0224-20 NY Times Crossword 24 Feb 20, Monday

Constructed by: Jacob Stulberg
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: Raising the Flag

Themed answers are in the down-direction, and each includes the hidden word “FLAG” in the up-direction:

  • 15D Activity depicted in a famous 2/23/1945 photograph … and in three of this puzzle’s answers : RAISING THE FLAG
  • 4D Having a meal under the stars, e.g. : DINING AL FRESCO
  • 8D Ninth-century English monarch known as “the Great” : KING ALFRED
  • 28D What a law that hasn’t been repealed still has : LEGAL FORCE

… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 5m 05s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

10 ___ constrictor : BOA

Boa constrictors are members of the Boidae family of snakes, all of which are non-venomous. Interestingly, the female boa is always larger than the male.

13 One of the 12 tribes of Israel : LEVI

In the Torah, the Israelites are traced back to Jacob, the grandson of Abraham. Jacob’s twelve sons became the ancestors of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Jacob’s sons were:

  • Reuben
  • Simeon
  • Levi
  • Judah
  • Dan
  • Naphtali
  • Gad
  • Asher
  • Issachar
  • Zebulun
  • Joseph
  • Benjamin

14 At full speed, in nautical lingo : AMAIN

“Amain” is an old term meaning “at great speed” or “of great strength”.

16 Persia, nowadays : IRAN

Before 1935, the country we know today as Iran was referred to as Persia by the Western world. The official name of the country since the Iranian Revolution of 1979 is the “Islamic Republic of Iran”.

17 Jules who wrote “Journey to the Center of the Earth” : VERNE

Jules Verne really was a groundbreaking author. Verne pioneered the science fiction genre, writing about space, air and underwater travel, long before they were practical and proved feasible. Verne is the second-most translated author of all time, with only Agatha Christie beating him out.

“Journey to the Center of the Earth” is an 1864 science-fiction novel by French author Jules Verne. The book has been adapted for the big screen a few times, perhaps most notably in 1959 with James Mason and Pat Boone starring.

18 Mars’ counterpart, in Greek myth : ARES

The Greek god Ares is often referred to as the Olympian god of warfare, but originally he was regarded as the god of bloodlust and slaughter. Ares united with Aphrodite to create several gods, including Phobos (Fear), Deimos (Terror) and Eros (Desire). Ares was the son of Zeus and Hera, and the Roman equivalent to Ares was Mars.

22 Where many draftees were sent in the ’60s : ‘NAM

By some definitions, the official involvement of Americans in the Vietnam War started in 1955. At that time, President Eisenhower deployed a Military Assistance Advisory Group to assist in the training of the South Vietnamese Army. American involvement in the conflict officially ended in 1973, with the signing of an agreement that came out of the Paris Peace Accords.

23 Workers with a daily grind? : BARISTAS

A barista is a person who serves coffee in a coffee shop. “Barista” is Italian for “bartender”.

30 W.W. II German sub : U-BOAT

The term “U-boat” comes from the German word “Unterseeboot” (undersea boat). U-boats were primarily used in WWII to enforce a blockade against enemy commercial shipping, with a main objective being to cut off the supplies being transported to Britain from the British colonies and the US. The epic fight for control of the supply routes became known as the Battle of the Atlantic.

33 Crosby, Stills, ___ & Young : NASH

The supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) is made up of David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash. The band can grow to “CSNY” when the trio is joined by Neil Young. Fans have been known to call the act “C, S, N and sometimes Y”, a play on the expression that names all the vowels, “A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y”.

38 Ancient Greek meeting place : AGORA

In early Greece, an agora was a place of assembly. The assemblies held there were often quite formal, perhaps for the reading of a proclamation. Later in Greek history, things became less formal as the agora evolved into a marketplace. Our contemporary word “agoraphobia” comes from these agorae, in the sense that an agoraphobe has a fear of open spaces, a fear of “public meeting places”.

40 Menial worker : SERF

A serf was a member of the lowest feudal class, someone attached to land owned by a lord. “Serf” comes from the Latin “servus”, meaning “slave”.

45 Toss back tequila, perhaps : DO SHOTS

Tequila comes in four categories, depending on how long it has been aged:

  • “Blanco” (white) or “plata” (silver) is unaged
  • “Reposado” (rested) is aged 2 months to a year
  • “Añejo” (aged, vintage) is aged 1-3 years
  • “Extra añejo” (extra aged, ultra aged) is aged 3 years or more

58 Antidrug agent, informally : NARC

“Narc” and “narco” are slang terms describing a law enforcement officer who tracks down criminals associated with illegal drugs. Both words are short for “narcotics officer”. Narcs might work for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

61 Device for recording shows : TIVO

TiVo was introduced in 1999 and was the world’s first commercially successful digital video recorder (DVR).

66 Like venison that’s been sitting awhile : GAMY

Venison is the meat of a deer. In days of yore, the term “venison” applied not just to deer, but to any large game. The word ultimately derives from the Latin “venare” meaning “to hunt”.

