Tag: Mash-up crossword clue

Bill’s time: 12m 01s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 City sitting spot : STOOP

A stoop is a raised platform at the door of a house. “Stoop” came into American and Canadian English in the mid-1700s from the Dutch “stoep” meaning “flight of steps”.

15 Gondola’s path : CANAL

The word “gondola” was originally limited to the famous boats that travel along the canals of Venice. When man started to fly through the air in hot air balloons, “gondola” was used for the basket in which the passenger(s) traveled. By extension, the structure carrying passengers and crew under an airship is also called a gondola, as are the cars suspended from a cable at a ski resort.

16 Ancient Greek marketplace : AGORA

In early Greece, an agora was a place of assembly. The assemblies held there were often quite formal, perhaps for the reading of a proclamation. Later in Greek history, things became less formal as the agora evolved into a marketplace. Our contemporary word “agoraphobia” comes from these agorae, in the sense that an agoraphobe has a fear of open spaces, a fear of “public meeting places”.

18 *Rod-shaped parasite : EIFFEL TOWER (Rod-shaped Paris site)

The “Exposition Universelle” (World’s Fair) of 1889 was held in Paris, France. The 1900 fair is remembered for the magnificent entrance arch that was constructed for visitors. That entrance arch was to remain standing for only nine years, but the city decided to keep it and you can visit it today. Today we call that entrance arch the Eiffel Tower. The tower is sometimes referred to in French “La Dame de Fer”, meaning “the Iron Lady”.

21 Base figure, for short : NCO

An NCO or “noncom” is a non-commissioned officer in the armed forces. Usually, such an officer is one who has earned his or her rank by promotion through the enlisted ranks. A good example would be a sergeant major (sgt. maj.).

25 “From your lips to God’s ears” : I HOPE SO

“From your lips to God’s ears” is an idiomatic phrase meaning “may what you wish for come true”. I couldn’t really uncover a definitive etymology for the expression.

31 Mash-up : AMALGAM

Amalgam is an alloy of mercury with some other metal. Many dental fillings are made of an amalgam of silver and mercury. We started using “amalgam” more generally to mean “blend of different things” around 1790.

34 Fraction of a watt-hour : ERG

An erg is a unit of mechanical work or energy. It is a small unit, with one joule comprising 10 million ergs. It has been suggested that an erg is about the amount of energy required for a mosquito to take off. The term comes from “ergon”, the Greek word for work.

The kilowatt hour (kWh) is a unit of energy, made up of the product of power (kilowatts – kW) and time (hour – h). We see “kWh” all the time, on our electricity bills.

36 “Foyle’s ___” (British TV drama) : WAR

“Foyle’s War” is an excellent detective series from the UK that is set during, and just after, WWII. Michael Kitchen plays the title character, ably assisted by actress Honeysuckle Weeks, who plays Foyle’s driver. The show was canceled after five seasons in 2008, and then promptly revived for three more seasons in 2009 due to a strong following.

42 Suffix with proto- : -PLASM

The word “protoplasm” comes from the Greek, meaning first (protos) thing formed (plasma). It is the name given to the cell contents, everything that is surrounded by the plasma membrane. The protoplasm in most cells is divided into two parts, the cytoplasm which surrounds the nucleus, and the nucleoplasm found within the nucleus.

44 Straight, informally : HET

The noun and adjective “het” is sometimes used instead of “heterosexual”.

45 Rook’s opposite : VET

The term “rookie”, used for a raw recruit, first appeared in Rudyard Kipling’s collection of songs and poems called the “Barrack-Room Ballads”, which was originally published in 1892.

54 *Embarrassment from a self-own, perhaps : BUTT-DIAL (Embarrassment from a cell phone, perhaps)

“Butt-dialing” is an alternative name for “pocket-dialing”, the accidental placing of a call while a phone is in one’s pocket or purse.

56 Businesswoman Huffington : ARIANNA

“The Huffington Post” (now “HuffPost”) is a news website founded in 2005 by Arianna Huffington. It is a very active site, with 3,000 people contributing blog posts (including many celebrities and politicians), and readers leaving over one million comments every month. “The Huffington Post” was sold to AOL in 2011 for $315 million, with Arianna Huffington staying on as editor-in-chief.

59 Command : FIAT

A fiat is an arbitrary rule that is imposed. The verb “fiat” is Latin for “let it be done”.

60 Noted speedway sponsor : STP

STP was founded in 1953 by racing enthusiast and businessman Andy Granatelli. The name “STP” stands for “Scientifically Treated Petroleum.”

61 Laura of “Enlightened” : DERN

Actress Laura Dern is the daughter of actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd. Among her many notable roles, Laura Dern played the Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris in the 2008 movie “Recount”, and Dr. Ellie Sattler in the 1993 blockbuster “Jurassic Park”.

62 *Grade-A quality : CLOUDY SKIES (Gray-day quality)

The spellings “gray” and “grey” are used on both sides of the Atlantic, but “gray” appears about twenty times more often than “grey” in the US. That same ratio is reversed over in Britain and Ireland.

68 Headdress for the archbishop of Canterbury : MITRE

A miter (also “mitre”) is a traditional headdress worn by bishops in some Christian traditions. The term “miter” comes from a Greek word for “headband, turban”.

Canterbury is a cathedral city in the county of Kent in the southeast of England. Canterbury Cathedral is home to the Archbishop of Canterbury, the leader of the Church of England.

