Category: Trip Payne

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
17. Husband of Elisheba : AARON
According the Hebrew and Christian Bibles, Elisheba was married to Aaron, the older brother of Moses.

18. Laughable : INANE
Our word “inane”, meaning silly or lacking substance, comes from the Latin “inanitis” meaning “empty space”.

22. Bee relative : OPIE
Aunt Bee was a character in “The Andy Griffith Show”. The character’s full name was Beatrice Taylor but everyone in Mayberry called her “Aunt Bee”. In the storyline she was the aunt of the protagonist, Sheriff Andy Taylor, and great-aunt to Andy’s son Opie. Aunt Bee was played by actress Frances Bavier.

23. Kind of sleep : REM
REM is an acronym standing for Rapid Eye Movement sleep. REM sleep takes up 20-25% of the sleeping hours and is the period associated with one’s most vivid dreams.

24. Get out of the line : DELE
“Dele” is the editorial instruction to delete something from a document, and is often written in red.

28. Old Memorial Coliseum player, for short : LA RAM
The St. Louis Rams have only won the Super Bowl once, in 1999, against the Tennessee Titans. The Rams were based in Cleveland from 1936-45, Los Angeles from 1946-94 and St. Louis from 1995 to the present day.

LA’s Memorial Coliseum is home to the USC Trojans football team. The Coliseum had the distinction of hosting the Olympic Games twice, in 1932 and 1984, and was the first stadium in the world to do so. It was also home to the LA Rams NFL team from 1946 until 1979.

32. Staff with notes : STENOS
Stenography is the process of writing in shorthand. The term comes from the Greek “steno” (narrow) and “graphe” (writing).

34. 61 + 86 : NEUTROGENA (PERT plus RIVAL)
Neutrogena is a brand of skincare products that was founded in 1930 as a cosmetics company called Natone.

Pert Plus is a Procter & Gamble shampoo and conditioner that was introduced in 1987 as a new improved version of the existing Pert line of shampoos.

39. He is one : ELEM
The element helium (He) has an atomic number (at. no.) of 2.

41. National Junior Tennis League co-founder : ASHE
Arthur Ashe was a professional tennis player from Richmond, Virginia. In his youth, Ashe found himself having to travel great distances to play against Caucasian opponents due to the segregation that still existed in his home state. He was rewarded for his dedication by being selected for the 1963 US Davis Cup team, the first African American player to be so honored. Ashe continued to run into trouble because of his ethnicity though, and in 1968 was denied entry into South Africa to play in the South African Open. In 1979 Ashe suffered a heart attack and had bypass surgery, with follow-up surgery four years later during which he contracted HIV from blood transfusions. Ashe passed away in 1993 due to complications from AIDS. Shortly afterwards, Ashe was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton.

43. The Apostle of Cuban Independence : MARTI
José Martí was a Cuban writer and political activist who became a symbol for his country’s movement to gain independence from Spain in the 1800s, earning him the nickname “Apostle of Cuban Independence”. Martí was killed in action in a battle against Spanish troops in 1895.

46. Checkout line? : TATA
An Englishman might say “tata” or “cheerio” instead of “goodbye”. Well, supposedly so!

50. Explicatory words : ID EST
“Id est” is Latin for “that is”, and is often abbreviated to “i.e.” when used in English.

53. Digs near the ocean, perhaps : VILLA
The original “villas” were country houses owned by the elite in Ancient Rome. A member of the Roman elite would live in a “domus” in the city, whereas the rest of the population would live in “insulae”, apartment buildings.

57. Ends of scissors? : ESSES
There are two letters S in the word “scissors”, one at either end.

58. Like illegal charades clues : ORAL
In the parlor game known as Charades, oral clues aren’t permitted. It’s all about acting out in silence.

59. 1977 law school memoir : ONE L
Scott Turow is an author and lawyer from Chicago. Turow has had several bestselling novels including “Presumed Innocent”, “The Burden of Proof” and “Reversible Errors”, all three of which were made into films. He also wrote the autobiographical book “One L: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School”.

66. European Parliament locale : ALSACE
Of the 27 regions of metropolitan France (i.e. the territory of France within Europe), the smallest is Alsace. Alsace sits at the very east of the country, right on the border with Germany.

Strasbourg is a beautiful city that I had the privilege to visit some years ago. Strasbourg is home to many international organizations, including the European Court of Human Rights and the European Parliament.

74. Block number?: Abbr. : SPF
In theory, the sun protection factor (SPF) is a calibrated measure of the effectiveness of a sunscreen in protecting the skin from harmful UV rays. The idea is that if you wear a lotion with say SPF 20, then it takes 20 times as much UV radiation to cause the skin to burn than it would take without protection. I say just stay out of the sun …

77. 1989 AP Female Athlete of the Year : GRAF
Steffi Graf is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Germany. Graf won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, more than any other man or woman other than Margaret Court. She is married to another former World No. 1, namely Andre Agassi.

