0103-21 NY Times Crossword 3 Jan 21, Sunday

Constructed by: Paolo Pasco
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: Busting Moves

Themed answers each include circled letters that spell out a dance. If we read the letters not circled within (“cut into”) those dances , they spell out the phrase “MAY I CUT IN?”:

  • 23A Title for Iran’s Ali Khamenei : SUPREME LEADER (hiding “re-el”)
  • 25A Tailored blouse style : SHIRTWAIST (hiding “tw-ist”)
  • 43A Subject of some teen gossip sessions : BOY PROBLEMS (hiding “bo-p”)
  • 47A Sure-footed alpine climber : MOUNTAIN GOAT (hiding “ta-ngo”)
  • 68A Bakery item that’s often messy : CRUMB CAKE (hiding “rumb-a”)
  • 88A Caribbean capital : PORT AU PRINCE (hiding “ta-p”)
  • 91A Kind of test question : SHORT ANSWER (hiding “hor-a”)
  • 114A Proceeds breezily : SAILS ALONG (hiding “sa-lsa”)
  • 117A What a spike goes over : VOLLEYBALL NET (hiding “ball-et”)

Bill’s time: 20m 20s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

7 Tracking systems : RADARS

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”.

13 Makes out, in Manchester : SNOGS

“Snogging” is British slang of unknown origin that dates back to the end of WWII. The term is used for “kissing and cuddling”, what we call “making out” over here in the US.

Manchester is the second-most populous city in the UK, and is located in the northwest of England. Manchester grew in size dramatically during the Industrial Revolution. Home to a thriving textile industry, Manchester is often referred to as the world’s first industrialized city.

22 Amazon, e.g. : E-TAILER

Amazon.com is the largest online retailer in the world. It is also the largest Internet company in the world by revenue. The company was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, in his garage in Bellevue, Washington. I’m a big fan of Amazon’s approach to customer service …

23 Title for Iran’s Ali Khamenei : SUPREME LEADER (hiding “re-el”)

The reel is a Scottish country dance that is also extremely popular in Ireland.

Ali Khamenei became the 2nd Supreme Leader of Iran in 1989, after serving for almost eight years as the 3rd President of Iran.

25 Tailored blouse style : SHIRTWAIST (hiding “tw-ist”)

The twist is a dance that was born in the sixties, inspired by the Chubby Checker hit of 1960 called “The Twist”. Chubby Checker sang the song live in front of a crowd in Deland, Florida in October 2012. About 40,000 people danced along to the music, setting a new Guinness World Record for the most people “twisting” at the same time.

A blouse is a loose-fitting shirt, particularly one worn by women or children. The term “blouse” is French, and originally described a peasant’s smock.

27 Pieces of pentathlon equipment : EPEES

The original pentathlon of the ancient Olympic games consisted of a foot race, wrestling, long jump, javelin and discus. When a new pentathlon was created as a sport for the modern Olympic Games, it was given the name the “modern pentathlon”. First introduced in 1912, the modern pentathlon consists of:

  1. pistol shooting
  2. épée fencing
  3. 200m freestyle swimming
  4. show jumping
  5. 3km cross-country running

28 Piece of biathlon equipment : SKI

A biathlon is an event requiring expertise in two sporting disciplines. The most common biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing with rifle shooting. This traditional biathlon was born out of an exercise for Norwegian soldiers.

40 Alphabetically first member of the Baseball Hall of Fame : AARON

The great Hank Aaron (“Hammerin’ Hank” or “the Hammer”) has many claims to fame. One notable fact is that he is the last major league baseball player to have also played in the Negro League.

42 Dull yellowish brown : KHAKI

“Khaki” is an Urdu word that translates literally as “dusty”. The word was adopted for its current use as the name of a fabric by the British cavalry in India in the mid-1800s.

43 Subject of some teen gossip sessions : BOY PROBLEMS (hiding “bo-p”)

“Bop” is a shortened form of “bebop”, a jazz style that dates back to the early 1940s.

