Day: August 9, 2016

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Computers that are un-PC : MACS
The iMac is a desktop computer platform from Apple introduced in 1998. One of the main features of the iMac is an “all-in-one” design, with the computer console and monitor integrated. The iMac also came in a range of colors, that Apple marketed as “flavors”, such strawberry, blueberry and lime.

The original IBM Personal Computer is model number 5150, which was introduced to the world on August 12, 1981. The term “personal computer” was already in use, but the success of the IBM 5150 led to the term “PC” being used for all computer products compatible with the IBM platform.

5. With 9-Across, an auto ad slogan : ZOOM (Zoom-Zoom)
“Zoom-zoom” is a catchphrase used by the automaker Mazda. Mazda is based in the Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. The ballpark where the Hiroshima baseball team play was for many years known as the MAZDA Zoom-Zoom Stadium.

13. Workplace protection agcy. : OSHA
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was created in 1970 during the Nixon administration. OSHA regulates workplaces in the private sector and regulates just one government agency, namely the US Postal Service.

14. “My Heart Can’t Take ___ More” (1963 Supremes song) : IT NO
The Supremes were the most successful vocal group in US history, based on number-one hits. The group started out in 1959 as a four-member lineup called the Primettes. The name was changed to the Supremes in 1961. One member dropped out in 1962, leaving the Supremes as a trio. Lead singer Diana Ross began to garner much of the attention, which eventually led to a further name change, to Diana Ross & the Supremes.

15. Two cents, so to speak : INPUT
“To put in one’s two cents” is to add one’s opinion. The American expression derives from the older English version, which is “to put in one’s two pennies’ worth”.

17. “Pay me later” marker : CHIT
A chit is a note or a short letter. The term tends to be used these days in the sense of an amount owed (as in a poker game). The word used to be “chitty”, which is now obsolete but was closer to the original Hindi term. I feel a tad obsolete myself because when we are at school we would be excused class if we had a “chitty”.

19. Salon jobs, for short : PERMS
“Perm” is the name given to a permanent wave, a chemical or thermal treatment of hair to produce waves or curls. I don’t worry about such things, as it’s a number-one all over for me …

20. Casino game that looks like a thou in reverse : KENO
“Keno” looks like “one K” in reverse.

The name “Keno” has French or Latin roots, with the French “quine” being a term for five winning numbers, and the Latin “quini” meaning “five each”. The game originated in China and was introduced into the West by Chinese immigrants who were working on the first Transcontinental Railroad in the 1800s.

23. Lawyer’s org. : ABA
The American Bar Association (ABA)

24. With 26-Across, 1982 Al Pacino film : AUTHOR (“Author! Author!”)
“Author! Author!” is a pseudo-biographical 1982 film written by Israel Horovitz. The story is centered on a Broadway playwright trying to get a new play produced, while dealing with drama in his private life. I enjoyed this one …

Al Pacino seems to be best known for playing characters on either side of the law. His big break in movies came when he played Michael Corleone in “The Godfather”, a role that grew for him as the series of films progressed. But his Oscar winning role was that of a blind ex-military officer in “Scent of a Woman”.

26. With 24-Across, 1962 P. G. Wodehouse book : AUTHOR (“Author! Author!”)
English author P. G. Wodehouse wrote a nonfiction book comprising a series of letters that he wrote to an old schoolfriend. Titled “Performing Flea” in its original form when published in the UK in 1953, the book was reworked and retitled “Author! Author!” for publication in the US in 1962.

28. Bonkers : BATTY
The expression “bats in the belfry” meaning “mad, crazy” conjures up images of bats flying around Gothic bell towers, but actually it’s a relatively recent addition to our vernacular. The term is American in origin, and dates back only to the early 1900s. The concept is that someone who is “crazy”, with wild ideas flying around his or her head, can be described as having bats (wild ideas) flying around the belfry (head). The terms “bats” and “batty” originated at the same time, and are clearly derivative.

30. Horsefeathers : TRIPE
“Tripe” is an informal term meaning “rubbish, of little value”. Tripe is actually the rubbery lining of say a cow, which in the UK is traditionally eaten with onions.

The term “horsefeathers” is probably a euphemism for a similar word that’s a little more rude. The term is said to have been coined by cartoonist Billy DeBeck in 1928. DeBeck’s most famous strip is called “Barney Google”.

