0920-14 New York Times Crossword Answers 20 Sep 14, Saturday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
1. Goes quickly after takeoff? STREAKS
People have been running around naked for an awfully long time, but the application of the word “streaking” to the phenomenon only dates back to 1973. A journalist was reporting on a mass nude run of 533 people at the University of Maryland in 1973, and used the words “they are streaking (i.e. moving quickly) past me right now. It’s an incredible sight!”. The Associated Press picked up the story the next day, and interpreting “streaking” as the term to describe “running naked”, and we’ve been using it that way ever since.

14. Professor who tries to kill Harry Potter QUIRRELL
Professor Quirinus Quirrell teaches the “Defence Against the Dark Arts” class at Hogwarts in “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”. Quirrell was played by English actor Ian Hart on the big screen.

16. ___ pectoris ANGINA
“Angina pectoris” is the more complete name for the chest pain that we usually refer to as “angina”. The term can be translated into English as “a strangling feeling in the chest”.

19. PBJ filling? AND
Peanut butter and jelly (PB&J or PBJ)

20. 16:9, say ASPECT RATIO
16:9 is the aspect ratio of a widescreen television screen.

22. Muscles for some fraternity guys? DELTS
The deltoid muscle is actually a group of muscles, the ones that cover the shoulder and create the roundness under the skin. The deltoid is triangular in shape resembling the Greek letter delta, hence the name.

25. Mo. of National Grandparents’ Day SEP
National Grandparents’ Day is celebrated in the US on the first Sunday after Labor Day. The first observance of the holiday too place in 1978.

30. Some nerve! OPTIC
The optic nerve enters the eyeball at a location on the retina called the optic disc. Because there are no light-sensitive cells at the optic disc, there is a “hole” in our visual field that is called the blind spot. People with normal vision don’t usually notice this blind spot as the brain “fills in” the blind spot with information from the other eye.

32. Nobelist Frederick ___, pioneer in radiochemistry SODDY
Frederick Soddy was a radiochemist from England who worked with Ernest Rutherford on radioactivity. It was Rutherford and Soddy who discovered that radioactivity is caused by the transmutation of elements, the conversion of one chemical element into another.

33. Fashion series since 2004 PROJECT RUNWAY
“Project Runway” is a reality show that is hosted by model Heidi Klum. On the show, contestants compete by presenting clothes designs having been given limited time and materials. “Project Runway” is now a worldwide franchise.

37. Asner’s “Elf” role CLAUS
Ed Asner is most famous for playing the irascible but lovable Lou Grant on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and on the spin-off drama “Lou Grant”. Off-screen Asner is noted for his political activism. He served two terms as president of the Screen Actors Guild, and was very involved in the 1980 SAG strike. When “Lou Grant” was cancelled in in 1982, despite decent ratings, there was a lot of talk that the cancellation was a move by the network against Asner personally. In fact, one of Anser’s activist colleagues, Howard Hesseman (who played Johnny Fever) found that his show “WKRP in Cincinnati” was also cancelled … on the very same day.

“Elf” is a comedy movie released for the 2003 Christmas season. “Elf” was directed by Jon Favreau and stars Will Ferrell in the title role with James Caan supporting. It’s all about one of Santa’s elves who finds out he is human and goes to meet his father in New York City.

38. Browning, for one RIFLE
John Browning was a firearms designer who made his first gun at the age of 13 in his father’s gun shop.

39. It might be found in a café LAIT
Café au lait (“coffee with milk”) is usually strong, drip coffee to which one adds steamed milk. At least that’s the way we tend to make in this country.

40. Spanish interrogative COMO?
“Como” is a word found in a question (interrogación) in Spanish.

41. All-nighter, maybe RAVE
As you might imagine, I’ve never been to a rave, and don’t have one upcoming in my diary. And if they start at 2 a.m. then I’m unlikely ever to experience one. A rave is generally an all-night party featuring loud, electronically synthesized music usually played by a DJ, as opposed to a live band.

45. Writer Rand AYN
Ayn Rand was the pen name of Russian-American novelist Alisa Rosenbaum. Rand’s two best known works are her novels “The Fountainhead” published in 1943 and “Atlas Shrugged” in 1957. Back in 1951, Rand moved from Los Angeles to New York City. Soon after, she gathered a group of admirers around her with whom she discussed philosophy and shared drafts of her magnum opus, “Atlas Shrugged”. This group called itself “The Collective”, and one of the founding members was none other than future Federal Reserve chairman, Alan Greenspan.

48. Mackenzie of “The Facts of Life” ASTIN
Mackenzie Astin is an actor best known for playing Andy Moffitt on the eighties sitcom “The Facts of Life”. Mackenzie is the son of actors Patty Duke and John Astin, and the half-brother of actor Sean Astin.

