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Solution to today’s crossword in the New York Times
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CROSSWORD SETTER: Peter A. Collins
THEME: Boomerang Effect … today’s grid contains four pairs of themed answers. Each pair is made up of one down-answer linked to a neighboring down-answer that must be read upwards to make sense. The answers BOOMERANG, start off one way and finish up the other way:], and those boomeranging answers all have some sort of forward/backward connotation:
5D. With 6-Down, mutual relationship : TWO-WAY
6D. See 5-Down : STREET9D. With 10-Down, critical comments : NEGATIVE
10D. See 9-Down : FEEDBACK37D. With 38-Down, one who may give you a lift : ELEVATOR
38D. See 37-Down : OPERATOR46D. With 47-Down, means of getting home, maybe : RETURN
47D. See 46-Down : TICKET
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 12m 34s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
8. Spots for dipping, once : INKPOTS
Sad to say, when I was at school, all our desks had inkwells/inkpots. Any yes, I even used them a few times …
15. Bought more Time? : RENEWED
“Time” magazine has a readership of about 25 million, making it the largest circulation weekly news magazine in the world.
17. Danced to Julio Sosa music, say : TANGOED
Julio Sosa was a singer from Uruguay who specialized in singing tango tunes. Sosa was big into sports cars and was constantly involved in car accidents due to speeding. He finally died behind the wheel in 1968. at the age of 38.
18. One-third of a French revolutionary’s cry : EGALITE
The national motto of France is “Liberté, égalité, fraternité”, meaning “Liberty, equality, fraternity (brotherhood). The phrase has its origins in the French Revolution, but was only adopted as the national motto at the end of the 19th century.
19. She who says “sí”: Abbr. : SRA
Señora (Sra.)
20. QB targets : WRS
In football, quarterbacks (QBs) target wide receivers (WRs).
21. Like the women in a famous Rubens painting : SABINE
Peter Paul Rubens was one of many artists who depicted “The Rape of the Sabine Women”. The title refers to a legend in Ancient Roman history in which the first generation of Roman males took wives for themselves by abducting Sabine females. The Sabines were an Italic tribe that lived in the central Apennines close to Rome. The term “rape” in this context means “abduction” as opposed to a sexual violation.
28. Trap : PIE HOLE
“Trap” and “pie hole” are slang terms for “mouth”.
32. Either of two N.F.L. coaches named Jim : MORA
Jim L. Mora was a head coach in the NFL from 2004 to 2009. His father, Jim E. Mora, was also an NFL head coach.
35. One vote in Vichy : NON
“Oui” is “yes” in French, and “non” is “no”.
Vichy is a spa town in the center of France. The people from Vichy are known as Vichyssois. After Paris, was occupied by the Germans in WWII, Vichy was chosen as the seat of government for what was called the French State. The Vichy government had theoretical authority even in occupied France, and is remembered for its collaboration with the German authorities. Vichy was chosen as the new seat of government because of its relative proximity to Paris, and simply because the town had the largest hotel room capacity in the “free zone” of the country.
36. Unwelcome reversal … or a title for this puzzle? : BOOMERANG EFFECT
The term “boomerang effect” originated in social psychology. It describes the observation that when a person’s freedom is restricted, the result is often anticonformist behavior.
The complete etymology of the word “boomerang” is a little unclear, but it definitely comes from the aboriginal name for a “returning throw-stick”. We tend to be impressed by the fact boomerangs, when thrown correctly, return to the thrower. In fact, it is likely that the first returning boomerangs were developed by accident, when thousands of years ago hunters were trying to change the shape of their weapons, in order to make them fly straight!
41. Singer/actress Lenya : LOTTE
Lotte Lenya was an Austrian singer and actress. She was married to composer Kurt Weill, and was noted for her performances of his works. Late in her career she played Rosa Klebb, one of the main villains in the 1963 Bond movie “From Russia With Love”. Klebb was the character who had the knife that popped out from the toe of her shoe.
42. “This guy walks into ___ …” : A BAR
This guy walks into a bar and says to the bartender, “Give me 12 shots of your most expensive Tequila!” The bartender pours the shots and lines them up. The guy starts shooting them back really quickly, one right after another. The bartender says in shock, “Why are you drinking those so fast?!” The guy stops long enough to get out a few words, “You would drink these fast too, if you had what I have” Confused, the bartender asks, “Why? what do you have?” The guy says, “About four dollars” …
45. What the Beatles had but Wings didn’t? : ARTICLE
“The Beatles” had the definite article “the” in their name, but “Wings” did not.
