1007-21 NY Times Crossword 7 Oct 21, Thursday

Constructed by: Timothy Polin
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer(s) Skipping Stones

Three rows in the grid spell out STONES, although we must SKIP over the black squares:

  • R-O-L-L-I-N-G (STONE)
  • The iconic magazine “Rolling Stone” was founded in San Francisco in 1967. Jann Wenner was a co-founder, and is still the magazine’s chief editor. The name for the publication is taken from the 1950 song “Rollin’ Stone” recorded by Muddy Waters.

  • R-O-S-E-T-T-A (STONE)
  • Rosetta is a coastal city and port on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt. The Rosetta Stone is an ancient Egyptian artifact of tremendous importance in deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics. Carvings on the stone are actually three translations of the same passage of prose, one in Egyptian hieroglyphics, one in Egyptian Demotic language, and one in classical Greek. The stone was discovered by the French military during Napoleon’s 1798-99 campaign in Egypt. Before the French could get it back to France, the stone somehow ended up in enemy hands (the British), so it is now on display in the British Museum. Ownership of the stone is very much in dispute. The French want it and, understandably, the Egyptians would like it back.

  • B-L-A-R-N-E-Y (STONE)
  • Blarney is a town in County Cork in the south of Ireland. Blarney is home to Blarney Castle, and inside the castle is the legendary Blarney Stone. “Kissing the Blarney Stone” is a ritual engaged in by many, many tourists (indeed, I’ve done it myself!), but it’s not a simple process. The stone is embedded in the wall of the castle, and in order to kiss it you have to sit on the edge of the parapet and lean way backwards so that your head is some two feet below your body. There is a staff member there to help you and make sure you don’t fall. The Blarney Stone has been referred to as the world’s most unhygienic tourist attraction! But once you’ve kissed it, supposedly you are endowed with the “gift of the gab”, the ability to talk eloquently and perhaps deceptively without offending. The term “blarney” has come to mean flattering and deceptive talk.

Bill’s time: 14m 10s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Big name in Scotch : DEWAR’S

Dewar’s is a blended Scotch whisky introduced to the market in 1846 by John Dewar. Dewar’s White Label is the company’s most popular Scotch. It was first sold in 1899, and with a taste that is described as “heather and honey”. Dewar’s also makes some single malts, under the labels Aberfeldy 12 and Aberfeldy 21. Today, Dewar’s is owned by Bacardi.

7 Family name on “Seinfeld” : COSTANZA

In “Seinfeld”, Jerry’s friend George was the son of Frank and Estelle Costanza. George was portrayed by Jason Alexander, and the character was loosely based on the show’s co-creator Larry David. The character’s name came from Jerry Seinfeld’s real-life friend Mike Costanza. George’s parents were played by Jerry Stiller and Estelle Harris.

15 Provincial governor in the Byzantine Empire : EXARCH

Byzantium was a Greek colony that was centered on what was to become Constantinople, now Istanbul. Legend suggests that there was a king Byzas, who gave his name to the city and later the Byzantine Empire. The Eastern Roman Empire later became known as the Byzantine Empire, right up until the Middle Ages.

16 Patriots in New York, e.g. : AWAY TEAM

The New England Patriots football team was founded in 1959 as the Boston Patriots. The “Patriots” name was selected from suggestions made by football fans in Boston. The team played at several different stadiums in the Boston area for just over ten years, before moving to their current home base in Foxborough, Massachusetts. At the time of the move, the “Boston” name was dropped and changed to “New England”.

17 Harmless rattler : MARACA

Maracas are percussion instruments that are native to Latin America. They are constructed from dried shells, like those of a coconut, to which handles are attached. The shells are filled with dried seeds or beans, and played by shaking.

18 Ram rod? : REAR AXLE

Chrysler put ram hood ornaments on all of its Dodge-branded vehicles starting in 1933. When the first line of Dodge trucks and vans were introduced in 1981, they were named “Rams” in honor of that hood ornament.

21 Secure, with “down” : BATTEN …

Battens are strips of wood, especially those used to secure canvas covers over a ship’s hatches. The phrase “batten down the hatches” means “to prepare for disaster, the impending storm”.

