0608-14 New York Times Crossword Answers 8 Jun 14, Sunday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Patrick Berry
THEME: Strike One … today’s themed answers each have two clues, with the first being “struck-out”. The answer to the struck-out clue is written into the grid, and the answer to the replacement clues is found by crossing out a letter in the original answer, Xing it out, replacing it with an X. And, if you check the letters that are struck, they spell out the phrase CROSSED OUT:

23A. Symbols of happiness Transmissions with colons, dashes and parentheses? : SMILEY FAXES (X out a C in “SMILEY FACES”)
29A. Sun Tzu tome Madame Tussaud’s specialty? : THE ART OF WAX (X out an R in “THE ART OF WAR”)
38A. “Star Wars” character Where droids go to dry out? : ARTOO DETOX (X out an O in “ARTOO-DETOO”)
42A. Gibbons and siamangs Mountaintop that’s not the very top? : LESSER APEX (X out an S in “LESSER APES”)
56A. Pageant Circumstances that render someone attractive? : BEAUTY CONTEXT (X out an S in “BEAUTY CONTEST”)
78A. Pine, e.g. Dinosaur that never goes out of style? : EVERGREEN T REX (X out an E in “EVERGREEN TREE”)
92A. Studio substitute Squarish bed? : BOXY DOUBLE (X out a D in “BODY DOUBLE”)
95A. Member of a certain 1990s-2000s rock band Censor unhappy with “Family Guy” and “Glee,” maybe? : FOX FIGHTER (X out an O in “FOO FIGHTER”)
102A. Children’s song Ignore the rest of the lunch I brought and just eat the fish? : SKIP TO MY LOX (X out a U in “SKIP TO MY LOU”)
113A. After-dinner display One way to see a pie’s filling? : DESSERT X-RAY (X out a T in “DESSERT TRAY”)
124A. Struck out, as one letter in each of this puzzle’s theme answers : XED

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 18m 36s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Swabby’s need : MOP
“Swabbie” (also “swabby, swab, swabber”) is a slang term for a sailor, which we’ve been using since the late 1700s. A “swab” was originally a member of the crew assigned to the swabbing (mopping) of the ship’s decks.

21. Capital with more than 300 lakes within its limits : OSLO
Oslo is an ancient city, founded around 1048. The medieval city was destroyed by fire in 1624 and was rebuilt by the Danish-Norwegian King Christian IV and renamed Christiania. In 1877 there was an official change of the name’s spelling to “Kristiania”, and then more recently in 1925 the name was restored to the original Oslo. Things have gone full circle as the center of Oslo, the area that would have been contained by the original medieval walls, has recently been named Christiania again.

26. Tiny bit : IOTA
Iota is the ninth letter in the Greek alphabet. We use the word “iota” to portray something very small as it is the smallest of all Greek letters.

27. Sedgwick of “The Closer” : KYRA
“The Closer” is a crime drama aired on TNT, with Kyra Sedgwick in the lead role. Sedgwick is married to actor Kevin Bacon.

28. Cartoonist Keane : BIL
Bil Keane is a cartoonist most associated with his strip “The Family Circus”. Once Bil sketches out the text and idea for the cartoon, he sends it off to his son Jeff Keane who inks and colors the pictures so that the strip is ready for publication. In the storyline itself, the main characters are based on Bil’s own family. In fact, the son “Jeffy” in the story is based on Jeff, Bil’s son and production assistant.

29. Sun Tzu tome Madame Tussaud’s specialty? : THE ART OF WAX (X out an R in “THE ART OF WAR”)
Marie Tussaud was a wax sculptor from France. Some of her early work was very gruesome as she lived through the French Revolution. She would take the decapitated heads of executed citizens and use them to make death masks which were then paraded through the streets. She eventually moved to London, taking with her a vast collection of wax models made by her and her father. She opened a museum to display the works, and the Madame Tussaud’s wax museum is a major attraction in the city to this day.

“The Art of War(fare)” is an ancient military text that is attributed to a high-ranking Chinese general called Sun Tzu. I’ve even seen the principles in Sun Tzu’s book applied to modern business.

34. NC-17 assigner: Abbr. : MPAA
The Motion Picture Association of America’s (MPAA) film-rating system (R, PG-17, G etc.) is purely voluntary and is not backed by any law. Movie theaters agree to abide by the rules that come with the MPAA ratings in exchange for access to new movies.

