Month: August 2026

Bill’s time: 25m 37s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

12A Target of an annual vaccine : FLU

Influenza (the “flu”) is an ailment that is caused by a virus. The virus is readily inactivated by the use of soap, so washing hands and surfaces is especially helpful in containing flu outbreaks, and other virus pandemics …

24A Father of the river gods, in Greek myth : OCEANUS

Oceanus was a mythical figure and the personification of the enormous river that the ancient Greeks and Romans believed encircled the world. It is from the name “Oceanus” that we get our modern term “Ocean”.

26A Jamaican folk song about dock work : DAY-O

“Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” is a traditional folk song from Jamaica. It is sung from the standpoint of dock workers unloading boats on the night shift, so daylight has come, and they want to go home. The most famous version of “Day-O” was recorded by Harry Belafonte, in 1956.

27A Ones who’ve made the team : ROSTER

Our word “roster”, meaning “list, register”, actually comes from the same root as our word “roast”, would you believe? “Roster” came into English from the Dutch “rooster”, meaning “table, list”. An alternative use of the Dutch “rooster” was “gridiron”, from the “roosten” meaning “to roast”. The connection is that a roster of names is often listed on a sheet of paper that has grid lines resembling the marks left by a gridiron on roasted meat. Quite interesting …

28A One at the U.S. mint? : UNUM

From 1776, “E pluribus unum” was the unofficial motto of the United States. The phrase translates from Latin as “Out of many, one”. It was pushed aside in 1956 when an Act of Congress designated “In God We Trust” as the country’s official motto. “In God We Trust” had appeared on US coins since 1864, but was only introduced on paper currency in 1957.

38A Cow : DAUNT

The verb “to cow” means to intimidate, to scare. The exact etymology of the term seems unclear.

40A Oscar winner Hathaway : ANNE

Actress Anne Hathaway is a trained soprano singer. She put that training on display in the 2012 film adaptation of “Les Misérables,” for which she received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

42A Winter pellets : SLEET

Apparently, “sleet” is a term used to describe two different weather conditions. One is a shower of ice pellets that are smaller than hail, and the second is a mixture of rain and snow, with the snow melting as it falls.

47A Up to 150 years, for a tortoise : LIFE SPAN

Giant tortoises are among the largest living reptiles on Earth. Found primarily on isolated islands, such as the Galapagos Islands, these gentle creatures can weigh hundreds of pounds and live for over a century. Their slow metabolism and herbivorous diet contribute to their long lifespans.

49A The first “C” of Vietnam’s H.C.M.C. : CHI

Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city in Vietnam by population. Formerly known as Saigon, and the capital of South Vietnam, it was renamed following the reunification of North and South Vietnam in 1976. The renaming is in honor of the Vietnamese communist revolutionary Ho Chi Minh.

55A Agcy. that protects the right to unionize : NLRB

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) was set up in 1935. The NLRB is an independent government agency with the roles of conducting elections for labor unions as well as investigating and rooting out any labor practices that are deemed to be unfair.

56A Some Indian flatbreads : ROTIS

In an Indian restaurant, naan bread is very popular. Roti is an unleavened cousin of naan.

58A Bond between Lazenby and Dalton : MOORE

Here are the first seven actors to portray the iconic English spy in the “James Bond” series of movies:

1. Sean Connery: 1961–1967, 1970–1971 and 1982–1983
2. David Niven: 1967
3. George Lazenby: 1968–1969
4. Roger Moore: 1972–1985
5. Timothy Dalton: 1986–1994
6. Pierce Brosnan: 1994–2004
7. Daniel Craig: 2005–2021

61A Like a lion’s coat : TAWNY

Something described as tawny is yellow-brown or tan in color. The term comes from the Anglo-French “tauné” meaning “the color of tanned leather”.

64A Group of partridges : COVEY

Partridges are medium-sized game birds known for their plump bodies and short, rounded wings. They are primarily ground-dwelling birds, inhabiting grasslands, scrublands, and farmlands, and are known for their distinctive calls and their tendency to run rather than fly when threatened.

65A “www” string : URL

Uniform resource locator (URL)

In essence, the World Wide Web (WWW) is a vast collection of documents that is accessible using the Internet, with each document containing hyperlinks that point to other documents in the collection. So the “Web” is different from the Internet, although the terms are often used interchangeably. The Web is a collection of documents, and the Internet is a global network of computers on which the documents reside. The Web was effectively the invention of British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee. The key to Berner-Lee’s invention was bringing together two technologies that already existed: hypertext and the Internet. I, for one, am very grateful …

66A Honey boo-boo? : BEE STING

A queen bee has a stinger, just like worker bees. When a worker bee stings, it leaves its stinger in its victim. The worker bee dies after losing its stinger as the loss rips out part of its insides. However, a queen bee can sting with impunity as her stinger’s anatomy is different.

