

The Minnesota Wild is the only one of these six teams that plays in St. Paul, while the rest play in Minneapolis.

22. Status __ : QUO
“Status quo” translates from Latin as “state in which”, and in English is used to mean the existing condition or state of affairs.

28. Boxer played by Will Smith : ALI
“Ali” is a 2001 biographical movie about Muhammad Ali, with Will Smith in the title role. Among other things, the film is noted for its realistic fight scenes. The scenes were realistic because Smith was really being hit, as hard as his opponents could manage.

31. Business bigwig : TITAN
We use the term “titan” to describe a person of great size or influence. The term can be used in the world of business, but not more so than in any other field of activity, I would say …

The Titans were a group of twelve older deities in Greek mythology. In the celebrated Battle of the Titans, they were overthrown by the Olympians, who were twelve younger gods.

33. Olympics sled : LUGE
A luge is a small sled used by one or two people, on which one lies face up and feet first. The luge can be compared to the skeleton, a sled for only one person and on which the rider lies face down and goes down the hill head first.

35. Mideast sultanate : OMAN
Oman lies on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula and is neighbored by the OAE, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The capital city of Muscat has a strategic location on the Gulf of Oman and has a history of invasion and unrest. Centuries of occupation by the Persians ended in 1507 when the Portuguese took the city in a bloody attack. The Portuguese held Muscat for much of the next one hundred years until finally being ousted by local Omani forces in 1648. A Yemeni tribe invaded the area in 1741 and set up a monarchy that has been in place in Oman ever since.

39. English : John :: Welsh : __ : EVAN
The given name of “John” comes into English via Latin and Greek from the Hebrew name “Yohanan” meaning “Yahweh is gracious”. Some common “John” equivalents are:

– Giovanni (Italian)
– Jean (French)
– Juan (Spanish)
– Johann (German)
– Ieuan/Evan (Welsh)
– Eoin/Seán (Irish)
– Ivan (Russian)

Note that the similar names “Ewan” and “Owen” have a Celtic root, rather than a Hebrew root.

41. Pro __: in proportion : RATA
“Pro rata” is a Latin phrase meaning “in proportion”.

44. Agriculture goddess on the New Jersey state seal : CERES
The New Jersey coat of arms includes two female figures. To the left is Liberty, holding a staff. To the right is Ceres, holding a an overflowing cornucopia.

47. Multinational coin : EURO
The European Union (EU) today stands at a membership of 27 states. The Euro is the official currency of only 16 of the 27. The list of states in the EU that don’t use the Euro includes the UK, Denmark and Sweden.

49. Scintilla : BIT
A “scintilla” is a small amount. It can also be used to describe a spark or a flash (as in “scintillate”). The term came into English from Latin, in which language it means “spark, particle of fire, atom”.

55. Hush-hush maritime org. : ONI
The Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) is the oldest of the US intelligence services. The ONI was set up in 1882 to determine the state of advancement of foreign naval forces.

56. AAA suggestion : RTE
The American Automobile Association (AAA) is a not-for-profit organization focused on lobbying, provision of automobile servicing, and selling of automobile insurance. The AAA was founded in 1902 in Chicago and published the first of its celebrated hotel guides back in 1917.

67. 25-Down student : ELI
(25D. New Haven sch. : YALE U)
Eli is the nickname for a graduate of Yale University, a term used in honor of the Yale benefactor Elihu Yale.

Down
3. Instrument “played” for a hairbrush microphone user : AIR GUITAR
The concept of playing an imaginary electric guitar (“air guitar”) is so popular that there are several championship competitions held, including a world championship since 1996. Crazy …

5. Role for Keaton and Kilmer : BATMAN
Michael Keaton is an actor from Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. Keaton is perhaps best remembered for roles he played in Tim Burton films. Keaton had the title role in “Beetlejuice” in 1988, and the title role in “Batman” in 1989 and “Batman Returns” in 1992.

Val Kilmer’s first big leading role in a movie was playing Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s 1991 biopic “The Doors”. A few years later, Kilner was chosen for the lead in another big production, “Batman Forever”. Things haven’t really gone as well for Kilmer since then, I’d say. Off the screen, he flirted with the idea of running for Governor of New Mexico in 2010. A Hollywood actor as governor? Would never happen …

6. “Here,” on Metro maps : ICI
“Vous êtes ici” are important words to know when navigating your way around Paris. They mean “You are here”, and you’ll often see them on maps in the street.

