0322-19 NY Times Crossword 22 Mar 19, Friday

Constructed by: Brendan Emmett Quigley
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 20m 42s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Biblical city on the plain of Jordan : SODOM

The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, as well as Admah and Zeboim, were destroyed by God for the sins of their inhabitants, according to the Bible. The name Sodom has become a metaphor for vice and homosexuality, and gives us our word “sodomy”.

15 President who resigned during the fall of Saigon : THIEU

Nguyen Van Thieu was president of South Vietnam from 1967 to 1975. He was also the last person to hold the office, as it was abolished following the reunification of the country at the end of the Vietnam War.

17 Dish that’s both hot and cold : PIE A LA MODE

In French, “à la mode” simply means “fashionable”. In America, the term has also come to describe a way of serving pie. Pie served à la mode includes a dollop of cream or ice cream, or as I recall from my time living in Upstate New York, with a wedge of cheddar cheese.

19 Brian who was the 1980 N.F.L. M.V.P. : SIPE

Brian Sipe is a former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League and the US Football League. As well as playing football, Sipe played in the Little League World Series in 1961.

24 Ex amount : ALIMONY

In its most common usage, “alimony” is a payment made by one spouse to another for support after a legal separation. The term derives from the Latin “alimonia”, meaning “nourishment, food, support”.

25 Unleashes (on) : SICS

“Sic ’em” is an attack order given to a dog, one instructing the animal to growl, bark or even bite. The term dates back to the 1830s, with “sic” being a variation of “seek”.

37 “Facts First” sloganeer : CNN

CNN (Cable News Network) was launched in 1980 by the Turner Broadcasting System, and was the first television channel in the world to provide news coverage 24 hours a day.

40 Producer of 1965’s “Doctor Zhivago” : CARLO PONTI

The renowned Italian film producer Carlo Ponti was not quite as famous as his celebrity wife Sophia Loren. Ponti met Loren as a contestant in a beauty contest he was judging in 1950. Back then she was a budding young actress still using her real name, Sofia Lazzaro. The two married in 1957 even though divorce was illegal at the time in Italy, so Ponti was still married to his first wife.

“Doctor Zhivago” is an epic novel by Boris Pasternak that was first published in 1957. I haven’t tried to read it the book, but the 1965 film version is a must-see, directed by David Lean and starring Omar Sharif in the title role. The story centers on Yuri Zhivago, a doctor and poet, and how he is affected by the Russian Revolution and the Russian Civil War.

42 Easter Island statues : MOAI

“Rapa Nui” is the Polynesian name for what we are more likely to call “Easter Island”. The European name was coined by the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, who came across the island on Easter Sunday in the year 1722. Chilean-owned Easter Island is inhabited and is a location that is remarkably distant from neighboring civilization. The nearest inhabited island is Pitcairn Island, which is almost 1300 miles away.

44 Some displays of power, for short : N-TESTS

Nuclear test (N-test)

49 [mic drop] : DONE!

A mic drop takes place when a performer has done particularly well and decides to celebrate by throwing or dropping the microphone to the floor. That doesn’t seem to happen at the performances I tend to frequent …

50 Detective in an aloha shirt : ACE VENTURA

Ace Ventura was the title character in two movies, i.e. “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” (1994) and “Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls” (1995). In both films, the title role was played by Jim Carrey.

54 “Couldn’t agree more” : AMEN

The word “amen” translates as “so be it”. “Amen” is said to be of Hebrew origin, but it is also likely to be influenced by Aramaic and Arabic.

55 Sainted English historian : BEDE

The Venerable Bede was a monk in the north of England in the eighth century AD. Saint Bede is mainly known as an author and scholar, publisher of “The Ecclesiastical History of the English People”. In his writings, Bede struggled with the two common ways of referring to dates at that time. Bede turned to the anno domini dating method that had been devised by Dionysius Exiguus in 525. Bede’s writings of circa 730 were extremely influential and helped popularize the the “anno domini” method.

Down

1 Something sailors may see over the horizon : TOPMAST

Before the advent of steel masts, the masts of larger sailing ship were not made of one piece of wood. Instead, the mast was divided into sections, with each section having its own set of rigging lines. The lower section was known as the mainmast, foremast or mizzenmast, depending on its location fore and aft on the vessel. The topmast was located above the lower mast. If there was a section above the topmast, it was known as a topgallant or royal mast.

4 Old Scandinavian poets : SKALDS

“Skald” is a Scandinavian term meaning “poet”, and refers in particular to the poets of the Viking Age and the Middle Ages.

7 Big name in handbags : DIOR

Christian Dior was a French fashion designer. As WWII approached, Dior was called up by the French military, drawing a temporary halt to his career in fashion. He left the army in 1942 and for the duration of the war designed clothes for wives of Nazi officers and French collaborators. After the war his designs became so popular that he helped re-establish Paris as the fashion center of the world.

