0525-20 NY Times Crossword 25 May 20, Monday

Constructed by: Andrea Carla Michaels & Victor Barocas
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: Changed One’s Mind

Themed answers each include the letter grouping M-I-N-D, circled in the grid. The order of the letters in that M-I-N-D has been changed in each case:

  • 60A Decided otherwise … or a hint to the four sets of circled letters : CHANGED ONE’S MIND
  • 17A 2011 film co-starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams : MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
  • 26A App introduced in 2010 to locate a missing Apple product : FIND MY IPHONE
  • 37A Business operations, informally : ADMIN
  • 46A Mr. Spock player : LEONARD NIMOY

… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 5m 26s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Word after monkey or handle : … BARS

The Junglegym was invented in Chicago in 1920, although today we use the generic term “jungle gym”. I hear that monkey bars are a specific type of jungle gym, one consisting primarily of vertical steps and a horizontal ladder from which the “little monkey” can swing from rung to rung.

9 Social class in India : CASTE

Although caste systems exist in several societies around the world, we tend to associate the concept with the social stratification that is still found in many parts of India. The term “caste” comes from the Portuguese word “casta” meaning “race, breed”. The Portuguese used the term to describe the hereditary social groups that they found in India when they arrived in the subcontinent in 1498.

14 Grammy winner India.___ : ARIE

India.Arie is an American soul and R&B singer who was born India Arie Simpson in Denver, Colorado.

16 ___ : first :: omega : last : ALPHA

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

17 2011 film co-starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams : MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

The 2011 Woody Allen movie called “Midnight in Paris” is a real gem in my opinion. I’ve never liked Woody Allen films, to be honest, mainly because I’m not a fan of Woody Allen as an actor. “Midnight in Paris” is very much a Woody Allen script, with Owen Wilson playing the role that Allen would usually reserve for himself. Wilson plays a much better Woody Allen! Highly recommended …

Actor Owen Wilson was nominated for an Oscar, but not for his acting. He was nominated for co-writing the screenplay for “The Royal Tenenbaums” along with Wes Anderson.

Rachel McAdams is an actress from London, Ontario who now lives in Toronto, where she also studied theater at university. I’ve enjoyed many of McAdams’ film performances, especially in the excellent 2015 biographical drama “Spotlight”.

21 Luau dish : POI

I am a big fan of starch (being an Irishman I love potatoes). That said, I think that poi tastes horrible! Poi is made from the bulbous tubers (corm) of the taro plant by cooking the corm in water and mashing it until the desired consistency is achieved.

The Hawaiian party or feast known as a “luau” really dates back to 1819, when King Kamehameha II removed religious laws that governed the eating of meals. These laws called for women and men to eat separately. At the same time as he changed the laws, the king initiated the luau tradition by symbolically eating with the women who moved in his circle.

23 Nat ___ (cable channel) : GEO

The National Geographic Channel (Nat Geo) is jointly owned by Fox and the National Geographic Society, and was launched in 2001.

25 Football scores, for short : TDS

Touchdown (TD)

30 Prominent part of Dumbo : EAR

“Dumbo” is a 2019 live-action movie inspired by the original 1941 Walt Disney animated film of the same name. Directed by Tim Burton, 2019’s “Dumbo” focuses less on the title character, and more on the humans who interact with the animals. Indeed, the animals in Burton’s “Dumbo” don’t talk, even though they do in the Disney version.

31 Ambulance workers, in brief : EMTS

Emergency medical technician (EMT)

Our word “ambulance” originated from the French term “hôpital ambulant” meaning “field hospital” (literally “walking hospital”). In the 1850s, the term started to be used for a vehicle transporting the wounded from the battlefield, leading to our “ambulance”.

32 Lollygagged : LAZED

To lollygag (also “lallygag”) is to dawdle, to dally.

35 “The ___ From Ipanema” (1964 hit) : GIRL

Ipanema is a beach community in the south of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The name Ipanema is a local word meaning “bad water”, signifying that the shore is bad for fishing. The beach became famous worldwide following the release of the song “The Girl from Ipanema” in 1962.

45 33 1/3 or 45: Abbr. : RPM

The first vinyl records designed to play at 33⅓ rpm were introduced by RCA Victor in 1931, but were discontinued due to quality problems. The first long play (LP) 33⅓ rpm disc was introduced by Columbia Records many years later in 1948, with RCA Victor following up with a 45 rpm “single” the following year, in 1949.

