1013-19 NY Times Crossword 13 Oct 19, Sunday

Constructed by: Erik Agard
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: Lines Of Work

Themed clues cite celebrated lines from movies. Themed answers are professionals that might perhaps have uttered such a line:

  • 21A…Professional whose favorite movie line might be “There’s no place like home”..SOFTBALL PLAYER (from “The Wizard of Oz”)
  • 35A…… “Here’s looking at you, kid”..GOATHERD (from “Casablanca”)
  • 40A…… “I wish I knew how to quit you”..IT SPECIALIST (from “Brokeback Mountain”)
  • 61A…… “Go ahead, make my day”..SCHEDULING COORDINATOR (from “Sudden Impact”)
  • 81A…… “Get to the chopper!”..ORTHODONTIST (from “Predator”)
  • 87A…… “Is this your king?!”..MAGICIAN (from “Blank Panther”)
  • 102A…… “I’ll have what she’s having”..EPIDEMIOLOGIST (from “When Harry Met Sally”)

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

Bill’s time: 19m 09s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1…Fasteners … or, if you change the fourth letter to an S, what the fasteners might be made of..BRADS

… or BRASS.

A brad is a slender wire nail with a relatively small head that is typically used to tack pieces of wood together, i.e. to fasten either temporarily or with minimal damage to the wood. Nowadays, brads are commonly applied using a nail gun.

6…It’s lit eight nights in a row..MENORAH

There is a seven-branched menorah used symbolically in ancient temples. However, the Hanukkah menorah is a nine-branched lampstand that is lit during the eight-day holiday called Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights. “Menorah” is the Hebrew word for “lamp”.

13…Figure that denotes acidity..LOW PH

As we all recall from chemistry class, a pH of 7 is considered neutral. Anything less than 7 is an acid, and anything above 7 is a base.

20…Number that might be kept secret..SALARY

It has been suggested that out term “salary” comes from the Latin “sal” meaning “salt”. The idea is that a Roman soldier’s “salarium” might have been an allowance to purchase salt.

23…Muse of astronomy..URANIA

In Greek mythology, the muses are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. The number of muses is a subject of debate at times, but the most popular view is that there are nine:

  • Calliope (epic poetry)
  • Clio (history)
  • Erato (lyric poetry)
  • Euterpe (music)
  • Melpomene (tragedy)
  • Polyhymnia (choral poetry)
  • Terpsichore (dance)
  • Thalia (comedy)
  • Urania (astronomy)

Before the adoption of the nine muses of Greek mythology, there were originally three muses, the three Boeotian Muses. These were:

  • Mneme (memory)
  • Melete (meditation)
  • Aoede (song)

25…Cyclops’s “I”..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.

Cyclops was a one-eyed giant in Greek and Roman mythology. Cyclops lived inside Mount Etna, the Sicilian volcano.

28…Maker of the Acadia S.U.V…GMC

The GMC Acadia is an SUV made by General Motors that was introduced in 2006.

29…Franchise with a series set in New Orleans..NCIS

NCIS is the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which investigates crimes in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The service gives its name to the CBS TV show “NCIS”, a spin-off drama from “JAG” in which the main “NCIS” characters were first introduced. The big star in “NCIS” is the actor Mark Harmon. “NCIS” is now a franchise, with spin-off shows “NCIS: Los Angeles” and “NCIS: New Orleans”.

30…Singer ___ J. Blige..MARY

Mary J. Blige is a singer-songwriter from the Bronx, New York. Her best known album is probably “My Life”, released in 1994. Blige is also making a name for herself as an actress, and was nominated for several awards for her performance in the 2017 film “Mudbound”.

31…Weasel relative..ERMINE

The stoat has dark brown fur in the summer, and white fur in the winter. Sometimes the term “ermine” is used for the animal during the winter when the fur is white. Ermine skins have long been prized by royalty and are often used for white trim on ceremonial robes.

34…South Asian garment..SARI

The item of clothing called a “sari” (also “saree”) is a strip of cloth, as one might imagine, unusual perhaps in that is unstitched along the whole of its length. The strip of cloth can range from four to nine meters long (that’s a lot of material!). The sari is usually wrapped around the waist, then draped over the shoulder leaving the midriff bare. I must say, it can be a beautiful item of clothing.

35…… “Here’s looking at you, kid”..GOATHERD

Males goats are called “bucks” or “billies”, although castrated males are known as “wethers”. Female goats are called “does” or “nannies”, and young goats are referred to as “kids”.

