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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19853722234958322872017-01-18T21:10:49.136-08:00WEB's New York Times Crossword Solution @ NYTCrossword.comBill Butlerhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985372223495832287.post-11514392440794886992017-01-18T00:00:00.000-08:002017-01-18T00:00:11.379-08:000118-17 New York Times Crossword Answers 18 Jan 17, Wednesday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today's crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today's SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today's New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today's clues and answers

CROSSWORD SETTER: Matthew Sewell
THEME: Fast Break
The first word from today's themed answers provide us with a sequence of moves that can make up a FAST BREAK in basketball:

57A. Dynamic basketball sequence represented by the starts of 17-, 23-, 30-, 40- and 49-Across : FAST BREAK

17A. Platform sandal feature : BLOCK HEEL
23A. Boyfriend after a breakup, perhaps : REBOUND GUY
30A. Render a verdict : PASS JUDGMENT
40A. Novelty shop buy : DRIBBLE GLASS
49A. Space Invaders and Asteroids, for two : SHOOT 'EM UPS
BILL BUTLER'S COMPLETION TIME: 7m 03s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today's Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Scanned bars, for short : UPC
UPC stands for Universal Price Code or Universal Product Code. The first ever UPC-marked item to get scanned in a store was on June 26, 1974 at 08:01 a.m. at Marsh's supermarket in Troy, Ohio. It was a 10-pack of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit chewing gum.

4. Roundup targets : WEEDS
Monsanto developed the herbicide glyphosate in 1970. The company brought it to market four years later as Roundup, and it has been around ever since.

9. Cries from bleachers : RAHS
At a sports event one might sit in the "bleachers". "Bleachers" is a particularly American term used to describe the tiered stands that provide seating for spectators. These seats were originally wooden planks, and as they were uncovered they would be "bleached" by the sun, giving them the name we use today. Sometimes the fans using the bleachers might be referred to as "bleacherites".

13. Word in Brazilian city names : SAO
"São" is a word used in Portuguese that translates as "saint".

19. "Next year in Jerusalem" meal : SEDER
The Hebrew phrase "L'Shana Haba'ah B'Yerushalayim" is often sung at the end of the Passover Seder in the Jewish tradition. The phrase translates as "Next year in Jerusalem".

21. Jon with the 1992 hit "Just Another Day" : SECADA
Jon Secada is a Cuban-American singer/songwriter, born in Havana and raised in Florida. Secada was hired as a background singer by Gloria Estefan in the late eighties, and soon after he started composing for her. It was Gloria Estefan that gave him his performing break, offering him solo spots on stage during her performances.

27. Classic Jaguar : XKE
Auto manufacturer Jaguar started out as a manufacturer of sidecars for motorcycles back in 1922, when the company was known as the Swallow Sidecar Company (SS for short). The company changed its name to Jaguar after WWII, because of the unfortunate connotations of the letters "SS" in that era (i.e. the Nazi paramilitary organization).

28. Bert who played the Cowardly Lion : LAHR
Bert Lahr's most famous role was the cowardly lion in "The Wizard of Oz". Lahr had a long career in burlesque, vaudeville and on Broadway. Lahr also starred in the first US production of Samuel Beckett's play "Waiting for Godot", alongside Tom Ewell.

29. Klutz's utterance : OOPS!
A "klutz" is an awkward individual, and the term comes from Yiddish. The Yiddish word for a clumsy person is "klots".

35. Bard of Gaelic legend : OSSIAN
Oisín (anglicized to "Ossian") was a poet of legend in Ireland, the narrator of the "Fenian Cycle" of Irish mythology.

44. High point : ACME
The "acme" is the highest point, coming from the Greek word "akme" which has the same meaning.

47. Soho send-off : TATA
The area of London called Soho had a very poor reputation for most of the 20th century as it was home to the city's red light district. Soho has been transformed though, and has been a very fashionable neighborhood since the 1980s.

48. Actress Arthur of "Maude" : BEA
The seventies sitcom "Maude" starred Bea Arthur as the title character Maude Findlay. "Maude" was a spin-off of "All in the Family", as Findlay is a cousin of Edith Bunker.

49. Space Invaders and Asteroids, for two : SHOOT 'EM UPS
Space Invaders is one of my favorite video games, a classic from the good old days (not that I play video games anymore). When Space Invaders was first released in video arcades in Japan in 1978, it was so popular that it caused a shortage of 100-yen coins.

I remember being quite addicted to the Atari video arcade game called Asteroids back in the early eighties. Apparently I wasn't the only one, as Asteroids was Atari's best selling game of all time.

53. Neil Patrick ___ of "How I Met Your Mother" : HARRIS
Neil Patrick Harris got his big break very early in his career, playing the title role in television's "Doogie Howser, M.D." More recently he played a lead roles on the sitcom "How I Met Your Mother", portraying the shallow womanizer Barney Stinson. Harris is also quite the magician and serves on the Board of Directors of Hollywood's Magic Castle, a nightclub for magicians and magic enthusiasts.

"How I Met Your Mother" is a sitcom that CBS has been airing since 2005. The main character is Ted Mosby, played by Josh Radnor. Mosby is also the narrator for the show looking back from the year 2030 (the live action is set in the present). As narrator, the older Mosby character is voiced by Bob Saget.

62. "Ran" director Kurosawa : AKIRA
Akira Kurosawa was an Oscar-winning Japanese film director. His most famous movie to us in the West has to be "The Seven Samurai", the inspiration for "The Magnificent Seven" starring Yul Brynner, and indeed a basis for "Star Wars: The Clone Wars".

63. Texter's "Didn't need to know that" : TMI
Too Much Information! (TMI)

65. Persian Gulf emirate : QATAR
Qatar is a sovereign state in the Middle East occupying the Qatar Peninsula, itself located in the Arabian Peninsula. Qatar lies on the Persian Gulf and shares one land border, with Saudi Arabia to the south. Qatar has more oil and gas reserves per capita of population than any other country in the world. In 2010, Qatar had the fastest growing economy in the world, driven by the petrochemical industry. Qatar is scheduled to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, although the nation's eligibility to do so is under question after a far-reaching bribery scandal was uncovered at the sport's governing body.

66. Census datum : SEX
The original census was taken during the days of the Roman Republic, and was a reckoning of all adult males who were fit for military service. The first US Census was taken in 1790, and was conducted by Federal marshals.

Down
1. Kind of port for a flash drive : USB
Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard dealing with how computers and electronic devices connect and communicate, and deal with electrical power through those connections.

2. Inept boxers, in slang : PALOOKAS
The word "palooka" was originally used to describe a mediocre prizefighter and dates back to the 1920s. Then there was a comic strip called "Joe Palooka", and I guess the meanings got melded somehow. Today we use "palooka" as a slang term for an oaf or a clumsy person.

4. Collaborative online reference : WIKI
A wiki is a website in which users are allowed to create and edit content themselves. The term "wiki" comes from the name of the first such site, introduced in 1994 and called WikiWikiWeb. "Wiki" is a Hawaiian word for "quick", and is used because comprehensive content is created very quickly a there are so many collaborators contributing to the site.

5. Anesthetic of old : ETHER
Ethers are a whole class of organic compounds, but in the vernacular "ether" is specifically diethyl ether. Diethyl ether was once very popular as a general anesthetic.

7. Female caribou : DOE
Caribou is the North American name for reindeer.

8. TV show on which "The Chanukah Song" debuted, informally : SNL
"The Chanukah Song" is a novelty song that was first performed by Adam Sandler on "Saturday Night Live" (SNL) in 1994. In the lyrics, Sandler cites a list of Jewish celebrities in an attempt to comfort Jewish children who feel alienated at Christmas. One of the "Jewish" celebrities listed is former MLB baseball player Rod Carew, who Sandler says "converted" to Judaism. However, this is a mistake. Carew married a Jewish woman but did not convert.

9. Like a fully cooked soufflé : RISEN
A soufflé is a French dish, usually served as a dessert. The verb "souffler" means "to blow, blow up".

18. Components of some I.R.A.s : CDS
A certificate of deposit (CD) is like a less-flexible and higher-paying savings account. Instead of depositing money into a savings account and earning interest periodically, one can open a CD. With a CD one deposits a minimum amount of money but must leave it there for a specified length of time. In return for committing the funds for a fixed period, one is given a higher interest rate than a savings account and can redeem that interest and the initial deposit when the term has expired. CDs are relatively low-risk investments as they are FDIC insured, just like savings accounts.

22. Comic-Con, e.g. : EXPO
San Diego's Comic-Con was founded in 1970 as the Golden State Comic Book Convention. Held over four days each summer, apparently Comic-Con is the largest show in North America.

26. Resistance unit : OHM
The unit of electrical resistance is the ohm (with the symbol omega) named after German physicist Georg Simon Ohm. Ohm was the guy who established experimentally that the amount of current flowing through a circuit is directly proportional to the voltage applied, (V=IR) a relationship that every schoolkid knows as Ohm's Law.

31. Fries or slaw, usually : SIDE ORDER
The term "coleslaw" is an Anglicized version of the Dutch name "koolsla", which in itself is a shortened form of "Koolsalade" meaning "cabbage salad".

34. Like rarer blood types: Abbr. : NEG
Here is an approximate distribution of blood types across the US population:

O-positive: 38 percent

O-negative: 7 percent

A-positive: 34 percent

A-negative: 6 percent

B-positive: 9 percent

B-negative: 2 percent

AB-positive: 3 percent

AB-negative: 1 percent

38. POTUS in Twitter's @POTUS, e.g. : USERNAME
President of the United States (POTUS)

39. Exam with a max score of 1520 : PSAT
Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT)

42. A/C measure : BTU
In the world of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), the power of a heating or cooling unit can be measured in British Thermal Units (BTUs). This dated unit is the amount of energy required to heat a pound of water so that the water's temperature increases by one degree Fahrenheit.

44. One of the 12 tribes of Israel : ASHER
In the Torah, the Israelites are traced back to Jacob, the grandson of Abraham and twin brother of Esau. Jacob had twelve sons, through his concurrent wives Leah and Rachel, and his two concubines Bilhah and Zilpah. The sons became the ancestors of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. The sons were:

Reuben

Simeon

Levi

Judah

Dan

Naphtali

Gad

Asher

Issachar

Zebulun

Joseph

Benjamin

45. Labor organizer Cesar : CHAVEZ
César Chávez was a Mexican American farm worker, and co-founder of the union today known as the United Farm Workers. Chávez was born in Yuma, Arizona, but moved to California as a child with his family. He never attended high school, dropping out to become a full-time migrant farm worker. In 1944, at 17 years of age, he joined the US Navy and served for two years. 5-6 years after returning from the military, back working as a farm laborer, Chávez became politically active and rose to national attention as an articulate union leader during some high profile strikes. He is remembered annually here in California on his birthday, March 31, which is a state holiday.

51. Kama ___ : SUTRA
The "Kama Sutra" is renowned for its descriptions of positions that can be used for sexual intercourse, but the sutra includes many other texts that deal with various matters of a sexual nature including how to woo a woman, the conduct of a "chief wife", the conduct of "other" wives, how to make money as a courtesan and much, much more, as if that isn't enough …

55. Rope tow alternative : T-BAR
A T-bar is a type of ski lift on which the skiers are pulled up the hill in pairs, with each pair standing (not sitting!) either side of T-shaped metal bar. The bar is placed behind the thighs, pulling along the skiers as they remain standing on their skis (hopefully!). There's also a J-bar, a similar device, but with each J-shaped bar used by one skier at a time.

57. Website's help section, briefly : FAQ
Most websites have a page listing answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). Even this blog has one!

58. Rap sheet letters : AKA
A rap sheet is a criminal record. "Rap" is a slang term dating back to the 1700s that means "blame, responsibility" as in "to take the rap" and "to beat the rap". This usage morphed into "rap sheet" in the early 1900s.

60. Cereal made with a "puffing gun" : KIX
Kix cereal has been around since 1937, would you believe? Kix used to be just puffed grains, processed to give the characteristic shape. Then the decision was made to add sugar to get better penetration into the young kid marketplace. Sad really ...

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Scanned bars, for short : UPC
4. Roundup targets : WEEDS
9. Cries from bleachers : RAHS
13. Word in Brazilian city names : SAO
14. "Game time!" : IT'S ON!
15. Not suitable : INAPT
17. Platform sandal feature : BLOCK HEEL
19. "Next year in Jerusalem" meal : SEDER
20. Blast from the past : OLDIE
21. Jon with the 1992 hit "Just Another Day" : SECADA
22. Forever and a day : EONS
23. Boyfriend after a breakup, perhaps : REBOUND GUY
27. Classic Jaguar : XKE
28. Bert who played the Cowardly Lion : LAHR
29. Klutz's utterance : OOPS!
30. Render a verdict : PASS JUDGMENT
35. Bard of Gaelic legend : OSSIAN
36. ___ Chihuahua (tiny dog) : TEACUP
40. Novelty shop buy : DRIBBLE GLASS
44. High point : ACME
47. Soho send-off : TATA
48. Actress Arthur of "Maude" : BEA
49. Space Invaders and Asteroids, for two : SHOOT 'EM UPS
52. Airport rental : CART
53. Neil Patrick ___ of "How I Met Your Mother" : HARRIS
54. One-eighty : U-TURN
56. Dance around, as an issue : EVADE
57. Dynamic basketball sequence represented by the starts of 17-, 23-, 30-, 40- and 49-Across : FAST BREAK
61. Find new tenants for : RELET
62. "Ran" director Kurosawa : AKIRA
63. Texter's "Didn't need to know that" : TMI
64. Abysmal score : ZERO
65. Persian Gulf emirate : QATAR
66. Census datum : SEX

Down
1. Kind of port for a flash drive : USB
2. Inept boxers, in slang : PALOOKAS
3. Hipster's quality : COOLNESS
4. Collaborative online reference : WIKI
5. Anesthetic of old : ETHER
6. Language suffix : -ESE
7. Female caribou : DOE
8. TV show on which "The Chanukah Song" debuted, informally : SNL
9. Like a fully cooked soufflé : RISEN
10. Not based on fact or research : ANECDOTAL
11. Tried one's luck : HAD A GO
12. Floored it : SPED UP
16. Cafeteria stack : TRAYS
18. Components of some I.R.A.s : CDS
21. ___ du Québec (police force) : SURETE
22. Comic-Con, e.g. : EXPO
24. Ancient times, in ancient times : ELD
25. Do a job at the checkout aisle : BAG
26. Resistance unit : OHM
31. Fries or slaw, usually : SIDE ORDER
32. Musician's tip collector : JAR
33. Joins forces (with) : UNITES
34. Like rarer blood types: Abbr. : NEG
37. Song-and-dance shows : CABARETS
38. POTUS in Twitter's @POTUS, e.g. : USERNAME
39. Exam with a max score of 1520 : PSAT
41. "Ka-POW!" : BAM!
42. A/C measure : BTU
43. Place for a grandchild, maybe : LAP
44. One of the 12 tribes of Israel : ASHER
45. Labor organizer Cesar : CHAVEZ
46. A pep talk may boost it : MORALE
50. Connect with : TIE TO
51. Kama ___ : SUTRA
52. Ill-tempered mutt : CUR
55. Rope tow alternative : T-BAR
57. Website's help section, briefly : FAQ
58. Rap sheet letters : AKA
59. Gather dust : SIT
60. Cereal made with a "puffing gun" : KIX

Return to top of pageBill Butlerhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985372223495832287.post-59787786421074643312017-01-17T00:00:00.000-08:002017-01-17T00:00:23.294-08:000117-17 New York Times Crossword Answers 17 Jan 17, Tuesday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today's crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today's SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today's New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today's clues and answers

CROSSWORD SETTER: Timothy Polin
THEME: Star Wars
Today's themed answers all relate to the late Carrie Fisher and the most iconic role that she played on the big screen. The circled letters in the grid spell out the movie name "STAR WARS".

2D. With 51-Down, late, beloved actress : CARRIE ...
51D. See 2-Down : … FISHER

18A. With 61- and 37-Across, famous line by 53-Across in [see circled letters] : HELP ME, OBI …
61A. See 18-Across : … -WAN KENOBI ...
37A. See 18-Across : … YOU'RE MY ONLY HOPE

23A. Hairstyle for 53-Across, colloquially : CINNAMON BUNS

53A. Iconic role for 2-/51-Down : PRINCESS LEIA
BILL BUTLER'S COMPLETION TIME: 6m 41s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today's Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. When Polonius says "Brevity is the soul of wit" : ACT II
Polonius is an important character in William Shakespeare's "Hamlet". Polonius is eventually killed by Hamlet, albeit in a case of mistaken identity. He has several memorable lines in the play that are oft-quoted today, including "To thine own self be true", "Brevity is the soul of wit", and "Neither a borrower nor a lender be".

15. Alan who played Captain Pierce : ALDA
Hawkeye Pierce is the lead character in the "M*A*S*H" novel, movie and TV series. Hawkeye was originally portrayed by Donald Sutherland in the film, and then by Alan Alda in the television show. Pierce is the only character appearing in all 250 episodes of the groundbreaking TV series.

18. With 61- and 37-Across, famous line by 53-Across in [see circled letters] : HELP ME, OBI …
61. See 18-Across : … -WAN KENOBI ...
37. See 18-Across : … YOU'RE MY ONLY HOPE
Obi-Wan Kenobi is one of the more beloved of the "Star Wars" characters. Kenobi was portrayed by two fabulous actors in the series of films. As a young man he is played by Scottish actor Ewan McGregor, and as an older man he is played by Alec Guinness.

20. The "E" in HOMES : ERIE
A well-known mnemonic for remembering the names of the Great Lakes is HOMES: standing for Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior.

21. Nubian heroine of opera : AIDA
"Aida" is the famous opera by Giuseppe Verdi, actually based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette. Mariette also designed the costumes and stages for the opening performance. The opera was first staged in 1871 in an opera house in Cairo. In the storyline, Aida is an Ethiopian princess brought into Egypt as a slave. Radames is an Egyptian commander who falls in love with her, and then of course complications arise!

Nubia is a region shared by Egypt and Sudan that lies along the Nile river. The name "Nubia" comes from the Nuba people who settled in the area in the 4th century.

23. Hairstyle for 53-Across, colloquially : CINNAMON BUNS
(53A. Iconic role for 2-/51-Down : PRINCESS LEIA)
Princess Leia is Luke Skywalker's twin sister in the original "Star Wars" trilogy and was played by Carrie Fisher. Carrie Fisher has stated that she hated the famous "cinnamon bun hairstyle" that she had to wear in the films, as she felt it made her face look too round. She also had to to sit for two hours every day just to get her hair styled. Two hours to get your hair done? It takes me just two seconds …

29. Hitting blackjack after blackjack, say : ON A RUN
The game of "twenty-one" was first referred to in a book by Cervantes, the author famous for writing "Don Quixote". He called the game "ventiuna" (Spanish for "twenty-one"). Cervantes wrote his story just after the year 1600, so the game has been around at least since then. Twenty-one came to the US but it wasn't all that popular so bonus payments were introduced to create more interest. One of the more attractive bonuses was a ten-to-one payout to a player who was dealt an ace of spades and a black jack. This bonus led to the game adopting the moniker "Blackjack".

33. Michelangelo masterpiece : PIETA
The Pietà is a representation of the Virgin Mary holding in her arms the dead body of her son Jesus. The most famous "Pietà" is probably the sculpted rendition by Michelangelo which is located in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. In some depictions, Mary and her son are surrounded by other figures from the New Testament, and these depictions are known as "Lamentations".

53. Iconic role for 2-/51-Down : PRINCESS LEIA
The full name of the character played by Carrie Fisher in the "Star Wars" series of films is Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan, and later Leia Organa Solo. Leia is the twin sister of Luke Skywalker, and the daughter of Anakin Skywalker (aka Darth Vader) and Padmé Amidala. Leia is raised by her adoptive parents Bail and Breha Organa. She eventually marries Han Solo.

60. Online crafts seller : ETSY
Etsy.com is an e-commerce website where you can buy and sell the kind of items that you might find at a craft fair.

64. Like old, neglected sweaters, maybe : MOTHY
The larvae of several types of moth are noted for eating fabrics made from natural fibers such as wool or cotton. Many people store woolens in cedar chests believing that the scent of the wood prevents a moth infestation. In fact, the only known effective repellent is the naphthalene found in mothballs, which might be a health concern for humans. One way to kill moth larvae in fabric is to freeze the garment for several days at a temperature below 8 degrees centigrade.

65. Renaissance Faire instrument : LUTE
A lute player is a "lutenist". A nice bit of trivia …

67. Tree-lined walkway, in France : ALLEE
In French, a tree-lined and usually straight path through "une forêt" (a forest) is called "une allée".

Down
2. With 51-Down, late, beloved actress : CARRIE …
51. See 2-Down : … FISHER
The actress Carrie Fisher was best known for playing Princess Leia in the "Star Wars" series of films. Fisher was the daughter of actress Debbie Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher. Fisher fell seriously ill on a transatlantic flight at the end of 2016, and then died of cardiac arrest four days later. Famously, her mother and next-door neighbor in Beverly Hills, passed away following a stroke, just one day after her daughter died.

7. Brand of artificial fat : OLEAN
Olean is a brand name for the fat substitute, Olestra. Naturally occuring fats are made of a glycerol molecule holding together three fatty acids. Olestra is instead made of several fatty acid chains held together by a sucrose molecule. Olestra has a similar taste and consistency as natural fat, but has zero caloric impact as it is too large a molecule to pass through the intestinal wall and passes right out of the body. Personally, I would steer clear of it. Olestra is banned in Britain and Canada due to concerns about side effects, but I guess someone knows the right palms to grease (pun intended!) here in the US, and so it's in our food.

8. Deal with a broken teleprompter, say : AD LIB
Ad libitum is a Latin phrase meaning "at one's pleasure". In common usage the phrase is usually shortened to "ad lib". On the stage the concept of an "ad lib" is very familiar.

9. Rae Sremmurd, e.g. : RAP DUO
Rae Sremmurd is hip hop act consisting of two brothers from Tupelo, Mississippi: Khalif "Swae Lee" Brown and Aaquil "Slim Jxmmi" Brown. The pair used to perform as Dem Outta St8 Boyz, with the brothers using the names Kid Krunk and Caliboy, along with a third brother known as Lil Pantz. Sometimes I think I over-complicate things by using the name "Bill" ...

10. Makeup of the planet Hoth : ICE
The fictional planet known as Hoth is featured in the "Star Wars" movie "The Empire Strikes Back". Hoth is an ice planet, and home to a secret base belonging to the Rebel Alliance.

19. "Doctor Faustus" novelist Thomas : MANN
"Doctor Faustus" is a novel by Thomas Mann first published in 1947. It is a retelling of the legend of Faust but set in Germany in the first half of the 20th century.

24. Mont Blanc, e.g., to locals : ALPE
Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in the Alps. The name "Mont Blanc" translates from French into "white mountain". The mountain lies on the border between France and Italy, and it has been generally accepted for decades that the summit lies within French territory. However, there have been official claims that the summit does in fact fall within the borders of Italy.

30. Figure on an Aussie Xing sign, perhaps : ROO
The name "kangaroo" comes from the Australian Aborigine term for the animal. There's an oft-quoted story that the explorer James Cook (later Captain Cook) asked a local native what was the name of this remarkable-looking animal, and the native responded with "kangaroo". The story is that the native was actually saying "I don't understand you", but as cute as that tale is, it's just an urban myth.

32. Formerly named : NEE
"Née" is the French word for "born" when referring to a female. The male equivalent is "né".

35. Tennis champ Agassi : ANDRE
Retired tennis professional Andre Agassi has been married to fellow player Steffi Graf since 2001. Agassi wrote an autobiography called "Open", published in 2009. An amazing revelation in the book is that Agassi's famous head of hair was actually a wig for much of his playing career. Can you imagine how hard it must have been to play tennis at his level with a rug stuck on?

37. Deviate during flight, as a rocket : YAW
The word "yaw" means to deviate from the line of a course and is used mainly at sea. "Yaw" is derived from the Old Norse word "jaege" which means "to drive, chase". As such, "yaw" is etymologically related to our word "yacht".

38. Non's opposite : OUI
"Oui" is "yes" in French, and "non" is "no".

41. Amy Adams's "Man of Steel" role : LOIS
"Man of Steel" is a 2013 reboot of the "Superman" series of films, starring Henry Cavill in the title role and Amy Adams as Lois Lane.

Amy Adams is an American actress. although she was actually born in Vicenza, Italy while her father was a US serviceman stationed on an Italian base. My favorite Amy Adams film so far is the outstanding "Julie & Julia" in which she acted alongside Meryl Streep. I highly recommend this truly delightful movie.

46. British derrière : ARSE
Well, the word "arse" would never make it into a crossword in the British Isles as it would be considered too rude. I have a similar reaction to the word "shag" as in "The Spy Who Shagged Me". The film would never have been released with that name in the UK.

49. Chant after a fútbol goal : OLE OLE!
"Fútbol" is the Spanish word for football, soccer.

54. Country singer Judd : NAOMI
The Judds were a country music singing duo made up of Naomi Judd and her daughter Wynonna. Naomi Judd is also the mother of actress Ashley Judd, with Ashley and Wynonna being half-sisters.

64. Reference in "Treasure Island" : MAP
Robert Louis Stevenson's (RLS) most celebrated work I'd say is "Treasure Island", originally written as a series for a children's magazine in 1881. I remember "Treasure Island" as the first "real" novel I read as a youngster ...

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. When Polonius says "Brevity is the soul of wit" : ACT II
6. Tusked beast : BOAR
10. Kind of threat : IDLE
14. Swoon : FAINT
15. Alan who played Captain Pierce : ALDA
16. Essential point : CRUX
17. Agonizes (over) : FRETS
18. With 61- and 37-Across, famous line by 53-Across in [see circled letters] : HELP ME, OBI ...
20. The "E" in HOMES : ERIE
21. Nubian heroine of opera : AIDA
22. Family member who was probably adopted : PET
23. Hairstyle for 53-Across, colloquially : CINNAMON BUNS
28. Place where trials are conducted : TEST LAB
29. Hitting blackjack after blackjack, say : ON A RUN
33. Michelangelo masterpiece : PIETA
36. A few : SOME
37. See 18-Across : … YOU'RE MY ONLY HOPE
43. Ambience : AURA
44. "Same here!" : SO DO I!
45. Is victorious in : WINS AT
48. Swindles : RIP-OFFS
53. Iconic role for 2-/51-Down : PRINCESS LEIA
56. "What have we here?!" : OHO!
59. Knock 'em dead : SLAY
60. Online crafts seller : ETSY
61. See 18-Across : … -WAN KENOBI ...
64. Like old, neglected sweaters, maybe : MOTHY
65. Renaissance Faire instrument : LUTE
66. Sign of things to come : OMEN
67. Tree-lined walkway, in France : ALLEE
68. Make slo-o-o-ow progress : SLOG
69. Concealed mike : WIRE
70. Entitled sorts? : PEERS

Down
1. Influence : AFFECT
2. With 51-Down, late, beloved actress : CARRIE ...
3. Certain marketing gimmicks : TIE-INS
4. Hell-bent (on) : INTENT
5. "___ a trap!" : IT'S
6. "Harrumph!" : BAH!
7. Brand of artificial fat : OLEAN
8. Deal with a broken teleprompter, say : AD LIB
9. Rae Sremmurd, e.g. : RAP DUO
10. Makeup of the planet Hoth : ICE
11. Nosedive : DROP
12. Squeak stopper : LUBE
13. Turnoff for drivers : EXIT
19. "Doctor Faustus" novelist Thomas : MANN
24. Mont Blanc, e.g., to locals : ALPE
25. Cripple : MAIM
26. Heeds : OBEYS
27. Merit badge displayer : SASH
30. Figure on an Aussie Xing sign, perhaps : ROO
31. World Series official : UMP
32. Formerly named : NEE
34. "___ late!" : TOO
35. Tennis champ Agassi : ANDRE
37. Deviate during flight, as a rocket : YAW
38. Non's opposite : OUI
39. Coffee container : URN
40. Speak with a gravelly voice : RASP
41. Amy Adams's "Man of Steel" role : LOIS
42. Puppy sounds : YIPS
46. British derrière : ARSE
47. So far, informally : 'TIL NOW
49. Chant after a fútbol goal : OLE OLE!
50. In fine ___ (healthy) : FETTLE
51. See 2-Down : … FISHER
52. Agree to a proposal : SAY YES
54. Country singer Judd : NAOMI
55. Modern lead-in to space or security : CYBER-
56. Real head-turners? : OWLS
57. Drag : HAUL
58. Not deceived by : ONTO
62. Beer barrel : KEG
63. Having four sharps : IN E
64. Reference in "Treasure Island" : MAP

Return to top of pageBill Butlerhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985372223495832287.post-644067533032583262017-01-16T00:00:00.000-08:002017-01-16T00:00:25.954-08:000116-17 New York Times Crossword Answers 16 Jan 17, Monday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today's crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today's SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today's New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today's clues and answers

CROSSWORD SETTER: John Wrenholt
THEME: Six Ways to Sunday
The starts to today's themed answers add up to SIX WAYS in total:

63A. Completely ... with a summation of 17-, 30- and 47-Across : SIX WAYS TO SUNDAY

17A. Somehow : ONE WAY OR ANOTHER
30A. Walkie-talkie : TWO-WAY RADIO
47A. Rare occurrence on "Jeopardy!" : THREE-WAY TIE
BILL BUTLER'S COMPLETION TIME: 5m 29s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today's Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. "Penny Dreadful" channel, for short : SHO
"Penny Dreadful" is a horror TV show that started airing on Showtime in 2014. I don't do horror, so I haven't seen the show, despite the fact that it is filmed in Dublin. Characters in the show come from 19th-century fiction from Ireland and Britain, including Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray, Bram Stoker's Abraham Van Helsing and Mary Shelley's Victor Frankenstein.

4. ___ Longstocking, girl of children's literature : PIPPI
Pippi Longstocking appears as the heroine in a series of books written by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. Lindgren was quite the activist, very well known in the circles working for children's and animal rights, In particular, Lindgren campaigned heavily against corporal punishment.

9. Poet Robert who spoke at J.F.K.'s inauguration : FROST
The wonderful poet Robert Frost was a native of San Francisco, but lived most of life in New England. Frost also spent a few years in England, just before WWI. He was well recognized for his work during his lifetime, and received four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. He was also Vermont's first Poet Laureate, a position that Frost held from 1961 until his death in 1963.

19. Nut popular in ice cream : PECAN
The pecan is the state nut of which state in the Union? Nope, it's not Georgia, but rather Alabama …

21. Have a mortgage, e.g. : OWE
Our word "mortgage" comes from the Old French "mort gaige" which translated as "dead pledge". Such an arrangement was so called because the "pledge" to repay "dies" when the debt is cleared.

27. Play about Capote : TRU
"Tru" was written by Jay Presson Allen and is a play about Truman Capote that premiered in 1989. There is a classic anachronism in the piece. It is set in Capote's New York City apartment at Christmas 1975. At one point the Capote character talks about suicide, saying that he has enough pills to stage his own Jonestown Massacre. The Jonestown Massacre didn't happen until three years later, in 1978.

30. Walkie-talkie : TWO-WAY RADIO
The more formal name for a walkie-talkie is a handheld transceiver. A walkie-talkie is a handheld, two-way radio, a device first developed for military use during WWII by Motorola (although others developed similar designs soon after). The first walkie-talkie was portable, but large. It was back-mounted and was carried around the battlefield by a radio officer.

38. Ancient Peruvian : INCA
The Inca people emerged as a tribe around the 12th century, in what today is southern Peru. The Incas developed a vast empire over the next 300 years, extending along most of the western side of South America. The Empire fell to the Spanish, finally dissolving in 1572 with the execution of Tupac Amaru, the last Incan Emperor.

42. Eye part with the iris : UVEA
The uvea is the middle of the three layers that make up the eyeball. The iris is the colored part of the eye with an aperture in the center that can open or close depending on the level of light hitting the eye.

45. Table tennis : PING-PONG
Ping-Pong is called table tennis in the UK, where the sport originated in the 1880s. Table tennis started as an after-dinner activity among the elite, and was called "wiff-waff". To play the game, books were stacked in the center of a table as a "net", two more books served as ""rackets" and the ball used was actually a golf ball. The game evolved over time with the rackets being upgraded to the lids of cigar boxes and the ball becoming a champagne cork (how snooty is that?). Eventually the game was produced commercially, and the sound of the ball hitting the racket was deemed to be a "ping" and a "pong", giving the sport its alternative name. The name "Ping-Pong" was trademarked in Britain in 1901, and eventually sold to Parker Brothers in the US.

47. Rare occurrence on "Jeopardy!" : THREE-WAY TIE
The TV show "Jeopardy!" first went on the air in 1964, and is another successful Merv Griffin creation. But it took the introduction of Alex Trebek as host in order to bring the show into the big times. Trebek has been host since 1984.

54. Abbr. before an alias : AKA
Also known as (aka)

57. Pizazz : BRIO
"Brio" is borrowed from Italian, in which language it means vigor and vivacity. "Con brio" is a musical direction often found on a score, instructing the musicians to play "with energy, vigor".

59. Nut-bearing tree : BEECH
The small triangular nuts of the beech tree are edible, but are very bitter. The nuts are called "beechmast" or simply "beechnuts".

63. Completely ... with a summation of 17-, 30- and 47-Across : SIX WAYS TO SUNDAY
The phrase "six ways to/from Sunday" means "every possible way". I wasn't able to come up with a definitive etymology for the phrase, but everything seems to point to the six days of the week that precede and succeed Sunday.

67. Larsson who wrote "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" : STIEG
Stieg Larsson was a Swedish journalist and writer, and indeed one of his main characters in his Millennium series of novels is a journalist as well. The first two titles in the series are "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and "The Girl Who Played with Fire". The last of the three titles in the Millennium series is "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest", which was the most-sold book in the US in 2010. All of the books in the series were published after Larsson's death. He passed away from a heart attack while climbing several flights of stairs, when he was just 50 years old.

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is a sensational hit novel by the Swedish author Stieg Larsson, originally titled in Swedish as "Men Who Hate Women". It is the first in a trilogy of successful books, all of which were only published after Larsson's death.

68. Sign of a beaver's activity, maybe : TREE STUMP
Beavers build dams so that they can live in and around the slower and deeper water that builds up above the dam. This deeper water provides more protection for the beavers from predators such as bears. Beavers are nocturnal animals and do all their construction work at night.

Down
3. Grp. that includes Iraq and Qatar : OPEC
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was founded in 1960 at a conference held in Baghdad, Iraq that was attended by Iraq, Kuwait, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Nine more countries joined the alliance soon after, and OPEC set up headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland and then Vienna, Austria in 1965. The basic aim of OPEC was to wrench control of oil prices from the oil companies and to put it in the hands of the sovereign states that own the natural resource.

4. Alternative to bubble wrap : PEANUTS
Styrofoam is an extruded polystyrene foam made by The Dow Chemical Company. Styrofoam has loads of applications, including home insulation and use as a buoyancy aid. It is also formed into "peanuts" used as a packaging filler.

Bubble wrap was invented in 1957 in an abortive attempt to make a 3-dimensional wall covering. The result was a material that wasn't suitable as a "wallpaper" but that did make a great packing material. And don't forget the last Monday of every January … that's Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day.

7. Arrested suspect, informally : PERP
Perpetrator (perp)

8. Roma's country : ITALIA
In Italian, "Roma" (Rome) is the "capitale" (capital) of "Italia" (Italy).

9. Daisies and dahlias : FLOWERS
The flowers of the daisy plant close tightly at sunset and then open up again in the morning. It is this behavior that led to the name "daisy", from the Old English for "day's eye". So, the daisy could be called a "well-rested" plant. And, someone who is well-rested attacks the day "fresh as a daisy". Interesting, huh?

The dahlia is a flowering plant native to Mexico and Central America. It was named the national flower of Mexico relatively recently, in 1963.

11. Eight: Sp. : OCHO
In Spanish, "cuatro y cuatro" (four plus four) is "ocho" (eight).

13. Lebanese city that was once the center of Phoenician civilization : TYRE
Tyre is an ancient Phoenician city, and today is the fourth largest city in Lebanon. The city's name "Tyre" means "rock", a reference to the rocky outcrop on which the original city was built.

15. Lavish party favors : SWAG
"Swag" is "loot, stolen property", a term that started out as criminal slang in England in the 1830s. Swag is also the name given to the promotional freebies available at some events. That said, there's an urban myth that the promotional "swag" is an acronym standing for "stuff we all get".

23. "___ the night before Christmas ..." : 'TWAS
The poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" was published anonymously in 1823, and is better known today by its first line "'Twas the night before Christmas". Most scholars believe that the poem was written by Clement Clarke Moore, a theologian from New York City. Others say that it was written by Henry Livingston, Jr. a poet from Upstate New York.

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash …

27. 1960s dance craze : TWIST
The Twist is a dance that was born in the sixties, and was inspired by the Chubby Checker hit of 1960 called "The Twist". Chubby Checker sang the song live in front of a crowd in Deland, Florida in October 2012. About 40,000 people danced along to the music, setting a new Guinness World Record for the most people "twisting" at the same time.

29. Stomach woe : ULCER
Until fairly recently, a peptic ulcer was believed to be caused by undue amounts of stress in one's life. It is now known that 70-90% of all peptic ulcers are in fact associated with a particular bacterium.

32. Golfer's gouge : DIVOT
A divot is a chunk of grass and earth that is removed by a golf club while striking the ball. "Divot" is derived from a Scottish word for a piece of turf or sod used as a roofing material.

33. "Goodnight" girl of song : IRENE
"Goodnight, Irene", also known as "Irene, Goodnight", is a lovely American folk song that was first recorded commercially back in 1932 by blues singer Lead Belly. The song made it to number one in the charts for the Weavers in 1950 and for Frank Sinatra in the same year.

34. Missouri river or tribe : OSAGE
Much of the Osage River in Missouri is now taken up by two large reservoirs created behind two dams that provide power for St. Louis and the surrounding area. The two reservoirs are the Truman Reservoir and the Lake of the Ozarks.

The Osage Nation originated in the Ohio River valley in what we now call Kentucky. They were forced to migrate west of the Mississippi by the invading Iroquois tribe. Most of the tribe members now live in Osage County, Oklahoma.

40. Falafel bread : PITA
Pita is a lovely bread in Middle-Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. Pita is usually round, and has a "pocket" in the center. The pocket is created by steam that puffs up the dough during cooking leaving a void when the bread cools.

Falafel is a ball of ground chickpeas or fava beans that has been deep fried and served in pita bread. I love chickpeas, but falafel is often too dry to me …

44. Lipton products : TEA BAGS
Sir Thomas Lipton was a grocer in Glasgow, Scotland. He founded a tea packing company in North America in 1893, in Hoboken, New Jersey. He was very successful as his blends of tea became popular in the US. Despite the Lipton roots in the UK, Lipton black tea isn't available there, so I've always thought of it as an American brand.

56. W.W. II foe : AXIS
Before WWII, Hungary's prime minister was lobbying for an alliance between Germany, Hungary and Italy and worked towards such a relationship that he called an "axis". The main Axis powers during the war were Germany, Italy and Japan. However, also included in the relationship were Romania, Bulgaria and the aforementioned Hungary.

60. Common Core dept. : EDUC
The Common Core State Standards Initiative lays out what K-12 students should know in English and mathematics. The standard is intended to standardize requirements across all states.

61. Duck-hunting attire, informally : CAMO
Our word "camouflage" evolved directly from a Parisian slang term "camoufler" meaning "to disguise". The term was first used in WWI, although the British navy at that time preferred the expression "dazzle-painting" as it applied to the pattern painted on the hulls of ships.

65. British ref. work : OED
The "Oxford English Dictionary" (OED) contains over 300,000 "main" entries and 59 million words in total. The longest entry for one word in the second edition of the OED is the verb "set". When the third edition was published in 2007, the longest entry for a single word became the verb "put". Perhaps not surprisingly, the most-quoted author in the OED is William Shakespeare, with his most quoted work being "Hamlet". The most-quoted female author is George Eliot (aka Mary Ann Evans).

66. French seasoning : SEL
In French, one might season one's food with "sel" (salt) and "poivre" (pepper).

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. "Penny Dreadful" channel, for short : SHO
4. ___ Longstocking, girl of children's literature : PIPPI
9. Poet Robert who spoke at J.F.K.'s inauguration : FROST
14. Highly classified : TOP SECRET
16. Like four-leaf clovers, supposedly : LUCKY
17. Somehow : ONE WAY OR ANOTHER
19. Nut popular in ice cream : PECAN
20. Apparatus pulled by oxen : PLOW
21. Have a mortgage, e.g. : OWE
22. Intestinal fortitude, informally : GUTS
25. "Ah, now it's clear" : I SEE
27. Play about Capote : TRU
30. Walkie-talkie : TWO-WAY RADIO
35. Something that may be hidden behind a framed picture : WALL SAFE
37. Mixes : STIRS
38. Ancient Peruvian : INCA
39. Stairs : STEPS
42. Eye part with the iris : UVEA
43. Odor : SCENT
45. Table tennis : PING-PONG
47. Rare occurrence on "Jeopardy!" : THREE-WAY TIE
50. Prop for a golf ball : TEE
51. Sheet on a mast : SAIL
52. Co-ops, maybe: Abbr. : APTS
54. Abbr. before an alias : AKA
57. Pizazz : BRIO
59. Nut-bearing tree : BEECH
63. Completely ... with a summation of 17-, 30- and 47-Across : SIX WAYS TO SUNDAY
67. Larsson who wrote "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" : STIEG
68. Sign of a beaver's activity, maybe : TREE STUMP
69. Exams : TESTS
70. "Alas ..." : SADLY ...
71. Dove's sound : COO

Down
1. "Halt!" : STOP!
2. Sharpen, as skills : HONE
3. Grp. that includes Iraq and Qatar : OPEC
4. Alternative to bubble wrap : PEANUTS
5. Slippery, as winter roads : ICY
6. One who gives tips (and gets tips?) at a country club : PRO
7. Arrested suspect, informally : PERP
8. Roma's country : ITALIA
9. Daisies and dahlias : FLOWERS
10. Sign of a well-worn trail : RUT
11. Eight: Sp. : OCHO
12. Polling bias : SKEW
13. Lebanese city that was once the center of Phoenician civilization : TYRE
15. Lavish party favors : SWAG
18. Inquisitive : NOSY
23. "___ the night before Christmas ..." : 'TWAS
24. Cushiony : SOFT
26. Readily accept : EAT UP
27. 1960s dance craze : TWIST
28. Cowboy's workplace : RANCH
29. Stomach woe : ULCER
31. Given to crying : WEEPY
32. Golfer's gouge : DIVOT
33. "Goodnight" girl of song : IRENE
34. Missouri river or tribe : OSAGE
36. 10 things in an Olympic swimming pool : LANES
40. Falafel bread : PITA
41. Scissor cut : SNIP
44. Lipton products : TEA BAGS
46. "Hop to it!" : GET BUSY!
48. Thin but strong : WIRY
49. Most-wanted groups for parties : A-LISTS
53. Transmitted : SENT
54. Aide: Abbr. : ASST
55. Toy on a string : KITE
56. W.W. II foe : AXIS
58. Other: Sp. : OTRA
60. Common Core dept. : EDUC
61. Duck-hunting attire, informally : CAMO
62. Syringe, for short : HYPO
64. Freshly painted : WET
65. British ref. work : OED
66. French seasoning : SEL

Return to top of pageBill Butlerhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985372223495832287.post-51365526361212802352017-01-15T00:00:00.000-08:002017-01-15T00:00:05.053-08:000115-17 New York Times Crossword Answers 15 Jan 17, Sunday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today's crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today's SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today's New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today's clues and answers

CROSSWORD SETTER: Joel Fagliano
THEME: Grammar Lesson
Today's themed answers will bring back those LESSONS in GRAMMAR from our schooldays. Each answer is a GRAMMATICAL term, one that has been reinterpreted in way that's unrelated to GRAMMAR:

24A. Utopia? : FUTURE PERFECT
31A. Piece still under consideration for a magazine? : INDEFINITE ARTICLE
50A. "Village" newspaper that's namby-pamby? : PASSIVE "VOICE"
66A. Santa's nieces and nephews? : RELATIVE CLAUSES
89A. Like shoppers worrying about getting the right gift? : PRESENT-TENSE
103A. Jailhouse? : SENTENCE STRUCTURE
113A. The Prada that one really wants? : OBJECTIVE CASE
BILL BUTLER'S COMPLETION TIME: 17m 20s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today's Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
24. Utopia? : FUTURE PERFECT
The word "Utopia" was coined by Sir Thomas More for his book "Utopia" published in 1516 describing an idyllic fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. More's use of the name Utopia comes from the Greek "ou" meaning "not" and "topos" meaning "place". By calling his perfect island "Not Place", More was apparently making the point that he didn't think that the ideal could actually exist.

26. Part of the Dept. of Transportation : FAA
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was set up in 1958 (as the Federal Aviation Agency). The agency was established at that particular time largely in response to an increasing number of midair collisions. The worst of these disasters had taken place two years earlier over the Grand Canyon, a crash between two commercial passenger airplanes that resulted in 128 fatalities.

29. Packers' grp.? : NRA
National Rifle Association (NRA)

"Packing" and "packing heat" are underworld slang for "carrying a gun".

30. Old tabloid fodder : UFOS
Unidentified flying object (UFO)

Tabloid is the trademarked name (owned by Burroughs, Wellcome and Co,) for a "small tablet of medicine", a name that goes back to 1884. The word "tabloid" had entered into general use to mean a compressed form of anything, and by the early 1900s was used in "tabloid journalism", applied to newspapers that had short, condensed articles and stories printed on smaller sheets of paper.

37. Org. concerned with water quality : EPA
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

40. Balsa or balsam : TREE
Balsa is a very fast growing tree that is native to parts of South America. Even though balsa wood is very soft, it is actually classified as a hardwood, the softest of all the hardwoods (go figure!). Balsa is light and strong, so is commonly used in making model airplanes. Amazingly, in WWII a full-size British plane, the de Havilland Mosquito, was built largely from balsa and plywood. No wonder they called it "The Wooden Wonder" and "The Timber Terror".

The Balsam fir is an evergreen tree that is native to eastern and central North America. The Balsam is commonly used as a Christmas tree, especially in the northeastern US.

42. Signal meaning "no disease on this ship" : YELLOW FLAG
In a set of international maritime signal flags, the "Q" flag is a plain yellow square. In modern usage, a ship entering port might fly the yellow flag as a declaration that the vessel is free from disease and to request inspection by the port's authorities.

49. "___ Must Die" (Claude McKay poem) : IF WE
Claude McKay was a Jamaican-American novelist and poet whose name is very much associated with the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s.

50. "Village" newspaper that's namby-pamby? : PASSIVE "VOICE"
"The Village Voice" is a free newspaper distributed in New York City. It had a great advertising slogan in the eighties: "Some people swear by us ... other people swear AT us".

53. Bull's urging : BUY
The terms "bull" and "bear" markets come from the way in which each animal attacks. A bull thrusts his horns upwards (an "up" market), whereas a bear swipes with his paws downward (a "down" market).

54. Fashion guru Tim : GUNN
Tim Gunn is a fashion consultant, and these days a television personality as well. He makes regular appearances on the reality TV show "Project Runway", and is so popular a character that he now has his own show called "Tim Gunn's Guide in Style".

59. Jacket material : TWEED
Tweed is a rough woolen fabric very much associated with Scotland in the UK, and County Donegal in Ireland. The cloth was originally called "tweel", the Scots word for "twill". Apparently a London merchant misinterpreted some handwriting in the early 1800s and assumed the fabric was called "tweed", a reference to the Scottish River Tweed, and the name stuck …

62. The "kid" in "Here's looking at you, kid" : ILSA
"Here's looking at you, kid" is a line spoken in "Casablanca" by Rick (Humphrey Bogart) to Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman).

64. Kia model : RIO
Kia have making the subcompact model called a Rio since 2000.

65. Common flower that's poisonous to eat : AZALEA
Azaleas are very toxic to horses, sheep and goats, but strangely enough cause no problem for cats or dogs. And if you go to Korea you might come across "Tug Yonju", which is azalea wine made from the plant's blossoms. Azaleas are usually grown as shrubs, but are also seen as small trees, and often indoors.

66. Santa's nieces and nephews? : RELATIVE CLAUSES
Azaleas are very toxic to horses, sheep and goats, but strangely enough cause no problem for cats or dogs. And if you go to Korea you might come across "Tug Yonju", which is azalea wine made from the plant's blossoms. Azaleas are usually grown as shrubs, but are also seen as small trees, and often indoors.

71. Indiana Jones trademark : FEDORA
A fedora is a lovely hat, I think. It is made of felt, and is similar to a trilby, but has a broader brim. "Fedora" was a play written for Sarah Bernhardt and first performed in 1889. Bernhardt had the title role of Princess Fedora, and on stage she wore a hat similar to a modern-day fedora. The play led to the women's fashion accessory, the fedora hat, commonly worn by women into the beginning of the twentieth century. Men then started wearing fedoras, but only when women gave up the fashion …

George Lucas created a lead character named Indiana Smith for what was to be his "Indiana Jones" series of films. Lucas asked Steven Spielberg to direct the first film, and Spielberg wasn't too fond of the name "Smith". Lucas then suggested Jones as an alternative, and Indiana Jones was born.

