Tag: Gate inits. crossword clue

Bill’s time: 18m 45s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A “Oh, fiddlesticks!” : AW, DARN!

We’ve been using “fiddlesticks” to mean “nonsense” since the early 17th century. Prior to that time, “fiddlestick” just referred to the bow of a fiddle.

7A Peace symbol : V-SIGN

One has to be careful making that V-sign depending where you are in the world. Where I came from, the V-for-victory (or peace) sign has to be made with the palm facing outwards. If the sign is made with the palm facing inwards, it can be interpreted as a very obscene gesture. Apparently, the latter originated from a gesture used by English archers in the Battle of Agincourt.

12A What a flipping tool! : SPATULA

A spatula is a tool or implement used for mixing, lifting or spreading. “Spatula” is the Latin name for the tool, and is a diminutive of the word “spatha” meaning “broad, flat blade”. “Spatha” also gives rise to our related term “spade”.

21A Listless malaise : ENNUI

“Ennui” is the French word for “boredom”, and is a term that we now use in English. It’s one of the few French words we’ve imported and haven’t anglicized, and actually pronounce “correctly”.

22A National flowers of India, Vietnam and Egypt : LOTUSES

The roots of the lotus plant penetrate into the bed of a lake or river, while the leaves float on the water’s surface. This behavior led to the use of the lotus as a symbol in the Buddhist tradition, as a symbol of purity of the body, speech and mind. The idea is that the lotus flower represents the pure body, speech and mind floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire.

23A Device used to clear out nasal passages / Final part of a radio countdown : NETI POT (I out, and TOP TEN backwards)

A neti pot is a spouted vessel that is used for nasal irrigation. “Neti” is a Sanskrit word meaning “nasal cleansing”.

24A Perez of “White Men Can’t Jump” : ROSIE

Rosie Perez is an American actress of Puerto Rican descent born in New York City. As well as pursuing her acting career, Perez is an activist promoting Puerto Rican rights, and was arrested in 2000 at a rally to protest US Navy weapons-training off the coast of Puerto Rico.

“White Men Can’t Jump” is a comedy film about two street basketball hustlers played by Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson.

25A Brunch entrees / Figure with an eponymous fire : OMELETS (E out, and ST ELMO backwards)

Saint Elmo is the patron saint of sailors. More formally referred to as Erasmus of Formia, St. Elmo is perhaps venerated by sailors as tradition tells us that he continued preaching despite the ground beside him being struck by a thunderbolt. Sailors started to pray to him when in danger of storms and lightning. He lends his name to the electrostatic weather phenomenon (often seen at sea) known as St. Elmo’s fire. The “fire” is actually a plasma discharge caused by air ionizing at the end of a pointed object (like the mast of a ship), something often observed during electrical storms.

31A ___ Dems (U.K. party, informally) : LIB

For most of the 1980s, the UK’s Liberal and Social Democratic Parties were in an alliance, and then finally merged into a party called the Liberal Democrats in 1988. The Lib Dems were the third largest party after the 2010 general election, with neither of the top two parties having sufficient seats to form a government. The Lib Dems agreed to enter into a coalition with the Conservative Party, with Tory leader David Cameron as Prime Minister and Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg as Deputy Prime Minister. I think it’s fair to say that it didn’t go well …

33A Belafonte hit featured in the movie “Beetlejuice” : DAY-O

“Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” is a traditional folk song from Jamaica. It is sung from the standpoint of dock workers unloading boats on the night shift, so daylight has come, and they want to go home. The most famous version of “Day-O” was recorded by Harry Belafonte, in 1956.

Singer and actor Harry Belafonte was of Caribbean descent, from Jamaica through his mother’s heritage and from Martinique through his father. Born in New York City, Belafonte came to be known as the “King of Calypso”. His most famous recording is 1956’s “The Banana Boat Song”, and I suspect that his most famous movie performance is in Otto Preminger’s “Carmen Jones”.

“Beetlejuice” is a 1988 comedy-horror film directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton in the title role. Beetlejuice is an underworld character who tries to scare away the new inhabitants of a house that is haunted by the ghosts of a deceased couple (played by Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis).

