0405-20 NY Times Crossword 5 Apr 20, Sunday

Constructed by: Jim Peredo
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: Double Talk

Themed clues are common phrases related to TALKING, communication. Themed answers are also common phrases that map into those clues:

  • 22A Run-on sentence? : GO AHEAD WITHOUT ME
  • 36A Passing comment? : THE AYES HAVE IT
  • 44A Single quote? : I WANT TO BE ALONE
  • 66A Just saying? : TURN ABOUT IS FAIR PLAY
  • 87A Stock phrase? : HOW NOW, BROWN COW
  • 94A Self expression? : COGITO ERGO SUM
  • 115A Old saw? : AGE IS JUST A NUMBER

… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 16m 01s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Orchestra heavyweights : TUBAS

The tuba is the lowest-pitched of all the brass instruments, and one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra (usually there is just one tuba included in an orchestral line-up). “Tuba” is the Latin word for “trumpet, horn”. Oom-pah-pah …

6 Mushroom in ramen : ENOKI

Enokitake (also known as “enoki”) are long and thin white mushrooms often added to soups or salads.

Ramen is a noodle dish composed of Chinese-style wheat noodles in a meat or fish broth flavored with soy or miso sauce. Ramen is usually topped with sliced pork and dried seaweed. The term “ramen” is also used for precooked, instant noodles that come in single-serving, solid blocks.

19 One of a pair of explorers on the Missouri state quarter : LEWIS

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were soldiers in the US Army. Lewis was a personal aide to President Thomas Jefferson, even residing in the Presidential Mansion. This exposure contributed to his selection as leader of the famous “Lewis and Clark Expedition”, which was known at the time as the Corps of Discovery Expedition. William Clark was actually Lewis’s boss for a while before Clark retired. Lewis asked Clark to come out of retirement to accompany him on his three-year exploration.

21 Golden rule word : UNTO

The Golden Rule is also known as the ethic of reciprocity, and is a basis for the concept of human rights. A version of the rule used in the Christian tradition is attributed to Jesus:

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

22 Run-on sentence? : GO AHEAD WITHOUT ME

A “run-on sentence” is one in which two separate clauses are linked without appropriate conjugation. Two examples would be:

Today’s crossword is really tough I can’t finish.
Today’s crossword is really tough, I can’t finish.

More acceptable sentences would be:

Today’s crossword is really tough. I can’t finish.
Today’s crossword is really tough; I can’t finish.
Today’s crossword is really tough, so I can’t finish.

27 Wax theatrical : EMOTE

The verb “to wax”, in phrases like “wax lyrical” and “wax poetic”, means “to grow”. “To wax” is the opposite of “to wane”, which means “to decrease”. We are probably most familiar with the “waxing and waning of the moon.

28 Sharply dressed, shoewise? : STILETTOED

The stiletto knife was developed in Italy, and is a knife intended for thrusting and stabbing as opposed to slashing and cutting. The term “stiletto” comes from the Latin “stilus”, which was a thin pointed writing instrument used in ancient Rome to engrave wax or clay tablets. And, there are also stiletto heels on some women’s shoes, heels that are long and thin.

32 Bit of conniving : SCHEME

To connive is to conspire with, to cooperate in secret. The term comes from the Latin verb “connivere” meaning “to wink”, the idea being that connivers might give each other a sly wink.

34 Five-letter world capital that locals spell as two words : HANOI

Hanoi (“Hà Nội” in Vietnamese) was the capital of North Vietnam, and Saigon the capital of South Vietnam. After the Vietnam War, Hanoi was made capital of the reunified state. Saigon, the larger metropolis, was renamed to Ho Chi Minh City. Hanoi is located in the delta of the Red River, and is just over 50 miles from the Gulf of Tonkin in the South China Sea.

35 Tempe neighbor : MESA

The city of Mesa, Arizona is in effect a suburb of Phoenix. The original settlement of non-Native Americans was founded by Daniel Webster Jones who led a Mormon group from St. George, Utah. The settlement was first called Jonesville, then Fort Utah and eventually Lehi. A second group of Mormons arrived and formed a settlement on top of a nearby mesa. It was this use of a mesa that eventually gave the city its current name.

