1023-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 23 Oct 11, Sunday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Onetime propaganda source : TASS
TASS is the abbreviation used for the former news agency, the Telegraph Association of the Soviet Union (Telegrafnoye Agentstvo Sovetskovo Soyuza). When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1992, the Moscow-based agency’s scope changed, along with its name. It is now known as the Information Telegraph Agency of Russia (ITAR-TASS).

5. Portmanteau : BAG
A portemanteau was a large suitcase, one that could be taken apart into two separate pieces. The word “portemanteau” is French for a “travelling bag”, from “porter” (to carry) and “manteau” (a coat, cloak). We also use “portmanteau” to mean a word that has been melded together from two parts (just like the suitcase). This usage was introduced to the world by Humpty Dumpty in Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”. He explained to Alice that the nonsense words in the “Jabberwocky” poem were actually portemanteau words. For example “slithy”, from “slimy” and “lithe”.

18. Funny Johnson : ARTE
Arte Johnson, as well being a frequent judge on “The Gong Show”, played the German soldier on “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In”. His character’s famous catchphrase was, “Very interesting, but …”

20. Queen City of the Rockies : HELENA
Helena is the capital of the state of Montana, and is known as the Queen City of the Rockies. Helena’s main street has a very colorful name, namely Last Chance Gulch.

29. E-mail alternatives : IMS
Those would be Instant Messages.

30. Source of the Amazon : ANDES
The Amazon River of South America is the world’s largest in terms of volume, and accounts for an amazing one-fifth of the world’s total river flow. Perhaps even more amazing is that there are no bridges across the Amazon! Not one, mainly because the river flows through tropical rainforest where there are few roads and cities.

31. South Carolina’s state bird : WREN
The Carolina wren is species of bird, the state bird of South Carolina in fact.

32. Neurotic Martin Short character : ED GRIMLEY
Ed Grimley is a character played by Martin Short, first introduced on “SCTV”, and then reprised on “Saturday Night Live”.

Martin Short’s father emigrated to Canada as a refugee from Ireland during the 1919-1921 Irish War of Independence. In fact, I worked with one of Martin’s cousins back in Ireland. Martin Short started out his career as a comedian with “SCTV” before moving to “Saturday Night Live” where he became one of the show’s most celebrated stars. Back in 1972 Short appeared in a production of “Godspell” alongside Gilda Radner. Short and Radner dated for a while, then Short started going out with Radner’s understudy, Nancy Dolman. Dolman and Short married in 1980. Any of you that follow British politics will know of Clare Short, a minister in the cabinet of former Prime Minister Tony Blair. Clare and Martin are first cousins.

38. Start of a 1957 hit song : DAYO
“Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” is a traditional folk song from Jamaica. It is sung from the standpoint of dock workers unloading boats on the night shift, so daylight has come, and they want to go home. The most famous version of “Day-O” was recorded by Harry Belafonte, in 1956.

42. Oxidized : RUSTY
Rust is an oxide of iron.

44. Cousin who’s “altogether ooky” : ITT
In the television sitcom “The Addams Family”, the family had a frequent visitor called Cousin Itt. Itt is a short man with long hair that runs from his head to the floor. Itt was played by Italian actor Felix Silla.

53. To the point, to lawyers : AD REM
The Latin term “ad rem” translates literally as “to the matter”.

55. Times ___ : ROMAN
Times Roman is a font based on Times New Roman, which was designed for and introduced by the “The Times” newspaper of London in 1931.

59. Bridge expert Culbertson : ELY
Ely Culbertson was a great personality in the world of contract bridge (the greatest card game known to man!). He wrote an autobiography called “The Strange Lives of One Man” which is supposed to be an extraordinary read. I will have to put it on my Christmas wish list …

65. 1985 film based on “King Lear” : RAN
“Ran” is a film directed by the famous Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. It was released in 1985, and is partly based on William Shakespeare’s “King Lear”.

69. Plant known as “seer’s sage” because of its hallucinatory effect : SALVIA
Seer’s Sage is a common name for the plant Salvia divinorum. The leaves of the Seer’s Sage are often used as an hallucinogen, and so the plant is illegal in some states.

72. Skinny : NEWS
The word “skinny” can be used to mean the “truth, news”. Such usage is WWII slang and may be derived from the term “skinny-dipping” with its possible relationship to the expression “naked” truth.

74. Screenwriter Ephron : DELIA
Delia Ephron is the sister of the more famous Nora Ephron, and is a screenwriter and producer in her own right. Among her writing credits is the 2005 movie “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants”.

