Tag: Calm as a lake crossword clue

Bill’s time: 6m 53s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

10A Russia’s Peter the Great, e.g. : TSAR

Peter the Great (aka “Peter I”) was perhaps the most successful of the Romanov tsars, and was famous for modernizing Russia and expanding the country’s sphere of influence, creating the Russian Empire. He ruled from 1682 until his death in 1725.

14A Hertz competitor : ALAMO

Alamo is a car rental brand owned by Enterprise Holdings, the largest car rental company in North America. Alamo was founded in 1974 in Florida, and made inroads (pun!) into the market by popularizing the idea of “unlimited mileage”.

15A Muppet with a noted feud with a pet rock : ELMO

In 2002, The Muppet Elmo got to testify before a US House subcommittee. Elmo’s goal was to get an increase in funding for music education. In the transcript of the hearing, his statements are ascribed to “Elmo Monster” and “Mr. Monster”.

The Pet Rock lives on in history even though the fad really only lasted about 6 months, in 1975. It was enough to make Gary Dahl a millionaire though. His next idea, a “sand farm”, didn’t fly at all.

16A Jane Austen title character : EMMA

Here is the opening paragraph of the novel “Emma”, by Jane Austen:

Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her.

17A Event that might include juggling, singing and magic tricks : TALENT SHOW (hiding “ALTO”)

In choral music, an alto (plural “alti”) is the second-highest voice in a four-part chorus made up of soprano, contr(alto), tenor and bass. The word “alto” describes the vocal range, that of the deepest female singing-voice, whereas the term “contralto” describes more than just the alto range, but also its quality and timbre. An adult male’s voice (not a boy’s) with the same range as an alto is called a “countertenor”.

20A Northern neighbor of Namibia : ANGOLA

Angola is a country in south-central Africa on the west coast. It is the fourth largest diamond exporter in Africa, after Botswana, the Congo and South Africa. Such a valuable export hasn’t really helped the living standard of the country’s citizens as life expectancy and infant mortality rates are among the poorest on the continent.

The Republic of Namibia is a country in southern Africa on the Atlantic coast. The Namibian War of Independence fought from 1966 to 1988 eventually resulted in independence for Namibia from South Africa, and a transition from white minority apartheid rule.

22A Serpent seen on a sarcophagus : ASP

The Egyptian cobra (Naja haje) is also known as the asp. That said, the term “asp” can apply to several species of snake, including the Egyptian cobra. Legend has it that Cleopatra committed suicide by enticing an asp to bite her. If that’s true, then that asp was probably an Egyptian cobra.

A sarcophagus is a stone or wooden box in which a body is interred. “Sarcophagus” is Greek for “flesh-eating stones”. The name was applied as a sarcophagus was often made from a kind of limestone that was believed to cause the flesh of corpses to decompose.

24A Looks of total confusion : BLANK STARES (hiding “BASS”)

The bass is the lowest male singing voice. A man with such a voice might be called a “basso” (plural “bassi”). In an opera, the villain of the piece is usually played by a basso.

29A Bard of ___, nickname for Shakespeare : AVON

William Shakespeare is referred to as the Bard of Avon, as he was born and raised in the lovely town of Stratford-upon-Avon in the English Midlands.

33A Texter’s “If you ask me …” : IMO …

In my opinion (IMO)

36A Three-part fire safety technique : STOP DROP AND ROLL (hiding “SOPRANO”)

The soprano (plural “sopranos” or “soprani”) is the highest singing voice. The term “soprano“ comes from the Italian “sopra” meaning “above”. A male countertenor who is able to sing in the soprano voice range is known as a sopranist. A castrated male who can sing in the same range is known as a “castrato”, and a boy soprano is referred to as a treble.

45A Steve ___, 2003 N.F.L. M.V.P.-winning quarterback : MCNAIR

Actor Scoot McNairy earned the nickname “Scoot” when he was about two years old, apparently because he was always “scooting” around on his butt!

46A 2009 comedy about a bachelor party and its aftermath : THE HANGOVER (hiding “TENOR”)

“The Hangover” is a comedy film released in 2009. The action revolves around a bachelor party in Las Vegas. The critics liked this one, although I didn’t really enjoy it too much.

