1104-19 NY Times Crossword 4 Nov 19, Monday

Constructed by: Trent H. Evans
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: Metal Music

Themed answers are each related to MUSIC, and each includes a METAL:

  • 59A Genre for Slayer and Iron Maiden … or a hint to 17-, 23-, 38- and 47-Across : METAL MUSIC
  • 17A Rock band with the 2001 #1 hit “How You Remind Me” : NICKELBACK
  • 23A Classic Christmas song with the lyric “City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, / Dressed in holiday style” : SILVER BELLS
  • 38A Million-selling albums : PLATINUM RECORDS
  • 47A Old New York song publishing locale : TIN PAN ALLEY

Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 4m 07s!

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

15 Brother of Cain : ABEL

The story of Cain and Abel not only appears in the Christian and Hebrew Bibles, it also features in the Qur’an. In the Muslim account the brothers are named Qabil and Habil.

17 Rock band with the 2001 #1 hit “How You Remind Me” : NICKELBACK

Nickelback is a rock band that formed in Hanna, Alberta in 1995 and is now based in Vancouver.

19 Spanish artist Francisco ___ : GOYA

Francisco Goya was a Spanish painter who was often called the last of the Old Masters and the first of the moderns. Two of Goya’s most famous works are “The Nude Maja” and “The Clothed Maja”.

22 Edgar ___ Poe : ALLAN

The celebrated American writer Edgar Allan Poe (EAP) was born “Edgar Poe” in 1809 in Boston. Poe’s father abandoned Edgar and his two siblings after the death of their mother. As a result, Edgar was taken into the home of the Allan family in Richmond, Virginia. His foster parents gave the future author the name “Edgar Allan Poe”.

23 Classic Christmas song with the lyric “City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, / Dressed in holiday style” : SILVER BELLS

“Silver Bells” is a Christmas song by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans that was tentatively titled “Tinkle Bells”. Livingston’s wife was told the title and responded, “Are you out of your mind? Do you know what the word tinkle is?” I guess she’d changed a few diapers in her time …

26 Sportscaster Bob : COSTAS

Bob Costas has been a sportscaster for NBC since the early eighties. Costas has a son called Keith. Just before his son was born, Costas made (as a joke) a bet with Minnesota Twins center fielder Kirby Puckett that if he was batting over .350 by the time the child was born, he would name the baby “Kirby”. Well, Puckett won the bet, but the actual name chosen was Keith Michael Costas. When Puckett reminded Costas of the agreement, the birth certificate was changed to Keith Michael Kirby Costas. My wife would have made my life not worth living …

31 First U.S. multimillionaire John Jacob ___ : ASTOR

John Jacob Astor was the patriarch of the famous American Astor dynasty. He was the country’s first multi-millionaire, making his fortune in the trade of fur, real estate and opium. In today’s terms, it has been calculated that by the time of his death he has accumulated a fortune big enough to make him the fourth wealthiest man in American history (in the company of the likes of Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Bill Gates, Henry Ford and John D. Rockefeller).

38 Million-selling albums : PLATINUM RECORDS

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) represents music distributors. It is the RIAA that certifies records that have gone gold and platinum i.e. reached fixed sales thresholds. It’s also the RIAA that goes after individuals who share music illegally online.

43 Largest island in the Philippines : LUZON

Luzon is the largest of the Philippine Islands, and home to the capital city of Manila.

44 Some C.E.O.s’ degs. : MBAS

The world’s first Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree was offered by Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration, in 1908.

47 Old New York song publishing locale : TIN PAN ALLEY

Tin Pan Alley was originally a specific location, i.e. West 28th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenue in Manhattan. The area was associated with the music publishing business from about 1885 to the start of the Great Depression The name itself is possibly a reference to the tinny sound of cheap pianos that were common at the time.

52 “The game is ___” (Sherlock Holmes declaration) : AFOOT

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in writing the “Sherlock Holmes” stories, had his hero use the phrase “the game is afoot” on more than one occasion. Holmes first uttered the expression in “The Adventures of the Abbey Grange”. However, the phrase was used long before Conan Doyle put pen to paper. In William Shakespeare’s “King Henry IV Part I” there is the line “Before the game is afoot, thou let’st slip”.

