0805-19 NY Times Crossword 5 Aug 19, Monday

Constructed by: Tracy Gray
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: Downward Dog

Themed answers are in the DOWNWARD direction, and each ends with a type of DOG:

  • 28D Popular yoga pose … or a literal hint to the ends of 3-, 7-, 9- and 21-Down : DOWNWARD DOG
  • 3D Air-punching pugilist : SHADOW BOXER
  • 7D 2006 Matt Damon spy film : THE GOOD SHEPHERD
  • 9D Place with beakers and Bunsen burners : CHEMISTRY LAB
  • 21D Lecturer’s implement with a light at the end : LASER POINTER

Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 4m 45s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Plasterwork backing : LATH

The words “lath” and “lattice” have the same root in Old French. Laths are thin strips of wood that are nailed across a frame forming a backing to which plaster can be applied to finish a wall. The term is also used for the main elements in a trellis, or the lengths of wood in a roof to which shingles are nailed.

14 Arthur with a stadium named after him : ASHE

Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York opened in 1997 and for years was the largest outdoor, tennis-only venue in the world. The stadium was often criticized for not having a retractable dome to protect the playing surface from inclement weather. Well, that changed in 2016 when the stadium debuted its new retractable roof, a $150 million investment in the facility.

17 ___ the Man (old baseball nickname) : STAN

Stan Musial was a retired baseball player who went by the nickname “Stan the Man”, a moniker he was awarded by the Brooklyn Dodgers fans in 1946. Apparently, off the field Stan was quite the harmonica player.

20 Pre-snap powwow : HUDDLE

That would be football.

“Powwow” means “gathering”, and is a word used by Native Americans. The term derives from the Algonquian Narragansett “powwow” which translates as “spiritual leader”. The Narragansett also gave us such words as “moose”, “papoose” and “squash”.

22 Garden munchkin : GNOME

In English folklore, the fairy’s anti-hero is the diminutive gnome, an evil ugly character. Over the centuries, the gnome has become more lovable. We now have garden gnomes, and even the Travelocity Gnome.

“Munchkin” is a word that we use quite commonly these days, usually to describe a young child. The first Munchkins were characters created by L. Frank Baum in his book “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”, published in 1900.

25 2012 Best Picture winner set in Iran : ARGO

“Argo” is a 2012 movie that is based on the true story of the rescue of six diplomats hiding out during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis. The film was directed by and stars Ben Affleck and is produced by Grant Heslov and George Clooney, the same pair who produced the excellent “Good Night, and Good Luck”. I highly recommend “Argo”, although I found the scenes of religious fervor to be very frightening …

31 Semiaquatic salamanders : NEWTS

Newts wouldn’t be my favorite animals. They are found all over the world living on land or in water depending on the species, but always associated with water even if it is only for breeding. Newts metamorphose through three distinct developmental stages during their lives. They start off as larvae in water, fertilized eggs that often cling to aquatic plants. The eggs hatch into tadpoles, the first developmental form of the newt. After living some months as tadpoles swimming around in the water, they undergo another metamorphosis, sprouting legs and replacing their external gills with lungs. At this juvenile stage they are known as efts, and leave the water to live on land. A more gradual transition takes place then, as the eft takes on the lizard-like appearance of the adult newt.

Salamanders are lizard-like amphibians found in all across the northern hemisphere. They are the only vertebrate animals that can regenerate lost limbs.

36 Slangy “sweetheart” : BAE

“Bae” is a contemporary term of endearment. It is a pet name that is an abbreviation of “babe, baby”, although I’ve also read that it is an acronym standing for “before anyone else”.

37 Horace, as a poet : ODIST

A Horatian ode is an ode with a specific structure, one designed to resemble the odes of the Roman poet Horace.

38 Barrister’s headgear : WIG

In a common law jurisdiction with a split legal profession, such as England, lawyers can be either solicitors or barristers. Someone needing legal help will retain a solicitor for that purpose. If a court trial is required, then a barrister is retained to make representation before a judge and perhaps a jury. The barrister is the lawyer who wears a wig.

42 Littlest ones in litters : RUNTS

Back around 1500, a runt was an old or decayed tree stump, and by the early 1600s “runt” was being used to describe animals that were similarly old and decayed. Ultimately “runt” came to mean the smallest and often sickest in a litter.

44 Contagious viral infection : POX

A pox is any of the diseases that produced “pocks” on the skin, eruptive pustules. The pox might perhaps be smallpox or chickenpox. But, when cursing someone by saying “a pox on you” the reference is to the “great pox”, namely syphilis.

47 Side-to-side nautical movement : YAW

The word “yaw” means to deviate from the line of a course and is used mainly at sea and in the air. “Yaw” is derived from the Old Norse word “jaege” which means “to drive, chase”. As such, “yaw” is etymologically related to our word “yacht”.

50 Toronto N.H.L. team, for short : LEAFS

The Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team was founded way back in 1917. As members of the National Hockey League, the Maple leafs have won the Stanley Cup championships thirteen times, the second best record in the league. Having said that, the last championship the team won was in 1967, and the resulting “drought” is the longest in NHL today.

