Constructed by: Jacob Stulberg
Edited by: Will Shortz
Not your puzzle? Try today’s …
… syndicated NY Times crossword
Today’s Theme: Let’s Change the Subject
Themed answers are well-known phrases that have been converted from passive to active voice:
- 111A. Protest tactic … as suggested by 23-, 36-, 54-, 77- and 91-Across? : PASSIVE RESISTANCE
- 23A. Classic film narrated by Spencer Tracy : HOW THEY WON THE WEST (from “How the West Was Won”)
- 36A. Remark commonly attributed to Queen Victoria : THAT DOES NOT AMUSE US (from “We are not amused”)
- 54A. Statement at the end of some trailers : NO ONE HAS RATED THIS FILM (from “This film is not yet rated”)
- 77A. Toy manufacturer’s disclaimer : WE INCLUDED NO BATTERIES (from “Batteries not included”)
- 91A. Non-apology associated with several U.S. presidents : PEOPLE MADE MISTAKES (from “Mistakes were made”)
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… a complete list of answers
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Bill’s time: 21m 14s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Autumn bloom : ASTER
Apparently, most aster species and cultivars bloom relatively late in the year, usually in the fall. The name “aster” comes into English via Latin from the Greek word “astéri” meaning “star”, a reference to the arrangement of the petals of the flower.
16. “Madam Secretary” airer : CBS
“Madam Secretary” is A TV show that first aired in 2014. It is about an ex-CIA analyst who is appointed as US Secretary of State. Téa Leoni plays the title role, ably supported by a favorite actress of mine, Bebe Neuwirth. I like this show …
20. Bluesman Willie : LOMAX
Willie Lomax is a blues guitarist from Miami. Lomax has music in his blood, as he is the son of a jazz drummer.
21. Where the owl and the pussycat went, in poetry : TO SEA
“The Owl and the Pussycat” is a poem by Edward Lear first published in 1871. It tells of an owl and a pussycat who set out to sea in a pea green boat with honey and plenty of money wrapped in a five pound note …
22. ___ provençale : A LA
A dish that is prepared “à la provençale” features ingredients commonly used in Provençe in the South of France. Such dishes typically incorporate tomatoes, onions, garlic and olives.
23. Classic film narrated by Spencer Tracy : HOW THEY WON THE WEST (from “How the West Was Won”)
“How the West Was Won” is an epic Western movie released in 1962. It follows the lives of a family through four generations, from 1830 to 1889. The family starts off in western New York, and ends up in San Francisco. The film is narrated by Spencer Tracy, and has a tremendous cast led by the likes of James Stewart, Gregory Peck, George Peppard and Henry Fonda.
Spencer Tracy was a marvelous actor who shares the record for most nominations for the Best Actor Oscar (nine) with Sir Laurence Olivier. Famously, Tracy became estranged from his wife early in their marriage, but never divorced. He had a long-term relationship with fellow actor Katharine Hepburn, a relationship that they worked hard to keep out of the spotlight.
27. “Thanks in old age – thanks ___ I go”: Whitman : ERE
Walt Whitman is considered to be one of the greatest American poets. He was born in 1819 on Long Island, and lived through the American Civil War. Whitman was a controversial character, even during his own lifetime. One view held by him was that the works attributed to William Shakespeare were not actually written by Shakespeare, but rather by someone else, or perhaps a group of people.
35. The Bears of the Big 12 Conference : BAYLOR
Remember Ken Starr of Whitewater fame? He is now the President of Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
36. Remark commonly attributed to Queen Victoria : THAT DOES NOT AMUSE US (from “We are not amused”)
The royal we is more correctly called the “majestic plural”, and is the use of a plural pronoun to describe a single person in a high office. I suppose the most often quoted phrase that uses the majestic plural is “We are not amused”, which is often attributed to Queen Victoria. The editorial we is a similar concept, in which a newspaper editor or columnist refers to himself or herself as “we” when giving an opinion.
41. Digs : PAD
Back in the 16th century a pad was a bundle of straw to lie on. “Pad” came to mean “place for sleeping” in the early 1700s. The term was revitalized in the hippie era.
“Digs” is short for “diggings” meaning “lodgings”. Where “diggings” came from, no one seems to know.