38. “Star Wars” character Where droids go to dry out? : ARTOO DETOX (X out an O in “ARTOO-DETOO”)
Artoo’s proper name is R2-D2. R2-D2 is the smaller of the two famous droids from the “Star Wars” movies. British actor Kenny Baker, who stands just 3 ft 8 ins tall, has been the man inside the R2-D2 droid for all six of the “Star Wars” movies.

42. Gibbons and siamangs Mountaintop that’s not the very top? : LESSER APEX (X out an S in “LESSER APES”)
Gibbons are referred to as lesser apes as they differ in size and behavior from the great apes e.g. chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and humans.

A siamang is a large gibbon that is native to Malaysia, Thailand and Sumatra. It is the largest of what are known as the lesser apes (as opposed to the great apes).

47. The Phantom of the Opera : ERIK
In Gaston Leroux’s novel “The Phantom of the Opera”, the young Christine Daaé is obsessively admired by Erik, the “phantom” who lives below the Paris Opera House.

49. Wine bottle residue : LEES
The dregs in wine, the sediment that settles during fermentation (and sometimes in the bottle), is also called “lees”.

50. Composer Bartók : BELA
Bela Bartok was a composer and a pianist, and is considered by many to be Hungary’s greatest composer after Liszt.

51. Gelling agents : AGARS
Agar is a jelly extracted from seaweed that has many uses. Agar is found in Japanese desserts, and can also be used as a food thickener or even as a laxative. In the world of science it is the most common medium used for growing bacteria in Petri dishes.

52. Antacid ingredient : MAGNESIA
Magnesia is an alternative name for magnesium oxide. Magnesia is used in many cement formulations, and is also used as an antacid.

62. Abductors in a tabloid story : ALIENS
“Tabloid” is the trademarked name (owned by Burroughs, Wellcome and Co,) for a “small tablet of medicine”, a name that goes back to 1884. The word “tabloid” had entered into general use to mean a compressed form of anything, and by the early 1900s was used in “tabloid journalism”, applied to newspapers that had short, condensed articles and stories printed on smaller sheets of paper.

65. Mohs scale mineral : TALC
The Mohs scale of mineral hardness was developed in 1812 by Friedrich Mohs. Basically Mohs took minerals and scratched them with other minerals. In this way he was able to determine which minerals were hardest (most scratch resistant) and which softest.

68. Hosp. procedure : MRI
A CT (or “CAT”) scan produces (via computer manipulation) a three dimensional image of the inside of an object, usually the human body. It does so by taking a series of two dimensional x-ray images while rotating the camera around the patient. The issue with CT scans is that they use x-rays, and high doses of radiation can be harmful causing damage that is cumulative over time. An MRI on the other hand (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), uses powerful magnetic fields to generate its images so there is no exposure to ionizing radiation (such as X-rays). We used MRI equipment in our chemistry labs at school, way back in the days when the technology was still called Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging (NMRI). Apparently the marketing folks didn’t like the term “nuclear” because of its association with atomic bombs, so now it’s just called MRI.

73. Four-time pro hoops M.V.P. : DR J
Julius Erving is a retired professional basketball player who was known as “Dr. J”, a nickname he picked up in high school. Dr. J was a trailblazer in many ways, being the first player associated with slam dunking and other moves above the rim.

78. Pine, e.g. Dinosaur that never goes out of style? : EVERGREEN T REX (X out an E in “EVERGREEN TREE”)
The Tyrannosaurus rex (usually written T. rex) was a spectacular looking dinosaur. “Tyrannosaurus” comes from the Greek words “tyrannos” (tyrant) and “sauros” (lizard), and the “rex” is of course Latin for “king”. They were big boys, measuring 42 feet long and 13 feet tall at the hips, and weighing 7.5 tons.

81. Like un millonario : RICO
In Spanish, a millionaire (un millonario) is rich (rico).

86. “Paranormal Activity” creature : DEMON
“Paranormal Activity” is a 2009 horror film about a young couple living in a haunted house. The film was made independently and acquired by Paramount for $350,000 and grossed about $200 million. There are claims that “Paranormal Activity” is the most profitable film ever made, based on return on investment.

87. Miss, in Meuse: Abbr. : MLLE
Señorita (Srta.) is Spanish, and mademoiselle (Mlle.), is French for “Miss”.

Meuse is one of the original French departments that date back to the French Revolution. It is located in the northeast of the country and is named for the River Meuse. Meuse was the site of many battles during WWI, and in particular the Battle of Verdun in 1916.

