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CROSSWORD SETTER: Julian Lim
THEME: None
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 19m 36s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Eighty-sixes : SCRAPS
“To eighty-six” something is to eject it, to throw it out. The origin of the term is unclear. One story is that it originated in the days of prohibition in the West Village of Lower Manhattan, New York City. Whenever there was a scheduled raid on the establishment called Chumley’s, an informant would call ahead and tell the bartender to “86” his customers i.e. to send them out the door on 86 Bedford Street. The cops would then turn up at the entrance on Pamela Court.
7. Rhetorical creation : STRAW MAN
A “straw man” can be an insubstantial argument that is floated purely with the intent of knocking it down, just like a man made of straw. The idea is that in so doing, one is ridiculing anything that can be related to the straw man argument.
15. Green : MOOLAH
Lettuce, cabbage, kale, dough, scratch, simoleons, clams and moola(h) are all slang terms for money.
16. First Palme d’Or-winning film directed by a woman (1993) : THE PIANO
“The Piano” is a 1993 film set and filmed in New Zealand starring Harvey Keitel, Holly Hunter and Anna Paquin. The movie tells the story of a mute piano player and her daughter, and her efforts to regain her piano after it is sold. Holly Hunter managed to get three screen credits in “The Piano”. She was credited for her acting role, for playing her own piano pieces in the film, and for being the sign-language coach for young Anna Paquin.
The “Palme d’Or” (or “Golden Palm” in English) is the highest award given at the Cannes Film Festival. The Palme d’Or goes to the director of the film selected as the best shown at the festival that year. The palm was selected as an emblem for the award as there is a palm featured on the coat of arms of the Commune of Cannes.
20. Subatomic particles with zero spin : PIONS
“Pion” is short for “pi meson”, and is the name given to a subatomic particle.
21. Kind of cabbage : SKUNK
There are several species known as skunk cabbage, many of which release an unpleasant odor when the leaves are crushed, hence the name.
26. Pump option, for short : REG
The difference between a premium and regular gasoline is its octane rating. The octane rating is measure of the resistance of the gasoline to auto-ignition i.e. its resistance to ignition just by virtue of being compressed in the cylinder. This auto-ignition is undesirable as multiple-cylinder engines are designed so that ignition within each cylinder takes place precisely when the plug sparks, and not before. If ignition occurs before the spark is created, the resulting phenomenon is called “knocking”. We sometimes use the adjective “high-octane” to mean “intense, dynamic, high-powered”
27. Marinara sauce ingredients : ROMAS
The Roma tomato isn’t considered an heirloom variety, but it is very popular with home gardeners, especially those gardeners that don’t have a lot of space. It is a bush type (as opposed to vine type) and needs very little room to provide a lot of tomatoes.
Italians use the term “marinara” not for a sauce, but in the name of a recipe that includes a tomato-based sauce. For example, “spaghetti alla marinara” would be a spaghetti dish, served “mariner’s style”. The tomato sauce that we call “marinara” is called “salsa di pomodoro” in Italy.
32. Structures with excellent insulation : IGLOOS
The Inuit word for “house” is “iglu”, which we usually write as “igloo”. The Greenlandic (yes, that’s a language) word for “house” is very similar, namely “igdlo”. The walls of igloos are tremendous insulators, due to the air pockets in the blocks of snow.
34. Telemarketing tactic : ROBOCALL
Political calls, including robocalls, are exempt from regulation by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), so we can’t stop them by putting our phone numbers on the “Do Not Call Registry”.
36. Try to find oneself? : EGOSURF
We’ve all done it, googling our own names to see what comes up. It’s called “egosurfing”.
38. Warming : DETENTE
“Détente” is a French word meaning “loosening, reduction in tension” and in general it is used to describe the easing of strained relations in a political situation. In particular, the policy of détente came to be associated with the improved relations between the US and the Soviet Union in the seventies.
39. David Fincher thriller of 2014 : GONE GIRL
“Gone Girl” is a thriller novel written by Gillian Flynn that was first published in 2012. The story tells of a man whose wife has disappeared, with the reader not being certain if the husband is involved in the disappearance. The book was adapted into a movie of the same name released in 2014, starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike.
42. Bid on a hand unsuited for suit play, maybe : ONE NO
That would be the card game called bridge.
