CROSSWORD SETTER: Jeffrey Wechsler
THEME: River Bend … today’s grid contains six sets of circled letters that spell out the names of rivers, with each RIVER taking a BEND. Reading from the northwest to the southeast, those rivers are:
– PECOS
The Pecos River rises north of the village of Pecos in New Mexico, and flows almost a thousand miles before entering the Rio Grande near Del Rio, Texas.– GANGES
The River Ganges rises in the western Himalaya and flows through the northeast of India before crossing into Bangladesh where it enters the Bay of Bengal. The Ganges is worshipped by Hindus as the goddess Ganga, and is the most sacred of all rivers in Hinduism.– AMAZON
The Amazon River of South America is the world’s largest in terms of volume, and accounts for an amazing one-fifth of the world’s total river flow. Perhaps even more amazing is that there are no bridges across the Amazon! There isn’t even one, mainly because the river flows through tropical rainforest where there are few roads and cities.– DANUBE
The Danube is the second largest river in Europe (after the Volga), and actually flows through four European capitals (Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade and Bratislava).– THAMES
The River Thames flowing though London is the longest river entirely located in England.– NIGER
The principal river in western Africa is the Niger, running 2,600 miles through the continent. The river has a boomerang shape, taking a sharp turn around the the ancient city of Timbuktu in Mali.
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 09m 03s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. __-de-sac CUL
Even though “cul-de-sac” can indeed mean “bottom of the bag” in French, the term cul-de-sac is of English origin (the use of “cul” in French is actually quite rude). The term was introduced in aristocratic circles at a time when it was considered very fashionable to speak French. Dead-end streets in France are usually signposted with just a symbol and no accompanying words, but if words are included they are “voie sans issue”, meaning “way without exit”.
11. Privately keep in the email loop, briefly BCC
A blind carbon copy (bcc) is a copy of a document or message that is sent to someone without other recipients of the message knowing about that extra copy.
14. New START signatory USA
“New START” is a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the US and Russia, with the acronym standing for Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. New START was signed by Presidents Obama and Medvedev in 2010, and is designed to cut in half the number of nuclear missile launchers possessed by both nations. The number of deployed nuclear-armed missiles and bombers is now limited to a reassuring 700 each.
16. Bit of cybermirth LOL
Laugh(ing) out loud (LOL)
17. Upper-bod muscle PEC
“Pecs” is the familiar term for the chest muscle, more correctly known as the pectoralis major muscle. “Pectus” is a the Latin word for “breast, chest”.
18. With great energy, in music AGITATO
Agitato is a musical direction seen on scores occasionally, and it means “agitated”. The instruction is to play in a restless, agitated style.
19. Gp. that declared obesity a disease AMA
American Medical Association (AMA)
20. Natives who met Lewis and Clark near modern-day Council Bluffs OTOS
The Native American people known as the Otoe were the first tribe encountered by the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The meeting took place in 1804 at a point on the Missouri River that was later named Council Bluff in honor of the talks that took place. Council Bluff later became the site of a frontier post, which was developed by the US Army into Fort Atkinson. The site is now called Fort Atkinson State Historical Park and is located in Nebraska. The modern city of Council Bluffs (note the plural) was named for the same event, but is located 20 miles to the south, in the state of Iowa.
26. Desire YEN
The word “yen”, meaning “urge”, has been around in English since the very early 1900s. It comes from the earlier word “yin” imported from Chinese, which was used in English to describe an intense craving for opium!
27. Stopper, with “the” KIBOSH
“Kibosh” is something that constrains or checks. “Kibosh” looks like a Yiddish word but it isn’t, and is more likely English slang from the early 1800s.
30. Bow tie preference AL DENTE
The Italian expression “al dente” literally means “to the tooth” or “to the bite” and is used to describe not only pasta, but also vegetables that are cooked so that they are tender yet still crisp.
“Farfalle” is commonly referred to as “bow-tie pasta”. The name comes from the Italian “farfalla” meaning “butterfly”.
32. Corrida cry OLE!
In Spain, bullfighting is known locally as “corrida de toros”, literally “race of bulls”.
42. Hyde’s birthplace? LAB
In Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella, Dr. Jekyll turns into Mr. Hyde when he drinks a potion in his laboratory.
Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” was first published in 1886. There are many tales surrounding the writing of the story including one that the author wrote the basic tale in just three to six days, and spent a few weeks simply refining it. Allegedly, Stevenson’s use of cocaine stimulated his creative juices during those few days of writing.
50. Traditional process for hammock making MACRAME
Macramé is a way to make cloth that uses a knotting technique rather than weaving or knitting. Macramé was popularised at sea, where sailors would decorate the likes of knife handles, bottles and even parts of the ship.
Our word “hammock” comes via Spanish from Haiti, evolving from a word used there to describe a fishing net.
52. “The Canterbury Tales” inn TABARD
The Tabard was an inn located in Southwark in London that was featured in Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales”. The tales in the collection are related as a contest between pilgrims as they travel from the inn to Canterbury Cathedral, with the prize being a free meal at the Tabard when they return. The real life Tabard was established in 1307 and was destroyed by fire in 1669.
57. Exobiologist’s org. SETI
SETI is the name given to a number of projects that are searching for extraterrestrial life. The acronym stands for “search for extraterrestrial intelligence”. One of the main SETI activities is the monitoring of electromagnetic radiation (such as radio waves) reaching the Earth in the hope of finding a transmission from a civilization in another world.
Exobiology is the study of life in the universe, and central to the work of exobiologists is the search for life beyond earth. A fascinating field, I would imagine …
58. Voice actor Castellaneta of “The Simpsons” DAN
Dan Castellaneta is an actor and screenwriter, best known these days for voicing Homer Simpson and many other characters on television’s “The Simpsons”. Homer is a famous slob, rarely exercising, guzzling beer and eating lots of meat. Castellaneta is the exact opposite, a vegetarian teetotaller who practices T’ai Chi.
62. Cotton __ GIN
The term cotton gin is a contraction of “cotton eng-ine”. The gin is a machine that mechanically separates cotton fibers from the cotton seed. The modern version of the cotton gin was invented by Eli Whitney in 1793.
63. Storied vessel ARK
The term “ark”, when used with reference to Noah, is a translation of the Hebrew word “tebah”. The word “tebah” is also used in the Bible for the basket in which Moses was placed by his mother when she floated him down the Nile. It seems that the word “tebah” doesn’t mean “boat” and nor does it mean “basket”. Rather, a more appropriate translation is “life-preserver” or “life-saver”. So, Noah’s ark was Noah’s life-preserver during the flood.
64. Cheyenne allies ARAPAHO
The Arapaho tribe lived on the eastern plains of Colorado and Wyoming. The Arapaho traditionally wintered in small camps in the foothills of the Rockies, and then relocated to plains in the spring where they hunted the buffalo that were gathering to give birth to their young.
65. “Middle of Nowhere” director DuVernay AVA
Ava DuVernay is a filmmaker who became the first African American woman to win the Best Director Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, a feat she achieved in 2012 for her feature film “Middle of Nowhere”. “Middle of Nowhere” tells the story of a woman who drops out of medical school to focus on husband when he is sentenced to 8 years in prison.
66. Ed.’s pile MSS
An editor (ed.) might be faced with a pile of manuscripts (MSs).
68. Pinch for Pépin SEL
A Frenchman named Pépin might use a pinch of salt (sel).
Down
1. Domelike structures CUPOLAS
A cupola is a small dome-like structure on the top of a building. “Cupola” comes from the Latin “cupula” meaning “small cup”.
3. 1920s tennis great René LACOSTE
René Lacoste was a French tennis player known for being very tenacious on court. This tenacity earned him the nickname “the Crocodile”. When he went into the clothing business, specializing in tennis apparel, his Lacoste brand became famous for its green crocodile logo.
5. Noritake headquarters city NAGOYA
Noritake is a manufacturer of tableware located in Nagoya, Japan.
7. John of pop ELTON
Elton John’s real name is Reginald Dwight. Sir Elton was knighted in 1998, not for his music but for his charitable work. He founded his own Elton John AIDS Foundation back in 1992.
11. Displays publicly BLAZONS
Our terms “blazon” and “emblazon” both mean to decorate in a showy way. “To blazon” can also mean to adorn with a coat of arms. In the world of heraldry, a “blazon” is in fact a coat of arms, probably coming from the old French word “blason” meaning “shield”.