49. Legerdemain MAGIC TRICKS
Legerdemain is a term used for “sleight of hand”, the set of techniques used by magicians to manipulate objects such as cards or coins. The term comes from the Middle French “léger de main” that translates as “light of hand”.

53. Cooperstown inst. HOF
Cooperstown is a village in New York that is famous as the home to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The village was named for Judge William Cooper, Cooperstown’s founder, and the father of the noted writer James Fenimore Cooper.

55. Longest continuous corporate partner of the Olympic Games COCA-COLA
Coca-Cola was the first corporate sponsor of the Olympic Games, and continues to provide sponsorship. The practice started in 1928, at the Summer Games in Amsterdam.

59. Galley slaves, e.g. OARERS
Galleys were large medieval ships mainly found in the Mediterranean. They were propelled by a combination of sails and oars.

Down
3. Judges 14:14 has the only one in the Bible RIDDLE
The only riddle to appear in the Bible is “Samson’s Riddle”. Samson asked of some guests at his residence, “Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet”. Samson was referring to a lion that he killed, and bees and honey that he found in the beast’s corpse.

4. “Maid of Athens, ___ we part”: Byron ERE
Lord Byron wrote his poem “Maid of Athens” while living in Athens in 1810, and dedicated it to the daughter of his landlady.

5. Hamlet takes a stab at it ARRAS
A famous arras is seen in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”. In one pivotal scene, Polonius is hiding behind a tapestry listening to an argument between Hamlet and Gertrude. Hamlet hears Polonius, mistakes his identity and stabs wildly through the cloth, killing Polonius. The name “arras”, used for such a tapestry, comes from the French town of Arras which was famous for the production of fine wall hangings.

6. Some gym shoes KEDS
Keds is a brand name of athletic shoe first introduced in 1916 by US Rubber. The shoe was originally marketed as a rubber-soled, canvas-topped sneaker.

9. Word with deux or nous ENTRE
In French, something might perhaps be discussed between two (entre deux) or between us (entre nous).

10. Home of the Unesco World Heritage Site Fatehpur Sikri AGRA
The Indian city of Agra is home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites:

– The Taj Mahal: the famous mausoleum built in memory of Mumtaz Mahal.
– Agra Fort: the site where the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond was seized.
– Fatehpur Sikri: a historic city that’s home to well-preserved Mughal architecture.

13. Splendid array PANOPLY
“Panoply” originally described the complete set of armor of a warrior, with the term coming from the Greek “pan-”meaning “all” and “hopla” meaning “arms”. We’ve been using “panoply” to mean “any splendid array” since the 1820s.

15. “Life’s Good” sloganeer LG ELECTRONICS
LG is a very large, South Korean manufacturer of electronics, chemicals and telecom products. LG used to be known as Lucky-Goldstar.

21. Sportsperson who may take a bow? COX
The coxswain of a boat is one in charge, particularly of its steering and navigation. The name is shortened to “cox” particularly when used for the person steering and calling out the stroke in a competition rowing boat.

23. Situation that makes a double play impossible TWO OUT
In baseball, if there are two out in an inning, only more out is required making a double play impossible.

29. Dungeons & Dragons attributes POWERS
Dungeons & Dragons is a complex role-playing game first published in 1974, by Tactical Studies Rules Incorporated (TSR). Dungeons & Dragons was probably the first of the modern role-playing games to be developed, and the most successful. It is still played by lots of people today, including my nerdy son …

31. Wear for the weary PJS
Our word “pajamas” comes to us from the Indian subcontinent, where “pai jamahs” were loose fitting pants tied at the waist and worn at night by locals and ultimately by the Europeans living there. And “pajamas” is another of those words that I had to learn to spell differently when I came to America. In the British Isles the spelling is “pyjamas”.

32. TV inits. since 10/11/75 SNL
NBC first aired a form of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) in 1975 under the title “NBC’s Saturday Night”. The show was actually created to give Johnny Carson some time off from “The Tonight Show”. Back then “The Tonight Show” had a weekend episode, and Carson convinced NBC to pull the Saturday or Sunday recordings off the air and hold them for subsequent weeknights in which Carson needed a break. NBC turned to Lorne Michaels and asked him to put together a variety show to fill the vacant slot, and he came up with what we now call “Saturday Night Live”.

33. Feature of many a McDonald’s PLAY AREA
The original McDonald’s restaurant was opened in 1940 by Richard and Maurice McDonald as a barbecue restaurant. The brothers then moved into fast food hamburgers, eventually selling out to one of their franchise agents, Ray Kroc. It was Ray Kroc who really led the company to its worldwide success.

34. Macs and such RAIN GEAR
When I was growing up in Ireland, we had to take our “macs” to school in case it rained (and it usually did!). “Mac” is short for “Macintosh”, a waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric. The coat was named after its inventor, Scotsman Charles Macintosh.

