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CROSSWORD CONSTRUCTOR: Richard F. Mausser
THEME: The Dirty Dozen
We have a DOZEN themed answers today, each requiring the word DIRTY in front in order to match the clue:
53A. Hit movie released on June 15, 1967 … with a hint to this puzzle’s theme : THE DIRTY DOZEN
1A. *Bit of blue humor : (Dirty) JOKE
10A. *No-good con man : (Dirty) LIAR
18A. *Clint Eastwood title role : (Dirty) HARRY
28A. *Secrets that would be embarrassing to reveal : (Dirty) LAUNDRY
64A. *Something that might be bleeped : (Dirty) WORD
66A. *Stink eye : (Dirty) LOOK
1D. *Unpleasant task that “someone has to do” : (Dirty) JOB
7D. *Gin, vermouth and olive juice concoction : (Dirty) MARTINI
13D. *Lowdown scoundrel : (Dirty) RAT
27D. *Underhanded stratagem : (Dirty) TRICK
32D. *Ill-gotten gains : (Dirty) MONEY
43D. *X-rated film : (Dirty) PICTURE
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 7m 46s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
14. European sister brand of Buick : OPEL
Adam Opel founded his company in 1863, first making sewing machines in a cowshed. Commercial success brought new premises and a new product line in 1886, namely penny-farthing bicycles. Adam Opel died in 1895, leaving his two sons with a company that made more penny-farthings and sewing machines than any other company in the world. In 1899 the two sons partnered with a locksmith and started to make cars, but not very successfully. Two years later, the locksmith was dropped in favor of a licensing arrangement with a French car company. By 1914, Opel was the largest manufacturer of automobiles in Germany. My Dad had an Opel in the seventies, a station wagon (we’d say “estate car” in Ireland) called an Opel Kadett.
16. Sun god worshiper : INCA
The Inca people emerged as a tribe around the 12th century, in what today is southern Peru. The Incas developed a vast empire over the next 300 years, extending along most of the western side of South America. The Empire fell to the Spanish, finally dissolving in 1572 with the execution of Tupac Amaru, the last Incan Emperor.
18. *Clint Eastwood title role : (Dirty) HARRY
“Dirty” Harry Callahan was the protagonist in a series of five movies starring Clint Eastwood:
- “Dirty Harry” (1971)
- “Magnum Force” (1973)
- “The Enforcer” (1976)
- “Sudden Impact” (1983)
- “The Dead Pool” (1988)
19. It has a 25-min. no-calculator section : PSAT
Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT)
20. She had a “major” role on “M*A*S*H” : LORETTA SWIT
Loretta Swit started playing Major “Hot Lips” Houlihan on “M*A*S*H” in 1972. She and Alan Alda were the only actors who appeared in both the pilot and the series finale. Swit has written a book on needlepoint, would you believe? It’s called “A Needlepoint Scrapbook”.
23. End of a song at a New Year’s Eve party : SYNE
The song “Auld Lang Syne” is a staple at New Year’s Eve (well, actually in the opening minutes of New Year’s Day). The words were written by Scottish poet Robbie Burns. The literal translation of “Auld Lang Syne” is “old long since”, but is better translated as “old times”. The sentiment of the song is “for old time’s sake”.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
24. One, overseas : EIN
“Ein” is a form of the indefinite article in German, and can mean “one”.
25. Race leader? : ADAM
That would be Adam and Eve from the Bible.
31. What several characters in “Coming Home” came home from, informally : NAM
“Coming Home” is a 1978 movie about a love triangle between a young wife (Jane Fonda), her husband who is a US Marine (Bruce Dern), and a paralyzed Vietnam War veteran (Jon Voight).
33. To laugh, in Lyon : RIRE
The city of Lyon in France, is also known as “Lyons” in English. Lyon is the second-largest metropolitan area in the country, after Paris.
