1202-17 NY Times Crossword Answers 2 Dec 2017, Saturday

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Constructed by: Mark Diehl
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 13m 27s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1. Challenge with gusto : DOUBLE DOG DARE

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

14. “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” composer : ENNIO MORRICONE

Ennio Morricone is an Italian composer best known for writing music for films and television shows. It was Morricone who wrote the fabulous scores for the Spaghetti Westerns of Sergio Leone, including the theme for “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”.

16. Classic See ‘N Say toy figures : BARNYARD ANIMALS

See ‘n Say is a toy that was introduced by Mattel back in 1965. Mattel already had a line of “talking” toys, especially the very successful Chatty Cathy doll. All these toys spoke random phrases after a string was pulled. The See ‘n Say toy was a little different in that the child using the toy could choose which phrase they wanted to hear.

22. Notes in old Napoli : LIRE

The word “lira” is used in a number of countries for currency. “Lira” comes from the Latin for “pound” and is derived from a British pound sterling, the value of a Troy pound of silver. For example, the lira (plural “lire”) was the official currency of Italy before the country changed over to the euro in 2002.

Naples (“Napoli” in Italian) is the third largest city in Italy. The name “Napoli” comes from the city’s Ancient Greek name, which translates as “New City”. That’s a bit of a paradox as today Naples is one of the oldest continuously-inhabited cities in the world.

23. Conductor with over 30 Grammys : SOLTI

Sir Georg Solti was a great Hungarian-British conductor, who spent 22 years as music director of the Chicago Symphony, one of many prestigious positions he held in the world of classical music and opera. Solti was awarded 31 Grammy Awards, the most won by any individual in any genre of music. I think it’s kind of cool that Solti’s name comprises two notes in the solfa scale: sol-ti …

26. One sector of the Dow Jones index : TECH

Dow Jones & Company was founded as a publishing house in 1882 by three newspaper reporters, Charles Dow, Edward Jones and Charles Bergstresser. Today, the company’s most famous publication has to be “The Wall Street Journal”. In 1884, Charles Dow started reporting the average dollar value of the stock of eleven companies, an index which spawned a whole host of metrics that carry the Dow Jones name to this day, including the renowned Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), also known as the “Dow 30”.

29. Big name in chocolates : RIESEN

Riesen is a brand of chocolate that is produced and sold mainly in Germany, but is also sold here in the US. Riesen introduced a recipe for a hot chocolate drink in 2007. The recipe calls for melting the chocolate candy over heat in a saucepan, then adding one cup of milk per candy piece. Sprinkle nutmeg to taste.

33. First bishop of Paris : ST DENIS

Not only is Saint Denis (also “Denys”) the patron saint of France, but he is also the patron saint of Paris. Denis was the first Bishop of Paris, in the 3rd century AD, and was martyred by having his head chopped off. The legend surrounding this event is that the executed Denis picked up his head and walked for six miles, delivering a sermon the whole way.

40. Parent company of StubHub : EBAY

StubHub! is an online ticket exchange business that is owned by eBay. StubHub! acts as the middleman between buyers and seller of event tickets, whether those buyers and sellers are individuals or large organizations.

42. Pupil border : AREOLA

An areola (sometimes “areole”) in anatomy is a small ring of color, as in the areola surrounding the nipple, and the areola surrounding the pupil of the eye. “Areola” comes from Latin, meaning “small open space”, and is a diminutive of the Latin word “area”, meaning “open space”.

The pupil of the eye is the hole located in the center of the iris through which light enters the retina. The term “pupil” came into English via French from the latin “pupilla”, which is the diminutive form of “pupa” meaning “girl, doll”. The term came about due to the tiny doll-like image that one can see of oneself when looking into the center of another’s eyes.

43. Hammett’s “The ___ Curse” : DAIN

Dashiell Hammett was an American author known for his detective fiction. Hammett was the creator of such enduring characters as Sam Spade from “The Maltese Falcon” as well as Nick and Nora Charles from “The Thin Man”. Outside of writing, Hammett was also politically active and serves as the president of a group the Civil Rights Congress (CRC) after WWII. The CRC was deemed to be a Communist front group and was listed as a subversive organization by the US government. At one point, he even served time in jail for contempt of court, after refusing to answer some questions in a trial in which the CRC was involved.

49. “Heavens to Murgatroyd!” : EGADS

Bert Lahr’s most famous role was that of the cowardly lion in “The Wizard of Oz”. Lahr had a long career in burlesque, vaudeville and on Broadway. Remember the catchphrase made famous by the cartoon character Snagglepuss, “Heavens to Murgatroyd!”? Snagglepuss stole that line from a 1944 movie called, “Meet the People” in which it was first uttered by none other than Bert Lahr.