34A Five-time world chess champion Viswanathan “Vishy” ___ : ANAND

Viswanathan Anand is an Indian chess grandmaster who became the first grandmaster from India in 1988, when he was only 18 years old. He has also won the World Chess Championship several times, first in 2000.

36A Genetic repositories / Reel Big Fish or Sublime : DNA BANKS (N out, and SKA BAND backwards)

Reel Big Fish is a ska punk band from Southern California that was founded in 1991.

Sublime is a ska punk band from Southern California that was founded in 1988.

39A Eau zone? : MER

In French, a “mer” (sea) is a large body of “eau” (water).

44A Vince Guaraldi ___, jazz group featured in “A Charlie Brown Christmas” : TRIO

“Linus and Lucy” is a jazz instrumental composed by pianist Vince Guaraldi and released in 1964 in Guaraldi’s album “Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown”. It was included in the soundtrack to 1965’s TV special “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, and since then has been regarded as the signature tune of the “Peanuts” franchise. The title refers to the “Peanuts” characters Linus and Lucy van Pelt.

48A Figure who might leave you heart-stricken? : EROS

In Greek mythology, Eros is the god of love, desire, and sexual attraction. He is often depicted as a winged youth carrying a bow and arrows, with which he shoots either golden arrows to inspire love or leaden ones to inspire aversion. His Roman counterpart is Cupid.

50A Taipei-based tech company : ASUS

Asus is a Taiwanese manufacturer of computing and networking hardware. The company name was chosen as the last four letters of “Pegasus”, the winged horse of Greek mythology.

52A Thawb-wearing leaders : EMIRS

A thawb, or thobe, is a long, ankle-length robe commonly worn by men in the Arabian Peninsula, parts of North Africa, and the Middle East.

54A Hit 1981 German-language film / “What a shame!” : DAS BOOT (S out, and TOO BAD backwards)

I am ashamed to say that I have never watched the whole 1981 movie “Das Boot”, even though I love WWII submarine films. The film drew great critical acclaim, good news for the producers as it is one of the most expensive films ever made in Germany. The story is about the German U-boat U-96 on a patrol in October of 1941.

57A ___ bene : NOTA

“Nota bene” is Latin for “note well”, and is abbreviated to “NB”.

58A Women abroad / Wrapped garments : SIGNORAS (I out, and SARONGS backwards)

“Sarong” is the Malay word for “sheath”. The term originally described a garment worn by Malay men and women around their waists. The Malay sarong is actually a tube of fabric, about a yard wide and two-and-a-half yards long. Many variations of the sarong are worn all over South Asia and the Pacific Islands. I had occasion to wear one in Hawaii many years ago, and found it very … freeing!

63A Concocts : BREWS

To decoct is to extract the flavor of a liquid by boiling down and increasing the concentration. A related term is “to concoct”, meaning “to boil together”. We use the verb “to concoct” in a figurative sense to mean to contrive, devise.

65A Record label founded by Clive Davis : ARISTA

Arista Records was set up as part of Columbia Pictures by Clive Davis. Davis chose “Arista” as it was the name of the New York City Honor Society to which he belonged.

72A Actress Sink of “Stranger Things” : SADIE

Sadie Sink gained widespread recognition for her role as Max Mayfield in the TV show “Stranger Things”. Before her breakout TV role, she was known by Broadway audiences, starring as the title character in the musical “Annie” at just 11 years old. She also played a young Elizebeth II on stage in “The Audience”, alongside Helen Mirren.

84A Pioneer in Modernist poetry / Throne : T. S. ELIOT (S out, and TOILET backwards)

T. S. Eliot (TSE) was born in New England but grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. Much of Eliot’s college education was at Oxford, and clearly he became comfortable with life in England. In 1927 he became a British citizen and lived the rest of life in the UK.

