0502-20 NY Times Crossword 2 May 20, Saturday

Constructed by: Paolo Pasco
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 13m 43s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

17 Actress Amanda : PEET

Actress Amanda Peet studied acting with the celebrated Uta Hagen at Columbia University. Peet has appeared in a number of successful films including “The Whole Nine Yards” and “Syriana”. I remember her best from what I thought was a great TV show (but no one seemed to agree!) called “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip”.

18 ___ Diaz, detective on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” : ROSA

“Brooklyn Nine-Nine” is a sitcom set in the 99th precinct of the NYPD in Brooklyn. Star of the show is “Saturday Night Live” alum Andy Samberg, who plays Detective Jake Peralta.

19 Emulate Beyoncé in 2003 : GO SOLO

Beyoncé Knowles established herself in the entertainment industry as the lead singer with the R&B group Destiny’s Child. She launched her solo singing career in 2003, two years after making her first appearance as an actor. In 2006 she played the lead in the very successful movie adaptation of the Broadway musical “Dreamgirls”. Beyoncé is married to rap star Jay-Z. She is also referred to affectionately as “Queen Bey”, a play on the phrase “the queen bee”.

22 Spanish title: Abbr. : SRA

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

24 Ben-___ : HUR

Lew Wallace was a general for the Union Army during the Civil War, and was also an author. He wrote a very successful and celebrated book called “Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ”, first published in 1880, which was made into a 1959 movie starring Charlton Heston.

25 Usual practice : WONT

The adjective “wont” means “accustomed”, as in “I am wont to solving the crossword of an evening”.

32 Sings like Mary Poppins : TRILLS

The “Mary Poppins” series of children’s novels were written by Australian-born English writer and actress P. L. Travers. Mary Poppins is a magical children’s nanny with a best friend Bert. In the famous 1964 musical film adaptation of the Mary Poppins stories, Poppins is played by Julie Andrews and Bert is played Dick Van Dyke.

33 Word in many Emmy categories : SERIES

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.

44 Basic chords : TRIADS

A triad is a group of three and, specifically in music, a chord made up of three notes.

46 Kind of rug that’s bad to lose an earring in : SHAG

Shag carpet is one with a deep pile, one with a “shaggy” appearance.

49 Org. for the L.A. Galaxy : MLS

The L.A. Galaxy is one of the ten charter clubs of Major League Soccer (MLS). The team is known for signing some high-profile players from more established leagues. England star and celebrity David Beckham played for the Galaxy from 2007 to 2012.

55 Provider of sensory deprivation : ISOLATION TANK

An isolation tank (also “flotation tank”) was originally devised to test the effect of sensory deprivation. The tank is completely dark, and soundproof. It is also filled with skin-temperature salt water at a concentration chosen so that individuals float easily.

Down

1 Crush alternative : 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!”

3 Ones making periodical changes, for short : EDS

Editor (ed.)

5 Takes some hits : TOKES

“Toke” is a slang term for a puff on a marijuana cigarette, or on a pipe containing the drug.

6 Do-si-do do : HOEDOWN

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 …?

8 Org. opposing school vouchers : NEA

The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the country, and mainly represents public school teachers.

9 Part of a forest that can grow as fast as two feet a day : KELP

Kelps are large seaweeds that grow in kelp forests underwater. Kelps can grow to over 250 feet in length, and do so very quickly. Some kelps can grow at the rate of 1-2 feet per day.

10 Frequently ranked octet : IVIES

The term “Ivy League” originally defined an athletic conference, but now it is used to describe a group of schools of higher education that are associated with both a long tradition and academic excellence. The eight Ivy League Schools are: Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale.

13 Language from which we get “karma” : SANSKRIT

Sanskrit is an Indo-Aryan language and is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India. Sanskrit has a rich tradition and is the language in which many historical and religious texts are written. There aren’t many speakers of the language today although efforts are underway to revive spoken Sanskrit.

Karma is a religious concept with its basis in Indian faiths. Karma embraces the notion of cause and effect. Good deeds have good consequences at some later point in one’s life, one’s future life, or one’s afterlife. And, bad deeds have bad consequences.

14 Heroine in Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” : LEONORA

Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Il trovatore” is known in English as “The Troubadour”. It is one of the few operas with more than one version written by the same composer. Verdi wrote a French translation, with some revisions to the score, which goes by the name “Le trouvère”.

31 Caddy alternative : TEA RACK

A caddy is a container used for tea. “Caddy” comes from the Malay word “kati”, a unit of weight used as a standard by British tea companies in the East Indies.

