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
CROSSWORD SETTER: Michael Callaway Barnhart
THEME: 21 … all of the theme answers relate to the number twenty-one:
17A. “Twenty-One” : TV GAME SHOW
24A. 2100 : NINE O’CLOCK
35A. 21 : DRINKING AGE
51A. “21 ___” : JUMP STREET
59A. Twenty-ones : BLACKJACKS
COMPLETION TIME: 15m 00s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Anoint with sacred oil, old-style : ANELE
“Anele” is archaic term used in some Christian traditions meaning to anoint, and in particular applies to the anointing of a person on his or her deathbed.
10. Physics Nobelist Victor who discovered cosmic radiation : HESS
Victor Hess was the physicist who discovered cosmic rays, winning him the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1936. Up until Hess did his experiments, it was believed that the ionizing radiation in the atmosphere originated from the Earth. Hess took measurements himself in a balloon at various altitudes (incurring some personal risk) and showed that the radiation did indeed decrease up to about 1km, but then started to increase again as the atmosphere thinned. This showed that we experience radiation at ground level that originates in outer space, a radiation later termed “cosmic rays”.
14. Painter Magritte and others : RENES
Belgian artist Rene Magritte was a surrealist. His most recognized work maybe is “The Son of Man”, a painting he created as a self-portrait. It is the one that shows a man in a bowler hat with his face covered by an apple, and features prominently in the great movie, the 1999 remake of “The Thomas Crown Affair”.
15. Where the Storting parliament sits : OSLO
The Storting is the Norwegian parliament, located in the capital of Oslo. The Storting differs in structure from say the US Congress and the British Parliament in that is “unicameral”, has only one legislative chamber.
17. “Twenty-One” : TV GAME SHOW
“Twenty One” (note the lack of a hyphen) is a TV game show from the fifties. Famously, it was discovered that “Twenty One” was a rigged game, with the audience favorite Charles Van Doren (and others) being fed the answers ahead of time. The whole scandal was the inspiration for the 1994 movie “Quiz Show” in which Ralph Fiennes played Van Doren.
19. Colorado feeder : GILA
The Gila River is a tributary of the Colorado and flows through New Mexico and Arizona. From 1848 to 1853 the Gila marked part of the border between the US and Mexico.
20. First American magazine to excerpt “Moby-Dick” : HARPER’S
Herman Melville’s classic novel “Moby-Dick” was first published in London, in 1851, in a three-volume edition. A month later it was published as a single volume in the US by Harper & Brothers. Around the same time, Harper & Brothers published excerpts in their new magazine “Harper’s Magazine” (launched in 1850).
23. Son of Saddam : UDAY
Saddam Hussein had two sons, and three daughters, by his first marriage. His eldest son was Uday, and the Uday’s younger brother was Qusay. The two brothers were killed by US forces in 2003. In the famous “most-wanted Iraqi playing cards”, Uday was the Ace of Hearts and Qusay the Ace of Clubs.
24. 2100 : NINE O’CLOCK
The 24-hour clock is the most common type of notation for time in the world, but the 12-hour clock persists in a few major countries including Australia, Canada, India, and of course the US. Personally, I have everything set to the 24-hour clock as it helps me manage the time differences especially when I am calling family in Ireland.
29. Party planner, for short? : POL
“Pol” is an informal term for a politician.
33. ___ de mer : MAL
“Mal de mer” is French for sea-sickness.
35. 21 : DRINKING AGE
The drinking age in the US is defined by state, however, the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 in effect sets the standard across the country at 21. If any state chooses to allow drinking at an age below 21, it loses revenue from the federal government.
40. Hall-of-Fame QB Dawson : LEN
Len Dawson is a retired AFL-NFL quarterback, who played for the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs.
41. 32-card game : ECARTE
Écarté is a card game that comes to us from France, with a name that translates into ‘discarded”. It is a game like whist, but is played with a stripped-down deck.
50. Georgia’s capital, in slang : A-TOWN
There are quite a few cities nicknamed “A-Town”, but most commonly in the US it refers to Atlanta, Georgia.
