0305-15 New York Times Crossword Answers 5 Mar 15, Thursday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
6. “The Great Escape” setting : STALAG
Stalag was the term used for a prisoner-of-war camp in Germany. Stalag is an abbreviation for Stammlager, which in turn is the short form of Mannschartsstamm und Straflager, literally meaning “crew master and prison camp”.

“The Great Escape” is a 1944 non-fiction book by Paul Brickhill that recounts the story of a mass escape from Stalag Luft III in Germany. Brickhill was actually a participant in the breakout. Famously, the book was adapted into a very successful 1963 movie starring Steve McQueen and Richard Attenborough.

14. Jean-Claude Van Damme film set in 1994 and 2004 : TIMECOP
“Timecop” is an entertaining sci-fi movie released in 1994, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as US federal agent who tracks down criminals with the aid of time travel.

Jean-Claude Van Damme is a Belgian actor and expert in martial arts. Given his background, he is referred to by the nickname “The Muscles from Brussels”.

16. Fleet : ARMADA
The most famous Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England in order to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I in 1588. It failed in its mission, partly due to bad weather encountered en route. Ironically, the English mounted a similar naval attack against Spain the following year, and it failed as well.

17. Who said about himself “Women find his power almost as much of a turn-on as his money” : DONALD TRUMP
Donald Trump got into real estate development under the influence of his father, Fred Trump, a wealthy New York City developer, and founder of the Trump Organization.

22. Little, in Lille : PEU
Lille is a large city in the very north of France sitting right on the border with Belgium. The name “Lille” is a derivation of the term “l’isle” meaning “the island”.

27. Kona catch, maybe : AHI
Yellowfin tuna is usually marketed as “ahi”, its Hawaiian name. Yellowfin tuna is one big fish, often weighing over 300 pounds.

The Kona district on the Big Island of Hawaii is on the western side of the island. The largest town in Kona is Kailua-Kona. Kailua-Kona is often incorrectly referred to as “Kona”. The term “kona” translates as “leeward side of the island” in Hawaiian.

30. Key of all white keys: Abbr. : C MAJ
In the world of music, the key of C major has no flats or sharps.

33. Basis of a platform : TENET
A tenet is an article of faith, something that is held to be true. “Tenet” is Latin for “he holds”.

35. Relaxing music genre : NEW AGE
The New Age Movement is a western philosophy with roots that date back to the early 1800s. The movement focuses on achieving the highest human potential as an individual and embraces many traditionally eastern spiritual practices, but eschews all religious doctrines. New Age music is composed with the intent of supporting this philosophy. It tends to be very minimalistic, very tonal and harmonic. It is often used as a backdrop for relaxation or meditation.

45. José, to friends : PEPE
“José” is the Spanish for “Joseph”. Friends might also refer to José as “Pepe”. There is a common assertion tha both “José” and “Pepe” derive from Saint Joseph, the father of Jesus. Saint Joseph is sometimes referred to as “padre putativo” meaning “presumed father”. The abbreviation “PP”, standing for “padre putativo”, led to the name “Pepe”. Well, apparently this neat etymology is apocryphal. It is far more likely that “Pepe” comes from the Italian “Beppe”, itself a nickname for the Giuseppe, which is Italian for “Joseph”.

47. Fed. management agency : GSA
The US Government’s General Services Administration (GSA), as the name suggests, provides general services to other federal agencies. So for example, the GSA manages office space for the other agencies, and transportation.

48. Accords, e.g. : HONDAS
Honda started manufacturing its Accord model in Marysville, Ohio in 1982, making the Accord the first Japanese car to be produced in the US. The Accord was the best-selling Japanese car in America from 1982 to 1997, and 1989 was the first import to become the best-selling car in the US.

51. Narcissist’s focus : SELF
Narcissus was a proud and vain hunter in Greek mythology. He earned himself a fatal punishment, being made fall in love with his own reflection in a pool. So, take was he by his own image, that he could not leave it and wasted away and died by the pool. Narcissus gives us our term “narcissism” meaning “excessive love of oneself”.

64. ___ Madre : SIERRA
“The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” is a 1927 novel by German novelist B. Traven. The book was made into a famous 1948 movie of the same name by John Huston, starring Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston (director John’s father).

66. Japanese mat : TATAMI
A tatami is a traditional mat used on floors in Japan. The term “tatami” comes from the Japanese word “tatamu” meaning “to fold”, reflecting the fact that the mat is designed to be folded up for storage.

