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Solution to today’s crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today’s SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
CROSSWORD SETTER: Peter A. Collins
THEME: For Mother … we have a Mother-themed puzzle today with several clues reading “Mother —-”. We also have aso have MOM appearing across the grid, reading from the top-left to the bottom-right, outlined by black squares. And, the word “Mom” is spelled out in each of the letters M of the big MOM. Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms out there!
14A. Mother ___ : JONES
49A. Mother ___ : TERESA
68A. Mother ___ : LODE
70A. Mother ___ : SHIP
91A. Mother ___ : TONGUE
124A. Mother ___ : GOOSE
9A. Mother ___ : HUBBARD
95A. Mother ___ : COUNTRY120A. “Happy Mother’s ___!” : DAY
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 24m 26s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Diamond cover : TARP
A baseball diamond is often covered by a tarpaulin.
Originally, tarpaulins were made from canvas covered in tar that rendered the material waterproof. The word “tarpaulin” comes from “tar” and “palling”, with “pall” meaning “heavy cloth covering”.
5. Some Arizonans : HOPI
Much of the Hopi nation live on a reservation that is actually located within the much larger Navajo reservation in Arizona.
9. Sultan’s charge : HAREM
“Harem” is a Turkish word, derived from the Arabic for “forbidden place”. Traditionally a harem was the female quarters in a household in which a man had more than one wife. Not only wives (and concubines) would use the harem, but also young children and other female relatives. The main point was that no men were allowed in the area.
14. Mother ___ : JONES
Mary Harris Jones was a labor and community organizer who was so successful at orchestrating strikes of mine workers in the early 1900s that she became known in some circles as “the most dangerous woman in America”. Jones spent her formative years in her native Ireland before emigrating to the US via Canada. She settled in Memphis, Tennessee where her life was struck with tragedy. She lost her husband and all four of their children in an outbreak of yellow fever. Much later in her life she was given the moniker “Mother Jones”.
19. Calypso staple : STEEL DRUM
The musical style of calypso originated in Trinidad and Tobago, but there seems to be some debate about which influences were most important as the genre developed. It is generally agreed that the music was imported by African slaves from their homeland, but others emphasize influences of the medieval French troubadours. To me it sounds more African in nature. Calypso reached the masses when it was first recorded in 1912, and it spread around the world in the thirties and forties. It reached its pinnacle with the release of the famous “Banana Boat Song” by Harry Belafonte.
23. Agents in blood clotting : PLATELETS
Platelets are cell-like structures in the blood, although they have no nucleus nor any DNA. When bleeding occurs, the wall of the damaged blood vessel is covered with a clot made up of platelets enmeshed in a protein called fibrin.
24. I.Q. test developer : BINET
The original Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale for scoring IQ tests was developed by French psychologist Alfred Binet and his student Theodore Simon. The scale was revised in 1916 by Lewis M. Terman, a psychologist at Stanford University, resulting in the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale.
26. Part of A.P.R.: Abbr. : PCT
Annual percentage rate (APR)
29. New Orleans Saint who was the Super Bowl XLIV M.V.P. : DREW BREES
Drew Brees is a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. On top of his success in the NFL, when he was a youth Brees was an excellent tennis player. In one competition he actually beat a young Andy Roddick who later became the world’s number one.
33. ___ Disraeli, author of “Curiosities of Literature” : ISAAC
Isaac D’Israeli was a writer and scholar from England. Isaac is not perhaps as well known as his son Benjamin Disraeli, who served a Prime Minister from 1874 to 1880.
35. Like seven Nolan Ryan games : NO-HIT
Nolan Ryan is famous for having more career strikeouts that any other baseball pitcher. However, he also holds the record for the most career walks and wild pitches. Another record that Ryan holds is the most no-hitters, a total of seven over his career.
38. Element #2’s symbol : HE
The element helium (He) has an atomic number (at. no.) of 2, and is one of the noble gases.
39. Rodent that burrows near streams : NUTRIA
The river rat, also known as the coypu or nutria, is a native of South America, although is now found all over the word as an invasive species. The river rat was introduced into locations outside of South America by ranchers who farmed them for their fur.
