0613-15 New York Times Crossword Answers 13 Jun 15, Saturday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Ultra-environmental policy : ZERO WASTE
10. Desert plant pollinated by moths : YUCCA
Yuccas are a genus of shrubs and trees that live in hot and dry areas of North and South America. One of the more famous species of Yucca is the Joshua tree.

16. Foursome in Mahler’s “Symphony of a Thousand” : OBOES
Gustav Mahler’s “Symphony No. 8” is often referred to as the “Symphony of a Thousand”, and for good reason. A 2012 performance hosted by the LA Philharmonic at the Shrine Auditorium featured over 1,000 performers. The roll call involved 91 musicians from the LA Philharmonic itself, 99 from the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela and 813 singers from several local choruses.

17. Group of practice-only N.F.L. players : TAXI SQUAD
The scout team (or “taxi squad”) is a group of football players whose job is to play like future opponents for the main team. The scout team may not be the best athletes, but they learn particular plays designed to help the main team prepare for an upcoming game.

19. Tan and others : AMYS
Amy Tan lives not too far from here, in Sausalito just north of San Francisco. Tan is an American writer of Chinese descent whose most successful work is “The Joy Luck Club”. “The Joy Luck Club” was made into a movie produced by Oliver Stone in 1993. The novel and movie tell of four Chinese-American immigrant families in San Francisco who start the Joy Luck Club, a group playing Mahjong for money and eating delicious food.

25. Source of the line “Madness in great ones must not unwatch’d go” : HAMLET
“Madness in great ones must not unwatch’d go” is a line from the William Shakespeare play “Hamlet”, spoken by King Claudius. One might argue that this quotation advises us keep a careful eye on those we might regard as “mad”, as the line between greatness and insanity can be a fine one.

32. Ray variety : SKATE
Skates (formally “Rajidae”) are a family of fish in the superorder of rays (formally “Batoidea”). Skates look very similar to stingrays but they lack stinging spines.

33. “Putting the phone down for a sec,” in textspeak : BRB
Be right back (brb)

35. Sign of lycanthropy, to some : UNIBROW
A werewolf might sport a unibrow.

A “lycanthrope” is a werewolf, with the term coming from the Greek for wolf (lykos) and man (anthropos).

37. Comic book legend with many movie cameos : STAN LEE
Stan Lee did just about everything at Marvel Comics over the years, from writing to being president and chairman of the board. If you like superhero movies based on the characters from Marvel Comics, then you could spend a few hours trying to spot Stan Lee in those films as he has a penchant for making cameo appearances. Lee can be spotted in “X-Men” (2000), “Spider-Man” (2002), “Hulk” (2003), “Fantastic Four” (2005), “Iron Man” (2008) and many other films.

39. The anchorman in “Anchorman” : RON
Ron Burgundy is the title character in the movie “Anchorman” series of films. Burgundy is a news anchor played by comedian Will Ferrell. Apparently Burgundy loves a glass of scotch, poetry, and his dog Baxter.

43. It’s often met “on the road taken to avoid it,” per Jean de la Fontaine : DESTINY
Jean de La Fontaine was a French poet and fabulist (author of fables). One of La Fontaine’s most quoted lines is “On rencontre sa destinée souvent par des chemins qu’on prend pour l’éviter”, meaning “Destiny is often met in the paths we take to avoid it”.

46. Went off the board : DOVE
Well, back where I come from, we say “dived” …

47. Where Chipotle was founded and is headquartered : DENVER
Chipotle Mexican Grill is a chain of casual dining restaurants that was founded and is now headquartered in Denver, Colorado. For several years, the major investor in Chipotle was McDonald’s. The chain is named for the smoke-dried jalapeño called a “chipotle”.

56. 1973 self-titled album with the #1 hits “Photograph” and “You’re Sixteen” : RINGO
Ringo Starr’s real name is Richard Starkey. Before he joined the Beatles (replacing drummer Pete Best), Starkey played with the Raving Texans. It was with the Raving Texans that he adopted the name “Ringo Starr”, because he wore a lot of rings and he thought it sounded “cowboyish”. Back then his drum solos were billed as “Starr Time”.

