0423-21 NY Times Crossword 23 Apr 21, Friday

Constructed by: Robyn Weintraub
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 14m 44s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Gives some badly needed help? : ABETS

The word “abet” comes into English from the Old French “abeter” meaning “to bait” or “to harass with dogs” (literally “to make bite”). This sense of encouraging something bad to happen morphed into our modern usage of “abet” meaning to aid or encourage someone in a crime.

6 Kind of card : AMEX

“Amex” is short for “American Express”, the name of the financial services company that is best known for its credit card, charge card and traveler’s check businesses. The company name is indicative of its original business. American Express was founded in 1850 in Buffalo, New York as an express mail service.

15 Garnish for a Moscow mule : LIME WEDGE

A Moscow mule is a cocktail made from vodka, ginger beer and lime. I like the occasional Moscow mule, mainly because the ginger beer was my soda of choice as a kid. Vodka … not so much …

17 High home : AERIE

An aerie (sometimes “eyrie”) is an eagle’s nest. The term “aerie” can also more generally describe any bird’s nest that is located on a cliff or a mountaintop.

19 Little white toy : MALTESE

The Maltese breed of dog falls into the toy group, as adults weigh just 3-10 pounds. The breed is an old one. Indeed, ancient Greek geographer Strabo suggested in the first century CE that the breed originated on the Mediterranean island of Malta. He also noted that Maltese dogs were favored by noble women.

21 Who wrote “In Memory of W. B. Yeats” : AUDEN

Noted poet W. H. Auden was born and raised in England, but eventually became a US citizen. As well as hundreds of poems, Auden also wrote librettos for operas, including Igor Stravinsky’s “The Rake’s Progress”.

23 Roof-edge defenses : PARAPETS

A parapet originally was a defensive wall, or a fortifying elevation above a main wall. We use the term now to describe several different structures, often a guard rail on a staircase or a roof. “Parapet” comes from the Italian “parapetto”, which in turn comes from “parare” (to cover, defend) and “petto” (breast).

38 Mammal that can hold its breath up to eight minutes : OTTER

Sea otters actually hold hands while sleeping on their backs so that they don’t drift apart. When sea otter pups are too small to lock hands, they clamber up onto their mother’s belly and nap there.

40 “___ destiny unshunnable, like death”: “Othello” : ‘TIS

The most famous Moor in literature has to be Othello, the title character in William Shakespeare’s tragedy “Othello, the Moor of Venice”. The word “Moor” describes various peoples of North Africa, usually of the Muslim faith. At the height of their geographic influence the Moors occupied much of the Iberian peninsula, calling it Al Andalus (from which modern Andalusia gets its name).

47 GranTurismo maker : MASERATI

Maserati is a manufacturer of luxury cars in Italy. The company was founded in Bologna in 1914 by five brothers: Alfieri, Bindo, Carlo, Ettore and Ernesto Maserati. The company uses a trident logo that is based on the trident depicted in the Fountain of Neptune in the Piazza Maggiore in Bologna.

48 ___ the Enchanter, role in “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” : TIM

“Monty Python and the Holy Grail” was released as a movie in 1975, and was a great success. Some thirty years later the film’s storyline was used as inspiration for the hit musical “Spamalot”. I saw “Spamalot” on stage not that long ago and wasn’t that impressed. But, mine was very much a minority opinion …

61 Person who’s really sweet and soft : TEDDY BEAR

The stuffed toy known as a teddy bear was introduced in the early 1900s and was named for President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt. The toy was inspired by a political cartoon that was drawn in 1902 showing President Roosevelt on a bear hunt and refusing to kill a black bear cub.

62 Log : ENTER

The word “logbook” dates back to the days when the captain of a ship kept a daily record of the vessel’s speed, progress etc. using a “log”. A log was a wooden float on a knotted line that was dropped overboard to measure speed through the water.

64 Quinceañera celebrant: Abbr. : SRTA

“Señorita” (Srta.) is Spanish, and “Mademoiselle” (Mlle.) is French, for “Miss”.

“Quinceañera” is a celebration of a girl’s fifteenth birthday, and is an event common in many parts of Latin America.

65 Like the sound of a clarinet : REEDY

The clarinet is a lovely-sounding instrument, isn’t it? The name “clarinet” comes from the Italian word “clarino” meaning “trumpet”, with the “-et” suffix indicating “small”.

Down

1 Oleta of soul : ADAMS

Oleta Adams is an American soul singer from Seattle, Washington. Adams has had most of her success over in the UK, rather than here in the US.

4 Turkey : TWIT

“Twit” is a word not used very often here in America. It’s a slang term that used to be quite common in England where it was used for “someone foolish and idiotic”.

6 Real name of George VI : ALBERT

The most recent of the British kings named George was George VI, ruler of the United Kingdom during WWII. George VI took over the crown unexpectedly in 1936 on the abdication of his older brother Edward VIII, who surrendered the throne to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson. George VI was the father of Queen Elizabeth II.

7 Plunger into the Pacific Ocean in 2001 : MIR

Russia’s Mir space station was a remarkably successful project. It held the record for the longest continuous human presence in space at just under 10 years, until the International Space Station eclipsed that record in 2010. Towards the end of the space station’s life however, the years began to take their toll. There was a dangerous fire, multiple system failures, and a collision with a resupply ship. The Russian commitment to the International Space Station drained funds for repairs, so Mir was allowed to reenter the Earth’s atmosphere and burn up in 2001. “Mir” is a Russian word meaning “peace” or “world”.

8 Creature that can fill the blank in L___R to make another creature : EMU

Even though emu meat is classified as a red meat because of its color, it has a fat content that is comparable to other poultry.

