0524-16 New York Times Crossword Answers 24 May 16, Tuesday

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: Jonathan Gersch
THEME: Taps
Today’s themed answers are things that can be TAPPED:

71A. Bugle tune … or what one does to 1-, 18-, 35-, 43- and 62-Across : TAPS

1A. Frat party staples : KEGS
18A. “Open” things for a call-in show : PHONE LINES
35A. Places for shawls : SHOULDERS
43A. Coal and natural gas : RESOURCES
62A. Syrup comes from them : MAPLE TREES

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME:6m 47s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

10. Open a smidge : AJAR
Our word “ajar” is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which “a char” means “slightly open”.

14. TV’s “___ Betty” : UGLY
“Ugly Betty” is a drama-comedy show that originally aired on television from 2006 to 2010. The show is based on a telenovela soap opera from Colombia called “Yo soy Betty, la fea”. The title role of Betty Suarez is played by America Ferrera

15. Singer Turner’s memoir : I, TINA
“I, Tina” is the 1986 autobiography of Tina Turner. The book was so successful it was adapted into a movie called “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” The film version was released in 1993 and starring Angela Bassett as Tina Turner.

22. Resort near Venice : LIDO
The Lido di Venezia is a famous sandbar, about 11 km long, in Venice, Italy. It may be a sandbar, but it is home to about 20,000 residents, as well as the Venice Film Festival that takes place there every September. The Lido is also the setting for Thomas Mann’s famous novel “Death in Venice”. The name “lido” has become a term for any fashionable beach resort.

30. ___ buco (veal dish) : OSSO
“Osso” is the Italian word for bone as in the name of the dish Osso Buco: braised veal shanks.

32. China’s Chou En-___ : LAI
Zhou Enlai (also Chou En-Lai) was the first government leader of the People’s Republic of China and held the office of Premier from 1949 until he died in 1976. Zhou Enlai ran the government for Communist Party Leader Mao Zedong, often striking a more conciliatory tone with the West than that of his boss. He was instrumental, for example, in setting up President Nixon’s famous visit to China in 1972. Zhou Enlai died just a few months before Mao Zedong, with both deaths leading to unrest and a dramatic change in political direction for the country.

42. O.T. book before Daniel : EZEK
The Book of Ezekiel (Ezek.) in the Old Testament (OT) is a collection of the preachings of the prophet Ezekiel.

47. Rebuke to a traitor : ET TU?
It was Shakespeare who popularized the words “Et tu, Brute?” (And you, Brutus?), in his play “Julius Caesar”, although the phrase had been around long before he penned his drama. It’s not known what Julius Caesar actually said in real life just before he was assassinated on the steps of the Senate in Rome.

59. Some vintage photos : SEPIAS
Sepia is that lovely rich, brown-grey color so common in old photographs. “Sepia” is the Latinized version of the Greek word for cuttlefish, as sepia pigment is derived from the ink sac of the cuttlefish.The “sepia tone” of old photographs is not the result of deterioration over time. Rather, it is the result of a deliberate preservation process which converts the metallic silver in the photographic image to a more stable silver sulfide. Prints that have been sepia-toned can last in excess of 150 years.

66. Competitor of Pedigree : ALPO
Alpo is a brand of dog food first produced by Allen Products in 1936, with “Alpo” being an abbreviation for “Allen Products”. Lorne Greene used to push Alpo in television spots, as did Ed McMahon and Garfield the Cat, would you believe?

Pedigree is a brand of pet food that is was introduced in 1957 in England.

68. Poet Pound : EZRA
Ezra Pound was an American poet who spent much of his life wandering the world, spending years in London, Paris, and Italy. In Italy, Pound’s work and sympathies for Mussolini’s regime led to his arrest at the end of the war. His major work was the epic, albeit incomplete, “The Cantos”. This epic poem is divided into 120 sections, each known as a canto.

69. Blood worry : CLOT
A blood clot is a very necessary response to an injury and is intended to prevent bleeding. Also called a “thrombus”, the clot comprises aggregated blood platelets trapped in a mesh made from fibrin, a fibrous protein. If a thrombus forms in a healthy blood vessel, restricting blood flow, that condition is known as thrombosis.

