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: 15m 35s
THEME: OVER & UNDER … some answers are two words, one being over the other in the grid. OVER or UNDER is included in the resulting, complete answer e.g. EGGS (OVER) EASY, LONDON (UNDER)GROUND
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
TODAY’S WIKI-EST, AMAZONIAN GOOGLIES
Across
1. With 14-Across, breakfast order? : EGGS
14. See 1-Across : EASY
EGGS (OVER) EASY
16. With 8-Across, world’s oldest subway system? : LONDON
LONDON (UNDER)GROUND
The name “London Underground” is a little deceptive, as over half of the track system-wide is actually “over ground”, with the underground sections reserved for the central areas. It is the oldest subway system in the world, opening in 1863. It was also the first system to use electric rolling stock, in 1890. “The Tube”, as it is known by Londoners, isn’t the longest subway system in the world though. That honor belongs to the Shanghai Metro. My favorite part of the Tube? The tube map
The currency of Romania is the leu (plural: lei), a word meaning “lion”. The leu is also the name of the currency of neighboring Moldova. Romania joined the European Union in 2007, and is planning on moving to the Euro in 2014.
19. Pontiac, for one : OTTAWA
Chief Pontiac was a leader of the Ottawa people in the 1700s. He is most famously associated with the fight against the British (called Pontiac’s Rebellion) after they emerged victorious from the French and Indian War. The most noted action during the rebellion was the attack led by Pontiac on Fort Detroit, and the subsequent siege. Although the siege was unsuccessful, it served to unite the local Native American peoples in the fight.
You’ll see a few “Ads By Google” around the edges of this blog. They help to cover the costs of publication. Google collects “ad space” from site owners like me, and then sells that space to advertisers. When someone clicks on an ad, Google collects a small fee from the advertiser (usually fractions of a penny). Whatever is collected, Google splits with the site owner. At fractions of a penny per click, I won’t be getting too rich from it …
22. “Left!” : HAW
“Haw!” is a command given to a trained animal that is hauling something (like a horse or an ox), to turn to the left. The equivalent command for a right turn is “Gee!”
32. Good cholesterol, for short : HDL
HDL (High-density lipoprotein) is a chemical that is used to transport fats around the body. When HDL is combined with (is transporting) cholesterol, it is often called “good cholesterol”. This is because HDL seems to remove cholesterol from where it should not be, say on the wall of arteries, and transports it to the liver for re-use or disposal. Important stuff …
33. Raccoon relative : COATI
A coati is a member of the raccoon family, and is also known as the Brazilian aardvark, or the snookum bear. They are native to Central and South America, but can be found in the southwest of the Untied States.
42. See 34-Across and 45-Across : PAR
ONE (OVER) PAR
The term Bogey originated at the Great Yarmouth Golf Club in England, in 1890, and was used to indicate a total round that was one over par. The name Bogey came from a music hall song of the time “Here Comes the Bogey Man”. In the following years it became popular for players trying to stay at par to be “playing against Colonel Bogey”. Then, during WWI, the marching tune “Colonel Bogey” was written, and named after the golfing term. If you don’t recognize the name of the tune, it’s the one that’s whistled by the soldiers marching in the great movie “The Bridge on the River Kwai”.
43. Coconut oil source : COPRA
Copra is the dried “meat” of the coconut. Surprisingly, copra is forbidden on a plane in any quantity, as it can spontaneously burst into flame.
“These Eyes
42. See 34-Across and 45-Across : PAR
45. With 42-Across, birdie? : ONE
ONE (UNDER) PAR
Apparently the term “birdie” originated in 1899 at the Atlantic City Country Club in Northfield, New Jersey. A golfer hit his second shot on a par four that stopped inches from the cup after hitting a bird in flight. The golfer tapped the ball in for one under par, and his golfing buddies labeled the second shot a “bird”. The golfers started to call one under par a birdie, and the term spread through the club, and from there, around the world …
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. Sadly, Uruguay haven’t won since.
54. Entry at a hippodrome : TROTTER
A trotter (a horse trained for harness racing) could compete in a hippodrome (a racetrack). The word “hippodrome” comes from the Greek “hippos” (horse) and “dromos” (racetrack).
NBC first aired a form of “Saturday Night Live” in 1975, under the title “NBC’s Saturday night”. The show was created in the first place in order to give Johnny Carson some time off from “The Tonight Show”. In those days, “The Tonight Show” has a weekend episode, and Carson convinced NBC to pull the Saturday or Sunday episodes and hold them for weeknights in which Carson was taking a break. NBC turned to Lorne Michaels and asked him to pull together a variety show to fill the vacant slot.
59. 15th-century pontiff who was the only pope to write an autobiography : PIUS II
Pope Pius II was in charge of the Roman Catholic church from 1458 until he dies in 1464. Pope Pius II wrote lots of books, and his most enduring title is “Commentaries”, a 13-volume work that was his autobiography. It was published long after his death, in 1584.
1984’s “The Terminator
![The Terminator [Blu-ray]](https://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=B000F9RB9Y&tag=wesneyoticrso-20)
63. Confidante, say : AMIE
In France a female friend (amie) might be a confidante.
