Day: November 4, 2012

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
4. It can get the blood flowing : STENT
In the world of medicine and surgery, a stent is an artificial tube inserted inside a vessel in the body, say an artery, so that it reduces the effects of a local restriction in the body’s conduit.

22. Card game with stakes : LOO
The old card game of loo was popular in the 17th century. Loo was a game involving trumps and the taking of tricks. As part of the game, a player might be “looed”, not win any tricks at all in a particular round. As such, he or she had to pay a forfeit, a sum added to the pool awarded to the eventual winner.

23. Subject of three Oliver Stone films, informally : NAM
Oliver Stone directed three movies about the Vietnam War:

– “Platoon” (1986)
– “Born on the Fourth of July” (1989)
– “Heaven & Earth” (1993)

Oliver Stone came to prominence as a film director in the 1980s when he came out with a string of war films such as “Salvador”, “Platoon” and “Born on the Fourth of July”. Stone dropped out of Yale University in the sixties and spent six months in South Vietnam teaching English. A few years later he signed up with the US Army and requested combat duty in South Vietnam and completed a 15-month tour. His movie “Platoon” is a semi-autobiographical account of his experiences during the Vietnam War.

27. Half-court game? : ALAI
Even though jai alai is often said to be the fastest sport in the world because of the speed of the ball, in fact golf balls usually get going at a greater clip.

32. Hawaiian coffees : KONAS
Kona coffee is cultivated on the Big Island of Hawaii, on the slopes of Mauna Loa and Hualalai, two of the five active volcanoes on the island. Coffee plants were brought to Kona in 1828, and late in the 19th century it became a viable and worthwhile crop. Today Kona is a one of the most expensive and popular coffees in the world.

37. Hot ___ : TAMALE
Hot Tamales are a cinnamon candy made by Just Born. They look like red versions of the other Just Born candy called Mike and Ike. That’s no coincidence as Hot Tamales were developed as a way to make use of rejected Mike and Ike candy. The dark red color and intense cinnamon flavor was added to the Mike and Ike rejects, masking the original flavor and color.

44. Soldier under Braxton Bragg, for short : REB
Braxton Bragg was a US Army officer from Warrenton, North Carolina who became a general in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War. After Bragg’s forces were routed at the Battles for Chattanooga, Bragg was recalled in 1864 to Richmond where he served as military adviser to Confederate President Jefferson Davis. After the war, Bragg worked at the New Orleans waterworks, supervised the work at the harbor in Mobile, Alabama and worked on the railroad in Texas.

46. Org. with badges : BSA
As every little boy (of my era) knows, the Scouting movement was founded by Lord Baden Powell, in 1907. The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) soon followed, in 1910.

52. Quality that produces taste : SAPOR
“Sapor” is another word for a flavor, a quality that can be tasted. “Sapor” is the Latin word for “taste, flavor”.

59. Cowardly end in Cannes? : YELLOWFIN (end is “fin”)
Yellowfin tuna is usually marketed as “ahi”, its Hawaiian name. Yellowfin tuna is one big fish, often weighing over 300 pounds.

66. Tony winner Schreiber : LIEV
Liev Schreiber is highly regarded as a stage actor, and has many classical roles under his belt. He won a Tony in 2005 for his Broadway performance in “Glengarry Glen Ross”, and earned excellent reviews for his performance in Shakespeare’s “Cymbeline”.

71. Matisse masterpiece : LA DANSE
Henri Matisse was a French artist renowned for his contribution to modern art. In his early days Matisse was classed as a “fauve”, one of the group of artists known as the “wild beasts” who emphasized strong color over realism in their works. He was a lifelong friend of Pablo Picasso, and the two were considered to be good-natured rivals so their works are often compared. One major difference between their individual portfolios is that Picasso tended to paint from his imagination, whereas Matisse tended to use nature as his inspiration.

73. Actress Bosworth : KATE
Kate Bosworth is an actress from Los Angeles that I know best from the interesting movie “21” about students winning big at the blackjack tables. For a few years now, Bosworth has been a model for Calvin Klein jeans and a spokeswoman for Coach bags and purses.

