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Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

9A Utah ski resort : ALTA

Alta ski resort lies within the Salt Lake City Metropolitan Area. The first ski lift in the resort was opened way back in 1939. Today, Alta is one of only three ski resorts in the country that prohibits snowboarding (along with Deer Valley, Utah and Mad River Glen, Vermont). The ski resort of Snowbird, located next to Alta, has been in operation since 1971.

13A Lowly sorts : PEONS

A peon is a lowly worker who has no real control over his/her working conditions. The word “peon” comes into English from Spanish, in which language it has the same meaning.

15A Online “Yay!” : WOOT!

Apparently “woot” is computer slang, and an expression of excitement and joy. It has been suggested that the term comes from the game “Dungeons and Dragons”, and is a contraction of “wow, loot”. Unknown to me outside of crosswords …

16A Pixar franchise in which buses and taxis exist, despite serving seemingly no purpose : CARS

“Cars” is a 2006 animated feature from Pixar. The great cast of voice actors includes Paul Newman in his last movie role before he passed away in 2008.

20A Fish in a negitoro roll : TUNA

In Japanese cuisine, “negitoro” is a dish comprising the fatty parts of tuna that are not usually used for other dishes. Negitoro is often served with green onion.

21A Where “music and passion were always the fashion,” in a Barry Manilow hit : THE COPA

The Copacabana of the 1978 Barry Manilow song is the Copacabana nightclub in New York City (which is also the subject of the Frank Sinatra song “Meet Me at the Copa”). The Copa opened in 1940 and is still going today, although it is struggling. The club had to move due to impending construction and is now “sharing” a location with the Columbus 72 nightclub.

Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl
With yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there
She would merengue and do the cha-cha
And while she tried to be a star
Tony always tended bar
Across the crowded floor, they worked from 8 ’til 4
They were young and they had each other
Who could ask for more?

22A 1990s feminist movement rooted in punk rock : RIOT GRRRL

Riot grrrl is an underground feminist punk movement that originated in the early 1990s in the US. It combines feminism with punk rock music and politics, and addresses issues such as sexism, domestic abuse, and rape culture.

26A ___ Rae Jepsen (“Call Me Maybe” singer) : CARLY

“Call Me Maybe” was released as a single in 2011 by Canadian singer-songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen. Jepsen co-wrote the number originally as a folk song, but it was transformed into pop during production.

30A “Capisce?” : SEE?

“Capeesh?” is a slang term meaning “do you understand?” It comes from the Italian “capisce” meaning “understand”.

31A Thai noodle dish : PAD SEE EW

Pad see ew is also known as Phat si io, and is a stir-fried noodle dish in Thai cuisine. “Phat si io” means “fried with soy sauce”. I love Thai food …

35A Contents of la Seine : EAU

The Seine is the river that flows through Paris. It empties into the English Channel to the north, at the port city of Le Havre.

38A Disease for which China’s Tu Youyou discovered a lifesaving treatment, earning her a Nobel Prize : MALARIA

Malaria is a disease passed onto humans by mosquitoes. As a result of the disease, a parasite invades human red blood cells and multiplies causing fever and possibly coma or death. Over 750,000 people died from malaria in 2009, out of 225 million cases reported.

42A “Knives Out” co-star ___ de Armas : ANA

Ana de Armas is an actress from Cuba. Having attended the National Theater School of Cuba, she moved to Spain at the age of 18. There, she made a name for herself in a Spanish TV series called “El Internado”. De Armas moved to Los Angeles in 2014, after which her performance opposite Ryan Gosling in 2017’s “Blade Runner 2049” earned her critical acclaim.

“Knives Out” is an intriguing murder mystery film released in 2019. There’s a great cast including Daniel Craig, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette and Christopher Plummer. I really enjoyed this one, partly because it’s a clever, contemporary take on a classic whodunit movie …

43A Research institute where radio astronomy began : BELL LABS

Bell Labs dates back to the days of Alexander Graham Bell. The first Bell Labs building was in the carriage house of Bell’s father’s house in Washington, D.C.

44A Compound in a joint : THC

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the main psychoactive compound in cannabis.

55A As, in chemistry : ARSENIC

Arsenic is element #33 in the periodic table, and has the chemical symbol “As”. Because of arsenic’s toxicity, it was very commonly used in pesticides. These compounds are getting banned over time, but it seems there is a long way to go. Arsenic in aquifers continues to be a problem around the world, including here in the US. China has introduced limits to the amounts of arsenic permitted in food as well as water, mainly as the Chinese staple of rice is particularly effective at accumulating arsenic from groundwater.

57A Literary character who hopes to get whale soon? : AHAB

In Herman Melville’s “Moby-Dick” the obsessed Captain Ahab manages with a final effort to lodge his harpoon in the whale’s flesh. He yells out “… to the last I grapple with thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee.” With that, the injured whale dives, and Captain Ahab is pulled under to his doom with a loop of the harpoon’s rope wrapped around his neck.

