CROSSWORD SETTER: Peter A. Collins
THEME: Breaking Bread … today’s themed answers each have circled letters at the start and finish, which together spell a kind of bread.
17A. One of Beethoven’s 32 PI(ANO SONA)TA (“pita” bread)
24A. Rants and raves RAIS(ES CA)IN (“raisin” bread)
30A. Social service item? CO(FFEE U)RN (“corn” bread)
46A. Proverbial nonexistent meal FRE(E LU)NCH (“French” bread”)
53A. Place of central interest, man WHE(RE IT’S )AT (“wheat” bread)
65A. Has a meal, and as the circles show, what 17-, 24-, 30-, 46- and 53-Across each does BREAKS BREAD
COMPLETION TIME: 11m 53s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
15. Like the Vegas strip LIT UP
The basic design of neon lighting was first demonstrated at the Paris Motor Show in 1910. Such lighting is made up of glass tubes containing a vacuum into which has been introduced a small amount of neon gas. When a voltage is applied between two electrodes inside the tube, the neon gas “glows” and gives off the familiar light.
16. Honest prez ABE
Abraham Lincoln was born in a one-room log cabin in Hardin County, Kentucky making him the first president born in the West. His formal education was limited to a year and a half of schooling, but fortunately for us, Lincoln was an avid reader and educated himself over the years. Even though he was from a rural area, he avoided hunting and fishing because he did not like to kill animals even for food.
17. One of Beethoven’s 32 PIANO SONATA
The term “sonata” comes from the Latin and Italian word “sonare” meaning “to sound”. A sonata is a piece of music that is played, as opposed to a cantata (from Latin and Italian “cantare” meaning “to sing”), a piece of music that is sung.
19. Moll’s leg GAM
The American slang term “gams” is used for a woman’s legs, but the term goes back to the 18th century “gamb” meaning the leg of an animal on a coat of arms.
23. Gas from the past ESSO
The brand name Esso has its roots in the old Standard Oil company as it uses the initial letters of “Standard” and “Oil” (ESS-O). The Esso brand was replaced by Exxon in the US, but ESSO is still used in many other countries.
24. Rants and raves RAISES CAIN
As Cain was the first murderer according the Bible, he is associated with evil or trouble. The idiom “raise Cain” is the equivalent of “raise Hell” and “raise the Devil”. In all cases the meaning is to bring back evil or to cause trouble.
27. Charity’s URL ending ORG
Internet addresses (like NYTCrossword.com and LAXCrossword.com) are more correctly called Uniform Resource Locators (URLs).
43. __ Deco ART
Some say that the term “Art Deco” was coined by Swiss-French architect known as Le Corbusier. Others say that the term comes from a 1925 exhibition in Paris called “L’Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes.
49. Davis who was married to Ruby Dee OSSIE
Ossie Davis was a very successful African-American actor, but also a director, poet, playwright and social activist. In the CBS sitcom “Evening Shade”, Davis played the narrator.
52. “Collages” author Anaïs NIN
Anaïs Nin was a French author, famous for her journals that she wrote for over sixty years from the age of 11 right up to her death. Nin also wrote highly regarded erotica and cited D. H. Lawrence as someone from whom she drew inspiration. Nin was married to banker and artist Hugh Parker Guiler in 1923. Decades later in 1955, Nin married former actor Rupert Pole, even though she was still married to Guiler. Nin and Pole had their marriage annulled in 1966, but just for legal reasons, and they continued to live together as husband and wife until Nin passed away in 1977.
57. Dog in the FDR Memorial FALA
Fala was a Scottish Terrier, the much-loved companion of President Franklyn D. Roosevelt. When I visited President Roosevelt’s grave in Hyde Park in 2010, I noted that Fala had been buried right beside his master and mistress.
68. Chi follower PSI
The Greek letter psi is the one that looks a bit like a trident or a pitchfork.
69. Farsi speaker IRANI
“Farsi” is one of the local names for Persian, an Iranian language.
71. Oeuf seasoning SEL
In French, salt (sel) can be used to season an egg (oeuf).
72. He bested Alexander in 1804 AARON
Aaron Burr was the third vice-president of the US, serving under Thomas Jefferson. In the final year of his term in office, Burr fought an illegal duel and killed his political rival Alexander Hamilton. Burr wasn’t brought to justice, but he did pay the price politically. Thomas Jefferson dropped him from his ticket in the election held the following year.
73. Fragrant compound ESTER
Esters are very common chemicals. The smaller, low-molecular weight esters are usually pleasant smelling and are often found in perfumes. At the other end of the scale, the higher-molecular weight nitroglycerin is a nitrate ester and is very explosive, and polyester is a huge molecule and is a type of plastic.
