Constructed by: Kevin Patterson
Edited by: Will Shortz
Not your puzzle? Try today’s …
… syndicated NY Times crossword
Today’s Reveal Answer: Wrapping Paper
Four rows in the grid each include 6 circled letters. When “WRAPPED”, from the right of the grid around to the left, those letters spell out a kind of PAPER. These are:
- LIT-MUS (paper)
- TOI-LET (paper)
- CAR-BON (paper)
- TIS-SUE (paper)
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Bill’s time: 5m 10s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
1 Dress in Delhi : SARI
The item of clothing called a “sari” (also “saree”) is a strip of cloth, as one might imagine, unusual perhaps in that it is unstitched along the whole of its length. The strip of cloth can range from four to nine meters long (that’s a lot of material!). The sari is usually wrapped around the waist, then draped over the shoulder leaving the midriff bare. I must say, it can be a beautiful item of clothing.
5 Tree for a partridge, in a Christmas song : PEAR
The fabulous Christmas carol called “The Twelve Days of Christmas” dates back at least to 1780 when it was first published in England, though it may be French in origin. The concept of twelve days of Christmas comes from the tradition that the three kings came to visit the Christ Child twelve days after he was born. This same tradition is the origin of the title to Shakespeare’s play “Twelfth Night”.
14 Used Facebook Messenger, for short : IMED
Even though instant messaging (sending and receiving IMs) has been around since the 1960s, it was AOL who popularized the term “instant message” in the eighties and nineties. The “AOL Instant Message” service was known as AIM.
15 Prefix with -vore : OMNI-
The term “omnivore” comes from Latin, meaning “one who devours all”.
16 Major purveyor of mattresses : SEALY
The Sealy Corporation makes mattresses. The company name comes from the city where it started out in 1881, namely Sealy, Texas. Sealy Corporation is now headquartered in Trinity, North Carolina.
29 It helps make you you : DNA
The two most common nucleic acids are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA), both of which play crucial roles in genetics. The DNA contains the genetic instructions used to keep living organisms functioning, and RNA is used to transcribe that information from the DNA to protein “generators” called ribosomes.
31 L.L. Bean competitor : REI
REI is a sporting goods store, with the initialism standing for Recreational Equipment Inc. REI was founded in Seattle by Lloyd and Mary Anderson in 1938 as a cooperative that supplies quality climbing gear to outdoor enthusiasts. The first full-time employee hired by the Andersons was Jim Whittaker, who was the first American to climb Mount Everest.
34 Left unexpectedly, in slang : BAILED
The phrase “to bail out” (sometimes just “to bail”) means to leave suddenly. We’ve been using the term since the early thirties, originating with airline pilots. To bail out is to make a parachute jump.
43 Number of lanterns “if by land” : ONE
“One if by land, and two if by sea” is the famous signal code used by Paul Revere to warn the people of Charlestown when the British army was approaching. The words “one if by land, and two if by sea”, are immortalized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride”.
44 Big water filtration brand : PUR
Pur is a brand of water filters and related products that was sold to Procter & Gamble in 1999, and sold on again to Helen of Troy Limited.
46 Australian critter : ROO
The word “kangaroo” comes from the Australian Aborigine term for the animal. There’s an oft-quoted story that the explorer James Cook (later Captain Cook) asked a local native what was the name of this remarkable-looking animal, and the native responded with “Kangaroo”. The story is that the native was actually saying “I don’t understand you”, but as cute as that tale is, it’s just an urban myth.
50 007 : BOND
The character James Bond was the creation of writer Ian Fleming. Fleming “stole” the James Bond name from an American ornithologist. The number “007” was “stolen” from the real-life, 16th-century English spy named John Dee. Dee would sign his reports to Queen Elizabeth I with a stylized “007” to indicate that the reports were for “her eyes only”. There’s an entertaining miniseries that aired on BBC America called “Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond” that details Ian Fleming’s military career, and draws some nice parallels between Fleming’s experiences and aspirations and those of his hero James Bond. Recommended …
52 Fill to capacity : SATE
“Sate” is a variant of the older word “satiate”. Both terms can mean either to satisfy an appetite fully, or to eat to excess.