43. Shaggy grazer : YAK
The English word “yak” is an Anglicized version of the Tibetan name for the male of the species. Yak milk is much prized in the Tibetan culture. It is made into cheese and butter, and the butter is used to make a tea that is consumed in great volume by Tibetans. The butter is also used as a fuel in lamps, and during festivals the butter is even sculpted into religious icons.
44. Actor O’Shea : MILO
Milo O’Shea was a great Irish character actor from Dublin who has appeared in everything from “Romeo and Juliet” to “The West Wing”. O’Shea passed away in 2013, in New York City.
45. Third-person form of “être” : EST
The verb “to be” is “ser” in Spanish and “être” in French.
46. “Birds in an Aquarium” artist : ARP
Jean Arp was a French artist renowned for his work with torn and pasted paper, although that wasn’t the only medium he used. Arp was the son of a French mother and German father and spoke both languages fluently. When he was speaking German he gave his name as Hans Arp, but when speaking French he called himself Jean Arp. Both “Hans” and “Jean” translate into English as “John”. In WWI Arp moved to Switzerland to avoid being called up to fight, taking advantage of Swiss neutrality. Eventually he was told to report to the German Consulate and fill out paperwork for the draft. In order to get out of fighting, Arp messed up the paperwork by writing the date in every blank space on the forms. Then he took off all of his clothes and walked with his papers over to the officials in charge. Arp was sent home …
54. Statement at the end of some trailers : NO ONE HAS RATED THIS FILM (from “This film is not yet rated”)
The term “trailer” was originally used in the film industry to describe advertisements for upcoming features. These trailers were originally shown at the end of a movie being screened, hence the name. This practice quickly fell out of favor as theater patrons usually left at the end of the movie without paying much attention to the trailers. So, the trailers were moved to the beginning of the show, but the term “trailer” persisted.
62. Tool that it takes two to operate : PIT SAW
A whipsaw (also “pit saw”) is a two-man saw that was originally designed for use in a sawpit. A large log would be placed on top of the pit. The “pit-man” would work under the log, and the “top-man” above it. The sawing action was in the vertical, with the blade cutting on the downstroke.
63. Old nuclear agcy. : AEC
The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was set up right after WWII in 1946, with the aim of promoting the peaceful use of atomic energy. Establishing the AEC was a significant move made by President Truman, as it passed control of atomic energy from the military to the civilian sector. The AEC continued to operate until 1974 when its functions were divided up into two new agencies: the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Energy Research and Development Administration (NRDA). The NRDA was merged with the Federal Energy Administration in 1977 to form the Department of Energy.
69. Mexican marinade : ADOBO
In Spanish and Mexican cuisine, a dish prepared “adobo” has been marinated in a mixture containing paprika, oregano, salt, garlic and vinegar. “Adobo” is Spanish for “marinade, seasoning”.
71. Musician/singer whose name might be shouted in mock horror? : ONO
Yoko Ono was born in 1933 in Tokyo into a prosperous Japanese family, and is actually a descendant of one of the emperors of Japan. Yoko’s father moved around the world for work, and she lived the first few years of her life in San Francisco. The family returned to Japan, before moving on to New York, Hanoi and back to Japan just before WWII, in time to live through the great firebombing of Tokyo in 1945. Immediately after the war the family was far from prosperous. While Yoko’s father was being held in a prison camp in Vietnam, her mother had to resort to begging and bartering to feed her children. When her father was repatriated, life started to return to normal and Yoko was able to attend university. She was the first woman to be accepted into the philosophy program of Gakushuin University.
72. Prefix with -pod : ISO-
Isopods are small crustaceans (meaning they have exoskeletons), with seven pairs of legs. Examples would be woodlice and pill bugs. The name “isopod” comes from the Greek “iso” (same) and “pod” (foot). All isopods have seven pairs of jointed limbs.
74. Frederick III, for one : KAISER
“Kaiser” is the German word for “emperor”. The term is usually applied to the Emperors of the German Empire or Deutsches Reich that started with Kaiser Wilhelm I in 1871 and ended with the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II after the Empire’s defeat in WWI.
