1228-14 New York Times Crossword Answers 28 Dec 14, Sunday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Where it’s lonely at, it’s said : THE TOP
I wouldn’t know …

7. Semi parts : CABS
A “semi” is a “semi-trailer truck”. The vehicle is so called because it consists of a tractor and a half-trailer. The half-trailer is so called because it only has wheels on the back end, with the front supported by the tractor.

14. It shrinks in the light : PUPIL
The pupil of the eye is the “hole” located in the center of the iris through which light enters the retina. The term “pupil” came into English via French from the latin “pupilla”, which is the diminutive form of “pupa” meaning “girl, doll”. The term came about due to the tiny doll-like image that one can see of oneself when looking into the center of another’s eyes.

22. Striped beast : OKAPI
The okapi is closely related to the giraffe, although it does have markings on its legs and haunches that resemble those of a zebra. The okapi’s tongue is long enough to reach back and wash its eyeballs, and can go back even further to clean its ears inside and out.

23. Mrs. King on TV’s “Scarecrow and Mrs. King” : AMANDA
“Scarecrow and Mrs. King” is a TV show that originally aired in the mid-eighties starring Brice Boxleitner and Kate Jackson in the title roles. Jackson had played Sabrina Duncan in the seventies show “Charlie’s Angels”.

24. Imports : MEANINGS
The noun “import” can mean “implication”, as in he realized the import of his actions.

25. Host Jay and family : LENOS
Jay Leno was born James Leno in New Rochelle, New York. Jay’s father was the son of Italian immigrants, and his mother was from Scotland. Leno grew up in Andover, Massachusetts and actually dropped out of school on the advice of a high school guidance counsellor. However, years later he went to Emerson college and earned a Bachelor’s degree in speech therapy. Leno also started a comedy club at Emerson in 1973. Today Jay Leno is a car nut and owns about 200 vehicles of various types. You can check them out on his website: www.jaylenosgarage.com.

28. Political capital? : PEE
The capital letter in the word “Political” is the letter P (pee).

30. Antimalarial agent : DDT
DDT is dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (don’t forget now!). DDT was used with great success to control disease-carrying insects during WWII, and when made available for use after the war it became by far the most popular pesticide. And then Rachel Carson published her famous book “Silent Spring”, suggesting there was a link between DDT and diminishing populations of certain wildlife. It was the public outcry sparked by the book, and reports of links between DDT and cancer, that led to the ban on the use of the chemical in 1972. That ban is touted as the main reason that the bald eagle was rescued from near extinction.

Malaria is a disease passed onto humans by mosquitoes. As a result of the disease, a parasite invades human red blood cells and multiplies causing fever and possibly coma or death. Over 750,000 people died from malaria in 2009, out of 225 million cases reported.

35. “Game of Thrones” airer : HBO
HBO’s “Game of Thrones” is a fantasy television drama that was adapted from a series of novels by George R. R. Martin called “A Song of Ice and Fire”. “Game of Thrones” is actually made in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

40. Italian tourist destination : LIDO
The Lido di Venezia is a famous sandbar, about 11 km long, in Venice, Italy. It may be a sandbar, but it is home to about 20,000 residents, as well as the Venice Film Festival that takes place there every September. The Lido is also the setting for Thomas Mann’s famous novel “Death in Venice”. The name “lido” has become a term for any fashionable beach resort.

41. Sultanate next to an emirate : OMAN
Oman lies on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula and is neighbored by the OAE, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The capital city of Muscat has a strategic location on the Gulf of Oman and has a history of invasion and unrest. Centuries of occupation by the Persians ended in 1507 when the Portuguese took the city in a bloody attack. The Portuguese held Muscat for much of the next one hundred years until finally being ousted by local Omani forces in 1648. A Yemeni tribe invaded the area in 1741 and set up a monarchy that has been in place in Oman ever since.