57. Miniaturizing device in “Fantastic Voyage” : SHRINK RAY
“Fantastic Voyage” is a 1966 sci-fi film about a medical team that is shrunk, along with a submarine, so that they can “voyage” through the bloodstream of a stricken scientist to repair the damage to his brain. It’s a dreadful film starring Raquel Welch and Donald Pleasance, but I love it. I think I liked it when I watched it as a teenager because I had first read the novel made from the film, which was written by the great Isaac Asimov. Well, there was also Racquel Welch in a skintight SCUBA suit …

59. Script instruction : ENTER
The script of a play usually includes instructions for characters to “”enter” and “exit”.

62. Lowest point? : SOUTH POLE
The first men to reach the South Pole were a party led by the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, on December 14, 1911. Famously, a team led by Robert Falcon Scott reached the pole just 33 days later, only to find that they had been beaten in their quest. Scott and the whole of his team perished on the journey back out of the Antarctic.

Down
1. Riemann ___ function : ZETA
The Riemann zeta function has a significant place in mathematics, primarily (pun!) due to its relation to the distribution of prime numbers. The function was introduced by Leonhard Euler, but was extended by Bernhard Riemann after whom the function is named.

3. New York City theater where CinemaScope debuted : ROXY
The original Roxy Theater was opened in 1927 in New York City, designed to be the biggest and best “motion picture palace” of the day. The first theater operator was a professional, Samuel Rothafel. As part of the deal to entice him to take the job, the owners offered to name the theater after him. As Rothafel’s nickname was Roxy, that’s the name the owners used.

The widescreen format that we know as “CinemaScope” was made possible by the CinemaScope lens, which was developed by Bausch & Lomb. In fact, Bausch & Lomb won as Oscar in 1954 for the achievement. The first film released in Cinemascope was the 1953 Biblical epic “The Robe”, closely followed by “How to Marry a Millionaire”.

5. Land O’ Lakes land: Abbr. : WIS
Land O’ Lakes is a town in the north of Wisconsin, right on the state line with the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In fact, Land O’ Lakes was founded as the Town of State Line, with the name being changed in 1948. The town has little or nothing to do with the Land O’Lakes creamery co-op, which originated in Minnesota.

8. New Jersey city that’s at the terminus of Interstate 80 : TEANECK
Interstate 80 is the second-longest highway in the US (after I-90). It runs east-west from San Francisco, California to Teaneck, New Jersey. I-80 largely follows the route of the first road across America, namely the historic Lincoln Highway.

9. Gate fig. : ETD
Estimated time of departure (ETD)

10. Someone who speaks like the quote in 25-Across : YODA
Yoda is one of the most beloved characters of the “Star Wars” series of films. Yoda’s voice was provided by the great modern-day puppeteer Frank Oz of “Muppets” fame.

11. Congo feeder : UBANGI
The Ubangi River defines the border between the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and further downstream defines the border between the DRC and the Republic of Congo.

12. Julia Child, e.g. : CORDON BLEU
Le Cordon Bleu is an education institution focused on hospitality management and the culinary arts. “Le cordon bleu” is French for “the blue ribbon”.

Julia Child was an American chef who is recognized for bringing French cuisine to the American public. During WWII, Julia Child joined the OSS (the Office of Strategic Services), the predecessor to the CIA. She worked for the OSS in Washington, Ceylon and China. While in the OSS, she met her husband Paul Child who was also an OSS employee. Paul joined the Foreign Service after the war, and it was his posting to France that created the opportunity for Julie to learn about French cuisine. If you haven’t seen it, I highly, highly recommend the movie “Julie & Julia”, one of the best films of 2009. Meryl Streep does a fabulous job playing the larger-than-life Julia Child.

13. Singer who was a coach on four seasons of “The Voice” : CEELO GREEN
CeeLo Green is the stage name of rapper Thomas DeCarlo Callaway. Apparently Green was one of the coaches for the contestants on the singing TV show “The Voice”. That’s all I need to know …

“The Voice” is yet another reality television show. “The Voice” is a singing competition in which the judges hear the contestants without seeing them in the first round. The judges then take on chosen contestants as coaches for the remaining rounds. “The Voice” is a highly successful worldwide franchise that originated in the Netherlands.

14. Twits : ASSES
“Twit” is a word not used very often here in America. It’s a slang term that was quite common in England where it was used for “someone foolish and idiotic”.

