Category: Kevin Christian

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Mai tai ingredient : RUM
The Mai Tai cocktail is strongly associated with the Polynesian islands, but the drink was supposedly invented in 1944 in Trader Vic’s restaurant in Oakland, California. One recipe is 6 parts white rum, 3 parts orange curaçao, 3 parts Orgeat syrup, 1 part rock candy syrup, 2 parts fresh lime juice, all mixed with ice and then a float added of 6 parts dark rum.

4. Carter-era F.B.I. sting that inspired “American Hustle” : ABSCAM
The FBI set up a sting operation in 1978, eventually targeting corruption within Congress. Central to the “scam” was a front company called “Abdul Enterprises, Ltd”, which company name led to the whole operation being nicknamed “Abscam”. At the end of the say, one senator and five House members were convicted of bribery and conspiracy. Kambir Abdul Rahman was the fictional sheik that gave “his” name to the front company.

“American Hustle” is a 2013 movie with a plotline that is loosely based on the famous FBI ABSCAM sting of the late seventies and early eighties. The film stars Christian Bale and Amy Adams as two con artists who are forced to work with an FBI agent played by Bradley Cooper.

14. Litigator’s org. : ABA
American Bar Association (ABA)

15. Blank portion of a manuscript : LACUNA
A lacuna is a missing piece of text (or music) in a larger work. Usually the text has been lost due to damage of an older manuscript. Lacunae can be very controversial as experts vie with each other to suggest what words have been lost.

16. ___ stick : POGO
What we know today as a pogo stick was invented in Germany by Max Pohlig and Ernst Gottschall. The name “pogo” comes from the first two letters in each of the inventors’ family names: Po-hlig and Go-ttschall.

17. “Because, after all, / A person’s a person, no matter how small” : HORTON HEARS A WHO
Horton the elephant turns up in two books by Dr. Seuss, “Horton Hatches the Egg” and “Horton Hears a Who!”

25. Satyrs’ quarries : NYMPHS
In Greek mythology, Nereus and Doris had fifty daughters, and these were called the sea nymphs or nereids. The nereids often hung around with Poseidon and were generally very helpful creatures to sailors in distress. Mainly they were to be found in the Aegean, where they lived with their father in a cave in the deep. Some of the more notable names of the nereids were: Agave, Asia, Calypso, Doris, Erato, Eunice and Ione.

The satyrs of Greek mythology came with a very high sex drive. They are the “rude” male subjects drawn on the side of old Greek vases. The nubile maidens known as nymphs were often an object of attention for the satyrs.

29. “You’re glumping the pond where the Humming-Fish hummed!” : THE LORAX
“The Lorax” is a children’s book written by Dr. Seuss. It is an allegorical work questioning the problems created by industrialization, and in particular its impact on the environment. At one point in the story, the Lorax “speaks for the trees, for the trees have no tongues”. “The Lorax” was adapted into an animated film that was released in 2012, with Danny DeVito voicing the title character.

33. Start of a “Willy Wonka” song : OOMPA
The Oompa-Loompas are characters in the Roald Dahl book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, and indeed in the sequel story “Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator”. Willy Wonka came across the Oompa-Loompas on an isolated island in the Atlantic and invited them to work in his factory in order to escape those hunting them on the island. Right before Dahl’s book was first published, he was intending to call the Oompa-Loompas the “Whipple-Scrumpets”.

38. “Would you eat them in a box? / Would you eat them with a fox?” : GREEN EGGS AND HAM
Dr. Seuss’s famous children’s book “Green Eggs and Ham” was first published in 1960. “Green Eggs and Ham” now ranks twelfth in the list of top selling children’s books. By the way, “Harry Potter” books hold the top four slots in that list. The text of “Green Eggs and Ham” has a lot of “I am” going on. It starts with:

I am Sam
I am Sam
Sam I am

and ends with:

I do so like
green eggs and ham!
Thank you!
Thank you,
Sam-I-am

43. Chairman with a Little Red Book : MAO
During China’s Cultural Revolution, the Communist Party published a book of statements and writings from Chairman Mao Zedong. Here in the West the publication was usually referred to as “The Little Red Book”.

45. U.F.O. pilots : ETS
One might speculate that an unidentified flying object (UFO) is flown by an extraterrestrial (ET).