38…President whose wife went on to become president..PERON

Nowadays, President Juan Perón of Argentina is perhaps less well-known than his second wife, Eva Perón of “Evita” fame. Juan and Eva Perón were overthrown in a military coup in 1955, although Juan Perón was returned to power in 1973 after which he served for only nine months before he passed away. Juan was succeeded in office by his third wife, Isabel Perón.

40…… “I wish I knew how to quit you”..IT SPECIALIST

Information technology (IT)

46…Foreign capital where W. E. B. Du Bois is buried..ACCRA

Accra sits on Ghana’s coast and is a major seaport as well as the country’s capital city. The name “Accra” comes from a local word “Nkran” meaning “ants”, a name chosen because of the large number of anthills found in the area when the city was founded.

W. E. B. Du Bois was a sociologist and civil rights activist from Massachusetts. Du Bois was the first African American to receive a doctorate from Harvard, and went on to become a professor at Atlanta University. In 1909, he was a co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

49…Lukewarm response..MEH

The obsolete adjective “luke” meant “tepid, moderately warm”. Said adjective used to exist in words like “luke-hot” and “luke-hearted”, but now only survives in word “luke-warm” (usually “lukewarm”). So, I guess “lukewarm” means “tepidly tepid” …

50…Arthropod appendages..PALPS

Palps are appendages found near the mouth of many invertebrates, including mollusks, crustaceans and insects. They are used to help in feeding, but can also assist in locomotion.

51…Emitters of cosmic rays..PULSARS

A pulsar is a rotating neutron star that emits a beam of electromagnetic radiation. As the beam is not emitted in all directions, it is only seen from Earth when at particular rotations, hence creating a cycle of pulsed gamma rays known as the lighthouse effect.

53…Arctic coat..PARKA

A parka is a hooded jacket that is often lined with fur, and that is worn in cold weather. The original parka was a pullover design, but nowadays it is usually zipped at the front. “Parka” is the Russian name for the garment, and it was absorbed into English in the late 1700s via the Aleut language.

69…Relative of the emu..RHEA

The rhea is a flightless bird that is native to South America. The rhea takes its name from the Greek Titan Rhea. It’s an apt name for a flightless bird as “rhea” comes from the Greek word meaning “ground”.

70…Couleur in the middle of the French flag..BLANC

In French, the national flag of France is a tricolor comprising the “couleurs” (colors) “bleu, blanc et rouge” (blue, white and red).

72…Big maker of smartphones..SAMSUNG

Samsung is a huge multinational company based in Seoul, South Korea. We tend to think of Samsung as a supplier of consumer electronics perhaps, but the company is into so much more. Samsung Heavy Industries is the world’s second-biggest shipbuilder, and Samsung Techwin is a major manufacturer of aeronautic and weapons systems. The name “Samsung” means “three stars” in Korean.

74…Word between “stink” and “stunk” in “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”..STANK

The Grinch is the title character in Dr. Seuss’s 1957 children’s book “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” He is a grouchy creature who lives as a hermit in a cave outside the town of Whoville. The Grinch’s only companion is his dog Max. Based on Seuss’s hero, we now use the term “grinch” for someone who is opposed to Christmas festivities or who is coarse and greedy in general.

77…Place to get a knish..DELI

A knish is a snack food from Germany and Eastern Europe that was made popular in the US by Jewish immigrants. A knish has a filling, often made of mashed potato and ground meat, covered by a dough that is baked or fried.

79…Obstetrics worker..NURSE

Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB-GYN)

81…… “Get to the chopper!”..ORTHODONTIST

Orthodontics is a branch of dentistry dealing with the straightening of teeth. The name comes from the Greek “orthos” meaning “straight” and “dontia” meaning “teeth”.

86…Part of N.S., in Canadian mail..SCOTIA

The Canadian province of Nova Scotia (NS) lies on the east coast of the country and is a peninsula surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. The area was settled by Scots starting in 1621, and Nova Scotia is Latin for “New Scotland”.

93…Airport named for two Washington cities..SEA-TAC

Sea-Tac Airport (SEA) is more fully known as Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Sea-Tac is the main hub for Alaska Airlines.

98…”___ the Explorer”..DORA

“Dora the Explorer” is a cartoon series shown on Nickelodeon. Part of Dora’s remit is to introduce the show’s young viewers to some Spanish words and phrases.

