Day: April 28, 2011

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. March time? : PURIM
Purim is a festival commemorating the deliverance of the Jewish people from a plot to wipe them out by Haman the Agagite, as recorded in the Book of Esther. During the celebration of Purim, the Book of Esther is read aloud, once in the evening and once the following morning. By the way, Esther is the only book in the Old Testament that doesn’t mention “God”.

6. iPad downloads : APPS
You can download lots of applications (apps) if you have an iPad …

The very exciting iPad isn’t Apple’s first foray into the world of tablet computing. Apple created great buzz by introducing the Newton MessagePad way back in 1993. This innovative machine was fraught with problems and really died a very slow death, finally being withdrawn from the market in 1998.

10. Humbug : GUFF
The word “guff” has been around since the late 1800s and means “empty talk”, and comes from the sense of a “puff of air”.

14. Minute creature : AMEBA
An ameba (or “amoeba” as we spell it back in Ireland) is a single-celled microorganism. The name comes from the Greek “amoibe”, meaning change. The name is quite apt, as the cell changes shape readily as the ameba moves, eats and reproduces.

15. Tales of the Round Table, e.g. : LORE
King Arthur probably never really existed, but his legend is very persistent. He was supposedly a leader of the Romano-British as they tried to resist the invasion of the Anglo-Saxons in the late 5th and early 6th centuries.

16. Home of the Gardermoen airport : OSLO
Oslo is an ancient city, founded around 1048. The medieval city was destroyed by fire in 1624 and was rebuilt by the Danish-Norwegian King Christian IV and renamed Christiana. In 1877, there was an official change of the name’s spelling to Kristiana, and then more recently in 1925 the name was restored to the original Oslo. Things have gone full circle, for now the center of Oslo, the area that would have been contained by the original medieval walls, has been renamed Christiana.

17. Titular jurisdiction of 30-Across : WALES
(30. Bridegroom of 4/29/11 : PRINCE WILLIAM)
The tradition in the UK is to invest the heir-apparent to the throne with the title of Prince of Wales. Since Prince Charles is that heir today, he is called Prince of Wales and his first wife was known as Diana, Princess of Wales. Both of their children also use the title, Prince William of Wales and Prince Henry of Wales.

18. Hanna-Barbera creation : TOON
I once had the privilege of spending an afternoon in the room (Bill Hanna’s den) where Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera came up with the idea of “The Flintstones”.

19. Hair-razing stuff : NAIR
Nair is a hair removal product that has some pretty harsh ingredients. The most important active constituents are calcium hydroxide (“slake lime”) and sodium hydroxide (“caustic soda”). The balance of Nair’s makeup seem to be there to soothe the skin after the harsher chemicals have done their job. The name “Nair” probably comes from combining “no” and “hair”.

20. Event of 4/29/11 : ROYAL WEDDING
The main events planned for the wedding are the ceremony at Westminster Abbey, followed by a lunchtime reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by the Queen. There is a private dinner and dance hosted by Prince Charles in the evening, also at the Palace. I wasn’t invited …

23. Class conducted online : WEBINAR
Webinar is short for “Web-based seminar”, a presentation, lecture or similar event held online. In a Webinar there is two-way interaction, with the audience able to ask questions of the presenter.

26. Name of six British monarchs : GEORGE
The most recent of the British kings named George was George VI, ruler of the United Kingdom during WWII. George VI took over the crown unexpectedly in 1936 on the abdication of his older brother Edward VIII, who surrendered the throne to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson. George VI was the father of Queen Elizabeth II.

27. Kind of pass : EURAIL
In my days as a student, the way to backpack around Europe was using a Europass. Nowadays that is known as a Eurail pass. The Eurail pass gives you access to most trains (and some shipping lines) right across the continent.

30. Bridegroom of 4/29/11 : PRINCE WILLIAM
Prince William is second in line to the British throne, after his father Prince Charles, with Prince Harry holding the third spot. Prince Harry moves down the list should William and Kate have children. Among the children, the males come before the females regardless of age, although there are moves afoot to change that law.