41. Prince Harry, for one : REDHEAD
Prince William is second in line to the British throne, after his father Prince Charles, with Prince Harry holding the third spot. Prince Harry moved down the list when William and Kate has their child George. The law was changed in 2011 so that the oldest child of Prince William and Kate Middleton would be next in line, regardless of sex. Up until 2011, the sons took precedence, even over older daughters.
45. Some West Coast wines : NAPAS
The first commercial winery in Napa Valley, California was established way back in 1858. However, premium wine production only dates back to the 1960s, with the region really hitting the big time after its success at the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976. The story of that famous blind wine tasting is told in the entertaining 2008 film “Bottle Shock”.
49. Mother ___ : TERESA
Mother Teresa was born in 1910 in the city that is now called Skopje, the capital of Macedonia. At birth she was given the names Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu (“Gonxha” means “little flower” in Albanian). She left home at the age of 18 and joined the Sisters of Loreto, and headed to Loreto Abbey in Rathfarnham in Dublin, Ireland in order to learn English. Her goal was to teach in India, and English was the language used there for instruction by the nuns. After Mother Teresa passed away in 1997 she was beatified by Pope John Paul II, a step on the road to canonization. In order for her to be beatified there had to be documented evidence of a miracle that was performed due to her intercession. The miracle in question was the healing of a tumor in the abdomen of a woman due to the application of a locket containing a picture of Mother Teresa. Documentation of a second miracle is required for her to be declared a saint.
50. Joel and Jennifer : GREYS
Actor, singer and dancer Joel Grey is best known for playing the fabulous Master of Ceremonies in the musical “Cabaret” both on stage and the big screen. Joel is the father of actress Jennifer Grey, who appeared in “Dirty Dancing” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”.
57. Abbreviation between two names : AKA
Also known as (aka)
60. Bert’s mystery-solving twin : NAN
The “Bobbsey Twins” series of children’s novels was first written by Edward Stratemeyer in 1904. Stratemeyer used the pseudonym Laura Lee Hope, as did subsequent authors who wrote 72 books in the series between 1904 and 1979. The title characters were two sets of fraternal twins, one called Bert and Nan (who were 12) and the other called Flossie and Freddie (who were 6).
62. Eye cover for the naive? : WOOL
Someone naive has the wool pulled over their eyes. The expression originated in 19th-century America and is a reference to the woolen wigs that were fashionable at the time.
63. The original “It” girl : CLARA BOW
Clara Bow was a fabulous star of silent film, with her most famous movie being “It” from 1927. Clara Bow’s performance was so celebrated in the movie that she was forever to be known as the “It-girl”. The term “it” was a euphemism for “sex appeal”, and that is what Clara Bow was known to “exude”. Bow applied her red lipstick in the shape of a heart, and women who copied this style were said to put on a “Clara Bow”.
64. What’s good in Jerusalem? : TOV
“Tov” is the Hebrew word for “good”, as in “mozel tov”, meaning “good luck”.
67. ID digits : SSN
A Social Security number (SSN) is divided into three parts i.e AAA-GG-SSSS, Originally, the Area Number (AAA) was the code for the office that issued the card. Since 1973, the Area Number reflects the ZIP code from which the application was made. The GG in the SSN is the Group Number, and the SSSS in the number is the Serial Number. However, this is all moot, as since 2011 SSN’s are assigned randomly.
68. Mother ___ : LODE
A lode is a metal ore deposit that’s found between two layers of rock or in a fissure. The “mother lode” is the principal deposit in a mine, usually of gold or silver. “Mother lode” is probably a translation of “veta madre”, an expression used in mining in Mexico.
69. Michael Collins’s org. : IRA
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) has been around in various forms since 1913, just three years before it launched the famous Easter Rising of 1916, a thwarted rebellion against British rule. The IRA fought the Irish War of Independence against the British which lasted from 1919 until 1921, ending in a treaty which divided the country into the self-governing Irish Free State and the separate country of Northern Ireland which remained part of the United Kingdom. The IRA split at the time the treaty was signed, leading to the Irish Civil War which lasted from 1922 to 1923, ending in a victory for the faction that supported the Anglo-Irish Treaty.
