Day: February 6, 2013

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
10. Michigan college or its town : ALMA
Alma College in Alma, Michigan was founded by Michigan Presbyterians in 1886. The school has a Scottish heritage of which it is very proud. Alma has its own Scottish marching band, a Scottish dance troupe and even its own design of tartan.

15. Pistol PAC-ers? : NRA
The National Rifle Association (NRA) used the slogan “I’ll give you my gun when you pry it from my cold, dead hands”. These words became quite famous when they were used at an NRA convention in 2000 by Charlton Heston, who was then president of the NRA. Heston ended a speech he made with the words “From my cold, dead hands!” while holding up into the air a replica of a Sharps rifle.

A Political Action Committee (PAC) is a private group that works to influence the outcome of a particular election or group of elections. Any group becomes a PAC by law when it receives or spends more than $1,000 for the purpose of influencing the outcome of an election.

16. Luau handouts : LEIS
“Lei” is the Hawaiian word for “garland, wreath”, although in more general terms a “lei” is any series of objects strung together as an adornment for the body.

Nowadays the word “luau” denotes almost any kind of party on the Hawaiian Islands, but to the purist a luau is a feast that always includes a serving of “poi”, the bulbous underground stems of taro baked with coconut milk.

18. 1/sec, in trig : COS
The secant (sec) is the ratio of the hypotenuse of a triangle to its adjacent side, and is the reciprocal of the cosine (cos), as we all remember from school …

23. Some ‘Vette roofs : T-TOPS
A T-top is a car roof that has removable panels on either side of a rigid bar that runs down the center of the vehicle above the driver.

24. “The Wiz” director : LUMET
Sidney Lumet passed away in April 2011. As a movie director Lumet had a great string of celebrated films to his name including “12 Angry Men”, “Dog Day Afternoon”, “Network” and “The Verdict”. Although nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director for each of these films, he never won an individual Oscar. However, the Academy gave Lumet the recognition he deserved in 2004 by presenting him with an Honorary Award.

“The Wiz”, the 1975 musical, was written by Charlie Smalls and is an African-American adaptation of Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”. The film version of the stage show was released in 1978, starring Diana Ross as Dorothy and Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow. I haven’t seen it, though. “The Wizard of Oz” scares me, as the flying monkeys creep me out. There, I’ve admitted it in public …

25. Org. that negotiates with G.M. : UAW
The United Auto Workers (UAW) was founded to represent workers in auto plants in the Detroit area in 1935. Nowadays the UAW’s membership extends into the aerospace, agriculture and other industries.

General Motors (GM) is still the largest manufacturer of cars in the world, at least in terms of numbers of cars sold. GM was established in 1908 in Flint, Michigan as a holding company for Buick, which in turn had been founded in 1899. GM’s Buick brand is the oldest, still-active automotive brand in the US.

30. Athlete Jim whose Native American name was Wa-Tho-Huk : THORPE
The sports star Jim Thorpe was quite the all-rounder. He played professional football, baseball, and basketball, and also won Olympic golds in two other all-rounder events, the pentathlon and decathlon (in 1912). However, he lost his medals when it was revealed that he had been paid for playing baseball before the Games, and back then, amateur status was important to the Olympic governing body.

38. Cooked, as Swiss steak : BRAISED
The dish known as Swiss steak has nothing to do with the country of Switzerland. Swiss steak is usually made with beef that has been rolled out or pounded and then braised in a pot of stewed tomatoes. The term “swissing” means to pound or roll out a material. Swissing makes tougher cuts of meat more tender.

40. Fiancée of Napoleon : DESIREE
Désirée Clary was a young lady from Marseille in the south of France. Clary was engaged for a few months to Napoleon Bonaparte, until the general met Joséphine de Beauharnais whom he married in 1796. Eventually though, Clary became Queen of Sweden and Norway as consort to King Charles XIV John.

42. Singer Eydie : GORME
Eydie Gorme is best known for her work with her husband, Steve Lawrence. The duo have been recording traditional popular music together since the late fifties.

43. ___ Lanka : SRI
The name Sri Lanka translates from Sanskrit into English as “venerable island”. Before 1970, Sri Lanka was known as Ceylon, a name given to the country during British rule. The lion on the country’s national flag symbolizes the fight against British colonialism.

44. Anastasia’s father was one : TSAR
The last ruler of Imperial Russia was Tsar Nicholas II (of the House of Romanov). Famously, the Tsar and his family were murdered in 1918 in the basement of a house in Yekaterinburg, Russia by members of the Bolshevik secret police. The Tsar’s youngest daughter was 16-year-old Anastasia and rumors of her escape have persisted for years. The rumors grew with the help of numerous women who claimed to be Anastasia. In 2009, DNA testing finally proved that the remains of all of the Tsar’s immediate family, including Anastasia, have been found and identified.

47. Island off the coast of Scotland : IONA
Although the small island of Iona lies just off the west coast of Scotland, it was the site of a monastery built in the Middle Ages by a monk from Ireland, Colm Cille (also known as Columba). Colm Cille and his followers were sent into exile from the Irish mainland and settled in Iona, as at that time it was part of an Irish kingdom. This monastery in Iona expanded its influence over the decades, founding other institutions all over Ireland and Great Britain. It is believed that the famous Book of Kells may have been written, or at least started, at the monastery on Iona.