42. “Friday the 13th” sequel subtitled “Jason Lives” : PART VI
Can you believe that the “Friday the 13th” franchise of horror movies comprises twelve films (so far)? The bad guy in the series is Jason Voorhees, a boy who drowned at summer camp. “Friday the 13th” is an incredibly successful franchise, something that I just do not understand …

53. Sign of summer : LEO
Leo is the fifth astrological sign of the Zodiac. People born from July 13 to August 23 are Leos.

54. Fish-and-chips fish : COD
In the British Isles, the most common fish that is used in traditional “fish and chips” is Atlantic cod. Cod has been overfished all over the world, and is now considered to be an endangered species by many international bodies. Confrontations over fishing rights in the North Atlantic led to conflicts called “the Cod Wars” between Iceland and the UK in the 1950s and the 1970s, with fishing fleets being protected by naval vessels and even shots being fired.

55. Bygone sports cars : MGS
My neighbor used to keep his MG Midget roadster in my garage (away from his kids!) back in Ireland many moons ago. The Midget was produced by MG division of the British Motor Corporation from 1961 to 1979, with the MG acronym standing for “Morris Garages”.

59. They may be checked for checks : IDS
When paying by check, one might have one’s ID checked.

63. Grp. with auditors : IRS
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

70. D-Day locale : CAEN
Caen, on the River Orne, lies in the Calvados department of France in the northwest of the country. Caen is famous for the WWII Battle of Caen that left the town practically destroyed. Caen is also the burial place of the Norman King William I of England, also known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

74. Soave, e.g. : VINO
Soave is a dry white wine produced in the area around the city of Verona in northeast Italy.

77. Masked “bandit” : COON
The raccoon is native to North America. In captivity, raccoons can live to over 20 years of age, but in the wild they only live two or three years. The main causes for the shorter lifespan are hunting and road traffic.

78. W.W. II domain: Abbr. : ETO
European Theater of Operations (ETO)

81. Soda nuts : KOLAS
The nut of the kola tree has a bitter taste, and is loaded with caffeine. Despite the taste, the nut is habitually chewed in some cultures, especially in West Africa where the tree is commonly found in the rainforest. Here in the US we best know the kola nut as a flavoring used in cola drinks.

83. Manhattan neighborhood east of N.Y.U. : NOHO
NoHo is short for North of Houston (street), and is the equivalent area to SoHo, South of Houston, both in New York City.

85. Anne Hathaway’s persona in 2012’s “The Dark Knight Rises” : CAT
“The Dark Knight Rises” is a 2012 movie in the “Batman” franchise that stars Christian Bale as the superhero. The bad guys that Batman battles are cat burglar Selina Kyle played by Anne Hathaway, and mercenary Bane played by Tom Hardy.

97. Ibis relative : STORK
In German and Dutch society, storks resting on the roof of a house were considered a sign of good luck. This tradition led to nursery stories that babies were brought to families by storks.

The ibis is a wading bird that was revered in ancient Egypt. “Ibis” is an interesting word grammatically speaking. You can have one “ibis” or two “ibises”, and then again one has a flock of “ibis”. And if you want to go with the classical plural, instead of two “ibises” you would have two “ibides”!

102. Get back (to) : RSVP
RSVP stands for “répondez, s’il vous plaît”, which is French for “please, answer”.

104. Flight board abbr. : ETD
Estimated time of departure (ETD)

110. One of a Latin trio : AMAS
“Amo, amas, amat: … “I love, you love, he/she/it loves”, in Latin.

126. 1976 hit for Hall & Oates : SHE’S GONE
“Sara Smile” was the first US Top 10 hit for the duo Hall & Oates, released in 1976.

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”.

128. Some Deco works : ERTES
Erté was the pseudonym of French artist (Russian born) Romain de Tirtoff. Erté is the French pronunciation of his initials “R.T.”

