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Solution to today’s crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today’s SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
CROSSWORD SETTER: Matt Ginsberg
THEME: Location, Location, Location … we have some themed clues this Saturday that refer to other answers, and use that other answer’s LOCATION in the grid:
25A. 33-Down, taking into account its 61-Across : SAILED (i.e. LEFT PORT)
(33D. Strong wine : PORT is at the LEFT side of the grid)49A. 32-Down, taking into account its 61-Across : AT ONCE (i.e. RIGHT AWAY)
(32D. Out : AWAY is at the RIGHT side of the grid)13D. 68-Across, taking into account its 61-Across : CARP (i.e. BOTTOM FEEDER)
(68A. The Missouri, to the Mississippi : FEEDER is at the BOTTOM of the grid)56D. 1-Across, taking into account its 61-Across : A-ONE (i.e. TOP DRAWER)
(1A. Chest piece : DRAWER is at the TOP of the grid)61A. Place : LOCATION
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 45m 32s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
7. St. John’s, for one : BASILICA
The Basilica of St. John Lateran is the cathedral church of Rome. There is a popular misconception that St. Peter’s is the cathedral of Rome, but actually it isn’t, and instead is termed a papal basilica.
15. Fish that attaches itself to a host : REMORA
Remoras are also called suckerfish, which name is descriptive of one of the fish’s basic behaviors. One of the remoras dorsal fins is in the shape of a “sucker”, allowing it to take a firm hold on a larger marine animal, hitching a ride.
17. Biblical prophet whose name means “Yahweh is my God” : ELIJAH
Elijah was a prophet in the northern kingdom of Israel according to the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible and the Qur’an. The name “Elijah” translates from Hebrew as “My God is Yahweh”. Elijah is also known Elias.
18. Act in “The Last Samurai” : HARAKIRI
“Harakiri” translates from Japanese into “cutting the belly”, and is a form of ritual suicide. Harakiri is the term used in speech which is equivalent to “seppuku”, the term used in writing for the same ritual suicide. The act is carried out by plunging a short blade into the belly and moving it from left to right, slicing through the organs within the abdomen.
“The Last Samurai” is an entertaining film released in 2003 starring Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe. The film tells the story of an American army officer (Cruise) and his relationship with samurai warriors in 19th century Japan.
19. St. John’s, for one : WORT
St. John’s wort is a herb that is used by some as a treatment for depression. Extracts are available as over-the-counter purchases here in the US, but back in my homeland of Ireland, one needs a prescription.
20. Kneecap, e.g. : MAIM
To kneecap someone is to maim him or her by shooting in the leg, especially through the back of the knee.
22. Dick and Al, recently : VEEPS
In 2000, Dick Cheney was called upon by then-Governor George W. Bush to head up the search for a running mate for Bush in the presidential election. After a few months search, Bush turned things on their head by asking Cheney to join him on the ticket.
Al Gore was born in Washington DC, the son of Al Gore, Sr., then a US Representative for the state of Tennessee. After deferring his military service in order to attend Harvard, the younger Gore became eligible for the draft on graduation. Many of his classmates found ways of avoiding the draft, but Gore decided to serve and even took the “tougher” option of joining the army as an enlisted man. Actor Tommy Lee Jones shared a house with Gore in college and says that his buddy told him that even if he could find a way around the draft, someone with less options than him would have to go in his place and that was just wrong.
23. Like King Sargon II: Abbr. : ASSYR
Sargon II was king of Assyria from 722 to 705 BC.
Assyria was an ancient kingdom located on the Upper Tigris river in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq), named for it’s capital city of Assur. According to the Bible, of the original Twelve Tribes of Israel, Ten Tribes “disappeared” when the Kingdom of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians in 720 BCE.
27. Author of “Herding Cats: A Life in Politics” : LOTT
Trent Lott was raised Democrat in Mississippi, but served in Congress as a Republican. Lott ran into trouble for remarks he made that were interpreted as being racially motivated, and ended up resigning in 2007.
29. Latin rock band featured at Woodstock : SANTANA
Carlos Santana is a Mexican American rock guitar player, famous for heading the band called Santana who melded rock music with Latin and African themes.
