Constructed by: Sam Ezersky
Edited by: Will Shortz
Not your puzzle? Try today’s …
… syndicated NY Times crossword
Today’s Reveal Answer: Go West, Young Man
Themed answers are phrases that end with the letters LAD. But, we take that LAD (YOUNG MAN) and move him to the start of the answer (GO WEST):
- 37A. Horace Greeley’s advice, as followed by 17-, 25-, 50- and 60-Across? : GO WEST, YOUNG MAN
- 17A. Many a hit by Def Leppard : POWER BALLAD
- 25A. Like medieval knights : ARMOR-CLAD
- 50A. Meal served in an edible bowl : TACO SALAD
- 60A. Famously expensive commercial : SUPER BOWL AD
Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers
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Bill’s time: 10m 20s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
14. Ira who wrote “The Stepford Wives” : LEVIN
As well as writing novels, Ira Levin was a dramatist and a songwriter. Levin’s first novel was “A Kiss Before Dying”, and his most famous work was “Rosemary’s Baby” which became a Hollywood hit. His best known play is “Deathtrap”, a production that is often seen in local theater (I’ve seen it a couple of times around here). “Deathtrap” was also was a successful movie, starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve. My favorite of Levin’s novels though are “The Boys from Brazil” and “The Stepford Wives”.
“The Stepford Wives” is a 1972 novel by Ira Levin about a Connecticut community in which the husbands replace their wives with docile robots. There have been two film adaptations of the book, the first released in 1975 and starring Katharine Ross (my favorite). The second movie adaptation, released in 2004, isn’t as good in my opinion, although although Bette Midler plays a great supporting role.
15. South American forest dweller : COATI
A coati is a member of the raccoon family and is also known as the Brazilian aardvark, or the snookum bear. The coati is native to Central and South America, but can also be found in the southwest of the United States.
16. Hoarfrost : RIME
Rime is that beautiful coating of ice that forms on surfaces like roofs, trees and grass, when cold water freezes instantly under the right conditions.
The Old English word “har” meant “gray, venerable, old”, and came into English as “hoar” (and later “hoary”) with the same meaning. The term “hoar-frost” dates back to the 13th century, and reflects the similarity of the white feathers of frost to the gray/white of an old man’s beard.
17. Many a hit by Def Leppard : POWER BALLAD
Def Leppard is a hard rock band from Sheffield in England. Drummer Rick Allen lost his arm in a car crash, severed by an incorrectly-worn seat belt. With the encouragement of the band, he returned to the lineup by using a specially designed electronic drum set. Amazing indeed …
19. Grp. that’s well-financed? : OPEC
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
20. N.F.C. North team, to fans : VIKES
The Minnesota Vikings joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1960. Founded in Minnesota, the team’s name reflects the location’s reputation as a center of Scandinavian American culture.
21. Bit of crab house attire : BIB
The word “bib” comes from the Latin “bibere” meaning “to drink”, as does our word “imbibe”. So, maybe a bib is less about spilling the food, and more about soaking up the booze …
28. Response to oversharing : TMI
Too much information! (TMI)
37. Horace Greeley’s advice, as followed by 17-, 25-, 50- and 60-Across? : GO WEST, YOUNG MAN
Horace Greeley was a newspaper editor and politician. In the media industry, Greeley founded and edited the “New York Tribune”, which was a very influential paper in the 1800s. In an 1865 editorial he wrote the famous words “Go West, young man, go West and grow up with the country.” As a politician, Greeley ran for US President in the 1872 election. He lost that election to Ulysses S. Grant in a landslide. Greeley died not long after the votes were cast, making him the only presidential candidate to have died prior to the counting of electoral college votes.
42. Home of Spaceship Earth : EPCOT
Spaceship Earth is perhaps the structure that comes to mind when we think of Epcot in the Walt Disney World Resort. It is the large, white, 18-story geodesic sphere.
44. Baja blast : FIESTA
Baja California is both the most northern and the most western of the Mexican states. The name translates from Spanish as “Lower California”.
