0922-19 NY Times Crossword 22 Sep 19, Sunday

Constructed by: Tracy Gray
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: On the Up and Up

Themed answers either start or end with an “UP-phrase”, and the word that accompanies “UP” in that “UP-phrase” appears in the grid in the UP-direction:

  • 25A Maintain the impression of well-being : “KEEP UP” APPEARANCES
  • 39A Reconciled, as a couple : KISSED AND “MADE UP”
  • 41A Ab-targeting exercise equipment : “SIT UP” BENCH
  • 67A Method for identifying mystery callers : REVERSE PHONE “LOOKUP”
  • 91A Some cheesecake photos : “PIN-UP” GIRLS
  • 95A Accelerated alternative to broadband : HIGH-SPEED “DIALUP”
  • 108A Voltage-increasing electrical device : “STEP-UP” TRANSFORMER

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

Bill’s time: 20m 16s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Large decorative letter at the start of a chapter : DROP CAP

An oversized letter at the start of a book, chapter or paragraph is known as an “initial”. When the large initial is lowered into the paragraph that it leads, it is called a “drop cap”.

8 Wood for crafts and rafts : BALSA

Balsa is a very fast growing tree that is native to parts of South America. Even though balsa wood is very soft, it is actually classified as a hardwood, the softest of all the hardwoods (go figure!). Balsa is light and strong, so is commonly used in making model airplanes. Amazingly, in WWII a full-size British plane, the de Havilland Mosquito, was built largely from balsa and plywood. No wonder they called it “The Wooden Wonder” and “The Timber Terror”.

13 Rapper Azalea with the 2014 hit “Fancy” : IGGY

“Iggy Azalea” is the stage name of Australian rapper Amethyst Kelly. I haven’t heard of her outside of crosswords …

19 Competitors in a classic advertising “war” : COLAS

“Cola Wars” is the phrase used to describe the competing marketing campaigns of Coca Cola and PepsiCo. Coke is winning …

29 General on Chinese menus : TSO

General Tso’s chicken is an American creation, and a dish often found on the menu of a Chinese restaurant. The name General Tso may be a reference to General Zuo Zongtang of the Qing Dynasty, but there is no clear link.

33 Online instigator : TROLL

In Internet terms, a troll is someone who attempts to disrupt online group activities. The fishing term “troll” is used to describe such a person as he or she throws out off-topic remarks in an attempt to “lure” others into some emotional response. I must admit to feeling sorry for people who have such sad lives …

36 Ancient region of Asia Minor : IONIA

The geographic region called Ionia is located in present day Turkey. Ionia was prominent in the days of ancient Greece, although it wasn’t a unified state and rather a collection of tribes. The tribal confederacy was more based on religious and cultural similarities than a political or military alliance. Nowadays we often refer to this arrangement as the Ionian League.

Asia Minor is also known as Anatolia. It is the geographic part of Asia that protrudes out into the west, towards Europe, and is roughly equivalent to modern-day Turkey.

38 Lopes of R&B’s TLC : LISA

The girl band called TLC is from Atlanta, Georgia. The band’s name comes from the trio’s original members:

  • Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins
  • Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes
  • Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas

45 ___ Chex (old breakfast cereal) : OAT

The original Chex cereal was introduced in 1937 by Ralston Purina, although it is now produced by General Mills. Ralston Purina had a logo with a checkerboard square on it, which gave the pattern to the cereal as well as its name. Chex used characters from the “Peanuts” comic strip in its advertising for many years.

46 With 12-Down, “Isle of Dogs” director : WES …
(12D See 46-Across : … ANDERSON)

“Isle of Dogs” is a 2018 animated and stop-action film by Wes Anderson. The movie has a science-fiction storyline, and is set in near-future Japan. All dogs are banished to Trash Island after an outbreak of dog flu threatens to cross into the human population. The voice cast of “Isle of Dogs” is very impressive, and includes Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Frances McDormand, Scarlett Johansson, Yoko Ono and many other A-list names.

47 Work at a music school : ETUDE

An étude is a short instrumental composition that is usually quite hard to play and is intended to help the performer master a particular technique. “Étude” is the French word for “study”. Études are commonly performed on the piano.

