1122-15 New York Times Crossword Answers 22 Nov 15, Sunday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Samuel A. Donaldson & Jeff Chen
THEME: Right On, Right On! … each of today’s themed answers start in the across-direction and then turn “right” to finish in the down-direction. Additionally, part of the themed answer that is in the down-direction, when preceded by the words “RIGHT ON …”, all fit the clue “Exact”.

25A. Threshold of major change : TIPPING POINT
26D. Exact : (RIGHT ON )POINT

39A. Catchphrase from “Jerry Maguire” : SHOW ME THE MONEY!
41D. Exact : (RIGHT ON )THE MONEY

65A. Was a victim of price gouging : PAID THROUGH THE NOSE
69D. Exact : (RIGHT ON )THE NOSE

75A. Rush to beat a deadline : RACE AGAINST TIME
79D. Exact : (RIGHT ON )TIME

101A. Mark that’s hard to hit : MOVING TARGET
103D. Exact : (RIGHT ON )TARGET

117A. British pool stick : SNOOKER CUE
121D. Exact : (RIGHT ON )CUE

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 27m 37s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 2 … SMOKE (stoke!), MANCALA (Tancala)

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Big gasbag? : BLIMP
There is an important difference between a “blimp” (like “The Goodyear Blimp”) and an airship (like a Zeppelin). An airship is a rigid structure with an internal framework that helps maintain the shape of the airbag, whereas a blimp uses the pressure of the helium gas inside the airbag to give it shape. Also, blimps are usually heavier than air and so will float naturally to the ground. They maintain their lift with forward motion and by raising the nose slightly.

6. Sex therapy subject : LIBIDO
“Libido” is a term first popularized by Sigmund Freud. Freud’s usage was more general than is understood today, as he used “libido” to describe all instinctive energy that arose in the subconscious. He believed that we humans are driven by two desires, the desire for life (the libido, or Eros) and the desire for death (Thanatos). Personally, I don’t agree …

20. First name among celebrity chefs : EMERIL
Emeril Lagasse is an American chef, born in Massachusetts. Lagasse first achieved notoriety as executive chef in Commander’s Palace in New Orleans. Now famous for his television shows, his cuisine still showcases New Orleans ingredients and influences. Lagasse started using his famous “Bam!” catchphrase in order to keep his crew awake during repeated tapings of his show.

27. Heroic deeds : GESTS
Our word “gest” meaning a great deed or an exploit has been around since about 1300, and comes from the Old French word “geste” meaning the same thing. These days “geste” can also mean “gesture”.

28. Eritrea’s capital : ASMARA
Eritrea is a country located in the Horn of Africa, surrounded by Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti and the Red Sea. Some scientists believe that the area now known as Eritrea was the departure point for the anatomically modern humans who first left Africa to populate the rest of the world.

29. Small body of medical research : NANOBOT
Nanorobots (also “nanobots”) are tiny devices that range from 0.1 to 10 micrometers in size. The technology of nanorobotics is in its infancy, but it is hoped that nanobots might be used (for example) in medicine one day. The oft-cited application is the use of nanobots inserted inside the body to identify and destroy cancer cells.

31. Jack in the box, once? : PAAR
Jack Paar was most famous as the host of “The Tonight Show”, from 1957 to 1962. When he died in 2004, “Time” magazine wrote that Paar was “the fellow who split talk show history into two eras: Before Paar and Below Paar”. Very complimentary …

38. Arthur Conan Doyle title : SIR
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was the author who created the character Sherlock Holmes. Doyle also wrote a pamphlet justifying the UK position in the Second Boer War, at a time when the UK was universally criticized for action taken in South Africa. Doyle believed that it was this pamphlet that earned him his knighthood. Doyle died in 1930. His gravestone reads:

Steel true/Blade straight/Arthur Conan Doyle/Knight/Patriot, Physician, and man of letters.

39. Catchphrase from “Jerry Maguire” : SHOW ME THE MONEY!
“Jerry Maguire” is a 1996 film starring Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Renée Zellweger. The title character is played by Cruise, and is a sports agent. There are several lines oft quoted from “Jerry Maguire” including:

– “Show me the money!”
– “You complete me”
– “You had me at ‘hello’”

42. Actress Larter of “Heroes” : ALI
Ali Larter is an American actress who plays two roles (identical twins) on the NBC series “Heroes”. Larter was originally a model, before moving into acting. One of her more famous roles on the big screen was supporting Reese Witherspoon in the 2001 film “Legally Blonde”.

