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Jump to a complete list of today’s clues and answers
CROSSWORD SETTER: Mark Bickham
THEME: Hearing Things … each of today’s themed answers is SOMETHING associated with a judicial HEARING, but has been clued in a different, “punny” sense:
36A. Fooled by one’s imagination … or, another way, what the four other longest puzzle answers are? HEARING THINGS
17A. Rating for a recap? SUMMARY JUDGMENT
29A. Advice on paper size? LEGAL COUNSEL
44A. Dibs on kitchen space? COUNTERCLAIM
58A. Displeased wave of the hand? MOTION TO DISMISS
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 10m 46s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Hybrid carriers MULES
A hinny is the offspring of a male horse (the “h-” from h-orse) and a female donkey/ass (the “-nny” from je-nny). A mule is more common, and is the offspring of a female horse and male donkey/ass.
10. Shelter gp. SPCA
Unlike in most developed countries, there is no “umbrella” organization in the US with the goal of preventing cruelty to animals. Instead there are independent organizations set up all over the nation using the name SPCA. Having said that, there is an organization called the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) that was originally intended to operate across the country, but really it now focuses its efforts in New York City.
15. Winter Olympics event LUGE
A luge is a small sled used by one or two people, on which one lies face up and feet first. The luge can be compared to the skeleton, a sled for only one person and on which the rider lies face down and goes down the hill head-first.
16. __ Mountains: European border range URAL
The eastern side of the Ural Mountains in Russia is generally regarded as the natural divide between the continents of Europe and Asia.
17. Rating for a recap? SUMMARY JUDGMENT
In the word of the law, a judgment that is issued “summarily” is a judgment for one party against another “without a full trial”. A party might apply for a summary judgement in order to avoid the time and expense of a trial in cases where there is an obvious outcome.
21. Land east of the Suez Canal ASIA
The Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea. The canal took ten years to construct, and opened in 1869. The northern terminus of the waterway is Port Said, and the southern is Port Tewfik in the city of Suez, which gives the canal its name. There are no locks on the Suez Canal, and there is only “one-lane” navigation available. There are two spots in the canal where ships travelling in opposing directions can pass each other. A second canal is now under construction that will cover half the route of the existing canal. When completed, the Suez Canal will be able to handle 97 ships a day, up from the current capacity of 49 ships per day.
22. June portrayer in “Henry & June” UMA
The 1990 movie “Henry & June” is loosely adapted from the book of the same name by Anaïs Nin. The book is based on diaries written by Nin telling of her part in a love triangle with American author Henry Miller and his wife June, played by Uma Thurman in the movie.
26. __ Pointe: Detroit suburb GROSSE
Grosse Pointe is an area in the northeast of Metro Detroit on the shores of Lake St. Clair. There are actually five individual “Grosse Pointe” cities that make up the Grosse Pointes: Grosse Pointe Park, Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Shores and Grosse Pointe Woods. The name “Grosse Pointe” is reflection of its size (“Grosse”) and the fact that it lies on a projection into the lake (“Pointe”).
29. Advice on paper size? LEGAL COUNSEL
Our paper sizes here in the US don’t conform with the standards in the rest of the world. ISO standard sizes used elsewhere have some logic behind them in that the ratio of width to length is usually one to the square root of two. This mathematical relationship means that when you cut a piece of paper in two each half preserves the aspect ratio of the original, which can be useful in making reduced or enlarged copies of documents. Our standard size of “letter” (8.5 x 11 inches) was determined in 1980 by the Reagan administration to be the official paper size for the US government. Prior to this, the “legal” size (8.5 x 14 inches) had been the standard, since 1921.
32. Rock and Roll Hall of Famers since 2010 ABBA
I am an unapologetic fan of ABBA’s music. ABBA was of course the Swedish group who topped the charts in the seventies and eighties. The name ABBA is an acronym formed from the first letters of the given names of each of the band members, namely: Agnetha, Benny, Bjorn and Anni-Frid.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame can be visited on the shores of Lake Erie in Cleveland, Ohio. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was created in 1983 and started inducting artists in 1986. The Foundation didn’t get a home until the museum was dedicated in Cleveland in 1995. The building looks fabulous in photos (I’ve never visited), and was designed by famed architect I. M. Pei.
35. Press INK
Both of the terms “ink” and “press” are used informally to mean “publicity”, especially in the print media.
