1115-12 New York Times Crossword Answers 15 Nov 12, Thursday

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Solution to today’s crossword in the New York Times
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CROSSWORD SETTER: Andrew Reynolds
THEME: Can’t See the Forest for the Trees … there are half a dozen trees hidden in six answers in today’s grids, with each one crossing the word FOREST that is formed by the circled letters in the center of the grid:

1A. ___ Day, annual celebration of 71-Across : ARBOR
71A. There are six hidden in this puzzle in appropriate places : TREES

6D. Completes a magic trick, perhaps : REAP(PEAR)S – pear tree
10D. Ticket information : CANDI(DATE)S – date tree
15D. Lickety-split : IN A FL(ASH) – ash tree
29D. Possible result of sectarianism : IN(FIG)HTING – fig tree
34D. Absorbed : S(OAK)ED UP – oak tree
36D. Expensive cut of beef : D(ELM)ONICO – elm tree

COMPLETION TIME: 13m 58s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. ___ Day, annual celebration of 71-Across : ARBOR
71. There are six hidden in this puzzle in appropriate places : TREES
Arbor Day is a holiday each year in which people traditionally plant and care for trees. The first Arbor Day was held way back in 1872.

6. Clooney’s “ER” role : ROSS
You know, I’ve never seen “ER”. The most famous doctor in the TV show was Dr. Doug Ross played by George Clooney, the role that really gave Clooney his big break.

10. El ___ : CID
Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar was known as El Cid Campeador, which translates as “The Champion” or perhaps “The Lord, Master of Military Arts”. El Cid was a soldier who fought under the rule of King Alfonso VI of Spain (among others). However, he was sent into exile by the King in 1080 after acting beyond his authorization in battle. El Cid then offered his services to his former foes, the Moorish kings, After a number of years building a reputation with the Moors, he was recalled from exile by Alfonso. By this time El Cid was very much his own man. Nominally under the orders of Alfonso, he led a combined army of Spanish and Moorish troops and took the city of Valencia on the Mediterranean coast, making it his headquarters and home. He died there quite peacefully in 1099.

13. Soul singer Bryson : PEABO
Peabo Bryson is a singer from Greenville, South Carolina. Bryson is noted for singing hits on Disney film soundtracks, often duets. Examples are “Beauty and the Beast” with Céline Dion, and “A Whole New World (Aladdin’s Theme) with Regina Bella.

14. 1985 John Malkovich film : ELENI
Nicholas Gage is a Greek-American author and investigative journalist. Gage wrote two memoirs, “Eleni” and “A Place for Us”. “Eleni” tells of his life in Greece during WWII and the Greek Civil War. The title is a tribute to his mother Eleni who was executed by Communists who occupied her village, simply because she helped her children escape from the ravages of a war of occupation. “Eleni” was adapted into a movie in 1985, with John Malkovich playing Gage.

19. Org. that’s a topic in “Bowling for Columbine” : NRA
“Bowling for Columbine” is a 2002 documentary written and directed by Michael Moore. The “bowling” name was chosen because there were reports (later shown to be untrue) that the two students who committed the Columbine High School massacre actually attended a bowling class a few hours before carrying out their terrible crime.

20. “The Iron Lady” star, 2011 : STREEP
“The Iron Lady” is a 2011 biopic about Margaret Thatcher, former British Prime Minister. The marvelous Meryl Streep does a wonderful job playing the title role. I had great expectations for this film and found that it didn’t quite deliver, despite a great cast.

30. Called previously : NEE
“Née” is the French word for “born” when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”.

35. “Per ___ ad astra” : ARDUA
“Per ardua ad astra” is Latin for “through struggle to the stars”. These words have been the motto of the Royal Air Force since 1912.

38. “___ Wiedersehen” : AUF
“Auf Wiedersehen” is German for “goodbye”, literally translating as “till we see each other again”.

