1003-10: New York Times Crossword Answers 3 Oct 10, Sunday

Quicklinks:
The full solution to today’s crossword that appears in the New York Times
The full solution to today’s SYNDICATED New York Times crossword that appears in all other publications


THEME: Can I Change Places? … all the theme answers are common phrases with an “I” moved around in one of the words e.g TRAIL OF THE CENTURY (Trial of the Century), THE LOIN KING (The Lion King), FRENCH FIRES (french fries)
COMPLETION TIME: 22m 07s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies

Across
6. Apple’s instant-messaging program : ICHAT
iChat was introduced in 2002, and is still going today. It’s the “instant messaging” system that integrates with the Mac Operating System.

19. Spanish fowl : POLLO
“Pollo”, the Spanish for chicken.

O.J. Monster Or Myth23. Lewis and Clark expedition, for the 1800s? : TRAIL OF THE CENTURY
Move the I in “trial”, in “trial of the century”.

The phrase “trial of the century” is really a bit overused, I think, and has been applied to a number of cases including, the Leopold and Loeb murder trial, the Nuremberg trials, and the O. J. Simpson murder trial.

Monsters, Inc. (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)25. “Monsters, ___” : INC
The animated feature “Monsters, Inc.” was released in 2001, and was Pixar’s fourth full-length movie. It’s about cute monsters, that’s all I know, other than that the voice cast included the likes of John Goodman, Billy Crystal and Steve Buscemi.

29. Turn red, say : DYE
Nicely disguised meaning.

Charlie Rose - Iran / Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (September 28, 2009)35. Spoiler of a parade for Ahmadinejad? : TEHRAN RAIN
Move the I in “Iran” in “Tehran, Iran”.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the current President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and has held the office since 2005. Ahmadinejad was born into a simple family in a rural area, and moved with his family to Tehran when he was 4-years-old. After the Islamic Revolution of 1979 he took his first political office, as an unelected governor. It was after this start to his political career that he went back to school, first earning a degree in civil engineering, and then in 1997 a Ph.D. in transportation engineering and planning. He was appointed Mayor of Tehran in 2003, and in 2005 entered the race for President of Iran, as a relative unknown. None-the-less, Ahmadinejad won 62% of the poll in a run-off against his nearest rival.

After the 2009 presidential election in Iran there were many allegations of fraud against Ahmadinejad, who had emerged as the winner. Initial street protests were peaceful, but soon the demonstrations became very heated, rivaling the famous 1999 student protests. Ahmadinejad’s main rival, Mir-Hossein Mousavi, held rallies with reportedly millions of people turning out to support him. After many deaths, and hundreds of arrests, a partial recount was held, and the result was deemed to stand, with external overseers agreeing.

40. Racing boat : SCULL
A scull is a rowing boat used for competitive rowing. The main hull of the boat is often referred to as a shell.

41. Charlie Brown’s curly-haired pal : FRIEDA
Charles Schulz introduced the Frieda character in the sixties, a little girl with a head of curly red hair. Schulz modeled Frieda on his longtime friend from real life, Frieda Rich, a local artist from Minneapolis.

49. Like most city blocks: Abbr. : RECT
Most city blocks are rectangular, at least they are in America!

50. Parisian possessive : TES
“Tes” means “your”, when referring to a single individual. The plural “your” is “votre”.

53. Andrea ___ (lost ship) : DORIA
The SS Andrea Doria was an Italian ocean liner, with the home port of Genoa, and named after Andrea Doria, a 16th-century general from Genoa. As always seems to be the case with ships that go down, the Andrea Doria was the pride of the Italian fleet, deemed to be the biggest, fastest and safest of Italy’s ships in the fifties. Her end came in 1956 when she collided with the MS Stockholm off the coast of Nantucket Island. Such was the damage to the side of the vessel, that she quickly and severely listed to starboard, rendering half of her lifeboats unusable. Nonetheless, 1660 crew and passengers were rescued by vessels that quickly came to her aid, but 46 lives were lost, mainly in the collision itself. The Andrea Doria capsized and sank eleven hours after the collision.

54. Like some kicks : ONSIDE
In American football, an onside kick is one in which the ball is kicked a short distance so that the kicking team is unlikely to give up possession.

Elvis Presley55. “___ From Hawaii,” 1973 Elvis album : ALOHA
Aloha from Hawaii” was a concert broadcast live in 1973 from Honolulu, with Elvis Presley as the headline act. The show cost $2.5 million to produce, the most expensive entertainment special up to that time. It was aired in over 40 countries worldwide, and to this day it still holds the record for the being the most watched broadcast by a single entertainer. The album containing music from the show was also a big hit, the first chart-topping album for Elvis since 1965.

