0429-18 NY Times Crossword Answers 29 Apr 2018, Sunday

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Constructed by: Peter Wentz
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: Mis-Unabbreviated

Themed answers each come from common phrases that start with a 2-letter abbreviation. But, that abbreviation has been expanded into a different 2-word phrase:

  • 22A. Meadows filled with loos? : WATER CLOSET FIELDS (from “WC Fields”)
  • 38A. Where sailors recover from their injuries? : PHYSICAL THERAPY BOATS (from “PT boats”)
  • 55A. Goings-on in accelerated classes? : ADVANCED PLACEMENT NEWS (from “AP News”)
  • 80A. Dog that doesn’t offend people? : POLITICALLY CORRECT LAB (from “PC lab”)
  • 100A. Cry of devotion from a non-academy student? : PUBLIC SCHOOL, I LOVE YOU! (from “PS I Love You”)
  • 117A. Morning zoo programming? : ANTE MERIDIEM RADIO (from “AM radio”)

Bill’s time: 18m 57s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

11. First name on the Supreme Court : RUTH

Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg serves on the US Supreme Court. Justice Ginsburg was the second woman to join the Court, nominated by President Bill Clinton. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1999 and underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. During that time she did not miss one day on the bench. In 2009 Justice Ginsburg had surgery for pancreatic cancer, and was back to work 12 days later.

18. Supercollider bit : ATOM

“Supercollider” is a familiar name for a high energy particle accelerator. The Large Hadron Collider is the world’s largest particle accelerator. It is located on the French-Swiss border near Geneva, in a tunnel that is a whopping 17 miles in circumference.

19. Online tracker : COOKIE

When you visit a website, often it will leave a little piece of text information called a “cookie” on your computer. As a cookie is a text file, and not executable, it is relatively harmless. However, as browsers routinely read these text files, cookies can be used as “spyware”. Basically, the browser can read the cookie and tell a lot about your browsing habits. This can be a good thing, so when you go back to your favorite websites you will be recognized and this can help you. For example, you may have shopped at a site and you’ll find that your shopping cart still has the items you were looking at, often because the items were stored in a cookie. However, they can be “bad” as some spyware uses the cookies to detect your browsing habits and can direct the browser to do things you may not want it to do. I do accept cookies, as they do enhance the browsing experience, but only from sites that I trust …

20. Country whose capital lent its name to a fabric : SYRIA

Damascus is the second largest city in Syria (after Aleppo), and is the country’s capital. Damascus has the distinction of being the oldest, continuously-inhabited city in the world, having been settled in the 2nd millennium BC. Also, it has the nickname “City of Jasmine”.

Damask was originally a weaving technique associated with the Byzantine and Islamic weaving centers of the Middle Ages. “Damask” comes from the name of Damascus, which was a major trading city at that time.

22. Meadows filled with loos? : WATER CLOSET FIELDS (from “WC Fields”)

When I was growing up in Ireland, a “bathroom” was a room that had a bath and no toilet. The separate room with the commode was called “the toilet” or sometimes the W.C. (the water closet). Apparently the term closet was used because in the 1800s when homeowners started installing toilets indoors they often displaced clothes and linens in a “closet”, as a closet was the right size to take the commode.

W. C. Fields worked hard to develop the on-screen image of a pretty grumpy old man. In his real life he was fairly grumpy too, and fond of protecting his privacy. He was famous for hiding in the shrubs around his house in Los Angeles and firing a BB gun at the legs of tourists who intruded on his property. Also Fields often played the drunk on-screen. In real life, Fields didn’t touch alcohol at all when he was younger, partly because he didn’t want to do anything to impair his skill as a juggler. But later in life he took to heavy drinking, so much so that it affected his health and interfered with his ability to perform.

25. Originally : NEE

“Née” is the French word for “born” when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”.

26. Bar that might be dangerous : SHOAL

A shoal is an underwater ridge or bank that is covered with a material such as sand or silt.

37. Blotto : LOOPED

The term “blotto” meaning “drunk” dates back to the early 1900s. It supposedly is derived from the word “blot”, in the sense that being drunk one must have soaked up a whole load of booze.

38. Where sailors recover from their injuries? : PHYSICAL THERAPY BOATS (from “PT boats”)

PT boats were motor torpedo boats, small speedy vessels that used torpedoes as their primary weapon against large surface ships. The “PT” stands for “Patrol Torpedo”. The most famous PT boats that served during WWII were probably PT-41 that carried General Douglas MacArthur and his family from Corregidor to Mindanao in his escape from the Philippines, and PT-109 that was commanded by Lieutenant John F. Kennedy, future President of the United States.

