Day: May 26, 2025

Bill’s time: 5m 09s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 One of four on most molars : CUSP

In a human tooth, cusps are the raised points on the crowns. Canine teeth have only one cusp each, and so are known as cuspids. Premolars have two cusps, and are usually referred to as bicuspids.

Molars are grinding teeth. The term “molar” comes from the Latin “mola” meaning “millstone”.

14 Where India and Indonesia are : ASIA

The vast Asian country of India takes its name from the Indus River. The name “Indus” in turn comes from the Sanskrit “Sindhu” that can be translated as “a body of trembling water”. India is the most populous country in the world, and the most populous democracy.

Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world, and is the country with the largest population of Muslims. And, Indonesia has an amazing 17,508 islands.

16 1999 sports drama co-starring Al Pacino : ANY GIVEN SUNDAY

“Any Given Sunday” is a sports drama directed by Oliver Stone, giving a gritty look at professional football. Al Pacino stars as the veteran coach. Miami Dolphins legend Dan Marino was reportedly offered the role of the aging quarterback, ultimately played by Dennis Quaid, but turned it down because he disagreed with the film’s portrayal of pro football players.

Al Pacino is an actor who has had a long and successful career in Hollywood. He was once offered the role of Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy, but he turned it down. The role eventually went to Harrison Ford, who went on to become one of the most iconic actors in Hollywood history.

19 Fiber-rich fruits : FIGS

The fig is the fruit of a small tree in the mulberry family. Once picked, figs don’t travel very well, so the bulk of figs consumed have been preserved by drying.

22 Sinusitis doc : ENT

The suffix “-itis” is used to denote inflammation, as in laryngitis (inflammation of the larynx), otitis (inflammation of the ear), tendinitis (inflammation of a tendon), tonsillitis (inflammation of the tonsils) and sinusitis (inflammation of the sinuses).

25 1973 marital drama co-starring Elizabeth Taylor : ASH WEDNESDAY

“Ash Wednesday” stars Elizabeth Taylor as a woman who undergoes extensive plastic surgery to try and save her marriage to a husband (played by Henry Fonda) who is leaving her for a younger woman. It’s a film that garnered mixed reviews, I hear …

Elizabeth Taylor led what can only be described as a “fabulous” life, especially while married to Richard Burton. Ms. Taylor was very fond of jewelry and she had a few spectacular pieces that were purchased for her by Burton, including the Krupp Diamond, the Taylor-Burton Diamond, and the La Peregrina Pearl. The latter was once owned by Mary I, Queen of England. Burton sought out and found a portrait of the Queen wearing the pearl. He purchased it for his wife, but on discovering that the British National Gallery did not have an original portrait of Queen Mary I, the couple donated the painting. Good for them …

30 T-bone or porterhouse : STEAK

The T-bone and porterhouse are related cuts of meat, with the latter being a larger version of the former, and both being cut from the short loin.

38 “___ we forget …” : LEST

“Lest we forget” is an oft-quoted phrase, one that comes from a poem by Rudyard Kipling called “Recessional”. Kipling wrote the piece on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897 and used it to express sadness at the waning of the British Empire. The phrase “lest we forget” is used in this context, a warning that the empire will decline. Ever since WWI we’ve been using the words on memorials as a plea not to forget the sacrifices made by others in the past.

39 Texting tech, in brief : SMS

Short Message Service (SMS) is the name for the text messaging service that many of us still use on our cell phones to contact friends and family.

40 TLC or ZZ Top, e.g. : TRIO

The girl band called TLC is from Atlanta, Georgia. The band’s name comes from the trio’s original members:

• Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins
• Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes
• Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas

In the blues rock band ZZ Top, the hairy guitar players are Billy F. Gibbons and Dusty Hill (although Hill died in 2021). The relatively clean-shaven drummer is, wait for it … Frank Beard.

