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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: Mike Nothnagel
THEME: There’s No WAR … all the theme answers are common expressions with the letters WAR removed:
18A. *Photogenic athlete from Cincinnati? : HANDSOME RE(WAR)D
22A. *Cozy rooms for playing? : GAME (WAR)DENS
56A. *Social gathering for auction participants? : BUYER BE(WAR)E
61A. *Diatribes from captured criminals? : ARREST (WAR)RANTS
3D. *Commercial for a private school? : ACADEMY A(WAR)D
35D. *Expose oneself to a former U.S. president? : FLASH FOR(WAR)D
COMPLETION TIME: 15m 00s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
The most famous Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England in order to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I in 1588. It failed in its mission, partly due to bad weather encountered en route. Ironically, the English mounted a similar naval attack against Spain the following year, and it failed as well.
10. Muscle car feature : T-TOP
A T-top is a car roof that has removable panels on either side of a rigid bar that runs down the center of the car above the driver.
14. What this would be to Caesar? : HIC
The Latin word for “this” is either hic (masculine). haec (feminine) or hoc (neuter).
16. Comb container : HIVE
That would be a honeycomb.
The Red Scare (anti-communist sentiment) following WWII had such an effect on the populace that it even caused the Cincinnati baseball team to change its name from the Reds. The team was called the Cincinnati Redlegs from 1953-1958, as the management was fearful of losing money due the public distrust of any association with “Reds”.
23. Tax collector, e.g. : EXACTOR
To exact is to force a payment.
29. Food made from fermented beans : MISO
Miso is the name of the seasoning that makes the soup. Basic miso seasoning is made by fermenting rice, barley and soybeans with salt and a fungus (!), to produce a paste. The paste can be added to stock to make miso soup, or perhaps to flavor tofu.
34. Company concerned with automobile history : CARFAX
Carfax is a company that supplies the history of a used vehicle to a potential buyer. The information mainly comes from motor vehicle departments, and is available to anyone. Carfax just adds a layer of convenience by producing a summary report on demand.
43. Indian city now known as Chennai : MADRAS
The government of India has been changing the names of cities since the end of British rule in 1947. Bombay was renamed to Mumbai in 1995, and Madras became Chennai a year later, in 1996.
47. NPR’s Shapiro : ARI
Ari Shapiro is the very able White House correspondent for National Public Radio.
Cate Blanchett is a great Australian actress, and winner of an Academy Award for playing Katherine Hepburn in “The Aviator”. Winning made her the first person to win an Academy Award for playing an actor that had also won an Oscar (now that, that is trivial information).
64. Stadium cheer : OLE
“Ole Ole Ole!” is chanted at soccer games by many Spanish-speaking (or -shouting) fans. I am very proud to claim that the fans of the Irish national team have adopted the chant as their own, and it can be heard practically non-stop when Ireland is playing (with some inventive melody behind it!).
65. Bank holding : LIEN
A lien is the right that one has to retain/secure someone’s property until a debt is paid.
In the excellent film “Toy Story”, Rex is of course a tyrannosaurus, and a pretty clumsy one. He is voiced by actor Wallace Shawn, whose name is perhaps less familiar than his face. He played the neighbor on “The Cosby Show” as well as many, many other supporting roles on TV and the big screen.
Down
2. Shout before a snap : HIKE
The quarterback starts each play in football with a “snap” (also called a “hike”). He announces to his teammates the exact moment of the snap by calling out signals, usually including the word “hut” one or more times in a prearranged sequence.
Ashland is the name of the plantation owned by Henry Clay, located in Lexington, Kentucky.
5. “The End of the Affair” actor, 1999 : REA
“The End of the Affair” is a largely autobiographical novel by Graham Greene. There have been a couple of movie adaptions of the book, including a 1999 Neil Jordan version starring Ralph Fiennes, Julianne Moore and Stephen Rea.
9. Mr. ___, radioactive enemy of Captain Marvel : ATOM
In the world of comics, one of Captain Marvel’s regular enemies is Mr. Atom, a radioactive robot with artificial intelligence.
10. “Hello, I Love You” band, 1968 : THE DOORS
The Doors formed in 1965 in Los Angeles. The band chose their name from a book by Aldous Huxley called “The Doors of Perception”.
Most ovens have a window in the door these days.
19. Organization that sponsors an annual Mind Games competition : MENSA
If you ever learned Latin, “mensa” was probably taught to you in lesson one as it’s the word commonly used as an example of a first declension noun. Mensa means “table”. The Mensa organization, for folks with high IQs, was set up in Oxford, England back in 1946. To become a member, you have to have an IQ that is in the top 2% of the population.
25. Cutesy, in London : TWEE
In the UK, something “twee” is cutesy or overly nice. “Twee” came from “tweet”, which is the cutesy, baby-talk way of saying “sweet”.
27. Like Type B personalities : CALM
The Type A and Type B personality theory originated in the fifties. Back then, individuals were labelled as Type A in order to emphasize a perceived increased risk of heart disease. Type A personality types are so called “stress junkies”, whereas Type B types are relaxed and laid back. But, there doesn’t seem to be much scientific evidence to support the linkage between the Type A personality and heart problems.