32. Spanish treasure : ORO
“Oro” is Spanish for “gold”.

33. Ottoman bigwigs : PASHAS
A “pasha” was a high-ranking official in the Ottoman Empire, roughly equivalent to the English rank of “lord”.

40. With 42-Across, Frank Sinatra signature song : NEW YORK (“New York, New York”)
The classic Frank Sinatra hit “New York, New York” is actually the theme song from the 1977 Martin Scorsese film of the same name. Liza Minnelli performed the song for the movie.

These little town blues
Are melting away
I’ll make a brand new start of it
In old New York

42. With 40-Across, where Broadway is : NEW YORK (New York, New York)
The city of New Amsterdam was taken over by the English from the Dutch in 1664. the city was promptly renamed to “New York” in honor of the Duke of York, who was destined to become King James II of England.

44. Hamlet or Ophelia : DANE
The full title of William Shakespeare’s play that we tend to call “Hamlet” is “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”. It is the most performed of all Shakespeare’s plays and it is also his longest, the only one of his works comprising over 4,000 lines. That’s about a 4-hour sitting in a theater …

In William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, Ophelia is courted by Hamlet, the man himself. Ophelia is the daughter of nobleman Polonius. She dies …

48. They turn litmus paper red : ACIDS
Litmus is a mixture of naturally-occurring dyes that responds to acidity by changing color. Litmus was probably first used around 1300 by the Spanish alchemist Arnaldus de Villa Nova, who extracted the blue dye from lichens. One suggestion is that the term “litmus” comes from the Old Norse “litmose” meaning “lichen for dyeing”.

50. Monk’s superior : ABBOT
Our word “abbot” ultimately derives from the Aramaic word “abba”, an honorific title extended to one’s father.

52. With 55-Across, town crier’s cry : HEAR YE (Hear ye! Hear ye!)
Town criers make public announcements on the streets, usually shouting “Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!” to attract attention. The term “oyez” derives from the Anglo-Norman word for “listen” and is used in this instance to me “Hear ye!”

55. With 52-Across, Aaron Copland ballet : HEAR YE (“Hear Ye! Hear Ye!”)
Aaron Copland composed music for four ballets in all:

“Hear Ye! Hear Ye!” (1934)
“Billy the Kid” (1938)
“Rodeo” (1942)
“Appalachian Spring” (1944)

Aaron Copland was the most American of all classical composers, I think. Perhaps his most famous work is the “Fanfare for the Common Man”, written in 1942 and a piece intended to be uplifting in the gloomy years leading up to WWII. This piece is recognized not just for performances of the original, but also for the progressive rock version that was recorded by Emerson, Lake & Palmer in 1977.

61. ___ A Sketch : ETCH
Etch A Sketch was introduced in 1960. The toy was developed in France by inventor André Cassagnes.

64. Samuel on the Supreme Court : 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.

66. Cross inscription : INRI
The letters written on the cross on which Jesus died were “INRI”. INRI is an initialism for the Latin “Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum”, which translates into English as “Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews”.

67. Final Four grp. : NCAA
In the NCAA Division I Basketball Championship, the teams remaining at various stages of the tournament are known as:

The “Sweet Sixteen” (the regional semi-finalists)
The “Elite Eight” (the regional finalists)
The “Final Four” (the national semi-finalists)

68. River near the Vatican : TIBER
The Tiber is the principal river in Italy in that it runs through the capital of Rome. It is also the third longest river in the country.

Vatican City is a sovereign city-state that is walled off within the city of Rome. Vatican City is about 110 acres in area, and so is the smallest independent state in the world. With about 800 residents, it is also the smallest state in terms of population. Although the Holy See dates back to early Christianity, Vatican City only came into being in 1929. At that time, Prime Minister Benito Mussolini signed a treaty with the Holy See on behalf of the Kingdom of Italy that established the city-state.

69. British prep school : ETON
The world-famous Eton College is just a brisk walk from Windsor Castle, which itself is just outside London. Eton is noted for producing many British leaders including David Cameron who took power in the last UK general election. The list of Old Etonians also includes Princes William and Harry, the Duke of Wellington, George Orwell, and the creator of James Bond, Ian Fleming (as well as 007 himself as described in the Fleming novels).

