0915-13 New York Times Crossword Answers 15 Sep 13, Sunday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
15. Fiscal exec : CFO
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

23. Confiscate a chef’s appetizer? : SEIZE HER SALAD (from “Caesar salad”)
The Caesar Salad was created by restaurateur Caesar Cardini at the Hotel Caesar’s in Tijuana, Mexico. The original recipe called for whole lettuce leaves that were to be lifted up by the stem and eaten with the fingers.

26. 10, for the base 10 number system : RADIX
In a numeral system, the radix is the number of different digits that are used to represent numbers. For example, the decimal number system that we use has a radix of 10, because we use the ten digits 0, 1, 2 …. 9. The binary system has a radix of 2, as it uses only the digits 1 and 0.

27. Charles Nelson ___, old game show staple : REILLY
Charles Nelson Reilly was an actor and comedian who was often seen on TV games shows in the seventies and eighties. Most notably, Reilly was a regular panelist on the game show called “Match Game”.

31. Pulitzer winner James : AGEE
James Agee was a noted American film critic and screenwriter. Agee wrote an autobiographical novel “A Death in the Family” that won him his Pulitzer in 1958, albeit posthumously. He was also one of the screenwriters for the 1951 classic movie “The African Queen”.

32. Lewis with 12 Emmys : SHARI
Shari Lewis was the original puppeteer behind the PBS children’s show “Lamb Chop”. After Shari Lewis died in 1998, her daughter Mallory took over the role of puppeteer on the show.

35. Rondo maker : KIA
The Carens is a compact MPV (multi-person vehicle) made by South Korean automaker Kia. The Carens is marketed in North America and Australia as the Rondo.

36. Performance artist with a palindromic name : ONO
Yoko Ono was born into a prosperous Japanese family, and is actually a descendant of one of the emperors of Japan. Ono’s father moved around the world for work and Yoko lived the first few years of her life in San Francisco. The family returned to Japan before moving on to New York, Hanoi and back to Japan just before WWII. There Yoko lived through the great fire-bombing of Tokyo in 1945. Immediately after the war the family was far from prosperous. While Yoko’s father was being held in a prison camp in Vietnam, her mother had to resort to begging and bartering to feed her children. When her father was repatriated, life started to return to normal and Yoko was able to attend university. She was the first woman to be accepted into the philosophy program of Gakushuin University.

40. Driver’s lic. info : HGT
Height (hgt.)

44. Graduate from Barnard, say : ALUMNA
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.

Barnard College is private women’s school in New York City. Barnard was founded in 1889 and since 1900 has been affiliated with Columbia University.

45. Old Roman well? : BENE
“Bene” is the Latin word meaning “well”.

46. Disney dog : LADY
“Lady and the Tramp” is a classic animated feature from Walt Disney, released in 1955. Who can forget the scene where the Tramp and Lady are “on a date” and together eat that one strand of spaghetti? So cute!

48. HVAC measures, for short : BTUS
In the world of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), the power of a heating or cooling unit can be measured in British Thermal Units (BTUs). This dated unit is the amount of energy required to heat a pound of water so that the water’s temperature increases by one degree Fahrenheit.

49. Certain radio user : CBER
A CBer is someone who operates a Citizens’ Band radio. In 1945, the FCC set aside certain radio frequencies for the personal use of citizens. The use of the Citizens’ Band increased throughout the seventies as advances in electronics brought down the size of transceivers and their cost. There aren’t many CB radios sold these days though, as they have largely been replaced by cell phones.

53. View from Long Is. : ATL
Long Island in New York State is the largest island in the 48 contiguous states. It has a population of over 7 million, making it the most populous island in the 50 states. In fact, there are more people living in Long Island than there are in the whole of the island that I come from, namely the island of Ireland.