42 2003 fantasy comedy co-starring Lindsay Lohan : FREAKY FRIDAY

“Freaky Friday” is a well-known children’s novel, written by Mary Rodgers and published in 1972. The basic story is that one Friday, a mother and her teenage daughter have their bodies switched due to the effects of an enchanted fortune cookie. Hilarity ensues! Disney adapted the novel into a movie three times in all:

1. In 1976, starring Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster
2. In 1995, starring Shelley Long and Gaby Hoffman
3. In 2003, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan

I think that actress Lindsay Lohan’s big break came with the Disney remake of “The Parent Trap” in 1998. I’ve really only enjoyed one of Lohan’s films though, “Freaky Friday” from 2003 in which she stars alongside the fabulous Jamie Lee Curtis.

47 ___ Raisman, six-time medalist in Olympic gymnastics : ALY

Aly Raisman is a retired gymnast. She captained the US gold-winning teams in the Olympics in 2012 (“The Fierce Five”) and in 2016 (“The Final Five”).

59 Actress Gilbert : SARA

Actress Sara Gilbert grew up playing Darlene on the sitcom “Roseanne” from 1988 to 1997. Today Gilbert appears fairly often on another hit sitcom, namely “The Big Bang Theory”. You can also see her on the daytime talk show called “The Talk”, a show that she herself created. And, she made a comeback as Darlene in 2018 in the “Roseanne” reboot(s).

60 The Venus de Milo’s missing body parts : ARMS

The famous Venus de Milo is so named as she was discovered in the ruins of the ancient city of Milos, on the Aegean island of the same name. I’ve been lucky enough to see the statue, in the Louvre in Paris, and was surprised at how tall it is (6 ft 8 in tall).

Down

5 Stalactite site : CAVERN

A stalactite is a mineral deposit that hangs from the roof of a cave, formed by continuous dripping of mineral-rich water. “Stalactite” comes from the Greek word “stalasso” meaning “to drip”. A stalagmite is a rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave as a result of mineral deposits dissolved in water dripping from the ceiling.

7 Topic for an evangelical preacher : SIN

In the Christian tradition, an Evangelist is one of the writers of the four gospels: Mathew, Mark, Luke or John. Also in the Christian tradition, an evangelist is someone who spreads the gospel. More generally, an evangelist is an enthusiastic advocate of any cause.

9 Melodious yellow bird : CANARY

What we now know as the domestic canary was first brought to Europe from Macaronesia, off the coast of Africa, by Spanish sailors in the 1600s. Macaronesia is a collection of four archipelagos that includes the Canary Islands. The name of the islands comes from the Latin “Insula Canaria” meaning “island of dogs”, a reference to the many large dogs found locally. So, the canary bird is named for the Canary Islands, which in turn are named for dogs.

17 Tablet debut of 2010 : IPAD

The groundbreaking iPad was introduced by Apple in 2010. The iOS-based iPads dominated the market for tablet computers until 2013, when Android-based tablets (manufactured by several companies) took over the number-one spot.

27 Kindle download, e.g. : E-BOOK

Amazon’s Kindle line of e-book readers was introduced in 2007. The name “kindle” was chosen to evoke images of “lighting a fire” through reading and intellectual stimulation. I bought myself a Kindle Fire HD several years ago. I started reading e-books for the first time in my life, as well as enjoying other computing options available with the tablet device …

29 MS-___ (early PC platform) : DOS

MS-DOS (short for “Microsoft Disk Operating System”) was the main operating system used by IBM-compatible PCs in the eighties and for much of the nineties.

42 Hot breakfast bowlful : FARINA

Farina is semolina or cream of wheat. It is made from wheat grain in which much of the nutritious ingredients are removed leaving a fine “flour”. The name “Farina” is a Latin word meaning “flour”.

44 Get out of Dodge : FLEE

The phrase “get out of Dodge”, meaning “scram, flee”, is a reference to Dodge City, Kansas. The phrase became a cliché on TV westerns (mainly “Gunsmoke”, I think) and was then popularized by teenagers in the sixties and seventies.

45 “Hi,” in Hilo : ALOHA

Hilo is the largest settlement on the Big Island of Hawaii, and has a population of over 43,000 (that’s not very many!). I love the Big Island …

50 Seat with cushions : SOFA

“Sofa” is a Turkish word meaning “bench”.

52 Gaming company that created Sonic the Hedgehog : SEGA

Sonic the Hedgehog is a title character in a videogame and the mascot of Sega, the computer game developer. Sonic was set up as a rival to Nintendo’s mascot Mario.