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Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A ___ Hoffman, member of the Chicago Seven : ABBIE

Abbie Hoffman was the founder of the Yippies, an activist group that had violent clashes with the police during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Hoffman, along with six other defendants, was eventually brought up on charges related to the protests and became known collectively as the Chicago Seven.

10A Influence on the Beatles’ “I Am the Walrus” : ACID

“I Am the Walrus” is a Beatles song released in 1967. It was written by John Lennon, with the “Walrus” being a reference to the poem “The Walrus and the Carpenter” from Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking-Glass”.

19A S.I. or GQ : MAG

“Sports Illustrated” used to be read by 23 million people every week, including a whopping 19% of adult males in the US. That was before the Internet devastated print media.

The men’s magazine known today as “GQ” used to be titled “Gentlemen’s Quarterly” (hence “GQ”). It was known as “Apparel Arts” when launched in 1931.

21A Hymn’s finale? : SILENT N

The last letter of the word “hymn” is a silent letter N.

23A Baltic and Mediterranean: Abbr. : AVES

Mediterranean Avenue and Baltic Avenue are properties in the game of Monopoly. The street names in the US version of Monopoly are locations in or around Atlantic City, New Jersey.

25A Sponsor of auto racing’s Sprint Cup Series : STP

In the world of NASCAR, what was called the Nextel Cup in 2004-2007 became the Sprint Cup (as Sprint took over Nextel). Prior to 2004, the prize was called the Winston Cup.

27A Conductor Previn with a Lifetime Achievement Grammy : ANDRE

André Previn was a pianist, conductor and composer who was born in Berlin, Germany but who grew up in Los Angeles. Previn won four Oscars for his work on the musical scores of “Gigi” (1958), “Porgy & Bess” (1959), “Irma la Douce” (1963) and “My Fair Lady” (1964). Previn was married five times, most famously probably to actress Mia Farrow.

33A Sculler’s instrument : OAR

A scull is a boat used for competitive rowing. The main hull of the boat is often referred to as a shell. Crew members who row the boat can be referred to as “oars”. And, a scull is also an oar mounted on the stern of a small boat. It’s all very confusing …

37A Hit HBO series inspired by a post-apocalyptic video game : THE LAST OF US

“The Last of Us” is a post-apocalyptic drama TV show that is based on a video game of the same name. The apocalypse in the storyline is caused by mass fungal infection that developed into a pandemic. Those infected turn into zombie-like creatures. Ugh …

39A Brand whose products often come with caps : BIC

Société Bic is a company based in Clichy in France. The first product the company produced, more than fifty years ago, was the Bic Cristal ballpoint pen that is still produced today. Bic also makes other disposable products such as lighters and razors.

47A ___ Nation (entertainment company founded by Jay-Z) : ROC

Jay-Z, as well as being a successful and very rich rap artist, is married to singer Beyoncé. Jay-Z was born Shawn Corey Carter in Brooklyn, New York. As Carter was growing up, he was nicknamed “Jazzy”, a reference to his interest in music. “Jazzy” evolved into the stage name “Jay-Z”. Jay-Z and Beyoncé have a daughter named Blue Ivy Carter, and twins named Rumi and Sir Carter.

50A Tundra, for one : HABITAT

Tundra is an ecosystem that is treeless, or very nearly so. There are three types of tundra. Arctic and Antarctic tundra can’t support the growth of trees as the ground is pretty much frozen. Alpine tundra cannot support tree-growth due to high altitude.

53A “Yellowjackets” airer, for short : SHO

“Yellowjackets” sounds like an interesting TV show. It is about four teenage girls who survive a plane crash, and have to live for nineteen months alone in the Canadian wilderness. While this story unfolds in the show, we also track their lives as adults, 25 years later.

55A Secrecy-ensuring document, in brief : NDA

Non-disclosure agreement (NDA)

56A Apogee : APEX

In the celestial world, an apsis is a point in an orbit when the orbiting body is at its greatest, or least, distance from its center of orbit. The farthest and closest points of orbit are known as the apogee and perigee, when talking about bodies orbiting the Earth. The farthest and closest points for bodies orbiting the sun are known as the aphelion and perihelion.

57A Fusion pastry made with glutinous rice flour : MOCHI DONUT

Mochi doughnuts are a fusion of Japanese mochi and the classic American doughnut. They come in a wide array of flavors and toppings, from classic glazes to more adventurous options like matcha, black sesame, and ube. Despite their Japanese influence, the mochi doughnut is believed to have originated in Hawaii, with the bakery chain Mister Donut popularizing the concept in the early 2010s.