47 Sure-footed alpine climber : MOUNTAIN GOAT (hiding “ta-ngo”)

The dramatic dance called the tango originated in the late 1800s in the area along the border between Argentina and Uruguay. Dancers and orchestras from Buenos Aires in particular traveled to Europe and beyond in the early twentieth century and brought the tango with them. The tango craze first struck Europe in Paris in the 1910s, and from there spread to London and Berlin, crossing the Atlantic to New York in 1913.

52 React to, as an online joke : LOL AT

Laugh out loud (LOL)

57 Solid green ball in un juego de billar : SEIS

In Spanish, the solid green ball in “el juego de billar” (the game of billiards) is numbered “seis” (six).

64 Vape shop inventory : E-CIGS

An electronic cigarette (also called an “e-cigarette”) is a battery-powered device that resembles a real cigarette. The e-cigarette vaporizes a solution that contains nicotine, forming a vapor that resembles smoke. The vapor is inhaled in a process called “vaping”, delivering nicotine into the body. The assumption is that an e-cigarette is healthier than a regular cigarette as the inhaled vapor is less harmful than inhaled smoke. But, that may not be so …

66 Sci-fi’s Dr. Zaius, for one : APE

The “Planet of the Apes” franchise of films is based on a French novel by Pierre Boulle called “La Planète des singes”. The book was published in English as “Monkey Planet”, but was re-released as “Planet of the Apes” when Hollywood had made its choice for a movie title.

68 Bakery item that’s often messy : CRUMB CAKE (hiding “rumb-a”)

The rumba (sometimes “rhumba”) is a Cuban dance, with influences brought by African slaves and Spanish colonists. The name “rumba” comes from “rumbo”, the Spanish word for “party, spree”.

73 Part of R.S.V.P. : S’IL

“RSVP” stands for “répondez s’il vous plaît”, which is French for “answer, please”.

77 “Julius Caesar” role : CASCA

Julius Caesar was assassinated on the 15th (the ides) of March, 44 BC. He was attacked by a group of sixty people in the Roman Senate, and was stabbed 23 times. The first to strike a blow was Servilius Casca, who attacked Caesar from behind and stabbed him in the neck. In Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar”, Casca utters the words “Speak, hands, for me!” just before making the fatal blow. The following line, uttered by Caesar, is more famous though: “Et tu, Brute?”

78 Lhasa ___ : APSO

The Lhasa apso breed of dog originated in Tibet and is named after “Lhasa” (the capital city) and “apso” (a Tibetan word meaning “bearded”). The Lhasa apso has been around since 800 BC and is one of the oldest breeds in the world, one very closely related to the ancestral wolf.

82 Parts of volcanoes : RIMS

Our word “volcano” comes from “Vulcano”, the name of a volcanic island off the coast of Italy. The island’s name comes from Vulcan, the Roman god of fire. The Romans believed that the island of Vulcano was the chimney of the forge belonging to the god Vulcan. The Romans also believed that the eruptions on Mount Etna in Sicily were caused by Vulcan getting angry and working his forge so hard that sparks and smoke flew out of the top of the volcano.

85 2007 #1 Alicia Keys album : AS I AM

“Alicia Keys” is the stage name of Alicia Cook, an R&B and soul singer from Hell’s Kitchen in New York City.

88 Caribbean capital : PORT-AU-PRINCE (hiding “ta-p”)

Port-au-Prince is the capital of Haiti. The city was hit by a devastating earthquake in January of 2010. The official government estimate of the death toll stands at 230,000 people, with many bodies never recovered.

91 Kind of test question : SHORT ANSWER (hiding “hor-a”)

The hora is a circle dance that originated in the Balkans. It was brought to Israel by Romanian settlers, and is often performed to traditional, Israeli folk songs. The hora (also “horah”) is a regular sight at Jewish weddings. Sometimes the honoree at an event is raised on a chair during the hora.

