1110-15 New York Times Crossword Answers 10 Nov 15, Tuesday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Will Treece
THEME: Two Celebrities in One … each of today’s themed answers is the name of two famous individuals, i.e. two famous individuals with the same name:

19A. “Les Misérables” actress [or] Wife of the Bard : ANNE HATHAWAY
32A. “Dances With Wolves” actor [or] “The Third Man” author : GRAHAM GREENE
39A. “Friends” actor [or] Naval officer who sailed to Japan in 1853 : MATTHEW PERRY
53A. “The Great Escape” actor [or] “12 Years a Slave” director : STEVE MCQUEEN

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 7m 35s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

9. Like Caitlyn Jenner, for short : TRANS
Transgender (trans.)

Caitlyn Jenner is a former Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon. Caitlyn competed as Bruce Jenner, and made an official gender change in September 2015. Bruce was married for 23 years to Kris Kardashian, the mother of the TV personality Kim Kardashian.

14. Tehran resident : IRANI
Tehran is the capital of Iran and is the largest city in the Middle East, with a population of about 8.5 million. Iran has been around an awful long time and Tehran is actually the country’s 31st national capital.

15. River to the Tigris : EUPHRATES
The Euphrates is one of the two rivers that form the main boundaries of Mesopotamia, the other being the Tigris.

17. Tilters’ contest : JOUST
Tilting is the most recognized form of jousting. Jousting can involve the use of a number of different weapons, but when lances are used the competition is called “tilting”. Jousting took place in a roped-off enclosure that was called the lists, or list field. In later medieval times, some castles and palaces had purpose-built “tiltyards” that were used for jousting. Do you remember where the Beach Volleyball events were held in the 2012 London Olympics? Well that was Horse Guards Parade, the former tiltyard for the Palace of Whitehall that was used in the time of King Henry VIII.

19. “Les Misérables” actress [or] Wife of the Bard : ANNE HATHAWAY
The actress Anne Hathaway is a favorite of mine, I must say. She starred in “The Devil Wears Prada” in 2006 and in 2007’s “Becoming Jane”, a film I particularly enjoyed.

William Shakespearewas married to Anne Hathaway. There are suggestions that there was some pressure for the marriage to take place, with 18-year-old Anne pregnant and William eight years her senior. The two lived much of their lives apart, with William working in London and Anne back at the family home in Stratford.

22. ___ nibs (self-important one) : HIS
His Nibs is a term of unknown origin, used from the early 1800s to describe a boss, employer or a self-important person. However, I know that “His Nibs” is also used in the much older card game of cribbage (describing a jack), but maybe the term was added to the old game more recently.

23. Fossil preserver : TAR
A tar pit is an unusual geological feature, leakage of bitumen from below ground to the earth’s surface creating a pool of natural asphalt. One of the most famous of these occurrences is the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles.

26. New Left org. of the ’60s : SDS
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was an activist group in the sixties. The SDS organized the largest student strike in the history of the United States on 26 April 1968, with about a million students staying away from class that day. The “Students for a Democratic Society” name was revived in 2006 with the foundation of a new US-based student organization with left wing beliefs. Today’s SDS was founded by a pair of high school students from Greenwich Village, New York.

32. “Dances With Wolves” actor [or] “The Third Man” author : GRAHAM GREENE
Graham Greene is a Canadian First Nations actor who got his big break playing the character Kicking Bird in the 1990 film “Dances with Wolves”.

Graham Greene was a writer and playwright from England. Greene wrote some of my favorite novels, including “Brighton Rock”, “The End of the Affair”, “The Confidential Agent”, “The Third Man”, “The Quiet American” and “Our Man in Havana”. Greene’s books often feature espionage in exotic locales. Greene himself worked for MI6, the UK’s foreign intelligence agency. In fact, Greene’s MI6 supervisor was Kim Philby, the famed Soviet spy who penetrated high into British intelligence.

