Constructed by: David Steinberg
Edited by: Will Shortz
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Bill’s time: 30m 15s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
1 “Right?”: Fr. : N’EST-CE PAS?
“N’est-ce pas” is a French expression that is often added to the end of a statement, turning it into a question. The expression translates into “isn’t that so?”
10 Org. whose founders include Cecil B. DeMille : AMPAS
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) is the organization that gives the annual Academy Awards, also known as the “Oscars”. The root of the name “Oscar” is hotly debated, but what is agreed is that the award was officially named “Oscar” in 1939. The first Academy Awards were presented at a brunch in 1929 with an audience of just 29 people. The Awards ceremony is a slightly bigger event these days …
Cecil B. Demille was a movie director and producer who started his professional career in the silent era. DeMille’s movies were often epic works, such “Cleopatra” (1936), “Samson and Delilah” (1949), “The Greatest Show on Earth” (1952) and “The Ten Commandments” (1956). The Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award is named in his honor, and indeed he was its first recipient.
18 Unsettled feeling : AGITA
“Agita” is another name for “acid indigestion”, and more generally “agitation, anxiety”.
20 Alternative to a Lambo : JAG
Auto manufacturer Jaguar started out as a manufacturer of sidecars for motorcycles back in 1922, when the company was known as the Swallow Sidecar Company (SS for short). The company changed its name to Jaguar after WWII, because of the unfortunate connotations of the letters “SS” in that era (i.e. the Nazi paramilitary organization).
Ferruccio Lamborghini was in the business of manufacturing tractors back in the late forties. Almost two decades later, he founded Automobili Lamborghini to produce high-end sports cars. That’s quite a shift in target market …
22 Demolition letters : TNT
“TNT” is an abbreviation for “trinitrotoluene”. Trinitrotoluene was first produced in 1863 by the German chemist Joseph Wilbrand, who developed it for use as a yellow dye. TNT is relatively difficult to detonate so it was on the market as a dye for some years before its more explosive properties were discovered.
26 “Narcissus and Goldmund” novelist : HESSE
Hermann Hesse was not only a novelist, but also a poet and a painter. His best known work is probably his 1927 novel “Steppenwolf”. Hesse was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1946.
30 Part of a guess in Battleship : ROW
Battleship is a remarkably fun guessing game that I used to play as a child. Back then we would play it just using pencil and paper, although these days kids are more likely to play an electronic version of the game.
31 Only place in the U.S. to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics, informally : CALI
The list of US-hosted Olympic Games is:
- Los Angeles, California (Summer 1932 & 1984)
- Squaw Valley, California (Winter 1960)
- Atlanta, Georgia (Summer 1996)
- Saint Louis, Missouri (Summer 1904)
- Lake Placid, New York (Winter 1932 & 1980)
- Salt Lake City, Utah (Winter 2002)
36 Parent company of Pine-Sol : CLOROX
Clorox bleach was first produced by a business called the Electro-Alkaline Company in 1913, and just a few miles from where I live here on the east side of San Francisco Bay. I use a generic version of Clorox as the source of chlorine for my swimming pool. It’s the same chemical solution as that sold for pools, just half as concentrated and a lot cheaper!
Pine-Sol first came on the market in 1929, and is a cleaner based on pine oil.
54 200-milligram units : CARATS
The carat is a unit of mass equal to 200 mg. It is used in sizing gemstones.
59 1963 Four Seasons hit : CANDY GIRL
“Candy Girl” is a 1963 hit song recorded by the Four Seasons. The B-side of “Candy Girl” is “Marlena” that also made it into the charts, on its own merits.
62 Alternative to Kickstarter : INDIEGOGO
Indiegogo is a crowdfunding website with a company headquarters in San Francisco. Online crowdfunding really started in the late nineties, and Indiegogo was founded 2008.
Kickstarter.com is an increasingly popular “crowdfunding” website. Kickstarter is a contemporary version of the traditional model in which artists sought out patrons from among their audiences to fund their work. The website brings together individuals willing to fund projects, usually in exchange for some reward from the artist.
