Category: Betty Keller

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
14. “Vive ___!” (old French cry) : LE ROI
“Vive le roi!” is French for “Long live the king!”

15. Score after deuce : AD IN
In tennis, if the score reaches “deuce” (i.e. when both players have scored three points), then the first player to win two points in a row wins the game. The player who wins the point immediately after deuce is said to have the “advantage”. If the player with the advantage wins the next point then that’s two in a row and that player wins the game. If the person with the advantage loses the next point, then advantage is lost and the players return to deuce and try again. If the one of the players is calling out the score then if he/she has the advantage then that player announces “ad in” or more formally “advantage in”. If the score announcer’s opponent has the advantage, then the announcement is “ad out” or “advantage out”. Follow all of that …?

16. U2 lead singer : BONO
Irish singer Bono is a Dubliner, born Paul David Hewson. As a youth, Hewson was given the nickname “Bono Vox” by a friend, a Latin expression meaning “good voice”, and so the singer has been known as Bono since the late seventies. His band’s first name was “Feedback”, later changed to “The Hype”. The band members searched for yet another name and chose U2 from a list of six names suggested by a friend. They picked U2 because it was the name they disliked least …

17. Walter who created Woody Woodpecker : LANTZ
The much-loved cartoon character called Woody Woodpecker came out of the Walter Lantz animation studio. Woody initially appeared in a cartoon called “Knock Knock” released in 1940. Woody was first voiced by the famous Mel Blanc.

23. Ernie of the P.G.A. : ELS
Ernie Els is a South African golfer. Els a big guy but he has an easy fluid golf swing that has earned him the nickname “The Big Easy”. He is a former World No. 1 and has won four majors: the US Open (1994 & 1997) and the British Open (2002 & 2012).

24. Antipoverty agcy. : OEO
The Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) was created during the Lyndon Johnson administration. The agency was responsible for administering the War on Poverty programs that were part of the President Johnson’s Great Society agenda. The OEO was shut down by President Nixon, although some of the office’s programs were transferred to other agencies. A few of the OEO’s programs are still around today, like Head Start for example.

26. Samurai sash : OBI
The sash worn as part of traditional Japanese dress is known as an obi. The obi can be tied in what is called a butterfly knot.

In the Edo period of Japan, the “samurai” were the military nobility, the warrior class who served in close attendance to the nobility.

27. ___ Trueheart, Dick Tracy’s love : TESS
In the “Dick Tracy” comic strip, Tess Trueheart was Dick’s love interest, and later his wife (and still his love interest, I am sure!).

The “Dick Tracy” comic strip was created way back in 1931 by Chester Gould. Dick Tracy was always up to date with the latest crime fighting techniques and gadgets, and even had a few that weren’t in use in real life. Tracy’s most famous gadget was his two-way wrist radio, something he started using in 1946. The radio got an upgrade in 1964 when it became a two-way wrist TV!

32. TV series with “NY,” “Miami” and “Cyber” spinoffs : CSI
The “CSI” franchise of TV shows has been tremendously successful, but seems to be winding down. “CSI: Miami” (the “worst” of the franchise, I think) was cancelled in 2012 after ten seasons. “CSI: NY” (the “best” of the franchise) was cancelled in 2013 after nine seasons. The original “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”, set in Las Vegas, hung in there until 2015 when it ended with a two-hour TV movie. The youngest show in the series is “CSI: Cyber”, and it’s still on the air.

34. Thoroughfare in the name of Springsteen’s band : E STREET
The E Street Band is the backing group for Bruce Springsteen. The band came together in 1972 but didn’t take a formal name until two years later. The keyboard player in the original line up was David Sancious, and his mother allowed the group to rehearse at her home. That home was on E Street in Belmar, New Jersey, and that’s where the band got their name.

37. “Don’t mess with” him, per an old song lyric … or a hint to 18-, 20-, 55- and 58-Across : MR IN-BETWEEN
“Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive” is a 1944 song by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer, and recorded by Mercer that same year. Other releases of the song were recorded later, including hit versions by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, and by Artie Shaw. The first verse is:
You’ve got to accentuate the positive
Eliminate the negative
Latch on to the affirmative
Don’t mess with Mister In-Between

40. Big name in ice cream : EDY
Dreyers’ ice cream sells its products under the name Dreyers in the Western United States, and Edy’s in the Eastern states. The company’s founders were William Dreyer and Joseph Edy.

42. Promotional hoopla : HYPE
The word “hoopla” means “boisterous excitement”. The term probably comes from “houp-là”, something the French say instead of “upsy-daisy”. Then again, “upsy-daisy” probably isn’t something said very often here in the US …

44. Court legend Arthur : ASHE
Arthur Ashe was a professional tennis player from Richmond, Virginia. In his youth, Ashe found himself having to travel great distances to play against Caucasian opponents due to the segregation that still existed in his home state. He was rewarded for his dedication by being selected for the 1963 US Davis Cup team, the first African American player to be so honored. Ashe continued to run into trouble because of his ethnicity though, and in 1968 was denied entry into South Africa to play in the South African Open. In 1979 Ashe suffered a heart attack and had bypass surgery, with follow-up surgery four years later during which he contracted HIV from blood transfusions. Ashe passed away in 1993 due to complications from AIDS. Shortly afterwards, Ashe was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton.

