0817-14 New York Times Crossword Answers 17 Aug 14, Sunday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Caleb Madison
THEME: Sittin’ Solve … each of today’s themed answers are in the format Xin’ Y, and each sounds like a well-known phrase “Z and Y”.

20A. Spellin’ things incorrectly? : WRITIN’ WRONG (sounds like “right and wrong”)
29A. Stealin’ a hard drug? : JACKIN’ COKE (sounds like “Jack and Coke”)
32A. Pushin’ some bread back and forth? : ROCKIN’ ROLL (sounds like “rock and roll”)
66A. Not allowin’ anyone to cook burgers and franks? : BARRIN’ GRILL (sounds like “bar and grill”)
104A. Recheckin’ with a stopwatch? : TIMIN’ AGAIN (sounds like “time and again”)
106A. Demonstratin’ how to shoot an apple off someone’s head? : SHOWIN’ TELL (sounds like “show and tell”)
116A. Usin’ less stickum? : CUTTIN’ PASTE (sounds like “cut and paste”)
2A. Givin’ a female casino patron another card? : HITTIN’ MISS (sounds like “hit and miss”)
12A. Makin’ some big purchases? : BUYIN’ LARGE (sounds like “by and large”)
38A. Hopin’ favor is bestowed? : WILLIN’ GRACE (sounds like “Will & Grace”)
73A. Bitin’ a friend of Robin Hood? : NIPPIN’ TUCK (sounds like “nip and tuck”)
75A. Carryin’ a load of grain? : HAULIN’ OATS (sounds like “Hall and Oates”)

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 31m 44s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 4 … EVENING (opening), MRS (ens), ELM ST (Olest!!), VERTICALS (penticals!!)

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

5. Initiator of a probe, maybe : NASA
The Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite towards the end of 1957, a development that shocked the establishment in the US. Within months, President Eisenhower created the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA, now DARPA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The Space Race has begun …

13. Something five-star hotels provide, informally : TLC
Tender loving care (TLC)

16. Detective Vance : PHILO
Philo Vance is a detective character in the a series of crime novels written by Willard Huntington Wright under the pen name S. S. Van Dine. Vance has been played on the big screen by several actors, including William Powell, Basil Rathbone and Wilfrid Hyde-White.

17. Mythological deity with two ravens : ODIN
According to Norse mythology, the god Odin had a pair of ravens that flew all over the world each day to get him information. The ravens were named Huginn and Muninn.

18. Celebrity chef Matsuhisa : NOBU
Nobu Matsuhisa is celebrity chef from Japan. Nobu was invited to open a Japanese restaurant in Lima, Peru in 1973, and while in South America developed his own Peruvian-Japanese fusion cuisine. He moved to the US a few years later, and now there “Nobu” and “Matsuhisa” restaurants all over the world.

24. Leonardo da Vinci, religiously : DEIST
Deism (from the Latin “deus” meaning god) is the belief that a supreme being created the universe, a belief based on observation and reason and without the need for faith. Further, a deist does not accept divine intervention, but rather believes that the supreme being, having created the universe, leaves the world to it own devices.

Leonardo da Vinci was perhaps the most diversely talented person who ever contributed to society. He was a gifted painter, sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer and writer. Da Vinci’s mural “The Last Supper” is the most reproduced work of art in the world.

25. Platform for many apps : IOS
iOS is what Apple now call their mobile operating system, previously known as iPhone OS.

26. Nosh on the trail : GORP
“Gorp” is the name sometimes used for trail mix, particularly by hikers. It’s not really known for sure how this name came about, but some say it stands for “good old raisins and peanuts” or perhaps “gobs of raw protein”.

Our word “nosh” has been around since the late fifties, when it was imported from the Yiddish word “nashn” meaning “to nibble”.

28. R&B singer with the 2004 #1 hit “Goodies” : CIARA
Ciara is a singer-songwriter from Austin, Texas (never heard of her). Ciara used to date rapper Bow Wow (ever heard of him), but now dates a rapper called Future (never heard of him). Ah me …

29. Stealin’ a hard drug? : JACKIN’ COKE (sounds like “Jack and Coke”)
“To jack” is a slang term meaning “to steal”.

The coca plant is native to South America, similar in appearance to a blackthorn bush. Coca leaves have been chewed for centuries, perhaps even as far back as 3,000 years ago. Chewing the leaves apparently produces a pleasurable, numb sensation in the mouth and a pleasant taste. The most famous alkaloid in the leaf is cocaine, but this wasn’t extracted in its pure form until the mid-1800s. The cocaine was used in a medicines and tonics and other beverages, including the original version of Coca-Cola! Before 1903, a glass of Coke would contain about 9 mg of cocaine. Coca-Cola still uses coca leaves, as the flavor is prized, but the cocaine is extracted before it arrives at the bottling plant.