37. Red juice hybrid CLAMATO
Clamato is a drink made by Mott’s that is a blend of tomato juice and clam broth flavored with spices.The drink is intended to be reminiscent of Manhattan-style clam chowder.

44. Terrible one? ENFANT
An “enfant terrible”, French for “terrible child”, is one who embarrasses his or her parents with untimely candid remarks.

47. Certain address starter HTTPS
“http” are the first letters in most Internet links. “http” stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol.

48. Yoga pose ASANA
“Asana” is a Sanskrit word literally meaning “sitting down”. The asanas are the poses that a practitioner of yoga assumes. The most famous is the lotus position, the cross-legged pose called “padmasana”.

50. About IN RE
The term “in re” is Latin, derived from “in” (in) and “res” (thing, matter). “In re” literally means “in the matter”, and is used to mean “in regard to”, or “in the matter of”.

51. Some Red Cross supplies COTS
Back in 1859, a Swiss businessman called Henri Dunant went to meet French emperor Napoleon III, to discuss making it easier to conduct commerce in French-occupied Algeria. The Emperor was billeted at Solferino, where France and Austria were engaged in a major battle. In one day, Dunant witnessed 40,000 soldiers die in battle and countless wounded suffering on the battlefield without any organized medical care. Dunant abandoned his business agenda and instead spent a week caring for the sick and wounded. Within a few years he had founded the precursor to the Red Cross, and in 1901 he was awarded the first ever Nobel Peace Prize.

52. Single-serving coffee holder K-CUP
A K-Cup is a single-portion cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate in which the beverage is prepared in situ. K-Cup packs are used with brewing machines made by Keurig, a manufacturer of coffee brewers based in Reading, Massachusetts. Personally, I’ve never seen one …

56. Abbr. found at the 56-Down of this puzzle’s four longest answers CTR
Center (ctr.)

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Goes quickly after takeoff? STREAKS
8. Series of antecedents LEAD-UP
14. Professor who tries to kill Harry Potter QUIRRELL
16. ___ pectoris ANGINA
17. One not favored UNDERDOG
18. Randomly distributed STREWN
19. PBJ filling? AND
20. 16:9, say ASPECT RATIO
22. Muscles for some fraternity guys? DELTS
24. Shake LOSE
25. Mo. of National Grandparents’ Day SEP
26. Raft SLEW
27. Height APEX
29. Viewfinder? POLL
30. Some nerve! OPTIC
32. Nobelist Frederick ___, pioneer in radiochemistry SODDY
33. Fashion series since 2004 PROJECT RUNWAY
37. Asner’s “Elf” role CLAUS
38. Browning, for one RIFLE
39. It might be found in a café LAIT
40. Spanish interrogative COMO?
41. All-nighter, maybe RAVE
45. Writer Rand AYN
46. Cold-shoulder SHUN
48. Mackenzie of “The Facts of Life” ASTIN
49. Legerdemain MAGIC TRICKS
53. Cooperstown inst. HOF
54. Words before and after “Am too!” ARE NOT!
55. Longest continuous corporate partner of the Olympic Games COCA-COLA
57. Get misty TEAR UP
58. Fall guy? STUNTMAN
59. Galley slaves, e.g. OARERS
60. Least abundant SPAREST

Down
1. Teams SQUADS
2. Smuggling aid TUNNEL
3. Judges 14:14 has the only one in the Bible RIDDLE
4. “Maid of Athens, ___ we part”: Byron ERE
5. Hamlet takes a stab at it ARRAS
6. Some gym shoes KEDS
7. Spill SLOP
8. Holds up LASTS
9. Word with deux or nous ENTRE
10. Home of the Unesco World Heritage Site Fatehpur Sikri AGRA
11. Light refreshment DIET SODA
12. Hard to handle UNWIELDY
13. Splendid array PANOPLY
15. “Life’s Good” sloganeer LG ELECTRONICS
21. Sportsperson who may take a bow? COX
23. Situation that makes a double play impossible TWO OUT
27. Tucked away ATE
28. Snap PIC
29. Dungeons & Dragons attributes POWERS
31. Wear for the weary PJS
32. TV inits. since 10/11/75 SNL
33. Feature of many a McDonald’s PLAY AREA
34. Macs and such RAIN GEAR
35. Part of a crater RIM
36. Saucer, perhaps UFO
37. Red juice hybrid CLAMATO
40. Contemptible sort CUR
42. In AT HOME
43. They take bows VIOLAS
44. Terrible one? ENFANT
46. Comb SCOUR
47. Certain address starter HTTPS
48. Yoga pose ASANA
50. About IN RE
51. Some Red Cross supplies COTS
52. Single-serving coffee holder K-CUP
56. Abbr. found at the 56-Down of this puzzle’s four longest answers CTR

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