8 Masterwork in philology, for short : OED

Work started on what was to become the first “Oxford English Dictionary” (OED) in 1857. Several interim versions of the dictionary were published in the coming years with the first full version appearing, in ten bound volumes, in 1928. The second edition of the OED appeared in 1989 and is made up of twenty volumes. The OED was first published in electronic form in 1988 and went online in 2000. Given the modern use of computers, the publishing house responsible feels that there will never be a third print version of the famous dictionary.

Philology is the study of literature, and language used in literature. The Greek “philologia” translates as “love of words, speech”.

9 Healthful bowlful for breakfast : MUESLI

“Muesli” is a Swiss-German term describing a breakfast serving of oats, nuts, fruit and milk. “Muesli” is a diminutive of the German word “Mues” meaning “puree”. Delicious stuff …

22 Old World animals sometimes called toddy cats : CIVETS

The civet is a spotted cat that is native to Africa and Asia. There is a type of coffee that is highly prized in Vietnam and the Philippines that is made from coffee beans that have been eaten by civets, partially digested and then harvested from the civet’s feces. This civet coffee can cost about $100 a cup, if you want to try some …

30 Can opener? : PAROLE

The term “parole” is a French word that we use in English, with the French “parole” meaning “word, speech”. Of particular interest is the French phrase “parole d’honneur” which translates as “word of honor”. In the early 1600s we started using “parole” to mean a promise by a prisoner of war not to escape, as in the prisoner giving his “word of honor” not to run off. Over time, parole has come to mean conditional release of a prisoner before he or she has served the full term of a sentence.

The cooler, the pen, the joint, the slammer, the can … prison.

51 Brasserie entrée : COQ

The French word “coq” actually means rooster, but a more tender bird is usually chosen for the classic French dish “coq au vin”. The most common wine used for the “vin” is burgundy, but sometimes another red wine is chosen, and you can also find on a menu “coq au Champagne” and “coq au Riesling”.

A brasserie is a kind of French restaurant that’s usually a step up from a bistro. “Brasserie” is the French word for “brewery”, and the original brasseries in France served beer that was brewed on the premises.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Some toddler sizes : TWOS
5 Biblical city on the plain of Jordan : SODOM
10 Sarcastic response : I BET
14 Sound from a pen : OINK!
15 President who resigned during the fall of Saigon : THIEU
16 Place for a medallion : TAXI
17 Dish that’s both hot and cold : PIE A LA MODE
19 Brian who was the 1980 N.F.L. M.V.P. : SIPE
20 Lousy floor contractor : MISLAYER
21 Climbed : SCALED
23 Fighting : AT ODDS
24 Ex amount : ALIMONY
25 Unleashes (on) : SICS
26 Theory that many different realities are happening at once : MULTIVERSE
29 “You should know better” : TSK
30 ___ discussion : PANEL
31 Auctor ___ (authorize, in legalese) : ESSE
32 Reasons for redos : BAD STARTS
34 Construction piece with wide flanges : H-BAR
36 Certain gardening supplies : HOSES
37 “Facts First” sloganeer : CNN
40 Producer of 1965’s “Doctor Zhivago” : CARLO PONTI
42 Easter Island statues : MOAI
43 Served : AVAILED
44 Some displays of power, for short : N-TESTS
46 Brought (in) : REINED
47 Record-holding Italian soccer club whose name means “youth” : JUVENTUS
49 [mic drop] : DONE!
50 Detective in an aloha shirt : ACE VENTURA
52 Santa ___ (virgin martyr in the Italian Catholic Church) : INES
53 Goes down : LOSES
54 “Couldn’t agree more” : AMEN
55 Sainted English historian : BEDE
56 Leg exercise : SQUAT
57 Minus : LESS

Down

1 Something sailors may see over the horizon : TOPMAST
2 Joint pain from playing too many video games : WIIITIS
3 Laundry leftover : ONE SOCK
4 Old Scandinavian poets : SKALDS
5 Refuses to cool down : STAYS MAD
6 World-weary exclamation : OH ME!
7 Big name in handbags : DIOR
8 Masterwork in philology, for short : OED
9 Healthful bowlful for breakfast : MUESLI
10 “Everything’s fouled up” : IT’S A MESS
11 Helps in getting out of jail : BAILORS
12 ___ report : EXPENSE
13 Article of apparel for a jam band : TIE-DYE
18 Fellow at a pub : LAD
22 Old World animals sometimes called toddy cats : CIVETS
24 After a long wait : AT LAST
27 Footloose? : UNSHOD
28 Make public : LET ON
30 Can opener? : PAROLE
32 Long-haired cat with sapphire-blue eyes : BALINESE
33 Put back into the market : REINVEST
34 “Try it!” : HAVE ONE!
35 Whopped on the head : BRAINED
37 It’s a put-on : COSTUME
38 Dispositions : NATURES
39 Rogue and Armada : NISSANS
40 First woman to win a Grammy for Best Rap Album as a solo artist : CARDI B
41 Bikes : PEDALS
42 Rational : MENTAL
45 Perfect representation : TEN
47 Figure in some hymns : JESU
48 Pacific island that’s also the name of part of the body : UVEA
51 Brasserie entrée : COQ