0122-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 22 Jan 11, Saturday

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The full solution to today’s crossword that appears in the New York Times
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THEME: None
COMPLETION TIME: 26m 53s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
10. Many people surf on them : IMACS
The iMac is a desktop computer platform from Apple, introduced in 1998. One of the main features of the iMac is that it is an “all-in-one” design, with the computer console and monitor integrated.

16. A point is a division of one : CARAT
A carat is a unit of mass used to measure gemstones and pearls. There are one hundred points in a carat, each equal to 2 milligrams, so a carat is equal to 200 milligrams.

18. Big name in coverage : AETNA
When Aetna was founded, the name was chosen to invoke images of Mt. Etna, the European volcano.

25. With 43-Down, storied Bronx station house : FORT
(43. See 25-Across : APACHE)
“Fort Apache, The Bronx” is a crime drama released in 1981, starring Paul Newman. I must admit that I haven’t seen the movie but I did read the novel “Fort Apache” many years ago. I always assumed the film was based on the book (as the book is about a police precinct station in the Bronx) but the producers of the movie say the two aren’t related. The author of the book agrees with me, and sued the producers, but the courts decided for the defendants.

28. Eames lounge chair feature : SWIVEL
The Eames lounge chair comes with an ottoman, and is very trendy looking piece of furniture. It was designed by Charles and Ray Eames and first released back in 1956. There is a very visible Eames lounge chair in Frasier Crane’s apartment, in every episode of the TV show “Frasier”.

32. “Die Fledermaus” maid : ADELE
“Die Fledermaus” is a really lovely operetta composed by Johann Strauss II, first performed in 1874. “Fledermaus” is German for “bat” (literally “flying mouse”). The title comes from the fact that one of the characters (Falke) was abandoned drunk, dressed as a bat, in the center of town one evening. As he was subject to ridicule, the machinations of the story are designed as revenge for Falke’s humiliation.

33. She’s no naïf : WOMAN OF THE WORLD
A naïf is someone who is naive, as “naïf” is the French word for “naive”.

39. What’s now in Mexico? : AHORA
“Ahora” is the Spanish for “now”.

40. “In My Own Words” missionary : TERESA
Mother Teresa was born in Albania in 1910, when she was known as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu (“Gonxha” means “little flower” in Albanian). She left home at the age of 18 and joined the Sisters of Loreto, and headed to Loreto Abbey in Rathfarnham in Dublin, Ireland in order to learn English. Her goal was to teach in India, and English was the language used for instruction by the nuns. After Mother Teresa passed away in 1997, she was beatified by Pope John Paul II, a step on the road to canonization. In order for her to be beatified there had to be documented evidence of a miracle that was performed due to the intercession of Mother Teresa. The miracle in question was the healing of a tumor in the abdomen of a woman due to the application of locket containing a picture of Mother Teresa. Documentation of a second miracle is required for her to be declared a saint.

42. Suffix with ethyl : -ENE
An alkene is an organic compound made up of carbon and hydrogen atoms. It differs from an alkane in that it has at least one C=C double bond. The simplest alkene is the gas ethylene, a major raw material used in the manufacture of plastics (like polyethylene).

51. Cove’s cousin : RIA
A drowned valley might be called a ria or a fjord. Both are formed as sea level raises and floods the valley. A ria can be confused with a fjord, but the difference is that a ria is a drowned valley created by river erosion, and a fjord is a drowned valley created by glaciation.

52. 13 religious heads : LEOS
The first pope named Leo is now known as Pope Saint Leo the Great, and is famous for having met with the feared Attila the Hun and persuading him to turn back his invading force that was threatening to overrun Western Europe.

53. Gothenburg’s river : PLATTE
Gothenburg, Nebraska is in the Platte River Valley, and is named after Gothenburg, Sweden.

The Platte River used to be called the Nebrakier, which is an Oto word meaning “flat river”. Later the French word for “flat” was used as the name, “Plate”. Later this became “Platte”, the phonetic spelling of the French.

