Category: Barbara Lin

Bill’s time: 20m 53s

Bill’s errors: 2

• KIVA (LIVA)
• KEG (leg)

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Home-finding org. : SPCA

Unlike most developed countries, the US has no umbrella organization with the goal of preventing cruelty to animals. Instead there are independent organizations set up all over the nation using the name SPCA. Having said that, there is an organization called the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) that was originally intended to operate across the country, but really it now focuses its efforts in New York City.

5 Grouping in the southern Caribbean : ABC ISLANDS

“ABC Islands” is a name given to the three westernmost islands of the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean. The nickname comes from the first letters of the island names: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. All three of the ABC islands are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

15 Dabbling duck : TEAL

The beautiful color teal takes its name from the duck called a teal, which has dark greenish-blue (teal) markings on its head and wings.

18 Santiago’s catch in “The Old Man and the Sea” : BLUE MARLIN

Bimini is the western part of the Bahamas, and the closest point to the mainland United States. Bimini was home to Ernest Hemingway from 1935-37, and while there he saw an Atlantic blue marlin captured that weighed about 500 pounds. This catch was the apparent inspiration for his story “The Old Man and the Sea”. More recently, in 1987 Senator Gary Hart’s political career was derailed when photos of him with model Donna Rice surfaced. The pictures were taken on the yacht “Monkey Business” while docked in Bimini.

If you’ve read Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man And The Sea” (maybe first at school, like me!) you’ll likely remember it as a quick read as it is a novella, although it might be better described as a “long short story”. It was first published in 1952, the last major work that Hemingway had published in his lifetime. That first publication was as a story in “Life Magazine”, and it was such a hit that the magazine sold 5 million copies in the first two days. “The Old Man and the Sea” won a Pulitzer in 1952 and two years later the title was cited when Hemingway was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

19 Rockies setting: Abbr. : MST

Mountain Standard Time (MST)

North America’s Rocky Mountains stretch from the very north of British Columbia in Canada to New Mexico in the US. The length of the range is over 3,000 miles. The highest point is Mount Elbert in Colorado, which has an elevation of 14,440 feet.

24 Scrooges : MISERS

Ebenezer Scrooge is the main character in the novella “A Christmas Carol” By Charles Dickens. Through the course of the story, Scrooge is visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come, who show him the consequences of his miserly behavior. His name “Scrooge” has become a part of the English language as a term to describe someone who is stingy and mean with money.

25 Literally, it means “submission” : ISLAM

Over 50% of the world’s population consider themselves to be adherents of the “big three” Abrahamic religions: Christianity (2-2.2 billion), Islam (1.6-1.7 billion) and Judaism (14-18 million).

26 View from Jackson Hole : 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.

28 Golf apparel brand : ETONIC

Etonic is a manufacturer of sporting shoes that is particularly known for its golf shoes. The company was founded in 1876 in Brockton, Massachusetts and was named for its founder, Charles A. Eaton.

30 Snoop around a studio : DOGG

Rap star Snoop Dogg’s real name is Cordozar Calvin Broadus. He is the most famous protege of the notorious rapper Dr. Dre. Sadly, Snoop Dogg has had numerous run-ins with police all round the world, even after he started to live the good life that came with his fame. Snoop Dogg has also been known as “Snoop Doggy Dogg”, and more recently as “Snoop Lion”.

31 Comic Notaro : TIG

Tig Notaro is a stand-up comedian known for her deadpan delivery. More recently, she has turned to acting and has a recurring role as Chief Engineer Jett Reno on “Star Trek: Discovery”.

38 Bridge expert, for short? : DDS

Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)

39 “Groovy!” : I DIG!

The term “groovy” meaning “neat, cool” comes from the jazz slang phrase “in the groove”.

44 Birds that can emit a “teakettle, teakettle, teakettle” call : WRENS

The wren is a small songbird belonging to the family troglodytidae and the genus troglodytes. Wrens are known for making dome-shaped nests. Despite their small size, they are known for their loud and complex songs. Male wrens often sing to attract mates and to establish territory, They have been known to attack much larger birds that get too close to their nests.

45 Subjects of a miracle in Matthew 14 : LOAVES

According to the Gospels of the New Testament, Jesus performed two miracles in which he fed the multitude. The first was the Feeding of the 5,000, with five barley loaves and two small fish, which is reported in all four Gospels. The second was the Feeding of the 4,000, with seven loaves and a few small fish, which is reported in the Gospels of Mark and Matthew.

48 Decorations for a mug? : FACE TATS

The verb “to mug” means “to make an exaggerated facial expression”. The term comes from mugs used to drink beer (called Toby mugs) that are made in the shape of heads with grotesque expressions. “Mug” can also be a noun meaning “face”.