79. Sans le ___ (broke: Fr.) : SOU
“Sans le sou” is French for “broke, penniless”, literally “without the sou”.

A sou is an old French coin. We use the term “sou” to mean “an almost worthless amount”.

81. Cul-de-sac, in some addresses : PLACE
Even though “cul-de-sac” can indeed mean “bottom of the bag” in French, the term cul-de-sac is of English origin (the use of “cul” in French is actually quite rude). The term was introduced in aristocratic circles at a time when it was considered very fashionable to speak French. Dead-end streets in France are usually signposted with just a symbol and no accompanying words, but if words are included they are “voie sans issue”, meaning “way without exit”.

88. Wind stopper? : BEANO
Beano is a dietary supplement that is used to reduce gas in the digestive tract. Beano contains an enzyme which breaks down complex sugars found in many vegetables. This makes the food more digestible and apparently cuts down on gas.

90. Cans : REARS
“Can” is a slang term for the rear end, the buttocks.

Down
4. Word with bag or board : TOTE
Parimutuel betting is a system in which the bookmaker is guaranteed a pre-determined profit. In the system, all bets are pooled, taxes and house profit are removed, and the payoff is made with the resulting pool. In some parts of the world, the parimutuel system is referred to as “the Tote” (as indeed it is in Ireland). “Tote” is short for “totalizator”, which is the automated system that runs parimutuel betting.

5. Developing option: Abbr. : ENL
Enlargement (enl.)

7. South American reptile : CAIMAN
Caimans are relatively small, crocodile-like reptiles that inhabit Central and South America. That said, the largest species can grow to 13 feet in length, but many are about 3 feet long.

9. Turn down a raise? : FOLD
In poker, say, a player can say “I fold, I’m out”.

11. “Academica” author : CICERO
Cicero was a very influential senator in Ancient Rome, in part due to his renowned ability to deliver a persuasive speech. His full name was Marcus Tullius Cicero.

12. Subject of the tribute album “Every Man Has a Woman” : ONO
“Every Man Has a Woman” is a tribute album recorded for Yoko Ono’s 50th birthday, in 1984. The tracks are songs from albums recorded by Ono, but recorded as cover version by artists such as Harry Nilsson, Roberta Flack and Ono’s husband, John Lennon. This album was supposedly Lennon’s idea, but sadly he was murdered before he could see it completed.

20. Cut from a log, maybe : ERASE
In Greek mythology, Eos is the goddess of the dawn who lived at the edge of the ocean. Eos would wake each morning to welcome her brother Helios the sun. The Roman equivalent of Eos is Aurora.

25. Lorelei, notably : LURER
Lorelei is the name of a legendary mermaid who lured fishermen by singing a beautiful song so that they steered their boats onto rocks lurking beneath the water’s surface.

28. Novel about Dolores Haze : LOLITA
Vladimir Nabokov’s novel “Lolita” has a famously controversial storyline, dealing with a middle-aged man’s obsession and sexual relationship with a 12-year-old girl named Dolores Haze. 38-year-old professor Humbert Humbert privately refers to Dolores as “Lolita”. Although “Lolita” is considered a classic today, after Nabokov finished it in 1953 the edgy subject matter made it impossible for him to find a publisher in the US (where Nabokov lived). In 1955, he resorted to publishing it in English at a printing house in Paris. Publication was followed by bans and seizures all over Europe. A US printing house finally took on the project in 1958, by which time the title had such a reputation that it sold exceptionally quickly. “Lolita” became the first book since “Gone with the Wind” to sell over 100,000 copies in its first three weeks in stores.

29. 1979 comedy set at Camp North Star : MEATBALLS
“Meatballs” is a 1979 movie in which comic actor Bill Murray had his first starring role. The film was directed by Ivan Reitman, who later teamed up with Bill Murray again in the hit movies “Stripes” (1981) and “Ghostbusters” (1984).

35. Bolt with gold : USAIN
Usain Bolt is a Jamaican sprinter who won the 100m and 200m race gold medals in both the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. Back in Jamaica, Bolt was really into cricket and probably would have been a very successful fast bowler had he not hit the track instead.

36. Utopias lack them : EVILS
The word “Utopia” was coined by Sir Thomas More for his book “Utopia” published in 1516 describing an idyllic fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. More’s use of the name Utopia comes from the Greek “ou” meaning “not” and “topos” meaning “place”. By calling his perfect island “Not Place”, More was apparently making the point that he didn’t think that the ideal could actually exist.

37. ___ Porter, “Ally McBeal” role : NELLE
Nelle Porter is a character on the TV show “Ally McBeal” who is portrayed by actress Portia de Rossi.

