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CROSSWORD SETTER: Jonathan M. Kaye
THEME: Incapacitated Cars
Today’s themed answers are the names of cars in which a letter O has been replaced with a letter Q. The idea is that an uppercase Q resembles a wheel with a BOOT on it. A car that has been incapacitated has a parking boot, a wheel clamp:
59A. Result of a parking violation … as illustrated four times in this puzzle? : BOOT
21A. Incapacitated Chevy? : SILVERADQ (Silverado)
25A. Incapacitated Ford? : EXPLQRER (Explorer)
46A. Incapacitated Jeep? : CHERQKEE (Cherokee)
52A. Incapacitated Lincoln? : NAVIGATQR (Navigator)
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 14m 52s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Like the Miller beer logo : ASLANT
The Miller Brewing Company was founded by Frederick Miller in 1855 in Milwaukee. Miller is now in a joint venture with Coors.
10. Big dogs in dogfights : ACES
A flying ace is an aviator who has shot down a number of enemy planes during combat. The qualifying number of kills seems to vary, but five is common. The first use of “ace” was during WWI when the French newspapers dubbed pilot Adolphe Pegoud “l’as” (French for “the ace”) when he shot down his fifth German plane.
14. ___ salad : CAESAR
The Caesar Salad was created by restaurateur Caesar Cardini at the Hotel Caesar’s in Tijuana, Mexico. The original recipe called for whole lettuce leaves that were to be lifted up by the stem and eaten with the fingers.
16. Malarkey : BOSH
It’s not really known how the word “malarkey” came to mean “lies and exaggeration”. What is known is that “Malarkey” is also used as a family name.
Our word “bosh” meaning nonsense came into English via a well-defined route. It was first used in the novel “Ayesha, the Maid of Kars” written by J. J. Morier in 1905, and is a Turkish word that literally translates as “empty”.
18. Jai alai bet of 1-3-7, e.g. : TRIFECTA
In horse racing, a trifecta is a bet in which the first, second and third place finishers are predicted in the correct order. The same bet can be made in jai alai competitions, predicting which the top three finishers.
20. Cat : felid :: dog : ___ : CANID
A canid is a carnivorous mammal of the family Canidae, which includes foxes, wolves, dogs, jackals and coyotes.
Cats belong to the biological family Felidae, and so are called felids. Felids fall into two subfamilies: Pantherinae (e.g. tiger and lion) and Felinae (e.g. cougar and domestic cat).
21. Incapacitated Chevy? : SILVERADQ (Silverado)
The Chevrolet Silverado is a full-size pickup truck that is also sold as the GMC Sierra. It was introduced in 1998, and is still around today.
25. Incapacitated Ford? : EXPLQRER (Explorer)
The Ford Explorer SUV was introduced in 1990 and is still going strong.
29. Sub-Saharan sucker : TSETSE
Tsetse flies live on the blood of vertebrate mammals. The name “tsetse” comes from Tswana, a language of southern Africa, and translates simply as “fly”. Tsetse flies are famous for being carriers of the disease known as “sleeping sickness”. Sleeping sickness is caused by a parasite which is passed onto humans when the tsetse fly bites into human skin tissue. If one considers all the diseases transmitted by the insect, then the tsetse fly is responsible for a staggering quarter of a million deaths each year.
33. Saints are part of it, for short : NFL
The New Orleans Saints football team takes its name from the jazz song “When the Saints Go Marching In”, a tune that is very much associated with the city. The team was founded in 1967, on November 1, which is All Saints’ Day in the Roman Catholic tradition.
34. Mountain ridge : ARETE
An arete is ridge of rock defining the border between two parallel valleys that have been formed by glaciation. If this ridge is rounded, it is called a “col”. However if it is “sharpened”, with rock falling way due to successive freezing and thawing, then it is called an “arete”. “Arête“ is the French word for “fish bone”.
37. Lunes y martes : DIAS
In Spanish, “lunes y martes” (Monday and Tuesday) are “dias” (days).
39. Whoopi’s breakout role in “The Color Purple” : CELIE
Whoopi Goldberg played Celie Harris Johnson in Steven Spielberg’s “The Color Purple”, the 1985 screen adaptation of the novel of the same name by Alice Walker.
40. “Das ist verboten!” : NEIN!
In German, one might say “nein!” (no!), “das ist verboten!” (that is forbidden!).
