Day: September 25, 2011

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Bryn ___ College : MAWR
I used to live not far from Bryn-mawr (also Brynmwar) in Wales, the town with the highest elevation in the country. Appropriately enough, bryn mawr is Welsh for “big hill”. There is also a Bryn Mawr in Pennsylvania (note the different capitalization), named after its Welsh counterpart. At the Pennsylvania location there’s a Brynn Mawr college, a private women’s school that was the first American university to offer graduate degrees to women.

5. Often-parched gully : WADI
“Wadi” is an Arabic term referring to a valley, or perhaps a (mostly) dry riverbed. In English we might call this a wash, or in Spanish an “arroyo”.

9. Goal of phishing : SCAM
Phishing is the name given to the online practice of stealing user names, passwords and credit card details by pretending to be a reliable and trustworthy entity. Phishers often send out safe-looking emails or instant messages that direct someone to an equally safe-looking website where the person might inadvertently enter sensitive information. “Phishing” is a variant of the word “fishing”, as in “fishing” for passwords, PIN numbers etc.

13. Where the Baha’i faith originated : IRAN
The Baha’i Faith is relatively new in the scheme of things, founded in Persia in the 1800s. One of the tenets of the religion is that messengers have come from God over time, including Abraham, the Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad and most recently Bahá’u’lláh, who founded the Baha’i Faith.

17. It entered circulation in 2002 : EURO
The European Union today stands at a membership of 27 states. The Euro is the official currency of only 16 of the 27. The list of states not using the Euro includes the UK, Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

18. “My heavens!” : EGAD
“Egad” was developed as a polite way of saying “oh God” in the late 1600s, and is an expression of fear or surprise somewhat like “Good grief!”.

19. 1997 best seller subtitled “Her True Story” : DIANA
“Diana: Her True Story” is a biography of Princess Diana published in 1997, written by the British journalist Andrew Morton. Morton goes for high-profile subjects when he writes his books. He has also written biographies of Monica Lewinsky and Tom Cruise.

25. Big name in root beer : A AND W
A&W is a brand of root beer that has been around since 1920, when Roy Allen partnered with Frank Wright to create the A&W moniker from their family names.

29. Cry after a series of numbers : HIKE
The quarterback starts each play in football with a “snap” (also called a “hike”). He announces to his teammates the exact moment of the snap by calling out signals, usually including the word “hut” one or more times in a prearranged sequence.

32. ___ Meir Tower, Israel’s first skyscraper : SHALOM
The Shalom Meir Tower is an office block in Tel Aviv. Construction on the tower was completed in 1965, at which time it was the tallest building in the Middle East. It has 34 floors and a height of 466 ft.

35. “Author! Author!” star, 1982 : AL PACINO
Al Pacino seems to be best known for playing characters on either side of the law. His big break in movies came when he played Michael Corleone in “The Godfather”, a role that grew for him as the series of films progressed. But his Oscar winning role was that of a blind, ex-military officer in “Scent of a Woman”.

41. Leonine movie star of old : LAHR
Bert Lahr’s most famous role was that of the cowardly lion in “The Wizard of Oz”. Lahr had a long career in burlesque, vaudeville and on Broadway. Remember the catchphrase made famous by the cartoon character Snagglepuss, “Heavens to Murgatroyd!”? Snagglepuss stole that line from a 1944 movie called, “Meet the People” in which it was first uttered by Bert Lahr.

50. October haul : TREATS
Kids gets loads of “treats” from “trick or treating” at Halloween.

The name “Halloween” is a Scottish variant of the more complete name “All Hallows Eve”. That’s the night before All Hallows Day, usually known today as All Saints’ Day (November 1st).

51. Year the Paris Métro opened : MCM
The Paris Métro is the busiest underground transportation system in western Europe, carrying about 4.5 million passengers a day, about the same as the New York City Subway. The system took its name from the company that originally operated it: “La Compagnie du chemin de fer métropolitain de Paris”, which was shorted to “Métro”. The term “Metro” was then adopted for similar systems in cities all over the world.

