0703-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 3 Jul 11, Sunday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
12. Actress Davis : GEENA
As well as being a successful Hollywood actress, Geena Davis is an accomplished archer, and came close to qualifying for the US archery team for the 2000 Summer Olympics. She is also a member of American Mensa. She is quite the lady …

19. 1964 title role for Tony Randall : DR LAO
“The Circus of Dr. Lao” is a novel by Charles G. Finney, first published in 1935. There was a famous film adaptation released in 1964 called “7 Faces of Dr. Lao” starring Tony Randall in the title role. Randall wasn’t the first choice, as the director wanted Peter Sellers for the part. However, MGM insisted on an American lead, and a great choice it turned out to be.

21. ___-jongg : MAH
“Mahjong” (also mahjongg and mah-jongg) is the Chinese word for “sparrow”. Mahjong is a game that originated in China, usually played by four players. There is a myth that the game was developed by the Chinese philosopher, Confucius. The myth also suggests that Confucius was fond of birds, and hence chose the name “sparrow”.

22. Indy 500 legend : UNSER
The Unser family seems to have racing cars in its blood. Al Unser, Sr. won the Indy 500 four times. Al’s brother, Jerry, was the first of the Unsers to compete at Indianapolis. Al’s other brother, Bobby, won the Indy three times. Al’s son, Al Junior, won the Indy twice. Al Junior’s son is also a racing driver who competes at the Indy Speedway.

23. 1950s NBC icon : BERLE
Comedian Milton Berle was known as “Uncle Miltie” and “Mr. Television”, and was arguably the first real star of American TV as he was hosting “Texaco Star Theater” starting in 1948.

25. Some versions of a 117-Across : BROWN COWS
A “brown cow” is a variant of the traditional root bear float, using chocolate instead of vanilla ice cream.

27. Ingredient in a 117-Across : SELTZER WATER
The name “seltzer” comes from the village of Selters in Germany. Selters has natural springs of carbonated mineral water that is bottled and sold as Selters water. In English-speaking countries the name has morphed into “Seltzer” water.

34. “___, danke” : NEIN
No, thank you, in German.

35. Reversal of sorts : PURL
As all of us knitters know (!) the purl stitch and knit stitch are very similar, one being sort of the inverse of the other. Yes, I can knit. I made a bet with a group of female students when I was at college and knitted a fisherman sweater (or Aran jumper , as we call them) for myself. I made quite a few of them in the end as girlfriends, when they heard the story, invariably insisted that I knit one for them too. Don’t tell the guys, but knitting is really, really calming and therapeutic …

36. “Top Chef” host Lakshmi : PADMA
Padma Lakshmi is a model from India. She is very much into cooking and has published an award-winning cookbook. She is now the host of the American TV show “Top Chef”.

40. Trouble’s partner, in Shakespeare : TOIL
In Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”, the three witches render the line

Double, double toil and trouble

41. Kimchi-loving land : KOREA
Kimchi is a traditional dish from Korea. The original kimchi is made from fermented vegetables, and is pretty strong stuff …

44. Some cuts : LOINS
Pork loin is the tissue along the top of the ribs.

48. DKNY competitor : YSL
Yves Saint-Laurent was a French fashion designer, actually born in Algeria. He started off working as an assistant to Christian Dior at the age of 17. Dior died just four years later, and as a very young man Saint-Laurent was named head of the House of Dior. However, in 1950 Saint-Laurent was conscripted into the French Army and ended up in a military hospital after suffering a mental breakdown from the hazing inflicted on him by his fellow soldiers. His treatment included electroshock therapy and administration of sedatives and psychoactive drugs. He was released from prison, managed to pull his life back together, and started his own fashion house. A remarkable story …

Donna Karan is an American fashion designer, creator of the DKNY clothing label. She was very much raised in the fashion industry, as her mother was a model and her stepfather a tailor.

49. 1960s campus grp. : SDS
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was a activist group in the sixties. The SDS organized the largest student strike in the history of the United States, on 26 April 1968, with about a million students staying away from class that day.

