Day: February 8, 2025

Bill’s time: 13m 19s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

6 School whose mascot is Big Al the elephant, informally: BAMA

The athletic teams of the University of Alabama (“Bama”) are nicknamed the Crimson Tide, which is a reference to the team colors of crimson and white. Bama’s mascot is Big Al, an anthropomorphic elephant.

16 Celebrity chef with a role in the 1995 film “Casino”: NOBU

Nobu Matsuhisa is a celebrity chef from Japan. Nobu was invited to open a Japanese restaurant in Lima, Peru in 1973, and while in South America developed his own Peruvian-Japanese fusion cuisine. He moved to the US a few years later, and now there are “Nobu” and “Matsuhisa” restaurants all over the world.

“Casino” is a 1995 Martin Scorsese film. One of the movie’s stars is Robert De Niro, someone who collaborated with Scorsese in eight films in all, “Casino” being the last. The Tangiers Hotel in the movie was actually the Stardust Resort and Casino, which operated in Las Vegas from 1958 until 2006.

19 Sedaris of “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”: AMY

“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” is a Netflix-made sitcom that was created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock (the latter worked with Fey on “30 Rock”). The title character, played by Ellie Kemper, is a young woman adjusting to life in New York City after she was rescued from an underground bunker in Indiana where she had been held for 15 years. I tried a few episodes and found that it didn’t really hold my attention. But, I may give it another go one day, as I hear good things …

22 Kibitzes: GABS

To kibitz (or less commonly “to kibbitz”) is to look on and offer unwanted advice. The term comes into English from German via Yiddish. “Kibitz” developed in German from the name of the bird “Kiebitz”, which had the reputation as a meddler.

23 Plant item used in early genetics experiments: PEA POD

Gregor Mendel was an Austrian monk, and a scientist who achieved fame after his passing when his work in the field of genetics was rediscovered. The conclusions he drew from his studies of garden peas led to him earning the moniker “father of modern genetics”.

32 Capo, e.g.: CLAMP

A capo is a clamp-like device that is placed around the neck of a guitar or other stringed instrument to shorten the strings, and hence raise the pitch. The full name, rarely used these days, is “capo tasto”, which is Italian for “head tie”.

33 ___ Jin-won, Oscar-winning screenwriter for “Parasite”: HAN

“Parasite” is a 2019 comedy thriller movie from South Korea that became the nation’s highest-grossing film of all time. It was also the first movie not filmed in English to win the Oscar for Best Picture. I haven’t seen “Paradise” yet, but I hear great things from friends and family who have …

34 Kind of rocket that launches satellites: ATLAS

Atlas boosters launched the first four US astronauts into space. The Atlas rocket design was originally developed in the late fifties and was deployed for several years as it was intended, as an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

35 Crunchy, chocolaty smoothie add-ins: CACAO NIBS

The seeds of the Theobroma cacao tree are cacao beans. The beans can be dried, and crushed. The resulting pieces are sold as cacao nibs.

37 ___ Larsen, Harlem Renaissance novelist: NELLA

Author Nella Larsen wrote only two novels: “Quicksand” (1928) and “Passing” (1929). Despite the modest output, she is regarded as a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance. A central theme of Larsen’s writing is the plight of mixed-race individuals in American society. “Passing” deals with a mixed-race woman “passing” as white, and was made into a powerful film of the same name released in 2021.

41 River through Bristol, England: AVON

Bristol is the most populous city in the southwest of England. It is a port city, one that had a notorious role in the growth of slavery in America. Manufactured goods from the UK were shipped from Bristol to West Africa where they were traded for Africans who were forcibly transported across the Atlantic for trade in the Americas. The slave ships brought back plantation goods to Bristol.

45 Middle of a date: PIT

Date palms can be either male or female. Only the female tree bears fruit (called “dates”).

54 Big Board inits.: NYSE

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is nicknamed the “Big Board”.

