1222-13 New York Times Crossword Answers 22 Dec 13, Sunday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today’s crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today’s SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications

Share today’s solution with a friend:
FacebookTwitterGoogleEmail

CROSSWORD SETTER: Elizabeth C. Gorski
THEME: Good One! … today’s puzzle comes with a note:

When this puzzle is done, draw a line connecting the 21 circled letters from A to U in alphabetical order. The resulting shape will provide a clue to 6-, 8-, 14-, 53- and 70-Down.

The resulting outline is that of an ANGEL, which is the clue we need for the five themed answers:

6A. [See blurb] : SHOW BACKER
8A. [See blurb] : MICHELANGELO SCULPTURE
14A. [See blurb] : AEROSMITH SONG
53A. [See blurb] : GOLFER CABRERA
70A. [See blurb] : TREE TOPPER

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 29m 00s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Help to harm : ABET
The word “abet” comes into English from the Old French “abeter” meaning “to bait” or “to harass with dogs” (it literally means “to make bite”). This sense of encouraging something bad to happen morphed into our modern usage of “abet” meaning to aid or encourage someone in a crime.

5. Part of a pharaoh’s headdress : ASP
The asp is a venomous snake found in the Nile region of Africa. In Ancient Egypt, the asp was a symbol used by royalty. The snake was also used a means of execution.

16. Mideast capital : SANA
Sana (also Sana’a) is the capital city of Yemen. Within the bounds of today’s metropolis is the old fortified city of Sana where people have lived for over 2,500 years. The Old City is now a World Heritage Site.

17. Symbol of mass density : RHO
Rho is the Greek letter that looks just like our Roman letter “p”.

18. Mercurial : FICKLE
“Mercurial” is an adjective used to describe things related to Mercury, the god or the planet. A person described as mercurial is said to have a changeable temperament, a characteristic long associated with people born under the influence of the planet. This erratic quality may be an association with the fluid properties of mercury, the liquid metal.

19. “The Caine Mutiny” captain : QUEEG
Herman Wouk won a Pulitzer in 1951 for his novel “The Caine Mutiny”. The story involves mutiny and court-martial aboard a US Navy vessel and reflected, at least partly, the personal experiences of Wouk as he served in the Pacific in WWII aboard a destroyer-minesweeper. The novel was adapted into a marvelous film released in 1954 starring Humphrey Bogart as Philip Queeg, the harsh captain of the USS Caine.

21. Many an early French settler in America : HUGUENOT
Members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France in the 16th and 17th centuries were known as Huguenots. The term might derive from the name of an early Swiss politician named Besançon Hugues, who paradoxically worked to prevent the spread of the Protestant Reformation in his native city of Geneva. Hundreds of thousands of Huguenots fled Catholic France in order to escape prosecution, with some settling in English colonies in North America that were religiously tolerant.

24. European capital : BERNE
Bern (also “Berne”) is the capital city of Switzerland. The official language of the city is German, but the language most spoken in Bern is a dialect known as Bernese German.

26. Cry from Scrooge : BAH!
The classic 1843 novella “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens has left us with a few famous phrases and words. Firstly, it led to the popular use of “Merry Christmas”, and secondly it gave us the word “scrooge” meaning a miserly person. And thirdly, everyone knows that the character Scrooge was fond of using the now famous line “Bah! Humbug!”.

27. With 63-Down, 1997 P.G.A. champ who captained the 2012 U.S. Ryder Cup team : DAVIS LOVE
(63D. See 27-Across : III)
Davis Love III is a golfer from Charlotte, North Carolina. Love one win in a major was the 1997 PGA Championship. Another major milestone for Love was captaining the 2012 US Ryder Cup team.

The Ryder Cup trophy was donated to the game of golf by Samuel Ryder, an English entrepreneur. Ryder made his money selling garden seeds in small packets. He only took up golf when he was in his fifties but became quite the enthusiast and eventually donated the trophy in 1927, when it was valued at 100 guineas.

34. General ___ chicken : TSO’S
General Tso’s chicken is an American creation, often found on the menu of a Chinese restaurant. The name General Tso may be a reference to General Zuo Zongtang of the Qing Dynasty, but there is no clear link.

