Day: July 30, 2017

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
19. Funny Gasteyer : ANA
Ana Gasteyer is an actress best known for being a cast member of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) from 1996 to 2002. Gasteyer was famous on SNL for playing Martha Stewart … topless!

21. Shakers’ movement? : HULA
The hula is a native dance of Hawaii that uses arm movements to relate a story. The hula can be performed while sitting (a noho dance) or while standing (a luna dance).

22. Loren of “Marriage Italian-Style” : SOPHIA
Sophia Loren certainly has earned her exalted position in the world of movies. In 1962 Loren won an Oscar for Best Actress for her role in the Italian film “Two Women”, the first actress to win an Academy Award for a non-English speaking performance. She received a second nomination for Best Actress for her role in “Marriage Italian-Style”, another Italian-language movie, released in 1964.

24. Flaunt a loose dress at a soiree? : WORK THE NIGHT SHIFT
A shift is a dress that is cut above-the-knee and has no clearly-defined waist. This style of dress originated in the 1920s when it was worn by the “flappers”, young women who defied social norms at the time. The shift was comfortable to wear and allowed easy movement, particularly on the dance floor.

“Soir” is the French word for “evening” and a “soirée” is an “evening party”. The French word “soirée” has an acute accent over the first “e”, but we tend to drop this when using the word in English.

29. Mideast royal name : SAUD
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest Arab country in the Middle East and is the world’s largest oil producer, home to the world’s largest oil reserves. The Saudi dynasty started in central Arabia in 1744 when the secular leader Muhammad ibn Saud joined forces with the Islamic scholar and Imam, Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab. At the time, Saud was a ruler of a town near Riyadh and he was determined to bring “true” Islam to the Arabian peninsula. Since 1744 the fortunes of the Saudi family have risen and fallen, but it is that same family who rules what we know today as Saudi Arabia.

30. Fair-hiring letters : EOE
Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE)

32. Overstuff : SATE
“Sate” is a variant of the older word “satiate”. Both terms can mean either to satisfy an appetite fully, or to eat to excess.

39. N.F.C. North rivals of the Bears : LIONS
The Detroit Lions are the NFL team that plays home games at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. The team was founded way back in 1929 as the Portsmouth Spartans from Portsmouth, Ohio. The Spartans joined the NFL during the Great Depression as other franchises collapsed. However, the Spartans couldn’t command a large enough gate in Portsmouth so the team was sold and relocated to Detroit in 1934.

The Chicago Bears were founded in Decatur, Illinois in 1919 and moved to Chicago in 1921. The Bears are one of only two franchises in the NFL that were around at the time of the NFL’s founding (the other is the Arizona Cardinals, who were also based in Chicago in 1921).

40. Support under a tank? : BRA
“Tank top” is another one of those terms that always catches me out, as it has a different meaning on each side of the Atlantic. In the US, a tank top is a sleeveless shirt, something we would call a “vest” back in Ireland (and the US “vest” is what we call a “waist coat”). A tank top in Ireland is a sleeveless sweater, which further adds to the confusion. The name “tank top” is derived from “tank suit”, an old name for a woman’s one-piece bathing suit. The use of “tank” for the bathing suit came from “swimming tank”, an obsolete term used in the 1920s for a swimming pool.

42. Ones who fix toys? : VETS
“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”.

The toy group of dogs is made up of the smallest breeds. The smallest breeds are sometimes called “teacup” breeds.

44. Flapper wrapper : BOA
Flappers were the so-called “new breed” of young women of the twenties. The flappers wore their hair short (with ringlets), dressed in short skirts and generally rebelled against the accepted norms of the time. The term “flapper” comes from the 1920 movie “The Flapper” starring Olive Thomas as a young woman who lived the more liberal lifestyle that was emerging at that time.

45. Ideal : PARAGON
A paragon is an model of excellence, a peerless example. Ultimately the term derives from the Greek “para-” meaning “on the side” and “akone” meaning “whetstone”. This derivation comes from the ancient practice of using a touchstone to test gold for its level of purity by drawing a line on the stone with the gold and comparing the resulting mark with samples of known purity.