Michael Collins was one of the most famous leaders of the revolutionary war that led to an independent Irish state after the British withdrew. There is an excellent biopic called “Michael Collins” released in 1996 with Liam Neeson in the title role.
74. Bank of Israel : LEUMI
Bank Leumi is Israel’s leading commercial bank. It was founded way back in 1902 as the Anglo Palestine Company, actually in London, England.
75. Vintner’s prefix : OEN-
In Greek mythology, Oeno was the goddess of wine, giving us “oen-” as a prefix meaning “wine”. For example, oenology is the study of wine and an oenophile is a wine-lover.
76. 800, say : TOLL-FREE
The first automated toll-free, 1-800 numbers were introduced in 1966 in the US.
78. Cuba libre ingredient : COLA
The cocktail known as a Cuba Libre is basically a Rum and Coke although the traditional recipe calls for some lime juice to be added.
81. End of a pickoff : TAG
In baseball, a pitcher might be able to pick off a baserunner who is trying to steal the next base.
82. D.C. player : NAT
The Washington Nationals baseball team started out life as the Montreal Expos in 1969. The Expos moved to Washington in 2005 becoming the Nats. There are only two Major Leagues teams that have never played in a World Series, one being the Mariners and the other the Nats.
83. “Survivor” tactic : ALLIANCE
The reality show “Survivor” is based on a Swedish television series created in 1997 called “Expedition Robinson”.
86. Sharks’ and Jets’ org. : NHL
The San Jose Sharks hockey team play their home games at the HP Pavillion in San Jose, a venue that we locals call “the Shark Tank”.
Winnipeg’s professional hockey team is called the Winnipeg Jets. The team was founded as the Atlanta Thrashers in 1999 but relocated to the Manitoba city in 2011. The new team name was chosen in honor of Winnipeg’s former professional hockey team called the Jets, a franchise that was founded in the city in 1972 but relocated and became the Phoenix Coyotes in 1996.
88. Needle-nosed fish : GAR
The fish known as a gar is very unusual in that it is often found in very brackish water. What is interesting about gar is that their swim bladders are vascularized so that they can actually function as lungs. Many species of gar can actually be seen coming to the surface and taking a gulp of air. This adaptation makes it possible for them to live in conditions highly unsuitable for other fish that rely on their gills to get oxygen out of the water. Indeed, quite interesting …
90. Montemezzi opera “L’Amore dei ___ Re” : TRE
Italo Montemezzi was an Italian composer who wrote his most famous work in 1913, the opera “L’amore dei tre re” (The Love of Three Kings). The opera was an early success for Montemezzi, enabling him to give up teaching and devote most of his life to composition.
98. Literally, “lion dog” : SHIH TZU
The Shih Tzu is one of the oldest breeds of dog, a breed that originated in China. Shih Tzus have long hairy coats but they don’t shed.
100. Second of six? : SHORT I
The second letter in the word “six” is a short I.
101. Dorothy’s aunt : EM
In “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”, Dorothy lives with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry.
103. 2001 Spielberg sci-fi film : AI
“A.I. Artificial Intelligence” is a 2001 Steven Spielberg movie about a childlike android called David. The android is played by actor Haley Joel Osment, who played the kid who saw “dead people” in “The Sixth Sense”. “A.I.” is based on a short story called “Super-Toys Last All Summer Long” written by Brian Aldiss.
104. Greases : LARDS
Fat, when extracted from the carcass of an animal, is called “suet”. Untreated suet decomposes at room temperature quite easily so it has to be “rendered” or purified to make it stable. Rendered fat from pigs is what we call “lard”. Rendered beef or mutton fat is known as “tallow”.
106. “The Age of Anxiety” poet : AUDEN
The noted poet W. H. Auden was born and raised in England, but eventually became a US citizen. As well as hundreds of poems, Auden also wrote librettos for operas, including Igor Stravinsky’s “The Rake’s Progress”.