37. Bride of 1981 : LADY DI
Charles, Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. The wedding was a huge television event, with about 750 million people tuning in worldwide. Although the event was billed as a fairytale wedding, the couple separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996.

39. Jules or Jim in “Jules et Jim” : AMI
A male friend in France is “un ami”, and a female friend is “une amie”.

“Jules and Jim” is a French film directed by François Truffaut that was released in 1962. The movie tells the story of two friends Jules and Jim who get involved in a complex love triangle with wa woman called Catherine.

41. L.G.B.T. rights advocate : ACLU
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has its roots in the First World War when it was founded to provide legal advice and support to conscientious objectors.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)

42. Iowa city : AMES
The city of Ames, Iowa is famous for holding the Ames Straw Poll in advance of most presidential elections. The poll in question is used to gauge the level of support for two or more Republican candidates, although non-Republicans are allowed to cast a vote. To vote one has to be an Iowa resident and one must buy a ticket to the fundraising dinner at which the vote is taken. The event gets a lot of coverage, so it boosts the local economy as journalists hit the town. It is a very successful fundraiser for the Republican Party in Iowa as well, but the usefulness of the straw poll in predicting the eventual winner of the nomination is less clear. There have been five straw polls since 1979, and just 2 out of 5 times the poll winner went on to capture the party’s nomination.

55. Some H.S. math : ALG
Algebra is a branch of mathematics in which arithmetical operations are performed on variables rather than specific numbers (x,y etc). The term “algebra” comes from the Arabic “al jebr” meaning “reunion of broken parts”.

61. Words that precede “Born is the King …” : NOEL, NOEL
“The First Noel” is a traditional Christmas carol from England that probably dates back to the 1700s.

63. House committee chairman Darrell : ISSA
Darrell Issa is a Republican Representative in the US House, representing a district in Southern California. Issa was a successful businessman before taking his seat, and is now the wealthiest member of Congress.

64. Mexican sauces : MOLES
Mole sauce comes in various guises, with “mole negro” including everyone’s favorite ingredient, namely chocolate.

72. Hydrocarbon suffix : -ENE
An alkene is an organic compound made up of carbon and hydrogen atoms. It differs from an alkane in that it has at least one C=C double bond. The simplest alkene is the gas ethylene, a major raw material used in the manufacture of plastics (like polyethylene).

73. Target number : QUOTA
A “quota” is an allotment, a term originally used with reference to the number of soldiers of quantity of supplies required from a particular town or district.

74. Fr. holy woman : STE
Sainte (Ste.)

75. British rule in India : RAJ
The period of colonial rule by the British in South Asia from 1858 to 1947 is referred to as the British Raj. Prior to 1858, the area was ruled by a private enterprise, the British East India Company. “Raj” is the Hindi word for “reign”.

77. “Don Quixote” composer : STRAUSS
“Don Quixote” is a tone poem written by German composer Richard Strauss. The piece is scored for cello, viola and large orchestra, with the cello used to represent the title character. Strauss’s work is of course based on the Cervantes novel.

The full name of the Cervantes novel is “The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha”. In the story, Don Quixote is a retired country gentleman who heads out as a knight-errant and who renames himself Don Quixote of la Mancha. In his mind he designates a neighboring farm girl called Aldonza Lorenzo as his lady love, and renames her Dulcinea del Toboso.

81. Overseas assembly : SENAT
The French Senate (“Sénat”) meets in the beautiful Luxembourg Palace (“Palais du Luxembourg”) in Paris.

83. Number-crunching grp. : CPAS
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)

84. Bach’s “___, Joy of Man’s Desiring” : JESU
The Bach cantata “Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben” (Heart and Mouth and Deed and Life) has ten movements. The most famous of these movements is the last one, a chorale titled “Jesus bleibet meine Freude”, usually translated as “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”.

85. Greek earth goddess : GAEA
The Greek goddess personifying the earth was Gaea (meaning “land” or “earth” in Greek). The Roman equivalent goddess was Terra Mater, “Mother Earth”.

86. Robe closer : OBI
The sash worn as part of traditional Japanese dress is known as an obi. The obi can be tied in what is called a butterfly knot.