35. ___ patch : BRIAR
“Briar” is a generic name for several plants that have thorns, including the rose. Famously, Br’er Rabbit lives in a briar patch.
36. Minute Maid Park player, for short : ‘STRO
Enron Field, as it was known, is a retractable-roof ballpark that was built next to Houston’s old Union Station. Enron paid $100 million to get its name on the field, and then when the world found out what a scam Enron actually was, the Astros bought back the contract for the name, for a mere $2.1 million. The stadium became Astros Field for a few months, until the Coke people paid $170 million for a 28-year contract to rename the stadium Minute Maid Park. A good deal for the Astros, I’d say.
41. Suisse sweetheart : CHERI
“Chéri” is a form of familiar address in French, meaning “dear, … “Chéri” is the form used when talking to a male, and “chérie” to a female.
“Suisse” is the French word for “Swiss”.
47. He sang (but did not write) “I Write the Songs” : MANILOW
Barry Manilow’s real name is Barry Alan Pincus. Barry took his mother’s family name, Manilow, as the time of his Bar Mitzvah. When he was young, Manilow attended the Juilliard performing arts school, and then practiced his craft on the New York City music circuit. He worked in the sixties and seventies writing jingles for advertisements. “Like a good neighbor, Statefarm is there …”, that’s the work of Mr. Manilow!
Even though he writes a lot of songs, Barry Manilow didn’t write his 1976 chart topper “I Write the Songs”. That was composed by Bruce Johnston in 1975 and first recorded by the Captain & Tennille.
53. Hit movie released on June 15, 1967 … with a hint to this puzzle’s theme : THE DIRTY DOZEN
“The Dirty Dozen” is a very entertaining 1967 WWII movie that is based on a 1965 novel of the same name by E. M. Nathanson. In turn, the novel was inspired by a real-life military unit nicknamed “the Filthy Thirteen”. The latter were a demolition unit in the 101st Airborne Division whose mission was to targets behind enemy lines. The movie had quite the cast, led by Lee Marvin and supported by Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Telly Savalas and Donald Sutherland, as well as football player Jim Brown and singer Trini Lopez.
57. Lowdown : POOP
“Poop” is a slang term meaning “relevant and up-to-date information”. Back in the 1940s, a “poop sheet” was a bulletin with the latest information.
58. W. C. Fields persona : SOUSE
W. C. Fields worked hard to develop the on-screen image of a pretty grumpy old man. In his real life he was fairly grumpy too, and fond of protecting his privacy. He was famous for hiding in the shrubs around his house in Los Angeles and firing a BB gun at the legs of tourists who intruded on his property. Also Fields often played the drunk on-screen. In real life, Fields didn’t touch alcohol at all when he was younger, partly because he didn’t want to do anything to impair his skill as a juggler. But later in life he took to heavy drinking, so much so that it affected his health and interfered with his ability to perform.
The word “souse” dates back to the 14th century and means to pickle, steep in vinegar. In the early 1600s the usage was applied to someone pickled in booze, a drunkard.
61. California tourist destination : OJAI
The city of Ojai, California is located just northwest of Los Angeles. One of the city’s claims to fame is that according to the TV shows “The Bionic Woman” and “The Six Million Dollar Man”, Jaime Sommers and Steve Austin grew up in Ojai and were childhood sweethearts!
63. Some hosp. staffers : LPNS
Licensed practical nurse (LPN)
Down
3. Color much worn on St. Patrick’s Day : KELLY GREEN
Kelly green is a strong yellowish green, and was given its name back in the early 1900s. The name was apparently chosen because green is popular in Ireland, and Kelly is a common Irish family name.
4. John with five Grammys : ELTON
Elton John’s real name is Reginald Dwight. Sir Elton was knighted in 1998, not for his music per se, but for his charitable work. He founded his own Elton John AIDS Foundation back in 1992.
6. Dilettante : AMATEUR
We use the word “dilettante” for someone who dabbles in the world of art or in some particular field of knowledge. We borrowed the term from Italian, in which language a dilettante is a lover of fine arts, a connoisseur.