49 When doubled, band with the 1984 #1 hit “The Reflex” : DURAN

Duran Duran is a New Wave band from Birmingham in England. Duran Duran’s success was partially driven by some well-received MTV music videos in the 1980s. The band also worked hard on their image and paid a lot of money for very fashionable clothes in which they performed. As a result, one of Duran Duran’s nicknames is “the prettiest boys in rock”.

51 MGM rival of the ’30s : RKO

The RKO Pictures studio was formed when RCA (RADIO Corporation of America) bought the KEITH-Albee-ORPHEUM theaters (and Joe Kennedy’s Film Booking Offices of America). The RKO initialism then comes from the words “Radio”, “Keith” and “Orpheum”.

The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) film studio was founded in 1924 by Marcus Loew. Loew was already a successful movie theater owner when he purchased Metro Pictures Corporation in 1919, and then Goldwyn Pictures in 1924. Later in 1924, Loew also purchased Louis B. Mayer Pictures, mainly so that Louis B. Mayer could merge all three studios and run them himself as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

55 Amber, originally : RESIN

Amber’s technical name is “resinite”, reflecting its composition and formation. Amber starts out life as soft sticky tree resin but then under high temperature and pressure from overlying layers of soil, it fossilizes. The sticky resin can trap organisms or other plant matter, and this material can sometimes remain virtually intact inside the amber fossil giving us a unique gift from the past.

61 Roulette choice : EVENS

The term “roulette” means “little wheel” in French, and the game as we know it today did in fact originate in Paris, in 1796. A roulette wheel bears the numbers 1-36. A French entrepreneur called François Blanc introduced the number “0” on the wheel, to give the house an extra advantage. Legend has it that Blanc made a deal with the devil in order to unearth the secrets of roulette. The legend is supported by the fact that the numbers 1 through 36 add up to a total of “666”, which is the “Number of the Beast”. Spooky …

63 “I believe,” in Latin : CREDO

A creed or credo is a confession of faith, or a system of belief or principles. “Credo” is Latin for “I believe”.

66 Screen-minimizing key : ESC

The escape key (Esc) was originally used to control computer peripherals. It was a key that allowed the computer operator to stop what the peripheral was doing (cancel a print job, for example). Nowadays the escape key is used for all sorts of things, especially in gaming programs.

70 M.L.B. stat : ERA

Earned run average (ERA)

72 O’Connor’s Supreme Court successor : ALITO

Associate Justice Samuel Alito was nominated to the US Supreme Court by President George W. Bush. Alito is the second Italian-American to serve on the Supreme Court (Antonin Scalia was the first). Alito studied law at Yale and while in his final year he left the country for the first time in his life, heading to Italy to work on his thesis about the Italian legal system.

Sandra Day O’Connor is a former associate justice on the US Supreme Court. O’Connor was the first woman appointed to the court, and was in office from 1981 after being appointed by President Reagan. As the court became more conservative she was viewed as the swing vote in many decisions. As a result, O’Connor was known as one of the most powerful women in the world. She retired in 2006 (replaced by Samuel Alito), and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama in 2009.

75 Athlete’s knee injury, familiarly : TORN MCL

The medial collateral ligament (MCL) is a ligament of the knee, one located on the inside (medial) side of the joint.

77 Bitter fruits : SLOES

The sloe is the fruit of the blackthorn bush, and the main flavoring ingredient in sloe gin. A sloe looks like a small plum, but is usually much more tart in taste.

79 – : EN DASH

In typography, there are em dashes and en dashes. The em dash is about the width of an “m” character, and an en dash about half that, the width of an “n’ character. An en dash is used, for example, to separate numbers designating a range, as in 5-10 years. The em dash seems to be going out of style, and indeed the application I am using to write this paragraph won’t let me show you one!

83 Bouquet offerers, maybe : BEAUS

A beau (plural “beaux”) is the boyfriend of a belle, a young lady. “Beau” and “belle” are the masculine and feminine forms of the French word for “handsome, beautiful”.

“Bouquet” comes from the French word for “bunch” in the sense of “bunch of flowers”. In French, the term is derived from an older word describing a little wood or small grove of trees.

