0728-15 New York Times Crossword Answers 28 Jul 15, Tuesday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Schmooze : CHAT
“To schmooze” is to chat intimately, a word that comes from the Yiddish “schmusen” meaning ‘to chat” .

10. Not yet posted, on a sked : TBA
Something not yet on the schedule (sked) is to be advised (TBA).

13. Dwarf planet between Mars and Jupiter : CERES
Ceres is the smallest dwarf planet in our solar system. Ceres was discovered in 1801 and is the largest body in the asteroid belt. For fifty years Ceres was classified as the eighth planet circling our sun. The Dawn space probe launched by NASA entered Ceres orbit in March 2015, becoming the first mission to study a dwarf planet at close range.

15. Chess player’s warning : CHECK
In the game of chess, when the king is under immediate threat of capture it is said to be “in check”. If the king cannot escape from check, then the game ends in “checkmate” and the player in check loses. In the original Sanskrit game of chess, the king could actually be captured. Then a rule was introduced requiring that a warning be given if capture was imminent (today we announce “check!”) so that an accidental and early ending to the game doesn’t occur.

20. Utter coward : POLTROON
A “poltroon” is a terrible coward. We imported the word from Italian via Middle French. New to me …

23. Aaron who was vice president under Jefferson : BURR
Aaron Burr was the third vice-president of the US, serving under Thomas Jefferson. In the final year of his term in office, Burr fought an illegal duel and killed his political rival Alexander Hamilton. Burr wasn’t brought to justice, but he did pay the price politically. Thomas Jefferson dropped him from his ticket in the election held the following year.

27. “Sic ’em!” : ATTACK!
“Sic ’em” is an attack order given to a dog, instructing the animal to growl, bark or even bite. The term dates back to the 1830s, with “sic” being a variation of “seek”.

31. Jules who wrote “Around the World in 80 Days” : VERNE
Jules Verne really was a groundbreaking author. Verne pioneered the science fiction genre, writing about space, air and underwater travel, long before they were practical and proved feasible. Verne is the second most translated author of all time, with only Agatha Christie beating him out.

“Around the World in 80 Days” is just a wonderful adventure story, written by French author Jules Verne and first published in 1873. There have been some great screen adaptations of the story, including the 1956 movie starring David Niven as Phileas Fogg. In almost all adaptations, a balloon is used for part of the journey, perhaps the most memorable means of transportation on Fogg’s trip around the world. However, if you read the book, Fogg never used a balloon at all.

36. Here, in Arles : ICI
Quite a few years ago now, I had the privilege of living just a short car-ride from the beautiful city of Arles in the South of France. Although Arles has a long and colorful history, the Romans had a prevailing influence over the city’s design. Arles has a spectacular Roman amphitheater, arch, circus as well as old walls that surround the center of the city. In more modern times, it was a place Vincent van Gogh often visited, and where he painted his famous “Cafe Terrace at Night”, as well as “Bedroom in Arles”.

38. CBS show set in Vegas : CSI
“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” is apparently the most-watched television show worldwide.

42. 144 : GROSS
The number 144 is also known as a gross. The term comes from the Old French “grosse douzaine” meaning “large dozen”, i.e. a “dozen dozen”.

44. Singer/songwriter Wainwright : RUFUS
Rufus Wainwright is singer-songwriter who was born in New York State and raised in Montreal. Primarily a pop artist, Wainwright has also written two classical operas, “Prima Donna” and “Hadrian”.

46. Car club freebie : AAA MAP
The American Automobile Association (AAA) is a not-for-profit organization focused on lobbying, provision of automobile servicing, and selling of automobile insurance. The AAA was founded in 1902 in Chicago and published the first of its celebrated hotel guides back in 1917.

48. Monks’ titles : FRAS
The title “Fra” (brother) is used primarily by Italian monks.

50. Sudden floods : FRESHETS
A “freshet” is a flood resulting from a heavy rain or a thaw in the spring, especially in Canada.

54. King who led Spain into the Thirty Years’ War : PHILIP III
King Philip III ruled Spain from 1598 to 1621. He was known in his homeland as Philip the Pious.

The Thirty Years’ War started in 1618 in Central Europe, largely as a conflict between Catholic and Protestant states as the Holy Roman Empire began to fall apart. The war gradually wound down in 1648 with the signing of a series of treaties that are collectively referred to as the Peace of Westphalia.

61. Snobbish sort : SNOOT
“Snoot” is a variant of “snout” and is a word that originated in Scotland. The idea is that someone who is “snooty”, or snouty, tends to look down his or her nose at the rest of the world.

62. Nashville sch. : TSU
Tennessee State University (TSU) was established in 1912 in Nashville. It was founded as the Agricultural and Industrial State Normal School, and was originally intended as a school for African Americans. There was a court-ordered merger in 1979 with the traditionally white University of Tennessee at Nashville.

63. Unlikely juggler : KLUTZ
A “klutz” is an awkward individual, and the term comes from Yiddish. The Yiddish word for a clumsy person is “klots”.