45. Homer’s neighbor on “The Simpsons” : NED
Ned Flanders lives next door to Homer on TV’s “The Simpsons”. Ned is voiced by actor Harry Shearer and has been around since the very first episode aired in 1989.

47. ___ facto : IPSO
“Ipso facto” is Latin, meaning “by the fact itself”. Ipso facto describes something that is a direct consequence of particular act, as opposed to something that is the result of some subsequent event. For example, my father was born in Dublin and was an Irish citizen ipso facto. My son was born in California and is an Irish citizen by virtue of being the son of an Irish citizen (“not” ipso facto).

48. Winnie-the-Pooh greeting : HALLO
Alan Alexander (A.A.) Milne was an English author, best known for his delightful “Winnie-the-Pooh” series of books. He had only one son, Christopher Robin Milne, born in 1920. The young Milne was the inspiration for the Christopher Robin character in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories. Winnie-the-Pooh was named after Christopher Robin’s real teddy bear, one he called Winnie, who in turn was named after a Canadian black bear called Winnie that the Milnes would visit in London Zoo. The original Winnie teddy bear is on display at the main branch of the New York Public Library in New York.

50. Jet black : ONYX
Onyx is a form of quartz that comes in many different shades, but most often it’s the black version that’s used for jewelry. The name “onyx” comes from the Greek word for “fingernail”, as onyx in the flesh color is said to resemble a fingernail.

51. Like Nahuatl speakers : AZTECAN
Nahuatl is a group of languages mainly spoken in Central Mexico.

56. “31 Days of Oscar” channel : TCM
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is one of my favorite television channels, delivering just what its name promises: classic movies.

57. Hail or farewell : AVE
“Ave” is a Latin word meaning “hail” as in “Ave Maria”, which translates as “Hail Mary”. “Ave” can also be used to mean “goodbye”.

58. Crocodile tail? : DUNDEE
“Crocodile Dundee” is an Australian film that was released in 1986, starring Australian comedian Paul Hogan in the title role as Mick Dundee with American actress Linda Kozlowski playing the female lead. The main characters fell in love on-screen, and Hogan and Kozlowski fell for each other off-screen. Hogan divorced his wife (whom he had already married twice) and wedded Kozlowski in 1990.

61. Latin lover’s word : AMO
“Amo, amas, amat: … “I love, you love, he/she/it loves”, in Latin.

63. They sit for six yrs. : SENS
The six-year terms enjoyed by US senators are staggered, so that every two years about one third of the 100 US Senate seats come up for reelection.

70. ___ Lilly and Company : ELI
Eli Lilly is the largest corporation in the state of Indiana. The founder Eli Lilly was a veteran of the Union Army in the Civil War, and a failed Mississippi plantation owner. Later in life he returned to his first profession and opened a pharmaceutical operation to manufacture drugs and sell them wholesale. Under Lilly’s early guidance, the company was the first to create gelatin capsules to hold medicines and the first to use fruit flavoring in liquid medicines.

73. Dweller along the Wasatch Range : UTAHN
The Wasatch Range is at the western edge of the Rocky Mountains and runs through Utah. “Wasatch” is a Ute word meaning “mountain pass”.

80. Not aweather : ALEE
“Alee” is the direction away from the wind. If a sailor points into the wind, he or she is pointing “aweather”.

82. Messenger ___ : RNA
Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) is an essential catalyst in the manufacture of proteins in the body. The genetic code in DNA determines the sequence of amino acids that make up each protein. That sequence is read in DNA by messenger RNA, and amino acids are delivered for protein manufacture in the correct sequence by what is called transfer RNA. The amino acids are then formed into proteins by ribosomal RNA.

83. One of the Golden Girls of 1980s-’90s TV : SOPHIA
The actress Estelle Getty was best known for playing Sophia Petrillo on “The Golden Girls”. Bea Arthur played Sophia’s daughter on the show, even though Estelle was actually a year younger than Bea in real life!

90. Danced to Xavier Cugat, say : RUMBAED
The rumba is a Cuban dance, with influences brought by African slaves and Spanish colonists. The name “rumba” comes from “rumbo”, the Spanish word for “party, spree”.

