0619-13 New York Times Crossword Answers 19 Jun 13, Wednesday

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Solution to today’s crossword in the New York Times
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CROSSWORD SETTER: Richard F. Mausser
THEME: Face with Value … each of today’s themed answers is the person whose portrait appears on a US banknote, along with the value of that note:

17A. Face value? : FRANKLIN IOO
25A. Face value? : HAMILTON IO
37A. Face value? : CLEVELAND I,OOO
52A. Face value? : CHASE IO,OOO
61A. Face value? : WASHINGTON I

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 10m 09s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Hasbro action figure : GI JOE
G.I. Joe was the original “action figure”, the first toy to carry that description. G.I. Joe first hit the shelves in 1964. There have been a few movies based on the G.I. Joe figure, but, more famous than all of them I would say is the 1997 movie “G.I. Jane” starring Demi Moore in the title role. I think this movie had some potential, to be honest, but it really did not deliver at all.

14. Grenoble’s river : ISERE
The Isère river gives its name to the French Department of Isère, located partly in the French Alps. In turn, Isère gave its name to a somewhat famous ship called the Isère, which in 1885 delivered the Statue of Liberty from France to America in 214 shipping crates.

Grenoble is a city at the edge of the French Alps. Grenoble hosted the 1968 Winter Olympic Games.

15. One of the “Honeymooners” : RALPH
Jackie Gleason is an icon in the comedic acting world. His most famous role on the small screen was of course Ralph Kramdem on “The Honeymooners”. On the big screen two of his memorable roles were Minnesota Fats in 1961’s “The Hustler” and Sheriff Buford T. Justice in the “Smokey and the Bandit” films. Gleason was also noted for his interest in the paranormal. He built a house in the shape of a UFO that he called “The Mothership”, and he also claimed that President Nixon took him on a secret visit to Homestead AFB in Florida where he saw an alien spaceship and dead extraterrestrials!

16. Whom a guy do-si-dos with : GAL
The term “do-si-do” is actually a corruption of a French phrase “dos-à-dos”, meaning back-to-back. And parenthetically, this is just the opposite to the familiar French term “vis-à-vis”, meaning face-to-face. In the do-si-do dance move, the partners start facing each other and then advance past each other’s right shoulder, and then move to the right without turning so that they are now facing away from each other (back-to-back). They complete the move facing in the same direction, passing each other’s left shoulders by moving backwards until they return to the starting position. Did you get that …?

17. Face value? : FRANKLIN IOO
Benjamin Franklin is featured on one side of the hundred-dollar bill, and Philadelphia’s Independence Hall on the other side. There is a famous “error” in the image of Independence Hall. If you look closely at the clock face at the top of the building you can see that the “four” is written in Roman numerals as “IV”. However, on the actual clock on Independence Hall, the “four” is denoted by “IIII”, which has been the convention for clock faces for centuries.

20. Org. with launch parties? : NASA
The Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite towards the end of 1957, a development that shocked the establishment in the US. Within months, President Eisenhower created the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA, now DARPA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

25. Face value? : HAMILTON IO
The US ten-dollar bill features the image of Alexander Hamilton, the first US Secretary of the Treasury. As such, ten-dollar bills are sometimes called “Hamiltons”. By the way, the $10 bill is the only US currency in circulation in which the portrait faces to the left.

28. Nancy Drew findings : CLUES
I loved the Nancy Drew mysteries as a kid (I know, as a boy I “shouldn’t” have been reading girls’ books!). The Nancy Drew stories were written by a number of ghost writers, although the character was introduced by Edward Stratemeyer in 1930. Nancy Drew’s boyfriend was Ned Nickerson, a college student from Emerson.

30. Some Monopoly properties: Abbr. : RRS
The property names in the US version of Monopoly are locations in or around Atlantic City, New Jersey. Two of the four railroad properties on the board actually served Atlantic City, and two did not. The B&O Railroad never served Atlantic City, and the Short Line Railroad is a fictional facility.

31. Home of Cherokee Natl. Forest : TENN
The Cherokee National Forest is in eastern Tennessee.

35. Viejo : Sp. :: ___ : Ger. : ALT
“Old” translates into Spanish as “viejo” and into German as “alt”.

37. Face value? : CLEVELAND I,OOO
$1,000 bills were first printed in 1918, and last printed in 1934. The portrait of President Grover Cleveland is featured on the obverse. The bills are still legal tender and somewhere between 160,000 and 170,000 are thought to exist.