90. Chef Lagasse : EMERIL
Emeril Lagasse is an American chef, born in Massachusetts. Lagasse first achieved notoriety as executive chef in Commander’s Palace in New Orleans. Now famous for his television shows, his cuisine still showcases New Orleans ingredients and influences. Lagasse started using his famous “Bam!” catchphrase in order to keep his crew awake during repeated tapings of his show.

96. Name on a swim cap : SPEEDO
Speedo brand swimwear was first produced in Australia in 1928, by a hosiery company that wanted to diversify. The brand name was chosen after a slogan competition among employees was won by “Speed on in your Speedos”. It was a long time ago, I guess …

98. Funny Anne : MEARA
Anne Meara has been married to fellow comedic actor Jerry Stiller since 1954. Anne and Jerry are the parents of actors Ben and Amy Stiller. Meara co-starred with Carroll O’Connor and Martin Balsam in the eighties sitcom “Archie Bunker’s Place”, a spinoff from “All in the Family”.

104. Moneymaker for Money : PRINT AD
One of the best-known features in “Money” magazine is its annual listing of “America’s Best Places to Live”. Top of the list for 2013 is the town of Sharon, Massachusetts.

106. Compact Olds : ALERO
The Oldsmobile Alero was the last car made under the Oldsmobile brand. The Alero was produced from 1999 to 2004.

109. Like a rendition of “Deck the Halls” : SPIRITED
The music for the Christmas song “Deck the Halls” is a traditional Welsh tune that dates back to the 16th century. The same tune was used by Mozart for a violin and piano duet. The lyrics with which we are familiar (other than the “tra-la-la”) are American in origin, and were recorded in 19th century.

110. He’s no Einstein : MORON
The rather unsavory term “moron” was formerly used by the medical community to describe someone with a degree of mental retardation. The term comes from the Greek “moros” meaning “foolish, dull”. Back in the early 1900s, IQ tests were used to classify those suffering from mental retardation into categories:

– “idiot” … IQ of 0-20
– “imbecile” … IQ of 21-50
– “moron” …IQ of 51-70

112. Thriller writer Follett : KEN
Ken Follett is a Welsh author specializing in thrillers and historical novels. Among his most famous works are “Capricorn One”, “Eye of the Needle”, “The Man From St. Petersburg” and “On Wings of Eagles”. Quite a few of Follett’s novels have been adapted for the big screen, and you may recognize some movies made from the preceding list of titles.

113. Rural storage : SILO
Silo is a Spanish word that we absorbed into English, originally coming from the Greek word “siros” that described a pit in which one kept corn.

115. China producer : SPODE
Spode is a brand of pottery made in Stoke-on-Trent in the north of England. The company was founded by Josiah Spode in 1770. Spode is noted for its fine bone china, and indeed Josiah Spode came up with the first successful formulation for bone china. Bone china is so called because one of the main components is bone ash derived from animal bones.

117. Half of a noodle dish? : MEIN
“Chow mein” has two slightly different meanings on the East and West Coasts of the US. On the East Coast, “basic” chow mein is a crispy dish, whereas on the West Coast it is a steamed dish and relatively soft. On the East Coast the steamed dish is available, but under the name “lo mein”. On the West Coast, the crispy dish is also on the menu, as Hong Kong style chow mein.

Down
2. Good source of aluminum : BAUXITE
Bauxite is an aluminum ore. It takes its name from the absolutely beautiful village of Les Baux in southern France, the home of the geologist who first recognized that the mineral was a useful source of the metal.

3. What cowlings cover : ENGINES
A cowling is a cover surrounding an engine, usually an automobile or aircraft engine. The cowling often has a specific shape, sometimes to reduce drag and sometimes to aid air intake or engine cooling.

5. River of Pisa : ARNO
The Arno is the principal river in the Tuscany region of Italy, passing through the cities of Florence and Pisa. Famously the Arno flooded in 1966, the worst flood in the region for centuries. There were numerous deaths and extensive destruction of priceless art treasures, particularly in Florence.

6. [See blurb] : SHOW BACKER
An angel investor is one who provides capital very early in a business’s life cycle. The term “angel” is borrowed from Broadway, where angels were wealthy people who provided funds to stage theatrical productions.

7. Something it’s not good to go to : POT
The phrase “go to pot”, meaning fall into ruin, has been around since the 1500s when it really meant “go to (the) pot”, to be chopped up and boiled for food.