Wings is a rock band that Paul and LInda McCartney formed after the Beatles disbanded. Wings had some tremendous hits including “Live and Let Die”, “Jet”, “Band on the Run” and “Mull of Kintyre”.
48. Actress Gardner : AVA
Ava Gardner is noted for her association with some big movies, but also for her association with some big names when it came to the men in her life. In the world of film, she appeared in the likes of “Mogambo” (1953), “On the Beach” (1959), “The Night of the Iguana” (1964) and “Earthquake” (1974). The men in her life included husbands Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra. After her marriages had failed (and perhaps before!) she had long term relationships with Howard Hughes and bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguin whom she met through her friend Ernest Hemingway.
49. Flotsam or Jetsam in “The Little Mermaid” : EEL
Flotsam and Jetsam are characters in the Disney movie called “The Little Mermaid”, released in 1989. Both are moray eels in the service of Ursula, the sea witch.
Flotsam and jetsam are both terms used to describe “garbage” in the ocean. Flotsam is floating wreckage from a ship or its cargo. Jetsam is similar to flotsam, except that it is part of a ship or cargo that is deliberately cast overboard, perhaps to lighten a vessel.
53. Nasdaq unit: Abbr. : STK
Stock (stk.)
The computerized stock trading system known as the NASDAQ was created in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers. NASDAQ stands for National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations. NASDAQ was the successor to the over-the-counter (OTC) trading system that was common at the time. OTC trading is done directly between two parties without being facilitated by an exchange.
58. Bridge type : AUCTION
The version of the card game bridge that is mostly played today is “contract bridge”. “Auction bridge” is a similar game, and a precursor to contract bridge.
60. Uranium 235, e.g. : ISOTOPE
The isotope of uranium that is mostly found in nature in uranium-238. Natural uranium also contains a small amount (less than 1%) of uranium-235. When uranium is “enriched”, the percentage of uranium-235 is increased. Uranium containing 80% or more uranium-235 is known as “weapons grade”.
61. Chenoweth of Broadway’s “Wicked” : KRISTIN
Kristin Chenoweth is a singer and actress who has many fine performances to her credit, although I mainly remember her for playing feisty Annabeth Schott on TV’s “The West Wing”. Indeed, Chenoweth dated for a while Aaron Sorkin, the creator of “The West Wing”. She also originated the role of Glinda in the Broadway musical “Wicked”.
62. Some slow dances : BOLEROS
The name “bolero” is used to describe slow-tempo Latin music, and can be both a dance and a song.
Down
3. Karina in many a Jean-Luc Godard film : ANNA
Anna Karina is a French actress who was originally from Denmark. Karina as appeared in a lot of movies directed by Jean-Luc Godard. Karina and Godard married in 1961, in the middle of shooting “A Woman Is a Woman”, one of their most famous collaborations. The marriage was always tense according to all accounts, and only lasted a few years.
8. Dangerous time : IDES
There were three important days in each month of the old Roman calendar. These days originally depended on the cycles of the moon but were eventually “fixed” by law. “Kalendae” were the first days of each month, originally the days of the new moon. “Nonae” were originally the days of the half moon. And “idus” (the ides) was originally the day of the full moon, eventually fixed at the 15th day of a month. Well, actually the ides were the 15th day of March, May, July and October. For all other months, the ides fell on the 13th. Go figure …
12. Asgard ruler : ODIN
In Norse mythology, Valhalla (“hall of the slain”) is a gigantic hall in the “world” of Asgard. Asgard and Valhalla are ruled by the god Odin, the chief Norse god.
13. Head of the Seine? : TETE
“Tête” is the French word for “head”.
There are two famous islands in the middle of the River Seine in Paris, one being the Île de la Cité, and the other Île Saint-Louis. Île de la Cité is the most renowned of the two, as it is home to the cathedral of Notre Dame.
22. Paella ingredient, perhaps : CLAM
Paella is sometime referred to as the Spanish national dish, but not by Spaniards. In Spain, paella is regarded as a typical regional dish from Valencia.
29. End of an era? : ONE BC
The designations Anno Domini (AD, “year of Our Lord”) and Before Christ (BC) are found in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The dividing point between AD and BC is the year of the conception of Jesus, with AD 1 following 1 BC without a year “0” in between. The AD/BC scheme dates back to AD 525, and gained wide acceptance soon after AD 800. Nowadays a modified version has become popular, with CE (Common/Christian Era) used to replace AD, and BCE (Before the Common/Christian Era) used to replace BC.
30. What pulls out all the stops? : LOCAL
A “local” train tends to stop at most of the stations on a line.
31. ___ nous : ENTRE
“Entre nous” is French for “between us”.
