0412-16 New York Times Crossword Answers 12 Apr 16, Tuesday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Playwright Fugard : ATHOL
Playwright Athol Fugard was born in South Africa. Fugard became involved in the theater, writing plays that opposed apartheid, many of which had to be produced outside of South Africa given the political climate at home. Fugard now lives in San Diego, California.

6. Airline to Stockholm : SAS
SAS was formerly known as Scandinavian Airlines System and is the flag carrier of three countries: Denmark, Norway and Sweden. SAS is based at Stockholm Arlanda Airport located just north of the Swedish capital.

9. Narnia nabob : ASLAN
In the C. S. Lewis series of books “The Chronicles of Narnia”, Aslan is the name of the lion character (as in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”). “Aslan” is actually the Turkish word for lion. Anyone who has read the books will recognize the the remarkable similarity between the story of Aslan and the story of Christ, including a sacrifice and resurrection.

Apparently it’s not certain how C. S. Lewis came to choose Narnia as the name of the fantasy world featured in his series of children’s books, including “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”. There was an ancient city in Umbria that the Romans called Narnia, but there is no evidence of a link.

A nabob is a person of wealth and prominence. “Nabob” comes from the title of a governor in India.

14. SeaWorld attraction : SHAMU
Shamu was the name of the third orca, or killer whale, ever to be featured in a public exhibition. Shamu starred in a popular SeaWorld show in San Diego in the sixties. After she died in 1971, her name lived on as the name “Shamu” is still used by SeaWorld for its killer whale shows. That original Shamu was retired after she grabbed and refused to let go of the leg of one of her trainers.

15. Legendary boy king : TUT
King Tut is a name commonly used for the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen. Tutankhamen may not have been the most significant of the pharaohs historically, but he is the most famous today largely because of the discovery of his nearly intact tomb in 1922 by Howard Carter. Prior to this find, any Egyptian tombs uncovered by archaeologists had been ravaged by grave robbers. Tutankhamen’s magnificent burial mask is one of the most recognizable of all Egyptian artifacts.

19. Jon of “Two and a Half Men” : CRYER
Actor Jon Cryer first came to public attention playing Duckie Dale in the 1986 John Hughes movie “Pretty in Pink”. Cryer’s most famous role was Alan Harper on the sitcom “Two and Half Men”.

20. Anthem preposition : O’ER
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

The lyrics of “The Star-Spangled Banner” were written first as a poem by Francis Scott Key, inspired by the bombarding by the British of the American forces at Fort McHenry that he witnessed during the Battle of Baltimore in September 1814. The words were then set to the tune of a popular British drinking song penned by John Stafford Smith called “The Anacreontic Song”, with the Anacreontic Society being a men’s club in London.

21. Heartthrob Zac : EFRON
Zac Efron is an actor from San Luis Obispo, California. Apparently Efron is a heartthrob to “tweenyboppers”. His big break was in the Disney hit movie “High School Musical”.

23. Kind of admiral : REAR
The rank of rear admiral is usually the lowest of the “admiral” ranks. The term originated with the Royal Navy. In days gone by, an admiral would head up the activities of a naval squadron from the central vessel. He would be assisted by a “vice admiral” who acted from the lead vessel. There would also be a lower-ranking admiral to command the ships at the rear of the squadron, and this was the “rear admiral”.

24. Dancer and Prancer : REINDEER
We get the names for Santa’s reindeer from the famous 1823 poem called “A Visit from St. Nicholas”, although we’ve modified a couple of the names over the years. The full list is:

– Dasher
– Dancer
– Prancer
– Vixen
– Comet
– Cupid
– Donder (originally “Dunder”, and now often “Donner”)
– Blitzen (originally “Blixem”)

Rudolph was added to the list by retailer Montgomery Ward, would you believe? The store commissioned Robert L. May to create a booklet that could be handed out to children around Christmas in 1939, and May introduced us to a new friend for Santa, namely Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

28. Like a fully initiated Mafia member : MADE
In the Mafia, a “made man” is a fully initiated member. A made man may also be called a goodfella or a wiseguy.

