0907-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 7 Sep 11, Wednesday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
11. PC “brain” : CPU
The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the main component on the “motherboard” of a computer. The CPU is the part of the computer that carries out most of the functions required by a program. Nowadays you can get CPUs in everything from cars to telephones.

17. Sing-along direction : (FOLLOW) THE BOUNCING BALL
The bouncing ball is sometimes used in videos to help audiences stick to the rhythm of a song as they sing the lyrics displayed on the screen. The original bouncing ball was introduced in 1925 in a short cartoon film called “My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean’. Back then the bouncing ball wasn’t animated, and was an actual ball on the end of a stick moved back and forth across the screen by someone out of the field of view of the camera.

20. Masago, e.g., at a sushi bar : ROE
The Japanese dish called “masago” is actually the roe of the capelin fish. Masago is often mixed with wasabi and served as “wasabi caviar”.

21. Writer Chekhov : ANTON
Anton Chekhov was a Russian writer of short stories and a playwright, as well as a physician. He wrote four classic plays that are often performed all around the world, namely “The Seagull”, “Uncle Vanya”, “Three Sisters” and “The Cherry Orchard”. All the time Chekhov was writing he continued to practice medicine. He is quoted as saying “Medicine is my lawful wife, and literature is my mistress.”

22. Team nicknamed the Black Knights : ARMY
The Army Black Knights is the name given to the athletic teams of the United States Military Academy. The name was originally “The Black Knights of the Hudson”, as the academy’s football team wore black uniforms and West Point is situated on the Hudson River in New York State.

25. Frank with six Oscars : CAPRA
I can’t tell you how many of Frank Capra’s movies are on my list of all-time favorites. He directed such classics as “It Happened One Night”, “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town”, “Lost Horizon”, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”, “Meet John Doe”, “Arsenic and Old Lace” and the holiday favorite “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Capra also did his bit during WWII, enlisting just a few days after Pearl Harbor was attacked. Given his great talent, and the fact that he enlisted at the age of 44, the US Army had him direct 11 documentary war films in the “Why We Fight” series, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.

28. River ferried by Charon : STYX
The River Styx in Greek mythology was the river that formed the boundary between the Earth and the Underworld (or Hades). The souls of the newly dead had to cross the River Styx in a ferryboat piloted by Charon. Traditionally, a coin would be placed in the mouths of the dead “to pay the ferryman”.

33. Direction to an alternative musical passage : OSSIA
“Ossia” is an Italian word meaning “alternatively”. It is used on a musical score to indicate an alternative passage that may be played instead of the original. Usually passages marked “ossia” are easier to perform.

43. Figure of many a Mayan deity : JAGUAR
The Maya civilization of South America had many jaguar gods, including the Jaguar God of Terrestrial Fire and the Jaguar Goddess of Midwifery and War (“midwifery and war”, a unique combination!).

49. Spreadsheet function : SORT
In an electronic spreadsheet, such as Microsoft Excel, one can select a block of data and use the command “sort” to reorder the data. You can sort the data perhaps alphabetically, in numerical order etc.

53. Neuters : GELDS
We can use the verb “to geld” to mean “to weaken, deprive of strength”. The term comes from the act of gelding an animal, castration of the male. “Geld” comes from the Old Norse word “gelda” meaning “castrate”.

58. One of 22 in a Krugerrand : KARAT
The Krugerrand is a gold coin minted in South Africa. The coin takes its name from the Rand, the South African unit of currency, and Paul Kruger, the President of the South African Republic whose face appears on the obverse of the coin. The Krugerrand is made from a gold alloy that is almost 92% pure i.e. 22 karats.

61. “Agnus ___” : DEI
“Agnus Dei” is Latin for “Lamb of God”, a term used in Christian faiths for Jesus Christ, symbolizing his role as a sacrificial offering to atone for the sins of man.

