Category: Joe Deeney

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Constructed by: Joe Deeney
Edited by: Patti Varol

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… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 9m 03s

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Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Leroy Anderson holiday tune that includes a trumpet “whinny” : SLEIGH RIDE

Leroy Anderson was a composer of light orchestral music, a lot of which was first recorded by the Boston Pops Orchestra. His “Blue Tango” topped the charts in 1951, and became the first instrumental ever to sell over a million copies. Anderson also wrote “Sleigh Ride”, which is a signature piece for the Boston Pops.

16 Sphynx producer : CAT BREEDER

The sphynx is a breed of cat that has no fur. The lack of fur was introduced by selective breeding in the sixties. Although there is no fur, the sphynx does have some fine hair on its body. Selective breeding has led to some health issues, though. The lack of fur leaves kittens susceptible to respiratory infections, and prolonged exposure to sunlight can cause skin cancer.

18 Natalie Dormer’s “Elementary” role : IRENE ADLER

The character Irene Adler only appears in one of the many Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the story “A Scandal in Bohemia”, Holmes expresses remarkable admiration for Adler as a woman and as a foe. As a result, derivative works in the Holmes genre often feature Adler as something of a romantic interest for Sherlock.

If you’ve seen the American television show “Elementary”, you will know that it is an adaptation of the classic tales by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that are set in the present day. “Elementary” is similar in look and feel to the excellent BBC series “Sherlock”, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as a modern-day Holmes. We can pick up “Sherlock” in some parts of the country as part of “Masterpiece Mystery” on PBS.

English actress Natalie Dormer has appeared in some famous films and TV shows. Dormer plays a very devious Anne Boleyn on the Showtime historical drama “The Tudors”, and a manipulative Margaery Tyrell in HBO’s “Game of Thrones”. She also plays the criminal mastermind Irene Adler/Jamie Moriarty on the CBS’s “Elementary”.

19 New Zealand birds also known as owl parrots : KAKAPOS

The kakapo (also “owl parrot”) is a nocturnal, ground-dwelling parrot found in New Zealand. It is the heaviest known species of parrot, with males weighing up to three kilos. It is also the only parrot species that does not fly. In addition, kakapos can live a long, long time, maybe even up to 100 years.

21 Glue brand that owns X-Acto : ELMER’S

Elsie the Cow is the mascot of the Borden Company. Elsie first appeared at the New York World’s Fair in 1939, introduced to symbolize the perfect dairy product. She is so famous and respected that she has been awarded the degrees of Doctor of Bovinity, Doctor of Human Kindness and Doctor of Ecownomics. Elsie was also given a husband named Elmer the Bull. Elmer eventually moved over to the chemical division of Borden where he gave his name to Elmer’s Glue.

The X-Acto knife was invented in the thirties by a Polish immigrant, although his intention was to come up with a scalpel for surgeons. The knife couldn’t cut it as a scalpel though (pun!), because it was difficult to clean. The inventor’s brother-in-law suggested it be used as a craft knife, and it is still around today.

26 “J to __ L-O!”: 2002 remix album : THA

“J to tha L–O! The Remixes” is a 2002 album released by Jennifer Lopez. As the title indicates, the tracks are remixes, remixes of songs from her earlier albums “On the 6” (1999) and “J.Lo” (2001).

31 Civil Rights Memorial architect : LIN

Maya Lin is a Chinese-American artist and architect from Athens, Ohio. Her most famous work is the moving Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Lin was only 21-years-old when she won a public design competition in 1981 to create the memorial. Although her design is very fitting, sadly Lin was not a popular choice for the work given her Asian heritage. As she said herself, she probably would not have been picked had the competition been judged with the knowledge of who was behind each submission.

The Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama remembers forty people who died over the years in the struggle for equal rights between the years 1954 (the year of the Brown v. Board of Education decision) and 1968 (the year Martin Luther King was assassinated). The memorial was designed by Maya Lin, whose most famous work is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

35 Fatty tuna, to a sushi chef : TORO

In a sushi restaurant, the dish called “toro” is the fatty tissue from the belly of the bluefin tuna.