55. Close a VW Beetle owner’s car door? : SHUT HER BUG (from “shutterbug”)
VW stands for Volkswagen, which translates from German into “people’s car”. The original Volkswagen design was the Beetle and was built under a directive from Adolf Hitler, who wanted a cheap car built that ordinary people could afford to purchase. He awarded the contract to engineer Ferdinand Porsche, whose name (paradoxically) would forever be associated with high performance, expensive cars. The Beetle was the official name of the VW model released in North America, but it was usually referred to as a “Bug” here in the US, and a “Beetle” elsewhere in the world.

A “shutterbug” is an enthusiastic amateur photographer, like me …

61. Bud : CHUM
A “chum” is a friend. The term originated in the late 1600s as an alternative spelling for “cham”. In turn “cham” was a shortened form of “chambermate”, a roommate at university.

63. Abbr. of politeness : PLS
Please (pls.)

65. Feu fighter? : EAU
In French, one might fight a fire (feu) with water (eau).

71. Immortal P.G.A. nickname : ARNIE
Arnold Palmer is one of the greats of the world of golf. Palmer is very popular with many fans of the game, and his followers are usually referred to as “Arnie’s Army”.

73. Island where Homer is buried, by tradition : IOS
The Cyclades are a group of islands in the Aegean Sea lying southeast of the Greek mainland. There are about 200 islands in the group, almost all of which are the peaks of a submerged mountain range. Ios is one of the larger islands, 11 miles long and 6 miles wide.

Homer was a famous poet of Ancient Greece, believed to be the author of the two classic epic poems, the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey”. However, some scholars believe that Homer did not actually exist, but rather he is the personification of oral tradition that was passed down through the ages.

77. Keep a bad comedian onstage? : LET HER BOMB (from “letter bomb”)
Apparently the first letter bomb dates back to 1764, and was made from gunpowder that was ignited by a flintlock-type device when the parcel was opened.

85. Some sports cars, informally : JAGS
Jaguar started out as a manufacturer of sidecars for motorcycles back in 1922, when the company was known as the Swallow Sidecar Company (SS for short). The company changed its name to Jaguar after WWII, because of the unfortunate connotations of the letters “SS” at that time (the “SS” was a Nazi paramilitary organization).

88. The “g” in e.g. : GRATIA
The Latin “exempli gratia” means “for the sake of example”, and isa phrase we often use in English. “Exempli gratia” is almost always shortened to “e.g.”

91. “Baby” singer’s nickname, with “the” : BIEB
Justin Bieber is a young pop singer from London, Ontario. Bieber was actually discovered on YouTube by talent manager Scooter Brown. Fans of Bieber call themselves “Beliebers”. Personally, I’m no believer in Bieber …

97. Canadian N.B.A. team, on scoreboards : TOR
The Raptors are the NBA basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario.

101. “True Blood” network : HBO
“True Blood” is a television drama made by HBO. The series is based on novels written by Charlaine Harris that describe human and vampires who co-exist in a small town in Louisiana. I don’t do vampires …

107. Magician David : BLAINE
David Blaine is a magician and endurance artist from Brooklyn, New York. Blaine has done some crazy things in his career:

– In 1999 he was buried in plastic box about the size of a coffin for seven days, consuming only a few tablespoons of water each day.
– In 2000, he was encased in for over 63 hours in a transparent block of ice in Times Square, New York, wearing only light clothing.
– In 2002, he stood unaided on a 22-inch wide and 100-foot high pillar for 35 hours in Bryant Park, New York.
– In 2003, was sealed into a transparent Plexiglass box that suspended in the air by the River Thames in London, and stayed in there without any food for 44 days.

109. Latin dance : CHA-CHA
I believe the dance is called a “cha-cha-cha”, and not just “cha-cha” …

The cha-cha-cha is a Latin dance with origins in Cuba, where it was introduced by composer Enrique Jorrin in 1953.

112. Observation of cardinals, say : BIRDING
Cardinal red is a vivid shade that takes its name from the cassocks worn by Roman Catholic cardinals. The bird known as a cardinal takes its name from the color.

