Day: December 26, 2012

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Some cartoons : ANIME
Anime is animation in the style of Japanese Manga comic books.

The Japanese word “manga” means “whimsical pictures” and is an apt term to describe the Japanese style of comic book. Manga publications are more diverse than American comic books and have a larger audience. Manga cover many subjects including romance, sports, business, horror, and mystery.

5. “___ de Lune” : CLAIR
“Clair de lune” is the beautiful third movement from Claude Debussy’s piano work called the “Suite bergamasque”. “Clair de lune” is French for “moonlight”.

14. Boomers’ babies : GEN-X
The term Generation X originated in the UK where it was the name of a book by Jane Deverson. Her book detailed the results of a study of British youths in 1964, contrasting their lifestyle to those of previous generations. It was Canadian author Douglas Coupland who was responsible for popularizing the term, with his more successful publication “Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture”. By the latest accepted definition, Gen-Xers were born between 1961 and 1981.

A baby boomer is someone who was born in the post-WWII baby boom. The rate of births had been falling fairly steadily in the US at least since 1900, but this trend was sharply reversed in 1946 after WWII. The higher birth rate continued until 1964, when it returned to pre-war levels. Since then the birth rate has continued to decline, although at a slower pace. The period between 1946 and 1964 is defined as the “baby boom”.

16. Folkie who chronicled Alice : ARLO
Arlo Guthrie is the son of Woody Guthrie. Both father and son are renowned for their singing of protest songs about social injustice. Arlo is most famous for his epic “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree”, a song that lasts a full 18m 34s. In the song Guthrie tells how, after being drafted, he was rejected for service in the Vietnam War based on his criminal record. He had only one incident on his public record, a Thanksgiving Day arrest for littering and being a public nuisance when he was 18-years-old.

17. ___ de boeuf : ROTI
“Rôti” is the French for “roasted”, so “Rôti de boeuf” is “roast beef”.

18. Best Director of 1997 : JAMES CAMERON
James Cameron won his Best Director Oscar in 1997 for “Titanic”.

When James Cameron made his epic movie 1997 “Titanic”, it was the most expensive film ever made, costing about $200 million. It was a good investment for the studio as it became the highest-grossing film of all time, bringing in over $1.8 billion. “Titanic” remained the highest-grossing film until 2010, when Cameron himself eclipsed the prior record with “Avatar”.

22. Michael Jackson wore one : GLOVE
Michael Jackson was such a sad figure I always think. Jackson’s apparently unconstrained lifestyle made him an easy target for the tabloids. The less than charitable representatives of the media gave him the nickname “Wacko Jacko”.

23. Touts’ hangouts : RAILS
A tout (mainly in the British Isles) is someone who checks out racehorses and sell information gained to people placing bets. Touts can be seen leaning against the rails at a horse racing track.

24. E.R. administration : CPR
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) has for decades involved the simultaneous compression of the chest to pump blood using the heart, and artificial respiration by blowing air into the lungs. Nowadays emergency services are placing more emphasis on heart compressions, and less on artificial respiration.

29. Dark area on the moon : MARE
A “mare” is a large dark area on the moon. “Mare” is the Latin for “sea.

30. Windsor’s prov. : ONT
Windsor is the city across the US-Canadian border from Detroit, Michigan. Located in southwestern Ontario, Windsor is the most southerly city in Canada.

31. Ecological communities : BIOMES
I tend to think of “biome” is another word for ecosystem.

35. Egocentric person’s mantra : ME ME ME ME ME
A “mantra” is a word that is used as a focus for the mind while meditating.

42. Loy of “The Thin Man” : MYRNA
The beautiful Myrna Loy was one of my favorite actresses. Her career took off when she was paired up with William Powell in the fabulous “The Thin Man” series of films. Loy also appeared opposite Cary Grant in a couple of films that I like to watch every so often, namely “The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer” (1947) and “Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House” (1948).

50. Cola wars “combatant” : PEPSI
The Pepsi-Cola formulation was developed by one Caleb Bradham who made the drink at home and sold it as “Brad’s Drink”. Bradham’s aim was to provide a drink that was pleasant to taste, that would aid digestion and boost energy. Included in the formula were pepsin (a digestive enzyme) and kola nuts. These two ingredients inspired the brand name we use today, Pepsi-Cola.