41. 911 responder: Abbr. : EMS
The first use of an emergency phone number nationally was in the UK in 1937, where the number 999 was introduced to call emergency services. If you need emergency services in the UK or Ireland to this day, you have to dial 999. It’s not really clear why 911 became the emergency number in the US. The most credible suggestion (to me) is that when it was introduced by the FCC in 1967, it was a number that “fit” with the numbers already used by AT&T for free services (211-long distance; 411-information; 611-repair service).

43. Med. diagnostic : MRI
A CT (or “CAT”) scan produces (via computer manipulation) a three dimensional image of the inside of an object, usually the human body. It does so by taking a series of two dimensional x-ray images while rotating the camera around the patient. The issue with CT scans is that they use x-rays, and high doses of radiation can be harmful causing damage that is cumulative over time. An MRI on the other hand (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), uses powerful magnetic fields to generate its images so there is no exposure to ionizing radiation (such as X-rays). We used MRI equipment in our chemistry labs at school, way back in the days when the technology was still called Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging (NMRI). Apparently the marketing folks didn’t like the term “nuclear” because of its association with atomic bombs, so now it’s just called MRI.

44. Photographer Adams : ANSEL
As an amateur photographer, I have been a big fan of the work of Ansel Adams for many years and must have read all of his books. Adams was famous for clarity and depth in his black and white images. Central to his technique was the use of the zone system, his own invention. The zone system is a way of controlling exposure in an image, particularly when there is a high contrast in the subject. Although the technique was developed primarily for black & white film, it can even apply to digital color images. In the digital world, the main technique is to expose an image for the highlights, and one or more images for the shadows. These images can then be combined digitally giving a final photograph with a full and satisfying range of exposures.

46. Animal in “The Lion King” : HYENA
The highly successful stage musical “The Lion King” started out life as a 1994 animated feature film of the same name from the Disney studio. The film is the highest earning traditionally-animated feature of all time. The animated film “Finding Nemo” has made more money, but it was created using computer animation.

48. Western conference name : BIG SKY
The Big Sky Conference is a college athletic conference that was founded in 1963 and is made up of schools from the western US.

50. “Breaking Bad” airer : AMC
I hadn’t seen the AMC drama “Breaking Bad” until recently when my wife borrowed the first season from our local library. It is a very well written show about a high school teacher stricken by lung cancer who turns to a life of crime to make money. It seems that AMC have a second big hit on their hands after the success of “Mad Men”.

56. Hero with a cape? : MATADOR
The term “matador” is used in English for a bullfighter, although it isn’t used in the same way in spanish. “Matador” translates aptly enough as “killer”.

61. Athlete’s wear, informally : UNI
Some kind readers of the blog have pointed out that “uni” is short for unisuit or unitard.

A unitard is like a leotard, except that it has long legs and sometime long sleeves. It wouldn’t be a good look for me …

62. One of the five major taste sensations : UMAMI
Umami is one of the five basic tastes, along with sweet, sour, bitter and salty. “Umami” is a Japanese word used to describe “a pleasant savory taste”. Umami was proposed as a basic taste in 1908, but it wasn’t until 1985 that the scientific community finally accepted it as such.

64. “Venus and the Cat” writer : AESOP
Aesop lived in Ancient Greece, probably around the sixth century BC. Supposedly Aesop was born a slave, somehow became a free man, but then met with a sorry end. He was sent to the city of Delphi on a diplomatic mission but instead insulted the Delphians. Aesop was tried on a trumped-up charge of stealing from a temple, sentenced to death and was thrown off a cliff.

66. Sloth, e.g. : SIN
“Sloth”, meaning “indolence, sluggishness”, comes from the Middle English word “slowe”, wich is also the root of our contemporary word “slow”. The animal called a sloth is named for its slow-moving behavior.

68. Angel ___ : FALLS
Angel Falls in Venezuela is the highest uninterrupted waterfall in the world, at a height of 3,213 feet. The waterfall is named for an American aviator called James Angel who was the first to fly a plane over the falls.

70. Last Julio-Claudian emperor : NERO
The Julio-Claudian dynasty was made up of the first five Roman Emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero. All five emperors were members of either the Julius family, the Claudius family or both. The dynasty collapsed when Nero committed suicide in 68 AD.

