Day: May 22, 2025

Bill’s time: 11m 09s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 It burns : ACID
14 Opposite of 1-Across : BASE

The “opposite” of an acid is a base. Acids turn litmus paper red, and bases turn it blue. Acids and bases react with each other to form salts. An important subset of the chemicals called bases are alkalis, hydroxides of the alkali metals and of ammonium. The term “alkali” is sometimes used interchangeably with “base”, especially if that base is readily soluble in water.

16 Jackson who won 11 N.B.A. championships as head coach : PHIL

Phil Jackson is a retired basketball player and coach. Most noted as a successful coach, Jackson led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles and the LA Lakers to five. As such, he won more NBA titles than any other coach in history. Jackson also won two NBA titles as a player, with the New York Knicks in the seventies.

17 *Be brave and proud [Iran] : STAND TALL (ALL to RIAL gave STAND TRIAL)

The rial is the currency of Iran (as well as Yemen, Oman and Tunisia). Generally, there are 1,000 baisa in one rial.

20 A, to a Frankfurter : EINE

Frankfurt is the fifth largest city in Germany. It is more properly called Frankfurt am Main, to distinguish it from Frankfurt an der Oder, a town near the Polish border. The larger Frankfurt is located on the Main River, hence the name.

21 “Star Trek” pilot : SULU

Mr. Hikaru Sulu was played by George Takei in the original “Star Trek” series. Takei has played lots of roles over the years, and is still very active in television. Did you know that he appeared in the 1963 film, “Pt-109”? He played the helmsman steering the Japanese destroyer that ran down John F. Kennedy’s motor torpedo boat. From destroyer helmsman to starship helmsman …

23 French handle? : NOM

In French, one might look up a “nom” (name) in “un annuaire” (a directory).

24 *How some medications are taken [Jordan] : ORALLY (ALL to DINAR gave ORDINARY)

The Jordanian dinar (JD) has been the currency of Jordan since 1950. As well as being used in Jordan, the Jordanian dinar is recognized as legal tender in the West Bank, alongside the Israeli shekel.

27 Einstein, notably : EMIGRE

An émigré (fem. “émigrée”) is an emigrant. The term is French in origin, and particularly applies to someone who is a political refugee from his or her native land.

31 Bath room : LOO

It has been suggested that the British term “loo”, meaning “toilet”, comes from “Waterloo” (water closet … water-loo), but no one seems to know for sure. Another suggestion is that the term comes from the card game of “lanterloo”, in which the pot was called the loo!

32 Accessory used by Woody in the “Toy Story” movies : LASSO

Our English word “lasso” comes from the Spanish “lazo”, and ultimately from the Latin “laqueum” meaning “noose, snare”.

1995’s “Toy Story” was the world’s first feature-length computer-animated movie. “Toy Story” was also Pixar’s first production. The main roles in the film are Buzz Lightyear and Woody, who are voiced by Tim Allen and Tom Hanks respectively. Hanks was the first choice to voice Woody, but Allen was asked to voice Buzz after Billy Crystal turned down the role.

35 *Luminous meteor [South Africa] : FIREBALL (ALL to RAND gave FIREBRAND)

A meteoroid is a small rocky or metallic body traveling through space. Once in the atmosphere, the meteoroid is referred to as a “meteor” or “shooting star”. Almost all meteoroids burn up, but if one is large enough to survive and reach the ground then we call it a meteorite. The word “meteor” comes from the Greek “meteōros” meaning “high in the air”.

The rand is the currency of South Africa. Much of South Africa’s famed gold comes from mines around Johannesburg in the Witwatersrand (Afrikaans for “the ridge of white waters”). The rand currency takes its name from this ridge.

38 Brother hood? : COWL

A cowl is a long garment with a hood that is primarily worn by monks in the Christian tradition. The term “cowl” can also describe the hood itself.

