0625-14 New York Times Crossword Answers 25 Jun 14, Wednesday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
5. Car radio button : AM/FM
The radio spectrum is divided into bands based on frequency. “High band” is composed of relatively high frequency values, and “low band” is composed of frequencies that are relatively low. FM radio falls into the band called Very High Frequency, or VHF. Television signals use frequencies even higher than VHF, frequencies in the Ultra High Frequency band (UHF). AM radio uses lower frequencies that fall into the relatively low bands of Low, Medium and High Frequency (LF, MF, and HF).

9. Back of a 45 record : B-SIDE
The first vinyl records designed to play at 33 1/3 rpm were introduced by RCA Victor in 1931, but were discontinued due to quality problems. The first Long Play (LP) 33 1/3 rpm disc was introduced by Columbia Records many years later in 1948, with RCA Victor following up with a 45 rpm “single” the following year, in 1949.

17. Where there’s smoke : FLUE
The flue in a chimney is a duct that conveys exhaust gases from a fire to the outdoors. An important feature of a flue is that it is adjustable. When starting a fire, the flue should be wide open, maximizing airflow to get help ignition. When the fire is burning, flow through the flue should be more restricted. The flue needs to be open sufficiently to allow smoke and exhaust gases exit, but not too wide so that too much hot air escapes, dragging cold air into the house from elsewhere.

20. Goodyear employees when they’re on strike? : TIRELESS WORKERS
The Goodyear tire company was founded in 1898. The company was named for Charles Goodyear, the man who invented vulcanized rubber in 1839. Despite the Goodyear name, Charles Goodyear himself had no connection with the company.

25. Porch light circler : MOTH
It isn’t really understood why moths are attracted to artificial lights. There is one theory that sounds plausible to me though. It is suggested that moths navigate at night by maintaining the moon (the brightest celestial object) at a fixed angle. When a moth finds a brighter light source, like an artificial light, it gets confused.

28. The Buckeyes’ sch. : OSU
Ohio State University was founded back in 1870 as the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College. The athletic teams of Ohio State University (OSU) are called the Buckeyes, named after the state tree of Ohio. In turn the buckeye tree gets its name from the appearance of its fruit, a dark nut with a light patch thought to resemble a “buck’s eye”.

29. He’s to the right of Teddy on Mount Rushmore : ABE
The four presidents whose faces are carved in the granite face of Mount Rushmore are (from left to right) George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. Each of the presidents is about 60 feet in height, although they might have been larger. The original intent was for the presidents to be depicted from head to waist, but the project lost funding.

32. Site with a “Time left” display : EBAY
eBay was founded in 1995 as AuctionWeb as part of a computer programmer’s personal website. One of the first items purchased was a broken laser pointer, for $14.83. The buyer collected broken laser pointers …

35. Scenery chewer : HAM
The word “ham”, describing a performer who overacts, is apparently a shortened form of “hamfatter” and dates back to the late 1800s. “Hamfatter” comes from a song in old minstrel shows called “The Ham-Fat Man”. It seems that a poorly performing actor was deemed to have the “acting” qualities of a minstrel made up in blackface.

37. It might reveal more than a simple X-ray : CT SCAN
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.

39. Result of Santa misplacing his papers? : LISTLESS FEELING
Saint Nicholas of Myra is the inspiration for Santa Claus. Nicholas was the Bishop of Myra (now in modern-day Turkey) during the 4th century AD, and was known for being generous to the poor. Centuries after he died, his remains were desecrated by Italian sailors and moved to Bari in Italy. One legend has it that the relics were moved again centuries later and reburied in the grounds of Jerpoint Abbey in Co. Kilkenny in Ireland, where you can visit the grave today. I choose to believe that Santa Claus’s relics are indeed buried in Ireland …

43. Cotton seed remover : GIN
The term cotton gin is a contraction of “cotton eng-ine”. The gin is a machine that mechanically separates cotton fibers from the cotton seed. The modern version of the cotton gin was invented by Eli Whitney in 1793.

45. Düsseldorf-to-Dresden direction : OST
“Ost” is German for “east”.

The city of Düsseldorf lies in the west of Germany, fairly close to the border with France, and sits on the River Rhine.

