0528-14 New York Times Crossword Answers 28 May 14, Wednesday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Tim Croce
THEME: Animal Similes … each of today’s themed answers is a simile involving an animal:

20A. Scale-busting : FAT AS A COW
49A. Quite cunning : SLY AS A FOX
3D. Really ill : SICK AS A DOG
10D. Humongous : BIG AS A WHALE
17D. Like a chrome-dome : BALD AS A COOT
23D. Unable to see the “E” on the Snellen chart, say : BLIND AS A BAT
31D. Working away : BUSY AS A BEE

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 6m 47s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. British brew with a red triangle logo : BASS ALE
The red triangle on the label of a bottle of Bass Ale was registered in 1875 and is UK Registered Trade Mark (TM) No: 00001, the first trade mark issued in the world.

18. “Ergo” preceder : COGITO
The great French philosopher Rene Descartes made the famous statement in Latin, “Cogito ergo sum”, which translates into English as “I think, therefore I am”.

27. Gore who sang “It’s My Party,” 1963 : LESLEY
“Its My Party” is a great song from the sixties that was released by Lesley Gore in 1963 when she was just 16 years of age. “It’s My Party” tells the story of a teenage girl whose boyfriend hooks up with another girl at her own birthday party. The song struck such a chord with the listening audience that Gore recorded a sequel called “Judy’s Turn to Cry” in which the teenage girl gets her revenge, and her boyfriend returns to her.

30. Aladdin’s monkey pal : ABU
Abu is a monkey in the Disney production of “Aladdin”. The character is based on Abu, a thief in the 1940 film “The Thief of Baghdad”.

33. “Seinfeld” gal pal : ELAINE
The character called Elaine Benes, unlike the other lead characters (Jerry, Kramer and George), did not appear in the pilot episode of “Seinfeld”. NBC executives specified the addition of a female lead when they picked up the show citing that the situation was too “male-centric”.

34. Singers Green and Jardine : ALS
Al Green is a gospel and soul music singer. Green was born in Arkansas, where he started out as a gospel singer and moved into R&B. In 1974, he was assaulted by a girlfriend who burned him badly on much of his body by pouring boiling grits over him (and then she committed suicide). The incident changed Green’s life and he turned to the church, becoming a pastor in Memphis in 1976. He continued to record music, but never really enjoyed the same success that he had in the early seventies with hits like “Let’s Stay Together” and “I’m Still In Love With You”.

When the Beach Boys formed in 1961, they were very much a family concern. Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson were three brothers, Mike Love was their cousin, and the fifth member of the band was family friend Al Jardine. Back then, the manager of the group was Murry Wilson, the father of the three Wilson brothers.

38. Some advanced degs. : MSS
Master of Science (MS)

39. Pregame song opener : OH SAY …
“O say can you see by the dawn’s early light” us the opening line of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by Francis Scott Key.

The lyrics of “The Star-Spangled Banner” were written first as a poem by Francis Scott Key, inspired by the bombarding by the British of the American forces at Fort McHenry that he witnessed during the Battle of Baltimore in September 1814. The words were then set to the tune of a popular British drinking song penned by John Stafford Smith called “The Anacreontic Song”, with the Anacreontic Society being a men’s club in London.

40. Like dressage horses : SHOD
The equestrian sport of dressage involves demonstration of how well as horse responds to training. “Dressage” is a French word meaning “training”.

42. George Carlin’s “___ With Your Head” : PLAYIN’
George Carlin was a stand-up comic famous for pushing the envelope of comedy in the broadcast media. Despite all the controversies surrounding his act, his passing in 2008 occasioned major tributes by networks and fellow entertainers alike.

43. The Bulldogs’ sch. : UGA
The University of Georgia (UGA) is primarily located in Athens, Georgia. UGA was founded in 1785 and was the nation’s first state-chartered university. UGA’s sports teams are called the Georgia Bulldogs.

45. ___ niçoise : SALADE
A Niçoise salad is known as a salade Niçoise in its native France, where it was named for the city of Nice in the south of the country. The original contains no cooked vegetables, but here in North America there are almost always included some boiled potatoes.

48. Actor Montand : YVES
Yves Montand was a French singer and actor who had been born in Italy. He was working as a music-hall singer when he was discovered by famed singer Édith Piaf, who then made him part of her act. Montand’s first wife was actress Simone Signoret, but he was well-known for having some high-profile affairs. One of those affairs was with Marilyn Monroe, who co-starred with Montand in the film “Let’s Make Love”.

57. Place to eighty-six things : TRASH BIN
“To eighty-six” something is to eject it, to throw it out. The origin of the term is unclear. One story is that it originated in the days of prohibition in the West Village of Lower Manhattan, New York City. When there was a scheduled raid on the establishment called Chumley’s, an informant would call ahead and tell the bartender to “86” his customers i.e. to send them out the door on 86 Bedford Street. The cops would then turn up at the entrance on Pamela Court.

