0525-13 New York Times Crossword Answers 25 May 13, Saturday

QuickLinks:
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 Steinberg
THEME: None
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: Not recorded
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. What’s “all in my brain,” in a 1967 rock classic : 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.

11. Dynasty founded by Yu the Great : HSIA
The Xia (also “Hsia”) Dynasty was the first Chinese Dynasty, lasting from about 2070 to 1600 BCE.

19. Little Joe’s half brother of old TV : HOSS
Dan Blocker was the actor who played Hoss Cartwright in the famous TV show “Bonanza”. Hoss was the “slow” character on the show. Paradoxically, Dan Blocker was the most educated member of the cast, having earned a Masters Degree in the dramatic arts. Blocker passed away while “Bonanza” was still running. He was undergoing relatively routine gallbladder surgery and developed a pulmonary embolism which killed him. Bonanza ran for just one more season after Blocker passed away.

20. Einstein’s death : TOD
“Tod” is the German word for “death”.

After Albert Einstein moved to the US in 1933, he became quite a celebrity and his face was readily recognizable. Einstein was frequently stopped in the street by people who would naively ask him if he could explain what “that theory” (i.e. the theory of relativity) was all about. Growing tired of this, he finally learned to tell people that he was sorry, but folks were constantly mistaking him for Albert Einstein!

21. Preakness, e.g. : HORSE
The Preakness Stakes is a Thoroughbred horse race that’s run at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore in May of each year. The Preakness is the second most popular horse race in the US in terms of attendance, after the Kentucky Derby. The race was given its name by former Maryland Governor Oden Bowie in honor of the racehorse named Preakness. Preakness won the inaugural Dixie Stakes that was run at Pimlico in 1870.

22. Image mentale : IDEE
In French, an idea (idée) is a mental image (image mentale).

24. First created being, in myth : CHAOS
In Greek mythology, Chaos was the first of the primeval gods born at the creation of the universe. Following Chaos came:

– Gaia, the primordial goddess of the Earth
– Tartaros, the primordial god of the Underworld
– Eros, the primordial god of Love
– Nyx, the primordial goddess of the Night
– Erebus, the primordial god of Darkness
– Aither, the primordial god of Light
– Hemera, the primordial goddess of the Day

26. Stand-up comic known for irreverent sermonettes : DAVID STEINBERG
David Steinberg is stand-up comedian from Winnipeg in Manitoba. Steinberg is well-known to fans of “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson”. He was the youngest person ever to guest-host on the show, and appeared as a guest over 130 times, a number that is second only to Bob Hope.

33. River forming the Handegg waterfall : AAR
The Aar (also called the “Aare” in German) is the longest river entirely in Switzerland. A famous spot along the Aar is the Reichenbach Falls in the center of the country, actually a series of waterfalls near the city of Meiringen. These falls are renowned in the world of literature as it was here that Sherlock Holmes fell to his supposed doom with his nemesis Professor Moriarty (in “The Adventure of the Final Problem”).

35. Winner of seven tennis majors in the 1920s : LACOSTE
René Lacoste was a French tennis player known for being very tenacious on court. This tenacity earned him the nickname “the Crocodile”. When he went into the clothing business specializing in tennis apparel, his Lacoste brand became famous for its green crocodile logo.

38. Material in the translation process : RNA
Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) is an essential catalyst in the manufacture of proteins in the body. The genetic code in DNA determines the sequence of amino acids that make up each protein. That sequence is read in DNA by messenger RNA, and amino acids are delivered for protein manufacture in the correct sequence by what is called transfer RNA. The amino acids are then formed into proteins by ribosomal RNA.

39. Caterpillar roll ingredient : EEL
You might be able to order a caterpillar roll in your local sushi restaurant. A caterpillar is an inside-out sushi roll topped with thinly sliced avocado.

40. Operation creation : SLIT
A surgical operation of ten starts with a slit cut in the skin.

41. Java class? : DECAF
Back in 1850, the name “java” was given to a type of coffee grown on the island of Java, and the usage of the term spread from there.

47. Jezebel’s lack : SHAME
A jezebel is a woman who is regarded as evil and scheming. The term comes from Jezebel, a prophetess in the Bible’s Book of Revelations who was accused of inducing people to commit sexually immoral acts and to eat food that had been sacrificed for holy idols.

56. Decimal starter : HEXA-
A hexadecimal numeral system is one based on the number 16. Such a system requires sixteen distinct symbols, six more than are needed for our base-10 system. These usually are the symbols 0-9 for the numbers 0 to 9, and A-F for the numbers 10 through 15.

57. Microsoft Office feature : POWERPOINT
Given that PowerPoint is a Microsoft product, it is perhaps a bit of a paradox that the original application that became PowerPoint was designed for the Macintosh computer. This first release was called “Presenter”. The company that designed Presenter was purchased by Microsoft in 1987.