99…Things you might take a spin in..TUTUS

The word “tutu”, used for a ballet dancer’s skirt, is actually a somewhat “naughty” term. It came into English from French in the early 20th century. The French “tutu” is an alteration of the word “cucu”, a childish word meaning “bottom, backside”.

107…Low-carb diet creator..ATKINS

Perhaps most notably, the eating of relatively few carbohydrates is central to the diet proposed by Robert Atkins. Atkins first laid out the principles behind the Atkins diet in a research paper published in 1958 in the “Journal of the American Medical Association”. He popularized his diet starting in 1972 with his book “Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution”.

108…Piece of furniture that’s at least a couple of feet wide..OTTOMAN

The piece of furniture known as an ottoman can be a couch, usually one with a head but no back or sides. Here in the US, the term more commonly applies to a padded and upholstered seat or bench that can also be used as a footrest. The original ottoman couch came from the Ottoman Empire, hence the name.

Down

1…Mile High City athlete..BRONCO

The Denver Broncos were a charter member of the AFL and so were formed in 1959 and first played in 1960. The Broncos won the Super Bowl twice, in the consecutive seasons of 1997 and 1998.

Denver, Colorado is nicknamed the “Mile-High City” because its official elevation is listed as exactly one mile. Denver City was founded in 1858 as a mining town. The name was chosen in honor of the Kansas Territorial Governor at the time, James W. Denver.

2…Palm fiber..RAFFIA

Raffia fibers come from the raffia palm tree. Raffia fibers have many uses, for example as a textile and as a roof covering.

5…Sp. title..SRA

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

7…Like some calories..EMPTY

“Empty calories” is a term used by nutritionists to describe processed carbohydrates, fats and alcohol. The idea is that foods high in empty calories contain calories and not much else i.e. few vitamins, minerals, antioxidants or fiber.

8…Beyoncé film role..NALA

In “The Lion King”, Nala is a lioness and the childhood friend of Simba. By the end of the story, Nala and Simba become wedded. “The Lion King” is inspired by William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, with Simba representing the title character, and Nala representing Hamlet’s love interest Ophelia.

9…”Snakes ___ Plane”..ON A

“Snakes on a Plane” is one of those movies that delivers just what is advertised on the wrapper, namely “snakes on a plane”. Samuel L. Jackson stars in a film about hundreds of snakes released on a plane in a plot to kill a witness who is planning to testify at a trial.

13…Swedish name akin to Lawrence..LARS

Lars is a Nordic name that is derived from the Roman name Laurentius, and so is related to the English names Laurence and Lawrence. The root name means “crowned with laurel”.

14…Commercial suffix with Motor..-OLA

The original Motorola is now two independent companies called Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions. Motorola started in 1928 as the Galvin Manufacturing Corporation in Chicago. Founder Paula V. Galvin created the brand name “Motorola” for a car radio the company developed in 1930. He linked “motor” (meaning “car”) with “-ola” (meaning “sound”), implying “sound in motion”.

16…Flower that’s often yellow..PRIMROSE

The “primrose” name comes from an older term meaning “first rose”, reflecting the fact that the primrose is one of the first plants to flower in spring in Europe. That said, the primrose is not very closely related to true roses.

30…Firm-ly worded letter?..MEMO

A business is sometimes called a “firm”. “Firm” comes into English from Latin via the Italian “firma” meaning signature. The concept is that business transactions are confirmed, made firm, by applying a signature.

32…Actress Dawson..ROSARIO

Actress Rosario Dawson is from New York City. Dawson played the waitress Laura Vasquez in the film “Men in Black II”.

37…Incites to attack, with “on”..SICS

“Sic ’em” is an attack order given to a dog, one instructing the animal to growl, bark or even bite. The term dates back to the 1830s, with “sic” being a variation of “seek”.

43…Image Award org…NAACP

The NAACP Image Awards are presented annually to recognise people of color in the worlds of film, television, music and literature. The first awards were presented in 1967, and the ceremony usually takes place in Los Angeles.