76. The limbo, once : FAD
The limbo dance originated on the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean. The name “limbo” is an alteration of our word “limber”, which isn’t surprising given what one has to do to get under that bar!

78. Turkey’s third-largest city : IZMIR
Izmir is the third largest city in Turkey. Izmir used to be known as Smyrna, up until 1930. It is also Turkey’s second largest port, after Istanbul.

79. John Maynard Keynes’s alma mater : ETON
John Maynard Keynes was a British economist. Keynes argued that a country’s economy could and should be managed by fiscal and monetary policy in order to mitigate the effects of inevitable recessions and depressions.

82. Indians’ shoes : CLEATS
The Cleveland baseball franchise started out in 1869 as the Forest Citys named after Forest city, the nickname for Cleveland. After a number of transitions, in 1914 the team took on the name “Indians”. The media came up with name “Indians” after being asked for suggestions by the team owners. “Indians” was inspired by the successful Boston team of the day, the Boston Braves.

83. “Phooey!” : NERTS!
“Nerts!” is a slang term, a corruption of “nuts!” and has the same meaning.

85. Fiji competitor : NAYA
The Naya brand of bottled water uses a spring in the Laurentian Mountains in Quebec as its source.

Fiji Water, as you might guess, is a brand of water from the Fiji Islands. I just think that bottling water and sending it around the world is absolutely insane …

86. Cosa ___ : NOSTRA
Apparently “Cosa Nostra” is the real name for the Italian Mafia. “Cosa Nostra” translates as “our thing” or “this thing of ours”. The term first became public in the US when the FBI managed to turn some members of the American Mafia. It was established that “Cosa Nostra” was also used in Sicily when Italian authorities penetrated the Sicilian Mafia in the 1980s. The term “mafia” seems to be just a literary invention that has become popular with the public.

88. Nevada county : NYE
Nye County, Nevada is home to the Nevada Test Site that was used for testing nuclear weapons from the fifties through the nineties.

91. With 98-Down, “Mad Money” host : JIM
98. See 91-Across : CRAMER
The television show “Mad Money” started airing in 2005, and is hosted by the ebullient Jim Cramer. Cramer recommends that essential funds, such as those reserved for retirement, be safely locked away in conservative investment vehicles. Any money left over (still looking for that here!) is classed as “Mad Money” and can be invested in more risky stocks.

92. First capital of Alaska : SITKA
The city of Sitka is located on Baranof Island and part of Chichagof Island in the Alaska Archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. Sitka used to be known as Redoubt Saint Michael and then New Archangel when it was ruled by the Russians. The current city name comes from a local term meaning “People on the Outside of Baranof Island”. Immediately after the purchase of Alaska by the US, Sitka served as the capital of the Alaska Territory until the seat of government was relocated north to Juneau.

100. Who said “I owe the public nothing” : JP MORGAN
John Pierpont Morgan was a financier and banker active in the last half of the 19th century and the early 20th century. Given the tremendous power that came with his wealth, Morgan and other tycoons were at times unpopular with the masses. Morgan did not often respond to criticism although did once say “I owe the public nothing”. Around the same time, John D. Rockefeller habitually rebuffed public inquiries with the words “silence is golden”.

104. ___ Inn : RAMADA
The Ramada Inn hotel chain takes its name from the Spanish word for a shady resting place. A ramada is a shelter with a roof and no walls, mainly found in the American southwest. Nowadays a ramada can be temporary or permanent, but originally ramadas were makeshift shelters constructed by aboriginal Indians from branches or bushes.

106. Home of Gannon Univ. : ERIE, PA
Gannon University in Erie, PA is a private Catholic school founded in 1925. It is named after the then Bishop of Erie, John Mark Gannon, the man most influential in the establishment of the university.

110. First college frat to charter a chapter in all 50 states : SIGEP
The Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity was founded in 1901 in Richmond, Virginia and is sometimes known as “SigEp”.

112. Environmental portmanteau : SMOG
“Smog” is of course a portmanteau word formed by melding “smoke” and “fog”. The term was first used to describe the air around London in the early 1900s.

