0928-18 NY Times Crossword 28 Sep 18, Friday

Constructed by: Kameron Austin Collins
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 22m 41s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1. Suzanne Somers’s role on “Three’s Company” : CHRISSY

Suzanne Somers is an actress whose big break came playing the ditzy Chrissy Snow on the sitcom “Three’s Company”. When contracts came up for renewal for the cast in the fifth season, the relationship between Somers and the producers soured rapidly. Somers went on a strike of sorts and for most of the fifth season made only token appearances in the show in scenes that were filmed without other members of the regular cast. The Chrissy Snow character was replaced in the sixth season.

The tremendously successful US sitcom “Three’s Company” ran from 1977 to 1984. The show was actually a remake of an equally successful British sitcom called “Man About the House”. I must, I was a fan of both shows. The American show started its run with three roommates, played by Joyce DeWitt, Suzanne Somers and John Ritter. The trio lived in an apartment building owned by characters Stanley and Helen Roper. The Ropers were eventually replaced by landlord Ralph Furley, played by the marvelous Don Knotts.

8. Wind River tribe : ARAPAHO

The Arapaho tribe lived on the eastern plains of Colorado and Wyoming. The Arapaho traditionally wintered in small camps in the foothills of the Rockies, and then relocated to plains in the spring where they hunted the buffalo that were gathering to give birth to their young.

Wind River Indian Reservation is in Wyoming, and is shared by the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Native American tribes.

20. Marriott competitor : RADISSON

The first Radisson hotel opened in 1909 in Minneapolis. The hotel name was chosen in honor of the 17th-century French explorer Pierre-Esprit Radisson.

22. Six-time All-Star Ron : CEY

Ron Cey played third base for the Dodgers, the Cubs and the A’s.

30. 2001 Destiny’s Child #1 hit with the lyric “I don’t think you ready for this jelly” : BOOTYLICIOUS

Destiny’s Child was an R&B group active from 1960 to 2006. The trio’s lineup changed over the years, and probably the most famous former member of the group is Beyoncé Knowles.

36. Figures in the Edda : NORSE DEITIES

The Poetic Edda and Prose Edda are two ancient works that are the source for much of Norse mythology. Both Eddas were written in the 13th century, in Iceland.

38. Peak that marks the eastern boundary of Yosemite Natl. Park : MT DANA

President Abraham Lincoln passed a bill in 1864 creating the Yosemite Grant, which was the first piece of federal legislature that set aside park land for preservation and public use. The Yosemite Grant paved the way for the creation of Yellowstone as the nation’s first national park in 1872. Yosemite was made a national park in 1890.

41. LP, e.g. : DISC

The first vinyl records designed to play at 33⅓ rpm were introduced by RCA Victor in 1931, but were discontinued due to quality problems. The first long play (LP) 33⅓ rpm disc was introduced by Columbia Records many years later in 1948, with RCA Victor following up with a 45 rpm “single” the following year, in 1949.

42. Dennings of “2 Broke Girls” : KAT

Kat Dennings is the stage name of actress Katherine Litwack, noted today for her co-starring role on CBS’s sitcom “2 Broke Girls”. Dennings is an avid blogger, and you can check out her video blog on YouTube.

“2 Broke Girls” is a sitcom about two young ladies sharing an apartment in Brooklyn, and their attempts to launch a cupcake business. The title characters are played by Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs.

43. Apple picker : EVE

In the Christian tradition, the “fall of man” took place in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve succumbed to the temptation of eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This went against the bidding of God, and was at the urging of the serpent. As a result, Adam and Eve were banished from Eden to prevent them becoming immortal by eating from the tree of life. The first humans had transitioned from a state of innocent obedience to a state of guilty disobedience.

45. Big name in house paint : BEHR

The name of the Behr brand of paint is pronounced “bear”, and the cans even have a bear logo. The company was founded in 1947 by Otho Behr, Jr.

50. Autobiographer who wrote that tennis is “the loneliest sport” : AGASSI

Retired tennis professional Andre Agassi has been married to fellow player Steffi Graf since 2001. Agassi wrote an autobiography called “Open”, published in 2009. An amazing revelation in the book is that Agassi’s famous head of hair was actually a wig for much of his playing career. Can you imagine how hard it must have been to play tennis at his level with a rug stuck on?