62. Do as a mentor did, say : (FOLLOW) IN ONE’S FOOTSTEPS
A mentor is a wise counselor, and the person receiving the advice is the mentee. In Greek mythology Mentor was a friend to Odysseus, the hero of Homer’s “Odyssey”.

66. Home of the Tisch Sch. of the Arts : NYU
New York University (NYU) is comprised of fifteen schools, one of which it the Tisch School of the Arts. The Tisch is famous for its acting program, with notable alumni such as Debra Messing, Christopher Guest and Josh Radnor.

67. First-timer : ROOKIE
The term “rookie”, used for a raw recruit, first appeared in Rudyard Kipling’s collection of songs and poems called the “Barrack-Room Ballads” originally published in 1892.

69. Longtime mall chain : GAP
The Gap is a San Francisco-based clothing retailer founded in 1969. The name “the Gap” was a homage to the popular sixties term “the generation gap”.

71. Modest response to kudos : I TRY
Our word “kudos” is used to acclaim an exceptional achievement. “Kudos” is not a plural, despite a common misapprehension. It is a singular noun derived from the Greek “kyddos” meaning “glory, fame”.

Down
7. Sacramento’s former ___ Arena : ARCO
The ARCO Arena is now called the Power Balance Pavilion, and is home to the Sacramento Kings of the NBA.

ARCO stands for Atlantic Richfield Company. One of ARCO’s claims to fame is that it is responsible for the nation’s largest Superfund site. Mining and smelting in the area around Butte, Montana polluted the region’s water and soil, and ARCO have agreed to pay $187 million to help clean up the area.

8. Singer whose “name” was once a symbol : PRINCE
The singer Prince was born in Minneapolis, and he lives there to this day. He took his stage name from his father, a jazz musician who used the name Prince Rogers when performing. At one point in his career, Prince used a stage name that was just a symbol that didn’t have a pronounceable name. Later the symbol was dubbed “Love Symbol #2”.

9. Chaney of film : LON
Lon Chaney, Sr. played a lot of crazed-looking characters in the days of silent movies. He did much of his own make-up work, developing the grotesque appearances that became his trademark, and earning himself the nickname “the man of a thousand faces”. Most famous of all was his portrayal of “The Phantom of the Opera” in 1925.

10. Dyne-centimeter : ERG
An erg is a unit of energy or mechanical work. “Erg” comes from the Greek word “ergon” meaning “work”. A dyne is a unit of force. The name “dyne” comes from the Greek “dynamis” meaning “power, force”. Ergs and dynes are related to each other in that one erg is the amount of energy need to move a force of one dyne over a distance of one centimeter.

11. Game with many “points” : CHARADES
In the parlor game known as Charades, there’s usually a lot of “pointing” going on.

12. Lifeline’s location : PALM
In the practice called palmistry, someone might tell your fortune by interpreting the lines and other features seen on the palm of your hand. The lines in the palm have names such as life line, head line, heart line and fate line. The life line is the curve that sweeps around in an arc centered at the base of the thumb.

18. Thole insert : OAR
In a boat, a thole is a wooden peg or pin that acts as a fulcrum for an oar that it is used in rowing. The thole is inserted into a hole in the gunwale, the top edge of the side of the boat.

19. Netanyahu’s successor, 1999 : BARAK
Ehud Barak served as Prime Minister of Israel from 1999 to 2001. He left office after he called a special election for Prime Minister and lost the vote to Ariel Sharon. He resigned from the Knesset and took an advisory job with the US company Electronic Data Systems (EDS), and did some security related work with a private equity company. In 2007, Barak took over leadership of Israel’s Labor Party, and is now the country’s Minister of Defense.

24. Prefix with biology : EXO-
Exobiology is the study of life in the universe, and central to the work of exobiologists is the search for life beyond earth. A fascinating field, I would imagine …

26. The constellation Ara : ALTAR
The constellation of Ara takes its name from the Latin word for “altar”.

27. Cultured gem : PEARL
Nacre is another name for mother-of-pearl. Nacre is the strong iridescent material laid down by some mollusks on the inside of their shells, and it’s also what makes up pearls. The creature lays down nacre as a defensive mechanism, protecting the soft tissue of its body from the rough surface of the outer shell. Similarly, it uses nacre to encapsulate harmful debris or a parasite that penetrates the shell, and that’s how a pearl is formed.