51. “21 ___” : JUMP STREET
“21 Jump Street” is a crime drama series that aired in the late eighties and early nineties. Star of the show was Johnny Depp. Depp’s career took off while he was still under contract to the show’s producer’s, so he worked at a relatively low rate of pay until he was able to exit at the end of the fourth season.
55. 1950s tennis champion Gibson : ALTHEA
Althea Gibson was known as “the Jackie Robinson of tennis” as she broke the “color barrier”, and became the first African-American woman to win a Grand Slam title, in France in 1956. She was quite the athlete and was a great golfer as well as tennis player. She was the first African-American woman to play in the Ladies PGA tour, although she never had a win. Outside of sport, she sang a little, and recorded an album, and even appeared in a movie (“The Horse Soldiers”) with John Wayne and William Holden. Sadly, towards the end of her life she ended up destitute and on welfare. When her plight was made known in a tennis magazine, well-wishers from all over the world sent her gifts of money, a total of nearly one million dollars. Quite a story …
56. “Great” Catherine, for one : TSARINA
Catherine the Great was never expected to rule the Russian Empire. She was the wife of Tsar Peter III, who was assassinated after holding office for only six months. There were some dissent in the country about Catherine ruling instead of her son, especially when he was old enough to do so. But rule she did, very successfully, until she died at 73 years of age.
58. Former Italian P.M. Aldo : MORO
Aldo Moro was Prime Minister of Italy from 1963 to 1968, and again from 1974 to 1976. In 1978 Moro was kidnapped in Rome by a militant communist group called the Red Brigades and was held for 54 days. Many high level dignitaries attempted to intercede, including Pope Paul VI who even offered himself in exchange for Moro. The Italian government refused to negotiate, and refused to accede to the kidnapper’s demands. Moro was shot 11 times in the chest, and his body left in a parked car.
59. Twenty-ones : BLACKJACKS
The game of “twenty-one” was first referred to in a book by Cervantes, the author famous for writing “Don Quixote”. He called the game “ventiuna” (Spanish for “twenty-one”). Cervantes wrote his story just after the year 1600, so the game has been around at least since then. Twenty-one came to the US but it wasn’t all that popular so bonus payments were introduced to create more interest. One of the more attractive bonuses was a ten-to-one payout to a player who was dealt an ace of spades and a black jack. This bonus led to the game adopting the moniker “Blackjack”.
62. ___ Lysacek, 2010 Olympic figure skating gold medalist : EVAN
Evan Lysacek is a US figure skater, the 2009 world champion, and the 2010 Olympic champion. You might have seen Lysacek on “Dancing with the Stars”, on which he placed second.
63. One of the Three B’s : BACH
The “Three Bs” of classical music are Johannes Brahms, Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven.
Like so many of the great composers, the extent of Bach’s contribution to the repertoire wasn’t fully recognized until long after his passing. Johann Sebastian Bach was undoubtedly the greatest composer of the Baroque period, and is ranked by many as the greatest classical composer of all time.
Johann Sebastian Bach raised a very musical family. He had four sons who became famous musicians in their own right. They were:
– Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (aka “the Halle Bach:)
– Carl Philipp Bach (aka “the Hamburg Bach”)
– Johann Chrisptoph Bach (aka “the Buckeberg Bach”)
– Johann Christian Bach (aka “the London Bach”)
64. Allan-___, Robin Hood companion : A-DALE
According to the legend of Robin Hood, Alan-a-Dale was a member of Robin’s outlaw band of Merry Men. Based on the legend, Alan-a-Dale was a wandering minstrel.
65. Alcoholic beverage often served warm : SAKE
We refer to the Japanese alcoholic beverage made from rice as “sake”. We’ve gotten things a bit mixed up in the West. “Sake” is actually the word that the Japanese use for all alcoholic drinks.
66. Where there are “many ways to have a good time,” in a 1978 hit : YMCA
Seeing as “YMCA” was released by the Village People, it has been adopted as an anthem by the gay community. The song was written by Victor Willis, a straight member of the band, and he clarifies that the lyrics are extolling the virtues of the “YMCA” as a source of recreation for black, urban youth. I think he might have been winking when he said that.