70. Safari sighting, for short : RHINO
There are five types of rhinoceros that survive today, and the smaller Javan Rhino is the most rare. The rhinoceros is probably the rarest large mammal on the planet, thanks to poaching. Hunters mainly prize the horn of the rhino as it is used in powdered form in traditional Chinese medicine.

71. Bugle tune … or what one does to 1-, 18-, 35-, 43- and 62-Across : TAPS
“Taps” is played nightly by the US military, indicating “lights out”. It’s also known as “Butterfield’s Lullaby” as it is a variation of an older bugle call named the “Scott Tattoo”, arranged during the Civil War by the Union Army’s Brigadier General Daniel Butterfield. The tune is called “taps”, from the notion of drum taps, as it was originally played on a drum, and only later on a bugle. The whole tune comprises just 24 notes, with there only being four different notes within the 24, i.e. “low G”, C, E and “high G”. Minimalism at its best …

Down
1. African antelope with curvy horns : KUDU
The kudu is a type of antelope. The are two extant species: the lesser kudu of eastern Africa, and the greater kudu of eastern and southern Africa. The kudu horn is used as a musical instrument, as a horn.

2. Dr. ___ Spengler, “Ghostbusters” role : EGON
Egon Spengler is one of the lead characters in the films “Ghostbusters” and “Ghostbusters II”. Spengler was played by Harold Ramis.

1984’s “Ghostbusters” really is an entertaining movie. It stars Bill Murray and Harold Ramis, and was directed by Ivan Reitman (a trio that also worked together on 1981’s “Stripes”). The first draft of the screenplay was written by another star of the movie, Dan Aykroyd. Aykroyd originally envisioned “Ghostbusters” as a vehicle for himself and John Belushi, but sadly Belushi passed away before the project could be realized.

3. Luminescent larvae : GLOWWORMS
Glowworms aren’t worms at all, but are in fact insects or insect larvae that resemble worms. All glowworms do glow, exhibiting the property known as bioluminescence. It is thought that some larvae glow as a warning to predators, as when eaten the larvae can be toxic. Other larvae glow to attract prey such as midges which snag on snare lines, hence providing food. The adult female glows to attract a mate.

4. Origin of much 2015-16 emigration : SYRIA
The Syrian Civil War started in 2011, during the wave of protests known as the Arab Spring. As a result of the conflict, it is estimated that almost half of the nation’s population has been displaced, with almost 4 million Syrians now considered refugees.

6. N.C.A.A. part: Abbr. : ATH
25. N.C.A.A. part: Abbr. : ASSOC
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) dates back to the Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. When his son broke his nose playing football at Harvard, President Roosevelt turned his attention to the number of serious injuries and even deaths occurring in college sports. He instigated meetings between the major educational institutions leading to the formation of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS) in 1906, which was given the remit of regulating college sports. The IAAUS became the NCAA in 1910.

7. Baroque stringed instrument : VIOL
The viola da gamba (also called simply the viol) is a bass instrument in what is known as the viol family, with a tonal range that about matches that of the modern-day cello. It is the second largest of all the viols, so is played resting on the floor between the legs. In fact, “viola da gamba” is Italian translating into “viol for the leg”.

Something described as “baroque” is extremely ornate and convoluted. The term comes from the Baroque Period, in which many of the arts focused on great detail and elaborate design.

8. ___ Del Mar, “Brokeback Mountain” role : ENNIS
The very successful 2005 movie “Brokeback Mountain” is an adaptation of a short story written by Annie Proulx. The two romantic lead characters were Ennis del Mar (played by Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (played by Jake Gyllenhaal).

9. Icarus’ father, in myth : DAEDALUS
Daedalus was a master craftsman of Greek mythology who was tasked with creating the Labyrinth on the island of Crete that was to house the Minotaur. After the Labyrinth was completed, King Minos imprisoned Daedalus and his son Icarus in a tower, so that he could not spread word of his work. Daedalus fabricated wings so that he and Icarus could escape by flying off the island. Despite being warned by his father, Icarus flew too close to the sun so that the wax holding the wings’ feathers in place melted. Icarus drowned in the sea, and Daedalus escaped.