54. One wished long life, overseas : LE ROI
Long live “the king” (le roi, in French).

60. Physics Nobelist Stern and others : OTTOS
Otto Stern resigned his position at the University of Hamburg in 1933 when the Nazis seized power in Germany. He moved to the US, eventually becoming professor emeritus at Berkeley. Back in 1922 he had performed a famous experiment with Walther Gerlach (the Stern-Gerlach Experiment) and for this work he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1943. However, the citation omitted any mention of Gerlach, as he was still actively working in Nazi Germany at the time.

Down
1. Advance man? : MASHER
“Masher” is a slang term for a man who makes persistent and unwelcome advances on women.

3. Kind of ester : STEROL
Sterols occur in nature in both plants and animals. The most famous of the animal sterols is cholesterol, found in all animals as it is a vital component of cell walls. Cholesterol is made within the body, so it isn’t a necessary part of the diet.

Esters are very common chemicals. The smaller, low-molecular weight esters are often pleasant smelling and are found in perfumes. At the other end of the scale, the higher-molecular weight nitroglycerin is a nitrate ester and is very explosive, and polyesters are huge molecules and a type of plastic.

4. Ally of New York City : SHEEDY
Ally Sheedy is best known as a member of the “Brat Pack”, so she appeared in “The Breakfast Club” and “St. Elmo’s Fire”. She was in another of my favorite films, “War Games”. To be honest, I haven’t enjoyed the movies that she has appeared in since those early days.

6. Is refluent : EBBS
Refluent is an archaic adjective, meaning ebbing, coming from the Latin word “refluere”, flowing back.

7. Gold finish? : DEE
The last letter in the word “gold” is “dee”.

9. Glenn Miller’s real first name : ALTON
Glenn Miller’s full name was Alton Glenn Miller.

Famously, Glenn Miller signed up with the US Air Force Band during World War II, and disappeared while flying from the South of England to entertain troops that had just liberated Paris. He is still listed as missing in action …

11. Murray of silents : MAE
Mae Murray was an actress famous during the silent film era. She had a unique look, earning her the nickname “The Girl with the Bee-Stung Lips”.

13. Singer Blu with the 2001 hit “Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!)” : CANTRELL
Blu Cantrell is a R&B and soul singer, with the real name of Tiffany Cobb.

24. He was declared dead in absentia in 1982 : HOFFA
Jimmy Hoffa headed off to meet with two Mafia leaders at a restaurant in a suburb of Detroit on July 30, 1975. The two men he was supposed to meet denied any appointment was made, and they were seen in public in other locations far from the restaurant. Hoffa was spotted by passers by in the restauranparking lot, the last time he was ever seen. His wife reported him missing later that night, and the resulting police investigation failed to find Hoffa or his body. Hoffa was declared legally dead in 1982, seven years after he disappeared.

27. ___ Mountain (Pennsylvania ski resort) : SNO
Snö Mountain is a ski resort in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in the Pocono region.

29. Thirsty tot’s request : WAWA
You want wawa? Oh, you mean water …

31. Neighbor of Loire and Ain : RHONE
Rhône is a department in central eastern France, named after the Rhône River. The largest city in the department is Lyon.

33. Undoing : WATERLOO
The term “waterloo” is used to denote a final, irreversible defeat, named for the famous, final battle fought by Napoleon in which he lost to the British forces led by the Duke of Wellington.

34. Like good pointers : OBEDIENT
There are generally three classes of gundog: retrievers, flushing dogs and pointing breeds.

35. Court on the court : MARGARET
Margaret Court is a retired Australian tennis player. Court holds the record for Grand Slam titles, including 24 singles, 19 women’s doubles and 19 mixed doubles.

36. ___-deucey : ACEY
Acey-deucy is a fast-played variant of backgammon. Apparently the game has been a favorite with members of the armed forces since the days of WWI.

37. “___ thou and peace may meet”: Shelley : ERE
The English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley had strong views on vegetarianism. He was dedicated to the cause of all sentient beings, believing that the slaughter of animals by humans for the use of food was a barbaric practice. He wrote a famous essay on the subject called “A Vindication of Natural Diet” in 1813, and some lines of poetry including:

“The leaves of wasted autumn woods shall float around thine head:
The blooms of dewy spring shall gleam beneath thy feet:
But thy soul or this world must fade in the frost that binds the dead,
Ere midnight’s frown and morning’s smile, ere thou and peace may meet.”

