NOTE: I use one of the online versions of the crossword published by the New York Times. The numbering in today’s puzzle is different in the online grid, compared to the print version of the puzzle.
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Solution to today’s crossword in the New York Times
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CROSSWORD SETTER: David Liben-Nowell & Tom Pepper
THEME: Logical Fallacy … note that the numbering in today’s online puzzle differs from that in the print puzzle. There is an extra clue under the heading AROUND that reads “Self-descriptive statement about a 16-Across.” The answer to this extra clue begins in with the circled letter in the grid. That answer starts with the circled letter C, and is read in a circular fashion in a clockwise direction:
AROUND. Self-descriptive statement about a 16-Across : CIRCULAR REASONING MAKES NO SENSE BECAUSE (CIRCULAR REASONING MAKES NO SENSE BECAUSE
CIRCULAR REASONING MAKES NO SENSE BECAUSE etc.)
16A. Flaw in an argument : LOGICAL FALLACY
64A. Reach a conclusion by assuming one’s premise is true : BEG THE QUESTION
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 20m 10s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Film character who says menacingly “I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do” : HAL
In Arthur C. Clarke’s “Space Odyssey” (famously adapted for the big screen as “2001: A Space Odyssey”) the computer system that went rogue was called HAL 9000, or simply “HAL”. HAL stands for Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer. Even though, Clarke denied it, there’s a good argument that can be made that the acronym HAL is a veiled reference to IBM, the big player in the world of computing at the time of the novel’s publication (1968). The acronym HAL is just a one-letter shift from the initials “IBM”.
4. Abbr. in the Guinness logo : ESTD
Some of the labels on bottles of Guinness stout say “Estd. 1759”.
The world-famous Guinness brewery at St. James’s Gate in Dublin, Ireland was founded in 1759 by Arthur Guinness. By 1838, St. James’s Gate was the largest brewery in Ireland, and by 1886 it was the largest brewery in the world. While no longer the largest brewer of beer, it is still the largest brewer of stout on the planet.
12. Mom’s all-American partner : APPLE PIE
The full expression is “as American as motherhood and apple pie”. I think the concept here is not that America is the home of motherhood nor apple pie, but rather that America is as wholesome as motherhood and apple pie. I’ve heard that the phrase originated in WWII when GI’s being interviewed by journalists would say that they were going to war “for Mom and apple pie”.
14. Lingerie material : SATIN
The material known as “satin” takes its name from “Zayton”, the medieval Arabic name for the Chinese port city of Quanzhou. Quanzhou was used for the export of large amounts of silk to Europe.
18. The Olympic Australis is the largest one in the world : OPAL
The Olympic Australis is the largest opal ever found, and the most valuable. It was found in South Australia in 1956. That same year, the Summer Olympics were being held in Melbourne so the newly discovered stone was given the name “Olympic Australis”.
19. Modern form of customer support : LIVE CHAT
Live Chat (instant messaging) is getting very popular in the world of online customer service. I think companies like to use Live Chat as they can have a representative carrying on several typed conversations at one time, dealing with more than one customer. It drives me mad though as a customer, because I always feel “unimportant”, waiting for “my turn” over and over again …
23. Leader of four U.S. states? : NEW
The four US states using the word “New” are:
– New Hampshire
– New Jersey
– New Mexico
– New York
32. “I don’t know the question, but ___ is definitely the answer”: Woody Allen : SEX
Although I’m no Woody Allen fan, he has said some memorable things, for example:
– I don’t know the question, but sex is definitely the answer.
– Some guy hit my car fender the other day, and I said unto him, “Be fruitful and multiply.” But not in those words.
– Tradition is the illusion of permanence.
– Life doesn’t imitate art, it imitates bad television.
– Sun is bad for you. Everything our parents said was good is bad. Sun, milk, red meat … college.
34. “The Washington Post March” figure : SOUSA
John Philip Sousa was a composer and conductor from Washington, D.C. Sousa was well known for his patriotic marches and earned himself the nickname “The American March King”. He served as a member of the US Marine Band from 1868 to 1875, and after leaving the Marines learned to conduct and compose. One of the Sousa compositions that is well-known around the world is called “The Liberty Bell”, a tune used as the musical theme for BBC Television’s “Monty Python’s Flying Circus”. Sousa also wrote “Semper Fidelis”, which is the official march of the US Marine Corps.
