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Solution to today’s crossword in the New York Times
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CROSSWORD SETTER: Barry C. Silk
THEME: None
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 22m 10s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Domino’s bottom? : PIZZA CRUST
Domino’s Pizza started out as DomiNick’s, a pizza store in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The store was purchased by Dominic’s founder Tom Monaghan in 1960, along with his brother. Tom bought out his brother a few months later, for the price of a used VW! The store was renamed Domino’s Pizza in 1965, and two years later the first franchise store was opened. There are now over 8,000 stores worldwide, including one in Tallaght in Ireland, the town where I lived for many years in my youth. That Tallaght store became the first Domino’s outlet in the world to hit a turnover of $3 million a year. We Irish obviously have terrible taste when it comes to pizza …
15. Olympic Tower financier : ARI ONASSIS
The Olympic Tower is a high-rise in New York City that was opened in 1976. The tower is located right beside St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Midtown Manhattan. The building’s construction was funded by Greek billionaire Aristotle Onassis, who also established Olympic Airways, which was the Greek national airline for decades.
16. Roman marketplaces : FORA
The Roman forum was the public space in the middle of a city, taking it’s name from the Latin word “forum” meaning “marketplace, town square”.
18. Something to hold down : FORT
Our expression “to hold down the fort” means to take care of things temporarily in someone’s absence. The phrase was originally written as “hold the fort”, and is an expression that may date back to Roman times when it had the literal meaning of retaining control of the defensive structure.
19. Asian silk center : ASSAM
Assam is a state in the very northeast of India, just south of the Himalayas. Assam is noted for its tea as well as its silk.
20. Giving no performances : DARK
A theater is said to be “dark” when there is no performance scheduled.
26. Al Bundy’s garage, e.g. : MAN CAVE
Al Bundy is a lead character in the television sitcom “Married with Children”. He is played by Ed O’Neill, an actor who is currently making it big playing Jay Pritchett on the very entertaining show called “Modern Family”.
28. Spot with a talking bear, maybe: Abbr. : PSA
Public service announcement (PSA)
Smokey Bear is the mascot of the US Forest Service. Smokey first appeared in 1944, in an advertising campaign directed towards preventing forest fires.
34. Sarah Palin called herself an average one : HOCKEY MOM
When John McCain selected Sarah Palin as candidate for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she became the first Alaskan to go on the national ticket for a major party. She also became the first woman nominated for Vice President by the Republican Party.
38. “The Tourist” novelist Steinhauer : OLEN
Olen Steinhauer wrote the espionage thriller “The Tourist”, published in 2009. It’s about a CIA agent who specializes in black ops. George Clooney’s production company has purchased the film rights and the word is that a movie may be in the works soon with Clooney in the lead role. The 2010 espionage movie “The Tourist” starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp is a different project altogether (and a pretty predictable and forgettable film, by the way) that bears no relation to the Steinhauer novel.
41. Literary character who says “I’ll chase him round Good Hope” : AHAB
Captain Ahab is the obsessed and far from friendly Captain of the Pequod in Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick”.
42. Kind of horoscope : NATAL
A natal horoscope or natal chart is an astrological map that is built around the exact time and location of an individual’s birth. The chart shows the position of the astrologically relevant celestial bodies at that time.
44. Kids’ party game : HOT POTATO
Hot potato is a kid’s game in which an object like a beanbag is tossed between players while music is played. When the music stops, whoever is holding the beanbag (hot potato) is eliminated.
46. Bell heather and tree heath : ERICAS
It is a commonly held belief that heather and erica are the same thing botanically, but in fact, erica is another name for a different species called “heath”.
49. Follower of Gore? : -TEX
Gore-Tex is a waterproof fabric that also “breathes”. This is because the pores in Gore-Tex are small enough to keep out water droplets, but large enough to allow water vapor molecules to pass through.
52. Minable material : DATA
The process of data mining is used to extract information from a database and present it in a form that facilitates further use.
54. Part of un giorno : ORA
In Italian, an hour (ora) is 1/24 of a day (un giorno).
55. “I’ll send for you ___”: Othello : ANON
“Anon” originally meant “at once” and evolved into today’s meaning of “soon” apparently just because the word was misused over time.