8. [See blurb] : MICHELANGELO SCULPTURE
The marble statue called “Angel” by Michelangelo is located in the Basilica of San Domenico in Bologna, Italy.

11. Mrs. ___ cow : O’LEARY’S
The Great Chicago Fire blazed for almost three full days in October of 1871. By the time it was extinguished, hundreds of people had died and four square miles of the city had been destroyed. It is known that the fire started in or near a small barn owned by an Irish immigrant, a Mrs. Catherine O’Leary. A reporter called Michael Ahern wrote in the “Chicago Tribune” that the fire was ignited when a cow in the barn kicked over a lantern. Years later, Ahern admitted that he made up the story about the cow and the lantern, as he felt it made colorful copy. Supposedly Mrs. O’Leary died a heartbroken woman as she spent the rest of her life with the public blaming her on the tragic loss of life and property.

14. [See blurb] : AEROSMITH SONG
“Angel” is a song released by hard rock band Aerosmith in 1988. “Angel” is described as a “power ballad”.

Aerosmith is a hard rock band from Boston that formed in 1970. Aerosmith is the best-selling American rock band of all time, and holds the record for most gold albums by any American group.

15. Expulsion, as of a foreign diplomat : RENVOI
The term “renvoi” can be used to mean the expulsion of an alien or foreign diplomat from a country. The term is French in origin, coming from the verb “renvoyer” meaning “to send back”.

18. Majority owner of Chrysler : FIAT
Fiat is the largest car manufacturer in Italy, and is headquartered in Turin in the Piedmont region in the north of the country. Fiat was founded in 1899 by Giovanni Agnelli, when the company’s name was “Fabbrica Italiana di Automobili Torino” (FIAT). A few years ago, Fiat became the majority shareholder in Chrysler.

19. Play callers, for short : QBS
In American football, quarterbacks (QBs) sometimes score touchdowns (TDs).

20. Big money units, in slang : GEES
Gs, gees, grands, thousands …

22. Lead-in to while : ERST-
Erstwhile means “in the past” or “once upon a time”.

26. ___ cheese : BLEU
Being a bit of a French speaker (admittedly a pretty poor one, and a grumpy one), the term “bleu” cheese has always kind of irritated me. I would prefer that we use either “blue cheese” or “fromage bleu” and not mix the languages, but then I can be annoyingly picky! It’s said that blue cheese was probably discovered accidentally, as molds tend to develop in the same conditions that are best for storing cheese. The blue mold in the cheese is introduced by adding Penicillium spores before the cheese is allowed to set. And yes, it’s the same mold that is used to produce penicillin, the antibiotic.

28. Beatles tune from “A Hard Day’s Night” : IF I FELL
“If I Fell” is one of my favorite ballads by the Beatles. It’s a John Lennon composition that was released in 1964 on the album “A Hard Day’s Night”, and was featured in the movie of the same name.

32. Broad : DAME
The American slang “broad” is a rather offensive term for “woman”. It is possible that “broad” comes from the noun “abroadwife”, once used for a woman, often a slave woman, who was living away from her husband. The term was considered so offensive that the athletic event formerly called the “broad jump” had its name changed to “long jump” in 1967.

36. ___-Coeur (Paris basilica) : SACRE
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart (Basilique de Sacré-Coeur) is that gorgeous white structure that sits at the top of the hill known as “butte Montmartre” in Paris, the highest point in the city. I’ve been fortunate enough to have visited Sacré-Coeur several times, and find it to be a much more stunning building inside than out.

48. Common game piece : DIE
As we all know, the numbers on dice are arranged so that the opposite faces add up to seven. Given this arrangement, the numbers 1, 2 and 3 all meet at a common vertex. Now, there are two ways of arranging the 1, 2 and 3 around the common vertex, a so called right-handed die (clockwise 1-2-3) or a left-handed die (counterclockwise 1-2-3). Traditionally, dice used in Western cultures are right-handed, whereas Chinese dice are left-handed. Quite interesting …

50. Futuristic weapon : PHASER
A MASER is a device that was around long before LASERs came into the public consciousness. A MASER (Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) is similar to a LASER, but microwaves are emitted rather than light waves. When the storyline for “Star Trek” was being developed, the writers introduced a weapon called a “phaser”, with the name “phaser” derived from PHoton mASER.

