1005-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 5 Oct 11, Wednesday

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: Barry Boone,
THEME: DOUBLE A … some squares contain the two letters, AA.
COMPLETION TIME: 15m 32s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0


Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
10. Dash : ELAN
Our word “élan” was imported from French, in which language the word has a similar meaning to ours i.e “style” or “flair”.

15. The Scourge of God : ATTILA
In his day, Attila the Hun was the most feared enemy of the Roman Empire, until he died in 453. He was the leader of the Hunnic Empire of central Europe and was famous for invading much of the continent. However he never directly attacked Rome.

16. Queen in “The Lion King” : NALA
In “The Lion King“, Nala is a lioness, the childhood friend of Simba.

17. “The Godfather” actor : CAAN
James Caan is an actor from The Bronx, New York City. He is noted for his appearances in some very big movies such as “The Godfather”, “Misery”, “A Bridge Too Far”, “Rollerball” and more recently “Elf”. Caan is quite the sportsman. He plays golf with an 8 handicap, and is a 6-Dan Black Belt Master of Gosoku Karate.

18. The 21st Amendment, e.g. : REPEAL
The 18th Amendment to the US Constitution was a great victory for the temperance movement, and in 1919 ushered in the Prohibition era. Highly unpopular, Prohibition was repealed in 1933 by the 21st Amendment.

20. Knight ___ (former newspaper group) : RIDDER
In its heyday, Knight Ridder was the second largest publisher of newspapers in the country. The company was formed in 1974 with the merger of Knight Newspapers and Ridder Publications. As it happens, “ridder” is the Dutch word for “knight”.

22. “Falcon Crest” actress : ANA ALICIA
Ana Alicia is an actress best known for playing Melissa Agretti, the heiress on the eighties TV series “Falcon Crest“.

26. “How ___ Your Mother” : I MET
How I Met Your Mother” is a sitcom that CBS has been airing since 2005. The main character is Ted Mosby, played by Josh Radnor. Mosby is also the narrator for the show, looking back from the year 2030 (the live action is set in the present). As narrator, the older Mosby character is voiced by Bob Saget.

36. Dockworkers’ grp. : ILA
The International Longshoremen’s Association.

37. Allergy-afflicted dwarf : SNEEZY
In the original Brothers Grimm fairy tale “Snow White”, the seven dwarfs were not given any names. The names were added for the 1937 classic animated film  from Walt Disney, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs“. The seven dwarfs are:

– Doc (the leader of the group)
– Grumpy (that would be me, according to my wife …)
– Happy
– Sleepy
– Bashful
– Sneezy
– Dopey

38. Car with the numeral 9 in all its model names : SAAB
SAAB stands for Svenska Aeroplan AB, which translates into English as Swedish Aeroplane Limited. SAAB was, and still is, mainly an aircraft manufacturer. If you take small hops in Europe you might find yourself on a SAAB passenger plane. The SAAB automobile division was acquired by General Motors in the year 2000.

39. Pro baseball level … or a hint to 12 answers in this puzzle : DOUBLE-A
Minor league baseball is divided into five classes:

– Triple-A
– Double-A
– Class A
– Class A Short Season
– Rookie

41. River across the French/German border : SAAR
The Saar is a river that rises on the border between Alsace and Lorraine in France, flows through western Germany and there enters the Moselle.

42. Speed skater Eric who won five gold medals at the 1980 Winter Olympics : HEIDEN
Eric Heiden is a former American speed skater, the most successful athlete to compete in any single Winter Olympics. He won five gold medals at the 1980 games in Lake Placid. After retiring from the ice, Heiden became a doctor and is now an orthopedic surgeon in Salt Lake City.

44. Location of the quadriceps : LEG
The quadriceps femoris is the muscle group at the front of the thigh. It is the strongest muscle in the human body, and is also the leanest. The “quads” are actually a group of four muscles in the upper leg, hence the use of the prefix “quad-”.

