0824-19 NY Times Crossword 24 Aug 19, Saturday

Constructed by: Sam Ezersky
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

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

Bill’s time: 11m 27s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

16 The guy from Ipanema? : SENHOR

The equivalent of “Mrs.” in French is “Mme.” (Madame), in Spanish is “Sra.” (Señora) and in Portuguese is also “Sra.” (Senhora).

The Portuguese word for “sir” is “senhor”, abbreviated to “Sr.” The female equivalent is “senhora”, or “sra.” for short.

17 Rhyming toy on Time’s “All-Time 100 Greatest Toys” list : LITE-BRITE

The LIte-Brite toy was introduced in 1967. It is basically a light box with a grid of holes in which colored pegs can be placed to create designs. You can now get a Lite-Brite app for the iPad.

18 Big name in skin care : AVEENO

Aveeno is a manufacturer of skincare and haircare products that was founded in 1945. The name Aveeno comes from the Latin name for the common oat, i.e. Avena sativa.

20 Small construction piece : LEGO

Lego is manufactured by Lego Group, a privately held company headquartered in Billund, Denmark. The company was founded by a carpenter called Ole Kirk Christiansen in 1934 and the now-famous plastic interlocking blocks were introduced in 1949. The blocks were originally sold under the name “Automatic Binding Bricks” but I think “Lego” is easier to remember! The name “Lego” comes from the Danish term “leg godt” meaning “play well”.

23 “Stay out of this!” : MYOB!

Mind your own business (MYOB)

26 Classic roadside brand : AMOCO

“Amoco” is an abbreviation for “American Oil Company”, an oil company that merged with BP in 1998. Amoco was the first oil company to introduce gasoline tanker trucks and drive-through filling stations. I wonder did they know what they were starting …?

28 Video game character with the most appearances on magazine covers, per Guinness (1,200+) : LARA CROFT

Lara Croft was introduced to the world in 1996 as the main character in a pretty cool video game (or so I thought, back then) called “Tomb Raider”. Lara Croft moved to the big screen in 2001 and 2003, in two pretty awful movie adaptations of the game’s storyline. Angelina Jolie played Croft, and she did a very energetic job.

30 Blood type abbr. : NEG

The most important grouping of blood types is the ABO system. Blood is classified as either A, B, AB or O, depending on the type of antigens on the surface of the red blood cells. A secondary designation of blood is the Rh factor, in which other antigens are labelled as either positive or negative. When a patient receives a blood transfusion, ideally the donor blood should be the same type as that of the recipient, as incompatible blood cells can be rejected. However, blood type O-neg can be accepted by recipients with all blood types, A, B, AB or O, and positive or negative. Hence someone with O-neg blood type is called a universal donor.

32 Pasty side dish : POI

I am a big fan of starch (being an Irishman I love potatoes). That said, I think that poi tastes horrible! Poi is made from the bulbous tubers (corm) of the taro plant by cooking the corm in water and mashing it until the desired consistency is achieved.

35 Unbelievable discovery in one’s field : CROP CIRCLE

Don’t believe what you hear. Crop circles are hoaxes …

39 Spot to buy tix in N.Y.C. : B’WAY

Broadway really is, and always has been, the Main Street of New York City. It started out as the Wickquasgeck Trail that was trampled into the Manhattan brush land by the Native Americans of the area. In the days of the Dutch, the trail became the man road though the island of Manhattan, down to the New Amsterdam settlement in the south. The Dutch described it as a “Breede weg”, a broad street or broad way. The name Broadway was adopted as the official name for the whole thoroughfare in 1899 … on Valentine’s Day.

42 Org. with magazines on magazines : NRA

The National Rifle Association (NRA) publishes several periodicals, including “American Rifleman”, “American Hunter” and “America’s 1st Freedom”.

43 Droids and such : BOTS

A bot is a computer program that is designed to imitate human behavior. It might crawl around the Web doing searches for example, or it might participate in discussions in chat rooms by giving pre-programmed responses. It might also act as a competitor in a computer game.

