Constructed by: Steven J. St. John
Edited by: Rich Norris
Quicklink to a complete list of today’s clues and answers
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Theme: None
Bill’s time: 21m 02s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1…Highly charged individual?..SHOPAHOLIC
A shopaholic might have a lot of charges on his or her credit card.
11…Castmate of Alda and Swit..FARR
Actor Jamie Farr is best known for playing the cross-dressing Max Klinger in the sitcom ”M*A*S*H”. Although Farr landed a role in the 1955 movie “Blackboard Jungle”, his career didn’t really take off until he started appearing regularly on “The Red Skelton Show”. Years later he managed to get a one-episode appearance in ”M*A*S*H”, and his character and performance were received so well that he became a regular on the show. Farr actually did serve in the US Army in Korea, although it was after hostilities had ended. The dog tags that Farr wore when filming ”M*A*S*H” were the one’s he actually wore while serving in the military.
Alan Alda has had a great television career, especially of course on “M*A*S*H”. Alda won his first Emmy in 1972, for playing Hawkeye Pierce on “M*A*S*H”. He won his most recent Emmy in 2006 for his portrayal of Presidential candidate Arnold Vinick in “The West Wing”. When it comes to the big screen, my favorite of Alda’s movies is the 1978 romantic comedy “Same Time, Next Year” in which he starred opposite Ellen Burstyn.
Loretta Swit started playing “Hot Lips” Houlihan on “M*A*S*H” in 1972. She and Alan Alda were the only actors who appeared in both the pilot and the series finale. Swit has written a book on needlepoint, would you believe? It’s called “A Needlepoint Scrapbook”.
15…Mass transportation?..POPEMOBILE
The “popemobile” is actually a whole of vehicles used since the days of Pope John Paul II. The popemobiles used on foreign visits are often manufactured locally and then stay in the country after the visit has been concluded. The British-built popemobile used for a 2006 visit to the UK was ultimately sold for over $70,000 at auction.
20…” … __ no fury … “..HATH
The phrase “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” comes from the 1697 play “The Mourning Bride” penned by English playwright William Congreve. A more complete quotation is:
Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned
Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned …
22…Québec journalist’s question..QUI?
“Qui?” is French for “Who?”
The name “Québec” comes from an Algonquin word “kebec” meaning “where the river narrows”. This refers to the area around Quebec City where the St. Lawrence River narrows as it flows through a gap lined by steep cliffs.
23…Speed unit..MACH
The Mach number of a moving object (like say an airplane) is it’s speed relative to the speed of sound. A plane travelling at Mach 2, for example, is moving at twice the speed of sound. The term “Mach” takes its name from the Austrian physicist Ernst Mach who published a groundbreaking paper in 1877 that even predicted the “sonic boom”.
26…Conversational skills..SEGUES
A “segue” is a transition from one topic to the next. “Segue” is an Italian word that literally means “now follows”. It was first used in musical scores directing the performer to play into the next movement without a break.
29…Traditions seen in some circles..HORAS
The hora is a circle dance that originated in the Balkans. It was brought to Israel by Romanian settlers, and is often performed to traditional, Israeli folk songs. The hora (also horah) is a regular sight at Jewish weddings. Sometimes the honoree at an event is raised on a chair during the hora.
32…Waters near the South Pole..ROSS SEA
The Ross Sea is a bay in the Southern Ocean of Antarctica. It was discovered by one James Ross in 1841. A more recent discovery, in the waters of the Ross Sea, was a 33 feet long giant squid that was captured in 2007.
40…Savanna outings..SAFARIS
“Safari” is a Swahili word, meaning “journey” or “expedition”.
A savanna (also savannah) is a grassland. If there are any trees in a savanna, by definition they are small and widely spaced so that light can get to the grasses allowing them to grow unhindered.
47…Old London ride..HANSOM
A hansom cab is a very specific design of horse and buggy that was patented by Joseph Hansom in 1834 in England. The “cab” in the name is short for “cabriolet”, an earlier design of carriage on which the hansom was based. It’s from “hansom cab” that we get our modern term “cab”.
49…Nabokov novel..ADA
“Ada” is a 1969 novel by Vladimir Nabokov. The story takes place in the 1800s on Antiterra, an Earth-like planet that has a history similar to ours but with interesting differences. For example, there is a United States, but that country covers all of North and South America. What we call eastern Canada is a French-speaking province called “Canady”, and western Canada is a Russian-speaking province called “Estody”. The storyline is about a man called Van Veen who, when 14 years old, meets for the first time his cousin, 11-year-old Ada. The two cousins eventually have an affair, only to discover later that they are in fact brother and sister.