23 Frozen asteroid or planet : ICE BALL

The vast majority of asteroids in the Solar System are found in the main asteroid belt, which is located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Four large asteroids (Ceres, Vesta, Pallas and Hygeia) make up about half the mass of the asteroid belt and are 400-950 km in diameter. The total mass of the belt is just 4% of the mass of our Moon. The larger asteroids are also known as “planetoids”.

39 Flush, e.g. : HAND

In the game of poker, a flush is a hand with all cards in the same suit.

56 Big name in beer : ANHEUSER

Adolphus Busch was born in Mainz in Germany. He emigrated with three of his brothers from Germany, to St. Louis in 1857. Still a young man, he met a married Lilly Anheuser, whose father owned a local brewery. When Busch’s own father died, he received a sizable inheritance, which he used to buy a substantial share in his father-in-law’s brewery. When Lilly’s father died, the brewery was renamed to Anheuser Busch.

57 One side in the Ryder Cup : EUROPE

The Ryder Cup trophy was donated to the sport of golf by Samuel Ryder, an English entrepreneur. Ryder made his money selling garden seeds in small packets. He only took up golf when he was in his fifties but became quite the enthusiast and eventually donated the trophy in 1927, when it was valued at 100 guineas. The Ryder Cup is a biennial tournament played between teams from the US and Europe.

Down

2 Proctored event, maybe : EXAM

A proctor is a supervisor, and especially a person overseeing a school examination or a dormitory. The word “proctor” originated in the late 1500s, and is a contraction of the word “procurator”, the name given to an official agent of a church.

3 John McCrae, author of “In Flanders Fields,” e.g. : WAR POET

The WWI battlefields in West Flanders, East Flanders (both in Belgium) and French Flanders are often referred to in English as “Flanders Fields”. The phrase was coined by Canadian physician Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae in his 1915 poem “In Flanders Fields”.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

4 Name seen on the Kazakh/Uzbek border : ARAL

The Aral Sea is a great example of how man can have a devastating effect on his environment. In the early sixties the Aral Sea covered 68,000 square miles of Central Asia. Soviet irrigation projects drained the lake to such an extent that today the total area is less than 7,000 square miles, with 90% of the lake now completely dry. Sad …

The Republic of Kazakhstan in Central Asia is the world’s largest landlocked country. Kazakhstan was also the last of the former Soviet Republics (SSRs) to declare itself independent from Russia.

The Republic of Uzbekistan is a former Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR). Uzbekistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia, and is in fact surrounded by countries which are also landlocked. This means that to reach a coastline from Uzbekistan, you have to cross at least two international borders. There are only two “doubly landlocked” countries in the world: Uzbekistan in Central Asia, and Liechtenstein in Central Europe.

5 First soft drink sold in all-aluminum cans : RC COLA

Claude A. Hatcher ran a grocery store in Columbus, Georgia. He decided to develop his own soft drink formula when he balked at the price his store was being charged for Coca-Cola syrup. Hatcher launched the Union Bottling Works in his own grocery store, and introduced Royal Crown Ginger Ale in 1905. The Union Bottling Works was renamed to Chero-Cola in 1910, the Nehi Corporation in 1925, and Royal Crown Company in the mid-fifties. The first RC Cola hit the market in 1934.

6 Light carriage, informally : SHAY

A chaise is a light carriage with a folding hood that transports one or two people. “Chaise” is the French for “chair”, and takes its name from the “sedan chair” means of transportation. In the US, the name “chaise” evolved into “shay”.

9 Onetime Scandinavian export : SAAB

“SAAB” stands for Svenska Aeroplan AB, which translates into English as Swedish Aeroplane Limited. Although we usually think of SAAB as an auto manufacturer, it is mainly an aircraft manufacturer. If you take small hops in Europe you might find yourself on a SAAB passenger plane. The SAAB automotive division was acquired by General Motors in the year 2000, who then sold it to a Dutch concern in 2010. However, SAAB (automotive) finally went bankrupt in 2011. A Chinese consortium purchased the assets of SAAB Automotive in 2012, and so SAAB vehicles are in production again. The new vehicles are using the SAAB name, but cannot use the SAAB griffin logo, the rights to which have been retained by the mother company.