70. Resistance units : OHMS
The unit of electrical resistance is the ohm (with the symbol omega) named after German physicist Georg Simon Ohm. Ohm was the guy who established experimentally that the amount of current flowing through a circuit is directly proportional to the voltage applied, (V=IR) a relationship that every schoolkid knows as Ohm’s Law.

71. With 72-Across, noted maximum security prison : SING (Sing Sing)
Sing Sing is the nickname of the famous prison in Ossining, not far from New York City and “up the river” Hudson.

72. With 71- and 72-Across, classic Louis Prima tune : SING (“Sing, Sing, Sing”)
“Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)” is a 1936 song composed by Louis Prima. Most famously, “Sing, Sing, Sing” was recorded as an instrumental by Benny Goodman, in 1937.

Down
2. Tennis legend Arthur : ASHE
Arthur Ashe was a professional tennis player from Richmond, Virginia. In his youth, Ashe found himself having to travel great distances to play against Caucasian opponents due to the segregation that still existed in his home state. He was rewarded for his dedication by being selected for the 1963 US Davis Cup team, the first African American player to be so honored. Ashe continued to run into trouble because of his ethnicity though, and in 1968 was denied entry into South Africa to play in the South African Open. In 1979 Ashe suffered a heart attack and had bypass surgery, with follow-up surgery four years later during which he contracted HIV from blood transfusions. Ashe passed away in 1993 due to complications from AIDS. Shortly afterwards, Ashe was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton.

3. Neighborhood south of SoHo : CHINATOWN
Manhattan’s Chinatown is bordered by Grand Street in the north, Broadway in the west, Chrystie Street in the east and East Broadway in the south.

The Manhattan neighborhood known today as SoHo was very fashionable in the early 1900s, but as the well-heeled started to move uptown the area became very run down and poorly maintained. Noted for the number of fires that erupted in derelict buildings, SoHo earned the nickname “Hell’s Hundred Acres”. The area was then zoned for manufacturing and became home to many sweatshops. In the mid-1900s artists started to move into open loft spaces and renovating old buildings as the lofts were ideal locations in which an artist could both live and work. In 1968, artists and others organized themselves so that they could legalize their residential use of an area zoned for manufacturing. The group they formed took its name from the name given to the area by the city’s Planning Commission i.e “South of Houston”. This was shortened from So-uth of Ho-uston to SoHo as in the SoHo Artists Association, and the name stuck.

5. Bubkes : ZILCH
We use the term “zilch” to mean “nothing”. Our current usage evolved in the sixties, before which the term was used to describe “meaningless speech”. There was a comic character called Mr. Zilch in the 1930s in “Ballyhoo” magazine. Mr. Zilch’s name probably came from the American college slang “Joe Zilch” that was used in the early 1900s for “an insignificant person”.

“Bupkis” (also “bubkes”) is a word that means “absolutely nothing, nothing of value”, and is of Yiddish origin.

6. County in Colorado or New Mexico : OTERO
Otero County, New Mexico is home to a large part of the White Sands National Monument.

Otero County, Colorado was named for Miguel Antonio Otero, a founder of the county seat La Junta.

7. “… ___ as it is in heaven” : ON EARTH
“… on earth as it is in heaven” are words from “The Lord’s Prayer”.

The Lord’s Prayer is a central prayer in Christian religions, and is found in two places in the New Testament. In the version in the Gospel of Matthew, the last line of the prayer is “deliver us from evil”. In the Gospel of Luke, the last line is “lead us not into temptation”. The last words of the prayer as it most often said today are:

For thine is the kingdom,
The power, and the glory,
For ever and ever,
Amen

8. Daybreak, to Donne : MORN
John Donne is one of England’s most celebrated poets, working at the start of the 17th century. He spent much of his life in poverty and even spent a short time in prison for having married his wife without procuring the appropriate permissions. After his release, his wife bore him 12 children in 16 years, passing away a few days after the twelfth child was born.

9. Closes, as a fly : ZIPS UP
The term “fly” is used to describe the flap covering the buttons or zipper in the front of a pair of pants. Before “fly” was used for pants, it was the name given to a tent flap.

10. Ironically, the last song in “A Chorus Line” : ONE
“One” is “one” of the big numbers in the hit musical “A Chorus Line”.