90. Jewish homeland : ZION
The name “Zion” first turns up in the Book of Solomon in the Bible. Zion is commonly used to refer to Jerusalem, and sometimes the Biblical land of Israel.

91. “Vision Quest” co-star Matthew : MODINE
Matthew Modine is a film actor whose most famous role was probably Private Joker in the 1987 Vietnam War film “Full Metal Jacket”. Modine also headed the bill in the 1990 WWII film “Memphis Belle”.

“Vision Quest” is a 1985 film starring Matthew Modine as a high school wrestler who falls in love with an older woman, played by linda Fiorentino. “Vision Quest” was also the first major film in which Madonna made an appearance, playing a singer in a local bar.

95. Member of a certain 1990s-2000s rock band Censor unhappy with “Family Guy” and “Glee,” maybe? : FOX FIGHTER (X out an O in “FOO FIGHTER”)
Foo Fighters are described as an alternative rock band, one formed in 1994 by the drummer from Nirvana, Dave Grohl. The original “Foo fighters” were unidentified flying objects reported by allied airmen during WWII. Spooky …

101. “Picnic” playwright : INGE
Playwright William Inge had a run of success on Broadway in the early fifties. Inge’s most celebrated work of that time was the play “Picnic”, for which he was awarded a Pulitzer Prize. The original 1953 cast of “Picnic” included a young male actor making his debut on Broadway. His name was Paul Newman. Many of Inge’s works are set in the American heartland and so he became known as the “Playwright of the Midwest”.

102. Children’s song Ignore the rest of the lunch I brought and just eat the fish? : SKIP TO MY LOX (X out a U in “SKIP TO MY LOU”)
Lox is a cured salmon fillet, finely sliced. The term “lox” comes into English via Yiddish, and derives from the German word for salmon, namely “Lachs”.

“Skip to My Lou” is a children’s dance that can also be used at a barn dance as an icebreaker. Couples dance to the tune, with an extra male in the middle of the group. The odd man “steals” a lady with whom to dance, leaving her partner to find another. The word “lou” is the Scottish for “love”.

107. Warner Bros. cartoon company : ACME
The Acme Corporation is a fictional company used mainly by Looney Tunes, and within the Looney Tunes empire it was used mostly in the “Road Runner” cartoons. Wile E. Coyote was always receiving a new piece of gear from Acme designed to finally capture the Road Runner, but the equipment always led to his downfall instead.

112. Italy’s San ___ : REMO
The Italian city of San Remo sits on the Mediterranean, right on the border with France. In Italian the city is named Sanremo, just one word, although the spelling of “San Remo” dates back to ancient times.

120. Don Ho played it : UKE
Don Ho apparently had a pretty liberal arrangement with his wife. When Ho was touring with his two backing singers, Patti Swallie and Elizabeth Guevara, all three of them shared a room together. He had two children with each of his roommates, giving a total of ten kids including the six he had with his wife. The arrangement was quite open, it seems, with all ten kids visiting each other regularly. To each his own …

121. Bruce of “Nebraska” : DERN
Bruce Dern is a Hollywood actor with quite a pedigree. Dern is the grandchild of former Utah governor and Secretary of War, George Henry Dern. Bruce’s godparents were Adlai Stevenson and Eleanor Roosevelt!

122. Exam administered qtly. : LSAT
he Law School Admission Test (LSAT) has been around since 1948.

Down
5. Futon alternatives : DAYBEDS
Those of you that have visited Japan are maybe familiar with the traditional Japanese futon. Unlike what we tend to call futon in this country, the Japanese original is a padded mattress and quilt which is rolled up in the morning, often so that the space used for sleeping can be repurposed during the day.

7. Harlequin ___ (multicolored gem) : OPAL
Harlequin opals are opals with brightly colored patches that come in rectangular and diamond shapes.

9. High dudgeon : IRE
“Dudgeon” is a noun describing a state of sullen, ill humor.

10. Jai alai basket : CESTA
A cesta (also “xistera”) is a wicker scoop strapped to the wrist that is used for catching and throwing the ball in jai alai. Jai alai is a game that derives from Basque pelota, and is known as “cesta-punta” in the Basque language.

