Day: November 12, 2016

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. End of a match, in rugby : NO SIDE
“No side” is an obsolete term for the end of a rugby match. Nowadays, a match ends at “full time”.

7. Lachrymatory agent : TEAR GAS
The technical name for tear gas is a lachrymatory agent, meaning that it causes tearing (“lacrima” is the Latin for “tear”).

14. Works in a conservatory? : OPUSES
The Latin for “work” is “opus”, with the plural being “opera”.

18. Liverpool-to-Leeds dir. : ENE
Liverpool is a large port city in the northwest of England, located on the estuary of the River Mersey. With a sense of humor that is typical of the area, people from Liverpool are often called “Liverpudlians”. The term comes from the jocular “Liver-puddle”, a diminutive of “Liver-pool”.

I went to school for a while not far from Leeds in West Yorkshire in the north of England. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, Leeds was a major center for the production and trading of wool, and then with the onset of mechanization it became a natural hub for manufacture of textiles. These days Leeds is noted as a shopping destination and so has been dubbed “the Knightsbridge of the North”.

19. Deal breaker? : NARC
“Narc” is a slang term for a law enforcement officer who tracks down criminals associated with illegal drugs. “Narc” is short for “narcotics officer”.

20. ___ Miller, “Ah, Wilderness!” woman : ESSIE
“Ah, Wilderness!” is a comedy play by Eugene O’Neill that was first stage in 1933, on Broadway. “Ah, Wilderness!” was adapted into the musical film “Summer Holiday” that was released in 1948.

21. It’s west of the Indian O. : AFR
The Carthaginian Republic was centered on the city of Carthage, the ruins of which are located on the coast of modern-day Tunisia. The Latin name for the people of Carthage was “Afri”. When the Romans took over Carthage, they created a province they called “Africa”. That name extended over time to the whole continent.

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world’s oceans, and was named for the country of India that forms much of its northern boundary.

29. America East Conference town : ORONO
The town of Orono is home to the University of Maine, founded in 1862. The college is actually located on an island (Marsh island) lying between the Penobscot and Stillwater rivers. The town of Orono is named after Joseph Orono, a chief of the Penobscot Nation.

33. Sinatra/Bennett duet on the 1993 album “Duets” : 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

Frank Sinatra recorded the album “Duets” in 1993 and “Duets II” in 1994. Both of these marvelous sets of recordings featured Sinatra performing with another celebrity singer. However, some folks felt “conned” as the duets didn’t involve Sinatra and the second artist singing together. Instead, the tracks were made using vocal parts pre-recorded by Sinatra.

38. Wound : LESION
A lesion is a wound or any abnormal tissue found in an organism. The word “lesion” comes from the Latin word “laesio” meaning “injury”.

39. Eponymous scent : ESTEE
“Estée” is the signature fragrance from the Estée Lauder Company. “Estée” was the second fragrance developed by Estée Lauder herself, and was introduced in 1968. Lauder’s first fragrance was “Youth Dew”, introduced in 1953.

40. “The art of making a point without making an enemy” : TACT
According to English polymath Sir Isaac Newton

Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy.

46. Old city in Kyrgyzstan : OSH
Osh is the second largest city in the former Soviet Republic of Kyrgyzstan (after the capital Bishkek). Osh was a center of silk production and lies along the old Silk Road, the trade route that traversed Asia.

48. Literary terror : ORC
Orcs are mythical humanoid creatures that appear in the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien. Since Tolkien’s use of orcs, they have also been featured in other fantasy fiction and in fantasy games.

51. 6’11” Kanter of the N.B.A. : ENES
Enes Kanter is a professional basketball player who was born in Switzerland, although he is a Turkish national who was raised in Turkey. Kanter moved to the US in 2009 and has played basketball here since attending high school in Simi Valley, California.

53. Moscow Olympics boycotter : USA
The USA led a group of 65 countries in boycotting the 1980 Summer Olympic Games held in Moscow. The boycott was at the insistence of President Jimmy Carter, a response to the Soviet War in Afghanistan. The Soviet Union eventually retaliated, by leading a group of nations in boycotting the next Summer Olympics, held in 1984 in Los Angeles.

60. Acting willfully? : TESTATE
Someone who dies “intestate” does so without having made a will.

61. “Dirty snowballs,” to some astronomers : COMETS
Comets and asteroids are similar, both being relatively small celestial bodies orbiting the sun. Comets differ from asteroids in that they have a coma or tail, especially when they are close enough to the sun. The coma and tail are temporary fuzzy atmospheres that develop due to the presence of solar radiation. Comets are sometimes referred to as “dirty snowballs”, a reference to their composition: rock, dust, water ice and frozen gases.