I used to live in Tennessee, and one weekend took a tour of the Jack Daniel’s distillery in Lynchburg. After watching all the whiskey being produced, we were brought to a room for “refreshments”. We were given lemonade and no samples of the whiskey were offered, because the distillery is located in Moore County, Tennessee, a dry country …

35. Domain of Jupiter : SKY
Jupiter, also known as Jove, was the king of the gods in the Roman tradition, as well as the god of sky and thunder. He was the Roman equivalent to the Greek god Zeus.

39. Parkinson’s treatment : L-DOPA
The name of the drug L-3,4-DihydrOxyPhenylAlanine can be shortened, thankfully, to L-DOPA. Swedish scientist Arvid Carlsson won a Nobel Prize for showing that L-DOPA could be used to reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s Syndrome.

40. Global finance org. : IMF
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) was established at the end of 1945 with 29 major economies supporting and funding an effort to stabilize economies across the globe after WWII. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., today the IMF has 187 member countries.

41. ___ de boeuf : ROTI
“Rôti” is the French for “roasted”, so “rôti de boeuf” is “roast beef”.

43. ___ Fierce (Beyoncé alter ego) : SASHA
Sasha Fierce is an alter-ego that Beyoncé Knowles has developed for her stage and recording work. Beyoncé describes Sasha as very sensual and aggressive. She released a studio album called “I Am… Sasha Fierce” in 2008.

45. Its official song is “Home on the Range”: Abbr. : KAN
The words of “Home on the Range” came before the music, a poem called “My Western Home” from the 1870s written by a Dr. Brewster Higley of Kansas. The music was added by Daniel Kelley, a friend of Higley. And now, a version of the song is the state song of Kansas.

46. Like some relations : SPATIAL
The adjective “spatial” means “pertaining to space”.

52. Where she blows? : THAR
Thar she blows!

53. Suffix with glycer- : -IDE
Glycerides are organic compounds comprising glycerol and one, two or three fatty acids. We’re most used to hearing about triglycerides, as they are found in vegetable oils and animal fats.

56. Was a bellwether : LED
A “wether” is a castrated male sheep. A “bellwether” is one such sheep that leads the flock, usually wearing a bell around its neck, hence the name. We use the term “bellwether” more generally to mean any person or thing which assumes leadership or indicates a trend.

61. 50 Cent piece : RAP VIDEO
Rap star 50 Cent’s real name is Curtis James Jackson III, and is from South Jamaica in Queens, New York. 50 Cent had a rough life starting out, first dealing drugs at the age of 12. He dropped his illegal activities to pursue a rap career, but still fell victim to an assailant who pumped nine bullets into him. The alleged shooter was himself shot three weeks later, and died. 50 Cent’s alleged attacker was a bodyguard and close friend of Mike Tyson.

64. Fair-hiring inits. : EEO
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) is a term that has been around since 1964 when the Equal Employment Commission was set up by the Civil Rights Act.

65. H.S. dropouts’ documents : GEDS
The General Educational Development (GED) tests are a battery of five tests designed to demonstrate that a student has the academic skills of someone who has graduated from an American or Canadian high school.

68. Google alternative : BING
Bing is the search engine from Microsoft. Bing is the latest name for an engine that Microsoft used to call Live Search, Windows Live Search and MSN Search.

The search engine “Google” was originally called “BackRub” would you believe? The name was eventually changed to Google, an intentional misspelling of the word “googol”. A googol is a pretty big number, 10 to the power of 100. That would be the digit 1 followed by 100 zeros.

72. Mortal queen of Thebes who was transfigured into a goddess : INO
Ino was a mortal queen of Thebes through her marriage to King Athamas. In Greek mythology, Ino became the goddess Leukothea after her death. As Leukothea she provided divine aid to Odysseus, according to Homer’s “Odyssey”. She provided Odysseus with a magical veil that he used to escape from Poseidon.

Thebes was a city in Ancient Egypt located on the river Nile, the ruins of which are now found with the bounds of the modern city of Luxor. The ruins of Ancient Thebes include the famous Luxor Temple and and Karnak Temple, as well as the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens.

