Category: Kyle T. Dolan

Bill’s time: 30m 26s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Office held five times by Julius Caesar : CONSUL
By 59 BC, Julius Caesar was a very powerful man in Rome and had just been elected to the position of consul, the highest magistracy in the Republic. Famously, he aligned himself with two other powerful men in Rome, Pompey and Crassus, forming the First Triumvirate. At the end of his year as consul, Caesar was elected proconsul (for 5 years), and was appointed governor of three provinces north of Rome (including Gaul), with control of four legions of the army. Caesar extended the reach of the Roman Republic in the Gallic Wars, and became very popular with the people back in Rome. However the Senate, led by his erstwhile ally Pompey, feared the power that could be exercised by Caesar, so at the end of his term as proconsul they ordered him to disband his army and return to Rome. Caesar agreed to return to Rome, but not to disband his army. On 10 January 49 BC, despite all the warnings, he marched back into Italy by crossing the Rubicon River, along with his army, plunging Rome into civil war. Since then, “crossing the Rubicon” has come to mean “passing the point of no return”.

15 Program commemorated on the back of the Eisenhower dollar coin : APOLLO
The Eisenhower dollar was issued by the US Mint from 1971 to 1978. The obverse of the coin bears the profile of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Most of the Eisenhower dollars issued bear the insignia of the Apollo 11 moon landing on the reverse. A special 1967 Bicentennial design features the Liberty Bell and the moon on the reverse.

20 Stuff, but not junk : SATE
“Sate” is a variant of the older word “satiate”. Both terms can mean either to satisfy an appetite fully, or to eat to excess.

21 Where “the cheese stands alone,” in a classic song : DELL
“The Farmer in the Dell” is a nursery rhyme and singing game that probably originated in Germany. The first verse is:

The farmer in the dell
The farmer in the dell
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The farmer in the dell

The last verse is:

The cheese stands alone
The cheese stands alone
Hi-ho, the derry-o…
The cheese stands alone

22 They’re tops to Scots : TAMS
A tam o’shanter is a man’s cap worn traditionally by Scotsmen. “Tams” were originally all blue (and called “blue bonnets”) but as more dyes became readily available they became more colorful. The name of the cap comes from the title character of the Robert Burns poem “Tam o’ Shanter”.

23 Lug : SCHLEP
Our word “schlep” (sometimes “schlepp”) means “carry, drag”. “Schlep” comes from Yiddish, with “shlepen” having the same meaning.

25 Faulty: Prefix : DYS-
The prefix “dys-” comes from the Greek for “bad”. Examples of the use of the prefix would be: dyslexia (bad + word), dyspepsia (bad + digested).

27 Color not generated by light : SPRAY TAN
The most effective fake tans available today are not dyes or stains. Instead, they are sprays with the active ingredient dihydroxyacetone (DHA). DHA reacts chemically with amino acids in the dead layer of skin on the surface of the body. Sounds a little risky to me …

37 Literally, “substitute” : ERSATZ
Something described as ersatz is a copy, and usually not a good one. “Ersatz” comes from the German verb “ersetzen” meaning “to replace”.

38 Midwife’s focus in the third stage of labor : PLACENTA
A midwife is someone trained to assist women in childbirth. The term comes from Middle English “mid wif” meaning “with woman”.

41 2019 World Series winner, in brief : NAT
The 2019 World Series was played between the American League’s Houston Astros and the National League’s Washington Nationals. The Nationals emerged victorious, and were crowned champions for the first time. The last time a D.C. team won the world series was back in 1924, when the Washington Senators beat the New York Giants.

42 Org. with clubs, in two senses : PGA
The Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) was founded in 1916 and today has its headquarters (unsurprisingly) in Florida, where so many golfers live. Back in 1916, the PGA was based in New York City.

46 Veronica ___, author of the “Divergent” trilogy : ROTH
The “Divergent” series of movies is based on the “Divergent” novels written by Veronica Roth. The movies and novels are set in a post-apocalyptic version of Chicago called the Divergent Universe. The story is about a citizenry that is divided into five different factions based on personality traits. The critics weren’t crazy about the first movie in the series, but I really enjoyed it …

47 Orange candleflower, for example : ARUM
Arum is a genus of flowering plant that is native to eastern North America. Arums can be nasty plants though, as some contain oxalic acid. Oxalic acid is a compound that can be very painful if ingested and can even cause death if taken in sufficient quantities.

49 “Mastering the Art of French Cooking,” for one : TOME
“Tome” first came into English from the Latin “tomus” which means “section of a book”. The original usage in English was for a single volume in a multi-volume work. By the late 16th century, “tome” had come to mean “large book”.

53 ___ chai (Indian beverage) : MASALA
Masala chai is an Indian drink made with black tea (the “chai) and mixed spices (the “masala”).

56 Herbalists’ panaceas : ALLHEALS
Panacea was the Greek goddess of healing. She lent her name to the term “panacea” that was used by alchemists to describe the beguiling remedy that could cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely.