53A Grapefruit relative : POMELO

A pomelo is a very large, pear-shaped citrus fruit that is native to Southeast Asia.

55A Some urban pollution : SMOG

The word “smog” is a portmanteau coined in 1905 by Dr. Henry Antoine Des Voeux to describe a mixture of smoke and fog, initially referring to the thick, polluted air in London. The infamous “Great Smog of London” in December 1952 caused thousands of deaths and led to significant environmental legislation.

56A Sections of a choir …. as hinted at by this puzzle’s circled letters : VOICE PARTS

The voice types soprano, alto, tenor and bass can be abbreviated to the initialism “SATB”.

60A It comes and goes each day : TIDE

Tides on Earth are mainly caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon and, to a lesser extent, the gravitational pull of the Sun. During the new moon and full moon, the Sun, Earth, and Moon are roughly aligned. Their gravitational forces combine, resulting in stronger tides called spring tides, which have higher high tides and lower low tides. During the first and third quarter moons (when we see a half moon), the Sun and Moon are at right angles relative to the Earth. This means their gravitational forces partially counteract each other, resulting in more moderate tides called neap tides. High tides are not as high, and low tides are not as low.

61A “Frozen” princess : ANNA

“Frozen” is a 2013 animated feature from Walt Disney Studios that is based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale “The Snow Queen”. The film is all about the exploits of Princess Anna, the younger sister of Elsa, Snow Queen of Arendelle. Spoiler alert: Prince Hans of the Southern Isles seems to be a good guy for most of the film, but turns out to be a baddie in the end. And, a snowman named Olaf provides some comic relief.

62A Hall-of-Fame hoopster Thomas : ISIAH

Isiah Thomas played his whole professional career with the Detroit Pistons. He retired from playing the game in 1994, and took up coaching in 2000, initially with the Indiana Pacers. When you’re out shopping for popcorn, keep an eye out for the Dale & Thomas brand, as it’s co-owned by Isiah Thomas.

63A Where Eve reached for the forbidden fruit : EDEN

In the Christian tradition, the “fall of man” took place in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve succumbed to the temptation of eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This went against the bidding of God, and was at the urging of the serpent. As a result, Adam and Eve were banished from Eden to prevent them from becoming immortal by eating from the tree of life. The first humans had transitioned from a state of innocent obedience to a state of guilty disobedience.

64A Grammy-winning singer Lisa : LOEB

Singer Lisa Loeb was discovered by actor Ethan Hawke, who lived just across the street from her in New York City. Hawke took a demo of her song “Stay (I Missed You)” and gave it to director Ben Stiller, who in turn used it over the ending credits of his 1994 movie “Reality Bites”. The movie was a hit, the song went to number one, and Loeb became the first artist ever to hit that number one spot without having signed up with a record label. Good for her!

Down

3D Archipelago that helped shape Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” : GALAPAGOS

The Galápagos Islands lie over 500 miles west of Ecuador. They owe their celebrity to the voyage of HMS Beagle which landed there in 1835, with Charles Darwin on board. It was Darwin’s study of various species on the islands that inspired him to postulate his Theory of Evolution.

The full title of Charles Darwin’s work, which is the basis for the theory of evolution, is “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.”

4D Prayer ender : AMEN

The word “amen” translates as “so be it”. “Amen” is said to be of Hebrew origin, but it is also likely to be influenced by Aramaic and Arabic.

5D Nuthatch or nightingale : SONGBIRD

The nightingale is a small bird noted for having a powerful and beautiful song. The name “nightingale” comes from “night” and the Old English word “galan” meaning “to sing”. The nightingale song is often heard at night, as well as during the day, hence the name.

6D Cybertruck maker : TESLA

Tesla’s Cybertruck is an electric-powered pickup truck that the company unveiled in 2019. It’s a pretty futuristic design, one inspired by the flying cars in “Blade Runner” and the automobile/submarine Lotus Esprit in “The Spy Who Loved Me”. Did I say “pretty” …?

