0602-20 NY Times Crossword 2 Jun 20, Tuesday

Constructed by: John Guzzetta
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: Part Company

PART each themed answer is a COMPANY name:

  • 56A Go their separate ways … or a description of 17-, 24-, 35- or 47-Across? : PART COMPANY
  • 17A View off the coast of Miami : BISCAYNE BAY (giving “eBay”)
  • 24A One who helps you hit just the right note : VOCAL COACH (giving “Alcoa”)
  • 35A Patron of sailors : SAINT ELMO (giving “Intel”)
  • 47A Science fiction hero of the 25th century : BUCK ROGERS (giving “Kroger”)

… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 6m 47s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Knickers wearer, maybe : LAD

Back in the early 1900s, young boys would wear short pants in summer and longer “knee pants” in winter. The “knee pants” came to be known as “knickers” or “knickerbockers” in honor of the fictional author Diedrich Knickerbocker who appears in Washington Irving’s “History of New York”. Knickerbocker’s attire included knee-breeches.

10 Like the anagramming of A DECIMAL POINT to make I’M A DOT IN PLACE : APT

Here are some of my favorite anagrams:

  • “Dormitory” and “dirty room”
  • “Elvis” and “lives”
  • “The eyes” and “they see”
  • “Eleven plus two” and “twelve plus one”

14 Ingredients in gorp : RAISINS

“Raisin” is the French word for “grape”. The French for “raisin” is “raisin sec”, which translates literally as “dried grape”.

“Gorp” is a name sometimes used for trail mix, particularly by hikers. It’s not really known for sure how this name came about, but some say it stands for “good old raisins and peanuts” or perhaps “gobs of raw protein”.

17 View off the coast of Miami : BISCAYNE BAY (giving “eBay”)

Biscayne Bay is a lagoon in South Florida on the Atlantic coast.

eBay was founded in 1995 as AuctionWeb. One of the first items purchased was a broken laser pointer, for $14.83. The buyer was a collector of broken laser pointers …

19 Bruce of “Enter the Dragon” and “Fist of Fury” : LEE

Bruce Lee was born not far from here in San Francisco, although he was raised in Hong Kong, returning to the US to attend college. Sadly, Bruce Lee died when he was only 32 years old, due to cerebral edema (a swelling of the brain) attributed to adverse reactions to the pain killing drug Equagesic.

20 A lot of it is spam : EMAIL

The term “spam”, used for unwanted email, is taken from a “Monty Python” sketch. In the sketch (which I’ve seen) the dialog is taken over by the word Spam, a play on the glut of canned meat in the markets of Britain after WWII. So “spam” is used for the glut of emails that takes over online communication. I can just imagine nerdy Internet types (like me) adopting something from a “Monty Python” sketch to describe an online phenomenon …

21 Yang’s partner : YIN

The yin and yang can be illustrated using many different metaphors. In one, as the sun shines on a mountain, the side in the shade is the yin and the side in the light is the yang. The yin is also regarded as the feminine side, and the yang the masculine. The yin can also be associated with the moon, while the yang is associated with the sun.

23 Coffee, informally : JAVA

Back in 1850, the name “java” was given to a type of coffee grown on the island of Java, and the usage of the term spread from then.

24 One who helps you hit just the right note : VOCAL COACH (giving “Alcoa”)

The Aluminum Corporation of America (ALCOA) is the largest producer of aluminum in the United States. The company was founded in 1888 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where its headquarters are to this day.

28 Prefix with laryngology : OTO-

The branch of medicine known as “ear, nose and throat” (ENT) is more correctly called “otolaryngology”.

29 Kind of bean mentioned memorably in “The Silence of the Lambs” : FAVA

The fava bean is also known as the broad bean. “Broad bean” is used “broadly” (pun!) in the UK, whereas “fava bean” is common in the US. “Fava” is the Italian name for the broad bean.

In the Thomas Harris book “Silence of the Lambs”, Hannibal Lechter expresses a liking for an Amarone, a fine robust wine from the Valpolicella region of Italy, to accompany his dish of liver and fava beans. When the story moved to the big screen, the wine was apparently “dumbed down” to something more readily recognizable by us movie-goers, and so Hannibal will forever be associated with Chianti wines.

