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Solution to today’s crossword in the New York Times
Solution to today’s SYNDICATED New York Times crossword in all other publications
CROSSWORD SETTER: Joseph Samulak
THEME: MIX TAPE … all the theme answers contain four letters that are circled in the grid. The four letters are the same as those in the word TAPE, but he order is given a MIX:
20A. 1990s runnings of the Bulls? : THREE-PEATS
37A. Homemade music compilation … or a hint to the circled letters : MIXTAPE
53A. Some gymwear : SWEATPANTS
11D. Groups battling big government : TEA PARTIES
29D. Watch : KEEP TABS ON
COMPLETION TIME: 6m 03s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
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.
9. ___ liberales (studies at universidades) : ARTES
In Spain one might study “artes liberales” (liberal arts) at “universidades” (colleges).
The Audi name has an interesting history. The Horch company was founded by August Horch in 1909, but soon after, Horch was forced out of his own business. He set up a new company and continued to use his own name as a brand. The old company sued him for using the Horch name so a meeting was held to choose something new. Horch’s young son was studying Latin in the room where the meeting was taking place. He pointed out that “Horch” was German for “hear”, and he suggested “Audi” instead, the Latin for “listen”. Don’t hear … just listen …
15. Forearm bone : ULNA
The radius and ulna are bones in the forearm. If you hold the palm of your hand up in front of you, the radius is the bone on the “thumb-side” of the arm, and the ulna is the bone on the “pinkie-side”.
Ernesto “Che” Guevara was born in Argentina, and in 1948 started to study medicine at the University of Buenos Aries. While at school he satisfied his need to “see the world” by taking two long journeys around South America, the story of which are told in Guevara’s memoir later published as “The Motorcycle Diaries”. While travelling, Guevara was moved by the plight of the people he saw and their working conditions and what he viewed as capitalistic exploitation. In Mexico City he met brothers Raul and Fidel Castro and was persuaded to join their cause, the overthrow of the US-backed government in Cuba. He rose to second-in-command among the Cuban insurgents, and when Castro came to power Guevara was influential in repelling the Bay of Pigs Invasion and bringing Soviet nuclear missiles to the island. Guevara left Cuba in 1965 to continue his work as a revolutionary. He was captured by Bolivian forces in 1967, and was executed. Fidel Castro led the public mourning of Guevara’s death, and soon the revolutionary was an icon for many left-wing movements around the world.
18. Desserts akin to cobblers : PIES
The dessert called “cobbler” originated in colonial America when settlers invented it as a substitute for suet pudding as they didn’t have the necessary ingredients to make the more traditional dish. Instead, they stewed fruit and covered it with a layer of uncooked scones or biscuits, creating a surface that resembled a “cobbled” street, hence the name.
19. Allan-___ (Robin Hood compadre) : A-DALE
According to the legend of Robin Hood, Alan-a-Dale was a member of Robin’s outlaw band of Merry Men. Based on the legend, Alan-a-Dale was a wandering minstrel.
A “three-peat” is the winning of a sports championship three seasons in a row.
The Chicago bulls have won six NBA championships in the life of the franchise, all of them in nineties. They won in the 1991, 1992 and 1993 seasons (a so-called “three-peat”), and then again in 1996, 1997 and 1998 (a second “three-peat”).
32. Excellent, in dated slang : PHAT
In hip-hop circles, the term “phat” means excellent or first-rate.
The brand most closely associated with ginger ale is Canada Dry. “Canada Dry Pale Ginger Ale” was first formulated in 1904 by a Canadian chemist called John McLoughlin from Ontario, Canada. Prohibition helped sales of the drink as it was particularly effective in masking the taste of illegally-produced homemade liquor.
49. Queen who financed Columbus, to the Spanish : ISABEL
Queen Isabella I of Castile was recognized as a formidable soveriegn, and was perceived as a joint ruler with her husband, King Ferdinand II of Aragon. The pair united their two kingdoms in a move that heralded the unification of Spain.
51. Crazy as ___ : A LOON
The slang term “loon” for a deranged person probably comes from the loud cry of the bird, the loon (which dives), but is also influenced by the word “lunatic”.
A yoke is that wooden beam used between a pair of oxen so that they are forced to work together.