109. Pointed fence stakes : PALISADES
A palisade is a defensive fence made from wooden stakes. “Palisade” comes from the Latin “palus” meaning “stake”. The first settlers in America from England used to build palisades around their encampments for protection. When it was time to move on, they would dismantle the palisade and bring it with them, giving rise to the expression “to pull up stakes” meaning “to move”.
113. Wager of war against Parthia : NERO
The Roman emperor Nero had quite the family life. When Nero was just 16-years-old he married his stepsister, Claudia Octavia. He also had his mother and step-brother executed.
114. Trident alternative : ORBIT
Orbit is a sugarless gum made by Wrigley’s. Orbit was first introduced during WWII, but was taken off the shelves in the 1980s when there was a concern that the gum’s sweetener was carcinogenic. Orbit was relaunched in 2001.
Trident chewing gum was introduced in 1960, and was marketed as a gum that aided in dental health. The original formula included three enzymes that were thought to soften dental tartar. This trio of enzymes gave rise to the name “Trident”.
115. Téa of “The Family Man” : LEONI
Téa Leoni is an American actress. One of Leoni’s early parts was in the great film “A League of Their Own” (a minor role, Racine at first base). She also played Sam Malone’s fiancée on “Cheers” and opposite Adam Sandler in “Spanglish”. My favorite of her more prominent roles was as Jane in “Fun with Dick and Jane”.
116. What unicorns don’t do : EXIST
A unicorn is a mythical creature that resembles a horse with horn projecting from its forehead. The term “unicorn” comes from the Latin “uni-” (one) and “cornus” (horn).
123. Smithsonian artifacts : AMERICANA
An ana (plural “anas”) is a collection, perhaps of literature, that represents the character of a particular place or a person. Ana can be used as a noun or as a suffix (e.g. Americana).
The Smithsonian Institution was established in 1846 as the United States National Museum. The institution was renamed in honor of British scientist James Smithson who indirectly provided the initial funding. The funds were collected from England on the orders of President Andrew Jackson, and arrived in the form of 105 sacks containing 104,960 gold sovereigns.
124. Mother ___ : GOOSE
“Mother Goose” is an imaginary author of nursery rhymes and fairy tales. Even though collections of “Mother Goose” tales have been published over the years, there is no specific writer who has been identified as her creator. “Mother Goose” is a very common pantomime that is staged in the British Isles in the Christmas season.
126. Cataract location : LENS
Cataracts are a condition in which the lens of the eye gets cloudy, impairing vision. The name of the disease comes from the Latin “cataracta” meaning “waterfall”. The idea is that the whiteness of rushing water resembles the white appearance of the affected lens.
127. Paris suburb on the Seine : ISSY
Issy-les-Moulineaux is a suburb of Paris lying on the banks of the Seine. Issy’s economy was based on manufacturing, but now it is known as a nexus for the French telecommunications and media industries.
Down
2. Braves, on a sports ticker : ATL
The Atlanta Braves are the only team to have won baseball’s World Series in three different home cities. They won as the Boston Braves in 1914, the Milwaukee Braves in 1957 and the Atlanta Braves in 1995.
4. Purina purveyor : PETCO
Petco is a chain of retail stores that sells live animals and pet supplies. The Petco logo includes the two company mascots, Red Ruff the dog and Blue Mews the cat.
Purina began operations in 1894 as an operation for producing feed for farm animals. A few years later, in 1902, the Ralston name was introduced when Webster Edgerly joined the business. Edgerly was the founder of a controversial social movement called Ralstonism. Central to the movement was personal health, with RALSTON standing for Regime, Activity, Light, Strength, Temperation, Oxygen and Nature.
5. “Good” cholesterol, for short : HDL
HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is a compound that is used to transport fats around the body. When HDL is combined with (i.e. is transporting) cholesterol, it is often called “good cholesterol”. This is because HDL seems to remove cholesterol from where it should not be, say on the walls of arteries, and transports it to the liver for reuse or disposal. Important stuff …
LDL (low-density lipoprotein) is one of the compounds responsible for transporting fats around the body. When LDL is combined with cholesterol it can be referred to as “bad cholesterol”. This is because LDL actually transports cholesterol into the inner walls of blood vessels leading to atherosclerosis.
