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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: David J. Kahn
THEME: Simply Put … we get some advice in today’s grid in five of the Across answers, which is more simply put in one Down answer:
29A. With 44-, 63-, 77- and 93-Across, a long-winded piece of advice : POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES
44A. See 29-Across : OF A PLAN OR DECISION ONE
63A. See 29-Across : CANNOT REVERSE SHOULD BE
77A. See 29-Across : HEEDED PRIOR TO THE TIME
93A. See 29-Across : AN ACTION IS EFFECTUATED24D. This puzzle’s long-winded advice, simply put : LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 26m 24s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Certain laureate : POET
A poet laureate is a poet who is officially pointed by some institution to compose works for special occasions. The US Poet Laureate is more correctly known as the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress.
5. ___ Fine, “The Nanny” nanny : FRAN
Fran Drescher’s real name is Francine Jane Drescher, a comedian and comic actress best known for playing Fran Fine on the sitcom “The Nanny”. Fran was born in Queens, New York (go figure!). Her big break came with a small role, but in a huge movie. You might recall in “Saturday Night Fever” that John Travolta was asked by a pretty dancer, “Are you as good in bed as you are on the dance floor?”, well, that young lady was Fran Drescher.
12. Get a little richer in Monopoly : PASS GO
The commercial game of Monopoly is supposedly a remake of “The Landlord’s Game” created in 1903 by a Quaker woman called Lizzie Phillips. Phillips used her game as a tool to explain the single tax theory of American economist Henry George. The Landlord’s Game was first produced commercially in 1924. The incredibly successful derivative game called Monopoly was introduced in 1933 by Charles Darrow, who became a very rich man when Parker Brothers bought the rights to the game just two years later in 1935.
18. Slave whom Amneris was jealous of : AIDA
“Aida” is the famous opera by Giuseppe Verdi, actually based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette, who also designed the costumes and stages for the opening performance. The opera was first performed in 1871 in an opera house in Cairo. Aida is an Ethiopian slave in the service of the Egyptian King’s daughter, Princess Amneris. Radames is an Egyptian commander who falls in love with her, and then of course complications arise!
19. Hindu epic hero : RAMA
In the Hindu tradition, the god known as Vishnu has seven different avatars i.e. incarnations or manifestations. Rama is the seventh of these avatars.
20. “Zero Dark Thirty” org. : CIA
“Zero Dark Thirty” is a film directed by Kathryn Bigelow that tells of the long but ultimately successful hunt for Osama bin Laden. I found one aspect of this film to be particularly uplifting, namely the central role played by a remarkable CIA officer who was a woman operating against the odds in a man’s world.
26. Possible cause of turbulent weather : LA NINA
The ocean-atmosphere phenomenon known as “La Niña” is the opposite of the more familiar “El Niño”. During a period of La Niña, the surface temperature across the equatorial Eastern Central Pacific Ocean is lower than usual by 3-5 degrees centigrade. During a period of El Niño, that same temperature is higher than normal.
When the surface temperature of much of the Pacific Ocean rises more that half a degree centigrade, then there is said to be an El Niño episode. That small temperature change in the Pacific has been associated with climatic changes that can stretch right across the globe. El Niño is Spanish for “the boy” and is a reference to the Christ child. The phenomenon was given this particular Spanish name because the warming is usually noticed near South America and around Christmas-time.
28. As an end result : ERGO
“Ergo” is the Latin word for “hence, therefore”.
35. Lei Day hellos : ALOHAS
What’s known as May Day around the world is also called Lei Day in Hawaii. Lei Day started in the twenties and is a celebration of native Hawaiian culture.
39. Journalist Marvin or Bernard : KALB
Marvin Kalb is a journalist most famous for his 30-year stint reporting for CBS and NBC News. Kalb was the last person to be recruited by journalism icon Edward R. Murrow.
Bernard Kalb is a journalist who specialized in covering international affairs. A native of New York City, for much of his working life he was based abroad, in Indonesia, Hong Kong, Paris and Saigon. Bernard Kalb is the older brother of fellow journalist Marvin Kalb.
