Day: July 15, 2013

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
15. Tennis’s Arthur ___ Stadium : ASHE
The Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York opened in 1997 and is the largest outdoor, tennis-only venue in the world. The stadium is sometimes criticized for not having a retractable dome to protect the playing surface from inclement weather.

16. Georgetown athlete : HOYA
The athletic teams of Georgetown University are known as the Hoyas. The name is derived from “Hoya Saxa”, a traditional cheer yelled out at Georgetown games as far back as 1893. The term is a mixture of Greek and Latin, with the Greek word “hoya” meaning “such” or “what”, and “saxa” translating from Latin as “rocks” or “small stones”. The cheer is usually rendered in English as “what rocks!”.

19. 14-time All-Star Rodriguez : ALEX
Poor old Alex Rodriguez earned more nicknames than just A-Rod. He has been called “the Cooler” by some players as there is a perception that teams go cold when he joins them and hot when he leaves. He has also been called “A-Fraud” by teammates because of another perception, that he is over-demanding.

23. No-nos : TABOOS
The word “taboo” was introduced into English by Captain Cook in his book “A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean”. Cook described “tabu” (likely imitative of a Tongan word that he had heard) as something that was both consecrated and forbidden.

24. Fighting ___, Notre Dame athletes : IRISH
The athletic teams of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana are of course known as the Fighting Irish. There are several debated etymologies for the moniker “Fighting Irish”, with the most generally accepted being that it was applied by the press in the 1920s, reflecting the teams’ fighting spirit and grit, determination and tenacity. I guess “grit, determination and tenacity” are characteristics often associated with the Irish.

27. N.Y.C.’s ___ of the Americas : AVE
New York City’s 6th Avenue was such a shabby and run-down thoroughfare that in 1945 Mayor La Guardia had the name changed to Avenue of the Americas as a first step in changed the image of the street. All along the street, the national seals of all the countries in the Western Hemisphere were hung from streetlights as part of a marketing campaign to promote trade. Over the next couple of decades, the elevated train line along the street was demolished and many buildings were rebuilt so that today the avenue is lined with modern towers housing many corporate offices.

34. Former House leader Gingrich : NEWT
Newt … what a name! Newt Gingrich was born Newton Leroy McPherson in 1943, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Newt’s mother remarried when he was very young and his new father, Robert Gingrich, adopted Newt giving him the Gingrich name.

35. Yuletide song : NOEL
“Noël” is the French word for the Christmas season, ultimately coming from the Latin word for “birth” (natalis). Noel has come to be used as an alternative name for a Christmas carol.

“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.

40. He calls Homer his “neighborino” : NED
Ned Flanders lives next door to Homer on TV’s “The Simpsons”. Ned is voiced by actor Harry Shearer and has been around since the very first episode aired in 1989.

41. Jazz’s Fitzgerald : ELLA
Ella Fitzgerald, the “First Lady of Song”, had a hard and tough upbringing. She was raised by her mother alone in Yonkers, New York. Her mother died while Ella was still a schoolgirl, and around that time the young girl became less interested in her education. She fell in with a bad crowd, even working as a lookout for a bordello and as a Mafia numbers runner. She ended up in reform school, from which she escaped, and found herself homeless and living on the streets for a while. Somehow Fitzgerald managed to get herself a spot singing in the Apollo Theater in Harlem. From there her career took off and as they say, the rest is history.

43. Poe’s “The ___ of Amontillado” : CASK
“The Cask of Amontillado” is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe that was first published in 1846. The story tells of a vengeful man who lures his enemy into the catacombs, locks him in chains and then traps him in a niche by sealing it with a brick wall. Nice man …

Edgar Allan Poe lived a life of many firsts. He is considered to be the inventor of the detective-fiction genre. He was also the first notable American author to make his living through his writing, something that didn’t really go too well for him as he was always financially strapped. In 1849 he was found on the streets of Baltimore, delirious from either drugs or alcohol. He died a few days later in hospital at 39 years of age.

46. Tour de France conveyance : ROAD BIKE
Back in the late 1800s, long-distance cycle races were used as promotional events, traditionally to help boost sales of newspapers. These races usually took place around tracks, but in 1902 the backers of the struggling sports publication “L’Auto” decided to stage a race that would take the competitors all around France. That first Tour de France took place in 1903, starting in Paris and passing through Lyon, Marseilles, Bordeaux, Nantes and then back to Paris.

48. Candied vegetable at Thanksgiving : YAM
Although in the US we sometimes refer to sweet potatoes as “yams”, the yam is actually a completely different family of plants. True yams are more common in other parts of the the world than they are in this country, and are especially found in Africa.

