1018-19 NY Times Crossword 18 Oct 19, Friday

Constructed by: Jamey Smith
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

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

Bill’s time: 13m 23s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Set off, say : IN ITALICS

Italic type leans to the right, and is often used to provide emphasis in text. The style is known as “italic” because the stylized calligraphic form of writing originated in Italy, probably in the Vatican.

10 Giant in health and beauty products : AMWAY

Founded in 1959, Amway is still going strong. It is one of the largest privately-held companies in the United States, with sales of around $8 billion and about 13,000 employees.

16 Fabric for a wedding dress : VOILE

Voile is a soft and sheer fabric, usually made from cotton, that is often used as a window treatment. Voile curtains are similar to net curtains and may be used as mosquito nets, for example. Aptly enough, “voile” is the French word for “veil”.

19 Avian mimic : MYNA

Some species of myna (also “mynah”) birds are known for their ability to imitate sounds.

20 Baileys, for one : IRISH CREAM

A “cream liqueur” is one that includes dairy cream. The most famous example is probably Baileys Irish Cream, that is made made from cream and Irish whiskey. A crème liqueur, on the other hand, is one that includes a lot of added sugar, but no dairy cream. Examples are crème de cacao (chocolate-flavored), crème de menthe (mintf-lavored) and crème de cassis (blackcurrant-flavored).

23 Goal of a vacation, informally : R AND R

Rest and relaxation/recuperation/recreation (R&R, “R‘n’R”)

34 Yellowfin tuna : AHI

Yellowfin and bigeye tuna are usually marketed as “ahi”, the Hawaiian name. They are both big fish, with yellowfish tuna often weighing over 300 pounds, and bigeye tuna getting up to 400 pounds.

40 Senescence : AGING

To senesce is to grow old. The Latin for “to grow old” is “senescere”, from “senex” meaning “old”. To senesce is to grow old. The Latin for “to grow old” is “senescere”, from “senex” meaning “old”.

46 Fruity liqueur base : SLOE

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.

54 One committing a fare-ly minor offense? : TURNSTILE JUMPER

A stile is a structure allowing people to pass over or through a fence, while at the same time preventing livestock from escaping. The derivative term “turnstile” describes a revolving structure in a wall or fence that allows the controlled passage of people.

57 It commemorates 1867’s Constitution Act : CANADA DAY

Canada’s national day is known as Canada Day, and has been held on July 1st annually since 1879. The holiday was originally referred to as Dominion Day, and recognizes the date in 1867 when the British colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick were united into one dominion within the British Empire using the name “Canada”. Dominion Day became Canada Day in 1982.

58 Rules maven Edmond : HOYLE

Edmond Hoyle was a writer, and someone famous for documenting the rules and play of card games. In particular, Hoyle first wrote a book on the game of whist that was very popular. Such was the success of Hoyle’s treatises that we use the phrase “according to Hoyle” to mean “according to some respected authority”. When the Poker Hall of Fame was founded in 1979, Edmund Hoyle was one of the first inductees, even though the game of power was invented after he died.

59 Receiving benefits : ON THE DOLE

The word “dole”, meaning “financial relief”, originated as the Old English word “dal”, the state of sharing, giving out. The phrase “on the dole”, relating to institutional relief, dates back to the twenties.

Down

1 The same, in legal citations : IDEM

“Idem” is usually abbreviated as “id.” and is the Latin word for “the same”. In research papers, “idem” is used in a list of references, in place of citations “already mentioned above”.

3 Main lower artery, informally : I-TEN

I-10 is the most southerly of the interstate routes that cross from the Atlantic to the Pacific. I-10 stretches from Santa Monica, California to Jacksonville, Florida. Various stretches of the route have been given different names, for example, the Rosa Parks Freeway, the Santa Monica Freeway, the San Bernardino Freeway and the Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Highway.

4 Huge storage unit : TERABIT

The numerical prefix “tera-” means “trillion”. The prefix was first adopted in 1947, and comes from the Greek “teras” meaning “marvel, monster”.

5 Minnesota senator Klobuchar : AMY

Amy Klobuchar was elected to the US Senate in 2006, and became the first elected female senator for Minnesota when she took her seat in the following January. Former Second Lady of the US Muriel Humphrey was Minnesota’s first female senator. Ms. Humphrey was appointed to serve out the balance of her husband’s term after Hubert Humphrey died.

7 Bygone artist’s medium : IVORY

The hard, white material called ivory has mainly been sourced from the tusks of elephants, although it can also be collected from the walrus, hippopotamus, killer whale, wart hog and others. The word “ivory” comes into English via Latin from the ancient Egyptian word for “elephant”.

8 New York’s ___ Field : CITI

Citi Field is the relatively new baseball stadium used by the New York Mets that sits right next door to the site of Shea stadium, where the Mets had played for decades. And the new facility’s name comes from corporate sponsor Citigroup.

