0623-17 New York Times Crossword Answers 23 Jun 17, Friday

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. They may make the rounds : AMMO
The word “munitions” describes materials and equipment used in war. The term derives from the Latin “munitionem” meaning “fortification, defensive wall”. Back in the 17th century, French soldiers referred to such materials as “la munition”, a Middle French term. This was misheard as “l’ammunition”, and as a result we ended up importing the word “ammunition” (often shortened to “ammo”), a term that we now use mainly to describe the material fired from a weapon.

15. Coat color : ROAN
A roan horse has an even mixture of white and colored hairs on the body with the head, lower legs, mane and tail having a more solid color.

18. Rambo sort : ONE-MAN ARMY
A “rambo” is very violent and militant person. The term is relatively recent one, coming from the character John Rambo played by Sylvester Stallone in the “Rambo” series of movies. The first Rambo film made was “First Blood” in 1982. The film in turn is based on the 1972 novel of the same name by David Morrell.

22. Many a Wall St. hire : MBA
Master of Business Administration (MBA)

23. Fracking target : SHALE
Shale oil can be extracted from oil shale (!), although the extraction process is more expensive than that used to produce crude oil.

“Fracking” is a familiar term for “hydraulic fracturing”. Fracking involves the injection of chemicals and sand in water at high pressure into a wellbore. This creates cracks in layers of rock deep in the earth allowing perhaps oil or natural gas to flow more freely to the surface.

26. Saint’s place : SUPERDOME
The New Orleans Superdome was opened in 1975, and is the largest, fixed-dome structure in the world, covering 13 acres. The seating capacity varies depending on the event being staged, but the Rolling Stones attracted a crowd of more than 87,500 people in 1981. The primary purpose of the structure is to host home games for the New Orleans Saints football team. Famously, in 2005, the Superdome became a shelter of last resort for about 30,000 refugees in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

30. “O” follower : CANADA
Canada’s national anthem “O Canada” was commissioned in 1880 by the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, so the original words are in French. The first English translation was made in 1906. The current English lyrics have been revised a few times, but the French version remains the same as it did back in 1880.

O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land, glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee;
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

31. Part of Wayne Manor : BATCAVE
Wayne Manor is where Bruce Wayne lives, the alter-ego of Batman. It is a huge manor that lies just outside Gotham City. Looking after the house is the Wayne family servant, Alfred. Beneath the grounds of the manor is an extensive cave system where Bruce Wayne put together his Batcave. Access is to the cave is via a staircase behind a hidden door. The door is opened by moving the hands of a non-functioning grandfather clock to 10:47, the time at which Wayne’s parents were murdered. It is the murder of his parents that sets Bruce off on his journey of crime fighting.

38. Jobs in tech : STEVE
Steve Jobs certainly was a business icon in Silicon Valley. I don’t think it is too surprising to learn that the brilliant Jobs didn’t even finish his college education, dropping out of Reed College in Oregon after only one semester. Steve Jobs co-founded Apple in 1976, but in 1985 he was basically fired from his own company during the computer sales slump of the mid-eighties. Jobs then founded NeXT Computer, a company focused on supplying workstations to the higher education and business markets. Apple purchased NeXT in 1996, and that’s how Jobs found himself back with his original company.

39. Subject of a 1984 mockumentary : SPINAL TAP
“This Is Spın̈al Tap” is a rock musical mockumentary about the fictional band Spinal Tap, directed by the great Rob Reiner. I love Rob Reiner’s work, but this movie … not so much …

46. First name in country : GARTH
Country singer Garth Brooks retired from recording and performing in 2001. He came back out of retirement in 2009, signing a five-year concert deal with the Encore Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.

47. Part of an embassy address, for short : APO
Army post office (APO)

49. Edible seed of a pumpkin or squash : PEPITA
Pumpkin seeds are also known as pepitas, from the Mexican Spanish term “pepita de calabaza” meaning “little seed of squash”.

53. Rostrum : DAIS
Our word “dais”, meaning “raised platform for a speaker”, comes from the Latin “discus” meaning a “disk-shaped object”. I guess that the original daises had such a shape.

A “rostrum” (plural “rostra”) is an elevated platform, particularly one for public speaking. The original rostrum was the platform used by public speakers in the Forum of ancient Rome.

54. 1983 hit with the line “She’s been living in her white bread world” : UPTOWN GIRL
“Uptown Girl” is a 1983 song written and recorded by Billy Joel that tells the story of a working-class man from “downtown” who falls for a wealthy woman from “uptown”. Joel wrote the song for his soon-to-be wife, supermodel Christie Brinkley. That said, he originally wrote the song as “Uptown Girls”, describing his three friends: singer Whitney Houston and models Elle Macpherson and Christie Brinkley. Brinkley played the title character in the music video.

