1010-19 NY Times Crossword 10 Oct 19, Thursday

Constructed by: Tracy Gray
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: Watch Your Step

Themed answers require us to WATCH OUR STEP as we step over a HOLE, DITCH, GAP and PIT. Those pitfalls are part of the themed answers, but are written in the down-direction:

  • 39A “Tread carefully!” … or a hint to four dangers in this puzzle : WATCH YOUR STEP!
  • 18A What margarine has, unlike butter : NO CHOLESTEROL (step over “hole”)
  • 29A Part of a tenant screening report : CREDIT CHECK (step over “ditch”)
  • 50A Classic “Animal House” scene : TOGA PARTY (step over “gap”)
  • 62A Requirement after a surgery, perhaps : HOSPITAL STAY (step over “pit”)

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

Bill’s time: 15m 52s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Acrobat displays : PDFS

Adobe Acrobat is the software used to create .pdf files. Most of us are more familiar with the associated application called Adobe Reader, because that’s what we use to read those .pdf files.

5 Fish in a Japanese pond : KOI

Koi are fish that are also known as Japanese carp. Koi have been bred for decorative purposes and there are now some very brightly colored examples found in Japanese water gardens.

17 Luxury hotel brand : OMNI

Omni Hotels & Resorts is headquartered in Irvine, California and has properties in the US, Canada and Mexico.

18 What margarine has, unlike butter : NO CHOLESTEROL

Sterols occur in nature in both plants and animals. The most famous of the animal sterols is cholesterol, which is found in all animals as a vital component of cell walls. Cholesterol is made within the body, so it isn’t a necessary part of the diet.

20 Potentially offensive : NON-PC

Non-politically correct (non-PC)

22 World Golf Hall-of-Famer Isao : AOKI

Isao Aoki is one of Japan’s greatest golfers. Aoki’s best finish in a major tournament was runner-up to Jack Nicklaus in the 1980 US Open.

24 It’s here, on the Champs-Élysées : ICI

The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets in the world. It is the main thoroughfare in Paris, home to the Arc de Triomphe and the Place de la Concorde. The name “Champs-Élysées” is French for Elysian Fields, a place where the righteous went after death according to Greek mythology.

28 Paul in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame : LES

Les Paul was a guitarist, songwriter and inventor. When he was 33 years old, Paul was involved in a near-fatal car crash that left his right arm and elbow shattered. Surgeons offered him the choice of amputation or a rebuilding of the limb that would leave him unable to bend his elbow. He told them to set his arm at just under 90 degrees so that he could at least hold his guitar and perhaps play it.

31 Conseil d’___ (adviser to un président) : ETAT

The “Conseil d’État” (Council of State) is a body within the French national government. The Conseil d’État provides legal advice to the Prime Minister and is also the administrative court of last resort.

34 Lasik target : EYE

LASIK surgery uses a laser to reshape the cornea of the eye to improve vision. The LASIK acronym stands for “laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis”.

36 Birds’ bills : NEBS

“Nib” is a Scottish variant of the Old English word “neb”, with both meaning the beak of a bird. This usage of “nib” as a beak dates back to the 14th century, with “nib” meaning the tip of a pen or quill coming a little later, in the early 1600s.

43 Jiffies : SECS

“Jiff” or “jiffy”, meaning “short time, instant” is thought originally to be thieves’ slang for “lightning”.

44 ___ Poke (caramel candy) : SLO

Slo Poke ia a brand of candy, one described as caramel on a stick. It is produced by the Gilliam Candy Company.

45 Old cars with wings in their logo : REOS

The REO Motor Company was founded by Ransom Eli Olds (hence the name REO). The company made cars, trucks and buses, and was in business from 1905 to 1975 in Lansing, Michigan. Among the company’s most famous models were the REO Royale and the REO Flying Cloud.

47 Sexologist Shere : HITE

Shere Hite is a German sex educator, although she was born in the US. She married German concert pianist Friedrich Höricke in 1985 and renounced her US citizenship in favor of German nationality in the mid-nineties. Hite’s work focuses on sexual experience and what meaning it holds for an individual.