55 Biggest bear in “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” : PAPA

The story of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” was first recorded in 1837 in England, although the narrative was around before it was actually written down. The original fairy tale was rather gruesome, but successive versions became more family-oriented. The character that eventually became Goldilocks was originally an elderly woman, and the three “nameless” bears became Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear.

57 “V for Vendetta” actor Stephen : REA

“V for Vendetta” is a 2006 movie based on the political thriller graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore and David Lloyd. The film stars Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman and Stephen Rea. Two other Moore novels made it to the big screen: “From Hell” and “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”.

62 Gemstone measure : CARAT

The carat is a unit of mass equal to 200 mg. It is used in sizing gemstones.

68 Superior beef grade : PRIME

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) classifies meat into eight different grades:

  • Prime
  • Choice
  • Select
  • Standard
  • Commercial
  • Utility
  • Cutter
  • Canner

70 Large, scholarly book : TOME

“Tome” first came into English from the Latin “tomus” which means “section of a book”. The original usage in English was for a single volume in a multi-volume work. By the late 16th century, “tome” had come to mean “large book”.

71 “For ___ waves of grain” (line in “America the Beautiful”) : AMBER

When she was 33 years old, Katharine Lee Bates took a train ride from Massachusetts to Colorado Springs. She was so inspired by many of the beautiful sights she saw on her journey that she wrote a poem she called “Pikes Peak”. Upon publication the poem became quite a hit, and several musical works were adapted to the words of the poem, the most popular being a hymn tune composed by Samuel Ward. Bates’s poem and Ward’s tune were published together for the first time in 1910, and given the title “America the Beautiful”.

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

Down

3 Air-punching pugilist : SHADOW BOXER

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

5 “Ciao” : LATER

“Ciao” is Italian for “‘bye”. “Arrivederci” is more formal, and translates as “goodbye”.

7 2006 Matt Damon spy film : THE GOOD SHEPHERD

“The Good Shepherd” is a spy movie released in 2006, directed by Robert De Niro. The lead roles are played by Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie. The film is a fictional account of real events that led to the birth of counter intelligence within the CIA.

Matt Damon is an actor and screenwriter from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Damon’s big break came with the 1997 movie “Good Will Hunting”, in which he starred. He co-wrote the screenplay with his childhood friend Ben Affleck.

8 Song sung on Sunday : HYMN

The singing and composition of hymns is known as hymnody. The term “hymnody” is also used for a collection of hymns.

9 Place with beakers and Bunsen burners : CHEMISTRY LAB

The Bunsen burner is a common piece of lab equipment that is used for heating and combustion. The device was invented in 1854 by Robert Bunsen at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. It is sometimes referred to as an “etna”, a nickname coming from the Sicilian volcano.

10 Measure of light’s brightness : LUMEN

The lumen is a measure of the amount of visible light emitted by a source.

11 Electric guitar accessory : AMP

An electric guitar, for example, needs an amplifier (amp) to take the weak signal created by the vibration of the strings and turn it into a signal powerful enough for a loudspeaker.

13 Jimmy (open) : PRY

“Jimmy” is a variant of the word “jemmy” that is used for a type of crowbar, one associated with burglars back in the 1800s.

26 Fills, as tile joints : GROUTS

Grout is a thin mortar used to fill the joints between ceramic tiles. The name “grout” comes from the Old English word “gruta”, the word for a “coarse porridge” (due to the similarity in appearance of the two). Interestingly, the word “grits” comes from the same root. Grout … grits … makes sense …

28 Popular yoga pose … or a literal hint to the ends of 3-, 7-, 9- and 21-Down : DOWNWARD DOG

The downward-facing dog pose in yoga is more properly known as “adho mukha svanasana”.

29 The “U” in I.C.U. : UNIT

Intensive care unit (ICU)

30 Cribbage scorekeepers : PEGS

Cribbage is a great card game that originated in 17th-century England. It was a creation of the poet Sir John Suckling. One of the unique features of the game is that a cribbage board with pegs is used to keep score. Here in the US, cribbage is very much associated with the submarine service, as it is a favorite game of submariners of all ranks.

32 Letter after sigma : TAU

Tau is the 19th letter of the Greek alphabet, and the letter which gave rise to our Roman “T”. Both the letters tau (T) and chi (X) have long been symbolically associated with the cross.

34 Nap south of the border : SIESTA

We use the word “siesta” to describe a short nap in the early afternoon, and imported the word into English from Spanish. In turn, the Spanish word is derived from the Latin “hora sexta” meaning “the sixth hour”. The idea is that the nap is taken at the sixth hour after dawn.

40 Bus. concern : CORP

Corporation (corp.)

43 Persian Gulf country, for short : UAE

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven emirates (states) in the Middle East. Included in the seven are Abu Dhabi and Dubai, with the city of Abu Dhabi being the UAE capital and cultural center.