49. Skater Henie : SONJA
Sonja Henie was a World and Olympic Champion figure skater from Norway from the days when “amateur” sports stars were not paid. Henie made up for her lack of income from competing by developing a career in Hollywood. She was one of highest paid stars at the height of her movie career.

60. Mutants of Marvel Comics : X-MEN
X-Men is a team of superheroes created by Stan Lee for Marvel Comics. Nowadays the X-Men are perhaps best known as the subject of a series of movies, with Hugh Jackman playing Wolverine, and Patrick Stewart playing Professor Xavier (or simply “Professor X”).

61. “A Fish Called ___” : WANDA
I think that the 1988 comedy “A Fish Called Wanda” is very under-appreciated. The film was co-written by and stars John Cleese, and has an exceptional cast including Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline and Cleese’s friend from “Monty Python”, Michael Palin. The “fish” in the film is the con artist Wanda, played by Curtis.

63. Flamingo’s color : PINK
The name “flamingo” comes from the Greek word for “purple wing”. The flamingo’s pink or reddish color comes from the bird’s diet, and in particular the pigments ingested from animal and plant sources.

64. Mr. T’s TV group, with “the” : A-TEAM
“The A-Team” is an action television series that originally ran in the eighties. The A-Team was a group of ex-US special forces personnel who became mercenaries. Star of the show was Hollywood actor George Peppard, ably assisted by Mr. T and Robert Vaughan.

Down
3. Two of the heart’s chambers : ATRIA
The heart has four chambers. The two upper chambers (the atria) accept deoxygenated blood from the body and oxygenated blood from the lungs. The atria squeeze the blood into the two lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles), “priming” the pump, as it were. One ventricle pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs, and the other pumps oxygenated blood to the rest of the body.

6. Labyrinths : MAZES
A labyrinth is another word for a maze, and is named after the maze in which the Minotaur was confined in Greek Mythology.

8. Norse thunder god : THOR
In Norse mythology, Odin was the chief of the gods. Odin’s wife Frigg was the queen of Asgard whose name gave us our English term “Friday” (via Anglo-Saxon). Odin’s son was Thor, and his name gave us the term “Thursday”.

11. Ace on the links : HOLE IN ONE
One well-documented hole-in-one was during a round of the British Open in 1973. American golfer Gene Sarazen achieved the feat that day, at the age of 71. A less well-documented series of holes-in-one was reported by the North Korean press in a story about the Korean leader Kim Jong-il. The report was that Kim Jong-il scored 11 holes-in-one in his first and only round of golf.

28. Witherspoon of 2012’s “Mud” : REESE
Reese is not actually actress Witherspoon’s given name. She started out life as Laura Jeanne Witherspoon. Reese is her mother’s maiden name.

“Mud” is a 2012 drama film starring Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon. “Mud” is a coming-of-age film about two boys in the Arkansas delta who come across a fugitive living in the area (“Mud”, played by McConaughy). I haven’t seen this one, but hear that it was very well received by the critics.

29. Furry inhabitant of the forest moon of Endor : EWOK
The Ewoks are creatures who live on the moon of Endor, first appearing in “Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi”. They’re the cute and cuddly little guys that look like teddy bears.

30. Govt. bureau concerned with bootlegging : ATF
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is today part of the Department of Justice. The ATF has its roots in the Department of Treasury dating back to 1886 when it was known as the Bureau of Prohibition. “Explosives” was added to the ATF’s name when the bureau was moved under the Department of Justice as part of the reorganization called for in the Homeland Security Act of 2002.

31. Coors and Corona : BEERS
Adolph Coors founded the Coors brewing company in 1873, in Golden, Colorado. Coors was originally from the Rhine Province in Prussia, and worked in various brewers around what is today Germany before immigrating to the US in 1868. Despite all of his success as a brewer here in America, Coors ended up taking his own life in 1929, by jumping to his death out of a hotel window.

The Mexican beer called Corona is the biggest-selling imported beer in the United States.

32. Domed home : IGLOO
The Inuit word for “house” is “iglu”, which we usually write as “igloo”. The Greenlandic (yes, that’s a language) word for “house” is very similar: “igdlo”.

33. All-time career record-holder for strikeouts : NOLAN RYAN
Nolan Ryan is famous for having more career strikeouts that any other pitcher. However, he also holds the record for the most career walks and wild pitches. Another record that Ryan holds is the most no-hitters, a total of seven over his career.

34. Fargo’s home: Abbr. : N DAK
Fargo, North Dakota is the biggest city in the state. The original name for the city was Centralia, when it was a stopping point for steamboats that traveled the Red River in the late 19th century. The town really grew with the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railway, so the name “Fargo” was adopted in honor of one of the railroad company’s directors, William Fargo (of Wells Fargo Express fame).