“Droid” is short for “android” and is used to describe a robot that resembles a human. The Latin word “androides” was used in English in the 18th century to mean “like a man”. Science fiction writers introduced us to “android” in the early 1950s.

52 Country whose name anagrams to an island when its fourth letter is doubled : HAITI

The Republic of Haiti occupies the smaller, western portion of the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean. The rest of the island is taken up by the Dominican Republic. Haiti is one of only two nations in the Americas to have French as an official language, the other being Canada.

“Haiti” + a second “t” is an anagram of “Tahiti”.

Tahiti is the most populous island in French Polynesia, which is located in the central Southern Pacific. Although Captain Cook landed in Tahiti in 1769, he wasn’t the first European to do so. However, Cook’s visit was the most significant in that it heralded a whole spate of European visitors, who brought with them prostitution, venereal disease and alcohol. Included among the subsequent visitors was the famous HMS Bounty under the charge of Captain Bligh.

53 “Family Guy” airer : FOX TV

“Family Guy” is a very successful animated television show. It was created by Seth MacFarlane, the same guy who came up with “American Dad!”. My kids love them both. Me, I can’t stand ‘em …

55 Company with assembly lines? : IKEA

The furniture chain IKEA was founded by Ingvar Kamprad in 1943, when he was just 17-years-old. IKEA is an acronym standing for Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd (don’t forget now!). Elmtaryd was the name of the farm where Ingvar Kamprad grew up, and Agunnaryd is his home parish in Sweden.

59 Royal Navy stronghold during W.W. II : GIBRALTAR

Gibraltar is a small British territory on the Mediterranean coast just south of Spain. The British gained control of the area, which is just 2.6 square miles, during the War of the Spanish Succession in 1704. The ownership of Gibraltar is contested by the Spanish, but successive UK governments refuse to cede the territory as it is a major base for the Royal Navy. Gibraltar sits at the narrow entrance to the Mediterranean from the Atlantic.

Down

1 Sunday school reading : PSALM

The Greek word “psalmoi” originally meant “songs sung to a harp”, and gave us the word “psalms”. In the Jewish and Western Christian traditions, the Book of Psalms contains 150 individual psalms, divided into five sections.

2 Climactic part of any “Scooby-Doo” episode : REVEAL

“Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” is a series of cartoons produced for Hanna-Barbera Productions, first broadcast in 1969. The title character is a great Dane dog owned by a young male called Shaggy Rogers. The character’s name was inspired by the famous “doo-be-doo-be-doo” refrain in the Frank Sinatra hit “Strangers in the Night”. Shaggy was voiced by famed disk jockey Casey Kasem.

3 Weight of a Japanese yen coin : ONE GRAM

The Korean Won, the Chinese Yuan, and the Japanese Yen (all of which are Asian currencies) take their names from the Chinese written character that represents “round shape”.

4 Opposite of a state of disbelief : THEOCRACY

In a theocratic country, God is recognized as the head of state (“theocracy” means “rule of God”). Theocracies are typically run with strong clerical influence, and with divine guidance.

5 B+, but not A- : ION

Boron is the chemical element with the atomic number of 5 and symbol B. It lies over to the right in Group 13 of the Periodic Table of the Elements. Uncombined, elemental boron is not found naturally on Earth. The boron that is mined is found in oxide form, not as uncombined boron.

8 2001 best seller with a tiger on its cover : LIFE OF PI

The 2012 movie “Life of Pi” is based on a 2001 novel of the same name by Yann Martel. The “Pi” in the title is an Indian boy named Pi Patel who finds himself adrift for 227 days in a small boat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.

9 Personal magnetism : IT FACTOR

Clara Bow was a fabulous star of silent film, with her most famous movie being “It” from 1927. Clara Bow’s performance was so celebrated in the movie that she was forever to be known as the “It girl”. The term “it” was a euphemism for “sex appeal”, and that is what Clara Bow was known to “exude”. Bow applied her red lipstick in the shape of a heart, and women who copied this style were said to put on a “Clara Bow”.

