1217-17 NY Times Crossword Answers 17 Dec 2017, Sunday

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Constructed by: Andrew J. Ries
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: Oh, One Last Thing

Themed answers are common phrases, but with an “OH” sound added at the end:

  • 24A. Comparatively strong, like some French wine? : STIFF AS A BORDEAUX (stiff as a board – oh)
  • 40A. Egyptian leader obsessed with his appearance? : VANITY PHARAOH (“Vanity Fair” – oh)
  • 43A. Certain Lincoln Center soprano? : NEW YORK MEZZO (New York Mets – oh)
  • 63A. Shooting craps while waiting for one’s train? : ROLLING IN THE DEPOT (“Rolling in the Deep” – oh)
  • 85A. Comment from a cook who cools the cheese sauce before serving? : I REST MY QUESO (I rest my case – oh)
  • 89A. Woodwind that’s O.K. to play? : KOSHER PICCOLO (kosher pickle – oh)
  • 104A. Cupid’s catchphrase? : LOVE IS IN THE ARROW (“Love Is in the Air” – oh)

Bill’s time: 17m 53s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1. Neighbor of Sudan : CHAD

The landlocked African country called Chad takes its name from the second largest wetland on the continent, which is known as Lake Chad.

Sudan was the largest country in Africa until 2011, when the Southern Sudan region opted by referendum to become independent. “North Sudan” retained the name of Sudan, and the new state is called South Sudan. Sudan is now the third largest country in the continent, after Algeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

5. Queen in the “Star Wars” movies : AMIDALA

In the “Star Wars” universe, Padmé Amidala is the Queen of the planet Naboo. Played very ably by Natalie Portman, Padmé becomes the secret wife of Anakin Skywalker, later revealed to be Darth Vader. As such, Padmé is also the mother of Luke Skywalker and his sister, Princess Leia Organa.

16. Things that people like to have ripped? : ABS

Abdominal muscles (abs.)

19. First sentence of a news story : LEDE

The opening paragraph in any work of literature is often just called “the lead”. In the world of journalism, this is usually referred to as “the lede”.

21. Comedian who was a regular on “The Steve Allen Show” : LOUIS NYE

“Louis Nye” was the stage name used by Louis Neistat, a comedy actor from Hartford, Connecticut. Nye never retired, and was working right up until he passed away in 2005 at the age of 92.

Steve Allen was a television personality who always seemed to be on air in the fifties, sixties and seventies. Famously, Allen was the original host of “The Tonight Show”. He also played a little piano and composed over 10,000 songs, perhaps more than anyone in history. His best known song is probably “This Could Be the Start of Something Big”.

23. Sources of lean meat : EMUS

Even though emu meat is classified as a red meat because of its color, it has a fat content that is comparable to other poultry.

24. Comparatively strong, like some French wine? : STIFF AS A BORDEAUX (stiff as a board – oh)

Bordeaux is perhaps the wine-production capital of the world. Wine has been produced in the area since the eighth century. Bordeaux has an administrative history too. During WWII, the French government relocated from Paris to the port city of Bordeaux when it became clear that Paris was soon to fall to the Germans. After the Germans took France, the capital was famously moved to Vichy.

30. Fearful : TREPID

Our word “trepidation”, meaning “fear”. comes from the Latin verb “tridare” meaning “to tremble”.

32. 1998 De Niro thriller : RONIN

I haven’t seen “Ronin”, a 1998 action thriller about a group of ex-special forces and intelligence agents who collaborate to steal a mysterious suitcase. It stars Robert De Niro and Jean Reno, and sounds like my kind of film.

Robert De Niro is noted for his longtime and highly successful collaboration with the director Martin Scorsese, in such films as “Taxi Driver” (1976), “Raging Bull” (1980), “Goodfellas” (1990) and “Casino” (1995). De Niro is also noted for his commitment as a method actor. Famously he gained a full 60 pounds in order to play Jake Lamotta in “Raging Bull”.

34. Highway noise barriers : BERMS

The term “berm” can be used to describe a physical barrier of some kind. For example, berms can be constructed along a highway to protect those living and working nearby from noise pollution.

