Day: October 3, 2011

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Teenage Mutant ___ Turtles : NINJA
The “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” started out as a parody of comic book superheroes, first appearing in a self-published comic book in 1984. A couple of years later the characters were picked up by someone who built a whole line toys around the characters, and then television and movies followed. Do you remember the names of all four of the Turtles? Their names were all taken from Renaissance artists:

– Leonardo
– Raphael
– Michelangelo
– Donatello

14. Spring zodiac sign : ARIES
Aries is the first astrological sign in the Zodiac, and is named after the constellation. Your birth sign is Aries if you were born between March 21 and April 20, but if you are an Aries, you would know that!

19. Some “General Hospital” roles, in brief : MDS
The daytime soap opera “General Hospital” is the longest running such drama still in production in the US, and is second longest running in the world (to the UK’s famous “Coronation Street”).

20. Sci-fi vehicle : UFO
In 1952, the USAF revived its studies of reports of Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) sightings, in a program called Project Blue Book. There were two prior USAF studies of the UFO phenomenon, namely Project Sign and Project Grudge. Project Blue Book ran from 1952 until it was shut down in 1969 after concluding that there was no threat to national security as there were no sightings that could not be explained within the bounds of modern scientific knowledge.

22. I.R.S. experts : CPAS
Certified Public Accountants.

26. Pompous pronoun : THE ROYAL WE
The royal “we” is more correctly called the majestic plural, and is the use of a plural pronoun to describe a single person in a high office. I suppose the most often quoted phrase that uses the majestic plural is, “We are not amused”, uttered by Queen Victoria.

29. Clean air org. : EPA
The Environmental Protection Agency was set up during the Nixon administration, and began operation at the end of 1970.

32. YouTube upload : VIDEO
YouTube is a video-sharing website. It was started in 2005 by three ex-PayPal employees. Google bought YouTube in 2006 for $1.65 billion. Yep, $1.65 billion … less than two years after it was founded …

34. Andy Warhol genre : POP ART
Andy Warhol went through a period of painting iconic American products, including Coca-Cola bottles and Campbell’s Soup cans. In 1964 he participated in a gallery show called “The American Supermarket”. Along with other pop artists he contributed works including a painting of a can of Campbell’s soup. He priced the painting at $1,500, and sold autographed cans of soup for $6 a piece.

42. Two-front, as a Coast Guard rescue : AIR-SEA
The US Coast Guard (USCG) has the distinction of being the country’s oldest continuous seagoing service. It was founded as the “Revenue Cutter Service” by Alexander Hamilton in 1790.

44. Italian shrimp dish : SCAMPI
The Italian dish known as “scampi” is a serving of shrimp in garlic butter and dry white wine.

47. Blaster’s buy : TNT
TNT is an abbreviation for trinitrotoluene. The chemical was first produced by the German chemist Joseph Wilbrand in 1863, who developed it for use as a yellow dye. TNT is relatively difficult to detonate so it was on the market as a dye for some years before its more explosive properties were discovered.

53. Off-road bikes, for short : ATVS
An all terrain vehicle.

54. Cameo shape : OVAL
Cameo is a method of carving, often the carving of a gemstone or a piece of jewelry. The resulting image is in relief (sits proud of the background), whereas an engraved image would be produced by the similar carving method known as intaglio. Nowadays, the term cameo is used for any piece of oval-shaped jewelry that contains the image of a person’s head, usually in profile (maybe even a photograph).

58. “___ Misérables” : LES
The 1980 musical “Les Miserables” is an adaptation of the 1862 novel of the same name by Victor Hugo. The show opened in London in 1985, and is the longest running musical in the history of London’s West End. My wife and I saw “Les Miz” in the Queen’s Theatre in London quite a few years ago, but were only able to get tickets in the very back row. The theater seating is very steep, so the back row of the balcony is extremely high over the stage. One of the big events in the storyline is the building of a street barricade over which the rebels fight. At the height we were seated we could see the stagehands behind the barricade, sitting drinking Coke, even having a cigarette. On cue they would get up and catch a dropped rifle, or an actor that had been shot. It was pretty comical. I didn’t really enjoy the show that much, to be honest. Some great songs, but the storyline just didn’t seem to hang together for me.

