1025-15 New York Times Crossword Answers 25 Oct 15, Sunday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
20. Collier’s transport : ORE CAR
A “collier” is a coal miner.

23. Halloween costume for … a CNN anchor? : WEREWOLF BLITZER (werewolf & Wolf Blitzer)
Wolf Blitzer is the son of Jewish refugees from Poland. He was born in Augsburg in Germany and was given the name “Wolf” in honor of his maternal grandfather. Wolf came with his family to live in the US, and he was raised in Buffalo, New York.

26. Three times daily, in Rx’s : TID
“Ter” is the Latin word for “three”, commonly used in the medical world on prescriptions as part of the expression “ter in die”. “Ter in die” is Latin for “three times a day”, abbreviated to “TID”. “Bis in die” (BID) would be twice a day, and “quater in die” (QID) would be four times a day.

There seems to some uncertainty about the origin of the symbol “Rx” that’s used for a medical prescription. One explanation is that it comes from the astrological sign for Jupiter, a symbol put on prescriptions in days of old to invoke Jupiter’s blessing to help a patient recover.

28. Scand. country : SWE
The country of Sweden emerged during the Middle Ages, and became one of the great powers of Europe in the days of the Swedish Empire in 17th and early 18th century. Since then Sweden’s influence has waned. What was the eastern part of Sweden was lost to Russia in the early 1800s, and is now modern-day Finland. In the 20th century Sweden has adopted a very non-aggressive stance and was neutral in both World Wars.

29. Bank abbr. : APR
Annual percentage rate (APR)

38. 7-5, e.g. : SET
7-5 might be the final score in a set of tennis.

39. … a former “Dateline” host? : TOMBSTONE PHILLIPS (tombstone & Stone Phillips)
TV reporter Stone Phillips is best known as a former co-anchor of the newsmagazine show “Dateline NBC”, alongside Jane Pauley.

46. No one says his art was pointless : SEURAT
Pointillism is a style of painting that grew out of Impressionism. The pointillist technique calls for the artist to use small, distinct dots of bold color to build up the image. Pointillism was developed in the late 1800s by the great French painter, Georges Seurat. You can go see his magnificent work “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” at The Art Institute of Chicago the next time you’re in town.

48. Head, for short : LAV
Our word “lavatory” originally referred to a washbasin, and comes from the Latin “lavatorium”, a place for washing. In the 1600s a “lavatory” came to mean a washroom, and in the 1920s a toilet.

In old sailing ships the toilet area for the regular sailors was located in the forward part (the head) of the ship, hence the term “head” that has been used since then for any toilet on board a boat.

52. Brewer Coors : ADOLPH
Adolph Coors founded the Coors brewing company in 1873, in Golden, Colorado. Coors was originally from the Rhine Province in Prussia, and worked in various brewers around what is today Germany before immigrating to the US in 1868. Despite all of his success as a brewer here in America, Coors ended up taking his own life in 1929, by jumping to his death out of a hotel window.

55. Info for an airport run : ETA
Estimated time of arrival (ETA)

57. “Cómo ___ usted?” : ESTA
“¿Cómo está usted?” is the more formal way of asking, “How are you?” in Spanish.

58. … a onetime House speaker? : EYE OF NEWT GINGRICH (eye of newt & Newt Gingrich)
The witches in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” have some lovely lines as they boil up and evil brew and cast a spell:

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting,
Lizard’s leg, and howlet’s wing,–
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

Newt … what a name! Newt Gingrich was born Newton Leroy McPherson in 1943, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Newt’s mother remarried when he was very young and his new father, Robert Gingrich, adopted Newt giving him the Gingrich name.

63. Fender product : AMP
The company that made Fender electric guitars was founded in Fullerton, California in 1946 by Leo Fender.

64. Winter Olympics event : SLALOM
Slalom is an anglicized version of the Norwegian word “slalam” that translates as “skiing race”. There is a longer version of the traditional slalom that is called giant slalom.

