0711-13 New York Times Crossword Answers 11 Jul 13, Thursday

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: Henry Hook
THEME: Ball 3, 4 & 5 … today’s themed clues all feature a specific number of balls:

20A. Many traditionally have three balls : PAWNSHOP SIGNS
35A. What four balls may let you do : WALK TO FIRST BASE
52A. Gizmo often with five balls that demonstrates conservation of momentum and energy : NEWTON’S CRADLE

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 30m 47s!!
ANSWERS I MISSED: 2 … NYRO (Nyru), ANCHOS (anchus)

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

8. Vacuum cleaner brand : MIELE
Miele is a manufacturer of kitchen equipment based in Germany. The company was founded by Carl Miele and Reinhard Zinkann in 1899, and is still privately-held and family-run. One of Miele’s first products was a butter churn.

13. Queen in “The Three Musketeers” : ANNE
“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.

Anne of Austria was married to Louis XIII of France and served as regent for her son Louis XIV, when he inherited the throne at the of four years. Anne was a central character in the Alexandre Dumas novel “The Three Musketeers”. In the novel, Anne engages in a secret affair with the English Duke of Buckingham.

14. U.S. city named for a Tennyson character : ENID
Enid, Oklahoma takes its name from the old railroad station around which the city developed. Back in 1889, that train stop was called Skeleton Station. An official who didn’t like the name changed it to Enid Station, using a character from Alfred Lord Tennyson’s “Idylls of the King”. Maybe if he hadn’t changed the name, the city of Enid would now be called Skeleton, Oklahoma! Enid has the nickname “Queen Wheat City” because is has a huge capacity for storing grain, the third largest grain storage capacity in the world.

17. Self-referential, in modernspeak : META
In recent decades the prefix “meta-” has started to be used as a standalone adjective. In this sense “meta” means “self-referential”, describing something that refers to itself. For example, “This sentence starts with the word ‘this’ and ends with the word ‘this’” might be called a meta sentence. A movie that is about the making of the very same movie could also be described as meta.

18. ___ 100 (annual list) : TIME
“Time 100” is a list compiled annually by “Time” magazine of the 100 most influential people in the world. The list was first published in 1999. So far, the three people who have made the list most often are Oprah Winfrey (9 times), Barack Obama (8 times) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (7 times).

20. Many traditionally have three balls : PAWNSHOP SIGNS
The tradition sign outside a pawnbroker’s shop consists of three balls. This symbol dates back to the Middle Ages, where it was used on coats of arms as a sign of monetary success. The running joke is that the three balls mean “two to one, you won’t get your stuff back”.

23. Gray in a novel painting : DORIAN
“The Picture of Dorian Gray” is a novel by Oscar Wilde, in fact Wilde’s only novel. In the story, the title character is a young man appearing in a painting. Jokingly, Dorian sells his soul to the devil so that the painting would age rather than he.

24. Skunk : POLECAT
“Polecat” is a term used for several different animals, most of which are in the weasel family.

27. In pre-swan mode : UGLY
There once was an ugly duckling …

29. Sapporo sash : OBI
The sash worn as part of traditional Japanese dress is known as an obi. The obi can be tied in what is called a butterfly knot.

Sapporo is the fourth largest city in Japan, and lies on the island of Hokkaido. The city and surrounding area was home to the first Olympic Games to be held in Asia, the Winter Games of 1972. For the beer drinkers out there, Sapporo is also home to Sapporo Brewery, with the Sapporo beer being one of the more internationally recognizable.

33. Optima maker : KIA
The Kia Optima was sold for a while in Canada and Europe as the Kia Magentis.

34. Boxer : PUG
“Pug” is a slang term for a boxer, or perhaps a fight in general. The term is an abbreviation of “pugilist” meaning “boxer”.

42. Crude conveyance : OILER
An “oiler” is an oil tanker.

49. Weakness : ANEMIA
The term “anemia” (or “anaemia” as we write it back in Ireland) comes from a Greek word meaning “lack of blood”. Anemia is a lack of iron in the blood, or a low red blood cell count. Tiredness is a symptom of the condition.

52. Gizmo often with five balls that demonstrates conservation of momentum and energy : NEWTON’S CRADLE
Newton’s Cradle is the name given to the device with five swinging spheres that can be used to demonstrate conservation of momentum and energy. It is also more familiarly called an ”Executive Ball Clicker”.

55. Vivarin competitor : NODOZ
NoDoz and Vivarin are brand names of caffeine pills.

58. Early occurrence in “Some Like It Hot” : RAID
The police raid a speakeasy at the start of the movie “Some Like It Hot”.