84. Also-ran for the golden apple, in myth : HERA
According to Greek mythology, the goddess Eris tossed the Golden Apple of Discord into the middle of the table during the feast of the gods at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. The Golden Apple bore the words "to the fairest", and the goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite succumbed to their vanity and fought for the title of most fair. This dispute eventually led to the Trojan War.

87. Home to Weber State University : UTAH
Weber State University is located in Ogden, Utah. The school was founded by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and is named for a fur trader named John Henry Weber.

88. Obama's signature health law, for short : ACA
The correct name for what has been dubbed "Obamacare" is the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" (ACA).

96. Like kitsch : TACKY
Something "tacky" is "in bad taste". The term derives from the noun "tackey" that was used in the early 1800s to describe a neglected horse.

"Kitsch" is a German word, an adjective that means "gaudy, trash".

100. Doctor's orders, for short : RXS
There seems to some uncertainty about the origin of the symbol "Rx" that's used for a medical prescription. One explanation is that it comes from the astrological sign for Jupiter, a symbol put on prescriptions in days of old to invoke Jupiter's blessing to help a patient recover.

101. Japanese soup : MISO
Miso is the name of the seasoning that makes the soup. Basic miso seasoning is made by fermenting rice, barley and soybeans with salt and a fungus to produce a paste. The paste can be added to stock to make miso soup, or perhaps to flavor tofu.

102. Specimen, for example: Abbr. : SYN
The word "specimen" is a synonym (syn.) for the word "example".

108. Prohibitionists : DRYS
The 18th Amendment to the US Constitution was a great victory for the temperance movement (the "dry" movement), and in 1919 ushered in the Prohibition era. Highly unpopular (with the "wet" movement), Prohibition was repealed in 1933 by the 21st Amendment.

110. Craggy peak : TOR
A tor is a high rocky hill. "Tor" comes from the Old English "torr", the word for a tower or rock, which in turn comes from the Old Welsh "twrr" meaning a heap or a pile.

111. Several CBS dramas : CSIS
The "CSI" franchise of TV shows has been tremendously successful, but seems to have finally wound down. "CSI: Miami" (the "worst" of the franchise, I think) was cancelled in 2012 after ten seasons. "CSI: NY" (the "best" of the franchise) was cancelled in 2013 after nine seasons. The original "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation", set in Las Vegas, hung in there until 2015 when it ended with a two-hour TV movie. The youngest show in the series was "CSI: Cyber". It lasted for two season before being canceled in 2016.

112. Short, for short : LIL'
Lil' is a short form of the word "little". There are a whole slew of rappers named Lil' something, like Lil' Wayne, Lil' J, and Lil' Kim.

113. The Prada that one really wants? : OBJECTIVE CASE
Prada was started in 1913 as a leathergoods shop in Milan, by the two Prada brothers. One of the brothers, Mario Prada, prevented the female members of his family participating in the company as he didn't believe women should be involved in business (!). When the sexist brother died, his son had no interest in the business so it was his daughter who took over and ran the company for about twenty years, handing it over to her own daughter. I'd say the devil loved that …

118. Part of a postal address for a G.M. plant : FLINT, MI
Flint, Michigan is perhaps best known as the original home to General Motors (now headquartered in Detroit). The city of Flint takes its name from the Flint River on which it lies. The local Native Americans called the river, "River of Flint", hence the name in English.

121. Thomas of the N.B.A. : ISIAH
Isiah Thomas played his whole professional basketball-playing career with the Detroit Pistons, and he is now the head coach with Florida International University's Golden Panthers. When you're out shopping for popcorn, keep an eye out for the Dale & Thomas brand, as it's co-owned by Isiah Thomas.

122. ___ Aquino, Time's Woman of the Year in 1986 : CORAZON
Corazon Aquino was the first woman to hold the office of President of the Philippines. She led the popular revolt against President Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 which led to the restoration of democracy in the country. She came to lead the movement against Marcos upon the assassination of her husband, the most visible opponent of Marcos. She took to the role reluctantly, proclaiming herself a "plain housewife".

123. With 113-Down, product of flax : LINSEED
(113D. See 123-Across : OIL)
Linseed oil is also known as flaxseed oil, as the oil is extracted from the dried seeds of the flax plant.

125. Women's fashion magazine : INSTYLE
"InStyle" is a monthly fashion magazine for women. I had no idea …

126. Warning before lunging : EN GARDE!
"En garde" is a French term that has been absorbed into the sport of fencing. Originally a warning "on guard!", it is spoken at the start of an encounter to warn the fencers to take a defensive position.

Down
2. First name in late-night : CONAN
Before Conan O'Brien came to fame as a late night talk show host he was a writer. He wrote for both "Saturday Night Live" and "The Simpsons".

4. W. Coast air hub : SFO
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) serves as the main base of operations for Virgin America (recently sold to Alaska Airlines), and is also the maintenance hub for United Airlines.

5. When tripled, symbol of evil : SIX
The date 6/6/06 is significant in that "666" is the "number of the beast" that is linked to Satan or the Anti-Christ according to the Book of Revelation in the Bible. The fear of the number 666 has been given a name: Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia. Don't forget ...

7. Amber, e.g. : RESIN
Amber's technical name is "resinite", reflecting its composition and formation. Amber starts out life as soft sticky tree resin but then under high temperature and pressure from overlying layers of soil, it fossilizes. The sticky resin can trap organisms or other plant matter, and this material can sometimes remain virtually intact inside the amber fossil giving us a unique gift from the past.

9. Outback animal : EMU
In Australia, the land outside of urban area is referred to as "the outback" or "the bush". That said, I think that the term "outback" can also be used for the more remote parts of the bush.

10. Blue Cross competitor : AETNA
When the healthcare management and insurance company known as Aetna was founded, the name was chosen to evoke images of Mt. Etna, the European volcano.

The Blue Cross association of health plans was established in 1929 in Dallas, Texas. The first plan put in place was for teachers, and guaranteed 21 days of hospital care if needed, for a premium of $6 a year. One can only dream …

15. Time to go home : CURFEW
Our word "curfew" comes from an Old French word meaning "cover fire". In medieval days a bell would be ring in the evenings as a signal to bank the hearths in preparation for sleeping. The intent was to prevent uncontrolled fires starting from fireplaces that were not tended during the night.

16. Skinny : INFO
The use of the word "skinny" meaning information, comes from WWII military slang for "the truth", probably a derivative of the expression "the naked truth" (evocative of "skinny-dipping").

25. Panegyric : EULOGY
A eulogy is a speech or piece of writing that praises someone who has recently passed away or who is retiring. "Eulogy" comes from the Greek word "eulogia" meaning "praise".

A "panegyric" was originally a formal speech made in public, the intent of which was to praise some person of some entity. Later, the term came to mean a laudatory verse, such as an ode. "Panegyris" is the Greek for "speech fit for a general assembly".

36. Kind of computing : CLOUD
In the world of computing, when one operates "in the cloud", one's files and key applications are not stored on one's own computer, but rather are residing "in the cloud", on a computer somewhere out on the Internet. I do 90% of my computing in the cloud. That way I don't have to worry about backing up files, and I can operate from any computer if I have to …

39. Something set in a meeting : AGENDA
"Agenda" is a Latin word that translates as "things to be done", coming from the verb "agere" meaning "to do".

45. Knight club : MACE
A mace is a relatively simple weapon in essence, a heavy weight on the end of a handle that is used to deliver powerful blows on an opponent's body.

46. Car company that owns SolarCity : TESLA
Tesla Motors is a manufacturer of electric vehicles based in Palo Alto, California. Tesla is noted for producing the first electric sports car, called the Tesla Roadster. The company followed the sports car with a luxury sedan, the Model S. The Model S was the world's best selling plug-in electric vehicle of 2015.

51. "There it is!" : VOILA!
"Voilà" means "there it is", and "voici" means "here it is". The terms come from "voi là" meaning "see there" and "voi ici" meaning "see here".

58. Source for "Book of the Marvels of the World," circa 1300 : POLO
Marco Polo was a merchant from Venice and a famous traveler throughout Asia. Polo journeyed with his father and uncle on an epic tour of Central Asia and China that lasted 24 years. Marco tends to be the member of the party we remember today though, because it was he who documented their travels in a book called "Il Milione".

59. Chinese philosopher Mo-___ : TZE
Mozi (also Mo-Tze) was a Chinese philosopher whose positions were often in conflict with Confucianism.

68. HBO political satire : VEEP
"Veep" is a political satire sitcom on HBO that is a remake of the British show "The Thick of It" (Warning: strong language!). "Veep" is set in the office of a fictional Vice President of the United States played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

69. Non-prophet group? : ATHEISTS
The term "atheism", meaning "disbelief in the existence of a god or gods", comes from the Greek "atheos" meaning "without god".

70. Sch. in Knoxville : UTENN
The University of Tennessee (UT, UTenn) is a public school in Knoxville that was founded in 1794. UT is home to the collections of three sets of presidential papers; those of Presidents Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk and Andrew Johnson, all of whom hailed from Tennessee. UT has three primary campuses, in Knoxville, Chattanooga and Martin.

73. Nickname for a Gilded Age businessman with a penchant for jewelry : DIAMOND JIM
"The Gilded Age" was a phrase coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in a book they wrote together. It describes the period of growth in the economy and the population following the Civil War. One of the men to profit during this time of expansion was Diamond Jim Brady. Brady started out as a bellboy and messenger, but at a young age made his fortune. He was known for having a big appetite for jewels (hence the moniker "Diamond Jim"), as well as a huge appetite for food. One restaurateur described him as "the best 25 customers I ever had".

77. "In Trump We Trust" author, 2016 : ANN COULTER
Ann Coulter is a conservative political commentator. Coulter has written several successful books, including:

"High Crimes and Misdemeanors" outlines her case for the impeachment of President Clinton.

"Slander" argues that President George W. Bush was given unfair coverage by the media.

"Treason" is a reexamination of the Cold War, suggesting that the the extent of Communist infiltration was underestimated.

81. "That deep, blue, bottomless soul," per Melville : OCEAN
Herman Melville mined his own experiences when writing his novels. Melville sailed from New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1841 on a whaler heading into the Pacific Ocean (a source for "Moby-Dick"). Melville ended up deserting his ship 18 months later and lived with natives on a South Pacific Island for three weeks (a source for "Typee"). He picked up another whaler and headed for Hawaii, where he joined the crew of a US navy frigate that was bound for Boston (a source for "Omoo").

83. Part of un jour : HEURE
In French, 1/24 of a "jour" (day) is an "heure" (hour).

85. Ghost story? : ATTIC
Ghosts tend to live up in the attic, I'm told …

91. New York City's ___ River : EAST
The East River is a strait in New York City connecting Upper New York Bay to Long Island Sound, separating Manhattan Island from Long Island. As it connects to Long Island Sound, the East River was once known as the Sound River.

99. Vehicle at a ski resort : SNO-CAT
The brand name Sno-Cat is owned by the Tucker company. All "snowcats" are tracked vehicles built to work in snow, famously used in expeditions to the polar regions. The modern Sno-Cat from Tucker differs from its competitors in that it has four independently-mounted tracks.

106. Covered in frost : RIMED
Rime is that beautiful coating of ice that forms on surfaces like roofs, trees and grass, when cold water freezes instantly under the right conditions.

114. Troop grp. : BSA
As every little boy (of my era) knows, the Scouting movement was founded by Lord Baden Powell, in 1907. The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) soon followed, in 1910. And, the Boy Scouts motto is "Be Prepared".

115. Roll call response in une école : ICI
In French, one might respond "ici" (here) to a roll call at "une école" (a school).

116. Wernher ___ Braun : VON
Wernher von Braun was a renowned scientist who is credited with inventing the V-2 rocket for Nazi Germany during WWII and the Saturn V rocket for the US during the Space Race. While living in his native Germany, von Braun was a member of the Nazi Party, and later a member of the SS. AS Germany's defeat became inevitable, von Braun and his team managed to arrange relocation to Austria where in order to surrender to the Americans and avoid capture by the Russians. The scientists were then relocated to the US as part of an OSS program called Operation Paperclip, which ultimately transferred over 1,500 scientists from Germany and the rest of occupied Europe just after WWII. The V-2 team were settled eventually in Huntsville, Alabama where von Braun was to live and work for the next twenty years.

117. Scale note : SOL
The solfa syllables are: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la & ti.

119. Dutch financial giant : ING
ING is a huge Dutch banking institution created via a merger in 1991. The company headquarters is in a spectacular building in Amsterdam called simply ING House. ING stands for Internationale Nederlanden Groep.

120. Govt. org. that offers a monthly "Puzzle Periodical" : NSA
National Security Agency (NSA)

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Kind of kick : SCISSOR
8. Product of evaporation : SEA SALT
15. Apple product : CIDER
20. Keep in : CONFINE
21. Brunch menu heading : OMELETS
22. Parts of college courses : UNITS
23. Sources of stress for many modern workers : IN-BOXES
24. Utopia? : FUTURE PERFECT
26. Part of the Dept. of Transportation : FAA
27. Channel buildup : SILT
29. Packers' grp.? : NRA
30. Old tabloid fodder : UFOS
31. Piece still under consideration for a magazine? : INDEFINITE ARTICLE
37. Org. concerned with water quality : EPA
40. Balsa or balsam : TREE
41. Budgetary excess : FAT
42. Signal meaning "no disease on this ship" : YELLOW FLAG
44. Hurt sharply : SMART
46. Workers in some labs, informally : TECHS
48. Interminable task : SLOG
49. "___ Must Die" (Claude McKay poem) : IF WE
50. "Village" newspaper that's namby-pamby? : PASSIVE "VOICE"
53. Bull's urging : BUY
54. Fashion guru Tim : GUNN
55. Behave : ACT
56. ___ of reality : DOSE
57. Admitted (to) : COPPED
59. Jacket material : TWEED
60. Percolate : SEEP
62. The "kid" in "Here's looking at you, kid" : ILSA
64. Kia model : RIO
65. Common flower that's poisonous to eat : AZALEA
66. Santa's nieces and nephews? : RELATIVE CLAUSES
71. Indiana Jones trademark : FEDORA
74. ___ department : REC
75. Uber-owned company that makes self-driving trucks : OTTO
76. Agreement : PACT
80. Result of a year-end review, maybe : RAISE
81. "That so?" : OH YEAH?
84. Also-ran for the golden apple, in myth : HERA
86. "I don't reckon" : NAH
87. Home to Weber State University : UTAH
88. Obama's signature health law, for short : ACA
89. Like shoppers worrying about getting the right gift? : PRESENT-TENSE
92. ___ pad : MEMO
93. Top : BEST
95. Scheduled to arrive : DUE IN
96. Like kitsch : TACKY
97. Fleet for many a commuter airline : PROP PLANES
100. Doctor's orders, for short : RXS
101. Japanese soup : MISO
102. Specimen, for example: Abbr. : SYN
103. Jailhouse? : SENTENCE STRUCTURE
108. Prohibitionists : DRYS
110. Craggy peak : TOR
111. Several CBS dramas : CSIS
112. Short, for short : LIL'
113. The Prada that one really wants? : OBJECTIVE CASE
118. Part of a postal address for a G.M. plant : FLINT, MI
121. Thomas of the N.B.A. : ISIAH
122. ___ Aquino, Time's Woman of the Year in 1986 : CORAZON
123. With 113-Down, product of flax : LINSEED
124. Miners' aids : LAMPS
125. Women's fashion magazine : INSTYLE
126. Warning before lunging : EN GARDE!

Down
1. Genre for TV's "Stranger Things" : SCI-FI
2. First name in late-night : CONAN
3. Unseemly : IN BAD TASTE
4. W. Coast air hub : SFO
5. When tripled, symbol of evil : SIX
6. Toddler garment : ONESIE
7. Amber, e.g. : RESIN
8. Hand-held dish that doesn't crunch : SOFT TACO
9. Outback animal : EMU
10. Blue Cross competitor : AETNA
11. Muddy mixture : SLURRY
12. Makes fizzy : AERATES
13. Network standard for smartphones, for short : LTE
14. Recipe abbr. : TSP
15. Time to go home : CURFEW
16. Skinny : INFO
17. Truck driver? : DIESEL FUEL
18. And so on: Abbr. : ETC
19. Alphabet string : RST
25. Panegyric : EULOGY
28. Boater's wear : LIFE VEST
32. Is off : ERRS
33. Foul-smelling : FETID
34. Set of principles : ETHIC
35. "Will ya look at that!" : I'LL BE!
36. Kind of computing : CLOUD
38. Foe of the Cheyenne : PAWNEE
39. Something set in a meeting : AGENDA
43. Insect that spends its larval stage inside a fruit : FIG WASP
44. Hot tubs : SPAS
45. Knight club : MACE
46. Car company that owns SolarCity : TESLA
47. Golfer's need : SCORECARD
51. "There it is!" : VOILA!
52. Grand : EPIC
58. Source for "Book of the Marvels of the World," circa 1300 : POLO
59. Chinese philosopher Mo-___ : TZE
61. Part of a club selling clubs : PRO SHOP
63. Well-ventilated : AIRY
65. After ___ (to some extent) : A SORT
67. 'Fore : ERE
68. HBO political satire : VEEP
69. Non-prophet group? : ATHEISTS
70. Sch. in Knoxville : UTENN
71. Dowdies : FRUMPS
72. Cafe : EATERY
73. Nickname for a Gilded Age businessman with a penchant for jewelry : DIAMOND JIM
77. "In Trump We Trust" author, 2016 : ANN COULTER
78. Distillery item : CASK
79. Not we : THEY
81. "That deep, blue, bottomless soul," per Melville : OCEAN
82. Lacks : HASN'T
83. Part of un jour : HEURE
85. Ghost story? : ATTIC
88. Most fit : ABLEST
90. Awkward time at family movie night : SEX SCENE
91. New York City's ___ River : EAST
94. Almost falls : TEETERS
98. Amps, with "up" : PSYCHS
99. Vehicle at a ski resort : SNO-CAT
101. Light cotton fabric : MUSLIN
104. Wild : CRAZY
105. Long arm : RIFLE
106. Covered in frost : RIMED
107. Pass over : ELIDE
109. Gather : REAP
113. See 123-Across : OIL
114. Troop grp. : BSA
115. Roll call response in une école : ICI
116. Wernher ___ Braun : VON
117. Scale note : SOL
119. Dutch financial giant : ING
120. Govt. org. that offers a monthly "Puzzle Periodical" : NSA

Return to top of pageBill Butlerhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985372223495832287.post-90068048530953042017-01-14T00:00:00.000-08:002017-01-14T00:00:15.519-08:000114-17 New York Times Crossword Answers 14 Jan 17, Saturday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today's crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today's SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today's New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today's clues and answers

CROSSWORD SETTER: Andrew Kingsley
THEME: None
BILL BUTLER'S COMPLETION TIME: 15m 38s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today's Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
14. Time Lords, e.g. : ALIEN RACE
The Time Lords are an alien race on the BBC sci-fi show "Doctor Who". In fact, the title character, known as "the Doctor", is a Time Lord.

15. Kimchi solution : BRINE
Kimchi is a traditional dish from Korea. The original kimchi is made from fermented vegetables, and is pretty strong stuff …

18. Roast figures : MCS
The term "emcee" comes from "MC", an initialism standing for Master or Mistress of Ceremonies.

19. Anchovy or sand eel : SPRAT
A sprat is a forage fish that travels in large schools with other species of fish, and that looks like a baby sardine. Although sprats are found all over the world, they are particularly associated with the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe.

23. X factor? : SEX
In most mammalian species, including man, females have two identical sex chromosomes (XX) and males two distinct sex chromosomes (XY). As a result it is the males who determine the sex of the offspring. However, in birds the opposite is true and so females determine the sex of the chicks.

27. Celebrity ex of Bruce and Ashton : DEMI
Demi Moore was born Demetria Guynes and took the name Demi Moore when she married her first husband, Freddy Moore. Moore's second husband was Bruce Willis. She changed her name to Demi Guynes Kutcher a few years after marrying her third husband, Ashton Kutcher. But, Kutcher and Moore split in 2013.

32. 1978 Nobel sharer : SADAT
Anwar Sadat was the third President of Egypt right up to the time of his assassination in 1981. Sadat won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978 along with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin for the role played in crafting the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty of 1978 at Camp David. It was this agreement that largely led to Sadat's assassination three years later.

39. Part of a Guardian Angel's attire : BERET
The Guardian Angels is an organization of unarmed volunteers who patrol high-crime areas and make citizen arrests when necessary. The group was founded in 1979 and originally focused on patrols of the New York City subway system. Now there are Guardian Angels operating in 15 countries and 144 cities around the world. You might recognize a Guardian Angel from his or her distinctive red beret.

41. Roast figures : FRIARS
The Friars Club is a private show-business club in New York City that has roots dating back to 1904. Back then the club was called the Press Agents Association. Within a few years the name was changed to reflect its broadening membership of actors and musicians. The name "Friar" was chosen as it comes from the Latin for "brother", deemed to a good name for a fraternal organization. Famously, the Friars Club hosts events in which a celebrity is "roasted" by a panel of comedians and show business VIPs.

43. Comic who was the 2012 presidential nominee of the Peace and Freedom Party : BARR
The comedian Roseanne Barr is perhaps best known as the star of her own sitcom called "Roseanne" in which she played the character Roseanne Conner. In 2012 Barr unsuccessfully vied for the Green Party's nomination for US President. She didn't give up though, and was successful in winning the nomination of the Peace and Freedom Party. In the 2012 presidential election she earned over 60,000 votes, and placed sixth in the list of candidates.

46. Bangkok banknotes : BAHT
The baht is the currency of Thailand, and is subdivided into 100 satang.

Bangkok is the capital city of Thailand. The exact etymology of the name "Bangkok" seems unclear, although "bang" is a Thai word meaning "a village situated on a stream".

48. Join the club, in Canterbury : ENROL
Canterbury is a city in the southeast of England in the county of Kent. Canterbury is famous for Canterbury Cathedral where Thomas Becket was murdered in 1170, making it a pilgrimage destination for Christians. It was one of these pilgrimages that was the inspiration for Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" written in the 14th century.

51. Mother of the wind gods : EOS
In Greek mythology, Eos is the goddess of the dawn who lived at the edge of the ocean. Eos would wake each morning to welcome her brother Helios the sun. The Roman equivalent of Eos is Aurora.

54. Cousin of ibid. : OP CIT
Op. cit. is short for "opus citatum", Latin for "the work cited". Op. cit. is used in footnotes to refer the reader to an earlier citation. It is similar to "ibid", except that ibid refers the reader to the last citation, the one immediately above.

58. Davis of "The Accidental Tourist" : GEENA
As well as being a successful Hollywood actress, Geena Davis is an accomplished archer and came close to qualifying for the US archery team for the 2000 Summer Olympics. Davis is also a member of American Mensa. She is quite the lady …

"The Accidental Tourist" is a novel by Anne Tyler, first published in 1985. The book was famously adapted into a 1988 movie starring William Hurt, Kathleen Turner and Geena Davis (who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance).

61. Mock wedding setting in Shakespeare : ARDEN
The Forest of Arden is the setting for Shakespeare's "As You Like It". Even though there is a Forest of Arden surrounding Shakespeare's home town of Stratford-on-Avon, as the play is set in France one has to assume that the "As You Like It" Arden is an anglicization of the forested "Ardennes" region that stretches from Belgium into France.

63. Bracket position : SEED
A "seeded" player or team in a tournament is one given a preliminary ranking that is used in the initial draw. The intention is that the better competitors do are less likely to meet each other in the early rounds.

Down
1. Carpaccio, e.g. : RAW MEAT
Carpaccio can be meat or fish. It is sliced very thinly, or may be pounded until it is thin, and then served raw. Carpaccio is a relatively contemporary dish, first served in 1950 to a countess in Venice, Italy. The lady informed the restaurant owner that her doctor had advised her to eat only raw meat, so she was served thin slices of uncooked beef in a mustard sauce. The owner of the restaurant thought that the colors of the dish reminded him of paintings by Vittore Carpaccio, so he gave it the name "Carpaccio". So the story goes anyway …

4. Like the lower half of Haiti's flag : RED
15. Like the upper half of Haiti's flag : BLUE
The national flag of Haiti comprises two horizontal bands of color, with blue on top and red on the bottom. The center of the flag features a white panel bearing the country's coat of arms.

5. Georges : ONES
I guess "George" is slang for a one-dollar bill.

The nation's first president, George Washington, is on the US one-dollar bills produced today. However, when the first one-dollar bill was issued in 1863, it featured a portrait of Salmon P. Chase, President Abraham Lincoln's Secretary of the Treasury.

6. Game with an official called a stickman : CRAPS
If one considers earlier versions of craps, then the game has been around for a very long time and probably dates back to the Crusades. It may have been derived from an old English game called "hazard" also played with two dice, which was mentioned in Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" from the 1300s. The American version of the game came here courtesy of the French and first set root in New Orleans where it was given the name "crapaud", a French word meaning "toad".

7. It "paralyzes life," per Martin Luther King Jr. : HATRED
Martin Luther King, Jr's father was born Michael King. On a trip to Germany in 1934, Michael came to admire Protestant leader Martin Luther and changed his name to Martin Luther King on his return the United States. Famously, he passed on his new name to his son, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

9. Warrant, e.g.: Abbr. : CERT
A warrant might be a certificate (cert.).

12. Yoga class directive : INHALE
In the West we tend to think of yoga as a physical discipline, a means of exercise that uses specific poses to stretch and strengthen muscles. While it is true that the ancient Indian practice of yoga does involve such physical discipline, the corporeal aspect of the practice plays a relatively small part in the whole philosophy. Other major components are meditation, ethical behavior, breathing and contemplation.

13. Like bananas in banana splits : PEELED
The banana split was created in Latrobe, Pennsylvania in 1904. This particular sundae was the idea of David Stickler, a young apprentice pharmacist at the Tassel Pharmacy's soda fountain.

22. Cockamamie : HAREBRAINED
"Cockamamy" (sometimes "cockamamie") is a slang term meaning "ridiculous, incredible". The term goes back at least to 1946, but may have originated as a slang term used by children in New York City in 1920s.

31. Topper for Chaplin's Tramp : DERBY
I think a bowler hat is usually called a derby here in the US. The bowler was first produced in 1849 in London by hatmakers Thomas and William Bowler, hence the name. The alternative name of "derby" comes from the tradition of wearing bowler hats at the Derby horse race (a major race held annually in England).

Charlie Chaplin earned the nickname "The Tramp" (also "Little Tramp") from the much-loved character that he frequently played on the screen. Chaplin was much-respected as a performer. The great George Bernard Shaw referred to him as "the only genius to come out of the movie industry".

35. Org. concerned with some labs : DEA
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

38. Bond seen in "Wayne's World" : BROMANCE
"Bromance" is the name given these days to a close relationship between two straight males.

"Wayne's World" was originally a Saturday Night Live sketch starring Mike Myers (as Wayne Campbell) and Dana Carvey as Garth Algar. The sketch was so successful that it was parlayed into two hit movies, released in 1992 and 1993. Not my cup of tea though …

40. Obviously Catholic person, in a snarky rhetorical question : THE POPE
That question would be, "Is the pope Catholic?"

43. Manure byproduct : BIOGAS
Biogas is mixture of methane and carbon dioxide resulting from the breakdown of organic matter by anaerobic bacteria. Biogas is used as a renewable energy source, as it is produced from recycled waste.

44. Coulomb per second : AMPERE
The unit of electric current is the ampere, abbreviated correctly to "A" rather than "amp". It is named after French physicist André-Marie Ampère, one of the main scientists responsible for the discovery of electromagnetism.

50. N.B.A. coach Van Gundy : STAN
Stan Van Gundy is an NBA basketball coach. Stan's brother Jeff Van Gundy also coached in the NBA. Stan and Jeff's father was head basketball coach at Brockport State University in Western New York.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Back in : RETRO-CHIC
10. Golf or tennis lesson topic : GRIP
14. Time Lords, e.g. : ALIEN RACE
15. Kimchi solution : BRINE
16. Something that may help control the border? : WEED EATER
17. Shop item : LATHE
18. Roast figures : MCS
19. Anchovy or sand eel : SPRAT
20. Same old : USUAL
21. Fix permanently : ETCH
23. X factor? : SEX
24. House flip, e.g. : RESALE
25. Very loud : AROAR
27. Celebrity ex of Bruce and Ashton : DEMI
29. With 26-Down, bit of winter fun : SLED ...
30. Really hot : TORRID
32. 1978 Nobel sharer : SADAT
34. Requisite : NEEDED
36. Like some extreme diets : NO-CARB
39. Part of a Guardian Angel's attire : BERET
41. Roast figures : FRIARS
43. Comic who was the 2012 presidential nominee of the Peace and Freedom Party : BARR
46. Bangkok banknotes : BAHT
48. Join the club, in Canterbury : ENROL
49. "Either way works for me" : I'M EASY
51. Mother of the wind gods : EOS
53. One of two in a tournament : SEMI
54. Cousin of ibid. : OP CIT
55. Run : SPATE
57. Follower : FAN
58. Davis of "The Accidental Tourist" : GEENA
59. "Shh!" : NO TALKING!
61. Mock wedding setting in Shakespeare : ARDEN
62. Words before a business's date of establishment : OPEN SINCE ...
63. Bracket position : SEED
64. Person on a quick vacation, maybe : WEEKENDER

Down
1. Carpaccio, e.g. : RAW MEAT
2. Tiny orbiter : ELECTRON
3. 50-50, e.g. : TIE-SCORE
4. Like the lower half of Haiti's flag : RED
5. Georges : ONES
6. Game with an official called a stickman : CRAPS
7. It "paralyzes life," per Martin Luther King Jr. : HATRED
8. Tools descended from alpenstocks : ICE AXES
9. Warrant, e.g.: Abbr. : CERT
10. They often turn knees green : GRASS STAINS
11. Initiation, e.g. : RITUAL
12. Yoga class directive : INHALE
13. Like bananas in banana splits : PEELED
15. Like the upper half of Haiti's flag : BLUE
22. Cockamamie : HAREBRAINED
24. Free from : RID OF
26. See 29-Across : … RIDE
28. "Wowser!" : MAN!
31. Topper for Chaplin's Tramp : DERBY
33. Parcel portion : ACRE
35. Org. concerned with some labs : DEA
37. Thrill during an excavation : RARE FIND
38. Bond seen in "Wayne's World" : BROMANCE
40. Obviously Catholic person, in a snarky rhetorical question : THE POPE
42. Ending with gun or mud : -SLINGER
43. Manure byproduct : BIOGAS
44. Coulomb per second : AMPERE
45. What coastlines may do : RECEDE
47. Perfectly : TO A TEE
50. N.B.A. coach Van Gundy : STAN
52. Was lousy : STANK
55. Put one over on : SNOW
56. Instead : ELSE
60. Blood group? : KIN

Return to top of pageBill Butlerhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985372223495832287.post-73941248404405242372017-01-06T00:00:00.000-08:002017-01-13T11:14:40.161-08:000106-17 New York Times Crossword Answers 6 Jan 17, Friday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today's crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today's SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today's New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today's clues and answers

CROSSWORD SETTER: Jacob Stulberg
THEME: None
BILL BUTLER'S COMPLETION TIME: 13m 40s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today's Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
12. Browsing inits. : DSL
An Internet Service Provider (ISP) is just what the name indicates, a company that provides its customers with access to the Internet. One way that ISPs differentiate themselves from each other is in the way in which end users are connected to the ISP's network. So, there are cable ISPs, DSL ISPs, dial-up ISPs and satellite ISPs.

15. Suitable for printing : CAMERA-READY
Several kind blog readers have commented or emailed me to explain the term "camera-ready". It seems that it comes from the world of publishing, referring to one of the final steps in the process. A camera-ready document is ready to be imaged and printed.

16. Fig. in annual reports : CEO
Chief executive officer (CEO)

18. Quicken Loans Arena athlete, for short : CAV
The Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland is generally referred to as "The Q". Most famously, the facility is home to the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers. Dan Gilbert, founder of Quicken Loans, is the majority owner of the Cavaliers team.

25. Group that grows every May : ALUMNI
An "alumnus" (plural … alumni) is a graduate or former student of a school or college. The female form is "alumna" (plural … alumnae). The term comes into English from Latin, in which alumnus means foster-son or pupil. "Alum" is an informal term used for either an alumna or an alumnus.

27. Numero su un orologio : TRE
In Spanish, a "numero su un orologio" (number on a clock) is "tre" (three).

29. Windblown : AEOLIAN
Aeolus was the ruler of the winds in Greek mythology, and he gave his name to the adjective "aeolian" (also "aeolic, eolic") meaning "windblown", something produced or carried by the wind.

30. Lushes : DIPSOS
"Dipsomania" is a craving for alcohol to the point of damaging one's health. "Dipsa" is the Greek for "thirst", hence dipsomania is a "manic thirst".

33. Home of a Big 12 school : AMES
Iowa State University of Science and Technology (ISU) is located in Ames, Iowa. Among many other notable events, ISU created the country's first school of veterinary medicine, in 1879. The sports teams of ISU are known as the Cyclones.

38. Singer Womack with the 2000 hit "I Hope You Dance" : LEE ANN
Lee Ann Womack is a country music singer and songwriter from Jacksonville, Texas.

42. Depot info, for short : ETD
Estimated Time of Departure (ETD)

Our term "depot", meaning a station or warehouse, derives from the word "dépôt", French for "deposit" or "place of deposit".

46. Synagogue holding : SCROLL
A Torah scroll (also "Sefer Torah") is a handwritten copy of the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures.

47. Lifeguard's concern, in brief : SPF
In theory, the sun protection factor (SPF) is a calibrated measure of the effectiveness of a sunscreen in protecting the skin from harmful UV rays. The idea is that if you wear a lotion with say SPF 20, then it takes 20 times as much UV radiation to cause the skin to burn than it would take without protection. I say just stay out of the sun …

48. Elisabeth of "CSI" : SHUE
Elisabeth Shue has always been a favorite actress of mine. She has been in several popular films including "The Karate Kid", "Cocktail", two of the "Back to the Future" movies, "Leaving Las Vegas", and my personal favorite "Adventures in Babysitting". More recently, Shue had a recurring role on the TV crime drama "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation".

49. "___ shut me up in Prose" (Emily Dickinson poem) : THEY
Emily Dickinson wrote nearly 1800 poems in her lifetime, with less than a dozen published before she died in 1886. Emily's younger sister discovered the enormous collection, and it was published in batches over the coming decades. Try this one for size:

They shut me up in Prose –
As when a little Girl
They put me in the Closet –
Because they liked me "still" –

Still! Could themself have peeped –
And seen my Brain – go round –
They might as wise have lodged a Bird
For Treason – in the Pound –

Himself has but to will
And easy as a Star
Look down opon Captivity –
And laugh – No more have I –

50. Key on a keyboard : ALT
The Alt (alternate) key is found on either side of the space bar on US PC keyboards. The Alt key evolved from what was called a Meta key on old MIT keyboards, although the function has changed somewhat over the years. Alt is equivalent in many ways to the Option key on a Mac keyboard, and indeed the letters "Alt" have been printed on most Mac keyboards starting in the nineties.

55. Period following the Renaissance : AGE OF REASON
The Age of Enlightenment (also known as the Age of Reason) was an era bridging the 17th and 18th centuries in which rationalism and scientific method started to hold sway against ideas grounded in tradition and faith. Key figures in the Age of Enlightenment were the likes of John Locke, Isaac Newton and Voltaire.

58. Get 10 from one? : BOWL A STRIKE
In bowling, a spare is recorded on a score sheet with a forward slash mark. A strike is recorded with a large letter X.

Down
3. Hit Fox drama starting in 2015 : EMPIRE
"Empire" is a musical drama TV series about the hip hop music business. Star of the show is Terrence Howard, who plays drug-dealer turned hip hop mogul Lucious Lyon. Lyon is CEO of Empire Entertainment.

5. "___: Legacy" (2010 film sequel) : TRON
Released in 1982, Disney's "Tron" was one of the first mainstream films to make extensive use of computer graphics. The main role in the movie is played by Jeff Bridges. The original spawned a 2010 sequel called "Tron: Legacy", as well as a 2012 TV show called "Tron: Uprising".

6. "Birds in an Aquarium" artist : HANS ARP
Jean Arp was a French artist renowned for his work with torn and pasted paper, although that wasn't the only medium he used. Arp was the son of a French mother and German father and spoke both languages fluently. When he was speaking German he gave his name as Hans Arp, but when speaking French he called himself Jean Arp. Both "Hans" and "Jean" translate into English as "John". In WWI Arp moved to Switzerland to avoid being called up to fight, taking advantage of Swiss neutrality. Eventually he was told to report to the German Consulate and fill out paperwork for the draft. In order to get out of fighting, Arp messed up the paperwork by writing the date in every blank space on the forms. Then he took off all of his clothes and walked with his papers over to the officials in charge. Arp was sent home …

7. "Thanks in old age - thanks ___ I go": Walt Whitman : ERE
Walt Whitman is considered to be one of the greatest American poets. He was born in 1819 on Long Island, and lived through the American Civil War. Whitman was a controversial character, even during his own lifetime. One view held by him was that the works attributed to William Shakespeare were not actually written by Shakespeare, but rather by someone else, or perhaps a group of people.

9. National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific locale : OAHU
Punchbowl Crater in Honolulu is home to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Among those interred there are the astronaut Ellison Onizuka, killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, and Ernie Pyle, the celebrated war correspondent.

10. Whoopi's "Ghost" role : ODA MAE
Oda Mae Brown is the psychic medium in the movie "Ghost", played by Whoopi Goldberg.

The fabulous film "Ghost" was the highest-grossing movie at the box office in 1990, bringing in over $500 million, despite only costing $21 million to make. Stars of the film are Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg. You might want to check out the stage musical adaptation "Ghost The Musical", which debuted in 2011 and is touring the UK and US.

12. Flash source : DC COMICS
The Flash is a DC Comics superhero who is nicknamed "the Scarlet Speedster" or "the Crimson Comet". The Flash's superpower is his ability to move extremely quickly, with speed that defies the laws of physics.

13. Venomous swimmer : SEA SNAKE
I used to live in the Philippines and spent almost every weekend SCUBA diving (happy days!). Occasionally, I'd come across a sea snake slithering through the water. The rule was always to never swim "above" sea snakes as they don't have gills and have to come to the surface to breathe. You don't want to be in the way of a sea snake when it's coming up for a breath of air, as all sea snakes are venomous and many fatalities have been recorded from their bites.

14. Peaceful protests : LOVE-INS
A "love-in" was a peaceful protest most associated with the late sixties. The gatherings themselves often involved meditation, music and the use of psychedelic drugs. The term "love-in" was apparently coined by LA comedian Peter Bergman who had a radio show at that time.

21. Kind of calendar : JULIAN
Our contemporary western calendar was introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII, giving it the name "Gregorian" calendar. The Gregorian calendar superseded the Julian calendar, both of which were aligned with movement of the sun across the sky. At issue was that the Julian calendar was misaligned with the solar year by about 11 minutes, creating an error that accumulated over time. Pope Gregory corrected the length of the year by introducing a more accurate rule for calculating leap years. He also wiped out the cumulated "misalignment", in order to bring together the Christian celebration of Easter and the spring equinox. That correction involved the "loss" of 11 days. The last day of the Julian calendar (Thursday, 4 October 1582) was immediately followed by the first day of the Gregorian calendar (Friday, 15 October 1582).

28. Ovary's place : PISTIL
The stamen is the male reproductive organ of a flower. The part of the stamen known as the anther sits on a stalk called the filament, and carried carries the pollen. The pollen is picked up by insects, especially bees, who then transfer pollen from flower to flower. The pistil is the female reproductive organ, and it accepts the pollen.

34. What the Wicked Witch of the West called Dorothy : MY PRETTY
In the 1939 movie "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz", Dorothy arrives in the Land of Oz after her farmhouse is swept up in a cyclone. The farmhouse comes to ground and kills the Wicked Witch of the East. The Wicked Witch of the West arrives to claim the magical ruby slippers worn by the Wicked Witch Witch of the East. The Good Witch of the North steps in and gives the ruby slippers to Dorothy instead.

41. Mead holder : FLAGON
Mead is a lovely drink, made from fermented honey and water.

44. Numbers game? : SUDOKU
Number puzzles similar to our modern-day Sudoku first appeared in French newspapers in the late 1800s. The format that we use today was created by Howard Garns, a 74-year-old freelance puzzle constructor from Connersville, Indiana and first published in 1979. The format was introduced in Japan in 1984 and given the title of "Sūji wa dokushin ni kagiru", which translates to "the digits are limited to one occurrence". The rather elaborate Japanese title was eventually shortened to Sudoku. No doubt many of you are fans of Sudoku puzzles. I know I am …

45. One of the Wayans brothers : KEENEN
The Wayans family is known as the First Family of Entertainment as it is replete with actors, directors, screenwriters and comedians. I hate to admit it, but I don't think I know any of them!

48. Get 10 from two? : SPARE
In bowling, the downing of all ten pins in two balls in the same frame is a "spare", scoring ten points. The player gets a bonus, equal to the number of pins downed with the next ball, which could be up to ten. Hence, a spare can be worth up to 20 points

53. Kind of lab : METH
"Meth" is a street name used for the drug methamphetamine, also called "crank" and "crystal meth".

55. "Aladdin" character who's transformed into an elephant : ABU
Abu is a monkey in the Disney production of "Aladdin". The character is based on Abu, a thief in the 1940 film "The Thief of Baghdad".

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Thrilled : OVER THE MOON
12. Browsing inits. : DSL
15. Suitable for printing : CAMERA-READY
16. Fig. in annual reports : CEO
17. Shows respect, in a way : TIPS ONE'S HAT
18. Quicken Loans Arena athlete, for short : CAV
19. Hydroxide and chloride : ANIONS
20. Line on a bill : SUM
21. "No way" man : JOSE
22. Brainiac, stereotypically : NERD
23. Lead-in to one or time : ANY-
25. Group that grows every May : ALUMNI
27. Numero su un orologio : TRE
28. Master : PRO
29. Windblown : AEOLIAN
30. Lushes : DIPSOS
32. Targets of snuffers : WICKS
33. Home of a Big 12 school : AMES
35. Unhealthy : ILL
36. Rest : EASE
37. Place of rest : CRYPT
38. Singer Womack with the 2000 hit "I Hope You Dance" : LEE ANN
40. Heighten : AMPLIFY
42. Depot info, for short : ETD
43. [That was bad of you!] : TSK!
46. Synagogue holding : SCROLL
47. Lifeguard's concern, in brief : SPF
48. Elisabeth of "CSI" : SHUE
49. "___ shut me up in Prose" (Emily Dickinson poem) : THEY
50. Key on a keyboard : ALT
52. Block : IMPEDE
54. Frosted ___ Flakes (breakfast cereal) : OAT
55. Period following the Renaissance : AGE OF REASON
57. Healthy : FIT
58. Get 10 from one? : BOWL A STRIKE
59. Fish ___ : FRY
60. In this world : UNDER THE SUN

Down
1. One eighth : OCTANT
2. More prideful : VAINER
3. Hit Fox drama starting in 2015 : EMPIRE
4. Maintain, in a way, as a lawn : RESOD
5. "___: Legacy" (2010 film sequel) : TRON
6. "Birds in an Aquarium" artist : HANS ARP
7. "Thanks in old age - thanks ___ I go": Walt Whitman : ERE
8. Chaotic : MESSY
9. National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific locale : OAHU
10. Whoopi's "Ghost" role : ODA MAE
11. Weekly magazine publisher since 1896: Abbr. : NYT
12. Flash source : DC COMICS
13. Venomous swimmer : SEA SNAKE
14. Peaceful protests : LOVE-INS
21. Kind of calendar : JULIAN
24. Without regard for privacy : NOSILY
26. Close to the bottom : LOW-END
28. Ovary's place : PISTIL
29. Out : ASLEEP
30. Place in battle formation : DEPLOY
31. Cry after a score, maybe : OLE!
33. Critic's place, so to speak : ARMCHAIR
34. What the Wicked Witch of the West called Dorothy : MY PRETTY
37. Discard : CAST OFF
39. Originally : AT FIRST
41. Mead holder : FLAGON
43. Argument : THESIS
44. Numbers game? : SUDOKU
45. One of the Wayans brothers : KEENEN
47. Lifted : STOLE
48. Get 10 from two? : SPARE
51. Blue : LEWD
53. Kind of lab : METH
55. "Aladdin" character who's transformed into an elephant : ABU
56. Distant : FAR

Return to top of pageBill Butlerhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985372223495832287.post-64683858090551427222017-01-13T00:11:00.000-08:002017-01-13T00:16:50.962-08:000113-17 New York Times Crossword Answers 13 Jan 17, Friday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today's crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today's SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today's New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today's clues and answers

CROSSWORD SETTER: Andrew J. Ries
THEME: None
BILL BUTLER'S COMPLETION TIME: 18m 26s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today's Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
5. Lou who wrote "Exporting America" : DOBBS
The journalist Lou Dobbs came to prominence as the anchor of the popular CNN business show "Lou Dobbs Tonight" which ran from 1980 to 2009. Apparently at one point, Dobbs was considering a run for the office of US President or a run for one of the US Senate seats for New Jersey.

14. Instrument with a bent neck : LUTE
The lute is a stringed instrument with a long neck and usually a pear-shaped body. It is held and played like a guitar, and was popular from the Middle Ages right through to the late Baroque era. A person who plays the lute can be referred to as a "lutenist".

15. Key : ISLET
A "key" (also "cay") is a low island offshore, as in the Florida Keys. Our term in English comes from the Spanish "cayo" meaning "shoal, reef".

22. Family name in Sir Walter Scott's "The Bride of Lammermoor" : ASHTON
"The Bride of Lammermoor" is an 1819 novel by Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. The novel deals with a doomed love affair between Lucy Ashton and her family's enemy Edgar Ravenswood. The story is set in the Lammermuir Hills of southeast Scotland, hence the title. Even though the novel is now attributed to Scott, it was first published anonymously.

23. Fr. title : MME
The equivalent of "Mrs." in French is "Mme." (Madame), in Spanish is "Sra." (Señora) and in Portuguese is also "Sra." (Senhora).

24. Zimbalist of old TV : EFREM
I used to watch "77 Sunset Strip" as a lad growing up in Ireland. It is an American show that ran from 1958 to 1964. Two of the central characters are former government secret agents, now working as private detectives. Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. plays Stu Bailey, and Roger Smith plays Jeff Spencer. And who can forget Kookie, played by Edd Byrnes? Years later, Byrnes played smooth-talking TV dance show host Vince Fontaine in the 1978 movie "Grease".

26. One of the renters in Steinbeck's "Tortilla Flat" : PABLO
"Tortilla Flat" was the first of John Steinbeck's novels to become a commercial success, published in 1935. The novel was made into a film of the same name in 1942 starring Spencer Tracy and Hedy Lamarr (with Akim Tamiroff playing Pablo).

30. Founder of the American Shakers : ANN LEE
Mother Ann Lee was the leader of the Shakers, the familiar name for the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing. Lee was born and raised in Manchester, England. It was there that she became prominent as a speaker declaring faith in the second coming of Christ. She took a band of her followers to America in 1774 and eventually settled just outside Albany, New York.

39. @fakechucknorris, for one : PARODY ACCOUNT
Chuck Norris is a martial artist and an actor from Ryan, Oklahoma. Norris's first real exposure to martial arts was in the US Air Force when he was serving in South Korea. When he left the service Norris opened up a chain of karate schools, and among his clients were Steve McQueen and his son, as well as Donny and Marie Osmond.

46. Painter's primer : GESSO
"Gesso" is the Italian word for "chalk" and gives its name to the powdered calcium carbonate that is used as a primer coat under artistic panel paintings. The gesso is mixed with a glue and applied to wood so that it acts as an absorbent surface for paint.

48. President who said "If you want to see your plays performed the way you wrote them, become president" : HAVEL
Václav Havel is a Czech playwright. Starting in the sixties, Havel became very active in the politics of his country. He eventually rose to the position of President, and was the last person to hold the office of President of Czechoslovakia, and the first to hold the office of President of the Czech Republic.

54. Ricoh rival : EPSON
Seiko Epson is a Japanese company, one of the largest manufacturers of printers in the world. The company has its roots in the watch business, roots that go back to 1942. Seiko was chosen as the official timekeeper for the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and was asked to supply a timer that produced a printed record. This request brought Seiko into the business of printer production. The company developed the world's first mini-printer for the 1964 Games and called it EP-101 (EP standing for Electronic Printer). In 1975 Seiko introduced the next generation of EP printers which was called EPSON, from "SON of EP". Cute, huh?

Ricoh is a Japanese company that started out in 1936 and by the year 2000 was the biggest manufacturer of copiers in the world. The company is also well known as a supplier of cameras. The most successful of Ricoh's lines of cameras is the compact model called a Caplio.

