1013-18 NY Times Crossword 13 Oct 18, Saturday

Constructed by: Kevin G. Der
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 26m 50s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1. Rhimes who created “Grey’s Anatomy” : SHONDA

Shonda Rhimes is the creator and head writer of the TV shows “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal”. She also serves as executive producer for the crime shows “How to Get Away with Murder” and “The Catch”. Rhimes also runs her own production company called Shondaland.

The very successful hospital drama “Grey’s Anatomy” has been on television since 2005. The title is a reference to the show’s central character, Meredith Grey (played by Ellen Pompeo), as well as a reference to the classic human anatomy textbook commonly called “Gray’s Anatomy”.

18. 2006 Emmy winner for “The West Wing” : ALAN ALDA

Alan Alda has had a great television career, especially of course as a lead actor in “M*A*S*H”. Alda won his first Emmy in 1972, for playing surgeon Hawkeye Pierce on “M*A*S*H”. He also won an Emmy in 2006 for his portrayal of Presidential candidate Senator Arnold Vinick in “The West Wing”. When it comes to the big screen, my favorite of Alda’s movies is the 1978 romantic comedy “Same Time, Next Year” in which he starred opposite Ellen Burstyn.

22. Org. that might take the government to court : ACLU

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has its roots in the First World War when it was founded to provide legal advice and support to conscientious objectors. The ACLU’s motto is “Because Freedom Can’t Protect Itself”. The ACLU also hosts a blog on the ACLU.org website called “Speak Freely”.

24. Symbol of militarism : ARES

The Greek god Ares is often referred to as the Olympian god of warfare, but originally he was regarded as the god of bloodlust and slaughter. Ares united with Aphrodite to create several gods, including Phobos (Fear), Deimos (Terror) and Eros (Desire). Ares was the son of Zeus and Hera, and the Roman equivalent to Ares was Mars.

25. Women’s soccer star Krieger : ALI

Ali Krieger was a member of the 2015 Women’s World Cup-winning US soccer team. Krieger lived for five years in Germany, playing for FFC Frankfurt.

26. Means of drawing up solutions : PIPETS

A pipette (also “pipet”) is tool used in a lab to transport an accurately measured volume of liquid. Back in my day, we would suck up the liquid into the pipette by applying our mouths to the top of the instrument. This could be quite dangerous, as one ended up with a mouthful of something unsavory if one lifted the top of pipette out of the liquid too soon. Nowadays, things are much safer.

29. Lead actress in 2017’s “The Big Sick” : ZOE KAZAN

The actress Zoe Kazan is a granddaughter of famed film and theater director Elia Kazan.

40. Small falcons : KESTRELS

The name kestrel applies to several different types of falcon. What distinguishes kestrels from other falcons is their behavior. Kestrels hover when hunting, at 50-60 feet above the ground, and then swoop down when they spot their prey.

47. Like discussions of metaphysics : DEEP

The word “metaphysics” comes from the Greek “meta” (beyond) and “physika” (physical). Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy that investigates reality beyond the principles of science. Not something I would understand …

53. Pill bug, for one : ISOPOD

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.

57. “The Son of Man” artist : MAGRITTE

Belgian artist René Magritte was a surrealist. His most recognized work maybe is “The Son of Man”, a painting he created as a self-portrait. It is the work that shows a man in a bowler hat with his face covered by an apple. The image features prominently in a great movie, the 1999 remake of “The Thomas Crown Affair”.

58. Illuminating comment : APERCU

An apercu is a first view, a glance. By extension, the term “apercu” can also be used for a detached view, an overview or a short synopsis. “Aperçu” is French for “perceived”.

60. Volleyball team, e.g. : SEXTET

In volleyball, each team can only touch the ball a maximum of three times before it returns to the other side of the net. The three contacts are often a “bump” (a preliminary pass) and a “set” (setting up the attacking shot) followed by a “spike” (a shot into the opposing court).

Down

2. Hit movie with the tagline “A family comedy without the family” : HOME ALONE

“Home Alone” is a 1990 film starring Macaulay Culkin that has become a Christmas classic. Culkin was nominated for a Best Actor Golden Globe for his performance, becoming the youngest actor ever to be so honored.

3. Leaning column? : OP-ED PIECE

“Op-ed” is an abbreviation for “opposite the editorial page”. Op-eds started in “The New York Evening World” in 1921 when the page opposite the editorials was used for articles written by a named guest writer, someone independent of the editorial board.

