Day: September 24, 2016

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
15. Capital of the French department of Loiret : ORLEANS
The French city of Orléans is located on the Loire River, about 70 miles south of Paris. Orléans was the site of a famous 1429 battle in which Joan of Arc led the forces that lifted a siege of the city during the Hundred Years’ War. The Louisiana city of New Orleans is named for Orléans.

16. Smokeless explosive : CORDITE
Cordite is an explosive powder that was developed as a replacement for gunpowder and is used for propelling bullets and artillery shells. Cordite was developed so that the finished product had plasticity, allowing it to be extruded into “cords”, hence the name.

17. Youngest-ever Nobel Prize recipient : MALALA YOUSAFZAI
“I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban” is a memoir co-written by Malala Yousafzai and British journalist Christina Lamb. The title tells the essence of her Malala’s story. She started a blog when she was 11 or 12, outlining her life in northwest Pakistan under occupation by the Taliban. As the Pakistani military regained control of the area, Malala’s story was told in a documentary and she was frequently giving interviews. One day a gunman came looking for her, and found her on her schoolbus. He shot Malala three times, with one bullet going into her forehead. She survived, and was taken to England to recuperate. She was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 at the age of 17, making her the youngest ever Nobel laureate.

19. Pennsylvania county named for an animal : ELK
Elk County in Pennsylvania was created in 1843. The county was named for the eastern elk that used to live in the area. Sadly, the subspecies is now extinct, with the last eastern elk being shot and killed in 1877.

21. Cab alternative : ZIN
Zinfandel is one of my favorite red wine varietals. It amazes me that the rich and heavy red Zinfandel comes from the same grape as does the sweet White Zinfandel.

The Cabernet Sauvignon grape has been around since the 17th century, and is the result of a chance crossing in southwestern France of the Cabernet franc and Sauvignon blanc grapes.

24. Missouri and Arizona : SHIPS
The USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor sits across the sunken hull of the battleship, the resting place of 1,102 out of 1,117 sailors of the Arizona who were killed during the 1941 attack. After the attack, the superstructure of the Arizona protruded above the surface of the water. This was removed during and after WWII, leaving just a submerged hull. The memorial itself was approved by President Eisenhower in 1958, and the building was opened in 1962. In 1999, the battleship USS Missouri was permanently moored in Pearl Harbor, docked nearby and perpendicular to the Arizona. It was on the Missouri that the Japanese surrendered, marking the end of WWII.

28. Mich. neighbor : ONT
The Canadian province of Ontario takes its name from the Great Lake. In turn, Lake Ontario’s name is thought to be derived from “Ontari:io”, a Huron word meaning “great lake”. Ontario is home to the nation’s capital of Ottawa as well as Toronto, Canada’s most populous city (and the capital of the province).

29. “Love Is Strange” actress : TOMEI
Marisa Tomei’s first screen role was in “As the World Turns”, but her break came with a recurring role in “The Cosby Show” spinoff called “A Different World”. Tomei won an Oscar for her delightful performance in “My Cousin Vinny” in 1992.

“Love Is Strange” is a 2014 drama film starring John Lithgow and Alfred Molina as a same-sex couple who get married after 39 years living together. The critics loved this film, and I am looking forward to seeing it …

34. Things discussed at une académie : IDEES
In French, “idées” (ideas) might be discussed as “une académie” (an academy).

36. Like safeties vis-à-vis field goals : RARER
That would be in football.

44. Science fiction author Stanislaw : LEM
Stanislaw Lem was a writer, mainly of science fiction, from Poland. Lem’s most famous work is the novel “Solaris”, which has been adapted into a film three times.

46. Indian-born maestro : MEHTA
Zubin Mehta is an Indian conductor of western classical music, from Mumbai. Mehta studied music in Vienna, where he made his conducting debut in 1958. In 1961 he was named assistant director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, creating a fuss with the music director designate of the orchestra, Georg Solti. Solti resigned as a protest, and Mehta took his job. In 1978 Mehta took over as Music Director and Principal Conductor of the New York Philharmonic, eventually becoming the longest holder of that position.

47. Spanish pronoun : ESAS
“Esas” is Spanish for “those”.

48. Head of an Indian tribe : TOTEM
“Totem” is the name given to any entity that watches over a group of people. As such, totems are usually the subjects of worship. Totem poles are really misnamed, as they are not intended to represent figures to be worshiped, but rather are heraldic in nature often celebrating the legends or notable events in the history of a tribe.

51. Mil. figures : LTS
There are lieutenants (lts.) in the military (mil.).

52. Colloquy : SEMINAR
A “seminar” is a meeting called for the exchange of information, especially in a university. The term comes from the Latin “seminarium” meaning “breeding ground, plant nursery”, which is also the root of our word “seminary”.

A “colloquy” is a conversation, and also a conference or seminar. The term comes from the Latin “colloquium”, which has the same meaning.