48. Thornton Wilder’s “___ Town” : OUR
“Our Town” is a play by Thornton Wilder, first performed in 1938. Wilder won a Pulitzer for the work. “Our Town” was actually banned by the Soviet authorities in East Berlin in 1946. Their reasoning was that “the drama was too depressing and could inspire a German suicide wave”.

49. “I love,” to a Latin lover : AMO
“Amo, amas, amat” … “I love, you love, he/she/it loves”, in Latin.

51. Sixteenths of lbs. : OZS
Ounces (ozs.) make up pounds (lbs.).

53. Dress (up) : TOG
The verb “tog”, meaning to dress up, comes from the Latin “toga”, the garment worn in Ancient Rome. “Tog” can be use as an informal word for a coat or a cloak. Back in Ireland, togs are what we call swimming shorts.

58. Audio feature that comes standard on cars : AM/FM RADIO
The radio spectrum is divided into bands based on frequency. “High band” is composed of relatively high frequency values, and “low band” is composed of frequencies that are relatively low. FM radio falls into the band called Very High Frequency, or VHF. Television signals use frequencies even higher than VHF, frequencies in the Ultra High Frequency band (UHF). AM radio uses lower frequencies that fall into the relatively low bands of Low, Medium and High Frequency (LF, MF, and HF).

63. Overly anxious : ANTSY
The word “antsy” embodies the concept of “having ants in one’s pants”, meaning being nervous and fidgety. However, “antsy” has been used in English since the 1830s, whereas “ants in the pants” originated a century later.

65. Mumbai titles : SRIS
“Sri” is a title of respect for a male in India.

Mumbai is the most populous city in India, and the second most populous city in the world (after Shanghai). The name of the city was changed from Bombay to Mumbai in 1995.

66. Proverbial waste maker : HASTE
Haste makes waste …

Down
2. John, Paul, George or Ringo : BEATLE
The Beatles went through quite an evolution of names and band members. The evolution of band names is the Blackjacks, the Quarrymen, Johnny & the Moondogs, Beatals, the Silver Beetles, the Silver Beatles and finally the Beatles.

3. James of “Gunsmoke” : ARNESS
James Arness played the role of Matt Dillon, Marshal of Dodge City, on “Gunsmoke” for twenty years. If you count the occasions when he reprised the role for specials, he actually performed as Matt Dillon over five decades. And, did you know that Peter Graves, the actor who played Jim Phelps on “Mission: Impossible”, his real name was Peter Arness? He and James were brothers.

4. The “N” of N.B. : NOTA
“Nota bene” is the Latin for “note well”

5. Thingamabob : GIZMO
The word “gizmo” (also “gismo”) was originally slang used by both the US Navy and the Marine Corps, but the exact origin seems unknown. Nowadays, “gizmo” is a general term used for a device or a part when the correct name escapes one (so I use it a lot …). Oh, and Gizmo is the name of the dog belonging to my son and his fiancee.

7. TV’s discontinued “American ___” : IDOL
Fox’s “American Idol” is a spin-off show that was created after the amazing success of the British television show “Pop Idol”. I can’t abide either program(me) …

8. Big name in golf balls : TITLEIST
The golf equipment brand name “Titleist” is most closely associated with golf balls. The name of the brand comes from the word “titlist” meaning “the one who holds the title”.

10. “Let’s Build a Smarter Planet” co. : IBM
IBM was founded as the Tabulating Machine Company in 1896. The company changed its name to the Computing Tabulating Recording Corporation (CTR) in 1911 and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1916. The name of International Business Machines (IBM) was given first to the company’s Canadian subsidiary, and then its South American subsidiary. In 1924, it was decided to adopt the International Business Machines name for the whole company. Good choice …

19. Former Bruin Bobby : ORR
Bobby Orr is regarded as one of the greatest hockey players of all time. By the time he retired in 1978 he had undergone over a dozen knee surgeries. At 31 years of age, he concluded that he just couldn’t skate anymore. Reportedly, he was even having trouble walking …

31. “Ciao!” : SEE YA!
“Ciao” is the Italian for “‘bye”. “Arrivederci” is more formal, and translates as “goodbye”.

33. One of the seven “deadly” things : SIN
The cardinal sins of Christian ethics are also known as the seven deadly sins. The seven deadly sins are:

– wrath
– greed
– sloth
– pride
– lust
– envy
– gluttony

35. Pluck, as an eyebrow : TWEEZE
Tweezers are small metal pincers used in handling small objects. Back in the 1600s, “tweeze” was the name given to the case in which such an implement was kept, and over time the case gave its name to the device itself. “Tweeze” evolved from “etweese”, the plural of “etwee”, which came from “étui “, the French word for a “small case”.

