Day: September 4, 2014

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
6. Improper way to take the SAT IN PEN
Today the standardized test for admission to colleges is known as the SAT Reasoning Test, but it used to be called the Scholastic Aptitude Test and Scholastic Assessment Test, which led to the acronym SAT.

11. Not a very big invention FIB
To “fib” is to “to tell a lie”. The term likely comes from “fibble-fable” meaning “nonsense”, itself derived from “fable”.

15. Many a museum marble TORSO
“Torso” (plural “torsi” or “torsos”) is an Italian word meaning the “trunk of a statue”, a word that we imported into English.

17. Sherlock Holmes accessory REKLATSREED (DEERSTALKER flipped)
A deerstalker is a hat that is associated with hunting, and stalking deer in particular, hence the name. The deerstalker is also very much associated with Sherlock Holmes, and by extension with the stereotypical detective.

19. Hot ___ ROD
A “hot rod” is an American car that has been modified for speed by installing a larger than normal engine. A “street rod” is generally a more comfortable type of “hot rod”, with the emphasis less on the engine and more on custom paint jobs and interiors. By definition, a street rod must be based on an automobile design that originated prior to 1949.

21. Part of a Latin 101 conjugation AMAS
“Amo, amas, amat: … “I love, you love, he/she/it loves”, in Latin.

24. “The Raven” start ONCE
The first verse of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” is:

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore-
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door

“The Raven” is a narrative poem by Edgar Allen Poe that tells of a student who has lost the love of his life, Lenore. A raven enters the student’s bedchamber and perches on a bust of Pallas. The raven can talk, to the student’s surprise, but says nothing but the word “nevermore” (“quoth the raven, ‘Nevermore’”). As the student questions all aspects of his life, the raven taunts him with the same comment, “nevermore”. Finally the student decides that his soul is trapped beneath the raven’s shadow and shall be lifted “nevermore” …

31. Siesta shader ORERBMOS (SOMBRERO flipped)
In English we think of a sombrero as a wide-brimmed hat, but in Spanish “sombrero” is the word for any hat. “Sombrero” is derived from “sombra” meaning “shade”.

34. Thumb ___ A RIDE
Using an upward pointing thumb when hitchhiking is common in the US and the UK. However, the standard signal used by someone looking for a ride in Africa is a hand held still with the palm facing downwards.

35. Loki’s brother, in movies THOR
“The Avengers” is a 2012 movie that features a whole load of superheroes battling a supervillain called Loki. Loki is the brother of Thor, one of superhero team.

36. 2nd-yr. student SOPH
The term “sophomore” has been used for a student in the second year of university since the 1680’s. The original meaning of the word was “arguer”. The term has Greek roots, from two Greek words that have been artificially combined in English. The Greek “sophos” means “wise”, and “moros” means “foolish”.

42. The economist Adam Smith, for one SCOT
Adam Smith was a pioneer in the field of “political economy”, an original term used for the study of production and trade and their relationship with law, government and the distribution of wealth. Adam Smith’s great work is called “The Wealth of Nations”, published in 1776. The book was a big hit within his own lifetime and went a long way to earning him the reputation as the father of modern economics and capitalism. Smith coined the phrase “the invisible hand of the market”, describing his assertion that a marketplace tends to self-regulate.

47. Orthodox trademark EKLUMRAY (YARMULKE flipped)
A yarmulke is a skullcap worn in the Orthodox Jewish tradition, and is also known as a kippa or hech cap.

49. Sinatra cover ARODEF (FEDORA flipped)
A fedora is a lovely hat, I think. It is made of felt, and is similar to a trilby, but has a broader brim. “Fedora” was a play written for Sarah Bernhardt and first performed in 1889. Bernhardt had the title role of Princess Fedora, and on stage she wore a hat similar to a modern-day fedora. The play led to the women’s fashion accessory, the fedora hat, commonly worn by women into the beginning of the twentieth century. Men then started wearing fedoras, but only when women gave up the fashion …

Frank Sinatra was often seen wearing a fedora hat, and was known for sporting it at different angles to suit his mood and to convey different attitudes. He wore it pushed back on his head to appear more open and accessible, whereas tilting the hat over his eyes made him seem more mysterious and intimidating. The simple truth though, is that Sinatra started to wear the hat in the first place to hide his receding hairline.

