Category: Dena R. Verkuil

Bill’s time: 10m 31s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

6 English translation of the Dutch “klompen” : CLOGS

Clogs are shoes made from wood, at least in part. The clog originated as a protective item of footwear for use by farm, factory and mine workers.

11 Robotic error message : DOES NOT COMPUTE

“Lost in Space” is a television sci-fi show that originally ran for three seasons from 1965 to 1968. There was also a “Lost in Space” movie released in 1998. The show was based on a comic book series called “Space Family Robinson”, which in turn was based on the Johann David Wyss novel “The Swiss Family Robinson”. Some oft-repeated lines from the show were uttered by the Robot character, including:

• “Warning! Warning!”
• “That does not compute”
• “Danger, Will Robinson!”

19 Engage in pugilism : BOX

“Pugilism”, another word for “boxing”, comes from the Latin “pugil” meaning “boxer”. In turn, “pugil” derives from “pugnus”, the word for “fist”.

20 Rock alternative : PAPER

Rock-paper-scissors is a hand game played by two people, at least here in North America. Back in Ireland we called the game “scissors-paper-stone”, and another name encountered around the English-speaking world is “roshambo”. The game is often used as a way to choose between two options or two individuals.

21 X, as in Mexico : BESO

In Spanish, a “beso” (kiss) is an “indicación de afecto” (display of affection).

In the sequence letter sequence “X-O-X”, the X represents a kiss, and the O a hug. “O-O-O” is a string of hugs, and “X-X-X” a string of kisses. Hugs and kisses …

22 In : CHIC

“Chic” is a French word meaning “stylish”.

23 Touching event? : EPEE

The French word for sword is “épée”. In competitive fencing the épée is connected to a system that records an electrical signal when legal contact is made on an opponent’s body.

28 Like one part of the SAT : VERBAL

Today, the standardized test for admission to colleges is known as the SAT Reasoning Test, but it used to be called the Scholastic Aptitude Test and Scholastic Assessment Test, which led to the abbreviation “SAT”.

31 Sisal and others : FIBERS

The sisal plant is an agave, the flesh of which is not generally used in making tequila. Sisal is grown instead for the fibers that run the length of its leaves. The fiber is used extensively for twine, rope, carpeting, wall coverings etc. My favorite application though, is in the construction of dartboards. Sisal takes its name from the port of Sisal in Yucatan, Mexico that was a major shipping point for sisal plants.

38 That feeling “when the world seems to shine like you’ve had too much wine” : AMORE

“That’s Amore” is a pop standard written by Harry Warren and Jack Brooks in 1952. It became the signature song for Dean Martin after he sang it (with some help from Jerry Lewis) in the 1953 comedy film “The Caddy”. “When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore …”

41 Some sky lights, in brief : UFOS

Unidentified flying object (UFO)

43 Miso soup base : DASHI

Dashi is a style of cooking stock used in Japanese cuisine. Most notably perhaps, “dashi” is the stock that is used as the base for miso soup. Traditional dashi is a fish stock to which is added edible kelp called kombu and shavings of preserved and fermented skipjack tuna called katsuobushi.

45 One of four suits in a tarot deck : CUPS

A deck of tarot cards is based on a traditional Italian pack, and so includes four suits: batons, coins, cups and swords.

46 Source of schadenfreude? : GERMAN

Our word “schadenfreude” comes from German. “Schaden” means harm or adversity, and “Freude” means joy. So, schadenfreude is pleasure derived from the misfortune of others.

51 Sensitive subject? : G-SPOT

The full name for the G-spot is the “Gräfenberg spot”, named after German doctor Ernst Gräfenberg. Gräfenberg is best known for developing the intrauterine device (IUD).

52 Figure on the $10,000 bill, the largest U.S. note ever in public circulation : CHASE

Salmon P. Chase held the offices of Chief Justice of the US, Governor of Ohio, and Secretary of the Treasury among others. As Treasury Secretary in the Lincoln administration, Chase presided over the introduction of the nation’s first paper currency The first one-dollar bill bore Chase’s image and not the George Washington portrait with which we are so familiar today. Even though he had no affiliation with the institution, Chase National Bank was named in his honor, which is no part of JPMorgan Chase. By the way, Chase’s portrait appears on the $10,000 bill that is still legal tender today although the Federal Reserve has been withdrawing them since the late sixties. I just checked my wallet and can confirm that his image does indeed appear on the bill …

Down

2 Younger Simpson sister : ASHLEE

Ashlee Simpson is the younger sister of Jessica Simpson. They are both reality show stars. I know no more …

3 Mean mien : SNEER

One’s mien is one’s bearing or manner. “Mien” shares the same etymological root as our word “demeanor”.