67. James of “Star Trek” : DOOHAN
In the “Star Trek” series on television and in the movies, the colorful character of “Scotty” was played by the Canadian actor James Doohan. Doohan joined the Royal Canadian Artillery at the start of WWII, and participated in the D-Day Invasion of Normandy. After surviving the landing, that same day Doohan was shot by one of his own men in a tragic mishap. Doohan was hit six times, with a bullet to his chest stopped by a silver cigarette case he was carrying. One of Doohan’s fingers was shot off in the incident, an injury that he successfully concealed during his acting career.

68. Mideast money : RIYAL
The Saudi riyal is currency of Saudi Arabia, and the Qatari riyal is the currency of Qatar.

Down
2. “Great ___!” (Wonder Woman cry) : HERA
Wonder Woman first appeared in print in 1941, in a publication from DC Comics. As she was created during WWII, Wonder Woman’s first foes were the axis powers. In the less realistic world her biggest foe was and still is Ares, a “baddie” named for the Greek mythological figure. Wonder Woman had several signature expressions, including “Merciful Minerva!”, “Suffering Sappho!” and “Great Hera!”.

3. “Hurray” or “alas” : IAMB
An iamb is a metrical foot containing an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. Robert Frost’s “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” consists of lines made up of four sequential iambs e.g. “Whose woods / these are / I think / I know”. With a sequence of four iambs, the poem’s structure is described as iambic tetrameter.

4. Owner of Shopping.com : EBAY
Shopping.com is one of those comparison shopping websites. It allows you to compare prices for the same product at many different online retailers. It’s very useful for those of us who prefer online shopping to visiting a brick and mortar store.

5. World leader who was Time magazine’s 1977 Man of the Year : SADAT
Anwar Sadat was the third President of Egypt right up to the time of his assassination in 1981. Sadat won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978 along with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin for the role played in crafting the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty of 1978 at Camp David. It was this agreement that largely led to Sadat’s assassination three years later.

6. Part of S.O.P.: Abbr. : STD
Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)

7. Uruguayan uncles : TIOS
The official name of Uruguay is the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, reflecting the country’s location on the eastern coast of South America. It is a relatively small country, the second smallest on the continent, after Suriname. In 2009, Uruguay became the first country in the world to provide a free laptop and Internet access to every child. Now there’s a thought …

8. Fetal development test, for short : AMNIO
Amniocentesis is the prenatal test which involves the removal of a small amount of the amniotic fluid surrounding the fetus using a hypodermic needle. The fluid naturally contains some fetal cells, the DNA of which can then be tested to determine the sex of the child and to check for the presence of genetic abnormalities.

10. Often-torn body part in sports, briefly : ACL
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of four major ligaments that support the knee.

11. Participants at many baptisms : GODPARENTS
Baptism is a rite in Christian traditions admitting a candidate, often an infant, into the Church. The ceremony usually uses water as a sign of purification. Water may be poured on the head, or the candidate may be totally immersed in water.

15. Wing: Prefix : PTERO-
The prefixes pter- and ptero- mean “pertaining to a wing, or a feather”, coming from the Greek word “pteron” (feather). Examples of use would be in the words “pterosaur” and “pterodactyl”.

18. ___ session (meeting after a legislative dissolution) : RUMP
The rump of an animal is its hindquarters, its tail end. The term can also mean “remnant”, from the sense of a tail piece. This sense of “remnant” gives rise to the phrases “rump session” and “rump legislature”. A rump legislature is a remnant of a full legislature, a session that is held after the true legislature has dissolved.

27. Org. that combats trafficking : ATF
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is today part of the Department of Justice (DOJ). The ATF has its roots in the Department of Treasury dating back to 1886 when it was known as the Bureau of Prohibition. “Explosives” was added to the ATF’s name when the bureau was moved under the Department of Justice (DOJ) as part of the reorganization called for in the Homeland Security Act of 2002.

31. C.S.A. general Stuart : JEB
General Jeb Stuart fought with the Confederate States Army during the Civil War. The nickname “Jeb” was formed from the initials of Stuart’s full name: James Ewell Brown Stuart.

34. Golfer nicknamed “The Big Easy” : ELS
Ernie Els is a South African golfer. Els a big guy but he has an easy fluid golf swing that has earned him the nickname “The Big Easy”. He is a former World No. 1 and won four majors: the US Open (1994 & 1997) and the British Open (2002 & 2012).

40. Having no chance for success, as a proposal, for short : DOA
Dead on arrival (DOA)

49. Last new Olds : ALERO
The Oldsmobile Alero was the last car made under the Oldsmobile brand. The Alero was produced from 1999 to 2004.

