0916-14 New York Times Crossword Answers 16 Sep 14, Tuesday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Gary Cee
THEME: On and On and On … each of today’s themed answers includes three appearances of the letter sequence ON:

20A. 1990s R&B group with a repetitive-sounding name TONY! TONI! TONE!
29A. City midway between Detroit and Toronto LONDON, ONTARIO
43A. June to September, in India MONSOON SEASON
52A. How a motormouth talks … or what 20-, 29- and 43-Across literally have in common ON AND ON AND ON

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 8m 54s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

15. Novelist ___ Stanley Gardner ERLE
I must have read all of the Perry Mason books when I was in college. I think they kept me sane when I was facing the pressure of exams. Author Erle Stanley Gardner was himself a lawyer, although he didn’t get into the profession the easy way. Gardner went to law school, but got himself suspended after a month. So, he became a self-taught attorney and opened his own law office in Merced, California. Understandably, he gave up the law once his novels became successful.

16. Lena of stage and screen HORNE
Lena Horne was an American jazz singer, actress, dancer and civil rights activist. Horne started out her career as a nightclub singer and then began to get some meaty acting roles in Hollywood. However, she ended up on the blacklist during the McCarthy Era for expressing left wing political views. One of Horne’s starring roles was in the 1943 movie “Stormy Weather” for which she also performed the title song.

19. Territory east of Alaska YUKON
Canada’s federal territory known as Yukon takes its name from the Yukon River. “Yukon” means “Big Stream” in the local Gwich’in language.

20. 1990s R&B group with a repetitive-sounding name TONY! TONI! TONE!
I don’t know anything about their music, but the R&B band Tony! Toni! Toné! have one of the most inventive names I’ve ever come across.

24. Sinus specialist, briefly ENT
Ear, Nose and Throat specialist (ENT)

In anatomical terms a sinus is a cavity in tissue. Sinuses are found all over the body, in the kidney and heart for example, but we most commonly think of the paranasal sinuses that surround the nose.

25. Genre of Walter Isaacson’s “Steve Jobs,” for short BIO
“Steve Jobs” is a 2011 authorized biography of the hi-tech mogul that was authorized by Jobs himself, although he had no control over the final content. The book is being adapted into a biographical movie by the great Aaron Sorkin, with Leonardo DiCaprio’s name being touted for the title role. I read the book and enjoyed it immensely. I’ll definitely go see the film, if it comes to fruition.

26. ___ pedal (guitar accessory) WAH
A wah-wah pedal connected to an electric guitar alters the tone of the signal created so that it mimics the human voice.

29. City midway between Detroit and Toronto LONDON, ONTARIO
The city of London, Ontario lies about halfway between Detroit, Michigan and Toronto, Ontario. Just like the city’s better known namesake in England, Canada’s London is located on a river called the Thames.

35. Thumb-to-forefinger signal A-OK
Our term “A-OK” is supposedly an abbreviation for “A(ll systems are) OK”, and arose in the sixties during the Space Program.

37. What Velcro may substitute for LACES
The hook-and-loop fastener we now call Velcro was invented in 1941 by Georges de Mestral, a Swiss engineer. Mestral noticed that the seeds of the burdock plant (burrs or burs) stuck to his clothes. Under the microscope he found hooks on the burrs that grabbed hold of loops in his clothing. After years of development, he came up with a way of simulating the natural hook using man-made materials, and Velcro was born.

38. Commercial ending with Water -PIK
Waterpik is a brand name of oral irrigator, a device that uses a stream of water to remove food debris and dental plaque from the teeth. There are claims made that water irrigators are more effective than dental floss.

39. Curriculum ___ VITAE
A curriculum vitae is a listing of someone’s work experience and qualifications, and is used mainly in making a job application. The term “curriculum vitae” can be translated from Latin as “course of life”.

41. Early Mets manager Hodges GIL
Gil Hodges was a professional baseball player and manager. Perhaps Hodges’ most celebrated achievement was managing the New York Mets team (the “Miracle Mets”) that won the 1969 World Series. Hodges died from a heart attack just a few years later in 1972, when he was only 48 years old.