44. Actor Paul of “There Will Be Blood” : DANO

Paul Dano is an actor and musician from New York City. I best know him for playing Brian Wilson in “Love & Mercy”, a fascinating film about the Beach Boys.

“There Will Be Blood” is a 2007 film starring Daniel Day Lewis. The movie is based (loosely) on the 1927 novel by Upton Sinclair called “Oil!”

45. Lead-in to -tainment : EDU-

The word “edutainment” describes educational entertainment, a work that is designed to both educate and to entertain. The Walt Disney Company was the first to embrace the term, using it to describe the “True-Life Adventures” series of films produced from 1948 to 1960.

50. Checkpoint offense, for short : DWI

In some states, there is no longer a legal difference between a DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) and a DUI (Driving Under the Influence). Other states retain that difference, so that by definition a DUI is a lesser offence than a DWI.

52. Gusto : ELAN

Our word “élan” was imported from French, in which language the word has a similar meaning to ours, i.e “style” or “flair”.

“Gusto” is an Italian word meaning “taste”. We use it in English in the phrase “with gusto” meaning “with great enjoyment”.

55. Goings-on in accelerated classes? : ADVANCED PLACEMENT NEWS (from “AP News”)

The Advanced Placement (AP) program offers college-level courses to kids who are still in high school. After being tested at the end of the courses, successful students receive credits that count towards a college degree.

The Associated Press (AP) is a news agency based in New York City. AP is a non-profit cooperative that was set up by five New York newspapers in 1846 to share the cost of transmitting news. Nowadays, AP recoups most of its cost by selling news stories and related materials to newspapers all around the world, mostly outside of the US.

62. Subject for The Source magazine : RAP

“The Source” is a monthly magazine that mainly covers the world of rap music, but also some politics and culture.

63. Sch. of 30,000+ on the Mississippi : LSU

LSU’s full name is Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, and is located in Baton Rouge. LSU was founded in 1860 as a military academy, with then-Colonel William Tecumseh Sherman as superintendent.

64. Bill’s support : YEA

Yea me …

65. It dethroned Sophia as the #1 baby girl’s name in the U.S. in 2014 : EMMA

The Social Security Administration (SSA) publishes a list of the 1,000 most common baby names for the prior year annually, just before Mother’s Day. The list is compiled using applications for Social Security cards.

67. Home for a Roman emperor : VILLA

“Villa” is a Latin word describing a country house owned by members of the upper class in Ancient Rome. Such a person would live in a “domus” in the city, whereas the rest of the population would live in “insulae”, apartment buildings.

69. Onetime Bond girl ___ Wood : LANA

Lana Wood is the younger sister of the actress Natalie Wood. Lana is an actress in her own right, and a producer. She appeared regularly on television’s “Peyton Place”. She was also a Bond girl, appearing opposite Sean Connery as Plenty O’Toole in “Diamonds Are Forever”. For a while, Lana Wood and Sean Connery were romantically involved.

74. Common core? : EMS

There are two letters M (ems) at the core of the word “common”.

76. Prime-time time : NINE PM

In the world of television, “prime time” is that part of the day when networks and advertisers bring maximize revenues due to the high number of viewers. Prime time is often defined as 7-10 p.m. Mountain and Central Time, and 8-11 p.m. Pacific and Eastern Time.

80. Dog that doesn’t offend people? : POLITICALLY CORRECT LAB (from “PC lab”)

The Labrador (Lab) breed of dog has been around at least since 1814. The breed comes in three registered colors: black, yellow and chocolate.

88. Barnyard male : TOM

A male turkey is called a “tom”, taking its name from a “tomcat”. The inference is that like a tomcat, the male turkey is relatively wild and undomesticated, sexually promiscuous and frequently gets into fights. A female turkey is called a “hen”.

89. First name on the Supreme Court : SONIA

Sonia Sotomayor is the first Hispanic justice on the US Supreme Court, and the third female justice. Sotomayor was nominated by President Barack Obama to replace the retiring Justice David Souter.

90. Dreyfus Affair figure : ZOLA

The most famous work by French writer Émile Zola is his 1898 open letter “J’Accuse!” written to French president Félix Faure. The letter was published on the front page of a leading Paris newspaper, and accused the government of anti-Semitism in its handling of the trial of Captain Alfred Dreyfus. Dreyfus was a Jewish military officer in the French army, falsely accused and convicted of spying for Germany. Even after the error was discovered, the government refused to back down and let Dreyfus rot away on Devil’s Island rather than admit to the mistake. It wasn’t until 1906, 12 years after the wrongful conviction, that Dreyfus was freed and reinstated, largely due to the advocacy of Emile Zola.