63A “Othello” villain : IAGO

In William Shakespeare’s play ”Othello”, the villain of the piece Iago utters the words:

I hate the Moor,
And it is thought abroad that ’twixt my sheets
He’s done my office. I know not if ’t be true,
But I, for mere suspicion in that kind,
Will do as if for surety.

Iago is citing the widespread rumor that Othello slept with Iago’s wife Emilia. Iago is not certain that the rumor is true, but just the suspicion of it is enough for him to express his hatred for Othello.

64A Rustic verse : IDYL

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.

66A ___ mess (traditional English dessert) : ETON

The dessert Eton mess is a mixture of strawberries or other berries, meringue, and whipped cream. It is believed to originate from Eton College in England, hence the name.

68A Event captured in the photograph “Into the Jaws of Death” : D-DAY

The Normandy landings on D-Day in 1944 took place along a 50-mile stretch of the Normandy coast divided into five sectors: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. The worst fighting by far took place on Omaha Beach, a sector assigned to the US Army that was transported by elements of the US Navy and the Royal Navy.

Down

1D Big name in nail polish : 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.

3D “Southern cough syrup” : HOT TODDY

The word “toddy” has come a long way. Its origins lie in the Hindi word for a palm tree, which is “tar”. The derivative word “tari” was used for palm sap, which came into English as “tarrie”, then “taddy” and “toddy”, all of which described an alcoholic drink made from fermented palm sap. That was back around 1600. Late in the 18th century, the palm sap drink called “toddy” had morphed into meaning any alcoholic drink made with liquor, hot water, sugar and spices.

5D Bird with “barn” and “barred” varieties : OWL

Barn owls are very effective at keeping down the population of rats, and have been used for this reason for centuries. However, the use of rat poison takes a toll not only on rats, but on small mammals like voles and mice, and indeed on barn owls who feed on such creatures.

8D “Then again …,” to a texter : OTOH …

On the other hand (OTOH)

10D Punjabi metropolis : LAHORE

Lahore is a large city in Pakistan that is second in size only to Karachi. It is known as the Garden of the Mughals (or in English, Moguls) because of its association with the Mughal Empire. The Mughals ruled much of India from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries.

Punjab is the most populous province in Pakistan and is home to over half of the country’s citizens. “Punjab” (also “Panjab”) translates as “Five Waters”, a reference to five rivers that form tributaries to the Indus River: Chenab, Jhelum, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.

11D With 44-Down, many an EGOT contender … or what’s spelled out by this puzzle’s shaded squares? : TRIPLE …
44D See 11-Down : … THREAT

Emmy, Grammy, Oscar & Tony Awards (EGOT)

12D Give a makeup test? : ASSAY

One might assay an ore to determine its composition, its makeup.

14D Dynasty after the Tang : SONG

The Song dynasty ruled in China from 960 to 1279 CE. There were several significant developments during this period of rule. For example, the Song dynasty issued the world’s first true banknotes, and established the first permanent standing navy in China’s history.

19D Suggestion, informally : REC

Recommendation (rec.)

23D Tilted type: Abbr. : ITAL

Italic type leans to the right, and is often used to provide emphasis in text. The style is known as “italic” because the stylized calligraphic form of writing originated in Italy, probably in the Vatican.

49D 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 Elizabeth II on stage in “The Audience”, alongside Helen Mirren.

53D Pequod, e.g. : SHIP

The Pequod is the whaling ship that figures in Herman Melville’s classic novel “Moby-Dick”. It is owned by a consortium of the citizens of Nantucket Island, including Captains Ahab, Bildad and Peleg.

56D Colored part of the 59-Down : IRIS
59D See 56-Down : EYE

The iris is the colored part of the eye. It has an aperture in the center that can open or close depending on the level of light hitting the eye.

61D Singer Rita : ORA

Rita Ora is a British singer who was born Rita Sahatçiu in Pristina, Yugoslavia to Albanian parents. The family name “Sahatçiu” comes from a Turkish word meaning “watchmaker”. Rita’s parents changed their name to make it easier to pronounce. So, the family name morphed from “watchmaker” to “time”, which is “ora” in Albanian.

62D M.L.B. team for “Mr. October” and “Mr. November” : NYY

Former baseball player Reggie Jackson is known as “Mr. October”, because of his memorable postseason performances.

Derek Jeter played his entire professional baseball career with the New York Yankees, and was the team’s captain. Jeter is the all-time career leader for the Yankees in hits, games played, stolen bases and at bats. He is also the all-time leader in hits by a shortstop in the whole of professional baseball. Jeter’s performances in the postseason earned him the nicknames “Captain Clutch” and “Mr. November”. Jeter retired from the game in 2014.