42. Ophthalmologist’s concern RETINA
The retina is the tissue that lines the inside of the eye, the tissue that is light-sensitive. There are (mainly) two types of cell in the retina that are sensitive to light, called rods and cones. Rods are cells that best function in very dim light and only provide black-and-white vision. Cones on the other hand function in brighter light and can perceive color.

43. June to September, in India MONSOON SEASON
The term “monsoon” was first used in India in the days of the British Raj, when it was used to describe the seasonal winds that brought rain from the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea from June to September. “Monsoon” is derived from the Portuguese “monção”, which in turn comes from the Arabic “mawsim” meaning “season”.

46. Bank acct. earnings INT
Interest (int.)

47. Whiskey variety RYE
For whiskey to be labelled as “rye” in the US, it has to be distilled from at least 51% rye grain. In Canada however, a drink called rye whiskey sometimes contains no rye at all.

49. “Today” rival, for short GMA
“Good Morning America” (GMA) is ABC’s morning show, and has been since 1975. There was even a spinoff show called “Good Afternoon America”, although that only lasted for a few months in 2012.

55. Last word of “The Star-Spangled Banner” BRAVE
The lyrics to the US national anthem were written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key as a poem called “Defence of Fort M’Henry”. “The Star-Spangled Banner” was adopted for official use by the US Navy in 1889, and by President Woodrow Wilson in 1889. The US Congress designated the song as the national anthem in 1931, with an act that was signed into law by President Herbert Hoover.

58. “Topaz” author Leon URIS
Leon Uris is an American writer. Uris’s most famous books are “Exodus” and “Trinity”, two excellent stories, in my humble opinion …

The 1967 Leon Uris novel “Topaz” was adapted into a 1969 movie of the same name directed by Alfred Hitchcock. “Topaz” is a little unusual for a Hitchcock work as it doesn’t feature a big Hollywood name, and it wasn’t particularly well received at the box office.

59. Penny CENT
The official name of our smallest denomination coin is a “cent”, and our use of the word “penny” is just a colloquialism derived from the British coin of the same name. However, in the UK the plural of penny is “pence”, whereas we have “pennies” in our pockets.

63. File material EMERY
Emery is a very hard type of rock that is crushed for use as an abrasive. Emery paper is made by gluing small particles of emery to paper. Emery boards are just emery paper with a cardboard backing. And emery boards are primarily used for filing nails.

64. Ugly Duckling, eventually SWAN
Hans Christian Andersen’s tale “The Ugly Duckling” has to be one of the most endearing ever written. Unlike so many “fairy tales”, “The Ugly Duckling” isn’t based on any folklore and simply a product of Andersen’s imagination. It is speculated that Andersen was the illegitimate son of the Crown Prince of Denmark, and that he wrote the story of the ugly duckling that turned into a beautiful swan as a metaphor for the secret royal lineage that was within Andersen himself.

Down
1. The family in the 2009 best seller “This Family of Mine” GOTTI
“This Family of Mine” is 2009 book by reality TV star Victoria Gotti, that tells of her life growing up in the Gambino crime family. Victoria is the daughter of deceased Mafia boss John Gotti.

John Gotti was the boss of the Gambino crime family from 1985. Gotti was known as the Teflon Don and took over leadership of the family from Paul Castellano when he was gunned down, allegedly on Gotti’s orders. Gotti remained head of the New York family until he was sentenced to life in prison in 1992. Gotti died of throat cancer after ten years behind bars.

2. Hank who hit 755 homers AARON
The great Hank Aaron (Hammerin’ Hank) has many claims to fame. One notable fact is that he is the last major league baseball player to have also played in the Negro League.

5. Another round at the buffet, say SECONDS
Our word “buffet” comes from the French “bufet” meaning “bench, sideboard”. So, a buffet is a meal served from a “bufet”.

6. Immediately PRONTO
The Spanish, Italian (and now English) word “pronto” is derived from the Latin “promptus” meaning “ready, quick”.

7. Jai ___ ALAI
Even though jai alai is often said to be the fastest sport in the world because of the speed of the ball, in fact golf balls usually get going at a greater clip. Although, as a blog reader once pointed out to me, you don’t have to catch a golf ball …

10. Philanderer ROUE
“Roue” is a lovely word, I think, describing a less than lovely man. A roue could otherwise be described as a cad, someone of loose morals. “Roue” comes from the French word “rouer” meaning “to break on a wheel”. This describes the ancient form of capital punishment where a poor soul was lashed to a wheel and then beaten to death with cudgels and bars. I guess the suggestion is that a roue, with his loose morals, deserves such a punishment.