85 Article in Paris Match : LES

“Paris Match” is a weekly magazine published in France that first appeared on newsstands in 1949.

91 Some cheesecake photos : “PIN-UP” GIRLS

It’s not really clear how the word “cheesecake” came to be used for a provocative picture of a woman. It is known that the term arose in the 1930s, and originally applied to to the covers of pulp magazines that used the images of the attractive young females to attract a largely male audience. One theory is that during the depression years, the luscious cheesecake dessert was unattainable, as were the “luscious” models depicted on the magazine covers. The male equivalent of “cheesecake” is “beefcake”.

98 “Poppycock!” : PISH!

It is thought that the relatively gentle term “poppycock”, meaning “nonsense”, comes from a Dutch word for “dung” combined with a Latin word for “excrete”. Not so gentle after all …

101 Diez menos nueve : UNO

In Spanish, “diez menos nueve” (ten minus nine) is “uno” (one).

102 “Au contraire!” : NOT SO!

“Au contraire” is French for “on the contrary”.

103 Hairstyling icon Vidal : SASSOON

Vidal Sassoon was a hairdresser and businessman from London. Sassoon is credited with “liberating” women from the hair salon by popularizing hairstyles that one could “wash and wear”.

105 What it is to kill a mockingbird, in “To Kill a Mockingbird” : SIN

Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” was first published in 1960. The book is a mainstay in English classes all around the world. In my humble opinion, “To Kill A Mockingbird” is a great ambassador for American literature.

114 Brand in the dessert aisle : SARA LEE

In 1935, businessman Charles Lubin bought a chain of three bakeries in Chicago called Community Bake Shops, and soon expanded the operation into seven stores. Lubin introduced a cream cheesecake that he named after his daughter who was only 8-years-old at the time, Sara Lee Lubin. The cheesecake was a hit and he renamed the bakeries to Kitchen of Sara Lee. The business was bought out by Consolidated foods in 1956, but the brand name Sara Lee persists to this day, as does Ms. Sara Lee herself who now goes by the name Sara Lee Schupf.

118 Character in “Grease” who sings “There Are Worse Things I Could Do” : RIZZO

“Grease” was, and still is, a very successful stage musical. In the story, the leader of “The Pink Ladies” is Betty Rizzo, who is played by Stockard Channing in the blockbuster film version of the play.

120 Doctor Doom and Galactus, to the Fantastic Four : ENEMIES

The Fantastic Four is a team of superheroes in Marvel Comics universe. The team is made up of Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch and the Thing.

121 Homer, for one : POET

Homer was a famous poet of ancient Greece who is believed to be the author of the two classic epic poems “Iliad” and “Odyssey”. However, some scholars believe that Homer did not actually exist, but rather he is the personification of oral tradition that was passed down through the ages.

Down

2 Inits. on 30 Rockefeller Plaza until 1988 : RCA

What is now called the GE Building in New York City, was originally known as the RCA Building, with the name changing in 1988 after the 1986 takeover of RCA by GE. The building was completed in 1933 as part of the Rockefeller Center and was named for its main tenant RCA. Famously, the skyscraper’s address of 30 Rockefeller Center is routinely shortened to “30 Rock”.

3 Surgery sites, for short : ORS

Surgery (surg.) is usually performed in an operating room (OR).

5 Large waterfalls : CATARACTS

A cataract is a large waterfall. “Cataract” is of Greek origin and came into English via the Latin “cataracta” meaning waterfall.

8 Oktoberfest locales : BEER GARDEN

Oktoberfest is a 16-day beer festival in Munich that actually starts in September. About six million people attend every year, making it the largest fair in the world. I’ve been there twice, and it really is a great party …

9 Mideast capital once known as Philadelphia : AMMAN

Amman is the capital city of Jordan, and is one of the oldest continuously-inhabited cities in the world. Amman has been occupied by a number of different civilizations over the centuries, including the Greeks who called it “Philadelphia”, a name retained by the Romans when they occupied the city just after 100 AD.