81. Kurosawa who directed “Ran” : AKIRA
Akira Kurosawa was an Oscar-winning Japanese film director. His most famous movie to us in the West has to be “The Seven Samurai”, the inspiration for “The Magnificent Seven” starring Yul Brynner, and indeed a basis for “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”.
“Ran” is a 1985 Japanese-French film directed by Akira Kurosawa that is in part based on William Shakespeare’s play “King Lear”. The movie tells of an aging warlord who steps down in favor of his three sons. The title translates from Japanese “Chaos” or “Rebellion”.
82. Hankering : YEN
The word “yen”, meaning “urge”, has been around in English since the very early 1900s. It comes from the earlier word “yin” imported from Chinese, which was used in English to describe an intense craving for opium.
83. Mouse lookalike : VOLE
Vole populations can really increase rapidly. Mama vole is pregnant for just three weeks before giving birth to litters of 5-10 baby voles. Then the young voles become sexually mature in just one month! If you have one pregnant vole in your yard, within a year you could have over a hundred of the little critters.
84. Tikkanen who won five Stanley Cups : ESA
Esa Tikkanen is a retired hockey player from Finland. He was on the winning team in five Stanley Cup finals, between 1985 to 1994.
85. Measure of econ. health : GNP
A country’s Gross National Product (GNP) is the value of all services and products produced by its residents in a particular year. GNP includes all production wherever it is in the world, as long as the business is owned by residents of the country concerned. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is different, although related, and is the value of all services and goods produced within the borders of the country for that year.
90. Clock setting east of Eastern: Abbr. : AST
Atlantic Standard Time (AST) is four hours behind Greenwich Mean Time and one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time. The list of locations that use AST includes Puerto Rico, Bermuda and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
99. The Temptations’ “Since ___ My Baby” : I LOST
The Temptations singing group used to be known as the Elgins, and was formed in 1960 in Detroit. The group is still performing today, although only the second tenor, Otis Williams, was part of the original quintet. The Temptations were very much associated with their “sister group”, the Supremes.
104. City known for its cheese : GOUDA
Gouda is a cheese that originated in the Dutch city of the same name, although today Gouda is produced all over the world and very little of it comes from the Netherlands. Gouda is often smoke-cured, which gives it a yellowish-brown outer skin and that characteristic smoky taste.
107. It’s often brown or blue : IRIS
The iris is the colored part of the eye. It has an aperture in the center that can open or close depending on the level of light hitting the eye.
109. Great ___ : APE
The tailless primates known as apes are divided into two main branches: gibbons (lesser apes) and hominids (great apes). The hominids are the great apes, and belong to the family of primates called Hominidae. Extant genera that make up the family Hominidae are:
- chimpanzees
- gorillas
- humans
- orangutans
115. Continuing education subj., often : ESL
English as a Second Language (ESL) is sometimes referred to as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL).
116. Operatic baritone Pasquale ___ : AMATO
Pasquale Amato was an operatic baritone from Naples. Amato was at the height of his popularity while singing with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, which he did from 1908 until 1921.
119. Obituary word : NEE
Our word “obituary” comes from the Latin “obituaris”. The Latin term was used for “record of the death of a person”, although the literal meaning is “pertaining to death”.
120. Wyoming’s ___ Range : TETON
Grand Teton National Park (NP) is located just south of Yellowstone NP, and a must-see if you are visiting the latter. The park is named after the tallest peak in the magnificent Teton Range known as Grand Teton. The origins of the name “Teton” is not very clear, although my one story is that it was named by French trappers, as the word “tetons” in French is a slang term meaning “breasts”.
Down
3. Jenga construction : TOWER
Jenga is a simple but very entertaining game, one in which one stacks wooden blocks as high as possible until the resulting tower collapses. “Jenga” is the Swahili word for “to build”
4. Tolkien creature : ENT
Ents are those tree-like creatures that live in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth in his series of books “The Lord of the Rings”. “Ent” is an Old English word for “giant”.
6. Soviet author Ehrenburg : ILYA
Ilya Ehrenburg was a Soviet novelist and journalist. His novel called “The Thaw” gave its name to the period after the death of Joseph Stalin, a period when a more liberal culture prevailed in the Soviet Union.
