0222-13 New York Times Crossword Answers 22 Feb 13, Friday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. B.M.O.C., typically : JOCK
Big Man On Campus (BMOC).

5. Aids in keeping up with the daily grind? : DISPOSALS
Garbage disposal units are found in about 50% of homes in North America. Frankly, I’ve never seen one anywhere else in the world. Apparently about 5% of homes in the UK have garbage disposal units installed.

14. Biblical figure believed to be buried near Basra : EZRA
Ezra the Scribe, also called Ezra the Priest, is the central character in the Book of Ezra in the Hebrew Bible.

It’s quite a coincidence that the Iraqi city of Basra has a name that is an anagram of “Arabs”, isn’t it? Basra also features in the H. G. Wells science-fiction tale “The Shape of Things to Come”. Written in 1933, the storyline predicts a global conflict (WWII) that breaks out in 1940 lasting for ten years, after which chaos reigns as no victor emerges. Following worldwide plague, a benevolent dictatorship takes charge and the world moves towards a serene utopia. In time, the dictators are overthrown and peacefully retired, and the people of the Earth live happily ever after, all citizens of one global state with its capital in Basra in the Middle East.

15. Yucca named by Mormon settlers : JOSHUA TREE
Joshua Tree is the common name for the plant species more correctly called Yucca brevifolia. One of the best places to see Joshua Trees is in the beautiful Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California. The plant was named by Mormon settlers crossing the Mojave Desert in the mid-1800s. The name was chosen as the shape of the tree reminded the settlers of Joshua reaching his hands to the sky in prayer.

16. Handel work featuring David : SAUL
Handel’s oratorio “Saul” tells the story of Saul the first king of Israel, and his successor David.

George Frideric Handel was the King of the Oratorio. Handel’s most famous oratorio is “Messiah”, which had its debut performance in Dublin, Ireland back in 1742.

20. Cretan peak : MT IDA
There are two peaks called Mount Ida that are sacred according to Greek mythology. Mount Ida in Crete is the island’s highest point, and is where one can find the cave in which Zeus was reared. Mount Ida in Asia Minor (located in modern-day Turkey) is where Ganymede was swept up by Zeus in the form of an eagle that took him to Olympus where he served as cupbearer to the gods.

23. Papuan port : LAE
Lae is the second largest city in Papua New-Guinea (after the capital, Port Moresby). It was from the airport at Lae that Amelia Earhart departed in 1937, never to be seen again.

25. Phishing string: Abbr. : SSN
Phishing is the name given to the online practice of stealing usernames, passwords and credit card details by creating a site that deceptively looks reliable and trustworthy. Phishers often send out safe-looking emails or instant messages that direct someone to an equally safe-looking website where the person might inadvertently enter sensitive information. “Phishing” is a variant of the word “fishing”, as in “fishing for passwords, PIN numbers etc.”

26. Lee in Hollywood : ANG
Taiwanese director Ang Lee sure has directed a mixed bag of films, mixed in terms of genre but not in terms of quality. He was at the helm for such classics as “Sense & Sensibility” (my personal favorite), “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, “Hulk”, and “Brokeback Mountain”.

27. One of Steinbeck’s twins : CAL
John Steinbeck considered “East of Eden” his magnus opus. Most of the storyline takes place near Salinas, just south of where I live here in the Bay Area. Two of the characters in the story are brothers Cal and Aron, representative of the biblical Cain and Abel.

29. Coiner of the phrase “global village” : MARSHALL MCLUHAN
Marshall McLuhan was a Canadian philosopher who is noted for his work in the field of media theory. McLuhan’s work held most sway in the sixties, at which time he coined the expressions “the medium is the message” and “global village”. He also predicted the development of the World Wide Web almost 30 years before it became a reality.

38. Group that might perform 16-Across : ORATORIO SOCIETY
An oratorio is similar to an opera in that both musical forms include an orchestra, choir and soloists. However, an opera is a work of musical theater, whereas an oratorio is a concert piece.

39. Indians may participate in it : MAJOR LEAGUE GAME
The Cleveland baseball franchise started out in 1869 as the Forest Citys named after “Forest City”, which is the nickname for Cleveland. After a number of transitions, in 1914 the team took on the name “Indians”. The media came up with name “Indians” after being asked for suggestions by the team owners. “Indians” was inspired by the successful Boston team of the day, the Boston Braves.