Down
4. Prefix with -tonic : ISO-
“Isotonic” means “of equal tension” and is of Greek origin. There are two common uses of the term. Solutions of equal concentration are said to be isotonic. An isotonic solution of saline has the same amount of salt (NaCl) as there is in blood. Also, in the isotonic contraction of a muscle, the amount of tension stays the same whereas the muscle’s length changes. Lifting an object at a constant speed causes the isotonic contract of the lifting muscle.

5. Dad-blamed : DERN
Gosh darn it.

6. ___ car (British station wagon) : ESTATE
The style of automobile that we call “station wagon” here in North America, is known as “estate car” in the British Isles. Both names are really references to the vehicle’s utility in hauling baggage in the extra space provided in the rear. A station wagon could haul bags to the station, and an estate car could haul bags to one’s country estate!

8. Application ending : EXE
In the Windows Operating System, a file with the extension .exe is an “executable” file.

10. Some DVRs : RCAS
DVR (Digital Video Recorder)

12. Dub … or rub : ANOINT
Kneel, and the Queen might “dub thee a knight” if you’re lucky. “Dub” is a specific term derived from Old English that was used to mean “make a knight”. As the knight was also given a knightly name at the same time, “dub” has come to mean “give someone a name”.

15. Precept about idol worship : SECOND COMMANDMENT
In the Christian tradition, the second commandment prohibits the worship of “any graven image”. Usually this means that graven images can be created, but not worshipped.

17. Sea spirits : GROG
Edward Vernon was a naval officer with the nickname “Old Grog”. In 1740, Vernon ordered that the daily ration of rum for his sailors should be watered down, in order to reduce discipline problems caused by drunkenness. The diluted rum was sweetened with sugar, and lemon or lime added to help preserve it on long voyages. This recipe, found to reduce scurvy among sailors (because of the citrus) spread throughout the Royal Navy, and “grog” was born. As an aside, George Washington’s older half-brother named the famous Washington Mount Vernon Plantation in honor of Edward Vernon.

24. Protected, in a way : ALEE
“Alee” is the direction away from the wind. If a sailor points into the wind, he or she is pointing “aweather”.

27. Aussie critters : ROOS
The name “kangaroo” comes from the Australian Aborigine term for the animal. There’s an oft-quoted story that the explorer James Cook (later Captain Cook) asked a local native what was the name of this remarkable-looking animal, and the native responded with “kangaroo”. The story is that the native was actually saying “I don’t understand you”, but as cute as that tale is, it’s just an urban myth.

28. Grant and Adams : AMYS
Amy Grant is known as “The Queen of Christian Pop” and her most famous songs are Gospel and Contemporary Christian works. Grant recorded two songs that made it to number one in the commercial charts: “The Next Time I Fall” (1981, duet with Peter Cetera) and “Baby Baby” (1991).

Amy Adams is an American actress. although she was actually born in Vicenza, Italy while her father was a US serviceman stationed on an Italian base. My favorite Amy Adams film so far is the outstanding “Julie & Julia” in which she acted alongside Meryl Streep. I highly recommend this truly delightful movie.

30. Security Council vote : NYET
“Nyet” is Russian for “no”, and “da” is Russian for “yes”.

The United Nations Security Council has 15 members, 5 of whom are permanent and who have veto power over any resolution. The 10 non-permanent members are elected into place, and hold their seats for two years. The UN charter requires that authorized representatives of the member nations are always present at UN headquarters so that the Security council can meet at any time. The permanent members are:

• China
• France
• Russia
• United Kingdom
• United States

34. Rap’s Flo ___ : RIDA
Tramar Dillard is better known as rapper Flo Rida. As you might have guessed, Flo Rida was born in the state of Florida.

35. Newport rival : KOOL
Kools cigarettes were introduced in 1933, and are still around today. The brand is marketed as being “smooth”, as the ingredient menthol numbs the mouth and dulls the taste of the tobacco.

Newport menthol cigarettes are the second best selling cigarette brand in the US, after Marlboros. The brand was named for Newport, Rhode Island. Newport is a seaport very much associated with sailing, hence the spinnaker sail logo on each box.

43. Code part : GENE
A gene is a section of a chromosome that is responsible for a particular characteristic in an organism. For example, one gene may determine eye color and another balding pattern. We have two copies of each gene, one from each of our parents, with each copy known as an allele.