63 Bond, e.g. : AGENT
The character James Bond was the creation of writer Ian Fleming. Fleming “stole” the James Bond name from an American ornithologist. The number 007 was “stolen” from the real-life, 16th century English spy called John Dee. Dee would sign his reports to Queen Elizabeth I with a stylized “007” to indicate that the reports were for “her eyes only”. There’s an entertaining miniseries that aired on BBC America called “Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond” that details Ian Fleming’s military career, and draws some nice parallels between Fleming’s experiences and aspirations and those of his hero James Bond. Recommended …
Down
1 Jet popular in the 1960s and ’70s : NAMATH
Legendary quarterback Joe Namath played most of his professional football games with the New York Jets. He was dubbed “Broadway Joe” in 1965 by offensive tackle Sherman Plunkett, a reference to Namath’s appearance on the cover of “Sports Illustrated”. Namath had played college football with the University of Alabama but left school without finishing his degree, to play professionally. Many years later he enrolled in Alabama’s External Degree program, and graduated with a BA in December 2007, at 64 years of age. Well done, Joe!
2 Flight attendant in “Airplane!” : ELAINE
The 1980 movie “Airplane!” has to be one of the zaniest comedies ever made. The lead roles were Ted Striker (played by Robert Hays) and Elaine Dickinson (played by Julie Hagerty). But it was Leslie Nielsen who stole the show, playing Dr. Barry Rumack. That’s my own humble opinion of course …
6 Expressive characters : EMOJI
An emoji is a character found on many cell phones that is much like an emoticon, but is more elaborate.
10 Boy’s name that becomes a girl’s name if you move the first letter to the end : ALAN
“Alan” becomes “Lana” by moving the first letter to the end.
21 Occult : ARCANE
Something that is arcane is something that is understood by only a few, something that might be described as mysterious.
The adjective “occult” means “secret, beyond the realm of human comprehension”. The term derives from the Latin “occultus” meaning “hidden, concealed”.
27 Orkneyan or Shetlander : SCOT
Orkney (also called “The Orkney Islands”) is a group of about 70 islands in the very north of Scotland. When locals who inhabit the archipelago refer to the Mainland, they aren’t talking about Scotland that is just ten miles away. Instead, the Mainland in Orkney is the name of the largest of all the islands.
The Shetland Islands in Scotland have given their name to a few breeds of animals, including Shetland cattle, Shetland ponies, Shetland sheep, Shetland sheepdogs and Shetland geese. The Shetlands lie about 110 miles northeast of the Scottish mainland.
29 Part of a cloverleaf : ON-RAMP
Cloverleaf interchanges allow two highways to cross without the need for stopping traffic. They are so called as when viewed overheard they look like the leaves of a four-leaf clover.
32 Pixelated, perhaps : LOW-RES
One way of censoring an image is to pixelate the area to be hidden, in a process known as “pixelization” (which is different than “pixelation”). For example, we often see license plates and faces blurred out, on television news shows. That’s pixelization. On the other hand, pixelation is an effect noticed when digital photographs are enlarged to an extent that individual pixels can be discerned.
33 “Nope” : IXNAY
Pig Latin is in effect a game. One takes the first consonant or consonant cluster of an English word and moves it to the end of the word, and then adds the letters “ay”. So, the Pig Latin for the word “nix” is “ixnay” (ix-n-ay), and for “scram” is “amscray” (am-scr-ay).
37 Long car trip? : LIMO RIDE
The word “limousine” derives from the name of the French city Limoges. The area around Limoges is called the Limousin, and it gave its name to a cloak hood worn by local shepherds. In early motor cars, a driver would sit outside in the weather while the passengers would sit in the covered compartment. The driver would often wear a limousin-style protective hood, giving rise to that type of transportation being called a “limousine”. Well, that’s how the story goes …
39 Woman who has traveled to el Norte, maybe : CHICANA
“El Norte” is the term many people in Central America use for the United States and Canada. It translates from Spanish as “the North”.
43 Music style that might feature an accordion and a bajo sexto : TEJANO
“Tejano” is the Spanish word for “Texan”. Tejano music is strongly influenced by Cajun culture, because of the proximity of Texas to Louisiana. The other strong influence came with immigrants from the Poland and what is now the Czech Republic. These immigrants brought with them the waltz, polka … and the accordion.