Down
2. Jumbles OLIOS
Olio is a term meaning a hodgepodge or a mixture, coming from the mixed stew of the same name. The stew in turn takes its name from the Spanish “olla”, the clay pot used for cooking.
3. Snowboarders’ aids T-BARS
A T-bar is a type of ski lift in which the skiers are pulled up the hill in pairs, with each pair standing (not sitting!) either side of T-shaped metal bar. The bar is placed behind the thighs, pulling along the skiers as they remain standing on their skis (hopefully!). There’s also a J-bar, a similar device, but with each J-shaped bar used by one skier at a time.
4. Venting car option SUNROOF
A sunroof is a panel in the roof of a car that can be pulled back to let in light or air. A moonroof is similar, but in a moonroof there is an option to slide back a fabric-covered panel to expose a glass panel that allows in light, but not air.
5. Parisian possessive A MOI
“À moi” (literally “to me”) is the French for “mine”.
7. Jeremy in the 2012 NBA’s Rising Stars Challenge LIN
Jeremy Lin is a professional basketball player with the Houston Rockets. Lin is the first American of Chinese descent to play in the NBA.
8. Acting teacher Hagen UTA
Uta Hagen was a German-born American actress. Hagen married Jose Ferrer in 1938, but they were divorced ten years later after it was revealed that she was having a long-running affair with Paul Robeson. Her association with Robeson, a prominent civil rights activist, earned her a spot on the Hollywood Blacklist during the McCarthy Era. This forced her away from film, but towards a successful stage career in New York City.
9. Steep-sided hills BUTTES
“What’s the difference between a butte and a mesa?” I hear you cry! Both are hills with flat tops, but a mesa has a top that is wider than it is tall. A butte is a much narrower formation, taller than it is wide.
11. __ Carta MAGNA
The Magna Carta is a landmark document issued in England in 1215. It represents the first time that an English king had to submit to the will of his subjects, a group of barons who sought to limit the powers of the monarchy. In particular the Magna Carta calls out that no freeman could be punished except through the law of the land. And of course, the Magna Carta was an inspiration for the United States Constitution.
12. Bead counters for bean counters ABACI
The abacus was used as a counting frame long before man had invented a numbering system. It is a remarkable invention, particularly when one notes that abaci are still widely used today across Africa and Asia.
13. Arabian republic formed in 1990 YEMEN
Yemen is located on the Arabian Peninsula, lying just south of Saudi Arabia and west of Oman. Yemen is the only state on the peninsula that is a republic (its official name is the Republic of Yemen). Everyone over the age of 18 gets to vote, but only Muslims can hold elected office.
18. Composer Prokofiev SERGEI
Sergei Prokofiev was a great Russian composer and pianist, certainly one of the most admired of the 20th century composers. Prokofiev left Russia not long after the October Revolution of 1917, with his first port of call being San Francisco. He spent a couple of years in America, but never settled. He moved to Paris next, then to Bavaria, and back to Paris where he settled for many years. However, when things settled down in the Soviet Union, and the attitudes towards the arts made favorable changes, he moved back home permanently. He ended up living in Moscow, very close to Red Square. He had the misfortune to die on the very same days as Josef Stalin. His funeral had to be delayed as family and friends could not get Prokofiev’s body out of his apartment due to the throngs of mourners for Stalin.
25. Like the vb. “to be,” in most languages IRR
“To be” is an example of an irregular (irr.) verb.
31. Be in hock to OWE
The term “in hock” is an American invention. Back in the mid-19th century “in hock” meant both “in debt” and “in prison”. The work “hock” came from the Dutch “hok” meaning “jail”.
35. Part-goat deity PAN
In Greek mythology, Pan was a lecherous god, one who fell in love with Echo the mountain nymph. Echo refused Pan’s advances so that he became very angry. Pan’s anger created a “panic” (a word derived from the name “Pan”) and a group of shepherds were driven to kill Echo.
36. __ de Triomphe ARC
L’Arc de Triomphe de l’Etoile in Paris was built to honor those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. It is the second largest triumphal arch in the world, after the Arch of Triumph in Pyongyang, North Korea. If you are visiting Paris, don’t just take a picture of the arch, be sure to go inside and see the marvelous chambers and carvings, and wander around on top of the arch and enjoy the magnificent view.
41. Some odometers show them TENTHS
An odometer measures distance traveled. The name derives from the Greek “hodos” meaning “path” and “metron” meaning “measure”.