Tempe is a city in the metropolitan area of Phoenix. The city is named for the Vale of Tempe in Greece.

41 Something a bib catches : DROOL

The word “bib” comes from the Latin “bibere” meaning “to drink”, as does our word “imbibe”. So, maybe a bib is less about spilling the food, and more about soaking up the booze …

43 Busy Bee, for short : SAM

Samantha Bee is a comedian from Toronto who found fame as a correspondent on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” starting way back in 2003. Bee left “The Daily Show” in 2015 to host her own late-night talk show “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” on TBS.

56 Surreal finale? : -IST

The cultural movement known as Surrealism emerged in the 1920s, and grew out of the Dada activities that were a response to WWI. The term “surrealist” was coined by Guillaume Apollinaire, when he used it in the preface of his play “Les Mamelles de Tirésias”.

57 Big name in student grants : PELL

Pell Grants are awarded by the federal government to students in financial need so that they can attend college. The grant is named for Claiborne Pell, the US senator who sponsored the bill that introduced aid for students.

59 Order to attack : SIC ON

“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”.

60 ___ Paradise, “On the Road” protagonist : SAL

Jack Kerouac’s 1957 novel “On the Road” is largely autobiographical, telling the story of Sal Paradise (Jack K.) and the road trips that he and his friends took across the country in the fifties.

61 Weapon associated with the film quote “Here’s Johnny!” : AXE

“Here’s Johnny!” is a famous line spoken by a crazed Jack Torrance (played by Jack Nicholson) as he chops through a bathroom door in “The Shining”. The film is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. I haven’t seen the whole movie because I can’t cope with Stephen King stories …

63 Sack cloth : BURLAP

Burlap, also called “hessian”, is a coarse woven fabric made from fibers taken from jute, sisal or hemp plants.

72 ___ Roddenberry, first TV writer on the Hollywood Walk of Fame : GENE

Gene Roddenberry is best-remembered for creating the original “Star Trek” TV show. Such was the success of the series that Roddenberry became the first TV writer to earn a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (in 1985). For a while, Roddenberry was in a relationship with actress Nichelle Nichols who was later to play Uhura on “Star Trek”. After he passed away in 1991, Roddenberry’s body was cremated. Some of his ashes went into space the following year, carried aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. In 1997, some more of his cremated remains were sent into space aboard a Celestis spacecraft, along with remains from twenty-three other people including the psychologist and writer Timothy Leary.

73 Ancient Greek poet sometimes called the “Tenth Muse” : SAPPHO

Sappho was an Ancient Greek poet born on the Greek island of Lesbos. Sappho was much admired for her work, although very little of it survives today. She was renowned for writing erotic and romantic verse that dealt with the love of women as well as men. It was because of this poetry that the word “lesbian” (someone from Lesbos) is used to describe a gay woman.

77 Nickname for Baseball Hall-of-Famer Ernie Banks : MR CUB

First baseman Ernie Banks was known as “Mr. Cub”, and played his entire 19-year professional career with the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs retired Banks’ uniform number 14 in 1982, making him the first Cubs player to be so honored. Banks was known for his catchphrase, “It’s a beautiful day for a ballgame … Let’s play two!”, a reference to his love of the game, always wanting to play a doubleheader.

80 Educational TV spot, for short : PSA

Public service announcement (PSA)

83 Square dance move : DO-SI-DO

The term “do-si-do” is a corruption of a French phrase “dos-à-dos”, meaning back-to-back. And parenthetically, this is just the opposite to the familiar French term “vis-à-vis”, meaning face-to-face. In the do-si-do dance move, the partners start facing each other and then advance past each other’s right shoulder, and then move to the right without turning so that they are now facing away from each other (back-to-back). They complete the move facing in the same direction, passing each other’s left shoulder by moving backwards until they return to the starting position. Did you get that …?

