Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
1 U.S. intelligence org. : NSA
National Security Agency (NSA)
4 Pal you might take fishing? : CHUM
A chum is a friend. The term “chum” originated in the late 1600s as an alternative spelling for “cham”. In turn, “cham” was a shortened form of “chambermate”, a roommate at university.
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The word “chum” meaning “fish bait”, is perhaps derived from the Scottish word “chum” meaning food.
18 Trident-wielding god of the sea : POSEIDON
Poseidon was the god of the sea in Greek mythology as well as the “Earthshaker”, the god responsible for earthquakes.
19 Apollo’s twin who rules over the hunt : ARTEMIS
Artemis was an ancient Greek goddess, and the equivalent of the Roman goddess Diana. Artemis was also a daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo. Among other things, she was the goddess of the hunt, and so often is depicted carrying a bow and arrows.
20 Tied, as a hay bale : TWINED
Our word “twine”, meaning “light string”, has the same root as our word “twin”. The original Old English “twin” was a double thread.
24 Capital of Saskatchewan : REGINA
The Canadian province of Saskatchewan (Sask.) takes its name from the Saskatchewan River. The river in turn takes its name from the Cree name, which translates as “swift flowing river”. The capital of Saskatchewan is Regina, although the biggest city in the province is Saskatoon.
29 Experiencing Novocain’s effects, say : NUMB
“Novocain” is actually a brand name, one for the local anesthetic procaine.
34 Sun Devils’ sch. : ASU
Arizona State University (ASU) has a long history, and was founded as the Tempe Normal School for the Arizona Territory in 1885. The athletic teams of ASU used to be known as the Normals, then the Bulldogs, and since 1946 they’ve been called the Sun Devils.
35 “Stop!,” to a sailor : AVAST!
“Avast” is a nautical term used to tell someone to stop or desist from what they are doing. The word comes from the Dutch “hou vast” meaning “hold fast”.
36 Kind of wrestling … or a hint to four pairs of crossing answers in this puzzle : GRECO-ROMAN
Greco-Roman wrestling was contested at the first modern Olympic Games, back in 1896. Back then there was relatively little regulation of the sport and Greco-Roman contests were noted for their brutality. Bouts also took a long time to finish, often lasting hours. In fact, two competitors in the final round of the event at the 1912 Olympic Games fought a match that lasted 11 hours and 40 minutes. The victor was so exhausted after the contest that he was unable to compete in the final bout.
42 Tooth puller’s deg. : DDS
Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)
43 Israel’s Netanyahu, informally : BIBI
Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu became Prime Minister of Israel in 2009, when he became the first leader of the country who was born in the state of Israel. After graduating high school, Netanyahu served in the Israeli special forces and participated in several combat missions, getting wounded on multiple occasions. After leaving the army in 1972, Netanyahu studied at MIT in the US, earning a bachelor’s degree in architecture and a master’s degree in business.
47 Form-fitting swimwear brand : SPEEDO
Speedo brand swimwear was first produced in Australia in 1928, by a hosiery company that wanted to diversify. The brand name was chosen after a slogan competition among employees was won by “Speed on in your Speedos”. It was a long time ago, I guess …
52 Lakeside rentals : CANOES
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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”.
55 Host Glass of public radio’s “This American Life” : IRA
Ira Glass is a well-respected presenter on American Public Radio who is perhaps best known for his show “This American Life”. I was interested to learn that one of my favorite composers, Philip Glass, is Ira’s first cousin.
58 Relative of a llama : ALPACA
Alpacas are like small llamas, but unlike llamas were never beasts of burden. Alpacas were bred specifically for the fleece. As such, there are no known wild alpacas these days, even in their native Peru.
60 Harvest goddess with a daughter in the underworld : DEMETER
In Greek mythology, Demeter was the goddess of the harvest. She was the mother of Persephone, who was abducted by Hades and taken to the Underworld. Demeter was upset at the loss of Persephone, and so neglected her responsibilities as goddess of agriculture, causing famine on Earth. Persephone eventually divided her time each year, spending six months on Earth, and six months in the Underworld. As a result, Demeter’s attention to the harvest became a seasonal cycle.
65 God celebrated with wine, feasts and dancing : DIONYSUS
Dionysus was the party animal of Greek mythology. He was the god of wine, ritual madness, insanity and ecstasy! My kind of guy …
67 Make out, in Britspeak : 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.
Down
1 Trident-wielding god of the sea : NEPTUNE
Neptune was a Roman god, of both the sea and of freshwater. He was sometimes known as “Neptunus Equester” as he was also the god of horses and patron of horse-racing.
2 Chilly-sounding pod in a stir-fry : SNOW PEA
The snow pea lives up to its name. It continues to grow when it is snowing.
5 Like some assets and agendas : HIDDEN
“Agenda” is a Latin word that translates as “things to be done”, coming from the verb “agere” meaning “to do”.
6 One, in Oaxaca : UNO
Oaxaca (officially “Oaxaca de Juárez”) is the capital city of the Mexican state of Oaxaca, which is located in the south of the country.