46. “Red Ned Ted and Ed in bed” : HOP ON POP
“Hop on Pop” is a Dr. Seuss book that was first published in 1963, subtitled “The Simplest Seuss for Youngest Use”. “Hop on Pop” was listed by former First Lady Laura Bush as her favorite title, citing the memories evoked of family life with her young daughters.

49. Aquanaut’s workplace : SEALAB
SEALAB I, II and II were man-made habitats built by the US Navy designed to advance the technology needed for humans to live and work underwater for extended periods. SEALAB I was lowered to a depth of just under 200 feet off the coast of Bermuda in 1964. Four divers stayed in SEALAB for 11 days, before the experiment was halted due to the approach of a tropical storm.

51. ___ Spiegel (German weekly) : DER
“Der Spiegel” is a very successful German magazine found on news-stands all over Europe. The name “Der Spiegel” translates from German into “the Mirror”.

52. Parisian “your” : TES
“Tes” is the French word for “your”, when referring to a group of items and when talking to someone with whom you are familiar.

55. Italian article : UNA
The indefinite article in Italian can be “una”.

59. “There’s no other Showman / Who shows you a show with a Blindfolded Bowman!” : IF I RAN THE CIRCUS
“If I Ran the Circus” is a 1956 children’s book by Dr. Seuss.

64. Italian city on the Adriatic : BARI
Bari is a major port city on the Adriatic coast of Italy. Bari has the unfortunate distinction of being the only city in Europe to experience chemical warfare during WWII. Allied stores of mustard gas were released during a German bombing raid on Bari in 1943. Fatalities caused by the chemical agent were reported as 69, although other reports list the number as maybe a thousand military personnel and a thousand civilians.

66. Subj. of Stephen King’s “The Dead Zone” : ESP
“The Dead Zone” is a 1979 novel by Stephen King. The “dead zone” in the title is an area of the brain of the book’s protagonist that suffered damage as a result of an accident. I really don’t do Stephen King …

67. Surprising conversationalist of classic TV : MR ED
The sitcom “Mister Ed” first aired in 1961 and ran for almost five years. It was a very successful show (and even made it to Ireland!). Mister Ed, the talking horse, was a palomino that had the real name of Bamboo Harvester. Mister Ed’s “voice” was that of actor Allan “Rocky” Lane, a star of a lot of B-movie westerns from the forties and fifties. In the show, Mister Ed would only talk to the lead (human) character Wilbur, played by Alan Young, leading to some hilarious situations. Mister Ed had a stunt double and stand-in for the show, another horse called Pumpkin. Pumpkin later made frequent appearances on the show “Green Acres”.

Down
1. Chicago mayor Emanuel : RAHM
The current Mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, was an Illinois representative in the US House before resigning to take up President Obama’s offer to become the White House Chief of Staff.

2. Lusitania sinker : U-BOAT
U-boat stands for the German “Unterseeboot” (undersea boat). Notably, a U-boat sank the RMS Lusitania in 1915, an event that helped propel the US into WWI.

3. Actress Thomas of TV : MARLO
Marlo Thomas’s most famous role was playing the title character in the television sitcom “That Girl”. Thomas is also well known as a spokesperson for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

5. Bit of bling for the wrist : BANGLE
Bling-bling (often simply “bling”) is the name given to all the shiny stuff sported by rap stars in particular i.e. the jewelry, watches, metallic cell phones, even gold caps on the teeth. The term comes from the supposed “bling” sound caused by light striking a shiny metal surface.

8. 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.

9. Certain breadstick dipping sauce : MARINARA
Italians use the term “marinara” not for a sauce, but in the name of a recipe that includes a tomato-based sauce. For example, “spaghetti alla marinara” would be a spaghetti dish, served “mariner’s style”. The tomato sauce that we call “marinara” is called “salsa di pomodoro” in Italy.

13. S’mores marshmallow, after roasting : GOO
S’mores are treats peculiar to North America, usually eaten around a campfire. A s’more consists of a roasted marshmallow and a layer of chocolate sandwiched between two graham crackers. The earliest written reference to the recipe is in a 1927 publication called “Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts”. Girl Scouts always did corner the market on cookies and the like!