35. The Washington Post April figure, for short : NAT
The Washington Nationals baseball team started out life as the Montreal Expos in 1969. The Expos moved to Washington in 2005 becoming the Nats. There are only two Major Leagues teams that have never played in a World Series, one being the Mariners and the other the Nats.
39. Way up a mountain : T-BAR
A T-bar is a type of ski lift on 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.
40. Shade akin to sand : ECRU
The shade called ecru is a grayish, yellowish brown. The word “ecru” comes from French and means “raw, unbleached”. “Ecru” has the same roots as our word “crude”.
42. Wing it : AD LIB
“Ad libitum” is a Latin phrase meaning “at one’s pleasure”. In common usage the phrase is usually shortened to “ad lib”. On the stage the concept of an “ad lib” is very familiar.
44. Cabinet dept. : AGR
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) actually dates back to 1862 when it was established by then-president Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln referred to the USDA as the “people’s department” as our economy had such a vast agrarian base back then.
48. Born : NEE
“Née” is the French word for “born” when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”.
54. Tank top relative : TEE
“Tank top” is another one of those terms that always catches me out, as it has a different meaning on each side of the Atlantic. In the US a tank top is a sleeveless shirt, something we would call a “vest” back in Ireland (and the US “vest” is what we call a “waist coat”). A tank top in Ireland is a sleeveless sweater, which further adds to the confusion. The name “tank top” is derived from “tank suit”, an old name for a woman’s one-piece bathing suit. The use of “tank” for the bathing suit came from “swimming tank”, an obsolete term used in the 1920s for a swimming pool.
60. Italian bubbly : ASTI
Asti is in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. The region is perhaps most famous for its Asti Spumante sparkling white wine.
64. Reach a conclusion by assuming one’s premise is true : BEG THE QUESTION
Someone “begging the question” presents a supporting argument that is based on the conclusion itself. For example:
Of course smoking causes cancer. The smoke from cigarettes is a carcinogen.
Well this is a circular argument. Cigarette smoke is a carcinogen, therefore smoking causes cancer. And, we know that cigarette smoke is a carcinogen, because smoking causes cancer. Stop begging the question …
67. Singer Green : CEE LO
Cee Lo Green is the stage name of rapper Thomas DeCarlo Callaway. Apparently Green is one of the coaches for the contestants on the singing TV show “The Voice”. That’s all I need to know …
71. Ones having issues at work, for short? : EDS
Editors (eds.) might have issues of a magazine at work.
Down
1. Los Angeles Angels’ cap feature : HALO
The Anaheim Angels baseball team are today more correctly called the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The “Angels” name dates back to 1961 when the team was founded in the “City of Angels”, Los Angeles. When the franchise moved to Anaheim in 1965 they were known as the California Angels, then the Anaheim Angels, and most recently the Los Angeles Angels at Anaheim.
3. Sports org. with the Vare Trophy : LPGA
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) was founded in 1950 by a group of 13 lady golfers, and today it is the oldest ongoing women’s sports professional organization in the US.
The Vare Trophy is awarded by the LPGA to the player with the lowest scoring average in a season. The trophy is named for Glenna Collett-Vare who is said to have been the greatest female golfer of the 1920s.
4. Old Common Market abbr. : EEC
The European Economic Community (EEC) was also called “the Common Market”. The EEC was a NAFTA-like structure that was eventually absorbed into today’s European Union (EU).
8. Author who wrote “Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again” : CS LEWIS
Irishman C. S. Lewis moved to Britain after serving in the British Army in WWI. A man of many achievements, he is perhaps today best remembered for his series of novels for children called “The Chronicles of Narnia” (which includes “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”). He also wrote the “The Four Loves”, a nonfiction work exploring the nature of love from a Christian perspective.
9. Course that tests one’s limits? : CALC
The Latin word “calculus” was originally used for a reckoning or an account, and originally applied to a pebble that was used to maintain a count. The Latin word came from the Greek for a pebble, “khalix”.