57 Muscle connectors : SINEWS
“Sinew” is another name for “tendon”. Tendons are bands of collagen that connect muscle to bone. Tendons are similar to ligaments and fasciae, which are also connective tissue made out of collagen, but ligaments join bone to bone, and fasciae connect muscle to muscle. We also use the term “sinew” to mean muscular power.

Down

2 Met someone? : OPERAGOER
The Metropolitan Opera (often simply “the Met”) of New York City is the largest classical music organization in the country, presenting about 220 performances each and every year. Founded in 1880, the Met is renowned for using technology to expand its audiences. Performances have been broadcast live on radio since 1931, and on television since 1977. And since 2006 you can go see a live performance from New York in high definition on the big screen, at a movie theater near you …

4 In-verse functions? : SLAMS
A poetry slam is a competition in which poets read their own work (usually), with winners being chosen by members of the audience. Apparently the first poetry slam took place in Chicago in 1984. Now there is a National Poetry Slam that takes place each year, with representatives from the US, Canada and France.

5 It runs up the arm : ULNA
The radius and ulna are bones in the forearm. If you hold the palm of your hand up in front of you, the radius is the bone on the “thumb-side” of the arm, and the ulna is the bone on the “pinky-side”.

7 Capital of ancient Persia : ISFAHAN
Isfahan is the name of both a province and a city in Iran, and is located in the center of the country.

9 Canny : STREET-SMART
The adjective “canny” is of Scottish origin, and was formed from the verb “to can” meaning “to know how to”. The idea is that someone who is “knowing” is careful, canny.

10 Campaign fund-raising letters : PAC
A political action committee (PAC) is a private group that works to influence the outcome of a particular election or group of elections. Any group becomes a PAC by law when it receives or spends more than $1,000 for the purpose of influencing the outcome of an election. In 2010 the Supreme Court ruled that PACS that did not make direct contributions to candidates or parties could accept unlimited contributions. These “independent, expenditure-only committees” are commonly referred to as “super PACs”.

11 “That ___ love thee, Caesar, O, ’tis true”: Shak. : I DID
William Shakespeare’s play “Julius Caesar” is a little unusual, in that Julius Caesar is not the main character. The protagonist is actually Marcus Brutus, who plays a major role in Caesar’s assassination.

13 Where 23-Down was coined : ITALY
(23D The art of appearing effortlessly nonchalant : SPREZZATURA)
To coin a phrase is to invent a new phrase or expression. The greatest “coiner” of them all has to be William Shakespeare. Here are a few everyday expressions that were created by the Bard:

• The game is afoot (Henry IV, Part I)
• Brave new world (The Tempest)
• Break the ice (The Taming of the Shrew)
• Dead as a doornail (Henry VI, Part II)
• Eaten me out of house and home (Henry IV, Part II)
• Forever and a day (As You Like It)
• For goodness’ sake (Henry VIII)
• Knock knock! Who’s there? (Macbeth)
• Set my teeth on edge (Henry IV, Part I)
• Wild-goose chase (Romeo and Juliet)

20 Gloucester catch : SCROD
Scrod is the name given to fish that has been “scrawed” i.e. split open, dried and then broiled.

Gloucester, Massachusetts is a city on Cape Ann. It is a fishing port and a popular spot for tourists.

24 Institution roughly two millennia old : PAPACY
Simon Peter (often “Peter” or “Saint Peter”) was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. The Christian tradition holds that Peter founded the Roman Church, and the Roman Catholic tradition holds that Peter was the first pope.

28 It started in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports : NIKE
Nike was founded in 1964 in Eugene, Oregon by entrepreneur Phil Knight and track-and-field coach Bill Bowerman as Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS). BRS started out by distributing athletic shoes made in Japan. The company started making its own shoes in 1971 and changed its name to Nike, after the Greek goddess of victory.

32 Salvo from Old Ironsides : CANNONADE
A cannonade is a bout of very heavy artillery fire. The term “cannonade” may also describe a harsh attack on someone, either verbal or physical.

A salvo is a simultaneous discharge of guns. Ironically, “salvo” comes from the Latin “salve” meaning “be in good health”. Salvo was originally the name given to the firing of guns in the air as a sign of respect or greeting for an important visitor. Good health!

“Old Ironsides” is a nickname given to the USS Constitution even though she is actually a wooden-hulled ship. The Constitution was launched in 1797 and can still be seen at sea today. She is the oldest commissioned naval vessel in the world. You can visit Old Ironsides at the Boston Navy Yard, where I had the privilege of touring her in 2011. As an old sailor, I’d say she is the best-maintained ship I’ve ever been on, and paradoxically, she is also the oldest. Really, really beautiful …

40 Unlikely to pontificate, say : AMORAL
To pontificate is to issue dogmatic decrees with a pompous air. Back in 1818, the word had the more literal meaning, “to act as a pontiff, pope”.

43 Congee, e.g. : GRUEL
Congee is an Asian dish. It is a gruel prepared by cooking rice in water for an extended period, long enough for the grains to practically disintegrate.

50 Digital job, in brief : MANI
Back in the 1870s, a manicure was a person who cared for the hands and fingernails. Before the end of the 1800s, the term “manicure” was applied to the treatment itself. “Manicure” comes from the Latin “manus” meaning “hand” and “cura” meaning “care”.