56. They're "family" : COSA NOSTRA
Apparently "Cosa Nostra" is the real name for the Italian Mafia. "Cosa Nostra" translates as "our thing" or "this thing of ours". The term first became public in the US when the FBI managed to turn some members of the American Mafia. The Italian authorities established that "Cosa Nostra" was also used in Sicily when they penetrated the Sicilian Mafia in the 1980s. The term "mafia" seems to be just a literary invention that has become popular with the public.

60. Pride : lions : parliament : ___ : OWLS
Here are some colorful collective nouns:

A shrewdness of apes

A cloud of bats

A bench of bishops

A clowder of cats

A waddling of ducks

An army of frogs

A knot of toads

61. God for whom a weekday is named : ODIN
"Wotan" is an alternative (High German) spelling of the name Woden, the Anglo-Saxon version of the Norse god Odin. Wotan is the head god in the pagan tradition, but as paganism was gradually replaced by Christianity in the 7th and 8th centuries, Wotan moved from his place in religion and into the realm of folklore. Indeed, he is a precursor of our modern day Father Christmas. Wotan (Woden) also gave his name to Wednesday, Woden's Day …

64. Like high school and college students of the '80s-'90s, e.g. : GEN-X
The term Generation X originated in the UK where it was the name of a book by Jane Deverson. Her book detailed the results of a study of British youths in 1964, contrasting their lifestyle to those of previous generations. It was Canadian author Douglas Coupland who was responsible for popularizing the term, with his more successful publication "Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture". By the latest accepted definition, Gen-Xers were born between 1961 and 1981.

65. Competitive and outgoing, say : TYPE A
The Type A and Type B personality theory originated in the fifties. Back then, individuals were labelled as Type A in order to emphasize a perceived increased risk of heart disease. Type A personality types are so called "stress junkies", whereas Type B types are relaxed and laid back. But there doesn't seem to be much scientific evidence to support the linkage between the Type A personality and heart problems.

Down
1. Bank deposit : PLASMA
Plasma (sometimes "plasm") is the clear, yellow-colored liquid component of blood and lymph in which cells are suspended.

3. Record stat for major-leaguer Rickey Henderson : STOLEN BASES
Rickey Henderson is a former professional baseball player believed by many to have been the sport's greatest baserunner. Henderson holds the major league record for career stolen bases, at 1,406. This compares with the second highest number of career stolen bases of "only" 938, by Lou Brock.

5. Slam : DIS
"Dis" is a slang term meaning "insult" that originated in the eighties. It is a shortened form of "disrespect" or "dismiss".

6. Title role in a 1993 film ... which sounds like a prize the film won : OSKAR
Oskar Schindler is the protagonist in the Steven Spielberg movie "Schindler's List". Schindler was a real person who survived WWII. During the Holocaust, Schindler managed to save almost 1,200 Jews from perishing by employing them in his factories. After the war, Schindler and his wife were left penniless having used his assets to protect and feed his workers. For years the couple survived on the charity of Jewish groups. Schindler tried to make a go of it in business again but never had any real success. He died a pauper in 1974 in Hildesheim, not far from Hanover. His last wish was to be buried in Jerusalem. Schindler was the only former member of the Nazi Party to be buried on Mount Zion.

7. Unimpressed : BLASE
"Blasé", meaning "nonchalant, bored from overindulgence" comes from French, in which language it can mean "satiated".

8. Character who dies at the end of "Little Women" : BETH MARCH
"Little Women" is a novel written by American author Louisa May Alcott. The quartet of little women is Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March. Jo is a tomboy and the main character in the story, and is based on Alcott herself.

9. Editorial reversal : STET
"Stet" is a Latin word meaning "let it stand". In editorial work, the typesetter is instructed to disregard any change previously marked by writing the word "stet" and then underscoring that change with a line of dots or dashes.

10. Burkina Faso neighbor : GHANA
The name "Ghana" means "warrior king" in the local language. The British established a colony they called Gold Coast in 1874, later to become Ghana, as part of the scramble by Europeans to settle as much of Africa as they could. One of Ghana's most famous sons is Kofi Annan, the diplomat who served as General Secretary of the UN for ten years until the beginning of 2007.

Burkina Faso is an inland country in western Africa. The country used to be called the Republic of Upper Volta and was renamed in 1984 to Burkina Faso meaning "the land of upright people".

13. Jazzman Montgomery : WES
Wes Montgomery was a jazz guitarist from Indianapolis.

19. The first one was a modified Ford D-Series truck : POPEMOBILE
The "popemobile" is actually a whole series of vehicles used since the days of Pope John Paul II. The popemobiles used on foreign visits are often manufactured locally and then stay in the country after the visit has been concluded. The British-built popemobile used for a 2006 visit to the UK was ultimately sold for over $70,000 at auction.

27. Grammy-nominated 2011 Lady Gaga album : BORN THIS WAY
Lady Gaga is the stage name of Stefani Germanotta. Germanotta is a big fan of the band Queen, and she took her stage name from the marvelous Queen song titled "Radio Ga Ga".

28. Aphrodisia : LUST
The word "aphrodisiac" is used for something that imbues sexual excitement. The word is derived from the "Aphrodite", the Greek goddess of love and beauty.

38. Some French votes : OUIS
"Oui" is "yes" in French, and "non" is "no".

50. Author with a restaurant at the Eiffel Tower named for him : VERNE
Jules Verne really was a groundbreaking author. Verne pioneered the science fiction genre, writing about space, air and underwater travel, long before they were practical and proved feasible. Verne is the second-most translated author of all time, with only Agatha Christie beating him out.

53. Like Hansel and Gretel in the forest : LOST
"Hansel and Gretel" is a Germanic fairy tale found in the collection of the Brothers Grimm. It tells of two siblings, Hansel and Gretel, the children of a woodcutter. The youngsters are abandoned in a forest at the behest of an evil stepmother. Clever Hansel hears of the plan and leaves a trail of pebbles so that he and his sister can find their way home, which they do. But the children are abandoned again and this time leave a trail of breadcrumbs. Unfortunately, the crumbs are eaten by birds and so the children do indeed become lost. But eventually they do all live happily ever after …

59. Handle preceder : AKA
Also known as (aka)

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. After the hour : PAST
5. Lou who wrote "Exporting America" : DOBBS
10. Plague, with "at" : GNAW
14. Instrument with a bent neck : LUTE
15. Key : ISLET
16. Defraud, in slang : HOSE
17. Very much : A TON
18. Recreational sites not designed for walkers : SKATE PARKS
20. Is a bad loser, say : SULKS
22. Family name in Sir Walter Scott's "The Bride of Lammermoor" : ASHTON
23. Fr. title : MME
24. Zimbalist of old TV : EFREM
26. One of the renters in Steinbeck's "Tortilla Flat" : PABLO
30. Founder of the American Shakers : ANN LEE
32. Sweet pitcherful : ADE
34. Important word to a marriage counselor : OUR
35. New homeowner's feeling, maybe : BUYER'S REMORSE
39. @fakechucknorris, for one : PARODY ACCOUNT
40. Diorama, maybe : MUSEUM EXHIBIT
41. Updated art? : ARE
42. Wrap (up) : SEW
43. Things to do after dinner : DISHES
46. Painter's primer : GESSO
48. President who said "If you want to see your plays performed the way you wrote them, become president" : HAVEL
51. Secret ending : -IVE
52. Word before or after state : POLICE
54. Ricoh rival : EPSON
56. They're "family" : COSA NOSTRA
60. Pride : lions : parliament : ___ : OWLS
61. God for whom a weekday is named : ODIN
62. Real stinker : SKUNK
63. All-nighter, maybe : RAVE
64. Like high school and college students of the '80s-'90s, e.g. : GEN-X
65. Competitive and outgoing, say : TYPE A
66. Views : EYES

Down
1. Bank deposit : PLASMA
2. Fall : AUTUMN
3. Record stat for major-leaguer Rickey Henderson : STOLEN BASES
4. Running event : TEN-K
5. Slam : DIS
6. Title role in a 1993 film ... which sounds like a prize the film won : OSKAR
7. Unimpressed : BLASE
8. Character who dies at the end of "Little Women" : BETH MARCH
9. Editorial reversal : STET
10. Burkina Faso neighbor : GHANA
11. Here-there connection : NOR
12. Require (of) : ASK
13. Jazzman Montgomery : WES
19. The first one was a modified Ford D-Series truck : POPEMOBILE
21. "Toodles" : SEE YOU SOON
25. What a meow may mean : FEED ME
27. Grammy-nominated 2011 Lady Gaga album : BORN THIS WAY
28. Aphrodisia : LUST
29. Dug stuff : ORE
31. Bonus upon signing, e.g. : LURE
33. Adjudicate : DECIDE
36. George Dickel product : RYE WHISKY
37. ___ and violins (music pun) : SAX
38. Some French votes : OUIS
39. Without any filler : PURE
40. Newsstand offering, informally : MAG
44. Change with the times : EVOLVE
45. Intuits : SENSES
47. Big name in shapewear : SPANX
49. Start to malfunction : ACT UP
50. Author with a restaurant at the Eiffel Tower named for him : VERNE
53. Like Hansel and Gretel in the forest : LOST
55. Bead producer? : PORE
56. Part of the works : COG
57. "How Sleep the Brave," e.g. : ODE
58. 28-Down, e.g. : SIN
59. Handle preceder : AKA

Return to top of pageBill Butlerhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985372223495832287.post-58164308692874815962017-01-12T00:00:00.000-08:002017-01-12T00:00:19.272-08:000112-17 New York Times Crossword Answers 12 Jan 17, Thursday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today's crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today's SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today's New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today's clues and answers

CROSSWORD SETTER: Joe Krozel
THEME: Separated Answers
Today's grid is divided vertically down the center. Three of the rows in the grid contain themed answers. The themed answers are two-word phrases, but the words on the left of the divided line are "divided" into two separate answers. And, the word on the right of the divided line is a synonym of "divided". Divided, divided, divided. Cool …

1A. Route follower : BUS
4A. ___ Conference : TED
7A. Word following 1-/4-Across, appropriately : APART (giving "bus-ted apart")

35A. Government stance on texting while driving : BAN
36A. Santa ___ : ANA
37A. Word following 35-/36-Across, appropriately : SPLIT (giving "ban-ana split")

61A. "Dude!" : BRO!
62A. ___ doll : KEN
63A. Words following 61-/62-Across, appropriately : IN TWO (giving "bro-ken in two")
BILL BUTLER'S COMPLETION TIME: 14m 21s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today's Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
4. ___ Conference : TED
The acronym TED stands for Technology Entertainment and Design. TED is a set of conferences held around the world by a non-profit group called the Sapling Foundation. The conference subjects are varied, and the meetings are often led by big names such as Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Bill Gates and Jane Goodall. The Sapling Foundation then makes recordings of the conferences available for free online with the intent of disseminating the ideas globally. These conferences are known as "TED Talks".

14. The scandal of Watergate, essentially : COVER-UP
The Watergate scandal is so named because it involved a break-in at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters in the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. The Watergate complex is made up of five units, three of which are apartment buildings, one an office building, and one a hotel-office building (which housed the DNC headquarters). Watergate led to the "-gate" suffix being used for many subsequent scandals, such as "Irangate", "Bridgegate" and "Deflategate".

17. Its distance is measured within a meter : TAXICAB
We call cabs "taxis", a word derived from "taximeter cabs" that were introduced in London in 1907. A taximeter was an automated meter designed to record distance travelled and fare to be charged. The term "taximeter" evolved from "taxameter", with "taxa" being Latin for "tax, charge".

18. Japanese flower-arranging art : IKEBANA
The Japanese art of flower arranging is very much focused on minimalism, the use of a minimum number of blooms arranged among a few stalks and leaves.

21. Brewing need : HOPS
The foodstuff that we call "hops" are actually the female flower of the hop plant. The main use of hops is to add flavor to beer. The town in which I live here in California used to be home to the largest hop farm in the whole world. Most of the harvested hops were exported all the way to the breweries of London where they could fetch the best price.

24. Subject of some prep classes : SAT
Today the standardized test for admission to colleges is known as the SAT Reasoning Test, but it used to be called the Scholastic Aptitude Test and Scholastic Assessment Test, which led to the abbreviation SAT.

29. Some piano music : RAGTIME
Ragtime music was at the height of it popularity in the early 1900s. It takes its name from its characteristic "ragged" rhythms. The most famous ragtime composer was Scott Joplin, who had a big hit with his "Maple Leaf Rag" when it was published in 1899. He followed that up with a string of hits, including the "Pine Apple Rag" (sic). Ragtime fell out of favor about 1917 when the public turned to jazz. It had a resurgence in the forties when jazz musicians started to include ragtime tunes in their repertoires. But it was the 1973 movie "The Sting" that brought the true revival, as the hit soundtrack included numerous ragtime tunes by Scott Joplin, including the celebrated "The Entertainer" originally published in 1902.

33. Edwin M. ___, war secretary under Lincoln : STANTON
Edwin Stanton was Secretary of War in the administration of President Abraham Lincoln. In his role, Stanton had the daunting responsibility of organizing the North's military resources during the Civil War. After President Lincoln was assassinated, Stanton took charge of the manhunt for the assassin and his accomplices.

36. Santa ___ : ANA
Santa Ana is the county seat of Orange County, California and takes its name from the Santa Ana River that runs through the city.

37. Word following 35-/36-Across, appropriately : SPLIT (giving "ban-ana split")
The banana split was created in Latrobe, Pennsylvania in 1904. This particular sundae was the idea of David Stickler, a young apprentice pharmacist at the Tassel Pharmacy's soda fountain.

44. Fruity libation : SANGRIA
Sangria is red wine punch, usually associated with Portugal and Spain. Recipes for sangria vary, but almost all include a robust red wine, sliced fruit, something sweet (e.g. orange juice, sugar), a spirit (e.g. brandy, triple sec), carbonated water or perhaps 7up, and ice. The drink is named for its color, as "sangre" is the Spanish for blood.

46. Ones attending to patients, for short : RNS
Registered nurses (RNs) might be found in an operating room (OR) or emergency room (ER).

47. Tiny bit : IOTA
Iota is the ninth letter in the Greek alphabet. We use the word "iota" to portray something very small as it is the smallest of all Greek letters.

60. Antacid brand : ROLAIDS
The Rolaids brand of antacid was invented in the late twenties. The "Rolaids" name came from the fact that original packing was a foil "roll".

62. ___ doll : KEN
Barbie's male counterpart doll is Ken, and Ken's family name is Carson. Barbie's full name is Barbie Millicent Roberts. When Ken was introduced in 1959, it was as Barbie's boyfriend. In 2004 it was announced that Ken and Barbie were splitting up, and needed to spend quality time apart. Soon after the split, Barbie "met" Blaine, a boogie boarder from Australia.

 Down
9. With, to Renoir : AVEC
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a French painter, very much at the forefront of the Impressionist Movement. Renoir was a prolific artist, with several thousand works attributed to him. The largest collection of Renoirs is actually in the United States. You can see 181 of his paintings at the Barnes Foundation just outside Philadelphia.

10. Onetime CW sitcom : REBA
Reba McEntire is a country music singer and television actress. McEntire starred in her own sitcom called "Reba" that aired on the WB and the CW cable channels from 2001 to 2007.

22. Its postal codes start with K, L, M, N and P - but, oddly, not O : ONTARIO
The Canadian province of Ontario takes its name from the Great Lake. In turn, Lake Ontario's name is thought to be derived from "Ontari:io", a Huron word meaning "great lake". Ontario is home to the nation's capital of Ottawa as well as Toronto, Canada's most populous city (and the capital of the province).

23. Well-known octet : PLANETS
There are several mnemonics used to remember the planets and the order in which they are found in the Solar System. One example is "My Very Easy Method Just Shows Us Nine Planets" which doesn't really work since Pluto was relegated from "planethood". The most oft-quoted mnemonic for the eight planets is "My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nachos". Given the relegation of Pluto, I kind of like "Many Very Educated Men Just Screwed Up Nature".

26. Old video game maker : ATARI
At one point, the electronics and video game manufacturer Atari was the fastest growing company in US history. However, Atari never really recovered from the video game industry crash of 1983.

31. Ancient physician : GALEN
Galen of Pergamum was a physician of Ancient Rome (of Greek ethnicity). He mainly worked on monkeys, dissecting their bodies to learn about physiology as it was not permitted to dissect human bodies in his day.

32. Pulling a prank outside a house : TP'ING
TP'ing (toilet papering) is a prank involving the covering of some object or location with rolls and rolls of toilet paper. If you live in Texas or Minnesota, that little "prank" is legal, but if you live here in California it is classed as mischief or vandalism.

39. Out of bed, in a way? : AWEIGH
When an anchor is "aweigh" or "atrip", it is just clear of the bottom, having just been lifted.

42. Atomic clock components : MASERS
A MASER is a device that was around long before LASERs came into the public consciousness. A MASER (Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) is similar to a LASER, but microwaves are emitted rather than light waves.

An atomic clock is the most accurate way of keeping track of time that is known. Most clocks work using some sort of an oscillation that takes place at a regular interval, like a pendulum. In the case of an atomic clock, the oscillation that is measured is between the nucleus of an atom and its surrounding electrons.

50. Gulf of ___ (waters off the coast of Djibouti) : ADEN
Djibouti is a country in the Horn of Africa, located to the northwest of Somalia, with coasts on the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Once known as French Somaliland, the country gained independence from France in 1977. The newly independent nation adopted the same name as Djibouti, the capital city.

51. Voice-activated assistant : SIRI
Siri is software application that works with Apple's iOS operating system. "Siri" is an acronym standing for Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface. You've probably seen the ads on television, with folks talking to their iPhones asking for information and responding with a voice. I hear that Google is a little scared by Siri, as Siri is non-visual. There's no need to touch a screen or a keyboard to work with Siri, no opportunity to click on one of Google's ads! By the way, voice-over artist Susan Bennett revealed herself as the female American voice of Siri not that long ago. The British version of Siri is called Daniel, and the Australian version is called Karen. Also, "Siri" is a Norwegian name meaning "beautiful woman who leads you to victory", and was the name the developer had chosen for his first child.

54. Where annoying things stick : CRAW
"Craw" is another name for the "crop", a portion of the alimentary tract of some animals, including birds. The crop is used for the storage of food prior to digestion. The crop allows the animal to eat large amounts and then digest that food with efficiency over an extended period. The expression "to stick in one's craw" is used one when one cannot accept something, cannot "swallow" it.

56. Foozle : ERR
"To foozle" something is to bungle it, especially a shot at golf. The term derives from the German "fuseln" meaning "to bungle".

57. "If you ask me ...," in texts : IMO
In my opinion (IMO)

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Route follower : BUS
4. ___ Conference : TED
7. Word following 1-/4-Across, appropriately : APART (giving "bus-ted apart")
12. Not clued in : UNAWARE
14. The scandal of Watergate, essentially : COVER-UP
17. Its distance is measured within a meter : TAXICAB
18. Japanese flower-arranging art : IKEBANA
19. Going "Huh?!?" : LOST
20. Pours a certain way : DECANTS
21. Brewing need : HOPS
24. Subject of some prep classes : SAT
25. Vents frustration : UNLOADS
29. Some piano music : RAGTIME
33. Edwin M. ___, war secretary under Lincoln : STANTON
34. Slipped by : ELAPSED
35. Government stance on texting while driving : BAN
36. Santa ___ : ANA
37. Word following 35-/36-Across, appropriately : SPLIT (giving "ban-ana split")
38. Throw on the floor : AREA RUG
40. How things typically are : THE NORM
43. Lamebrains : NITWITS
44. Fruity libation : SANGRIA
45. Give meds : DOSE
46. Ones attending to patients, for short : RNS
47. Tiny bit : IOTA
51. Pity evoker : SAD CASE
55. Called from a stall, say : NEIGHED
58. Sequentially : IN ORDER
59. What you might accidentally try to put your head through when getting into a sweater : ARMHOLE
60. Antacid brand : ROLAIDS
61. "Dude!" : BRO!
62. ___ doll : KEN
63. Words following 61-/62-Across, appropriately : IN TWO (giving "bro-ken in two")

Down
1. "___ how?" (words of disbelief) : BUT
2. Spanish article : UNA
3. Instrument in swing : SAX
4. Entree in a shell : TACO
5. Some are named after presidents : ERAS
6. Something a shopaholic might be in : DEBT
7. Biting : ACID
8. Put a finger on, in a way : POKE
9. With, to Renoir : AVEC
10. Onetime CW sitcom : REBA
11. It could carry a tune in the 1950s : TRANSISTOR RADIO
13. Big brand of sports equipment : WILSON
15. Savage : UNTAME
16. Walloped : PASTED
21. Subject of an old wives' tale? : HUSBAND
22. Its postal codes start with K, L, M, N and P - but, oddly, not O : ONTARIO
23. Well-known octet : PLANETS
26. Old video game maker : ATARI
27. Coffee shop offering : DONUT
28. Hitches : SNAGS
29. Times when musicians don't play : RESTS
30. Leader of the pack : ALPHA
31. Ancient physician : GALEN
32. Pulling a prank outside a house : TP'ING
39. Out of bed, in a way? : AWEIGH
41. Cleaned just before drying : RINSED
42. Atomic clock components : MASERS
48. "Well, I guess" : OH OK
49. Marketer's start? : TELE-
50. Gulf of ___ (waters off the coast of Djibouti) : ADEN
51. Voice-activated assistant : SIRI
52. Like Mr. X, but not Malcolm X : ANON
53. Dummy : DOLT
54. Where annoying things stick : CRAW
55. Arrest : NAB
56. Foozle : ERR
57. "If you ask me ...," in texts : IMO

Return to top of pageBill Butlerhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985372223495832287.post-36084655343796456192017-01-11T00:00:00.000-08:002017-01-11T00:00:26.657-08:000111-17 New York Times Crossword Answers 11 Jan 17, Wednesday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today's crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today's SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today's New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today's clues and answers

CROSSWORD SETTER: Peter A. Collins
THEME: DNA
We have a DNA DOUBLE HELIX highlighted in circled letters running down the middle of the grid, and several references to DNA in themed down-answers:

4D. Co-discoverer of the contents of the circled letters : CRICK
47D. Co-discoverer of the contents of the circled letters : WATSON

11D. With 55-Down, form of the contents of the circled letters : DOUBLE
55D. See 11-Down : HELIX
BILL BUTLER'S COMPLETION TIME: 8m 43s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today's Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Infomercial pioneer : RONCO
Ronco is a company the builds and sells products mainly for the kitchen. Over the years the company has been closely associated with the "-O-Matic" suffix, especially the "Veg-O-Matic" vegetable slicer. It is also associated with the phrase "set it and forget it", which was used for Ronco's Showtime Rotisserie Grill.

10. Mid-16th-century year : MDLI
MDLI is 1551 in Roman numerals.

14. Add bling to : ADORN
Bling-bling (often simply "bling") is the name given to all the shiny stuff sported by rap stars in particular i.e. the jewelry, watches, metallic cell phones, even gold caps on the teeth. The term comes from the supposed "bling" sound caused by light striking a shiny metal surface.

15. Cross initials : INRI
The letters written on the cross on which Jesus died were "INRI". INRI is an initialism for the Latin "Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum", which translates into English as "Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews".

16. 18 Louises : ROIS
"La reine" (the queen) is the wife of "le roi" (the king), in French.

Wow, we have one "Louis" and several "Louises". New to me …

Louis XVI was king of France prior to the abolition of the monarchy during the French revolution. Louis and his wife Marie Antoinette were victims of the guillotine in 1792. After the execution, Louis's son became the nominal king of France in the eyes of the royalists, as Louis XVII. Louis XVII was never made the official ruler, and died at the age of 10 in 1795 from as the result of an illness. The uncle of young Louis was then declared titular king in exile in 1795, taking the name Louis XVIII. Louis XVIII took over the throne of France in 1815, soon after Emperor Napoleon I was defeated. Louis XVIII died in 1824, with the crown passing to Charles X.

18. Apothecary container : VIAL
Nowadays, we would call an apothecary a pharmacist. "Apotecaire" is an Old French word from the 13th century meaning simply "storekeeper".

19. Historic 2016 Obama destination : CUBA
Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean. The exact etymology of the name "Cuba" seems a little unclear. Most believe "Cuba" to be derived from the Taíno terms for "where fertile land is abundant" (cubao) or "great place" (coabana).

20. Scorpion, for one : ARACHNID
Arachnids are creatures with eight jointed legs. The name of the class Arachnida comes from the Greek "aráchnē" meaning "spider".

There are about 1750 different species of scorpion in the world, but only 25 or so have venom sufficiently toxic to kill a human.

28. Farmworker in a Millet painting : GLEANER
Jean-François Millet was a French painter of the Barbizon school who is famous for his depictions of peasant farming. I've had the privilege of viewing some of his paintings in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris a few times. Millet spent much of his time painting in the countryside surrounding Barbizon, where he lived in France. Millet's most celebrated work is called "The Gleaners", which depicts poor women taking advantage of their centuries-old right to remove the bits of grain left in the fields following the harvest.

30. Suffix with ranch : -ERO
A "ranchero" is someone who owns, operates or is employed on a ranch, and is a word with Spanish roots.

31. Mickey Mouse's dog : PLUTO
Pluto is Mickey Mouse's pet dog, as well as a star in his own right. Pluto is an unusual Disney character in that he is portrayed basically as a dog as opposed to a "humanized" version of a dog, as are the other Disney characters.

35. Lacoste product : POLO
René Lacoste was a French tennis player who went into the clothing business, and came up with a more comfortable shirt that players could use. This became known as a "tennis shirt". When it was adopted for use in the sport of polo, the shirts also became known as "polo shirts". And then the "golf shirt" is basically the same thing.

42. Jazz singer Carmen : MCRAE
Carmen McRae was a jazz singer from Harlem in New York City. McRae's inspiration was singer Billie Holiday, whom McRae met when she was 17 years old.

45. Cousin of FWIW : BTW
By the way (BTW)

For what it's worth (FWIW)

51. Like all primes except 2 : ODD
A prime number is a number greater than 1 that can only be divided evenly by 1 and itself. There are still some unanswered questions involving prime numbers, perhaps most notably Goldbach's Conjecture. This conjecture dates back to the 1740s and is assumed to be true, but has never been proven. It states that every even integer greater than 2 can be expressed as the sum of two prime numbers.

52. Inflation-adjusted econ. stat : REAL GNP
A country's Gross National Product (GNP) is the value of all services and products produced by its residents in a particular year. GNP includes all production wherever it is in the world, as long as the business is owned by residents of the country concerned. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is different, although related, and is the value of all services and goods produced within the borders of the country for that year.

54. "Gute ___" (German bedtime words) : NACHT
"Gute Nacht" is a German for "goodnight".

60. Moscow news source : TASS
TASS is the abbreviation used for the former news agency that had the full name Telegraph Association of the Soviet Union (Telegrafnoe Agentstvo Sovetskogo Soyuza). When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1992, the Moscow-based agency's scope changed along with its name. It is now known as the Information Telegraph Agency of Russia (ITAR-TASS).

63. Food Network host Brown : ALTON
Alton Brown is a celebrity chef who is behind the Food Network show "Good Eats", and the host of "Iron Chef America".

66. Attack on a walled city, maybe : SIEGE
Our word "siege" comes from a 13th century word for a "seat". The military usage derives from the concept of a besieging force "sitting down" outside a fortress until it falls.

69. First Canadian M.L.B. team : EXPOS
The Washington Nationals ("The Nats") baseball team started out life as the Montreal Expos in 1969, and were the first Major League Baseball team in Canada. The Expos moved to Washington in 2005 becoming the Nats. There are only two Major Leagues teams that have never played in a World Series, one being the Mariners and the other the Nats.

Down
1. Music often heard in Bollywood films : RAGA
Raga isn't really a type of music, but has been described as the "tonal framework" in which Indian classical music is composed. Ravi Shankar was perhaps the most famous raga virtuoso (to us Westerners). Western rock music with a heavy Indian influence might be called raga rock.

Bollywood is the informal name given to the huge film industry based in Mumbai in India. The term "Bollywood" is a melding of "Bombay", the old name for Mumbai, and "Hollywood".

4. Co-discoverer of the contents of the circled letters : CRICK
47. Co-discoverer of the contents of the circled letters : WATSON
Francis Crick and James Watson discovered that DNA had a double-helix, chain-like structure, and published their results in Cambridge in 1953. To this day the discovery is mired in controversy, as some crucial results collected by fellow researcher Rosalind Franklin were used without her permission or even knowledge.

6. What "to forgive" is : DIVINE
Alexander Pope's 1709 poem "An Essay on Criticism" is the source of at least three well-known quotations:

A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring.

To err is human, to forgive divine.

For fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

7. Children's author Blyton : ENID
Enid Blyton wrote stories for children that were very popular when I was growing up in the British Isles. Not so long ago, I purchased and reread my favorite of her stories growing up, a children's novel called "The Secret Island".

9. Pale lagers : PILSNERS
Pilsener (also "pilsner" or "pils") is a pale lager. The name "pilsener" comes from the city of Pilsen, now in the Czech Republic. It was in Pilsen, in 1842, that the first bottom-fermented lager was produced. A bottom-fermented beer is much clearer that a top-fermented beer, and has a crisper taste. The "top" and "bottom" refers to where the yeast gathers during the brewing process.

10. Ernie Banks, to fans : MR CUB
First baseman Ernie Banks was known as "Mr. Cub", and played his entire 19-year professional career with the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs retired Banks' uniform number 14 in 1982, making him the first Cubs player to be so honored. Banks was known for his catchphrase, "It's a beautiful day for a ballgame ... Let's play two!", a reference to his love of the game, always wanting to play a doubleheader.

11. With 55-Down, form of the contents of the circled letters : DOUBLE
55. See 11-Down : HELIX
Famously, James Watson and Francis Crick worked out that the structure of DNA is a double helix. Well, it turns out that some strands of DNA can twist into different shapes. For example, the DNA at the ends of our chromosomes can form a rectangular structure called a triplex or quadruplex.

12. Ad-___ : LIBBER
Ad libitum is a Latin phrase meaning "at one's pleasure". In common usage the phrase is usually shortened to "ad lib". On the stage the concept of an "ad lib" is very familiar.

13. Close of a parental veto : … I SAY SO
"Veto" comes directly from Latin and means "I forbid". The word was used by tribunes of Ancient Rome to indicate that they opposed measures passed by the Senate.

21. Zilch : NIL
We use the term "zilch" to mean "nothing". Our current usage evolved in the sixties, before which the term was used to describe "meaningless speech". There was a comic character called Mr. Zilch in the 1930s in "Ballyhoo" magazine. Mr. Zilch's name probably came from the American college slang "Joe Zilch" that was used in the early 1900s for "an insignificant person".

23. Poi base : TARO
The corm of some taro plants is used to make poi, the traditional Hawaiian dish (that I think tastes horrible). When a taro plant is grown as an ornamental, it is often called Elephant Ears due to the shape of its large leaves.

25. Prefix with -morphic : ENDO-
The psychologist William Herbert Sheldon proposed a now-discredited theory that a person's intelligence, future achievement and temperament could be associated with particular body types. Sheldon proposed three "somatotypes", a classification that is still used today:

Ectomorphic: thin body build

Mesomorphic: muscular and sturdy body build

Endomorphic: heavy body build

27. Mop & ___ : GLO
Mop & Glo is brand of floor cleaner and polish.

36. Port city at one terminus of the Appian Way : BRINDISI
The Appian Way has to be the most famous of the amazing roads of Ancient Rome. It stretched from Rome right into the south of Italy, terminating in the city of Brindisi in the southeast. The first section of the military road was completed in 312 BC, by the Roman censor called Appius Claudius Caecus, who gave the road its name "Via Appia", or "Appian Way".

37. Org. whose magazine was once called Modern Maturity : AARP
AARP is now the official name for the interest group that used to be called the American Association of Retired Persons. The name change reflects the current focus of the group on all Americans aged 50 or over, as opposed to just people who have retired.

39. Fitbit datum : FOOTSTEP
Fitbits are wearable activity trackers that are mainly used to track the number of steps walked. Fitbit Inc. was founded in 2007 in San Francisco.

46. Highish bridge combo : TENACE
In the wonderful card game of bridge, a tenace is a broken sequence of honor cards, like AQ or KJ.

49. East ___ (Norfolk and Suffolk's locale) : ANGLIA
East Anglia is a region in on the east coast of England, located to the immediate northeast of London. East Anglia is home to the famous university city of Cambridge.

50. Cigarette stat : TAR
The partially-combusted particulate matter that is produced as a cigarette burns forms a resinous material called "tar". Cigarette tar is different than the tar used on roads, but is very toxic. Marijuana smoke produces a very similar tar to cigarette smoke, and is just as dangerous.

53. Talks like Sylvester : LISPS
Sylvester J. Pussycat was also known as Puddy Tat, and was a character who appeared in "Looney Tunes" and "Merrie Melodies" cartoons. Sylvester was the cat who was often trying to get the better of Tweety Bird, Speedy Gonzales and Hippety Hopper. Sylvester's trademark line is the exclamation "Sufferin' succotash!", which emphasizes the characters pronounced lisp.

58. Deli option : TO GO
The word "delicatessen" (or "deli" for short) came into English from the German "Delikatessen". The Germans borrowed the word from French, in which language "délicatesse" means "delicious things (to eat)". The term's ultimate root is "delicatus", the Latin for "giving pleasure, delightful".

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Infomercial pioneer : RONCO
6. Tough to grasp : DEEP
10. Mid-16th-century year : MDLI
14. Add bling to : ADORN
15. Cross initials : INRI
16. 18 Louises : ROIS
17. "Enough said!" : GOT IT!
18. Apothecary container : VIAL
19. Historic 2016 Obama destination : CUBA
20. Scorpion, for one : ARACHNID
22. Short and thick : STUBBY
24. Ball of yarn : SKEIN
25. Turns on, as notifications on a smartphone : ENABLES
26. In the past : AGO
28. Farmworker in a Millet painting : GLEANER
30. Suffix with ranch : -ERO
31. Mickey Mouse's dog : PLUTO
33. PC drive insert : CD-ROM
35. Lacoste product : POLO
36. Spanish baths : BANOS
38. Three or four : A FEW
42. Jazz singer Carmen : MCRAE
44. ___ strike : DRONE
45. Cousin of FWIW : BTW
48. Broadcast time : AIR DATE
51. Like all primes except 2 : ODD
52. Inflation-adjusted econ. stat : REAL GNP
54. "Gute ___" (German bedtime words) : NACHT
56. Not in a knot, say : UNTIED
57. Accepts : AGREES TO
60. Moscow news source : TASS
61. Object of admiration : IDOL
63. Food Network host Brown : ALTON
64. Rent-___ (security guard) : A-COP
65. Clean, in product names : SANI
66. Attack on a walled city, maybe : SIEGE
67. Light beam bender : LENS
68. "I had no ___!" : IDEA
69. First Canadian M.L.B. team : EXPOS

Down
1. Music often heard in Bollywood films : RAGA
2. Concern regarding a litter box : ODOR
3. Absolutely nobody : NOT A SOUL
4. Co-discoverer of the contents of the circled letters : CRICK
5. Constantly moving : ON THE GO
6. What "to forgive" is : DIVINE
7. Children's author Blyton : ENID
8. Baseball's dead-ball ___ : ERA
9. Pale lagers : PILSNERS
10. Ernie Banks, to fans : MR CUB
11. With 55-Down, form of the contents of the circled letters : DOUBLE
12. Ad-___ : LIBBER
13. Close of a parental veto : … I SAY SO
21. Zilch : NIL
23. Poi base : TARO
25. Prefix with -morphic : ENDO-
26. Smartphone download : APP
27. Mop & ___ : GLO
29. Spotted at the prom, perhaps? : ACNED
32. Lead-in to boy or girl : TOM
34. Spray-paint, say : MAR
36. Port city at one terminus of the Appian Way : BRINDISI
37. Org. whose magazine was once called Modern Maturity : AARP
39. Fitbit datum : FOOTSTEP
40. One may be bitter : END
41. Enter an altared state? : WED
43. Pet store purchase : CAGE
44. Death : DECEASE
45. Like winters in Antarctica : BRUTAL
46. Highish bridge combo : TENACE
47. Co-discoverer of the contents of the circled letters : WATSON
49. East ___ (Norfolk and Suffolk's locale) : ANGLIA
50. Cigarette stat : TAR
53. Talks like Sylvester : LISPS
55. See 11-Down : HELIX
57. Top-shelf : A-ONE
58. Deli option : TO GO
59. ___ place : ONE'S
62. Junior's senior : DAD

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Bill Butlerhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985372223495832287.post-11405083590657853912017-01-10T00:00:00.000-08:002017-01-10T00:00:20.357-08:000110-17 New York Times Crossword Answers 10 Jan 17, Tuesday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today's crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today's SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today's New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today's clues and answers

CROSSWORD SETTER: David Poole
THEME: Black to White
We have an OTHELLO/REVERSI inspired word ladder in today's grid that takes us from BLACK to WHITE:

23A. Disc-flipping board game hinted at by a word ladder formed by the answers to the nine starred clues : OTHELLO
50A. Another name for 23-Across : REVERSI

1A. *One side of a 23-Across piece : BLACK
6A. *Leeway : SLACK
22A. *Formation of poker chips : STACK
29A. *Celery unit : STALK
38A. *Hackneyed : STALE
43A. *Sedimentary rock : SHALE
55A. *Pinocchio swallower : WHALE
66A. *"___ England Slept" (1938 Churchill book) : WHILE
67A. *Other side of a 23-Across piece : WHITE
BILL BUTLER'S COMPLETION TIME: 8m 40s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today's Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
6. *Leeway : SLACK
Our word "leeway" meaning "spare margin" is nautical in origin. A vessel's leeway is the amount of drift motion away from her intended course that is caused by the action of the wind.

11. Tolkien's Treebeard, e.g. : ENT
Treebeard is the elder of the tree-like people called Ents in J. R. R. Tolkien's series of novels set in Middle-earth.

15. Hedren of "The Birds" : TIPPI
Tippi Hedren is an actress from New Ulm, Minnesota who is best known for her starring roles in two Alfred Hitchcock classics: "The Birds" (1963) and "Marnie" (1964). Famously, Hedren claimed that Hitchcock destroyed her movie career because she would not succumb to his sexual advances, a charge that has been denied.

"The Birds" is a 1963 film made by Alfred Hitchcock based on a short story by Daphne du Maurier. I've read the story and seen the film and find them both strangely disturbing (it's probably just me though!). I can't stand the ending of either version, as nothing resolves itself!

16. Actress Vardalos : NIA
Not only is the delightful Nia Vardalos the star of the 2002 hit movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", she also wrote the screenplay. The film never made it to number one at the box office, but it still pulled in more money than any other movie in history that didn't make it to number one. That record I think reflects the fact that the film wasn't a blockbuster but rather a so-called "sleeper hit", a movie that people went to see based on referrals from friends. The big fat mistake came when a spin-off TV show was launched, "My Big Fat Greek Life". It ran for only 7 episodes. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2" will hit movie theaters in 2016.

21. Julio is part of it : ANO
In Spanish, "julio" (July) is a "mes" (month) in the middle of the "año" (year).

23. Disc-flipping board game hinted at by a word ladder formed by the answers to the nine starred clues : OTHELLO
50. Another name for 23-Across : REVERSI
The game of Reversi is also sold as Othello. The name Othello was chosen as a nod to the play by William Shakespeare.

25. Slaps with a court fine : AMERCES
An "amercement" is a financial penalty imposed by law. An amercement is similar to a fine, but differs in that a fine is a fixed amount defined by statute whereas an amercement is an arbitrary amount decided by a court.

27. Where "Hamlet" opens : ELSINORE
Elsinore is the castle that William Shakespeare used as the setting for his play "Hamlet". Elsinore is based on the actual Kronborg castle in the Danish city of Helsingør (hence "Elsinore").

33. Largest U.S. univ. system : CAL STATE
California State University (CSU) is the largest university system in the country, with 23 campuses. About half of the bachelor's degrees in the US awarded annually are from CSU.

37. Baltic capital : RIGA
Riga is the capital city of Latvia. The historical center of Riga is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, declared as such because of the city's magnificent examples of Art Nouveau architecture.

The natives of modern day Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are sometimes referred to as Balts, a reference to the Baltic Sea on which the three countries lie. The term "Balt" is also used for someone who speaks one of the Baltic languages, a group of languages spoken by people mainly residing within the borders of Latvia and Lithuania, as well as in some immigrant communities around the world.

38. *Hackneyed : STALE
Hackney is a location in London, and it probably gave it's name to a "hackney", an ordinary type of horse around 1300. By 1700 a "hackney" was a person hired to do routine work, and "hackneyed" meant "kept for hire", and then "stale, uninteresting". This morphed into a hackney carriage, a carriage or car for hire, and into "hack", a slang term for a taxi driver or cab.

44. Dollar bill, e.g. : BANKNOTE
The nation's first president, George Washington, is on the US one-dollar bills produced today. However, when the first one-dollar bill was issued in 1863, it featured a portrait of Salmon P. Chase, President Abraham Lincoln's Secretary of the Treasury.

55. *Pinocchio swallower : WHALE
"The Adventures of Pinocchio" is an 1883 children's novel by Carlo Collodi, which is all about an animated puppet called Pinocchio, and Geppetto, his poor woodcarver father. In one of his adventures, Pinocchio encounters "the Terrible Dogfish", a huge sea monster that is given the nickname "the Attila of fish and fishermen". The sea monster features in the 1940 film "Pinocchio", but in Walt Disney's version it is given the name "Monstro" (the Portuguese word for "monster").

56. Part of L.G.B.T. : GAY
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)

57. The Panthers of the A.C.C. : PITT
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) chose the nickname for its sporting teams in 1909, and claims that it was the first team in the country to adopt the name "Panthers".

58. Twosome in a Shakespeare title : GENTLEMEN
"The Two Gentlemen of Verona" is one of William Shakespeare's comedies. Some scholars think that "Two Gentlemen" is Shakespeare's first play, and not his best.

61. Nut jobs : LOCOS
In Spanish, if one isn't "sano" (sane) one might be described as "loco" (crazy).

62. Fair-hiring letters : EEO
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) is a term that has been around since 1964 when the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was set up by the Civil Rights Act. Title VII of the Act prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin or religion.

64. Creator of a logical "razor" : OCCAM
Ockham's Razor (also "Occam's Razor") is a principle in philosophy and science that basically states that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. This explanation is a corollary to the more exact statement of the principle, that one shouldn't needlessly use assumptions in explaining something.

65. Coastal raptor : ERN
"Raptor" is a generic term for a bird of prey, one that has talons to grip its victims.

66. *"___ England Slept" (1938 Churchill book) : WHILE
Winston Churchill wrote a book in 1938 called "Arms and the Covenant" in which he stressed the UK's lack of preparation for the inevitable conflict with Nazi Germany. He placed the blame for that lack of preparedness at the feet of the UK government at that time, led by fellow conservative Neville Chamberlain. When the book was later published in the US, it was given the title "Why England Slept: A Survey of World Affairs, 1932-1938".

Down
1. "Congratulations!" : BRAVO!
To express appreciation for a male performer at an operatic performance, traditionally one calls out "bravo!". Appreciation for a female performer is shown by using "brava!", and for more than one performer by using "bravi!"

2. Actor Paul of "American Graffiti" : LE MAT
The actor Paul Le Mat is most noted for an early role in his career, playing John Milner in "American Graffiti". Milner is the character who spends most of the film dealing with an annoying young teenybopper called Carol.

4. Social standing : CASTE
Many creatures organize themselves into a social structure, a phenomenon known as "eusociality". Examples of such creatures would be ants, bees and wasps, where there are queens, workers and soldiers. The groups within such a hierarchical structure are known as castes. The word "caste" was borrowed from the class divisions in Indian society (although the word "caste" and hierarchical concept was actually introduced by the Portuguese).

6. Trial figures : STENOS
Stenography is the process of writing in shorthand. The term comes from the Greek "steno" (narrow) and "graphe" (writing).

7. Prom night rental : LIMO
The word "limousine" derives from the French city of Limoges. The area around Limoges is called the Limousin, and it gave its name to a cloak hood worn by local shepherds. In early motor cars, a driver would sit outside in the weather while the passengers would sit in the covered compartment. The driver would often wear a limousin-style protective hood, giving rise to that type of transportation being called a "limousine". Well, that's how the story goes anyway …

8. Police dept. alert : APB
An All Points Bulletin (APB) is a broadcast from one US law enforcement agency to another.

9. H&R Block V.I.P. : CPA
Certified public accountant (CPA)

The tax preparation company called H&R Block was founded in 1955 In Kansas City by two brothers, Henry and Richard Bloch. The Bloch brothers changed the spelling of their family name to "Block" for the company moniker, in order to avoid mispronunciation.

10. Mouths, slangily : KISSERS
"Kisser" and "yap" are slang terms for the mouth.

11. Pioneering computer of the 1940s : ENIAC
The acronym ENIAC stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (although many folks insist that the C was for "Computer"). ENIAC was introduced at the University of Pennsylvania in 1946, at which time it was the first general-purpose electronic computer. Its original purpose was the calculation of artillery firing tables, but it ended up being used early on to make calculations necessary for the development of the hydrogen bomb. Given its uses, it's not surprising to hear that development of ENIAC was funded by the US Army during WWII.

12. Eleanor Roosevelt, to Theodore : NIECE
Eleanor Roosevelt was the daughter of Elliot, brother to President Theodore Roosevelt. Eleanor met Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was her father's fifth cousin, in 1902, and the two started "walking out together" the following year after they both attended a White House dinner with President Roosevelt.

21. The whole ball of wax : ALL
The phrase "whole ball of wax" is probably a corruption of "the whole bailiwick". "Bailiwick" is a word dating back to the mid-1600s, and originally meant the "district of a bailiff".

24. Albanian currency : LEK
The official currency of Albania is called the lek. The first lek was introduced in 1926, and was apparently named after Alexander the Great.

The Republic of Albania is a country in the Balkans in southeastern Europe. Albania was made a communist state after WWII but became independent again with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990. Albania has been a member of NATO since 2009, and was accepted as an official candidate to join the European Union in 2014. The nation's capital and largest city is Tirana.

25. Way too uptight : ANAL
The use of the word "anal" to mean "stiffly conventional" is an abbreviated form of "anal-retentive", a term derived from Freudian psychology. Regardless, I'm not a big fan of the term …

28. Corporate raider Carl : ICAHN
Carl Icahn has many business interests, and is probably best known in recent years for his dealings with Yahoo! Icahn has a reputation as a corporate raider, a reputation that dates back to his hostile takeover of TWA in 1985. He made a lot of money out of that deal, before being ousted in 1993 after the company filed for bankruptcy protection.

31. ___ Khan : AGA
Aga Khan is a hereditary title of the Imam of a large sect within the Shi'a Muslim faith. The current Aga Khan is Shah Karim al-Hussayni, who has held the position since 1957.

35. ___ Aviv : TEL
The full name of Israel's second largest city is Tel Aviv-Yafo. Tel Aviv translates into "Spring Mound", a name chosen in 1910.

42. Rules in force in England before the Norman conquest : DANELAW
The "Danes" were a North Germanic tribe that mounted a successful assault on Great Britain and Ireland from about 800 AD. Danish settlers soon followed, bringing with them their own laws. The part of England where Danish Law predominated was called Danelaw, and was located in the northeast of the country. The English king Alfred the Great signed treaties with the Danish warlord Guthrum, creating a period of peace, with the country divided between the English and the Danes.The legal terms defined in those treaties may also be described by the term "Danelaw".

43. A few: Abbr. : SEV
Several (sev.)

45. Grand Marnier flavor : ORANGE
Grand Marnier is a very tasty orange-flavored liqueur from France. It is a blend of Cognac brandy, distilled essence of bitter orange, and sugar. There is a lot of Grand Marnier consumed in France as part of desserts, especially the delicious Crêpe Suzette. The drink was created by Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle in 1880, hence the name.

46. Josephine who wrote "The Daughter of Time" : TEY
Josephine Tey is the pen name of Scottish mystery writer Elizabeth Mackintosh. One of Tey's novels is "Miss Pym Disposes", first published in 1946.

49. Big name in cameras and copiers : CANON
The Japanese company called Canon is largely known in the US for producing quality cameras. The company started out as Precision Optical Industry Laboratory in 1937 making camera bodies. The name was changed in 1947 to Canon.

52. Perfumer Nina : RICCI
The Nina Ricci fashion house was founded by Italian-born Maria "Nina" Ricci, in Paris in 1932.

53. Brown ermine : STOAT
The stoat has dark brown fur in the summer, and white fur in the winter. Sometimes the term "ermine" is used for the animal during the winter when the fur is white. Ermine skins have long been prized by royalty and are often used for white trim on ceremonial robes.

56. Robt. E. Lee, e.g. : GENL
Robert E. Lee is renowned as a southern officer in the Civil War. Lee was a somewhat reluctant participant in the war in that he opposed the secession of his home state of Virginia from the Union. At the beginning of the war, President Lincoln invited Lee to take command of the whole Union Army but he declined, choosing instead to stay loyal to his home state. During the Civil War, Lee's men referred to him affectionately as "Marse Robert", with "marse" being slang for "master".