30 Egyptian queen, for short : CLEO

Cleopatra was the last pharaoh to rule Egypt. After she died, Egypt became a province in the Roman Empire.

35 Patron of sailors : SAINT ELMO (giving “Intel”)

Saint Elmo is the patron saint of sailors. More formally referred to as Erasmus of Formia, St. Elmo is perhaps venerated by sailors as tradition tells us that he continued preaching despite the ground beside him being struck by a thunderbolt. Sailors started to pray to him when in danger of storms and lightning. He lends his name to the electrostatic weather phenomenon (often seen at sea) known as St. Elmo’s fire. The “fire” is actually a plasma discharge caused by air ionizing at the end of a pointed object (like the mast of a ship), something often observed during electrical storms.

Intel is the world’s largest manufacturer of semiconductor chips. The company was founded in 1968, and the name “Intel” is derived from the term “int(egrated) el(ectronics)”. Recognition of the Intel brand has been greatly helped by the success of the “Intel Inside” campaign that started back in 1991.

47 Science fiction hero of the 25th century : BUCK ROGERS (giving “Kroger”)

Before Buck Rogers made it into the big time in the comic strip “Buck Roger in the 25th Century”, he was a character in a pair of short stories written by Philip Francis Nowlan, the first of which was “Armageddon 2419 A.D.” In the stories, he was known as Anthony Rogers, and was given a name change when he went into the comics.

The Kroger supermarket chain is the largest grocery store company in the US. It is also the second largest retailer in the country, after Walmart, and the fifth largest retailer in the world. The company was founded in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio by Barney Kroger.

53 Santa ___ winds : ANA

The Santa Ana winds are the very dry air currents that sweep offshore late in the year in Southern California. Because these air currents are so dry, they are noted for their influence over forest fires in the area, especially in the heat of the fall. The winds arise from a buildup of air pressure in the Great Basin that lies between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada. Under the right conditions, that air spills over the peaks of the Sierra Nevada and basically “falls” down the side of the Sierra range, heading for the ocean. As the air falls it becomes drier and heats up so that relative humidity can fall to below 10% by the time it hits the coast.

60 Drive-thru convenience, perhaps : ATM

One enters a Personal Identification Number (PIN) when using an Automated Teller Machine (ATM). Given that the N in PIN stands for “number”, then “PIN number” is a redundant phrase. And, given that the M in ATM stands for “machine”, then “ATM machine” is a redundant phrase as well. Grr …!

61 First half of an LP : SIDE ONE

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.

62 Oui’s opposite : NON

In French, a response on “un questionnaire” (a questionnaire) might be “oui” (yes) or “non” (no).

64 Washington airport name : REAGAN

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) is located in Arlington, Virginia. It is one of the two main airports serving the nation’s capital, along with Washington Dulles. Washington National opened for business in 1941, and was dedicated to President Ronald Reagan in 1998.

65 “No more seats” sign : SRO

Standing room only (SRO)

Down

4 ___ Sea (vanishing body of water) : ARAL

The Aral Sea is a great example of how man can have a devastating effect on his environment. In the early sixties the Aral Sea covered 68,000 square miles of Central Asia. Soviet irrigation projects drained the lake to such an extent that today the total area is less than 7,000 square miles, with 90% of the lake now completely dry. Sad …

6 ___ rummy : GIN

Gin rummy is a faster variant of standard rummy. It was introduced in 1909 by one Elwood Baker and his son.

8 Neighbor of Tunisia : LIBYA

The Italo-Turkish War was fought between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Italy from September 1911 and October 1912. At the end of the conflict the Ottoman Empire ceded to Italy the three provinces of Tripolitania, Fezzan and Cyrenaica. These provinces became Italian North Africa, and ultimately the country that we know today as Libya. The name “Libya” comes from the Ancient Greek “Libúē”, the historical name for Northwest Africa.

The North African nation of Tunisia takes its name from its capital city Tunis. Present-day Tunisia is roughly equivalent to the Roman province known as “Africa Proconsularis”, which gave its name to the whole continent.

9 Escargot : SNAIL

“Escargot” is the French word for “snail”. In order to eat snails, apparently they have to be “purged” before killing them. That means starving them or feeding them on something “wholesome” for several days before cooking them up. Ugh …

18 Spy org. : CIA

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is the successor to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) formed during WWII. The CIA was chartered by the National Security Act of 1947. The organization is often referred to familiarly as “the Company”.