42. Like the Triple Word Score squares in Scrabble : RED
The game of Scrabble has been produced in many international versions, and each of these editions has its own tile distribution to suit the local language. For example, in English we have two tiles worth ten points: one “Q” and one “Z”. If you play the game in French then there are five tiles worth ten points: one “K”, one “W”, one “X”, one “Y” and one “Z”.

44. Airport alternative to JFK : LGA
Fiorello La Guardia was the Mayor of New York from 1934 to 1945, racking up three full terms in office. The famous airport that bears La Guardia’s name was built at his urging, stemming from an incident that took place while he was in office. He was taking a TWA flight to “New York” and was outraged when the plane landed at Newark Airport, in the state of New Jersey. The Mayor demanded that the flight take off again and land at a small airport in Brooklyn. A gaggle of press reporters joined him on the short hop and he gave them a story, urging New Yorkers to support the construction of a new commercial airport within the city’s limits. The new airport, in Queens, opened in 1939 as New York Municipal, often called “LaGuardia” as a nickname. The airport was officially relabeled as “LaGuardia” in 1947.

The Idlewild Golf Course was taken over by the city of New York in 1943 and construction started on a new airport to serve the metropolis and relieve congestion at La Guardia. The Idlewild name still persists, even though the airport was named after Major General Alexander E. Anderson from the first days of the project. When the facility started operating in 1948 it was known as New York International Airport, Anderson Field. It was renamed to John F. Kennedy International Airport in 1963, one month after the President was assassinated.

46. ___ buco : OSSO
“Osso” is the Italian word for bone as in the name of the dish Osso Buco: braised veal shanks.

52. Face value? : CHASE IO,OOO
The $10,000 is the largest denomination of US currency in circulation. The bill features Salmon P. Chase on the obverse, the man who served as Secretary of the Treasury under President Lincoln. $10,000 bills were last issued in 1946.

56. Many Monopoly properties: Abbr. : AVES
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.

57. Virginia’s Luray ___ : CAVERNS
The Luray Caverns are located in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. The cave system features are remarkable musical instrument called the Great Stalacpipe Organ. This organ produces sounds when electrically-activated rubber mallets strike stalactites of varying sizes.

60. HI-strung instrument? : UKE
The ukulele originated in the 1800s and mimicked a small guitar brought to the Hawaiian Islands by Portuguese immigrants.

61. Face value? : WASHINGTON I
George Washington didn’t appear on the first one-dollar bill. Instead, the bills printed from 1862 to 1869 featured Salmon P. Chase, the Secretary of the Treasury who served under Abraham Lincoln.

67. Eskimo : INUIT
The Inuit peoples live in the Arctic, in parts of the US, Russia, Greenland and Canada.

68. Place for a coatrack : FOYER
“Foyer” is a French word that we’ve imported into English. In French, “foyer” is used for what we would call a “green room”, a place where actors can gather when not on stage or on set.

70. Where Hercules slew a lion : NEMEA
The Twelve Labors of Hercules is actually a Greek myth, although Hercules is the Roman name for the hero that the Greeks called Heracles. The first of these labors was to slay the Nemean Lion, a monster that lived in a cave near Nemea. Hercules had a tough job as the lion’s golden fur was impenetrable to normal weapons. One version of the story is that Hercules killed the lion by shooting an arrow into its mouth. Another version says that Hercules stunned the monster with a club and then strangled him with his bare hands.

Down
1. Alternative to .jpg : GIF
A bitmap is an image file format used to store digital images. Basically, each pixel in a bitmap file is stored as a “bit” of information, hence the name “bitmap”. In 1987, CompuServe introduced a new type of image file called the Graphics Interchange Format (GIF). A GIF image takes the same information as a bitmap and then compresses it, resulting in a smaller file size. However, during compression the image may lose some resolution.

An image file on a computer can be compressed so that it takes up less space. Some time the compression is “lossless” meaning even though the file is compressed, and data it is discarded, the image still looks the same. One example of data that can be discarded without loss of quality, is to not bother recording the color information of pixels that are the same color as others. Just saying “this pixel is the same is that one” takes up less space. One can compress files even more if one allows loss of quality. One well known compression algorithm that is “lossy” is the jpeg (also “.jpg”) format. The person compressing the file can decide how much quality will suffer in jpeg format, with larger files being of higher quality than the smaller ones.

2. Acre’s locale: Abbr. : ISR
Acre is a port city in northern Israel, on Haifa Bay.

3. “Earth’s Children” author : JEAN AUEL
As Jean Auel prepared her first book in the “Earth’s Children” series, she did a lot of research about the Ice Age, the setting for her stories. She went as far as taking a survival course in cold conditions, learning to build an ice cave and how to make fire, tan leather and knap stone.