Down
2. Half- : HEMI-
Ever wonder what the difference is between the prefixes “hemi-”, “demi-” and “semi-”, all of which mean “half”? Well, the general observation is that words using the “demi-” prefix date back to the days of Norman influence over the English language. As a result, “demi-” turns up in the world of period costume and coats of arms. Words using “hemi-” tend to have Greek roots, and are prevalent in the world of the sciences and the medical field. Words with “semi-” tend to have Latin roots, and are most often found in music and the arts, and mathematics.

3. H’s : ETAS
Eta is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, and is a forerunner of our Latin character “H”. Originally denoting a consonant, eta was used as a long vowel in Ancient Greek.

4. Sawbucks : TEN-SPOTS
“Sawbuck” is slang for a ten dollar bill. The term was applied to the bill as the Roman numeral X (ten) resembles the end of sawhorse.

6. Virgin offering : PLANE RIDE
Virgin Group is a huge multinational company that operates in the arenas of travel, entertainment and lifestyle. The company was started by Richard Branson and a partner as a record shop in 1970. The founders chose the name “Virgin” as they considered themselves “virgins” in the business world.

8. Boat direction : ALEE
“Alee” is the direction away from the wind. If a sailor points into the wind, he or she is pointing “aweather”.

15. Luau staple : UKE
The ukulele (“uke”) originated in the 1800s and mimicked a small guitar brought to the Hawaiian Islands by Portuguese immigrants.

Nowadays the word “luau” denotes almost any kind of party on the Hawaiian Islands, but to the purist a luau is a feast that always includes a serving of “poi”, the bulbous underground stems of taro baked with coconut milk.

17. Apple picker’s pick? : IPOD NANO
The iPod Nano is the successor to the iPod Mini and was introduced to the market at the end of 2005. There have been seven versions of the Nano to date and the current Nano as well as playing tunes is an FM player, records voice memos, has a pedometer and can connect with external devices (like a heart monitor, maybe) using Bluetooth technology.

21. Instrument in Vermeer’s “The Music Lesson” : VIOL
Viols are a family of stringed instruments that resemble the violin family. However, viols have fretted fingerboards like guitars, and have six strings instead of four.

Johannes Vermeer was born in the city of Delft in 1632, and died there some 43 years later. I just love Vermeer’s paintings, and his wonderful use of light. A great example of such a work is his “Girl with a Pearl Earring”. If you haven’t seen it, I thoroughly recommend the 2003 movie “Girl with a Pearl Earring” starring Scarlett Johansson as the girl in the painting, and Colin Firth as Vermeer. The movie is based on a novel of the same name by Tracy Chevalier, so it’s all just a great story as opposed to a documentary. The way the movie is shot really reflects the qualities of a Vermeer work of art. And, my wife and i are planning on taking a peek at the original painting “Girl with a Pearl Earring” in a couple of weeks as it is visiting one of our galleries here in San Francisco.

29. “Modern Family” co-star : ED O’NEILL
Ed O’Neill made it big on television playing Al Bundy on the sitcom “Married … with Children”, not a show I ever cared for. However, O’Neill is in the cast of a great show currently being aired that I do recommend, namely “Modern Family”.

“Modern Family” is a marvelous television show shown on ABC since 2009. The show’s format is that of a “mockumentary”, with the cast often addressing the camera directly. In that respect “Modern Family” resembles two other excellent shows: “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation”, both of which might also be described a “mockumentaries”.

35. Fill-in-the-blanks activity : HANGMAN
The word guessing game called Hangman seems to have been played first in Victorian England. At one time it was known as “Birds. Beasts and Fishes” as the words to be guessed had to be types of animal.

38. Jefferson Airplane genre : ACID ROCK
Acid rock is a musical genre, a subset of psychedelic rock. The term comes from the influence of the drug LSD (acid) on some compositions in the early days.

The sixties folk group called Jefferson Airplane gave rise to two spin-off groups that were founded by former Jefferson Airplane band members. The first was Jefferson Starship, and the second was Starship. Confusing, huh?

