1010-13 New York Times Crossword Answers 10 Oct 13, Thursday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
4. Thanksgiving song : PAEAN
A paean is a poem or song that expresses triumph or thanksgiving. “Paean” comes from the ancient Greek “paian” meaning “song of triumph”.

13. Name that’s one syllable in English, two syllables in Japanese : ABE
Abe is a common family name in Japan, one that is ranked 23rd in frequency of occurrence in the population.

14. Sister of Melpomene : ERATO
In Greek mythology, the muses are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. The number of muses seems to be debated a lot, but the most popular view is that there are nine:

– Calliope (epic poetry)
– Clio (history)
– Erato (lyric poetry)
– Euterpe (music)
– Melpomene (tragedy)
– Polyhymnia (choral poetry)
– Terpsichore (dance)
– Thalia (comedy)
– Urania (astronomy)

16. “Was ist ___?” : LOS
“Was ist los?” is German for “What is wrong?”

20. Literary March : AMY
“Little Women” is of course a novel written by American author Louisa May Alcott. The quartet of little women is Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March. Jo is a tomboy and the main character in the story and is based on Alcott herself.

21. Comic Meadows formerly of “S.N.L.” : TIM
Tim Meadows is a comedian and actor who was a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) from 1991 to 2000. That nine years is one of the longest tenures of any SNL cast member.

22. “___ to Apollo” : ODE
“Ode to Apollo” is an 1815 poem by John Keats.

The poet John Keats is famous for writing a whole series of beautiful odes. The most renowned are the so-called “1819 Odes”, a collection from the year 1819 that includes famous poems such as “Ode on a Grecian Urn”, “Ode to a Nightingale” and “Ode to Psyche”.

25. Basic process of genetics : VARIATION
Genetic variation is a fundamental behind the process of natural selection. Genetic variation is the result of mutations occurring in genes. If a mutation results in an individual that is more fit for survival, then the principle of “survival of the fittest” makes is more likely that the individual will mate. The mutation can then be passed onto offspring.

29. Currency superseded by the euro : LIRA
The word “lira” is used in a number of countries for currency. “Lira” comes from the Latin for “pound” and is derived from a British pound sterling, the value of a Troy pound of silver. For example, the lira (plural “lire”) was the official currency of Italy before the country changed over to the euro in 2002.

30. Actor McShane : IAN
Ian McShane is an English actor, famous in his homeland (and to PBS viewers in the US) for playing the title role in “Lovejoy”. In this country he is perhaps better known for playing the conniving saloon owner on the HBO western drama “Deadwood”.

32. “Listen, ___ the sound be fled”: Longfellow : ERE
“Listen, ere the sound be fled” is a line from the 1879 sonnet called “My Cathedral” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

41. Rapper ___-E : EAZY
Eazy-E was the stage name of rapper Eric Lynn Wright. Eazy-E had a pretty liberal lifestyle, fathering seven children with six different women. In 1995, he died due to complications from AIDS. He was only 32 years old.

43. Repetitive inits.? : OCD
Apparently obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is the fourth most commonly diagnosed mental disorder, making it about as common as asthma.

44. Dweller in ancient Persepolis : MEDE
The Medes were an ancient people that lived in what is now northwestern Iran. The Medes held sway in the region only for about 60 years, until Cyrus the Great came along and defeated Astyages, the king of Media (not to be confused with Howard Stern, the self-proclaimed “king of all media”!).

Persepolis is located in modern Iran, just northeast of the city of Shiraz. The earliest remains of the city date back to around 500 BC. Much of the city’s construction took place during the reign of King Xerxes the Great.

46. Self-titled platinum album of 1986 : ENYA
Enya is a musician from County Donegal in the northwest of Ireland. She started out her musical career with her family band called Clannad, before going solo. Now Enya is Ireland’s best-selling solo musician.

47. Eligible to be called up : ONE-A
Class 1-A registrants in the Selective Service System maintained by the US government, are available for unrestricted military service.