59. Book between Galatians and Philippians: Abbr. : EPH
It seems that the Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians (Eph.) is now regarded by scholars as written "in the style of Paul" by someone who was influenced by Paul's thought.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. *One side of a 23-Across piece : BLACK
6. *Leeway : SLACK
11. Tolkien's Treebeard, e.g. : ENT
14. Switch from plastic to paper, say : REBAG
15. Hedren of "The Birds" : TIPPI
16. Actress Vardalos : NIA
17. Aggregate : AMASS
18. Buildings in a Washington, D.C., "row" : EMBASSIES
20. Widespread : VAST
21. Julio is part of it : ANO
22. *Formation of poker chips : STACK
23. Disc-flipping board game hinted at by a word ladder formed by the answers to the nine starred clues : OTHELLO
25. Slaps with a court fine : AMERCES
27. Where "Hamlet" opens : ELSINORE
29. *Celery unit : STALK
33. Largest U.S. univ. system : CAL STATE
37. Baltic capital : RIGA
38. *Hackneyed : STALE
40. Not just bite and swallow : CHEW
41. Haphazard : SLAPDASH
43. *Sedimentary rock : SHALE
44. Dollar bill, e.g. : BANKNOTE
47. Moves heavenward : ASCENDS
50. Another name for 23-Across : REVERSI
55. *Pinocchio swallower : WHALE
56. Part of L.G.B.T. : GAY
57. The Panthers of the A.C.C. : PITT
58. Twosome in a Shakespeare title : GENTLEMEN
61. Nut jobs : LOCOS
62. Fair-hiring letters : EEO
63. Mimic's ability : APING
64. Creator of a logical "razor" : OCCAM
65. Coastal raptor : ERN
66. *"___ England Slept" (1938 Churchill book) : WHILE
67. *Other side of a 23-Across piece : WHITE

Down
1. "Congratulations!" : BRAVO!
2. Actor Paul of "American Graffiti" : LE MAT
3. Embarrass : ABASH
4. Social standing : CASTE
5. Metric measures: Abbr. : KGS
6. Trial figures : STENOS
7. Prom night rental : LIMO
8. Police dept. alert : APB
9. H&R Block V.I.P. : CPA
10. Mouths, slangily : KISSERS
11. Pioneering computer of the 1940s : ENIAC
12. Eleanor Roosevelt, to Theodore : NIECE
13. Items on a to-do list : TASKS
19. Something to do immediately after waking up : STRETCH
21. The whole ball of wax : ALL
24. Albanian currency : LEK
25. Way too uptight : ANAL
26. Insider informant : MOLE
28. Corporate raider Carl : ICAHN
29. H.S. students getting ready for college : SRS
30. Up to, informally : 'TIL
31. ___ Khan : AGA
32. Airplane seat restraint : LAP BELT
34. "Now I get it!" : AHA!
35. ___ Aviv : TEL
36. Farm female : EWE
38. Composition of dunes : SAND
39. Sounds of disapproval : TSKS
42. Rules in force in England before the Norman conquest : DANELAW
43. A few: Abbr. : SEV
45. Grand Marnier flavor : ORANGE
46. Josephine who wrote "The Daughter of Time" : TEY
47. "Shucks!" : AW GEE!
48. See-through : SHEER
49. Big name in cameras and copiers : CANON
51. Notable time period : EPOCH
52. Perfumer Nina : RICCI
53. Brown ermine : STOAT
54. "Who's there?" response : IT'S ME
56. Robt. E. Lee, e.g. : GENL
59. Book between Galatians and Philippians: Abbr. : EPH
60. The year 1002 : MII
61. Setting for simmering : LOW

Return to top of pageBill Butlerhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985372223495832287.post-12264854496212516372017-01-09T00:00:00.000-08:002017-01-09T00:00:11.313-08:000109-17 New York Times Crossword Answers 9 Jan 17, Monday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today's crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today's SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today's New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today's clues and answers

CROSSWORD SETTER: Neville Fogarty
THEME: Bed Head
Each of today's themed answers is HEADED by (starts with) a size of BED:

39A. Result of failure to comb the hair after sleep, maybe ... or a feature of 17-, 25-, 49- or 61-Across? : BED HEAD

17A. 1990s TV series about a murder in a town in Washington : TWIN PEAKS
25A. K-K-K-5-5, e.g., in poker : FULL HOUSE
49A. English monarch with a "lace" named after her : QUEEN ANNE
61A. Hooded snake : KING COBRA
BILL BUTLER'S COMPLETION TIME: 5m 40s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today's Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
5. Ending on several central Asian country names : -STAN
The suffix "-stan" in many place names is Persian for "place of".

9. Meanie in "Jack and the Beanstalk" : GIANT
"Jack and the Beanstalk" is a fairy tale from England. In the story, young Jack sells the family cow for some magic beans. He plants the beans and a massive beanstalk grows up into the sky. At the top of the beanstalk there lives an ogre. Jack climbs the beanstalk and adventures ensue …

14. U.S. weather agcy. : NOAA
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is one of the seven federal uniformed services, namely:

Army

Marine Corps

Navy

Air Force

Coast Guard

Public Health Service Commissioned Corps

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps

15. Zeus' wife : HERA
In Greek mythology, Hera was the wife of Zeus and was noted for her jealous and vengeful nature, particularly against those who vied for the affections of her husband. The equivalent character to Hera in Roman mythology was Juno. Hera was the daughter of Cronus and Rhea.

17. 1990s TV series about a murder in a town in Washington : TWIN PEAKS
"Twin Peaks" is a TV drama about an FBI murder investigation in the fictional town of Twin Peaks, Washington. I've never seen it, but I hear good things …

19. Film director Kurosawa : AKIRA
Akira Kurosawa was an Oscar-winning Japanese film director. His most famous movie to us in the West has to be "The Seven Samurai", the inspiration for "The Magnificent Seven" starring Yul Brynner, and indeed a basis for "Star Wars: The Clone Wars".

21. Part of the conjugation of the French "avoir" : AIT
Avoir is French for "to have". "Ait" is the third person singular form of "avoir" in the subjunctive tense. Got that …?

24. Bump fists : DAP
The dap is a form of handshake, nowadays often a complicated and showy routine of fist bumps, slaps and shakes. Some say that "dap" is an acronym standing for "Dignity And Pride".

33. Four-baggers: Abbr. : HRS
In baseball, a "four-bagger" is a home run (HR).

38. Pie ___ mode : A LA
In French, "à la mode" simply means "fashionable". In America, the term has also come to describe a way of serving pie. Pie served à la mode includes a dollop of cream or ice cream, or as I recall from my time living in Upstate New York, with a wedge of cheddar cheese.

41. School grp. : PTA
Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)

44. Black ___ (covert doings) : OPS
"Black ops" is the name given to covert operations, activities that are usually outside of standard military protocol and may even be against the law. Funding for black ops is usually provided by a secret "black budget".

45. ___ Ticonderoga : FORT
Fort Ticonderoga was built near the south end of Lake Champlain in New York in the 1750s during the French and Indian War. The most famous engagement at the fort took place during the American Revolution. Fort Ticonderoga was under British control in 1775 when it was captured in a surprise attack by the Green Mountain Boys led by Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold.

46. Apr. 15 mail addressee : IRS
April 15th wasn't always Tax Day in the US. The deadline for returns was March 1st from 1913-18, when it was moved to March 15th. Tax Day has been April 15th since 1955.

49. English monarch with a "lace" named after her : QUEEN ANNE
What we call "Queen Anne's Lace" over here in the US is known by many in the British Isles as "wild carrot". The roots of Queen Anne's Lace are indeed edible, just like carrots, but only when they are very young because later in life they get very woody. The wild carrot was given the name Queen Anne's Lace when it was introduced into America as the flowers do resemble white lace. There is one small red flower in the center of the plant that is said to be a drop of blood that Queen Anne spilled when she pricked herself as she was making the lace.

53. ___-rock (music genre) : ALT
I really don't know what alt-rock is, and I can't seem to work it out. Just an old fuddy-duddy …

59. Drilling tool : AUGER
An auger is a drill, a boring tool [Yawn].

61. Hooded snake : KING COBRA
The king cobra isn't a cobra at all and rather belongs to its own genus. The king cobra is the world's longest venomous snake and can grow to over 18 feet in length.

64. Thin pancake : CREPE
"Crêpe" is the French word for "pancake".

65. Place for the banjo in "Oh! Susanna" : KNEE
"Oh! Susanna" is a song that was published in 1848, written by Stephen Foster. The song is often called "Banjo on My Knee", an understandable slip given the words of the chorus. "Oh! Susanna" came to be associated with the Forty-Niners, the miners who traveled to California in the 1849 Gold Rush. The lyrics were changed to suit the Gold rush theme with "Alabama" being replaced by "California", and "banjo" being replaced by "washpan".

67. N.B.A. star ___ Irving : KYRIE
Kyrie Irving is a professional basketball player who grew up in New Jersey, although he was born in Melbourne, Australia to American parents. Irving played for Duke University before being picked by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2011 NBA draft.

Down
6. Lipton offering : TEA
Sir Thomas Lipton was a grocer in Glasgow, Scotland. He founded a tea packing company in North America in 1893, in Hoboken, New Jersey. He was very successful as his blends of tea became popular in the US. Despite the Lipton roots in the UK, Lipton black tea isn't available there, so I've always thought of it as an American brand.

7. Genesis vessel : ARK
The term "ark", when used with reference to Noah, is a translation of the Hebrew word "tebah". The word "tebah" is also used in the Bible for the basket in which Moses was placed by his mother when she floated him down the Nile. It seems that the word "tebah" doesn't mean "boat" and nor does it mean "basket". Rather, a more appropriate translation is "life-preserver" or "life-saver". So, Noah's ark was Noah's life-preserver during the flood.

11. French farewell : ADIEU
"Adieu" is the French for "goodbye" or "farewell", from "à Dieu" meaning "to God". The plural of "adieu" is "adieux".

12. "Rats!" : NERTS!
"Nerts" is a slang term, a corruption of "nuts!"

18. Amorous cartoon skunk : PEPE
Pepé Le Pew is a very likeable cartoon character from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series. Pepé is a French skunk, first introduced way back in 1945. He is always thinking of "l'amour" and chases the lady skunks, or a black cat with a white stripe painted down her back accidently.

25. President after Nixon : FORD
Gerald Ford was the only person to have served as both Vice President and President of the US, without having been elected to those positions. Ford was nominated by President Richard Nixon to replace Vice President Spiro Agnew after he resigned in 1973. Vice President Ford assumed the presidency the following year after President Nixon resigned.

28. Onetime Volvo competitor : SAAB
SAAB stands for Svenska Aeroplan AB, which translates into English as Swedish Aeroplane Limited. SAAB was, and still is, mainly an aircraft manufacturer. If you take small hops in Europe you might find yourself on a SAAB passenger plane. The SAAB automotive division was acquired by General Motors in the year 2000, who then sold it to a Dutch concern in 2010. However, SAAB (automotive) finally went bankrupt in 2011. A Chinese consortium purchased the assets of SAAB Automotive in 2012, and so SAAB vehicles are in production again. The new vehicles are using the SAAB name, but cannot use the SAAB griffin logo, the rights to which have been retained by the mother company.

29. K, in the NATO alphabet : KILO
The NATO phonetic alphabet is also called the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) phonetic alphabet. It goes Alfa, Bravo, Charlie … X-ray, Yankee, Zulu.

39. Joy Adamson book about Elsa the lioness : BORN FREE
The life story of Elsa the lion was told by game warden Joy Adamson, who had a very close relationship with the lioness from when Elsa was orphaned as a young cub. Adamson wrote the book "Born Free" about Elsa, and then "Living Free" which tells the story of Elsa and her three lion cubs. In the 1966 film based on "Born Free", Adamson is played by the talented actress Virginia McKenna.

48. Soft mineral : TALC
Talc is a mineral, actually hydrated magnesium silicate. Talcum powder is composed of loose talc, although these days "baby powder" is also made from cornstarch.

49. Phony doc : QUACK
A "quack" is a person who pretends to have knowledge that he or she does not in fact possess. The term especially applies to someone fraudulently pretending to have medical skills. Our modern word is an abbreviation of "quacksalver", an archaic term with Dutch roots that translates as "hawker of salve", Back in the Middle Ages, quacksalvers would shout out (quack) as they sold their pseudo-medical wares.

50. Unscrupulous moneylending : USURY
"Usury" was originally the name given to the practice of lending money at interest, but the term now refers to lending at excessive rates of interest.

52. Republican pol Haley from South Carolina : NIKKI
Nikki Haley became Governor of South Carolina in 2011, the first woman to hold the office in the history of the state. Haley was chosen in 2016 to be Ambassador to the United Nations for the Trump administration.

57. Buffalo's lake : ERIE
Buffalo is the second most-populous city in the state of New York. The city takes its name from Buffalo Creek that runs through the metropolis (although the waterway is called Buffalo River within the city). The source of the name Buffalo Creek is the subject of much speculation, but one thing is clear, there were never any bison in the area.

60. Prefix with dermis : EPI-
The epidermis is the outermost layer of the skin. The thickest piece of epidermal tissue in humans is on the soles of the feet and the palms, measuring about 1.5 mm. The thinnest measures 0.1 mm, and that would be the human eyelid.

62. "Monsters, ___" (2001 movie) : INC
The animated feature "Monsters, Inc." was released in 2001, and was Pixar's fourth full-length movie. It's about cute monsters, and that's all I know other than that the voice cast included the likes of John Goodman, Billy Crystal and Steve Buscemi.

63. Word before a maiden name : NEE
"Née" is the French word for "born" when referring to a female. The male equivalent is "né".

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Puts on TV or radio : AIRS
5. Ending on several central Asian country names : -STAN
9. Meanie in "Jack and the Beanstalk" : GIANT
14. U.S. weather agcy. : NOAA
15. Zeus' wife : HERA
16. ___ and wiser : OLDER
17. 1990s TV series about a murder in a town in Washington : TWIN PEAKS
19. Film director Kurosawa : AKIRA
20. Made smooth, as wood : SANDED
21. Part of the conjugation of the French "avoir" : AIT
23. And others, for short : ETC
24. Bump fists : DAP
25. K-K-K-5-5, e.g., in poker : FULL HOUSE
28. Exhibit in an anatomy class : SKELETON
31. Guided : LED
32. Is sick : AILS
33. Four-baggers: Abbr. : HRS
34. Like favorite stations on a car radio : PRESET
38. Pie ___ mode : A LA
39. Result of failure to comb the hair after sleep, maybe ... or a feature of 17-, 25-, 49- or 61-Across? : BED HEAD
41. School grp. : PTA
42. Young male viewed as a sex object : BOY TOY
44. Black ___ (covert doings) : OPS
45. ___ Ticonderoga : FORT
46. Apr. 15 mail addressee : IRS
47. Place to pull over on an interstate : REST AREA
49. English monarch with a "lace" named after her : QUEEN ANNE
53. ___-rock (music genre) : ALT
54. Land between Can. and Mex. : USA
55. Inits. at the start of a memo : FYI
56. "You ready?" : ALL SET?
59. Drilling tool : AUGER
61. Hooded snake : KING COBRA
64. Thin pancake : CREPE
65. Place for the banjo in "Oh! Susanna" : KNEE
66. Exposition : FAIR
67. N.B.A. star ___ Irving : KYRIE
68. Freezes, with "over" : ICES
69. Worry : FRET

Down
1. Picnic pests : ANTS
2. State that produces the most corn : IOWA
3. Weather-related stoppage in baseball : RAIN DELAY
4. Beach footwear : SANDALS
5. Tool building : SHED
6. Lipton offering : TEA
7. Genesis vessel : ARK
8. Word before congestion or spray : NASAL
9. Job that might involve watching the kids? : GOATHERD
10. Variety : ILK
11. French farewell : ADIEU
12. "Rats!" : NERTS!
13. Use a stencil on : TRACE
18. Amorous cartoon skunk : PEPE
22. "No thanks" : I'LL PASS
25. President after Nixon : FORD
26. Like a sheep with all its wool : UNSHORN
27. Praiseful poem : ODE
28. Onetime Volvo competitor : SAAB
29. K, in the NATO alphabet : KILO
30. "According to conventional wisdom ..." : THEY SAY ...
35. Place to drink lined with TVs : SPORTS BAR
36. French "to be" : ETRE
37. "So long!" : TA-TA!
39. Joy Adamson book about Elsa the lioness : BORN FREE
40. Fencing sword : EPEE
43. Coat and ___ : TIE
45. Decrease : FALL OFF
48. Soft mineral : TALC
49. Phony doc : QUACK
50. Unscrupulous moneylending : USURY
51. Rarin' to go : EAGER
52. Republican pol Haley from South Carolina : NIKKI
56. Gets 16-Across : AGES
57. Buffalo's lake : ERIE
58. Sour : TART
60. Prefix with dermis : EPI-
62. "Monsters, ___" (2001 movie) : INC
63. Word before a maiden name : NEE

Return to top of pageBill Butlerhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985372223495832287.post-44571521503112973002017-01-08T00:00:00.000-08:002017-01-08T00:00:14.749-08:000108-17 New York Times Crossword Answers 8 Jan 17, Sunday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today's crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today's SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today's New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today's clues and answers

CROSSWORD SETTER: Peter Broda & Erik Agard
THEME: The Downsizing of Nathaniel Ames (i.e. N Ames)
Our clever theme today has us "downsizing names". Each themed answer looks like a well-known phrase on the surface. However, the clue interprets it as starting with the name of a famous person, but that name is written using just the initial of the first name with the full family name:

20A. Things smoked by singer Courtney? : C LOVE CIGARETTES (from "clove cigarettes")
31A. "Charlie Hustle is my name / I am banned from Hall of Fame," e.g.? : P ROSE POETRY (from "prose poetry")
56A. Hoopster Steph not playing at home? : S CURRY AWAY (from "scurry away")
73A. The sport of boxing in the 1960s and '70s, essentially? : M ALI EMPIRE (from "Mali Empire")
100A. Hat for pop singer Corey? : C HART TOPPER (from "chart topper")
112A. Two-time Best Actor winner arriving early? : T HANKS IN ADVANCE (from "thanks in advance")
3D. Something smoked by comic Chris? : C ROCK POT (from "Crock-Pot")
8D. Photo of Canada's former prime minister Stephen? : S HARPER IMAGE (from "Sharper Image")
61D. Cherry for talk show host Chelsea? : C HANDLER BING (from "Chandler Bing")
86D. Entourage of a 1990s white rapper? : V ICE UNIT (from "vice unit")
BILL BUTLER'S COMPLETION TIME: 29m 58s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today's Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Today's Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Loops in, in a way : BCCS
One might loop in a colleague into an email thread by sending him or her a bcc (blind carbon copy).

A blind carbon copy (bcc) is a copy of a document or message that is sent to someone without other recipients of the message knowing about that extra copy.

5. Goddess with a throne headdress : ISIS
Isis was the ancient Egyptian goddess of fertility, as well as the protector of the dead and the goddess of children. She was the personification of the pharaoh's power. The name "Isis" translates as "throne", and she is usually depicted with a headdress shaped like a throne.

13. Figs. on drivers' licenses : HTS
Height (ht.)

16. When repeated, a Pacific tourist destination : BORA
Bora Bora is one of the Society Islands of French Polynesia. The name "Bora Bora" is imitative of the Tahitian name for the island and should really be pronounced "pora pora". "Bora bora" translates as "first born".

17. Fish whose name is a celebrity's name minus an R : OPAH
Opah is the more correct name for the fish also known as the sunfish, moonfish or Jerusalem haddock. I've seen one in the Monterrey Aquarium. It is one huge fish …

What can you say about Oprah Winfrey that hasn't been said already? Born into poverty to a single mother and with a harrowing childhood, Oprah is now the greatest African American philanthropist the world has ever known. Oprah's name was originally meant to be "Orpah" after the Biblical character in the Book of Ruth, and that's how it appears on her birth certificate. Apparently folks had trouble pronouncing "Orpah", so she's now "Oprah".

18. Old bandleader with an Egyptian-inspired name : SUN RA
Sun Ra was the stage name of jazz composer and performer Herman Blount. Sun Ra was a bit "out there", and claimed that he wasn't from Earth, but rather was of the Angel Race from the planet Saturn.

20. Things smoked by singer Courtney? : C LOVE CIGARETTES (from "clove cigarettes")
Courtney Love is a singer-songwriter who was the co-founder of the alternative rock band Hole. Love was married to Kurt Cobain, the lead singer of Nirvana, until his death in 1994.

23. Scandalmaker in 2002 news : ENRON
After all the trials following the exposure of fraud at Enron, several of the key players ended up in jail. Andrew Fastow was the Chief Financial Officer. He plea-bargained and received ten years without parole, and became the key witness in the trials of others. Even Fastow's wife was involved and she was sentenced to one year for helping her husband hide money. Jeffrey Skilling (ex-CEO) was sentenced to 24 years and 4 months. Kenneth Lay (CEO) died in 2006 after he had been found guilty but before he could be sentenced. The accounting firm Arthur Andersen was found guilty of obstruction of justice for shredding thousands of pertinent documents and deleting emails and files (a decision that the Supreme Court later overturned on a technicality). But still, Arthur Andersen collapsed under the weight of the scandal and 85,000 people lost their jobs (despite only a handful being directly involved with Enron).

25. Headwear the N.B.A. banned in 2005 : DO-RAG
Hip-hoppers might wear do-rags today, but they have been around for centuries. If you recall the famous image of Rosie the Riveter, she was wearing a do-rag. The etymology is pretty evident, a piece of cloth (rag) to hold a hairstyle (do) in place.

29. 1950s prez : IKE
When the future president was growing up, the Eisenhower family used the nickname "Ike" for all seven boys in the family, as "Ike" was seen as an abbreviation for the family name. "Big Ike" was Edgar, the second oldest boy. "Little/Young Ike" was Dwight, who was the third son born. Dwight had no sisters.

31. "Charlie Hustle is my name / I am banned from Hall of Fame," e.g.? : P ROSE POETRY (from "prose poetry")
Pete Rose was a talented baseball player who holds the record for all-time Major League hits. Rose's nickname was "Charlie Hustle". In recent years of course his reputation has been tarnished by admissions that he bet on games in which he played and managed.

33. Fist bump : DAP
The dap is a form of handshake, nowadays often a complicated and showy routine of fist bumps, slaps and shakes. Some say that "dap" is an acronym standing for "Dignity And Pride".

37. "Eureka!" moments : AHAS
"Eureka" translates from Greek as "I have found it". The word is usually associated with Archimedes, uttered as he stepped into his bath one day. His discovery was that the volume of water that was displaced was equal to that of the object (presumably his foot) that had been submerged. He used this fact to determine the volume of a crown, something he needed in order to determine if it was made of pure gold or was a forgery.

43. Feature of Africa : HORN
The Horn of Africa is that horn-shaped peninsula at the easternmost tip of the continent, containing the countries Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia as well as Somalia. The Horn of Africa is also known as the Somali Peninsula.

44. ___ oil : CANOLA
Canola is a type of rapeseed, and Canola oil is made from the seeds. The particular cultivar used in oil production was developed in Canada, and the name Canola in fact comes from "CANadian Oil, Low Acid".

51. Pugnacious Olympian : ARES
The Greek god Ares is often referred to as the Olympian god of warfare, but originally he was regarded as the god of bloodlust and slaughter. Ares united with Aphrodite to create several gods, including Phobos, Deimos and Eros. The Roman equivalent to Ares was Mars.

53. Relative of a ferret : MINK
There are two species of mink extant: the European Mink and the American Mink. There used to be a Sea Mink which was much larger than its two cousins, but it was hunted to extinction (for its fur) in the late 1800s. American Minks are farmed over in Europe for fur, and animal rights activists have released many of these animals into the wild when raiding mink farms. As a result the European Mink population has declined due to the presence of its larger and more adaptable American cousin.

55. F.B.I.'s div. : DOJ
Attorneys General (AGs) head up the Department of Justice (DOJ). When the office of the Attorney General was created in 1789 it was a part-time job, with no departmental support. The Department of Justice came into being in 1870.

What we know today as the FBI was set up in 1908 as the BOI, the Bureau of Investigation. The name was changed to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1935. The Bureau was set up at the behest of President Theodore Roosevelt. President Roosevelt was largely moved to do so after the 1901 assassination of President McKinley, as there was a perception that anarchists were threatening law and order. The FBI's motto uses the organization's initialism, and is "Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity".

56. Hoopster Steph not playing at home? : S CURRY AWAY (from "scurry away")
Steph Curry is a professional basketball player who was named the league's MVP in 2015, the same season that he led the Golden State Warriors to their first NBA championship since 1975. Steph's father is former NBA player Dell Curry, and the older brother of current NBA player Seth Curry.

62. Japanese watchmaker : SEIKO
Seiko Epson is a Japanese company, one of the largest manufacturers of printers in the world. The company has its roots in the watch business, roots that go back to 1942. Seiko was chosen as the official timekeeper for the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and was asked to supply a timer that produced a printed record. This request brought Seiko into the business of printer production. The company developed the world's first mini-printer for the 1964 Games and called it EP-101 (EP standing for Electronic Printer). In 1975 Seiko introduced the next generation of EP printers which was called EPSON, from "SON of EP". Cute, huh?

64. Like Granny Smith apples : TART
The Granny Smith apple originated in Australia, a chance propagation by Maria Ann Smith in 1868. Ms. Smith was in her late sixties at the time, so the new cultivar of apple was called a Granny Smith. We've only been eating Granny Smiths in the US since 1972.

66. Dickens's Uriah : HEEP
Uriah Heep is a sniveling insincere character in the novel "David Copperfield" by Charles Dickens. The character is such a "yes man" that today, if we know someone who behaves the same way, then we might call that person a "Uriah Heep".

68. Sega Genesis competitor, in brief : SNES
The name Super NES (or SNES) stands for Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Our kids probably have one somewhere …

73. The sport of boxing in the 1960s and '70s, essentially? : M ALI EMPIRE (from "Mali Empire")
Muhammad Ali won 56 professional fights, 37 of which were knockouts. He lost 5 fights, 4 being decisions and one being a technical knockout (TKO). The TKO-loss was Ali's second-last fight, against Larry Holmes. By the time Ali took on Holmes, he was already showing signs of Parkinson's Syndrome, although the diagnosis would not come until four years later.

The Mali Empire reigned supreme in West Africa from about 1230 AD to about 1600 AD. Today's Mandinka people are descended from the people of the Mali Empire.

76. Groups with co-pays, briefly : HMOS
Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)

80. "Star Trek: T.N.G." role : TROI
Deanna Troi is a character on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" who is played by the lovely Marina Sirtis. Sirtis is a naturalized American citizen and has what I would call a soft American accent on the show. However, she was born in the East End of London and has a natural accent off-stage that is more like that of a true Cockney.

85. Valet in P. G. Wodehouse stories : JEEVES
English author P. G. Wodehouse's full name was Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse. He is most famous for penning the stories about the goofy Bertie Wooster and his wise and wonderful valet Jeeves. Wodehouse moved to France in 1934, to minimize his tax liability. During WWII he was interned by the Germans for nearly a year, and made broadcasts to the US for the enemy from Germany. Even though his on air talks were relatively apolitical and humorous, they were not well received in his homeland. Wodehouse never returned to England, and died in New York in 1975.

89. Contemporary hybrid music genre : NU JAZZ
The musical genre of Nu Jazz is also known as electronic jazz, and combines elements of traditional jazz with contemporary electronic music.

90. Sots' sounds : HICS
Our word "sot" comes from the Old English "sott", meaning "fool". The word "sot" started to be associated with alcohol and not just foolery in the late 1500s.

99. El operator in the Windy City, briefly : CTA
The Chicago "L" is the second largest rapid transit system in the US, with the New York City Subway being the largest. The "L" is also the second oldest, again with the New York City Subway system having the honor of being around the longest. Note that the official nickname for the system is the "L" (originally short for "elevated railroad"), although the term "El" is also in common use (especially in crosswords as "ELS"). The L is managed by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).

It seems that the derivation of Chicago's nickname as the "Windy City" isn't as obvious as I would have thought. There are two viable theories. First that the weather can be breezy, with wind blowing in off Lake Michigan. The effect of the wind is exaggerated by the grid-layout adopted by city planners after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The second theory is that "windy" means "being full of bluster". Sportswriters from the rival city of Cincinnati were fond of calling Chicago supporters "windy" in the 1860s and 1870s, meaning that they were full of hot air in their claims that the Chicago White Stockings were superior to the Cincinnati Red Stockings.

100. Hat for pop singer Corey? : C HART TOPPER (from "chart topper")
Corey Hart is a singer from Montreal who is best known for the songs "Sunglasses at Night" (1984) and "Never Surrender" (1985). Hart was once asked by Steven Spielberg to consider the role of Marty McFly in the 1985 film "Back to the Future". Hart politely declined, and the role went to fellow-Canadian Michael J. Fox.

103. Anthem contraction : O'ER
The words "o'er the ramparts we watched" come from "The Star Spangled Banner" written by Francis Scott Key.

111. Obstinate one, astrologically : ARIES
Aries the Ram is the first astrological sign in the Zodiac, and is named after the constellation. Your birth sign is Aries if you were born between March 21 and April 20, but if you are an Aries you would know that! "Aries" is the Latin word for "ram".

112. Two-time Best Actor winner arriving early? : T HANKS IN ADVANCE (from "thanks in advance")
Tom Hanks is a such a great actor, I think. He has played so many iconic roles in a relatively short career. Hanks is from California, and studied theater for a couple of years in Hayward, California not far from here. Hanks is married to the talented actress Rita Wilson.

116. Monopoly purchase : HOUSE
The commercial game of Monopoly is supposedly a remake of "The Landlord's Game" created in 1903 by a Quaker woman called Lizzie Phillips. Phillips used her game as a tool to explain the single tax theory of American economist Henry George. The Landlord's Game was first produced commercially in 1924. The incredibly successful derivative game called Monopoly was introduced in 1933 by Charles Darrow, who became a very rich man when Parker Brothers bought the rights to the game just two years later in 1935.

117. Singer/songwriter Laura : NYRO
Laura Nyro was a singer-songwriter from the Bronx, New York. Nyro had success with her own recordings, but her songs were even more successful when recorded by other big names. Two of Nyro's compositions were "Eli's Coming" recorded by Three Dog Night, and "Stoney End" by Barbra Streisand.

118. Little foxes : KITS
A kit is a young mammal of several species, including the ferret and the fox. "Kit" is probably a shortened form of "kitten".

121. Wanders (about) : GADS
"To gad about" is to move around with little purpose. The word "gad" comes from the Middle English "gadden" meaning "to hurry".

122. They begin in juin : ETES
In French, the season of "été" (summer) starts in "juin" (June).

Down
1. Original airer of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" : BBC RADIO
The English writer and dramatist Douglas Adams is best known for "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". "The Hitchhiker's Guide ..." started out life as a comedy series on BBC radio in 1978, but it certainly had legs. It was adapted into stage shows, five books, a television series, computer game and a 2005 film.

2. Pop competition : COLA WARS
"Cola Wars" is the phrase used to describe the competing marketing campaigns of Coca Cola and PepsiCo. Coke is winning …

3. Something smoked by comic Chris? : C ROCK POT (from "Crock-Pot")
Chris Rock is a great stand-up comedian. Interestingly, Rock cites his paternal grandfather as an influence on his performing style. Grandfather Allen Rock was a preacher.

We often use the term "crockpot" as an alternative for "slow cooker". The generic term comes from the trademark "Crock-Pot", now owned by Sunbeam products.

5. Org. against doping : IOC
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded in 1894, and has its headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

7. Shakespeare villain : IAGO
Iago is the schemer in Shakespeare's "Othello". He is a soldier who fought alongside Othello and feels hard done by, missing out on promotion. Iago hatches a plot designed to discredit his rival Cassio by insinuating that Cassio is having an affair with Desdemona, Othello's wife.

8. Photo of Canada's former prime minister Stephen? : S HARPER IMAGE (from "Sharper Image")
Stephen Harper was Prime of Canada from 2006 until his Conservative Party was defeated in the 2015 federal election. In 2003. Harper helped create the modern Conservative Party of Canada by brokering a deal that merged his Canadian Alliance party with the Progressive Conservative Party.

10. Aardvarks, by another name : ANT BEARS
The aardvark is the oddest looking of creatures, a nocturnal burrowing animal, native to Africa. Even though it is sometimes called the African ant bear, the name "aardvark" is Afrikaans for "earth pig". Aardvarks are noted, among other things, for their unique teeth. Their teeth have no enamel and wear away quite readily, but continuously regrow. The aardvark feeds mainly on ants and termites.

13. He was buried in 1915 and died in 1926 : HARRY HOUDINI
Harry Houdini was the stage name of Hungarian-born escapologist and magician Erik Weisz (later changed to "Harry Weiss"). Many people are under the impression that Houdini died while performing an escape that went wrong, an impression created by the storyline in a couple of movies about his life. The truth is that he died of peritonitis from a burst appendix. It is also true that a few days prior to his death Houdini took a series of punches to his stomach as part of his act, but doctors believe that his appendix would have burst regardless.

Harry Houdini performed a stunt in Santa Ana, California in 1915, allowing himself to be "buried alive" under six feet of earth without a casket. As he tried to claw himself from the ground, Houdini became exhausted and barely managed to break the surface with one hand. He fell unconscious and had to be rescued by his assistants.

14. Dressage gait : TROT
The equestrian sport of dressage involves demonstration of how well as horse responds to training. "Dressage" is a French word meaning "training".

15. Invoice figs. : SSNS
Social Security number (SSN)

18. ___ lily : SEGO
The Sego Lily is the state flower of Utah, and is a perennial plant found throughout the Western United States.

19. Fulminating : ON A RANT
To "fulminate" is to explode or detonate, perhaps in rage. It's a lovely word derived from the Latin "fulminare" meaning "to hurl lightning".

21. Dwarf planet more massive than Pluto : ERIS
Eris is the largest known dwarf planet in our solar system. It is also the ninth largest body orbiting the sun, a fact that helped relegate Pluto (the tenth largest body) from its status of planet in 2006. Eris was discovered in 2005.

27. Literary device used to address plot inconsistencies : RETCON
Authors will often use a device called "retroactive continuity" to add new information to facts that have already been established in the narrative.

30. Nephrologists study them : KIDNEYS
Nephrology is the medical field specializing in the treatment of kidney problems. "Nephros" is the Greek word for "kidney".

35. M.L.K.'s title: Abbr. : REV
The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. was only 35 years old when he won the Nobel Peace Prize, making him the youngest person to be so honored. King was given the award for his work to end racial segregation and discrimination using non-violent means. The following year he was awarded the American Liberties Medallion by the American Jewish Community.

38. "Today" personality : AL ROKER
Al Roker is best known as the meteorologist on the "Today" show on NBC. He has successfully branched out from that platform though, and even co-wrote a novel called "The Morning Show Murders", about a celebrity chef and TV host who get entangled in mystery. Topical stuff …

39. Shark's home : SAN JOSE
The San Jose Sharks hockey team play their home games at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, a venue that we locals call "the Shark Tank".

45. Arctic fliers : AUKS
Auks are penguin-like sea birds that live in colder northern waters including the Arctic. Like penguins, auks are great swimmers, but unlike penguins, auks can fly.

56. Filament sites, in botany : STAMENS
The stamen is the male reproductive organ of a flower. The part of the stamen known as the anther sits on a stalk called the filament, and carried carries the pollen. The pollen is picked up by insects, especially bees, who then transfer pollen from flower to flower. The pistil is the female reproductive organ, and it accepts the pollen.

58. Underhanded use of someone else's domain name : URL HIJACKING
Internet addresses (like NYTCrossword.com and LAXCrossword.com) are more correctly called Uniform Resource Locators (URLs).

61. Cherry for talk show host Chelsea? : C HANDLER BING (from "Chandler Bing")
Chelsea Handler is a comedian who has been making a name for herself as a late-night talk show host on the E! network. Handler has her own talk show called "Chelsea Lately".

The bing cherry is the most widely grown sweet cherry in the US. The cultivar was created in Oregon in 1875 by Seth Lewelling. Lewelling was a horticulturist, and he named the cherry for his Chinese foreman Ah Bing.

Matthew Perry is an actor best known for his television work, especially playing Chandler Bing on the incredibly successful sitcom "Friends". More recently, Perry has been playing Oscar Madison on the latest TV adaptation of the Neil Simon play "The Odd Couple".

72. Arm muscle, informally : TRICEP
The triceps brachii muscle is found at the back of the upper arm. The muscle's name translates to "three-headed arm muscle", fitting as it is actually made up of three bundles of muscles.

73. ___ drop : MIC
A "mic drop" takes place when a performer has done particularly well and decides to celebrate by throwing or dropping the microphone to the floor. That doesn't seem to happen at the performances I tend to frequent …

74. Miney follower : MOE

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,
Catch the tiger/monkey/baby by the toe.
If it hollers/screams let him go,
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, you are it!

77. "Idomeneo" composer : MOZART
"Idomeneo" is a Mozart opera first performed in 1781, when Mozart was just 25 years old.

79. "All My ___ Live in Texas" : EX'S
"All My Ex's Live in Texas" is a song released in 1987 by country singer George Strait.

82. U.N.C. student : TAR HEEL
Tar Heel is a nickname for anyone living in, or from, the state of North Carolina. As such, it is the nickname also of the athletic teams of the University of North Carolina. No one seems to know for sure where the term "Tar Heel" originated, but it is thought to be related to the historical importance of the tar, pitch and turpentine industries that thrived in the state due to the presence of vast forests of pine trees.

83. Figure at the center of a maze : MINOTAUR
Minos was the King of Crete in Greek mythology, and the son of Zeus and Europa. Minos had an elaborate labyrinth built under the island, designed by the architect Daedalus and his son Icarus (who famously died trying to escape from the island by "flying" away). In the labyrinth, King Minos kept the Minotaur, a dreadful creature with the head of a bull on the body of a man.

84. Tahoe, for one : SUV
The Chevrolet Tahoe is basically the same design as the GMC Yukon, both cars being sports utility vehicles. The Tahoe is rated at 15 mpg for city driving, but there is a hybrid version which is rated at a whopping 21 mpg …

86. Entourage of a 1990s white rapper? : V ICE UNIT (from "vice unit")
Vanilla Ice is the stage name of rapper Robert Van Winkle. Van Winkle used to breakdance with a band of friends when he was a young teenager and, as he was the only Caucasian in the group, he was given the nickname "Vanilla".

87. Musical intermission : ENTR'ACTE
The term "entr'acte" comes to us from French, and is the interval "between two acts" ("entre deux actes") of a theatrical performance. The term often describes some entertainment provided during that interval.

92. Trampolinist's wear : LEOTARD
The garment known as a leotard was named for French trapeze artist Jules Léotard. Léotard wore such a garment when he was performing.

The first modern trampoline was developed in 1936. The apparatus was given its name from the Spanish "trampolín" meaning "diving board". Trampolines were used during WWII in the training of pilots, to give them exposure to some spatial orientations that would be encountered during flight. Trampolines were also used by astronauts training in the space flight program. The sport of trampolining became in Olympic event starting in the 2000 Games.

96. Start to -scope : STETHO-
The word "stethoscope" comes from the Greek word for "chest examination". The stethoscope was invented back in 1816 in France by René Laennec, although back then it looked just like an ear trumpet, a wooden tube with flared ends.

97. Cincinnati squad : REDS
The Red Scare (i.e. anti-communist sentiment) following WWII had such an effect on the populace that it even caused the Cincinnati baseball team to change its name from the Reds. The team was called the Cincinnati Redlegs from 1953-1958, as the management was fearful of losing money due to public distrust of any association with "Reds".

108. "Dark Sky Island" singer : ENYA
Enya's real name is Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, which can translate from Irish into Enya Brennan. Her Donegal family (in the northwest of Ireland) formed a band called Clannad, which included Enya. In 1980 Enya launched her very successful solo career, eventually becoming Ireland's best-selling solo musician. And, she sure does turn up a lot in crosswords!

110. Drink sometimes served hot : SAKE
We refer to the Japanese alcoholic beverage made from rice as "sake". We've gotten things a bit mixed up in the West. "Sake" is actually the word that the Japanese use for all alcoholic drinks. What we know as sake, we sometimes refer to as rice wine. Also, the starch in the rice is first converted to sugars that are then fermented into alcohol. This is more akin to a beer-brewing process than wine production, so the end product is really a rice "beer" rather than a rice "wine".

113. "Snowden" org. : NSA
"Snowden" is a 2016 film co-written and directed by Oliver Stone. It tells the story of computer professional Edward Snowden, who leaked information from the NSA to "The Guardian" newspaper in 2013. The bulk of the leaked material revealed extensive illegal cyber-snooping by the NSA on millions of American citizens, without the knowledge of the US Congress. The title role is played by actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

114. ___, cuatro, seis, ocho ... : DOS
In Spanish, "dos, cuatro, seis, ocho" translates as "two, four, six, eight".

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Loops in, in a way : BCCS
5. Goddess with a throne headdress : ISIS
9. Tempo : PACE
13. Figs. on drivers' licenses : HTS
16. When repeated, a Pacific tourist destination : BORA
17. Fish whose name is a celebrity's name minus an R : OPAH
18. Old bandleader with an Egyptian-inspired name : SUN RA
19. Outrigger projections : OARS
20. Things smoked by singer Courtney? : C LOVE CIGARETTES (from "clove cigarettes")
23. Scandalmaker in 2002 news : ENRON
24. Speed demon : RACER
25. Headwear the N.B.A. banned in 2005 : DO-RAG
26. Game involving sharp projectiles and alcohol : BEER DARTS
28. Parrot's cry : AWK!
29. 1950s prez : IKE
31. "Charlie Hustle is my name / I am banned from Hall of Fame," e.g.? : P ROSE POETRY (from "prose poetry")
33. Fist bump : DAP
34. "Yes, ___!" : SIRREE
36. Put a coat on : PAINT
37. "Eureka!" moments : AHAS
40. Press : IRON
42. Cloth colorist : DYER
43. Feature of Africa : HORN
44. ___ oil : CANOLA
46. Televangelist Joel : OSTEEN
48. Alternative to "News" and "Maps" in a Google search : VIDEOS
50. Road restriction : NO U-TURN
51. Pugnacious Olympian : ARES
53. Relative of a ferret : MINK
54. Cold and wet : DANK
55. F.B.I.'s div. : DOJ
56. Hoopster Steph not playing at home? : S CURRY AWAY (from "scurry away")
60. Riffraff : SCUM
62. Japanese watchmaker : SEIKO
64. Like Granny Smith apples : TART
65. Endless chore : SLOG
66. Dickens's Uriah : HEEP
68. Sega Genesis competitor, in brief : SNES
69. Radiant : AGLOW
71. Intersect : MEET
73. The sport of boxing in the 1960s and '70s, essentially? : M ALI EMPIRE (from "Mali Empire")
75. "Nothing to write home about" : MEH
76. Groups with co-pays, briefly : HMOS
78. Jockey strap : REIN
80. "Star Trek: T.N.G." role : TROI
81. Installment : EDITION
83. Personalized gifts for music lovers : MIX CDS
85. Valet in P. G. Wodehouse stories : JEEVES
89. Contemporary hybrid music genre : NU JAZZ
90. Sots' sounds : HICS
91. Nickname for Louise : LULU
93. Feast : DINE
94. Sail support : SPAR
95. In unison : AS ONE
97. Echo effect : REVERB
99. El operator in the Windy City, briefly : CTA
100. Hat for pop singer Corey? : C HART TOPPER (from "chart topper")
103. Anthem contraction : O'ER
104. "Uhh ..." : ERM ...
105. Show what you know, say : TAKE A TEST
107. "In all probability" : I'D BET
109. Regular : USUAL
111. Obstinate one, astrologically : ARIES
112. Two-time Best Actor winner arriving early? : T HANKS IN ADVANCE (from "thanks in advance")
115. Four-star rank: Abbr. : GENL
116. Monopoly purchase : HOUSE
117. Singer/songwriter Laura : NYRO
118. Little foxes : KITS
119. Slump : SAG
120. ___ cosa (something else: Sp.) : OTRA
121. Wanders (about) : GADS
122. They begin in juin : ETES

Down
1. Original airer of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" : BBC RADIO
2. Pop competition : COLA WARS
3. Something smoked by comic Chris? : C ROCK POT (from "Crock-Pot")
4. Hang on to : SAVE
5. Org. against doping : IOC
6. Spindly-limbed : SPIDERY
7. Shakespeare villain : IAGO
8. Photo of Canada's former prime minister Stephen? : S HARPER IMAGE (from "Sharper Image")
9. "Stay ___" : PUT
10. Aardvarks, by another name : ANT BEARS
11. Enter surreptitiously : CREEP IN
12. Press lightly, as the brakes : EASE ON
13. He was buried in 1915 and died in 1926 : HARRY HOUDINI
14. Dressage gait : TROT
15. Invoice figs. : SSNS
18. ___ lily : SEGO
19. Fulminating : ON A RANT
21. Dwarf planet more massive than Pluto : ERIS
22. Atypical : RARE
23. Summer hrs. in Phila. : EDT
27. Literary device used to address plot inconsistencies : RETCON
30. Nephrologists study them : KIDNEYS
32. Spies, informally : SPOOKS
35. M.L.K.'s title: Abbr. : REV
38. "Today" personality : AL ROKER
39. Shark's home : SAN JOSE
41. Close by : NEAR TO
43. Egg producer : HEN
45. Arctic fliers : AUKS
47. Blow it : ERR
49. Like a handyman's projects, for short : DIY
50. "Anything! Anything at all!" : NAME IT!
52. Shade of pink : SALMON
54. Sword fight, e.g. : DUEL
56. Filament sites, in botany : STAMENS
57. Imprisoned : CAGED UP
58. Underhanded use of someone else's domain name : URL HIJACKING
59. Troubles : WOES
61. Cherry for talk show host Chelsea? : C HANDLER BING (from "Chandler Bing")
63. Glimpsed : ESPIED
67. Forswear : PERJURE
70. Genius : WHIZ
72. Arm muscle, informally : TRICEP
73. ___ drop : MIC
74. Miney follower : MOE
77. "Idomeneo" composer : MOZART
79. "All My ___ Live in Texas" : EX'S
82. U.N.C. student : TAR HEEL
83. Figure at the center of a maze : MINOTAUR
84. Tahoe, for one : SUV
86. Entourage of a 1990s white rapper? : V ICE UNIT (from "vice unit")
87. Musical intermission : ENTR'ACTE
88. Continuous : SEAMLESS
90. Flamboyantly successful sort : HOTSHOT
92. Trampolinist's wear : LEOTARD
96. Start to -scope : STETHO-
97. Cincinnati squad : REDS
98. Dude, in British lingo : BRUV
101. Smallish batteries : AAS
102. Long spear : PIKE
105. Makes "it" : TAGS
106. Zone : AREA
108. "Dark Sky Island" singer : ENYA
110. Drink sometimes served hot : SAKE
113. "Snowden" org. : NSA
114. ___, cuatro, seis, ocho ... : DOS

Return to top of pageBill Butlerhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985372223495832287.post-68658089614009734852017-01-07T00:00:00.000-08:002017-01-07T00:00:15.318-08:000107-17 New York Times Crossword Answers 7 Jan 17, Saturday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today's crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today's SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today's New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today's clues and answers

CROSSWORD SETTER: Roland Huget
THEME: None
BILL BUTLER'S COMPLETION TIME: 18m 56s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today's Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
8. Angry Birds starting in 2010, e.g. : IPAD APP
Angry Birds is a video game that was developed for smartphones. Angry Birds is the third most downloaded game, after Tetris and Pac-Man. There is a whole series of Angry Birds games now, including Angry Birds Rio, Angry Birds Star Wars and Angry Birds Transformers.

22. Company with a buck in its logo : DEERE
John Deere invented the first commercially successful steel plow in 1837. Prior to Deere's invention, farmers used an iron or wooden plow that constantly had to be cleaned as rich soil stuck to its surfaces. The cast-steel plow was revolutionary as its smooth sides solved the problem of "stickiness". The Deere company that John founded uses the slogan "Nothing Runs Like a Deere", and has a leaping deer as its logo.

23. Literary character self-described as "poor, obscure, plain and little" : EYRE
Jane Eyre is a celebrated novel written by Charlotte Brontë, under the pen name Currer Bell. Over the years, I've shared here on my blogs that the "Jane Eyre" story line is a little too dark and Gothic for my taste, but a very persuasive blog reader convinced me to look more at the romantic side of the story and give it a second chance. I watched a wonderful 4-hour television adaptation of the novel made by the BBC a while back and I have to say that because I was focused on the relationship between Jane and Rochester, I was able to push past the Gothic influences (that depress me) so I really enjoyed the story. I thoroughly recommend the 2006 BBC adaptation to fans of the novel.

24. Ostracized sort : LEPER
The horrible disease known as leprosy is also called Hansen's disease, named after the Norwegian physician famous for isolating the bacterium that causes the disease. We can use the term "leper" to mean someone in general who is shunned by society.

