0415-22 NY Times Crossword 15 Apr 22, Friday

Constructed by: Trenton Charlson
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 19m 56s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

9 Co-winner of the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize : ARAFAT

Yasser (also “Yasir”) Arafat was born in Cairo in 1929, the son of two Palestinians and the second-youngest of seven children. Arafat was beaten by his father as a child and so did not have a good relationship with him. Arafat did not attend his father’s funeral, nor did he visit his grave. The beatings were apparently administered because the young Arafat was repeatedly attending religious services in the Jewish quarter of Cairo. Arafat’s explanation was that he wanted to “study the mentality” of the Jewish people.

Shimon Peres was an Israeli statesman who was born in Poland, in a township that is now part of Belarus. Peres served as President of the State of Israel from 2007 to 2014. Born Szymon Perski, Peres was the oldest head of state in the world while he served as president of Israel. While serving as foreign minister, he represented Israel in the secret negotiations that led to the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993. For that work, Peres was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize with Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat.

Yitzhak Rabin was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, and the first Prime Minister to have been born in the relatively young state of Israel. Rabin was a signatory of the Oslo Accords in 1993, along with PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, and US President Bill Clinton. Sadly, this led to his death as he was assassinated two years later by a right-wing radical who opposed the Accords.

15 Kisses and hugs : XOXOXOXO

In the sequence letter sequence “X-O-X”, the X represents a kiss, and the O a hug. “O-O-O” is a string of hugs, and “X-X-X” a string of kisses. Hugs and kisses …

17 What can strike up a tune? : XYLOPHONE MALLET

The glockenspiel and xylophone are similar instruments, the main difference being the material from which the keys are made. Xylophone keys are made from wood, and glockenspiel keys are made from metal.

19 Tiny bit of concern : HOOT

I really don’t give a hoot …

20 Saint associated with the Russian alphabet : CYRIL

Saints Cyril and Methodius were brothers, and Christian missionaries among the Slavic peoples. As well as introducing Christianity to the region in the 9th century, the brothers taught many illiterate people to write. They invented two Slavic alphabets for use in translating the Bible into Slavic languages. One is the Glagolitic alphabet, but the more famous is the Cyrillic alphabet that developed into the Cyrillic script that is used widely today across Eastern Europe and much of Asia.

21 ___ jure (by the law itself: Lat.) : IPSO

“Ipso jure” is Latin for “by operation of law”. I am informed by a blog reader that the term refers to a legal consequence that takes place without the need for a beneficiary to take action. In other words, the law simply applies. The example given is what happens to a property held in joint tenancy when one person dies. The title passes to the living person, without that person having to do anything . It simply passes “by operation of law”, “ipso jure”.

26 Rail construction : NEST

Rails are birds of the family Rallidae (hence their name). Outside of America, the name “rail” tends to be reserved for long-billed species and the term “crake” is used for short-billed species.

30 Florida city in the middle of “horse country” : OCALA

The city of Ocala, Florida was founded near a historic village with the same name. In the local Timucua language “Ocala” means “Big Hammock”. Back in the 1890s, Ocala was famous for its oranges, with over one third of that fruit shipped from Florida coming from the city. Also, thoroughbred horse farming in Florida started in Ocala, back in 1943. Some folks today call Ocala the “Horse Capital of the World”, but I bet that’s disputed by others …

32 Pioneer in instant messaging : AOL

Even though instant messaging (sending and receiving IMs) has been around since the 1960s, it was AOL who popularized the term “instant message” in the eighties and nineties. The “AOL Instant Message” service was known as AIM.

37 Easy mark : PATSY

The etymology of the word “patsy” meaning “fall guy” isn’t really understood. One colorful theory suggests that the term comes from an 1890s vaudeville character named Patsy Bolivar. Patsy always got the blame when something went wrong.

42 Small grouse : NIT

It isn’t really clear where we get our verb “to grouse” from (meaning “to complain”). The term was first used as slang in the British Army in the 1880s.

