0222-19 NY Times Crossword 22 Feb 19, Friday

Bill’s time: 13m 32s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Rum drink popular at beach bars : BAHAMA MAMA

If you’d care to try the drink called a Bahama Mama, one recipe is:

• 1 part rum
• 1 part coconut rum
• 1 part grenadine
• 2 parts orange juice
• 2 parts pineapple juice

15 Hawaii landmark featuring four seven-ton clocks : ALOHA TOWER

Aloha Tower is a lighthouse that sits at Pier 9 in Honolulu Harbor. Aloha Tower was the tallest structure in Hawaii for many years, standing at 10 stories with a 40 foot flag mast on top.

16 Modern entertainment device : HDTV

High-definition television (HDTV)

20 Bridge position : WEST

The four people playing a game of bridge are positioned around a table at seats called north, east, south and west. Each player belongs to a pair, with north playing with south, and east playing with west.

24 Hawk : PEDDLE

The verb “to hawk” has a Germanic origin, and comes from the Low German word “hoken” meaning “to peddle”. A hawker is actually slightly different from a peddler by definition, as a hawker is a peddler that uses a horse and cart, or a van nowadays perhaps, to sell his or her wares.

25 Animal associated with Palm Sunday : ASS

According to the four Gospels in the Bible, Jesus made a triumphal entry into Jerusalem after having raised Lazarus from the dead. He descended from the Mount of Olives and rode into the city on an ass or a donkey.

Palm Sunday is a celebration in the Christian tradition that falls on the Sunday before Easter Sunday. The day commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, soon after he raised Lazarus from the dead. The faithful carry palms on the day, a reference to the palms scattered in front of Jesus by the welcoming crowd. In many churches, the palms are saved from Palm Sunday and then burned on Shrove Tuesday, The ash from the palms is then used to anoint the faithful on the next day: Ash Wednesday.

28 Wear for a queen : PROM DRESS

A prom is a formal dance held upon graduation from high school (we call them “formals” over in Ireland). The term “prom” is short for “promenade”, the name given to a type of dance or ball.

33 Oratorio opener, often : OVERTURE

An oratorio is a large musical work for orchestra, choir and solo singers, and usually has a religious theme. It is similar to an opera, but without the action, costume and scenery.

42 1981 novel that introduced the character Hannibal Lecter : RED DRAGON

Hannibal Lecter is a character created by author Thomas Harris, first appearing in his novel “Red Dragon”. Lecter also features prominently in “Red Dragon’s” famous sequel “The Silence of the Lambs”, and even more so in the third book, “Hannibal Rising”. The latter title is a “prequel” exploring Lecter’s childhood and development into a serial killer. Famously, Lecter was portrayed in the 1991 film version of “The Silence of the Lambs” by Welsh actor Anthony Hopkins. Hopkins also played Lecter in 2001’s “Hannibal” and in 2002’s “Red Dragon”. Lector was also played by Brian Cox (“Manhunter” – 1986), by Gaspard Ulliel (“Hannibal Rising” – 2007), and by Mad Mikkelsen (“Hannibal” – TV series).

45 Rid of some pests : DEFLEA

Fleas are flightless insects, but they sure can jump. Their very specialized hind legs allow them to jump up to 50 times the length of their bodies.

47 Ship with a prophetic prow : ARGO

In Greek mythology, Jason and the Argonauts sailed on the Argo in search of the Golden Fleece. The vessel was called “Argo” in honor of the ship’s builder, a man named Argus.

50 “Grand” or “demi” ballet move : PLIE

The French word for “bent” is “plié”. In the ballet move known as a plié, the knees are bent. A “demi-plié” is a similar move, but with less bending of the knees.

56 Express letters? : ASAP

As soon as possible (ASAP)

57 Kosher restaurant’s observance : DIETARY LAW

According to Jewish dietary law, kosher food is fit to eat, and food that is not fit to eat is referred to as treif (or “tref”). The usage of “kosher” has extended to include anything considered legitimate.

Down

1 Chum, e.g. : BAIT

The word “chum” meaning fish bait, is perhaps derived from the Scottish word “chum” meaning food.

2 “Manhattan Murder Mystery” actor, 1993 : ALDA

Alan Alda has had a great television career, especially of course as a lead actor in “M*A*S*H”. Alda won his first Emmy in 1972, for playing surgeon Hawkeye Pierce on “M*A*S*H”. He also won an Emmy in 2006 for his portrayal of Presidential candidate Senator Arnold Vinick in “The West Wing”. When it comes to the big screen, my favorite of Alda’s movies is the 1978 romantic comedy “Same Time, Next Year” in which he starred opposite Ellen Burstyn.