90 Not commercial: Abbr. : RES

Residence/residential (res.)

94 Self expression? : COGITO ERGO SUM

The great French philosopher Rene Descartes made the famous statement in Latin, “Cogito ergo sum”. This translates into French as “Je pense, donc je suis” and into English as “I think, therefore I am”. Anything pertaining to the philosophy of Descartes can be described by the adjective “Cartesian”.

105 “Outta luck!” : NO SOAP!

“No soap” is a slang term meaning “not possible”. The term probably originated with the slang usage of “soap” to mean “money”, so “no soap” meant, “I have no money (to lend you)”. Over time, the usage of “no soap” generalized to “it’s not going to happen, so don’t ask”.

112 Children’s song refrain : E-I-E-I-O

There was an old American version of the English children’s song “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” (E-I-E-I-O) that was around in the days of WWI. The first line of the older US version goes “Old MacDougal had a farm, in Ohio-i-o”.

113 Uma Thurman’s role in “Pulp Fiction” : MIA

I’m not a big fan of director Quentin Tarantino. His movies are too violent for me, and the size of his ego just turns me right off. Having said that, I think “Pulp Fiction” is a remarkable film. If you can look past the violence, it’s really well written. And what a legacy it has. John Travolta’s career was on the rocks and he did the film for practically no money, and it turned out to be a re-launch for him. Uma Thurman became a top celebrity overnight from her role. Even Bruce Willis got some good out of it, putting an end to a string of poorly-received performances.

114 Yonder, in dialect : THAR

“Thar she blows!” is a phrase that originated on whaling ships. A lookout spotting a whale surfacing to breathe might see the spray from the blowhole caused by the expulsion of carbon dioxide. Thar (there) she blows!

115 Old saw? : AGE IS JUST A NUMBER

A saw is an old adage, a saying.

124 Deli sandwich, hold the vowels : BLT

The BLT (bacon, lettuce and tomato) is the second-most popular sandwich in the US, after the plain old ham sandwich.

125 Like stereotypical Seattle weather : RAINY

The Washington city of Seattle was founded on a site that had been occupied by Native Americans for over 4,000 years before the first Europeans arrived in the area. The name “Seattle” was chosen in honor of the Suquamish and Duwamish Chief Seattle, who had a reputation for welcoming white settlers.

126 Symbol of the National Audubon Society : EGRET

The National Audubon Society is an environmental organization that was formed in 1905. The society is named for John James Audubon, an ornithologist who compiled his famous book “Birds of America” between 1827 and 1838.

Down

1 Coverings on ancient Roman statuary : TOGAS

In ancient Rome, the classical attire known as a toga (plural “togae” or “togas”) was usually worn over a tunic. The tunic was made from linen, and the toga itself was a piece of cloth about twenty feet long made from wool. The toga could only be worn by men, and only if those men were Roman citizens. The female equivalent of the toga was called a “stola”.

2 Women’s basketball powerhouse, for short : UCONN

The UConn Huskies are the sports teams of the University of Connecticut. I wasn’t able to uncover the derivation of the “Huskies” moniker. Although it is true that “UConn” sounds like “Yukon”, that isn’t the derivation of the “Huskies” nickname. The school didn’t become the University of Connecticut (UConn) until 1939, and the Huskies name has been used since 1933.

3 Gas-relieving brand : BEANO

Beano is a dietary supplement that is used to reduce gas in the digestive tract. It contains an enzyme that breaks down complex sugars found in many vegetables. This makes the food more digestible and apparently cuts down on gas.

6 Poe poem about a mythical quest : ELDORADO

“Eldorado” is an Edgar Allan Poe poem that was first published in 1849. The poem tells of a gallant knight who spends much of his life in search of the legendary “Lost City of Gold” called El Dorado.

