Category: Michael Schlossberg

Bill’s time: 18m 44s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Wildfire season stat, for short : AQI

The air quality index (AQI) is monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

4 Title feline in a Hanna-Barbera cartoon : TOP CAT

“Top Cat” is one of the first cartoon shows that I remember watching regularly. It was a Hanna-Barbera production that had an original run from 1961 to 1962, in which 30 episodes were made. Top Cat is the leader of a gang of alley cats in Manhattan, New York. The gang frequently came up against NYPD police officer Charlie Dibble, my favorite character in the show.

16 Capital of Peru? : PEE

There is a capital letter P (pee) at the beginning of the word “Peru”.

19 Hebrew letter on a dreidel : NUN

A dreidel is a spinning top with four sides that is often associated with the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Each of the four sides on a dreidel bears a letter from the Hebrew alphabet (nun, gimel, hei and shin). The four letters are the initials of the Hebrew phrase “Nes Gadol Hayah Sham” meaning “a great miracle happened there”. According to tradition, children would be taught Torah while hiding in caves away from the Greeks. When Greek soldiers approached, the children would hide their torah scrolls and play with their dreidels instead.

20 Communities for some commuters : EXURBS

An extension to the term “suburb”, “exurb” describes an area beyond the suburbs at the very outskirts of a city. The related term “exurbia” is often used to denote an area inhabited by more wealthy people.

Our verb “to commute”, meaning “to go back and forth to work”, ultimately derives from the Latin “commutare”, meaning “to often change”. Back in the late 1800s, a “commutation ticket” was a season pass, so named because it allowed one to “change” one kind of payment into another. Quite interesting …

21 Gridiron standout : ALL-PRO

We never used the word “gridiron” when I was growing up in Ireland (meaning a grill used for cooking food over an open fire). So, maybe I am excused for taking two decades living in the US to work out that a football field gridiron is so called because the layout of yard lines over the field looks like a gridiron used in cooking.

22 Article in El Mundo : LAS

“El Mundo” is one of the three national newspapers of record in Spain, along with “El País” and “ABC”. “El Mundo” is a relatively young publication, being first published in 1989.

23 Taylor Swift’s “___ the Damn Season” : ‘TIS

Singer Taylor Swift had one of her first gigs at the US Open tennis tournament when she was in her early teens. There she sang the national anthem and received a lot of favorable attention for the performance.

26 Trojans’ sch. : USC

The athletic teams of the University of Southern California are called the USC Trojans. The women’s teams are also called the Trojans, but are sometimes referred to as Women of Troy.

27 Big shows : EXPOS

The first World’s Fair was held in 1851, known back then as the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations. The fair was the idea of Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria. It was held in a magnificent glass and cast-iron structure called the Crystal Palace that was purpose-built for the occasion. The Great Exhibition spawned a tradition of what became known as World’s Fairs, expositions that feature national pavilions created by participating countries. The term “Expo” was coined for Expo 67, a 1967 World’s Fair held in Montreal. Since then, we’ve been using “expo” to describe any large exposition or trade show.

30 Parliament member : OWL

Here are some colorful collective nouns:

• A pride of lions
• A shrewdness of apes
• A cloud of bats
• A bench of bishops
• A parliament of owls
• A clowder of cats
• A waddling of ducks
• An army of frogs
• A knot of toads

31 TikTok alternative, familiarly : INSTA

Instagram (often abbreviated to “Insta”, or “IG”) is a photo-sharing application, one that is extremely popular. Instagram started in San Francisco in 2010. Facebook purchased Instagram two years later, paying $1 billion. The billion-dollar Instagram company had just 13 employees at the time of the sale …

33 Neologism : COINAGE

A neologism is a new word or phrase, or a new meaning or usage for an existing word.

35 Family feud participant : MCCOY

The Hatfield and McCoy families of West Virginia and Kentucky were involved in a notorious feud that lasted from 1863 to 1891. The feud was somewhat resurrected in 1979 when representatives from both families appeared on the game show “Family Feud”. The McCoys came out ahead on TV and went home with over $11,000 and a pig.

