0819-15 New York Times Crossword Answers 19 Aug 15, Wednesday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today’s crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today’s SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today’s New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today’s clues and answers

Share today’s solution with a friend:
FacebookTwitterGoogleEmail

CROSSWORD SETTER: Timothy Polin
THEME: Waterfalls … today’s grid is replete with the names of famous waterfalls, highlighted as circled letters in my grid. The names of each waterfall “falls” downwards in the grid. Our waterfalls are:

5A. With 68-Across, what the groups of circled letters are famous examples of : WATER-
68A. See 5-Across : -FALLS

– NIAGARA Falls
The mighty Niagara River flows from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, and forms part of the border between the US and Canada. The river is only about 35 miles long (so some describe it as a “strait”) and has a drop in elevation of 325 feet along its length, with 165 feet of that drop taking place at Niagara Falls.

– YOSEMITE Falls
There are a number of waterfalls in California’s Yosemite National Park, and the highest of these is Yosemite Falls. It is a three-part cataract, with an upper and a lower section that are easily visible. The Middle Cascades are more difficult to see, and comprise five smaller drops.

– ANGEL Falls
Angel Falls in Venezuela is the highest uninterrupted waterfall in the world, at a height of 3,213 feet. The waterfall is named for an American aviator called James Angel who was the first to fly a plane over the falls.

– VICTORIA Falls
Victoria Falls is located on the Zambezi River, right on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. The falls were named by Scottish explorer David Livingstone in honor of Queen Victoria of Britain. Victoria Falls isn’t the highest waterfall in the world, nor is it the widest. However, the total “area” of the sheet of falling water is the largest in the world, so it is usually recognized as the largest waterfall on the planet.

– RHINE Falls
The Rhine Falls in northern Switzerland is the largest waterfall in the whole of Europe. Located on the River Rhine, the Rhine Falls are 450 feet wide and 75 feet high.

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 8m 51s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 2 … REZA (Reba), UTZ (UTB)

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. As high as you can go : ACME
The “acme” is the highest point, coming from the Greek word “akme” which has the same meaning.

10. Instrument similar to a cor anglais : OBOE
The oboe is perhaps my favorite of the reed instruments. The name “oboe” comes from the French “hautbois” which means “high wood”. When you hear an orchestra tuning before a performance you’ll note (pun intended!) that the oboe starts off the process by playing an “A”. The rest of the musicians in turn tune to that oboe’s “A”.

The English Horn is also known by its French name “Cor Anglais”, and is a double-reed woodwind instrument.

14. Use a Veg-o-Matic : CHOP
Ronco is a company the builds and sells products mainly for the kitchen. Over the years the company has been closely associated with the “-O-Matic” suffix, especially the “Veg-O-Matic” vegetable slicer.

17. Per the Beach Boys, they’re the cutest in the world : CALIFORNIA GIRLS
“California Girls” was released in 1965 by the Beach Boys, and reached number three in the “Billboard” charts. Twenty years later David Lee Roth recorded a very successful cover version of the song, and it reached exactly the same spot in the charts, number three.

20. Ranchero’s rope : RIATA
“Reata” is the Spanish word for “lasso”. We tend to use the spelling “riata” in English, but sometimes can use the original Spanish word.

A ranchero is someone employed on a ranch, and is a word with Spanish roots.

22. Usually dry gulches : ARROYOS
An arroyo is a small stream, or more often, a dry riverbed.

25. Sea monster of Norse myth : KRAKEN
Kraken are huge sea monsters of legend that were reputed to live off the coasts of Iceland and Norway. It’s possible that the kraken legend was inspired by real-life giant squid.

29. Streaker at night : METEOR
A shooting star is what we call the visible path of a meteoroid as is it enters the earth’s atmosphere. Almost all meteoroids burn up, but if one is large enough to survive and reach the ground, we call it a meteorite. The word “meteor” comes from the Greek “meteōros” meaning “high in the air”.

32. Barclays Center, e.g. : ARENA
The Barclays Center is an arena in Brooklyn, New York that is home to the Brooklyn Nets of the NBA, and to the New York Islanders of the NHL. Barclays ending up paying over $200 million for the naming rights, even though the London-based banking group has no retail banks or ATMs in the US.

33. City founded by a twin, in myth : ROME
According to tradition, Rome was founded by the twin brothers Romulus and Remus. The pair had a heated argument about who should be allowed to name the city and Romulus hit Remus with a shovel, killing him. And so, “Rome” was born!

