0110-17 New York Times Crossword Answers 10 Jan 17, Tuesday

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Solution to today’s crossword in the New York Times
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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: David Poole
THEME: Black to White
We have an OTHELLO/REVERSI inspired word ladder in today’s grid that takes us from BLACK to WHITE:

23A. Disc-flipping board game hinted at by a word ladder formed by the answers to the nine starred clues : OTHELLO
50A. Another name for 23-Across : REVERSI

1A. *One side of a 23-Across piece : BLACK
6A. *Leeway : SLACK
22A. *Formation of poker chips : STACK
29A. *Celery unit : STALK
38A. *Hackneyed : STALE
43A. *Sedimentary rock : SHALE
55A. *Pinocchio swallower : WHALE
66A. *”___ England Slept” (1938 Churchill book) : WHILE
67A. *Other side of a 23-Across piece : WHITE

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 8m 40s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

6. *Leeway : SLACK
Our word “leeway” meaning “spare margin” is nautical in origin. A vessel’s leeway is the amount of drift motion away from her intended course that is caused by the action of the wind.

11. Tolkien’s Treebeard, e.g. : ENT
Treebeard is the elder of the tree-like people called Ents in J. R. R. Tolkien’s series of novels set in Middle-earth.

15. Hedren of “The Birds” : TIPPI
Tippi Hedren is an actress from New Ulm, Minnesota who is best known for her starring roles in two Alfred Hitchcock classics: “The Birds” (1963) and “Marnie” (1964). Famously, Hedren claimed that Hitchcock destroyed her movie career because she would not succumb to his sexual advances, a charge that has been denied.

“The Birds” is a 1963 film made by Alfred Hitchcock based on a short story by Daphne du Maurier. I’ve read the story and seen the film and find them both strangely disturbing (it’s probably just me though!). I can’t stand the ending of either version, as nothing resolves itself!

16. Actress Vardalos : NIA
Not only is the delightful Nia Vardalos the star of the 2002 hit movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”, she also wrote the screenplay. The film never made it to number one at the box office, but it still pulled in more money than any other movie in history that didn’t make it to number one. That record I think reflects the fact that the film wasn’t a blockbuster but rather a so-called “sleeper hit”, a movie that people went to see based on referrals from friends. The big fat mistake came when a spin-off TV show was launched, “My Big Fat Greek Life”. It ran for only 7 episodes. “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2” will hit movie theaters in 2016.

21. Julio is part of it : ANO
In Spanish, “julio” (July) is a “mes” (month) in the middle of the “año” (year).

23. Disc-flipping board game hinted at by a word ladder formed by the answers to the nine starred clues : OTHELLO
50. Another name for 23-Across : REVERSI
The game of Reversi is also sold as Othello. The name Othello was chosen as a nod to the play by William Shakespeare.

25. Slaps with a court fine : AMERCES
An “amercement” is a financial penalty imposed by law. An amercement is similar to a fine, but differs in that a fine is a fixed amount defined by statute whereas an amercement is an arbitrary amount decided by a court.

27. Where “Hamlet” opens : ELSINORE
Elsinore is the castle that William Shakespeare used as the setting for his play “Hamlet”. Elsinore is based on the actual Kronborg castle in the Danish city of Helsingør (hence “Elsinore”).

33. Largest U.S. univ. system : CAL STATE
California State University (CSU) is the largest university system in the country, with 23 campuses. About half of the bachelor’s degrees in the US awarded annually are from CSU.

37. Baltic capital : RIGA
Riga is the capital city of Latvia. The historical center of Riga is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, declared as such because of the city’s magnificent examples of Art Nouveau architecture.

The natives of modern day Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are sometimes referred to as Balts, a reference to the Baltic Sea on which the three countries lie. The term “Balt” is also used for someone who speaks one of the Baltic languages, a group of languages spoken by people mainly residing within the borders of Latvia and Lithuania, as well as in some immigrant communities around the world.

38. *Hackneyed : STALE
Hackney is a location in London, and it probably gave it’s name to a “hackney”, an ordinary type of horse around 1300. By 1700 a “hackney” was a person hired to do routine work, and “hackneyed” meant “kept for hire”, and then “stale, uninteresting”. This morphed into a hackney carriage, a carriage or car for hire, and into “hack”, a slang term for a taxi driver or cab.