29. Like good soil : LOAMY
Loam is soil made up of sand, silt and clay in the ratio of about 40-40-20. Relative to other soil types, loam is is usually rich in nutrients and moisture, drains well and is easy to till. Loam can also be used in constructing houses as it is quite strong when mixed with straw and dried.

31. Place for a chaise longue : DECK
A “chaise longue” is an upholstered, sofa-like chair that is long enough to support the legs. “Chaise longue” is French for “long chair”. And, the term has nothing to do with a “lounge” … it’s a “longue” (long) chair, not a “lounge” chair.

32. Culinarian who cries “Bam!” : 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.

36. Eastern path : TAO
The Chinese character “tao” translates as “path”, but the concept of Tao signifies the true nature of the world.

37. Tip, as a hat : DOFF
One doffs one’s hat, usually as a mark of respect. To doff is to take off, with “doff” being a contraction of “do off”. The opposite of “doff” is “don” meaning “to put on”.

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

44. Sandwich with toothpicks : CLUB
The club sandwich is a double-decker affair with three layers of bread and two layers of filling. This style of sandwich has been around since the end of the 19th century, and some say it was invented at an exclusive gambling “club” in Saratoga Springs, New York.

46. Look for truffles as a pig might : ROOTLE
To rootle around is to root around, to dig with the snout.

Truffles are rooted out by pigs, or specially trained dogs. The reason why pigs, especially sows, are so attracted to truffles is that there is a chemical compound found within the truffle that is very similar to androstenol, a sex pheromone found in the saliva of boars.

52. National alternative : ALAMO
The third largest car rental company right now is Alamo, a relative newcomer founded in 1974. Alamo made inroads (pun intended!) into the market by popularizing the idea of “unlimited mileage”.

National Car Rental was founded back in 1947, a conglomerate of 24 independent rental agencies that already existed around the country.

64. ___ of Strength (Festivus rite) : FEATS
Festivus is celebrated by some on December 23 each year, and has been done so since 1966. The holiday is an invention of the writer Dan O’Keefe. He introduced is to his family as a way of celebrating the season without falling prey to commercial pressure. Festivus has become popular since it was featured in a 1997 episode of the TV sitcom “Seinfeld”. Dan O’Keefe’s son was a screenwriter for that episode.

67. Actress Long : NIA
Nia Long is an American actress, probably best known for playing Will Smith’s sometime girlfriend and fiancee Lisa Wilkes on the TV show “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air”.

69. Longest continental range in the world : ANDES
The Andes is the longest continuous chain of mountains in the world, running right down the length of the west coast of South America for about 4,300 miles. The highest peak in the range is Mt. Aconcagua, at an elevation of 22,841 feet. Interestingly, the peak of Mt. Chimborazo in Ecuador is the furthest point on the Earth’s surface from the center of the planet. That’s because of the equatorial “bulge” around the Earth’s “waist”.

70. Director Lee : ANG
Taiwanese director Ang Lee sure has directed a mixed bag of films, mixed in terms of genre but not in terms of quality. He was at the helm for such classics as “Sense & Sensibility” (my personal favorite), “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, “Hulk”, “Brokeback Mountain” and “Life of Pi”.

71. Either of the twin child stars of “Full House” : OLSEN
I know very little about the Olsen twins, but I am told that folks believe Mary-Kate and Ashley to be identical twins. They look very much alike, but are in fact fraternal twins. The sisters were cast as Michelle Tanner on the eighties sitcom “Full House”, taking turns playing the role.

Down
2. Time to which you “spring forward” in daylight saving : THREE AM
On the other side of the Atlantic, Daylight Saving Time (DST) is known as “summer time”. The idea behind summer/daylight-savings is to move clocks forward an hour in spring (i.e. “spring forward”) and backwards in the fall (i.e. “fall back”) so that afternoons have more daylight.