36. Actor Katz of “Dallas” : OMRI
Omri Katz played John Ross Ewing, the son of J. R. and Sue Ellen Ewing on “Dallas”. Katz retired from acting in 2006.

The TV soap “Dallas” revolved around the Ewings family. The series that ran for 13 years was originally intended as a five-part mini-series, with the main characters being newlyweds Bobby and Pam Ewing. But, the devious character in the piece, Bobby’s brother J. R., became so popular with audiences that the series as extended with J. R. at the center of the story. The original show ran from 1978 to 1991, and a revival was made starting in 2012. The new version of “Dallas” included some of the old characters, such as Bobby and Pam Ewing, as well as J.R. Larry Hagman, who played J.R. Ewing, passed away at the end of 2012.

41. Narc’s org. : DEA
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

“Narc” is a slang term for a law enforcement officer who tracks down criminals associated with illegal drugs.

42. Friedlander of “30 Rock” : JUDAH
Judah Friedlander is an actor and comedian who is best known for playing writer Frank Rossitano on the hit sitcom “30 Rock”.

44. Forbidden-sounding perfume : TABU
Tabu is a whole line of cosmetics and perfumes produced by the House of Dana. The company’s brand names were purchased by a Florida company called Dana Classic Fragrances in 1999.

45. Mobster’s gal : MOLL
The slang term “moll” is a used for the female companion of a gangster. “Moll” is short for “Molly”, which is a nickname for “Mary”. In 17th century England a moll was a prostitute.

49. Mr. Boddy, in the game Clue : VICTIM
Clue is another board game that we knew under a different name growing up in Ireland. Outside of North America, Clue is marketed as “Cluedo”. Cluedo was the original name of the game, introduced in 1949 by the famous British board game manufacturer Waddingtons. There are cute differences between the US and UK versions. For example, the man who is murdered is called Dr. Black (Mr. Boddy in the US), one of the suspects is the Reverend Green (Mr. Green in the US), and the suspect weapons include a dagger (a knife in the US), a lead pipe (lead piping in the US) and a spanner (a wrench in the US). I think it’s a fabulous game, a must during the holidays …

55. Home of Maine’s Black Bears : ORONO
The town of Orono is home to the University of Maine, founded in 1862. The college is actually located on an island (Marsh island) lying between the Penobscot and Stillwater rivers. The town of Orono is named after Joseph Orono, a chief of the Penobscot Nation. The school’s athletic teams are named the Maine Black Bears.

58. Zoo heavyweight : RHINO
There are five types of rhinoceros that survive today, and the smaller Javan Rhino is the most rare. The rhinoceros is probably the rarest large mammal on the planet, thanks to poaching. Hunters mainly prize the horn of the rhino as it is used in powdered form in traditional Chinese medicine.

59. Chester Nimitz or William Halsey : FOUR-STAR ADMIRAL
Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz is perhaps best remembered as the commander of fleet operations in the Pacific in WWII. Above and beyond the many honors formally awarded to Admiral Nimitz, he was chosen in 1945 to sign the Japanese Instrument of Surrender on the decks of the Missouri, as the official representative of his country.

Fleet Admiral William “Bull” Halsey was sailing on his flagship the USS Enterprise en route to Pearl Harbor when the Japanese launched their surprise attack on Dec 7th, 1941. The Enterprise slipped back into Pearl on the evening of the following day. Perhaps it was fitting that Japan’s formal surrender was accepted on Halsey’s flagship the USS Missouri, on September 2nd 1945.

64. ___-G suit : ANTI
A G-suit is needed when astronauts and aviators are subject to high accelerations. Such acceleration can cause blood to pool in the lower part of the body, reducing the supply to the brain and possibly leading to a blackout. A G-suit is basically a special pair of tight-fitting pants that are fitted with inflatable bladders. The bladders inflate during high accelerations, tightening around the legs and abdomen, reducing the amount of blood pooling. So, a “G-suit” is more correctly referred to as an “anti-G suit”.

66. Salt, chemically : NACL
Sodium chloride (NaCl, common salt) is an ionic compound, a crystal lattice made up of large chloride (Cl) ions in a cubic structure, with smaller sodium (Na) ions in between the chlorides.

67. Exiled shah Mohammad ___ Pahlavi : REZA
The last Shah of Iran was Mohammed-Reza Shah Pahlavi, as he was overthrown in the revolution led by the Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979. The post-revolution government sought the extradition of the Shah back to Iran while he was in the United States seeking medical care (he had cancer). His prolonged stay in the United States, recovering from surgery, caused some unrest back in Iran and resentment towards the United States. Some say that this resentment precipitated the storming of the US Embassy in Tehran and the resulting hostage crisis.

