0330-18 NY Times Crossword Answers 30 Mar 2018, Friday

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Constructed by: Sam Trabucco
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 13m 31s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

9. A rutabaga is a cross between a cabbage and this : TURNIP

The names of veggies cause me grief sometimes. What’s called a turnip here in the US, we call a swede back in Ireland. An Irishman’s turnip is a rutabaga over here. Thank goodness a potato is a potato, or I’d just give up altogether 🙂

15. Pavarotti standard whose name means “My Sunshine” : O SOLE MIO

“‘O sole mio” is a famous Italian song from Naples, written in 1898. The song’s lyrics are usually sung in the original Neapolitan, as opposed to Italian. The title translates from Neapolitan into “My Sun” (and not into “O, My Sun” as one might expect). It’s a love song, sung by a young man declaring that there is a sun brighter than that in the sky, the sun that is his lover’s face. Awww …

19. “Your Love Is King” singer, 1984 : SADE

The singer Sade’s real name is Helen Folasade Adu. Although she was born in Nigeria, Sade grew up and lives in the UK. She was the lead vocalist for the English group Sade, and adopted the name of the band. The band’s biggest hits were “Smooth Operator” (1984) and “The Sweetest Taboo” (1985).

24. “God created ___ so that Americans would learn geography” (line attributed to Mark Twain) : WAR

Samuel Langhorne Clemens was the real name of the author Mark Twain. Twain wasn’t the only pen name used by Clemens. Early in his career he signed some sketches as “Josh”, and signed some humorous letters that he wrote under the name “Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass”. The name of Mark Twain came from the days when Clemens was working on riverboats on the Mississippi. A riverboatman would call out “by the mark twain” when measuring the depth of water. This meant that on the sounding line, according to the “mark” on the line, the depth was two (“twain”) fathoms, and so it was safe for the riverboat to proceed.

25. With the bow, in music : ARCO

“Arco” is a musical direction instructing a string player to return to normal bowing technique after a passage played using some other technique (perhaps pizzicato).

27. Like many Christmas traditions : PAGAN

Yule celebrations coincide with Christmas, and the words “Christmas” and “Yule” (often “Yuletide”) have become synonymous in much of the world. However, Yule was originally a pagan festival celebrated by Germanic peoples. The name “Yule” comes from the Old Norse word “jol” that was used to describe the festival.

29. Some of Lockheed Martin’s business : ARMS

Lockheed Martin is a huge aerospace and defense company headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. Over 7% of the money paid out by the Pentagon in 2009 went to Lockheed Martin.

31. ___ chain : FOB

A fob is attached to an object to make it easier to access. And so a key fob is a chain attached to a key so that it can be retrieved easily. There are also watch fobs, and the pocket in a vest in which a watch can be placed is called a fob. In fact, the original use of the term “fob” was for a small pocket in which one could carry valuables.

34. “100 Years … 100 Movies” org. : AFI

The American Film Institute (AFI) was founded in 1967 by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). One of the AFI’s more visible programs is the “100 Year Series”, including lists of Best Movies in several categories and a list of the Best Movie Quotes in 100 years of movie-making.

38. Ubiquitous Chinese character : MAO

Mao Zedong (also “Mao Tse-tung”) was born on December 16, 1893 in the Hunan Province of China. As Mao was the son of a peasant farmer, his prospects for education were limited. Indeed he left school at age 13 to work on the family farm but did eventually get to secondary school in Changsha, the provincial capital. In the years following, Mao continued his education in Beijing and actually turned down an opportunity to study in France.

44. ___ tide : NEAP

Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon on the oceans. At neap tide, the smaller gravitational effect of the sun cancels out some of the moon’s effect. At spring tide, the sun and the moon’s gravitational forces act in concert causing more extreme movement of the oceans.

46. D.O.J. branch : ATF

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is today part of the Department of Justice (DOJ). The ATF has its roots in the Department of Treasury dating back to 1886 when it was known as the Bureau of Prohibition. “Explosives” was added to the ATF’s name when the bureau was moved under the Department of Justice (DOJ) as part of the reorganization called for in the Homeland Security Act of 2002.

47. Chicago airport code : ORD

O’Hare International is the fourth busiest airport in the world. The original airport was constructed on the site between 1942 and 1943, and was used by the Douglas Aircraft Company for the manufacture of planes during WWII. Before the factory and airport were built, there was a community in the area called Orchard Place, so the airport was called Orchard Place Airport/Douglas Field. This name is the derivation of the airport’s current location identifier: ORD (OR-chard D-ouglas). Orchard Place Airport was renamed to O’Hare International in 1949 in honor of Lieutenant Commander Butch O’Hare who grew up in Chicago. O’Hare was the US Navy’s first flying ace and a Medal of Honor recipient in WWII.