39 Brainstorming aid : IDEA MAP

A “mind map” (also “idea map”) is a great tool (I think) for brainstorming. It’s a tree-like structure with a central idea at the center and various trains of thought branching outwards. In fact, I used a mind map when I was first thinking about blogging, eventually deciding to focus on crosswords.

41 “Really, you too?” : ET TU

It was Shakespeare who popularized the words “Et tu, Brute?” (meaning “And you, Brutus?”). They appear in his play “Julius Caesar”, although the phrase had been around long before he penned his drama. It’s not known what Julius Caesar actually said in real life (if anything at all) as he was assassinated on the steps of the Senate in Rome.

42 Nutrition fig. : RDA

Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) were introduced during WWII, and were replaced by Recommended Daily Intakes (RDIs) in 1997.

44 Word said four times in the Lord’s Prayer : OUR

Our Father … (“Pater noster” in Latin) are the opening words of the Lord’s Prayer, which is probably the best-known prayer in the Christian tradition.

46 Page in a passport, perhaps : VISA

A visa is usually a stamp in one’s passport, an indication that one is authorized to enter (and less often, to exit) a particular country. The word “visa” comes into English, via French, from the Latin expression “charta visa” meaning “paper that has been seen”, or “verified paper”.

47 Machine shop tools : DIES

Injection molding is a manufacturing process in which a molten material, such as a plastic, is injected into a mold. The molten material cools, and adopts the shape of the mold. The related process of die-casting involves the pouring of molten metal into a custom-shaped die.

48 Actor Somerhalder of “The Vampire Diaries” : IAN

Ian Somerhalder got his big break as an actor in the TV drama “Lost”, and followed that up with a part in TV’s “The Vampire Diaries”.

“The Vampire Diaries” is a series of horror novels by L. J. Smith that is aimed at teens. There is a spin-off television series of the same name. I don’t do vampires …

49 Longtime newswire inits. : UPI

Founded in 1958, United Press International (UPI) used to be one of the biggest news agencies in the world, sending out news by wire to the major newspapers. UPI ran into trouble with the change in media formats at the end of the twentieth century and lost many of its clients as the afternoon newspapers shut down due to the advent of television news. UPI, which once employed thousands, still exists today but with just a fraction of that workforce.

50 When repeated, reply to “Who wants a cookie?” : I DO

Me too …

51 Woman in Camelot : ENID

Camelot is featured in Arthurian legend. It was King Arthur’s castle and his court.

53 Italian wheels : ALFA

The “Alfa” in “Alfa Romeo” is actually an acronym, one standing for Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili (“Lombard Automobile Factory, Public Company”). ALFA was an enterprise founded in 1909 and which was taken over by Nicola Romeo in 1915. In 1920 the company name was changed to Alfa Romeo.

54 SCOTUS appointee of ’93 : RBG

Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG) served on the US Supreme Court. Justice Ginsburg was the second woman to join the Court, and was nominated by President Bill Clinton. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1999 and underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. During that time she did not miss one day on the bench. In 2009 Justice Ginsburg had surgery for pancreatic cancer, and was back to work 12 days later. She had left-lung lobectomy to remove cancerous nodules in 2018, which forced Justice Ginsburg to miss oral argument in January 2019, for the first time since joining the court 25 years earlier. She finally succumbed to pancreatic cancer in 2020. Much of Ginsburg’s life is recounted in the excellent 2018 movie “On the Basis of Sex”.

57 Home of Umm al Quwain: Abbr. : UAE

Umm al-Quwain is the least populous of the sovereign emirates in the Middle East country called the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The name “Umm al-Quwain” translates from Arabic as “Mother of the Two Powers”.

67 French vineyard region : MEDOC

Médoc is an appellation for wine in the Bordeaux region of France. The area produces red wine almost exclusively, and no white wine can be labeled as “Médoc”.

