1121-15 New York Times Crossword Answers 21 Nov 15, Saturday

QuickLinks:
Solution to today’s crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today’s SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
Solution to today’s New York Times crossword found online at the Seattle Times website
Jump to a complete list of today’s clues and answers

CROSSWORD SETTER: Natan Last
THEME: None
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 23m 26s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Coddle : BABY
The word “coddle” means to boil gently, as in “coddle an egg”. Coddle was first used to mean “treat tenderly” by Jane Austen. Austen introduced the extended usage in her masterpiece “Emma”.

5. ___ of Glamis (Shakespearean epithet) : THANE
Thanes were Scottish aristocrats. The most famous thanes have to be the Shakespearean characters Macbeth (the Thane of Glamis, later Thane of Cawdor) and MacDuff (the Thane of Fife). Other thanes in “Macbeth” are Ross, Lennox and Angus, as well as Menteith and Caithness.

13. Option at una taquería : POLLO
In Spanish, one might order “pollo” (chicken) at “una taquería” (a restaurant specializing in tacos).

14. First U.S. college to divest from apartheid South Africa : HAMPSHIRE
Hampshire College is a private school in Amherst, Massachusetts. It is one of our newer colleges, first taking students in 1970. It has a reputation as a “radical” school. In 1979, it became the first American college to divest from apartheid South Africa. In 2001, it declared itself opposed to the War on Terrorism, again being the first school to do so.

20. Cousins of colichemardes : EPEES
The sword known as an épée has a three-sided blade. The épée is similar to a foil and sabre, both of which are also thrusting weapons. However, the foil and saber have rectangular cross-sections.

The sword known as a colichemarde has a hexagonal or diamond-shaped cross-section. It dates back to about 1680, and was popular with officers in North America around the time of the French and Indian War (1754 – 1763). Major George Washington, one of the British American commanders, carried a colichemarde.

21. Dramatist Thomas who was a contemporary of Shakespeare : KYD
Thomas Kyd’s most famous work is “The Spanish Tragedy”, written in the mid to late 1580s. Even though Kyd was a recognized dramatist within his own lifetime, he fell foul of the standards of the Privy Council of the day and was imprisoned and tortured for allegedly being an atheist. He died soon after, impoverished.

22. People visited by Captain Cook in 1769 : MAORIS
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.

The first European to sight the nation that we know today as New Zealand was the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman. He labeled the land “Staten Landt”, believing it to be part of South America. Dutch cartographers changed the name to “Nova Zelandia”, after the Dutch province of Zeeland. That Latin name evolved into the Dutch “Nieuw Zeeland”, which Captain James Cook anglicized to “New Zealand”.

24. Groups in blue, for short : PDS
Police Department (PD)

25. Animal that Poseidon turned Theophane into, in myth : EWE
Theophane was a beautiful nymph of Greek mythology who was carried off by Poseidon, the god of the sea, to the isle of Crinissa. Theophane was followed to the island by many potential lovers , and so Poseidon turned her into a sheep and himself into a ram to avoid the suitors. One story is that one of Poseidon and Theophane’s offspring was the ram who bore the Golden Fleece.

26. Bohemians are part of it : ART SCENE
Bohemia covers most of the Czech Republic. Centuries ago, it was wrongly believed that gypsies came from Bohemia, giving rise to the term “Bohemian” meaning a “gypsy of society”.

33. ___ voce : SOTTO
“Sotto voce” literally means “under the voice” in Italian, and describes the deliberate lowering of one’s voice for emphasis.

35. Wood of the Rolling Stones : RON
Ronnie Wood is one of the Rolling Stones. The Stones were formed in 1962, and Wood joined in 1975. Prior to his stint with the Stones, Wood was a member of the Jeff Beck Group as well as the Faces.

