Day: May 10, 2011

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
9. Assists and steals : STATS
Assists and steals are statistics recorded in sports.

14. Lingerie buy : BRA
“Lingerie” is a French term, but as used in France it just means any underwear, worn by either males or females. In English we tend to use it to describe alluring underclothing worn by women. The term “lingerie” comes into English via the French word “linge” meaning “washables”, and ultimately from the Latin “linum”, meaning “linen”. We tend not to pronounce the word correctly in English, either here in the US or across the other side of the Atlantic. The French pronunciation is more like “lan-zher-ee”, as opposed to “lon-zher-ay” (American) and “lon-zher-ee” (British).

16. Sic on : LET AT
To “sic on”, to let at or set on, comes from the attack command given to a dog, “sic ‘em”.

Sic ’em is an attack order given to a dog, instructing the animal to growl, bark or even bite. The term dates back to the 1830s, with “sic” being a variation of “seek”.

17. Paper Mate product : BALLPOINT
The ballpoint pen was invented by László Bíró in the later thirties, a Hungarian newspaper editor.

19. One with dreadlocks, perhaps : RASTA
I must admit that I don’t really understand Rastafarianism. I do know that a Rasta, like Bob Marley, is a follower of the movement. Some say it is a religion, some not. It does involve the worship of Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia.

Dreadlocks are matted coils of hair nowadays usually formed intentionally, although if one lets hair grow out without grooming it naturally forms twisted and matted dreadlocks. The hairstyle is associated with the Rastafarian movement in which the term “dread” is a very positive one, meaning “fear of the Lord”.

21. 180, slangily : UIE
A u-turn is a turn through 180 degrees.

24. Ruler deposed in 1979 : SHAH
The last Shah of Iran was Mohammed-Reza Shah Pahlavi, who was overthrown by the revolution led by the Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979. The post-revolution government sought the extradition of the Shah back to Iran while he was in the United States seeking medical care (he had cancer). His prolonged stay in the United States recovering from surgery caused some unrest back in Iran and resentment towards the United States. Some say that this precipitated the storming of the US Embassy in Tehran and the resulting hostage crisis.

25. Hoops play maker : POINT GUARD
The point guard in a basketball team is sometimes called the “play maker”. He or she is essentially in charge of the team’s offensive plays and so the position can be compared that of the quarterback in American Football.

30. Trackers and Prizms, once : GEOS
Geos were small vehicles manufactured by General Motors, designed to compete head-to-head with the small imports that were gaining market share in the US. Some Geo models that you might remember are the Metro, the Prizm and the Storm. The cars were actually built as joint-ventures with Japanese manufacturers. The Prizm was a GM/Toyota project, and the Metro was GM/Suzuki.

34. Verboten : TABOO
The word “taboo” was introduced into English by Captain Cook in his book “A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean”. He described “tabu” (likely imitative of a Tongan word that he had heard) as something that was both consecrated and forbidden.

“Verboten” is the German word for “forbidden”, a word that we have imported into English.

38. Massachusetts’ Cape ___ : ANN
Cape Ann is 30 miles north of Boston, and is on the northernmost edge of Massachusetts Bay. The Cape was first mapped by the explorer John Smith. Early in his adventurous life Smith had been captured and enslaved by the Ottoman Empire. His “owner” in his days of slavery was a woman called Tragabigzanda, and apparently the slave and owner fell in love. What we know today as Cape Ann, Smith originally called Cape Tragabigzanda, in her memory.

42. Former Ford model : LTD
There has been a lot of speculation about what the acronym LTD stands for in the car model “Ford LTD”. Many say it stands for Luxury Trim Decor, and others that it is an abbreviation for “limited”. Well, it turns out that LTD was chosen as just three meaningless letters that sound good together.

43. Magritte’s “___ Fixe” : L’IDEE
“L’Idée fixe” is a painting by René Magritte, completed in 1928.

Belgian artist René Magritte was a surrealist. His most recognized work maybe is “The Son of Man”, a painting he created as a self-portrait. It is the work that shows a man in a bowler hat with his face covered by an apple. The image features prominently in a great movie, the 1999 remake of “The Thomas Crown Affair”.

47. St. Louis attraction : ARCH
The Gateway Arch in St. Louis is the tallest monument in the United States. It was designed by Eero Saarinenen, with the help of structural engineer Hannskarl Bandel. They did their design work back in 1947, but construction wasn’t started until 1963. In 1980, a daredevil took it upon himself to parachute onto the top of the arch, intending to further jump from the apex of the arch and parachute to the ground. He hit the target alright, and slid all the way down one side of the arch to his death. No comment …

50. “___ the World” : WE ARE
“We Are the World” is the charity single released in 1985 by the supergroup USA for Africa. The song was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie after they were contacted by Harry Belafonte. Belafonte wanted to pull together an American follow-on project for famine relief after the success of the Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” “We Are the World” became the fastest-selling America pop single in history, and sold over 20 million copies.