53 State east of Miss. : ALA

Alabama is known as the Yellowhammer State, in honor of the state bird. Alabama is also called the “Heart of Dixie”.

54 “Return of the ___” (Episode VI of “Star Wars”) : JEDI

The name of the third film in the “Star Wars” series of movies is “Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi”.

59 Genre for Slayer and Iron Maiden … or a hint to 17-, 23-, 38- and 47-Across : METAL MUSIC

The Big Four of thrash metal are Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth. I have no idea what thrash metal is …

62 Elegant ballet bend : PLIE

The French word for “bent” is “plié”. In the ballet move known as a plié, the knees are bent. A “demi-plié” is a similar move, but with less bending of the knees.

65 Hearty draughts : ALES

The many, many different styles of beer can generally be sorted into two groups: ales and lagers. Ales are fermented at relatively warm temperatures for relatively short periods of time, and use top-fermenting yeasts, i.e. yeasts that float on top of the beer as it ferments. Lagers ferment at relatively low temperatures and for relatively long periods of time. Lagers use bottom-fermenting yeasts, i.e. yeasts that fall to the bottom of the beer as it ferments.

66 “Gone With the Wind” plantation : TARA

In Margaret Mitchell’s novel “Gone with the Wind”, Scarlett O’Hara’s home is the Tara plantation. Tara was founded not far from the Georgia city of Jonesboro by Scarlett’s father, Irish immigrant Gerald O’Hara. Gerald won the square mile of land on which Tara was built in an all-night poker game. He named his new abode after the Hill of Tara back in his home country, the ancient seat of the High King of Ireland. Rhett’s rival for the affections of Scarlet is Ashley Wilkes who lives at the nearby Twelve Oaks plantation.

Down

1 See 2-Down : … BANA

2 With 1-Down, player of the Hulk in 2003’s “Hulk” : ERIC …

Eric Bana is an Australian actor who enjoyed a successful career in his home country before breaking into Hollywood playing an American Delta Force sergeant in “Black Hawk Down”. A couple of years later he played the lead in Ang Lee’s 2003 movie “Hulk”, the role of Dr Bruce Banner. More recently he played the Romulan villain Nero, in the 2009 “Star Trek” movie.

“Hulk” is a 2003 film with Eric Bana starring in the title role, as the Hulk and as the superhero’s alter ego Dr. Bruce Banner. “Hulk” receive a mediocre reception, and so it was remade as “The Incredible Hulk” in 2008.

3 One of two in the McDonald’s logo : ARCH

The original McDonald’s restaurant was opened in 1940 by Richard and Maurice McDonald as a barbecue restaurant. The brothers then moved into fast food hamburgers, eventually selling out to one of their franchise agents, Ray Kroc. It was Ray Kroc who really led the company to its worldwide success. He was played by Michael Keaton in the movie about Ray Kroc’s business life called “The Founder”.

6 Afghanistan’s capital : KABUL

Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. The city has been the site of major conflict for much of the 3,500 years that it has been in existence. In the past, this conflict was mainly driven by the city’s strategic location on the major trade routes of south and central Asia.

8 Common Market letters : EEC

The European Economic Community (EEC) was also known as the Common Market. The EEC was a NAFTA-like structure that was eventually absorbed into today’s European Union (EU).

9 Antlered animal : ELK

The elk (also “wapiti”) is one of the largest species of deer in the world, with only the moose being bigger. Early European settlers were familiar with the smaller red deer back in their homelands, so when they saw the “huge” wapiti they assumed it was a moose, and incorrectly gave it the European name for a moose, namely “elk”. The more correct name for the beast is “wapiti”, which means “white rump” in Shawnee. It’s all very confusing …

10 Earner of at least 21 merit badges : EAGLE SCOUT

The rank of Eagle Scout was introduced by the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) in 1911. A candidate for Eagle Scout must have first earned a minimum of 21 merit badges, and demonstrate leadership skills and embrace Scout Spirit. Prior to 1911, the highest rank attainable in the BSA was Wolf Scout.