19. River to Hades : STYX
The River Styx of Greek mythology was the river that formed the boundary between the Earth and the Underworld (or “Hades”). The souls of the newly dead had to cross the River Styx in a ferry boat piloted by Charon. Traditionally, a coin would be placed in the mouths of the dead “to pay the ferryman”.

28. Broadsides : SLAMS
A “broadside” is a harshly spoken or written attack. The term comes from a naval attack in which all guns on one side of a warship are fired at the same time.

30. ___ Solo of “Star Wars” : HAN
Han Solo is the space smuggler in “Star Wars” played by Harrison Ford. Ford was originally hired by George Lucas just to read lines for actors during auditions for “Star Wars”, but over time Lucas became convinced that Ford was right for the pivotal role of Han Solo.

31. Univ. dorm supervisors : RAS
RAs are resident assistants or resident advisers, the peer leaders found in residence halls, particularly on a college campus.

33. Shrek and Fiona, for two : OGRES
Before “Shrek” was a successful movie franchise and Broadway musical, it was a children’s picture book called “Shrek!” authored and illustrated by William Steig. The title “Shrek!” came from the German/Yiddish word Schreck, meaning “fear” or “terror”.

35. The brainy bunch? : MENSA
If you ever had to learn Latin, as did I, “mensa” was probably taught to you in Lesson One as it’s the word commonly used as an example of a first declension noun. Mensa means “table”. The Mensa organization for folks with high IQs was set up in Oxford, England back in 1946. To become a member, one is required to have an IQ that is in the top 2% of the population.

39. Performers of songs with confessional lyrics : EMO BANDS
The musical genre of “emo” originated in Washington D.C. in the 80s, and takes its name from “emotional hardcore”. “Emo” is also the name given to the associated subculture. Not my cup of tea …

40. Generation ___ : GAP
The phrase “generation gap” was first used in the sixties, describing the gap between the values and customs of the Baby Boomers and those of the prior generations.

41. Many a PX customer : NCO
An NCO is a non-commissioned officer in the armed forces. Usually such an officer is one who has earned his or her rank by promotion through the enlisted ranks. A good example would be a sergeant.

A PX is a Post Exchange, a retail store operating on a US Army Base. The equivalent store on an Air Force Base is called a Base Exchange (BX). At a Navy installation it’s a Navy Exchange (NEX), at a Marine Corps installation it’s a Marine Corps Exchange (MCX) and at a Coast Guard Installation it’s a CGX.

46. Mandlikova of tennis : HANA
Hana Mandlikova is a former professional tennis star from Czechoslovakia. Mandlikova won four Grand Slam titles and then retired in 1990, at the ripe old age of 28.

47. Posts on handrails : NEWELS
A newel is a principal upright post that supports a handrail beside a staircase. Newels are found at the top and bottom of the banister, and sometimes in between. Newels are often adorned with decorative trim to set them apart from the other posts by the staircase.

48. Brief summary : PRECIS
A “precis” is an abstract, a concise summary. The term comes from the French “précis” meaning “cut short”.

53. Awards show presider : EMCEE
The term “emcee” comes from “MC”, an initialism standing for Master or Mistress of Ceremonies.

54. Author of the books quoted at 17-, 29-, 38-, 46- and 59-Across : SEUSS
Dr. Seuss was the pen name of Theodor Seuss Geisel. Geisel was commander of the Animation Department of the USAF during WWII. He was behind many propaganda films including one called “Our Job in Japan”. Even though the film was produced specifically as propaganda, this same movie was used after the war as a basis for the short feature “Design for Death”, a study of Japanese culture released in 1947 and winner of an Oscar for best Documentary.

57. Chianti, in Chianti : VINO
In Italian, one might order a glass of wine (vino) in a restaurant (ristorante).

Chianti is a red wine from the Chianti region of central Tuscany in Italy. Historically, Chianti was stored in a characteristically bulbous bottle wrapped in a straw basket. However, the pragmatists have won the day and regular wine bottles tend to be used nowadays.

58. Six of them make a fl. oz. : TSPS
Teaspoon (tsp.)

59. Big Blue on the stock mkt. : IBM
The origin of the IBM nickname “Big Blue” seems to have been lost in the mists of time. That said, maybe it has something to do with the fact that the IBM logo is blue, and almost every mainframe they produced was painted blue. I remember visiting IBM on business a few times in my career, and back then we were encouraged to wear white shirts and blue suits to “fit in” with our client’s culture.