“Some Like it Hot” is such a fun movie, released in 1959 and directed by Billy Wilder. The big three in the cast are of course Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. A few years ago a stage version of “Some Like It Hot” was playing in San Francisco, with Tony Curtis in the cast. This time he played the older man who was wooing the Jack Lemmon character in the movie.

60. “Wedding Bell Blues” composer Laura : NYRO
Laura Nyro was a singer-songwriter from the Bronx, New York. Nyro had success with her own recordings, but her songs were even more successful when recorded by other big names. Two of Nyro’s compositions were “Eli’s Coming” recorded by Three Dog Night, and “Stoney End” by Barbra Streisand.

61. Julie ___, host of TV’s “Big Brother” : CHEN
As well as co-anchoring “The Early Show”, Julie Chen has been host of the American version of “Big Brother” since it graced our screens in the year 2000.

62. Habitat for bitterns : MARSH
Bitterns are wading birds in the heron family. Unlike most of their heron cousins, bitterns tend to have short necks.

63. Rihanna’s first #1 Billboard single : SOS
The singer Rihanna was born and grew up on the island of Barbados and moved to the US when she was 16-years-old to pursue a singing career.

64. Mauna Loa coffee : KONA
Kona coffee is cultivated on the Big Island of Hawaii, on the slopes of Mauna Loa and Hualalai, two of the five active volcanoes on the island. Coffee plants were brought to Kona in 1828 and late in the 19th century, coffee became a viable and worthwhile crop. Today Kona is a one of the most expensive and popular coffees in the world.

Down
1. Hominy cereal : SAMP
“Samp” is a New England term used for cornmeal mush.

4. 1960s secretary of state : DEAN RUSK
Dean Rusk was Secretary of State in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. Rusk served for eight years, making him the second-longest serving Secretary of State in US history.

6. Lyonnaise : ONIONY
The adjective “Lyonnaise”, as well as describing someone from the French city of Lyon, is used in French cuisine to mean “cooked with onions”.

8. Nonmagical one, in Harry Potter : MUGGLE
In the word of “Harry Potter”, a “muggle” is someone born without any magical ability, and who wasn’t born into the magical world. There is also a “Squib”, who is someone born to magical parents but who has no magical abilities.

10. Pepsi-Cola mix? : EPISCOPAL
“Episcopal” is an anagram of “Pepsi Cola”.

11. Tony winner Cariou : LEN
Len Cariou is a Canadian actor, famous for his Broadway portrayal of “Sweeney Todd”. I most recognize him from supporting roles in “Flags of Our Fathers” and “Thirteen Days”, two great movies.

22. Greek vowels : IOTAS
Iota is the ninth letter in the Greek alphabet. We use the word “iota” to portray something very small as it is the smallest of all Greek letters.

25. Invective, e.g. : ABUSE
Invective is abusive language.

26. Nast’s symbol for Tammany Hall : TIGER
The building known as Tammany Hall was home to the Tammany Society, an organization in New York City that came to be the political machine behind the Democratic Party that held sway in New York State from the late-18th century to the mid-20th century. The society was named for Tamanend, a leader of the Native American Lenape people.

Thomas Nast was an American caricaturist and cartoonist. He was the creator of the Republican Party elephant, the Democratic Party’s donkey, Uncle Sam and the image of the plump and jocular Santa Claus that we use today.

30. Quid-pro-quo arrangements : SWAPS
“Quid pro quo” is Latin for “something for something”, a swap.

31. Glenn Close title role : MAXIE
“Maxie” is a 1985 film, a fantasy piece with Glenn Close in the title role. Not a great movie, by all accounts …

32. Gin concoction : ALEXANDER
An Alexander is a cocktail made from gin, a chocolate liqueur and cream. Nowadays one tends to hear of the Brandy Alexander more often than the original gin version.

33. General Mills offering : KIX
Kix cereal has been around since 1937, would you believe? Kix used to be just puffed grains, processed to give the characteristic shape. Then the decision was made to add sugar to get better penetration into the young kid marketplace. Sad really …

39. State capital whose site was visited by Lewis and Clark : BISMARCK
Bismarck is the second most populous city in North Dakota (after Fargo), and the state capitol. The site that became the city was originally known as Missouri Crossing, as it was the location where the Lewis and Clark Expedition crossed the river. Missouri Crossing became Edwinton after an employee of the Northern Pacific Railway. The railway company renamed the city Bismarck in honor of Otto von Bismarck, the German chancellor as Northern Pacific was hoping for German investment.

45. World leader who co-wrote the book “How Far We Slaves Have Come!” with Mandela : CASTRO
“How Far We Slaves Have Come!” is a book documenting a discussion between Fidel Castro and Nelson Mandela in Cuba in 1991. The main topic is the role played by Cuba in the war in Angola and the resulting acceleration in the fall of the racist apartheid system in South Africa.