49. #Me___ : TOO
The use of the hashtag #MeToo was encouraged initially by actress Alyssa Milano in 2017 to draw attention to sexual assault and sexual harassment. Milano’s was acting in response to the growing number of allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein. The use of the phrase “Me Too” in the context of sexual misconduct dates back to 2006. Social activist Tarana Burke started to use the phrase on the Myspace social network after a 13-year-old girl told her that she had been sexually assaulted. Apparently, Burke had no response at the time the girl confided in her, but later wished she had responding, “Me too”.
58. Lacking joie de vivre : JADED
“Joie de vivre” means “joy of living” in French. We use the phrase to mean the happy, carefree enjoyment of life, like when we finish our crossword puzzles …
59. Montenegro joined it in 2017 : NATO
Montenegro is a country in Southeastern Europe that once was part of Yugoslavia. “Montenegro” is a historical Italianate translation of “black mountain”.
66. Part of the unconscious : ANIMA
The concepts of anima and animus are found in the Carl Jung school of analytical psychology. The idea is that within each male there resides a feminine inner personality called the anima, and within each female there is a male inner personality known as the animus.
68. N.F.L. quarterback Drew : BREES
Drew Brees is a quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. On top of his success in the NFL, when he was a youth Brees was an excellent tennis player. In one competition he actually beat a young Andy Roddick who later became the world’s number one.
Down
2. Arm for taking needles, for short? : DEA
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
4. Fatty compound : LIPID
Lipids are a groups of naturally occurring molecules including fats, waxes and fat-soluble vitamins (like A, D and E). Sometimes we use the words “fat” and “lipid” interchangeably but fats are a subgroup of lipids, specifically a group best called triglycerides.
5. Japanese mushroom : ENOKI
Enokitake (also known as “enoki”) are long and thin white mushrooms often added to soups or salads.
6. Air Medal recipients : ACES
The Air Medal is a US military decoration that was created in 1942 in an executive order signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Air Medal is awarded for acts of heroism or merit in aerial flight.
8. “Yabba ___ doo!” : DABBA
“Yabba-dabba-doo!” is one of Fred Flintstone’s catchphrases.
11. Kendrick Lamar’s genre : HIP-HOP
Kendrick Lamar is a hip-hop singer from Compton, California. Lamar’s full name is Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, with the singer’s given name honoring Motown artist Eddie Kendricks.
12. Egyptian “king of the gods” : AMEN-RA
Amun (also “Amon, Amen, Amun-Ra”) was a god in Egyptian mythology. Amun lends his name to our word “ammonia”. This is because the Romans called the ammonium chloride that they collected near the Temple of Jupiter Amun, “sal ammoniacus” (salt of Amun).
13. Boil down : DECOCT
To decoct is to extract the flavor of a liquid by boiling down and increasing the concentration. A related term is “to concoct”, meaning “to boil together”. We use the verb “to concoct” in figurative sense to mean to contrive, devise.
25. Benghazi’s land : LIBYA
Benghazi is the second largest city in Libya, after the capital Tripoli. It is a port city lying on the Mediterranean Sea.
29. Crystal ___ : METH
“Meth” is a street name used for the drug methamphetamine, which is also called “crank” and “crystal meth”.
33. Gossip : YENTA
Yenta (also “Yente”) is actually a female Yiddish name. In Yiddish theater “yenta” came to mean a busybody, a gossip.
35. ___ nova : BOSSA
Bossa nova is a style of music from Brazil that evolved from samba. The most famous piece of bossa nova is the song “The Girl from Ipanema”.
38. Site of zero-gravity experiments : SPACELAB
Spacelab was a modular science laboratory that was carried in the cargo bay of 32 Space Shuttle missions from 1981 until 2000. It was designed and constructed by 10 European nations with funds from the European Space Agency (ESA), with NASA providing ground facilities and managing Space Shuttle flights.
40. Beginner, in video game lingo : NOOB
“Noob” is a not-so-nice slang term for a “newbie”, and often refers to someone who is new to an online community.
52. Marsh plant : SEDGE
Sedges are a family of plants that resemble grasses and rushes. Sedges are more properly called Cyperaceae.
55. Actor Troyer of the “Austin Powers” movies : VERNE
The actor Verne Troyer was best known for playing the character Mini-Me in the “Austin Powers” series of films. Troyer suffered from a form of dwarfism, and at a height of only 2 ft 8 in was one of the shortest men in the world.