9 Episcopates : SEES

In the Roman Catholic Church, an episcopal see is the official seat of a bishop, and is usually described by the town or city where the bishop resides and has his cathedral. The most famous see in the church is called the Holy See, the episcopal see of the Bishop of Rome, the Pope.

10 Dark yellow-green : AVOCADO

The wonderful avocado comes from a tree that is native to Mexico and Central America. The avocado fruit is sometimes called an avocado pear, because of its shape, even though it is not related to the pear at all. The fruit might also be referred to as an alligator pear, due to the roughness of the green skin of some avocado cultivars.

24 Transportation secretary Elaine : CHAO

When President George W. Bush appointed Elaine Chao as Secretary of Labor, he made a bit of history as Chao became the first Chinese American in history to hold a cabinet post. It turned out that Chao became the only cabinet member to hold her post for President Bush’s full eight years in office. In 1993, Chao married Mitch McConnell, the Republican Leader of the US Senate.

25 Home of the all-vowel town Aiea : OAHU

Aiea is a town located in the city of Honolulu, Hawaii. Aiea is located on Aiea Bay, which is part of Pearl Harbor.

26 John who wrote “Our National Parks” : MUIR

John Muir was a famous American naturalist, although he was born in Scotland. Muir founded the Sierra Club in 1892. He published “My First Summer in the Sierra” in 1911, which described one of Muir’s favorite places in the country, the Sierra Nevada range in California.

27 ___ Rosewater, recurring character in Kurt Vonnegut novels : ELIOT

Kurt Vonnegut was an writer from Indianapolis whose most famous work is probably the novel “Slaughterhouse-Five” from 1969. Beyond his writing, Vonnegut was noted for his support of the American Civil Liberties Union and American Humanist Association. Kurt had a brother who made a big contribution to society. Bernard Vonnegut was the atmospheric scientist who discovered that silver iodide could be used to seed clouds and artificially create rain.

28 Dosimeter units : RADS

Dosimeters measure exposure to something in the environment, with radiation exposure the most recognized. Exposure to ionizing radiation is cumulative, so people who risk exposure wear dosimeters and records are kept for each individual to track exposure over a lifetime. The rad is a unit used to measure radiation levels, but it is largely obsolete now. The rad has been superseded by the rem.

30 Maven : GURU

“Guru” is a Hindi word meaning “teacher” or “priest”.

I’ve always loved the term “maven”, which is another word for “expert”. Maven comes into English from the Yiddish “meyvn” describing someone who appreciates and is a connoisseur.

31 “Checkmate!” : I WIN!

In the game of chess, when the king is under immediate threat of capture it is said to be “in check”. If the king cannot escape from check, then the game ends in “checkmate” and the player in check loses. In the original Sanskrit game of chess, the king could actually be captured. Then a rule was introduced requiring that a warning be given if capture was imminent (today we announce “check!”) so that an accidental and early ending to the game doesn’t occur.

32 Novelist Grey : ZANE

Zane Grey certainly did hit on the right niche. He wrote romanticized western novels and stories that really lent themselves to the big screen in the days when westerns were very popular movies. Incredibly, 110 films were made based on his work.

38 It’s part of a series : ORDINAL

Ordinal numbers express a position in a series, i.e. first, second, third etc.

40 Te ___ : AMO

“I love you” translates into “te amo” in Spanish, and into “je t’aime” in French.

43 Biblical miracle worker : ELIJAH

Elijah was a prophet in the northern kingdom of Israel according to the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible and the Qur’an. The name “Elijah” translates from Hebrew as “My God is Yahweh”. Elijah is also known Elias.

44 Underworld ruler : PLUTO

In classical mythology, the god of the underworld was named Hades. Over time, “Hades” came to mean the underworld itself and the name for the god became “Pluto”. Pluto’s character was more positive than the god Hades, and he represented a more rewarding afterlife compared to that offered by the darker Hades.

45 “Viva ___!” : EL REY

“El rey” is Spanish for “the king”.

46 Need for some bypass surgery : STENT

In the world of surgical medicine, a stent is an artificial tube inserted inside a vessel in the body, say an artery, in order to reduce the effects of a local restriction in the body’s conduit.

48 Part of P.R. : RICO

Puerto Rico (PR) is located in the northeastern Caribbean (in the Atlantic Ocean), east of the Dominican Republic. The name “Puerto Rico” is Spanish for “rich port”. The locals often call their island Borinquen, the Spanish form of “Boriken”, the original name used by the natives.

49 ___ Thicke, onetime late-night host : ALAN

Canadian actor Alan Thicke is best known for portraying the patriarch of the Seaver family on the sitcom “Growing Pains”. He was also quite successful as a composer of TV theme songs. Along with his first wife, Thicke co-wrote the theme songs to the sitcoms “Diff’rent Strokes” and “The Facts of Life”.