67A Like the Taj Mahal and the Hagia Sophia, architecturally : DOMED

The Taj Mahal in Agra, India is a magnificent marble mausoleum. It was built in the mid-17th century by the fifth Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died while giving birth to her 14th child in 1631. When Shah Jahan himself died in 1666, he was buried in the Taj Mahal, alongside his wife.

Hagia Sophia is an incredibly beautiful church that was built as a Christian basilica, was converted to an imperial mosque, and then converted to a museum in Istanbul. It has a massive dome and was the largest cathedral in the world for almost a thousand years, until Seville Cathedral was completed in 1520.

82A Enterprise letters : USS

The USS Enterprise was Vice Admiral William Halsey’s flagship. She was also the ship that he was aboard in the Pacific when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Apparently, Halsey remarked right after the attack, “Before we’re through with ’em, the Japanese language will only be spoken in hell.”

83A “Let’s put a smile on your plate” chain : IHOP

The International House of Pancakes (IHOP) was founded back in 1958. The company officially popularized the acronym “IHOP” in 1973 as part of a marketing campaign.

84A Lover of Tristan : ISOLDE

According to Arthurian legend, Iseult (also “Isolde”) was the adulterous lover of Sir Tristan, one of the Knights of the Round Table. Iseult was an Irish Princess who fell in love with Tristan who had been sent to win Iseult’s hand in marriage for King Mark of Cornwall. The tale was used as the basis for Richard Wagner’s celebrated opera “Tristan und Isolde”.

88A Nintendo villain with a “W” on his cap : WARIO

Wario is a character in the “Mario” video game universe. He is a rival of Mario, and indeed the name “Wario” is a portmanteau of the Japanese word “warui” (meaning “bad”) and “Mario”. Bad Mario …

98A “___ bodkins!” (bygone oath) : ODS

“Odds bodkins!” (sometimes “ods bodkins!”) is a minced oath, a euphemistic version of “God’s body!”.

100A Old Bulgarian rulers : TSARS

The term “czar” (also “tsar”) is a Slavic word that was first used as a title by Simeon I of Bulgaria in 913 AD. “Czar” is derived from the word “caesar”, which was synonymous with “emperor” at that time. We tend to use the “czar” spelling, as opposed to “tsar”, when we describe a person today with great power or authority, e.g. “Drug Czar”.

Down

3D Government act whose name comes from the Greek for “forgetfulness” : AMNESTY

A pardon is in effect a demonstration of pity and forgiveness for the crime. Amnesty is absolution while formally forgetting (“amnesty” is related to the term “amnesia”) that the crime took place. Further, a pardon can only be awarded to someone who has been convicted, whereas amnesty can be awarded to individuals who have not yet faced trial.

4D Papal representative : LEGATE

A papal legate is a representative of the pope, usually to a foreign nation. The term “legate” comes from the Latin “legatus”, which was the name of a high-ranking officer in the Roman army.

5D Michaels of “Saturday Night Live” : LORNE

Lorne Michaels is a television producer who is perhaps best known as the creator of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL). We can get some insight into Michaels’ character and demeanor by watching the show “30 Rock”. The character Jack Donaghy, played by Alec Baldwin, is inspired by Michaels.

7D Nav. rank : ENS

Ensign is (usually) the most junior rank of commissioned officer in the armed forces. The name comes from the tradition that the junior officer would be given the task of carrying the ensign flag.

11D Did the butterfly, e.g. : SWAM

The butterfly is the newest swimming stroke used in competition, having been introduced in 1933. It was originally used as a variant of the breaststroke, in an attempt to gain an advantage in speed over swimmers using the traditional breaststroke movement. The butterfly was carved out as a style of its own in 1952, and made its Olympic debut in 1956.

12D Co. whose logo depicts the god Mercury holding flowers : FTD

Back in 1910, fifteen florists from around America agreed to fulfill each other’s orders using the telegraph system, setting up what they called the Florists’ Telegraph Delivery. The concept grew so large that in 1965 the group started to offer international service, and changed its name to Florists’ Transworld Delivery (FTD).

14D ___ Major : URSA

The constellation Ursa Major (Latin for “Larger Bear”) is often just called “the Big Dipper” because of the resemblance of its main stars to a ladle or dipper. Those stars also resemble a plow, and that’s what we usually call the same constellation back in Ireland the “Plough”.

16D 12 letters? : XII

There is often a Roman numeral 12 (XII) at the top of a clock face.

17D Magazine for entrepreneurs : INC

An entrepreneur is someone who takes on most aspects of a business venture, from the original idea to the execution. The term is imported from French, with “entreprendre” meaning “to undertake”. The original usage in English dates back to the early 1800s, when it applied to a manager and promoter of a theatrical production.

20D Branch with a stem? : NEUROLOGY

Neurology is the branch of medicine dealing with the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves. The study of the nervous system is known as neuroscience.

21D Number of letters? : ALPHABET SONG

“The Alphabet Song” was copyrighted in 1835 in the US. The tune that goes with the words is the French folk song “Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman”, used by Mozart for a set of piano variations. The same tune is used for the nursery rhyme “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”.

