0822-15 New York Times Crossword Answers 22 Aug 15, Saturday

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: Barry C. Silk
THEME: None
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 34m 58s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Spring performances? : IRISH JIGS
The dance known as a “jig” is most associated with Ireland and Scotland. In traditional Irish dancing, the jig is second in popularity only to the reel. The most famous Irish jig is probably “The Irish Washerwoman”. I may not dance a jig, but I sure do know the tune of “The Irish Washerwoman” …

10. Disney World’s 27,000+ : ACRES
The Magic Kingdom in Disney World, Florida receives more visitors annually than any other theme park in the whole world. The Magic Kingdom alone received about 17½ million visitors in 2012, and that’s not including the visitors to Epcot, Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

15. 1960s pop idol : DAVY JONES
The Monkees pop group was assembled in 1966 specifically for a planned television series called “The Monkees”. The show aired from 1966 to 1968, and the band continued to perform in concerts until 1970. 20 years after the band was formed, there was a revival in interest for both the show and the band’s music, so the Monkees got together for several reunion tours. The lead singer of the group was Englishman Davy Jones, who passed away in February 2012.

19. J.F.K.’s U.N. ambassador : AES
Adlai Stevenson (AES) ran for president unsuccessfully against Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and in 1956. Some years after his second defeat, Stevenson served under President Kennedy as Ambassador to the United Nations. Stevenson was always noted for his eloquence and he had a famous exchange in a UN Security Council meeting during the Cuban missile crisis. Stevenson bluntly demanded that the Soviet representative on the council tell the world if the USSR was installing nuclear weapons in Cuba. His words were “Don’t wait for the translation, answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’!” followed by “I am prepared to wait for my answer until Hell freezes over!”

20. The Spanish word “nación” has two : ENES
In Spanish, there are two letters N (ene) in the word “nación”, which translates into English as “nation”.

21. “___ Gets Drafted” (Disney short) : DONALD
Walt Disney made a series of six films featuring Donald Duck in the army during World War II. The first of these was 1942’s “Donald Gets Drafted”.

22. Hoodoo : JINX
A jinx is a charm or a spell. The word “jinx” comes from an older word “jyng” that was used in the 17th-century. A “jyng” was another word for the wryneck, a type of bird much used in witchcraft.

Hoodoo is a traditional African-American folk magic and spirituality that has West African, Native American and European roots. Hoodoo is sometimes confused with Voodoo, especially as they both have West African connections. However, the two practices are very different.

24. Female helicopter pilot from Hasbro : GI JANE
The G.I. Jane action figure was introduced as an action figure in 2006. G.I. Jane is a combat medic on the G. I. Joe team.

27. New York Post headline writer, often : PUNNER
The “New York Post” is a daily newspaper that has been around since 1801, when it was established by Founding Father Alexander Hamilton. In the 19th century, the paper was known as the “New York Evening Post”, and was respected broadsheet. Rupert Murdoch took over in 1993 and turned it into the tabloid rag that it is today.

29. Shooter with a spark : FLINTLOCK
The essential parts of a flintlock mechanism are a spring-loaded hammer (also “cock”) and a piece of steel called a “frizzen”. There is a piece of flint on the end of the hammer that strikes against the steel frizzen causing a spark, which ignites powder in a small pan.

32. Pioneering automaker : BENZ
It is generally accepted that Karl Benz invented the internal combustion engine, although others were doing similar work around the same time. He certainly was awarded the first patent for an automobile, in 1886. His first automobile, the Patent-Motorwagen, couldn’t get up hills unaided so his wife Bertha Benz suggested the introduction of gears. Sure enough, the next model had two gears. Behind every successful man …

35. What bows were once examples of : ETIQUETTE
Our word “etiquette”, meaning “prescribed behavior” comes from French. The term developed in French from the older “estiquette” meaning “label, ticket”. It is suggested that the term developed from small cards or “tickets” that were printed with instructions on the prescribed behavior at the French court.

38. Sunday talk show guest : PUNDIT
A pundit is a learned person who one might turn to for an opinion. “Pundit” is derived from the Hindi word “payndit” meaning “learned man”.