53. Amazon’s business, e.g. : ETAIL
Etail is the term used these days for online shopping. It is often compared to regular shopping in the “real world”, by juxtaposing it with a “brick and mortar” store.

64. Suffix with meth- : -ANE
The “smaller” alkanes are gases, and are quite combustible. Methane (CH4) is the main component of natural gas, with ethane (C2H6) being the second largest component. Propane (C3H8) is also found in natural gas and is heavy enough to be readily turned into a liquid by compression, for ease of transportation and storage. Butane (C4H10) is also easily liquefied under pressure and can be used as the fuel in cigarette lighters or as the propellant in aerosol sprays. The heavier alkanes are liquids and solids at room temperature.

65. Island visited by Captain Cook in 1778 : KAUAI
The famed British explorer Captain James Cook made three voyages of discovery into the Pacific Ocean. Cook was in command of HMS Resolution on his third voyage, and he and his crew he became the first Europeans to visit the Hawaiian Islands, in 1778. He landed on Kauai and named the whole archipelago the Sandwich Islands, in honor of the fourth Earl of Sandwich who was in charge of the British Admiralty at the time. Cook continued his voyage, leaving Hawaii to explore the coast of what is now called Canada and Alaska, and returning to Hawaii the following year. After one month of contact with the native Hawaiians, Cook departed from the islands but was forced to return to repair a broken mast. Relations between the Europeans and the islanders had been good but despite this a dispute developed and got out of control that resulted in Cook being struck on the head and stabbed to death. His body was dragged away by the islanders, and as an apparent sign of respect for the Captain, the natives processed his body according to funeral traditions associated with Hawaiian kings and elders. Eventually, after a petition from the remaining crew, some of Cook’s remains were also returned for a formal burial at sea, adhering to British naval tradition.

68. French kings’ coronation city : RHEIMS
The city of Rheims lies about 80 miles northeast of Paris. The famous cathedral of Rheims was the traditional site where the kings of France were crowned.

71. David of television : LARRY
Larry David was one of the creators of the sitcom “Seinfeld”, and was a co-writer of many of the episodes. He also stars in the HBO comedy “Curb Your Enthusiasm”.

75. Thin 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.

89. Like the buildings at Machu Picchu : INCAN
Machu Picchu is known as “The Lost City of the Incas”, and it can be visited on a mountain ridge in Peru, 50 miles northwest of the city of Cuzco in the southeast of the country. The name Machu Picchu means “old peak”.

92. ___ Fields : MRS
The Mrs. Fields brand of snack foods was founded in the late seventies by Debbi Fields, opening her first store in Palo Alto, California.

95. Filmmaker Riefenstahl : LENI
Leni Riefenstahl was a German film director, actress and dancer. She was a noted figure moving in Adolf Hitler’s circle, and her most famous film was a propaganda piece called “Triumph of Will”. “Triumph of the Will” documents the 1934 Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg. We’ve all probably seen many excerpts, shots of huge crowds, Nazis marching with flags, and frenzied speeches from Hitler. Riefenstahl was arrested after the war and detained for a number of years but never found guilty of any crime. She lived a long life, a very long life. She was married for the second time in 2003, at the age of 101 years. She died just a few weeks later, as she had been suffering from cancer.

96. Senator Hatch : ORRIN
Senator Orrin Hatch is a Republican from Utah. He’s also quite the musician, and plays the piano, violin and organ. He has also composed various compositions, including a song called “Heal Our Land” that was played at the 2005 inauguration of President George W. Bush.

98. ___ nova (1960s dance) : BOSSA
Bossa Nova is style of music from Brazil that evolved from samba. The most famous piece of bossa nova is the song “The Girl from Ipanema”.

102. Characters in “The Hobbit” : RUNES
A rune is a character in an alphabet (sometimes used in tattoos), believed to have mysterious powers.