“Ally McBeal” is a very successful television show that aired from 1997 to 2002. It starred Calista Flockhart in the title role, as a successful lawyer. I must admit, I never watched the show, but I am told by a kind blog reader that it’s good viewing. It was created by David E. Kelley, who is also the man behind other successful legal dramas including “The Practice”, “Boston Legal” and “Harry’s Games’. Kelley is married to actress Michelle Pfeiffer.

40. “Newhart” production co. : MTM
MTM Enterprises was a television production company founded in 1969 by Mary Tyler Moore, originally to produce the “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”. The company subsequently produced the likes of “The Bob Newhart Show”, “Rhoda”, “WKRP in Cincinnati”, “Hill Street Blues” and “St. Elsewhere”. That’s a lot of great television …

“Newhart” is a very entertaining sitcom starring Bob Newhart and Mary Frann as innkeepers in rural Vermont. The show is remembered by many for its last episode, which aired in 1990. In that final episode, Bob Newhart wakes up in bed and suggests that the whole of the show’s eight-year run was just a dream. He is lying beside actress Suzanne Pleshette who played his wife in the earlier sitcom “The Bob Newhart Show”. Very, very clever …

49. Pop’s ___ Brothers : EVERLY
The Everly Brothers are noted for their steel guitar sound, and their great use of harmony. Their harmony onstage wasn’t reflected off the stage though. In 1973 the brothers decided to pursue separate careers and scheduled a farewell performance attended by many fans, family and stalwarts from the music industry. Don Everly came on stage too drunk to perform, and eventually brother Phil just stormed off into the wings, smashing his guitar as he left. The boys didn’t talk to each other for ten years after that incident. Phil Everly passed away in January 2014.

52. Fleece : GYP
“Gyp” is American slang meaning “cheat”. It dates back to the late 1800s and may derive from the word “gypsy”.

55. Tool along : MOTOR
The phrase “tooling along”, meaning “driving a vehicle”, dates back to the early 1800s. The expression probably arose from the sense of managing skillfully, either a vehicle or a tool.

60. John Tesh fan, maybe : NEW AGER
New-Age music is created to provide a relaxing and stress-free atmosphere. The New Age movement is often said to have begun with the release of an album called “Spectrum Suite” by Steven Halpern in 1975.

John Tesh is a pianist and composer, as well as a radio and television presenter. For many years Tesh presented the show “Entertainment Tonight”. For “ET” he once covered the filming of an episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. As part of the piece, he volunteered to act as a Klingon warrior and so if you see the “Star Trek: TNG” episode called “The Icarus Factor” in reruns, watch out for John Tesh engaging in ritual torture with Mr. Worf as his victim.

64. Team once owned by Gene Autry : ANGELS
Gene Autry was a so-called singing cowboy who had an incredibly successful career on radio, television and in films starting in the thirties. Autry’s signature song was “Back in the Saddle Again”, and his biggest hit was “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”. He also had a hit with his own Christmas song called “Here Comes Santa Claus”. There’s even a town in Oklahoma called Gene Autry, named in his honor. Famously, Autry owned the Los Angeles Angels (now the Anaheim Angels) for many years, from 1961 to 1997.

65. With 67-Down, signer of the Oslo Accords : YASSIR
67. See 65-Down : ARAFAT
Yasser (also Yasir, Yassir) Arafat was born in Cairo in 1929, the son of two Palestinians and the second-youngest of seven children. Arafat was beaten by his father as a child and so did not have a good relationship with him. Arafat did not attend his father’s funeral, nor did he visit his grave. The beatings were apparently administered because the young Arafat was repeatedly attending religious services in the Jewish quarter of Cairo. Arafat’s explanation was that he wanted to “study the mentality” of the Jewish people.

The Oslo Accords grew out of secret negotiations between the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel in a residence in Oslo in the early nineties. The delegates shared the same house while they conducted 14 meetings. While eating all their meals together at the same table, the negotiators came to respect one another and apparently friendships developed.

68. Like boxers : CANINE
The boxer breed of dog (one of my favorites!) originated in Germany. My first dog was a boxer/Labrador mix, a beautiful animal. Our current family dog is a boxer/pug mix, another gorgeous creature.

75. Ballet move : PLIE
The French word for “bent” is “plié”. In the ballet move known as a plié, the knees are bent.

76. ___ bean : FAVA
Fava bean is an alternative name for the broad bean.