51 Specification for a smoker : NO TAR

The partially-combusted particulate matter that is produced as a cigarette burns forms a resinous material called “tar”. Cigarette tar is different from the tar used on roads, but it is still very toxic. Marijuana smoke produces a very similar tar to cigarette smoke, and is just as dangerous.

52 Blue, in brief : DEM

On political maps, red states are predominantly Republican and blue states predominantly Democrat. The designation of red and blue states is a very recent concept, only introduced in the 2000 presidential election by TV journalist, the late Tim Russert. In retrospect, the choice of colors is surprising, as in other democracies around the world red is usually used to describe left-leaning socialist parties (the reds under the bed!), and blue is used for conservative right-wing parties. In election cycles, swing/battleground states are often depicted in purple.

55 Big name in small loans : KIVA

Kiva is a non-profit organization that enables the loaning of relatively small amounts of money to underserved entrepreneurs in over eight countries around the world.

Down

1 Astronomy, but not astrology : STEM FIELD

The acronym “STEM” stands for the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. An alternative acronym with a similar meaning is MINT, standing for mathematics, information sciences, natural sciences and technology.

8 Alpine mountain climber : IBEX

“Ibex” is a common name for various species of mountain goat. “Ibex” is a Latin name that was used for wild goats found in the Alps and Apennines in Europe.

12 Oscar nominee for “The Prince of Tides” and “Affliction” : NOLTE

Actor Nick Nolte got his big break in movies playing opposite Jacqueline Bisset and Robert Shaw in “The Deep”, a film released in 1976. Around the same time, he landed a leading role in the hit TV miniseries “Rich Man, Poor Man”. Off the screen, Nolte has always had a “bad-boy” reputation. He is indeed a convicted felon, for selling counterfeit draft cards in the early 1960s. He had to pay a $75,000 fine, and was given a suspended prison sentence.

The 1991 movie “The Prince of Tides” was adapted from a 1986 novel of the same name written by Pat Conroy. Stars of the film are Barbra Streisand and Nick Nolte.

“Affliction” is a 1997 film based on a novel of the same name by Russell Banks. The movie is about a New Hampshire policeman who becomes obsessed with investigating a fatal hunting accident. “Affliction” has a great cast, including Nick Nolte, James Coburn, Sissy Spacek and Willem Dafoe. I must put it on my viewing list …

23 He passed Babe in 1974 : HANK

Hank Aaron hit his 715th career home run on 8th April 1974, breaking the record of 714 career home runs held by Babe Ruth. Aaron went on to hit 755 home runs prior to his retirement from the game in 1976.

24 Big gun : MOGUL

A mogul is a person with power. The term comes from the Mughal emperors of India and South Asia.

29 Wrap-ups, of a sort : CODAS

In music, a coda is primarily a passage that brings a movement to a conclusion. “Coda” is Italian for “tail”.

35 “Paris, Texas” director Wenders : WIM

Wim Wenders is a German movie director and producer. Wenders has served as the president of the European Film Academy in Berlin since 1996.

37 Left, in a way : PORT

The left side of a ship used to be called the “larboard” side, but this was dropped in favor of “port” as the pronunciation of “larboard” was easily confused with “starboard”, the right side of the vessel. The term “port” was chosen as it was customary to dock a ship, for loading in port, with the left side of the vessel against the dock.

46 Zoo creature whose color is suggested by its name : ORANG

Orangutans (also “orangs”) are arboreal creatures, the largest arboreal animals known to man. They are native to Indonesia and Malaysia, and live in rainforests. Like most species in rainforests these days, orangutans are endangered, with only two species surviving. The word “orangutan” is Malay, meaning “man of the forest”.

49 Scoped out : CASED

The phrase “to case the joint” is American slang meaning “to examine a location with the intent of robbing it”. The origins of the phrase are apparently unknown, although it dates back at least to 1915.

51 Real first name of comedian Awkwafina : NORA

“Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens” is a sitcom that first aired in 2020. It stars actress, rapper and comedian Awkwafina as a woman named Nora Lin who is spreading her wings in Queens, New York. “Awkwafina” is the stage name of Nora Lum.

54 ___ Chmerkovskiy, three-time “Dancing With the Stars” champion : VAL

Maks and Val Chmerkovskiy are two brothers who are professional dancers on the US version of the show “Dancing with the Stars”. Maks and Val were born in Odessa, Ukraine and emigrated with his family to Brooklyn, New York in 1994.

When I was growing up in Ireland, there was a surprisingly popular BBC television show featuring professional ballroom dancing called “Come Dancing”. It ran almost every year from 1949 to 1998, and in 2004 the BBC resurrected it with a new twist, adding celebrities to dance with the professionals. The new show, called “Strictly Come Dancing”, is a huge success and has become a worldwide franchise. Over here we watch the American version called “Dancing with the Stars”. It really can be fun television …