0928-15 New York Times Crossword Answers 28 Sep 15, Monday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
19. Bright night lights : NEONS
The basic design of neon lighting was first demonstrated at the Paris Motor Show in 1910. Such lighting is made up of glass tubes containing a vacuum into which has been introduced a small amount of neon gas. When a voltage is applied between two electrodes inside the tube, the neon gas “glows” and gives off the familiar light.

20. Gershwin composition in United Airlines ads : RHAPSODY IN BLUE
“Rhapsody in Blue” is one of the most popular works by the great George Gershwin. The piece has a famous clarinet glissando at its opening, but is a work for solo piano and orchestra. Gershwin himself played the piano at its premiere in 1924. We can’t be certain how that original “Rhapsody” sounded as Gershwin improvised some of what he was playing, and didn’t write out the piano part until after the first performance.

United Airlines used the tagline “Fly the Friendly Skies” in its marketing materials from 1965 to 1996. It was then replaced with “It’s time to fly”. United chose George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” as the company’s theme music in 1976, and paid the Gershwin estate a fee of $500,000 for the privilege.

23. Fort Collins sch. : CSU
Colorado State University (CSU) was founded in Fort Collins in 1870 as the Colorado Agricultural College. The school’s athletic teams are known as the Colorado State Rams, although back in the days of the Colorado Agricultural College, the teams were referred to as the Aggies.

24. City south of Utah’s Arches National Park : MOAB
Moab is a city in eastern Utah that attracts a lot of visitors each year, mainly those heading for Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, which are nearby.

The gorgeous Arches National Park is located in eastern Utah, just outside of Moab. The main focus of the park is the preservation of over 2,000 natural sandstone arches. The arches are relatively fragile, and 43 have collapsed since 1970, mainly due to erosion caused by wind and rain.

25. “That’s overly personal about yourself, don’t you think?!” : TMI
Too much information! (TMI)

34. ___ of Sandwich : EARL
Meats placed between slices of bread was first called a sandwich in the 18th century, named after the Fourth Earl of Sandwich. The Earl was fond of eating “sandwiches” while playing cards at his club.

44. Classic clown name : BOBO
Bobo the Clown was the stage name of Chester Barnett who worked the circus circuit from the 1920s to the 1970s. Barnett gave himself the nickname “Bobo” when he was a child, using it for a persona that he adopted when he ran around the house wearing a paper bag on this head, with two holes cut to allow him to see.

46. “Naked” rodent : MOLE-RAT
The naked mole-rat is an ugly-looking creature, I must say. Native to parts of East Africa, the naked mole-rat has very little hair and lives much of its life underground, hence its name. One reason that scientists are very interested in naked mole-rats is that they are exceedingly resistant to cancer. Discoveries made while studying the species led to the journal “Science” declaring the naked mole-rat “Vertebrate of the Year” for 2013.

49. Genre of 50 Cent and André 3000 : RAP
Rap star 50 Cent’s real name is Curtis James Jackson III, and is from South Jamaica in Queens, New York. 50 Cent had a rough life starting out, first dealing drugs at the age of 12. He dropped his illegal activities to pursue a rap career, but still fell victim to an assailant who pumped nine bullets into him. The alleged shooter was himself shot three weeks later, and died. 50 Cent’s alleged attacker was a bodyguard and close friend of Mike Tyson.

André 3000 is the stage name of rap star André Lauren Benjamin from Atlanta, Georgia. André 3000 used to use the name Dré, and was part of the hip-hop duo called OutKast with fellow rapper Big Boi. In 2004 PETA named André 3000 the “World’s Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity”.

50. Winnie-the-Pooh’s Hundred ___ Wood : ACRE
Hundred Acre Wood is where Winnie the Pooh lives with his friends. According to a map illustrating the books by A. A. Milne, Hundred Acre Wood is part of a larger forest, with Owl’s house sitting right at the center.

53. Ascending in economic class : UPWARDLY MOBILE
In the world of economics, vertical mobility is cultural diffusion from one social level to a higher level. An example would be one social class adopting a fashion that pervaded a higher social class. The related term “horizontal mobility” describes cultural diffusion with the same economic class.