91. Subject for Ken Burns, briefly : NAM

Ken Burns directs and produces epic documentary films that usually make inventive use of archive footage. Recent works are the sensational “The War” (about the US in WWII) and the magnificent “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea”, as well as 2014’s “The Roosevelts: An Intimate History”. His latest offering is 2017’s “The Vietnam War”.

93. Burg : TOWN

“Burg” is an informal term used in the US for a smaller town, from the German word “burg” meaning “fortified city”.

99. Dorm monitors : RAS

RAs are resident assistants or resident advisers, the peer leaders found in residence halls, particularly on a college campus.

100. Cry of devotion from a non-academy student? : PUBLIC SCHOOL, I LOVE YOU! (from “PS I Love You”)

“P.S. I Love You” was recorded by the Beatles way back in 1962. On the recording, Ringo Starr is playing the maracas, not the drums. A session musician played the drums, replacing Pete Best who had just been fired by Brian Epstein. Ringo had not yet been “anointed” as Best’s replacement.

105. Source of the line “They shall beat their swords into plowshares” : ISAIAH

The concept of turning “swords into plowshares” is spoken about in the Book of Isaiah in the Bible. The idea expressed is to convert destructive tools into similar tools that can have useful and peaceful applications.

106. Things that may be rolled or wild : OATS

Oat cereals all start out as “groats”, toasted oat grains with the hull still intact:

  • Steel-cut oats, sometimes called “Irish oats”, are groats that have been chopped into chunks about the size of sesame seeds.
  • Stone-ground oats, sometimes called “Scottish oats”, have been ground into smaller pieces, about the size of poppy seeds.
  • Old-fashioned rolled oats are made by first steaming the toasted groats, and then rolling them into flakes.
  • Quick-cooking oats are similar to rolled oats, but thinner flakes.
  • Instant oats have been chopped, rolled, pre-cooked, dehydrated and often have salt and sugar added.

Traditionally, “wild oats” were a crop that one might regret sowing instead of “good grain”. Young and tempestuous people were rash enough to sow their wild oats, and had yet to comprehend their folly. Over time, to “feel one’s oats” came to mean “be lively and confident”.

107. Soprano Tebaldi : RENATA

Renata Tebaldi was an Italian soprano, popular just after the end of WWII. Tebaldi had a much talked about rivalry with Maria Callas, one that was perhaps blown out of proportion in the press. Tebaldi and Callas ending up singing together in a touring company in 1951 and when asked by a reporter about the differences between the two singing voices, Callas said it was like comparing “champagne and cognac”, to which a bystander remarked “no, with Coca Cola”. The “champagne and Coca Cola” comparison was quoted in the paper, and attributed to Callas. That didn’t help …

110. They aid in diagnosing A.C.L. tears : MRIS

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of four major ligaments that support the knee.

112. Funny face? : EMOJI

An emoji is a character found on many cell phones that is much like an emoticon, but more elaborate.

116. Old White House nickname : ABE

Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth President of the US. There are several stories told about how he earned the nickname “Honest Abe”. One story dates back to early in his career as a lawyer. Lincoln accidentally overcharged a client and then walked miles in order to right the wrong as soon as possible.

117. Morning zoo programming? : ANTE MERIDIEM RADIO (from “AM radio”)

The 12-hour clock has been around a long time, and was even used in sundial format in Ancient Egypt. Our use of AM and PM dates back to Roman times, with AM standing for Ante Meridiem (before noon) and PM standing for Post Meridiem (after noon). However, the Romans originally used the AM concept a little differently, by counting backwards from noon. So, 2AM to the Romans would be two hours before noon, or 10AM as we would call it today.

In telecommunications, a radio signal is transmitted using a sinusoidal carrier wave. Information is transmitted using this carrier wave in two main ways, by varying (modulating) the instantaneous amplitude (signal strength) of the carrier wave, and by modulating the instantaneous frequency of the carrier wave. The former is referred to as an AM signal (“amplitude modulation”), and the latter as an FM signal (“frequency modulation”).

123. Panama City state: Abbr. : FLA

If you draw a straight line between Chicago and Panama City, Panama, it passes through Panama City, Florida. Apparently, this was why the developer gave the name to the Florida city in the early 1900s.