50…”Crucifixion of St. Peter” painter Guido..RENI
Guido Reni was an Italian painter from Bologna who was active in the first half of the 17th century. Reni’s most famous work is probably “Crucifixion of St. Peter”, an altarpiece commissioned in the early 1600s that is now on display in the Vatican.
51…Four-song discs, briefly..EPS
An extended play record (EP) contains more music than a single, but less than an LP.
52…With 46-Down, world creator?..WALT
(46D…See 52-Across..DISNEY)
The Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Florida receives more visitors annually than any other theme park in the whole world. The Magic Kingdom alone received about 17½ million visitors in 2012, and that’s not including the visitors to nearby Epcot, Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
54…Open-flame treat..S’MORES
S’mores are treats peculiar to North America, usually eaten around a campfire. A s’more consists of a roasted marshmallow and a layer of chocolate sandwiched between two graham crackers. The earliest written reference to the recipe is in a 1927 publication called “Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts”. Girl Scouts always did corner the market on cookies and the like!
58…Pacific swimmer..COHO SALMON
The Coho salmon is dark blue with silver along the side of its body, but only during the phase of its life while it is in the ocean. When spawning and heading up into a freshwater river, the Coho has bright red sides.
60…California’s Mission Santa __..INES
Mission Santa Ines is located in the beautiful city of Solvang, California, a city with marked Danish influences.
62…Football that won’t deflate..NERF
Nerf is the name given to the soft material used in a whole series of toys designed for “safe” play indoors. The Nerf product is used to make darts, balls and ammunition for toy guns. “NERF” is an acronym, standing for Non-Expanding Recreational Foam.
Down
2…Shade-loving landscape plants..HOSTAS
The Hosta genus of plant was once classified as a lily, but is now in a family of its own and is described as “lily-like”. The plant was given the name “Hosta” in honor of the Austrian botanist Nicholas Thomas Host.
4…Lake catch..PERCH
Perch are carnivorous freshwater fish that are found all over the world. However, perch are particularly common in the Great Lakes and in Lake Erie in particular.
5…Uninhibitedly..AMOK
The phrase “to run amok” (sometimes “to run amuck”) has been around since the 1670s and is derived from the Malay word for “attacking furiously”, “amuk”. The word “amok” was also used as a noun to describe Malay natives who were “frenzied”. Given Malaya’s troubled history, the natives probably had good reason for that frenzy …
7…”… and that price is negotiable,” in classifieds..OBO
OBO (or best offer)
9…Intestinal parts..ILEA
The human ileum is the lowest part of the small intestine, found below the jejunum and above the cecum of the large intestine.
10…Altoids competitor..CERTS
Certs were the first breath mints to be marketed nationally in the US, hitting the shelves in 1956. A Cert is called a mint, but it isn’t really as it contains no mint oil and instead has its famous ingredient named “Retsyn”. Retsyn is a mixture of copper gluconate (giving the green flecks), partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil (not healthy!) and flavoring (maybe mint?).
Altoids breath mints have been around since 1780, when they were introduced in Britain. The famous tin in which Altoids are sold is often reused for other purposes. The most famous use is as a container to hold a mini-survival kit.
21…Lover of Bunnies, familiarly..HEF
Playboy Bunnies are waitresses at a Playboy Club. Playboy Bunnies wear costumes that are reminiscent of the Playboy rabbit mascot, with a collar, cuffs and a fluffy tail.
25…’90s-’00s Angels outfielder Darin with three Gold Gloves..ERSTAD
Darin Erstad is a retired baseball player who turned out for the Angels, White Sox and Astros in a career that lasted from 1996 to 2009. After retiring from the Major Leagues, Erstad became a volunteer hitting coach for the University of Nebraska baseball team, eventually taking the post head coach in 2011.
30…Town with the motto “Alaska Starts Here!”..SEWARD
The city of Seward, Alaska was named for Secretary of State William Seward, who fought for and negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia. Seward is the southerly terminus of the Iditarod Trail, known historically as the Seward-to-Nome Mail Trail. The city used the motto “Alaska Starts Here”.
32…Cambodian currency..RIELS
The Cambodian riel was first introduced in 1953, and was taken out of circulation by the Khmer Rouge in 1975 when they completely abolished money on taking control of the country. After the Vietnamese invasion of 1978, money was reintroduced and the Cambodian people are still using the “second” riel. The original riel was divided into 100 centimes, but this was changed to 100 “sen” in 1959.
36…1959 Rod Steiger title role..AL CAPONE
“Al Capone” is a 1959 film with Rod Steiger playing the title role. Steiger turned down the part three times, demanding the screenplay be rewritten to portray in Capone in a less glamorous light. As a result, the film is often praised for its documentary flavor.