95 Some video-making devices : IPADS

The groundbreaking iPad was introduced by Apple in 2010. The iOS-based iPads dominated the market for tablet computers until 2013, when Android-based tablets (manufactured by several companies) took over the number-one spot.

96 Rod who won four Wimbledons : LAVER

Rod Laver is a former professional tennis champion, from Australia. Laver won all four Grand Slam singles titles in 1962, and at that time he wasn’t even a professional player. He won all four titles again in 1969, no longer an amateur, becoming the only tennis player to have achieved the feat twice. Not surprisingly, Laver was the world’s number one for seven consecutive years, from 1964 to 1970. After he retired, Laver suffered a stroke during an interview with ESPN in 1998, but by all accounts he has made an excellent recovery.

The Wimbledon Championships of tennis are held at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club located in Wimbledon, a district of London. The Wimbledon Championships started in 1877, and have been played on grass since day one.

99 Yellow bills in Monopoly : TENS

The commercial game of Monopoly is supposedly a remake of “The Landlord’s Game” created in 1903 by a Quaker woman named Lizzie Phillips. Phillips used her game as a tool to explain the single tax theory of American economist Henry George. The Landlord’s Game was first produced commercially in 1924. The incredibly successful derivative game called Monopoly was introduced in 1933 by Charles Darrow, who became a very rich man when Parker Brothers bought the rights to the game just two years later in 1935.

100 Lobster-catching aid? : 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 …

114 Proceeds breezily : SAILS ALONG (hiding “sa-lsa”)

The salsa genre of music is a modern interpretation of various Cuban traditional music styles.

117 What a spike goes over : VOLLEYBALL NET (hiding “ball-et”)

In volleyball, each team can only touch the ball a maximum of three times before it returns to the other side of the net. The three contacts are often a “bump” (a preliminary pass) and a “set” (setting up the attacking shot) followed by a “spike” (a shot into the opposing court).

Ballet is a type of dance that originated in Italy during the Renaissance. The term “ballet” ultimately derives from the Greek “ballizo” meaning “to dance”.

121 Not black and white : IN COLOR

Early television programming was broadcast in monochrome, i.e. black-and-white or grayscale. The introduction of color television built on the technology behind monochrome TV in the sense that color television images are a combination of three monochrome images. The colors of these three monochrome signals are red, green and blue (RGB).

122 Early computer : ENIAC

The acronym ENIAC stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (although many folks insist that the C was for “Computer”). ENIAC was introduced at the University of Pennsylvania in 1946, at which time it was the first general-purpose electronic computer, and dubbed “Giant Brain” by the press. Its original purpose was the calculation of artillery firing tables, but it ended up being used early on to make calculations necessary for the development of the hydrogen bomb. Given its uses, it’s not surprising to hear that development of ENIAC was funded by the US Army during WWII.

123 “Encore!” : ONE MORE!

“Encore” is French for “again, one more time”, and is a shout that an audience member will make here in North America to request perhaps another song. But, the term is not used this way in France. Rather, the audience will shout “Bis!”, which is the Italian for “twice!”

124 “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” tidying method : KONMARI

Marie Kondo runs a very successful organizing consulting business that she founded when she 19 years old, and while a student at Tokyo Woman’s Christian University. She wrote an extremely successful book titled “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing” that was first published in 2011. I’ve read it, and acted on the advice given therein …

127 The antagonist Bellwether from Disney’s “Zootopia,” e.g. : EWE

“Zootopia” is a 2016 Disney animated film about a rabbit police officer and a red fox con artist who team up to uncover a bizarre conspiracy.

Down

6 Title nickname in a 1984 sports movie : KARATE KID

The 1984 film “The Karate Kid” starred Ralph Macchio in the title role, with Pat Morita playing the enigmatic karate teacher Mr. Miyagi. There is an excellent 2010 remake, starring Jaden Smith (Will Smith’s son) as the Karate Kid himself, with Jackie Chan playing the teacher. In the original 1984 movie, the Karate Kid was named Daniel LaRusso, and in the 2010 remake was named Dre Parker.

