Day: March 22, 2016

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
10. Cash caches, briefly ATMS
ATM (Automatic Teller Machine)

14. “Garfield” drooler ODIE
Odie is Garfield’s best friend and is a slobbery beagle, a character in Jim Davis’s comic strip named “Garfield”.

15. Artoo-___ DETOO
Artoo’s proper name is R2-D2. R2-D2 is the smaller of the two famous droids from the “Star Wars” movies. British actor Kenny Baker, who stands just 3 ft 8 ins tall, has been the man inside the R2-D2 droid for all six of the “Star Wars” movies.

17. ___ Raton, Fla. BOCA
The name of the city of Boca Raton in Florida translates from Spanish as “Mouse Mouth”. There doesn’t seem to be a definitive etymology of the name but one plausible explanation is a nautical one. “Boca”, as well as meaning “mouth” can mean “inlet”. “Ratón”, as well as meaning “mouse” was also used to describe rocks that chewed away at a ship’s anchor cable. So possibly Boca Raton was named for a rocky inlet.

19. Once-popular roadside chain, familiarly HOJO
The Howard Johnson (sometimes “HoJo”) chain of hotels and restaurants was the largest restaurant chain in the US in the sixties and seventies. There are only two HoJo restaurants left now. One is in Bangor, Maine and the other is in Lake Placid, New York. I just realized that I’ve been in both those restaurants …

24. Manhattan neighborhood next to SoHo TRIBECA
TriBeCa is a clever little acronym that expands into “TRI-angle BE-low CA-nal Street”. The name was developed by local residents who basically copied the naming technique used by residents of the neighboring area of SoHo, which is short for “SO-uth of HO-uston Street”.

26. ___ bear KOALA
The koala bear really does look like a little bear, but it’s not even closely related. The koala is an arboreal marsupial and a herbivore, native to the east and south coasts of Australia. Koalas aren’t primates, and are one of the few mammals other than primates who have fingerprints. In fact, it can be very difficult to tell human fingerprints from koala fingerprints, even under an electron microscope. Male koalas are called “bucks”, females are “does”, and young koalas are “joeys”. I’m a little jealous of the koala, as it sleeps up to 20 hours a day …

30. Maxim magazine’s intended audience MEN
“Maxim” is an international men’s magazine featuring revealing photo spreads (non-nude in the US) of female celebrities and models.

31. Arouse, as curiosity PIQUE
The words “whet” and “pique” can both be used in the sense of sharpening or awaking one’s interest or desire.

40. Walmart competitor TARGET
Target Corporation was founded by George Draper Dayton in 1902 in Minneapolis, Minnesota as Dayton Dry Goods Company. Dayton developed into a department store, and the company opened up a discount store chain in 1962, calling it Target. Today Target is the second-largest discount retailer in the country, after Walmart.

Walmart (previously “Wal-Mart”) takes in more revenue than any other publicly traded company in the world. Over in my homeland, Walmart operates under the name Asda. Walmart’s worldwide headquarters are in Bentonville, Arkansas, the home of Sam Walton’s original Five and Dime. You can actually go into the original store, as it is now the Walmart Visitor Center.

42. Fiji competitor DASANI
Dasani is a Coca-Cola brand of bottled water. Dasani is filtered tap water with some trace minerals added.

Fiji Water, as you might guess, is a brand of water from the Fiji Islands. I just think that bottling water and sending it around the world is absolutely insane …

44. Where scrubs are worn, for short ORS
Operating room (OR)

45. “Mazel ___!” TOV
“Tov” is the Hebrew word for “good”, as in “mozel tov”, meaning “good luck”.

48. Bosox great Carl, familiarly YAZ
Yaz is the nickname for Carl Yastrzemski, who played his whole career with the Boston Red Sox.

52. Pet lovers’ org. SPCA
Unlike in most developed countries, there is no “umbrella” organization in the US with the goal of preventing cruelty to animals. Instead there are independent organizations set up all over the nation using the name SPCA. Having said that, there is an organization called the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) that was originally intended to operate across the country, but really it now focuses its efforts in New York City.