11 Island with a lagoon : ATOLL

An atoll is a coral island that is shaped in a ring that encloses a lagoon. There is still some debate as to how an atoll forms, but a theory proposed by Charles Darwin while on his famous voyage aboard HMS Beagle still holds sway. Basically an atoll was once a volcanic island that had subsided and fallen into the sea. The coastline of the island is home to coral growth which persists even as the island continues to subside internal to the circling coral reef.

18 ___ Lane, lover of Superman : LOIS

Lois Lane has been the love interest of Superman/Clark Kent since the comic series was first published in 1938. Lois and Clark both work for the big newspaper in the city of Metropolis called “The Daily Planet”. The couple finally got hitched in the comics (and on television’s “Lois and Clark”) in 1996. One has to wonder how challenging the crossword is in “The Daily Planet” …

22 Lawyer’s org. : ABA

The American Bar Association (ABA) was founded back in 1878 and is a voluntary association for lawyers and law students. The ABA focuses on setting academic standards for law schools and setting ethical codes for the profession.

23 Dress in Delhi : SARI

The item of clothing called a “sari” (also “saree”) is a strip of cloth, as one might imagine, unusual perhaps in that is unstitched along the whole of its length. The strip of cloth can range from four to nine meters long (that’s a lot of material!). The sari is usually wrapped around the waist, then draped over the shoulder leaving the midriff bare. I must say, it can be a beautiful item of clothing.

New Delhi is the capital city of India. New Delhi resides within the National Capital Territory of Delhi (otherwise known as the metropolis of Delhi). New Delhi and Delhi, therefore, are two different things.

24 Roger of “At the Movies” : EBERT

The film review TV show “At the Movies” has been around since 1988 in various forms with various hosts, most famously Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. Siskel and Ebert used the iconic “thumbs up and thumbs down” rating system from the very first show.

26 Quaker’s ___ Crunch cereal : CAP’N

The first Cap’n Crunch commercials aired in 1963, at the time the product line was launched. The Cap’n’s full name is Captain Horatio Magellan Crunch, would you believe? Crunch’s voice was provided for many years by Daws Butler, the same voice actor who gave us Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound. Cap’n Crunch is commander of the S.S. Guppy.

27 Norway’s capital : OSLO

Oslo, the capital of Norway, is an ancient city that was founded around 1048. The medieval city was destroyed by fire in 1624 and was rebuilt by the Danish-Norwegian king Christian IV and renamed to Christiana. In 1877 there was an official change of the spelling of the city’s name to “Kristiana”, and then more recently in 1925 the name was restored to the original Oslo. Things have almost gone full circle and now the center of Oslo, the area that would have been contained by the original medieval walls, has apparently been renamed to Christiana.

28 Ollie’s partner in old comedy : STAN

Stan Laurel was an English comic actor (born Arthur Stanley Jefferson), who made a great career for himself in Hollywood. Laurel ended up at the Hal Roach studio directing films, intent on pursuing a career in writing and directing. However, he was a sometime actor and was asked to step in when another comic actor, Oliver Hardy, was injured and couldn’t perform. Laurel and Hardy started to share a stage together during that time and when it was clear they worked so well together, their partnership was born. Oh, and the oft-quoted story that Clint Eastwood is the son of Stan Laurel … that’s just an urban myth.

Oliver Hardy was born Norvell Hardy in 1892 in Harlem, Georgia. Hardy used the stage name “Oliver” as a tribute to his father Oliver Hardy. His early performances were credited as “Oliver Norvell Hardy”, and off camera his nickname was “Babe Hardy”. Hardy appeared in several films that also featured the young British actor Stan Laurel, but it wasn’t until 1927 that they teamed up to make perhaps the most famous double act in the history of movies. The Laurel and Hardy act came to an end in 1955. That year, Laurel suffered a stroke, and then later the same year Hardy had a heart attack and stroke from which he never really recovered.

29 Carvings of Pacific Northwest tribes : TOTEM POLES

“Totem” is a word used to describe any entity that watches over a group of people. As such, totems are usually the subjects of worship. Totem poles are really misnamed, as they are not intended to represent figures to be worshiped, but rather are heraldic in nature often celebrating the legends or notable events in the history of a tribe.

32 Oklahoma’s second-largest city : TULSA

Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma (after Oklahoma City). Tulsa started out as a settlement established by the Loachapoka and Creek Native American tribes in 1836. These early settlers called their new home “Tallasi” meaning “old town”, and this name morphed into “Tulsa” that we use today.