51. One of 11 pharaohs : RAMSES
Ramesses (also Ramses) was the name taken by eleven of the Egyptian pharaohs. Ramesses translates as “Born of the sun-god Ra”.

52. Bedub : ANOINT
Kneel, and the Queen might “dub thee a knight” if you’re lucky. “Dub” is a specific term derived from Old English that was used to mean “make a knight”. As the knight was also given a knightly name at the same time, “dub” has come to mean “give someone a name”.

53. [See blurb] : GOLFER CABRERA
Ángel Cabrera is a professional golfer from Córdoba in Argentina. Cabrera became the first player from his homeland to win the US Open, doing so in 2007. He followed up with a 2009 win in the Masters tournament. Cabrera has the perhaps surprising habit of lighting up a cigarette at almost every hole that he plays.

55. Termite’s nemesis : ANTEATER
Anteaters tear open ant and termite nests using their sharp claws and then eat up the eggs, larvae and mature ants using their tongues. They have very sticky saliva which coats the tongue hence making the feeding very efficient. The tongue also moves very quickly, flicking in and out of the mouth at 150 times per minute.

60. Eastern holiday : TET
The full name for the New Year holiday in Vietnam is Tet Nguyen Dan, meaning “Feast of the First Morning”. Tet usually falls on the same day as Chinese New Year.

65. Home of Thunder Bay: Abbr. : ONT
Thunder Bay is a 50-mile wide bay at the north of Lake Superior in Ontario. The bay’s name comes from the local Ojibwe people’s name for the bay, “Animikie” meaning “thunder”.

66. ___ Rao, “The Serpent and the Rope” novelist : RAJA
Raja Rao was an Indian writer, but one who wrote and published mainly in English. His much acclaimed 1960 novel “The Serpent and the Rope” is largely autobiographical. Rao spent the last decades of life living in the US.

68. Tailors’ inserts : GUSSETS
A gusset is a triangular insert in the seam of a garment, for added expansion.

69. Sister of Helios : EOS
In Greek mythology, Eos is the goddess of the dawn who lived at the edge of the ocean. Eos would wake each morning to welcome her brother Helios the sun. The Roman equivalent of Eos is Aurora.

70. [See blurb] : TREE TOPPER
The traditional decoration of a Christmas tree often includes a star or angel at its top. A star represents the Star of Bethlehem from the Nativity story. An angel represents the angel Gabriel who appeared to the virgin Mary to foretell the birth of Jesus, according to the Gospel of Luke.

73. In the role of : QUA
“Qua” is a preposition meaning “in the capacity of”. “Qua” is a form of the Latin word for “who”.

80. Nile deity : ISIS
Isis was the ancient Egyptian goddess of fertility, as well as the protector of the dead and the goddess of children.

81. Mideast ruler : SAUD
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest Arab country in the Middle East and is the world’s largest oil producer, home to the world’s largest oil reserves. The Saudi dynasty started in central Arabia in 1744 when the secular leader Muhammad ibn Saud joined forces with the Islamic scholar and Imam, Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab. At the time, Saud was a ruler of a town near Riyadh and he was determined to bring “true” Islam to the Arabian peninsula. Since 1744 the fortunes of the Saudi family have risen and fallen, but it is that same family who rules what we know today as Saudi Arabia.

84. “Cloud Shepherd” artist : JEAN ARP
“Cloud Shepherd” is a sculpture by the artist Jean Arp that can be seen on the grounds of the University City of Caracas.

Hans Arp was a French artist renowned for his work with torn and pasted paper, although that wasn’t the only medium he used. Arp was the son of a French mother and German father and spoke both languages fluently. When he was speaking German he gave his name as Hans Arp, but when speaking French he called himself Jean Arp. Both “Hans” and “Jean” translate into English as “John”. In WWI Arp moved to Switzerland to avoid being called up to fight, taking advantage of Swiss neutrality. Eventually he was told to report to the German Consulate and fill out paperwork for the draft. In order to get out of fighting, Arp messed up the paperwork by writing the date in every blank space on the forms. Then he took off all of his clothes and walked with his papers over to the officials in charge. He was sent home …

87. Writer Ann : BEATTIE
Ann Beattie is a short story writer and novelist. Beattie’s first novel was “Chilly Scenes of Winter” published in 1976. It was adapted for the big screen in 1979 and released under the same title and also under the name “Head Over Heels”.