14 Run amok : GO WILD

The phrase “to run amok” (sometimes “to run amuck”) has been around since the 1670s and is derived from the Malay word for “attacking furiously”, “amuk”. The word “amok” was also used as a noun to describe Malay natives who were “frenzied”. Given Malaya’s troubled history, the natives probably had a good reason for that frenzy …

15 Flamboyant rock genre : GLAM

I remember the days of glam rock so well, as it was a hugely popular genre of music in Britain and Ireland during the early seventies. Artistes wore the wildest of clothes, big hair, shiny outfits and really high platform boots. Names associated with glam rock are T. Rex, David Bowie, Roxy Music and the infamous Gary Glitter.

16 Woman’s name that’s one letter off from a fragrant flower : YASMINE

That flower would be jasmine.

24 Cheese with a red covering : EDAM

Edam cheese takes its name from the Dutch town of Edam in North Holland. The cheese is famous for its coating of red paraffin wax, a layer of protection that helps Edam travel well and prevents spoiling. You might occasionally come across an Edam cheese that is coated in black wax. The black color indicates that the underlying cheese has been aged for a minimum of 17 weeks.

27 Sammy with 609 career home runs : SOSA

Sammy Sosa was firmly in the public eye in 1998 when he and Mark McGwire were vying to be the first to surpass the home run record held by Roger Maris. McGwire fell out of public favor due to stories of steroid abuse (stories which he later admitted were true) while Sosa fell out of favor when he was found to be using a corked bat in a 2003 game.

37 Like xenon or neon : INERT

An inert gas can be different from a noble gas. Both are relatively non-reactive, but a noble gas is an element. An inert gas might be a compound, i.e. made up of more than one element.

Xenon was the first of the noble gases to be made into a compound, which was somewhat remarkable in that the noble gases were thought by many to be completely inert, unreactive.

Neon was discovered in 1898 by two British chemists Sir William Ramsay and Morris Travers. They chilled a sample of air, turning it into a liquid. They then warmed that liquid and separated out the gases that boiled off. Along with nitrogen, oxygen and argon (already known), the pair of scientists discovered two new gases. The first they called “krypton” and the second “neon”. “Krypton” is Greek for “the hidden one” and “neon” is Greek for “new”.

39 Popular moisturizing lotion : KERI

Keri lotion was introduced by Bristol-Myers Squibb in 1960. Keri Lotion is now made by NOVARTIS Pharmaceuticals.

40 Subj. of Article 86 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice : AWOL

MPs (military police officers) often track down personnel who go AWOL (absent without leave).

48 Foe of Austin Powers : DR EVIL

Dr. Evil is a character played by Mike Myers in the “Austin Powers” series of movies. The character lampoons various James Bond villains, just as Austin Powers lampoons James Bond himself.

50 Dried chili peppers : ANCHOS

An ancho is a dried poblano pepper that is used in Mexican cuisine. The poblano is a mild chili.

52 ___-Aid : KOOL

The drink we know today as Kool-Aid was invented by Edward Perkins and his wife in Perkins’ mother’s kitchen in southwest Nebraska. Kool-Aid is now the Official Soft Drink of the state.

53 Tagliatelle topper : PESTO

Tagliatelle is a type of pasta from eastern Italy. It is similar to fettuccine, and so is made up of long, flat ribbons. The name “tagliatelle“ comes from the Italian “tagliare” meaning “to cut”.

54 Reason for some bellyaching? : ULCER

Until fairly recently, a peptic ulcer was believed to be caused by undue amounts of stress in one’s life. It is now known that 70-90% of all peptic ulcers are in fact associated with a particular bacterium.

57 Weapons that are about 3 1/2 feet long : EPEES

The sword known as an épée has a three-sided blade. The épée is similar to a foil and sabre, although the foil and saber have rectangular cross-sections.

58 Five books of Moses : TORAH

The Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, are traditionally believed to have been written by Moses. As such, they are sometimes referred to as the Law of Moses, or Mosaic Law.

60 Fuel common in Scotland : PEAT

When dead plant matter accumulates in marshy areas, it may not fully decay due to a lack of oxygen or acidic conditions. We are familiar with this in Ireland, because this decaying matter can form peat, and we have lots and lots of peat bogs around the country.

62 Doc at a clinic : VET

A veterinarian (vet) is a professional who treat animals for disease and injury. The word “veterinary” comes from the Latin “veterinae” meaning “working animals, beasts of burden”.

