0408-14 New York Times Crossword Answers 8 Apr 14, Tuesday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Dashboard gauge, for short : TACH
The tachometer takes its name from the Greek word “tachos” meaning “speed”. A tachometer measures engine revolutions per minute (rpm).

5. Palindromic title : MADAM
The three most famous palindromes in English have to be:

– Able was I ere I saw Elba
– A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!
– Madam, I’m Adam

One of my favorite words is “Aibohphobia”, although it doesn’t appear in the dictionary and is a joke term. “Aibohphobia” is a great way to describe a fear of palindromes, by creating a palindrome out of the suffix “-phobia”.

10. Jared of “Dallas Buyers Club” : LETO
Jared Leto is an actor and musician. In the world of music, Leto is the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the rock band 30 Seconds to Mars. In the film world his most critically acclaimed role was that of a heroin addict in “Requiem for a Dream”. He also appeared in “American Psycho”, “Panic Room” and “Lord of War”.

“Dallas Buyers Club” is a 2013 film that tells the real-life story of AIDS patient Ron Woodruff. Woodruff smuggled unapproved AIDS drugs across the US border into Texas in opposition to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The movie won the Best Actor Oscar for Matthew McConaughey and Best Supporting Actor for Jared Leto.

15. “+” terminal : ANODE
The two terminals of a battery are called the anode and the cathode. Electrons travel from the cathode to the anode creating an electric current in a curcuit.

20. Alfred Nobel and others : SWEDES
Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist and businessman. Nobel is famous for the invention of dynamite during his lifetime, as well as for instituting the Nobel Prizes by providing the necessary funds in his will.

21. Doofus : ASS
“Doofus” (also “dufus”) is student slang that has been around since the sixties. Apparently the word is a variant of the equally unattractive term “doo-doo”.

32. Doc’s “Now!” : STAT!
The exact etymology of “stat”, a term meaning “immediately” in the medical profession, seems to have been lost in the mists of time. It probably comes from the Latin “statim” meaning “to a standstill, immediately”. A blog reader has helpfully suggested that the term may also come from the world of laboratory analysis, where the acronym STAT stands for “short turnaround time”.

34. Bit of intimate attire : BRA
The word “brassière” is of course French in origin, but it isn’t the word the French use for a “bra”. In France what we call a bra is known as a “soutien-gorge”, translating to “held under the neck”. The word “brassière” is indeed used in France but there it describes a baby’s undershirt, a lifebelt or a harness. “Brassière” comes from the Old French word for an “arm protector” in a military uniform (“bras” is the French for “arm”). Later “brassière” came to mean “breastplate” and from there the word was used for a type of woman’s corset. The word jumped into English around 1900.

41. Org. for the Suns or the Heat : NBA
The Phoenix Suns NBA team are in the Pacific Division, and are the only team in that division not based in California.

The Miami Heat basketball team debuted in the NBA in the 1988-89 season. The franchise name was chosen in a competitive survey, with “Miami Heat” beating out “Miami Vice”.

48. Dutch cheese : GOUDA
Gouda is a cheese that originated in the Dutch city of the same name, although today Gouda is produced all over the world and very little of it comes from the Netherlands. Gouda is often smoke-cured, given it a yellowish-brown outer skin and that characteristic smoky taste.

50. Siren’s place : SEA
In Greek mythology, the Sirens were seductive bird-women who lured men to their deaths with their song. When Odysseus sailed closed to the island home of the Sirens he wanted to hear their voices, but in safety. He had his men plug their ears with beeswax and then ordered them to tie him to the mast and not to free him until they were safe. On hearing their song Odysseus begged to be let loose, but the sailors just tightened his bonds and and the whole crew sailed away unharmed.

51. “That’s enough!,” to a collagist? : CUT IT OUT!
A collage is a piece of artwork that is made by assembling pieces of paper and objects that are glued onto paper or canvas. The term “collage” comes from the French “coller” meaning “to glue”.

56. Singer DiFranco : ANI
Ani DiFranco is a folk-rock singer and songwriter. DiFranco has also been labeled a “feminist icon”, and in 2006 won the “Woman of Courage Award” from National Organization of Women.

64. Singer Guthrie : ARLO
Arlo Guthrie is the son of Woody Guthrie. Both father and son are renowned for their singing of protest songs about social injustice. Arlo is most famous for his epic “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree”, a song that lasts a full 18m 34s. In the song Guthrie tells how, after being drafted, he was rejected for service in the Vietnam War based on his criminal record. He had only one incident on his public record, a Thanksgiving Day arrest for littering and being a public nuisance when he was 18-years-old.

66. Sports shoe brand : AVIA
The Avia brand name for athletic shoes was chosen as “avia” is the Latin word for “to fly”, and suggests the concept of aviation. Avia was founded in Oregon in 1979.

68. Gridiron units : YARDS
We never used the word “gridiron” when I was growing up in Ireland (meaning a grill used for cooking food over an open fire). So, maybe I am excused for finding out relatively recently that a football field gridiron is so called because the layout of yard lines over the field looks like a gridiron used in cooking!