88. Mideast national : ISRAELI
The area that is now Israel was ruled by the British after WWI as the British Mandate of Palestine. The British evacuated the area after WWII, largely responding to pressure from both Jewish and Arab nationalist movements. The British Mandate expired on 14 May 1948 and the State of israel was established at the same time. This declaration of a new state was followed by the immediate invasion of the area by four Arab countries and the start of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. A ceasefire was declared after a year of fighting and tension has persisted in the region ever since.

91. Vintage wedding gown fabrics : MOIRES
A moiré pattern is a phenomenon in physics, a so-called interference pattern. If you lay two sheets of mesh over each other for example, slightly offset, then what you see is a moiré pattern. “Moiré” is the French name for a textile that we know simply as “moire”. The rippled pattern of the textile resembles that of the interference pattern.

93. Mideast ruler : AMIR
An emir is a prince or chieftain, most notably in the Middle East. In English, “emir” can also be written as “amir” and “ameer” (watch out for those spellings in crosswords!).

94. Spanish cession in the Spanish-American War : GUAM
Guam is a US territory in the western Pacific Ocean, the largest of the Mariana Islands. Guam is also the first territory in the United States to see the sun rise on any particular day. As such, the territory has adopted the motto, “Where America’s day begins”. During WWII, the US territory of Guam was occupied by the Japanese for 31 months until it was liberated in the Battle of Guam in July 1944. Of the 18,000 Japanese men holding the island, only 485 surrendered, so almost all perished in the invasion. One Japanese sergeant hid out on the island for an incredible 28 years, finally surrendering in 1972!

102. Greek diner order : GYRO
A gyro is a traditional Greek dish, a sandwich made with pita bread containing meat, tomato, onion and tzatziki (a yogurt and cucumber sauce). The meat for gyros is usually roasted on a tall vertical spit and is sliced from the spit as required. The name “gyro” comes from the modern Greek word “gyros” meaning “circle”, a reference to the meat turning as it is grilled in a rotating circular motion.

Share today’s solution with a friend:
FacebookTwitterGoogleEmail

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Help to harm : ABET
5. Part of a pharaoh’s headdress : ASP
8. Worker with a trowel : MASON
13. Much : FAR
16. Mideast capital : SANA
17. Symbol of mass density : RHO
18. Mercurial : FICKLE
19. “The Caine Mutiny” captain : QUEEG
21. Many an early French settler in America : HUGUENOT
23. More off-putting : ICKIER
24. European capital : BERNE
25. Special seating area in an airplane : EXIT ROW
26. Cry from Scrooge : BAH!
27. With 63-Down, 1997 P.G.A. champ who captained the 2012 U.S. Ryder Cup team : DAVIS LOVE
29. Good scores in diving : NINES
30. Like many coats and tunes : BELTED
33. Make calls : REF
34. General ___ chicken : TSO’S
35. Special mall event : TENT SALE
37. Bride of 1981 : LADY DI
39. Jules or Jim in “Jules et Jim” : AMI
40. Amarillo-to-Dallas dir. : ESE
41. L.G.B.T. rights advocate : ACLU
42. Iowa city : AMES
43. Done: Fr. : FINI
45. Lands : DOCKS
47. Without ___ (dangerously) : A NET
48. It may be full of icons : DESKTOP
51. Tease, with “on” : RAG
54. 2-Down, for one : ORE
55. Some H.S. math : ALG
56. Slanting : ATILT
58. “Say what?” : HUH?
59. One more : ANOTHER
61. Words that precede “Born is the King …” : NOEL, NOEL
63. House committee chairman Darrell : ISSA
64. Mexican sauces : MOLES
65. Ear-related study : OTOLOGY
66. Hilarious types : RIOTS
67. Strain : SIFT
68. Reproductive stock : GENE POOL
70. New hire, typically : TRAINEE
72. Hydrocarbon suffix : -ENE
73. Target number : QUOTA
74. Fr. holy woman : STE
75. British rule in India : RAJ
76. [I’m mad!] : GRR!
77. “Don Quixote” composer : STRAUSS
79. Idiosyncrasies : TICS
81. Overseas assembly : SENAT
83. Number-crunching grp. : CPAS
84. Bach’s “___, Joy of Man’s Desiring” : JESU
85. Greek earth goddess : GAEA
86. Robe closer : OBI
89. Nuke : ZAP
90. Chef Lagasse : EMERIL
92. Unseen scenes : OUTTAKES
94. Taunt : GIBE
95. One ___ customer : TO A
96. Name on a swim cap : SPEEDO
98. Funny Anne : MEARA
100. Giving a boost : UPRAISING
103. How-___ : TOS
104. Moneymaker for Money : PRINT AD
106. Compact Olds : ALERO
107. Futuristic weapon : RAY GUN
109. Like a rendition of “Deck the Halls” : SPIRITED
110. He’s no Einstein : MORON
111. Boo-boos : ERRORS
112. Thriller writer Follett : KEN
113. Rural storage : SILO
114. Preserve, in a way : CAN
115. China producer : SPODE
116. Nettle : IRK
117. Half of a noodle dish? : MEIN