Down
1. Donkey Kong, for one : APE
The first video game featuring the ape called Donkey Kong was created in 1981. That first “Donkey Kong” game also introduced the world to the character known as “Mario”, four years before “Super Mario Bros” became such a big hit.

2. Boogeymen of 1950s politics : REDS
The Red Scare (i.e. anti-communist sentiment) following WWII had such an effect on the populace that it even caused the Cincinnati baseball team to change its name from the Reds. The team was called the Cincinnati Redlegs from 1953-1958, as the management was fearful of losing money due to public distrust of any association with “Reds”.

5. Prize ring? : ROSES
I think the reference here is to the garland or blanket of roses that is presented to the winning horse at the Kentucky Derby, but I could be wrong …

8. Body type : SEDAN
The American “sedan” car is the equivalent of the British “saloon” car. By definition, a sedan car has two rows of seating and a separate trunk (boot in the UK), although in some models the engine can be at the rear of the car.

15. Lickety-split : IN A FLASH
“Lickety-split” is the latest in a line of terms that derived from the word “lick”, which was used in the sense of a “fast sprint in a race” back in the early 1800s. From “lick” there evolved “licketie”, “lickety-click”, “lickety-cut” and finally “lickety-split”, all just colorful ways to say “fast”.

23. Leader with a coat of arms showing three fleurs-de-lis : ROI
“Lys” (also “lis”) is the French word for “lily”, as in “fleur-de-lys”, the heraldic symbol often associated with the French monarchy.

28. French-speaking African land : MAURITANIA
The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is a country in North Africa, on the Atlantic coast. The country is named after the old Roman province of Mauretania, although the ancient province was located further north in what is now Morocco and part of Algeria.

32. “War and Peace” and others : SAGAS
I have to confess that I have tried to read Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” twice in my life, and failed both times (it is l-o-n-g). Even though the 1956 movie adaptation runs for 3 1/2 hours, it’s still the easy way out! The film version stars Audrey Hepburn and Henry Fonda.

36. Expensive cut of beef : DELMONICO
A Delmonico steak is a steak cut from cuts of beef, and prepared in a style created originally by Delmonico’s Restaurant in New York City in the mid-1800s.

45. Hammer site : EAR
The middle ear is the portion of the ear immediately behind the eardrum. The middle ear contains three small bones called the ossicles, the three smallest bones in the human body. The ossicles’ job is to transmit sound from the outer ear to the inner ear. The shape of the bones gives rise to their common names: the hammer, anvil and stirrup.

49. Yellow ___ : SEA
The Yellow Sea is located between China and the west side of the Korean Peninsula and is the northern part of the East China Sea. There are four seas named for colors in English: the Yellow Sea, the Black Sea, the Red Sea and the White Sea.

55. Parent company of Oscar Mayer : KRAFT
The Oscar Mayer brand of meats was named for a German immigrant named Oscar F. Mayer who sold German sausages in the Chicago area in the late 1800s. The Oscar Mayer company has a famous vehicle called the Wienermobile that it has used in promotions for over 70 years.

56. Cry to a leading team? : MUSH
“Mushing” is the use of one of more dogs to pull a sled. “Mush” is thought to come from the French “marche” meaning “go, run”.

57. Neighbor of Saudi Arabia : OMAN
Oman lies on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula and is neighbored by the OAE, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The capital city of Muscat has a strategic location on the Gulf of Oman and has a history of invasion and unrest. Centuries of occupation by the Persians ended in 1507 when the Portuguese took the city in a bloody attack. The Portuguese held Muscat for much of the next one hundred years until finally being ousted by local Omani forces in 1648. A Yemeni tribe invaded the area in 1741 and set up a monarchy that has been in place in Oman ever since.

59. Manhattan, e.g. : ISLE
The island we know as Manhattan was inhabited by the Lenape Indians when the first Europeans explorers arrived in the area. According to the logbook of one of the officers on Henry Hudson’s yacht, the island was called “Manna-hata” in the local language, from which the modern name derives.