47. Director of the first film to win all five top Oscars (Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay) : CAPRA
I can’t tell you how many of Frank Capra’s movies are on my list of all-time favorites. He directed such classics as “It Happened One Night”, “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town”, “Lost Horizon”, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”, “Meet John Doe”, “Arsenic and Old Lace” and the holiday favorite “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Capra was the first person to win three directorial Oscars: for “It Happened One Night”, “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town” and “You Can’t Take It With You”. Capra also did his bit during WWII, enlisting just a few days after Pearl Harbor was attacked. Given his great talent, and the fact that he enlisted at the relatively advanced age of 44, the US Army put him to work directing 11 documentary war films in the “Why We Fight” series, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.

“It Happened One Night” is a favorite film of mine, a 1934 romantic comedy starring Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable, and directed by Frank Capra. It was the first movie to win all five of the top Oscars. Only two other films have achieved that feat since then: “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975), and “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991). “It Happened One Night” has one of the sexiest scenes in movies (I think), where Claudette Colbert shows a little leg in order to hitch a ride for her and Gable.

52. Ring sport : SUMO
Sumo is a sport that is practiced professionally only in Japan, the country of its origin. There is an international federation of sumo wrestling now, and one of the organization’s aims is to have the sport accepted as an Olympic event.

55. Riled (up) : HET
Someone who is “het up” is “worked up, angry”. “Het” is an archaic word meaning “heated”.

56. Marine ___ (presidential helicopter) : ONE
Marine One is the call sign used by a Marine Corps helicopter when it is carrying the US president. In fact, the call sign can be used by any Marine Corps aircraft carrying the president, but usually refers either a Sea King or White Hawk helicopter that is used routinely in transportation to and from the White House.

57. ___ lion : MGM
There has been a lion in the logo of the MGM studio since 1924. The original was an Irishman (!), a lion named Slats who was born in Dublin Zoo in 1919. However, it wasn’t until Jackie took over from Slats in 1928 that the roar was heard, as the era of silent movies was coming to an end. The current lion is called Leo, and he has been around since 1957.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. End of a match, in rugby : NO SIDE
7. Lachrymatory agent : TEAR GAS
14. Works in a conservatory? : OPUSES
15. Part of a blue book? : SEX SCENE
16. Common database system program : REPORT GENERATOR
18. Liverpool-to-Leeds dir. : ENE
19. Deal breaker? : NARC
20. ___ Miller, “Ah, Wilderness!” woman : ESSIE
21. It’s west of the Indian O. : AFR
22. “That’s tough” : TOO BAD
25. Overnight letter? : INN
26. Possible recipient of hand-me-downs : SIB
27. Monarch-related : REGNAL
28. It’s for starters : ANTE
29. America East Conference town : ORONO
31. Conceptualized : DREAMT
33. Sinatra/Bennett duet on the 1993 album “Duets” : NEW YORK, NEW YORK
38. Wound : LESION
39. Eponymous scent : ESTEE
40. “The art of making a point without making an enemy” : TACT
42. Moved quickly aside : DODGED
45. Beam : RAY
46. Old city in Kyrgyzstan : OSH
47. Died (down) : CALMED
48. Literary terror : ORC
49. The first thing to try (and hope for the best) : PLAN A
51. 6’11” Kanter of the N.B.A. : ENES
53. Moscow Olympics boycotter : USA
54. Emergency contact info : HOME PHONE NUMBER
58. Seeming : APPARENT
59. Comment upon hearing good news : I’M GLAD
60. Acting willfully? : TESTATE
61. “Dirty snowballs,” to some astronomers : COMETS

Down
1. “Just wondering” : NO REASON
2. Start to fight : OPEN FIRE
3. Traditional White House visitors : SUPER BOWL CHAMPS
4. Prefix with -tonic : ISO-
5. Dad-blamed : DERN
6. ___ car (British station wagon) : ESTATE
7. Something to take for a break : TEN
8. Application ending : EXE
9. Comparable to a strawberry : AS RED
10. Some DVRs : RCAS
11. Has a brush with the law : GETS INTO TROUBLE
12. Dub … or rub : ANOINT
13. Pacific : SERENE
15. Precept about idol worship : SECOND COMMANDMENT
17. Sea spirits : GROG
23. Stable environment? : BARN
24. Protected, in a way : ALEE
27. Aussie critters : ROOS
28. Grant and Adams : AMYS
30. Security Council vote : NYET
32. Knocked silly : AWED
34. Rap’s Flo ___ : RIDA
35. Newport rival : KOOL
36. Back space? : REAR SEAT
37. Front desk collection : KEY CARDS
40. One getting tipped at a fancy supper club? : TOP HAT
41. Not even : ASLOPE
43. Code part : GENE
44. Blissful : EDENIC
47. Director of the first film to win all five top Oscars (Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay) : CAPRA
50. Trim : NEAT
52. Ring sport : SUMO
55. Riled (up) : HET
56. Marine ___ (presidential helicopter) : ONE
57. ___ lion : MGM

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