75. Brother, in slang : HOMIE
“Homie” is short for “homeboy”, someone from one’s home neighborhood.

80. To be, in Tijuana : SER
Tijuana is the largest city in the Mexican state of Baja California, and lies just across the US-Mexico border from San Diego. Tijuana is also the most westerly of all Mexican cities. A lot of Tijuana’s growth took place in the twenties as tourists flocked south of the border during the days of prohibition in the US. One of the many casinos and hotels that flourished at that time was Hotel Caesar’s in the Avenida Revolución area. Hotel Caesar’s claims to be the birthplace of the now ubiquitous Caesar Salad.

84. Wavy do : PERM
“Perm” is the name given to a permanent wave, a chemical or thermal treatment of hair to produce waves or curls. I don’t worry about such things, as it’s a number-one all over for me …

86. Comedic Mort : SAHL
Mort Sahl is a Canadian-born actor and comedian who moved to the US with his family when he was a child. Sahl became friends with John F. Kennedy. When Kennedy became president, Sahl wrote a lot of jokes for the President’s speeches, although he also told a lot of Kennedy jokes in his acts. After the President was assassinated in 1963, Sahl was intensely interested in finding out who was behind the crime and even got himself deputized as a member of one of the investigating teams. He was very outspoken against the results of the Warren Commission report on the assassination, and soon found himself out of favor with the public. It took a few years for him to make his comeback, but come back he did.

89. Union formation? : MRS
Mr. is the abbreviation for “master”, and Mrs. is the abbreviation for “mistress”.

92. Each episode of “Law & Order,” say : CASE
“Law & Order” ran for many, many years on NBC, from 1990 to 2010. “Law & Order” is a police drama that spawned a huge franchise of shows both here in the US and overseas. I am probably a bit biased, but my favorite is the version shown in BBC America called “Law & Order: UK”.

99. ___ Cooper : MINI
The original mini was a fabulous car, one that I drove all over Ireland in my youth. It had a unique front-wheel-drive layout that took up very little space, allowing for a lot of room (relatively speaking) for passengers and baggage. One space-saving trick was to mount the engine transversely, so it sits rotated 90 degrees from the norm. That engine had a capacity of only 848cc. In 1961, a Mini Cooper model was introduced, a sporty version of the Mini. The Mini Cooper was a phenomenal hit, especially after repeated wins in the Monte Carlo Rally. The Mini marque has been owned by BMW since 1994.

101. 1/4 of zero? : ZEE
One quarter of the four letters in the word “zero” is the letter Z (zee).

106. Demonstratin’ how to shoot an apple off someone’s head? : SHOWIN’ TELL (sounds like “show and tell”)
Supposedly William Tell came from Uri, a canton in the German part of Switzerland. Altdorf is the capital of Uri and is the city where William Tell shot the apple off his son’s head, at least according to legend.

109. French nobleman : COMTE
“Comte” is the French word for “count”, as in “The Count of Monte-Cristo”, the novel by Alexandre Dumas.

110. California’s Santa ___ Mountains : YNEZ
The Santa Ynez Mountains from the southern border of the Santa Ynez Valley in California.

The Santa Ynez Valley is a winegrowing region in Santa Barbara County in California. The Santa Ynez Valley was the setting and location for the wonderful 2004 film “Sideways”.

112. Album with the 1978 hit “Deacon Blues” : AJA
“Aja” is a 1977 album released by Steely Dan.

Steely Dan’s heyday was in the seventies when they toured for a couple of years, although the group mainly focused on studio work. The band was formed in 1972 and broke up in 1981. The core of the band reunited in 1993 and they are still going strong today.

114. Accouterment popularized by a “Seinfeld” episode : MAN PURSE
In the “Seinfeld” episode called “The Reverse Peephole”, Jerry famously starts to use a “European Carryall”, which in actual fact is just a purse.

123. “Gangnam Style” stylist : 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 that one billion …

125. Oracle : SEER
In Ancient Greece and Rome, an oracle was someone believed inspired by the gods to give wise counsel. The word “oracle” derives from the Latin “orare” meaning “to speak”, which is the same root for our word “orator”. One of the most important oracles of Ancient Greece was the priestess to Apollo at Delphi.

126. Certain recess : APSE
The apse of a church or cathedral is a semicircular recess in an outer wall, usually with a half-dome as a roof and often where there resides an altar. Originally apses were used as burial places for the clergy and also for storage of important relics.