51. Cellphone chip holder : SIM CARD
Most cell phones have SIM cards these days. SIM cards hold the personal information of the subscriber, with the acronym being short for Subscriber Identity Module.

54. Personal guide : CREDO
A creed or credo is a confession of faith, or a system of belief or principles. “Credo” is Latin for “I believe”.

60. D.C. summer setting : EDT
Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)

61. ___ pants : HAREM
Harem pants are an item of female clothing that originated in the Arabian Peninsula. They are loose fitting pants that gather at the ankle. The pants worn by belly dancers would be called harem pants.

63. Fantasy writer Michael : ENDE
Michael Ende was a children’s author from Germany. His most famous novel is the fantasy work titled “The Neverending Story”, first published in 1979.

65. Exercise with keys : ETUDE
An étude is a short instrumental composition that is usually quite hard to play and is intended to help the performer master a particular technique. “Étude” is the French word for “study”. Études are commonly performed on the piano.

66. Way off base? : JEEP
The Jeep is the original off-road vehicle. It was developed by the American Bantam Car Company in 1940 at the request of the US government who recognized the upcoming need for the armed forces as American involvement in WWII loomed. The Bantam Company was too small to cope with demand, so the government gave the designs to competing car companies. The design and brand eventually ended up with AMC in the seventies and eighties.

74. “Frozen” snow queen : ELSA
“Frozen” is a 2013 animated feature from Walt Disney Studios that is based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale “The Snow Queen”.

75. Mars vehicle : ROVER
There have been several rovers sent to Mars from Earth. The Soviet Union’s Mars 2 landed in 1971, and failed. Mars 3 landed the same year, and ceased operation just 20 seconds after landing. NASA’s Sojourner landed in 1997 (what a great day that was!) and operated from July through September. The British rover Beagle 2 was lost six days before its scheduled entry into the Martian atmosphere. NASA’s Spirit landed in 2004, and operated successful for over six years before getting trapped in sand and eventually ceasing to communicate. NASA’s Opportunity also landed in 2004, and it is still going. And then NASA’s Curiosity made a spectacular, hi-tech landing in 2012 and is continuing to explore the planet today.

81. Calendario opener : ENERO
In Spanish, we start the “año” (year) in “enero” (January) as noted on a “calendario” (calendar).

82. Argentine article : UNA
Argentina is the second largest country in South America (after Brazil), and geographically is the world’s largest Spanish-speaking nation. The name “Argentina” comes from the Latin “argentum”, the word for “silver”. It is thought that the name was given by the early Spanish and Portuguese conquerors who also named the Rio de la Plata (the “Silver River”). Those early explorers got hold of lots of silver objects that they found among the native population.

88. French possessive : TES
“Tes” is the French word for “your”, when referring to a group of items and when talking to someone with whom you are familiar.

96. Civil War inits. : CSA
The Confederate States of America (CSA) set up government in 1861 just before Abraham Lincoln took office. Jefferson Davis was selected as President of the CSA at its formation, and retained the post for the life of the government.

109. Shorten some couture dresses? : TAKE UP A COLLECTION
“Haute couture”, literally “high dressmaking” in French, is a name given to the creation of exclusive fashions. A couturier is someone who creates or sells such fashions.

115. Bach’s Partita No. 6 ___ Minor : IN E
A “partita” can be a suite of music written for one instrument. The Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach wrote two sets of partitas, one set for a solo keyboard and one set for a solo violin.

119. Writer/critic Hentoff : NAT
Nat Hentoff wrote a column for decades for “The Village Voice from 1958 until 2009. After 2009, he wrote regularly on jazz and country music for “The Wall Street Journal”. Hentoff passed away in 2017 at 91 years of age.

123. Chicago rumblers : ELS
Elevated railroad (El)

Down
5. Subj. for CNBC : IPO
An initial public offering (IPO) is the very first offer of stock for sale by a company on the open market. In other words, an IPO marks the first time that a company is traded on a public exchange. Companies have an IPO to raise capital to expand (usually).

