Category: Jared Cappel

Bill’s time: 7m 57s

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Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A ___ Bradham, inventor of Pepsi : CALEB

The Pepsi-Cola formulation was developed by one Caleb Bradham who made the drink at home and sold it as Brad’s Drink. Bradham’s aim was to provide a drink that was pleasant to taste, that would aid digestion and boost energy. Included in the formula were pepsin (a digestive enzyme) and kola nuts. These two ingredients inspired the brand name Pepsi-Cola. That name was shortened to just “Pepsi” in 1961.

14A Frank account? : DIARY

Anne Frank has to be one of the most famous victims of the Holocaust. This is largely because the story of this young girl lives on in her widely published diary, and in adaptations of the diary for stage and screen. Anne Frank was a German until she lost her nationality in 1941 when the Nazis came to power. By this time she was living with her family in Amsterdam, as the Franks chose to flee Germany in 1933. When the Germans occupied the Netherlands, the family went into hiding in rooms concealed behind a bookcase in Otto Frank’s office building (Otto was Anne’s father). There the family hid for two whole years until they were betrayed. The family was split up, and Anne and her sister died from typhus in a concentration camp in 1945.

16A “Casablanca” heroine : ILSA

Rick Blaine and Ilsa Lund were played by Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in the 1942 movie “Casablanca”. I love the words of one critic describing the chemistry between Bogart and Bergman in this film: “She paints his face with her eyes”. Wow …

17A Acclaimed 2004 science fiction work by David Mitchell made into a 2012 film : CLOUD ATLAS

“Cloud Atlas” is a 2012 sci-fi movie adaptation of a 2004 novel by English author David Mitchell. It is a film epic, described variously as an epic success and as an epic fail. Not for me …

22A 1959 Broadway drama by Lorraine Hansberry, with “A” : … RAISIN IN THE SUN

Lorraine Hansberry was the first female African-American author to have a play produced on Broadway. That was “A Raisin in the Sun”, which opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in 1959. Leading the cast in that production were Sidney Poitier and Ruby Dee. Sadly, Hansberry passed away at only 34 years of age in 1965.

31A Black Friday offering : SALE

In the world of retail, Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving in the US. It is also the day when many stores start the holiday shopping season, and so offer deep discounts to get ahead of the competition.

36A 2006 romantic fantasy novel by Stephenie Meyer : NEW MOON

Author Stephenie Meyer is best-known for her “Twilight” series of vampire romance novels. The “Twilight” books are aimed at young adults. Meyer also wrote a 2008 adult sci-fi novel called “The Host”, which went straight to the top of the New York Times Best Seller list. Obsessive fans of the “Twilight” series of books can be referred to as “Twihards”, a portmanteau of “Twilight” and “die-hard”.

39A With 43-Across, playful marine mammal : SEA … 43A See 39-Across : … OTTER

Sea otters often use rocks as tools to break open the shells of their prey, such as clams and mussels. They are one of the few mammal species known to use tools in the wild.

40A Playful marine mammal : SEAL

There are three families of seals. The first is the walrus family, the second the eared seals (like sea lions), and thirdly the earless seals (like elephant seals).

42A Pros who may care for playful marine mammals : VETS

“Vet” is an abbreviation for “veterinarian”, a professional who treats animals for disease and injury. The word “veterinary” comes from the Latin “veterinae” meaning “working animals, beasts of burden”.

48A Newbery Medal-winning 1989 novel for children by Lois Lowry : NUMBER THE STARS

Lois Lowry is a writer of children’s fiction. Lowry doesn’t stick to “safe” material in her books, and has dealt with difficult subjects such as racism, murder and the Holocaust. Two of her books won the Newbery Medal: “Number the Stars” (1990) and “The Giver” (1993).

53A Standard option in a popular rideshare app : UBERX

The basic service offered by ride-hailing company Uber is known as UberX. This provides a private ride for up to four passengers in a standard car. UberXL provides a minivan or SUV with room for up to 6 passengers.

55A Covid-19, in slang : RONA

Wuhan is the capital of the inland province of Hubei in Central China. The city is a major transportation hub, and so is sometimes referred to as “the Chicago of China”. Famously, in December 2019, the coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic was first discovered in Wuhan. The city was the first to lockdown during the pandemic, in January 2020.

63A Shower scrubber : LOOFA

The loofah (also “loofa”, “lufah” and “luffa”, all Arabic words) is a vine, with fruit that’s very popular in Asia and Africa. If the fruit is allowed to mature, it can be processed to remove everything but the more rigid xylem structure (remember your high school botany class?) leaving a soft, sponge-like mass that is used as a skin polisher.

65A Equipment in “Top Chef” : PANS

“Top Chef” is a reality television show on the Bravo channel. It’s basically a cooking competition.

Down

1D Org. encouraging flu shots : CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is based in Atlanta, Georgia. The CDC started out life during WWII as the Office of National Defense Malaria Control Activities. The CDC worries about much more than malaria these days …

3D Neighbor of a Thai : LAO

The present-day nation of Laos can trace its roots back to the historic Lao kingdom of Lan Xang that existed from 1354 to 1707. The full name of the kingdom was “Lan Xang Hom Khao”, which translates as “The Land of a Million Elephants and the White Parasol”.

4D Scholarly : ERUDITE

“Erudite” is a lovely-sounding word meaning “learned, well-educated”. The term comes from the Latin verb “erudire” meaning “to educate”, or more literally “to bring out of the rough”.