33. Where the guarani is cash : PARAGUAY
The guaraní is the currency used in Paraguay. The guaraní used to be divided into 100 céntimos, but due to the ravages of inflation, the céntimo is no longer in use.
39. Pope who started the First Crusade : URBAN II
Otho de Lagery (also Odo) took office as Pope Urban II in 1088. It was Pope Urban II who started the First Crusade, the military expedition by Roman Catholic Europe to occupy the Holy Lands that ran from 1096 to 1099.
41. Tokyo Rose’s real first name : IVA
“Tokyo Rose” was the nickname given to several English-speaking female propaganda broadcasters who supported the Japanese cause during WWII. The person most associated with “Tokyo Rose” was Iva Toguri D’Aquino, an American citizen from Los Angeles who earned a degree in zoology from the University of California. Toguri travelled to Japan in mid-1941, and got stranded there after the attack on Pearl Harbor. She responded to pressure from coerced Allied service members to help them with their propaganda broadcasts, providing a female voice. According to many accounts, Toguri did her work unwillingly and did what she could to provide support to the prisoners-of-war. After the war she was arrested and spent a year in jail before being released due to lack of evidence of wrongdoing. She was then transported to the US, where she stood trial on eight counts of treason. After a long and expensive trial she was found guilty on one count and served over six years in prison. In 1977, President Gerald Ford granted her a full and unconditional pardon.
42. German chocolate brand : RIESEN
Riesen is a chocolate that is produced and sold in Germany, and is also sold here in the US. Riesen introduced a recipe for a hot chocolate drink in 2007. The recipe calls for melting the chocolate candy over heat in a saucepan, then adding one cup of milk per candy piece. Sprinkle nutmeg to taste.
48. Mother of the Titans : GAEA
The Greek goddess personifying the earth was Gaea (meaning “land” or “earth” in Greek). The Roman equivalent goddess was Terra Mater, “Mother Earth”.
51. Home of more than 900 volcanoes : ANDES
The Andes is the longest continuous chain of mountains in the world, running right down the length of the west coast of South America for about 4,300 miles. The highest peak in the range is Mt. Aconcagua, at an elevation of 22,841 feet. Interestingly, the peak of Mt. Chimborazo in Ecuador is the furthest point on the Earth’s surface from the center of the planet. That’s because of the equatorial “bulge” around the Earth’s “waist”.
55. White House girl : SASHA
Sasha is the younger of the two Obama children, born in 2001. She is the youngest child to reside in the White House since John F. Kennedy, Jr. moved in with his parents as a small infant. Sasha’s Secret Service codename is “Rosebud”, and her older sister Malia has the codename “Radiance”.
63. Ostrich, e.g. : RATITE
Ratites are species of birds that cannot fly. Ratites are different physiologically than other birds in that they have nowhere on their sternum to attach the muscles needed for flight.
65. 1950s H-bomb test site : ENIWETOK
Enewetak Atoll is an atoll consisting of 40 islands in the Marshall Islands in the northern Pacific Ocean. Enewetak Atoll was the site of 43 nuclear test by the US from 1946 to 1958, including the test of the first ever hydrogen bomb. That H-bomb test in 1952 completely vaporized one of the islets in the atoll.
66. Dermatological concern : ECZEMA
Eczema is a form of dermatitis. The term “eczema” comes from the Greek for “to boil over”.
68. The Missouri, to the Mississippi : FEEDER
The Missouri River empties into the Mississippi just north of St. Louis, Missouri.
Down
3. Bahrain bigwigs: Var. : AMIRS
In English, emir can also be written as emeer, amir and ameer (watch out for those spellings in crosswords!).
Bahrain is an island nation located off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf. Bahrain is connected to Saudi Arabia by a series of causeways and bridges constructed in the eighties.
4. John Paul II, originally : WOJTYLA
Kraków is the second largest city in Poland, and was a capital for many centuries. The Archbishop of Kraków was Karol Wojtyla, one of the most famous people to have lived in the city. In 1978 Archbishop Wojtyla was installed as Pope John Paul II.
6. First name in Chicago politics : RAHM
The current Mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, was an Illinois representative in the US House before resigning to take up President Obama’s offer to become the White House Chief of Staff.