64 Red-headed friend of Harry Potter : RON

Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger are the principal characters in the “Harry Potter” series of fantasy novels by J. K. Rowling. The three are the best of friends.

67 Losing Super Bowl LIII team : RAMS

The Los Angeles Rams are the only franchise to have won NFL championships in three different cities, i.e. Cleveland (1945), Los Angeles (1951) and St. Louis (1999). The Rams were based in Cleveland from 1936 to 1945, in Los Angeles from 1946 to 1994, in St. Louis from 1995 to 2015, and returned to Los Angeles in 2016.

68 Former leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel : EL CHAPO

“El Chapo” is the nickname of Mexican drug lord Joaquín Guzmán.

74 Family name? : MAFIA

Apparently, “Cosa Nostra” is the real name for the Italian Mafia. “Cosa Nostra” translates as “our thing” or “this thing of ours”. The term first became public in the US when the FBI managed to turn some members of the American Mafia. The Italian authorities established that “Cosa Nostra” was also used in Sicily when they penetrated the Sicilian Mafia in the 1980s. The term “mafia” seems to be just a literary invention that has become popular with the public.

76 “A bit of talcum / Is always walcum” writer : NASH

Poet Ogden Nash is well known for his light and humorous verse. Try this one for size:

The one-L lama,
He’s a priest.
The two-L llama,
He’s a beast.
And I would bet
A silk pajama
There isn’t any
Three-L lllama.

81 Host of the Oscars, Grammys and Emmys : DEGENERES

Ellen DeGeneres is a very, very successful TV personality, having parlayed her career in stand-up comedy into lucrative gigs as an actress and talk show host. Back in 1997 DeGeneres chose the “Oprah Winfrey Show” to announce that she was a lesbian. Her character on “The Ellen Show” also came out as a lesbian in a scene with her therapist, who was played by Oprah Winfrey. Nice twist!

83 Apiarist’s hazard : BEE STING

An apiary is an area where bees are kept, apiculture is beekeeping, and an apiphobe has a fear of bees. The Latin word for “bee” is “apis”.

84 Oil painter’s primer : GESSO

“Gesso” is the Italian word for “chalk” and gives its name to the powdered calcium carbonate that is used as a primer coat under artistic panel paintings. Gesso is mixed with glue and applied to wood so that it acts as an absorbent surface for paint.

85 One-dimensional : LINEAR

The dimension of an object is defined as the minimum number of coordinates needed to specify each point in the object. Therefore, a line is one-dimensional, as you only need an x-coordinate to specify a particular point on the line. A surface is two-dimensional, as you need both an x-coordinate and a y-coordinate to locate a point on the surface. The inside of a solid object is then three-dimensional, needing an x-, y- and z-coordinate to specify a point, say within a cube.

92 KOA visitors : RVS

Recreational vehicle (RV)

Kampgrounds of America (KOA) was founded in 1962 by Montana businessman Dave Drum, who opened up his first property along the Yellowstone River. His strategy was to offer a rich package of services including hot showers, restrooms and a store, which he hoped would attract people used to camping in the rough. The original campground was an immediate hit and Drum took on two partners and sold franchises all over the country. There are about 500 KOA sites today.

94 Form 1099 fig. : SSN

There are a series of IRS 1099 forms used to report various types of income, other than wages, salaries and tips that are reported on Form W-2. Examples are Form 1099-INT used to report interest income, 1099-DIV used to report dividend income, and 1099-MISC used to report miscellaneous income.

95 Distinctive part of a zebu : HUMP

Zebu cattle are most often seen on the Indian subcontinent. They’re the sub-species with the fatty hump on their shoulders, droopy ears and a large dewlap (flap of skin under the neck).

97 Feature of many a Cape Cod house : DORMER

A dormer is a roofed structure that protrudes from the slope of the main roof. A dormer window is a window in a dormer!

The Cape Cod architectural style is relatively simple. Cape Cod cottages often have a story and a half, with a steep roof and end gables. There is a distinctive single chimney at the center of the roof. The front door is also place centrally in the wall.

104 Muscat citizen : OMANI

Muscat is the capital of Oman. The city lies on the northeast coast of the state on the Gulf of Oman, a branch of the Persian Gulf.