116. Alliance between nations : ENTENTE
“Entente” is a French word meaning “understanding”.

117. Crate & Barrel rival : IKEA
Did you know that IKEA was founded by Ingvar Kamprad in 1943 when he was just 17-years-old??!! IKEA is an acronym that stands for Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd (don’t forget now!). Elmtaryd was the name of the farm where Ingvar Kamprad grew up, and Agunnaryd is his home parish in Sweden.

119. Paris’s Parc ___ Princes : DES
The Parc des Princes in Paris is a soccer stadium that is home to the club Paris Saint-Germain. The Parc de Princes used to be the country’s national stadium for French soccer and rugby, but it was replaced in 1998 by the Stade de France that was build when the country hosted the FIFA World Cup.

120. Setting at 0 degrees long. : GST
GST is Greenwich Sidereal Time.

Astronomers use sidereal time to know where to locate given stars in the night sky. Sidereal time is a time scale that takes into account the Earth’s rotation relative to stars with a fixed location in the night sky.

A meridian is a line of longitude, and the Prime Meridian is that line of longitude defined as 0 degrees. The Prime Meridian is also called the Greenwich Meridian as it passes through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich in southeast London. Of course the line of longitude that is used to represent 0 degrees is an arbitrary decision. 25 nations formally decided in 1884 to use the Greenwich Meridian as 0 degrees as it was already a popular choice. That is all except the French, who abstained from the vote and used the Paris Meridian as 0 degrees on French charts for several decades.

121. U.S.A.F. V.I.P. : GENL
General (Genl.)

122. Jimmy Carter’s middle name : EARL
President Jimmy Carter is a graduate of the US Naval Academy. Carter served in the Navy on surface ships and submarines, and chose to pursue a career in the submarine service as he was interested in nuclear power and believed it had a great future in submarine design. As a result, he became an expert in nuclear propulsion. In 1952, the Navy sent the young Carter to the Chalk River Laboratories in Canada to lead the US effort to shutdown the reactor after an accident and partial meltdown of a reactor core. He and his team had to be lowered into the leaking reactor core for mechanical disassembly, staying there for only seconds at a time to minimise exposure to radiation. Decades later as US President, it was this experience that influenced Carter’s decision not to complete the development of the neutron bomb.

Down
2. 1992 David Mamet play : OLEANNA
“Oleanna” sounds like a powerful play, written by David Mamet, first performed in 1992. It’s a two-person piece, the tale of a university professor and a female student who accuses him of sexual exploitation. I have yet to see this one …

8. Irish city near Killarney : TRALEE
Tralee is the county town of Kerry in Ireland. Tralee is home to the famed “Rose of Tralee” Festival that is so well attended by representatives from North America.

12. N.Y. engineering school : RPI
The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) is a private school in Troy, New York. The university is named after its founder Stephen Van Rensselaer who set up the school in 1824. The goal of RPI has always been the “application of science to the common purposes of life”, an objective set by the founder. Given that, the name for the school’s sports teams is quite apt: the Engineers.

19. Commando movie accessories : UZIS
The first Uzi submachine gun was designed in the late 1940s by Major Uziel Gal of the Israel Defense Forces who gave his name to the gun.

22. ___ mai (dim sum dish) : SHU
Shumai are traditional pork dumplings that are often served in dim sum restaurants.

Dim sum is a Chinese cuisine made up of small portions of various dishes. The tradition of serving dim sum is associated with the serving of tea, when small delicacies were offered to travelers and guests along with tea as a refreshment. The name “dim sum” translates as “touch the heart” implying that dim sum is not a main meal, just a snack “that touches the heart”.

32. Group of unsolicited manuscripts : SLUSH PILE
In the world of publishing, the slush pile is the collection of unsolicited manuscripts that have been submitted by hopeful authors.

33. ___ radio : HAM
Amateur radio enthusiasts were originally called ham operators by professional telegraph operators, and the term was intended to be insulting. It came from the similar term “ham actor”, describing a person who is less than effective on the stage. But amateur operators eventually embraced the moniker and so it stuck.