29. ___ Maria (liqueur) : TIA
Tia Maria is a coffee liqueur, invented just after WWII in Jamaica, using Jamaica coffee beans. The name of course translates to “Aunt Maria”.

30. Misanthrope, e.g. : HATER
Misanthropy is a dislike of humans in general. The term comes from the Greek “misos” meaning “hatred” and “anthropos” meaning “man, human being”.

31. Balmy time in Bordeaux : ETE
One might spend the summer (été) in Bordeaux in France.

Bordeaux is perhaps the wine producing capital of the world. Wine has been produced in the area since the eighth century. Bordeaux has an administrative history too. During WWII, the French government relocated from Paris to the port city of Bordeaux when it became clear that Paris was soon to fall to the Germans. Soon after the capital was famously moved to Vichy while the country was under German rule.

32. “Frasier” role : ROZ
Roz Doyle is a character in the wonderful sitcom “Frasier”. Roz is played, very ably, by the actress Peri Gilpin.

34. Lesley of “60 Minutes” : STAHL
Lesley Stahl has worked on “60 Minutes” since 1991. She is married to author “Aaron Latham”. As a journalist, it was Latham who wrote the article that inspired the movie “Urban Cowboy”.

37. Acapulco “eye” : OJO
“Ojo” is the Spanish for “eye”.

The Mexican city of Acapulco is on the southwest coast of the country, in the state of Guerrero. The name “Acapulco” translates from the local language into “at the big reeds”.

41. Whiskas eater : CAT
The brand name “Whiskas” has been used for cat food since 1988, but the product itself has been made in McLean, Virginia since 1936. For decades it was sold under the name “Kal Kan”.

46. Fashion monogram : 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 …

50. Guinness superlative : OLDEST
“The Guinness Book of World Records” holds some records of its own. It is the best-selling, copyrighted series of books of all time, and is one of the books most often stolen from public libraries! The book was first published in 1954 by two twins, Norris and Ross McWhirter. The McWhirter twins found themselves with a smash hit, and eventually became very famous in Britain on a TV show based on world records.

51. Richard with a much-used thumb : ROEPER
Richard Roeper is columnist and film critic for “The Chicago Sun-Times”, and came to national attentions when he replaced Gene Siskel as co-host with Roger Ebert on the famous film review TV show. Roeper started work with Ebert in 2000, after Siskel died in 1999. Roeper stayed with the show right though 2008, even though Ebert had to bow out in 2006 as he recovered from cancer surgery.

52. Like pretzels, typically : TWISTY
Pretzels originated in Europe and are especially popular in Southern Germany where a pretzel is known as “Brezel”. Pretzels were introduced into the US in the 1800s by immigrants from Germany and Switzerland who came to be known over here as the Pennsylvania Dutch.

54. Clotho and sisters : FATES
In Greek mythology, Clotho was one of Three Fates. Atropos was associated with death, as it was she who decided how one would die, and cut the thread of a mortal’s life with her shears. Her sister Fate, Clotho, spun the thread of life, and her other sister, Lachesis, measured its length.

55. Game extenders: Abbr. : OTS
Overtimes.

57. “And Winter Came …” singer : 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!

59. Isao of the Golf Hall of Fame : AOKI
Isao Aoki is one of Japan’s greatest golfers, now playing on the senior circuit. His best finish in a major tournament was runner-up to Jack Nicklaus in the 1980 US Open.

63. Sports stat that’s best when low : ERA
The pitching stat, earned run average (ERA), measures how many runs a pitcher tends to give up per nine innings.