61. “Mon ___!” (French cry) : DIEU
“Mon Dieu” is French for “my God”.

62. Stratford-upon-___ : AVON
There are actually four rivers called the Avon in England, but “Shakespeare’s Avon” lies mainly in Warwickshire. The name “Avon” comes from the Old English word for a river, “abona”. Stratford-upon-Avon was William Shakespeare’s birthplace.

65. Griffin who created “Wheel of Fortune” : MERV
Merv Griffin was quite the entertainer, truly a mogul in the business. He started his career as a singer on the radio during the big band era. In the sixties he hosted his own talk show, and then famously developed such great game shows as “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune”.

67. “Collect $200 after passing Go,” e.g. : RULE
“Collect $200 after passing Go” is a rule in the game of Monopoly.

68. “Toy Story” boy … or, with the circled letters, a hint to 20-, 39- and 53-Across : ANDY (or AND Y)
1995’s “Toy Story” was the world’s first feature-length computer-animated movie. “Toy Story” was also the studio Pixar’s first production. The main roles in the film are Woody and Buzz, voiced by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen respectively. Hanks was the first choice to voice Woody, and Allen was asked to voice Buzz after Billy Crystal turned down the role. Woody and Buzz are toys owned by a boy named Andy Davis. Andy was voiced by John Morris who is now an actor, having graduated in 2007 from the UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television.

Down
2. Surge of adrenaline : RUSH
The naturally occurring hormone adrenaline is also known as epinephrine. Adrenaline takes its name from the adrenal glands that produce the hormone. The glands themselves take their name from their location in the body, right on the kidneys (“ad renes” meaning near or at the kidneys in Latin). The alternative name of epinephrine has a similar root (“epi-nephros” meaning upon the kidney, in Greek).

4. Three Stooges’ hits? : SLAPS
If you’ve seen a few of the films starring “The Three Stooges” you’ll have noticed that the line up changed over the years. The original trio was made up of Moe and Shemp Howard (two brothers) and Larry Fine (a good friend of the Howards). This line up was usually known as “Moe, Larry and Shemp”. Then Curly Howard replaced his brother when Shemp quit the act, creating the most famous trio, “Moe, Larry And Curly”. Shemp returned when Curly had a debilitating stroke in 1946, and Shemp stayed with the troupe until he died in 1955. Shemp was replaced by Joe Besser, and then “Curly-Joe” DeRita. When Larry Fine had a stroke in 1970, it effectively marked the end of the act.

5. Bullets, informally : AMMO
The word “munitions” describes materials and equipment used in war. The term derives from the Latin “munitionem” meaning “fortification, defensive wall”. Back in the 17th century, French soldiers referred to such materials as “la munition”, a Middle French term. This was misheard as “l’ammunition”, and as a result we ended up importing the word “ammunition” (often shortened to “ammo”), a term that we now use mainly to describe the material fired from a weapon.

8. “Star Trek” warp drive fuel : ANTIMATTER
In the world of particle physics, antimatter is made up of particles that have the same mass as particles of ordinary matter, but with the opposite charge and quantum spin. Mixing matter and antimatter causes the annihilation of both, with a release of energy equal to the mass of the particles according to Einstein’s equation E=mc2.

In the “Star Trek” universe, the warp speed achieved by the warp drive engines is very much like our real-world Mach number. Just as a plane traveling at Mach 1 is moving at the speed of sound, a starship traveling at warp factor 1 is moving at the speed of light. Mach 2 is twice the speed of sound, and warp factor 2 is twice the speed of light. Cool, huh …?

10. 16 oz. : ONE LB
The unit of mass that we know today as a “pound” is descended from the old Roman unit of weight known as a “libra”. That “libra” connection is why we abbreviate “pound” to “lb”. The name “pound” though comes from the Latin “pondo” meaning “weight”. Our term “ounce” comes from the Latin “uncia”, which was 1/12 of a Roman “libra”.