107 Pasta also called risoni : ORZO

Orzo is pasta that has been formed into granular shapes, much like barley. And indeed, “orzo” is the Italian word for “barley”. Orzo is also called “risoni”, meaning “large rice”.

109 Lhasa ___ (dog) : APSO

The Lhasa apso breed of dog originated in Tibet and is named after “Lhasa” (the capital city) and “apso” (a Tibetan word meaning “bearded”). The Lhasa apso has been around since 800 BC and is one of the oldest breeds in the world, one very closely related to the ancestral wolf.

115 Many an alibi : LIE

“Alibi” is the Latin word for “elsewhere” as in, “I claim that I was ‘elsewhere’ when the crime was committed … I have an ‘alibi’”.

116 This may shock you : EEL

“Electrophorus electricus” is the biological name for the electric eel. Despite its name, the electric “eel” isn’t an eel at all, but rather what is called a knifefish, a fish with an elongated body that is related to the catfish. The electric eel has three pairs of organs along its abdomen, each capable of generating an electric discharge. The shock can go as high as 500 volts with 1 ampere of current (500 watts), and that could perhaps kill a human.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Large decorative letter at the start of a chapter : DROP CAP
8 Wood for crafts and rafts : BALSA
13 Rapper Azalea with the 2014 hit “Fancy” : IGGY
17 Farm stat : ACREAGE
18 Weep for : BEMOAN
19 Competitors in a classic advertising “war” : COLAS
21 Salon bed acquisition, perhaps : BASE TAN
22 Give a nudge : REMIND
23 Discarded computers and such : E-WASTE
25 Maintain the impression of well-being : “KEEP UP” APPEARANCES
28 [Grrr!] : I’M MAD!
29 General on Chinese menus : TSO
32 Put in order, in a way : REALIGN
33 Online instigator : TROLL
35 “___ minute” (“Be patient”) : IN A
36 Ancient region of Asia Minor : IONIA
38 Lopes of R&B’s TLC : LISA
39 Reconciled, as a couple : KISSED AND “MADE UP”
41 Ab-targeting exercise equipment : “SIT UP” BENCH
43 To the point : TERSE
45 ___ Chex (old breakfast cereal) : OAT
46 With 12-Down, “Isle of Dogs” director : WES …
47 Work at a music school : ETUDE
49 When doubled, band with the 1984 #1 hit “The Reflex” : DURAN
51 MGM rival of the ’30s : RKO
53 Money handler on a ship : PURSER
55 Amber, originally : RESIN
56 Miniature spring bouquet : VIOLETS
60 Pummel with snowballs, say : PELT
61 Roulette choice : EVENS
63 “I believe,” in Latin : CREDO
65 Something that comes with a sock : POW!
66 Screen-minimizing key : ESC
67 Method for identifying mystery callers : REVERSE PHONE “LOOKUP”
70 M.L.B. stat : ERA
71 Downed : ATE
72 O’Connor’s Supreme Court successor : ALITO
73 Futuristic deliverer of packages : DRONE
74 Flank or shank : MEAT
75 Athlete’s knee injury, familiarly : TORN MCL
77 Bitter fruits : SLOES
79 – : EN-DASH
82 Material for classic hockey sticks : ASH
83 Bouquet offerers, maybe : BEAUS
84 Deep distress : GRIEF
85 Article in Paris Match : LES
87 Animal mimic? : APE
89 Response to “Who’s there?” : IT’S ME
91 Some cheesecake photos : “PIN-UP” GIRLS
95 Accelerated alternative to broadband : HIGH-SPEED “DIALUP”
98 “Poppycock!” : PISH!
100 Rainwater diverters : EAVES
101 Diez menos nueve : UNO
102 “Au contraire!” : NOT SO!
103 Hairstyling icon Vidal : SASSOON
105 What it is to kill a mockingbird, in “To Kill a Mockingbird” : SIN
106 “I feel the same way!” : ME TOO!
108 Voltage-increasing electrical device : “STEP-UP” TRANSFORMER
111 Animal mimic? : PARROT
113 Ask too much : IMPOSE
114 Brand in the dessert aisle : SARA LEE
118 Character in “Grease” who sings “There Are Worse Things I Could Do” : RIZZO
119 Like many measuring cups and spoons : NESTED
120 Doctor Doom and Galactus, to the Fantastic Four : ENEMIES
121 Homer, for one : POET
122 “Yecch!” : GROSS!
123 Puts to rest, as rumors : DISPELS