86A Justice Sotomayor : SONIA

Sonia Sotomayor was the first Hispanic justice appointed to the US Supreme Court, and the third female justice. Sotomayor was nominated by President Barack Obama to replace the retiring Justice David Souter in 2009. She is the subject of a picture book in the series “Ordinary People Change the World” by Brad Meltzer. “I Am Sonia Sotomayor” was published in 2018.

88A Weapon used for touching : EPEE

The French word for sword is “épée”. In competitive fencing the épée is connected to a system that records an electrical signal when legal contact is made on an opponent’s body.

89A Gate inits. : ETD

Estimated time of departure (ETD)

98A Portmanteau drinking hangouts / Marine crustacean : BARCADES (D out, and SEA CRAB backwards)

Barcade is a chain of bars that provide classic video games and pinball machines for the patrons. “Barcade” is a portmanteau of “bar” and “arcade”.

100A Film studio with a tower logo that beeped out “V for Victory” during W.W. II : RKO

RKO Pictures was one of the major film studios during Hollywood’s Golden Age. The studio’s iconic logo was a rotating globe with a radio tower atop. The tower beeped out “A Radio Picture” in Morse code. That is, except during WWI when it beeped out “V for Victory”.

101A Like some bikes / Sunken, as the eyes : TEN-SPEED (N out, and DEEP-SET backwards)

Ten-speed bikes are characterized by their two front chainrings and five rear cogs providing ten gears. They were also commonly referred to as derailleur bikes or simply road bikes during their heyday in the mid to late 20th century. The term “ten-speed” distinguishes the design from the simpler single-speed or three-speed “cruiser” bikes.

107A Mud : JAVA

Back in 1850, the name “java” was given to a type of coffee grown on the island of Java, and the more general usage of the term spread from then.

108A Issa of “American Fiction” : RAE

“American Fiction” is a 2023 comedy-drama movie based on a 2023 novel by Percival Everett titled “Erasure”. Jeffrey Wright plays a black writer whose publishers reject his latest story as not being “black enough”. The writer reacts to his lack of success by submitting a satirical novel that panders to black stereotypes. To his surprise, and dismay, the book is a great success.

115A Comparatively upper-crust, in a way / Wood cutter : WASPIER (E out, and RIPSAW backwards)

The not-so-nice acronym “WASP” stands for White Anglo-Saxon Protestant. The term is used for Americans with a relatively high position in society, and who are usually of British descent.

In woodworking, a cut across the grain is known as a cross cut. A cut along the grain is called a rip cut. Most saws are designed to perform the best cross cuts, but there is a special ripsaw that more easily cuts straight lines along the grain.

125A How the U.S. has existed since its inception : IN DEBT

The US has been in debt since the nation came into existence. The first national debt was incurred to finance the Revolutionary War, and we’ve owed money to creditors ever since.

Down

1D “The Governator” : AH-NOLD

Body-builder, actor and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger was born in Graz in Austria, the son of the local police chief. Schwarzenegger’s family name translates into the more prosaic “black plowman”. In his bodybuilding days, he was often referred to as the Austrian Oak. When he was Governor of California he was called “the Governator”, a play on his role in the “The Terminator” series of movies.

5D Copies, as from a disc : RIPS

Ripping is the process of copying audio or video files onto a hard disk. Ripping isn’t the same as direct copying, as the former involves changing the format of the audio or video content.

10D One of at least 35 smashed in 1967 alone by the Who’s Pete Townshend : GUITAR

The musician Pete Townshend is best known as guitarist for the Who. Townshend also served as the main songwriter for the band, composing over one hundred songs that the Who recorded. Sadly, Townshend has paid the price for his exposure to loud rock music and had severe hearing problems. Because of this ailment, he provided the initial funding for a hearing advocacy group called Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers (HEAR).

11D Actress Nash of “Never Have I Ever” : NIECY

Niecy Nash is a comedian and actress who played Deputy Raineesha Williams in the comedy show “Reno 911!” Nash is one of the celebrities to have participated in the reality competition “Dancing with the Stars”, taking fifth place in the tenth season.