Down
3. Iraq’s Imam ___ Air Base : ALI
Imam Ali Air Base is a military facility in southeastern Iraq. The base has a security perimeter that extends 22 kilometers. Within that perimeter is located the ancient Babylonian city of Ur, which is reputed to be the birthplace of Abraham.

4. Old-timey medicines : TONICS
A tonic is medication that is said to restore health. The original use of the term “tonic” was as an adjective meaning “increasing body tone”.

5. Scandinavian language, to its speakers : NORSK
“Norsk” is the Norwegian word for “Norwegian”.

8. Sweater material : ANGORA
Angora wool comes from the Angora rabbit. On the other hand, the Angora goat produces the wool known as mohair.

9. Medium for many selfies : SNAPCHAT
Snapchat is a messaging system that allows users to send photos and video clips to a limited list of recipients. The photos and clips, called “snaps”, can be viewed for only a few seconds before they are deleted from the recipient’s device and from the Snapchat servers.

11. You can count on them : 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.

13. 2002 Dennis Quaid film about a struggling minor-league pitcher : THE ROOKIE
“The Rookie” is a 2002 baseball biopic starring Dennis Quaid as Jim Morris, a player who had a brief career in the Majors after a league debut at the advanced age of 35.

Actor Dennis Quaid is the younger brother of fellow actor Randy Quaid. Dennis dropped out of college when he saw how successful his brother was and moved to LA to pursue his own career in acting. He has had some noted performances, including a portrayal of Jerry Lee Lewis in 1989’s “Great Balls of Fire”. And, Quaid is one of Hollywood’s best golfers, playing off scratch.

15. Big cheese : CEO
Chief executive officer (CEO)

The phrase “the big cheese” doesn’t have its roots in the word “cheese” at all. The original phrase was “the real cheese” meaning “the real thing”, used way back in late 1800s (long before Coke picked it up). “Chiz” is a Persian and Hindi word meaning “thing”, and it’s not hard to see how the expression “the real chiz” would morph into “the real cheese”. Then in early-20th century America, instead of a “real cheese”, the most influential person in a group was labeled as “the big cheese”. And I think that is about the only use of the word “cheese” that is in anyway complimentary!

21. Cyrano de Bergerac, famously : WOOER
Cyrano de Bergerac was a French dramatist who lived in the 17th century. Paintings and drawings show that Bergerac had a large nose, although the size was exaggerated by those who wrote about his life. Reputedly, Cyrano fought in over 1000 duels, mostly instigated by someone insulting his nose. In the play written about his life, Cyrano had a famous lover named Roxane. It is thought that the Roxane character was modelled on Cyrano’s cousin who lived with his sister in a convent.

23. Certain charge : WARD
In the case when a court takes on the responsibility for the legal protection of an individual, that person is said to be a ward of the state.

24. Party entertainers, for short : DJS
The world’s first radio disk jockey was one Ray Newby of Stockton, California who made his debut broadcast in 1909, would you believe? When he was 16 years old and a student, Newby started to play his records on a primitive radio located in the Herrold College of Engineering and Wireless in San Jose. The records played back then were mostly recordings of Enrico Caruso.

33. Singer with the 2009 hit “Tik Tok” : KESHA
Ke$ha (also just Kesha) is the stage name used by singer Kesha Rose Sebert.

38. Hopin’ favor is bestowed? : WILLIN’ GRACE (sounds like “Will & Grace”)
I’ve always thought the real stars of “Will & Grace” were not the title characters, by rather the supporting characters Jack (played by Sean Hayes) and Karen (played by Megan Mullally).

44. Panetta’s successor as defense secretary : HAGEL
Chuck Hagel has served as Secretary of Defense since February 2013. Prior to joining President Obama’s cabinet, Hagel served as US Senator for the state of Nebraska from 1997 to 2009, as a member of the Republican Party. The lighter side of Senator Chuck Hagel came out on Halloween each year when he famously came to work in the Senate dressed like one of his colleagues or other political figures. Hagen mimicked Joe Biden, John McCain, Colin Powell and Pat Roberts among others.

