In the above grid, the symbol that looks like a hole in the ground, represents the letters “HOLE”.
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: NINE HOLES … there are nine squares in the grid, each containing the word HOLE making part of some answers e.g HOLE PUNCH, POTHOLES, POST HOLE, LOOPHOLE
COMPLETION TIME: 12m 55s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Across
11. Rte. suggester : AAA
The American Automobile Association is a not-for-profit organization, focused on political lobbying, provision of automobile servicing, and selling of automobile insurance. It was founded in 1902 in Chicago, and published its first hotel guide back in 1917.
Igor has been the assistant to Dracula, Frankenstein and Young Frankenstein, among others. He is almost invariably portrayed as a hunchback.
The 1953 movie “House of Wax” starred Vincent Price in the lead role as Professor Henry Jarrod, and Charles Bronson as Igor, a deaf-mute sculptor and Jarrod’s henchman. In 1953, Charles Bronson was still trying to make it in the movies and back them was using his real name, Charles Buchinsky. A year later, as the House Un-American Activities Committee was becoming more powerful, Buchinsky changed his name to Bronson as back then actors with East European names were viewed with suspicion.
The TV show “CSI” gets a lot of criticism from law enforcement agencies for its unrealistic portrayal of the procedures and science of criminal investigation. I don’t care though, as I just think it’s a fun show to watch. The original CSI set in Las Vegas seems to have “gone off the boil” lately, but the addition of Sela Ward to the cast of CSI: NY has really, really raised the level of the sister show set in New York City.
20. Out of service?: Abbr. : RET
Retired.
21. Road hazards : POTHOLES
The term “potholes” was originally reserved for geological features, deep holes found in glaciers and gravel beds. Starting in the early 1900s, the term was used to describe holes in a road.
23. Fence builder’s starting point : POSTHOLE
“Charlotte’s Web” is a children’s novel by author E. B. White. Charlotte is a barn spider, who manages to save the life of a pig named Wilbur. Wilbur is a pet pig, owned by the farmer’s daughter, Fern Arable.
Desi Arnaz was of course famous for his turbulent marriage to Lucille Ball. Desi Arnaz was a native of Cuba, from a privileged family as 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.
28. Like the Paris Opera : ORNATE
The Paris Opera company is currently housed in the beautifully ornate Palais Garnier. The Paris Opera was founded by Louis XIV in 1669, and the Palais Garnier is the 13th theater to house the company and has done so since 1875.
31. Airport need : RADAR
Scientists have been using radio waves to detect the presence of objects since the late 1800s, but it was the needs of WWII that accelerated the practical application of the technology. The British called their system RDF standing for Range and Direction Finding. The systems used by the US Navy was called Radio Detection And Ranging, shortened to the acronym RADAR.
34. Substitute : PROXY
Our word “proxy”, meaning “the agency of one who acts instead of another”, comes from the Latin “procurare” meaning “to manage”, the same root as for our word “procure”.
37. I.R.S. 1040 line item : IRA
I have to tell you, when I first came to the US from Ireland, it was pretty confusing seeing big signs along the freeway touting contributions to your IRA. Back in Ireland, that was pretty illegal (where IRA means the Irish Republican Army!).
“Amis”, the French for “friends”.
A kiss that involves touching of tongues is known as a “French kiss”, but no one seems to know why. Paradoxically, in Northern France, giving the same type of kiss is known as “baiser anglais”… “English kissing”!
39. Way to get around something : LOOPHOLE
41. Undecided: Abbr. : TBA
To Be Advised.
43. Space under a desk : KNEEHOLE
44. End of a perfect Sunday drive? : HOLE-IN-ONE
46. Grill : QUIZ
It may be that “quiz” comes from the Latin “qui es?” meaning “who are you?” We’ve been using the word “quiz” since the late 1800s.
48. Impulse path : AXON
A nerve cell is more correctly called a neuron, and the long nerve fiber that forms part of the neuron is called the axon.