52…District 9, for short?..SCOTUS

Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS)

54…Alternatives to Targets..KMARTS

Kmart is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and Target. The company was founded by S. S. Kresge in 1899, with the first outlets known as S. S. Kresge stores. The first “Kmart” stores opened in 1962, with the “K” standing for “Kresge”. Kmart is famous for its promotions known as “blue light specials”, a program first introduced in 1965 and discontinued in 1991. I remember being in a Kmart store soon after coming to live in the US. That evening an employee installed a light stand an aisle away from me, switched on a flashing blue light and there was some unintelligible announcement over the loudspeaker system. I had no idea what was going on …

58…Danish coin..KRONE

“Krone” translates into English as “crown”, and was the name given to coins that bore the image of the monarch in several countries. Today, the krone is the name given to the currency of Norway, and of Denmark. Some of the Norwegian and Danish kroner have holes in the middle, giving them a “doughnut” or “torus” shape.

73…Sp. title..SRTA

“Señorita” (Srta.) is Spanish, and “Mademoiselle” (Mlle.) is French, for “Miss”.

74…Long truck..SEMI

An 18-wheeler semi-trailer truck has eight wheels under the trailer, i.e. four on each of the two rear axles. There are 10 wheels under the tractor unit. Two of the ten wheels are on the front axle, and eight are on the rear two axles that sit under the front of the trailer.

84…Source of chocolate..CACAO

Chocolate is made from the seeds of the Theobroma cacao tree. The seeds are very bitter and the traditional drink made with the seed was called “xocolatl” by the Aztecs, meaning “bitter water”. Our word “chocolate” comes from “xocolatl”.

88…Andean feline..COUGAR

The mountain lion is found in much of the Americas from the Yukon in Canada right down to the southern Andes in South America. Because the mountain lion is found over such a vast area, it has many different names applied by local peoples, such as “cougar” and “puma”. In fact, the mountain lion holds the Guinness record for the animal with the most number of different names, with over 40 in English alone.

93…Brewski..SUDS

“Brewski”, “suds” and “cold one” are slang terms for “beer”.

94…Like DC and MI..ROMAN

DC (600) and MI (1,001) are Roman numerals.

97…Calligraphers’ choices..PENS

Calligraphy is the art of fine handwriting. The term “calligraphy” comes from the Greek “kallos” meaning “beauty” and “graphein” meaning “to write”.

98…Twentysomethings, e.g…DEMO

Demographic (demo.)

99…Burkina Faso neighbor..TOGO

Togo is a country on the West African coast, and one of the smallest nations on the continent. It is located between Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north.

Burkina Faso is an inland country in western Africa. The country used to be called the Republic of Upper Volta and was renamed in 1984 to “Burkina Faso”, meaning “the land of upright people”.

103…School org…PTA

Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)

104…Part of fwiw..IT’S

For what it’s worth (FWIW)

105…Matrix character..DOT

A dot matrix printer works somewhat like an old typewriter. The printer head runs back and forth across the stage striking the paper through an inked ribbon, creating the printed characters from small dots.

106…Place to wear smocks..LAB

Our term “laboratory”, often shortened to “lab”, comes from the Medieval Latin word “laboratorium” meaning “place for labor, work”. This in turn comes from the Latin verb “laborare” meaning “to work”.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1…Fasteners … or, if you change the fourth letter to an S, what the fasteners might be made of..BRADS
6…It’s lit eight nights in a row..MENORAH
13…Figure that denotes acidity..LOW PH
18…Less everyday..RARER
19…Humble expression of capability..I MANAGE
20…Number that might be kept secret..SALARY
21…Professional whose favorite movie line might be “There’s no place like home”..SOFTBALL PLAYER
23…Muse of astronomy..URANIA
24…Dis-qualified?..UNFIT
25…Cyclops’s “I”..IOTA
26…”Uh-oh!”..OOPS!
28…Maker of the Acadia S.U.V…GMC
29…Franchise with a series set in New Orleans..NCIS
30…Singer ___ J. Blige..MARY
31…Weasel relative..ERMINE
34…South Asian garment..SARI
35…… “Here’s looking at you, kid”..GOATHERD
37…Not be attentive..SNOOZE
38…President whose wife went on to become president..PERON
39…Unconfident utterances..UMS
40…… “I wish I knew how to quit you”..IT SPECIALIST
42…Not manually controlled..ON AUTO
46…Foreign capital where W. E. B. Du Bois is buried..ACCRA
48…Do a little tidying..DUST
49…Lukewarm response..MEH
50…Arthropod appendages..PALPS
51…Emitters of cosmic rays..PULSARS
53…Arctic coat..PARKA
55…Typing sounds..TAPS
56…”Well, aren’t I clever?!”..TADA!
57…Shaving mishap..NICK
59…One honored on March 8 per a 1977 United Nations resolution..WOMAN
61…… “Go ahead, make my day”..SCHEDULING COORDINATOR
66…Less bronzed..PALER
67…Hated figure..OGRE
68…Promote..TOUT
69…Relative of the emu..RHEA
70…Couleur in the middle of the French flag..BLANC
72…Big maker of smartphones..SAMSUNG
74…Word between “stink” and “stunk” in “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”..STANK
75…Hurry, quaintly..HIE
77…Place to get a knish..DELI
79…Obstetrics worker..NURSE
80…Dwell..RESIDE
81…… “Get to the chopper!”..ORTHODONTIST
84…Recording device, for short..CAM
85…___ planning..URBAN
86…Part of N.S., in Canadian mail..SCOTIA
87…… “Is this your king?!”..MAGICIAN
92…Fine deposit..SILT
93…Airport named for two Washington cities..SEA-TAC
94…Hurry..RACE
95…”This one’s ___”..ON ME
96…Caesar’s “I”..EGO
97…Reaction to scritches, maybe..PURR
98…”___ the Explorer”..DORA
99…Things you might take a spin in..TUTUS
100…Stored..CACHED
102…… “I’ll have what she’s having”..EPIDEMIOLOGIST
107…Low-carb diet creator..ATKINS
108…Piece of furniture that’s at least a couple of feet wide..OTTOMAN
109…Best competitive performance, informally..A-GAME
110…Trials..TESTS
111…Trick that’s “pulled”..FAST ONE
112…Doodling, say..BORED

