0405-18 NY Times Crossword Answers 5 Apr 2018, Thursday

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Constructed by: David J. Kahn
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: Grand Slam Home Run

Themed answers are a list of the conditions necessary for a grand slam home run to cause a walk-off win in a baseball game:

  • 62A. What will cause a walk-off win in the situation described by the answers to the starred clues : GRAND SLAM HOME RUN
  • 17A. *Bass part in Beethoven’s “Choral” Symphony? : BOTTOM OF THE NINTH
  • 22A. *Result of a lot of drinking in the army? : BASES LOADED
  • 37A. *A couple of prisoners after an escape from Leavenworth? : TWO MEN OUT
  • 43A. *Dracula, after stuffing himself? : FULL COUNT
  • 51A. *Plan for a midafternoon nap? : DOWN BY THREE

Bill’s time: 11m 21s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1. He wrote “In the fight between you and the world, back the world” : KAFKA

Franz Kafka was born in 1883 in Prague, then part of Bohemia and today the capital of the Czech Republic. Kafka is known as one of the greatest novelists who worked in the German language, and even has an adjective named after him. Something that is “kafkaesque” is senseless, disorienting and may have menacing complexity. As it was for many great artists, Kafka’s fame came after his death when much of his work was published.

15. It’s California’s fault : SAN ANDREAS

The famous San Andreas Fault in California lies along the boundary between the Pacific and North American tectonic plates. The faultline was named in 1885 after a small lake just south of San Francisco called Laguna de San Andreas.

17. *Bass part in Beethoven’s “Choral” Symphony? : BOTTOM OF THE NINTH

Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 9” is his wonderful “Choral” symphony. When it was composed in 1824 it was the first time that a major composer had used voices in a symphony. By the time of the Ninth’s premier, Beethoven was essentially deaf. He insisted on sharing the stage with the musical director (who was conducting), and was visibly counting out time but was off by quite a few measures. When the last notes were played there was enthusiastic applause, although Beethoven was still conducting. The lead contralto had to walk over to Beethoven, stop him, and turn him to the audience to receive his adulation.

20. 1982 Loretta Lynn song with the lyric “It’s not easy to deceive you” : I LIE

The singer Loretta Lynn is sometimes referred to as the First Lady of Country Music. Lynn was born in 1932 in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky to a coal miner and his wife, and so famously is also referred to as “the Coal Miner’s Daughter”. Her much younger sister (by 19 years) is the singer Crystal Gayle.

21. Sleazo : CAD

Our word “cad”, meaning “a person lacking in finer feelings”, is a shortening of the word “cadet”. “Cad” was first used for a servant, and then students at British universities used “cad” as a term for a boy from the local town. “Cad” took on its current meaning in the 1830s.

30. Classic Jaguar : XKE

XK and XKE are models of Jaguar motor car.

Auto manufacturer Jaguar started out as a manufacturer of sidecars for motorcycles back in 1922, when the company was known as the Swallow Sidecar Company (SS for short). The company changed its name to Jaguar after WWII, because of the unfortunate connotations of the letters “SS” in that era (i.e. the Nazi paramilitary organization).

31. “___ has no use for free speech”: Julius Caesar : WAR

By 59 BC, Julius Caesar was a very powerful man in Rome and had just been elected to the position of consul, the highest magistracy in the Republic. Famously, he aligned himself with two other powerful men in Rome, Pompey and Crassus, forming the First Triumvirate. At the end of his year as consul, Caesar was elected proconsul (for 5 years), and was appointed governor of three provinces north of Rome (including Gaul), with control of four legions of the army. Caesar extended the reach of the Roman Republic in the Gallic Wars, and became very popular with the people back in Rome. However the Senate, led by his erstwhile ally Pompey, feared the power that could be exercised by Caesar, so at the end of his term as proconsul they ordered him to disband his army and return to Rome. Caesar agreed to return to Rome, but not to disband his army. On 10 January 49 BC, despite all warnings he marched back into Italy by crossing the Rubicon River, along with his army, plunging Rome into Civil War. Since then, “crossing the Rubicon” has come to mean “passing the point of no return”.

33. Brock in Cooperstown : LOU

Lou Brock is a retired professional baseball player who played most of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals. Brock broke Ty Cobb’s all-time stolen base record in 1977, and held that record until 1982.

