0204-13 New York Times Crossword Answers 4 Feb 13, Monday

QuickLinks:
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: Randall J. Hartman
THEME: Body Parts Up There … our themed answers today are body parts above the neck, all up at a height:

20A. Overhead security devices : EYES-IN-THE-SKY
37A. Lack of contact with reality : HEAD IN THE CLOUDS
52A. Sign of haughtiness : NOSE IN THE AIR

COMPLETION TIME: 05m 15s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

5. Advanced math class, for short : CALC
The Latin word “calculus” was orignally used for a reckoning or an account, and originally applied to a pebble that was used to maintain a count. The Latin word came from the Greek for a pebble, “khalix”.

14. Peru’s capital : LIMA
Lima is the capital city of Peru. Lima was founded in 1535 by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro who named it “la Ciudad de los Reyes” (the City of Kings). Pizarro chose this name because the decision to found the city was made on January 6th, the feast of the Epiphany that commemorates the visit of the three kings to Jesus in Bethlehem.

15. Prime draft status : ONE-A
The US government maintains information on all males who are potentially subject to military conscription, using what is called the Selective Service System(SS). In the event that a draft was held, men registered would be classified into groups to determine eligibility for service. Class 1-A registrants are those available for unrestricted military service. Other classes are 1-A-O (conscientious objector available for noncombatant service), 4-A (registrant who has completed military service) and 4-D (Minister of religion).

16. One of only two presidents with two Ivy League degrees : OBAMA
There are only two US Presidents who have two degrees from Ivy League schools. The first is President George W. Bush. President Bush holds a BA from Yale and an MBA from Harvard. The second is President Barack Obama. President Obama holds a BA in political science from Columbia and a JD from Harvard Law School.

18. Linguist Chomsky : NOAM
Noam Chomsky is a professor of linguistics at MIT. Chomsky is known as one of the fathers of modern linguistics.

19. Gem weight unit : CARAT
A carat is a unit of mass used in measuring gemstones and is equal to 200 mg.

20. Overhead security devices : EYES-IN-THE-SKY
An eye-in-the-sky is an overhead surveillance camera, usually one installed in a police helicopter.

24. A Stooge : MOE
32. Number of Stooges : THREE
If you’ve seen a few of the films starring “The Three Stooges” you’ll have noticed that the line up changed over the years. The original trio was made up of Moe and Shemp Howard (two brothers) and Larry Fine (a good friend of the Howards). This line up was usually known as “Moe, Larry and Shemp”. Then Curly Howard replaced his brother when Shemp quit the act, creating the most famous trio, “Moe, Larry And Curly”. Shemp returned when Curly had a debilitating stroke in 1946, and Shemp stayed with the troupe until he died in 1955. Shemp was replaced by Joe Besser, and then “Curly-Joe” DeRita. When Larry Fine had a stroke in 1970, it effectively marked the end of the act.

25. Republican politico ___ Paul : RON
Ron Paul is a celebrated Republican Congressman from Texas. He is a libertarian, and actually ran for president in 1988 as a Libertarian Party candidate. He ran for the Republican nomination for President in 2008 as a member of the Liberty Caucus of the party, meaning that he values a federal government that is limited in size and scope.

26. Scott Pelley’s network : CBS
Scott Pelley is a TV journalist who currently is anchoring the “CBS Evening News”, and as such is the successor to Katie Couric.

30. Brontë heroine who was a governess : JANE EYRE
“Jane Eyre” is of course the novel written by Charlotte Brontë, under the pen name Currer Bell. Over the years, I’ve shared here on my blogs that the “Jane Eyre” story line is a little too dark and Gothic for my taste, but a very persuasive blog reader convinced me to look more at the romantic side of the story and give it a second chance. I watched a wonderful 4-hour television adaptation of the novel made by the BBC a while back and I have to say that because I was focused on the relationship between Jane and Rochester, I was able to push past the Gothic influences (that depress me) so I really enjoyed the story. I thoroughly recommend the 2006 BBC adaptation to fans of the novel.

35. ___ Valley, Calif. : SIMI
Nowadays Simi Valley is perhaps best known as being home to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. If you ever get the chance to do so, it is a great place to visit.  There you can tour one of the retired Air Force One planes.