11. Baseball’s Felipe : ALOU
Felipe Alou is a former professional baseball player and manager. Alou managed the Montreal Expos from 1992 to 2001, and the San Francisco Giants from 2003 to 2006. Alou was born and raised in the Dominican Republic and came to the US to play for the Giants in 1955. Felipe’s brothers Matty and Jesús followed him to the US, and into Major League baseball.

21. Hyundai’s Santa Fe or Tucson : SUV
The term SUV, an initialism standing for Sports Utility Vehicle, was introduced by our marketing friends. Using the term Sports Utility Vehicle was a very clever way to get us to pay a lot of money for what was essentially a station wagon on a truck chassis, or at least it was back then.

22. Sine qua ___ : NON
“Sine qua non” is a Latin phrase that we use to mean “the essential element or condition”. The literal translation is “without which not”. One might say, for example, “a challenging crossword is the sine qua non of a good newspaper”. Well, crossword fans might say that …

26. Like about 15% of New Zealanders : MAORI
The Māori are the indigenous people of New Zealand. The Māori are eastern Polynesian in origin and began arriving in New Zealand relatively recently, starting sometime in the late 13th century. The word “māori” simply means “normal”, distinguishing the mortal human being from spiritual entities.

29. Winter Olympian who may go 90 m.p.h. : BOBSLEDDER
“Bobsleds” are so called because competitors in the sport originally would bob in and out of the sled in order to increase its speed.

31. 1992 Clint Eastwood western that won Best Picture : UNFORGIVEN
“Unforgiven” is a 1992 film directed and produced by, and starring, Clint Eastwood. It’s a Western, with a storyline that goes deeper than the average “shoot-’em-up”. Eastwood has a great supporting cast that includes Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman and Richard Harris. “Unforgiven” was only the third Western movie to win a Best Picture Oscar, after “Cimarron” in 1931, and “Dances with Wolves” in 1990. Eastwood stated that “Unforgiven” would be his last Western.

32. ___ toast : MELBA
Melba toast is a dry, thinly sliced toast that is usually served with soup or salad. Melba toast was created by chef Auguste Escoffier for opera singer Dame Nellie Melba, for who he also created the dessert called Peach Melba.

33. Military initiative that seeks to influence the enemy’s mind, informally : PSYOP
Psychological Operations (PSYOP) is a contemporary name for propaganda, the “winning of hearts and minds in a combat zone.

41. Old “Up, up and away” carrier : TWA
Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a big carrier in the US, but was perhaps even more recognized for its extensive presence in Europe and the Middle East. For many years, especially after the collapse of Pan-Am, TWA was considered the unofficial flag carrier for the US. The company started in 1930, the product of a forced merger of Transcontinental Air Transport and Western Air Express. The Transcontinental and Western Air that resulted (the original meaning of the acronym TWA) was what the Postmaster General wanted, a bigger airline to which the Postal Service could award airmail contracts.

The song “Up, Up and Away”, famously used by TWA in its advertising, was released by the 5th Dimension in 1967.

47. Bobby who won three straight N.H.L. M.V.P. awards : ORR
Bobby Orr is regarded as one of the greatest hockey players of all time. By the time he retired in 1978 he had undergone over a dozen knee surgeries. At 31 years of age, he concluded that he just couldn’t skate anymore. Reportedly, he was even having trouble walking …

52. Only U.S. president whose surname is more than 50% vowels : OBAMA
Despite rumors to the contrary, I am pretty sure that Barack Hussein Obama II was indeed born in Hawaii. President Obama was born on August 4, 1961 at Kapi’olani Maternity & Gynecological Hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii.

53. ___ Bator, Mongolia : ULAN
The name “Ulan Bator” translates from Mongolian as “the Red Hero”, and is Mongolia’s capital city. The “Red Hero” name was chosen in honor of the country’s national hero, Damdin Sükhbaatar. Sükhbaatar fought alongside the Soviet Red Army in the fight for liberation from Chinese occupation.

55. Stead : LIEU
As one might perhaps imagine, “in lieu” comes into English from the Old French word “lieu” meaning “place”, which in turn is derived from the Latin “locum”, also meaning “place”. So, “in lieu” means “in place of”.

