Day: April 26, 2014

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. “Friday the 13th” setting : CAMP
Can you believe that the “Friday the 13th” franchise of horror movies comprises twelve films (so far)? The bad guy in the series is Jason Voorhees, a boy who drowned at summer camp. “Friday the 13th” is an incredibly successful franchise, something that I just do not understand …

17. Tragically heartbroken figure of myth : DIDO
Dido was the founder of Carthage, and it’s first queen.

19. Noted nominee of 2005 : ALITO
Associate Justice Samuel Alito was nominated to the US Supreme Court by President George W. Bush. Alito is the second Italian-American to serve on the Supreme Court (Antonin Scalia was the first). Alito studied law at Yale and while in his final year he left the country for the first time in his life, heading to Italy to work on his thesis about the Italian legal system.

25. Stats. for new arrivals : WTS
I came into the world at 6 pounds 4 ounces, so my mother tells me. My guess is that I’ll leave it a little heavier …

33. Locale for the Zoot Suit Riots of ’43 : EAST LA
East Los Angeles (usually “East LA”) is the most populous “census-designated place” in California, home to over 125,000 people.

38. Team unifier : YOKE
A yoke is that wooden beam used between a pair of oxen so that they are forced to work together.

39. They created the Get Rid of Slimy Girls club : CALVIN AND HOBBES
The comic strip “Calvin and Hobbes” is still widely syndicated, but hasn’t been written since 1995. The cartoonist Bill Watterson named the character Calvin after John Calvin, the 16th century theologian. Hobbes was named for Thomas Hobbes a 17th century English political philosopher.

42. Brand with a “Wonderfilled” ad campaign : OREO
The Oreo was the best-selling cookie in the 20th century, and almost 500 billion of them have been sold since they were introduced in 1912 by Nabisco. In those early days the creme filling was made with pork fat, but today vegetable oils are used instead. If you take a bite out of an Oreo sold outside of America you might notice a difference from the homegrown cookie, as coconut oil is added in the overseas version to give a different taste.

44. Beginning of some tributes : A TOAST …
The tradition of “toasting” someone probably dates back to the reign of Charles II, when the practice was to drink a glass of wine to the health of a beautiful or favored woman. In those days, spiced toast was added to beverages to add flavor, so the use of the word “toast” was an indicator that the lady’s beauty would enhance the wine. Very charming, I must say …

47. Longtime rival of 42-Across : HYDROX
The Oreo cookie was first introduced in 1912. The Oreo was intended to be a competitor to the very similar Hydrox cookie which had debuted four years earlier. The Oreo won the resulting battle on the grocery store shelves …

49. Midwest terminal? : -ERN
“-ern” is a the suffix in the word “midwestern”.

51. Reality show documenting a two-week trade : WIFE SWAP
I must admit that I tend to be somewhat cynical when it comes to reality television. However, my guilty pleasure is the show “Wife Swap”. The producers do a great job picking couples for whom a “wife swap” will lead to a very entertaining, albeit voyeuristic, TV show. Apologies …

55. “A veil, rather than a mirror,” per Oscar Wilde : ART
If you didn’t know Oscar Wilde was Irish, you will when you see the name he was given at birth: Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde!

58. Line outside a gala : LIMOS
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 …

61. Reverse transcriptase is found in it : RETROVIRUS
The genes of most viruses are encoded in DNA. Retroviruses are different in that their genes are encoded in RNA, and so are sometimes called “RNA viruses”. The best-known retrovirus is HIV.

64. “To End ___” (1998 Richard Holbrooke best seller) : A WAR
Richard Holbrooke was the US diplomat who co-brokered the Dayton Peace Accords that brought peace to Bosnia in the mid-nineties. Famously, Holbrooke also took on the task of advising on Pakistan and Afghanistan for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Holbrooke died in 2010 after collapsing in the State Department. HIs last words, spoken to his doctor, were reportedly “You’ve got to end this war in Afghanistan”.

