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Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

17A Marvel Comics villain with an explosive superpower : NITRO

Marvel Comics was founded in 1939 as Timely Comics, before becoming Atlas Comics in 1951 and eventually Marvel Comics in 1961. The “Marvel” brand had existed from day one, and Timely Comics’ first publication was “Marvel Comics #1” in October 1939. That first comic featured the superhero the Human Torch.

18A American court org. : USTA

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national organization governing the sport of tennis in the US. It was founded way back in 1881 as the United States National Lawn Tennis Association.

21A Some sous-chef scraps : PEELS

The “sous-chef de cuisine” (a French term) is the “under-chef of the kitchen”, the second-in-command.

23A Three-time Olympic figure skating champion : HENIE

Sonja Henie was a World and Olympic Champion figure skater from Oslo, Norway who competed in the days when “amateur” sports stars were not paid. Henie made up for her lack of income from competing by developing a career in Hollywood. She was one of the highest-paid film stars at the height of her movie career.

26A Band at a Jimmy Buffett concert? : LEI

Jimmy Buffett was a singer from Mobile, Alabama who was famous for a distinctive style of music that evokes “an escape to the islands”. Buffett’s fans are known by the colorful nickname “Parrotheads”. He was one of those folks who were born on Christmas Day.

28A “America’s Largest Classroom” : PBS

The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) was founded in 1969, and is my favorite of the broadcast networks. I love PBS’s drama and science shows in particular, and always watch election results coming in with the NewsHour team.

29A Cinch : SNAP

The term “cinch” was absorbed into American English from Spanish in the mid-1800s, when it was used to mean a “saddle-girth”. “Cincha” is the Spanish word for “girdle”. In the late 1800s, “cinch” came to mean a “sure thing”, in the sense that a saddle-girth can provide a “sure hold”.

37A Get past a paywall, say : LOG IN

A paywall is a system used by websites to protect content from being accessed by anyone who isn’t a paid-up subscriber.

43A One who’s left at the polls, informally? : DEM

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.

44A Bobby ___, first recipient of the Best New Artist Grammy Award (1960) : DARIN

Singer Bobby Darin had a short but eventful life. Darin started in show business as a songwriter for Connie Francis. He then made it big as a performer with huge hits like “Splish Splash”, “Dream Lover”, “Mack the Knife” and “Beyond the Sea”. He was active politically as a supporter of Robert Kennedy, and was present in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles when Kennedy was assassinated. Soon after, Darin found out that the people he thought were his parents, were in fact his grandparents. The woman he knew as his older sister was in fact his mother. Darin died following a heart operation at only 37 years old.

46A Plague that precedes lice in Exodus : FROGS

According to the biblical Book of Exodus, God inflicted ten plagues on Egypt to persuade the Pharaoh to release the Israelites from bondage. For example, the first was the changing of water in the Nile to blood, the eighth was a plague of locusts that consumed all the Egyptian crops, and the tenth was the death of firstborn sons.

53A Fabled example of poor competition strategy : HARE

“The Tortoise and the Hare” is perhaps the most famous fable attributed to Aesop. The cocky hare takes a nap during a race against the tortoise, and the tortoise sneaks past the finish line for the win while his speedier friend is sleeping.

54A Actress Amanda of “Easy A” : BYNES

Amanda Bynes is an actress who made it big as a teenager on TV shows like “All That” and “The Amanda Show”. She then moved on to play teen roles on the big screen, particularly in “She’s the Man” and “Hairspray”.

59A They can help one get a leg up, informally : QUADS

The quadriceps femoris is the muscle group at the front of the thigh. It is one of the largest and most powerful muscle groups in the human body. The “quads” are actually a group of four muscles in the upper leg, hence the use of the prefix “quad-”.

60A What all the buzz is about? : WASP NEST

While wasps are considered a nuisance by many, they are very important to the agricultural industry. Wasps prey on many pest insects, while having very little impact on crops.

