0604-18 NY Times Crossword Answers 4 Jun 2018, Monday

Constructed by: Zhouqin Burnikel
Edited by: Will Shortz

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Today’s Reveal Answer: DoubleTree

Themed answers include two TREES as hidden words:

  • 62A. Hilton hotel chain … or what 18-, 29- and 49-Across each have : DOUBLETREE
  • 18A. “Nonsense!” : BALDERDASH (hiding ALDER and ASH)
  • 29A. Boneless cut named for a New York restaurant : DELMONICO STEAK (hiding ELM and TEAK)
  • 49A. Jet that evades radar detection : STEALTH FIGHTER (hiding TEA and FIG)

Bill’s time: 5m 07s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1. “Meet the Press” host Chuck : TODD

Chuck Todd is a television journalist. Todd was the Chief White House Correspondent for NBC, before taking over as moderator of “Meet the Press” in 2014.

5. Trippy drug : LSD

LSD (known colloquially as “acid”) is short for lysergic acid diethylamide. A Swiss chemist called Albert Hofmann first synthesized LSD in 1938 in a research project looking for medically efficacious ergot alkaloids. It wasn’t until some five years later when Hofmann ingested some of the drug accidentally that its psychedelic properties were discovered. Trippy, man …

8. Iraqi city whose name, appropriately, is an anagram of ARABS : BASRA

Basra is a Iraq’s main port, and is located in the south of the country, 34 miles from the Persian Gulf. Access to the gulf is via the Shatt al-Arab waterway, a river that discharges into the gulf in the port city of Umm Qasr.

13. Dumpster emanation : ODOR

“Dumpster” is one of those words that we use generically even though it is actually a brand name. The original “Dumpster” was patented by the Dempster Brothers of Knoxville, Tennessee. “Dumpster” is derived from “dump” and “Dempster”.

14. Berry for a purple smoothie : ACAI

Açaí (pronounced “ass-aye-ee”) is a palm tree native to Central and South America. The fruit has become very popular in recent years and its juice is a very fashionable addition to juice mixes and smoothies.

18. “Nonsense!” : BALDERDASH (hiding ALDER and ASH)

“Balderdash” means “senseless jumble of words”. The original balderdash (back before the late 1600s) was a jumbled mix of liquids like maybe beer and wine, or even beer and milk!

22. Home to the N.B.A.’s Heat : MIAMI

The Miami Heat basketball team debuted in the NBA in the 1988-89 season. The franchise name was chosen in a competitive survey, with “Miami Heat” beating out “Miami Vice”.

29. Boneless cut named for a New York restaurant : DELMONICO STEAK (hiding ELM and TEAK)

A Delmonico steak is prepared these days from various cuts of beef, and prepared in a style created originally by Delmonico’s Restaurant in New York City in the mid-1800s.

34. Saucer in the sky, for short : UFO

Unidentified flying object (UFO)

35. ___ Alto, Calif. : PALO

The city of Palo Alto, California takes its name from a specific redwood tree called El Palo Alto (Spanish for “the tall stick”) that is located within the bounds of the city. The tree is 110 feet tall and over a thousand years old.

40. Some showy blossoms, informally : GLADS

The gladiolus is a perennial flower in the iris family. Gladioli are sometimes referred to as “sword lilies”, and sometimes as “glads”.

43. City north of Carson City : RENO

The city of Reno’s economy took off when open gambling was legalized in Nevada in 1931. Within a short time, a syndicate had built the Bank Club in Reno, which was the largest casino in the world at the time.

Carson City, Nevada was named for the Carson River, which in turn was named for the Kit Carson, the scout who accompanied the team of European Americans that first arrived in the area in 1843. Carson City was named state capital in 1864.

46. “Later!” : CIAO!

“Ciao” is the Italian for “‘bye”. “Arrivederci” is more formal, and translates as “goodbye”.

