1019-13 New York Times Crossword Answers 19 Oct 13, Saturday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Peter Wentz
THEME: None
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 28m 35s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 2 … FAZOOL (bazool), MFA (MBA)

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. 1980 new wave classic : WHIP IT
Devo is a band from Akron, Ohio formed back in 1973. The band’s biggest hit is “Whip It” released in 1980.

7. 1996 hybrid animation/live-action film : SPACE JAM
“Space Jam” is a 1996 movie that is a fictional account of the retirement of Michael Jordan from the NBA. Michael Jordan himself stars in the film, along with a whole host of “Looney Tunes” cartoon characters.

15. Cole ___, 2008 World Series M.V.P. : HAMELS
Cole Hamels is a starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. Hamels is married to Heidi Strobel who was a contestant on the sixth series of the reality television show “Survivor”.

16. “Ahh” sloganeer : COCA-COLA
The first cola drink to become a commercial success was Coca-Cola, soon after it was invented by a druggist in 1886. That first Coca-Cola was flavored mainly with kola nuts and vanilla. The formulation was based on an alcoholic drink called Coca Wine that had been on sale for over twenty years. The original alcoholic version actually contained a small concentration of cocaine.

19. “Bait Car” channel : TRUTV
truTV is a Turner Broadcasting cable network, launched in 1991 as Court TV. The name was changed to truTV in 2008.

“Bait Car” is a show that airs on truTV. A “bait car” is a vehicle that has been fitted out with cameras and tracking devices by the police so that they can catch car thieves. In the “Bait Car” show, viewers can tag along for the (illegal) ride.

20. Some hotels and old cars : OMNIS
Omni Hotels & Resorts is headquartered in Irvine, California and has properties in the US, Canada and Mexico.

The Dodge Omni is basically the same car as the Plymouth Horizon, and was produced by Chrysler from 1978-90. The Omni is a front-wheel drive hatchback, the first in a long line of front-wheel drive cars that were very successful for Chrysler. The Omni was actually developed in France, by Chrysler’s Simca division. When production was stopped in the US in 1990, the tooling was sold to an Indian company that continued production for the Asian market for several years.

22. It can precede masochism : SADO-
A sadist is someone who derives pleasure from inflicting pain, with that pleasure often being sexual in nature. The term “sadist” comes from the Marquis de Sade who was known to exhibit such tendencies.

The Marquis de Sade was a French aristocrat with a reputation for a libertine lifestyle. De Sade was also a writer, well known for his works of erotica. He fell foul of the law for some of his more extreme practices and for blaspheming the Catholic church. On an off, de Sade spent 32 years of his life in prison and in insane asylums.

A masochist, in sexual terms, is someone who gets sexual pleasure in being hurt or abused. The term comes from the name of the Austrian novelist Leopold von
Sacher-Masoch who wrote “Venus in Furs”, a novel that features female dominance and male subservience.

23. Kind of mile: Abbr. : NAUT
A nautical mile is a distance measurement that is about a one-minute arc of longitude at the equator. A nautical mile is also equal to about a one-minute arc of latitude along any meridian. The accepted length today is 1,852 meters. The unit of speed known as a “knot” is equal to one nautical mile per hour.

24. Location from which the phoenix rose : PYRE
The phoenix is a fabulous bird of Greek mythology, which can also be found in the mythologies of Persia, Egypt and China. The phoenix is a fire spirit, which lives from 500 to 1000 years. At the end of its lifespan is builds a nest for itself (a pyre) and self-ignites, burning itself and the nest, creating a pile of ashes. A young phoenix arises from the ashes and the cycle starts all over again.

25. Ulan-___ (city in Siberia) : UDE
Ulan-ude is a city in Eastern Siberia founded by the Russian Cossacks. If you ever get to visit, you’ll be able to see a huge sculpture of the head of Vladimir Lenin, the largest head of Lenin ever built.

26. Biographer biographized in “Poison Pen” : KITTY KELLEY
Kitty Kelley is a journalist who specializes in writing unauthorized biographies of high-profile celebrities. The list of those who have fallen prey to Kelley’s penmanship includes Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Reagan, Oprah Winfrey, the British Royal Family and the Bush Family. The tables were turned on Kelley when she found herself subject to an authorized biography, written by George Carpozi and published in 1997 under the title “Poison Pen”.

29. Wear for Teddy Roosevelt : PINCE-NEZ
Pince-nez are eyeglasses clipped to the bridge of the nose. “Pince-nez” is French, translating as “pinch the nose”.

31. Amt. of copper, say : RDA
Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) were introduced during WWII and were replaced by Recommended Daily Intakes (RDIs) in 1997.

33. Dirty Harry fired them : MAGNUMS
In the world of weaponry, the term “magnum” was first applied to ammunition, large cartridges in the latter half of the 19th-century. The term was probably used as a “magnum” was a particularly large wine bottle.