127. Divinity sch. : SEM

Originally, a seminary was where plants were raised from seeds, as “semen” is the Latin for “seed”. The first schools labeled as seminaries were established in the late 1500s. Those first schools were more likely to be academies for young ladies back then, rather than for trainee priests.

128. Chatty bird : MYNA

Some species of myna (also “mynah”) bird are known for their ability to imitate sounds.

129. Provider of aerial football views : SKYCAM

Skycam is a brand name, which now tends to be used generically. “Skycam” refers to that TV camera mounted on cables over say a football field that allows for some very cool shots as the camera seems to swoop down to the play to follow the action, almost like it’s part of a video game.

130. Actress Kendrick : ANNA

Anna Kendrick is a marvelous actress whose big break came when she played the sidekick to George Clooney’s character in the very interesting 2009 film “Up in the Air”. Kendrick can sing as well as act, and played a student a cappella singer in the 2012 movie “Pitch Perfect”.

Down

1. Best Picture nominee with three sequels : JAWS

“Jaws” is a thrilling 1975 movie directed by Steven Spielberg that is based on a novel of the same name by Peter Benchley. The film has a powerful cast, led by Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw. “Jaws” was perhaps the first “summer blockbuster” with the highest box office take in history, a record that stood until “Star Wars” was released two years later.

5. Media watchdog grp. : FCC

TV broadcasting is monitored by the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC has been around since 1934, when it replaced the Federal Radio Commission.

6. Parent co. of HuffPost : AOL

“The Huffington Post” (now “HuffPost”) is a news website founded in 2005 by Arianna Huffington. It is a very active site, with 3,000 people contributing blog posts (including many celebrities and politicians), and readers leaving over one million comments every month. “The Huffington Post” was sold to AOL in 2011 for $315 million, with Arianna Huffington staying on as editor-in-chief.

7. Hundred Acre Wood denizen : ROO

Hundred Acre Wood is where Winnie-the-Pooh lives with his friends. According to a map illustrating the books by A. A. Milne, Hundred Acre Wood is part of a larger forest, with Owl’s house sitting right at the center.

9. Lord’s domain : FIEF

Feudalism was a legal and military system that flourished in medieval Europe. Central to the system were the concepts of lords, vassals and fiefs. Lords would grant fiefs (land or rights) to vassals in exchange for allegiance and service.

10. Fixation : FETISH

At the beginning of the 19th century, fetishism was the worship of “fetishes”. Back then, a fetish was an object that was revered and considered to have mysterious powers. A few decades later, the usage of the term “fetish” was extended, probably by New England Transcendentalists such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, to describe an object of blind devotion. The concept of sexual fetishism arose at the end of the 19th century.

11. Slice for a Reuben : RYE

There are conflicting stories about the origin of the Reuben sandwich. One such story is that it was invented around 1914 by Arnold Reuben, an immigrant from Germany who owned Reuben’s Deli in New York.

12. Things that have slashes : URLS

Internet addresses (like NYTCrossword.com and LAXCrossword.com) are more correctly called Uniform Resource Locators (URLs).

15. Former “Today” show host : JANE PAULEY

Jane Pauley is a television journalist who is perhaps best known for co-hosting the NBC morning show “Today”, and the current affairs program “Dateline NBC”. Pauley has been married since 1980 to cartoonist Garry Trudeau, creator of the comic strip “Doonesbury”.

20. GMC truck : SIERRA

The GMC Sierra truck is also sold as the Chevrolet Silverado.

23. Like poor months for oysters, it’s said : R-LESS

There is a traditional warning that one shouldn’t eat shellfish in a month without an R i.e. May through August. That’s because these are the warmer months here in the northern hemisphere when algae blooms can spread toxins that are soaked up by clams, mussels and oysters. Personally, I only eat shellfish in months containing a Q … that would be never …

31. Sch. with an annual Mystery Hunt : MIT

The MIT Mystery Hunt is an annual event involving teams of students competing to solve extremely complex puzzles. The puzzles are arranged in a series, all pointing to the location of a coin hidden on the MIT campus. The team winning in one year sets the puzzles in the following year.

36. “Fifty Shades of Grey” subject, briefly : S AND M

Sadomasochism (S&M)

A sadist is someone who derives pleasure from inflicting pain, with that pleasure often being sexual in nature. The term “sadist” comes from the Marquis de Sade, who was known to exhibit such tendencies.

A masochist, in sexual terms, is someone who gets sexual pleasure in being hurt or abused. The term comes from the name of the Austrian novelist Leopold von Sacher-Masoch who wrote “Venus in Furs”, a novel that features female dominance and male subservience.