51. Oxygen’s electrons, e.g. : OCTAD
The element oxygen has the atomic number of 8, and has eight elections within each atom.

53. Relative of Mme. : SRA
The equivalent of “Mrs.” in French is “Mme.” (Madame) and in Spanish is “Sra.” (Señora).

54. Global economic org. : IMF
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) was established at the end of 1945 with 29 major economies supporting and funding an effort to stabilize economies across the globe after WWII. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., today the IMF has 187 member countries.

61. Singer Rimes : LEANN
LeAnn Rimes has been a country music star since she was 13 years old. In 2008 she disclosed publicly that she suffered from the autoimmune disease psoriasis. She has been active since then in raising money to fight the disease and helping fund cancer research as well. So, not only did Rimes win three Grammy Awards in 1997, she also won a 2009 Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Country Music.

62. Lycée attendee : ELEVE
The “lycée” is the last stage of secondary education in France.

French for school is “école”, and French for pupil is “élève”.

64. Constellation next to Hercules : LYRA
Lyra is a constellation that includes the star Vega, one of the brightest stars in the night sky. The constellation Lyra is surrounded by the neighboring constellations of Draco, Hercules, Vulpecula and Cygnus.

65. The hare, notably : LOSER
“The Tortoise and the Hare” is perhaps the most famous fable attributed to Aesop. The hare takes a nap during a race against the tortoise, and the tortoise sneaks past the finish line for the win while his speedier friend is sleeping.

Down
2. Native : ABORIGINE
Even though the term “aborigine” is often associated with the indigenous peoples of Australia, in the widest sense “aboriginal” refers to any indigenous race. The Aborigines were a people in Roman mythology, the oldest inhabitants of central Italy.

5. ___ lily : ARUM
Arum lily and calla lily are common names for the flowering plant genus Zantedeschia. Zantedeschia species contain calcium oxalate, making them very poisonous.

6. Noël Coward play : EASY VIRTUE
“Easy Virtue” is a play that Noël Coward wrote in 1924 that falls into the genre of drawing room melodrama. “Easy Virtue” was made into a silent film in 1928 by Alfred Hitchcock. Another movie version was made in 2008 with a great cast including Jessica Biel, Colin Firth and Kristin Scott Thomas. I recommend that one …

7. Football stat. : ATT
Attempts (Att.)

8. Cosa ___ : NOSTRA
Apparently “Cosa Nostra” is the real name for the Italian Mafia. “Cosa Nostra” translates as “our thing” or “this thing of ours”. The term first became public in the US when the FBI managed to turn some members of the American Mafia. The Italian authorities established that “Cosa Nostra” was also used in Sicily when they penetrated the Sicilian Mafia in the 1980s. The term “mafia” seems to be just a literary invention that has become popular with the public.

11. Inscription on stained glass, maybe : CREDO
“Credo” is the Latin word for “I believe”.

12. “The New Yorker” cartoonist Ed : KOREN
Ed Koren writes political cartoons for “The New Yorker”.

18. Xbox competitor : WII
The Wii is the biggest-selling game console in the world.

24. Some legal bigwigs: Abbr. : AGS
Attorneys General (AGs) head up the Department of Justice (DOJ). When the office of the Attorney General was created in 1789 it was a part-time job, with no departmental support. The Department of Justice came into being in 1870.

27. Leader of ancient Troy? : TAU
The Greek letter tau would be the leading letter in the word “Troy”.

36. Revered Chinese figure : SUN YAT-SEN
Sun Yat-sen is known as the “Father of the Nation” in China, and is uniquely revered in both the mainland of China and on the island of Taiwan. During his rule as president of the country he promoted his political philosophy known at the Three Principles of the People, namely nationalism, democracy and the people’s livelihood.

37. Athenian general who wrote “History of the Peloponnesian War” : THUCYDIDES
Thucydides was a historian from Ancient Greece who has been dubbed “the father of scientific history”, a nod to his rigorous gathering and analysis of evidence.

