Day: August 4, 2024

Bill’s time: 20m 00s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

7 Tiki bar cocktail : MAI TAI

The world’s first tiki bar was called “Don the Beachcomber”, and was opened in L.A. in 1933 by Ernest Gantt (also known as “Donn Beach”). The bar became famous for its exotic rum cocktails. Gantt was called to serve in WWII, and the business expanded dramatically under his ex-wife’s management so that there was a 160-restaurant chain waiting for Gantt when he returned stateside.

19 ___ pork (Chinese dish) : MOO SHU

Moo shu pork (also “mu shu pork”) is a traditional dish from northern China, with the main ingredients being shredded pork and scrambled egg. In North America, the dish is served with tortilla-like wrappers that are sometimes referred to as “moo shu pancakes”.

25 Formula 1 powerhouse : FERRARI

The Italian sports car company Ferrari was founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1939. Ferrari built the most expensive car ever sold: a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO that exchanged hands for over $38 million in 2012.

In motor racing, the designation “formula” is a set of rules that all participants and cars must abide by. The definition of “Formula One” was agreed back in 1946, with the “one” designating that it is the most advanced of the “formulae”, and the most competitive.

26 Its national symbol is the khanjar, a dagger worn for self-defense : OMAN

The national flag of Oman is made up of three stripes (white, red and green) alongside a red bar which bears the national emblem of the country (a dagger and two swords).

33 Member of a grungy Gen-Z subculture : E-BOY

E-girls and e-boys (maybe “e-kids”) may spend a lot of time on social media, especially TikTok, hence the use of the prefix “e-”.

42 Like one’s mental state before morning coffee? : MOSTLY CLOUDY

Ain’t that the truth …

46 Section of the Rockies : TETONS

The Teton Range is located just to the south of Yellowstone National Park, and is part of the Rocky Mountains. The origins of the name “Teton” is not very clear, although one story is that it was named by French trappers, as the word “tetons” in French is a slang term meaning “breasts”.

51 Subject of museums in Richmond, Va., and Baltimore, Md. : POE

The Poe Museum in Richmond, Virginia is housed in an old stone house built around 1740 that is the oldest original building in the city. The museum opened in 1922 and commemorates the years that Edgar Allan Poe spent living in the city.

The Poe House and Museum is a modest row house on North Amity Street in Baltimore, and is a former home of the writer Edgar Allan Poe. He lived in the house from 1833 to 1835.

54 Madden of fashion : STEVE

Fashion designer Steve Madden is best known for his line of shoes. Madden fell foul of the law and was convicted in 2002 of stock manipulation, money laundering, and securities fraud, for which he was sentenced to 41 months in prison.

61 Maker of precious violins : AMATI

The first of the Amati family to make violins was Andrea Amati, who lived in the 14th century. He was succeeded by his sons Antonio and Girolamo. In turn, the two brothers were succeeded by Girolamo’s son Nicolo. Nicolo had a few students who achieved fame making musical instruments as well. One was his own son, Girolamo, and another was the famed Antonio Stradivari.

67 Furry friend of Rosita : ELMO

On the children’s television show “Sesame Street”, Rosita is a character who is fluent in both English and Spanish. Rosita is operated by Puppeteer Carmen Osbahr. Osbahr originally worked on “Plaza Sésamo”, which is the version of Sesame Street that is broadcast in Mexico.

81 ___ for Sore Eyes (punny name for an ophthalmologist’s office) : SITE

Ophthalmology is that branch of medicine dealing with the physiology and health of the eye. “Ophthalmos” is the Greek word for “eye”.

84 Dressy tie : ASCOT

An ascot is a wide tie that narrows at the neck, which these days is only really worn at weddings or part of a dress uniform. The tie takes its name from the Royal Ascot horse race at which punters still turn up in formal wear at Ascot Racecourse in England.

87 “The Elephants” painter, 1948 : DALI

The famous surrealist Salvador Dalí was born in Figueres, Spain. I had the privilege of visiting the Dalí Museum in Figueres some years ago, just north of Barcelona. If you ever get the chance, it’s a “must see” as it really is a quite magnificent building with a fascinating collection of art.