38. Symbol of China : PANDA

The phrase “panda diplomacy” is used to describe China’s practice of presenting giant pandas to other countries as diplomatic gifts. One of the more famous examples of panda diplomacy was the presentation of Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing to the US following President Nixon’s historic visit to China in 1972.

41. Albright’s successor as secretary of state : POWELL

Colin Powell was the first African American to serve as US Secretary of State. Earlier in his career, Powell had been a four-star general in the US Army, as well as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Gulf War. Even though Colin Powell has retired from public service, he is one of the most noted moderate Republicans, often advocating support for centrist and liberal causes.

Madeleine Albright was appointed Secretary of State by President Clinton, making her the first woman to hold the post. Among her many qualifications for holding that job, is her fluency in English, French, Russian and Czech. Albright can also hold her own in Polish and Serbo-Croat.

47. “The Sweetest Taboo” singer, 1985 : 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).

49. Combo bets : PARLAYS

A parlay is a combination wager, one that links two or more bets. All bets have to win in order to collect on a parlay.

54. Cryptanalysis org. : NSA

National Security Agency (NSA)

56. Queens player, for short : NY MET

The New York Mets baseball team was founded in 1962 as a replacement for two teams that the city had lost, namely the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants. For several years the Mets played very poorly, finishing no better than second-to-last in their division. Then of course along came the “Miracle Mets” (aka “Amazin’ Mets”) who beat the Baltimore Orioles in 1969 to claim the World Series in a huge upset.

Queens is the largest borough in New York City. Queens is an amazingly diverse location in terms of ethnicity. There is a population of over 2 million people, with almost 50% of that population being foreign-born. Apparently there are over 130 native languages spoken in the area. Queens was named for Catherine of Braganza (from Portugal), the Queen consort of King Charles II of England.

58. ___ Poly : CAL

“Cal Poly” is the more familiar name for California Polytechnic State University. There are actually two Cal Poly institutions, one in San Luis Obispo (the most famous) and one in Pomona.

59. Green org. : EPA

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

66. Some neckwear : ASCOTS

An Ascot is a horrible-looking (I think!), wide tie that narrows at the neck, which these days is only really worn at weddings. The tie takes its name from the Royal Ascot horse race at which punters still turn up in formal wear at Ascot Racecourse in England.

67. Italy’s ___ d’Orcia : VAL

The Val d’Orcia is a region in Tuscany lying just south of the lovely city of Siena.

70. Second U.S. feature-length computer-animated movie, after “Toy Story” : ANTZ

“Antz” was the first feature movie released by Dreamworks SKG, the studio founded by Steven Spielberg and two partners in 1994. “Antz” came out in 1998, and has a stellar cast that includes Woody Allen, Sharon Stone, Sylvester Stallone, Gene Hackman and many, many other big names. The cartoon is quite unique in that the facial features of the voice actors are reflected in the animated characters.

77. Ecuadorean coastal province known for its gold : EL ORO

El Oro is a coastal province in the south of Ecuador. El Oro (meaning “The Gold”) takes its name from the gold production industry. The province is also one of the biggest banana exporters in the world.

78. Micronesian land : PALAU

Palau is a tiny island nation lying 500 miles east of the Philippines, and 2,000 miles south of Japan. Palau was once a Spanish possession and was sold by Spain to Germany in the late 19th century. During WWI, Japan invaded the islands (Japan had declared war on Germany) and was awarded the islands as a territory by the League of Nations at the end of hostilities. In WWII the US took Palau from the Japanese in a bloody battle in 1944. Palau emerged from American administration in 1994 and is now a sovereign state.

Micronesia is one of the three island regions of Oceania, along with Polynesia and Melanesia. The sovereign nations included in the region are the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Nauru and Palau. Also in Micronesia are the US territories of Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and Wake Island.

81. Inclined to stress? : ITALIC

Italic type leans to the right, and is often used to provide emphasis in text. The style is known as “italic” because the stylized calligraphic form of writing originated in Italy, probably in the Vatican.

82. Bygone gas brand with a torch in its logo : AMOCO

“Amoco” is an abbreviation for “American Oil Company”, an oil company that merged with BP in 1998. Amoco was the first oil company to introduce gasoline tanker trucks and drive-through filling stations. I wonder did they know what they were starting …?

83. Druid’s head cover : COWL

A cowl is a long garment with a hood that is primarily worn by monks in the the Christian tradition.

Druids were priests of Celtic Europe during the Iron Age.

