0905-16 New York Times Crossword Answers 5 Sep 16, Monday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Tracy Gray
THEME: Jeans
Each of today’s themed answers starts with a style of JEANS:

58D. Article of apparel with styles found at the starts of 17- 26-, 41-, 51- and 66-Across : JEANS

17A. Facial sign of sleep deprivation : BAGGY EYES (giving “baggy jeans”)
26A. Bathe in the buff : SKINNY-DIP (giving “skinny jeans”)
41A. It has only a few stories : LOW-RISE BUILDING (giving “low-rise jeans”)
51A. Distress signal producers : FLARE GUNS (giving “flare jeans”)
66A. Tool for severing a steel cable, maybe : CUT-OFF SAW (giving “cut-off jeans”)

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 6m 17s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

9. Prilosec and Prozac : DRUGS
Prilosec is a brand name for the drug omeprazole. It is a “proton-pump inhibitor”, meaning that is reduces the production of gastric acid.

The most commonly prescribed antidepressants in the US (in 2010 anyway) are:

  • Zoloft (sertraline)
  • Celexa (citalopram)
  • Prozac (fluoxetine)
  • Lexapro (escitalopram)
  • Desyrel (trazodone)
  • Cymbalta (duloxetine)
  • Paxil (paroxetine)

14. Double-reed woodwind : OBOE
The oboe is perhaps my favorite of the reed instruments. The name “oboe” comes from the French “hautbois” which means “high wood”. When you hear an orchestra tuning before a performance you’ll note (pun intended!) that the oboe starts off the process by playing an “A”. The rest of the musicians in turn tune to that oboe’s “A”.

16. Bus station : DEPOT
Our term “depot”, meaning a station or warehouse, derives from the word “dépôt”, French for “deposit” or “place of deposit”.

21. Actor Don of “Trading Places” : AMECHE
Don Ameche was such a gentleman. He starred in the fun movie “Trading Places” in 1983, and was required to use the “f-word” in the script. According to co-star Jamie Lee Curtis, Ameche went around the set before the scene was shot, and apologized in advance to everyone for having to use bad language.

“Trading Places” is a fun comedy film released in 1983, starring Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy. The film is all about a high-flying commodities broker (Aykroyd) “trading places” with a street hustler (Murphy). There’s also a great supporting cast that includes Don Ameche and Jamie Lee Curtis.

23. Pony up, in poker : ANTE
“To pony up” means “to pay”. Apparently the term originated as slang use of the Latin term “legem pone” that was once used for “money”. “Legem Pone” was the title of the Psalm that was read out on March 25 each year, and March 25 was the first payday of the year in days gone by.

28. Symbol of royalty in ancient Egypt : ASP
The venomous snake called an asp was a symbol of royalty in Ancient Egypt.

30. Baseball’s Slammin’ Sammy : SOSA
Sammy Sosa was firmly in the public eye in 1998 when he and Mark McGwire were vying to be the first to surpass the home run record held by Roger Maris. McGwire fell out of public favor due to stories of steroid abuse (stories which he later admitted were true) while Sosa fell out of favor when he was found to be using a corked bat in a 2003 game.

31. Sparkling Italian wine : ASTI
Asti is a sparkling white wine from the Piedmont region of Italy, and is named for the town of Asti around which the wine is produced. The wine used to be called Asti Spumante, and it had a very bad reputation as a “poor man’s champagne”. The “Spumante” was dropped in a marketing attempt at rebranding associated with a reduction in the amount of residual sugar in the wine.

38. Male turkey : TOM
A male turkey is called a “tom”, taking its name from a “tomcat”. The inference is that like a tomcat, the male turkey is relatively wild and undomesticated, sexually promiscuous and frequently getting into fights. A female turkey is called a “hen”.

44. Battle of ___ Jima : IWO
Iwo Jima is a volcanic island located south of Tokyo that today is uninhabited. The name is Japanese for “Sulfur Island”, referring to the sulfur mining on which Iwo Jima’s economy once depended. There were about a thousand Japanese civilians living on the island prior to WWII. In 1944, there was a massive influx of Japanese military personnel in anticipation of the inevitable US invasion. As the Japanese military moved in, the civilians were forced out and no one has lived there since.

45. Springsteen’s E ___ Band : STREET
The E Street Band is the backing group for Bruce Springsteen. The band came together in 1972 but didn’t take a formal name until two years later. The keyboard player in the original line up was David Sancious, and his mother allowed the group to rehearse at her home. That home was on E Street in Belmar, New Jersey, and that’s where the band got their name.