89 Start of an incantation : ABRA-

The incantation “abracadabra” has a long history. It was used as far back as the 2nd century AD in ancient Rome when the word was prescribed by a physician to be worn on an amulet to help his emperor recover from disease. “Abracadabra” is Aramaic, and roughly translates as “I will create as I speak”.

92 Schleps : TOTES

Our word “schlep” (sometimes “schlepp”) means “carry, drag”. “Schlep” comes from Yiddish, with “shlepen” having the same meaning.

98 Photographer Arbus : DIANE

Diane Arbus was a photographer famous for producing black & white images of the unusual and less than savory aspects of life. The 2006 movie “Fur” presents a fictionalized account of her life and work, with Nicole Kidman playing Arbus.

102 Brand of hydrating drops : VISINE

Visine is a brand of eye drops made by Johnson & Johnson that are advertised to “get the red out”. The red in the eye is reduced because Visine contains tetrahydrozoline hydrochloride, a vasoconstrictor. The blood vessels creating the redness constrict when Visine is applied, and you “get the red out” as the blood is “squeezed” away from the surface of the eye.

103 “The Road Not Taken” enjoyed over breakfast? : MORNING FROST

Robert Frost had a poem published in 1916 in which he describes the road he took in the last lines:

I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Because of these last lines, the poem is often assumed to be titled “The Road Less Traveled”. In fact, the poem’s correct name is “The Road Not Taken”. Quite interesting …

108 Seventh notes on scales : TIS

The sol-fa syllables are: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la & ti.

116 Filmmaker Cameron : CROWE

Cameron Crowe was a contributing editor for “Rolling Stone” magazine before he moved into the world of film, becoming an actor, producer, director and screenwriter. Crowe wrote “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”, and wrote and directed “Say Anything…” and the huge hit “Jerry Maguire”. He also wrote and directed the semi-autobiographical movie “Almost Famous”, which was released in 2000.

120 Surname of the only all-brother outfield in M.L.B. history : ALOU

Matty Alou played major league baseball, as did his brothers Jesus and Felipe, and as did Felipe’s son Moises.

123 G.I. morale booster : USO TOUR

The United Service Organization (USO) was founded in 1941 at the request of President Franklin D. Roosevelt “to handle the on-leave recreation of the men in the armed forces”. A USO tour is undertaken by a troupe of entertainers, many of whom are big-name celebrities. A USO tour usually includes troop locations in combat zones.

125 Smashing clarinets and oboes? : DAMAGING WINDS

Wind instruments all feature a column of air that is set into vibration by the player blowing into, or over, a mouthpiece. Broadly speaking, there are two families of wind instruments:

• Brass instruments, e.g. horns, trumpets, tubas
• Woodwind instruments, e.g. flutes, clarinets, saxophones

133 Shooter in a game of marbles : TAW

In the game of marbles, the taw is the shooting marble. It is shot at the ducks.

Down

1 Sounds from a mat : OMS

“Om” is a sacred mystic word from the Hindu tradition. “Om” is sometimes used as a mantra, a focus for the mind in meditation.

3 Part of an accusation in Clue : ROOM

Clue is a board game that we knew under a different name growing up in Ireland. Outside of North America, Clue is marketed as “Cluedo”. Cluedo was the original name of the game, introduced in 1949 by the famous British board game manufacturer Waddingtons. There are cute differences between the US and UK versions. For example, the man who is murdered is called Dr. Black (Mr. Boddy in the US), one of the suspects is the Reverend Green (Mr. Green in the US), and the suspect weapons include a dagger (a knife in the US), and a spanner (a wrench in the US). I think it’s a fabulous game, a must during the holidays …

4 Dam on the Nile : ASWAN

The Aswan Dam on the River Nile is actually two dams. The Low Dam was first built in 1902 (and modified later). The High Dam was completed in 1970.

5 Title role for Fran Drescher : THE NANNY

“The Nanny” is a sitcom that originally aired in the nineties and starred Fran Drescher in the title role, playing the character Fran Fine. The show was created and produced by Peter Marc Jacobson, who was Drescher’s husband at the time.