44. Dollar bill, e.g. : BANKNOTE
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.

55. *Pinocchio swallower : WHALE
“The Adventures of Pinocchio” is an 1883 children’s novel by Carlo Collodi, which is all about an animated puppet called Pinocchio, and Geppetto, his poor woodcarver father. In one of his adventures, Pinocchio encounters “the Terrible Dogfish”, a huge sea monster that is given the nickname “the Attila of fish and fishermen”. The sea monster features in the 1940 film “Pinocchio”, but in Walt Disney’s version it is given the name “Monstro” (the Portuguese word for “monster”).

56. Part of L.G.B.T. : GAY
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)

57. The Panthers of the A.C.C. : PITT
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) chose the nickname for its sporting teams in 1909, and claims that it was the first team in the country to adopt the name “Panthers”.

58. Twosome in a Shakespeare title : GENTLEMEN
“The Two Gentlemen of Verona” is one of William Shakespeare’s comedies. Some scholars think that “Two Gentlemen” is Shakespeare’s first play, and not his best.

61. Nut jobs : LOCOS
In Spanish, if one isn’t “sano” (sane) one might be described as “loco” (crazy).

62. Fair-hiring letters : EEO
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) is a term that has been around since 1964 when the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was set up by the Civil Rights Act. Title VII of the Act prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin or religion.

64. Creator of a logical “razor” : OCCAM
Ockham’s Razor (also “Occam’s Razor”) is a principle in philosophy and science that basically states that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. This explanation is a corollary to the more exact statement of the principle, that one shouldn’t needlessly use assumptions in explaining something.

65. Coastal raptor : ERN
“Raptor” is a generic term for a bird of prey, one that has talons to grip its victims.

66. *”___ England Slept” (1938 Churchill book) : WHILE
Winston Churchill wrote a book in 1938 called “Arms and the Covenant” in which he stressed the UK’s lack of preparation for the inevitable conflict with Nazi Germany. He placed the blame for that lack of preparedness at the feet of the UK government at that time, led by fellow conservative Neville Chamberlain. When the book was later published in the US, it was given the title “Why England Slept: A Survey of World Affairs, 1932-1938”.

Down
1. “Congratulations!” : BRAVO!
To express appreciation for a male performer at an operatic performance, traditionally one calls out “bravo!”. Appreciation for a female performer is shown by using “brava!”, and for more than one performer by using “bravi!”

2. Actor Paul of “American Graffiti” : LE MAT
The actor Paul Le Mat is most noted for an early role in his career, playing John Milner in “American Graffiti”. Milner is the character who spends most of the film dealing with an annoying young teenybopper called Carol.

4. Social standing : CASTE
Many creatures organize themselves into a social structure, a phenomenon known as “eusociality”. Examples of such creatures would be ants, bees and wasps, where there are queens, workers and soldiers. The groups within such a hierarchical structure are known as castes. The word “caste” was borrowed from the class divisions in Indian society (although the word “caste” and hierarchical concept was actually introduced by the Portuguese).

6. Trial figures : STENOS
Stenography is the process of writing in shorthand. The term comes from the Greek “steno” (narrow) and “graphe” (writing).

7. Prom night rental : LIMO
The word “limousine” derives from the French city of Limoges. The area around Limoges is called the Limousin, and it gave its name to a cloak hood worn by local shepherds. In early motor cars, a driver would sit outside in the weather while the passengers would sit in the covered compartment. The driver would often wear a limousin-style protective hood, giving rise to that type of transportation being called a “limousine”. Well, that’s how the story goes anyway …

8. Police dept. alert : APB
An All Points Bulletin (APB) is a broadcast from one US law enforcement agency to another.

9. H&R Block V.I.P. : CPA
Certified public accountant (CPA)

The tax preparation company called H&R Block was founded in 1955 In Kansas City by two brothers, Henry and Richard Bloch. The Bloch brothers changed the spelling of their family name to “Block” for the company moniker, in order to avoid mispronunciation.

10. Mouths, slangily : KISSERS
“Kisser” and “yap” are slang terms for the mouth.

11. Pioneering computer of the 1940s : ENIAC
The acronym ENIAC stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (although many folks insist that the C was for “Computer”). ENIAC was introduced at the University of Pennsylvania in 1946, at which time it was the first general-purpose electronic computer. Its original purpose was the calculation of artillery firing tables, but it ended up being used early on to make calculations necessary for the development of the hydrogen bomb. Given its uses, it’s not surprising to hear that development of ENIAC was funded by the US Army during WWII.

12. Eleanor Roosevelt, to Theodore : NIECE
Eleanor Roosevelt was the daughter of Elliot, brother to President Theodore Roosevelt. Eleanor met Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was her father’s fifth cousin, in 1902, and the two started “walking out together” the following year after they both attended a White House dinner with President Roosevelt.