59. Fitting conclusion? : GEE
There is a letter G (gee) at the end of the word “fitting”.
60. Blackmore title girl : DOONE
The novel “Lorna Doone” was written by Richard Doddridge Blackmore. R. D. Blackmore was an English novelist, very celebrated and in demand in his day (the late 1800s). His romantic story “Lorna Doone” was by no means a personal favorite of his, and yet it is the only one of his works still in print.
69. Fleming of opera : RENEE
Renée Fleming is a marvelous soprano from Indiana, Pennsylvania. Famous for her appearances in opera houses and concert halls all over the world, Fleming is also noted for her willingness to bring her craft to the masses. She was a guest on “Sesame Street”, singing “counting lyrics” to an aria from “Rigoletto”, and she has appeared a few times on Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion”.
70. Home of the U.K. : EUR
The terms “United Kingdom”, “Great Britain” and “England” can sometimes be confused. The official use of “United Kingdom” originated in 1707 with the Acts of Union that declared the countries of England and Scotland as “United into One Kingdom by the Name of Great Britain”. The name changed again with the Acts of Union 1800 that created the “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland” (much to the chagrin of most of the Irish population). This was partially reversed in 1927 when the current name was introduced, the “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”, in recognition of an independent Irish Free State in the south of the island of Ireland. There is much speculation about the future of the UK’s “name” as the referendum on the independence of Scotland approaches in 2014. I’ll be watching that one with interest …
71. Cartoonist Hoff : SYD
Syd Hoff wrote the children’s readers “Danny and the Dinosaur” and “Sammy the Seal”. Hoff also drew two syndicated comic strips, “Tuffy” (1939-1949) and “Laugh It Off” (1958-1978).
73. Full of animal fat : SUETY
Fat, when extracted from the carcass of an animal, is called “suet”. Untreated suet decomposes at room temperature quite easily so it has to be “rendered” or purified to make it stable. Rendered fat from pigs is what we call “lard”. Rendered beef or mutton fat is known as “tallow”.
86. Subject of the 2002 book “The Perfect Store” : EBAY
eBay was founded in 1995 as AuctionWeb as part of a computer programmer’s personal website. One of the first items purchased was a broken laser pointer, for $14.83. The buyer collected broken laser pointers …
90. Stout ___ : ALE
The term “stout” was first used for a type of beer in the 1600s when was used to describe a “strong, stout” brew, and not necessarily a dark beer as it is today.
91. Fla. vacation spot : ST PETE
St. Petersburg, Florida is often referred to as St. Pete by locals and visitors alike. The neighboring city of St. Petersburg Beach also had its name shortened routinely, so in 1994 the residents voted to change the name officially to St. Pete Beach.
101. Oration locations : PODIA
“Podium” is the Latin word for “raised platform”.
103. Charlie Chaplin persona, with “the” : LITTLE TRAMP
Charlie Chaplin earned the nickname “The Tramp” (also “Little Tramp”) from the much-loved character that he frequently played on the screen. Chaplin was much-respected as a performer. The great George Bernard Shaw referred to him as “the only genius to come out of the movie industry”.
112. Three-sided weapon : EPEE
The sword known as an épée has a three-sided blade. The épée is similar to a foil and sabre, both of which are also thrusting weapons. However, the foil and saber have rectangular cross-sections.
113. One with designs on women : DIOR
Christian Dior was a French fashion designer. As WWII approached, Dior was called up by the French military, imposing a temporary halt to his career in fashion. He left the army in 1942 and for the duration of the war designed clothes for wives of Nazi officers and French collaborators. After the war his designs became so popular that he helped reestablish Paris as the fashion center of the world.
115. ___ lane : HOV
In some parts of the country one sees high-occupancy vehicle lanes (HOV lanes), but out here in California, we call them carpool lanes.
116. Pitching muscle, for short : DELT
The deltoid muscle is actually a group of muscles, the ones that cover the shoulder and create the roundness under the skin. The deltoids are triangular in shape resembling the Greek letter delta, hence the name.