39. Discombobulate : FLUMMOX
To discombobulate is to faze, disconcert, to confuse.

41. Piña ___ (fruity drink) : COLADA
“Piña colada” is a Spanish term which translates into “strained pineapple”. The Piña colada cocktail was introduced in the Caribe Hilton San Juan in 1954, and since 1978 it has been the official beverage of Puerto Rico. Yum …

49. Mo. before May : APR
The exact etymology of “April”, the fourth month of our year, seems to be uncertain. The ancient Romans called it “mensis Aprilis”, which roughly translated as “opening month. The suggestion is that April is the month in which fruits, flowers and animals “open” their life cycles.

52. Politico Palin : SARAH
When John McCain selected Sarah Palin as candidate for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she became the first Alaskan to go on the national ticket for a major party. She also became the first woman nominated for Vice President by the Republican Party.

57. Actress Merrill : DINA
Dina Merrill was in 22 movies, including two of my favorites: “Desk Set” with Tracy & Hepburn, and “Operation Petticoat” with Cary Grant. Nowadays, Merrill carries some sway in the business world. Until 2007 she was on the compensation committee of Lehman Brothers, the merry band that approved all those big bonuses. Ms. Merrill probably doesn’t talk too much these days about that aspect of her life!

59. Field fare for a G.I. : MRE
The Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) comes in a lightweight package that’s easy to tote around. The MRE replaced the more cumbersome Meal, Combat, Individual (MCI) in 1981, a meal-in-a-can. In turn, the MCI had replaced the C-ration in 1958, a less sophisticated meal-in-a-can with a more limited choice.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Go out with ___ : A BANG
6. Toy with a tail : KITE
10. “Get ___ writing” : IT IN
14. “Vive ___!” (old French cry) : LE ROI
15. Score after deuce : AD IN
16. U2 lead singer : BONO
17. Walter who created Woody Woodpecker : LANTZ
18. 64-, 65- and 66-Across, in this puzzle : BOTTOM ROW
20. Heavy vehicle that smooths a road surface : STEAMROLLER
22. Time in history : ERA
23. Ernie of the P.G.A. : ELS
24. Antipoverty agcy. : OEO
25. Goof up : ERR
26. Samurai sash : OBI
27. ___ Trueheart, Dick Tracy’s love : TESS
29. The year 2051 : MMLI
31. Rotisserie rod : SPIT
32. TV series with “NY,” “Miami” and “Cyber” spinoffs : CSI
34. Thoroughfare in the name of Springsteen’s band : E STREET
37. “Don’t mess with” him, per an old song lyric … or a hint to 18-, 20-, 55- and 58-Across : MR IN-BETWEEN
39. College or company starter : FOUNDER
40. Big name in ice cream : EDY
41. Putter or 9-iron : CLUB
42. Promotional hoopla : HYPE
44. Court legend Arthur : ASHE
48. Thornton Wilder’s “___ Town” : OUR
49. “I love,” to a Latin lover : AMO
51. Sixteenths of lbs. : OZS
53. Dress (up) : TOG
54. K-O connector : L-M-N
55. Means of fortunetelling : PALM READING
58. Audio feature that comes standard on cars : AM/FM RADIO
60. Provoked : RILED
61. Gloomy : DOUR
62. Card with the headings “Appetizers,” “Entrees” and “Desserts” : MENU
63. Overly anxious : ANTSY
64. Rotating car part : AXLE
65. Mumbai titles : SRIS
66. Proverbial waste maker : HASTE

Down
1. Completely ready : ALL SET
2. John, Paul, George or Ringo : BEATLE
3. James of “Gunsmoke” : ARNESS
4. The “N” of N.B. : NOTA
5. Thingamabob : GIZMO
6. Explosion sound : KABOOM!
7. TV’s discontinued “American ___” : IDOL
8. Big name in golf balls : TITLEIST
9. Exit’s opposite : ENTER
10. “Let’s Build a Smarter Planet” co. : IBM
11. Ripped the wrapping off : TORE OPEN
12. Circling the earth, say : IN ORBIT
13. “Oh, hang on a minute!” : NO, WAIT!
19. Former Bruin Bobby : ORR
21. Jog the memory of : REMIND
28. Use elbow grease : SCRUB
30. Apprehensive : LEERY
31. “Ciao!” : SEE YA!
33. One of the seven “deadly” things : SIN
35. Pluck, as an eyebrow : TWEEZE
36. Crimson, e.g. : RED
37. Heavy-hearted : MOURNFUL
38. Witness : BEHOLDER
39. Discombobulate : FLUMMOX
41. Piña ___ (fruity drink) : COLADA
43. Permeable : POROUS
45. Beach building supports : STILTS
46. “I kid you not!” : HONEST!
47. Easter dip : EGG DYE
49. Mo. before May : APR
50. Sirs’ partners : MA’AMS
52. Politico Palin : SARAH
56. 5×5 crossword, e.g. : MINI
57. Actress Merrill : DINA
59. Field fare for a G.I. : MRE

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