0205-20 NY Times Crossword 5 Feb 20, Wednesday

Constructed by: Ross Trudeau
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: Used Furniture

Themed answers each include items of FURNITURE as hidden words:

  • 52A Some garage sale goods … or what the answers at 15-, 19-, 33-, 41- and 62-Across have done? : USED FURNITURE
  • 15A Get major hang time, in snowboarding lingo : CATCH AIR (hiding “chair”)
  • 19A Brief hookup : ONE-NIGHT STAND (hiding “nightstand”)
  • 33A “The Scream” and “The Kiss,” for two : WORKS OF ART (hiding “sofa”)
  • 41A Nonsense line sung by Frank Sinatra in “Strangers in the Night” : DO-BE-DO-BE-DO (hiding “bed” & “bed”)
  • 62A Verses-vs.-verses competitor : SLAM POET (hiding “lamp”)

… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 9m 01s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Holiday Inn alternative : RAMADA

The Ramada Inn hotel chain takes its name from the Spanish word for a shady resting place. A ramada is a shelter with a roof and no walls, mainly found in the American southwest. Nowadays a ramada can be temporary or permanent, but originally ramadas were makeshift shelters constructed by aboriginal Indians from branches or bushes.

7 Where you might go through withdrawal? : ATM

Automatic Teller Machine (ATM)

17 College in Claremont, Calif. : POMONA

Pomona College is a private school in Claremont, California in Los Angeles County. The name “Pomona” comes from the original location of the college in Pomona, California. The college opened for classes in Pomona in a rental house in 1888. The following year it moved to the site of an unfinished hotel in Claremont, but retained the Pomona name.

18 Al who famously drove a white Ford Bronco : COWLINGS

Al Cowlings is a retired NFL footballer who is perhaps most famous for an incident that took place off the field. It was Cowling who drove the white Ford Bronco in the low-speed chase through Los Angeles that preceded O.J Simpson’s arrest for the murder of Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman.

21 Fair-hiring inits. : EEO

“Equal Employment Opportunity” (EEO) is a term that has been around since 1964 when the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was set up by the Civil Rights Act. Title VII of the Act prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin or religion.

24 One of the musicians on the 11th day of Christmas : PIPER

The fabulous Christmas carol called “The Twelve Days of Christmas” dates back at least to 1780 when it was first published in England, though it may be French in origin. The concept of twelve days of Christmas comes from the tradition that the three kings came to visit the Christ Child twelve days after he was born. This same tradition is the origin of the title to Shakespeare’s play “Twelfth Night”.

28 Showtime alternative : TMC

The Movie Channel is owned by Showtime, which in turn is a subsidiary of CBS. The channel’s name is often abbreviated to “TMC”, although this is informal usage.

31 Law partner? : ORDER

As in “law and order”.

33 “The Scream” and “The Kiss,” for two : WORKS OF ART (hiding “sofa”)

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.

“The Kiss” is a beautiful sculpture created in 1889 by Auguste Rodin. I’ve had the privilege of standing beside a large, life-size marble version of the work on a few occasions in the Rodin Museum, my favorite of all museums in Paris. The Musée Rodin is very special in that the building and garden that hold all of the works were Rodin’s actual home and studio. Well worth a visit if you make it to Paris …

38 Slayer of Tybalt : ROMEO

In William Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet”, the main antagonist of the piece is Tybalt, who is a very combative cousin of Juliet and a sworn enemy of Romeo.

40 Hoover, e.g., informally : VAC

The first practical portable vacuum cleaner was invented by James Spangler in 1907. Spangler sold the patent for the design to his cousin’s husband, William Henry Hoover. Hoover then made his fortune from manufacturing and selling vacuum cleaners. Hoover was so successful in my part of the world that back in Ireland we don’t use the verb “to vacuum” and instead say “to hoover”. Also, “hoover” is what we call a vacuum cleaner, regardless of who makes it.

43 Infotainment show with an exclamation point in its name : E! NEWS

E! Entertainment Television started out in 1987 as Movietime, and hired on-air hosts such as Greg Kinnear and Paula Abdul. It was renamed in 1990 to E! Entertainment Television, underscoring the focus on Hollywood gossip and the like.

48 What an ID may substitute for? : IDAHO

Idaho has the nickname “Gem State”, mainly because almost every known type of gemstone has been found there. Idaho is also sometimes called the Potato State as potatoes are such a popular crop in the state. I’d go for the potatoes over the gems, but that’s probably just me …

59 Archrivals of the Blue Devils : TAR HEELS

“Tar Heel” is a nickname for anyone living in, or from, the state of North Carolina. As such, it is the nickname for an athlete of the University of North Carolina (UNC). No one seems to know for sure where the term “Tar Heel” originated, but it is thought to be related to the historical importance of the tar, pitch and turpentine industries that thrived in the state due to the presence of vast forests of pine trees.