43. See 25-Across : APACHE

55. “Walking on Thin Ice” singer : ONO
Yoko Ono was born into a prosperous Japanese family, and is actually a descendant of one of the emperors of Japan. Her father moved around the world for work, and she lived the first few years of her life in San Francisco. The family returned to Japan, before moving on to New York, Hanoi, and back to Japan just before WWII, in time to live through the great fire-bombing of Tokyo in 1945. Immediately after the war, the family was far from prosperous. While Yoko’s father was being held in a prison camp in Vietnam, her mother had to resort to begging and bartering to feed her children. When her father returned, life started to return to normal, and Yoko was able to attend university, and was the first woman to be accepted into the philosophy program of Gakushuin University.

57. División del mes : DIA
There are quite a few days (dias) in a months (mes) in Spanish.

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Papers and such : MASS MEDIA
10. Many people surf on them : IMACS
15. When trading ceases : AT THE BELL
16. A point is a division of one : CARAT
17. Feature of many tires : STEEL BELT
18. Big name in coverage : AETNA
19. Firm acceptances? : HIREES
20. Blast source : HORN
22. Delivered piece: Abbr. : LTR
23. Develop ruts, say : ERODE
24. Bit of aid : HAND
25. With 43-Down, storied Bronx station house : FORT
26. Count : RELY
27. Like Russ., once : SOV
28. Eames lounge chair feature : SWIVEL
30. Gather : INFER
32. “Die Fledermaus” maid : ADELE
33. She’s no naïf : WOMAN OF THE WORLD
38. By surprise : ABACK
39. What’s now in Mexico? : AHORA
40. “In My Own Words” missionary : TERESA
42. Suffix with ethyl : -ENE
43. Basic travel path : A TO B
47. Apt to snap : EDGY
48. Stick with it : GLUE
50. Chicken’s lack : SPINE
51. Cove’s cousin : RIA
52. 13 religious heads : LEOS
53. Gothenburg’s river : PLATTE
54. One wished long life, overseas : LE ROI
56. Sound bite in bytes? : AUDIO CLIP
58. With no break : ON END
59. It’s left during a digression : MAIN THEME
60. Physics Nobelist Stern and others : OTTOS
61. Used wastefully : SLATHERED

Down
1. Advance man? : MASHER
2. Invitation information : ATTIRE
3. Kind of ester : STEROL
4. Ally of New York City : SHEEDY
5. Hockey game highlight, for many : MELEE
6. Is refluent : EBBS
7. Gold finish? : DEE
8. Regular’s request : I’LL HAVE THE USUAL
9. Glenn Miller’s real first name : ALTON
10. Declaration of determination : I CAN
11. Murray of silents : MAE
12. Gallery fixture? : ART LOVER
13. Singer Blu with the 2001 hit “Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!)” : CANTRELL
14. Taken 38-Across : STARTLED
21. They may develop ruts: Abbr. : RDS
24. He was declared dead in absentia in 1982 : HOFFA
25. Spot follower, perhaps : FIDO
27. ___ Mountain (Pennsylvania ski resort) : SNO
29. Thirsty tot’s request : WAWA
30. Tattooist’s supply : INKS
31. Neighbor of Loire and Ain : RHONE
33. Undoing : WATERLOO
34. Like good pointers : OBEDIENT
35. Court on the court : MARGARET
36. ___-deucey : ACEY
37. “___ thou and peace may meet”: Shelley : ERE
41. Get saggy, say : AGE
43. See 25-Across : APACHE
44. Name provider : TITLER
45. Flight status : ON TIME
46. Sounded the alarm? : BEEPED
49. Compost ingredients : LOAMS
50. Opposite of industry : SLOTH
52. Tupperware stock : LIDS
53. Guinness measure : PINT
55. “Walking on Thin Ice” singer : ONO
57. División del mes : DIA

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