39. Dairy giant : BORDEN
Borden used to be the country’s biggest producer of dairy and pasta products. The company ran up major losses in the nineties from which it really couldn’t recover and so is no longer operating. Famously, Borden introduced Elsie the cow as a “spokes-animal” and mascot. Elsie is now used by companies other than the defunct Borden.

43. Besmirched : TARRED
“Besmirch” is a derivative of “smirch”, with both words meaning to “make dirty”. In particular, to besmirch is to sully someone’s reputation.

44. Flames on ice, e.g. : TEAM
The Calgary Flames are a professional hockey team based in the Alberta city. The team has been in Calgary since 1980, but was founded in 1972 in the US as the Atlanta Flames.

51. To whom Prospero says “Thou liest, malignant thing!” : ARIEL
Ariel is a spirit, a character who appears in William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and who becomes a servant of the magician Prospero. Ariel was actually viewed as a male character when the play was first staged, and the text of the play supports this assumption. Many believe that the part was originally played by a boy actor, and over time the tendency has been to use female actors, but not exclusively.

William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” tells the story of Prospero, who was removed from the throne of Milan and banished to a deserted island along with his daughter Miranda. Prospero learns sorcery while cast away, and eventually conjures up a tempest that drives those who usurped his throne onto the island’s shores (in particular his own brother, Antonio). On the island, Prospero is eventually successful in revealing Antonio’s lowly nature.

54. Colorful item in a jar : JELLY BEAN
Jelly beans are thought to have originated in Boston, and it is documented that they were sent by families and friends of soldiers fighting in the Civil War.

Down
2. Comedian once called the Female Bob Hope : RAYE
Martha Raye was a comic actress as well as a singer. Strangely enough, Raye was famous for the size of her mouth, something that she used to her own advantage. As her nickname was “The Big Mouth”, she made a little money appearing in commercials for the Polident denture cleaner in the eighties. Her line was, “So take it from the Big Mouth: new Polident Green gets tough stains clean!”

3. “A Little Bitty Tear” singer, 1962 : IVES
As well as being an actor, Burl Ives was a folk singer, which was his original calling. In Hollywood he had a distressing experience with the House Unamerican Activities Committee and avoided being blacklisted by cooperating to some level with McCarthy and his team. This cooperation created a rift between him and Pete Seeger in particular, a fellow singer whom he “discussed” with the committee.

4. Awacs component: Abbr. : SYS
When the British developed radar in WWII, they also came up with an airborne system that they actually deployed during the war. In 1944 the US Navy commissioned a similar system, and so launched the first American Airborne Early Warning (AEW) system, also before the war was over. The more modern term for the technology is Airborne Warning and Control System, or AWACS for short.

5. “It’s red magic time!” sloganeer, once : HJ HEINZ
The HJ Heinz Company is an American concern, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1869, by Henry John Heinz. It was Heinz himself who came up with the marketing slogan of “57 Varieties”. The “57” really doesn’t have any relevance to the range of products available as Heinz chose the “5” because it was his lucky number, and the “7” because it was his wife’s lucky number.

6. Part of J. K. Rowling’s “J. K.” : JOANNE
Joanne Rowling changed her name to J. K. Rowling at the request of her publisher, who believed that young boys might have shied away from reading the first “Harry Potter” book if they believed the story was written by a woman (this was 1997!). “Jo” Rowling chose J for Joanne, and K for Kathleen after her grandmother (Jo has no middle name to use).

8. Bygone compacts : GEOS
Geos were small vehicles manufactured by General Motors mainly in the nineties. Geos were designed to compete head-to-head with the small imports that were gaining market share at the time in the US. Some Geo models that you might remember are the Metro, the Prizm and the Storm. The cars were actually built as joint-ventures with Japanese manufacturers. The Prizm was a GM/Toyota project, the Metro was GM/Suzuki, and the Storm was GM/Isuzu.

9. Hartford-to-New Haven dir. : SSW
Hartford is the capital of the state of Connecticut. The city is home to the headquarters of many insurance companies. As such Hartford is nicknamed the “Insurance Capital of the World”.

The city of New Haven, Connecticut was founded in 1638 by Puritan immigrants from England. New Haven is home to Yale University. The city also initiated the first public tree planting program in the country. The large elms included in the program led to New Haven being called “the Elm City”.