59. One of the seven deadly sins : ENVY
The cardinal sins of Christian ethics are also known as the seven deadly sins. The seven deadly sins are:

– wrath
– greed
– sloth
– pride
– lust
– envy
– gluttony

60. Abbr. in a military address : APO
Army Post Office (APO)

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Meows : cats :: ___ : dogs : ARFS
5. Locale : AREA
9. “Me too” : SO AM I
14. “F” on a gas gauge : FULL
15. Downright nasty : MEAN
16. Dark, as a room : UNLIT
17. Where ships go : ASEA
18. Ship’s pole : MAST
19. Bright night lights : NEONS
20. Gershwin composition in United Airlines ads : RHAPSODY IN BLUE
23. Fort Collins sch. : CSU
24. City south of Utah’s Arches National Park : MOAB
25. “That’s overly personal about yourself, don’t you think?!” : TMI
27. Lively, as colors : VIBRANT
31. Person who regularly cleans his plate? : UMP
34. ___ of Sandwich : EARL
36. Pillage : LOOT
37. Perfects, as one’s skills : HONES
39. Person about town : SOCIAL BUTTERFLY
42. “___ words were never spoken” : TRUER
43. Fret (over) : STEW
44. Classic clown name : BOBO
45. Bro’s sibling : SIS
46. “Naked” rodent : MOLE-RAT
49. Genre of 50 Cent and André 3000 : RAP
50. Winnie-the-Pooh’s Hundred ___ Wood : ACRE
51. Not share : HOG
53. Ascending in economic class : UPWARDLY MOBILE
60. Put in a row : ALIGN
61. “Mon ___!” (French cry) : DIEU
62. Stratford-upon-___ : AVON
63. Walked like an expectant father, say : PACED
64. Slippery fish : EELS
65. Griffin who created “Wheel of Fortune” : MERV
66. How singers should sing : ON KEY
67. “Collect $200 after passing Go,” e.g. : RULE
68. “Toy Story” boy … or, with the circled letters, a hint to 20-, 39- and 53-Across : ANDY (or AND Y)

Down
1. Way off : AFAR
2. Surge of adrenaline : RUSH
3. Sideshow act that features “the smallest performers in the world” : FLEA CIRCUS
4. Three Stooges’ hits? : SLAPS
5. Bullets, informally : AMMO
6. Enjoy literature : READ
7. Simple : EASY
8. “Star Trek” warp drive fuel : ANTIMATTER
9. Lie on the beach : SUNBATHE
10. 16 oz. : ONE LB
11. Baseball’s Felipe : ALOU
12. See 13-Down : … MINE
13. With 12-Down, “Gimme that!” : IT’S …
21. Hyundai’s Santa Fe or Tucson : SUV
22. Sine qua ___ : NON
25. Exams : TESTS
26. Like about 15% of New Zealanders : MAORI
28. Bedridden, say : ILL
29. Winter Olympian who may go 90 m.p.h. : BOBSLEDDER
30. Mail deliverer’s assignment : ROUTE
31. 1992 Clint Eastwood western that won Best Picture : UNFORGIVEN
32. ___ toast : MELBA
33. Military initiative that seeks to influence the enemy’s mind, informally : PSYOP
35. Falsehood : LIE
38. Planet, to Shakespeare : ORB
40. Attractive companion on the red carpet : ARM CANDY
41. Old “Up, up and away” carrier : TWA
47. Bobby who won three straight N.H.L. M.V.P. awards : ORR
48. Howe’er : THO
50. Words before “You shouldn’t have” : AW GEE …
52. Only U.S. president whose surname is more than 50% vowels : OBAMA
53. ___ Bator, Mongolia : ULAN
54. What may help break the ice : PICK
55. Stead : LIEU
56. Raise one’s voice : YELL
57. Ponder, with “on” : MUSE
58. Word before “have mercy!” : LORD
59. One of the seven deadly sins : ENVY
60. Abbr. in a military address : APO

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