1020-10: New York Times Crossword Answers 20 Oct 10, Wednesday

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: H&M … all the theme answers are two words starting with H and M.
COMPLETION TIME: 26m 19s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 2 … HAKUNA MATATA (HAKALA MATATA), NINON (LINON)

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies

Across
1. City SSW of Jacksonville : OCALA
Thoroughbred horse farming in Florida started in Ocala, back in 1943. Some folks today call Ocala the “Horse Capital of the World”, but I bet that’s disputed by others …

6. Physics units : ERGS
An erg is a unit of energy, or mechanical work. “Erg” comes from the Greek word “ergon”, meaning “work”. A dyne is a unit of force. The name “dyne” comes from the Greek “dynamis” meaning power or force. Ergs and dynes are related to each other in that one erg is the amount of energy need to move a force of one dyne over a distance of one centimeter.

10. First of two before-and-after pictures : THEN
Then … and now.

Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax: The Big 4 - Live from Sofia, Bulgaria (5 CD/2 DVD Set)17. Megadeth’s music genre : HEAVY METAL
Megadeth is a heavy metal band from Los Angeles that has been performing since 1983. In the eighties the band was known as one of the “Big Four of Thrash” along with Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax. I have no idea what “thrash metal” is …

19. “Now!” : ASAP
As Soon As Possible.

20. European tongue : ERSE
There are actually three Erse tongues. Irish, Manx (spoken on the Isle of Man) and Scottish Gaelic. In their own languages, these would be Gaeilge (in Ireland), Gaelg (on the Isle of Man) and Gaidhlig (in Scotland).

21. Cornerstone abbr. : ESTD
Established … and then the date.

Decorated Mouse Pad with green, aphid, insect, antennae, bug22. Green bug : APHID
The aphid is called “greenfly” back in the British Isles where I come from. The most effective way to control them in my experience is to make sure there are plenty of ladybugs (called ladybirds in Ireland!) in the garden.

25. Sign in the bleachers : HI MOM
At a sports event, one often sits in the “bleachers”. This is a particularly American term for the tiered stands that provide seating for spectators. These seats were originally wooden planks, and as they were uncovered, they would be “bleached” by the sun, giving the name we use today. Sometimes the fans using the bleachers might be referred to as “bleacherites”.

The Lion King (Disney Special Platinum Edition)27. “The Lion King” song : HAKUNA MATATA
“Hakuna Matata” is a Swahili phrase, with a literal translation of “there are no worries”, or more colloquially perhaps, “no problem”.

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.

31. Enlightened Buddhist : ARHAT
Arhat is a Sanskrit word, the exact translation of which is somewhat disputed, with the various Buddhist traditions assuming different meanings. Translations vary from “worthy one” to “vanquisher of enemies”.

35. Neighbor of Hung. : ROM
Romania sits just east of Hungary and north of Bulgaria in Europe. Romania was formed from the union of two principalities in 1859, Moldavia and Wallachia. The Kingdom of Romania grew larger in size after WWI with the addition of three new regions, including the “vampirish” Transylvania.

37. Swedish-based international clothing giant … or a hint to the answers to the six italicized clues : H AND M
H&M is a Swedish clothing company. “H&M” is a brand name, short for Hennes & Mauritz. The words “Hennes” and “Mauritz” are a somewhat unusual combination (meaning “hers” and “Mauritz”), explained by the history of the company. H&M was founded in 1957, selling women’s clothing, and was called “Hennes”, the Swedish for “Hers”. The company acquired a hunting equipment store, with a line of men’s clothing called Mauritz Widforss (a man’s name), with the transaction leading to a new store name of Hennes & Mauritz, eventually shortened to H&M.