9. Mother ___ : HUBBARD
The English nursery rhyme “Old Mother Hubbard” was first printed in 1805:
Old Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard,
To give the poor dog a bone;
When she came there,
The cupboard was bare,
And so the poor dog had none.
10. 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.
13. Astronomical sighting : METEOR
A shooting star is what we call the visible path of a meteoroid as is it enters the earth’s atmosphere. Almost all meteoroids burn up, but if one is large enough to survive and reach the ground, we call it a meteorite. The word “meteor” comes from the Greek “meteōros” meaning “high in the air”.
14. Politician who appeared as himself on NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” : JOE BIDEN
Joe Biden appeared as himself in a 2012 episode of the sitcom “Parks and Recreation”. That appearance marked the first time that a sitting US vice-president ever acted in an American TV series.
18. Kikkoman sauces : SOYS
Kikkoman is a company headquartered in Japan that is noted in North America as a producer of soy sauce.
20. Umpire’s cry : LET
An umpire might call “let” in a game of tennis.
31. Khan’s clan : MONGOLS
The Mongols are an ethnic group that is found today in modern Mongolia, in China and in Russia.
Kublai Khan was leader of the Mongol Empire from 1260 to 1294. Kublai Khan was a grandson of Genghis Khan. Kublai Khan had a summer garden at Kanadu, which famously was the subject of the 1797 poem “Kubla Khan” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
34. Coffin nail : CIG
Cigarettes were known colloquially as “coffin nails” as far back as 1888.
37. Former chief justice Stone : HARLAN
The lawyer Harlan F. Stone served as US Attorney General before being appointed to the US Supreme Court in 1925. Stone became the court’s Chief Justice in 1941, but only for five years as he passed away in 1946.
38. Bucolic bundle : HAY BALE
The word “bucolic”, meaning rustic or rural, comes to us from the Greek word “boukolos” meaning “cowherd”.
40. 1950s political monogram : AES
Adlai Stevenson (AES) ran for president unsuccessfully against Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and in 1956. Some years after his second defeat, Stevenson served under President Kennedy as Ambassador to the United Nations. Stevenson was always noted for his eloquence and he had a famous exchange in a UN Security Council meeting during the Cuban missile crisis. Stevenson bluntly demanded that the Soviet representative on the council tell the world if the USSR was installing nuclear weapons in Cuba. His words were “Don’t wait for the translation, answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’!” followed by “I am prepared to wait for my answer until Hell freezes over!”
42. Architect Saarinen : EERO
Eero Saarinen was a Finnish American architect, renowned in this country for his unique designs for public buildings such as Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Dulles International Airport Terminal, and the TWA building at JFK.
44. Wonka inventor : DAHL
Roald Dahl’s name is Norwegian. Dahl’s parents were from Norway, although Dahl himself was Welsh. Dahl became one of the most successful authors of the twentieth century. Two of his most famous titles are “James and the Giant Peach” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”.
Willy Wonka is the lead character in the 1964 novel by Roald Dahl called “Charlie & the Chocolate Factory”. Willy Wonka has been portrayed on the big screen twice. Gene Wilder was a fabulous Wonka in the 1971 version titled “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory”, and Johnny Depp played him in the Tim Burton movie from 2005 called “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. I’m not too fond of Tim Burton movies, so I haven’t seen that one …
53. Subject of a Pittsburgh art museum : WARHOL
The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh is the largest such facility in the country dedicated to a single artist. The museum is located in Pittsburgh as that is where Warhol was born.
56. Seven-time N.B.A. rebounding champ, 1992-98 : RODMAN
(54A. With 58-Down, four-time destination for 56-Down : NORTH)
58. See 54-Across : KOREA
Retired professional basketball player Dennis Rodman first visited North Korea in February 2013 to host some basketball exhibitions. Rodman met with the country’s leader Kim Jong-un during that trip, and the two seems to bond as lovers of basketball. More trips by Rodman followed later in the year, leading to a lot of controversy.