41. “East of Eden” director Kazan : ELIA
Elia Kazan won Oscars for best director in 1948 for “Gentleman’s Agreement” and in 1955 for “On The Waterfront”. In 1999 Kazan was given an Academy Lifetime Achievement Award. He also directed “East of Eden”, which introduced James Dean to movie audiences, and “Splendor in the Grass” that included Warren Beatty in his debut role.
42. Hoity-___ : TOITY
Believe it or not, the term “hoity-toity” has been in the English language since the 1660s, but back then it meant “riotous behavior”. It began to mean “haughty” in the late 1800s, simply because the “haughty” sounds similar to “hoity”.
43. “Star Wars” nickname : ANI
Anakin “Ani” Skywalker is the principal character in the first six of the “Star Wars” movies. His progress chronologically through the series of films is:
Episode I: Anakin is a 9-year-old slave boy who earns the promise of Jedi training by young Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Episode II: Anakin is 18-years-old and goes on a murdering rampage to avenge the killing of his mother.
Episode III: Anakin is 21-years-old and a Jedi knight, but he turns to the Dark Side and becomes Darth Vader. His wife Padme gives birth to twins, Luke and Leia Skywalker.
Episode IV: Darth Vader, comes into conflict with his children, Luke Skywalker and the Princess Leia.
Episode V: Darth Vader attempts to coax his son Luke over to the dark side, and reveals to Luke that he is his father.
Episode VI: Luke learns that Leia is his sister, and takes on the task of bringing Darth Vader back from the Dark Side in order to save the Galaxy. Vader saves his son from the Emperor’s evil grip, dying in the process, but his spirit ends up alongside the spirits of Yoda and Obi-Wan. They all live happily ever after …
44. Landmark sometimes called “The Great One” : DENALI
Denali’s summit stands at 20,237 feet, making it the highest mountain peak in North America. Denali means “the high one” in the native Athabaskan language. The peak was known as Mount McKinley for many years, named in 1896 for future president William McKinley. The state of Alaska changed the name back to Denali in 1975, and the federal government followed suit in 2015.
46. Incapacitated Jeep? : CHERQKEE (Cherokee)
The Jeep is the original off-road vehicle. It was developed by the American Bantam Car Company in 1940 at the request of the US government who recognized the upcoming need for the armed forces as American involvement in WWII loomed. The Bantam Company was too small to cope with demand, so the government gave the designs to competing car companies. The design and brand eventually ended up with AMC in the seventies and eighties.
49. Predators of elephants, in myth : ROCS
The mythical roc is a huge bird of prey, reputedly able to carry off and eat elephants. The roc was said to come from the Indian subcontinent. The supposed existence of the roc was promulgated by Marco Polo in the accounts that he published of his travels through Asia.
51. His brother was given the name Israel : ESAU
Esau was the twin brother of Jacob, the founder of the Israelites. When their mother Rebekah gave birth to the twins “the first emerged red and hairy all over (Esau), with his heel grasped by the hand of the second to come out (Jacob)”. As Esau was the first born, he was entitled to inherit his father’s wealth (it was his “birthright”). Instead, Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for the price of a “mess of pottage” (a meal of lentils).
52. Incapacitated Lincoln? : NAVIGATQR (Navigator)
The Lincoln Navigator SUV is basically a spruced-up Ford Expedition.
56. Offering from an urban street cart : KEBAB
The term “kebab” (also “kabob”) covers a wide variety of meat dishes that originated in Persia. In the West, we usually use “kebab” when talking about shish kebab, which is meat (often lamb) served on a skewer. “Shish” comes from the Turkish word for “skewer”.
60. Queen’s mate : DRONE BEE
Drone bees and ants are fertile males of the species, whose sole role in life seems to be to mate with a queen.
61. Roosevelt predecessor? : DELANO
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was the only child of Sara Delano and James Roosevelt Sr. The Delano family history in America goes back to the pilgrim Philippe de Lannoy, an immigrant of Flemish descent who arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. The family name “de Lannoy” was anglicized here in the US, to “Delano”. Franklin was to marry Eleanor Roosevelt, and apparently the relationship between Sara and her daughter-in-law was very “strained”.
63. Aromatic neckwear : LEI
“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.
Down
1. Hard rock band formed by Malcolm and Angus Young : AC/DC
The Heavy Metal band known as AC/DC was formed by two brothers Malcolm and Angus Young in Australia. The group is usually called “Acca Dacca” down under.