52. Front-wheel alignment : TOE-IN
In the world of car maintenance, “toe” is also known as tracking, the angle a wheel makes relative to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

53. Vlasic pickles mascot : STORK
Apparently Vlasic invented the glass-packed, shelf-stable pickle. The company adopted the stork mascot in the late sixties, with the stork originally carrying a baby. The mascot was a play on the perception that pregnant women have a higher than average appetite for pickles.

57. English weight : TONNE
The “tonne” is also called a “metric ton”, and is equivalent to 1,000 kg. The tonne isn’t an official unit of mass in the metric system, but it is used a lot.

65. Person with a headset, maybe : HAM
Amateur radio operators were originally called ham operators by professional telegraph operators, and the term was intended to be insulting. It came from the similar term “ham actor”, describing a person who was less than effective on the stage. But amateur operators eventually embraced the moniker, and so it stuck.

67. Fluorescent candy? : HIGHLIGHTER PEZ (from HIGHLIGHTER PEN)
PEZ is an Austrian brand name for a particular candy sold in a mechanical dispenser. The name PEZ comes from the first, middle and last letters of “Pfefferminz”, the German word for “peppermint”.

84. Land of King George Tupou V : TONGA
The Kingdom of Tonga is made up of 176 islands in the South Pacific, 52 of which are inhabited, scattered over an area of 270,000 square miles.

85. Memorable mission : ALAMO
The Battle of the Alamo took place in 1836, a thirteen-day siege by the Mexican Army led by President General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Only two people defending the Alamo Mission survived the onslaught. One month later, the Texian army got its revenge by attacking and defeating the Mexican Army in the Battle of San Jacinto. During the surprise attack on Santa Anna’s camp, many of the Texian soldiers were heard to cry “Remember the Alamo!”.

87. Jewelry setting : COLLET
In the world of jewelry, a collet is a circular flange into which a gem is set.

89. Alternative to Ole or Edvard : OLAV
Ole, Edvard and Olav are all Norwegian given names.

90. “R” card in Uno, in effect : REVERSER
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.

98. Funny Poehler : AMY
Amy Poehler was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2001 to 2008, notable for appearing in many great sketches, including those where she played Hillary Clinton opposite Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin. Poehler also starred with Fey in the 2008 movie “Baby Mama”, and now has her own show on NBC called “Parks and Recreation”.

102. Post-solstice celebration : YULE
“Yule” celebrations coincide with Christmas, and the words “Christmas” and “Yule” have become synonymous in much of the world. However, Yule was originally a pagan festival celebrated by Germanic peoples. The name “Yule” comes from the Old Norse word “jol” that was used to describe the festival.

113. Hapless Roman ruler? : EMPEROR ZERO (from EMPEROR NERO)
The emperor Nero had quite the family life. When he was just 16-years-old he married his stepsister, Claudia Octavia. He also had his mother and stepbrother executed.

115. Taser for children? : KID ZAPPER (from KIDNAPPER)
Victor Appleton wrote a novel for young adults called “Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle”. The company that developed the TASER electroshock weapon named their product as a homage to the novel, as TASER stands for Thomas A. Swift’s Electric Rifle. Interesting, eh?

118. Campfire treat : S’MORE
S’mores are a treat peculiar to North America, usually eaten around a campfire. S’mores consist 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!

120. Tiny-scissors holder : ETUI
An etui is an ornamental case used to hold small items, in particular sewing needles. We imported both the case design and the word “etui”, from France. The French also have a modern usage of “etui” … a case for carrying CDs.

123. “Buddenbrooks” novelist : MANN
Thomas Mann was a German novelist whose most famous work is probably his novella “Death in Venice”, originally published in German in 1912 as “Der Tod in Venedig”. The story was famously adapted for the big screen in 1971, in a movie starring Dirk Bogarde.

Down
3. St. Paul’s architect : WREN
Christopher Wren was a famous English architect. His most renowned work is St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.

6. Turkish V.I.P. : AGA
An aga, or agha, is a title that was used by both civil and military officials in the Ottoman Empire.

7. Häagen-___ : DAZS
Häagen-Dazs ice cream originated in the Bronx, New York in 1961. The name “Häagen-Dazs” is a “nonsense” term, words chosen for their Scandinavian feel that would appeal to potential customers in this country.