44 Unlike filibusters : TERSE

A filibuster is a procedure used in parliamentary circles whereby someone extends a debate in order to prevent a vote taking place. The use of the filibuster has led to most legislation needing a 60% vote in order to come to the floor of the US Senate. At least that has been the case since 1975. The filibuster was an option in the US House as well until 1842, at which time a rule was introduced that limits the duration of a debate.

48 Negotiation site that led to the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize : OSLO

The Oslo Accords grew out of secret negotiations between the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel in a residence in Oslo in the early nineties. The delegates shared the same house while they conducted 14 meetings. While eating all their meals together at the same table, the negotiators came to respect one another and apparently friendships developed.

51 Mythological lyrist : ERATO

In Greek mythology, Erato was the Muse of lyric poetry. She is often depicted with a wreath of myrtle and roses, and playing a lyre.

53 Fictional narrator whose first name is a fruit : FINN

“The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain was first published in 1884, not here in the US but rather in England. The original launch planned for the US had to be delayed until the following year because some rascal had defaced the plate for one of the illustrations, making an obscene joke. Once the problem was spotted a new plate had to be made, and 30,000 copies already printed had to be reworked to cover up the obscenity.

55 Epitome : TEXTBOOK EXAMPLE

The more common meaning of “epitome” is “perfect example of a group, quality, type”. An epitome is also an abstract or summary of a book or article.

61 Wireless network necessity : ROUTER

In the world of computing, a router is a device that helps direct traffic, as it were. A router in a house is often found in combination with a modem, and directs traffic between the Internet and the computers in the home.

62 Toon with a brother named Castor : OLIVE OYL

“Thimble Theater” was the precursor comic strip to the famous “Popeye” drawn by E. C. Segar. Before Popeye came into the story, the brother and sister characters Castor Oyl and Olive Oyl were the protagonists. And then along comes a sailor …

63 Oxford pad, e.g. : INSOLE

An oxford is a type of lace-up shoe that originated not in Oxford, but actually in Scotland and/or Ireland.

64 Locale in SW France : PYRENEES

The Pyrenees is a mountain range that runs along the border between Spain and France. Nestled between the two countries, high in the mountains, is the lovely country of Andorra, an old haunt of my family during skiing season …

Down

1 Beyond steamy : XXX

When the Motion Picture Association (MPAA) film rating system was introduced in 1968, the most restrictive class was an X-rating. Persons under 16 were not admitted to such films. A few years later, the guidelines were changed for all ratings, and no one under the age of 17 was admitted to films rated X. Over time, the term “X-rating” became associated with pornographic films, and so the under-17 restriction was relabeled in 1990 to “NC-17”.

2 Boy’s name that means “king” : ROY

The name “Roy” is of Norman origin, and comes from the Spanish “rey” or French “roi” meaning “king”.

3 Rose by another name? : AXL

Axl Rose is the lead vocalist of the American rock band Guns N’ Roses.

5 Fair : EXPO

The first World’s Fair was held in 1851, known back then as the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations. The fair was the idea of Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria. It was held in a magnificent glass and cast-iron structure called the Crystal Palace that was purpose-built for the occasion. The Great Exhibition spawned a tradition of what became known as World’s Fairs, expositions that feature national pavilions created by participating countries. The term “Expo” was coined for Expo 67, a 1967 World’s Fair held in Montreal. Since then, we’ve been using “expo” to describe any large exposition or trade show.

6 Accompaniment for a bottle of rum : YO HO HO!

The fictional sea shanty called “Dead Man’s Chest” was introduced in Robert Louis Stevenson’s great novel, “Treasure Island”. In the book, Stevenson only describes the chorus, which goes:

Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest–
…Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
Drink and the devil had done for the rest–
…Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

7 Beautiful and rare : EXOTIC

The word “exotic” means “belonging to another country”, and is derived from the Greek “exo-” meaning “outside”. Exotica are things that are excitingly strange, often from foreign parts.

8 Chaz, to Cher : SON

Chaz Bono is the only child of the singers Sonny and Cher (although they both have children from other marriages). Chaz was named Chastity Sun Bono at birth and told her parents at the age of 18 that she was a lesbian. More recently Bono underwent gender reassignment surgery, and Chastity has legally changed his name to Chaz.