“Never Have I Ever” is a comedy-drama series that premiered in 2020. The show was co-created by actress and comedian Mindy Kaling, and is based on her experiences growing up in the Boston area (although the series is set in the San Fernando Valley). The star of “Never Have I Ever” is Canadian actress Maitreyi Ramakrishnan.

13D Small, fuzzy dogs, informally : POMS

The Pomeranian is a small breed of dog named for the Pomerania region of Europe (part of eastern Germany and northern Poland). The breed was much loved by the royalty of Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the 19th century, Queen Victoria owned a particularly small Pomeranian. Due to the notoriety of the monarch’s pet, the Pomeranian was bred for small size, so that during the Queen’s admittedly long reign, the size of the average “pom” was reduced by 50% …

15D University whose name sounds like a kind of highway : TULANE

Tulane University is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Tulane was founded in 1834 as the Medical College of Louisiana. The university was privatized with the aid of an endowment from philanthropist Paul Tulane in 1884, and as a result the school’s name was changed to Tulane University. The school’s sports teams use the name Tulane Green Wave, and the team mascot is Riptide the Pelican.

35D Donkey grp. : DNC

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) was set up way back in 1848 to govern the day-to-day affairs of the Democratic Party. Past chairpersons of the DNC include Howard Dean from Vermont, Chris Dodd from Connecticut and Tim Kaine from Virginia.

The donkey became associated with the Democratic Party largely thanks to Andrew Jackson. During his 1828 presidential campaign, his opponents called him a “jackass”. Jackson embraced the epithet, using the donkey as a symbol of his stubborn determination. Later, political cartoonist Thomas Nast popularized the donkey symbol for the party in his widely circulated cartoons.

37D English channel, with “the” : THE BEEB

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is also known as “the Beeb”, a name given to the network by the great Peter Sellers on the classic British radio comedy called “The Goon Show”. Another nickname is “Auntie”, perhaps a reference to an old idiom “Auntie knows best”. As a result, the moniker “Auntie Beeb” has also become popular!. The BBC was founded in 1922, and was the world’s first national broadcasting organization.

38D Life form that requires oxygen : AEROBE

An aerobe is an organism that lives in an environment rich in oxygen. An anaerobe, on the other hand, does not require oxygen for survival.

42D Guadalajara girlfriend : AMIGA

Guadalajara is a populous city in the Mexican state of Jalisco. The Mexican city is named after the city of the same name in the center of Spain.

49D Business address abbr. : STE

Suite (ste.)

55D Company whose logo was designed to resemble the game Pong : ATARI

The logo for now defunct gaming and computer company Atari has a very simple design. It has been interpreted as a letter A, or perhaps a representation of Mount Fuji. There is also evidence that the designer intended it to evoke the graphics in Atari’s first game, “Pong”.

59D Pie chart dividers : RADII

A pie chart can also be referred to as a circle graph. It is often stated that Florence Nightingale invented the pie chart. While this is not in fact true, she is due credit for popularizing it, and for developing the pie chart variation known as the polar area diagram. The earliest known pie chart appears in a book published in 1801 by Scottish engineer William Playfair.

60D ___ acid : AMINO

There are 20 different types of amino acids that make up proteins. However, only 11 of them can be synthesized by the human body, while the remaining nine essential amino acids must be obtained from food sources.

66D Most in need of salt, say : ICIEST

Halite is the mineral form of sodium chloride, and is also known as “rock salt”. It is used to melt ice, as salt water has a lower freezing point than pure water. Adding salt to icy sidewalks can therefore cause any ice to melt (as long as the ambient temperature isn’t too low). A mixture of halite and ice can also be used to cool things below the freezing point of water, perhaps to make ice cream.

77D Smartphone alternative to Wi-Fi : LTE

In the world of telecommunications, the initialism LTE stands for Long-Term Evolution, and is wireless broadband communication standard. In general terms, LTE improves broadband speeds. As I understand it, LTE technology allows a 3G network to perform almost as well as a true 4G network, and so LTE is sometimes marketed as 4G LTE, even though it’s really “3G plus”.

78D El país de Palma : ESPAÑA

In Spanish, “el país de Palma” (Palma’s country) is “España” (Spain).

