1026-11: New York Times Crossword Answers 26 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: Milo Beckman
THEME: INCORRECT CHANGE … all four theme answers are common expressions that include the name of a coin, but the four answers have had the coins mixed up between them:

17A. Exhibited perfect braking : STOPPED ON A PENNY (dime)
22A. Nicest room on a ship, probably : CAPTAIN’S DIMES (quarters)
38A. Cashier’s error, as suggested by 17-, 22-, 47- and 58-Across? : INCORRECT CHANGE
47A. Certain loaf : PUMPERQUARTER (nickel)
58A. Being frugal : PINCHING NICKELS (pennies)

COMPLETION TIME: 17m 31s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0


Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
6. Cousin of an ax : 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. An axe’s blade is set in line with the shaft.

10. Near Eastern V.I.P.’s : AGAS
“Aga”, or “agha”, is a title that was used by both civil and military officials in the Ottoman Empire.

19. Native Nebraskan : OTO
The Otoe (also Oto) Native American tribe originated in the Great Lakes region as part of the Winnebago or Siouan tribes. The group that would become the Otoe broke away from the Winnebago and migrated southwestwards ending up in the Great Plains. In the plains the Otoe adopted a semi-nomadic lifestyle dependent on the horse, with the American bison becoming central to their diet.

20. Followers of nus : XIS
The Greek letter xi, despite the name, is not the precursor of our letter X. Our X comes from the Greek letter chi.

The Latin equivalent of the Greek letter nu is “N”. An uppercase nu looks just like the Latin capital N, however, the lowercase nu looks like our lowercase “v”. Very confusing …

29. Here, to Henri : ICI
“Vous êtes ici” are important words to know when navigating your way around Paris. They mean, “You are here”, and you’ll often see them on maps in the street.

35. Aloe additive? : VERA
Aloe vera has a number of alternate names that are descriptive of its efficacy as a medicine. These include the First Aid plant, Wand of Heaven, Silent Healer and Miracle Plant.

37. “Heavens to Betsy!” : EGAD
“Egad” was developed as a polite way of saying “oh God” in the late 1600s, and is an expression of fear or surprise somewhat like “good grief!”.

41. Henry who made a Fortune? : LUCE
Henry Luce was a publisher, mainly of magazines. He was responsible for launching such iconic publications as “Time”, “Life”, “Fortune” and “Sports Illustrated”.

42. Baby taking a bow? : EROS
As always seems to be the case with Greek gods, Eros and Aphrodite have overlapping spheres of influence. Aphrodite was the goddess of love between a man and a woman, but Eros was the god who stirred the passions of the male.

44. Baton Rouge sch. : LSU
LSU’s full name is Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College.

45. Peace grp. since 1948 : 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.

47. Certain loaf : PUMPERQUARTER (nickel)
The lovely bread known as pumpernickel is made with a recipe that originates in the Westphalia region of Germany. The version of the bread that we eat in North America has been adapted over the years from the original recipe, largely to produce a cheaper product. If you taste the European version beside the American version, it’s hard to believe they have the same origins.

54. Frigidaire competitor : AMANA
The Amana Corporation takes its name from the location of its original headquarters, in Middle Amana, Iowa.

57. Réunion, e.g. : ILE
Réunion is a French island in the Indian Ocean, located east of Madagascar. As the island is a department of France, and has the same status as French domestic departments, Réunion is actually part of the European Union.

65. Funnywoman Martha : RAYE
Martha Raye was a comic actress, as well as a singer. Strangely enough, Raye was famous for the size of her mouth, something that she used to her own advantage. As her nickname was “The Big Mouth”, she made a little money appearing in commercials for the Polident denture cleaner in the eighties. Her line was, “So take it from the Big Mouth: new Polident Green gets tough stains clean!”

66. Actress Naldi of the silents : NITA
Nita Naldi was an American silent film actress, who usually played a “femme fatale” type of role.

Down
1. N.A.A.C.P. part: Abbr. : ASSOC
The full name of the NAACP, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, is remarkable in that it actually still uses the old but offensive term “colored people”. The NAACP was founded in 1909, by three white people: suffragette and journalist Mary White Ovington, wealthy socialist William English Walling, and civil rights activist Henry Moscowitz.