47. Luau dance : HULA
The “hula” is a native dance of Hawaii that uses arm movements to relate a story. The hula can be performed while sitting (a “noho” dance”) or while standing (a “luna” dance).

Nowadays the word “luau” denotes almost any kind of party on the Hawaiian Islands, but to the purist a luau is a feast that always includes a serving of “poi”, the bulbous underground stems of taro baked with coconut milk.

51. Distress signal producers : FLARE GUNS (giving “flare jeans”)
The most commonly used flare gun was invented by an American naval officer, called Edward Wilson Very. He put his name to his invention (from the late 1800s), so we often hear the terms Very pistol, Very flare (and maybe even Very “light”!). A Very pistol is indeed a gun, with a trigger and a hammer that’s cocked and can be reloaded with Very flares.

56. Board for a séance : OUIJA
The Ouija board was introduced to America as a harmless parlor game at the end of the 19th century, although variations of the board date back to 1100 BC in China, where it was apparently used to “contact” the spirit world. The name “Ouija” is relatively recent, and is probably just a combination of the French and German words for “yes” … “oui” and “ja”.

“Séance” is a French word meaning “a sitting”. We use the term in English for a sitting in which a spiritualist tries to communicate with the spirits of the dead.

61. Romanian composer Georges : ENESCO
George Enescu (aka Georges Enesco) was a Romanian composer and performer on the violin and piano. Enescu’s most popular works are two “Romanian Rhapsodies” (1901-2) and the opera “Oedipe” (1936).

63. Number of lords a-leaping : TEN
The fabulous Christmas Carol called “The Twelve Days of Christmas” dates back at least to 1780 when it was first published in England, though it may be French in origin. The concept of twelve days of Christmas comes from the tradition that the three kings came to visit the Christ Child twelve days after he was born. This same tradition is the origin of the title to Shakespeare’s play “Twelfth Night”.

69. Asia’s diminishing ___ Sea : ARAL
The Aral Sea is a great example of how man can have a devastating effect on his environment. In the early sixties the Aral Sea covered 68,000 square miles of Central Asia. Soviet Union irrigation projects drained the lake to such an extent that today the total area is less than 7,000 square miles, with 90% of the lake now completely dry. Sad …

70. Moth whose name is Latin for “moon” : LUNA
The lime-green Luna Moth is one of the largest moths found in North America, growing to a wingspan of up to 4½ inches.

73. America’s Cold War foe, for short : USSR
The term “Cold War” was first used by the novelist George Orwell in a 1945 essay about the atomic bomb. Orwell described a world under threat of nuclear war as having a “peace that is no peace”, in a permanent state of “cold war”. The specific use of “cold war” to describe the tension between the Eastern bloc and the Western allies is attributed to a 1947 speech by Bernard Baruch.

Down
2. Counting devices : ABACI
The abacus (plural “abaci”) was used as a counting frame long before man had invented a numbering system. It is a remarkable invention, particularly when one notes that abaci are still widely used today across Africa and Asia.

3. “I read you,” in radio lingo : ROGER
The term “roger”, meaning “yes” or “acknowledged”, comes from the world of radiotelephony. The British military used a phonetic alphabet in the fifties that included “Roger” to represent the letter “R”. As such, it became customary to say “Roger” when acknowledging a message, with R (Roger) standing for “received”.

5. Thorn’s site on a rose : STEM
Believe it or not, roses don’t have any thorns. Thorns are derived from shoots, spines are derived from leaves, and prickles are derived from the epidermis. The rose’s defensive barbs are in fact prickles.

7. Worthless stuff : DRECK
“Dreck” is filth or trash, and a word that comes into English from “drek”, the Yiddish for rubbish.

8. Japanese food : SUSHI
Sushi is a Japanese dish that has as its primary ingredient cooked, vinegared rice. The rice is usually topped with something, most often fish, and can be served in seaweed rolls. If you want raw fish by itself, then you have to order “sashimi”.

9. Orthodontist’s deg. : DDS
Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)

12. Mobster John : GOTTI
John Gotti was the boss of the Gambino crime family from 1985. Gotti was known as the “Teflon Don” and took over leadership of the family from Paul Castellano when he was gunned down, allegedly on Gotti’s orders. Gotti remained head of the New York family until he was sentenced to life in prison in 1992. Gotti died of throat cancer after ten years behind bars.

