Day: March 22, 2015

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
6. Brouhaha : FLAP
“Brouhaha”, meaning “ado, stir”, was a French word that back in the 1550s meant “the cry of the devil disguised as clergy” . Wow!

10. ___ it up : HAM
The word “ham”, describing a performer who overacts, is apparently a shortened form of “hamfatter” and dates back to the late 1800s. “Hamfatter” comes from a song in old minstrel shows called “The Ham-Fat Man”. It seems that a poorly performing actor was deemed to have the “acting” qualities of a minstrel made up in blackface.

13. Cliff Huxtable or Ward Cleaver : TV DAD
Cliff Huxtable is the Dad on “The Cosby Show”, and is played by Bill Cosby. Ward Cleaver is the Dad on “Leave it Beaver, and is played by Hugh Beaumont.

19. Parks staying put : ROSA
Rosa Parks was one of a few brave women in days gone by who refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white woman. It was the stand taken by Rosa Parks on December 1, 1955 that sparked the Montgomery, Alabama Bus Boycott. President Clinton presented Ms. Parks with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996. When she died in 2005, Rosa Parks became the first ever woman to have her body lie in honor in the US Capitol Rotunda.

20. One for war? : ACE
I think that the reference here is to the card game called “war”, in which the ace is the “one-card”.

21. Like the veal in osso buco : BRAISED
“Osso” is the Italian word for bone as in the name of the dish Osso Buco: braised veal shanks.

26. Pope during the rule of Emperor Constantine IV : ST LEO II
Pope Saint Leo II was leader of the Roman Catholic Church for less than a year before he died in 683 CE.

27. Ghetto blaster? : GAT
“Gat” is a slang term for a gun that is derived from the Gatling gun, the precursor to the modern machine gun. The Gatling gun was invented by Dr. Richard J. Gatling in 1861. Apparently he was inspired to invent it so that one man could do as much damage as a hundred, thereby reducing the size of armies and diminishing the suffering caused by war. Go figure …

28. Virgil epic : AENEID
“The Aeneid” is Virgil’s epic poem that tells of the journey of Aeneas, a Trojan who traveled to Italy to become the ancestor of all Romans. “The Aeneid” begins with the words “Arma virumque cano …”, which translates as “I sing of arms and of a man …”

30. Jazz band instrument : SAX
The saxophone was invented by Belgian Adolphe Sax. Sax developed lip cancer at one point in his life, and one has to wonder if his affliction was related to his saxophone playing (I am sure not!). I had the privilege of visiting Sax’s grave in the Cemetery of Montmartre in Paris a few years ago.

34. Whitesmith’s medium : TIN
A tinsmith is someone who works with tin. A tinsmith can also be called a whitesmith, as the metal tin is relatively light in color, with “whitesmith” being imitative of “blacksmith”.

40. Mole hunter : OWL
One of the more commonly known facts about my native Ireland is that there are no snakes in the country. A less known fact is that there are no moles either. There are plenty of snakes and moles in Britain, just a few miles away. Over a pint we tend to give the credit to Saint Patrick, but the last ice age is more likely the responsible party …

41. Retired runway model : SST
The most famous supersonic transport (SST) is the retired Concorde. Famously, the Concorde routinely broke the sound barrier, and cruised at about twice the speed of sound. Above Mach 2, frictional heat would cause the plane’s aluminum airframe to soften, so airspeed was limited.

44. Open to debate : MOOT
“To moot” is to bring up as a subject for discussion or debate. So, something that is moot is open to debate. Something that is no longer moot, is no longer worth debating.

45. 2007 film featuring Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello and Michelangelo : TMNT
“TNMT” is a 2007 animated film that is also known as “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV”, as it is the fourth film in the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” franchise.

The “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” started out as a parody of comic book superheroes, first appearing in a self-published comic book in 1984. A couple of years later the characters were picked up by someone who built a whole line toys around the characters, and then television and movies followed. Do you remember the names of all four of the Turtles? Their names were all taken from Renaissance artists:

– Leonardo
– Raphael
– Michelangelo
– Donatello

46. Country singer Tucker : TANYA
Country singer Tanya Tucker’s first hit was “Delta Dawn” in 1972, which she recorded at only 13 years of age.

50. Final Four org. : NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) dates back to the Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. When his son broke his nose playing football at Harvard, President Roosevelt turned his attention to the number of serious injuries and even deaths occurring in college sports. He instigated meetings between the major educational institutions leading to the formation of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS) in 1906, which was given the remit of regulating college sports. The IAAUS became the NCAA in 1910.