57. Top butcher’s title? : THE LOIN KING
Move the I in “Lion” in “The Lion King”.

Loin is the tissue along the top of the ribs.

The highly successful stage musical “The Lion King” started out life as a 1994 animated feature film of the same name from the Disney studio. The film is the highest earning traditionally-animated feature of all time. The animated film “Finding Nemo” has made more money, but it was created using computer animation.

61. WXY buttons : NINES
Check your phone, and you’ll see that the 9-button is also used for the letters WXY.

62. Sultan’s group : HAREM
“Harem” is a Turkish word, derived from an Arabic word meaning “forbidden place”. Traditionally a harem is the female quarters in a household made up of a man with more than one wife. Not only wives (and concubines) would use the harem, but also young children and other female relatives. The main point was that no men were allowed in the area.

65. Hosiery shade : ECRU
The shade of ecru is a grayish, yellowish brown. The word “ecru” comes from French, and means “raw, unbleached”, and has the same roots as our word “crude”.

The Sound of Music (Two-Disc 40th Anniversary Special Edition)66. “Climb ___ Mountain” : EV’RY
“Climb Ev’ry Mountain” is a famous show tune from the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, “The Sound of Music“. The song is performed by the Mother Abbess, and is an inspirational number. She is encouraging people to take whatever steps are necessary in pursuing one’s dream.

67. ___ en scène (stage setting) : MISE
“Mise en scène” is a French phrase, literally meaning “putting on stage”. We use it to describe the setting of props and actors on a stage, or film set, before the action begins.

69. Her: Ger. : IHRE
“Ihre” is the German word for “her”.

Independence Day (Single Disc Widescreen Edition)70. “Independence Day” fleet : UFOS
The 1996 sci-fi action movie “Independence Day” is must-see-TV at our house on or around the 4th of July every year. The movie was supposed to release in 1996 on July 3rd, but there was so much anticipation that many theaters started screening the day before. At one point after release, “Independence Day” was the second highest grossing movie in history (“Jurassic Park” was number one at the time).

Ani Difranco71. Singer DiFranco : ANI
Ani DiFranco is a folk-rock singer and songwriter. She has also been labeled a “feminist icon” and in 2006 won the “Woman of Courage Award” from National Organization of Women.

72. Brewery sights : OASTS
An oast is a kiln used for drying hops as part of the brewing process. It might also be called an “oast house”.

73. South American shrubs with potent leaves : COCAS
The coca plant is native to South America, similar in appearance to a blackthorn bush. Coca leaves have been chewed for centuries, perhaps even as far back as 3,000 years ago. Chewing the leaves apparently produces a pleasurable, numb sensation in the mouth and a pleasant taste. The most famous alkaloid in the leaf is cocaine, but this wasn’t extracted in its pure form until the mid-1800s. The cocaine was used in a medicines and tonics and other beverages, including the original version of Coca-Cola! Before 1903, a glass of Coke would contain about 9mg of cocaine. Coca-Cola still uses coca leaves, as the flavor is prized, but the cocaine is extracted before it arrives at the bottling plant.

75. T-shirt sizes, in short : SML
Small, Medium and Large (none of which will fit me!).

76. Destroyers of les forêts? : FRENCH FIRES
Move the I in “fries” in “french fries”.

“Les forêts” is French for “the forests”.

Super Nintendo Entertainment System SNES Generic Super Nintendo Classic Controller83. Super ___ (game console) : NES
The acronym Super NES stands for Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The kids probably have one. I wouldn’t know …

85. Minute fraction of a min. : NSEC
A nanosecond is more correctly abbreviated to “ns”, and really is a tiny amount of time: one billionth of a second.

91. Chocolate substitute : CAROB
The carob is a tree or shrub, in the pea family. It is mainly grown for its seed pods. The carob seeds are dried or roasted, and when powdered or chipped make a good substitute for chocolate.

93. What a family court judge enforces? : MARITAL LAW
Move the I in “martial” in “martial law”.

Martial law is military rule imposed usually as a temporary measure when civilian rules appears to be failing. The imposition of martial law often involves curfews, suspension of civil rights and the use of military justice.

Looney Tunes 12" Tweety plush Doll100. Glimpsed à la Tweety Bird : TAW
I tawt I taw a puddy tat!