70 “The highest result of education,” according to Helen Keller : TOLERANCE

Helen Keller became a noted author, despite being deaf and blind, largely through the work of her teacher Anne Sullivan. Keller was left deaf and blind after an illness (possibly meningitis or scarlet fever) when she was about 18 months old. She was to become the first deaf and blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. The relationship between Sullivan and Keller is immortalized in the play and film called “The Miracle Worker”.

73 Sheep shelters : COTES

The Old English word “cote” was used for a small house. Our modern word “cottage” comes from “cote”. We now use “cote” to describe a small shelter on a farm for sheep or birds.

77 Excited jackpot cry : I WON! I WON!

The term “jackpot” dates back to the 1800s and comes from the game of poker. In some variants there are progressive antes. This means that players have to ante up, add to the “pot”, when no player has a pair of “jacks” or better. They build a “jackpot”.

79 Goofy image, maybe : CEL

In the world of animation, a cel is a transparent sheet on which objects and characters are drawn. In the first half of the 20th century the sheet was actually made of celluloid, giving the “cel” its name.

82 Base of a nonmeat burger : SOY

What are known as soybeans here in the US are called “soya beans” in most other English-speaking countries. So, I drink soy milk here in America, but when I am over in Ireland I drink “soya milk”.

83 “___ I a Woman?” : AIN’T

“Ain’t I a Woman? Black Women and Feminism” is a 1981 book by bell hooks. One of hooks’ main arguments is that the feminist movement was historically focused on white middle and upper class women, and largely ignored the needs of less wealthy women of color. Hooks took the title of her book from the “Ain’t I a Woman” speech delivered by freed slave Sojourner Truth at the Women’s Convention in Akron, Ohio in 1851.

86 Many a fed. holiday : MON

The US Congress created the first federal holidays in 1870, but only designated four such holidays:

• New Year’s Day
• Independence Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day

87 Thrilla in Manila result, in brief : TKO

The Thrilla in Manila was a boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in Manila, Philippines in 1975. It was to be the third and final fight between the two boxers. Ali won the early rounds, but Frazier made a comeback in the middle of the fight. Ali took control at the end of the bout, so much so that Frazier wasn’t able to come out of his corner for the 15th and final round. He couldn’t continue fighting because both of his eyes were swollen shut, giving Ali a victory due to a technical knockout (TKO).

96 When repeated, slangy sound of eating : NOM

“Om Nom Nom Nom” is a slang expression that indicates satisfied eating.

99 Sound like a real jackass : BRAY

A female donkey/ass is known as a jenny and a male is known as a jack, or sometimes “jackass”. We started using the term “jackass” to mean “fool” in the 1820s.

100 Org. with a Canine Good Citizen certification : AKC

The American Kennel Club (AKC) is the organization that handles registration of purebred dogs The AKC also promotes dog shows around the country, including the famous Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

101 ___ Eisley, where Luke Skywalker meets Han Solo : MOS

In the original “Star Wars” movie (later called “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope”), Mos Eisley is an outpost and hangout of less than reputable traders. The main drinking hole in the outpost is Chalmun’s Spaceport Cantina. Han Solo and Luke Skywalker get attacked there by Sandtroopers, but make their escape.

107 Audibly gobsmacked : AGASP

“Gobsmack” is slang from Britain and Ireland. “Gob” is also slang for “mouth”. So someone who is gobsmacked has received a smack in the “mouth”, is stunned.

111 Spot for a bowler : HAT RACK

The bowler hat is so called because it was originally designed, in 1849, by the London hat-makers Thomas and William Bowler. The Bowlers created it as an alternative for the top hats then worn by gamekeepers. The gamekeepers needed a tight-fitting hat with a low and rounded crown so that it would stay on their heads as they rode by horseback through woodland with low-hanging branches.

