0407-16 New York Times Crossword Answers 7 Apr 16, Thursday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Onetime debater with Joe Biden : SARAH PALIN
When John McCain selected Sarah Palin as candidate for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she became the first Alaskan to go on the national ticket for a major party. She also became the first woman nominated for Vice President by the Republican Party.

Vice President Joe Biden was a US Senator representing the state of Delaware from 1973 until he joined the Obama administration. While he was a senator, Vice President Biden commuted to Washington from Wilmington, Delaware almost every working day. He was such an active customer and supporter of Amtrak that the Wilmington Station was renamed as the Joseph R. Biden Railroad Station in 2011. Biden has made over 7,000 trips from that station, and the Amtrak crews were known to even hold the last train for a few minutes so that he could catch it. Biden earned himself the nickname “Amtrak Joe”.

9. Response to a verbal slam : OH SNAP!
Oh snap is some more street talk. It is used as a retort to someone who makes a verbal dig at you. It was apparently popularized by Tracy Morgan on “Saturday Night Live”.

16. Golden galloper : PALOMINO
A palomino is a horse with a gold coat and a white mane and tail. The color was prized by TV and film producers in the golden age of the Western. Two of the most famous palominos were Trigger ridden by Roy Rogers, and Mr. Ed who had his own TV show.

17. Tests of crews’ control? : REGATTAS
The word “regatta” is Venetian dialect and was originally used to describe boat races among the gondoliers of Venice on the Grand Canal back in the mid-1600s.

19. You might leave them in stitches, for short : ERS
Emergency rooms (ERs)

22. Actress Graff : ILENE
Ilene Graff is an American actress, probably best known for playing Marsha Owens, the wife of George in the TV series “Mr. Belvedere”.

25. Odor-Eaters, e.g. : INSERTS
Odor-Eaters insoles were first introduced in the early seventies, and are manufactured by Combe. Combe sponsors a national contest held every year in Montpelier, Vermont, called “The Odor-Eaters Rotten Sneaker Contest”. Very pleasant …

27. With 48-Across, memorable Al Pacino movie line … or a hint for this puzzle’s theme : SAY HELLO TO MY …
(48A. See 27-Across : … LITTLE FRIEND)
“Say hello to my little friend!” is a famous line uttered by Al Pacino’s character in the movie “Scarface”, as he brandishes a machine gun.

“Scarface” is a 1983 gangster movie starring Al Pacino as a Cuban expatriate drug lord in Miami. The film was directed by Brian De Palma and written by Oliver Stone, and is a remake of a 1932 film of the same name.

31. Refrain from farming? : E-I-E-I-O
There was an American version of the English children’s song “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” (E-I-E-I-O), that was around in the days of WWI. The first line of the US version goes “Old MacDougal had a farm, in Ohio-i-o”.

32. Role in “Doubt” or “Dead Man Walking” : NUN
“Doubt” is a 2008 film adaptation of a stage play by John Patrick Shanley, for which he won a Pulitzer. The film stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as a priest accused of wrongdoing with a young boy, and Meryl Streep as a nun who takes up the cause of holding the priest accountable. It’s a powerful and disturbing tale.

“Dead Man Walking” is a 1995 film starring Sean Penn as a prisoner on death row in Louisiana, and Susan Sarandon as a nun who becomes his spiritual advisor. The movie is based on the true story of Sister Helen Prejean, a nun who acted as a spiritual advisor to two convicted murderers on Death Row in the Louisiana State Penitentiary.

37. Tracks with malware, say : SPIES ON
“Malware” is a collective term for software and program code that is created to intentionally disrupt and exploit computer systems. Viruses, worms, trojan horses and spyware are all covered by the term. “Malware” is short for “malicious software”.

41. Ambitious climbers’ mecca : NEPAL
Nepal lies to the northeast of India. Today, the state is known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. In 2008, the Communist Party of Nepal won the country’s general election. Soon after, the Assembly voted to change the form of government, moving away from a monarchy and creating a secular republic.

43. “The Racer’s Edge” product : STP
STP is a brand name for automotive lubricants and additives. The name STP comes from “Scientifically Treated Petroleum”.

45. Ivanovic of women’s tennis : ANA
Ana Ivanovic is a Serbian tennis player, and former world number one. As well as playing tennis, she also studied finance at university in her native Belgrade.

