0909-15 New York Times Answers 9 Sep 15, Wednesday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Michael Hawkins
THEME: TV Hangouts … each of today’s themed answers is the name of a “hangout” that features prominently on a TV show:

17A. “Friends” coffeehouse : CENTRAL PERK
21A. “The Simpsons” watering hole : MOE’S TAVERN
29A. “Alice” eatery : MEL’S DINER
43A. “How I Met Your Mother” pub : MACLAREN’S
54A. “Star Trek: T.N.G.” lounge : TEN FORWARD
59A. “Beverly Hills 90210” restaurant : THE PEACH PIT

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 12m 05s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

7. Cocooned stage : PUPA
The pupa is an intermediate stage in the development of an insect. All four stages are: embryo, larva, pupa and imago.

15. Don Juan’s mother : INEZ
Lord Byron wrote the poem “Don Juan” based on the legend of Don Juan the libertine. In the poem, he created the character Donna Inez, Don Juan’s mother. Supposedly Inez was based on Byron’s own wife, Annabella Milbanke.

16. Henley crewman : OAR
The Henley Regatta is a rowing competition that has been held every year since 1839 on the River Thames near the town of Henley-on-Thames.

17. “Friends” coffeehouse : CENTRAL PERK
The six title characters in the sitcom “Friends” met each other in the Central Perk coffeehouse from the very first episode. There is now a Central Perk franchise in the reality, with locations all around the globe. The Central Perk in Dubai was opened by actor James Michael Tyler, who played the coffeehouse manager Gunther on the show.

21. “The Simpsons” watering hole : MOE’S TAVERN
The regulars on “The Simpsons” hang out at Moe’s Tavern, which is named for and run by Moe Szyslak. The most popular beer at Moe’s is Duff Beer. The name “Duff” is a reference to the real-life Duffy’s Tavern that used to be East 13th Street in Eugene, Oregon. “The Simpsons” creator Matt Groening used to frequent Duffy’s regularly, and Moe’s looks very much like Duffy’s in terms of decor and floorplan.

23. Giants’ div. : NFC EAST
Tim Mara founded the New York Giants in 1925, after having purchased the NFL franchise for the city for the princely sum of $500, which is somewhere between $12,000 and $13,000 in today’s money.

25. Magazine with Barack and Michelle Obama on a 2007 cover with the caption “America’s Next First Couple?” : EBONY
“Ebony” is a magazine aimed at African Americans that was founded in 1945.

29. “Alice” eatery : MEL’S DINER
The sitcom “Alice” is set in Mel’s Diner, which is supposedly frequented by locals and truckers on the outskirts of Phoenix. There is a real Mel’s Diner in Phoenix, and the restaurant’s sign is used in the opening credits. The real-world Mel’s was called “Chris’ Diner”, but the owner agreed to a temporary change in name for the purposes of the show. But, “Chris” never came back, and “Mel’s” is still serving customers today.

36. Competitor of All : ERA
Era was the first liquid laundry detergent produced by Procter & Gamble.

All is a laundry detergent made by Sun Products.

37. “Makes every bite better” salad ingredient : BAC~OS
Bac~Os are a brand of bacon bits.

40. “57 Varieties” brand : 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.

43. “How I Met Your Mother” pub : MACLAREN’S
A lot of the action in the sitcom “How I Met Your Mother” is set in MacLaren’s pub. The pub’s owner is Carl MacLaren, played by Joe Nieves. Nieves had been meant to play a cop in the pilot episode, but the role was cut. Somehow, Nieves wasn’t told that his services were no longer needed and so he turned up on set in a police uniform. Rather than completely disappoint him, the producers decided to give Nieves the role of Carl MacLaren.

49. Comic’s nickname derived from the instrument he played : HARPO
Harpo Marx was the second oldest of the Marx brothers. Harpo’s real name was Adolph, and he earned his nickname because he played the harp. Famously he didn’t speak on screen, a routine he developed after reading a review that he performed really well when he just didn’t speak!

54. “Star Trek: T.N.G.” lounge : TEN FORWARD
The spectacular lounge called Ten Forward is located at the extreme forward section of the starship Enterprise, and has several large windows that provide an impressive view of space ahead of the vessel. The bar’s name come from its location, on deck ten in the forward part of the ship.

57. Nascar’s Yarborough : CALE
Cale Yarborough is a former NASCAR driver and owner. Yarborough was the first NASCAR driver to appear on the cover of “Sports Illustrated”.

59. “Beverly Hills 90210” restaurant : THE PEACH PIT
The trendy friends in the TV drama “Beverly Hills 90210” often hung out in The Peach Pit, a retro-styled restaurant. The Peach Pit gets a refit during the life of the show, a couple of times, I think. The location is also used for a club in the evenings called The Peach Pit After Dark.

