0616-18 NY Times Crossword Answers 16 Jun 2018, Saturday

Constructed by: Sam Trabucco
Edited by: Will Shortz

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Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 14m 51s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1. Luxury Hyundai : AZERA

The Hyundai Azera was the name used worldwide for the model known as the Hyundai Grandeur in its homeland of South Korea. The Azera was produced from 1986 to 1992.

6. Villain’s part, often : BASS

The bass is the lowest male singing voice. A man with such a voice might be called a “basso” (plural “bassi”). In an opera, the villain of the piece is usually played by a basso.

10. Letters before Q : LGBT

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning (LGBTQ)

21. Former reality TV show first hosted by Anderson Cooper : THE MOLE

Anderson Cooper is a respected news personality on CNN and on various shows around the dial. My favorite appearances of his, although he would call them trivial I am sure, was as host of a great reality game show called “The Mole” that aired in 2001.

22. Ancient Greek colonnade : STOA

A stoa was a covered walkway in Ancient Greece. A stoa usually consisted of columns lining the side of a building or buildings, with another row of columns defining the other side of the walkway. The columns supported a roof. Often stoae would surround marketplaces in large cities.

A colonnade is a long sequence of columns that are equally spaced, and often support some type of roof. A colonnade surrounding a porch at an entranceway is known as a portico. A colonnade surrounding a courtyard or the perimeter of a building is known as a peristyle.

25. John, overseas : LOO

It has been suggested that the British term “loo” comes from “Waterloo” (water closet … water-loo), but no one seems to know for sure. Another suggestion is that the term comes from the card game of “lanterloo”, in which the pot was called the loo!

The use of “john” as a slang term for a toilet is peculiar to North America. “John” probably comes from the older slang term of “jack” or “jakes” that had been around since the 16th century. In Ireland, in less polite moments, we still refer to a toilet as “the jacks”.

26. Hero of New Orleans : PO’ BOY

A po’ boy is a submarine sandwich from Louisiana. There are a lot of theories about where the name came from, and none sound too convincing to me. A po’ boy differs from a regular submarine sandwich in that it uses Louisiana French bread, which is soft in the middle and crusty on the outside.

32. Classic paperback publisher : AVON

Avon was a noted publisher of comic books and paperbacks. The company was founded in 1941 and focused on lowbrow literature designed for popular appeal, especially romance novels.

35. “House of Cards,” e.g. : NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Netflix was founded in Los Gatos, California in 1997 as a DVD rental company that sent out titles by mail. Netflix no longer focuses on distribution by mail, and instead provides programming on demand. The company is now making a big play in the production of films and TV programs.

The hit TV show “House of Cards” is a political drama that highlights ruthless manipulation within the corridors of power in Washington, D.C. The show is an adaptation of a BBC miniseries of the same name, which in turn is based on a novel by Michael Dobbs.

39. “Pulp Fiction” actor Rhames : VING

Ving Rhames is a Hollywood actor from New York City. I first noted him in the 1994 film “Pulp Fiction”, in which he played gangster Marsellus Wallace. Rhames also appears alongside Tom Cruise in the “Mission Impossible” series of films. In fact, only Cruise and Rhames appear in all of the “Mission Impossible” movies.

I’m not a big fan of director Quentin Tarantino. His movies are too violent for me, and the size of his ego just turns me right off. Having said that, I think “Pulp Fiction” is a remarkable film. If you can look past the violence, it’s really well written. And what a legacy it has. John Travolta’s career was on the rocks and he did the film for practically no money, and it turned out be a re-launch for him. Uma Thurman became a top celebrity overnight from her role. Even Bruce Willis got some good out of it, putting an end to a string of poorly-received performances.

48. Flawlessly styled, in modern slang : ON FLEEK

“On fleek” is a phrase meaning “flawlessly styled” that was coined in a video by teenager Kayla Newman a.k.a. Peaches Monroee. Apparently, Kayla was referring to eyebrows being “on fleek”, and the term went viral. How, and why, I don’t know. I’m just so old and out of it at this stage …

53. Major thoroughfare in Rome : VIA VENETO

Via Veneto (actually “Via Vittorio Veneto”) is an upmarket street in Rome, and the address of many of the pricier hotels. It was made famous in Federico Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita”, and is still the home to Harry’s Bar and Café de Paris, which were both featured in the movie.

55. Sticky patch : DECAL

A decal is a decorative sticker. “Decal” is a shortening of “decalcomania”. The latter term is derived from the French “décalquer”, the practice of tracing a pattern from paper onto glass or perhaps porcelain.