40. Egyptian leader obsessed with his appearance? : VANITY PHARAOH (“Vanity Fair” – oh)

William Makepeace Thackeray subtitled “Vanity Fair” using the words “A Novel without a Hero”. He meant this as a warning to us that there are no unflawed characters in the story. I very much enjoyed the 2004 “Vanity Fair” movie adaptation starring Reese Witherspoon.

43. Certain Lincoln Center soprano? : NEW YORK MEZZO (New York Mets – oh)

A mezzo-soprano is a female singing voice below a soprano but above a contralto. “Mezzo” is Italian for “half”.

The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts takes its name from the neighborhood in which it is situated: Lincoln Square in the Upper West Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan.

46. Dietary std. : RDA

Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) were introduced during WWII, and were replaced by Recommended Daily Intakes (RDIs) in 1997.

47. China’s Chiang ___-shek : KAI

Chiang Kai-Shek was the leader of the Nationalist Movement in China right through to the end of WWII. The Nationalists lost out in a Civil War to the Communists backed by the Soviet Union after war, and Chiang Kai-Shek and his government were forced to flee to Taiwan. Chiang Kai-shek claimed rule over China from Taiwan until his death in 1975.

52. Fleet : ARMADA

The most famous armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England in order to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I in 1588. It failed in its mission, partly due to bad weather encountered en route. Ironically, the English mounted a similar naval attack against Spain the following year, and it failed as well.

57. Bit of food … or feud? : BEEF

A beef is a complaint or a grievance. It’s not quite clear how “beef” came to have this meaning, but one suggestion is that derives from the habit of soldiers at the end of the 1800s complaining about the quality or availability of beef in their rations.

58. Part of a house : GABLE

The gable is a the triangular portion of the wall on a building that is defined by the intersection of the two slopes of the roof.

59. Peach ___ : MELBA

Peach Melba is a dessert comprising peaches and raspberry sauce with vanilla ice cream. The dish was the creation of chef Auguste Escoffier, who introduced it at the Savoy Hotel in London in the 1890s in honor of Australian soprano Dame Nellie Melba. Escoffier later developed Melba toast, also in honor of the singer.

61. ___-frutti : TUTTI

The adjective “tutti-frutti” describes a prepared confection that has a combination of fruit flavors. “Tutti frutti” is Italian for “all fruits”.

63. Shooting craps while waiting for one’s train? : ROLLING IN THE DEPOT (“Rolling in the Deep” – oh)

Our term “depot”, meaning a station or warehouse, comes from the French word “dépôt”. The French term translates into English as “deposit” or “place of deposit”.

“Rolling in the Deep” is a 2010 song by Adele that she released on her incredibly successful album “21”. The single was Adele’s first #1 in the US.

67. Actress Hatcher : TERI

Teri Hatcher’s most famous role is the Susan Mayer character on the TV comedy-drama “Desperate Housewives”. I’ve never seen more than a few minutes of “Housewives” but I do know Teri Hatcher as a Bond girl, as she appeared in “Tomorrow Never Dies”. More recently, she portrayed Lois Lane on the show “Lois & Clark”.

69. “I had a dream, which was not all a dream” poet : BYRON

Here are the opening lines to Lord Byron’s poem “Darkness”:

I had a dream, which was not all a dream.
The bright sun was extinguish’d, and the stars
Did wander darkling in the eternal space,
Rayless, and pathless, and the icy earth
Swung blind and blackening in the moonless air;

70. George Eliot’s “___ Marner” : SILAS

“Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe” is a novel written by George Eliot and first published in 1861. There’s an excellent BBC TV version of the tale (shown on PBS) starring Ben Kingsley in the title role, with Patsy Kensit playing Eppie, the young orphaned child that Marner takes under his wing.

74. Much of Mongolia : STEPPE

A steppe is a grassland that is devoid of trees, apart from those growing near rivers and lakes. In this country, we would likely call such a geographic feature a prairie.

78. Automaker sold by G.M. in 2017 : 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.

80. White undercoat : GESSO

“Gesso” is the Italian word for “chalk” and gives its name to the powdered calcium carbonate that is used as a primer coat under artistic panel paintings. The gesso is mixed with a glue and applied to wood so that it acts as an absorbent surface for paint.