51. Sherwin-Williams offering : HOUSEPAINT
The Sherwin-Williams Company is a big producer of paints, as well as related products for the construction industry. It was founded by Henry Sherwin and Edward Williams in Cleveland, Ohio in 1866.

55. Barely open : AJAR
Our word “ajar” is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which “a char” means “slightly open”.

60. Last Oldsmobile made : ALERO
The Oldsmobile Alero was the last car made under the Oldsmobile brand, produced from 1999 to 2004.

61. Beethoven’s “Für ___” : ELISE
“Fur Elise” is a beautiful piece of music by Beethoven, also known as “Bagatelle in A Minor”. “Fur Elise” means simply “For Elise”, but sadly, no one knows who Elise was.

63. Indoor or outdoor war game : PAINTBALL
The “paint” in paintball isn’t actually paint, but rather a mix of gelatin and food coloring.

66. Yoga position : LOTUS
Asana is a Sanskrit word literally meaning “sitting down”. The asanas are the poses that a practitioner of yoga assumes. The most famous is the lotus position, the cross-legged pose, or padmasana.

68. Once known as : NEE
“Née” is the French word for “born”, when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”.

71. Draft org. : SSS
The US government maintains information on all males who are potentially subject to military conscription, using what is called the Selective Service System (SSS). In the event that a draft was held, men registered would be classified into groups to determine eligibility for service. Class 1-A registrants are those available for unrestricted military service. Other classes are 1-A-O (conscientious objectors available for noncombatant service), 4-A (registrants who have completed military service) and 4-D (ministers of religion).

Down
1. Palestinian leader Mahmoud ___ : ABBAS
Mahmoud Abbas is very much in the news these days. He took over as Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization in 2004 after the death of Yasser Arafat. He is also the President of the Palestinian National Authority, equivalent to the post of “head of state”.

2. Full of chutzpah : BRASH
Our word “chutzpah” meaning nerve, gall or impudence, is derived from the Yiddish “khutspe”, which has the same meaning.

3. Entertainment at many a Cuban wedding : SALSA BAND
The genre of music called salsa is a modern interpretation of various Cuban traditional music styles.

5. Guadalajara gold : ORO
Guadalajara is a populous city in the Mexican state of Jalisco. The Mexican city is named after the Spanish city of the same name in the center of the country.

6. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame designer : PEI
I. M. Pei (full name Ieoh Ming Pei) is an exceptional American architect, born in China. Of his many wonderful works, my favorite is the renovation of the Louvre in Paris, especially the Glass Pyramid in the courtyard. I’ve never visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame building in Cleveland, which he also designed, but from pictures I can see that there are elements that are very similar to Pei’s work at the Louvre. There is a steel and glass pyramid protruding from the roof of the Hall of Fame that looks like it came straight from Paris.

7. Ho-hum feeling : ENNUI
Ennui is the French word for boredom, that we now readily use in English. It’s one of the few French words we’ve imported that we haven’t anglicized and actually pronounce “correctly”.

9. Camera type, for short : SLR
SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex. Usually cameras with changeable lenses are the SLR type. The main feature of an SLR is that a mirror reflects the image seen through the lens out through the viewfinder, so that the photographer sees exactly what the lens sees. The mirror moves out of the way as the picture is taken, and the image that comes through the lens falls onto unexposed film, or nowadays onto a digital sensor.

12. Mongol invader : TATAR
Tatars are an ethnic group of people, mainly residing in Russia (a population of about 5 1/2 million). Actor Charles Bronson had a Tatar heritage. His real name was Charles Buchinsky.

18. “The Merry Widow” composer Franz : LEHAR
“The Merry Widow” is an operetta composed by Franz Lehar. It was first performed in 1905 and has been popular ever since. Franz Lehar was a Hungarian, and had a difficult relationship with the Nazi regime after it took control of his country. His wife was born Jewish, but converted to Catholicism. Fortunately Hitler enjoyed Lehar’s music, and as a result Goebbels intervened and made Sophie Lehar “an honorary Aryan by marriage”.

22. Summer on the Seine : ETE
On the River Seine in Paris, one might spend the summer (été).

25. Word ending meaning “foot” : -PEDE
The Latin word for “foot” is “pes”, the genitive singular of which is “pedis”. “Pedis” evolved into the suffix -pede, as in centipede and millipede.

33. Option for a H.S. dropout : GED
The General Education Diploma (GED) is a substitute for a high school diploma, available perhaps for high school dropouts or students that are homeschooled.

35. Casual pants : BLUE JEANS
Denim fabric originated in Nimes in France (the words “de Nimes”, “from Nimes”, gives the fabric its name). The French phrase “bleu de Genes” meaning “blue of Genoa”, gives us our word “jeans”. Jeans was the name given to denim pants, but it is now used to describe “jean” material in general.

40. Burg : TOWN
“Burg” is an informal term used in the US for a town, from the German word “burg” meaning a fortified city.

