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Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
6. Geishas’ sashes : OBIS
The sash worn as part of traditional Japanese dress is known as an obi. The obi can be tied in what is called a butterfly knot.

The Japanese term “geisha” best translates as “artist” or “performing artist”.

10. Amo, amas, ___ : AMAT
“Amo, amas, amat: … “I love, you love, he/she/it loves”, in Latin.

14. Nicholas Gage memoir : ELENI
Nicholas Gage is a Greek-American author and investigative journalist. Gage wrote two memoirs, “Eleni” and “A Place for Us”. “Eleni” tells of his life in Greece during WWII and the Greek Civil War. The title is a tribute to his mother Eleni who was executed by Communists who occupied her village, simply because she helped her children escape from the ravages of a war of occupation. “Eleni” was adapted into a movie in 1985, with John Malkovich playing Gage.

16. Coin with F.D.R.’s image : DIME
President Roosevelt was a major driver in the founding of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis. The Foundation’s most successful fund raising campaign was to encourage the public to just send a dime to support the charity, so that even before the Foundation officially changed its name, the public were already calling it March of Dimes. After President Roosevelt passed away in office, Congress passed legislation calling for a new design for the dime, one featuring the image of FDR. The Roosevelt dime was introduced in 1946, on the day that would have been the President’s 64th birthday.

23. “Rule, Britannia” composer : ARNE
Thomas Arne was an English composer from London. Arne wrote some iconic compositions including “Rule, Britannia!” He also wrote a version of “God Save the King” that became the British national anthem.

“Rule Britannia!” was a poem by James Thomson, for which Thomas Arne composed the famous music.

33. 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.

34. With 30-Across, black writing fluid : INDIA
(30A. See 34-Across : INK)
The black ink known as “India ink” was actually developed in the China, although the carbon pigment used was imported from India, hence the name.

39. Mel of the Giants : OTT
At 5′ 9″, Mel Ott weighed just 170 lb (I don’t think he took steroids!) and yet he was the first National League player to hit over 500 home runs. Sadly, Ott died in a car accident in New Orleans in 1958 when he was only 49 years old.

42. Stooge with bangs : MOE
If you’ve seen a few of the films starring “The Three Stooges” you’ll have noticed that the line up changed over the years. The original trio was made up of Moe and Shemp Howard (two brothers) and Larry Fine (a good friend of the Howards). This line up was usually known as “Moe, Larry and Shemp”. Then Curly Howard replaced his brother when Shemp quit the act, creating the most famous trio, “Moe, Larry And Curly”. Shemp returned when Curly had a debilitating stroke in 1946, and Shemp stayed with the troupe until he died in 1955. Shemp was replaced by Joe Besser, and then “Curly-Joe” DeRita. When Larry Fine had a stroke in 1970, it effectively marked the end of the act.

51. “Swan Lake” and others : BALLETS
“Swan Lake” is such a delightfully light and enjoyable ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. “Swan Lake” tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by a sorcerer. The ballet also features Odile, Odette’s “evil twin”. Odile is disguised to look like Odette with the goal of tricking the prince to fall in love with her. In the ballet, the roles of Odette and Odile are played by the same ballerina.

56. Barely got, with “out” : EKED
To “eke out” means to “make something go further or last longer”. So, you can eke out your income by cutting back on expenses.

59. Bing competitor : GOOGLE
The search engine “Google” was originally called “BackRub” would you believe? The name was eventually changed to Google, an intentional misspelling of the word “googol”. A googol is a pretty big number, 10 to the power of 100. That would be the digit 1 followed by 100 zeros.

Bing is the search engine from Microsoft. Bing is the latest name for an engine that Microsoft used to call Live Search, Windows Live Search and MSN Search.

63. One way to record a show : TIVO
TiVo was introduced in 1999 and was the world’s first commercially successful DVR (Digital Video Recorder).

66. Bygone British gun : STEN
The STEN gun is an iconic armament that was used by the British military. The name STEN is an acronym. The S and the T comes from the name of the gun’s designers, Shepherd and Turpin. The EN comes from the Enfield brand name, which in turn comes from the Enfield location where the guns were manufactured for the Royal Small Arms Factory, an enterprise owned by the British government.

