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Constructed by: Peter A. Collins
Edited by: Will Shortz
Not your puzzle? Try today’s …
… syndicated NY Times crossword
Today’s Theme: “Cool …” Quote
Today’s puzzle gives us a memorable quote from the memorable movie “COOL HAND LUKE”.
- 20A. With 37- and 52-Across, #11 on the American Film Institute’s “100 Years … 100 Movie Quotes” list : WHAT WE’VE GOT …
- 37A. See 20-Across : … HERE IS FAILURE TO …
- 52A. See 20-Across : … COMMUNICATE
- 65A. With 66- and 67-Across, source of this puzzle theme’s quote : COOL …
- 66A. See 65-Across : … HAND …
- 67A. See 65-Across : … LUKE
Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers
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Bill’s time: 5m 16s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Things kindergartners learn : ABCS
“Kindergarten” is a German term, literally translating as “children’s garden”. The term was coined by the German education authority Friedrich Fröbel in 1837, when he used it as the name for his play and activity institute that he created for young children to use before they headed off to school. His thought was that children should be nourished educationally, like plants in a garden.
9. “The Naked ___” (Goya painting) : MAJA
María Cayetana de Silva was the 13th Duchess of Alba. She was a favorite subject of the Spanish painter Francisco Goya. The duchess is the subject in the famous portraits known as “La maja desnuda” (The Nude Maja) and “La maja vestida” (The Clothed Maja). “Maja” translates from Spanish as “beautiful lady”.
17. Dog-___ (like some old book pages) : EARED
The folded-down corner of the page of a book, a temporary placeholder, is known as a “dog-ear”. I suppose that’s because it looks like the ear of a dog …
20. With 37- and 52-Across, #11 on the American Film Institute’s “100 Years … 100 Movie Quotes” list : WHAT WE’VE GOT …
(37A. See 20-Across : … HERE IS FAILURE TO …)
(52A. See 20-Across : … COMMUNICATE)
“Cool Hand Luke” is a prison drama from 1967 starring Paul Newman in the title role. The film was an adaptation of Donn Pearce’s novel of the same name. One of the most quoted lines from any movie comes from “Cool Hand Luke”, namely: “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” That is also one of the most misquoted lines from a movie, as it is often cited as “What we have here is a failure to communicate”.
26. “Rebecca” author Du Maurier : DAPHNE
Dame Daphne du Maurier was an author and playwright from England. My guess is that du Maurier’s most famous works are the novel “Rebecca” and the short story “The Birds”. Both “Rebecca” and “The Birds” were adapted into movies directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Daphne du Maurier’s wonderful novel “Rebecca” was published in 1938. The title refers to the first wife of the main male character, Maxim de Winter, who is now a widower. The main female character in the novel is a woman who Maxim meets in Monte Carlo, briefly courts, marries and brings back to his estate in Cornwall, England named Manderley.
29. The “Homo” in Homo sapiens : GENUS
The literal translation of “Homo sapiens” from Latin is “wise or knowing man”. The Homo genus includes the species Homo sapiens (modern humans), but we’re the only species left in that genus. The last known species related to humans was Homo neanderthalensis (Neanderthal Man) which died off about 24,000 years ago. However, another species was discovered in Indonesia in 2003 that has been dubbed Homo floresiensis (Flores Man … sometimes called “hobbit”), and it may possibly have lived as recently as 12,000 years ago. Watch this space …
42. ___TV (Time Warner channel) : TRU
truTV is a Turner Broadcasting cable network, launched in 1991 as Court TV. The name was changed to truTV in 2008.
44. Meryl who portrayed Margaret Thatcher : STREEP
Meryl Streep has had more nominations for an Academy Award than any other actor, which is both a tribute to her talent and the respect she has earned in the industry. I am not a huge fan of her earlier works but some of her recent movies are now on my list of all-time favorites. I recommend “Mamma Mia!” (you’ll either love it or hate it!), “Julie & Julia”, “It’s Complicated” and ”Hope Springs”.