7. Part of the coast of Brazil : BAHIA
Bahia is the fifth largest of the 26 Brazilian states. The capital of Bahia is the city of Salvador.
8. Estée Lauder fragrance for men : ARAMIS
Aramis is a fragrance produced by Estée Lauder.
The “Three Musketeers” were Athos, Porthos and Aramis, and their young protégé was D’Artagnan. A musketeer was an infantry soldier who was equipped with a musket. Paradoxically, Alexandre Dumas’ “Three Musketeers” really didn’t use their muskets, and were better known for their prowess with their swords.
9. TV or monitor part: Abbr. : SCR
Screen (scr.)
12. Ellington band vocalist Anderson : IVIE
Ivie Anderson was a jazz singer, famous for performing with Duke Ellington’s orchestra in the thirties and early forties.
13. 68-Across, taking into account its 61-Across : CARP (i.e. BOTTOM FEEDER)
Carp are freshwater fish that are used as food around the world, although they aren’t very popular in North American kitchens. The ornamental fish that we know as goldfish and koi are all types of carp.
14. Father/daughter fighters : ALIS
Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. was born in 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali when he converted to Islam in 1964. Who can forget Muhammad Ali lighting the Olympic flame for the 1996 games in Atlanta? Ali was presented with a gold medal during those ’96 Games, a replacement for the medal he won at the 1960 Olympics. He had thrown the original into the Ohio River as a gesture of disgust after being refused service at a “whites only” restaurant.
Laila Ali is the daughter of the great Muhammad Ali and is a very capable boxer in her own right. Laila is not a bad dancer either, coming in third place in the fourth season of “Dancing with the Stars”.
31. Astronomical figure? : NOVA
A nova is basically a star that suddenly gets much brighter, gradually returning to its original state weeks or even years later. The increased brightness of a nova is due to increased nuclear activity causing the star to pick up extra hydrogen from a neighboring celestial body. A supernova is very different from a nova. A supernova is a very bright burst of light and energy created when most of the material in a star explodes. The bright burst of a supernova is very short-lived compared to the sustained brightness of a nova.
33. Strong wine : PORT
The city of Oporto in Portugal gave its name to port wine in the late 1600s, as it was the seaport through which most of the region’s fortified wine was exported.
34. “La donna è mobile,” e.g. : ARIA
“La donna è mobile” is a very famous aria from Verdi’s opera “Rigoletto”.
“Rigoletto” is one of Giuseppe Verdi’s most famous and oft-performed operas. The storyline comes from Victor Hugo’s play “Le roi s’amuse” (usually translated as “The King’s Fool”). Rigoletto is the king’s fool, the jester.
36. Not pitch or roll, say : YAW
On the world of flight dynamics, three critical angles of rotation are known as pitch, roll and yaw. Pitch describes the lift and descent of the nose and tail. Roll describes motion around the axis that runs along the length of the airplane. Yaw describes rotation of the aircraft around the vertical axis.
40. Big uranium exporter : NIGER
Uranium is the largest export for the country of Niger in Western Africa. So-called yellowcake uranium powder from Niger was at the center of the argument supporting the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Intelligence reports suggested that Saddam Hussein was making attempts to buy uranium from Niger, although the documents supporting the intelligence were later shown to be forgeries.
43. Twin-engine Navy helicopter : SEAHAWK
The Sikorsky Seahawk is a helicopter used by the US Navy. The Seahawk design is based on the US Army’s Black Hawk. One of the main modifications for the Navy is the inclusion of a hinged tail, which helps in fitting more helicopters into confined spaces aboard ships.
45. Site of the Three Gorges Dam : YANGTZE
The Three Gorges region along the Yangtze River in China is known for its spectacular scenery. The area is attracting a lot of attention in recent years because of recently completed hydroelectric dam that is changing the ecology and appearance of the land both upriver and downriver. The dam itself is the biggest electricity-generating plant in the world, with a total capacity of 22.5 GW.