53. The biblical wise men, by tradition : TRIO

“Magi” is the plural of the Latin word “magus”, a term applied to someone who was able to read the stars. Hence, “magi” is commonly used with reference to the “wise men from the East” who followed the star and visited Jesus soon after he was born. In Western Christianity, the three Biblical Magi are:

  • Melchior: a scholar from Persia
  • Caspar: a scholar from India
  • Balthazar: a scholar from Arabia

65. Actress Perlman of “Cheers” : RHEA

Rhea Perlman’s most famous role has to be “Carla Tortelli”, the irascible waitress in the long-running sitcom “Cheers”. Perlman is also a successful children’s author, and has published a series of six books called “Otto Undercover”. She is married to Hollywood actor Danny DeVito, and has been so since 1982.

68. National Geographic has a new one every month : ISSUE

The National Geographic Society started as a club for academics and wealthy people interested in travel, founded in 1888 in Washington, D.C. The society’s “National Geographic Magazine” was first published at the end of the same year. I’ve always thought it very cool that the logo of the society (you can see it on the National Geographic cable TV channel) is simply the rectangular yellow frame that appears in the margins around the front cover of the magazine.

69. Spot for a flowerpot : SILL

“Sill plate”, or simply “sill”, is an architectural term for a bottom horizontal member to which vertical members are attached. Windowsills and doorsills are specific sill plates found at the bottoms of a window and door openings.

72. Kim, to Khloé Kardashian, for short : SIS

Kim Kardashian is a socialite and television personality. She was introduced into society by her friend, Paris Hilton. Kardashian’s name first hit the headlines when a homemade sex tape made by her and singer Ray J was leaked.

Khloé Kardashian, sister of Kim, managed to parlay her exposure on the reality show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” into spin-offs called “Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami” and “Khloé & Lamar”. Guess how many episodes of those three shows that I’ve seen …

Down

3. Snarky comment after “This is your big chance” : DON’T BLOW IT

“Snark” is a term that was coined by Lewis Carroll in his fabulous 1876 nonsense poem “The Hunting of the Snark”. Somehow, the term “snarky” came to mean “irritable, short-tempered” in the early 1900s, and from there “snark” became “sarcastic rhetoric” at the beginning of the 21st century.

4. Archenemy of the Fantastic Four : DR DOOM

Doctor Doom is a supervillain created in the Marvel Comics universe, an archenemy of the Fantastic Four.

The Fantastic Four is a team of superheroes in Marvel Comics universe. The team is made up of Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch and the Thing.

7. Limp watch painter : DALI

“The Persistence of Memory” is probably Salvador Dalí’s most famous work. It features the celebrated “melting clocks”, and you can see them in the painting in the MoMA in New York City.

8. Server at a coffeehouse : BARISTA

The person who serves coffee in a coffee shop is often called a “barista”. “Barista” is the Italian for “bartender”.

15. Boise’s state : IDAHO

Boise, Idaho is the largest metropolitan area in the state by far. There are a number of stories pertaining to the etymology of the name “Boise”. One is that French trappers called the tree-lined river that ran through the area “la rivière boisée”, meaning “the wooded river”.

21. Item held by an actor : PROP

We use the term “props” for objects that are used by actors on stage during a play. The term is a shortening of the older term “properties”, which was used with the same meaning up through the 19th century.

26. Glitch : SNAG

“Glitch” comes into English from German via Yiddish. The original German word is “glitschen” meaning “to slip”. It is a relatively new term, generally applied to computer software bugs.

28. Deborah of “The King and I” : KERR

The lovely Deborah Kerr was a Scottish actress who made a real name for herself on the American stage and in Hollywood movies. Despite all her success, and six nominations for a Best Actress Oscar, Kerr never actually won an Academy Award. In 1967, she appeared in the James Bond film “Casino Royale” at the age of 46, making her oldest Bond Girl of all time.

“Anna and the King of Siam” is a semi-biographical novel written by Margaret Landon and first published in 1944. The book tells the largely true story of Anna Leonowens who spent five years in Siam teaching English to the children and wives of King Mongkut. The novel was adapted as a 1946 movie of the same name starring Irene Dunne and Rex Harrison. Then followed a 1951 stage musical titled “The King and I”. The musical was written as a vehicle for Gertrude Lawrence, who played Anna. Rex Harrison was asked to play the King, but he turned it down and Yul Brynner was cast instead. A movie version of the stage musical was released in 1956, famously starring Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr.