11 Shakespeare character who cries “Then I defy you, stars!” : ROMEO

William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” doesn’t end well for the title characters. Juliet takes a potion as a ruse to fool her parents, to trick them into thinking she is dead. The potion puts her in a death-like coma for 24 hours, after which Juliet plans to awaken and run off with Romeo. Juliet sends a message to Romeo apprising him of the plan, but the message fails to arrive. Romeo hears of Juliet’s “death”, and grief-stricken he takes his own life by drinking poison. Juliet awakens from the coma, only to find her lover dead beside her. She picks up a dagger and commits suicide. And nobody lives happily ever after …

13 “___ Used to Be Mine” (song from “Waitress”) : SHE

“Waitress” is a 2015 musical by Sara Bareilles that is based on a 2007 movie of the same name starring Keri Russell in the title role. Both stage show and film are about a waitress and pie chef who is in an unhappy marriage, and who becomes pregnant. Feeling trapped, she sees a pie contest and its grand prize as her way out of her failed marriage.

14 Long of Hollywood : NIA

Nia Long is an American actress who is probably best known for playing Will Smith’s sometime girlfriend and fiancee Lisa Wilkes on the TV show “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air”.

16 Realm for comic book fans, say : GEEKDOM

Originally, a geek was a sideshow performer, perhaps one at a circus. Sometimes the term “geek” is used today for someone regarded as foolish or clumsy, and also for someone who is technically driven and expert, but often socially inept.

17 Damascenes, e.g. : SYRIANS

Damascus is the second largest city in Syria (after Aleppo), and is the country’s capital. Damascus has the distinction of being the oldest, continuously-inhabited city in the world, having been settled in the 2nd millennium BC. Also, it has the nickname “City of Jasmine”.

24 “Geaux Tigers!” sch. : LSU

The Tigers are the sports teams of Louisiana State University (LSU). They are officially known as the Fightin’ Tigers, and the school mascot is “Mike the Tiger”. The name comes from the days of the Civil War, when two Louisiana brigades earned the nickname the “Louisiana Tigers”. Given the French/Cajun history of Louisiana, the LSU fans use the cheer “Geaux Tigers” instead of “Go Tigers”.

26 Liquid in a first-aid kit : IODINE

Tincture of iodine is a disinfectant. A “tincture” is a substance used in dyeing. Since the 1600s, “tincture” has also been used for a solution of medicine in an alcohol mixture.

31 Noodles sometimes served with tsuyu sauce : SOBA

Soba is a thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour. In Japan, the word “soba” tends to describe any thin noodle, in contrast with the thicker noodle called “udon”.

33 Onetime sunscreen ingredient : PABA

Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), or now its derivatives, is the “active” ingredient in sunscreens in that it absorbs UV radiation. PABA derivatives are used today as PABA itself fell out of favor due to its tendency to stain clothes and to cause an allergic reaction in some users.

36 Small Jewish communities of old : SHTETLS

The Yiddish word for “town” is “shtot”, and so “shtetl” is the diminutive form meaning “small town”. The fictional shtetl featured in the musical in “Fiddler on the Roof” is called Anatevka, which is also the title of my favorite song from the show.

37 SoCal baseball team, on scoreboards : LAA

The Anaheim Angels baseball team is today more correctly called the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (LAA). The “Angels” name dates back to 1961 when the team was founded in the “City of Angels”, Los Angeles. When the franchise moved to Anaheim in 1965 they were known as the California Angels, then the Anaheim Angels, and most recently the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Angels are also known as “the Halos”.

39 Scintilla : IOTA

Iota is the ninth letter in the Greek alphabet, and one that gave rise to our letters I and J. We use the word “iota” to portray something very small, as it is the smallest of all Greek letters.