7 Rita who was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004 : MORENO

The Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress Rita Moreno is one of the few performers to have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony. Moreno got her big break, and won her Oscar, for playing Anita in the 1961 screen adaption of “West Side Story”. And, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in 2004.

11 Temple, for one : CHILD STAR

Child star Shirley Temple made her first movie in 1932 at the age of three. She became a star in 1934 with the release of the film “Bright Eyes”. Temple retired from show business at the age of 22, but made a brief attempt to resume her career in the late fifties and early sixties. She served as a board member for several organizations, including the Walt Disney Company. She also ran unsuccessfully for the US Congress in 1967, but was appointed as US Ambassador to Ghana in 1974, and then to Czechoslovakia in 1989.

13 Bessemer process output : STEEL

Henry Bessemer developed the Bessemer process that produces steel.

21 Popular drinking game : BEER PONG

The game of beer pong is also known as “Beirut”. Beer pong apparently originated as a drinking game in the fraternities of Dartmouth College in the fifties, when it was played with paddles and a ping pong net on a table. The origin of the “Beirut” name is less clear, but it probably was coined in while the Lebanese Civil War was raging in late seventies and the eighties.

25 Ophidian menaces : ASPS

In the animal kingdom, the group of reptiles known as snakes (and snake-like lizards) are called “ophidians”. “Ophi” is the Greek word for “serpent”.

26 Getz who was nicknamed “The Sound” : STAN

Stan Getz was a jazz saxophonist. Getz’s playing style earned him the nickname “The Sound”.

27 Phenomenon that emits X-rays : SOLAR FLARE

A solar flare is a sudden energy release from the surface of the Sun that can be perceived as a flash of brightness and an eruption of magnetic energy. That magnetic energy reaches the Earth about two days after the event, and can disrupt long-range radio communications on our planet. The location of solar flares has been strongly linked to sunspot groups, groups of dark spots on the Sun’s surface.

29 2016 hit animated film : MOANA

“Moana” is a 2016 animated feature film and the 56th animated Disney movie. The title character is the daughter of a Polynesian chief who heads off in search of the demigod Maui, hoping that he can save her people.

30 It might have bonus features : DVD

The abbreviation “DVD” doesn’t actually stand for anything these days, although it originally was short for Digital Video Disk. The use of the word “video” was dropped as DVDs started to be used for storing a lot more than video. But, that seems like a long time ago …

32 Cartoon Casanova : PEPE LE PEW

Pepé Le Pew is a very likeable cartoon character from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series. Pepé is a French skunk, first introduced way back in 1945. He is always thinking of “l’amour” and chases the lady skunks, or a black cat with a white stripe accidentally painted down her back.

35 First name in court fiction : ERLE

I must have read all of the “Perry Mason” books when I was in college. I think they kept me sane when I was facing the pressure of exams. Author Erle Stanley Gardner was himself a lawyer, although he didn’t get into the profession the easy way. Gardner went to law school, but got himself suspended after a month. So, he became a self-taught attorney and opened his own law office in Merced, California. Understandably, he gave up the law once his novels became successful.

40 Hand-held organizer, briefly : PDA

Personal digital assistant (PDA)

41 The biblical cubit was based on its length : FOREARM

The ancient unit of length called a cubit was chosen as the length of the forearm. In some cultures a cubit was divided into 7 palms, the width of the hand excluding the thumb.

43 Boot covering : GAITER

A gaiter is a heavy cloth or piece of leather that covers the leg from the instep up to the ankle or perhaps knee.

46 Dye used in some ballpoint ink : EOSIN

Eosin is a red dye that fluoresces under light, and that is used in the lab as a stain on microscope slides. It is particularly effective in staining animal tissues. Eosin is also used as a toner in cosmetics.

50 Derby car material : PINE

That would be a pinewood derby.

51 River to the Arctic Ocean : LENA

The Lena is in Siberia, and is the third-longest river in Asia. It rises in the Baikal Mountains in the south, and runs almost 2,800 miles to empty into the Laptev Sea in the Arctic Ocean.

58 Oldest tech school in the U.S. : RPI

The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) is a private school in Troy, New York. The university is named after its founder Stephen Van Rensselaer who set up the school in 1824. The goal of RPI has always been the “application of science to the common purposes of life”, an objective set by the founder. Given that, the name for the school’s sports teams is quite apt: the Engineers.