1024-12 New York Times Crossword Answers 24 Oct 12, Wednesday

Last Sunday’s Competition Puzzle
Anyone still looking to unravel the Sunday crossword can check out my solution, which I posted after the competition deadline ended.

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
17. Actor Norris, after gaining weight? : (G)ROUND CHUCK
Chuck Norris is a martial artist and an actor from Ryan, Oklahoma. Norris’s first real exposure to martial arts was in the US Air Force when he was serving in South Korea. When he left the service Norris opened up a chain of karate schools, and among his clients were Steve McQueen and his son, as well as Donny and Marie Osmond.

19. Attendee of the fictional Lowood Institution for girls : EYRE
“Jane Eyre” is of course the novel written by Charlotte Brontë, under the pen name Currer Bell. Over the years, I’ve shared here on the blog that the “Jane Eyre” story line 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. I watched a wonderful 4-hour television adaptation of the novel made by the BBC a while back 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 story. I thoroughly recommend the 2006 BBC adaptation to fans of the novel.

22. Flower part : SEPAL
In a flower, the sepals are those green, leaf-like structures that are “interleaved” with the petals, providing support. Prior to acting as support for the petals, the sepals protect the flower in bud.

23. 1993 Peace Nobelist : MANDELA
As a young man, Nelson Mandela led the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). Mandela was eventually arrested and admitted to charges of sabotage and was sentenced to life in prison in 1964. He remained behind bars for 27 years, mainly in the infamous prison on Robben Island. As the years progressed, Mandela became a symbol of the fight against apartheid. He was released in 1990, and immediately declared his commitment to peace and reconciliation with South Africa’s white minority. Mandela was elected president of his country in 1994, an office that he held until 1999.

26. What a tosspot fantasizes the clouds would do? : (G)RAIN ALCOHOL
Drunks have been referred to as tosspots since the mid-1500s.

39. Badlands feature : MESA
“Mesa” is the Spanish for “table” and is of course is how we get the term “mesa” that describes a geographic feature. “What’s the difference between a butte and a mesa?” I hear you cry! Both are hills with flat tops, but a mesa has a top that is wider than it is tall. A butte is a much narrower formation, taller than it is wide. Now we know …

Badlands may be “bad lands” for agriculture, but they can be beautiful. A badlands is an extensive area from which the topsoil has been eroded by wind and water, leaving exposed rock and very little vegetation. One of the most beautiful badlands areas in the US is preserved for the nation as South Dakota’s Badlands National Park.

43. Thieves at an all-night dance bash? : (G)RAVE ROBBERS
As you might imagine, I’ve never been to a rave, and don’t have one upcoming in my diary. And as raves often start at 2 a.m. then I’m unlikely ever to experience one. A rave is generally an all-night party featuring loud, electronically-synthesized music usually played by a DJ as opposed to a live band.

52. Emo emotion : ANGST
The musical genre of “emo” originated in Washington D.C. in the 80s, and takes its name from “emotional hardcore”. Not my cup of tea …

58. Someone responding to a party R.S.V.P.? : (G)HOST WRITER
RSVP stands for “Répondez s’il vous plaît”, which is French for “please, answer”.

60. ___ Krabappel, Bart Simpson’s teacher : EDNA
In “the Simpsons” television show, Bart Simpson’s teacher is Edna Krabappel.

61. Boxer’s fare? : ALPO
Alpo is a brand of dog food originally produced by Allen Products in 1936, with “Alpo” being an abbreviation for “Allen Products”. Lorne Greene used to push Alpo in television spots, as did Ed McMahon, and Garfield the Cat would you believe?

The boxer breed of dog (one of my favorites!) originated in Germany. My first dog was a boxer/Labrador mix, a beautiful animal. Our current family dog is a boxer/pug mix, another gorgeous creature.

Down
1. Longtime senator Thurmond : STROM
Strom Thurmond was a US Senator for the state of South Carolina for 48 years, until he stepped down in 2003. Thurmond was the oldest-serving senator in US history. He retired from his office at the age of 100-years-old, and passed away just a few months after leaving Washington.

2. Now, in Nogales : AHORA
Nogales (properly called “Heroica Nogales”) is a city in the Mexican State of Sonora. Nogales lies right on the Mexico-US border, opposite the city of Nogales, Arizona.

