Constructed by: Robyn Weintraub
Edited by: Will Shortz
Not your puzzle? Try today’s …
… syndicated NY Times crossword
Today’s Theme None
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Bill’s time: 10m 03s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
6 Bars that close : CODA
In music, a coda is primarily a passage that brings a movement to a conclusion. “Coda” is Italian for “tail”.
14 Choreographer who posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014 : AILEY
Alvin Ailey was a dancer who formed his own troupe in New York in 1958, naming it “the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater”. The most famous work that Ailey choreographed was called “Revelations”. President Barack Obama awarded Ailey the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously, in 2014.
16 Greek goddess who could turn water into wine : OENO
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.
31 You might get a date from it : PALM
Date palms can be either male or female. Only the female tree bears fruit (called “dates”).
37 Mandate : FIAT
A fiat is an arbitrary rule that is imposed, and is the Latin for “let it be done”.
39 Unit of measure in a tongue twister : PECK
The earliest written version of the “Peter Piper” nursery rhyme and tongue twister dates back to 1813 London:
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked;
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?
A peck is a unit of dry volume, equivalent to two gallons. Four pecks then make up a bushel.
40 Product whose name comes from the French for “without caffeine” : SANKA
The first successful process for removing caffeine from coffee involved steaming the beans in salt water, and then extracting the caffeine using benzene (a potent carcinogen) as a solvent. Coffee processed this way was sold as Sanka here in the US. There are other processes used these days, and let’s hope they are safer …
44 “Daniel in the Lions’ Den” painter, 1615 : RUBENS
Peter Paul Rubens was a Flemish painter who worked in the city of Antwerp in Belgium. Rubens was knighted by two monarchs: Philip IV of Spain, and Charles I of England. When Rubens was 53-years-old, four years after the death of his first wife, he married a 16-year-old girl. It was his young second wife who inspired many of the voluptuous figures with whom Rubens became associated later in his career.
46 Fundamental particles : BOSONS
Particle physics is beyond me, but I do know that bosons are subatomic particles. They can be elementary like photons or composite like mesons, which are composed of one quark and one antiquark. “Bosons” are named for the Indian physicist Satyendra Nath Bose who developed Bose-Einstein statistics along with Albert Einstein.
47 Sings to the rafters : BELTS OUT
Rafters are the beams that slope from the ridge of a roof down to the tops of the supporting walls.
52 Preface to sharing one’s P.O.V. : IMHO
In my humble opinion (IMHO)
Point of view (POV)
55 Vegetable related to garlic : LEEK
The leek is a vegetable closely related to the onion and the garlic. It is also a national emblem of Wales (along with the daffodil), although I don’t think we know for sure how this came to be. One story is that the Welsh were ordered to wear leeks in their helmets to identify themselves in a battle against the Saxons. Apparently, the battle took place in a field of leeks.
56 Bread whose name derives from the Sanskrit for “bread” : ROTI
In an Indian restaurant, naan bread is very popular. Roti is an unleavened cousin of naan.
57 Chemistry lab compound : ESTER
Esters are very common chemicals. The smaller, low-molecular weight esters are usually pleasant smelling and are often found in perfumes. At the other end of the scale, the higher-molecular weight nitroglycerin is a nitrate ester and is very explosive, and polyester is a huge molecule and is a type of plastic. Fats and oils found in nature are fatty acid esters of glycerol known as glycerides.
Down
1 Ink containers : SACS
Octopodes and squid have the ability to release a dark pigment into the water as a means of escape. The dark pigment is called cephalopod ink (the squid and octopus belong to the class cephalopoda) and is stored in an ink sac. The dark color is created by melanin, the same substance that acts as a pigment in human skin.
2 Mahjong piece : TILE
Mahjong (also “mahjongg” and “mah-jongg”) is the Chinese word for “sparrow”. Mahjong is a game that originated in China, and is usually played by four players. There is a myth that the game was developed by the Chinese philosopher, Confucius. The myth also suggests that Confucius was fond of birds, and hence chose the name “sparrow”.
3 Middle child on ABC’s “Modern Family” : ALEX
Alex Dunphy is the youngest daughter of Claire and Phil on the sitcom “Modern Family”. Alex is played by the very talented young actress Ariel Winter.
5 The only remaining wonder of the ancient world, for one : PYRAMID
The full list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is:
- the Great Pyramid at Giza, Egypt
- the Hanging Gardens of Babylon
- the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Greece
- the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
- the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
- the Colossus of Rhodes
- the Lighthouse at Alexandria, Egypt
7 Company that makes moving walkways : OTIS
Otis is a manufacturer of elevators, escalators and moving walkways. By some accounts, Otis is the world’s most popular transportation company, with the equivalent of the whole world’s population travelling on Otis devices every few days.
8 First word in a classic song from “The Sound of Music” : DOE
The famous song that starts off with “Doe, a deer …” is a show tune from the 1959 musical “The Sound of Music”, by Rodgers and Hammerstein. The correct name of the song is “Do-Re-Mi”.
11 Don’t be misled by this : RED HERRING
The exact origin of the term “red herring”, meaning “something that misleads”, isn’t known. The most common explanation for the use of the phrase is that kippers (strong-smelling smoked herrings) were used by fugitives to distract bloodhounds who were on their trail. Kippers become red-colored during the smoking process, and are no longer “white herrings”.
22 ___ Lingus : AER
“Aer” is the Irish word for “air” as in “Aer Lingus”, which is the name of the Irish national airline.
