0825-18 NY Times Crossword 25 Aug 18, Saturday

Constructed by: Roland Huget
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 27m 31s

Bill’s errors: 2

  • WOMYN (homyn)
  • WIN (hin!!!)

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1. Tex-Mex morsel : PINTO BEAN

Pinto beans are so-called because their skins have a mottled (“pinto”) appearance.

15. Pop group with the 1993 #2 hit “All That She Wants” : ACE OF BASE

Ace of Base is a pop group from Sweden. The band had several names before settling on “Ace of Base”, which was inspired by the Motörhead song “Ace of Spades”.

18. Artifacts, to archaeologists : FINDS

“Archaeology” is a word that looks like it’s British English, and one might be forgiven for using the spelling “archeology” in American English. Even though the latter spelling has been around for a couple of hundred years, the former is the standard spelling on both sides of the Atlantic.

22. Mountain home : AERIE

An aerie is the nest of an eagle, and is also known as an eyrie.

24. Equatorial Guinea joined it in 2017 : OPEC

Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

Equatorial Guinea is the only country on the African continent that has Spanish as her official language. The nation, located on the central west coast, was formerly the colony of Spanish Guinea and gained independence from Spain in 1968.

27. This blows! : TNT

“TNT” is an abbreviation for trinitrotoluene. Trinitrotoluene was first produced in 1863 by the German chemist Joseph Wilbrand, who developed it for use as a yellow dye. TNT is relatively difficult to detonate so it was on the market as a dye for some years before its more explosive properties were discovered.

35. Detective in “The French Connection” : DOYLE

New York cop Eddie Egan was responsible for breaking up an organized crime ring in the city in 1961, and the seizing of a record amount of heroin (112 pounds). His exploits were chronicled in a book by Robin Moore, which in turn was the basis of the movie “The French Connection” released in 1971. Gene Hackman played Popeye Doyle in the movie, the character based on Egan. Paradoxically, when Egan retired from the police force he started acting and played small roles in 22 movies and television shows.

36. Lamb, by another name : ELIA

The “Essays of Elia” began appearing in “London Magazine” in 1820, and were immediate hits with the public. The author was Charles Lamb, and “Elia” was actually a clerk with whom Lamb worked. The most famous of the essays in the collection are probably “Dream-Children” and “Old China”.

40. Big name in cookware : T-FAL

Tefal (also “T-Fal”) is a French manufacturer of cookware, famous for its nonstick line. The name “Tefal” is a portmanteau, of TEFlon and ALuminum, the key materials used in producing their pots and pans.

48. Material in translation : RNA

Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) is an essential catalyst in the manufacture of proteins in the body. The genetic code in DNA determines the sequence of amino acids that make up each protein. That sequence is read in DNA by messenger RNA, and amino acids are delivered for protein manufacture in the correct sequence by what is called transfer RNA. The amino acids are then formed into proteins by ribosomal RNA.

49. Some chats, briefly : IMS

Even though instant messaging (sending IMs) has been around since the 1960s, it was AOL who popularized the term “instant message” in the eighties and nineties. The “AOL Instant Message” service was known as AIM.

50. Behind : TUSH

“Tush”, a word meaning “backside”, is an abbreviation of “tochus” that comes from the Yiddish “tokhes”.

51. First chairman of the E.E.O.C., familiarly : FDR JR

“Equal Employment Opportunity” (EEO) is a term that has been around since 1964 when the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was set up by the Civil Rights Act. Title VII of the Act prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin or religion.

59. Group in feminist writing : WOMYN

Some feminists use an alternative spelling for the word “women”, including “womyn” and “womban”.

62. Whence the line “Beauty, terrible beauty! A deathless goddess – so she strikes our eyes!” : ILIAD

“The Iliad” is an epic poem by the Greek poet Homer that tells the story of the ten-year siege of Ilium (also known as “Troy”) during the Trojan war. “The Odyssey”, also attributed to Homer, is sometimes described as a sequel to “The Iliad”.

64. ___-Poo, son of the Mikado : NANKI

“The Mikado” is a wonderful comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan that is set in the exotic location of Japan. “Mikado” is a word formerly used for the “Emperor of Japan”. In the story, Nanki-Poo is the Mikado’s son, who falls in love with Yum-Yum.

Down

3. Yoko Ono, artistically, in the 1960s : NEO-DADAIST

The Neo-Dada movement in art and literature was alive and well in the fifties and sixties. The label “Neo-Dada” reflects the similarities with the earlier Dada movement that thrived in the early 1900s. One of the more famous names associated with the Neo-Dada is Yoko Ono.