CNBC is a business news channel owned by NBC. Launched in 1989, up until 1991 CNBC was known as the Consumer News and Business Channel.

6. Putin’s peace : MIR
Vladimir Putin became acting President of Russia at the very end of 1999 when Boris Yeltsin resigned. Putin was elected in his own right in 2000, re-elected in 2004, and then ran up against a term limit in 2008. In 2008 Putin was appointed by his successor, President Dmitry Medvedev, to the position of Prime Minister. Putin is a controversial figure, inside and outside Russia. On the one hand he led the country out of an economic crisis into a period of stability and relative prosperity. On the other hand he has been associated with government corruption and accused of allowing private concerns to have undue influence on government actions. And then, along came the 2016 US presidential election …

11. Klingons, e.g. : ALIEN RACE
Klingons are a warrior race often featured in the “Star Trek” franchise of shows. Back in the first “Star Trek” movie, the actor James Doohan (who played “Scottie”) put together some Klingon dialogue that was used in the film. For subsequent movies, the American linguist Marc Okrand was commissioned to develop a working Klingon language, which he duly did, using the original words from Doohan as its basis.

12. Tower with many eaves : PAGODA
Pagodas are tiered (“storied”) towers found in various parts of Asia, usually built for religious purposes.

15. Banned supplement : EPHEDRA
Ephedra is a plant extract used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of asthma and hay fever. Ephedra was banned by the FDA in 2004 as its use has been linked to many fatalities.

18. Historical trivia : DATES
Trivia are things of little consequence. “Trivia” is the plural of the Latin word “trivium” which means “a place where three roads meet”. Now that’s what I call a trivial fact …

25. Vandals : HUNS
The Huns were a nomadic people who originated in Eastern Europe in the 4th century. Under the command of Attila the Hun they developed a unified empire that stretched from modern-day Germany across to the steppes of Central Asia. The whole of the Hunnic Empire collapsed within a year of Attila’s death in 453 AD.

A “vandal” is someone who destroys something beautiful or valuable. The term comes from the Germanic tribe called the Vandals who sacked Rome in the year 455. Our contemporary term “vandalism” was coined by Henri Grégoire in 1794, when he was describing the destruction of artwork during the French Revolution.

34. Actress Vardalos : NIA
Not only is the delightful Nia Vardalos the star of the 2002 hit movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”, she also wrote the screenplay. The film never made it to number one at the box office, but it still pulled in more money than any other movie in history that didn’t make it to number one. That record I think reflects the fact that the film wasn’t a blockbuster but rather a so-called “sleeper hit”, a movie that people went to see based on referrals from friends. The big fat mistake came when a spin-off TV show was launched, “My Big Fat Greek Life”. It ran for only 7 episodes. “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2” will hit movie theaters in 2016.

48. AOL alternative : NETZERO
NetZero was launched in 1998 and was the first free Internet Service Provider. NetZero’s idea was to provide targeted advertising to users, based on what users liked to view online. It’s a little like Google’s business model, providing advertising based on Internet surfing patterns.

56. Cantina treats : FAJITAS
“Fajita” is a Tex-Mex term that refers to grilled meat served on a tortilla. The original Mexican-Spanish term “fajita” is used to describe a small strip of chicken or beef. Nowadays, fajitas are often served on a sizzling platter with the tortillas and condiments on the side.

57. Top of the world : ICECAP
The polar icecap at the north of our planet is floating pack ice in the Arctic Ocean. The southern polar icecap is an ice sheet that covers the land mass known as Antarctica. About 70% of all the freshwater on Earth is held in the southern polar icecap.

68. Nutmeg State collegian : ELI
Elihu Yale was a wealthy merchant born in Boston in 1649. Yale worked for the British East India Company, and for many years served as governor of a settlement at Madras (now Chennai) in India. After India, Yale took over his father’s estate near Wrexham in Wales. It was while resident in Wrexham that Yale responded to a request for financial support for the Collegiate School of Connecticut in 1701. He sent the school a donation, which was used to erect a new building in New Haven that was named “Yale” in his honor. In 1718, the whole school was renamed to “Yale College”. To this day, students of Yale are nicknamed “Elis”, again honoring Elihu.