Fran Drescher’s real name is Francine Jane Drescher. She is a comedian and comic actress best known for playing Fran Fine on the sitcom “The Nanny”. Fran was born in Queens, New York (go figure!). Her big break came with a small role, but in a huge movie. You might recall in “Saturday Night Fever” that John Travolta was asked by a pretty dancer, “Are you as good in bed as you are on the dance floor?” Well, that young lady was Fran Drescher.

7 What dry ice doesn’t do : MELT

Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide (CO2). The material’s main use is to preserve food and for cooling in general. It is also used in fog machines in theaters and haunted houses.

10 Some skating jumps : TOE LOOPS

A toe loop is a relatively simple jump in figure skating (not that I could do one!). In a toe loop, the skater uses the toe pick on the skate to lift off on a backward outside edge, landing on the same backward outside edge.

12 N.H.L. great Kovalchuk : ILYA

Ilya Kovalchuk is a Russian-born hockey player who played for the Atlanta Thrashers and New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League. Kovalchuk returned to his homeland in 2013, and signed a contract with SKA Saint Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) that covers Europe and Asia.

13 Social programs like Medicare, Medicaid and disability insurance, collectively : SAFETY NET

Medicare is a national medical insurance program administered by the US government. The term “Medicare” originally applied to a government program introduced in 1956 that provided coverage for families of those serving in the military. The current Medicare program was introduced by the Johnson administration in 1966, to provide health insurance to anyone aged 65 years or older.

16 Protégé, say : STAR PUPIL

We use the term “protégé” for someone whose career is helped along and guided by a more experienced person, a mentor. “Protégé” is French for “protected”.

18 Puccini’s “Recondita armonia,” e.g. : ARIA

“Recondita armonia” is an aria sung by the character Cavaradossi in Puccini’s opera “Tosca”. ”Recondita armonia” translates from Italian as “Concealed harmony”.

29 Mouth-watering stuff : SALIVA

Ultimately, our contemporary term “saliva” is the Latin word for “spittle”.

34 Company whose “W” stands for “Werke” : BMW

The initialism “BMW” stands for “Bayerische Motoren Werke”, which translates into Bavarian Motor Works. BMW was making aircraft engines during WWI, but had to cease that activity according to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. The company then started making motorcycles, and moved into automobile production starting in 1928. BMW moved back into aircraft engine manufacturing during the build-up of the Luftwaffe prior to WWII.

36 Motorcycle engine units, for short : CCS

Cubic centimeter (cc)

39 And others, in Latin : ET ALII

“Et alii” (et al.) is the equivalent of “et cetera” (etc.), with “et cetera” being used in place of a list of objects, and “et alii” used for a list of names. In fact, “et al.” can stand for “et alii” (a group of males, or males and females), “et aliae” (a group of women) and “et alia” (a group of neuter nouns, or a group of people where the intent is to retain gender-neutrality).

44 Wonderland bird : DODO

The Dodo is a character who appears early in Lewis Carroll’s novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”. It is thought that the Dodo is a caricature of the author himself, as both author and character have a stutter.

53 Place to get a pricey cab : NAPA

Napa Valley in California is home to over 400 wineries, the first being established in 1858. Napa is also home to over 100 different grape varieties, the most popular being cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, and pinot noir.

55 Compacted, with “down” : TAMPED …

To tamp is to pack down tightly by tapping. “Tamp” was originally used specifically to describe the action of packing down sand or dirt around an explosive prior to detonation.

57 February 14 and March 17, e.g. : NAME DAYS

Saint Valentine’s Day was introduced by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD to honor various martyrs with the name Valentine. However, the saint’s day was dropped by the Roman Catholic church in 1969, by Pope Paul VI. Try telling that to Hallmark though …

The first Saint Patrick’s Day celebration in the US was held in 1600, in St. Augustine, Florida. There is some evidence that the first St. Paddy’s Day parade was held the following year, in the same locale. The annual parade in Boston dates back to 1737, in New York City dates back to 1762, and in Chicago dates back to 1843.

65 Babe in the (Hundred Acre) Wood : ROO

Hundred Acre Wood is where Winnie-the-Pooh lives with his friends. According to a map illustrating the books by A. A. Milne, Hundred Acre Wood is part of a larger forest, with Owl’s house sitting right at the center. Piglet also lives in the Hundred Acre Wood, in a beech tree next to a sign that says “TRESPASSERS W”. Piglet says this is short for Trespassers William, which is his grandfather’s name.