10. Polyphemus, to Odysseus : CAPTOR
In Greek mythology, Polyphemus was one of the Cyclopes, a one-eyed creature. Polyphemus features in Homer’s “Odyssey”, as he captures Odysseus and twelve of his crew and starts to devour them one-by-one for his meals. Odysseus manages to plunge a wooden stake into Polyphemus’s eye, blinding him. Then he and his remaining crew tie themselves to the underside of sheep, and the blind Polyphemus lets them escape thinking he is allowing just his sheep to pass.

12. Giant who made “The Catch,” 1954 : MAYS
Willie Mays’ nickname was the “Say Hey Kid”, although his friends and teammates were more likely to refer to him as “Buck”. When Mays was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, he was asked who was the best player he’d seen in the game. He replied, “I don’t mean to be bashful, but I was.”

14. Mil. educators : 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 a part of the new school’s curriculum.

15. Sheltered : ALEE
“Alee” is the direction away from the wind. If a sailor points into the wind, he or she is pointing “aweather”.

30. Black Watch soldier’s garb : KILT
The Black Watch is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The battalion’s name apparently comes from the very dark tartan kilt worn by the old Black Watch regiment, and the role that it had to “watch” over the highlands of Scotland.

33. Scavenging Southern food fish : MUDCAT
Mudcats are types of catfish found in muddy rivers, particularly in the Mississippi valley.

36. Foamy mugful : LATTE
The name latte is an abbreviation of the Italian “caffelatte” meaning “coffee (and) milk”. Note that in the correct spelling of “latte”, the Italian word for milk, there is no accent over the “e”. An accent is often added by mistake when we use the word in English, perhaps meaning to suggest that the word is French.

37. Climbing aid : PITON
“Piton” is a French word for a “hook”.

40. Clear : LIMPID
A liquid (or eyes, for that matter) described as “limpid” is said to be “clear”. It derives from the Latin “limpa” meaning “water goddess” or “water”, which is the same root as our word “lymph”.

43. Pittsburgh-based food giant : HEINZ
The Heinz food company is an American concern, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1869, by Henry John Heinz.

44. Soprano Fleming : RENEE
Renée Fleming is a marvelous soprano from Indiana, Pennsylvania. Famous for her appearances in opera houses and concert halls all over the world, Fleming is also noted for her willingness to bring her craft to the masses. She was a guest on “Sesame Street”, singing “counting lyrics” to an aria from “Rigoletto”, and she has appeared a few times on Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion”.

51. My, in Bretagne : MES
Brittany is a large peninsula in the northwest of France, known in French as “Bretagne”.

54. Garrulous Garrison : KEILLOR
The amazing humorist Garrison Keillor is one of Minnesota’s most famous sons. His wonderful radio show called “A Prairie Home’s Companion” made its debut in 1974 and is named after the Prairie Home Cemetery in Moorhead, Minnesota. Keillor has let it be known that he is “passively” looking for someone to replace him on the show in 2012. He will be missed …

59. Charles, e.g. : ROI
“Roi” is the French word for “king”.

62. Subj. of the 2005 Pulitzer-winning book “Ghost Wars” : CIA
I found Steve Coll’s book “Ghost Wars” to be a fascinating account of the CIA’s work in Afghanistan. It covers the history of CIA operations from the days of the Soviet invasion of the country right up to September 11, 2001.

71. California’s ___ Castle : HEARST
If you’re ever driving along the Central Coast of California, don’t forget to save a few hours to tour Hearst Castle, the estate that used to belong to the newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. It is located near San Simeon.

72. O.T.B. conveniences : TVS
Off-Track Betting (OTB) is the legal gambling that takes place on horse races outside of a race track. A betting parlor can be referred to as an OTB.

74. 1983 Woody Allen film : ZELIG
“Zelig” is a 1983 film by Woody Allen. It tells the fictitious story, in documentary style, of Leonard Zelig (played by Allen) who has the gift of being able to change his appearance in order to better fit in with the company he keeps. He becomes famous as a “human chameleon”. By using archive footage, the film includes clever “cameos” by real figures from history (like Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover and Susan Sontag).