7 The “M” of “M.I.B.” : MEN
“Men in black” (MIB) are said to have appeared in the past whenever there have been reports of UFO sightings. Supposedly, these men are government agents whose job it is to suppress reports of alien landings. The conspiracy theorists got their day in the movies with the release of a pretty good sci-fi comedy in 1997 called “Men in Black”, starring Will Smith (as Agent J) and Tommy Lee Jones (as Agent K).
8 Apollo’s twin who rules over the hunt : DIANA
Diana was the Roman goddess of the hunt, the moon and birthing. The Greek equivalent of Diana was the goddess Artemis. According to Roman mythology, Diana was the twin sister of Apollo, and the daughter of Jupiter and Latona.
9 Nonvegan fat in a pie crust : LARD
Fat, when extracted from the carcass of an animal, is called suet. Untreated suet decomposes at room temperature quite easily so it has to be rendered, purified to make it stable. Rendered fat from pigs is what we call lard. Rendered beef or mutton fat is known as tallow.
25 Tortilla chip dip, informally : GUAC
Guacamole is one of my favorite dishes. It is prepared by mashing avocados and perhaps adding the likes of tomato, onion and lime juice. The guacamole recipe dates back as early as the 16th century, to the time of the Aztecs. “Guacamole” translates as “avocado sauce”.
30 Los Angeles football player : RAM
The Los Angeles Rams are the only franchise to have won NFL championships in three different cities, i.e. Cleveland (1945), Los Angeles (1951 & 2021) and St. Louis (1999). The Rams were based in Cleveland from 1936 to 1945, in Los Angeles from 1946 to 1994, in St. Louis from 1995 to 2015, and returned to Los Angeles in 2016.
31 Mendes of “2 Fast 2 Furious” : EVA
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I am most familiar with actress Eva Mendes as the female lead in the movie “Hitch”, in which she played opposite Will Smith. Mendes started a relationship with fellow actor Ryan Gosling in 2011, and the couple have two children together.
“2 Fast 2 Furious” … and 2 many “Fast and Furious” movies 2 watch for me …
33 “Snowy” wader : EGRET
The snowy egret is a small white heron that is native to the Americas. At one time the egret species was in danger of extinction due to hunting driven by the demand for plumes for women’s hats.
39 City that’s home to Munch’s “The Scream” : OSLO
Edvard Munch was a Norwegian expressionist, and most famous for his painting “The Scream”, painted in 1893. What a wonderful work that is, a true representation of expressionism. The Munch Museum in Oslo is dedicated to his work and life. In 2004, two of Munch’s paintings, “The Scream” and “Madonna”, were stolen from the Munch Museum by armed robbers who subdued the museum guards. The paintings were missing for two years, but recovered in 2006.
41 Bathroom tile material : CERAMIC
A ceramic is a hard, heat- and corrosion-resistant material that is strong in compression but has a low tensile strength. Most ceramics are inorganic, non-metallic chemicals. As an aside, I have a degree in ceramics, believe it or not, after writing a thesis on the material used to make refrigerator magnets. Sad, really …
44 Deadlocked situation : IMPASSE
“Impasse” is a French word describing a blind alley or an impassable road, and we use the term to mean “stalemate”.
A deadlock is a standstill, a stalemate. The suggestion is that the term “deadlock” was coined in the 1779 play called “The Critic”, from the pen of Richard Brinsley Sheridan.
45 God celebrated with wine, feasts and dancing : BACCHUS
Bacchus was the Roman god wine-making, festivity and ritual madness. He was the equivalent of the Greek god Dionysus. The name “Bacchus” was used by the Greeks as an alternative for Dionysus, and then absorbed by the Romans.
47 Natural weaver : SPIDER
The silk that makes up a web is a protein fiber that is “spun” by a spider. Spider silk is about one sixth of the density of steel, yet has a comparable tensile strength.
49 Brand for water fun : SEA-DOO
Sea-Doo is a brand name of personal watercraft (PWC). Other well-known brands are Jet Ski and WaveRunner.
52 Harvest goddess with a daughter in the underworld : CERES
Ceres was a Roman goddess of agriculture and fertility, and was the counterpart of the Greek goddess Demeter. Our modern word “cereal” comes from the name “Ceres”.
53 Weapon for David in the Bible : SLING
In the story of David and Goliath, the Israelites and the Philistines faced each other in battle at the Valley of Elah. Goliath was the warrior champion of the Philistines and each day he challenged the Israelites to send out their champion to decide the battle in a one-on-one fight. No one was courageous enough to accept the challenge until young David agreed to face the mighty Goliath. David felled the giant soldier with a stone from his sling.
57 Tennis champ Sampras : PETE
Pete Sampras is a retired Greek-American tennis professional. Sampras was rated number one in the world rankings for six years in a row in the nineties.
62 OB/GYNs, e.g. : MDS
A medical doctor (MD) might be an expert in obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN).
63 A, in Wiesbaden : EIN
Wiesbaden is the capital city of the federal state of Hesse in southwestern Germany. Wiesbaden is one of the oldest spa towns in Europe, and its name translates literally to “meadow baths”.
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Category: WHAT