118 Magic word : ABRA

The incantation “abracadabra” has a long history. It was used as far back as the 2nd century AD in ancient Rome when the word was prescribed by a physician to be worn on an amulet to help his emperor recover from disease. “Abracadabra” is Aramaic, and roughly translates as “I will create as I speak”.

119 Classic children’s book character eating its way through this puzzle, with “the” : … VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR

Eric Carle is a very successful children’s author and book illustrator, with over 100 million of his books sold around the world. Carle’s most famous title is “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”, and it alone has sold 30 million copies.

123 And others, in Latin : ET ALIA

“Et alii” (et al.) is the equivalent of “et cetera” (etc.), with “et cetera” being used in place of a list of objects, and “et alii” used for a list of names. In fact, “et al.” can stand for “et alii” (a group of males, or males and females), “et aliae” (a group of women) and “et alia” (a group of neuter nouns, or a group of people where the intent is to retain gender-neutrality).

127 Brother of Eos and Selene : HELIOS

Helios was the god of the Sun in Greek mythology, and is the reason that we use the prefix “helio-” to mean “sun”. He was the brother of Selene, the goddess of the moon, and Eos, the goddess of the dawn. Helios drove his chariot of the sun across the sky during the day, returning to the East at night by traveling through the ocean. The Roman equivalent to Helios was Sol.

128 Navarra’s land : ESPANA

Spain is the second largest country in the European Union (after France). “Spain” is an anglicized form of the Spanish name “España”, which comes from the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula “Hispania”.

Down

2 Idealistic, and then some : QUIXOTIC

The full name of the author of “Don Quixote” was Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. As a young man in 1570, Cervantes was a soldier fighting for the Spanish Navy, stationed in Naples, at that time a possession of Spain. He was injured in battle, receiving three gunshot wounds including two to the chest. His injuries left him without the use of his left arm. After recuperating, he returned to active service, and in 1575 he was captured by Algerian corsairs, and spent the next five years in slavery in North Africa. His parents found him and bought his freedom, and brought him home to his native Madrid.

4 Actress Thompson of “Thor: Love and Thunder” : TESSA

Tessa Thompson is an actress from Los Angeles who is known for playing the supporting role of Jackie Cook on the TV show “Veronica Mars”, and for playing student leader Diane Nash in the 2014 film “Selma”. She also portrays superheroine Valkyrie in movies based on Marvel Comics characters.

“Thor: Love and Thunder” is a 2022 sequel to the superhero film “Thor: Ragnarok” from 2017. Chris Hemsworth plays the title character. A younger version of Thor is played by Hemsworth’s twin sons Sasha and Tristan.

5 Big name in spatulas : OXO

The OXO line of kitchen utensils and housewares is designed to be ergonomically superior to the average household tools. The intended user of OXO products is someone who doesn’t have the normal range of motion or strength in the hands e.g. someone suffering from arthritis.

7 First Nations group : CREE

The Cree are one of the largest groups of Native Americans on the continent. In the US, Montana is home to most of the Cree nation. They live on a reservation shared with the Ojibwe people. In Canada, most of the Cree live in Manitoba.

“First Nations” is a term used in Canada describing the ethnicity of Native Americans who are neither Inuit nor Métis people.

8 Middle name of James Garfield : ABRAM

James Abram Garfield, the 20th President of the US, was assassinated in office. He was shot twice, and one bullet could not be found (it was lodged in his spine). Inventor Alexander Graham Bell developed a metal detector in an attempt to locate the bullet, but apparently he was unsuccessful because of interference from the metal bed frame on which the president lay. Garfield died two months after being shot.

9 Govt. agency established in November 2001 : TSA

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is the agency that employs the good folks who check passengers and baggage at airports.

10 Clutch, for one : BAG

A clutch purse is a handbag with no strap at all. It is designed to be carried in the hand, to be “clutched”.

