Tag: Word with the wave of a wand crossword clue

Bill’s time: 21m 03s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Simple sugar : GLUCOSE

Glucose is a simple sugar that is also known as dextrose or grape sugar. It is widely found in nature as glucose is made by plants from carbon dioxide and water during photosynthesis.

8 Relatives of narwhals : BELUGAS

The beluga whale is also known as the white whale, and is a mammal that inhabits Arctic and sub-Arctic seas. The name “beluga” comes from the Russian “belukha”, which in turn derives from “belyy” meaning “white”.

The narwhal is a whale species in which the male has a large tusk. The “tusk” is actually a canine tooth that projects from the jaw through the lip. Usually only one tusk develops, on the left side of the jaw. Occasionally, a second tusk develops as well, on the right side of the jaw. The tusk is unlike a tooth in that it contains many nerves, making it a sensory organ. It is rarely used in an act of aggression.

15 Eid al-Fitr celebration : FEAST

Eid al-Fitr is a religious holiday in the Muslim tradition that is known in English as the “Festival of Breaking the Fast”. It marks the end of Ramadan, a period of dawn-to-sunset fasting.

22 Follower of Jah : RASTA

“Jah” is a shortened form of “Jehovah”, and is a name often associated with the Rastafari movement.

23 Land inhabited by the Alutiiq people : ALASKA PENINSULA

The Alaska Peninsula is the 500-mile long peninsula that stretches from the Alaskan mainland out to the Aleutian Islands. The peninsula separates Bristol Bay in the Bering Sea to the northeast from the Pacific Ocean to the south.

26 Racial justice initialism : BLM

The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement started in 2013 after George Zimmerman was acquitted in the shooting death of African-American youth Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida. Three civil rights activists, Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, originated the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter.

32 ___ buco : OSSO

Osso buco is a traditional Italian dish that is typically made with veal shanks that are braised with vegetables and herbs. The name “osso buco” means “bone with a hole” in Italian, which refers to the marrow-filled bone in the center of the veal shank. The marrow is considered a delicacy and is often scooped out and served with the dish.

36 Salted or smoked : CURED

Salt is used to “cure” meats, which is a preservation process. The salt kills and inhibits the growth of microorganisms by sucking the water out of the microbe’s cells in the process of osmosis. Smoking is also cited as a curing process, although smoking alone is insufficient for preserving food as the antimicrobial smoke compounds only adhere to the outside of the meat or fish. Smoking is usually combined with salt-curing or drying.

37 Shells in Mario Kart, e.g. : AMMO

The word “munitions” describes materials and equipment used in war. The term derives from the Latin “munitionem” meaning “fortification, defensive wall”. Back in the 17th century, French soldiers referred to such materials as “la munition”, a Middle French term. This was misheard as “l’ammunition”, and as a result we ended up importing the word “ammunition” (often shortened to “ammo”), a term that we now use mainly to describe the material fired from a weapon.

“Mario Kart” is a go-kart racing video game series from Nintendo.

39 Zoë Kravitz, to Marisa Tomei : GODDAUGHTER

Zoë Kravitz is an actress and singer. Zoë has a couple of famous parents, namely musician Lenny Kravitz and actress Lisa Bonet.

Marisa Tomei’s first screen role was in the daytime soap “As the World Turns”, but her break came with a recurring role in “The Cosby Show” spin-off “A Different World”. Tomei won an Oscar for her delightful performance in “My Cousin Vinny” in 1992.

41 Word with the wave of a wand : ABRA

The incantation “abracadabra” has a long history. It was used as far back as the 2nd century AD in ancient Rome when the word was prescribed by a physician to be worn on an amulet to help his emperor recover from disease. “Abracadabra” is Aramaic, and roughly translates as “I will create as I speak”.

46 Doppler effect phenomenon : FREQUENCY SHIFT

The Doppler effect is the change in frequency of a sound experienced by an observer when the source of the sound is moving nearer or further away. The effect was proposed by Austrian physicist Christian Doppler in 1842.

57 Nest egg option, in brief : IRA

A nest egg is an amount of money laid down as a reserve. This is the figurative use of “nest egg” that originally described an artificial egg left in a nest to encourage a hen to lay real eggs in that spot. So our financial nest egg is set aside in anticipation of continued growth, more eggs being laid.