46. One making introductions : EMCEE
The term “emcee” comes from “MC”, an initialism standing for Master or Mistress of Ceremonies.

52. 1909 Matisse masterpiece : LA DANSE
“La Danse” is large painting by Henri Matisse completed 1910, depicting five dancing figures. I had the privilege of seeing the work in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg quite a few years ago.

57. Secular : LAIC
Anything described is laic (or “laical, lay”) is related to the laity, those members of the church who are not clergy. The term “laic” ultimately comes from the Greek “laikos” meaning “of the people”.

59. Alma mater of 30-Down, for short : LSU
(30D. 2000 N.B.A. M.V.P. with the Lakers : O’NEAL)
The LSU Tigers are the sports teams of Louisiana State University (LSU). They are officially known as the Fightin’ Tigers, and the school mascot is “Mike the Tiger”. The name comes from the days of the Civil War, when two Louisiana brigades earned the nickname the “Louisiana Tigers”. Given the French/Cajun history of Louisiana, the LSU fans use the cheer “Geaux Tigers” instead of “Go Tigers”.

62. Kanye West’s “Yeezus,” for one : RAP ALBUM
Kanye West is a rap singer from Atlanta, Georgia. That’s all I know …

64. Oktoberfest venue : BEER TENT
Oktoberfest is a 16-day beer festival in Munich that actually starts in September. About six million people attend every year, making it the largest fair in the world. I’ve been there twice, and it really is a great party …

67. Author ___ Leonard : ELMORE
Elmore Leonard used to write a lot of westerns in the fifties and moved onto crime and suspense novels later in his career. A lot of Leonard’s books have made it to the big screen, including “Get Shorty” and “Mr Majestyk”.

68. Coal-mining center : APPALACHIA
Appalachia is the name of a region that encompasses the central and southern portions of the Appalachian Mountains. Major cities included in the region include Pittsburgh, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Birmingham and Asheville.

70. 2014 Record of the Year winner for “Stay With Me” : SAM SMITH
Sam Smith is a singer from London. I think that the only thing I’ve heard of his is the theme song from the 2015 James Bond movie “Spectre”, which is called “Writing’s on the Wall”.

Downs
4. The Altar constellation : ARA
The constellation of Ara takes its name from the Latin word for “altar”.

5. Boiling, with “up” : HET
Someone who is “het up” is “worked up, angry”. “Het” is an archaic word meaning “heated”.

6. Spacious and splendid : PALATIAL
Palatial, resembling a palace.

7. “The Adventures of ___” (Ogden Nash poem) : ISABEL
The poet Ogden Nash is well known for his light and humorous verse. Here’s a favorite of mine:

With love in the loving cup,
Whenever you’re wrong, admit it;
Whenever you’re right, shut up.

8. Big Board inits. : NYSE
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) can give some quite descriptive ticker symbols to companies, for example:

– Anheuser-Busch (BUD, for “Budweiser”)
– Molson Coors Brewing Company (TAP, as in “beer tap”)
– Steinway Musical Instruments (LVB, for “Ludwig van Beethoven”)
– Sotheby’s (BID, for the auction house)

9. Some Australian exports : OPALS
97% of the world’s opals come from Australia, so it’s no surprise perhaps that the opal is the national gemstone of the country. The state of South Australia provides the bulk of the world’s production, about 80%.

10. Big-picture approach to patient care : HOLISM
A holistic approach to medicine emphasises not only physical symptoms but also social considerations and the environment.

11. Many emojis : SMILEYS
An emoji is a character found on many cell phones now that is like an emoticon, but more elaborate.

13. Concerning : ANENT
“Anent” is a preposition meaning “regarding, concerning”.

21. Roman emperor who completed the Colosseum : TITUS
Titus Flavius Verspasianus was a successful military commander and Roman Emperor from 79 to 81 AD. It was Titus who laid siege to and destroyed the city and temple of Jerusalem, for which he was honored with the erection of the Arch of Titus that stands in Rome to this day. The Arch of Titus is the inspiration for many other famous arches around the world including the l’Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

The Roman Emperor Nero had a large (30m tall) statue made of himself in bronze, which he located outside of his palace. After he died, the bronze was altered and renamed the Colossus Solis, after the Roman sun god. It was later moved and located near the huge amphitheater that became known as the Colosseum. It is likely that the amphitheater actually took its name from the Colossus statue.