83. Inits. for getting around the Loop : CTA

Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)

The historic commercial center of Chicago is known as the Loop. One theory is that the “loop” got its name from the cable loops in the city’s old cable car system. An alternative theory is that term only arose with the construction of the elevated railway “loop” that forms the hub of the city’s “L” system.

84. Protagonist in David Foster Wallace’s “Infinite Jest” : HAL

American author David Foster Wallace’s most famous work is his 1996 novel “Infinite Jest”. Wallace’s books are known for extensive use of explanatory footnotes and endnotes, which can take up as many pages as the novel’s text. Wallace struggled with depression for about twenty years. Sadly, he ended up committing suicide in 2008 by hanging himself, when he was only 46 years old. Wallace left an unfinished novel called “The Pale King” that, even though published incomplete, became a finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

85. Comment from a cook who cools the cheese sauce before serving? : I REST MY QUESO (I rest my case – oh)

“Queso” is Spanish for “cheese”.

89. Woodwind that’s O.K. to play? : KOSHER PICCOLO (kosher pickle – oh)

According to Jewish dietary law, kosher food is fit to eat, and food that is not fit to eat is referred to as treif (or “tref”). The usage of “kosher” has extended to include anything considered legitimate.

94. Weapon seen on the Kenyan flag : SPEAR

Kenya lies on the east coast of Africa, right on the equator. The country takes her name from Mount Kenya, the second highest peak on the continent (after Kilimanjaro). The official languages of Kenya are English and Swahili.

96. Done, slangily : FINITO

“Finito” is the Italian word for “finished”.

97. Units for binge watchers : SEASONS

I’m a big fan of binge-watching, the practice of watching perhaps two or three (even four!) episodes of a show in a row. My wife and I will often deliberately avoid watching a recommended show live, and instead wait until whole series have been released on DVD or online. I’m not a big fan of “tune in next week …”

100. Actor Patel of “Lion” : DEV

Dev Patel is an actor from Harrow in England. Patel is best known for playing the lead in the hit movie “Slumdog Millionaire”. He also stars in a lovely 2012 film called “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” alongside an incredible cast that included Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith and Tom Wilkinson. Patel also had a regular role in the marvelous HBO drama series called “The Newsroom”.

“Lion” is a 2016 film based on the autobiographical book “A Long Way Home” by Saroo Brierley. Brierley is an Indian-born Australian who was accidentally separated from his mother when he was 5 years old, ending up stranded on a train that took the young boy nearly 1,500 km from his home. The excellent film adaption stars Dev Patel as the older Brierley, who searches for his birth-family. Excellent movie …

113. “The Dukes of Hazzard” spinoff : ENOS

Enos Strate (played by Sonny Shroyer) was the small-town deputy in the television sitcom “The Dukes of Hazzard”, and the success of his character merited a follow-on show. The spinoff “Enos” only ran for 18 episodes though.

114. Intimidate : COW

The verb “to cow” means to intimidate, to scare. The exact etymology of the term seems unclear.

115. One of eight in “The 12 Days of Christmas” : MAID

The fabulous Christmas Carol called “The Twelve Days of Christmas” dates back at least to 1780 when it was first published in England, though it may be French in origin. The concept of twelve days of Christmas comes from the tradition that the three kings came to visit the Christ Child twelve days after he was born. This same tradition is the origin of the title to Shakespeare’s play “Twelfth Night”.

117. Certain soft drinks, informally : DEWS

If you check the can, you’ll see that “Mountain Dew” is now marketed as “Mtn Dew”.

Down

1. Score marking : CLEF

“Clef” is the French word for “key”. In music, a clef is used to indicate the pitch of the notes written on the stave. The bass clef is also known as the F-clef, the alto clef is the C-clef, and the treble clef is the G-clef.

2. Powerful engine, for short : HEMI

Hemi is short for “hemisphere”, and is the name given to an internal combustion engine with hemispherical combustion chambers. Chrysler is famous for using Hemi engines in many of its models.