“The Iron Lady” is a 2011 biopic about Margaret Thatcher, former British Prime Minister. The marvelous Meryl Streep does a wonderful job playing the title role. I had great expectations for this film and found that it didn’t quite deliver, despite a great cast.
Margaret Thatcher served as Prime Minister of the UK from 1979 to 1990, making her the longest serving leader of the country in the 20th century, and the first woman to hold the office. Thatcher’s nickname in the press was the “Iron Lady”, a moniker bestowed on her by a Soviet journalist. The “Iron Lady” was born Margaret Hilda Roberts, the daughter of a grocer. She studied chemistry at Oxford University and worked for a while as a research chemist.
47. 43rd U.S. president, informally : DUBYA
President George W. Bush was nicknamed “Dubya” based on the Texas pronunciation of his middle initial “W”.
61. Winter drink : COCOA
The beverages hot cocoa and hot chocolate differ from each other in that the latter contains cocoa butter, whereas the former does not.
63. Plains tribe : OTOE
The Otoe (also Oto) Native American tribe originated in the Great Lakes region as part of the Winnebago or Siouan tribes. The group that would become the Otoe broke away from the Winnebago and migrated southwestwards ending up in the Great Plains. In the plains the Otoe adopted a semi-nomadic lifestyle dependent on the horse, with the American bison becoming central to their diet.
Down
3. ___ mia (Italian term of endearment) : CARA
“Cara mia” is Italian for “my beloved” or “my dear”.
7. Free goodies at an event : SWAG
“Swag” is “loot, stolen property”, a term that started out as criminal slang in England in the 1830s. Swag is also the name given to the promotional freebies available at some events. That said, there’s an urban myth that the promotional “swag” is an acronym standing for “stuff we all get”.
8. Nobel Peace Prize city : OSLO
The Peace Prize is the most famous of the five prizes bequeathed by Alfred Nobel. The others are for Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Literature. There is also a Nobel Prize in Economics that is awarded along with the original five, but it is funded separately and is awarded “in memory of Alfred Nobel”. Four of the prizes are awarded by Swedish organizations (Alfred Nobel was a Swede) and so the award ceremonies take place in Stockholm. The Peace Prize is awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, and that award is presented in Oslo.
9. “The Simpsons” bartender : MOE
Moe Szyslak is the surly bartender and owner of Moe’s Tavern in “The Simpsons” animated TV show. I don’t really care for “The Simpsons”, but Hank Azaria who supplies the voice for the Moe character … him I like …
10. Actress MacDowell of “Four Weddings and a Funeral” : ANDIE
Andie MacDowell is an American actress who seems to turn up in quite a few British productions set in that part of the world. Most famously she was the love interest in the fabulous film “Four Weddings and a Funeral” starring opposite Hugh Grant. I also enjoyed another of her movies, “Groundhog Day”, which is a fun tale set back here in the US.
12. Fall bloomer : ASTER
Apparently, most aster species and cultivars bloom relatively late in the year, usually in the fall. The name “aster” comes into English via Latin from the Greek word “astéri” meaning “star”, a reference to the arrangement of the petals of the flower.
14. Olympic hurdler Moses : EDWIN
Edwin Moses is a former track and field athlete from Dayton, Ohio who won gold medals in the 1976 and 1984 Olympics in the 400m hurdles.
19. Shipmate of Capt. Kirk and Mr. Spock : LT SULU
Mr. Hikaru Sulu was played by George Takei in the original “Star Trek” series. Takei has played lots of roles over the years, and is still very active in television. Did you know that he appeared in the 1963 film, “Pt-109”? He played the helmsman steering the Japanese destroyer that ran down John F. Kennedy’s motor torpedo boat. From destroyer helmsman to starship helmsman …
25. Peter the Great, e.g. : TSAR
Peter the Great (aka “Peter I”) 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.
26. Author Roald : DAHL
Roald Dahl’s name is Norwegian. Dahl’s parents were from Norway, although Dahl himself was Welsh. Dahl became one of the most successful authors of the twentieth century. Two of his most famous titles are “James and the Giant Peach” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”.