66. Eastern sch. with a noted film program : NYU
The main campus of the private New York University (NYU) is located right in Manhattan, in Washington Square in the heart of Greenwich Village. NYU has over 12,000 resident students, the largest number of residents in a private school in the whole country. NYU’s sports teams are known as the Violets, a reference to the violet and white colors that are worn in competition. Since the 1980s, the school’s mascot has been a bobcat. “Bobcat” had been the familiar name given to NYU’s Bobst Library computerized catalog.

68. Longtime Chicago Symphony conductor : SOLTI
Sir Georg Solti was a great Hungarian-British conductor, who spent 22 years as music director of the Chicago Symphony, one of many prestigious positions he held in the world of classical music and opera. Solti was awarded 31 Grammy Awards, the most won by any individual in any genre of music.

71. One of three for J. R. R. Tolkien: Abbr. : INIT
Initial (init.)

J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel) Tolkien was an English author, best known by far for his fantasy novels “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings”. Although Tolkien lived in England and was a professor at Oxford, he served for many years as an external examiner at my old school, University College Dublin in Ireland.

75. Aspects : MIENS
One’s “mien” is one’s bearing or manner. “Mien” shares the same etymological root as our word “demeanor”.

84. Hotel capacity: Abbr. : RMS
Room (rms.)

85. … an old Notre Dame basketball coach? : GRAVEDIGGER PHELPS (gravedigger & Digger Phelps)
Digger Phelps was coach of the Notre Dame basketball team from 1993 until 2014. Phelps’ real name is Richard and he was given his “Digger” nickname by his father, who was an undertaker. Phelps seems to lead a full life off the court. He is an avid opera fan. And, he served as an observer for the Cambodian elections in 1993.

96. Eponym of a hot dog chain : NATHAN
Nathan’s Famous has held a Hot Dog Eating Contest every July 4th since 1916, and always at the same location on Coney Island.

98. Letters before many a state’s name : USS
The initialism “USS” stands for “United States Ship”. The practice of naming US Navy vessels in a standard format didn’t start until 1907 when President Theodore Roosevelt issued an executive order that addressed the issue.

101. Mil. authority : CMD
Command (cmd.)

102. First-aid supply : IODINE
Tincture of iodine is a disinfectant. A “tincture” is a substance used in dyeing. Since the 1600s, “tincture” has also been used for a solution of medicine in an alcohol mixture.

104. … a silent film star? : GHOSTBUSTER KEATON (ghostbuster & Buster Keaton)
1984’s “Ghostbusters” really is an entertaining movie. It stars Bill Murray and Harold Ramis, and was directed by Ivan Reitman (a trio that also worked together on 1981’s “Stripes”). The first draft of the screenplay was written by another star of the movie, Dan Aykroyd. Aykroyd originally envisioned “Ghostbusters” as a vehicle for himself and John Belushi, but sadly Belushi passed away before the project could be realized.

Buster Keaton was a comic actor, most famous for his work during the silent era. Keaton starred in and co-directed the 1926 silent comedy “The General”, lauded by some as the greatest movie of all time.

109. Singer Falana and others : LOLAS
Lola Falana is a singer, dancer and actress who grew up in Philadelphia. In the sixties Falana had an affair with, and later became good friends with, Sammy Davis Jr. Davis helped get her act into Las Vegas where she was very successful, eventually earning Falana the nickname “Queen of Las Vegas”. With her success came money, and so she became the highest paid female performer in Vegas at that time. Sadly, Falana suffers from multiple sclerosis, a disease that forced her to cut short her career as an entertainer.