5. Start of MGM’s motto : ARS

It seems that the phrase “art for art’s sake” has its origins in France in the nineteenth century, where the slogan is expressed as “l’art pour l’art”. The Latin version “Ars gratia artis” came much later, in 1924. That’s when MGM’s publicist chose it for the studio’s logo, sitting under Leo the lion. Who’d a thunk it?

7. Like Wrigley Field’s walls : IVIED

The famous ballpark that is home to the Chicago Cubs was built in 1914. Back then it was known as Weeghman Park, before becoming Cubs Park when the Cubs arrived in 1920. It was given the name Wrigley Field in 1926, after the owner William Wrigley, Jr. of chewing gum fame. Wrigley Field is noted as the only professional ballpark that has ivy covering the outfield walls. The ivy is a combination of Boston Ivy and Japanese Bittersweet, both of which can survive the harsh winters in Chicago.

9. Landon who lost in a landslide : ALF

Alf Landon was the Governor of Kansas from 1933-37, and was the Republican Party’s nominee against FDR in the 1936 Presidential election. Landon is remembered as the candidate who “disappeared” after winning the nomination. He rarely traveled during the campaign, and made no appearances at all in its first two months. FDR famously won by a landslide, with Landon only winning the states of Maine and Vermont. Landon wasn’t even able to carry his home state of Kansas.

11. Big name in 1980s-’90s TV talk : ARSENIO

Arsenio Hall got his big break with his role in the movie “Coming to America” with Eddie Murphy in 1988. The following year he started hosting “The Arsenio Hall Show”, which ran until 1994. He had a loyal group of fans in the audience that had the habit of almost “barking” while pumping their fists in the air. The raucous move became so popular it extended far beyond the influences of Arsenio, and to this day it is still used as a mark of appreciation in some arenas. Not by me, mind you …

12. State capital that’s the setting of “Ironweed” : ALBANY

New York’s state capital of Albany was founded as a Dutch trading post called Fort Nassau in 1614. The English took over the settlement in 1664 and called it Albany, naming it after the future King of England James II, whose title at the time was the Duke of Albany. It became the capital of New York State in 1797.

13. Betty ___ : BOOP

Betty Boop made her first appearance on the screen in 1930, in a cartoon called “Dizzy Dishes”. Her character was modeled on the the It-girl, the sexy Clara Bow of movie fame. Back then Betty Boop was a sexy poodle and it wasn’t until 1932 that she morphed into completely human form. Betty was quite the risqué figure, but her vampish ways only lasted a few years. When the Production Code of 1934 came into force, Betty started to dress more modestly and toned down her behavior.

16. CNN commentator Navarro : ANA

Ana Navarro is a Nicaraguan-born American political strategist and commentator. Navarro is a lifelong Republican who worked for Governor Jeb Bush and for Senator John McCain. However, she was very critical of presidential candidate Donald Trump during his 2016 campaign. She was so vehement in her anti-Trump views that she ended up voting for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the election.

17. The Cougars of the West Coast Conf. : BYU

Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah has about 34.000 students on campus making it the largest religious university in the country. The school was founded in 1875 by Brigham Young, then President of the Mormon Church.

22. Holiday meal : SEDER

The Passover Seder is a ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish Passover holiday, celebrating the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. One of the traditions at the meal is that the youngest child at the table asks “The Four Questions”, all relating to why this night is different from all other nights in the year:

  • Why is it that on all other nights during the year we eat either bread or matzoh, but on this night we eat only matzoh?
  • Why is it that on all other nights we eat all kinds of herbs, but on this night we eat only bitter herbs?
  • Why is it that on all other nights we do not dip our herbs even once, but on this night we dip them twice?
  • Why is it that on all other nights we eat either sitting or reclining, but on this night we eat in a reclining position?

27. Long lunch? : HERO

“Hero” is another name for a submarine sandwich. The hero originated in New York City in the 1800s among Italian immigrants who wanted an Italian sandwich that reminded them of home. The name “hero” was coined in the 1930s, supposedly by a food critic in the “New York Herald Tribune” when he wrote that “one had to be a hero” to finish the gigantic sandwich. Hero is a prevalent term to this day in New York City, reserved for a submarine sandwich with an Italian flavor.