24. First Japanese prime minister born after WWII ABE
Shinzo Abe first became Prime Minister of Japan in 2006, at which time he was the youngest person to hold the post since WWII and was the first PM born after the war. Abe was in office for less than a year, but was voted in again in 2012. Abe is usually characterized as a right-wing nationalist.
27. “The Goldfish” painter KLEE
The artist Paul Klee was born in Switzerland, but studied art in Munich in Germany. You can see many of Klee’s works in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and if you get to Bern in Switzerland, even more of them can be seen at the Zentrum Paul Klee that was opened in 2005.
29. Print resolution letters DPI
The resolution of a printed image can be measured in dots per inch.
30. Clerical wear ALB
The alb is the white, neck-to-toe vestment worn by priests, usually with a rope cord around the waist. The term alb comes from “albus”, the Latin word for “white”.
35. “The Impaler” who inspired Dracula VLAD
Vlad III was a 15th century ruler in modern-day Bulgaria. He was given the name “Vlad the Impaler” after he died, and this suggests that he was in the habit of impaling his enemies. His father, Vlad II, was known as Vlad Dracul, which translates as Vlad the Devil or Dragon. As a result, Vlad the Impaler was also known by the diminutive form of his father’s name i.e. Dracula! Bram Stoker borrowed this name for his famous 1897 novel titled “Dracula”.
36. “Who hath a story ready for your __”: Shak. EAR
“Who hath a story ready for your ear” is a line from William Shakespeare’s play “Measure for Measure”.
“Measure for Measure” is one of William Shakespeare’s plays, ostensibly a comedy. The title “Measure for Measure” is actually a quotation from the Bible found in the Gospel According to Luke.
37. 2014 Olympics airer NBC
Sochi is a city in the west of Russian on the Black Sea coast. It is the largest resort city in the whole country. Sochi is going to be pretty busy in the next few years. It will host the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, the Russian Formula 1 Grand Prix from 2014 as well as the 2018 World Cup in soccer.
39. 1945 Big Three city POTSDAM
Potsdam is a city in Germany that lies just on the outskirts of the nation’s capital of Berlin. Famously, Potsdam was the site of a conference between Stalin, Churchill and Truman after the end of WWII in Europe.
40. Online game icons AVATARS
The Sanskrit word “avatar” describes the concept of a deity descending into earthly life and taking on a persona. It’s easy to see how in the world of “online presences” one might use the word avatar to describe one’s online identity.
41. Proves fallacious DEBUNKS
The word “bunk” is short for “bunkum”, the phonetic spelling of “Buncombe”, which is a county in North Carolina. Supposedly, a state representative made a dull and irrelevant speech that was directed to his home county of Buncombe, bringing the term “bunkum” into the language with the meaning of “nonsense”. The derivative word “debunk” first appeared in a novel by William Woodward in 1923, when he used it to describe “taking the bunk out of things”.
44. Xenon, for one RARE GAS
The noble gases (also “rare gases”) are those elements over on the extreme right of the Periodic Table. Because of their “full” complement of electrons, noble gases are very unreactive. The six noble gases that occur naturally are helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon and radon.
One use of xenon gas is in flash tubes. The gas is ionized into a light emitting plasma by discharging a high voltage through it, using current stored in a capacitor.
46. __ scan: ID method RETINAL
The retina is the tissue that lines the inside of the eye, the tissue that is light-sensitive. There are (mainly) two types of cell in the retina that are sensitive to light, called rods and cones. Rods are cells that best function in very dim light and only provide black-and-white vision. Cones on the other hand function in brighter light and can perceive color.
50. Sister of Moses and Aaron MIRIAM
According to the Bible, Miriam was the sister of Moses and Aaron. It was Miriam who hid baby Moses in a basket at the side of the river to avoid being killed as a newborn Hebrew boy.
51. Big name in soul ARETHA
I think Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, had a tough life. Franklin had her first son when she was just 13-years-old, and her second at 15. In 2008, “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked Franklin as number one in their list of the greatest singers of all time.