46 Mr. Spock player : LEONARD NIMOY

Leonard Nimoy played the logical Mr. Spock in the original “Star Trek” television series. Spock has to be the most popular character on the show, and he kept popping up in “Star Trek” spin offs. Nimoy first worked alongside William Shatner (Captain Kirk) in an episode of “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” (I loved that show as a kid!), with Nimoy playing a bad guy and Shatner playing an U.N.C.L.E. recruit.

50 Hurricane’s center : EYE

A severe tropical storm is called a hurricane when it occurs in the Atlantic and Northeast Pacific, a typhoon in the Northwest Pacific, and a cyclone in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean. Tropical storms form over warm water, picking up energy from the evaporation from the ocean surface.

52 Down with the flu, say : SICK

Influenza (the “flu”) is an ailment that is caused by a virus. The virus is readily inactivated by the use of soap, so washing hands and surfaces is especially helpful in containing flu outbreaks … and other virus pandemics …

54 Restroom, for short : LAV

Our word “lavatory” (sometimes “lav”) originally referred to a washbasin, and comes from the Latin “lavatorium”, a place for washing. In the 1600s, “lavatory” came to mean a washroom, and in the 1920s a toilet.

55 ___ Lilly (pharmaceutical giant) : ELI

Eli Lilly is the largest corporation in the state of Indiana. Founder Eli Lilly was a veteran of the Union Army in the Civil War, and a failed Mississippi plantation owner. Later in life he returned to his first profession and opened a pharmaceutical operation to manufacture drugs and sell them wholesale. Under Lilly’s early guidance, the company was the first to create gelatin capsules to hold medicines and the first to use fruit flavoring in liquid medicines.

63 Ancient land that lent its name to an order of architecture : IONIA

The geographic region called Ionia is located in present day Turkey. Ionia was prominent in the days of ancient Greece, although it wasn’t a unified state and rather a collection of tribes. The tribal confederacy was more based on religious and cultural similarities than a political or military alliance. Nowadays we often refer to this arrangement as the Ionian League.

64 Fe, chemically : IRON

The Latin word for “iron” is “ferrum”, which gives us “Fe” as the metal’s chemical symbol.

65 “An apple ___ keeps …” : A DAY

Apparently the old adage “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” originated in Pembrokeshire in Wales. There was a local proverb in the area quoted in print in the mid-1800s:

Eat an apple on going to bed,
And you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.

67 Tenth of a dime : CENT

The term “dime”, used for a 10-cent coin, comes from the Old French word “disme” meaning “tenth part”.

Down

3 Musical set in ancient Egypt : AIDA

The rock musical “Aida” is based on Giuseppe Verdi’s original opera. It premiered in 1998 and is still performed today. Music is by Elton John and lyrics are by Tim Rice.

5 Title house owner in a 2000 Martin Lawrence comedy : BIG MOMMA

“Big Momma’s House” is a comedy film that was released in 2000 starring Martin Lawrence. Lawrence plays an FBI agent who is a master of disguise.

8 Goof : SLIP UP

A goof is a mistake. The verb “to goof off” was coined in 1941 meaning “to make a mistake at drill”. After the war, the meaning extended to describe wasting time, loafing around.

9 Building pictured on the back of a $50 bill : CAPITOL

A capitol is a building in which a legislature meets. Such buildings are often constructed with an impressive dome. The term “capitol” is a reference to the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, the most important temple in ancient Rome, and which sat on top of Capitoline Hill.

President Ulysses S. Grant appears on the obverse of the US fifty-dollar bill. There have been two unsuccessful attempts in recent years in Congress to have President Grant’s image replaced with that of President Ronald Reagan.

10 Pie ___ mode : A LA

In French, “à la mode” simply means “fashionable”. In America, the term has also come to describe a way of serving pie. Pie served à la mode includes a dollop of cream or ice cream, or as I recall from my time living in Upstate New York, with a wedge of cheddar cheese.

11 Sugar-free lemon-lime soda : SPRITE ZERO

Sprite is Coca-Cola’s answer to the very successful soft drink 7UP. Sprite was introduced in 1961, and Coca-Cola used its muscle to topple 7UP from its dominant position in the market. Sprite has been the number-one selling lemon soda since 1978.