A scintilla is a small amount. The term can also be used to describe a spark or a flash (as in “to scintillate”). The term came into English from Latin, in which language it means “spark, particle of fire, atom”.

42 Mournful sound : KNELL

The word “knell” is used for a solemn ring from a bell, often associated with death or a funeral. “Knell” comes from the Old English “cnell” and is probably imitative in origin, sounding like a peal from a large bell.

44 Fiddle with a ukulele? : PLUCK

The ukulele (uke) originated in the 1800s and mimicked a small guitar brought to the Hawaiian Islands by Portuguese immigrants.

45 Woman on W.W. II-era posters : ROSIE

Rosie the Riveter is a cultural icon who represented women working in factories across the country during WWII as part of the war effort. The term “Rosie the Riveter” first appeared as the title of a 1942 song that was a national hit. The image that we bring to mind today that supposedly depicts “Rosie” is a wartime poster with the words “We Can Do It!”, which shows a woman in blue overalls and a red and white polka-dot headscarf. However, this image was used by Westinghouse as an internal motivation tool only for a two-week period in 1943, and was never associated with the Rosie the Riveter persona. The “Rosie” association to that image came decades later, in the 1980s. The best-known WWII representation of Rosie the Riveter was a “Saturday Evening Post” cover drawn by Norman Rockwell in 1943. This image shows a female worker with a rivet gun, and a lunch box bearing the name “Rosie”.

46 Cassini who created the so-called “Jackie look” : OLEG

French-born American fashion designer Oleg Cassini had two big names particularly associated with his designs. In the sixties he produced the state wardrobe for First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, and he was also the exclusive designer for Hollywood’s Gene Tierney, who was Cassini’s second wife.

47 Simba’s father in “The Lion King” : MUFASA

In the 1994 movie “The Lion King”, the protagonist is Simba, a lion cub born to Mufasa and Sarabi. The main antagonist is Scar, Simba’s uncle and Mufasa’s brother. Simba is voiced by Matthew Broderick, and Scar is voiced by Jeremy Irons. “Simba” is Swahili for “lion, king, strong”.

50 Breaking or entering, say : GERUND

A gerund is a form of a verb that can be used as a noun. For example, the gerund of the verb “to solve” is “solving”, as in the phrase “we really enjoyed the solving experience”.

51 Leslie ___ Jr., member of the original “Hamilton” cast : ODOM

Leslie Odom Jr. is the actor and singer who originated the role of Aaron Burr in “Hamilton” on Broadway.

59 Poison-treating plant : IPECAC

Syrup of ipecac is a preparation made from the dried roots and rhizomes of the ipecacuanha plant. The syrup is used as an emetic, a substance that induces vomiting. Ipecac accomplishes this by irritating the lining of the stomach.

63 ___ World Service : BBC

BBC World Service is an international broadcast service based in London. The BBC is the largest international broadcaster in the world. Programming goes out in 28 languages, with English programming being aired 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The BBC World Service’s audience has been reported as between 180 and 190 million people around the globe.

65 Digital camera memory holders : SD CARDS

SD cards are memory cards that were introduced in 1999. The initials “SD” stand for “Secure Digital”.

72 Palm Springs, e.g. : OASIS

The desert resort city of Palm Springs is located about 100 miles east of Los Angeles. The name “Palm Springs” dates back at least to 1853, and probably is a reference to the abundant California fan palms that are native to the area. However, earlier Spanish explorers used the place name “La Palma de la Mano de Dios” (The Palm of God’s Hand), giving an alternative derivation for the “Palm Springs” moniker.

75 Group with the hits “Honey, Honey” and “Money, Money, Money” : ABBA

I am an unapologetic fan of ABBA’s music. ABBA was the Swedish group who topped the charts in the seventies and eighties. The name ABBA is an acronym formed from the first letters of the given names of each of the band members: Agnetha, Benny, Bjorn and Anni-Frid. Early in their careers, the four fell in love and formed two married couples: Agnetha and Bjorn, and Benny and Anni-Frid. However, at the height of their success, the relationships became strained and both couples divorced.

