0813-19 NY Times Crossword 13 Aug 19, Tuesday

Constructed by: Lynn Lempel
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer (s): Star-Crossed

Circled letters in the grid are types of STAR. Those STARS come in pairs that CROSS each other:

  • 23D With 38-Across, like Romeo and Juliet … and like the shaded words? : STAR-
  • 38A See 23-Down : -CROSSED
  • 15A Rich supply of ore : LODE (giving “lodestar”)
  • 10D Droplets seen early in the day : MORNING DEW (giving “morning star”)
  • 16A Safe for youngsters : CHILDPROOF (giving “child star”)
  • 1D Alternative to rap and R&B : ROCK (giving “rock star”)
  • 61A Hit the jackpot : STRIKE GOLD (giving “gold star”)
  • 57D Solitary : LONE (giving “lone star”)
  • 63A Old camera need : FILM (giving “film star”)
  • 28D Lowest in importance : LEAST OF ALL (giving “all-star”)

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

Bill’s time: 5m 27s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Diana who led the Supremes : ROSS

Diana Ross is one of the most prolific recording artists in history. She sang with the Supremes from 1959 to 1970 and then launched an incredibly successful solo career. Ross was listed in the 1993 edition of “The Guinness Book of World Records” as the most successful music artist ever, with eighteen #1 records.

5 Masked man’s sidekick on old TV : TONTO

Tonto was played by the actor Jay Silverheels In the television version of “The Lone Ranger”. In the terrible 1981 movie “The Legend of the Lone Ranger”, Tonto was played by Michael Horse. Tonto was played by Johnny Depp In the 2013 movie “The Lone Ranger”. Famously, the Lone Ranger’s horse was called Silver and Tonto’s mount was named Scout. But, in the early TV shows, Tonto rode a horse called White Feller.

13 Norwegian city with the Munch Museum : OSLO

Edvard Munch was a Norwegian expressionist, and most famous for his painting “The Scream”, painted in 1893. What a wonderful work that is, a true representation of expressionism. The Munch Museum in Oslo is dedicated to his work and life. In 2004, two of Munch’s paintings, “The Scream” and “Madonna”, were stolen from the Munch Museum by armed robbers who subdued the museum guards. The paintings were missing for two years, but recovered in 2006.

14 “Hey Diddle Diddle” runaway : SPOON

The nursery rhyme “Hey Diddle Diddle” has been around at least since the mid-1700s.

Hey diddle diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon,
The little dog laughed to see such fun,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.

15 Rich supply of ore : LODE (giving “lodestar”)

“Lodestar” is a term rarely used now, and describes a bright star that’s used for navigation purposes. The most famous would be Polaris, the Pole Star, which is very close to true north. The name lodestar comes from the days of early compasses when a naturally magnetic stone was used to detect magnetic north. These stones were called lodestones.

18 One of five Greats : ERIE

A well-known mnemonic for remembering the names of the Great Lakes is HOMES, an acronym standing for Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior.

19 Ledecky who has been named World Swimmer of the Year five times : KATIE

Katie Ledecky is a swimmer who won her first Olympic gold medal at just 15 years of age, in the 800-meter freestyle. In 2016, Ledecky also became the youngest person to make “Time” magazine’s “Time 100” annual list of most influential people in the American world. Katie’s uncle is Jon Ledecky, owner of the New York Islanders hockey team.

22 Bit of salt : DASH

In cooking, the terms “dash”, “pinch” and “smidgen” can all be used for a very small measure, one that is often undefined. However, you can in fact buy some measuring spoons that define these amounts as follows:

  • a dash is 1/8 teaspoon
  • a pinch is 1/16 teaspoon
  • a smidgen is 1/32 teaspoon

24 Shankar with a sitar : RAVI

Ravi Shankar was perhaps the most famous virtuoso (to us Westerners) from the world of Indian classical music, and was noted for his sitar playing. Shankar was the father of the pop singer Norah Jones.

