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 “The Wire” on DVD … geat HBO series!)
THEME: MARTINA … all the theme answers refer to phrases used when ordering a MARTINI e.g. ON THE ROCKS, STRAIGHT UP
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
TODAY’S WIKI-EST, AMAZONIAN GOOGLIES
Across
15. Savoie sweetheart : AMIE
Savoie (Savoy in English) is a region in the western Alps, straddling the border between France and Italy. And “amie” is French for a girlfriend, or sweetheart.
“Ulee’s Gold
19. Recurring melody : MOTIF
A motif is a recurring element in an artistic work, including a piece of music.
20. Tiger and Elin Woods’s 37-Across order? : ON THE ROCKS
That’s just plain wrong … a reference to the marriage of Tiger and Elin Woods.
23. Super, slangily : PHAT
In hip-hop circles, the term “phat” means excellent or first-rate.
The Snellen chart
31. Posh : LUXE
Luxe can be used as an adjective, meaning elegant and sumptuous, posh.
32. One pitied by Mr. T : FOOL
Mr. T’s catchphrase comes from the movie Rocky III. Before he goes up against Rocky Balboa, Mr. T says. “No, I don’t hate Balboa, but I pity the fool”. He parlayed the line into a lot of success. He had a reality TV chow called “I Pity the Fool”, and a motivational video called “Be Somebody … or Be Somebody’s Fool!”.
33. Doo-___ music : WOP
Doo-wop developed in the 1940s, and can be described as a vocal-based R&B music. Even though the style has been around since the forties, the name doo-wop wasn’t introduced until the early sixties.
36. Actor’s rep: Abbr. : AGT
Agent …
Literally a medicinal solution of tranquility …
40. 1950s campaign nickname : IKE
There doesn’t seem to be any good reason why President Eisenhower was called “Ike”. It is known however, that it goes back to his childhood, because that’s what his parents called him.
41. ___’easter : NOR
A nor’easter is a storm that blows from the northeast.
42. Apple originally marketed to schools : EMAC
The name eMac is short for “education Mac”, and was similar to an iMac.
43. New car sticker fig. : MSRP
The Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price.
The iconic bronze statue of Atlas
46. 1889 statehood achievers, with “the” : DAKOTAS
The Dakotas were admitted into the union in 1889, along with Montana and Washington. There was a famous rivalry between the two states, and some jockeying to determine which of the two’s admission papers should be signed first. President Harrison solved the problem by directing that the papers of all four states should be shuffled, and he signed them without recording the order.
49. Ringtoss game : QUOITS
Although the history is disputed, it seems that the similar, and distinctly American, game of Horseshoes developed from Quoits.
The marathon is run over 26 miles and 385 yards, and of course commemorates the legendary messenger run by Pheidippides from the site of the Battle of Marathon back to Athens. The distance run in the Modern Olympics was decided in 1921, and matches the route of the modern-day Marathon-Athens highway.
52. Runnin’ Rebels’ sch. : UNLV
UNLV sports teams are called the Rebels, or the Lady Rebels, or in the case of the men’s basketball, the Runnin’ Rebels.
53. Paula Abdul’s 37-Across order? : STRAIGHT UP
“Straight Up
60. French cleric : ABBE
Abbe is the French word for an abbot, although it has been used in France for all young clergymen since the middle of the 16th century.
64. Mineral in hemoglobin : IRON
Hemoglobin is the key protein in red blood cells, with the function of transporting oxygen around the body. Hemoglobin also transports carbon dioxide.
Fredo Corleone is a middle son in the family, and was considered the weak member of the family, and was reduced to the role of “gopher”. He was with his father when Don Corleone was shot. He tried to retaliate, but dropped his gun. On the screen, Fredo was played by Italian-American actor John Cazale.
Tinkerbell had a relatively small part to play in J. M. Barrie’s play “Peter Pan”, but her role has expanded over the years due to the character’s popularity with movie audiences.
Down
I have to say, after owning more than one pair, ECCO
3. Small cavern, in poetry : GROT
Grot is a poetic version of grotto.
4. “The Elements of Style” updater : E B WHITE
Elwyn Brooks (E. B.) White was an American writer. His most famous creations were the children’s stories “Charlotte’s Web” and “Stuart Little”, but he also co-authored the writing guide “The Elements of Style” (usually referred to as “Strunk & White”).
11. O. Henry’s 37-Across order? : WITH A TWIST
William Sydney Porter wrote under the name O. Henry. He was famous for short stories that were witty, had clever wordplay, and usually ending “with a twist”.
Evian
22. Wise old Athenian : SOLON
Solon was an Athenian Statesman and lawmaker in Ancient Greece. He gave his name to our contemporary word “solon” meaning “a wise lawmaker”.
26. City known as Colombia’s sports capital : CALI
Cali is the third largest city in Colombia. Santiago de Cali (the full name for the city) lies in western Columbia. The city hosted the Pan American Games in 1971, a basis from which the city has developed the most comprehensive sports infrastructure in the country.
The Yugo
29. Popeye’s 37-Across order? : EXTRA OLIVE
30. Avril Lavigne’s “Sk8er ___” : BOI
“Sk8er Boi” was released as a single in 2002 by Avril Lavigne. I’m probably not going to buy this one …
32. Consumer protection agcy. : FTC
The Federal Trade Commission was established in 1914 with the mission of protecting consumers.
43. Frenzied place at a rock club : MOSH PIT
Moshing is the pushing and shoving that takes place in the audience at concert (usually punk or heavy metal). The area directly in front of the stage is known as the mosh pit. When a performer does a “stage dive” it is into (or I suppose onto) the mosh pit. It doesn’t sound like fun to me. Injuries are common in the mosh pit, and deaths are not unknown.
TiVo
46. Cisco Kid’s horse : DIABLO
The Cisco Kid is a character who was first introduced in an O. Henry short story called “The Caballero’s Way”. The original O. Henry character was a cruel outlaw, but the character depicted in subsequent movies and television shows is more heroic. Diablo was introduced as the Cisco Kid’s horse in the television spin-off I think.
49. Hearty drink : QUAFF
Quaff is both a verb and a noun. One quaffs (takes a hearty drink) a quaff (a heart drink).
The lovely Teri Garr had a whole host of minor roles in her youth, including appearances in nine Elvis movies. Her big break came with the role of Inga in “Young Frankenstein
56. Noodles with tempura : UDON
Udon noodles are made from wheat-flour, very popular in Japanese cuisine like tempura.
59. B’way success sign : SRO
Standing Room Only