35. Cheesy dish : RAREBIT

Welsh rarebit is a delicious dish made using a cheese-flavored sauce served over toast. It may be that the name Welsh rarebit was originally a bit of an insult to the folks in Wales. The dish was called Welsh “rabbit” back in the 1700s. In those day’s rabbit was the poor man’s meat, and the implication of the dish’s name is that in Wales cheese was the poor man’s rabbit.

36. Seminal symbol of mass production : MODEL T

The Ford Model T was the first really affordable car that was offered for sale, and it was produced from 1908 to 1927. It was the Model T that ushered in the era of assembly line production, which greatly cut down the cost of manufacture. The Model T’s engine was designed to run on petrol, kerosene or ethanol. Ford stated in 1909 that “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black”. In actual fact, from 1908 through 1913, the Model T wasn’t available in black, and only grey, green, blue and red. The “black only” strategy applied from 1914.

38. Paul who sang “Lonely Boy” : ANKA

Canadian-born Paul Anka’s big hit was in 1957, the song entitled “Diana”. Anka was the subject of a much-lauded documentary film in 1962 called “Lonely Boy”.

39. King who said “Nothing will come of nothing” : LEAR

Shakespeare was inspired to write his famous drama “King Lear” by the legend of “Leir of Britain”, the story of a mythological Celtic king.

41. Disloyalty : PERFIDY

Perfidy is a deliberate breach of trust. The term originated with the Latin phrase “per fidem decipere”, meaning “to deceive through trustingness”.

49. Genesis brother : SETH

According to the Bible, Adam and Eve had several children, although only the first three are mentioned by name: Cain, Abel and Seth.

50. Early Beatle : PETE BEST

Musician Pete Best is most famous as the first drummer with the Beatles. Famously, Best was sacked from the band by manager Brian Epstein. However, Epstein took this step reluctantly, and at the request of Lennon, McCartney and Harrison. Several stories have emerged about why the decision was made, but it seems that record producers at Parlophone were insisting that a session drummer be used in the band’s first recordings, and things snowballed from there. And of course, Best was soon replaced by Ringo Starr.

51. Sam who ran the bar on “Cheers” : MALONE

The actor Ted Danson is noted for in particular for three successful roles that he has played on television. He played Sam Malone on the sitcom “Cheers”, the title role on the sitcom “Becker”, and eventually led the cast on the drama series “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”. Danson has been married to the lovely actress Mary Steenburgen since 1995.

58. Topic at the Kinsey Institute : G-SPOT

The full name for the G-Spot is the “Gräfenberg Spot”, named after German doctor Ernst Gräfenberg. Gräfenberg is best known for developing the intrauterine device (IUD).

65. It decreases a QB’s rating: Abbr. : INT

Interception (Int.)

73. ___ buco : OSSO

“Osso” is the Italian word for bone, as in the name of the dish “osso buco”, which features braised veal shanks.

75. Secreted signal : PHEROMONE

A pheromone is a chemical secreted by an animal that triggers a social response of some sort in members of the same species. Sex pheromones are usually released by females, indicating availability for breeding. Trail pheromones are laid down to guide others from a nest to food. Territorial pheromones are used to mark the boundaries of an animal’s territory.

76. El ___ : PASO

Although there have been human settlements in the El Paso area for thousands of years, the first European settlement was founded in 1659 by the Spanish. That first community was on the south bank of the Rio Grande, and was called El Paso del Norte (the North Pass). Most of the urban development under Spanish rule took place on the south side of the river, with El Paso del Norte acting as the center of governance for the Spanish for the territory of New Mexico. The Rio Grande was chosen as the border between Mexico and the US in 1848, so most of the city of El Paso del Norte became part of the Mexican state of Chihuahua (and is now called Ciudad Juárez ). The area north of the river developed as a US military post, eventually becoming the modern city of El Paso, Texas.

77. Cricket rival of Harrow : ETON

Cricket is the national game of England. The term “cricket” apparently comes from the Old French word “criquet” meaning “goalpost, stick”.

80. Grasp, informally : GROK

To grok is to understand, and is a slang term that’s really only used in “techie” circles. “Grok” is the creation of science fiction author Robert Heinlein, who coined it in his 1961 novel “Stranger in a Strange Land”.