7 Scurriers near streams : NEWTS

Newts wouldn’t be my favorite animals. They are found all over the world living on land or in water depending on the species, but always associated with water even if it is only for breeding. Newts metamorphose through three distinct developmental stages during their lives. They start off as larvae in water, fertilized eggs that often cling to aquatic plants. The eggs hatch into tadpoles, the first developmental form of the newt. After living some months as tadpoles swimming around in the water, they undergo another metamorphosis, sprouting legs and replacing their external gills with lungs. At this juvenile stage they are known as efts, and leave the water to live on land. A more gradual transition takes place then, as the eft takes on the lizard-like appearance of the adult newt.

14 Composer Mahler : GUSTAV

I’m still trying to keep an open mind when it comes to the music of Gustav Mahler, but I find it hard to appreciate. Mahler was an Austrian composer who was active in the late-Romantic period. During his own lifetime, he was most notable as a conductor, and his compositions gained in popularity only after his death in 1911. Mahler’s music was banned as “degenerate” during the Nazi Era, as Mahler was Jewish.

16 Canonized fifth-century pope called “the Great” : ST LEO I

The first pope named Leo is now known as Pope Saint Leo the Great. Leo I is famous for meeting with the feared Attila the Hun and persuading him to turn back his invading force that was threatening to overrun Western Europe.

23 ___ Research Center : AMES

The Ames Research Center is located at Moffett Field at the southern tip of San Francisco Bay. Joseph Ames was a member of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics when it was formed in 1915, and chaired the committee from 1919-1939.

24 Org. tracking workplace accidents : OSHA

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was created in 1970 during the Nixon administration. OSHA regulates workplaces in the private sector and regulates just one government agency, namely the US Postal Service.

29 English setting for a series of Impressionist paintings by Monet : THAMES

French artist Claude Monet was one of the founders of the Impressionist movement, and indeed the term “Impressionism” comes from the title of his 1872 painting “Impression, Sunrise”. That work depicts the port of Le Havre, which was Monet’s hometown. Later in his life, Monet purchased a house in Giverny, and famously installed lily ponds and a Japanese bridge in the property’s extensive gardens. He spent two decades painting the water lily ponds, producing his most famous works.

31 Neighbor of an Emirati : OMANI

Oman lies on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula and is neighbored by the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Oman is a monarchy, and the official name of the state is the Sultanate of Oman. All of the country’s legislative, executive and judiciary power resides with the hereditary sultan.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven emirates (states) in the Middle East. Included in the seven are Abu Dhabi and Dubai, with the city of Abu Dhabi being the UAE capital and cultural center.

32 Young weaned pig : SHOAT

“Shoat” is a word describing a young hog after it has been weaned.

37 “2001: A Space Odyssey” computer : HAL

In Arthur C. Clarke’s “Space Odyssey” (famously adapted for the big screen as “2001: A Space Odyssey”) the computer system that went rogue was called HAL 9000, or simply “HAL”. HAL stands for “Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer”. Even though Clarke denied it, there’s a good argument that can be made that the acronym HAL is a veiled reference to IBM, the big player in the world of computing at the time of the novel’s publication (1968). The acronym HAL is just a one-letter shift from the initials “IBM”.

46 Home of Wichita Falls : TEXAS

Wichita Falls really started to grow as a city with the arrival of the railroad in 1882. The town was named for the nearby waterfall on the Wichita River, a waterfall that was destroyed by a flood in 1886. Regardless. visitors would flock to Wichita Falls to see the non-existent falls, giving rise to the town’s decision to “create” its own waterfall. The artificial falls are 54 feet high, and are located in Lucy Park by the river.

47 Magnum ___ : OPUS

“Magnum opus” is a Latin term meaning “great work”. The magnum opus of a writer or composer perhaps, is his or her greatest work.

48 Game ball material : NERF

Nerf is soft material used in a whole series of toys designed for “safe” play indoors. The Nerf product is used to make darts, balls and ammunition for toy guns. “NERF” is an acronym, standing for Non-Expanding Recreational Foam.

