0102-18 NY Times Crossword Answers 2 Jan 2018, Tuesday

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Constructed by: Zhouqin Burnikel
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: Disobey a … order

Themed answers are phrases that fit the generic clue “Disobey a …. order”:

  • 17A. Disobey a rush order? : TAKE IT SLOW
  • 31A. Disobey a stop order? : MOVE AHEAD
  • 49A. Disobey a standing order? : HAVE A SEAT
  • 65A. Disobey a pecking order? : STEAL A KISS

Bill’s time: 7m 40s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5. Ocean predators : ORCAS

The taxonomic name for the killer whale is Orcinus orca. The use of the name “orca”, rather than “killer whale”, is becoming more and more common. The Latin word “Orcinus” means “belonging to Orcus”, with Orcus being the name for the Kingdom of the Dead.

15. Writer Zora ___ Hurston : NEALE

Zora Neale Hurston was an American author, most famous for her 1937 novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God”. Like the author, the main character in the novel is an African American woman, a part played by Halle Berry in a television movie adaptation that first aired in 2005.

20. Longest river in Europe : VOLGA

The Volga is the longest river in Europe, and is also considered the national river of Russia.

26. Vessel for Jack and Jill : PAIL

The “Jack and Jill” nursery rhyme dates back at least to the 1700s:

Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.

28. Red Sea peninsula : SINAI

The Sinai Peninsula is in the eastern part of Egypt, and is a triangular peninsula bounded by the Mediterranean to the north and the Red Sea to the south. It is the only part of Egypt that lies in Asia as opposed to Africa. The eastern land border of the peninsula is shared with Israel, and Israel occupied the Sinai during the 1956 Suez Crisis and the Six Day War of 1967.

36. Where Ang Lee was born : TAIWAN

Prior to 1945, the island that we know today as Taiwan was called “Formosa”, the Portuguese word for “beautiful”. Portuguese sailors gave the island this name when they spotted it in 1544. The official name for the state of Taiwan is the “Republic of China”.

Taiwanese director Ang Lee sure has directed a mixed bag of films, mixed in terms of genre but not in terms of quality. He was at the helm for such classics as “Sense & Sensibility” (my personal favorite), “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, “Hulk”, “Brokeback Mountain” and “Life of Pi”.

38. Singer Lovett : LYLE

As well as being famous in his own right as a successful country singer, Lyle Lovett is known for his marriage to the actress Julia Roberts in 1993. The pair had a whirlwind romance lasting just three weeks before they eloped and were wed. The marriage was also relatively whirlwind, lasting less than two years.

40. Frittata ingredient : EGG

A “frittata” is an omelet recipe from Italy. The word “frittata” is Italian, and comes from “fritto” meaning “fried”.

41. The Mormons, for short : LDS

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) is known colloquially as the Mormon Church.

43. Fish with more than 100 vertebrae in its spine : EEL

The vertebrae are the individual bones that give strength and flexibility to the spinal column. The word “vertebra” is Latin. The term probably derives from the verb “vertere” meaning “to turn”, the idea being that the individual bones in the back allow turning and twisting.

44. First lady’s man : ADAM

According to the Bible, God created Adam from “the dust of the ground”. Eve was created as Adam’s companion, from Adam’s rib.

46. Author Hemingway : ERNEST

Ernest Hemingway’s writing style has been described variously as lean, terse, economical, spare and tight. He didn’t waste words, and avoided complicated syntax. His writing is “Hemingwayesque”.

51. Large artery : AORTA

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

54. Amazon IDs : ISBNS

The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) was invented by one Gordon Foster who was a professor at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. The code was originally developed for booksellers, so that they had a unique number (and now a barcode) for each publication.

57. Ukraine’s capital : KIEV

Kiev is located on the Dnieper River, and is the capital of Ukraine. We tend to use the spelling “Kiev”, but the Ukrainian government decided in 1995 to refer to the city as “Kyiv” when using Roman/Latin script.

60. Maestro Seiji : OZAWA

Seiji Ozawa is most famous for his work as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, although he is also the principal conductor of the Vienna State Opera. Ozawa is renowned for wearing a white turtleneck under his dress suit when he conducts, rather than the traditional starched shirt and white tie.

70. Vegas hotel with a musical name : ARIA

The Aria is one of the newer hotels on the Las Vegas Strip, having opened at the end of 2009.

