0506-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 6 May 11, Friday

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Solution to today’s crossword in the New York Times
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CROSSWORD SETTER: Natan Last
THEME: None
COMPLETION TIME: 16m 38s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0


Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Gold watches, e.g. : BLING-BLING
Bling-bling is the name given to all the shiny stuff sported by rap stars in particular i.e. the jewelry, watches, metallic cell phones, even gold caps on the teeth. The term comes from the supposed “bling” sound caused by light striking a shiny metal surface.

15. Cause of slacking off at school : SENIORITIS
Senioritis is the colloquial name given to the tendency of some senior students to lose motivation to study as they come near to the end of perhaps high school or college careers.

17. Boardwalk buy : ITALIAN ICE
A sno-cone (also “snow cone”) is just a paper cone filled with crushed ice and topped with flavored water. Italian ice is similar, but different. Whereas the flavoring is added on top of the ice to make a sno-cone, Italian ice is made with water that is flavored before it is frozen.

18. Iris holder : UVEA
The uvea is the middle of the three layers that make up the eyeball.

Dancing on the Ceiling: Stanley Donen and his Movies19. “Singin’ in the Rain” co-director : DONEN
Stanley Donen was the co-director of the 1952 musical “Singin’ in the Rain”, directing alongside the film’s star, Gene Kelly. Donen also directed another great dance classic, 1951’s “Royal Wedding”, where famously he had Fred Astaire dancing on the ceiling. Decades later, when Lionel Richie released his song “Dancing on the Ceiling”, it was Stanley Donen who directed the 1986 music video.

22. Chemical suffix : -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).

Disney ''Treats for Fifi'' Minnie and Mickey Mouse Figurine by Dept. 5623. Minnie Mouse’s dog : FIFI
Minnie and Mickie were both introduced to the world in 1928. Minnie was originally known as Minerva, and sometimes still is.

Now26. Linda of Broadway : EDER
Linda Eder is a singer and actress. She came to public attention when she won the television talent show “Star Search” for a record 13 weeks in a row. I’ve never heard of her. I know, I lead a sheltered life …

27. Japanese port : KOBE
Kobe is a city on the island of Honshu in Japan, and yes, basketball star Kobe Bryant is named after the Japanese city.

35. “The moon is ___; I have not heard the clock”: “Macbeth” : DOWN
“The moon is down; I have not heard the clock” comes from Act II, Scene I of Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth”. John Steinbeck used the line as a title to his novella published in 1942, “The Moon is Down”. The Steinbeck work is a propaganda piece sponsored by the OSS during WWII. It was so successful in enthusing resistance in occupied Europe that Steinbeck was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Lindberg 1:25 scale Dodge Dakota Sport43. Dodge trucks : DAKOTAS
Dodge has been making Dakota pickup trucks since 1986. The name “dakota” means “friend” in the Sioux language.

46. Pond youngsters : EFTS
Newts wouldn’t be my favorite animals. They are found all over the world, living on land or in the water depending on the species, but always associated with water even if it is only for breeding. Newts metamorphose through three distinct developmental stages during their lives. They start off as larvae in water, fertilized eggs that often cling to aquatic plants, unlike the eggs of frogs and toads which float freely. The eggs hatch into tadpoles, the first developmental form of the newt. After living some months as tadpoles swimming around in the water, they undergo another metamorphosis, sprouting legs and replacing their external gills with lungs. At this juvenile stage they are known as efts, and leave the water to live on land. A more gradual transition takes place then, as the eft takes on the lizard-like appearance of the adult newt.

47. She punished Echo : HERA
In Greek mythology, Hera was the wife of Zeus and was noted for her jealousy and vengeful nature, particularly against those who vied for the affections of her husband. The equivalent character in Roman mythology was Juno.

Walk Away48. Kelly Clarkson’s record label : RCA
Apparently singer Kelly Clarkson was the first winner of “American Idol”.

51. Nowheresville : TIMBUKTU
The Republic of Mali is a landlocked country in western Africa, south of Algeria. The country’s most famous city is … Timbuktu. And the remoteness of Timbuktu is behind it becoming a metaphor for any distant and outlandish location.

60. Indiana town that’s home to the International Circus Hall of Fame : PERU
Peru, Indiana was chosen as the site for the International Circus Hall of Fame as it was the traditional winter headquarters for many famous circus shows including Ringling Bothers and Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.