22. Connected, as a bath to a bedroom : EN SUITE
The expression “en suite” is an example of the French language being used in English, but with a new meaning. Firstly, the word “ensuite” translates from French as “then” or “later”. The phrase “en suite” translates as “as a set, series”. The French use the term “suite” as we do sometimes, as in a suite of connecting rooms. Over in the British Isles, “en suite”, and sometimes “en-suite” or “ensuite”, is a term used in the hotel industry for a bedroom that has a private bathroom or shower room attached. Some smaller establishments in that part of the world might rent out bedrooms with the occupants having to share bathing facilities.

27. Yule tune : NOEL
“Noël” is the French word for the Christmas season, ultimately coming from the Latin word for “birth” (natalis). Noel has come to be used as an alternative name for a Christmas carol.

“Yule” celebrations coincide with Christmas, and the words “Christmas” and “Yule” have become synonymous in much of the world. However, Yule was originally a pagan festival celebrated by Germanic peoples. The name “Yule” comes from the Old Norse word “jol” that was used to describe the festival.

31. Late, great boxing champ : ALI
The boxer Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. was born in 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali when he converted to Islam in 1964. Who can forget Muhammad Ali lighting the Olympic flame for the 1996 games in Atlanta?

35. The “p” of r.p.m. : PER
Revolutions per minute (rpm)

36. He’s next to Teddy on Mount Rushmore : ABE
The four presidents whose faces are carved in the granite face of Mount Rushmore are (from left to right) George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. Each of the presidents is about 60 feet in height, although they might have been larger. The original intent was for the presidents to be depicted from head to waist, but the project lost funding.

37. “___ pasa?” : QUE
In Spanish, “que pasa?” literally translates as “what happened?” but is used to mean “how have things been going with you?”.

39. Bill with Washington’s face : ONE
The nation’s first president, George Washington, is on the US one-dollar bills produced today. However, when the first one-dollar bill was issued in 1863, it featured a portrait of Salmon P. Chase, President Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of the Treasury.

40. “The Wizard of Oz” studio : MGM
The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) film studio was founded in 1924 by Marcus Loew. Loew was already a successful movie theater owner when he purchased Metro Pictures Corporation in 1919, and then Goldwyn Pictures in 1924. Later in 1924, Loew also purchased Louis B. Mayer Pictures, mainly so that Louis B. Meyer himself could run all three merged studios as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

The classic 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz” didn’t do very well at the box office when it was released for its first run. It was the most expensive film ever made at that time, and disappointed the studios by only returning about a million dollars in profit for them. It also failed to win the Best Picture Oscar (losing out to “Gone with the Wind”), but “Over the Rainbow” did win the Academy Award for Best Original Song. But “The Wizard of Oz” gained a lot of ground in subsequent years through re-releases. It is now the most watched movie in history.

43. “Mon ___!” : DIEU
“Mon Dieu!” is French for “My God!”

51. Scoring high on Rotten Tomatoes : FRESH
“Rotten Tomatoes” is a website that mainly provides reviews and ratings of movies, although it now covers TV shows as well. The site was launched in 1998 and takes its name from the practice of audience members throwing rotten tomatoes at a unappreciated performer on stage.

52. Jouster’s weapon : LANCE
Tilting is the most recognized form of jousting. Jousting can involve the use of a number of different weapons, but when lances are used the competition is called “tilting”.

54. Prefix with transmitter : NEURO-
A neurotransmitter is a chemical substance that transmits signals from one nerve cell to another nerve cell, or to a gland or muscle cell.

55. Celestial cool red giant : S STAR
Red giants are very large stars with a relatively low mass. The atmosphere of a red giant is also very inflated and extends a long way into space so the surface of that atmosphere that we see is relatively cool, which gives it a red color. Stars are classified by their spectral characteristics, basically the color of the light they emit. As such, red giants are classified as M stars. Cool red giants are of a color beyond the usual range, and are classified as S stars.

58. Article of apparel with styles found at the starts of 17- 26-, 41-, 51- and 66-Across : JEANS
Denim fabric originated in Nimes in France. The French phrase “de Nimes” (from Nimes) gives us the word “denim”. Also, the French phrase “bleu de Genes” (blue of Genoa) gives us our word “jeans”.

59. Egypt’s Sadat : ANWAR
Anwar Sadat was the third President of Egypt right up to the time of his assassination in 1981. Sadat won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978 along with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin for the role played in crafting the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty of 1978 at Camp David. It was this agreement that largely led to Sadat’s assassination three years later.