54. Pennsylvania and others: Abbr. : RRS
The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) was a large rail network in the northeast that was founded in 1846. Even though the “Pennsy” (as it was called) was the busiest railroad in the first half of the twentieth century, it went out of business in 1968. The PRR was also the largest public company in the world at one point, and it still holds the record for the longest continuous dividend history, having paid out an annual dividend for over one hundred years in a row.

58. Firedog : ANDIRON
Andirons (also “firedogs”) are those horizontal bars on which you rest logs to burn in an open fireplace. They usually come in pairs and can be quite decorative, and are often made out of wrought iron.

Down
4. New Deal power agcy. : REA
The Rural Electrification Administration (REA) was one of the New Deal agencies set up by President Franklin Roosevelt. Created in 1935, the agency’s goal was to provide electrical power to rural areas, something that the profit-conscious power companies weren’t willing to take on by themselves.

5. Colt 45, e.g., informally : MALT
Colt 45 is a brand of lager that first went on the market in 1963. It has a relatively high alcohol content (6.1%) and so is sometimes referred to as a malt liquor.

6. Writer Nin : ANAIS
Anaïs Nin was a French author, famous for her journals that she wrote for over sixty years from the age of 11 right up to her death. Nin also wrote highly regarded erotica and cited D. H. Lawrence as someone from whom she drew inspiration. Nin was married to banker and artist Hugh Parker Guiler in 1923. Decades later in 1955, Nin married former actor Rupert Pole, even though she was still married to Guiler. Nin and Pole had their marriage annulled in 1966, but just for legal reasons, and they continued to live together as husband and wife until Nin passed away in 1977.

7. Classic film whose soundtrack is famously composed entirely of strings : PSYCHO
The classic Alfred Hitchcock suspense film “Psycho” released in 1960 is based on a 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch. The Bloch novel in turn is loosely based on actual crimes committed by murderer and grave robber Ed Gein. When “Psycho” was making its initial run in theaters, latecomers were not granted admission, a policy instigated by Hitchcock himself. He felt that anyone missing the opening scenes would not enjoy the film.

10. Portfolio parts, for short : IRAS
Individual retirement account (IRA)

11. Many an email attachment : PDF
Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format introduced by Adobe Systems in 1993. PDF documents can be shared between users and read using many different applications, making them more universally accessible than documents saved by one particular program.

12. Italian food named after a queen : PIZZA MARGHERITA
Pizza was invented in Naples where it has a long tradition that goes back to Ancient Rome. During an 1889 visit to Naples, Queen Margherita of Savoy was served a special pizza that was created with toppings designed to mimic the colors of the Italian flag. The ingredients of tomato (red), mozzarella (white) and basil (green) can still be found together on menus today on a pie usually named Pizza Margherita after the queen. I do love basil on my pizza …

13. Amazon, e.g. : ETAILER
Amazon.com is the largest online retailer in the world. The company was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, in his garage in Bellevue, Washington. I’m a big fan of Amazon’s approach to customer service …

27. Like kiwi fruits : SEEDY
What we call kiwifruit today used to be called a Chinese gooseberry. Marketing folks in the fifties decided to call it a “melonette”, and then New Zealand producers adopted the name “kiwifruit”.

35. Pacific Island group : SOLOMONS
The Solomon Islands archipelago lies in the western South Pacific Ocean to the northeast of Australia. Most of the archipelago is taken up by the sovereign nation of Solomon Islands, with the balance being part of Papua New Guinea.

37. Dishes sometimes served with Riojas : PAELLAS
Paella is sometime referred to as the Spanish national dish, but not by Spaniards. In Spain, paella is regarded as a typical regional dish from Valencia.

Rioja wines come from the province of La Rioja in Northern Spain. In my days living back in Europe, Rioja wines were noted for their heavy oaky flavors and it wasn’t uncommon to order a “rough Rioja” when out for dinner of an evening.

39. ___-A : RETIN
Retin-A is a brand name for the drug Tretinoin, the acid form of vitamin A that is used to treat acne.

41. Like the Olympic flame : ETERNAL
A flame is used as the symbol for the Olympic Games in commemoration of the theft of fire for humanity by Prometheus from Zeus in Greek mythology. The symbolic flame was introduced to the Modern Olympics in the 1928 Summer Games in Amsterdam. I was surprised to learn that the tradition of the Olympic torch relay started out as political theater devised and funded by Nazi Germany for the 1936 Summer Games in Berlin.

42. Fairy tale figures : DAMSELS
A “damsel” is a young woman, often referring to a lady of noble birth. The term came into English from the Old French “dameisele”, which had the same meaning. The modern French term is “demoiselle”, which in turn is related to the term of address “mademoiselle”.

