Minute A Day About Movies

MAD Puzzle No. 8
7/16/10

What the…?!
Puzzle
Answer Grid

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Why is a moon named after an actress, and how do you get Dysnomia from LAWLESS?  Lucy Lawless is the actresss who starred in Xena: Warrior Princess from 1995 to 2001.  After Eris was discovered in 2005, it was unofficially known as Xena, and its moon was unofficially Gabrielle; both were named for characters on the TV show.  The next year the IAU created the designation of dwarf planet, and Pluto, about 4/5 the size of Eris, was demoted.  You may have heard.  Eris became the official name of the newly discovered dwarf planet because the rules say it should be named for a figure from Greek or Roman mythology.  Eris, aptly, is the Greek goddess of strife and discord.  Dysnomia is the daughter of Eris, and the name, translated from the Greek, means “lawlessness.”  So the actress, not her TV character, got the honor.

AMHARIC is not likely a language you hear a lot.  It’s the official language of Ethiopia, and it’s a popular second language for Rastafarians, who consider it a sacred tongue.  Ya, mon.

North Pole is a city near Fairbanks.  Hence, its dwellers are ALASKANS.

The theme expression is military slang, taking the three letters WTF from the international spelling alphabet.  I assume you know FUBAR, or if not, you know Google.

If the grid was looking a little squat today, that’s because the theme required one extra column.  You knew that already.