49 The scat got her tongue, you might say : ELLA

Ella Fitzgerald, the “First Lady of Song”, had a hard and tough upbringing. She was raised by her mother alone in Yonkers, New York. Her mother died while Ella was still a schoolgirl, and around that time the young girl became less interested in her education. She fell in with a bad crowd, even working as a lookout for a bordello and as a Mafia numbers runner. She ended up in reform school, from which she escaped, and found herself homeless and living on the streets for a while. Somehow Fitzgerald managed to get herself a spot singing in the Apollo Theater in Harlem. From there her career took off and as they say, the rest is history.

Scat singing is a vocal improvisation found in the world of jazz. There aren’t any words as such in scat singing, just random nonsense syllables made up on the spot.

51 Where bills pile up : TILL

What we usually call a cash register here in North America, we mostly call a “till” in Ireland and the UK. I haven’t heard the word “till” used much here in that sense …

52 Lower extremity affliction : SCIATICA

Sciatica is pain caused by compression and inflammation of one or both of the sciatic nerves that run from the lower back down to the lower legs.

54 Capt.’s assistant, maybe : ENS

Ensign is (usually) the most junior rank of commissioned officer in the armed forces. The name comes from the tradition that the junior officer would be given the task of carrying the ensign flag.

62 Where the meaning of life was sold in 2000 for $3.26 : EBAY

There have been some notable things sold on eBay over the years. For example:

  • Ad space on a guy’s forehead, in the form of a temporary tattoo – $37,375
  • William Shatner’s kidney stone – $25,000
  • A cornflake shaped like Illinois – $1,350
  • A single corn flake – $1.63
  • A box of 10 Twinkies – $59.99
  • The original Hollywood sign – $450,400
  • The meaning of life – $3.26

64 European museum whose name means “meadow” : PRADO

The Museo del Prado is in Madrid, the capital of Spain, and has one of the finest art collections in the world. The gallery’s most famous work is “Las Meninas” By Velazquez.

68 Another name for the moonfish : OPAH

“Opah” is the more correct name for the fish also known as the sunfish, moonfish or Jerusalem haddock. I’ve seen one in the Monterey Aquarium. It is one huge fish …

72 “Today” rival, for short : GMA

“Good Morning America” (GMA) is ABC’s morning show, and has been since 1975. There was even a spin-off show called “Good Afternoon America”, although that only lasted for a few months in 2012.

76 “Old ___ Road,” longest-running #1 single in Billboard history (19 weeks) : TOWN

“Lil Nas X” is the stage name of rapper Montero Lamar Hill. He was born and raised just outside of Atlanta. His first hit was “Old Town Road”, which is classified as country rap.

78 You might open one at a pub : BAR TAB

When we run a “tab” at a bar, we are running a “tabulation”, a listing of what we owe. Such a use of “tab” is American slang that originated in the 1880s.

82 Home of 72-Down : ABC
(72A “Today” rival, for short : GMA)

The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) was formed in 1943, when it was created out of the former NBC Blue radio network. Given the initialism “ABC”, it is sometimes referred to as “the Alphabet Network”.

84 Mortimer ___, dummy of old radio and TV : SNERD

Ventriloquist Edgar Bergen’s most famous character was Charlie McCarthy, but Bergen also worked with Mortimer Snerd.

91 Country whose most widely spoken language is Wolof : SENEGAL

The Republic of Senegal is a country on the far western coast of Africa. For many years Senegal was a French colony, gaining independence in 1960. The capital of Senegal is Dakar. Dakar is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean, thus making it the westernmost capital on the African mainland.

94 Democratic politician Julián : CASTRO

When Julián Castro was elected to office as mayor of San Antonio, Texas he was 34 years old, making him the youngest ever mayor of the city. In 2012, Castro became the first ever Hispanic to deliver a keynote address at a Democratic National Convention.

95 Flower for a corsage : ORCHID

“Corsage” is a word that we imported from French in the late 15th century and meaning , believe it or not, “body size”. By the early 1800s, a corsage was a bodice, or the body of a woman’s dress. At the beginning of the 20th century, the French term “bouquet de corsage” was being used for a “bouquet worn on the bodice”, and this has been shortened simply to “corsage”.

