0621-20 NY Times Crossword 21 Jun 20, Sunday

Constructed by: Byron & Harrison Walden
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: Animal Crossings

Themed answers are common phrases reinterpreted as traits found if two ANIMALS were CROSSED:

  • 24A What do you get when you cross 26-Across with a 5-Down? : SWIMMING TRUNKS
  • 26A A group of them may be called a memory : ELEPHANTS
  • 5D School group : FISH
  • 57A What do you get when you cross 63-Across with a 45-Down? : EXTRA DRUMSTICKS
  • 63A Coop group : CHICKENS
  • 45D Ika, at a sushi bar : SQUID
  • 82A What do you get when you cross 77-Across with a 40-Down? : ELECTRIC CHARGES
  • 77A Creatures that can have two sets of jaws and teeth : EELS
  • 40D What’s known for its poker face? : RHINOCEROS
  • 116A What do you get when you cross 114-Across with a 93-Down? : LIGHTNING SPEED
  • 114A “___ in the Garden” (Robert Frost poem) : FIREFLIES
  • 93D Smallest of the big cats : CHEETAH

… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 18m 23s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Fancy water pitcher : CARAFE

A carafe is a container made from glass that has no handles, and no stopper.

13 Iranian president Rouhani : HASSAN

Hassan Rouhani (also “Rowhani”) is the President of Iran, having won the election held on 15 June 2013. He took over from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Rouhani is in the news a lot recently, having made some public statements that have been viewed as moderate relative to his right-wing predecessor.

19 National park near Bar Harbor : ACADIA

Acadia National Park in Maine was created in 1919, although back then it was called Lafayette National Park in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette who famously supported the American Revolution. The park was renamed to Acadia in 1929.

Bar Harbor is a town on the Maine coast that is a popular place to visit in the summer. Cruise ships are a common sight in the harbor from May through October. One of the town’s more famous sons was former US Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, who was born there in 1908.

20 Bubble gum brand : BAZOOKA

The Bazooka brand of bubble gum was introduced by the Topps Company soon after the end of WWII. Bazooka have included comic strips in the wrappers for their gum since the early to mid-fifties. The hero of the strip is Bazooka Joe, a young man who wears an eyepatch.

24 What do you get when you cross 26-Across with a 5-Down? : SWIMMING TRUNKS

Swimming trunks are shorts used, usually by makes, when swimming. The term “trunks” is used because centuries ago, people routinely wore underwear that covered the entire “trunk” of the body. Swimming usually involved stripping down to those “trunks”. We’re less modest when swimming nowadays, but the term “trunks” has persisted.

26 A group of them may be called a memory : ELEPHANTS

Here are some colorful collective nouns:

  • A pride of lions
  • A shrewdness of apes
  • A cloud of bats
  • A bench of bishops
  • A clowder of cats
  • A waddling of ducks
  • An army of frogs
  • A knot of toads
  • A memory of elephants
  • A dazzle of zebra
  • A tower of giraffe
  • A crash of rhinos

34 Onesie protector : BIB

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 …

36 Some Instagram feed posts : ADS

Instagram (often abbreviated to “Insta”) is a photo-sharing application, one that is extremely popular. Instagram started in San Francisco in 2010. Facebook purchased Instagram two years later, paying $1 billion. The billion-dollar Instagram company had just 13 employees at the time of the sale …

38 Tokyo-to-Iwo Jima dir. : SSE

The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area on the planet. 51 of the Fortune Global 500 companies are headquartered in Tokyo. And the residents of Tokyo eat very well. Michelin has awarded more Michelin stars to Tokyo than any other city in the world.

Iwo Jima is a volcanic island located south of Tokyo that today is uninhabited. The name is Japanese for “Sulfur Island”, referring to the sulfur mining on which Iwo Jima’s economy once depended. There were about a thousand Japanese civilians living on the island prior to WWII. In 1944, there was a massive influx of Japanese military personnel in anticipation of the inevitable US invasion. As the Japanese military moved in, the civilians were forced out and no one has lived there since. Control of the island was wrested from the Japanese in the five-week Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945. Said battle was one of the bloodiest in the Pacific theater in WWII.

