Tag: The travels of Marco Polo e.g. crossword clue

Bill’s time: 15m 29s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A Fire-breathing antagonist of Mario in the Mario universe : BOWSER

Bowser is a turtle-like character who is the main antagonist in Nintendo’s “Mario Bros” video games. Bowser’s son is Bowser Jr.

7A Exercise with Yang and Wu styles : 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.

13A Colorful treat on a stick : ICE POP

The term “ice pop” has largely been supplanted in the US by “popsicle”, as the Popsicle brand of ice pop became so popular. We still use “ice pop” in Ireland, and in the UK the same thing is called an “ice lolly”, and in Australia it’s an “ice block”.

15A Bit of unisex attire : SARONG

“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!

16A Shot : KABLOOEY

Something described as “kablooey” or “kablooie” has been destroyed, blown apart.

17A The travels of Marco Polo, e.g. : TREKS

Marco Polo was a merchant from Venice and a famous traveler throughout Asia. Polo journeyed with his father and uncle on an epic tour of Central Asia and China that lasted 24 years. Marco tends to be the member of the party we remember today though, because it was he who documented their travels in a book called “Il Milione” (usually “The Travels of Marco Polo” in English).

19A Stars’ org. : NHL

The Dallas Stars hockey team was founded in 1967, based in Bloomington, Minnesota, and was back then called the Minnesota North Stars. The team moved to Dallas in 1993.

21A Layer of gold? : GOOSE

In the Aesop fable “The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs”, a couple own a hen that lays a golden egg every day. The greedy pair surmise that there is a lump of gold inside the hen, and so they kill her in search of the precious metal. They find nothing, and are left without their daily windfall of a golden egg.

23A “Bed-in for Peace” activist : ONO

John Lennon and Yoko Ono had a very public honeymoon in a hotel in Amsterdam and then Montreal, when they staged their famous “bed-in” for peace. In answering questions from reporters Lennon found himself often repeating the words “give peace a chance”. While still in bed, he composed his famous song “Give Peace a Chance” and even made the original recording of the song in the Montreal hotel room, with reporters present, and with a whole bunch of friends. The song was released later in 1969 and became a smash hit. Writing credit was initially given to Lennon-McCartney, as was the agreement between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Later versions of the song were credited just to Lennon, even though Lennon stated that Yoko Ono actually wrote the song with him.

25A Hungarian has 18 of them (yikes!) : CASES

The word “case”, in the context of grammar, comes from the Latin “casus”, which means “a fall, falling.” Ancient grammarians apparently imagined that words “fell” away from their basic, simple form as they changed their endings to take on different jobs in a sentence. So, when a noun takes a different “case”, it’s literally “falling” into a new grammatical function. Quite interesting …

26A Deer stalking aid? : SANTA TRACKER

The North American Defense Command (NORAD) isn’t just a US operation but is a cooperative arrangement between Canada and the United States. The two countries entered into an agreement to establish NORAD in 1958, mainly due to the concern that there would be little or no warning of a missile attack from the Soviet Union that came over the North Pole. NORAD also tracks Santa Claus coming from the North Pole every Christmas, and these days publishes Santa’s location on Christmas Eve on its website. The tracking of Santa started into 1955 when a local Sears store placed an advertisement in a Colorado Springs newspaper with a phone number that could be used to call Santa Claus. The newspaper accidentally printed the number for the Continental Air Defense Command (a precursor to NORAD). The officer on duty instructed his staff to give all children who called a “current location” for Santa. Today, NORAD gets about 120,000 phone queries about Santa’s location every year, and the website gets about 20 million visitors.

34A Sap sucker : APHID

Aphids are called “greenfly” back in Britain and Ireland where I come from. The most effective way to control aphids, in my experience, is to make sure there are plenty of ladybugs in the garden (called “ladybirds” in Ireland!).

40A Crushing, in a way : MOONY

Someone who is dreamy, or even lovesick might be described as “moony”. This comes from the long-standing association of the moon with influencing human moods and emotional states. So, to be “moony” implies a state of being lost in thought, as if “moonstruck” by a celestial influence.