The practice of ostracism, freezing out or exclusion, dates back to Ancient Greece. Back then citizens could write the names of men they thought were exceptionally dangerous on tiles that were publicly posted, resulting in a banishment of ten years. "Ostracize" derives from the Greek "ostrakon", the word for a "tile".

26. Plane wing part : SLAT
In an airplane wing, a slat is a moving surface on the leading edge of the wing, primarily having the same effect as the flap on the trailing edge. With slats and flaps deployed, a plane can fly more slowly, and take off or land in a shorter distance.

27. Inits. after a big media merger of 1958 : UPI
Founded in 1958, United Press International (UPI) used to be one of the biggest news agencies in the world, sending out news by wire to the major newspapers. UPI ran into trouble with the change in media formats at the end of the twentieth century and lost many of its clients as the afternoon newspapers shut down due to the advent of television news. UPI, which once employed thousands, still exists today but with just a handful of employees.

30. Alternative to Food Lion or Piggly Wiggly : IGA
IGA stands for Independent Grocers Alliance, a chain of supermarkets that extends right around the world. IGA's headquarters is in Chicago. The company uses the slogan "Hometown Proud Supermarkets".

31. 1990s "caught on tape" series : REAL TV
"Real TV" is a reality television series that aired originally from 1966 to 2001. The show featured amateur video clips of various dramatic events that could hold the viewer's attention.

44. Roach of old comedy : HAL
Hal Roach was a film and television producer who is best remembered for producing the "Laurel Hardy" films, and well as the "Our Gang" and " The Little Rascals" series of movies.

51. Seed coat : ARIL
The casing surrounding many seeds is called the aril, and it may be quite fleshy. This fruit-like characteristic makes it desirable as a food and aids in the dispersion of the seeds.

54. Tranquil and minimalistic : ZEN
Zen is a Buddhist school that developed its own tradition in China back in the 7th century AD. Zen is a Japanese spelling of the Chinese word "chan", which in turn derives from the Sanskrit word "dhyana" meaning "meditation".

58. Something to pick a number from : JUKEBOX
Although coin-operated music players had been around for decades, the term "jukebox" wasn't used until about 1940. "Jukebox" derives from a Gullah word, the language of African Americans living in the coastal areas of South Carolina and Georgia. In Gullah, a "juke joint", from "juke" or "joog" meaning "rowdy, wicked", was an informal establishment where African Americans would gather and for some music, dancing, gambling and drinking. The coin-operated music players became known as "jukeboxes".

61. Synthetic dye compound : ANILINE
Aniline is a relatively simple organic compound. Hopefully aniline's strong smell warns one to stay away, as it is a poison.

63. Gives a number? : SEDATES
To sedate is to make numb, to give a "number".

Down
2. Subspecies of a distinct geographical variety : ECOTYPE
In evolutionary terms, an ecotype or ecospecies is a subspecies that becomes a variety distinct from the main population as it adapts to specific environmental conditions. For example, there are two ecotypes of reindeer. The tundra reindeer migrates between two environments as the weather changes with the seasons, whereas the woodland reindeer remains in the forest year-round.

4. Veil material : TULLE
Tulle is a lightweight net fabric often used in veils, wedding gowns and ballet tutus.

6. Latin American soccer powerhouse: Abbr. : URU
Uruguay won the soccer gold medals at both the 1924 and 1928 Olympic tournaments. When Jules Rimet, the president of soccer's international governing body decided to start an international tournament outside of the Olympics, it was decided to give Uruguay the honor of hosting the first competition, in 1930. Sure enough, Uruguay emerged victorious as the first World Cup winners.

11. Banquets : DINES
A banquet is an elaborate feast. "Banquet" is a term that seems to have reversed in meaning over time. Coming into English via French from Old Italian, "banquet" is derived from "banco" meaning "bench". The original "banco" meal was simply a snack eaten on a bench, rather than at a table.

14. Pre-euro money : PESETAS
The peseta is the former currency of Spain, replaced by the euro in 2002.

21. What a wormhole is a tunnel in : SPACE-TIME
A wormhole is a theoretical shortcut that connecting two points in the space-time continuum. Got that …?

24. Court blowout : LOVE SET
In tennis, a love set is one that is won without one's opponent winning a game.

In tennis the score of zero is designated as "love". Some people believe that this usage originates from the French "l'oeuf" (meaning "the egg"). The idea is that the written character "0" looks like an egg.

28. Pricey strings : STRAD
Generations of the Stradivari family produced violins, the most famous of which were constructed by Antonio Stradivari.

29. iPhone rival : DROID
The Droid is a smartphone from Motorola that runs on Google's Android operating system.

32. Brief topic : LAW
In law, a "brief" is a written argument submitted to a court. The term ultimately derives from the Latin "brevis" meaning "short".

34. D.M.V. demands : IDS
In most states, the government agency responsible for vehicle registration and the issuing of driver's licenses is called the DMV. This initialism usually stands for the Department of Motor Vehicles, but there are "variations on the theme". For example, in Arizona the responsible agency is called the Motor Vehicle Division (MVD), and in Colorado the familiar abbreviation "DMV" stands for Division of Motor Vehicles.

36. Hot spot : WI-FI ZONE
"Wi-Fi" is nothing more than a trademark, a trademark registered by an association of manufacturers of equipment that use wireless LAN (Local Area Network) technology. A device labeled with "Wi-Fi" has to meet certain defined technical standards, basically meaning that the devices can talk to each other. The name "Wi-Fi" suggests "Wireless Fidelity", although apparently the term was never intended to mean anything at all.

39. Ingredient in Pringles Light : OLESTRA
Olestra is a fat substitute. Naturally-occurring fats are made of of a glycerol molecule holding together three fatty acids. Olestra is made of a sucrose molecule, holding together several fatty acids. Olestra has a similar taste and consistency as natural fat, but has zero caloric impact because it is too large a molecule to cross the intestinal wall and passes right through the body. Personally, I steer clear of it. It is banned in Britain and Canada due to concerns about side effects, but I guess someone knows the right palms to grease (pun intended!) here in America, so it's in some of our "low fat" food.

43. Wearable status symbols : ROLEXES
My most prized possession is a beautiful stainless steel Rolex watch that my uncle bought while serving with the RAF in Canada during WWII. Rolex watches were made available to the Canadian servicemen at that time as they were shipping overseas. My uncle brought his Rolex home to Ireland after the war. He needed money for booze one weekend and so sold the watch to my Dad, for five pounds. My Dad gave it to me just before he died, as he knew I loved the watch, and my brothers weren't interested in it all. Not so long ago I had the watch appraised ($3,000), and my brothers suddenly took a liking to it! Still, it's not something that will ever be sold, that's for sure ...

46. Stealth fighters : NINJAS
The ninjas were around in Japan at the time of the samurai, but were a very different type of warrior. The ninjas were covert operatives, specializing in the use of stealth to accomplish their missions. As they were a secretive cadre they took on a mystical reputation with the public, who believed they had the ability to become invisible or perhaps walk on water.

51. Express starting in 2000 : ACELA
The Acela Express is the fastest train routinely running in the US, getting up to 150 mph at times. The service runs between Boston and Washington D.C. via Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York. Introduced in 2000, the brand name "Acela" was created to evoke "acceleration" and "excellence".

53. Model who wrote the 1996 book "True Beauty" : EMME
Emme is the highest paid plus-size model in the world. Emme's real name is Melissa Aronson, and she was born in New York City and raised in Saudi Arabia.

57. Grocery brand that's also a girl's name : PAM
PAM cooking oil was introduced in 1961 by Leon Rubin and Arthur Meyerhoff. The name "PAM" is an acronym … standing for "Product of Arthur Meyerhoff". Who'd a thunk it …?

59. "Les Mille et ___ Nuits" : UNE
"Les mille et une nuits" is the French name for "The Thousand and One Nights".

The marvelous collection of folk tales from the Middle East called "One Thousand and One Nights" is sometimes known as "Arabian Nights" in the English-speaking world. The original collection of tales did not include the three with which we are most familiar in the West. European translators added some stories, including "Aladdin's Wonderful Lamp", "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves", and "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad".

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Barbecue chef's coat : MEAT RUB
8. Angry Birds starting in 2010, e.g. : IPAD APP
15. Pick up : ACQUIRE
16. Something on a ticket : NOMINEE
17. Deeply felt : SOULFUL
18. Small stabs : TWINGES
19. Overused : STALE
20. "Kinda" : ISH
22. Company with a buck in its logo : DEERE
23. Literary character self-described as "poor, obscure, plain and little" : EYRE
24. Ostracized sort : LEPER
26. Plane wing part : SLAT
27. Inits. after a big media merger of 1958 : UPI
28. All-weather convertible? : SOFA BED
30. Alternative to Food Lion or Piggly Wiggly : IGA
31. 1990s "caught on tape" series : REAL TV
33. Vagaries : CAPRICES
35. "No hard feelings?" : ARE WE GOOD?
37. Query about a phone call : WHO WAS IT?
40. Many a maid of honor : SISTER
44. Roach of old comedy : HAL
45. In the dictionary, say : DEFINED
47. Mitsubishi sports car, for short : EVO
48. Some thirst quenchers : ADES
50. Shrinking : TIMID
51. Seed coat : ARIL
52. Something water lacks : TASTE
54. Tranquil and minimalistic : ZEN
55. It might reveal what you've lost : SCALE
56. Up to speed, musically : IN TEMPO
58. Something to pick a number from : JUKEBOX
60. One taking heat at work? : FIREMAN
61. Synthetic dye compound : ANILINE
62. "Talk to the hand" : SPARE ME
63. Gives a number? : SEDATES

Down
1. One pressing the flesh : MASSEUR
2. Subspecies of a distinct geographical variety : ECOTYPE
3. Features of many doctor's office waiting rooms : AQUARIA
4. Veil material : TULLE
5. Widespread : RIFE
6. Latin American soccer powerhouse: Abbr. : URU
7. It's what you think : BELIEF
8. Assured : IN THE BAG
9. [Take THAT!] : POW!
10. Within : AMID
11. Banquets : DINES
12. Not merely good : ANGELIC
13. Aristocracy : PEERAGE
14. Pre-euro money : PESETAS
21. What a wormhole is a tunnel in : SPACE-TIME
24. Court blowout : LOVE SET
25. Took it easy : REPOSED
28. Pricey strings : STRAD
29. iPhone rival : DROID
32. Brief topic : LAW
34. D.M.V. demands : IDS
36. Hot spot : WI-FI ZONE
37. Thoughts of wishful thinkers : WHAT-IFS
38. Imbibed modestly : HAD A NIP
39. Ingredient in Pringles Light : OLESTRA
41. Unit in superfast data transfer : TERABIT
42. Old Scratch, with "the" : EVIL ONE
43. Wearable status symbols : ROLEXES
46. Stealth fighters : NINJAS
49. Provide direction : STEER
51. Express starting in 2000 : ACELA
53. Model who wrote the 1996 book "True Beauty" : EMME
55. Fall rapidly, as sales : SKID
57. Grocery brand that's also a girl's name : PAM
59. "Les Mille et ___ Nuits" : UNE

Return to top of pageBill Butlerhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985372223495832287.post-43536897241888206832017-01-05T00:00:00.000-08:002017-01-05T00:00:10.849-08:000105-17 New York Times Crossword Answers 5 Jan 17, Thursday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today's crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today's SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today's New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today's clues and answers

CROSSWORD SETTER: Ed Sessa
THEME: Jack Black Jack
In order to make sense of today's themed clues, we need to place the word JACK in several BLACK squares:

39A. *Comic actor / *Card game ... or a hint to the answers to the starred clues : JACK BLACK/BLACKJACK

17A. *Put-down to an ignorant person : YOU DON'T KNOW JACK
19A. *"Bingo!" : JACKPOT!
24A. *Headless Horseman's prop : JACK-O'-LANTERN
38A. *Tool for removing heavy footwear : BOOTJACK
40A. *Slender tree of northern North America : JACK PINE
49A. *Quesadilla cheese : MONTEREY JACK
58A. *Trunk item : CAR JACK
59A. *Versatile worker : JACK OF ALL TRADES
BILL BUTLER'S COMPLETION TIME: 10m 09s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today's Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Half of a Wall Street firm since 1882 : SACHS
The investment banking firm of Goldman Sachs was founded in New York in 1869 by Marcus Goldman. Samuel Sachs joined the firm in 1882, the same year that he married Louisa Goldman, Marcus's daughter. The name "Goldman Sachs" was adopted by the firm in 1885. Goldman Sachs made out like bandits during the subprime mortgage crisis of 2007-08 as the company actually short-sold subprime mortgage bonds. As the price of the bonds nose-dived, Goldman Sachs made huge profits.

14. She played Annie Lee in "Selma" : OPRAH
Oprah Winfrey is one of the producers of the 2014 film "Selma", and is also one of the cast. She plays Annie Lee Cooper, a woman who tried to register vote and was denied by Dallas County sheriff Jim Clark. Clark poked Cooper in the neck with a cattle prod or nightstick, and she turned and punched him in the jaw, knocking him to the ground.

16. Copyright year for "Shrek" and "Monsters, Inc." : MMI
2001 is MMI in Roman numerals.

Before "Shrek" was a successful movie franchise and Broadway musical, it was a children's picture book called "Shrek!" authored and illustrated by William Steig. The title "Shrek!" came from the German/Yiddish word Schreck, meaning "fear" or "terror".

The animated feature "Monsters, Inc." was released in 2001, and was Pixar's fourth full-length movie. It's about cute monsters, and that's all I know other than that the voice cast included the likes of John Goodman, Billy Crystal and Steve Buscemi.

17. *Put-down to an ignorant person : YOU DON'T KNOW JACK
There's a more vulgar version of the expression "you don't know jack", but I think that is derivative of the original. One suggestion is that "jack" refers to a "common man", so that someone who doesn't know jack, doesn't even know the man in the street.

19. *"Bingo!" : JACKPOT!
The term "jackpot" dates back to the 1800s and is from the game of poker. In some variants there are progressive antes, meaning that players have to "ante up" when no player has a pair of "jacks" or better ... building a "jackpot".

20. Irish red ___ : ALE
My guess is that the most famous Irish red ale that actually comes from Ireland is Smithwick's, which is produced in Kilkenny. Many visitors to Ireland flock to the world-famous Guinness Storehouse. The equivalent Smithwick's Experience in Kilkenny is a much more intimate affair, and one that I highly recommend …

21. ___ Coyote (toon) : WILE E
Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner are two much-loved cartoon characters from Warner Bros. Wile E. Coyote was created first, and Road Runner was invented as someone for Wile E. to play off. I love this cartoon; definitely one of the best …

22. Bosox slugger a.k.a. Big Papi : ORTIZ
The Dominican American baseball player David Ortiz has the nickname "Big Papi". After each home run that Ortiz scores, he looks upwards and points to the sky, a tribute to his mother who died in a car crash in 2002 when she was only 46 years old.

24. *Headless Horseman's prop : JACK-O'-LANTERN
The terms "jack-o'-lantern" and "will-o'-the-wisp" are colloquial names for "ignis fatuus". Ignis fatuus is an eerie light seen at night over bogs and marshes, caused by the spontaneous oxidation (burning) of phosphine and/or methane that emanates from the bog. The term "jack-o'-lantern" was borrowed then as a name for the hollowed out pumpkins associated with Halloween. It's thought that the tradition of pumpkin carving originated in Ireland, although turnips and beets were used over there instead of pumpkins. The turnips and beets were carved for the festival called Samhain, which marked the end of the harvest season.

26. Part of a Yiddish phrase of dismay : VEY
"Oy vey" is a Yiddish expression of dismay that literally translates as "oh, pain". The more usual translation is "woe is me".

28. Brewing agents : YEASTS
Yeasts are unicellular microorganisms in the Fungi kingdom. The species of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been used for centuries in the making of wine and beer, and in breadmaking. Saccharomyces cerevisiae converts carbohydrates into carbon dioxide and alcohol in the process of fermentation. When making beer and wine, the carbon dioxide and alcohol may be captured by the liquid. When making bread, the carbon dioxide and alcohol is driven off by heat.

34. Financial guru Suze : ORMAN
Suze Orman is a financial advisor who has gotten her message out on television, in books and on the speaking circuit. She often appears on PBS, and indeed is the most successful fundraiser public television has ever had.

37. It may be pulled on a road : UIE
Hang a "uey" or "uie", make a u-turn.

39. *Comic actor / *Card game ... or a hint to the answers to the starred clues : JACK BLACK/BLACKJACK
The actor Jack Black was born in Santa Monica, California and is the son of two satellite engineers who worked on the Hubble Space Telescope program.

The game of "twenty-one" was first referred to in a book by Cervantes, the author famous for writing "Don Quixote". He called the game "ventiuna" (Spanish for "twenty-one"). Cervantes wrote his story just after the year 1600, so the game has been around at least since then. Twenty-one came to the US but it wasn't all that popular so bonus payments were introduced to create more interest. One of the more attractive bonuses was a ten-to-one payout to a player who was dealt an ace of spades and a black jack. This bonus led to the game adopting the moniker "Blackjack".

41. Ice cream maker Joseph : EDY
Dreyers' ice cream sells its products under the name Dreyers in the Western United States, and Edy's in the Eastern states. The company's founders were William Dreyer and Joseph Edy.

44. Musical set in France, informally : LES MIZ
The 1980 musical "Les Misérables" is an adaptation of the 1862 novel of the same name by Victor Hugo. The show opened in London in 1985, and is the longest running musical in the history of London's West End. My wife and I saw "Les Miz" in the Queen's Theatre in London quite a few years ago, but were only able to get tickets in the very back row. The theater seating is very steep, so the back row of the balcony is extremely high over the stage. One of the big events in the storyline is the building of a street barricade over which the rebels fight. At the height we were seated we could see the stagehands behind the barricade, sitting drinking Coke, even smoking cigarettes. On cue, the stagehands would get up and catch a dropped rifle, or an actor who had been shot. It was pretty comical. I didn't really enjoy the show that much, to be honest. Some great songs, but the musical version of the storyline just didn't seem to hang together for me.

46. Govt. org. that gets tips from whistleblowers : OSHA
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was created in 1970 during the Nixon administration. OSHA regulates workplaces in the private sector and regulates just one government agency, namely the US Postal Service.

48. Gob : TAR
A Jack Tar, or just "tar", was a seaman in the days of the British Empire. The term probably arose due to a sailor's various uses of tar back then, including waterproofing his clothes and using tar in his hair to slick down his ponytail.

"Gob" is a slang term for a sailor, and it may derive from a slang term for chewing tobacco, itself a derivative of the slang term for a mouth, a "gob".

49. *Quesadilla cheese : MONTEREY JACK
What we now call Monterey Jack cheese was originally made by Franciscan friars in Monterey, California in the 19th century. In the 1800s, a powerful landowner called David Jack started to make the same cheese as the friars in his own dairy, and marketed it as "Jack's Cheese" and later "Monterey Jack".

53. Former Maine senator Olympia : SNOWE
Olympia Snowe is believed by many pundits to be the most moderate Republican Senator in the US Congress. Snowe retired in January 2013. I think that she is sorely missed by those who like to see moderate politicians in Washington, on either side of the aisle.

55. Mizrahi of fashion : ISAAC
Isaac Mizrahi is a fashion designer from Brooklyn, New York.

56. Vardalos of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" : NIA
Not only is the delightful Nia Vardalos the star of the 2002 hit movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", she also wrote the screenplay. The film never made it to number one at the box office, but it still pulled in more money than any other movie in history that didn't make it to number one. That record I think reflects the fact that the film wasn't a blockbuster but rather a so-called "sleeper hit", a movie that people went to see based on referrals from friends. The big fat mistake came when a spin-off TV show was launched, "My Big Fat Greek Life". It ran for only 7 episodes. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2" will hit movie theaters in 2016.

58. *Trunk item : CAR JACK
In North America we use the word "trunk" for the storage space in the back of a vehicle as that space is reminiscent of the large travelling chest called a "trunk". Such trunks used to be lashed onto the back of automobiles before storage was integrated. On the other side of the Atlantic, a trunk is known as a "boot". The original boot was a built-in storage compartment on a horse-drawn carriage on which a coachman would sit.

64. "___ Mio" : O SOLE
"'O sole mio" is a famous Italian song from Naples, written in 1898. The song's lyrics are usually sung in the original Neapolitan, as opposed to Italian. The title translates from Neapolitan into "My Sun" (and not into "O, My Sun" as one might expect). It's a love song of course, sung by a young man declaring that there is a sun brighter than that in the sky, the sun that is his lover's face. Awww …

67. Stand-up comic Sykes : WANDA
Wanda Sykes is a very successful American comedienne and comic actress. Interestingly, Sykes spent her first five years out of school working for the NSA. I saw her perform in Reno not that long ago, and she is very, very funny.

Down
1. Bean used to make tempeh : SOYA
Tempeh is a soy product that originated in Indonesia. It is made from soybeans that have been partly cooked and fermented. I've had quite a bit of tempeh used as a meat substitute in vegetarian dishes. It doesn't have an appealing texture to me, so I'm not a fan …

2. Speed skater Ohno : APOLO
Speed-skater Apolo Ohno has won more Winter Olympics medals than any other American. Ohno also did a great job winning the 2007 season of television's "Dancing with the Stars".

3. Like Vlad the Impaler : CRUEL
Vlad III was a 15th century ruler in modern-day Romania. He was given the name "Vlad the Impaler" after he died, and this suggests that he was in the habit of impaling his enemies. His father, Vlad II, was known as Vlad Dracul, which translates as Vlad the Devil or Dragon. As a result, Vlad the Impaler was also known by the diminutive form of his father's name, i.e. "Dracula". Bram Stoker borrowed this name for his famous 1897 novel titled "Dracula".

6. Nixon in 1995 or Lincoln in 2012 : TITLE ROLE
"Nixon" is a 1995 Oliver Stone biopic in which Welsh actor Anthony Hopkins plays US president Richard Nixon. This was Stone's second film about the American presidency, after "JFK" (1991) and before "W" (2008).

The 2012 movie "Lincoln" is a historical drama that portrays the last four months of the life of President Abraham Lincoln. The main focus in the story is Lincoln's work to have the US House of Representatives pass the Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, the amendment that finally abolished slavery. "Lincoln" was co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Daniel Day-Lewis and Sally Field and Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln. It's a film I'd recommend …

12. Mine, to Mimi : A MOI
"À moi" (literally "to me") is French for "mine".

13. Scallop-edged cracker : RITZ
I've always liked Ritz crackers. They've been around since 1934 when they were introduced by Nabisco. The name Ritz was chosen because the marketing folks felt that the association with Ritz-Carlton would evoke images of wealth and the highlife.

18. Nick at ___ : NITE
"Nick at Nite" is the name given to the late-night programming aired on the Nickelodeon channel space. Nick at Nite started broadcasting in 1985 and was conceived as television's first "oldies" television network.

23. Stephen of "V for Vendetta" : REA
"V for Vendetta" is a 2006 movie based on the political thriller graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore and David Lloyd. The film stars Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman and Stephen Rea. Two other Moore novels made it to the big screen: "From Hell" and "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen".

36. Company for which about one in eight U.S. workers has worked : MCDONALD'S
The original McDonald's restaurant was opened in 1940 by Richard and Maurice McDonald as a barbecue restaurant. The brothers then moved into fast food hamburgers, eventually selling out to one of their franchise agents, Ray Kroc. It was Ray Kroc who really led the company to its worldwide success.

43. 1994 Brandon Lee action film : THE CROW
Bai Ling is a Chinese actress who moved to the US in 1994. Apparently she claims she is from the moon, and her grandmother still lives there …

"The Crow" is another one of those action movies that is based on a comic book. The film was released in 1994 and stars Brandon Lee. Sadly, this was Lee's last movie as he was accidentally shot on set with a dummy bullet in the stomach, which then lodged in his spine. Lee died eight days later.

45. Gaping mouth : MAW
"Maw" is a term used to describe the mouth or stomach of a carnivorous animal. "Maw" is also used as slang for the mouth or stomach of a greedy person.

47. TKOs, e.g. : STAT
In boxing, a knockout (KO) is when one of the fighters can't get up from the canvas within a specified time, usually 10 seconds. This can be due to fatigue, injury, or the participant may be truly "knocked out". A referee, fighter or doctor may also decide to stop a fight without a physical knockout, especially if there is concern about a fighter's safety. In this case the bout is said to end with a technical knockout (TKO).

49. Sporty two-seater : MIATA
The Mazda MX-5 is sold as the Miata in North America, and as the Roadster in Japan. I've always liked the looks of the Mazda Miata, probably because it reminds me so much of old British sports cars. The Miata is built in Hiroshima, Japan.

50. William ___, physician who championed bedside training : OSLER
Sir William Osler was a Canadian physician, and one of the principal founders of Johns Hopkins Hospital.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Half of a Wall Street firm since 1882 : SACHS
6. One working on hands and knees : TILER
11. Eye-level sensor : EAR
14. She played Annie Lee in "Selma" : OPRAH
15. How fish is shipped, often : IN ICE
16. Copyright year for "Shrek" and "Monsters, Inc." : MMI
17. *Put-down to an ignorant person : YOU DON'T KNOW JACK
19. *"Bingo!" : JACKPOT!
20. Irish red ___ : ALE
21. ___ Coyote (toon) : WILE E
22. Bosox slugger a.k.a. Big Papi : ORTIZ
24. *Headless Horseman's prop : JACK-O'-LANTERN
26. Part of a Yiddish phrase of dismay : VEY
27. Prompter? : CUER
28. Brewing agents : YEASTS
31. Throw a hissy fit : ACT UP
34. Financial guru Suze : ORMAN
37. It may be pulled on a road : UIE
38. *Tool for removing heavy footwear : BOOTJACK
39. *Comic actor / *Card game ... or a hint to the answers to the starred clues : JACK BLACK/BLACKJACK
40. *Slender tree of northern North America : JACK PINE
41. Ice cream maker Joseph : EDY
42. Enthusiast : FIEND
43. Wyoming's ___ Range : TETON
44. Musical set in France, informally : LES MIZ
46. Govt. org. that gets tips from whistleblowers : OSHA
48. Gob : TAR
49. *Quesadilla cheese : MONTEREY JACK
53. Former Maine senator Olympia : SNOWE
55. Mizrahi of fashion : ISAAC
56. Vardalos of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" : NIA
58. *Trunk item : CAR JACK
59. *Versatile worker : JACK OF ALL TRADES
62. N.Y.C.'s Third or Fifth : AVE
63. Roasted, in a way : FETED
64. "___ Mio" : O SOLE
65. Ending with fly and drive : -BYS
66. Bases of nightmares : FEARS
67. Stand-up comic Sykes : WANDA

Down
1. Bean used to make tempeh : SOYA
2. Speed skater Ohno : APOLO
3. Like Vlad the Impaler : CRUEL
4. Tricked : HAD
5. Robbed of the spotlight : SHOWN UP
6. Nixon in 1995 or Lincoln in 2012 : TITLE ROLE
7. Comics artist : INKER
8. Tablecloths and napkins : LINEN
9. Prefix with conscious : ECO-
10. Mended, as rugs : REWOVEN
11. Ineffectual exec : EMPTY SUIT
12. Mine, to Mimi : A MOI
13. Scallop-edged cracker : RITZ
18. Nick at ___ : NITE
23. Stephen of "V for Vendetta" : REA
25. ___ above : A CUT
28. Gibble-gabble : YAK
29. Nickname for Tony : TINO
30. In public : SEEN
31. ___ Tesfaye a.k.a. R&B's the Weeknd : ABEL
32. "Longtime companion" for "same-sex partner," once : CODE
33. They're good at drawing kids : TOY STORES
35. Directed : RAN
36. Company for which about one in eight U.S. workers has worked : MCDONALD'S
39. Small enterprise? : BIZ
40. Fruit that's sometimes poached : PEAR
42. Write and send quickly, as a letter : FIRE OFF
43. 1994 Brandon Lee action film : THE CROW
45. Gaping mouth : MAW
47. TKOs, e.g. : STAT
49. Sporty two-seater : MIATA
50. William ___, physician who championed bedside training : OSLER
51. Stop at : END ON
52. Stock figure : YIELD
53. Cut covering : SCAB
54. Shade of blue : NAVY
57. No longer at anchor : ASEA
60. Figure on a rate sheet : FEE
61. Fat ___ pig : AS A

Return to top of pageBill Butlerhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985372223495832287.post-67238383861992406762016-12-01T00:00:00.000-08:002017-01-04T21:03:44.896-08:001201-16 New York Times Crossword Answers 1 Dec 16, Thursday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today's crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today's SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today's New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today's clues and answers

CROSSWORD SETTER: Timothy Polin
THEME: Bean Dip
Today's themed answers include a type of BEAN, and that BEAN is spelled out by DIPPING into the row below the rest of the answer:

62A. Nacho accompaniment ... or a feature of 17-, 35- and 52-Across? : BEAN DIP

17A. Dish topped with bacon, cheese and sour cream : LOADED BAKED POTATO (baked bean)
35A. Classic novel about an orphan girl mistakenly sent to Prince Edward Island : ANNE OF GREEN GABLES (green bean)
52A. Edutainment cartoon featuring a teacher named Ms. Frizzle : THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS (magic bean)
BILL BUTLER'S COMPLETION TIME: 14m 43s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today's Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
19. Swiss tourist destination : INTERLAKEN
Interlaken is town in the Swiss Alps that is a well-known tourist destination. It is situated between Lake Brienz to the east and Lake Thun to the west, and this position gives the town its name. The Latin "inter lacus" translates as "between the lakes".

24. 2004 film about artificial intelligence : I, ROBOT
"I, Robot" is an interesting 2004 science fiction film starring Will Smith that is loosely based on the excellent collection of short stories of the same name by Isaac Asimov.

27. Football Hall-of-Famer Newsome : OZZIE
Ozzie Newsome is a former professional footballer who played his whole career with the Cleveland Browns. In fact, Newsome never missed one game in the whole of his 13-years with the NFL.

30. Cry feebly : MEWL
"To mewl" is to cry weakly like a baby, with the word being somewhat imitative.

31. Like the rotation of the earth : AXIAL
The Earth rotates about an axis that passes through itself, so this is known as axial rotation. The Earth also rotates about an axis passing through the sun, and this is known as orbital rotation.

32. Valedictorian's pride, for short : GPA
Grade point average (GPA)

A valediction is an act of taking one's leave, from the Latin "vale dicere", to say farewell. An example of a valediction would be the words "yours truly" at the end of a letter. And, the valedictorian (here in the US anyway) is the student in a graduating class that is chosen to say the final words at the graduation ceremony, a farewell to the classmates.

35. Classic novel about an orphan girl mistakenly sent to Prince Edward Island : ANNE OF GREEN GABLES
"Anne of Green Gables" is a 1908 novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery that she set in the fictional Prince Edward Island community of Avonlea. Montgomery wrote several sequels to "Anne", with them all being set on Prince Edward Island (PEI), from where the author hailed.

44. Seussian environmentalist : LORAX
"The Lorax" is a children's book written by Dr. Seuss. It is an allegorical work questioning the problems created by industrialization, and in particular its impact on the environment. At one point in the story, the Lorax "speaks for the trees, for the trees have no tongues". "The Lorax" was adapted into an animated film that was released in 2012, with Danny DeVito voicing the title character.

47. Gillette razors : ATRAS
Fortunately for crossword constructors, the Atra razor was introduced by Gillette in 1977. The Atra was sold as the Contour in some markets and its derivative products are still around today.

52. Edutainment cartoon featuring a teacher named Ms. Frizzle : THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS
"The Magic School Bus" is a children's cartoon show that originally aired on PBS in the nineties. The show was based on a series of books of the same name by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen.

58. Of the open sea : PELAGIC
Something described as "pelagic" lives in or is related to the open sea. The Greek word "pelagos" translates as "open sea, high sea".

60. Supermodel Lima : ADRIANA
Adriana Lima is fashion model from Brazil. Lima is perhaps best known as one of the Victoria's Secret Angels. Her modelling career started when she won a "Supermodel of Brazil" competition in 1996, at 15 years of age.

61. Cardinals' home : ARIZONA
The Arizona Cardinals were founded in 1898 as the Chicago Cardinals. That makes the Cardinals the oldest, continuously-run professional football team in the whole country.

62. Nacho accompaniment ... or a feature of 17-, 35- and 52-Across? : BEAN DIP
The dish known as "nachos" were supposedly created by the maître d' at a restaurant called the Victory Club in the city of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico. The maître d''s name was Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya.

64. Trapshooting targets, informally : SKEETS
There are three types of competitive shotgun target shooting sports:

Skeet shooting

Trap shooting

Sporting clays

Down
1. Neighbor of Burkina Faso : MALI
The Republic of Mali is a landlocked country in western Africa, south of Algeria. Formerly known as French Sudan, the nation's most famous city is Timbuktu. Mali is the third-largest producer of gold on the continent, after South Africa and Ghana.

Burkina Faso is an inland country in western Africa. The country used to be called the Republic of Upper Volta and was renamed in 1984 to Burkina Faso meaning "the land of upright people".

3. Suffix with klepto- : -CRAT
Kleptocrats are corrupt rulers who use their power to their own benefit, stealing resources from their realm and exploiting their people. The word "kleptocracy" comes from the related term "kleptomania".

Kleptomania is the compulsion to steal, whether or not one is need of what is stolen. The term derives from the Greek word for "to steal", "kleptein", with the suffix "-mania".

4. Tamed, as a bronco : RIDEABLE
A "bronco" (also "bronc") is a horse that is untamed. In Mexican Spanish "bronco" is a word for "horse", and in the original Spanish "bronco" means "rough, rude".

8. Subject of the 2011 book "These Guys Have All the Fun" : ESPN
"These Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN" is a book recounting the history of ESPN from its earliest days. I'm no ESPN watcher, but I hear good things about the book ...

9. Fight stopper, for short : TKO
In boxing, a knockout (KO) is when one of the fighters can't get up from the canvas within a specified time, usually 10 seconds. This can be due to fatigue, injury, or the participant may be truly "knocked out". A referee, fighter or doctor may also decide to stop a fight without a physical knockout, especially if there is concern about a fighter's safety. In this case the bout is said to end with a technical knockout (TKO).

11. About 45 miles of it touch Canada : IDAHO
The US state of Idaho has a panhandle that extends northwards between Washington and Montana, right up to the border with Canada. Across that border is the Canadian province of British Columbia. Most of Idaho is in the Mountain Time Zone, but Northern Idaho (the Panhandle) is in the Pacific Time Zone.

12. Stringed instrument usually played sitting down : SITAR
The sitar has been around since the Middle Ages. The sitar is a stringed instrument that is played by plucking, and is used most often in Hindustani classical music. In the West we have been exposed to the instrument largely through the performances of Ravi Shankar and some music by George Harrison of the Beatles, a onetime student of Shankar.

20. Kentucky's Fort ___ : KNOX
Fort Knox is actually a US Army base, but it lends its name to the adjacent facility that is more correctly called the United States Bullion Depository. Most of the US gold reserves are in "Fort Knox", although it isn't the biggest gold repository in the US. That honor goes to the vault under the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in Manhattan. Most of the gold stored in the New York vault belongs to foreign nations and banks.

23. Sonoran Desert river : GILA
The Gila River is a tributary of the Colorado and flows through New Mexico and Arizona. From 1848 to 1853, the Gila marked part of the border between the US and Mexico.

Sonora is the state in Mexico lying just south of the borders with Arizona and New Mexico. The Sonoran Desert actually straddles the US-Mexico border, covering 120,000 square miles in parts of the states of Sonora, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Arizona and California.

24. Yosemite runner : IMAC
Apple introduced the OS X Operating System in 2000. Each version of this operating system has had a code name, and that code name until recently has been a type of big cat. The versions and code names are:

10.0: Cheetah

10.1: Puma

10.2: Jaguar

10.3: Panther

10.4: Tiger

10.5: Leopard

10.6: Snow Leopard

10.7: Lion

10.8: Mountain Lion

10.9: Mavericks

10.10: Yosemite

10.11: El Capitan

10.12: macOS Sierra

31. Home to a famous mausoleum : AGRA
The most famous mausoleum in the world has to be the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. The Taj Mahal was built after the death of the third wife of Shah Jahan, Mumtaz Mahal (hence the name of the mausoleum). The poor woman died in childbirth delivering the couple's 14th child.

33. South American territory in the game Risk : PERU
Risk is a fabulous board game, first sold in France in 1957. Risk was invented by a very successful French director of short films called Albert Lamorisse. Lamorisse called his new game "La Conquête du Monde", which translates into English as "The Conquest of the World". A game of Risk is a must during the holidays in our house …

44. Labor day class? : LAMAZE
The Lamaze technique for childbirth was developed by a French obstetrician called Fernand Lamaze. He introduced the technique in the west after observing similar practices in the Soviet Union during a visit there in 1951.

46. Skimobiler's wear : ANORAK
Anoraks aren't very popular over here in America. Everyone has one in Ireland! An anorak is a heavy jacket with a hood, often lined with fur (or fake fur), and is an invention of the Inuit people.

47. How some bonds are sold : AT PAR
Stocks, and other financial vehicles, may be sold "at par", meaning at the original price, neither discounted nor at a premium.

51. Fictional character who says "I'd strike the sun if it insulted me" : AHAB
Captain Ahab is the obsessed and far from friendly captain of the Pequod in Herman Melville's "Moby-Dick". The role of Captain Ahab was played by Gregory Peck in the 1956 John Huston film adaptation. Patrick Stewart played Ahab in a 1998 miniseries in which Peck made another appearance, as Father Mapple.

53. Field of Jean-Luc Godard : CINE
Jean-Luc Godard is a so-called "Nouvelle Vague" (New Wave) cinematographer, making movies that challenge the conventions of both traditional Hollywood and French cinema.

59. Quetzalcoatl, e.g. : GOD
The Aztec god Quetzalcoatl's name means "feathered serpent". He was worshiped as the god of wind and of learning.

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Supershort skirts : MICROS
7. Sloppy smooch : WET KISS
14. Airport monitor datum : ARRIVAL
16. Welcomed at the doorstep : ASKED IN
17. Dish topped with bacon, cheese and sour cream : LOADED BAKED POTATO
19. Swiss tourist destination : INTERLAKEN
21. Winter respite : THAW
22. Trick out : ADORN
23. Bask (in) : GLORY
24. 2004 film about artificial intelligence : I, ROBOT
27. Football Hall-of-Famer Newsome : OZZIE
30. Cry feebly : MEWL
31. Like the rotation of the earth : AXIAL
32. Valedictorian's pride, for short : GPA
35. Classic novel about an orphan girl mistakenly sent to Prince Edward Island : ANNE OF GREEN GABLES
40. Audiophiles' purchases : CDS
41. One filling out personnel forms, say : HIREE
43. Vibe : AURA
44. Seussian environmentalist : LORAX
45. Go slower : EASE UP
47. Gillette razors : ATRAS
50. Pulls down : EARNS
52. Edutainment cartoon featuring a teacher named Ms. Frizzle : THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS
58. Of the open sea : PELAGIC
60. Supermodel Lima : ADRIANA
61. Cardinals' home : ARIZONA
62. Nacho accompaniment ... or a feature of 17-, 35- and 52-Across? : BEAN DIP
63. Withdrew : RECEDED
64. Trapshooting targets, informally : SKEETS

Down
1. Neighbor of Burkina Faso : MALI
2. Smooth over : IRON
3. Suffix with klepto- : -CRAT
4. Tamed, as a bronco : RIDEABLE
5. Lay on thick : OVERDO
6. Pitiful bunch : SAD LOT
7. Not dive in, say : WADE
8. Subject of the 2011 book "These Guys Have All the Fun" : ESPN
9. Fight stopper, for short : TKO
10. One blowing off steam? : KETTLE
11. About 45 miles of it touch Canada : IDAHO
12. Stringed instrument usually played sitting down : SITAR
13. White out : SNOWY
15. Beam bent at 90° : L-BAR
20. Kentucky's Fort ___ : KNOX
23. Sonoran Desert river : GILA
24. Yosemite runner : IMAC
25. Tear violently : REND
26. Dominates, informally : OWNS
28. Ending with fan : -ZINE
29. Make a sudden turn : ZAG
31. Home to a famous mausoleum : AGRA
32. Word with stick or gun : GLUE
33. South American territory in the game Risk : PERU
34. "On the double!" : ASAP
36. Surprised exclamations : OHOS
37. Growth along a ski run : FIR
39. Low-pitched part of a song : BASS LINE
42. Suit : EXEC
44. Labor day class? : LAMAZE
45. Deteriorates : ERODES
46. Skimobiler's wear : ANORAK
47. How some bonds are sold : AT PAR
48. "___ goes the neighborhood" : THERE
49. Museum piece : RELIC
51. Fictional character who says "I'd strike the sun if it insulted me" : AHAB
53. Field of Jean-Luc Godard : CINE
54. Slew : SCAD
55. Instructed : BADE
56. Soldier's assignment : UNIT
57. Drains (from) : SAPS
59. Quetzalcoatl, e.g. : GOD

Return to top of pageBill Butlerhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985372223495832287.post-27816945719646725542017-01-04T00:00:00.000-08:002017-01-04T00:00:09.988-08:000104-17 New York Times Crossword Answers 4 Jan 17, Wednesday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today's crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today's SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today's New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today's clues and answers

CROSSWORD SETTER: Samuel A. Donaldson
THEME: The Dentist ...
Each of today's themed answers is a well-known phrase that is used to finish off a "punny" statement involving a DENTIST:

17A. The new dentist wanted to make a good ... : … FIRST IMPRESSION
24A. The dentist helped the patient afford the visit with a ... : … BRIDGE LOAN
45A. The dentist sorted all the bristled instruments into ... : … BRUSH PILES
58A. When it was time for the filling, the dentist asked for, well, ... : … YOU KNOW THE DRILL
BILL BUTLER'S COMPLETION TIME: 9m 28s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today's Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
6. Somewhat : A TAD
Back in the 1800s, "tad" was used to describe a young child, and this extended into our usage of "small amount" in the early 1900s. The original use of "tad" for a child is very likely a shortened version of "tadpole".

15. Hedonistic sort : ROUE
"Roue" is a lovely word, I think, describing a less than lovely man. A roue could otherwise be described as a cad, someone of loose morals. "Roue" comes from the French word "rouer" meaning "to break on a wheel". This describes the ancient form of capital punishment where a poor soul was lashed to a wheel and then beaten to death with cudgels and bars. I guess the suggestion is that a roue, with his loose morals, deserves such a punishment.

A hedonist is someone who seeks to maximise the amount of pleasure in his or her life. "Hedone" is the Greek word for "pleasure".

16. Janis's spouse in the comics : ARLO
The comic strip "Arlo and Janis" is written by Jimmy Johnson. Introduced in 1985, Arlo and Janis are a baby booming couple with an easy approach to life, and who are very much in love.

21. Secret group in "The Da Vinci Code" : OPUS DEI
Opus Dei is Roman Catholic institution that was founded in Spain in 1928, and officially approved by the church in 1950. In 2010, Opus Dei had over 90,000 members, mostly lay people. The institution's mission is to promote certain aspects of the Roman Catholic doctrine. Opus Dei was portrayed as a sinister organization by Dan Brown in his novel "The Da Vinci Code".

32. Mystical character : RUNE
A rune is a character in an alphabet that is believed to have mysterious powers. In Norse mythology, the runic alphabet was said to have a divine origin.

33. Albanian currency : LEK
The official currency of Albania is called the lek. The first lek was introduced in 1926, and was apparently named after Alexander the Great.

35. Target of crunches : ABS
The abdominal muscles (abs) are more correctly referred to as the rectus abdominis muscles. They are all called a "six-pack" in a person who has developed the muscles and who has low body fat. In my case, more like a keg …

36. Heads for the bar? : FOAMS
That would be the foam that forms the head of a glass of beer.

39. Org. that prohibits traveling : NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) was founded in 1946 as the Basketball Association of America. The NBA name was adopted in 1949. Of the four major sports leagues in North America, the NBA has the highest average annual salary per player.

43. Big D.C. lobby : AARP
AARP is now the official name for the interest group that used to be called the American Association of Retired Persons. The name change reflects the current focus of the group on all Americans aged 50 or over, as opposed to just people who have retired.

44. Rogen of "Sausage Party" : SETH
Seth Rogen is a Canadian comedian who got a lot of credit for his supporting role in "The 40-Year-Old Virgin". That led to him being cast as the lead in the 1970 film "Knocked Up". More recently, Rogen co-directed and and co-starred in the movie "The Interview", which created a huge ruckus in North Korea.

51. Super 8 alternative : DAYS INN
The Days Inn hotel chain was founded in 1970 by a real estate developer called Cecil B. Day. One of the features of a Days Inn hotel in those early days was an on-site gas pump, which dispensed gasoline at discount prices.

Supposedly, Super 8 is the biggest budget hotel chain in the world. The chain got the name as the original room rate (back in 1972) was $8.88.

60. "Diana" singer Paul : ANKA
Canadian-born Paul Anka's big hit was in 1957, the song entitled "Diana". Anka was the subject of a much-lauded documentary film in 1962 called "Lonely Boy".

61. Like Mother Hubbard's cupboard : BARE
The English nursery rhyme "Old Mother Hubbard" was first printed in 1805:

Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard,
To give the poor dog a bone;
When she came there,
The cupboard was bare,
And so the poor dog had none.

62. Insurance giant : AETNA
When the healthcare management and insurance company known as Aetna was founded, the name was chosen to evoke images of Mt. Etna, the European volcano.

63. Capone's nemesis : NESS
Eliot Ness was the Treasury agent charged with the task of bringing down the notorious Chicago gangster Al Capone. When Ness took on the job in 1930, Chicago law-enforcement agents were renowned for being corrupt, for being on the take. Ness handpicked 50 prohibition agents who he thought he could rely on, later reducing the group to a cadre of 15 and ultimately just 11 trusted men. That group of 11 earned the nickname "The Untouchables", the agents who couldn't be bought.

64. Call in court : OYEZ!
"Oyez" is an Anglo-French word traditionally called out three times, meaning "hear ye!"

Down
1. Loose change "collector" : SOFA
"Sofa" is a Turkish word meaning "bench".

2. Fillmore's party : WHIG
The Whig Party (in the US) was active from 1833 to 1856, and was the opposition party to the Democrats at that time. One of the tenets of the Whig Party was the supremacy of Congress over the Executive branch. Prominent members of the party included Presidents Zachary Taylor and John Tyler. Abraham Lincoln was also a Whig while he served a two-year term as a US Representative for the state of Illinois. By the time he became President, Lincoln was a member of the Republican Party.

Vice President Millard Fillmore took over the US Presidency when Zachary Taylor died after only 16 months in office. Fillmore was born in the Finger Lakes region of New York State, but grew up around Buffalo. He was one of the founders of the University of Buffalo and served as chancellor there after he left office in 1853.

6. ___ ant : ARMY
Army ants are a collection of over two hundred different species of ants. Each species is known for aggressively raiding a certain area en masse, foraging for food. Army ants also stay on the move, never building permanent nests.

7. Word after carrot or muffin : TOP
The term "muffin top" is used to describe fatty tissue that spills over a tight waistline of a skirt or pants. I guess the idea is that such a phenomenon resembles the top of a muffin hanging over its case.

8. Night light up north : AURORA
The spectacular aurora phenomenon is seen lighting up the night sky at both poles of the earth (the Aurora Borealis in the north, and the Aurora Australis in the south). The eerie effect is caused by charged particles colliding with atoms at high latitudes.

12. Plum used to flavor gin : SLOE
The sloe is the fruit of the blackthorn bush, and the main flavoring ingredient in sloe gin.

13. Singer Tennille : TONI
The seventies singing duo known as Captain & Tennille was made up of husband and wife Daryl Dragon and Toni Tennille. Early in 2014, Tennille filed for divorce from Dragon after 39 years of marriage. Sad to see that …

23. Die : GO KAPUT
"Kaput" is a familiar term meaning "incapacitated, destroyed", and comes to us from French (via German). The original word "capot" means "not having won a single trick" in the French card game called Piquet.

24. Pentagon V.I.P.s : BRASS
The incredible building known as the Pentagon was built during WWII, and dedicated on January 15, 1943. It is the largest office building in the world (by floor space) covering an area of about 6.5 million square feet. As it was built during the war years, a major requirement was that it use a minimum amount of steel. So the steel shortage dictated that the building be no more than four stories in height, covering an awful lot of real estate.

25. Belarussian money : RUBLE
The ruble (also "rouble") is the unit of currency in Russia, as well as several other countries of the former Soviet Union. One ruble is divided into one hundred kopecks (also "kopeks").

The Republic of Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, located east of Poland and north of Ukraine. Belarus didn't exist as an entity until the Russian Revolution when it was created as one of the Soviet Socialist Republics (SSR) that made up the USSR. The Republic of Belarus was formed soon after the USSR dissolved in 1990, but unlike many of the former Soviet Republics, Belarus has retained many of the old Soviet policies. Alexander Lukashenko is the country's president and he believes in state ownership of the economy. Belarus and Russia have formal agreements in place that pledge cooperation.