The Paris Métro is the busiest underground transportation system in western Europe, carrying about 4.5 million passengers a day, about the same as the New York City Subway. The system took its name from the company that originally operated it: “La Compagnie du chemin de fer métropolitain de Paris”, which was shorted to “Métro”. The term “Metro” was then adopted for similar systems in cities all over the world.

7. Mojito liquor : RUM
A Mojito is a Cuban cocktail, although the exact origins appear to be unclear, as does the derivation of the name. Want one? Put 4 mint leaves in a glass, and add the juice of half a lime and a teaspoon of powdered sugar. Muddle the ingredients, smashing them together with a muddler or a spoon. Add some crushed ice, two ounces of white rum and stir. Top with a couple of ounces of club soda, and garnish with a sprig of mint and/or a slice of lime. Cheers!

8. Former Senator Lott : TRENT
Trent Lott was raised Democrat in Mississippi, but served in Congress as a Republican. Lott ran into trouble for remarks he made that were interpreted as being racially motivated, and ended up resigning in 2007.

10. Note after fa : SOL
The solfa syllables are: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la & ti. The solfa scale was developed from an ascending scale created by Guido of Arezzo in the 11th century. He used the first verse of a Latin hymn to name the syllables of the scale:

Ut queant laxis resonāre fibris
Mira gestorum famuli tuorum,
Solve polluti labii reatum,
Sancte Iohannes.

The “ut” in this scale was changed to “do”, as “do” was a more “open ended” sound. “Si” was added (the initials of “Sancte Iohannes”) to complete the seven-note scale. Later again, “si” was changed to “ti” so that each syllable began with a unique letter.

11. Kirkuk native : IRAQI
Kirkuk is a city in northern Iraq, in the Kurdish region of the country.

16. France’s third most populous cité : LYON
The city of Lyon in France, is also known as Lyons in English. Lyon is the third most populous city in the country, after Paris and Marseille.

18. “Desert Fox” Rommel : ERWIN
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was probably the most respected of WWII German officers, by the military on both sides of the conflict. Rommel was highly decorated for his service in WWI, but gained most of his notoriety in the North African campaign of WWII. It was during this campaign that he gained the nickname of “the Desert Fox”. Rommel is regarded as an honorable soldier. He is reported to have ensured that all prisoners under his control were treated humanely, and he ignored all orders to execute Jewish soldiers and civilians no matter where he was serving. Late in the war he was convicted of participating in a conspiracy against Adolf Hitler, but his reputation as a war hero prevented Hitler from having him executed. Instead, Rommel was coerced into committing suicide under the threat of persecution of his family.

19. Dog food brand : ALPO
Alpo is a brand of dog food first produced by Allen Products in 1936, with “Alpo” being an abbreviation for “Allen Products”. Lorne Greene used to push Alpo in television spots, as did Ed McMahon and Garfield the Cat, would you believe?

24. Tony whose #6 was retired by the Twins : OLIVA
Tony Oliva is a former Major League baseball player who played his whole career for the Minnesota Twins.

25. New Haven sch. : YALE U
Yale is the private Ivy League school located in New Haven, Connecticut. Yale was founded in 1701, making it the third-oldest, higher education establishment in the country (after Harvard, and William and Mary).

36. Bread with swirls stolen by Jerry in a classic “Seinfeld” episode : MARBLE RYE
“Seinfeld” aired for nine seasons on NBC, and in 2002 was declared by TV Guide as the “greatest television program of all time”. After the show completed its run in 1998, each of the main supporting actors made failed attempts to launch new sitcoms. This phenomenon became known as “the Seinfeld curse”, but Julia Louis-Dreyfus finally managed to break free of it with a successful five-season run in “The New Adventures of Old Christine”.

44. Time-share unit : CONDO
The words “condominium” and “apartment” tend to describe the one type of residential property, a private living space with facilities shared with others residing in the same building or complex. The difference is that a condominium is usually owned, and an apartment is rented. At least that’s how it is in the US. The word “condominium” comes from the Latin “com” (together) and “dominum” (right of ownership).