9. Jennifer who wrote the Pulitzer-winning “A Visit From the Goon Squad” : EGAN

Jennifer Egan is an author who grew up in San Francisco. Egan’s 2010 work “A Visit from the Goon Squad” won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Usually termed a novel, “A Visit from the Goon Squad” is structured in such a way that it is sometimes described as a collection of linked short stories.

10. Title for Princess Anne beginning in 1982 : AUNT

Born in 1982, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge is the elder of the two sons of Charles and Diana, Prince and Princess of Wales. As such, William is second in line to the British throne, after his father.

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.

13. Actress MacDowell : ANDIE

Andie MacDowell is an American actress who seems to turn up in quite a few British productions set in that part of the world. Most famously she was the love interest in the fabulous film “Four Weddings and a Funeral” starring opposite Hugh Grant. I also enjoyed another of her movies, “Groundhog Day”, which is a fun tale set back here in the US.

14. First Nobel laureate from Ireland : YEATS

Irish poet and dramatist William Butler Yeats won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923 for “inspired poetry” that gave “expression to a whole nation”. Yeats was Ireland’s first Nobel laureate.

23. Big Four workers, for short : CPAS

Certified public accountant (CPA)

The Big Four accountancy firms are Ernst & Young, Deloitte, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

27. Ancestor of Methuselah : ENOS

Enos was the son of Seth, and therefore the grandson of Adam and Eve. According to the ancient Jewish work called the Book of Jubilees, Enos married his own sister Noam.

Methuselah was the son of Enoch and the grandfather of Noah, and the man in the Bible who is reported to have lived the longest. Methuselah passed away seven days before the onset of the Great Flood, and tradition holds that he was 969 years old when he died.

28. One might result from negligence : TORT

“Tort” is a French word meaning “mischief, injury or wrong”. In common law, a tort is a civil wrong that results in the injured party suffering loss or harm, and the injuring party having a legal liability. Tort law differs from criminal law in that torts may result from negligence and not just intentional actions. Also, tort lawsuits may be decided on a preponderance of evidence, without the need of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

30. World’s most-followed Twitter user, as of 2018 : KATY PERRY

Katy Perry is an American singer who grew up listening to and singing gospel music, as she was the daughter of two Christian pastors. In fact, her first musical release was a gospel album in 2001. She has branched out since then. Her first successful single was “Ur so Gay”, followed by “I Kissed A Girl”. She was married (for only a year) to the British comedian Russell Brand, until 2012.

31. Trailblazing athlete of the 1970s : ASHE

The great American tennis player Arthur Ashe spent the last years of his life writing his memoir called “Days of Grace”. He finished the manuscript just a few days before he passed away, dying from AIDS caused by a tainted blood transfusion.

40. Diet in the Mideast : KNESSET

The Knesset is the legislative branch of the Israeli government, and does its business in the Givat Ram neighborhood of central Jerusalem.

A Diet was a general assembly of the estates of the former Holy Roman Empire. The most famous of these assemblies was the Diet of Worms, a 16th-century meeting that took place in the small town of Worms on the Rhine River in Germany. The main item on the agenda was discussion of the 95 theses of Martin Luther. Luther was summoned to the meeting, and there found to be guilty of heresy and so was subsequently excommunicated by the Pope.

46. Lowercase letter resembling a “w” : OMEGA

Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet and is the one that looks like a horseshoe when in uppercase. The lowercase omega looks like a Latin W. The word “omega” literally means “great O” (O-mega). Compare this with the Greek letter Omicron, meaning “little O” (O-micron).

49. Global currency market with a portmanteau name : FOREX

Foreign exchange market (Forex)

52. Good Tinder outcome : DATE

Tinder is a matchmaking app that uses Facebook profiles. Users “swipe” photos of potential matches, either to the right (“like”) or to the left (“not interested”). Users who “match” each other can then chat within the app.