64. Bribe : SOP
Cerberus is a dog with three heads that appears in both Greek and Roman mythology. His job is to guard the gates of Hades and prevent those that have crossed the River Styx from ever escaping. A sop is a piece of food that has been dipped in some liquid, as one might sop a piece of bread in soup. There is an idiomatic expression, “to give a sop to Cerberus”, which means to give someone a bribe, or pay someone not to pursue an inquiry. The idea is that if one could bribe Cerberus, give him a sop to eat, then he would let you pass and escape from Hades.

65. ___ chi : TAI
More properly called tai chi chuan, tai chi is a martial art mostly practiced to improve overall health and increase longevity.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Job for a cleanup crew : MESS
5. Fasten, in a way : STAPLE
11. PC “brain” : CPU
14. Place for a pavilion : EXPO
15. Wild child : TERROR
16. Cauldron stirrer : HAG
17. Sing-along direction : (FOLLOW) THE BOUNCING BALL
20. Masago, e.g., at a sushi bar : ROE
21. Writer Chekhov : ANTON
22. Team nicknamed the Black Knights : ARMY
23. Obey : (FOLLOW) ORDERS
25. Frank with six Oscars : CAPRA
28. River ferried by Charon : STYX
29. Children’s game : (FOLLOW) THE LEADER
33. Direction to an alternative musical passage : OSSIA
36. Become fond of : TAKE TO
37. Fertility lab stock : OVA
40. Chase scene shout : (FOLLOW) THAT CAR
42. “___ who?” : SEZ
43. Figure of many a Mayan deity : JAGUAR
45. Before dawn, say : EARLY
47. Pursue a passion : (FOLLOW) ONE’S HEART
49. Spreadsheet function : SORT
53. Neuters : GELDS
54. Word missing from the answers to 17-, 23-, 29-, 40-, 47- and 62-Across : FOLLOW
56. Worthless sort : ZERO
58. One of 22 in a Krugerrand : KARAT
61. “Agnus ___” : DEI
62. Do as a mentor did, say : (FOLLOW) IN ONE’S FOOTSTEPS
66. Home of the Tisch Sch. of the Arts : NYU
67. First-timer : ROOKIE
68. Play ___ (enjoy some tennis) : A SET
69. Longtime mall chain : GAP
70. Times for showers : APRILS
71. Modest response to kudos : I TRY

Down
1. Some urban transit systems : METROS
2. Urge on : EXHORT
3. Quick : SPEEDY
4. Turn on the waterworks : SOB
5. Knocks for a loop : STUNS
6. Oxygen ___ : TENT
7. Sacramento’s former ___ Arena : ARCO
8. Singer whose “name” was once a symbol : PRINCE
9. Chaney of film : LON
10. Dyne-centimeter : ERG
11. Game with many “points” : CHARADES
12. Lifeline’s location : PALM
13. Like a 16-Across : UGLY
18. Thole insert : OAR
19. Netanyahu’s successor, 1999 : BARAK
24. Prefix with biology : EXO-
26. The constellation Ara : ALTAR
27. Cultured gem : PEARL
29. ___ Maria (liqueur) : TIA
30. Misanthrope, e.g. : HATER
31. Balmy time in Bordeaux : ETE
32. “Frasier” role : ROZ
34. Lesley of “60 Minutes” : STAHL
35. Tiny bit : SHRED
37. Acapulco “eye” : OJO
38. Transportation for many a rock band : VAN
39. Demographic division : AGE GROUP
41. Whiskas eater : CAT
44. Apply to : USE ON
46. Fashion monogram : YSL
48. Invite, as trouble : ASK FOR
50. Guinness superlative : OLDEST
51. Richard with a much-used thumb : ROEPER
52. Like pretzels, typically : TWISTY
54. Clotho and sisters : FATES
55. Game extenders: Abbr. : OTS
56. Throw a barb at : ZING
57. “And Winter Came …” singer : ENYA
59. Isao of the Golf Hall of Fame : AOKI
60. Stir up : ROIL
63. Sports stat that’s best when low : ERA
64. Bribe : SOP
65. ___ chi : TAI
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