Rod Steiger played some powerful roles on the screen, perhaps most memorably the Chief of Police in the 1967 drama “In the Heat of the Night”, for which he won a Best Actor Oscar. Steiger was married five times, including a 10-year marriage to fellow actor Claire Bloom. Together Bloom and Steiger had a daughter, the British opera singer Anna Steiger.
44…Fatherly advice?..SERMON
Our word “sermon” comes from the Latin “sermonem” meaning “discourse, talk”. The literal translation of “sermonem” is “a stringing together of words”, from the Latin “serere” meaning “to join”, as in the related word “series”.
48…Colorful flier..MACAW
Macaws are beautifully colored birds of native to Central and South America, and are actually a type of parrot. Most species of macaw are now endangered, with several having become extinct in recent decades. The main threats are deforestation and illegal trapping and trafficking of exotic birds.
50…Rich kid in “Nancy” comics..ROLLO
“Nancy” is a comic strip that was originally called “Fritzi Ritz” when it first appeared in 1938. Nancy Ritz is a mischievous young girl, and Rollo is a friendly rich kid.
53…Actress Loughlin..LORI
Lori Loughlin played Rebecca Donaldson-Katsopolis on the sitcom “Full House”. Loughlin later appeared in a spinoff of the TV show “Beverly Hills, 90210” called, inventively enough, “90210”.
57…”Where Discoveries Begin” govt. agency..NSF
The National Science Foundation (NSF) supports research and education in all scientific fields outside of medicine. The NSF was founded in 1950 during the Truman administration. Today it has a budget of almost 7 billion dollars.
Complete List of Clues and Answers
Across
1…Highly charged individual?..SHOPAHOLIC
11…Castmate of Alda and Swit..FARR
15…Mass transportation?..POPEMOBILE
16…Problem solver, at times..IDEA
17…One dealing in signs..ASTROLOGER
18…Not opt…REQD
19…Complicated..STICKY
20…” … __ no fury … “..HATH
22…Québec journalist’s question..QUI?
23…Speed unit..MACH
24…Intersected..MET
26…Conversational skills..SEGUES
28…Leaking sound..SSS
29…Traditions seen in some circles..HORAS
31…Sudden and brief..FLASH
32…Waters near the South Pole..ROSS SEA
34…Towel ending..-ETTE
35…Appeal for backup?..CAN I GET A WITNESS?
39…Natural salve..ALOE
40…Savanna outings..SAFARIS
41…Like snakes but not worms..SCALY
43…Skin product prefix..DERMA-
44…Put down roots?..SOD
47…Old London ride..HANSOM
49…Nabokov novel..ADA
50…”Crucifixion of St. Peter” painter Guido..RENI
51…Four-song discs, briefly..EPS
52…With 46-Down, world creator?..WALT
54…Open-flame treat..S’MORES
56…One in a football quartet..DOWN
58…Pacific swimmer..COHO SALMON
60…California’s Mission Santa __..INES
61…Furtive question..ARE WE ALONE?
62…Football that won’t deflate..NERF
63…Pays, old-style..WIRES MONEY
Down
1…Twinges..SPASMS
2…Shade-loving landscape plants..HOSTAS
3…Public perceptions, as of politics or sports..OPTICS
4…Lake catch..PERCH
5…Uninhibitedly..AMOK
6…”Wow!”..HOLY MOSES!
7…”… and that price is negotiable,” in classifieds..OBO
8…Nearly weightless..LIGHT AS A FEATHER
9…Intestinal parts..ILEA
10…Altoids competitor..CERTS
11…Fragrant tree..FIR
12…Acceptable..ADEQUATE
13…Numbers from the audience..REQUESTS
14…Salad roots..RADISHES
21…Lover of Bunnies, familiarly..HEF
25…’90s-’00s Angels outfielder Darin with three Gold Gloves..ERSTAD
27…Lowlands..GLENS
29…Monopolize..HOG
30…Town with the motto “Alaska Starts Here!”..SEWARD
32…Cambodian currency..RIELS
33…Fronts separate them..AIR MASSES
35…Got dough for..CASHED IN
36…1959 Rod Steiger title role..AL CAPONE
37…Rarity in the voicemail age..NO ANSWER
38…Spanish aunt..TIA
42…”I just stubbed my toe!”..YOW!
44…Fatherly advice?..SERMON
45…Score often requiring overtime..ONE-ONE
46…See 52-Across..DISNEY
48…Colorful flier..MACAW
50…Rich kid in “Nancy” comics..ROLLO
53…Actress Loughlin..LORI
55…Respectful address..MA’AM
57…”Where Discoveries Begin” govt. agency..NSF
59…Come up short..OWE