38. 2002 Salma Hayek film or its title role : FRIDA
Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter, famous for her self-portraits. She was married to the equally famous artist Diego Rivera. Kahlo was portrayed by the actress Salma Hayek in a film about her colorful life called “Frida” released in 2002.

40. Nonspeaking role on “CSI” : DEAD BODY
“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” is apparently the most-watched television show worldwide.

44. Comfy footwear, briefly : MOC
“Moc” is short for “moccasin” shoe.

59. Band with the ’79 album “Discovery” : ELO
Electric Light Orchestra (ELO)

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Full of tears, say : SAD
4. Thanksgiving song : PAEAN
9. Behind : BACK
13. Name that’s one syllable in English, two syllables in Japanese : ABE
14. Sister of Melpomene : ERATO
15. Copy, briefly : REPRO
16. “Was ist ___?” : LOS
17. Custodial tool : DUST SWEEPER
19. Put out : IRK
20. Literary March : AMY
21. Comic Meadows formerly of “S.N.L.” : TIM
22. “___ to Apollo” : ODE
23. Needed : VITAL
25. Basic process of genetics : VARIATION
28. Keenly waiting : AGOG
29. Currency superseded by the euro : LIRA
30. Actor McShane : IAN
31. Some keep waiting for them : TIPS
32. “Listen, ___ the sound be fled”: Longfellow : ERE
33. “Phooey!” : NUTS!
35. Abbr. at the bottom of a letter : ENC
36. All the time?: Abbr. : SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
39. Prefix with week : MID-
41. Rapper ___-E : EAZY
43. Repetitive inits.? : OCD
44. Dweller in ancient Persepolis : MEDE
45. Clover locale : LEA
46. Self-titled platinum album of 1986 : ENYA
47. Eligible to be called up : ONE-A
48. Like many breakfast cereals : SWEETENED
51. Oxygen’s electrons, e.g. : OCTAD
52. Cousin : KIN
53. Relative of Mme. : SRA
54. Global economic org. : IMF
56. Tie one on at dinner, maybe : BIB
57. Inconceivable : UNDREAMED OF
60. Spanish bear : OSO
61. Singer Rimes : LEANN
62. Lycée attendee : ELEVE
63. Traditional : OLD
64. Constellation next to Hercules : LYRA
65. The hare, notably : LOSER
66. G, e.g. : KEY

Down
1. Show eager anticipation : SALIVATE
2. Native : ABORIGINE
3. Common site for 36-Across : DESKTOP CALENDAR
4. Brake, e.g. : PEDAL
5. ___ lily : ARUM
6. Noël Coward play : EASY VIRTUE
7. Football stat. : ATT
8. Cosa ___ : NOSTRA
9. Nectar detector : BEE
10. Common site for 36-Across : APPOINTMENT BOOK
11. Inscription on stained glass, maybe : CREDO
12. “The New Yorker” cartoonist Ed : KOREN
15. Doesn’t leave : REMAINS AT
18. Xbox competitor : WII
24. Some legal bigwigs: Abbr. : AGS
26. “Anything else that you require?” : ARE WE DONE?
27. Leader of ancient Troy? : TAU
29. It may leave a sour taste in your mouth : LEMON
34. Peripheral basilica feature : SIDE AISLE
36. Revered Chinese figure : SUN YAT-SEN
37. Athenian general who wrote “History of the Peloponnesian War” : THUCYDIDES
38. 2002 Salma Hayek film or its title role : FRIDA
40. Nonspeaking role on “CSI” : DEAD BODY
42. Last of 26 : ZEE
44. Comfy footwear, briefly : MOC
46. Paint type : ENAMEL
48. Halloween prop : SKULL
49. Like some fancy sauces : WINEY
50. Procter & Gamble brand : ERA
51. Tender : OFFER
55. “Gangway!” : MOVE!
58. Chain in biology : RNA
59. Band with the ’79 album “Discovery” : ELO

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