39 Iraqi currency : DINAR

The dinar is the official currency in many countries, such as Iraq, Tunisia and Serbia. The gold dinar dates back to the early days of Islam, with the name deriving from the Roman currency called “denarius” meaning “ten times” (as it was originally a coin worth ten asses).

46 Krispy ___ : KREME

The Krispy Kreme chain of doughnut stores was founded in 1937 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The company introduced the Whole Wheat Glazed doughnut in 2007, which is great news for folks looking to eat a healthy diet, I am sure …

53 Rock climber’s tool : PITON

A piton is a piece of mountaineering equipment, an anchor designed to protect a climber if he or she falls. It is a metal spike driven into a crack in the rock face with a hammer. Pitons have eye holes through which a rope is attached using carabiners. “Piton” is a French word for a “hook”.

54 Neighbors of Saudis : QATARIS

Qatar is a sovereign state in the Middle East occupying the Qatar Peninsula, itself located in the Arabian Peninsula. Qatar lies on the Persian Gulf and shares one land border, with Saudi Arabia to the south. Qatar has more oil and gas reserves per capita of population than any other country in the world. In 2010, Qatar had the fastest growing economy in the world, driven by the petrochemical industry. Qatar is scheduled to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, although the nation’s eligibility to do so is under question after a far-reaching bribery scandal was uncovered at the sport’s governing body.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest Arab country in the Middle East and is the world’s largest oil producer, home to the world’s largest oil reserves. The Saudi dynasty started in central Arabia in 1744 when the secular leader Muhammad ibn Saud joined forces with the Islamic scholar and Imam, Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab. At the time, Saud was a ruler of a town near Riyadh and he was determined to bring “true” Islam to the Arabian peninsula. Since 1744 the fortunes of the Saudi family have risen and fallen, but it is that same family who rules what we know today as Saudi Arabia.

56 “Cheese” products? : SMILES

Photographers often instruct us to say “cheese” to elicit a smile-like expression. Even Japanese photographers use the word “cheese” to achieve the same effect. Bulgarians use the word “zele” meaning “cabbage”. The Chinese say “eggplant”, the Danish “orange”, the Iranians “apple” and many Latin Americans say “whiskey”.

61 Jungian feminine side : ANIMA

The concepts of anima and animus are found in the Carl Jung school of analytical psychology. The idea is that within each male there resides a feminine inner personality called the anima, and within each female there is a male inner personality known as the animus.

63 Coop group : CHICKENS

The Old English word “cypa”, meaning “basket”, evolved in the 14th century to the word “coop” to describe a small cage for poultry. We still use “coop” today.

69 London theater district : WEST END

The West End of London is a part of the central area of the city that contains many tourist attractions and in particular a large number of theaters. It is also home to the most expensive office space in the world.

72 Flatbread often garnished with rosemary : FOCACCIA

Focaccia is a flatbread from Italy that is often topped with herbs, vegetables and sometimes meat ,making it similar to pizza. The name “focaccia” comes from the Latin “focus” meaning “hearth, place for baking”.

The herb known as rosemary is reputed to improve the memory. As such, rosemary has been used as a symbol of remembrance, especially in Europe and Australia. For example, mourners might throw sprigs of rosemary into graves, symbolically remembering the dead. The character Ophelia in William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” utters the line “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance”. The name of the herb comes from the Latin “ros marinus” which means “dew of the sea”. The idea is that rosemary can in fact grow in some arid locations with only the moisture that is carried by a sea breeze.

87 Dandelion look-alike : CAT’S EAR

The name “dandelion” comes from the French “dent de lion” meaning “lion’s tooth”. The name is a reference to the coarse, tooth-like edges of dandelion leaves.

90 ___ Malfoy, Harry Potter antagonist : DRACO

Draco Malfoy is one of the regular “bad guys” in the “Harry Potter” stories. Malfoy is one of Potter’s fellow students, the one who sneers a lot. Draco’s father is Lucius Malfoy, a character who becomes more and more relevant as the storyline in the series of books progresses.

