Tag: French to the English? crossword clue

Bill’s time: 15m 44s

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Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

13 Literally, “high city” : ACROPOLIS

The term “acropolis” translates from Greek as “high city” or “city on the extremity”. In English we use the term “citadel” to mean the same thing. The most famous citadel bearing the name is the Acropolis of Athens. This Acropolis is a large, flat-topped rock in the city of Athens that rises almost 500 feet above sea level. The most recognizable building that stands on the Acropolis is the Parthenon, also known as the Temple of Athena.

15 2002 art biopic starring Salma Hayek : FRIDA

Salma Hayek is a Mexican actress. Hayek was the first Mexican national to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, earning that nomination with her portrayal of artist Frida Kahlo in the 2002 movie “Frida”.

16 Star of “12 Years a Slave” : CHIWETEL EJIOFOR

“12 Years a Slave” is a powerful 2013 film adapted from the memoir “Twelve Years a Slave” by Solomon Northup. Northup was an African American who was born a free man in Upstate New York where he worked as a farmer and a violinist. He was lured to Washington, D.C. where slavery was legal, and there was kidnapped by slave traders. Northup spent twelve years as a slave in Louisiana before an intermediary made contact with friends and family who were able to obtain his release. The slave trader in Washington who committed the crime was arrested and tried, although he was acquitted, because D.C. law prohibited an African American from testifying against Caucasians.

19 19th-century activist Dorothea : DIX

Dorothea Dix was a social activist who lobbied on behalf of the mentally ill, especially those without means. Dix was the driving force behind the construction of the first mental asylums in the US.

20 Only person to win a Nobel Prize in two scientific fields : CURIE

Marie Curie lived a life of firsts. She was the first female professor at the University of Paris, the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and indeed was the first person to win two Nobel prizes (in Physics in 1903, and in Chemistry in 1911). Most of Curie’s work was in the field of radioactivity, and was carried out in the days when the impact of excessive radiation on the human body was not understood. She died from aplastic anemia, caused by high exposure to radiation. To this day, Curie’s personal papers are kept preserved in lead-lined boxes as they are highly radioactive, even her personal cookbook.

21 French, to the English? : SNOG

“Snogging” is British slang of unknown origin that dates back to the end of WWII. The term is used for “kissing and cuddling”, what we call “making out” over here in the US.

A kiss that involves touching of tongues is known as a French kiss, but no one seems to know why. Paradoxically, in Northern France, giving the same type of kiss is known as “baiser anglais”, i.e. English kissing!

25 Noggins : MELONS

Slang terms for “head” are “bean”, “coconut”, “gourd”, “noodle” and “noggin”.

28 Prey for some hyenas : GNUS

The gnu is also known as the wildebeest, and is an antelope native to Africa. “Wildebeest” is a Dutch meaning “wild beast”.

Hyenas have the reputation of being cowardly scavengers. That said, the spotted hyena that lives in Sub-Saharan Africa actually kills about 95% of its food and a pack of spotted hyenas are capable of driving off leopards or lionesses before they can consume their kill.

30 Tide type : NEAP

Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon on the oceans. At neap tide, the smaller gravitational effect of the sun cancels out some of the moon’s effect. At spring tide, the sun and the moon’s gravitational forces act in concert causing more extreme movement of the oceans.

36 Close a tab : PAY

When we run a “tab” at a bar, we are running a “tabulation”, a listing of what we owe. Such a use of “tab” is American slang that originated in the 1880s.

42 Big name in English tea : TWININGS

Twinings is a distributor of tea that was founded in England in 1706. That’s a long time ago! The Twinings logo is the oldest continuously-used logo in the world.

43 Brownie, e.g. : ELF

A brownie is an elfin figure in Scottish and English folklore. Brownies are purported to live in houses, helping with work around the house, but only at night when they can’t be seen. Believers might leave small items of food for the brownies, to encourage them to help out.

48 Warwick with 12 top 10 Billboard hits : DIONNE

Dionne Warwick is a very, very successful singer, one with more Top 100 hits than any female vocalist other than Aretha Franklin. Warwick had a pretty successful cousin who was a singer as well … named Whitney Houston.