43. Cusk-___ (deepest living fish, at 27,000+ feet) : EEL
The species of cusk-eel Abyssobrotula galatheae is deepest-living fish known to man. In 1970, one of these cusk-eels was trawled from the bottom of the Puerto Rico Trench at a depth of almost 27,500 feet, setting a record for the deepest fish ever caught.
46. Leaders in robes : EMIRS
An emir is a prince or chieftain, most notably in the Middle East. In English, emir can also be written as emeer, amir and ameer (watch out for those spellings in crosswords!).
53. Onetime Fandango competitor : MOVIEFONE
Moviefone is a movie listing service that is available by telephone in many parts of the country. Moviefone was launched in 1989, and purchased by AOL ten years later for $388 million.
58. One with a long stretch to go? : LIMOUSINE DRIVER
The word “limousine” actually derives from the French city of Limoges. The area around Limoges is called the Limousin, and it gave its name to a cloak hood worn by local shepherds. In early motor cars, a driver would sit outside in the weather while the passengers would sit in the covered compartment. The driver would often wear a limousin-style protective hood, giving rise to that type of transportation being called a “limousine”. Well, that’s how the story goes anyway …
61. Fisher for compliments on one’s dress? : EILEEN
The Eileen Fisher brand fashion brand is known for using regular folks to model its clothes in print advertising.
62. “Les Misérables” extra : GENDARME
The French National Police Force used to be known as “La Sûreté Nationale”. The National Police force operates in cities and large towns. The military Gendarmerie is the second national organization tasked with law enforcement in France, and it has jurisdiction in smaller towns and rural areas as well as at the country’s borders.
The 1980 musical “Les Misérables” is an adaptation of the 1862 novel of the same name by Victor Hugo. The show opened in London in 1985, and is the longest running musical in the history of London’s West End. My wife and I saw “Les Miz” in the Queen’s Theatre in London quite a few years ago, but were only able to get tickets in the very back row. The theater seating is very steep, so the back row of the balcony is extremely high over the stage. One of the big events in the storyline is the building of a street barricade over which the rebels fight. At the height we were seated we could see the stagehands behind the barricade, sitting drinking Coke, even smoking cigarettes. On cue, the stagehands would get up and catch a dropped rifle, or an actor who had been shot. It was pretty comical. I didn’t really enjoy the show that much, to be honest. Some great songs, but the musical version of the storyline just didn’t seem to hang together for me.
Down
2. Italian city where Pliny the Elder and Younger were born : COMO
Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger were important figures in Ancient Rome. Pliny the Elder was a scientist and historian, the author of “Naturalis Historia”, commonly referred to as “Pliny’s Natural History”. Pliny the Younger was the nephew and adopted son of Pliny the Elder. Pliny the Younger was a noted Roman statesman, orator and writer.
9. One might turn on it : RED
If you’re sitting behind a car that doesn’t make a right on red, it may just be a rental car driven by someone perhaps from Europe. Speaking as someone who learned to drive over there, I must admit I held up a few people at red lights when I first visited this country. That’s because in Europe we aren’t allowed to make any move past a red light, unless there is an accompanying green arrow. So, if you’re driving overseas, take care …
11. Modern flight amenity : WI-FI
“Wi-Fi” is nothing more than a trademark, a trademark registered by an association of manufacturers of equipment that use wireless LAN (Local Area Network) technology. A device labeled with “Wi-Fi” has to meet certain defined technical standards, basically meaning that the devices can talk to each other. The name “Wi-Fi” suggests “Wireless Fidelity”, although apparently the term was never intended to mean anything at all.
13. Composer of many limericks, for short : ANON
No one knows for sure how the limerick got its name, although there does seem to be agreement the name does indeed come from the city or county of Limerick in Ireland. Try this one for size:
There was a young lady named Bright
who traveled much faster than light.
She set out one day
in a relative way,
and came back the previous night.
18. Period of a revolution? : HOUR
That would the big hand making a full revolution on a clockface.
23. Urge : EGG ON
The verb “edge” has been used to mean to incite, to urge on, from the 16th century. Somewhere along the way “edge” was mistakenly replaced with “egg”, giving us our term “to egg on” meaning “to goad”.
