Day: October 3, 2023

Bill’s time: 7m 12s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

12 Bea Arthur sitcom of the 1970s : MAUDE

The seventies sitcom “Maude” stars Bea Arthur as the title character Maude Findlay. “Maude” is a spin-off of “All in the Family”, as Findlay is a cousin of Edith Bunker.

16 John who sang “Crocodile Rock” : ELTON

Elton John had nine number-one hits in the US:

• “Crocodile Rock” (1972)
• “Bennie and the Jets” (1974)
• “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” (1974)
• “Philadelphia Freedom” (1975)
• “Island Girl” (1975)
• “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” (1976)
• “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” (1991)
• “Something About the Way You Look Tonight” (1997)
• “Candle in the Wind 1997” (1997)

18 In the open air, as a meal : ALFRESCO

Our word “alfresco” means outdoors, in the fresh air. The term came into English from Italian.

20 Ancient Brit : PICT

The Picts were a Celtic people who lived in ancient Scotland, in the east and north of the country. The Picts gradually disappeared as an identifiable group, merging with the Gaels in the 10th century.

22 Wild pigs : BOARS

The wild boar might be described as a matriarchal beast. Fully-grown males live a solitary life, except during mating season. Fully-grown females live together in groups called sounders, along with their offspring.

24 Number in the Gettysburg Address : SCORE

I visited Gettysburg for the first time in 2010, and goodness me what a moving place that is. As I discovered on my visit, there are five known copies of Lincoln’s Gettysburg address and all of them differ in some way or another, so I suppose the exact words spoken will never be known. Martin Luther King Jr. evoked Abraham Lincoln’s words in another of America’s iconic addresses, his “I Have a Dream” speech. Lincoln’s speech began with “Four score and seven years ago …”, and King’s speech began with “Five score years ago …” as a nod to the Gettysburg Address.

31 Nest eggs, in brief : IRAS

A nest egg is an amount of money laid down as a reserve. This is the figurative use of “nest egg” that originally described an artificial egg left in a nest to encourage a hen to lay real eggs in that spot. So our financial nest egg is set aside in anticipation of continued growth, more eggs being laid.

34 Composer Zimmer who won Oscars for “The Lion King” and “Dune” : HANS

Hans Zimmer is a film composer from Frankfurt in Germany. The long list of films that Zimmer has scored includes “Rain Man” (1998), “The Lion King” (1994), “Gladiator” (2000), “The Dark Knight” (2008), “Inception” (2010) and “12 Years a Slave” (2013).

43 ___ State (Idaho nickname) : GEM

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 …

44 “S.N.L.” alum Carvey : DANA

Dana Carvey, along with the likes of Phil Hartman and Kevin Nealon, was part of the new breed of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) comedians credited with resurrecting the show in the late eighties. One of Carvey’s most popular characters was the Church Lady (“Well, isn’t that special?”), and he became so associated with her that among fellow cast members Carvey was often referred to simply as “the Lady”. Another favorite Carvey character was Garth Algar who went to feature in the “Wayne’s World” movies. Carvey had open-heart surgery in 1997 to clear a blocked artery, but the surgical team operated on the wrong blood vessel. To recover, he had to have five more procedures. He ended up suing for medical malpractice and donated his $7.5 million compensation payment to charity.

49 Native language in Oslo : NORSK

“Norsk” is the Norwegian word for “Norwegian”.

51 Mount Olympus figures : GODS

Mount Olympus is the highest peak in Greece. In Greek mythology, it was home to the gods, and in particular home to the principal gods known as the Twelve Olympians.

55 Justice Kagan : ELENA

Elena Kagan was the Solicitor General of the United States from 2009 until 2010, when she replaced Justice John Paul Stevens on the US Supreme Court. That made Justice Kagan the first female US Solicitor General and the fourth female US Supreme Court justice. Kagan also served as the first female dean of Harvard Law School from 2003 to 2009.

57 “La ___” (1958 Ritchie Valens hit) : BAMBA

“La Bamba” is a folk song from Veracruz, Mexico that became a huge hit for Ritchie Valens in 1958. iT appears in the oft-cited list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time compiled by “Rolling Stone” magazine, and is the only song in the list not sung in English. The song lent its name to the 1987 biopic about the life of Ritchie Valens, starring Lou Diamond Phillips as Valens.

Ritchie Valens was a pioneer in the world of rock & roll and in Chicano rock in particular. Sadly, his recording career lasted less than a year, as Valens was killed in a plane crash in 1959, on “the Day the Music Died” (to quote Don McLean in “American Pie”). That plane crash in Iowa also claimed the lives of Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper (JP Richardson).

62 Motormouth ___ (“Hairspray” role for Queen Latifah) : MAYBELLE

“Hairspray” is a 1988 musical comedy movie written and directed by the zany John Waters. The film had a lukewarm reception when it opened, but it spawned an extremely successful franchise. A Broadway musical of the same name opened in 2002, which won the Best Musical Tony Award in 2003. The film was remade in 2007.