Down

1 Group that had a 40-year gap between its two most recent studio albums (1981-2021): ABBA

“Voyage” is a 2021 album released by ABBA, the first collection of new songs recorded by the group since “The Visitors” in 1981. The album’s release was much anticipated all around the world, and sold one million units in the first week.

3 Word with cow or Communion: HOLY …

The Communion rite is part of the Mass in the Roman Catholic tradition. The rite involves distribution of the Communion bread (the host, a wafer) to the faithful.

4 Lion: pride:: ___ parliament: OWL

Here are some colorful collective nouns:

• A pride of lions
• A shrewdness of apes
• A cloud of bats
• A bench of bishops
• A parliament of owls
• A clowder of cats
• A waddling of ducks
• An army of frogs
• A knot of toads

5 Snap, crackle or pop: ONOMATOPOEIA

Onomatopoeia is the naming of something by vocally imitating the sound associated with it. Examples of onomatopoeia are “chirp”, “clash”, “click” and “hiccups”.

7 “Days of Grace” memoirist, 1993: ASHE

The great American tennis player Arthur Ashe spent the last years of his life writing his memoir called “Days of Grace”. He finished the manuscript just a few days before he passed away, dying from AIDS caused by a tainted blood transfusion.

11 What a button mushroom becomes when it matures: PORTOBELLO

The common mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) goes by a number of names. When immature and white in color, the names “common mushroom” and “button mushroom” might be used. When immature and brown in color, they are called “cremini mushrooms” and “chestnut mushrooms”. When mature, they are marketed as “portobello/portabella mushrooms”.

12 “Thelma & Louise” auto, informally: T-BIRD

“Thelma & Louise” is a thought-provoking movie, and one that is very entertaining. It was directed by Ridley Scott in 1991, and stars two fabulous leads in Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon. You’ll also spot Brad Pitt onscreen in his first significant movie role.

13 Rikishi’s sport: SUMO

“Rikishi” is the term used for a sumo wrestler. “Rikishi” translates from Japanese as “strong man”.

22 They may be dry or dirty: GIN MARTINIS

The term “martini” probably takes its name from the “Martini & Rossi” brand of dry vermouth, although no one seems to be completely sure. What is clear is that despite the Martini name originating in Italy, the martini drink originated in the US. The original martini was made with gin and sweet vermouth, but someone specifying a “dry” martini was given gin and dry vermouth. Nowadays we use dry vermouth for all martinis, and the term “dry” has become a reference to how little vermouth is included in the drink. Famously, Noël Coward liked his drink very dry and said that a perfect martini is made by “filling a glass with gin then waving it in the general direction of Italy”. The German-American journalist and satirist H. L. Mencken referred to the martini as “the only American invention as perfect as a sonnet”.

A dirty martini is a regular martini with a splash of olive juice, and served with an olive garnish.

24 Abbott and Costello in the film “Arrival,” informally: ETS

Bud Abbott was the straight man in the comedy duo Abbott and Costello, alongside Lou Costello. The pair met on the burlesque circuit in the early 1930s, and formally teamed up in 1936. The initial arrangement for splitting earnings was to give Abbott 60% of the income, as the straight man was traditionally viewed as the more valuable member of a comedy double act. Costello became disgruntled with the split, and eventually renegotiated 50/50 terms. When Abbott and Costello made it to Hollywood in the early 1940s, Costello insisted on taking a 60% share, an arrangement that caused a permanent chill between the partners. Money problems and differences plagued them for the rest of their careers, with the pair eventually having to sell off their assets to pay off back taxes. They parted company in 1957.

Lou Costello was half of the Abbott & Costello double act. One tragic and terrible event in Lou Costello’s life was the death of his baby son, Lou Costello, Jr. Lou was at NBC studios one night for his regular broadcast when he received word that the 11-month-old baby had somehow drowned in the family swimming pool. With the words “Wherever he is tonight, I want him to hear me”, he made the scheduled broadcast in front of a live and unsuspecting audience.

