Day: April 3, 2010

The name’s William Ernest Butler, but please call me Bill. I grew up in Ireland, but now live out here in the San Francisco Bay Area. I’m retired now, from technology businesses that took our family all over the world. I answer all emails, so please feel free to email me at bill@paxient.com, or leave a comment below.

If you are working on the New York Times crossword in any other publication, you are working on the syndicated puzzle. Here is a link to my answers to today’s SYNDICATED New York Times crossword. To find any solution other than today’s, enter the crossword number (e.g. 1225, 0107) in the “Search the Blog” box above.

This is my solution to the crossword published in the New York Times today …

COMPLETION TIME: N/A (watching “Mad Men” on DVD)
THEME: None
ANSWERS I MISSED: Several in the southwest!

TODAY’S WIKI-EST, AMAZONIAN GOOGLIES
Across
15. Baby’s mind, e.g. : TABULA RASA
Tabula rasa is the idea that people are born with a “blank slate”, and that knowledge comes from experience and perception.

17. When “you’re gonna want me for your girl,” in a 1963 hit : ONE FINE DAY
“One Fine Day” was a big hit for the Chiffons in 1963. It was written by Gerry Coffin and Carole King. The title may be familiar to opera buffs, as it was inspired by the beautiful aria from Puccini’s “Madame Butterfly“, “Un bel di” … “One fine day”.

18. Longtime “The Price Is Right” model Parkinson : DIAN
Dian Parkinson was on “The Price is Right” for 18 years, leaving in 1993, the second longest serving of “Barker’s Beauties”.

19. Chief Powhatan’s son-in-law : ROLFE
John Rolfe was one of the early English settlers in American, perhaps most famous for marrying the Native American Pocahontas, son of Chief Powhatan. For a few months before her death, Pocahontas lived with Rolfe in England. The couple had actually boarded a ship sailing for Virginia when Pocahontas became ill and had to be brought ashore on the south coast of England, where she soon passed away.

25. Ziti alternative : ROTINI
Rotini is the corkscrew-shaped pasta that is often used in pasta salads.

27. Bat mitzvah, e.g. : GIRL
A Jewish girl becomes a Bat Mitzvah at 12 years of age, the age at which she becomes responsible for her actions. Boys are obviously less mature (surprise surprise!) and become Bat Mitzvahs at 13. The term translates into daughter and son of the commandments.

29. Nut’s offspring : OSIRIS
Osiris was the Egyptian god of the underworld. He was the son Geb, the Earth god, and Nut, the sky goddess.

31. Kind of state in the East : ZEN
Zen is one of the Buddhist schools, that became it’s own tradition in China back in the 7th century AD.

32. Transfuses : ENDUES
To endue is to provide something with a particular quality or a trait.

34. Neighbors of Indians : NEPALESE
Nepal lies to the northeast of India. Today it is known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. In 2008, the Communist Party of Nepal won the country’s general election. Soon after, the Assembly voted to change the form of government, moving away from a monarchy and creating a secular republic.

36. “Mr. Hulot’s Holiday” Oscar nominee : TATI
Jacques Tati was a very famous filmmaker in France, “Mr. Hulot’s Holiday” one of his most famous films, released in 1953. The main character in the movie is a bumbling M. Hulot, a recurring character in many of Tati’s films, a character played by Tati himself.

47. Freud’s “Totem ___ Tabu” : UND
“Totem und Tabu” (simply “Totem and Taboo” in English) is subtitled “Resemblances Between the Mental Lives of Savages and Neurotics”. It is a series of four essays in which he applies psychoanalysis to archaeology, anthropology and the study of religion.

53. Bit of rootless flora : ALGA
Algae are similar to terrestrial plants in that they use photosynthesis to create sugars from light and carbon dioxide, but they differ in that they have simpler anatomies, and for example lack roots.

55. Org. in which people get belted : WBA
The World Boxing Association presents ornate belts to its title holders.

56. Any member of the Safavid dynasty : SHAH
It was during the Safavid dynasty in Iran that the school of Shi’a Islam was established as the official religion.

59. Christian apologist who wrote “The Four Loves” : LEWIS
Irishman C. S. Lewis moved to Britain after serving in the British Army in WWI. A man of many achievements, he is perhaps today best remembered for his set of novels for children “The Chronicles of Narnia” (a good read for adults too, I think). He also wrote the “The Four Loves“, a non-fiction work exploring the nature of love from a Christian perspective.

61. Last name of twin gymnasts in the 2004 Olympics : HAMM
Paul and Morgan Hamm competed in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, representing the United States. Paul and Morgan won the silver medal in the team event, and Paul won the gold in the all-around competition.