62. The younger Saarinen : EERO
Eero Saarinen was a Finnish American architect, renowned in this country for his unique designs for public buildings such as Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Dulles International Airport Terminal, and the TWA building at JFK. The list of his lesser-known, but still impressive, works includes several buildings erected on academic campuses. For example, the Chapel and Kresge Auditorium on the MIT campus, the Emma Hartman Noyes House at Vassar College, the Law School building at the University of Chicago, and Yale’s David S. Ingalls Rink.

64. E.S.L. part: Abbr. : ENG
English as a Second Language (ESL) is sometimes referred to as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL).

65. Reputation on the street : CRED
“Street cred” is slang for “street credibility”, of which I have none …

66. Border collie, when working : HERDER
The collie isn’t actually a breed of dog, but rather the name given to a group of herding dogs that originate in Scotland and Northern England. An obvious (and wonderful) example would be the Border Collie. Many dogs classed as collies don’t have the word “collie” in the name of the breed, for example the Old English Sheepdog and the Shetland Sheepdog.

Down
3. Soft drink, in the Northeast : TONIC
The phrase “soft drink” is used a lot by producers and restaurants, but consumers tend to use some local term for the same product. The term “soda” is perhaps the most common in the US, and is especially common in the northeast of the country. The term “pop” is popular in the Midwest, the Pacific Northwest and Canada. A generic use of “coke” is quite common in the South, and “tonic” is found in eastern Massachusetts. I grew up in Ireland using the term “lemonade”.

5. Place for an île : MER
The French would find “une ile” (an island) in “la mer” (the sea).

6. 1949 Tracy/Hepburn film : ADAM’S RIB
And here it is! My favorite movie of all time. “Adam’s Rib” is a classic romantic comedy starring the powerful duo, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, playing two lawyers married to each other. Inevitably, the married couple have to take opposite sides in a high-profile court case, and hilarity ensues. The film is an interesting exploration of the role of men and women in 1949 American society.

7. Sherlock Holmes appurtenance : PIPE
An appurtenance is an accessory, perhaps a piece of equipment for a specific task. It might also be an appendage, a suffix to a word, for example.

10. Prison in the Harry Potter books : AZKABAN
The titles of the seven “Harry Potter books are:

– “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” (“… Sorcerer’s Stone” in the U.S)
– “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”
– “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”
– “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”
– “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”
– “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”
– “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”

I tried reading the first one, and gave up three-quarters of the way through …

11. “What chutzpah!” : SOME NERVE!
Our word “chutzpah” meaning “nerve, gall, impudence” is derived from the Yiddish “khutspe”, which has the same meaning.

12. Like Sasquatch or a tarantula : HAIRY
The sasquatch or bigfoot is our North American equivalent of the yeti, the ape-like creature said to inhabit the Himalayas. Bigfoot is supposedly hiding out mainly in the Pacific Northwest of North America.

Tarantulas are spider-like arachnids that are usually quite hairy. The original tarantula was a type of wolf spider found in Europe, found near the southern Italian town called Taranto.

13. “The Night Circus” author Morgenstern : ERIN
Erin Morgenstern is an author from Marshfield, Massachusetts. Morgenstern published her first novel in 2011. It is a tale of magic and romance called “The Night Circus” that has been compared with the “Harry Potter” series of books.

27. Sundae nut : PECAN
There’s a lot of speculation about how the dessert called a sundae got its name, but there seems to be agreement that it is an alteration of the word “Sunday”.

28. Classic Camaro : IROC
The IROC-Z is a model of Camaro, introduced in 1978. The IROC-Z takes its name from a famous stock car race, the International Race of Champions.

31. Flopped : LAID AN EGG
Apparently the expression “to lay an egg”, meaning “to perform or play really badly” comes from the resemblance of the number 0 to an egg. One laying an egg scores zero.

41. Soft ball : NERF
Nerf is the name given to the soft material used in a whole series of toys designed for “safe” play indoors. The Nerf product is used to make darts, balls and ammunition for toy guns. “NERF” is an acronym, standing for Non-Expanding Recreational Foam.

42. People of Oaxaca Valley, Mexico : ZAPOTEC
Oaxaca is a state in the southern part of Mexico on the Pacific coast. The state takes the name of Oaxaca, its largest city.

44. Serving at McSorley’s : ALE
A few years ago, I brought my wife and sister-in-law into McSorley’s. I was foolish enough to ask what kind of wine they had for the ladies. the gruff answer was “McSorley’s Light Ale or McSorley’s Dark Ale”.

49. Egret, e.g. : HERON
At one time the egret species of bird was in danger of extinction due to hunting driven by the demand for plumes for women’s hats.

53. ___ Gabriel, original singer for Genesis : PETER
Peter Gabriel is a singer-songwriter from England who used to perform with the rock band Genesis. Gabriel was the band’s original lead singer, and also played the flute.