24 “Quo ___?” : VADIS

“Quo Vadis” is an epic drama made in 1951, a film adaptation of the 1896 novel of the same name written by Henryk Sienkiewicz. At the top of the bill are Robert Taylor and Deborah Kerr, with Peter Ustinov playing the Emperor Nero. There was also an uncredited extra making her first appearance on the screen, a young lady by the name of Sophia Loren.

27 Pro golfer Lorena : OCHOA

Lorena Ochoa is a retired professional golfer from Mexico who was ranked as the number one female golfer in the world from 2007 to 2010.

32 Chris with the 1991 hit “Wicked Game” : ISAAK

Chris Isaak is not only a rock musician, but also has had a lot of acting parts. Isaak had small roles in movies like “Married to the Mob” and “The Silence of the Lambs”, but I remember him as astronaut Ed White in the fabulous HBO miniseries “From the Earth to the Moon”.

33 Spots on a radar screen : BLIPS

Scientists have been using radio waves to detect the presence of objects since the late 1800s, but it was the demands of WWII that accelerated the practical application of the technology. The British called their system RDF standing for Range and Direction Finding. The system used by the US Navy was called “Radio Detection And Ranging”, which was shortened to the acronym RADAR.

34 Some workers on standby, for short : EMTS

Emergency medical technician (EMT)

36 Mideast ruler : EMIR

An emir is a prince or chieftain, one most notably from the Middle East in Islamic countries. In English, “emir” can also be written variously as “emeer, amir, ameer” (watch out for those spellings in crosswords!).

37 Cute pudginess in a toddler : BABY FAT

Adipocytes are fat storage cells. The prefix “adipo-” refers to “fat”, and the suffix “-cyte” indicates a “cell”. There are two types of fat cells. White fat cells contain just one large droplet of fat per cell. White fat cells are created when a body is carrying excess weight. Brown fat cells have many fat droplets within the cell’s cytoplasm. Brown fat is also called “baby fat”, and is not normally associated with excess weight as it is readily metabolized to generate heat.

41 Plaid designs : TARTANS

Tartan is sometimes called “plaid” over here in the US, and is a word not used in the same sense outside of this country. In Scotland, a “plaid” is a blanket or a tartan cloth slung over the shoulder.

42 The Beatles’ “___ Rigby” : ELEANOR

When Paul McCartney was writing “Eleanor Rigby”, he started out with the title “Daisy Hawkins”. He also had a “Father McCartney” in the lyrics, but was afraid that folks would assume that was a reference to his Dad. So, he looked through the phone book and changed McCartney to McKenzie. The name Eleanor was borrowed from actress Eleanor Bron (a fine English actress who had a role in the movie “Help!”). The name Rigby came from Rigby & Evans Ltd, Wine & Spirit Shippers. Whatever it takes, I guess!

50 “En ___!” : GARDE

“En garde” is a French term that has been absorbed into the sport of fencing. Originally a warning (meaning “on guard!”), it is spoken at the start of an encounter to warn the fencers to take a defensive position.

54 Al Capone chasers, informally : T-MEN

A T-man is a law-enforcement agent of the US Treasury (T stands for “Treasury”).

Chicago gangster Al Capone was eventually jailed for tax evasion. He was given a record 11-year sentence in federal prison, of which he served 8 years. He left prison suffering from dementia caused by late-stage syphilis. Capone suffered through 7-8 sickly years before passing away in 1947.