69. Trauma experts, briefly : EMTS
Emergency medical technician (EMT)

Down
1. Ghana’s capital : ACCRA
Accra sits on Ghana’s coast and is a major seaport as well as the country’s capital city. The name “Accra” comes from a local word “Nkran” meaning “ants”, a name chosen because of the large number of anthills found in the area when the city was founded.

3. One of eight baby teeth : MOLAR
Molars are grinding teeth. The term “molar” comes from the Latin “mola” meaning “millstone”.

4. Perfect example : EPITOME
The more common meaning of “epitome” is a perfect example of a group, quality, type etc. An “epitome” is also an abstract or summary of a book or article.

5. Intl. commerce group : WTO
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The stated aim of the WTO is to liberalize international trade. The organization was founded in 1995 when an international agreement on trade was reached that effectively replaced the existing General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) that was laid down in 1949.

9. “The Fountainhead” hero Howard : ROARK
“The Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand was first published in 1943, her first novel to achieve public success. The story focuses on an idealistic architect, Howard Roark. Roark is uncompromising in his designs, refusing the give the public what it wants, staying doggedly loyal to his own vision.

10. Egg-laying animals : OVIPARA
The “ovipara” are the egg-laying animals, animals that produce eggs that mature and hatch outside the body. Prime examples would be birds, many reptiles, and fish.

12. Subject of a 1973 crisis : OIL
The 1973 Oil Crisis started when the Arab members of OPEC imposed an oil embargo. The action was taken as retaliation for the decision by President Nixon to resupply the Israeli military during the Yom Kippur War.

13. U.S.N.A. grad: Abbr. : ENS
Ensign (ens.)

The United States Naval Academy (USNA) is located in Annapolis, Maryland. The USNA was founded in 1845 and educates officers for both the US Navy and the US Marine Corps. The motto of the USNA is “Ex Scientia Tridens”, which translates as “From Knowledge, Sea Power”.

18. Dunaway of “Chinatown” : FAYE
Faye Dunaway won an Oscar for her performance in the 1976 movie “Network”. She also starred in the original version of “The Thomas Crown Affair” in 1968, opposite Steve McQueen. She then had a role in the remake of “The Thomas Crown Affair” with Pierce Brosnan, over thirty years later in 1999.

1974’s “Chinatown” is a Roman Polanski film starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway. Nicholson also stars in a 1990 sequel to “Chinatown” called “The Two Jakes”. The sequel never made it as big as the original.

19. Motorhead’s workplace : GARAGE
A “motorhead” is a car enthusiast.

23. Texter’s “However …” : OTOH
On the other hand (OTOH)

24. Hebrew or Arab : SEMITE
The word “Semitic” comes from the Greek for Shem, one of the three sons of Noah. A Semite is one of a large list of peoples, from the Assyrians and Babylonians to the Hebrews. The term “anti-Semite” however, almost always refer to anti-Jewish sentiment.

26. Japanese sword sport : KENDO
Kendo is a Japanese martial art based on sword fighting.

27. TV foreign correspondent Richard : ENGEL
Richard Engel is a television journalist, the chief foreign correspondent for NBC News.

30. Financial guru Suze : ORMAN
Suze Orman is a financial advisor who has gotten her message out on television, in books and on the speaking circuit. She often appears on PBS, and indeed is the most successful fundraiser public television has ever had.

33. Indira Gandhi’s ill-fated son : RAJIV
Rajiv Gandhi was the oldest son of Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India who was assassinated. Rajiv took over the office of PM when his mother was killed in 1984. In the election that followed soon after the assassination, Rajiv Gandhi led his Congress Party to victory with the biggest margin in Indian history, capturing 411 seats out of 542, an incredible majority. He remained in power until he too was killed, by a suicide bomber while on the campaign trail in 1991.

34. Eye-shaped openings : OCULI
Oculus (plural “oculi”) is the Latin word for “eye”, and is used in architecture for a circular window.

35. French red wine : MEDOC
Médoc is an appellation for wine in the Bordeaux region of France. The area produces red wines almost exclusively, and no white wine can be labelled as “Médoc”.

40. Olympic downhill event : LUGE
A luge is a small sled used by one or two people, on which one lies face up and feet first. The luge can be compared to the skeleton, a sled for only one person and on which the rider lies face down and goes down the hill head-first.