7. *Gin, vermouth and olive juice concoction : (Dirty) MARTINI
A dirty Martini is a regular Martini with a splash of olive juice, served with an olive garnish.
The term “martini” probably takes it name from the “Martini & Rossi” brand of dry vermouth, although no one seems to be completely sure. What is clear is that despite the Martini name originating in Italy, the martini drink originated in the US. The original martini was made with gin and sweet vermouth, but someone specifying a “dry” martini was given gin and dry vermouth. Nowadays we use dry vermouth for all martinis and the term “dry” has become a reference to how little vermouth is included in the drink. Famously, Noel Coward liked his drink very dry and said that a perfect martini is made by “filling a glass with gin then waving it in the general direction of Italy”. The German-American journalist and satirist H. L. Mencken referred to the martini as “the only American invention as perfect as a sonnet”.
8. Kind of warning : MIRANDA
The Miranda warning is given by US police officers to suspects in order to ensure that any statements made by the suspect can be used at trial. The warning became part of police procedure after a 1966 Supreme Court decision in the case of Miranda v. Arizona. The crux of the court’s decision was that statements made by a suspect during interrogation were only admissible at trial if the defendant was informed of his or her right to consult an attorney, and right to remain silent. The “Miranda” in the case was Ernesto Miranda, who was arrested by the Phoenix PD on suspicion of kidnapping and rape. The Supreme Court decision set aside Miranda’s conviction as his confession was deemed inadmissible. Miranda was rearrested and retried. At the second trial he was convicted without the use of the contested confession.
9. Stallone and Stone : SLYS
If ever there was a movie that defines a career breakthrough for an actor, it would have to be “Rocky” for Sylvester Stallone. Stallone was a struggling actor in 1975 when a Muhammad Ali fight inspired Stallone to write a screenplay for a boxing movie, which he did in just three days. His efforts to sell the script went well but for the fact that the interested studios wanted a big name for the lead role, and Stallone was determined to be the star himself. Stallone persevered and “Rocky” was eventually made with him playing title role of Rocky Balboa. The movie won three Oscars, and “Sly” Stallone had arrived …
Sly and the Family Stone are a rock, funk and soul band from San Francisco that’s still performing today, although their heyday was from 1966 to 1983. They were one of the first rock bands to have a racially-integrated lineup, as well as representatives of both sexes.
10. Fatty acid, e.g. : LIPID
Lipids are a groups of naturally occurring molecules, including fats, waxes and fat-soluble vitamins (like A, D and E). Sometimes we use the words “fat” and “lipid” interchangeably but fats are a subgroup of lipids, specifically a group best called triglycerides.
12. Signature Obama measure, for short : ACA
The correct name for what has been dubbed “Obamacare” is the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” (ACA).
29. 2000s Japanese P.M. : ABE
Shinzo Abe first became Prime Minister of Japan in 2006, at which time he was the youngest person to hold the post since WWII and was the first PM born after the war. Abe was in office for less than a year, but was voted in again in 2012. Abe is usually characterized as a right-wing nationalist.
30. B&O and others: Abbr. : RRS
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) was one of the oldest in the country. Construction started on the railroad in 1828 in order to offer a method of transportation inland from Baltimore. This was deemed necessary as Baltimore was losing business to New York City after the completion of the Erie Canal (which cheaply and efficiently moved goods inland).
36. Conciliatory gift : SOP
Cerberus is a dog with three heads that appears in both Greek and Roman mythology. Cerberus had the job of guarding the gates of Hades and preventing those who had crossed the River Styx from ever escaping. A sop is a piece of food that has been dipped in some liquid, as one might sop a piece of bread in soup. There is an idiomatic expression, “to give a sop to Cerberus”, which means to give someone a bribe, or pay someone off. The idea is that if one could bribe Cerberus, give him a sop to eat, then he would let you pass and escape from Hades.