“Dirty” Harry Callahan was the protagonist in a series of five movies starring Clint Eastwood:

– “Dirty Harry” (1971)
– “Magnum Force” (1973)
– “The Enforcer” (1976)
– “Sudden Impact” (1983)
– “The Dead Pool” (1988)

37. Upstate N.Y. sch. : RIT
The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is a private school in Rochester, New York that is actually located in the town of Henrietta. Despite the “technology” moniker, the school has a noted fine arts program. RIT was formed in 1891 when the Rochester Athenaeum (a literary society) merged with the Mechanics Institute (a technical training institute). The school’s first name was the Rochester Athenaeum and mechanics Institute, but this became RIT in 1944.

38. 1985 #1 whose video won six MTV Video Music Awards : TAKE ON ME
“Take on Me” is a 1984 song recorded by the Norwegian pop group A-ha. A lot of the song’s success has been attributed to the innovative music video that was directed by Steve Barron.

39. Rhode Island cuisine specialty : JOHNNYCAKES
Johnnycake is a flatbread made from cornmeal that is associated with the Atlantic coast. There are claims that johnnycake originated in Rhode Island.

43. Rapper with the 2000 single “Party Up (Up in Here)” : DMX
DMX and Dark Man x are stage names used by rap artist Earl Simmons. DMX’s biggest hit is “Party Up (Up in Here) released in 1999 (and even I know that song!). DMX seems to be in trouble with the law a lot, an awful lot …

44. “___ Story” (2007 Jenna Bush book) : ANA’S
“Ana’s Story” is a non-fiction book written by Jenna Bush, daughter of President George W. Bush. The book tells of a girl that Bush met while working as an intern with UNICEF in Latin America. Ana had been molested as a child and learned at age 10 that she was HIV-positive. 17-year-old Ana also had a child of her own, who was HIV-negative.

Jenna Bush is one of the twin daughters of President George W. Bush. During her father’s 2004 presidential campaign, Jenna met and started dating Henry Hager who was a White House aide for Deputy chief of staff Karl Rove. The couple were married in 2008.

46. Zales inventory : GEMS
The first Zales jewelry store was opened by Morris and William Zale and Ben Lipshy in Wichita Falls, Texas, in 1924. Zales became successful largely by offering credit to their customers, a revolutionary concept at the time.

51. Jockey competitor : JOE BOXER
Joe Boxer is a brand of men’s underwear that is sold exclusively at Kmart and Sears.

Jockey was the company that invented the Y-front brief, in 1934.

53. Jin dynasty conqueror : MONGOL
The Mongols are an ethnic group that is found today in modern Mongolia, in China and in Russia.

The Jin Dynasty of 1115 to 1234 ruled much of modern-day, northeast China. The dynasty eventually fell to the Mongol Empire that was based in the north.

54. Female novelist whose real first name was Howard : ANNE RICE
Anne Rice is an American author of erotic and Gothic novels. She was born Howard Allen O’Brien (no wonder she changed her name!). Her famous series of novels “The Vampire Chronicles” centers on her character Lestat de Lioncourt, a French nobleman who was turned into a vampire in the 18th century. One of the stories, “Interview with the Vampire”, was adapted for the big screen in 1994 and features Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and others in a star-studded cast. Not my kind of movie though, as I don’t do vampires …

55. Rhyme for “drool” in a Dean Martin classic : FAZOOL
The line “When the stars make you drool just like pasta fazool” comes from the Dean Martin classic “That’s Amore”.

“That’s Amore” is a pop standard written by Harry Warren and Jack Brooks in 1952. “That’s Amore” became the signature song for Dean Martin after he sang it (with some help from Jerry Lewis) in the 1953 comedy film “The Caddy”.

Down
1. “How’s it goin’, dawg?” : WHAT’S UP, G?
Apparently “what’s up, G?” means “how is it going, gangster?” but in a nice, friendly way …

2. Hobby with Q codes : HAM RADIO
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.

In the word of amateur radio, the “Q code” is a collection of abbreviations used, all of which start with the letter Q. Q codes were developed in the days when Morse code was prevalent, but many were retained when voice transmissions became more common. Some examples:

– QRP means “Shall I decrease power?”
– QSL means “Can you acknowledge receipt?”
– QSO means “Can you communicated with (someone) direct or by relay?”

4. Gnocchi topper : PESTO
The term “pesto” applies to anything made by pounding. What we tend to know as “pesto” sauce is more properly called “pesto alla genovese”, pesto from Genoa in northern Italy.

Gnocchi are small dumplings in Italian cuisine that can be made from various ingredients including potato, my personal favorite. The name “gnocchi” might be derived from the Italian “nocchio” meaning “knot in wood”.