51. Spike : LACE

To lace a drink, is to spike it, by adding perhaps some alcohol or other strong substance.

58. Style setter? : MOUSSE

Our word “mousse” is an Old French term meaning “froth”.

Down

1. Does some diamond cutting? : MOWS

That would be a baseball diamond.

3. Jell-O maker : MOLD

If you like Jell-O, then you want to stop by LeRoy, New York where you can visit the only Jell-O museum in the world. While at the museum, you can walk along the Jell-O Brick Road …

7. Italian poetic form : RIMA

“Rima” is Italian for “rhyme”.

10. Most-applied-to school in the U.S. : UCLA

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) gets more applications from potential students than any other university in the country. UCLA also has more students enrolled than any other university in the state.

11. Hit 1970s sitcom : RHODA

The seventies sitcom “Rhoda” starring Valerie Harper was a spin-off of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”. The eighth episode of the show was an hour-long special in which Rhoda married her fiance Joe (played by David Groh). At the time of airing it was the second-most watched television episode in history, second only to the 1953 birth of Little Ricky on “I Love Lucy”.

14. Tie-breaking shots in soccer: Abbr. : PKS

Penalty kick (PK)

21. Refuse to drop : HARP ON

To harp on something is to talk too much about it. The original expression with the same meaning was “to harp on the same string”, which is a reference to the musical instrument.

23. Nikon competitors : CANONS

The Japanese company called Canon is largely known in the US for producing quality cameras. The company started out as Precision Optical Industry Laboratory in 1937 making camera bodies. The name was changed in 1947 to Canon.

Nikon was founded in 1917 with the merger of three companies making various optical devices. After the merger, the company’s main output was lenses (including the first lenses for Canon cameras, before Canon made its own). During the war, Nikon sales grew rapidly as the company focused on (pun!) equipment for the military including periscopes and bomb sights.

26. Cousins of Drama Desk Awards : OBIES

The Obies are the “Off-Broadway Theater Awards”. The Obies are presented annually and the recipients are chosen by “The Village Voice” newspaper.

The Drama Desk Awards are presented annually in the world of New York theater. What’s unique about the Drama Desk Awards is that all productions (Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway) compete against each other in the same categories.

28. Terror in Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Lost World” : ALLOSAURUS

The most popular dinosaurs depicted in the movies, especially the older ones, are the Tyrannosaurs and the Allosauruses. They look very similar, with the former being the really big guy.

The Scottish writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is most closely associated with his wonderful character Sherlock Holmes. Doyle also wrote a series of science fiction stories featuring the character Professor Challenger. The first book in which Challenger appears is the famous “The Lost World”, a story about prehistoric creatures that are found living in the modern age on an isolated plateau in South America.

30. Tom of old late-night TV : SNYDER

Tom Snyder was a news anchor and radio/television personality who worked for NBC and CBS in the seventies and eighties. Snyder was best known for his late night appearances hosting “The Tomorrow Show” and “The Late Late Show”.

36. Common ingredient in baked beans : MOLASSES

When sugarcane is processed to extract sugar, it is crushed and mashed to produce a juice. The juice is boiled to make a sugary concentrate called cane syrup, from which sugar crystals are extracted. A second boiling of the leftover syrup produces second molasses, from which more sugar crystals can be extracted. A third boiling results in what is called blackstrap molasses.

37. Ethel Mertz, on “I Love Lucy” : LANDLADY

In the hit television show “I Love Lucy”, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz play Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. The Ricardos’ best friends are also their landlords, Fred and Ethel Mertz. The Mertz’s are played by William Frawley and Vivian Vance.

50. Hammer’s end : PEEN

The peen of a hammer is on the head, and is the side of the head that is opposite the striking surface. Often the peen is in the shape of a hemisphere (as in a ball-peen hammer), but usually it is shaped like a claw (mainly for removing nails).

55. Asia’s ___ Darya River : AMU

The Amu Darya is a major river in Central Asia that empties into the Aral Sea. It is also called the Oxus or Amu River.

