Day: October 27, 2014

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Topmost points ACMES
The “acme” is the highest point, coming from the Greek word “akme” which has the same meaning.

6. Tennis champ Kournikova ANNA
Not only is Anna Kournikova a world class tennis player, but she is also a model. She apparently has a lot of fans because her name is one of the most commonly searched for terms on Google’s search engine …

14. Target number to hit QUOTA
A “quota” is an allotment, a term originally used with reference to the number of soldiers of quantity of supplies required from a particular town or district.

15. Jetty PIER
A jetty is a pier that juts out into a body of water. “Jetty” derives from the French verb “jeter” meaning “to throw”, the idea being that a jetty is a structure that is “thrown” out past the edge of the land surrounding the body of water.

18. 1/640 of a square mile ACRE
At one time, an acre was defined as the amount of land a yoke of oxen could plow in a day. This was more precisely defined as a strip of land “one furrow long” (i.e. one furlong) and one furlong wide. The length of one furlong was equal to 10 chains, or 40 rods. A area of one furlong times 10 rods was one rood.

19. Banister, e.g. RAIL
By some accounts, a “banister” is a handrail of a stairway. By other accounts, the banister is actually the handrail and the supporting structures (called “newels”).

21. Eponymous star of a 1960s sitcom, the only American TV star with his three initials DICK VAN DYKE
The marvelous iconic comedian, actor, singer and dancer Dick Van Dyke has been in the world of entertainment since the 1940s when he was a radio announcer with the US military. He really made a name for himself on television in his iconic sitcom “The Dick Van Dyke Show”. On the big screen, Van Dyke’s most famous roles were in “Bye Bye Birdie” (1963), “Mary Poppins” (1964) and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” (1968).

24. Author Gay TALESE
Gay Talese is an American author, famous as a journalist in the sixties at “The New York Times”. His 1981 book “Thy Neighbor’s Wife” is a study of sexuality in America in the early fifties. Apparently, as research for the book, Talese had sexual relations with his own neighbor’s wife for several months at a sexuality resort in Southern California called Sandstone Retreat.

25. Desert rest stops OASES
The most famous oasis in the US is … Las Vegas, in the middle of the Mojave Desert.

29. Abel’s brother CAIN
In the story of Cain and Abel in the Book of Genesis, Cain murders his brother Abel. Subsequently, God asks Cain, “Where is Abel thy brother?” Cain replies, “I know not. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

31. “Top Chef” appliance OVEN
“Top Chef” is a reality television show on the Bravo channel. It’s basically a cooking competition.

32. ___ Corner (Westminster Abbey locale) POETS’
Poets’ Corner is an area in Westminster Abbey in London that earned its name from the high number of poets buried and commemorated there, as well as playwrights and authors. The first poet interred there was Geoffrey Chaucer. Also in Poets’ Corner are the remains of Edmund Spenser, Robert Browning, Charles Dickens, John Dryden, George Frideric Handel, Thomas Hardy, Samuel Johnson, Rudyard Kipling, Laurence Olivier and Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Wow!

34. Gasoline additive brand STP
STP is a brand name for automotive lubricants and additives. The name STP comes from “Scientifically Treated Petroleum”.

37. Long-running western anthology, the only American TV series with its three initials DEATH VALLEY DAYS
“Death Valley Days” is radio and television Western series. It ran on the radio from 1930 to 1945, and on TV from 1952 to 1970. There was some celebrated hosts of the show, including Ronald Reagan (1964-1965), Robert Taylor (1966-1969) and Dale Robertson (1969-1972). “Death Valley Days” was future President Ronald Reagan’s last gig as an actor.

44. Any “Salome” solo ARIA
Richard Strauss’s opera “Salome” was based on the play of the same name by Oscar Wilde. The opera created quite a fuss in its early performances due to its erotic “Dance of the Seven Veils”.

47. Gettysburg general George MEADE
George Meade was a career army officer with a depth of experience in civil and military operations even before the onset of the Civil War. During the war he rose to the level of commander of the Army of the Potomac, and is best remembered for leading the Union forces that defeated General Robert E. Lee at Gettysburg in 1863.

