0407-20 NY Times Crossword 7 Apr 20, Tuesday

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

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Somewhere, There Are Body Parts

Themed answers are states in the format (part of the body) in the (place):

  • 20A Dreaming state : HEAD IN THE CLOUDS
  • 36A Practical state : FEET ON THE GROUND
  • 49A Crass state : MIND IN THE GUTTER

… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 7m 10s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Makeup of the first house in “The Three Little Pigs” : STRAW

The fairy tale about “The Three Little Pigs” has been around for centuries, although it first appeared in print in the 1840s. One little pig built a house using straw and another built one using wood. The cleverest little pig built its house using bricks.

14 Fabled race loser : HARE

“The Tortoise and the Hare” is perhaps the most famous fable attributed to Aesop. The cocky hare takes a nap during a race against the tortoise, and the tortoise sneaks past the finish line for the win while his speedier friend is sleeping.

15 Boxer Ali : LAILA

Laila Ali is the daughter of the great Muhammad Ali and is a very capable boxer in her own right. Laila’s professional record is an impressive 24 wins, including 21 knockouts. Now retired, she never lost a fight, and nor did she ever draw. One of those victories was against Jackie Frazier-Lyde, daughter of her father’s nemesis Joe Frazier. Laila is not a bad dancer either, coming in third place in the fourth season of “Dancing with the Stars”.

16 Big name in skin care : OLAY

Oil of Olay was developed in South Africa in 1949. When Oil of Olay was introduced internationally, it was given slightly different brand names designed to appeal in the different geographies. In Ireland we know it as Oil of Ulay, for example, and in France it is Oil of Olaz.

17 Taiwanese PC maker : ACER

Acer is a Taiwanese company that I visited a couple of times when I was in the electronics business. I was very impressed back then with the company’s dedication to quality, although I have heard that things haven’t gone so well in recent years …

18 Fred’s neckwear on “Scooby-Doo” : ASCOT

An ascot is a horrible-looking (I think!), wide tie that narrows at the neck, which these days is only really worn at weddings. The tie takes its name from the Royal Ascot horse race at which punters still turn up in formal wear at Ascot Racecourse in England.

“Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” is a series of cartoons produced for Hanna-Barbera Productions, first broadcast in 1969. The title character is a great Dane dog owned by a young male called Shaggy Rogers. The character’s name was inspired by the famous “doo-be-doo-be-doo” refrain in the Frank Sinatra hit “Strangers in the Night”. Shaggy was voiced by famed disk jockey Casey Kasem. Shaggy and Scooby’s friends are Velma, Fred and Daphne.

28 Big name in smoothies and juices : ODWALLA

Odwalla is a company in Half Moon Bay (just south of San Francisco) that sells fruit juices, smoothies and energy bars.

33 “Tippy” craft : CANOE

The boat known as a canoe takes its name from the Carib word “kenu” meaning “dugout”. It was Christopher Columbus who brought “kenu” into Spanish as “canoa”, which evolved into our English “canoe”.

42 Coif that might use pins and spray : UPDO

A coif is a hairdo. The term “coif” comes from an old French term “coife” describing a skull-cap that was worn under a helmet back in the late 13th century.

43 Classic catalog for air passengers : SKYMALL

“SkyMall” is a shopping catalog found in the airplane seat pockets of many airlines in North America.

47 It ends with diciembre : ANO

In Spanish, “el año” (the year) starts in “enero” (January) and ends in “diciembre” (December).

48 Dalai ___ : LAMA

The Dalai Lama is a religious leader in the Gelug branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The current Dalai Lama is the 14th to hold the office. He has indicated that the next Dalai Lama might be found outside of Tibet for the first time, and may even be female.

59 Early stop for presidential candidates : IOWA

The Iowa caucuses have been the first major electoral event in the nominating process for US presidential candidates since 1972.

60 Indian flatbread : ROTI

In an Indian restaurant, naan bread is very popular. Roti is an unleavened cousin of naan.

62 Big name in bubbly : MOET

Moët & Chandon is a French winery, and one of the world’s largest producers of champagne. The company was founded by wine trader Claude Moët in 1743. The name was changed to Moët & Chandon in the 1830s when Pierre-Gabriel Chandon, an in-law to the Moët family, was given co-ownership. Moët & Chandon owns the famous Dom Pérignon brand name, honoring the Benedictine monk who did so much to improve the quality of champagne.

Down

1 Ousted Iranian leader : SHAH

The last Shah of Iran was Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, who was overthrown in the revolution led by the Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979. The post-revolution government sought the extradition of the Shah back to Iran while he was in the United States seeking medical care (he had cancer). His prolonged stay in the United States, recovering from surgery, caused some unrest back in Iran and resentment towards the United States. Some say that this resentment precipitated the storming of the US Embassy in Tehran and the resulting hostage crisis.

4 Comic con, e.g., stereotypically : NERDFEST

Comic convention (comic con)

9 OSHA or the F.C.C. : WATCHDOG

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was created in 1970 during the Nixon administration. OSHA regulates workplaces in the private sector and regulates just one government agency, namely the US Postal Service.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been around since 1934, when it replaced the Federal Radio Commission.