3. Bobby Orr, notably : BRUIN
Bobby Orr is regarded as one of the greatest hockey players who ever played the game. By the time he retired in 1978, Orr had undergone over a dozen knee surgeries. At 31 years of age, Orr concluded that he just couldn’t skate anymore. Reportedly, he was even having trouble walking …

The Boston Bruins professional ice hockey team goes way back, and has been in existence since 1924. The National Hockey League back then was a Canadian-only league, which expanded to include the US in 1923. The Bruins were the first US-team to be admitted to the expanded league.

5. Conan O’Brien, e.g. : REDHEAD
Before Conan O’Brien came to fame as a late night talk show host, he was a writer. O’Brien wrote for both “Saturday Night Live” and “The Simpsons”.

6. Mideast capital : TEHRAN
Tehran is the capital of Iran and is the largest city in the Middle East, with a population of about 8.5 million. Iran has been around an awful long time and Tehran is actually the country’s 31st national capital. We really are only babies over here in the US …

8. Entries in two Oscar categories, slangily : DOCS
Those two categories would be Best Documentary Feature and Best Documentary (Short Subject).

12. Indian tourist locale : AGRA
The most famous mausoleum in the world has to be the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. The Taj Mahal was built after the death of the third wife of Shah Jahan, Mumtaz Mahal (hence the name of the mausoleum). The poor woman died in childbirth delivering the couple’s 14th child!

18. District of Colombia? : CALI
In terms of population, Cali is the third largest city in Colombia. Santiago de Cali (the full name for the city) lies in western Colombia. Apparently, Cali is a destination for “medical tourists”. The city’s surgeons have a reputation for being expert in cosmetic surgery and so folks looking for a “cheap” nose job head there

24. Stalactite producer : DRIP
A stalactite is a mineral deposit that hangs from the roof of a cave, formed by continuous dripping of mineral-rich water. “Stalactite” comes from the Greek word “stalasso” meaning “to drip”.

27. Manhattan Project result, informally : A-BOMB
The Manhattan project was of course the joint US-Canada-UK project to develop an atomic bomb during WWII. Initially, the Army headquarters for the program was located on the 18th floor of a building on Broadway in New York City. Eventually, because of that first location, the project adopted the Manhattan name.

28. Guitarist Paul : LES
Les Paul was a guitarist, songwriter and inventor. When he was 33 years old, Paul was involved in a near-fatal car crash that left his right arm and elbow shattered. Surgeons offered him the choice of amputation or a rebuilding of the limb that would leave him unable to bend his elbow. He told them to set his arm at just under 90 degrees so that he could at least hold his guitar and perhaps play it.

35. Triple Crown winner Citation or Gallant Fox : BAY
Bay is a common coloring for many species of horse. A bay has a dark brown coat over most of its body, with a black tail, mane, lower legs and ears.

37. Reason for an R rating : GORE
The Motion Picture Association of America’s (MPAA) film-rating system is purely voluntary and is not backed by any law. Movie theaters agree to abide by the rules that come with the MPAA ratings in exchange for access to new movies.

38. Back of a public house, maybe : LOO
When I was growing up in Ireland, a “bathroom” was a room that had a bath and no toilet. The separate room with the commode was called “the toilet” or sometimes the W.C. (the water closet). Apparently the term closet was used because in the 1800s when homeowners started installing toilets indoors they often displaced clothes in a “closet”, as a closet was the right size to take the commode. It has been suggested that the British term “loo” comes from Waterloo (water-closet … water-loo), but no one seems to know for sure.

46. Sufficiently, in poetry : ENOW
“Enow” is an archaic form of the word “enough”.

49. Tribal figure : TOTEM
Totem is the name given to any entity that watches over a group of people. As such, totems are usually the subjects of worship. So, “totem poles” are really misnamed as the poles are not intended to represent figures to be worshiped, but rather are heraldic in nature often celebrating the legends or notable events in the history of a tribe.

50. Rhône tributary : ISERE
The Isère river gives its name to the French Department of Isère, located partly in the French Alps. In turn, Isère gave its name to a somewhat famous ship called the Isère, which in 1885 delivered the Statue of Liberty from France to America, in 214 crates.

