Day: April 21, 2014

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Campus drilling gp. ROTC
The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) is a training program for officers based in colleges all around the US. The ROTC program was established in 1862 when as a condition of receiving a land-grant to create colleges, the federal government required that military tactics be part of a new school’s curriculum.

14. Fictional lab assistant IGOR
Igor has been the assistant to Dracula, Frankenstein and Young Frankenstein among others. Igor is almost invariably portrayed as a hunchback.

16. Garbo of the silver screen GRETA
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”.

21. Start of Caesar’s incredulous question ET TU
It was Shakespeare who popularized the words “Et tu, Brute?” (And you, Brutus?), in his play “Julius Caesar”, although the phrase had been around long before he penned his drama. It’s not known what Julius Caesar actually said in real life just before he was assassinated on the steps of the Senate in Rome.

22. GI rations MRES
The Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) comes in a lightweight package that’s easy to tote around. The MRE replaced the more cumbersome Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) in 1981, a meal-in-a-can. In turn, the MCI had replaced the C-ration in 1958, a less sophisticated meal-in-a-can with a more limited choice.

The initials “G.I.” stand for “Government Issue” and not “General Infantry” as is often believed. GI was first used in the military to denote equipment made from Galvanized Iron and during WWI, incoming German shells were nicknamed “GI cans”. Soon after, the term GI came to be associated with “Government Issue” and eventually became an adjective to describe anything associated with the Army.

23. 1040 publisher: Abbr. IRS
Form 1040 was originally created just for tax returns from 1913, 1914 and 1915, but it’s a form that just will not go away …

27. Dish not made from the reptile it’s named for MOCK TURTLE SOUP
Mock turtle soup is a dish that was introduced in the mid-18th century in England. Instead of calling for turtle as an ingredient, the soup is made from organ meats such as calf’s brains, or calf’s head or foot. Not my cup of tea, or soup …

42. Barn-raising sect AMISH
The Amish are a group of Christian churches, a sub-group of the Mennonite churches. The Amish church originated in Switzerland and Alsace in 1693 when it was founded by Jakob Ammann. It was Ammann who gave the name to the Amish people. Many Amish people came to Pennsylvania in the 18th century.

50. “The Lord of the Rings,” e.g. EPIC
“The Lord of the Rings” is a series of three epic fantasy films adapted from the novels of J. R. R. Tolkien. The films were produced and directed by Peter Jackson in a project that lasted a full eight years. All three movie were shot simultaneously, and entirely In New Zealand, which is Jackson’s homeland. “The Lord of the Rings” series is his the highest-grossing film series of all time. The third of the three movies in the series is “The Return of the King”, which won 11 Oscars. That ties the record for the most Academy Awards won by a movie, alongside “Ben-Hur” and “Titanic”.

52. Bog fuel PEAT
When dead plant matter accumulates in marshy areas, it may not fully decay due to a lack of oxygen or acidic conditions. We are familiar with this in Ireland, because this decaying matter can form peat, and we have lots and lots of peat bogs.

55. Capone nemesis Eliot NESS
Eliot Ness was the Treasury agent charged with the task of bringing down the notorious Chicago gangster Al Capone. When Ness took on the job in 1930, Chicago law-enforcement agents were renowned for being corrupt, for being on the take. Ness handpicked 50 prohibition agents who he thought he could rely on, later reducing the group to a cadre of 15 and ultimately just 11 trusted men. That group of 11 earned the nickname “The Untouchables”, the agents who couldn’t be bought.

58. Triangular Greek letter DELTA
Delta is the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet. We are most familiar with an upper-case delta and its distinctive triangular shape. The letter’s shape has influenced terms such as “deltoid muscle” and “river delta”. The upper-case delta is also used in mathematics and science to indicate a change in value.

65. Sing like Bing CROON
The singer Bing Crosby was a great lover of the game of golf. Crosby had just finished up 18 holes on a course in Spain in 1977 when he suffered a massive heart attack on the final green. Crosby’s last words were “That was a great game of golf, fellas.”

66. 50+ org. AARP
AARP is now the official name for the interest group that used to be called the American Association of Retired Persons. The name change reflects the current focus of the group on all Americans aged 50 or over, as opposed to just people who have retired.