85. Entertainment with camels, maybe : ICE SHOW

A camel spin is a figure skating move in which the skater spins on one leg with the free leg extended outwards with the knee held above the hip. The version of the move known as a flying camel spin is initiated with a jump before adopting the formal spin position. The latter was first performed by US figure skater Dick Button.

86. It sank after W.W. II : YEN

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”.

87. Go cold turkey : QUIT

The phrase “cold turkey” surfaced in 1910 with the meaning “without preparation”. We started to use the phrase in the early 1920s in the sense of unprepared withdrawal from an addictive substance. The underpinning notion is that cold turkey is a food requiring little preparation.

92. Lincoln’s place : CENT

The US one-cent coin has borne the profile of President Abraham Lincoln since 1909, the centennial of Lincoln’s birth. Fifty years later, a representation of the Lincoln Memorial was added to the reverse side.

96. Wild : FERAL

“Feral”, meaning existing in a wild or untamed state, comes from the Latin word “fera” meaning “wild animal”.

98. Old movie dog : ASTA

Asta is the wonderful little dog in the superb “The Thin Man” series of films starring William Powell and Myrna Loy (as Nick and Nora Charles). In the original story by Dashiell Hammett, Asta was a female Schnauzer, but on screen Asta was played by a wire-haired fox terrier called “Skippy”. Skippy was also the dog in “Bringing up Baby” with Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn, the one who kept stealing the dinosaur bone. Skippy retired in 1939, so Asta was played by other dogs in the remainder of “The Thin Man” films.

99. ___ Valley : SIMI

Simi Valley, California is perhaps best known as home to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The library is a great place to visit, and there you can tour one of the retired Air Force One planes.

100. Give a beating : DRUB

A drubbing is a beating, given either literally or figuratively. The term “drub” dates back in English to the 17th century when it was imported from the Arabic word for a beating: “darb”.

103. 1979 Roman Polanski film : TESS

The full name of Thomas Hardy’s 1891 novel is “Tess of the d’Urbervilles” A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented”. When it was originally published, “Tess …” received very mixed reviews, largely because it addressed some difficult sexual themes including rape, and sexual double standards (attitudes towards men vs women). I suppose the most celebrated screen adaptation is Roman Polanski’s “Tess” released in 1979. Polanski apparently made “Tess” because his wife, Sharon Tate, gave him Hardy’s novel as her last act before she was murdered by the Manson family. There is a dedication at the beginning of the movie that just says “To Sharon”.

104. Inc. relative : LLC

A limited liability company (LLC) is a company structure that limits the liability of the owner or owners. It is a hybrid structure in the sense that it can be taxed as would an individual or partnership, while also maintaining the liability protection afforded to a corporation.

105. Win on “Hollywood Squares” : O-O-O

The popular game show “Hollywood Squares” was first aired in 1965, in glorious black and white. The list of celebrities who regularly appeared on the show over the years includes Rich Little, Roddy McDowell, Florence Henderson, Buddy Hackett, Barbara Eden, Vincent Price, Jonathan Winters and Joan Rivers.

106. “I shall return,” e.g. : VOW

General Douglas MacArthur made his famous declaration “I came through and I shall return” in Melbourne, Australia in 1942. The remarks followed his escape from the Philippines after the Japanese invasion. MacArthur and his family departed from the heavily fortified Corregidor Island in Manila Bay in a PT boat (PT-41). PT-41 joined up with three other PT boats and made a perilous two-day journey through Japanese-patrolled waters to the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. From Mindanao the party flew to Australia. MacArthur did eventually return to the Philippines as he had promised, arriving back on Corregidor in March 1945 on a PT boat.

109. Sentence fragments: Abbr. : WDS

Words (wds.)