96 Tirana’s country: Abbr. : ALB

Tirana is the capital of Albania, and the nation’s largest city.

The Republic of Albania is a country in the Balkans in southeastern Europe. Albania was made a communist state after WWII but became independent again with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990. Albania has been a member of NATO since 2009, and was accepted as an official candidate to join the European Union in 2014. The nation’s capital and largest city is Tirana.

98 Cabinet inits. since 1980 : HHS

The Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) was split in 1979, into the Department of Education (ED) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

99 Abe Lincoln’s youngest son : TAD

Tad Lincoln was the youngest son of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln. The child was named Thomas Lincoln III after his paternal grandfather, but was soon christened “Tad” by his father as he “wiggled like a tadpole” when he was very young. Tad was born with a cleft lip and palate, which led to speech problems and difficulties chewing. On the fateful night that his parents went to see “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theatre, Tad was taken to nearby Grover’s Theatre (now the National Theatre) to see “Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp”. Tad heard the news of his father’s assassination from the theatre manager, like all the other patrons. The distraught 12-year-old ran around the theater screaming “They killed Papa! They killed Papa!” Tad himself passed away just six years later due to heart or lung problems.

114 “___ in the Garden” (Robert Frost poem) : FIREFLIES

The wonderful poet Robert Frost was a native of San Francisco, but lived most of life in New England. He also spent a few years in England, just before WWI. Frost was well recognized for his work during his lifetime, and received four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. He was also Vermont’s first Poet Laureate, a position that he held from 1961 until his death in 1963.

120 ___ 101, world’s tallest building before the Burj Khalifa : TAIPEI

The building known as Taipei 101, in the capital of Taiwan, is so-called because it has 101 floors. It was the tallest skyscraper in the world from 2004 until 2010 when the Burj Khalifa was completed in Dubai.

Burj Khalifa is a spectacular skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is the tallest man-made structure in the world, and has been so since the completion of its exterior in 2009. The space in the building came onto the market at a really bad time, during the global financial crisis. The building was part of a US$20 billion development of downtown Dubai that was backed by the city government which had to go looking for a bailout from the neighboring city of Abu Dhabi. The tower was given the name Burj Khalifa at the last minute, apparently as a nod to UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan who helped to broker the bailout.

121 Sporty Chevy : CAMARO

The Chevrolet Camaro is a car produced by General Motors from 1966 to 2002, and reintroduced in 2009. The Camaro shared much of its design with the Pontiac Firebird, and was introduced as a potential competitor to the Ford Mustang.

123 Shaping wood using a curved blade : ADZING

An adze (also “adz”) is similar to an axe, but is different in that the blade of an adze is set at right angles to the tool’s shaft. An axe blade is set in line with the shaft.

Down

2 D.C.-to-Boston transport : ACELA

The Acela Express is the fastest train routinely running in the US, as it gets up to 150 mph at times. The service runs between Boston and Washington D.C. via Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York. Introduced in 2000, the brand name “Acela” was created to evoke “acceleration” and “excellence”.

7 “CSI” broadcaster : CBS TV

The “CSI” franchise of TV shows has been tremendously successful, but has finally wound down. “CSI: Miami” (the “worst” of the franchise, I think) was cancelled in 2012 after ten seasons. “CSI: NY” (the “best” of the franchise) was cancelled in 2013 after nine seasons. The original “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” was set in Las Vegas, and hung in there until 2015 when it ended with a two-hour TV movie. The youngest show in the series was “CSI: Cyber”. It lasted for two seasons, before being canceled in 2016.

8 Spots on ships for anchor cables : HAWSES

The hawse is that part of the bow of a ship containing the hawse holes, holes through which hawsers can be passed. Hawsers are thick cables or ropes used in mooring or towing.

9 Weapon used by the Terminator : UZI

The first Uzi submachine gun was designed in the late 1940s by Major Uziel “Uzi” Gal of the Israel Defense Forces, who gave his name to the gun.