75. Somme place : AMIENS
Amiens is a city in the north of France, in the region known as Picardy.

The Somme is a department in the very north of France, in the Picardy region. It is famous for being the site of devastating battles during WWI.

76. Prefix with magnetic : GEO-
Geomagnetism is the name given to the magnetism of the earth.

79. An instant : SANKA
The first successful process for removing caffeine from coffee involved steaming the beans in salt water, and then extracting the caffeine using the solvent benzene, a potent carcinogen. Coffee processed this way was sold as Sanka here in the US. There are other processes used these days, and let’s hope they are safer …

90. His debut album was “Rhyme Pays” : ICE-T
Rapper Ice-T must be sick of having his name come up as an answer in crossword puzzles. Maybe he should have stuck to his real name, Tracy Marrow. Then again, maybe not …

92. W. Hemisphere grp. : OAS
The Organization of American States (OAS) has its headquarters in Washington, D.C. All the independent states in the Americas are members of the group, except Honduras which had its membership suspended after the country’s 2009 coup.

95. Queen’s land : SHEBA
No one knows for sure where the kingdom of Sheba was actually located. Sheba is referenced in the Bible several times. The “Queen of Sheba” is mentioned as someone who traveled to Jerusalem to behold the fame of King Solomon.

97. Like average folks, in Britain : NON-U
“Non-U” is a term used in the UK that originated in the fifties, referring to those who are “not upper class”.  i.e. middle class. In effect, “the U” are the “upper” class, and “the non-U” are the middle class.

99. ___ Park, classic Coney Island amusement locale : LUNA
Luna Park was the second major amusement park to be opened on Coney Island, accepting its first guests in 1903. “Luna Park” gained such a reputation that it lent its name to dozens of amusements parks around the globe, many that still operate today. Although there was a ride called “A Trip to the Moon” in the park, with a spacecraft called “Luna”, the park’s name actually came from the sister of one of the park’s designers, Luna Dundy of Des Moines, Iowa.

100. V formation? : PEACE SIGN
The V-sign, made with the palm facing outwards, was used as a victory sign by Winston Churchill during WWII. He was careful to point his palm outwards, as the V-sign made with the palm inwards has a very rude meaning in Britain and Ireland. The same victory sign was adopted as a peace sign in protests against the Vietnam War, a usage that spread and persists to this day.

102. Shop chopper : ADZE
An adze (also adz) is similar to an axe, but different in that the blade of an adze is set at right angles to the tool’s shaft. The blade of an axe is set in line with the shaft.

104. Bounce (off) : CAROM
A carom is a ricochet, the bouncing of some projectile off a surface. It has come to mean the banking of a billiard ball, the bouncing of the ball off the side of the table.

115. Matter in statistical mechanics : IDEAL GAS
Ah yes, the Ideal Gas Law! I remember this from my chemistry classes. One of the basic conclusions one can draw from the law is that under ideal conditions, all gases have the same volume at the same temperature and pressure. The idea is that the individual molecules in a gas are so far away from each other that the actual components of the molecule has negligible influence on the physical properties of the gas. A gas molecule is just a gas molecule. Well, sort of …

116. Bulldog : YALIE
The Yale school mascot is “Handsome Dan”, the Yale bulldog.

117. Dispatch boats : AVISOS
A dispatch boat is a military vessel designed to carry dispatches to and from ships. In the French navy, a dispatch boat is called an aviso. Nowadays of course, the need for dispatch bats has disappeared, but avisos still exist, and are a class of combat vessel usually used in the defense of a coast against encroachment by enemies.

118. Neighbor of Oman: Abbr. : UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven emirates (states) in the Middle East. Included in the seven are Abu Dhabi and Dubai, with the city of Abu Dhabi being the UAE capital and cultural center.

119. “Pride and Prejudice” actress Jennifer : EHLE
My favorite screen version of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” is the 1995 miniseries starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. The wonderful chemistry that Ehle and Firth exhibited onscreen extended off the screen and the pair were “an item” for a while. Jennifer Ehle was recently again cast with Colin Firth, in the excellent film “The King’s Speech” from 2010.

122. One of the Chaplins : SYD
Syd Chaplin was the elder half-brother of the famous comic actor Charlie Chaplin. Syd worked as Charlie’s business manager.

123. Underworld route : STYX
The River Styx in Greek mythology was the river that formed the boundary between the Earth and the Underworld (also called 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”.