5. “___ It” (2006 Young Jeezy single) : I LUV
Young Jeezy is the stage name of hip hop artist Jay Jenkins. Jeezy is a former member of the gangsta rap group Boyz n da Hood.

6. 100 metric drops: Abbr. : TSP
Apparently a teaspoon (tsp.) can be divided into 76 drops, or 100 metric drops.

7. Dirt, in slang : SCHMUTZ
Apparently “schmutz” is a slang term for dirt, like dirt on your face. “Schmutz” is a Yiddish term, and one that gives us our word “smut”, also meaning dirt or smudge, and more recently pornography.

10. Lewis ___, loser to Zachary Taylor in 1848 : CASS
Lewis Cass was a military officer and politician originally from New Hampshire. As a politician, Cass vied for the Democratic Party’s nomination for president in 1848, losing out to Zachary Taylor, who went on to win the presidential race. A few years later, Cass served as Secretary of State under President James Buchanan.

Zachary Taylor won the 1848 election to become the 12th US president, and the first president to hold office without a political resume. Taylor was a career military man, known as “Old Rough and Ready” Taylor. He died only 16 months into his term, apparently of gastroenteritis. Given that rumors of poisoning persisted over the decades, his body was exhumed in 1991 and tissue samples were checked for signs of foul play. Nothing out of order was discovered, although rumours still persist.

12. 1995-2013 senator from Arizona : JON KYL
Jon Kyl is a former US Senator from Arizona, serving from 1995 until his retirement in 2013. Kyl was also the Senate Minority Whip. He is the son of John Henry Kyl who served as the US Representative for the State of Iowa for many years. Kyl now works as a lobbyist.

13. 1985-93 senator from Tennessee : AL GORE
Al Gore was born in Washington DC, the son of Al Gore, Sr., then a US Representative for the state of Tennessee. After deferring his military service in order to attend Harvard, the younger Gore became eligible for the draft on graduation. Many of his classmates found ways of avoiding the draft, but Gore decided to serve and even took the “tougher” option of joining the army as an enlisted man. Actor Tommy Lee Jones shared a house with Gore in college and says that his buddy told him that even if he could find a way around the draft, someone with less options than him would have to go in his place and that was just wrong.

14. Raymond who played Abraham Lincoln : MASSEY
In the 1940 biopic “Abe Lincoln in Illinois”, Abe was played by Raymond Massey. Massey also played the role in the original Broadway play of the same name, on which the movie was based. The film also starred Ruth Gordon in her big screen debut, as Mary Todd Lincoln.

20. Cowboy feature : OATER
The term “oater” that is used for a western movie comes from the number of horses seen, as horses love oats!

24. City that’s headquarters for Pizza Hut and J. C. Penney : PLANO
Plano, Texas is located in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. Settlers chose the name “Plano” in the 1840s. “Plano” is Spanish for “flat”, a reference to the terrain in the area.

JC Penney’s department stores started out as the Golden Rule Store, founded by James Cash Penney and two partners in 1902 in Kemmerer, Wyoming. That first store is still operating today in Kemmerer. Sam Walton used to work for Penney’s in Des Moines, Iowa, before moving on to found the Walmart empire.

The American chain of pizza restaurants called Pizza Hut operates more than 6,000 restaurants in the US and nearly the same number outside of the US. The first Pizza Hut was opened in 1958 by brothers Frank and Dan Carney in Wichita, Kansas.

26. Former Australian prime minister Rudd : KEVIN
Kevin Rudd is a former Prime Minister of Australia, having served from 2007 to 2010, and again for a few months in 2013.

27. Supposed sighting off the coast of Norway : KRAKEN
Kraken are huge sea monsters of legend that were reputed to live off the coasts of Iceland and Norway. It’s possible that the kraken legend was inspired by real-life giant squid.

33. Mercury and Saturn, once : MAKES
“Mercury” is a marque used by the Ford Motor Company. The brand was introduced by Edsel Ford, son of Henry, in 1938. Mercury was intended to be a line of vehicles more luxurious than the Ford line of cars yet more affordable vehicles in the Lincoln series.

Saturn was a brand of automobile introduced by the General Motors (GM) in 1985. The Saturn line was GM’s response to the increase in sales of Japanese imports, and was initially set up as a relatively independent division within the company. Saturn had its own assembly plant, and its own network of retailers.

34. Follower of one nation? : UNDER GOD
The Pledge of Allegiance of the US was composed by Francis Bellamy in 1892 and was adopted by Congress in 1942. The actual words used in the pledge have changed over time. Here is the original 1892 version shown in comparison to the current version that was adopted in 1954:

1892: I pledge allegiance to my flag and the republic for which it stands: one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all.
1954: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

35. Soup line : M’M M’M GOOD
M’m M’m Good is a slogan that has been used by Campbell’s Soup since 1978.

The Campbell’s Soup company is named for one of the enterprise’s two founders, Joseph A. Campbell. He and Abraham Anderson started the business in 1869. The iconic design of the Campbell’s can was introduced in 1989 and has hardly changed since then. The gold seal in the design comes from the 1900 Paris Exhibition.