26 Mum : SILENT

The phrase “mum’s the word” has been around since the early 1700s. “Mum” has been used to mean “silent” for centuries, the idea being that “mum” is the sound made when the lips are tightly sealed.

33 Computer company with a Predator line : ACER

Acer is a Taiwanese company that I visited a couple of times when I was in the electronics business. I was very impressed back then with the company’s dedication to quality, although I have heard that things haven’t gone so well in recent years …

34 Soothing lotion ingredient : ALOE

Aloe vera is a succulent plant that grows in relatively dry climates. The plants leaves are full of biologically-active compounds that have been studied extensively. Aloe vera has been used for centuries in herbal medicine, mainly for topical treatment of wounds.

36 Valuable bar at Fort Knox : INGOT

Fort Knox is actually a US Army base, but it lends its name to the adjacent facility that is more correctly called the United States Bullion Depository. Most of the US gold reserves are in “Fort Knox”, although it isn’t the biggest gold repository in the US. That honor goes to the vault under the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in Manhattan. Most of the gold stored in the New York vault belongs to foreign nations and banks.

37 Actress Arthur with a Tony for “Mame” : BEA

Actress Bea Arthur’s most famous roles were on television, as the lead in the “All in the Family” spin-off “Maude” and as Dorothy Zbornak in “The Golden Girls”. Arthur also won a Tony for playing Vera Charles on stage in the original cast of “Mame” in 1966, two years after she played Yente the matchmaker in the original cast of “Fiddler on the Roof”.

The musical “Mame” opened on Broadway in 1966, with Angela Lansbury in the title role. The musical is based on the 1955 novel “Auntie Mame” written by Patrick Dennis.

40 Kind of testing done at Ancestry.com : DNA

Ancestry.com is the largest commercial genealogy company in the world. It operates out of Provo, Utah.

41 Rodeo rope : LASSO

Our English word “lasso” comes from the Spanish “lazo”, and ultimately from the Latin “laqueum” meaning “noose, snare”.

49 Yoked pair in a field : OXEN

A yoke is a wooden beam used between a pair of animals so that they are forced to work together.

51 Flight amenity that costs extra : WI-FI

“Wi-Fi” is nothing more than a trademark, a trademark registered by an association of manufacturers of equipment that use wireless LAN (Local Area Network) technology. A device labeled with “Wi-Fi” has to meet certain defined technical standards, basically meaning that the devices can talk to each other. The name “Wi-Fi” suggests “Wireless Fidelity”, although apparently the term was never intended to mean anything at all.

56 Zesty chip dip : SALSA

“Salsa” is simply Spanish for “sauce”.

60 Savings plans for one’s later years, in brief : IRAS

Individual retirement account (IRA)

65 Oklahoma city named for an “Idylls of the King” woman : ENID

“Idylls of the King” is a cycle of twelve poems by Alfred, Lord Tennyson that retells the tale of King Arthur. One of the “idylls” is the story of Geraint and Enid. This story is told in two parts: “The Marriage of Geraint” and “Geraint and Enid”. Tennyson’s Enid gave her name to the city of Enid, Oklahoma.

66 Class for U.S. citizen hopefuls, in brief : ESL

English as a Second Language (ESL) is sometimes referred to as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and English as a Foreign Language (EFL).

68 Pols like Pelosi : DEMS

Nancy Pelosi first became Speaker of the House in 2007, and was the 60th person to hold that position. Ms. Pelosi represents a district not far from here, which covers most of San Francisco. She was the first Californian, the first Italian-American and the first woman to be Speaker of the House. As Speaker of the House is second-in-line to the presidency, after the Vice President, Nancy Pelosi is the highest-ranking female politician in US history.

Down

2 Fed. monitor of workplace hazards : OSHA

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was created in 1970 during the Nixon administration. OSHA regulates workplaces in the private sector and regulates just one government agency, namely the US Postal Service.

5 Small recipe amt. : TSP

Teaspoon (tsp.)