25. Einstein-___ bridge (wormhole) : ROSEN
A wormhole is a theoretical shortcut that connecting two points in the space-time continuum. Got that …?
28. Brand of sponge : O-CEL-O
“o-cel-o” is a brand of kitchen sponge was introduced in 1947, and is made today by 3M. The “o-cel-o” name comes from chemical components used in the product’s manufacture, i.e. oxygen-cellulose-oxygen.
29. Cousin of a skate : MANTA
The manta ray is the biggest species of ray, with the largest one recorded at over 25 feet across and weighing 5,100 pounds.
Skates (formally “Rajidae”) are a family of fish in the superorder of rays (formally “batoidea”). Skates look very similar to stingrays but they lack stinging spines.
33. First word in many temple names : SRI
“Sri” is a title of respect for a male in India.
35. Something odd in roulette? : BET
The name “roulette” means “little wheel” in French, and the game as we know it today did in fact originate in Paris, in 1796. A roulette wheel bears the numbers 1-36. A French entrepreneur called François Blanc introduced the number “0” on the wheel, to give the house an extra advantage. Legend has it that Blanc made a deal with the devil in order to unearth the secrets of roulette. The legend is supported by the fact that the numbers 1 through 36 add up to a total of “666”, which is the “Number of the Beast”. Spooky …
37. Pricing model for many apps : FREEMIUM
The “freemium” pricing strategy is common for applications available online. In such cases, a basic product is provided free of charge, and a premium is charged for proprietary features.
40. Newspaper name that becomes a beverage if you insert an “a” after its fifth letter : LE MONDE
“Le Monde” is a newspaper published each evening in France. “Le Monde” is one of the two most famous French papers, along with “Le Figaro”.
49. Drone’s place : HIVE
Drone bees and ants are fertile males of the species, whose sole role in life seems to be to mate with a queen.
51. “I agree,” in slang : WORD
This is new to me. If you agree with someone, you might say, “word!”.
52. Toni Morrison novel : SULA
The writer Toni Morrison won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. Amongst other things, Morrison is noted for first coining the phrase, “our first black President”, a reference to President Bill Clinton.
55. Plot feature in “Hansel and Gretel” : OVEN
“Hansel and Gretel” is a Germanic fairy tale found in the collection of the Brothers Grimm. It tells of two siblings, Hansel and Gretel, the children of a woodcutter. The youngsters are abandoned in a forest at the behest of an evil stepmother. Clever Hansel hears of the plan and leaves a trail of pebbles so that he and his sister can find their way home, which they do. But the children are abandoned again and this time leave a trail of breadcrumbs. Unfortunately, the crumbs are eaten by birds and so the children do indeed become lost. But eventually they do all live happily ever after …
56. Old brand in the shaving aisle : NEET
The hair removal product “Neet” was launched in Canada in 1901, and was also sold as “Immac”. Today it is sold under the name “Veet”.
57. Puzzle designer Rubik : ERNO
What was originally called the “Magic Cube” became better known as Rubik’s Cube, named for its inventor Ernő Rubik. Rubik’s Cube is the world’s biggest selling puzzle game, with over 350 million sold in just over 30 years.
59. Young women’s grp. : SOR
Sorority (sor.)
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Eighty-sixes : SCRAPS
7. Rhetorical creation : STRAW MAN
15. Green : MOOLAH
16. First Palme d’Or-winning film directed by a woman (1993) : THE PIANO
17. “That thought already occurred to me” : I’M WAY AHEAD OF YOU
19. Let fate decide, say : TOSS A COIN
20. Subatomic particles with zero spin : PIONS
21. Kind of cabbage : SKUNK
22. Pillory : DECRY
26. Pump option, for short : REG
27. Marinara sauce ingredients : ROMAS
32. Structures with excellent insulation : IGLOOS
34. Telemarketing tactic : ROBOCALL
36. Try to find oneself? : EGOSURF
38. Warming : DETENTE
39. David Fincher thriller of 2014 : GONE GIRL
41. Had a list : TILTED
42. Bid on a hand unsuited for suit play, maybe : ONE NO
43. Cusk-___ (deepest living fish, at 27,000+ feet) : EEL
45. Rockets : SOARS
46. Leaders in robes : EMIRS
48. Screens : SHOWS
53. Onetime Fandango competitor : MOVIEFONE
58. One with a long stretch to go? : LIMOUSINE DRIVER
60. Blaring : OVERLOUD
61. Fisher for compliments on one’s dress? : EILEEN
62. “Les Misérables” extra : GENDARME
63. Managed : SEEN TO
Down
1. Infatuated, old-style : SMIT
2. Italian city where Pliny the Elder and Younger were born : COMO
3. Matrix specifications : ROWS
4. “Sob” : ALAS
5. Type of mobile phone plan : PAY-AS-YOU-GO
6. Take to living together, with “up” : SHACK
7. Austrian philosopher Rudolf : STEINER
8. “Phew!” : THANK GOD!