66. Barker in a basket : TOTO
Toto is Dorothy’s dog in the film “The Wizard of Oz”. Toto was played by a dog called Terry, but Terry’s name was soon changed to Toto in real life, due to the success of the film.

68. Cross state : SNIT
The exact etymology of “snit”, meaning “fit of temper”, isn’t really known. The term was first used in print in the play “Kiss the Boys Goodbye” by Clare Booth Luce, which dates back to the 1930s and is set in the American South.

Down
2. Europe’s City of Saints and Stones : AVILA
Avila is famous for the walled defenses around the old city, which date back to 1090. They were constructed out of brown granite, and are still in excellent repair. There are nine gateways and eighty-towers in all. Even the cathedral built between the 12th and 14th centuries is part of the city’s defenses, so it looks like an imposing fortress.

5. “Let ___ Run Wild” (B-side to “California Girls”) : HIM
“California Girls” was released in 1965 by the Beach Boys, and reached number three in the “Billboard” charts. Twenty years later David Lee Roth recorded a very successful cover version of the song, and it reached exactly the same spot in the charts, number three.

6. Physical feature of Herman on “The Simpsons” : ONE ARM
On the show “The Simpsons”, Herman Hermann is the proprietor of the store “Herman’s Military Antiques”. Herman is voiced by Harry Shearer, who tells us that he tries to imitate President George H. W. Bush when playing the character.

7. Home to Main Street, U.S.A. : WALT DISNEY WORLD
The Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Florida receives more visitors annually than any other theme park in the whole world. The Magic Kingdom alone received about 17½ million visitors in 2012, and that’s not including the visitors to Epcot, Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

8. The Hardy Boys and others : DUOS
“The Hardy Boys” series of detective stories for children and teens was created by Edward Stratemeyer. The Hardy Boys first appeared way back in 1927, but I lapped them up in the 1960s.

9. He called his critics “pusillanimous pussyfooters” : AGNEW
Spiro Agnew served as Vice-President under Richard Nixon, before becoming the only VP in American history to resign because of criminal charges (there was a bribery scandal). Agnew was also the first Greek-American to serve as US Vice-President as he was the son of a Greek immigrant who had shortened the family name from Anagnostopoulos.

10. With flexibility in tempo : RUBATO
“Tempo rubato” is a musical instruction encouraging the conductor or soloist to speed up and slow the tempo at his or her own discretion. Often singers and musicians vary the tempo anyway, giving the piece of music their own “imprint”.

11. Reagan-___ : ERA
Ronald Reagan started out his political career as a member of the Democratic Party, but switched to the Republicans in the early fifties. He served as Governor of California for eight years, and vied unsuccessfully for the nomination for US President on two occasions. He finally succeeded in 1980 and defeated President Jimmy Carter to become the 40th US President in 1981.

12. Harkness Tower locale : YALE
Harkness Tower is a structure on the Yale University campus in the New Haven, Connecticut. The tower is named for Charles William Harkness, who was the brother of Yale’s largest benefactor.

13. Pueblo cooker : OLLA
An olla is a traditional clay pot used for the making of stews. “Olla” was the Latin word used in Ancient Rome to describe a similar type of pot.

A pueblo is a Native American village, a term used in the American Southwest. The buildings in a pueblo are usually made of stone and adobe mud.

14. Red giant that disintegrated? : USSR
The former Soviet Union (USSR) was created in 1922, not long after the Russian Revolution of 1917 that overthrew the Tsar. Geographically, the new Soviet Union was roughly equivalent to the old Russian Empire, and was comprised of fifteen Soviet Socialist Republics (SSRs).

20. Round windows : OCULI
Oculus is the Latin word for “eye”, used in architecture for a circular window.

24. Brand named after some Iowa villages : AMANA
The Amana Corporation takes its name from the location of its original headquarters, in Middle Amana, Iowa.

“The Amana Colonies” is the collective name given to seven villages in east-central Iowa, namely Amana, East Amana, High Amana, Middle Amana, South Amana, West Amana and Homestead. All seven villages were founded by German immigrants who called themselves the Community of True Inspiration.