50. Ancient carvers of giant stone heads : OLMEC

The Olmec were an ancient civilization that lived in the lowlands of south-central Mexico from about 1500 BC to about 400 BC.

52. First vice president not to become president : BURR

Aaron Burr was the third vice-president of the US, and served under Thomas Jefferson. In the final year of his term in office, Burr fought an illegal duel and killed his political rival Alexander Hamilton. Burr wasn’t brought to justice, but he did pay the price politically. Thomas Jefferson dropped him from his ticket in the election held the following year.

55. Lush : DIPSOMANIAC

Dipsomania is a craving for alcohol to the point of damaging one’s health. “Dipsa” is the Greek for “thirst”, hence dipsomania is a “manic thirst”.

58. Unit of thickness : MIL

The thickness unit known as a “mil” here in the US is usually referred to as a “thou” on the other side of the Atlantic. A “mil” is actually one thousandth of an inch. I vote for “thou” …

61. Who said “I like my men like I like my coffee. I don’t drink coffee” : ELLEN DEGENERES

Ellen DeGeneres is a very, very successful TV personality, having parlayed her career in stand-up comedy into lucrative gigs as an actress and talk show host. Back in 1997 DeGeneres chose the “Oprah Winfrey Show” to announce that she was a lesbian. Her character on “The Ellen Show” also came out as a lesbian in a scene with her therapist, who was played by Oprah Winfrey. Nice twist!

62. Masthead section : SENIOR EDITORS

The masthead is a list often found on the editorial page of a newspaper that gives the members of a newspaper’s editorial board.

Down

1. Ones involved in forensics : DEBATERS

Something described as forensic is connected with a court of law, or with public discussion or debate. The term comes from the Latin “forensis” meaning “of a forum, of a place of assembly”. We mainly use the word today to mean “pertaining to legal trials” as in “forensic medicine” and “forensic science”.

7. Dickens title character : DORRIT

“Little Dorrit” is a novel by Charles Dickens. It is a satirical work that takes potshots at the government and society of the day.

10. Exertion : DINT

A dint is an effort or power, as in “he made it by dint of hard work”. “By dint of” is a new expression to me, but it has been around since the early 1300s. I must have been out that day …

11. Vinegar and lime juice : ACIDS

Our word “vinegar” comes from the French “vinaigre”, which means the same thing. “Vinaigre” comes from the French “vin” meaning “wine” and “”aigre” meaning “sour”.

12. Valentine senders : ROMEOS

Saint Valentine’s Day was introduced by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD to honor various martyrs with the name Valentine. However, the saint’s’ day was dropped by the Roman Catholic church in 1969, by Pope Paul VI. Try telling that to Hallmark though …

17. Hullabaloo : STIR

Our word “hullabaloo” meaning a “commotion” is a derivative of an older term “hollo-ballo”. “Hollo-ballo” was a word used for an uproar in the north of England and Scotland.

25. Forum fine? : BENE

“Bene” is a Latin word meaning “well”.

The Latin “forum” (plural “fora”) translates as “marketplace, town square”. “The Roman Forum” is the most famous example of such a space. The Forum is at the heart of the city of Rome is surrounded by the ruins of several ancient government buildings, and has been referred to as the most celebrated meeting place in the world.

27. Greeting abroad : HOLA

“Hola” is Spanish for the greeting “hi”.

30. Sharpened points of quill pens : NIBS

“Nib” is a Scottish variant of the Old English word “neb”, with both meaning the beak of a bird. This usage of “nib” as a beak dates back to the 14th century, with “nib” meaning the tip of a pen or quill coming a little later, in the early 1600s.

Quills have been used as writing implements since the 6th century. Historically, goose, swan and turkey feathers have been the quills of choice. A bird’s feather is well suited for writing, as the hollow shaft acts as a reservoir for ink which then flows to the tip due to capillary action. Choice of feather is important. Right-handed writers are best served by feathers from the left wing, as the feather curves away from the palm of the hand when writing. The tip of the quill is sharpened using a “quill knife”. This quill knife is the ancestor of what we know today as a “penknife”.

34. Three-time World Series champ with the A’s : SAL BANDO

Sal Bando is a former Major League Baseball player and baseball executive. After retiring as a player, Bando worked for while as a color analyst for NBC, working alongside Bob Costas.

36. ___ Millions : MEGA

The Powerball lottery game is available in most states of the US, as is its major rival called Mega Millions.