64. 1957 Tony winner Adams : EDIE
Edie Adams was an all-round entertainer. She worked for many years on television with Ernie Kovacs and Jack Paar, marrying Ernie Kovacs in 1954. On the big screen she has a major supporting role in “The Apartment“, and was one of the stars of “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World“.

Down
2. Ointment base : LANOLIN
Lanolin is a greasy substance secreted from the skin of woolly animals. It usually extracted from wool sheared from sheep as it is prepared for use in textiles. Medical grade lanolin is used to soothe skin in ointments. It is relatively hypoallergenic and has antibacterial properties.

3. “Sic et Non” theologian : ABELARD
Peter Abelard was a French philosopher who did most of his teaching in the 12th century.

4. Copper bracelet? : CUFF
Coppers in England are cops, and they sometimes put cuffs on those they arrest.

5. Star light? : KLIEG
A Klieg light is the intensely bright spotlight used to light film sets and theater stages. The lights use tungsten-halogen filaments, and were invented by brothers John and Anton Kliegl.

6. Half of a popular 1960s singing duo : JAN
Jan and Dean were a rock and roll duo. They were part of the “surf scene” along with the Beach Boys. A couple of their memorable hits were “Surf City” and “The Little Old lady from Pasadena”. Tragically, in 1966 was in a car accident and received severe head injuries. He was partially paralyzed and suffered brain damage. Despite the worst prognosis, he managed to walk again, and years later he even worked his way back into the music business.

9. The Bible’s “cunning hunter” : ESAU
Esau was the twin brother of Jacob, the founder of the Israelites. He is portrayed as being very different from his brother, a hunter, someone who loves the outdoor life.

13. Bistro seen in “Manhattan” : ELAINE’S
“Manhattan” was released in 1979. The music of George Gershwin features prominently, which isn’t surprising as Woody Allen got the inspiration for the film from Gershwin’s music. The movie opens with a montage of images of Manhattan shown above Gershwin’s beautiful “Rhapsody in Blue“.

24. Show featuring the scheming Dr. Zachary Smith : LOST IN SPACE
In the television show “Lost in Space“, the conniving Dr. Zachary Smith was played by Jonathan Harris. In the early shows, Smith was very evil, a potential killer, but as the show’s story progressed he became more likable and comical. The show ran from 1965 to 1968, starting out in the black and white era, and with the latter seasons filmed in color.

26. Japanese for “large hill” : OSAKA
Osaka used to be called Naniwa, with the name changing to Osaka some time before 1500. The name Osaka can be translated either as “large hill” or “large slope”.

35. NASA’s Falcon and Intrepid : LEMS
In the Apollo Space Program, the Lunar Module was the part of the spacecraft that was purpose-built to carry the astronauts from the orbiting command module down to the moon’s surface. Part of the Lunar Module was left on the moon’s surface, as the rest of the vehicle returned the astronaut’s to the Command Module. The original designation for the vehicle was Lunar Excursion Module or LEM, so that the acronym would be a more pronounceable name. Eagle was the first LEM to land on the moon (Apollo 11), and Intrepid following a few months later (Apollo 12). Falcon landed on the moon two years later (Apollo 15).

41. “Raid on Entebbe” role : IDI AMIN
“Raid on Entebbe” was a made-for-TV movie dating back to 1977. It told the story of the daring raid by Israeli commandos to rescue hostages held in a hijacked plane that had landed in Entebbe in Uganda. This was Peter Finch’s last movie (he played Yitzhak Rabin). Idid Amin was played by Yaphet Kotto, and Charles Bronson played the hero of the piece.

45. NASA vehicle : ORBITER
NASA uses the term orbiter to describe vehicles that orbit planets, and those that orbit and then actually land on the planet’s surface.

49. Last, to Luigi : ULTIMO
Ultimo, “last” in Italian.

52. Record producer Ertegun in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame : AHMET
Ahmet Ertegun was one of the founders of Atlantic Records, and served as executive with the company for decades alongside his brother Nesuhi. The two brothers also founded the biggest club in the North American Soccer League, the New York Cosmos.

58. Eliza’s mentor, to Eliza : ‘ENRY
Eliza Doolittle is the Professor Henry Higgins’s speech student in George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion“. Of course “Pygmalion” was adapted by Lerner and Loewe to become the Broadway musical “My Fair Lady“. The musical spun off the wonderful 1964 film of the same name, starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison.To cockney Eliza Dolittle, Professor Henry Higgins was ‘Enry ‘Iggins.

60. Piedmont university : ELON
Elon is a city in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, close to the city of Burlington. Elon University is a private, liberal arts school, founded in 1889.