Cooperstown is a village in New York that is famous as the home to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The village was named for Judge William Cooper, the founder of Cooperstown and the father of the noted writer James Fenimore Cooper.

37. *A couple of prisoners after an escape from Leavenworth? : TWO MEN OUT

Fort Leavenworth in Kansas is actually home to three federal prisons:

  • US Disciplinary Barracks … a military prison
  • Midwest Joint Regional Correctional Facility … a military prison
  • US Penitentiary, Leavenworth … a civilian prison

43. *Dracula, after stuffing himself? : FULL COUNT

“Dracula” is a novel written by the Irish author Bram Stoker and first published in 1897. Dracula wasn’t the first vampire of literature, but he certainly was the one who spawned the popularity of vampires in theater, film and television, and indeed more novels. Personally, I can’t stand vampire fiction …

46. Subj. for some bilinguals : ESL

English as a Second Language (ESL) is sometimes referred to as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL).

48. Caste member : ANT

Many creatures organize themselves into a social structure, a phenomenon known as “eusociality”. Examples of such creatures would be ants, bees and wasps, where there are queens, workers and soldiers. The groups within such a hierarchical structure are known as castes. The word “caste” was borrowed from the class divisions in Indian society (although the word “caste” and hierarchical concept was actually introduced by the Portuguese).

49. Muralist José María ___ : SERT

José Maria Sert was a painter of murals from Catalan. He was a good friend of fellow-artist Salvador Dali.

58. Parlement assent : OUI

In French, the “Parlement français” (French parliament) is divided into the “Sénat” (Senate) and the “Assemblée nationale” (National Assembly).

60. All-time career record-holder for strikeouts : RYAN

Nolan Ryan is famous for having more career strikeouts that any other baseball pitcher. However, he also holds the record for the most career walks and wild pitches. Another record that Ryan holds is the most no-hitters, a total of seven over his career.

61. Western tribe : UTE

The Ute is a group of Native American tribes that now resides in Utah and Colorado. The Ute were not a unified people as such, but rather a loose association of nomadic groups. The word “Ute” means “Land of the Sun”, and “Ute” also gave us the state name “Utah”.

72. Moth-eaten, e.g. : HOLEY

The larvae of several types of moth are noted for eating fabrics made from natural fibers such as wool or cotton. Many people store woolens in cedar chests believing that the scent of the wood prevents a moth infestation. In fact, the only known effective repellent is the naphthalene found in mothballs, which might be a health concern for humans. One way to kill moth larvae in fabric is to freeze the garment for several days at a temperature below 8 degrees centigrade.

Down

1. Food cart offering : KABOB

The term “kebab” (also “kabob”) covers a wide variety of meat dishes that originated in Persia. In the West, we usually use “kebab” when talking about shish kebab, which is meat (often lamb) served on a skewer. “Shish” comes from the Turkish word for “skewer”.

2. Plaza for Plato : AGORA

In early Greece, the agora was a place of assembly. The assemblies held there were often quite formal, perhaps for the reading of a proclamation. Later in Greek history, things became less formal as the agora evolved into a marketplace. Our contemporary word “agoraphobia” comes from these agorae, in the sense that an agoraphobe has a fear of open spaces, a fear of “public meeting places”.

Plato was a Greek philosopher and mathematician. He was a student of the equally famous and respected Socrates, and Plato in turn was the teacher and mentor of the celebrated Aristotle.

3. Trio in Plato’s “Republic” : FATES

The three Fates of Greek mythology were white-robed deities, and were also called the Moirai. The three Fates were Clotho the spinner, Lachesis the allotter and Atropos the unturnable.

The greatest work of the Greek philosopher Plato is said by most to be his treatise called “The Republic”. The work takes the form of a Socratic dialogue, meaning that it features Plato’s teacher Socrates in dialogue with others discussing the subject matter. Much of the text deals with justice and various forms of government.

6. Family group : MAFIA

Apparently “Cosa Nostra” is the real name for the Italian Mafia. “Cosa Nostra” translates as “our thing” or “this thing of ours”. The term first became public in the US when the FBI managed to turn some members of the American Mafia. The Italian authorities established that “Cosa Nostra” was also used in Sicily when they penetrated the Sicilian Mafia in the 1980s. The term “mafia” seems to be just a literary invention that has become popular with the public.