33. See 49-Across : DIANA ROSS
Diana Ross is one of the most prolific recording artists in history. She sang with the Supremes from 1959 to 1970 and then launched an incredibly successful solo career. Ross was listed in the 1993 edition “Guinness Book of World Records” as the most successful music artist ever, with eighteen #1 records.
Niels Bohr was a Danish physicist, who won his 1922 Nobel Prize for his work on quantum mechanics and atomic structure. Later in his life, he was part of the team working on the Manhattan Project, developing the first atomic bomb.
56. Jim Beam product : RYE
Jim Beam is the world’s biggest selling brand of bourbon. Jim Beam whiskey has roots going back to around 1795 when Jacob Beam sold his first corn whiskey. The whiskey took on the name “bourbon”, possibly after Bourbon County in Kentucky.
Clement Attlee served as leader of Britain’s Labour Party and as Deputy Prime Minister in the coalition government during the war years under the leadership of Winston Churchill, a Conservative. Attlee swept into power right after WWII in a landslide victory over Churchill and was responsible for major changes not only in Britain but around the waning British Empire. It was under Attlee that former British colonies like India, Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka and Jordan became independent. Also, the Palestine Mandate was terminated in 1948, while he was in office, with the state of Israel being declared the very next day.
61. Times in classifieds : AMS
In classified ads “AMS” usually stands for “mornings”, as in “properties available for viewing mornings only”.
62. Game played on a world map : RISK
Risk is fabulous board game, first sold in France in 1957. The game was invented by a very successful French director of short films called Albert Lamorisse. The original French version was called “La Conquete du Monde” (The Conquest of the World). A game of Risk is a must during the holidays in our house …
By now, everyone must know everything there is to know about Tiger Woods. But did you know that his real name is Eldrick Tont Woods? “Tont” is a traditional Thai name.
64. Violin cutouts : F-HOLES
Sound holes are cut into the upper sound boards of acoustic musical instruments. The holes are named for their shapes, so the D-shaped holes in guitars are called D-holes. The S-shaped holes in the sound boards of instruments like violins and cellos are actually known as f
F-holes, as each looks like a lowercase, script “f”.
65. What a peeper uses to peep : SPYHOLE
Down
In community-card poker (poker in which some cards are dealt face up and shared by the players), the cards that are dealt face down to each individual are known as “hole cards”. It is usually advantageous to have a high card like an ace “in the hole”. Hence, we have the phrase “to have an ace in the hole” meaning to have a hidden advantage in a situation. The phrase “ace up one’s sleeve” means the same thing today, however, that phrase is derived from someone flouting the rules!
4. Some Windows systems : NTS
Windows XP, Windows Vista and now Windows 7; they’re all based on the Windows NT operating system. The NT originally stood for N-Ten, but Microsoft preferred to market it as “New Technology”. I should note that the information about the “N-Ten” derivation comes courtesy of Bill Gates in a 1998 interview. There is common perception that Windows NT (WNT) takes its name from VMS, an earlier operating system developed by Digital Equipment Corporation. “WNT” is what’s called a “Caesar cypher” of “VMS”, as you just augment the the letters of VMS alphabetically by one to arrive at WNT.
A clipper was sailing ship commonly crossing the seas in the 19th century. Clippers were built for speed, so were narrow and had less room for carrying freight than many vessels used in trade. Clippers were developed largely due to the demand for speedy delivery of fresh tea from China to Europe. The name “clipper” comes from the term “to clip” meaning to move swiftly (“at a clip”).
Perhaps the most famous clipper ship is the Cutty Sark built in 1869, the last clipper to be built as a merchant vessel. She owes her fame to the fact that she is on display as a museum ship in a dry dock in Greenwich in London.
7. Features of homemade cameras : PINHOLES
A pinhole camera is an amazing device that can project a very clear image, without the use of a lens. In general the smaller the pinhole the sharper the image, something you might observe yourself by peeking though a tiny hole made with your fingers.