68 Purported influence on the lyrics of “I Am the Walrus” : LSD

“I Am the Walrus” is a Beatles song released in 1967. It was written by John Lennon, with the “Walrus” being a reference to the poem “The Walrus and the Carpenter” from Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking-Glass”.

74 German word that sounds like a number in English : NEIN

In German, one might say “nein!” (no!), “das ist verboten!” (that is forbidden!).

79 Certain Caribbean islander, informally : TRINI

A Trini is a person from the island of Trinidad, located off the coast of Venezuela.

82 “Methinks,” online : IMHO

In my humble opinion (IMHO)

104 Animals that can grow lungs after being born : NEWTS

Newts wouldn’t be my favorite animals. They are found all over the world living on land or in water depending on the species, but always associated with water even if it is only for breeding. Newts metamorphose through three distinct developmental stages during their lives. They start off as larvae in water, fertilized eggs that often cling to aquatic plants. The eggs hatch into tadpoles, the first developmental form of the newt. After living some months as tadpoles swimming around in the water, they undergo another metamorphosis, sprouting legs and replacing their external gills with lungs. At this juvenile stage they are known as efts, and leave the water to live on land. A more gradual transition takes place then, as the eft takes on the lizard-like appearance of the adult newt.

105 Comic actor Patton : OSWALT

Patton Oswalt is a stand-up comedian who is best known on television for playing Spencer Olchin on “The King of Queens”. He also voiced the lead character of Remy in the animated movie from Pixar called “Ratatouille”.

107 Bird on a Canadian dollar : LOON

The common loon (also “great northern diver”) is the provincial bird of Ontario, and the state bird of Minnesota. The loon once appeared on Canadian $20 bills and also appears on the Canadian one-dollar coin, giving the coin the nickname “the loonie”.

114 “The Ghost and Mrs. ___” (1947 film) : MUIR

“The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” is a 1947 movie based on a 1945 novel of the same name by Josephine Leslie (using the pen name “R. A. Dick”). Gene Tierney plays a young widow who rents a house haunted by the ghost of seaman played by Rex Harrison. The film is a light-hearted, romantic offering, and highly recommended …

117 Greek theaters : ODEA

In ancient Greece, an odeon (also “odeum”) was like a small theater, with “odeon” literally meaning “building for musical competition”. Odea were used in both Greece and Rome for entertainments such as musical shows and poetry readings.

122 Noodle used in shabu-shabu : UDON

Shabu-shabu is a hotpot dish in Japanese cuisine. It comprises very thin slices of meat that are boiled in water and served with various dipping sauces. Diners cook the meat in the boiling water themselves. They submerge a slice into the water and stir it around using chopsticks, usually just for a few seconds. The name “shabu-shabu” is onomatopoeic, and comes from the swishing sound made by the meat being stirred in the water.

124 Actress Thurman : UMA

Uma Thurman was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Award at the Oscar ceremony held in 1995, for her performance in “Pulp Fiction”. She didn’t win (Dianne Wiest did, for “Bullets Over Broadway”), but Thurman did make her mark on the ceremony. She wore a lavender chiffon gown by Prada that attracted a lot of attention. It is credited with launching Prada as a mainstream clothier in America.

126 Rigmarole : ADO

“Rigmarole” is a lovely word, one used for an elaborate and complicated procedure. According to the OED, the term evolved from a medieval game of chance called “Ragman’s Roll”. I guess it was a complicated game …

127 “Skedaddle!” : GIT!

“Skedaddle” is a slang term meaning “run away”, one that dates back to the Civil War.

128 ••• – – – ••• : SOS

The combination of three dots – three dashes – three dots, is a Morse signal first introduced by the German government as a standard distress call in 1905. The sequence is remembered as the letters SOS (three dots – pause – three dashes – pause – three dots). That said, in the emergency signal there is no pause between the dots and dashes, so “SOS” is really only a mnemonic. Similarly, the phrases “Save Our Souls” and “Save Our Ship” are back-formations that were introduced after the SOS signal was adopted.