36. Marketing mantra : SEX SELLS
Oh! Maybe that’s what I need to attract more readers to the blog …

39. Sci-fi’s ___ Binks : JAR JAR
Jar Jar Binks is a comedic character who appears in Episodes I-III of the “Star Wars” movies.

42. First marketer of Cabbage Patch Kids : COLECO
The dolls known as the Cabbage Patch Kids were introduced in 1978, and were a huge fad through most of the eighties.

46. Outrageously freewheeling : GONZO
Something “gonzo” is bizarre or unconventional. The term might perhaps come from the Italian “gonzo” meaning “rude, sottish”.

48. ___ concours (unrivaled: Fr.) : HORS
We use the French term “hors concours” to mean “without equal, unrivalled”. The term means the same thing in French, and translates literally as “out of the competition”.

53. Deg. from 37-Across : MFA
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. 1980 new wave classic : WHIP IT
7. 1996 hybrid animation/live-action film : SPACE JAM
15. Cole ___, 2008 World Series M.V.P. : HAMELS
16. “Ahh” sloganeer : COCA-COLA
17. Juices : AMPS UP
18. Hot numbers : HIT SONGS
19. “Bait Car” channel : TRUTV
20. Some hotels and old cars : OMNIS
21. Lays flat : KOS
22. It can precede masochism : SADO-
23. Kind of mile: Abbr. : NAUT
24. Location from which the phoenix rose : PYRE
25. Ulan-___ (city in Siberia) : UDE
26. Biographer biographized in “Poison Pen” : KITTY KELLEY
29. Wear for Teddy Roosevelt : PINCE-NEZ
31. Amt. of copper, say : RDA
32. Surmounted : GOT OVER
33. Dirty Harry fired them : MAGNUMS
37. Upstate N.Y. sch. : RIT
38. 1985 #1 whose video won six MTV Video Music Awards : TAKE ON ME
39. Rhode Island cuisine specialty : JOHNNYCAKES
43. Rapper with the 2000 single “Party Up (Up in Here)” : DMX
44. “___ Story” (2007 Jenna Bush book) : ANA’S
45. Symbols of strength : OXEN
46. Zales inventory : GEMS
47. Give some juice : REV
48. Benefits : HELPS
50. Have thirds, say : GORGE
51. Jockey competitor : JOE BOXER
53. Jin dynasty conqueror : MONGOL
54. Female novelist whose real first name was Howard : ANNE RICE
55. Rhyme for “drool” in a Dean Martin classic : FAZOOL
56. Something between 49-Downs : REST STOP
57. Out of alignment : AT ODDS

Down
1. “How’s it goin’, dawg?” : WHAT’S UP, G?
2. Hobby with Q codes : HAM RADIO
3. Fresh : IMPUDENT
4. Gnocchi topper : PESTO
5. “___ It” (2006 Young Jeezy single) : I LUV
6. 100 metric drops: Abbr. : TSP
7. Dirt, in slang : SCHMUTZ
8. Like the Simpson kids’ hair : POINTY
9. Dramatic opening : ACT I
10. Lewis ___, loser to Zachary Taylor in 1848 : CASS
11. Prefix with tourism : ECO-
12. 1995-2013 senator from Arizona : JON KYL
13. 1985-93 senator from Tennessee : AL GORE
14. Raymond who played Abraham Lincoln : MASSEY
20. Cowboy feature : OATER
23. What a leadfoot may do : NINETY
24. City that’s headquarters for Pizza Hut and J. C. Penney : PLANO
26. Former Australian prime minister Rudd : KEVIN
27. Supposed sighting off the coast of Norway : KRAKEN
28. Where faces meet : EDGES
30. Tight shoe wearer’s woe : CORNS
33. Mercury and Saturn, once : MAKES
34. Follower of one nation? : UNDER GOD
35. Soup line : M’M M’M GOOD
36. Marketing mantra : SEX SELLS
38. Return service : TAX PREP
39. Sci-fi’s ___ Binks : JAR JAR
40. Many an early tie : ONE-ONE
41. Safe spots : HAVENS
42. First marketer of Cabbage Patch Kids : COLECO
46. Outrageously freewheeling : GONZO
48. ___ concours (unrivaled: Fr.) : HORS
49. Last file menu option, often : EXIT
50. Bearded mountain dweller : GOAT
52. Bit of action : BET
53. Deg. from 37-Across : MFA

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