57 Oolong, for one : TEA

The name for the Chinese tea called “oolong” translates into English as “black dragon”.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Knickers wearer, maybe : LAD
4 Heavenly beings : ANGELS
10 Like the anagramming of A DECIMAL POINT to make I’M A DOT IN PLACE : APT
13 Prefix with cycle or cellular : UNI-
14 Ingredients in gorp : RAISINS
16 Big fib : LIE
17 View off the coast of Miami : BISCAYNE BAY (giving “eBay”)
19 Bruce of “Enter the Dragon” and “Fist of Fury” : LEE
20 A lot of it is spam : EMAIL
21 Yang’s partner : YIN
22 ___ Claus : MRS
23 Coffee, informally : JAVA
24 One who helps you hit just the right note : VOCAL COACH (giving “Alcoa”)
28 Prefix with laryngology : OTO-
29 Kind of bean mentioned memorably in “The Silence of the Lambs” : FAVA
30 Egyptian queen, for short : CLEO
31 Puzzle : BEWILDER
33 Bidding : BEHEST
35 Patron of sailors : SAINT ELMO (giving “Intel”)
37 Secures, as a climber’s rope : BELAYS
40 Impersonates : IMITATES
44 Blue hue : AQUA
45 Tears : RIPS
46 Boeuf ___ bourguignonne : A LA
47 Science fiction hero of the 25th century : BUCK ROGERS (giving “Kroger”)
51 Street ___ : CRED
52 Talk, talk, talk : YAK
53 Santa ___ winds : ANA
54 Number under a line : TOTAL
55 High hit to the outfield : FLY
56 Go their separate ways … or a description of 17-, 24-, 35- or 47-Across? : PART COMPANY
60 Drive-thru convenience, perhaps : ATM
61 First half of an LP : SIDE ONE
62 Oui’s opposite : NON
63 Tip of a shoe : TOE
64 Washington airport name : REAGAN
65 “No more seats” sign : SRO

Down

1 Order at an auto shop : LUBE JOB
2 Give life to : ANIMATE
3 Deny any responsibility for : DISAVOW
4 ___ Sea (vanishing body of water) : ARAL
5 “No” vote : NAY
6 ___ rummy : GIN
7 Common language suffix : -ESE
8 Neighbor of Tunisia : LIBYA
9 Escargot : SNAIL
10 Like Wabash College and Hampden-Sydney College, unusually : ALL-MALE
11 Pokes through : PIERCES
12 First stroke : TEE SHOT
15 Match up, as a phone with a computer : SYNC
18 Spy org. : CIA
24 “Quo ___?” : VADIS
25 Kiln, e.g. : OVEN
26 Attachment to a rope to make a tree swing : CAR TIRE
27 Pro golfer Lorena : OCHOA
29 Whip : FLAY
32 Chris with the 1991 hit “Wicked Game” : ISAAK
33 Spots on a radar screen : BLIPS
34 Some workers on standby, for short : EMTS
36 Mideast ruler : EMIR
37 Cute pudginess in a toddler : BABY FAT
38 On a par with : EQUAL TO
39 “Oh joy, I drew the short straw again” : LUCKY ME
41 Plaid designs : TARTANS
42 The Beatles’ “___ Rigby” : ELEANOR
43 Response to “Did you win the lottery?” : SADLY, NO
48 Songs by Lil Wayne, Lil Yachty or Lil Uzi Vert : RAPS
49 Broadcasting : ON AIR
50 “En ___!” : GARDE
51 Ticket issuer : COP
54 Al Capone chasers, informally : T-MEN
57 Oolong, for one : TEA
58 Gear tooth : COG
59 Go out ___ limb : ON A

12 thoughts on “0602-20 NY Times Crossword 2 Jun 20, Tuesday”

  1. 5:17, no errors. Forgot to check out the theme (again … 😜).

    Distracted. Today, after three months in my new digs, workmen are finally coming to install “window treatments” (plantation shutters), so I can finally stop flashing the neighbors … 😜.

  2. 10:03. I thought the theme companies were all going to have something in common – aside from being companies. Guess not.

    I knew 47A immediately as BUCK ROGERS. But I only knew it because of the Daffy Duck cartoon – Duck Dodgers of the 24 1/2th Century. I guess the movie version rounds the century up.

    Best –

  3. No errors. Nice Tuesday puzzle.

    After reading Bill’s comments I went off on a tangent searching out whether 24-Down’s clue, “Quo _____?” should or should not have a question mark. It is all too complicated to explain. At the bottom line is the fact that Latin did not use question marks. So both the book and the film were correct to not use it. Why then does our clue today have it? Like I said, it’s complicated.

    1. Just my guess, but I think the “?” was there to make the answer more accessible to more solvers.

      1. Exactly my conclusion, Tom M. If the writer of the question “Quo Vadis (where are you going?)” wants to use a question mark in order to have some significance to their target audience (in this case, us puzzle workers) then they are perfectly free to do so. We are not living in Roman times.

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