67. Company with bell ringers AVON
In 1886, a young man called David McConnell was selling books door-to-door. To enhance his sales numbers he was giving out free perfume to the ladies of the houses that he visited. Seeing as his perfume was more popular than his books, he founded the California Perfume Company in New York City and started manufacturing and selling across the country. The company name was changed to Avon in 1939, and the famous “Avon Calling” marketing campaign was launched in 1954.

69. Zebras, to lions PREY
The name “zebra” comes from an old Portuguese word “zevra” meaning “wild ass”. Studies of zebra embryos show that zebras are basically black in color, with white stripes that develop with growth. Before this finding, it was believed they were white, with black stripes.

70. Actor Hackman GENE
Gene Hackman is a marvelous actor from San Bernadino, California. Hackman retired from acting in 2008 and now focuses on writing historical novels.

Down
1. Narrow inlets RIAS
A drowned valley might be called a ria or a fjord, both formed as sea level rises. A ria is a drowned valley created by river erosion, and a fjord is a drowned valley created by glaciation.

5. Slalom item SKI
Slalom is an anglicized version of the Norwegian word “slalam” that translates as “skiing race”.

12. To be, to Brigitte ETRE
The French for “to be” is “être”.

13. “Peanuts” phooey RATS!
The characters in the cartoon series “Peanuts” were largely drawn from Charles Schultz’s own life, with shy and withdrawn Charlie Brown representing Schultz himself.

27. Florida metropolis MIAMI
The Port of Miami is the busiest port in the world in terms of passenger traffic, and in terms of cruise ship traffic.

29. Game with Skip cards UNO
In my youth I remember being taught a great card game, by a German acquaintance of mine, called Mau Mau. Years later I discovered that Uno is basically the same game, but played with a purpose-printed deck instead of the regular deck of playing cards that’s used for Mau Mau. I hear that Mau Mau is derived from the game called Crazy Eights.

38. Use FedEx SHIP
FedEx began operations in 1973 as Federal Express, but now operates very successfully under it’s more catchy abbreviated name. Headquartered in Memphis with its “SuperHub” at Memphis International Airport, FedEx is the world’s largest airline in terms of tons of freight flown. And due to the presence of FedEx, Memphis Airport has the largest-volume cargo operation of any airport worldwide.

39. Comical Costello LOU
Lou Costello was of course half of the Abbott & Costello double act. One tragic and terrible event in Lou Costello’s life was the death of his baby son, Lou Costello, Jr. Lou was at NBC studios one night for his regular broadcast when he received word that the 11-month-old baby had somehow drowned in the family swimming pool. With the words, “Wherever he is tonight, I want him to hear me”, he made the scheduled broadcast in front of a live, unsuspecting audience.

40. Clouseau’s rank: Abbr. INSP
Inspector Jacques Clouseau is of course the wonderful detective in “The Pink Panther” series of films. The definitive player of the role was English actor Peter Sellers. Clouseau worked for the Sûreté, the detective branch of the French National Police.

43. Cowboy’s hat STETSON
Stetson is a brand name of hat, manufactured by the John B. Stetson Company of St. Joseph, Missouri. The so called “cowboy hat” that Stetson pioneered was such a success that the company became the largest hat maker in the world, producing over 3.3 million hats per year.

47. Emmy winner Fey TINA
Comic actress Tina Fey has a scar on her face a few inches long on her left cheek, which I was shocked to learn was caused by a childhood “slashing” incident. When she was just five years old a stranger just came up to her while she was in the alley behind her house and slashed her with a knife. How despicable!

48. Arctic expanse ICE CAP
The polar ice cap at the north of our planet is floating pack ice in the Arctic Ocean. The southern polar ice cap is an ice sheet that covers the land mass known as Antarctica. About 70% of all the freshwater on Earth is held in the southern polar ice cap.

49. It means nothing to Juan NADA
“Nada” is the Spanish word for “nothing”. “De nada” translates literally from the Spanish as “of nothing”, and is used to mean “you’re welcome” or “don’t mention it”. The French have the same expression “de rien”, also translating to “of nothing” and used the same way.