42 Museum adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria : UFFIZI

The Uffizi Gallery (“Galleria degli Uffizi” in Italian) is one of the oldest art museums in the western world and is housed in the Palazzo degli Uffizi in Florence, Italy. The Palazzo was built in 1560, intended to house the offices of the Florentine magistrates. This original usage gave the gallery its name, as “uffizi” is Italian for “offices”.

The Piazza della Signoria is a square (it’s actually w-shaped) in Florence, Italy. It is located in front of the Palazzo Vecchio (literally “Old Palace”), which is the city’s town hall. The square is home to a famous copy of Michelangelo’s David statue, found at the entrance to town hall.

44 French physician for whom a part of the brain is named : BROCA

Paul Broca was a French physician who provided the first anatomical proof that brain function was localized. He studied the brains of individuals suffering from aphasia, the inability to formulate language due to brain injury after a stroke or head trauma. Broca discovered that aphasia patients had lesions in a specific part of the brain, the left frontal region. This region of the brain’s cortex that is responsible for language is now called Broca’s Area, in his honor.

49 2004 remake starring Jude Law : ALFIE

There have been two versions of the movie “Alfie”. The original, and for my money the best, was made in 1966 with Michael Caine. The remake came out in 2004 and stars Jude Law in the title role. The theme song was performed by Cher in the 1966 movie, but it was Dionne Warwick’s cover version from 1967 that was the most successful in the charts.

59 Central Asia’s North __ Sea : ARAL

The former Soviet Union decided to divert the two rivers feeding the Aral Sea in order to irrigate food and cotton crops. Once the fourth largest lake in the world, the Aral Sea began to shrink dramatically in the 1960s due to the loss of water. Today, the Aral Sea is no more. Instead, there are two relatively small bodies of water labeled as the North Aral Sea and the South Aral Sea.

60 Nickelodeon show with a paw print logo : BLUE’S CLUES

“Blue’s Clues” is a Nickelodeon children’s show that ran for ten years from 1996. The title character is a blue-spotted dog who leaves clues in a treasure hunt for the host and the viewers.

61 Cost of a dozen? : DIME

Something described as a dime a dozen is so commonplace that it has little value. The phrase “a dime a dozen” arose soon after the dime went into circulation in 1796. Back then, if one found goods that cost “a dime a dozen”, one had a good deal. Over time, the meaning evolved.

62 Time for happy hour? : BEER THIRTY!

It’s time to have a drink, because both “beer o’clock” and “wine o’clock” are starting to turn up as entries in reputable dictionaries. Of course, there’s also “beer thirty”.

63 Gibbons, e.g. : APES

Gibbons are referred to as lesser apes as they differ in size and behavior from the great apes e.g. chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and humans.

Down

2 Carnival ride : OCEAN LINER

The use of the word “line” with reference to transportation started in the 1780s, in the context of stagecoaches. Such transportation operated a string of stagecoaches between towns and cities along regular “lines”. The concept shifted to shipping “lines” operating ocean-going “liners” between ports. And then came “airliners”.

The Carnival Cruise Line was founded in 1972, and had over 20 vessels in operation at the height of its success. Three of those Carnival ships were chartered by the US government in the wake of Hurricane Katrina so that they could provide temporary housing for families displaced by the storm.

4 __ oil : SESAME

Sesame oil is extracted from sesame seeds. It is one of the nutritionally “good” oils, in that it is high in polyunsaturated fatty acids. Unlike most “good” oils, sesame oil keeps at room temperature, due to the presence of naturally occurring preservatives.

5 Heir : SCION

“Scion” comes from the old French word “sion” or “cion”, meaning “a shoot or a twig”. In botanical terms today, a scion is used in grafting two compatible plants together. In grafting, one plant is selected for its root system (the “rootstock”), and the other plant is selected for its stems, leaves and fruit (the “scion”). The term scion migrated naturally into the world of family history. A scion is simply a descendant, a son or a daughter and therefore a branching point in the family tree.

6 Metallica drummer Ulrich : LARS

Lars Ulrich is a drummer from Denmark, and one of the founding members of the American heavy metal band Metallica. Lars is the son of former professional tennis player Torben Ulrich, the oldest Davis Cup player in history.