34. “We the Living” author Rand : AYN
“We the Living” is the first novel by the author Ayn Rand, published in 1936.

Ayn Rand was a Russian-American novelist born Alisa Rosenbaum. Rand’s two best known works are her novels “The Fountainhead” published in 1943 and “Atlas Shrugged” in 1957. Back in 1951, Rand moved from Los Angeles to New York City. Soon after, she gathered a group of admirers around her with whom she discussed philosophy and shared drafts of her magnum opus, “Atlas Shrugged”. This group called itself “The Collective”, and one of the founding members was none other than future Federal Reserve chairman, Alan Greenspan.

38. Like a coquette : COY
A “coquet” is a male flirt, with “coquette” being the name for a female flirt. The word comes from French, and is the diminutive of “coq”, the word for a cock. A cock might well be accused of “strutting his stuff” around the chicken run.

47. “Love and Happiness” singer, 1972 : AL GREEN
Al Green is a gospel and soul music singer. Green was born in Arkansas, where he started out as a gospel singer and moved into R&B. In 1974, he was assaulted by a girlfriend who burned him badly on much of his body by pouring boiling grits over him (and then she committed suicide). The incident changed Green’s life and he turned to the church, becoming a pastor in Memphis in 1976. He continued to record music, but never really enjoyed the same success that he had in the early seventies with hits like “Let’s Stay Together” and “I’m Still In Love With You”.

54. Band with a 1985 U.K. #1 album titled “Meat Is Murder” : THE SMITHS
The Smiths were an alternative rock band from Manchester in the north of England. Active from 1982 to 1987, the band’s lead singer was the vocalist Morrissey.

56. Gut wrencher? : ULCER
Until relatively recently, a peptic ulcer was believed to be caused by undue amounts of stress in one’s life. It is now known that 70-90% of all peptic ulcers are in fact associated with a particular bacterium.

59. Rooms with high ceilings : GYMS
Our word “gymnasium” comes from the Greek “gymnasion” meaning “public place where exercise is taken”. The Greek term comes from “gymnos” meaning “naked”, as that physical training was usually done unclothed.

62. Ones making intros : MCS
“Emcee” come from “MC”, an abbreviation for the Master or Mistress of Ceremonies.

68. Part of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s costume : HOOD
The Jedi are the “good guys” in the “Star Wars” series of movies. The most famous Jedi knights from the films are Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Alec Guinness, and later Ewan McGregor) and Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz). Well, they’re my favorites anyway …

72. Blue-roofed chain : IHOP
The International House of Pancakes (IHOP) was founded back in 1958. IHOP was originally intended to be called IHOE, the International House of Eggs, but that name didn’t do too well in marketing tests …

79. Relative of Camembert : BRIE
Brie is a soft cheese, named after the French region from which it originated. Brie is similar to the equally famous (and delicious) camembert.

84. One side in “The War of the Worlds” : EARTHMEN
“The War of the Worlds” is a science fiction classic penned by H. G. Wells in 1895-97. This compelling story of Martians invading Earth has been adapted many times into radio dramas, a television series and several movies.

85. Shade of black : JET
The color “jet black” takes its name from the minor gemstone known as jet. The gemstone and the material it is made of take their English name from the French name: “jaiet”.

86. Like Julius Caesar : STABBED
Julius Caesar was assassinated on the 15th (the ides) of March, 44 BC. He was attacked by a group of sixty people in the Roman Senate, and was stabbed 23 times. The first to strike a blow was Servilius Casca, who attacked Caesar from behind and stabbed him in the neck.

89. Zenith competitor : RCA
During WWI, the US government actively discouraged the loss of certain technologies to other countries, including allies. The developing wireless technologies were considered to be particularly important by the army and navy. The government prevented the General Electric Company from selling equipment to the British Marconi Company, and instead facilitated the purchase by GE of the American Marconi subsidiary. This purchase led to GE forming the Radio Corporation of America that we know today as RCA.

