Category: Michael Lieberman

Bill’s time: 13m 59s

Bill’s errors: 2

• TAKI (Tazi)
• REIKI (reizi)

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Source of the line “Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend” : ANIMAL FARM

“Animal Farm” is a 1945 novella written by George Orwell, a satire of life in the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin. Orwell had trouble getting his novel published in his homeland of the UK during WWII, as anti-Soviet literature wasn’t a good thing to publish while the UK and USSR were on the same side of a World War. In fact, one publisher who was willing to distribute the book changed his mind after being warned off by the British Ministry of Information. Given his experiences, I find it interesting that Orwell should write “Nineteen Eighty-Four” a few years later, and introduce the world to Big Brother.

11 National Merit Scholarship qualifying exam : PSAT

The National Merit Scholarship Program (NMSP) is an academic competition that recognizes and rewards high-achieving high school students. The top performers in the competition are awarded scholarships of varying amounts, up to the full cost of tuition. The list of NMSP honorees includes:

• Ben Bernanke: former chairman of the Federal Reserve
• Bill Gates: co-founder of Microsoft
• Mae Jemison: the first African-American woman to travel into space
• Elena Kagan: associate justice of the US Supreme Court
• Jeff Bezos: founder of Amazon
• M. Night Shyamalan: film director
• Stephenie Meyer: author of the “Twilight” series of novels

15 Nailed : DONE TO A TEE

The expression “to a T” can also be written as “to a tee”, and has been around at least since 1693.

18 Zippo : NADA

The use of the words “zip” and “zippo” to mean “nothing” dates back to the early 1900s, when it was student slang for being graded zero on a test.

19 Bass output : ALES

The red triangle on the label of a bottle of Bass Ale was registered in 1875 and is UK Registered Trade Mark (TM) No: 00001, the first trademark issued in the world.

20 Spicy alternative to a Frito : TAKI

The Frito Corporation was started in 1932 by Elmer Doolin, basically in his mother’s kitchen. Doolin paid $100 for a corn chip recipe from a local restaurant and started producing Fritos at the rate of 10 pounds per day.

27 Löwenbräu product : BIER

In German, one might go for a “Bier” (beer) in a “Biergarten” (beer garden).

35 Subatomic particle that binds quarks together : GLUON

A gluon is a hypothetical, subatomic particle postulated as being necessary to bind (or “glue”) together quarks, hence the name “gluon”.

37 Subj. of some interpretive work : ASL

American Sign Language (ASL)

38 Malarkey : HOKUM

“To hoke” is a slang term meaning “to create a false impression”. The term derives from the noun “hokum”. “Hokum” was originally theater slang, meaning “melodramatic, exaggerated acting”. Now the term just means “empty talk”. It is also the root for our word “hokey” meaning “silly, old-fashioned”.

It’s not really known how the word “malarkey” came to mean “lies and exaggeration”. What is known is that “Malarkey” is also used as a family name.

45 Onetime union member: Abbr. : SSR

The former Soviet Union (officially “Union of Soviet Socialist Republics” or “USSR”) was created in 1922, not long after the Russian Revolution of 1917 that overthrew the tsar. Geographically, the new Soviet Union was roughly equivalent to the old Russian Empire, and comprised fifteen Soviet Socialist Republics (SSRs).

49 Eponymous Belgian tourist spot : SPA

The word “spa” migrated into English from Belgium, as “Spa” is the name of a municipality in the east of the country that is famous for its healing hot springs. The name “Spa” comes from the Walloon word “espa” meaning “spring, fountain”.

54 Son of Isaac and Rebekah : ESAU

According to the Bible’s Book of Genesis, Esau was the elder twin brother of Jacob, and son of Isaac and Rebekah. Esau sold his birthright, which entitled him to a double portion of his father’s inheritance, for a bowl of lentil stew because he was hungry and didn’t want to wait for his brother to cook food.

55 Common tater : SPUD

The word “spud”, used as a slang term for “potato”, was first recorded in the mid-1800s, in New Zealand would you believe?

56 Tending to get fixated, say : ANAL

The use of the word “anal” to mean “stiffly conventional” is an abbreviated form of “anal-retentive”, a term derived from Freudian psychology. Regardless, I’m not a big fan of the term …

60 Remoulade base, informally : MAYO

Mayonnaise originated in the town of Mahon in Menorca, a Mediterranean island belonging to Spain. The Spanish called the sauce “salsa mahonesa” after the town, and this morphed into the French word “mayonnaise” that we use in English today.

A remoulade is a mayonnaise-based sauce that is similar to tartar sauce. Classic French rémoulade includes vinegar, mustard, shallots, capers, chopped pickles and fresh herbs.

61 Manchego curado or Asiago d’allevo : AGED CHEESE

Manchego is a cheese made from sheep’s milk that comes from La Mancha in Spain. The term “Manchego” is used to describe things related to La Mancha.

Asiago is a cheese that is named for the region in northeastern Italy from where it originates. It comes in varying textures depending on its age. Fresh Asiago is very smooth, while aged Asiago can be very crumbly.

63 Director and co-star of 2013’s “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” : BEN STILLER

Ben Stiller is the son of comic actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. Ben is perhaps as well-known as a director as he is an actor. He made his debut as a director in the film “Reality Bites” in 1994.