119. Mauna ___ Observatory : LOA
Mauna Loa on the “big island” of Hawaii is the largest volcano on the planet (in terms of volume). The name “Mauna Loa” is Hawaiian for “Long Mountain”.

The Mauna Loa Observatory’s main role is to monitor changes to the atmosphere, paying special attention to the changing levels of carbon dioxide in the air.

121. Rocks for Jocks, most likely : EASY A
“Rocks for jocks” is a slang term for a basic geology course at college. The course has the reputation of being an easy A for an athlete, hence “rocks for jocks”.

122. Eleanor Roosevelt ___ Roosevelt : NEE
Eleanor Roosevelt was the daughter of Elliot, brother to President Theodore Roosevelt. Eleanor met Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was her father’s fifth cousin, in 1902, and the two started “walking out together” the following year after they both attended a White House dinner with President Roosevelt.

126. Healy who created the Three Stooges : TED
Ted Healy had a successful stage and film career of his own, but now is best remembered as the creator of the Three Stooges. Healy hired Moe Howard as a “stooge” for his vaudeville act in 1922, and then his brother Shemp Howard as a heckler in 1923. He pulled in Larry Fine in 1925. The trio of Moe, Shemp and Larry parted ways with Healy in 1931 over a contract dispute, and the three eventually evolved into the Three Stooges.

Down
1. QB Donovan : MCNABB
Donovan McNabb played as quarterback with Syracuse University before joining the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins and then the Minnesota Vikings.

3. Prizefighter in a Parisian novel? : ROMAN GLADIATOR (novel is “roman”)
The term “gladiator” means “swordsman”, coming from “gladius”, the Latin word for “sword”.

4. The Rams, on sports tickers : STL
The St. Louis Rams have won the Super Bowl only once, in 1999 against the Tennessee Titans. The Rams were based in Cleveland from 1936-45, Los Angeles from 1946-94 and St. Louis from 1995 to the present day.

5. Expert at brewing oolong in Orléans? : THE ARTIST (tea is “thé“)
The name for the Chinese tea “oolong” translates into English as “black dragon”.

6. Q.E.D. part : ERAT
QED is used at the end of a mathematical proof or a philosophical argument. The acronym stands for the Latin “quod erat demonstrandum” meaning “that which was to be demonstrated”.

7. Mysterious Scottish figure, informally : NESSIE
The Loch Ness monster has been talked about for centuries, but modern interest started in 1933 when a spate of sightings was reported. Those sightings don’t seem to have stopped, with photographs really sparking the imagination.

8. Many an “iCarly” fan : TWEEN
The term “tween” is now used to describe preadolescence, the years between 10 and 12 years of age.

“iCarly” is a sitcom for teens that has been airing on Nickelodeon since 2007. The show is all about a girl called Carly Shay who makes a regular web broadcast called “iCarly” with her friends.

9. Hasty flight : LAM
To be “on the lam” is to be in flight, to have escaped from prison. “On the lam” is American slang that originated at the end of the 19th century. The word “lam” also means to “beat” or “thrash”, as in “lambaste”. So “on the lam” might derive from the phrase “to beat it, to scram”.

10. Weakness : ANEMIA
Anemia (or “anaemia” as we write it back in Ireland) is from a Greek word meaning “lack of blood”. It is actually a lack of iron in the blood, or a low red blood cell count. Tiredness is a symptom of the condition.

11. Layers of clouds : STRATI
Stratus clouds are very common, and as they are wider than they are tall and flat along the bottom, we might just see them as haze in a featureless sky above us. Stratus clouds are basically the same as fog, but off the ground. Indeed, many stratus clouds are formed when morning fog lifts into the air as the ground heats up.

13. “Got a Hold ___” (1984 top 10 hit) : ON ME
“Got a Hold on Me” was a hit for Christine McVie, keyboardist with Fleetwood Mac.

15. Lost time? : DARK AGES
The “Dark Ages” was a term that used to be popular as a description of the period following the decline of the Roman Empire in Europe, the time after the “light of Rome” was extinguished. The Dark Ages were said to end with the rise of the Italian Renaissance in the 14th century.