LONI ANDERSON JENNIFER ELIZABETH MARLOWE, JAN SMITHERS BAILEY QUARTERS HOWARD HESSEMAN JOHNNY 'DR. FEVER' CARAVELLA WKRP CINCINNATI 8X10 PHOTO39. Dr. Johnny Fever’s station, in 1970s-’80s TV : WKRP
Johnny Fever is a wild and wacky disk jockey in the sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati”. Fever was played by Howard Hesseman, and was actually inspired by a real-life DJ from Atlanta, Skinny Bobby Harper.

40. Hi-tech heart : CPU
The Central Processing Unit is the main component on the “motherboard” of a computer. The CPU is the part of the computer that carries out most of the functions required by a program. Nowadays you can get CPUs in everything from cars to telephones.

42. Kind of buddy : BOSOM
“Bosm” is an Old English word for breast, which came into English meaning “breast, chest” without any association with either gender. It was only in the late fifties that the meaning narrowed to mean a woman’s breasts”. Terms like “bosom-friend” have been around since the late 16th century.

43. Hilton head, e.g. : HOTEL MANAGER

47. One of the three original Muses : MNEME
In Greek mythology, the muses are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. The number of muses seems to be debated a lot, but the most popular view is that there are nine:

Calliope (epic poetry)
Clio (history)
Erato (lyric poetry)
Euterpe (music)
Melpomene (tragedy)
Polyhymnia (choral poetry)
Terpsichore (dance)
Thalia (comedy)
Urania (astronomy)

Before the “adoption” of the nine muses of Greek mythology, there were originally three muses, the three Boeotian Muses. These were:

Mneme (memory)
Melete (meditation)
Aoede (song)

52. Viking training camp? : FJORD
I suppose the Vikings might have done some seamanship training in the fjords. The play of words is on the training of the Minnesota Vikings.

A drowned valley might be called a ria or a fjord. Both are formed where the sea level has raised and has flooded the valley. A ria can be confused with a fjord, but the difference is that the former is a drowned valley created by river erosion, and the latter is a drowned valley created by glaciation.

54. “The Godfather” composer Nino : ROTA
Nino Rota was a 20th century Italian composer, best known for composing film scores. He was very productive, composing an average of three scores per year for 46 years, including an incredible 13 scores in 1954. He won his Oscar in 1974 for Best Original Score for “The Godfather Part II”.

Jay Leno autographed 8x10 Photo (The Tonight Show)57. Who once remarked “You can’t stay mad at somebody who makes you laugh” : LENO
Jay Leno is a car nut, and owns about 200 vehicles of various types. You can check them out on his website!

2009 Topps American Heritage Heroes Trading Card #15 Horace Mann Political Heroes / Baseball Card in Mint Condition - Shipped in a protective screwdown display case!58. The Father of American Public Education : HORACE MANN
Horace Mann was Massachusetts politician, and the first Secretary of the Massachusetts State Board of Education. Mann made sweeping educational reforms in the state, with other states around the country adopting many of the policies he developed. Such was his influence that he is known by historians as the “Father of the Common School Movement”. And as an aside, Mann was brother-in-law to author Nathaniel Hawthorne.

61. German word slangily used to mean “extremely” : UBER
“Uber” is the German word for “above”, as in the famous words from the German national anthem, “Deutchland uber alles”, meaning “Germany above all others”. We tend to use “uber” as a slang term in English, meaning “extremely”.

62. Circle measures : RADII
“Radius” is a Latin word, as one might expect, for the “spoke of a wheel”. Makes sense, huh?

63. Germany’s ___ Canal : KIEL
Kiel is a port city way north in Germany, lying even further north than Hamburg. The city is well known for hosting the annual Kiel Week sailing regatta, and it was twice host to the Olympic sailing events, in 1936 (the Berlin games) and 1972 (the Munich games).

The city of Kiel gives its name to the Kiel Canal, an artificial seaway stretching from Kiel on the Baltic Sea in the East to Brunsbuttel in the West on the North Sea. The canal was opened in 1895, allowing vessels to navigate directly between the North Sea and the Baltic without having to go around the Jutland Peninsula (all of Denmark, essentially). Apparently, the Kiel Canal is the most used artificial seaway in the world.