53. Two-door vehicle COUPE
The type of car known as a “coupe” or “coupé” is a closed automobile with two doors. The name comes from the French word “couper” meaning “to cut”. In most parts of the English-speaking world the pronunciation adheres to the original French, but here in most of North America we go with “coop”. The original coupé was a horse-drawn carriage that was cut (coupé) to eliminate the rear-facing passenger seats. That left just a driver and two front-facing passengers. If the driver was left without a roof and out in the open, then the carriage was known as a “coupé de-ville”.
56. School gps. PTAS
Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)
60. __ Pacis: altar of Peace ARA
The Ara Pacis Augustae, the Altar of Augustan Peace, is often just called the “Ara” or “Ara Pacis”. It is an altar that was commissioned by the Roman Senate to honor the return of Caesar Augustus after his conquests in Hispania and Gaul. It stood at the northern outskirts of Rome, and over the centuries was covered by silt as it was located in the floodplain of the river Tiber. The Ara was excavated and much of the altar recovered over recent centuries, although as usual, parts of the altar have found their way into the major museums around the world. Much of the altar was reconstructed and placed inside a protective building under the orders of dictator Benito Mussolini in 1938. A new building was built to house the altar in 2006.
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. __-de-sac CUL
4. Consumes INGESTS
11. Privately keep in the email loop, briefly BCC
14. New START signatory USA
15. Unexpected result FALLOUT
16. Bit of cybermirth LOL
17. Upper-bod muscle PEC
18. With great energy, in music AGITATO
19. Gp. that declared obesity a disease AMA
20. Natives who met Lewis and Clark near modern-day Council Bluffs OTOS
22. Scent ODOR
23. Puts one’s feet up LAZES
25. Go the distance LAST
26. Desire YEN
27. Stopper, with “the” KIBOSH
28. Pretended to be ACTED AS
30. Bow tie preference AL DENTE
31. Likely to tax one’s budget STEEP
32. Corrida cry OLE!
33. Greenskeeper’s supply SOD
34. Topographic feature represented in this puzzle’s circles RIVER BEND
39. Inflate PAD
42. Hyde’s birthplace? LAB
43. Less furnished BARER
47. Not good for a pro, usually OVER PAR
50. Traditional process for hammock making MACRAME
52. “The Canterbury Tales” inn TABARD
53. Geometric fig. CIR
54. Moderate pace TROT
55. Dimwit STUPE
56. Small opening PORE
57. Exobiologist’s org. SETI
58. Voice actor Castellaneta of “The Simpsons” DAN
59. Foolishness FATUITY
62. Cotton __ GIN
63. Storied vessel ARK
64. Cheyenne allies ARAPAHO
65. “Middle of Nowhere” director DuVernay AVA
66. Ed.’s pile MSS
67. First, second or third person? BASEMAN
68. Pinch for Pépin SEL
Down
1. Domelike structures CUPOLAS
2. Be diplomatic USE TACT
3. 1920s tennis great René LACOSTE
4. “__ tree falls …” IF A
5. Noritake headquarters city NAGOYA
6. Moves smoothly GLIDES
7. John of pop ELTON
8. Hang-glide, say SOAR
9. Word of disdain TUT
10. Impassive STOLID
11. Displays publicly BLAZONS
12. Opens one’s eyes COMES TO
13. Butted heads CLASHED
21. Direct STEER
24. First Japanese prime minister born after WWII ABE
27. “The Goldfish” painter KLEE
29. Print resolution letters DPI
30. Clerical wear ALB
32. Moon, e.g. ORB
35. “The Impaler” who inspired Dracula VLAD
36. “Who hath a story ready for your __”: Shak. EAR
37. 2014 Olympics airer NBC
38. Moves quickly DARTS
39. 1945 Big Three city POTSDAM
40. Online game icons AVATARS
41. Proves fallacious DEBUNKS
44. Xenon, for one RARE GAS
45. Soul-stirring EMOTIVE
46. __ scan: ID method RETINAL
48. Knock RAP
49. Assembly-ready PREFAB
50. Sister of Moses and Aaron MIRIAM
51. Big name in soul ARETHA
53. Two-door vehicle COUPE
56. School gps. PTAS
60. __ Pacis: altar of Peace ARA
61. Thither YON