28. Rocker ___ Leo : TED
I have no idea who Ted Leo is quite frankly …

30. Sci-fi villain ___ Fett : BOBA
Boba Fett is one of the main bad guys in the “Star Wars” universe. Boba Fett appears in Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back” and in “Episode VI: Return of the Jedi”. A young version of Boba Fett also appears in “Episode II: Attack of the Clones”.

31. They may be made with koa wood, briefly : UKES
The ukulele originated in the 1800s and mimicked a small guitar brought to the Hawaiian Islands by Portuguese immigrants. The more pricey ukuleles are made from koa, a Hawiaian wood.

33. Elasticity studier’s subj. : ECON
Elasticity in the world of economics is a mathematical concept. An elastic variable is one that might be varied by changing something else. For example, in some markets one can lower the price of goods and thereby increase the volume of sales. Sometimes variables are inelastic. For example, sales volume might be described as inelastic if changing the price has no effect.

34. It’s canalized at Interlaken : AARE
The Aar (also called the “Aare” in German) is the longest river entirely in Switzerland. A famous spot along the Aar is the Reichenbach Falls in the center of the country, actually a series of waterfalls near the city of Meiringen. These falls are renowned in the world of literature as it was here that Sherlock Holmes fell to his supposed doom with his nemesis Professor Moriarty (in “The Adventure of the Final Problem”).

35. Boatload : SLEW
The terms “slew” and “raft” can be used to mean “large amount”.

40. Mann’s “Man!” : ACH!
The German exclamation “ach!” is usually translated into English as “oh!”

Thomas Mann was a German novelist whose most famous work is probably his novella “Death in Venice”, originally published in German in 1912 as “Der Tod in Venedig”. The story was famously adapted for the big screen in 1971, in a movie starring Dirk Bogarde.

41. Eagle of Delight’s tribe : OTOES
Eagle of Delight was one of the five wives of the Otoe Chief Saumonekusse. Also called Hayne Hudjihini, she traveled to Washington, D.C. with her husband to meet President James Monroe in 1822. On her travels she contracted measles, from which she died.
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46. Group with the 1963 hit “South Street,” with “the” : ORLONS
The Orlons are an R&B group that formed back in 1960, one that is still going strong today over fifty years later.

50. Moisturizer brand : NIVEA
Nivea is a brand name of skin-care products from Germany. The Latin word “nivea” means “snow-white”.

52. Cry accompanying a high-five : WE WON!
The celebratory gesture that we call a “high five” is said to have been invented by former baseball players Dusty Baker and Glenn Burke when they were both playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the later 1970s.

53. Treasured strings : AMATI
The first of the Amati family to make violins was Andrea Amati, who lived in the 14th century. He was succeeded by his sons, Antonio and Girolamo. In turn, they were succeeded by Girolamo’s son, Nicolo. Nicolo had a few students who achieved fame making musical instruments as well. One was his own son, Girolamo, and another was the famed Antonio Stradivari.

54. Politico caricatured by Carvey : PEROT
Henry Ross Perot graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1953, as president of his class. Ross Perot served his 4-year commitment but then resigned his commission, apparently having become somewhat disillusioned with the navy. He was ranked number 101 on the Forbes 400 List of Richest Americans in 2012, and at that time was worth about $3.5 billion.

Dana Carvey, along with the likes of Phil Hartman and Kevin Nealon, was part of the new breed of “Saturday Night Live” comedians credited with resurrecting the show in the late eighties. One of Carvey’s most popular characters was the Church Lady, and he became so associated with her that among fellow cast members Carvey was often referred to simply as “the Lady”. Carvey had open-heart surgery in 1997 to clear a blocked artery, but the surgical team operated on the wrong blood vessel. To recover, he had to have five more procedures. He ended up suing for medical malpractice and donated his $7.5 million compensation payment to charity.

55. Start of Egypt’s official name : ARAB
Egypt’s official name is the Arab Republic of Egypt.

56. ___ Belloq, villain in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” : RENE
Dr. René Belloq is the main “bad guy” in the movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. Belloq is a French character, but is played by English actor Paul Freeman.