33. Dog shelter : KENNEL

Our word “kennel” meaning “doghouse” comes from the Vulgar Latin word “canile” meaning the same thing. A sheep (“ovus”) was kept in an “ovile”, a horse (“equus”) in an “equile”, and a dog (“canis”) in a “canile”.

39. Bug spray component : DEET

DEET is short for N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide, an active ingredient in insect repellents. DEET is most often used to repel mosquitoes by applying it to the skin and/or clothing. It is also used to protect against tick bites.

45. Brand that “nobody doesn’t like” : SARA LEE

In 1935, businessman Charles Lubin bought a chain of three bakeries in Chicago called Community Bake Shops, and soon expanded the operation into seven stores. Lubin introduced a cream cheesecake that he named after his daughter who was only 8-years-old at the time, Sara Lee Lubin. The cheesecake was a hit and he renamed the bakeries to Kitchen of Sara Lee. The business was bought out by Consolidated foods in 1956, but the brand name Sara Lee persists to this day, as does Ms. Sara Lee herself who now goes by the name Sara Lee Schupf.

56. Baseball’s “Slammin’ Sammy” : SOSA

Sammy Sosa was firmly in the public eye in 1998 when he and Mark McGwire were vying to be the first to surpass the home run record held by Roger Maris. McGwire fell out of public favor due to stories of steroid abuse (stories which he later admitted were true) while Sosa fell out of favor when he was found to be using a corked bat in a 2003 game.

59. State flower of Tennessee : IRIS

Iris is a genus of flowering plants that come in a wide variety of flower colors. The term “iris” is a Greek word meaning “rainbow”. Many species of irises are called “flags”. One suggestion is that the alternate name comes from the Middle English “flagge” meaning “reed”. This term was used because irises leaves look like reeds.

64. Golfer Ernie : ELS

Ernie Els is a South African golfer. Els a big guy but he has an easy fluid golf swing that has earned him the nickname “The Big Easy”. He is a former World No. 1 and has won four majors: the US Open (1994 & 1997) and the British Open (2002 & 2012).

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. “Meet the Press” host Chuck : TODD
5. Trippy drug : LSD
8. Iraqi city whose name, appropriately, is an anagram of ARABS : BASRA
13. Dumpster emanation : ODOR
14. Berry for a purple smoothie : ACAI
16. Silly prank : ANTIC
17. Watch, as the bar : TEND
18. “Nonsense!” : BALDERDASH (hiding ALDER and ASH)
20. Best : TOP
22. Home to the N.B.A.’s Heat : MIAMI
23. Flier from flower to flower : BEE
24. Shady places : ARBORS
27. Covering of a corn ear : HUSK
29. Boneless cut named for a New York restaurant : DELMONICO STEAK (hiding ELM and TEAK)
34. Saucer in the sky, for short : UFO
35. ___ Alto, Calif. : PALO
36. Carrying a gun : ARMED
38. Very off-color : LEWD
40. Some showy blossoms, informally : GLADS
43. City north of Carson City : RENO
44. Samples : TRIES
46. “Later!” : CIAO!
48. 180° from SSW : NNE
49. Jet that evades radar detection : STEALTH FIGHTER (hiding TEA and FIG)
53. The biblical wise men, by tradition : TRIO
54. Slobbers : DROOLS
55. Corner PC key : ESC
58. Steer clear of : AVOID
61. Sup : EAT
62. Hilton hotel chain … or what 18-, 29- and 49-Across each have : DOUBLETREE
65. Actress Perlman of “Cheers” : RHEA
68. National Geographic has a new one every month : ISSUE
69. Spot for a flowerpot : SILL
70. “Nuts!” : DARN!
71. Sweetness, sourness or bitterness : TASTE
72. Kim, to Khloé Kardashian, for short : SIS
73. “Don’t go!” : STAY!