Shakespeare’s “Othello” was first performed in 1604. The main characters in the play are:
– Othello, a general in the army of Venice
– Desdemona, Othello’s wife
– Cassio, Othello’s trusted ensign
– Iago, the villain of the piece
61. Swimmer featured in the 2013 film “Blackfish” : ORCA
“Blackfish” is a 2013 documentary film that examines the dangers of keeping orca in captivity.”Star” of the movie is a killer whale (orca) called Tilikum who was responsible in whole or in part for the deaths of three people. Tilikum was captured in 1983 and has been a “guest” of SeaWorld since 1992. Most recently, Tilikum killed a 40-year old trainer called Dawn Brancheau in 2010.
63. Important stud farm visitors : BROODMARES
A broodmare is a mare (female horse) that is used for breeding.
67. Pre-Raphaelite ideal : ITALIAN ART
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was a group of 19th-century artists who wanted to return to the style of art that pre-dated Raphael and Michelangelo.
68. Bad side of literature? : HYDE
Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” was first published in 1886. There are many tales surrounding the writing of the story including one that the author wrote the basic tale in just three to six days, and spent a few weeks simply refining it. Allegedly, Stevenson’s use of cocaine stimulated his creative juices during those few days of writing.
Down
1. Spotted South American mammal : PACA
There are two species of pacas, and both are found in Central and South America. In some parts, paca is considered a gourmet dish.
2. The white surrounds it : IRIS
The iris is the colored part of the eye with an aperture in the center that can open or close depending on the level of light hitting the eye.
3. 99+ things in Alaska? : ZIPS
Alaska zip codes are in the format 99xxx.
ZIP codes were introduced in 1963. The acronym ZIP stands for Zone Improvement Plan, a name indicating that mail travels more efficiently when the codes are included in the postal address.
4. 2008 title role for Adam Sandler : ZOHAN
“You don’t Mess with the Zohan” is a 2008 comedy produced by and starring Adam Sandler. It’s about an Israeli commando who fakes his own death so that he can head to New York City and become a hairstylist.
10. It may be over a foot : T-STRAP
A t-strap is a t-shaped strap that is part of many women’s shoes. The strap is in two parts, with one part going across the ankle, and the other lying along the length of the foot on top.
11. Closest bud, briefly : BFF
Best friend forever (BFF)
21. Apprehended : KNEW
“To apprehend” can mean “to grasp mentally”.
24. Big name in Hispanic food : GOYA
Goya Foods is headquartered in Secaucus, New Jersey. It is was founded in 1936 and today is the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the nation.
28. DC transformation location : PHONE BOOTH
I think the reference is to the DC Comics hero Superman, who changes from his street clothes into his Superman outfit in a phone booth.
30. CH3COOH : ACETIC ACID
Acetic acid has the formula CH3COOH, and is the main component of vinegar.
32. Some pleas, briefly : NOLOS
“Nolo contendere” is a legal term that translates from Latin as “I do not wish to contend”. It’s the plea of “no contest” and is an alternative to “guilty” or “not guilty”, meaning that one doesn’t admit guilt but nor does one dispute the charge.
40. Grp. concerned with feeding the kitty : SPCA
Unlike in most developed countries, there is no “umbrella” organization in the US with the goal of preventing cruelty to animals. Instead there are independent organizations set up all over the nation using the name SPCA. Having said that, there is an organization called the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) that was originally intended to operate across the country, but really it now focuses its efforts in New York City.
43. Karaoke stand-in? : LA LA
“Karaoke” translates from Japanese as “open orchestra”, and the related word “karate” translates as “open hand”.
45. Raiser of dogs? : OTTOMAN
“Dogs” is a slang term for feet. There seems to be a theory that the term evolved from the expression “dog-tired”.
An ottoman can be a cushioned footstool.
51. Trattoria dessert : TORTA
“Torta” is the Italian and Spanish word for “cake”.
A trattoria is an Italian restaurant. In Italian, a “trattore” is the keeper of an eating house.
53. “32 Flavors” singer Davis, 1998 : ALANA
Alana Davis is a singer-songwriter from New York City. Alana is the daughter of pianist Walter Davis, Jr., who played with the likes of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.