107. Sniggled : EELED
Sniggling is the name of a fishing technique used to catch eels.

110. Holly genus : ILEX
The wood from the holly bush was once a favorite for construction of Scottish bagpipes, until dense tropical woods became readily available.

117. Something delicious to drink : ICE CREAM SODA
The world’s first ice cream soda was made in 1874, in Philadelphia. Apparently (according to one story anyway) a gentleman named Robert Green was selling flavored sodas and ran out of ice. He got hold of some ice cream and added that to his sodas to keep them cold, and the new treat was an immediate hit.

127. “Catch-22” bomber pilot : ORR
The bomber pilot called Orr has no other name, just “Orr”, in Joseph Heller’s “Catch 22”.

129. Versatile utensil : SPORK
Spork is the more common name for the utensil that is a hybrid between a spoon and a fork. It is less commonly referred to as a “foon”.

131. Name connector : NEE
“Née” is the French word for “born”, when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”.

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

Down
1. Fellas in “Goodfellas,” e.g. : MOB
The Martin Scorsese classic “Goodfellas”, from 1990, is an adaptation of a non-fiction book by Nicholas Pileggi called “Wiseguy”. The film tells of the story of a mob family that succumbs to the FBI after one of their own becomes an informant.

5. Cortisol-secreting gland : ADRENAL
Cortisol is a naturally occurring chemical, a hormone produced by the adrenal glands. In the body it is secreted as a response to stress or when there is low blood sugar, and its primary purpose is to increase blood sugar levels. Cortisol also has the effect of suppressing the bodies immune response. As such, the pharmaceutical form of cortisol (usually called hydrocortisone) is used to treat allergic reactions. Hydrocortisone can calm down skin irritation if applied as a cream (and usually mixed with aloe).

10. Besmirch : TAR
“Besmirch” is a derivative of “smirch”, with both words meaning to “make dirty”. In particular, to besmirch is to sully someone’s reputation.

12. Private eye Peter of old TV : GUNN
“Peter Gunn” is a crime drama about a private eye, that ran on NBC and ABC in the late fifties and early sixties. The show was created by Blake Edwards, with many episodes being directed by Robert Altman.

13. “___ Man” (1992 movie) : ENCINO
“Encino Man” is a comedy film released in 1992 starring Brendan Fraser as a caveman who is brought back to life in the 20th century. The movie’s name comes from the location where the caveman is found, Encino in California. To help Europeans audiences, who may not have heard of Encino, the movie was released there under the title “California Man”.

16. Manchester United rival : ARSENAL
Arsenal Football Club is one of the most famous and successful soccer teams in England. Arsenal play their home matches in North London, and take their name from an old armory called Royal Arsenal where many of the original players were employed.

18. Bristle : SETA
“Seta” is derived from the Latin word for a “bristle”, and is used to describe bristle-like structures in both plants and animals.

28. Pizazz : ZIP
The use of the word “zip” to mean “nothing” dates back to the early 1900s when it was student slang for being graded zero on a test.

31. Meas. of screen resolution : DPI
Dots per inch (DPI) is a term usually reserved for printing resolution, a measure of the density of individual ink dots that can be positioned on the printed surface. Screen resolution is measured in pixels per inch (PPI), a measure of how closely individual pixels can be placed in a digital display.

33. Valuable iron ore : SIDERITE
Siderite is a mineral composed mainly of iron carbonate. It takes its name from the Greek “sideros” meaning “iron”.

39. Excessively orderly, informally : ANAL
Our use of the word “anal” is an abbreviated form of “anal-retentive”, a term derived from Freudian psychology.

41. Jewish deli order : KNISH
A knish is a snack food from Germany and Eastern Europe made popular in the US by Jewish immigrants. A knish has a filling often made of mashed potato and ground meat, covered by a dough that is baked or fried.

