0404-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 4 Apr 11, Monday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today’s crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today’s SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications

CROSSWORD SETTER: Lynn Lempel
THEME: Body Part Rhymes … all the theme answers are body parts with a word following that rhymes:

17A. Mass exodus of expertise : BRAIN DRAIN
25A. Hiker’s carryall : BACKPACK
37A. Upside-down maneuver : HANDSTAND
53A. Salon work : HAIRCARE
63A. Recommended by cardiologists : HEART SMART

COMPLETION TIME: 5m 39s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0


Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
Eugene V. Debs: Trade Unionist Socialist Revolutio1. U.S. labor leader Eugene : DEBS
Eugene V. Debs was an American union leader who ran as a candidate for US President in 5 elections from 1900 through 1920. Debs was a dedicated socialist and ran as a member of the Social Democratic Party, and later the Socialist Party of America.

5. Hamlet and Ophelia, by nationality : DANES
The full title of William Shakespeare’s play that we tend to call “Hamlet” is “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark”. It is the most performed of all Shakespeare’s plays and it is also his longest, comprising a full five acts.

In William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, Ophelia is courted by Hamlet, the man himself.

14. Lobbying org. for seniors : AARP
AARP is the official name now for the interest group that used to be called “The American Association of Retired Persons”. The name change reflects the current focus of the group on all Americans aged 50 or over, as opposed to just people who have retired. The AARP was founded by Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus in 1958 and is a successor to the National Retired Teachers Association, also founded by Andrus over ten years earlier.

17. Mass exodus of expertise : BRAIN DRAIN
The term “brain drain”, meaning the emigration of scientists and technologists, was first coined in the UK by the Royal Society in the late 1940s. The expression was used to describe the mass exodus of technical experts from post-war Europe to North America. Other related terms have since been used, such as brain gain (mass influx of technologists) and brain waste (mass unemployment of technologists).

Reprint Sir Thomas Lipton, three-quarters standing 190021. Lipton drink : TEA
Sir Thomas Lipton was a grocer in Glasgow, Scotland. He founded a tea packing company in North America in 1893, in Hoboken, New Jersey, and was very successful as his blends of tea became popular in the US. Despite the Lipton roots in the UK, Lipton black tea isn’t available there, so I’ve always thought of it as an American brand.

Schleich Great White Shark23. Part of a shark seen above the water : FIN
Shark finning is a cruel fishing practice driven by the demand for Chinese shark fin soup. Millions of sharks every year are captured, have their fins sliced off at sea and are then thrown back into the ocean still alive. The mutilated sharks don’t last very long and are usually eaten because they cannot maneuver very easily without their dorsal fins.

24. Golf’s ___ Cup : RYDER
The Ryder Cup trophy was donated by Samuel Ryder, an English entrepreneur. Ryder made his money selling garden seeds in small packets. He only took up golf in his fifties but became quite the enthusiast, eventually donating the trophy in 1927, when it was valued at 100 guineas.

TETON Sports Scout3400 Internal Frame Backpack (Mecca Orange)25. Hiker’s carryall : BACKPACK
A backpack is also known as a knapsack, or rucksack.

“Knapsack” is a Low German word for a bag with straps designed to be carried on the back. The word “knapsack” probably comes from the German verb “knappen” meaning “to eat”.

“Rucksack” is a word used for a backpack, mainly in the UK but also in the US Army, I believe. It derives from the German “Rücken” meaning “back, and “Sack” meaning “bag”.

Clemson Spineless Okra - 50 Seeds - BONUS PACK!28. Gumbo vegetable : OKRA
Gumbo is a type of stew or soup that originated in Louisiana. The primary ingredient can be meat or fish, but to be true gumbo it must include the “holy trinity” of vegetables, namely celery, bell peppers and onion. Okra used to be a requirement, but this is no longer the case. In fact, okra gave the dish its name, as the vernacular name for the African vegetable is “okingumbo”.