The 1984 movie “The Terminator” was directed by James Cameron. It was a relatively low-budget production, costing $6.4 million, but has grossed at least $80 million to date. No wonder the Terminator said “I’ll be back” …

10 CD-___ : ROM

“CD-ROM” stands for “compact disc read only memory”. The name indicates that you can read information from the disc (like a standard music CD for example), but you cannot write to it. You can also buy a CD-RW, which stands for “compact disc – rewritable”, with which you can read data and also write over it multiple times using a suitable CD drive.

11 Aurelius, for Lucius Aurelius Commodus : NOMEN

In an Ancient Roman naming convention, the higher-class male citizens had three names. First came the “praenomen”, which was the given name. Second was the “nomen”, the person’s clan or “gens”. Lastly came the “cognomen”, the family line with the clan.

12 Burrowing lizard : SKINK

Skinks are lizards with relatively small legs and without a pronounced neck. Most skink species have long tails that they can shed if it is grabbed by a predator. The tail can then be regenerated.

13 Spicy appetizer : HOT WINGS

There are a few stories about how Buffalo wings were first developed, most of them related to the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York. If you’re looking for Buffalo wings on a menu in Buffalo, you’ll note that in and around the city they’re just referred to as “wings”.

15 Tater : SPUD

The word “spud” is used as a slang term for a potato and was first recorded in the mid-1800s, in New Zealand would you believe?

16 Gandhi of contemporary Indian politics : SONIA

Sonia Gandhi is a politician, the President of the Indian National Congress party. Sonia is the widow of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who was assassinated in 1991. Interestingly, Sonia Gandhi was born and raised in Italy. She met her future husband while they were both studying in Cambridge, England in the sixties.

18 They might take a few swallows : NESTS

Swallows are remarkable birds, at least in one aspect. Swallows, and the related martins, have evolved so that they can feed while flying, snapping up insects in mid-air.

25 Geographical locale whose name means “waterless place” : GOBI

The large desert in Asia called the Gobi lies in northern China and southern Mongolia. The Gobi desert is growing at an alarming rate, particularly towards the south. This “desertification” is caused by increased human activity. The Chinese government is trying to halt the desert’s progress by planting great swaths of new forest, the so-called “Green Wall of China”. The name “Gobi” is Mongolian for “waterless place, semidesert”.

35 Rice variety : BASMATI

Basmati is a long grain rice that is commonly used in Indian and Pakistani cuisine. The name “basmati” comes from the Sanskrit word “vasmati” meaning “fragrant”. I am a big fan …

37 Lex Luthor’s sister : LENA

Lex Luthor is the arch-nemesis of Superman in comics. Luthor has been portrayed in a number of guises in the comic world as well in movies and on the small screen. For example, he appeared as Atom Man in the 1950 film series “Atom Man vs. Superman”, and was played by actor Lyle Talbot, opposite Kirk Alyn’s Superman.

40 What’s known for its poker face? : RHINOCEROS

There are five types of rhinoceros that survive today, with the smaller Javan Rhino being the most rare. The rhinoceros is probably the rarest large mammal on the planet, thanks to poaching. Hunters mainly prize the horn of the rhino as it is used in powdered form in traditional Chinese medicine.

41 Take in the newspaper : OP-ED

“Op-ed” is an abbreviation for “opposite the editorial page”. Op-eds started in “The New York Evening World” in 1921 when the page opposite the editorials was used for articles written by a named guest writer, someone independent of the editorial board.

42 ___ Stix : PIXY

Pixy Stix is powdered candy that’s packaged in what looks like a straw. The “candy” was sold back in the thirties as a drink mix, but when kids were found to be eating the sweet & sour-tasting mix directly from packets, the producers began packaging it as candy.

43 Suffix with launder : -ETTE

If you go looking for a laundromat in the UK or Ireland, folks will likely know what you’re talking about. However, the local name for such a facility is “launderette” or sometimes “laundrette”.

44 Department stores since 1901 : NORDSTROMS

The Nordstrom chain of fashion stores was founded in 1901 by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin as a retailer of shoes, under the name “Wallin & Nordstrom”. The store’s name changed to just “Nordstrom” in 1930, soon after both founders retired and sold their shares to Nordstrom’s two sons.