70 Kingpin on “The Wire” : MARLO

I didn’t watch the HBO series called “The Wire” when it first aired. We ended up buying all five series on DVD and we watched the whole thing several years ago. It is a great drama series, and I thoroughly recommend it.

Actor Jamie Hector is best known for playing gangster Marlo Stanfield on “The Wire”, and Detective Jerry Edgar on “Bosch”.

71 Correct, as writing : EMEND

The verb “to amend” means “to change for the better, put right, alter by adding”. The related verb “to emend” is used more rarely, and mainly in reference to the editing of professional writing. Both terms are derived from the Latin “emendare” meaning “to remove fault”.

Down

2 Martial art with movements like “Parting the Horse’s Mane” and “Grasp Bird’s Tail” : TAI CHI

More correctly called “t‘ai chi ch‘uan”, tai chi is a martial art that is mostly practiced to improve overall health and increase longevity.

5 Annapolis frosh : PLEBE

A plebe is a freshman in the US military and naval academies. The term “plebe” is probably short for “plebeian”, the name given to someone of the common class in ancient Rome (as opposed to a Patrician). “Pleb” is a shortened version of “plebeian”, and is a term used outside of the military schools.

The United States Naval Academy (USNA) is located in Annapolis, Maryland. It was founded in 1845 and educates officers for both the US Navy and the US Marine Corps. The motto of the USNA is “Ex Scientia Tridens”, which translates as “From Knowledge, Sea Power”.

6 Persian’s realm? : CATDOM

The Persian is that long-haired cat with a squashed muzzle. The breed takes its name from its place of origin, namely Persia (Iran).

10 She originated the role of Fanny in “Funny Girl” : BARBRA

Barbra Streisand has recorded 31 top-ten albums since 1963, more than any other female recording artist. In fact, she has had an album in the top ten for the last five decades, a rare achievement in itself.

The movie “Funny Girl” stars Barbra Streisand in the title role of Fanny Brice. The real Fanny Brice was a theater and film actress, and “Funny Girl” is very loosely based on her life story. Fanny Brice was born into a Hungarian Jewish family in New York City, with the real name of Fania Borach.

11 Like pangolins : SCALY

The pangolin is also known as the scaly anteater. It is the only mammal that has a layer of protective scales made from keratin that covers the skin. Pangolins are highly prized by hunters, for their meat and their armor. They are in danger of extinction, and yet there is no more highly-trafficked species on the planet.

12 Small sofa : LOVE SEAT

A love seat is a sofa made for two people. Lovely …

13 Fallopian tube, e.g. : OVIDUCT

The Fallopian tubes stretch from the ovaries of female mammals to the uterus. They are named for the 16th-century Italian anatomist Gabriello Fallopio, who was the first to describe them.

19 18th-century French novelist whose name means “the wise man” : LESAGE

Alain-René Lesage was a novelist and playwright from France. He is best known for his novels “The Devil upon Two Sticks” (1707) and “Gil Blas” (1715-1735).

27 Major tributary of the Missouri : PLATTE

The Platte River used to be called the Nebrakier, which is an Oto word meaning “flat river”. Indeed, the state of Nebraska takes its name from “Nebrakier”. For a while it was also called the River Plate as “plate” is the French word “flat”. Later this became “Platte”, the phonetic spelling of the French “plate”.

29 NYY rival : BOS

The Boston Red Sox are one of the most successful Major League Baseball teams and so command a large attendance, but only when on the road. The relatively small capacity of Boston’s Fenway Park, the team’s home since 1912, has dictated that every game the Red Sox have played there has been a sell-out from May of 2003 to April 2013. I had the pleasure of touring Fenway Park some years ago. It’s quite a place …

40 Plant in the mint family with healthful seeds : CHIA

Chia is a flowering plant in the mint family. Chia seeds are an excellent food source and are often added to breakfast cereals and energy bars. There is also the famous Chia Pet, an invention of a San Francisco company. Chia Pets are terra-cotta figurines to which moistened chia seeds are applied. The seeds sprout and the seedlings become the “fur” of the Chia Pet.

42 Banned chemical contaminant, for short : PCB

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were banned with good reason. Apart from their link to cancer and other disorders in humans and animals, they are extremely persistent in the environment once contamination has occurred. Among other things, PCBs were used as coolants and insulating fluids in electrical gear such as transformers and large capacitors, as well as a transfer agent in carbonless copy paper.

48 One half of the merger that formed Paramount Global : VIACOM

Media giant Viacom takes its name from the phrase VI-deo & A-udio COM-unications.

61 Makes ineligible for competition, for short : DQS

“DQ” is short for “disqualify”.

63 N.Y.C. luggage tag letters : LGA

The three big airports serving New York City (NYC) are John F. Kennedy (JFK), LaGuardia (LGA) and Newark (EWR).

64 Defenseman who scored a Stanley Cup-winning “flying goal” : ORR

In the 1970 Stanley Cup final, Bobby Orr scored the winning goal, giving the Boston Bruins a victory over the St. Louis Blues. Orr was so excited that he leapt into the air towards his teammates, sliding into their embrace as he landed on the ice. A photographer caught Orr in full horizontal flight, resulting in one of the most famous sports photographs of all time.

65 ___ Dae-jung, Nobel-winning former president of South Korea : KIM

Kim Dae-jung was the President of South Korea from 1998 to 2003. He had a policy of engagement with North Korea, and even had an official meeting with Kim Jong-il in 2000 in Pyongyang. Although his approach, dubbed the Sunshine Policy, did not appear to yield much success, his efforts earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000.