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Solution to today’s crossword in the New York Times
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CROSSWORD SETTER: Peter A. Collins
THEME: Jimi … each of the theme answers today relate to musician Jimi Hendrix, with most being songs that he recorded:
56A. Musician born 11/27/42 : JIMI HENDRIX
5A. With 67-Across, song by 56-Across : FOXY
67A. See 5-Across : LADY19A. With 32-Across, song by 56-Across : ALL ALONG THE
32A. See 19-Across : WATCHTOWER42A. Song by 56-Across : PURPLE HAZE
9D. With 60-Down, song by 56-Across : HEY
60D. See 9-Down : JOE11D. Song by 56-Across : FIRE
COMPLETION TIME: 11m 22s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 2 … LINC (Lenc), ILIA (ilea)
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. ___ Sea (inland body with high salinity) : ARAL
The Aral Sea is a great example of how man can have a devastating effect on his environment. In the early sixties the Aral Sea covered 68,000 square miles of Central Asia. Soviet Union irrigation projects drained the lake to such an extent that today the total area is less than 7,000 square miles, with 90% of the lake now completely dry. Sad …
5. With 67-Across, song by 56-Across : FOXY
67. See 5-Across : LADY
“Foxy Lady” is a 1967 song by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, written by Jimi Hendrix. “Foxy Lady” is noted for a famous Hendrix guitar riff and the use of the so-called “Hendrix chord”.
9. Sword part : HAFT
The “haft” of a weapon is its handle or hilt.
13. Radius, e.g. : BONE
The radius and ulna are bones in the forearm. If you hold the palm of your hand up in front of you, the radius is the bone on the “thumb-side” of the arm, and the ulna is the bone on the “pinkie-side”.
14. Comic strip dog with a long tongue : ODIE
Odie is Garfield’s best friend and is a slobbery beagle, a character in Jim Davis’s comic strip.
17. Ike’s partner in 1960s-’70s music : TINA
Ike and Tina Turner were together as a husband/wife duo recording music for 16 years in the sixties and seventies. Ike and Tina’s biggest hit has to be “Proud Mary”, released in 1971. The partnership ended, along with their marriage, in the late seventies with Tina making accusations of abuse by her drug-addicted husband.
18. Bicycle shorts material : LYCRA
What we call spandex in the US is known as Lycra in the British Isles. “Spandex” was chosen as the name for the elastic fiber as it is an anagram of “expands”.
19. With 32-Across, song by 56-Across : ALL ALONG THE
32. See 19-Across : WATCHTOWER
“All Along the Watchtower” is a song written and recorded by Bob Dylan, famously covered by Jimi Hendrix in 1968. Dylan is known to have really liked the Jimi Hendrix interpretation of his song, saying that “it overwhelmed me …”
23. Chaos : BEDLAM
Bethlem Royal Hospital is a facility in London in the UK for treating mental illness. The original facility was a hospital way back in the 1300s, and had the name “Bedlam”. In the 1700s and 1800s the hospital actually made money out of its patients as it charged a penny to members of the public allowing them to visit the hospital and view the unfortunate inmates in their cells. Tens of thousands of such paid visits were made each year. Our word “bedlam” meaning uproar and confusion is derived from the hospital’s name, and it reflects the cruel and inhumane treatment endured by the inmates in days gone by.
28. Conveyance in an Ellington song : “A” TRAIN
The A Train in the New York City Subway system runs from 207th Street, through Manhattan and over to Far Rockaway in Queens. The service lends its name to a jazz standard “Take the ‘A’ Train”, the signature tune of Duke Ellington and a song much sung by Ella Fitzgerald. One version of the lyric is:
You must take the A Train
To go to Sugar Hill way up in Harlem
If you miss the A Train
You’ll find you’ve missed the quickest way to Harlem
Hurry, get on, now, it’s coming
Listen to those rails a-thrumming (All Aboard!)
Get on the A Train
Soon you will be on Sugar Hill in Harlem.
37. Pres. Carter’s alma mater : USNA
President Jimmy Carter is a graduate of the US Naval Academy (USNA). The future president served in the Navy on surface ships and submarines, and chose to pursue a career in the submarine service as he was interested in nuclear power and believed it had a great future in submarine design. As a result, Carter became an expert in nuclear propulsion. In 1952, the Navy sent him to the Chalk River Laboratories in Canada to lead the US effort to shutdown the reactor after an accident and partial meltdown of a reactor core. He and his team had to be lowered into the leaking reactor core for mechanical disassembly, staying there for only seconds at a time to minimise exposure to radiation. Decades later as US President, it was this experience that influenced his decision not to complete the development of the neutron bomb.
39. Fourth notes : FAS
“Fa” is the fourth note in the solfa scale: do, re, mi, fa …
41. Actress Taylor of “Six Feet Under” : LILI
The actress Lili Taylor had supporting roles in films like “Mystic Pizza”, “The Haunting” and “Rudy”, and she had a recurring role in the HBO series “Six Feet Under”.