42. Exfoliation tool : PUMICE
Pumice is volcanic rock that is formed by lava cooling. There are bubbles in pumice due to water and carbon dioxide frothing out of the lava as it cools. Because of the frothy structure, pumice is relatively light and is a great thermal insulator. As such, it is used in construction to make insulating breeze blocks.

51. Yom Kippur War politician : MEIR
Golda Meir was known as the “Iron Lady” when she was Prime Minister of Israel, long before that sobriquet came to be associated with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Golda Meir was born Golda Mabovitch in Kiev (in modern-day Ukraine), and when she was a young girl she moved with her family to the United States and settled in Milwaukee. As a teenager she relocated to Denver where she met and married Morris Meyerson, at the age of 19. She and her husband joined a kibbutz in Palestine in 1921, when she was in her twenties. Meir had been active in politics in the US, and continued her political work in Palestine. She was very influential during WWII, and played a leading role in negotiations after the war leading to the setting up of the state of Israel. By the time she was called on to lead the country, Meir had already retired, citing exhaustion and ill health. But serve she did, and led Israel during turbulent times (e.g. the massacre at the Munich Olympics, and the Yom Kippur War). She eventually resigned in 1974, saying that was what the people wanted.

The Yom Kippur War started on October 6 in 1973 with a surprise move by Syria and Egypt into the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights. The conflict quickly escalated into a confrontation between the US and the Soviet Union, as both superpowers rushed arms to the opposing states. Within a week, Israeli forces had regained the land that had been lost and two weeks later had advanced within striking range of both Cairo and Damascus. A UN brokered ceasefire brought the war to an end on October 25, after just 19 days of fighting.

52. Partial translation of “Auld Lang Syne” : SINCE
The song “Auld Lang Syne” is a staple at New Year’s Eve, the words of which were written by Scottish poet Robbie Burns. The literal translation of “Auld Lang Syne” is “old long since”, but is better translated as “old times”. The sentiment of the song is “for old time’s sake”.

64. “Scary Movie,” e.g. : SPOOF
“Scary Movie” is one of those parody movies, a film released in 2000 that pokes fun at famous horror films. It was advertised with the tagline “No mercy. No shame. No sequel”. The “no sequel” reference was a parody in itself, making fun of the fact that slasher movies in particular were made into strings of sequels. But there was in fact to be a sequel to “Scary Movie”, in fact three of them with one more on the way. “Scary Movie 2” came out in 2001, with the tagline “We lied”.

67. Like many toy trucks : DIE-CAST
A metal toy is often die cast, meaning that it is manufactured by forcing molten metal into the cavity of a mold. The mold is then cooled, the metal solidifies and takes on the shape defined by the mold.

72. Preppy wear : POLOS
René Lacoste was a French tennis player who went into the clothing business, and came up with a more comfortable shirt that players could use. This became known as a “tennis shirt”. When it was adopted for use in the sport of polo, the shirts also became known as “polo shirts”. And then the “golf shirt” is basically the same thing.

88. Sirloin cut : TIP ROAST
A “tri-tip” is a cut of meat that all goes by the names tip roast, round tip roast and sirloin tip roast. Tri-tip is a cut of beef from the rear of the animal. It is a triangular muscle, hence the name.

95. Hit TV series set in Las Vegas : 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.

96. High school makeup test, for short? : GED
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.

107. What you might get by breaking 4-Down : ABES
(4D. Sawbucks : TEN-SPOTS)
The US five-dollar bill is often called an “Abe”, as President Lincoln’s portrait is on the front. An Abe is also referred to as a “fin”, a term that has been used for a five-pound note in Britain since 1868.

109. Classic example of corporate malfeasance : ENRON
After all the trials following the exposure of fraud at Enron, several of the key players ended up in jail. Andrew Fastow was the Chief Financial Officer. He plea-bargained and received ten years without parole, and became the key witness in the trials of others. Even Fastow’s wife was involved and she was sentenced to one year for helping her husband hide money. Jeffrey Skilling (ex-CEO) was sentenced to 24 years and 4 months. Kenneth Lay (CEO) died in 2006 after he had been found guilty but before he could be sentenced. The accounting firm Arthur Andersen was found guilty of obstruction of justice for shredding thousands of pertinent documents and deleting emails and files (a decision that the Supreme Court later overturned on a technicality). But still, Arthur Andersen collapsed under the weight of the scandal and 85,000 people lost their jobs (despite only a handful being directly involved with Enron).