The German city of Dresden was almost completely destroyed during WWII, especially as a result of the famous firebombing of the city in 1945. Restoration work in the inner city in recent decades led to it being designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site However, in 2006 when the city built a highway bridge close to the city center, UNESCO took Dresden off the list. This marked the only time a European location has lost World Heritage status.

48. Maryland athlete, for short : TERP
The sports teams of the University of Maryland are called the Maryland Terrapins, or “the Terps” for short. The name dates back to 1932 when it was coined by the the university’s president at the time, Curly Byrd. He took the name from the diamondback terrapins that are native to the Chesapeake Bay.

52. First name in cosmetics : ESTEE
Estée Lauder was quite the successful businesswoman, with a reputation as a great salesperson. Lauder introduced her own line of fragrances in 1953, a bath oil called “Youth Dew”. “Youth Dew” was marketed as a perfume, but it was added to bathwater. All of a sudden women were pouring whole bottles of Ms. Lauder’s “perfume” into their baths while using only a drop or two of French perfumes behind their ears. That’s quite a difference in sales volume …

56. What the Red Sox had to start using in 1920? : RUTHLESS TACTICS
Jack Dunn was the owner/manager of the Baltimore Orioles back in 1913, when he signed on George Herman Ruth as a pitcher. The other players called Ruth “Jack’s newest babe”, and the name “Babe” stuck.

61. Women’s golf star Lorena : OCHOA
Lorena Ochoa is a retired professional golfer from Mexico who was ranked as the number one female golfer in the world from 2007 to 2010.

63. Some investment opportunities, in brief : IPOS
An Initial Public Offering (IPO) is the very first offer of stock for sale by a company on the open market. In other words, an IPO marks the first time that a company is traded on a public exchange. Companies have an IPO to raise capital to expand (usually).

65. Lime green 25-Across : LUNA
(25A. Porch light circler : MOTH)
The lime-green Luna Moth is one of the largest moths found in North America, growing to a wingspan of up to 4½ inches.

66. Field for Gérard Depardieu and Audrey Tautou : CINE
“Cinéma” is the French for “cinema”, and is often shortened to “ciné”.

Gérard Depardieu is one of France’s most famous actors, and someone who has appeared in an incredible number of films (about 170). Off the screen, Depardieu also owns two successful vineyards: Château de Tigné and L’Esprit de la Fontaine.

67. Experimental division, for short : R AND D
Research and Development (R&D)

68. Drop when one is down? : TEAR
That would be a teardrop …

69. The “K” in James K. Polk : KNOX
James Knox Polk was the 11th US President. Polk is known as a president who delivered on promises that he made during his election campaign. He left office after serving only one term, as he had promised the voters, and then contracted cholera on a goodwill tour of the South. Polk died at only 53 years of age, the youngest age for any president to die in retirement. He also enjoyed the shortest retirement of any president, at only 103 days. I guess that’s why no one keeps their campaign promises these days …

Down
2. Like the Statue of Liberty at night : UPLIT
The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France to the United States. It was designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and was dedicated in 1886. If you take a boat ride down the Seine in Paris you will probably see a one-third replica of Lady Liberty standing on a small island in the river, looking quite magnificent. That copy was given to the people of Paris by the city’s American community in 1889.

4. Story set on Mount Olympus : GREEK MYTH
Mount Olympus is the highest peak in Greece. In Greek mythology, Mount Olympus was home to the gods, and in particular home to the principal gods known as the Twelve Olympians.

6. Homer Simpson’s watering hole : MOE’S
Moe Szyslak is the surly bartender and owner of Moe’s Tavern in “The Simpsons” animated TV show. I don’t really care for “The Simpsons”, but Hank Azaria who supplies the voice for the Moe character … him I like …

8. Woman in “A Wrinkle in Time” : MRS WHO
“A Wrinkle in Time” is a book by Madeleine L’Engle. Published in 1962, it is described as a science fantasy. Included in the book’s cast of characters are Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which, all of whom turn out to be supernatural beings who transport the antagonists through the universe.