60. Figure taking a bow? : EROS
Cupid is the god of desire and erotic love in Roman mythology. The Greek counterpart of Cupid is Eros.

61. No-strings declaration? : I’M A REAL BOY!
In the 1940 movie “Pinocchio”, the title character changes from a puppet into a human and declares “I’m a real boy!”

63. “So Wrong” singer, 1962 : PATSY CLINE
Patsy Cline was a country music singer who managed to cross over into the world of pop music where she enjoyed great success. Cline is one of a long list of musical legends who died in plane crashes. Cline was 30 years old when she was killed in 1963 in a Piper Comanche plane piloted by her manager, Randy Hughes. Hughes and Cline decided to make that last flight despite warnings of inclement weather, and it was a severe storm that brought down the plane in a forest outside Camden, Tennessee.

Down
1. Labor leader’s cry? : PUSH!
A midwife might cry out “push!” while leading a woman through childbirth.

2. It may precede itself : UNTO
The phrase “means unto itself” may apply to an activity that it worthwhile “in itself” regardless of what other benefit may be gained.

3. Stds. for A and E, e.g. : RDAS
Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) were introduced during WWII and were replaced by Recommended Daily Intakes (RDIs) in 1997.

5. Monitor option, briefly : LCD
Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) are the screens that are found in most laptops today, and in flat panel computer screens and some televisions. LCD monitors basically replaced Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) screens, the old television technology.

8. Longtime teammate of Mr. November : A-ROD
Poor old Alex Rodriguez earned more nicknames than just A-Rod. He has been called “the Cooler” by some players as there is a perception that teams go cold when he joins them and hot when he leaves. He has also been called “A-Fraud” by teammates because of another perception, that he is over-demanding.

Derek Jeter has played his entire professional baseball career with the New York Yankees, and is the team’s captain. Jeter is the all-time career leader for the Yankees in hits, games played, stolen bases and at bats. He is also the all-time leader in hits by a shortstop in the whole of professional baseball. Jeter earned the nickname “Mr. November” thanks to his exceptional post-season performances.

9. Eastern state? : ZEN
Zen is one of the Buddhist schools, and it developed its own tradition in China back in the 7th century AD. Zen is a Japanese spelling of the Chinese word “chan”, which in turn derives from the Sanskrit word “dhyana” meaning “meditation”.

10. City near Utrecht : EDE
Ede is a small town in the Netherlands located between the cities of Arnhem and Utrecht.

11. Violent sandstorm : HABOOB
A haboob is a type of dust storm seen in very arid parts of the world such as the Sahara desert.

12. Old TV show hosted by Ed McMahon : STAR SEARCH
“Star Search” is a TV show hosted by Ed McMahon that ran from 1983 to 1995. It was a an audition show and an opportunity for performers in many genres of entertainment get themselves seen. Included in the list of “Star Search” competitors who later made it into the big time are:

– Adam Sandler
– Beyoncé
– Brad Garrett
– Christina Aguilera
– Drew Carey
– Justin Timberlake
– Rosie O’Donnell
– Sharon Stone
– Usher

Of course Ed McMahon was Johnny Carson’s sidekick on “The Tonight Show”. McMahon was trained as a fighter in WWII, but did not see action. However, he did fly 85 combat missions in Korea.

14. Basilica niche : APSE
The apse of a church or cathedral is a semicircular recess in an outer wall, usually with a half-dome as a roof and often where there resides an altar. Originally apses were used as burial places for the clergy and also for storage of important relics.

In its modern usage, the term “basilica” applies to a Roman Catholic.church that has been given special ceremonial rights by the Pope.

23. Product named for its “’round the clock protection” : DIAL SOAP
Dial was the first antibacterial soap introduced in the US. It was given the name “Dial” as it was touted as offering “round-the-clock” protection against any odors caused by perspiration.

24. Broccoli bits? : CEES
There are two letters C (cee) in the word “broccoli”.

25. Foil component : HILT
The “hilt” of a weapon is its handle.

27. Fifth-century invader : ANGLO-SAXON
Germanic tribes invaded Great Britain from the early 5th century and created the nation that we now call England. The Anglo-Saxons, as these tribes came to be called, held sway in the country until 1066, the year of the Norman Conquest. The Anglo-Saxons were descendants of three Germanic tribes:

– The Angles, from Angeln in Northern Germany (and the tribe that gave the name “England”).
– The Saxons, from Lower Saxony and Holland.
– The Jutes, from the Jutland peninsula in Denmark.

30. Winner of 14 tennis majors in the 1990s : GRAF
Steffi Graf is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Germany. She won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, more than any other man or woman other than Margaret Court. She is married to another former World No. 1, Andre Agassi.