5. Medium capacity? : ESP
Extra Sensory Perception.

7. Impurity : DROSS
When metals are smelted, there is a scum made up of impurities that floats on the surface of the molten metal. This scum is called “dross” and is drawn off and discarded. The term “dross” then came to mean any waste or impure matter.

8. Eastern state? : ZEN
Zen is one of the Buddhist schools, and it developed its own tradition in China back in the 7th century AD. Zen is a Japanese spelling of the Chinese word “chan”, which in turn derives from the Sanskrit word “dhyana” meaning “meditation”.

9. That, in Tijuana : ESA
Tijuana is the largest city in the Mexican state of Baja California, and lies just across the US-Mexico border from San Diego. Tijuana is also the most westerly of all Mexican cities. A lot of Tijuana’s growth took place in the twenties, as tourists flocked south of the border during the days of prohibition in the US. One of the many casinos and hotels that flourished at that time was Hotel Caesar’s, in the Avenida Revolución area. Hotel Caesar’s claims to be the birthplace of the now ubiquitous Caesar Salad.

13. Kind of terrier : SKYE
The Skye terrier is a breed of dog that is actually under threat of extinction. A few years ago there were only 30 Skye terriers born in the breed’s native land of the UK.

16. Slows down traffic, say? : SPAMS
I think that the oft-quoted story may be true that the term SPAM, used for unwanted email, is taken from a “Monty Python” sketch. In the sketch (which I’ve seen) the dialog is taken over by the word SPAM, a play on the glut of canned meat in the markets in Britain after WWII. So SPAM is used for the glut of emails that takes over online communication. I can just imagine nerdy Internet types (like me) adopting something from a “Monty Python” sketch to describe an online phenomenon …

23. 1,000-foot-deep lake that straddles a state line : TAHOE
Lake Tahoe is up in the Sierra Nevada mountains right on the border between California and Nevada. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in the country. It’s also the second deepest lake, with only the beautiful Crater Lake in Oregon being deeper. Given its location, there are tall casinos that sit right on the shore on the Nevada side of the state line where gambling is legal.

25. Game with a maximum score of 180 : DARTS
Darts is a wonderful game, often played in English and Irish pubs, over here in America as well in the British Isles. The scoring in a traditional game of darts is difficult to describe in a sentence or two, but the game of darts called “Round the Clock” is simply hitting the numbers 1 through 20 in sequence.

26. Apple offering : IMAC
The iMac is a desktop computer platform from Apple, introduced in 1998. One of the main features of the iMac is an “all-in-one” design, with the computer console and monitor integrated.

45. Gerald Ford’s birthplace : OMAHA
President Gerald Ford was well known for his athletic prowess. He was the star football player both in his high school and later at the University of Michigan. After graduation, President Ford received two offers to play in the NFL, from the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers. He turned down both teams opting instead to take a coaching position at Yale giving him the opportunity to apply to Yale Law School. But young Mr. Ford’s plan backfired as Yale Law School turned him down because of his full-time commitment to sports, coaching football, boxing and teaching JV cheer-leading. It took three years for President Ford to make it into Yale Law School, but he finally got there, in 1938.

46. Muslim mystic : SUFI
A Sufi is a Muslim mystic.

48. Theodore Roosevelt, to Eleanor : UNCLE
Eleanor Roosevelt was the daughter of Elliot, brother to President Theodore Roosevelt. Eleanor met Franklyn D. Roosevelt, who was her father’s fifth cousin, in 1902, and the two started “walking out together” the following year after they both attended a White House dinner with President Roosevelt.

49. Man of many words? : ROGET
Peter Mark Roget was an English lexicographer. He was an avid maker of lists, apparently using the routine to combat depression, a condition he endured for most of his life. He published his famous thesaurus in 1852, with revisions and expansions being made years later by his son, and then in turn by his grandson.

52. Carl’s wife in “Up” : ELLIE
“Up” is the tenth movie released by Pixar studios, featuring wonderful animation as we have come to expect from Pixar. The film earned itself two Academy Awards. The main voice actor is Ed Asner, whose animated persona as Carl Fredricksen was created to resemble Spencer Tracy in his last film, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”.