7. Kerfuffles : ROWS
“Kerfuffle” comes from the Scottish “curfuffle”, with both words meaning “disruption”.
8. “Te ___” (Rihanna gold single) : AMO
The singer Rihanna was born and grew up on the island of Barbados and moved to the US when she was 16-years-old to pursue a singing career. “Rihanna” is her stage name, as she was born Robyn Rihanna Fenty. The name “Rihanna” is derived from the Welsh name “Rhiannon”.
11. Carol Brady, to three of her kids : STEPMOM
In TV show “The Brady Bunch”, the mom is Carol Brady, formerly Carol Martin, played by Florence Henderson. The dad is Mike Brady, played by Robert Reed.
12. Founder of a major appliance chain : LOWE
Lucius S. Lowe opened the first Lowe’s hardware store in 1921, in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Lucius only knew the one store, as it was family who expanded the company after he passed away in 1940.
14. Bygone game console, in brief : NES
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was sold in North America from 1985 to to 1995. The NES was the biggest selling gaming console of the era. Nintendo replaced the NES with Wii, which is also the biggest-selling game console in the world.
15. Bistro dessert : GATEAU
In French, a “gâteau” is a “cake”.
16. Wheedles : CAJOLES
“To wheedle” is to influence by flattery for one’s gain. Such a lovely verb, I think …
18. Old-fashioned weaponry : SABERS
A saber (sometimes “sabre”) is a sword with a curved blade and a relatively large hand guard. It is thought that the term originated with the Hungarian verb “szabni” meaning “to cut”.
24. “Let It Go” singer, in film : ELSA
“Let It Go” is an incredibly successful song from the Disney animated film “Frozen” released in 2013. It was performed in the movie by Idina Menzel, who also was the voice actor for the character Elsa. “Let It Go” is one of the very few Disney songs to make it into the Billboard Top Ten.
31. What might follow me? : MYSELF
Me, myself and I.
33. Ticket info, briefly : ETD
Estimated time of departure (ETD)
37. Model Banks : TYRA
Tyra Banks is a tremendously successful model and businesswoman. Banks created and hosted the hit show “America’s Next Top Model “, and also had her own talk show. She was also the first African American woman to make the cover of the “Sports Illustrated” swimsuit issue. Banks took over as host of “America’s Got Talent” in 2017.
40. Hilo his : ALOHAS
The Hawaiian word “aloha” has many meanings in English: affection, love, peace, compassion and mercy. More recently, “aloha” has come to mean “hello” and “goodbye”, but only since the mid-1800s.
Hilo is the largest settlement on the big island of Hawaii, with a population of over 43,000 (that’s not very many!). I love the Big Island …
42. Ill-fated NASA mission of 1967 : APOLLO I
Apollo 1 was planned to be the first manned mission in NASA’s lunar landing program. Sadly, the three crew members perished in a tragic cabin fire that took place in a launch pad test. The astronauts who died were Gus Grissom (the second American to fly in space), Edward White (the first American to walk in space) and Roger Chaffee (the pilot for the planned Apollo 1 mission).
49. One singing at the end? : FAT LADY
“It ain’t over till the fat lady sings” is an American colloquialism. The message is that the outcome isn’t clear until the final whistle, until it’s really, truly over. The reference is to Grand Opera, and the cliched perception that the soprano lead is always overweight.
50. Vulcans or Jawas, in brief : ETS
Vulcans are an alien race in the “Star Trek” franchise. The most famous (half) Vulcan is Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy. Spock’s father is a Vulcan, and his mother is human.
In the “Star Wars” universe, the Jawa are a race of rodent-like pygmies who live on the desert planet called Tatooine.
55. Turner who led a slave rebellion : NAT
Nat Turner was a slave in Virginia who led a slave rebellion in 1831 that led to the deaths of over a hundred people. Half of the casualties were white,and half were black. The 55 white deaths took place on the day of the rebellion as a growing mob of slaves traveled from house-to-house freeing fellow slaves but also killing any white people they came across; men, women and children. The rebellion was suppressed within two days by a white militia. Slaves involved in the rebellion were tried for insurrection and related crimes, and a total of 56 blacks were executed on suspicion of involvement in the uprising. In the aftermath, life for slaves became even more difficult as any freedoms that they had earned were largely curtailed.