83 Cocktail with a rhyming name : MAI TAI

The mai tai cocktail is strongly associated with the Polynesian islands, but the drink was supposedly invented in 1944 in Trader Vic’s restaurant in Oakland, California. One recipe is 6 parts white rum, 3 parts orange curaçao, 3 parts Orgeat syrup, 1 part rock candy syrup, 2 parts fresh lime juice, all mixed with ice and then a float added of 6 parts dark rum. “Maita’i” is the Tahitian word for “good”.

84 Tinder action that expresses strong interest : SUPER-LIKE

Tinder is a matchmaking app that uses Facebook profiles. Users “swipe” photos of potential matches, either to the right (“like”) or to the left (“not interested”). Users who “match” each other can then chat within the app.

90 Wok, e.g. : PAN

“Wok” is a Cantonese word, and is the name for the frying pan now used in many Asian cuisines.

102 Semi : BIG RIG

A “semi” is a “semi-trailer truck”. The vehicle is so called because it consists of a tractor and a half-trailer. The half-trailer is so called because it only has wheels on the back end, with the front supported by the tractor.

106 Small drum : TABOR

A tabor is a portable snare drum that is played with one hand. The tabor is usually suspended by a strap from one arm, with the other hand free to beat the drum. It is often played as an accompaniment for a fife or other small flutes. The word “tabor” comes from “tabwrdd”, the Welsh word for “drum”.

107 Cockamamie : INANE

“Cockamamy” (sometimes “cockamamie”) is a slang term meaning “ridiculous, incredible”. The term goes back at least to 1946, but may have originated as an informal term used by children in New York City in the 1920s.

109 Actress Blanchett : CATE

Cate Blanchett is a great actress from Australia, and a winner of an Academy Award for playing Katherine Hepburn in “The Aviator”. Winning for that role made Blanchett the first person to win an Academy Award for playing an actor (Hepburn) who had also won an Oscar. Now that, that is trivial information …

110 Latch (onto) : GLOM

“Glom” is a slang term meaning “steal”, although it can also be used to mean “latch onto” when used as “glom onto”. The term probably comes from the Scots word “glam” meaning “to snatch at”.

113 Muppet who sings in the “Try, Try Again” song : ELMO

The “Sesame Street” character named Elmo has a birthday every February 3rd, and on that birthday he always turns 3½ years old. The man behind/under Elmo on “Sesame Street” for many years was Kevin Clash. If you want to learn more about Elmo and Clash, you can watch the 2011 documentary “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey”.