27. Pulitzer Prize-winning author James : AGEE
James Agee was a noted American film critic and screenwriter. Agee wrote an autobiographical novel “A Death in the Family” that won him his Pulitzer in 1958, albeit posthumously. He was also one of the screenwriters for the 1951 classic movie “The African Queen”.
29. Alternatives to mums : GLADS
The gladiolus is a perennial flower in the iris family. Gladioli are sometimes referred to as sword lilies, and sometimes as glads.
Chrysanthemums are perennial flowering plants that are often called “mums”.
30. “The Sopranos” Emmy winner Falco : EDIE
The actress Edie Falco won three Emmy Awards for playing Carmela Soprano on HBO’s outstanding drama series called “The Sopranos”. Falco also won an Emmy in 2010 for playing the title role in “Nurse Jackie”, an excellent black comedy.
31. Packers’ and Panthers’ org. : NFL
When Curly Lambeau founded his small-town football team in Green Bay in 1919, he was working for the Indian Packing Company. Lambeau went to his employers looking for sponsorship and was given $250 provided that the team was named for the company. And so, the team was originally referred to as the Green Bay Indians, but by the time they took to the field for their first game it had changed to the Packers, and Lambeau was $250 richer.
The Carolina Panthers are the NFL team based in Charlotte, North Carolina.
35. Raison d’___ : ETRE
“Raison d’être” is a French phrase meaning “reason for existence”.
36. Campbell’s product : SOUP
The Campbell’s Soup company is named for one of the enterprise’s two founders, Joseph A. Campbell. He and Abraham Anderson started the business in 1869. The iconic design of the Campbell’s can was introduced in 1898 and has hardly changed since then. The gold seal in the design comes from the 1900 Paris Exhibition.
38. Athletic achievement award : ESPY
The ESPY Awards are a creation of the ESPN sports television network. One difference with similarly named awards in the entertainment industry is that ESPY winners are chosen solely based on viewer votes.
39. Susan with the 1978 best seller “Compromising Positions” : ISAACS
Susan Isaacs is a novelist from Brooklyn, New York. Isaacs has written a string of bestsellers including “Compromising Positions”, a book that she adapted into the screenplay for a 1985 movie of the same name starring Susan Sarandon and Raul Julia.
40. Camera type, for short : SLR
SLR stands for “single lens reflex”. Usually, cameras with changeable lenses are the SLR type. The main feature of an SLR is that a mirror reflects the image seen through the lens out through the viewfinder, so that the photographer sees exactly what the lens sees. The mirror moves out of the way as the picture is taken, and the image that comes through the lens falls onto unexposed film, or nowadays onto a digital sensor.
44. Something confessed in a confessional : SIN
A member of the Roman Catholic church can participate in the sacrament of confession. A penitent confesses to a priest, starting with the words, “Bless me Father, for I have sinned. It has been [time period] since my last confession …”
47. Kind of column in architecture : DORIC
The Doric was one of the three classical orders of architecture, the others being the Corinthian and the Ionic. The Doric was the earliest of the three orders, and the simplest.
49. Highly successful, in theaterspeak : BOFFO
“Boffo” is show biz slang for “very successful”, and is a term that dates back to the early sixties.
54. Big name in photocopiers, once : MITA
Mita was a Japanese photocopier manufacturer that was purchased by Kyocera in 2000.
55. Where the U.S. flag has flown since 1969 : MOON
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin deployed a US flag on the Moon in 1969. Aldrin saw that flag blown over by the rocket blast from the Eagle landing craft as it took off from the surface. As a result, the five US flags deployed in subsequent missions were placed further away from the Lunar Module, out of the range of the rocket blast.
56. Anticensorship org. : ACLU
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has its roots in the First World War when it was founded to provide legal advice and support to conscientious objectors. The ACLU’s motto is “Because Freedom Can’t Protect Itself”. The ACLU also hosts a blog on the ACLU.org website called “Speak Freely”.