12. Traditional meat in a humble pie : DEER
The phrase “humble pie” derives from a medieval meat dish called “umble pie”. The filling in unble pie usually contained the offal (heart, liver, lungs and kidneys) of deer. The name “umble” came from the French “nomble” meaning “deer’s innards”.

21. Baseball’s Durocher … or his astrological sign : LEO
Baseball player and manager Leo Durocher was noted for being outspoken, and was given the nickname “Leo the Lip”. In 1946, while he was manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Durocher expressed the opinion that teams like his successful Dodgers would always do better than teams replete with personable individuals (naming Mel Ott in particular). He used his most memorable phrase to encapsulate the sentiment … “nice guys finish last”.

26. Nickname for filmdom’s Lebowski : THE DUDE
“The Big Lebowski” is a 1998 comedy directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, and starring Jeff Bridges in the title role. The film’s script is loosely based on the Raymond Chandler novel “The Big Sleep”. I thought “The Big Lebowski” was just “okay” though …

30. Posse, e.g. : BAND
In the context of the Wild West, a “posse” is a group of people who aided a sheriff in enforcing the law. “Posse” comes from an Anglo-Latin term from the early 15th-century “posse comitatus” meaning “the force of the county”.

32. Admiral Zumwalt : ELMO
When Elmo Zumwalt was made Rear Admiral during the Vietnam War, he was put in command of the famous flotilla of Swift Boats that patrolled coasts, harbors and rivers. In 1970, he was made Chief of Naval Operations, and at 49 years of age, he was the youngest man to hold that post. His tenure at Chief of Naval Operations was noted for the progress he made in easing racial tension in the service, and promoting gender equality.

36. Knicks’ home: Abbr. : MSG
Madison Square Garden (MSG) is an arena in New York City used for a variety of events. In the world of sports it is home to the New York Rangers of the NHL, as well as the New York Knicks of the NBA. “The Garden” is also the third busiest music venue in the world in terms of ticket sales. The current arena is the fourth structure to bear the name, a name taken from the Madison Square location in Manhattan. In turn, the square was named for James Madison, the fourth President of the US.

The New York Knickerbockers team is one of only two founding members of the original National Basketball Association that still plays in its original home city. The other is the Boston Celtics.

38. Buster Keaton genre : SLAPSTICK
Buster Keaton was a comic actor, most famous for his work during the silent era. Keaton starred in and co-directed the 1926 silent comedy “The General”, lauded by some as the greatest movie of all time.

40. Theme park based on a toy : LEGOLAND
There are currently six Legoland theme parks in the world, with two here in North America. One of the US parks is in Winter Haven, Florida and the other is in Carlsbad, California (which is the one that I’ve visited … a fun place).

Lego is manufactured by Lego Group, a privately held company headquartered in Billund, Denmark. The company was founded by a carpenter called Ole Kirk Christiansen in 1934 and the now-famous plastic interlocking blocks were introduced in 1949. The blocks were originally sold under the name “Automatic Binding Bricks” but I think “Lego” is easier to remember! The name “Lego” comes from the Danish term “leg godt” meaning “play well”.

47. Margarita option : NO SALT
No one seems to know for sure who first created the cocktail known as a margarita. The most plausible and oft-quoted is that it was invented in 1941 in Ensenada, Mexico. The barman mixed the drink for an important visitor, the daughter of the German ambassador. The daughter’s name was Margarita Henkel, and she lent her name to the new drink. The basic recipe for a margarita is a mixture of tequila, orange-flavored liqueur (like Cointreau) and lime juice.

50. Did a farrier’s job on : SHOED
Traditionally there has been a distinction between a farrier and a blacksmith. A blacksmith is someone who forges and shapes iron, perhaps to make horseshoes. A farrier is someone who fits horseshoes onto the hooves of horses. The term “blacksmith” is sometimes used for one who shoes horses, especially as many blacksmiths make horseshoes and fit them as well.

51. People output : ISSUE
There used to be a “People” page in each issue of “Time” magazine. This page was spun-off in 1974 as a publication of its own, which we now call “People” magazine.

55. Earl of ___, favorite of Queen Elizabeth I : ESSEX
Robert Devereux was the 2nd Earl of Essex, and a favorite in the court of Queen Elizabeth I of England. Eventually however, Essex fell foul of the government and was found guilty of treason. He was executed on Tower Green in the Tower of London. Famously, his executor took three strokes of the axe to complete the beheading. Essex was the last person to be beheaded at the Tower.