4. Equivalent of a megagram : TONNE

The “tonne” is also called a “metric ton”, and is equivalent to 1,000 kg (or 2,205 lb). The tonne isn’t an official unit of mass in the metric system, but it is used a lot.

7. Theme of Cirque du Soleil’s “O,” appropriately : EAU

Cirque du Soleil is an entertainment company based in Montreal. The company was founded in 1984 by two former street performers, and stages spectacular shows that are a dramatic mix of circus and street entertainment. I’ve seen several Cirque du Soleil shows over the years, and have thoroughly every single one.

10. First, second and third place : INFIELD

That would be baseball.

14. Where victims of arrests are taken, for short : ERS

Emergency room (ER)

21. Mental health org. : APA

American Psychiatric Association (APA)

23. Historic town in Berkshire : ETON

Eton College near Windsor in the south of England was founded way back in 1440 by King Henry VI. Originally known as “The King’s College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor”, the school was intended to provided free education to poor boys. Free education today at Eton? Not so much …

26. Basic skateboarding trick : OLLIE

An ollie is a skateboarding trick invented in 1976 by Alan “Ollie” Gelfand. Apparently it’s a way of lifting the board off the ground, while standing on it, without touching the board with one’s hands. Yeah, I could do that …

29. Classic musical with the song “A Hymn to Him” : MY FAIR LADY

George Bernard Shaw’s play “Pygmalion” was adapted by Lerner and Loewe to become the Broadway musical “My Fair Lady”. The musical spun off the wonderful 1964 film of the same name starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison. To cockney Eliza Doolittle, Professor Henry Higgins was “‘Enry ‘Iggins”.

31. Hides : PELTS

A pelt is the skin of a furry animal.

34. “Yo mama” joke, e.g. : DIS

“Dis” is a slang term meaning “insult” that originated in the eighties. It is a shortened form of “disrespect” or “dismiss”.

44. Coiner of the words “chortle” and “frabjous” : CARROLL

Lewis Carroll was the pen name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. He was born in 1832 in the village of Daresbury near Warrington in the county of Cheshire, in the northwest of England. And, let’s not forget one of Carroll’s most beloved characters, the Cheshire Cat.

46. Modern connection inits. : USB

Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard dealing with how computers and electronic devices connect and communicate, and deal with electrical power through those connections.

47. Home of Vegas’s World Series of Poker : THE RIO

The Rio casino in Las Vegas was opened in 1990, originally targeting the local population as it is located off the famous Strip where most of the tourists hang out. Famously, the Rio opened up the adults-only Sapphire Pool in 2008, a pay-to-enter (only men paid) topless pool club that featured music and dancers. A year later the Sapphire Pool was closed down after there were eleven arrests for drugs and prostitution offences during an undercover police operation.

53. Bugs Bunny’s girlfriend : LOLA

Bugs Bunny’s girlfriend is Lola Bunny, who first appeared in the 1996 movie “Space Jam”.

54. Exiled ruler of 1979 : AMIN

Idi Amin received most of his military training in the British armed forces, eventually achieving the highest rank possible for a Black African in the British Colonial Army in 1959, that of Warrant Officer. On his return to Uganda Amin joined his country’s military and quickly rose to the rank of Deputy Commander of the Army. During that time he was quite the athlete. He was a noted rugby player and swimmer, and for nine years held the Ugandan national light-heavyweight boxing title. By the early seventies, Amin was commander of all the armed forces of Uganda and in 1971 seized power in a military coup, displacing the country’s president Milton Obote. There followed seven years of brutal rule by Amin during which it is estimated that between 100,000 and 500,000 people were murdered. Amin was ousted from power in 1979 after a war with Tanzania, and fled to Libya where he stayed for a year. He then moved to Saudi Arabia, where he was financially supported by the Saudi Royal Family for the remainder of his life. Amin died in 2003.

55. Auto dial : TACH

The tachometer takes its name from the Greek word “tachos” meaning “speed”. A tachometer in a car measures engine revolutions per minute (rpm).