45 G.I. meal : RATION
The initialism “GI” stands for “Government Issue”, and not “General Infantry” as is widely believed. “GI” was first used in the military to denote equipment made from Galvanized Iron and during WWI, incoming German shells were nicknamed “GI cans”. Soon after, the term GI came to be associated with “Government Issue” and eventually became an adjective to describe anything associated with the Army.
51 Zillow listing : CONDO
The terms “condominium” and “apartment” tend to describe the same type of residential property, namely a private living space with facilities shared with others residing in the same building or complex. The difference is that a condominium is usually owned, and an apartment is rented. At least that’s how it is in the US. The word “condominium” comes from the Latin “com-” (together) and “dominum” (right of ownership).
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 “Right?”: Fr. : N’EST-CE PAS?
10 Org. whose founders include Cecil B. DeMille : AMPAS
15 Leading man? : ALPHA MALE
16 Sturdy floor wood : LARCH
17 Potent Hawaiian weed : MAUI WOWIE
18 Unsettled feeling : AGITA
19 High-society people may put them on when in public : AIRS
20 Alternative to a Lambo : JAG
21 A man or a mouse : ANIMAL
22 Demolition letters : TNT
23 Not so far away : HITHER
25 It multiplies by dividing : CELL
26 “Narcissus and Goldmund” novelist : HESSE
28 ___ truck : TACO
30 Part of a guess in Battleship : ROW
31 Only place in the U.S. to host both the Summer and Winter Olympics, informally : CALI
34 Vacation souvenir, perhaps : TAN LINE
36 Parent company of Pine-Sol : CLOROX
38 Blanket : ENROBE
39 Home of Millennium Park, informally : CHI-TOWN
40 Sharing many of the characteristics of : NEAR
41 Background noise : HUM
42 ___ boy : FRAT
44 Goods, slangily : MERCH
48 2019 #1 album by Tyler, the Creator : IGOR
50 Medicine cabinet glass : EYE CUP
53 “Brilliant!” : AHA!
54 200-milligram units : CARATS
56 Snow of “Game of Thrones” : JON
57 Bibliographer’s abbr. : ET AL
58 Still around : ALIVE
59 1963 Four Seasons hit : CANDY GIRL
61 Paintings of Adam and Eve, typically : NUDES
62 Alternative to Kickstarter : INDIEGOGO
63 Bond, e.g. : AGENT
64 Fully fixed : GOOD AS NEW
Down
1 Jet popular in the 1960s and ’70s : NAMATH
2 Flight attendant in “Airplane!” : ELAINE
3 Periods of growth : SPURTS
4 “Who is ___?” : THIS
5 Harsh cry : CAW
6 Expressive characters : EMOJI
7 Rough up, in a way : PAW AT
8 Come down (on) : ALIGHT
9 Match : SEE
10 Boy’s name that becomes a girl’s name if you move the first letter to the end : ALAN
11 Tricks : MAGIC
12 Steakhouse selection : PRIME RIB
13 Not have an accomplice : ACT ALONE
14 “You want to?” : SHALL WE?
21 Occult : ARCANE
23 Learn indirectly : HEAR OF
24 Taken in : EATEN
27 Orkneyan or Shetlander : SCOT
29 Part of a cloverleaf : ON-RAMP
32 Pixelated, perhaps : LOW-RES
33 “Nope” : IXNAY
35 Family hand-me-down? : LORE
36 Quickly drink : CHUGALUG
37 Long car trip? : LIMO RIDE
39 Woman who has traveled to el Norte, maybe : CHICANA
43 Music style that might feature an accordion and a bajo sexto : TEJANO
45 G.I. meal : RATION
46 Put some juice into : CHARGE
47 Bless : HALLOW
49 Shade of black : RAVEN
51 Zillow listing : CONDO
52 Ruined : UNDID
55 Challenge : TEST
57 Fragile projectiles : EGGS
59 Short smoke : CIG
60 House support : YEA
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