50 Classic “Animal House” scene : TOGA PARTY

The very funny 1978 movie “Animal House” has the prefix “National Lampoon’s …” because the storyline came out of tales that had already appeared in “National Lampoon” magazine. “Animal House” was to become the first in a long line of successful “National Lampoon” films. The main pledges in the movie are Tom Hulce (Pinto), who later played a magnificent “Amadeus”, and Stephen Furst (Flounder), who later played a regular role on television’s “Babylon 5”.

52 Fool : SAP

“Sap” is slang for “fool, someone easily scammed”. The term arose in the early 1800s in Britain when it was used in “saphead” and “sapskull”. All these words are derived from “sapwood”, which is the softwood found in tree trunks between the bark and the heartwood at the center.

55 Kenya’s second-largest city : MOMBASA

Mombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya (after the capital, Nairobi). Mombasa is located on the east coast of the country, on the Indian Ocean.

58 Part of I.P.A. : ALE

India pale ale (IPA) is a style of beer that originated in England. The beer was originally intended for transportation from England to India, hence the name.

59 Speck : 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.

66 Apnea-treating M.D.s : ENTS

Ear, nose and throat specialist (ENT)

68 Nickname in 1950s politics : IKE

When the future president was growing up, the Eisenhowers used the nickname “Ike” for all seven boys in the family, as “Ike” was seen as an abbreviation for the family name. “Big Ike” was Edgar, the second oldest boy. “Little/Young Ike” was Dwight, who was the third son born. Dwight had no sisters.

69 Pulitzer-winning James : AGEE

James Agee was a noted American film critic and screenwriter. Agee wrote an autobiographical novel “A Death in the Family” that won him his Pulitzer in 1958, albeit posthumously. He was also one of the screenwriters for the 1951 classic movie “The African Queen”.

71 Suede feature : NAP

Suede is leather made from the underside of an animal’s skin, usually the skin from a lamb. As such it is very soft, although not as durable as leather made from the exterior skin. The soft leather was, and is still used for making gloves. Back in 1859 these gloves were called “gants de Suede” in France, or “gloves of Sweden”. So, the name “suede” comes from the French word for Sweden.

72 Exam with two logical reasoning sects. : LSAT

Law School Admission Test (LSAT)

Down

3 Aid for prospective homeowners : FANNIE MAE

The Federal National Mortgage Association is commonly called “Fannie Mae”, a play on the initialism FNMA. Fannie Mae was founded during the Great Depression as part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal.

4 Berth place : SLIP

A “slipway” or “slip” is a ramp on the shore in which boats can “slip” into the water. This “slipping” into the water is literally the case in a shipyard, where a vessel’s hull slips off the ramp after it is coated with grease.

7 Cuzco residents : INCAS

Cusco (also “Cuzco”) is a city in the southeast of Peru. Historically, Cusco was the historic capital of the Inca Empire, and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.

9 Sellers on Etsy, e.g. : ARTISANS

Etsy.com is an e-commerce website where you can buy and sell the kind of items that you might find at a craft fair.

10 Jane or John, in unsolved cases : DOE

Though the English court system does not use the term today, “John Doe” first appeared as the “name of a person unknown” in England in 1659, along with the similar “Richard Roe”. An unknown female is referred to as “JaneDoe ”, and the equivalent to Richard Roe is Jane Roe (as in Roe v. Wade, for example). Variants of “John Doe” used outside of the courts are “Joe Blow” and “John Q. Public”.

11 Like scenes in Grant Wood paintings : RURAL

The iconic Grant Wood work called “American Gothic” was painted in 1930. It depicts a farmer holding a pitchfork standing beside his spinster daughter. Grant used his sister as a model for the daughter, and his dentist as a model for the farmer. You can see “American Gothic” on display at the Art Institute of Chicago. You can also visit the house depicted in the painting, in the city of Eldon, Iowa. Perhaps predictably, the house is located on what is now called American Gothic Street.