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Neighbor of Sudan : CHAD
5. Queen in the “Star Wars” movies : AMIDALA
12. Basics : ABCS
16. Things that people like to have ripped? : ABS
19. First sentence of a news story : LEDE
20. Party animal : REVELER
21. Comedian who was a regular on “The Steve Allen Show” : LOUIS NYE
23. Sources of lean meat : EMUS
24. Comparatively strong, like some French wine? : STIFF AS A BORDEAUX (stiff as a board – oh)
26. Grime : FILTH
28. “Yo!” : HEY!
29. Went by : ELAPSED
30. Fearful : TREPID
32. 1998 De Niro thriller : RONIN
34. Highway noise barriers : BERMS
38. One who’s in it but doesn’t win it : ALSO-RAN
40. Egyptian leader obsessed with his appearance? : VANITY PHARAOH (“Vanity Fair” – oh)
43. Certain Lincoln Center soprano? : NEW YORK MEZZO (New York Mets – oh)
45. It may pop on a plane : EAR
46. Dietary std. : RDA
47. China’s Chiang ___-shek : KAI
48. Yes or no follower : … SIREE
49. Light on one’s feet : SPRY
51. Submissive : MEEK
52. Fleet : ARMADA
56. “Totally awesome!” : RAD!
57. Bit of food … or feud? : BEEF
58. Part of a house : GABLE
59. Peach ___ : MELBA
61. ___-frutti : TUTTI
62. Buttonhole, e.g. : SLIT
63. Shooting craps while waiting for one’s train? : ROLLING IN THE DEPOT (“Rolling in the Deep” – oh)
67. Actress Hatcher : TERI
68. All skin and bones : GAUNT
69. “I had a dream, which was not all a dream” poet : BYRON
70. George Eliot’s “___ Marner” : SILAS
71. Finely decorated : GILT
72. Antagonist : FOE
74. Much of Mongolia : STEPPE
78. Automaker sold by G.M. in 2017 : OPEL
79. Territory : TURF
80. White undercoat : GESSO
82. Broadbrim, e.g. : HAT
83. Inits. for getting around the Loop : CTA
84. Protagonist in David Foster Wallace’s “Infinite Jest” : HAL
85. Comment from a cook who cools the cheese sauce before serving? : I REST MY QUESO (I rest my case – oh)
89. Woodwind that’s O.K. to play? : KOSHER PICCOLO (kosher pickle – oh)
93. Something that’s free of charge : NEUTRON
94. Weapon seen on the Kenyan flag : SPEAR
95. Big stinks : REEKS
96. Done, slangily : FINITO
97. Units for binge watchers : SEASONS
100. Actor Patel of “Lion” : DEV
101. “Don’t ___ me” : TEMPT
104. Cupid’s catchphrase? : LOVE IS IN THE ARROW (“Love Is in the Air” – oh)
110. Part : ROLE
111. Attention hog’s cry : LOOK AT ME!
112. Vigilant : ON GUARD
113. “The Dukes of Hazzard” spinoff : ENOS
114. Intimidate : COW
115. One of eight in “The 12 Days of Christmas” : MAID
116. Egg-shaped Hasbro toys introduced in 1971 : WEEBLES
117. Certain soft drinks, informally : DEWS