21. The whole ball of wax : ALL
The phrase “whole ball of wax” is probably a corruption of “the whole bailiwick”. “Bailiwick” is a word dating back to the mid-1600s, and originally meant the “district of a bailiff”.

24. Albanian currency : LEK
The official currency of Albania is called the lek. The first lek was introduced in 1926, and was apparently named after Alexander the Great.

The Republic of Albania is a country in the Balkans in southeastern Europe. Albania was made a communist state after WWII but became independent again with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990. Albania has been a member of NATO since 2009, and was accepted as an official candidate to join the European Union in 2014. The nation’s capital and largest city is Tirana.

25. Way too uptight : ANAL
The use of the word “anal” to mean “stiffly conventional” is an abbreviated form of “anal-retentive”, a term derived from Freudian psychology. Regardless, I’m not a big fan of the term …

28. Corporate raider Carl : ICAHN
Carl Icahn has many business interests, and is probably best known in recent years for his dealings with Yahoo! Icahn has a reputation as a corporate raider, a reputation that dates back to his hostile takeover of TWA in 1985. He made a lot of money out of that deal, before being ousted in 1993 after the company filed for bankruptcy protection.

31. ___ Khan : AGA
Aga Khan is a hereditary title of the Imam of a large sect within the Shi’a Muslim faith. The current Aga Khan is Shah Karim al-Hussayni, who has held the position since 1957.

35. ___ Aviv : TEL
The full name of Israel’s second largest city is Tel Aviv-Yafo. Tel Aviv translates into “Spring Mound”, a name chosen in 1910.

42. Rules in force in England before the Norman conquest : DANELAW
The “Danes” were a North Germanic tribe that mounted a successful assault on Great Britain and Ireland from about 800 AD. Danish settlers soon followed, bringing with them their own laws. The part of England where Danish Law predominated was called Danelaw, and was located in the northeast of the country. The English king Alfred the Great signed treaties with the Danish warlord Guthrum, creating a period of peace, with the country divided between the English and the Danes.The legal terms defined in those treaties may also be described by the term “Danelaw”.

43. A few: Abbr. : SEV
Several (sev.)

45. Grand Marnier flavor : ORANGE
Grand Marnier is a very tasty orange-flavored liqueur from France. It is a blend of Cognac brandy, distilled essence of bitter orange, and sugar. There is a lot of Grand Marnier consumed in France as part of desserts, especially the delicious Crêpe Suzette. The drink was created by Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle in 1880, hence the name.

46. Josephine who wrote “The Daughter of Time” : TEY
Josephine Tey is the pen name of Scottish mystery writer Elizabeth Mackintosh. One of Tey’s novels is “Miss Pym Disposes”, first published in 1946.

49. Big name in cameras and copiers : CANON
The Japanese company called Canon is largely known in the US for producing quality cameras. The company started out as Precision Optical Industry Laboratory in 1937 making camera bodies. The name was changed in 1947 to Canon.

52. Perfumer Nina : RICCI
The Nina Ricci fashion house was founded by Italian-born Maria “Nina” Ricci, in Paris in 1932.

53. Brown ermine : STOAT
The stoat has dark brown fur in the summer, and white fur in the winter. Sometimes the term “ermine” is used for the animal during the winter when the fur is white. Ermine skins have long been prized by royalty and are often used for white trim on ceremonial robes.

56. Robt. E. Lee, e.g. : GENL
Robert E. Lee is renowned as a southern officer in the Civil War. Lee was a somewhat reluctant participant in the war in that he opposed the secession of his home state of Virginia from the Union. At the beginning of the war, President Lincoln invited Lee to take command of the whole Union Army but he declined, choosing instead to stay loyal to his home state. During the Civil War, Lee’s men referred to him affectionately as “Marse Robert”, with “marse” being slang for “master”.