25 Title Toni Morrison character who lives in the Bottom: SULA

“Sula” is a 1973 novel by Toni Morrison. The title character is a young woman who returns to her hometown in Ohio. Sula’s return disrupts the community as she defies social norms.

27 Many Fertile Crescent residents: ARABS

The Fertile Crescent is a large swath of land in the Near East that includes the Nile Valley in the west and the land around the Tigris and Euphrates in the east.

29 Cookie brand whose name is stylized with an exclamation point: CHIPS AHOY!

Chips Ahoy! is a Nabisco brand of chocolate chip cookies.

30 “Do the Right Thing” pizzeria: SAL’S

“Do the Right Thing” is a Spike Lee movie that was released in 1989. Much of the action in the film is centered on a local pizzeria called “Sal’s” owned by Italian-American Salvatore Frangione (played by Danny Aiello).

31 Org. whose workers usually wear gloves: TSA

Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

40 Chef Jacques ___, holder of 16 James Beard awards: PEPIN

Jacques Pépin is a celebrity chef. He had a remarkable career in his native France, including working as the personal chef to three heads of state, including Charles de Gaulle. Pépin moved to the US, where he befriended Julia Child. He appeared alongside his American counterpart in the PBS show “Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home”.

James Beard was a chef from Portland, Oregon who was noted for popularizing French cooking in the fifties here in North America.

42 N.Y.C. attraction: MOMA

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

44 Pro sports team named for some of its equipment: NETS

The NBA’s Brooklyn Nets were the New Jersey Nets until 2012, and were based in Newark. Prior to 1977, the team was known as the New York Nets and played in various locations on Long Island. Ten years earlier, the Nets were called the New Jersey Americans and were headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey.

45 Elegy, e.g.: POEM

Perhaps the most famous elegy in the English language is that written by Thomas Gray, which he completed in 1750. His “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” is the source of many oft-quoted phrases, including:

• Celestial fire
• Far from the Madding Crowd
• Kindred spirit

47 Only U.S. president other than J.F.K. to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery: TAFT

William Howard Taft may have been the 27th President of the United States, but his lifelong ambition was to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The future president had served as dean and professor at the Cincinnati Law School. President Taft was able to realize that dream in 1921, eight years after losing his bid for re-election as president. As Chief Justice, this former US President swore in two new presidents: Calvin Coolidge (in 1925) and Herbert Hoover (in 1929). William Howard Taft is also remembered as the most obese president. In the last year of his presidency, he weighed about 340 pounds (he was 5 feet 11 inches tall). Twelve months after leaving the White House, President Taft had dropped 80 pounds and substantially lowered his blood pressure.

After President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, he was interred in Arlington National Cemetery, as was his right as a WWII veteran. It was Jacqueline Kennedy, the president’s wife, who suggested that the grave be marked with an eternal flame. Cemetery officials honored that request, using a Hawaiian torch. In the three years following President Kennedy’s death, the gravesite attracted 16 million visitors. Cemetery officials, in consultation with the Kennedy family, decided to construct a more stable flame in a surroundings that was more suitable for the volume of visitors. The current gravesite, complete with eternal flame, took two years to construct. The president’s remains were secretly moved and re-interred in a private ceremony in 1967, attended by President Kennedy’s wife, two brothers and President Lyndon Johnson.

Arlington House was once the home of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, and is now preserved as the Robert E. Lee Memorial. The mansion is located in Arlington, Virginia, and its grounds are now Arlington National Cemetery.

49 Fareed Zakaria’s channel: CNN

Journalist and author Fareed Zakaria hosts the weekly CNN public affairs show “Fareed Zakaria GPS”, with GPS standing for “Global Public Square”.

50 Target of some phishing scams: Abbr.: SSN

Phishing is the online practice of stealing usernames, passwords and credit card details by creating a site that deceptively looks reliable and trustworthy. Phishers often send out safe-looking emails or instant messages that direct someone to an equally safe-looking website where the person might inadvertently enter sensitive information. “Phishing” is a play on the word “fishing”, as in “fishing for passwords, PINs, etc.”