50. Source of the headline “Study Finds Blame Now Fastest Human Reflex,” with “The” ONION
“The Onion” is a satirical news network, with a print newspaper and a heavy online presence. “The Onion” newspaper was founded by two college students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1988. The founders sold the operation a year later for about $20,000. The paper grew steadily until 1996 when it began to publish online and really took off. I think it’s worth a tad more than $20,000 today …

52. Strip locale, informally VEGAS
The Las Vegas Strip is a 4-mile section of Las Vegas Boulevard that is home to many hotels and casinos. Fifteen of the world’s twenty-five largest hotels are located on the Las Vegas Strip.

56. Kellogg’s brand since 1970 EGGO
Eggo is the brand name of a line of frozen waffles made by Kellogg’s. When they were introduced in the 1930s, the name “Eggo” was chosen to promote the “egginess” of the batter. “Eggo” replaced the original name chosen, which was “Froffles”, created by melding “frozen” and “waffles”.

60. Parlement assent OUI
“Oui” is “yes” in French, and “non” is “no”.

“Parlement” is the French word for “parliament”.

64. Subj. of the book “Many Unhappy Returns” IRS
“Many Unhappy Returns” is a 2005 book subtitled “One Man’s Quest to Turn Around the Most Unpopular Organization in America”. The book was written by Charles O. Rossotti, the commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service from 1997 to 2002. It actually sounds like a good read …

65. Small intestine section ILEUM
The human ileum is the lowest part of the small intestine, found below the jejunum and above the cecum of the large intestine.

66. Softly PIANO
The term “piano” on a musical score is direction to play “softly”.

Down
1. Lower-left keyboard key CTRL
The control key (Ctrl) is usually located at the bottom-left of PC’s keyboard.

2. Stead LIEU
As one might imagine, “in lieu” comes into English from the Old French word “lieu” meaning “place”, which in turn is derived from the Latin “locum”, also meaning “place”. So, “in lieu” means “in place of”.

3. Game with horns ELKS
The elk (also known as the wapiti) is the one of the largest species of deer in the world, with only the moose being bigger. Early European settlers were familiar with the smaller red deer back in their homelands, so when they saw the “huge” wapiti they assumed it was a moose, and incorrectly gave it the European name for a moose, namely “elk”. The more correct name for the beast is “wapiti”, which means “white rump” in Shawnee. It’s all very confusing …

5. Org. whose annual budget is classified NSA
The National Security Agency (NSA) budget is classified, but one estimate of its size for 2103 is $10.8 billion. The agency’s budget shrank by about a third from 1990 to 1995 as part of the “peace dividend” that followed the ending of the Cold War. However, spending at the NSA has doubled since the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001.

7. Dunn formerly of “S.N.L.” NORA
Nora Dunn is a comedian best known as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live”.

13. Part of a shampoo promise BODY
Back in the 1760s, the verb “to shampoo” was an Anglo-Indian word meaning “to massage”. A century later we started to shampoo our hair.

18. Dash dial TACH
The tachometer takes its name from the Greek word “tachos” meaning “speed”. A tachometer measures engine revolutions per minute (rpm).

23. Black-and-white alerts, briefly APBS
An All Points Bulletin (APB) is a broadcast from one US law enforcement agency to another.

27. Lover of Leander, in myth HERO
The Greek myth of Hero and Leander gave rise to a couple of operas (one by Giovanni Bottesini and another by Arrigo Boito) and a more famous cantata from George Frideric Handel, all called “Ero e Leandro”.

28. French cup TASSE
In French, a cup (“tasse”) may contain coffee with milk (café au lait).

29. ___ Aybar, 2014 All-Star shortstop on the Angels ERICK
Erick Aybar plays shortstop for the Anaheim Angels. Erick is the younger brother of Willy Aybar, who used to play for the Tampa Bay Rays.

30. Bartender MIXOLOGIST
A mixologist is someone who is well versed in the mixing of cocktails, said he reaching for the shaker …

40. Byron of “MythBusters” KARI
Kari Byron is the female member of the team that presents the TV show “Mythbusters”. It has been announced that Byron will be leaving the show in 2014, along with her compadres Grant Imahara and Tory Belleci.

“MythBusters” is an entertaining TV show in which hosts Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage test the validity of myths and famous movie scenes. Prior to the launch of “Mythbusters”, Hyneman and Savage had both developed careers in the world of special effects.

46. Corrals ROPES IN
“Corral” is the Spanish word for an enclosure for livestock, and is a word we’ve imported into English. Ultimately, the term comes from the Vulgar Latin “currale” meaning “enclosure for carts”, itself coming from “currus”, the Latin for “cart”.