67. Took back the top spot : RELED
Reled … led again.
Down
1. King ___ court : ARTHUR’S
King Arthur probably never really existed, but his legend is very persistent. He was supposedly a leader of the Romano-British as they tried to resist the invasion of the Anglo-Saxons in the late 5th and early 6th centuries.
2. Resident of one of only seven states with no income tax : NEVADAN
If you want to live somewhere without state income tax, then your choices are Washington, Nevada, Alaska, Texas, Florida, Wyoming or South Dakota.
4. 1984, e.g. : LEAP YEAR
I wasn’t sure of the true origin of the term “leap year”, and when I checked I found it to be fairly obvious. As a reference, let’s use March 25, 2009, a Wednesday. The year before in 2008, March 25th fell one weekday earlier on a Tuesday, following the rule that each year any particular date moves forward in the week by one day. However, the next year (2010) has an extra day, February 29th. So March 25, 2010 falls on a Friday, “leaping” two weekdays forward, not one, as 2010 is a “leap” year. I think I am more confused now then when I started this paragraph …
5. Salinger girl : ESME
J. D. Salinger wrote a short story called “For Esme – with Love and Squalor”, originally published in “The New Yorker” in 1950. It is a story about a young English girl called Esma and an American soldier, set in WWII.
7. Parliament residue : ASH
The Parliament brand of cigarettes has been produced by Philip Morris, since 1931.
10. Bargain : HAGGLE
Our word “haggle” meaning to argue about the price, originally meant “to cut unevenly”.
11. “Sense and Sensibility” sister : ELINOR
Elinor Dashwood is the delightful main character in Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility”. She is played by Emma Thompson in my favorite adaptation of the story, the 1995 movie directed by Ang Lee.
12. Bond film “Quantum of ___” : SOLACE
In addition to the James Bond series of novels, Ian Fleming wrote a collection of “Bond” short stories called “For Your Eyes Only”. “Quantum of Solace” was one of those stories, although the written plot bears no resemblance to the movie’s screenplay.
22. Freud’s “I” : ICH
Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist, and founder of the psychoanalytic school of psychiatry. His native language was German, and so he used “Ich” to say “I”.
26. Style : ELAN
Our word “élan” was imported from French, in which the word has a similar meaning, “style” or “flair”.
32. Wiig gig, for short : SNL
Kristen Wiig is a comic actress who appears on “Saturday Night Live”. She also made an appearance on the first season of Spike TV’s quirky “The Joe Schmo Show”, playing “Dr. Pat”.
36. Steve ___, 1990s teammate of Michael Jordan : KERR
Steve Kerr is a retired NBA basketball player, and is now the General Manager of the Phoenix Suns. Kerr was born in Beirut, Lebanon, the son of an American academic who specialized in Middle East studies. Kerr’s father was assassinated by militant nationalists in Beirut when Steve was 19 years old.
37. 30-Across, in Mexico : ACA
“Aca” is Spanish for “here”.
38. Product pitched by Michael Jordan : GATORADE
Gatorade was developed at the University of Florida by a team of researchers at the request of the school’s football team. And so, Gatorade is named after the Gators football team.
39. Blue : EROTICAL
“Erotical” is a word, I guess … sounds like a melding of “erotic” and “tickle”!!
44. Watchmaker with the first U.S. TV commercial, 1941 : BULOVA
The world’s first television commercial aired on July 1, 1941 before a baseball game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies. It was aired on the New York station WNBT, and Bulova paid $4 to have their products advertised.
45. Acela Express operator : AMTRAK
The Acela Express is the fastest train routinely running in the US, getting up to 150 mph at times. The service runs between Boston and Washington D.C. via Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York. The brand name “Acela” was created to evoke “acceleration” and “excellence”.
46. “There’s an app for that” device : IPHONE
Apple started selling the iPhone at 6 pm local time on June 29, 2007, with hundreds of customers lined up outside stores all over the world. Not me. I use a pay-as-you-go phone from T-Mobile, that cost me less than $45 for calls and text (including to Ireland) for the whole of last year …
47. Mao ___-tung : TSE
Mao Zedong was burn on December 16, 1893 in the Hunan Province of China. As he was the son of a peasant farmer, his prospects for education were limited. Indeed he left school at 13 to work on the family farm but did eventually get to secondary school in Changsa, the provincial capital. In the years following he continued his education further in Beijing, and actually turned down an opportunity to study in France.