Carrie Fisher autographed 8x10 Star Wars Princess Leia portrait photo103. Luke’s princess sister : LEIA
Princess Leia was played by Carrie Fisher in the original “Star Wars” trilogy. 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.

104. Yellowish-brown : SIENNA
Our word “sienna”, that describes a yellowish-brown color, comes from the Italian “terra di Sienna”. This translates into “earth of Siena”, the name given to the original coloring material produced near the Italian city.

109. Convert, as metal into a melt? : SCRAMBLE
“Metal” is an anagram of “a melt”, so you scramble the letters of one to get the other.

Salvador Dali 2v112. Admonishment at a Surrealist museum? : DON’T TOUCH THAT DALI
Moving the I in “dial” in “Don’t touch that dial!”.

I have had the privilege of visiting the Dali Museum in Figueres, just north of Barcelona. If you ever get the chance, it’s a must see.

116. “West Side Story” fight scene prop : SWITCHBLADE
Back in the British Isles we call a switchblade a flick knife, descriptive of the action of the blade as it springs out of the grip when released. Switchblades were somewhat glamorized in the movies on the fifties, such as “Rebel Without a Cause”, “West Side Story” and “12 Angry Men”. As a consequence, there are specific laws restricting the manufacture, sale and possession of switchblades.

117. More awesome, to a rapper : ILLER
It’s a language that I just don’t get …

118. Slalom figure : ESS
Slalom is an anglicized version of the Norwegian word “slalam”, meaning “skiing race”.

119. Lab holder? : LEASH
Hold back that Labrador dog with a leash.

121. Like many mosaics : TILED
Medieval mosaics were often dedicated the the Muses, and that’s what “mosaic” means, “of the Muses”.

Down
2. ___ toad : HORNY
Horny toads aren’t toads at all. “Horny toad” is a familiar name for the desert horned lizard, a species of lizard native to the western US. It does look somewhat like a toad though, as it has a very flat, wide body.

4. Grab bag : OLIO
Olio is a term meaning a hodgepodge or a mixture, coming from the mixed stew of the same name. The stew, in turn, takes its name from the Spanish “olla”, the name of the clay pot used to make the stew.

5. Moved on wheels, as a movie camera : DOLLIED
Apparently a dolly, a small platform on rollers especially on a movie set, is called a dolly because it’s supposed to look like a doll. No, it doesn’t. I don’t believe it …

7. Et ___ : CETERA
Et alii and et cetera have similar meanings, with et cetera being used in place of a list of objects, and et alii used for a list of names.

The Queen: A Biography of Elizabeth II8. Regal letters : HRH
His or Her Royal Highness.

9. Opposite of sans : AVEC
In French, one can be with (avec) or without (SANS).

10. Practical school, for short : TECH
That would be a technical college.

Uncle Ben's Original Long Grain Rice 12 lb. bag11. Uncle ___ : BEN’S
Uncle Ben’s is the famous brand name of rice, introduced in 1943. It was the biggest selling rice in the US from the fifties through the nineties. As one might imagine, the name “Uncle Ben” is pretty offensive, and Mars, who owns the brand now, have tried to distance themselves from the African-American slave/domestic servant image. In 2007 there was TV campaign showing “Uncle Ben” as Chairman of the Board of the company. But, he is still called Uncle Ben …

16. Decorative piece of George Harrison tour equipment? : SPIRAL SITAR CASE
Move the I in “stair” in “spiral staircase”.

The sitar has been around since the Middle Ages. It 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 sitar largely through the performances of Ravi Shankar, and some music by George Harrison, a one-time student of Shankar.

Best of Desi Arnaz17. Ball’s partner : ARNAZ
Desi Arnaz was of course famous for his turbulent marriage to Lucille Ball. Desi Arnaz was from Cuba, and from a privileged family. His father was mayor of Santiago and served in the Cuban House of Representatives. However, the family had to flee to Miami after the 1933 revolution led by Batista.

18. Spring, summer, fall and winter, e.g. : CYCLE
The cycle of seasons …

21. Big suit : CEO
The Chief Executive Officer, a big “suit”.

24. Stale : OLD HAT
The use of “old hat” to mean something “out of date, stale” started about 1911. Before that, the term “old hat” meant something very different, and very vulgar. “Old hat” was the name given to a very private part of a woman, the idea being that it was “often felt” (as in a “felt hat”). I just don’t know what to say …

36. Boo ___, recluse in “To Kill a Mockingbird” : RADLEY
In Harper Lee’s classic novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Boo Radley is the reclusive neighbor living next door, that the children are both afraid of and at the same time fascinated by.