60. ___ Hamels, 2008 World Series M.V.P. : COLE
Cole Hamels is a starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. Hamels is married to Heidi Strobel who was a contestant on the sixth series of the reality television show “Survivor”.

63. It was in orbit for 15 years : MIR
The Russian Mir Space Station was a remarkably successful project, with the station still holding the record for the longest continuous manned presence in space, at just under ten years. Towards the end of the space station’s life however, the years began to take their toll. There was a dangerous fire, multiple system failures, and a collision with a resupply ship. The Russian commitment to the International Space Station drained funds for repairs, so Mir was allowed to reenter the Earth’s atmosphere and burn up in 2001.

65. Some addenda, for short : PSS
One adds a PS (post scriptum, or simply “postscript”) at the end of a letter. A second postscript is a post post scriptum, a PPS.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. ___ Day, annual celebration of 71-Across : ARBOR
6. Clooney’s “ER” role : ROSS
10. El ___ : CID
13. Soul singer Bryson : PEABO
14. 1985 John Malkovich film : ELENI
16. A word with you : ARE
17. Cuts and pastes : EDITS
18. Supplement : ADD ON
19. Org. that’s a topic in “Bowling for Columbine” : NRA
20. “The Iron Lady” star, 2011 : STREEP
22. Bestowed : AWARDED
24. One of the majors : US OPEN
26. It’s a wrap : FOIL
27. In the thick of : AMID
30. Called previously : NEE
31. Moves effortlessly : GLIDES
33. They may be dedicated to cyclists : LANES
35. “Per ___ ad astra” : ARDUA
37. Palindromic girl : AVA
38. “___ Wiedersehen” : AUF
39. Something thrown over the side of a boat : OAR
41. 911 responder: Abbr. : EMS
42. Moniker : TAG
43. Med. diagnostic : MRI
44. Photographer Adams : ANSEL
46. Animal in “The Lion King” : HYENA
48. Western conference name : BIG SKY
50. “Breaking Bad” airer : AMC
52. Round figs. : ESTS
53. Prayer pronoun : THEE
54. Sheep herders : CROOKS
56. Hero with a cape? : MATADOR
58. Like some Winter Olympics events : NORDIC
61. Athlete’s wear, informally : UNI
62. One of the five major taste sensations : UMAMI
64. “Venus and the Cat” writer : AESOP
66. Sloth, e.g. : SIN
67. Wall Street worry : PANIC
68. Angel ___ : FALLS
69. Witchlike woman : HAG
70. Last Julio-Claudian emperor : NERO
71. There are six hidden in this puzzle in appropriate places : TREES

Down
1. Donkey Kong, for one : APE
2. Boogeymen of 1950s politics : REDS
3. Trout’s temptation : BAIT
4. Impose : OBTRUDE
5. Prize ring? : ROSES
6. Completes a magic trick, perhaps : REAPPEARS
7. Outdated : OLD
8. Body type : SEDAN
9. Persuade through razzle-dazzle : SNOW
10. Ticket information : CANDIDATES
11. Not applicable : IRRELEVANT
12. Out of electricity : DEAD
15. Lickety-split : IN A FLASH
21. Long time : EON
23. Leader with a coat of arms showing three fleurs-de-lis : ROI
25. Always, poetically : E’ER
27. Gentle as ___ : A LAMB
28. French-speaking African land : MAURITANIA
29. Possible result of sectarianism : INFIGHTING
31. Orbit or Eclipse : GUM
32. “War and Peace” and others : SAGAS
34. Absorbed : SOAKED UP
36. Expensive cut of beef : DELMONICO
40. At least one : ANY
45. Hammer site : EAR
47. Spouse’s agreement : YES, DEAR
49. Yellow ___ : SEA
51. Bird call : COO
54. It may take a wrecking ball : CRANE
55. Parent company of Oscar Mayer : KRAFT
56. Cry to a leading team? : MUSH
57. Neighbor of Saudi Arabia : OMAN
59. Manhattan, e.g. : ISLE
60. ___ Hamels, 2008 World Series M.V.P. : COLE
63. It was in orbit for 15 years : MIR
65. Some addenda, for short : PSS

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