51. Soap star Susan : LUCCI
Susan Lucci is perhaps the most famous actor associated with daytime soap operas, and was the highest paid actor in daytime television. She was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series an incredible 21 times, for her role in “All My Children”.

62. School attended by 007 : ETON
The world-famous Eton College is just a brisk walk from Windsor Castle, which itself is just outside London. Eton is noted for producing many British leaders including David Cameron who took power in the last UK general election. The list of Old Etonians also includes Princes William and Harry, the Duke of Wellington, George Orwell, and the creator of James Bond, Ian Fleming (as well as 007 himself as described in the Fleming novels).

64. Awards at which 51-Across was finally a winner in 1999 : EMMYS
The Emmy Awards are the television equivalent of the Oscars in the world of film, the Grammy Awards in music and the Tony Awards for the stage. Emmy Awards are presented throughout the year, depending on the sector of television being honored. The most famous of these ceremonies are the Primetime Emmy Awards and the Daytime Emmy Awards. The distinctive name of “Emmy” is a softened version of the word “immy”, the nickname given to the video camera tubes found in old television cameras.

65. Choosing-up-sides word : MEENY

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,
Catch the tiger/monkey/baby by the toe.
If it hollers/screams let him go,
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, you are it!

Down
1. Pearl Mosque city : AGRA
The Moti Masjid in Agra, India is also known as the Pearl Mosque, reflecting the fact that the building’s beautiful white facade shines like a pearl. The Moti Masjid was built by the Shah Jahan, the same emperor who built Agra’s most famous structure, the Taj Mahal.

4. Chile relleno, e.g. : MEXICAN MEAL
“Chile relleno” translates from Spanish as “stuffed chile”.

7. Actress Anouk : AIMEE
Anouk Aimée is a French film actress. Aimée’s most famous film outside of France is probably the internationally successful 1966 French hit “A Man and a Woman”, in which she played the female lead.

10. Caravan transport : CAMEL
“Caravan” derives from the Persian “karwan”, a word for a group of desert travelers. Over in the British Isles, “caravan” is the name we give to travel trailers.

11. Often-dry stream : ARROYO
An arroyo is a small stream, or more often, a dry riverbed.

24. Bizet opera : CARMEN
Georg Bizet was a French composer active in the Romantic era. Bizet’s most famous work has to be his opera “Carmen”. “Carmen” imitially received a lukewarm reception from the public, even though his fellow composers had nothing but praise for it. Sadly, Bizet died very young at only 36, before he could see “Carmen’s” tremendous success.

27. “Cougar Town” network : TBS
“Cougar Town” is a sitcom that has aired on ABC since 2009, and is heading to TBS in 2013. The Cougar Town title comes from the name of the local school athletic teams, the Cougars. The actual town’s name is Gulfhaven, Florida..

28. Golf’s Michelle : WIE
Michelle Wie is an American golfer on the LPGA Tour. Wie began playing golf at the age of four and was the youngest player ever to qualify for an LPGA tour event. She turned pro just before her 16th birthday …

29. Predecessors of photocopies : MIMEOS
A mimeograph is a cheap printing press that applies ink to paper through a stencil wrapped around a rotating drum. Mimeographs are still around, but have largely been replaced by offset printers and photocopiers.

32. Changes constitutionally : AMENDS
The Constitution of the United States was adopted on September 17, 1787. There have been 27 amendments to the constitution, the first ten of which are collectively called the Bill of Rights. In essence the Bill of Rights limits the power of the Federal Government and protects the rights of individuals. For example, the First Amendment states:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

35. Fort ___, Md. : MEADE
Fort George G. Meade is located near Odenton, Maryland and is most famous these days as the location of the headquarters of the National Security Agency.

38. Bearded antelope : GNU
A gnu is also known as a wildebeest, an antelope native to Africa. Wildebeest is actually the Dutch word for “wild beast”.

39. Qin dynasty follower : HAN
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China and lasted from 206 BC to 220 AD. It came after the Qin Dynasty, and before the Three Kingdoms.