“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” is a short story by James Thurber that was first published in 1939 in “The New Yorker”. The story was made into a film in 1947 with Danny Kaye in the title role. The Danny Kaye film was remade in 2013 with Ben Stiller playing Mitty. Mitty is a mild-mannered man with a very active fantasy life.

Down

1 “___ and Estes — The Bestest” (1956 campaign slogan) : ADLAI

Adlai Stevenson (AES) ran for president unsuccessfully against Dwight D. Eisenhower (DDE), once in 1952 and again in 1956. Some years after his second defeat, Stevenson served under President Kennedy (JFK) as Ambassador to the United Nations. Stevenson was always noted for his eloquence and he had a famous exchange in a UN Security Council meeting during the Cuban missile crisis. Stevenson bluntly demanded that the Soviet representative on the council tell the world if the USSR was installing nuclear weapons in Cuba. His words were “Don’t wait for the translation, answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’!” followed by “I am prepared to wait for my answer until Hell freezes over!”

Estes Kefauver was a Democratic politician from Tennessee. Kefauver was the running mate of Adlai Stevenson in 1956, when Stevenson made a bid for the presidency. The pair lost to the Eisenhower-Nixon ticket.

4 Futz around (with) : MESS

To futz around is to waste time on trivial matters, to fool around. “Futz” is probably derived from a “not-so-nice” word that has been merged with “putz”.

5 Fed. agency that investigates arson : ATF

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) today is part of the Department of Justice (DOJ). The ATF has its roots in the Department of Treasury dating back to 1886 when it was known as the Bureau of Prohibition. “Explosives” was added to the ATF’s name when the bureau was moved under the Department of Justice (DOJ) as part of the reorganization called for in the Homeland Security Act of 2002.

6 Hawaiian for “long” : LOA

Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii is the largest volcano on the planet (in terms of volume). The name “Mauna Loa” is Hawaiian for “Long Mountain”.

9 Japanese energy-healing technique : REIKI

The Japanese practice of hands-on healing called “reiki” was developed by Mikao Usui in 1922. “Reiki” is a Japanese term meaning “universal energy”. Practitioners of reiki believe that they are transferring this universal energy through the palms of the hand into the patient’s body.

10 Calling : METIER

“Métier” is French for “trade, profession”.

11 “The lowest form of human behavior,” per John Oliver : PUNS

John Oliver is a British comedian and satirist who has been hosting the late-night talk show “Last Week Tonight” since 2014. He moved to the United States in 2008 to host “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central, after having worked as the show’s Senior British Correspondent since 2006. Back in his native land, Oliver was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire), but he declined the honor citing his discomfort with the words “British Empire”. Good for him …

12 North African egg-and-tomato dish : SHAKSHUKA

Shakshouka (also “shakshuka”) is a dish that originated in North Africa. It consists of eggs poached in a sauce made from tomatoes, chili peppers, garlic and several spices. I’m hungry …

13 Museum offering with a headset : AUDIO TOUR

The term “museum” comes from the ancient Greek word “mouseion” that denoted a temple dedicated to the “Muses”. The Muses were the patrons of the arts in Greek mythology.

29 Pistol brand : GLOCK

Glock is an Austrian company that produces the Glock series of pistols. Much of the frame of a Glock pistol is made out of a polymer, as opposed to metal.

33 Franchise based in Vegas and N.Y., among others : CSI

The “CSI” TV show franchise uses hits from the Who as theme music:

• “Who Are You” … “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”
• “Baba O’Riley” … “CSI: New York”
• “Won’t Get Fooled Again” … “CSI: Miami”
• “I Can See for Miles” … “CSI: Cyber”

34 Norwegian hunting dogs : ELKHOUNDS

The Elkhound (also “Norwegian Elkhound”) is the national dog of Norway.

47 Tribe in “Killers of the Flower Moon” : OSAGE

“Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI” is a 2017 book about the Osage murders written by journalist David Grann. The victims of the killing spree were wealthy Osage people who owned land beneath which were lucrative oil deposits. After an investigation by the newly formed FBI, cattle rancher and crime boss William King Hale was found guilty of masterminding the scheme. Martin Scorsese adapted the book into the hit 2023 film “Killers of the flower Moon”.

49 Pitcher’s output : SPIEL

A spiel is a lengthy speech or argument designed to persuade, like a sales pitch. “Spiel” comes to us from German, either directly (“spiel” is the German for “play”) or via the Yiddish “shpil”.

55 Poet Silverstein : SHEL

Author Shel Silverstein had a varied career and did a lot more than write books. He was a poet, composer, cartoonist and screenwriter among other things. One of his successful children’s books is “A Light in the Attic”, a collection of poems that was first published in 1981. Some parents have tried to get the book banned from libraries. The collection includes the poem “How Not to Have to Dry the Dishes”, which encourages disobedience and making a mess. Scandalous …

59 Home of the White Sox, for short : CHI

The Chicago White Sox Major League Baseball team was established in Chicago in 1900 and originally was called the White Stockings. The name was changed because the abbreviation “Sox” for “Stockings” was regularly used in newspaper headlines.