11. Particle : MOTE
“Mote” is just another word for a speck of dust.

12. Big holding in Risk : ASIA
Risk is a fabulous board game, first sold in France in 1957. Risk was invented by a very successful French director of short films called Albert Lamorisse. Lamorisse called his new game “La Conquête du Monde”, which translates into English as “The Conquest of the World”. A game of Risk is a must during the holidays in our house …

24. “Love’s ___ Lost” : LABOUR’S
“Love’s Labour’s Lost” is a comedy by William Shakespeare that was first performed in 1597, in the presence of Queen Elizabeth.

30. Villain of “2001” : HAL
In Arthur C. Clarke’s “Space Odyssey” (famously adapted for the big screen as “2001: A Space Odyssey”) the computer system that went rogue was called HAL 9000, or simply “HAL”. HAL stands for Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer.

31. Lord’s Prayer starter : OUR
“Our Father …” are the opening words of the Lord’s Prayer (“Pater Noster” in Latin), which is probably the best-known prayer in the Christian tradition.

38. Dormant Turkish volcano : ARARAT
Mount Ararat is in Turkey. Ararat is a snow-capped dormant volcano with two peaks. The higher of the two, Greater Ararat, is the tallest peak in the country. Ararat takes its name from a legendary Armenian hero called Ara the Beautiful (or Ara the Handsome). According to the Book of Genesis, Noah’s ark landed on Mount Ararat as the Great Flood subsided.

41. Unpopular 1773 legislation : TEA ACT
The famous destruction of tea in Boston Harbor to protest against the Tea Act took place on December 16, 1773. The action was referred to as the “destruction of the tea” for decades, and it wasn’t until 1834 that the term “Boston Tea Party” first appeared in print.

43. “Middlemarch” author : ELIOT
George Eliot was the pen name of English novelist Mary Anne Evans. As one might think, Evans chose a male pen name in order that her work might be best appreciated in the Victorian era. Eliot wrote seven novels including “Adam Bede” (1859), “The Mill on the Floss” (1860), “Silas Marner” (1861) and “Middlemarch” (1871-72).

44. With 103-Down, “Hurlyburly” star : SEAN
(103D. See 44-Down : PENN)
Actor Sean Penn is a two-time Oscar winner, for his roles in “Mystic River” released in 2003 and “Milk” released in 2008. Penn’s celebrity on screen is only matched with his fame off the screen. Apart from his “big name” marriages to singer Madonna and actress Robin Wright, Penn is also well known for political and social activism. He perhaps inherited some of his political views from his father, actor and director Leo Penn. As an actor, Leo refused to “name names” in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee and so was blacklisted in Hollywood and had to move into directing to put bread on the table. In later years as a director he gave his son Sean his first acting role, in a 1974 episode of “Little House on the Prairie”.

“Hurlyburly” is a play by David Rabe that was premiered in 1984, and was adapted into a film starring Sean Penn that was released in 1998. The play’s title comes from a line spoken by one of the witches in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” …

When the hurlyburly’s done
When the battle’s lost and won.

54. 2000 CBS premiere : CSI
The “CSI” franchise of TV shows has been tremendously successful, but seems to be winding down. “CSI: Miami” (the “worst” of the franchise, I think) was cancelled in 2012 after ten seasons. “CSI: NY” (the “best” of the franchise) was cancelled in 2013 after nine seasons. The original “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”, set in Las Vegas, is still going strong and has been doing so since 2000.

66. Political commentator Liz : CHENEY
Liz Cheney is the eldest daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney. Liz appears on Fox news from time to time as a political analyst.

68. Singer/actress Rita : MORENO
The Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress Rita Moreno is one of the few performers to have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony. Moreno got her big break, and won her Oscar, for playing Anita in the 1961 screen adaption of “West Side Story”.

70. Tulsa resident : SOONER
The 1889 Indian Appropriations Act officially opened up the so called Unassigned Lands, land in Oklahoma on which no Native American tribes had settled. Once the Act was signed, those lands became available for settlement. Those people that settled the same lands illegally, prior the date specified, they were termed “Sooners” as their situation was defined in the “sooner clause” of the Act. “Sooner State” is now the nickname for Oklahoma.

72. Brown greenery? : IVY
Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island, is one of the eight Ivy League schools. Brown has been around a long time, founded in 1764, years before America declared independence from England. The university took the name of Brown in 1804 after one Nicholas Brown, Jr. gave a substantial gift to the school.