59 Q&A format : AMA

Ask me anything (AMA)

61 Overs and unders, e.g. : BETS

An over-under bet is a wager that a number will be over or under a particular value. A common over-under bet is made on the combined points scored by two teams in a game.

63 Fracas : ADO

“Fracas”, meaning “noisy quarrel”, is a French word that we absorbed into English. In turn, the French usage evolved from the Italian “fracasso” meaning “uproar, crash”.

69 Inventor of the printing press : GUTENBERG

The printing press was invented in the mid-15th century by German goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg. Books were printed prior to the invention of the press, but the techniques used were clumsy and slow. Gutenberg introduced the concept of movable, reusable type, which revolutionized book production. Fifty years after the introduction of Gutenberg’s press, over twenty million volumes had been produced in Western Europe.

73 Where a ham might be on display : STAGE

The word “ham”, describing a performer who overacts, is a shortened form of “hamfatter” and dates back to the late 1800s. “Hamfatter” comes from a song in old minstrel shows called “The Ham-Fat Man”. It seems that a poorly performing actor was deemed to have the “acting” qualities of a minstrel made up in blackface.

82 Wild-water craft : CANOE

The boat known as a canoe takes its name from the Carib word “kenu” meaning “dugout”. It was Christopher Columbus who brought “kenu” into Spanish as “canoa”, which evolved into our English “canoe”.

85 Texas city that inspired “Friday Night Lights” : ODESSA

The city of Odessa, Texas has as its symbol the jack rabbit. This is because from the thirties through the seventies the city hosted a rodeo for roping rabbits. The Humane Society applied pressure and the city did away with the tradition in 1977.

“Friday Night Lights” is a 2004 film based on a 1990 book “Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream” by H. G. Bissinger. The film stars Billy Bob Thornton as a high school football coach. I haven’t seen the movie, but thoroughly enjoyed “Friday Night Lights”, the subsequent TV series.

89 White sight in an expanse of blue : FLOE

An ice floe is a sheet of ice that has separated from an ice field and is floating freely on the surface of the ocean.

92 Blow a gasket : RAGE

The idiomatic phrase “to blow a gasket” means “to lose one’s temper”, and arose during the 1940s as cars became more common sites on roads. A gasket is a seal, often made of rubber, that fits between two pieces of metal, especially two parts of an engine. The gasket prevents the leakage of liquid or gas. A blown gasket evokes the image of steam escaping from the engine through a ruptured gasket. A cartoon character who loses his or her temper is often depicted with steam coming out of the ears, having blown that metaphorical gasket.

99 Composter’s concern : ODOR

Composting is the process of decomposing organic matter to make the soil conditioner known as “compost”. The term “compost” ultimately comes from the Latin “com” (together) and “ponere” (to place). Compost is best made by “putting together” green waste that is rich in nitrogen, with brown waste that is rich in carbon, all in the presence of water and air.

102 Silo fill : GRAIN

“Silo” is a Spanish word that we absorbed into English. The term ultimately derives from the Greek “siros”, which described a pit in which one kept corn.

108 Puerto Rico, on some maps : INSET

Puerto Rico (PR) is located in the northeastern Caribbean (in the Atlantic Ocean), east of the Dominican Republic. The name “Puerto Rico” is Spanish for “rich port”. The locals often call their island Borinquen, the Spanish form of “Boriken”, the original name used by the natives.

109 Popular video game franchise since 1997, for short : GTA

“Grand Theft Auto” (GTA) is an extremely successful series of video games. The game garners some negative attention because of its adult themes and the level of violence in the storyline. The original version of “Grand Theft Auto” was actually banned in Brazil.

115 Moved across the aisle : SWITCHED PARTIES

The concept of left-right politics started in France during the French Revolution. When members of France’s National Assembly convened in 1789, supporters of the King sat to the President’s right, and supporters of the revolution to the President’s left. The political terms “left” and “right” were then coined in the local media, and have been used ever since.