41 Cardio exercise program : TAE BO

Tae Bo isn’t an ancient martial art, even though it perhaps sounds like one. The discipline was developed as a form of aerobic exercise in the 1990s by taekwondo expert Billy Blanks who gave it the name Tae Bo, a melding of “taekwondo” and “boxing”.

42 “That’s the pits!” : UGH!

“The pits” is an American slang term for something really bad, and has been in use since the early fifties. Apparently, “pits” is short for “armpits”.

50 Dumbledore, to Harry Potter : MENTOR

A mentor is a trusted teacher or counselor, and the person receiving the advice is the mentee. The term “mentor” comes from Homer’s “Odyssey” in which there is a character named Mentor. He is a friend of Odysseus, although he is a relatively ineffective old man. The goddess Athena takes on Mentor’s appearance in order to guide Odysseus’s young son Telemachus through difficult times.

Professor Albus Dumbledore is the headmaster of the school for wizards called Hogwarts, in the Harry Potter universe. Dumbledore’s specialties are nonverbal spells and alchemy. Author J. K. Rowling chose the name Dumbledore as it is an Early English word for a bumblebee. Apparently she pictured him wandering around, humming to himself.

51 *Ones on your side [Costa Rica] : ALLIES (ALL to COLON gave COLONIES)

Costa Rica is a country in Central America that is bordered by Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the South. Costa Rica is remarkable in my opinion, a leader on the world stage in many areas. It has been referred to as the “greenest” country in the world, the “happiest” country in the world, and has a highly educated populace. In 1949, the country unilaterally abolished its own army … permanently!

52 Grp. with a hit remake of Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven” : ELO

“ELO” stands for the Electric Light Orchestra, a symphonic rock group from the north of England. ELO’s manager was Don Arden, father of Sharon Osbourne (wife of Ozzy). The band released a compilation album with the rather nifty palindromic name “Olé ELO” in 1976.

Chuck Berry may be a pioneer of rock and roll, but he had an inauspicious start to his life. He was raised in a middle class family in St. Louis, and started playing and performing music in high school. However, while still at school he was arrested and convicted of armed robbery. He served three years for the crime, and was released from prison in 1947 on his 21st birthday. He certainly got his act together after that …

55 Most-applied-to college in the U.S. : UCLA

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) gets more applications from potential students than any other university in the country. UCLA also has more students enrolled than any other university in the state.

63 Home that sounds like two letters : TEPEE

A tepee (also written as “tipi” and “teepee”) is a cone-shaped tent traditionally made from animal hides that is used by the Great Plains Native Americans. A wigwam is a completely different structure and is often a misnomer for a tepee. A wigwam is a domed structure built by Native Americans in the West and Southwest, intended to be a more permanent dwelling. The wigwam can also be covered with hides but more often was covered with grass, reeds, brush or cloth.

64 1990s Israeli president Weizman : EZER

Ezer Weizman was the seventh President of Israel. Earlier in his career, Weizman was a combat pilot in the UK’s Royal Air Force and later rose to Commander of the Israeli Air Force. He also served as Israel’s Minister of Defense before becoming President.

Down

4 Hopper of Hollywood : DENNIS

Actor Dennis Hopper appeared in two very successful movies early in his career alongside James Dean, namely “Rebel Without a Cause” and “Giant”. Outside of acting, Hopper was noted as a painter and sculptor, and also as a prolific photographer.

5 Support for a tumbler : MAT

A tumbler is a glass. Back in the 1660s a tumbler was a glass with a rounded or pointed base so that it could not be put down without spilling its contents, as it would “tumble” over. The idea was that one had to drink up before putting the glass down.

6 His #4 was retired by the N.H.L.’s Bruins : ORR

The Boston Bruins professional ice hockey team goes way back, and has been in existence since 1924. The National Hockey League back then was a Canadian-only league, but was expanded to include the US in 1923. The Bruins were the first US-team in the expanded league.