46. Sweet chili peppers : ANCHOS
An ancho is a dried poblano pepper. The poblano is a mild chili.

48. Day laborers : PEONS
A peon is a lowly worker with no real control over his/her working conditions. The word comes into English from Spanish where it has the same meaning.

50. Craters of the Moon National Monument locale : IDAHO
Craters of the Moon National Monument in Central Idaho is a beautiful spot. The park includes three extensive lava fields that really do give one the impression that one is looking at craters on the moon. The term “Craters of the Moon” was coined in 1923 during a campaign to get the National Park Service to protect the area. Apollo astronauts actually trained in the park, learning to seek out and collect rock specimens just as they would be doing on the actual moon.

51. Xenophobe’s aversion : ALIEN
Xenophobia is the uncontrollable fear of foreigners. The word comes from Greek, with “xeno” meaning guest, stranger or foreigner, and “phobia” meaning fear, horror or aversion.

54. “Hairspray” mom : EDNA
In the musical “Hairspray”, Edna Turnblad is one of the main characters. “Hairspray” was originally a John Waters movie, from 1988. In that film Edna was played by Divine, a famous drag queen who featured in many Waters films. In the stage musical that opened in 2002, the original Broadway cast featured Harvey Fierstein as Edna. The 2007 movie adaptation of the musical has John Travolta in the role.

56. 60 minuti : ORA
In Italian, there are sixty (sessanta) minutes (minuti) in an hour (ora).

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Lose traction : SKID
5. Undignified : LOW
8. Vacuum cleaner brand : MIELE
13. Queen in “The Three Musketeers” : ANNE
14. U.S. city named for a Tennyson character : ENID
16. Let off the hook? : UNPEG
17. Self-referential, in modernspeak : META
18. ___ 100 (annual list) : TIME
19. Active : GOING
20. Many traditionally have three balls : PAWNSHOP SIGNS
23. Gray in a novel painting : DORIAN
24. Skunk : POLECAT
27. In pre-swan mode : UGLY
28. Corroded : ATE
29. Sapporo sash : OBI
30. Bomb’s opposite : SMASH
33. Optima maker : KIA
34. Boxer : PUG
35. What four balls may let you do : WALK TO FIRST BASE
40. Fire : AXE
41. Irritate : VEX
42. Crude conveyance : OILER
43. Album fill, informally : PIX
44. “Indubitably” : YES
45. Hoarse cries : CAWS
47. Fleet Week locale : SEAPORT
49. Weakness : ANEMIA
52. Gizmo often with five balls that demonstrates conservation of momentum and energy : NEWTON’S CRADLE
55. Vivarin competitor : NODOZ
57. Inauguration recitation : OATH
58. Early occurrence in “Some Like It Hot” : RAID
59. Stop on a rock band’s tour : ARENA
60. “Wedding Bell Blues” composer Laura : NYRO
61. Julie ___, host of TV’s “Big Brother” : CHEN
62. Habitat for bitterns : MARSH
63. Rihanna’s first #1 Billboard single : SOS
64. Mauna Loa coffee : KONA

Down
1. Hominy cereal : SAMP
2. Massage : KNEAD
3. Halved : IN TWO
4. 1960s secretary of state : DEAN RUSK
5. Devastating : LETHAL
6. Lyonnaise : ONIONY
7. Bully’s target, maybe : WIMP
8. Nonmagical one, in Harry Potter : MUGGLE
9. Combined : IN ONE
10. Pepsi-Cola mix? : EPISCOPAL
11. Tony winner Cariou : LEN
12. Early bird? : EGG
15. Lose hope : DESPAIR
21. Tourist attraction : SIGHT
22. Greek vowels : IOTAS
25. Invective, e.g. : ABUSE
26. Nast’s symbol for Tammany Hall : TIGER
30. Quid-pro-quo arrangements : SWAPS
31. Glenn Close title role : MAXIE
32. Gin concoction : ALEXANDER
33. General Mills offering : KIX
36. Plain as day : OVERT
37. Decorate : FESTOON
38. Broadcasting aid : TOWER
39. State capital whose site was visited by Lewis and Clark : BISMARCK
44. “Holy moly!” : YOWZAH!
45. World leader who co-wrote the book “How Far We Slaves Have Come!” with Mandela : CASTRO
46. Sweet chili peppers : ANCHOS
48. Day laborers : PEONS
50. Craters of the Moon National Monument locale : IDAHO
51. Xenophobe’s aversion : ALIEN
53. Oppositionists : NAYS
54. “Hairspray” mom : EDNA
55. ’60s war zone : NAM
56. 60 minuti : ORA

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