10. Hawaiian yellowfin tuna : 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.

11. Biblical prophet who had a whale of a time? : JONAH
The story of “Jonah’s Dilemma” can be found in the Bible. The story involves Jonah being swallowed by a whale and living inside the “big fish” for three days. I’ve never understood where the “dilemma” is in the tale, though …

12. Vega of “Spy Kids” : ALEXA
The actress Alexa Vega was just a kid when she played Carmen Cortez in the first “Spy Kids” movie in 2001, but now she is “all growed up”. I remember taking my two boys to see “Spy Kids”. I think I slept through most of it though …

19. True-blue : LOYAL
The use of “true blue” to mean loyal and constant has been around since the days of Chaucer, but no one seems to know its etymology.

28. Roseanne of “Roseanne” : BARR
The comedian Roseanne Barr is perhaps best known as the star of her own sitcom called “Roseanne” in which she played the character Roseanne Conner. In 2012 Barr unsuccessfully vied for the Green Party’s nomination for US President. She didn’t give up though, and was successful in winning the nomination of the Peace and Freedom Party. In the 2012 presidential election she earned over 60,000 votes, and placed sixth in the list of candidates.

29. Slobbering cartoon character : ODIE
Odie is Garfield’s best friend and is a slobbery beagle, a character in Jim Davis’s comic strip named “Garfield”.

37. “South Pacific” co-star : EZIO PINZA
Ezio Pinza was an opera singer from Italy. Pinza performed for many years with the Metropolitan Opera in New York before retiring from the Met in 1948. He then launched a career on Broadway and in Hollywood.

The 1949 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “South Pacific” is based on stories from the 1947 book “Tales of the South Pacific” by James A. Michener. “South Pacific” really is a classic show, featuring some classic songs like “Bali Ha’i”, “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair”, “Some Enchanted Evening” and “Happy Talk”.

38. Comic Foxx : REDD
Redd Foxx was the stage name of John Elroy Sanford, best known for starring in “Sanford and Son”. “Sanford and Son” was an American version of a celebrated hit BBC sitcom that I grew up with in Ireland, called “Steptoe and Son”.

39. Timetable, informally : SKED
Schedule (sked)

41. William ___, Pilgrim Father : BREWSTER
William Brewster was one of the passengers on the Mayflower that landed in the New World in 1620. Brewster was the senior elder of the Pilgrims, and became the religious leader of Plymouth Colony. He was the most educated of the Pilgrims, and the only one to have attended university (Cambridge, albeit briefly).

45. Apartment building V.I.P., for short : SUPE
“Supe” is short for “supervisor”.

50. Poison oak cousin : SUMAC
Sumacs are a group of flowering shrubs and small trees that includes Poison oak, Poison ivy and Poison sumac. Nasty stuff!

52. One of Groucho’s brothers : ZEPPO
The five Marx Brothers were born to “Minnie” and “Frenchy” Marx in New York City. The more famous older boys were Chico, Harpo and Groucho. Zeppo was the youngest brother, and he appeared in the early Marx Brothers movies. The fifth son was called Gummo, and he decided to pursue a different career off the stage.

53. Show on which Dr. Phil became famous, familiarly : OPRAH
Dr. Phil (McGraw) met Oprah Winfrey when he was hired to work with her as a legal consultant during the Amarillo Texas beef trial (when the industry sued Oprah for libel over “Mad Cow Disease” statements). Oprah was impressed with Dr. Phil and invited him onto her show, and we haven’t stopped seeing him since!

58. Himalayan mystery : YETI
The yeti is a beast of legend, also called the abominable snowman. “Yeti” is a Tibetan term, and the beast is fabled to live in the Himalayan regions of Nepal and Tibet. Our equivalent legend in North America is that of Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch. The study of animals whose existence have not yet been substantiated is called cryptozoology.

60. ___ The Magazine (bimonthly with 35+ million readers) : AARP
“AARP” is now the official name for the interest group that used to be called the American Association of Retired Persons. The name change reflects the current focus of the group on all Americans aged 50 or over, as opposed to just people who have retired.