57. Tub-thump : ORATE

Back in the 1600s, “tub” was slang for “pulpit”. This led to a preacher being referred to as a “tub-thumper”, a speaker in the habit (pun!) of thumping the pulpit to emphasize a point.

58. Sediment : LEES

The dregs in wine, the sediment that settles during fermentation (and sometimes in the bottle), are also called “lees”.

60. Apollo played with them : LYRES

The lyre is a stringed instrument most closely associated with Ancient Greece, and with the gods Hermes and Apollo in particular. According to myth, Hermes slaughtered a cow from a sacred herd belonging to Apollo and offered it to the gods but kept the entrails. Hermes used the entrails to make strings that he stretched across the shell of a tortoise, creating the first lyre. Apollo liked the sound from the lyre and agreed to accept it as a trade for his herd of cattle.

Down

1. Vacation destinations off the coast of Venezuela : ABC ISLANDS

“ABC Islands” is a name given to the three westernmost islands of the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean. The nickname comes from the first letters of the island names: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. All three of the ABC Islands are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

4. Red Spanish wine : RIOJA

Rioja wines come from the province of La Rioja in Northern Spain. In my days living back in Europe, Rioja wines were noted for their heavy oaky flavors and it wasn’t uncommon to order a “rough Rioja” when out for dinner of an evening.

5. Member of the British royal family : ANNE

Anne, Princess Royal was born in 1950 and is the only daughter of British Queen Elizabeth II. Princess Anne has been in the public spotlight for many things, including her success as an equestrian. Princess Anne was the first member of the British Royal Family to have competed in an Olympic Games. Her daughter Zara Phillips continued the tradition and competed as a member of the British equestrian team in the 2012 Olympic Games. Zara’s medal was presented to her by her own mother, Princess Anne.

6. Japanese lunch option : BENTO BOX

A bento is a single-person meal that is commonly eaten in Japan. A bento can be purchased as a take-out meal, or it may be packed at home. A bento is usually sold as a “bento box”.

7. Paleolithic relic : AXE

The Paleolithic Age is a period of human history lasting from about 2.6 million to about 10,000 years ago. The Paleolithic Age is noted as the time when humans started using stone tools. The word “Paleolithic” comes from the Greek “palaios” meaning “old” and “lithos” meaning “stone”, so the term really translates as “Old Stone Age”.

8. Role on the 1960s “Star Trek” : SCOTTY

In the “Star Trek” series on television and in the movies, the colorful character named Scotty was played by the Canadian actor James Doohan. Doohan joined the Royal Canadian Artillery at the start of WWII, and participated in the D-Day Invasion of Normandy. After surviving the landing, that same day Doohan was shot by one of his own men in a tragic mishap. Doohan was hit six times, with a bullet to his chest stopped by a silver cigarette case he was carrying. One of Doohan’s fingers was shot off in the incident. He managed to conceal that injury during his acting career.

10. Argentine soccer star, informally : LEO MESSI

Lionel “Leo” Messi is a soccer player from Argentina. Messi was awarded FIFA’s Ballon d’Or (Golden Ball) award from 2009 to 2013. The Ballon d’Or is presented to the player who is considered the best in the world in the prior year.

26. Image on the South Carolina flag : PALM

The state flag of South Carolina consists of a crescent moon and a palmetto palm tree on a blue background.

28. What every actor would probably like to do : WIN AN OSCAR

Legend has it that actor Emilio Fernández was the model for the Oscar statuette. Cedric Gibbons, art director at MGM, created the design and supposedly convinced a reluctant Fernández to pose nude for “Oscar”.

29. School in the Big Sky Conference : IDAHO STATE

Idaho State University is located in Pocatello, Idaho. The school was founded in 1901 as the Academy of Idaho.

The Big Sky Conference is a college athletic conference that was founded in 1963 and is made up of schools from the western US.

34. Vegan no-nos : EGGS

A vegan is someone who stays away from animal products. A dietary vegan eats no animal foods, not even eggs and dairy which are usually eaten by vegetarians. Ethical vegans take things one step further by following a vegan diet and also avoiding animal products in other areas of their lives e.g. items made from leather or silk.

36. The King, late in his career : FAT ELVIS

Elvis Aron Presley (aka “the King”) was the younger of two identical twins. His brother was stillborn, and delivered 35 minutes before Elvis. The brother was named Jesse Garon Presley. So, although born a twin, Elvis was raised as an only child.