Ida Tarbell: Portrait of a Muckraker61. Exposer of Standard Oil during the Progressive era : IDA TARBELL
Ida Tarbell was a teacher and what we would call today an “investigative journalist”, although back in her day she was known as a “muckraker”. Her most famous work is her 1904 book “The History of the Standard Oil Company”. This exposé is credited with hastening the breakup of John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil in 1911.

62. Desde Madrid a Mallorca : ESTE
Desde Madrid a Mallorca (from Madrid to Mallorca) one travels almost due east (este).

The Island of Majorca (Isla Mallorca) is Spain’s largest island, and is located in the Mediterranean Sea. The population of the island ballooned over the past few decades as it became a mecca for tourists from all over Europe.

Images of the BeatlesDown
1. “Revolution” or “P.S. I Love You” : B-SIDE
The recording and release of the Beatles song “Revolution” was very much driven by John Lennon. John was by then in a committed relationship with Yoko Ono, and well into the “revolutionary” phase of his life. One interesting thing to note about the original recording is the “scream” right at the start of the song. This had to come from Paul rather than John, because John couldn’t catch his breath after the scream in time to start into the song’s lyrics.

“P.S. I Love You” was recorded by the Beatles way back in 1962. On the recording, Ringo Starr is playing the maracas, not the drums. A session musician played the drums, replacing Pete Best who had just been fired by Brian Epstein. Ringo hadn’t yet been “anointed” as Best’s replacement.

The Pursuit of Victory: The Life and Achievement of Horatio Nelson4. Lord Nelson, the Hero of the ___ : NILE
Lord Nelson was known as the Hero of the Nile after his decisive victory over the French at the Battle of the Nile in 1798.

Admiral Horatio Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar was HMS Victory. The battle was a decisive win for the British during the Napoleonic Wars, fought against the combined fleets of France and Spain. Nelson was fatally wounded by a marksman from one of the French ships, but as he was conscious he continued to monitor the battle, dying three hours after he was shot. Nelson was much revered by his crew, who felt that his body had to be returned to England. The body was placed in a barrel full of brandy, and the barrel lashed to the mainmast of the Victory and placed under guard. The damaged flagship was towed to Gibraltar where the the body was transferred to a lead-lined coffin, and the brandy replaced by aqua vitae, spirits of wine. While the body continued its journey home, dispatches reporting the outcome of the battle were carried to England on a ship called … HMS Pickle!

Champion Cotton Fitness Racerback Bra 7904, M, Oxfor Gray6. Top piece : BRA
The word “brassière” is of course French in origin, but it isn’t the word the French use for a “bra”. In France what we call a bra is a “soutien-gorge”, translating to “held under the neck”. The word “brassière” is indeed used in France but there it describes a baby’s undershirt, a lifebelt or a harness. “Brassière” comes from the Old French word for an “arm protector” in a military uniform (“bras” is the French for “arm”). Later “brassière” came to mean “breast plate” and from there was used for a type of woman’s corset. The word jumped into English around 1900.

Maya Lin - A Strong Clear Vision7. Vietnam War Memorial designer Maya : LIN
Maya Lin is a Chinese American born in Athens Ohio, and is an artist and architect. Her most famous work is the moving Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Lin was only 21-years-old when she won a public design competition in 1981 to create the memorial. Although her design is very fitting, sadly Lin was not a popular choice for the work given her Asian heritage. As she said herself, she probably would not have been picked had the competition been judged with the knowledge of who was behind each submission.

10. Powerful economic coalition, formerly : G-SEVEN
The G6 was a group of six industrialized nations that formed in 1975 and whose governments met on a periodic basis. The founding members were France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US. The membership expanded in 1976 with the addition of Canada, forming the G7. Since 1997 Russia is also represented, and the group is now called the G8.

Think Like a Champion: An Informal Education In Business and Life11. TV catchphrase starting in 2004 : YOU’RE FIRED
“The Apprentice” was developed by producer Mark Burnett, and first aired in 2004. Burnett was riding high at the time (and still is) following his successful adaptation of the British show “Survivor” for American audiences. “The Apprentice” is a really profitable franchise now, with versions being recorded and aired all over Europe and in Africa, Australia and parts of Asia and the Middle East.