12 Last two words of John Lennon’s “Imagine” : … AS ONE

John Lennon’s magnus opus is his song “Imagine”, released in 1971. “Imagine” was quite successful at the time of its release, but sadly, it only became a number one hit after Lennon was murdered in 1980. According to Lennon, the message behind the song is very simple: a world without countries or religion would be a peaceful place. Love that song …

13 Pummels with paintballs, say : PELTS

The “paint” in paintball isn’t actually paint, but rather a mix of gelatin and food coloring.

21 Michael of “Weekend Update” on “S.N.L.” : CHE

Michael Che is a standup comedian from New York City. Che had worked as a writer for “Saturday Night Live” (SNL), and then started to appear in front of SNL cameras in September 2014. One of his roles was co-anchor for the “Weekend Update” segment of the show.

27 Blue-bottled vodka brand : SKYY

Skyy Vodka is produced in the US, although the operation is owned by the Campari Group headquartered in Italy. Skyy first hit the shelves in 1992 when it was created by an entrepreneur from San Francisco, California.

32 Colorful aquarium swimmer : TETRA

The neon tetra is a freshwater fish that is native to parts of South America. The tetra is a very popular aquarium fish and millions are imported into the US every year. Almost all of the imported tetras are farm-raised in Asia and very few come from their native continent.

35 Sister of Helios and Selene : EOS

In Greek mythology, Eos was the goddess of the dawn who lived at the edge of the ocean. Eos would wake each morning to welcome her brother Helios the sun. The Roman equivalent of Eos was Aurora. Rather delightfully, Homer referred to Eos as “rosy-fingered dawn” in both “Iliad” and “Odyssey”.

Helios was the god of the Sun in Greek mythology, and is the reason that we use the prefix “helio-” to mean “sun”. He was the brother of Selene, the goddess of the moon, and Eos, the goddess of the dawn. Helios drove his chariot of the sun across the sky during the day, returning to the East at night be travelling through the ocean. The Roman equivalent to Helios was Sol.

Selene was the Greek goddess of the moon, the equivalent of the Roman deity Luna. Selene gave her name to the word “selenology”, the study of the geology of the moon, and also gave her name to the chemical element “selenium”. According to mythology, Selene fell in love with the handsome hunter/shepherd Endymion, a mere mortal.

38 Brit’s afternoon refreshment : SPOT OF TEA

I guess the reference here is to the oft-quoted English phrase “a spot of tea”. Mind you, I’ve only ever heard that said in jest …

40 Long-running series whose lead role was Lt. Horatio Caine : CSI: MIAMI

I quite enjoyed the “CSI” franchise of television shows, all except “CSI: Miami”. I find the character played by David Caruso to be extremely annoying. “CSI: Miami” was cancelled in 2012. No loss …

41 Beauty supply chain : ULTA

Ulta Beauty is an American chain of beauty stores that was founded in 1990 and headquartered in Bolingbrook, Illinois. I am not part of the company’s target demographic …

42 Down Under jumpers, informally : ROOS

The word “kangaroo” comes from the Australian Aborigine term for the animal. There’s an oft-quoted story that the explorer James Cook (later Captain Cook) asked a local native what was the name of this remarkable-looking animal, and the native responded with “Kangaroo”. The story is that the native was actually saying “I don’t understand you”, but as cute as that tale is, it’s just an urban myth.

46 Long Island community bordering Oyster Bay : SYOSSET

Syosset is a hamlet located on Oyster Bay, an inlet of Long Island Sound on the north shore of Long Island in New York.

49 CPR givers : EMTS

An emergency medical technician (EMT) might administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

51 Parent company of Athleta and Old Navy : GAP

The Gap is a San Francisco-based clothing retailer that was founded in 1969. The name “the Gap” was a homage to the popular sixties term “the generation gap”.

52 Master, in Hindi : SAHIB

“Sahib” is most recognized as a term of address used in India, where it is used in much the same way as we use “mister” in English. The term was also used to address male Europeans in the days of the British Raj. The correct female form of address is “sahiba”, but in the colonial days the address used was “memsahib”, a melding of “ma’am” and “sahib”

56 Bring home, as a runner : BAT IN

That would be baseball.

63 Mango’s center : PIT

The delicious mango is the national fruit of India, Pakistan and the Philippines. Almost half of the world’s supply of mangoes comes from India.