2. Poet Teasdale : SARA
Sara Teasdale was a poet from St. Louis, Missouri although she spent much of her adult life in New York City. Examples of Teasdale’s most famous poems are “There Will Come Soft Rains” and “I Shall Not Care”. Teasdale committed suicide in 1933 by taking an overdose of sleeping pills.
3. Historic kingdom in Spain : LEON
León is a province in the autonomous community of Castile and León in the northwest of Spain. The province’s capital is the city of León, which was founded as Roman military encampment around 29 BC.
5. Big Board competitor : NASDAQ
The NASDAQ trading system created in 1971 is the successor to the over-the-counter (OTC) trading system that was common at the time. OTC trading is done directly between two parties without being facilitated by an exchange.
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is nicknamed “The Big Board”.
7. Indian flatbread : ROTI
In an Indian restaurant, naan bread is very popular. Roti is the unleavened cousin to naan.
8. Robert Crawley and his father before him, on “Downton Abbey” : EARLS
In the incredibly successful period drama “Downton Abbey”, the patriarch of the family living at Downton is Robert Crawley, the Earl of Grantham or Lord Grantham. The character is played by Hugh Bonneville. Lord Grantham married American Cora Levinson (played by Elizabeth McGovern. Lord and Lady Grantham had three daughters, and no son. The lack of a male heir implied that the Grantham estate would pass to a male cousin, and out of the immediate family. The Grantham daughters are Lady Mary (played by Michelle Dockery), Lady Edith (played by Laura Carmichael) and Lady Sybil (played by Jessica Brown Findlay). Lady Sybil had the audacity to marry the family chauffeur, an Irish nationalist. The shame of it all …
10. North Sea oil port : ABERDEEN
The Scottish city of Aberdeen is located amidst plentiful supplies of granite, which were actively quarried until the 1970s. Many local buildings incorporate the granite in their structure. Aberdeen granite is especially prized for its high levels of mica, which can cause the stone to sparkle like silver.
11. Natural stimulant : COCA
The coca plant is native to South America and is similar in appearance to a blackthorn bush. Coca leaves have been chewed by humans for centuries, perhaps even as far back as 3,000 years ago. Chewing the leaves apparently produces a pleasurable numb sensation in the mouth and a pleasant taste. The most famous alkaloid in the leaf is cocaine, but this wasn’t extracted in its pure form until the mid-1800s. The extracted cocaine was used in a medicines and tonics and other beverages.
12. Founded: Abbr. : ESTD
Established (estd.)
13. N.B.A. star-turned-sports analyst, familiarly : SHAQ
Retired basketball player Shaquille O’Neal now appears regularly as an analyst on the NBA TV show “Inside the NBA”. Shaq has quite a career in the entertainment world. His first rap album, called “Shaq Diesel”, went platinum. He also starred in two of his own reality show: “Shaq’s Big Challenge” and “Shaq Vs.”
26. Sci-fi case : X-FILE
“The X-Files” is a very successful science fiction show that aired on the Fox network from 1993 to 2002. The stars of the show are David Duchovny (playing Fox Mulder) and the very talented Gillian Anderson (playing Dana Scully). By the time the series ended, “The X-Files” was the longest running sci-fi show in US broadcast history. An “X-Files” reboot started airing in 2016 with Duchovny and Anderson reprising their starring roles.
27. Geographical feature in “America the Beautiful” : PLAIN
When she was 33 years old, Katharine Lee Bates took a train ride from Massachusetts to Colorado Springs. She was so inspired by many of the beautiful sights she saw on her journey that she wrote a poem she called “Pikes Peak”. Upon publication the poem became quite a hit, and several musical works were adapted to the words of the poem, the most popular being a hymn tune composed by Samuel Ward. Bates’s poem and Ward’s tune were published together for the first time in 1910, and given the title “America the Beautiful”.
28. Shroud of Turin, e.g. : RELIC
The Shroud of Turin has to be one of the most controversial, and most studied, human artifacts ever unearthed. The Shroud is a linen cloth on which there is the image of a man who appears to have wounds inflicted by crucifixion. Many believe that the Shroud is the burial cloth in which Jesus Christ was placed after he died on the cross. The Shroud was kept in various locations in France for centuries before being moved to Turin Cathedral in 1578, from which it gets its name, and where it has been located ever since.