“32 Flavors” is a song that was written and recorded by Ani DiFranco in 1995. Alana Davis released a cover version of “32 Flavors” as her debut single in 1998. The song title is a pun on the Baskin-Robbins slogan “31 flavors”.
56. “Barney Miller” Emmy winner Pitlik : NOAM
Noam Pitlik was a television director and actor. He won a Best Director Emmy in 1979, for his work on the sitcom “Barney Miller”.
58. Armenia’s basic monetary unit : DRAM
The currency of Armenia is called the dram, which is divided into 100 luma. Armenia became independent for the USSR in 1991 and replaced the Russian ruble with the dram in 1993.
59. French suffix with jardin : -IERE
“Jardinière” is the feminine form of the French word for “gardener”. In English, a jardinière is a decorative container for flowers that is usually located outdoors.
60. Proposal figs. : ESTS
Estimate (est.)
65. Trash : DIS
“Dis” is a slang term meaning “insult” that originated in the eighties, and is a shortened form of “disrespect: or “dismiss”.
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Domino’s bottom? : PIZZA CRUST
11. Sing : BLAB
15. Olympic Tower financier : ARI ONASSIS
16. Roman marketplaces : FORA
17. Lines to be cracked : CIPHERTEXT
18. Something to hold down : FORT
19. Asian silk center : ASSAM
20. Giving no performances : DARK
22. Aid in getting it together? : KIT
23. Off-limits : NO-GO
26. Al Bundy’s garage, e.g. : MAN CAVE
28. Spot with a talking bear, maybe: Abbr. : PSA
31. XII, perhaps : NOON
33. Hailstorm, e.g. : PELTER
34. Sarah Palin called herself an average one : HOCKEY MOM
37. How fresh paint glistens : WETLY
38. “The Tourist” novelist Steinhauer : OLEN
39. Best final result : A-PLUS
41. Literary character who says “I’ll chase him round Good Hope” : AHAB
42. Kind of horoscope : NATAL
44. Kids’ party game : HOT POTATO
46. Bell heather and tree heath : ERICAS
48. Topic in a world religions course : SECT
49. Follower of Gore? : -TEX
50. Like some laptop keyboards : BACKLIT
52. Minable material : DATA
54. Part of un giorno : ORA
55. “I’ll send for you ___”: Othello : ANON
57. Record held for decades? : OLDIE
61. Swimmer featured in the 2013 film “Blackfish” : ORCA
63. Important stud farm visitors : BROODMARES
66. Ape’s lack : TAIL
67. Pre-Raphaelite ideal : ITALIAN ART
68. Bad side of literature? : HYDE
69. Sings : NAMES NAMES
Down
1. Spotted South American mammal : PACA
2. The white surrounds it : IRIS
3. 99+ things in Alaska? : ZIPS
4. 2008 title role for Adam Sandler : ZOHAN
5. Buttercup family member : ANEMONE
6. See 8-Down : CAR
7. Letter string : RST
8. With 6-Down, old wheels : USED
9. When hands are extended straight up and down : SIX AM
10. It may be over a foot : T-STRAP
11. Closest bud, briefly : BFF
12. Head-turning cry : LOOK AT THAT!
13. Make a fashionable entrance? : ARRIVE LATE
14. Its contents provide juice : BATTERY BOX
21. Apprehended : KNEW
24. Big name in Hispanic food : GOYA
25. Juice : OOMPH
27. Sports stud : CLEAT
28. DC transformation location : PHONE BOOTH
29. Collection of green panels : SOLAR ARRAY
30. CH3COOH : ACETIC ACID
32. Some pleas, briefly : NOLOS
35. Flair : KNACK
36. Like some colors and cornets : MUTED
40. Grp. concerned with feeding the kitty : SPCA
43. Karaoke stand-in? : LA LA
45. Raiser of dogs? : OTTOMAN
47. Penalty box, to sports fans : SIN BIN
51. Trattoria dessert : TORTA
53. “32 Flavors” singer Davis, 1998 : ALANA
56. “Barney Miller” Emmy winner Pitlik : NOAM
58. Armenia’s basic monetary unit : DRAM
59. French suffix with jardin : -IERE
60. Proposal figs. : ESTS
62. Draught ___ : ALE
64. Jubilant cry : OLE!
65. Trash : DIS
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