Down
3. Unit involved in a shell game? : CREW TEAM
A scull is a boat used for competitive rowing. The main hull of the boat is often referred to as a shell. Crew members who row the boat can be referred to as “oars”.

5. Chess finale : MATE
In the game of chess, when the king is under immediate threat of capture it is said to be “in check”. If the king cannot escape from check, then the game ends in “checkmate” and the player in check loses. In the original Sanskrit game of chess, the king could actually be captured. Then a rule was introduced requiring that a warning be given if capture was imminent (today we announce “check!”) so that an accidental and early ending to the game doesn’t occur.

6. &&& : ANDS
Back in the day, when reciting the alphabet it was common to emphasise that some letters could be used as a word in itself. One would say “A per se A, B, C, D … I per se I, J, K, L … denoting that the letters A and I are also their own words. It was common to add the & symbol at the end of the recitation, as if it were a 27th letter. So the alphabet ended with “X, Y, Z, & (and) per se and”. This “and per se and” statement was slurred to “ampersand”, giving the name that we use today for the & symbol.

7. Scooby-___ : DOO
“Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” is a series of cartoons produced for Hanna-Barbera Productions, first broadcast in 1969.

9. Whiz group : MENSA
If you ever had to learn Latin, as did I, “mensa” was probably taught to you in Lesson One as it’s the word commonly used as an example of a first declension noun. Mensa means “table”. The Mensa organization for folks with high IQs was set up in Oxford, England back in 1946. To become a member, one is required to have an IQ that is in the top 2% of the population.

11. Two-horse wager : EXACTA
To win a bet called an exacta (also called a “perfecta”), the person betting must name the horses that finish first and second and in the exact order. The related bet called the trifecta requires naming of the first, second and third-place finishers in the right order.

12. Drill sergeant’s shout : TEN-HUT!
“Ten-hut!” is a term used in the US Military, and it means “come to attention!”.

18. Bucolic verse : IDYL
An idyl is a short poem with a pastoral theme, usually depicting the scene in romantic and idealized terms. The word comes from the Greek “eidyllion”, which literally translates to “little picture” but was a word describing a short, poem with a rustic theme.

The word “bucolic”, meaning rustic or rural, comes to us from the Greek word “boukolos” meaning “cowherd”.

22. Vice president Agnew : SPIRO
Spiro Agnew served as Vice-President under Richard Nixon, before becoming the only VP in American history to resign because of criminal charges (there was a bribery scandal). Agnew was also the first Greek-American to serve as US Vice-President as he was the son of a Greek immigrant who had shortened the family name from Anagnostopoulos.

24. Rental car add-on, in brief : GPS
Global Positioning System(GPS)

29. Mountain goat : IBEX
Ibex is a common name for various species of mountain goat. “Ibex” is a Latin name that was used for wild goats found in the Alps and Apennines in Europe.

30. A “T” in TNT : TRI-
TNT is an abbreviation for trinitrotoluene. Trinitrotoluene was first produced in 1863 by the German chemist Joseph Wilbrand, who developed it for use as a yellow dye. TNT is relatively difficult to detonate so it was on the market as a dye for some years before its more explosive properties were discovered.

33. Marisa of “Crazy, Stupid, Love” : TOMEI
Marisa Tomei’s first screen role was in “As the World Turns”, but her break came with a recurring role in “The Cosby Show” spinoff, “A Different World”. Tomei won an Oscar for her delightful performance in “My Cousin Vinny” in 1992.

“Crazy, Stupid, Love” is an entertaining romantic-comedy film with a great cast that includes Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore and Marisa Tomei.

38. ___ Dhabi : ABU
Abu Dhabi is one of the seven Emirates that make up the federation known as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The two largest members of the UAE (geographically) are Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the only two of the seven members that have veto power over UAE policy. Before 1971, the UAE was a British Protectorate, a collection of sheikdoms. The sheikdoms entered into a maritime truce with Britain in 1835, after which they became known as the Trucial States, derived from the word “truce”.

44. Deerstalker, e.g. : HAT
A deerstalker is a hat that is associated with hunting, and stalking deer in particular, hence the name. The deerstalker is also very much associated with Sherlock Holmes, and by extension with the stereotypical detective.

46. Dawn goddess : AURORA
Aurora was the goddess of the dawn in Ancient Roman mythology. Aurora had two siblings: Sol (the god of the sun) and Luna (the goddess of the moon). The Greek equivalent of Aurora was Eos.

48. ___ pig : GUINEA
The guinea pig species of rodent is also known as a cavy. Guinea pigs aren’t related to pigs, and not are they from Guinea (in West Africa). Guinea pigs actually come from the Andes. They were commonly used for research in the 1800s and 1900s, and as a result we use the term “guinea pig” for a test subject to this day.