42. “… the Lord ___ away” : TAKETH

According to the Book of Job:

… Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.

46. “Jay ___ Garage” (Emmy-winning series) : LENO’S

“Jay Leno’s Garage” is a weekly show that has aired on TV since 2015. The show originated as a web series for NBC, but popularity dictated a move to primetime. The show focuses on Jay Leno’s Big Dog Garage located in Burbank, California that houses his huge collection of cars and motorcycles.

49. Highest score in baccarat : NINE

Baccarat, in all of its three variants, is a relatively simple casino card game. Baccarat is the favored game of chance for James Bond 007, and it looks so cool when he plays it! Banco!

54. Polo alternative : TEE

René Lacoste was a French tennis player who went into the clothing business, and came up with a more comfortable shirt that players could use. This became known as a “tennis shirt”. When it was adopted for use in the sport of polo, the shirts also became known as “polo shirts”. The “golf shirt” is basically the same thing.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Luxury Hyundai : AZERA
6. Villain’s part, often : BASS
10. Letters before Q : LGBT
14. Get going : BEGIN
15. Comment after a burp : EXCUSE YOU!
17. Sing to a baby, maybe : CROON
18. Antibiotic ointment : NEOSPORIN
19. Court interruption : I OBJECT!
21. Former reality TV show first hosted by Anderson Cooper : THE MOLE
22. Ancient Greek colonnade : STOA
23. Good time to build a castle? : LOW TIDE
25. John, overseas : LOO
26. Hero of New Orleans : PO’ BOY
27. Big gulp : SWIG
31. Doctors’ orders? : AHS
32. Classic paperback publisher : AVON
33. Touching, maybe : BESIDE
35. “House of Cards,” e.g. : NETFLIX ORIGINAL
38. Oneirologist’s study : DREAMS
39. “Pulp Fiction” actor Rhames : VING
40. 9-Down selection : AHI
41. Class : SORT
42. Ministers (to) : TENDS
43. Starter for starter? : NON-
44. Embiggen : ENLARGE
47. Cool, colloquially : BOSS
48. Flawlessly styled, in modern slang : ON FLEEK
51. Hopes, with some effort, that one will : TRIES TO
53. Major thoroughfare in Rome : VIA VENETO
55. Sticky patch : DECAL
56. Real lifesavers : ANTIDOTES
57. Tub-thump : ORATE
58. Sediment : LEES
59. “___ Funny That Way” (old song standard) : SHE’S
60. Apollo played with them : LYRES

Down

1. Vacation destinations off the coast of Venezuela : ABC ISLANDS
2. Path of an overnight star : ZERO TO HERO
3. Compliment, typically : EGO BOOSTER
4. Red Spanish wine : RIOJA
5. Member of the British royal family : ANNE
6. Japanese lunch option : BENTO BOX
7. Paleolithic relic : AXE
8. Role on the 1960s “Star Trek” : SCOTTY
9. Some rolls : SUSHI
10. Argentine soccer star, informally : LEO MESSI
11. Rocket stabilizer : GYRO
12. Be hot : BOIL
13. Something carried by a singer : TUNE
16. Tore : SPED
20. First king to unite all the Frankish tribes : CLOVIS
24. Successfully wooed : WON OVER
26. Image on the South Carolina flag : PALM
28. What every actor would probably like to do : WIN AN OSCAR
29. School in the Big Sky Conference : IDAHO STATE
30. Comfy shoe features : GEL INSOLES
33. Back-to-school purchase : BINDER
34. Vegan no-nos : EGGS
36. The King, late in his career : FAT ELVIS
37. Fair game : RING TOSS
42. “… the Lord ___ away” : TAKETH
45. Must get : NEED
46. “Jay ___ Garage” (Emmy-winning series) : LENO’S
47. Like pub patrons : BEERY
48. Indianapolis Motor Speedway, e.g. : OVAL
49. Highest score in baccarat : NINE
50. Writing on the wall, so to speak : FATE
52. Teen ___ : IDOL
54. Polo alternative : TEE

11 thoughts on “0616-18 NY Times Crossword Answers 16 Jun 2018, Saturday”

  1. 11:39 My fastest Saturday ever by a pretty good margin. Everything clicked today. Weirdly the first answer I wrote in was wrong. I thought 1A was EQUUS, which used to be a luxury Hyundai (I think). Getting a few answers without needing crosses, like NETFLIXORIGINAL, defintiely helped. The puzzle just seemed to be on my wavelength. My times this week have gone from 20 mins. on Thursday, 14 yesterday and now 11. I guess I’m finally getting smarter. :).