10 “Let’s Go Places” sloganeer : TOYOTA

Although Toyota entered the passenger car market back in 1936, the current Toyota logo, consisting of three ovals formed into a “circled letter T”, has only been around since 1989. The two overlapping ovals are designed to represent a relationship of trust between the company and the customer, while the larger outside oval represents the global reach of the company’s products and technology.

11 Felipe or Moises of major-league baseball : ALOU

Moisés Alou played Major League Baseball, as did his father Felipe and his uncles Matty and Jesús.

12 Grease for baking : LARD

Fat, when extracted from the carcass of an animal, is called suet. Untreated suet decomposes at room temperature quite easily so it has to be rendered, purified to make it stable. Rendered fat from pigs is what we call lard. Rendered beef or mutton fat is known as tallow.

13 The ___ (apt anagram for “they see”) : EYES

Here are some of my favorite anagrams:

  • “Dormitory” and “dirty room”
  • “Elvis” and “lives”
  • “The eyes” and “they see”
  • “Eleven plus two” and “twelve plus one”

21 Iraq War danger, for short : IED

Improvised explosive device (IED)

What we now know as the Iraq War started on 20 March 2003 with an invasion by a coalition of forces led by the US. The end of the Iraq War has been set at 15 December 2011, on which date there was a flag-lowering ceremony in Baghdad. The last US troops left Iraq three days later.

25 TV viewers’ vantage points : SOFAS

“Sofa” is a Turkish word meaning “bench”.

26 Bring up the rear? : TWERK

Twerking is a dancing move in which someone (usually a woman) shakes her hips up and down causing a lot of “wobbling”. It’s possible that “twerk” is a portmanteau of “twist” and “jerk”. The term may have been coined back in the early 2000s with the song “Whistle While You Twurk” released by the Ying Yang Twins. Twerking became a real phenomenon in 2013 when Miley Cyrus posted a video of herself twerking in a unicorn suit to the 2011 song “Wop” by J. Dash. That video went viral on YouTube, amassing over 4 million views in no time at all.

27 The Joker, to Batman : ENEMY

The Joker is one of the most colorful of Batman’s nemeses, one introduced in comic books in 1940 and appearing in the first ever edition of “Batman”. The Joker has also been played on screen by some colorful characters. In the original television series, he was portrayed by Cesar Romero, and on the big screen by Jack Nicholson. What great casting!

28 Student in a Contracts class, typically : ONE L

“One L” is a name used in general for first-year law students, especially those attending Harvard.

29 Jeweler’s instrument : LOUPE

A loupe is a small magnifying lens that is held in the hand. “Loupe” is the French name for such a device.

30 ___ Calrissian, member of the Rebel Alliance in “Star Wars” : LANDO

The character Lando Calrissian was played by actor Billy Dee Williams in two of the “Star Wars” movies.

33 Abbr. before C, F, V or X : CTRL

The Control (CTRL) key on a PC keyboard is used to modify the function of other keys. For example, pressing CTRL+C copies a selection to the clipboard, and CTRL+V pastes the contents of the clipboard to a location defined by the cursor. Control keys were introduced on teletypewriters to generate “control characters”, which are non-printing characters that instruct a computer to do something like print a page, ring a bell etc.

37 Muscat resident : OMANI

Muscat is the capital of Oman. The city lies on the northeast coast of the state on the Gulf of Oman, a branch of the Persian Gulf.

39 DeLorean license plate in “Back to the Future” : OUTATIME

John DeLorean was an American engineer and executive who worked at General Motors for many years, and who was responsible for the design of the Pontiac GTO in particular. His career in the automotive industry really took off, and he began to lead the jet-setter lifestyle. DeLorean left GM in 1973 and formed his own company, eventually manufacturing the famous “DeLorean” car in Northern Ireland. The DeLorean was a V6 with a distinctive stainless steel body and two gull wings (and was chosen as the car for the “Back to the Future” movies). But the DeLorean was a flop, and the company went into receivership. In a bid to save his company, DeLorean spent three months trying to set up a deal that involved smuggling cocaine. He fell foul of an FBI sting operation and was arrested. He was found not guilty though, due to entrapment.

44 Fill-in-the-blanks story : MAD LIB

Mad Libs is a word game, one mostly played by children in America. The idea is that one player provides a list of words which are then inserted into blank spots in a story, usually with hilarious results (they say!).

45 Note holder on a refrigerator : MAGNET

Refrigerator magnets … I can’t stand them! But, there is something interesting about them. If we place two fridge magnets back to back, and slide them slowly against each other, then we can feel an alternating attraction and repulsion. This is because they are manufactured with alternating north and south poles on the back side, and do not have two distinct poles. Who knew …?!