55. Sheet mineral : MICA
Mica is a mineral, a sheet silicate. Thin sheets of mica are transparent, and were used in place of glass in certain applications. This form of mica is called isinglass and, with a better thermal performance than glass, it is a great choice for “peepholes’ in boilers and lanterns.

60. Name placeholder in govt. records : NMI
No Middle Initial …

62. “Jeopardy!” whiz Jennings : KEN
Ken Jennings is a remarkable man, the person who had the longest winning streak on television’s “Jeopardy”. He has also won more game show money than any other person. He was defeated after 75 appearances on the show, after racking up over $2.5 million in the prior episodes.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Hanging open : AGAPE
6. Cousin of an ax : ADZE
10. Near Eastern V.I.P.’s : AGAS
14. Doesn’t have a second to lose? : SOLOS
15. Boutique fixture : DRESS RACK
17. Exhibited perfect braking : STOPPED ON A PENNY (dime)
19. Native Nebraskan : OTO
20. Followers of nus : XIS
21. “For me? You shouldn’t have …” : AW GEE
22. Nicest room on a ship, probably : CAPTAIN’S DIMES (quarters)
27. Toward the back : AFT
28. E.T.A.’s for red-eyes : AMS
29. Here, to Henri : ICI
32. Foofaraw : HOO-HA
35. Aloe additive? : VERA
37. “Heavens to Betsy!” : EGAD
38. Cashier’s error, as suggested by 17-, 22-, 47- and 58-Across? : INCORRECT CHANGE
41. Henry who made a Fortune? : LUCE
42. Baby taking a bow? : EROS
43. Befuddled : AT SEA
44. Baton Rouge sch. : LSU
45. Peace grp. since 1948 : OAS
46. “___ loves me …” : SHE
47. Certain loaf : PUMPERQUARTER (nickel)
54. Frigidaire competitor : AMANA
56. Bumbler : OAF
57. Réunion, e.g. : ILE
58. Being frugal : PINCHING NICKELS (pennies)
63. Strongly praised : ACCLAIMED
64. Goose bumps-producing, maybe : EERIE
65. Funnywoman Martha : RAYE
66. Actress Naldi of the silents : NITA
67. Kickoff : ONSET

Down
1. N.A.A.C.P. part: Abbr. : ASSOC
2. Must, slangily : GOTTA
3. Something to be thrown for : A LOOP
4. Top 40 fare : POP
5. Medium capacity? : ESP
6. Contribute to the mix : ADD IN
7. Impurity : DROSS
8. Eastern state? : ZEN
9. That, in Tijuana : ESA
10. “___ there yet?” : ARE WE
11. Handy IDs in the hood? : GANG SIGNS
12. Unwanted spots : ACNE
13. Kind of terrier : SKYE
16. Slows down traffic, say? : SPAMS
18. Sign by stairs, often : EXIT
23. 1,000-foot-deep lake that straddles a state line : TAHOE
24. Many miles away : AFAR
25. Game with a maximum score of 180 : DARTS
26. Apple offering : IMAC
30. Zoo keeper? : CAGE
31. Noodle product? : IDEA
32. Over the ___ : HILL
33. Burden : ONUS
34. Number of people in a room : OCCUPANCY
35. Numbered thing in the Bible : VERSE
36. Friendly introduction? : ECO-
37. Faster’s opposite : EATER
39. Bring in : REAP
40. “Yeah, right” : HA-HA
45. Gerald Ford’s birthplace : OMAHA
46. Muslim mystic : SUFI
48. Theodore Roosevelt, to Eleanor : UNCLE
49. Man of many words? : ROGET
50. Press conference component, briefly : Q AND A
51. Arena sections : TIERS
52. Carl’s wife in “Up” : ELLIE
53. Bowling alley button : RESET
54. On ___ with (equal to) : A PAR
55. Sheet mineral : MICA
59. “There is no ___ team” : I IN
60. Name placeholder in govt. records : NMI
61. Many a Fortune profilee, for short : CEO
62. “Jeopardy!” whiz Jennings : KEN

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