Down

5D Actress Sedgwick : KYRA

Actress Kyra Sedgwick is perhaps best known for playing Deputy Chief Johnson, the lead character on the crime drama show “The Closer”. Sedgwick married fellow actor Kevin Bacon in 1988. Sedgwick appeared on a family history show, and discovered that she and her husband are cousins, albeit ninth cousins once removed. I bet that was a surprise …

8D Minestrone morsel : GREEN BEAN

Minestrone is a hearty Italian soup with varying ingredients, but usually including lots of vegetables in a vegetable broth with added pasta or rice. The term “minestrone” comes from the Italian “minestrare” meaning “to serve”.

9D Dwelling for clergy : MANSE

A manse is a minister’s home in various Christian traditions. “Manse” derives from “mansus”, the Latin for “dwelling”. The term can also be used for any stately residence.

10D “The most beautiful river on earth,” per Thomas Jefferson : OHIO

The Ohio River forms in Pittsburgh where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet. The Ohio empties into the Mississippi near the city of Cairo, Illinois.

Thomas Jefferson was the US’s first Secretary of State (under George Washington), the US’s second Vice President (under John Adams), and the US’s third president. Anyone interested in biographies of US presidents might like to read Jon Meacham’s “Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power”. I highly recommend it …

11D One may sit near a bench marking time : METRONOME

A metronome is any device that produces a regular beat. The metronome was invented in 1815 by Johann Maelzel, who intended it to be an instrument for the use of musicians.

12D Strap-and-buckle shoes named for a comic strip character who wore them : MARY JANES

Here in the US, the term “Mary Jane” can describe a closed-toe shoe with a strap across the instep. They are usually worn by children, mainly girls, and often form part of a school uniform. The original Mary Jane was a character in the comic strip “Buster Brown”, drawn by Richard Felton Outcault starting in 1902. The Brown Shoe Company in St. Louis used the characters to promote their shoes, and the name “Mary Jane” was applied to the style of shoe worn by Buster Brown and Mary Jane in the comic strip.

27D Global fiscal policy org. : IMF

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) was established at the end of 1945 with 29 major economies supporting and funding an effort to stabilize economies across the globe after WWII. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the IMF now has almost 200 member nations.

34D “Thou art fairer than the evening air ___ in the beauty of a thousand stars”: Marlowe : CLAD

Christopher Marlowe was an English dramatist and poet around in the Elizabethan era. Marlowe was born in the same year as William Shakespeare, and it seems that Shakespeare was heavily influenced by Marlowe’s work. Marlowe achieved success and prominence at a relatively young age. It was only after Marlowe’s early death (at 29 years of age) that Shakespeare became extremely successful. There is one theory, now considered somewhat outlandish, that Marlowe faked his death and continued to work under the name “William Shakespeare”.

39D Reddish fish sometimes served tartare : AHI TUNA

Steak tartare was first served in French restaurants in the early 1900s. Back then, the dish went by the name “steak à l’Americaine”, would you believe? It was basically raw, seasoned beef mixed with egg yolk. A later version of l’Americaine, without the egg yolk and with tartar sauce served on the side, was dubbed “steak tartare”. Over time the two versions became one, and the steak tartare moniker won out. By the way, if you order steak tartare in Switzerland, I believe you are served horse meat. There are now similar “tartare” dishes made with raw salmon, or raw tuna.

44D Pieces in the game Othello : DISKS

The game of Reversi is also sold as Othello. The name “Othello” was chosen as a nod to the play by William Shakespeare.

47D Writer of the story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” : OATES

Joyce Carol Oates is a remarkable writer, not just for the quality of her work (her 1969 novel “them” won a National Book Award, for example) but also for how prolific her output is. She published her first book in 1963 and since then has published over fifty novels as well as many other written works.

49D Cellphone hot line? : SEXT

Sexting (a portmanteau of “sex” and “texting”) is the sending of explicit dialog and images between cell phones. The term “sexting” was coined by the UK’s “Sunday Telegraph Magazine” in a 2005 article.

56D Pulitzer-winning biographer Chernow : RON

Author and journalist Ron Chernow is perhaps best known as a biographer. He wrote about the lives of two US presidents, namely Ulysses S. Grant and George Washington. His biography of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton was adapted into the incredibly successful stage musical: “Hamilton” by Lin-Manuel Miranda.