37. “Triptych Bleu I, II, III” artist : JOAN MIRO

Joan Miró was a Spanish artist. Miro immersed himself in Surrealism, so much so that Andre Breton, the founder of the movement, said that Miro was “the most Surrealist of us all”.

A triptych is a work of art divided into three panels. The word “triptych” comes from the Greek adjective for “three-fold”.

41. How hair dye may make you look : YOUNGER

Yeah, but only if you have some hair …

44. Simple dress design : A-LINE

An A-line skirt is one that fits snugly at the hips and flares toward the hem.

46. Toll House cookie dough maker : NESTLE

The Toll House Cookie was first commercially produced chocolate chip cookie, and was the creation of chef Ruth Graves Wakefield in 1938. The name of the cookie comes from where Wakefield and her husband lived, the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts.

48. Some disaster relief work : TRIAGE

Triage is the process of prioritizing patients for treatment, especially on a battlefield. The term “triage” is French and means “a sorting”.

51. Real last name of Mama Cass Elliot : COHEN

Cass Elliot was one of the four singers in the Mamas and the Papas, a sensational group from the sixties. “Mama Cass” was performing sold-out concerts in London in 1974 when she was found dead one morning, having had a heart attack. She was only 32 years old. Eerily, Elliot died in the same flat (on loan from Harry Nilsson) in which the Who’s drummer Keith Moon would die just four years later.

60. Haiphong holiday : TET

Haiphong is the third largest city in Vietnam, after Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Haiphong is in the northeast of the country and is an important seaport. “Haiphong” translates into English as “coastal defence”.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Challenge with gusto : DOUBLE DOG DARE
14. “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” composer : ENNIO MORRICONE
16. Classic See ‘N Say toy figures : BARNYARD ANIMALS
18. Philadelphia’s Allegheny or Aramingo: Abbr. : AVE
19. Automatic bill payment : DIRECT DEBIT
20. Specs spec : TINT
22. Notes in old Napoli : LIRE
23. Conductor with over 30 Grammys : SOLTI
24. Business sign abbr. : ESTAB
26. One sector of the Dow Jones index : TECH
28. Forward-looking sort : SEER
29. Big name in chocolates : RIESEN
31. Two and two? : DUOS
33. First bishop of Paris : ST DENIS
35. Coveted position : PLUM JOB
40. Parent company of StubHub : EBAY
42. Pupil border : AREOLA
43. Hammett’s “The ___ Curse” : DAIN
47. Opening at work : SLOT
49. “Heavens to Murgatroyd!” : EGADS
50. Ancient carvers of giant stone heads : OLMEC
52. First vice president not to become president : BURR
54. Kick in : ANTE
55. Lush : DIPSOMANIAC
58. Unit of thickness : MIL
59. “Quit rushing me!” : ONE THING AT A TIME!
61. Who said “I like my men like I like my coffee. I don’t drink coffee” : ELLEN DEGENERES
62. Masthead section : SENIOR EDITORS

Down

1. Ones involved in forensics : DEBATERS
2. Stopping in : ON A VISIT
3. Not let : UNRENTED
4. Plane compartment : BIN
5. Sam ___, author of the classic “Cyclopedia of 5,000 Puzzles” : LOYD
6. Something read with a scroll? : EMAIL
7. Dickens title character : DORRIT
8. Alphabetical, e.g. : ORDERED
9. Final toast of a meal : GRACE CUP
10. Exertion : DINT
11. Vinegar and lime juice : ACIDS
12. Valentine senders : ROMEOS
13. Give a chance : ENABLE
15. Several cuts above : ELITE
17. Hullabaloo : STIR
21. Stun with a gun : TASE
25. Forum fine? : BENE
27. Greeting abroad : HOLA
30. Sharpened points of quill pens : NIBS
32. “I’m down” : SURE
34. Three-time World Series champ with the A’s : SAL BANDO
36. ___ Millions : MEGA
37. “Triptych Bleu I, II, III” artist : JOAN MIRO
38. Fogy : OLD-TIMER
39. Utterly unfounded : BASELESS
41. How hair dye may make you look : YOUNGER
43. Bubblehead : DODO
44. Simple dress design : A-LINE
45. Urges on : IMPELS
46. Toll House cookie dough maker : NESTLE
48. Some disaster relief work : TRIAGE
51. Real last name of Mama Cass Elliot : COHEN
53. Made the grade : RATED
56. What doesn’t go to great lengths? : MINI
57. “Please, Mommy … Please, Daddy?” : CAN I?
60. Haiphong holiday : TET