47 Ireland, poetically : ERIN

“Éire”, is the Irish word for “Ireland”. The related “Erin” is an anglicized version of “Éire” and actually corresponds to “Éirinn”, the dative case of “Éire”.

48 Some lapel attachments : MICS

“Microphone” is often abbreviated to “mike” or “mic”.

52 Exam for college-bound H.S. students : PSAT

Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT)

55 “Mad Men” channel : AMC

“Mad Men” was the flagship show on the AMC television channel for several seasons. Set in the sixties, it’s all about an advertising agency located on Madison Avenue in New York (hence the title). “Mad Men” became the first show created by a basic cable channel to win an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series.

58 Pest control brand founded by Lee Ratner (!) in the 1950s : D-CON

d-CON is a line of rodent control products that has been around for over 50 years. The name is an abbreviation for “decontamination”. The d-CON Company was founded in 1950 by Chicago businessman Lee Ratner, yes, “Ratner” …

59 ___ Island : RHODE

Rhode Island is the smallest state in the union, and is the second-most densely populated. (after New Jersey). Rhode Island is known as the Ocean State (and more informally “Little Rhody”), largely because about 14% of the state’s area is made up of ocean bays and inlets. Exactly how Rhode Island got its name is a little unclear. What is known is that way back in 1524, long before the Pilgrims came to New England, the Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano likened an island in the area to the Island of Rhodes in the Mediterranean. There were subsequent references to “Rhode Island” in English publications, before the colonists arrived.

60 Sega mascot : SONIC

Sonic the Hedgehog is a title character in a videogame and the mascot of Sega, the computer game developer. Sonic was set up as a rival to Nintendo’s mascot Mario.

68 Ghana’s capital : ACCRA

Accra sits on Ghana’s coast and is a major seaport as well as the country’s capital city. The name “Accra” comes from a local word “Nkran” meaning “ants”, a name chosen because of the large number of anthills found in the area when the city was founded.

69 Lessen in power : WANE

The verbs “to wax” and “to wane” come from Old English. To wax is to increase gradually in size, strength, intensity or number. To wane is to decrease gradually.

70 Business class, for short : ECON

Economics (econ.)

74 M.R.I. alternative : CT SCAN

A CT (or “CAT”) scan produces (via computer manipulation) a three-dimensional image of the inside of an object, usually the human body. It does so by taking a series of two dimensional x-ray images while rotating the camera around the patient. The issue with CT scans is that they use x-rays. High doses of radiation can be harmful, causing damage that is cumulative over time.

75 Cactus bump : AREOLE

Areoles are bumps on the side of cacti from which grow clusters of spines. These areoles are one of the features of cacti that distinguish them from other succulent plants.

79 ___-majesté : LESE

“Lese majesty” is the crime of offending the dignity of the “majesty” or sovereign, or the state. The term “lèse-majesté” is from French Law, and comes from the law of ancient Rome. In Latin “laesa maiestas” means “injured majesty”. The term has no relevance in the United States, but the law is occasionally cited in other countries, including many in Europe.

80 Concordes et al. : SSTS

The most famous supersonic transport (SST) is the retired Concorde. The Concorde routinely broke the sound barrier, and cruised at about twice the speed of sound. Above Mach 2, frictional heat would cause the plane’s aluminum airframe to soften, so airspeed was limited.

83 Some HDTVs : LCDS

Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) are the screens that are found in most laptops today, and in flat panel computer screens and some televisions. LCD monitors basically replaced Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) screens, the old television technology.

84 Father of the Amazons, in Greek myth : ARES

The Amazons of Greek mythology were a tribe of female warriors who were the daughters of Ares and Harmonia.

92 “Moonstruck” Oscar winner : CHER

“Moonstruck” is a 1987 movie, a romantic comedy starring Cher and Nicolas Cage. There’s a bit of a love triangle in the storyline, with Danny Aiello playing the man who loses the girl. “Moonstruck” won three Oscars and was a huge success, and somehow, I’ve never seen it …

93 Smallest of the big cats : CHEETAH

The cheetah can run faster than any other land animal, achieving speeds of 70-75 mph. The name “cheetah” comes into English from Sanskrit via Hindi, from the word for “variegated”. Something that is variegated has different colored zones, like the mottled hide of the cheetah.

