Day: April 19, 2014

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
17. Harry Potter series part : THE GOBLET OF FIRE
“Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” is the fourth novel in the series of “Harry Potter” books by J, K. Rowling. “The Goblet of Fire” is the only Harry Potter group to have won a Hugo Award. The film based on the book was quite successful, grossing about $900 million!

19. One of a familiar septet : DWARF
In the original Brothers Grimm fairy tale called “Snow White”, the seven dwarfs were not given any names. The names were added for the 1937 classic Disney film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. The seven dwarfs are:

– Doc (the leader of the group)
– Grumpy (that would be me, according to my wife …)
– Happy
– Sleepy
– Bashful
– Sneezy
– Dopey

20. Rocks on the Rhein? : EIS
“Eis” is the German word for “ice”.

The river running through Europe that we know in English as the Rhine, is called “Rhein” in German, “Rhin” in French and “Rijn” in Dutch.

21. Gabriel García Márquez’s “Cien ___ de Soledad” : ANOS
“One Hundred Years of Solitude” (“Cien años de soledad” in Spanish) is a 1967 novel by Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez.

Gabriel García Márquez was a novelist from Colombia who was also known by the nickname “Gabo”. Gabo won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982.

22. Weapon in old hand-to-hand combat : DIRK
“Dirk” is the Scots word for dagger, and is the name given to a knife that is worn hanging from a belt in traditional dress that includes a kilt. The dagger worn in the sock isn’t a dirk (as is supposed by many) but rather is called a “sgian dubh”, “a black or hidden knife”.

23. Figures in “Teutonic Mythology” : ELVES
“Teutonic Mythology” (“Deutsche Mythologie” in German) is a treatise on Germanic mythology published in 1835. It was written by Jacob Grimm, one of the Brothers Grimm who published the collection called “Grimms’ Fairy Tales”.

The Brothers Grimm (Jacob and Wilhelm) were two German academics noted for collecting and publishing folk tales. Among the tales in their marvelous collection are “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, “Sleeping Beauty” and “Cinderella”.

25. “Vous êtes ___” : ICI
“Vous êtes ici” are important words to know when navigating your way around Paris. They mean “You are here”, and you’ll often see them on maps in the street.

26. Alaska’s ___ Fjords National Park : KENAI
The Kenai Peninsula juts out into the Gulf of Alaska from Alaska’s southern coast. The Kenai Peninsula is home to several towns, including Homer, Alaska. Homer is nicknamed “the end of the road” as it is a terminus for North America’s paved highway system. The peninsula is also home to Kenai Fjords National Park.

27. Candy pioneer H. B. ___ : REESE
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were invented by Harry Burnett “H.B.” Reese. Peanut Butter Cups were originally called penny cups, reflecting the price at which they were sold. Then inflation took over, and maybe that’s why they were broken into smaller “pieces” …

28. Abbr. in many a military title : RET
Retired (ret.)

31. Abbr. before a date : ESTD
Established (estd.)

32. Big Chicago-based franchiser : IGA
IGA stands for Independent Grocers Alliance, a chain of supermarkets that extends right around the world. IGA’s headquarters is in Chicago.

33. 1958-61 political alliance: Abbr. : UAR
The United Arab Republic (UAR) was a union between Egypt and Syria made in 1958 and dissolved in 1961 when Syria pulled out of the arrangement.

35. March on Washington grp. : SNCC
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was an organization that was very active in the Civil Rights Movement of the sixties. Apart from organizing protest events, the SNCC did a lot of work driving voter registration throughout the southern states.

38. Dirgelike : SOMBER
A “dirge” is a slow and mournful musical piece, like a funeral hymn.

48. And moreover : NAY
As in “this crossword was tricky, nay, really difficult”.

50. Goya figure : MAJA
Francisco Goya was a Spanish painter, often called the last of the Old Masters and the first of the moderns. Two of Goya’s most famous works are “The Nude Maja” and “The Clothed Maja”.