54. Colorful beach sighting : RED TIDE

An algal bloom that takes on a red or brown color is commonly referred to as “red tide”. The algae causing the bloom are phytoplankton containing photosynthetic pigments that give the red/brown color. Some red tides are extremely harmful to marine life as there can be a depletion of oxygen dissolved in the seawater. The algae can also contain natural toxins that can kill those creatures that eat it.

56. King’s staff : SCEPTER

A scepter is a ceremonial staff, one often held by a monarch.

Down

3. User of a popular social news site : REDDITOR

Reddit.com is a networking and news website that started up in 2005. It is essentially a bulletin board system with posts that are voted up and down by users, which determines the ranking of posts. The name “Reddit” is a play on “read it”, as in “I read it on Reddit”. One popular feature of the Reddit site is an online forum that is similar to a press conference. Known as an AMA (for “ask me anything”), participants have included the likes of President Barack Obama, Madonna, Bill Gates, Stephen Colbert and Gordon Ramsay. President Obama’s AMA was so popular that the high level of traffic brought down many parts of the Reddit site.

5. Actress Thompson of “Family” : SADA

Sada Thompson was an actress from Des Moines, Iowa. Thompson is best known for playing the mother and wife in the eighties television drama series called “Family”.

8. Revlon cosmetics brand : ALMAY

The Almay brand of cosmetics was established back in 1931. Almay was founded by Alfred and Fanny May Woititz, who melded their given names to come up with the brand name (Al-may). The couple were driven to invent the products as Fanny May needed cosmetics that did not irritate her skin.

Revlon was founded in the depths of the Great Depression in 1932 by Charles and Joseph Revson. The “S” in the “Revson” name was replaced by the “L” from Charles “Lachman”, a chemist who partnered with the two brothers.

11. Boxers : PUGS

“Pug” is a slang term for fighter, and for a boxer in particular. The term is short for “pugilist”.

“Pugilism”, another word for “boxing”, comes from the Latin “pugil” meaning “boxer”. In turn, “pugil” derives from “pugnus”, the word for “fist”.

12. Setting for the 1996 best seller “Into the Wild” : ALASKA

“Into the Wild” is an interesting film directed by Sean Penn that is based on a nonfiction book of the same name by Jon Krakauer. The book and movie tell the true story of Christopher McCandless, a young man who hiked into the Alaskan wilderness with very little food and equipment, seeking an extended period of solitude. After four months alone he was found dead from starvation. At time of death, he weighed only 67 pounds.

13. Symbols of innocence : HALOES

The Greek word “halos” is the name given to the ring of light around the sun or moon, which gives us our word “halo” that is used for a radiant light depicted above the head of a saintly person.

14. Jungle swingers, for short : ORANGS

Orangutans (also “orangs”) are arboreal creatures, the largest arboreal animals known to man. They are native to Indonesia and Malaysia, and live in the rainforests. Like most species in rainforests these days, orangutans are endangered, with only two species surviving. The word “orangutan” is Malay, meaning “man of the forest”.

22. Salon jobs : COIFS

A coif is a hairdo. The term “coif” comes from an old French term “coife” describing a skull-cap that was worn under a helmet back in the late 13th century.

25. Vacuum brand : DYSON

Dyson vacuum cleaners do not use a bag to collect dust. James Dyson invented the first vacuum cleaner to use cyclonic separation in 1979, frustrated at the poor performance of his regular vacuum cleaner. As Dyson cleaners do not use bags, they don’t have to deal with collection bags that are blocked with fine dust particles, even after emptying. Cyclonic separation uses high speed spinning of the dust-containing air so that the dust particles are thrown out of the airflow into a collection bin. We have a Dyson now, and should have bought it years ago …

29. What the Clintons each took before they met, in brief : LSAT

Law School Admission Test (LSAT)

37. Zebralike : STRIPED

The term “zebra” comes from an old Portuguese word “zevra” meaning “wild ass”. Studies of zebra embryos show that zebras are basically black in color, with white stripes that develop with growth. Before this finding, it was believed they were white, with black stripes.