86. Boca ___ : RATON

The name of the city of Boca Raton in Florida translates from Spanish as “Mouse Mouth”. There doesn’t seem to be a definitive etymology of the name but one plausible explanation is a nautical one. “Boca”, as well as meaning “mouth” can mean “inlet”. “Ratón”, as well as meaning “mouse” was also used to describe rocks that chewed away at a ship’s anchor cable. So possibly Boca Raton was named for a rocky inlet.

92. 2007 female inductee into the National Soccer Hall of Fame : MIA HAMM

Mia Hamm is a retired American soccer player, a forward who played on the US national team that won the FIFA women’s World Cup in 1991. Hamm has scored 158 international goals, more than other player in the world, male or female. Amazingly, Hamm was born with a clubfoot, and so had to wear corrective shoes when she was growing up.

94. Hex : WHAMMY

“Whammy” is a slang term meaning “hex, supernatural spell”.

95. Our, in Tours : NOTRE

Tours is the largest city in the Centre region of France. It is said that the people of Tours speak the “purest” form of French in the whole country, and when spoken by a local it is also said to be free of any accent.

97. “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” girl : EVA

Little Eva is a character in the novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. Eva’s full name is Evangeline St. Clare.

98. Stave off : DETER

The word “stave” was originally the plural of “staff”, a wooden rod. To “stave off” originated with the concept of holding off with a staff. In the world of barrel-making, a stave is a narrow strip of wood that forms part of a barrel’s sides.

100. Rice dishes : PILAFS

“Pilaf” is a Persian word, one that we use to describe rice that is browned in oil and then cooked in a seasoned broth.

102. Gore’s successor as vice president : CHENEY

In 2000, Dick Cheney was called upon by then-Governor George W. Bush to head up the search for a running mate for Bush in the presidential election. After a few months search, Bush turned things on their head by asking Cheney to join him on the ticket.

103. Green-skinned god of the underworld : OSIRIS

Osiris was the Egyptian god of the underworld. Osiris was the son of Geb the Earth god, and Nut the sky goddess. His wife Isis was also his sister. Osiris was killed and mutilated by Set, his own brother. Isis reassembled Osiris and revived him, just long enough that they could conceive their son Horus.

104. Harley-Davidson competitor : YAMAHA

The Japanese company Yamaha started out way back in 1888 as a manufacturer of pianos and reed organs. Even though the company has diversified since then, Yamaha’s logo still reflects it musical roots. Said logo is made up of three intersecting tuning forks, and can even be seen on Yamaha motorcycles.

The Harley-Davidson motorcycle company was founded in the very early 1900s by two childhood friends, William Harley and Arthur Davidson, . Their first design was in effect an engine hooked up to a pedal bicycle, but the 116 cc cylinder capacity simply couldn’t generate enough power to get up the hills of their native city of Milwaukee. The pair came up with a redesigned model that had a cylinder capacity of 405 cc, which the partners built in a shed at the back of Davidson’s house. In 1906, the partners built their first factory, located where the company’s headquarters is to this day, on Juneau Avenue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Famously, Harley motorcycles are nicknamed “hogs”.

113. Role in “Thor,” 2011 : ODIN

The 2011 movie “Thor” is yet another film based on a comic book hero. Even though I won’t be seeing it (I don’t do comics), I must admit it does have an impressive cast. Chris Hemsworth plays Thor, supported by Natalie Portman, Rene Russo and Anthony Hopkins. And to crown it all, Kenneth Branagh is the director.

114. Islamic spirit : JINN

The “genie” in the bottle takes his or her name from “djinn”. “Djinns” were various spirits considered lesser than angels, with people exhibiting unsavory characteristics said to be possessed by djinn. When the book “The Thousand and One Nights” was translated into French, the word “djinn” was transformed into the existing word “génie”, because of the similarity in sound and the related spiritual meaning. This “génie” from the Arabian tale became confused with the Latin-derived “genius”, a guardian spirit thought to be assigned to each person at birth. Purely as a result of that mistranslation the word genie has come to mean the “djinn” that pops out of the bottle. A little hard to follow, I know, but still quite interesting …

115. Second letter after 118-Down : IOTA

118. Second letter before 115-Down : ETA

Iota is the ninth letter in the Greek alphabet, one that gave rise to our letters I and J. We use the word “iota” to portray something very small, as it is the smallest of all Greek letters.

Eta is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, and is a forerunner of our Latin character “H”. Originally denoting a consonant, eta was used as a long vowel in Ancient Greek.

