Day: June 30, 2023

Bill’s time: 16m 37s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

14 “Waiting to Exhale” or “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” dismissively : CHICK LIT

“Waiting to Exhale” is a 1995 film that is based on a novel of the same name by Terry McMillan. The movie stars Whitney Houston and is directed by Forest Whitaker. The storyline is about four friends who are “waiting to exhale”, waiting until the day they can feel comfortable in a committed relationship with a man.

“Bridget Jones’s Diary” is a 1996 novel by English novelist Helen Fielding. The novel is a clever adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” and even includes a lead character named Darcy. “Bridget Jones’s Diary” was adapted into a very successful movie released in 2001. Colin Firth plays Darcy in the movie, and also played Mr. Darcy in a famous television version of “Pride and Prejudice” in 1995.

15 Sassy retort : BITE ME!

“Bite me!” is one of those idiomatic expressions that I find quite distasteful. This one does indeed have raunchy and obscene origins and might be described as a minced oath. It developed as a less offensive form of a more pornographic insult.

16 Mexican wrap : TORTILLA

“Tortilla” translates literally from Spanish as “little cake”.

21 Some pyramid builders : MAYA

The Mayan civilization held sway in Central America and Mexico from about 350 AD, until the arrival of the Spanish in the 1500s.

26 Its name is completely fabricated despite being “translated” as “gem of the mountains” : IDAHO

Idaho has the nickname “Gem State”, mainly because almost every known type of gemstone has been found there. Idaho is also sometimes called the Potato State, as potatoes are such a popular crop in the state. I’d go for the potatoes over the gems, but that’s probably just me. Oh, and Idaho license plates have borne the slogan “Famous Potatoes” for decades …

32 52 semanas : ANO

In Spanish, an “año” (year) comprises 52 “semanas” (weeks), and a week comprises 7 “dias” (days).

35 “I can relate,” in Gen Z slang : THAT IS SUCH A MOOD

Definitions vary, but it seems that the term “Generation Z” is reserved for the children of “Generation X”, and for the generation that follows the “Millennials” (Generation Y). Gen-Zers are also known as “Zoomers”, a portmanteau of “Z” and “boomer” (as in “baby boomer”).

52 Flight : LAM

To be on the lam is to be in flight, to have escaped from prison. “On the lam” is American slang that originated at the end of the 19th century. The word “lam” also means “beat” or “thrash”, as in “lambaste”. So “on the lam” might derive from the phrase “to beat it, scram”.

56 Way out : LOOPHOLE

A loophole is a means of evading perhaps a rule or a law. The contemporary usage of “loophole” comes from the older meaning of the word. In days past, a loophole was an arrow slit in a fortification, a vertical window through which defenders could shoot arrows from a sheltered position.

59 Dining option where bow ties might be expected : PASTA BAR

Farfalle is commonly referred to as bow-tie pasta because of its shape. The name comes from the Italian “farfalla” meaning “butterfly”.

61 Like a tryst, usually : ONE-ON-ONE

In the most general sense, a tryst is a meeting at an agreed time and place. More usually we consider a tryst to be a pre-arranged meeting between lovers. The term comes from the Old French “triste”, a waiting place designated when hunting. Further, a tryst taking place at lunchtime is sometimes referred to as a nooner.

Down

6 Where you can hear pins drop : ALLEY

Bowling has been around for an awfully long time. The oldest known reference to the game is in Egypt, where pins and balls were found in an ancient tomb that is over 5,000 years old. The first form of the game to come to America was nine-pin bowling, which had been very popular in Europe for centuries. In 1841 in Connecticut, nine-pin bowling was banned due to its association with gambling. Supposedly, an additional pin was added to get around the ban, and ten-pin bowling was born.

11 French thinker? : TETE

In French, a “penseur” (thinker) might use his or her “tête” (head) to produce an “idée” (idea).

15 It’s a big thing : BROUHAHA

“Brouhaha”, meaning “ado, stir”, was a French word that back in the 1550s meant “the cry of the devil disguised as clergy” . Wow!