Leon Panetta was Chief of Staff under President Clinton, and took over as CIA Director in 2009 in the Obama administration. From 2011 to 2013 he also served as Secretary of Defense. Panetta has long been interested in protecting the world’s oceans. As an example, he wrote the legislation that created the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

47. Juin honoree : PERE
In France, Fathers’ Day (Fête des Pères) is celebrated on the third Sunday in June (juin).

49. Logan of “60 Minutes” : LARA
Lara Logan is a South African newswoman, and is currently the Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent for CBS News. CBS placed Logan on a forced leave of absence at the end of 2013 for comments that she made about the US Government’s culpability in the Benghazi attack and for inaccuracies in her reporting of the story.

62. Popular six-second clips since 2013 : VINES
Vine is a video-sharing service that was launched at the beginning of 2013. Vine users can share short clips, up to six seconds in length.

63. Much of the Guggenheim’s collection : OILS
The Guggenheim art museum on Fifth Avenue in New York opened in 1939 as the Museum of Non-Objective Painting. The museum was funded by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation that had been set up by the American businessman and philanthropist for whom the foundation was named. When Guggenheim died in 1952, the New York museum was renamed to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.

66. Big goof : BONER
“Boner” is one of those words that I just don’t like because it can be used offensively. The term can be used to mean a faux pas, an error.

67. W.W. II transports: Abbr. : LSTS
LST stands for Landing Ship, Tank. LSTs were the large vessels used mainly in WWII that had doors at either ends through which tanks and other vehicles could roll off and onto beaches. The design concept persists to this day in the huge fleet of commercial roll-on/roll-off car ferries, all inspired by the LST.

69. Old “There’s no step 3!” sloganeer : IMAC
The iMac is a desktop computer platform from Apple introduced in 1998. One of the main features of the iMac is an “all-in-one” design, with the computer console and monitor integrated. The iMac also came in a range of colors, that Apple marketed as “flavors”, such strawberry, blueberry and lime. When the iMac was introduced, the marketing folks emphasised the computer’s ease of setup. In a commercial starring actor Jeff Goldblum, it was pointed out that only two steps were needed to connect to the Internet. Goldblum then uttered the famous line “There’s no step 3!”

70. River through two world capitals : NILE
The River Nile runs through two national capitals: Cairo in Egypt, and Khartoum in Sudan.

73. Bitin’ a friend of Robin Hood? : NIPPIN’ TUCK (sounds like “nip and tuck”)
Friar Tuck is a character who appears in the legends of Robin Hood. Tuck is a jovial man, found of his food and wine, and a member of Robin’s merry band of outlaws.

75. Carryin’ a load of grain? : HAULIN’ OATS (sounds like “Hall and Oates”)
Daryl Hall & John Oates are a pop music duo, most successful in the late seventies and early eighties. They had six number one hits, including the 1982 release “Maneater”.

76. Title film locale in Springwood, Oh. : ELM ST
“A Nightmare on Elm Street” is a Wes Craven slasher-horror film, released in 1984. As I don’t do “slasher” nor “horror” I only learned recently that Johnny Depp was in the movie, making his feature film debut. The Elm Street in the title is located in the fictional Springwood, Ohio.

79. Clark ___, “The Avengers” actor : GREGG
Clark Gregg is an actor known for playing a character called Phil Coulson who appears in several films based on Marvel comics, including “Iron Man”, “Thor” and “The Avengers”.

82. Egypt’s Mubarak : HOSNI
As part of the wave of unrest known as the Arab Spring, protests in Cairo led to President Hosni Mubarak stepping down as ruler of Egypt in 2011. Mubarak was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2012 but was released in 2014 and is now facing a retrial.

85. Coral reef lurker : MORAY EEL
Morays are a large group of about 200 species of eels found across the world’s oceans. They are carnivorous and look pretty scary but they’re quite shy when confronted and present no threat to humans. One interesting thing about morays is that they will sometimes work in cooperation with the grouper fish found in reefs, the two helping each other hunt for food.

87. ___ Zimmer, Oscar-winning composer for “The Lion King” : HANS
Hans Zimmer is a film composer from Frankfurt in Germany. The long list of films that Zimmer has scored includes “Rain Man” (1998), “The Lion King” (1994), “Gladiator” (2000), “The Dark Knight” (2008), “Inception” (2010) and “12 Years a Slave” (2013).

93. What you might use to put on a happy face? : EMOJI
An emoji is a character found on many cell phones now that is like an emoticon, but more elaborate.

102. Nobelist Wiesel : ELIE
Elie Wiesel is a holocaust survivor, best known for his book “Night” that tells of his experiences in Auschwitz and Buchenwald. Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986.