31. It flows into the English Channel at Le Havre : SEINE
The Seine is the river that flows through Paris. The Seine empties into the English Channel to the north, at the port city of Le Havre.
32. Children’s TV character with a fondness for baths : ERNIE
For many years, I believed that the “Sesame Street” characters Bert and Ernie were named after two roles played in the Christmas classic “It’s a Wonderful Life”. In the movie, the policeman’s name is Bert and his taxi-driving buddy is named Ernie. However, the “Sesame Street” folks have stated that the use of the same names is just a coincidence.
35. Devout Mormon, e.g. : TITHER
Traditionally, a “tithe” is a payment of one tenth of a person’s annual income and is usually given to a church. Tithing is a practice taught in many traditions, and according to a 2002 survey, about 3% of American adults donate 10% or more of their income to a church.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often abbreviated to “LDS”, is known colloquially as the Mormon Church.
38. Dulles terminal designer : SAARINEN
Eero Saarinen was a Finnish American architect, renowned in this country for his unique designs for public buildings such as Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Dulles International Airport Terminal, and the TWA building at JFK. The list of his lesser-known, but still impressive, works includes several buildings erected on academic campuses. For example, the Chapel and Kresge Auditorium on the MIT campus, the Emma Hartman Noyes House at Vassar College, the Law School building at the University of Chicago, and Yale’s David S. Ingalls Rink.
45. Theater box : LOGE
In most theaters today, “loge” is the name given to the front rows of a mezzanine level. Loge can also be the name given to box seating.
47. Earn, as big bucks : RAKE IN
“Buck” is a slang term for “dollar”. The term “buck” has been around at least since 1856, and is thought to derive from the tradition of using buckskin as a unit of trade with Native Americans during the frontier days.
52. Home to Theo. Roosevelt Natl. Park : NDAK
Theodore Roosevelt National Park comprises three area of badlands in North Dakota. The park is named for President Roosevelt because he spent a lot of time in the North Dakota badlands, eventually buying two ranches there. Both ranches are located within the park’s boundaries.
53. ___ Saknussemm, discoverer of the center of the earth in “Journey to the Center of the Earth” : ARNE
“Journey to the Center of the Earth” is an 1864 science-fiction novel by French author Jules Verne. The book has been adapted for the big screen a few times, perhaps most notably in 1959 with James Mason and Pat Boone starring.
55. Longest-reigning British monarch, informally : QEII
Princess Elizabeth became queen Elizabeth II in 1952 when her father, King George VI died. The Princess was on an official visit to Kenya when her husband broke the news to her, that she had become queen. When she was crowned in 1953 in Westminster Abbey, it was the first coronation to be televised. Queen Elizabeth’s reign is longest in the history of the UK.
57. East Indies tourist destination : BALI
Bali is the most important tourist destination in Indonesia and is an island lying east of Java. In recent years, Bali’s tourist industry has been badly hit in the aftermath of two terrorist bombings. The first one, in 2002, killed 202 people, mainly foreign tourists in a nightclub.
The exact definition of “East Indies” can vary. In its most general sense the term can describe all the lands of South and Southeast Asia. More specifically, the East Indies can refer to just the islands of Southeast Asia. The colonial influence in the area is reflected in the names of the regions within the East Indies, e.g. the British East Indies (Malaysia), the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) and Spanish East Indies (the Philippines). The use of the word “Indies” is a reference to the Indus River.
61. Motorist’s offense, for short : DWI
In some states, there is no longer a legal difference between a DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) and a DUI (Driving Under the Influence). Other states retain that difference, so that by definition a DUI is a lesser offence than a DWI.
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Like the Miller beer logo : ASLANT
7. Cred : REP
10. Big dogs in dogfights : ACES
14. ___ salad : CAESAR
15. Lever used in propulsion : OAR
16. Malarkey : BOSH
17. Almost out : DROWSY
18. Jai alai bet of 1-3-7, e.g. : TRIFECTA
20. Cat : felid :: dog : ___ : CANID
21. Incapacitated Chevy? : SILVERADQ (Silverado)
22. Captivated : RAPT
24. Smooth, in a way : SAND
25. Incapacitated Ford? : EXPLQRER (Explorer)
29. Sub-Saharan sucker : TSETSE
33. Saints are part of it, for short : NFL
34. Mountain ridge : ARETE
36. Fancy pitcher : EWER
37. Lunes y martes : DIAS
39. Whoopi’s breakout role in “The Color Purple” : CELIE
40. “Das ist verboten!” : NEIN!