Down
4. Application to improve a batter’s grip : PINE TAR
Pine tar is applied to the handles of baseball bats as it is a sticky substance and improves the batter’s grip. In a 1983 game, the Yankees manager Billy Martin protested a home run hit by George Brett of the Royals because the pine tar on his bat extended beyond the regulation 18 inches. The home run was later allowed as it was determined that the 18-inch rule was in place for economic reasons, and had nothing to do with competitive advantage. If pine tar gets on a baseball it renders it unusable for play, and baseballs cost money!
I’ve always believed that the “Sesame Street” characters Bert and Ernie were named after two roles played in the Christmas classic “It’s a Wonderful Life”. In the movie, the policeman’s name is Bert, and his taxi-driving buddy is named Ernie. However, the “Sesame Street” folks have stated that the use of the same names is just a coincidence.
9. Chicken ___ king : A LA
A dish prepared “à la king” (usually chicken or turkey), is food prepared in a cream sauce, with mushrooms, pimentos, green peppers and sherry.
10. One end of the Suez Canal : RED SEA
The Red Sea (sometimes called the Arabian Gulf) is a stretch of water lying between Africa and Asia. The Gulf of Suez (and the Suez Canal) lies to north, and the Gulf of Aden to the south.
The Tea Party Caucus in the US Congress is chaired by Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann. The stated focus for the caucus is fiscal responsibility and limited government, while adhering to the groups interpretation of the US Constitution. Top contributors to the caucus are health professionals, retirees, the real estate industry and oil and gas interests.
12. Brilliance : ECLAT
Éclat can mean a brilliant show of success, or the applause or accolade that one receives. The word derives from the French “éclater” meaning “to splinter, burst out”.
In Rudyard Kipling’s “Jungle Book”, he calls his regal tiger character “Shere Khan”. Kipling chose this name as he had met an Afghan Prince in his travels called “Sher Shah Suri”, meaning “The Lion or Tiger King”.
27. U.S. territory in W.W. II fighting : GUAM
Guam is a US territory in the western Pacific Ocean, the largest of the Mariana Islands. Guam is also the first territory in the United States to see the sun rise on any particular day. As such, it has adopted the motto, “Where America’s day begins”. During WWII, the US territory of Guam was occupied by the Japanese for 31 months until it was liberated in the Battle of Guam in July 1944. Of the 18,000 Japanese men holding the island, only 485 surrendered, so almost all perished in the invasion. One Japanese sergeant hid out on the island for an incredible 28 years, finally surrendering in 1972!
28. Norway’s capital : OSLO
Oslo is an ancient city, founded around 1048. The medieval city was destroyed by fire in 1624 and was rebuilt by the Danish-Norwegian King Christian IV and renamed Christiana. In 1877, there was an official change of the name’s spelling to Kristiana, and then more recently in 1925 the name was restored to the original Oslo. Things have gone full circle, as the center of Oslo, the area that would have been contained by the original medieval walls, has recently been renamed Christiana.
30. “Eureka!” : AHA
Eureka translates from Greek as “I have found it”. The word is usually associated with Archimedes, uttered as he stepped into his bath one day. His discovery was that the volume of water that was displaced was equal to that of the object (presumably his foot) that had been submerged. He used this fact to determine the volume of a crown, something he needed to determine if it was made of pure gold or was a forgery.
34. Kennedy matriarch : ROSE
Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy was the mother of President John F. Kennedy, and eight other children.She lived to a very ripe old age, passing away in 1995 when she was 104 years old.
The aardvark is the oddest looking of creatures, a nocturnal burrowing animal, native to Africa. The name “aardvark” is Afrikaans for “earth pig”, although it is not in fact related to the pig. Aardvarks are noted, among other things, for their unique teeth. Their teeth have no enamel and wear away quite readily, but continuously regrow.
“Sarah Palin’s Alaska” is a travelogue/documentary produced by the cable channel TLC in 2010-2011. The show ran for a full season of eight episodes before being cancelled.
49. Ayatollah’s faith : ISLAM
An Ayatollah is a high-ranking cleric in the Muslim faith, roughly equivalent to a Bishop or a Cardinal in the Roman Catholic tradition, or to a Chief Rabbi in Judaism.
51. “The Fox and the Grapes” storyteller : AESOP
Aesop lived in Ancient Greece, probably around the sixth century BC. Supposedly he was born a slave, somehow became a free man, but then met with a sorry end. He was sent to the city of Delphi on a diplomatic mission but instead insulted the Delphians. He was tried on a trumped-up charge of stealing from a temple, sentenced to death and was thrown off a cliff.