41. Rose-red dye : EOSIN
Eosin is a red dye that fluoresces under light, and that is used in the lab as a stain on microscope slides. It is particularly effective in staining animal tissues.

43. Flu, e.g. : AILMENT
Influenza is an ailment that is caused by a virus. The virus is readily inactivated by the use of soap, so washing hands and surfaces is especially helpful in containing flu outbreaks.

45. Acrylic sheet material : LUCITE
Lucite is a brand name of transparent thermoplastic that is used as a safe alternative to glass. The material was first brought to market in 1933 as Plexiglass, and has also been sold as Perspex.

52. Cooper’s handiwork : CASK
A cooper is a craftsman who makes wooden vessels, such as barrels.

55. Designer label letters : DKNY
Donna Karan is an American fashion designer, creator of the DKNY clothing label. Karan was very much raised in the fashion industry, as her mother was a model and her stepfather a tailor.

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Some cartoons : ANIME
5. “___ de Lune” : CLAIR
10. Bills, e.g. : CASH
14. Boomers’ babies : GEN-X
15. Out of the way : ASIDE
16. Folkie who chronicled Alice : ARLO
17. ___ de boeuf : ROTI
18. Best Director of 1997 : JAMES CAMERON
20. Speech opener, often : ANECDOTE
22. Michael Jackson wore one : GLOVE
23. Touts’ hangouts : RAILS
24. E.R. administration : CPR
26. “Thumbs up!” : YES
27. Sudden pain : TWINGE
29. Dark area on the moon : MARE
30. Windsor’s prov. : ONT
31. Ecological communities : BIOMES
32. Not so stuffy : AIRIER
34. Hospital fluids : SERA
35. Egocentric person’s mantra : ME ME ME ME ME
36. Like some seas and teas : HIGH
40. Apply pressure to : LEAN ON
42. Loy of “The Thin Man” : MYRNA
43. Winner’s take, sometimes : ALL
46. Tip sheet figures : ODDS
47. Round-tripper : HOME RUN
48. Marker letters : IOU
49. His, to Henri : SES
50. Cola wars “combatant” : PEPSI
51. Soap star Susan : LUCCI
53. Chose : SELECTED
56. Statistic from the Bureau of Labor Statistics : MEDIAN INCOME
59. Untalented writer : HACK
60. Clears after taxes : NETS
61. Have significance : COUNT
62. School attended by 007 : ETON
63. Difficult journey : TREK
64. Awards at which 51-Across was finally a winner in 1999 : EMMYS
65. Choosing-up-sides word : MEENY

Down
1. Pearl Mosque city : AGRA
2. Word in the names of some bright colors : NEON
3. Cabinet department : INTERIOR
4. Chile relleno, e.g. : MEXICAN MEAL
5. Sweet-talk : CAJOLE
6. Hurdles for future D.A.’s : LSATS
7. Actress Anouk : AIMEE
8. Bouncers’ requests : IDS
9. ___ center : REC
10. Caravan transport : CAMEL
11. Often-dry stream : ARROYO
12. Neatnik’s opposite : SLOVEN
13. “No lie!” : HONEST
19. Correspond : AGREE
21. Archaeological sites : DIGS
24. Bizet opera : CARMEN
25. 7 or 11, e.g. : PRIME
27. “Cougar Town” network : TBS
28. Golf’s Michelle : WIE
29. Predecessors of photocopies : MIMEOS
32. Changes constitutionally : AMENDS
33. ABAB, for one : RHYME SCHEME
35. Fort ___, Md. : MEADE
37. Rub the wrong way : IRRITATE
38. Bearded antelope : GNU
39. Qin dynasty follower : HAN
41. Rose-red dye : EOSIN
42. Act the gloomy Gus : MOPE
43. Flu, e.g. : AILMENT
44. “Speak up!” : LOUDER
45. Acrylic sheet material : LUCITE
47. Batters’ toppers : HELMETS
50. Indiana’s state flower : PEONY
52. Cooper’s handiwork : CASK
53. Lowlife : SCUM
54. Business school subj. : ECON
55. Designer label letters : DKNY
57. Clinch, as a deal : ICE
58. Pierre ou Jacques : NOM

Return to top of page

The Best of the New York Times Crossword Collections
Amazon.com Widgets