111. Building block : ADOBE
The building material known as adobe has been around a long time, and has been used in dry climates all over the world. The original form of the word “adobe” dates back to Middle Egyptian times, about 2000 BC. The original spelling is “dj-b-t”, and translates as mud (sun-dried) brick.

115. “Hawaii Five-O” crime-fighter, informally : DANO
“Five-O” has become urban slang for a police officer, or the police force in general. The term of course is rooted in the 1970s TV Show “Hawaii Five-O”. Hawaii Five-O was a totally fictional police force created for the television show. The name recognizes that Hawaii was the 50th state to join the union. Steve McGarrett in the original show was played by Jack Lord, and “Danno” Williams was played by James MacArthur.

117. News anchor Lester : HOLT
Lester Holt is a television journalist. Holt is anchor for the weekend editions of the shows “Today” and “Nightly News” on NBC, as well as the show “Dateline NBC”.

118. I.M.F. part: Abbr. : INTL
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.

121. Rebel leader : LEE
Robert E. Lee is renowned as a southern officer in the Civil War. Lee was a somewhat reluctant participant in the war in that he opposed the secession of his home state of Virginia from the Union. At the beginning of the war, President Lincoln invited Lee to take command of the whole Union Army but he declined, choosing instead to stay loyal to his home state. During the Civil War, Lee’s men referred to him affectionately as “Marse Robert”, with “marse” being slang for “master”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Where it’s lonely at, it’s said : THE TOP
7. Semi parts : CABS
11. Powder holder : KEG
14. It shrinks in the light : PUPIL
19. Pass on, as stories : RETELL
20. Modern juice ingredient : ALOE VERA
22. Striped beast : OKAPI
23. Mrs. King on TV’s “Scarecrow and Mrs. King” : AMANDA
24. Imports : MEANINGS
25. Host Jay and family : LENOS
26. Su____ic : MISSING PERSON (giving “supersonic”)
28. Political capital? : PEE
30. Antimalarial agent : DDT
31. Result of a burn : PEEL
32. Ob____ly : DELETED SCENE (giving “obscenely”)
35. “Game of Thrones” airer : HBO
37. Din : ROAR
40. Italian tourist destination : LIDO
41. Sultanate next to an emirate : OMAN
42. “Friday the 13th” sequel subtitled “Jason Lives” : PART VI
44. Bad-tempered, in Shakespeare : CURST
48. Something banned by international treaty : LAND MINE
50. ____t : UNUSED MINUTES (giving “minutest”)
53. Sign of summer : LEO
54. Fish-and-chips fish : COD
55. Bygone sports cars : MGS
56. Call for : NEED
57. Arrive casually, informally : BOP IN
59. They may be checked for checks : IDS
61. Opposite of “Brr!” : I’M HOT!
63. Grp. with auditors : IRS
65. Checkout headache : LINE
66. Pack, as a car : LOAD UP
70. D-Day locale : CAEN
71. Lo____y : DROPPED CALL (giving “locally”)
74. Soave, e.g. : VINO
75. Last : ENDURE
77. Masked “bandit” : COON
78. W.W. II domain: Abbr. : ETO
79. They start in middle school : TEENS
80. Ransom specification : SUM
81. Soda nuts : KOLAS
83. Manhattan neighborhood east of N.Y.U. : NOHO
85. Anne Hathaway’s persona in 2012’s “The Dark Knight Rises” : CAT
86. Sternward : AFT
89. “I’ve got good news and bad news” speaker : DOC
91. Li____nt : FORFEITED GAME (giving “ligament”)
94. It’s often face-down in a jewelry store : PRICE TAG
97. Ibis relative : STORK
98. Messed (up) : LOUSED
99. Spices (up) : PEPS
100. Part of town : AREA
102. Get back (to) : RSVP
104. Flight board abbr. : ETD
105. Ca____t : STRIPPED BARE (giving “cabaret”)
110. One of a Latin trio : AMAS
112. It may follow you or me : TOO
113. It may be smoked in England : EEL
114. Wor____er : ABANDONED SHIP (giving “worshiper”)
120. Eggs, e.g. : OVALS
122. Like oysters as an appetizer, often : EATEN RAW
124. “That’s completely wrong, you idiot!” : NO NO NO!
125. Change, as a password : RESET
126. 1976 hit for Hall & Oates : SHE’S GONE
127. Curved fasteners : U-BOLTS
128. Some Deco works : ERTES
129. “How pathetic” : SAD
130. Book of Mormon book : ENOS
131. Not marry Mr. Right, say : SETTLE

