Day: March 1, 2025

Bill’s time: 11m 27s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

9 Exam usually spoken of with a two-syllable acronym : LSAT

Law School Admission Test (LSAT)

13 Incan emperor captured by Pizarro’s forces : ATAHUALPA

Huáscar Inca was head of the Inca Empire from 1527 to 1532. His rule ended in a civil war with his half-brother Atahualpa, who also laid claim to the title of emperor. Atahualpa emerged victorious, but was left with an army that had been decimated by the bloody war. Historians cite this weakened military strength as a major factor leading to the subsequent downfall of the Inca Empire, and the capture and execution of Atahualpa by Francisco Pizarro.

15 End of the title of a popular radio show : … OPRY

The Grand Ole Opry started out as a radio show in 1925 originally called the WSM “Barn Dance”. In 1927, the “Barn Dance” radio show was broadcast in a slot after an NBC production called “Musical Appreciation Hour”, a collection of classical works including Grand Opera. In a December show, the host of “Barn Dance” announced, “For the past hour, we have been listening to music taken largely from Grand Opera. From now on we will present the ‘Grand Ole Opry'”. That name was used for the radio show from then on.

20 A hot one can be dangerous : MIC

One of my favorite hot-mic moments took place in 2005, when Paris and London were vying to host the 2012 Olympics. French President Jacques Chirac compared Paris and London in that context while chatting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. Chirac said, over a hot mic:

The only thing that they have ever done for European agriculture is mad cow disease … You cannot trust people who have such bad cuisine.

23 Taylor-Joy of “The Queen’s Gambit” : ANYA

Actress Anya Taylor-Joy had quite the international upbringing. She was born in Miami, and raised in Buenos Aires and then London. She is perhaps best known for playing the title character in the 2020 film adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Emma”, and the lead role in the Netflix miniseries “The Queen’s Gambit”.

“The Queen’s Gambit” is a wonderful 2020 miniseries based on a 1983 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis. Anya Taylor-Joy plays a young chess prodigy who has a tough upbringing in an orphanage, and who then struggles with alcohol and drug dependency. The series was so popular with viewers that it sparked a renewed interest in the game of chess, with sales of chess sets and chess books increasing dramatically.

27 M.L.B. M.V.P. with both the Los Angeles Angels and Dodgers : OHTANI

Shohei Ohtani is a baseball pitcher from Japan who started his professional career in 2013 playing for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. He was signed by the Los Angeles Angels in 2017, and in 2018 was named the American League’s Rookie of the Year.

32 Author Shaw : IRWIN

Irwin Shaw was an author from New York City. Shaw’s most famous works are his novels “The Young Lions” (1948) and “Rich Man, Poor Man” (1970). The former was made into a successful 1958 film of the same starring Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift and Dean Martin. The latter became a successful TV miniseries of the same name starring Peter Strauss and Nick Nolte.

33 Snack items that can go to your head : POT BROWNIES

“Potiguaya” is the Mexican-Spanish word for “marijuana leaves”. The slang name “pot” comes from “potiguaya”.

35 Sensible guide : RULE OF THUMB

The exact origin of the phrase “rule of thumb” appears to be unclear. However, the expression does exist in languages other than English, although the wording can vary. In Finnish and German the equivalent is “rule of fist”, and in Hebrew the phrase is “rule of finger”.

36 High-calorie burger toppings : BACON STRIPS

“Bacon” is an Old French word that we imported into English. The term ultimately comes from the Proto-Germanic “bakkon” meaning “back meat”.

37 Hunter’s garb originally made of seal or caribou skin : PARKA

A parka is a hooded jacket that is often lined with fur, and that is worn in cold weather. The original parka was a pullover design, but nowadays it is usually zipped at the front. “Parka” is the Russian name for the garment, and it was absorbed into English in the late 1700s via the Aleut language.

39 Key ___ : FOB

A fob is attached to an object to make it easier to access. And so, a key fob is a chain attached to a key so that it can be retrieved easily. There are also watch fobs, and the pocket in a vest in which a watch can be placed is called a fob. In fact, the original use of the term “fob” was for a small pocket in which one could carry valuables.

42 World peace grp. : UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is better known by the acronym “UNESCO”. UNESCO’s mission is to help build peace in the world using programs focused on education, the sciences, culture, communication and information. The organization’s work is aimed in particular at Africa, and gender equalization. UNESCO also administers a World Heritage Site program that designates and helps conserve sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to humanity across the world.

44 Northern California’s ___ River : EEL

The Eel River in California was named in 1850 by explorer Josiah Gregg after he made a trade with some Native Americans, swapping a frying pan for a large catch of eels.

45 “Hulk” actor Eric : BANA

Eric Bana is an Australian actor who enjoyed a successful career in his home country before breaking into Hollywood playing an American Delta Force sergeant in “Black Hawk Down”. A couple of years later he played the lead in Ang Lee’s 2003 movie “Hulk”, the role of Dr Bruce Banner. More recently he played the Romulan villain Nero, in the 2009 “Star Trek” movie.

46 Foreign policy grp. : NSC

The National Security Council (NSC) was created by President Harry S. Truman in 1947. It is chaired by the sitting president and meets in the White House Situation Room.