118 Back muscle, in brief : LAT

The muscles known as the “lats” are the latissimi dorsi, and are the broadest muscles in the back. “Latissimus” is the Latin for “broadest” and “dorsum” is Latin for “back”.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Ocean motion : EBB
4 [I expected better from you!] : [TSK!]
7 Tracking systems : RADARS
13 Makes out, in Manchester : SNOGS
18 Stuffed and fried cornmeal pocket, in Mexican cuisine : GORDITA
20 Lizzo or Lorde : POP IDOL
21 ___-hole : HIDEY
22 Amazon, e.g. : E-TAILER
23 Title for Iran’s Ali Khamenei : SUPREME LEADER (hiding “re-el”)
25 Tailored blouse style : SHIRTWAIST (hiding “tw-ist”)
27 Pieces of pentathlon equipment : EPEES
28 Piece of biathlon equipment : SKI
29 Outdoor wedding rental : TENT
30 Some reusable bags : TOTES
32 Give a refill : TOP UP
34 Poet Limón : ADA
35 Yearbook sect. : SRS
36 Item lugged up a hill : SLED
38 Gardener’s supply : SOIL
40 Alphabetically first member of the Baseball Hall of Fame : AARON
42 Dull yellowish brown : KHAKI
43 Subject of some teen gossip sessions : BOY PROBLEMS (hiding “bo-p”)
47 Sure-footed alpine climber : MOUNTAIN GOAT (hiding “ta-ngo”)
52 React to, as an online joke : LOL AT
53 “I wish I could ___ that” (“Ick”) : UNSEE
54 Document that never lacks a title : DEED
55 Divert : AMUSE
57 Solid green ball in un juego de billar : SEIS
61 It’s ground-breaking : FAULT
62 Way overcharge, so to speak : ROB
64 Vape shop inventory : E-CIGS
66 Sci-fi’s Dr. Zaius, for one : APE
67 Even a bit : AT ALL
68 Bakery item that’s often messy : CRUMB CAKE (hiding “rumb-a”)
71 Lavishes love (on) : DOTES
73 Part of R.S.V.P. : S’IL
74 Business that might hold a blowout sale? : SALON
76 Common food drive donation : CAN
77 “Julius Caesar” role : CASCA
78 Lhasa ___ : APSO
80 Necklace components : BEADS
82 Parts of volcanoes : RIMS
85 2007 #1 Alicia Keys album : AS I AM
86 Not keep : GO BAD
88 Caribbean capital : PORT AU PRINCE (hiding “ta-p”)
91 Kind of test question : SHORT ANSWER (hiding “hor-a”)
95 Some video-making devices : IPADS
96 Rod who won four Wimbledons : LAVER
97 “The very ___!” : IDEA
99 Yellow bills in Monopoly : TENS
100 Lobster-catching aid? : BIB
103 Holiday preceder : EVE
104 Choose to participate : OPT IN
108 Award won twice by Hammerstein, fittingly : OSCAR
110 Horror director ___ Saul Guerrero : GIGI
111 Contraction that omits a “v” : E’ER
112 0 to 60, e.g. : RANGE
114 Proceeds breezily : SAILS ALONG (hiding “sa-lsa”)
117 What a spike goes over : VOLLEYBALL NET (hiding “ball-et”)
121 Not black and white : IN COLOR
122 Early computer : ENIAC
123 “Encore!” : ONE MORE!
124 “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” tidying method : KONMARI
125 Take care of : SEE TO
126 “Well, so’s your face!,” e.g. : RETORT
127 The antagonist Bellwether from Disney’s “Zootopia,” e.g. : EWE
128 Ask for a treat, say : BEG