K-tel Classics13. “Super Hits” company : K-TEL
K-Tel was founded in 1962 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by one Philip Kives. The company’s recipe for success was the sale of inexpensive goods with a simple sales pitch and mail-order distribution.

14. Rural carriage : SHAY
A shay is a light carriage. It is an American design based on the French “chaise”, from which it takes its name. It might also be called a “whisky”, as riders would “whisk” around from stop to stop.

EdTV (Collector's Edition)21. 1999 Ron Howard satire : EDTV
“EDtv” is a comedy directed by Ron Howard starring Matthew McConaughey, released in 1999. The plot has a “Big Brother” feel to it, as it is about a TV show broadcasting someone’s life, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

27. Classic Miles Davis album : KIND OF BLUE
“Kind of Blue” was released by Miles Davis in 1959. It was destined to become his best selling album, and the best selling jazz album of all time.

Kind Of BlueMiles Davis was born into a relatively affluent family, so he had plenty of music lessons as a child. After high school, Davis attended the Juilliard School of Music in New York, but he dropped out before finishing his studies. He stated later that the Juilliard classes focused too much on European and “white” music, but he acknowledged that the school gave him a foundation in music theory that helped him in later life.

Horse Lovers 2011 Hardcover Weekly Engagement28. What Richard III offered “my kingdom” for : A HORSE
“A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!” is a line from Shakespeare’s “Richard III”. It is a famous example of iambic pentameter.

I remember hearing my English teacher drone on about iambic pentameter, but I understood none of it. I would have paid attention if I had known I needed it for my crosswords forty years later! In English poetry, an iamb is a metrical foot in a verse, consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (sort of da-DUM). String five of them together and you have iambic pentameter (da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM). Iambic pentameter is very common in Shakespeare’s work in particular:

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!

I think that’s all I heard in poetry classes: da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM …

DAVID SCHWIMMER 16X20 COLOR PHOTO29. “Friends” friend : ROSS
Ross Geller is the character on “Friends” played by David Schwimmer. The role was actually written with Schwimmer in mind, so Ross was the first of the “Friends” to be cast.

I Pity the Fool - Season 130. “Rocky III” actor : MR T
Mr. T’s real name is Laurence Tureaud. He is famous for many things, including wearing excessive amounts of jewelry. He started this habit when he was working as a bouncer, wearing jewelry items that had been left by customers at a night club, so that the items might be recognized and claimed. It was also as a bouncer that he adopted the name Mr. T. His catchphrase comes from the movie “Rocky III”. Before he goes up against Rocky Balboa, Mr. T says, “No, I don’t hate Balboa, but I pity the fool”. He parlayed the line into quite a bit of success. He had a reality TV show called “I Pity the Fool”, and produced a motivational video called “Be Somebody … or Be Somebody’s Fool!”.

31. Japanese noodle : SOBA
Soba is a thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour. In Japan, the word soba tends to be used to describe any thin noodle, in contrast with the thicker noodles that are called udon.

Buzz Cola, The Simpsons Movie promo item from the Kwik E Mart!32. Where Buzz Cola is sold : KWIK-E-MART
The fictional store, Kwik-E-Mart, is operated by Apu Nahasapeemapetilon on “The Simpsons” TV show. The convenience store owner doesn’t seem to be making much practical use of his Ph. D. in computer science that he earned in the US. His undergraduate degree is from Caltech (the Calcutta Technical Institute), where he graduated top of his class … of seven million students …

MIKE MYERS 8X10 COLOR PHOTO33. “___ Married an Axe Murderer” (Mike Myers film) : SO I
“So I Married an Axe Murderer” was the first film that Mike Myers made after the success of “Wayne’s World”, in 1993. Sadly, it bombed, even though it co-starred the delightful Nancy Travis.

35. ___-blasted : DAD
“Dad-blasted” is a euphemism for a stronger curse, meaning something that is “no good, darned”.

40. Accusatory words : ET TU
Shakespeare used the words “Et tu, Brute?” (And you, Brutus?) in his play “Julius Caesar”, but the phrase was around long before he penned his drama. It’s not known what Julius Caesar’s actual last words were.

49. Organules, e.g. : CELLS
An organule is a cell that is an essential part of an organ. An example would be a taste bud on the tongue.