13 Jewelry store eponym : ZALE

The first Zales jewelry store was opened by Morris and William Zale and Ben Lipshy in Wichita Falls, Texas, in 1924. Zales became successful largely by offering credit to their customers, a revolutionary concept at the time.

14 “My thoughts exactly!” : AMEN!

The word “amen” translates as “so be it”. “Amen” is said to be of Hebrew origin, but it is also likely to be influenced by Aramaic and Arabic.

20 What jelly rolls are filled with? : ELLS

There are lots of letters L (ells) in the words “jelly rolls”.

24 Word often before a year : CIRCA

“Circa” is a Latin word meaning “around, near, about the time of”. We use “circa” directly in English to mean “about the time of”, as well as in derivative words such as “circle” and “circus”.

26 One way to prevent stock losses? : LASSO

Our English word “lasso” comes from the Spanish “lazo”, and ultimately from the Latin “laqueum” meaning “noose, snare”.

29 Ancient invaders of Rome : GOTHS

The East Germanic tribe called the Goths had two main branches, called the Ostrogoths and the Visigoths. The Visigothic capital was the city of Toulouse in France, whereas the Ostrogoth capital was the Italian city of Ravenna just inland of the Adriatic coast. It was the Visigoths who sacked Rome in 410 CE, heralding the fall of the Western Roman Empire.

30 Silas ___, first American diplomat to France : DEANE

Silas Deane was a member of the Continental Congress. When Deane was dispatched to Paris by the Congress, he became America’s first foreign diplomat. His amazing story is told in Joel Richard Paul’s book titled “Unlikely Allies”.

33 Mauna ___ : KEA

Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii, the peak of which is the highest point in the whole state. Mauna Kea is in effect the tip of a gigantic volcano rising up from the seabed.

35 Tailgate grill : HIBACHI

The traditional hibachi in Japan is a heating device, often a ceramic bowl or box that holds burning charcoal. This native type of hibachi isn’t used for cooking, but rather as a space heater (a brazier). Here in the US we use the term hibachi to refer to a charcoal grill used as a small cooking stove, which in Japanese would be called a “shichirin”. “Hibachi” is Japanese for “fire pot” coming from “hi” meaning “fire”, and “bachi” meaning “bowl, pot”.

37 2.0, for one : GPA

Grade point average (GPA)

38 Moonscape feature : MARE

A mare is a large dark area on the moon. “Mare” is the Latin for “sea”. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Mare Tranquillitatis, the Sea of Tranquility.

40 Took full advantage of the buffet, say : ATE A TON

Our word “buffet” comes from the French “bufet” meaning “bench, sideboard”. So, a buffet is a meal served from a “bufet”.

44 West Coast burger chain with a “not-so-secret menu” : IN-N-OUT

In-N-Out Burger is a fast food chain that’s very popular out here on the left coast. Unusually for a fast food business, In-N-Out Burger has no franchises and is privately owned. The company also prides itself on paying all employees above minimum wage. Also, if you check the packaging of the food and drink items, you’ll find a bible verse discreetly printed on the bottom of cups and wrappers, reflecting the Christian beliefs held by the company ownership. In-N-Out Burger was founded in 1948 by Harry and Esther Snyder, and is now owned by Lynsi Snyder, the couple’s only grandchild.

47 News anchor Smith, informally : SHEP

Shep Smith is best known as a television journalist and host with Fox News. Smith hosted “Shepard Smith Reporting” on Fox starting in 2013, until he left Fox in 2019 citing the “falsehoods” and “lies” spread on Fox’s opinion shows.

49 On the surface it might not look like much : BERG

An iceberg is a large piece of freshwater ice that is floating freely after having broken away from a glacier or ice shelf. Our use of “iceberg” comes from the Dutch word for the same phenomenon “ijsberg”, which translates literally as “ice mountain”.