76. Sitcom set during the 1860s : F TROOP
Relatively few people outside of the US saw the American sitcom “F Troop”, which was made in the sixties. I remember watching the show as a young lad because it was picked up by the Irish national television service. The only other country that showed “F Troop” was Australia.

80. Babes in the woods : NAIFS
A naïf is someone who is naive, as “naïf” is the French word for “naive”.

81. 1988 Schwarzenegger action film : RED HEAT
“Red Heat” is a 1988 action movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Belushi as a law enforcement officers out to nab a Russian druglord operating in Chicago. Arnie plays a narcotics agent from Moscow, and Belushi a Chicago detective.

The body-builder, actor and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger was born in Graz in Austria, the son of the local police chief. Schwarzenegger’s family name translates into the more prosaic “black plough man”. In his body-building days, he was often referred to as the Austrian Oak. When he was Governor of California he was called “the Governator”, a play on his role in the “The Terminator” series of movies.

83. Sea wall? : BLOCKADE
“Embargo” and “blockade” are two similar yet different terms. An embargo is a legal prohibition of trade with a particular country, whilst a blockade is an act of war, a militarily enforced prevention of the movement of goods and services. The term “embargo” came into English from Spanish, in the late 16th century.

86. Snoop ___ : DOGG
The rap star Snoop Dogg’s real name is Cordozar Calvin Broadus. He is the most famous protege of the notorious rapper Dr. Dre. Sadly, Snoop Dogg has had numerous run-ins with police all round the world, even after he started to live the good life that came with his fame.

88. Like some twins : SORORAL
“Sororal” means “sisterly”, coming from the Latin word “soror” meaning “sister”.

89. Non-fuel-efficient vehicles : HUMMERS
“Humvee” is a nickname for the military vehicle developed by AM General. The full name is High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle i.e. HMMWV, or simply “Humvee”. The company introduced a civilian version in 1992, using the “Hummer” brand name.

91. Mosque tower : MINARET
A minaret is an architectural feature of Islamic mosques, a tall tower with an onion-shaped crown that is used for the call to prayer.

93. “Can’t Help Lovin’ ___ Man” (“Show Boat” song) : DAT
“Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” is a famous song by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein from the 1927 musical “Show Boat”.

“Show Boat” is a musical by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein, first staged in New York in 1927. It is based on a 1926 novel of the same name by Edna Ferber. The story is about a show boat called the “Cotton Blossom”. Show boats were floating theaters which navigated the rivers of the US from the 1870s to the 1930s, moving from town to town with the performers living on board. “Show Boat” was famously adapted for the big screen in 1936, with stars Irene Dunne, Allan Jones and Paul Robeson.

94. Psyche component : EGO
Sigmund Freud created a structural model of the human psyche, breaking it into three parts: the id, the ego, and the super-ego. The id is that part of the psyche containing the basic instinctual drives. The ego seeks to please the id by causing realistic behavior that benefits the individual. The super-ego almost has a parental role, contradicting the id by introducing critical thinking and morals to behavioral choices.

100. “Funeral Blues” 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”.

W. H. Auden’s poem “Funeral Blues” is also known by its first line “Stop all the clocks”. It garnered a lot of attention in recent years as it features prominently in the movie “Four Weddings and a Funeral”, where it is recited at “the funeral”.

104. Exercise venue, for short : YMCA
The YMCA is a worldwide movement that has its roots in London, England. There, in 1844, the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) was founded with the intent of promoting Christian principles through the development of “a healthy spirit, mind and body”. The founder, George Williams, saw the need to create YMCA facilities for young men who were flocking to the cities as the Industrial Revolution flourished. He saw that these men were frequenting taverns and brothels, and wanted to offer a more wholesome alternative.

106. Barbera d’___ (red wine) : ASTI
Barbera d’Asti is a red wine from Italy. Barbera d’Asti is produced not only in the famed Asti wine region of northern Italy, but also in neighboring Alexandria.