Connecticut’s official nickname is the Constitution State, but can also be referred to as the Nutmeg State, the Provisions State, and the Land of Steady Habits.

80. Drunk’s problem : DTS
The episodes of delirium that can accompany withdrawal from alcohol are called delirium tremens (the DTs). The literal translation of this Latin phrase is “trembling madness”.

84. Cop’s target : PERP
Perpetrator (perp)

90. Creator of an ancient pyramid scheme? : IMHOTEP
Imhotep was early Egyptian polymath who was a noted architect, engineer and physician. He designed and supervised the construction of the Step Pyramid of Djoser, which held the remains of Imhotep’s Pharaoh Djoser. Imhotep also constructed his own tomb, the existence of which is well documented, although it has never been located. It is believed that Imhotep constructed his tomb in such a way that it would remain hidden.

91. Ring around the collar : LEI
“Lei” is the Hawaiian word for “garland, wreath”, although in more general terms a “lei” is any series of objects strung together as an adornment for the body.

93. Place for cannons : ARSENAL
Our word “arsenal” comes from the Italian “arzenale”, a work adapted from the Arabic for “workshop”. There was a large wharf in Venice called the Arzenale that became associated with the storage of weapons and ammunition, and this led to our contemporary usage of “arsenal”.

96. Holiday scene : CRECHE
In the Christian tradition, a nativity scene (also “crèche”) is a display of representing the the scene of the birth of Jesus. Nativity scenes might be subjects for paintings, for example, although the term is usually used for seasonal displays associated with the Christmas season.

99. Some Latinas: Abbr. : SRTAS
“Señorita” (Srta.) is Spanish and “Mademoiselle” (Mlle.) is French for “Miss”.

102. Order member : FRA
The title “Fra” (brother) is used by Italian monks.

111. ___ Xing : PED
Pedestrian Crossing (Ped Xing)

113. Glass on public radio : IRA
Ira Glass is a well-respected presenter on American Public Radio who is perhaps best known for his show “This American Life”. I was interested to learn that one of my favorite composers, Philip Glass, is Ira’s first cousin.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Little bit : JOT
4. Chickenhearted : TIMID
9. Spur-of-the-moment : SNAP
13. “Word just got out …” : I HEARD …
19. Funny Gasteyer : ANA
20. Offer a thought : OPINE
21. Shakers’ movement? : HULA
22. Loren of “Marriage Italian-Style” : SOPHIA
23. Top limit, for short : MAX
24. Flaunt a loose dress at a soiree? : WORK THE NIGHT SHIFT
27. Text changes : EDITS
29. Mideast royal name : SAUD
30. Fair-hiring letters : EOE
31. Vogue rival : ELLE
32. Overstuff : SATE
33. Title of a fashion industry seamstress’s tell-all? : ON PINS AND NEEDLES
38. With 53-Across, goethite, e.g. : IRON …
39. N.F.C. North rivals of the Bears : LIONS
40. Support under a tank? : BRA
41. “Enrol,” for “enroll”: Abbr. : VAR
42. Ones who fix toys? : VETS
43. Grub : EATS
44. Flapper wrapper : BOA
45. Ideal : PARAGON
49. Chipper greeting : HI HO!
51. Cellphone chip holder : SIM CARD
53. See 38-Across : … ORE
54. Personal guide : CREDO
56. What some wrap dresses are? : FIT TO BE TIED
60. D.C. summer setting : EDT
61. ___ pants : HAREM
62. Plot at home, maybe : ACRE
63. Fantasy writer Michael : ENDE
64. “___ who?” : SEZ
65. Exercise with keys : ETUDE
66. Way off base? : JEEP
67. Unwanted pressure : HEAT
69. Bit of a grind : CHORE
71. Get the gold : WIN
72. Author Michael ___ Dyson : ERIC
74. “Frozen” snow queen : ELSA
75. Mars vehicle : ROVER
76. Scatter : SOW
77. Like a model’s hairstyle? : CUT AND DRIED
81. Calendario opener : ENERO
82. Argentine article : UNA
83. Northern Indiana county or its seat : LA PORTE
84. Kind of pressure : PEER
85. Souls : PSYCHES
88. French possessive : TES
89. Bundle : PILE
92. Shiner : STAR
95. Boating aid : OAR
96. Civil War inits. : CSA
97. Ding maker : TIMER
98. Kind of street : THRU
99. Takes fashion photos using an unorthodox camera angle? : SHOOTS FROM THE HIP
104. More limited : LESS
105. “Keep it ___” : REAL
106. Bylaw, briefly : REG
107. Plane-related : AERO
108. N.B.A. notables Korver and Lowry : KYLES
109. Shorten some couture dresses? : TAKE UP A COLLECTION
115. Bach’s Partita No. 6 ___ Minor : IN E
116. Resistant (to) : AVERSE
117. Swift ending for a bad stage performance : HOOK
118. Chill-inducing, say : EERIE
119. Writer/critic Hentoff : NAT
120. Got the impression : SENSED
121. Uneasy : EDGY
122. Ground breaker : SPADE
123. Chicago rumblers : ELS