36. Many a college interviewer : ALUM
An “alumnus” (plural … alumni) is a graduate or former student of a school or college. The female form is “alumna” (plural … alumnae). The term comes into English from Latin, in which alumnus means foster-son or pupil. “Alum” is an informal term used for either an alumna or an alumnus.

44. What outer space is that cyberspace isn’t? : PHRASE
A “phrase” is a sequence of words that together mean something. “Outer space” is a phrase, and “cyberspace” is a word.

45. Circular stack : FLIERS
“Circulars” are notices that are for “circulation”, for distribution.

“Fliers” are notices that are circulated. The original fliers (also “flyers”) were police bulletins that were “scatter broadcast”.

46. Epsom’s setting : SURREY
The Surrey town of Epsom in England is most famous for its racecourse (Epsom Downs), at which is run the Epsom Derby every year, one of the three races that make up the English Triple Crown. You might also have heard of Epsom salt. Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate, originally prepared by boiling down mineral waters. Epsom was indeed a spa town at one time.

51. Performer of high-risk operations : SWAT
SWAT is an acronym for Special Weapons and Tactics. The first SWAT team was pulled together in the Los Angeles Police Department in 1968.

53. Mideastern P.M.’s nickname : BIBI
Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu has been the Prime Minister of Israel since 2009. Neanyahu is the only leader of the country who had actually been born in the state of Israel.

55. Affliction whose name rhymes with its location : STYE
“Stye” rhymes with “eye”.

57. Vegas spot : PIP
A pip is a dot on a die, the gambling device.

58. German granny : OMA
“Oma” is a informal word for “grandma” in German.

59. American Crossroads, e.g. : 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.

American Crossroads is a Political Action Committee that was founded in 2010 by former Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie and former White House strategist Karl Rove.

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. What’s “all in my brain,” in a 1967 rock classic : PURPLE HAZE
11. Dynasty founded by Yu the Great : HSIA
15. Like some majors and wars : UNDECLARED
16. Capping : ATOP
17. Be peerless : STAND ALONE
18. Blacks out : BANS
19. Little Joe’s half brother of old TV : HOSS
20. Einstein’s death : TOD
21. Preakness, e.g. : HORSE
22. Image mentale : IDEE
24. First created being, in myth : CHAOS
26. Stand-up comic known for irreverent sermonettes : DAVID STEINBERG
31. Form’s top, perhaps : LINE A
32. Make inseparable : WELD
33. River forming the Handegg waterfall : AAR
34. Having one 49-Across : IN G
35. Winner of seven tennis majors in the 1920s : LACOSTE
38. Material in the translation process : RNA
39. Caterpillar roll ingredient : EEL
40. Operation creation : SLIT
41. Java class? : DECAF
43. Do a vanishing act : DROP OUT OF SIGHT
47. Jezebel’s lack : SHAME
48. One housed in a chest : LUNG
49. See 34-Across : SHARP
51. “Dear” one : SIR
52. Diamond stats : RBIS
56. Decimal starter : HEXA-
57. Microsoft Office feature : POWERPOINT
60. Figure taking a bow? : EROS
61. No-strings declaration? : I’M A REAL BOY
62. ___ deal : DONE
63. “So Wrong” singer, 1962 : PATSY CLINE

Down
1. Labor leader’s cry? : PUSH
2. It may precede itself : UNTO
3. Stds. for A and E, e.g. : RDAS
4. Seriously thinking : PENSIVE
5. Monitor option, briefly : LCD
6. High : ELATED
7. Headbands? : HALOES
8. Longtime teammate of Mr. November : A-ROD
9. Eastern state? : ZEN
10. City near Utrecht : EDE
11. Violent sandstorm : HABOOB
12. Old TV show hosted by Ed McMahon : STAR SEARCH
13. Makeup of some beams : IONS
14. Basilica niche : APSE
21. Submitted : HANDED IN
23. Product named for its “’round the clock protection” : DIAL SOAP
24. Broccoli bits? : CEES
25. Foil component : HILT
26. Building with many sides : DINER
27. Fifth-century invader : ANGLO-SAXON
28. ___-one : TWO-TO
29. Stormed : RAN AT
30. Winner of 14 tennis majors in the 1990s : GRAF
31. Wasn’t straight : LIED
36. Many a college interviewer : ALUM
37. Reference : CITE
42. Cylindrical menu item : EGG ROLL
44. What outer space is that cyberspace isn’t? : PHRASE
45. Circular stack : FLIERS
46. Epsom’s setting : SURREY
49. Leave one’s coat behind? : SHED
50. Saving type : HERO
51. Performer of high-risk operations : SWAT
53. Mideastern P.M.’s nickname : BIBI
54. Not blind to : IN ON
55. Affliction whose name rhymes with its location : STYE
57. Vegas spot : PIP
58. German granny : OMA
59. American Crossroads, e.g. : PAC


Return to top of page

The Best of the New York Times Crossword Collections
Amazon.com Widgets