36. Cheese at a cocktail party : BRIE
Brie is a soft cheese, named after the French province of Brie where it originated.

40. Tolstoy’s “___ Karenina” : ANNA
I have to admit to not having read Tolstoy’s novel “Anna Karenina”, but I did see the excellent 1977 British television adaptation starring Nicola Pagett. Most regard the 1935 film starring Greta Garbo in the title role as the definitive big screen adaptation of the novel.

41. Algerian port : ORAN
Oran lies on the Algerian coast, and is famous for being the port where the French Navy was largely destroyed by the British during WWII in order to avoid the French vessels falling into the hands of Nazi Germany after France surrendered. This decisive and unexpected unilateral action by the British sent a very strong message around the world that Britain was willing to fight alone against the axis powers if necessary.

43. Tobago’s island neighbor : TRINIDAD
Trinidad and Tobago is an island republic in the southern Caribbean, largely comprised of the two main islands of Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago is the birthplace of calypso music.

47. New York baseballer : MET
The New York Mets baseball team was founded in 1962, 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” who beat the Baltimore Orioles in 1969 to claim the World Series in a huge upset.

48. “Krazy ___” : KAT
“Krazy Kat” is a successful comic strip that ran from 1913-1944 and was drawn by George Herriman.

60. Crucial artery : AORTA
The aorta originates in the heart and extends down into the abdomen. It is the largest artery in the body.

62. Metals from lodes : ORES
A lode is metal ore deposit that’s found between two layers of rock or in a fissure.

63. Like the north sides of some trees : MOSSY
There is a traditionally held belief that in the northern hemisphere there is a heavier growth of moss on the north-facing side of trees. The assumption is that the sun creates a drier environment on the south side of the tree, an environment that is less conducive to the growth of moss.

64. Battle of Normandy city : CAEN
Caen, on the River Orne, lies in the Calvados department of France in the northwest of the country. Caen is famous for the WWII Battle of Caen that left the town practically destroyed. Caen is also the burial place of the Norman King William I of England, also known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

65. Sneaker brand : KEDS
Keds is a brand name of athletic shoe first introduced in 1916 by US Rubber. The shoe was marketed as a rubber-soled, canvas-topped sneaker.

Down
1. Hamlet’s word before “perchance to dream” : SLEEP
The phrase “perchance to dream” comes from Hamlet’s famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy:

To die — to sleep.
To sleep — perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub!

A “rub” is a difficulty or obstruction. The usage predates Shakespeare, and comes from the game of lawn bowls in which a rub is a fault in the bowling surface.

2. Tripoli’s country : LIBYA
Tripoli is the capital city of Libya and sits on the Mediterranean Coast. The city was founded by the Phoenicians in the 7th century BC when it was called Oea.

3. Fossilized tree resin : AMBER
Amber’s technical name is “resinite”, reflecting its composition and formation. Amber starts out life as soft sticky tree resin but then under high temperature and pressure from overlying layers of soil, it fossilizes. The sticky resin can trap organisms or other plant matter, and this material can sometimes remain virtually intact inside the amber fossil giving us a unique gift from the past.

5. Sarah ___, “The Terminator” heroine : CONNOR
We sometimes forget that “the terminator” wasn’t the main character in the first “The Terminator” film. The story revolved around Kyle Reese (played by Michael Biehn). Reese is sent back from the future to protect Sarah Connor (played by Linda Hamilton) from the Terminator (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger).

7. Sister of Rachel, in the Bible : LEAH
Leah was the older sister of Rachel and the first wife of Jacob. Leah was also mother of six of the twelve tribes of Israel as she was mother of six of Jacob’s sons (she also had one daughter).

10. Self-described “World’s Online Marketplace” : EBAY
eBay is an auction site with a twist. If you don’t want to enter into an auction to purchase an item, there’s a “Buy It Now” price. Agree to pay it, and the item is yours …

12. Actress Thurman : UMA
Robert Thurman was the first westerner to be ordained a Tibetan Buddhist monk. Robert raised his children in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition and called his daughter “Uma” as it is a phonetic spelling of the Buddhist name “Dbuma”.