9. One might turn on it : RED
10. Per : A POP
11. Modern flight amenity : WI-FI
12. Main ingredient of rémoulade : MAYO
13. Composer of many limericks, for short : ANON
14. “À ___ la Liberté” (1931 René Clair film) : NOUS
18. Period of a revolution? : HOUR
22. San ___ : DIEGO
23. Urge : EGG ON
24. It’s all the same : CLONE
25. Einstein-___ bridge (wormhole) : ROSEN
27. Game’s turning point? : ROTISSERIE
28. Brand of sponge : O-CEL-O
29. Cousin of a skate : MANTA
30. Neuter : ALTER
31. Places for runners : SLEDS
33. First word in many temple names : SRI
35. Something odd in roulette? : BET
37. Pricing model for many apps : FREEMIUM
40. Newspaper name that becomes a beverage if you insert an “a” after its fifth letter : LE MONDE
44. “___ a little!” : LIVE
47. State fair attractions : RIDES
48. Uphill climb, say : SLOG
49. Drone’s place : HIVE
50. Breaking a comb, in Japan, e.g. : OMEN
51. “I agree,” in slang : WORD
52. Toni Morrison novel : SULA
54. Menu bar heading : FILE
55. Plot feature in “Hansel and Gretel” : OVEN
56. Old brand in the shaving aisle : NEET
57. Puzzle designer Rubik : ERNO
59. Young women’s grp. : SOR
Wow. In 10 seconds I had entered AGENTS for 1-Across and QUESTION for 7-Across, and it took ten minutes to realize they were both wrong. Agents, of course, referring to Agent 86 in the old "Get Smart" series, and rhetorical question popping into my mind much too fast. Outside of that everything moved smoothly, although I had not ever heard of FREEMIUM and suppose it is an advertising creation.
19:37, no errors, iPad. l've only seen the "I agree" usage of "word" in crossword puzzles (and maybe on YouTube) and I'd never heard of "freemium". Other than that, as Jack said, not too bad …
Freemium got me as well. In fact as I type this, it shows on my computer as a misspelling.
Some groaner clues, but not too bad. Some Julian Lim-ish ones eg Game's turning point for ROTISSERIE. Ouch.
GONE GIRL was my other big obstacle. Once I cheated on that and FREEMIUM, I was off to the races on this one.
I wonder if i did the NYT first and then the LAT if I'd have more trouble with the LAT. All my brain energy is spent after doing one of these.
Best –
Will Shortz & Co. bested me this Saturday. I got the entire lower part and middle left but was stumped on the rest except for a few words here and there. I still have a lot to learn. I am in awe of Bill's 19 m 36 s.
@Steve C: Did you see Dave Kennison's 19m 37s?
Knew almost NOTHING in this puzzle. Complete waste of ten minutes.
Sure Bill, 19 mins … what a crock!
25:36, no errors. Got to this a day late. I have heard the use of 'word' as in 'I agree'; benefit of grandchildren, I guess. As with previous posters, FREEMIUM, GONE GIRL are new to me. Originally had FLIP A COIN for 19A; and was looking for the directors name rather than the movie title in 16A.
"Freemium" threw me as well. Apparently "freemium" is a portmanteau, combining the words "free" and "premium" used to describe a business model that offers both free and premium services. The freemium business model works by offering simple and basic services for free for the user to try and more advanced or additional features at a premium. This is a common practice with many software companies, who offer basic software free to try but with limited capabilities.
Definition taken from Investopedia: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/freemium.asp#ixzz4QVAkkbwR