41. “East of Eden” director Kazan : ELIA
42. Hoity-___ : TOITY
43. “Star Wars” nickname : ANI
44. Landmark sometimes called “The Great One” : DENALI
46. Incapacitated Jeep? : CHERQKEE (Cherokee)
49. Predators of elephants, in myth : ROCS
51. His brother was given the name Israel : ESAU
52. Incapacitated Lincoln? : NAVIGATQR (Navigator)
56. Offering from an urban street cart : KEBAB
60. Queen’s mate : DRONE BEE
61. Roosevelt predecessor? : DELANO
62. Before, when placed before : ANTE-
63. Aromatic neckwear : LEI
64. “Gotcha, I’m on it” : WILL DO
65. Eager : KEEN
66. Man’s name that’s an anagram of 63-Across : ELI
67. Not take no for an answer : INSIST
Down
1. Hard rock band formed by Malcolm and Angus Young : AC/DC
2. Poet Teasdale : SARA
3. Historic kingdom in Spain : LEON
4. Like a vortex : ASWIRL
5. Big Board competitor : NASDAQ
6. Go for it : TRY
7. Indian flatbread : ROTI
8. Robert Crawley and his father before him, on “Downton Abbey” : EARLS
9. Tails, of a sort : PRIVATE EYES
10. North Sea oil port : ABERDEEN
11. Natural stimulant : COCA
12. Founded: Abbr. : ESTD
13. N.B.A. star-turned-sports analyst, familiarly : SHAQ
19. Marshes : FENS
21. Standard auto feature : STEREO
23. Realistic : PRACTICABLE
25. Wrapped up : ENDED
26. Sci-fi case : X-FILE
27. Geographical feature in “America the Beautiful” : PLAIN
28. Shroud of Turin, e.g. : RELIC
30. Refinement : TWEAK
31. It flows into the English Channel at Le Havre : SEINE
32. Children’s TV character with a fondness for baths : ERNIE
35. Devout Mormon, e.g. : TITHER
38. Dulles terminal designer : SAARINEN
45. Theater box : LOGE
47. Earn, as big bucks : RAKE IN
48. Puts down : QUELLS
50. Toughness : STEEL
52. Home to Theo. Roosevelt Natl. Park : NDAK
53. ___ Saknussemm, discoverer of the center of the earth in “Journey to the Center of the Earth” : ARNE
54. Word on a political button : VOTE
55. Longest-reigning British monarch, informally : QEII
57. East Indies tourist destination : BALI
58. They make connections : ANDS
59. Result of a parking violation … as illustrated four times in this puzzle? : BOOT
61. Motorist’s offense, for short : DWI
18:25, no errors, iPad. Cute theme. As a Coloradan since 1970, I have long understood that the infamous "boot" used to immobilize the vehicles of those who neglect to pay their parking tickets was invented in Denver and therefore called the "Denver boot". I don't know if that's actually true or if it's just part of the local mythos.
There's quite a long article about "boots" on Wikipedia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheel_clamp . Interesting.
18:30, no errors. Figured out, early, that the theme involved changing the O in the vehicle name to Q, but didn't understand why until 59D; funny. Was slowed by not being familiar with the Lincoln car line, took a while to get 52A NAVIGATQR; while SILVERADQ, EXPLQRER and CHERQKEE came quickly.
I find it interesting to see how much trivia I have picked up by doing the NYT puzzle and visiting this blog. My entire knowledge bank of Eero SAARINEN has been built this way.
No errors. It's not too common that I can get a perfect score on a Thursday level so I take a lot of pride when I do. The theme today, however, made things easier once I caught on. I knew the theme words would have to contain the O and Q partnership so that narrowed the field considerably. I like this theme today if for no other reason than it wasn't a rebus.
STUPID theme. Just stupid. 13:30, no errors. But coincidentally, appeared a month later in our daily with a story about Portland beginning to boot parking ticket scoff laws.
Bill– Maybe just a nit-pic, but Mount McKinley was officially renamed "Denali". I think your note on it (just a name "used for") implies something else.
@Tom M
You make a good point about the Denali name. I've edited my comments accordingly. Thanks!