Down
1. Gray : ASHEN
2. Good source of aluminum : BAUXITE
3. What cowlings cover : ENGINES
4. Took up the slack in : TAUTENED
5. River of Pisa : ARNO
6. [See blurb] : SHOW BACKER
7. Something it’s not good to go to : POT
8. [See blurb] : MICHELANGELO SCULPTURE
9. Cousin of “aargh!” : ACK!
10. Lose traction : SKID
11. Mrs. ___ cow : O’LEARY’S
12. Braced (oneself) : NERVED
13. Give it the gas : FUEL TANK
14. [See blurb] : AEROSMITH SONG
15. Expulsion, as of a foreign diplomat : RENVOI
18. Majority owner of Chrysler : FIAT
19. Play callers, for short : QBS
20. Big money units, in slang : GEES
22. Lead-in to while : ERST-
26. ___ cheese : BLEU
28. Beatles tune from “A Hard Day’s Night” : IF I FELL
31. Some wings : ELLS
32. Broad : DAME
36. ___-Coeur (Paris basilica) : SACRE
38. Unknot : DETANGLE
44. Suffix with sentimental : -IST
46. Cries of joy : OOHS
47. Throw for ___ : A LOOP
48. Common game piece : DIE
49. Expulsion : OUSTER
50. Futuristic weapon : PHASER
51. One of 11 pharaohs : RAMSES
52. Bedub : ANOINT
53. [See blurb] : GOLFER CABRERA
55. Termite’s nemesis : ANTEATER
57. Item in Santa’s sack : TOY
60. Eastern holiday : TET
62. Ransacks : LOOTS
63. See 27-Across : III
65. Home of Thunder Bay: Abbr. : ONT
66. ___ Rao, “The Serpent and the Rope” novelist : RAJA
68. Tailors’ inserts : GUSSETS
69. Sister of Helios : EOS
70. [See blurb] : TREE TOPPER
71. Charged : RAN AT
73. In the role of : QUA
78. Guest-star in, say : APPEAR ON
80. Nile deity : ISIS
81. Mideast ruler : SAUD
82. Symbolic effort in support of equal rights : TOKENISM
84. “Cloud Shepherd” artist : JEAN ARP
85. Departs : GOES
87. Writer Ann : BEATTIE
88. Mideast national : ISRAELI
89. Self-sealing bag : ZIPLOC
91. Vintage wedding gown fabrics : MOIRES
93. Mideast ruler : AMIR
94. Spanish cession in the Spanish-American War : GUAM
97. Millennia on end : EONS
99. Extension : ADD-ON
101. Charge carrier : ION
102. Greek diner order : GYRO
105. Winter sports locale : RINK
108. Son of ___ : GOD
109. Bit of winter sports equipment : SKI

Return to top of page

The Best of the New York Times Crossword Collections

2 thoughts on “1222-13 New York Times Crossword Answers 22 Dec 13, Sunday”

  1. I agree, it's irritating to see the French spelling for "blue" with the English "cheese." It almost seems like a trick. Thank you for your hard work providing the solutions.

Comments are closed.