103. Loop loopers : ELS
The Chicago “L” is the second largest rapid transit system in the US, with the New York City Subway being the largest. The “L” is also the second oldest, again with the New York City Subway system having the honor of being around the longest. Note that the official nickname for the system is the “L” (originally short for “elevated railroad”), although the term “El” is also in common use (especially in crosswords as “ELS”). The L is managed by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA).

The historic commercial center of Chicago is known as the Loop. One theory is that the “loop” got its name from the cable loops in the city’s old cable car system.

111. Microsoft portable media player : ZUNE
Zune was line of digital media products from Microsoft that included portable media players and a music subscription service. Most of the Zune services and products have now been discontinued.

115. Sault ___ Marie : STE
Sault Ste. Marie is the name of two cities on either side of the Canada-US border, one in Ontario and the other in Michigan. The two cities were originally one settlement in the 17th century, established by Jesuit Missionaries. The missionaries gave the settlement the name “Sault Sainte Marie”, which can be translated as “Saint Mary’s Falls”. The city was one community until 1817, when a US-UK Joint Boundary Commission set the border along the St. Mary’s River.

118. Little chow, say : PUP
The Chow Chow is a breed of dog that originated in China. The Chinese name for the breed is “Songshi Quan”, which translates as “puffy-lion dog”, a rather apt name given its appearance …

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Word after say or now : WHAT
5. Initiator of a probe, maybe : NASA
9. Mop : SWAB
13. Something five-star hotels provide, informally : TLC
16. Detective Vance : PHILO
17. Mythological deity with two ravens : ODIN
18. Celebrity chef Matsuhisa : NOBU
19. Part of a titter : HEE
20. Spellin’ things incorrectly? : WRITIN’ WRONG (sounds like “right and wrong”)
22. Departing words : AWAY WE GO!
24. Leonardo da Vinci, religiously : DEIST
25. Platform for many apps : IOS
26. Nosh on the trail : GORP
28. R&B singer with the 2004 #1 hit “Goodies” : CIARA
29. Stealin’ a hard drug? : JACKIN’ COKE (sounds like “Jack and Coke”)
32. Pushin’ some bread back and forth? : ROCKIN’ ROLL (sounds like “rock and roll”)
35. Domain of Jupiter : SKY
36. Beak : NOSE
37. Enwrap : SWATHE
39. Parkinson’s treatment : L-DOPA
40. Global finance org. : IMF
41. ___ de boeuf : ROTI
43. ___ Fierce (Beyoncé alter ego) : SASHA
45. Its official song is “Home on the Range”: Abbr. : KAN
46. Like some relations : SPATIAL
50. Lie around : LOLL
52. Where she blows? : THAR
53. Suffix with glycer- : -IDE
54. Paper pusher? : NEWSSTAND
56. Was a bellwether : LED
58. Strike first : AGGRESS
60. Disciplines : AREAS
61. 50 Cent piece : RAP VIDEO
64. Fair-hiring inits. : EEO
65. H.S. dropouts’ documents : GEDS
66. Not allowin’ anyone to cook burgers and franks? : BARRIN’ GRILL (sounds like “bar and grill”)
68. Google alternative : BING
72. Mortal queen of Thebes who was transfigured into a goddess : INO
74. Hardens : CONGEALS
75. Brother, in slang : HOMIE
76. Like very few newspapers these days : EVENING
80. To be, in Tijuana : SER
81. “Are you done?” : IS THAT ALL?
83. Place for lambs to frolic : LEA
84. Wavy do : PERM
86. Comedic Mort : SAHL
88. Bibliography listings : SOURCES
89. Union formation? : MRS
90. Hospital status, informally : PRE-OP
92. Each episode of “Law & Order,” say : CASE
94. Roguish : SLY
95. Tablet marking options : STYLI
97. Deeply impressed : GRAVEN
99. ___ Cooper : MINI
101. 1/4 of zero? : ZEE
104. Recheckin’ with a stopwatch? : TIMIN’ AGAIN (sounds like “time and again”)
106. Demonstratin’ how to shoot an apple off someone’s head? : SHOWIN’ TELL (sounds like “show and tell”)
109. French nobleman : COMTE
110. California’s Santa ___ Mountains : YNEZ
112. Album with the 1978 hit “Deacon Blues” : AJA
113. Hot spring? : OASIS
114. Accouterment popularized by a “Seinfeld” episode : MAN PURSE
116. Usin’ less stickum? : CUTTIN’ PASTE (sounds like “cut and paste”)
119. Tap choice : ALE
120. Put in a bibliography : CITE
121. ___ socks : KNEE
122. Madcap : NUTTY
123. “Gangnam Style” stylist : PSY
124. Shipbuilder’s starting point : KEEL
125. Oracle : SEER
126. Certain recess : APSE