59. Book between Galatians and Philippians: Abbr. : EPH
It seems that the Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians (Eph.) is now regarded by scholars as written “in the style of Paul” by someone who was influenced by Paul’s thought.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. *One side of a 23-Across piece : BLACK
6. *Leeway : SLACK
11. Tolkien’s Treebeard, e.g. : ENT
14. Switch from plastic to paper, say : REBAG
15. Hedren of “The Birds” : TIPPI
16. Actress Vardalos : NIA
17. Aggregate : AMASS
18. Buildings in a Washington, D.C., “row” : EMBASSIES
20. Widespread : VAST
21. Julio is part of it : ANO
22. *Formation of poker chips : STACK
23. Disc-flipping board game hinted at by a word ladder formed by the answers to the nine starred clues : OTHELLO
25. Slaps with a court fine : AMERCES
27. Where “Hamlet” opens : ELSINORE
29. *Celery unit : STALK
33. Largest U.S. univ. system : CAL STATE
37. Baltic capital : RIGA
38. *Hackneyed : STALE
40. Not just bite and swallow : CHEW
41. Haphazard : SLAPDASH
43. *Sedimentary rock : SHALE
44. Dollar bill, e.g. : BANKNOTE
47. Moves heavenward : ASCENDS
50. Another name for 23-Across : REVERSI
55. *Pinocchio swallower : WHALE
56. Part of L.G.B.T. : GAY
57. The Panthers of the A.C.C. : PITT
58. Twosome in a Shakespeare title : GENTLEMEN
61. Nut jobs : LOCOS
62. Fair-hiring letters : EEO
63. Mimic’s ability : APING
64. Creator of a logical “razor” : OCCAM
65. Coastal raptor : ERN
66. *”___ England Slept” (1938 Churchill book) : WHILE
67. *Other side of a 23-Across piece : WHITE

Down
1. “Congratulations!” : BRAVO!
2. Actor Paul of “American Graffiti” : LE MAT
3. Embarrass : ABASH
4. Social standing : CASTE
5. Metric measures: Abbr. : KGS
6. Trial figures : STENOS
7. Prom night rental : LIMO
8. Police dept. alert : APB
9. H&R Block V.I.P. : CPA
10. Mouths, slangily : KISSERS
11. Pioneering computer of the 1940s : ENIAC
12. Eleanor Roosevelt, to Theodore : NIECE
13. Items on a to-do list : TASKS
19. Something to do immediately after waking up : STRETCH
21. The whole ball of wax : ALL
24. Albanian currency : LEK
25. Way too uptight : ANAL
26. Insider informant : MOLE
28. Corporate raider Carl : ICAHN
29. H.S. students getting ready for college : SRS
30. Up to, informally : ‘TIL
31. ___ Khan : AGA
32. Airplane seat restraint : LAP BELT
34. “Now I get it!” : AHA!
35. ___ Aviv : TEL
36. Farm female : EWE
38. Composition of dunes : SAND
39. Sounds of disapproval : TSKS
42. Rules in force in England before the Norman conquest : DANELAW
43. A few: Abbr. : SEV
45. Grand Marnier flavor : ORANGE
46. Josephine who wrote “The Daughter of Time” : TEY
47. “Shucks!” : AW GEE!
48. See-through : SHEER
49. Big name in cameras and copiers : CANON
51. Notable time period : EPOCH
52. Perfumer Nina : RICCI
53. Brown ermine : STOAT
54. “Who’s there?” response : IT’S ME
56. Robt. E. Lee, e.g. : GENL
59. Book between Galatians and Philippians: Abbr. : EPH
60. The year 1002 : MII
61. Setting for simmering : LOW

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8 thoughts on “0110-17 New York Times Crossword Answers 10 Jan 17, Tuesday”

  1. Brilliant puzzle.

    I once (1960s) wrote a program to play this game in a language (MOBOL) that no longer exists, in a computer company that no longer exists (Mohawk Data Sciences). Fond memories.

  2. 11:15, no errors. Expanded my vocabulary a bit with AMERCES. Beautifully symmetric word ladder, good job.

  3. Pretty easy. The word ladder helped make some answers obvious. Never knew about REVERSI. The name for the game seems to have some racial overtones.

  4. Bill–I'm pretty sure there is an error in the clue comments for 66A. "Why England Slept" was initially written as a senior thesis at Harvard by John F. Kennedy. It played upon Churchill's book and similar title. Kennedy had significant help in getting it published through some string pulling by his father, Joseph Kennedy, and the editing (some say rewriting) contribution of prominent author-editor Arthur Kroc (sp?).

  5. 13:42 and 4 errors. Not my best day. And not an easy puzzle, if you don't know anything about the game. And, right after complaining about corn yesterday, we get, AW GEE as a fill. Karmic payback, right? I wish we would stop seeing Bible book references, too. Unless we also see references to other religious tracts as well.

  6. 16 minutes, no errors. Definitely a challenging grid for the day – quite a few cultural references that were a bit too esoteric for my tastes (Nina RICCI for instance). Had to spend two or three minutes to work out that corner for that.

  7. Love you guys. You talk in minutes and I in hours. Almost gavé up on this one. I had space instead of slack. Then the next night slack came to me as a divine revelation and one hour later solved with no errors. Felt awesome
    Bill do you come up with the comments AL fresco or research them abit? I mean did you actually know that bailiff district thingie evolving into bailliwick? Impressed. No disrespect intended

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