65. Jockey purchase, informally : TEE
Jockey was the company that invented the Y-front brief, in 1934.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Apparel : GARB
5. Installs, as a lawn : SODS
9. Prilosec and Prozac : DRUGS
14. Double-reed woodwind : OBOE
15. Drive-___ window : THRU
16. Bus station : DEPOT
17. Facial sign of sleep deprivation : BAGGY EYES (giving “baggy jeans”)
19. Roof material : SLATE
20. Decorate, as a cake : ICE
21. Actor Don of “Trading Places” : AMECHE
23. Pony up, in poker : ANTE
24. Like outfits with ruffles and lace : GIRLY
26. Bathe in the buff : SKINNY-DIP (giving “skinny jeans”)
28. Symbol of royalty in ancient Egypt : ASP
30. Baseball’s Slammin’ Sammy : SOSA
31. Sparkling Italian wine : ASTI
34. Hard to see through : OPAQUE
38. Male turkey : TOM
41. It has only a few stories : LOW-RISE BUILDING (giving “low-rise jeans”)
44. Battle of ___ Jima : IWO
45. Springsteen’s E ___ Band : STREET
46. Thing : ITEM
47. Luau dance : HULA
49. Lamb’s mother : EWE
51. Distress signal producers : FLARE GUNS (giving “flare jeans”)
56. Board for a séance : OUIJA
60. Telephoned : RANG
61. Romanian composer Georges : ENESCO
63. Number of lords a-leaping : TEN
64. Break off a relationship : END IT
66. Tool for severing a steel cable, maybe : CUT-OFF SAW (giving “cut-off jeans”)
68. “And … ___!” (director’s cry) : SCENE
69. Asia’s diminishing ___ Sea : ARAL
70. Moth whose name is Latin for “moon” : LUNA
71. Not give a definitive answer : HEDGE
72. City with piers : PORT
73. America’s Cold War foe, for short : USSR

Down
1. Shoot for the stars : GO BIG
2. Counting devices : ABACI
3. “I read you,” in radio lingo : ROGER
4. Plead : BEG
5. Thorn’s site on a rose : STEM
6. “I totally agree!” : OH YES!
7. Worthless stuff : DRECK
8. Japanese food : SUSHI
9. Orthodontist’s deg. : DDS
10. Pass-the-baton track events : RELAYS
11. Energetically starting one’s day : UP AND AT IT
12. Mobster John : GOTTI
13. Descriptive of some bills or hills : STEEP
18. Celebratory cheers : YAYS
22. Connected, as a bath to a bedroom : EN SUITE
25. Den : LAIR
27. Yule tune : NOEL
29. Mailing charge : POSTAGE
31. Late, great boxing champ : ALI
32. “You reap what you ___” : SOW
33. Like some tennis grips : TWO-HANDED
35. The “p” of r.p.m. : PER
36. He’s next to Teddy on Mount Rushmore : ABE
37. “___ pasa?” : QUE
39. Bill with Washington’s face : ONE
40. “The Wizard of Oz” studio : MGM
42. Castaway’s spot : ISLE
43. “Mon ___!” : DIEU
48. Insistence : URGING
50. Dog’s bark : WOOF
51. Scoring high on Rotten Tomatoes : FRESH
52. Jouster’s weapon : LANCE
53. Open, as a toothpaste tube : UNCAP
54. Prefix with transmitter : NEURO-
55. Celestial cool red giant : S STAR
57. Couple’s answer to “Who’s there?” : IT’S US
58. Article of apparel with styles found at the starts of 17- 26-, 41-, 51- and 66-Across : JEANS
59. Egypt’s Sadat : ANWAR
62. Male foal : COLT
65. Jockey purchase, informally : TEE
67. It might give you the chills : FLU

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6 thoughts on “0905-16 New York Times Crossword Answers 5 Sep 16, Monday”

  1. 8:19, no errors, iPad. I've been taking omeprazole for a couple of years now, ever since I had to have a Schatzki ring dilated to cure a minor swallowing problem and they discovered evidence of GERD (Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disorder) . Getting older is fun: you get to learn all kinds of medical terms that you never heard of before … 🙂

  2. Finished both the LA Times and NY Times in the same time this morning. I'm sure that's significant somehow, but I don't know how…

    Very interesting story about the development of the flare gun….

    Best –

  3. 7:24, no errors. Went back, after finishing, to review and understand the theme. Nice Monday morning starter puzzle.

    Agree with @Jeff, interesting story about the Very Gun, had not heard of that before. I have only heard them referred to as flare guns. Maybe it will be useful in a future puzzle.

  4. No errors. Theme helped a little on CUTOFFSAW. I had never heard of that before. Don't all saws "cutoff"? Anyway, nice puzzle. I enjoyed it.

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