49. Part of A.A.A.: Abbr. ASSN
The American Automobile Association (AAA) is a not-for-profit organization focused on lobbying, provision of automobile servicing, and selling of automobile insurance. The AAA was founded in 1902 in Chicago and published the first of its celebrated hotel guides back in 1917.

53. Mark’s successor EURO
One of the currencies replaced by the euro was Germany’s Deutsche Mark (known as the “Deutschmark” in English).

57. Big name in trash GLAD
Glad is a company making plastic products, especially food containers and trash bags. Glad was launched in 1963 to make Glad Wrap, a polyethylene wrap used to preserve food.

58. Pop singer Vannelli GINO
Gino Vannelli is a Canadian singer, from Montreal, Quebec. Today he is very popular in Holland, and divides his time between his homes in the US and the Netherlands.

62. Legal deg. LLB
Bachelor of Laws (LLB) is a an undergraduate degree in law. The abbreviation “LLB” stands for Legum (LL, for the plural “laws”) Baccalaureus (B, for Bachelor).

63. Evil org. in “The Simpsons Movie” EPA
“The Simpsons” television show spawned “The Simpsons Movie” in 2007. The film is all about the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) taking on Homer Simpson after he pollutes the local lake.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Sober CLEAN
6. Improper way to take the SAT IN PEN
11. Not a very big invention FIB
14. Cash holders TILLS
15. Many a museum marble TORSO
16. Stir ADO
17. Sherlock Holmes accessory REKLATSREED (DEERSTALKER flipped)
19. Hot ___ ROD
20. Intense hunger LUST
21. Part of a Latin 101 conjugation AMAS
22. Not to term EARLY
24. “The Raven” start ONCE
26. Mold, as clay SHAPE
28. Biker gear TEMLEH (HELMET flipped)
31. Siesta shader ORERBMOS (SOMBRERO flipped)
34. Thumb ___ A RIDE
35. Loki’s brother, in movies THOR
36. 2nd-yr. student SOPH
37. Volleyball team count SIX
38. Appointment holder DAYBOOK
41. Contend VIE
42. The economist Adam Smith, for one SCOT
44. Preprinted gift tag word FROM
45. Place for playing games ARENA
47. Orthodox trademark EKLUMRAY (YARMULKE flipped)
49. Sinatra cover ARODEF (FEDORA flipped)
50. Source of the headline “Study Finds Blame Now Fastest Human Reflex,” with “The” ONION
51. Take ___ (sample some) A SIP
52. Strip locale, informally VEGAS
54. “Aw, heck!” NUTS!
56. Kellogg’s brand since 1970 EGGO
60. Parlement assent OUI
61. Go crazy … or a hint on how to enter five answers in this puzzle FLIP ONE’S LID
64. Subj. of the book “Many Unhappy Returns” IRS
65. Small intestine section ILEUM
66. Softly PIANO
67. What’s the point? DOT
68. Recipe amts. TBSPS
69. Slashed conjunction AND/OR

Down
1. Lower-left keyboard key CTRL
2. Stead LIEU
3. Game with horns ELKS
4. In sum ALL TOLD
5. Org. whose annual budget is classified NSA
6. “Who’s there?” reply IT’S ME
7. Dunn formerly of “S.N.L.” NORA
8. Briefing site PRESS ROOM
9. Atlanta-to-Charleston dir. ESE
10. Partner’s refusal NO, DEAR
11. Very distant FAR REMOVED
12. Bedroom poster subject IDOL
13. Part of a shampoo promise BODY
18. Dash dial TACH
23. Black-and-white alerts, briefly APBS
25. Scholarship criterion, maybe NEED
27. Lover of Leander, in myth HERO
28. French cup TASSE
29. ___ Aybar, 2014 All-Star shortstop on the Angels ERICK
30. Bartender MIXOLOGIST
31. “This is exciting!” OH BOY!
32. Offer one’s two cents OPINE
33. Harvester’s bundle SHEAF
35. Oppressive regimes TYRANNIES
39. Big do AFRO
40. Byron of “MythBusters” KARI
43. ___ salad TUNA
46. Corrals ROPES IN
48. Outcast, often MISFIT
49. Part of A.A.A.: Abbr. ASSN
51. Small parts ATOMS
52. Like a redeemed coupon VOID
53. Mark’s successor EURO
55. “___ and away!” UP, UP
57. Big name in trash GLAD
58. Pop singer Vannelli GINO
59. Something found in the trash? ODOR
62. Legal deg. LLB
63. Evil org. in “The Simpsons Movie” EPA

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