10. Met demands? : ARIAS

The Metropolitan Opera (often “the Met”) of New York City is the largest classical music organization in the country, presenting about 220 performances each and every year. Founded in 1880, the Met is renowned for using technology to expand its audiences. Performances have been broadcast live on radio since 1931, and on television since 1977. And since 2006 you can go see a live performance from New York in high definition on the big screen, at a movie theater near you …

16. Party org. once chaired by Tim Kaine : DNC

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) was set up way back in 1848, and governs the day-to-day affairs of the Democratic Party. Past chairpersons of the DNC include Howard Dean from Vermont, Chris Dodd from Connecticut and Tim Kaine from Virginia.

25. Worshiper of C-3PO in “Return of the Jedi” : EWOK

The Ewoks are creatures who live on the moon of Endor in the “Star Wars” universe. First appearing in “Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi”, they’re the cute and cuddly little guys that look like teddy bears.

C-3PO, or “Threepio”, is the protocol droid that appears in all six “Star Wars” movies.

26. Arizona’s Glen Canyon, for one : DAM

Glen Canyon Dam is the second largest dam on the Colorado River and is located at Page, Arizona. The Dam was built to flood Glen Canyon, creating what we now know as Lake Powell.

29. Accords, e.g. : AUTOS

Honda started manufacturing its Accord model in Marysville, Ohio in 1982, making the Accord the first Japanese car to be produced in the US. The Accord was the best-selling Japanese car in America from 1982 to 1997, and 1989 was the first import to become the best-selling car in the US.

37. Number of World Series rings for Yogi Berra as a player : TEN

Yogi Berra is regarded by many as the greatest catcher ever to play in Major League Baseball, and has to be America’s most celebrated “author” of malapropisms. Here are some greats:

  • It ain’t over till it’s over.
  • 90% of the game is half mental.
  • Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.
  • When you come to a fork in the road, take it.
  • It’s déjà vu all over again.
  • Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t go to yours.
  • A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.

41. Sport in a ring : SUMO

Sumo is a sport that is practiced professionally only in Japan, the country of its origin. There is an international federation of sumo wrestling now, and one of the organization’s aims is to have the sport accepted as an Olympic event.

44. Big ref. work : OED

Work started on what was to become the first “Oxford English Dictionary” (OED) in 1857. Several interim versions of the dictionary were published in the coming years with the first full version appearing, in ten bound volumes, in 1928. The second edition of the OED appeared in 1989 and is made up of twenty volumes. The OED was first published in electronic form in 1988 and went online in 2000. Given the modern use of computers, the publishing house responsible feels that there will never be a third print version of the famous dictionary.

50. African capital, lake or gulf : TUNIS

Tunis is the capital of Tunisia, and gives the country her name. Tunis is on the Mediterranean coast, and is located just a few miles from the site of ancient Carthage.

52. Alternatives to paninis : WRAPS

In Italy, a sandwich made from sliced bread is called a “tramezzino”, while sandwiches made from non-sliced breads are called “panini” (singular “panino”). We’ve imported the term “panini” into English to mean a pressed and toasted sandwich.

54. Scroogeisms : BAHS

The classic 1843 novella “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens has left us with a few famous phrases and words. Firstly, it led to popular use of the phrase “Merry Christmas”, and secondly it gave us the word “scrooge” meaning a miserly person. And thirdly, everyone knows that Ebenezer Scrooge uttered the words “Bah! Humbug!”.

55. In the boonies : RURAL

“Boondocks” (often shortened to “boonies”) is a term used in North America for a remote, usually rural area. Often the term is used derogatively, implying that a remote location is unsophisticated. “Boondocks” was first used by American soldiers stationed in the Philippines in the early 1900s. The word evolved from the Tagalog “bundok” meaning “mountain”.

56. Chopin piece : ETUDE

An étude is a short instrumental composition that is usually quite hard to play and is intended to help the performer master a particular technique. “Étude” is the French word for “study”. Études are commonly performed on the piano.

Frédéric Chopin was a Polish composer who spent most of his life in France. He was most famous for his piano works in the Romantic style. Chopin was a sickly man and died quite young, at 39. For many of his final years he had a celebrated and tempestuous relationship with the French author George Sand (the nom de plume of the Baroness Dudevant). Those years with Sand may have been turbulent, but they were very productive in terms of musical composition.

63. The French way? : RUE

In France, one might drive along a “rue” (road) through “une ville” (a town).