4. Like Rococo architecture : ORNATE
The Rococo style is also known as “Late Baroque”. It is a very floral and playful style, very ornate.

6. D-backs, in box scores : ARI
The Arizona Diamondbacks joined Major League Baseball’s National League in 1998. By winning the World Series in 2001, the Diamondbacks became the fastest expansion team to do so in Major League history.

8. Cover stories : ALIBIS
“Alibi” is the Latin word for “elsewhere” as in, “I claim that I was ‘elsewhere’ when the crime was committed … I have an ‘alibi'”.

22. Game with a multiplier : LOTTO
I’m no expert on lottery games, but I think a “multiplier” is an option that can be purchased that multiplies non-jackpot winnings, perhaps by a factor of five.

24. Soviet ___ : BLOC
The Soviet Bloc (also ”Eastern Bloc” and “Communist Bloc”) was a made up of the Sovet Union and countries of the Warsaw Pact.

The full title of the Warsaw pact was the Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance. The Soviet Union was behind the signing of the treaty in 1955 and the signatories were:

– Bulgaria
– Czechoslovakia
– East Germany
– Hungary
– Poland
– Romania
– Soviet Union
– Albania

26. ___ Sea (greatly shrunken body of water) : ARAL
The Aral Sea is a great example of how man can have a devastating effect on his environment. In the early sixties the Aral Sea covered 68,000 square miles of Central Asia. Soviet Union irrigation projects drained the lake to such an extent that today the total area is less than 7,000 square miles, with 90% of the lake now completely dry. Sad …

27. Toon voiced by Jim Backus : MR MAGOO
Mr. Quincy Magoo is a wonderful cartoon character voiced by Jim Backus. Backus is probably equally well-known for playing Mr. Magoo as well as Thurston Howell, III on “Gilligan’s Island”. Mr. Magoo first appeared on the screen in a short called “The Ragtime Bear” in 1949. His persona was at least in part based on the antics of W. C. Fields. Backus originally used a fake rubber nose that pinched his nostrils in order to create the distinctive voice, although in time he learned to do the voice without the prop. My absolute favorite appearance by Mr. Magoo is in “Mr Magoo’s Christmas Carol”, a true classic from the sixties. There was a movie adaptation of “Mr Magoo” released in 1997, with Leslie Nielsen playing the title role.

29. Golf’s Ballesteros : SEVE
Seve Ballesteros was a very entertaining golfer from Spain, once ranked as the world’s number one player. Sadly, Ballesteros died from brain cancer in 2011, at the age of 54.

35. Wood-shaping tool : ADZ
An adze (also adz) is similar to an axe, but different in that the blade of an adze is set at right angles to the tool’s shaft. An axe’s blade is set in line with the shaft.

38. Jagged, as a leaf’s edge : EROSE
An edge that is “erose” is irregularly notched or indented.

39. Grp. whose initials in French are the reverse of its English initials : NATO
NATO is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (or OTAN in French, “l’Organisation du Traité de l’Atlantique Nord”). NATO was founded not long after WWII in 1949 and is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. The first NATO Secretary General was Lord Ismay, Winston Churchill’s chief military assistant during WWII. Famously, Lord Ismay said the goal of NATO was “to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.”

40. Toon with size 14-AAAAAA shoes : OLIVE OYL
“Thimble Theater” was the precursor comic strip to the famous “Popeye” drawn by E. C. Segar. Before Popeye came into the story, the brother and sister characters Castor Oyl and Olive Oyl were the main protagonists. And then along comes a sailor …

45. Two of racing’s Unsers : ALS
The Unser family seems to have racing cars in its blood. Al Unser, Sr. won the Indy 500 on four occasions. Al’s brother Jerry was the first of the Unsers to compete at Indianapolis. Al’s other brother Bobby, won the Indy three times. Al’s son, Al Junior, won the Indy twice. Al Junior’s son is also a racing driver who competes at the Indy Speedway.

46. Modern protest name : OCCUPY
The Occupy movement is a protest directed against economic and social inequality worldwide. The first such protest to garner major attention took place in Wall Street in 2011 and from there similar protests spread around the world.

49. Woods critter : POSSUM
Although they are both marsupials, the opossum and the possum are two distinct animals. True possums are found in Australia and other places in the South Pacific. Opossums are found in North America.