38. Here, to Henri : ICI
“Ici” is French for “here”.

39. Nasty online argument : FLAME WAR
“To flame” is an informal term used in Internet circles and means “to inflame”, to incite anger, to make insulting criticisms or remarks.

50. Tom of “Forrest Gump” : HANKS
Tom Hanks is a such a great actor, I think. He has played so many iconic roles in a relatively short career. Hanks is from California, and studied theater for a couple of years in Hayward, California not far from here. Hanks is married to the talented actress Rita Wilson.

The epic 1994 movie “Forrest Gump” is based on a 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom. Groom said that he had envisioned John Goodman playing the title role, and not Tom Hanks.

51. Dressed to the ___ : NINES
The term “to the nines” means “to perfection”. The first person to use the term in literature was Robbie Burns. Apparently the idea behind the use of “nines” is figurative (pun!), with the number nine considered “ideal” as it is arrived at by multiplying three by three.

57. Pinup’s legs : GAMS
The American slang term “gams” is used for a woman’s legs, but the term goes back to the 18th century “gamb” meaning the leg of an animal on a coat of arms.

58. Internet connection inits. : DSL
DSL originally stood for Digital Subscriber Loop, but is now accepted to mean (Asymmetric) Digital Subscriber Line. DSL is the technology that allows Internet service be delivered down the same telephone line as voice service, by separating the two into different frequency signals.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Five lines on sheet music : STAFF
6. Wrestling pads : MATS
10. Mull (over) : CHEW
14. Cuddlier, say : CUTER
15. Tennis’s Arthur ___ Stadium : ASHE
16. Georgetown athlete : HOYA
17. Concur : AGREE
18. Whiz (by) : ZOOM
19. 14-time All-Star Rodriguez : ALEX
20. Get a midnight snack, say : RAID THE FRIDGE
23. No-nos : TABOOS
24. Fighting ___, Notre Dame athletes : IRISH
27. N.Y.C.’s ___ of the Americas : AVE
28. Find a subtext of : READ INTO
31. Spree : BINGE
34. Former House leader Gingrich : NEWT
35. Yuletide song : NOEL
36. It might be inflated or bruised : EGO
37. Leave by horseback, as into the sunset : RIDE OFF
40. He calls Homer his “neighborino” : NED
41. Jazz’s Fitzgerald : ELLA
43. Poe’s “The ___ of Amontillado” : CASK
44. Wolfish looks : LEERS
46. Tour de France conveyance : ROAD BIKE
48. Candied vegetable at Thanksgiving : YAM
49. Skater Henie : SONJA
50. Compassionate : HUMANE
53. Unpleasant shock : RUDE AWAKENING
58. Components of S-M-T-W-T-F-S : DAYS
60. Mutants of Marvel Comics : X-MEN
61. “A Fish Called ___” : WANDA
62. Hit with a rolled-up newspaper, maybe : SWAT
63. Flamingo’s color : PINK
64. Mr. T’s TV group, with “the” : A-TEAM
65. Camera part : LENS
66. Gambler’s numbers : ODDS
67. Pauses on sheet music : RESTS

Down
1. Reminder of an injury : SCAR
2. Pull on : TUG AT
3. Two of the heart’s chambers : ATRIA
4. Item strapped over a horse’s head : FEEDBAG
5. Worry about : FRET OVER
6. Labyrinths : MAZES
7. Starting on : AS OF
8. Norse thunder god : THOR
9. Big rig : SEMI
10. Embarrassment : CHAGRIN
11. Ace on the links : HOLE IN ONE
12. Ogle : EYE
13. Candle’s composition : WAX
21. Garden tool : HOE
22. Performed : DID
25. Have the helm : STEER
26. Waits on the phone : HOLDS
28. Witherspoon of 2012’s “Mud” : REESE
29. Furry inhabitant of the forest moon of Endor : EWOK
30. Govt. bureau concerned with bootlegging : ATF
31. Coors and Corona : BEERS
32. Domed home : IGLOO
33. All-time career record-holder for strikeouts : NOLAN RYAN
34. Fargo’s home: Abbr. : N DAK
38. Here, to Henri : ICI
39. Nasty online argument : FLAME WAR
42. Alters : ADJUSTS
45. Spring (from) : EMANATE
47. Naughty : BAD
48. Big laugh : YUK!
50. Tom of “Forrest Gump” : HANKS
51. Dressed to the ___ : NINES
52. Last until : END AT
54. World’s fair : EXPO
55. Surrounded by : AMID
56. Go, as one’s way : WEND
57. Pinup’s legs : GAMS
58. Internet connection inits. : DSL
59. Bowl over : AWE

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