12. Not pass the bar? : RUN AGROUND
A sailor might run aground on a sandbar.

13. Place to learn leçons : ECOLE
In French, one might learn a lesson (une leçon) in a school (école).

14. Programs, informally : SKEDS
Schedule (sked.)

21. “Stay, O Sweet” writer : DONNE
John Donne is one of England’s most celebrated poets, working at the start of the 17th century. Donne spent much of his life in poverty and even spent a short time in prison for having married his wife without procuring the appropriate permissions. After his release, his wife bore him 12 children in 16 years, passing away a few days after the twelfth child was born.

“Stay, O Sweet” is a poem by John Donne. The first verse goes:

Stay, O sweet, and do not rise!
The light that shines comes from thine eyes;
The day breaks not: it is my heart,
Because that you and I must part.
Stay! or else my joys will die,
And perish in their infancy.

22. Benny Goodman led one : JAZZ QUARTET
Lionel Hampton was a jazz vibraphone player from Louisville, Kentucky. Benny Goodman invited Hampton in 1936 to join what is was then the Benny Goodman Trio. The resulting Benny Goodman Quartet also included Teddy Wilson and Gene Krupa.

23. Rainer of “The Great Ziegfeld” : LUISE
Luise Rainer was a Hollywood actress from Dusseldorf in Germany. Rainer won the Academy Award for Best Actress for playing Anna Heid in 1936’s “The Great Ziegfeld”, and again for playing O-Lan in 1937’s “The Good Earth”. In doing so, she became the actor to win more than one Oscar.

24. Sitcom teacher of Vinnie and Boom Boom : GABE
“Welcome Back, Kotter” is a sitcom from the late seventies. The title character is a teacher at Buchanan High, one Gabe Kotter who himself had attended the school as a student. Kotter teachers a remedial class of students who call themselves the Sweathogs. In fact, Lotter had himself been a founder of the Sweathogs, when he was a student in the same class. Kotter was played by Gabe Kaplan. One of the prominent students in his class Vinnie Barbarino played by a young John Travolta, a role that launched his film career. In recent years you might have seen Gabe Kaplan as co-host of the popular show “High Stakes Poker” on GSN.

27. Oliver of stage and screen : PLATT
Oliver Platt is a very talented actor from Windsor, Ontario. My favorite role of his was the remarkable White House Counsel Oliver Babish on the great TV drama series “The West Wing”.

30. One of the Northwest Territories’ official languages : CREE
The Cree are one of the largest groups of Native Americans on the continent. In the US most of the Cree nation live in Montana on a reservation shared with the Ojibwe people. In Canada most of the Cree live in Manitoba.

Given its vast size and relatively low population, the Northwest Territories (NWT) has the highest per capita gross domestic product of any province or territory in Canada. The NWT’s economy is driven by exploitation of its geological resources, which include gold, diamonds, natural gas and oil.

31. Typeface projection : KERN
Some fonts allow the adjustment of the spacing between individual letters. The process of adjusting that spacing evenly over all letters is called “tracking”. The process of adjusting the spacing individually between letters is called “kerning”.

39. Inn in an inlet, say : BOATEL
A “boatel” is a “boat hotel”. The term can be used to describe a hotel on land close to water that caters mainly for guests arriving on boats. A boatel can also be a ship that has been converted to function as a hotel.

40. Old-fashioned letter opener : STEAM
One might steam open a letter, or more correctly, steam open an envelope.

41. Le ___, France : HAVRE
Le Havre is a city on the mouth of the river Seine on the northwest coast of France. The city’s name translates as “the haven”.

44. Final word of “O Canada” : THEE

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

Canada’s national anthem “O Canada” was commissioned in 1880 by the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, so the original words are in French. The first English translation was made in 1906. The current English lyrics have been revised a few times, but the French version remains the same as it did back in 1880.

46. Company with “Long live the home” ads : IKEA
The furniture chain IKEA was founded by Ingvar Kamprad in 1943, when he was just 17-years-old. IKEA is an acronym that stands for Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd (don’t forget now!). Elmtaryd was the name of the farm where Ingvar Kamprad grew up, and Agunnaryd is his home parish in Sweden.