45. Enterprise captain prior to Kirk : PIKE
Neither the Actor William Shatner, nor the character Captain Kirk, appeared in the original “Star Trek” pilot episode. The captain of the USS Enterprise was a Captain Christopher Pike, played by Jeffrey Hunter. The pilot was rejected by NBC, but a new pilot was ordered, the one which launched the series. However, footage from the first pilot was eventually aired, incorporated into an episode in the first series called “The Menagerie”.

49. Captain of sci-fi : NEMO
In the 1954 movie version of “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”, Captain Nemo goes down with his ship. In the novel by Jules Verne the fate of Nemo and his crew isn’t quite so cut and dry, although the inference is perhaps that they did indeed head for Davy Jones’ Locker.

55. Language of Cape Town : AFRIKAANS
The Afrikaans language developed in South Africa among Dutch immigrants in the 17th century.

61. Jungle vines : LIANAS
Liana is the name give to vines that generally grow in moist areas such as rain forests. They grow using the trees in the forest as support. My bet is that Tarzan swung from tree to tree on liana vines.

63. It may be eaten with tikka masala : NAAN
In an Indian restaurant, naan bread is very popular.

65. Like Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon : ON LATE
Jimmy Kimmel is currently the host of the late-night talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” He also co-hosted “The Man Show” and my personal favorite, “Win Ben Stein’s Money”.

Jimmy Fallon was a cast member for a number of years on “Saturday Night Live” before getting his own talk show in 2009, “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon”.

66. Here, in Québec : ICI
The name “Quebec” comes from an Algonquin word “kebec” meaning “where the river narrows”. This refers to the area around Quebec City where the St. Lawrence River narrows as it flows through a gap lined by steep cliffs.

67. ___ Turing, a founding father of computer science : ALAN
Alan Turing was an English mathematician. He was deservedly well-respected for his code-breaking work during WWII at Bletchley Park in England. However, despite his contributions to cracking the German Enigma code and other crucial work, Turing was prosecuted for homosexuality in 1952. He agreed to chemical castration, treatment with female hormones, and two years later he committed suicide by taking cyanide.

68. Annual event in Los Angeles : X GAMES
The X Games are annual events, with a Summer X Games held every year as well as a Winter X Games. It’s very much a commercial venture, with all aspects controlled by the TV station ESPN. The games focus on extreme action sports, like skateboarding and freestyle motocross in the summer, and various extreme snowboarding events in the winter.

Down
1. Capital of Ghana : ACCRA
Accra sits on Ghana’s coast, and is a major seaport as well as the country’s capital city. The name “Accra” comes from a local word “Nkran” meaning “ants”, a name chosen because of the large number of anthills found in the area when the city was founded.

2. It’s said to be salubrious : SEA AIR
Something “salubrious” promotes health and well-being.

3. 1953 John Wayne film : HONDO
The 1953 western movie “Hondo” starred John Wayne and is based on the novel “The Gift of Cochise”, written by Louis L’Amour.

4. City or lake in northern Italy : VARESE
Varese is a town in the very north of Italy, overlooking Lake Verese.

6. The Racer’s Edge : STP
STP motor oil takes its name from “Scientifically Treated Petroleum”.

7. “___ yellow ribbon …” : TIE A
A yellow ribbon is symbolically worn by people awaiting the return of a loved one, usually from military service overseas, but also from behind bars. The song “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree” tells the tale of a convict returning home. His loyal loved one is waiting for him, and she ties a whole boatload of yellow ribbons around the town’s old oak tree.

8. Singer Morissette : ALANIS
Alanis Morissette is a Canadian singer-songwriter. After releasing two pop albums in Canada, in 1995 she recorded her first album to be distributed internationally. Called “Jagged Little Pill”, it is a collection of songs with more of a rock influence. The album was a huge success, the highest-selling album of the 1990s, and the highest-selling debut album by any artist at any time (selling over 30 million units).

9. Low bow : SALAAM
The word “salaam” is an Anglicized spelling of the Arabic word for “peace”. It can mean an act of deference, and in particular a very low bow.

11. ___ de Triomphe : L’ARC
L’Arc de Triomphe de l’Etoile in Paris was built to honor those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. It is the second largest triumphal arch in the world, after the Arch of Triumph in Pyongyang, North Korea. If you are visiting Paris, don’t just take a picture of the arch, be sure to go inside and see the marvelous chambers and carvings, and wander around on top of the arch and enjoy the magnificent view.