Down

1. Score marking : CLEF
2. Powerful engine, for short : HEMI
3. Nighttime Cartoon Network programming block : ADULT SWIM
4. Wipe off the map : DESTROY
5. Start of MGM’s motto : ARS
6. Quaint “I believe” : METHINKS
7. Like Wrigley Field’s walls : IVIED
8. Brave : DEFY
9. Landon who lost in a landslide : ALF
10. Pastoral locale : LEA
11. Big name in 1980s-’90s TV talk : ARSENIO
12. State capital that’s the setting of “Ironweed” : ALBANY
13. Betty ___ : BOOP
14. Mean, lowdown sorts : CURS
15. Court conference : SIDEBAR
16. CNN commentator Navarro : ANA
17. The Cougars of the West Coast Conf. : BYU
18. Determination in a prenatal exam : SEX
22. Holiday meal : SEDER
25. Came down : ALIT
27. Long lunch? : HERO
31. It’s to be expected : PAR
32. Leveled : RAZED
33. Eleven: Fr. : ONZE
35. Cheesy dish : RAREBIT
36. Seminal symbol of mass production : MODEL T
37. Lose : SHAKE
38. Paul who sang “Lonely Boy” : ANKA
39. King who said “Nothing will come of nothing” : LEAR
40. Woman’s name that means “truth” : VERA
41. Disloyalty : PERFIDY
42. Loft filler : HAY
44. Director of 1991’s “Mississippi Masala” : MIRA NAIR
49. Genesis brother : SETH
50. Early Beatle : PETE BEST
51. Sam who ran the bar on “Cheers” : MALONE
53. Unconcerned with right and wrong : AMORAL
54. Parts of supermarkets : DELIS
55. With 57-Down, very nearly : ALL …
57. See 55-Down : … BUT
58. Topic at the Kinsey Institute : G-SPOT
60. 32-ounce purchase at 7-Eleven : BIG GULP
61. Mining supply : TNT
63. Free : RELEASE
64. Chasm : GULF
65. It decreases a QB’s rating: Abbr. : INT
66. Busy hosp. areas : ERS
67. Best of the best : TIP-TOP
70. Knee-highs, e.g. : SOCKS
72. Doesn’t know for a fact, say : FEELS
73. ___ buco : OSSO
75. Secreted signal : PHEROMONE
76. El ___ : PASO
77. Cricket rival of Harrow : ETON
79. Material once set afire and put in a catapult : TAR
80. Grasp, informally : GROK
81. Human, typically, diet-wise : OMNIVORE
84. Announcement upon a grand arrival : HERE I AM!
85. Entertainment with camels, maybe : ICE SHOW
86. It sank after W.W. II : YEN
87. Go cold turkey : QUIT
88. Said : UTTERED
90. Goaltender Dominik in the Hockey Hall of Fame : HASEK
91. Wrinkle-free, say : IRONED
92. Lincoln’s place : CENT
96. Wild : FERAL
98. Old movie dog : ASTA
99. ___ Valley : SIMI
100. Give a beating : DRUB
102. Go forcefully (through) : PLOW
103. 1979 Roman Polanski film : TESS
104. Inc. relative : LLC
105. Win on “Hollywood Squares” : O-O-O
106. “I shall return,” e.g. : VOW
107. Des Moines-to-Dubuque dir. : ENE
108. Add years : AGE
109. Sentence fragments: Abbr. : WDS

9 thoughts on “1217-17 NY Times Crossword Answers 17 Dec 2017, Sunday”

  1. 33:32 Moved through this pretty steadily. Had a bit of a tough time with the very bottom, especially the themer at 104A. I don’t pronounce the beginning of “arrow” like “air” so I had a tough time figuring that part out.

    1. Another strike against these “sound-pun puzzles”. Depending on where you are in the country, they don’t even WORK.

  2. 39:55 with a minute or two of that seeking out an error. Pretty straightforward today. Got the theme early and that aided considerably.

    Isn’t there an old myth about Welsh RAREBIT causing nightmares or something like that?

    Best –

  3. 22:19, no errors. Ran into a couple of sticky areas, for example I can never remember if PHER(O)MONE is spelled with an O, an A or an E. An E would have made 96A FINITE, which sort of makes sense.

    The theme answers were also interesting, in that some of them point out different regional accents. I agree with @Marc, I don’t pronoun ARROW as AIR-oh; although many people do. Have also heard many people pronounce PHAROAH with a long A, as FAY-row; and MEZZO pronounced without the T sound, as MEZ-oh. Even as a former New Yorker, it took me a while to see Mets in MEZZO.

    PS: Merry Christmas Eve to all you syndicatees!

  4. 40 mins, 40 sec…. and, wouldn’t you know it, 4 errors, in the center/right. I misspelled PHARAOH, couldn’t “see” MODEL T, and had SLOT where SLIT should’ve been.

    Still, was happy to finish with this few errors. This was a slog from top to bottom, as most of these “forced pun” puzzles are.

    Hats off to Bill for a sub-eighteen minute solve!!!! I must’ve still been mired in the top third at 18 minutes!!!!

  5. I never time myself because I finish the puzzle in hours, not minutes. 🙂 I do the puzzle on paper with a pencil and eraser and often a magnifying glass. I enjoyed this puzzle; it didn’t require too much strange knowledge. However, I have never heard of gesso or weebles.

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