96 First name in the 1970s White House : GERALD

Gerald Ford was the only person to have served as both Vice President and President of the US, without having been elected to those positions. Ford was nominated by President Richard Nixon to replace Vice President Spiro Agnew after he resigned in 1973. Vice President Ford assumed the presidency the following year after President Nixon resigned.

98 Gopher, e.g. : RODENT

Gophers are burrowing rodents that are more fully referred to as “pocket gophers”. While it’s not clear how the name “goper” arose, the “pocket” reference is to the animal’s large cheek pouches.

99 Fighter pilot’s wear : G-SUIT

A G-suit is needed when astronauts and aviators are subject to high accelerations. Such acceleration can cause blood to pool in the lower part of the body, reducing the supply to the brain and possibly leading to a blackout. A G-suit is basically a special pair of tight-fitting pants that are fitted with inflatable bladders. The bladders inflate during high accelerations, tightening around the legs and abdomen, reducing the amount of blood pooling. So, a “G-suit” is more correctly referred to as an “anti-G suit”.

102 Masochist’s pleasure : PAIN

A masochist, in sexual terms, is someone who gets sexual pleasure in being hurt or abused. The term comes from the name of the Austrian novelist Leopold von Sacher-Masoch who wrote “Venus in Furs”, a novel that features female dominance and male subservience.

107 Brown shade : UMBER

Umber is an earthy, brown shade. The word “umber” originally described a pigment made from earth found in Umbria, a region in central Italy. In its natural form, the pigment is referred to as “raw umber”. The heated form of the pigment has a more intense color and is known as “burnt umber”.

108 Evening hour in Spain : SIETE

“Siete” is Spanish for “seven”.

109 Cartomancer’s deck : TAROT

Tarot cards have been around since the mid-1400s, and for centuries were simply used for entertainment as a game. It has only been since the late 1800s that the cards have been used by fortune tellers to predict the future. The list of tarot cards includes the Wheel of Fortune, the Hanged Man and the Lovers.

Cartomancy is fortune-telling using a deck of cards. “Carto” is a combining form meaning “card”, and “-mancy” is a suffix meaning “divination by means of”. Other “-mancies” are hydromancy (divination using water), aeromancy (divination using weather) and arithmancy (divination using numbers).

112 Actor Morales : ESAI

Actor Esai Morales is best known in the world of film for the 1987 movie “La Bamba”, which depicted the life of Ritchie Valens and his half-brother Bob Morales (played by Esai). On the small screen, Morales plays Lt. Tony Rodriguez on “NYPD Blue” and Joseph Adama on “Caprica”.

117 “___ voce poco fa” (Rossini aria) : UNA

“Una voce poco fa” (A voice a little while ago) is an aria from Rossini’s opera “The Barber of Seville”.

“The Barber of Seville” is an extremely popular comic opera by Gioachino Rossini that is based on a play of the same name by Pierre Beaumarchais. Beaumarchais wrote a sequel called “The Marriage of Figaro”, on which Mozart based his comic opera of the same name.