23. Sushi bar offering : AHI
Yellowfin and bigeye tuna are usually marketed as “ahi”, the Hawaiian name. They are both big fish, with yellowfish tuna often weighing over 300 pounds, and bigeye tuna getting up to 400 pounds.

24. They may be conceived around Halloween : LEOS
Leo is the fifth astrological sign of the Zodiac. People born from July 23 to August 22 are Leos.

All Saints’ Day is November 1st each year. The day before All Saints’ Day is All Hallows Eve, better known by the Scottish term, “Halloween”.

27. Calyx part : SEPAL
The calyx is the collective name for the sepals of a flower, the outermost whorl that forms the flower (the pretty part!).

30. 2000 N.B.A. M.V.P. with the Lakers : O’NEAL
Shaquille O’Neal is one of the heaviest players ever to have played in the NBA (weighing in at around 325 pounds). Yep, he’s a big guy … 7 foot 1 inch tall.

35. Hammer extremity : PEEN
The peen of a hammer is on the head, and is the side of the head that is opposite the striking surface. Often the peen is in the shape of a hemisphere (as in a ball-peen hammer), but usually it is shaped like a claw (mainly for removing nails).

38. Brady bunch, in headlines : PATS
The New England Patriots football team was founded in 1959 as the Boston Patriots. The “Patriots” name was selected from suggestions made by football fans in Boston. The team played at several different stadiums in the Boston area for just over ten years, before moving to their current home base in Foxborough, Massachusetts. At the time of the move, the “Boston” name was dropped and changed to “New England”.

Tom Brady plays quarterback for the New England Patriots. Brady is from San Mateo, California, which isn’t very far from here. Brady dated actress Bridget Moynahan for a couple of years, and the pair have a child together.

39. Bond yield? : INTEL
James Bond is the creation of the writer Ian Fleming. Fleming “stole” the James Bond name from an American ornithologist. The number 007 was also “stolen” from the real-life, 16th century English spy called John Dee. Dee would sign his reports to Queen Elizabeth I with a stylized “007” to indicate that the reports were for “her eyes only”.

40. Big name in foam-based weaponry : NERF
Nerf is the name given to the soft material used in a whole series of toys designed for “safe” play indoors. The Nerf product is used to make darts, balls and ammunition for toy guns. “NERF” is an acronym, standing for Non-Expanding Recreational Foam.

47. Sch. along the Charles : MIT
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was founded in 1861 and first offered classes in 1865, in the Mercantile building in Boston. Today’s magnificent campus on the banks of the Charles River in Cambridge opened in 1916.

50. Quaker State city subject to lake-effect snow, for short : ERIE, PA
Today “Quaker State” is an unofficial name for Pennsylvania, as it is more correctly known as the Keystone State, and has been so since 1802. However, in colonial times Pennsylvania was known officially as the Quaker Province, recognizing the beliefs and doctrine of the state’s founder, William Penn.

51. Gesture indicating “How stupid of me!” : FACEPALM
A facepalm is the gesture made by lowering one’s face into the palm of one’s hand or hands. A facepalm can be an expression of surprise perhaps, frustration or embarrassment.

54. “Scarface” director : DE PALMA
Brian De Palma is a very successful film director from Newark, New Jersey. Examples of De Palma films are “Carrie”, “Dressed to Kill”, “Scarface”, “The Untouchables” and “Mission: Impossible”.

“Scarface” is a 1983 gangster movie starring Al Pacino as a Cuban expatriate drug lord in Miami. The film was directed by Brian De Palma and written by Oliver Stone, and is a remake of a 1932 film of the same name.

58. “___ le roi!” (French Revolution cry) : A BAS
“À bas le roi!” is French for, “Down with the king!”, a phrase often heard during the French Revolution.

59. With 61-Down, city named for a Book of Mormon prophet : LEHI
(61D. See 59-Down : UTAH)
The Utah city of Lehi was first settled in 1851. The settlement grew rapidly and was incorporated in the second year of its existence, in 1852. The name Lehi was chosen after a prophet in the Book of Mormon.