41A Home of the Atlantis and Peppermill casinos : RENO

The city of Reno’s economy took off when open gambling was legalized in Nevada in 1931. Within a short time, a syndicate had built the Bank Club in Reno, which was the largest casino in the world at the time.

43A Whines : CARPS

The word “carp” used to mean simply “talk” back in the 13th century, with its roots in the Old Norwegian “karpa” meaning “to brag”. A century later, the Latin word “carpere” meaning “to slander” influenced the use of “to carp” so that it came to mean “to find fault with”.

44A Flier whose smallest species is called the dwarf bittern : HERON

Herons are birds with long legs that inhabit freshwater and coastal locales. Some herons are routinely referred to as egrets, and others as bitterns. Herons look a lot like storks and cranes, but differ in their appearance in flight. Herons fly with their necks retracted in an S-shape, whereas storks and cranes have their necks extended.

Bitterns are wading birds in the heron family. Unlike most of their heron cousins, bitterns tend to have short necks.

45A Sweet wine of California : ANGELICA

Angelica is a historic sweet, fortified California wine, first made by Franciscan missionaries. Its unique production involves stopping fermentation early with brandy, preserving the grapes’ natural sweetness.

47A Big name in power ballads : CELINE

French-Canadian singer Céline Dion first came to international attention when she won the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest, in which she represented Switzerland in the competition that was hosted in Dublin, Ireland. She is now the best-selling Canadian artist of all time.

49A They have many faces : PRISMS

When light passes through a prism, it splits up (disperses) into differing wavelengths. It then becomes clear that white light is actually a mixture of different colors, which show up as a beautiful spectrum.

51A Hullabaloo : RACKET

Our word “hullabaloo”, meaning “commotion”, is a derivative of an older term “hollo-ballo”. “Hollo-ballo” was a word used for an uproar in the north of England and Scotland.

Down

1D Places to order les cassoulets : BISTROS

Cassoulet is a delicious stew from the south of France that consists mainly of some meat (usually sausage) and white beans. The dish is named for the “cassole”, an earthenware pot in which it is traditionally prepared and served. Cassoulet is a favorite meal in our house …

2D Light winds : OCARINAS

An ocarina is an ancient wind-instrument that sounds like and is played like a flute. Usually an ocarina has an egg-shaped body with a number of finger holes cut into the material making up the instrument (usually ceramic). There is a tube protruding from the body through which one blows to make sounds. The air vibrates within the body of the instrument, and the pitch of the vibrations is changed by covering and uncovering the finger-holes. Ocarinas date back as far as 12,000 years ago when they were used both in China and Central America. The ocarina was brought to Italy in the 1800s where it became popular as a child’s toy, but also as a serious instrument. It was given the name “ocarina” as its shape resembles that of a goose, and “ocarina”is a diminutive word stemming from “oca”, the Italian word for “goose”.

6D Dungeons & Dragons, e.g., for short : RPG

Dungeons & Dragons (D&D, DnD) is a complex role-playing game (RPG) introduced in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules Incorporated (TSR). Dungeons & Dragons was probably the first of the modern role-playing games to be developed, and the most successful. It is still played by lots of people today, including my youngest son …

7D Drop for the time being : TABLE

These “tabling” and “shelving” idioms drive me crazy, because they are often misused. If a topic is shelved, it is set aside. If a topic is tabled, it is brought “off the shelf” and put “on the table” for discussion. I know that language evolves, but I think that it should at least make sense …

12D Depictions of Arcadia : IDYLLS

An idyll (also “idyl”) is a short poem with a pastoral theme, usually depicting the scene in romantic and idealized terms. The word “idyl” comes from the Greek “eidyllion”, which literally translates to “little picture” but was a word describing a short poem with a rustic theme.

Arcadia is a mountainous region of ancient Greece that was noted in times past for the innocence and contentment of its people who lived a simple, pastoral life. “Arcadia” has been used ever since as the name of a place offering peace and simplicity.