21. “Grand” place to stay : HYATT
The Hyatt hotel chain takes its name from the first hotel in the group, that was purchased in 1957 i.e. Hyatt House at Los Angeles International Airport. Among other things, Hyatt is famous for designing the world’s first atrium hotel: the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta. The Larger and high-priced Hyatt brand is Grand Hyatt, and the really luxurious hotels, mid-sized hotels are called Park Hyatts.

22. Pride : lion :: business : ___ : FERRET
A group of lions is known as a “pride” of lions. It’s possible that the term “pride” in this context derives from the Latin “”praeda” meaning “prey”.

A group of ferrets is called “business” of ferrets. An older collective noun for ferrets is a “fesnyng”.

26. Dating standard : ANNO DOMINI
The designations Anno Domini (AD, “year of Our Lord”) and Before Christ (BC) are found in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The dividing point between AD and BC is the year of the conception of Jesus, with AD 1 following 1 BC without a year “0” in between. The AD/BC scheme dates back to AD 525, and gained wide acceptance soon after AD 800. Nowadays a modified version has become popular, with CE (Common/Christian Era) used to replace AD, and BCE (Before the Common/Christian Era) used to replace BC.

27. WrestleMania highlights : MAIN EVENTS
“WrestleMania” is a pay-per-view professional wrestling event that was first produced in 1985. I really don’t do wrestling …

28. Ad follower : LIB
“Ad libitum” is a Latin phrase meaning “at one’s pleasure”. In common usage the phrase is usually shortened to “ad lib”. On the stage the concept of an “ad lib” is very familiar. For example, an actor may substitute his or her own words for forgotten lines using an ad lib, or a director may instruct an actor to use his or her own words at a particular point in a performance to promote a sense of spontaneity.

36. Lime, e.g. : OXIDE
LImelight was an early form of stage lighting that was also known as Drummond Light. The illumination came from the burning of quicklime (calcium hydroxide), hence the name. Although limelights are a thing of the past, the term “in the limelight” is still used when describing someone in the public eye.

38. “Latino USA” carrier : NPR
National Public Radio (now just called NPR) was launched in 1970 after President Johnson signed into law the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. The intent of the act was to provide funding for radio and television broadcasting that wasn’t simply driven by profit. As a longtime fan of the state-funded BBC in the UK, I’d have to agree with that intent …

41. Mostly-women Olympics sport, familiarly : SYNCHRO
Synchronized swimming is one of the few Olympic events that is open only to women, although that could change as more male teams are competing. Back at the end of the 1800s, the event was known as water ballet.

44. Suit materials : SERGES
Serge is a type of twill fabric with diagonal ridges on both sides. The name “serge” comes from the Greek word for “silken”.

46. Literature Nobelist Walcott : DEREK
Derek Walcott is a poet, playwright and writer from Saint Lucia in the Caribbean. Remarkably, the tiny island nation of Santa Lucia has produced two Nobel Laureates: Walcott and the economist Arthur Lewis.

48. Bent for collecting curios : VIRTU
“Virtu” are objects of art or curios. The same term is used to describe an interest in and knowledge of such objects. The term comes from the Latin “virtus” meaning “virtue, goodness, manliness”. The idea is that “virtu” is an appreciation for the “goodness” of such art.

52. 1970s-’80s sitcom locale : WKRP
The sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati” was produced by MTM, the production company established by Mary Tyler Moore and her husband for the “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”. “WKRP” was a successful enough show when it originally aired, but then became a blockbuster in syndication. It became MTM’s most-watched program, even outstripping the original “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”.

53. Legendary galley : ARGO
In Greek mythology, Jason and the Argonauts sailed on the Argo in search of the Golden Fleece. The vessel was called the “Argo” in honor of the ship’s builder, a man named Argus.

Galleys were large medieval ships mainly found in the Mediterranean. They were propelled by a combination of sails and oars.

54. Manxman, e.g. : GAEL
The Isle of Man is a large island located in the middle of the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland. I used to spend a lot of time there in my youth, and a very interesting place it is indeed. The Isle of Man is classed as a British Crown Dependency and isn’t part of the United Kingdom at all. It is self-governing and has its own parliament called the Tynwald. The Tynwald was created in AD 979 and is arguably the oldest continuously-running parliament in the world. The inhabitants of the island speak English, although they do have their own language as well called Manx, which is very similar to Irish Gaeilge and Scottish Gaelic. And then there are those Manx cats, the ones without any tails. I’ve seen lots of them, and can attest that they are indeed found all over the island.