59 With 45-Across, performance in Studio 8H : SNL …
45A See 59-Across : … SKIT

Studio 8H is an NBC TV studio located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. When completed in 1933, it was the largest radio studio in the world, and was intended for orchestral performances as well as variety programs with large studio audiences. Studio 8H was converted for television in 1950, and since 1975 has been the home of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL).

64 Bouquet : SMELL

“Bouquet” comes from the French word for “bunch” in the sense of “bunch of flowers”. In French, the term is derived from an older word describing a little wood or small grove of trees. We started using “bouquet” to mean “perfume from a wine” in the early 1800s.

65 Inkling : VAGUE IDEA

Our word “inkling” apparently comes from the Middle English word “inclen” meaning “to hint”.

66 Some audio downloads, informally : PODS

A podcast is basically an audio or video media file that is made available for download. The name comes from the acronym “POD” meaning “playable on demand”, and “cast” from “broadcasting”. So, basically a podcast is a broadcast that one can play on demand, simply by downloading and opening the podcast file.

Down

3 Son of Poseidon : TRITON

Triton was a Greek god, the messenger of the sea. He was usually depicted as “merman”, with the body of a man and the tail of a fish. Triton carried a trident, like his father Poseidon, and a twisted conch shell that he used as trumpet. By blowing in the conch shell he could calm or raise the waves.

5 Opinion offerer : OP-ED

“Op-ed” is an abbreviation for “opposite the editorial page”. Op-eds started in “The New York Evening World” in 1921 when the page opposite the editorials was used for articles written by a named guest writer, someone independent of the editorial board.

6 Prophecy or hallucinations, in “Macbeth” : MOTIF

A motif is a recurring element in an artistic work or design.

7 City with a famous library : ALEXANDRIA

Alexa is a personal assistant application that is most associated with Amazon Echo smart speakers. Apparently, one reason the name “Alexa” was chosen is because it might remind one of the Library of Alexandria, the “keeper of all knowledge”.

10 Best-selling novel that begins in Pondicherry, India : LIFE OF PI

The 2012 movie “Life of Pi” is based on a 2001 novel of the same name by Yann Martel. The “Pi” in the title is an Indian boy named Pi Patel who finds himself adrift for 227 days in a small boat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.

12 6 is a rare one : PAR

That would be golf.

22 Anna with two Emmys for “Breaking Bad” : GUNN

Anna Gunn is an actress from Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is best known for playing Skyler White on the TV show “Breaking Bad”.

27 Bump on a lid : STYE

A stye is a bacterial infection of the sebaceous glands at the base of the eyelashes, and is also known as a hordeolum.

31 Fitness activity done while suspended from a hammock : AERIAL YOGA

Our word “hammock” comes via Spanish from Haiti, and evolved from a word used to describe a fishing net.

38 Master of death, in Hinduism : KALI

Kali is a Hindu goddess and the consort of Lord Shiva. The name “Kali” translates as “the black one”.

46 Umpire’s call : INSIDE

Back in the 15th century, “an umpire” was referred to as “a noumpere”, which was misheard and hence causing the dropping of the initial letter N. The term “noumpere” came from Old French “nonper” meaning “not even, odd number”. The idea was that the original umpire was a third person called on to arbitrate between two, providing that “odd number” needed to decide the dispute.

47 Match point? : TINDER

Tinder is a matchmaking app that uses Facebook profiles. Users “swipe” photos of potential matches, either to the right (“like”) or to the left (“not interested”). Users who “match” each other can then chat within the app.

56 What’s good in Jerusalem? : TOV

“Tov” is a Hebrew word meaning “good”, as in “mazel tov” meaning “good luck”.

58 Galena and cinnabar, for two : ORES

Galena is the most commonly used mineral to produce lead. It is a form of lead sulfide. Galena is the state mineral of Missouri and of Wisconsin.

Cinnabar is an ore from which mercury is extracted. It is a bright red or scarlet mineral in its natural form.

60 Small dose: Abbr. : TSP

Teaspoon (tsp.)

61 Initialism to which an “h” is sometimes added : IMO

In my humble opinion (IMHO)