60. “___ From the Madding Crowd” : FAR
“Far From the Madding Crowd” was the novel that brought Author Thomas Hardy wide recognition. First published in 1874, it was Hardy’s fourth novel and appeared initially in serial form in the Victorian literary journal “Cornhill Magazine”. The novel’s title comes from the 1751 poem “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” written by Thomas Gray.

Far from the madding crowd’s ignoble strife
Their sober wishes never learn’d to stray;
Along the cool sequester’d vale of life
They kept the noiseless tenor of their way.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Mai tai ingredient : RUM
4. Carter-era F.B.I. sting that inspired “American Hustle” : ABSCAM
10. Close-fitting : SNUG
14. Litigator’s org. : ABA
15. Blank portion of a manuscript : LACUNA
16. ___ stick : POGO
17. “Because, after all, / A person’s a person, no matter how small” : HORTON HEARS A WHO
20. Easily bruised thing for half the world : MALE EGO
21. “___ a deal!” : IT’S
22. Whole bunch : TON
23. Whole bunch : LOT
25. Satyrs’ quarries : NYMPHS
29. “You’re glumping the pond where the Humming-Fish hummed!” : THE LORAX
32. Be bedridden : AIL
33. Start of a “Willy Wonka” song : OOMPA
36. Rowboat propeller : OAR
37. Lead-in to boy or girl : ATTA
38. “Would you eat them in a box? / Would you eat them with a fox?” : GREEN EGGS AND HAM
42. Phoned : RANG
43. Chairman with a Little Red Book : MAO
44. Puts in a role : CASTS
45. U.F.O. pilots : ETS
46. “Red Ned Ted and Ed in bed” : HOP ON POP
49. Aquanaut’s workplace : SEALAB
51. ___ Spiegel (German weekly) : DER
52. Parisian “your” : TES
55. Italian article : UNA
56. “No need for introductions” : WE’VE MET
59. “There’s no other Showman / Who shows you a show with a Blindfolded Bowman!” : IF I RAN THE CIRCUS
64. Italian city on the Adriatic : BARI
65. Give cards to : DEAL IN
66. Subj. of Stephen King’s “The Dead Zone” : ESP
67. Surprising conversationalist of classic TV : MR ED
68. Declares to be true : SAYS SO
69. Twisty curve : ESS

Down
1. Chicago mayor Emanuel : RAHM
2. Lusitania sinker : U-BOAT
3. Actress Thomas of TV : MARLO
4. Shaving lotion additive : ALOE
5. Bit of bling for the wrist : BANGLE
6. Group of fish : SCHOOL
7. Stick on a pub wall : CUE
8. Santa ___ winds : ANA
9. Certain breadstick dipping sauce : MARINARA
10. Twitch : SPASM
11. Currently : NOW
12. “Gross!” : UGH!
13. S’mores marshmallow, after roasting : GOO
18. Something driven at a campsite : TENT PEG
19. River to Hades : STYX
24. Clearly superior, as an opponent : TOO GOOD
26. Routes : PATHS
27. Try to punch : HIT AT
28. Broadsides : SLAMS
30. ___ Solo of “Star Wars” : HAN
31. Univ. dorm supervisors : RAS
33. Shrek and Fiona, for two : OGRES
34. Get on a soapbox : ORATE
35. The brainy bunch? : MENSA
37. Globetrotter’s electrical device : ADAPTER
39. Performers of songs with confessional lyrics : EMO BANDS
40. Generation ___ : GAP
41. Many a PX customer : NCO
46. Mandlikova of tennis : HANA
47. Posts on handrails : NEWELS
48. Brief summary : PRECIS
50. Gruesomely sensational : LURID
53. Awards show presider : EMCEE
54. Author of the books quoted at 17-, 29-, 38-, 46- and 59-Across : SEUSS
57. Chianti, in Chianti : VINO
58. Six of them make a fl. oz. : TSPS
59. Big Blue on the stock mkt. : IBM
60. “___ From the Madding Crowd” : FAR
61. Steam : IRE
62. Serving in Japanese ceremonies : TEA
63. 67-Across food : HAY

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