12 Place for a bronze medalist : THIRD

In the Ancient Olympic Games, the winner of an event was awarded an olive wreath. When the games were revived in 1896, the winners were originally given a silver medal and an olive branch, with runners-up receiving a bronze medal and a laurel branch. The tradition of giving gold, silver and bronze medals began at the 1904 Summer Olympic Games held in St. Louis, Missouri.

18 ___ la Cité (bit of land in the Seine) : ILE DE

There are two famous “îles” (islands) in the middle of the River Seine in Paris, one being the Île de la Cité, and the other Île Saint-Louis. Île de la Cité is the most renowned of the two, as it is home to the cathedral of Notre Dame.

19 Quick snack : NOSH

Our word “nosh” has been around since the late fifties, when it was imported from the Yiddish word “nashn” meaning “to nibble”. We use “nosh” as a noun that means “snack”, or as a verb meaning “to eat between meals”.

28 Abbr. on a pay stub : YTD

Year-to-date (YTD)

29 War zone for Rambo, informally : NAM

“First Blood” was the original of the four “Rambo” films starring Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo, a troubled Vietnam War veteran. I thought “First Blood” was a pretty good film actually, but the sequels were terrible, and way too violent for me. But, action all the way …

30 Silly Putty container : EGG

Silly Putty is a silicone polymer that is marketed as a toy, usually sold in an egg-shaped plastic container. It is a remarkable material that can flow like a liquid and can also bounce. Silly Putty was one of those accidental creations, an outcome of research during WWII in search of substitutes for rubber. The substitution became urgent as Japan invaded rubber-producing countries all around the Pacific Rim.

33 Annual TV award for athletes : ESPY

The ESPY Awards are a creation of the ESPN sports television network. One difference with similarly named awards in the entertainment industry is that ESPY winners are chosen solely based on viewer votes.

34 Hoover ___ : DAM

When the magnificent Hoover Dam was completed in 1936 it was the largest hydroelectric plant in the world, as well as being the world’s largest concrete structure. The edifice was originally known as Boulder Dam, due to its location near Boulder City, Nevada. The dam was eventually named after Herbert Hoover for his role in having the dam built when he was Secretary of Commerce, and his later support as US President. There was a formal dedication ceremony held in September 1935 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt was in the area, when only work on the powerhouse was incomplete. President Roosevelt managed to make his dedication speech without once referring to the name of his former opponent President Hoover. When the dam was finally put into service in 1936, the project was two years ahead of schedule. Those were the days …

36 Director Spike or singer Brenda : LEE

Film director Spike Lee was born in Atlanta, Georgia but has very much made New York City his home and place of work. Most of Lee’s films are set in New York City, including his first feature film, 1986’s “She’s Gotta Have It”. That film was shot over two weeks with a budget of $175,000. “She’s Gotta Have It” grossed over $7 million at the US box office.

Brenda Lee is a country and rockabilly singer who had 37 songs that made the charts in the sixties. Lee’s biggest hits are probably “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” from 1958, and “I’m Sorry” from 1960. Lee was only 13 years old when she recorded “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”.

42 Small bouquet : NOSEGAY

A nosegay is a posy, a bouquet of flowers. As one might expect, a nosegay is designed to make the nose gay and joyous with the aroma of fresh cut flowers.

44 Fan mags : ZINES

A zine is a magazine. The term “zine” is often reserved for noncommercial publications, including those issued online.

47 “Blue” or “White” river : NILE

Depending on definition, the Nile is regarded generally as the longest river on the planet. The Nile forms from two major tributaries, the White Nile and the Blue Nile, which join together near Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. From Khartoum the Nile flows north, traveling almost entirely through desert making it central to life for those living along its length.

48 Like vinegar : ACIDIC

Our word “vinegar” comes from the French “vinaigre”, which means the same thing. “Vinaigre” comes from the French “vin” meaning “wine” and “aigre” meaning “sour”.

49 Broadway belter Ethel : MERMAN

Ethel Merman was an actress and singer, one noted for having a very powerful voice. Merman was married and divorced four times, the last time to the actor Ernest Borgnine, albeit for only 32 days in 1964.

50 11th-century Spanish hero : EL CID

“El Cid” is an epic film released in 1961 that tells the story of the Castilian knight who was known as El Cid. The two big names at the top of the cast were Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren, but just who was the biggest star? When Loren discovered that a huge billboard promoting the movie in Times Square showed that her name was below Heston’s, she sued the movie’s producers.