Down
1. “Gunsmoke” actor James : ARNESS
James Arness played the role of Matt Dillon, Marshal of Dodge City, on “Gunsmoke” for twenty years. If you count the occasions when he reprised the role for specials, he actually performed as Matt Dillon over five decades. Did you know that Peter Graves, the actor who played Jim Phelps on “Mission: Impossible”, his real name was Peter Arness? He and James were brothers.

2. Kind of pork : MOO SHU
Moo shu pork (also “mu shu pork”) is a traditional dish from northern China, with the main ingredients being shredded pork and scrambled egg. In North America, the dish is served with tortilla-like wrappers that are sometimes referred to as “moo shu pancakes”.

6. Peso : Mexico :: ___ : Korea : WON
The Korean Won, the Chinese Yuan, and the Japanese Yen (all of which are Asian currencies) take their names from the Chinese written character that represents “round shape”.

7. Baby animal in a parable in II Samuel : EWE LAMB
A parable is story told to illustrate a lesson or principle. It is similar to a fable, differing in that a fable uses mainly animals as characters, and a parable uses humans.

9. Sycophant : TOADY
A toady is someone who is very servile, and somewhat of a parasite. Derived from “toad-eater” the term originally applied to the assistant of a quack, a seller of useless potions that had no actual benefit to health. The toady would eat an apparently poisonous toad in front of an audience, so that the charlatan could “cure” him or her with one of the potions for sale.

A sycophant is a selfish person, one who flatters. The term comes from the Greek “sykophantes” which originally meant “one who shows the fig”. This phrase described a vulgar gesture made with the thumb and two fingers.

10. Figures usually held in one’s head : PINS
One enters a Personal Identification Number (PIN) when using an Automated Teller Machine (ATM). Given that the N in PIN stands for “number”, then PIN number is a redundant phrase. And, given that the M in ATM stands for “machine”, then ATM machine is a redundant phrase as well. Grr …!

11. Like : A LA
The phrase “in the style of” can be translated in “alla” in Italian and “à la” in French.

12. Movie with the 1979 Oscar-winning song “It Goes Like It Goes” : NORMA RAE
“Norma Rae” is a 1979 movie starring Sally Field as Norma Rae Webster in a tale of union activities in a textile factory in Alabama. The film is based on the true story of Crystal Lee Sutton told in a 1975 book called “Crystal Lee, a Woman of Inheritance”.

13. Patriot leader : TOM BRADY
Tom Brady plays quarterback for the New England Patriots. Brady is from San Mateo, California, which isn’t very far from here. He dated actress Bridget Moynahan for a couple of years, and the pair have a child together. Brady has been married to Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen since 2009.

20. Bedsheet material : PERCALE
Percale is a cotton fabric that is often used make bedsheets.

27. Bandmate of Micky, Peter and Michael of the Monkees : DAVY
The Monkees pop group was assembled in 1966 specifically for a planned television series called “The Monkees”. The show aired from 1966 to 1968, and the band continued to perform in concerts until 1970. 20 years after the band was formed, there was a revival in interest for both the show and the band’s music, so the Monkees got together for several reunion tours. The lead singer of the group was Englishman Davy Jones, who passed away in February 2012.

30. Co-star of Ferrell in 2003’s “Elf” : CAAN
James Caan is an actor from The Bronx, New York City. He is noted for his appearances in some very big movies such as “The Godfather”, “Misery”, “A Bridge Too Far”, “Rollerball” and more recently “Elf”. Caan is quite the sportsman. He plays golf with an 8 handicap, and is a 6-Dan Black Belt Master of Gosoku Karate.

“Elf” is a comedy movie released for the 2003 Christmas season. “Elf” was directed by Jon Favreau and stars Will Ferrell in the title role, with James Caan supporting and Ed Asner playing Santa Claus. It’s all about one of Santa’s elves who finds out he is human and goes to meet his father in New York City.

Will Ferrell is a comedian and comic actor from Irvine, California who got his big break as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) in the mid-nineties. While appearing on SNL, Ferrell was noted for several impersonations, including President George W. Bush, Neil Diamond, James Lipton, Ted Kennedy and Janet Reno.

32. Benedict X, but not IX or XI : ANTIPOPE
An antipope was someone who had significant support within the Roman Catholic Church and who made a competing claim in opposition to the legitimately elected pope.

33. “Tonight Show” house band : THE ROOTS
The Roots are the house band “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”.

34. Arm that’s tucked away : COVE
That would be an arm of an ocean or sea.

35. Copy illegally : CRIB
A crib is a plagiarism, most commonly the copying of an answer in an examination.

37. Thin tablet : IPAD AIR
The iPad Air is Apple’s 5th-generation table computer. The Air is just 7.5 mm thick, and is 22% lighter than the iPad 2.

