0104-18 NY Times Crossword Answers 4 Jan 2018, Thursday

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Constructed by: Daniel Mauer
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: Forwarding Address

We have a rebus puzzle today, with numbers in some squares in the grid. Each themed answer is a reference to an “answer found elsewhere”. We write the clue for the themed answer in the spot given by that themed answer:

  • 38A. Something to leave at the post office … or a hint to this puzzle’s theme? : 4WARDING ADDRESS (i.e. FORWARDING ADDRESS)
  • 1A. Ten cents : 12-DOWN
  • 12D. [Answer found elsewhere] : TEN CENTS
  • 70A. Sea cow : 48-DOWN
  • 48D. [Answer found elsewhere] : SEA COW
  • 13D. Macarena : 18-ACROSS
  • 18A. [Answer found elsewhere] : MACARENA
  • 38D. Allowed in : 44-ACROSS
  • 44A. [Answer found elsewhere] : ALLOWED IN
  • 10A. When a messenger from Godot arrives in “Waiting for Godot” : ACT 1 (i.e. ACT ONE)
  • 16A. Make : CRE8 (i.e. CREATE)
  • 42A. Gather food : 4AGE (i.e. FORAGE)
  • 1D. Toddlers’ attire : 1SIES (i.e. ONESIES)
  • 2D. Gave private lessons to : 2TORED (i.e. TUTORED)
  • 51D. Tried to win, as a title : VIED4 (i.e. VIED FOR)
  • 58D. Prisoner : INM8 (i.e. INMATE)

Bill’s time: 15m 15s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

10. When a messenger from Godot arrives in “Waiting for Godot” : ACT 1 (i.e. ACT ONE)

“Waiting for Godot” is a play by novelist and playwright Samuel Beckett that premiered in 1953. Irishman Beckett actually wrote the piece in French, under the title “En attendant Godot”. He then translated the play into English himself.

14. Many-hit Wonder : STEVIE

The great musician Stevie Wonder signed up with Motown Records when he was just 11-years-old. He has been remarkably loyal to the label and is still recording with Motown some 50 years later. The level of Stevie Wonder’s success is illustrated by his 22 Grammy Awards, the most Grammys awarded to a male solo artist. Wonder was born 6 weeks prematurely, and incomplete development of blood vessels in his eyes caused the retinas to detach leaving him blind soon after birth. His mother, Lula Mae Hardaway, co-wrote many of Stevie’s songs when he was a teenager, including “I Was Made to Love Her”, Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours” and “I Don’t Know Why I Love You”.

15. Stephen of “The Crying Game” : REA

Stephen Rea is an Irish actor from Belfast. Rea’s most successful role was Fergus in 1992’s “The Crying Game”, for which performance he was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar. In “The Crying Game”, Fergus was a member of the IRA. In real life, Rea was married to IRA bomber and hunger striker Dolours Price at the time he made the movie.

“The Crying Game” is a fascinating film that made quite a splash when it was released in 1992. Although it was set in Ireland and the UK, it didn’t do well in cinemas in either country yet made a lot of money over here in the US. I think the politics of the movie were a bit raw for Irish and UK audiences back then. It’s an unusual plot, blending Irish political issues with some raw sexuality questions. I won’t tell you about the “surprise scene”, just in case you haven’t seen it and want to do so.

17. Honolulu’s ___ Palace : IOLANI

The ‘Iolani Palace in downtown Honolulu is unique within this country. It is the only royal palace in the US that was used as an official residence by a reigning monarch. The Kingdom of Hawaii was overthrown in 1893 so the palace was used by successive governments even after Hawaii was awarded statehood in 1959. The palace has been a public museum since 1978.

18. [Answer found elsewhere] : MACARENA
(13D. Macarena : 18-ACROSS)

“Macarena” is a dance song in Spanish that was a huge hit worldwide for Los Del Río in 1995-1996.

20. Century 21 competitor : ERA

ERA Real Estate was founded in 1971 as Electronic Realty Associates, hence the abbreviation.