Lemurs are unusual-looking creatures native to the island of Madagascar off the east coast of Africa. With their white fur and dark eyes that are very reflective at night, they have a “ghostly” appearance. Indeed, the animals take their name from Roman mythology in which “lemures” were spirits of the restless dead.

29 Finish, to an oenophile : AFTERTASTE

In Greek mythology, Oeno was the goddess of wine, giving us “oeno-” as a prefix meaning “wine”. For example, oenology is the study of wine and an oenophile is a wine-lover.

32 Actor Green : SETH

Seth Green is an actor and comedian best-known by many as creator and voice actor on the animated television series “Robot Chicken”. I know him best for playing “Napster” in the 2005 film “The Italian Job”.

37 First and only president of the Republic of Hawaii : DOLE

James Dole lent his name to today’s Dole Food Company. James Dole was known as the Pineapple King, as he developed the pineapple industry in Hawaii and founded the Hawaiian Pineapple Company, the forerunner to the Dole Food Company. Dole might have had some help on the way, as he was a cousin of Sanford B, Dole, President of the Republic of Hawaii from 1894 to 1900.

42 Corporate workplace division, for short : OPS

Operations (ops)

43 Something often served with shakshuka : PITA

Shakshouka (also “shakshuka”) is a dish that originated in North Africa. It consists of eggs poached in a sauce made from tomatoes, chili peppers, garlic and several spices. I’m hungry …

57 Network with shows on Paramount+ : CBS

CBS used to be known as the Columbia Broadcasting System. CBS introduced its “eye” logo in 1951. That logo is based on a Pennsylvania Dutch hex sign.

Paramount Network is a pay TV channel that was founded back in 1983 as the Nashville Network (TNN). The channel went through some name and programming changes over the years:

  • The Nashville Network (1983-2000)
  • The National Network/the New TNN/WWE (2000-2003)
  • Spike TV (2003-2018)
  • Paramount Network (2018- )

58 ___ Lingus : AER

Aer Lingus is my favorite airline! Well, the service isn’t that great, but when I get on board an Aer Lingus plane I feel like I am back in Ireland. Aer Lingus is the national airline of Ireland, with “Aer Lingus” being a phonetic spelling of the Irish “aer-loingeas” meaning “air fleet”. These days Aer Lingus can only lay claim to the title of Ireland’s oldest airline as it is no longer the biggest. That honor goes to the controversial budget airline Ryanair.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Gives some badly needed help? : ABETS
6 Kind of card : AMEX
10 Laughfest : RIOT
14 Sound of the South : DRAWL
15 Garnish for a Moscow mule : LIME WEDGE
17 High home : AERIE
18 Scrubland danger : BRUSH FIRE
19 Little white toy : MALTESE
21 Who wrote “In Memory of W. B. Yeats” : AUDEN
22 Star’s place : SKY
23 Roof-edge defenses : PARAPETS
27 Ones best in show? : FRONT ROW SEATS
32 Endeavor : STRIVE
34 Bone to pick : BEEF
35 Not to : FRO
36 Wear : ERODE
37 Turn down : DIM
38 Mammal that can hold its breath up to eight minutes : OTTER
40 “___ destiny unshunnable, like death”: “Othello” : ‘TIS
41 Original cause : ROOT
43 Father figure : PRIEST
44 Good beverage for a blustery fall day : HOT APPLE CIDER
47 GranTurismo maker : MASERATI
48 ___ the Enchanter, role in “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” : TIM
51 What meat and dairy both lack : FIBER
54 Dad’s hangout, maybe : MAN CAVE
56 “You pick” : I DON’T CARE
60 Decline in military activity? : NO, SIR!
61 Person who’s really sweet and soft : TEDDY BEAR
62 Log : ENTER
63 “Who ___?” : SAYS
64 Quinceañera celebrant: Abbr. : SRTA
65 Like the sound of a clarinet : REEDY

Down

1 Oleta of soul : ADAMS
2 Snap, crack or pop, maybe : BREAK
3 Fall farming headache : EARLY FROST
4 Turkey : TWIT
5 Event that goes all night : SLEEPOVER PARTY
6 Real name of George VI : ALBERT
7 Plunger into the Pacific Ocean in 2001 : MIR
8 Creature that can fill the blank in L___R to make another creature : EMU
9 Check alternatives : XES
10 Worthless stuff : REFUSE
11 Brief confession : I DID
12 Oni, in Japanese folklore : OGRE
13 Quinceañera celebrant, e.g. : TEEN
16 Query that might follow some grumbling : WHAT’S FOR DINNER?
20 Sound : SANE
24 One involved in a dispute : ARBITER
25 It’s measured in both feet and meters : POEM
26 She sounds just like you! : EWE
28 Relieve (of) : RID
29 Finish, to an oenophile : AFTERTASTE
30 101 word in both Spanish and French : TRES
31 Put in an order : SORT
32 Actor Green : SETH
33 Three for the show? : TRIO
37 First and only president of the Republic of Hawaii : DOLE
39 Make fast : TIE
42 Corporate workplace division, for short : OPS
43 Something often served with shakshuka : PITA
45 Make ___ : AMENDS
46 Snap out of it? : CAMERA
49 Like the walls of an old church, maybe : IVIED
50 Gay : MERRY
51 Conforms : FITS
52 “The right” thing : IDEA
53 Word with shop or shot : BODY …
55 Cup alternative, at times : CONE
57 Network with shows on Paramount+ : CBS
58 ___ Lingus : AER
59 Singer in the family? : RAT