114. Ostrich lookalike : EMU
The emu has had a tough time in Australia since man settled there. There was even an “Emu War” in Western Australia in 1932 when migrating emus competed with livestock for water and food. Soldiers were sent in and used machine guns in an unsuccessful attempt to drive off the “invading force”. The emus were clever, breaking their usual formations and adopting guerrilla tactics, operating as smaller units. After 50 days of “war”, the military withdrew. Subsequent requests for military help for the farmers were ignored. The emus had emerged victorious …

115. Caesar on TV : SID
Sid Caesar achieved fame in the fifties on TV’s “Your Show of Shows”. To be honest, I know Sid Caesar mainly from the fun film version of the musical “Grease”, in which he played Coach Calhoun.

116. QB feats : TDS
In American football, quarterbacks (QBs) sometimes score touchdowns (TDs).

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Swabby’s need : MOP
4. Brainless : IDIOTIC
11. Cowboy-to-lady address : MA’AM
15. Early teachings : ABCS
19. Triumphant shout : AHA!
20. Sucker? : VAMPIRE
21. Capital with more than 300 lakes within its limits : OSLO
22. Skirt feature : SLIT
23. Symbols of happiness Transmissions with colons, dashes and parentheses? : SMILEY FAXES (X out a C in “SMILEY FACES”)
25. Bias : TILT
26. Tiny bit : IOTA
27. Sedgwick of “The Closer” : KYRA
28. Cartoonist Keane : BIL
29. Sun Tzu tome Madame Tussaud’s specialty? : THE ART OF WAX (X out an R in “THE ART OF WAR”)
32. Has-___ : BEEN
34. NC-17 assigner: Abbr. : MPAA
36. Paper exchanged for coin : IOU
37. Poetic tribute : ODE
38. “Star Wars” character Where droids go to dry out? : ARTOO DETOX (X out an O in “ARTOO-DETOO”)
42. Gibbons and siamangs Mountaintop that’s not the very top? : LESSER APEX (X out an S in “LESSER APES”)
46. Familiar episodes : RERUNS
47. The Phantom of the Opera : ERIK
49. Wine bottle residue : LEES
50. Composer Bartók : BELA
51. Gelling agents : AGARS
52. Antacid ingredient : MAGNESIA
54. Are able, archaically : CANST
55. Caribbean exports : RUMS
56. Pageant Circumstances that render someone attractive? : BEAUTY CONTEXT (X out an S in “BEAUTY CONTEST”)
59. Climber’s challenge : ALP
60. Wedding gown material : LACE
61. Take a load off : SIT
62. Abductors in a tabloid story : ALIENS
65. Mohs scale mineral : TALC
67. Hill raiser : ANT
68. Hosp. procedure : MRI
69. Oxford teachers : DONS
71. Bring back on : REHIRE
73. Four-time pro hoops M.V.P. : DR J
76. Setting for 76-Down : FORT
77. English privy : LOO
78. Pine, e.g. Dinosaur that never goes out of style? : EVERGREEN T REX (X out an E in “EVERGREEN TREE”)
81. Like un millonario : RICO
82. Black : EBONY
85. Like some bunnies and hounds : LOP-EARED
86. “Paranormal Activity” creature : DEMON
87. Miss, in Meuse: Abbr. : MLLE
88. “You’re not welcome!” : SHOO!
90. Jewish homeland : ZION
91. “Vision Quest” co-star Matthew : MODINE
92. Studio substitute Squarish bed? : BOXY DOUBLE (X out a D in “BODY DOUBLE”)
95. Member of a certain 1990s-2000s rock band Censor unhappy with “Family Guy” and “Glee,” maybe? : FOX FIGHTER (X out an O in “FOO FIGHTER”)
97. Mo. for campaign surprises : OCT
98. Give a piece to : ARM
99. [I am SHOCKED!] : GASP!
101. “Picnic” playwright : INGE
102. Children’s song Ignore the rest of the lunch I brought and just eat the fish? : SKIP TO MY LOX (X out a U in “SKIP TO MY LOU”)
106. Like : A LA
107. Warner Bros. cartoon company : ACME
111. Aforementioned : SAME
112. Italy’s San ___ : REMO
113. After-dinner display One way to see a pie’s filling? : DESSERT X-RAY (X out a T in “DESSERT TRAY”)
117. Trouble-free place : EDEN
118. Compass tracings : ARCS
119. Put out : EMITTED
120. Don Ho played it : UKE
121. Bruce of “Nebraska” : DERN
122. Exam administered qtly. : LSAT
123. You’ll see a lot of them : NUDISTS
124. Struck out, as one letter in each of this puzzle’s theme answers : XED