95 Home to the Hana Highway : MAUI

Maui’s Hana Highway (commonly “Road to Hana”) is a spectacular stretch of roadway connecting Kahului on the northern coast with Hana in the east, and continuing to Kipahulu in the southeast. Even without stops, the 64-mile drive usually takes 2½ hours. I’ve driven the route a couple of times, and cannot imagine making the trip without several stops to enjoy the amazing ocean and rainforest vistas.

99 Soothing powders : TALCS

Talc is a mineral, hydrated magnesium silicate. Talcum powder is composed of loose talc, although these days “baby powder” is also made from cornstarch.

100 Flighty? : AVIAN

“Avis” is the Latin word for “bird”, giving rise to our adjective “avian” meaning “relating to birds”.

101 Strongly held beliefs : DOGMA

A dogma is a set of beliefs. The plural of “dogma” is “dogmata” (or “dogmas”, if you’re not a pedant like me!)

105 Hen : BIDDY

We use the word “biddy” to mean “old woman”. Back in the mid-1800s, the term was developed over here in America and applied to an Irish maid-servant. “Biddy” is a nickname for “Bridget”.

106 “My Fair Lady” protagonist : ELIZA

Eliza Doolittle is Professor Henry Higgins’ speech student in George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion”. “Pygmalion” was adapted by Lerner and Loewe to become the Broadway musical “My Fair Lady”. The musical spun off the wonderful 1964 film of the same name starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison. To cockney Eliza Doolittle, Professor Henry Higgins was “‘Enry ‘Iggins”.

107 Fatty acid, e.g. : LIPID

Lipids are a group of naturally occurring molecules including fats, waxes and fat-soluble vitamins (like A, D and E). Sometimes we use the words “fat” and “lipid” interchangeably but fats are a subgroup of lipids, specifically a group best called triglycerides.

108 “___ evil …” : SEE NO

The old adage “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” originated in the 17th century. The phrase comes as an interpretation of a wood carving over a door in a shrine in Nikko, Japan. The carving depicts the “Three Wise Monkeys”:

  • Mizaru, covering his eyes
  • Kikazaru, covering his ears
  • Iwazaru, covering his mouth

113 Big name in vitamins : GNC

General Nutrition Centers (GNC) is a retailer of health and nutrition supplements based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded in 1935 as a small health food store in downtown Pittsburgh. There are now about 5,000 stores in the US. The GNC slogan is “Live Well”.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Fancy water pitcher : CARAFE
7 Cranks (out) : CHURNS
13 Iranian president Rouhani : HASSAN
19 National park near Bar Harbor : ACADIA
20 Bubble gum brand : BAZOOKA
22 Go against : OPPOSE
23 Put in another light : RECAST
24 What do you get when you cross 26-Across with a 5-Down? : SWIMMING TRUNKS
26 A group of them may be called a memory : ELEPHANTS
28 Bestow : ENDOW
29 Not down so much? : DIET
30 Item that can be blown or thrown : DART
31 Coastal environment simulator at an aquarium : WAVE TANK
34 Onesie protector : BIB
36 Some Instagram feed posts : ADS
37 Pool unit : LAP
38 Tokyo-to-Iwo Jima dir. : SSE
39 Iraqi currency : DINAR
41 Symbols of watchfulness : OPEN EYES
46 Krispy ___ : KREME
49 Musical tone below A : G-SHARP
53 Rock climber’s tool : PITON
54 Neighbors of Saudis : QATARIS
56 “Cheese” products? : SMILES
57 What do you get when you cross 63-Across with a 45-Down? : EXTRA DRUMSTICKS
61 Jungian feminine side : ANIMA
62 Not natural, say : DYED
63 Coop group : CHICKENS
64 Dazed and confused : OUT OF IT
66 Went (against) : STOOD
68 Caper : ANTIC
69 London theater district : WEST END
72 Flatbread often garnished with rosemary : FOCACCIA
77 Creatures that can have two sets of jaws and teeth : EELS
81 Kind of squash : ACORN
82 What do you get when you cross 77-Across with a 40-Down? : ELECTRIC CHARGES
85 Begin dozing : NOD OFF
87 Dandelion look-alike : CAT’S EAR
88 Congregate to rest : ROOST
89 Fill with love : ENAMOR
90 ___ Malfoy, Harry Potter antagonist : DRACO
91 Logs on to, say : ACCESSES
94 Criticizes harshly : SLAMS
96 Tirana’s country: Abbr. : ALB
98 Cabinet inits. since 1980 : HHS
99 Abe Lincoln’s youngest son : TAD
102 ___ de los Muertos : DIA
103 Napoleonic symbol : HONEYBEE
106 “If all ___ fails …” : ELSE
110 Confess : AVOW
112 Got to work : DUG IN
114 “___ in the Garden” (Robert Frost poem) : FIREFLIES
116 What do you get when you cross 114-Across with a 93-Down? : LIGHTNING SPEED
120 ___ 101, world’s tallest building before the Burj Khalifa : TAIPEI
121 Sporty Chevy : CAMARO
122 Picked (up) : CHEERED
123 Shaping wood using a curved blade : ADZING
124 Get short with : SNAP AT
125 Coldly determined : STEELY
126 Direct : HEAD-ON