Down

3 Taste imparted by MSG : UMAMI

Umami is one of the five basic tastes, along with sweet, sour, bitter and salty. “Umami” is a Japanese word used to describe “a pleasant savory taste”. Umami was proposed as a basic taste in 1908, but it wasn’t until the mid-1990s that the scientific community finally accepted it as such.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of a naturally-occurring, non-essential amino acid called glutamic acid. It is used widely as a flavor enhancer, particularly in many Asian cuisines. Whether or not it is harmful seems to be still under debate. I say that anything produced in a test tube shouldn’t be in our food …

6 Race from gate to gate? : SLALOM

“Slalom” is an anglicized version of the Norwegian word “slalam” that translates as “skiing race”. There is a longer version of the traditional slalom that is called giant slalom

7 Texas city at the foot of the Franklin Mountains : EL PASO

Although there have been human settlements in the El Paso area for thousands of years, the first European settlement was founded in 1659 by the Spanish. That first community was on the south bank of the Rio Grande, and was called El Paso del Norte (the North Pass). Most of the urban development under Spanish rule took place on the south side of the river, with El Paso del Norte acting as the center of governance for the Spanish for the territory of New Mexico. The Rio Grande was chosen as the border between Mexico and the US in 1848, so most of the city of El Paso del Norte became part of the Mexican state of Chihuahua (and is now called Ciudad Juárez ). The area north of the river developed as a US military post, eventually becoming the modern city of El Paso, Texas.

8 Drum used in son cubano music : BONGO

Bongo drums are Cuban percussion instruments consisting of a pair of drums, one larger than the other. The smaller drum is called the “hembra” (female) and the larger the “macho” (male).

9 Delivery room injection, informally : EPI

The epidural space is found between the two layers of the dura mater, the thick membrane that surrounds and protects the brain and spinal cord. The spinal epidural space is often the target for local anesthetics, in a procedure that provides relief from pain during childbirth or surgery.

15 Device with a plunger : FRENCH PRESS

A French press is a type of coffee pot in which the grounds are separated from the coffee when a fine mesh filter is pressed to the bottom of the pot using a plunger. Back in Ireland, our name for a French press is a cafetière.

18 One willing to take the hit? : STONER

“Stoner” is a slang term for someone who is habitually intoxicated by alcohol or drugs.

19 Like Thor, shortly after arriving on Earth in 2011’s “Thor” : TASED

Victor Appleton wrote a novel for young adults called “Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle”. The company that developed the TASER electroshock weapon partly named its product as a homage to the novel. The acronym “TASER” stands for “Thomas A. Swift’s Electric Rifle”.

24 Tennis center? : ENS

There are two letters N (ens) at the center of the word “tennis”.

31 Eponym of a popular root beer brand : BARQ

When the Barq Brothers decided to go into the root beer business around 1900, they were faced with a dilemma as the Hires Root Beer Company was attempting to trademark the term “root beer”. So, the Barqs produced their beverage and called it simply Barq’s. They did indeed keep things simple, with an early advertising slogan of “Drink Barq’s. It’s good.” As the trademark issue dissipated, the company then introduced a slogan “Is it root beer?” before finally “coming out” and calling their drink “Barq’s root beer”.

34 Kiln for hops : OAST

An oast is a kiln used for drying hops as part of the brewing process. Such a structure might also be called an “oast house” or “hop kiln”. The term “oast” can also apply to a kiln used to dry tobacco.

38 Island northwest of the Big Island : MAUI

Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian islands. It is sometimes called the “Valley Isle” as it is composed of two volcanoes to the northwest and southeast of the island, each with numerous beautiful valleys carved into them.

The largest island in the state of Hawaii is named Hawaii, and nicknamed “the Big Island”. Of the Hawaiian islands that I’ve had the pleasure to visit, the Big Island is definitely my favorite.

46 Taradiddle : FIB

A tarradiddle (also “taradiddle”) is just a little lie, a fib.

47 Internet ___ : ERA

The Internet (uppercase letter I) is a system of interconnected networks that use the Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) to link devices around the world. In common usage, the word “internet” (lowercase letter I) is often used interchangeably with “World Wide Web”, although “the Web” is just one of many services and applications that uses the Internet.

50 Online reference with credits : IMDB

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) website was launched in 1990, and is now owned by Amazon.com. It’s a great site for answering questions one has about movies and actors.