60. The Browns, on scoreboards : CLE
The Cleveland Browns football team was a charter member of the All-American Football Conference, formed in 1946. Cleveland is the only NFL city that has never hosted nor sent a team to the Super Bowl.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Inhaler user’s malady : ASTHMA
7. Cocooned stage : PUPA
11. Nautical pronoun : SHE
14. Chased off : SHOOED
15. Don Juan’s mother : INEZ
16. Henley crewman : OAR
17. “Friends” coffeehouse : CENTRAL PERK
19. Early 11th-century year : MII
20. Came to rest : ALIT
21. “The Simpsons” watering hole : MOE’S TAVERN
23. Giants’ div. : NFC EAST
25. Magazine with Barack and Michelle Obama on a 2007 cover with the caption “America’s Next First Couple?” : EBONY
26. Water bubbles, usually : AIR
27. Copy illegally : PIRATE
29. “Alice” eatery : MEL’S DINER
33. Far from cool : NERDY
36. Competitor of All : ERA
37. “Makes every bite better” salad ingredient : BAC~OS
39. Go head-to-head : VIE
40. “57 Varieties” brand : HEINZ
43. “How I Met Your Mother” pub : MACLAREN’S
46. Overwhelm with noise : DEAFEN
48. Part of many recipe names : A LA
49. Comic’s nickname derived from the instrument he played : HARPO
50. Source of running water : OPEN TAP
54. “Star Trek: T.N.G.” lounge : TEN FORWARD
57. Nascar’s Yarborough : CALE
58. Ill temper : IRE
59. “Beverly Hills 90210” restaurant : THE PEACH PIT
61. Adopt-a-thon adoptee, maybe : DOG
62. The younger Saarinen : EERO
63. Place for an ace? : SLEEVE
64. E.S.L. part: Abbr. : ENG
65. Reputation on the street : CRED
66. Border collie, when working : HERDER

Down
1. Happy ___ be : AS CAN
2. Part of a hutch : SHELF
3. Soft drink, in the Northeast : TONIC
4. Some brewed beverages : HOT TEAS
5. Place for an île : MER
6. 1949 Tracy/Hepburn film : ADAM’S RIB
7. Sherlock Holmes appurtenance : PIPE
8. Quelques-___ (some: Fr.) : UNES
9. More cheeky : PERTER
10. Prison in the Harry Potter books : AZKABAN
11. “What chutzpah!” : SOME NERVE!
12. Like Sasquatch or a tarantula : HAIRY
13. “The Night Circus” author Morgenstern : ERIN
18. Developer’s unit : LOT
22. Democracy in action : VOTE
24. Foreign policy issue : AID
27. Sundae nut : PECAN
28. Classic Camaro : IROC
29. [Yawn] : MEH
30. Poetic preposition : ERE
31. Flopped : LAID AN EGG
32. “Hello!” sticker info : NAME
34. What a jackhammer makes : DIN
35. “Gladly!” : YES!
38. Hastily thrown together : SLAPDASH
41. Soft ball : NERF
42. People of Oaxaca Valley, Mexico : ZAPOTEC
44. Serving at McSorley’s : ALE
45. Stock holder : RANCHER
47. Gift shop section : FOR HER
49. Egret, e.g. : HERON
50. Many a substance ending in “-ite” : ORE
51. On reel-to-reel : TAPED
52. Full of zip : ALIVE
53. ___ Gabriel, original singer for Genesis : PETER
54. Sand castle’s undoing : TIDE
55. “___ #1!” : WE’RE
56. “… peas in ___” : A POD
60. The Browns, on scoreboards : CLE

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7 thoughts on “0909-15 New York Times Answers 9 Sep 15, Wednesday”

  1. I loved the clues " what a jackhammer makes" and " Sherlock's apertinence" I also liked Il and Mer. ST in OZ

  2. This grid is incomplete without Cheers and Monks. Shame on an Right Coast puzzle.

    My cousin shares my disdain for all things HAIRY Potter, calling them, "Toklien for people with short attention spans." Next up: Harry Potter and the Dairy Aisle at Whole Foods.

  3. Embarrassing. I had NFL EAST, which gave me TONIL, but I figured that was some East Coast thing I'd never heard of. (I guessed at several other entries, like CALE and CENTRAL PERK and THE PEACH PIT and MACLARENS, but my guesses turned out to be correct.)

    I was amused by Willie D's comments about Harry Potter, but I still think the books are classics. Guess I just have a short … uh … whatever he said… 🙂

  4. 15:07, no errors. I am happy to see the number of posters increasing on this blog. This is an excellent source for the Times puzzle solutions, with all the effort Bill puts into it, providing google references. The commenters liven the place up. Thank you all.

  5. I bumbled around this puzzle until suddenly, every space was full. Never really felt in command of this one. 13:14, no errors.

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