113. Caviar : ROE
“Caviar” is the roe of a large fish that has been salted and seasoned, and especially the roe of a sturgeon. Beluga caviar comes from the beluga sturgeon, found primarily in the Caspian Sea. It is the most expensive type of caviar in the world. 8 ounces of US-farmed beluga caviar can be purchased through Amazon.com for just over $850, in case you’re feeling peckish …

116. Stimpy’s TV pal : REN
“The Ren and Stimpy Show” is an animated television show that ran on Nickelodeon from 1991 to 1996. The title characters are Marland “Ren” Höek, a scrawny Chihuahua, and Stimpson J. Cat, a rotund Manx cat. Not my cup of tea …

119. Ancient Hebrew liquid measure : HIN
There are three main liquid measures referred to in the Hebrew Bible: Log, Hin and Bath. 1 Hin is equivalent to 12 Logs, and 1 Bath is equivalent to 6 Hin.

120. Insouciant syllables : TRA-LA
Something described as “insouciant” is free from concern, carefree.

122. … a pop/folk singer with numerous 1970s hits? : BLACK CAT STEVENS (black cat & Cat Stevens)
The singer-songwriter that I mainly know as Cat Stevens has been through a few names in his life. He was born in London as Steven Georgiou and adopted the stage name “Steve Adams” in the mid-sixties. A year later he changed his stage name to “Cat Stevens”, with which he had most of success. During this time he had hits with classic songs like “Wild World”, “Moonshadow” and “Morning Has Broken”. He also wrote the song “The First Cut Is the Deepest”, which became a hit for four different artists. In 1977, Stevens converted to Islam and took the name Yusuf Islam in 1978.

129. Majority : LEGAL AGE
The “age of majority” is a legal term, meaning the age at which an individual ceases to be a minor and is treated as an adult. The age of majority is distinct from the “age of license”, the age at which an individual is given permission to do something (like drive perhaps, or purchase alcohol).

131. Forecast that might call for gloves and galoshes : SLEET
Apparently “sleet” is a term used to describe two weather conditions. One is a shower of ice pellets, smaller than hail, and the second is a mixture of rain and snow, with the snow melting as it falls. It’s the second definition that I have always used …

Down
6. Theater sign : SRO
Standing room only (SRO)

8. Cribbage one-pointers : NOBS
In the card game called cribbage, a person holding a jack of a certain suit can get an extra point. That person declares “one for his nob”.

Cribbage is a great card game that originated in 17th-century England, a creation of the poet Sir John Suckling. One of the unique features of the game is that a cribbage board is used to keep score. Here in the US, cribbage is very much associated with the submarine service, as it is a favorite game of submariners of all ranks.

9. One running races for a living? : POL
Politician (pol)

12. Con man : COZENER
What a lovely verb, “to cozen”! Meaning to cheat or hoodwink, it comes from the Middle English word “cosin” meaning fraud or trickery.

13. When the French toast? : ETE
In French, one might toast, get overheated, in the “été” (summer).

14. Figure above God’s throne, in Isaiah : SERAPH
A seraph is a celestial being found in Hebrew and Christian writings. The word “seraph” (plural “seraphim”) literally translates as “burning one”. Seraphs are the highest-ranking angels in the Christian tradition, and the fifth-ranking of ten in the Jewish tradition.

18. Actress Kedrova who won an Oscar for “Zorba the Greek” : LILA
Lila Kedrova was a Russian-born French actress best-known for playing Mme. Hortense in the 1964 film “Zorba the Greek”. Kedrova won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for that performance.

“Zorba” the musical (and “Zorba the Greek” the film) were adaptations of the 1952 novel “Zorba the Greek” by Nikos Kazantzakis. The 1964 film version stars Anthony Quinn in the title role, and Alan Bates. The movie is set and was filmed on location on the island of Crete, the home of author Kazantzakis.

53. Noted remover of locks : DELILAH
Delilah is a Biblical figure, the wife of Samson. Delilah was engaged by the Philistines to betray her husband by determining the secret of his great strength. Samson lied to his wife three times, but on the fourth asking he told his wife the truth, that he did not cut his hair. Delilah then persuaded Samson to shear his locks and so allowed him to be captured by his enemies. Over the centuries, it has been usual to depict Delilah actually cutting off her husband’s hair, but the Bible actually says that she persuaded Samson to do the job himself.