Down

1 Discharges : EGESTS
2 Hassle : BOTHER
3 Genius : BRAINS
4 Not be on the level : TILT
5 Anxiously worry : STEW
6 Title nickname in a 1984 sports movie : KARATE KID
7 Courses : ROUTES
8 WeChat or KakaoTalk : APP
9 Very serious : DIRE
10 With skill : ADEPTLY
11 Shakespeare character who cries “Then I defy you, stars!” : ROMEO
12 Power-saving mode : SLEEP
13 “___ Used to Be Mine” (song from “Waitress”) : SHE
14 Long of Hollywood : NIA
15 “My guess is …” : ODDS ARE …
16 Realm for comic book fans, say : GEEKDOM
17 Damascenes, e.g. : SYRIANS
19 Gardener’s supply : DIRT
20 “Over here!” : PSST!
24 “Geaux Tigers!” sch. : LSU
26 Liquid in a first-aid kit : IODINE
31 Noodles sometimes served with tsuyu sauce : SOBA
33 Onetime sunscreen ingredient : PABA
36 Small Jewish communities of old : SHTETLS
37 SoCal baseball team, on scoreboards : LAA
39 Scintilla : IOTA
41 Secondary social media accounts, in brief : ALTS
42 Mournful sound : KNELL
44 Fiddle with a ukulele? : PLUCK
45 Woman on W.W. II-era posters : ROSIE
46 Cassini who created the so-called “Jackie look” : OLEG
47 Simba’s father in “The Lion King” : MUFASA
48 How detectives may act : ON A TIP
49 Orders from regulars : USUALS
50 Breaking or entering, say : GERUND
51 Leslie ___ Jr., member of the original “Hamilton” cast : ODOM
56 Not joke around : MEAN IT
58 Enjoys a home-cooked meal : EATS IN
59 Poison-treating plant : IPECAC
60 Bagel choice : SESAME
63 ___ World Service : BBC
65 Digital camera memory holders : SD CARDS
68 G-rated, say : CLEAN
69 You might pass on them : ROADS
70 Apt surname for a mechanic : CARR
72 Palm Springs, e.g. : OASIS
75 Group with the hits “Honey, Honey” and “Money, Money, Money” : ABBA
79 Big brute : OGRE
81 Went fast : SPED
83 Cocktail with a rhyming name : MAI TAI
84 Tinder action that expresses strong interest : SUPER-LIKE
87 Other: Sp. : OTRO
89 Certain pie crust flavor : OREO
90 Wok, e.g. : PAN
91 Covers of vintage music? : SLEEVES
92 “Try it!” : HAVE ONE!
93 Sit on : OVERLIE
94 Part of an aircraft that helps reduce drag : WINGLET
98 Put forward : ASSERT
100 H.S. class with dissections : BIO LAB
101 Tune out : IGNORE
102 Semi : BIG RIG
105 Stick one’s nose in : PRY
106 Small drum : TABOR
107 Cockamamie : INANE
109 Actress Blanchett : CATE
110 Latch (onto) : GLOM
113 Muppet who sings in the “Try, Try Again” song : ELMO
115 When it’s driving, you might not want to drive : SNOW
116 Unwanted breakout : ACNE
118 Back muscle, in brief : LAT
119 Prefix with warrior : ECO-
120 Negative conjunction : NOR

11 thoughts on “0103-21 NY Times Crossword 3 Jan 21, Sunday”

  1. 35:36 My first stepping thru of the Acrosses yielded little. Downs gave me more initial traction. Then I got the theme, but it didn’t help in some cases – SAMBA, RUMBA, MAMBO, etc. Struggled with the SE corner and got it last then spent about 2 minutes looking for a fat finger.

    Did not get the secondary theme of cutting in until I came here. Just needed to look further at the gray squares. DOH!!

  2. Dang it @Ron. You got me by 2 seconds. 35:38 and no searching for fat fingers or spelling errors! Had to do this one on my own without brainiac son, so I’m happy with this solve. Nice theme. I got the “dances” but missed the clever MAY I CUT IN shaded squares.

  3. 23:04, no errors. When I saw the name Paolo Pasco on this puzzle, I recalled my last encounter with him in the NYT and thought, “Uh-oh, here we go again!” … but … no real problems this time. (Nice kid, just from a whole different era … 😜.)

    Actually, you can find more of Paolo’s puzzles here:

    http://gridsthesedays.blogspot.com/

    For a long time, I was in the habit of doing them, but I just checked and found a whole new bunch (so I guess that takes care of my afternoon … and then some … 😜).

    1. And I forgot to observe that Bill’s time on this one was just so “last year”! 😜😜😜

  4. 28:44 Thought it was a good theme until I came here and saw it as a great theme. Like Ron, I totally missed the “may I cut in” aspect.

    I had a few amusing missteps – e.g. reading the clue for 17D, “Damascenes” as some sort of literary device.. “dama scenes”. Yikes. Often my own mistakes are the most amusing part of the puzzle.

    Best –

  5. 1:12:45 no errors…I got the dance theme but not the “may I cut in”…all of the “never heard ofs” were ,as usual, jammed in one area…today it was the SE corner.
    Stay safe.😀
    Go Ravens 🙏

  6. 34:09, no errors. Fortunately I remembered that IPECAC is spelled with an ‘I’ not an ‘E’. That avoided a potential two errors, 57A was no help at all.
    In the syndicated version, the box inside each of the theme dances is shaded. That, I think, made it easier to see ‘MAY I CUT IN’.

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