Xavier Cugat was an American bandleader born in Spain, who arrived in the United States via Cuba. He worked in Hollywood on movies, although he was also in charge of the Hotel Orchestra in the Waldorf Astoria in New York City for 16 years. Famously he conducted using just one arm, as he would hold his pet Chihuahua in the other. His fourth marriage was to comic actress Charo, in the first marriage ceremony ever to take place in Caesar’s Palace.

93. Modern spelling? : WICCA
Wicca is a relatively new phenomenon, a Neopagan religion that developed in the twentieth century. A follower of Wicca is called a Wiccan or a Witch.

94. Madame’s “mine” : A MOI
“À moi” (literally “to me”) is the French for “mine”.

97. Sites for R.N.s and M.D.s : ERS
One might find a registered nurse (RN) or a medical doctor (MD) in an emergency room (ER).

100. Prince’s inits. : HRH
His/her Royal Highness (HRH)

104. Red Cross work : AID
Back in 1859, a Swiss businessman called Henri Dunant went to meet French emperor Napoleon III, to discuss making it easier to conduct commerce in French-occupied Algeria. The Emperor was billeted at Solferino, where France and Austria were engaged in a major battle. In one day, Dunant witnessed 40,000 soldiers die in battle and countless wounded suffering on the battlefield without any organized medical care. Dunant abandoned his business agenda and instead spent a week caring for the sick and wounded. Within a few years he had founded the precursor to the Red Cross, and in 1901 he was awarded the first ever Nobel Peace Prize.

107. “___ in Calico” (jazz classic) : A GAL
“A Gal in Calico” is a jazz song written for the 1946 movie “The Time, the Place and the Girl”.

109. It makes flakes : MICA
Mica is a mineral, a sheet silicate. Thin sheets of mica are transparent and are used in place of glass in certain applications. This form of mica is called isinglass, and as it has a better thermal performance than glass it is a great choice for “peepholes’ in boilers and lanterns. Mica is also used in the electronics industry, making use of its unique electrical and thermal insulating properties.

110. Biceps exercise : ARM CURL
The biceps muscle is made up of two bundles of muscle, both of which terminate at the same point near the elbow. The heads of the bundles terminate at different points on the scapula or shoulder blade. “Biceps” is Latin for “two-headed”.

113. Steamed dish that may be prepared in an olla : TAMALE
A tamale is a traditional dish from Central America composed of a starchy dough that is steamed or boiled in a wrapper made of leaves. The dough is called masa, and can include many different ingredients including meat, cheese fruit and vegetables.

An olla is a traditional clay pot used for the making of stews. “Olla” was the Latin word used in Ancient Rome to describe a similar type of pot.

115. Rapper né Andre Young : DR DRE
Dr. Dre is the stage name of rapper Andre Romelle Young. Dr. Dre is known for his own singing career as well as for producing records and starting the careers of others such Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent.

“Née” is the French word for “born” when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”.

117. British pool stick : SNOOKER CUE
Snooker is a fabulous game, played on what looks like a large pool table (12′ x 6′ if full size). Snooker is a derivative of the older game of billiards and is believed to have been developed by British Army officers who were stationed in India in the latter half of the 1800s. “Snooker” was a word used in the British military for a first-year cadet or an inexperienced soldier. Somehow that usage morphed into the name of the game.

122. Fort ___ National Monument : SUMTER
Fort Sumter is a fortification lying on an artificially constructed island in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina. In December 1860, when South Carolina seceded from the Union, US Army forces relocated to Fort Sumter deeming it to be a relatively defensible location. On 11 April 1861, confederate forces demanded that the fort be surrendered. When the defenders refused to budge, confederate artillery opened fire at 4:30 in the morning on 12 April 1861, starting the American Civil War.

125. Reindeer relative : CARIBOU
Caribou is the North American name for reindeer.

127. Early Mexicans : OLMECS
The Olmec were an ancient civilization that lived in the lowlands of south-central Mexico from about 1500 BC to about 400 BC.

129. Businesswoman/philanthropist ___ Heinz Kerry : TERESA
Teresa Heinz is an heiress to the Heinz family fortune, that largely came from the Heinz food company. Teresa Heinz is married to Secretary of State John Kerry.