57. Broadside, maybe : RAM

A broadside collision between two cars is also known as a right-angle or t-bone collision. The side of one vehicle is impacted by the front of another, often leaving the vehicles locked in a T-formation.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Egg warmer : MAMA BIRD
9. A rutabaga is a cross between a cabbage and this : TURNIP
15. Pavarotti standard whose name means “My Sunshine” : O SOLE MIO
16. “No bet,” in poker : I CHECK
17. “Ain’t that somethin’!” : WELL DAMN!
18. Doctor’s wear : GLOVES
19. “Your Love Is King” singer, 1984 : SADE
20. Stupid : FATHEADED
22. Toshiba competitor : RCA
24. “God created ___ so that Americans would learn geography” (line attributed to Mark Twain) : WAR
25. With the bow, in music : ARCO
27. Like many Christmas traditions : PAGAN
29. Some of Lockheed Martin’s business : ARMS
31. ___ chain : FOB
32. Committed : ALL IN
33. Like some jacket hoods : ZIP-ON
34. “100 Years … 100 Movies” org. : AFI
35. “And I get dumped on again” : WELCOME TO MY LIFE
38. Ubiquitous Chinese character : MAO
39. Like a three-pitch inning : NO-RUN
40. Low-lying areas : DALES
41. Jerk : ASS
42. School cafeteria food, stereotypically : SLOP
43. Stupid : DENSE
44. ___ tide : NEAP
46. D.O.J. branch : ATF
47. Chicago airport code : ORD
48. Businesses often near beaches : SURF SHOPS
51. Spike : LACE
55. For three: Fr. : A TROIS
56. Backspin producer? : REAR AXLE
58. Style setter? : MOUSSE
59. High-profile merger, e.g. : MEGADEAL
60. Riles : UPSETS
61. Plant from another country : ENEMY SPY

Down

1. Does some diamond cutting? : MOWS
2. Offshore : ASEA
3. Jell-O maker : MOLD
4. Like some reactions : ALLERGIC
5. Safe place to crash : BED
6. “Your work inspires me” : I’M A FAN
7. Italian poetic form : RIMA
8. “I won’t be back till late” : DON’T WAIT UP FOR ME
9. Strict, demanding parent : TIGER MOM
10. Most-applied-to school in the U.S. : UCLA
11. Hit 1970s sitcom : RHODA
12. “Works every time” : NEVER FAILS
13. Summer drink with caffeine : ICED COFFEE
14. Tie-breaking shots in soccer: Abbr. : PKS
21. Refuse to drop : HARP ON
23. Nikon competitors : CANONS
26. Cousins of Drama Desk Awards : OBIES
27. “Enough!” : PLEASE STOP!
28. Terror in Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Lost World” : ALLOSAURUS
30. Tom of old late-night TV : SNYDER
32. “Jeez, that’s a shame!” : AW MAN!
33. Preceder of first : ZEROTH
36. Common ingredient in baked beans : MOLASSES
37. Ethel Mertz, on “I Love Lucy” : LANDLADY
43. Just what the doctor ordered : DOSAGE
45. Essayist’s writing : PROSE
49. It may pack a punch : FIST
50. Hammer’s end : PEEN
52. Choppers : AXES
53. Thunderous sound : CLAP
54. Slithery : EELY
55. Asia’s ___ Darya River : AMU
57. Broadside, maybe : RAM

8 thoughts on “0330-18 NY Times Crossword Answers 30 Mar 2018, Friday”

  1. 29:04 – about as well as I can expect to do on a Friday. I still had a few missteps – had “neighbor” and “LANDLord” before LANDLADY, but I fixed that rather quickly.

    I didn’t know what a rutabaga was before this crossword, but for some reason I put TURNIP in there right away. Maybe I’d heard it ages ago?

    As a native Missourian I’ve always been a fan of Twain. The man would have been a superstar in today’s age of sound bites and tweets. I guess he was anyway… Appreciated the Tom SNYDER reference as well. I was a big fan of the Tomorrow show even at a young age. What was I doing up so late, though??

    Best –

  2. 15:31 I defintiely benefited from the order in which I got things today. Put it 1A and 15A right away which led me to get 8D and I was off to the races. Never heard of ZEROTH and I wasn’t sure if the crossing of 7D and 17A was r or m.

  3. 22:49, no errors. Did not connect with the setter for a long time. Essentially worked this puzzle from the bottom up. Ironically, my pet peeve of using foreign words/terms in an English language puzzle, gave me my breakthrough with 55A A TROIS.

    Also, fortunately, was familiar with the term ZEROTH from studying thermodynamics in college. The concept is: if an object A is in thermal equilibrium with object B, and B is in thermal equilibrium with object C; then A is in thermal equilibrium with C. This concept was considered so basic, that it should precede all other laws of thermodynamics; and, since there was already a first law of thermodynamics, it was designated as the ZEROTH law of thermodynamics.

  4. 21:03, no errors. Last fill took 5 minutes by itself. Thanks, Bruce B, for the (much needed, Bill!) explanation of ZEROTH. Never heard of it, and thought for a minute the setter was “making sh*t up”… I had to fill in ZIP-ON for the hood and utter a small prayer. Wasn’t really that comfortable with either of those. But it all worked out in the end.

    This puzzle doesn’t feel “Friday difficult”, but it did take me over 20 minutes to complete, so…. I guess it is apt for today…

    1. I studied physics in both college and graduate school and for the life of me I don’t remember that, but it absolutely makes sense. Maybe I cut class to go drink that day 🙂

      Best –

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