52. Inferiors of cpls. PFCS
Private First Class (PFC)

53. Tombstone lawman EARP
Wyatt Earp is famous as one of the participants in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Earp was a city policeman in Wichita, Kansas and also in Dodge City, Kansas. Earp was also deputy sheriff in Tombstone, Arizona where the O.K. Corral gunfight took place. Years later, Earp joined the Alaska Gold Rush and with a partner built and operated the Dexter Saloon in Nome.

60. Huckleberry Hound, for one TOON
I so remember “The Huckleberry Hound Show” from the late fifties and early sixties. As a young tot I had curtains on my window that featured characters from the show. Three regulars were Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks. Pixie and Dixie were two mice, and Mr. Jinks was a cat. Mr. Jinks has a famous line that went, “I hate those meeces to pieces!” Great stuff …

61. Songstress Murray ANNE
Anne Murray is a singer from Springhill, Nova Scotia. Murray’s 1978 hit “You Needed Me” went to number one in the US charts, marking the first time that a Canadian female artist achieved such a feat.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Campus drilling gp. ROTC
5. Repairs, as a lawn’s bare spot SODS
9. On the higher side UPPER
14. Fictional lab assistant IGOR
15. Be certain KNOW
16. Garbo of the silver screen GRETA
17. Man-made organic pump ARTIFICIAL HEART
20. Take care of SEE TO
21. Start of Caesar’s incredulous question ET TU
22. GI rations MRES
23. 1040 publisher: Abbr. IRS
25. Prefix meaning “high” ALTI-
27. Dish not made from the reptile it’s named for MOCK TURTLE SOUP
34. Kissing pair LIPS
35. Out __ limb ON A
36. Get a feeling about SENSE
37. Feed bag morsel OAT
38. Like a soloist on a dark stage SPOTLIT
41. Fill up on EAT
42. Barn-raising sect AMISH
44. Electrified particle ION
45. Falls behind LAGS
46. Pseudonym FICTITIOUS NAME
50. “The Lord of the Rings,” e.g. EPIC
51. Encouragement “on the back” PAT
52. Bog fuel PEAT
55. Capone nemesis Eliot NESS
58. Triangular Greek letter DELTA
62. Finger-pointing perjury FALSE ACCUSATION
65. Sing like Bing CROON
66. 50+ org. AARP
67. Company with bell ringers AVON
68. Shell out SPEND
69. Zebras, to lions PREY
70. Actor Hackman GENE

Down
1. Narrow inlets RIAS
2. Folklore monster OGRE
3. Carryall with handles TOTE
4. They give films stars CRITICS
5. Slalom item SKI
6. It may be enough ONCE
7. “Just __”: Nike slogan DO IT
8. Try to whack, as a fly SWAT AT
9. “Gross!” UGH!
10. Logical proposition PREMISE
11. Apple relative PEAR
12. To be, to Brigitte ETRE
13. “Peanuts” phooey RATS!
18. Tuning __ FORK
19. Break in the action LULL
24. Break in the action STOP
26. Word with tube or pattern TEST
27. Florida metropolis MIAMI
28. Vision-related OPTIC
29. Game with Skip cards UNO
30. Mathematical comparison RATIO
31. Wee hr. ONE AM
32. Grammarian’s concern USAGE
33. Lizards and snakes, for some PETS
34. Do nothing LOAF
38. Use FedEx SHIP
39. Comical Costello LOU
40. Clouseau’s rank: Abbr. INSP
43. Cowboy’s hat STETSON
45. Reason for an ump’s safe call LATE TAG
47. Emmy winner Fey TINA
48. Arctic expanse ICE CAP
49. It means nothing to Juan NADA
52. Inferiors of cpls. PFCS
53. Tombstone lawman EARP
54. Burn-soothing substance ALOE
56. Mark from a surgical procedure SCAR
57. Having no doubt SURE
59. Occurring as you watch it LIVE
60. Huckleberry Hound, for one TOON
61. Songstress Murray ANNE
63. Conclusion END
64. Plant gathering information SPY

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