64. German article : EIN
The definite article in German is der, die or das, for masculine, feminine and neuter nouns. The indefinite article is ein, eine or ein, again depending on the gender of the noun. A further complication, relative to English, is that the masculine form (and only the masculine form) of the article changes when used in the accusative case, when used with the object of a sentence. The accusative forms are “den” and “einen”.

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Frat party staples : KEGS
5. Wrote a four-star review : RAVED
10. Open a smidge : AJAR
14. TV’s “___ Betty” : UGLY
15. Singer Turner’s memoir : I, TINA
16. Doughnut feature : HOLE
17. It can be left 10-Across : DOOR
18. “Open” things for a call-in show : PHONE LINES
20. Not recommended : UNWISE
22. Resort near Venice : LIDO
23. Get rid of : AXE
24. “___ bet?” : WANNA
26. “Huh?” : SAY WHAT?
28. Scare word : BOO!
30. ___ buco (veal dish) : OSSO
32. China’s Chou En-___ : LAI
33. End in ___ (not be resolved) : A DRAW
35. Places for shawls : SHOULDERS
40. Canyon vantage points : RIMS
41. Phony : BOGUS
42. O.T. book before Daniel : EZEK
43. Coal and natural gas : RESOURCES
45. Like bratty comments : SNIDE
46. Reverse of SSW : NNE
47. Rebuke to a traitor : ET TU?
49. Unusual : ODD
50. Petite dress specification : SIZE TWO
54. Absorb, as gravy : SOP UP
56. “Il était ___ fois” (“Once upon a time”: Fr.) : UNE
57. Kids’ guessing game : I SPY
59. Some vintage photos : SEPIAS
62. Syrup comes from them : MAPLE TREES
65. Suddenly lose patience : SNAP
66. Competitor of Pedigree : ALPO
67. Totally wipe out : EAT IT
68. Poet Pound : EZRA
69. Blood worry : CLOT
70. Safari sighting, for short : RHINO
71. Bugle tune … or what one does to 1-, 18-, 35-, 43- and 62-Across : TAPS

Down
1. African antelope with curvy horns : KUDU
2. Dr. ___ Spengler, “Ghostbusters” role : EGON
3. Luminescent larvae : GLOWWORMS
4. Origin of much 2015-16 emigration : SYRIA
5. Gets redder, say : RIPENS
6. N.C.A.A. part: Abbr. : ATH
7. Baroque stringed instrument : VIOL
8. ___ Del Mar, “Brokeback Mountain” role : ENNIS
9. Icarus’ father, in myth : DAEDALUS
10. Hawaiian yellowfin tuna : AHI
11. Biblical prophet who had a whale of a time? : JONAH
12. Vega of “Spy Kids” : ALEXA
13. Put back to 0, say : RESET
19. True-blue : LOYAL
21. Forecast eagerly awaited by schoolkids : SNOW
25. N.C.A.A. part: Abbr. : ASSOC
27. Make broader : WIDEN
28. Roseanne of “Roseanne” : BARR
29. Slobbering cartoon character : ODIE
31. “Well, I’ll be!” : OH GEE!
34. In unison : AS ONE
36. Ejects from office : OUSTS
37. “South Pacific” co-star : EZIO PINZA
38. Comic Foxx : REDD
39. Timetable, informally : SKED
41. William ___, Pilgrim Father : BREWSTER
44. Loosen, as neckwear : UNTIE
45. Apartment building V.I.P., for short : SUPE
48. Throw at : TOSS TO
50. Poison oak cousin : SUMAC
51. Entirely : IN ALL
52. One of Groucho’s brothers : ZEPPO
53. Show on which Dr. Phil became famous, familiarly : OPRAH
55. Surprise win : UPSET
58. Himalayan mystery : YETI
60. ___ The Magazine (bimonthly with 35+ million readers) : AARP
61. Massage spots : SPAS
63. Parking area : LOT
64. German article : EIN

Return to top of page

4 thoughts on “0524-16 New York Times Crossword Answers 24 May 16, Tuesday”

  1. No errors. Fairly easy but required some cautious play. Thanks, as always, Bill, for your expanding on the answers. Reading your comments is my favorite part of working the puzzle.

  2. 9:58, no errors. I agree it wasn't smooth, I had to reenter a few here and there.

Comments are closed.