57. Uncool sort : DWEEB
“Dweeb” is relatively recent American slang that came out of college life in the late sixties. Dweeb, squarepants, nerd; they’re all not-nice terms that mean the same thing, i.e. someone excessively studious and socially inept.
58. Some keys, informally : IVORIES
The traditional materials used for the manufacture of piano keys were ebony (black) and ivory (white). Ebony is still used, but now for both white and black keys. The white keys are made by covering ebony with white plastic.
60. Peak NW of Athens : MT OSSA
Mount Ossa in Greece is located between Mount Pelion in the south, and the famed Mount Olympus in the north. Mount Ossa is also known as Kissavos.
66. When middle watch ends : FOUR AM
In the traditional watch system at sea, the crew is divided into two “teams”, often called the port and starboard watches. Each watch works for four hours, and then rests for four hours, works again for four hours, and rests etc. As there are six 4-hour periods in every day, an even number, the period from midnight to 4 a.m. (also called a watch, to confuse!) would have to be stood by the same crew members. As this is the watch that is considered undesirable to many, then a system was devised to rotate responsibilities for fairness. The “dogwatch” is the 4-hour period between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., and it is split into two 2-hour periods, the first dogwatch and second dogwatch. This results in a compliment of seven watches in every 24-hour period, an odd number. Consequently, the team that attends a particular watch in a day, is replaced by the opposite team on the next day.
68. Fancy neckwear : CRAVAT
The cravat originated in Croatia and was an accessory used with a military uniform. Cravats were introduced to the fashion-conscious French by Croatian mercenaries enlisted into a regiment of the French army. The English placed a lot of emphasis on the knot used for the cravat, and in the period after the Battle of Waterloo the cravat came to be known as a “tie”. What we now call a tie in English is still called a “cravate” in French.
70. Cannes’s Palme ___ : D’OR
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.
73. Like some bologna and golf shots : SLICED
The deli meat known as “baloney”, i.e. “Bologna sausage”, is an American invention. It was given the name “baloney” because it resembles Italian mortadella sausage, which originated in the city of Bologna in northern Italy.
A slice in golf doesn’t head straight down the fairway, but instead turns off to the right (if you’re a right-handed golfer).
75. Like Vivaldi’s “Spring” : IN E
“The Four Seasons” is the most famous work by Italian Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi. It is a collection of four violin concerti that evoke the seasons of the year. Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” is a favorite choice for background music in elevators and elevators. Personally, my favorite use of the piece is as a backdrop to the 1981 romantic comedy film “The Four Seasons”, starring Alan Alda and Carol Burnett.
Antonio Vivaldi was one of the great composers of the Baroque period. He achieved fame and success within in his own lifetime, notoriety that faded soon after he died. Vivaldi’s music has reemerged in recent decades and I am sure everyone is familiar with at least part of his most famous composition, the violin concerto called “The Four Seasons”. Vivaldi was nicknamed “The Red Priest” because he was indeed a priest, and he had red hair.
76. Where the Blues play: Abbr. : STL
The St. Louis Blues hockey team takes its name from the song “St. Louis Blues”, a jazz and popular music classic.
79. Fox News commentator Perino : DANA
Dana Perino served as the White House Press Secretary from 2007 until 2009, working in the administration of President George W. Bush. Perino was the second woman to work as White House Press Secretary, with Dee Dee Myers having paved the way during the Clinton Administration.
80. “I, Claudius” attire : TOGA
“I, Claudius” is a 1934 novel penned by Robert Graves, written in the form of an autobiography of Emperor Claudius of Rome. Graves wrote a sequel in 1935 called “Claudius the God”. Both books were adapted by the BBC into a fabulous television series that went by the name of the first book “I, Claudius”.
85. Like Columbus : GENOESE
Genoa is a seaport in the very north of Italy, in the region known as Liguria. One of Genoa’s most famous sons was Christopher Columbus. Another was the violinist Niccolò Paganini.
86. Word hitting two Triple Word Scores in Scrabble : NONUPLE
The adjective “nonuple” means “times nine”, Just like “double” means “times two” and “triple” means “times three”.