47 Muscle that sounds encouraging, informally : TRI

The triceps brachii muscle is found at the back of the upper arm. The muscle’s name translates from Latin to “three-headed arm muscle”, fitting as it is actually made up of three bundles of muscles.

51 “Parasite” co-star ___ Woo-shik : CHOI

Choi Woo-shik is a Canadian actor who was born in South Korea. His most memorable role has to be the lead character Kim Ki-woo in the Oscar-winning movie “Parasite”.

57 Means of children’s instruction : SIMON SAYS

“Simon Says” is a kids’ game. The idea is for the players of the game to obey the “controller” who gives instructions. But the players should only obey when the controller uses the words, “Simon says …”. The game has very old roots, with a Latin version that uses the words “Cicero dicit fac hoc” (Cicero says do this).

59 Splashy footwear? : GALOSHES

Galoshes are rubber overshoes worn to protect shoes in bad weather. A particular kind of galosh covers only the upper part of the shoe, and it is known as a gaiter or a spat.

Down

1 “___ away” (RuPaul catchphrase) : SASHAY

RuPaul is a famous drag queen who has developed a diverse career beyond performing on stage. He works as an actor, model, author and a recording artist. Famously, RuPaul doesn’t mind whether one addresses him as “he” or as “she” …

You can call me he. You can call me she. You can call me Regis and Kathie Lee; I don’t care! Just as long as you call me.

He currently hosts his own reality TV show called “RuPaul’s Drag Race”, which is billed as a search for “America’s next drag superstar”.

4 Variable representing an angle, in math : THETA

The Greek letter theta is commonly used in geometry to represent the angle between two lines (say at a corner of a triangle).

7 Supernatural descendant of Cain, in “Beowulf” : ELF

“Beowulf” is an old epic poem from England, although the story is set in Scandinavia. Beowulf fights a battle, defending the Danish King Hrothgar from the ferocious outcast Grendel. Hrothgar had built a great hall for his people in which they could celebrate; singing, dancing and drinking lots of mead. Grendel was angered by the carousing and attacked the hall, devouring many of the incumbent warriors as they slept. A bit of an extreme reaction to noisy neighbors I’d say …

8 Green grp. : EPA

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

9 Text that’s usually not literally true : LOL

Laugh out loud (LOL)

10 Emulate Arachne : SPIN A WEB

In Greek and Roman mythology, Arachne was a mortal woman who was a great weaver. Arachne boasted that her weaving was greater than that of the goddess Athena (or Minerva in Roman myth), and this was proven true in a contest. As a result, Arachne was turned into a spider by Athena. “Arachne” is the Greek word for spider.

11 Some high-end suits : ARMANIS

Giorgio “Gio” Armani is an Italian fashion designer and founder of the company that has borne his name since 1975. Although Armani is famous for his menswear, the company makes everything from jewelry to perfume.

17 Subcompact Kia : RIO

The Kia Rio is a subcompact that has been in production since 1999, and has undergone several updates and redesigns over the years. The Rio was designed by Kia’s chief design officer, Peter Schreyer, who previously worked for Audi and is credited with designing the iconic Audi TT.

21 They build the latissimus dorsi and biceps brachii : CHIN-UPS

The muscles known as the “lats” are the “latissimi dorsi”, and are the broadest muscles in the back. “Latissimus” is Latin for “broadest”, and “dorsum” is Latin for “back”.

26 Familiar injury in football and soccer : TURF TOE

Turf toe is a sports injury associated with play on artificial turf or any other surface without much give. It is a sprain of the ligaments around one or more toe joints, particularly the big toe. The medical term for the injury is “metatarsophalangeal joint sprain”.

33 Circles on the ice : PUCKS

Before wooden and rubber pucks were introduced in the late 1800s, ice hockey was played with balls. The first rubber pucks were made by cutting down rubber balls into the shape of discs.

36 Wailer of folklore : BANSHEE

A banshee is a female spirit in Irish mythology, from the Irish “bean sí” meaning “woman of the fairy mounds”. The banshee is supposedly heard wailing in the night, especially when someone is about to die.

39 Actress Fawcett : FARRAH

Farrah Fawcett’s first big role was that of Jill Monroe, one of the famous “Charlie’s Angels”. Fawcett’s life off-screen was just as celebrated as her performances on television. Fawcett was married to actor Lee Majors (“The Six Million Dollar Man”) for nine years, and then spent fifteen years with actor Ryan O’Neal.

40 Feature of Mike Wazowski from “Monsters, Inc.” : ONE EYE

The animated feature “Monsters, Inc.” was released in 2001, and was Pixar’s fourth full-length movie. It’s about cute monsters, and that’s all I know other than that the voice cast included the likes of John Goodman, Billy Crystal and Steve Buscemi.

45 Horn family : BRASS

Not all brass instruments are made from brass, but all produce sound with the vibration of the lips. Alphorns and didgeridoos are classified as brass instruments, but are made from wood. On the other hand, saxophones are classified as woodwinds, and are made from brass.

54 Russian fighter jet : MIG

The Russian fighter jets that we know as “MiGs” are so called because they were designed by the Mikoyan-and-Gurevich Design Bureau, and MiG is an acronym for “Mikoyan-and-Gurevich” in Russian.

55 Combat sport, for short : MMA

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact combat sport in which competitors use a variety of techniques from a variety of traditional combat sports and martial arts.