0425-17 New York Times Crossword Answers 25 Apr 17, Tuesday

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CROSSWORD CONSTRUCTOR: Gary J. Whitehead
THEME: There’s No Place Like Home
Each of today’s themed answers comprises two words, words that are often seen after HOME:

71A. There’s no place like it … or a word that can precede either half of the answer to each starred clue : HOME

17A. *V.I.P.’s security agent : BODYGUARD (“homebody” & “Home Guard”)
22A. *Nintendo hand-held : GAME BOY (“home game” & “homeboy”)
27A. *Place to plug in a USB cable : COMPUTER PORT (“home computer” & “homeport”)
48A. *Multiplex, e.g. : MOVIE THEATER (“home movie” & “home theater”)
56A. *NATO’s smallest member, populationwise : ICELAND (“home ice” & “homeland”)
63A. *Where a newspaper’s biggest stories go : FRONT PAGE (“homefront” & “home page”)

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 7m 15s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Country invaded in 2003 : IRAQ
The intent of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, as stated by the US’s President George W. Bush and the UK’s Prime Minister, was “to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, to end Saddam Hussein’s support for terrorism, and to free the Iraqi people. A month before the invasion took place, three million people gathered in Rome, Italy to protest. That protest was the largest-ever anti-war rally in history.

5. H.S. math class : TRIG
Trigonometry (trig) is a branch of mathematics dealing with triangles, and calculations based on the relationships between a triangle’s angles and the lengths of its sides.

9. Legendary music club in Lower Manhattan, informally : CBGB’S
The music club known as CBCG opened in 1973 intending to feature country, bluegrass and blues music (hence the name “CBGB”, Country, BlueGrass and Blues). The club developed an association in the eighties with New York’s underground hardcore punk music.

15. Parks of Alabama : ROSA
Rosa Parks was one of a few brave women in days gone by who refused to give up their seats on a bus to white women. It was the stand taken by Rosa Parks on December 1, 1955 that sparked the Montgomery, Alabama Bus Boycott. President Clinton presented Ms. Parks with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996. When she died in 2005, Rosa Parks became the first ever woman to have her body lie in honor in the US Capitol Rotunda.

16. Spartan serf : HELOT
The helots were a population of poorly-treated slaves who served the citizens of Sparta.

19. Resort island near Majorca : IBIZA
Ibiza is a Mediterranean island almost 100 miles off the Spanish coast. It is a very popular tourist destination, largely for its legendary nightlife.

The Island of Majorca (“Isla Mallorca” in Spanish) is Spain’s largest island, and is located in the Mediterranean Sea. The population of the island ballooned over the past few decades as Majorca became a mecca for tourists from all over Europe.

20. The Rams of the Atlantic 10 Conf. : URI
The University of Rhode Island (URI) was first chartered as an agricultural school, back in 1888. Rhody the Ram was chosen as the school’s mascot in 1923, a nod to URI’s agricultural past. As a result, the school’s sports teams are known as the Rams. URI’s main campus is located in the village of Kingston.

22. *Nintendo hand-held : GAME BOY (“home game” & “homeboy”)
The Game Boy is a hugely successful handheld video game player that was released in 1989 by Nintendo. I remember that my my kids were so eager to get hold of the devices when they first came out that I bought a couple of them in a Japanese railroad station, while over there on a business trip.

26. Actress Campbell of “Scream” : NEVE
Neve Campbell is a Canadian actress whose big break in movies came with the “Scream” horror film series, in which she had a leading role. I don’t do horror films, so I haven’t seen any of the “Scream” movies. Nor have I seen the TV series “Party of Five” which launched the acting careers of both Campbell and Jennifer Love Hewitt in the nineties.

27. *Place to plug in a USB cable : COMPUTER PORT (“home computer” & “homeport”)
Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard dealing with how computers and electronic devices connect and communicate, and deal with electrical power through those connections.

33. “Ditto” : SAME
“Ditto” was originally used in Italian (from Tuscan dialect) to avoid repetition of the names of months in a series of dates. So, “ditto” is just another wonderful import from that lovely land …

37. Does the honors for Thanksgiving dinner : CARVES
Thanksgiving Day was observed on different dates in different states for many years, until Abraham Lincoln fixed the date for the whole country in 1863. Lincoln’s presidential proclamation set that date as the last Thursday in November. In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday to the fourth Thursday in November, arguing that the earlier date would give the economy a much-needed boost.