34. Honor bestowed by 53-Down : OBE
(53. Grandmother of 30-Across, informally : QEII)
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire was established in 1917 by King George V. His intent in doing so was to create a set of British honours that could be awarded to ordinary citizens as well as people of a specific background. There are five classes of honor, including Officer of the Order of the British Empire, an OBE.

38. Bride of 4/29/11 : KATE MIDDLETON
Kate Middleton is what one might call a commoner, born to parents who were flight attendants. However, as is so often the case in Britain, Kate’s ancestry can be traced back far enough to show that she and William do have common ancestors, dating back to the 1500s on her mother’s side and to the 1400s on her father’s side.

45. “La ___” (traditional Mexican nuptials song) : BAMBA
“La Bamba” is a Mexican folk song that was recorded by Ritchie Valens in 1958. “La Bamba” appears in the oft-cited list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time compiled by “Rolling Stone” magazine, and is the only song in the list not sung in English. The song lent its name to the 1987 biopic about the life of Ritchie Valens, starring Lou Diamond Phillips as the legendary singer.

46. Em, for one : AUNTIE
In “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”, Dorothy lives with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry.

47. Food brand whose name is a combination of two state abbreviations : ORE-IDA
Ore-Ida frozen foods are all made with potatoes. The company is located in Oregon, just across the border from Idaho. “Ore-Ida” is a melding of the two state names.

51. 30- and 38-Across someday, presumably : KING AND QUEEN
From what I hear Prince Charles isn’t very popular with the general public in the UK, relatively speaking that is. There are a lot of folks there who have suggested the monarchy should skip a generation and Prince William be crowned if and when his grandmother decides to step down.

54. Utah winter vacation spot : ALTA
Alta ski resort actually lies within the Salt Lake City Metropolitan Area.

55. Violinist Leopold : AUER
Leopold Auer was a Hungarian violinist, as well as a conductor and composer. He wrote a small number of works for the violin, the most famous of which is the “Rhapsodie Hongroise”, written for violin and piano.

56. Bounty holder? : DOWEL
I think the idea is that some rolls of Bounty paper towels may be held on a length of large-diameter dowel.

60. Mythological sprite : PERI
In Persian mythology, peris are fairy-like creatures who descended from fallen angels and so must do penance before entering paradise. Over time, peris came from being regarded as evil beings and were instead welcomed as benevolent spirits.

62. 2006 World Cup champs : ITALY
The 2006 FIFA World Cup (the soccer tournament) was held in Germany. Italy beat France in the final, but only by virtue of a penalty shootout.

63. Bucolic poem : IDYL
An idyl is a short poem with a pastoral theme, usually depicting the scene in romantic and idealized terms. The word comes from the Greek “eidyllion”, which literally translates to “little picture” but was a word describing a short, poem with a rustic theme.

64. 21-Down students : ELIS
Eli is the nickname for a graduate of Yale University, a term used in honor of the Yale benefactor Elihu Yale.

65. Poindexter types : NERDS
Poindexter is a character in the television show “Felix the Cat”, originally aired in the late fifties. He is a nerdy type, wearing a lab coat and glasses with thick lenses. The character lends his name to the term “poindexter”, meaning just that, a nerd.

Down
1. Logo of the Clemson Tigers : PAW
The athletic teams of Clemson University have been called the Tigers since 1896 when a new football coach, Walter Riggs, arrived from Auburn University. Riggs was an admirer of the Princeton Tigers, so he gave his new school the tiger mascot.

2. Actress Thurman : UMA
Uma Thurman’s father, Robert Thurman, was the first westerner to be ordained a Tibetan Buddhist monk. He raised his children in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, and called his daughter “Uma” as it is a phonetic spelling of the Buddhist name, Dbuma.

3. Father’s subj. : REL
A Reverend Father would study religion.

4. ___ Peninsula : IBERIAN
The Iberian Peninsula in Europe is of course largely made up of Spain and Portugal. However, also included is the Principality of Andorra in the Pyrenees, a small part of the south of France, and the British Territory of Gibraltar.

5. Kind of temple : MASONIC
In one sense the Freemasonry term “Masonic Temple” refers to a structure, also known as a Masonic Hall. In another sense, the Masonic Temple is the spiritual goal of the organization.