12. Jai ___ : ALAI
Even though jai alai is often said to be the fastest sport in the world (because of the speed of the ball), in fact golf balls usually get going at a greater clip.

13. Carquest competitor : NAPA
The National Automotive Parts Association (NAPA) is a retailers’ cooperative that supplies replacement parts for cars and trucks.

23. ___ Lewis with the 2008 #1 hit “Bleeding Love” : LEONA
Leona Lewis rocketed to fame after winning the British TV show called “The X Factor” (the show that spawned the UK’s “Pop Idol” and America’s “American Idol”).

25. Doozy : LULU
A “lulu” or a “oner” is a remarkable person or object. The word “lulu” first appeared in an article about baseball in New Orleans back in 1886.

A “doozy” is something extraordinary or bizarre. The word’s exact origins aren’t clear, but it might be a derivative of the name Eleanora Duse, an Italian actress popular early in the 20th century.

28. Painter Picasso : PABLO
Pablo Picasso‘s full name was Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso, a name he was given right from birth. Got that?

30. He loved Lucy : DESI
Desi Arnaz was of course famous for his turbulent marriage to Lucille Ball. Desi Arnaz was a native of Cuba, and was from a privileged family. His father was Mayor of Santiago and served in the Cuban House of Representatives. However, the family had to flee to Miami after the 1933 revolution led by Batista.

31. Walton who wrote “The Compleat Angler” : IZAAK
Izaak Walton was an English writer, most famous for writing “The Compleat Angler”, first published in 1653.

32. Jane of literature : EYRE
Jane Eyre” is of course the novel written by Charlotte Bronte under the pen name Currer Bell. Over the years, I’ve shared here on the blog that the storyline is a little too dark and Gothic for my taste, but a very persuasive blog reader convinced me to look more at the romantic side of the story and give it a second chance. So, not too long ago I watched a wonderful 4-hour television adaptation of the novel made by the BBC, and I have to say that because I was focused on the relationship between Jane and Rochester, I was able to push past the Gothic influences (that depress me) so I really enjoyed the performance. I thoroughly recommend this 2006 BBC adaptation to fans of the novel.

33. Producer of workplace regs. : OSHA
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was created in 1970 during the Nixon administration. OSHA regulates workplaces in the private sector, and regulates just one government agency, namely the US Postal Service.

35. Footnote abbr. : IBID
Ibid. is short for the Latin word “ibidem” and is typically found in footnotes and bibliographies. Ibid. is used to refer the reader to the prior citation, instead of giving the same information (title, author etc.) all over again.

39. Shortstop Jeter : DEREK
Derek Jeter has played his entire professional baseball career with the New York Yankees, and is the team’s captain.

43. Inhabitant : DENIZEN
Nowadays we use “denizen” to mean simply a resident, but historically a denizen was an immigrant to whom certain rights had been granted, something like today’s “resident alien”.

45. New York’s ___ Station : PENN
Penn Station in New York City may have been the first Pennsylvania Station, but it’s not the only one. The Pennsylvania Railroad gave that name to many of its big passenger terminals, including one in Philadelphia (now called 30th Street Station), one in Baltimore, one in Pittsburgh, one in Cleveland, as well as others.

50. It has its moments : MAALOX
Maalox is a brand of antacid that has been on sale since 1949.

52. “___ Get Your Gun” : ANNIE
“Annie Get Your Gun” is an Irving Berlin musical, first performed on Broadway in 1946. The show is a fictionalized account of the life of sharpshooter Annie Oakley. It was written as a vehicle for Ethel Merman, and when she sang the hit tune “There’s No Business Like Show Business”, she apparently brought down the house.

53. Boston Harbor event precipitator : TEA ACT
The famous destruction of tea in Boston Harbor to protest against the Tax Act took place on December 16, 1773. The action was referred to as the “destruction of the tea” for decades, and it wasn’t until 1834 that the term “Boston Tea Party” first appeared in print.