8 Biblical figure seen in the sauna? : ESAU

The name “Esau” is hidden within “the sauna”.

9 Stentorian sort : YELLER

Stentor was a figure in Greek mythology, a Greek herald during the Trojan War. He was noted for having a powerful voice, so today we describe someone with such a characteristic as “stentorian”. The original Stentor supposedly died after being defeated by Hermes in a shouting contest.

10 Telegram or CapCut : APP

Telegram Messenger (often just “Telegram”) is a cloud-based instant messaging app with a focus on security and speed. Founded by brothers Nikolai and Pavel Durov in 2013, it quickly gained popularity for its commitment to user privacy. It is known for its end-to-end encrypted chats, large group chat capabilities, and features like self-destructing messages. Telegram’s main competitor is WhatsApp.

18 National park with a working sled dog kennel : DENALI

“Denali” means “the high one” in the native Athabaskan language, and is the name used for the peak formerly known as Mount McKinley. Denali’s summit stands at 20,237 feet, making it the highest mountain peak in North America. I was surprised to learn that there is a Denali State Park, as well as the Denali National Park. The two are located adjacent to each other (which makes sense!). The State Park is undeveloped for all practical purposes, with just a few campgrounds and trailheads.

22 Name that aptly completes the missing letters in Th r _n : UMA

Robert Thurman was the first westerner to be ordained a Tibetan Buddhist monk. Robert raised his children in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and called his daughter “Uma” as it is a phonetic spelling of the Buddhist name “Dbuma”. Uma’s big break in the movies came with her starring role in Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 hit “Pulp Fiction”. My favorite Uma Thurman film is the wonderful 1996 romantic comedy “The Truth About Cats and Dogs”.

24 Industry in “There Will Be Blood” : OIL

“There Will Be Blood” is a 2007 film starring Daniel Day Lewis. The movie is based (loosely) on the 1927 novel by Upton Sinclair called “Oil!”

30 One who deals with a lot of bull? : TORERO

In bullfighting, the banderillero is the torero (bullfighter) who plants the little flags in the bull’s shoulder. The Spanish “banderilla” translates as “little flag”. I can’t say that I approve …

33 Fed. loan group : SBA

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is a government agency with the mission of assisting small businesses. The SBA doesn’t give loans itself, but it does act as a guarantor under the right circumstances. The SBA was set up in 1953, and isn’t a favorite with fiscal conservatives.

35 Moths do it : FLIT

Moths are insects closely related to butterflies. As a generalization, moths differ from butterflies in that the former are almost always nocturnal. Also, butterflies tend to have much thinner antennae.

36 Son of Adam and Eve : ABEL

According to the Bible, Adam and Eve had several children, although only the first three are mentioned by name: Cain, Abel and Seth.

38 “True Lies” director James : CAMERON

“True Lies” is a really, really entertaining action-comedy film from 1994 starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis. The film is a remake of a French film called “La Totale!”. Tom Arnold has a supporting role and does a surprisingly good job, I think.

39 Bob Marley song in the Grammy Hall of Fame : ONE LOVE

“One Love” is a classic reggae song from 1977 recorded by Bob Marley and the Wailers. A ska version of “One Love” had been released by the Wailers as early as 1965, but it is the 1977 release that we all remember, I am sure.

40 *Ubiquitously [Korea] : ALL OVER (ALL to WON gave WON OVER)

The Korean won, Chinese yuan, and Japanese yen (all of which are Asian currencies) take their names from the Chinese written character that represents “round shape”.

59 Classic car inits. : REO

The REO Motor Company was founded by Ransom Eli Olds (hence the name REO). The company made cars, trucks and buses, and was in business from 1905 to 1975 in Lansing, Michigan. Among the company’s most famous models were the REO Royale 8 and the REO Flying Cloud.

61 Sr.’s test : GRE

Passing the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is usually a requirement for entry into graduate school here in the US.