Down
2. Asian republic : ARMENIA
Armenia is a landlocked country found east of Turkey, and is a former Soviet Republic. Back in the year 301, the ancient Kingdom of Armenia became the first nation in the world to adopt Christianity as its national religion.

4. Certain poetic output : SESTET
A sestet is a group of six lines of poetry similar to a quatrain, a group of four lines.

8. Proof that a “Jersey Shore” character has an incontinence problem? : DEPENDS ON THE SITUATION
Michael Sorrentino is one of the cast members of the reality television show “Jersey Shore”. Sorrentino goes by the nickname “The Situation”. He was the second highest paid reality star in 2010, purportedly earning $5 million. Only Kim Kardashian earned more.

10. Entire “Reservoir Dogs” cast, e.g. : MEN
“Reservoir Dogs” was the first film directed by Quentin Tarantino, and was released in 1992. I really don’t like Tarantino movies as I just cannot take all the violence. I checked the cast listing for “Reservoir Dogs” and it is a “men only” production. There are no named characters in the film played by women. All I can see is Linda Kaye who played “Shocked Woman”, and Suzanne Celeste who played “Shot Woman” …

12. Pampers maker, informally : P AND G
Pampers is a brand of disposable diaper made by Proctor & Gamble. The brand is so popular in Bulgaria that the Bulgarian word for a disposable diaper is “pampersi”.

14. Inits. in ’70s and ’80s rock : ELO
ELO of course stands for the Electric Light Orchestra, a symphonic rock group from the north of England. The band’s manager was Don Arden, father of Sharon Osbourne (wife of Ozzy).

15. Slayer of his brother Bleda : ATTILA
Rugila was the leader of the Huns until he died in 434 AD. At his death, he left the united Hun tribes under the control of his nephews, the brothers Bleda and Attila. About 11 years into the joint reign, Bleda was killed on a hunting trip, supposedly by his brother.

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.

17. Impudent : SASSY
“Sassy” is an alteration of the word “saucy”, with “sassy” first appearing in English in the 1830s.

20. Longtime ESPN football analyst Merril ___ : HOGE
Merril Hoge was a professional running back, and played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Chicago Bears. He has worked as an analyst for ESPN since 1997.

23. Protected images, for short : TMS
The red triangle on the label of a bottle of Bass Ale was registered in 1875 and is UK Registered Trade Mark No: 00001, the first trade mark issued in the world.

25. Russian novelist Maxim : GORKI
Maxim Gorky was a Soviet author and a political activist.

32. Singer Gorme : EYDIE
Eydie Gorme is best known for her work with her husband, Steve Lawrence. The duo have been recording traditional popular music together since the late fifties.

33. Eschews Mensa material when going to parties? : DOESN’T TAKE A GENIUS
If you ever had to learn Latin, as did I, “mensa” was probably taught to you in Lesson One as it’s the word commonly used as an example of a first declension noun. Mensa means “table”. The Mensa organization, for folks with high IQs, was set up in Oxford, England back in 1946. To become a member you are required to have an IQ that is in the top 2% of the population.

34. “Drag ___ Hell” (2009 movie) : ME TO
“Drag Me to Hell” is a horror film released in 2009. It was directed by Sam Raimi, with a screenplay written by Raimi and his brother. I’m not one for horror movies though …

36. “Star Wars” character ___-Gon Jinn : QUI
Qui-Gon Jinn was the mentor to the Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi. He was played by Liam Neeson in the 1999 film “Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace”.

37. SALT party : USSR
There were two rounds of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks between the US and the Soviet Union, and two resulting treaties (SALT I & SALT II). The opening round of SALT I talks were held in Helsinki as far back as 1970.

42. Contents of Lenin’s Tomb, e.g.? : REMAINS TO BE SEEN
I made it to Russia only once in my life, and it was a memorable trip. I saw all the sites in and around Red Square in Moscow, but couldn’t get in to visit Lenin’s Tomb. It was closed for renovations …

47. Aquatic nymph : NAIAD
The Naiads of Greek mythology were water nymphs, associated with fountains, wells, springs and streams. The saltwater equivalents to the freshwater Naiads were the Oceanids.

48. The Wildcats of the N.C.A.A. : KSU
The athletic teams of Kansas State University (KSU) are called the Wildcats. The Wildcats official “colors” are just one, Royal Purple. There are very few college teams with just one official color. As well as KSU there is Syracuse (Orange) and Harvard (Crimson).