Kim Jong-un is the current supreme leader of North Korea, a man very much in the news since he came to power on the death of his father Kim Jong-il in 2011. Kim Jong-un went to school for several years in Switzerland, living under an assumed name. While at school, he was known to be very athletic, and was particularly fond of playing and watching basketball.
59. Pushing the envelope, say : AVANT-GARDE
People described as being avant-garde are especially innovative. “Avant-garde” is French for “advance guard”.
61. Actor Sam of “The Horse Whisperer” : NEILL
Sam Neill is a very talented actor from New Zealand. I really enjoyed Neill in a 1983 television miniseries about a British spy operation during WWI. He is perhaps better-known for his roles in the movies “Omen III”, “Dead Calm”, “Jurassic Park” and “The Hunt for Red October”.
“The Horse Whisperer” is a 1998 movie based on a 1995 novel of the same name by Nicholas Evans. Robert Redford starred in the film, and directed. “The Horse Whisperer” was the first film in which Redford both appeared and directed.
66. Bowler’s bane : SPLIT
In ten pin bowling, a split takes place when the number-one pin (headpin) is a knocked down with the first ball and two or more non-adjacent pins are left standing. The most difficult split to deal with is the infamous 7-10 split, where just the rear pins at the extreme right and left remain standing.
71. Education secretary Duncan : ARNE
Long before Arne Duncan became Secretary of Education he was a professional basketball player, but not in the NBA. He played for the National Basketball League of Australia, for the Eastside Spectres in Melbourne.
77. Game for which Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday were once dealers : FARO
Faro is a card game somewhat akin to Baccarat that was popular in England and France in the 18th century. Faro made it to the Old West, where it became a favorite of Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp. The origin of the name “Faro” is unclear. One popular theory is that Faro is a contraction of ‘pharaoh’ given that Egyptian motifs used to be common on playing cards of the period. There’s another theory involving the usual suspects: Irish immigrants and famines …
79. Then again, in text messages : OTOH
On the other hand (OTOH)
80. Filmmaker Riefenstahl : LENI
Leni Riefenstahl was a German film director, actress and dancer. She was a noted figure moving in Adolf Hitler’s circle, and her most famous film was a propaganda piece called “Triumph of Will”. “Triumph of the Will” documents the 1934 Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg. We’ve all probably seen many excerpts, shots of huge crowds, Nazis marching with flags, and frenzied speeches from Hitler. Riefenstahl was arrested after the war and detained for a number of years but never found guilty of any crime. She lived a long life, a very long life. She was married for the second time in 2003, at the age of 101 years. She died just a few weeks later, as she had been suffering from cancer.
85. Table : PUT ASIDE
These “tabling” and “shelving” idioms drive me crazy, because they are always misused. If a topic is shelved, it is set aside. If a topic is tabled, it is brought “off the shelf” and put “on the table” for discussion. But, maybe it’s just me …
87. Former defense secretary Aspin : LES
Les Aspin was Secretary of Defense in the Clinton administration, just for a year. He had a turbulent year in office, and during this time oversaw the introduction of the “don’t’ ask, don’t tell” policy for the military. But it was the loss of US lives in Somalia that brought his year to an end, causing him to resign for personal reasons at the end of 1993.
92. Pound of poetry : EZRA
Ezra Pound was an American poet who spent much of his life wandering the world, spending years in London, Paris, and Italy. In Italy, Pound’s work and sympathies for Mussolini’s regime led to his arrest at the end of the war. His major work was the epic, albeit incomplete, “The Cantos”. This epic poem is divided into 120 sections, each known as a canto.
102. “Much obliged,” in Montréal : MERCI
The original name of Montreal was Ville-Marie, meaning the City of Mary. Ville-Marie is now the name of a borough in the city, the borough which includes the downtown area and “Old Montreal”. The present-day city covers most of the Island of Montreal (in French, Île de Montréal) that is located where the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers meet. The name Montreal comes from the three-headed hill that dominates the island and is called Mount Royal.
103. Baker and Brookner : ANITAS
Anita Baker is an R&B and soul singer who was raised in Detroit, Michigan. Baker’s most successful song is the Grammy-winning “Sweet Love” released in 1986.