Remember doing calculus at school, and all those derivatives and integrals? Well, you probably also remember that an integral calculates the area under a curve (for example), and a derivative calculates the slope of a tangent at a particular point on a curve.
10. Pac-12 school : UTAH
The Runnin’ Utes are the basketball team of the University of Utah. The team was given the nickname the Runnin’ Redskins back when Jack Gardner was the head coach from 1953 to 1971. The “Runnin'” part of the name was chosen because Gardner was famous for playing quick offenses. The “Redskins” name was later dropped in favor of the less controversial “Utes”.
11. 12 points : PICA
A pica is a unit of measure used in typography. One pica is equivalent to 1/6 of an inch. Each pica unit contains 12 “points”.
15. W.S.J. competitor : NYT
“The New York Times” (NYT) competes with “The Wall Street Journal” (WSJ).
17. “Voulez-vous coucher ___ moi?” (lyric in a 1975 #1 hit) : AVEC
“Lady Marmalade” is a song that was most famously recorded by Labelle in 1975. A 2001 cover version by Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya and Pink was also very successful, released from the soundtrack of the film “Moulin Rouge!”. The song is noted for its suggestive chorus “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?”, which translates from French as “Do you want to sleep with me tonight?”
22. Kind of board : OUIJA
The Ouija board was introduced to America as a harmless parlor game at the end of the 19th century, although variations of the board date back to 1100 BC in China, where it was apparently used to “contact” the spirit world. The name “Ouija” is relatively recent, and is probably just a combination of the French and German words for “yes” … “oui” and “ja”.
28. Blarney : ROT
Blarney is a town in County Cork in the south of Ireland. Blarney is home to Blarney Castle, and inside the castle is the legendary Blarney Stone. “Kissing the Blarney Stone” is a ritual engaged in by oh so many tourists (indeed, I’ve done it myself!), but it’s not a simple process. The stone is embedded in the wall of the castle, and in order to kiss it you have to sit on the edge of the parapet and lean way backwards so that your head is some two feet below your body. There is a staff member there to help you and make sure you don’t fall. The Blarney Stone has been labelled as the world’s most unhygienic tourist attraction! But once you’ve kissed it, supposedly you are endowed with the “gift of the gab”, the ability to talk eloquently and perhaps deceptively without offending. The term “blarney” has come to mean flattering and deceptive talk.
29. Castro, por ejemplo : CUBANO
In Spanish, Fidel or Raul Castro “por ejemple” (for example) would be termed a “Cubano” (Cuban male).
38. Indians and Red Sox All-Star pitcher Luis : TIANT
Luis Tiant is a former Major League Baseball pitcher from Cuba. During his career, Tiant was noted for his cigar smoking. After he retired, he launched a line of his own cigars called “El Tiant”.
41. Hawaiian instrument, informally : UKE
The ukulele (“uke”) originated in the 1800s and mimicked a small guitar brought to the Hawaiian Islands by Portuguese immigrants.
43. Cracker topper : BRIE
Brie is a soft cheese, named after the French region from which it originated. Brie is similar to the equally famous (and delicious) camembert.
46. Place to get a wax job? : SKI SHOP
Wax is applied to the underside of skis to reduce friction and help the skier move more quickly down the slope.
50. Pulitzer winner James : AGEE
James Agee was a noted American film critic and screenwriter. Agee wrote an autobiographical novel “A Death in the Family” that won him his Pulitzer in 1958, albeit posthumously. He was also one of the screenwriters for the 1951 classic movie “The African Queen”.
51. Source of five daily calls : MOSQUE
A muezzin is someone responsible for leading prayer in a mosque. The muezzin is also the man who recites the Adhan, the call to prayer, at five designated times each day.
55. Network where Alex Trebek began his TV career : CBC
“CBC” stands for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada’s national public radio and television broadcaster. In terms of financing and structure, CBC is akin to the BBC in Britain. But as commercial advertising is permitted, it perhaps more akin to RTE, the national broadcasting company in my homeland of Ireland.
56. Saxophone, e.g. : REED
The saxophone was invented by Belgian Adolphe Sax. Sax developed lip cancer at one point in his life, and one has to wonder if his affliction was related to his saxophone playing (I am sure not!). I had the privilege of visiting Sax’s grave in the Cemetery of Montmartre in Paris a few years ago.