The original censor was an officer in ancient Rome who had responsibility for taking the “census”, as well as supervising public morality.
60. “You’ve got mail” co. : AOL
The iconic phrase “You’ve got mail” was first used by AOL in 1989. The greeting was recorded by voice actor Elwood Edwards. Edwards has parlayed his gig with AOL into some other work. He appears in an episode of “The Simpsons” as a doctor who says the line “You’ve got leprosy”. Edwards also worked as a weatherman for a while and got to use the line “You’ve got hail” …
Read on, or …
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1. Things kindergartners learn : ABCS
5. In addition : ALSO
9. “The Naked ___” (Goya painting) : MAJA
13. Bit of snow : FLAKE
15. What some bills become : LAWS
16. Burden : ONUS
17. Dog-___ (like some old book pages) : EARED
18. “Told ya!” : I CALLED IT!
20. With 37- and 52-Across, #11 on the American Film Institute’s “100 Years … 100 Movie Quotes” list : WHAT WE’VE GOT …
22. Freezerful : ICE
23. Put in a bibliography : CITE
24. Have the wheel : STEER
26. “Rebecca” author Du Maurier : DAPHNE
29. The “Homo” in Homo sapiens : GENUS
32. In the past : AGO
33. Former lovers : OLD FLAMES
37. See 20-Across : … HERE IS FAILURE TO …
41. Accepts begrudgingly, as a minor flaw : LET’S SLIDE
42. ___TV (Time Warner channel) : TRU
43. Casting assignments : PARTS
44. Meryl who portrayed Margaret Thatcher : STREEP
47. 43rd U.S. president, informally : DUBYA
50. One of 18 on an 18-wheeler : TIRE
51. Bear: Sp. : OSO
52. See 20-Across : … COMMUNICATE
59. Make over : REFASHION
61. Winter drink : COCOA
62. Data : INFO
63. Plains tribe : OTOE
64. Drug bust units : KILOS
65. With 66- and 67-Across, source of this puzzle theme’s quote : COOL …
66. See 65-Across : … HAND …
67. See 65-Across : … LUKE
Down
1. Two or three : A FEW
2. Ho-hum : BLAH
3. ___ mia (Italian term of endearment) : CARA
4. Quick drawing : SKETCH
5. ___ and kicking : ALIVE
6. One poked through the eye? : LACE
7. Free goodies at an event : SWAG
8. Nobel Peace Prize city : OSLO
9. “The Simpsons” bartender : MOE
10. Actress MacDowell of “Four Weddings and a Funeral” : ANDIE
11. Electricity, slangily : JUICE
12. Fall bloomer : ASTER
14. Olympic hurdler Moses : EDWIN
19. Shipmate of Capt. Kirk and Mr. Spock : LT SULU
21. Summer in France : ETE
25. Peter the Great, e.g. : TSAR
26. Author Roald : DAHL
27. Pulitzer Prize-winning author James : AGEE
28. City with piers : PORT
29. Alternatives to mums : GLADS
30. “The Sopranos” Emmy winner Falco : EDIE
31. Packers’ and Panthers’ org. : NFL
33. “Make ___ what you will” : OF IT
34. Portion (out) : METE
35. Raison d’___ : ETRE
36. Campbell’s product : SOUP
38. Athletic achievement award : ESPY
39. Susan with the 1978 best seller “Compromising Positions” : ISAACS
40. Camera type, for short : SLR
44. Something confessed in a confessional : SIN
45. Pulling a rabbit out of a hat, e.g. : TRICK
46. Pull back, as in horror : RECOIL
47. Kind of column in architecture : DORIC
48. “___ hooks” (shipping caution) : USE NO
49. Highly successful, in theaterspeak : BOFFO
50. Readied, as a musical instrument : TUNED
53. Cry of anticipation : OH OH!
54. Big name in photocopiers, once : MITA
55. Where the U.S. flag has flown since 1969 : MOON
56. Anticensorship org. : ACLU
57. Swiped : TOOK
58. Abate : EASE
60. “You’ve got mail” co. : AOL
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