55. Fictional hiree at Thornfield : EYRE
Thornfield Hall is the home of Mr. Rochester, and where all the action takes place in “Jane Eyre”. “Jane Eyre” is of course the novel written by Charlotte Bronte, and published as “Jane Eyre. An Autobiography” under the pen name Currer Bell.

57. Parent of Air Greenland : SAS
SAS was formerly known as Scandinavian Airlines System and is the flag carrier of three countries: Denmark, Norway and Sweden. SAS is based at Stockholm Arlanda Airport located just north of the Swedish capital.

58. Theatrical form : NOH
Noh is a form of musical drama in Japan that has been around since the 14th century. Many of the Noh performers are masked, allowing all the roles to be played by men, both male and female parts.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Ultra-environmental policy : ZERO WASTE
10. Desert plant pollinated by moths : YUCCA
15. Tiger or boa constrictor : EXOTIC PET
16. Foursome in Mahler’s “Symphony of a Thousand” : OBOES
17. Group of practice-only N.F.L. players : TAXI SQUAD
18. Lead-ins to games of chicken : DARES
19. Tan and others : AMYS
20. Garden ornament : URN
21. Nickname : HANDLE
22. Regalia : FINERY
24. Bits of baby talk : GOOS
25. Source of the line “Madness in great ones must not unwatch’d go” : HAMLET
29. Film : COATING
31. Alert at 52-Down : ON AIR
32. Ray variety : SKATE
33. “Putting the phone down for a sec,” in textspeak : BRB
35. Sign of lycanthropy, to some : UNIBROW
37. Comic book legend with many movie cameos : STAN LEE
39. The anchorman in “Anchorman” : RON
40. Are around : EXIST
42. Celerity : SPEED
43. It’s often met “on the road taken to avoid it,” per Jean de la Fontaine : DESTINY
45. Some summer fare : RERUNS
46. Went off the board : DOVE
47. Where Chipotle was founded and is headquartered : DENVER
49. Stop playing hide-and-seek : EMERGE
51. Butt : CIG
52. Engage in : WAGE
56. 1973 self-titled album with the #1 hits “Photograph” and “You’re Sixteen” : RINGO
57. Miniaturizing device in “Fantastic Voyage” : SHRINK RAY
59. Script instruction : ENTER
60. Criminal who welcomes a hanging? : ART FORGER
61. When doubled, very affectionate : KISSY
62. Lowest point? : SOUTH POLE

Down
1. Riemann ___ function : ZETA
2. Class act? : EXAM
3. New York City theater where CinemaScope debuted : ROXY
4. Big maker of moving walkways : OTIS
5. Land O’ Lakes land: Abbr. : WIS
6. Clear : ACQUIT
7. Reject : SPURN
8. New Jersey city that’s at the terminus of Interstate 80 : TEANECK
9. Gate fig. : ETD
10. Someone who speaks like the quote in 25-Across : YODA
11. Congo feeder : UBANGI
12. Julia Child, e.g. : CORDON BLEU
13. Singer who was a coach on four seasons of “The Voice” : CEELO GREEN
14. Twits : ASSES
21. “Grand” place to stay : HYATT
22. Pride : lion :: business : ___ : FERRET
23. Pig ___ : ROAST
25. Number before a colon : HOUR
26. Dating standard : ANNO DOMINI
27. WrestleMania highlights : MAIN EVENTS
28. Ad follower : LIB
30. One-minute excerpt, maybe : TEASER
32. Pen set : SWINE
34. They’re raised in some gardens : BEDS
36. Lime, e.g. : OXIDE
38. “Latino USA” carrier : NPR
41. Mostly-women Olympics sport, familiarly : SYNCHRO
44. Suit materials : SERGES
45. Pass along, with dubious propriety : REGIFT
46. Literature Nobelist Walcott : DEREK
48. Bent for collecting curios : VIRTU
50. Rating an R rating, say : GORY
52. 1970s-’80s sitcom locale : WKRP
53. Legendary galley : ARGO
54. Manxman, e.g. : GAEL
55. Fictional hiree at Thornfield : EYRE
57. Parent of Air Greenland : SAS
58. Theatrical form : NOH

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