57. Golden ___ : AGER
A “golden ager” is a senior citizen.
58. Town almost destroyed in the D-Day invasion : ST LO
Saint-Lô is a town in Normandy that was occupied by Germany in 1940. Saint-Lo stood at a strategic crossroads and so there was intense fighting there during the Normandy invasion of 1944. After a prolonged bombardment, very little of the town was left standing.
59. Ahi, but not mahi mahi : TUNA
Yellowfin and bigeye tuna are usually marketed as “ahi”, the Hawaiian name. They are both big fish, with yellowfish tuna often weighing over 300 pounds, and bigeye tuna getting up to 400 pounds.
Mahi-mahi is the Hawaiian name for the dolphin-fish, also called a dorado. The mahi-mahi is an ugly looking creature if ever I saw one …
66. Grp. known for slacking off in the spring : SRS
“Senioritis” is the colloquial name given to the tendency of some senior students to lose motivation to study as they head towards the end of high school and college careers.
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Film character who says menacingly “I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do” : HAL
4. Abbr. in the Guinness logo : ESTD
8. Medium bra specification : C-CUP
12. Mom’s all-American partner : APPLE PIE
14. Lingerie material : SATIN
16. Flaw in an argument : LOGICAL FALLACY
18. The Olympic Australis is the largest one in the world : OPAL
19. Modern form of customer support : LIVE CHAT
20. Stir : ADO
23. Leader of four U.S. states? : NEW
24. – : CIRCULAR REASONING MAKES NO SENSE BECAUSE
32. “I don’t know the question, but ___ is definitely the answer”: Woody Allen : SEX
33. Nada : ZIP
34. “The Washington Post March” figure : SOUSA
35. The Washington Post April figure, for short : NAT
36. Button on a DVD player : EJECT
39. Way up a mountain : T-BAR
40. Shade akin to sand : ECRU
42. Wing it : AD LIB
44. Cabinet dept. : AGR
45. Relaxing baths : SOAKS
47. Rafter’s aid : OAR
48. Born : NEE
53. “Here ___!” : I GO
54. Tank top relative : TEE
55. Least refined : CRASSEST
60. Italian bubbly : ASTI
64. Reach a conclusion by assuming one’s premise is true : BEG THE QUESTION
67. Singer Green : CEE LO
68. Thawed out : UNFROZEN
69. Tiny bit : DROP
70. Gets down : EATS
71. Ones having issues at work, for short? : EDS
Down
1. Los Angeles Angels’ cap feature : HALO
2. Per : A POP
3. Sports org. with the Vare Trophy : LPGA
4. Old Common Market abbr. : EEC
5. Luxury hotel amenity : SPA
6. Do ground-breaking work : TILL
7. Give meaning to : DEFINE
8. Author who wrote “Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again” : CS LEWIS
9. Course that tests one’s limits? : CALC
10. Pac-12 school : UTAH
11. 12 points : PICA
13. Candle scent : LILAC
15. W.S.J. competitor : NYT
17. “Voulez-vous coucher ___ moi?” (lyric in a 1975 #1 hit) : AVEC
21. Flabbergast : DAZE
22. Kind of board : OUIJA
25. High light? : BEACON
26. Ones making a big scene? : EXTRAS
27. Tore : SPED
28. Blarney : ROT
29. Castro, por ejemplo : CUBANO
30. Phraseologists’ concerns : USAGES
37. Stopping point? : CLOG
38. Indians and Red Sox All-Star pitcher Luis : TIANT
41. Hawaiian instrument, informally : UKE
43. Cracker topper : BRIE
46. Place to get a wax job? : SKI SHOP
50. Pulitzer winner James : AGEE
51. Source of five daily calls : MOSQUE
52. “Sweet!,” old-style : NEATO!
55. Network where Alex Trebek began his TV career : CBC
56. Saxophone, e.g. : REED
57. Golden ___ : AGER
58. Town almost destroyed in the D-Day invasion : ST LO
59. Ahi, but not mahi mahi : TUNA
61. Label info : SIZE
62. Pointy-___ : TOED
63. Stopover points : INNS
65. Young amphibian : EFT
66. Grp. known for slacking off in the spring : SRS