4. Kipling’s “Follow Me ___” : ‘OME
“Follow Me ‘ome” is a poem by Rudyard Kipling.

Rudyard Kipling was a British poet and writer famous for his tales of the British Raj, the rule of the British Empire in India. Kipling was actually born in Bombay, but returned with his family to England when he was very young. After being educated in England, he returned to India and from there traveled the world. Kipling’s most famous works are the stories “The Jungle Book”, “Just So Stories”, “The Man Who Would Be King”, and the poems “Mandalay”, “Gunga Din” and “If-”.

6. Non-mono, say : STEREO
Monophonic sound (“mono”) is sound reproduced using just one audio channel, which is usually played out of just one speaker. Stereophonic sound is reproduced using two audio channels, with the sound from each channel played out of two different speakers. The pair of stereo speakers are usually positioned apart from each other so that sound appears to come from between the two. Quadraphonic sound (4.0 surround sound) uses four audio channels with the sound played back through four speakers often positioned at the corners of the room in which one is listening.

7. Night lights : AURORAS
The spectacular aurora phenomenon is seen lighting up the night sky at both poles of the earth (the Aurora Borealis in the north, and the Aurora Australis in the south). The eerie effect is caused by charged particles colliding with atoms at high latitudes.

8. “South Park” boy : STAN
“South Park” is an adult-oriented cartoon series on Comedy Central. I don’t do “South Park” …

9. Capital of Ghana : ACCRA
Accra sits on Ghana’s coast and is a major seaport as well as the country’s capital city. The name “Accra” comes from a local word “Nkran” meaning “ants”, a name chosen because of the large number of anthills found in the area when the city was founded.

12. Another name for “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” : AMERICA
The patriotic song “America” is also known by its first line, “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee”. The song was written by Samuel Francis Smith in 1831, and was the de facto national anthem of the country until “The Star-Spangled Banner” was declared the official anthem in 1931. The melody of “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” is identical with the British national anthem, “God Save the Queen”.

13. “All Things Considered” network : 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 …

“All Things Considered” is the flagship news broadcast by NPR, aired for two hours every evening.

27. Fight-ending letters : TKO
In boxing, a knockout (KO) is when one of the fighters can’t get up from the canvas within a specified time, usually 10 seconds. This can be due to fatigue, injury, or the participant may be truly “knocked out”. A referee, fighter or doctor may also decide to stop a fight without a physical knockout, especially if there is concern about a fighter’s safety. In this case the bout is said to end with a technical knockout (TKO).

30. ___ tai : MAI
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.

33. Quadrennial games org. : IOC
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded in 1894, and has its headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

35. One worshiped in Rome : DIO
“Dio” is Italian for “God”.

45. Kingdom on the Persian Gulf : BAHRAIN
Bahrain is an island nation located off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf. Bahrain is connected to Saudi Arabia by a series of causeways and bridges constructed in the eighties.

48. Complete outfit for a newborn : LAYETTE
A newborn baby’s collection of clothing and accessories is called a “layette”.

49. Poet/essayist who wrote “To be great is to be misunderstood” : EMERSON
Ralph Waldo Emerson was an essayist and poet who was active in the mid-1800s. Most of the essays that Emerson wrote were composed originally as lectures and then revised for print.

53. Kenmore alternative : MAYTAG
The Maytag Washing Machine Company was founded in 1893 by Frederick Maytag, in Newton, Iowa. Over time, the company developed a reputation for reliability, and did a great job marketing the concept. One move they made was to change the address of the corporate headquarters in Newton to “One Dependability Square”. The Maytag repairman in the famous advertising campaign was known as “Ol’ Lonely”, the guy who was never called out because Maytag washers and dryers never broke down. Whirlpool bought Maytag in 2006 and basically shut down all Maytag operations, and now just put the Maytag label on Whirlpool appliances.