64. Wildebeests : GNUS
A gnu is also known as a wildebeest, and is an antelope native to Africa. “Wildebeest” is actually the Dutch word for “wild beast”.

Down
1. Letters on a Soyuz rocket : CCCP
The abbreviation CCCP stands for “Сою́з Сове́тских Социалисти́ческих Респу́блик”, which translates from Russian as “Union of Soviet Socialist Republics”, the USSR.

The Russian Soyuz space program started in the early sixties as part of a plan to land a cosmonaut on the moon. The Soyuz program is still alive and kicking, and derivatives of those early spacecraft designs from the sixties are regularly visiting the International Space Station. “Soyuz” is a Russian word meaning “union”.

3. Seed cover : ARIL
The casing surrounding many seeds is called the aril, and it may be quite fleshy. This fruit-like characteristic makes it desirable as a food and aids in the dispersion of the seeds.

8. Berliner’s exclamation : ACH!
The German exclamation “ach!” is usually translated into English as “oh!”

Berlin is the capital and largest city in Germany, and is the second most populous city in the European Union (after London).

9. Traveler’s purchase: Abbr. : TKT
Ticket (tkt.)

10. Dovetail joint part : TENON
One simple type of joint used in carpentry is a mortise and tenon, basically a projection carved at the end of one piece of wood that fits into a hole cut into the end of another. In a dovetail joint, the projecting tenon is not rectangular but is cut at a bias, so that when the dovetails are joined they resist being pulled apart. You’ll see dovetail joints in drawers around the house.

11. Rapper’s jewelry : BLING
Bling-bling (often simply “bling”) is the name given to all the shiny stuff sported by rap stars in particular i.e. the jewelry, watches, metallic cell phones, even gold caps on the teeth. The term comes from the supposed “bling” sound caused by light striking a shiny metal surface.

19. Rockne of Notre Dame fame : KNUTE
Knute Rockne, America’s most famous football coach many say, was born in the city of Voss in Norway. He came to the United States with his family when he was 5-years-old. Years later he graduated Notre Dame with a degree in Chemistry, but abandoned that career path when he was offered his first real coaching job.

21. Mork’s planet : ORK
“Mork & Mindy” was broadcast from 1978 to 1982. We were first introduced to Mork (played by Robin Williams) in a special episode of “Happy Days”. The particular episode in question has a bizarre storyline culminating in Fonzie and Mork having a thumb-to-finger duel. Eventually Richie wakes up in bed, and alien Mork was just part of a dream! Oh, and “Nanu Nanu” means both “hello” and “goodbye” back on the planet Ork. “I am Mork from Ork, Nanu Nanu”. Great stuff …

25. Moneyed campaign orgs. : PACS
A Political Action Committee (PAC) is a private group that works to influence the outcome of a particular election or group of elections. Any group becomes a PAC by law when it receives or spends more than $1,000 for the purpose of influencing the outcome of an election. In 2010 the Supreme Court ruled that PACS that did not make direct contributions to candidates or parties could accept unlimited contributions. These “independent-expenditure only committees” are commonly referred to as “super PACs”.

26. Grammar sch. basics : RRR
The “three Rs” (RRR) are reading, ‘riting and rithmetic.

27. Hertz rival : AVIS
Avis has been around since 1946, and is the second largest car rental agency after Hertz. Avis has the distinction of being the first car rental company to locate a branch at an airport.

The Hertz car rental company was started in 1918 by Walter L. Jacobs in Chicago. He began with just twelve model T Ford cars available for rent. In 1923, the car rental operation was bought out by John D. Hertz who incorporated it into his truck and coach manufacturing company.

28. Silicon Valley field, for short : TECH
The Santa Clara Valley, just a few miles from me at the south of San Francisco Bay, is better known as “Silicon Valley”. The term “Silicon Valley” dates back to 1971 when it was apparently first used in a weekly trade newspaper called “Electronic News” in articles written by journalist Don Hoefler.

29. Peter, Paul & Mary, e.g. : TRIO
Peter, Paul and Mary were a folk-singing trio who got together in 1961. The group’s members were Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey and Mary Travers. Peter, Paul and Mary’s big hit was 1963’s “Puff, the Magic Dragon”.

32. Aussie gambling game with coins : TWO-UP
The Australian gambling game called “two-up” is played by throwing two coins into the air. Bets are placed on whether the coins land heads-up, tails-up, or one up and one down. Playing two-up is a tradition on Anzac Day, particularly in pubs across the country. Anzac Day commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in war.

35. Make a sibilant sound : SISS
“Sibilant” is a lovely word, describing a sound of speech, the sound of an “s” or “z”, a hissing sound. The word “sissies”, for example, has three sibilant sounds.

37. Living room piece : SOFA
“Sofa” is a Turkish word meaning “bench”.

45. Ph.D. program applicant’s hurdle : GRE
Passing the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is usually a requirement for entry into graduate school here in the US.

46. Companion of Aramis and Porthos : ATHOS
Alexandre Dumas’ “Three Musketeers” are Athos, Porthos and Aramis, and their young protégé is D’Artagnan. A musketeer was an infantry soldier who was equipped with a musket. Funnily enough, the three “musketeers” really don’t use their muskets, and are better known for their prowess with their swords.