80. Either “Inside Llewyn Davis” director : COEN
“Inside Llewyn Davis” is a 2013 film from the Coen brothers that stars Oscar Isaac, Casey Mulligan and John Goodman. The movie is about a week in the life of a folk singer in New York City in the early sixties. “Inside Llewyn Davis” has been well received, but based on the trailers I’ve seen, it looks a little too depressing for my taste. I could be wrong …

82. Tilt-A-Whirl part : CAR
The Tilt-A-Whirl is the fairground ride that has seven cars on a spinning platform, with the cars rotating freely and randomly. Each of the cars hold 3-4 riders, pretty nauseated riders sometimes.

85. Abbr. on a Topps card : RBI
Topps was a relaunch of an older company called American Leaf Tobacco, with the Topps name used from 1938. The earlier company was in trouble because it could not get supplies of its Turkish tobacco, so it moved into another chewy industry, making bubblegum.

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Send : ELATE
6. Future works? : SCI-FI
11. Apricot or eggplant : COLOR
16. Reveal : LET ON
17. Husband of Elisheba : AARON
18. Laughable : INANE
19. 81 ÷ 27 : BATTLEFIELD (PLACE divided by WAR)
21. Lists for : COSTS
22. Bee relative : OPIE
23. Kind of sleep : REM
24. Get out of the line : DELE
26. Supertrendy : HOT
27. It’s conducted in a theater : WAR
28. Old Memorial Coliseum player, for short : LA RAM
30. Utter : PURE
32. Staff with notes : STENOS
34. 61 + 86 : NEUTROGENA (PERT plus RIVAL)
39. He is one : ELEM
41. National Junior Tennis League co-founder : ASHE
42. Supervising : OVER
43. The Apostle of Cuban Independence : MARTI
46. Checkout line? : TATA
48. Upgrade, as a shower : RETILE
50. Explicatory words : ID EST
51. Powerful guy : MR BIG
53. Digs near the ocean, perhaps : VILLA
54. Miss dismissal : NO, MA’AM
56. ___ a time : MANY
57. Ends of scissors? : ESSES
58. Like illegal charades clues : ORAL
59. 1977 law school memoir : ONE L
61. Flip : PERT
63. 56 x 42 : REPEATEDLY (MANY times OVER)
66. European Parliament locale : ALSACE
70. Blanket material : SNOW
71. Crude : SALTY
73. Wicked : RAD
74. Block number?: Abbr. : SPF
77. 1989 AP Female Athlete of the Year : GRAF
79. Sans le ___ (broke: Fr.) : SOU
80. “Go ask your mother” elicitor : CAN I?
81. Cul-de-sac, in some addresses : PLACE
83. 33 – 21 : GROSS PROFIT (NET SALES minus COSTS)
86. Match : RIVAL
87. Like some coincidences : EERIE
88. Wind stopper? : BEANO
89. Sentence units : YEARS
90. Cans : REARS
91. Lay low? : INTER

Down
1. Jabbers, at times : ELBOWS
2. Unhesitatingly go for : LEAP AT
3. Threads : ATTIRE
4. Word with bag or board : TOTE
5. Developing option: Abbr. : ENL
6. Comparatively trouble-free : SAFER
7. South American reptile : CAIMAN
8. Eruption cause : IRE
9. Turn down a raise? : FOLD
10. Comprehensive : IN DEPTH
11. “Academica” author : CICERO
12. Subject of the tribute album “Every Man Has a Woman” : ONO
13. Eye liner? : LASH
14. Well aware of : ONTO
15. Hinge (upon) : REST
20. Cut from a log, maybe : ERASE
25. Lorelei, notably : LURER
28. Novel about Dolores Haze : LOLITA
29. 1979 comedy set at Camp North Star : MEATBALLS
31. #1 fans : EGOTISTS
33. Take after all? : NET SALES
35. Bolt with gold : USAIN
36. Utopias lack them : EVILS
37. ___ Porter, “Ally McBeal” role : NELLE
38. Belts : AREAS
40. “Newhart” production co. : MTM
43. No big deal : MINOR
44. Be crazy about : ADORE
45. Change the plot of : REMAP
47. Carrying : ARMED
49. Pop’s ___ Brothers : EVERLY
52. Fleece : GYP
55. Tool along : MOTOR
60. John Tesh fan, maybe : NEW AGER
62. Be crazy about : EAT UP
64. Team once owned by Gene Autry : ANGELS
65. With 67-Down, signer of the Oslo Accords : YASSIR
67. See 65-Down : ARAFAT
68. Like boxers : CANINE
69. Paper cutter? : EDITOR
72. Shakes off : LOSES
74. Not at all creaky : SPRY
75. Ballet move : PLIE
76. ___ bean : FAVA
78. Not taken : FREE
80. Either “Inside Llewyn Davis” director : COEN
82. Tilt-A-Whirl part : CAR
84. “Che ___ è?” (“What time is it?”: It.) : ORA
85. Abbr. on a Topps card : RBI

Return to top of page

The Best of the New York Times Crossword Collections