64. Internet ___ (viral phenomenon) : MEME
A “meme” (short for “mineme”) is a cultural practice or idea that is passed on verbally or by repetition from one person to another. The term lends itself very well to the Internet, where links, emails, files etc. are so easily propagated.

65. English race site : EPSOM
Epsom is most famous for its racecourse, at which is run the Epsom Derby every year, one of the three races that make up the English Triple Crown. You might also have heard of Epsom salts. Epsom salts are magnesium sulfate, originally prepared by boiling down mineral waters (Epsom was indeed a spa town at one time).

Down
1. Autumn hue : OCHER
Ochre is often spelled “ocher” in the US (it’s ochre where I come from). Ocher is a light, yellowy brown color, although variations of the pigment are possible, such as red ocher and purple ocher.

2. Old Olds : CIERA
Oldsmobile made the Cutlass Ciera from 1982 to 1996, the brand name’s most successful model.

3. “Stop, matey!” : AVAST
Avast is a nautical term, used to tell someone to stop, or desist from what they are doing. “Avast” comes from the Dutch “hou vast” meaning “hold fast”.

4. Real-time online conversation : LIVE CHAT
Live Chat (instant messaging) is getting very popular in the world of online customer service. I think companies like to use it as they can have a representative carrying on several typed conversations at one time, dealing with more than one customer. It drives me mad though as a customer, because I always feel “unimportant”, waiting for “my turn”, over and over again …

5. Prince ___ Khan : ALY
Aly Khan was the familiar name used by the media when referring to Prince Ali Solomone Aga Khan, the Pakistani ambassador to the UN from 1958 to 1960. He was also the third husband of actress Rita Hayworth.

Esencial Mocedades6. 1974 Mocedades hit : ERES TU
We have a big event across Europe every year called the Eurovision Song Contest. Each nation enters one song in competition with each other, and then voters across the whole continent decide on the winner. That’s how ABBA go their big break, as they were Sweden’s entry debuting their song “Waterloo”. In 1972, Spain’s entry was “Eres tu” sung by the band Mocedades. “Eres tu” is the Spanish for “you are”. It is a great song, that came in second but should have won, in my humble opinion.

Signed Ritt, Martin 8x10 B&W7. Film director Martin : RITT
Martin Ritt is best remembered as a television and movie director. During the bad old days of the “Red Scare”, Ritt was working in television until he found himself on a blacklist for supposed support of Communist causes. He turned to the theater for work until the Red Scare had run its course, and them moved into the world of film. Some of his best known movies are “The Great White Hope” and “Norma Rae”.

8. Politician’s greeting : GLAD HAND
“Glad hand”, meaning to extend a welcome” has been around as an expression since the end of the 1800s, although it was used less cynically back then. Then along came politicians …

9. Partner of poivre, in French seasoning : SEL
“Poivre”, the French for “pepper” and “sel”, the French for “salt”.

Peter Sadler Green 37 Ounce Teapot10. It’s “short and stout” in a children’s song : TEAPOT
The children’s song “I’m a Little Teapot” was written and published in 1939, composed by a married couple who ran a dance school for children. They needed a simple tune that young ones could use to learn a simple tap routine.

11. Lines on a football field : HASH MARKS
The hash marks on a football field basically mark each yard along the length of a football field. There are four rows of hash marks running the length of the field; two rows just inside the sidelines, and two rows more towards the center of the playing surface.

Signed Morales, Esai 8x1012. Morales who played a 13-Down officer on TV : ESAI
13. See 12-Down : NYPD
“NYPD Blue” is a police drama that was originally aired in 1993, and ran until 2005. Esai Morales played Lieutenant Tony Rodriguez, in the latter years of the show.