One singular sensation
Every little step she takes
One thrilling combination
Every move that she makes
One smile and suddenly nobody else will do
You know you’ll never be lonely with you know who

“A Chorus Line” is a phenomenal hit musical first staged in 1975, with music by Marvin Hamlisch and lyrics by Edward Kleban. The original Broadway production ran for well over 6,000 performances, making it the longest running production in Broadway history up to that time, a record held for over 20 years (until “Cats” came along).

11. She’s got her OWN network : OPRAH
Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN)

12. ___ jumbo : MUMBO
“Mumbo jumbo” means big and empty talk, and is a term that we’ve been using since the late 1800s. Supposedly the term comes from a Mandingo word for an idol that was worshipped by some tribes in Africa.

16. Old Russian ruler : TSAR
The term czar (also tsar) is a Slavic word that was first used as a title by Simeon I of Bulgaria in 913 AD. “Czar” is derived from the word “Caesar”, which was synonymous with “emperor” at that time.

22. Old German ruler : KAISER
“Kaiser” is the German word for “emperor”. The term is usually applied to the Emperors of the German Empire or Deutsches Reich that started with Kaiser Wilhelm I in 1871 and ended with the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II after the Empire’s defeat in WWI.

27. Former New England Patriot Bruschi whose name is a bear to pronounce? : TEDY
Tedy Bruschi is a retired NFL linebacker who played his whole professional career with the New England Patriots. Off the field, Bruschi is quite the saxophonist, and has even played with the Boston Pops.

28. “GoldenEye” spy : BOND
“GoldenEye” was the first film in the “James Bond” series of movies to feature Pierce Brosnan as the lead. The title is a nod to the author of the “James Bond” novels, Ian Fleming. Fleming had worked for British Naval Intelligence during the war, and on Operation Goldeneye in particular. Fleming also used Goldeneye as the name for his estate in Jamaica.

35. Program listings, briefly : SKED
Something not yet on the schedule (sked) is to be advised (TBA).

39. “Saturday Night Live” sketch : SKIT
NBC first aired a form of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) in 1975 under the title “NBC’s Saturday Night”. The show was actually created to give Johnny Carson some time off from “The Tonight Show”. Back then “The Tonight Show” had a weekend episode, and Carson convinced NBC to pull the Saturday or Sunday recordings off the air and hold them for subsequent weeknights in which Carson needed a break. NBC turned to Lorne Michaels and asked him to put together a variety show to fill the vacant slot, and he came up with what we now call “Saturday Night Live”.

41. 687 days, on Mars : YEAR
Because Mars is a greater distance from the Sun, the Martian year is about two Earth years long.

46. She had a hit with “Foolish” : ASHANTI
Ashanti Douglas is an American R&B singer who uses just “Ashanti” as her stage name.

49. RoboCop, e.g. : CYBORG
“Cyborg” is an abbreviation for “cybernetic organism”, a being that is made up of both organic and synthetic parts.

“RoboCop” is a film that was released in 1987, starring Peter Weller in the title role. Weller wore a very impressive “robot” suit for the film, the most expensive item on the set, costing over a million dollars. Weller would lose three pounds a day in sweat alone as temperatures inside the suit went to over 100 degrees F.

52. You can pack it : HEAT
“Packing” and “packing heat” are underworld slang for “carrying a gun”.

53. ___ Island (immigrants’ site) : ELLIS
Ellis Island is an exclave of New York City that is geographically located within Jersey City, New Jersey. The name comes from a Samuel Ellis who owned the island around the time of the American Revolution. Ellis Island was the nation’s main immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954.

54. Excuse : ALIBI
“Alibi” is the Latin word for “elsewhere” as in, “I claim that I was ‘elsewhere’ when the crime was committed … I have an ‘alibi’”.

62. Skyping needs : CAMS
The main feature of the Skype application is that it allows voice communication to take place over the Internet (aka VoIP). Skype has other features such as video conferencing and instant messaging, but the application made its name from voice communication. Skype was founded by two Scandinavian entrepreneurs and the software necessary was developed by a team of engineers in Estonia. The development project was originally called “Sky peer-to-peer” so the first commercial name for the application was “Skyper”. This had to be shortened to “Skype” because the skyper.com domain name was already in use.