131. Launch dates : D-DAYS
The most famous D-Day in history was June 6, 1944, the date of the Normandy landings in WWII. The term “D-Day” is used by the military to designate the day on which a combat operations are to be launched, especially when the actual date has yet to be determined. What D stands for seems to have been lost in the mists of time although the tradition is that D just stands for “Day”. In fact, the French have a similar term, “Jour J” (Day J), with a similar meaning. We also use H-Hour to denote the hour the attack is to commence.

Down
4. “A Few Good Men” men : MARINES
The marvelous 1992 movie “A Few Good Men” was adapted for the big screen by Aaron Sorkin, from his own play of the same name. Sorkin is also the man behind “The West Wing” and “The Newsroom” on television, two great shows. Stars of the movie version “A Few Good Men” are Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore.

7. Last stage of metamorphosis : IMAGO
The imago is a stage in the development of an insect. All four stages are embryo, larva, pupa and imago.

10. Coke Zero, for one : DIET POP
Even though Coca-Cola Zero is in the category of “diet soda”, the marketing folks at Coca-Cola don’t like its association with the word “diet”. The target market for the beverage is young, adult males, so it is described as “calorie-free” rather than “diet”, the assumption being that males associate “diet” with women. Not in this house …

12. Zimbabwe’s capital : HARARE
Cecil Rhodes (famous in America as the founder of the Rhodes Scholarship), was a very successful English businessman and South African politician. He founded the De Beers diamond mining company, and also founded the state of Rhodesia which was named after him. The British colony gained its independence over time in the latter half of the 20th century, and is known today as the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Rhodesian capital of Salisbury was renamed in 1982 to Harare, the current capital of Zimbabwe.

13. It’s in the eye of the beholder : IRIS
The iris is the colored part of the eye with an aperture in the center that can open or close depending on the level of light hitting the eye.

14. Formal occasions : PROMS
A prom is a formal dance held upon graduation from high school (we call them “formals” over in Ireland). The term “prom” is short for “promenade”, the name given to a type of dance or ball.

16. Part of a Mario Brothers costume : OVERALLS
Mario Bros. started out as an arcade game back in 1983, developed by Nintendo. The more famous of the two brothers, Mario, had already appeared in an earlier arcade game “Donkey Kong”. Mario was given a brother called Luigi, and the pair have been around ever since. In the game, Mario and Luigi are Italian American plumbers from New York City.

17. Equity valuation stat : P/E RATIO
The P/E (price-to-earnings) ratio of a stock is the stock’s price compared to the earnings of the company per share (EPS). The idea behind the P/E ratio is that a stock with a relatively low P/E is usually a good buy, an indicator that the stock price should rise on the strength of solid earnings.

18. Prince Edward Isl. setting : AST
Atlantic Standard Time (AST) is four hours behind Greenwich Mean Time and one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time. The list of locations that use AST includes Puerto Rico and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

Prince Edward Island (PEI) is a maritime Canadian province. The island at the center of the province was named for Prince Edward, the fourth son of King George III and the father of Queen Victoria.

30. Newfoundland or Labrador : BREED
The Newfoundland is a breed that originated as a working dog for fisherman in what was then the Dominion of Newfoundland. They were mainly used to haul heavy fishing nets.

The Labrador (Lab) breed of dog has been around at least since 1814, and the chocolate Labrador appeared over a century later in the 1930s.

32. Singer Tori : AMOS
Tori Amos is an American pianist and singer. Amos started playing the piano at two years old, and was composing piano pieces by age five. She was playing in piano bars (chaperoned by her father) when she was 14. I’m going to have to find some of her music (I lead such a sheltered life …)!

34. Weight room figure : SPOTTER
In a gym, a “spotter” is a person who watches and guards someone who is training or performing, in order to prevent injury.

35. Board game popular throughout Africa : MANCALA
There is no actual game called “mancala”, and rather it is the name given to a genre of hundreds of games. Mancala are “count and capture” games that are particularly popular in Africa. Some of the most popular examples of the genre are Bao la Kiswahili, Congkak, Kalah and Oware.

36. ___ Games : OLYMPIC
The ancient Olympic Games were held in a sanctuary called Olympia, which was located in a valley on the Peloponnesos peninsula in southern Greece. The games took their name from Olympia, and not Mount Olympus (a common misconception). Mount Olympus was home to Zeus and the other Olympian gods, and is located in central Greece.