Down

3D Sausage, in British lingo : BANGER

Sausages are often referred to as bangers on the other side of the pond. The term “banger” is a reference to the tendency of the sausage to burst open with a bang while cooking. The rather tasty dish called bangers and mash is traditional British fare and comprises sausages with mashed potatoes, and smothered in brown gravy. Yum …

5D Brontë heroine : EYRE

“Jane Eyre” is a classic 1847 novel by Charlotte Brontë, published under the pseudonym “Currer Bell”. It’s a coming-of-age tale in which the title character endures a harsh childhood and education before becoming a governess at Thornfield Hall. Jane falls in love with her brooding employer, Mr. Rochester, but there’s a rocky road to travel before the couple finally get to the altar.

8D GLAAD and CARE, for two : NGOS

GLAAD is a non-governmental media monitoring organization that was founded in 1985 as the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. The organization changed its name to GLAAD in 2013 to reflect the organization’s efforts to support the whole of the LGBTQ+ community.

The humanitarian agency CARE was founded in 1945 as the Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe. It was this agency who introduced the original “CARE package”, a carton of food aid delivered to individuals. Since 1993, the acronym CARE has been standing for “Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere”.

9D Author Morrison : TONI

Writer Toni Morrison won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. Amongst other things, Morrison is noted for coining the phrase “our first Black President”, a reference to President Bill Clinton.

10D Actor Ehrenreich of “Oppenheimer” : ALDEN

“Oppenheimer” is an epic 2023 film starring Cillian Murphy in the title role. The movie follows J. Robert Oppenheimer, “the father of the atomic bomb”, from his student days right through World War II and beyond. Directed by Christopher Nolan, the film has an amazing ensemble cast that includes:

• Matt Damon (General Leslie Groves)
• Robert Downey Jr. (Lewis Strauss)
• Josh Hartnett (Ernest Lawrence)
• Kenneth Branagh (Niels Bohr)
• Tom Conti (Albert Einstein)
• Gary Oldman (Harry S. Truman)

15D Baltic and Mediterranean : SEAS

The Baltic is a sea in northern Europe that is much less saline than the oceans. The lower amount of salt in the Baltic partially explains why almost half of the sea freezes over during the winter. In fact, the Baltic has been known to completely freeze over several times over the past few centuries.

The Mediterranean Sea is almost completely enclosed by land, and is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the narrow Strait of Gibraltar. The sea takes its name from the Latin “mediterraneus”, which means “in the middle of land”.

35D Zeno of ___, Greek philosopher who rejected the existence of space, time and motion : ELEA

Zeno of Elea was a Greek philosopher who lived in Elea, a Greek colony in Southern Italy. Zeno is famous for his paradoxes, a set of problems that really make you think! In the problem known as “Achilles and the Tortoise”, Zeno tells us that Achilles races a tortoise, giving the tortoise a head start (of say 100 meters). By the time Achilles reaches the starting point of the tortoise, the tortoise will have moved on, albeit only a small distance. Achilles then sets his sights on the tortoise’s new position and runs to it. Again the tortoise has moved ahead a little. Achilles keeps on moving to the tortoise’s new position but can never actually catch his slower rival. Or can he …?

37D International fast-food chain without a location in Mexico, interestingly : TACO BELL

Taco Bell was founded by a former US Marine Glen Bell. His first restaurant was Bell’s Drive-In, located in Southern California. After opening that first establishment, Bell bought up some more restaurants including four named El Taco. He sold off the El Taco restaurants but used the name in part when he opened his first Taco Bell in 1962. Bell then sold franchises, with the 100th Taco Bell opening in 1967. The ex-Marine sold off the whole chain to PepsiCo in 1978, and I am guessing he made a pretty penny. Taco Bell has been using the “Live Más” slogan since 2012, with “más” being the Spanish word for “more”.

38D Popular food fish : TILAPIA

The name “tilapia” is used for almost a hundred species of related fish, most of which are found in freshwater. Tilapia are found in many fish farms as they grow very quickly and are popular in restaurants.

42D Compound in wine or tea : TANNIN

The terms “tannic acid” and “tannin” are often used interchangeably, but strictly speaking this usage is incorrect. Tannic acid is a specific type of tannin, a tannin that doesn’t occur naturally in wines to any significant amount. Tannic acid can be added to wines as a clarifying agent, color stabilizer or even taste enhancer.

48D ___ Pet : 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.

51D Bands together? : AM/FM

Amplitude modulation/frequency modulation (AM/FM)