34. Charged particles : IONS
As we all recall from science class, a positive ion is called a cation, and a negative ion an anion. The names “cation” and “anion come from Greek, with “kation” meaning “going down”, and “anion” meaning “going up”.

ENYA 20X24 COLOR PHOTO50. One-named Irish Grammy winner : ENYA
Enya’s real name is Eithne Patricia Ni Braonain, which can translate from the Irish into Enya Brennan. Her Donegal family (in the northwest of Ireland) formed a band called Clannad, which included Enya. In 1980 Enya launched her very successful solo career. She sure does turn up a lot in crosswords!

52. ___ v. Wade : ROE
Roe v. Wade was decided in a US District Court in Texas in 1970, and reached the Supreme Court on appeal. The basic decision by the Supreme Court was that a woman’s constitutional right to privacy applied to an abortion, but that this right had to be balanced with a state’s interest in protecting an unborn child, and a mother’s health. The Court further defined that the state’s interest became stronger with each trimester of a pregnancy. So, in the first trimester, the woman’s right to privacy outweighed any state interest. In the second trimester, the state’s interest in maternal health was deemed to be strong enough to allow state regulation of abortion for the sake of the mother. In the third trimester, the viability of the fetus dictated that the state’s interest in the unborn child came into play, so states could regulate or prohibit abortions, except in cases where the mother’s life was in danger. I’m no lawyer, but that’s my understanding of the initial Supreme Court decision …

66. Distinctive style : ELAN
Our word “élan” was imported from French, in which language the word has a similar meaning, “style” or “flair”.

Estée Lauder: Doyenne of Beauty (Titans of Fortune)67. Cosmetician Lauder : ESTEE
Estée Lauder was quite the successful business woman, with a personal reputation as a great sales person. She introduced her own line of fragrances starting in 1953, a bath oil called “Youth Dew”. “Youth Dew” was marketed as a perfume, but it was added to bath water. All of a sudden women were pouring whole bottles of Ms. Lauder’s “perfume” into their baths, while using only a drop or two of French perfumes behind their ears. That’s quite a difference in sales volume …

68. Water, in Juárez : AGUA
The Mexican city sitting across the border from El Paso is more correctly called Ciudad Juárez. Juárez used to be called El Paso del Norte (the North Pass). It was to be the younger settlement on the northern side of the Rio Grande which would retain the “El Paso” name.

Down
1. Smidgen : DAB
Our word “smidgen”, meaning a small amount, might come from the Scots word “smitch” that means the same thing or “a small insignificant person”.

Learn How to Do: Cornrows3. In cornrows : BRAIDED
The traditional African American braids known as a cornrows can also be called “crows”, a shortened version of the original term. The style was imported into the US from Africa.

General Ulysses S. Grant Mouse Pad7. Org. that sticks to its guns? : NRA
The NRA is the National Rifle Association, an organization that has been around since 1871. The group has had some celebrity presidents, including US President Ulysses S. Grant. It’s often said that the NRA is the most powerful lobbying group in Washington.

8. Argentina-based musical : EVITA
“Evita” was the follow-up musical to “Jesus Christ Superstar” for composer Andrew Lloyd Weber and lyricist Tim Rice. Both of these works were originally released as album musicals, and very successful ones at that (I remember buying them when they first came out in the seventies).

9. Iroquois tribe for which one of the Finger Lakes is named : SENECA
When I first moved to the US I came to Upstate New York, and was lucky enough to live near the beautiful Finger Lakes. The largest of the eleven lakes is Seneca Lake, one of the deepest bodies of water in the United States. My wife and I visited the Finger Lakes region in 2010 and stopped at one of the best wineries in the area and frankly were blown away by the quality of the wines available. Coming from California it’s very refreshing to taste great wines that are made without the benefit of irrigation.