37. Puffed-grain cereal : KIX
Kix cereal has been around since 1937, would you believe? Kix used to be just puffed grains, processed to give the characteristic shape. Then the decision was made to add sugar to get better penetration into the young kid marketplace. Sad really …

40. Language that gave us “bungalow” and “guru” : HINDI
Hindi is the official language of India, and is closely related to the associated Hindustani language Urdu. The group of people who speak Hindi-Urdu is the fourth largest language group in the world (after Mandarin, Spanish and English).

In India, a house that was in the Bengali style was called in Hindi a “bangla”, which came into English as “bungalow”. The original bungalows were humble buildings, single-story with thatched roofs (or “rooves” as the Colonials would say!) and a veranda at the front. Later, the British built very elaborate bungalows, and then even later, the term was brought back to the British Isles where it was used to describe a more modest home. Today, a bungalow is simply a single-story family dwelling.

“Guru” is a Hindi word meaning “teacher” or “priest”.

49. Jesus on a diamond : ALOU
Jesus Alou played major league baseball, as did his brothers Matty and Felipe, and as does Felipe’s son Moises.

52. Site of King Rudolf’s imprisonment, in fiction : ZENDA
The 1937 film “The Prisoner of Zenda” is based on a novel of the same name written by Anthony Hope and first published in 1894. Apparently the movie was a difficult shoot for director John Cromwell. He had trouble with Ronald Colman who really didn’t know his lines well, and co-stars Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and David Niven were always out on the town and turning up for work “under the weather”.

53. Santa ___ : ANA
Santa Ana is the county seat of Orange County, California and takes its name from the Santa Ana River that runs through the city.

55. Sour candy brand : WARHEADS
Warheads candy are so called because the sour taste is said to resemble a “warhead” going off in one’s mouth. Warheads are a Taiwanese creation, invented there in 1975 and first imported into the US in 1993.

57. Nile River spanner : ASWAN DAM
From ancient times right up to 1970, the annual flooding of the Nile was a significant event in Egypt. The flooding allowed the deposition of fertile silt far beyond the banks of the river, helping the region’s agriculture. However, the flooding was unpredictable. So the Aswan Dam was built in the sixties and from 1970 the flooding was brought under control.

59. Typical end of a professor’s address? : EDU
The .edu domain was one of the six original generic top-level domains specified. The complete original list is:

– .com (commercial enterprise)
– .net (entity involved in network infrastructure e.g. an ISP)
– .mil (US military)
– .org (not-for-profit organization)
– .gov (US federal government entity)
– .edu (college-level educational institution)

60. ___ Place (Butch and Sundance companion) : ETTA
Etta Place is the schoolteacher character played by the lovely Katharine Ross in the 1969 movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”.

64. Six, in Seville : SEIS
The city of Seville is the capital of Andalusia in southern Spain. Seville is a favored setting for many operas including “The Barber of Seville” by Rossini, “Fidelio” by Beethoven and Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” and “The Marriage of Figaro”.

66. Berry of “Monster’s Ball” : HALLE
The beautiful and talented actress Halle Berry was the first African American woman to win a Best Actress Oscar, which she received for her performance in the 2001 movie “Monster’s Ball”. She also won a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress in 2005 for playing the title role in “Catwoman”, and she very graciously accepted that award in person. Good for her!

76. Hoffer or Holder : ERIC
Eric Hoffer was a philosopher from the Bronx in New York, and the author of the much respected 1951 book “The True Believer”. The book examines the rise of totalitarian governments, such as those of Adolf Hitler in Germany and Joseph Stalin in Russia, and discusses how such regimes may have arisen and prospered in societies.

78. Two past Tue. : THU
In Norse mythology, Thor was the son of Odin. Thor wielded a mighty hammer and was the god of thunder, lightning and storms. Our contemporary word “Thursday” comes from “Thor’s Day”.

Týr (sometimes “Tīw”, “Tius” or “Tio”) is the Norse god of single combat, victory and heroic glory. Our “Tuesday” is in fact “Tīw’s Day”.