51. “Airplane!” woman : ELAINE
The 1980 movie “Airplane!” has to be one of the zaniest comedies ever made. The lead roles were Ted Striker (played by Robert Hays) and Elaine Dickinson (played by Julie Hagarty). But it was Leslie Nielson who stole the show, playing Dr. Barry Rumack. That’s my own humble opinion of course …

53. Hard Italian cheese : ASIAGO
Asiago is a crumbly cheese, named after the region in northeastern Italy from where it originates.

58. ___ Minor : URSA
Ursa Minor sits right beside the constellation Draco (Latin for “dragon”). Ursa Minor used to be considered the wing of Draco, and so was once called “Dragon’s Wing”.

70. Flat flooring : LINO
Lino, short for linoleum, was originally made by coating canvas with solidified linseed oil. The product’s inventor, Englishman Frederick Walton, give it the name “linoleum” from “linum” and “oleum”, the Latin for “linen” and “oil”.

83. 118-Across is in it : OPEC
(118A. Neighbor of Oman: Abbr. : UAE)
The OPEC cartel (the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) was formally established in 1960 and has been headquartered in Vienna since 1965. The US is actually the third largest oil producer in the world (after Russia and Saudi Arabia). One reason America isn’t in OPEC, even though we are a big producer, is that we import a lot more than we export. But you probably knew that already …

85. Super Bowl IV M.V.P. Dawson : LEN
Len Dawson is a retired AFL-NFL quarterback, who played for the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs.

87. Scoring stat for N.B.A.’ers : PPG
Points per game.

91. Motorola phone line : RAZR
The Motorola RAZR is a line of flip phones introduced in 2004.

94. Untraditional, as some marriages : SAME-SEX
Anyone seeking a same-sex marriage might consider the ten countries in the word where such a union is legal:

– Argentina
– Belgium
– Canada
– Iceland
– the Netherlands
– Norway
– Portugal
– Spain
– South Africa
– Sweden

104. Major org. representing entertainers and athletes : CAA
The Creative Arts Agency (CAA) is a talent agency based in Los Angeles, and is noted for representing big stars in the areas of entertainment and sports.

108. Anita of jazz : O’DAY
Anita O’Day was the stage name of the jazz singer Anita Colton. O’Day had problems with heroin and alcohol addiction leading to erratic behavior, and earning her the nickname “The Jezebel of Jazz”.

109. Desideratum : NEED
A desideratum (pl: desiderata) is something considered necessary, or highly “desirable”, and comes from the Latin word for “to desire”.

111. ___ Fit : WII
Wii Fit is popular, very popular. It’s the third bestselling console “game” in history, with over 20 million sold. Wii Fit uses the Wii Balance Board for much of its functionality, on which the user stands.

112. Brooklyn’s Flatbush, e.g.: Abbr. : AVE
Flatbush Avenue is the main thoroughfare in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. It was originally a trail though the area that was used by Native Americans.

114. Symbol for electric flux : PSI
The Greek letter psi is the one that looks a bit like a trident or a pitchfork.

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Onetime propaganda source : TASS
5. Portmanteau : BAG
8. Obstruct : DAM UP
13. Brings in : REAPS
18. Funny Johnson : ARTE
19. See 6-Down : AGO
20. Queen City of the Rockies : HELENA
21. Prefix with light or sound : ULTRA
22. Holiday purchase, informally : XMAS TREE
24. Tone setters for conductors : OPENING NOTES
26. Item in a certain e-mail folder : SENT MESSAGE
28. A couple of Spaniards? : DOS
29. E-mail alternatives : IMS
30. Source of the Amazon : ANDES
31. South Carolina’s state bird : WREN
32. Neurotic Martin Short character : ED GRIMLEY
35. Not discounted : LIST
36. Give up : QUIT
38. Start of a 1957 hit song : DAYO
40. Press and fold, say : KNEAD
41. Pecking order? : EAT
42. Oxidized : RUSTY
43. Agree (with) : SIDE
44. Cousin who’s “altogether ooky” : ITT
45. Vague early afternoon time : ONEISH
47. Like certain investments : NO-RISK
49. Soaked : HOSED
53. To the point, to lawyers : AD REM
55. Times ___ : ROMAN
57. Succeed : ENSUE
59. Bridge expert Culbertson : ELY
60. Go back and forth : SEESAW
62. Some are cohesive : UNITS
64. Territory : TURF
65. 1985 film based on “King Lear” : RAN
66. How some games finish : IN A TIE
67. How some cars screech : TO A HALT
69. Plant known as “seer’s sage” because of its hallucinatory effect : SALVIA
71. Loser : ASS
72. Skinny : NEWS
74. Screenwriter Ephron : DELIA
75. Somme place : AMIENS
76. Prefix with magnetic : GEO-
77. Old fishing tool : SPEAR
79. An instant : SANKA
81. Blowup, of a sort : INSET
82. “… but possibly untrue” : OR NOT
84. Peeper protector : EYELID
86. Wield : EMPLOY
88. Uncorking noise : POP
90. His debut album was “Rhyme Pays” : ICE-T
91. Grating : RASPY
92. W. Hemisphere grp. : OAS
95. Queen’s land : SHEBA
97. Like average folks, in Britain : NON-U
98. Enthralled : AGOG
99. ___ Park, classic Coney Island amusement locale : LUNA
100. V formation? : PEACE SIGN
102. Shop chopper : ADZE
104. Bounce (off) : CAROM
105. Mil. officers : LTS
106. Avg. level : STD
107. Change quickly : TURN ON A DIME
110. Incredibly nice : AS SWEET AS PIE
115. Matter in statistical mechanics : IDEAL GAS
116. Bulldog : YALIE
117. Dispatch boats : AVISOS
118. Neighbor of Oman: Abbr. : UAE
119. “Pride and Prejudice” actress Jennifer : EHLE
120. 9-Down holder : STEIN
121. Pickup line? : GET IN
122. One of the Chaplins : SYD
123. Underworld route : STYX