77. China’s Zhou ___ : ENLAI
Zhou Enlai (also Chou En-Lai) was the first government leader of the People’s Republic of China and held the office of Premier from 1949 until he died in 1976. He ran the government for Communist Party Leader Mao Zedong, often striking a more conciliatory tone with the West than that of his boss. He was instrumental, for example, in setting up President Nixon’s famous visit to China in 1972. Zhou Enlai died just a few months before Mao Zedong, leading to unrest and a dramatic change in political direction for the country.

93. Mea ___ : CULPA
Roman Catholics are very familiar with the Latin phrase “mea culpa” meaning “my fault”, as it is used in the Latin Mass. The additional term “mea maxima culpa” would translate as “my most grievous fault”.

105. “Great” red feature of Jupiter : SPOT
The Great Red Spot oft seen in photographs of Jupiter is a actually a huge storm in the planet’s atmosphere. It is believed that this storm has been raging for at least 180 years, and it’s not certain if and when it will abate.

108. The ___ Owl, “L.A. Confidential” coffee shop : NITE
“L.A. Confidential” is a 1997 movie based on a novel of the same name by James Ellroy first published in 1990. The story is set in the early fifties and is built around a multiple homicide at the Nite Owl coffee shop.

111. Golf great Ballesteros : SEVE
Seve Ballesteros was a very entertaining golfer from Spain, once ranked as the world’s number one player. Sadly, Ballesteros died from brain cancer in 2011, at the age of 54.

114. When repeated, name in old Hollywood : ZSA
Zsa Zsa Gabor is a Hungarian American actress, born in Budapest as Sári Gábor (the older sister of the actress Eva). Zsa Zsa Gabor has been married a whopping nine times, including a 5-year stint with Conrad Hilton and another 5 years with George Sanders. One of Gabor’s famous quips was that she was always a good housekeeper as after every divorce, she kept the house! At 94 years of age, Zsa Zsa is pretty sick right now. She had a hip replacement in 2010 and has been in and out of hospital ever since. In January 2011 she had to have her right leg amputated.

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Bryn ___ College : MAWR
5. Often-parched gully : WADI
9. Goal of phishing : SCAM
13. Where the Baha’i faith originated : IRAN
17. It entered circulation in 2002 : EURO
18. “My heavens!” : EGAD
19. 1997 best seller subtitled “Her True Story” : DIANA
20. Lifted : STOLE
21. Result of being badly beaned? : GREAT DAZE (from GREAT DANE)
23. Scraping kitchen gadget with nothing in it? : EMPTY ZESTER (from EMPTY NESTER)
25. Big name in root beer : A AND W
26. Drill attachment with teeth : SAW BIT
28. Offered a shoulder to cry on, say : SOLACED
29. Cry after a series of numbers : HIKE
32. ___ Meir Tower, Israel’s first skyscraper : SHALOM
34. CBS’s “The ___ Today” : NFL
35. “Author! Author!” star, 1982 : AL PACINO
39. Broadly speaking : AS A RULE
41. Leonine movie star of old : LAHR
45. Pale yellow-shelled sea creature? : MAIZE LOBSTER (from MAINE LOBSTER)
47. Differ : DISAGREE
49. Contraction before boy or girl : ATTA
50. October haul : TREATS
51. Year the Paris Métro opened : MCM
52. Front-wheel alignment : TOE-IN
53. Vlasic pickles mascot : STORK
55. That babies come from a 53-Across, e.g. : MYTH
56. Gather : REAP
57. English weight : TONNE
58. Return address info : SENDER
60. View the effects of a big lunch in court? : SEE JUSTICE DOZE (from SEE JUSTICE DONE)
63. Promise of a sort : IOU
65. Person with a headset, maybe : HAM
66. A bit slow : DIM
67. Fluorescent candy? : HIGHLIGHTER PEZ (from HIGHLIGHTER PEN)
75. Materialize : APPEAR
80. Register, to a Brit : ENROL
81. It’s an imposition : LEVY
82. Show shock, in a way : REEL
84. Land of King George Tupou V : TONGA
85. Memorable mission : ALAMO
86. ___ in ink : I AS
87. Jewelry setting : COLLET
89. Alternative to Ole or Edvard : OLAV
90. “R” card in Uno, in effect : REVERSER
92. “Cheers” spinoff mania? : FRASIER CRAZE (from FRASIER CRANE)
94. Stanch : STEM
95. Eases the misgivings of : ASSURES
97. Star-struck entourage : GROUPIES
98. Funny Poehler : AMY
100. Allies have one : TREATY
102. Post-solstice celebration : YULE
103. Kind of tape : MASKING
107. Arrives : GETS IN
109. Crew : POSSE
113. Hapless Roman ruler? : EMPEROR ZERO (from EMPEROR NERO)
115. Taser for children? : KID ZAPPER (from KIDNAPPER)
118. Campfire treat : S’MORE
119. Hit ___ note : A SOUR
120. Tiny-scissors holder : ETUI
121. Cone former : LAVA
122. Desire, with “the” : HOTS
123. “Buddenbrooks” novelist : MANN
124. Trickle : SEEP
125. They can be prying or crying : EYES