14D Midsummer head decorations : DAISY CHAINS

The flowers of the daisy plant close tightly at sunset and then open up again in the morning. It is this behavior that led to the name “daisy”, from the Old English for “day’s eye”. So, the daisy could be called a “well-rested” plant. And, someone who is well-rested attacks the day “fresh as a daisy”. Interesting, huh?

16D Turtle-shelled flunky of 1-Across : KOOPA TROOPA

Koopa Troopas are turtle-like creatures that appear in the Mario video game franchise. “Koopas” are known in Japan as “Nokonoko”.

18D Receiver of a four-star review : TOUR DE FORCE

A tour de force (plural “tours de force”) is a great display of strength or skill. “Tour de force” is French, in which language it has the same meaning.

22D Actress Gillan of “Doctor Who” : KAREN

Scottish actress Karen Gillan is perhaps most famous to TV viewers for playing Amy Pond in the “Doctor Who” sci-fi show made by the BBC. She was the companion to the eleventh doctor, played by Matt Smith. Gillan broke into Hollywood, eventually playing Nebula in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” series of films.

“Doctor Who” is an iconic sci-fi television series that is made in the UK by the BBC. First broadcast in 1963, the show is still running today, making it the longest running sci-fi television show in the world. Doctor Who is a time traveler, from the planet Gallifrey, who “regenerates” from time to time (pun!) so that a new actor fits seamlessly into the storyline. He travels in his famous TARDIS spacecraft. Outwardly, the TARDIS looks like a police call box from the 1950s, but inside it is an enormous, multi-roomed time machine. “TARDIS” is an acronym standing for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space.

28D Shade of green : KELLY

Kelly green is a strong yellowish green, and was given its name back in the early 1900s. Apparently, the name was chosen because green is popular in Ireland, and Kelly is a common Irish family name.

30D Record qualifier : ASTERISK

The name of the typographical symbol “asterisk” comes from the Greek word “asteriskos” meaning “little star”. The original use of the asterisk was by printers of family trees in feudal times. Back then it was a symbol indicating the date of birth.

31D Offer of support in a #1 Bill Withers hit : LEAN ON ME

The classic song “Lean on Me” was written and recorded by Bill Withers in 1972. Withers had just relocated to Los Angeles when he wrote the song, and he found that he was homesick for West Virginia. He drew inspiration for the song from his experiences growing up in a small coal mining town, where community and mutual support were essential.

Bill Withers was working as an assembly operator while he was trying to make a name for himself in the music industry. Even as he found success with his glorious 1971 single “Ain’t No Sunshine”, he held onto his day job, worried that the music industry was unpredictable.

35D Chop-chop : PRONTO

The Spanish and Italian (and now English) word “pronto” is derived from the Latin “promptus” meaning “ready, quick”.

“Chop chop” is Chinese Pidgin English, and is just a reiteration of the word “chop” used in the sense of moving quickly.

36D Took too much of : HOGGED

To hog is to take more than one is due. Apparently, the first use of the verb “to hog” in this sense was in Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”.

40D State for “The Shawshank Redemption” : MAINE

Stephen King’s novella “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” was adapted into a 2009 stage play and a 1994 film, both of which were titled “The Shawshank Redemption”. The Ohio State Reformatory was used for exterior shots of the fictional Shawshank Prison. That same facility was used for the prison scenes in the 1997 film “Air Force One”.

44D Wedding presider of Greek mythology : HERA

In Greek mythology, Hera was the wife of Zeus and the goddess of women, marriage, family and childbirth. She 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.

46D Org. with toxicologists : EPA

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

47D It can keep the beat, in brief : CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) has for decades involved the simultaneous compression of the chest to pump blood using the heart, and artificial respiration by blowing air into the lungs. I hear that nowadays, emergency services are placing more emphasis on heart compressions, and less on artificial respiration.

46D Smart guy? : ALEC

Apparently, the original “smart Alec” (sometimes “Aleck”) was one Alec Hoag, a pimp, thief and confidence trickster who plied his trade in New York City in the 1840s.