38. Short-sheeting, e.g. : PRANK
I remember the first time I fell victim to the prank of “short-sheeting”, and very confusing it is too! The idea is to leave the bottom sheet as is, and tuck the top sheet under the mattress at the head of the bed, just as one would do with a bottom sheet. Then fold the foot of the top sheet back up to the head of the bed, and fold it as one would do normally for a top sheet. Don’t tell your Mom it was me who told you how to do it though …

42. Tuscan city : SIENA
Siena is a beautiful city in the Tuscany region of Italy. In the center of Siena is the magnificent medieval square called Piazza del Campo, a paved sloping open area made up of nine triangular sections. The square has to be seen to be believed. Twice a year, the famous bareback horse-race called the Palio di Siena is held in the Piazza.

47. Long, single take, in filmmaking : ONER
A “oner” or “long take” is a continuous take that last much longer than usual, perhaps several minutes. Famously, the Alfred Hitchcock film “Rope” (1948) used only long takes. Hitchcock wanted to shoot the whole film in one take, but had to compromise as a whole roll of film only lasts about 10 minutes. However, he did manage to film “Rope” in just 11 long takes.

56. *NATO’s smallest member, populationwise : ICELAND (“home ice” & “homeland”)
Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in the whole of Europe, with two-thirds of the nation’s population residing in and around the capital city of Reykjavik. Iceland was settled by the Norse people in AD 874, and was ruled for centuries by Norway and then Denmark. Iceland became independent in 1918, and has been a republic since 1944. Iceland is not a member of the EU but is a member of NATO, having joined in 1949 despite not having a standing army.

62. Sacha Baron Cohen character : BORAT
The full name of the 2006 “mockumentary” is “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan”. Borat is played by a British comedian, Sacha Baron Cohen. Not my cup of tea …

66. Actress Gaynor of “South Pacific” : MITZI
Mitzi Gaynor’s most famous role has to be Ensign Nellie Forbush in the movie adaptation of the musical “South Pacific”. It is Gaynor who sings the song “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair”.

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”.

67. “E pluribus ___” : UNUM
From 1776, “E pluribus unum” was the unofficial motto of the United States. The phrase translates from Latin as “Out of many, one”. It was pushed aside in 1956 when an Act of Congress designated “In God We Trust” as the country’s official motto. “In God We Trust” had appeared on US coins since 1864, but was only introduced on paper currency in 1957.

68. “So ___ walks into …” : A GUY
Seeing as I’m one of three brothers, I have a favorite “So a guy walks into a bar” joke:

So a guy walks into a bar and orders three beers.

The bartender brings him the three beers, and the man proceeds to alternately sip one, then the other, then the third, until they’re gone. He then orders three more and the bartender says, “Sir, I know you like them cold, so you can start with one, and I’ll bring you a fresh one as soon as you’re low.” The man says, “You don’t understand. I have two brothers, one in Australia and one in the Ireland. We made a vow to each other that every Saturday night, we’d still drink together. So right now, my brothers have three beers, too, and we’re drinking together.” The bartender thinks it’s a wonderful tradition, and every week he sets up the guy’s three beers. Then one week, the man comes in and orders only two. He drinks them and then orders two more. The bartender says sadly, “Knowing your tradition, I’d just like to just say that I’m sorry you’ve lost a brother.”

The man replies, “Oh, my brothers are fine — I just quit drinking.”

69. Fall of winter : SLEET
Apparently “sleet” is a term used to describe two different weather conditions. One is a shower of ice pellets, smaller than hail, and the second is a mixture of rain and snow, with the snow melting as it falls.

Down
1. Fill (with) : IMBUE
“To imbue” is to pervade, to soak in. “Imbue” has the same etymological roots as our word “imbibe”.

3. Love interest of Pacey on “Dawson’s Creek” : ANDIE
The television show “Dawson’s Creek” is described as a teen drama. The story revolves around a group of teenagers and follows them through high school and college.

7. Haifa’s country: Abbr. : ISR
Haifa is the third-largest city in Israel and the largest city in the north of the country. Haifa is built on the slopes of Mount Carmel, and is a Mediterranean seaport.

9. Monstrous creatures : CHIMERAS
In Greek mythology, a chimera was a female monster with the body of a lioness, a tail that ended in a snake’s head, and the head of a goat that emanated from the lioness’s spine. The term chimera has entered into our modern language and means a fanciful illusion or fabrication.