59. The “1” in 1-9 : WIN

Wins-Losses

61. – : DAH

Samuel Morse came up with the forerunner to modern Morse code for use on the electric telegraph, of which he was the co-inventor. Morse code uses a series of dots and dashes to represent letters and numbers. The most common letters are assigned the simplest code elements e.g. E is represented by one dot, and T is represented by one dash. When words are spelled aloud in Morse code, a dot is pronounced as “dit”, and a dash is pronounced as “dah”.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Tex-Mex morsel : PINTO BEAN
10. “Ooh-la-la!” : I LIKE!
15. Pop group with the 1993 #2 hit “All That She Wants” : ACE OF BASE
16. Polite rejection : NO, SIR
17. Tough crowd? : GOON SQUAD
18. Artifacts, to archaeologists : FINDS
19. Program-closing command on a PC : END NOW
20. Gripes : PLAINTS
22. Mountain home : AERIE
24. Equatorial Guinea joined it in 2017 : OPEC
25. Lay the groundwork? : SOD
27. This blows! : TNT
28. Common classroom adornment : WALL MAP
32. Acts all-powerful : PLAYS GOD
35. Detective in “The French Connection” : DOYLE
36. Lamb, by another name : ELIA
37. Scissors : SNIPS
40. Big name in cookware : T-FAL
41. ___ business : RISKY
43. Maritime graphic : SEA CHART
45. Ration : METE OUT
48. Material in translation : RNA
49. Some chats, briefly : IMS
50. Behind : TUSH
51. First chairman of the E.E.O.C., familiarly : FDR JR
53. Wager : LAY A BET
56. Heat : PRELIM
59. Group in feminist writing : WOMYN
60. Air traveler? : RADIO WAVE
62. Whence the line “Beauty, terrible beauty! A deathless goddess – so she strikes our eyes!” : ILIAD
63. “Told you!” : I CALLED IT!
64. ___-Poo, son of the Mikado : NANKI
65. “Abso-freakin’-lutely!” : OH HELL YES!

Down

1. One running for the Senate? : PAGE
2. Supercelebrity : ICON
3. Yoko Ono, artistically, in the 1960s : NEO-DADAIST
4. Equivalent of a megagram : TONNE
5. In a way : OF SORTS
6. Sweet-and-spicy sports bar snack : BBQ WINGS
7. Theme of Cirque du Soleil’s “O,” appropriately : EAU
8. “Hurry!” : ASAP!
9. Renowned pirate captain during the Golden Age of Piracy : NED LOW
10. First, second and third place : INFIELD
11. Primitive attire : LOINCLOTH
12. “Who ___?” : ISN’T
13. Department store section : KIDS
14. Where victims of arrests are taken, for short : ERS
21. Mental health org. : APA
23. Historic town in Berkshire : ETON
25. Certain bank deposit : SPERM
26. Basic skateboarding trick : OLLIE
29. Classic musical with the song “A Hymn to Him” : MY FAIR LADY
30. Freak out : ALARM
31. Hides : PELTS
33. Talk, talk, talk : YAKETY YAK
34. “Yo mama” joke, e.g. : DIS
38. Ideal, in teenspeak : PERF
39. Contents of a playground box : SAND PILE
42. We : YOU AND I
44. Coiner of the words “chortle” and “frabjous” : CARROLL
46. Modern connection inits. : USB
47. Home of Vegas’s World Series of Poker : THE RIO
52. Turquoise or aquamarine : JEWEL
53. Bugs Bunny’s girlfriend : LOLA
54. Exiled ruler of 1979 : AMIN
55. Auto dial : TACH
57. Good name for a landscaper? : IVIE
58. ___-Willets Point (subway station in Queens, N.Y.) : METS
59. The “1” in 1-9 : WIN
61. – : DAH

11 thoughts on “0825-18 NY Times Crossword 25 Aug 18, Saturday”

  1. 34:08 For a few minutes all I had was shah at 54A which turned out to be wrong. Next thing was RNA which allowed me to get the middle section and then slowly but surely worked around clockwise to get everything. Tough but fun.

  2. 33:14, no errors. A slow solve everywhere, but I slowed down to a complete crawl in the upper left, where I spent my last 10 or 15 minutes. Nevertheless, I persevered and, as old Will said, all’s well that ends well! Quite a tussle … 😜.

  3. Slow, but finished with no errors. 10D? – Had to twist my thinking a bit, but the infield is the PLACE where first, second and third base are located.

  4. DNF after 33 minutes. About 75% filled, but upper left and lower right did me in. In the upper left: the combination of 6D OF SORTS; 7D HOT WINGS & 17A GANGSTERS eliminated any chance of filling that quadrant. In the bottom right: although I filled in 44D CARROLL; 63A I CALLED IT & 69A OH HELL YES; I could not see RADIO WAVE.

  5. This one beat me, even cheating. Too tough for me. I don’t know whether to blame the setter or myself, but either way the puzzle bested me.

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