9 ___ Game, annual event on the second Saturday of December : ARMY-NAVY

The first Army-Navy football game took place in November 1890. The annual event is most often played in Philadelphia, as the city is about the same distance from the USMA at West Point, New York and the USNA at Anapolis, Maryland. One of the more memorable Army-Navy games (to trivia lovers) was played in 1893. That’s because Navy Midshipman Joseph M. Reeves wore a helmet, marking the first time a helmet was used for protection in a football game.

12 Occasion for Druids to gather at Stonehenge : FALL EQUINOX

An equinox is a phenomenon dictated by the tilt of the earth’s axis. Twice every year, that tilt “evens out” and the sun is equidistant from points at the same latitude both north and south of the equator. It is as if the earth has no tilt relative to the sun. The term “equinox” comes from the Latin for “equal night”, inferring that night and day are equally long, as the effect of the earth’s “tilt” is nullified. Equinoxes occur each year around March 21st (the vernal equinox) and September 23rd (the autumnal equinox).

Druids were priests of Celtic Europe during the Iron Age.

The magnificent Stonehenge monument in the south of England was built from 3000 to 2000 BC. “Stonehenge” has given its name to “henges”, a whole class of earthwork monuments that are circular in form with an internal ditch surrounded by a bank. Paradoxically, Stonehenge doesn’t qualify as a henge by this contemporary definition, as its earthen bank is surrounded by an external ditch.

14 Winter festival : TET

The full name for the New Year holiday in Vietnam is “Tet Nguyen Dan” meaning “Feast of the First Morning”, with the reference being to the arrival of the season of spring. Tet usually falls on the same day as Chinese New Year.

23 Network of nerves in the abdomen : SOLAR PLEXUS

A nerve plexus is a network of intersecting nerves. One example of a plexus in the human body is the celiac plexus, also known as the solar plexus. The celiac plexus is a network of nerves in the abdomen that serves many of the internal organs.

25 Rarer than rare : TARTARE

Steak tartare was first served in French restaurants in the early 1900s. Back then, the dish went by the name “steak à l’Americaine”, would you believe? It was basically raw, seasoned beef mixed with egg yolk. A later version of l’Americaine, without the egg yolk and with tartar sauce served on the side, was dubbed “steak tartare”. Over time the two versions became one, and the steak tartare moniker won out. By the way, if you order steak tartare in Switzerland, I believe you are served horse meat. There are now similar “tartare” dishes made with raw salmon, or raw tuna.

38 Comeback that sounds like a “Star Wars” character : ARE TOO!

Artoo’s proper name is R2-D2 (also “Artoo-Detoo”). R2-D2 is the smaller of the two famous droids from the “Star Wars” movies. British actor Kenny Baker, who stood just 3 feet 8 inches tall, was the man inside the R2-D2 droid for the first six of the “Star Wars” movies.

46 Alchemist’s offering : ELIXIR

An elixir is a solution of alcohol and water that is used to deliver a medicine. The term “elixir” can also be used to mean a medicine that has the power to cure all ills.

47 Flimflammers : CON MEN

A flimflam is a confidence trick. The term “flimflam” has been in use since the 1500s, would you believe?

52 His brother was no keeper : ABEL

In the story of Cain and Abel in the Book of Genesis, Cain murders his brother Abel. Subsequently, God asks Cain, “Where is Abel thy brother?” Cain replies, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

54 One end of the narthex : NAVE

In large Christian churches, the nave is the main approach to the altar, and is where most of the congregation are seated.

55 Prefix with -assic : TRI-

The Triassic period lasted from about 250 to 200 million years ago. It was during the Triassic that dinosaurs first appeared. A major extinction event at the end of the Triassic allowed dinosaurs to dominate the landscape throughout the subsequent Jurassic period.

56 Countless lifetimes : EON

Geological time is divided into a number of units of varying lengths. These are, starting from the largest:

  • supereon
  • eon (also “aeon”)
  • era
  • period
  • epoch
  • age

57 Keystone figure : KOP

The Keystone Cops (sometimes “Keystone Kops”) were a band of madcap policemen who appeared in silent movies. A 1914 short film called “A Thief Catcher” that was believed lost was rediscovered in 2010. “A Thief Catcher” featured the magnificent Charlie Chaplin in an early role as a Keystone Cop.