“Queen Latifah” is the stage name of the multitalented Dana Owens. The name “Latifah” is Arabic in origin and translates as “delicate, very kind”. Owens found the name and was attracted to it when she was just eight years old.

67 Like 48-Downs, to Ireland : ALIEN
[48D Creature that grows longer in a classic video game : SNAKE]

One of the more commonly known facts about my native Ireland is that there are no snakes in the country (outside of politics, that is). A lesser known fact is that there are no moles either. There are plenty of snakes and moles in Britain, just a few miles away. Over a pint, we tend to give the credit to Saint Patrick, but the last ice age is more likely the responsible party …

69 Section of a long poem : CANTO

A canto is a section of a long poem. “Canto” is the Italian for “song”, and is a term first used by the Italian poet Dante.

72 Places for patellas : KNEES

The patella is the kneecap. The bone’s Latin name “patella” is a diminutive form of “patina”, the word for “pan”. The idea is that the kneecap is pan-shaped.

Down

5 Brightest light in Cygnus : DENEB

Cygnus is a constellation in the northern sky, with its name being Latin for “Swan”. Four stars define the main features of the “swan”, namely Albireo (the tip of the beak), Delta and Epsilon Cygnis (the wings) and Deneb (the tail). Deneb is one of the brightest stars in the night sky and is also part of the Northern Cross, which lies within the constellation of Cygnus.

6 Hanukkah centerpiece : MENORAH

There is a seven-branched menorah used symbolically in ancient temples. However, the Hanukkah menorah is a nine-branched lampstand that is lit during the eight-day holiday called Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights. “Menorah” is the Hebrew word for “lamp”.

11 Ice Bucket Challenge cause, for short : ALS

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge was a viral phenomenon in which participants were challenged to be filmed having a bucket of ice water poured over their heads. Each participant then got to nominate up to three other people to do the same. Usually the nominees were given a day or two to comply, but could make a charitable donation if they wanted to avoid the icy shower. Happily, many participants opted to take the challenge, and also make a donation.

13 Clergy member : VICAR

A vicar is a member of the clergy in several Christian traditions. In more general terms, we can use the word “vicar” for a person who acts in the place of another, i.e. a deputy. It was the latter usage of the term that gave rise to the religious usage, as a vicar in a church was considered a person acting for God.

14 Bluish-purple flower : IRIS

Iris is a genus of flowering plants that come in a wide variety of flower colors. The term “iris” is a Greek word meaning “rainbow”. Many species of irises are called “flags”. One suggestion is that the alternate name comes from the Middle English “flagge” meaning “reed”. This term was used because iris leaves look like reeds.

15 Aldo of fashion : GUCCI

Gucci was founded in Rome, in 1921, by Guccio Gucci. Guccio’s son Aldo took over the company after his father’s death in 1953. It was Aldo who established the international presence for the brand and opened the company’s first overseas store, in New York City.

25 Malek of “Mr. Robot” : RAMI

Actor Rami Malek’s big break came with the leading role in the television series “Mr. Robot”. In 2018, Malik gave an Oscar-winning performance playing Freddie Mercury in the hit biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody”. That marked the first time that an actor of Egyptian descent won an Academy Award for Best Actor.

“Mr. Robot” is an engaging drama series about an anxious and clinically depressed computer hacker. Said hacker joins an anarchic group of hackers known as “Mr. Robot” who are intent on taking down the largest conglomerate in the world. I binge-watched the first two series, and really enjoyed the experience …

35 Gateway to the West, on scoreboards : STL

The city of St. Louis, Missouri was settled by French explorers in 1763. Sitting on the Mississippi River, it grew into a very busy port. By the 1850s, it was the second busiest port in the country, with only New York moving more freight. St. Louis was named for Louis IX of France. Louis was canonized in 1297 by Pope Boniface VIII, and was the only French king to be declared a saint.

38 Justice Gorsuch : NEIL

Neil Gorsuch was nominated to the Supreme court by the Trump administration, and assumed office in 2017. Gorsuch took the seat on the court that was left vacant with the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia in 2016. Gorsuch is the first Supreme Court justice to serve alongside another justice for whom he once clerked, doing so for Anthony Kennedy from 1993 to 1994.

45 Language of ancient Syria : ARAMAIC

The ancient Biblical land of Aram was named after Aram, a grandson of Noah. Aram was located in the center of modern-day Syria. Aramaic became the everyday language of Syria, Mesopotamia and Palestine.

52 Where one might be represented by an avatar : ONLINE

The Sanskrit word “avatar” describes the concept of a deity descending into earthly life and taking on a persona. It’s easy to see how in the world of online presences one might use the word avatar to describe one’s online identity.

63 Panache : ELAN

Someone exhibiting panache is showing dash and verve, and perhaps has a swagger. “Panache” is a French word used for a plume of feathers, especially one in a hat.

64 “Sunday Morning” airer : CBS

“CBS News Sunday Morning” has been on air since 1979, when it was anchored by journalist Charles Kuralt. Charles Osgood took over as host in 1994, and he was replaced by Jane Pauley in 2016.

65 Away from work, for short : OOO

Out of the office (OOO)