36. Beverages in orange, grape and peach flavors : NEHIS
“Nehi Corporation” was the nickname for the Chero-Cola/Union Bottle Works that introduced the Nehi drink in 1924. Years later the company developed a new brand, Royal Crown Cola (also known as RC Cola). By 1955, RC Cola was the company’s flagship product, so the “Nehi Corporation” became the “Royal Crown Company”. In 1954, RC Cola became the first company to sell soft drinks in cans.

41. Florida’s ___ Battlefield Historic State Park : DADE
Dade Battlefield Historic State Park is located in west-central Florida. The park preserves the site where Seminole warriors engaged US soldiers during the Second Seminole War. The battlefield is named for Major Francis L. Dade who was killed with over 100 of the US troops under his command, with only three men surviving.

42. Book with the line “My father can read big words, too. / Like Constantinople and Timbuktu” : HOP ON POP
“Hop on Pop” is a Dr. Seuss book that was first published in 1963, subtitled “The Simplest Seuss for Youngest Use”. “Hop on Pop” was listed by former First Lady Laura Bush as her favorite title, citing the memories evoked of family life with her young daughters.

44. “How I Met Your Mother” narrator : TED
“How I Met Your Mother” is a sitcom that CBS has been airing since 2005. The main character is Ted Mosby, played by Josh Radnor. Mosby is also the narrator for the show looking back from the year 2030 (the live action is set in the present). As narrator, the older Mosby character is voiced by Bob Saget.

45. Female kangaroo : DOE
The name “kangaroo” comes from the Australian Aborigine term for the animal. There’s an oft-quoted story that the explorer James Cook (later Captain Cook) asked a local native what was the name of this remarkable-looking animal, and the native responded with “kangaroo”. The story is that the native was actually saying “I don’t understand you”, but as cute as that tale is, it’s just an urban myth.

47. Handsome hombres : GUAPOS
In Spanish, a “hombre” (man) might be “guapo” (handsome).

53. “M*A*S*H” watering hole : ROSIE’S BAR
Rosie’s Bar was a popular off-base hangout for military personnel in both the film and TV version of “M*A*S*H”. Although the Americans referred to the bar as “Rosie’s”, the signs on the establishment showed that the correct name was “Rose’s Bar”.

55. Like some hockey passes : UP ICE
I guess that passes in hockey might go “up ice” and “down ice”.

58. “Luxuries,” not “necessities,” per Cher : MEN
Cher’s real name is Cherilyn Sarkisian, born in 1946. In her acting career, Cher was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar of 1984 for her performance in “Silkwood”. She went further in 1988 and won the Best Actress Oscar for playing Loretta Castorini in “Moonstruck”.

59. Secretary of defense after Panetta : HAGEL
Chuck Hagel ha served as Secretary of Defense from February 2013 until February 2015. Prior to joining President Obama’s cabinet, Hagel served as US Senator for the state of Nebraska from 1997 to 2009, as a member of the Republican Party. The lighter side of Senator Chuck Hagel came out on Halloween each year when he famously came to work in the Senate dressed like one of his colleagues or other political figures. Hagel mimicked Joe Biden, John McCain, Colin Powell and Pat Roberts among others.

Leon Panetta was Chief of Staff under President Clinton, and took over as CIA Director in 2009 in the Obama administration. From 2011 to 2013 he also served as Secretary of Defense. Panetta has long been interested in protecting the world’s oceans. As an example, he wrote the legislation that created the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

Down
1. Indian pictures : BOLLYWOOD
Bollywood is the informal name given to the huge film industry based in Mumbai in India. The term “Bollywood” is a melding of “Bombay”, the old name for Mumbai, and “Hollywood”.

4. Musician who performed at Obama’s first inauguration : YO-YO MA
Yo-Yo Ma is a marvelous American cellist, born in Paris to Chinese parents. Ma started studying the violin when he was very young, working his way up (in size) to the viola and finally to the cello. He has said that he wanted to play the double bass, but it was just too big for his relatively small frame.