26. Indiana Jones venue : TOMB
Apparently Sean Connery’s version of James Bond was a major inspiration for the Indiana Jones character created by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. And that’s why Connery was invited to play Indiana’s father in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”.

28. ___ fixe : IDEE
An “idee fixe” (a French term) is basically a fixed idea, an obsession.

30. Comic Dave : ATTELL
Dave Attell is a stand-up comedian and host of the television shows “Insomniac with Dave Attell” and “The Gong Show with Dave Attell”.

34. Ramjets, e.g. : ENGINES
A “ramjet” is a type of jet engine that uses the speed of the incoming air (due to the aircraft’s forward motion) to compress that air prior to combustion. In a regular jet engine, the air is compressed by a fan that sucks air into the combustion chamber. In a ramjet, air enters the chamber usually at supersonic speed (the speed of the jet) and is slowed prior to combustion. In a scramjet, a variant of a ramjet, the air is maintained at supersonic speeds, allowing the scramjet to operate at very high velocity.

37. Country music channel : TNN
The Nashville Network (TNN) was a country music cable channel that operated from 1983 to 2003. When TNN closed down it was relaunched with a completely different format as Spike, marketed as “the first television channel for men”.

39. Paper size: Abbr. : LTR
Like so many things it seems, our paper sizes here in North America don’t conform with the standards in the rest of the world. ISO standard sizes used elsewhere have some logic behind them in that the ratio of width to length is usually one to the square root of two. This mathematical relationship means that when you cut a piece of paper in two each half preserves the aspect ratio of the original, which can be useful in making reduced or enlarged copies of documents. Our standard size of “letter” (8.5 x 11 inches) was determined in 1980 by the Reagan administration to be the official paper size for the US government. Prior to this, the official “government” letter size had been 8 by 10.5 inches.

41. Some foam toys : NERFS
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.

50. “Star Trek” villains : BORG
The Borg first showed up in the “Star Trek” universe as the villains in the movie “Star Trek: First Contact”, and then spread to other “Star Trek” productions.

“Star Trek: First Contact” was the eighth “Star Trek” movie made, the first one not to feature cast members from the original “Star Trek” series. This excellent sci-fi film is built around the cast and storyline of television’s “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. The film’s director was Jonathan Frakes, who also plays first officer William Riker.

55. Issue for Michelle Obama : OBESITY
The First Lady plays the lead role in the Obama administration’s initiative to reverse the trend of childhood obesity. Ms. Obama has named the movement “Let’s Move!” As part of the initiative, the White House now has a famous Kitchen Garden, something last seen when Eleanor Roosevelt was First Lady.

56. R in a car : REVERSE
PRNDL … that would be Park, Reverse, Neutral, Drive and Low.

61. Org. for big shots? : NRA
The NRA is the National Rifle Association, an organization that has been around since 1871. The NRA has had some celebrity presidents, including US President Ulysses S. Grant. It’s often said that the NRA is the most powerful lobbying group in Washington.

70. Tucson school, briefly : U OF A
The University of Arizona (UA, or “U of A”) was the first university founded in the state, opening its doors for students in Tucson in 1885 (which was actually 27 years before the territory was granted statehood).

77. Cretin : ASS
“Cretin” is a slang term for an idiot. “Cretin” was a medical term in the 1900s that derived from Alpine French dialect. Congenital hypothyroidism was particularly associated with an area in the French Alps and manifested itself as impaired physical and mental development, a condition known as “cretinism”.

81. QB legend nicknamed “the Golden Arm” : UNITAS
Footballer Johnny Unitas was nicknamed “the Golden Arm” as well as “Johnny U”. Unitas played in the fifties through the seventies, mainly for the Baltimore Colts. He holds the record for throwing touchdown passes in consecutive games (47 games).

93. “American Idol” winner Allen : KRIS
Kris Allen is a singer-songwriter who won the 8th season of “American Idol”.

94. Relief for plantar fasciitis : INSOLE
Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the connective tissue on the sole of the foot and is also known as “policeman’s heel”.

97. Actor Morales : ESAI
Esai Morales is best known for his role in the 1987 movie “La Bamba”, which depicted the life of Ritchie Valens and his half-brother Bob Morales (played by Esai).