51. Part of a plowing harness : HAME
The part of a horse harness known as the horse collar is designed to spread the load when it is pulling something like a plow. The collar is reinforced with curved wooden or metal pieces called “hames”.

52. Problem for Poirot : CAS
“Cas” is French for “case”.

Hercule Poirot is Agatha Christie’s renowned detective, a wonderful Belgian who plies his trade from his base in London. Poirot’s most famous case is the “Murder on the Orient Express”.

55. Swiss city that borders France and Germany : BASEL
The city of Basel in Switzerland lies right where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, and so has suburbs that lie in both France and Germany.

Down
1. Either of two Holy Roman emperors : LOTHAIR
Lothair I was Holy Roman Emperor (HRE) from 823 to 855. Lothair III reigned over the HRE from 1133 to 1137. There was also a Lothair II, a son of Lothair I, but it was his brother Louis II who was made Holy Roman Emperor.

5. Some budget planners, for short : CFOS
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

6. Gambling inits. : OTB
Off-Track Betting (OTB) is the legal gambling that takes place on horse races outside of a race track. A betting parlor can be referred to as an OTB.

7. Putting one’s cards on the table, in a way : MELDING
“Melding” is a matching of cards that takes place in some card games, notably the rummy family.

9. Principal port of Syria : LATAKIA
Latakia is the fifth largest city in Syria, and the main port in the country.

12. Raiding grp. : 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.

13. Robin Hood and his Merry Men : THIEVES
Robin Hood is a figure from English folklore, celebrated in story and song. Some stories suggest that Robin Hood the outlaw was actually a real nobleman, the Earl of Huntington. Robin Hood’s famous companion was Maid Marian. Interestingly, the legend of Maid Marian (full name Lady Marian of Leaford) had been around for centuries before she became associated with Robin Hood starting in the 1700s.

22. “Portraits at the Stock Exchange” artist : DEGAS
Edgar Degas was a French artist, famous for his paintings and sculptures. Some of Degas’ most beautiful works feature female ballet dancers, and others depict women bathing.

30. ___ York : NUEVA
In Spanish, New York is called “Nueva York”.

32. Seattle’s Space Needle or St. Louis’s Gateway Arch : ICON
The famed Seattle landmark called the Space Needle was built for the 1962 World’s Fair. It stands at a height of 605 feet, and was once the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River.

The Gateway Arch in St. Louis is the tallest monument in the United States. It was designed by Eero Saarinenen, with the help of structural engineer Hannskarl Bandel. They did their design work back in 1947, but construction wasn’t started until 1963. In 1980, a daredevil took it upon himself to parachute onto the top of the arch intending to further jump from the apex of the arch and parachute to the ground. He hit the arch alright, and slid all the way down one of the arches to his death. No comment …

35. Greta of “The Red Violin” : SCACCHI
Greta Scacchi is an actress from Italy who now lives in Australia. Scacchi is popular on the European movie circuit as she is fluent in English, German , French and Italian.

“The Red Violin” is an interesting film released in 1998 that tells the story of a violin that passes through the hands of many owners over four centuries. The fictional violin was inspired by a real violin made by Antonio Stradivari called the 1721 Red Mendelssohn.

39. Seeps : OSMOSES
Osmosis is the movement of a solvent (often just water) across a semipermeable membrane. In the process of osmosis, the solvent tends to flow from an area of less concentration to an area of higher concentration. This sense of “absorbing” water effortlessly gives rise to the expression “learning by osmosis”.

40. Actress in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” : MIA SARA
The character Sloane Peterson in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” is played by the very beautiful actress Mia Sara. Sloane is the girlfriend of the title character.

“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” is one of my favorite movies of all time, and was written and directed by John Hughes and released in 1986. There are so many classic scenes in the film, including two wonderful musical interludes. The more sedate of these is vignette shot in the Art Institute of Chicago that is beautifully filmed. The more upbeat musical scene is a rendition of “Twist and Shout” during a Von Steuben Day parade.