54. “Run to ___” (1961 hit) : HIM
“Run to Him” was a hit for Bobby Vee in 1961.

69. Tuba sound : OOMPAH
The tuba is the lowest pitched of all the brass instruments, and one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra (usually there is just one tuba included in an orchestral line-up). “Tuba” is the Latin word for “trumpet, horn”. Oom-pah-pah …

72. Religious deg. : THD
Doctor of Theology (Th.D.)

74. Tater Tots maker : ORE-IDA
Ore-Ida frozen foods are all made with potatoes. The company is located in Oregon, just across the border from Idaho. “Ore-Ida” is a melding of the two state names.

Ore-Ida’s founders came up with the idea for Tater Tots when they were deciding what to do with residual cuts of potato. They chopped up the leftovers, added flour and seasoning, and extruded the mix through a large hole making a sausage that they cut into small cylinders. We eat 70 million pounds of this extruded potato every year!

76. “Where should ___ the check?” : I SEND
To me …

86. The “V” of R.S.V.P. : VOUS
RSVP stands for “répondez, s’il vous plaît”, which is French for “please, answer”.

88. 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.

89. Maxim tear-out : PINUP
“Maxim” is an international men’s magazine featuring revealing photo spreads (non-nude in the US) of female celebrities and models.

100. Like some Roman aphorisms : SENECAN
Seneca the Younger was a playwright as well as a tutor and advisor to the Emperor Nero of Ancient Rome. Although maybe innocent, Seneca was forced to commit suicide by Nero as it was alleged that Seneca participated in a plot to kill the emperor. To kill himself, Seneca cut into a number of veins in order to bleed to death.

An aphorism is a short and pithy statement that embodies a general truth or insightful observation. Some great examples are:

– Life is a journey, not a destination (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
– The average person thinks he isn’t (Larry Lorenzoni)
– To err is human, to forgive divine (Alexander Pope)
– Reality is an illusion, albeit a very persistent one (Albert Einstein)
– Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely (Lord Acton)

103. Out of action, in baseball lingo : ON THE DL
Something described as “on the down-low” is “secret”. The phrase “on the DL” can mean “on the down-low”. It can also mean “on the disabled list” in sports.

107. Tic-tac-toe starters? : TEES
Each component of the phrase “tic-tac-toe” starts with a letter T (tee).

112. Coke, to Pepsi : RIVAL
The first cola drink to become a commercial success was Coca-Cola, soon after it was invented by a druggist in 1886. That original Coca-Cola was flavored mainly with kola nuts and vanilla. The formulation was based on an alcoholic drink called Coca Wine that had been on sale for over twenty years. The original alcoholic version actually contained a small concentration of cocaine.

The Pepsi-Cola formulation was developed by one Caleb Bradham who made the drink at home and sold it as “Brad’s Drink”. Bradham’s aim was to provide a drink that was pleasant to taste, that would aid digestion and boost energy. Included in the formula were pepsin (a digestive enzyme) and kola nuts. These two ingredients inspired the brand name we use today: Pepsi-Cola.

117. Sauce brand since 1937 : RAGU
The Ragu brand of pasta sauce is owned by Unilever. The name ” Ragù” is the Italian word for a sauce used to dress pasta, however the spelling is off a little. In Italian the word is “Ragù” with a grave accent over the “u”, but if you look at a jar of the Unilever sauce, it is spelled “Ragú” on the label, with an acute accent. Sometimes I think we just don’t try …

118. Conference USA sch. : UTEP
The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) was founded in 1914, originally as the Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy. To this day there is a mine shaft on the campus, and the mascot of the school’s sports teams is Paydirt Pete, a prospector from the mining industry. The teams are also known as the UTEP Miners and Lady Miners.