50. New Hampshire senator Shaheen JEANNE
Jeanne Shaheen is the senior US Senator for New Hampshire, and a member of the Democrat Party (D-NH). Shaheen served as the female Governor of New Hampshire, from 1997 to 2003. When she assumed office in the US Senate in 2009, she was the first female US Senator for New Hampshire. That made Shaheen the first woman to be elected both as a state governor and as a US senator.

53. TV hookup option … or what you are by solving this puzzle? DVD RECORDER
The abbreviation “DVD” doesn’t actually stand for anything these days, although it originally was short for Digital Video Disk. The use of the word “video” was dropped as DVDs are no longer limited to storing video content.

55. TV host Dobbs LOU
The journalist Lou Dobbs came to prominence as the anchor of the popular CNN business show “Lou Dobbs Tonight” which ran from 1980 to 2009. Apparently at one point, Dobbs was considering a run for the office of US President or a run for one of the US Senate seats for New Jersey.

59. River that starts at Pittsburgh OHIO
The state of Ohio takes its name from the Ohio River, and in turn river takes its name from the Iroquois “ohi-yo”, which translates as “large creek”.

60. Amherst school, in brief UMASS
The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass) is the largest public university in New England. UMass was founded back in 1863, although it took a while to get the school into service. Construction work was delayed and the college went through two presidents before William S. Clark took charge. He cracked the whip, completed the construction and enrolled the first students in the same year that he took over the reins, in 1867. As a result, although Clark was the third President of UMass, he is regarded by most as the school’s founding father.

63. Peeling potatoes in a mess hall, say ON KP
KP is a US military slang term, and stands for either “kitchen police” or “kitchen patrol”.

65. Maui or Kauai ISLE
Maui is the second largest of the Hawaiian Islands. Maui is sometimes called the “Valley Isle” as it is composed of two volcanoes to the northwest and southeast of the island, each with numerous beautiful valleys carved into them.

Because the Hawaiian island of Kauai is one of the wettest places on earth, all the rainfall has helped to carve out magnificent canyons and left superb waterfalls. The island is often used as a backdrop for movies.

66. Standardized H.S. exam PSAT
Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT)

67. Toys on strings YO-YOS
Would you believe that the first yo-yos date back to 500 BC? There is even an ancient Greek vase painting that shows a young man playing with a yo-yo. Centuries later Filipinos were using yo-yos as hunting tools in the 1500s. “Yo-yo” is a Tagalog (Filipino) word meaning “come-come” or simply “return”.

Down
2. Street’s edge CURB
“Curb” is another of those words that I had to learn when I came to the US. We park by the “kerb” on the other side of the Atlantic. Oh, and the “pavement”, that’s what we call the “footpath” (because the footpath is “paved”!). It’s very confusing when you arrive in this country from Ireland, and a little dangerous when one has been taught to “walk on the pavement” …

4. Pilot’s in-flight announcement, for short ETA
Estimated time of arrival (ETA)

8. Place for an axon NERVE CELL
A nerve cell is more correctly called a neuron, and the long nerve fiber that is part of a neuron is called the axon.

10. Amman’s land JORDAN
Amman is the capital city of Jordan, and is one of the oldest continuously-inhabited cities in the world. Amman has been occupied by a number of different civilizations over the centuries, including the Greeks who called the city Philadelphia, a name retained by the Romans when they occupied the city just after 100 AD.

32. Rival of Domino’s PAPA JOHN’S
Papa John’s is the third largest takeout and delivery pizza chain in the US, with Pizza Hut and Domino’s taking the top spots.

39. Sch. known as the West Point of the South VMI
The Virginia Military Institute is one of the six senior military colleges in the country, and is located in Lexington, Kentucky. The sports teams of VMI are known as the Keydets, southern slang for “cadets”.

48. Bob ___, restaurant chain EVANS
Bob Evans is a restaurant chain that started out in 1946 with a truck stop diner located near Bob Evans Farm in Rio Grande, Ohio.

49. Aleve alternative ADVIL
Advil is Wyeth’s brand of ibuprofen, an anti-inflammatory.

Aleve is an anti-inflammatory drug, Naproxen sodium.