11. Chatty discussions : CONFABS
“Confab”, meaning “chat” is a shortened form of “confabulation”. The word “confabulation” derives from the Latin from “com” (together) and “fabula” (a tale). “Fabula” is also the root of our word “fable”.

18. Tyrannical Roman emperor : NERO
The Great Fire of Rome raged for five and a half days in 64 AD. Of the fourteen districts of Rome, three were completely destroyed, and seven more suffered serious damage. The emperor at the time was of course Nero, although reports that he fiddled, played his lyre or sang while the city burned; those accounts are probably not true. In fact, Nero was staying outside of Rome when the fire started, and rushed home on hearing the news. He organized a massive relief effort, throwing open his own home to give shelter to many of the citizens who were left living on the street.

22. Ohio tire city : AKRON
For part of the 1800s, Akron, Ohio was the fasting growing city in the country, feeding off the industrial boom at that era. The city was founded in 1825 and its location, along the Ohio and Erie canal connecting Lake Erie with the Ohio River, helped to fuel Akron’s growth. Akron sits at the highest point of the canal and the name “Akron” comes from the Greek word meaning “summit”. Indeed, Akron is the county seat of Summit County.

25. Gaelic spirit whose wailing portends death : BANSHEE
A banshee is a female spirit in Irish mythology, from the Irish “bean sidhe” meaning “woman of the fairy mounds”. The banshee is supposedly heard wailing in the night, especially when someone is about to die.

National Geographic Readers: Pandas26. “Bear” that’s not really a bear : PANDA
Taxonomic classification of the giant panda has been a subject of great debate for years, the main question being whether it belongs to the bear or raccoon family. The accepted opinion these days, based on molecular studies, seems to be that the panda is in fact a true bear.

38. Org. that runs shelters for dogs and cats : ASPCA
Unlike in other countries, there is no “umbrella” society in the US with the goal of preventing cruelty to animals. Instead there are independent organizations set up all over the nation using the name SPCA. Having said that, there is an American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) that was originally intended to operate across the country, but really it focuses its efforts in New York City.

41. Language of Kenya : SWAHILI
Swahili is indeed a widespread language in Africa, but only 5-10 million people speak it as their native language. But there are a lot more speakers than those who use it as a native tongue as Swahili is also the national, official language of at least four countries: Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Also, within much of East Africa, Swahili is often spoken as the common language (lingua franca) between people who have different native tongues.

2009 TRISTAR Obak #97 John Heisman - ATLANTA CRACKERS (MULTI-SPORT)(Baseball Cards)42. Trophy for a great college gridder : HEISMAN
The Heisman Trophy is awarded to the most outstanding college football player each season. The trophy was first awarded in 1935, and the following year was given the name Heisman after the death of John Heisman, a noted college football player and football director.

45. When bronze was supplanted in toolmaking : IRON AGE
Ancient societies can be classified by the “three-age system”, which depends on the prevalence of materials used to make tools. The three ages are:

– The Stone Age
– The Iron Age
– The Bronze Age

The actual dates defined by each age depend on the society, as the timing of the transition from the use of one material to another varied across the globe.

Organic Lavender Sachet - Scent Lingerie and Linen with the Soothing Smell of Lavender. Calming and Relaxing! In 4" X 6" Organza Bag. Great Spring-Is-Coming Gift!49. Scented bag in a dresser drawer : SACHET
A sachet is a small packet of perfumed powder left in perhaps a closet or trunk to scent clothes. The word “sachet” is a diminutive of the French word “sac” meaning “bag”.

Teammates54. Pee Wee who befriended Jackie Robinson : REESE
Pee Wee Reese met Jackie Robinson after he was signed to the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. As Reese tells the story, when he greeted Robinson it was the first time he had shaken hands with a black man. In those early days, life was difficult for Robinson, and Reese made himself very visible as a friend, supporting the breaking down of racial barriers despite very vocal opposition.