62. Texter’s “No 63-Down!” : OMG!
63. See 62-Down : WAY
“OMG” is text-speak for “Oh My Gosh!” “Oh My Goodness!” or any other G-words you might care to use …
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1. Put at sea : ADDLE
6. “As a result …” : AND SO …
11. Birthed : HAD
14. Ira who wrote “The Stepford Wives” : LEVIN
15. South American forest dweller : COATI
16. Hoarfrost : RIME
17. Many a hit by Def Leppard : POWER BALLAD
19. Grp. that’s well-financed? : OPEC
20. N.F.C. North team, to fans : VIKES
21. Bit of crab house attire : BIB
22. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” : OH NO!
23. Stored away : LAID IN
25. Like medieval knights : ARMOR-CLAD
27. Screwy : ODD
28. Response to oversharing : TMI
30. Hang tight : SIT PAT
31. Religiousness : PIETY
34. A shore thing to happen : EBB TIDE
37. Horace Greeley’s advice, as followed by 17-, 25-, 50- and 60-Across? : GO WEST, YOUNG MAN
41. Working harmoniously (with) : IN PHASE
42. Home of Spaceship Earth : EPCOT
44. Baja blast : FIESTA
47. Sound of a leak : SSS
49. #Me___ : TOO
50. Meal served in an edible bowl : TACO SALAD
53. Follow, as a moral code : LIVE BY
56. Tag line? : I’M IT!
57. Ending with polypropyl- : -ENE
58. Lacking joie de vivre : JADED
59. Montenegro joined it in 2017 : NATO
60. Famously expensive commercial : SUPER BOWL AD
64. Mushy mass : GLOP
65. “Sounds good,” in informal pronunciation : AIGHT
66. Part of the unconscious : ANIMA
67. Military term of address : SIR
68. N.F.L. quarterback Drew : BREES
69. Long-limbed : LEGGY
Down
1. Nothing but : ALL
2. Arm for taking needles, for short? : DEA
3. Format that preceded Blu-ray : DVD VIDEO
4. Fatty compound : LIPID
5. Japanese mushroom : ENOKI
6. Air Medal recipients : ACES
7. Negative operation in computing logic : NOR
8. “Yabba ___ doo!” : DABBA
9. Unadventurous : STAID
10. Notable feature of North Dakota and Texas : OIL BASIN
11. Kendrick Lamar’s genre : HIP-HOP
12. Egyptian “king of the gods” : AMEN-RA
13. Boil down : DECOCT
16. Around 70°F, informally : ROOM TEMP
18. Took one’s turn : WENT
23. Cut : LOP
24. Take ___ at (insult) : A DIG
25. Benghazi’s land : LIBYA
26. Feature of a forehead or fingerprint : RIDGE
29. Crystal ___ : METH
32. Bottle cap type : TWIST-TOP
33. Gossip : YENTA
35. ___ nova : BOSSA
36. A school yr. often begins on one : TUES
38. Site of zero-gravity experiments : SPACELAB
39. Played the tough guy : ACTED BIG
40. Beginner, in video game lingo : NOOB
43. Item in a claw machine : TOY
44. One-night stands, say : FLINGS
45. 2014 boxing documentary : I AM ALI
46. Person at a desk : EDITOR
48. Swat : SLAP
51. Live in a studio : ON AIR
52. Marsh plant : SEDGE
54. It doesn’t get any better than this : IDEAL
55. Actor Troyer of the “Austin Powers” movies : VERNE
58. Protrudes : JUTS
61. Spanish : ella :: English : ___ : SHE
62. Texter’s “No 63-Down!” : OMG!
63. See 62-Down : WAY
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17 thoughts on “1108-18 NY Times Crossword 8 Nov 18, Thursday”
Comments are closed.
With respect, “West” and “to the left” or “in front” are not synonyms or even colloquially used to convey the same concept. Thus, the basic “key” to the puzzles’ theme is incorrect. Indeed, it is misleading.
A very disappointing puzzle which is not up to NYT standards, in my opinion.
I agree and the lower left corner was terrible. I got it but didn’t like it.