10 One sticking around the rain forest? : GECKO

The word “gecko” comes from an Indonesian/Javanese word “tokek”, which is imitative of the reptile’s chirping sound. In making such a sound, geckos are unique in the world of lizards. More interesting to me than a gecko’s chirping is its ability to cling to walls and other vertical surfaces. Their feet are specially adapted with “toes” that make extremely intimate, close contact to a surface. The toes have millions of hairs called setae that enable the clinging. It isn’t suction that supports them, but rather van der Waals forces (weak “gravitational” attractions). Fascinating stuff …

11 Sister channel of Cinemax : HBO

Home Box Office (HBO) is the oldest continuously-operating pay TV service in the US, having launched in 1972. HBO is a favorite of mine as I really like many of the HBO made-for-television movies and original series. Among the list of original series from HBO are “Mildred Pierce”, “The Pacific”, “John Adams”, “Big Love”, “Extras”, “The Wire”, “Sex and the City”, “From the Earth to the Moon”, “The Sopranos” and “Band of Brothers”. And more recently, there is “Game of Thrones”.

13 Indian rice dish : BIRYANI

Biryani is a mixed rice dish found on the menu in many Indian restaurants.

22 Item put in a lock : OAR

Oarlocks are swivelling braces on the sides of a rowing boat that hold the oars as the boat is being propelled. Back in Ireland, we call them “rowlocks” (pronounced “rollox”).

33 Subj. of a military test : ICBM

An Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with the range necessary to cross between continents. Being ballistic (unlike a cruise missile), an ICBM is guided during the initial launch phase, but later in flight just relies on thrust and gravity to arrive at its target. It is defined as intercontinental as it has a range greater than 3,500 miles. ICBMs are really only used for delivering nuclear warheads. Scary stuff …

36 Big name in skin care : PROACTIV

The Proactiv range of skincare products were introduced in 1995 by two dermatologists who met up with each other while studying at Stanford. Proactiv is market to people suffering with acne. There are quite a few folks who complain about the direct marketing approach to sales used for the products. Customers are “members” of a club, and the products keep coming until a subscription is canceled.

37 Symbol for 54-Down : CAPITAL V
(54D Units measured by multimeters : VOLTS)

The volt is a unit of electric potential, or voltage. I always think of electrical voltage as something like water pressure The higher the pressure of water (voltage), the faster the water flows (the higher the electric current that flows).

Alessandro Volta was the physicist who invented the first battery, way back in 1800. One of Volta’s first applications of his new invention was to use a battery (and a very long run of wire between the Italian cities of Como and Milan) to shoot off a pistol from 30 miles away!

40 Crossbow-wielding creature of sci-fi : WOOKIEE

Wookiees are a biped race featured in “Star Wars”. The most notable Wookiee is Chewbacca (aka “Chewie”), the loyal friend and associate of Han Solo who serves as co-pilot on the Millennium Falcon spaceship.

41 Lacking a defined shape : AMOEBIC

An ameba (also “amoeba”) is a single-celled microorganism. The name comes from the Greek “amoibe”, meaning change. The name is quite apt, as the cell changes shape readily as the ameba moves, eats and reproduces.