49. “Truth in engineering” sloganeer : AUDI
The Audi name has an interesting history. The Horch company was founded by August Horch in 1909. Early in the life of the new company, Horch was forced out of his own business. He set up a new enterprise and continued to use his own name as a brand. The old company sued him for using the Horch name so a meeting was held to choose something new. Horch’s young son was studying Latin in the room where the meeting was taking place. He pointed out that “Horch” was German for “hear” and he suggested “Audi” as a replacement, the Latin for “listen”.

54. Falafel holders : PITAS
Pita is a lovely bread in Middle-Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. Pita is usually round, and has a “pocket” in the center. The pocket is created by steam that puffs up the dough during cooking leaving a void when the bread cools. The pockets were a big hit in the seventies when someone came up with the idea of using them for fillings hence creating pita sandwiches or “pita pockets”.

Falafel is a fried ball of ground chickpeas or fava beans served in pita bread. I love chickpeas, but falafel just seems too dry to me.

57. The “A” in RNA : ACID
Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) is an essential catalyst in the manufacture of proteins in the body. The genetic code in DNA determines the sequence of amino acids that make up each protein. That sequence is read in DNA by messenger RNA, and amino acids are delivered for protein manufacture in the correct sequence by what is called transfer RNA. The amino acids are then formed into proteins by ribosomal RNA.

58. Island music makers, for short : UKES
The ukulele (“uke”) originated in the 1800s and mimicked a small guitar brought to the Hawaiian Islands by Portuguese immigrants.

62. Boston #4 in years past : ORR
Bobby Orr is regarded as one of the greatest hockey players of all time. By the time he retired in 1978 he had undergone over a dozen knee surgeries. At 31 years of age, he concluded that he just couldn’t skate anymore. Reportedly, he was even having trouble walking …

63. Musical notes after mis : FAS
The solfa syllables are: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la & ti.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Dashboard gauge, for short : TACH
5. Palindromic title : MADAM
10. Jared of “Dallas Buyers Club” : LETO
14. Pretty agile for one’s age : SPRY
15. “+” terminal : ANODE
16. Plow beasts : OXEN
17. “That’s enough!,” to a hot dog-eating contestant? : KEEP IT DOWN!
19. Covet : WANT
20. Alfred Nobel and others : SWEDES
21. Doofus : ASS
23. “___-ching!” (cash register sound) : CHA
24. Full of nerve : GUTSY
25. “That’s enough!,” to a store clerk at Christmas? : WRAP IT UP!
27. Certain graph shape : PIE
28. Thin and graceful : LITHE
31. Seeing red : IRATE
32. Doc’s “Now!” : STAT!
34. Bit of intimate attire : BRA
35. Miracle-___ : GRO
36. “That’s enough!,” to an assembly line worker? : MOVE IT ALONG!
40. Action verb that’s also a Roman numeral : MIX
41. Org. for the Suns or the Heat : NBA
42. Beauty pageant wear : SASH
45. Soothes : EASES
48. Dutch cheese : GOUDA
50. Siren’s place : SEA
51. “That’s enough!,” to a collagist? : CUT IT OUT!
53. Unexpected victory : UPSET
55. Neighbor of Wash. : ORE
56. Singer DiFranco : ANI
57. I.R.S. inspections : AUDITS
59. Rich soil : LOAM
61. “That’s enough!,” to a carnival thrower? : KNOCK IT OFF!
64. Singer Guthrie : ARLO
65. Ghostly : EERIE
66. Sports shoe brand : AVIA
67. Dangerous stinger : WASP
68. Gridiron units : YARDS
69. Tennis units : SETS

Down
1. Scolding sound : TSK!
2. Jungle film attire : APE SUIT
3. Unit involved in a shell game? : CREW TEAM
4. Overly promotes : HYPES
5. Chess finale : MATE
6. &&& : ANDS
7. Scooby-___ : DOO
8. Program producing online pop-ups : ADWARE
9. Whiz group : MENSA
10. Simmer setting : LOW
11. Two-horse wager : EXACTA
12. Drill sergeant’s shout : TEN-HUT!
13. Like books for long car rides, say : ON TAPE
18. Bucolic verse : IDYL
22. Vice president Agnew : SPIRO
24. Rental car add-on, in brief : GPS
25. Miscellaneous things : WHATNOT
26. Gets wrinkles out : IRONS
29. Mountain goat : IBEX
30. A “T” in TNT : TRI-
33. Marisa of “Crazy, Stupid, Love” : TOMEI
35. Pleased : GLAD
37. View from a lookout : VISTA
38. ___ Dhabi : ABU
39. Appliance with a pilot : GAS STOVE
43. Deems it O.K. : SEES FIT
44. Deerstalker, e.g. : HAT
45. Body of environmental regulations : ECOLAW
46. Dawn goddess : AURORA
47. Super buys : STEALS
48. ___ pig : GUINEA
49. “Truth in engineering” sloganeer : AUDI
52. Well-pitched : ON KEY
54. Falafel holders : PITAS
57. The “A” in RNA : ACID
58. Island music makers, for short : UKES
60. Cleaning tool : MOP
62. Boston #4 in years past : ORR
63. Musical notes after mis : FAS

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