A Room With a View (Two-Disc Special Edition)37. Forster’s “___ With a View” : A ROOM
E.M. Forster’s novel “A Room with a View” was first published in 1908. There was a fantastic screen adaptation released in 1985 directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant. There is a great cast, including Helena Bonham Carter, Maggie Smith, Judi Dench and Daniel Day-Lewis.

38. Crucifix letters : INRI
The letters on the cross on which Jesus died were INRI. INRI is an acronym, for the Latin “Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum”, which translates into English as Jesus the Nazarene (or Galilean), King of the Jews (or Judeans).

39. Unlikely response to “Sprechen Sie Deutsch?” : NEIN
If you are asked “Sprechen Sie Deutsch?”, “Do you speak German?”, it probably doesn’t ring true if you answer “Nein!”, the German for “No!”

FRAN DRESCHER 16X20 COLOR PHOTO41. Actress Drescher : FRAN
Fran Drescher’s real name is Francine Jane Drescher, a comedian and comic actress best known for playing Fran Fine on the sitcom “The Nanny”. Fran was born in Queens, New York (go figure!). Her big break came with a small role, but in a huge movie. You might recall in “Saturday Night Fever” that John Travolta was asked by a pretty dancer, “Are you as good in bed as you are on the dance floor?”, well, that was Fran Drescher.

MARILYN MONROE ORIGINAL DIGITAL OIL PAINTING ON CANVAS MOUNTED 20X28X1.5"43. Paintings of Marilyn Monroe, Che Guevara and the like? : ICON COLLECTIONS
Move the I in “coin” in “coin collections”.

47. Shoe insert : ODOR EATER
Odor Eater insoles were first introduced in the early seventies, and are manufactured by Combe. Combe sponsors a national contest held every year in Montpelier, Vermont, called “The Odor Eaters Rotten Sneakers Contest”. Very pleasant …

48. Grown-up eft : NEWT
Newts wouldn’t be my favorite animals. They are found all over the world, living on land or in the water depending on the species, but always associated with water even if it is only for breeding. Newts metamorphose through three distinct developmental stages during their lives. They start off as larvae in water, fertilized eggs that often cling to aquatic plants, unlike the eggs of frogs and toads which float freely. The eggs hatch into tadpoles, the first developmental form of the newt. After living some months as tadpoles swimming around in the water, they undergo metamorphosis, sprouting legs and replacing their external gills with lungs. At this juvenile stage they are known as efts, and leave the water to live on land. A more gradual transition takes place then, as the eft takes on the lizard-like appearance of the adult newt.

51. Anesthetic gas : ETHENE
Ethylene (also called ethene) has a gazillion uses, including as an anesthetic. It’s most commune use though is as a major raw material in the manufacture of plastics (like polyethylene).

56. Sun Devils’ sch. : ASU
Arizona State University has a long history, founded as the Tempe Normal School for the Arizona Territory in 1885.

59. Actually : IN ESSE
The Latin term “in esse” is used to mean “actually existing”, and translates as “in being”.

The New-Wave Mai Tai67. Tiki bar order : MAI TAI
The world’s first tiki bar was called “Don the Beachcomber”, and was opened in L.A. in 1933 by Ernest Gantt (also known as “Donn Beach”). It became famous for its exotic rum cocktails. Gantt was called to serve in WWII, and the business expanded dramatically under his ex-wife’s management, so that there was a 160-restaurant chain waiting for Gantt when he returned stateside.

The Mai Tai is strongly associated with the Polynesian islands, but it was supposedly invented in 1944 in Trader Vic’s restaurant in Oakland, California. One recipe is 6 parts white rum, 3 parts orange curacao, 3 parts Orgeat syrup, 1 part rock candy syrup, 2 parts fresh lime juice, all mixed with ice, and then a float of 6 parts dark rum.

68. Medit. state : ISR
Israel is a state on the Mediterranean Sea.

70. Grp. concerned with courses : USGA
The USGA, the United States Golf Association, was formed in 1894. The need for a governing body for the sport became evident that year when both the Newport Country Club and the St. Andrew’s Gold Club in Yonkers, declared that the winner of a tournament at each of their courses was the “national amateur champion”. The first president of the USGA was Theodore Havemeyer, and to this day the one and only US Amateur Trophy bears his name.