Down
1. Transference of property to pay assessments : TAX SALE
2. Asian republic : ARMENIA
3. Gets up for the debate? : STANDS TO REASON
4. Certain poetic output : SESTET
5. Reveal : BARE
6. With 19-Across, far back : AGES
7. Beats it and won’t explain why? : GOES WITHOUT SAYING
8. Proof that a “Jersey Shore” character has an incontinence problem? : DEPENDS ON THE SITUATION
9. Heady stuff : ALE
10. Entire “Reservoir Dogs” cast, e.g. : MEN
11. Athlete’s attire, informally : UNI
12. Pampers maker, informally : P AND G
13. Arrests an entire crime syndicate? : RUNS IN THE FAMILY
14. Inits. in ’70s and ’80s rock : ELO
15. Slayer of his brother Bleda : ATTILA
16. Like some majors : PRE-MED
17. Impudent : SASSY
20. Longtime ESPN football analyst Merril ___ : HOGE
23. Protected images, for short : TMS
25. Russian novelist Maxim : GORKI
27. Fancified, say : ARTY
32. Singer Gorme : EYDIE
33. Eschews Mensa material when going to parties? : DOESN’T TAKE A GENIUS
34. “Drag ___ Hell” (2009 movie) : ME TO
36. “Star Wars” character ___-Gon Jinn : QUI
37. SALT party : USSR
39. Dashboard choice : AIR
42. Contents of Lenin’s Tomb, e.g.? : REMAINS TO BE SEEN
46. Settle in : NEST
47. Aquatic nymph : NAIAD
48. The Wildcats of the N.C.A.A. : KSU
50. Merits at least a 20% tip? : SERVES YOU RIGHT
51. “Airplane!” woman : ELAINE
52. King or queen : DYNAST
53. Hard Italian cheese : ASIAGO
54. Slower to pick up : DENSER
56. Phone button trio : MNO
58. ___ Minor : URSA
61. Break down : WEEP
63. A bar may offer it : SALAD
68. One-dimensional: Abbr. : LIN
70. Flat flooring : LINO
73. Minute : WEE
78. Scout’s mission : RECON
80. Assertive comeback : AM SO
83. 118-Across is in it : OPEC
85. Super Bowl IV M.V.P. Dawson : LEN
87. Scoring stat for N.B.A.’ers : PPG
89. Wallop : PASTE
91. Motorola phone line : RAZR
93. Departure from the norm : ANOMALY
94. Untraditional, as some marriages : SAME-SEX
95. Charges : SETS AT
96. Give a hard time : HASSLE
99. Soup kitchen implements : LADLES
100. They’re shown by X’s, O’s and arrows : PLAYS
101. Luggage attachment : ID TAG
103. Some annual bills : DUES
104. Major org. representing entertainers and athletes : CAA
108. Anita of jazz : O’DAY
109. Desideratum : NEED
111. ___ Fit : WII
112. Brooklyn’s Flatbush, e.g.: Abbr. : AVE
113. Go unused : SIT
114. Symbol for electric flux : PSI
Return to top of page