40. Frequent American flier? : STARS AND STRIPES
Legend has it that Betsy Ross made the first American flag for General George Washington. However, this story only surfaced during the centennial celebrations of 1876, and although Betsy Ross was indeed one of several flag makers in Philadelphia in the days of George Washington, sadly there’s no definitive evidence that Ross provided that first stars and stripes.

41. Hill person: Abbr. : SEN
There are lots of politicians on Capitol Hill, lots and lots of them …

42. Pros in power: Abbr. : EES
Electrical Engineers (EEs).

43. Texting qualifier : IMO
In my opinion (IMO).

46. W. Coast setting, more often than not : PDT
On the other side of the Atlantic, Daylight Saving Time (DST) is known as “summer time”. The idea behind summer/daylight-savings is to move clocks forward an hour in spring and backwards in the fall so that afternoons have more daylight.

49. “Live at the Apollo” airer : BBC
“Live at the Apollo” is a stand-up comedy show broadcast by the BBC. The “Apollo” in question is the Hammersmith Apollo Theatre in west London. There are lots of episodes of the show available on YouTube. Great viewing, but they can be a little “rude” …

52. Key name : LARGO
Key Largo is an island in the Florida Keys. The island gained a lot of celebrity in 1948 when the John Huston movie “Key Largo” was released, starring Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson and Lauren Bacall.

54. All-day sucker? : APRIL FOOL
April Fool’s Day is celebrated on April 1st in the western world. In the US (and Ireland) one can make practical jokes all day long if one wants. But in the UK there is a noon deadline. Anyone pranking after midday is called an “April Fool”.

57. He played Casey Kelso on “That ’70s Show” : LUKE WILSON
Luke Wilson is one of the three Wilson acting brothers, the others being Andrew and Owen. Luke is currently appearing in the comedy-drama “Enlightened”, which is showing on HBO.

59. Linchpin locale : AXLE
A linchpin is a clip or fastener that is used on the end of an axle to prevent a wheel from sliding off.

60. Fading out : EVANESCING
To evanesce is to disappear, like a vapor.

61. Sixth in a series : ZETA
Zeta is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet, and is a precursor of our Roman letter Z. The word “zeta” is also the ancestor of the name “zed”, which became “zee”, the pronunciation that we use here in the US.

62. “Tin Cup” co-star : RENE RUSSO
The lovely and very talented actress Rene Russo is a native of Burbank, California. Russo went to highschool (with actor/director Ron Howard), but dropped out in tenth grade. At seventeen, she was given the opportunity to train as a model and within a very short time appeared on the cover of “Vogue”. As her modelling jobs slowed down in her early thirties, Russo made a career change and studied theater and acting. I am so glad she did, as Rene Russo is one of my favorite actresses …

“Tin Cup” is a fun romantic comedy starring Kevin Costner. Costner plays a former golf prodigy who has hit bottom, but who drags himself up by the bootstraps thanks to the influence of the female lead played by the lovely Rene Russo.

63. Aforetime : ERST
Erstwhile means “in the past” or “once upon a time”.

Down
1. General Reno for whom Reno, Nev., is named : JESSE
Reno, Nevada was named in honor of Major General Jesse Lee Reno, a Union officer killed in the Civil War. The city has a famous “Reno Arch”, a structure that stands over the main street. The arch was erected in 1926 to promote an exposition planned for the following year. After the expo, the city council decided to keep the arch and held a competition to decide what wording should be displayed, and the winner was “The Biggest Little City in the World”.

2. 1994 Emmy winner for “Dvorák in Prague” : OZAWA
Seiji Ozawa is most famous for his work as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, although he is also the principal conductor of the Vienna State Opera. Ozawa is renowned for wearing a white turtleneck under his dress suit when he conducts, rather than the traditional starched shirt and white tie.

Antonín Dvořák was a composer from Czechoslovakia who spent three years working and composing in the United States. He was the director of the National Conservatory of Music of America in New York from 1892 to 1895. Certainly here in the US, Dvořák’s best known work is his Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”, which is often referred to as “The New World Symphony”.

3. Oil vessel : CRUET
A cruet is a small glass bottle for holding a condiment or perhaps a dressing. The word “cruet” comes from the Old French word for an earthen pot.

