0503-13 New York Times Crossword Answers 3 May 13, Friday

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Solution to today’s crossword in the New York Times
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CROSSWORD SETTER: David Kwong
THEME: None
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 16m 31s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 2 … ORESTES (Orostes), IPSE (ipso)

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Singer’s tongue YIDDISH
I think the reference here might be to Isaac Bashevis Singer, the Jewish American author.

Isaac Bashevis Singer was a Jewish-American author from Poland who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1978. As well as being a much-respected author, Singer was a noted vegetarian, and featured the theme of vegetarianism in his some of his works. He was once asked if he had become a vegetarian for health reasons, to which he remarked “I did it for the health of the chicken”.

15. First name in online news ARIANNA
“The Huffington Post” is a news website founded in 2005 by Arianna Huffington. It is a very active site, with 3,000 people contributing blog posts (including many celebrities and politicians), and readers leaving over one million comments every month. “The Huffington Post” was sold to AOL in 2011 for $315 million, with Arianna Huffington staying on as editor-in-chief.

17. Autobiographical book by Carrie Fisher WISHFUL DRINKING
“Wishful Drinking” is a one-woman stage show featuring actress Carrie Fisher. The stage show was developed into Fisher’s 2008 autobiography with the same name. In the memoir, the actress discusses her addictions and bipolar disorder. She also reveals that she wishes she had turned down the offer to play Princess Leia in “Star Wars”.

19. As one EN BLOC
To do something “en bloc” is to do it all together. “En bloc” is French for “in a block, lump”.

20. D.M.V. offerings EYE TESTS
In most states, the government agency responsible for vehicle registration and the issuing of drivers licenses is called the DMV. This acronym usually stands for the Department of Motor Vehicles, but there are “variations on the theme”. For example, in Arizona the responsible agency is called the Motor Vehicle Division (MVD), and in Colorado the familiar acronym DMV stands for “Division” of Motor Vehicles.

21. Peace Nobelist Kim ___-jung DAE
Kim Dae-jung was the President of South Korea from 1998 to 2003. He had a policy of engagement with North Korea, and even even had an official meeting with Kim Jong-il in 2000 in Pyongyang. Although his approach, called the Sunshine Policy, did not appear to yield much success, his efforts earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000.

22. Crispy Twister offerer KFC
The famous “Colonel” of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame was Harland Sanders, an entrepreneur from Henryville, Indiana. Although not really a “Colonel”, Sanders did indeed serve in the military. He enlisted in the Army as a private in 1906 at the age of 16, lying about his age. He spent the whole of his time in the Army as a soldier in Cuba. It was much later, in the 1930s, that Sanders went into the restaurant business making his specialty deep-fried chicken. By 1935 his reputation as a “character” had grown, so much so that Governor Ruby Laffoon of Kentucky gave Sanders the honorary title of “Kentucky Colonel”. Later in the fifties, Sanders developed his trademark look with the white suit, string tie, mustache and goatee. When Sanders was 65 however, his business failed and in stepped Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s. Thomas simplified the Sanders menu, cutting it back from over a hundred items to just fried chicken and salads. That was enough to launch KFC into the fast food business. Sanders sold the US franchise in 1964 for just $2 million and moved to Canada to grow KFC north of the border. He died in 1980 and is buried in Louisville, Kentucky. The Colonel’s secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices is indeed a trade secret. Apparently there is only one copy of the recipe, a handwritten piece of paper, written in pencil and signed by Colonel Sanders. Since 2009, the piece of paper has been locked in a computerized vault surrounded with motion detectors and security cameras.

24. Peace Nobelist Hammarskjöld DAG
Dag Hammarskjold was the second secretary-general of the United Nations, right up until his death in a plane crash in Rhodesia in 1961. The crash was considered suspicious at the time as the bodyguards were found to have bullet wounds when they died, but this was put down to bullets exploding in the fire after the crash.

25. Papua New Guinea port in W.W. II news 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.

30. Dept. of Labor division OSHA
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was created in 1970 during the Nixon administration. OSHA regulates workplaces in the private sector and regulates just one government agency, namely the US Postal Service.

34. Unit of online popularity TWITTER FOLLOWER
I have never tweeted in my life, and have no plans to do so. Twitter is a microblogging service that limits any post sent to just 140 characters. In a sense, it is similar to this blog. Here I send out a post once a day containing information that I think might be useful to folks (thank you for reading!). I don’t think I could send out much of interest using just 140 characters. I believe that many people who do tweet tend to send out messages like “I’m at dinner now. I am having sushi” and “There’s nothing on TV. I’m bored”. Nope, I don’t think so!

40. Nice thing to hit PAY DIRT
“To hit pay dirt” is to succeed, make a profit. The expression comes from the mining industry, when hitting pay dirt was finding the mother lode, as it were.

41. First card played in the game parliament SEVEN OF DIAMONDS
Sevens is a card game also called Parliament. Sevens is a bit like playing the game of solitaire competitively. Cards are laid down in consecutive order as in Solitaire, with the winner being the first person to lay down all of his or her cards.