52 100 centavos, in Brazil : REAL

“Centavo” is a Spanish and Portuguese word, and is used for the coin that represents 1/100 of the basic monetary unit of quite a few countries, including Cuba. “Centavo” comes from the Latin “centum” meaning “one hundred” and “-avo” meaning “portion, fraction”.

53 David ___, comedian famous for impersonating Richard Nixon : FRYE

David Frye was a comedian and impressionist who specialized in taking off famous American politicians. The list of celebrities that Frye impersonated included Presidents Johnson and Nixon, and Senators Hubert Humphrey and Robert Kennedy.

55 Ulan-___, Siberian capital : UDE

Ulan-ude is a city in Eastern Siberia that was founded by the Russian Cossacks. If you ever get to visit, you’ll be able to see a huge sculpture of the head of Vladimir Lenin, the largest head of Lenin ever built.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Set off, say : IN ITALICS
10 Giant in health and beauty products : AMWAY
15 Rom-com, typically : DATE MOVIE
16 Fabric for a wedding dress : VOILE
17 Electioneer’s reminder : EVERY VOTE COUNTS
19 Avian mimic : MYNA
20 Baileys, for one : IRISH CREAM
21 Like fish that can be difficult to eat : BONY
23 Goal of a vacation, informally : R AND R
24 Word in many a promotional poster : COMING
27 Diminish : ERODE
29 ___ bourgeoisie (gentry) : HAUTE
30 Make fashionable : GLAMORIZE
34 Yellowfin tuna : AHI
35 Shepherd : GUIDE
36 Pocketful or mouthful, say : WAD
37 Symbol depicting a snake swallowing its tail : OUROBOROS
40 Senescence : AGING
42 Argue against : REBUT
43 Current type of currency : E-MONEY
44 Bike : PEDAL
46 Fruity liqueur base : SLOE
47 Epithet for the uninformed : ILLITERATI
50 It’s a shore thing : SURF
54 One committing a fare-ly minor offense? : TURNSTILE JUMPER
56 Group unlikely to get much playing time : C-TEAM
57 It commemorates 1867’s Constitution Act : CANADA DAY
58 Rules maven Edmond : HOYLE
59 Receiving benefits : ON THE DOLE

Down

1 The same, in legal citations : IDEM
2 Shade of blue : NAVY
3 Main lower artery, informally : I-TEN
4 Huge storage unit : TERABIT
5 Minnesota senator Klobuchar : AMY
6 2016 film about a 1967 Supreme Court case : LOVING
7 Bygone artist’s medium : IVORY
8 New York’s ___ Field : CITI
9 Episcopates : SEES
10 Dark yellow-green : AVOCADO
11 A hired one is called a moirologist : MOURNER
12 Plied with alcohol, in a way : WINED
13 Hitching post? : ALTAR
14 Deferential affirmative : YES’M
18 Auto accent : CHROME
22 United : ONE
24 Transportation secretary Elaine : CHAO
25 Home of the all-vowel town Aiea : OAHU
26 John who wrote “Our National Parks” : MUIR
27 ___ Rosewater, recurring character in Kurt Vonnegut novels : ELIOT
28 Dosimeter units : RADS
30 Maven : GURU
31 “Checkmate!” : I WIN!
32 Novelist Grey : ZANE
33 Pushing the bounds of propriety : EDGY
35 Drinking vessel with a stem : GOBLET
38 It’s part of a series : ORDINAL
39 “No idea” : BEATS ME
40 Te ___ : AMO
41 Flips out : GOES MAD
43 Biblical miracle worker : ELIJAH
44 Underworld ruler : PLUTO
45 “Viva ___!” : EL REY
46 Need for some bypass surgery : STENT
47 What pruritus means, to laypeople : ITCH
48 Part of P.R. : RICO
49 ___ Thicke, onetime late-night host : ALAN
51 Hairstyle that needs pins : UPDO
52 100 centavos, in Brazil : REAL
53 David ___, comedian famous for impersonating Richard Nixon : FRYE
55 Ulan-___, Siberian capital : UDE

9 thoughts on “1018-19 NY Times Crossword 18 Oct 19, Friday”

  1. Fun, hard-but-doable, Friday puzzle. Caused myself problems by writing in ALMAY instead of AMWAY and CHAN instead of CHAO. (I didn’t know OUROBOROS at all!) The long across answers became clear when I figured out enough down answers.

  2. 1:27:40 with 8 errors….any explanation of 37A would be appreciated ….for 24D the clue says transportation but the right dept is labor ….Am I missing something?….just when you think you are on a roll a puzzle like this comes along.
    YUCK

    1. Confusion regarding Elaine CHAO is understandable. She was Secretary of Labor for eight years under the Bush administration, and is the current Secretary of Transportation.

  3. So close, but not quite. Left 4 squares empty, missed a couple others. I rarely finish a Friday puzzle, so feel pretty good about it.

  4. For some reason I found this an easier-than-average Friday puzzle. Guess I just clicked with the clues.

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