Down

1…Mile High City athlete..BRONCO
2…Palm fiber..RAFFIA
3…Drawer, say..ARTIST
4…Restructuring target..DEBT
5…Sp. title..SRA
6…Term of address for a noble..MILORD
7…Like some calories..EMPTY
8…Beyoncé film role..NALA
9…”Snakes ___ Plane”..ON A
10…Shaft of sunshine..RAY
11…Estimation from dating..AGE
12…Placed on a pedestal..HEROIZED
13…Swedish name akin to Lawrence..LARS
14…Commercial suffix with Motor..-OLA
15…2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner who founded the Green Belt Movement..WANGARI MAATHAI
16…Flower that’s often yellow..PRIMROSE
17…Flower that’s often purple..HYACINTH
20…School district higher-up, informally..SUPE
21…Like praises and arias..SUNG
22…Story tellers..LIARS
27…Half a pint..ONE CUP
30…Firm-ly worded letter?..MEMO
31…Bars that people walk into?..ENTRANCE MUSIC
32…Actress Dawson..ROSARIO
33…Clean (up)..MOP
34…French for “salt”..SEL
36…Humble homes..HUTS
37…Incites to attack, with “on”..SICS
38…___ saint..PATRON
41…Witness’s attestation..I SAW IT
42…Makes a choice..OPTS
43…Image Award org…NAACP
44…Children’s playthings that help with spelling..ALPHABET BLOCKS
45…Encourage to buy add-ons..UPSELL
46…Sound bites and such..AUDIO
47…Trolley sounds..CLANGS
51…Buddy..PAL
52…District 9, for short?..SCOTUS
54…Alternatives to Targets..KMARTS
56…Swayed to the dark side, say..TURNED
58…Danish coin..KRONE
60…Ceaselessly..NO END
62…Exactly right..DEAD ON
63…Half-frozen Italian dessert..GRANITA
64…Grooved on..DUG
65…Leaf blower alternative..RAKE
71…Effective salesperson..CLOSER
73…Sp. title..SRTA
74…Long truck..SEMI
75…What goes in a box..HOUSE CAT
76…Water..IRRIGATE
78…Overseen by..IN CARE OF
80…Anger..RAGE
82…Receptacle for donations..HAT
83…Little ‘un..TOT
84…Source of chocolate..CACAO
87…One serving on a ship..MARINE
88…Andean feline..COUGAR
89…Eventually..IN TIME
90…Enjoying a comedy..AMUSED
91…Stick-y pad?..NEST
93…Brewski..SUDS
94…Like DC and MI..ROMAN
97…Calligraphers’ choices..PENS
98…Twentysomethings, e.g…DEMO
99…Burkina Faso neighbor..TOGO
101…Word before “home” or “the road”..HIT …
103…School org…PTA
104…Part of fwiw..IT’S
105…Matrix character..DOT
106…Place to wear smocks..LAB