72. Authority over sheriffs in England : EARL
In the ranking of nobles, an earl comes above a viscount and below a marquess. The rank of earl is used in the British peerage system and is equivalent to the rank of count in other countries. Other British ranks have female forms (e.g. marquess and marchioness, viscount and viscountess), but there isn’t a female word for the rank of earl. A female given the same rank as an earl is known simply as a countess.

73. Down Under marsupial : TASMANIAN DEVIL
The carnivorous marsupial known as the Tasmanian devil is aptly named, in the sense that the only place the animal is found in the wild is on the island of Tasmania. The “little devils” are about the size of a small dog, and they have the strongest bite for their size of any known mammal.

75. Grp. that meets in Albany : NY SENATE
New York’s state capital of Albany was founded as a Dutch trading post called Fort Nassau in 1614. The English took over the settlement in 1664 and called it Albany, naming it after the future King of England James II, whose title at the time was the Duke of Albany.

80. Secretly adds to emails : BCCS
A blind carbon copy (bcc) is a copy of a document or message that is sent to someone without other recipients of the message knowing about that extra copy.

81. “Tearin’ Up My Heart” group : ‘N SYNC
‘N Sync was a boy band from Orlando, Florida that was formed in 1995. The name of the group came from a comment by the mother of band member Justin Timberlake, who said the boys voices sounded “in sync”. But, it’s also true that the letters of the name ‘N Sync are the last letters of the given names of the five band members:

– Justin Timberlake
– Chris Kirkpatrick
– Joey Fatone
– Lance “Lansten” Bass
– JC Chasez

83. Feats of Keats : ODES
The poet John Keats is famous for writing a whole series of beautiful odes. The most renowned are the so-called “1819 Odes”, a collection from the year 1819 that includes famous poems such as “Ode on a Grecian Urn”, “Ode to a Nightingale” and “Ode to Psyche”.

85. Sitcom alien : MORK
“Mork & Mindy” was broadcast from 1978 to 1982. We were first introduced to Mork (played by Robin Williams) in a special episode of “Happy Days”. The particular episode in question has a bizarre storyline culminating in Fonzie and Mork having a thumb-to-finger duel. Eventually Richie wakes up in bed, and alien Mork was just part of a dream! Oh, and “Nanu Nanu” means both “hello” and “goodbye” back on the planet Ork. “I am Mork from Ork, Nanu Nanu”. Great stuff …

86. Something e-cigarettes lack : ASH
An electronic cigarette (also called “e-cigarette”) is a battery powered device that resembles a real cigarette. The e-cigarette vaporizes a solution that contains nicotine, forming a vapor that resembles smoke. The vapor is inhaled, delivering the nicotine into the body. The assumption is that an e-cigarette is healthier than a regular cigarette as the inhaled vapor is less harmful than inhaled smoke.

94. Two notes from a tuba : OOM-PAH
The tuba is the lowest pitched of all the brass instruments, and one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra (usually there is just one tuba included in an orchestral line-up). “Tuba” is the Latin word for “trumpet, horn”. Oom-pah-pah …

103. Model add-ons : DECALS
A decal is a decorative sticker, short for “decalcomania”. The term is derived from the French “décalquer”, the practice of tracing a pattern from paper onto glass or perhaps porcelain.

106. Boston skyscraper, with “the” : PRU
The Pru is the familiar name given to the Prudential Tower in Boston. It is currently the second highest building in the city, after the John Hancock Tower. However, if one includes the height of the radio tower on its roof, then it is the highest building in Boston. When it was completed in 1964, the Pru was the tallest building in the country outside of New York City.

114. Madeira Mrs. : SRA
Madeira is a Portuguese-owned archipelago that lies to the southwest of mainland Portugal. Madeira is famous for its wine, which is a fortified beverage (as is port, sherry and Marsala wine).

117. Stopping point : DEPOT
Our term “depot”, meaning a station or warehouse, derives from the word “dépôt”, French for “deposit” or “place of deposit”.

119. Richard of “Shall We Dance?” : GERE
“Shall We Dance?” is a 2004 film starring Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon as a married couple, with Jennifer Lopez playing a competitive ballroom dancer. The film is a remake of a Japanese film of the same name that was released in 1996.

120. Old-fashioned fraternity activity : PANTY RAID
The first college prank labelled as a “panty raid” apparently took place in 1948 at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois.