13. Singer who doesn’t want a hit? : RAT
A “rat” is one who spills the beans, who sings under pressure from interogators.

21. Louvre Pyramid architect : I M PEI
I. M. Pei (full name: Ieoh Ming Pei) is an exceptional American architect, born in China. Of Pei’s many wonderful works, my favorite is the renovation of the Louvre in Paris, especially the Glass Pyramid in the courtyard.

22. ___ boom : SONIC
Supersonic transports (SSTs) like the Concorde broke Mach 1, the speed of sound. As a plane flies through air, it creates pressure waves in front (and behind) rather like the bow and stern waves of a boat. These pressure waves travel at the speed of sound, so as an aircraft itself accelerates towards the speed of sound it catches up with the pressure waves until they cannot “get out of the way”. When the aircraft reaches the speed of sound, the compressed waves merge into one single shock wave, creating a sonic boom.

26. Miley of “Hannah Montana” : CYRUS
Miley Cyrus became famous playing the Disney Channel character “Hannah Montana”. Miley is of course the daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus. When she was born, Billy Ray and his wife named their daughter “Destiny Hope”, but soon they themselves calling her “Smiley” as she was always smiling as a baby, and this got shortened to Miley over time. Cute …

28. “What thou ___, write in a book”: Revelation : SEEST
Revelation is the last book in the New Testament of the Bible. The book’s author is said to be John of Patmos, as called out in this passage:

I John…was in the isle that is called Patmos for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. …and I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet saying: What thou seest, write in a book…

29. Family 11-Down : SEDAN
The American “sedan” car is the equivalent of the British “saloon” car. By definition, a sedan car has two rows of seating and a trunk (boot in the UK) that is separate from the passenger compartment.

30. Islamic holy war : JIHAD
In the Islamic tradition “jihad” is a duty, either an inner spiritual struggle to fulfill religious duties or an outward physical struggle to defend the faith. Someone engaged in jihad is called a “mujahid” with the plural being “mujahideen”.

31. Black piano key material : EBONY
Ebony is another word for the color black (often shortened to “ebon” in poetry). Ebony is a dark black wood that is very dense, one of the few types of wood that sinks in water. Ebony has been in high demand so the species of trees yielding the wood are now considered threatened. It is in such short supply that unscrupulous vendors have been known to darken lighter woods with shoe polish to look like ebony, so be warned …

33. Painter Matisse : HENRI
Henri Matisse was a French artist renowned for his contribution to modern art. In his early career, Matisse was classed as a “fauve”, one of the group of artists known as the “wild beasts” who emphasized strong color over realism in their works. He was a lifelong friend of Pablo Picasso, and the two were considered to be good-natured rivals so their works are often compared. One major difference between their individual portfolios is that Picasso tended to paint from his imagination, whereas Matisse tended to use nature as his inspiration.

35. The “S” in SALT : STRATEGIC
There were two rounds of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks between the US and the Soviet Union, and two resulting treaties (SALT I & SALT II). The opening round of SALT I talks were held in Helsinki as far back as 1970.

45. General played by George C. Scott : PATTON
“Patton” is an excellent biographical movie about General George Patton and his exploits during WWII. The film was released in 1970 and starred George C. Scott in the title role. “Patton” won seven Oscars including Best Picture and one for Scott as Best Actor. Scott refused his award saying that he disliked “acting competitions”. In so doing, he became the first actor to refuse an Oscar.

48. With 9-Down, Notre Dame coaching legend : KNUTE
(9. See 48-Down : ROCKNE)
Knute Rockne, America’s most famous football coach many say, was born in the city of Voss in Norway. He came to the United States with his family when he was 5-years-old. Years later he graduated Notre Dame with a degree in Chemistry, but abandoned that career path when he was offered his first real coaching job.

49. Congo, once : ZAIRE
The African nation once called Zaire is a neighbor of Rwanda. The genocide and war in Rwanda spilled over into Zaire in 1996, with the conflict escalating into what is now called the First Congo War. As part of the war’s fallout there was a regime change, and in 1997 Zaire became the Democratic Republic of Congo.