Down
1. Very, informally : MEGA
2. Charismatic effect : AURA
3. St. Paul’s architect : WREN
4. Downed power lines, e.g. : ROAD HAZARD
5. Bonded : WED
6. Turkish V.I.P. : AGA
7. Häagen-___ : DAZS
8. Things to think about : IDEAS
9. Almost matching : SIMILAR
10. Polyphemus, to Odysseus : CAPTOR
11. Kind of colony : ANT
12. Giant who made “The Catch,” 1954 : MAYS
13. “No worries” : IT’S ALL GOOD
14. Mil. educators : ROTC
15. Sheltered : ALEE
16. Quiz bowl lover, say : NERD
19. Corrupts : DEBASES
20. Mirror image : SELF
22. Over again : TWICE
24. Daydreams, with “out” : ZONES
27. “Why not!” : WHAT THE HEY
30. Black Watch soldier’s garb : KILT
31. Vast, old-style : ENORM
33. Scavenging Southern food fish : MUDCAT
35. Stockpile : AMASS
36. Foamy mugful : LATTE
37. Climbing aid : PITON
38. Falls into line : OBEYS
40. Clear : LIMPID
42. “The only rule is that there ___ rules” : ARE NO
43. Pittsburgh-based food giant : HEINZ
44. Soprano Fleming : RENEE
46. Glut : SATE
48. Take a whack at : ATTEMPT
51. My, in Bretagne : MES
54. Garrulous Garrison : KEILLOR
56. Entrees sometimes prepared in crockpots : RUMP ROASTS
59. Charles, e.g. : ROI
61. Tipping point? : JAR
62. Subj. of the 2005 Pulitzer-winning book “Ghost Wars” : CIA
64. Hags, e.g. : UGLIES
67. Picks up : HEARS
68. Possible lagoon entrance : INLET
69. Serious : GRAVE
70. Unemployed persons with full-time jobs : HOMEMAKERS
71. California’s ___ Castle : HEARST
72. O.T.B. conveniences : TVS
73. Slender fish : EELS
74. 1983 Woody Allen film : ZELIG
76. Less fortunate : POOR PEOPLE
77. China’s Zhou ___ : ENLAI
78. Visually transfixed : AGAZE
79. Reviewers’ comments on book jackets, typically : RAVES
83. Distrustful : LEERY
87. God, with “the” : CREATOR
88. Cut-off pants? : TROU
91. Not consent : SAY NO
92. Like some chickens : FREE-RUN
93. Mea ___ : CULPA
96. Cheer for : URGE ON
99. Swamp : MIRE
101. “My heavens!” : YIKES
103. Mosquito protection : MESH
104. Cartridge filler : AMMO
105. “Great” red feature of Jupiter : SPOT
106. Fat unit : GRAM
108. The ___ Owl, “L.A. Confidential” coffee shop : NITE
110. Fix : SPAY
111. Golf great Ballesteros : SEVE
112. Timeline segments : ERAS
114. When repeated, name in old Hollywood : ZSA
116. Outstanding : DUE
117. Goose egg : ZIP
Return to top of page