100. Operating system between Puma and Panther : JAGUAR
Apple introduced the Mac OS X Operating System in 2000. Each version of this operating system has had a code name, and that code name is always a type of big cat. The versions and code names are:

– 10.0: Cheetah
– 10.1: Puma
– 10.2: Jaguar
– 10.3: Panther
– 10.4: Tiger
– 10.5: Leopard
– 10.6: Snow Leopard

Interestingly, the earlier beta version was called Kodiak, after the bear, and not a cat at all.

101. Most distant point : APOGEE
In the celestial world, the apogee (or apsis) is the point in an orbit when the orbiting body is at its greatest or least distance from it’s center of orbit.

108. E.P.A. issuances: Abbr. : STDS
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was set up during the Nixon administration and began operation at the end of 1970.

109. Kind of brick : LEGO
Lego is manufactured by Lego Group, a privately held company headquartered in Billund, Denmark. The company was founded by a carpenter called Ole Kirk Christiansen in 1934 and the now-famous plastic interlocking blocks were introduced in 1949. The blocks were originally sold under the name “Automatic Binding Bricks” but I think “Lego” is easier to remember! The name “Lego” comes from the Danish term “leg godt” meaning “play well”.

111. The language Gàidhlig : ERSE
The Gaels were speakers of one of the Erse tongues. There are actually three Erse languages: Irish, Manx (spoken on the Isle of Man) and Scots Gaelic. In their own tongues, these would be Gaeilge (in Ireland), Gaelg (on the Isle of Man) and Gàidhlig (in Scotland).

117. ___ Palmas, Spain : LAS
Gran Canaria, or Grand Canary Island, may be grand but it isn’t quite as big as Tenerife, the largest island of the group and the most populated. The capital of Gran Canaria is Las Palmas, a port of call for Christopher Columbus in 1492 on his way to the Americas.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. One to take a complaint to: Abbr. : MGR
4. It can get the blood flowing : STENT
9. Like calves at a rodeo : LASSOED
16. Crush, e.g. : POP
19. Some soft words : COO
20. Lost deliberately : THREW
21. Wave receiver : ANTENNA
22. Card game with stakes : LOO
23. Subject of three Oliver Stone films, informally : NAM
24. Fixed-term agreement : LEASE
25. Marseille mothers who are not goddesses? : MERE MORTALS (mother is “mère”)
27. Half-court game? : ALAI
29. Sailing : AT SEA
31. Barber’s challenge : MANE
32. Hawaiian coffees : KONAS
33. Back-to-school purchase : BINDER
35. Sense : INTUIT
37. Hot ___ : TAMALE
38. “Easy” : BE GENTLE
40. Working on one’s biceps and triceps in Toulon? : TRAINING BRAS (arm is “bras”)
43. On the up and up : LEGIT
44. Soldier under Braxton Bragg, for short : REB
45. Female suffix : -ENNE
46. Org. with badges : BSA
48. Country whose name means “he that strives with God” : ISRAEL
50. [That’s awful!] : BARF
52. Quality that produces taste : SAPOR
57. Stinging insect : RED ANT
59. Cowardly end in Cannes? : YELLOWFIN (end is “fin”)
62. Innocent one : BABE
63. Issue (from) : ARISE
64. Tiara component : GEM
65. It may contain traces of lead : ERASER
66. Tony winner Schreiber : LIEV
67. Less refined : CRASSER
69. Like an infant’s fingers, typically : PUDGY
71. Matisse masterpiece : LA DANSE
73. Actress Bosworth : KATE
74. Pathetic group : SAD LOT
76. The limbo, once : FAD
78. Turkey’s third-largest city : IZMIR
79. John Maynard Keynes’s alma mater : ETON
80. Bordeaux bear cub? : ONE OF OURS (bear is “ours”)
82. Indians’ shoes : CLEATS
83. “Phooey!” : NERTS!
85. Fiji competitor : NAYA
86. Cosa ___ : NOSTRA
88. Nevada county : NYE
89. Spy, at times : TAIL
91. With 98-Down, “Mad Money” host : JIM
92. First capital of Alaska : SITKA
94. Online feline in Lyon? : INTERNET CHAT (cat is “chat”)
100. Who said “I owe the public nothing” : JP MORGAN
103. Dead ringers? : NOOSES
104. ___ Inn : RAMADA
106. Home of Gannon Univ. : ERIE, PA
107. Short-tailed weasel : STOAT
108. Crib side part : SLAT
110. First college frat to charter a chapter in all 50 states : SIGEP
112. Environmental portmanteau : SMOG
113. Nine to five, generally, in Grenoble? : OFFICE TEMPS (time is “temps”)
116. Certain work of subway art : MURAL
118. Word with salad or roll : EGG
119. Mauna ___ Observatory : LOA
120. Surround with shrubbery : HEDGE IN
121. Rocks for Jocks, most likely : EASY A
122. Eleanor Roosevelt ___ Roosevelt : NEE
123. Take a wrong turn : ERR
124. “What’s it gonna be?” : YES OR NO?
125. What to wear : DRESS
126. Healy who created the Three Stooges : TED