46. Greek street food : GYRO
A gyro is a traditional Greek dish, a sandwich made with pita bread containing meat, tomato, onion and tzatziki (a yogurt and cucumber sauce). The meat for gyros is usually roasted on a tall vertical spit and is sliced from the spit as required. The name “gyro” comes from the modern Greek word “gyros” meaning “circle”, a reference to the meat turning as it is grilled in a rotating circular motion.

54. Homecoming group : ALUMS
An “alumnus” (plural … alumni) is a graduate or former student of a school or college. The female form is “alumna” (plural … alumnae). The term comes into English from Latin, in which alumnus means foster-son or pupil. “Alum” is an informal term used for either an alumna or an alumnus.

59. “Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity” org. : FBI
What we know today as the FBI was set up in 1908 as the BOI, the Bureau of Investigation. The name was changed to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1935. The Bureau was set up at the behest of President Theodore Roosevelt. President Roosevelt was largely moved to do so after the 1901 assassination of President McKinley, as there was a perception that anarchists were threatening law and order .

60. Nonkosher meat : HAM
According to Jewish dietary law, “kosher” food is “fit” to eat, and food that is not kosher is called “treif” (or “tref”).

61. Printemps follower : ETE
In French, spring (printemps) is followed by summer (été).

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Finders’ shouts : AHAS
5. Maternity ward event : BIRTH
10. Formal title : SIR
13. Destroy : RUIN
14. Legend automaker : ACURA
15. 1988 Cy Young winner Hershiser : OREL
17. 1978 hit for the Commodores : THREE TIMES A LADY
20. Microbe : GERM
21. Minnesota Wild’s org. : NHL
22. Status __ : QUO
23. Safety feature at a dangerous intersection : FOUR-WAY STOP SIGN
28. Boxer played by Will Smith : ALI
29. __ the finish : IN AT
30. Give one’s word : VOW
31. Business bigwig : TITAN
33. Olympics sled : LUGE
35. Mideast sultanate : OMAN
39. English : John :: Welsh : __ : EVAN
40. High male voice : TENOR
41. Pro __: in proportion : RATA
42. Like the night : DARK
43. Seek prey : HUNT
44. Agriculture goddess on the New Jersey state seal : CERES
45. Bigger than med. : LGE
47. Multinational coin : EURO
49. Scintilla : BIT
50. False start punishment, in football : FIVE-YARD PENALTY
55. Hush-hush maritime org. : ONI
56. AAA suggestion : RTE
57. Just hanging out : IDLE
58. As expected, or, golfwise, a hint to numbers found in 17-, 23- and 50-Across : PAR FOR THE COURSE
64. Work on the deck : SWAB
65. Steamed : IRATE
66. The stuff of legends : MYTH
67. 25-Down student : ELI
68. Shows up : COMES
69. Gets the picture : SEES

Down
1. Museum display : ART
2. “How’s that again?” : HUH?
3. Instrument “played” for a hairbrush microphone user : AIR GUITAR
4. Scornful look : SNEER
5. Role for Keaton and Kilmer : BATMAN
6. “Here,” on Metro maps : ICI
7. Mojito liquor : RUM
8. Former Senator Lott : TRENT
9. Discuss in detail : HASH OVER
10. Note after fa : SOL
11. Kirkuk native : IRAQI
12. Excavated anew : REDUG
16. France’s third most populous cité : LYON
18. “Desert Fox” Rommel : ERWIN
19. Dog food brand : ALPO
23. Meant to happen : FATED
24. Tony whose #6 was retired by the Twins : OLIVA
25. New Haven sch. : YALE U
26. Dumbfounded : STUNNED
27. Gave one’s word : SWORE
32. Oft-sprained joint : ANKLE
34. Hopped out of bed : GOT UP
36. Bread with swirls stolen by Jerry in a classic “Seinfeld” episode : MARBLE RYE
37. What the dog did with the homework? : ATE IT
38. Foul, as weather : NASTY
40. Showy : THEATRIC
44. Time-share unit : CONDO
46. Greek street food : GYRO
48. Treats again, as a sprain : RE-ICES
50. Dandy fellows : FOPS
51. Blown away : IN AWE
52. Like YouTube videos gone wild : VIRAL
53. Nostalgia-inducing : RETRO
54. Homecoming group : ALUMS
59. “Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity” org. : FBI
60. Nonkosher meat : HAM
61. Printemps follower : ETE
62. Holy mlle. : STE
63. Puzzled comments : EHS

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