41. __ au vin COQ
The French word “coq” actually means rooster, but a more tender bird is usually chosen for the classic French dish “coq au vin”. The most common wine used for the “vin” is burgundy, but sometimes another red wine is chosen, and you can also find on a menu “coq au Champagne” and “coq au Riesling”.
42. Ornamental fish KOI
Koi are also called Japanese carp. Koi have been bred for decorative purposes and there are now some very brightly colored examples found in Japanese water gardens.
43. Stapes, for one BONE
The stapes is the small bone in the middle ear that has a stirrup shape. “Stapes” is in fact Latin for “stirrup”. The stapes is the smallest bone in the whole of the human body.
49. Artist with the 2011 album “Femme Fatale” SPEARS
Britney Spears was the best-selling female artist in the first decade of the 21st century. And I didn’t buy even one song, and I couldn’t name one right now …
55. Cooperate with in a caper ABET
The word “abet” comes into English from the Old French “abeter” meaning “to bait” or “to harass with dogs” (it literally means “to make bite”). This sense of encouraging something bad to happen morphed into our modern usage of “abet” meaning to aid or encourage someone in a crime.
63. Point-of-view intro IMHO
In my humble opinion (IMHO)
66. AAA part: Abbr. ASSN
The American Automobile Association (AAA) is a not-for-profit organization focused on lobbying, provision of automobile servicing, and selling of automobile insurance. The AAA was founded in 1902 in Chicago and published the first of its celebrated hotel guides back in 1917.
67. Magazine filler AMMO
The word “munitions” describes materials and equipment used in war. The term derives from the Latin “munitionem” meaning “fortification, defensive wall”. Back in the 17th century, French soldiers referred to such materials as “la munition”, a Middle French term. This was misheard as “l’ammunition”, and as a result we ended up importing the word “ammunition” (often shortened to “ammo”), a term that we now use mainly to describe the material fired from a weapon.
68. Erroll Garner classic MISTY
“Misty” was written in 1954 by jazz pianist and composer Erroll Garner. Johnny Mathis had a hit with “Misty” five years later, and it was to become his signature tune. Unsurprisingly, the song features prominently in the 1971 Clint Eastwood thriller “Play Misty for Me”.
Down
2. Political surprise U-TURN
Well, it happens so often that we really shouldn’t be that surprised anymore, said he satirically …
6. “Mistresses” co-star Milano ALYSSA
Alyssa Milano is an actress who started her career at a very young age. Milano played Samantha Micelli on “Who’s the Boss”, the daughter of the character played by Tony Danza.
“Mistresses” is a TV drama that has been aired on ABC since 2013. The show is based on a BBC show of the same name that ran for three seasons from 2008 to 2010. It’s all about four female friends and their love lives, with the title roles being played by Alyssa Milano, Rochelle Aytes, Yunjin Kim and Jes Macallan.
7. Big name in film FUJI
Fujifilm is the world’s largest photographic and imaging company. I am a bit of a photo buff, and moved to digital a few years ago, but before that I just loved using Fuji Velvia film, especially on bright days. The saturated colors are stunning.
8. Río contents AGUA
In Spanish, there is water (agua) flowing in a river (río).
9. __ cell RED
Red blood cells are also known as erythrocytes, and are responsible for delivering oxygen from the lungs to the body’s tissues. Iron-rich hemoglobin in the cell binds the oxygen molecules, and is also responsible for the red color. While some waste carbon dioxide (CO2) is carried back to the lungs by red blood cells, most of the CO2 is transported back to the lungs as bicarbonate ions dissolved in the blood plasma.
19. Wise teacher GURU
“Guru” is a Hindi word meaning “teacher” or “priest”.
24. Island off Tuscany ELBA
I had a lovely two-week vacation in Tuscany once, including what was supposed to be a two-night stay on the island of Elba. I had envisioned Elba as a place full of history, and maybe it is, but it is also overrun with tourists who use it as a beach getaway. We left after one day and we won’t be going back again …
26. Black-clad subculturist GOTH
The goth subculture developed from the gothic rock scene in the early eighties, and is a derivative of the punk music movement. It started in England and spread to many countries around the globe. The term “goth” of course comes from the Eastern Germanic tribe called the Goths. Frankly, I don’t understand the whole goth thing …
28. Image on Idaho’s state flag ELK
Idaho’s state flag features the state seal with a the words “State of Idaho” below, on a blue background. Idaho’s Great Seal was designed in 1891 by Emma Edwards Green, who is the only woman to have designed an American state seal.