38. Pusillanimous : TIMID
Someone described as pusillanimous lacks courage and resolution. The term comes into English via Middle French from the Latin “pusillis” meaning “very weak” and “animus” meaning “spirit”.
52. Former Cleveland Orchestra conductor George : SZELL
The marvelous American conductor George Szell was born in Hungary. He came to the US in 1939 with the outbreak of WWII in Europe. Famously, Szell took over the Cleveland Orchestra in 1946 and developed it into one of the world’s most respected orchestras.
53. Axis leader : TOJO
Hideki Tojo was a general and the Prime Minister of Japan during most of WWII. Although the attack on Pearl Harbor was planned before he took office, Tojo was the Prime Minister who made the decision to declare war on the US. After Japan surrendered, General MacArthur ordered Tojo’s arrest. Tojo attempted to commit suicide by shooting himself in the heart, but missed. There is a story that while recovering, Tojo was given a set of replacement dentures that were made by an American dentist. Apparently the dentist drilled the message “Remember Pearl Harbor” into the teeth in Morse code. Tojo was hanged for war crimes in 1948.
Before WWII, Hungary’s prime minister was lobbying for an alliance between Germany, Hungary and Italy and worked towards such a relationship that he called an “axis”. The main Axis powers during the war were Germany, Italy and Japan. However, also included in the relationship were Romania, Bulgaria and the aforementioned Hungary.
54. Winter frost : HOAR
The Old English word “har” meant “gray, venerable, old”, and came into English as “hoar” (and later “hoary”) with the same meaning. The term “hoar-frost” dates back to the 13th century, and reflects the similarity of the white feathers of frost to the gray/white of an old man’s beard.
56. El ___ (weather phenomenon) : NINO
When the surface temperature of much of the Pacific Ocean rises more that half a degree centigrade, then there is said to be an El Niño episode. That small temperature change in the Pacific has been associated with climatic changes that can stretch right across the globe. El Niño is Spanish for “the boy” and is a reference to the Christ child. The phenomenon was given this particular Spanish name because the warming is usually noticed near South America and around Christmas-time.
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. *Bit of blue humor : (Dirty) JOKE
5. Old beer with the ad line “From the land of sky blue waters” : HAMM’S
10. *No-good con man : (Dirty) LIAR
14. European sister brand of Buick : OPEL
15. Something in a drafts folder : EMAIL
16. Sun god worshiper : INCA
17. Wallop : BELT
18. *Clint Eastwood title role : (Dirty) HARRY
19. It has a 25-min. no-calculator section : PSAT
20. She had a “major” role on “M*A*S*H” : LORETTA SWIT
23. End of a song at a New Year’s Eve party : SYNE
24. One, overseas : EIN
25. Race leader? : ADAM
27. Identify : TAG
28. *Secrets that would be embarrassing to reveal : (Dirty) LAUNDRY
31. What several characters in “Coming Home” came home from, informally : NAM
33. To laugh, in Lyon : RIRE
35. ___ patch : BRIAR
36. Minute Maid Park player, for short : ‘STRO
37. Brainstorm : IDEATE
39. Welcome at the door : SHOW IN
41. Suisse sweetheart : CHERI
42. Versus: Abbr. : OPP
45. Weigh in, say : OPINE
46. They’re all in the family : KIN
47. He sang (but did not write) “I Write the Songs” : MANILOW
50. One who’s second to vote, usually : NAY
51. They get punched : TIME CARDS
53. Hit movie released on June 15, 1967 … with a hint to this puzzle’s theme : THE DIRTY DOZEN
57. Lowdown : POOP
58. W. C. Fields persona : SOUSE
