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 movie “The Blind Side” on DVD)
THEME: REDSTARTS … all of the theme answers start with words that are shades of red i.e. BLOOD (RED) MONEY, CHERRY (RED) CRUSH, RUBY (RED) TUESDAY, BRICK (RED) LAYER
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
TODAY’S WIKI-EST, AMAZONIAN GOOGLIES
Across
1. Flexible blades : EPEES
Epee is the French word for “sword”.
Apple introduced the Mac OS X Operating System in 2000. The each version of this operating system has a had a code name (intended for internal use, but it gets out), and that code name is always a type of big cat. Those 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
Interestingly, the beta version was called Kodiak, after the bear.
Tofu
14. Prefix with brewery : MICRO
Microbreweries originated in the UK in the seventies, describing small breweries that made those lovely British cask ales. In the US, a microbrewery is defined as a brewery which produces less than 15,000 barrels of beer in a year.
15. Home of King Harald V : OSLO
King Harald V is the current king of Norway, and has been on the throne since 1991 when his father passed away, King Olav V. You know how incestuous things are in the European Royal houses, so King Harald V of Norway is in the line of succession for the throne of England, albeit around no. 60).
16. Eye part : IRIS
The iris is the colored part of the eye, which has an aperture in the center that can open or close depending on the level of light hitting the eye.
17. Part of a drug lord’s income, maybe : BLOOD MONEY
In it’s “purest” sense, blood money is a payment made by a murderer to his/her victim’s family.
20. Eye part : LENS
The lens in the eye can change shape, and in so doing change it’s focal length allowing it to focus on objects at different distances. The shape of the lens changes due to the action of the cilliary muscles.
22. Small particles : MOTES
Mote is just another word for a speck of dust.
23. Shogun’s capital : EDO
Edo is the former name of the Japanese capital city of Tokyo. Edo was the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate, a feudal regime that ruled from 1603 until 1868.
The Crush brand of soft drinks was invented in 1916, and originally was produced in an orange flavor as Ward’s Orange Crush. Cherry Crush
26. “Slumdog Millionaire” setting : MUMBAI
The brilliant film “Slumdog Millionaire” is a screen adaptation of a 2005 novel by Indian author Vikas Swarup. This low-budget movie won eight Oscars in 2008. I reckon it turned a profit …
30. Res ___ loquitur : IPSA
The literal translation of “res ipsa loquitur” is “the thing speaks for itself”. It refers to situations when there is an injury, and the nature of the injury is such that one can assume that negligence had to have taken place.
34. Boldly patterned warblers … and a hint to 17-, 24-, 50- and 59-Across : REDSTARTS
The name redstart has roots in the Middle English word “stert” meaning the tail of an animal. So, the redstart name means “red tail”, which is exactly what a redstart has.
38. Minute Maid drink brand : HI-C
Hi-C orange drink was created in 1946, and introduced to the market in 1948, initially in the south. The name Hi-C was chosen to emphasis the high vitamin C content in the drink, as it contained added ascorbic acid (vitamin C).
Selena’s Quintanilla-Perez, known professionally simply as “Selena
50. Rolling Stones hit of 1967 : RUBY TUESDAY
“Ruby Tuesday” was written by Keith Richards, apparently about a groupie that he once knew.
54. Liq. measures : PTS
Some liquid measures are pints.
57. “Comin’ ___ the Rye” : THRO
“Comin’ Thro the Rye
58. Trillion: Prefix : TERA
The prefix tera- signifies a trillion, and comes from the Greek word “teras” meaning “monster”.
59. Certain mason : BRICKLAYER
Orem, Utah was originally known as Sharon (the Biblical name), and then Provo Bench, and in 1914 it was given the name Orem, the family name of a local railroad operator.
62. Prefix with physics : META
The word “metaphysics” comes from the Greek “meta” (beyond) and “physika” (physical), and is a branch of philosophy that investigates reality beyond the principles of science. Not something I would understand …
Bossa Nova is style of music from Brazil that evolved from samba. The most famous piece of bossa nova is the song “The Girl from Ipanema
Down
4. Cupid’s Greek counterpart : EROS
As always seem to be the case, the Greek gods Eros and Aphrodite have overlapping spheres of influence. Aphrodite was the goddess of love between a man and a woman, but Eros was the god who stirred the passions of the male.