64 Shawn Corey Carter ___ Jay-Z : AKA

Jay-Z, as well as being a successful and very rich rap artist, is married to singer Beyoncé. Jay-Z was born Shawn Corey Carter in Brooklyn, New York. As Carter was growing up, he was nicknamed “Jazzy”, a reference to his interest in music. “Jazzy” evolved into the stage name “Jay-Z”. Jay-Z and Beyoncé have a daughter named Blue Ivy Carter, and twins named Rumi and Sir Carter.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Acrobat displays : PDFS
5 Fish in a Japanese pond : KOI
8 Unjustified criticism, in slang : BAD RAP
14 Make well : HEAL
15 Part of the Nativity story : INN
16 Light a fire under : AROUSE
17 Luxury hotel brand : OMNI
18 What margarine has, unlike butter : NO CHOLESTEROL
20 Potentially offensive : NON-PC
22 World Golf Hall-of-Famer Isao : AOKI
23 Morsel for a toad : ANT
24 It’s here, on the Champs-Élysées : ICI
25 Hounds : HASSLES
28 Paul in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame : LES
29 Part of a tenant screening report : CREDIT CHECK
31 Conseil d’___ (adviser to un président) : ETAT
33 One of two for four : SEMI
34 Lasik target : EYE
36 Birds’ bills : NEBS
39 “Tread carefully!” … or a hint to four dangers in this puzzle : WATCH YOUR STEP!
43 Jiffies : SECS
44 ___ Poke (caramel candy) : SLO
45 Old cars with wings in their logo : REOS
47 Sexologist Shere : HITE
50 Classic “Animal House” scene : TOGA PARTY
52 Fool : SAP
55 Kenya’s second-largest city : MOMBASA
57 “Are you blind, ref?!” : BOO!
58 Part of I.P.A. : ALE
59 Speck : IOTA
60 Authors of many sch. textbooks : PROFS
62 Requirement after a surgery, perhaps : HOSPITAL STAY
66 Apnea-treating M.D.s : ENTS
67 Before it’s too late : IN TIME
68 Nickname in 1950s politics : IKE
69 Pulitzer-winning James : AGEE
70 Get moving : BESTIR
71 Suede feature : NAP
72 Exam with two logical reasoning sects. : LSAT

Down

1 Sound system? : PHONICS
2 Opposite of builders : DEMO CREWS
3 Aid for prospective homeowners : FANNIE MAE
4 Berth place : SLIP
5 Relations : KIN
6 Cry of horror, quaintly : O NO!
7 Cuzco residents : INCAS
8 Online shopping icon : BASKET
9 Sellers on Etsy, e.g. : ARTISANS
10 Jane or John, in unsolved cases : DOE
11 Like scenes in Grant Wood paintings : RURAL
12 Last two words of John Lennon’s “Imagine” : … AS ONE
13 Pummels with paintballs, say : PELTS
19 Metaphor for indebtedness : HOLE
21 Michael of “Weekend Update” on “S.N.L.” : CHE
26 Banda ___ (2004 Indonesian tsunami site) : ACEH
27 Blue-bottled vodka brand : SKYY
30 Abandon : DITCH
32 Colorful aquarium swimmer : TETRA
35 Sister of Helios and Selene : EOS
37 Aids in getting drunk fast : BEER BONGS
38 Brit’s afternoon refreshment : SPOT OF TEA
40 Long-running series whose lead role was Lt. Horatio Caine : CSI: MIAMI
41 Beauty supply chain : ULTA
42 Down Under jumpers, informally : ROOS
46 Long Island community bordering Oyster Bay : SYOSSET
48 Certain leathercrafter : TOOLER
49 CPR givers : EMTS
51 Parent company of Athleta and Old Navy : GAP
52 Master, in Hindi : SAHIB
53 Singly : ALONE
54 Gnats, rats and brats : PESTS
56 Bring home, as a runner : BAT IN
61 “Let’s get ___!” : REAL
63 Mango’s center : PIT
64 Shawn Corey Carter ___ Jay-Z : AKA
65 “Indeedy” : YEP