120. L.L.C. alternative : INC

A company that has incorporated uses the abbreviation “Inc.” after its name. By incorporating, a company forms a corporation, which is a legal entity that has legal rights similar to those of an individual. For example, a corporation can sue another corporation or individual. However, a corporation does not have all the rights of citizens. A corporation does not have the Fifth Amendment right of protections against self-incrimination, for example. It is perhaps understandable that the concept of “corporations as persons” is a frequent subject for debate.

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.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Projects : JUTS
5. Nowhere close : FAR OFF
11. First name on the Supreme Court : RUTH
15. Delight : JOY
18. Supercollider bit : ATOM
19. Online tracker : COOKIE
20. Country whose capital lent its name to a fabric : SYRIA
21. “___ reading too much into this?” : AM I
22. Meadows filled with loos? : WATER CLOSET FIELDS (from “WC Fields”)
25. Originally : NEE
26. Bar that might be dangerous : SHOAL
27. Ax : FIRE
28. Be agreeable : SIT WELL
30. Negligent : REMISS
35. Old letter opener : SIRS
37. Blotto : LOOPED
38. Where sailors recover from their injuries? : PHYSICAL THERAPY BOATS (from “PT boats”)
42. No longer edible : BAD
43. Square figure : STATUE
44. Actor Paul of “There Will Be Blood” : DANO
45. Lead-in to -tainment : EDU-
46. Quashes : ENDS
48. Chart again : REMAP
50. Checkpoint offense, for short : DWI
52. Gusto : ELAN
55. Goings-on in accelerated classes? : ADVANCED PLACEMENT NEWS (from “AP News”)
61. “My man” : DADDY-O
62. Subject for The Source magazine : RAP
63. Sch. of 30,000+ on the Mississippi : LSU
64. Bill’s support : YEA
65. It dethroned Sophia as the #1 baby girl’s name in the U.S. in 2014 : EMMA
67. Home for a Roman emperor : VILLA
69. Onetime Bond girl ___ Wood : LANA
71. “So obvious!” : AHA!
74. Common core? : EMS
75. Like : A LA
76. Prime-time time : NINE PM
80. Dog that doesn’t offend people? : POLITICALLY CORRECT LAB (from “PC lab”)
87. Come down hard, as hail : PELT
88. Barnyard male : TOM
89. First name on the Supreme Court : SONIA
90. Dreyfus Affair figure : ZOLA
91. Subject for Ken Burns, briefly : NAM
93. Burg : TOWN
96. Went by air? : WAFTED
99. Dorm monitors : RAS
100. Cry of devotion from a non-academy student? : PUBLIC SCHOOL, I LOVE YOU! (from “PS I Love You”)
105. Source of the line “They shall beat their swords into plowshares” : ISAIAH
106. Things that may be rolled or wild : OATS
107. Soprano Tebaldi : RENATA
108. Some fasteners : LATCHES
110. They aid in diagnosing A.C.L. tears : MRIS
112. Funny face? : EMOJI
116. Old White House nickname : ABE
117. Morning zoo programming? : ANTE MERIDIEM RADIO (from “AM radio”)
123. Panama City state: Abbr. : FLA
124. Substantive : MEATY
125. “Don’t doubt me!” : I CAN SO!
126. Clue : HINT
127. Divinity sch. : SEM
128. Chatty bird : MYNA
129. Provider of aerial football views : SKYCAM
130. Actress Kendrick : ANNA