26. Atlas extra : INSET
The famous Flemish geographer Gerardus Mercator published his first collection of maps in 1578. Mercator's collection contained a frontispiece with an image of Atlas the Titan from Greek mythology holding up the world on his shoulders. That image gave us our term "atlas".

27. Barack Obama, astrologically : LEO
Despite rumors to the contrary, Barack Hussein Obama II was indeed born in Hawaii. Future US President Obama was born on August 4, 1961 at Kapi'olani Maternity & Gynecological Hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii.

29. Kidney-related : RENAL
Something described as "renal" is related to the kidneys. "Ren" is the Latin word for "kidney".

30. Buffalo pro : SABRE
The Buffalo Sabres joined the National Hockey League in the 1970-71 season. The team took the name "Sabres" following a fan contest.

31. Bunkers : TRAPS
That would be golf.

37. M M M : MUS
The Greek letter mu is the forerunner to our Roman letter M.

41. Friskies rival : WHISKAS
The brand name "Whiskas" has been used for the cat food since 1988, but the product itself has been made in McLean, Virginia since 1936. Whiskas was originally sold under the name "Kal Kan".

The Friskies brand is known today as a cat food, although it was first introduced as a dry dog food in 1930.

45. Congo ape : BONOBO
The Bonobo used to be called the Pygmy Chimpanzee, and is a cousin of the Common Chimpanzee. The Bonobo is an endangered species, found in the wild only in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa. Along with the Common Chimpanzee, the Bonobo is the closest species to humans genetically.

47. Some luxury bags : PRADAS
Prada was started in 1913 as a leathergoods shop in Milan, by the two Prada brothers. One of the brothers, Mario Prada, prevented the female members of his family participating in the company as he didn't believe women should be involved in business (!). When the sexist brother died, his son had no interest in the business so it was his daughter who took over and ran the company for about twenty years, handing it over to her own daughter. I'd say the devil loved that ...

49. Short amount of time? : MIN
The hour is subdivided into 60 parts, each of which was known as a "pars minuta prima" in Medieval Latin, translating as "first small part". This phrase "pars minuta prima" evolved into our word "minute". The "pars minuta prima" (minute) was further divided into 60 parts, each called a "secunda pars minuta", meaning "second small part". "Secunda pars minuta" evolved into our term "second".

51. Cannon on screen : DYAN
The actress Dyan Cannon is perhaps best known for playing Alice in the 1969 film "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice", for which she received a Best Actress Oscar nomination. Cannon is also famous for having been on Cary Grant's long list of wives, from 1965 to 1968 (and he was 33 years her senior).

54. Word in some French restaurant names : CHEZ
"Chez" is a French term meaning "at the house of", which comes from the Latin word "casa" meaning "cottage" or "hut".

55. Franklin's flier : KITE
Benjamin Franklin may not have discovered electricity, but he did important work that helped us understand the nature of electricity. He is reputed to have flown a kite at the end of wet string during a thunderstorm. At the end of the string was a key, and Franklin noted that sparks jumped from the key to the back of his hand, showing that lightning was an electrical phenomenon.

56. What's got the upper hand? : ULNA
The radius and ulna are bones in the forearm. If you hold the palm of your hand up in front of you, the radius is the bone on the "thumb-side" of the arm, and the ulna is the bone on the "pinkie-side".

57. Surveyor's map : PLAT
A plat is a map showing actual and planned features, so a town might have a plat showing existing and intended buildings.

59. Numero after due : TRE
"One, two, three" in Italian is "uno, due, tre".

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Bee ball? : SWARM
6. Somewhat : A TAD
10. Historian's focus : PAST
14. Sarcastic "Amazing!" : OH GEE!
15. Hedonistic sort : ROUE
16. Janis's spouse in the comics : ARLO
17. The new dentist wanted to make a good ... : … FIRST IMPRESSION
20. Gymnast's asset : AGILITY
21. Secret group in "The Da Vinci Code" : OPUS DEI
22. Important contacts : INS
23. Kind of cross or yogurt : GREEK
24. The dentist helped the patient afford the visit with a ... : … BRIDGE LOAN
28. Previously, previously : ERST
32. Mystical character : RUNE
33. Albanian currency : LEK
34. Info on a wine label : YEAR
35. Target of crunches : ABS
36. Heads for the bar? : FOAMS
39. Org. that prohibits traveling : NBA
40. Dispatched, as a dragon : SLEW
42. Young sea lion : PUP
43. Big D.C. lobby : AARP
44. Rogen of "Sausage Party" : SETH
45. The dentist sorted all the bristled instruments into ... : … BRUSH PILES
48. "Too rich for my blood" : I'M OUT
50. Flub : ERR
51. Super 8 alternative : DAYS INN
54. Burst out laughing : CRACK UP
58. When it was time for the filling, the dentist asked for, well, ... : … YOU KNOW THE DRILL
60. "Diana" singer Paul : ANKA
61. Like Mother Hubbard's cupboard : BARE
62. Insurance giant : AETNA
63. Capone's nemesis : NESS
64. Call in court : OYEZ!
65. A workout works one up : SWEAT

Down
1. Loose change "collector" : SOFA
2. Fillmore's party : WHIG
3. Prefix with cultural : AGRI-
4. Decline again : RESLIDE
5. Parceling (out) : METING
6. ___ ant : ARMY
7. Word after carrot or muffin : TOP
8. Night light up north : AURORA
9. Intensify : DEEPEN
10. It'll open many doors : PASSKEY
11. Like much of Arizona : ARID
12. Plum used to flavor gin : SLOE
13. Singer Tennille : TONI
18. By ___ (alone) : ITSELF
19. Good name for a plaintiff? : SUE
23. Die : GO KAPUT
24. Pentagon V.I.P.s : BRASS
25. Belarussian money : RUBLE
26. Atlas extra : INSET
27. Barack Obama, astrologically : LEO
29. Kidney-related : RENAL
30. Buffalo pro : SABRE
31. Bunkers : TRAPS
37. M M M : MUS
38. Shape of the world : SPHERE
41. Friskies rival : WHISKAS
43. All plane attendants in attendance : AIRCREW
45. Congo ape : BONOBO
46. Where fashions debut : RUNWAY
47. Some luxury bags : PRADAS
49. Short amount of time? : MIN
51. Cannon on screen : DYAN
52. Best of the best : A-ONE
53. Big laughs : YUKS
54. Word in some French restaurant names : CHEZ
55. Franklin's flier : KITE
56. What's got the upper hand? : ULNA
57. Surveyor's map : PLAT
59. Numero after due : TRE

Return to top of pageBill Butlerhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985372223495832287.post-91542039314794621732017-01-03T00:00:00.000-08:002017-01-03T00:00:17.410-08:000103-17 New York Times Crossword Answers 3 Jan 17, Tuesday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today's crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today's SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today's New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today's clues and answers

CROSSWORD SETTER: Michael Shteyman
THEME: AT&T
Each of today's themed answers comprises two words, the first starting with AT, and the second starting with T:

44D. Communications giant ... or a possible title of this puzzle : AT AND T

20A. Puerto Rico clock setting : ATLANTIC TIME
37A. Fitness pro : ATHLETIC TRAINER
54A. Basis of particle physics : ATOMIC THEORY
BILL BUTLER'S COMPLETION TIME: 10m 01s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today's Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
10. Leader from the House of Pahlavi : SHAH
The last Shah of Iran was Mohammed-Reza Shah Pahlavi, as he was overthrown in the revolution led by the Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979. The post-revolution government sought the extradition of the Shah back to Iran while he was in the United States seeking medical care (he had cancer). His prolonged stay in the United States, recovering from surgery, caused some unrest back in Iran and resentment towards the United States. Some say that this resentment precipitated the storming of the US Embassy in Tehran and the resulting hostage crisis.

14. Eating pork, to an observant Jew or Muslim : TABOO
The word "taboo" was introduced into English by Captain Cook in his book "A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean". Cook described "tabu" (likely imitative of a Tongan word that he had heard) as something that was both consecrated and forbidden.

15. Pac-12 hoops powerhouse : UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) gets more applications from students than any other university in the country. UCLA also has more students enrolled than any other university in the state.

16. ___ Alto, Calif. : PALO
The city of Palo Alto, California takes its name from a specific redwood tree called El Palo Alto (Spanish for "the tall stick") that is located within the bounds of the city. The tree is 110 feet tall and over a thousand years old.

18. Cognitive scientist Chomsky : NOAM
Noam Chomsky is a professor of linguistics at MIT. Chomsky is known as one of the fathers of modern linguistics.

20. Puerto Rico clock setting : ATLANTIC TIME
Atlantic Standard Time (AST) is four hours behind Greenwich Mean Time and one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time. The list of locations that use AST includes Puerto Rico, Bermuda and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

Puerto Rico is located in the northeastern Caribbean (in the Atlantic Ocean), east of the Dominican Republic. The name "Puerto Rico" is Spanish for "rich port". The locals often call their island Borinquen, the Spanish form of "Boriken", the original name used by the natives.

23. Resealable bag : ZIPLOC
Ziploc re-sealable storage bags came on the market in 1968.

26. Chair with two hyphens in its name : LA-Z-BOY
La-Z-Boy is a furniture manufacturer based in Monroe, Michigan. Although the company makes furniture for every room in the house, it is famous for it's recliner chairs found in family rooms all over the country.

27. Apple that might be seen on a teacher's desk : IMAC
Apple makes versions of its iMac line of computers that are aimed at schools. These are usually low-end machines that sell at a reduced price. Apple used to name such an offering an "eMac", short for "education Mac".

32. W.W. II spy org. : OSS
The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was formed during WWII in order to carry out espionage behind enemy lines. A few years after the end of the war the OSS functions were taken up by a new group, the Central Intelligence Agency that was chartered by the National Security Act of 1947.

33. Genre for Mötley Crüe : METAL
Mötley Crüe is an American rock band, from Los Angeles. They've been around since 1981, co-founded by the famous drummer Tommy Lee. Tommy Lee is also known for his two celebrated marriages, the first with Heather Locklear and the second with Pamela Anderson. The name "Mötley Crüe" was chosen as someone once described the band members as a "motley looking crew". The spelling was made to look a little more exotic, with the umlauts added over the "o" and "u" one day, as the band were drinking bottles of "Löwenbräu" beer!

35. Incendiary weapon : NAPALM
Napalm is a incendiary compound used in weapons that is made from petroleum mixed with a thickening agent. Napalm was developed in a secret program at Harvard during WWII. It was initially used in incendiary bombs and in flamethrowers. The thickening agent in napalm causes the burning material to stick to skin causing severe burns. Because of this, the UN declared the use of napalm in civilian areas a war crime in 1980.

42. Ohio city on Lake Erie : LORAIN
Lorain, Ohio is situated on the shores of Lake Erie, 30 miles west of Cleveland. Lorain used to go by the name of Charleston.

43. Czech-made auto that's part of the Volkswagen Group : SKODA
Skoda is a Czech auto manufacturer that founded back in 1895. Originally known as Laurin & Klement, the first vehicles produced were bicycles.

52. Chain of children's stores founded by the Kaufman brothers (hence its name) : KB TOYS
KB Toys was a chain of toy stores that was founded in 1922, but folded in 2009. The chain was established by Harry and Joseph Kaufman, which gave the store the name "KB", standing for Kaufman Brothers.

54. Basis of particle physics : ATOMIC THEORY
By some definitions, New Zealand-born physicist and chemist Ernest Rutherford was the first person to "split the atom". Rutherford bombarded nitrogen with alpha particles and thereby forced neutrons out of the nucleus of the nitrogen atom. The first intentional nuclear "fission" came decades later in the 1930s, with experiments in which larger nuclei were split into smaller nuclei.

58. Nothin' : NADA
"Nada" is the Spanish word for "nothing".

64. Fashionable Christian : DIOR
Christian Dior was a French fashion designer. As WWII approached, Dior was called up by the French military, drawing a temporary halt to his career in fashion. He left the army in 1942 and for the duration of the war designed clothes for wives of Nazi officers and French collaborators. After the war his designs became so popular that he helped reestablish Paris as the fashion center of the world.

65. Including all grades, briefly : ELHI
"Elhi" is an informal word used to describe anything related to schooling from grades 1 through 12, i.e. elementary through high school.

66. "Bear" that's actually a marsupial : KOALA
The koala bear really does look like a little bear, but it's not even closely related. The koala is an arboreal marsupial and a herbivore, native to the east and south coasts of Australia. Koalas aren't primates, and are one of the few mammals other than primates who have fingerprints. In fact, it can be very difficult to tell human fingerprints from koala fingerprints, even under an electron microscope. Male koalas are called "bucks", females are "does", and young koalas are "joeys". I'm a little jealous of the koala, as it sleeps up to 20 hours a day …

69. "Bon appétit!" : ENJOY
The phrase "enjoy your meal" translates into French as "bon appétit", and into German as "Guten Appetit".

Down
2. Neighbor of Oman, for short : UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven emirates (states) in the Middle East. Included in the seven are Abu Dhabi and Dubai, with the city of Abu Dhabi being the UAE capital and cultural center.

Oman lies on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula and is neighbored by the OAE, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Oman is a monarchy, and the official name of the state is the Sultanate of Oman. All of the country's legislative, executive and judiciary power resides with the hereditary sultan.

3. Atty.'s org. : ABA
The American Bar Association (ABA)

5. "Veritas" for Harvard or "Veritas vos liberabit" for Johns Hopkins : MOTTO
"Veritas" is Latin for "truth".

"Veritas liberabit vos" (also "veritas vos liberabit") translates from Latin as "the truth shall set you free").

8. Dead-tired? : FLAT
Here's another example of terms that change as we cross the Atlantic Ocean. When talking about tires ("tyres" in Britain and Ireland), a defect can cause a "flat" ("puncture" in Britain and Ireland).

10. Pointy-eared dog : SPITZ
Spitz-type dogs are those with long thick fur that is usually white. Most spitz-type dogs seem to have originated in the Arctic and/or East Asia. Examples of breed described as spitz-type are the Alaskan Malamute and the Canadian Eskimo Dog.

11. Big maker of gummy bears : HARIBO
Haribo is confectionary company based in Germany, in the city of Bonn. Founded by Johannes "Hans" Riegel, Sr. in 1920, the company name derives from the first two letters of the words "Hans", "Riegel" and "Bonn".

12. Los ___ National Laboratory : ALAMOS
The town of Los Alamos, New Mexico takes its name from the Spanish for "the poplars" or "the cottonwoods". Famously, it is home to Los Alamos National Laboratory which was founded during WWII to work on the Manhattan Project, the development of the first atomic bomb. The town of Los Alamos didn't exist as such, until it was planned and constructed to support the employees working on development of the bomb.

21. Like some digital clocks, for short : LCD
Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) are the screens that are found in most laptops today, and in flat panel computer screens and some televisions. LCD monitors basically replaced Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) screens, the old television technology.

22. Maria known as "La Divina" : CALLAS
Although Maria Callas was born in New York City, she was educated in music in Greece, and launched her career in Italy. Her marvelous performances earned her the nickname "La Davina", and she was described by Leonard Bernstein as "the Bible of opera …"

23. Bygone alcopop : ZIMA
Zima is a clear alcoholic beverage with about the same strength as beer. Zima is sold in beer bottles but is marketed as "not" a beer. It has a lemon-lime flavor and is referred to as an "alcopop", a portmanteau word from "alcohol" and "pop". Zima was made by Coors, but they stopped US production in 2008. However, it is still quite popular in Japan.

24. TV's "How ___ Your Mother" : I MET
"How I Met Your Mother" is a sitcom that CBS has been airing since 2005. The main character is Ted Mosby, played by Josh Radnor. Mosby is also the narrator for the show looking back from the year 2030 (the live action is set in the present). As narrator, the older Mosby character is voiced by Bob Saget.

29. "Giant Brain" introduced in 1946 : ENIAC
The acronym ENIAC stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (although many folks insist that the C was for "Computer"). ENIAC was introduced at the University of Pennsylvania in 1946, at which time it was the first general-purpose electronic computer. Its original purpose was the calculation of artillery firing tables, but it ended up being used early on to make calculations necessary for the development of the hydrogen bomb. Given its uses, it's not surprising to hear that development of ENIAC was funded by the US Army during WWII.

34. Pope said to have died from a heart attack while in bed with his mistress : LEO VII
Leo VII was a reluctant Pope, effectively placed into the job by the monarch of Rome, Alberic II of Spoleto, so that Alberic could retain control over the papacy. Legend has it that Leo VII died of a heart attack while making love to his mistress.

36. Former heavyweight champion with a tattooed face : MIKE TYSON
The boxer Mike Tyson has said some pretty graphic things about his opponents. For example:

About Lennox Lewis: "My main objective is to be professional but to kill him."

To Razor Ruddock: "I'm gonna make you my girlfriend."

About Tyrell Biggs: "He was screaming like my wife."

44. Communications giant ... or a possible title of this puzzle : AT AND T
The original AT&T Corporation was first known as the American Telephone and Telegraph Company.

46. Bringer of bad luck : HOODOO
Hoodoo is a traditional African-American folk magic and spirituality that has West African, Native American and European roots. Hoodoo is sometimes confused with Voodoo, especially as they both have West African connections. However, the two practices are very different.

48. ___ Pictures (bygone studio) : RKO
The RKO Pictures studio was formed when RCA (RADIO Corporation of America) bought the KEITH-Albee-ORPHEUM theaters (and Joe Kennedy's Film Booking Offices of America). The RKO initialism then comes from the words "Radio", "Keith" and "Orpheum".

51. Store known for its Blue Light Specials : KMART
Kmart is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and Target. The company was founded by S. S. Kresge in 1899, with the first outlets known as S. S. Kresge stores. The first "Kmart" stores opened in 1962. Kmart is famous for its promotions known as "blue light specials", a program first introduced in 1965 and discontinued in 1991. I remember being in a Kmart store soon after coming to live in the US. That evening an employee installed a light stand an aisle away from me, switched on a flashing blue light and there was some unintelligible announcement over the loudspeaker system. I had no idea what was going on …

61. Trek to Mecca : HAJ
A Haji (also "Hajji") is the term used for someone who has made a pilgrimage to Mecca, and it is sometimes also used as a form of address for such a person. The journey itself goes by the name "haj" or "hajj".

62. Band with the 1977 hit "Telephone Line," in brief : ELO
"Telephone Line" was released as a single in 1977 by the band ELO, and hit the top ten listings on both sides of the Atlantic. ELO stands for the Electric Light Orchestra, a symphonic rock group from the north of England. Their manager was Don Arden, father of Sharon Osbourne (wife of Ozzy).

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Misgiving : QUALM
6. Small quarrel : TIFF
10. Leader from the House of Pahlavi : SHAH
14. Eating pork, to an observant Jew or Muslim : TABOO
15. Pac-12 hoops powerhouse : UCLA
16. ___ Alto, Calif. : PALO
17. Not be inert, as two chemical compounds : REACT
18. Cognitive scientist Chomsky : NOAM
19. 10-Across's land : IRAN
20. Puerto Rico clock setting : ATLANTIC TIME
23. Resealable bag : ZIPLOC
26. Chair with two hyphens in its name : LA-Z-BOY
27. Apple that might be seen on a teacher's desk : IMAC
28. ___-oriented : DETAIL
32. W.W. II spy org. : OSS
33. Genre for Mötley Crüe : METAL
35. Incendiary weapon : NAPALM
37. Fitness pro : ATHLETIC TRAINER
42. Ohio city on Lake Erie : LORAIN
43. Czech-made auto that's part of the Volkswagen Group : SKODA
44. "Yes ... ri-i-i-ight there!" : AHH!
47. Airplane's direction : VECTOR
49. Like custard : EGGY
50. Adopted : TOOK IN
52. Chain of children's stores founded by the Kaufman brothers (hence its name) : KB TOYS
54. Basis of particle physics : ATOMIC THEORY
58. Nothin' : NADA
59. Relative of fake news : HOAX
60. Ghostly white : ASHEN
64. Fashionable Christian : DIOR
65. Including all grades, briefly : ELHI
66. "Bear" that's actually a marsupial : KOALA
67. Gait faster than a walk : TROT
68. Baby's crib part : SLAT
69. "Bon appétit!" : ENJOY

Down
1. Three months: Abbr. : QTR
2. Neighbor of Oman, for short : UAE
3. Atty.'s org. : ABA
4. Neighborhood buzz? : LOCAL CALL
5. "Veritas" for Harvard or "Veritas vos liberabit" for Johns Hopkins : MOTTO
6. Sushi fish : TUNA
7. Trash bin on a computer screen, e.g. : ICON
8. Dead-tired? : FLAT
9. Acquainted (with) : FAMILIAR
10. Pointy-eared dog : SPITZ
11. Big maker of gummy bears : HARIBO
12. Los ___ National Laboratory : ALAMOS
13. Sweetie pies : HONEYS
21. Like some digital clocks, for short : LCD
22. Maria known as "La Divina" : CALLAS
23. Bygone alcopop : ZIMA
24. TV's "How ___ Your Mother" : I MET
25. Way : PATH
29. "Giant Brain" introduced in 1946 : ENIAC
30. Not expressly stated : TACIT
31. Abbr. in many an urban address : APT NO
34. Pope said to have died from a heart attack while in bed with his mistress : LEO VII
36. Former heavyweight champion with a tattooed face : MIKE TYSON
38. Soldiers' digs? : TRENCHES
39. Canceled, as a mission : NO-GO
40. Tense : EDGY
41. They may be caught at the beach ... or out at sea : RAYS
44. Communications giant ... or a possible title of this puzzle : AT AND T
45. All talk, no action : HOT AIR
46. Bringer of bad luck : HOODOO
48. ___ Pictures (bygone studio) : RKO
51. Store known for its Blue Light Specials : KMART
53. Stopper : BRAKE
55. Bridge charge : TOLL
56. "The joke's on you" : HA-HA
57. Off-ramp sign : EXIT
61. Trek to Mecca : HAJ
62. Band with the 1977 hit "Telephone Line," in brief : ELO
63. Yea's opposite : NAY

Return to top of pageBill Butlerhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985372223495832287.post-87788419641137532842017-01-02T00:00:00.000-08:002017-01-02T00:00:09.194-08:000102-17 New York Times Crossword Answers 2 Jan 17, Monday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today's crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today's SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today's New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today's clues and answers

CROSSWORD SETTER: Chuck Deodene
THEME: Party Down
Each of today's themed answers has a hidden word that is a synonym of PARTY. Those words are written in the DOWN-direction and are shown by circled letters in the grid:

21D. Really revel ... or a hint to the words formed by the circled letters : PARTY DOWN

3D. Vegetarianism or bohemianism : LIFESTYLE CHOICE (hiding "fest")
5D. Source of faraway X-rays : RADIO GALAXY (hiding "gala")
11D. Spot for a food fight : SCHOOL CAFETERIA (hiding "fete")
25D. Indiana/Illinois separator : WABASH RIVER (hiding "bash")
BILL BUTLER'S COMPLETION TIME: 6m 15s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today's Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
7. Sauce often used in a Bloody Mary : TABASCO
Edward McIlhenny created the first Tabasco Sauce in 1868. He recycled old cologne bottles as a container for the sauce so that he could present it to friends, and when he went into business he ordered new cologne bottles for the commercial product. Even today, the Tabasco Sauce bottle bears a striking resemblance to the bottle used to distribute 4711 cologne.

The Bloody Mary is one of my favorite cocktails, perhaps because it seems to taste so differently depending on who makes it. It has numerous ingredients above and beyond the requisite vodka and tomato juice, and has been described as "the world's most complex cocktail".

14. Port-au-Prince resident : HAITIAN
Port-au-Prince is the capital of Haiti. The city was hit by a devastating earthquake in January of 2010. The official government estimate of the death toll stands at 230,000 people, with many bodies never recovered.

17. Call from a football referee : OFFSIDE
That would be in a sport like football, or soccer perhaps.

19. Onion relative used in soups : LEEK
The leek is a vegetable closely related to the onion and the garlic. It is also a national emblem of Wales (along with the daffodil), although I don't think we know for sure how this came to be. One story is that the Welsh were ordered to wear leeks in their helmets to identify themselves in a battle against the Saxons. Apparently, the battle took place in a field of leeks.

23. M.R.I. orderers : DRS
An MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) uses powerful magnetic fields to generate its images so there is no exposure to ionizing radiation (such as X-rays). We used MRI equipment in our chemistry labs at school, way back in the days when the technology was still called Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging (NMRI). Apparently the marketing folks didn't like the term "nuclear" because of its association with atomic bombs, so now it's just called MRI.

24. Versatile bean : SOYA
What are known as soybeans here in the US are called "soya beans" in most other English-speaking countries. So, I drink soy milk here in America, but when I am over in Ireland I drink "soya milk".

25. Texas site of a 1993 siege : WACO
In recent years, Waco is perhaps most famous as the site of a siege and shootout between ATF agents and members of the Protestant sect known as the Branch Davidians. Shortly after ATF agents tried to execute a search warrant, shots were fired and at the end of the fight six people inside the Branch Davidian compound were dead, as were four agents. A fifty-day siege ensued at the end of which a final assault resulted in members of the community setting fire to the compound. Only nine people walked away from that fire. 50 adults and 25 children perished.

31. Caustic agent : LYE
What we call "lye" is usually sodium hydroxide, although historically the term was used for potassium hydroxide. Lye has many uses, including to cure several foodstuffs. Lye can make olives less bitter, for example. The chemical is also found in canned mandarin oranges, pretzels and Japanese ramen noodles. More concentrated grades of lye are used to clear drains and clean ovens. Scary …

34. Japan's largest company by revenue : TOYOTA
In the US, the Big Three automotive manufacturers are General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. The equivalent Big Three in Germany are Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, and in Japan are Toyota, Nissan and Honda.

36. Crops used in making cigarettes : TOBACCOS
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco is the single greatest cause of preventable disease in the world.

39. Classic Eric Clapton song about unrequited love : LAYLA
"Layla" is one of the great rock anthems of the seventies, released by Derek and the Dominos in December of 1970. It is a masterpiece of composition, with the first half of the song a great vehicle for the guitar-playing talents of Eric Clapton. The second half is a beautifully melodic piano coda (a coda ... taking up half the length of the track!). To top things off we have the "unplugged" version recorded by Clapton in 1992, a fabulous and inventive variation on the original.

Layla, you've got me on my knees.
Layla, I'm begging, darling please.
Layla, darling won't you ease my worried mind.

47. World's fair, e.g. : EXPO
The first "World's Fair" was held in 1851, known back then as the "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations". The fair was the idea of Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria. It was held in a magnificent glass and cast-iron structure called the Crystal Palace that was purpose-built for the occasion. The "Great Exhibition" spawned a tradition of what became known as World's Fairs, expositions that feature national pavilions created by participating countries.

49. Like the water in a baptism : HOLY
Baptism is a rite in Christian traditions admitting a candidate, often an infant, into the Church. The ceremony usually uses water as a sign of purification. Water may be poured on the head, or the candidate may be totally immersed in water.

53. ___ talks (lecture series) : TED
The acronym TED stands for Technology Entertainment and Design. TED is a set of conferences held around the world by a non-profit group called the Sapling Foundation. The conference subjects are varied, and the meetings are often led by big names such as Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Bill Gates and Jane Goodall. The Sapling Foundation then makes recordings of the conferences available for free online with the intent of disseminating the ideas globally. These conferences are known as "TED Talks".

59. It's made up of DNA : GENE
DNA contains nucleotide base sequences called genes, which are blueprints used in the manufacture of proteins needed by the body. Our DNA is also "decorated" with epigenetic markers that modify the activity level of genes, and can even turn genes off. These epigenetic markers respond to environmental conditions, so that organisms with the same DNA can exhibit differences in behavior and appearance, as a result of differing environments. This explains why identical twins develop differences in appearance over time.

60. Message that might end "R.I.P." : EPITAPH
Our word "epitaph" ultimately comes from the Greek "epitaphion", the word for a funeral oration.

65. 17-year insects : CICADAS
There is a genus of cicada known as the periodic cicada that spends most of its life underground feeding on the roots of trees. They are described as periodic because mature cicada nymphs emerge from the ground in great numbers every 13 or 17 years and are active for just 4-6 weeks. While above ground, the males chirp away to attract mates and fertilized females lay eggs. When the reproductive cycle is complete, the adult cicadas "disappear" for another 13 or 17 years.

68. Monterrey Mrs. : SRA
Monterrey is a Mexican city, the capital of the state of Nuevo Leon in the northeast of the country. Monterrey is the second largest city in Mexico in terms of area, but third largest in terms of population (the largest area city in the country is Mexico City, and the most populous are Mexico City and Guadalajara).

Down
2. Communion tidbit : WAFER
The Communion rite is the part of the Mass in the Roman Catholic tradition. The rite involves distribution of the Communion bread (the host, a wafer) to the faithful.

3. Vegetarianism or bohemianism : LIFESTYLE CHOICE
Bohemia covers most of the Czech Republic. Centuries ago, it was wrongly believed that gypsies came from Bohemia, giving rise to the term "Bohemian" meaning a "gypsy of society".

4. Three on a grandfather clock : III
There are several sizes of "longcase clocks", tall, freestanding clocks driven by a pendulum swinging inside a tower below the clock face. A longcase clock over 6 feet tall is called a grandfather, and one below five feet is a granddaughter, One that falls between five and six feet is known as a grandmother. The name of the clock derives from an 1876 song called "My Grandfather's Clock".

5. Source of faraway X-rays : RADIO GALAXY
Radio galaxies are those galaxies that are a strong source of radio waves. I guess that's obvious …

7. Pantry containers : TINS
The word "pantry" dates back to 1300 when it came into English from the Old French "panetrie" meaning a "bread room". Bread is "pain" in French, and "panis" in Latin.

9. Web crawler, e.g. : BOT
A bot is computer program that is designed to imitate human behavior. It might "crawl" around the Web doing searches for example, or it might participate in discussions in chat rooms by giving pre-programmed responses. It might also act as a competitor in a computer game.

10. Web-filled room, often : ATTIC
An attic or loft is a room or space located below the roof of a building. The term "attic" is a shortened form of "attic story", the uppermost story or level of a house. This term "attic story" originally applied to a low, decorative level built on top of the uppermost story behind a building's decorative facade. This use of decoration at the top of buildings was common in ancient Greece, and was particularly important in the Attica style. That Attica style was so called because it originated in the historical region of Attica that encompassed the city of Athens. And that's how our attics are linked to ancient Greece.

12. Jackie of "Shanghai Knights" : CHAN
"Shanghai Knights" is a 2003 sequel to to the 2000 movie "Shanghai Noon". Both movies star Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson.

13. Honey Bunches of ___ : OATS
Honey Bunches of Oats is a breakfast cereal made by Post Foods.

25. Indiana/Illinois separator : WABASH RIVER
The Wabash River is the largest northern tributary of the Ohio River. The Wabash is the state river of Indiana, and forms much of the border between the Indiana and Illinois. The river takes its name from the French "Ouabache", a word that French traders adopted from a Miami Indian word meaning "it shines white".

30. Kurtz's rank in "Apocalypse Now": Abbr. : COL
The epic war drama "Apocalypse Now" was released in 1979 and starred Martin Sheen as Captain Willard and Marlon Brando as Colonel Kurtz. The premise of the film is that both Willard and Kurtz are special ops officers, with Willard sent into the jungle to assassinate Kurtz who has "gone rogue". The film is notorious for the trouble that director Francis Ford Coppola had completing the shoot. Brando turned up on set grossly overweight (as a special ops guy!), and poor Martin Sheen had a heart attack during filming.

33. To be, to Tacitus : ESSE
Gaius Cornelius Tacitus was a Roman historian and senator. He wrote two major histories, "Annals" and "Histories", that cover the history of the Roman Emperor from 14 to 70 AD.

35. Orchestra reed : OBOE
The oboe is perhaps my favorite of the reed instruments. The name "oboe" comes from the French "hautbois" which means "high wood". When you hear an orchestra tuning before a performance you'll note (pun intended!) that the oboe starts off the process by playing an "A". The rest of the musicians in turn tune to that oboe's "A".

40. Swiss mount : ALP
There are eight Alpine countries:

Austria

Slovenia

France

Switzerland

Liechtenstein

Germany

Monaco

Italy

43. ___ Paese (variety of cheese) : BEL
Bel Paese is a mild Italian cheese that was developed in 1906. The name "bel paese" means beautiful country in Italian, and is taken from the title of a book written by Antonio Stoppani.

52. Things split in fission : ATOMS
There are two classes of nuclear weapons, both of which get the energy for the explosion from nuclear reactions. The first nuclear bombs developed, called atomic bombs (A-bombs), use fission reactions. Uranium nuclei are split into smaller nuclei with the release of an awful lot of energy in the process. The second class of nuclear weapons are fusion bombs. These devices are called thermonuclear weapons or hydrogen bombs (H-bombs). In a fusion reaction, the nuclei of hydrogen isotopes are fused together to form bigger nuclei, with the release of even greater amounts of energy.

57. Mayberry boy : OPIE
Opie Taylor is the character played by Ron Howard on "The Andy Griffith Show". Opie lives with widowed father Andy Taylor (played by Andy Griffith) and his great-aunt Beatrice "Aunt Bee" Taylor (played by Frances Bavier). Ron Howard first played the role in 1960 in the pilot show, when he was just 5 years old. Howard sure has come a long way since playing Opie Taylor. He has directed some fabulous movies including favorites of mine like "Apollo 13", "A Beautiful Mind" and "The Da Vinci Code".

Mayberry is the fictional North Carolina town in which the "The Andy Griffith Show" is set. Mayberry is said to based on Griffith's own hometown of Mount Airy, North Carolina.

58. "I understand," facetiously : AHSO
The slang term "ahso" is used in American English to mean "I see". The term derives from the Japanese expression "Ah so desu ka" meaning "Oh, that's how it is".

64. When a plane is due in, for short : ETA
Expected time of arrival (ETA)

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Leatherworker's tool : AWL
4. Wrath : IRE
7. Sauce often used in a Bloody Mary : TABASCO
14. Port-au-Prince resident : HAITIAN
16. "Um-hmm, O.K." : I GOTCHA
17. Call from a football referee : OFFSIDE
18. "Please! Anything but!" : NOT THAT!
19. Onion relative used in soups : LEEK
20. Little troublemakers : IMPS
22. Charged particles : IONS
23. M.R.I. orderers : DRS
24. Versatile bean : SOYA
25. Texas site of a 1993 siege : WACO
27. Itsy-bitsy branch : TWIG
29. Some DVD players : RCAS
31. Caustic agent : LYE
34. Japan's largest company by revenue : TOYOTA
36. Crops used in making cigarettes : TOBACCOS
38. Ready, willing and ___ : ABLE
39. Classic Eric Clapton song about unrequited love : LAYLA
41. Statutes : LAWS
42. Loses one's hair : GOES BALD
44. Hold back, as a yawn : STIFLE
46. Moment, informally : SEC
47. World's fair, e.g. : EXPO
48. Wish : HOPE
49. Like the water in a baptism : HOLY
51. Get bent out of shape : WARP
53. ___ talks (lecture series) : TED
56. Busy time at the drive-thru : NOON
58. Nay voter : ANTI
59. It's made up of DNA : GENE
60. Message that might end "R.I.P." : EPITAPH
63. Invaded in large numbers : OVERRAN
65. 17-year insects : CICADAS
66. Standards by which things are measured : METRICS
67. Follows, as a schedule : KEEPS TO
68. Monterrey Mrs. : SRA
69. Consumed : ATE

Down
1. Get ___ of (grasp) : A HOLD
2. Communion tidbit : WAFER
3. Vegetarianism or bohemianism : LIFESTYLE CHOICE
4. Three on a grandfather clock : III
5. Source of faraway X-rays : RADIO GALAXY
6. Foe : ENEMY
7. Pantry containers : TINS
8. Long, long ___ : AGO
9. Web crawler, e.g. : BOT
10. Web-filled room, often : ATTIC
11. Spot for a food fight : SCHOOL CAFETERIA
12. Jackie of "Shanghai Knights" : CHAN
13. Honey Bunches of ___ : OATS
15. "Shameful!" : TSK!
21. Really revel ... or a hint to the words formed by the circled letters : PARTY DOWN
24. Take a chair : SIT
25. Indiana/Illinois separator : WABASH RIVER
26. White ___ sheet : AS A
28. Troubles : WOES
30. Kurtz's rank in "Apocalypse Now": Abbr. : COL
32. Mournful cry : YOWL
33. To be, to Tacitus : ESSE
34. Little things that say "To" and "From" : TAGS
35. Orchestra reed : OBOE
37. Scissor cut : CLIP
40. Swiss mount : ALP
43. ___ Paese (variety of cheese) : BEL
45. Spinning toy : TOP
50. Like beer that's not in a bottle : ON TAP
52. Things split in fission : ATOMS
54. Make into 41-Across : ENACT
55. Not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree : DENSE
56. Part bitten by a vampire : NECK
57. Mayberry boy : OPIE
58. "I understand," facetiously : AHSO
59. Hound's warning : GRR!
61. Many online banners : ADS
62. Bit of butter : PAT
64. When a plane is due in, for short : ETA

Return to top of pageBill Butlerhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985372223495832287.post-78867682572054232702017-01-01T00:00:00.000-08:002017-01-01T18:56:25.081-08:000101-17 New York Times Crossword Answers 1 Jan 17, Sunday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today's crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today's SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today's New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today's clues and answers

CROSSWORD SETTER: Matthew Sewell
THEME: Rolling in the Aisles
We have a rebus puzzle today, with the letters HA in some squares. In one direction the HA is part of the answer, and in the other the HA is occupying "the aisle" (the space) between words in the answers. Those answers are actually things that feature aisles in real life. With all those HA HAs, we are ROLLING IN THE AISLES, laughing our heads off. Happy New Year, everyone!

24A. Marquee locale : MOVIE THEATER
54A. Capitol group : US SENATE
72A. Passenger jet : AIRLINER
102A. Farmer's market alternative : GROCERY STORE
50D. Hitching post? : WEDDING CHAPEL
3D. Place for bows and strings : ORCHESTRA HALL

57A. Post-op program : REHAB
83A. What might cost you an arm and a leg? : PIRANHA
13D. John Glenn player in "The Right Stuff" : ED HARRIS
44D. Hawaiian "thanks" : MAHALO
73D. Something to tear into, informally? : HANKIE
82D. It lays out the lines of authority : ORG CHART
BILL BUTLER'S COMPLETION TIME: 22m 26s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today's Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
8. Asylum : REFUGE
"Asylum" (plural "asyla") is a Latin word, meaning "sanctuary".

20. Pope with the longest reign between St. Peter and Pius VI (A.D. 67-1799) : ADRIAN I
Adrian I was pope for almost 24 years, from 772 to 795, which is one of the longest reigns in papal history.

22. On the down-low : COVERT
Something described as "on the down low" is "secret". The phrase "on the DL" can mean "on the down low". It can also mean "on the disabled list" in sports.

24. Marquee locale : MOVIE THEATER
A marquee is a large sign that is placed over the entrance to a theater. The marquee usually displays the names of the film or play currently showing, as well as the principal actors performing.

29. Companion of Han in "The Force Awakens" : REY
"Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens" is the seventh episode in the "Star Wars" series of films. Several favorite characters return in "Star Wars VII", including Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and General Leia Organa (or "Princess Leia" in earlier films, played by Carrie Fisher).

30. H.O.V. ___ : LANE
In some parts of the country one sees high-occupancy vehicle lanes (HOV lanes). Out here in California we call them carpool lanes.

31. Sénégal summers : ETES
In French, "été" (summer) is "la saison chaude" (the warm season).

The Republic of Senegal is a country on the far western coast of Africa. For many years Senegal was a French colony, gaining independence in 1960. The capital of Senegal is Dakar, a city located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean.

33. Running figure : TALLY
Back in the mid-1600s, a "tally" was a stick marked with notches that tracked how much one owed or had paid. The term came from the Latin "talea" meaning "stick, rod".

34. Players last produced in July 2016 : VCRS
Video Cassette Recorder (VCR)

39. Rural postal abbr. : RTE
A global positioning system (GPS) might point out a route (rte.).

41. Samberg and Serkis : ANDYS
Andy Samberg is an actor and comedian who was a "Saturday Night Live" cast member from 2005 until 2012. Samberg also plays the lead on the police sitcom "Brooklyn Nine-Nine".

Andy Serkis is an English actor whose most famous role perhaps is voicing Gollum in "The Lord of the Rings" series of movies.

42. Home of the Triple-A Mud Hens : TOLEDO
The Toledo Mud Hens are a minor league baseball team affiliated with the Detroit Tigers.

45. Vitamin Shoppe competitor : GNC
General Nutrition Centers (GNC) is a retailer of health and nutrition supplements based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1935 as a small health food store in downtown Pittsburgh. There are now about 5,000 stores in the US. The GNC slogan is "Live Well".

46. Vegan sandwich filler : SPROUTS
A vegan is someone who stays away from animal products. A dietary vegan eats no animal foods, not even eggs and dairy which are usually eaten by vegetarians. Ethical vegans take things one step further by following a vegan diet and also avoiding animal products in other areas of their lives e.g. items made from leather or silk.

48. Calrissian of "The Empire Strikes Back" : LANDO
The character Lando Calrissian was played by actor Billy Dee Williams in two of the "Star Wars" movies.

49. One end of Paris's Champs-Élysées : ARCHWAY
L'Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile in Paris was built to honor those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. It is the second largest triumphal arch in the world, after the Arch of Triumph in Pyongyang, North Korea. If you are visiting Paris, don't just take a picture of the arch, be sure to go inside and see the marvelous chambers and carvings, and wander around on top of the arch so that you can enjoy the magnificent view.

The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets in the world. It is the main thoroughfare in Paris, home to the Arc de Triomphe and the Place de la Concorde. The name "Champs-Élysées" is French for Elysian Fields, a place where the righteous went after death according to Greek mythology.

54. Capitol group : US SENATE
A capitol is a building in which a legislature meets. Such buildings are often constructed with an impressive dome. The term "capitol" is a reference to the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, the most important temple in Ancient Rome, and which sat on top of Capitoline Hill.

56. Designer Saarinen : EERO
Eero Saarinen was a Finnish American architect, renowned in this country for his unique designs for public buildings such as Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Dulles International Airport Terminal, and the TWA building at JFK. The list of his lesser-known, but still impressive, works includes several buildings erected on academic campuses. For example, the Chapel and Kresge Auditorium on the MIT campus, the Emma Hartman Noyes House at Vassar College, the Law School building at the University of Chicago, and Yale's David S. Ingalls Rink.

59. Rap group inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016 : NWA
NWA was a hip hop group from Compton, California. The original five group members included rappers who have made a name for themselves as solo acts, including: Dr. Dre and Ice Cube. The story of NWA is told in a 2015 film, also called "Straight Outta Compton". I hear that the movie was well received, although I probably won't be seeing it …

63. "That Latin Beat!" bandleader : CUGAT
Xavier Cugat was an American bandleader born in Spain, who arrived in the United States via Cuba. He worked in Hollywood on movies, although he was also in charge of the Hotel Orchestra in the Waldorf Astoria in New York City for 16 years. Famously he conducted using just one arm, as he would hold his pet Chihuahua in the other. His fourth marriage was to comic actress Charo, in the first marriage ceremony ever to take place in Caesar's Palace.

66. Drone regulator, for short : FAA
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was set up in 1958 (as the Federal Aviation Agency). The agency was established at that particular time largely in response to an increasing number of midair collisions. The worst of these disasters had taken place two years earlier over the Grand Canyon, a crash between two commercial passenger airplanes that resulted in 128 fatalities.

67. Mrs., in Montreux : MME
The equivalent of "Mrs." in French is "Mme." (Madame), in Spanish is "Sra." (Señora) and in Portuguese is also "Sra." (Senhora).

68. Magic Johnson, for one : LAKER
The Los Angeles Lakers basketball team started out in 1947 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The team chose the Lakers name in honor of the nickname of Minnesota, "Land of 10,000 Lakes". The Lakers moved to Los Angeles in 1960.

Magic Johnson's real name is Earvin Johnson. Johnson was born and grew up in Lansing, Michigan. Earvin earned the nickname "Magic" when playing basketball in high school, after one particularly great performance on the court.

69. Apothecary's container : VIAL
Nowadays, we would call an apothecary a pharmacist. "Apotecaire" is an Old French word from the 13th century meaning simply "storekeeper".

75. Quinze + quinze : TRENTE
In French, twice "quinze" (fifteen) is "trente" (thirty).

77. Actor with the line "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!" : SELLERS
Peter Sellers was British comedian and actor, and a genius (in my humble opinion). In Britain, Sellers was famous on the radio as a star on "The Goon Show", In the rest of the world, Sellers is perhaps best-known for playing Inspector Clouseau in "The Pink Panther" series of films. Like so many of the greatest comic performers it seems, Sellers struggled with depression in his life off-camera.

"Dr. Strangelove" is a black comedy directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick, released in 1964. The big star in the film is the great Peter Sellers, who plays three key roles. The full name of the movie is "Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb".

80. Indra, to Hindus : RAIN GOD
In Hindu mythology, Indra is the King of the gods, Lord of Heaven. He is also the God of War, Storms and Rainfall.

82. Giraffe-like beast : OKAPI
The okapi is closely related to the giraffe, although it does have markings on its legs and haunches that resemble those of a zebra. The okapi's tongue is long enough to reach back and wash its eyeballs, and can go back even further to clean its ears inside and out.

83. What might cost you an arm and a leg? : PIRANHA
Piranhas are reputed to be able to strip an animal to its bones in seconds, but this is somewhat of a myth. Piranhas are not in fact strict carnivores, and usually are more of a nuisance to fishermen rather than a danger, as they tend to eat bait that has been set to catch other fish. Much of the reputation of the piranha is owed to the description written by President Theodore Roosevelt in his book "Through the Brazilian Wilderness". President Roosevelt was somewhat hoodwinked though, as local fishermen put on a special "show" for him. They dumped hordes of hungry piranhas into a dammed section of a river and then tossed in a sliced up cow. President Roosevelt was pretty impressed by the orchestrated feeding frenzy.

94. Flaky minerals : MICAS
Mica is a mineral, a sheet silicate. Thin sheets of mica are transparent and are used in place of glass in certain applications. This form of mica is called isinglass, and as it has a better thermal performance than glass it is a great choice for "peepholes' in boilers and lanterns. Mica is also used in the electronics industry, making use of its unique electrical and thermal insulating properties.

97. Glue trap brand : D-CON
"d-Con" is a line of rodent control products that has been around for over 50 years.

98. Tolkien meanie : ORC
Orcs are mythical humanoid creatures that appear in the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien. Since Tolkien's use of orcs, they have also been featured in other fantasy fiction and in fantasy games.

101. Hedge fund pro : ARB
"Arb" is short for an arbitrageur, one who profits from the purchase of securities in one market and the subsequent sale in another, hence taking advantage of price discrepancies across markets.

108. West Coast city known as the Track and Field Capital of the World : EUGENE
Eugene is the second-largest city in Oregon (after Portland). The city is named for its founder, Eugene Franklin Skinner. Skinner arrived in the area in 1846, after which the settlement he established was called Skinner's Mudhole. The name was changed to Eugene City in 1852, which was shortened to Eugene in 1889.

111. Candy known for its orange wrapping : REESE'S
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups were invented by Harry Burnett "H.B." Reese. Peanut Butter Cups were originally called penny cups, reflecting the price at which they were sold. Then inflation took over, and maybe that's why they were broken into smaller "Pieces" …

Down
1. George Eliot title surname : MARNER
Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe is a novel written by George Eliot and first published in 1861. There's an excellent BBC TV version of the tale (shown on PBS) starring Ben Kingsley in the title role, with Patsy Kensit playing Eppie, the young orphaned child that Marner takes under his wing.

2. "Swan Lake" role : ODETTE
"Swan Lake" is such a delightfully light and enjoyable ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. "Swan Lake" tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by a sorcerer. The ballet also features Odile, Odette's "evil twin". Odile is disguised to look like Odette with the goal of tricking the prince to fall in love with her. In the ballet, the roles of Odette and Odile are played by the same ballerina. Odette's love interest is Prince Siegfried, the only character in the ballet to appear in all four acts.

4. Corporation's head tech expert, for short : CIO
Chief Information Officer (CIO)

5. Tort basis : HARM
The word "tort" is a French word meaning "mischief, injury or wrong". Tort law is generally about negligence, when the action of one party causes injury to another but that action falls outside of the scope of criminal law.

9. University associated with the Carter Center : EMORY
Emory is a private school in Atlanta, Georgia with a focus on graduate research. The school was named after a Methodist Episcopal bishop called John Emory, who was very popular at the time of the school's founding in 1836.

11. Weapon in some Call of Duty games : UZI
The first Uzi submachine gun was designed in the late 1940s by Major Uziel "Uzi" Gal of the Israel Defense Forces, who gave his name to the gun.

"Call of Duty" is a incredibly successful series of video games that started out life on computers and is now available for gaming consoles and handhelds. The first version of this war game was set in WWII, but other versions feature the likes of "Modern Warfare" and "Black Ops".