5. “Mo Money Mo Problems” rapper : THE NOTORIOUS BIG
The Notorious B.I.G. was the stage name of rap star Christopher Wallace. While at the height of his fame Wallace was killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, a murder case that has never been solved. There is 2009 biopic, called “Notorious”, about Wallace’s life starring fellow rap artist Jamal Woolard (aka Gravy) in the title role.

7. Los Angeles-based clothing giant : AMERICAN APPAREL
American Apparel is a clothing manufacturer and retailer that was founded in Los Angeles in 1989. After failing to make a profit for five years, the company filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2015.

8. “This is ___” (broadcast tagline) : NPR
National Public Radio (now just called NPR) was launched in 1970 after President Johnson signed into law the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. The intent of the act was to provide funding for radio and television broadcasting that wasn’t simply driven by profit. As a longtime fan of the state-funded BBC in the UK, I’d have to agree with that intent …

9. A slave to crosswords? : ESNE
“Esne” is an uncommon word, a synonym for “serf” as best I can tell, a member of the lowest feudal class. I’ve never seen it used outside of crosswords …

10. Stewed : OILED
“Stewed” and “oiled” are slang terms meaning “drunk”.

11. Much-painted city in Provence : ARLES
Quite a few years ago now, I had the privilege of living just a short car-ride from the beautiful city of Arles in the South of France. Although Arles has a long and colorful history, the Romans had a prevailing influence over the city’s design. Arles has a spectacular Roman amphitheater, arch, circus as well as old walls that surround the center of the city. In more modern times, it was a place Vincent van Gogh often visited, and where he painted his famous “Cafe Terrace at Night”, as well as “Bedroom in Arles”.

13. Major pro team with the smallest home city : PACKERS
When Curly Lambeau founded his small-town football team in Green Bay in 1919, he was working for the Indian Packing Company. Lambeau went to his employers looking for sponsorship and was given $250 provided that the team was named for the company. And so, the team was originally referred to as the Green Bay Indians, but by the time they took to the field for their first game it had changed to the Packers, and Lambeau was $250 richer.

23. Intl. Day of Peace month : SEP
September 21 has been designated as the International Day of Peace since 2001, although the day itself was inaugurated in 1981 (then the third Tuesday of each September). There is a Peace Bell in the United Nations that rings out on each Peace Day, a gift from the Diet of Japan. The bell itself was cast from coins donated by children all over the world.

27. Old ___, “Game of Thrones” character : NAN
HBO’s “Game of Thrones” is a fantasy television drama that was adapted from a series of novels by George R. R. Martin called “A Song of Ice and Fire”. “Game of Thrones” is actually made in and around Belfast, Northern Ireland.

34. Plains folk : OTO
The Otoe (also Oto) Native American tribe originated in the Great Lakes region as part of the Winnebago or Siouan tribes. The group that would become the Otoe broke away from the Winnebago and migrated southwestwards ending up in the Great Plains. In the plains the Otoe adopted a semi-nomadic lifestyle dependent on the horse, with the American bison becoming central to their diet.

39. Dungeons & Dragons, e.g., for short : RPG
Dungeons & Dragons is a complex role-playing game (RPG) first published in 1974, by Tactical Studies Rules Incorporated (TSR). Dungeons & Dragons was probably the first of the modern role-playing games to be developed, and the most successful. It is still played by lots of people today, including my nerdy son …

45. Current path? : DIODE
A diode is component in a circuit, the most notable characteristic of which is that it will conduct electric current in only one direction. Some of those vacuum tubes we used to see in old radios and television were diodes, but nowadays almost all diodes are semiconductor devices.

46. Science fiction novelist ___ Scott Card : ORSON
Orson Scott Card is a science fiction author (mainly). Card’s most famous work is his novel “Ender’s Game” first published in 1985. “Ender’s Game” was adapted into a movie and released in 2013, with a cast that includes Harrison Ford.