46 Actress Kendrick : ANNA

Anna Kendrick is a marvelous actress whose big break came when she played the sidekick to George Clooney’s character in the very interesting 2009 film “Up in the Air”. Kendrick can sing as well as act, and played a student a cappella singer in the 2012 movie “Pitch Perfect”.

56 Colorful flower with a “face” : PANSY

The garden flower called a “pansy” takes its name from the French word “pensée” meaning “thought”. This name was chosen as the flower was often used as a symbol of remembrance. The petals of pansies have dark blotches that often appear to form the outline of a face.

59 Pump or oxford : SHOE

A pump is a woman’s shoe that doesn’t have a strap. Such shoes are probably called “pumps” because of the sound they make while walking in them.

An oxford is a type of lace-up shoe that originated not in Oxford, but actually in Scotland and/or Ireland.

61 Smidgen : IOTA

Iota is the ninth letter in the Greek alphabet, and one that gave rise to our letters I and J. We use the word “iota” to portray something very small, as it is the smallest of all Greek letters.

Our word “smidgen” (sometimes shortened to “smidge”) is used to describe a small amount. The term might come from the Scots word “smitch” that means the same thing or “a small insignificant person”.

62 Helper during taxing times, for short? : CPA

Certified public accountant (CPA)

63 Triceps location : ARM

The triceps brachii muscle is found at the back of the upper arm. The muscle’s name translates to “three-headed arm muscle”, fitting as it is actually made up of three bundles of muscles.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Group in a play : CAST
5 Plasterwork backing : LATH
9 Bracelet securer : CLASP
14 Arthur with a stadium named after him : ASHE
15 Feeling fluish, in a way : ACHY
16 “___ me” (“Go along with it”) : HUMOR
17 ___ the Man (old baseball nickname) : STAN
18 Be overrun (with) : TEEM
19 “E” on a gas gauge : EMPTY
20 Pre-snap powwow : HUDDLE
22 Garden munchkin : GNOME
24 “How was ___ know?” : I TO
25 2012 Best Picture winner set in Iran : ARGO
27 Kind of toy that moves when you turn a key : WIND-UP
31 Semiaquatic salamanders : NEWTS
33 Flowers on trellises : ROSES
35 Bill in a tip jar : ONE
36 Slangy “sweetheart” : BAE
37 Horace, as a poet : ODIST
38 Barrister’s headgear : WIG
39 Scrub vigorously : SCOUR
41 Manipulate : USE
42 Littlest ones in litters : RUNTS
44 Contagious viral infection : POX
45 Cross ___ with : PATHS
47 Side-to-side nautical movement : YAW
48 Plural “is” : ARE
49 First appearance, as of symptoms : ONSET
50 Toronto N.H.L. team, for short : LEAFS
53 Common ankle injury : SPRAIN
55 Biggest bear in “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” : PAPA
57 “V for Vendetta” actor Stephen : REA
58 Grind, as teeth : GNASH
60 Withstands : ABIDES
62 Gemstone measure : CARAT
65 Chopped down : HEWN
67 3:1 or 4:1, e.g. : ODDS
68 Superior beef grade : PRIME
69 They’re mined and refined : ORES
70 Large, scholarly book : TOME
71 “For ___ waves of grain” (line in “America the Beautiful”) : AMBER
72 Water swirl : EDDY
73 Elderly : AGED

Down

1 Redeem, as a savings bond : CASH IN
2 Uncommonly perceptive : ASTUTE
3 Air-punching pugilist : SHADOW BOXER
4 Manage, as a bar : TEND
5 “Ciao” : LATER
6 Unreturned tennis serve : ACE
7 2006 Matt Damon spy film : THE GOOD SHEPHERD
8 Song sung on Sunday : HYMN
9 Place with beakers and Bunsen burners : CHEMISTRY LAB
10 Measure of light’s brightness : LUMEN
11 Electric guitar accessory : AMP
12 Drunkard : SOT
13 Jimmy (open) : PRY
21 Lecturer’s implement with a light at the end : LASER POINTER
23 Is indebted to : OWES
26 Fills, as tile joints : GROUTS
28 Popular yoga pose … or a literal hint to the ends of 3-, 7-, 9- and 21-Down : DOWNWARD DOG
29 The “U” in I.C.U. : UNIT
30 Cribbage scorekeepers : PEGS
32 Letter after sigma : TAU
34 Nap south of the border : SIESTA
39 Pampering places : SPAS
40 Bus. concern : CORP
43 Persian Gulf country, for short : UAE
46 Actress Kendrick : ANNA
51 What “woof” or “meow” may mean : FEED ME
52 Talked back to with ‘tude : SASSED
54 Best effort, informally : A-GAME
56 Colorful flower with a “face” : PANSY
59 Pump or oxford : SHOE
61 Smidgen : IOTA
62 Helper during taxing times, for short? : CPA
63 Triceps location : ARM
64 Poke fun at : RIB
66 Marry : WED