13. John Glenn player in "The Right Stuff" : ED HARRIS
Ed Harris is a very talented actor, noted for two great performances in movies about the Space Program. Harris played John Glenn in "The Right Stuff" in 1983, his "breakthrough" role. Twelve years later he had a "stellar" performance as flight director Gene Kranz in "Apollo 13".

John Glenn was Marine Corps pilot, astronaut and US Senator. As an astronaut, Glenn was the first American to orbit the earth, in 1962. He later became the oldest person to fly in space, in 1998 at the age of 77.

The 1983 movie "The Right Stuff" was adapted from a 1979 book of the same name by Tom Wolfe. It tells the story of the group of test pilots who were selected as the first astronauts, those who flew in space in the Project Mercury program.

15. Fawn's mother : DOE
A male deer is usually called a buck, and a female is a doe. However, the male red deer is usually referred to a stag. The males of even larger species of deer are often called bulls, and females cows. In older English, male deer of over 5 years were called harts, and females of over 3 years were called hinds. The young of small species are known as fawns, and of larger species are called calves. All very confusing …

17. Early explosive device : PETARD
In days of old, a petard was a small bomb that was used to breach fortified gates and walls. The phrase "hoisted by his own petard" comes from Shakespeare's "Hamlet", and is a reference to a petard detonating prematurely and blowing up ("hoisting") the bomber.

34. Like some salsa : VERDE
"Salsa verde" is simply Spanish for "green sauce".

35. "Antigone" antagonist : CREON
"Antigone" is a tragedy written by Greek playwright Sophocles and first performed in 442 BC. Antigone is the daughter of King Oedipus of Thebes, born out of the incestuous relationship with his mother Jocasta.

36. Judge's seat : BANC
"Banc" is the French word for bench or seat.

40. Capital of Belarus : MINSK
Minsk is the capital of Belarus, formerly known as the Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. One of Minsk's more infamous residents was Lee Harvey Oswald, who lived there from 1960 to 1962.

43. Fog might push it back, briefly : ETD
Estimated time of departure (ETD)

44. Hawaiian "thanks" : MAHALO
In Hawaiian, "mahalo" means "thank you" and "mahalo nui loa" translates as "thank you very much".

46. Attacks from above : STRAFES
We've been using "strafe" to mean an attack on a ground position from low-flying aircraft since WWII. Prior to that, the word was used by British soldiers to mean any form of attack. It was picked up from the German word for "punish" as it was used in "Gott strafe England" meaning, "May God punish England".

48. Exam with a section known as "Logic Games," for short : LSAT
Law School Admission Test (LSAT)

55. Sin of those in Dante's fifth circle : ANGER
In Dante's "Inferno", Hell is represented as nine circles of suffering. The nine circles of Hell are:

Limbo

Lust

Gluttony

Greed

Anger

Heresy

Violence

Fraud

Treachery

58. Quarters followers : SEMIS
That might be in a sports competition.

62. Chic : SMART
"Chic" is a French word meaning "stylish".

64. Instruments played close to the chest, informally : UKES
The ukulele (uke) originated in the 1800s and mimicked a small guitar brought to the Hawaiian Islands by Portuguese immigrants.

68. Imitates Sylvester the Cat : LISPS
Sylvester J. Pussycat was also known as Puddy Tat, and was a character who appeared in "Looney Tunes" and "Merrie Melodies" cartoons. Sylvester was the cat who was often trying to get the better of Tweety Bird, Speedy Gonzales and Hippety Hopper. Sylvester's trademark line is the exclamation "Sufferin' succotash!", which emphasizes the characters pronounced lisp.

73. Something to tear into, informally? : HANKIE
A "kerchief" is a triangular or square piece of cloth used as a covering for the head. So, a handkerchief ("hand-kerchief") is a square piece of cloth held in the hand and used for personal hygiene.

76. Yemeni capital : RIAL
"Rial" is the name of the currency of Yemen (as well as Iran, Oman, Cambodia and Tunisia).

80. It comes in tubes : RIGATONI
Rigatoni is a tubular pasta that is relatively short with ridges along its length.

84. Nag to death : BADGER
"To badger" is to harass. The term comes from the cruel practice of "badger-baiting", which dates back to medieval times. Badger-baiting is a blood sport in which a dog is used as "bait" for a badger in its den, to draw him out into the open. The den is an artificial structure built to resemble a natural badgers' den, complete with a tunnel entrance. The dog is sent down the tunnel causing the badger and dog to lock their jaws on each other. The badger and dog are then removed from the den by pulling on the dog's tale. I am ashamed to say that badger-baiting is still practiced (illegally) in Ireland, with ten convictions in the courts over the past 20 years.

86. Straight man : STOOGE
We use the term "stooge" these days to for an unwitting victim, or perhaps the straight man in a comedy duo. The first "stooges" were simply stage assistants, back in the early 1900s.

87. Boy's name that's an Indiana city : GARY
The city of Gary, Indiana is located just 25 miles from downtown Chicago and falls within the Chicago metropolitan area (also known as "Chicagoland"). Gary was founded by US Steel in 1906, as the company selected it as the site for a new steel plant. The name "Gary" was chosen in honor of Elbert H. Gary, who was the key player in setting up US Steel in 1901.

88. Brazilian supermodel Bündchen : GISELE
Gisele Bündchen is a fashion model from Brazil. Bündchen does quite well for herself as she has been the highest-paid model in the world for several years now and has amassed a fortune of about $150 million. She was romantically involved with Leonardo DiCaprio for about five years and now is married to Tom Brady, the quarterback for the New England Patriots.

90. Vital lines : AORTAE
The aorta originates in the heart and extends down into the abdomen. It is the largest artery in the body.

99. Elephant pluckers of myth : ROCS
The mythical roc is a huge bird of prey, reputedly able to carry off and eat elephants. The roc was said to come from the Indian subcontinent. The supposed existence of the roc was promulgated by Marco Polo in the accounts that he published of his travels through Asia.

103. Venice-to-Trieste dir. : ENE
The city of Venice in northeast Italy is built in a saltwater lagoon on the Adriatic Coast, on 117 small islands. The classic transportation along the waterways is the gondola, but this is really only used for tourists these days, as well as on ceremonial occasions. The locals rely on the motorized water-buses.

Trieste is a city-port on the northeastern coast of Italy, and is almost completely surrounded by the country of Slovenia. Trieste was home for many years to Irish author James Joyce.

104. ___ Paulo : SAO
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil. São Paulo is also the city with the highest number of helicopters in the world. This is partly driven by the horrendous traffic jams in São Paulo, but also by the wealthy having a very real fear of being kidnapped on the city's streets.

105. Volunteer State sch. : TSU
Tennessee State University (TSU) was established in 1912 in Nashville. It was founded as the Agricultural and Industrial State Normal School, and was originally intended as a school for African Americans. There was a court-ordered merger in 1979 with the traditionally white University of Tennessee at Nashville.

Tennessee uses the nickname "Volunteer State" as during the War of 1812 volunteer soldiers from Tennessee fought with valor, especially during the Battle of New Orleans.

107. Card game cry : UNO
In my youth I remember being taught a great card game, by a German acquaintance of mine, called Mau Mau. Years later I discovered that Uno is basically the same game, but played with a purpose-printed deck instead of the regular deck of playing cards that's used for Mau Mau. I hear that Mau Mau is derived from the game called Crazy Eights.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Sponged : MOOCHED
8. Asylum : REFUGE
14. Takes from page to screen, say : ADAPTS
20. Pope with the longest reign between St. Peter and Pius VI (A.D. 67-1799) : ADRIAN I
21. Left speechless : AMAZED
22. On the down-low : COVERT
23. They may be sealed or broken : RECORDS
24. Marquee locale : MOVIE THEATER
26. Degree in math : NTH
27. Gruesome : MACABRE
29. Companion of Han in "The Force Awakens" : REY
30. H.O.V. ___ : LANE
31. Sénégal summers : ETES
33. Running figure : TALLY
34. Players last produced in July 2016 : VCRS
36. Epic singers : BARDS
37. Kicks back : RESTS
39. Rural postal abbr. : RTE
40. Worthiness : MERIT
41. Samberg and Serkis : ANDYS
42. Home of the Triple-A Mud Hens : TOLEDO
44. Gets bogged down : MIRES
45. Vitamin Shoppe competitor : GNC
46. Vegan sandwich filler : SPROUTS
48. Calrissian of "The Empire Strikes Back" : LANDO
49. One end of Paris's Champs-Élysées : ARCHWAY
53. Worked as a stockbroker : TRADED
54. Capitol group : US SENATE
56. Designer Saarinen : EERO
57. Post-op program : REHAB
58. Main stem : STALK
59. Rap group inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016 : NWA
60. Pulled off : DID
61. Like an unswept hearth : ASHY
62. Brawl : SET-TO
63. "That Latin Beat!" bandleader : CUGAT
65. Advantage : EDGE
66. Drone regulator, for short : FAA
67. Mrs., in Montreux : MME
68. Magic Johnson, for one : LAKER
69. Apothecary's container : VIAL
70. She, in Spanish : ELLA
72. Passenger jet : AIRLINER
75. Quinze + quinze : TRENTE
77. Actor with the line "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!" : SELLERS
79. Fits snugly : NESTS
80. Indra, to Hindus : RAIN GOD
81. Developer's purchase : LOT
82. Giraffe-like beast : OKAPI
83. What might cost you an arm and a leg? : PIRANHA
84. Washroom feature : BASIN
87. Totally captivates : GRIPS
88. Muzzle : GAG
89. One who knows all the shortcuts, maybe : LOCAL
92. Fill in for : ACT AS
93. Game box specification : AGES
94. Flaky minerals : MICAS
96. "Mind ... blown!" : WHOA!
97. Glue trap brand : D-CON
98. Tolkien meanie : ORC
99. Beverage with a floral bouquet : ROSE TEA
101. Hedge fund pro : ARB
102. Farmer's market alternative : GROCERY STORE
106. Admit : OWN UP TO
108. West Coast city known as the Track and Field Capital of the World : EUGENE
109. Mischievous sort : RASCAL
110. Miles away : NOT NEAR
111. Candy known for its orange wrapping : REESE'S
112. Muss up : TOUSLE
113. Things always underfoot : INSOLES

Down
1. George Eliot title surname : MARNER
2. "Swan Lake" role : ODETTE
3. Place for bows and strings : ORCHESTRA HALL
4. Corporation's head tech expert, for short : CIO
5. Tort basis : HARM
6. Wrap up around : END AT
7. Tosses : DISCARDS
8. Not stay on topic : RAMBLE
9. University associated with the Carter Center : EMORY
10. Go-to choice, slangily : FAVE
11. Weapon in some Call of Duty games : UZI
12. "I didn't know that!" : GEE!
13. John Glenn player in "The Right Stuff" : ED HARRIS
14. Sore : ACHY
15. Fawn's mother : DOE
16. Winter fall? : AVALANCHE
17. Early explosive device : PETARD
18. Modish : TRENDY
19. With 25-Down, financial regulator's requirement : STRESS ...
25. See 19-Down : .... TEST
28. Meteorological lead-in to stratus : ALTO-
32. Resolutely supported : STOOD BY
34. Like some salsa : VERDE
35. "Antigone" antagonist : CREON
36. Judge's seat : BANC
38. Zig or zag : SLUE
40. Capital of Belarus : MINSK
43. Fog might push it back, briefly : ETD
44. Hawaiian "thanks" : MAHALO
45. "Brilliant!" : GREAT!
46. Attacks from above : STRAFES
47. Exclusive event before public availability : PRESALE
48. Exam with a section known as "Logic Games," for short : LSAT
49. Fighting tooth and nail : AT WAR
50. Hitching post? : WEDDING CHAPEL
51. Japanese "thanks" : ARIGATO
52. Made peak calls? : YODELED
54. Unmitigated : UTTER
55. Sin of those in Dante's fifth circle : ANGER
58. Quarters followers : SEMIS
62. Chic : SMART
63. "Pretty please?" : CAN'T I?
64. Instruments played close to the chest, informally : UKES
65. "Still, after all this time ..." : EVEN NOW ...
68. Imitates Sylvester the Cat : LISPS
71. Results of treaties : ALLIANCES
73. Something to tear into, informally? : HANKIE
74. Bounds : LEAPS
75. Nautical sealer : TAR
76. Yemeni capital : RIAL
78. Immense spans : EONS
80. It comes in tubes : RIGATONI
82. It lays out the lines of authority : ORG CHART
83. Show anxiety, in a way : PACE
84. Nag to death : BADGER
85. Build up, as interest : ACCRUE
86. Straight man : STOOGE
87. Boy's name that's an Indiana city : GARY
88. Brazilian supermodel Bündchen : GISELE
90. Vital lines : AORTAE
91. Slogs away : LABORS
94. Kind of fiber : MORAL
95. Attach, as a patch : SEW ON
98. They're found in veins : ORES
99. Elephant pluckers of myth : ROCS
100. Marching band? : ANTS
103. Venice-to-Trieste dir. : ENE
104. ___ Paulo : SAO
105. Volunteer State sch. : TSU
107. Card game cry : UNO

Return to top of pageBill Butlerhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985372223495832287.post-8002401766632909352016-12-31T00:00:00.000-08:002016-12-31T00:00:18.672-08:001231-16 New York Times Crossword Answers 31 Dec 16, Saturday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today's crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today's SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today's New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today's clues and answers

CROSSWORD SETTER: Jeff Chen
THEME: None
BILL BUTLER'S COMPLETION TIME: 25m 46s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 2

LANE (line)

PELHAM (Pelhim)

Today's Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
13. Preservers of plant specimens : HERBARIA
A herbarium is a collection of dried plants, or the room in which the collection is stored. A herbarium that specializes in the collection of wood specimens is known as a xylarium. A collection limited to plants that are cultivated is known as a hortorium.

16. Vivaldi's birthplace : VENICE
The city of Venice in northeast Italy is built in a saltwater lagoon on the Adriatic Coast, on 117 small islands. The classic transportation along the waterways is the gondola, but this is really only used for tourists these days, as well as on ceremonial occasions. The locals rely on the motorized water-buses.

Antonio Vivaldi was one of the great composers of the Baroque period. He achieved fame and success within in his own lifetime, notoriety that faded soon after he died. Vivaldi's music has reemerged in recent decades and I am sure everyone is familiar with at least part of his most famous composition, the violin concerto called "The Four Seasons". Vivaldi was nicknamed "The Red Priest" because he was indeed a priest, and he had red hair.

18. Manatee's order, whose name comes from Greek myth : SIRENIA
Manatees, also known as sea cows, are very large marine mammals that can grow to 12 feet in length. The manatee is believed to have evolved from four-legged land mammals and probably shares a common ancestor with the elephant. Manatees belong to the order Sirenia, after the sirens of Greek mythology. The legend is that lonely sailors mistook sea cows for mermaids or sirens.

20. Exposed part of a deal : UPCARD
Stud poker is the name given to many variants of poker, all characterized by the dealer giving each player a mix of cards face-down and face-up. The cards facing upwards are called "upcards". The cards facing downwards are called "hole cards", cards only visible to the individual who holds that particular hand. This gives rise to the phrase "ace in the hole", a valuable holding that only the player with the ace is aware of.

23. Oscar composition, mostly : TIN
Legend has it that actor Emilio Fernández was the model for the Oscar statuette. Cedric Gibbons, art director at MGM, created the design and supposedly convinced a reluctant Fernández to pose nude for "Oscar".

26. Boy's name that's a hardware item : BRAD
A "brad" is a slender wire nail with a relatively small head that is typically used to "tack" pieces of wood together, to fasten either temporarily or with minimal damage to the wood. Nowadays, brads are commonly applied using a nail gun.

27. Cosplay and fanfic are parts of it : NERD CULTURE
Cosplay (costume play) and fanfic (fan fiction).

29. Peace Palace locale, with "The" : HAGUE
International Court of Justice (ICJ) is commonly referred to as the World Court, and is based in the Hague in the Netherlands. Housed in a building known as the Peace Palace, the ICJ is the main judicial branch of the United Nations. One of the court's functions is to settle disputes between UN member states. The US no longer accepts the jurisdiction of the ICJ, after the court's 1986 decision that the US's covert war against Nicaragua was in violation of international law. The UN Security Council is charged with enforcing ICJ rulings, and so the US used its veto power in the Nicaragua v. United States case.

44. Pottery Barn stock : LINENS
Pottery Barn is a chain of home furnishing stores that has been around since 1949. Not my kind of store, quite frankly ...

45. ___ lab (place for an angiogram) : CATH
An angiogram is an x-ray (usually) image taken of the circulatory system, often enhanced by the introduction of a radio-opaque "dye" into the bloodstream.

47. Speedsters : HOT RODS
A "hot rod" is an American car that has been modified for speed by installing a larger than normal engine. A "street rod" is generally a more comfortable type of "hot rod", with the emphasis less on the engine and more on custom paint jobs and interiors. By definition, a street rod must be based on an automobile design that originated prior to 1949.

49. Manhattan topper : CHERRY
The cocktail called a Manhattan is made from whiskey, sweet vermouth and Angostura bitters. I make my own version of a Brandy Manhattan, using brandy, sweet vermouth and orange bitters.

54. "Golden Boy" writer : ODETS
"Golden Boy" was a play written by Clifford Odets that was first performed in 1937 on Broadway. There was a film adaptation released in 1939 that starred a young William Holden. "Golden Boy" was the film that launched Holden's career.

56. Decorticate : PARE
"To decorticate" is "to remove the cortex". That cortex might be the bark of a tree perhaps, or even the cortex of the brain.

Down
2. The "P" of P. G. Wodehouse : PELHAM
English author P. G. Wodehouse's full name was Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse. He is most famous for penning the stories about the goofy Bertie Wooster and his wise and wonderful valet Jeeves. Wodehouse moved to France in 1934, to minimize his tax liability. During WWII he was interned by the Germans for nearly a year, and made broadcasts to the US for the enemy from Germany. Even though his on air talks were relatively apolitical and humorous, they were not well received in his homeland. Wodehouse never returned to England, and died in New York in 1975.

3. Noble Italian family name shared by three popes : ORSINI
The Orsinis were a very influential Italian noble family in medieval and renaissance times. Included in the Orsini line were three popes: Celestine III (1191-1198), Nicholas III (1277-1280) and Benedict XIII (1724-1730).

7. Justin who directed "Star Trek Beyond" : LIN
Justin Lin is an American movie director who was born in Taiwan. Lin directed three of the six films in "The Fast and the Furious" series. I'm not really a fan of "The Fast and the Furious" films ...

8. Analogues of circuit solicitors, informally : DAS
District Attorney (DA)

11. An emoticon is a simple form of it : ASCII ART
ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) lists codes for 32 "control" characters, as well as the 95 printable characters. These binary codes are the way that our computers can understand what we mean when we type say a letter, or a number. Unicode is a more contemporary standard, and is like "Ascii on steroids", encompassing more characters.

12. Chain of seven countries : THE ANDES
The Andes range is the longest continuous chain of mountains in the world, running right down the length of the west coast of South America for about 4,300 miles. The highest peak in the Andes is Mt. Aconcagua, at an elevation of 22,841 feet. Interestingly, the peak of Mt. Chimborazo in Ecuador is the furthest point on the Earth's surface from the center of the planet. That's because of the equatorial "bulge" around the Earth's "waist".

14. A maverick doesn't follow it : HERD
The concept of being one's own person, going it alone, is popularly known as being a "maverick". In the days of open range ranching, a maverick was a steer that didn't carry a brand. An unbranded animal was usually the result of a branded animal giving birth on the open range, with the young growing up without having being captured and claimed by an owner. The use of the name "maverick" comes from Texas rancher Samuel Maverick, who refused to brand his cattle. He stated that he did not want to inflict pain on his cattle, and so laid claim to any cattle on the range that weren't branded. His stubborn refusal to cooperate with the neighboring ranchers gave rise to our modern description of a single-minded individual as a "maverick".

16. Knowledge of fine arts : VIRTU
"Virtu" are objects of art or curios. The same term is used to describe an interest in and knowledge of such objects. The term comes from the Latin "virtus" meaning "virtue, goodness, manliness". The idea is that "virtu" is an appreciation for the "goodness" of such art.

25. Website with "The Next Big Thing" videos : CNET
c|net is an excellent technology website. c|net started out in 1994 as a television network specializing in technology news. The host of "American Idol", Ryan Seacrest, started off his career as host of a c|net show.

26. One of about 3,412 in a kW-h : BTU
In the world of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), the power of a heating or cooling unit can be measured in British Thermal Units (BTUs). This dated unit is the amount of energy required to heat a pound of water so that the water's temperature increases by one degree Fahrenheit.

29. Circus ring? : HULA HOOP
Hula hoops were a big craze in the 1950s, but they have been around in various forms at least since the year 500 BCE!

32. The TV network in "Network" : UBS
The movie "Network" was released in 1976. It was directed by Sidney Lumet and stars Peter Finch in his final role, for which he won a posthumous Academy Award. That Oscar for Peter Finch was remarkable in that it was the first time the Best Actor award had been won after the actor passed away, and it was also the first time it had been won by an Australian.

41. Besmirched : TARRED
"Besmirch" is a derivative of "smirch", with both words meaning to "make dirty". In particular, to besmirch is to sully someone's reputation.

52. One standing in an alley : PIN
Bowling has been around for an awfully long time. The oldest known reference to the game is in Egypt, where pins and balls were found in an ancient tomb that is over 5,000 years old. The first form of the game to come to America was nine-pin bowling, which had been very popular in Europe for centuries. In 1841 in Connecticut, nine-pin bowling was banned due to its association with gambling. Supposedly, an additional pin was added to get around the ban, and ten-pin bowling was born.

53. Classification system used in some banks : ABO
The most important grouping of blood types is the ABO system. Blood is classified as either A, B, AB or O, depending on the type of antigens on the surface of the red blood cells. A secondary designation of blood is the Rh factor, in which other antigens are labelled as either positive or negative. When a patient receives a blood transfusion, ideally the donor blood should be the same type as that of the recipient, as incompatible blood cells can be rejected. However, blood type O-neg can be accepted by recipients with all blood types, A, B, AB or O, and positive or negative. Hence someone with O-neg blood type is called a "universal donor".

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Join, as two pieces of metal by application of heat and pressure : SPOT-WELD
9. Scrap : SPAT
13. Preservers of plant specimens : HERBARIA
14. Glaring : HARSH
15. People on the wrong end of a landslide : ALSO-RANS
16. Vivaldi's birthplace : VENICE
17. Says "But I don't wanna!," say : WHINES
18. Manatee's order, whose name comes from Greek myth : SIRENIA
19. Part of a basketball court : LANE
20. Exposed part of a deal : UPCARD
23. Oscar composition, mostly : TIN
24. Bad actor : MISCREANT
26. Boy's name that's a hardware item : BRAD
27. Cosplay and fanfic are parts of it : NERD CULTURE
29. Peace Palace locale, with "The" : HAGUE
33. A 43-Across may end one : SET
34. Some next of kin : AUNTS
35. Hypothetical miracle material : UNOBTAINIUM
38. Live-streaming problems : LAGS
39. Strips to pieces? : BACON BITS
43. Court coup : ACE
44. Pottery Barn stock : LINENS
45. ___ lab (place for an angiogram) : CATH
47. Speedsters : HOT RODS
49. Manhattan topper : CHERRY
51. Like evidence gathered in some stings : ON TAPE
52. Delivery of supplies by air, in a way : PARADROP
54. "Golden Boy" writer : ODETS
55. "To the best of my recollection ..." : I BELIEVE ...
56. Decorticate : PARE
57. "Hardly a surprise" : NO WONDER

Down
1. Nice thing after getting the cold shoulder? : SHAWL
2. The "P" of P. G. Wodehouse : PELHAM
3. Noble Italian family name shared by three popes : ORSINI
4. Alternatives to rumps : T-BONES
5. Enamel finish? : -WARE
6. Part of a not-so-clean slate : ERASURE
7. Justin who directed "Star Trek Beyond" : LIN
8. Analogues of circuit solicitors, informally : DAS
9. Not around the bend : SANE
10. Publishing order : PRINT RUN
11. An emoticon is a simple form of it : ASCII ART
12. Chain of seven countries : THE ANDES
14. A maverick doesn't follow it : HERD
16. Knowledge of fine arts : VIRTU
18. Approve : SANCTION
21. Losing side in the Battle of Marathon, 490 B.C. : PERSIANS
22. Beat : CADENCE
25. Website with "The Next Big Thing" videos : CNET
26. One of about 3,412 in a kW-h : BTU
28. Term of endearment : LAMB
29. Circus ring? : HULA HOOP
30. 1997 adventure/horror film that takes place in the Amazon : ANACONDA
31. Pistol : GO-GETTER
32. The TV network in "Network" : UBS
36. Stomach : ABIDE
37. Turn loose? : UNSCREW
40. Stuck at a lodge, say : ICED IN
41. Besmirched : TARRED
42. Gave it the old college try : STROVE
44. Removes as superfluous : LOPS
46. Hopped up : HYPER
48. Gauge : RATE
50. Dome light? : HALO
52. One standing in an alley : PIN
53. Classification system used in some banks : ABO

Return to top of pageBill Butlerhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985372223495832287.post-50515971711989516482016-12-30T00:00:00.000-08:002016-12-30T00:00:07.482-08:001230-16 New York Times Crossword Answers 30 Dec 16, Friday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today's crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today's SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today's New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today's clues and answers

CROSSWORD SETTER: Patrick Berry
THEME: None
BILL BUTLER'S COMPLETION TIME: 14m 27s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today's Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
15. Possible rap sheet entry : HOLDUP JOB
A rap sheet is a criminal record. "Rap" is a slang term dating back to the 1700s that means "blame, responsibility" as in "to take the rap" and "to beat the rap". This usage morphed into "rap sheet" in the early 1900s.

21. Sears buyer of 2005 : KMART
Kmart is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and Target. The company was founded by S. S. Kresge in 1899, with the first outlets known as S. S. Kresge stores. The first "Kmart" stores opened in 1962. Kmart is famous for its promotions known as "blue light specials", a program first introduced in 1965 and discontinued in 1991. I remember being in a Kmart store soon after coming to live in the US. That evening an employee installed a light stand an aisle away from me, switched on a flashing blue light and there was some unintelligible announcement over the loudspeaker system. I had no idea what was going on …

Richard Sears was a station agent on the railroad. In the late 1800s, he bought up a shipment of unwanted watches that was left at his depot and sold the watches to other agents up and down the line. He was so successful that he ordered more watches and then came up with the idea of using a catalog to promote more sales. The catalog idea caught on, and his success allowed Sears to open retail locations in 1925. By the mid 1900s, Sears was the biggest retailer in the whole country.

22. Military movements : SORTIES
A "sortie" is an attack by an armed unit, usually a breakout by forces that are besieged, The term "sortie" comes directly from French and means "a going out". "Sortie" is also used for a mission by a combat aircraft.

31. Lingerie fabric : SATIN
The material known as "satin" takes its name from "Zayton", the medieval Arabic name for the Chinese port city of Quanzhou. Quanzhou was used for the export of large amounts of silk to Europe.

"Lingerie" is a French term, but as used in France it just means any underwear, worn by either males or females. In English we use "lingerie" to describe alluring underclothing worn by women. The term "lingerie" comes into English via the French word "linge" meaning "washables", and ultimately from the Latin "linum", meaning "linen". We tend not to pronounce the word correctly in English, either here in the US or across the other side of the Atlantic. The French pronunciation is more like "lan-zher-ee", as opposed to "lon-zher-ay" (American) and "lon-zher-ee" (British).

37. Richard who won a Tony for playing Don Quixote : KILEY
The full name of Cervantes's novel is "The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha". In the story, Don Quixote is a retired country gentleman who heads out as a knight-errant and who renames himself Don Quixote of la Mancha. In his mind he designates a neighboring farm girl called Aldonza Lorenzo as his lady love, and renames her Dulcinea del Toboso.

39. Man and others : PRIMATES
The most widely distributed genus of primates on the planet is Homo, a genus containing only one species, namely man (Home sapiens). The second most populous genus of primates is Macaca, the Old World monkeys known familiarly as macaques. Macaques can be found all across Asia, from Japan to Afghanistan, as well as in North Africa. Some of the most famous macaques live in a colony on the Rock of Gibraltar in the Mediterranean.

41. "Zero Dark Thirty" org. : CIA
"Zero Dark Thirty" is a film directed by Kathryn Bigelow that tells of the long but ultimately successful hunt for Osama bin Laden. I found one aspect of this film to be particularly uplifting, namely the central role played by a remarkable CIA officer who was a woman operating against the odds in a man's world.

43. Shep Smith's channel : FOX NEWS
Shep Smith is a television journalist and host with Fox News. Smith has been hosting "Shepard Smith Reporting" on Fox since 2013.

48. Source of riches : TROVE
The term "treasure trove" comes from the Anglo-French "tresor trové " meaning "found treasure".

50. ___ Bete (honor society member, informally) : PHI
Phi Beta Kappa was the first collegiate Greek fraternity in the US, founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary. The organization served as a model for future collegiate fraternities and sororities, although in the 19th century Phi Beta Kappa distanced itself from the fraternal focus and transformed into the honor society that it is today, recognizing academic excellence. The initials Phi Beta Kappa stand for "philosophia biou kybernētēs", which translates into "philosophy is the guide of life". The symbol of the Phi Beta Kappa Society is a golden key.

51. Thomas who is known as the Queen of Memphis Soul : CARLA
Carla Thomas is a singer from Memphis, Tennessee who is referred to as the Queen of Memphis Soul. Carla's father was R&B singer Rufus Thomas.

52. Big Apple power supplier : CON EDISON
Apparently the first published use of the term "Big Apple" to describe New York City dates back to 1909. Edward Martin wrote the following in his book "The Wayfarer in New York":

Kansas is apt to see in New York a greedy city. . . . It inclines to think that the big apple gets a disproportionate share of the national sap.
Over ten years later, the term "big apple" was used as a nickname for racetracks in and around New York City. However, the concerted effort to "brand" the city as the Big Apple had to wait until the seventies and was the work of the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau.

54. Hatch in the Capitol : ORRIN
Orrin Hatch is a Republican Senator from Utah. Hatch is also quite the musician, and plays the piano, violin and organ. He has composed various compositions, including a song called "Heal Our Land" that was played at the 2005 inauguration of President George W. Bush.

55. Stadium whose first home run was hit by Mickey Mantle : ASTRODOME
The Houston baseball team changed its name to the Astros (sometimes "'Stros") from the Colt .45s in 1965 when they started playing in the Astrodome. The Astrodome was so called in recognition of the city's long association with the US space program. The Astros moved from the National League to the American League starting in the 2013 season.

Mickey Mantle only played professional baseball for the one team, spending 18 years with the New York Yankees. Mickey Mantle memorabilia is highly prized, especially since he retired from the game in 1969, and even more so since he died in 1995. The only other player memorabilia said to command a higher price is Babe Ruth's. Mantle holds the record for the most career home runs by a switch hitter, as well as the most World Series home runs.

Down
1. Vouchers : CHITS
A chit is a note or a short letter. The term tends to be used these days in the sense of an amount owed (as in a poker game). The word used to be "chitty", which is now obsolete but was closer to the original Hindi term. I feel a tad obsolete myself because when we are at school we would be excused class if we had a "chitty".

2. "O, I am fortune's fool!" speaker : ROMEO
"O, I am Fortune's fool" is a line from William Shakespeare's play "Romeo and Juliet". The words are uttered by Romeo after he kills Tybalt, Juliet's cousin, in a duel. Romeo knows that he has made a bad mistake, and tells everyone so. Sure enough, things go downhill for him and Juliet for the remainder of the play.

3. Bovine product mascot : ELMER
Elsie the Cow is the mascot of the Borden Company. Elsie first appeared at the New York World's Fair in 1939, introduced to symbolize the perfect dairy product. She is so famous and respected that she has been awarded the degrees of Doctor of Bovinity, Doctor fo Human Kindness and Doctor of Ecownomics. Elsie was also given a husband named Elmer the Bull. Elmer eventually moved over to the chemical division of Borden where he gave his name to Elmer's Glue.

4. Sports drink suffix : -ADE
Gatorade was developed at the University of Florida by a team of researchers at the request of the school's football team. And so, Gatorade is named after the Gators football team.

7. R&B group with a series of 1970s hits, with "the" : O'JAYS
The O'Jays are an R&B group from Canton, Ohio. They came together in 1963 as a band of five singers and are still performing today, although now only as a trio. The band took the name of the O'Jays as a tribute to a radio disk jockey called Eddie O'Jay who was big in Cleveland at the time. The biggest hit for the O'Jays is "Love Train", released in 1972.

9. King's collaborator : ABERNATHY
Ralph Abernathy was the closest friend of Martin Luther King, Jr.

10. Alan who played the title role in "Rasputin" : RICKMAN
Alan Rickman was a marvelous English actor, famous for playing bad guy Hans Gruber in the original "Die Hard" film, Severus Snape in the "Harry Potter" series and my personal favorite, Eamon de Valera in "Michael Collins". Sadly, Rickman passed away in January 2016, after which fans created a memorial under the "Platform 9¾" sign in London's Kings Cross Railway Station, from where the Hogwarts Express is said to depart in the "Harry Potter" universe.

12. Good person in a parable : SAMARITAN
"The Good Samaritan" is a parable told by Jesus that can be read in the Gospel of Luke. According to the story, a Jewish traveler is robbed and beaten and left for dead at the side of the road. A priest happens by and sees the poor man, but does not stop to help. A fellow Jew also passes and refuses to help. A third man stops and gives aid. This kind person is a Samaritan, a native of Samaria. Back then Jewish and Samarian people were said to generally despise each other, and yet here a detested creature gives aid. Jesus told to the story to a self-righteous lawyer, the intent being (I assume) to shake up his self-righteousness.

14. "Isn't that so?," to Rousseau : N'EST-CE PAS?
"N'est-ce pas" is a French expression, often added to the end of a statement, turning it into a question. It translates into "isn't that so?"

23. Dash gauge : TACH
The tachometer takes its name from the Greek word "tachos" meaning "speed". A tachometer measures engine revolutions per minute (rpm).

Back in the 1800s, "dashboard" was the name given to a board placed at the front of a carriage to stop mud from "dashing" against the passengers in the carriage, mud that was kicked up by the hoofs of the horses. Quite interesting …

27. Wand wielders : MAGES
Mage is an archaic word for a magician.

29. "Try now, pay later" products : SHAREWARE
Shareware is software that is distributed for free, although there is usually a request to pay non-compulsory license fee.

30. Player with the most seasons (10) on a World Series-winning team : YOGI BERRA
Yogi Berra is regarded by many as the greatest catcher ever to play in Major League Baseball, and has to be America's most celebrated "author" of malapropisms. Here are some greats:

It ain't over till it's over.

90% of the game is half mental.

Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded.

When you come to a fork in the road, take it.

It's déjà vu all over again.

Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't go to yours.

A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore.

31. Nickname for U.S. president #30 : SILENT CAL
President Calvin Coolidge, the only US President to have been born on July 4th, was known as a man of few words. It was while he was serving as Vice-President to in the administration of Warren G. Harding, that Coolidge earned the nickname "Silent Cal". There is a famous story told about Coolidge's reticence that I would love to think is true, attributed to the poet Dorothy Parker. Sitting beside him at dinner, she remarked to him, "Mr. Coolidge, I've made a bet against a fellow who said it was impossible to get more than two words out of you." His famous reply: "You lose."

34. Post-W.W. II rival of Stalin : TITO
Marshal Josip Broz Tito led the Yugoslav resistance during WWII. After the war, he led the country as Prime Minister and then President.

Joseph Stalin was Soviet Premier from 1941 to 1953. Stalin's real name was Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili. Not long after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1903 he adopted the name "Stalin", which is the Russian word for "steel".

35. "Gorillas in the Mist" writer Fossey : DIAN
Dian Fossey carried out her famous study of gorilla populations in the mountain forests of Rwanda (NB: it was Jane Goodall that worked with chimpanzees). Sadly, Fossey was found dead in her cabin in Rwanda in 1986, murdered in her bedroom, her skull split open by a machete. The crime was never solved.

37. Dorothy and Auntie Em, for two : KANSANS
In "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz", Dorothy lives with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry.

40. Fish in "The Old Man and the Sea" : MARLIN
If you've read Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man And The Sea" (maybe first at school, like me!) you'll likely remember it as a quick read as it is a novella, although it might be better described as a "long short story". It was first published in 1952, the last major work that Hemingway had published in his lifetime. That first publication was as a story in "Life Magazine", and it was such a hit that the magazine sold 5 million copies in the first two days. "The Old Man and the Sea" won a Pulitzer in 1952 and two years later the title was cited when Hemingway was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

44. Market town in Surrey : EPSOM
The Surrey town of Epsom in England is most famous for its racecourse (Epsom Downs), at which is run the Epsom Derby every year, one of the three races that make up the English Triple Crown. We also come across Epsom salt from time to time. Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate, originally prepared by boiling down mineral waters. Epsom was indeed a spa town at one time. The town is also home to Epsom College, an English "public school" (which actually means "private, and expensive"). One of Epsom's "old boys" was the Hollywood actor Stewart Granger.

46. Right triangle ratios : SINES
The most familiar trigonometric functions are sine (sin), cosine (cos) and tangent (tan). Each of these is a ratio, a ratio of two sides of a right-angled triangle. The reciprocal of these three functions are cosecant, secant, and cotangent. The reciprocal functions are simply the inverted ratios, the inverted sine (cosec = 1/sin), cosine (sec = 1/cos) and tangent (cot = 1/tan).

49. Sub ___ (confidentially) : ROSA
"Sub rosa" is a Latin term that translates literally as "under the rose". The term is used to denote confidentiality, as the rose has been a symbol of secrecy since ancient times.

53. Gilbert and Sullivan's "Princess ___" : IDA
"Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant" is a Gilbert & Sullivan comic opera. It was first performed in 1884 at the Savoy Theatre in London that was famous for staging the duo's works.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. It's soft and sweet : CREAM SODA
10. Turpentine source : RESIN
15. Possible rap sheet entry : HOLDUP JOB
16. Empty-headed : INANE
17. Pressing : IMMEDIATE
18. Has a rough time? : CAMPS
19. Buttonless garment : TEE
20. Appliance in a fast-food restaurant : FRYER
21. Sears buyer of 2005 : KMART
22. Military movements : SORTIES
24. Like some passcodes : NUMERIC
26. Dumbbell : ASS
27. "Goodness gracious!" : MAN ALIVE!
28. Defeat by playing mental games, with "out" : PSYCH
31. Lingerie fabric : SATIN
32. Make use of : TAP
33. Dread line? : UH-OH
34. Too small, possibly : TIGHT
35. Spreadsheet filler : DATA
36. Disreputable periodical : RAG
37. Richard who won a Tony for playing Don Quixote : KILEY
38. Ticket prices? : FINES
39. Man and others : PRIMATES
41. "Zero Dark Thirty" org. : CIA
42. Site of the Cedar Revolution : LEBANON
43. Shep Smith's channel : FOX NEWS
47. Fancy wine vessels : EWERS
48. Source of riches : TROVE
50. ___ Bete (honor society member, informally) : PHI
51. Thomas who is known as the Queen of Memphis Soul : CARLA
52. Big Apple power supplier : CON EDISON
54. Hatch in the Capitol : ORRIN
55. Stadium whose first home run was hit by Mickey Mantle : ASTRODOME
56. Disengages : WEANS
57. Families share them : LAST NAMES

Down
1. Vouchers : CHITS
2. "O, I am fortune's fool!" speaker : ROMEO
3. Bovine product mascot : ELMER
4. Sports drink suffix : -ADE
5. Swimmer in cloudy water : MUDFISH
6. Skyline points : SPIRES
7. R&B group with a series of 1970s hits, with "the" : O'JAYS
8. Show adoration : DOTE
9. King's collaborator : ABERNATHY
10. Alan who played the title role in "Rasputin" : RICKMAN
11. Smooth finish : ENAMEL
12. Good person in a parable : SAMARITAN
13. Confidentially : IN PRIVATE
14. "Isn't that so?," to Rousseau : N'EST-CE PAS?
23. Dash gauge : TACH
25. Infantry division : UNIT
27. Wand wielders : MAGES
28. Fountain drink containing grape juice and vanilla ice cream : PURPLE COW
29. "Try now, pay later" products : SHAREWARE
30. Player with the most seasons (10) on a World Series-winning team : YOGI BERRA
31. Nickname for U.S. president #30 : SILENT CAL
34. Post-W.W. II rival of Stalin : TITO
35. "Gorillas in the Mist" writer Fossey : DIAN
37. Dorothy and Auntie Em, for two : KANSANS
38. Obsessed with : FIXED ON
40. Fish in "The Old Man and the Sea" : MARLIN
41. Like cloak-and-dagger operations : COVERT
43. Lots of characters? : FONTS
44. Market town in Surrey : EPSOM
45. Mock-innocent question : WHO? ME?
46. Right triangle ratios : SINES
49. Sub ___ (confidentially) : ROSA
53. Gilbert and Sullivan's "Princess ___" : IDA

Return to top of pageBill Butlerhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985372223495832287.post-29367554821243358072016-12-29T00:00:00.000-08:002016-12-29T00:00:02.326-08:001229-16 New York Times Crossword Answers 29 Dec 16, Thursday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today's crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today's SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today's New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today's clues and answers

CROSSWORD SETTER: Kevan Choset
THEME: Charles
Today's themed answers are titles held by Charles, heir to the British throne:

20A. One title for this puzzle's subject, spelled in order by the circled letters : EARL OF CHESTER
28A. Another title for this puzzle's subject : BARON OF RENFREW
45A. Another title for this puzzle's subject : DUKE OF CORNWALL
54A. Another title for this puzzle's subject : PRINCE OF WALES
BILL BUTLER'S COMPLETION TIME: 19m 11s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today's Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Many a SpaceX worker: Abbr. : ENGR
SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies Corporation) is a space transportation company that was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk, veteran of PayPal and Tesla Motors. In 2012, SpaceX became the first private concern to send a spacecraft to the International Space Station. Apparently, SpaceX is the lowest-price player in the game.

5. Small drum : TABOR
A tabor is a portable snare drum that is played with one hand. The tabor is usually suspended by a strap from one arm, with the other hand free to beat the drum. It is often played as an accompaniment for a fife or other small flutes. The word "tabor" comes from "tabwrdd", the Welsh word for "drum".

16. With 14-Across, "Meet the Parents" co-star : TERI …
(14A. See 16-Across : … POLO)
Teri Polo's most prominent role on the big screen was Pam Focker in "Meet the Fockers" and its sequel. Pam is the wife of the character played by Ben Stiller. Polo also played the wife of Presidential candidate Matt Santos in "The West Wing".

23. Foreign title of address : SRI
"Sri" is a title of respect for a male in India.

32. 180 : UEY
Hang a uey, make a u-turn.

33. Narrow estuaries : RIAS
A drowned valley might be called a ria or a fjord, both formed as sea level rises. A ria is a drowned valley created by river erosion, and a fjord is a drowned valley created by glaciation.

35. Broccoli ___ : RABE
Broccoli Rabe is perhaps better known as rapini, and is a vegetable often used in Mediterranean cuisines. It is quite delicious sauteed with garlic ...

38. Jazz with rapid chord changes : BOP
"Bop" is a shortened form of "bebop", a jazz style that dates back to the early 1940s.

39. Turntable speeds, briefly : RPMS
Revolutions per minute (rpm)

40. Crimson rival : ELI
Elihu Yale was a wealthy merchant born in Boston in 1649. Yale worked for the British East India Company, and for many years served as governor of a settlement at Madras (now Chennai) in India. After India, Yale took over his father's estate near Wrexham in Wales. It was while resident in Wrexham that Yale responded to a request for financial support for the Collegiate School of Connecticut in 1701. He sent the school a donation, which was used to erect a new building in New Haven that was named "Yale" in his honor. In 1718, the whole school was renamed to "Yale College". To this day, students of Yale are nicknamed "Elis", again honoring Elihu.

The athletic teams of the University of Alabama ("Bama") are nicknamed the Crimson Tide, a reference to the team colors of crimson and white.

43. Colonel's chain : KFC
The famous "Colonel" of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) fame was Harland Sanders, an entrepreneur from Henryville, Indiana. Although not really a "Colonel", Sanders did indeed serve in the military. He enlisted in the Army as a private in 1906 at the age of 16, lying about his age. He spent the whole of his time in the Army as a soldier in Cuba. It was much later, in the 1930s, that Sanders went into the restaurant business making his specialty deep-fried chicken. By 1935 his reputation as a "character" had grown, so much so that Governor Ruby Laffoon of Kentucky gave Sanders the honorary title of "Kentucky Colonel". Later in the fifties, Sanders developed his trademark look with the white suit, string tie, mustache and goatee. When Sanders was 65 however, his business failed and in stepped Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy's. Thomas simplified the Sanders menu, cutting it back from over a hundred items to just fried chicken and salads. That was enough to launch KFC into the fast food business. Sanders sold the US franchise in 1964 for just $2 million and moved to Canada to grow KFC north of the border. He died in 1980 and is buried in Louisville, Kentucky. The Colonel's secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices is indeed a trade secret. Apparently there is only one copy of the recipe, a handwritten piece of paper, written in pencil and signed by Colonel Sanders. Since 2009, the piece of paper has been locked in a computerized vault surrounded with motion detectors and security cameras.

50. 1998 Masters champion Mark : O'MEARA
Mark O'Meara is an American golfer from Goldsboro, North Carolina. He is known as one of the American players who competes in international tournaments more than most, and has a reputation as a real gentleman all around the world.

51. The last "Back to the Future" : III
In the fun 1985 movie "Back to the Future", Marty McFly finds himself back in 1955, and is trying to get back to HIS future, which is 1985. But on the other hand, 1985 is really Marty's present, before he went back in time. Why does time travel have to be so complicated …?

52. ___-en-Provence : AIX
Aix-en-Provence is a beautiful city in the South of France, located just 30 miles north of Marseille. I had the remarkable privilege of living in Aix for two years, definitely two of the happiest years for our family …

54. Another title for this puzzle's subject : PRINCE OF WALES
The tradition in the UK is to invest the heir-apparent to the throne with the title of Prince of Wales. Since Prince Charles is that heir today, he is called Prince of Wales and his first wife was known as Diana, Princess of Wales. Both of their children also use the title, Prince William of Wales and Prince Henry of Wales. That said, ever since Prince William's marriage, he mainly uses the title Duke of Cambridge.

61. Burkina ___ (African land) : FASO
Burkina Faso is an inland country in western Africa. The country used to be called the Republic of Upper Volta and was renamed in 1984 to Burkina Faso meaning "the land of upright people".

62. English poet laureate Nahum : TATE
Nahum Tate was an Irish poet who became England's poet laureate in 1692. An Irishman he may have been, but Tate had to flee his native land after passing on information to the British government about the Irish Rebellion of 1641.

63. Many a techno concert attendee : RAVER
Techno is a type of electronic dance music that originated in Detroit in the eighties. Techno involves a heavy beat in common time, and what seems to be a lot of repetition. Not for me …

64. Baseball's Felipe : ALOU
Felipe Alou is a former professional baseball player and manager. Alou managed the Montreal Expos from 1992 to 2001, and the San Francisco Giants from 2003 to 2006. Alou was born and raised in the Dominican Republic and came to the US to play for the Giants in 1955. Felipe's brothers Matty and Jesús followed him to the US, and into Major League baseball.

65. Adderall target, briefly : ADHD
The "official" name for the condition we sometimes still refer to as "attention deficit disorder" (ADD) is "attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder" (ADHD).

Adderall is a drug used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as well as narcolepsy. Adderall is also misused as a recreational drug as it is considered an aphrodisiac and a euphoriant.

67. Many a one-star Yelp review : RANT
yelp.com is a website that provides a local business directory and reviews of services. The site is sort of like Yellow Pages on steroids, and the term "yelp" is derived from "yel-low p-ages".

Down
1. Relatives of sabers : EPEES
The sword known as an épée has a three-sided blade. The épée is similar to a foil and sabre, both of which are also thrusting weapons. However, the foil and saber have rectangular cross-sections.

3. Stepmom of Mitchell and Claire on "Modern Family" : GLORIA
"Modern Family" is a marvelous television show shown on ABC since 2009. The show's format is that of a "mockumentary", with the cast often addressing the camera directly. In that respect "Modern Family" resembles two other excellent shows: "The Office" and "Parks and Recreation", both of which might also be described a "mockumentaries".

4. Sushi plate item : ROLL
Sushi is a Japanese dish that has as its primary ingredient cooked, vinegared rice. The rice is usually topped with something, most often fish, and can be served in seaweed rolls. If you want raw fish by itself, then you have to order "sashimi".

6. One of the Furies : ALECTO
The Furies of Greek and Roman mythology were the female personification of vengeance. They were also known as the Dirae, "the terrible". There were at least three Furies:

Alecto: the "unceasing"

Megaera: the "grudging"

Tisiphone: the "avenging murder"

8. Grendel in "Beowulf," e.g. : OGRE
"Beowulf" is an old epic poem from England, although the story is set in Scandinavia. Beowulf fights a battle, defending the Danish King Hrothgar from the ferocious outcast Grendel. Hrothgar had built a great hall for his people in which they could celebrate; singing, dancing and drinking lots of mead. Grendel was angered by the carousing and attacked the hall, devouring many of the incumbent warriors as they slept. A bit of an extreme reaction to noisy neighbors I'd say ...