35. Source of pâté : FOIE
Pâté is a rich spreadable paste made up of a mixture of ground meat and fat, to which various vegetables, herbs and spices may be added. The most famous version of the paste is pâté de foie gras, made from the fattened livers of geese (“foie gras” means “fat liver” in French).

37. Cardholder’s charge, for short : APR
Annual percentage rate (APR)

39. “Friends” actor [or] Naval officer who sailed to Japan in 1853 : MATTHEW PERRY
Matthew Perry is an actor best known for his television work, especially playing Chandler Bing on the incredibly successful sitcom “Friends”. More recently, Perry has been playing Oscar Madison on the latest TV adaptation of the Neil Simon play “The Odd Couple”.

Commodore Matthew C. Perry led a four-ship squadron of navy vessels into Tokyo Bay (then it was called “Edo Bay”) in 1853. Perry’s mission was to re-establish trade relations with Japan at a time when the country was governed by isolationists. Even though Perry brought with him gifts, to signal good will, he also gave a show of strength to indicate the US was willing to force the issue. The resulting Treaty of Kanagawa was signed the following year.

47. Classic British sports cars : MGS
My neighbor used to keep his MG Midget roadster in my garage (away from his kids!) back in Ireland many moons ago. The Midget was produced by MG division of the British Motor Corporation from 1961 to 1979, with the MG acronym standing for “Morris Garages”.

53. “The Great Escape” actor [or] “12 Years a Slave” director : STEVE MCQUEEN
Apparently Steve McQueen wasn’t the easiest actor to work with, at least as far as directors were concerned. He pretty much had a free rein though, as he was so popular with the public in the seventies (he had the nickname “The King of Cool”). McQueen was the highest paid movie star in 1974.

Steve McQueen is a film director from England who is best known for the 2013 movie “12 Years a Slave”. That movie won the Best Picture Oscar.

64. Nincompoops : ASSES
The word “nincompoop”, meaning a fool, seems to have been around for quite a while. It has been used since the 1670s, but no one appears to know its origins.

Down
1. Muslims’ headscarves : HIJABS
Some Muslim women wear a hijab in the presence of males outside of their immediate family. A hijab is a veil covering the head and chest. Some also wear a niqab as part of the hijab, which is a cloth that covers the face. Other Muslim women wear a burqa, which covers the whole body from the top of the head to the ground.

5. Give 10% to a church : TITHE
Traditionally, a “tithe” is a payment of one tenth of a person’s annual income and is usually given to a church. Tithing is a practice taught in many traditions, and according to a 2002 survey, about 3% of American adults donate 10% or more of their income to a church.

6. Tabasco quality : ZEST
Edward McIlhenny created the first Tabasco Sauce in 1868. He recycled old cologne bottles as a container for the sauce so that he could present it to friends, and when he went into business he ordered new cologne bottles for the commercial product. Even today, the Tabasco Sauce bottle bears a striking resemblance to the bottle used to distribute 4711 cologne.

8. O, The ___ Magazine : OPRAH
The full name of the publication usually called “O”, is “O: The Oprah Magazine”. Since the magazine’s founding in 2000, Oprah has appeared alone on the cover of each issue, with two exceptions. On the April 2009 cover Oprah was shown with First Lady Michelle Obama, and on the December 2009 cover Oprah shared the limelight with Ellen DeGeneres.

10. Risqué : RACY
“Risqué” is a French word, the past participle of the verb “to risk”. So in English we use “risqué” to mean “racy”, but in French it means “risky”.

11. Greek capital, to airlines : ATH
Athens is the capital city of Greece and is one of the world’s oldest cities, with a history that goes back around 3,400 years. In its heyday, Classical Athens was a remarkable center for the arts and philosophical debate, and was home to Plato and Aristotle. Athens is often called “the cradle of Western civilization” and “the birthplace of democracy”. The city was named for the Greek goddess Athena.

12. Alumna’s bio word : NEE
“Née” is the French word for “born” when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”.

An “alumnus” (plural … alumni) is a graduate or former student of a school or college. The female form is “alumna” (plural … alumnae). The term comes into English from Latin, in which alumnus means foster-son or pupil. “Alum” is an informal term used for either an alumna or an alumnus.