20 Not yet known, for short : TBA

To be advised/announced (TBA)

24 Chevrolet offering : TAHOE

The Chevrolet Tahoe SUV was introduced in 1994. It is based on the same platform as the Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck, and it shares many of its components. It is actually sold under the Silverado badge in Mexico.

27 “When in ___, don’t” (maxim attributed to Benjamin Franklin) : DOUBT

Benjamin Franklin came from a large family. He was his father’s fifteenth child (Josiah Franklin had seventeen children in all, with two wives). Benjamin was born in Boston in 1706. He had very little schooling, heading out to work for his father when he was ten years old. He became an apprentice printer to his older brother at the age of twelve. Benjamin did quite well with that limited education …

30 Procedures that may involve a pumice stone, informally : PEDIS

Pedicure (pedi)

Pumice is volcanic rock that is formed by lava cooling. There are bubbles in pumice due to water and carbon dioxide frothing out of the lava as it cools. Because of the frothy structure, pumice is relatively light and is a great thermal insulator. As such, it is used in construction to make insulating breeze blocks.

32 Dancing duo of the early 1900s : ASTAIRES

Fred Astaire’s real name was Frederick Austerlitz. Fred was from Omaha, Nebraska and before he made it big in the movies, he was one half of a celebrated music hall act with his sister Adele. The pair were particularly successful in the UK, and Adele ended up marrying into nobility in England, taking the name Lady Charles Cavendish.

34 The first recipe for one was published in “Tramping and Trailing With the Girl Scouts” (1927) : S’MORE

S’mores are treats peculiar to North America that are usually eaten around a campfire. A s’more consists of a roasted marshmallow and a layer of chocolate sandwiched between two graham crackers. The earliest written reference to the recipe is in a 1927 publication called “Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts”. Girl Scouts always did corner the market on cookies and the like!

43 Business card abbr. : STE

Suite (ste.)

44 Certain modern investment, informally : CRYPTO

A cryptocurrency is a digital asset that I simply do not understand. Apparently, an essential aspect of cryptocurrency is that it has no central administration. The first, and most famous, decentralized cryptocurrency is bitcoin.

48 Steamed rice cake : IDLI

Idli (also “idly”) are savory rice cakes in the cuisine from the Indian subcontinent. The cakes are made from de-husked, fermented black lentils incorporated into a batter and then steamed.

49 Air : MIEN

One’s mien is one’s bearing or manner. “Mien” shares the same etymological root as our word “demeanor”.

50 “True Blood” actress ___ Rachel Wood : EVAN

Actress Evan Rachel Wood’s most famous role to date is playing one of the leads in the 2003 movie “Thirteen”. Wood’s private life draws a lot of attention, especially as she was romantically linked for some time with the “outrageous” musician Marilyn Manson.

“True Blood” is a television drama made by HBO. The series is based on a series of novels written by Charlaine Harris that describe human and vampires co-existing in a small town in Louisiana. I don’t do vampires …

51 Brand sold at pet stores : ALPO

Alpo is a brand of dog food introduced by Allen Products in 1936, with “Alpo” being an abbreviation for “Allen Products”. Lorne Greene used to push Alpo dog food in television spots, as did Ed McMahon and Garfield the Cat, would you believe?

52 Endangered predator of the Southwest : LOBO

The timber wolf is also known as the gray wolf, tundra wolf or lobo.

53 Menken who wrote the music for “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Aladdin” : ALAN

Alan Menken is a composer from New York City who is best known for scores he produced for Disney movies. Menken won Oscars for the scores for “The Little Mermaid”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “Aladdin” and “Pocahontas”.

57 Flying Solo : HAN

Han Solo is the space smuggler in “Star Wars” played by Harrison Ford. Ford was originally hired by George Lucas just to read lines for actors during auditions for “Star Wars”, but over time Lucas became convinced that Ford was right for the pivotal role of Han Solo.