45. Thailand, once : SIAM
Siam was the official name of Thailand up to 1939 (and from 1945 to 1949).

47. West Coast evergreens : MADRONES
“Madrone” is the American name for the evergreen plant called arbutus. The arbutus has edible red berries, so some European species are called Strawberry Trees, which translates into Spanish as “madroños”.

57. “Beau ___” : GESTE
“Beau Geste” is a 1924 novel by the British writer P. C. Wren. The hero of the piece is Michael “Beau” Geste, an upper-class Englishman who joins the French Foreign Legion and embarks on a life of adventure and intrigue.

58. ___ sponte (of its own accord) : SUA
“Sua sponte” is a Latin term meaning “of their own accord”. In the law it describes the action of say a judge who acts on his or her own initiative without a request from the parties in a case.

61. Spanish wine : RIOJA
Rioja wines come from the province of La Rioja in Northern Spain. In my days back in Europe, Rioja wines were noted for their heavy oaky flavors, and it wasn’t uncommon to order a “rough Rioja” when out for dinner of an evening.

62. It may be burnt : UMBER
Umber is an earthy, brown shade, and originally described a pigment made from earth found in Umbria, the region in central Italy. Similarly, the shade of “sienna” was originally a pigment made from earth found around Siena in Tuscany.

72. Mountain sighting, maybe : YETI
A yeti is a beast of legend, also called an abominable snowman. It is a Tibetan term, and the yeti is fabled to live in the Himalayan regions of Nepal and Tibet. Our equivalent legend in North America is that of Bigfoot. The study of beasts whose existence have not yet been substantiated is called cryptozoology.

79. Movie villain who sought to disrupt a space launch : DR NO
“Dr. No” may have been the first film in the wildly successful James Bond franchise, but it was the sixth novel in the series of books penned by Ian Fleming. Fleming was inspired to write the story after reading the Fu Manchu tales by Sax Rohmer, and if you’ve read the Rohmer books or seen the films, you’ll recognize the similarity in the characters.

85. Field unit : ACRE
At one time an acre was defined as the amount of land a yoke of oxen could plow in a day. Eventually, this was more precisely delineated as a strip of land one furlong long (660 feet) and one chain wide (66 feet). The word “furlong” is actually derived from the Old English words meaning “furrow long”, the length of the furrow plowed by the oxen.

92. Inside look? : MRI SCAN
A CT (or “CAT”) scan produces (via computer manipulation) a three dimensional image of the inside of an object, usually the human body. It does so by taking a series of two dimensional x-ray images while rotating the camera around the patient. The issue with CT Scans is that they use x-rays, and high doses of radiation can be harmful and that damage is cumulative over time. An MRI on the other hand (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) uses powerful magnetic fields to generate its images so there is no exposure to ionizing radiation (like X-rays). We used MRI equipment in our chemistry labs at school, way back in the days when the technology was still called Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging (NMRI). Apparently the marketing folks didn’t like the term “nuclear” because of its association with atomic bombs, so it’s now just called MRI.

97. Winnemucca resident, e.g. : NEVADAN
Winnemucca is a Nevada city at the junction of Interstate 80 and US Route 95.

99. Low-rent district : SKID ROW
The term “skid row” is used to describe a run-down urban neighborhood. “Skid row” appears to have originated in the Pacific Northwest where a “skid road” was a wooden pathway used for “skidding” logs through forests and over bogs. The terms “skid road” and “skid row” came to be used for logging camps and mills, and then somehow was applied to run-down areas in cities up and down the west coast of North America.

100. Artist whose name is an anagram of “artisan” : SINATRA
Frank Sinatra was the only child of Italian immigrants living in Hoboken, New Jersey. Like so many of our heroes, Sinatra had a rough upbringing. His mother was arrested several times and convicted of running an illegal abortion business in the family home. Sinatra never finished high school, being expelled for rowdy conduct, and he was arrested on a morals charge as a youth for carrying on with a married woman, which was an offence back then. But he straightened himself out by the time he was twenty, and started singing professionally.