20. Diva’s delivery : ARIA
“Diva” comes to us from Latin via Italian. “Diva” is the feminine form of “divus” meaning “divine one”. The word is used in Italy to mean “goddess” or “fine lady”, and especially is applied to the prima donna in an opera. We often use the term to describe a singer with a big ego.

25. Mail deliverer’s assignment: Abbr. : RTE
Route (rte.)

28. Tobacco plug : CHAW
“Chaw” is a slang term for a chew, often a plug of tobacco.

29. Letter before lambda : KAPPA
Kappa is the 10th letter of the Greek alphabet, the equivalent of our letter K.

The letter L in our modern Latin alphabet is equivalent to the Greek letter lambda. The uppercase lambda resembles the caret character on a keyboard (over the number 6 key).

34. Sitcom equine of the ’60s : MR ED
The sitcom “Mister Ed” first aired in 1961 and ran for almost five years. It was a very successful show (and even made it to Ireland!). Mister Ed, the talking horse, was a palomino that had the real name of Bamboo Harvester. Mister Ed’s “voice” was that of actor Allan “Rocky” Lane, a star of a lot of B-movie westerns from the forties and fifties. In the show, Mister Ed would only talk to the lead (human) character Wilbur, played by Alan Young, leading to some hilarious situations. Mister Ed had a stunt double and stand-in for the show, another horse called Pumpkin. Pumpkin later made frequent appearances on the show “Green Acres”.

36. Redding of R&B : OTIS
Otis Redding is often referred to as the “King of Soul”, and what a voice he had. Like so many of the greats in the world of popular music it seems, Redding was killed in a plane crash, in 1967 when he was just 26 years old. Just three days earlier he had recorded what was to be his biggest hit, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay”.

39. Tight-lipped : MUM
The phrase “mum’s the word” has been around since the early 1700s. “Mum” has been used to mean “silent” for centuries, the idea being that “mum” is the sound made when the lips are tightly sealed.

41. Campus org. protested by the 26-Across : ROTC
(26A. New Left org. of the ’60s : SDS)
The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) is a training program for officers based in colleges all around the US. The ROTC program was established in 1862 when as a condition of receiving a land-grant to create colleges, the federal government required that military tactics be part of a new school’s curriculum.

44. Some beef cattle : STEERS
A steer is a male bovine that was castrated when young and is then raised for beef. The term comes from the Old English “steor” meaning “bullock”.

45. World Cup chant : OLE OLE!
That would be the FIFA World Cup (soccer).

46. Chain serving breakfast around the clock : DENNY’S
Denny’s was the first restaurant I ate at on my initial visit to the US over 30 years ago. I thought I was in heaven. I’ve changed my opinion a little since then! Denny’s is famous for being “always open” (almost), something that blew my mind as a visitor from Ireland back in 1980. Denny’s was founded in 1953 in Lakewood, California, and originally went by the name “Denny’s Donuts”.

49. Like Audubon’s subjects : AVIAN
“Avis” is the Latin word for a bird, giving rise to our adjective “avian” meaning “relating to birds”.

The National Audubon Society is an environmental organization that was formed in 1905. The society is named for John James Audubon, an ornithologist who compiled his famous book “Birds of America” between 1827 and 1838.

51. Jordanian seaport : AQABA
The coastal city of Aqaba is the only seaport in the country of Jordan. The city lies at the very northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, which is off the Red Sea.

52. “Swan Lake” attire : TUTUS
The word “tutu”, used for a ballet dancer’s skirt, is actually a somewhat “naughty” term. It came into English from French in the early 20th century. The French “tutu” is an alteration of the word “cucu”, a childish word meaning “bottom,” or “backside”.

“Swan Lake” is such a delightfully light and enjoyable ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. “Swan Lake” tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by a sorcerer. The ballet also features Odile, Odette’s “evil twin”. Odile is disguised to look like Odette with the goal of tricking the prince to fall in love with her. In the ballet, the roles of Odette and Odile are played by the same ballerina.