34. Tinnitus treater: Abbr. : ENT
Ear, Nose and Throat specialist (ENT)
Tinnitus is a ringing sound in the ears when there is actually no sound present. The term derives from the Latin verb “tinnire” meaning “to ring”.
52. “___ Tu” (1974 hit) : ERES
We have a big event across Europe every year called the Eurovision Song Contest. Each nation enters one song in competition with each other, and then voters across the whole continent decide on the winner. That’s how ABBA got their big break when they won in 1974 with “Waterloo”. In 1972, Spain’s entry was “Eres tu” (the Spanish for “You Are”) sung by the band Mocedades. “Eres tu” came second in the competition, but should have won in my humble opinion.
54. New World monkey : TITI
Titis are monkeys found in much of South America. Totis have tails that are a little bit longer than the length of their heads and bodies.
59. LAX patrollers : TSA
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was of course created in 2001, soon after the 9/11 attacks.
Los Angeles International Airport is the sixth busiest airport in the world in terms of passenger traffic, and the busiest here on the West Coast of the US. The airport was opened in 1930 as Mines Field and was renamed to Los Angeles Airport in 1941. On the airport property is the iconic white structure that resembles a flying saucer. This is called the Theme Building and I believe it is mainly used as a restaurant and observation deck for the public. The airport used to be identified by the letters “LA”, but when the aviation industry went to a three-letter standard for airport identification, this was changed to “LAX”. Apparently the “X” has no significant meaning.
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Become comfortable with : ADAPT TO
8. Spots for dipping, once : INKPOTS
15. Bought more Time? : RENEWED
16. Reads with effort : DECODES
17. Danced to Julio Sosa music, say : TANGOED
18. One-third of a French revolutionary’s cry : EGALITE
19. She who says “sí”: Abbr. : SRA
20. QB targets : WRS
21. Like the women in a famous Rubens painting : SABINE
22. Hepster : CAT
23. QB goals : TDS
24. Investment house employee : ANALYST
28. Trap : PIE HOLE
32. Either of two N.F.L. coaches named Jim : MORA
33. Lift : HEAVE
35. One vote in Vichy : NON
36. Unwelcome reversal … or a title for this puzzle? : BOOMERANG EFFECT
40. It might come after sex : -ISM
41. Singer/actress Lenya : LOTTE
42. “This guy walks into ___ …” : A BAR
43. China collections : TEA SETS
45. What the Beatles had but Wings didn’t? : ARTICLE
48. Actress Gardner : AVA
49. Flotsam or Jetsam in “The Little Mermaid” : EEL
50. Blazing : AFLARE
53. Nasdaq unit: Abbr. : STK
54. Prefix with color : TRI-
57. Contemptuous one : FLOUTER
58. Bridge type : AUCTION
60. Uranium 235, e.g. : ISOTOPE
61. Chenoweth of Broadway’s “Wicked” : KRISTIN
62. Some slow dances : BOLEROS
63. Necessitates : ENTAILS
Down
1. Field of many nonprofits : ARTS
2. Prayer starter, often : DEAR
3. Karina in many a Jean-Luc Godard film : ANNA
4. Square ___ : PEG
5. With 6-Down, mutual relationship : TWO-WAY
6. See 5-Down : STREET
7. Track figures : ODDS
8. Dangerous time : IDES
9. With 10-Down, critical comments : NEGATIVE
10. See 9-Down : FEEDBACK
11. Shoe shiner : POLISH
12. Asgard ruler : ODIN
13. Head of the Seine? : TETE
14. Green Bay-to-Greenville dir. : SSE
22. Paella ingredient, perhaps : CLAM
24. Scope : AMBIT
25. Prop for many a western : NOOSE
26. Something made in a chocolate factory? : AROMA
27. “___ life” : THAT’S
28. ___-day calendar : PAGE-A
29. End of an era? : ONE BC
30. What pulls out all the stops? : LOCAL
31. ___ nous : ENTRE
34. Tinnitus treater: Abbr. : ENT
37. With 38-Down, one who may give you a lift : ELEVATOR
38. See 37-Down : OPERATOR
39. Bomb : FAIL
44. Pay tribute to : SALUTE
46. With 47-Down, means of getting home, maybe : RETURN
47. See 46-Down : TICKET
50. To boot : ALSO
51. Dupe : FOOL
52. “___ Tu” (1974 hit) : ERES
53. Benefit : SAKE
54. New World monkey : TITI
55. Churn : ROIL
56. Sights at many interstate exits : INNS
57. Small story : FIB
59. LAX patrollers : TSA
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