53 Installations in a Hindu temple : IDOLS

Hinduism is the world’s third largest religion, after Christianity and Islam.

55 Performance with a sombrero : HAT DANCE

In English we think of a sombrero as a wide-brimmed hat, but in Spanish “sombrero” is the word for any hat. “Sombrero” is derived from “sombra” meaning “shade”.

56 ___ Technica (website with gadget reviews) : ARS

Ars Technica is a technology news website that launched in 1998. The site was purchased by Condé Nast Publications in 2008.

70 Puente of Latin jazz : TITO

After serving in the Navy in WWII for three years, musician Tito Puente studied at Juilliard, where he got a great grounding in conducting, orchestration and theory. Puente parlayed this education into a career in Latin Jazz and Mambo. He was known as “El Rey” as well as “The King of Latin Music”.

73 Sign of a packed house : SRO

Standing room only (SRO)

78 Jemison in the International Space Hall of Fame : MAE

Mae Jemison was a crew member on the Space Shuttle Endeavour on a 1992 mission, and as such became the first African-American woman to travel in space. She is also a big fan of “Star Trek” and appeared on an episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. That made Jemison the first real astronaut to appear on any of the “Star Trek” shows.

80 Soft rock : TALC

Talc is a mineral, hydrated magnesium silicate. Talcum powder is composed of loose talc, although these days “baby powder” is mainly made from cornstarch.

83 Currency used in Vatican City : EURO

Vatican City is not a member of the European Union (EU), but does have the euro as its official currency by virtue of a special agreement with the EU. Vatican City is allowed to issue a limited number of its own euro coins, but no banknotes. The cap on the number of coins issued is raised in the year that a new pope is named. As a result of the limitations, Vatican euro coins are highly prized by collectors.

86 1960s-’70s world leader portrayed in film by Helen Mirren : MEIR

Helen Mirren, one of my favorite English actresses, has played three different queens on film and television. She played Queen Elizabeth II on the 2006 film “The Queen”, the title role in the TV drama “Elizabeth I”, and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the wife of the title character in the 1994 film “The Madness of King George”. Mirren won the “Triple Crown of Acting” for playing:

• Queen Elizabeth II in “The Queen” (winning Best Actress Oscar)
• Queen Elizabeth II in “The Audience” (winning Best Actress in a Play Tony)
• Detective Jane Tennison in “Prime Suspect” (winning Outstanding Lead Actress Emmy)

87 Calming oil compound, for short : CBD

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a chemical extracted from cannabis plants that is used as a herbal drug. It does not contain the chemical tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is responsible for the marijuana “high”.

90 Text often followed by multiple exclamation points : OMG

“OMG” is text-speak for “Oh My Gosh!” “Oh My Goodness!” or any other G-words you might care to use …

96 “Hava ___” (hora song) : NAGILA

“Hava Nagila” is a Hebrew folk song, with the title translating into “Let Us Rejoice”. The melody is from a Ukrainian folk song. The words to “Hava Nagila” were composed in 1918 to celebrate the British victory in Palestine during WWI.

97 “Same as above” marks : DITTOS

The word “ditto” was originally used in Italian (from Tuscan dialect) to avoid repetition of the names of months in a series of dates. So, “ditto” is another wonderful import from that lovely land …

101 Certain Tuscan : PISAN

The city of Pisa sits right on the Italian coast, at the mouth of the River Arno. The city is perhaps most famous for its Leaning Tower. The tower is the campanile (bell tower) of the city’s cathedral, and it has been leaning since it was completed in 1173. Just shows you how important good foundations are …

104 What’s seemingly impossible to find when storing leftovers : LID

Ain’t that the truth …

111 1982 film that spawned a sci-fi franchise : TRON

Released in 1982, Disney’s “Tron” was one of the first mainstream films to make extensive use of computer graphics. The main role in the movie is played by Jeff Bridges. The original spawned a 2010 sequel called “Tron: Legacy”, as well as a 2012 TV show called “Tron: Uprising”.

116 Director Wenders : WIM

Wim Wenders is a German movie director and producer. Wenders has served as the president of the European Film Academy in Berlin since 1996.