84. President Garfield’s middle name : ABRAM
President James Abram Garfield was born in Orange Township in Ohio, the youngest son of Abram Garfield. Abram had moved from New York to Ohio specifically to court his childhood sweetheart Mehitabel Ballou. When Abram arrived in Ohio, however, he found that Mehitabel had already married. Abram did manage to join the Ballou family though, as he eventually married Mehitabel’s sister Eliza.

88. “Let’s Get It Started” rapper : MC HAMMER
Rapper MC Hammer (aka Hammer and Hammertime) was born Stanley Kirk Burrell, and was very popular in the 80s and 90s. Being around that early, MC Hammer is considered to be one of the forefathers of rap. Nowadays, MC Hammer is a preacher, and uses the initials MC to stand for “Man of Christ”.

89. “Rikki-Tikki-___” : TAVI
In Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book”, one of the short stories is titled “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi”, the story about a mongoose, the brave pet of an English family that protects them from a succession of snakes.

91. Reebok competitor : ASICS
ASICS is a Japanese company that produces athletic gear, including running shoes. The name comes from the Latin phrase “”anima sana in corpore sano” which translates to “a healthy soul in a healthy body”.

The brand name Reebok was adopted as the new company name for Foster Shoes of the UK in 1960. The name Reebok (more commonly “Rhebok”) is an Afrikaans word for an antelope, and comes from the term “roe buck”.

92. “Positively Entertaining” network : ION
Ion Television started out as PAX TV in 1998, was renamed to i:Independent Television in 2005 and then to Ion in 2007.

95. It might follow a showstopping performance, in modern lingo : MIC DROP
A “mic drop” takes place when a performer has done particularly well and decides to celebrate by throwing or dropping the microphone to the floor. That doesn’t seem to happen at the performances I tend to frequent …

102. Code of silence : OMERTA
Omertà is a code of honor in southern Italian society. The term has been adopted by the Mafia to mean a code of silence designed to prevent a Mafioso from becoming an informer. For example, the famous Joe Valachi was someone who broke the code of silence in 1963, informing on the New York Mafia. Valachi’s story was told in the movie “The Valachi Papers”, with Charles Bronson playing the lead.

105. Conehead : DUNCE
John Duns Scotus was a theologian and scholar in the Middle Ages, responsible for many writings that were used as textbooks in British universities of the day. New ideas developed during the English Renaissance, but Duns Scotus and his followers resisted the changes. The word “dunse” came into use as a way of ridiculing those refusing to learn anything new, a precursor to our modern usage of “dunce”.

108. Caffè ___ : LATTE
The term “latte” is an abbreviation of the Italian “caffelatte” meaning “coffee (and) milk”. Note that in the correct spelling of “latte”, the Italian word for milk, there is no accent over the “e”. An accent is often added by mistake when we use the word in English, perhaps meaning to suggest that the word is French.

111. Sports star-turned-model Gabrielle : REECE
Gabrielle Reece is quite the athlete. She was on the team that won the first ever Beach Volleyball World Championship, in 1997. She is also a great golfer, and tried hard to make it onto the LPGA circuit.

112. Author Dahl : ROALD
Roald Dahl’s name is Norwegian. Dahl’s parents were from Norway, although Dahl himself was Welsh. Dahl became one of the most successful authors of the twentieth century. Two of his most famous titles are “James and the Giant Peach” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”.

114. They go around heads around Diamond Head : LEIS
“Lei” is the Hawaiian word for “garland, wreath”, although in more general terms a “lei” is any series of objects strung together as an adornment for the body.

Diamond Head on the Hawaiian island of O’ahu was given its name by British sailors in the 1800s. These sailors found calcite crystals in the rock surrounding the volcanic tuff cone and mistook the crystals for diamonds.

116. Russian legislature : DUMA
A Duma is a representative assembly in Russia. The word “dumat” in Russian means “to think, consider”.

118. Big name in microloans : KIVA
Kiva is a non-profit organization that enables the loaning of relatively small amounts of money to underserved entrepreneurs in over eight countries around the world.

119. Subject of the 2002 book “The Perfect Store” : EBAY
eBay is an auction site with a twist. If you don’t want to enter into an auction to purchase an item, there’s a “Buy It Now” price. Agree to pay it, and the item is yours!