39. Nancy’s friend in the comics : SLUGGO
8-year-old Nancy Ritz has been in her own comic strip “Nancy” since 1938. Since 1938, her best friend has been the lazy Sluggo Smith. Nancy is actually a little older than she looks. She first appeared in 1933 when the same strip was called “Fritzi Ritz”. Within a few years, Nancy took over as the main character and so the strip was renamed to “Nancy”.

41. Ranking system of a sort : TRIAGE
Triage is the process of prioritizing patients for treatment, especially on a battlefield. The term “triage” is French and means “a sorting”.

42. Verdi opera set in the fifth century : ATTILA
Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Attila” is based on the play “Attila, King of the Huns” written by Friedrich Werner. The opera premiered in 1846 in Venice.

43. Particle beam weapon : PHASER
A MASER is a device that was around long before LASERs came into the public consciousness. A MASER (Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) is similar to a LASER, but microwaves are emitted rather than light waves. When the storyline for “Star Trek” was being developed, the writers introduced a weapon called a “phaser”, with the name “phaser” derived from PHoton mASER.

45. Rodeo sight, informally : BRONC
A bronco (also “bronc”) is a horse that is untamed. In Mexican Spanish “bronco” is a word for “horse”, and in the original Spanish “bronco” means “rough, rude”.

48. Female whales : COWS
Male whales are referred to as “bulls”, females are “cows”, and the young are “calves”.

52. Kaplan book subj. : GRE
Passing the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is usually a requirement for entry into graduate school here in the US.

Kaplan Inc. was founded in 1938 by Stanley Kaplan, who started out tutoring students for the New York State Regents Exam in the basement of his parents’ home in Brooklyn. He opened up locations for tuition around the country, and in 1984 sold the company to the Washington Post. Revenue for Kaplan was over 2½ billion dollars in 2009.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. They may make the rounds : AMMO
5. Lounging wear : SWEATPANTS
15. Coat color : ROAN
16. Question often asked after twirling : HOW DO I LOOK?
17. Some O.K.s : NODS
18. Rambo sort : ONE-MAN ARMY
19. Word with hatch or room : ESCAPE
21. Coffee shop freebies : LIDS
22. Many a Wall St. hire : MBA
23. Fracking target : SHALE
24. Circumspect : WARY
25. Amazon icon : CART
26. Saint’s place : SUPERDOME
28. Pastel shade : CORAL
29. Low-___ diet : CARB
30. “O” follower : CANADA
31. Part of Wayne Manor : BATCAVE
35. Request to Dad, maybe : CAR KEYS
36. Like a pact with the Devil : UNHOLY
37. Modern-day home of the classical poet Hafez : IRAN
38. Jobs in tech : STEVE
39. Subject of a 1984 mockumentary : SPINAL TAP
44. Flag : TIRE
45. Spill something : BLAB
46. First name in country : GARTH
47. Part of an embassy address, for short : APO
48. “Oh, darn!” : CRUD!
49. Edible seed of a pumpkin or squash : PEPITA
50. Some baby talk : GOO GOO GAGA
53. Rostrum : DAIS
54. 1983 hit with the line “She’s been living in her white bread world” : UPTOWN GIRL
55. Look at on the beach, say : OGLE
56. College application components : TEST SCORES
57. Backpacker’s pack : GEAR

Down
1. “Gunsmoke” actor James : ARNESS
2. Kind of pork : MOO SHU
3. Antic : MADCAP
4. Marked down : ON SALE
5. One going everywhere on foot? : SHOE
6. Peso : Mexico :: ___ : Korea : WON
7. Baby animal in a parable in II Samuel : EWE LAMB
8. Esteem : ADMIRE
9. Sycophant : TOADY
10. Figures usually held in one’s head : PINS
11. Like : A LA
12. Movie with the 1979 Oscar-winning song “It Goes Like It Goes” : NORMA RAE
13. Patriot leader : TOM BRADY
14. Book of celestial maps : SKY ATLAS
20. Bedsheet material : PERCALE
24. Abraded : WORE
25. Bop : CONK
27. Bandmate of Micky, Peter and Michael of the Monkees : DAVY
28. Bloodshed : CARNAGE
30. Co-star of Ferrell in 2003’s “Elf” : CAAN
31. Laugh heartily : BUST A GUT
32. Benedict X, but not IX or XI : ANTIPOPE
33. “Tonight Show” house band : THE ROOTS
34. Arm that’s tucked away : COVE
35. Copy illegally : CRIB
37. Thin tablet : IPAD AIR
39. Nancy’s friend in the comics : SLUGGO
40. Sycophant : LAPDOG
41. Ranking system of a sort : TRIAGE
42. Verdi opera set in the fifth century : ATTILA
43. Particle beam weapon : PHASER
45. Rodeo sight, informally : BRONC
48. Female whales : COWS
49. Buds : PALS
51. Caught : GOT
52. Kaplan book subj. : GRE

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