Down

1. Wee one : TOT
2. Verse dedicated to someone : ODE
3. Snarky comment after “This is your big chance” : DON’T BLOW IT
4. Archenemy of the Fantastic Four : DR DOOM
5. Place for experimenting : LAB
6. Run a con on : SCAM
7. Limp watch painter : DALI
8. Server at a coffeehouse : BARISTA
9. “What else?” : AND?
10. Random guess : STAB
11. Get up : RISE
12. Painful throb : ACHE
15. Boise’s state : IDAHO
19. Birds on some Australian coins : EMUS
21. Item held by an actor : PROP
24. 18+ ticket category : ADULT
25. Alludes (to) : REFERS
26. Glitch : SNAG
28. Deborah of “The King and I” : KERR
30. Down with a bug : ILL
31. Cheap section in a plane : COACH
32. “So true!” : AMEN TO THAT!
33. Dog shelter : KENNEL
37. Active types : DOERS
39. Bug spray component : DEET
41. “What’s the ___?” (“Who cares?”) : DIF
42. Expressed : SAID
45. Brand that “nobody doesn’t like” : SARA LEE
47. Folklore baddie : OGRE
50. Performing now : LIVE
51. Honeybunch : TOOTS
52. Squirrels away : HOARDS
55. Polish, as prose : EDIT
56. Baseball’s “Slammin’ Sammy” : SOSA
57. Use four-letter words : CUSS
59. State flower of Tennessee : IRIS
60. Place to order a ham on rye : DELI
63. “However …” : BUT …
64. Golfer Ernie : ELS
66. Time in history : ERA
67. “___ takers?” : ANY

14 thoughts on “0604-18 NY Times Crossword Answers 4 Jun 2018, Monday”

    1. An interesting question … The genus “Tilia” includes trees that are usually referred to as “lindens” or, in the US, as “basswoods”. An old name for them is “teils” and a Google search for “teil tree” will turn up more info on that. (Searching for “teal tree”, on the other hand, turns up a lot of information about artsy wall hangings depicting bluish-colored trees of various species.) I think I have read that, in some European language (Dutch, maybe?), lindens are, in fact, called “teels”, but I am unable to verify that without digging through some old books in my basement. In any case, I’m inclined to think that Bill is wrong (gasp!) and that the two trees growing in 49A are the TEA tree (an alternate spelling of “ti” tree) and, of course, the FIG tree.

      1. @Howard Griffin, Dave Kennison.
        Yes, I was wrong. I jumped to “teal” because I mixed it up with “deal”. “Deal” is a word used on the other side of the Atlantic for some types of wood. I thought deal came from a specific tree, but just now learned that “deal” applies to softwoods from various trees. So, I was doubly wrong! “Tea tree” it is. Thanks, guys!

      2. Thanks, Bill. I was also wrong in a speculation above. The Dutch tree name that I was thinking of was not “teel”, but “abeel” – their name for Populus alba, which we usually call “white poplar”. (Still, I would not be too surprised, given the Latin name “Tilia”, to find something similar as a name for the linden tree.)

  1. 6:12, no errors (and, once again, the theme went right over my head until I came here 😜).

  2. 8:35. Finished this one and didn’t get the congratulatory music. When I started looking for my error, I noticed I had left the entire NE corner blank. I just forgot to do it so I went back and completed it. It must be a Monday. I got the theme, but I thought it would be the names of 2 trees together so none of the answers made any sense until I came here.

    Best –

  3. 7:29, no errors. Saw the theme in some of the entries, wasn’t worth the effort (in my mind) to decipher the others.

  4. No errors. Easy enough. My only hesitation was whether TEA was the name of a tree. Notwithstanding the discussion above, I did google it and learned a lot. It gets its name apparently from its use as a substitute for actual tea. Some people claim that it has medicinal properties but nothing has ever been proven one way or the other.

  5. 8 minutes 3 sec, no errors. The theme was definitely a case of “not seeing the forest for the theme”. What a completely useless waste of time to base the construction on.

  6. I am new to the NY Times Crosswords and the only day I come close to completing is Monday. Today ( 3 cheers!) I completed it entirely on my own. I did not try to analyze the theme though all the words were in. I waited for the answers to see. I especially enjoy reading the explanations for the answers as I always learn new things, i.e., the history of Grey Poupon Mustard, my son’s favorite. As a novice, I dislike certain deviations as 3 letters in a square. I just lay down the pencil.

    1. Nice going, Carla, good for you. Keep with it, and you’ll solve even more as you go.

  7. 8 minutes, no errors. If it helps, the paper answer helpfully identifies the trees as Bill has in his theme listings now via shading.

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