118 One of the March sisters : MEG

“Little Women” is a novel written by American author Louisa May Alcott. The quartet of “little women” comprises Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March. Jo is a tomboy, the main character in the story, and is based on Alcott herself.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Orchestra heavyweights : TUBAS
6 Mushroom in ramen : ENOKI
11 When tripled, a comment of annoyance : NAG
14 “Oh my!” : GOSH!
18 It has a very big bed : OCEAN
19 One of a pair of explorers on the Missouri state quarter : LEWIS
20 Spring feature : COIL
21 Golden rule word : UNTO
22 Run-on sentence? : GO AHEAD WITHOUT ME
25 ___-by date : SELL
26 Common female middle name : ANN
27 Wax theatrical : EMOTE
28 Sharply dressed, shoewise? : STILETTOED
30 Boring events : SNOOZERS
32 Bit of conniving : SCHEME
34 Five-letter world capital that locals spell as two words : HANOI
35 Tempe neighbor : MESA
36 Passing comment? : THE AYES HAVE IT
38 Riding the waves : ASEA
41 Something a bib catches : DROOL
43 Busy Bee, for short : SAM
44 Single quote? : I WANT TO BE ALONE
50 Doesn’t touch : LETS BE
55 Head to bed : RETIRE
56 Surreal finale? : -IST
57 Big name in student grants : PELL
59 Order to attack : SIC ON
60 ___ Paradise, “On the Road” protagonist : SAL
61 Weapon associated with the film quote “Here’s Johnny!” : AXE
63 Sack cloth : BURLAP
65 Hats, slangily : LIDS
66 Just saying? : TURN ABOUT IS FAIR PLAY
72 ___ Roddenberry, first TV writer on the Hollywood Walk of Fame : GENE
73 Ancient Greek poet sometimes called the “Tenth Muse” : SAPPHO
74 Smear : TAR
75 Preschooler : TOT
77 Nickname for Baseball Hall-of-Famer Ernie Banks : MR CUB
79 When tripled, “etc.” : YADA
80 Educational TV spot, for short : PSA
83 Square dance move : DO-SI-DO
85 Fireplace item : ASHPAN
87 Stock phrase? : HOW NOW, BROWN COW
90 Not commercial: Abbr. : RES
92 Briskly : APACE
93 Bring in : EARN
94 Self expression? : COGITO ERGO SUM
101 Trade jabs : SPAR
104 Sports venue : ARENA
105 “Outta luck!” : NO SOAP!
106 Magical powder : STARDUST
110 Prepped for surgery : SCRUBBED UP
112 Children’s song refrain : E-I-E-I-O
113 Uma Thurman’s role in “Pulp Fiction” : MIA
114 Yonder, in dialect : THAR
115 Old saw? : AGE IS JUST A NUMBER
119 Anger : RILE
120 Spew anger : RANT
121 ___ Mitchell, creator of the Tony-winning musical “Hadestown” : ANAIS
122 Handle : SEE TO
123 “What are the ___?” : ODDS
124 Deli sandwich, hold the vowels : BLT
125 Like stereotypical Seattle weather : RAINY
126 Symbol of the National Audubon Society : EGRET