45. “Someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself,” per Oprah : MENTOR
A mentor is a trusted teacher or counselor. The term comes Homer’s “Odyssey” in which there is a character called Mentor. Mentor is a friend of Odysseus, although he is a relatively ineffective old man. However, the goddess Athena takes on Mentor’s appearance in order to guide Odysseus’s young son Telemachus through difficult times.

48. Dakota dialect : TETON
Teton Sioux is alternative name for the Lakota language.

49. Olympic skier Phil or Steve : MAHRE
Phil Mahre is one of the great alpine ski racers, a native of Yakima, Washington. Phil’s twin brother Steve was also a skier on the World Cup circuit.

52. Modern know-it-all : SIRI
Siri is software application that works with Apple’s iOS operating system. “Siri” is an acronym standing for Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface. You’ve probably seen the ads on television, with folks talking to their iPhones asking for information and responding with a voice. I hear that Google is a little scared by Siri, as Siri is non-visual. There’s no need to touch a screen or a keyboard to work with Siri, no opportunity to click on one of Google’s ads! By the way, voice-over artist Susan Bennett revealed herself as the female American voice of Siri not that long ago. The British version of Siri is called Daniel, and the Australian version is called Karen. Also, “Siri” is a Norwegian name meaning “beautiful woman who leads you to victory”, and was the name the developer had chosen for his first child.

53. Bull Run victors : REBS
Manassas, Virginia was the site of two major battles during the Civil War, the First and Second Battles of Bull Run (also known as the Battles of Manassas). In the first battle, one of the southern brigades was led by Brigadier General Thomas Jackson. His brigade was well-trained and disciplined, so much so that as the Union troops made advances, a fellow-general encouraged his retreating men to hold their positions yelling “There is Jackson standing like a stone wall. Let us determine to die here, and we will conquer”. There are reports that the actual quote was less complimentary, but regardless, from that day on Jackson was known as “Stonewall”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Collection of high lights? : STAR MAP
8. Something a dog might fetch : SLIPPER
15. Capital of the French department of Loiret : ORLEANS
16. Smokeless explosive : CORDITE
17. Youngest-ever Nobel Prize recipient : MALALA YOUSAFZAI
19. Pennsylvania county named for an animal : ELK
20. Delights : TICKLES
21. Cab alternative : ZIN
22. Cold shower? : HAIL
24. Missouri and Arizona : SHIPS
25. Fast-food menu information: Abbr. : CALS
26. ___ dirt : OLD AS
28. Mich. neighbor : ONT
29. “Love Is Strange” actress : TOMEI
30. In a ball : WADDED
32. Frickin’ : GOSH DARN
34. Things discussed at une académie : IDEES
36. Like safeties vis-à-vis field goals : RARER
37. Missed a lot : PINED FOR
40. Got rid of : PURGED
43. Hot : ANGRY
44. Science fiction author Stanislaw : LEM
46. Indian-born maestro : MEHTA
47. Spanish pronoun : ESAS
48. Head of an Indian tribe : TOTEM
50. Hold : DEEM
51. Mil. figures : LTS
52. Colloquy : SEMINAR
54. Pennsylvania and others: Abbr. : RRS
55. Was brutally honest : LAID IT ON THE LINE
58. Firedog : ANDIRON
59. Electron’s area around an atom : ORBITAL
60. Easy shoes to put on : STEP-INS
61. Makes secret again, as court documents : RESEALS

Down
1. “I wasn’t expecting it, but …” : SOMEHOW …
2. Skipping sounds : TRA-LA-LA
3. “Seriously …” : ALL KIDDING ASIDE
4. New Deal power agcy. : REA
5. Colt 45, e.g., informally : MALT
6. Writer Nin : ANAIS
7. Classic film whose soundtrack is famously composed entirely of strings : PSYCHO
8. One going around the block? : SCULPTOR
9. Shakes : LOSES
10. Portfolio parts, for short : IRAS
11. Many an email attachment : PDF
12. Italian food named after a queen : PIZZA MARGHERITA
13. Amazon, e.g. : ETAILER
14. Curbs : REINS IN
18. Clearing : OKING
23. Things corporations and fire trucks both have : LADDERS
25. [Emergency!] : CODE RED!
27. Like kiwi fruits : SEEDY
29. Engine sound : THRUM
31. Cool, in slang : DEF
33. Drain : SAP
35. Pacific Island group : SOLOMONS
37. Dishes sometimes served with Riojas : PAELLAS
38. Blink of an eye : INSTANT
39. ___-A : RETIN
41. Like the Olympic flame : ETERNAL
42. Fairy tale figures : DAMSELS
45. “Someone who allows you to see the hope inside yourself,” per Oprah : MENTOR
48. Dakota dialect : TETON
49. Olympic skier Phil or Steve : MAHRE
52. Modern know-it-all : SIRI
53. Bull Run victors : REBS
56. Double ___ : DIP
57. “I already have other plans,” often : LIE

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