49. The Stylistics’ “___ By Golly, Wow” : BETCHA
The Stylistics are a Philadelphia soul group that were very big in the seventies. Their biggest hit was “You Make Me Feel Brand New” from 1974.
57. Slightly open : AJAR
Our word “ajar” is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which “a char” means “slightly open”.
60. Flight : LAM
To be “on the lam” is to be in flight, to have escaped from prison. It is American slang that originated at the end of the 19th century. The word “lam” also means to “beat” or “thrash”, as in “lambaste”. So “on the lam” might derive from the phrase “to beat it”, to scram.
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Anoint with sacred oil, old-style : ANELE
6. Cause of a scar : GASH
10. Physics Nobelist Victor who discovered cosmic radiation : HESS
14. Painter Magritte and others : RENES
15. Where the Storting parliament sits : OSLO
16. Heaps : A LOT
17. “Twenty-One” : TV GAME SHOW
19. Colorado feeder : GILA
20. First American magazine to excerpt “Moby-Dick” : HARPER’S
21. Wink, e.g. : SIGNAL
23. Son of Saddam : UDAY
24. 2100 : NINE O’CLOCK
27. Awards four stars, say : RAVES
29. Party planner, for short? : POL
30. In no other place : HERE
31. Tennis shoes, informally : SNEAKS
33. ___ de mer : MAL
35. 21 : DRINKING AGE
40. Hall-of-Fame QB Dawson : LEN
41. 32-card game : ECARTE
44. Setup for a switch : BAIT
48. Fighter in gray : REB
50. Georgia’s capital, in slang : A-TOWN
51. “21 ___” : JUMP STREET
54. Suffix with psych- : -OTIC
55. 1950s tennis champion Gibson : ALTHEA
56. “Great” Catherine, for one : TSARINA
58. Former Italian P.M. Aldo : MORO
59. Twenty-ones : BLACKJACKS
62. ___ Lysacek, 2010 Olympic figure skating gold medalist : EVAN
63. One of the Three B’s : BACH
64. Allan-___, Robin Hood companion : A-DALE
65. Alcoholic beverage often served warm : SAKE
66. Where there are “many ways to have a good time,” in a 1978 hit : YMCA
67. Took back the top spot : RELED
Down
1. King ___ court : ARTHUR’S
2. Resident of one of only seven states with no income tax : NEVADAN
3. Made an impression on? : ENGRAVED
4. 1984, e.g. : LEAP YEAR
5. Salinger girl : ESME
6. Rumors and such : GOSSIP
7. Parliament residue : ASH
8. Pavement warning : SLO
9. “In what way?” : HOW SO
10. Bargain : HAGGLE
11. “Sense and Sensibility” sister : ELINOR
12. Bond film “Quantum of ___” : SOLACE
13. Follow closely : STALK
18. It follows directions : -ERN
22. Freud’s “I” : ICH
25. Oscar hopeful : NOMINEE
26. Style : ELAN
28. Take to the slopes : SKI
32. Wiig gig, for short : SNL
34. Big: Abbr. : LGE
36. Steve ___, 1990s teammate of Michael Jordan : KERR
37. 30-Across, in Mexico : ACA
38. Product pitched by Michael Jordan : GATORADE
39. Blue : EROTICAL
42. What stars do : TWINKLE
43. Boxed in : ENCASED
44. Watchmaker with the first U.S. TV commercial, 1941 : BULOVA
45. Acela Express operator : AMTRAK
46. “There’s an app for that” device : IPHONE
47. Mao ___-tung : TSE
49. The Stylistics’ “___ By Golly, Wow” : BETCHA
51. “Bond, ___ Bond” : JAMES
52. Housecat : TABBY
53. “For shame!” : TSK
57. Slightly open : AJAR
60. Flight : LAM
61. Duke’s athletic org. : ACC