57. Sch. near Beverly Hills : UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) gets more applications from students than any other university in the country. Also, UCLA has more students enrolled than any other university in the state.

The city of Beverly Hills, California was named after Beverly Farms in Beverly, Massachusetts and also after the hills in that part of California.

59. Fey of “30 Rock” : TINA
“30 Rock” is a sitcom on NBC that was created by the show’s star Tina Fey. Fey is an ex-performer and writer from “Saturday Night Live” and uses her experiences on that show as a basis for the “30 Rock” storyline. “30 Rock” aired its last episode in early 2013.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Breather : LUNG
5. Car radio button : AM/FM
9. Back of a 45 record : B-SIDE
14. Telephone keypad abbr. : OPER
15. Wild hog : BOAR
16. Reporting to : UNDER
17. Where there’s smoke : FLUE
18. “I’m game” : LET’S
19. It’s rattled metaphorically : SABER
20. Goodyear employees when they’re on strike? : TIRELESS WORKERS
23. Feed : STOKE
24. “Goody, goody!” : OH BOY!
25. Porch light circler : MOTH
28. The Buckeyes’ sch. : OSU
29. He’s to the right of Teddy on Mount Rushmore : ABE
32. Site with a “Time left” display : EBAY
35. Scenery chewer : HAM
37. It might reveal more than a simple X-ray : CT SCAN
39. Result of Santa misplacing his papers? : LISTLESS FEELING
42. Like some potatoes : MASHED
43. Cotton seed remover : GIN
44. Puts in : ADDS
45. Düsseldorf-to-Dresden direction : OST
46. Prop in a western : GUN
48. Maryland athlete, for short : TERP
50. “Me, too” : SO DO I
52. First name in cosmetics : ESTEE
56. What the Red Sox had to start using in 1920? : RUTHLESS TACTICS
61. Women’s golf star Lorena : OCHOA
62. “Like that’s gonna happen” : AS IF
63. Some investment opportunities, in brief : IPOS
64. One who’s not from around here : ALIEN
65. Lime green 25-Across : LUNA
66. Field for Gérard Depardieu and Audrey Tautou : CINE
67. Experimental division, for short : R AND D
68. Drop when one is down? : TEAR
69. The “K” in James K. Polk : KNOX

Down
1. Some sleeping areas : LOFTS
2. Like the Statue of Liberty at night : UPLIT
3. Prefix with science : NEURO-
4. Story set on Mount Olympus : GREEK MYTH
5. Up to the job : ABLE
6. Homer Simpson’s watering hole : MOE’S
7. Round one : FATSO
8. Woman in “A Wrinkle in Time” : MRS WHO
9. It may be diagrammed on a city map : BUS ROUTE
10. Serpentine : SNAKY
11. “___ much obliged” : I’D BE
12. Traditional meat in a humble pie : DEER
13. Fouls up : ERRS
21. Baseball’s Durocher … or his astrological sign : LEO
22. Censorship-worthy : OBSCENE
26. Nickname for filmdom’s Lebowski : THE DUDE
27. Holds : HAS
29. Liquid that burns : ACID
30. Posse, e.g. : BAND
31. Some M.I.T. grads: Abbr. : ENGS
32. Admiral Zumwalt : ELMO
33. Skewed view : BIAS
34. Helper: Abbr. : ASST
36. Knicks’ home: Abbr. : MSG
38. Buster Keaton genre : SLAPSTICK
40. Theme park based on a toy : LEGOLAND
41. Tailor’s concern : FIT
47. Margarita option : NO SALT
49. ___ room : REC
50. Did a farrier’s job on : SHOED
51. People output : ISSUE
53. Easy basketball two-pointer : TIP-IN
54. Prefix with metric : ECONO-
55. Earl of ___, favorite of Queen Elizabeth I : ESSEX
56. Waterfall sound : ROAR
57. Sch. near Beverly Hills : UCLA
58. Like dangerous ice : THIN
59. Fey of “30 Rock” : TINA
60. Miles and miles away : AFAR

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