66. 43rd president’s nickname : DUBYA
President George W. Bush was nicknamed “Dubya” based on the Texas pronunciation of his middle initial, “W”.

67. Crime lab evidence : DNA
Forensic scientists use DNA, usually taken from blood, semen, skin, saliva or hair follicles. Often DNA left at a crime scene can be used to identify a perpetrator of a crime, in a process called genetic fingerprinting.

Down
4. Subject of Handel’s “Messiah” : JESUS
George Frideric Handel was the King of the oratorio. His most famous oratorio, “Messiah” was actually performed first in Dublin, Ireland, back in 1742.

6. 16th president’s nickname : ABE
President Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809 in Kentucky. The young Lincoln was given no middle name, and “Abraham” was chosen in honor of his paternal grandfather. Grandfather Abraham Lincoln was a captain in the militia during the American Revolution, and one of the pioneers who settled what is now the state of Kentucky.

7. Rap artist’s entourage : POSSE
I don’t think I’ll ever make it into a rapper’s “posse” …

9. National paper : USA TODAY
The title of widest circulation of any American newspaper is an honor competed for by “The Wall Street Journal” and “USA Today”, with each paper selling about 2 million copies daily (including online subscribers). “USA Today” was launched in 1982.

13. Long-eared hound : BASSET
The Basset Hound wouldn’t be my favorite breed of dog, to be honest. They do have a great sense of smell with an ability to track a scent that is second only to that of the Bloodhound. The name “Basset” comes from the French word for “rather low”, a reference to the dog’s short legs.

23. ___ Strauss jeans : LEVI
Levi Strauss was the founder of the first company in the world to manufacture blue jeans. Levi Strauss & Co. opened in 1853 in San Francisco. Strauss and his business partner were awarded a patent in 1873 for the use of copper rivets to strengthen points of strain on working pants.

33. Tooth covering : ENAMEL
Tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body. It is composed of 96% crystalline calcium phosphate.

35. Soccer spectator’s shout : OLE
“Ole Ole Ole!” is chanted at soccer games by many Spanish-speaking (or -shouting!) fans. I am very proud to claim that the fans of the Irish national team have adopted the chant as their own, and it can be heard practically non-stop when Ireland is playing (with some inventive melody behind it!).

36. Student of Socrates : PLATO
Plato was a Greek philosopher and mathematician. He was a student of the equally famous and respected Socrates, and Plato in turn was the teacher and mentor of the celebrated Aristotle.

38. Compound containing O3 : TRIOXIDE
Oxides are usually named for the number of oxygen atoms in each molecule of the oxide. Oxides with one oxygen atom are called monoxides (as in carbon monoxide: CO). Oxides with two oxygen atoms are dioxides (as in carbon dioxide: CO2). Oxides with three oxygen atoms are trioxides (as in sulfur trioxide: SO3). Oxides with four oxygen atoms are tetroxides (as in dinitrogen tetroxide: N2O4).

40. “House Hunters” cable channel : HGTV
HGTV first went on air in 1994, as the “Home, Lawn and Garden Channel”. The name was shortened (the lawn was dropped) soon after, but nowadays it’s just known as HGTV.

45. Where to find stalactites and stalagmites : CAVERN
Stalactites are named from the Greek “stalaktos” meaning “a dripping”. Stalagmites are from the Greek “stalagmos” meaning “a dropping”.

46. Fairbanks’s home : ALASKA
Fairbanks is the second largest city in Alaska (second to Anchorage), home to almost 100,000 residents in the metropolitan area. The city was founded in 1901, and is named for Charles W. Fairbanks, a senator from Indiana and Vice President of the US, serving during Theodore Roosevelt’s second term as President.

48. “M*A*S*H” soft drink : NEHI
“Nehi Corporation” was the nickname for the Chero-Cola/Union Bottle Works that introduced the Nehi drink in 1924. Years later, the company developed a new brand, Royal Crown Cola (also known as RC Cola). By 1955, RC Cola was the company’s flagship product, so the “Nehi Corporation” became the Royal Crown Company.