88. First Folio, e.g. : EDITION
“First Folio” is the name commonly used for a collection of William Shakespeare’s plays published in 1623 under the title “Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories & Tragedies”. The “First Folio” originally sold for one pound, which is about $230 in today’s money. About 750 copies were made, and there are just under 230 copies believed to still exist. A copy stolen from Durham University in 1998 was recovered in 2008, and was valued at about 15 million pounds.
89. Cross-Atlantic flier, once, in brief : SST
The most famous supersonic transport (SST) is the retired Concorde. Concorde was developed and produced under an Anglo-French treaty by France’s Aérospatiale and the UK’s British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). Concordes were mainly operated by Air France and British Airways, with both companies buying the planes with substantial subsidies from the French and British governments. The final Concorde flight was a British Airways plane that landed in the UK on 26 November 2003.
90. Egyptian symbol of royalty : ASP
The venomous snake called an asp was a symbol of royalty in Ancient Egypt.
91. “Peanuts” character : PIG-PEN
“Pig-Pen” is the kid in the “Peanuts” cartoon strip that is always dirty. Charles Schulz, the strip’s author, said that “Pig-Pen” was one of his least favorite characters, and he almost disappeared from the later years of “Peanuts” comic strips.
93. Climber’s concern: Abbr. : ELEV
Elevation (elev.)
94. Goes at a leisurely pace : MOSEYS
“Mosey” is American slang for “amble”, and is of unknown origin.
95. Peninsula shared by Croatia and Slovenia : ISTRIA
Istria is a peninsula in the Adriatic Sea that is shared by Italy, Slovenia and Croatia. It is the largest peninsula in the whole of the Adriatic.
96. Humphries of the N.B.A. : KRIS
Kris Humphries is an NBA basketball player. Humphries was married for a short time to TV personality Kim Kardashian, in 2011/2012.
101. Article of apparel never worn by Winnie-the-Pooh : PANTS
Alan Alexander (A.A.) Milne was an English author who is best known for his delightful “Winnie-the-Pooh” series of books. He had only one son, Christopher Robin Milne, born in 1920. The young Milne was the inspiration for the Christopher Robin character in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories. Winnie-the-Pooh was named after Christopher Robin’s real teddy bear, one he called Winnie, who in turn was named after a Canadian black bear called Winnie that the Milnes would visit in London Zoo. The original Winnie teddy bear is on display at the main branch of the New York Public Library in New York.
102. Attraction that dropped the word “Center” from its name in 1994 : EPCOT
EPCOT Center (now just called “Epcot”) is the theme park beside Walt Disney World in Florida. EPCOT is an acronym standing for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, and is a representation of the future as envisioned by Walt Disney. Walt Disney actually wanted to build a living community for 20,000 residents at EPCOT, but he passed away without that vision being realized.
105. Trial for a future atty. : LSAT
Law School Admission Test (LSAT)
107. Scotland’s Fair ___ : ISLE
Fair Isle is a small island in the north of Scotland, one of the Shetlands. The island gives its name to a knitting technique that produces a geometrical pattern using several colored yarns. I’m very fond of Fair Isle sweaters, I must say …
112. Black church inits. : AME
The African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AME Zion) Church was formed in New York City. The church was established by African American Christians who faced discrimination when attending other churches. Initially the African American congregations were led by Caucasian Methodist ministers, with the first African American being ordained in 1820.