Down

1 Wasn’t indifferent : CARED
2 D.C.-to-Boston transport : ACELA
3 Nonvenomous, fast-moving snake : RACER
4 Get accustomed (to) : ADAPT
5 School group : FISH
6 Erode : EAT AWAY
7 “CSI” broadcaster : CBS TV
8 Spots on ships for anchor cables : HAWSES
9 Weapon used by the Terminator : UZI
10 CD-___ : ROM
11 Aurelius, for Lucius Aurelius Commodus : NOMEN
12 Burrowing lizard : SKINK
13 Spicy appetizer : HOT WINGS
14 When National Beer Day is celebrated: Abbr. : APR
15 Tater : SPUD
16 Gandhi of contemporary Indian politics : SONIA
17 Queried : ASKED
18 They might take a few swallows : NESTS
21 Along with : AND
25 Geographical locale whose name means “waterless place” : GOBI
27 Back of the neck : NAPE
32 “For shame!” : TSK TSK!
33 Make bubbly : AERATE
35 Rice variety : BASMATI
37 Lex Luthor’s sister : LENA
39 Classroom assignment : DESK
40 What’s known for its poker face? : RHINOCEROS
41 Take in the newspaper : OP-ED
42 ___ Stix : PIXY
43 Suffix with launder : -ETTE
44 Department stores since 1901 : NORDSTROMS
45 Ika, at a sushi bar : SQUID
47 Ireland, poetically : ERIN
48 Some lapel attachments : MICS
50 First letter of the Arabic alphabet : ALIF
51 Do, ___, fa … : RE, MI
52 Exam for college-bound H.S. students : PSAT
55 “Mad Men” channel : AMC
58 Pest control brand founded by Lee Ratner (!) in the 1950s : D-CON
59 ___ Island : RHODE
60 Sega mascot : SONIC
65 Home to Natural Bridges National Monument : UTAH
67 1,000% : TENFOLD
68 Ghana’s capital : ACCRA
69 Lessen in power : WANE
70 Business class, for short : ECON
71 Pop : SODA
72 “Never ___!” : FEAR
73 Prefix with -gon : OCTA-
74 M.R.I. alternative : CT SCAN
75 Cactus bump : AREOLE
76 Org. with a classified budget : CIA
78 Many stars have big ones : EGOS
79 ___-majesté : LESE
80 Concordes et al. : SSTS
83 Some HDTVs : LCDS
84 Father of the Amazons, in Greek myth : ARES
86 “Sorry, Charlie” : ‘FRAID NOT
92 “Moonstruck” Oscar winner : CHER
93 Smallest of the big cats : CHEETAH
95 Home to the Hana Highway : MAUI
97 Touchingly? : BY FEEL
99 Soothing powders : TALCS
100 Flighty? : AVIAN
101 Strongly held beliefs : DOGMA
103 Weather forecast figures : HIGHS
104 Inception : ONSET
105 Hen : BIDDY
106 “My Fair Lady” protagonist : ELIZA
107 Fatty acid, e.g. : LIPID
108 “___ evil …” : SEE NO
109 Endorse online : E-SIGN
111 Striking sound : WHAP!
113 Big name in vitamins : GNC
115 Lessen in power : FADE
117 Singing syllable : TRA
118 16th letter : PEE
119 Palindromic preposition : ERE