6. Actress Mary Tyler ___ : MOORE
Mary Richards was the central character in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”. Her boss was Lou Grant, played by the great Ed Asner. And did you know that Gavin Newsom, the up and coming Mayor of San Francisco, is Asner’s nephew (through his wife)?
9. ___ milk : SOY
What are known as soybeans here in the US are called soya beans in most other countries. So, I drink soy milk here in America, but when I am over in Ireland I drink “soya milk”.
10. Cassiterite, e.g. : TIN ORE
Cassiterite is an ore containing tin oxide, the most important source of metallic tin.
11. Like a good speaking voice : OROTUND
Orotund can mean full in sound, and sonorous. However, it can also mean pompous and bombastic.
13. Base entertainment : USO SHOW
The United Service Organization was founded in 1941 at the request of FDR, “to handle the on-leave recreation of the men in the armed forces”. A USO tour is a tour by a troupe of entertainers, many celebrities, to troop locations, often including combat zones.
Mahi-mahi is the Hawaiian name for dolphin-fish, and ugly looking creature if ever I saw one …
22. When Emperor Henry IV was dethroned : MCV
Henry IV was the King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 until he was dethroned in 1105 (MCV).
As you may well know, Fred Astaire’s real name is Frederick Austerlitz. Fred was from Omaha, Nebraska, and before he made it big in movies, he was one half of a successful music hall act with his sister, Adele. The pair were particularly successful in England. Adele married into nobility in England, taking the name Lady Charles Cavendish.
25. Oenophile’s concern : YEAR
An oenophile is a lover of wine, and the year of the wine is important I hear …
27. Staten Isl., for one : BOR
Staten Island is a borough in New York City, and is the least populous of the the city’s five boroughs. The island is originally called Staaten Eylandt by Henry Hudson, after the Dutch parliament’s name, the Staaten Generaal.
I bet a lot of you know this song, but don’t realize it. “Yakety Sax” is often used to accompany funny chase scenes, most famously on the British television series “The Benny Hill Show
35. Target of Pierre’s prayers : DIEU
Pierre would be praying to his Dieu (God), in France.
36. Place with a gym : THE Y
The YMCA (the “Y”) is a worldwide movement that has its roots in London, England. There in 1844, the Young Men’s Christian Association was founded with the intent of promoting Christian principles through the development of “a healthy spirit, mind and body”. The founder, George Williams, saw the need to create YMCA facilities for young men who were flocking to the cities as the Industrial Revolution flourished. He saw that these men were frequenting taverns and brothels, and wanted to offer a more wholesome alternative.
The line is from “My Gal Sal
38. Author Zora Neale ___ of the Harlem Renaissance : HURSTON
Zora Neale Hurston was an American author, most famous for her 1937 novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God”. Like the author, the main character in the novel is an African American woman, a part played by Halle Berry in a television movie adaption that first aired in 2005.
39. Not yet born : IN UTERO
In utero: still in the uterus.
“I Am a Camera” is a 1951 play written by John Van Druten, which itself was adapted from a novel “Goodbye to Berlin” written by Christopher Isherwood. “Cabaret” is a great musical, although the 1972 film
43. Gentle breezes : ZEPHYRS
The word zephyr comes from the Greek god of the west wind, Zephyrus.
44. Sides accompaniers : ENTREES
Entree of course means “entry” in French. In Europe, even in English speaking parts, the entree is the name for the “entry” to the meal, the first course. I found it very confusing to order meals when I first came to America!
Tommy Lasorda has been with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers for over sixty years (although he did spend one season playing with the Kansas City Athletics).
48. Brit. company name ending : LTD
In Britain and Ireland the most common type of business (my perception anyway) is one with private shareholders (not publicly traded) and the liability of the shareholders is limited by law to the value of their investment. Such a company is known as a private limited company, and has the letters “Ltd” after the name. If the shares are publicly traded, then the company is a public limited company, and has the letter “plc” after the name.
At one time the egret species was in danger of extinction due to hunting driven by the demand for plumes for hats.
59. Ascap alternative : BMI
Broadcast Music Incorporated collects licence fees for musicians and distributes royalties to composers whose works have been performed.
60. Science course requirement, maybe : LAB
Especially if its veterinary science, you might need a Labrador dog (just kidding … it’s laboratory!).