32. Renoir’s “Girl With __” A HOOP
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a French painter, very much at the forefront of the Impressionist Movement. Renoir was a prolific artist, with several thousand works attributed to him. The largest collection of Renoirs is actually in the United States. You can see 181 of his paintings at the Barnes Foundation just outside Philadelphia.
37. A Clanton and a president IKES
Ike and Billy Clanton participated in what has to be the most famous gunfight in the history of the Old West, the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral that took place in Tombstone, Arizona. Strangely enough, the fight didn’t happen at the O.K. Corral, but took place six doors down the street in a vacant lot next to a photography studio.
There doesn’t seem to be any good reason why President Eisenhower was called “Ike”. However, it is known that the nickname dates back to his childhood as his parents called him “Ike” as well as “Dwight”.
38. Fish-fowl link NOR
Something that is “neither fish nor fowl” is something that is not recognizable, is nothing familiar at all.
39. Sacred wader of ancient Egypt IBIS
The ibis is a wading bird that was revered in ancient Egypt. “Ibis” is an interesting word grammatically speaking. You can have one “ibis” or two “ibises”, and then again one has a flock of “ibis”. And if you want to go with the classical plural, instead of two “ibises” you would have two “ibides”!
40. Seward Peninsula city NOME
Nome, Alaska has over 3,500 residents, the majority of whom are Native American. The next largest ethnic group in Nome is the white population. The origin of the name “Nome” isn’t well understood, it seems. One theory is that was a misunderstanding of the local Inupiaq word for the phrase “Where at?”
The Seward Peninsula in Alaska is a remnant of the land bridge that once connected Alaska with Siberia during the last Ice Age. The peninsula is named for Secretary of State William Seward who negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russian.
41. Engine units: Abbr. CCS
An engine’s “size” is the volume swept by all the pistons, and is usually measured in cubic centimeters (ccs).
46. Old smartphone TREO
The Treo is a smartphone that was originally developed by a company called Handspring. Handspring was bought by Palm Inc. Subsequently, the Treo was phased out and replaced by the Palm Pre.
55. Smashing target ATOM
By some definitions, New Zealand-born physicist and chemist Ernest Rutherford was the first person to “split the atom”. Rutherford bombarded nitrogen with alpha particles and thereby forced neutrons out of the nucleus of the nitrogen atom. The first intentional nuclear “fission” came decades later in the 1930s, with experiments in which larger nuclei were split into smaller nuclei.
59. Serene sounds OMS
“Om” is a sacred mystic word from the Hindu tradition. “Om” is sometimes used as a mantra, a focus for the mind in meditation.
60. Org. with Kings and Wizards NBA
The Kings NBA team are the only major professional sports franchise located in Sacramento, California. The Kings are the oldest of all the NBA franchises, having been founded as the Rochester Seagrams in 1923. The team picked up the “Kings” name while located in Kansas City.
The Washington Wizards are the professional basketball team based in the nation’s capital. The franchise began playing in Chicago as the Packers, in 1961. One year later, the Chicago team changed its name to the Zephyrs. After one more season, the franchise relocated and became the Baltimore Bullets. In 1973, the team moved to Landover, Maryland to became the Capital Bullets, and then took the Washington Bullets name the following season. The final name change came in 1995, as the owner was uncomfortable with the violent images conjured up by the “Bullets” name. The Wizards name was chosen after a fan contest.
61. “I can’t remember it, Miss Ilsa” speaker SAM
The movie “Casablanca” was released in January of 1943, timed to coincide with the Casablanca Conference, the high-level meeting between Roosevelt and Churchill. The film wasn’t a box-office hit, but gained critical acclaim, winning three Oscars including Best Picture. The signature song “As Time Goes By” was written many years earlier for a 1931 Broadway musical called “Everybody’s Welcome”, and was a hit in 1931 for Rudy Vallee. But today we all remember the Casablanca version, sung by Dooley Wilson (who played “Sam” in the film). Poor Dooley didn’t get to record it as a single, due to a musician’s strike in 1943, so the 1931 Rudy Vallee version was re-released that year and became an even bigger hit second time round.
There is a famous exchange in the movie “Casablanca” that results in the piano player Sam singing “As Time Goes By”.
Ilsa: Play it once, Sam. For old times’ sake.
Sam: I don’t know what you mean, Miss Ilsa.
Ilsa: Play it, Sam. Play “As Time Goes By.”
Sam: Oh, I can’t remember it, Miss Ilsa. I’m a little rusty on it.
Ilsa: I’ll hum it for you. Da-dy-da-dy-da-dum, da-dy-da-dee-da-dum…
Ilsa: Sing it, Sam.