7D Politician Gabbard : TULSI

Tulsi Gabbard was elected to the US House of Representatives in 2012, and so became the first Hindu member of Congress. She was born in American Samoa, and relocated with her family at a very young age to Hawaii. Gabbard enlisted in the Hawaii Army National Guard in 2003, served a tour of duty in Iraq, and continues in the service at the rank of major. She campaigned as a Democrat to become the party’s nominee for US president in the 2020 election. She moved over to the Republican Party in 2024, and in 2025 became the director of national intelligence in the Trump administration in 2025.

8D Santa ___ winds : ANA

The Santa Ana winds are the very dry air currents that sweep offshore late in the year in Southern California. Because these air currents are so dry, they are noted for their influence over forest fires in the area, especially in the heat of the fall. The winds arise from a buildup of air pressure in the Great Basin that lies between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada. Under the right conditions, that air spills over the peaks of the Sierra Nevada and basically “falls” down the side of the Sierra range, heading for the ocean. As the air falls it becomes drier and heats up so that relative humidity can fall to below 10% by the time it hits the coast.

9D “Dynamite” K-pop band : BTS

“Dynamite” is a 2020 song released by the boy band BTS from South Korea. It was a huge success internationally and hit number-one in the US charts. “Dynamite” was the first song that BTS fully recorded in English.

11D Some cantina cookware : OLLAS

An olla is a traditional clay pot used for the making of stews. “Olla” was the Latin word used in ancient Rome to describe a similar type of pot.

12D Japanese truck manufacturer : ISUZU

Isuzu is a Japanese auto manufacturer that is very successful in the medium and heavy truck market in particular. You’ll be seeing fewer and fewer Isuzu passenger cars on American roads though, as the company exited the US passenger car market in 2009.

22D Actress Zellweger : RENEE

Renée Zellweger’s big break came with the 1996 movie “Jerry Maguire”. A few years later, Zellweger followed that up with a string of successes in “Bridget Jones’ Diary” (2001), “Chicago” (2002) and “Cold Mountain” (2003). My wife and I love watching her play Bridget Jones, and as someone coming from Britain and Ireland, I have to say that Zellweger does a remarkable job with the accent. She worked hard to perfect that accent, and of course she had a voice coach. She also went “undercover” and worked as a temp in an office for three weeks fine-tuning her skills.

23D Pet adoption org. : ASPCA

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)

24D Taboos : NO-NOS

The word “taboo” comes to English from the Tongan language, specifically from the word “tapu”, meaning “sacred, forbidden”. Captain James Cook was one of the first to introduce the word to Europe after his voyages to Polynesia in the late 18th century.

29D “Too ___” (2024 #1 Hozier hit) : SWEET

Singer-songwriter Hozier wrote and recorded his debut single “Take Me to Church” in the attic of his parents’ home in County Wicklow, Ireland. A struggling musician at the time, he spent three months writing the song. The powerful black-and-white music video, filmed for only €1,500, depicts a gay couple and the violent homophobic attack they endure. The video’s viral success led to Hozier signing with major record labels. “Take Me to Church” became a global hit, topping charts in 12 countries and reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also Spotify’s most-streamed song of 2014, with 87 million listens.

32D Daisylike flower : ASTER

Apparently, most aster species and cultivars bloom relatively late in the year, usually in the fall. The name “aster” comes into English via Latin from the Greek word “astéri” meaning “star”, a reference to the arrangement of the petals of the flower.

34D Removable Potato Head parts : EARS

Mr. Potato Head (now just “Potato Head”) is an enduring and popular toy that has been around since its invention by George Lerner in 1949. In its original form, the toy was a collection of eyes, ears, and other facial features that were designed to be stuck into a real potato. Mr. Potato Head also has the distinction of being the first toy ever to be advertised on television.

37D Happily/after connector : EVER

The stock phrase “Once upon a time …” has been used in various forms as the start of a narrative at least since 1380. The stock phrase at the end of stories such as folktales is often “and they all lived happily ever after”. The earlier version of this ending was “happily until their deaths”.

51D “Surprise Symphony” composer : HAYDN

Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 94 in G major is nicknamed “The Surprise Symphony”. Haydn was very fond of including a little humor in his music, and the “surprise” in Symphony No. 94 is the most famous. That surprise is a very loud chord at the end of a very quiet and lyrical passage in the second movement. As a result, the German nickname for “The Surprise Symphony” is “The Symphony with the Kettledrum Stroke”.

52D Cary of “The Princess Bride” : ELWES

Cary Elwes is an English actor who is perhaps most noted for appearing in the 1987 film “The Princess Bride”. He also played the title role in 1993’s “Cary Elwes”. Cary is the son of a celebrated English portrait painter, Dominick Elwes.

57D Sportage maker : KIA

Kia’s Sportage is a compact SUV that has been manufactured since 1993.

59D Lions’ org. : NFL

The Detroit Lions are the NFL team that play home games at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. The team was founded way back in 1929 as the Portsmouth Spartans from Portsmouth, Ohio. The Spartans joined the NFL during the Great Depression as other franchises collapsed. However, the Spartans couldn’t command a large enough gate in Portsmouth so the team was sold and relocated to Detroit in 1934.

60D Neon or Freon : GAS

Neon (Ne) was discovered in 1898 by two British chemists, Sir William Ramsay and Morris Travers. They chilled a sample of air, turning it into a liquid. They then warmed that liquid and separated out the gases that boiled off. Along with nitrogen, oxygen and argon (already known), the pair of scientists discovered two new gases. The first they called “krypton” and the second “neon”. “Krypton” is Greek for “the hidden one” and “neon” is Greek for “new”.

Freon is a DuPont trade name for a group of compounds used as a refrigerant and as a propellant in aerosols. Freon is used in the compressors of air conditioners as a vital component in the air-cooling mechanism. Freon used to contain chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which had a devastating effect on the Earth’s ozone layer. Use of CFCs is now banned, or at least severely restricted.