42 Like Jabba the Hutt : OBESE

Jabba the Hutt is the big blob of an alien that appears in the “Star Wars” movie “The Return of the Jedi”. Jabba’s claim to fame is that he enslaved Princess Leia and kitted her out in that celebrated metal bikini.

43 “Calvin and Hobbes” conveyance : WAGON

The comic strip “Calvin and Hobbes” is still widely syndicated, but hasn’t been written since 1995. The cartoonist Bill Watterson named the character Calvin after John Calvin, the 16th century theologian. Hobbes was named for Thomas Hobbes, a 17th century English political philosopher.

45 Bronze, e.g. : ALLOY

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. Compare this with bronze, an alloy of copper and tin. Brass and bronze are often mistaken for each other.

50 Obsessive fan, slangily : STAN

“Stan” is a song by rapper Eminem (featuring Dido) that was recorded in 2000. The title refers to a fictional Eminem fan named “Stan” who becomes obsessed with the rapper, and who grows irate when his letters to his idol go unanswered. Stan’s final act is to make a voice recording as he drives into a river, with his pregnant girlfriend locked in the trunk. One of the legacies of the song is that “stan” is now used as a slang term for an obsessed and maniacal fan.

52 Skosh : TAD

“Skosh” is a slang term meaning “a little bit”, and was originally military slang that came out of the Korean War. “Skosh” derives from the Japanese word “sukoshi” which translates as “few, little, some”.

54 Abbr. in many an office building address : STE

Suite (ste.)

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Unlike sheep : FREETHINKING
13 Slangy phrase following an unpopular opinion : SAID NO ONE EVER!
14 “Oh my stars!” : LAND SAKES ALIVE!
15 Small bits of progress : DENTS
16 Kind of student : MED
17 Actress Amanda : PEET
18 ___ Diaz, detective on “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” : ROSA
19 Emulate Beyoncé in 2003 : GO SOLO
22 Spanish title: Abbr. : SRA
23 Press, informally : INK
24 Ben-___ : HUR
25 Usual practice : WONT
27 Leaves back at the house, maybe : FORGETS
29 Kind of diet that can help lower blood pressure : NO-SALT
32 Sings like Mary Poppins : TRILLS
33 Word in many Emmy categories : SERIES
35 Smaller than small : ATOMIC
37 Swells up, as a lip : GETS FAT
38 Strip : PEEL
39 Carry-___ : ONS
40 Its end might be lamented : ERA
41 Reason to raise one’s hand : VOW
44 Basic chords : TRIADS
46 Kind of rug that’s bad to lose an earring in : SHAG
47 Crosspiece in a grate, often : I-BAR
49 Org. for the L.A. Galaxy : MLS
50 Title song character who’s asked “Did your mom get back from her business trip?” : STACY
51 Healthy soup base : VEGETABLE STOCK
55 Provider of sensory deprivation : ISOLATION TANK
56 “Don’t admit to anything!” : DENY DENY DENY!

Down

1 Crush alternative : FANTA
2 Disencumbers : RIDS
3 Ones making periodical changes, for short : EDS
4 Charms : ENAMORS
5 Takes some hits : TOKES
6 Do-si-do do : HOEDOWN
7 Valuable contacts : INS
8 Org. opposing school vouchers : NEA
9 Part of a forest that can grow as fast as two feet a day : KELP
10 Frequently ranked octet : IVIES
11 “Like THAT’S gonna happen!” : NEVER!
12 ___ Thunberg, Time’s youngest Person of the Year : GRETA
13 Language from which we get “karma” : SANSKRIT
14 Heroine in Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” : LEONORA
15 Get carried away : DRIFT
19 Showing more nerve : GUTSIER
20 Warms (up) : LOOSENS
21 Points of interest for epidemiologists : ONSETS
24 Knight cap : HELMET
26 Smears : TARS
28 What school lunch is often depicted as in cartoons : GLOP
30 Tip for increasing productivity : LIFEHACK
31 Caddy alternative : TEA RACK
34 Excessively theatrical : STAGY
36 Invitation from a driver : CLIMB IN
37 Unexpected blessing : GODSEND
41 Striking : VIVID
42 Like Jabba the Hutt : OBESE
43 “Calvin and Hobbes” conveyance : WAGON
45 Bronze, e.g. : ALLOY
46 Poker-faced : STONY
48 Rest (on) : RELY
50 Obsessive fan, slangily : STAN
52 Skosh : TAD
53 Took a course, say : ATE
54 Abbr. in many an office building address : STE