58 Who wrote “All that we see or seem / Is but a dream within a dream” : POE

Celebrated American writer Edgar Allan Poe (EAP) was born “Edgar Poe” in 1809 in Boston. Poe’s father abandoned Edgar and his two siblings after the death of their mother. As a result, Edgar was taken into the home of the Allan family in Richmond, Virginia. His foster parents gave the future author the name “Edgar Allan Poe”.

59 Pipe cleaner : LYE

What we call “lye” is usually sodium hydroxide (NaOH), although historically the term “lye” was used for potassium hydroxide. Lye has many uses, including to cure several foodstuffs. Lye can make olives less bitter, for example. The chemical is also found in canned mandarin oranges, pretzels and Japanese ramen noodles. More concentrated grades of lye are used to clear drains and clean ovens. Scary …

60 High rails : ELS

Elevated railroad (El)

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Means of supervision? : X-RAY EYES
9 Co-winner of the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize : ARAFAT
15 Kisses and hugs : XOXOXOXO
16 “I can ___” : RELATE
17 What can strike up a tune? : XYLOPHONE MALLET
19 Tiny bit of concern : HOOT
20 Saint associated with the Russian alphabet : CYRIL
21 ___ jure (by the law itself: Lat.) : IPSO
24 Discover fortuitously : HIT ON
26 Rail construction : NEST
29 “Buzz off!” : SHOO!
30 Florida city in the middle of “horse country” : OCALA
31 Soft shade : AQUA
32 Pioneer in instant messaging : AOL
33 Fire (up) : REV
34 Watch from the shadows, say : LURK
35 Industrial support : I-BAR
37 Easy mark : PATSY
39 As it happens : LIVE
40 Critical : DIRE
41 Silent ___ : ERA
42 Small grouse : NIT
43 Refreshers : NAPS
44 Unlike filibusters : TERSE
47 Shelter from a storm, perhaps : COVE
48 Negotiation site that led to the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize : OSLO
49 Appropriate : STEAL
50 Draft teammates? : OXEN
51 Mythological lyrist : ERATO
53 Fictional narrator whose first name is a fruit : FINN
55 Epitome : TEXTBOOK EXAMPLE
61 Wireless network necessity : ROUTER
62 Toon with a brother named Castor : OLIVE OYL
63 Oxford pad, e.g. : INSOLE
64 Locale in SW France : PYRENEES

Down

1 Beyond steamy : XXX
2 Boy’s name that means “king” : ROY
3 Rose by another name? : AXL
4 “Anybody there?!” : YOOHOO!
5 Fair : EXPO
6 Accompaniment for a bottle of rum : YO HO HO!
7 Beautiful and rare : EXOTIC
8 Chaz, to Cher : SON
9 ___ Game, annual event on the second Saturday of December : ARMY-NAVY
10 Raise : REAR
11 Everything considered : ALL IN ALL
12 Occasion for Druids to gather at Stonehenge : FALL EQUINOX
13 Absorbed : ATE
14 Winter festival : TET
18 Grandes ___, part of France’s higher education system : ECOLES
21 Reiterated refusal : I SAID NO
22 Admissions to a counselor : PHOBIAS
23 Network of nerves in the abdomen : SOLAR PLEXUS
25 Rarer than rare : TARTARE
27 Keep on keeping on : SURVIVE
28 Stop for a bit : TAKE TEN
36 Employ for lack of better options : RESORT TO
37 Place to pick up litter? : PET STORE
38 Comeback that sounds like a “Star Wars” character : ARE TOO!
45 Without incident : SAFELY
46 Alchemist’s offering : ELIXIR
47 Flimflammers : CON MEN
52 His brother was no keeper : ABEL
54 One end of the narthex : NAVE
55 Prefix with -assic : TRI-
56 Countless lifetimes : EON
57 Keystone figure : KOP
58 Who wrote “All that we see or seem / Is but a dream within a dream” : POE
59 Pipe cleaner : LYE
60 High rails : ELS