43. British submachine gun STEN
The STEN gun is an iconic armament that was used by the British military. The name STEN is an acronym. The S and the T comes from the name of the gun’s designers, Shepherd and Turpin. The EN comes from the Enfield brand name, which in turn comes from the Enfield location where the guns were manufactured for the Royal Small Arms Factory, an enterprise owned by the British government.

46. Badge holder: Abbr. DET
A detective (det.) usually carries a badge.

51. Ermine, e.g. FUR
Ermine is another name for the stoat. The stoat has dark brown fur in the summer, and white fur in the winter. Sometimes the term “ermine” is reserved for the animal during the winter when the fur is white. Ermine skins have long been prized by royalty and are often used for white trim on ceremonial robes.

54. Kind of cable in TV production TRIAXIAL
Triaxial cable is a more refined version of coaxial cable, both of which are commonly used to transmit television signals.

58. Actress Ryder WINONA
The Hollywood actress Winona Ryder’s real name is Winona Horowitz. Ryder was born near the town of Winona in Minnesota, from which she got her name. Her success on the screen has garnered as much media attention as her life off the screen. The papers had a field day when she was arrested in 2001 on a shoplifting charge followed by a very public court appearance. Her engagement with Johnny Depp in the early nineties was another media frenzy. Depp had “Winona Forever” tattooed on his arm, which he had changed after the breakup to “Wino Forever”. A man with a sense of humor …

61. Oscar-nominated Woody Allen film MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
The 2011 Woody Allen movie called “Midnight in Paris” is a real gem in my opinion. I’ve never liked Woody Allen films, to be honest, mainly because I’m not a fan of Woody Allen as an actor. “Midnight in Paris” is very much a Woody Allen script, with Owen Wilson playing the role that Allen would usually reserve for himself. Wilson plays a much better Woody Allen! Highly recommended …

63. Mythological sister of 66-Across ELECTRA
Electra was a princess in Greek mythology, the daughter of Agamemnon. Electra had to mourn the death of her father who was murdered, and then the death of her mother, Clytemnestra, who was also murdered.

65. Formidable foes NEMESES
Nemesis was a Greek goddess, the goddess of retribution. Her role was to make pay those individuals who were either haughty or arrogant. In modern parlance, one’s nemesis is one’s sworn enemy, often someone who is the exact opposite in character but someone who still shares some important characteristics. A nemesis is often someone one cannot seem to beat in competition.

66. Mythological brother of 63-Across ORESTES
Orestes is a character appearing in Greek mythology, and is the subject of several Ancient Greek plays. In a story by Homer, Orestes kills his mother Clytemnestra. He does so in revenge as Clytemnestra had killed Agamemnon, who was her husband and father to Orestes. Agamemnon was killed by his wife for sacrificing his daughter Iphigenia in order to get favorable winds on a sea voyage. Heavy stuff …

Down
1. Went off course, as a ship YAWED
The word “yaw” means to deviate from the line of a course and is used mainly at sea. “Yaw” is derived from the Old Norse word “jaege” which means “to drive, chase”. As such, “yaw” is etymologically related to our word “yacht”.

2. One of Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” IRINA
Olga, Masha and Irina were the “Three Sisters” in the play by Anton Chekhov.

Anton Chekhov was a Russian writer of short stories and a playwright, as well as a physician. He wrote four classic plays that are often performed all around the world, namely “The Seagull”, “Uncle Vanya”, “Three Sisters” and “The Cherry Orchard”. All the time Chekhov was writing, he continued to practice medicine. He is quoted as saying “Medicine is my lawful wife, and literature is my mistress.”

4. Children’s author who created Miss Trunchbull DAHL
Miss Trunchbull is a character in the Roald Dahl story “Matilda”.

Roald Dahl’s name is Norwegian. Dahl’s parents were from Norway, although Dahl himself was Welsh. Dahl became one of the most successful authors of the twentieth century. Two of his most famous titles are “James and the Giant Peach” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”.

7. 1968 space movie villain HAL
In Arthur C. Clarke’s “Space Odyssey” (famously adapted for the big screen as “2001: A Space Odyssey”) the computer system that went rogue was called HAL 9000, or simply “HAL”. HAL stands for Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer. In the French version of the film, HAL’s name was changed to CARL.

8. D. W. Griffith’s “___ for Help” A CRY
“A Cry for Help” is a movie released in 1912 that was directed by D. W. Griffith.

D. W. Griffith was a movie director in the early days of cinema. Griffith’s most famous work is “The Birth of a Nation” released in 1915. “The Birth of a Nation” was technically very innovative, but has proved to be controversial due to Griffith’s negative portrayal of African Americans, and positive portrayal of slavery and the Klu Klux Klan.

12. Spanish liqueur ANIS
Anis is a Spanish liqueur, equivalent to what’s called anisette in other countries (in France, for example). It has a licorice taste as it is produced by distilling the seeds of the anis plant. Like all anis-type drinks, it is usually mixed with water and turns a milky white color when the water is added.