57. Modern farewell letters : TTYL
Talk to you later (TTYL)

59. Air : MIEN
One’s “mien” is one’s bearing or manner. “Mien” shares the same etymological root as our word “demeanor”.

63. Title for knights on “Game of Thrones” : SER
HBO’s “Game of Thrones” is a fantasy television drama that was adapted from a series of novels by George R. R. Martin called “A Song of Ice and Fire”. “Game of Thrones” is actually made in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. “Friday the 13th” setting : CAMP
5. Cry accompanying a slap : HOW DARE YOU!
15. Green leader? : EVER-
16. Office addresses? : INAUGURALS
17. Tragically heartbroken figure of myth : DIDO
18. Some cocktail garnishes : MELON BALLS
19. Noted nominee of 2005 : ALITO
21. Stumped : AT SEA
22. Bit of audio equipment? : EAR
23. Controversial thing to play : RACE CARD
25. Stats. for new arrivals : WTS
27. Base’s opposite : SUMMIT
29. “That’s true – however …” : OK, BUT …
33. Locale for the Zoot Suit Riots of ’43 : EAST LA
36. Fashion clothes : SEW
38. Team unifier : YOKE
39. They created the Get Rid of Slimy Girls club : CALVIN AND HOBBES
42. Brand with a “Wonderfilled” ad campaign : OREO
43. Nail : ACE
44. Beginning of some tributes : A TOAST …
45. Just beginning : NEW TO
47. Longtime rival of 42-Across : HYDROX
49. Midwest terminal? : -ERN
51. Reality show documenting a two-week trade : WIFE SWAP
55. “A veil, rather than a mirror,” per Oscar Wilde : ART
58. Line outside a gala : LIMOS
60. Dreaded message on a returned 32-Down : SEE ME
61. Reverse transcriptase is found in it : RETROVIRUS
64. “To End ___” (1998 Richard Holbrooke best seller) : A WAR
65. Q&A query : ANYONE ELSE?
66. Barker in a basket : TOTO
67. One endlessly smoothing things over? : BELT SANDER
68. Cross state : SNIT

Down
1. Fencing material : CEDAR
2. Europe’s City of Saints and Stones : AVILA
3. Battlefield cry : MEDIC!
4. Abstention alternative : PROTEST VOTE
5. “Let ___ Run Wild” (B-side to “California Girls”) : HIM
6. Physical feature of Herman on “The Simpsons” : ONE ARM
7. Home to Main Street, U.S.A. : WALT DISNEY WORLD
8. The Hardy Boys and others : DUOS
9. He called his critics “pusillanimous pussyfooters” : AGNEW
10. With flexibility in tempo : RUBATO
11. Reagan-___ : ERA
12. Harkness Tower locale : YALE
13. Pueblo cooker : OLLA
14. Red giant that disintegrated? : USSR
20. Round windows : OCULI
24. Brand named after some Iowa villages : AMANA
26. High (and high-priced) options for spectators : SKYBOX SEATS
28. Rocker ___ Leo : TED
30. Sci-fi villain ___ Fett : BOBA
31. They may be made with koa wood, briefly : UKES
32. Course obstacle? : TEST
33. Elasticity studier’s subj. : ECON
34. It’s canalized at Interlaken : AARE
35. Boatload : SLEW
37. Boatload transfer point : WHARF
40. Mann’s “Man!” : ACH!
41. Eagle of Delight’s tribe : OTOES
46. Group with the 1963 hit “South Street,” with “the” : ORLONS
48. Obsolescence : DISUSE
50. Moisturizer brand : NIVEA
52. Cry accompanying a high-five : WE WON!
53. Treasured strings : AMATI
54. Politico caricatured by Carvey : PEROT
55. Start of Egypt’s official name : ARAB
56. ___ Belloq, villain in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” : RENE
57. Modern farewell letters : TTYL
59. Air : MIEN
62. Wood problem : ROT
63. Title for knights on “Game of Thrones” : SER

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