Down
1. Ride around some parking lots : TRAM
2. Half- : HEMI-
3. H’s : ETAS
4. Sawbucks : TEN-SPOTS
5. Song on a reunion tour, maybe : OLDIE
6. Virgin offering : PLANE RIDE
7. Group of like-minded thinkers : CAMP
8. Boat direction : ALEE
9. Executive group : BOARD
10. Pick up on : SENSE
11. Relative of a pound : KENNEL
12. Energy unit : ERG
13. It’s on the right when you’re driving : GAS PEDAL
14. Ends of the world : POLES
15. Luau staple : UKE
16. Plague, e.g. : PANDEMIC
17. Apple picker’s pick? : IPOD NANO
18. Didn’t just talk : LISTENED
21. Instrument in Vermeer’s “The Music Lesson” : VIOL
27. Shine, in product names : GLO
29. “Modern Family” co-star : ED O’NEILL
33. Preposition between two times : ‘TIL
34. .biz alternative : COM
35. Fill-in-the-blanks activity : HANGMAN
36. Like some cotton : BRUSHED
38. Jefferson Airplane genre : ACID ROCK
39. Operate : RUN
42. Exfoliation tool : PUMICE
43. Let it all out : VENT
45. Chafe : RUB
46. E____hen : STOLEN ART (giving “earthen”)
47. Unenthusiastic : TEPID
49. Birdbrain : DODO
51. Yom Kippur War politician : MEIR
52. Partial translation of “Auld Lang Syne” : SINCE
58. Ones who are never out of order? : NEATNIKS
60. Except : SAVE
62. Duty : ONUS
64. “Scary Movie,” e.g. : SPOOF
67. Like many toy trucks : DIECAST
68. Anonymous : UNNAMED
69. Up on things : POSTED
71. Mailing to a record exec, once : DEMO TAPE
72. Preppy wear : POLOS
73. Hot goods : LOOT
76. Like talking in a theater, e.g. : RUDE
79. Flap : TO-DO
82. Destination between LAX and Sea-Tac : SFO
84. Some computer aids : HELP MENUS
86. Modern place to buy games : APP STORE
87. Stew about : FRET OVER
88. Sirloin cut : TIP ROAST
90. Negligent : CARELESS
92. Drop the ball : ERR
93. “So much for that” : GUESS NOT
95. Hit TV series set in Las Vegas : CSI
96. High school makeup test, for short? : GED
101. Tapered off : ABATED
103. Airport shuttle, maybe : VAN
106. Rats and gnats : PESTS
107. What you might get by breaking 4-Down : ABES
108. 0-100, e.g. : RANGE
109. Classic example of corporate malfeasance : ENRON
111. Building block : ADOBE
115. “Hawaii Five-O” crime-fighter, informally : DANO
116. Isn’t square, say : OWES
117. News anchor Lester : HOLT
118. I.M.F. part: Abbr. : INTL
119. Ask : POSE
121. Rebel leader : LEE
123. “I knew it!” : AHA!

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