Duke University was founded in 1838 as Brown’s Schoolhouse. The school was renamed to Trinity College in 1859, and to this day the town where the college was located back then is known as Trinity, in honor of the school. The school was moved in 1892 to Durham, North Carolina in part due to generous donations from the wealthy tobacco industrialist Washington Duke. Duke’s donation required that the school open its doors to women, placing them on an equal footing with men. Trinity’s name was changed to Duke in 1924 in recognition of the generosity of the Duke family. Duke’s athletic teams are known as the Blue Devils.

62 Verses-vs.-verses competitor : SLAM POET (hiding “lamp”)

A poetry slam is a competition in which poets read their own work (usually), with winners being chosen by members of the audience. Apparently the first poetry slam took place in Chicago in 1984. Now there is a National Poetry Slam that takes place each year, with representatives from the US, Canada and France.

63 Gay who wrote “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold” : TALESE

Gay Talese is an American author, one famous as a journalist in the sixties at “The New York Times”. His 1971 book “Honor Thy Father” is a tale about the Bonanno crime family.

65 “Straight Outta Compton” group : NWA

“Straight Outta Compton” was the first album by N.W.A. N.W.A was a hip hop group from Compton, California. The original five group members included rappers who have made a name for themselves as solo acts, including: Dr. Dre and Ice Cube. The story of NWA is told in a 2015 film, also called “Straight Outta Compton”.

Down

1 Tow job, maybe : REPO

Repossession (repo)

2 Impulse transmitter : AXON

A nerve cell is more correctly called a neuron. The branched projections that receive electrochemical signals from other neurons are known as dendrites. The long nerve fiber that conducts signals away from the neuron is known as the axon. A neuron that has no definite axon is referred to as “apolar” or “nonpolar”. In apolar neurons the nerve impulses radiate in all directions.

6 “Curiosity killed the cat,” e.g. : ADAGE

The proverb “curiosity killed the cat” dates back at least to the late 1500s. The original form of the proverb was “care killed the cat”, with “care” used in the sense of “worry, sorrow”. Shakespeare uses the phrase in his 1599 play “Much Ado About Nothing”.

What, courage man! what though care killed a cat, thou hast mettle enough in thee to kill care.

7 Bank no. : ACCT

One might make a deposit (dep.) into a bank account (acct.).

8 Ski resort NNE of Santa Fe : TAOS

Taos Ski Valley is a resort village in New Mexico, founded in 1955. About twelve families live there, making up thirty or so households and a population of about 60 people. It is said to very much resemble a Swiss village, and even includes an elected village council.

9 Daily run, for short? : MTWTF

The days of the week are named for celestial bodies and gods

  • Sunday — Sun’s Day
  • Monday — Moon’s Day
  • Tuesday — Tiu’s day
  • Wednesday — Woden’s day
  • Thursday — Thor’s day
  • Friday — Freya’s day
  • Saturday — Saturn’s day

10 Kvetch : WHINER

The word “kvetch” comes to us from Yiddish, with “kvetshn” meaning “to complain” or “squeeze”.

12 Bailed-out insurance giant of 2008 : AIG

“AIG” is an initialism used by the American International Group, a giant insurance corporation. After repeated bailouts by American taxpayers starting in 2008, the company made some serious PR blunders by spending large amounts of money on executive entertainment and middle management rewards. These included a $444,000 California retreat, an $86,000 hunting trip in England, and a $343,000 getaway to a luxury resort in Phoenix. Poor judgment, I’d say …

13 Better half, with “the” : MRS

“Mr.” is an abbreviation for “mister”, and “Mrs.” is an abbreviation for “mistress”.

16 Mild cigar : CLARO

A claro is a mild cigar made with light-colored tobacco. The name “claro” comes from the Spanish for “clear”.

25 Honolulu’s historic ___ Palace : ‘IOLANI

The ‘Iolani Palace in downtown Honolulu is unique within this country. It is the only royal palace in the US that was used as an official residence by a reigning monarch. The Kingdom of Hawaii was overthrown in 1893 so the palace was used by successive governments even after Hawaii was awarded statehood in 1959. The palace has been a public museum since 1978.

29 Deadly African snake : MAMBA

Mambas, and most famously black mambas, are highly venomous snakes that used to be responsible for a great number of fatalities before anti-venoms became available. Mamba venom is a deadly mix of neurotoxins that attack the nervous system and cardiotoxins that attack the heart. A bite, if left untreated, causes the lungs and the heart to shut down.

32 Mulligans, e.g. : REDOS

There doesn’t seem to be a definitive account for the origin of the term “mulligan”, which is most often used for a shot do-over in golf. There are lots of stories about golfers named Mulligan though, and I suspect that one of them may be true …

34 Chicago airport code : ORD

O’Hare International was the world’s busiest airport from 1963 to 1998. The original airport was constructed on the site between 1942 and 1943, and was used by the Douglas Aircraft Company for the manufacture of planes during WWII. Before the factory and airport were built, there was a community in the area called Orchard Place, so the airport was called Orchard Place Airport/Douglas Field. This name is the derivation of the airport’s current location identifier: ORD (OR-chard D-ouglas). Orchard Place Airport was renamed to O’Hare International in 1949 in honor of Lieutenant Commander Butch O’Hare who grew up in Chicago. O’Hare was the US Navy’s first flying ace and a Medal of Honor recipient in WWII.