An equally famous exchange takes place a little later in the film, resulting in a reprise of the song:
Rick: You know what I want to hear.
Sam: No, I don’t.
Rick: You played it for her, you can play it for me!
Sam: Well, I don’t think I can remember…
Rick: If she can stand it, I can! Play it!
Great stuff!
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Hybrid carriers MULES
6. Hardly next door AFAR
10. Shelter gp. SPCA
14. Functional UTILE
15. Winter Olympics event LUGE
16. __ Mountains: European border range URAL
17. Rating for a recap? SUMMARY JUDGMENT
20. Start to state? TRI-
21. Land east of the Suez Canal ASIA
22. June portrayer in “Henry & June” UMA
23. Trainees INTERNS
26. __ Pointe: Detroit suburb GROSSE
29. Advice on paper size? LEGAL COUNSEL
32. Rock and Roll Hall of Famers since 2010 ABBA
34. Word with sick or cold OUT
35. Press INK
36. Fooled by one’s imagination … or, another way, what the four other longest puzzle answers are? HEARING THINGS
41. __ au vin COQ
42. Ornamental fish KOI
43. Stapes, for one BONE
44. Dibs on kitchen space? COUNTERCLAIM
49. Artist with the 2011 album “Femme Fatale” SPEARS
50. Antennae holders INSECTS
54. Took in ATE
55. Cooperate with in a caper ABET
57. Eggs OVA
58. Displeased wave of the hand? MOTION TO DISMISS
63. Point-of-view intro IMHO
64. It may need cobbling BOOT
65. Shafts on the road AXLES
66. AAA part: Abbr. ASSN
67. Magazine filler AMMO
68. Erroll Garner classic MISTY
Down
1. “Can’t you get someone else?” MUST I?
2. Political surprise U-TURN
3. Cap LIMIT
4. Shade provider ELM
5. Source of shells SEA
6. “Mistresses” co-star Milano ALYSSA
7. Big name in film FUJI
8. Río contents AGUA
9. __ cell RED
10. Call SUMMON
11. Designate in advance PREASSIGN
12. Has the power CAN
13. Either of two space bar flankers ALT
18. Checked out of the store, with “up” RANG
19. Wise teacher GURU
24. Island off Tuscany ELBA
25. Bottom REAR
26. Black-clad subculturist GOTH
27. Sight, say SENSE
28. Image on Idaho’s state flag ELK
30. Detective’s skill LOGIC
31. Song on a record CUT
32. Renoir’s “Girl With __” A HOOP
33. Wills BEQUEATHS
37. A Clanton and a president IKES
38. Fish-fowl link NOR
39. Sacred wader of ancient Egypt IBIS
40. Seward Peninsula city NOME
41. Engine units: Abbr. CCS
45. Turkey, for one NATION
46. Old smartphone TREO
47. Betrayed, in a way LIED TO
48. Unwilling to stand up for ANTI
51. Some are tightly wound COILS
52. Den focal point TV SET
53. Impudent SASSY
55. Smashing target ATOM
56. Mike holder BOOM
58. Girl’s name that’s a verb spelled backwards MIA
59. Serene sounds OMS
60. Org. with Kings and Wizards NBA
61. “I can’t remember it, Miss Ilsa” speaker SAM
62. 11th-century year MXI
Good puzzle. DNF (1 error, 32-Down, guessed HARP instead of HOOP), but got surprisingly far on it for a Friday puzzle. Only have the far south of the grid undone (half of 44-Across downward done).
While still a DNF, quite encouraging for a Friday grid, and very few obnoxious clues, overall.
And some commenting…
Britney Spears was the best-selling female artist in the first decade of the 21st century. And I didn’t buy even one song, and I couldn't name one right now …
That's perhaps a good thing. Music has degenerated pretty quickly in the last 20-30 years (and yeah I'm an old guy, but still says something). I do know this singer: She actually is better known for what she did at the close of the 20th century than anything in the 21st century (her biggest fame probably from 1999-2000 for "Baby One More Time" and "Oops I Did It Again"), and ultimately has become most famous for her well documented "personal problems", much more so than anything she has done.
Primarily, though, she's known for more bubble-gum synth pop, comparable to Madonna, and has earned that comparison by many sources. However, IMHO, there is nothing artistically interesting that would lead me to recommend anyone to track down her music if they do not know any of it, and would suggest a large number of other bands (including ABBA, Poison, and RATT) before I would Britney SPEARS.