64. Winner of 11 World Series, for short : STL

The St. Louis Cardinals were originally called the “Brown Stockings”, changing their name to the “Perfectos” in 1899. That obviously didn’t go down well with the locals, as the owners changed it one year later to the Cardinals.

65. Dweller on the Mekong : LAO

The official name for the country of Laos is the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. In the Lao language, the country’s name is “Meuang Lao”. The French ruled Laos as part of French Indochina, having united three separate Lao kingdoms. As there was a plural of “Lao” entities united into one, the French added the “S” and so today we tend to use “Laos” instead of “Lao”.

The Mekong is the twelfth longest river in the world, at over 2,700 miles in length. It rises in the Tibetan Plateau and empties into the South China Sea at the famed Mekong delta system in Vietnam.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. He wrote “In the fight between you and the world, back the world” : KAFKA
6. Spanish hand : MANO
10. Making a crossing, e.g. : ASEA
14. “Do we have to keep doing this?!” : AGAIN?!
15. It’s California’s fault : SAN ANDREAS
17. *Bass part in Beethoven’s “Choral” Symphony? : BOTTOM OF THE NINTH
19. Strike with a pickax? : ORE
20. 1982 Loretta Lynn song with the lyric “It’s not easy to deceive you” : I LIE
21. Sleazo : CAD
22. *Result of a lot of drinking in the army? : BASES LOADED
27. Yarn that stretches? : SAGA
30. Classic Jaguar : XKE
31. “___ has no use for free speech”: Julius Caesar : WAR
33. Brock in Cooperstown : LOU
34. Fastening pin : COTTER
37. *A couple of prisoners after an escape from Leavenworth? : TWO MEN OUT
40. On the move : AFOOT
41. Request : SEEK
42. Neighbor of Burundi : CONGO
43. *Dracula, after stuffing himself? : FULL COUNT
45. Looies’ subordinates : SARGES
46. Subj. for some bilinguals : ESL
47. Clothes line : HEM
48. Caste member : ANT
49. Muralist José María ___ : SERT
51. *Plan for a midafternoon nap? : DOWN BY THREE
58. Parlement assent : OUI
60. All-time career record-holder for strikeouts : RYAN
61. Western tribe : UTE
62. What will cause a walk-off win in the situation described by the answers to the starred clues : GRAND SLAM HOME RUN
68. Obsolescent recordings : AUDIO TAPES
69. “Mercy me!” : EGADS!
70. Not as : LESS
71. Fell (to) : LOST
72. Moth-eaten, e.g. : HOLEY

Down

1. Food cart offering : KABOB
2. Plaza for Plato : AGORA
3. Trio in Plato’s “Republic” : FATES
4. Press ___ : KIT
5. Need for making soap from sap? : AN O
6. Family group : MAFIA
7. Paid (up) : ANTED
8. “Ain’t gonna happen” : NAH
9. Single : ONE
10. Met demands? : ARIAS
11. Forward : SEND ALONG
12. “Let’s ___!” : EAT
13. E-cigarette’s lack : ASH
15. Number for 9-Down : SOLO
16. Party org. once chaired by Tim Kaine : DNC
18. Track team member : MILER
23. Hail : EXTOL
24. Court artist’s output : SKETCH
25. Worshiper of C-3PO in “Return of the Jedi” : EWOK
26. Arizona’s Glen Canyon, for one : DAM
28. Fleece : GOUGE
29. Accords, e.g. : AUTOS
32. Disavow : RECANT
34. Places that may have blackboards : CAFES
35. Worth having : OF USE
36. Bypass arteries? : TOLL ROADS
37. Number of World Series rings for Yogi Berra as a player : TEN
38. Newly painted : WET
39. 0° : NORTH
41. Sport in a ring : SUMO
44. Big ref. work : OED
45. Refuse : SAY NO
50. African capital, lake or gulf : TUNIS
52. Alternatives to paninis : WRAPS
53. N.L. East player : NY MET
54. Scroogeisms : BAHS
55. In the boonies : RURAL
56. Chopin piece : ETUDE
57. Very, very small : EENSY
59. Bridal line? : I DO
62. Hoedown date : GAL
63. The French way? : RUE
64. Winner of 11 World Series, for short : STL
65. Dweller on the Mekong : LAO
66. “Not so great” : MEH
67. Vainglory : EGO