21 [+digital booklet]50. One-named singer with the 2010 hit “Rolling in the Deep” : ADELE
The English singer Adele Adkins goes by the stage name ADELE. She describes her musical style as “heartbroken soul”.

51. Raise one’s spirits? : TOPE
“To tope” is to drink alcohol excessively and habitually.

20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection52. “A Little Bitty Tear” singer, 1962 : IVES
As well as being an actor, Burl Ives was a folk singer, his original calling. In Hollywood he had a distressing experience with the House Unamerican Activities Committee and avoided being blacklisted by cooperating to some level with McCarthy and his team. This cooperation created a rift between him and Pete Seeger in particular, a fellow singer whom he “discussed” with the committee.

Ike: Countdown to D-Day (Widescreen Version)58. W.W. II inits. : ETO
Dwight D. Eisenhower was in command of the European Theater of Operations during WWII. If you’re a WWII buff like me, then I recommend you take a look at a great made-for-TV movie starring Tom Selleck as Eisenhower called “Ike: Countdown to D-Day” which came out in 2004.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Gold watches, e.g. : BLING-BLING
11. Natters : YAKS
15. Cause of slacking off at school : SENIORITIS
16. Inaugural feature : OATH
17. Boardwalk buy : ITALIAN ICE
18. Iris holder : UVEA
19. “Singin’ in the Rain” co-director : DONEN
20. Hard : SEVERELY
22. Chemical suffix : -ENE
23. Minnie Mouse’s dog : FIFI
26. Linda of Broadway : EDER
27. Japanese port : KOBE
28. Glass house, of sorts : ANT FARM
31. Little fight : SKIRMISH
34. Forcefulness : VIGOR
35. “The moon is ___; I have not heard the clock”: “Macbeth” : DOWN
36. Pry : SNOOP
38. See 41-Across : REST
39. Bear : ABIDE
41. Never stopping to 38-Across : TIRELESS
43. Dodge trucks : DAKOTAS
45. Start of something : SEED
46. Pond youngsters : EFTS
47. She punished Echo : HERA
48. Kelly Clarkson’s record label : RCA
51. Nowheresville : TIMBUKTU
54. Hung out, maybe : DRIED
56. Like skating rinks, typically : OVAL
57. “The nerve!” : SOME PEOPLE
60. Indiana town that’s home to the International Circus Hall of Fame : PERU
61. Exposer of Standard Oil during the Progressive era : IDA TARBELL
62. Desde Madrid a Mallorca : ESTE
63. All business : NO NONSENSE

Down
1. “Revolution” or “P.S. I Love You” : B-SIDE
2. Pretend : LET ON
3. Dumb : INANE
4. Lord Nelson, the Hero of the ___ : NILE
5. Particularly like : GO IN FOR
6. Top piece : BRA
7. Vietnam War Memorial designer Maya : LIN
8. Formal response to “Who’s there?” : IT IS I
9. “Well played!” : NICE
10. Powerful economic coalition, formerly : G-SEVEN
11. TV catchphrase starting in 2004 : YOU’RE FIRED
12. 4.0’s : A-AVERAGES
13. “Super Hits” company : K-TEL
14. Rural carriage : SHAY
21. 1999 Ron Howard satire : EDTV
24. Apples might be compared to them : IBMS
25. Bluffs : FEINTS
27. Classic Miles Davis album : KIND OF BLUE
28. What Richard III offered “my kingdom” for : A HORSE
29. “Friends” friend : ROSS
30. “Rocky III” actor : MR T
31. Japanese noodle : SOBA
32. Where Buzz Cola is sold : KWIK-E-MART
33. “___ Married an Axe Murderer” (Mike Myers film) : SO I
35. ___-blasted : DAD
37. Lady, e.g. : PEER
40. Accusatory words : ET TU
42. Heads : LEADERS
44. Doesn’t slam the door on, maybe : ASKS IN
47. ___ nature : HUMAN
48. Get fully ready : RIPEN
49. Organules, e.g. : CELLS
50. One-named singer with the 2010 hit “Rolling in the Deep” : ADELE
51. Raise one’s spirits? : TOPE
52. “A Little Bitty Tear” singer, 1962 : IVES
53. List heading : TO DO
55. Belted attire : ROBE
58. W.W. II inits. : ETO
59. Camera angle shift : PAN

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