7D ___ Omar, first Somali American in Congress : ILHAN

Ilhan Omar has been representing Minnesota’s 5th congressional district in the US House since 2019. At that time, she became one of the first two Muslim women, as well as the first Somali American, to serve in the US Congress.

10D Capital city between Baghdad, Iraq, and Ashgabat, Turkmenistan : TEHRAN, IRAN

Tehran is the capital of Iran and one of the largest cities in the Middle East, with a population of about 8.5 million. Iran has been around a really long time and Tehran is actually the country’s 32nd national capital.

21D 1960s Pontiac muscle car : GTO

The Pontiac GTO was produced by GM from 1964 to 1974, and again by a GM subsidiary in Australia from 2004 to 2006. The original GTO’s design is credited to Pontiac chief engineer at the time John DeLorean, who later founded the DeLorean Motor Company.

22D Auto loan figs. : APRS

Annual percentage rate (APR)

25D 24-___ gold : 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.

26D “Frozen” reindeer : SVEN

Sven is Kristoff’s loyal reindeer companion and best friend in Disney’s “Frozen” movies. Though he doesn’t speak, Sven is often seen acting as Kristoff’s conscience, guiding him with gentle nudges and reminding him to be kind and selfless. He’s also incredibly helpful, pulling Kristoff’s sled and assisting Anna and Elsa on their adventures.

28D European capital that’s home to the Little Mermaid statue : COPENHAGEN

Copenhagen is the largest city and the capital of Denmark. I haven’t had the privilege of visiting Copenhagen, but I hear it is a wonderful metropolis with a marvelous quality of life. The city is also very environmentally friendly, with over a third of its population commuting to work by bicycle.

32D Word after black or special : OPS

Black ops are covert operations, activities that are usually outside of standard military protocol and may even be against the law. Funding for black ops is usually provided by a secret “black budget”.

35D Basic skateboarding jump : OLLIE

An ollie is a skateboarding trick invented in 1978 by Alan “Ollie” Gelfand. Apparently it’s a way of lifting the board off the ground, while standing on it, without touching the board with one’s hands. A similar move can be performed on a snowboard. Yeah, I could do that …

37D Singer Chappell with the double-platinum album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” : ROAN

“Chappell Roan” is the stage name of singer/songwriter Kayleigh Amstutz. Roan got her start in the music industry after she uploaded an original song titled “Die Young” to YouTube, when she was just 17 years old. She signed on with Atlantic Records soon after.

38D Dilapidated : DECREPIT

Something dilapidated has fallen into a state of ruin, a state of decay. Ultimately, the term “dilapidation” comes from the Latin “lapis” meaning “stone”, with the Latin verb “dilapidare” meaning “to throw away, squander”, literally “pelt with stones”.

39D Instrument played by a Muse : LYRE

In Greek mythology, the muses are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. The number of muses is a subject of debate at times, but the most popular view is that there are nine:

• Calliope (epic poetry)
• Clio (history)
• Erato (lyric poetry)
• Euterpe (music)
• Melpomene (tragedy)
• Polyhymnia (choral poetry)
• Terpsichore (dance)
• Thalia (comedy)
• Urania (astronomy)

Before the adoption of the nine muses of Greek mythology, there were originally three muses, the three Boeotian Muses. These were:

• Mneme (memory)
• Melete (meditation)
• Aoede (song)

56D Actor Kilmer : VAL

“Val” is a documentary film that premiered in 2021 about the life and career of Val Kilmer, the American actor best known for his roles in films such as “Top Gun,” “Batman Forever,” and “Heat.” The film was largely compiled from footage Kilmer had been recording himself about his life and work since he was a young actor. Due to Kilmer’s battle with throat cancer, the film features his son, Jack, as the narrator.

57D The Yoko of “Dear Yoko” : ONO

“Dear Yoko” is a song by John Lennon from the 1980 album “Double Fantasy”, which was released by Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono. “Double Fantasy” was released just three weeks before Lennon was murdered.

59D Like a shrinking violet : SHY

Someone who is very shy might be described as a “shrinking violet”. The violet in this case is the flower, and not the girl’s name. The plant Viola odorata is sometimes called a “shrinking violet” because of its habit of hugging the ground as it grows.