71. “Gotta run,” in a text : TTYL

Talk to you later (TTYL)

73. Like a half-moon tide : NEAP

Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon on the oceans. At neap tide, the smaller gravitational effect of the sun cancels out some of the moon’s effect. At spring tide, the sun and the moon’s gravitational forces act in concert causing more extreme movement of the oceans.

Down

1. Winter hrs. in Lake Wobegon : CST

Lake Wobegon is a fictional town in central Minnesota that features in stories related by Garrison Keillor in the long-running radio show “Prairie Home Companion”.

2. Patron saint of Norway : OLAV

Of the many kings of Norway named Olaf/Olav (and there have been five), Olaf II is perhaps the most celebrated, as he was canonized and made patron saint of the country. Olaf II was king from 1015 to 1028 and was known as “Olaf the Big” (or Olaf the Fat) during his reign. Today he is more commonly referred to as “Olaf the Holy”. After Olaf died he was given the title of Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae, which is Latin for “Norway’s Eternal King”.

3. Fast-swimming shark : MAKO

The shortfin mako shark can appear on restaurant menus, and as a result the species is dying out in some parts of the world. The mako gets its own back sometimes though, as attacks on humans are not unknown. And the shark in Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea”, that’s a mako. “Mako” is the Maori word for “shark” or “shark tooth”.

4. 2009 aviatrix biopic : AMELIA

The 2009 movie “Amelia” tells the life story of Amelia Earhart, with Hilary Swank in the title role. “Amelia” didn’t do well with the critics, although I must say that I enjoyed it. Maybe that’s because I am fascinated by the whole Earhart story …

10. Some Toshiba products : PCS

The Japanese company that we know today as Toshiba was formed in 1939 with the merger of Tokyo Electric and Shibaura Engineering Works. The “To-shiba” name comes from a melding of TO-kyo and SHIBA-ura.

11. 2003, for LeBron James and Dwyane Wade : ROOKIE YEAR

The term “rookie”, used for a raw recruit, first appeared in Rudyard Kipling’s collection of songs and poems called the “Barrack-Room Ballads”, which was originally published in 1892.

Basketball player LeBron James (nicknamed “King James”) seems to be in demand for the covers of magazines. James became the first African American man to adorn the front cover of “Vogue” in March 2008. That made him only the third male to make the “Vogue” cover, following Richard Gere and George Clooney.

Dwyane Wade is a basketball player who started his NBA career with the Miami Heat in 2003. Wade was chosen as the “Sports Illustrated” Sportsman of the Year in 2006.

13. Jaunty : PERT

Our words “jaunty” and “genteel” are related in that they both derive from the French “gentil” meaning “nice, pleasing”. In modern usage, someone described as jaunty has a buoyant air. Someone described as genteel is refined in manner.

25. New citizenship seeker : EMIGRE

An “émigré” is an emigrant. The term is French in origin, and particularly applies to someone who is a political refugee from his or her native land.

27. Calder Cup org. : AHL

The American Hockey League (AHL) is the so-called development circuit for the National Hockey League (NHL), the equivalent of the minors in professional baseball. The AHL’s playoff trophy is called the Calder Cup, which is named for Frank Calder who was the first president of the NHL.

28. White House press secretary ___ Huckabee Sanders : SARAH

Sarah Huckabee Sanders was made White House Press Secretary in the Trump administration, following the resignation of Sean Spicer. Huckabee is the youngest child of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.

30. Locale for a West Coast wine tour : NAPA VALLEY

The first commercial winery in Napa Valley, California was established way back in 1858. However, premium wine production only dates back to the 1960s, with the region really hitting the big time after its success at the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976. The story of that famous blind wine tasting is told in the entertaining 2008 film “Bottle Shock”.

34. Airline whose in-flight magazine is Sky : DELTA

Delta was the world’s largest airline for a while (after merging with Northwest Airlines in 2008) and is also the oldest airline still operating in the US. Delta’s roots go back to 1924 before it started carrying passengers and was called Huff Daland Dusters, a crop dusting company based in Macon, Georgia. The name Delta Air Service was introduced in 1928.

42. One of four for “The Star-Spangled Banner” : STANZA

“The Star-Spangled Banner” by Francis Scott Key was adopted as the US national anthem in 1931. The song had been used officially by the US Navy since 1889, and was played when raising the flag.