42. Song by 56-Across : PURPLE HAZE
“Purple Haze” is a 1967 song written and recorded by Jimi Hendrix that has been described as a “psychedelic drug song of the sixties”. In fact, the term “purple haze” came to refer to LSD. Having said that, Hendrix denied any relation of the lyrics to drugs at all.
44. City SSW of Seattle : TACOMA
Tacoma is a city on Puget Sound in the state of Washington. The city took its name from Mount Rainier that is nearby, as thepeak used to be known as Mount Tahoma.
46. Peacekeeping grp. : NATO
NATO is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (or OTAN in French, “l’Organisation du Traité de l’Atlantique Nord”). NATO was founded not long after WWII in 1949 and is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. The first NATO Secretary General was Lord Ismay, Winston Churchill’s chief military assistant during WWII. Famously, Lord Ismay said the goal of NATO was “to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.”
53. London-based record label : EMI
EMI is a British music company, with the acronym originally standing for Electric and Musical Industries.
56. Musician born 11/27/42 : JIMI HENDRIX
Many of his contemporaries regarded Jimi Hendrix as the greatest electric guitarist in the history of rock music. Hendrix was from Seattle and didn’t really have a really stellar start to his working life. He failed to finish high school and fell foul of the law by getting caught in stolen cars, twice. The courts gave him the option of the army or two years in prison. Hendrix chose the former and soon found himself in the famous 101st Airborne. In the army, his less-than-disciplined ways helped him (as he would have seen it) because his superiors successfully petitioned to get him discharged after serving only one year of his two-year requirement, just to get him out of their hair.
59. “Deliverance” instrument : BANJO
The very memorable 1972 movie “Deliverance” is based on a novel of the same written by James Dickey. One might remember the film for the very disturbing “squeal like a pig” scene, but a much more pleasant memory is the fabulous “Duelling Banjos” instrumental scene early in the movie.
61. Panache : ELAN
Our word “élan” was imported from French, in which language the word has a similar meaning to ours i.e “style” or “flair”.
Someone exhibiting panache is showing dash and verve, and perhaps has a swagger. “Panache” is a French word used for a plume of feathers, especially in a hat.
62. Lickety-split, in a memo : ASAP
“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”.
64. Pete and Julie’s “Mod Squad” partner : LINC
The 1999 movie “The Mod Squad” was an adaptation of the seventies television show of the same name. The part of Lincoln “Linc” Hayes was played by Omar Epps, Claire Danes played Julie Barnes and Giovanni Ribisi played Peter Cochran.
66. Where to buy GM and GE : NYSE
The roots of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) go back to 1792 when a group of 24 stock brokers set up the New York Stock & Exchange Board. They did so in an agreement signed under a buttonwood tree outside 68 Wall Street. That document became known as the Buttonwood Agreement.
68. Compound with a double-bonded carbon atom : ENOL
An enol is an alkene with a hydroxyl group, sort of part-alkene and part-alcohol. The term “enol” therefore, is a portmanteau of “alkene” and “alcohol”.
Down
1. Former sitcom on the Beeb : AB FAB
“Absolutely Fabulous” (sometimes shortened to “Ab Fab”) is a cult-classic sitcom produced by the BBC. The two stars of the show are Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley.
2. “Good Times” actress Esther : ROLLE
Esther Rolle was an actress best known for playing the character Florida Evans on the sitcom “Maude” and on the show’s spinoff “Good Times”.
5. Bygone company with yellow-roofed kiosks : FOTOMAT
Fotomat kiosks were small drive-thru locations where customers could drop off photographic film for same-day development. The first kiosk opened in 1965, and around 1980 there were over 4,000 Fotomats all around the US. Most employees were females, known as “Fotomates”. Male employees were called “Fotomacs”.
6. Thor’s father : ODIN
In Norse mythology, Odin was the chief of the gods. Odin’s wife Frigg was the queen of Asgard whose name gave us our English term “Friday” (via Anglo-Saxon). Odin’s son was Thor, and his name gave us the term “Thursday”.
8. “A Full Moon in March” poet : YEATS
Irish poet and dramatist William Butler Yeats won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923, for “inspired poetry” that gave “expression to a whole nation”. He was the first Irishman to be so honored.
9. With 60-Down, song by 56-Across : HEY
60. See 9-Down : JOE
“Hey Joe” is a rock song written in the sixties, most famously recorded by the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1966. Jimi Hendrix was the last musician to appear at Woodstock in 1969, and “Hey Joe” was the last number he performed, so the song closed the whole festival.
11. Song by 56-Across : FIRE
“Fire” is a 1967 song written and recorded by Jimi Hendrix. Famously, “Fire” was covered by Red Hot Chili Peppers.
27. Sukiyaki ingredient : TOFU
Sukiyaki is a Japanese soup/stew prepared and served in a “nabemono”, a Japanese hot pot.
30. 1966 hurricane : INEZ
Hurricane Inez in 1966 was one of the deadliest storms on record. About 1,000 people died from Inez-related deaths across the Caribbean. In the US most of the dead were sailors lost in shipwrecks in the Straits of Florida.