Down
1. Campaign-funding grp. : PAC
A Political Action Committee (PAC) is a private group that works to influence the outcome of a particular election or group of elections. Any group becomes a PAC by law when it receives or spends more than $1,000 for the purpose of influencing the outcome of an election. In 2010 the Supreme Court ruled that PACS that did not make direct contributions to candidates or parties could accept unlimited contributions. These “independent-expenditure only committees” are commonly referred to as “super PACs”.
3. School address ending : EDU
The .edu domain was one of the seven first generic top-level domains specified. The complete original list is:
– .com (commercial organizations, but unrestricted
– .edu (US post-secondary educational establishments, restricted)
– .net (network infrastructures, but unrestricted)
– .mil (US military, restricted)
– .org (other organizations, but unrestricted)
– .gov (US government entities, restricted)
– .int (international organizations governed by treaty, restricted)
6. Arm bones : RADII
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”.
7. Dryer brand : AMANA
The Amana Corporation takes its name from the location of its original headquarters, in Middle Amana, Iowa.
10. Fashion photographer Herb : RITTS
Herb Ritts was an American fashion photographer. He was famous for shooting black & white images, in the style of classical Greek sculptures.
11. Suffuse : BATHE
“To suffuse” is to spread over or through, as in suffusing or bathing something in light.
12. ___ ejemplo : POR
“Por ejemplo” is Spanish for “for example”.
13. “Life of Pi” director Lee : 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”, “Brokeback Mountain” and “Life of Pi”.
The 2012 movie “Life of Pi” is based on a 2001 novel of the same name by Yann Martel. The “Pi” in the title is an Indian boy called Pi Patel who finds himself adrift for 227 days in small boat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.
15. Like embargoed goods : SCARCE
“Embargo” and “blockade” are two similar yet different terms. An embargo is a legal prohibition of trade with a particular country, whilst a blockade is an act of war, a militarily enforced prevention of the movement of goods and services. The term “embargo” came into English from Spanish, in the late 16th century.
23. Where Yemen Airways is based : SANA
Sana (also Sana’a) is the capital city of Yemen. Within the bounds of today’s metropolis is the old fortified city of Sana where people have lived for over 2,500 years. The Old City is now a World Heritage Site.
25. Case worker’s title?: Abbr. : ESQ
The title “esquire” is of British origin and is used differently today depending on whether one is in the US or the UK. Here in America the term is usually reserved for those practicing the law (both male and female). In the UK, “esquire” is a term of gentle respect reserved for a male who has no other title that one can use. So a mere commoner like me might receive a letter from the bank say, addressed to W. E. Butler Esq.
29. ___ Alto : PALO
The city of Palo Alto, California takes its name from a specific redwood tree called El Palo Alto (Spanish for “the tall stick”) that is located within the bounds of the city. The tree is 110 feet tall and over a thousand years old.
30. Former Swedish P.M. Palme : OLOF
Olof Palme was prime minister of Sweden when he was walking home from a movie theater with his wife one night in 1986. Security for a man of his position was not an issue back then, so he had no bodyguard with him. Palme was shot by an unknown attacker, who killed the prime minister and wounded his wife. The crime remains unsolved to this day.
31. Senate cover-up : TOGA
In Ancient Rome the classical attire known as a toga (plural “togae”) was usually worn over a tunic. The tunic was made from linen, and the toga itself was a piece of cloth about twenty feet long made from wool. The toga could only be worn by men, and only if those men were Roman citizens. The female equivalent of the toga was called a “stola”.
34. Actor McGregor : EWAN
Ewan McGregor is a very talented Scottish actor, one who got his break in the 1996 film “Trainspotting”. McGregor’s first big Hollywood role was playing the young Obi-Wan-Kenobi in the “Star Wars” prequels. Less known is his televised marathon motorcycle journey from London to New York via central Europe, Ukraine, Siberia, Mongolia and Canada. The 2004 trip was shown as “Long Way Round” on TV. McGregor did a similar trip in 2007 called “Long Way Down”, which took him and the same travelling companion from the north of Scotland to Cape Town in South Africa.