113. Jellied British delicacy : EEL
Jellied eels are a traditional British dish associated with the working class East End of London. Historically, the eels used were caught in the River Thames. The dish is prepared by boiling up eels that have been chopped into rounds in a seasoned stock and then allowing it to set. The eel contains a lot of gelatinous protein so the stock forms a jelly as it cools.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1. Autumn bloom : ASTER
6. Ticked off : IRATE
11. Cast : SLUNG
16. “Madam Secretary” airer : CBS
19. Really stood out : SHONE
20. Bluesman Willie : LOMAX
21. Where the owl and the pussycat went, in poetry : TO SEA
22. ___ provençale : A LA
23. Classic film narrated by Spencer Tracy : HOW THEY WON THE WEST (from “How the West Was Won”)
26. Position : JOB
27. “Thanks in old age – thanks ___ I go”: Whitman : ERE
28. Lead-in to bad news : ALAS …
29. Searched without sight : GROPED
30. Show what’s inside : EMOTE
32. Underscore : STRESS
34. Early morning setting? : ALARM
35. The Bears of the Big 12 Conference : BAYLOR
36. Remark commonly attributed to Queen Victoria : THAT DOES NOT AMUSE US (from “We are not amused”)
41. Digs : PAD
43. Shaggy grazer : YAK
44. Actor O’Shea : MILO
45. Third-person form of “être” : EST
46. “Birds in an Aquarium” artist : ARP
47. Like some details : GORY
49. Handful : FEW
52. Fresh : NOVEL
54. Statement at the end of some trailers : NO ONE HAS RATED THIS FILM (from “This film is not yet rated”)
61. C neighbors : D-FLATS
62. Tool that it takes two to operate : PIT SAW
63. Old nuclear agcy. : AEC
64. Brewery sight : VAT
65. Obeys a sentry, say : HALTS
66. Skating embarrassment : FALL
67. CDs, LPs, etc. : RECS
69. Mexican marinade : ADOBO
71. Musician/singer whose name might be shouted in mock horror? : ONO
72. Prefix with -pod : ISO-
74. Frederick III, for one : KAISER
76. Newspaper section : SPORTS
77. Toy manufacturer’s disclaimer : WE INCLUDED NO BATTERIES (from “Batteries not included”)
81. Kurosawa who directed “Ran” : AKIRA
82. Hankering : YEN
83. Mouse lookalike : VOLE
84. Tikkanen who won five Stanley Cups : ESA
85. Measure of econ. health : GNP
87. Top hat go-with : CANE
89. Fail to hold : SAG
90. Clock setting east of Eastern: Abbr. : AST
91. Non-apology associated with several U.S. presidents : PEOPLE MADE MISTAKES (from “Mistakes were made”)
98. Impoverished : IN NEED
99. The Temptations’ “Since ___ My Baby” : I LOST
100. Drake or Future : RAPPER
104. City known for its cheese : GOUDA
105. Up-to-the-minute : LATEST
107. It’s often brown or blue : IRIS
109. Great ___ : APE
110. Zip : PEP
111. Protest tactic … as suggested by 23-, 36-, 54-, 77- and 91-Across? : PASSIVE RESISTANCE
115. Continuing education subj., often : ESL
116. Operatic baritone Pasquale ___ : AMATO
117. Give up : YIELD
118. Panegyrize : EXTOL
119. Obituary word : NEE
120. Wyoming’s ___ Range : TETON
121. Corporate department : SALES
122. Takes a breather : RESTS
Down
1. Remains in the ground, often : ASHES
2. Not having quite enough cash : SHORT
3. Jenga construction : TOWER
4. Tolkien creature : ENT
5. Debate again [sigh] : REHASH
6. Soviet author Ehrenburg : ILYA
7. Kerfuffles : ROWS
8. “Te ___” (Rihanna gold single) : AMO
9. Snarl : TANGLE
10. Crowd on a set : EXTRAS
11. Carol Brady, to three of her kids : STEPMOM
12. Founder of a major appliance chain : LOWE
13. Kind of bookstore : USED
14. Bygone game console, in brief : NES
15. Bistro dessert : GATEAU
16. Wheedles : CAJOLES
17. Cover from view : BLOT OUT
18. Old-fashioned weaponry : SABERS
24. “Let It Go” singer, in film : ELSA
25. “Game over” signal : HORN
31. What might follow me? : MYSELF
33. Ticket info, briefly : ETD
34. Peachy : A-OK
35. Cinephile’s guilty pleasure, perhaps : B MOVIE
37. Model Banks : TYRA
38. Place to treat yourself : DAY SPA
39. Colorist’s concern : TINT
40. Hilo his : ALOHAS
41. Like “@#$!” : PROFANE
42. Ill-fated NASA mission of 1967 : APOLLO I
46. “You said it!” : AND HOW!