53. Instruction written in currants for Alice : EAT ME
In Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”, Alice follows the white rabbit down a rabbit hole and finds a bottle labelled “DRINK ME”. When she drinks the contents, it causes her to shrink. She also sees a cake adorned with the words “EAT ME”, and when she eats the cake she grows so big she finds it hard to stand up. After eating the cake, she utters the famous words, “Curiouser and curiouser”.
59. Nonkosher : TREF
According to Jewish dietary law, “kosher” food is “fit” to eat, and food that is not kosher is called “treif” (or tref).
62. Samson’s end? : -ITE
The luggage company called Samsonite started out as the Shwayder Trunk Manufacturing Company in Denver, Colorado in 1910. For quite a few years, Samsonite manufactured and distributed Lego toy building blocks for the North American market.
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Chest piece : DRAWER
7. St. John’s, for one : BASILICA
15. Fish that attaches itself to a host : REMORA
16. Like the Congressional Record : ARCHIVAL
17. Biblical prophet whose name means “Yahweh is my God” : ELIJAH
18. Act in “The Last Samurai” : HARAKIRI
19. St. John’s, for one : WORT
20. Kneecap, e.g. : MAIM
22. Dick and Al, recently : VEEPS
23. Like King Sargon II: Abbr. : ASSYR
25. 33-Down, taking into account its 61-Across : SAILED (i.e. LEFT PORT)
27. Author of “Herding Cats: A Life in Politics” : LOTT
29. Latin rock band featured at Woodstock : SANTANA
33. Where the guarani is cash : PARAGUAY
37. Milk source, to a kid : MOO-COW
38. Vein gloriousness? : ORE
39. Pope who started the First Crusade : URBAN II
41. Tokyo Rose’s real first name : IVA
42. German chocolate brand : RIESEN
44. Good occasion for kite-flying : WINDY DAY
46. Shows an aptitude for : TAKES TO
48. Mother of the Titans : GAEA
49. 32-Down, taking into account its 61-Across : AT ONCE (i.e. RIGHT AWAY)
51. Home of more than 900 volcanoes : ANDES
55. White House girl : SASHA
58. Western setting : FORT
60. Just under half a penny’s weight : GRAM
61. Place : LOCATION
63. Ostrich, e.g. : RATITE
65. 1950s H-bomb test site : ENIWETOK
66. Dermatological concern : ECZEMA
67. Classic graduation gifts : DESK SETS
68. The Missouri, to the Mississippi : FEEDER
Down
1. ___ blank : DREW A
2. Transfers often entail them, informally : RELOS
3. Bahrain bigwigs: Var. : AMIRS
4. John Paul II, originally : WOJTYLA
5. Span of a ruler, maybe : ERA
6. First name in Chicago politics : RAHM
7. Part of the coast of Brazil : BAHIA
8. Estée Lauder fragrance for men : ARAMIS
9. TV or monitor part: Abbr. : SCR
10. “Beats me!” : I HAVE NO IDEA!
11. Did with enjoyment : LIKED TO
12. Ellington band vocalist Anderson : IVIE
13. 68-Across, taking into account its 61-Across : CARP (i.e. BOTTOM FEEDER)
14. Father/daughter fighters : ALIS
21. Take ___ at : A STAB
24. Iran, North Korea and the like : ROGUE STATES
26. Veneer, e.g. : LAMINA
28. Ask, as for assistance : TURN TO
30. It’s not basic : ACID
31. Astronomical figure? : NOVA
32. Out : AWAY
33. Strong wine : PORT
34. “La donna è mobile,” e.g. : ARIA
35. Give off, with “of” : REEK
36. Not pitch or roll, say : YAW
40. Big uranium exporter : NIGER
43. Twin-engine Navy helicopter : SEAHAWK
45. Site of the Three Gorges Dam : YANGTZE
47. Hoofing it : ON FOOT
50. Abruptly stops, with “out” : CONKS
52. Like mummies : DRIED
53. Instruction written in currants for Alice : EAT ME
54. Campaign dirty trick : SMEAR
55. Coast, in a way : SLED
56. 1-Across, taking into account its 61-Across : A-ONE (i.e. TOP DRAWER)
57. Univ. grouping : SCIS
59. Nonkosher : TREF
62. Samson’s end? : -ITE
64. Pal : ACE
Posted by Bill Butler
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