Down
1. Egg beater : WHISK
2. Givin’ a female casino patron another card? : HITTIN’ MISS (sounds like “hit and miss”)
3. Iraq’s Imam ___ Air Base : ALI
4. Old-timey medicines : TONICS
5. Scandinavian language, to its speakers : NORSK
6. Hubbub : ADO
7. Make a note of? : SING
8. Sweater material : ANGORA
9. Medium for many selfies : SNAPCHAT
10. “I’m speechless” : WOW!
11. You can count on them : ABACI
12. Makin’ some big purchases? : BUYIN’ LARGE (sounds like “by and large”)
13. 2002 Dennis Quaid film about a struggling minor-league pitcher : THE ROOKIE
14. Places for briefs? : LEGAL PADS
15. Big cheese : CEO
16. Steep : PRICY
20. Unconvincing : WEAK
21. Cyrano de Bergerac, famously : WOOER
23. Certain charge : WARD
24. Party entertainers, for short : DJS
27. Breaks down : ROTS
30. Dieter’s label : NO FAT
31. This, in Tijuana : ESTO
33. Singer with the 2009 hit “Tik Tok” : KESHA
34. Track listings? : LANES
38. Hopin’ favor is bestowed? : WILLIN’ GRACE (sounds like “Will & Grace”)
40. Moralist’s comment : IT’S A SIN
42. Vets : OLD PROS
44. Panetta’s successor as defense secretary : HAGEL
46. Hitch : SNAG
47. Juin honoree : PERE
48. Deeply impressed : AWED
49. Logan of “60 Minutes” : LARA
51. Jumping-off point? : LEDGE
55. Dealbreaker? : NARC
57. Wrecks : DERAILS
59. Engineering topic : ROBOTRY
62. Popular six-second clips since 2013 : VINES
63. Much of the Guggenheim’s collection : OILS
66. Big goof : BONER
67. W.W. II transports: Abbr. : LSTS
69. Old “There’s no step 3!” sloganeer : IMAC
70. River through two world capitals : NILE
71. Hardens : GELS
73. Bitin’ a friend of Robin Hood? : NIPPIN’ TUCK (sounds like “nip and tuck”)
75. Carryin’ a load of grain? : HAULIN’ OATS (sounds like “Hall and Oates”)
76. Title film locale in Springwood, Oh. : ELM ST
77. Stats for basketball players : VERTICALS
78. “Get rich quick” promise : EASY MONEY
79. Clark ___, “The Avengers” actor : GREGG
82. Egypt’s Mubarak : HOSNI
85. Coral reef lurker : MORAY EEL
87. ___ Zimmer, Oscar-winning composer for “The Lion King” : HANS
91. Pest : PAIN
93. What you might use to put on a happy face? : EMOJI
96. Not step so lively : LIMP
98. Some sweaters : V-NECKS
100. “Lemme!” : I WANNA!
101. Like barbecue sauce : ZESTY
102. Nobelist Wiesel : ELIE
103. Loop loopers : ELS
105. Eagle’s perch : AERIE
107. Hardly a yes man : HATER
108. Sample : TASTE
111. Microsoft portable media player : ZUNE
114. Plan (out) : MAP
115. Sault ___ Marie : STE
117. Shorts top? : TEE
118. Little chow, say : PUP

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8 thoughts on “0817-14 New York Times Crossword Answers 17 Aug 14, Sunday”

  1. Hi there,

    The "well-known phrases" are given in brackets with each themed answer e.g. "right and wrong", "bar and grill", "time and again".

    I hope that helps!

  2. In my paper, several of the clues were listed with numbers in boldface. This led me to think that they had some special meaning or quirk also. But I don't see any reference to those in your column. Was it just a "quirk" of my paper?

  3. I always thought GED was an acronym for General Equivalency Diploma. I guess it's true-you learn something new every day.

  4. @David
    Yeah, let's go with that description, "great minds" 🙂

    @Gerry
    I guess the term "equivalency" is used a lot with regard to the GED, but apparently that's not included in the abbreviation.

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