28D Uintah and Ouray reservation people : UTES

The Ute are a group of Native-American tribes who now reside in Utah and Colorado. The Ute were not a unified people as such, but rather a loose association of nomadic groups. The word “Ute” means “Land of the Sun”, and “Ute” also gave us the state name “Utah”.

32D Group in support of a queen : ANT COLONY

The queen ant of some species can live to a ripe old age of 30 years, which is one of the longest lifespans in the insect world.

34D Last Beatles single before Paul McCartney’s departure : LET IT BE

1970’s ‘Let It Be’ was the last album that the Beatles released, though Abbey Road was the last album they recorded together as an active group. The title song of “Let It Be” was written by Paul McCartney, and it is clearly one of his own favorites. McCartney says that he was inspired to write the song after having had a dream about his mother (who had died some years earlier from cancer). In fact, he refers to her (Mary McCartney) in the line “Mother Mary comes to me”. Paul’s first wife, Linda, is singing backing vocals on the song. 28 years after that 1970 recording was made, Paul, George and Ringo sang “Let It Be” at a memorial service for Linda, who was also lost to cancer. Sad stuff, but a lovely song …

37D Reality TV icon ___ Leakes : NENE

NeNe Leakes is one of the stars of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta”. Leakes has used her exposure on the reality TV show to enhance her acting career. I saw her on “Dancing with the Stars”. Not a big fan …

39D Title for Macbeth : THANE

Thanes were Scottish aristocrats. The most famous thanes have to be the Shakespearean characters Macbeth (Thane of Glamis, later “Thane of Cawdor”, and still later “King of Scotland”) and MacDuff (Thane of Fife). Other thanes in “Macbeth” are Ross, Lennox and Angus, as well as Menteith and Caithness.

45D Big inits. in Dutch banking : ING

ING is a huge Dutch banking institution created via a merger in 1991. The company headquarters is in a spectacular building in Amsterdam called simply ING House. “ING” stands for Internationale Nederlanden Groep.

54D It’s not exactly fast food : MOLASSES

Molasses and treacle are both byproducts of the sugar-making process.. Molasses is an American term for the thick, bittersweet syrup produced by boiling sugarcane or sugar beets. “Treacle” is a British term referring to a more refined syrup or a blend that includes molasses. Because of their different flavors and viscosities, molasses is often used in savory dishes, while treacle is more common in sweeter applications. When I was a young lad on the other side of the pond, treacle pudding was a favorite dessert provided as part of a school lunch …

58D Wonk : MAVEN

I’ve always loved the term “maven”, which is another word for “expert”. Maven comes into English from the Yiddish “meyvn” describing someone who appreciates and is a connoisseur.

A wonk is an overly studious person. “Wonk” is an American slang term that has been around at least since 1954. More recently, “wonk” has acquired an air of respectability as it has come to mean someone who has studied a topic thoroughly and become somewhat expert.

60D Hammer parts : PEENS

The peen of a hammer is on the head, and is the side of the head that is opposite the striking surface. Often the peen is in the shape of a hemisphere (as in a ball-peen hammer). More often than not, the peen is replaced with a claw, primarily for removing nails.

61D Main ingredient in salsa verde : TOMATILLO

The main difference between red and green salsa is the primary ingredient. Red salsa (salsa roja) is made with tomatoes as its base. Green salsa (salsa verde) has tomatillos as its main ingredient.

63D Purple yam in Filipino desserts : UBE

Ube is a species of yam that is purple in color. I’m a big fan of ube ice cream. Yam-flavored ice cream; what’s not to like?!

64D Sounds from pigeons : COOS

Taxonomically, doves and pigeons are the only members of the order Columbidae. The terms “dove” and “pigeon” are often used interchangeably. Scientifically speaking, dove species tend to be smaller than pigeon species. Colloquially though, many refer to doves as the white or nearly white species in the family.

69D Treeless tracts : STEPPES

A steppe is a grassland that is devoid of trees, apart from those growing near rivers and lakes. The term “steppe” is Russian in origin, and is used to describe the geographical feature that extends across Eurasia. In South Africa, the same feature is called a “veld”, and in North America it is called a “prairie”.

81D ___ People’s Campaign (1968 S.C.L.C. movement) : POOR

Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

85D One of the Five Pillars of Islam, referring to prayer : SALAT

Salah (also “salat”) are daily prayers performed by the faithful in the Islamic tradition. Collectively, the prayers form the second of the Five Pillars of Islam.

87D “___ take arms against a sea of troubles”: Hamlet : OR TO

There have been centuries of debate about how one interprets Hamlet’s soliloquy that begins “To be or not to be …”. My favorite opinion is that Hamlet is weighing up the pros and cons of suicide (“to not be”).

To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The Slings and Arrows of outrageous fortune;
Or to take Armes against a Sea of troubles …