23. Nickname shared by two Spice Girls : MEL

The five members of the English pop group the Spice Girls are:

  • Scary Spice (Melanie Brown, or Mel B)
  • Baby Spice (Emma Bunton, and my fave!)
  • Ginger Spice (Geri Halliwell)
  • Posh Spice (Victoria Beckham)
  • Sporty Spice (Melanie Chisholm, or Mel C)

24. Virginia Cavaliers’ org. : ACC

The collegiate athletic conference known as the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) was founded in 1953. The seven charter members of the ACC were Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina and Wake Forest.

The University of Virginia sports teams are known officially as “the Cavaliers”. The unofficial nickname is “the Wahoos”.

25. Hill workers: Abbr. : SENS

Washington D.C.’s designer Pierre L’Enfant chose the crest of a hill as the site for the future Congress House. He called the location “Jenkins Hill” and “Jenkins Heights”. Earlier records show the name as “New Troy”. Today we call it “Capitol Hill”.

27. Indoor place in which coats are worn : LAB

Our term “laboratory”, often shortened to “lab”, comes from the Medieval Latin word “laboratorium” meaning “place for labor, work”. This in turn comes from the Latin verb “laborare” meaning “to work”.

33. “Jackie Brown” director, 1997 : TARANTINO

I’m not a big fan of director Quentin Tarantino. His movies are too violent for me, and the size of his ego just turns me right off. Having said that, I think “Pulp Fiction” is a remarkable film. If you can look past the violence, it’s really well written.

55. Some characters on TV’s “Futurama,” briefly : ETS

“Futurama” is an animated sci-fi show that airs on Fox. It was co-created by cartoonist Matt Groening, who also created “The Simpsons”. I simply don’t understand either show …

57. Last pope named Pius : XII

There have been twelve popes named Pius, the latest being Pope Pius XII. He led the Roman Catholic Church until his death in 1958.

60. Recurring melodic phrase : OSTINATO

In music, an ostinato is a piece of melody or a rhythmic pattern that frequently recurs in a piece. A favorite work in the classical repertoire that makes particular use of the ostinato form is Ravel’s “Bolero”.

63. Physicist Fermi : ENRICO

Enrico Fermi was born in Rome, Italy. Fermi moved to the US just before WWII, largely to escape the anti-Semitic feelings that were developing in Italy under Mussolini. It was Fermi’s work at the University of Chicago that led to the construction of the world’s first nuclear reactor. Fermi died at 53 years of age from stomach cancer . Cancer was a prevalent cause of death among the team working on that first nuclear pile.

67. Key of Dvorák’s Symphony No. 7 : D MINOR

Antonín Dvořák was a composer from Czechoslovakia who spent three years working and composing in the United States. He was the director of the National Conservatory of Music of America in New York from 1892 to 1895. Certainly here in the US, Dvořák’s best known work is his Symphony No. 9, “From the New World”, which is often referred to as “The New World Symphony”. His career was very much helped along by fellow composer Johannes Brahms, who very much appreciated Dvořák’s work.

68. Historical group of 15, for short : SSRS

The former Soviet Union (USSR) was created in 1922, not long after the Russian Revolution of 1917 that overthrew the Tsar. Geographically, the new Soviet Union was roughly equivalent to the old Russian Empire, and comprised fifteen Soviet Socialist Republics (SSRs).

70. Sea cow : 48-DOWN
(48D. [Answer found elsewhere] : SEA COW)

Manatees, also known as sea cows, are very large marine mammals that can grow to 12 feet in length. The manatee is believed to have evolved from four-legged land mammals and probably shares a common ancestor with the elephant.

Down

1. Toddlers’ attire : 1SIES (i.e. ONESIES)

A onesie is a baby’s one-piece bodysuit, and is a common gift at a baby shower.

3. Name of a family from which Franklin Roosevelt was descended : DELANO

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was the only child of Sara Delano and James Roosevelt Sr. The Delano family history in America goes back to the pilgrim Philippe de Lannoy, an immigrant of Flemish descent who arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. The family name “de Lannoy” was anglicized here in the US, to “Delano”. Franklin was to marry Eleanor Roosevelt, and apparently the relationship between Sara and her daughter-in-law was very “strained”.