124. Draft org. : SSS
The US government maintains information on all males who are potentially subject to military conscription, using what is called the Selective Service System (SSS). In the event that a draft is held, men registered would be classified into groups to determine eligibility for service. Class 1-A registrants are those available for unrestricted military service. Other classes are 1-A-O (conscientious objectors available for noncombatant service), 4-A (registrants who have completed military service) and 4-D (ministers of religion).

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Big gasbag? : BLIMP
6. Sex therapy subject : LIBIDO
12. Rap : HIP-HOP
18. Cat and mouse : ANIMALS
20. First name among celebrity chefs : EMERIL
21. Achieve widespread recognition : ARRIVE
22. Warrior who follows “the way of the warrior” : SAMURAI
23. Charged (with) : TASKED
24. Part of a mob : RIOTER
25. Threshold of major change : TIPPING POINT
27. Heroic deeds : GESTS
28. Eritrea’s capital : ASMARA
29. Small body of medical research : NANOBOT
31. Jack in the box, once? : PAAR
33. Attempt to debug? : SWAT
34. Soundly defeat, informally : SMOKE
38. Arthur Conan Doyle title : SIR
39. Catchphrase from “Jerry Maguire” : SHOW ME THE MONEY!
42. Actress Larter of “Heroes” : ALI
43. A little light : PALISH
45. Homer’s neighbor on “The Simpsons” : NED
47. ___ facto : IPSO
48. Winnie-the-Pooh greeting : HALLO
50. Jet black : ONYX
51. Like Nahuatl speakers : AZTECAN
54. Puffs : SWELLS
56. “31 Days of Oscar” channel : TCM
57. Hail or farewell : AVE
58. Crocodile tail? : DUNDEE
61. Latin lover’s word : AMO
62. Dance class : TAP
63. They sit for six yrs. : SENS
65. Was a victim of price gouging : PAID THROUGH THE NOSE
70. ___ Lilly and Company : ELI
71. Struggles (through) : WADES
73. Dweller along the Wasatch Range : UTAHN
74. “That’s lovely!” : OOH!
75. Rush to beat a deadline : RACE AGAINST TIME
80. Not aweather : ALEE
81. Penultimate countdown word : ONE
82. Messenger ___ : RNA
83. One of the Golden Girls of 1980s-’90s TV : SOPHIA
85. Nonexpert : LAY
86. Cubs’ home : DEN
87. Surrounded by : AMIDST
90. Danced to Xavier Cugat, say : RUMBAED
92. “Supposing that’s true …” : IF SO …
93. Modern spelling? : WICCA
94. Madame’s “mine” : A MOI
97. Sites for R.N.s and M.D.s : ERS
98. Skedaddles : SCOOTS
100. Prince’s inits. : HRH
101. Mark that’s hard to hit : MOVING TARGET
104. Red Cross work : AID
106. Where to find some ham : ON RYE
107. “___ in Calico” (jazz classic) : A GAL
109. It makes flakes : MICA
110. Biceps exercise : ARM CURL
113. Steamed dish that may be prepared in an olla : TAMALE
115. Rapper né Andre Young : DR DRE
117. British pool stick : SNOOKER CUE
122. Fort ___ National Monument : SUMTER
123. They’ll make you blush : ROUGES
125. Reindeer relative : CARIBOU
126. “That makes sense now” : I GET IT
127. Early Mexicans : OLMECS
128. Up : ELEVATE
129. Businesswoman/philanthropist ___ Heinz Kerry : TERESA
130. Auto identifiers : PLATES
131. Launch dates : D-DAYS