59. City near Provo : OREM
Orem, Utah was originally known as Sharon (the Biblical name), and then Provo Bench, and in 1914 it was given the family name of a local railroad operator, Orem.

60. Tribe once in the Provo area : UTES
The Ute are a group of American Indian tribes that now reside in Utah and Colorado. The Ute were not a unified group as such, but rather a loose association of nomadic tribes.

62. Language of Kenya: Abbr. : ENG
Kenya has two official languages, Swahili and English. English is in use as the British were the colonial power in Kenya for decades.

65. Small amount : TAD
Back in the 1800s a “tad” was used to describe a young child, and this morphed into our usage meaning a small amount in the early 1900s. The original use of tad for a child is very likely a shortened version of “tadpole”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. U.S. labor leader Eugene : DEBS
5. Hamlet and Ophelia, by nationality : DANES
10. Bank no. : ACCT
14. Lobbying org. for seniors : AARP
15. Pep : VERVE
16. Like unripe apples : SOUR
17. Mass exodus of expertise : BRAIN DRAIN
19. Opposed : ANTI
20. “In just this way” : LIKE SO
21. Lipton drink : TEA
23. Part of a shark seen above the water : FIN
24. Golf’s ___ Cup : RYDER
25. Hiker’s carryall : BACKPACK
27. Sock part : TOE
28. Gumbo vegetable : OKRA
31. Good for farming : ARABLE
32. Discontinues : ENDS
34. Charged particles : IONS
36. Beginning : ONSET
37. Upside-down maneuver : HANDSTAND
40. Fireplace residue : ASHES
43. Avoid : SHUN
44. Feels lousy : AILS
48. Wins every game in a series : SWEEPS
50. One-named Irish Grammy winner : ENYA
52. ___ v. Wade : ROE
53. Salon work : HAIRCARE
55. Biological duplicate : CLONE
57. Sighing sounds : AHS
58. Top-notch : ACE
59. Pleasant excursion : OUTING
61. Performer who doesn’t say a word : MIME
63. Recommended by cardiologists : HEART SMART
66. Distinctive style : ELAN
67. Cosmetician Lauder : ESTEE
68. Water, in Juárez : AGUA
69. Tiny bell sound : DING
70. Swarms (with) : TEEMS
71. Transmit : SEND

Down
1. Smidgen : DAB
2. Toward the beginning : EARLY ON
3. In cornrows : BRAIDED
4. Really high heel : SPIKE
5. VHS tape displacers : DVDS
6. Aviation-related prefix : AERO-
7. Org. that sticks to its guns? : NRA
8. Argentina-based musical : EVITA
9. Iroquois tribe for which one of the Finger Lakes is named : SENECA
10. Quick ___ flash : AS A
11. Chatty discussions : CONFABS
12. Manicurist’s target : CUTICLE
13. Doodad : TRINKET
18. Tyrannical Roman emperor : NERO
22. Ohio tire city : AKRON
24. Road no. : RTE
25. Gaelic spirit whose wailing portends death : BANSHEE
26. “Bear” that’s not really a bear : PANDA
29. Relatives : KIN
30. Curtain hangers : RODS
33. See-through : SHEER
35. Stupefy : STUN
38. Org. that runs shelters for dogs and cats : ASPCA
39. Unspecified number : ANY
40. Conscience-stricken : ASHAMED
41. Language of Kenya : SWAHILI
42. Trophy for a great college gridder : HEISMAN
45. When bronze was supplanted in toolmaking : IRON AGE
46. Period extending well into the future : LONG RUN
47. Visualize : SEE
49. Scented bag in a dresser drawer : SACHET
51. Is in a play : ACTS
54. Pee Wee who befriended Jackie Robinson : REESE
56. Some beans, informally : LIMAS
59. City near Provo : OREM
60. Tribe once in the Provo area : UTES
62. Language of Kenya: Abbr. : ENG
64. Gobbled down : ATE
65. Small amount : TAD

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