49. Napoleonic marshal Michel : NEY
Michel Ney was one of the first 18 Marshals of France created by Napoleon. When Bonaparte was eventually defeated for the last time, Ney was arrested and sentenced to death. He was executed in Paris by firing squad. Nay refused to wear a blindfold, and demanded that he himself be allowed to give the order to fire.

52. Big shot : NABOB
A nabob is a person of wealth and prominence. “Nabob” derives from the title of a governor in India.

63. “Für Elise” key : A MINOR
“Fur Elise” is a beautiful piece of music written by Beethoven, and is also known as “Bagatelle in A Minor”. “Fur Elise” means simply “For Elise”, but sadly no one knows the identity of the mysterious dedicatee.

64. Sportscaster Albert : MARV
Marv Albert is television and radio sportscaster, often referred to as “the voice of basketball”. Marv has two younger brothers who are also sports announcers, and his son Kenny calls baseball and football for New York Rangers games on FOX radio. In addition, Marv’s daughter is a reporter for NBA TV.

66. Model Bündchen : GISELE
Gisele Bündchen is a fashion model from Brazil. Bündchen does quite well for herself as she has been the highest-paid model in the world for several years now and has amassed a fortune of about $150 million. She was romantically involved with Leonardo DiCaprio for about five years and now is married to Tom Brady, the quarterback for the New England Patriots.

69. Sonnet’s finish : SESTET
A sestet is a group of six lines of poetry similar to a quatrain, a group of four lines.

A sonnet is a short poem with varying rhyming schemes but always with 14 lines. The sonnet form has been around at least since the 13th century.

Down
4. “I saw ___ a-sailing …” : A SHIP
“I Saw a Ship A-Sailing” is a song recorded by Natalie Merchant.

Natalie Merchant is an American musician who sang for the band 10,000 Maniacs for twelve years, until launching a solo career in 1993.

5. Brunch libation : MIMOSA
Where I come from, the cocktail known in North America as a mimosa is called a Buck’s Fizz, named after the club where it was introduced in 1921. The mimosa came along a few years later, apparently first being served in the Paris Ritz. If you want to make a mimosa, it’s a 50-50 mix of champagne and orange juice, and it is very tasty …

10. Baldwin of “30 Rock” : ALEC
Alec is the oldest of the acting Baldwin brothers. I think Alec’s big break was playing Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan in “The Hunt for Red October”, but thank goodness that role was taken over by Harrison Ford for the subsequent Jack Ryan movies. Baldwin made a name for himself in recent times playing Jack Donaghy on “30 Rock”, opposite Tina Fey. He has also hosted the sketch show “Saturday Night Live” on more occasions than anyone else (16 times).

“30 Rock” is a sitcom on NBC that was created by the show’s star Tina Fey. Fey is an ex-performer and writer from “Saturday Night Live” and uses her experiences on that show as a basis for the “30 Rock” storyline.

13. Nonverbal communication syst. : ASL
It’s really quite unfortunate that American Sign Language (ASL) and British Sign Language (BSL) are very different, and someone who has learned to sign in one cannot understand someone signing in the other.

26. Sleep problem : APNEA
Sleep apnea can be caused by an obstruction in the airways, possibly due to obesity or enlarged tonsils.

27. “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” river : WESER
The Weser is the river famously used by the Pied Piper to drown the rats of Hamelin.

The legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin dates back to medieval times. Recently there have been suggestions that the story is rooted in some truth and that the town of Hamelin did in fact lose many of its children, perhaps to plague. The suggestion is that the tale is an allegory of that event.

32. Toy you can “put somebody’s eye out” with : BB GUN
A BB gun is an air pistol or rifle that shoots birdshot known as BBs. Birdshot comes in a number of different sizes, from size 9 (0.080″ in diameter) to size FF (.23″). 0.180″ diameter birdshot is size BB, which gives the airgun its name.

34. Last Celtic to wear #33 : LARRY BIRD
Larry Bird played basketball for the Boston Celtics from 1978 to 1992. Bird has a lot of very loyal fans, and some might even be described as fanatical. In 2005 an Oklahoma City man was convicted of a crime involving a shooting. On being sentenced to 30 years imprisonment, the guilty man requested that the sentence be changed to 33 years so that it matched the number on Larry Bird’s jersey. The judge obliged …

35. Bride’s ride : LIMO
The word “limousine” actually derives from the French city of Limoges. The area around Limoges is called the Limousin, and it gave its name to a cloak hood worn by local shepherds. In early motor cars, a driver would sit outside in the weather while the passengers would sit in the covered compartment. The driver would often wear a limousin-style protective hood, giving rise to that type of transportation being called a “limousine”. Well, that’s how the story goes anyway …

39. 1954-77 defense grp. : SEATO
The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) was set up in 1954, a defense organization with the mission to block communist influence growing in Southeast Asia. The driving force behind the organization’s creation was President Eisenhower’s Secretary of State, John Dulles. The list of SEATO members included Australia, France, the Philippines, the UK and the US. The organization was never really considered effective and it fell apart in 1977 largely due to a lack of interest by the members.