101. Director Lee : ANG
Taiwanese director Ang Lee sure has directed a mixed bag of films, mixed in terms of genre, not in terms of quality. He was at the helm for such classics as “Sense and Sensibility” (my personal favorite), “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, “Hulk”, and “Brokeback Mountain”.

105. French teacher : MAITRE
“Maître” is the French word for “master”.

106. It may come after a typo : SIC
“Sic” indicates that a quote is written as originally found, perhaps including a typo. “Sic” is Latin for “thus, like this”.

108. ___ Pérignon : DOM
Dom Pérignon is the name given to the prestige label of champagne from Moët et Chandon, the French winery. The label’s name honors the Benedictine monk, Dom Pérignon, who helped to improve the quality and production of champagne in the early 18th century. Although Dom Pérignon made major contributions to the production of champagne, many of the stories in which he figures are just myths. He did not “invent” champagne, nor sparkling wine in general. Nor did he say the famous words, “Come quickly, I am drinking the stars!”. That lovely line first appeared in a print advertisement in the late 1800s!

114. Cos. that offer access : ISPS
An Internet Service Provider (ISP) is just what its name indicates, a company that provides its customers with access to the Internet. One way that ISPs differentiate themselves from each other is in the way that the end users are connected to the ISPs network. So, there are cable ISPs, DSL ISPs, dial-up ISPs and satellite ISPs. I’d go with cable if I were you, if it’s available in your area …

116. Old U.S.P.S. routing codes : RFDS
Rural Free Delivery (RFD) was started in the US in 1891. Prior to RFD, rural Americans had to travel to the nearest post office to pick up their mail.

118. Manitoba tribe : CREE
The Cree are one of the largest groups of Native Americans on the continent. In the US most of the Cree nation live in Montana on a reservation shared with the Ojibwe people. In Canada most of the Cree live in Manitoba.

120. “And Winter Came …” artist : 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!

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Essence : MEAT
5. Start of a nursery rhyme : ABCD
9. “I won’t bore you with the rest” : ETC
12. Actress Davis : GEENA
17. They’re often deep-fried : OKRAS
19. 1964 title role for Tony Randall : DR LAO
21. ___-jongg : MAH
22. Indy 500 legend : UNSER
23. 1950s NBC icon : BERLE
24. Spanish for “rope” : REATA
25. Some versions of a 117-Across : BROWN COWS
27. Ingredient in a 117-Across : SELTZER WATER
30. “How is this possible?” : CAN IT BE?
31. Repeat : DO AGAIN
32. Green lights : SAY-SOS
34. “___, danke” : NEIN
35. Reversal of sorts : PURL
36. “Top Chef” host Lakshmi : PADMA
40. Trouble’s partner, in Shakespeare : TOIL
41. Kimchi-loving land : KOREA
42. “___ honor” : IT’S AN
44. Some cuts : LOINS
46. “___ straight!” : DAMN
48. DKNY competitor : YSL
49. 1960s campus grp. : SDS
51. “In case you weren’t listening …” : I SAID
53. Amazon’s business, e.g. : ETAIL
55. Whence spiderlings emerge : EGG SACS
59. Ingredient in a 117-Across : FLAVORED SYRUP
64. Suffix with meth- : -ANE
65. Island visited by Captain Cook in 1778 : KAUAI
67. Year Columbus died : MDVI
68. French kings’ coronation city : RHEIMS
69. Imprudent : RASH
71. David of television : LARRY
73. Brawl : SET TO
75. Thin Japanese noodle : SOBA
76. Salsa seller : ORTEGA
78. Ready, with “up” : TEED
80. Broadway lights : NEONS
82. Word with black or stream : JET
83. Utensil for a 117-Across : FLEXIBLE STRAW
86. Sugary drinks : NECTARS
88. ___ nothing : ALL OR
89. Like the buildings at Machu Picchu : INCAN
91. Watched : SAW
92. ___ Fields : MRS
95. Filmmaker Riefenstahl : LENI
96. Senator Hatch : ORRIN
98. ___ nova (1960s dance) : BOSSA
102. Characters in “The Hobbit” : RUNES
104. “Web ___” (ESPN segment showing great fielding plays) : GEMS
107. Sniggled : EELED
109. A stake, metaphorically : SKIN
110. Holly genus : ILEX
111. Attack fervently : ASSAIL
113. Doing some cartoon work : VOICING
115. Cruise, say : SEA TRIP
117. Something delicious to drink : ICE CREAM SODA
121. Version of a 117-Across : COKE FLOAT
123. What a graph may show : TREND
124. Baltimore and Philadelphia : PORTS
126. Come to ___ : AN END
127. “Catch-22” bomber pilot : ORR
128. “Later, alligator!” : SEE YA
129. Versatile utensil : SPORK
130. Whizzes at quizzes? : NERDS
131. Name connector : NEE
132. Pizazz : ELAN
133. Influence : SWAY