53. “Casablanca” character Lund : ILSA
Ilsa Lund was of course played by Ingrid Bergman in the 1942 movie “Casablanca”. I love the words of one critic describing the chemistry between Bogart and Bergman in this film: “she paints his face with her eyes”. Wow …

54. Furry “Star Wars” creature : EWOK
The Ewoks are creatures who live on the moon of Endor, first appearing in “Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi”. They’re the cute and cuddly guys that look like teddy bears.

56. Little friend of Winnie-the-Pooh : ROO
Like most of the characters in A. A. Milne’s “Winnie the Pooh”, Roo was inspired by on a stuffed toy belonging to Milne’s son, Christopher Robin.

57. Surgery sites, for short : ORS
Operating room (OR).

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Response to an affront : SLAP
5. Advanced math class, for short : CALC
9. Happen again : RECUR
14. Peru’s capital : LIMA
15. Prime draft status : ONE-A
16. One of only two presidents with two Ivy League degrees : OBAMA
17. Flows back : EBBS
18. Linguist Chomsky : NOAM
19. Gem weight unit : CARAT
20. Overhead security devices : EYES-IN-THE-SKY
23. 2, 3 or 4, usually, in miniature golf : PAR
24. A Stooge : MOE
25. Republican politico ___ Paul : RON
26. Scott Pelley’s network : CBS
29. Winter follower: Abbr. : SPR
30. Brontë heroine who was a governess : JANE EYRE
32. Number of Stooges : THREE
35. ___ Valley, Calif. : SIMI
36. Cheese at a cocktail party : BRIE
37. Lack of contact with reality : HEAD IN THE CLOUDS
40. Tolstoy’s “___ Karenina” : ANNA
41. Algerian port : ORAN
42. Commencement : ONSET
43. Tobago’s island neighbor : TRINIDAD
45. Salary : PAY
46. Topic in a confessional : SIN
47. New York baseballer : MET
48. “Krazy ___” : KAT
49. Hit with a ray gun : ZAP
52. Sign of haughtiness : NOSE IN THE AIR
55. Babbling stream : BROOK
58. Overabundance : GLUT
59. Broad : WIDE
60. Crucial artery : AORTA
61. That ___ say : IS TO
62. Metals from lodes : ORES
63. Like the north sides of some trees : MOSSY
64. Battle of Normandy city : CAEN
65. Sneaker brand : KEDS

Down
1. Hamlet’s word before “perchance to dream” : SLEEP
2. Tripoli’s country : LIBYA
3. Fossilized tree resin : AMBER
4. Get any grade above an F : PASS
5. Sarah ___, “The Terminator” heroine : CONNOR
6. Make ___ of (jot down) : A NOTE
7. Sister of Rachel, in the Bible : LEAH
8. Film set workers : CAMERAMEN
9. See 48-Down : ROCKNE
10. Self-described “World’s Online Marketplace” : EBAY
11. It’s parked in a garage : CAR
12. Actress Thurman : UMA
13. Singer who doesn’t want a hit? : RAT
21. Louvre Pyramid architect : I M PEI
22. ___ boom : SONIC
26. Miley of “Hannah Montana” : CYRUS
27. Groom’s partner : BRIDE
28. “What thou ___, write in a book”: Revelation : SEEST
29. Family 11-Down : SEDAN
30. Islamic holy war : JIHAD
31. Black piano key material : EBONY
32. “___ all she wrote!” : THAT’S
33. Painter Matisse : HENRI
34. Took to the station house : RAN IN
35. The “S” in SALT : STRATEGIC
38. Junctures : NODES
39. Reluctant (to) : LOATH
44. “No harm, no foul” : I’M OKAY
45. General played by George C. Scott : PATTON
48. With 9-Down, Notre Dame coaching legend : KNUTE
49. Congo, once : ZAIRE
50. Helped : AIDED
51. Iron, as clothes : PRESS
52. Have-___ (poor people) : NOTS
53. “Casablanca” character Lund : ILSA
54. Furry “Star Wars” creature : EWOK
55. “Kapow!” : BAM
56. Little friend of Winnie-the-Pooh : ROO
57. Surgery sites, for short : ORS

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