54. ___ Macmillan, classmate of Harry Potter : ERNIE
Ernie McMillan is a character in the J. K. Rowling series of “Harry Potter” books, a classmate of the story’s hero.

57. Gulf of ___, arm of the Baltic : RIGA
The Gulf of Riga is a bay in the Baltic Sea, lying between Latvia and Estonia.

62. “Born on the Fourth of July” setting, familiarly : NAM
Born on the Fourth of July” is an autobiography of a paralyzed Vietnam War veteran who became an anti-war figure on return to the US. The author is Ron Kovic, who is played by Tom Cruise in a 1989 screen adaptation directed by Oliver Stone (for which Stone won an Academy Award). The book title is a play on the lyrics of the song “Yankee Doodle Dandy”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Volcano output : ASH
4. Prospects : VISTAS
10. Dash : ELAN
14. Person with a corner ofc., maybe : CEO
15. The Scourge of God : ATTILA
16. Queen in “The Lion King” : NALA
17. “The Godfather” actor : CAAN
18. The 21st Amendment, e.g. : REPEAL
19. Sting : TRAP
20. Knight ___ (former newspaper group) : RIDDER
22. “Falcon Crest” actress : ANA ALICIA
24. Awakening : AROUSAL
26. “How ___ Your Mother” : I MET
27. Some cons : SETUPS
29. It might be golden : OLDIE
33. Final words? : OBIT
36. Dockworkers’ grp. : ILA
37. Allergy-afflicted dwarf : SNEEZY
38. Car with the numeral 9 in all its model names : SAAB
39. Pro baseball level … or a hint to 12 answers in this puzzle : DOUBLE-A
41. River across the French/German border : SAAR
42. Speed skater Eric who won five gold medals at the 1980 Winter Olympics : HEIDEN
44. Location of the quadriceps : LEG
45. Enterprise captain prior to Kirk : PIKE
46. Dangerous snake : ADDER
47. Raspy : HOARSE
49. Captain of sci-fi : NEMO
51. Newborn : NEONATE
55. Language of Cape Town : AFRIKAANS
59. Antitank artillery operator, e.g. : GUNNER
60. Grill : QUIZ
61. Jungle vines : LIANAS
63. It may be eaten with tikka masala : NAAN
64. Itch : URGE
65. Like Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon : ON LATE
66. Here, in Québec : ICI
67. ___ Turing, a founding father of computer science : ALAN
68. Annual event in Los Angeles : X GAMES
69. Summer, in Québec : ETE

Down
1. Capital of Ghana : ACCRA
2. It’s said to be salubrious : SEA AIR
3. 1953 John Wayne film : HONDO
4. City or lake in northern Italy : VARESE
5. Repeated step : ITERATION
6. The Racer’s Edge : STP
7. “___ yellow ribbon …” : TIE A
8. Singer Morissette : ALANIS
9. Low bow : SALAAM
10. Give a right to : ENTITLE
11. ___ de Triomphe : L’ARC
12. Jai ___ : ALAI
13. Carquest competitor : NAPA
21. Make dirty … or clean : DUST
23. ___ Lewis with the 2008 #1 hit “Bleeding Love” : LEONA
25. Doozy : LULU
28. Painter Picasso : PABLO
30. He loved Lucy : DESI
31. Walton who wrote “The Compleat Angler” : IZAAK
32. Jane of literature : EYRE
33. Producer of workplace regs. : OSHA
34. Bleated : BAAED
35. Footnote abbr. : IBID
37. Set apart : SEGREGATE
39. Shortstop Jeter : DEREK
40. Put pressure (on) : LEAN
43. Inhabitant : DENIZEN
45. New York’s ___ Station : PENN
47. Fine-tuning : HONING
48. Drunkards : SOUSES
50. It has its moments : MAALOX
52. “___ Get Your Gun” : ANNIE
53. Boston Harbor event precipitator : TEA ACT
54. ___ Macmillan, classmate of Harry Potter : ERNIE
55. Blue-green : AQUA
56. Roll up, as a flag : FURL
57. Gulf of ___, arm of the Baltic : RIGA
58. Room in una casa : SALA
62. “Born on the Fourth of July” setting, familiarly : NAM

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