33 Comedian Philips : EMO

Emo Philips is a stand-up comedian from Chicago. He has had a long and successful career, and listed on his resume is a small acting part in the 1992 hit movie “Meet the Parents” starring Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller. Philips was also the executive producer for that very same film, so, I’d say he made a few pennies …

35 Rice-shaped pasta : ORZO

Orzo is pasta that has been formed into granular shapes, much like barley. And indeed, “orzo” is the Italian word for “barley”. Orzo is also called “risoni”, meaning “large rice”.

36 Ammonia has a strong one : ODOR

Ammonia is a colorless gas with a very strong smell, and a chemical formula NH3. The name “ammonia” comes from salt deposits (actually the salt “ammonium chloride”) that the Romans collected near the Temple of Amun in ancient Libya.

37 Identifiers on tax returns: Abbr. : SSNS

The main purpose of a Social Security Number (SSN) is to track individuals for the purposes of taxation, although given its ubiquitous use, it is looking more and more like an identity number to me. The social security number system was introduced in 1936. Prior to 1986, an SSN was required only for persons with substantial income, so many children under 14 had no number assigned. For some years the IRS had a concern that a lot of people were claiming children on their tax returns who did not actually exist. So, from 1986 onward, it is a requirement to get an SSN for any dependents over the age of 5. Sure enough, seven million dependents “disappeared” in 1987.

39 Indian flatbread : NAAN

Naan (also “nan”) bread is very popular in Indian restaurants, as well as in other West, Central and South Asian cuisines. Indian Naan is traditionally baked in a clay oven known as a tandoor.

40 Be too sweet, possibly : CLOY

To cloy is to cause distaste by oversupplying something that would otherwise be pleasant, especially something with a sweet taste.

45 One of Dracula’s forms : BAT

“Dracula” is a novel written by the Irish author Bram Stoker and first published in 1897. Dracula wasn’t the first vampire of literature, but he certainly was the one who spawned the popularity of vampires in theater, film and television, and indeed more novels. Personally, I can’t stand vampire fiction …

47 Home of the Rays and Buccaneers : TAMPA

The Tampa Bay Rays are a relatively young franchise, having been formed in 1998. The initial name of the franchise was the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. While known as the Devil Rays, the team finished last in the league in almost every year. The name was changed to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008, and I am told the Rays started into a streak of winning seasons soon after.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers joined the NFL in 1976, along with the Seattle Seahawks, as an expansion team. The Bucs had a tough start in the NFL, losing their first 26 games. Things went better in the early eighties, but then the team went through 14 consecutive losing seasons. Their luck changed again though, and they won the Super Bowl at the end of the 2002 season.

48 Peabody Award-winning journalist Gwen : IFILL

Gwen Ifill was a television journalist who was regularly seen on PBS’s “Newshour”. Ifill was also the moderator on the weekly PBS show “Washington Week”, and was also selected to moderate the US Vice Presidential debates in 2004 and 2008.

51 Peruvian pack animal : LLAMA

Many female mammals lick off their newborn. That’s not an option for llamas as their tongues only reach out of their mouths about half an inch. Instead, llama dams nuzzle their young and hum to them.

55 Biblical son of Isaac : ESAU

Esau was the grandson of Abraham and the twin brother of Jacob, the founder of the Israelites. When Esau was born to Isaac and Rebekah, the event was described with “Now the first came forth, red all over like a hairy garment”. Esau is portrayed later in life as being very different from his brother Jacob, as a hunter and someone who loves the outdoor life.

57 Drink brand with a polar bear in its logo : ICEE

Slush Puppie and ICEE are brands of frozen, slushy drinks. Ostensibly competing brands, ICEE company now owns the Slush Puppie brand.

59 Sch. about a mile from Harvard : MIT

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was founded in 1861 and first offered classes in 1865, in the Mercantile building in Boston. Today’s magnificent campus on the banks of the Charles River in Cambridge opened in 1916.