Down

2 Odysseus, in the “Odyssey” : HERO

“Odyssey” is one of two epic poems from ancient Greece that is attributed to Homer. “Odyssey” is largely a sequel to Homer’s other epic “Iliad”. “Odyssey” centers on the heroic figure Odysseus, and his adventures on his journey home to Greece following the fall of Troy. We now use the term “odyssey” to describe any long series of adventures.

4 Having a meal under the stars, e.g. : DINING ALFRESCO

Our word “alfresco” means outdoors, in the fresh air. The term came into English from Italian.

6 Chatted on the internet, for short : IM’ED

Even though instant messaging (sending and receiving IMs) has been around since the 1960s, it was AOL who popularized the term “instant message” in the eighties and nineties. The “AOL Instant Message” service was known as AIM.

7 Tree with edible pods : CAROB

The carob is a tree or shrub in the pea family that is mainly grown for its seed pods. The carob seeds are dried or roasted, and when powdered or chipped make a good substitute for chocolate.

8 Ninth-century English monarch known as “the Great” : KING ALFRED

Alfred the Great was the King of Wessex in the latter part of the ninth century, and the dominant ruler in the whole of England. Wessex was the familiar name of the Kingdom of the West Saxons in the southwest of Britain.

11 Letter after phi, chi, psi … : OMEGA

The Greek alphabet starts with the letter “alpha”, and ends with the letter “omega”.

12 Church recesses : APSES

The apse of a church or cathedral is a semicircular recess in an outer wall, usually with a half-dome as a roof and often where there resides an altar. Originally, apses were used as burial places for the clergy and also for storage of important relics.

15 Activity depicted in a famous 2/23/1945 photograph … and in three of this puzzle’s answers : RAISING THE FLAG

The Pulitzer-winning photograph “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima” was taken in 1945 by photographer Joe Rosenthal. The image was used for the Marine Corps War Memorial in Washington, DC that was dedicated in 1954.

21 Juice drink brand with a hyphen in its name : HI-C

Hi-C orange drink was created in 1946, and introduced to the market in 1948, initially in the south of the country. The name “Hi-C” was chosen to emphasize the high vitamin C content in the drink, as it contained added ascorbic acid (vitamin C).

24 Civil rights activist Parks : ROSA

Rosa Parks was one of a few brave women in days gone by who refused to give up their seats on a bus to white women. It was the stand taken by Rosa Parks on December 1, 1955 that sparked the Montgomery, Alabama Bus Boycott. President Clinton presented Ms. Parks with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996. When she died in 2005, Rosa Parks became the first ever woman to have her body lie in honor in the US Capitol Rotunda.

26 Instrument with a brief solo in Beethoven’s Fifth : OBOE

Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 5” has one of the most recognizable openings in the whole of the classical repertoire, and comprises just four simpel notes. The work is sometimes referred to as the “Fate Symphony”, with that opening motif representing Fate knocking at the door.

32 Typical London weather : FOG

London is the largest metropolitan area in the whole of the European Union (and one of my favorite cities in the world). London has been a major settlement for over 2,000 years and was founded as a town by the Romans who named it Londinium. The name “Londinium” may have existed prior to the arrival of the Romans, and no one seems too sure of its origins. Famously, the City of London is a one-square-mile area at the center of the metropolis, the area that marked old medieval London. “The City”, as it is commonly called, has its own Mayor of the City of London (the Mayor of London is someone else), and it’s own City of London Police Force (the London Metropolitan Police are the police usually seen on the streets, a different force).

34 ___ sax : ALTO

The saxophone was invented by Belgian musician Adolphe Sax. Sax developed lip cancer at one point in his life, and one has to wonder if his affliction was related to his saxophone playing (I am sure not!). I had the privilege of visiting Sax’s grave in the Cemetery of Montmartre in Paris a few years ago.

35 Tallow source : SUET

Fat, when extracted from the carcass of an animal, is called suet. Untreated suet decomposes at room temperature quite easily so it has to be rendered, purified to make it stable. Rendered fat from pigs is what we call lard. Rendered beef or mutton fat is known as tallow.

47 Orange or grape drink brand : FANTA

The soft drink called “Fanta” has quite an interesting history. As WWII approached, the Coca-Cola plant in Germany had trouble obtaining the ingredients it needed to continue production of the cola beverage, so the plant manager decided to create a new drink from what was available. The new beverage was built around whey (leftover from cheese production) and pomace (left over after juice has been extracted from fruit). The inventor asked his colleagues to use their “imagination” (“Fantasie” in German) and come up with a name for the drink, so they piped up “Fanta!”