51. Convertible, in slang : RAGTOP
“Ragtop” is slang for a convertible automobile.

53. Gen. Rommel, the Desert Fox : ERWIN
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was probably the most respected of WWII German officers, by the military on both sides of the conflict. Rommel was highly decorated for his service in WWI, but gained most of his notoriety in the North African campaign of WWII. It was during this campaign that he gained the nickname of “the Desert Fox”. Rommel is regarded as an honorable soldier. He is reported to have ensured that all prisoners under his control were treated humanely, and he ignored all orders to execute Jewish soldiers and civilians no matter where he was serving. Late in the war he was convicted of participating in a conspiracy against Adolf Hitler, but his reputation as a war hero prevented Hitler from having him executed. Instead, Rommel was coerced into committing suicide under the threat of persecution of his family.

55. Part of B.Y.O.B. : OWN
Bring Your Own Beer/Bottle/Booze (BYOB).

59. Big name in photography, once : AGFA
Agfa was founded in Germany in 1867, a company focused on the manufacture of dyes. The full name of the enterprise was Aktiengesellschaft für Anilinfabrikation, shortened to Agfa, and translating as “Corporation for Aniline (a dye) Production”. Agfa merged with the Belgian company Gevaert in 1894, getting them into the photographic business. Agfa 35mm film hasn’t been produced for a few years now, but there is still inventory out there and purists are buying it when they can.

64. Opposite of 35-Across : NEU
In German, some things are old (alt) and some things are new (neu).

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Hasbro action figure : GI JOE
6. Pile up : AMASS
11. Excite, with “up” : AMP
14. Grenoble’s river : ISERE
15. One of the “Honeymooners” : RALPH
16. Whom a guy do-si-dos with : GAL
17. Face value? : FRANKLIN IOO
19. Detergent name : ERA
20. Org. with launch parties? : NASA
21. Dissection class : BIOLOGY
23. Blind as ___ : A BAT
25. Face value? : HAMILTON IO
28. Nancy Drew findings : CLUES
30. Some Monopoly properties: Abbr. : RRS
31. Home of Cherokee Natl. Forest : TENN
32. ___ clip (bike attachment) : TOE
33. Reason to cram : EXAM
35. Viejo : Sp. :: ___ : Ger. : ALT
37. Face value? : CLEVELAND I,OOO
42. Like the Triple Word Score squares in Scrabble : RED
43. Look at the stars, say : GAZE
44. Airport alternative to JFK : LGA
46. ___ buco : OSSO
49. Lobster catcher : POT
50. Boot camp routine : DRILL
52. Face value? : CHASE IO,OOO
56. Many Monopoly properties: Abbr. : AVES
57. Virginia’s Luray ___ : CAVERNS
58. Scale amount : WAGE
60. HI-strung instrument? : UKE
61. Face value? : WASHINGTON I
66. Stew tidbit : PEA
67. Eskimo : INUIT
68. Place for a coatrack : FOYER
69. Abbr. before “truly” : YRS
70. Where Hercules slew a lion : NEMEA
71. Stellar grade : A-PLUS

Down
1. Alternative to .jpg : GIF
2. Acre’s locale: Abbr. : ISR
3. “Earth’s Children” author : JEAN AUEL
4. Like Rococo architecture : ORNATE
5. Cartoon squeals : EEKS
6. D-backs, in box scores : ARI
7. Playing piece : MAN
8. Cover stories : ALIBIS
9. Give away, as a movie ending : SPOIL
10. “I’m all ears!” : SHOOT!
11. Time of first steps, often : AGE ONE
12. Place to doodle : MARGIN
13. Not stop a musical gig : PLAY ON
18. “Well, ___-di-dah” : LAH
22. Game with a multiplier : LOTTO
23. Comport oneself : ACT
24. Soviet ___ : BLOC
26. ___ Sea (greatly shrunken body of water) : ARAL
27. Toon voiced by Jim Backus : MR MAGOO
29. Golf’s Ballesteros : SEVE
34. Marked wrong : XED
35. Wood-shaping tool : ADZ
36. Perjured oneself : LIED
38. Jagged, as a leaf’s edge : EROSE
39. Grp. whose initials in French are the reverse of its English initials : NATO
40. Toon with size 14-AAAAAA shoes : OLIVE OYL
41. Check the figures? : OGLE
45. Two of racing’s Unsers : ALS
46. Modern protest name : OCCUPY
47. Salt or pepper holder : SHAKER
48. Computer command under “File” : SAVE AS
49. Woods critter : POSSUM
51. Convertible, in slang : RAGTOP
53. Gen. Rommel, the Desert Fox : ERWIN
54. Cockamamie : INANE
55. Part of B.Y.O.B. : OWN
59. Big name in photography, once : AGFA
62. Rush : HIE
63. “Give ___ rest!” : IT A
64. Opposite of 35-Across : NEU
65. Org. in a 2013 scandal : IRS

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