9. Antarctic waters : ROSS SEA
The Ross Sea is a bay in the Southern Ocean of Antarctica. It was discovered by one James Ross in 1841. A more recent discovery, in the waters of the Ross Sea, was a 33 feet long giant squid that was captured in 2007.

10. The "ipso" in ipso facto : ITSELF
"Ipso facto" is Latin, meaning "by the fact itself". Ipso facto describes something that is a direct consequence of particular act, as opposed to something that is the result of some subsequent event. For example, my father was born in Dublin and was an Irish citizen ipso facto. My son was born in California and is an Irish citizen by virtue of being the son of an Irish citizen ("not" ipso facto).

26. Semester, e.g. : TERM
"Semester" is a German word from the Latin "semestris", an adjective meaning "of six months". We use the term in a system that divides an academic year into two roughly equal parts. A trimester system has three parts, and a quarter system has four.

27. Has a mortgage, say : OWES
Our word "mortgage" comes from the Old French "mort gaige" which translated as "dead pledge". Such an arrangement was so called because the "pledge" to repay "dies" when the debt is cleared.

30. Often-swirled food, informally : FROYO
Frozen yogurt (froyo)

31. Halloween decoration letters : RIP
Rest in peace (RIP)

36. Many a college interviewer, in brief : ALUM
An "alumnus" (plural … alumni) is a graduate or former student of a school or college. The female form is "alumna" (plural … alumnae). The term comes into English from Latin, in which alumnus means foster-son or pupil. "Alum" is an informal term used for either an alumna or an alumnus.

38. "Sherlock" airer : BBC
If you've seen the American television show "Elementary", you will know that it is an adaptation of the classic tales by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that are set in the present day. "Elementary" is similar in look and feel to the excellent BBC series "Sherlock", which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as a modern-day Holmes. We can pick up "Sherlock" in some parts of the country as part of "Masterpiece Mystery" on PBS.

39. Record label for Miley Cyrus and Pitbull : RCA
Miley Cyrus became famous playing the Disney Channel character "Hannah Montana". Miley is the daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus. When she was born, Billy Ray and his wife named their daughter "Destiny Hope", but soon they themselves calling her "Smiley" as she was always smiling as a baby, and this got shortened to Miley over time. Cute ...

Pitbull is the stage name of Cuban-American rap artist Armando Perez. Pitbull is from Miami and was born to Cuban immigrants.

44. Qualifier in texts : FWIW
For what it's worth (FWIW)

58. Educ. supporter : PTA
Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Many a SpaceX worker: Abbr. : ENGR
5. Small drum : TABOR
10. Yearning : ITCH
14. See 16-Across : … POLO
15. "Send me" : I'LL GO
16. With 14-Across, "Meet the Parents" co-star : TERI ...
17. Climate change subj. : ECOL
18. Being in the dark, maybe, and others : FEARS
19. "Goes" : SAYS
20. One title for this puzzle's subject, spelled in order by the circled letters : EARL OF CHESTER
23. Foreign title of address : SRI
24. Club : BAT
25. Unloaded on : SOLD TO
28. Another title for this puzzle's subject : BARON OF RENFREW
32. 180 : UEY
33. Narrow estuaries : RIAS
34. Material in the game Minecraft : ORE
35. Broccoli ___ : RABE
38. Jazz with rapid chord changes : BOP
39. Turntable speeds, briefly : RPMS
40. Crimson rival : ELI
41. ___ Ziegler, Richard Schiff's Emmy-winning role on "The West Wing" : TOBY
43. Colonel's chain : KFC
45. Another title for this puzzle's subject : DUKE OF CORNWALL
50. 1998 Masters champion Mark : O'MEARA
51. The last "Back to the Future" : III
52. ___-en-Provence : AIX
54. Another title for this puzzle's subject : PRINCE OF WALES
58. A is the best one : PLAN
60. Gladden : ELATE
61. Burkina ___ (African land) : FASO
62. English poet laureate Nahum : TATE
63. Many a techno concert attendee : RAVER
64. Baseball's Felipe : ALOU
65. Adderall target, briefly : ADHD
66. Copycats : APERS
67. Many a one-star Yelp review : RANT

Down
1. Relatives of sabers : EPEES
2. Like some extreme diets : NO-CARB
3. Stepmom of Mitchell and Claire on "Modern Family" : GLORIA
4. Sushi plate item : ROLL
5. Younger Trump daughter : TIFFANY
6. One of the Furies : ALECTO
7. Boring : BLAH
8. Grendel in "Beowulf," e.g. : OGRE
9. Antarctic waters : ROSS SEA
10. The "ipso" in ipso facto : ITSELF
11. Common pendant shape : TEAR-DROP
12. Show happiness or sadness, say : CRY
13. Word on a towel : HIS
21. High wind : OBOE
22. A lot : TONS
26. Semester, e.g. : TERM
27. Has a mortgage, say : OWES
29. Regret : RUE
30. Often-swirled food, informally : FROYO
31. Halloween decoration letters : RIP
35. Control+Y on a PC or Command+Y on a Mac : REDO
36. Many a college interviewer, in brief : ALUM
37. One may run through a park : BIKE PATH
38. "Sherlock" airer : BBC
39. Record label for Miley Cyrus and Pitbull : RCA
41. Doughnuts, in topology : TORI
42. Tied to a particular time : OF AN ERA
43. Certain assailants : KNIFERS
44. Qualifier in texts : FWIW
46. Made : EARNED
47. Disturber of the peace : RIOTER
48. Fingers-in-ears sounds : LA LA LA!
49. Rests atop : LIES ON
53. Deletes : X'S OUT
55. Show one's appreciation, in a way : CLAP
56. Wasp's nest site : EAVE
57. In the distance : AFAR
58. Educ. supporter : PTA
59. Little guy : LAD

Return to top of pageBill Butlerhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985372223495832287.post-38388224899765396072016-12-28T00:00:00.000-08:002016-12-28T00:00:15.985-08:001228-16 New York Times Crossword Answers 28 Dec 16, Wednesday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today's crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today's SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today's New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today's clues and answers

CROSSWORD SETTER: Brendan Emmett Quigley
THEME: The Carpenters
Today's themed answers are names of celebrities, each of which includes a word associated with CARPENTRY:

35A. Pop group suggested by 17-, 25-, 47- and 58-Across : THE CARPENTERS

17A. Player of Frodo in "The Lord of the Rings" : ELIJAH WOOD
25A. "The Good War" Pulitzer Prize winner : STUDS TERKEL
47A. Boston Celtics coach beginning in 2013 : BRAD STEVENS
58A. Detective whose first book was "I, the Jury" : MIKE HAMMER
BILL BUTLER'S COMPLETION TIME: 7m 58s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today's Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Some pears : BOSCS
Bosc is a cultivar of the European Pear grown in the northwest of the United States. The Bosc is that pear with a skin the color of a potato, with a long neck. I always seem to use the potato as my point of reference. How Irish am I …?

6. Joyous wedding dance : HORA
The hora is a circle dance that originated in the Balkans. It was brought to Israel by Romanian settlers, and is often performed to traditional, Israeli folk songs. The hora (also horah) is a regular sight at Jewish weddings. Sometimes the honoree at an event is raised on a chair during the hora.

10. Lethal injection providers? : ASPS
The asp is a venomous snake found in the Nile region of Africa. It is so venomous that the asp was used in ancient Egypt and Greece as a means of execution. Cleopatra observed such executions noting that the venom brought on sleepiness without any painful spasms. When the great queen opted to commit suicide, the asp was therefore her chosen method.

14. Electrified, as a Christmas tree : LIT UP
The custom of decorating trees at Christmas seems to have originated in Renaissance Germany. Those first trees were placed in guildhalls and were decorated with sweets and candy for the apprentices and children. After the Protestant Reformation, the Christmas tree became an alternative in Protestant homes for the Roman Catholic Christmas cribs. The Christmas tree tradition was imported into Britain by the royal family because of its German heritage. That tradition spread from Britain into North America.

15. Poet who wrote "If you want to be loved, be lovable" : OVID
The Roman poet Publius Ovidius Naso is today known simply as Ovid. Ovid is usually listed alongside the two other great Roman poets: Horace and Virgil.

16. Many a hockey shot : SLAP
A slapshot in ice hockey involves slapping the ice just behind the puck with the stick, causing the stick to bend and store up extra energy. When the stick finally hits the puck, all that extra energy is released along with the energy from the swing resulting in the hardest shot in hockey.

17. Player of Frodo in "The Lord of the Rings" : ELIJAH WOOD
Elijah Wood is an American actor who is most associated with his role as Frodo Baggins in the "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

19. Nickname for baseball manager Terry Francona : TITO
Major League Baseball (MLB) manager Terry Francona is often referred to by the nickname "Tito". Terry father is Tito Francona, who was an MLB outfielder from 1956 to 1970.

20. Hence : ERGO
"Ergo" is the Latin word for "hence, therefore".

21. New England state sch. : URI
The University of Rhode Island (URI) was first chartered as an agricultural school, back in 1888. URI's main campus today is located in the village of Kingston.

25. "The Good War" Pulitzer Prize winner : STUDS TERKEL
Studs Terkel was an author, historian and broadcaster. Terkel won a Pulitzer in 1985 for his book "The Good War", an oral history of WWII consisting of interviews he conducted with many ordinary people about their experiences during the conflict.

29. Runner-advancing action : HIT
That would be in baseball.

30. Land west of Eng. : IRE
The island of Ireland is politically divided between the the Republic of Ireland in the south and Northern Ireland in the north. Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, and covers about one-sixth of the island.

35. Pop group suggested by 17-, 25-, 47- and 58-Across : THE CARPENTERS
Karen Carpenter was an accomplished drummer, although she only started playing drums in high school, as a member of the school band. After she graduated she started playing jazz with her brother, Richard, and a college friend. Later, she and Richard played with a group called Spectrum, and submitted many demo tapes to recording companies, but all were unsuccessful. Finally, Karen and Richard got a recording contract with A&M Records, and when they had Karen take the lead on their songs, they hit the big time and toured as the Carpenters. Sadly, Karen passed away at only 32-years-old, dying from heart failure brought on by anorexia.

39. Renaissance Faire quaff : MEAD
Mead is a lovely drink, made from fermented honey and water.

42. Real heel : CAD
Our word "cad", meaning "a person lacking in finer feelings", is a shortening of the word "cadet". "Cad" was first used for a servant, and then students at British universities used "cad" as a term for a boy from the local town. "Cad" took on its current meaning in the 1830s.

54. Worry after a raccoon attack : RABIES
"Rabies" is actually the Latin word for "madness". The name is a good choice for the viral disease, as once the virus spreads to the brain the infected person or animal exhibits very tortured and bizarre behavior including hydrophobia, a fear of water. The virus is passed on to humans most often through a bite from an infected dog. It is curable if it is caught in time, basically before symptoms develop. Once the virus passes up the peripheral nervous system to the spine and the brain, there isn't much that can be done.

The raccoon is native to North America. In captivity, raccoons can live to over 20 years of age, but in the wild they only live two or three years. The main causes for the shorter lifespan are hunting and road traffic.

55. Vehicle for the later years, for short? : IRA
Individual retirement account (IRA)

58. Detective whose first book was "I, the Jury" : MIKE HAMMER
Mike Hammer is the protagonist in a series of private detective novels by Mickey Spillane. The novels have been adapted for radio, television and the big screen. The actor most associated with Mike Hammer is Stacy Keach, who played the role in the TV series "Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer" from 1984 to 1987.

"I, The Jury" is the first novel in the "Mike Hammer" series written by Mickey Spillane. The story was filmed twice, once in 1953 with Biff Elliot playing Hammer, and again in 1982 with Armand Assante taking the lead.

62. "___ plaisir" : AVEC
"Avec plaisir" is French for "with pleasure".

66. Collapse in frustration : PLOTZ
The verb "to plotz" is slang for "faint, collapse from surprise or exhaustion".

Down
3. Bad mark : STIGMA
A stigma (plural "stigmata), in a social sense, is a distinguishing mark of disgrace. For example, one might have to suffer the stigma of being in prison. The term derives from the Greek "stigma", which was a mark or brand.

4. 1981 thriller whose title character is a St. Bernard : CUJO
"Cujo" is a Stephen King horror novel, which means that I have never read it (I don't do horror). The character Cujo is a rabid St. Bernard dog which besieges a young couple for three days in their stalled car. King tells us that he lifted the dog's name from real life, as Cujo was the nickname of Willie Wolfe, one of the men responsible for the 1974 kidnapping of Patty Hearst by the Symbionese Liberation Army.

5. Where you might get rubbed the right way : SPA
The word "spa" migrated into English from Belgium, as Spa is the name of a municipality in the east of the country that is famous for its healing hot springs. The name "Spa" comes from the Walloon word "espa" meaning "spring, fountain".

18. Hiking signal : HUT
The quarterback (QB) starts each play in football with a "snap" (also called a "hike"). He announces to his teammates the exact moment of the snap by calling out signals, usually including the word "hut" one or more times in a prearranged sequence.

25. Guideline for a freelancer, for short : SPEC
The term "free lance" was coined by Sir Walter Scott in his 1820 novel "Ivanhoe", using it to describe a medieval mercenary warrior. Forty years later, a freelancer was a journalist who did work for more than one publication without a long-term commitment.

26. There might be a spat about this : SHOE
Spats are footwear accessories that cover the ankle and instep. Spats were primarily worn by men, and originally had the purpose of protecting shoes and socks from mud or rain. Eventually, spats became a feature in stylish dress. The term "spats" is a contraction of "spatterdashes".

32. America's Cup competitor : YACHTSMAN
The America's Cup is a trophy that has been awarded for yacht racing since 1851. It was first presented to the winner of a race around the Isle of Wight in England that was won by a schooner called "America". The trophy was eventually renamed to "the America's Cup" in honor of that first race winner.

37. Tudor symbol : ROSE
The Wars of the Roses was a series of civil wars fought for the throne of England between the rival Houses of Lancaster and York. Ultimately the Lancastrians emerged victorious after Henry Tudor defeated King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field. Henry was crowned King Henry VII, and so began the Tudor dynasty. Henry Tudor united the rival houses by marrying his cousin Elizabeth of York. Henry VII had a relatively long reign of 23 years that lasted until his death, after which his son succeeded to the throne as Henry VIII, continuing the relatively short-lived Tudor dynasty. Henry VIII ruled from 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry VIII was the last male to lead the the House of Tudor, as his daughter Queen Elizabeth I died without issue. When Elizabeth died, the Scottish King James VI succeeded to the throne as James I of England and Ireland. James I was the first English monarch of the House of Stuart.

39. Country singer Martina : MCBRIDE
Martina McBride is a country music singer and songwriter. She is sometimes known as the "Céline Dion of Country Music", which means nothing to me!

49. Minnesota team, for short : VIKES
The Minnesota Vikings joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1960. Founded in Minnesota, the team's name reflects the location's reputation as a center of Scandinavian American culture.

53. Dollar alternative : HERTZ
The Hertz car rental company was started in 1918 by Walter L. Jacobs in Chicago. He began with just twelve model T Ford cars available for rent. In 1923, the car rental operation was bought out by John D. Hertz who incorporated it into his truck and coach manufacturing company.

56. Oscar winner Jannings : EMIL
Emil Jannings was an actor from Switzerland, who also held German and Austrian citizenship. Jannings was the first person to receive an Oscar, as the star of the 1928 silent movie called "The Last Command". He also starred opposite Marlene Dietrich in the 1930 classic "The Blue Angel".

60. Finsteraarhorn, e.g. : ALP
The Finsteraarhorn is the highest of the Alps that lies outside of the main chain, actually in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland. The Finsteraarhorn is the ninth highest peak in the whole of the Alps.

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Some pears : BOSCS
6. Joyous wedding dance : HORA
10. Lethal injection providers? : ASPS
14. Electrified, as a Christmas tree : LIT UP
15. Poet who wrote "If you want to be loved, be lovable" : OVID
16. Many a hockey shot : SLAP
17. Player of Frodo in "The Lord of the Rings" : ELIJAH WOOD
19. Nickname for baseball manager Terry Francona : TITO
20. Hence : ERGO
21. New England state sch. : URI
22. Really enjoys : IS INTO
24. Thickheaded : DIM
25. "The Good War" Pulitzer Prize winner : STUDS TERKEL
27. [Surely you can't mean ...!] : GASP!
29. Runner-advancing action : HIT
30. Land west of Eng. : IRE
31. "Yo!" : HEY!
33. "Your point being ...?" : SOO ...
34. Beat (off) : FEND
35. Pop group suggested by 17-, 25-, 47- and 58-Across : THE CARPENTERS
39. Renaissance Faire quaff : MEAD
40. Playfully obtuse, maybe : COY
41. Dog command : SIT
42. Real heel : CAD
43. Hesitating sounds : UHS
44. Part of a Facebook feed : NEWS
47. Boston Celtics coach beginning in 2013 : BRAD STEVENS
52. "Like I'm supposed to believe THAT!" : HAH!
54. Worry after a raccoon attack : RABIES
55. Vehicle for the later years, for short? : IRA
56. Gutter cleaner's work area : EAVE
57. "Game over!" : I WIN!
58. Detective whose first book was "I, the Jury" : MIKE HAMMER
61. Word with blind or expiration : DATE
62. "___ plaisir" : AVEC
63. Maximum : LIMIT
64. Looked over : EYED
65. Home in the forest : NEST
66. Collapse in frustration : PLOTZ

Down
1. Run, as colors : BLEED
2. Pumping station : OIL RIG
3. Bad mark : STIGMA
4. 1981 thriller whose title character is a St. Bernard : CUJO
5. Where you might get rubbed the right way : SPA
6. Text to which one might respond "im gr8" : HOW R U
7. Egg-shaped : OVOID
8. Where gymnast Simone Biles won Olympic gold : RIO
9. Housing expansions : ADDITIONS
10. Moving about : ASTIR
11. More sinuous and graceful : SLINKIER
12. Dressmaking aids : PATTERNS
13. Wound, as thread : SPOOLED
18. Hiking signal : HUT
23. Ready to go : SET
25. Guideline for a freelancer, for short : SPEC
26. There might be a spat about this : SHOE
28. Lose, as a coat : SHED
32. America's Cup competitor : YACHTSMAN
33. One with a phony passport, maybe : SPY
34. Big party : FETE
35. Quickly detachable : TEAR-AWAY
36. Ate something : HAD A BITE
37. Tudor symbol : ROSE
38. Some decorative containers : TINS
39. Country singer Martina : MCBRIDE
43. It can decrease value : USE
45. "Kapow!" : WHAMMO!
46. "I don't want to hear any of your excuses" : SAVE IT
48. Ate by candlelight, say : DINED
49. Minnesota team, for short : VIKES
50. Upright : ERECT
51. "Skip it" : NAH
53. Dollar alternative : HERTZ
56. Oscar winner Jannings : EMIL
59. "Now ___ heard everything" : I'VE
60. Finsteraarhorn, e.g. : ALP

Return to top of pageBill Butlerhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985372223495832287.post-2728818594730835882016-12-27T00:00:00.000-08:002016-12-27T00:00:20.370-08:001227-16 New York Times Crossword Answers 27 Dec 16, Tuesday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today's crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today's SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today's New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today's clues and answers

CROSSWORD SETTER: Herre Schouwerwou
THEME: Double Take
Today's themed answers is a DOUBLE-word, each of which often follows the word TAKE:

60A. Surprised reaction ... or a hint to what can precede both halves of the answers to the starred clues : DOUBLE TAKE

17A. *Valentine outline : HEART SHAPE (giving "take heart" and "take shape")
24A. *Cost to enter a bar, maybe : COVER CHARGE (giving "take cover" & "take charge")
32A. *Folksy : DOWN HOME (giving "take down" & "take home")
40A. *What to do when coming face to face with a bear : BACK AWAY (giving "take back" & "take away")
47A. *Delayed consequence : AFTEREFFECT (giving "take after" & "take effect")
BILL BUTLER'S COMPLETION TIME: 7m 51s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today's Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Tease good-naturedly : JOSH
When the verb "to josh" was first used in the 1840s, as an American slang term, it was written with a capital J. It is likely then that the term somehow comes from the proper name "Joshua", but no one seems to remember why.

14. ___ Bunt, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" henchwoman : IRMA
"On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is the sixth of the James Bond series films, and the only one to star George Lazenby in the leading role. He wasn't a great choice for 007 …

15. Gently protest : DEMUR
"To demur" is to voice opposition, to object. It can also mean to delay and has it roots in the Latin word "demorare", meaning "to delay".

16. Some music in Mumbai : RAGA
Raga isn't really a type of music, but has been described as the "tonal framework" in which Indian classical music is composed. Ravi Shankar was perhaps the most famous raga virtuoso (to us Westerners). Western rock music with a heavy Indian influence might be called raga rock.

Mumbai is the most populous city in India, and the second most populous city in the world (after Shanghai). The name of the city was changed from Bombay to Mumbai in 1995.

17. *Valentine outline : HEART SHAPE (giving "take heart" and "take shape")
Saint Valentine's Day was introduced by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD to honor various martyrs with the name Valentine. However, the saint's' day was dropped by the Roman Catholic church in 1969, by Pope Paul VI. Try telling that to Hallmark though …

20. Blood line : AORTA
The aorta originates in the heart and extends down into the abdomen. It is the largest artery in the body.

23. Summer clock setting: Abbr. : DST
On the other side of the Atlantic, Daylight Saving Time (DST) is known as "summer time". The idea behind summer/daylight-savings is to move clocks forward an hour in spring (i.e. "spring forward") and backwards in the fall (i.e. "fall back") so that afternoons have more daylight.

27. Dress style : A-LINE
An A-line skirt is one that fits snugly at the hips and flares toward the hem.

29. "Excusez-___" : MOI
"Excusez-moi" is French for "excuse me".

30. Controversial novel of 1955 : LOLITA
Vladimir Nabokov's novel "Lolita" has a famously controversial storyline, dealing with a middle-aged man's obsession and sexual relationship with a 12-year-old girl. Although "Lolita" is considered a classic today, after Nabokov finished it in 1953 the edgy subject matter made it impossible for him to find a publisher in the US (where Nabokov lived). In 1955, he resorted to publishing it in English at a printing house in Paris. Publication was followed by bans and seizures all over Europe. A US printing house finally took on the project in 1958, by which time the title had such a reputation that it sold exceptionally quickly. "Lolita" became the first book since "Gone with the Wind" to sell over 100,000 copies in its first three weeks in stores.

38. Nonkosher entree : HAM
According to Jewish dietary law, "kosher" food is fit to eat, and food that is not fit to eat is referred to as "treif" (or "tref").

45. What framed Roger Rabbit? : CEL
In the world of animation, a cel is a transparent sheet on which objects and characters are drawn. In the first half of the 20th century the sheet was actually made of celluloid, giving the "cel" its name.

"Who Framed Roger Rabbit" was released in 1988, a clever film featuring cartoon characters that interact directly with human beings. The most memorable cartoon characters have to be the goofy Roger Rabbit, and the vampish Jessica Rabbit. The film is based on a novel written by Gary K. Wolf called "Who Censored Roger Rabbit?" There is a prequel floating around that has never been produced, and it's called "Who Discovered Roger Rabbit".

46. Watch a season's worth of episodes in one sitting, say : BINGE
I'm a big fan of binge-watching, the practice of watching perhaps two or three (even four!) episodes of a show in a row. My wife and I will often deliberately avoid watching a recommended show "live" and wait until whole series have been released on DVD or online. I'm not a big fan of "tune in next week …"

52. "Illmatic" rapper : NAS
Rapper Nas used to go by another stage name, Nasty Nas, and before that by his real name, Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones. Nas released his first album "Illmatic" in 1994, and inventively titled his fifth studio album "Stillmatic", released in 2001. Not my cup of tea, I would say …

56. Thor or Loki : GOD
In Norse mythology, Thor was the son of Odin. Thor wielded a mighty hammer and was the god of thunder, lightning and storms. Our contemporary word "Thursday" comes from "Thor's Day".

Loki is a god appearing in Norse mythology. In one story about Loki, he was punished by other gods for having caused the death of Baldr, the god of light and beauty. Loki is bound to a sharp rock using the entrails of one of his sons. A serpent drips venom which is collected in a bowl, and then his wife must empty the venom onto Loki when the bowl is full. The venom causes Loki great pain, and his writhing results in what we poor mortals experience as earthquakes.

62. "Just do it" sloganeer : NIKE
The Nike slogan "Just Do It" was created in an advertising meeting in 1988. Apparently the phrase was inspired by the last words of famed criminal Gary Gilmore. Gilmore faced execution by the state of Utah in 1977 and when asked if he had any last words he simply replied, "Let's do it". A few minutes later, Gilmore was executed by a firing squad.

63. Doldrums feeling : ENNUI
"Ennui" is the French word for boredom, a word that we now use in English. It's one of the few French words we've imported that we haven't anglicized and actually pronounce "correctly".

The doldrums are a band of generally light winds and calms that span the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans near the equator. More formally known as the Intertropical Convergence Zone, the phenomenon occurs at the interface between the northeast and southeast trade winds. We have some to use the term "doldrums" colloquially, to describe a state of listlessness, inactivity or stagnation.

64. Forthwith, on a memo : ASAP
As soon as possible (ASAP)

Down
1. Crusade against "infidels" : JIHAD
In the Islamic tradition "jihad" is a duty, either an inner spiritual struggle to fulfill religious obligations or an outward physical struggle to defend the faith. Someone engaged in jihad is called a "mujahid" with the plural being "mujahideen".

2. Stackable cookies : OREOS
How the Oreo cookie came to get its name seems to have been lost in the mists of time. One theory is that it comes from the French "or" meaning "gold", a reference to the gold color of the original packing. Another suggestion is that the name is the Greek word "oreo" meaning "beautiful, nice, well-done".

3. Know-it-all : SMART ALEC
Apparently the original "smart Alec" (sometimes "Aleck") was Alec Hoag, a pimp, thief and confidence trickster who plied his trade in New York City in the 1840s.

4. N.H.L.'s ___ Memorial Trophy : HART
The Hart Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the player judged to be most valuable for his team in the NHL. The award is named for Dr. David Hart, a Canadian who donated the original trophy to the league.

7. Verb that's conjugated "amo, amas, amat ..." : AMARE
Amo, amas, amat" ... I love, you love, he/she/it loves", in Latin.

10. ___ Kane, resident of soap TV's Pine Valley : ERICA
"All My Children" was the first daytime soap opera to debut in the seventies. Star of the show was Susan Lucci who played Erica Kane. The show was cancelled in 2011 after having being on the air for 41 years.

13. "Purgatorio" and "Paradiso" poet : DANTE
Dante Alighieri (usually just "Dante") was an Italian poet of the Middle Ages. Dante's "Divine Comedy" is widely considered to be the greatest literary work ever written in the Italian language.

31. Ingredients in a Caesar salad, to Caesar? : OVA
"Ova" is Latin for "eggs".

The Caesar Salad was created by restaurateur Caesar Cardini at the Hotel Caesar's in Tijuana, Mexico. The original recipe called for whole lettuce leaves that were to be lifted up by the stem and eaten with the fingers.

34. Humorist who wrote "Candy / Is dandy / But liquor / Is quicker" : OGDEN NASH
Ogden Nash was a poet from Rye, New York who is remembered for his light and quirky verse. Nash had over 500 such works published between 1931 and 1972.

41. Pastoral piece? : ACRE
At one time, an acre was defined as the amount of land a yoke of oxen could plow in a day. This was more precisely defined as a strip of land "one furrow long" (i.e. one furlong) and one furlong wide. The length of one furlong was equal to 10 chains, or 40 rods. A area of one furlong times 10 rods was one rood.

43. "___ 'em!" (canine command) : SIC
"Sic 'em" is an attack order given to a dog, instructing the animal to growl, bark or even bite. The term dates back to the 1830s, with "sic" being a variation of "seek".

46. One getting a bite at night? : BEDBUG
Bedbugs are parasites that feed on human blood, and their preferred habitat is the mattresses on which people sleep. Bedbugs have been around for thousands of years and were almost eradicated in the 1940s. However, infestations have been increasing since then. Dogs have been trained to detect bedbugs and are used by some pest control specialists.

47. 007, e.g. : AGENT
James Bond was the creation of writer Ian Fleming. Fleming "stole" the James Bond name from an American ornithologist. The number 007 was "stolen" from the real-life, 16th century English spy called John Dee. Dee would sign his reports to Queen Elizabeth I with a stylized "007" to indicate that the reports were for "her eyes only". There's an entertaining miniseries that aired on BBC America called "Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond" that details Ian Fleming's military career, and draws some nice parallels between Fleming's experiences and aspirations and those of his hero James Bond. Recommended …

50. Swords in modern pentathlons : EPEES
The original pentathlon of the ancient Olympic games consisted of a foot race, wrestling, long jump, javelin and discus. When a new pentathlon was created as a sport for the modern Olympic Games, it was given the name the "modern pentathlon". First introduced in 1912, the modern pentathlon consists of:

pistol shooting

épée fencing

200m freestyle swimming

show jumping

3 km cross-country running

60. Mountain ___ (soda) : DEW
If you check the can, you'll see that "Mountain Dew" is now marketed as "Mtn Dew".

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Tease good-naturedly : JOSH
5. Knock down a notch : ABASE
10. Old-fashioned outburst : EGAD!
14. ___ Bunt, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" henchwoman : IRMA
15. Gently protest : DEMUR
16. Some music in Mumbai : RAGA
17. *Valentine outline : HEART SHAPE (giving "take heart" and "take shape")
19. Cry at the start of a poker game : I'M IN!
20. Blood line : AORTA
21. "___ you nuts?" : ARE
22. Trail for a dog : SCENT
23. Summer clock setting: Abbr. : DST
24. *Cost to enter a bar, maybe : COVER CHARGE (giving "take cover" & "take charge")
27. Dress style : A-LINE
29. "Excusez-___" : MOI
30. Controversial novel of 1955 : LOLITA
32. *Folksy : DOWN HOME (giving "take down" & "take home")
37. With: Fr. : AVEC
38. Nonkosher entree : HAM
39. Excited and then some : AGOG
40. *What to do when coming face to face with a bear : BACK AWAY (giving "take back" & "take away")
43. Partial rainbow near the horizon : SUN DOG
45. What framed Roger Rabbit? : CEL
46. Watch a season's worth of episodes in one sitting, say : BINGE
47. *Delayed consequence : AFTEREFFECT (giving "take after" & "take effect")
52. "Illmatic" rapper : NAS
55. Lose it completely : GO APE
56. Thor or Loki : GOD
57. "All ___ lost" : IS NOT
59. Follower of anything and everything : … ELSE
60. Surprised reaction ... or a hint to what can precede both halves of the answers to the starred clues : DOUBLE TAKE
62. "Just do it" sloganeer : NIKE
63. Doldrums feeling : ENNUI
64. Forthwith, on a memo : ASAP
65. Throw in the trash : TOSS
66. Club in a sand trap : WEDGE
67. Actor Ifans of "The Amazing Spider-Man" : RHYS

Down
1. Crusade against "infidels" : JIHAD
2. Stackable cookies : OREOS
3. Know-it-all : SMART ALEC
4. N.H.L.'s ___ Memorial Trophy : HART
5. Billboards, e.g. : ADS
6. Babysitter's request : BEHAVE
7. Verb that's conjugated "amo, amas, amat ..." : AMARE
8. Parent who "does it all" : SUPERMOM
9. Before, poetically : ERE
10. ___ Kane, resident of soap TV's Pine Valley : ERICA
11. Devotee of eSports : GAMER
12. Ripening, as cheese : AGING
13. "Purgatorio" and "Paradiso" poet : DANTE
18. Silent, as an agreement : TACIT
22. Clamber up, as a pole : SHIN
25. Go ___ diet : ON A
26. Dairy animal : COW
28. Spank : LICK
30. Research site : LAB
31. Ingredients in a Caesar salad, to Caesar? : OVA
32. New Year's ___ : DAY
33. Chill (with) : HANG
34. Humorist who wrote "Candy / Is dandy / But liquor / Is quicker" : OGDEN NASH
35. Sound from a 26-Down : MOO
36. Ingredient in a Caesar salad : EGG
38. Suffering from senility, say : HALF GONE
41. Pastoral piece? : ACRE
42. Tiny : WEE
43. "___ 'em!" (canine command) : SIC
44. Loosen, as a bow : UNTIE
46. One getting a bite at night? : BEDBUG
47. 007, e.g. : AGENT
48. Leaf of a book : FOLIO
49. Jobs to do : TASKS
50. Swords in modern pentathlons : EPEES
51. Lost's opposite : FOUND
53. "Good to go" : A-OKAY
54. Staircase parts : STEPS
58. Symbol to the left of a zero on a phone : STAR
60. Mountain ___ (soda) : DEW
61. More than a fib : LIE

Return to top of pageBill Butlerhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-1985372223495832287.post-61677812236950039562016-12-26T00:00:00.000-08:002016-12-26T00:00:11.262-08:001226-16 New York Times Crossword Answers 26 Dec 16, Monday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today's crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today's SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today's New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today's clues and answers

CROSSWORD SETTER: Jules P. Markey
THEME: Boxing Day
We have six sets of circled letters in the today's grid, with each set arranged in the shape of a BOX. Reading the letters of a box in a clockwise direction, we get a type of DAY:

37A. Present time in England? ... or a hint to each set of shaded squares : BOXING DAY

The BOXED DAYS are, from top-left to bottom-right:

LEAP DAY

ELECTION DAY

SNOW DAY

GAME DAY

PATRIOTS DAY

HUMP DAY

BILL BUTLER'S COMPLETION TIME: 6m 15s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today's Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Go out, as the tide : EBB
Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon on the oceans. At neap tide, the smaller gravitational effect of the sun cancels out some of the moon's effect. At spring tide, the sun and the moon's gravitational forces act in concert causing more extreme movement of the oceans.

10. Brewpub offering, for short : IPA
India Pale Ale (IPA) is a style of beer that originated in England. The beer was originally intended for transportation from England to India, hence the name.

13. Org. that targets traffickers : DEA
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

18. Stockpiling, in a way, as feed : SILOING
"Silo" is a Spanish word that we absorbed into English, originally coming from the Greek word "siros" that described a pit in which one kept corn.

19. Letters in a personals ad : SWM
Single white male (SWM)

22. Cartoon pic : CEL
In the world of animation, a cel is a transparent sheet on which objects and characters are drawn. In the first half of the 20th century the sheet was actually made of celluloid, giving the "cel" its name.

25. TV warrior princess : XENA
The Xena character, played by New Zealander Lucy Lawless, was introduced in a made-for-TV movie called "Hercules and the Amazon Women". Lawless reprised the role in a series called "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys". Xena became so popular that a series was built around her character, with Lawless retained for the title role. The fictional Xena supposedly came from the "non-fictional" Greek city of Amphipolis.

26. Race loser in an Aesop fable : 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.

29. Fur wraps : STOLES
A stole is a lady's clothing accessory, a narrow shawl. It can be made of quite light decorative material, or it can be heavier especially if made of fur.

32. It's usually behind a viola in an orchestra : OBOE
The oboe is perhaps my favorite of the reed instruments. The name "oboe" comes from the French "hautbois" which means "high wood". When you hear an orchestra tuning before a performance you'll note (pun intended!) that the oboe starts off the process by playing an "A". The rest of the musicians in turn tune to that oboe's "A".

36. Flexible Flyers, e.g. : SLEDS
"Flexible flyer" is now a generic term for a steel runner sled that can be steered with the feet. The original Flexible Flyer was patented in 1889.

37. Present time in England? ... or a hint to each set of shaded squares : BOXING DAY
Boxing Day is a holiday observed in some parts of the world, for example in the UK, Ireland and Canada. Boxing Day is the day after Christmas, and is traditionally when servants and tradespeople would be given gifts known as "Christmas boxes".

50. Soviet premier Khrushchev : NIKITA
Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev only ever made two visits to the United States. The second visit was in September 1960 without an invitation, when he appointed himself temporary head of the USSR delegation to the United Nations. The US responded to his unannounced visit by limiting his travel to the island of Manhattan and visits to a Soviet-owned estate on Long Island. During one of the debates at the UN, Khrushchev became outraged at a statement made by the Filipino delegate who called the Soviets two-faced for decrying colonialism while forcibly dominating and occupying Eastern Europe. Khrushchev demanded the right to reply immediately, and when the Filipino delegate refused to yield, the Soviet leader famously took off his shoe and began to pound it on his desk.

52. Caviars : ROES
"Caviar" is the roe of a large fish that has been salted and seasoned, and especially the roe of a sturgeon. Beluga caviar comes from the beluga sturgeon, found primarily in the Caspian Sea. It is the most expensive type of caviar in the world. 8 ounces of US-farmed beluga caviar can be purchased through Amazon.com for just over $850, in case you're feeling peckish …

58. Lobster ___ diavolo (Italian dish) : FRA
Fra diavolo is a spicy sauce used for pasta and seafood, usually made with chili peppers in a tomato base. The name "Fra diavolo" translates to "Brother devil". The sauce may be named for the Italian revolutionary Michele Pezza who was also known as Fra Diavolo.

62. On the ___ (fleeing) : LAM
To be "on the lam" is to be in flight, to have escaped from prison. "On the lam" is American slang that originated at the end of the 19th century. The word "lam" also means to "beat" or "thrash", as in "lambaste". So "on the lam" might derive from the phrase "to beat it, to scram".

63. Literary critic Broyard : ANATOLE
Anatole Broyard was a writer and critic, and for fifteen years wrote daily book reviews for "The New York Times".

64. Actress Thurman : UMA
Uma Thurman started her working career as a fashion model, at the age of 15. She appeared in her first movies at 17, with her most acclaimed early role being Cécile de Volanges in 1988's "Dangerous Liaisons". Thurman's career really took off when she played the gangster's "moll" in Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" in 1994. My favorite of all Thurman's movies is "The Truth About Cats & Dog's", a less acclaimed romcom released in 1996. She took a few years off from 1998 until 2002, doing very little work in favor of motherhood. It was Tarantino who relaunched her career, giving her the lead in the "Kill Bill" films.

66. Bruno Mars or Freddie Mercury : POP STAR
Bruno Mars is a singer-songwriter from Honolulu who has been active in the music business since 2006.

Freddie Mercury was a British singer-songwriter who was lead singer for the rock group Queen. Mercury wrote many of Queen's hits, including "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Somebody to Love", "Don't Stop Me Now" and "We Are the Champions". Mercury's real name was Farrokh Bulsara, and he was born to Parsi parents in Zanzibar (now part of Tanzania) in East Africa. He grew up mainly in India, and arrived in England at the age of 17 when his family had flee from the Zanzibar Revolution.

67. Some PCs : HPS
The giant multinational called HP (originally Hewlett-Packard) was founded in 1939 with an investment of $538, in a one-car garage in Palo Alto, California by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard. The company name would have been Packard-Hewlett if Dave Packard had won a coin toss!

68. The "p" in m.p.g. : PER
Miles per gallon (mpg)

70. Stockholm's home: Abbr. : SWE
Stockholm is the capital of Sweden and most populous city in the country. Over one fifth of all Swedish residents live in Stockholm.

71. U.S.P.S. assignment: Abbr. : RTE
The US Postal Service (USPS) is a remarkable agency in many ways. For starters, the government's right and responsibility to establish the Post Office is specifically called out in Article One of the US constitution. Also, the first postmaster general was none other than Benjamin Franklin. And, the USPS operates over 200,000 vehicles, which is the largest vehicle fleet in the world.

Down
1. Sushi bar finger food : EDAMAME
Edamame is a simple dish made of immature soybeans still in the pod. The pods are boiled and then salted before serving, usually as a snack or side dish. The name "edamame" translates as "twig bean".

2. Country whose currency, RUBLES, is almost an anagram of its name : BELARUS
The Republic of Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, located east of Poland and north of Ukraine. Belarus didn't exist as an entity until the Russian Revolution when it was created as one of the Soviet Socialist Republics (SSR) that made up the USSR. The Republic of Belarus was formed soon after the USSR dissolved in 1990, but unlike many of the former Soviet Republics, Belarus has retained many of the old Soviet policies. Alexander Lukashenko is the country's president and he believes in state ownership of the economy. Belarus and Russia have formal agreements in place that pledge cooperation.

The ruble (also "rouble") is the unit of currency in Russia, as well as several other countries of the former Soviet Union. One ruble is divided into one hundred kopecks (also "kopeks").

3. St. John the ___ : BAPTIST
John the Baptist is regarded by some Christians as the forerunner of Jesus. Early in his life, Jesus was a disciple or follower of John, and is was John who baptized Jesus.

4. ___ Antilles : LESSER
The Antilles islands are divided into two main groups, the Greater Antilles and the Lesser Antilles. The Greater Antilles includes the islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. The Lesser Antilles are made up of the Leeward Islands, the Windward Islands and the Leeward Antilles, and lie just north of Venezuela.

5. Pennsylvania city or the lake it's on : ERIE
Erie is a city in the very north of Pennsylvania, right on the southern shore of Lake Erie. The city takes its name from the Erie Native American tribe that resided in the area. Erie is nicknamed the Gem City, a reference to the "sparkling" Lake Erie.

6. Bygone point-to-point communication : TELEX
Telex grew out of the world of the telegraph. What Telex brought to telegraphy was the ability to route messages. Instead of having to talk to an operator to route a particular message to the intended party, the user of a telex could route the message directly to another telex machine by way of a rotary dial, very similar to that on a telephone.

8. Gossipy sorts : YENTAS
Yenta (also "Yente") is actually a female Yiddish name. In Yiddish theater "yenta" came to mean a busybody, gossip.

12. Like the Venus de Milo : ARMLESS
The famous "Venus de Milo" is so named as she was discovered in the ruins of the ancient city of Milos, on the Aegean island of the same name. I've been lucky enough to see the statue, in the Louvre in Paris, and was surprised at how large it is (6 ft 8 in tall).

24. Naval engineers : SEABEES
The Seabees are members of the Construction Battalions (CB) of the US Navy, from which the name "Seabee" originates. There's a great 1944 movie called "The Fighting Seabees" starring John Wayne that tells the story of the birth of the Seabees during WWII. The Seabees' official motto is "Construimus. Batuimus", Latin for "We build. We fight." The group's unofficial motto is "Can Do!"

26. Massachusetts' Mount ___ College : HOLYOKE
Mount Holyoke College is a private school for women located in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was founded as Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in 1834 as the sister school to Andover Seminary.

28. Chi-town squad : SOX
The Chicago White Sox Major League Baseball team was established in Chicago in 1900 and originally was called the White Stockings. The name was changed because the abbreviation "Sox" for "Stockings" was regularly used in newspaper headlines.

30. Airport screening grp. : TSA
The TSA is the Transportation Security Administration, the agency that employs the good folks that check passengers and baggage at airports.

34. Yoko who loved Lennon : ONO
John Lennon and Yoko Ono married at the height of the Vietnam War in 1969. The couple decided to use the inevitable publicity surrounding their wedding and honeymoon to promote peace in the world. They honeymooned in the Presidential Suite of the Amsterdam Hilton, inviting the world's press to join them and to witness their "bed-in". They spent the week talking about peace, and an end to war. The marriage and bed-in is chronicled by the Beatles in their song "The Ballad of John and Yoko".

38. C.I.A. precursor : OSS
The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was formed during WWII in order to carry out espionage behind enemy lines. A few years after the end of the war the OSS functions were taken up by a new group, the Central Intelligence Agency that was chartered by the National Security Act of 1947.

39. Mafia big : DON
Apparently "Cosa Nostra" is the real name for the Italian Mafia. "Cosa Nostra" translates as "our thing" or "this thing of ours". The term first became public in the US when the FBI managed to turn some members of the American Mafia. The Italian authorities established that "Cosa Nostra" was also used in Sicily when they penetrated the Sicilian Mafia in the 1980s. The term "mafia" seems to be just a literary invention that has become popular with the public.

41. Use for an attic or the cloud : STORAGE
An attic or loft is a room or space located below the roof of a building. The term "attic" is a shortened form of "attic story", the uppermost story or level of a house. This term "attic story" originally applied to a low, decorative level built on top of the uppermost story behind a building's decorative facade. This use of decoration at the top of buildings was common in ancient Greece, and was particularly important in the Attica style. That Attica style was so called because it originated in the historical region of Attica that encompassed the city of Athens. And that's how our attics are linked to ancient Greece.

In the world of computing, when one operates "in the cloud", one's files and key applications are not stored on one's own computer, but rather are residing "in the cloud", on a computer somewhere out on the Internet. I do 90% of my computing in the cloud. That way I don't have to worry about backing up files, and I can operate from any computer if I have to …

54. Tour de France stage : ETAPE
"Étape" is the French word for stage, as in a "stage" in the Tour de France. It is used in English military circles to describe where troops halt overnight, but can also describe the section of the march itself. So, a march can be divided into stages, into étapes.

Back in the late 1800s, long-distance cycle races were used as promotional events, traditionally to help boost sales of newspapers. These races usually took place around tracks, but in 1902 the backers of the struggling sports publication "L'Auto" decided to stage a race that would take the competitors all around France. That first Tour de France took place in 1903, starting in Paris and passing through Lyon, Marseilles, Bordeaux, Nantes and then back to Paris.

55. Martial ___ (judo and others) : ARTS
"Martial arts" are various fighting traditions and systems used in combat or simply to promote physical well-being. The term ultimately derives from Latin and means "Arts of Mars", a reference to Mars, the Roman god of war.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Go out, as the tide : EBB
4. Permit : LET
7. Reply to a captain : AYE
10. Brewpub offering, for short : IPA
13. Org. that targets traffickers : DEA
14. Raised, as a building : ERECTED
16. Partner of neither : NOR
17. Mountain on which you might yodel : ALP
18. Stockpiling, in a way, as feed : SILOING
19. Letters in a personals ad : SWM
20. Gymnastics floor cover : MAT
21. Directive for additional information : SEE NOTE
22. Cartoon pic : CEL
23. Get out of bed : ARISE
25. TV warrior princess : XENA
26. Race loser in an Aesop fable : HARE
27. Reflective sorts : MUSERS
29. Fur wraps : STOLES
31. This: Sp. : ESTA
32. It's usually behind a viola in an orchestra : OBOE
36. Flexible Flyers, e.g. : SLEDS
37. Present time in England? ... or a hint to each set of shaded squares : BOXING DAY
40. Lispers' banes : ESSES
43. Scrubbed, as a NASA mission : NO-GO
44. Be ___ equal footing : ON AN
48. Bear witness (to) : ATTEST
50. Soviet premier Khrushchev : NIKITA
52. Caviars : ROES
53. Try, as a case : HEAR
57. Track events : MEETS
58. Lobster ___ diavolo (Italian dish) : FRA
59. Hit pay dirt : GET RICH
61. "You ___!" ("Absolutely!") : BET
62. On the ___ (fleeing) : LAM
63. Literary critic Broyard : ANATOLE
64. Actress Thurman : UMA
65. Get older : AGE
66. Bruno Mars or Freddie Mercury : POP STAR
67. Some PCs : HPS
68. The "p" in m.p.g. : PER
69. Ram's mate : EWE
70. Stockholm's home: Abbr. : SWE
71. U.S.P.S. assignment: Abbr. : RTE

Down
1. Sushi bar finger food : EDAMAME
2. Country whose currency, RUBLES, is almost an anagram of its name : BELARUS
3. St. John the ___ : BAPTIST
4. ___ Antilles : LESSER
5. Pennsylvania city or the lake it's on : ERIE
6. Bygone point-to-point communication : TELEX
7. Suffix with valid : -ATION
8. Gossipy sorts : YENTAS
9. Border : EDGE
10. Proportional to the surroundings : IN SCALE
11. Motorized : POWERED
12. Like the Venus de Milo : ARMLESS
15. Summer treat that melts in the sun : CONE
24. Naval engineers : SEABEES
26. Massachusetts' Mount ___ College : HOLYOKE
28. Chi-town squad : SOX
30. Airport screening grp. : TSA
33. Container for dirty clothes : BIN
34. Yoko who loved Lennon : ONO
35. Common ingredient in pasta : EGG
38. C.I.A. precursor : OSS
39. Mafia big : DON
40. Batting helmet part : EARFLAP
41. Use for an attic or the cloud : STORAGE
42. Ship with smokestacks : STEAMER
45. Theologian Reinhold who wrote the Serenity Prayer : NIEBUHR
46. Try : ATTEMPT
47. Ilie who won both the U.S. and French Opens : NASTASE
49. What meditators try to live in : THE NOW
51. Cry upon arriving : I'M HERE!
54. Tour de France stage : ETAPE
55. Martial ___ (judo and others) : ARTS
56. Violent protests : RIOTS
59. Stare slack-jawed : GAPE
60. Part of a wolf or a lobster : CLAW

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