Sterno is a very useful product, a “jellied alcohol” that usually comes in a can. The can is opened and the contents burn very easily and persistently. The brand name “Sterno” comes from the original manufacturer, S. Sternau & Co. of Brooklyn, New York.
51. The Wildcats of the N.C.A.A. : KSU
The athletic teams of Kansas State University (KSU) are called the Wildcats. The Wildcats official “colors” are just one, Royal Purple. There are very few college teams with just one official color. As well as KSU there is Syracuse (Orange) and Harvard (Crimson).
Lew Ayres got his big break in “All Quiet On the Western Front”. Famously, he was a pacifist during WWII and served with the Medical Corps. His private life wasn’t too dull. He was married three times, Lola Lane and Ginger Rogers being wives one and two. Lew Ayres was also the man for whom actress Jane Wyman left her husband, Ronald Reagan, although that relationship did not go very far.
57. Classic Army bomber plane : B-TEN
The Martin B-10 bomber entered service in 1934. It was the first bomber to have retractable landing gear, an internal bomb bay and a powered gun turret. It was built for speed and was 50% faster than its predecessor biplane bombers, and at the time of its introduction, the B-10 was so fast it could outpace any fighter in the air.
62. San Francisco’s ___ Hill : NOB
Nob Hill is a very elevated and central location in the city of San Francisco. Because of its views of the surrounding city and environs Nob Hill became a desirable place to live for the wealthy people of the city in the 1800s. The area is still one of San Francisco’s most affluent neighborhoods, and is home to upscale hotels as well as the magnificent Grace Cathedral. The name “Nob Hill” came from the slang term for someone who is well-to-do, a “nob”.
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. “Huh …?!” : WHA
4. Fleet : ARMADA
10. Muscle car feature : T-TOP
14. What this would be to Caesar? : HIC
15. Jaded response to a movie suggestion : SEEN IT
16. Comb container : HIVE
17. Wanted poster abbr. : AKA
18. *Photogenic athlete from Cincinnati? : HANDSOME RED
20. Ceremonial presentation : MEDAL
22. *Cozy rooms for playing? : GAME DENS
23. Tax collector, e.g. : EXACTOR
26. Drifts (off) : NODS
27. “You must be joking …” : COME NOW
29. Food made from fermented beans : MISO
31. “___ hope?” : ANY
32. Drafted, with “up” : DREW
34. Company concerned with automobile history : CARFAX
38. Spring : LEAP
40. Opposite of 33-Down : PEACE
42. Bob, e.g. : SLED
43. Indian city now known as Chennai : MADRAS
45. Mount : RISE
47. NPR’s Shapiro : ARI
48. Days before : EVES
50. Yaps : TALKS ON
52. Actress Blanchett : CATE
54. What dirt may come out in : THE WASH
56. *Social gathering for auction participants? : BUYER BEE
58. Drags : PUFFS
61. *Diatribes from captured criminals? : ARREST RANTS
64. Stadium cheer : OLE
65. Bank holding : LIEN
66. Get into a habit? : ENROBE
67. Andy’s dinosaur in “Toy Story” : REX
68. Shade of green : MOSS
69. “I’m impressed” : NOT BAD
70. See 28-Down : DAY
Down
1. Pow! : WHAM
2. Shout before a snap : HIKE
3. *Commercial for a private school? : ACADEMY AD
4. Henry Clay’s historic Kentucky estate : ASHLAND
5. “The End of the Affair” actor, 1999 : REA
6. Playing pieces : MEN
7. “Start … now!” : AND GO
8. Neutralize, as a bomb : DISARM
9. Mr. ___, radioactive enemy of Captain Marvel : ATOM
10. “Hello, I Love You” band, 1968 : THE DOORS
11. Shopworn : TIRED
12. Kitchen window sites? : OVENS
13. Walkers, in brief : PEDS
19. Organization that sponsors an annual Mind Games competition : MENSA
21. Let go : AXE
24. Halloween costume, maybe : CORPSE
25. Cutesy, in London : TWEE
27. Like Type B personalities : CALM
28. With 70-Across, vitamin bottle phrase : ONE A
30. Winter fishing tool : ICE SAW
33. What’s broken out of the answers to the starred clues? : WAR
35. *Expose oneself to a former U.S. president? : FLASH FORD
36. Prefix with -naut : AERO
37. Marked, as a questionnaire box : X’D IN
39. Much of Nickelodeon’s target audience : PRETEENS
41. Reference : CITE
44. States : AVERS
46. Passed : ELAPSED
49. Caterer’s supply : STERNO
51. The Wildcats of the N.C.A.A. : KSU
52. ___ cabinet : CURIO
53. 1948 Best Actor nominee for “Johnny Belinda” : AYRES
55. Gift from the Wizard of Oz that’s really a clock : HEART
56. Lip ___ : BALM
57. Classic Army bomber plane : B-TEN
59. Pet peeve? : FLEA
60. Hot : SEXY
62. San Francisco’s ___ Hill : NOB
63. Not yet determined: Abbr. : TBA