18. Cappuccino choice DECAF
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an order of Roman Catholic friars, an offshoot of the Franciscans. The order split from the Franciscans back in 1520, and were forced to go into hiding from church authorities. The new order was helped by the Camaldolese monks, and in recognition of their assistance, the breakaway monks adopted the Camaldolese hood, known as a capuccio. It is this “capuccio” that gave the order its name, and indeed ultimately gave the name to the Capuchin monkey. The cappuccino coffee is named for the coffee and white colored habits worn by Capuchin friars.

27. ___ blue (color named for a school) ETON
Eton blue is the school color that has been used by the Sports teams of Eton College in England since the early 1800s.

35. N.Y.C.’s PBS station WNET
WNET is a television station located in Newark, New Jersey. It is PBS’s station that covers New York City, as well as the rest of the tri-state area.

37. A.L. West team, on scoreboards LAA
The Anaheim Angels are today more correctly called the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The “Angels” name dates back to 1961 when the team was founded in the “City of Angels”, Los Angeles. When the franchise moved to Anaheim in 1965 they were known as the California Angels, then the Anaheim Angels, and most recently the Los Angeles Angels at Anaheim.

38. ___ disease LYME
Lyme disease is an infectious disease that is becoming more and more common. The condition takes its name from the town of Lyme, Connecticut where several cases were diagnosed in 1975. Humans catch the disease when bitten by infected ticks. If caught early enough, the disease is usually successfully treated with antibiotics.

48. Feline in un jardin zoologique TIGRE
In French, a tiger (tigre) may be found in a zoo (un jardin zoologique).

53. Demolishes, in Devon RASES
Devon is a county in the southwest of England. The county town of Devon is Exeter, and the largest city in the county is Plymouth, the port from which the Mayflower Pilgrims departed.

54. Govt. gangbusters T-MEN
A T-man is a law-enforcement agent of the US Treasury (T is for Treasury).

56. Ditto, in footnotes IDEM
Idem is usually abbreviated as “id.” and is the Latin word for “the same”. In research papers idem is used in a list of references, in place of citations “already mentioned above”.

“Ditto” was originally used in Italian (from Tuscan dialect) to avoid repetition of the names of months in a series of dates. So “ditto” is just another wonderful import from that lovely land …

59. ___ dixit IPSE
“Ipse dixit” is Latin and means”he himself said it”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Singer’s tongue YIDDISH
8. Fast delivery AIRMAIL
15. First name in online news ARIANNA
16. Detox, say CLEANSE
17. Autobiographical book by Carrie Fisher WISHFUL DRINKING
19. As one EN BLOC
20. D.M.V. offerings EYE TESTS
21. Peace Nobelist Kim ___-jung DAE
22. Crispy Twister offerer KFC
24. Peace Nobelist Hammarskjöld DAG
25. Papua New Guinea port in W.W. II news LAE
28. “That’s nice” AAH
30. Dept. of Labor division OSHA
34. Unit of online popularity TWITTER FOLLOWER
39. “Almost there!” ONE TO GO!
40. Nice thing to hit PAY DIRT
41. First card played in the game parliament SEVEN OF DIAMONDS
43. British submachine gun STEN
44. Bog FEN
45. Grade sch. class ENG
46. Badge holder: Abbr. DET
49. Back AGO
51. Ermine, e.g. FUR
54. Kind of cable in TV production TRIAXIAL
58. Actress Ryder WINONA
61. Oscar-nominated Woody Allen film MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
63. Mythological sister of 66-Across ELECTRA
64. Regardless of DESPITE
65. Formidable foes NEMESES
66. Mythological brother of 63-Across ORESTES

Down
1. Went off course, as a ship YAWED
2. One of Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” IRINA
3. Not accept DISBELIEVE
4. Children’s author who created Miss Trunchbull DAHL
5. Scoop contents INFO
6. Approached slyly, with “up” SNUCK
7. 1968 space movie villain HAL
8. D. W. Griffith’s “___ for Help” A CRY
9. “Yeah, you got me” I LIED
10. ___-car RENT-A
11. Fulfill MAKE GOOD ON
12. Spanish liqueur ANIS
13. “___ it?” ISN’T
14. Staying power LEGS
18. Cappuccino choice DECAF
23. Not soon at all FAR OFF
26. Who’s there ATTENDANCE
27. ___ blue (color named for a school) ETON
29. ___ for the best HOPING
31. Be hanged after a crime SWING FOR IT
32. Throng HERD
33. Fine things? ARTS
34. Chuck TOSS
35. N.Y.C.’s PBS station WNET
36. Big head EGO
37. A.L. West team, on scoreboards LAA
38. ___ disease LYME
42. Passed out DEALT
47. Stage directions EXITS
48. Feline in un jardin zoologique TIGRE
50. Major League Baseball V.I.P. OWNER
52. Merge UNITE
53. Demolishes, in Devon RASES
54. Govt. gangbusters T-MEN
55. Put out RILE
56. Ditto, in footnotes IDEM
57. Pupil reactions AHAS
59. ___ dixit IPSE
60. Short breaks, of a sort NAPS
62. It may be said with a raised hand I DO

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Posted by Bill Butler
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