10. French newborn : BEBE
In Spanish, a “madre’s” (mother’s) treasure is her “bebe” (baby).

13. “___ With Me” (Sam Smith hit) : STAY
Sam Smith is a singer from London. I think that the only recording I’ve heard of his is “Writing’s on the Wall”, which is the theme song from the 2015 James Bond movie “Spectre”.

18. Purrer in Peru : GATO
In Spanish, a “gato” (cat) might chase a “ratón” (mouse).

23. Opposite of sans : AVEC
In French, “avec” (with) is the opposite of “sans” (without).

28. Dispenser candy : PEZ
PEZ is an Austrian brand name for a particular candy sold in a mechanical dispenser. Famously, PEZ dispensers have molded “heads”, and have become very collectible over the years. The list of heads includes historical figures like Betsy Ross and Paul Revere, characters from “Star Wars” and “Star Trek”, and even British royalty like the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (“William and Kate”). The name PEZ comes from the first, middle and last letters of “Pfefferminz”, the German word for “peppermint”.

31. Artist Magritte : RENE
Belgian artist René Magritte was a surrealist. His most recognized work maybe is “The Son of Man”, a painting he created as a self-portrait. It is the work that shows a man in a bowler hat with his face covered by an apple. The image features prominently in a great movie, the 1999 remake of “The Thomas Crown Affair”.

32. Romanov ruler : TSAR
Peter the Great was perhaps the most successful of the Romanov tsars, and was famous for modernizing Russia and expanding the country’s sphere of influence, creating the Russian Empire. He ruled from 1682 until his death in 1725.

33. Often-filtered messages : SPAM
Apparently the term “spam”, used for unwanted email, is taken from a “Monty Python” sketch. In the sketch (which I’ve seen) the dialog is taken over by the word Spam, a play on the glut of canned meat in the markets of Britain after WWII. So “spam” is used for the glut of emails that takes over online communication. I can just imagine nerdy Internet types (like me) adopting something from a “Monty Python” sketch to describe an online phenomenon …

34. Jason’s ship : ARGO
In Greek mythology, Jason and the Argonauts sailed on the Argo in search of the Golden Fleece. The vessel was called the “Argo” in honor of the ship’s builder, a man named Argus.

35. ___ Levy, Buffalo Bills coach in the Hall of Fame : MARV
Marv Levy is a former American and Canadian Football coach. Levy is probably most noted as a coach from his days with the Buffalo Bills, when the team won four consecutive AFC championships.

41. 1980s Pakistani president : ZIA
Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq was the President of Pakistan from 1978 until he died in 1988. Zia died in a plane crash along with US Ambassador to Pakistan Arnold Lewis Raphel and several other VIPs. The official Pakistani investigation into the cause of the crash concluded that the plane was likely brought down by sabotage. The official US investigation concluded that the crash was an accident.

44. W.W. II-era British gun : STEN
The STEN gun is an iconic armament that was used by the British military. The name STEN is an acronym. The S and the T comes from the name of the gun’s designers, Shepherd and Turpin. The EN comes from the Enfield brand name, which in turn comes from the Enfield location where the guns were manufactured for the Royal Small Arms Factory, an enterprise owned by the British government.

50. Wind tile in mah-jongg : EAST
Mahjong (also “mahjongg” and “mah-jongg”) is the Chinese word for “sparrow”. Mahjong is a game that originated in China, and is usually played by four players. There is a myth that the game was developed by the Chinese philosopher, Confucius. The myth also suggests that Confucius was fond of birds, and hence chose the name “sparrow”.

53. Insect stage : IMAGO
The imago is an intermediate stage in the development of an insect. All four stages are embryo, larva, pupa and imago.

56. Some old PCs : IBMS
The original IBM Personal Computer is model number 5150, which was introduced to the world on August 12, 1981. The term “personal computer” was already in use, but the success of the IBM 5150 led to the term “PC” being used for all computer products compatible with the IBM platform.

58. Art Deco notable : ERTE
“Erté” was the pseudonym of French (Russian born) artist and designer Romain de Tirtoff. Erté is the French pronunciation of his initials “R.T.” Erté’s diverse portfolio of work included costumes and sets for the “Ziegfeld Follies” of 1923, as well as productions of the Parisian cabaret show “Folies Bergère”. Erté’s most famous work by far is an image titled “Symphony in Black”. It depicts a tall and slender woman dressed in black, holding a black dog on a leash.