39. Carp in a pond : KOI
Koi are also called Japanese carp. Koi have been bred for decorative purposes and there are now some very brightly colored examples found in Japanese water gardens.
41. Steak ___ : DIANE
Steak Diane is pan-fried filet mignon served in a flambéed sauce made from the juices in the pan along with butter, shallots, cream and brandy. The dish is named after Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt.
42. Kefauver of old politics : ESTES
Estes Kefauver was a Democratic politician from Tennessee. In 1956 Kefauver was the running mate of Adlai Stevenson when Stevenson made a bid for the presidency. The pair of course lost to the Eisenhower-Nixon ticket.
43. Sue Grafton’s “___ for Lawless” : L IS
Sue Grafton writes detective novels, and her “alphabet series” features the private investigator Kinsey Millhone. She started off with “A Is for Alibi” in 1982 and is working her way through the alphabet, most recently publishing “U Is for Undertow” in 2009. What a clever naming system!
46. Helps in a bad way : ABETS
The word “abet” comes into English from the Old French “abeter” meaning “to bait” or “to harass with dogs” (it literally means “to make bite”). This sense of encouraging something bad to happen morphed into our modern usage of “abet” meaning to aid or encourage someone in a crime.
49. Automaker since 1899 : OPEL
Adam Opel founded his company in 1863, first making sewing machines in a cowshed. Commercial success brought new premises and a new product line in 1886, namely penny-farthing bicycles. Adam Opel died in 1895, leaving his two sons with a company that made more penny-farthings and sewing machines than any other company in the world. In 1899 the two sons partnered with a locksmith and started to make cars, but not very successfully. Two years later, the locksmith was dropped in favor of a licensing arrangement with a French car company. By 1914, Opel was the largest manufacturer of automobiles in Germany. My Dad had an Opel in the seventies, a station wagon (we’d say “estate car” in Ireland) called an Opel Kadett.
56. Power option : AC/DC
If you have a laptop with an external power supply then that big “block” is an AC/DC converter. It converts the AC current you get from a wall socket into the DC current that is used by the laptop.
57. Biblical matriarch who lived to 127 : SARAH
In the Hebrew Bible and the Quaran, Sarah is the wife of Abraham and the mother of Isaac.
61. One side in a 19th-century war, with “the” : SOUTH
The Civil War is still the deadliest was in US history. It is estimated that 625,000 soldiers were killed in the conflict. This compares with 405,000 military lives lost in WWI, 117,000 lost in WWII and 58,000 in the Vietnam War.
73. Reagan antimissile program, for short : SDI
One of the positive outcomes of President Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) was a change in US defense strategy. The new approach was to use missiles to destroy incoming hostile weapons, rather than using missiles to destroy the nation attacking the country. The former doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction went by the apt acronym of MAD …
79. Nov. 11 honoree : EX-GI
Veterans Day used to be known as Armistice Day, and is observed on November 11th each year. This particular date was chosen as the Armistice that ended WWI was signed on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.
82. Canberra chum : MATE
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. The city is located in what’s called the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) an area independent of any of the other Australian territories. In this sense, there is a similarity between Canberra in the ACT and Washington in the District of Columbia. Canberra was chosen as the nation’s capital in 1908, a choice that was a compromise in deference to the two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne.
88. Corner piece : CASTLE
The corner piece in the game of chess is a called a rook, a word coming from the Persian word “rokh” meaning a “chariot”. The rook has also been called, perhaps incorrectly, the castle, tower, marquess and rector.
90. “Nemesis” novelist : ASIMOV
Isaac Asimov was a wonderful science fiction writer, and a professor of biochemistry. He was a favorite author as I was growing up and I must admit that some hero worship on my part led me to study and work as a biochemist for a short while early in my career. My favorite of his works is the collection of short stories called “I, Robot”, although Asimov’s most famous work is probably his “Foundation” trilogy of novels.