Sears has a few long-standing, in-house brands, including Craftsman tools, Kenmore appliances and DieHard car batteries.

58. “___ ed Euridice” (Gluck opera) : ORFEO
“Orfeo ed Euridice” is an opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck that was first performed in 1762. It is perhaps Gluck’s most popular work.

65. Blowup: Abbr. : ENL
Enlargement (enl.)

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Playwright Fugard : ATHOL
6. Airline to Stockholm : SAS
9. Narnia nabob : ASLAN
14. SeaWorld attraction : SHAMU
15. Legendary boy king : TUT
16. Belt holder : CHAMP
17. Fast-food kitchen fixture : FRYER
18. A retirement party might toast the end of one : ERA
19. Jon of “Two and a Half Men” : CRYER
20. Anthem preposition : O’ER
21. Heartthrob Zac : EFRON
23. Kind of admiral : REAR
24. Dancer and Prancer : REINDEER
26. Drill attachment with teeth : SAW BIT
28. Like a fully initiated Mafia member : MADE
29. Like good soil : LOAMY
31. Place for a chaise longue : DECK
32. Culinarian who cries “Bam!” : EMERIL
34. Bunker fill : SAND
36. Eastern path : TAO
37. Tip, as a hat : DOFF
39. Brief admission of responsibility : I DID
41. “The Racer’s Edge” : STP
44. Sandwich with toothpicks : CLUB
46. Look for truffles as a pig might : ROOTLE
50. Faux : SHAM
52. National alternative : ALAMO
54. Relative of “Smash!” : WHAM
55. Most twisted, as humor : WRYEST
57. Common deli order … or a literal occurrence five times in this puzzle : HAM ON RYE
59. “Shoot!” : OH NO!
60. 53-Down product : DRYER
61. Always, poetically : E’ER
62. Say something bleep-worthy : SWEAR
63. Bran source : OAT
64. ___ of Strength (Festivus rite) : FEATS
66. Firearm, slangily : PIECE
67. Actress Long : NIA
68. “Is there no ___ this?” : END TO
69. Longest continental range in the world : ANDES
70. Director Lee : ANG
71. Either of the twin child stars of “Full House” : OLSEN

Down
1. “In my opinion …” : AS FOR ME …
2. Time to which you “spring forward” in daylight saving : THREE AM
3. Tractor-drawn fall activity : HAYRIDE
4. Kipling’s “Follow Me ___” : ‘OME
5. Brought in : LURED
6. Non-mono, say : STEREO
7. Night lights : AURORAS
8. “South Park” boy : STAN
9. Capital of Ghana : ACCRA
10. Sharp : SHREWD
11. Wager : LAY A BET
12. Another name for “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” : AMERICA
13. “All Things Considered” network : NPR
22. Didn’t land, as a joke : FELL FLAT
25. Dorkmeister : NERD
26. Pattern of symptoms : SYNDROME
27. Fight-ending letters : TKO
30. ___ tai : MAI
33. Quadrennial games org. : IOC
35. One worshiped in Rome : DIO
38. Suffix with pocket : -FUL
40. In the dumps : DOWN
41. Opposite NNE : SSW
42. Add haphazardly : THROW IN
43. Give careful attention : PAY HEED
45. Kingdom on the Persian Gulf : BAHRAIN
47. Clothes, slangily : THREADS
48. Complete outfit for a newborn : LAYETTE
49. Poet/essayist who wrote “To be great is to be misunderstood” : EMERSON
51. Threaten : MENACE
53. Kenmore alternative : MAYTAG
56. Tender spots : SORES
58. “___ ed Euridice” (Gluck opera) : ORFEO
60. Spanish lady : DONA
62. Where one might hear oohs and aahs : SPA
65. Blowup: Abbr. : ENL

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