62. Rockefeller Center style : ART DECO
Rockefeller Center is actually made of nineteen buildings in Midtown Manhattan. The site was developed by John D. Rockefeller, who first leased the 22-acre lot back in 1928. The original plan was to build a new opera house for the Metropolitan Opera, but the stock market crash of 1929 led to those plans being canceled. Because of the Great Depression, Rockefeller was forced to fund the whole development project himself, a huge undertaking, but a very successful one.

63. Armadillo defenses : PLATES
The nine-banded armadillo is the most commonly found species of armadillo found in the Americas. The “bands” are bits of armor that circle the body of the armadillo, although there are not always nine of them, but usually seven to eleven.

Down
4. Stop on the tracks: Abbr. : STA
Station (sta.)

8. Bivouacs : ENCAMPS
A “bivouac” is a temporary camp out of doors. The term comes to us via French from the Swiss/Alsatian word “biwacht” meaning “night guard”. The original bivouac was a group of soldiers camped out as a night guard.

9. Archie Comics character : MOOSE
Moose Mason, also called Big Moose, was a recurring character in the “Archie” series of comics. Mason was shown to be poor academically, but great on the sports field. In later comics it was revealed that Moose suffered from dyslexia making it difficult for him to understand what he was being taught. He used to get “straight Fs” in tests, and he thought the F stood for “fantastic” …

10. Humongous : BIG AS A WHALE
The American slang term “humongous” is a believed to be a melding of the terms “huge” and “monstrous”.

11. Holder of a cabinet position : ERIC
Eric Holder is the Attorney General of the United States, and is the first African American to hold the position. Holder was close to President Obama during the presidential campaign. Holder was the campaign’s legal advisor and was also one of the three members on the Obama vice-presidential selection committee, which of course opted for Vice-President Joe Biden.

12. ___-Rooter : ROTO
The rototiller (or rotary tiller) was invented by Arthur Clifford Howard in 1912, in Australia.

13. Monet’s “___ Scene at Argenteuil” : SNOW
“Snow Scene at Argenteuil” is a painting by Claude Monet that can be viewed in the National Gallery in London.

Claude Monet painted the harbor of Le Havre in the north of France in 1872, giving it the title “Impression, Sunrise”. The painting is not a “realistic” representation of the scene in front of him, hence the name “impression”. It was this very painting that gave rise to the name of the Impressionist movement.

21. Half of all flips : TAILS
The two sides of a coin are known as the “obverse” and the “reverse”. The obverse is commonly referred to as “heads”, as it often depicts someone’s head. The reverse is commonly called “tails”, as it is the opposite “heads”.

23. Unable to see the “E” on the Snellen chart, say : BLIND AS A BAT
The commonly used eye chart (that starts with the letters “E FP TOZ LPED”) is called a Snellen chart. The test is named after its developer Herman Snellen, who introduced it way back in 1862.

24. Post-Carnival time : LENT
The celebration of carnival comes right before the Lenten period in some Christian traditions. It is thought that carnival perhaps arose from the need to “eat and drink up” any excess food and drink before the beginning of Lent.

27. Watch readouts, briefly : LEDS
A Light Emitting Diode (LED) is a specialized form of semiconductor that when switched on releases photons (light). LEDs are getting more and more popular and have moved from use in electronic equipment to use as a replacement for the much less efficient tungsten light bulb. I replaced all of my tungsten Xmas lights last year and saved a lot on my electricity bill.

28. Yale or Root : ELIHU
Elihu Yale was a wealthy merchant born in Boston in 1649. Yale worked for the British East India Company, and for many years served as governor of a settlement at Madras (now Chennai) in India. After India, Yale took over his father’s estate near Wrexham in Wales. It was while resident in Wrexham that Yale responded to a request for financial support for the Collegiate School of Connecticut in 1701. He sent the school a donation, which was used to erect a new building in New Haven that was named “Yale” in his honor. In 1718, the whole school was renamed to “Yale College”. To this day, students of Yale are nicknamed “Elis”, again honoring Elihu.

Elihu Root was an American statesman, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1912 for his diplomatic work that brought “nations together through arbitration and cooperation”. Root served as Secretary of State under President Theodore Roosevelt.

32. Foreign relief org. created by J.F.K. : USAID
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) was set up by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. The agency’s mission is to end extreme poverty and promote democratic societies, while helping to advance the security and prosperity of the US.

36. January 1 song title word : SYNE
The song “Auld Lang Syne” is a staple at New Year’s Eve, the words of which were written by Scottish poet Robbie Burns. The literal translation of “Auld Lang Syne” is “old long since”, but is better translated as “old times”. The sentiment of the song is “for old time’s sake”.

38. Decorator’s theme : MOTIF
A motif is a recurring element in an artistic work or design.

39. Kingly name in Norway : OLAV
Of the many kings of Norway named Olaf/Olav (and there have been five), Olaf II is perhaps the most celebrated as he was canonized and made patron saint of the country. Olaf II was king from 1015 to 1028 and was known as “Olaf the Big” (or Olaf the Fat) during his reign. Today he is more commonly referred to as “Olaf the Holy”. After Olaf died he was given the title of Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae, which is Latin for “Norway’s Eternal King”.