4. Fallopian tube travelers : OVA

The Fallopian tubes leading from the ovaries of female mammals in the uterus. The tubes are named for the 16th-century Italian anatomist Gabriello Fallopio, who was the first to describe them.

5. “One of the most civilized things in the world,” per Hemingway : WINE

Ernest Hemingway moved around a lot. He was born in Illinois, and after leaving school headed to the Italian front during WWI. There he served as an ambulance driver, an experience he used as inspiration for “A Farewell to Arms”. He returned to the US after being seriously wounded, but a few years later moved to Paris where he worked as a foreign correspondent. He covered the Spanish War as a journalist, from Spain, using this experience for “For Whom the Bell Tolls”. During the thirties and forties he had two permanent residences, one in Key West, Florida, and one in Cuba. In the late fifties he moved to Ketchum, Idaho, where he committed suicide in 1961.

6. “The Piano” actor Sam : NEILL

Sam Neill is a very talented actor from New Zealand. I really enjoyed Neill in a 1983 television miniseries called “Reilly, Ace of Spies”, about a British spy operation during WWI. He is perhaps better-known for his roles in the movies “Omen III”, “Dead Calm”, “Jurassic Park” and “The Hunt for Red October”.

“The Piano” is a 1993 film set and filmed in New Zealand starring Harvey Keitel, Holly Hunter and Anna Paquin. The movie tells the story of a mute piano player and her daughter, and her efforts to regain her piano after it is sold. Holly Hunter managed to get three screen credits in “The Piano”. She was credited for her acting role, for playing her own piano pieces in the film, and for being the sign-language coach for young Anna Paquin.

8. 500 sheets : REAM

A ream is 500 sheets of paper. As there were 24 sheets in a quire, and 20 quires made up a ream, there used to be 480 sheets in a ream. Ever since the standard was changed to 500, a 480-sheet packet of paper has been called a “short ream”. We also use the term “reams” to mean a great amount, evolving from the idea of a lot of printed material.

10. Height: Prefix : ACR-

Our prefix “acro-” comes from the Greek “akros” meaning “at the top”. Examples are “acrophobia” (fear of heights) and “Acropolis” (“city at the top”).

19. Computer scientist Turing : ALAN

Alan Turing was an English mathematician. He was well-respected for his code-breaking work during WWII at Bletchley Park in England. However, despite his contributions to cracking the German Enigma code and other crucial work, Turing was prosecuted for homosexuality in 1952. He agreed to chemical castration, treatment with female hormones, and then two years later he committed suicide by taking cyanide. Turing’s life story is told in the 2014 film “The Imitation Game” with Benedict Cumberbatch playing the lead. I thoroughly enjoyed that film …

30. Angels might come to its aid : START-UP

An angel investor is one who provides capital very early in a business’s life cycle. The term “angel” is borrowed from Broadway, where angels were wealthy people who provided funds to stage theatrical productions.

39. Blubbery ones : WALRUSES

Walruses are large marine mammals with very prominent tusks that are found in and around the northern hemisphere’s Arctic Ocean.

45. Capital of Österreich : WIEN

“Wien” is the German for “Vienna”. Just like Berlin, Vienna was occupied by the four allied powers after WWII. In 1948, West Berlin was famously blockaded by the Soviet Union, leading to the remarkable Berlin Airlift that kept the city open. If the same thing had happened in Vienna, things would have been more complicated, as there was no airport in the western zone.

The name “Austria” is a Latin variant of the German name for the country, “Österreich”. “Österreich” itself means “Eastern borderlands”, a reference to the country’s history as a prefecture of neighboring Bavaria to the west.

47. “If music be the food of love, play on” speaker : ORSINO

Orsino, Duke of Illyria is a character in William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”. The opening lines of the play, spoken by the love-smitten Orsino, are:

If music be the food of love, play on,
Give me excess of it; that surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken, and so die.