Down
1. QB Donovan : MCNABB
2. Net guard : GOALIE
3. Prizefighter in a Parisian novel? : ROMAN GLADIATOR (novel is “roman”)
4. The Rams, on sports tickers : STL
5. Expert at brewing oolong in Orléans? : THE ARTIST (tea is “thé“)
6. Q.E.D. part : ERAT
7. Mysterious Scottish figure, informally : NESSIE
8. Many an “iCarly” fan : TWEEN
9. Hasty flight : LAM
10. Weakness : ANEMIA
11. Layers of clouds : STRATI
12. On TV, say : SEEN
13. “Got a Hold ___” (1984 top 10 hit) : ON ME
14. “Lux” composer Brian : ENO
15. Lost time? : DARK AGES
16. Two-dimensional : PLANAR
17. “De-e-eluxe!” : OO LA LA!
18. Entourages : POSSES
26. Indiana Jones venue : TOMB
28. ___ fixe : IDEE
30. Comic Dave : ATTELL
34. Ramjets, e.g. : ENGINES
36. Populous area : URB
37. Country music channel : TNN
39. Paper size: Abbr. : LTR
41. Some foam toys : NERFS
42. Area close to home : INFIELD
44. Put on the job again : RE-EMPLOY
46. Large fern : BRACKEN
47. Toothed : SERRATE
49. 58-Down 29-Across : AYE
50. “Star Trek” villains : BORG
51. Not present at : AWAY FROM
53. Flaming : ABLAZE
54. Overseeing of a Bayonne bakery? : PAIN MANAGEMENT (bread is “pain”)
55. Issue for Michelle Obama : OBESITY
56. R in a car : REVERSE
58. Go-ahead : ASSENT
60. Showed, as a seat : LED TO
61. Org. for big shots? : NRA
64. Family nickname : GRANNIE
68. That, to Tomás : ESO
70. Tucson school, briefly : U OF A
72. Eye surgeon’s instrument : DILATOR
75. Was concerned (with) : DEALT
77. Cretin : ASS
81. QB legend nicknamed “the Golden Arm” : UNITAS
82. French-speaking country where illegal activity runs rampant? : CRIME PAYS (country is “pays”)
84. Elastic : STRETCHY
87. It’s more than a pinch: Abbr. : TSP
90. Interview seg. : ANS
91. What a photocopier light may indicate : JAM
93. “American Idol” winner Allen : KRIS
94. Relief for plantar fasciitis : INSOLE
95. Against : NOT FOR
96. Outside of walking distance, say : TOO FAR
97. Actor Morales : ESAI
98. See 91-Across : CRAMER
99. Millinery item : HATPIN
100. Operating system between Puma and Panther : JAGUAR
101. Most distant point : APOGEE
102. Rode hard : NAGGED
105. Nickel-and-___ : DIMED
108. E.P.A. issuances: Abbr. : STDS
109. Kind of brick : LEGO
111. The language Gàidhlig : ERSE
114. Shoe width : EEE
115. ___-Seal (leather protector) : SNO-
117. ___ Palmas, Spain : LAS

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