60 When to expect someone, for short : ETA

Estimated time of arrival (ETA)

61 Bygone Russian space station : MIR

Russia’s Mir space station was a remarkably successful project. It held the record for the longest continuous human presence in space at just under 10 years, until the International Space Station eclipsed that record in 2010. Towards the end of the space station’s life however, the years began to take their toll. There was a dangerous fire, multiple system failures, and a collision with a resupply ship. The Russian commitment to the International Space Station drained funds for repairs, so Mir was allowed to reenter the Earth’s atmosphere and burn up in 2001. “Mir” is a Russian word meaning “peace” or “world”.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Facial hair generally banned in the military : BEARD
6 Joint between the ankle and hip : KNEE
10 Distinctive bunny features : EARS
14 Impressive display : ARRAY
15 Brother of Cain : ABEL
16 On : ATOP
17 Rock band with the 2001 #1 hit “How You Remind Me” : NICKELBACK
19 Spanish artist Francisco ___ : GOYA
20 Pain : ACHE
21 Not at home : OUT
22 Edgar ___ Poe : ALLAN
23 Classic Christmas song with the lyric “City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, / Dressed in holiday style” : SILVER BELLS
26 Sportscaster Bob : COSTAS
30 Discrimination : BIAS
31 First U.S. multimillionaire John Jacob ___ : ASTOR
32 Golf pegs : TEES
34 Dove sounds : COOS
38 Million-selling albums : PLATINUM RECORDS
41 All’s opposite : NONE
42 Loads and loads : A LOT
43 Largest island in the Philippines : LUZON
44 Some C.E.O.s’ degs. : MBAS
46 Engines : MOTORS
47 Old New York song publishing locale : TIN PAN ALLEY
52 “The game is ___” (Sherlock Holmes declaration) : AFOOT
53 State east of Miss. : ALA
54 “Return of the ___” (Episode VI of “Star Wars”) : JEDI
58 Grain-grinding facility : MILL
59 Genre for Slayer and Iron Maiden … or a hint to 17-, 23-, 38- and 47-Across : METAL MUSIC
62 Elegant ballet bend : PLIE
63 One of 10 or fewer, maybe, in a checkout lane : ITEM
64 Silly : INANE
65 Hearty draughts : ALES
66 “Gone With the Wind” plantation : TARA
67 Find a new purpose for : REUSE

Down

1 See 2-Down : … BANA
2 With 1-Down, player of the Hulk in 2003’s “Hulk” : ERIC …
3 One of two in the McDonald’s logo : ARCH
4 Leaf-gathering tool : RAKE
5 Easter egg coloring : DYE
6 Afghanistan’s capital : KABUL
7 Pro hoops network : NBA TV
8 Common Market letters : EEC
9 Antlered animal : ELK
10 Earner of at least 21 merit badges : EAGLE SCOUT
11 Island with a lagoon : ATOLL
12 Prince or princess : ROYAL
13 Wing-to-wing measures : SPANS
18 ___ Lane, lover of Superman : LOIS
22 Lawyer’s org. : ABA
23 Dress in Delhi : SARI
24 Roger of “At the Movies” : EBERT
25 What bread dough and the morning sun do : RISE
26 Quaker’s ___ Crunch cereal : CAP’N
27 Norway’s capital : OSLO
28 Ollie’s partner in old comedy : STAN
29 Carvings of Pacific Northwest tribes : TOTEM POLES
32 Oklahoma’s second-largest city : TULSA
33 Comedian Philips : EMO
35 Rice-shaped pasta : ORZO
36 Ammonia has a strong one : ODOR
37 Identifiers on tax returns: Abbr. : SSNS
39 Indian flatbread : NAAN
40 Be too sweet, possibly : CLOY
45 One of Dracula’s forms : BAT
46 Not just a snack : MEAL
47 Home of the Rays and Buccaneers : TAMPA
48 Peabody Award-winning journalist Gwen : IFILL
49 “That’s the truth!” : NO LIE!
50 “See ya!” : LATER!
51 Peruvian pack animal : LLAMA
54 Big month for weddings : JUNE
55 Biblical son of Isaac : ESAU
56 Rackets : DINS
57 Drink brand with a polar bear in its logo : ICEE
59 Sch. about a mile from Harvard : MIT
60 When to expect someone, for short : ETA
61 Bygone Russian space station : MIR