Down
1. Targets of some cryosurgery : WARTS
Cryosurgery is the use of very cold temperatures to destroy diseased tissue.

2. Facilities overseen by the C.D.C. : BIO LABS
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is based in Atlanta, Georgia. The CDC started out life during WWII as the Office of National Defense Malaria Control Activities. The CDC worries about much more than malaria these days …

4. Playroom block : LEGO
Lego is manufactured by Lego Group, a privately held company headquartered in Billund, Denmark. The company was founded by a carpenter called Ole Kirk Christiansen in 1934 and the now-famous plastic interlocking blocks were introduced in 1949. The blocks were originally sold under the name “Automatic Binding Bricks” but I think “Lego” is easier to remember! The name “Lego” comes from the Danish term “leg godt” meaning “play well”.

6. Turkey Day follower: Abbr. : FRI
Thanksgiving Day was observed on different dates in different states for many years, until Abraham Lincoln fixed the date for the whole country in 1863. Lincoln’s presidential proclamation set that date as the last Thursday in November. In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday to the fourth Thursday in November, arguing that the earlier date would give the economy a much-needed boost.

7. Hi-fi sound? : LONG I
In the word “hi-fi”, there is a long I in “hi” and in “fi”.

8. With suspicion : ASKANCE
To look askance is to look with suspicion, or to look with a side glance.

14. Morrison who sang “Brown Eyed Girl” : VAN
Van Morrison is a singer-songwriter from Belfast in Northern Ireland. Back in Ireland we refer to him as “Van the Man”. Some of his more famous songs are “Brown Eyed Girl”, “Moondance”, “Gloria” and “Have I Told You Lately”.

33. Nina who sang “I Put a Spell on You” : SIMONE
Nina Simone was the stage name of Eunice Waymon. Simone was very much associated with jazz music, although she really wanted to be a classical musician early in her career, inspired by a love for the music of Bach.

48. Eagles or Ravens : NFL TEAM
The Philadelphia Eagles were established in 1933 and joined the National Football League as a replacement for the bankrupt Frankford Yellow Jackets, also from Philadelphia. The “Eagle” name was inspired by the Blue Eagle insignia that was used by companies who were in compliance with the National Industrial Recovery Act that was central to President Roosevelt’s New Deal Program.

The Baltimore football team’s name “the Ravens” has a literary derivation. Baltimore was the home of the writer Edgar Allen Poe, and so the team took its moniker from his most famous poem, “The Raven”. The name was selected in a fan contest.

50. Bellini opera : NORMA
“Norma” is an opera written by Vincenzo Bellini, first performed in 1831. One aria from the work is “Casta diva”, which is one of the most popular arias of the 1800s.

52. “Grand” mountain : TETON
Grand Teton National Park is located just south of Yellowstone NP, and a must-see if you are visiting the latter. The park is named after the tallest peak in the magnificent Teton Range known as Grand Teton. The origins of the name “Teton” is not very clear, although my favorite story is that it was named by French trappers, as the word “tetons” in French means “breasts”!

54. Some risqué communiqués : SEXTS
“Sexting” (a portmanteau of “sex” and “texting”) is the sending of explicit dialog and images between cell phones. The term “sexting” was first coined by the UK’s “Sunday Telegraph Magazine” in a 2005 article. Apparently the practice is “rampant” among teens and young adults. Whatever happened to dinner and a movie …?

56. Many pages are written in it : HTML
HTML is HyperText Markup Language, the language used to write most Internet web pages (including this one).

58. Captain America portrayer Chris : EVANS
“Captain America: The First Avenger” is a superhero film released in 2011 based on the Marvel Comics character. Chris Evans appears in the title role. This one is set in WWII, so I might take a look one day …

59. “Duck Dynasty” network : A AND E
“Duck Dynasty” is a reality television show on the A&E cable channel. The show is centered on the Robertson family from Monroe, Louisiana who made a lot of money selling products to duck hunters. Phil Robertson was in the news a while back for views he expressed on homeosexuality and other subjects in an interview with “GQ” magazine.

60. Source of bile : LIVER
The human gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ that mainly helps with the digestion of fat. The gallbladder stores and concentrates bile, which is made in the liver. The bile is released from the gallbladder when fat enters the digestive tract. The bile acts as a surfactant, emulsifying the fat in food so that it can be more easily digested.

68. There might be one on a car : LIEN
A lien is the right that one has to retain or secure someone’s property until a debt is paid.