6 Founder of Harpo Productions : OPRAH

Oprah Winfrey’s multimedia production company is known as Harpo Studios. “Harpo” is “Oprah” spelled backwards, and is also the name of the husband of the character who Winfrey played in the movie “The Color Purple”.

7 Common lunchtime : NOON

Our word “noon”, meaning “midday”, comes from the Latin “nona hora” that translates as “ninth hour”. Back in ancient Rome, the “ninth hour” was three in the afternoon. Over the centuries, traditions such as church prayers and “midday” meals shifted from 3 p.m. to 12 p.m., and so “noon” became understood as 12 noon.

15 Cause to expand, as bread : LEAVEN

Leaven is a substance that causes bread to rise, perhaps yeast or baking powder. The term comes into English via French from the Latin “levare” meaning “to rise”.

23 With 38-Across, like Romeo and Juliet … and like the shaded words? : STAR- (

38 See 23-Down : -CROSSED )

Two lovers who are “star-crossed” are ill-fated, thwarted by the stars. The term was coined by William Shakespeare in the prologue to his play “Romeo and Juliet”

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes,
A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life

26 Expensive dark fur : SABLE

Sables are small mammals, about two feet long, that are found right across northern Europe and northern Asia. The sable’s black pelt is highly prized in the fur trade. Sable is unique among furs in that it feels smooth no matter which direction it is stroked.

27 Tool for a Himalayan climber : ICE AX

The magnificent Himalaya range of mountains in Asia takes its name from the Sanskrit for “abode of snow”. Geographically, the Himalaya separates the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau to the north.

32 H.R.s and R.B.I.s : STATS

That would be baseball.

35 Bitten-into apple, for Apple : LOGO

The logo of Apple, the computer company, is a silhouette of an apple with a bite taken out of it. The company’s original logo featured a picture of Sir Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree.

39 “Cómo ___ usted?” : ESTA

“¿Cómo está usted?” is the more formal way of asking “How are you?” in Spanish.

51 Desdemona, to Othello : WIFE

Desdemona is one of the main characters in William Shakespeare’s play “Othello”. She is the daughter of a Venetian senator called Brabantio whom she vexes by eloping with Othello, a man not of her race and several years older.

52 Flower named for a goddess : IRIS

Iris is a genus of flowering plants that come in a wide variety of flower colors. The term “iris” is a Greek word meaning “rainbow”. Many species of irises are called “flags”. One suggestion is that the alternate name comes from the Middle English “flagge” meaning “reed”. This term was used because iris leaves look like reeds.

In Greek mythology, the goddess Iris was viewed as the link between the gods and humanity, a messenger. She was also the goddess of the rainbow. In Virgil’s “Aeneid”, Iris takes the form of a Trojan woman and incites other Trojan mothers to set fire to Aeneas’ ships, preventing them from leaving Sicily.

54 Sicilian tourist draw : ETNA

Mount Etna on the island of Sicily is the largest of three active volcanoes in Italy, and indeed the largest of all active volcano in Europe. Etna is about 2 1/2 times the height of its equally famous sister, Mt. Vesuvius. Mt. Etna is home to a 110-km long narrow-gauge railway, and two ski resorts. It is sometimes referred to as “Mongibello” in Italian, and as “Mungibeddu” in Sicilian. The English name “Etna” comes from the Greek “aitho” meaning “I eat”.

55 Prohibition and Victorian periods : ERAS

The 18th Amendment to the US Constitution was a great victory for the temperance movement (the “dry” movement), and in 1919 ushered in the Prohibition era. Highly unpopular (with the “wet” movement), Prohibition was repealed in 1933 by the 21st Amendment.

The Victorian era was a period in British history from 1837 to 1901, defined by the reign of Queen Victoria. Generally speaking, the Victorian era was a period of peace and prosperity for the UK.