63. Dish made of leftovers : HASH
“Hash”, meaning a dish of beef and vegetables mashed together, is a very American term and one that really surprised me when I first came across it. “Hash” just seems like such an unappetizing item, but I soon found out how delicious it was. The name “hash” in this context comes from the French “hacher” meaning “to chop”. Back in the early 1900s the dish called “hashed browned potatoes” was developed, which quickly morphed into “hash browns”. From there the likes of corned beef hash was introduced.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Computers that are un-PC : MACS
5. With 9-Across, an auto ad slogan : ZOOM (Zoom-Zoom)
9. With 5-Across, quickly : ZOOM (zoom zoom)
13. Workplace protection agcy. : OSHA
14. “My Heart Can’t Take ___ More” (1963 Supremes song) : IT NO
15. Two cents, so to speak : INPUT
17. “Pay me later” marker : CHIT
18. Sly look : LEER
19. Salon jobs, for short : PERMS
20. Casino game that looks like a thou in reverse : KENO
21. Grouches : CRANKS
23. Lawyer’s org. : ABA
24. With 26-Across, 1982 Al Pacino film : AUTHOR (“Author! Author!”)
26. With 24-Across, 1962 P. G. Wodehouse book : AUTHOR (“Author! Author!”)
28. Bonkers : BATTY
30. Horsefeathers : TRIPE
32. Spanish treasure : ORO
33. Ottoman bigwigs : PASHAS
36. Colors, as Easter eggs : DYES
40. With 42-Across, Frank Sinatra signature song : NEW YORK (“New York, New York”)
42. With 40-Across, where Broadway is : NEW YORK (New York, New York)
44. Hamlet or Ophelia : DANE
45. Scanty, in London : MEAGRE
47. Prefix with lateral : UNI-
48. They turn litmus paper red : ACIDS
50. Monk’s superior : ABBOT
52. With 55-Across, town crier’s cry : HEAR YE (Hear ye! Hear ye!)
55. With 52-Across, Aaron Copland ballet : HEAR YE (“Hear Ye! Hear Ye!”)
58. Pipe fitting : ELL
59. Equivalent of C natural : B-SHARP
61. ___ A Sketch : ETCH
64. Samuel on the Supreme Court : ALITO
66. Cross inscription : INRI
67. Final Four grp. : NCAA
68. River near the Vatican : TIBER
69. British prep school : ETON
70. Resistance units : OHMS
71. With 72-Across, noted maximum security prison : SING (Sing Sing)
72. With 71- and 72-Across, classic Louis Prima tune : SING (“Sing, Sing, Sing”)
73. “___ ME” (phrase written on dirty cars) : WASH

Down
1. Poke fun at : MOCK
2. Tennis legend Arthur : ASHE
3. Neighborhood south of SoHo : CHINATOWN
4. Skipped, as a dance : SAT OUT
5. Bubkes : ZILCH
6. County in Colorado or New Mexico : OTERO
7. “… ___ as it is in heaven” : ON EARTH
8. Daybreak, to Donne : MORN
9. Closes, as a fly : ZIPS UP
10. Ironically, the last song in “A Chorus Line” : ONE
11. She’s got her OWN network : OPRAH
12. ___ jumbo : MUMBO
16. Old Russian ruler : TSAR
22. Old German ruler : KAISER
25. Exmaple for example, for example : TYPO
27. Former New England Patriot Bruschi whose name is a bear to pronounce? : TEDY
28. “GoldenEye” spy : BOND
29. Vicinity : AREA
31. Called : RANG
34. What generals keep up their sleevies? : ARMIES
35. Program listings, briefly : SKED
37. “Damn right!” : YOU BETCHA!
38. “Um … sorry!” : ER … NO!
39. “Saturday Night Live” sketch : SKIT
41. 687 days, on Mars : YEAR
43. “I haven’t a thing to ___!” : WEAR
46. She had a hit with “Foolish” : ASHANTI
49. RoboCop, e.g. : CYBORG
51. “Toodles!” : BYE NOW!
52. You can pack it : HEAT
53. ___ Island (immigrants’ site) : ELLIS
54. Excuse : ALIBI
56. ___ the side of caution : ERR ON
57. Mimicking : APING
60. Hurries : HIES
62. Skyping needs : CAMS
63. Dish made of leftovers : HASH
65. Word after Big or top : TEN

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