If you’ve seen the great 1968 musical film “Oliver!”, you’ll remember the colorful character Fagan. Fagan was played masterfully by the veteran English actor, Ron Moody. Moddy had previously played the role in the stage version in London’s West End.
69. With 72-Across, motto of a fitness trainer? : MIND
72. See 69-Across : BODY
MIND (OVER) BODY
67. See 70-Across : ARREST
70. With 67-Across, dreaded words from a cop? : YOU ARE
YOU ARE (UNDER) ARREST
Down
1. Result of a certain med. test : EEG
An electroencephalogram is a record of electrical activity caused by the firing of neurons within the brain. The EEG is used to diagnose epilepsy, as well as to determine if a patient is “brain dead”.
Gar
3. Govt. office supplier : GSA
The Government’s General Services Administration, as the name suggests, provides general services to other federal agencies. So for example, it manages office space for the other agencies, and transportation.
4. Lovers of luxury : SYBARITES
A sybarite is a person devoted to pleasure and luxury. The term is derived from Sybaris, an Ancient Greek city which was extremely wealthy, so that the city’s inhabitants, the Sybarites, were known for their love of the good life.
5. Parisian palace : ELYSEE
The Elysee Palace is the official residence of the French President, and is near the Champs-Elysees in Paris. In the 1800s, there used to be a tunnel between the Elysee Palace and the nearby Tuileries Palace, a tunnel used quite often by Napoleon Bonaparte. While Napoleon lived in the Tuileries Palace, he would meet his mistresses in the Elysee Palace. Ever the soul of discretion …
In Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
7. Turban wearer : SIKH
Sikhs do not cut their hair, as each hair has a nerve attached to the follicle. Sikhs regard the hair as an integral part of the body that should be respected. Sikh men tie up their hair and wear it under a turban. This is causing a problem in Oregon where a law was passed recently banning the wearing of turbans by teachers and government officials.
11. One of a Western political family : UDALL
The Udall family has been in American politics for over one hundred years, active in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Oregon. The patriarch of the clan was David King Udall, from St. Louis, Missouri. David Udall has three direct descendants in the US Senate: Senator Gordon Smith (Rep – Oregon), Senator Tom Udall (Dem – New Mexico) and Senator Mark Udall (Dem – Colorado).
CSI gets a lot of criticism from the law enforcement agencies for its unrealistic portrayal of the procedures and science of criminal investigation. I don’t care though. It’s a fun show to watch.
25. Coin in “The Merchant of Venice” : DUCAT
Famously, at the climax of William Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice”, Antonio goes on trial because he cannot repay a loan to Shylock of 3,000 ducats. Faced with non-payment, Shylock demands his legal right to “a pound of flesh”.
26. Eocene, e.g. : EPOCH
The Eocene Epoch lasted from 56 to 34 million years ago, and is noted for the emergence of the first mammals on the planet.
28. Classless group? : DROPOUTS
Kids who drop out of school don’t attend to class.
35. Tandoori-baked bread : NAN
Nan is a delicious flat-bread served with my favorite ethnic food. I am very partial to nan with aloo gobi, one of the most delicious of Indian dishes.
EPCOT Center (now just called Epcot) is the theme park beside Walt Disney World in Florida. EPCOT is an acronym for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, and is a representation of the future as envisioned by Walt Disney. Walt Disney actually wanted to build a living community for 20,000 residents, but he passed away before that vision could be realized.
48. Many an Australian bird : RATITE
Ratites are species of birds that cannot fly. Ratites are different physiologically than other birds in that they have nowhere on their sternum to attach the muscles needed for flight.
50. “Twelfth Night” duke : ORSINO
William Shakespeare wrote his comedy “Twelfth Night” as a Christmas entertainment (Twelfth Night being the end of the Christmas season).
Spiro Agnew served as Vice-President under Richard Nixon, before becoming the only VP in history to have to resign because of criminal charges (a bribery scandal).
52. Pacific republic : NAURU
Nauru is the world’s smallest island nation, located in the South Pacific 300 km to the east of Kiribati. The island was taken as a colony by Germany in the late 1800s, and came under the administration of Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom after WWI. The Japanese invaded during WWII, but Nauru was one of the islands that was bypassed in the US advance across the Pacific towards Japan. Nauru achieved independence in 1968.
57. Mathematician Gödel : KURT
Kurt Godel won the first Albert Enstein Award, along with Julian Schwinger.
62. Morning ___ (radio format) : ZOO
That wacky radio broadcasting that is so prevalent in the mornings is called “morning zoo”. The format originated in Dallas, Texas at station KZEW-FM, with a show called “The LaBella and Rody Show”. KZEW-FM was already known as “the zoo”, so the show soon got the monicker, “the morning zoo”.
64. Puccini’s “O ___ babbino caro” : MIO
“O mio babbino caro” is a really beautiful aria from Giacomo Puccini’s opera “Gianni Schicchi”.
Dreyer’s ice cream sells it’s products under the name Dreyers in Western United States, and Edy’s in the Eastern states.
