1125-17 NY Times Crossword Answers 25 Nov 2017, Saturday

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Constructed by: Kevin G. Der
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 55m 42s!!

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

10. Whom the children of Israel served, per Judges : BA’AL

According to Canaanite mythology, Ba’al was the most powerful of all gods. He was worshiped as the sun, storm and fertility god.

14. Baseball cards, campaign buttons and such : AMERICANA

An ana (plural “anas”) is a collection, perhaps of literature, that represents the character of a particular place or a person. “Ana” can be used as a noun or as a suffix (e.g. “Americana”).

15. Triangular body parts : SACRA

The sacrum and the two ilia are three bones in the human pelvis.

16. Bootleg seller : SPEAKEASY

A speakeasy is an establishment that sells alcoholic drinks illegally. Speakeasies were very big in the US in the days of Prohibition. The obvious etymology, of a speakeasy owner asking his or her customers to “speak easy” so as not to draw attention to the authorities, is thought to have originated in 1888 in McKeesport just outside Pittsburgh.

“To bootleg” is to make or smuggle alcoholic drinks illegally. The term arose in the late 1800s as slang for the practice of concealing a flask of liquor down the leg of a high boot. The term has been extended to mean the illegal production and sale of just about anything.

18. Trophy named for the N.H.L.’s first president : CALDER CUP

The American Hockey League (AHL) is the so-called development circuit for the National Hockey League (NHL), the equivalent of the minors in professional baseball. The AHL’s playoff trophy is called the Calder Cup, which is named for Frank Calder who was the first president of the NHL.

19. Thoreau’s “The ___ Woods” : MAINE

Henry David Thoreau is a personal hero of mine. Thoreau is best known for his book called “Walden” published in 1854. The book outlines his philosophy of life and details his experiences living in a cabin near Walden Pond just outside Concord, Massachusetts.

20. Devil ___ Hatfield, Golden Globe-winning role for Kevin Costner : ANSE

The Hatfield and McCoy families of West Virginia and Kentucky were involved in a notorious feud that lasted from 1863 to 1891. The feud was somewhat resurrected in 1979 when representatives from both families appeared on the game show “Family Feud”. The McCoys came out ahead on TV and went home with over $11,000 and a pig.

23. Chow line? : LEASH

The Chow Chow is a breed of dog that originated in China. The Chinese name for the breed is “Songshi Quan”, which translates as “puffy-lion dog”, a rather apt name given its appearance …

26. “Cavalleria Rusticana” baritone : ALFIO

“Cavalleria rusticana” is an opera by Italian composer Pietro Mascagni that was first performed in 1890. The title translates as “Rustic Chivalry”, which is reference to the opera’s bucolic setting. The beautiful symphonic intermezzo from “Cavalleria rusticana” is often heard in “highlights from movie soundtracks” as it was used in the opening of “Raging Bull” and the finale of “The Godfather Part III”.

27. Portraitist with a Baltimore museum named after him : PEALE

Artist Charles Willson Peale’s most famous works are portraits of historical figures from the American Revolution, most notably George Washington. Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. Peale had a lot of children, sixteen in all with two wives. Many of those children were named for his favorite artists, including Rembrandt Peale who became a celebrated artist in his own right.

28. Nissan offering : SENTRA

The Nissan Sentra is sold as the Nissan Sunny back in Japan.

36. Big name in scholastic philosophy : 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.

42. Super, slangily : SOCKO

“Socko” is a slang term meaning “impressive”.

46. Autobús alternative : TREN

In Spanish, one might travel by “autobús” (bus) or “tren” (train).

48. Entertainers for whom lines quickly form : SLAM POETS

A poetry slam is a competition in which poets read their own work (usually), with winners being chosen by members of audience. Apparently the first poetry slam took place in Chicago in 1984. Now there is a Nation Poetry Slam that takes place each year, with representatives from the US, Canada and France.

53. Describing the efforts of Batman and Spider-Man : ANTICRIME

Batman and Robin are unique among their superhero compatriots in that they have no special powers, just a whole load of cool gadgets. Batman is sometimes referred to as the Caped Crusader, Robin as the Boy Wonder, and the pair as the Dynamic Duo.

Spider-Man is a creation of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, and first appeared in comics in 1962. Spider-Man was a somewhat groundbreaking character in that his alter ego was a teenage high school student (named Peter Parker), which marked the first time that a young person featured front and center as the superhero.

54. End up leaving : STET

“Stet” is a Latin word meaning “let it stand”. In editorial work, the typesetter is instructed to disregard any change previously marked by writing the word “stet” and then underscoring that change with a line of dots or dashes.