121. Actor Marvin : LEE
I’ve always thought Lee Marvin a very talented actor. Marvin had an amazing voice, and the appearance of a man who was hard and villainous. Yet he was able to break free from the villain roles in which he was typecast and played some characters with more depth. He won an Academy Award for his dual-role performance in 1965’s “Cat Ballou”. His totally unique rendition of the song “Wand’rin Star” from the 1969 musical film “Paint Your Wagon” made it to number one in the UK charts, keeping the Beatles hit “Let it Be” in the number-two spot. I’ll bet that surprised even Marvin himself!

123. Book after Exodus: Abbr. : LEV
In the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Leviticus comes after the Book of Exodus and before the Book of Numbers.

124. Guy whose face might get slapped : CAD
Our word “cad”, meaning “a person lacking in finer feelings”, is a shortening of the word “cadet”. “Cad” was first used for a servant, and then students at British universities used “cad” as a term for a boy from the local town. “Cad” took on its current meaning in the 1830s.

125. Mai ___ : TAI
The Mai Tai cocktail is strongly associated with the Polynesian islands, but the drink was supposedly invented in 1944 in Trader Vic’s restaurant in Oakland, California. One recipe is 6 parts white rum, 3 parts orange curaçao, 3 parts Orgeat syrup, 1 part rock candy syrup, 2 parts fresh lime juice, all mixed with ice and then a float added of 6 parts dark rum.

126. Gamer’s prefix with pets : NEO-
Neopets is website where one can own a virtual pet. I wouldn’t bother …

127. Retired boomer : SST
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.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Church leaders : VICARS
7. Torn asunder : IN PIECES
15. In sufficient quantity : AMPLY
20. Collier’s transport : ORE CAR
21. Fact addition : FOOTNOTE
22. “Truly” : NO LIE
23. Halloween costume for … a CNN anchor? : WEREWOLF BLITZER (werewolf & Wolf Blitzer)
25. Net results? : GOALS
26. Three times daily, in Rx’s : TID
27. Yiddish cries : OYS
28. Scand. country : SWE
29. Bank abbr. : APR
31. Side dish that’s sometimes mashed : YAM
32. “Do we have approval?” : IS IT A GO?
35. Misdeed : SIN
36. Is a buttinsky : PRIES
38. 7-5, e.g. : SET
39. … a former “Dateline” host? : TOMBSTONE PHILLIPS (tombstone & Stone Phillips)
46. No one says his art was pointless : SEURAT
48. Head, for short : LAV
49. “Lord, We Ask Thee ___ We Part” (hymn) : ERE
50. Turbaned sort : MYSTIC
51. Beehive hairstyle, e.g. : UPDO
52. Brewer Coors : ADOLPH
55. Info for an airport run : ETA
57. “Cómo ___ usted?” : ESTA
58. … a onetime House speaker? : EYE OF NEWT GINGRICH (eye of newt & Newt Gingrich)
63. Fender product : AMP
64. Winter Olympics event : SLALOM
65. Who said “In waking a tiger, use a long stick” : MAO
66. Eastern sch. with a noted film program : NYU
67. Tuition, e.g. : FEE
68. Longtime Chicago Symphony conductor : SOLTI
71. One of three for J. R. R. Tolkien: Abbr. : INIT
73. “Tush!” : POOH!
75. Aspects : MIENS
77. ___ fault : TO A
78. Goose egg : NIL
80. Sports org. with 25-Across : NHL
82. Resembles week-old flowers, say : DROOPS
84. Hotel capacity: Abbr. : RMS
85. … an old Notre Dame basketball coach? : GRAVEDIGGER PHELPS (gravedigger & Digger Phelps)
91. Doing : UP TO
93. Cry of surprise : OHO!
94. Like the expression “Sakes alive!” : QUAINT
95. Execute perfectly : NAIL
96. Eponym of a hot dog chain : NATHAN
98. Letters before many a state’s name : USS
101. Mil. authority : CMD
102. First-aid supply : IODINE
104. … a silent film star? : GHOSTBUSTER KEATON (ghostbuster & Buster Keaton)
108. It never goes off : DUD
109. Singer Falana and others : LOLAS
110. ___ mission : ON A
111. Snares : ENTRAPS
113. Caviar : ROE
115. The George W. Bush years, e.g. : ERA
116. Stimpy’s TV pal : REN
117. Be unsatisfied with, say : RUE
119. Ancient Hebrew liquid measure : HIN
120. Insouciant syllables : TRA-LA
122. … a pop/folk singer with numerous 1970s hits? : BLACK CAT STEVENS (black cat & Cat Stevens)
128. Gutter locales : EAVES
129. Majority : LEGAL AGE
130. “Time heals all wounds” and others : ADAGES
131. Forecast that might call for gloves and galoshes : SLEET
132. Tied : EVENED UP
133. Like a pirate’s treasure : ILL-GOT