47. Catch something : GET SICK
48. Surprised exclamations : OHS
49. One singing at the end? : FAT LADY
50. Vulcans or Jawas, in brief : ETS
51. Becomes grating to : WEARS ON
53. The one that got away? : ESCAPEE
55. Turner who led a slave rebellion : NAT
56. “Sonnets to Orpheus” poet : RILKE
57. Uncool sort : DWEEB
58. Some keys, informally : IVORIES
59. Doctor’s order : LAB TEST
60. Peak NW of Athens : MT OSSA
66. When middle watch ends : FOUR AM
68. Fancy neckwear : CRAVAT
70. Cannes’s Palme ___ : D’OR
73. Like some bologna and golf shots : SLICED
75. Like Vivaldi’s “Spring” : IN E
76. Where the Blues play: Abbr. : STL
78. Was out for a bit : NAPPED
79. Fox News commentator Perino : DANA
80. “I, Claudius” attire : TOGA
85. Like Columbus : GENOESE
86. Word hitting two Triple Word Scores in Scrabble : NONUPLE
88. First Folio, e.g. : EDITION
89. Cross-Atlantic flier, once, in brief : SST
90. Egyptian symbol of royalty : ASP
91. “Peanuts” character : PIG-PEN
92. Pursue eagerly : LEAP AT
93. Climber’s concern: Abbr. : ELEV
94. Goes at a leisurely pace : MOSEYS
95. Peninsula shared by Croatia and Slovenia : ISTRIA
96. Humphries of the N.B.A. : KRIS
97. Egg time : EASTER
101. Article of apparel never worn by Winnie-the-Pooh : PANTS
102. Attraction that dropped the word “Center” from its name in 1994 : EPCOT
103. Scottish dances : REELS
105. Trial for a future atty. : LSAT
106. Regarding : AS TO
107. Scotland’s Fair ___ : ISLE
108. Empties (of) : RIDS
112. Black church inits. : AME
113. Jellied British delicacy : EEL
114. Hack : AXE
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12 thoughts on “0819-18 NY Times Crossword 19 Aug 18, Sunday”
Comments are closed.
DNF. Tough one for me… ‘Nuff said!
Re; August 19 2001 Crossword
I don’t know why I had a problem with this puzzle. I usually complete a puzzle in less than a half hour. When I finally (after going back to it a few times) got it finished I was astonished how obvious the answers were and don’t know why I had such a hard time with it. I should have known better. I think I was looking for much more complicated answers. Ten lashes with a wet noodle to me for failing to “get” this puzzle much sooner. Let’s continue to see more Will Shortz – one of my favorite constructors.
I don’t know why I had a hard time with this puzzle. When I finally got it finished (after dropping it and going back to it for two days) I was surprised how uncomplicated it was. I think I was expecting much more esoteric answers. Ten lashes for a wet noodle to me for not “getting” this puzzle much faster. Will Shortz is one of my favorite constructors.
Comment noted above. Posted it twice already.
Angela Osborne
AngelaOsborneNY@gmail.com
1 hr. And 45 min. And 2 dumb mistakes.
For whatever reason I did not enjoy this puzzle and its clues.
Maybe it’s just me.
*Exhale* 43:42, and miraculously, escaped error free. RILKE was a total guess, as PITSAW made absolutely zero sense to me. Oh well, I’ll take it as a gift from the crossword gods. Good challenge, this.
39:58, no errors. Made the same WAG on the cross of RILKE/PITSAW, based on my unfamiliarity with either term, any vowel would have worked equally well. Although I am very impressed with the setters ability to construct this grid using the given theme, I am not impressed with themes’ end result.
Re: 35A-Ken Starr was fired in May 2016 due to cover up of rapes committed by Baylor athletes.
60 minutes, 2 errors on WAGs. Challenging, though underwhelming on the fun factor.
This was a challenging puzzle for me and took way too long. I ended up getting most of it right. I’ll take what I could get today.
My paper printed 22 Across as
“_____ proven ale” so I figured a brewery connoisseur would be familiar with the phrase… (eye roll)
Grrr, Press Enterprise!
36:30 after correcting a one-square error: I had entered “CAPE” instead of “CANE” (a not entirely unreasonable answer), giving me “DAPA” instead of “DANA” for Mr. Perino (someone I’d never heard of) and neglected to go back and review the choice. Not a bad puzzle, but definitely a bit more of a slog than usual.