59 1956 Mideast imbroglio : SUEZ CRISIS
The Suez Crisis of 1956 came about when President Nasser of Egypt decided to nationalize the Suez Canal, a response to a withdrawal of funds by Britain and the US for the building of the Aswan Dam. Egypt then refused to allow any Israeli shipping the use the canal. With British and French support, Israel invaded the Sinai in October 1956, starting the military conflict. Combined British, French and Israeli forces eventually took control of the Suez Canal, which was viewed as a military success but a political disaster. The United Nations, led by the US, pressured the British, French and Israelis to withdraw.
An imbroglio is a difficult or tangled situation. As one might expect, “imbroglio” comes to us from Italian. The Old Italian word “imbrogliare” means to tangle or confuse.
62 Redding who sang “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” : OTIS
“(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” is a song that Otis Redding started composing in 1967 while sitting on a houseboat in Sausalito, on San Francisco Bay. Redding finished the song soon after, with the help of co-writer Steve Cooper. “The Dock of the Bay” was released in January of 1968, just one month after Redding was killed in a plane crash. The song became the first posthumous single to reach number in the US charts. As an aside, Janis Joplin’s recording of “Me and Bobby McGee” achieved the same feat in 1971.
63 One using Monster.com, maybe : HIRER
Monster.com is a huge (monster) employment website. At any one time, there are apparently about a million jobs posted on the website.
67 Horned African beasts : GNUS
The gnu is also known as the wildebeest, and is an antelope native to Africa. “Wildebeest” is a Dutch meaning “wild beast”.
68 Grp. founded to resist Communism : NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was founded not long after WWII in 1949 and is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. The first NATO Secretary General was Lord Ismay, Winston Churchill’s chief military assistant during WWII. Famously, Lord Ismay said the goal of NATO was “to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.”
Down
1 Easy as pie : SIMPLE
The idiom “as easy as pie” is used to describe something that is simple to do. It appears that the reference here is to the simplicity of eating pie, rather than making a pie.
2 It works like a charm! : AMULET
Amulets are items worn to ward off disease or to protect against harmful magic spells.
6 CPR expert : EMT
An emergency medical technician (EMT) might administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
7 Wise as ___ : AN OWL
The Greek goddess Athena (sometimes “Athene”) is often associated with wisdom, among other attributes. In many representations. Athena is depicted with an owl sitting on her head. It is this linkage of the owl with the goddess of wisdom that led to today’s perception of the owl as being “wise”. Athena’s Roman counterpart was Minerva.
8 “Pretty Woman” co-star : RICHARD GERE
Richard Gere has played such great roles on the screen, and I find him to be a very interesting character off the screen. Gere has been studying Buddhism since 1978 and is a very visible supporter of the Dalai Lama and the people of Tibet. Gere has been married twice; to supermodel Cindy Crawford from 1991 to 1995, and to model/actress Carey Lowell from 2002 until 2016. Gere’s breakthrough role was as the male lead in the 1980 film “American Gigolo”.
“Pretty Woman” is a great movie; a 1990 romantic comedy starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. The film was originally written as a very dark story, with the female lead not only a prostitute, but also a drug addict, The Disney studio took up the project and demanded that it be rewritten as a modern-day fairy tale, and what a good decision that was …
9 Part of P.D.A.: Abbr. : ASST
Personal digital assistant (PDA)
10 Tone of some old photos : SEPIA
Sepia is that rich, brown-grey color so common in old photographs. “Sepia” is the Latinized version of the Greek word for cuttlefish, as sepia pigment is derived from the ink sac of the cuttlefish. Sepia ink was commonly used for writing and drawing as far back as ancient Rome and ancient Greece. The “sepia tone” of old photographs is not the result of deterioration over time. Rather, it is the result of a deliberate preservation process which converts the metallic silver in the photographic image to a more stable silver sulfide. Prints that have been sepia-toned can last in excess of 150 years.
