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Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

11 Alternatives to booths, perhaps : MAIL-IN BALLOTS

Today, a ballot is a piece of paper or equivalent used to cast a vote. Back in the 1500s, a “ballot” was a small “ball” used in the process of voting.

26 Some long-tailed turtles : SNAPPERS

Snapping turtles are quite aggressive and have the ability to “snap” with their relatively powerful jaws. They exhibit this behavior especially when out of the water.

31 They hang around in kitchens : APRONS

In Old French, a “naperon” was a “small table-cloth”. The term was absorbed into English as “napron”, describing a cloth used to cover the front of a person at work. Over time, “a napron” was heard as “an apron”, giving us our contemporary noun “apron”.

42 ___ the Lucky, nickname of a noted explorer : LEIF

Leif Erikson (sometimes “Ericson”) was a Norse explorer and the first European to land in North America, some 500 years before Christopher Columbus’s landing in 1492. The Norsemen named the area they discovered “Vinland”, which might translate as “Wine Land” or “Pasture Land”. Erikson built a small settlement called Leifsbudir, which archaeologists believe they have found in modern day Newfoundland, at L’Anse aux Meadows. The settlement discovered in Newfoundland is definitely Norse, but there is some dispute over whether it is actually Erikson’s Leifsbudir.

43 Porto-Novo’s country : BENIN

Porto-Novo is the capital city of Benin in West Africa. Porto-Novo may be the nation’s capital but it isn’t the biggest city, and nor is it the most economically important. That honor goes to the city of Cotonou.

45 Big Apple fund-raiser with a kind of apple in its name : MET GALA

The Costume Institute Gala is an annual fundraising event that benefits the Anna Wintour Costume Center in New York City’s Museum of Modern Art. The fundraiser is commonly referred to as the “Met Gala” or “Met Ball”, and was established in 1948.

47 They’re OK : DOS

And, don’ts are not OK.

51 Many superheroes have them : ORIGIN STORIES

In the world of superheroes, an origin story outlines how that character gained his or her superpowers.

Down

2 Singer Ocasek : RIC

Ric Ocasek was an American musician of Czech heritage. He was the lead vocalist of the Cars rock band.

5 Lisbeth Salander in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” for one : ANTIHERO

An “antihero” is a character perhaps in a movie or novel. He or she is the “hero” of the piece, but is also someone who doesn’t exhibit the qualities associated traditionally with a hero, such as bravery or moral fortitude.

8 Range crossing eight countries : ALPS

There are eight Alpine countries:

• Austria
• Slovenia
• France
• Switzerland
• Liechtenstein
• Germany
• Monaco
• Italy

9 [Facepalm emoji] : D’OH!

A facepalm is the gesture made by lowering one’s face into the palm of one’s hand or hands. A facepalm can be an expression of surprise perhaps, frustration or embarrassment. A related gesture with a similar meaning is the headdesk, the gentle striking of the forehead against a desk or a wall perhaps.

11 One-millionth of a meter : MICRON

The measurement of length called a micron (plural “micra”) is more correctly referred to as a micrometer (or “micrometre”). One micron is equivalent to one millionth of a meter.

20 Big enchiladas : TOP DOGS

“Enchilada” is the past participle of the Spanish word “enchilar” meaning “to add chili pepper to”. An enchilada is basically a corn tortilla rolled around some filling and then covered in chili pepper sauce. The term “big enchilada” is used in the same way as we would use “big cheese” i.e. to refer to the top dog. The phrase was popularized in the sixties when John Ehrlichman refers to Attorney General John Mitchell as “the big enchilada” on one of the Watergate Tapes. Similarly, the term “whole enchilada” emerged in the early sixties, used alongside such phrases as “whole nine yards”, “whole shebang” and “whole ball of wax”.

27 Some chess tactics : PINS

In the game of chess, a piece is said to be pinned if it cannot move without exposing a more valuable piece to capture.

33 Cruise control features? : RUDDERS

A rudder is usually a flat sheet of wood or metal located at the stern of a boat, and under the waterline. The rudder is attached to a rudder post, which rotates to change the orientation of the rudder hence steering the boat. That rotation of the rudder post can be achieved by pulling or pushing a lever called a tiller, which is located at the top of the post.

35 Dipping dishes : FONDUES

Fondue is a traditional Swiss dish comprising melted cheese served in a pot over a tabletop stove, into which diners dip bread. The term “fondue”, which is French for “melted”, is now applied more widely to similar dishes served in a communal pot into which a food is dipped. Traditional fondue is delicious, so very delicious …

37 Perfect, e.g. : TENSE

Although we often say “perfect tense” in English, we are usually referring to the “present perfect tense”. The present perfect takes its place alongside the past perfect and future perfect. Verbs in the perfect form use the auxiliary verb “to have” alongside a past participle. For example:

• I had solved the puzzle (past perfect)
• I have solved the puzzle (present perfect)
• I will have solved the puzzle (future perfect)

39 Where Jackson Hole ski resort is found : TETONS

The Teton Range is located just to the south of Yellowstone National Park, and is part of the Rocky Mountains. The origins of the name “Teton” is not very clear, although one story is that it was named by French trappers, as the word “tetons” in French is a slang term meaning “breasts”.

Jackson Hole is the name of a beautiful valley in Wyoming formed between the Teton and Gros Ventre Ranges. The name “Jackson Hole” is also used locally for the town of Jackson that is located in the valley.

43 Iraqi port city : BASRA

Basra is Iraq’s main port, and is located in the southeast of the country, just 34 miles from the Persian Gulf. Access to the gulf is via the Shatt al-Arab waterway, a river that discharges into the gulf in the port city of Umm Qasr.

50 Bird that can be “fire-capped” or “yellow-browed” : TIT

The birds known as chickadees or titmice in North America, are usually called simply “tits” in the rest of the English-speaking world.