71. Capital that’s the seat of Lewis and Clark County : HELENA
Helena is the capital of the state of Montana, and is known as the Queen City of the Rockies. Helena’s main street has a very colorful name, namely Last Chance Gulch.

74. Music-licensing grp. : ASCAP
ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) collects licence fees for musicians and distributes royalties to composers whose works have been performed. BMI (Broadcast Music Incorporated) provides the same service.

76. “God’s Son” rapper : NAS
Rapper Nas used to go by another stage name, Nasty Nas, and before that by his real name, Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones. Nas released his first album “Illmatic” in 1994, and inventively titled his fifth studio album “Stillmatic”, released in 2001. Not my cup of tea, I would say …

88. Travel as a group, in a way : CARAVAN
“Caravan” derives from the Persian “karwan”, a word for a group of desert travelers. Over in the British Isles, “caravan” is the name we give to travel trailers.

89. Liberals : THE LEFT
The concept of left-right politics started in France during the French Revolution. When members of France’s National Assembly convened in 1789, supporters of the King sat to the President’s right, and supporters of the revolution to the President’s left. The political term’s “left” and “right” were then coined in the local media and have been used ever since.

93. Peke or Pom : LAPDOG
The pekingese breed originated in China, as one might suspect from the name. Breeding practices have resulted in the the dog having many health problems, including breathing issues related to the “desirable” flat face. Standards have been changed in recent years, demanding an “evident muzzle” in an attempt to breed healthier dogs.

The Pomeranian is a breed of small dog, named for the Pomerania region of Europe (part of eastern Germany and northern Poland). The breed was much loved by the royalty of Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the 19th century, Queen Victoria owned a particularly small Pomeranian. Due to the notoriety of the monarch’s pet, the Pomeranian was bred for small size, so that during the Queen’s admittedly long reign, the size of the average “pom” was reduced by 50% …

95. Many Manets : OILS
Édouard Manet was a French painter whose works are mainly classified as Realist. Manet was friends with Impressionists masters like Edgar Degas, Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir and greatly influenced the Impressionist movement. The list of Manet’s marvelous paintings includes “Le Déjeuner sur l’Herbe”, “Le Repose” and “A Bar at the Folies-Bergère”.

104. One seeking money for a meter? : POET
The meter of a poem is its rhythmic structure.

105. Vial liquids : SERA
Blood serum is the clear, yellowish part of blood i.e. that part which is neither a blood cell or a clotting factor. Included in blood serum are antibodies, the proteins that are central to our immune system. Blood serum from animals that have immunity to some disease can be transferred to another individual, hence providing that second individual with some level of immunity. Blood serum used to pass on immunity can be called “antiserum”.

108. Martin’s wife on the 1990s sitcom “Martin” : GINA
“Martin” is a sitcom that first aired from 1992 to 1997. The show stars Martin Lawrence, who plays a disk jockey called Martin Payne.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Seat at a hoedown : STRAW BALE
6. Brouhaha : FLAP
10. ___ it up : HAM
13. Cliff Huxtable or Ward Cleaver : TV DAD
18. Like some muscles and baby food : STRAINED
19. Parks staying put : ROSA
20. One for war? : ACE
21. Like the veal in osso buco : BRAISED
22. They can knock out lightweights : STRONG DRINKS
24. Sleep (with) : SHARE ONE’S BED
26. Pope during the rule of Emperor Constantine IV : ST LEO II
27. Ghetto blaster? : GAT
28. Virgil epic : AENEID
29. Slapped on, as paint : DAUBED
30. Jazz band instrument : SAX
31. Quality that’s a bit unsettling : EDGINESS
34. Whitesmith’s medium : TIN
35. Watched some online videos : YOUTUBED
36. Like sweat and some moccasins : BEADED
38. With 91-Across, super-antsy … or like 24 Across answers in this puzzle? : CLIMBING
40. Mole hunter : OWL
41. Retired runway model : SST
42. “Right you ___!” : ARE
44. Open to debate : MOOT
45. 2007 film featuring Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello and Michelangelo : TMNT
46. Country singer Tucker : TANYA
49. Slow : POKY
50. Final Four org. : NCAA
52. “I must remember this for later …” : NOTE TO SELF
55. Ring : PHONE
57. Dinner that was prepared hours ago, say : COLD MEAL
61. Opposite of totally : NOT EVEN A LITTLE
63. Drill (into) : BORE
64. Prove useful : AVAIL
65. Nice thing about purchases in Delaware and Oregon : NO TAX
66. Plays a ukulele : STRUMS
67. Moose or mouse : MAMMAL
69. One getting hammered : ANVIL
70. Part of two state names : NORTH
72. Authority over sheriffs in England : EARL
73. Down Under marsupial : TASMANIAN DEVIL
75. Grp. that meets in Albany : NY SENATE
77. Perv, e.g. : SICKO
78. It’s not so bad : LESSER EVIL
79. Flimsy : LAME
80. Secretly adds to emails : BCCS
81. “Tearin’ Up My Heart” group : ‘N SYNC
83. Feats of Keats : ODES
85. Sitcom alien : MORK
86. Something e-cigarettes lack : ASH
87. Seem : ACT
90. Coffee container : URN
91. See 38-Across : THE WALLS
94. Two notes from a tuba : OOMPAH
97. Cupful before sleep, maybe : DECAF TEA
98. Bungler : OAF
99. Popular dessert in Georgia : PEACH PIE
101. It’s at one end of a rainbow : RED
103. Model add-ons : DECALS
104. Spiff up : POLISH
106. Boston skyscraper, with “the” : PRU
107. Driver’s license, but not a credit card, e.g. : LEGAL ID
109. Chart for weighing options : DECISION TREE
111. Food processor? : DIGESTIVE AID
113. Strips bare : DENUDES
114. Madeira Mrs. : SRA
115. “You must ___” (order to an earthling) : OBEY
116. Brave : UNAFRAID
117. Stopping point : DEPOT
118. Water source : TAP
119. Richard of “Shall We Dance?” : GERE
120. Old-fashioned fraternity activity : PANTY RAID