“To philander” is “to womanize”, from the term “philander” that was used in the 1700s to mean “lover”. The name “Philander” was often used in novels and plays for a character who was a lover. The name was derived from the Greek adjective “philandros” meaning “with love for people”.

12. ___-cone SNO
A sno-cone (also “snow cone”) is just a paper cone filled with crushed ice and topped with flavored water. Italian ice is similar, but different. Whereas the flavoring is added on top of the ice to make a sno-cone, Italian ice is made with water that is flavored before it is frozen.

13. Important number on Downing Street TEN
10 Downing Street is one of the most famous street addresses in the world and is the official London residence of the British Prime Minister. Although it may not look it on television, it’s a spacious pad, actually a larger house made by combining three older houses back in the 1700s. Although Number 10 has over one hundred rooms, they are mostly offices and reception rooms and the actual residence itself is quite modest. It was so modest that when Tony Blair came to power he opted to move himself and his family into the more spacious residence next door at Number 11, an apartment traditionally reserved for the Chancellor of the Exchequer (the UK equivalent of the Secretary of the Treasury). The succeeding Prime Minister, David Cameron, seemed to like the idea, because he now lives in Number 11 as well.

27. Actor Quinn AIDAN
Aidan Quinn is an Irish-American actor. Quinn was born in Chicago but spent some years growing up in Ireland. Mainly known as a movie actor, Quinn is currently playing the role of Captain Tommy Gregson on the excellent TV series “Elementary” that is centered on a modern-day Sherlock Holmes.

28. Old Testament book HOSEA
Hosea was one of the Twelve Prophets of the Hebrew Bible, also called the Minor Prophets of the Old Testament in the Christian Bible.

30. Maureen Dowd pieces OP-EDS
Op-ed is an abbreviation for “opposite the editorial page”. Op-eds started in “The New York Evening World” in 1921 when the page opposite the editorials was used for articles written by a named guest writer, someone independent of the editorial board.

Maureen Dowd is a celebrated columnist for “The New York Times” as well as a best-selling author. Dowd won a Pulitzer for her columns about the Monica Lewinski scandal.

32. Samuel on the Supreme Court ALITO
Associate Justice Samuel Alito was nominated to the US Supreme Court by President George W. Bush. Alito is the second Italian-American to serve on the Supreme Court (Antonin Scalia was the first). Alito studied law at Yale and while in his final year he left the country for the first time in his life, heading to Italy to work on his thesis about the Italian legal system.

33. Resin used in incense ELEMI
Elemi is a tree native to the Philippines. The tree gives its name to the fragrant resin that is harvested from it. Elemi resin is used in varnishes and printing inks.

34. Synthetic fabric RAYON
Rayon is a little unusual in the textile industry in that it is not truly a synthetic fiber, but nor can it be called a natural fiber. Rayon is produced from naturally occurring cellulose that is dissolved and then reformed into fibers.

38. Ingredients in pesto PINE NUTS
The term “pesto” applies to anything made by pounding. What we tend to know as “pesto” sauce is more properly called “pesto alla genovese”, pesto from Genoa in northern Italy.

39. Italian motor scooter VESPA
Vespa is a brand of motor scooter originally made in Italy (and now all over the world) by Piaggio. “Vespa” is Italian for “wasp”.

41. Francisco who painted frescoes GOYA
Francisco Goya was a Spanish painter, often called the last of the Old Masters and the first of the moderns. Two of Goya’s most famous works are “The Nude Maja” and “The Clothed Maja”.

44. Stubborn ORNERY
Back in the early 1800s, the word “ornery” was an informal contraction for the word “ordinary”, and meant commonplace, but with a sense of “poor quality, coarse, ugly” as opposed to “special”. Towards the end of the century, the usage “ornery” had evolved into describing someone who was mean or cantankerous.

45. Beethoven’s Third EROICA
Beethoven originally dedicated his Symphony No. 3 to Napoleon Bonaparte. Beethoven admired the principles of the French Revolution and as such respected Bonaparte who was “born” out of the uprising. When Napoleon declared himself Emperor, Beethoven (and much of Europe) saw this as a betrayal to the ideals of the revolution so he changed the name of his new symphony from “Bonaparte” to “Eroica”, meaning “heroic” or “valiant”.