42. Clay, since 1964 ALI
Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. was born in 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali when he converted to Islam in 1964. Who can forget Muhammad Ali lighting the Olympic flame for the 1996 games in Atlanta? Ali was presented with a gold medal during those ’96 Games, a replacement for the medal he won at the 1960 Olympics. He had thrown the original into the Ohio River as a gesture of disgust after being refused service at a “whites only” restaurant.
45. Songwriter Amos TORI
Tori Amos is an American pianist and singer. She started playing the piano at two years old, and was composing piano pieces by age five. She was playing in piano bars (chaperoned by her father) when she was 14. I’m going to have to find some of her music (I lead such a sheltered life …)!
47. Matter in court RES
“Res” is the Latin for “thing”. “Res” is used in a lot of phrases in the law.
51. __ Club: conservation group SIERRA
The Sierra Club was founded in San Francisco in 1892 by the Scottish conservationist John Muir.
53. Completes a shoot WRAPS
When shooting of a film is concluded the movie is said to “wrap”, and everyone heads to the wrap party. There is one story that “wrap” is actually an acronym for “wind, reel and print”, a reference to the transition of the filming process into post-production. But, this explanation is disputed.
54. 1946 Literature Nobelist Hermann HESSE
Hermann Hesse was not only a novelist, but also a poet and a painter. Hesse’s best known work is probably his 1927 novel “Steppenwolf”.
55. Cybersales ETAIL
“Etail” is the term used these days for online shopping. Etail is often compared to regular shopping in the “real world” by juxtaposing it with a “brick and mortar” store.
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Tons o’ LOTSA
6. Blows, as a script line FLUBS
11. Has permission MAY
14. One may be passed around at a reunion ALBUM
15. Like the Vegas strip LIT UP
16. Honest prez ABE
17. One of Beethoven’s 32 PIANO SONATA
19. Moll’s leg GAM
20. More pitiful SORRIER
21. Channeling state TRANCE
23. Gas from the past ESSO
24. Rants and raves RAISES CAIN
27. Charity’s URL ending ORG
29. Change to zeros RESET
30. Social service item? COFFEE URN
34. Wing measurement SPAN
38. More than impress AWE
39. Debit card ID PIN
40. Where to get off: Abbr. STA
43. __ Deco ART
44. Sweet root BEET
46. Proverbial nonexistent meal FREE LUNCH
49. Davis who was married to Ruby Dee OSSIE
52. “Collages” author Anaïs NIN
53. Place of central interest, man WHERE IT’S AT
57. Dog in the FDR Memorial FALA
61. Hang up the gloves RETIRE
62. Hollered SHOUTED
64. Slick-whistle connector AS A
65. Has a meal, and as the circles show, what 17-, 24-, 30-, 46- and 53-Across each does BREAKS BREAD
68. Chi follower PSI
69. Farsi speaker IRANI
70. Edible little sphere OLIVE
71. Oeuf seasoning SEL
72. He bested Alexander in 1804 AARON
73. Fragrant compound ESTER
Down
1. Brain freeze LAPSE
2. Jumbles OLIOS
3. Snowboarders’ aids T-BARS
4. Venting car option SUNROOF
5. Parisian possessive A MOI
6. Apt name for a woman with a green thumb? FLORA
7. Jeremy in the 2012 NBA’s Rising Stars Challenge LIN
8. Acting teacher Hagen UTA
9. Steep-sided hills BUTTES
10. Spread out SPARSE
11. __ Carta MAGNA
12. Bead counters for bean counters ABACI
13. Arabian republic formed in 1990 YEMEN
18. Composer Prokofiev SERGEI
22. Creates some drama? ACTS
25. Like the vb. “to be,” in most languages IRR
26. Hunch SENSE
28. Sales __ REP
30. Oft-grabbed ride CAB
31. Be in hock to OWE
32. Admission price FEE
33. Not up to snuff UNFIT
35. Part-goat deity PAN
36. __ de Triomphe ARC
37. Extreme degree NTH
41. Some odometers show them TENTHS
42. Clay, since 1964 ALI
45. Songwriter Amos TORI
47. Matter in court RES
48. Displays, as a flag UNFURLS
50. Montenegro neighbor SERBIA
51. __ Club: conservation group SIERRA
53. Completes a shoot WRAPS
54. 1946 Literature Nobelist Hermann HESSE
55. Cybersales ETAIL
56. Invite to enter ASK IN
58. Took the hit, financially ATE IT
59. Time off LEAVE
60. Venomous snake ADDER
63. Double-reed instrument OBOE
66. Musical talent EAR
67. “It’s __-brainer!” A NO