50 Five-spots : ABES

The US five-dollar bill is often called an “Abe”, as President Abraham Lincoln’s portrait is on the front. An Abe is also referred to as a “fin”, a term that has been used for a five-pound note in Britain since 1868.

51 Prefix for fireworks : PYRO-

“Pyro-” is the combining form of the Greek word for “fire”. “Pyrotechnics” is the art of making and using fireworks. “Pyromania” is a strong desire to light fires.

52 Imbibe : TOPE

To tope is to drink alcohol excessively and habitually.

To imbibe is a drink or take in. The verb “to imbibe” ultimately comes from the Latin “in-” (into, in) and “bibere” (to drink).

54 R&B/pop vocal group Boyz II ___ : MEN

Boyz II Men are an R&B vocal trio from Philadelphia who started out in 1988. The original BOYZ II Men lineup included a fourth member, Michael McCary. McCary left the group in 2003 due to chronic back pain. The Boyz II Men 1992 hit “End of the Road” stayed at number-one in the Billboard charts for an amazing thirteen weeks, shattering the 11-week record that had been held by Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog” since 1956.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Big name in Scotch : DEWAR’S
7 Family name on “Seinfeld” : COSTANZA
15 Provincial governor in the Byzantine Empire : EXARCH
16 Patriots in New York, e.g. : AWAY TEAM
17 Harmless rattler : MARACA
18 Ram rod? : REAR AXLE
19 Working : EMPLOYED
21 Secure, with “down” : BATTEN …
23 Frozen asteroid or planet : ICE BALL
27 Left a bad impression on? : DINGED
31 Boxer Trinidad : TITO
32 “Don’t just take my word for it!” : ASK ANYONE!
34 What may be drawn with black and white? : CHESS GAME
39 Flush, e.g. : HAND
42 Prepare, as a certain movie snack : AIR-POP
43 Celeb : A-LISTER
45 Equilibrium : STASIS
49 Vegetarian spread : BEAN PATE
53 On every occasion : EACH TIME
55 Dispensable young beau : BOY TOY
56 Big name in beer : ANHEUSER
57 One side in the Ryder Cup : EUROPE
58 With 59-Across, lakeside activity … or a hint to the words spelled across the fifth, eighth and 11th rows of the completed grid : SKIPPING …
59 See 58-Across : … STONES

Down

1 Mark on one’s record : DEMERIT
2 Proctored event, maybe : EXAM
3 John McCrae, author of “In Flanders Fields,” e.g. : WAR POET
4 Name seen on the Kazakh/Uzbek border : ARAL
5 First soft drink sold in all-aluminum cans : RC COLA
6 Light carriage, informally : SHAY
7 Memory ___ : CARD
8 Be shy : OWE
9 Onetime Scandinavian export : SAAB
10 Rule that should be broken? : TYRANNY
11 Rat-___ : A-TAT
12 Like the newest model, familiarly : NEXT-GEN
13 Jewelry store eponym : ZALE
14 “My thoughts exactly!” : AMEN!
20 What jelly rolls are filled with? : ELLS
22 Memorable 2021 hurricane : IDA
24 Word often before a year : CIRCA
25 One who’s not a fan : BOOER
26 One way to prevent stock losses? : LASSO
28 Bug collection? : INTEL
29 Ancient invaders of Rome : GOTHS
30 Silas ___, first American diplomat to France : DEANE
33 Mauna ___ : KEA
35 Tailgate grill : HIBACHI
36 Separate : SPLIT UP
37 2.0, for one : GPA
38 Moonscape feature : MARE
40 Took full advantage of the buffet, say : ATE A TON
41 Unmoved reaction : DRY EYES
44 West Coast burger chain with a “not-so-secret menu” : IN-N-OUT
45 Vast expanses : SEAS
46 Lose value quickly : TANK
47 News anchor Smith, informally : SHEP
48 Enthusiastic assent in Spanish : SI! SI!
49 On the surface it might not look like much : BERG
50 Five-spots : ABES
51 Prefix for fireworks : PYRO-
52 Imbibe : TOPE
54 R&B/pop vocal group Boyz II ___ : MEN