50. $$$ MONEY
The “$” sign was first used for the Spanish American peso, in the late 18th century. The peso was also called the “Spanish dollar” (and “piece of eight”). The Spanish dollar was to become the model for the US dollar that was adopted in 1785, along with the “$” sign.

52. Choice on a gambling line OVER
An over-under bet is a wager that a number will be over or under a particular value. A common over-under bet is made on the combined points scored by two teams in a game.

53. Stalemate DRAW
“Stalemate” is a term used in chess when one player (who is not in check) cannot make a legal move. A game of chess with a stalemate is declared a draw. We use the term metaphorically for a no-win situation in general.

54. TV drama set in the D.C. area NCIS
NCIS is the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which investigates crimes in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The service gives its name to the CBS TV show “NCIS”, a spin-off drama from “JAG” in which the main “NCIS” characters were first introduced. The big star in “NCIS” is the actor Mark Harmon.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Horse race’s starting point GATE
5. Lovers’ quarrel SPAT
9. Bracelet location WRIST
14. Rows OARS
15. Novelist ___ Stanley Gardner ERLE
16. Lena of stage and screen HORNE
17. Golf course hazard TRAP
18. Use friendly persuasion COAX
19. Territory east of Alaska YUKON
20. 1990s R&B group with a repetitive-sounding name TONY! TONI! TONE!
23. Some doorways INS
24. Sinus specialist, briefly ENT
25. Genre of Walter Isaacson’s “Steve Jobs,” for short BIO
26. ___ pedal (guitar accessory) WAH
29. City midway between Detroit and Toronto LONDON, ONTARIO
33. Throws a tantrum ERUPTS
35. Thumb-to-forefinger signal A-OK
36. Hats, informally LIDS
37. What Velcro may substitute for LACES
38. Commercial ending with Water -PIK
39. Curriculum ___ VITAE
40. Looked at EYED
41. Early Mets manager Hodges GIL
42. Ophthalmologist’s concern RETINA
43. June to September, in India MONSOON SEASON
46. Bank acct. earnings INT
47. Whiskey variety RYE
48. ___-roaring RIP
49. “Today” rival, for short GMA
52. How a motormouth talks … or what 20-, 29- and 43-Across literally have in common ON AND ON AND ON
55. Last word of “The Star-Spangled Banner” BRAVE
58. “Topaz” author Leon URIS
59. Penny CENT
60. Psyched EAGER
61. Dish you might sprinkle cheese on TACO
62. “Get it?” response I SEE
63. File material EMERY
64. Ugly Duckling, eventually SWAN
65. “The ___ the limit!” SKY’S

Down
1. The family in the 2009 best seller “This Family of Mine” GOTTI
2. Hank who hit 755 homers AARON
3. Like sheer fabric or sautéed onions TRANSLUCENT
4. Catch sight of ESPY
5. Another round at the buffet, say SECONDS
6. Immediately PRONTO
7. Jai ___ ALAI
8. Required school purchase, maybe TEXTBOOK
9. “Oh, what the heck?” WHY NOT?
10. Philanderer ROUE
11. Grate on IRK
12. ___-cone SNO
13. Important number on Downing Street TEN
21. Camp sights TENTS
22. Porker’s sound OINK
26. Secretary WRITING DESK
27. Actor Quinn AIDAN
28. Old Testament book HOSEA
30. Maureen Dowd pieces OP-EDS
31. They can take a pounding NAILS
32. Samuel on the Supreme Court ALITO
33. Resin used in incense ELEMI
34. Synthetic fabric RAYON
38. Ingredients in pesto PINE NUTS
39. Italian motor scooter VESPA
41. Francisco who painted frescoes GOYA
42. Dampens, as a parade RAINS ON
44. Stubborn ORNERY
45. Beethoven’s Third EROICA
50. $$$ MONEY
51. Gets the pot started ANTES
52. Choice on a gambling line OVER
53. Stalemate DRAW
54. TV drama set in the D.C. area NCIS
55. Busy one BEE
56. Crash into RAM
57. Store in a cask, say AGE

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