Down
1. Targets of some cryosurgery : WARTS
2. Facilities overseen by the C.D.C. : BIO LABS
3. Adds : ANNEXES
4. Playroom block : LEGO
5. Swirled : EDDIED
6. Turkey Day follower: Abbr. : FRI
7. Hi-fi sound? : LONG I
8. With suspicion : ASKANCE
9. Lavender or lilac : PASTEL
10. Lights up : HAS A SMOKE
11. Flu symptom : ACHE
12. Wasn’t joking : MEANT IT
13. Tromped (on) : TROD
14. Morrison who sang “Brown Eyed Girl” : VAN
15. Subside : DIE DOWN
16. ___ rifle : ASSAULT
17. It’s a first : DEBUT
21. Entity : BEING
23. Rag on : RIDE
25. Pull (in) : REIN
32. Aussie “Mornin’!” : G’DAY
33. Nina who sang “I Put a Spell on You” : SIMONE
35. Kind of joke : YO MAMA
37. When brunch might be served : AT TEN
39. “Whew!” : BOY
43. Pure bliss : RAPTURE
45. Pinch : TAD
47. “It’s sad but true …” : ALAS
48. Eagles or Ravens : NFL TEAM
49. Capitol insiders : POLS
50. Bellini opera : NORMA
51. Without a hitch : CLEANLY
52. “Grand” mountain : TETON
53. Source of eggs : OVARY
54. Some risqué communiqués : SEXTS
56. Many pages are written in it : HTML
57. Campus dining area : COMMONS
58. Captain America portrayer Chris : EVANS
59. “Duck Dynasty” network : A AND E
60. Source of bile : LIVER
62. Steamed : IRATE
63. Luxuriate : BASK
67. Apple Store display : MACS
68. There might be one on a car : LIEN
71. Capital that’s the seat of Lewis and Clark County : HELENA
73. Amuse : TICKLE
74. Music-licensing grp. : ASCAP
76. “God’s Son” rapper : NAS
77. Lot of junk : SCRAP HEAP
80. Show of respect : BOW
82. Cutting class? : SHOP
83. Sketch : OUTLINE
84. Get all decked out : DRESS UP
85. Selfish, as an attitude : ME FIRST
86. Credit (to) : ASCRIBE
88. Travel as a group, in a way : CARAVAN
89. Liberals : THE LEFT
91. Saturday morning fare, informally : TOONS
92. “That’s close enough!” : HALT
93. Peke or Pom : LAPDOG
95. Many Manets : OILS
96. Get together : MEET UP
97. Encountered : FACED
100. More epic : HUGER
102. Book before bedtime, maybe : DIARY
104. One seeking money for a meter? : POET
105. Vial liquids : SERA
108. Martin’s wife on the 1990s sitcom “Martin” : GINA
110. “What’ll ___?” : I DO
112. Closely monitor : EYE

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