50. Funny Silverman : SARAH
Sarah Silverman is a comedian, but also a singer and actress. Her material is very “edgy”, as she takes on social taboos such as racism, sexism and religion. She had a celebrity boyfriend for five years as she dated Jimmy Kimmel starting in 2002, soon after Kimmel’s divorce from his first wife.

52. Dominican, e.g. : FRIAR
The Order of Preachers is a Roman Catholic religious order that is often referred to as the Dominicans. The order was founded in France in 1216 by a Spanish priest called Saint Dominic de Guzman.

55. Variety of cotton : PIMA
Pima is a soft cotton that is very durable and absorbent. Pima cotton is named after the Pima Native Americans who first cultivated it in this part of the world.

57. Figure that’s unbelievable? : YETI
A yeti is a beast of legend, also called an abominable snowman. “Yeti” is a Tibetan term, and the beast is fabled to live in the Himalayan regions of Nepal and Tibet. Our equivalent legend in North America is that of Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch. The study of animals whose existence have not yet been substantiated is called cryptozoology.

58. Farm cart : DRAY
A dray is a side-less, 4-wheeled cart used for hauling goods.

59. Funny Bombeck : ERMA
Erma Bombeck wrote for newspapers for about 35 years, producing more than 4,000 witty and humorous columns describing her home life in suburbia.

62. Low : MOO
The cattle are lowing, mooing …

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Draws back (from) : SHIES
6. “The Great Escape” setting : STALAG
12. What’s brewing? : TEA BAG
14. Jean-Claude Van Damme film set in 1994 and 2004 : TIMECOP
16. Fleet : ARMADA
17. Who said about himself “Women find his power almost as much of a turn-on as his money” : DONALD TRUMP
19. Record of infantile behavior? : BABY ALBUM
21. Frequent word from a valet : SIR
22. Little, in Lille : PEU
23. Like faces after face-lifts : TAUT
25. Like some push-ups : ONE-ARM
27. Kona catch, maybe : AHI
30. Key of all white keys: Abbr. : C MAJ
32. Tiniest taste : DROP
33. Basis of a platform : TENET
35. Relaxing music genre : NEW AGE
38. Lagging … or a hint to 17-, 19-, 56- and 61-Across : FALLING BEHIND
41. No-goodnik : RASCAL
42. Totaled : RAN TO
43. ___-engine : TWIN
45. José, to friends : PEPE
47. Fed. management agency : GSA
48. Accords, e.g. : HONDAS
51. Narcissist’s focus : SELF
53. Bearskin, maybe : RUG
54. Race unit : LAP
56. Part of a story you might not want to know : GORY DETAIL
61. Hating baseball and apple pie? : UNAMERICAN
64. ___ Madre : SIERRA
65. It’s a scene to behold : DIORAMA
66. Japanese mat : TATAMI
67. James of “Star Trek” : DOOHAN
68. Mideast money : RIYAL

Down
1. Skewer : STAB
2. “Great ___!” (Wonder Woman cry) : HERA
3. “Hurray” or “alas” : IAMB
4. Owner of Shopping.com : EBAY
5. World leader who was Time magazine’s 1977 Man of the Year : SADAT
6. Part of S.O.P.: Abbr. : STD
7. Uruguayan uncles : TIOS
8. Fetal development test, for short : AMNIO
9. “That’ll ___ ya” : LEARN
10. Often-torn body part in sports, briefly : ACL
11. Participants at many baptisms : GODPARENTS
13. Huger than huge : GALACTIC
15. Wing: Prefix : PTERO-
18. ___ session (meeting after a legislative dissolution) : RUMP
20. No-good : BUM
24. Argues (with) : TANGLES
26. Fringe : EDGING
27. Org. that combats trafficking : ATF
28. Device placed next to a drum : HEARING AID
29. Not coastal : INLAND
31. C.S.A. general Stuart : JEB
34. Golfer nicknamed “The Big Easy” : ELS
36. Comment upon driving past the same unfamiliar place again : WE’RE LOST
37. Shout of success : AHA
39. Power ___ : NAP
40. Having no chance for success, as a proposal, for short : DOA
43. Kind of street : THRU
44. Ended (up) : WOUND
46. Identify : PEG
49. Last new Olds : ALERO
50. Funny Silverman : SARAH
52. Dominican, e.g. : FRIAR
55. Variety of cotton : PIMA
57. Figure that’s unbelievable? : YETI
58. Farm cart : DRAY
59. Funny Bombeck : ERMA
60. Follow : TAIL
62. Low : MOO
63. Fire : CAN

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