Down
1. Costume accessory : MASK
2. “I wasn’t expecting that!” : OH MY!
3. Modest poker holding : PAIR
4. Suffix with mass or dismiss : -IVE
5. Futon alternatives : DAYBEDS
6. “It’s only a scratch!” : I’M FINE!
7. Harlequin ___ (multicolored gem) : OPAL
8. Odd mannerism : TIC
9. High dudgeon : IRE
10. Jai alai basket : CESTA
11. Particle : MOTE
12. Big holding in Risk : ASIA
13. Order in the court? : ALL RISE!
14. Some Latin inscriptions : MOTTOES
15. Like : AS F
16. Use dynamite on, as a safe : BLOW OPEN
17. Strongholds : CITADELS
18. Studies intently : STARES AT
24. “Love’s ___ Lost” : LABOUR’S
30. Villain of “2001” : HAL
31. Lord’s Prayer starter : OUR
33. Years on end : EONS
34. Dead storage : MORGUE
35. North or west : POINT
38. Dormant Turkish volcano : ARARAT
39. Dependable patron : REGULAR
40. Walk all over : TRAMPLE
41. Unpopular 1773 legislation : TEA ACT
43. “Middlemarch” author : ELIOT
44. With 103-Down, “Hurlyburly” star : SEAN
45. Tapered off : ABATED
48. Ringed set : KEYS
52. Less forgiving : MEANER
53. “Hard” or “soft” subj. : SCI
54. 2000 CBS premiere : CSI
56. Loudspeaker sound : BLARE
57. Like some roads and roofs : TARRED
58. A-listers : ELITE
63. Like some poker games : NO-LIMIT
64. Carnival cooler : SNO-CONE
66. Political commentator Liz : CHENEY
68. Singer/actress Rita : MORENO
70. Tulsa resident : SOONER
72. Brown greenery? : IVY
73. Dribble : DROOL
74. Sales employee : REP
75. “Aw, come on!” : JEEZ!
76. Sitcom set during the 1860s : F TROOP
79. Amorphous lump : GLOB
80. Babes in the woods : NAIFS
81. 1988 Schwarzenegger action film : RED HEAT
82. Raised on books? : EMBOSSED
83. Sea wall? : BLOCKADE
84. Golden ager : OLDTIMER
86. Snoop ___ : DOGG
88. Like some twins : SORORAL
89. Non-fuel-efficient vehicles : HUMMERS
91. Mosque tower : MINARET
93. “Can’t Help Lovin’ ___ Man” (“Show Boat” song) : DAT
94. Psyche component : EGO
96. Fishmonger’s cuts : FILETS
100. “Funeral Blues” poet : AUDEN
103. See 44-Down : PENN
104. Exercise venue, for short : YMCA
105. At sea : LOST
106. Barbera d’___ (red wine) : ASTI
108. Essence : CRUX
109. Cook up : MAKE
110. Kept in sight : EYED
114. Ostrich lookalike : EMU
115. Caesar on TV : SID
116. QB feats : TDS

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3 thoughts on “0608-14 New York Times Crossword Answers 8 Jun 14, Sunday”

  1. Really? I finished this puzzle, read WEB's description of the theme and I'm still scratching my head. Seems like quite a reach. Now, where did I leave that big bottle of Ibuprofen?

  2. Thanks for your note in the word spelled by the Xed out letters. I missed it. Alfred Lamorrise directed The Red Balloon which is one of my favorite movies and books. It's always a big hit in my special ed class.
    I remember reading that the Hummer became availble to civilians only when Arnold expressed enough indignation as to why he couldn't have his own. Now they wind up in the same puzzle and anybody can have a Hummer.

  3. @Ben F
    A tough theme, there's no doubt. It took me a while to work out what was going on. I find that we can always depend on Mr. Berry to come up with something imaginative.

    @Bart Berlin
    Your story about Hummers reminds me of an incident I had many moons ago in LA while I was traveling on business. I was taken to this "new" restaurant that had just opened, called "Planet Hollywood" (yep, the first one). We were told that the wait for a table was well over an hour, but could sit at the bar and eat there directly. "Why so busy?" I asked. "Arnold (one of the owners) is here tonight". On the way out, Arnie walked by me (he is not a tall man!) with a stogie in his mouth, and got into the driver seat of his Hummer parked outside the front door. His two bodyguards got into a second Humvee parked right behind Arnie's. A lot of car for three guys 🙂

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