59. Sign with an arrow : EXIT
61. California tourist destination : OJAI
62. Comparatively peeved : SORER
63. Some hosp. staffers : LPNS
64. *Something that might be bleeped : (Dirty) WORD
65. Intersected : MET
66. *Stink eye : (Dirty) LOOK
Down
1. *Unpleasant task that “someone has to do” : (Dirty) JOB
2. Expose, in verse : OPE
3. Color much worn on St. Patrick’s Day : KELLY GREEN
4. John with five Grammys : ELTON
5. Giggle : HE-HE
6. Dilettante : AMATEUR
7. *Gin, vermouth and olive juice concoction : (Dirty) MARTINI
8. Kind of warning : MIRANDA
9. Stallone and Stone : SLYS
10. Fatty acid, e.g. : LIPID
11. Like some scratch-off lottery tickets : INSTANT-WIN
12. Signature Obama measure, for short : ACA
13. *Lowdown scoundrel : (Dirty) RAT
21. Cousin, e.g.: Abbr. : REL
22. Very, informally : WAY
23. Extended a greeting : SAID HI
26. Berth place : MARINA
27. *Underhanded stratagem : (Dirty) TRICK
29. 2000s Japanese P.M. : ABE
30. B&O and others: Abbr. : RRS
32. *Ill-gotten gains : (Dirty) MONEY
34. It’s used to pick things up : EAR
36. Conciliatory gift : SOP
38. Pusillanimous : TIMID
40. Quaint greeting to a lady or gent : HOW DO?
42. Like many early schoolhouses : ONE-ROOM
43. *X-rated film : (Dirty) PICTURE
44. Jungle gym, for one : PLAYSET
48. Not quite right : AMISS
49. “Cheeseburger, large fries and a root beer,” e.g. : ORDER
51. Not so hot : TEPID
52. Former Cleveland Orchestra conductor George : SZELL
53. Axis leader : TOJO
54. Winter frost : HOAR
55. Fair : EXPO
56. El ___ (weather phenomenon) : NINO
57. “Wham!” : POW!
60. “You should know better!” : TSK!
14:42, no errors. And, for once, I got the theme! (Of course, it would have been difficult to miss it … 🙂
Quick solve for a Thursday – 22 minutes. The setter intended this as an earlier week puzzle, but the editors chose to run it on the actual 50th anniversary of the release of THE DIRTY DOZEN which wound up being a Thursday. 57D was intended for the editors who made the setter revise the puzzle several times before accepting it, but then he decided to dedicate it (POW) to Adam West who died this week – tv's Batman.
Happy 50th to a great movie. Fun puzzle.
Best –
Easy Thursday, and thanks Jeff for the info! That explains why it went quickly. Fun theme.
I didn't know SZELL and almost had a Natick at SZELL/LPNS but guessed the "L" correctly.
It's always strange to see OJAI in a puzzle. Tourist destination? It's a beautiful little town, but my parents and brother lived there for decades and to me it's Family Gathering Central.
Had to Google HAMMS, ABE, and STRO. Didn't know OJAI.
32:04, no errors. Not at all in sync with the setters today. Frustrating for me is the fact that the HAMM'S jingle I is in my head, but I couldn't remember the name of the beer. Also easily recalled "I Write the Songs" but couldn't recall the performer. Enjoyed the theme, it speeded things up once I recognized it; but, unfortunately, that did not happen until very late in the solve.
Sure wish I still had my '72 Opel GT. Looked like a shrunken Corvette. Fast little car, too.
Quick, fun puzzle today.
Very apt: a Thursday full of the dirty dozen, and of course, one of them has to be "TRICK", which is the usual fare we get on this day each week… this one, though, wasn't that evil.
11:43 and no errors. Didn't get the theme until very late, and was nervously watching all those asterisked clues go by…..
This took time. Didn't get THEDIRTYDOZEN revealer until late in the game. After that, cleaned them up and the rest of the puzzle.
I lived in SoCal for 10 years and never heard of Ojai, so I missed Tojo/Ojai. whatever
26 minutes, 2 errors (TOJO, OJAI).