43. Oregon city named for a furrier : ASTORIA
The city of Astoria, Oregon was started out as Fort Astoria in 1810. Fort Astoria was a fur-trading post built by John Jacob Astor’s Pacific Fur Company, hence the “Astoria” name.

45. Cyborg, in part : MACHINE
“Cyborg” is an abbreviation for “cybernetic organism”, a being that is made up of both organic and synthetic parts.

50. Theme : MOTIF
A motif is a recurring element in an artistic work or design.

52. Distiller ___ Walker : HIRAM
Hiram Walker founded his distillery in Windsor, Ontario in 1858. Walker’s most successful brand was Canadian Club Whisky.

57. Student’s viva voce : ORAL
“Viva voce” translates literally from Latin as “with living voice”, and we use the phrase today to mean “by word of mouth”. The term might also be used for an oral exam in university, or for a voice vote in a governing assembly.

61. Big name in chips and pretzels : UTZ
Utz is the largest, privately held, producer of snack foods in the US. The company was founded in 1921 and is based in Hanover, Pennsylvania.

Share today’s solution with a friend:
FacebookTwitterGoogleEmail

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. As high as you can go : ACME
5. With 68-Across, what the groups of circled letters are famous examples of : WATER-
10. Instrument similar to a cor anglais : OBOE
14. Use a Veg-o-Matic : CHOP
15. Italian’s “I love you” : TI AMO
16. Fond of self-reflection? : VAIN
17. Per the Beach Boys, they’re the cutest in the world : CALIFORNIA GIRLS
20. Ranchero’s rope : RIATA
21. Flogging implement : STRAP
22. Usually dry gulches : ARROYOS
25. Sea monster of Norse myth : KRAKEN
29. Streaker at night : METEOR
32. Barclays Center, e.g. : ARENA
33. City founded by a twin, in myth : ROME
36. Actor Katz of “Dallas” : OMRI
37. Turf war adversaries : GANGS
38. Pass with flying colors : ACE
39. Sewer’s protection : THIMBLE
41. Narc’s org. : DEA
42. Friedlander of “30 Rock” : JUDAH
44. Forbidden-sounding perfume : TABU
45. Mobster’s gal : MOLL
46. Words of concession : I LOSE
47. Mind-boggler : ENIGMA
49. Mr. Boddy, in the game Clue : VICTIM
51. Rabbi, e.g. : TEACHER
55. Home of Maine’s Black Bears : ORONO
58. Zoo heavyweight : RHINO
59. Chester Nimitz or William Halsey : FOUR-STAR ADMIRAL
64. ___-G suit : ANTI
65. Dumbstruck : IN AWE
66. Salt, chemically : NACL
67. Exiled shah Mohammad ___ Pahlavi : REZA
68. See 5-Across : -FALLS
69. Trauma experts, briefly : EMTS

Down
1. Ghana’s capital : ACCRA
2. Direct, as a meeting : CHAIR
3. One of eight baby teeth : MOLAR
4. Perfect example : EPITOME
5. Intl. commerce group : WTO
6. Go public with : AIR
7. Some salon acquisitions : TANS
8. Throw off : EMIT
9. “The Fountainhead” hero Howard : ROARK
10. Egg-laying animals : OVIPARA
11. Vaulter’s hurdle : BAR
12. Subject of a 1973 crisis : OIL
13. U.S.N.A. grad: Abbr. : ENS
18. Dunaway of “Chinatown” : FAYE
19. Motorhead’s workplace : GARAGE
23. Texter’s “However …” : OTOH
24. Hebrew or Arab : SEMITE
26. Japanese sword sport : KENDO
27. TV foreign correspondent Richard : ENGEL
28. Congested-sounding : NASAL
30. Financial guru Suze : ORMAN
31. Croaking sound : RIBBIT
33. Indira Gandhi’s ill-fated son : RAJIV
34. Eye-shaped openings : OCULI
35. French red wine : MEDOC
39. His and hers : THEIRS
40. Olympic downhill event : LUGE
43. Oregon city named for a furrier : ASTORIA
45. Cyborg, in part : MACHINE
48. Head of the class, in pioneer schools : MARM
50. Theme : MOTIF
52. Distiller ___ Walker : HIRAM
53. Sign into law : ENACT
54. Diner basketful : ROLLS
56. Granny : NANA
57. Student’s viva voce : ORAL
59. Partner of away : FAR
60. Score for a post-touchdown kick : ONE
61. Big name in chips and pretzels : UTZ
62. Saddler’s tool : AWL
63. Start of many French surnames : DES

Return to top of page

The Best of the New York Times Crossword Collections
Amazon.com Widgets