55. Precollege exams PSATS
Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT)

56. Car radio button AM/FM
The radio spectrum is divided into bands based on frequency. “High band” is composed of relatively high frequency values, and “low band” is composed of frequencies that are relatively low. FM radio falls into the band called Very High Frequency, or VHF. Television signals use frequencies even higher than VHF, frequencies in the Ultra High Frequency band (UHF). AM radio uses lower frequencies that fall into the relatively low bands of Low, Medium and High Frequency (LF, MF, and HF).

62. Commercial ending with Water -PIK
Waterpik is a brand name of oral irrigator, a device that uses a stream of water to remove food debris and dental plaque from the teeth. There are claims made that water irrigators are more effective than dental floss.

63. Botanist’s specialty FLORA
The fauna is the animal life of a particular region, and the flora is that region’s plant life. The term “fauna” comes from the Roman goddess of earth and fertility who was called Fauna. Flora was the Roman goddess of plants, flowers and fertility.

69. Sister fast-food chain of Carl’s Jr. HARDEE’S
Hardee’s a chain of fast-food restaurants that was founded in 1960. The first restaurant was opened in Greenville, North Carolina by Wilber Hardee. Hardee’s is now owned by CKE Restaurants, which also owns the Carl’s Jr. chain.

70. Browning’s “How Do I Love Thee?” and others SONNETS

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints,—I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!—and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Elizabeth Barrett was a very popular poet in England in the mid-1800s. The successful poet and playwright Robert Browning was an admirer of her work, and wrote to her saying so. The two met, and began a famous courtship that led to a secret marriage that they had to hide from Elizabeth’s father.

Down
1. Common clown name BOBO
Bobo the Clown was the stage name of Chester Barnett who worked the circus circuit from the 1920s to the 1970s. Barnett gave himself the nickname “Bobo” when he was a child, using it for a persona that he adopted when he ran around the house wearing a paper bag on this head, with two holes cut to allow him to see.

3. Sheet rock? MICA
Mica is a mineral, a sheet silicate. Thin sheets of mica are transparent and are used in place of glass in certain applications. This form of mica is called isinglass, and as it has a better thermal performance than glass it is a great choice for “peepholes’ in boilers and lanterns. Mica is also used in the electronics industry, making use of its unique electrical and thermal insulating properties.

4. Rosary part BEAD
The Rosary is a set of prayer beads used in the Roman Catholic tradition. The name “Rosary” comes from the Latin “rosarium”, the word for a “rose garden” or a “garland of roses”. The term is used figuratively, in the sense of a “garden of prayers”.

5. Puff ___ ADDER
There are several species of venomous snakes that are referred to as puff adders. The so-called common puff adder is more correctly called the Bitis arietans. The most widespread snake in Africa, the common puff adder is responsible for more snakebite fatalities on the continent than any other snake.

7. Org. shifted to the Dept. of Justice in 2003 ATF
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is today part of the Department of Justice (DOJ). 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 (DOJ) as part of the reorganization called for in the Homeland Security Act of 2002.

9. Sudoku solver’s need LOGIC
Number puzzles similar to our modern-day Sudoku first appeared in French newspapers in the late 1800s. The format that we use today was created by Howard Garns, a 74-year-old freelance puzzle constructor from Connersville, Indiana and first published in 1979. The format was introduced in Japan in 1984 and given the title of “Sūji wa dokushin ni kagiru”, which translates to “the digits are limited to one occurrence”. The rather elaborate Japanese title was eventually shortened to Sudoku. No doubt many of you are fans of Sudoku puzzles. I know I am …

11. SpongeBob or Scooby-Doo TOON
SpongeBob SquarePants is a cartoon character in a Nickelodeon television series. Spongebob first appeared in 1999, and he “lives in a pineapple under the sea”. The character was created by marine biologist, cartoonist and animator Stephen Hillenburg.

“Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” is a series of cartoons produced for Hanna-Barbera Productions, first broadcast in 1969. The title character is a great Dane dog owned by a young male called Shaggy Rogers. The character’s name was inspired by the famous “doo-be-doo-be-doo” refrain in the Frank Sinatra hit “Strangers in the Night”. Shaggy was voiced by famed disk jockey Casey Kasem.

12. Self-confidence, slangily MOJO
The word “mojo”, meaning magical charm or magnetism, is probably of Creole origin.

13. Hershey toffee bar SKOR
Skor is a candy bar produced by Hershey’s. “Skor” is Swedish for “shoes”, and the candy bar’s wrapping features a crown that is identical to that found in the Swedish national emblem. Skor is sold in Canada as Rutnam.

23. Easy mark SAP
“Sap” is slang for a fool, someone easily scammed. The term arose in the early 1800s in Britain when it was used in “saphead” and “sapskull”. All these words derive from “sapwood”, which is the soft wood found in tree trunks between the bark and the heartwood at the center.

25. Title rat of a 1972 film BEN
“Ben” is a horror film released in 1972, about a young boy and his pet rat called Ben. “Ben” is a sequel to an equally horrific film called “Willard”, that was released the prior year and was also about a rat. The theme song to “Ben” was recorded by Michael Jackson and was a big hit for him.

26. Bruce Lee’s role in TV’s “The Green Hornet” KATO
In “The Green Hornet” television series, Kato was famously played by Bruce Lee. The Kato role has been cited as a driving force behind the increase in popularity of martial arts in the US during the sixties.

Bruce Lee was born not far from here in San Francisco although he was raised in Hong Kong, returning to the US to attend college. Sadly, Bruce Lee died when he was only 32 years old, due to cerebral edema (a swelling of the brain) attributed to adverse reactions to the pain killing drug Equagesic.

27. Longtime Sudanese president ___ al-Bashir OMAR
In response to a 2003 rebellion in the Darfur region of Sudan, the Sudanese government embarked on a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the non-Arab population in the region. Hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths ensued, and eventually Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir was indicted for crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court. al Bashir is still in office.

32. Fingers, as a perp IDS
Perpetrator (perp.)

34. Bone below the elbow ULNA
The radius and ulna are bones in the forearm. If you hold the palm of your hand up in front of you, the radius is the bone on the “thumb-side” of the arm, and the ulna is the bone on the “pinkie-side”.

35. Part of QE2: Abbr. ELIZ
Cunard’s ocean liner the Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) was launched in 1967. The QE2 was taken out of service in 2008 and purchased by investment firm which is converting the vessel into a floating hotel that will be moored in Dubai.

38. Red-coated cheeses EDAMS
Edam cheese takes its name from the Dutch town of Edam in North Holland. The cheese is famous for its coating of red paraffin wax, a layer of protection that helps Edam travel well and prevents spoiling. You might occasionally come across an Edam cheese that is coated in black wax. The black color indicates that the underlying cheese has been aged for a minimum of 17 weeks.

41. D.D.E.’s charge in W.W. II ETO
General Dwight D. Eisenhower (DDE) was in command of the European Theater of Operations (ETO) during WWII.

46. Sunset prayer service VESPERS
Vespers is an evening prayer service in some Christian traditions. “Vesper” is the Latin for “evening”. Vespers is also known as “Evensong”.

47. New York’s ___ Glen State Park WATKINS
Watkins Glen State Park in New York State was opened in 1863 as a private tourist resort. The central attraction in the park is 400-foot gorge cut into rock by a stream known as Glen Creek. The resulting rapids and waterfalls are quite spectacular, I hear.

51. California’s ___ Sea SALTON
The Salton Sea is a lake lying directly on the San Andreas fault in Southern California. It is a rift lake, meaning that it formed as the result of ground subsiding along the fault line. The surface of the Salton Sea actually lies over 200 feet below sea level.

53. Big name in windows PELLA
Pella is a manufacturer of windows and door headquartered in Pella, Iowa, whence the company name.

57. Wavy-patterned fabric MOIRE
A moiré pattern is a phenomenon in physics, a so-called interference pattern. If you lay two sheets of mesh over each other for example, slightly offset, then what you see is a moiré pattern. “Moiré” is the French name for a textile that we know simply as “moire”. The rippled pattern of the textile resembles that of the interference pattern.