52. So-called “white magic” : WICCA
Wicca is a relatively new phenomenon, a Neopagan religion that developed in the twentieth century. A follower of Wicca is called a Wiccan or a Witch.

61. Bout-sanctioning org. : WBA
The World Boxing Association sanctions bouts.

62. Olive ___ (Popeye’s sweetie) : OYL
“Thimble Theater” was the precursor comic strip to the famous “Popeye” drawn by E. C. Seger. Before Popeye came into the story, the brother and sister characters Castor Oyl and Olive Oyl were the main protagonists. And then, along comes a sailor …

63. W. Hemisphere alliance : OAS
The Organization of American States (OAS) has its headquarters in Washington, D.C. All the independent states in the Americas are members of the group, except Honduras which had its membership suspended after the country’s 2009 coup.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Teenage Mutant ___ Turtles : NINJA
6. Perfect school grade : A-PLUS
11. Bar bill : TAB
14. Spring zodiac sign : ARIES
15. Promote : BOOST
16. When a plane is due in, for short : ETA
17. Wins a dispute : GET’S ONE’S WAY
19. Some “General Hospital” roles, in brief : MDS
20. Sci-fi vehicle : UFO
21. Cry between “ready” and “go” : SET
22. I.R.S. experts : CPAS
23. Microscope part : LENS
26. Pompous pronoun : THE ROYAL WE
29. Clean air org. : EPA
30. Recent: Prefix : NEO-
31. Pretty good : DECENT
32. YouTube upload : VIDEO
34. Andy Warhol genre : POP ART
37. “It’s a mystery to me” : I CAN’T TELL YOU WHY
42. Two-front, as a Coast Guard rescue : AIR-SEA
43. Practical application : USAGE
44. Italian shrimp dish : SCAMPI
47. Blaster’s buy : TNT
49. Call ___ day : IT A
50. Sob stories : TALES OF WOE
53. Off-road bikes, for short : ATVS
54. Cameo shape : OVAL
55. Numeral at the top of grandfather clocks : XII
56. Yonder yacht : HER
58. “___ Misérables” : LES
59. In romantic pursuit : PITCHING WOO
64. Annoy : IRK
65. Draw forth : EDUCE
66. 43rd president’s nickname : DUBYA
67. Crime lab evidence : DNA
68. Satisfy, as a mortgage : REPAY
69. Shuts tightly : SEALS

Down
1. Remind too often : NAG
2. Wrath : IRE
3. Trivial complaint : NIT
4. Subject of Handel’s “Messiah” : JESUS
5. Beginning on : AS OF
6. 16th president’s nickname : ABE
7. Rap artist’s entourage : POSSE
8. Less lofty : LOWER
9. National paper : USA TODAY
10. Home for hogs : STY
11. Place of worship : TEMPLE
12. When many duels were held : AT DAWN
13. Long-eared hound : BASSET
18. Make mention of : NOTE
22. Bit of desert flora : CACTUS
23. ___ Strauss jeans : LEVI
24. Grand-scale : EPIC
25. Zilch : NADA
27. Optimistic feelings : HOPES
28. Umpire’s yell : YER OUT
30. Vacation resort policy, perhaps : NO TIPS
33. Tooth covering : ENAMEL
35. Soccer spectator’s shout : OLE
36. Student of Socrates : PLATO
38. Compound containing O3 : TRIOXIDE
39. Hang around (for) : WAIT
40. “House Hunters” cable channel : HGTV
41. Thumbs-up votes : YEAS
44. Unemotional : STOLID
45. Where to find stalactites and stalagmites : CAVERN
46. Fairbanks’s home : ALASKA
48. “M*A*S*H” soft drink : NEHI
51. Equip : FIT UP
52. So-called “white magic” : WICCA
53. Put up a fuss : ARGUE
57. Discontinues : ENDS
59. The “p” in m.p.h. : PER
60. “Just a cotton-pickin’ minute!” : HEY
61. Bout-sanctioning org. : WBA
62. Olive ___ (Popeye’s sweetie) : OYL
63. W. Hemisphere alliance : OAS
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