Down

1 Coverings on ancient Roman statuary : TOGAS
2 Women’s basketball powerhouse, for short : UCONN
3 Gas-relieving brand : BEANO
4 “What a relief!” : AAH!
5 “4-Down-choo!” : SNEEZE
6 Poe poem about a mythical quest : ELDORADO
7 Scurriers near streams : NEWTS
8 Minor cut, say : OWIE
9 Makeup holder : KIT
10 Suffix with Black or brack : -ISH
11 “Can’t deal with that right now!” : NO TIME!
12 Lacking focus : AIMLESS
13 Unbridled joy : GLEE
14 Composer Mahler : GUSTAV
15 Low tie : ONE-ONE
16 Canonized fifth-century pope called “the Great” : ST LEO I
17 “Stop right there!” : HOLD IT!
20 Adorable one : CUTEY
23 ___ Research Center : AMES
24 Org. tracking workplace accidents : OSHA
29 English setting for a series of Impressionist paintings by Monet : THAMES
31 Neighbor of an Emirati : OMANI
32 Young weaned pig : SHOAT
33 Monk’s digs : CELL
36 Word with tippy or twinkle : … TOES
37 “2001: A Space Odyssey” computer : HAL
38 Puts on … or things put on : AIRS
39 Ugly ones sometimes come out in December : SWEATERS
40 Nosh at noon, say : EAT LUNCH
42 Diamond stat : RBI
45 Second-most common Vietnamese surname : TRAN
46 Home of Wichita Falls : TEXAS
47 Magnum ___ : OPUS
48 Game ball material : NERF
49 The scat got her tongue, you might say : ELLA
51 Where bills pile up : TILL
52 Lower extremity affliction : SCIATICA
53 Secret target : BODY ODOR
54 Capt.’s assistant, maybe : ENS
58 Milk: Fr. : LAIT
62 Where the meaning of life was sold in 2000 for $3.26 : EBAY
63 Part of a job application : BIO
64 European museum whose name means “meadow” : PRADO
67 Sign on again : RE-UP
68 Another name for the moonfish : OPAH
69 Common wedding hairstyle : UPDO
70 Undergo rapprochement : THAW
71 Stern’s opposite : PROW
72 “Today” rival, for short : GMA
76 “Old ___ Road,” longest-running #1 single in Billboard history (19 weeks) : TOWN
78 You might open one at a pub : BAR TAB
80 Kind of book or ad : POP-UP
81 Didn’t just float : SWAM
82 Home of 72-Down : ABC
84 Mortimer ___, dummy of old radio and TV : SNERD
86 Newcomer, informally : NEO
88 Org. in charge of the 23-Down : NASA
89 Not worry : REST EASY
91 Country whose most widely spoken language is Wolof : SENEGAL
94 Democratic politician Julián : CASTRO
95 Flower for a corsage : ORCHID
96 First name in the 1970s White House : GERALD
97 Gets used (to) : INURES
98 Gopher, e.g. : RODENT
99 Fighter pilot’s wear : G-SUIT
100 [head slap] : [OOPS]
102 Masochist’s pleasure : PAIN
103 Generate, as suspicion : AROUSE
106 Peaceful protest : SIT-IN
107 Brown shade : UMBER
108 Evening hour in Spain : SIETE
109 Cartomancer’s deck : TAROT
111 Pointed remark : BARB
112 Actor Morales : ESAI
116 Rattle : JAR
117 “___ voce poco fa” (Rossini aria) : UNA
118 One of the March sisters : MEG

10 thoughts on “0405-20 NY Times Crossword 5 Apr 20, Sunday”

  1. 30:12, no errors. For me, this one went smoothly (if slowly) until the very end: I’d never heard of an “ASH PAN”, so I had “ASH PIT” and “BIG TAB” and it took me awhile to think of “RES”, after which I saw “BAR TAB” and “NEO”, all of which cost me a few minutes. But, as they say … AWTEW.

  2. 29:47 with no errors. Pretty good for a Sunday for me. I recently sprang for the NY Times crossword subscription so now I can get accurate solve times…and I don’t have to wait for the syndicated puzzle to come out. Woo hoo!

  3. 43:05. A lot of unforced errors doing this one. I had “Sana’a” before HANOI, but I guess it just has an apostrophe and isn’t written as two words in Yemen. Also had to get used to the sense of humor of the setter and the clues. Not one of my best efforts, but I finished.

    Best –

  4. 50:13 Typical for me on a Sunday…the whole east side was tar pit for me. Also note: Gene Roddenberry was married to Majel Barrett (aka Nurse Christine Chapel) until his death. And welcome to Alaska Steve!

  5. 1:15:39 with 2 errors in 94A…If I say what I think about all the foreign words and phrases in crosswords I would most likely be banned from this blog so let’s leave it at that.
    Stay safe everyone

  6. Hmmm… don’t understand 33 Down ‘Monk’s digs’ (cell). Maybe someone can explain. Also never heard ‘No soap.’ Learning new expressions is one reason I do crosswords, I guess.

    1. In a monastery or abbey, the private room assigned to a monk is called a cell. ‘Digs’ is a slang term for a persons home.

  7. Re “digs”: See this dictionary entry (definition 2):

    https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dig

    It’s a slang term meaning “accommodations for living or working”. As it happens, I moved into a new house almost two months ago, so, as I write this, I’m sitting in my new digs. And, of course, a monk would live in a cell, so that would be his digs.

  8. 35:56, 4 errors: all involving putting TH(E)(B)ES in 29D and ST LEO(N) in 16D. I had THAMES, but erased it, figuring the last word in 36A should be ‘EVENT”.

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