11 Jetson son : ELROY

“The Jetsons” is an animated show from Hanna-Barbera that had its first run in 1962-1963, and then was recreated in 1985-1987. When it debuted in 1963 on ABC, “The Jetsons” was the network’s first ever color broadcast. “The Jetsons” is like a space-age version of “The Flintstones”. The four Jetson family members are George and Jane, the parents, and children Judy and Elroy. Residing with the family in Orbit City are their household robot Rosie and pet dog Astro.

14 Pique : IRE

Our term “pique” meaning “fit of ill feeling” is a French word meaning “prick, sting, irritation”.

15 Riveting icon : ROSIE

Rosie the Riveter is a cultural icon who represented women working in factories across the country during WWII as part of the war effort. The term “Rosie the Riveter” first appeared as the title of a 1942 song that was a national hit. The image that we bring to mind today that supposedly depicts “Rosie” is a wartime poster with the words “We Can Do It!”, which shows a woman in blue overalls and a red and white polka-dot headscarf. However, this image was used by Westinghouse as an internal motivation tool only for a two-week period in 1943, and was never associated with the Rosie the Riveter persona. The “Rosie” association to that image came decades later, in the 1980s. The best-known WWII representation of Rosie the Riveter was a “Saturday Evening Post” cover drawn by Norman Rockwell in 1943. This image shows a female worker with a rivet gun, and a lunch box bearing the name “Rosie”.

17 “1984” superstate : EASTASIA

The action in George Orwell’s 1949 novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four” takes place in the intercontinental superstate of Oceania. Orwell also created two other superstates, one called Eurasia and the other Eastasia.

32 Place for a pew : NAVE

A pew is a church bench, usually one with a high back. The original pews were raised and sometimes enclosed seats in the church used by women and important men or families. “Pew” comes from the Old French “puie” meaning “balcony, elevation”.

36 Time to stop trying? : COURT RECESS

To recess is to go back, to retreat. The use of the noun “recess” to mean “period of stopping from usual work” dates back to the early 1600s. This usage might stem from the action of parliamentarians “recessing” into, returning to private chambers.

38 Tasting the forbidden fruit : ORIGINAL SIN

In the Christian tradition, original sin is the state of sin that exists in all humanity as a result of Adam’s first disobedience in the Garden of Eden. According to the Roman Catholic faith, only three people were born without original sin: the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ and John the Baptist.

43 What makes her hear? : AN A

“Her” becomes “hear” with the addition of a letter A.

53 Singer with the 2001 #1 hit “Fallin'” : ALICIA KEYS (hiding “C-AKE”)

“Alicia Keys” is the stage name of Alicia Cook, an R&B and soul singer from Hell’s Kitchen in New York City.

56 What makes an avocado rich : FAT CONTENT (hiding “CON-E”)

The wonderful avocado comes from a tree that is native to Mexico and Central America. The avocado fruit is sometimes called an avocado pear, because of its shape, even though it is not related to the pear at all. The fruit might also be referred to as an alligator pear, due to the roughness of the green skin of some avocado cultivars.

59 Kind of jacket inspired by a school’s uniform : ETON

An Eton jacket is usually black in color, cut square at the hips and has wide lapels. It is named for the design of jacket worn by the younger students at Eton College just outside London.

60 Femur-tibia connector, for short : ACL

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of four major ligaments that support the knee. It is located in the center of the knee and connects the femur (thigh bone) to the tibia (shin bone).

61 What “puppy paws” equal, in craps : TEN

If one considers earlier versions of craps, then the game has been around for a very long time and probably dates back to the Crusades. It may have been derived from an old English game called “hazard” also played with two dice, which was mentioned in Geoffrey Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales” from the 1300s. The American version of the game came here courtesy of the French and first set root in New Orleans where it was given the name “crapaud”, a French word meaning “toad”.

68 Member of a furry race : EWOK

The Ewoks are creatures that live on the moon of Endor in the “Star Wars” universe. First appearing in “Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi”, they’re the cute and cuddly little guys that look like teddy bears.

72 ___ de’ Medici, who founded the Medici dynasty : COSIMO

Cosimo de’ Medici was a 15th-century banker and politician who established his family as de facto rulers of the Republic of Florence.