22. Part of a Latin 101 trio : AMAT
Amo, amas, amat … Latin for “I love, you love, he/she loves”.

26. Shiite leader : IMAM
An imam is a Muslim leader, often the one in charge of a mosque, or perhaps a Muslim community.

The largest denomination in the Muslim faith is Sunni Islam, with the second being Shia Islam.

28. Sheer fabric : NINON
Ninon is promounced “nee-no”, and is a sheer material that can be made out of silk or some man-made fibers. It is very delicate, with a soft, silky feel to it. Ninon may also be called “French tergal”.

29. One seeing red? : TORO
Spanish bullfighting is corrida de toros, literally “race of bulls”.

La Crosse Technology WT-8005U-B Atomic Digital Wall Clock with Indoor Temperature, Black30. Like 12-hour clocks : AM-PM
Personally, I have all my timepieces set up as 24-hour clocks. It’s much easier to calculate the correct time in Ireland when I want to call my family …

31. “The Nazarene” author Sholem : ASCH
Sholem Asch was a Polish-born American novelist and dramatist who published his work in Yiddish. One of his plays was “God of Vengeance”, a highly regarded work performed all over Europe, and translated into many languages. It opened on Broadway in 1923, but the adult themes (it was set in a brothel, and featured a lesbian relationship) led to the entire cast being arresting and convicted on obscenity charges.

Repo Man (Collector's Edition)32. “___ Man” : REPO
“Repo Man” is a 1984 movie, starring Emilio Estevez. It’s about a punk rocker who goes to work as a repo man, and there are lots of car chases. It has become a cult classic, although it doesn’t sound like my cup of tea …

33. Society : HAUT MONDE
Haut monde is a French term for high society that we use in English with the same meaning.

37. 2004 Olympics gymnastics star Paul or Morgan : 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.

38. Organism that doesn’t require oxygen : ANAEROBE
Anaerobic organisms are those that do not require oxygen to live. A good example would be the bacteria working away in a septic tank. It’s fortunate that they are anaerobes, otherwise the tank would have to be opened up to the air.

45. Rubbernecking : ASTARE
Astare, staring, such a quaint term …

46. Auto financing co. : GMAC
GMAC is short for General Motors Acceptance Corporation. GM has a very small stake in GMAC now, and indeed the name has been officially changed to Ally Bank. You and me, we are the biggest shareholders in GMAC/Ally now, after the US government gave the bank $12.5m to bail it out in 2008-2009.

Ennio Morricone Framed And Matted 8x10 Color Photo50. Film composer Morricone : ENNIO
Ennio Morricone is an Italian composer and conductor, famous for composing scores for television and film. Perhaps his most recognizable works are the scores from the Spaghetti Westerns of Sergio Leone, such as “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and “A Fistful of Dollars”. Other famous movie scores penned by Morricone include “”The Untouchables”, “Cinema Pardiso” and “Once Upon a Time in America”.

51. Material in a “Canadian tuxedo” : DENIM
A Canadian tuxedo, also called a denim sandwich, is considered to be a fashion faux pas. It’s denim jeans worn with a denim jacket. I don’t known about the use of “Canadian” though. Sounds offensive to me …

The style of men’s evening dress called a “tuxedo” was apparently first worn to a country club event in 1886 in New York. The use of a dark dinner jacket, without tails, became fashionable at the club with the members, and the tradition spread from there. The country club was located in Tuxedo Park, New York, giving the style of dress its name.

52. Criticism : FLAK
Flak was originally an acronym from the German term for an aircraft defense cannon (FLiegerAbwehrKanone). Flak then became used in English as a general term for antiaircraft fire, and ultimately a term for verbal criticism, as in “take flak”.

ALEC GUINNESS 16X20 PHOTO53. Lightsaber wielder : JEDI
The Jedi are the “good guys” in the “Star Wars” series of movies. The most famous Jedi knights from the films are Obi-Won Kenobi (Alec Guinness, and Ewan McGregor) and Yoda (Frank Oz). Well, they’re my favorites anyway …

55. Utah city : OREM
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.

Return to top of page