45. The assassin Sparafucile, in “Rigoletto” : BASSO

“Rigoletto” is one of Giuseppe Verdi’s most famous and oft-performed operas. The storyline comes from a Victor Hugo play called “Le roi s’amuse” (usually translated as “The King’s Fool”). Rigoletto is that king’s fool, the jester.

47. Online lead-in : HTTP …

“http” are the first letters in many Internet links. “http” stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol. More secure and “safer” websites (like this one!) use links starting with “https”, which stands for “http secure”).

49. Big vein : LODE

A lode is a metal ore deposit that’s found between two layers of rock or in a fissure. The mother lode is the principal deposit in a mine, usually of gold or silver. “Mother lode” is probably a translation of “veta madre”, an expression used in mining in Mexico.

51. Cancún kitty : GATO

Cancún is a city and island on the east coast of Mexico, on the other side of the Yucatan Channel from Cuba. The city is growing rapidly due to its booming tourist business. Cancún is the center of what’s often called “The Mexican Caribbean” or the “Mayan Riviera”.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Suzanne Somers’s role on “Three’s Company” : CHRISSY
8. Wind River tribe : ARAPAHO
15. Cornmeal treat : HOECAKE
16. Crescent-shaped : LUNULAR
17. Called things off : ENDED IT
18. Star-studded event held annually at the Anna Wintour Costume Center in New York : MET GALA
19. Highway divider : MEDIAN
20. Marriott competitor : RADISSON
21. “You ain’t ___!” : LYIN’
22. Six-time All-Star Ron : CEY
23. Where college students might take a stand? : KEG
24. Inclined : APT
25. Some acts : DUOS
27. Mercedes line : C CLASS
30. 2001 Destiny’s Child #1 hit with the lyric “I don’t think you ready for this jelly” : BOOTYLICIOUS
33. Notoriously spoiled sort : TRUST-FUND BABY
36. Figures in the Edda : NORSE DEITIES
38. Peak that marks the eastern boundary of Yosemite Natl. Park : MT DANA
41. LP, e.g. : DISC
42. Dennings of “2 Broke Girls” : KAT
43. Apple picker : EVE
44. Writer whose room at the University of Virginia is now a mini-museum : POE
45. Big name in house paint : BEHR
46. Gizmodo or Engadget : TECH BLOG
50. Autobiographer who wrote that tennis is “the loneliest sport” : AGASSI
52. Preferred seating, for some : EXIT ROW
53. Wreck : SMASH UP
54. Colorful beach sighting : RED TIDE
55. Started fuming : GOT SORE
56. King’s staff : SCEPTER
57. Marched : TROOPED

Down

1. Place to get solutions, in brief : CHEM LAB
2. Spy who trades sex for secrets, informally : HONEYPOT
3. User of a popular social news site : REDDITOR
4. Strand during the winter, say : ICE IN
5. Actress Thompson of “Family” : SADA
6. Hide : SKIN
7. Besides : YET
8. Revlon cosmetics brand : ALMAY
9. Wanted to take back, say : RUED
10. Not having : ANTI
11. Boxers : PUGS
12. Setting for the 1996 best seller “Into the Wild” : ALASKA
13. Symbols of innocence : HALOES
14. Jungle swingers, for short : ORANGS
20. Certain adopted pet : RESCUE DOG
22. Salon jobs : COIFS
25. Vacuum brand : DYSON
26. Super-super : ULTRA
27. Does some computer work : CODES
28. Like the equation ax^3 + bx^2 + cx + d = 0 : CUBIC
29. What the Clintons each took before they met, in brief : LSAT
31. ___ steak : TUNA
32. Nonmainstream : INDIE
34. Store that really should have a spokesperson : BIKE SHOP
35. “Why not!” : YEAH SURE!
37. Zebralike : STRIPED
38. Olympic marks : METERS
39. Network V.I.P. : TV EXEC
40. Call : DECIDE
44. Remote button : POWER
45. The assassin Sparafucile, in “Rigoletto” : BASSO
47. Online lead-in : HTTP …
48. One who’s “knackered” when exhausted, informally : BRIT
49. Big vein : LODE
50. Spanish sweetheart : AMOR
51. Cancún kitty : GATO
53. Drill master: Abbr. : SGT