57 Solitary : LONE (giving “lone star”)

The single star on the state flag of Texas is a reminder of the “lone star” on the 1836 National Standard of Texas. The single gold star on a blue background symbolizes Texas as an independent republic and its struggle for independence from Mexico.

58 Svelte : SLIM

“Svelte” comes into English from Latin, via the Italian “svelto” meaning “stretched out”. Something or someone described as svelte would be slender and graceful.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Diana who led the Supremes : ROSS
5 Masked man’s sidekick on old TV : TONTO
10 Assembled : MET
13 Norwegian city with the Munch Museum : OSLO
14 “Hey Diddle Diddle” runaway : SPOON
15 Rich supply of ore : LODE (giving “lodestar”)
16 Safe for youngsters : CHILDPROOF (giving “child star”)
18 One of five Greats : ERIE
19 Ledecky who has been named World Swimmer of the Year five times : KATIE
20 Bill killer’s position : ANTI
21 Cookout crashers : ANTS
22 Bit of salt : DASH
24 Shankar with a sitar : RAVI
26 Mum : SILENT
29 Averts : PREVENTS
33 Computer company with a Predator line : ACER
34 Soothing lotion ingredient : ALOE
36 Valuable bar at Fort Knox : INGOT
37 Actress Arthur with a Tony for “Mame” : BEA
38 See 23-Down : -CROSSED
40 Kind of testing done at Ancestry.com : DNA
41 Rodeo rope : LASSO
43 Acquires : GETS
44 “Turf” half of surf and turf : MEAT
45 Outside surface : EXTERIOR
47 Deep-sea fishing nets : TRAWLS
49 Yoked pair in a field : OXEN
50 Profit : GAIN
51 Flight amenity that costs extra : WI-FI
53 Backbone of a boat : KEEL
56 Zesty chip dip : SALSA
60 Savings plans for one’s later years, in brief : IRAS
61 Hit the jackpot : STRIKE GOLD (giving “gold star”)
63 Old camera need : FILM (giving “film star”)
64 Idiotic : INANE
65 Oklahoma city named for an “Idylls of the King” woman : ENID
66 Class for U.S. citizen hopefuls, in brief : ESL
67 Disgustingly dirty : NASTY
68 Pols like Pelosi : DEMS

Down

1 Alternative to rap and R&B : ROCK (giving “rock star”)
2 Fed. monitor of workplace hazards : OSHA
3 Narrow cut : SLIT
4 More substantial : SOLIDER
5 Small recipe amt. : TSP
6 Founder of Harpo Productions : OPRAH
7 Common lunchtime : NOON
8 Drinking spree : TOOT
9 Ablaze : ON FIRE
10 Droplets seen early in the day : MORNING DEW (giving “morning star”)
11 Tend to some p’s and q’s, say : EDIT
12 Golfer’s bagful : TEES
15 Cause to expand, as bread : LEAVEN
17 College V.I.P. : DEAN
23 With 38-Across, like Romeo and Juliet … and like the shaded words? : STAR-
25 Fervent : AVID
26 Expensive dark fur : SABLE
27 Tool for a Himalayan climber : ICE AX
28 Lowest in importance : LEAST OF ALL (giving “all-star”)
29 Baffling question : POSER
30 Musical pause : REST
31 Based on major and minor scales : TONAL
32 H.R.s and R.B.I.s : STATS
35 Bitten-into apple, for Apple : LOGO
38 Apple throwaway : CORE
39 “Cómo ___ usted?” : ESTA
42 Gender discrimination : SEXISM
44 Made do despite difficulties : MANAGED
46 Finishes, as a cartoon : INKS IN
48 Move up : RISE
50 Sparkle : GLINT
51 Desdemona, to Othello : WIFE
52 Flower named for a goddess : IRIS
54 Sicilian tourist draw : ETNA
55 Prohibition and Victorian periods : ERAS
57 Solitary : LONE (giving “lone star”)
58 Svelte : SLIM
59 Throws into the mix : ADDS
62 Critically important : KEY