33. Prima donna’s delivery : ARIA
The Italian operatic term “prima donna” is used for the lead female singer in an opera company. “Prima donna” translates from Italian as “first lady”. The lead male singer is known as the “primo uomo”. The term “prima donna assoluta” is reserved for a prima donna who is generally accepted as being an outstanding performer.
34. After-bath powder : TALC
Talc is a mineral, actually hydrated magnesium silicate. Talcum powder is composed of loose talc, although these days “baby powder” can also be cornstarch.
35. Card game for two : WAR
War is a card game, mainly played by young children.
42. Big ___ (baseball’s David Ortiz) : PAPI
The Dominican American baseball player David Ortiz has the nickname “Big Papi”. After each home run that Ortiz scores, he looks upwards and points to the sky, a tribute to his mother who died in a car crash in 2002 when she was only 46 years old.
43. Period of inactivity : LATENCY
Something is said to be latent if it present, but not active.
48. What bloodhounds and dead fish do : SMELL
From the Middle Ages onwards, bloodhounds have been bred to track humans. All bloodhounds are said to be descended from hounds kept centuries ago at the Belgian Abbey of Saint Hubert. In fact, in French the breed is known as the “Chien de Saint-Hubert”.
53. Abba of Israel : EBAN
Abba Eban was an Israeli diplomat and politician, born Aubrey Solomon Meir Eban in Cape Town, South Africa. While working at the United Nations after WWII, Eban changed his given name to “Abba”, the Hebrew word for “father”. He made this change as reportedly as he could see himself as the father of the nation of Israel.
54. “The Wind Cries ___” (song by 56-Across) : MARY
“The Wind Cries Mary” is a 1967 song written and recorded by Jimi Hendrix. “The Wind Cries Mary” was released by Hendrix as the B-side to “Purple Haze”.
57. Hip parts : ILIA
The sacrum and the two ilia are three bones in the human pelvis.
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. ___ Sea (inland body with high salinity) : ARAL
5. With 67-Across, song by 56-Across : FOXY
9. Sword part : HAFT
13. Radius, e.g. : BONE
14. Comic strip dog with a long tongue : ODIE
15. Spine-tingling : EERIE
16. Lash : FLOG
17. Ike’s partner in 1960s-’70s music : TINA
18. Bicycle shorts material : LYCRA
19. With 32-Across, song by 56-Across : ALL ALONG THE
22. Half a school year: Abbr. : SEM
23. Chaos : BEDLAM
24. Splinter group : SECT
26. Rat-___ : A-TAT
28. Conveyance in an Ellington song : “A” TRAIN
32. See 19-Across : WATCHTOWER
37. Pres. Carter’s alma mater : USNA
38. Having throbbing temples, maybe : IRATE
39. Fourth notes : FAS
40. Expensive : STEEP
41. Actress Taylor of “Six Feet Under” : LILI
42. Song by 56-Across : PURPLE HAZE
44. City SSW of Seattle : TACOMA
46. Peacekeeping grp. : NATO
47. Afternoon refreshers : NAPS
49. Long rant : TIRADE
53. London-based record label : EMI
56. Musician born 11/27/42 : JIMI HENDRIX
59. “Deliverance” instrument : BANJO
61. Panache : ELAN
62. Lickety-split, in a memo : ASAP
63. Passion : ARDOR
64. Pete and Julie’s “Mod Squad” partner : LINC
65. Job for an actor : ROLE
66. Where to buy GM and GE : NYSE
67. See 5-Across : LADY
68. Compound with a double-bonded carbon atom : ENOL
Down
1. Former sitcom on the Beeb : AB FAB
2. “Good Times” actress Esther : ROLLE
3. “You can’t teach ___ dog …” : AN OLD
4. Lawsuit : LEGAL ACTION
5. Bygone company with yellow-roofed kiosks : FOTOMAT
6. Thor’s father : ODIN
7. RR ___ : XING
8. “A Full Moon in March” poet : YEATS
9. With 60-Down, song by 56-Across : HEY
10. Three-point lines in basketball, e.g. : ARCS
11. Song by 56-Across : FIRE
12. Word after mule or school : TEAM
15. Choose : ELECT
20. Tool that turns : LATHE
21. Catch, in a way : HEAR
25. Sleepover game, maybe : TRUTH OR DARE
27. Sukiyaki ingredient : TOFU
29. Where sailors go : ASEA
30. 1966 hurricane : INEZ
31. A ponytail hangs over it : NAPE
32. What picked flowers may do : WILT
33. Prima donna’s delivery : ARIA
34. After-bath powder : TALC
35. Card game for two : WAR
36. “Pardon the Interruption” airer : ESPN
40. Arrive, as darkness : SET IN
42. Big ___ (baseball’s David Ortiz) : PAPI
43. Period of inactivity : LATENCY
45. Biology or English : MAJOR
48. What bloodhounds and dead fish do : SMELL
50. Bad ignition? : ARSON
51. Connect with an operator : DIAL O
52. Kick out : EXPEL
53. Abba of Israel : EBAN
54. “The Wind Cries ___” (song by 56-Across) : MARY
55. Neither Dems. nor Reps. : INDS
57. Hip parts : ILIA
58. 13 cards, maybe : HAND
60. See 9-Down : JOE
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