92. Rolaids rival : TUMS
The main ingredient in Tums antacid, made by GlaxoSmithKline, is calcium carbonate. Tums have been on the market since 1930. If you want to save a few pennies, Target brand antacid is identical to Tums, so I hear …
The Rolaids brand of antacid was invented in the late twenties. The “Rolaids” name came from the fact that original packing was a foil “roll”.
96. The Snake River snakes through it : IDAHO
The Snake River in the US northwest is the largest tributary of the Columbia River.
99. “A horse designed by a committee” : CAMEL
The oft-quoted maxim that “a camel is a horse designed by committee” is attributed to several sources, including a 1958 issue of “Vogue” magazine. There is also an earlier attribution, to Sir Alec Issigonis. Issigonis designed a favorite car of mine, the first that I ever drove: the Morris Minor. He also designed a car that is still loved by millions today: the Morris Mini.
104. Cause of a trip : LSD
LSD (colloquially known as “acid”) is short for lysergic acid diethylamide. A Swiss chemist called Albert Hofmann first synthesized LSD in 1938 in a research project looking for medically efficacious ergot alkaloids. It wasn’t until some five years later when Hofmann ingested some of the drug accidentally that its psychedelic properties were discovered. Trippy, man …
107. Turn down : NIX
The use of “nix” as a verb, meaning “to shoot down”, dates back to the early 1900s. Before that “nix” was just a noun meaning “nothing”. “Nix” comes from the German “nichts”, which also means “nothing”.
109. Guanajuato gold : ORO
Guanajuato is one of the 31 states of Mexico.
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Certain laureate : POET
5. ___ Fine, “The Nanny” nanny : FRAN
9. Planet, to a 1-Across : ORB
12. Get a little richer in Monopoly : PASS GO
18. Slave whom Amneris was jealous of : AIDA
19. Hindu epic hero : RAMA
20. “Zero Dark Thirty” org. : CIA
21. Kind of garage : ONE-CAR
22. Some mixers : CLUB SODAS
24. One way to measure a student’s progress : LETTER GRADE
26. Possible cause of turbulent weather : LA NINA
27. Swearing : OATHS
28. As an end result : ERGO
29. With 44-, 63-, 77- and 93-Across, a long-winded piece of advice : POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES
35. Lei Day hellos : ALOHAS
36. Validates : OKS
37. “Very nice!” : SWEET!
38. Standard home page feature : LOGO
39. Journalist Marvin or Bernard : KALB
41. Louisiana area : DELTA
44. See 29-Across : OF A PLAN OR DECISION ONE
52. “That’s the way things are” : SO BE IT
53. Shoes without heels : FLATS
54. Remain unresolved : PEND
56. Ninny : ASS
59. Fitting conclusion? : GEE
60. Blackmore title girl : DOONE
61. Quick : SPEEDY
63. See 29-Across : CANNOT REVERSE SHOULD BE
68. Flows out : DRAINS
69. Fleming of opera : RENEE
70. Home of the U.K. : EUR
71. Cartoonist Hoff : SYD
72. Supermarket aid : CART
73. Full of animal fat : SUETY
74. Pair on ice : SKATES
77. See 29-Across : HEEDED PRIOR TO THE TIME
84. Doesn’t stay : EXITS
85. 180s : UEYS
86. Subject of the 2002 book “The Perfect Store” : EBAY
87. Doing perfectly : ACING
90. Stout ___ : ALE
91. Fla. vacation spot : ST PETE
93. See 29-Across : AN ACTION IS EFFECTUATED
100. Something to strike : POSE
101. Oration locations : PODIA
102. Wake-up calls : ALARMS
103. Charlie Chaplin persona, with “the” : LITTLE TRAMP
106. Acquires unexpectedly : COMES INTO
110. Except when : UNLESS
111. Notwithstanding that, briefly : THO’
112. Three-sided weapon : EPEE
113. One with designs on women : DIOR