42. “Gangnam Style” rapper : PSY
PSY is the stage name of South Korean rapper Park Jae-sang. PSY became an international star when his 2102 music video “Gangnam Style” went viral on YouTube. That video had over 1 billion views on YouTube in about six months, making it the most viewed YouTube video clip of all time. I am not one of the one million …

47. ___ orange : OSAGE
The Osage orange is also known as the horse apple, and is a deciduous tree native to North America. The wood of the tree was prized by Native Americans, particularly the Osage nation, who used it to make bows.

51. Luke Skywalker’s mentor : YODA
Yoda is one of the most beloved characters in the “Star Wars” series of films. Yoda’s voice was provided by the great modern-day puppeteer Frank Oz of “Muppets” fame.

52. Help in finding fractures : X-RAY
X-rays were first studied comprehensively by the German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen (also “Roentgen”), and it was he who gave the name “X-rays” to this particular type of radiation. Paradoxically, in Röntgen’s native language of German, X-rays are routinely referred to as “Röntgen rays”. In 1901 Röntgen won the first Nobel Prize in Physics that was ever awarded, recognition for his work on X-rays.

54. Ancient Brit : PICT
The Picts were a Celtic people who lived in ancient Scotland, in the east and north of the country. The Picts gradually disappeared as an identifiable group, merging with the Gaels in the 10th century.

55. Grandson of Adam : ENOS
Enos was the son of Seth and the grandson of Adam and Eve.

59. Block boundaries: Abbr. : STS
Street (st.)

60. “Good” cholesterol, briefly : 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.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. British brew with a red triangle logo : BASS ALE
8. Ones dying in a fire? : EMBERS
14. Book version : EDITION
15. Permanent-press : NO-IRON
16. Neighborhood spot to order 1-Across, say : LOCAL PUB
18. “Ergo” preceder : COGITO
19. “You should know better!” : TSK!
20. Scale-busting : FAT AS A COW
22. Up to the task : ABLE
26. Shoots in the foot, maybe : LAMES
27. Gore who sang “It’s My Party,” 1963 : LESLEY
29. Reason for a road warning : DIP
30. Aladdin’s monkey pal : ABU
33. “Seinfeld” gal pal : ELAINE
34. Singers Green and Jardine : ALS
35. Wimpy sort : WUSS
37. Denier’s contraction : DIDN’T
38. Some advanced degs. : MSS
39. Pregame song opener : OH SAY …
40. Like dressage horses : SHOD
41. ___ good deed : DO A
42. George Carlin’s “___ With Your Head” : PLAYIN’
43. The Bulldogs’ sch. : UGA
44. Yadda, yadda, yadda : ETC
45. ___ niçoise : SALADE
46. Prefix with economic : SOCIO-
48. Actor Montand : YVES
49. Quite cunning : SLY AS A FOX
53. Gibbon, e.g. : APE
56. “Better luck next time” : TOO BAD
57. Place to eighty-six things : TRASH BIN
61. The golden years : OLD AGE
62. Rockefeller Center style : ART DECO
63. Armadillo defenses : PLATES
64. “Sure, why not?!” : YES, LET’S!

Down
1. Boxer’s trophy : BELT
2. Commotions : ADOS
3. Really ill : SICK AS A DOG
4. Stop on the tracks: Abbr. : STA
5. Be 3-Down : AIL
6. Cut (off) : LOP
7. Sufficient, informally : ENUF
8. Bivouacs : ENCAMPS
9. Archie Comics character : MOOSE
10. Humongous : BIG AS A WHALE
11. Holder of a cabinet position : ERIC
12. ___-Rooter : ROTO
13. Monet’s “___ Scene at Argenteuil” : SNOW
17. Like a chrome-dome : BALD AS A COOT
21. Half of all flips : TAILS
23. Unable to see the “E” on the Snellen chart, say : BLIND AS A BAT
24. Post-Carnival time : LENT
25. Batter’s asset : EYE
27. Watch readouts, briefly : LEDS
28. Yale or Root : ELIHU
31. Working away : BUSY AS A BEE
32. Foreign relief org. created by J.F.K. : USAID
36. January 1 song title word : SYNE
38. Decorator’s theme : MOTIF
39. Kingly name in Norway : OLAV
41. The 1980s and ’90s, e.g. : DECADES
42. “Gangnam Style” rapper : PSY
47. ___ orange : OSAGE
49. “Freeze!” : STOP!
50. Veg out : LOLL
51. Luke Skywalker’s mentor : YODA
52. Help in finding fractures : X-RAY
54. Ancient Brit : PICT
55. Grandson of Adam : ENOS
58. “Come as you ___” : ARE
59. Block boundaries: Abbr. : STS
60. “Good” cholesterol, briefly : HDL

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