23:18, no errors. It took me awhile to catch on, but the theme seemed clear enough once I got it. At the end, though, I paused for some time before putting in the “AB” of “SPACE LAB”: it seemed like the logical choice, but I’d never heard of Drew “BREES” and “AIGHT” made no sense to me. (Google tells me that it’s a “nonstandard spelling of all right, representing informal pronunciation”, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it in print.)
An enjoyable puzzle, in any case … 😜
32:56. Took a while to get the theme. I realized something was up when I saw LADTACO…
From the NYT blurb: Horace Greeley just made GO WEST YOUNG MAN famous. He was actually quoting another article in the Terre Haute Express from 1851 by a man named John Babsome Lane Soule who used the phrase first. Interesting.
@Patrick –
It’s pretty accepted crossword jargon to use the terms north, south, east and west parts of a puzzle to mean the upper, lower, right and left parts of the puzzle. Particularly in a crossword sense, I think “GO WEST..” being depicted by going left is therefore ok IMO.
Best –
51 min. and 3 errors.
It’s puzzles like this that make me think about finding a new hobby.
Clues like 62,63 across are IMO horrible.
Never got the theme until I read bills explanation .
@Dave kennison apparently you have no interest in any sports. A while back you didn’t know what a foul pole was and today you never heard of Drew Brees.
@Jack … I think you mean 62 and 63 down? (And they’re not my favorite thing, either, though I wouldn’t call them “horrible”.)
And you’re right that I don’t take a great deal of interest in team sports (probably has something to do with the way I grew up), and that’s a bit of a handicap in doing certain crosswords, but I muddle through. (I did become a better than average mountain climber and a so-so rock climber, so I have an advantage in doing certain other crosswords.)
@Jack … I had forgotten … fifty years ago, I had a roommate who loved to throw the ol’ pigskin around and insisted on teaching me how to do it, so I ended up being able to throw a pretty mean spiral. I also was on a bowling team for several years and carried an average between 150 and 175. Does all that save me from being a Complete Nerd? … 😜
Apparently, I’m a sports dinosaur. Was confident today’s gimmick would be solved when I figured out how “Drew Bledsoe” fit into 68A. Spent embarrassing minutes trying to cram it in there.
19:34, no errors. I caught the ‘go west’ part of theme early, when I saw that ends of the theme entries wrapped around to the left. I did not catch the consistent LAD part of the theme until I saw the answers printed out above. (Chalk it up to my poor handwriting).
I also had some hesitation about entering SPACE LAB in 38D. In my memory vault, SPACE LAB seems to have gotten buried between Skylab and the International Space Station.
No errors. I knew about the compass points being applied to a crossword grid solely from seeing a few commenters on this board use them occasionally. So the LAD being placed to the “west” did not surprise me or throw me off.
AIGHT was the most unbelievable entry to me. I got it by crosses that I was certain of so I knew I had it correct. I tried several times to pronounce it aloud but even in my worst slang I could not distort it that much. What is communication coming to?
[didn’t look at the time, lots of errors] The explanation for “noob” (40-down) says the term is “not-so-nice slang.” What’s wrong with it? As a short form of “newbie,” it seems pretty innocuous to me. Is it a hidden assumed acronym?
@Sue—I don’t know what you might think of the Urban Dictionary but there is a lengthy section on NOOB in it. If you read all of it then I guarantee that you will know everything there is to know. Also, the entry addresses the very same questions that you raise.
The word NOOB, as in “newbie” is innocuous. In cooperative, multiplayer, on-line gaming, a person who doesn’t know the game as well as others might be disparaged by other players as a NOOB. If you have children, or grandchildren, they can explain it better than I can.
100%
I’ve actually heard people say “Aight” before, but I’ve never seen it in print.
Again the forces of negativity are active in this blog. I thought when AD left we would be safe for awhile. Anyway thanks Will and Sam for a fun if rather easy puzzle for a Thursday. By the way I say aight and was glad to see at least one way to spell it. Language evolves – get used to it.
20:11, no errors. Agreed with the others, terrible gimmick. Another point against Shortz, especially since this is one of his cronies.
Merry Christmas.
I’ve said “AiYUP”. “Aight” threw me.
Good theme! “West” and “front of word” = logical; but thought GO might be in each answer. BTW, the LAD at the front of each answer, to me, means “Los Angeles Dodgers”.
#baseballLifer
– MLB