49. Tipping point? : BRIM
A gentleman might tip the brim of his hat. Well, I guess that’s the reference. I suppose it might also be a reference to the contents of a container spilling over the brim …

50. Biblical character who lived 912 years : SETH
According to the Bible, Seth was the third son of Adam and Eve, coming after Cain and Abel.

54. Loan-giving org. : SBA
The Small Business Administration (SBA) is a government agency with the mission of assisting small businesses. The SBA doesn’t give loans itself, but it does act as a guarantor under the right circumstances. The SBA was set up in 1953, and isn’t a favorite with fiscal conservatives.

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Coddle : BABY
5. ___ of Glamis (Shakespearean epithet) : THANE
10. So-called “monarch of the forest” : OAK
13. Option at una taquería : POLLO
14. First U.S. college to divest from apartheid South Africa : HAMPSHIRE
16. Calm : ALLAY
17. Forever : ETERNALLY
18. Night-life industry bigwig : CLUB OWNER
20. Cousins of colichemardes : EPEES
21. Dramatist Thomas who was a contemporary of Shakespeare : KYD
22. People visited by Captain Cook in 1769 : MAORIS
24. Groups in blue, for short : PDS
25. Animal that Poseidon turned Theophane into, in myth : EWE
26. Bohemians are part of it : ART SCENE
28. Went on : RODE
30. They may be put on a stretcher : YOGA PANTS
33. ___ voce : SOTTO
35. Wood of the Rolling Stones : RON
36. Beverages in orange, grape and peach flavors : NEHIS
38. Like matters of orthodoxy : DOCTRINAL
41. Florida’s ___ Battlefield Historic State Park : DADE
42. Book with the line “My father can read big words, too. / Like Constantinople and Timbuktu” : HOP ON POP
44. “How I Met Your Mother” narrator : TED
45. Female kangaroo : DOE
47. Handsome hombres : GUAPOS
48. ___ punk (hybrid music genre) : SKA
49. Ones sending out tweets : BIRDS
51. Come to an agreement, say : SHAKE ON IT
53. “M*A*S*H” watering hole : ROSIE’S BAR
55. Like some hockey passes : UP ICE
56. “It’s O.K., you can come closer” : I DON’T BITE
57. Wallops : DECKS
58. “Luxuries,” not “necessities,” per Cher : MEN
59. Secretary of defense after Panetta : HAGEL
60. Low notes : ONES

Down
1. Indian pictures : BOLLYWOOD
2. Referenced : ALLUDED TO
3. Not be a good confidant : BLAB
4. Musician who performed at Obama’s first inauguration : YO-YO MA
5. “Mo Money Mo Problems” rapper : THE NOTORIOUS BIG
6. Modern-day “You can’t please everyone” : HATERS GONNA HATE
7. Los Angeles-based clothing giant : AMERICAN APPAREL
8. “This is ___” (broadcast tagline) : NPR
9. A slave to crosswords? : ESNE
10. Stewed : OILED
11. Much-painted city in Provence : ARLES
12. You might give them a ring : KEYS
13. Major pro team with the smallest home city : PACKERS
15. Went down : HAPPENED
19. Guarded : WARY
23. Intl. Day of Peace month : SEP
27. Old ___, “Game of Thrones” character : NAN
29. Forever a part of : ETCHED IN
31. “Good for you” : THAT’S NICE
32. Seconds : SIDEKICKS
34. Plains folk : OTO
37. Calms : SEDATES
39. Dungeons & Dragons, e.g., for short : RPG
40. “Here’s the thing …” : LOOK …
43. Fake : PSEUDO
45. Current path? : DIODE
46. Science fiction novelist ___ Scott Card : ORSON
49. Tipping point? : BRIM
50. Biblical character who lived 912 years : SETH
52. Welcome sign : OPEN
54. Loan-giving org. : SBA

Return to top of page