46 Big bird Down Under : EMU

Emu eggs are very large, with a thick shell that is dark-green in color. One emu egg weighs about the same as a dozen chicken eggs. It is the male emu that incubates the eggs. The incubation period lasts about 8 weeks, during which time the male neither eats nor drinks, just lapping up any morning dew that is nearby. While incubating a clutch of eggs, male emus lose about a third of their weight.

48 Puppeteer Shari : LEWIS

Shari Lewis was the original puppeteer behind the PBS children’s show “Lamb Chop”. After Shari Lewis died in 1998, her daughter Mallory took over the role of puppeteer on the show.

49 Breakout role for Robin Williams : MORK

Actor and comedian Robin Williams started his performing career as a standup in the San Francisco Bay Area. His big break came when he was cast as an alien named Mork in a 1978 episode of the sitcom “Happy Days”. That led to the spinoff sitcom “Mork & Mindy” that aired from 1978 to 1982. Williams’ first major film role was as the title character in 1980’s “Popeye”. Sadly, Williams committed suicide in 2014.

50 Soldering device : IRON

Solder is a metal alloy that is used to join pieces of work together using the principle that the melting point of the alloy is below the melting point of the workpieces.

51 Defense alliance since 1949 : NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an international military alliance that was established in 1949. NATO headquarters was initially set up in London, moved to Paris in 1952, and then to Brussels 1967.

52 Bygone smartphone : TREO

The Treo is a smartphone that was originally developed by a company called Handspring. Handspring was bought by Palm Inc. Subsequently, the Treo was phased out and replaced by the Palm Pre.

53 Jewish wedding dance : HORA

The hora is a circle dance that originated in the Balkans. It was brought to Israel by Romanian settlers, and is often performed to traditional, Israeli folk songs. The hora (also horah) is a regular sight at Jewish weddings. Sometimes the honoree at an event is raised on a chair during the hora.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Measure of time or airplane wings : SPAN
5 Makeup of the first house in “The Three Little Pigs” : STRAW
10 A tall one is exaggerated : TALE
14 Fabled race loser : HARE
15 Boxer Ali : LAILA
16 Big name in skin care : OLAY
17 Taiwanese PC maker : ACER
18 Fred’s neckwear on “Scooby-Doo” : ASCOT
19 Time long past : YORE
20 Dreaming state : HEAD IN THE CLOUDS
23 Lavish celebration : FETE
24 Like the summer sun : HOT
25 Knights’ mounts : STEEDS
28 Big name in smoothies and juices : ODWALLA
32 Beats again and again, in slang : OWNS
33 “Tippy” craft : CANOE
35 Relative of a paddle : OAR
36 Practical state : FEET ON THE GROUND
40 Sleeve’s contents : ARM
41 Takeaway of a fable : MORAL
42 Coif that might use pins and spray : UPDO
43 Classic catalog for air passengers : SKYMALL
45 Symbol of sudden, brilliant success : METEOR
47 It ends with diciembre : ANO
48 Dalai ___ : LAMA
49 Crass state : MIND IN THE GUTTER
57 Like dissertation defenses : ORAL
58 In adulthood : GROWN
59 Early stop for presidential candidates : IOWA
60 Indian flatbread : ROTI
61 Like unexplained house creaks, say : EERIE
62 Big name in bubbly : MOET
63 Door handle : KNOB
64 Televised comedy event : ROAST
65 Otherwise : ELSE

Down

1 Ousted Iranian leader : SHAH
2 Duel unit : PACE
3 Researcher’s specialty : AREA
4 Comic con, e.g., stereotypically : NERDFEST
5 Viewpoints : SLANTS
6 Refinement : TASTE
7 Like Mr. Moneybags : RICH
8 Plant that yields a salve : ALOE
9 OSHA or the F.C.C. : WATCHDOG
10 “Let’s Go Places” sloganeer : TOYOTA
11 Felipe or Moises of major-league baseball : ALOU
12 Grease for baking : LARD
13 The ___ (apt anagram for “they see”) : EYES
21 Iraq War danger, for short : IED
22 Bring down, as a flag : LOWER
25 TV viewers’ vantage points : SOFAS
26 Bring up the rear? : TWERK
27 The Joker, to Batman : ENEMY
28 Student in a Contracts class, typically : ONE L
29 Jeweler’s instrument : LOUPE
30 ___ Calrissian, member of the Rebel Alliance in “Star Wars” : LANDO
31 Fire in the belly : ARDOR
33 Abbr. before C, F, V or X : CTRL
34 Sound of insight : AHA
37 Muscat resident : OMANI
38 Opposite of “from here on” : NO LONGER
39 DeLorean license plate in “Back to the Future” : OUTATIME
44 Fill-in-the-blanks story : MAD LIB
45 Note holder on a refrigerator : MAGNET
46 Big bird Down Under : EMU
48 Puppeteer Shari : LEWIS
49 Breakout role for Robin Williams : MORK
50 Soldering device : IRON
51 Defense alliance since 1949 : NATO
52 Bygone smartphone : TREO
53 Jewish wedding dance : HORA
54 Soldering 50-Down, e.g. : TOOL
55 She sheep : EWES
56 $100/night, e.g. : RATE