54. House ___ and Means Committee : WAYS
The Committee of Ways and Means is an extremely influential body in the US House of Representatives. The US Constitution requires that all taxation bills must originate in the House, and procedures in the House require that all taxation bills must go though the Ways and Means Committee.
The famous headland in Florida called Cape Canaveral was named by Spanish explorers in the early 16th century. As the Cape acts as a launching station for many of NASA’s rockets, when President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 the NASA facility on nearby Merritt Island was renamed the Kennedy Space Center, and President Johnson went as far as renaming the whole of Cape Canaveral to Cape Kennedy. The name change for the cape didn’t go down well in Florida though, as the headland had been called Cape Canaveral for over 400 years. So, the name was restored in 1973, and Cape Kennedy is no more.
57. Kyle and Kenny’s friend on “South Park” : STAN
“South Park” is an adult-oriented cartoon series on Comedy Central. I don’t do “South Park” …
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Betty of comics : BOOP
5. Manufacture : MAKE
9. ___ liberales (studies at universidades) : ARTES
14. Car whose logo has four rings : AUDI
15. Forearm bone : ULNA
16. Parasite : LEECH
17. Che Guevara or Lady Gaga : ICON
18. Desserts akin to cobblers : PIES
19. Allan-___ (Robin Hood compadre) : A-DALE
20. 1990s runnings of the Bulls? : THREE-PEATS
23. Practice boxing : SPAR
24. General tendency : TREND
25. Manufacture : CREATE
27. Kids’ vehicles on tracks : GO KARTS
30. Loud, as a crowd : AROAR
31. Manual’s intended reader : USER
32. Excellent, in dated slang : PHAT
33. ___-la-la : TRA
36. Word after ginger or brown : ALE
37. Homemade music compilation … or a hint to the circled letters : MIXTAPE
40. Charged particle : ION
41. Implement you might wring : MOP
42. “You have no ___!” : IDEA
43. Leftover part : REST
44. Sandwiches that may have sour cream and salsa : TACOS
46. Wakens : AROUSES
49. Queen who financed Columbus, to the Spanish : ISABEL
51. Crazy as ___ : A LOON
52. Bawls : SOBS
53. Some gymwear : SWEATPANTS
58. Cutting-edge technology? : LASER
60. Aide: Abbr. : ASST
61. “Hold your horses!” : WAIT
62. Honor ___ thieves : AMONG
63. Harness for oxen : YOKE
64. Where sailors go : ASEA
65. After-dinner candies : MINTS
66. Bridge : SPAN
67. Ball material for a cat : YARN
Down
1. Worms and such, to a fisherman : BAIT
2. “That hurt!” : OUCH
3. Stench : ODOR
4. Application to improve a batter’s grip : PINE TAR
5. Bert or Ernie : MUPPET
6. Martians and Venusians : ALIENS
7. Work, as dough : KNEAD
8. Direction after Near, Middle or Far : EAST
9. Chicken ___ king : A LA
10. One end of the Suez Canal : RED SEA
11. Groups battling big government : TEA PARTIES
12. Brilliance : ECLAT
13. ___ Khan (“The Jungle Book” tiger) : SHERE
21. Mess up : ERR
22. Leftover part : SCRAP
26. Memorization : ROTE
27. U.S. territory in W.W. II fighting : GUAM
28. Norway’s capital : OSLO
29. Watch : KEEP TABS ON
30. “Eureka!” : AHA
32. School open house organizer: Abbr. : PTA
34. Kennedy matriarch : ROSE
35. Tidbits for aardvarks : ANTS
37. Runners in lab mazes : MICE
38. Winners of some televised singing competitions : IDOLS
39. Deletes, with “out” : XES
43. Escape : RUN AWAY
45. Not present : ABSENT
46. “Sarah Palin’s ___” of 2010-11 TV : ALASKA
47. No-good : ROTTEN
48. Alley-___ : OOP
49. Ayatollah’s faith : ISLAM
50. “Me too!” : SO AM I
51. “The Fox and the Grapes” storyteller : AESOP
54. House ___ and Means Committee : WAYS
55. Cape Canaveral org. : NASA
56. Level : TIER
57. Kyle and Kenny’s friend on “South Park” : STAN
59. Some N.F.L. linemen : RGS
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