51. Eleniak of “Baywatch” ERIKA
Erika Eleniak is a former Playboy Playmate from Glendale, California. After modeling, Eleniak turned to acting and is perhaps best known for playing Shauni McClain on the TV show “Baywatch”.

56. Norway’s capital OSLO
Oslo is the capital of Norway. The city of Oslo burns trash to fuel half of its buildings, including all of its schools. The problem faced by the city is that it doesn’t generate enough trash. So, Oslo imports trash from Sweden, England and Ireland, and is now looking to import some American trash too.

61. His portrait is at the entrance to Beijing’s Forbidden City MAO
Lhasa is the capital city of Tibet, and the name “Lhasa” translates as “place of the gods”. However, Lhasa used to be called Rasa, a name that translates into the less auspicious “goat’s place”. Lhasa was also once called the “Forbidden City” due to its inaccessible location high in the Himalayas and a traditional hostility exhibited by residents to outsiders. The “forbidden” nature of the city has been reinforced since the Chinese took over Tibet in the early 1950s as it has been difficult for foreigners to get permission to visit Lhasa.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Topmost points ACMES
6. Tennis champ Kournikova ANNA
10. Scribbles (down) JOTS
14. Target number to hit QUOTA
15. Jetty PIER
16. Southern vegetable that’s often deep-fried OKRA
17. Opposite of rural URBAN
18. 1/640 of a square mile ACRE
19. Banister, e.g. RAIL
20. Muscles that are crunched ABS
21. Eponymous star of a 1960s sitcom, the only American TV star with his three initials DICK VAN DYKE
24. Author Gay TALESE
25. Desert rest stops OASES
26. Subsequent prescription order REFILL
29. Abel’s brother CAIN
31. “Top Chef” appliance OVEN
32. ___ Corner (Westminster Abbey locale) POETS’
34. Gasoline additive brand STP
37. Long-running western anthology, the only American TV series with its three initials DEATH VALLEY DAYS
41. Make a misstep ERR
42. Urge to act IMPEL
43. Downloadable programs APPS
44. Any “Salome” solo ARIA
45. Very beginning OUTSET
47. Gettysburg general George MEADE
50. New Hampshire senator Shaheen JEANNE
53. TV hookup option … or what you are by solving this puzzle? DVD RECORDER
55. TV host Dobbs LOU
58. Chocolate ___ cake (dessert with a molten center) LAVA
59. River that starts at Pittsburgh OHIO
60. Amherst school, in brief UMASS
62. “What’s ___ for me?” IN IT
63. Peeling potatoes in a mess hall, say ON KP
64. Stew-serving utensil LADLE
65. Maui or Kauai ISLE
66. Standardized H.S. exam PSAT
67. Toys on strings YO-YOS

Down
1. Pastel blue AQUA
2. Street’s edge CURB
3. Angry crowds MOBS
4. Pilot’s in-flight announcement, for short ETA
5. Beach footwear SANDAL
6. Speedily APACE
7. Shaving mishaps NICKS
8. Place for an axon NERVE CELL
9. Field of expertise AREA
10. Amman’s land JORDAN
11. Approves OKAYS
12. Tot’s three-wheeler, informally TRIKE
13. They’re rung up on cash registers SALES
22. Sick ILL
23. Raucous NOISY
24. Slight coloration TINT
26. Went in a vehicle RODE
27. Ceaselessly EVER
28. Haunted house feeling FEAR
30. Corroded ATE
32. Rival of Domino’s PAPA JOHN’S
33. Hispanic hurray OLE
34. Drains, as one’s energy SAPS
35. Ilk TYPE
36. “Hey, I’ve got a secret …” PSST
38. New person on staff HIREE
39. Sch. known as the West Point of the South VMI
40. Social engagement DATE
44. Charge for a commercial AD RATE
45. Result of dividing any number by itself ONE
46. Hard to control UNRULY
47. 1552, on a cornerstone MDLII
48. Bob ___, restaurant chain EVANS
49. Aleve alternative ADVIL
51. Eleniak of “Baywatch” ERIKA
52. Get a pet from the pound, say ADOPT
54. Chicken house COOP
55. Lord’s partner LADY
56. Norway’s capital OSLO
57. Applications USES
61. His portrait is at the entrance to Beijing’s Forbidden City MAO

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