48. Lang who directed “Metropolis” : FRITZ
Fritz Lang was an Austrian-born American filmmaker. His masterpiece “Metropolis” was produced in Germany in 1927, a work of science-fiction that explored the struggle between workers and owners in a capitalist society. “Metropolis” was the most expensive silent movie ever made.

51. School on the Thames : ETON
The world-famous Eton College sits on the River Thames and is just a brisk walk from Windsor Castle, which itself is just outside London. Eton is noted for producing many British leaders including David Cameron who took power in the last UK general election. The list of Old Etonians also includes Princes William and Harry, the Duke of Wellington, George Orwell, and the creator of James Bond, Ian Fleming (as well as 007 himself as described in the Fleming novels).

The River Thames flowing though London is the longest river entirely located in England.

52. “Wherefore art ___ Romeo?” : THOU
In the balcony scene in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”, Juliet utters the famous line:

O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?

Every school kid must have commented with a giggle “he’s down in the garden!” Of course, “wherefore” isn’t an archaic word for “where”, but rather an old way of saying “why”. So Juliet is asking, “Why art thou Romeo, a Montague, and hence a sworn enemy of the Capulets?”

53. Retired jets, for short : SSTS
The most famous supersonic transport (SST) is the retired Concorde. Famously, the Concorde routinely broke the sound barrier, and cruised at about twice the speed of sound. Above Mach 2, frictional heat would cause the plane’s aluminum airframe to soften, so airspeed was limited.

56. D.C. insider : POL
Politician (pol.)

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Schmooze : CHAT
5. Chance for getting a hit : AT BAT
10. Not yet posted, on a sked : TBA
13. Dwarf planet between Mars and Jupiter : CERES
15. Chess player’s warning : CHECK
16. 90-degree turn : ELL
17. Like autumn air or a fresh apple : CRISP
18. Close, as a community : TIGHT-KNIT
20. Utter coward : POLTROON
22. Playing with matches, e.g. : NO-NO
23. Aaron who was vice president under Jefferson : BURR
24. Released, as from jail : SPRUNG
27. “Sic ’em!” : ATTACK!
30. Kickoff : START
31. Jules who wrote “Around the World in 80 Days” : VERNE
32. Shudder-inducing feeling : THE CREEPS
36. Here, in Arles : ICI
37. Does the crawl or butterfly : SWIMS
38. CBS show set in Vegas : CSI
39. Played some b-ball : SHOT HOOPS
42. 144 : GROSS
44. Singer/songwriter Wainwright : RUFUS
45. Lowly soldiers : GRUNTS
46. Car club freebie : AAA MAP
48. Monks’ titles : FRAS
49. Meat, potato and vegetable dish : STEW
50. Sudden floods : FRESHETS
54. King who led Spain into the Thirty Years’ War : PHILIP III
58. Essential parts : PITHS
59. Tic-tac-toe winner : O-O-O
60. Henhouse perch : ROOST
61. Snobbish sort : SNOOT
62. Nashville sch. : TSU
63. Unlikely juggler : KLUTZ
64. Wildebeests : GNUS

Down
1. Letters on a Soyuz rocket : CCCP
2. One who may be a lifesaver : HERO
3. Seed cover : ARIL
4. Nuclear treaty provision : TEST BAN
5. Person with lines : ACTOR
6. Slender : THIN
7. Say “Ple-e-ease …,” say : BEG
8. Berliner’s exclamation : ACH!
9. Traveler’s purchase: Abbr. : TKT
10. Dovetail joint part : TENON
11. Rapper’s jewelry : BLING
12. Choir voice : ALTO
14. Neaten, with “up” : SPRUCE
19. Rockne of Notre Dame fame : KNUTE
21. Mork’s planet : ORK
24. Parts of goblets : STEMS
25. Moneyed campaign orgs. : PACS
26. Grammar sch. basics : RRR
27. Hertz rival : AVIS
28. Silicon Valley field, for short : TECH
29. Peter, Paul & Mary, e.g. : TRIO
30. Sends : SHIPS
32. Aussie gambling game with coins : TWO-UP
33. “Micro” or “macro” subj. : ECON
34. Call in place of a nudge : PSST!
35. Make a sibilant sound : SISS
37. Living room piece : SOFA
40. Fish with a net : TRAWL
41. Fan noise : HUM
42. Understands : GRASPS
43. In a hurry : RUSHING
45. Ph.D. program applicant’s hurdle : GRE
46. Companion of Aramis and Porthos : ATHOS
47. Noteworthy features of rows 1-5, 6-10 and 11-15, in that order : A-E-I-O-U
48. Lang who directed “Metropolis” : FRITZ
49. Bleach target : SPOT
50. Hand ball? : FIST
51. School on the Thames : ETON
52. “Wherefore art ___ Romeo?” : THOU
53. Retired jets, for short : SSTS
55. Bother : IRK
56. D.C. insider : POL
57. Promissory note : IOU

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