Palma is the main city and port on the island of Majorca in the Mediterranean Sea off the east coast of Spain.

83D “u crack me up” : LMAO

Laughing my a** off (LMAO)

89D Inits. on a food assistance card : EBT

Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) is a system that allows government benefit recipients to access their funds through a debit-like card. It is primarily used for programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

90D Served raw : TARTARE

Steak tartare was first served in French restaurants in the early 1900s. Back then, the dish went by the name “steak à l’Americaine”, would you believe? It was basically raw, seasoned beef mixed with egg yolk. A later version of l’Americaine, without the egg yolk and with tartar sauce served on the side, was dubbed “steak tartare”. Over time the two versions became one, and the steak tartare moniker won out. By the way, if you order steak tartare in Switzerland, I believe you are served horse meat. There are now similar “tartare” dishes made with raw salmon, or raw tuna.

94D Comics legend Lee : STAN

Stan Lee did just about everything at Marvel Comics over the years, from writing to being president and chairman of the board. If you like superhero movies based on the characters from Marvel Comics, then you could spend a few hours trying to spot Stan Lee in those films as he had a penchant for making cameo appearances. Lee can be spotted in “X-Men” (2000), “Spider-Man” (2002), “Hulk” (2003), “Fantastic Four” (2005), “Iron Man” (2008) and many other films.

97D Someone who might find Darjeeling appealing : TEA SNOB

Darjeeling is a town in West Bengal in the east of India in the Lesser Himalayas. Today, Darjeeling is perhaps best known outside India for the black tea that bears its name. In the days of the British Raj, the cooler climate of Darjeeling made it a popular destination for British residents seeking respite from the summer heat at the lower elevations.

102D Civil rights activist Medgar : EVERS

Medgar Evers was an African-American civil rights activist from Mississippi who was assassinated by the Klu Klux Klan in 1963. A year after the murder, one Byron De La Beckwith was arrested and charged with the crime. Two trials failed to return a decision on Beckwith’s guilt as the juries, composed completely of white males, deadlocked both times. New evidence was unearthed some thirty years later so Beckwith could be retried and he was finally convicted of the murder in 1994. Back in 1963, Evers was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery. Evers had served in the US Army in France during WWII and left the military with the rank of sergeant.

106D New Orleans food specialty : PO’BOY

A po’ boy is a submarine sandwich from Louisiana. The name of the sandwich apparently dates back to 1929. It was a sandwich given away free to streetcar workers in New Orleans during a strike, i.e. to “poor boys” not earning a wage. A po’ boy differs from a regular submarine sandwich in that it uses Louisiana French bread, which is soft in the middle and crusty on the outside.

107D Craving : JONES

Back in the late 60s, “Jones” was a slang term for an intense desire or an addiction. This usage probably came from an earlier meaning for “Jones” as a synonym for “heroin”. The etymology of the heroin definition is very unclear.

110D Twice tres : SEIS

In Spanish, “tres y tres” (three plus three) is “seis” (six).

112D Togo’s capital : LOME

Lomé is the capital city of Togo in West Africa. It is located on the Gulf of Guinea, and is the country’s largest port.

116D Corp. debut : IPO

An initial public offering (IPO) is a significant event for a company as it marks the first time it becomes a publicly traded company. IPOs are often accompanied by a so-called “lock-up period.” This is a period of time, typically 90 to 180 days after the IPO, during which company insiders, such as executives and early investors, are not allowed to sell their shares on the open market. The purpose of the lock-up period is to prevent a flood of shares from hitting the market and potentially driving down the price of the stock.

119D Nail polish brand with a “Wicked”-inspired collection : OPI

Opi (originally “Odontorium Products Inc.”) is a manufacturer of nail polish based in North Hollywood, California. One of Opi’s marketing coups was the introduction of a line of Legally Blonde 2 polishes, which featured in the film. Opi also launched a collection of nail lacquers inspired by the hit Broadway musical “Wicked” in celebration of its 10th anniversary on Broadway.