54. Dweller in Apt. 1-A, say : SUPE

“Supe” is short for “supervisor”.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Rhimes who created “Grey’s Anatomy” : SHONDA
7. Dieter’s time of indulgence : CHEAT DAY
15. Reach the limit : TOP OUT
16. 2016 film whose climax is on the planet Scarif : ROGUE ONE
17. They might be made to reconcile : AMENDS
18. 2006 Emmy winner for “The West Wing” : ALAN ALDA
19. Give extra medication : REDOSE
20. Got cracking : WENT TO IT
21. Problems with a collection : GAPS
22. Org. that might take the government to court : ACLU
24. Symbol of militarism : ARES
25. Women’s soccer star Krieger : ALI
26. Means of drawing up solutions : PIPETS
29. Lead actress in 2017’s “The Big Sick” : ZOE KAZAN
33. Fair : NOT BAD
37. Wraps up : ENCASES
38. Composer Arcangelo who inspired a set of Rachmaninoff variations : CORELLI
39. Not quite blow : SEETHE
40. Small falcons : KESTRELS
41. Collaborative principle in improv comedy : YES, AND …
43. Nursery cry : WAH!
44. Take the edge off? : CROP
47. Like discussions of metaphysics : DEEP
49. Theme in some time travel fiction : FATE
50. Green refreshers : LIMEADES
53. Pill bug, for one : ISOPOD
55. Isn’t discrete : OVERLAPS
56. Nissan crossover named for an Italian city : MURANO
57. “The Son of Man” artist : MAGRITTE
58. Illuminating comment : APERCU
59. Try out, as a game : PLAY-TEST
60. Volleyball team, e.g. : SEXTET

Down

1. Gets a twinkle in one’s eyes? : STARGAZES
2. Hit movie with the tagline “A family comedy without the family” : HOME ALONE
3. Leaning column? : OP-ED PIECE
4. Texting while driving, and others : NO-NOS
5. Hardly smashes : DUDS
6. Flummoxed : AT SEA
7. Come home after a night of heavy drinking, say : CRAWL IN
8. Go into seclusion : HOLE UP
9. Jennifer who wrote the Pulitzer-winning “A Visit From the Goon Squad” : EGAN
10. Title for Princess Anne beginning in 1982 : AUNT
11. Leaves work? : TEA TASTER
12. Sadness : DOLOR
13. Actress MacDowell : ANDIE
14. First Nobel laureate from Ireland : YEATS
23. Big Four workers, for short : CPAS
27. Ancestor of Methuselah : ENOS
28. One might result from negligence : TORT
30. World’s most-followed Twitter user, as of 2018 : KATY PERRY
31. Trailblazing athlete of the 1970s : ASHE
32. Cartoonist’s indicator of nodding : ZEES
34. Exploded : BLEW APART
35. In the blink of an eye : ALL AT ONCE
36. Served : DISHED OUT
38. Let go of : CEDE
40. Diet in the Mideast : KNESSET
42. Virtuosi : ADEPTS
44. Fail to tread lightly : CLOMP
45. #2, to #1 : RIVAL
46. Lowercase letter resembling a “w” : OMEGA
48. Members of an Arizona tribe : PIMAS
49. Global currency market with a portmanteau name : FOREX
51. Came to roost : ALIT
52. Good Tinder outcome : DATE
54. Dweller in Apt. 1-A, say : SUPE

8 thoughts on “1013-18 NY Times Crossword 13 Oct 18, Saturday”

  1. 23:36 after finding and fixing an error: I entered “SESTET” (a literary term for a particular group of six things) instead of “SEXTET” (the general term for a group of six things) for 60A, giving me “FORES” instead of “FOREX” (something I have no memory of ever having encountered) for 49D. Silly me … 😜.

  2. 18:47 Everythjng clicked for me today. Got SHONDA and HOMEALONE and I was off to the races. Bottom right was a bit of a stumbling block but not for long. This is very much different than yesterday which took me forever (50 mins.), much longer than it seems to have taken everyone else. It’s weird how some days everything makes sense and other days everythjng is a struggle.

  3. DNF. After about 45 minutes, I had to cheat a few times to fill in the rest of the puzzle. Just too many things I didn’t know. I don’t think I knew one tv or movie reference from this grid off the top of my head not to mention MAGRITTE, KESTRELS and a few others. Painful experience.

    I think I’ll go pick up a Word Search puzzle book for children. That should help me feel better…

    Best –

  4. DNF after one hour and 30 minutes the bottom left did me in along with several other errors.
    IMO a very tough puzzle even for a Saturday .

  5. Almost gave up twice, but got lucky with a few guesses (mostly single letters in the various unfamiliar names) and that opened things up.
    Lower right was troublesome. All in all difficult, but educational.

  6. Finished with 3 squares incorrect but considering the difficulty of this puzzle I was happy to finish.

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