Down
1. One of two at a wedding : VOW
2. Wrath : IRE
3. You can’t predict the weather with this : CERTITUDE
4. Do really well on a test : ACE IT
5. Spreadsheet input : RAW DATA
6. Theater sign : SRO
7. Doubtful : IFFY
8. Cribbage one-pointers : NOBS
9. One running races for a living? : POL
10. “True” : IT IS SO
11. Lace : ENTWINE
12. Con man : COZENER
13. When the French toast? : ETE
14. Figure above God’s throne, in Isaiah : SERAPH
15. How a phone may be slammed down : ANGRILY
16. ___ juice (milk) : MOO
17. Doesn’t take any chances : PLAYS IT SAFE
18. Actress Kedrova who won an Oscar for “Zorba the Greek” : LILA
19. Polite rural reply : YES’M
24. Impend : LOOM
30. Position of greatest importance : PRIMACY
32. Children, in legalese : ISSUE
33. Like ooze : SEEPY
34. Scored between 90 and 100, say : GOT AN A
37. Besides : ELSE
40. Cool, as soup : BLOW ON
41. Hard labor spot : SALT MINE
42. Common sitcom rating : TVPG
43. Equal : PEER
44. Coal extractors : PITMEN
45. Vistas : SCAPES
47. Sleep on it : ROOST
53. Noted remover of locks : DELILAH
54. “Run to ___” (1961 hit) : HIM
56. Petty braggart : TINHORN
59. Summer romance, maybe : FLING
60. Carpet fuzz : NAP
61. Comment made with a handshake : GOOD GAME
62. “Be that way!” : HUMPH!
68. Like Christmas lights : STRUNG
69. Tuba sound : OOMPAH
70. Party straggler : LAST TO LEAVE
72. Religious deg. : THD
74. Tater Tots maker : ORE-IDA
76. “Where should ___ the check?” : I SEND
79. Cell part : IRON BAR
81. Water, e.g.: Abbr. : LIQ
83. “Trick” or “treat,” e.g. : OPTION
86. The “V” of R.S.V.P. : VOUS
87. Slimy stuff : GUCK
88. Flopped : LAID AN EGG
89. Maxim tear-out : PINUP
90. Winter Olympics equipment : SLEDS
92. Too, too : OH SO
97. Start of a rationalization : AT LEAST …
99. Attic function : STORAGE
100. Like some Roman aphorisms : SENECAN
103. Out of action, in baseball lingo : ON THE DL
105. Functional : USABLE
106. Really get to : RANKLE
107. Tic-tac-toe starters? : TEES
112. Coke, to Pepsi : RIVAL
113. Hwys. : RTES
114. Mouthy? : ORAL
117. Sauce brand since 1937 : RAGU
118. Conference USA sch. : UTEP
121. Actor Marvin : LEE
123. Book after Exodus: Abbr. : LEV
124. Guy whose face might get slapped : CAD
125. Mai ___ : TAI
126. Gamer’s prefix with pets : NEO-
127. Retired boomer : SST

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