Down
1. Fellas in “Goodfellas,” e.g. : MOB
2. Barely manages : EKES OUT
3. Bad thing to be in : ARREARS
4. Container for a 117-Across : TALL GLASS
5. Cortisol-secreting gland : ADRENAL
6. Family member, in dialect : BR’ER
7. Construction crane attachment : CLAW
8. It’s crunched : DATA
9. Baby baby? : EMBRYO
10. Besmirch : TAR
11. Like many a 117-Across : CHOCOLATE
12. Private eye Peter of old TV : GUNN
13. “___ Man” (1992 movie) : ENCINO
14. Obscure things : ESOTERY
15. Neophytes : NEWBIES
16. Manchester United rival : ARSENAL
18. Bristle : SETA
20. Wild ones may be sown : OATS
26. Lived and breathed : WAS
28. Pizazz : ZIP
29. Gobble up : EAT
31. Meas. of screen resolution : DPI
33. Valuable iron ore : SIDERITE
37. Possible response to “You’ve got spinach between your teeth” : DO I?
38. Fails : MISFIRES
39. Excessively orderly, informally : ANAL
41. Jewish deli order : KNISH
43. State straddling two time zones: Abbr. : N DAK
45. Thailand, once : SIAM
47. West Coast evergreens : MADRONES
50. Like mountains and computer images : SCALABLE
52. Burned things : DVDS
54. Caustic cleaners : LYES
55. ___ corn : EAR OF
56. Twisty tree feature : GNARL
57. “Beau ___” : GESTE
58. ___ sponte (of its own accord) : SUA
60. Pots and pans for baking : OVENWARE
61. Spanish wine : RIOJA
62. It may be burnt : UMBER
63. Hurdles for high-school jrs. : PSATS
66. Main lines : ARTERIES
70. Six: Prefix : HEXA-
72. Mountain sighting, maybe : YETI
74. Mountain : TON
77. Breathing aids : GILLS
79. Movie villain who sought to disrupt a space launch : DR NO
81. Union opponent : SCAB
84. Utensil for a 117-Across : LONG SPOON
85. Field unit : ACRE
87. Quantity of a key ingredient in a 117-Across : TWO SCOOPS
90. Scoreless score : NIL
92. Inside look? : MRI SCAN
93. The primary instruction : RULE ONE
94. Bit of gymwear : SNEAKER
97. Winnemucca resident, e.g. : NEVADAN
99. Low-rent district : SKID ROW
100. Artist whose name is an anagram of “artisan” : SINATRA
101. Director Lee : ANG
103. Offer, as a hand : EXTEND
105. French teacher : MAITRE
106. It may come after a typo : SIC
108. ___ Pérignon : DOM
111. Need nursing, say : AIL
112. Rents out : LETS
114. Cos. that offer access : ISPS
116. Old U.S.P.S. routing codes : RFDS
118. Manitoba tribe : CREE
119. Pull (in) : REEL
120. “And Winter Came …” artist : ENYA
122. Is for two or more? : ARE
125. Shade of blue : SKY
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