Down

1. Best Picture nominee with three sequels : JAWS
2. Pac-12 school that’s not really near the Pacific : UTAH
3. Completely, after “in” : … TOTO
4. Like wet makeup : SMEARY
5. Media watchdog grp. : FCC
6. Parent co. of HuffPost : AOL
7. Hundred Acre Wood denizen : ROO
8. Agrees to : OKS
9. Lord’s domain : FIEF
10. Fixation : FETISH
11. Slice for a Reuben : RYE
12. Things that have slashes : URLS
13. With nothing out of place : TIDILY
14. “What other explanation is there?!” : HAS TO BE!
15. Former “Today” show host : JANE PAULEY
16. Word before pan or after Spanish : OMELET
17. Investment figures : YIELDS
20. GMC truck : SIERRA
23. Like poor months for oysters, it’s said : R-LESS
24. Mentally wiped : FRIED
29. Stiff : WOODEN
31. Sch. with an annual Mystery Hunt : MIT
32. Words of compassion : I CARE
33. Stuffed : SATED
34. Weak period : SLUMP
36. “Fifty Shades of Grey” subject, briefly : S AND M
38. Symbol of China : PANDA
39. Onetime Blu-ray rival : HD DVD
40. Blue-green : TEAL
41. Albright’s successor as secretary of state : POWELL
42. Craft shop item : BEAD
47. “The Sweetest Taboo” singer, 1985 : SADE
49. Combo bets : PARLAYS
51. Absolutely harebrained : INSANE
53. Astonishment : AWE
54. Cryptanalysis org. : NSA
56. Queens player, for short : NY MET
57. Pledge : COMMIT
58. ___ Poly : CAL
59. Green org. : EPA
60. Caesar dressing? : TUNIC
66. Some neckwear : ASCOTS
67. Italy’s ___ d’Orcia : VAL
68. Laid up : ILL
70. Second U.S. feature-length computer-animated movie, after “Toy Story” : ANTZ
71. Modern subject of reviews : APP
72. Row maker : HOE
73. Elite court group : ALL-NBA TEAM
77. Ecuadorean coastal province known for its gold : EL ORO
78. Micronesian land : PALAU
79. Some future execs : MBAS
81. Inclined to stress? : ITALIC
82. Bygone gas brand with a torch in its logo : AMOCO
83. Druid’s head cover : COWL
84. Studio sign : ON AIR
85. Ransack : RIFLE
86. Boca ___ : RATON
92. 2007 female inductee into the National Soccer Hall of Fame : MIA HAMM
94. Hex : WHAMMY
95. Our, in Tours : NOTRE
97. “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” girl : EVA
98. Stave off : DETER
100. Rice dishes : PILAFS
101. Of service : USABLE
102. Gore’s successor as vice president : CHENEY
103. Green-skinned god of the underworld : OSIRIS
104. Harley-Davidson competitor : YAMAHA
109. “___ Against Evil” (IFC series) : STAN
111. Totally awesome, in slang : SICK
113. Role in “Thor,” 2011 : ODIN
114. Islamic spirit : JINN
115. Second letter after 118-Down : IOTA
118. Second letter before 115-Down : ETA
119. Word with camp or care : DAY-
120. L.L.C. alternative : INC
121. That: Sp. : ESA
122. Dr. ___ : MOM

9 thoughts on “0429-18 NY Times Crossword Answers 29 Apr 2018, Sunday”

  1. 31:20 after getting the “almost there” message, hunting down a 1-square error, and fixing it: I had used DADDIO instead of DADDY-O and failed to check the crossing entry that would have revealed the problem. (A typical bonehead online-solve mistake for me. Still waiting for that second set of eyes I ordered … ? …)

  2. We could sure use a little better hint on what the clue is.

    99% of us are not Sheldon Cooper.

    See you next week.

  3. 40:14, 3 errors: ANTEMERIDI(A)(N); (A)SA; (N)OM. Took a long time to see the theme, went much faster afterword. Errors came from not recognizing the difference between meridian (as in Prime Meridian) and meridiem (as in mid-day).

  4. This has got to be in the discussion for the **STUPIDEST** puzzle of the year, and it’s not even halfway through. 53 minutes even of pure drudgery, with 8 errors. Most of the clues were completely dumb, the entire theme wasn’t worthy of putting to paper… Here’s an hour of my life I wish I could get back.

  5. Hmm, I see why it’s AM radio, but not why it’s AM Zoo Radio. Ante Meridiem makes sense as morning radio but not necessarily morning zoo radio.

    1. @Larry Wood: from Wikipedia – “Morning zoo is a format of morning radio show common to English-language radio broadcasting. The name is derived from the “wackiness and zaniness” of the activities, bits, and overall personality of the show and its hosts. The morning zoo concept and name is most often deployed on Top 40 (CHR) radio stations.
      A morning zoo typically consists of two or more radio personalities, usually capable of spontaneous comic interaction as well as competent delivery of news and service elements. Most morning zoo programs involve scripted or live telephone calls, on-air games and regular contests.”

      First I have heard of the expression, as well.

  6. Back to normal – 3x Bill’s time.
    The top right took forever. I was proud of myself for remembering the useless trivia of ‘Katy Couric’ being on the Today show… … …until I Eventually deduced ‘Jane Pauley’ (& later saw she spells it ‘Katie’ anyway).

  7. 60 minutes, 2 dumb errors. Actually a relatively sane puzzle in comparison to most they publish. Still more sloggish than I would like.

  8. Bill,

    In regards to Cal Poly…yes there are two that were actually under the same president until about 1975. They have similar names now…Cal Poly, SLO is California Polytechnic State University while Pomona is California State Polytechnic University. Pomona was a “junior” or two year starter for is big brother in SLO.

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