12 One of the Manning brothers : ELI
Eli Manning is a retired footballer who played quarterback for the New York Giants. Eli’s brother Peyton Manning retired from football as the quarterback for the Denver Broncos in 2015. Eli and Peyton’s father is Archie Manning, who was also a successful NFL quarterback. Eli, Peyton and Archie co-authored a book for children titled “Family Huddle” in 2009. It describes the Mannings playing football together as young boys.
13 Its slogan is “All the News That’s Fit to Print”: Abbr. : NYT
“The New York Times” (NYT) has been published since 1851, and is sometimes referred to as “the Gray Lady”. These days a viable alternative to buying the paper is to read the news online. NYTimes.com is the most popular online newspaper website in the country.
19 “Citizen ___” : KANE
In the 1941 film “Citizen Kane”, the newspaper magnate Charles Foster Kane builds himself an immense and opulent estate on the Florida coast called Xanadu. Xanadu boasts a Venetian-style canal, complete with gondolas, and a well-stocked zoo. There is also a championship golf course. The estate was inspired by the real-life Hearst Castle, a California mansion owned by William Randolph Hearst.
27 Iraq War danger, for short : IED
Improvised explosive device (IED)
What we now know as the Iraq War started on 20 March 2003 with an invasion by a coalition of forces led by the US. The end of the Iraq War has been set at 15 December 2011, on which date there was a flag-lowering ceremony in Baghdad. The last US troops left Iraq three days later.
34 Cricket implement : BAT
Cricket is the national game of England. The term “cricket” apparently comes from the Old French word “criquet” meaning “goalpost, stick”.
45 Red state, once, for short : USSR
The association of the color red with communism dates back to the French Revolution. A red flag was chosen as a symbol by the revolutionaries, with the color representing the blood of workers who had died in the fight against capitalism.
47 Component of an Arnold Palmer : ICE TEA
The drink named for golfer Arnold Palmer is made from lemonade and ice tea. The drink named for fellow golfer John Daly is also made from lemonade and ice tea, but with vodka added …
51 “Dirty” number : DOZEN
“The Dirty Dozen” is a very entertaining 1967 WWII movie that is based on a 1965 novel of the same name by E. M. Nathanson. In turn, the novel was inspired by a real-life military unit nicknamed “the Filthy Thirteen”. The latter were a demolition unit in the 101st Airborne Division whose mission was to destroy targets behind enemy lines. The movie had quite the cast, led by Lee Marvin and supported by Ernest Borgnine, Charles Bronson, Telly Savalas and Donald Sutherland, as well as football player Jim Brown and singer Trini Lopez.
53 1980s-’90s heavyweight champ Mike : TYSON
Boxer Mike Tyson, nicknamed “Iron Mike”, has said some pretty graphic things about his opponents. For example:
- About Lennox Lewis: “My main objective is to be professional but to kill him.”
- To Razor Ruddock: “I’m gonna make you my girlfriend.”
- About Tyrell Biggs: “He was screaming like my wife.”
59 Not comfortable with the limelight : SHY
Limelight was an early form of stage lighting that was also known as Drummond Light. The illumination came from the burning of quicklime (calcium hydroxide), hence the name. Although limelights are a thing of the past, the term “in the limelight” is still used when describing someone in the public eye.