35 Death, in Deutschland : TOD

The country that we know in English as “Germany” is known as “Deutschland” in German. The name “Germany” comes from “Germania”, which is the Latin name that Julius Caesar gave to the peoples located east of the Rhine. The name “Deutschland” comes from an Old High German word meaning “land belonging to the people”.

39 Legal org. : ABA

American Bar Association (ABA)

49 Classic theater : ODEON

In ancient Greece an odeon (also “odeum”) was like a small theater, with “odeon” literally meaning a “building for musical competition”. Odea were used in both Greece and Rome for entertainments such as musical shows and poetry readings.

51 “West Side Story” woman : ANITA

In Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story”, the female lead character is Maria. Maria and her older friend Anita are in the group referred to as “the Shark Girls”.

54 Racketeer’s org.? : USTA

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national organization governing the sport of tennis in the US. The USTA was founded way back in 1881 as the United States National Lawn Tennis Association.

57 Symbol of Aphrodite : ROSE

As always seems to be the case with Greek gods, Eros and Aphrodite have overlapping spheres of influence. Aphrodite was the goddess of love between a man and a woman, and Eros was the god who stirred the passions of the male. The Roman equivalent of Aphrodite was Venus, and the equivalent of Eros was Cupid.

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Holiday Inn alternative : RAMADA
7 Where you might go through withdrawal? : ATM
10 “Kapow!” : WHAM!
14 Left : EXITED
15 Get major hang time, in snowboarding lingo : CATCH AIR (hiding “chair”)
17 College in Claremont, Calif. : POMONA
18 Al who famously drove a white Ford Bronco : COWLINGS
19 Brief hookup : ONE-NIGHT STAND (hiding “nightstand”)
21 Fair-hiring inits. : EEO
22 No longer in bondage : FREED
24 One of the musicians on the 11th day of Christmas : PIPER
28 Showtime alternative : TMC
31 Law partner? : ORDER
33 “The Scream” and “The Kiss,” for two : WORKS OF ART (hiding “sofa”)
36 Vein contents : ORE
37 American ___ (another name for the century plant) : ALOE
38 Slayer of Tybalt : ROMEO
39 Ardent : AVID
40 Hoover, e.g., informally : VAC
41 Nonsense line sung by Frank Sinatra in “Strangers in the Night” : DO-BE-DO-BE-DO (hiding “bed” & “bed”)
43 Infotainment show with an exclamation point in its name : E! NEWS
46 Keg necessity : TAP
47 Cuts back on : PARES
48 What an ID may substitute for? : IDAHO
50 Put away : EAT
52 Some garage sale goods … or what the answers at 15-, 19-, 33-, 41- and 62-Across have done? : USED FURNITURE
59 Archrivals of the Blue Devils : TAR HEELS
61 Refrigerator, old-style : ICEBOX
62 Verses-vs.-verses competitor : SLAM POET (hiding “lamp”)
63 Gay who wrote “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold” : TALESE
64 Healthful leaf vegetable : KALE
65 “Straight Outta Compton” group : NWA
66 Totally embarrassed : ALL RED

Down

1 Tow job, maybe : REPO
2 Impulse transmitter : AXON
3 Performer without a speaking part : MIME
4 Loads : A TON
5 They’re not just skeptics : DENIERS
6 “Curiosity killed the cat,” e.g. : ADAGE
7 Bank no. : ACCT
8 Ski resort NNE of Santa Fe : TAOS
9 Daily run, for short? : MTWTF
10 Kvetch : WHINER
11 Ceded control of : HANDED OVER
12 Bailed-out insurance giant of 2008 : AIG
13 Better half, with “the” : MRS
16 Mild cigar : CLARO
20 Hurry, with “it” : HOTFOOT …
23 Mock : DERIDE
24 Something a seismograph detects : P-WAVE
25 Honolulu’s historic ___ Palace : ‘IOLANI
26 Police show, say : PROCEDURAL
27 Just get (by) : EKE
29 Deadly African snake : MAMBA
30 Ivy, e.g. : CREEPER
32 Mulligans, e.g. : REDOS
34 Chicago airport code : ORD
35 Death, in Deutschland : TOD
39 Legal org. : ABA
42 Like some illusions : OPTICAL
44 Message written on a car window : WASH ME!
45 Blind followers : SHEEP
49 Classic theater : ODEON
51 “West Side Story” woman : ANITA
53 Zoomed : FLEW
54 Racketeer’s org.? : USTA
55 Poker giveaway : TELL
56 Really, informally : UBER
57 Symbol of Aphrodite : ROSE
58 Deleted : EXED
59 “Naughty!” : TSK!
60 Calamares ___ romana (seafood dish) : A LA