56 In a little while, in poetry : ANON

“Anon” originally meant “at once”, but the term’s meaning evolved into “soon” apparently just because the word was misused over time.

58 Chew (on), beaver-style : GNAW

Beavers build dams so that they can live in and around the slower and deeper water that builds up above the dam. This deeper water provides more protection for the beavers from predators such as bears. Beavers are nocturnal animals and do all their construction work at night.

59 Ice cream brand : EDY’S

Dreyer’s ice cream sells its products under the name Dreyer’s in the Western United States, and Edy’s in the Eastern states. The company’s founders were William Dreyer and Joseph Edy.

62 About which someone might say “Get the lead out!” : ORE

Galena is the most commonly used mineral to produce lead. It is a form of lead sulfide. Galena is the state mineral of Missouri and of Wisconsin.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Jab with a knife : STAB
5 Word after monkey or handle : … BARS
9 Social class in India : CASTE
14 Grammy winner India.___ : ARIE
15 Suffix with period or class : -ICAL
16 ___ : first :: omega : last : ALPHA
17 2011 film co-starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams : MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
20 “I’ll wait to hear from you online” : EMAIL ME
21 Luau dish : POI
22 Anger : IRE
23 Nat ___ (cable channel) : GEO
24 “You ___ be kidding!” : MUST
25 Football scores, for short : TDS
26 App introduced in 2010 to locate a missing Apple product : FIND MY IPHONE
30 Prominent part of Dumbo : EAR
31 Ambulance workers, in brief : EMTS
32 Lollygagged : LAZED
35 “The ___ From Ipanema” (1964 hit) : GIRL
37 Business operations, informally : ADMIN
40 Large, flat-topped hill : MESA
41 Environmentally conscious : GREEN
43 The whole nine yards : A TO Z
45 33 1/3 or 45: Abbr. : RPM
46 Mr. Spock player : LEONARD NIMOY
50 Hurricane’s center : EYE
52 Down with the flu, say : SICK
53 Opposite of WSW : ENE
54 Restroom, for short : LAV
55 ___ Lilly (pharmaceutical giant) : ELI
56 So-so : AVERAGE
60 Decided otherwise … or a hint to the four sets of circled letters : CHANGED ONE’S MIND
63 Ancient land that lent its name to an order of architecture : IONIA
64 Fe, chemically : IRON
65 “An apple ___ keeps …” : A DAY
66 A little off mentally : DOTTY
67 Tenth of a dime : CENT
68 What just happened? : NEWS

Down

1 Identical : SAME
2 Remove, as fat : TRIM
3 Musical set in ancient Egypt : AIDA
4 Not harmful : BENIGN
5 Title house owner in a 2000 Martin Lawrence comedy : BIG MOMMA
6 It’s gotta hurt : ACHE
7 Cousin of a mouse : RAT
8 Goof : SLIP UP
9 Building pictured on the back of a $50 bill : CAPITOL
10 Pie ___ mode : A LA
11 Sugar-free lemon-lime soda : SPRITE ZERO
12 Place for a bronze medalist : THIRD
13 Makes more bearable : EASES
18 ___ la Cité (bit of land in the Seine) : ILE DE
19 Quick snack : NOSH
24 Place an “X” in the wrong spot on, say : MISMARK
26 So-so : FAIR
27 Not pertinent : IRRELEVANT
28 Abbr. on a pay stub : YTD
29 War zone for Rambo, informally : NAM
30 Silly Putty container : EGG
33 Annual TV award for athletes : ESPY
34 Hoover ___ : DAM
36 Director Spike or singer Brenda : LEE
38 “___ be my pleasure!” : IT’D
39 Happening that’s no big whoop : NONEVENT
42 Small bouquet : NOSEGAY
44 Fan mags : ZINES
47 “Blue” or “White” river : NILE
48 Like vinegar : ACIDIC
49 Broadway belter Ethel : MERMAN
50 11th-century Spanish hero : EL CID
51 “Hurray!” : YAHOO!
56 In a little while, in poetry : ANON
57 Assistant : AIDE
58 Chew (on), beaver-style : GNAW
59 Ice cream brand : EDY’S
61 Small point to pick : NIT
62 About which someone might say “Get the lead out!” : ORE