69. New Haven school : YALE
Elihu Yale was a wealthy merchant born in Boston in 1649. Yale worked for the British East India Company, and for many years served as governor of a settlement at Madras (now Chennai) in India. After India, Yale took over his father’s estate near Wrexham in Wales. It was while resident in Wrexham that Yale responded to a request for financial support for the Collegiate School of Connecticut in 1701. He sent the school a donation, which was used to erect a new building in New Haven that was named “Yale” in his honor. In 1718, the whole school was renamed to “Yale College”. To this day, students of Yale are nicknamed “Elis”, again honoring Elihu.

70. Concordes : SSTS
The most famous supersonic transport (SST) is the retired Concorde. Concorde was developed and produced under an Anglo-French treaty by France’s Aérospatiale and the UK’s British Aircraft Corporation (BAC).

Down
1. Admit, with “up” : FESS
The term “fess” is most often seen as part of the phrasal verb “to fess up” meaning “to admit to something”. “Fess” is simply a shortened form of “confess”.

2. Nastase of tennis : ILIE
I think that Ilie Nastase was the most entertaining tennis player of the 1970s, the days of Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe. No matter how much pressure there was in a match, Nastase always had time to give the crowd a laugh.

3. TV’s Warrior Princess : XENA
The Xena character, famously played by New Zealander Lucy Lawless, was introduced in a made-for-TV movie called “Hercules and the Amazon Women”. Lawless reprised the role in a series called “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys”. Xena became so popular that a series was built around her character, with Lawless retained for the title role.

6. Insect repellent brand : OFF!
OFF! is an S. C. Johnson brand of insect repellent that uses DEET as the active ingredient.

DEET is short for N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide, an active ingredient in insect repellents. DEET is most often used to repel mosquitoes by applying it to the skin and/or clothing. It is also used to protect against tick bites.

9. Dictation takers of years past : STENOS
Stenography is the process of writing in shorthand. The term comes from the Greek “steno” (narrow) and “graphe” (writing).

11. Spillane detective : MIKE HAMMER
Mike Hammer is the protagonist in a series of private detective novels by Mickey Spillane. The novels have been adapted for radio, television and the big screen. The actor most associated with Mike Hammer is Stacy Keach, who played the role in the TV series “Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer” from 1984 to 1987.

12. ___ curiae (friends of the court) : AMICI
An amicus curiae is a “friend of the court”, and is a concept that originated in Roman law. An amicus curiae is someone who assists a court in a decision, without being a party to the case in question.

13. Marathon warm-up races : TEN-KS
The marathon is run over 26 miles and 385 yards, and of course commemorates the legendary messenger-run by Pheidippides from the site of the Battle of Marathon back to Athens. The actual distance run today was decided in 1921, and matches the length of the modern-day Marathon-Athens highway.

18. Pacific weather phenomenon : EL NINO
When the surface temperature of much of the Pacific Ocean rises more that half a degree centigrade, then there is said to be an El Niño episode. That small temperature change in the Pacific has been associated with climatic changes that can stretch right across the globe. El Niño is Spanish for “the boy” and is a reference to the Christ child. The phenomenon was given this particular Spanish name because the warming is usually noticed near South America and around Christmas-time.

26. Authorized substitute : PROXY
Our word “proxy”, meaning “the agency of one who acts instead of another”, comes from the Latin “procurare” meaning “to manage”, the same root as for our word “procure”.

38. Wife of Zeus : HERA
In Greek mythology, Hera was the wife of Zeus and was noted for her jealous and vengeful nature, particularly against those who vied for the affections of her husband. The equivalent character to Hera in Roman mythology was Juno. Hera was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea.

51. Ross the flagmaker : BETSY
Legend has it that Betsy Ross made the first American flag for General George Washington. However, this story only surfaced during the centennial celebrations of 1876, and although Betsy Ross was indeed one of several flag makers in Philadelphia in the days of George Washington, sadly there’s no definitive evidence that Ross provided that first stars and stripes.

52. Large Japanese dog : AKITA
The Akita breed of dog is named for its point of origin, the Akita Prefecture in Japan. When Helen Keller visited Japan in 1937, she asked for and was given an Akita breed of dog, with the name of Kamikaze-go. Sadly, the dog died within a year from distemper. The following year the Japanese government officially presented Keller with a replacement dog. Supposedly Keller’s dogs were the first members of the breed to be introduced into the US.