53. ___ splints (jogger’s woe) : SHIN
Pain along the inner edge of the tibia (shinbone) is referred to as “shin splints”. It is a common injury incurred by runners.

54. Clothing brand with a long vowel mark in its name : ECKO
Marc Ecko is a fashion designer from New Jersey. Marc was born Marc Milecofsky. In college he became a fan of graffiti and used the name “Ecko” to tag his drawings.

56. Klutzy sort : OAF
A “klutz” is an awkward individual, and the term comes from Yiddish. The Yiddish word for a clumsy person is “klots”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Jazz combo’s cue : HIT IT!
6. Place of utter chaos : ZOO
9. Like Caitlyn Jenner, for short : TRANS
14. Tehran resident : IRANI
15. River to the Tigris : EUPHRATES
17. Tilters’ contest : JOUST
18. Slam-on-the-brakes sounds : SCREECHES
19. “Les Misérables” actress [or] Wife of the Bard : ANNE HATHAWAY
21. On the mend : BETTER
22. ___ nibs (self-important one) : HIS
23. Fossil preserver : TAR
26. New Left org. of the ’60s : SDS
27. “Bleah!” : ICK!
30. One unlikely to have tan lines : NUDIST
32. “Dances With Wolves” actor [or] “The Third Man” author : GRAHAM GREENE
35. Source of pâté : FOIE
37. Cardholder’s charge, for short : APR
38. Within: Prefix : ENDO-
39. “Friends” actor [or] Naval officer who sailed to Japan in 1853 : MATTHEW PERRY
42. Like the name Robin : UNISEX
43. Hubbub : ADO
44. Landscaping supply grown on farms : SOD
47. Classic British sports cars : MGS
48. “I’m ___ loss” : AT A
50. Squeal : TATTLE
53. “The Great Escape” actor [or] “12 Years a Slave” director : STEVE MCQUEEN
56. Risking calamity : ON THIN ICE
59. Used as a dining surface : ATE ON
60. Front part of a jet engine : AIR INTAKE
61. Built like a bouncer : BURLY
62. One-night stand, say : FLING
63. “Just kidding!” : NOT
64. Nincompoops : ASSES

Down
1. Muslims’ headscarves : HIJABS
2. Pressed : IRONED
3. Talks trash to : TAUNTS
4. Photo within a photo : INSET
5. Give 10% to a church : TITHE
6. Tabasco quality : ZEST
7. Response to a bad pun : OUCH
8. O, The ___ Magazine : OPRAH
9. One keeping everything in balance? : TREASURER
10. Risqué : RACY
11. Greek capital, to airlines : ATH
12. Alumna’s bio word : NEE
13. Sound of a leaky tire : SSS
16. Chopping down : HEWING
20. Diva’s delivery : ARIA
23. Caught up to, in a way : TIED
24. Come ___ surprise : AS NO
25. Mail deliverer’s assignment: Abbr. : RTE
28. Tobacco plug : CHAW
29. Letter before lambda : KAPPA
31. Refuse to grant : DENY
32. Beats it, in rural lingo : GITS
33. Preparing, as leftovers : REHEATING
34. Sitcom equine of the ’60s : MR ED
35. Venom conduit : FANG
36. Redding of R&B : OTIS
39. Tight-lipped : MUM
40. Full range : EXTENT
41. Campus org. protested by the 26-Across : ROTC
44. Some beef cattle : STEERS
45. World Cup chant : OLE OLE!
46. Chain serving breakfast around the clock : DENNY’S
49. Like Audubon’s subjects : AVIAN
51. Jordanian seaport : AQABA
52. “Swan Lake” attire : TUTUS
53. ___ splints (jogger’s woe) : SHIN
54. Clothing brand with a long vowel mark in its name : ECKO
55. Comply with : MEET
56. Klutzy sort : OAF
57. Zero, in soccer : NIL
58. ___-color pasta : TRI

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