90. Org. that registers pointers : AKC
The American Kennel Club (AKC) is the organization that handles registration of purebred dogs The AKC also promotes dog shows around the country including the famous Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

94. N.B.A. Hall-of-Famer nicknamed Handy Andy : PHILLIP
Andy Phillip was a former professional basketball player from Granite City, Illinois. Phillip’s career as a professional on the court lasted from 1947 to 1958, after which he spent a year coaching.

96. “Luck Be a Lady” composer/lyricist : LOESSER
Frank Loesser was a songwriter who was famous for penning both lyrics and music for the Broadway show “Guys and Dolls” and “How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying”. Loesser also wrote the marvelous song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”.

“Luck Be a Lady” is a song written by Frank Loesser for his Broadway musical “Guys and Dolls” that premiered in 1950. Some years later, “Luck Be a Lady” became a signature song for Frank Sinatra.

106. They make indents : TABS
Like most features on our computer keyboards, the tab key is a hangover from the days of typewriters. When using a typewriter, making entries into a table was very tedious as it involved lots of tapping on the spacebar and backspace key. So, a lever was added to typewriters that allowed the operator to “jump” across the page to positions that could be set by hand. Later this was simplified to a tab key, which could be depressed causing the carriage to jump to the next tab stop in much the same way that the modern tab key works on a computer.

113. High-profile interviewee : GET
I guess a “get” is a good catch for an interviewer, someone with a high profile that other interviewers would also like to talk to.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Monopolizer : HOG
4. Isn’t well : AILS
8. The people vs. us : THEM
12. When repeated, spirited : RAH
15. Fiscal exec : CFO
18. Hot and bothered : ALL UPSET
20. Luxury hotel amenity : ROBE
21. Where to buy clubs at a club : PRO SHOP
23. Confiscate a chef’s appetizer? : SEIZE HER SALAD (from “Caesar salad”)
25. “Count me in!” : I’M THERE!
26. 10, for the base 10 number system : RADIX
27. Charles Nelson ___, old game show staple : REILLY
28. Spill catcher : SAUCER
29. Quick round of tennis, maybe : ONE SET
31. Pulitzer winner James : AGEE
32. Lewis with 12 Emmys : SHARI
35. Rondo maker : KIA
36. Performance artist with a palindromic name : ONO
37. Conk a coach’s team member? : SOCK HER PLAYER (from “soccer player”)
40. Driver’s lic. info : HGT
41. Furnishes with soldiers : MANS
43. Clueless : LOST
44. Graduate from Barnard, say : ALUMNA
45. Old Roman well? : BENE
46. Disney dog : LADY
48. HVAC measures, for short : BTUS
49. Certain radio user : CBER
51. Like most fish : SCALY
53. View from Long Is. : ATL
55. Close a VW Beetle owner’s car door? : SHUT HER BUG (from “shutterbug”)
60. Like much rush-hour traffic : STOP-GO
61. Bud : CHUM
63. Abbr. of politeness : PLS
64. You suffer when you’re in it : AGONY
65. Feu fighter? : EAU
66. Put a spice mix on a cook’s piece of poultry? : RUB HER CHICKEN (from “rubber chicken”)
70. Point : AIM
71. Immortal P.G.A. nickname : ARNIE
73. Island where Homer is buried, by tradition : IOS
74. Exclusive : SOLE
75. Cancels, as a mission : ABORTS
77. Keep a bad comedian onstage? : LET HER BOMB (from “letter bomb”)
80. Poetic preposition : O’ER
81. Not prompt : TARDY
82. Perfect : HONE
83. Wrathful : IRED
85. Some sports cars, informally : JAGS
86. Bit of choreography : STEP
88. The “g” in e.g. : GRATIA
91. “Baby” singer’s nickname, with “the” : BIEB
93. Off-white shade : OPAL
97. Canadian N.B.A. team, on scoreboards : TOR
98. Find out what a baby’s milk tastes like? : LICK HER BOTTLE (from “liquor bottle”)
101. “True Blood” network : HBO
102. ___ store : APP
103. Apples introduced in 1998 : IMACS
104. Asian holidays : TETS
105. Full : ENTIRE
107. Magician David : BLAINE
109. Latin dance : CHA-CHA
111. Valleys : DALES
112. Observation of cardinals, say : BIRDING
114. Hop over an electrician’s wires? : JUMP HER CABLES (from “jumper cables”)
116. Alliance between nations : ENTENTE
117. Crate & Barrel rival : IKEA
118. Not magnified or reduced : REAL SIZE
119. Paris’s Parc ___ Princes : DES
120. Setting at 0 degrees long. : GST
121. U.S.A.F. V.I.P. : GENL
122. Jimmy Carter’s middle name : EARL
123. A pop : PER