61. Social Security cards, e.g. : IDS

A Social Security number (SSN) is divided into three parts i.e AAA-GG-SSSS, Originally, the Area Number (AAA) was the code for the office that issued the card. Since 1973, the Area Number reflects the ZIP code from which the application was made. The GG in the SSN is the Group Number, and the SSSS in the number is the Serial Number. However, this is all moot, as since 2011 SSN’s are assigned randomly. However, some random numbers have been excluded from use, i.e. Area Numbers 000, 666 (!) and 900-999.

62. Acne medication brand : OXY

The OXY Skin Care products were developed by GlaxoSmithKline, but the brand name has been owned by Mentholatum since 2005.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Ten cents : 12-DOWN
7. Yelp alternative : ARF
10. When a messenger from Godot arrives in “Waiting for Godot” : ACT 1 (i.e. ACT ONE)
14. Many-hit Wonder : STEVIE
15. Stephen of “The Crying Game” : REA
16. Make : CRE8 (i.e. CREATE)
17. Honolulu’s ___ Palace : IOLANI
18. [Answer found elsewhere] : MACARENA
20. Century 21 competitor : ERA
21. Right-angle pipe : ELL
23. Nickname shared by two Spice Girls : MEL
24. Virginia Cavaliers’ org. : ACC
25. Hill workers: Abbr. : SENS
27. Indoor place in which coats are worn : LAB
29. Desk chair part : CASTER
31. What many grandparents do : DOTE
33. “Jackie Brown” director, 1997 : TARANTINO
35. One providing input : ENTERER
37. Hill workers : ANTS
38. Something to leave at the post office … or a hint to this puzzle’s theme? : 4WARDING ADDRESS (i.e. FORWARDING ADDRESS)
42. Gather food : 4AGE (i.e. FORAGE)
43. Is dead serious : MEANS IT
44. [Answer found elsewhere] : ALLOWED IN
46. Pairs : DUOS
49. Emergency : CRISIS
50. Henderson’s home: Abbr. : NEV
52. U.S. 1? : PRES
54. In a ___ (stuck) : RUT
55. Some characters on TV’s “Futurama,” briefly : ETS
57. Last pope named Pius : XII
59. Caught, as a movie : SAW
60. Recurring melodic phrase : OSTINATO
63. Physicist Fermi : ENRICO
65. ___ money : SEED
66. Take to the limit, with “out” : MAX
67. Key of Dvorák’s Symphony No. 7 : D MINOR
68. Historical group of 15, for short : SSRS
69. Ask too-personal questions : PRY
70. Sea cow : 48-DOWN

Down

1. Toddlers’ attire : 1SIES (i.e. ONESIES)
2. Gave private lessons to : 2TORED (i.e. TUTORED)
3. Name of a family from which Franklin Roosevelt was descended : DELANO
4. Fallopian tube travelers : OVA
5. “One of the most civilized things in the world,” per Hemingway : WINE
6. “The Piano” actor Sam : NEILL
7. QB’s asset : ARM
8. 500 sheets : REAM
9. Kings and queens : FACE CARDS
10. Height: Prefix : ACR-
11. Powder supplement for bodybuilders : CREATINE
12. [Answer found elsewhere] : TEN CENTS
13. Macarena : 18-ACROSS
19. Computer scientist Turing : ALAN
22. Approached dusk : LATENED
26. You might put CDs on them : STEREOS
28. Real deal : BARGAIN
30. Angels might come to its aid : START-UP
32. Extreme : END
34. Take back, as territory : REANNEX
36. Part of many a digital photo : TIMESTAMP
38. Allowed in : 44-ACROSS
39. Blubbery ones : WALRUSES
40. Twinkling : AGLITTER
41. Perpetrated : DID
45. Capital of Österreich : WIEN
47. “If music be the food of love, play on” speaker : ORSINO
48. [Answer found elsewhere] : SEA COW
51. Tried to win, as a title : VIED4 (i.e. VIED FOR)
53. ___ enemy : SWORN
56. Sun : STAR
58. Prisoner : INM8 (i.e. INMATE)
61. Social Security cards, e.g. : IDS
62. Acne medication brand : OXY
64. Disposed (of) : RID