62 Lukewarm response : MEH

“Meh!” is one of those terms that are unfamiliar to me outside of crosswords. It is a modern colloquialism meaning “I’m not great, but not bad”. A friendly reader of this blog tells me that the usage of the term increased dramatically after it started to appear regularly in “The Simpsons” starting in the early nineties.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 “Let me tell you, this is how to do it” : PRO TIP
7 Touch : SLIGHT BIT
16 The guy from Ipanema? : SENHOR
17 Rhyming toy on Time’s “All-Time 100 Greatest Toys” list : LITE BRITE
18 Big name in skin care : AVEENO
19 Not on track : OFF COURSE
20 Small construction piece : LEGO
21 Lose strength, as in the knees : GO WEAK
23 “Stay out of this!” : MYOB!
24 Drill bit? : MARCH
26 Classic roadside brand : AMOCO
27 Old man : PAPA
28 Video game character with the most appearances on magazine covers, per Guinness (1,200+) : LARA CROFT
30 Blood type abbr. : NEG
31 Really hurt : MAIM
32 Pasty side dish : POI
34 Tournament-seeding consideration : WINS
35 Unbelievable discovery in one’s field : CROP CIRCLE
39 Spot to buy tix in N.Y.C. : B’WAY
42 Org. with magazines on magazines : NRA
43 Droids and such : BOTS
45 ___ tov (Jewish observance) : YOM
46 Intense craving for a particular food : OPSOMANIA
50 Study, for instance : ROOM
52 Country whose name anagrams to an island when its fourth letter is doubled : HAITI
53 “Family Guy” airer : FOX TV
55 Company with assembly lines? : IKEA
56 Path of some electrical conversions, for short : AC TO DC
58 Por ___ lado (conversely: Sp.) : OTRO
59 Royal Navy stronghold during W.W. II : GIBRALTAR
61 Talk radio tuner : AM DIAL
63 “The Italian Job” or “The Bank Job” : HEIST FILM
64 Top-shelf : SELECT
65 E-sharp? : TECH SAVVY
66 Works for a university, maybe : THESES

Down

1 Sunday school reading : PSALM
2 Climactic part of any “Scooby-Doo” episode : REVEAL
3 Weight of a Japanese yen coin : ONE GRAM
4 Opposite of a state of disbelief : THEOCRACY
5 B+, but not A- : ION
6 ___ rock (music genre) : PROG
7 Highlight reel effect : SLOW-MO
8 2001 best seller with a tiger on its cover : LIFE OF PI
9 Personal magnetism : IT FACTOR
10 One sticking around the rain forest? : GECKO
11 Sister channel of Cinemax : HBO
12 Take precedence over : TRUMP
13 Indian rice dish : BIRYANI
14 “Come in!” : IT’S OPEN!
15 Typical golf tournament freebies : TEE BAGS
22 Item put in a lock : OAR
25 What some buns are made of : HAIR
29 “Seriously …?!” : C’MON …!
33 Subj. of a military test : ICBM
34 Wimp : WET NOODLE
36 Big name in skin care : PROACTIV
37 Symbol for 54-Down : CAPITAL V
38 See 52-Down : LOAF
39 In all fairness : BY RIGHT
40 Crossbow-wielding creature of sci-fi : WOOKIEE
41 Lacking a defined shape : AMOEBIC
44 “Peace” time? : SIXTIES
47 Not fair at all : STORMY
48 Suffix with fact : -OID
49 Very little (of) : A TRACE
51 Rush home? : MARSH
52 With 38-Down, amount to make do with : HALF A
54 Units measured by multimeters : VOLTS
57 Tossed : CAST
60 Symbols seen in comic strip cursing : ATS
62 Lukewarm response : MEH

8 thoughts on “0824-19 NY Times Crossword 24 Aug 19, Saturday”

  1. 42:03, but at least (as Duncan says) I finished. Thought this was headed for the DNF hall of fame. Finally got FOX TV and slowly made the rest of the grid. A lot of really good cluing in this one “Opposite of a state of disbelief” takes the cake.

    I can usually stare at any clue/answer and understand it eventually, but for the life of me I can’t see “Rush home?” and MARSH. Someone bail me out.

    Overall a really good challenge. All puzzles should be like this.

    Best –

      1. Anon –

        Thanks. I did not know that. I could have stared at that clue indefinitely and not gotten it.

        Best –

  2. 1:27:35….but I finished. Some time consumed putting the phone down to line switches at the railroad museum I volunteer at, but it would have been well over an hour no matter what…. At least the train went where it was supposed to 🙂

  3. Northwest corner was last to fall and I was about to declare no errors but saw I had AVEENA/PRAG. A quick review would have probably yielded the obvious PROG but it wasn’t to be. This was a toughie and I would have liked to declare victory. Rats.

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