43. Broadway hit with the song “I Wonder What the King Is Doing Tonight” : CAMELOT
“Camelot” is a Lerner and Loewe musical based on the legend of King Arthur. The show was first shown on Broadway in 1960 and ran for 873 performances. “Camelot” was made into a very successful film version that was released in 1967 starring Richard Harris as King Arthur.

46. Mezzo-soprano Regina : RESNIK
Regina Resnik was an operatic singer from the Bronx, New York. Resnik was a mezzo-soprano.

55. Inexpensive writing implements : BICS
Société Bic is a French company, based in Clichy in France. The first product the company produced, more than fifty years ago, was the Bic Cristal ballpoint pen that is still produced today. Bic also makes other disposable products such as lighters and razors.

58. Bad computer? : HAL
In Arthur C. Clarke’s “Space Odyssey” (famously adapted for the big screen as “2001: A Space Odyssey”) the computer system that went rogue was called HAL 9000, or simply “HAL”. HAL stands for Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Simpler : LESS COMPLICATED
16. Sequential : ONE AFTER ANOTHER
17. Harry Potter series part : THE GOBLET OF FIRE
18. Can’t take : HATES
19. One of a familiar septet : DWARF
20. Rocks on the Rhein? : EIS
21. Gabriel García Márquez’s “Cien ___ de Soledad” : ANOS
22. Weapon in old hand-to-hand combat : DIRK
23. Figures in “Teutonic Mythology” : ELVES
25. “Vous êtes ___” : ICI
26. Alaska’s ___ Fjords National Park : KENAI
27. Candy pioneer H. B. ___ : REESE
28. Abbr. in many a military title : RET
29. Small skillet : EGG PAN
31. Abbr. before a date : ESTD
32. Big Chicago-based franchiser : IGA
33. 1958-61 political alliance: Abbr. : UAR
35. March on Washington grp. : SNCC
38. Dirgelike : SOMBER
42. 20-Across in English : ICE
45. Blush : COLOR
47. Not a good person to entrust with secrets, informally : SIEVE
48. And moreover : NAY
49. Answer (for) : ATONE
50. Goya figure : MAJA
51. Part of a plowing harness : HAME
52. Problem for Poirot : CAS
53. Quickly imagine? : S’POSE
55. Swiss city that borders France and Germany : BASEL
56. Spotless : CLEAN AS A WHISTLE
59. Boos, e.g. : HOSTILE REACTION
60. “Different strokes for different folks” : IT TAKES ALL SORTS

Down
1. Either of two Holy Roman emperors : LOTHAIR
2. Better : ENHANCE
3. “Get cracking!” : SEE TO IT!
4. White-bearded types : SAGES
5. Some budget planners, for short : CFOS
6. Gambling inits. : OTB
7. Putting one’s cards on the table, in a way : MELDING
8. Package for sale, say : PREWRAP
9. Principal port of Syria : LATAKIA
10. “___ out?” : IN OR
11. Strongbox : COFFER
12. Raiding grp. : ATF
13. Robin Hood and his Merry Men : THIEVES
14. Otherworldly in the extreme : EERIEST
15. Decent : DRESSED
22. “Portraits at the Stock Exchange” artist : DEGAS
24. Look that’s not liked : LEER
26. ___ party : KEG
30. ___ York : NUEVA
32. Seattle’s Space Needle or St. Louis’s Gateway Arch : ICON
34. Something that often follows you : ARE
35. Greta of “The Red Violin” : SCACCHI
36. Hardly any : NOT A LOT
37. Immediate, as relatives : CLOSEST
39. Seeps : OSMOSES
40. Actress in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” : MIA SARA
41. Decorate fancily : BEJEWEL
42. Bothered : IN A STIR
43. Broadway hit with the song “I Wonder What the King Is Doing Tonight” : CAMELOT
44. Telescope part : EYE LENS
46. Mezzo-soprano Regina : RESNIK
51. Must : HAS TO
54. Blanched : PALE
55. Inexpensive writing implements : BICS
57. ___ price : AT A
58. Bad computer? : HAL

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