46. Big name in dental hygiene : ORAL-B
The Oral-B toothbrush was introduced to the world in 1950, designed by a California periodontist. The first “model” was the Oral-B 60, a name given to reflect the 60 tufts in the brush. And in 1969, the Oral-B was the first toothbrush to get to the moon, traveling on the Apollo 11 spacecraft.

48. PC’s “brain” : CPU
The Central Processing Unit is the main component on the “motherboard” of a computer. The CPU is the part of the computer that carries out most of the functions required by a program. Nowadays you can get CPUs in everything from cars to telephones.

51. Loaf or loafer parts : HEELS
The type of slip-on shoe called a “loafer” dates back to 1939, when it originally was a brand name introduced by the store Fortnum and Mason’s in London.

56. Setting for some van Goghs : ARLES
A few years ago I had the privilege of living just a short car ride from the beautiful city of Arles in the South of France. Although it has a long and colorful history, the Romans had a prevailing influence over the city’s design. It has a spectacular Roman amphitheater, arch, circus as well as old walls that surround the center of the city. In more modern times, it was a place that Vincent van Gogh often visited, and where he painted his famous “Cafe Terrace at Night”, as well as “Bedroom in Arles”.

64. ___ de France : ILE
Ile de France (literally “Island of France”) isn’t an island at all. It is the name given to the most populous of France’s 26 administrative regions, and is roughly equivalent to the Paris metropolitan area.

65. ___ Beatty, Oscar nominee for “Network” : NED
Ned Beatty is probably best remembered for the rather disturbing “squeal like a pig” scene in the movie “Deliverance”. He also earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the 1976 movie “Network”.

The movie “Network” was released in 1976. It was directed by Sidney Lumet and stars Peter Finch in his final role, for which he won a posthumous Academy Award. That Oscar for Peter Finch was remarkable in that it was the first time the Best Actor award had been won after the actor passed away, and it was also the first time it had been won by an Australian.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Situps tone them : ABS
4. Bounded along : LOPED
9. Assists and steals : STATS
14. Lingerie buy : BRA
15. Place to play or fight : ARENA
16. Sic on : LET AT
17. Paper Mate product : BALLPOINT
19. One with dreadlocks, perhaps : RASTA
20. Obstinate animals : ASSES
21. 180, slangily : UIE
23. Stand for : MEAN
24. Ruler deposed in 1979 : SHAH
25. Hoops play maker : POINT GUARD
28. Responded sheepishly? : BAAED
30. Trackers and Prizms, once : GEOS
31. Junkyard’s security, maybe : GUARD DOG
34. Verboten : TABOO
38. Massachusetts’ Cape ___ : ANN
39. Religious dissenter : HERETIC
42. Former Ford model : LTD
43. Magritte’s “___ Fixe” : L’IDEE
45. Place for one in disfavor, so to speak : DOGHOUSE
47. St. Louis attraction : ARCH
50. “___ the World” : WE ARE
51. Sherwin-Williams offering : HOUSEPAINT
55. Barely open : AJAR
58. Feminine ending : -ENNE
59. Coffee server : URN
60. Last Oldsmobile made : ALERO
61. Beethoven’s “Für ___” : ELISE
63. Indoor or outdoor war game : PAINTBALL
66. Yoga position : LOTUS
67. Young hooter : OWLET
68. Once known as : NEE
69. Won all the games in a series : SWEPT
70. Down on one’s luck : NEEDY
71. Draft org. : SSS

Down
1. Palestinian leader Mahmoud ___ : ABBAS
2. Full of chutzpah : BRASH
3. Entertainment at many a Cuban wedding : SALSA BAND
4. Pool units : LAPS
5. Guadalajara gold : ORO
6. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame designer : PEI
7. Ho-hum feeling : ENNUI
8. Seeing socially : DATING
9. Camera type, for short : SLR
10. Olympics squad in red, white and blue : TEAM USA
11. Totally baffled : AT SEA
12. Mongol invader : TATAR
13. Put up with : STAND
18. “The Merry Widow” composer Franz : LEHAR
22. Summer on the Seine : ETE
25. Word ending meaning “foot” : -PEDE
26. Sign of decay : ODOR
27. “Aha!” : GOTCHA
29. Stick fast : ADHERE
31. Guy’s square-dance partner : GAL
32. Prefix with cycle or sex : UNI-
33. Option for a H.S. dropout : GED
35. Casual pants : BLUE JEANS
36. Some tiebreakers, briefly : OTS
37. Laudatory lines : ODE
40. Burg : TOWN
41. “___ the picture!” : I GET
44. Goes lighter (on) : EASES UP
46. Big name in dental hygiene : ORAL-B
48. PC’s “brain” : CPU
49. Talk incessantly about : HARP ON
51. Loaf or loafer parts : HEELS
52. At the minimum setting : ON LOW
53. Form a bloc : UNITE
54. Floored : IN AWE
56. Setting for some van Goghs : ARLES
57. Some are walk-on : ROLES
60. Court fig. : ATTY
62. Superlative finish : -EST
64. ___ de France : ILE
65. ___ Beatty, Oscar nominee for “Network” : NED
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