Anita Brookner is a British novelist and art historian. Brookner’s fourth book was “Hotel du Lac” published in 1984, which won the Booker Prize.
108. Simple counters : ABACI
The abacus was used as a counting frame long before man had invented a numbering system. It is a remarkable invention, particularly when one notes that abaci are still widely used today across Africa and Asia.
111. Target’s target, e.g. : LOGO
Target Corporation was founded by George Draper Dayton in 1902 in Minneapolis, Minnesota as Dayton Dry Goods Company. Dayton developed into a department store, and the company opened up a discount store chain in 1962, calling it Target. Today Target is the second-largest discount retailer in the country, after Walmart.
112. Flowerpot spot : SILL
A “sill plate” or simply “sill” is an architectural term for a bottom horizontal member to which vertical members are attached. A “window sill” is specific sill plate that is found at the bottom of a window opening.
120. “Happy Mother’s ___!” : DAY
Note the official punctuation in “Mother’s Day”, even though one might think it should be “Mothers’ Day”. President Wilson, and Anna Jarvis who created the tradition, specifically wanted Mother’s Day to honor the mothers within each family and not just “mothers” in general, so they went with the “Mother’s Day” punctuation.
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
5. Some Arizonans : HOPI
9. Sultan’s charge : HAREM
14. Mother ___ : JONES
19. Calypso staple : STEEL DRUM
21. Pull together : UNITE
22. Quarter-rounded molding : OVOLO
23. Agents in blood clotting : PLATELETS
24. I.Q. test developer : BINET
25. Minute : EENSY
26. Part of A.P.R.: Abbr. : PCT
27. Archaeologist’s discovery : TOMB
29. New Orleans Saint who was the Super Bowl XLIV M.V.P. : DREW BREES
33. ___ Disraeli, author of “Curiosities of Literature” : ISAAC
35. Like seven Nolan Ryan games : NO-HIT
36. “No kidding!” : OH!
38. Element #2’s symbol : HE
39. Rodent that burrows near streams : NUTRIA
41. Prince Harry, for one : REDHEAD
45. Some West Coast wines : NAPAS
47. Resented : GRUDGED
49. Mother ___ : TERESA
50. Joel and Jennifer : GREYS
51. Opposite of ‘neath : O’ER
52. Start the growing season : SOW
54. With 58-Down, four-time destination for 56-Down : NORTH
55. Simple storage unit on a farm : POLE BARN
57. Abbreviation between two names : AKA
60. Bert’s mystery-solving twin : NAN
62. Eye cover for the naive? : WOOL
63. The original “It” girl : CLARA BOW
64. What’s good in Jerusalem? : TOV
65. Lock : TRESS
67. ID digits : SSN
68. Mother ___ : LODE
69. Michael Collins’s org. : IRA
70. Mother ___ : SHIP
71. Circular parts? : ADS
74. Bank of Israel : LEUMI
75. Vintner’s prefix : OEN-
76. 800, say : TOLL-FREE
78. Cuba libre ingredient : COLA
81. End of a pickoff : TAG
82. D.C. player : NAT
83. “Survivor” tactic : ALLIANCE
84. Really went for : ATE UP
86. Sharks’ and Jets’ org. : NHL
88. Needle-nosed fish : GAR
90. Montemezzi opera “L’Amore dei ___ Re” : TRE
91. Mother ___ : TONGUE
93. Pot pusher’s vehicle? : TEACART
98. Literally, “lion dog” : SHIH TZU
100. Second of six? : SHORT I
101. Dorothy’s aunt : EM
103. 2001 Spielberg sci-fi film : AI
104. Greases : LARDS
106. “The Age of Anxiety” poet : AUDEN
107. Not accidental : MEANT
109. Pointed fence stakes : PALISADES
113. Wager of war against Parthia : NERO
114. Trident alternative : ORBIT
115. Téa of “The Family Man” : LEONI
116. What unicorns don’t do : EXIST
118. Not said expressly : INDICATED
121. Prodded : URGED
122. Stick in a school desk : RULER
123. Smithsonian artifacts : AMERICANA
124. Mother ___ : GOOSE
125. Spread out : SPLAY
126. Cataract location : LENS
127. Paris suburb on the Seine : ISSY
Down
1. Recipe amt. : TSP
2. Braves, on a sports ticker : ATL
3. End the growing season : REAP
4. Purina purveyor : PETCO
5. “Good” cholesterol, for short : HDL
6. Some freighter cargo : ORE
7. Backsliding, to a dieter : PUTTING ON WEIGHT
8. “Yeah, right!” : I’M SO SURE!