4. Moola : KALE
Lettuce, cabbage, kale, dough, scratch, simoleons and moola are all slang terms for money.

6. Creta, e.g. : ISLA
Crete is the largest of the Greek Islands. Crete figures heavily in Greek mythology. Zeus was born in a cave at Mount Ida, the highest peak on the island. Crete was also home to the Labyrinth where the Minotaur was slain by Theseus. Icarus and Daedalus, after having crafted the Labyrinth, escaped from the island using wings that they crafted.

10. Keep in order? : STET
“Stet” is a Latin word meaning “let it stand”. In editorial work, the typesetter is instructed to disregard any change previously marked by writing the word “stet” beside the change and then underscoring the change with a line of dots or dashes.

11. “Mrs.” in a Paul Gallico novel title : ‘ARRIS
“Mrs ‘Arris Goes to Paris” is novel by Paul Gallico that was first published in 1958. The novel evolved into a 4-book series of “Mrs ‘Arris” stories, all about the adventures of a London charwoman.

American novelist Paul Gallico had many of his works adapted into screenplays for the big screen. The most famous adaptation is probably “The Poseidon Adventure”, but there is also “Pride of the Yankees” and “The Snow Goose”.

12. City called “Knightsbridge of the North” : LEEDS
I went to school for a while not far from Leeds in West Yorkshire in the north of England. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, Leeds was a major center for the production and trading of wool, and then with the onset of mechanization it became a natural hub for manufacture of textiles. These days Leeds is noted as a shopping destination and so has been dubbed “the Knightsbridge of the North”.

13. Auto suggestion? : 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. “Judgment at Nuremberg” Oscar nominee : JUDY GARLAND
The actress Judy Garland’s real name was Frances Gumm. Garland was respected and loved both within and without the entertainment industry. She was the youngest recipient, at 39 years old, of the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement in the motion picture industry.

“Judgment at Nuremberg” is a drama released in 1961 that deals with the immediate aftermath of the Holocaust. The powerful film has a powerful cast, including Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland and Montgomery Clift.

19. Like some outboard motors : TEN HORSEPOWER
The unit of horsepower was introduced along with the steam engine, where the output of the engine was compared with the power of draft horses. Largely, this comparison with the horse was a marketing ploy, as the intent was to demonstrate that one steam engine could negate the need for a number of draft horses used for work.

24. Getting in gear : ACCOUTERING
“To accouter” is tooutfit and equip, especially for a military operation.

26. Noted Titanic couple : ASTORS
John Jacob Astor IV was a member of the famous and wealthy Astor family of New York. Astor and his second wife Madeleine were passengers on the RMS Titanic when it made its fateful journey in 1912. John did not survive the tragedy, and was the wealthiest person to go down with the ship. Madeleine was picked up in a lifeboat, along with her nurse and maid.

28. Nintendo’s ___ Mansion : LUIGI’S
“Luigi’s Mansion” is one of the “Mario Brothers” series of video games. “Luigi’s Mansion” is a little unusual in that it is the only game to feature Luigi as the main protagonist, rather than Luigi’s brother Mario.

30. “How now! ___?”: Hamlet : A RAT
In Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, the title character utters the line “How now, a rat? Dead for a ducat, dead!”. Then Hamlet thrusts his sword through a tapestry covering an alcove and kills Polonius, who was lurking there.

31. Delhi cheese? : RAJA
A raja might be described as a big cheese in India.

32. It may be on the house : LIEN
A lien is the right that one has to retain or secure someone’s property until a debt is paid.

37. Bill ___ Climate Lab (Oakland science exhibit) : NYE’S
“Bill Nye’s Climate Lab” is a permanent exhibition at the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, California. The aim of the exhibit is to make people aware of the effects of climate change on the planet.

43. Cooler, in the ‘hood : ILLER
“Ill” is hip-hop slang, meaning sublime, singularly creative. Not how I use the word …

45. Like Mork : ORKAN
“Mork & Mindy” was broadcast from 1978 to 1982. We were first introduced to Mork (played by Robin Williams, of course) in a special episode of “Happy Days”. The particular episode in question has a bizarre storyline culminating in Fonzie and Mork having a thumb-to-finger duel. Eventually Richie wakes up in bed, and alien Mork was just part of a dream! Oh, and “Nanu Nanu” means both “hello” and “goodbye” back on the planet Ork. “I am Mork from Ork, Nanu Nanu”. Great stuff …

47. Puts soft rock on? : TALCS
Talc is a mineral, actually hydrated magnesium silicate. Talcum powder is composed of loose talc, although these days “baby powder” can also be cornstarch.