14 thoughts on “0621-20 NY Times Crossword 21 Jun 20, Sunday”

  1. 45:04. Spent about 5 minutes looking for a few typos before I got the gold. Finished it at the airport waiting to board a flight to Seattle. Cute theme.

  2. 36:03 with 2 squares wrong. EATSEAR and LEDs instead of CATSEAR and LCDs. The other error was ALEF and ANEME instead of ALIF and ANIME. In retrospect, I should have been more suspicious of EATSEAR.

    Oh well, what do you get when you cross 26A with 40D? Elephino?

    Best –

  3. 33:47. Spent 2 minutes finding a typo. Had PIXI Stix and DIED. Just needed that Y in the right place. Still a Fast Sunday time for me. @Jeff – there’s a Lake, Creek, and Peak in the N Cascades of Washington called DAMFINO. Must be cousins with Elephino. 🙂

  4. 49:56 Finished on Monday, a lot of words I was unfamiliar with that had to be filled in by words in the opposite direction that I was unfamiliar with. If you count bad guesses as errors, than I’m in the “too numerous to mention” category:-)

  5. After 2 hours I DNF with41,53, and 57A accounting for 8 errors or omissions…for some reason I continue to attempt to solve 2 person puzzles with little or no success…just stubborn I guess.
    Stay safe.

    1. Squids have eight arms, so the silly notion is that, if you crossed a chicken, which has two drumsticks, with a squid, you’d end up with eight drumsticks.

  6. 41:29, no errors; remarkable considering the number of unknowns for me. Spent most of my time trying to sort out the center after entering 72D EVER before FEAR; 73D PARA before OCTA; 76D NSA before CIA.

    Having also driven the Hana Highway several times, my recommendation to anyone is to: roll the car windows down; turn off the air conditioner and radio (better yet, drop the top if in a convertible); go 20 MPH and pull over for anyone coming up behind you. It will take closer to 4 hours, but the smells, sounds and sensations are as fulfilling as the sights.

    1. @BruceB … A few years ago, I was privileged to drive that route and I fully agree!

      1. Bruce/Nonn –

        I flew over the area via one of their helicopter tours. It was amazing, but I regret not actually making the drive. You guys have convinced me to do it that way next time.

        It could be a while. Hawaii is still instituting a 14 day quarantine for all visitors which, in effect, has shut down their tourism industry I assume.

        Best –

  7. 2 errors. 72D I had DEAR, as in NEVER DEAR! Of course I didn’t know FOPPACCIA so DOPPACCIA it stayed.. Like Duncan, lots of unknown words but got all but one through crosses.

    A few nits..,
    Elephants are memories? Cheered is picked up?

    1. @Anon Mike …

      I think you meant to type “FOCACCIA”.

      I am of the opinion that a lot of the animal-group names (like a “memory of elephants” and a “murder of crows”) are meant as humor … but I could be wrong … 😜.

      And, as for “cheered” equalling “picked up”, see #17 in the following Wiktionary entry:

      https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/pick_up#Verb

      I’m most familiar with the usage exemplified by the sentence, “I was feeling pretty down and really needed a pick-me-up.”

      1. Thanks MUSS… I really do appreciate the insight… Not sure where FOPPACCIA came from?? Must have been a auto spell check and I didn’t catch it.. My phone does that sometimes and I don’t always catch it..

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