81 Poet who wrote “The Cow” and “The Panther” : NASH

Ogden Nash was a poet from Rye, New York who is remembered for his light and quirky verse. Nash had over 500 such works published between 1931 and 1972.

89 “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” actor : DICAPRIO

Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio is from Los Angeles, California. DiCaprio’s mother was visiting a museum in Italy when she was pregnant and felt the first kick of her unborn child. At the moment of that first kick, Mama DiCaprio was looking at a painting by Leonardo da Vinci, and so named her son Leonardo.

“What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” is a 1993 film adapted from a 1991 novel of the same name by Peter Hedges. The film stars Johnny Depp in the title role, and Leonardo DiCaprio as Gilbert’s mentally disabled brother.

91 Fruity desserts : COMPOTES

A compote is a fruit mixture stewed in syrup. The word “compote” comes to us from French and has the same etymology as our word “compost”! “Composte” is an Old French word for “mixture”.

94 Brackish : SALTY

Brackish water is less saline than seawater, but more saline than freshwater.

98 Certain subway art : MURAL

A mural is a painting that is applied directly to a wall or a ceiling. The term “mural” comes from the Latin “murus” meaning “wall”.

99 Slow dance with quick turns : BOLERO

The word “bolero” is used to describe slow-tempo Latin music that can be both a dance and a song.

102 Tibetic language : SHERPA

In the Tibetan language, “Sherpa” means “eastern people” (sher = east, pa = people). Sherpas are an ethnic group from Nepal, but the name is also used for the local guides who assist mountaineers in the Himalayas, and particularly on Mount Everest.

105 State of mayhem : HAVOC

Havoc is great damage or destruction. The term “havoc” comes from the Anglo-French phrase “crier havok”, which was an order given in the late 1500s to soldiers, instructing them to seize plunder.

108 “La Maja Desnuda” and others : GOYAS

María Cayetana de Silva was the 13th Duchess of Alba. She was a favorite subject of the Spanish painter Francisco Goya. The duchess is the subject in the famous portraits known as “La maja desnuda” (The Nude Maja) and “La maja vestida” (The Clothed Maja). “Maja” translates from Spanish as “beautiful lady”.

109 Anti-apartheid org. : ANC

The African National Congress (ANC) started out as the South African Native National Congress in 1912 with the goal of improving the lot of black South Africans. After years of turmoil, the ANC came to power in the first open election in 1964. Today, the ANC remains the ruling political party in South Africa,

Apartheid was the system of racial segregation used in South Africa from 1948 to 1994 that was designed to maintain white supremacy and control over people of color. “Apartheid” is an Afrikaans word meaning “apart-hood, the state of being apart”.

112 Rocky Mountain town : ASPEN

Aspen, Colorado used to be known as Ute City, with the name change taking place in 1880. Like many communities in the area, Aspen was a mining town, and in 1891 and 1892 it was at the center of the highest production of silver in the US. Nowadays, it’s all about skiing and movie stars.

113 Assayer’s unit : KARAT

A karat (also “carat”, the spelling outside of North America) is a measure of the purity of gold alloys, with 24-karat representing pure gold.

116 Wrinkly fruit : UGLI

The ugli fruit is a hybrid of an orange and a tangerine that was first discovered growing wild in Jamaica where most ugli fruit comes from today. “UGLI” is a trademark name that is a variant of “ugly”, a nod to the fruit’s unsightly wrinkled rind.

117 “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” actor : DEPP

Johnny Depp got his big break as an actor on television, in the eighties television show “21 Jump Street”. Depp’s first film success came when he played the title role in 1990’s “Edward Scissorhands”. He has twice been named Sexiest Man Alive by “People” magazine.

121 Gilbert and Sullivan princess : IDA

“Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant” is a Gilbert & Sullivan comic opera. It was first performed in 1884 at the Savoy Theatre in London that was famous for staging the duo’s works.