114. Places : STEADS
115. ___ lane : HOV
116. Pitching muscle, for short : DELT
117. Big show : EXPO
Down
1. Campaign-funding grp. : PAC
2. Garage supply : OIL
3. School address ending : EDU
4. Works the room, maybe : TABLE-HOPS
5. Facades : FRONTS
6. Arm bones : RADII
7. Dryer brand : AMANA
8. ___ passage : NASAL
9. A lot : OCEANS
10. Fashion photographer Herb : RITTS
11. Suffuse : BATHE
12. ___ ejemplo : POR
13. “Life of Pi” director Lee : ANG
14. Not flustered : SERENE
15. Like embargoed goods : SCARCE
16. Thingamajig : GADGET
17. Lunchbox treats : OREOS
23. Where Yemen Airways is based : SANA
24. This puzzle’s long-winded advice, simply put : LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP
25. Case worker’s title?: Abbr. : ESQ
29. ___ Alto : PALO
30. Former Swedish P.M. Palme : OLOF
31. Senate cover-up : TOGA
32. Having no active leads : COLD
33. “From all of ___ all of you …” : US TO
34. Actor McGregor : EWAN
39. Carp in a pond : KOI
40. Auction category : ART
41. Steak ___ : DIANE
42. Kefauver of old politics : ESTES
43. Sue Grafton’s “___ for Lawless” : L IS
45. Start to go surfing? : LOG ON
46. Helps in a bad way : ABETS
47. Opposite of alway : NE’ER
48. Intimate : CLOSE
49. Automaker since 1899 : OPEL
50. Cravings : NEEDS
51. Not go beyond : END BY
55. Unnatural? : DYED
56. Power option : AC/DC
57. Biblical matriarch who lived to 127 : SARAH
58. Bag : SNARE
60. Tooth: Prefix : DENTI-
61. One side in a 19th-century war, with “the” : SOUTH
62. Blender setting : PUREE
64. Evening, in ads : NITE
65. Go ballistic : ERUPT
66. Turns suddenly : VEERS
67. Pressure, informally : HEAT
73. Reagan antimissile program, for short : SDI
74. Mucky place : STY
75. Ring results : KOS
76. Let someone else take over : STEP ASIDE
78. Impression : DENT
79. Nov. 11 honoree : EX-GI
80. Snorkeling site : REEF
81. “Yeah, yeah” : I BET
82. Canberra chum : MATE
83. Viewed : EYED
87. Formally name : ANOINT
88. Corner piece : CASTLE
89. Cooler in hot weather : ICE TEA
90. “Nemesis” novelist : ASIMOV
91. Place to play stickball : STREET
92. Rolaids rival : TUMS
93. Mark of distinction : A-PLUS
94. Elect : OPT
95. 61-Down’s opponent, with “the” : NORTH
96. The Snake River snakes through it : IDAHO
97. Didn’t turn away from : FACED
98. Fly away, in a way : ELOPE
99. “A horse designed by a committee” : CAMEL
104. Cause of a trip : LSD
105. Host follower? : -ESS
107. Turn down : NIX
108. Surpass : TOP
109. Guanajuato gold : ORO
Posted by Bill Butler
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Hi Bill,
Ram is indeed the 7th incarnation of Vishnu. Krishna is the eighth, and to most Hindus the historic Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, is the ninth. (Buddhists disagree…)
It's quite possible that Ram and Krishna were historic people, like the Buddha.
The tenth incarnation will come at the end of the current era. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dashavatara
I had no idea what an "alway" or a "neer" was. I know I can come here to find out though! Thanks for what you do.
John
Hi there, John.
Thanks for the extra info on Ram. I have a particular interest in the fundamentals of Buddhism, and the continual argument over whether it is a religion at all!
Thanks for the kind words about the blog. I hope you drop by again soon, John.
.info was not one of the original top level domains. The original list includes the other six on your list + edu.
Wikipedia page
Hi there, Drago.
Thanks for pointing out the error. I'll fix that right now.
I appreciate the help!