43. Official seals : SIGNETS
A signet is a seal, in particular one used by an official to mark a document. A signet can be incorporated into a “signet ring”.

48. Societal breakdown : ANOMIE
The word “anomie” comes to us via French from Greek. The root words are “a-” (without) “nomos” (law).

54. I.Q. test pioneer : BINET
The first usable intelligence test was invented by a French psychologist named Alfred Binet. Binet collaborated with Théodore Simon and together they produced the Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale that is still in use today for IQ tests.

55. With 12-Down, classic Neapolitan tune : O SOLE
12. See 55-Down : MIO
“‘O sole mio” is a famous Italian song from Naples, written in 1898. The song’s lyrics are usually sung in the original Neapolitan, as opposed to Italian. The title translates from Neapolitan into “My Sun” (and not into “O, My Sun” as one might expect). It’s a love song of course, sung by a young man declaring that there is a sun brighter than that in the sky, the sun that is his lover’s face. Awww …

56. Army Ranger’s topper : BERET
Army Rangers belong to a Special Operations unit known as the 75th Ranger Regiment. The modern Army Rangers have roots that go back to Ethan Allen’s Green Mountain Boys, a militia organization that served in the Revolutionary War.

58. All-night bash : RAVE
As you might imagine, I’ve never been to a rave, and don’t have one upcoming in my diary. And as raves often start at 2 a.m. then I’m unlikely ever to experience one. A rave is generally an all-night party featuring loud, electronically-synthesized music usually played by a DJ as opposed to a live band.

61. Saint, in Rio : SAO
“Rio de Janeiro” translates as “January River”. The name reflects the discovery of the bay on which Rio sits, on New Years Day in 1502.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Espousing crime? : BIGAMY
7. Custard need : EGG
10. Michigan college or its town : ALMA
14. Baby attire with crotch snaps : ONESIE
15. Pistol PAC-ers? : NRA
16. Luau handouts : LEIS
17. Respiratory woe : ASTHMA
18. 1/sec, in trig : COS
19. Green sci. : ECOL
20. Graduation requirement, perhaps : SENIOR PROJECT
23. Some ‘Vette roofs : T-TOPS
24. “The Wiz” director : LUMET
25. Org. that negotiates with G.M. : UAW
28. Matures : AGES
30. Athlete Jim whose Native American name was Wa-Tho-Huk : THORPE
32. High-pitched cry from an ump? : BALL
36. Scarf down : EAT
37. Signs to heed : OMENS
38. Cooked, as Swiss steak : BRAISED
40. Fiancée of Napoleon : DESIREE
42. Singer Eydie : GORME
43. ___ Lanka : SRI
44. Anastasia’s father was one : TSAR
45. Hullabaloo : UPROAR
47. Island off the coast of Scotland : IONA
49. Napoleonic marshal Michel : NEY
50. Dance for two : TANGO
52. Big shot : NABOB
57. Result of not following through (of which there are four examples in this puzzle’s grid) : BROKEN PROMISE
60. Part of 39-Down : ASIA
62. “___ had it!” : I’VE
63. “Für Elise” key : A MINOR
64. Sportscaster Albert : MARV
65. Finalized : SET
66. Model Bündchen : GISELE
67. Portend : BODE
68. Shop window posting: Abbr. : HRS
69. Sonnet’s finish : SESTET

Down
1. Toot one’s horn : BOAST
2. Cartographer’s blowup : INSET
3. “I don’t ___ respect!” : GET NO
4. “I saw ___ a-sailing …” : A SHIP
5. Brunch libation : MIMOSA
6. Classic car datum : YEAR
7. Coat, in a way : ENCRUST
8. “I do” sayer : GROOM
9. Pilot light, e.g. : GAS JET
10. Baldwin of “30 Rock” : ALEC
11. Some college staff : LECTURERS
12. See 55-Down : MIO
13. Nonverbal communication syst. : ASL
21. Seek mercy, say : PLEAD
22. Guiding beliefs : ETHOS
26. Sleep problem : APNEA
27. “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” river : WESER
29. “I didn’t know that!” : GEE
31. Exclude : OMIT
32. Toy you can “put somebody’s eye out” with : BB GUN
33. Soap-on-___ (bath buy) : A-ROPE
34. Last Celtic to wear #33 : LARRY BIRD
35. Bride’s ride : LIMO
39. 1954-77 defense grp. : SEATO
40. Lose tautness : DROOP
41. Austrian “a” : EIN
43. Official seals : SIGNETS
46. Jaunty in appearance : RAKISH
48. Societal breakdown : ANOMIE
51. “Over my dead body!” : NEVER
53. Out of kilter : AMISS
54. I.Q. test pioneer : BINET
55. With 12-Down, classic Neapolitan tune : O SOLE
56. Army Ranger’s topper : BERET
58. All-night bash : RAVE
59. Threadbare threads : RAGS
60. U.N. figure: Abbr. : AMB
61. Saint, in Rio : SAO

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