7 Bastille Day saison : ETE

The Bastille is a former fortress in Paris that was used as a prison by the kings of France. On 14 July 1789, an angry mob stormed the Bastille during the French Revolution. The mob was actually after the stores of gunpowder in the fortress, but while inside the building freed seven prisoners and killed the Bastille’s governor. The storming of the Bastille became a symbol of the French Revolution and has been celebrated in France every July 14th since 1790. That celebration is referred to as “la fête nationale” (the national day) in France, but in English-speaking countries it is usually known as “Bastille Day”.

9 “Archer” voice actress Judy : GREER

Actress Jusy Greer is known to movie audiences as mainly a character actress. TV audiences might know as the voice actress behind the character Cheryl Tunt in the animated comedy show “Archer”.

10 Shaman : HEALER

A shaman is a supposed intermediary between the human world and the spirit world.

20 “Ratatouille” city : PARIS

“Ratatouille” is a 2007 animated film produced by Pixar. The hero of the piece is Remy, a rat whose ambition is to become a chef. Remy was voiced by stand-up comedian Patton Oswalt. The veteran actor Peter O’Toole voiced the character Anton Ego, a restaurant critic.

23 Photo that speaks volumes? : SHELFIE

A shelfie is a picture of a shelf (!). The image usually includes items that are of significance to the person taking the shot.

26 DOJ division : THE FBI

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was set up in 1908 as the Bureau of Investigation (BOI), with the name changing 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. The FBI’s motto uses the organization’s initialism, and is “Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity”.

30 Pacific Northwest tribal carvings : TOTEM POLES

“Totem” is a word used to describe any entity that watches over a group of people. As such, totems are usually the subjects of worship. Totem poles are really misnamed, as they are not intended to represent figures to be worshiped, but rather are heraldic in nature, and often celebrating the legends or notable events in the history of a tribe.

34 __ dispenser : PEZ

PEZ is an Austrian brand of candy sold in a mechanical dispenser. Famously, PEZ dispensers have molded “heads”, and have become very collectible over the years. The list of heads includes historical figures like Betsy Ross and Paul Revere, characters from “Star Wars” and “Star Trek”, and even British royalty like the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (“William and Kate”). The name “PEZ” comes from the first, middle and last letters of “Pfefferminz”, the German word for “peppermint”.

38 Like the ingredients in pico de gallo, typically : DICED

Pico de gallo is a Mexican condiment made from tomato, onion and chili peppers. “Pico de gallo” is Spanish for “beak of rooster”. Apparently this name was given as eating of the condiment with the thumb and forefinger resembled the pecking of a rooster. An alternative name for pico de gallo is “salsa fresca”, which translates literally as “fresh sauce”.

51 Buzzed : TIPSY

The term “tipsy” comes from the verb “to tip” meaning “to overturn, knock over”, and has been meaning “drunk” since the late 1500s.

52 Salad option : BIBB

Bibb is a variety of lettuce in the cultivar known as butterhead. All butterhead varieties have loose-leafed heads and a buttery texture.

53 Catherine portrayer in “The Great” : ELLE

Actress Elle Fanning first appeared on film in the 2001 movie “I Am Sam”, in which she played a younger version of her sister and fellow actor Dakota Fanning (a 2-year-old version of the character). One of her first major roles was Aurora/Sleeping Beauty alongside Angelina Jolie in the 2014 movie “Maleficent”. Fannin reprised the role in the 2019 sequel “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”.

“The Great: An Occasionally True Story” is a very entertaining comedy-drama that takes an outrageous satirical look at the life and times of Russian empress Catherine the Great. Elle Fanning plays the title role, with English actor Nicholas Hoult playing Catherine’s husband Peter III. The show is based on a 2008 play of the same name by Australian playwright Tony McNamara. Lots of fun …

54 Exhaust pipe : FLUE

The flue in a chimney is a duct that conveys exhaust gases from a fire to the outdoors. An important feature of a flue is that its opening is adjustable. When starting a fire, the flue should be wide open, maximizing airflow to get help ignition.

58 “Ben-__” : HUR

The celebrated 1959 Charlton Heston movie “Ben-Hur” is a dramatization of a book published in 1880 by Lew Wallace titled “Ben-Hur: A Tale of Christ”. The 1959 epic film won a record 11 Academy Awards, a feat that has been equaled since then but never beaten. The other winners of 11 Oscars are “Titanic” (1997) and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003).