60. Government overthrow : COUP
A coup d’état (often just “coup”) is the sudden overthrow of a government, and comes from the French for “stroke of state”. The Swiss-German word “putsch” is sometimes used instead of “coup”, with “Putsch” translating literally as “sudden blow”.

64. Single-stranded molecule : RNA
The two most common nucleic acids are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA), both of which play crucial roles in genetics. The DNA contains the genetic instructions used to keep living organisms functioning, and RNA is used to transcribe that information from the DNA to protein “generators” called ribosomes.

65. Part of a tuba’s sound : -PAH
The tuba is the lowest-pitched of all the brass instruments, and one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra (usually there is just one tuba included in an orchestral line-up). “Tuba” is the Latin word for “trumpet, horn”. Oom-pah-pah …

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Country invaded in 2003 : IRAQ
5. H.S. math class : TRIG
9. Legendary music club in Lower Manhattan, informally : CBGB’S
14. Suffix with refresh or replace : -MENT
15. Parks of Alabama : ROSA
16. Spartan serf : HELOT
17. *V.I.P.’s security agent : BODYGUARD (“homebody” & “Home Guard”)
19. Resort island near Majorca : IBIZA
20. The Rams of the Atlantic 10 Conf. : URI
21. Scholarship money : AID
22. *Nintendo hand-held : GAME BOY (“home game” & “homeboy”)
24. Disgorges : EGESTS
26. Actress Campbell of “Scream” : NEVE
27. *Place to plug in a USB cable : COMPUTER PORT (“home computer” & “homeport”)
33. “Ditto” : SAME
36. Utters, informally : SEZ
37. Does the honors for Thanksgiving dinner : CARVES
38. Short-sheeting, e.g. : PRANK
40. Snoring sound : ZZZ
42. Tuscan city : SIENA
43. Sees eye to eye (with) : AGREES
45. 52, in old Rome : LII
47. Long, single take, in filmmaking : ONER
48. *Multiplex, e.g. : MOVIE THEATER (“home movie” & “home theater”)
51. Stew morsels : PEAS
52. Exchange vows at the altar : SAY “I DO”
56. *NATO’s smallest member, populationwise : ICELAND (“home ice” & “homeland”)
60. Stock listings: Abbr. : COS
61. Ariz. neighbor : MEX
62. Sacha Baron Cohen character : BORAT
63. *Where a newspaper’s biggest stories go : FRONT PAGE (“homefront” & “home page”)
66. Actress Gaynor of “South Pacific” : MITZI
67. “E pluribus ___” : UNUM
68. “So ___ walks into …” : A GUY
69. Fall of winter : SLEET
70. What a ponytail partially covers : NAPE
71. There’s no place like it … or a word that can precede either half of the answer to each starred clue : HOME

Down
1. Fill (with) : IMBUE
2. Corporate shuffle, for short : REORG
3. Love interest of Pacey on “Dawson’s Creek” : ANDIE
4. Amt. : QTY
5. “What’s right is right” and others : TRUISMS
6. Rocky ___ : ROAD
7. Haifa’s country: Abbr. : ISR
8. Doohickey : GADGET
9. Monstrous creatures : CHIMERAS
10. French newborn : BEBE
11. Smooth-talking : GLIB
12. Schmo : BOZO
13. “___ With Me” (Sam Smith hit) : STAY
18. Purrer in Peru : GATO
23. Opposite of sans : AVEC
25. Act starter : SCENE I
26. Shows some affection : NUZZLES
28. Dispenser candy : PEZ
29. Religious abode : PRIORY
30. Baker’s need : OVEN
31. Artist Magritte : RENE
32. Romanov ruler : TSAR
33. Often-filtered messages : SPAM
34. Jason’s ship : ARGO
35. ___ Levy, Buffalo Bills coach in the Hall of Fame : MARV
39. “Don’t quit!” : KEEP AT IT!
41. 1980s Pakistani president : ZIA
44. W.W. II-era British gun : STEN
46. Treater’s phrase : IT’S ON ME
49. Enjoyed oneself : HAD FUN
50. Wind tile in mah-jongg : EAST
53. Insect stage : IMAGO
54. Use Goo Gone on, perhaps : DEGUM
55. Daisy variety : OXEYE
56. Some old PCs : IBMS
57. Snake’s shape : COIL
58. Art Deco notable : ERTE
59. Loaf (around) : LAZE
60. Government overthrow : COUP
64. Single-stranded molecule : RNA
65. Part of a tuba’s sound : -PAH

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