Down
1. Sons of, in Hebrew : B’NAI
2. Drooping : LIMP
3. Exasperated cry in the morning : I’M UP!
4. “A Few Good Men” men : MARINES
5. First option : PLAN A
6. Rented : LET
7. Last stage of metamorphosis : IMAGO
8. Dogs : BESETS
9. Rankles : IRKS
10. Coke Zero, for one : DIET POP
11. “Every dog has his day” and others : OLD SAWS
12. Zimbabwe’s capital : HARARE
13. It’s in the eye of the beholder : IRIS
14. Formal occasions : PROMS
15. Be unable to make further progress : HIT A WALL
16. Part of a Mario Brothers costume : OVERALLS
17. Equity valuation stat : P/E RATIO
18. Prince Edward Isl. setting : AST
19. Talks with one’s hands : SIGNS
26. Exact : RIGHT ON POINT
30. Newfoundland or Labrador : BREED
32. Singer Tori : AMOS
34. Weight room figure : SPOTTER
35. Board game popular throughout Africa : MANCALA
36. ___ Games : OLYMPIC
37. Puffed-grain cereal : KIX
40. Language that gave us “bungalow” and “guru” : HINDI
41. Exact : RIGHT ON THE MONEY
44. Really enjoy oneself : HAVE A GAS
46. Intimate apparel size bigger than C : D-CUP
49. Jesus on a diamond : ALOU
52. Site of King Rudolf’s imprisonment, in fiction : ZENDA
53. Santa ___ : ANA
55. Sour candy brand : WARHEADS
57. Nile River spanner : ASWAN DAM
59. Typical end of a professor’s address? : EDU
60. ___ Place (Butch and Sundance companion) : ETTA
64. Six, in Seville : SEIS
66. Berry of “Monster’s Ball” : HALLE
67. Beneficial to : GOOD FOR
68. The best policy, supposedly : HONESTY
69. Exact : RIGHT ON THE NOSE
72. Winter-related commercial prefix : SNO-
76. Hoffer or Holder : ERIC
77. Green garnish : SPRIG
78. Two past Tue. : THU
79. Exact : RIGHT ON TIME
84. President Garfield’s middle name : ABRAM
87. Tire pressure indicator : AIR GAUGE
88. “Let’s Get It Started” rapper : MC HAMMER
89. “Rikki-Tikki-___” : TAVI
91. Reebok competitor : ASICS
92. “Positively Entertaining” network : ION
93. Thingamajig : WHATSIT
95. It might follow a showstopping performance, in modern lingo : MIC DROP
96. Hot : ON A ROLL
99. Not black-and-white : COLORED
102. Code of silence : OMERTA
103. Exact : RIGHT ON TARGET
105. Conehead : DUNCE
108. Caffè ___ : LATTE
111. Sports star-turned-model Gabrielle : REECE
112. Author Dahl : ROALD
114. They go around heads around Diamond Head : LEIS
116. Russian legislature : DUMA
118. Big name in microloans : KIVA
119. Subject of the 2002 book “The Perfect Store” : EBAY
120. Turns bad : ROTS
121. Exact : RIGHT ON CUE
124. Draft org. : SSS

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6 thoughts on “1122-15 New York Times Crossword Answers 22 Nov 15, Sunday”

  1. A pretty enjoyable grid today, though a few more errors than BB. Wow, to think of all the quarters I plunked down on Donkey Kong in the 1980s, I could have bought ______ [insert noun] I guess part of the fun rests in figuring out which theme answers "turn right" and which ones don't. It's been a fun week of grids, pretty solid all around.

  2. 50:56, two errors. 43A PALISH (POLISH); 35D MANCALA (MONCALA). Just not in synch with the setters today. Did not think of 43A in the context of 'somewhat pale' (A little light), and hadn't heard of Mancala before. Learn something new every day.

    Also my syndicated paper did not list the theme today, although that was not a factor.

  3. Who the hell is supposed to know "a popular African board game"???? I ask you!! These puzzles are getting worse all the time. Quality control has gone out the window. Get Shortz OUT OF THERE!!!

  4. Forty-one minutes and change, no errors. Had a difficult time starting the puzzle, but finally found a couple of gimmes in the middle and worked outward from there. Partway through I finally grokked the theme, after which things got easier. (Actually, though, I didn't understand the second part of th theme – the "exact" thing – until I came here and saw Bill's explanation.)

    Had never heard of "Mancala", either, but crossing entries made it clear what to use, so no problem … and maybe next time I encounter the word, I will know what it means.

    @Anonymous … A lot of us are quite happy with Will Shortz's editing. In any case, I think your complaints might have more effect if they were sent directly to him, rather than being posted here. (You can probably find contact information via Google searches.)

    Kurt Vonnegut wrote an interesting short story about one possible way to compensate for the fact that different people have different skill levels; it's called "Harrison Bergeron", it's available online, and I would highly recommend it to all.

  5. I taught elementary school for 30 years. Mancall is a very popular game in the classroom. It was also a good way to teach a little African culture. This doesn't mean that everyone should know the term. But if I learn something from the chord them I got.double my fun.

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