Down

1 2010s dance move involving dipping the head to the elbow : DAB
2 Inits. on 30 Rockefeller Plaza until 1988 : RCA
3 Surgery sites, for short : ORS
4 Christmas Eve no-no : PEEK
5 Large waterfalls : CATARACTS
6 Slack-jawed : AGAPE
7 Distant correspondent : PEN PAL
8 Oktoberfest locales : BEER GARDEN
9 Mideast capital once known as Philadelphia : AMMAN
10 Tender ender? : -LOIN
11 Holy, in Latin phrases : SANCTI
12 See 46-Across : … ANDERSON
13 Treat to reduce swelling : ICE
14 Run amok : GO WILD
15 Flamboyant rock genre : GLAM
16 Woman’s name that’s one letter off from a fragrant flower : YASMINE
18 Prepare, as pot roast : BRAISE
20 Roadside produce sellers : STANDS
24 Cheese with a red covering : EDAM
26 Top-drawer : ELITE
27 Sammy with 609 career home runs : SOSA
29 Bard’s contraction : ‘TIS
30 Cry a river : SOB
31 A quarter to four? : ONE
34 Ignore for the time being : LET RIDE
37 Like xenon or neon : INERT
39 Popular moisturizing lotion : KERI
40 Subj. of Article 86 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice : AWOL
42 Paint choice : HUE
44 Solved : SUSSED OUT
48 Foe of Austin Powers : DR EVIL
50 Dried chili peppers : ANCHOS
52 ___-Aid : KOOL
53 Tagliatelle topper : PESTO
54 Reason for some bellyaching? : ULCER
55 Got up again : RE-ROSE
56 Outer layer : VENEER
57 Weapons that are about 3 1/2 feet long : EPEES
58 Five books of Moses : TORAH
59 Whack : SWAT
60 Fuel common in Scotland : PEAT
62 Doc at a clinic : VET
64 Red-headed friend of Harry Potter : RON
67 Losing Super Bowl LIII team : RAMS
68 Former leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel : EL CHAPO
69 Door openers for journalists : PRESS PASSES
74 Family name? : MAFIA
76 “A bit of talcum / Is always walcum” writer : NASH
78 Set (down) : LAID
80 Chill in the air : NIP
81 Host of the Oscars, Grammys and Emmys : DEGENERES
83 Apiarist’s hazard : BEE STING
84 Oil painter’s primer : GESSO
85 One-dimensional : LINEAR
86 Act of self-aggrandizement : EGO TRIP
88 They might get collared : PETS
90 Like a jammed printer : MISFED
92 KOA visitors : RVS
93 Waipahu wreath : LEI
94 Form 1099 fig. : SSN
95 Distinctive part of a zebu : HUMP
96 Kind of button : SNOOZE
97 Feature of many a Cape Cod house : DORMER
99 Played (around) : HORSED
103 Little brats : SNOTS
104 Muscat citizen : OMANI
107 Pasta also called risoni : ORZO
109 Lhasa ___ (dog) : APSO
110 Aid for getting a boat in the water : RAMP
112 Little ‘un : TOT
115 Many an alibi : LIE
116 This may shock you : EEL
117 It’s twice twisted : ESS

9 thoughts on “0922-19 NY Times Crossword 22 Sep 19, Sunday”

  1. 42:58 and I had to cheat to finish the upper left. DROPCAP and DAB are both completely unknown to me. Got the theme easily enough, but the fill was tough for me in general.

    Best –

  2. 58:21 with 2 errors….I had torn ACL for torn MCL and posh for pish both of which I would have corrected had I checked the crossing down clues but I didn’t and so that’s on me

  3. 27:22, 2 errors: (P)ASE TAN; DA(P). I actually thought that the dance move was a DAP, but knew that PASE TAN was probably wrong, made a mental note to go back and rethink it, but lost the note…

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