9. Mother ___ : HUBBARD
10. Singer DiFranco : ANI
11. Zest : RIND
12. Forever, in verse : ETERN
13. Astronomical sighting : METEOR
14. Politician who appeared as himself on NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” : JOE BIDEN
15. Topples : OVERTHROWS
16. Abstainer’s choice : NONE
17. Ultimate word of an ultimatum : ELSE
18. Kikkoman sauces : SOYS
20. Umpire’s cry : LET
28. Coming of age : MATURATION
30. Hone : WHET
31. Khan’s clan : MONGOLS
32. Goof around : MESS ABOUT
34. Coffin nail : CIG
37. Former chief justice Stone : HARLAN
38. Bucolic bundle : HAY BALE
40. 1950s political monogram : AES
42. Architect Saarinen : EERO
43. Regarding : AS TO
44. Wonka inventor : DAHL
46. Kind of review : PEER
48. Words to one who’s about to go off : DON’T START IN ON ME
53. Subject of a Pittsburgh art museum : WARHOL
55. Windows boxes? : PCS
56. Seven-time N.B.A. rebounding champ, 1992-98 : RODMAN
58. See 54-Across : KOREA
59. Pushing the envelope, say : AVANT-GARDE
61. Actor Sam of “The Horse Whisperer” : NEILL
66. Bowler’s bane : SPLIT
71. Education secretary Duncan : ARNE
72. Last month: Abbr. : DEC
73. “What’d I tell you?” : SEE?
74. Most people don’t think they’re funny : LAUGH LINES
77. Game for which Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday were once dealers : FARO
78. Jazz musicians : CATS
79. Then again, in text messages : OTOH
80. Filmmaker Riefenstahl : LENI
85. Table : PUT ASIDE
87. Former defense secretary Aspin : LES
89. Through road : ARTERIAL
92. Pound of poetry : EZRA
94. “Now I remember!” : AHA!
95. Mother ___ : COUNTRY
96. Some kiss-and-tell books : MEMOIRS
97. They don’t have fingers : MITTENS
99. Milk dispensers : UDDERS
102. “Much obliged,” in Montréal : MERCI
103. Baker and Brookner : ANITAS
105. Make more alluring : SEX UP
108. Simple counters : ABACI
109. Advertise : PLUG
110. Sleek, informally : AERO
111. Target’s target, e.g. : LOGO
112. Flowerpot spot : SILL
117. Body on a map : SEA
119. Cozy room : DEN
120. “Happy Mother’s ___!” : DAY
The Best of the New York Times Crossword Collections
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Sweet puzzle. I miss my mom, who has been gone for 14 years now. Mildly curious: I thought 2- letter answers were forbidden in the NY Times crossword, and in crossword puzzles in general. First time seeing this in my experience. Maybe they were permitted here for the sake of the grid, or for the special occasion of Mother's Day? Keep up the brilliant work…!
Thanks for the kind words about the blog.
It is indeed true that there is a 3-letter minimum for answers in the NYTimes puzzle, but it seems that rules were made to broken. And to effect here, I thought.
I don't want the answers. I want the puzzle without the answers.
There's a link to the blank puzzle at the top of the page "Today's Crossword Online". The trouble is, in order to play online you need a subscription to "The New York Times" Puzzles Page. If you do the puzzle everyday, then that access can be well worth the price you pay.
see more about Haley Joel Osment at http://duckhits.com/9254/8-former-child-stars-stuck-with-their-kid-faces
Thanks for the link, Don. A young-looking young man 🙂