74. Cabinet member: Abbr. : SECY
Most of the members of the President’s Cabinet are Secretaries, department heads.

76. Parisian business partner, maybe : FRERE
In Paris sometimes a business partner is one’s brother (frere).

78. “___ Nagila” (Hebrew folk song) : HAVA
“Hava Nagila” is a Hebrew folk song, with the title translating into “Let Us Rejoice”. The melody is from a Ukranian folk song. The words were composed in 1918 to celebrate the British victory in Palestine during WWI.

81. Site of the College World Series : OMAHA
Back in 1947-48 the College World Series (CWS) was held in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and then in 1949 in Wichita, Kansas. Since 1950, the CWS has been held every year at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska. A new contract has been signed keeping the tournament in Omaha for the next 25 years, although it will be played at a new stadium.

84. Cornea neighbor : SCLERA
The cornea is the transparent part of the eye, in the front, covering the iris and pupil. Even though the cornea is not part of the lens, it acts as a lens, and in fact does most of the work focusing light coming in through the eye. The cornea is in effect a fixed-focus lens that passes light to the lens inside the eye which is variable-focus.

The sclera is the white part of the eye. Usually the sclera is white, but in horses for example, it is black. Really, go check!

88. RR stop : STA
A station is a stop on a railroad line.

95. Fyodor Karamazov, for one : LECHER
The Brothers Karamazov” is the last novel completed by Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky, as the author died just four months after it was published. One of the main characters is Fyodor Karamazov, a 55-year-old man, not of strong moral character. He is the father of three sons from two marriages (the “Brothers”), as well as an illegitimate son (supposedly) with one of his servants.

96. Advil rival : ALEVE
Aleve is a anti-inflammatory drug, Naproxen sodium.

Advil is Wyeth’s brand of ibuprofen, an anti-inflammatory.

97. U.S.S. ___, first battleship to become a state shrine : TEXAS
The USS Texas launched in 1912, was the second warship to bear the name of the state of Texas. She is one of only six ships remaining that fought in both World Wars. She was also the first US battleship to launch an aircraft, and the first to be converted into a museum ship, and the first to be declared a US National Historic Landmark. She can be seen at the San Jacinto State Park in Houston, Texas.

Zasu Pitts: The Life and Career98. ZaSu of film : PITTS
ZaSu Pitts was a successful actress playing dramatic roles in the era of silent movies. In the age of the “talkies”, she played mainly comic roles. Her last performance was as a switchboard operator in the 1963 film “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”.

101. Tree-lined walk : ALLEE
In landscaping an allée is a type of avenue, a tree-lined, straight pathway through a park or garden.

102. Kooky : WEIRD
“Kooky” is teenage slang from the late fifties. It’s probably a shortened form of “cuckoo”, and means “weird” or “crazy”.

106. Japanese drama : NOH
Noh is a form of musical drama in Japan, that has been around since the 14th century. Many of the performers are masked, allowing all the roles to be played by men, both male and female parts.

108. Rights org. : ACLU
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is actually made up of two non-profits. The ACLU foundation focuses on litigation and communication, whereas the arm known as the American Civil Liberties Union focuses on lobbying, mainly in Washington DC. The ACLU has its roots in the First World War, providing legal advice and support to conscientious objectors.

110. Year Boris Godunov was born : MDLI
Boris Godunuv was the Tsar of Russia from 1598 to 1605. He is perhaps better known these days because of the artistic works that are based on his life. Alexander Pushkin wrote the play “Boris Godunov”, partially using Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” to structure the storyline of Godunov’s life. Modest Mussorgsky then wrote a famous opera “Boris Godunov”, based on the Pushkin play.

112. Broadband letters : DSL
DSL originally stood for Digital Subscriber Loop, but is now accepted to mean (Asymmetric) Digital Subscriber Line. DSL is the technology that allows Internet service be delivered down the same telephone line as voice service, by separating the two into different frequency signals.

Books, Movies, Songs etc. appearing in today’s crossword (at Amazon.com)

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3 thoughts on “1003-10: New York Times Crossword Answers 3 Oct 10, Sunday”

  1. Bill,

    Thanks for the redesign of the website. It's much easier for those of us that get the syndicated version to check answers, etc….Good work there!

    Have a great week.

    Mike

  2. Hi Mike,

    It's always good to hear from you. I'm glad you like the redesign.

    I used to get a lot of emails from folks trying to find the syndicated puzzle, so I knew I had to do something to make things easier for visitors. It looks like it's working!

    Hope you had success with today's puzzle …

  3. I do a lot of puzzles from the archive. Right now I am working through 2010.

    Any chance that the “year” drop down list can be expanded to go further back in time?

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