47. Arctic ___ : TERN
Terns are seabirds that are found all over the world. The Arctic Tern makes a very long-distance migration. One Arctic Tern that was tagged as a chick in Great Britain in the summer of 1982, was spotted in Melbourne, Australia just three months later. The bird had traveled over 14,000 miles in over those three months, an average of about 150 miles a day. Remarkable …

49. Paper with a “Mansion” section, for short : WSJ
“The Wall Street Journal” (WSJ) is a daily newspaper with a business bent that is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company. The WSJ has a larger US circulation than any other newspaper, with “USA Today” coming in second place.

The “Mansion” section of “The Wall Street Journal” is published on Fridays, and deals with high-end real estate.

50. Bit of snark : JAB
“Snark” is a term that was coined by Lewis Carroll in his fabulous 1876 nonsense poem “The Hunting of the Snark”. Somehow, the term “snarky” came to mean “irritable, short-tempered” in the early 1900s, and from there “snark” became “sarcastic rhetoric” at the beginning of the 21st century.

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. Spring performances? : IRISH JIGS
10. Disney World’s 27,000+ : ACRES
15. 1960s pop idol : DAVY JONES
16. Rump alternative : CHUCK
17. Subject for a makeup class : EYE SHADOW
18. Vacation rental : CANOE
19. J.F.K.’s U.N. ambassador : AES
20. The Spanish word “nación” has two : ENES
21. “___ Gets Drafted” (Disney short) : DONALD
22. Hoodoo : JINX
23. Chills, so to speak : LOUNGES
24. Female helicopter pilot from Hasbro : GI JANE
27. New York Post headline writer, often : PUNNER
28. Like hives : ABUZZ
29. Shooter with a spark : FLINTLOCK
32. Pioneering automaker : BENZ
33. End : CEASE
34. “What-ev-er you say …” : SURE …
35. What bows were once examples of : ETIQUETTE
37. One fixing flats? : TUNER
38. Sunday talk show guest : PUNDIT
39. Dairy giant : BORDEN
40. Having lost a winter coat? : SHEARED
42. Magician’s word : POOF!
43. Besmirched : TARRED
44. Flames on ice, e.g. : TEAM
45. Fell for a trick : BIT
48. It doesn’t require a paper ballot : E-VOTE
49. “Can you believe that?!” : WHAT A JOKE!
51. To whom Prospero says “Thou liest, malignant thing!” : ARIEL
52. One playing to the balcony? : SERENADER
53. Hot deli orders : MELTS
54. Colorful item in a jar : JELLY BEAN

Down
1. One may get carried out : IDEA
2. Comedian once called the Female Bob Hope : RAYE
3. “A Little Bitty Tear” singer, 1962 : IVES
4. Awacs component: Abbr. : SYS
5. “It’s red magic time!” sloganeer, once : HJ HEINZ
6. Part of J. K. Rowling’s “J. K.” : JOANNE
7. Search facilitator : INDEX
8. Bygone compacts : GEOS
9. Hartford-to-New Haven dir. : SSW
10. Eyewitness’s offering : ACCOUNT
11. Keep flipping on the couch? : CHANNEL-SURF
12. Not pass the bar? : RUN AGROUND
13. Place to learn leçons : ECOLE
14. Programs, informally : SKEDS
21. “Stay, O Sweet” writer : DONNE
22. Benny Goodman led one : JAZZ QUARTET
23. Rainer of “The Great Ziegfeld” : LUISE
24. Sitcom teacher of Vinnie and Boom Boom : GABE
25. “Fat chance” : I BET
26. Aromatherapy option : JUNIPER OIL
27. Oliver of stage and screen : PLATT
29. Rank : FETID
30. One of the Northwest Territories’ official languages : CREE
31. Typeface projection : KERN
33. Turned over : CEDED
36. Is shown, as a film : UNREELS
37. One drink, to a designated driver : TOO MANY
39. Inn in an inlet, say : BOATEL
40. Old-fashioned letter opener : STEAM
41. Le ___, France : HAVRE
42. Fine example : PEARL
44. Final word of “O Canada” : THEE
45. Seem to indicate : BODE
46. Company with “Long live the home” ads : IKEA
47. Arctic ___ : TERN
49. Paper with a “Mansion” section, for short : WSJ
50. Bit of snark : JAB

Return to top of page

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