60. Bad mood : SNIT
The exact etymology of “snit”, meaning “fit of temper”, isn’t really known. The term was first used in print in the play “Kiss the Boys Goodbye” by Clare Booth Luce, which dates back to the 1930s and is set in the American South.

63. Subject of a scrip : MED
“Scrip” is an informal term for a prescription.

65. Dorm V.I.P.s : RAS
RAs are resident assistants or resident advisers, the peer leaders found in residence halls, particularly on a college campus.

66. Film buff’s channel : TCM
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is one of my favorite television channels, delivering just what its name promises: classic movies.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Onetime debater with Joe Biden : SARAH PALIN
9. Response to a verbal slam : OH SNAP!
15. Diner breakfast specification : OVER EASY
16. Golden galloper : PALOMINO
17. Tests of crews’ control? : REGATTAS
18. Some tennis strokes : SLICES
19. You might leave them in stitches, for short : ERS
20. [snort] : I BET!
22. Actress Graff : ILENE
23. Wings: Lat. : ALAE
25. Odor-Eaters, e.g. : INSERTS
27. With 48-Across, memorable Al Pacino movie line … or a hint for this puzzle’s theme : SAY HELLO TO MY …
31. Refrain from farming? : E-I-E-I-O
32. Role in “Doubt” or “Dead Man Walking” : NUN
33. Drench : SOP
36. Becomes wearisome : PALLS
37. Tracks with malware, say : SPIES ON
41. Ambitious climbers’ mecca : NEPAL
43. “The Racer’s Edge” product : STP
45. Ivanovic of women’s tennis : ANA
46. One making introductions : EMCEE
48. See 27-Across : … LITTLE FRIEND
52. 1909 Matisse masterpiece : LA DANSE
55. Captain’s logs? : RAFT
56. Follows : OBEYS
57. Secular : LAIC
59. Alma mater of 30-Down, for short : LSU
62. Kanye West’s “Yeezus,” for one : RAP ALBUM
64. Oktoberfest venue : BEER TENT
67. Author ___ Leonard : ELMORE
68. Coal-mining center : APPALACHIA
69. Knocked out, as an audience : SLAYED
70. 2014 Record of the Year winner for “Stay With Me” : SAM SMITH

Down
1. Peeved : SORE
2. Not equivocate about : AVER
3. Rules, briefly : REGS
4. The Altar constellation : ARA
5. Boiling, with “up” : HET
6. Spacious and splendid : PALATIAL
7. “The Adventures of ___” (Ogden Nash poem) : ISABEL
8. Big Board inits. : NYSE
9. Some Australian exports : OPALS
10. Big-picture approach to patient care : HOLISM
11. Many emojis : SMILEYS
12. In better condition : NICER
13. Concerning : ANENT
14. Things made in a photo booth : POSES
21. Roman emperor who completed the Colosseum : TITUS
23. Sushi bar offering : AHI
24. They may be conceived around Halloween : LEOS
26. Texting while driving, e.g. : NO-NO
27. Calyx part : SEPAL
28. Suffers : AILS
29. Not long ago at all: Abbr. : YEST
30. 2000 N.B.A. M.V.P. with the Lakers : O’NEAL
34. “Back in my day …” : ONCE …
35. Hammer extremity : PEEN
38. Brady bunch, in headlines : PATS
39. Bond yield? : INTEL
40. Big name in foam-based weaponry : NERF
42. Evidenced fear, in a way : PALED
44. Dallying sort : PLAYBOY
47. Sch. along the Charles : MIT
49. Arrange coverage for : INSURE
50. Quaker State city subject to lake-effect snow, for short : ERIE, PA
51. Gesture indicating “How stupid of me!” : FACEPALM
52. Like the graphics on an Atari 2600, in brief : LORES
53. Level near the bottom of the minors, informally : A-BALL
54. “Scarface” director : DE PALMA
58. “___ le roi!” (French Revolution cry) : A BAS
59. With 61-Down, city named for a Book of Mormon prophet : LEHI
60. Bad mood : SNIT
61. See 59-Down : UTAH
63. Subject of a scrip : MED
65. Dorm V.I.P.s : RAS
66. Film buff’s channel : TCM

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