Down
1. Last Scottish king to die in battle : JAMES IV
2. How you might do something dumb : ON A DARE
3. Preferred means of arriving at a fashion show? : TAXI TO THE RUNWAY
4. Some rescues : TOWS
5. Subj. for CNBC : IPO
6. Putin’s peace : MIR
7. Stain that’s hard to remove : INK SPOT
8. Keeps from proceeding : DETAINS
9. Loses : SHEDS
10. Order member : NUN
11. Klingons, e.g. : ALIEN RACE
12. Tower with many eaves : PAGODA
13. Suffix with 105-Across : -IST
14. Christmas threesome : HOS
15. Banned supplement : EPHEDRA
16. Not worth ___ of beans : A HILL
17. Go through : RIFLE
18. Historical trivia : DATES
25. Vandals : HUNS
26. ___ party : HEN
28. Decagonal : TEN-SIDED
33. A butter alternative : OLEO
34. Actress Vardalos : NIA
35. Little Boy, e.g., informally : A-BOMB
36. Got out of : EVADED
37. Stud site : EAR
44. Dust jacket part, usually : BIO
45. Revenue source for a magazine : PRINT AD
46. Inspects a fashion designer’s offerings? : GOES OVER THE LINE
47. One who says “I’d like to have …” : ORDERER
48. AOL alternative : NETZERO
50. Food prep class at school : HOME EC
51. Very short climb : STEP
52. Chilling, so to speak : AT EASE
54. Ruins as a dog might : CHEWS UP
55. Food in the field : RATIONS
56. Cantina treats : FAJITAS
57. Top of the world : ICECAP
58. Quattro minus uno : TRE
59. Edict : DECREE
67. “Take it!” : HERE!
68. Nutmeg State collegian : ELI
70. Cry of exasperation : HONESTLY!
73. Warlords, e.g. : RULERS
78. Medium-to-poor : NOT SO GOOD
79. Ideal : DREAM
80. Drunk’s problem : DTS
84. Cop’s target : PERP
86. Cans : COOLERS
87. One may be tipped : HAT
89. Goes through : PIERCES
90. Creator of an ancient pyramid scheme? : IMHOTEP
91. Ring around the collar : LEI
93. Place for cannons : ARSENAL
94. Winter apples : RUSSETS
96. Holiday scene : CRECHE
97. You, once : THEE
99. Some Latinas: Abbr. : SRTAS
100. Pitch : HEAVE
101. Like some floors : OAKEN
102. Order member : FRA
103. Long-winded : TALKY
108. Leg bender : KNEE
110. Advantage : USE
111. ___ Xing : PED
112. Put in, as hours : LOG
113. Glass on public radio : IRA
114. Suffix with fact : -OID

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