Down

1. Tourist attraction that faces a statue of Leonardo da Vinci : LA SCALA

La Scala Opera House opened in 1778. It was built on the site of the church of Santa Maria della Scala, which gave the theater its name: “Teatro alla Scala” in Italian.

6. Alternatives to Toshibas : ACERS

Acer is a Taiwanese company that I used to visit a lot when I was in the electronics business. I was very impressed back then with the company’s dedication to quality, although I have heard that things haven’t gone so well in recent years …

7. Org. that publishes The Crisis magazine : NAACP

The full name of the NAACP, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, is remarkable in that it actually still uses the offensive term “colored people”. The NAACP was founded in 1909, by a group that included suffragette and journalist Mary White Ovington, wealthy socialist William English Walling, and civil rights activist Henry Moscowitz. Another member of the founding group was W. E. B. Du Bois, the first African-American to earn a doctorate at Harvard University. The date chosen for the founding of the NAACP was February 12th, 1909, the 100th anniversary of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln, the man most visibly associated with the emancipation of African-American slaves.

8. Directly connected, as a bathroom 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.

10. One of the Iron Chefs on “Iron Chef America” : BATALI

Mario Batali is an American celebrity chef who specializes in Italian cuisine. He is often referred to as “Molto Mario”.

“Iron Chef” is a Japanese cooking show that has been broadcast since 1993. The original Japanese show was dubbed for airing in English-speaking countries and became a surprising hit around the world. There are now spin-off shows around the world including “Iron Chef America” and “Iron Chef UK”.

13. U.S. city that hosts the world’s largest jalapeño festival : LAREDO

Laredo is a border city in Texas that is situated on the banks of the Rio Grande, across the border from Nuevo Laredo in Mexico.

The jalapeño is a chili pepper, and a favorite of mine. The pepper’s name translates from Spanish as “from Xalapa”. Xalapa (also “Jalapa”) is the capital of the Mexican state of Veracruz, and the traditional origin of the jalapeño pepper.

15. Cocktails with Kahlúa and cream : SOMBREROS

Kahlúa is a rum-based liqueur from Mexico that has a coffee flavor.

22. Contemporary of Saint-Saëns : LALO

Édouard Lalo was a classical composer from France. Lalo’s most famous work is probably the complex opera “Le roi d’Ys”, which is based on a Breton legend.

Camille Saint-Saens was one of the great French composers in my opinion. Saint-Saëns composed during the Romantic Era, and it was he who introduced the symphonic poem to France. Even his light and airy “The Carnival of the Animals” is a lovely work.

27. Striped or spotted animal named for its habitat : PAMPAS CAT

The pampas are fertile lowlands covering a large part of Argentina, Uruguay and some of Brazil. “Pampa” is a Quechua word meaning “plain”.

29. Flatbread sometimes served with curry : ROTI

In an Indian restaurant, naan bread is very popular. Roti is the unleavened cousin to naan.

31. Safaris without guns, say : ECOTOURS

“Safari” is a Swahili word meaning “journey” or “expedition”.

35. Protagonist in the “Die Hard” films : MCCLANE

The 1988 action movie “Die Hard” is such a fun film. We always pull it out at Christmas when we want something “Christmassy” but different from “The Bishop’s Wife” or “It’s a Wonderful Life”. The “Nakatomi Plaza” building that features so prominently in the film is actually “Fox Plaza” (headquarters for 20th Century Fox) in Los Angeles, which was built not long before filming started.

37. Beverage brand whose logo depicts three claw marks : MONSTER

Monster Energy is a drink containing lots of caffeine. The label on the drink usually warns the consumer about over-consumption of the contents.

38. Green cars : TESLAS

Tesla Motors is a manufacturer of electric vehicles based in Palo Alto, California. Tesla is noted for producing the first electric sports car, called the Tesla Roadster. The company followed the sports car with a luxury sedan, the Model S. The Model S was the world’s best selling plug-in electric vehicle of 2015.

39. Musician with the 1963 gold-selling album “Honey in the Horn” : AL HIRT

Al Hirt was a trumpeter and bandleader. Hirt’s most famous recordings were the song “Java” and the album “Honey in the Horn”, as well the theme song used “The Green Hornet” TV series in the sixties.

40. Opportunity for people to act badly? : B MOVIE

The term “B movie” was used to describe movies that were made with low budgets and were intended to be the bottom half of a double feature (remember the days of double features?).

41. Rodeo ring? : LARIAT

Our word “lariat” comes from the Spanish “la reater” meaning “the rope”.

49. Prey for a jaguar : PACA

There are two species of rodents called pacas, and both are found in Central and South America. In some parts, paca is considered a gourmet dish.