54 Boys’ school near Windsor : ETON

Eton College near Windsor in the south of England was founded way back in 1440 by King Henry VI. Originally known as “The King’s College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor”, the school was intended to provide free education to poor boys. Free education today at Eton? Not so much …

55 Tiny bit : 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.

56 Place on a Clue board : ROOM

Clue is a board game that we knew under a different name growing up in Ireland. Outside of North America, Clue is marketed as “Cluedo”. Cluedo was the original name of the game, introduced in 1949 by the famous British board game manufacturer Waddingtons. There are cute differences between the US and UK versions. For example, the man who is murdered is called Dr. Black (Mr. Boddy in the US), one of the suspects is the Reverend Green (Mr. Green in the US), and the suspect weapons include a dagger (a knife in the US), and a spanner (a wrench in the US). I think it’s a fabulous game, a must during the holidays …

57 Award shaped like a winged woman : EMMY

The Emmy Awards are the television equivalent of the Oscars from the world of film, the Grammy Awards in music and the Tony Awards for the stage. Emmy Awards are presented throughout the year, depending on the sector of television being honored. The most famous of these ceremonies are the Primetime Emmy Awards and the Daytime Emmy Awards. The distinctive name “Emmy” is a softened version of the word “immy”, the nickname given to the video camera tubes found in old television cameras. The Emmy statuette was designed by television engineer Louis McManus in 1948, and depicts a woman holding up an atom. McManus used his wife as a model for the woman.

59 Tabby : CAT

Tabbies aren’t a breed of cat, but rather are cats with particular markings regardless of breed. Tabbies have coats with stripes, dots and swirling patterns, and usually an “M” mark on the forehead.

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Like show horses’ hooves : SHOD
5 Twisted person : SICKO
10 ___ constrictor : BOA
13 One of the 12 tribes of Israel : LEVI
14 At full speed, in nautical lingo : AMAIN
15 Back of a horse : RUMP
16 Persia, nowadays : IRAN
17 Jules who wrote “Journey to the Center of the Earth” : VERNE
18 Mars’ counterpart, in Greek myth : ARES
19 Cop’s canine companion : POLICE DOG
21 What a door swings on : HINGE
22 Where many draftees were sent in the ’60s : ‘NAM
23 Workers with a daily grind? : BARISTAS
25 Opposite of a purebred : MONGREL
29 Sets of points, in math : LOCI
30 W.W. II German sub : U-BOAT
31 Failing grades : EFFS
33 Crosby, Stills, ___ & Young : NASH
37 Where roots take hold : SOIL
38 Ancient Greek meeting place : AGORA
39 Arts-and-crafts supply : GLUE
40 Menial worker : SERF
41 Wise one : SAGE
42 Unmitigated : UTTER
43 Make turbulent : ROIL
45 Toss back tequila, perhaps : DO SHOTS
47 Direct clashes : FACE-OFFS
51 Like the hours shortly after midnight : WEE
52 Swimming (in) : AWASH
53 Starts shooting : OPENS FIRE
58 Antidrug agent, informally : NARC
59 What a pet may be transported in : CRATE
60 Weaving machine : LOOM
61 Device for recording shows : TIVO
62 Many a waiter around Hollywood : ACTOR
63 Tiny bit : ATOM
64 Consumed : ATE
65 Ones anxious to take driver’s ed, typically : TEENS
66 Like venison that’s been sitting awhile : GAMY

Down

1 ___ of the tongue : SLIP
2 Odysseus, in the “Odyssey” : HERO
3 Track shape : OVAL
4 Having a meal under the stars, e.g. : DINING ALFRESCO
5 “Hel-l-lp!” : SAVE ME!
6 Chatted on the internet, for short : IM’ED
7 Tree with edible pods : CAROB
8 Ninth-century English monarch known as “the Great” : KING ALFRED
9 Telephone button that doesn’t have letters : ONE
10 Singed : BURNT
11 Letter after phi, chi, psi … : OMEGA
12 Church recesses : APSES
15 Activity depicted in a famous 2/23/1945 photograph … and in three of this puzzle’s answers : RAISING THE FLAG
20 Supermarket vehicle : CART
21 Juice drink brand with a hyphen in its name : HI-C
24 Civil rights activist Parks : ROSA
25 Dishevel : MUSS
26 Instrument with a brief solo in Beethoven’s Fifth : OBOE
27 Black: Fr. : NOIR
28 What a law that hasn’t been repealed still has : LEGAL FORCE
32 Typical London weather : FOG
34 ___ sax : ALTO
35 Tallow source : SUET
36 That woman’s : HERS
38 “Yeah, I’m real sure!” : AS IF
42 Puts to work : USES
44 “Nice one!” : OOH!
46 Ones named in deeds : OWNERS
47 Orange or grape drink brand : FANTA
48 Be in store for : AWAIT
49 Do the honors with the turkey : CARVE
50 Flurry : SPATE
54 Boys’ school near Windsor : ETON
55 Tiny bit : IOTA
56 Place on a Clue board : ROOM
57 Award shaped like a winged woman : EMMY
59 Tabby : CAT