52. Jump on the ice : AXEL
An Axel is a forward take-off jump in figure skating. It was first performed by Norwegian Axel Paulsen at the 1882 World Figure Skating championships.

54. Western accessory : BOLO
I’ve never worn a bolo tie, and was surprised to discover that it is a relatively recent invention. The first bolo tie was apparently produced in Wickenburg, Arizona in the late 1940s by a silversmith. The bolo takes its name from the boleadora, an Argentine lariat.

55. N.F.L. broadcaster : ESPN
ESPN is the Entertainment Sports Programming Network, a cable network that broadcasts sports programming 24 hours a day. ESPN was launched back in 1979.

59. Subj. of a Wall Street Journal story : IPO
An Initial Public Offering (IPO) is the very first offer of stock for sale by a company on the open market. In other words it marks the first time that a company is traded on a public exchange. Companies have an IPO to raise capital to expand (usually).

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Cavalry weapon : SABER
6. “And there it is!” : TADA
10. Argue (with) : SPAR
14. Spasm : THROE
15. Hollywood has some big ones : EGOS
16. Summon : PAGE
17. Actor Norris, after gaining weight? : (G)ROUND CHUCK
19. Attendee of the fictional Lowood Institution for girls : EYRE
20. “… ___ quit!” : OR I
21. Symbols of speed : HARES
22. Flower part : SEPAL
23. 1993 Peace Nobelist : MANDELA
25. Hankering : ITCH
26. What a tosspot fantasizes the clouds would do? : (G)RAIN ALCOHOL
30. Designed to pique interest, say : LURID
33. Toot : BEEP
34. Collar : NAB
36. “Hurry!” : ASAP
37. Some makeup … or a hint to 17-, 26-, 43- and 58-Across : GLOSS (the hint is G-LOSS)
39. Badlands feature : MESA
40. Unite : WED
41. Whoosh! : ZOOM
42. A bit questionable : FISHY
43. Thieves at an all-night dance bash? : (G)RAVE ROBBERS
47. Show some respect to a judge : RISE
48. All riled up : IN A STIR
52. Emo emotion : ANGST
54. Conceived : BEGOT
56. Sugar ending : -OSE
57. Strike : X OUT
58. Someone responding to a party R.S.V.P.? : (G)HOST WRITER
60. ___ Krabappel, Bart Simpson’s teacher : EDNA
61. Boxer’s fare? : ALPO
62. Kind of glasses : OPERA
63. Dieter’s amount : LESS
64. Paint swatch choice : TONE
65. Common door sign : WOMEN

Down
1. Longtime senator Thurmond : STROM
2. Now, in Nogales : AHORA
3. Bobby Orr, notably : BRUIN
4. Impatient person’s wait, seemingly : EON
5. Conan O’Brien, e.g. : REDHEAD
6. Mideast capital : TEHRAN
7. Bad fit : AGUE
8. Entries in two Oscar categories, slangily : DOCS
9. “That’s all I ___” : ASK
10. Address : SPEECH
11. There used to be a lot more of these on corners : PAYPHONES
12. Indian tourist locale : AGRA
13. Country dance : REEL
18. District of Colombia? : CALI
22. Knock off : STOP
24. Stalactite producer : DRIP
25. Knocks off : ICES
27. Manhattan Project result, informally : A-BOMB
28. Guitarist Paul : LES
29. Shipboard punishment : LASH
30. Bar topic : LAW
31. PC operator : USER
32. Items for baseball scouts and highway patrol officers : RADAR GUNS
35. Triple Crown winner Citation or Gallant Fox : BAY
37. Reason for an R rating : GORE
38. Back of a public house, maybe : LOO
39. Get wrong : MISS
41. Spice : ZEST
42. Where many Greeks are found : FRAT ROW
44. Outlooks : VISTAS
45. Part that may be pinched : BIG TOE
46. Sufficiently, in poetry : ENOW
49. Tribal figure : TOTEM
50. Rhône tributary : ISERE
51. Put on again : RERAN
52. Jump on the ice : AXEL
53. Intersection point : NODE
54. Western accessory : BOLO
55. N.F.L. broadcaster : ESPN
58. ___ in hand : HAT
59. Subj. of a Wall Street Journal story : IPO

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