25 It’s calculated relative to the speed of sound : MACH
The Mach number of a moving object (like say an airplane) is its speed relative to the speed of sound. A plane travelling at Mach 2, for example, is moving at twice the speed of sound. The term “Mach” takes its name from the Austrian physicist Ernst Mach who published a groundbreaking paper in 1877 that even predicted the “sonic boom”.
27 View from the Oval Office : ROSE BUSHES
Although there have been several “oval” offices used by US presidents in the White House, the current Oval Office was designed and constructed at the bequest of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The room has four doors. One door opens onto the Rose Garden; a second door leads to a small study and dining room; a third opens onto the main corridor running through the West Wing; the fourth door opens to the office of the president’s secretary.
43 Bowler material : FELT
I think that a bowler hat is usually called a derby here in the US. The bowler was first produced in 1849 in London by hatmakers Thomas and William Bowler, hence the name. The alternative name of “derby” comes from the tradition of wearing bowler hats at the Derby horse race (a major race held annually in England).
44 “Oh, I am fortune’s fool!” speaker : ROMEO
“O, I am Fortune’s fool” is a line from William Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet”. The words are uttered by Romeo after he kills Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin, in a duel. Romeo knows that he has made a bad mistake, and tells everyone so. Sure enough, things go downhill for him and Juliet for the remainder of the play.
46 Send an invoice : BILL
An invoice is an itemized bill. The term comes from the Middle French “envois” meaning “dispatch (of goods)”. The root verb is “envoyer”, which translates as “to send”.
51 Civil offense : TORT
“Tort” is a French word meaning “mischief, injury or wrong”. In common law, a tort is a civil wrong that results in the injured party suffering loss or harm, and the injuring party having a legal liability. Tort law differs from criminal law in that torts may result from negligence and not just intentional actions. Also, tort lawsuits may be decided on a preponderance of evidence, without the need of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
54 Tool that makes the sound “scr-r-ritch, scratch, scratch, scritch” in “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” : HOE
Beatrix Potter was an English author famous for the children’s books she wrote and illustrated. The most famous character in her stories was Peter Rabbit, whose sisters were Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail. Potter put her talent as an artist to good use in the scientific world as well. She recorded many images of lichens and fungi as seen through her microscope. As a result of her work, she was respected as an expert mycologist.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 What takes a licking and keeps on sticking? : STAMP
6 Bars that close : CODA
10 Sandpaper specification : GRIT
14 Choreographer who posthumously received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014 : AILEY
15 Scores : A TON
16 Greek goddess who could turn water into wine : OENO
17 Stargazer’s need : CLEAR SKIES
19 Chef Lewis who wrote “The Taste of Country Cooking” : EDNA
20 Hookups for a camera? : SEX TAPES
21 Over the hill, with “up” : WASHED …
23 Something you might flip over : MAT
24 Rock on the edge : TEETER
25 What can follow “+/-” : MARGIN OF ERROR
30 Not just in one’s head : ALOUD
31 You might get a date from it : PALM
32 Objects of stargazers’ gazes : ORBS
35 “So,” in Italian : COSI
36 Shopping ___ : SPREE
37 Mandate : FIAT
38 Follow : HEED
39 Unit of measure in a tongue twister : PECK
40 Product whose name comes from the French for “without caffeine” : SANKA
41 “As long as we’re on the subject …” : BEFORE I FORGET
44 “Daniel in the Lions’ Den” painter, 1615 : RUBENS
45 A new beginning? : NEO-
46 Fundamental particles : BOSONS
47 Sings to the rafters : BELTS OUT
52 Preface to sharing one’s P.O.V. : IMHO
53 “Hmm … really?” : OH … IS THAT SO?
55 Vegetable related to garlic : LEEK
56 Bread whose name derives from the Sanskrit for “bread” : ROTI
57 Chemistry lab compound : ESTER
58 Certain tax write-off : LOSS
59 San Francisco-based candy brand : SEE’S
60 Missing funds : SHORT
Down
1 Ink containers : SACS
2 Mahjong piece : TILE
3 Middle child on ABC’s “Modern Family” : ALEX
4 Supermarket section : MEAT
5 The only remaining wonder of the ancient world, for one : PYRAMID
6 Stuck-up couples at weddings? : CAKE TOPPERS
7 Company that makes moving walkways : OTIS
8 First word in a classic song from “The Sound of Music” : DOE
9 “Hey, I’m talking to you!” : ANSWER ME!
10 Crosses a line : GOES TOO FAR
11 Don’t be misled by this : RED HERRING
12 Kind of circle : INNER
13 Resident of Nintendo’s Mushroom Kingdom : TOAD
18 Run from here to there? : SPAN
22 ___ Lingus : AER
24 Brain power : TELEKINESIS
25 It’s calculated relative to the speed of sound : MACH
26 Ingredient in the skin-care aisle : ALOE
27 View from the Oval Office : ROSE BUSHES
28 Tourists’ reading : GUIDEBOOKS
29 Ludicrous display : FARCE
33 Make a turnover, say : BAKE
34 Turnovers, e.g. : STAT
36 Logos on Little League uniforms : SPONSORS
40 Applies a salve to : SOOTHES
42 Swamp : FEN
43 Bowler material : FELT
44 “Oh, I am fortune’s fool!” speaker : ROMEO
46 Send an invoice : BILL
47 Take the bait : BITE
48 Bit of ceremonial attire : SASH
49 Name that has left/right symmetry : OTTO
50 ___ ID : USER
51 Civil offense : TORT
54 Tool that makes the sound “scr-r-ritch, scratch, scratch, scritch” in “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” : HOE
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