Down
1. Isn’t cramped : HAS ROOM
2. 1992 David Mamet play : OLEANNA
3. Smoothly applied, as eye makeup : GLIDE-ON
4. Tips : APEXES
5. Suffix of imprecision : -ISH
6. Creepy look : LEER
7. Barely moves? : STREAKS
8. Irish city near Killarney : TRALEE
9. Loudly dress down : HOLLER AT
10. uBid competitor : EBAY
11. ___ school : MED
12. N.Y. engineering school : RPI
13. Grabbing distance : ARM’S REACH
14. Windbag’s output : HOT AIR
15. Ensure a surfer’s safety? : CHECK HER BOARD (from “checkerboard”)
16. Like many accents : FOREIGN
17. Run : OPERATE
19. Commando movie accessories : UZIS
22. ___ mai (dim sum dish) : SHU
24. Rifle attachment : SIGHT
30. “See?!” : TOLD YOU!
32. Group of unsolicited manuscripts : SLUSH PILE
33. ___ radio : HAM
34. “We the Living” author Rand : AYN
38. Like a coquette : COY
39. Besides : PLUS
42. [You cad!] : [SLAP!]
45. Sea lane danger : BERG
47. “Love and Happiness” singer, 1972 : AL GREEN
48. Vague memory : BLUR
50. Squishy seat : BEAN BAG
51. Goggle : STARE
52. Take a mechanic’s inventory? : COUNT HER PARTS (from “counterparts”)
53. Allergic reaction : ACHOO!
54. Band with a 1985 U.K. #1 album titled “Meat Is Murder” : THE SMITHS
56. Gut wrencher? : ULCER
57. “Such a pity” : TSK
58. Agreement : UNITY
59. Rooms with high ceilings : GYMS
60. Security feature : SEAL
62. Ones making intros : MCS
67. Shore dinner handout : BIB
68. Part of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s costume : HOOD
69. Fit to be consumed : EATABLE
72. Blue-roofed chain : IHOP
76. “___ I hear” : OR SO
78. Groups of troops : REGIMENTS
79. Relative of Camembert : BRIE
84. One side in “The War of the Worlds” : EARTHMEN
85. Shade of black : JET
86. Like Julius Caesar : STABBED
87. Where to write your name on an I.R.S. form : TOP LINE
89. Zenith competitor : RCA
90. Org. that registers pointers : AKC
91. Muff : BOTCH
92. “Just arrived!” : IT’S HERE
94. N.B.A. Hall-of-Famer nicknamed Handy Andy : PHILLIP
95. Something easy as pie : A BREEZE
96. “Luck Be a Lady” composer/lyricist : LOESSER
98. Jacket part : LINING
99. “C’mon, help me out” : BE A PAL
100. Ultimate purpose : END-ALL
106. They make indents : TABS
108. Suffix with fluor- or chlor- : -IDE
109. Pickled veggie : CUKE
110. Discipline : AREA
113. High-profile interviewee : GET
114. Fiddler’s tune, maybe : JIG
115. Sleeper, for one : CAR

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