60 One-eighty : UIE
Hang a “uey” or “uie”, make a u-turn, make a 180.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Dress in Delhi : SARI
5 Tree for a partridge, in a Christmas song : PEAR
9 Pale : ASHEN
14 Used Facebook Messenger, for short : IMED
15 Prefix with -vore : OMNI-
16 Major purveyor of mattresses : SEALY
17 “Everything ___ go!” : MUST
18 Big corporate news : STOCK SPLIT
20 Word repeated before “Me” in a Beatles hit : PLEASE …
22 Worrier’s words : WHAT IF …
23 Canned : LET GO
24 Tribal unit : CLAN
25 Yours, to Yves : A TOI
28 Visitors from another planet, in brief : ETS
29 It helps make you you : DNA
31 L.L. Bean competitor : REI
33 “That’s all ___ got” : I’VE
34 Left unexpectedly, in slang : BAILED
36 Titled : NAMED
38 Holiday purchase … or a hint to the circled letters : WRAPPING PAPER
41 Deceive : LIE TO
42 Slangy frat house request : BEER ME
43 Number of lanterns “if by land” : ONE
44 Big water filtration brand : PUR
46 Australian critter : ROO
47 Little troublemaker : IMP
50 007 : BOND
52 Fill to capacity : SATE
54 Award for which 8-Down, surprisingly, has never been nominated : OSCAR
56 Like a small room with a roaring fire : TOASTY
58 Stick (to) : ADHERE
59 1956 Mideast imbroglio : SUEZ CRISIS
62 Redding who sang “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” : OTIS
63 One using Monster.com, maybe : HIRER
64 Cozy spot : NOOK
65 Sunset direction : WEST
66 Like some binary questions : YES/NO
67 Horned African beasts : GNUS
68 Grp. founded to resist Communism : NATO
Down
1 Easy as pie : SIMPLE
2 It works like a charm! : AMULET
3 Puts back to zero, say : RESETS
4 Aid for returning a lost pet : ID TAG
5 Get ready for the camera : POSE
6 CPR expert : EMT
7 Wise as ___ : AN OWL
8 “Pretty Woman” co-star : RICHARD GERE
9 Part of P.D.A.: Abbr. : ASST
10 Tone of some old photos : SEPIA
11 Occasion for a locker room pep talk : HALFTIME
12 One of the Manning brothers : ELI
13 Its slogan is “All the News That’s Fit to Print”: Abbr. : NYT
19 “Citizen ___” : KANE
21 Pepsi or Sprite, quaintly : SODA POP
24 Marking, as a gauge : CALIBRATING
26 On top of : OVER
27 Iraq War danger, for short : IED
30 It may be in the autumn air : NIP
32 Feeling unhappy or angry : IN A MOOD
34 Cricket implement : BAT
35 New Mexico-to-Missouri dir. : ENE
37 Boorish sort : APE
38 Certain drunkard : WINO
39 Joins again, as a race : REENTERS
40 Expert : PRO
41 Easy ball to smash : LOB
45 Red state, once, for short : USSR
47 Component of an Arnold Palmer : ICE TEA
48 ___ College (school in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) : MARIST
49 Magician’s cry : PRESTO!
51 “Dirty” number : DOZEN
53 1980s-’90s heavyweight champ Mike : TYSON
55 Demonstrated : SHOWN
57 Height: Prefix : ACRO-
58 Inquires : ASKS
59 Not comfortable with the limelight : SHY
60 One-eighty : UIE
61 Debtor’s note : IOU
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12 thoughts on “0707-20 NY Times Crossword 7 Jul 20, Tuesday”
Comments are closed.
7:55, no errors, no complaints except that it’s getting too hot to go outside much (not the puzzle’s fault, I guess … 😜).
7:06…I should have waited one more second to make my time appropriate for the date
8:24. Completely missed the theme. Will be off traveling for the next week or so. I’ll check in when I can.
Best –
9:50 after spending one minute looking for a typo. The first half flew by. I got cocky…and paid the price.
7:12 Also spent about a minute looking for a typo. Once finished, did not look back at the circled letters to home in on the theme. Thanks to Bill for that.
6:05, no errors.
16:11 no errors…not sure REI is a competitor for LL Bean.
If I had spent about two hours I might have figured out the theme ,or maybe not.
Stay safe😊
Missed the theme during the solve. But enjoyed it greatly after Bill’s explanation.
Fun little poser for a Tuesday.
Leaving with confidence and satisfaction for my day as a traveling hairdresser. Doing my best to deal with the new paradigm.
8:25, no errors. Had to change CALIBRATION to CALIBRATING.
No errors. Mostly easy. PUR was new to me. After completion I went back to attempt finding the theme. Looked for a couple of minutes and got irritated that I wasn’t seeing it. I gave up and let Bill explain it to me. That’s okay. I do not consider getting themes as necessary to a successful solve.
Circles exposed the theme and its wrap-around. Okay puzzle.
Seven minutes. No errors. Could have been a couple of seconds more but I wasn’t using a second hand.