6. Westminster Abbey feature : ALTAR
The correct name for the Gothic church we know as Westminster Abbey is the Collegiate Church of St. Peter at Westminster. The Abbey is a favored location for coronations and royal weddings and burials. Before tomorrow’s royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton, the last royal wedding in the Abbey was the marriage of Prince Andrew to Sarah Ferguson in 1986.

7. Feature of the Buckingham Palace grounds : POOL
I think the reference is to the swimming pool in the grounds of Buckingham Palace. The pool was converted from a racquets court in 1938.

9. French-speaking land of 12+ million : SENEGAL
The Republic of Senegal is a country on the far western coast of Africa. For many years Senegal was a French colony, gaining independence in 1960. The capital of Senegal is Dakar, a city located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean.

10. Romantic ride for some honeymooners : GONDOLA
The word “gondola” was originally limited to the famous boats that travel around the canals of Venice. When man started to fly though the air in hot air balloons, “gondola” was used for the basket in which the passenger(s) traveled. By extension, the structure carrying passengers and crew under an airship is also called a gondola, as are the cars suspended from a cable at a ski resort.

11. Eastern competitor : USAIR
From 1953, what today is US Airways was called Allegheny Airlines. In the seventies customers became very dissatisfied with the company’s service levels as it struggled to manage a rapid expansion in flights. These problems earned the airline the nickname “Agony Air”. Allegheny tried to leave the “agony” behind in 1979 and changed its name to USAir. More recently, in 1997, the name was again changed, to US Airways.

22. Place to take a number, maybe : DELI
The word “delicatessen” came into English from the German “Delikatessen” meaning “delicious (delikat-) to eat (essen)”.

24. French river or department : EURE
The French department of Eure is in the north of France. The most popular spot to visit in the whole department is the commune of Giverny where one can visit Claude Monet’s house and garden, the subject of so many of his paintings.

25. Threshold : BRINK
Years ago I was taking a tour of a beautiful Elizabethan manor house in England, and was told a little “threshing” story by the guide as we stood in one of the rooms. She reminded us that threshing was the removal of seeds from chaff, and told us that back in the day, the “chaff” was sometimes called the “thresh”. Thresh would be used on the floors, particularly in the kitchen areas, where it would soak up spills and provide some thermal insulation, much as sawdust was used in my favorite pubs many moons ago. She pointed to two slots at the bottom of the door jambs where she said a low board was placed upright on the floor, to hold the thresh in the room. The board was called a “thresh hold”, giving us our contemporary word “threshold”. I am not sure if it is really true, but it makes a nice story.

28. It parallels the fibula : TIBIA
The tibia is the larger of the two bones right below the knee, and is the strongest weight-bearing bone in the human body. “Tibia” is the Roman name for a Greek flute and it is thought that the shin bone was given the same name because flutes were often fashioned out of the shin bones of animals.

29. Ran past the border : BLED
Dyes in a cloth can bleed over borders in a design.

39. First name of two first ladies : ABIGAIL
Abigail Adams had a unique distinction being married to John Adams. She was the first Second Lady of the US, and the second First Lady!

Abigail Fillmore, wife of President Millard Fillmore, died of pneumonia just 26 days after she and her husband left the White House. She had the shortest post-Presidential life of any First Lady in the country’s history.

42. “The Phantom of the Opera” heroine Christine ___ : DAAE
I’m a bit jaded with big, stage musicals I must admit, but I will always have time for Andrew Lloyd Weber’s masterpiece “The Phantom of the Opera”. It is the longest running musical in the history of Broadway, and deservedly so. And now there is a sequel, which I would dearly love to see, so let’s hope it gets over here soon. “Love Never Dies” opened in the West End in London in March 2010, but the opening in the US has been delayed while Lloyd Weber recovers from surgery for prostate cancer.

47. Creature with striped legs : OKAPI
The okapi is closely related to the giraffe, although it does have markings on its legs and haunches that resemble those of a zebra. The okapi’s tongue is long enough to reach back and wash its eyeballs, and can even go back further and clean its ears inside and out.