52. Native of Japan’s “second city” : OSAKAN

The Japanese city of Osaka used to be called Naniwa, with the name changing to Osaka sometime before 1500. “Osaka” can be translated either as “large hill” or “large slope”. Osaka is sometimes referred to as “the Chicago of Japan” as it is a major center of commerce and industry. The city has also been named the “nation’s kitchen”, and was a center for Japan’s rice trade for centuries.

55. Cowboys’ ties : BOLOS

I’ve never worn a bolo tie, and was surprised to discover that it is a relatively recent invention. The first bolo tie was apparently produced in Wickenburg, Arizona in the late 1940s by a silversmith. The bolo takes its name from the boleadora, an Argentine lariat.

58. AOL and MSN, for two : ISPS

An Internet service provider (ISP) is just what the name indicates, a company that provides its customers with access to the Internet. One way that ISPs differentiate themselves from each other is in the way in which end users are connected to the ISP’s network. So, there are cable ISPs, DSL ISPs, dial-up ISPs and satellite ISPs.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Food ___ (Thanksgiving drowsiness) : COMA
5. Ocean predators : ORCAS
10. Get ready, casually : PREP
14. Insult : SLAM
15. Writer Zora ___ Hurston : NEALE
16. “Follow me!” : COME!
17. Disobey a rush order? : TAKE IT SLOW
19. What prices do during hyperinflation : SOAR
20. Longest river in Europe : VOLGA
21. Cataract site : LENS
23. Word after drum or press : KIT
24. How some solve crosswords : IN PEN
26. Vessel for Jack and Jill : PAIL
28. Red Sea peninsula : SINAI
31. Disobey a stop order? : MOVE AHEAD
35. “Now I get it!” : AHA!
36. Where Ang Lee was born : TAIWAN
38. Singer Lovett : LYLE
39. Genre for 21 Savage and 50 Cent : RAP
40. Frittata ingredient : EGG
41. The Mormons, for short : LDS
43. Fish with more than 100 vertebrae in its spine : EEL
44. First lady’s man : ADAM
46. Author Hemingway : ERNEST
48. Sculptures, e.g. : ART
49. Disobey a standing order? : HAVE A SEAT
51. Large artery : AORTA
53. Cave residents : BATS
54. Amazon IDs : ISBNS
56. Nothing but : ALL
57. Ukraine’s capital : KIEV
60. Maestro Seiji : OZAWA
63. Like a person who might be called “chrome dome” : BALD
65. Disobey a pecking order? : STEAL A KISS
68. Plays with : USES
69. Setting for an outdoor party : PATIO
70. Vegas hotel with a musical name : ARIA
71. “Gotta run,” in a text : TTYL
72. Downhill rides : SLEDS
73. Like a half-moon tide : NEAP

Down

1. Winter hrs. in Lake Wobegon : CST
2. Patron saint of Norway : OLAV
3. Fast-swimming shark : MAKO
4. 2009 aviatrix biopic : AMELIA
5. Alternative to bottled : ON TAP
6. High-___ monitor : RES
7. Exhortation after “Supplies are limited!” : CALL NOW!
8. Salve ingredient : ALOE
9. In stitches : SEWN
10. Some Toshiba products : PCS
11. 2003, for LeBron James and Dwyane Wade : ROOKIE YEAR
12. Smartphone notification : EMAIL ALERT
13. Jaunty : PERT
18. Light : IGNITE
22. Mud wrap site : SPA
25. New citizenship seeker : EMIGRE
27. Calder Cup org. : AHL
28. White House press secretary ___ Huckabee Sanders : SARAH
29. “Wow, that was fun!” : I HAD A BLAST!
30. Locale for a West Coast wine tour : NAPA VALLEY
32. “Key” hotel personnel : VALETS
33. Wraps up : ENDS
34. Airline whose in-flight magazine is Sky : DELTA
37. A long, long time : AGES
42. One of four for “The Star-Spangled Banner” : STANZA
45. Bumped into : MET
47. Wide-eyedness : NAIVETE
50. Make inquiries : ASK
52. Native of Japan’s “second city” : OSAKAN
55. Cowboys’ ties : BOLOS
56. Touch : ABUT
58. AOL and MSN, for two : ISPS
59. Abbr. after a list : ET AL
61. Police informant’s wear : WIRE
62. Where most Buddhists reside : ASIA
64. Broadband letters : DSL
66. A helping hand : AID
67. Maple product : SAP