58. Condo, e.g. : UNIT
The words “condominium” and “apartment” tend to describe the one type of residential property, a private living space with facilities shared with others residing in the same building or complex. The difference is that a condominium is usually owned, and an apartment is rented. At least that’s how it is in the US. The word “condominium” comes from the Latin “com” (together) and “dominum” (right of ownership).

65. Auto accessory often mounted on the windshield, for short : GPS
GPS stands for Global Positioning System. The modern GPS system that we use today was built by the US military who received the massive funding needed because of fears during the Cold War of the use of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. We civilians all round the world owe a lot to President Ronald Reagan because he directed the military to make GPS technology available to the public for the common good. President Reagan was moved to do so after the Soviet Union shot down KAL flight 007 carrying 269 people, just because the plane strayed accidentally into Soviet airspace.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Mr. ___ (handyman) : FIX IT
6. Geishas’ sashes : OBIS
10. Amo, amas, ___ : AMAT
14. Nicholas Gage memoir : ELENI
15. Speedy : FAST
16. Coin with F.D.R.’s image : DIME
17. One-by-one formation, as in walking : SINGLE FILE
19. Similar (to) : AKIN
20. Sushi fish : SEA EEL
21. Perfect diving score : TEN
22. Briefest of kisses : PECK
23. “Rule, Britannia” composer : ARNE
25. “Yeah? Try and do better!” : TOP THIS!
27. It stinks : ODOR
30. See 34-Across : INK
32. Latina lass: Abbr. : SRTA
33. Solo of “Star Wars” : HAN
34. With 30-Across, black writing fluid : INDIA
36. Extra energy : OOMPH
39. Mel of the Giants : OTT
40. Handyman’s tote : TOOLBOX
42. Stooge with bangs : MOE
43. Big laughs : HAHAS
45. With magnanimity : NOBLY
46. Muff one : ERR
47. Stately shaders : ELMS
49. Turf : SOD
50. Vicinity : AREA
51. “Swan Lake” and others : BALLETS
54. Skill needed when being asked “Does this dress make me look fat?” : TACT
56. Barely got, with “out” : EKED
57. Marker in a poker pot : IOU
59. Bing competitor : GOOGLE
63. One way to record a show : TIVO
64. Manicurist’s target : FINGERNAIL
66. Bygone British gun : STEN
67. Toss, as a coin : FLIP
68. Belly button : NAVEL
69. New Haven school : YALE
70. Concordes : SSTS
71. Goes downhill in the winter : SLEDS

Down
1. Admit, with “up” : FESS
2. Nastase of tennis : ILIE
3. TV’s Warrior Princess : XENA
4. Engaged, as a transmission : IN GEAR
5. Flooring installer : TILER
6. Insect repellent brand : OFF!
7. Worm on a hook, e.g. : BAIT
8. Spot of land in the ocean : ISLET
9. Dictation takers of years past : STENOS
10. Get comfortable with, as new conditions : ADAPT TO
11. Spillane detective : MIKE HAMMER
12. ___ curiae (friends of the court) : AMICI
13. Marathon warm-up races : TEN-KS
18. Pacific weather phenomenon : EL NINO
24. ___ a happy note : END ON
26. Authorized substitute : PROXY
27. “I almost forgot …!” : OH-OH!
28. Numerical info : DATA
29. Honest : ON THE LEVEL
31. Weights of some contraband : KILOS
34. Informal response to “Who’s there?” : IT’S ME
35. Monk’s superior : ABBOT
37. Skin opening : PORE
38. Wife of Zeus : HERA
41. The golden years : OLD AGE
44. “There, finished!” : ALL DONE!
48. Doesn’t leave a tip : STIFFS
50. Lacking a key, musically : ATONAL
51. Ross the flagmaker : BETSY
52. Large Japanese dog : AKITA
53. Dirties : SOILS
55. Foot woes : CORNS
58. Condo, e.g. : UNIT
60. Donated : GAVE
61. Didn’t tell the truth : LIED
62. Right-angle bends : ELLS
65. Auto accessory often mounted on the windshield, for short : GPS

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