  2. @Marc … Man, I’m impressed! And you should do what I would do: go with that final conclusion until you have evidence to the contrary … 😜.

    Now, as for me: 26:05, no errors, but with many missteps in the upper left. At one point, I had ACURA instead of AZERA, LAV instead of LOO, and AMA instead of AHS, which gave me CEROTAMERO instead of ZERO TO HERO and UGOBOVATER instead of EGO BOOSTER. I finally grabbed a pen and wrote those two monstrosities down, horizontally, on a sheet of paper, and stared at them until I finally, little by little, began to see what could be wrong. (Mind you, I also had MNOP before LGBT, but that didn’t take quite so long to fix. And I got ON FLEEK from crossing entries, correctly assuming it was some sort of Gen-X, -Y, or -Z madness, but I do hope that the phrase dies a quick death 😜.)

    So, a question: If I’m solving online, is it cheating to also write things on paper to help one’s aging brain see the light? (I seem to have a lot more trouble finding errors in vertical entries, so I sometimes do this.) For that matter, if I’m using paper and pen, am I then allowed to write things in the margins? What about getting out my Scrabble tiles to deal with anagrams? Does anyone here have any anal-retentive rules about such forms of aid? 😳😜😄

    1. @Dave, if I get stuck I sometimes write out the letter string and see if I can figure out what’s going on. For me it’s usually when I have most of a word but not all. I write what I have, with the blanks, and try to fill them in. And like you, it’s harder for me with the vertical entries.

      Regarding ONFLEEK, it’s not often having college age kids helps with the puzzle but this was defintiely one of those times.

      1. Thanks, Marc. My questions were mostly tongue-in-cheek, brought on by a recent syndie-time discussion on this blog. It has occurred to me that perhaps one’s goal should be to solve puzzles in one’s head after being given a short period of time in which to memorize the grid and all of the clues (sort of like those chess prodigies who play a couple of dozen games simultaneously while blind-folded). Doing it any other way would then be thought of as blatant cheating … 😜

    2. @Dave:
      I don’t see why any of those solving aids you mentioned would be construed as “cheating”; they’ll cost you time in writing them down (or scrounging for tiles 😀 ), but as long as you’re not consulting Google, or a dictionary, or getting help from some other (uncredited) person, then you’re solving it by yourself, in your own style. More power to you. Also, getting or using help is fine, too, as long as you ADMIT that to yourself and others, simply that you had help. Just don’t claim “*I* solved this puzzle” if you didn’t do it alone. Very simple.

      As for pen vs. pencil, who cares? Even if you later overwrite/overtype or erase and correct an entry, that’s neither here nor there. What counts is, whatever you have entered when you declare “done” and note whatever solving time you had. Anything later discovered to be in error should be counted as a mistake.

      1. I do the puzzles in pen. There’s usually a handful of mistakes, usually I write down the wrong word and it shows up in one of the intersecting word. So they get fixed as I go along. The worst is when I enter the wrong word early in the puzzle. Then I have a good laugh and say to myself ‘Already??’ Sometimes I have to overwrite a box, but that’s because I’m misspelling the correct word that’s already completed. 🙂

  3. 22:58 and 2 errors RIJ(A)/STO(A). That one A was all that stood between me and a completely ERROR-FREE WEEK!!!! Arrrrrrrrgh! *So* close!!!

    Nice Saturday challenge, though. Tricky, but not evil. *Still* wondering what the hell “on fleek” is, but like most modern slang, I probably won’t remember it anyway.

  4. 26:23, 4 (embarrassing) errors: NET F(I)(X)X ORIGINAL; DREA(L)(I); PA(I)(L); CLOV(X)(I). A simple review for spelling errors would have pointed out the obvious NET FLIX ORIGINAL errors; which would have made PALM and CLOVIS apparent. Must have spent a good 4 minutes staring at IOB_E_T before seeing the answer.

  5. Does anyone know what happened to Dimepiece LA celebrity streetwear brand? I cannot proceed to the checkout on Dimepiecela site. I have read in Elle that the brand was bought out by a UK-based hedge fund in excess of $50 m. I’ve just bought the Dimepiece Death Metal Unisex Heavy Blend™ Hooded Sweatshirt from Amazon and absolutely love it xox

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