61. 3M product TAPE
The company that is now called 3M was founded as a mining venture in 1902, and used to be known as the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (hence the name “3M”).

63. Be a toady FAWN
The verb “to fawn” has a different etymology to the noun “fawn”. The Old English “faegnian” meant “to rejoice, be glad”. In particular, the Old English verb applied to a dog wagging its tail. From there “to fawn” came to mean “to court favor, to grovel”.

66. Workplace for some veterinarians ZOO
“Vet” is an abbreviation for “veterinarian”, a professional who treat animals for disease and injury. The word “veterinary” comes from the Latin “veterinae” meaning “working animals, beasts of burden”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Fail big-time BOMB
5. To any degree AT ALL
10. Cash caches, briefly ATMS
14. “Garfield” drooler ODIE
15. Artoo-___ DETOO
16. Pan handler COOK
17. ___ Raton, Fla. BOCA
18. Clear, in a way DEFOG
19. Once-popular roadside chain, familiarly HOJO
20. Losing some love handles, say ON A DIET
22. “Yes sir” overseas SI, SENOR
24. Manhattan neighborhood next to SoHo TRIBECA
26. ___ bear KOALA
30. Maxim magazine’s intended audience MEN
31. Arouse, as curiosity PIQUE
36. French female friend AMIE
37. The “common” sort is said to be not so common SENSE
39. Yawn-provoking DULL
40. Walmart competitor TARGET
42. Fiji competitor DASANI
44. Where scrubs are worn, for short ORS
45. “Mazel ___!” TOV
47. Floor coat WAX
48. Bosox great Carl, familiarly YAZ
49. They’re never away HOME GAMES
52. Pet lovers’ org. SPCA
55. Precollege exams PSATS
56. Car radio button AM/FM
60. Tiniest bit LEAST
62. Commercial ending with Water -PIK
63. Botanist’s specialty FLORA
64. One way of ordering things, like all the consonants in rows three, six and nine ALPHABETIZATION
67. Unexpected hit SLEEPER
68. Just as good NO WORSE
69. Sister fast-food chain of Carl’s Jr. HARDEE’S
70. Browning’s “How Do I Love Thee?” and others SONNETS

Down
1. Common clown name BOBO
2. Consume too much of, in brief OD ON
3. Sheet rock? MICA
4. Rosary part BEAD
5. Puff ___ ADDER
6. Golf reservation TEE TIME
7. Org. shifted to the Dept. of Justice in 2003 ATF
8. Eases LOOSENS
9. Sudoku solver’s need LOGIC
10. Arthritis symptom ACHE
11. SpongeBob or Scooby-Doo TOON
12. Self-confidence, slangily MOJO
13. Hershey toffee bar SKOR
21. “Give ___ rest!” IT A
23. Easy mark SAP
25. Title rat of a 1972 film BEN
26. Bruce Lee’s role in TV’s “The Green Hornet” KATO
27. Longtime Sudanese president ___ al-Bashir OMAR
28. Puts on TV AIRS
29. One of six for an insect LEG
32. Fingers, as a perp IDS
33. Where ships get loaded QUAY
34. Bone below the elbow ULNA
35. Part of QE2: Abbr. ELIZ
37. Defeat soundly STOMP
38. Red-coated cheeses EDAMS
41. D.D.E.’s charge in W.W. II ETO
43. Timber feller AXE
46. Sunset prayer service VESPERS
47. New York’s ___ Glen State Park WATKINS
49. Discussed, with “out” HASHED
50. Trot or canter GAIT
51. California’s ___ Sea SALTON
52. Cut drastically, as prices SLASH
53. Big name in windows PELLA
54. Lark CAPER
57. Wavy-patterned fabric MOIRE
58. Concern for a fall gardener FROST
59. Thick locks MANES
61. 3M product TAPE
63. Be a toady FAWN
65. Stinger BEE
66. Workplace for some veterinarians ZOO

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