Hello from Sleepless in Scottsdale. Took me longer to finish than I wished. OK theme, but as always Bill's explanations and background are more enjoyable. Wasn't Napoleon exiled on ELBA? And IMHO, decent music stopped in about 1998 or so. Ms. SPEARS is known to me as the idiot who once said, "I get to go overseas places, like Canada."
Pookie, to answer your question from yesterday, somehow my Beavis lost a link to the pic. My better half suggested the duck (because the commercials just hit my funny bone), or Bill the Cat from Bloom County (my favorite cartoon). If the group thinks Beavis warrants a return, I can't refuse. Happy Friday, all.
I was very pleased with myself with this puzzle so I plan to walk around with a smug attitude all day. It took me a while, but I finished unaided which doesn't happen often on a Friday. I had more patience doing this one for some reason. I probably would't have finished without the theme though. Those answers provided a lot of letters to work with.
Willie I noticed the loss of the Beavis image as well. I realized that unintentionally I "hear" everything you ever wrote here in Beavis's voice. That might pursuade or dissuade you accordingly…but I get a kick out of it.
FWIW – "IMHO" usually comes at the conclusion of an online statement rather than the intro IMHO…..
Ready for the weekend. Best –
Some tricky clues that made me think such as "hybrid carriers" for 1 Across and "turkey for one" for 45 Down. I found this puzzle hard enough to enjoy without it making my brain hurt. The southwest corner took more time because of a few wrong starts that needed to get straightened out, but finally it all came together.
What will Saturday do to us? Tune in tomorrow for the next installment of "As the Puzzle Turns Our Brains Into Pretzels"
Finished w/ some help. One help would be if I could read my own writing! And Miss Ilsa looked like Miss lisa, but that's my glasses, not my pen.
I had Girl w/ a Book, I could even picture it in my mind. Turns out that one's titled Young Girl Reading. Now I need a Renoir fix.
Bella
Yes, ELBA was where Napoleon was exiled. So it's rather amazing that people want to go there today as a vacation spot. I remember reading it described as a lonely pile of rocks in the middle of nowhere. Surprised no one has mentioned the famous palindrome supposedly created by Napoleon: "Able was I ere I saw Elba." He seemed to think it was not a very nice place 🙂
FWIW, I finished this grid relatively easy once I corrected HOOP for HARP. Interesting thing about that particular piece is that you'll find a piece from another artist entitled exactly that.
Same goes for me with ELBA, I guess the Napoleon reference would notch it down from a Friday difficulty.
>What will Saturday do to us?
Willie D's favorite setter (confirmed). Enough said.
Glenn, how did you find out a day early? To be honest, his grid in today NY Times was actually manageable.
Jeff, I see your point. I hadn't thought about it that way. He'll make his return anon, probably to say, "Heh heh…you said BONE heh heh." Unless he returns as Cornholio…hmm.
>Glenn, how did you find out a day early?
Remember when I've written a number of times that I can get the Sunday LA times grid printed in the Saturday newspaper if I want it? Basically, printed a day early. That made me think if I could get them online a day early. It helps since I'm away from a computer much more than near one (and especially can't work on them for most part WHILE I'm on the computer), so I have to print them to work on them anyway on days that are not Sundays. Change clock, load up, presto, next day's puzzle today. Print, change clock back, have the puzzle to work on the next day with everyone else instead of waiting until 10-11PM when the job and chores and stuff are done.
Of course, most of them go quick enough that I comment on them an hour or two after I see Bill puts his page up.
I think Glenn has found a way to travel through time via crosswords. In that case your solving time should be a negative number….:)
I think it's time for a Guinness and a shot of Jameson in honor of Bill's hard work..
Jeff you crack me up!
"… I plan to walk around with a smug attitude all day."
I think I'll join you, both with the smug attitude and the Guinness!
Have a good weekend fellow solvers.
YAY!! FINISHED A FRIDAY WITHOUT HELP!! I'm beyond smug, and may break my hand patting myself on the back. YAY!! FIRST TIME IN 8 MONTHS!
Gee, now that I think about it, perhaps I shouldn't be so proud, going all these months without that Friday win. The asterisk here is that a lotta Fridays I didn't even TRY to finish…!!!
@Bella, I also had BOOK, and before that DOVE. Just couldn't get SPEARS till the last ditch (I think I've blocked her out of my mind.)
@Willie, agreed, not much worthwhile music since about '98. And, it'll take some getting used to If you don't go back to Beavis…
Cheers all! I feel smart!!