48. Black Bears’ home : ORONO
The Maine Black Bears are the athletic teams of the University of Maine.

The town of Orono is home to the University of Maine, founded in 1862. The college is actually located on an island (Marsh island) lying between the Penobscot and Stillwater rivers. The town of Orono is named after Joseph Orono, a chief of the Penobscot Nation.

53. Characteristic dictator : GENE
A gene is a section of a chromosome that is responsible for a particular characteristic in an organism. For example, one gene may determine eye color and another balding pattern. We have two copies of each gene, one from each of our parents, with each copy known as an allele.

55. Electric flux symbols : PSIS
The Greek letter psi is the one that looks a bit like a trident or a pitchfork.

In the field of electromagnetism, electric flux is the rate of flow of an electric field through a unit area.

58. Cyclones’ sch. : ISU
Iowa State University of Science and Technology (ISU) is located in Ames, Iowa. Among many other notable events, ISU created the country’s first school of veterinary medicine, in 1879.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. B.M.O.C., typically : JOCK
5. Aids in keeping up with the daily grind? : DISPOSALS
14. Biblical figure believed to be buried near Basra : EZRA
15. Yucca named by Mormon settlers : JOSHUA TREE
16. Handel work featuring David : SAUL
17. Poorly educated : UNLETTERED
18. Pleasant surprise for a buyer : SWEET DEAL
20. Cretan peak : MT IDA
21. Have chops, say : EAT
22. Its purpose is in sight : EYE
23. Papuan port : LAE
25. Phishing string: Abbr. : SSN
26. Lee in Hollywood : ANG
27. One of Steinbeck’s twins : CAL
29. Coiner of the phrase “global village” : MARSHALL MCLUHAN
38. Group that might perform 16-Across : ORATORIO SOCIETY
39. Indians may participate in it : MAJOR LEAGUE GAME
40. Frequent American flier? : STARS AND STRIPES
41. Hill person: Abbr. : SEN
42. Pros in power: Abbr. : EES
43. Texting qualifier : IMO
46. W. Coast setting, more often than not : PDT
48. Now, in Italy : ORA
49. “Live at the Apollo” airer : BBC
52. Key name : LARGO
54. All-day sucker? : APRIL FOOL
57. He played Casey Kelso on “That ’70s Show” : LUKE WILSON
59. Linchpin locale : AXLE
60. Fading out : EVANESCING
61. Sixth in a series : ZETA
62. “Tin Cup” co-star : RENE RUSSO
63. Aforetime : ERST

Down
1. General Reno for whom Reno, Nev., is named : JESSE
2. 1994 Emmy winner for “Dvorák in Prague” : OZAWA
3. Oil vessel : CRUET
4. Moola : KALE
5. Gifted person? : DONEE
6. Creta, e.g. : ISLA
7. Beach house? : SHELL
8. Apply : PUT
9. Quaker offering : OATMEAL CEREAL
10. Keep in order? : STET
11. “Mrs.” in a Paul Gallico novel title : ‘ARRIS
12. City called “Knightsbridge of the North” : LEEDS
13. Auto suggestion? : SEDAN
15. “Judgment at Nuremberg” Oscar nominee : JUDY GARLAND
19. Like some outboard motors : TEN HORSEPOWER
24. Getting in gear : ACCOUTERING
26. Noted Titanic couple : ASTORS
28. Nintendo’s ___ Mansion : LUIGI’S
29. Delivery people? : MOMS
30. “How now! ___?”: Hamlet : A RAT
31. Delhi cheese? : RAJA
32. It may be on the house : LIEN
33. Bridge designer’s concern : LOAD
34. E-mail, e.g.: Abbr. : MSGS
35. Mountain : HEAP
36. “Look ___ now” : AT ME
37. Bill ___ Climate Lab (Oakland science exhibit) : NYE’S
43. Cooler, in the ‘hood : ILLER
44. Violet relative : MAUVE
45. Like Mork : ORKAN
47. Puts soft rock on? : TALCS
48. Black Bears’ home : ORONO
49. Lord of the ring? : BOXER
50. They get nuts : BOLTS
51. Grip improver : CLEAT
53. Characteristic dictator : GENE
55. Electric flux symbols : PSIS
56. Throw for a loop : FAZE
58. Cyclones’ sch. : ISU

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