8. Big ones can impede progress : EGOS
“Ego” is another word for “the self”, and is used to distinguish oneself from others and the world around one. In psychoanalysis, the ego is that division of the psyche that is most in touch with external reality, the part that is conscious. “Ego” is a Latin word meaning “I”.
9. Montréal or Québec : NOM
Montréal and Québec are names (noms) of cities, in French.
10. Window dressing : DRAPERY
Yep, when I was growing up, a drapery was a shop where one could buy cloth for making clothes or curtains. It was only when I came to America that I heard the term “drapes” used for curtains.
13. Seal’s opening? : AIRHOLE
A seal might pop up in a hole in the ice to grab some air, so it is called an airhole.
A device like perhaps an iPhone or Treo, can be termed a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).
26. Below-ground sanctuary : FOXHOLE
A foxhole, as one might expect, is another name for a fox’s den. Starting in WWI the term was used to describe a shallow pit dug by a soldier to provide quick-and-dirty protection from gunfire.
30. Batting helmet feature : EAR HOLE
A batting helmet often protects just one ear, on the side facing the pitcher. The part of the helmet covering the ear has a hole in it to help with hearing, an ear hole.
31. Filthy place : RATHOLE
32. Prefix with valent : AMBI
The prefix “ambi-” that we use to mean “both” is a Latin word that actually means “around” or “round about”. “Ambivalence” was originally just a psychological term, describing “serious conflicting feelings”. Later it came to mean uncertainly about which course to follow.
33. See 49-Across : DIANA ROSS
35. Pre-schoolers? : ROE
Roe is the name given to fish eggs or the ovaries of a fish laden with eggs. When the roe develop into fish, the fish may swim around in schools.
39. Part of a home security system? : LIEN
A lien is the right that one has to retain/secure someone’s property until a debt is paid.
Kirstie Alley was born Kirstie Deal, and takes her stage name from her first marriage, to Robert Alley. Her most famous role was that of Rebecca Howe, Sam Malone’s boss on the sitcom “Cheers” from 1987 to 1993.
45. They’re drafted for service : OXEN
“Draft” can mean a load, something that is pulled or drawn. Horses or perhaps oxen that are used to pull loads are called “draft animals”.
49. Topographical feature formed by underground erosion : SINKHOLE
A sinkhole is a hole or depression in the ground, caused by the roof collapsing in an underground cavern.
50. 1957 hit for the Bobbettes : MR. LEE
The Bobbettes were an R&B girl group from Harlem, New York, formed in 1955. They had a hit in 1957 with the song “Mr. Lee”, a song about a teacher the girls had in real life. In the song, the girl singing has a crush on Mr. Lee, but in actual fact none of the girls liked the teacher that inspired the song. The original lyrics were not complimentary at all, but were changed for the recording. In 1957, the Bobbettes released that original, more insulting version and had a little success with it. It was called “I Shot Mr. Lee” …
51. Parts of masks : EYE HOLES
Sir John Falstaff is the lead character in Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor” (as well as appearing in two other of his plays). He is a self-promoting, obese and cowardly man. In “King Henry IV, part I”, Falstaff refers to his portly size, saying, “thou seest I have more flesh than another man, and therefore more frailty.”
Marion Cotillard is the French actress that played Edith Piaf in the 2007 movie “La Vie en Rose”. She won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance, the first time that an actress has won a Best Actress Academy Award for a performance in a French language film.
54. Vest feature : ARM HOLE
55. Like a quidnunc : NOSY
A “quidnunc” is a nosy person. The term comes from the Latin “quid nunc?” which means “what now?”
60. “We Know Drama” channel : TNT
TNT stands for Turner Network Television. The TNT cable channel made a big splash in the eighties when it started to broadcast old MGM movies that had been “colorized”, not something that was a big hit with the public. In recent years, the TNT programming lineup is touted with the tagline “We Know Drama”, and includes shows like “Judging Amy”, “ER” and “Cold Case”.