6 Body of Agatha Christie’s work? : CORPSE

Agatha Christie (née Miller) is the best-selling novelist of all time, having sold about 4 billion copies worldwide in total. The only books to have sold in higher volume are the works of William Shakespeare and the Bible.

7 “u r freaking hilarious!” : LMFAO!

Laughing my freaking a** off (LMFAO)

8 Work with a number : OPUS

The Latin for “work” is “opus”, with the plural being “opera”. We sometimes use the plural “opuses” in English, but that’s just to annoy me …

9 Eviscerate : GUT

To eviscerate is to take out the viscera, the internal organs.

10 Ticket exchange site since 2000 : STUBHUB

StubHub is an online ticket exchange business that is owned by eBay. StubHub acts as the middleman between buyers and sellers of event tickets, whether those buyers and sellers are individuals or large organizations.

14 Symphony that marked the beginning of Beethoven’s “middle period” : EROICA

Beethoven originally dedicated his “Symphony No. 3” to Napoleon Bonaparte. Beethoven admired the principles of the French Revolution and as such respected Bonaparte who was “born” out of the uprising. When Napoleon declared himself Emperor, Beethoven (and much of Europe) saw this as a betrayal to the ideals of the revolution so he changed the name of his new symphony from “Bonaparte” to “Eroica”, meaning “heroic, valiant”.

16 Office program : EXCEL

Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet program included in the Microsoft Office suite of applications. Microsoft’s first spreadsheet program was introduced back in 1982 and called Multiplan. Multiplan’s popularity waned due to the success of the competing product Lotus 1-2-3. Microsoft then introduced Excel, initially just for the Macintosh. When Excel was extended to Windows, Lotus was slow to respond and Microsoft took over the market.

22 Saturn and Mercury : CARS

Saturn was a brand of automobile introduced by General Motors (GM) in 1985. The Saturn line was GM’s response to the increase in sales of Japanese imports, and was initially set up as a relatively independent division within the company. Saturn had its own assembly plant, and its own network of retailers.

The Mercury brand of car was made by Ford from 1938 until 2011. Mercury was introduced by Henry Ford’s son Edsel Ford. Mercury vehicles were positioned as being more luxurious that the regular Ford models, and more economical than Ford’s high-end Lincoln models.

25 First name in late-night : SETH

Seth Meyers is an actor and comedian who is perhaps best-known today for hosting his own late night talk show on NBC. Meyers might be described as a poker shark. He won the third season of Celebrity Poker Showdown in 2004.

28 Primary action : VOTE

The US is one of just a few countries that uses primary elections, selections of party candidates by popular vote. In the runup to most national elections outside of the US, political parties select their own candidates. Indeed, primaries weren’t introduced into the US until relatively recently. The first presidential primary took place in 1920, in New Hampshire.

31 “On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service” memoirist, 2024 : FAUCI

Anthony Fauci took over as Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in 1984. He has been an advisor to every US president since Ronald Reagan. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest US civilian award, by President George W. Bush in 2008.

33 Illegal musical recording, e.g. : BOOTLEG

To bootleg is to make or smuggle alcoholic drinks illegally. The term arose in the late 1800s as slang for the practice of concealing a flask of liquor down the leg of a high boot. The term has been extended to mean the illegal production and sale of just about anything.

35 Fragrant flower whose name means “gift from God” : JASMINE

Jasmines are shrubs that are mainly grown for their fragrant flowers. Those flowers can be used to make jasmine tea, or to provide pleasant-smelling ingredients used in the perfume industry.

40 Some products sold by Patagonia : PARKAS

A parka is a hooded jacket that is often lined with fur, and that is worn in cold weather. The original parka was a pullover design, but nowadays it is usually zipped at the front. “Parka” is the Russian name for the garment, and it was absorbed into English in the late 1700s via the Aleut language.

Headquartered in Ventura, California, Patagonia is an outdoor clothing retailer that was founded in 1973 as Great Pacific Iron Works.

43 Area around a mouth : DELTA

A river delta is a triangular landform at the mouth of a river created by the deposition of sediment. The use of the term “delta” in this context comes from the triangular shape of the Greek letter delta. The Nile Delta in Northern Egypt is one of the world’s largest river deltas, and covers 150 miles of coastline on the Mediterranean. The most famous “delta” in the United States isn’t actually a delta at all. The Mississippi Delta is an alluvial plain that lies 300 miles north of the river’s actual delta, yet it is known as the “Mississippi River Delta”. Very confusing …

48 Hits up, as on TikTok : DMS

Direct message (DM)

49 P.I. : TEC

“Tec” is a slang term meaning “private detective” or “private investigator” (PI).