53. Grandmother of 30-Across, informally : QEII
Princess Elizabeth became queen in 1952 when her father, King George VI, died. The Princess was on an official visit to Kenya when her husband broke the news to her, that she had become queen. When she was crowned in 1953 in Westminster Abbey, it was the first coronation to be televised. At almost 59 years, Queen Elizabeth’s reign is currently the third longest in the history of the UK. She is closing in on the record of Queen Victoria who reigned longest, for almost 64 years.

57. ___ of the Roses : WAR
The Wars of the Roses was a series of civil wars fought for the throne of England, between the rival Houses of Lancaster and York. Ultimately the Lancastrians emerged victorious after Henry Tudor defeated King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field. Henry was crowned King Henry VII and united the two Houses by marrying his cousin, Elizabeth of York. Henry had a relatively long reign of 23 years that lasted until his death, after which his son succeeded to the throne as Henry VIII, continuing the short-lived Tudor dynasty.

59. Fleur-de-___ : LYS
“Lys” is the French word for “lily”, as in fleur-de-lys, the heraldic symbol often associated with the French monarchy.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. March time? : PURIM
6. iPad downloads : APPS
10. Humbug : GUFF
14. Minute creature : AMEBA
15. Tales of the Round Table, e.g. : LORE
16. Home of the Gardermoen airport : OSLO
17. Titular jurisdiction of 30-Across : WALES
18. Hanna-Barbera creation : TOON
19. Hair-razing stuff : NAIR
20. Event of 4/29/11 : ROYAL WEDDING
23. Class conducted online : WEBINAR
26. Name of six British monarchs : GEORGE
27. Kind of pass : EURAIL
28. Lead-in to Little League : T-BALL
30. Bridegroom of 4/29/11 : PRINCE WILLIAM
33. Knockout count : TEN
34. Honor bestowed by 53-Down : OBE
35. Ages ___ : AGO
38. Bride of 4/29/11 : KATE MIDDLETON
45. “La ___” (traditional Mexican nuptials song) : BAMBA
46. Em, for one : AUNTIE
47. Food brand whose name is a combination of two state abbreviations : ORE-IDA
50. Gels : HARDENS
51. 30- and 38-Across someday, presumably : KING AND QUEEN
54. Utah winter vacation spot : ALTA
55. Violinist Leopold : AUER
56. Bounty holder? : DOWEL
60. Mythological sprite : PERI
61. Follow : TAIL
62. 2006 World Cup champs : ITALY
63. Bucolic poem : IDYL
64. 21-Down students : ELIS
65. Poindexter types : NERDS

Down
1. Logo of the Clemson Tigers : PAW
2. Actress Thurman : UMA
3. Father’s subj. : REL
4. ___ Peninsula : IBERIAN
5. Kind of temple : MASONIC
6. Westminster Abbey feature : ALTAR
7. Feature of the Buckingham Palace grounds : POOL
8. Ferry’s front : PROW
9. French-speaking land of 12+ million : SENEGAL
10. Romantic ride for some honeymooners : GONDOLA
11. Eastern competitor : USAIR
12. Throw : FLING
13. Smith’s workplace : FORGE
21. School for 64-Across : YALE
22. Place to take a number, maybe : DELI
23. Boohooed : WEPT
24. French river or department : EURE
25. Threshold : BRINK
28. It parallels the fibula : TIBIA
29. Ran past the border : BLED
31. Development site : WOMB
32. Not glossy : MATTE
36. Penetrate : GO IN
37. Tip jar bills : ONES
39. First name of two first ladies : ABIGAIL
40. “There!” : TADA
41. Throw out : EMANATE
42. “The Phantom of the Opera” heroine Christine ___ : DAAE
43. Baited : LURED IN
44. Postscript : ENDNOTE
47. Creature with striped legs : OKAPI
48. Ticked off : RILED
49. Customs may precede it : ENTRY
50. Throws : HURLS
52. Like some citizenship : DUAL
53. Grandmother of 30-Across, informally : QEII
57. ___ of the Roses : WAR
58. Days gone by, in days gone by : ELD
59. Fleur-de-___ : LYS

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