1008-21 NY Times Crossword 8 Oct 21, Friday

Constructed by: Yacob Yonas
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme None

Bill’s time: 9m 52s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Epiphanies : AHA MOMENTS
57 Epiphanies : EYE-OPENERS

An epiphany is an appearance or manifestation, especially of a supreme being. By extension, “epiphany” can also apply to a sudden insight or intuitive perception. The term derives from the Greek “epiphainein” meaning “to manifest, display”.

15 Classic Warhol subject : TOMATO SOUP

Andy Warhol went through a period of painting iconic American products, including Coca-Cola bottles and Campbell’s tomato soup cans. In 1964 he participated in a gallery show called “The American Supermarket”. Along with other pop artists he contributed works including a painting of a can of Campbell’s tomato soup. He priced the painting at $1,500, and sold autographed cans of soup for $6 a piece.

16 Lead-in to -stat : AERO-

An aerostat is a type of aircraft that doesn’t derive its lift from forward motion like a fixed wing airplane. Instead, the lift comes from buoyancy, as in a balloon or a dirigible.

18 Grps. receiving Our Children magazine : PTAS

Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)

22 Fox’s ___ Choice Awards : TEEN

Fox television network’s Teen Choice Awards were created in 1999 to cater for the teen demographic, along the lines of the existing Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards. Sadly, the Teen Choice Awards have been plagued with controversy, with apparently well-founded claims that winners have been selected and sometimes notified even before voting has closed.

25 The “F” in F = ma : FORCE

Newton’s second law of motion tells us that a body accelerates when a force is applied to it, and the greater the mass of the object, the greater the force required to cause that acceleration. Mathematically, the law can be written as Force = mass x acceleration (F=ma).

30 Musician on the cover of Rolling Stone, often : ROCK IDOL

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.

34 Martial arts actor Steven : SEAGAL

Steven Seagal is known in the US as a martial artist turned actor. Seagal started his career as an Aikido instructor in Japan and was the first foreigner to operate an Aikido dojo in that country.

36 Some like it dirty : MARTINI

A dirty martini is a regular martini with a splash of olive juice, and served with an olive garnish.

37 Model/TV personality Chrissy who wrote the cookbook series “Cravings” : TEIGEN

Chrissy Tiegen is a model who has appeared twice in the “Sports Illustrated” Swimsuit Issue, in 2010 and 2014. She co-hosts the reality TV show “Lip Sync Battle” with rap artist LL Cool J. Teigen married singer John Legend in 2013.

41 Per diem, e.g. : STIPEND

“Per diem” is the Latin for “by the day”. We tend to use the term for a daily allowance for expenses when traveling for work.

43 Shortening used in many recipes : TSPS

Teaspoon (tsp.)

47 Reason for a colonial “party” : TEA TAX

The famous destruction of tea in Boston Harbor to protest against the Tax Act took place on December 16, 1773. The action was referred to as the “destruction of the tea” for decades, and it wasn’t until 1834 that the term “Boston Tea Party” first appeared in print.

48 Mendeleev who created the periodic table : DMITRI

Dmitri Mendeleev was a Russian chemist. When Mendeleev classified elements according to their chemical properties, he noticed patterns and was able to group elements into his famous 1869 Periodic Table. So powerful was his table that he actually predicted the properties of some elements that had not even been discovered in 1869. Element number 101 is mendelevium and was named after Mendeleev.

54 Anti-D.W.I. org. : MADD

Candace Lightner lost her 13-year-old child to a drink-driver in 1980. Soon after, Lightner formed the group Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

In some states, there is no longer a legal difference between a DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) and a DUI (Driving Under the Influence). Other states retain that difference, so that by definition a DUI is a lesser offence than a DWI.

56 Insult, slangily : DISS

“Dis” (also “diss”) is a slang term meaning “insult” that originated in the eighties. It is a shortened form of “disrespect” or “dismiss”.

Down

2 Bud : HOMIE

“Homie” is short for “homeboy”, someone from one’s home neighborhood.

4 California county that’s home to Muir Woods : MARIN

When you leave the city of San Francisco via the famous Golden Gate Bridge (i.e. heading north), you cross into Marin County.

Muir Woods is a National Monument located not too far from here, just north of San Francisco. It is home to enormous old-growth Coast Redwood trees. The land was declared a National Monument in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt. The name “Muir Woods” was chosen in honor of the naturalist John Muir.

5 Great Plains tribe : OTOE

The Otoe (also “Oto”) Native American tribe originated in the Great Lakes region as part of the Winnebago or Siouan tribes. The group that would become the Otoe broke away from the Winnebago and migrated southwestward, ending up in the Great Plains. In the plains the Otoe adopted a semi-nomadic lifestyle dependent on the horse, with the American bison becoming central to their diet.

8 Head, in slang : NOB

The slang term “nob” has been used for “head” for over 300 years, and is a variant of “knob”.

9 New Orleans university : TULANE

Tulane University is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Tulane was founded in 1834 as the Medical College of Louisiana. The university was privatized with the aid of an endowment from philanthropist Paul Tulane in 1884, and as a result the school’s name was changed to Tulane University. The school’s sports teams use the name Tulane Green Wave, and the team mascot is Riptide the Pelican.

10 Iota : SPECK

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.

13 Ballpark figs. : ERAS

Earned run average (ERA)

14 ___ Equis : DOS

Dos Equis lager was originally brewed in 1897, and back then was called “Siglo XX” (20th century) to celebrate the arrival of the new century. The name was changed later to simply “Dos Equis” (two exes).

24 ___ tear (sports injury) : ACL

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of four major ligaments that support the knee.

26 Norse war god : ODIN

In Norse mythology, Odin was the chief of the gods. He is usually depicted as having one eye, reflecting the story of how he gave one of his eyes in exchange for wisdom.

28 Prefix with technology : NANO-

Nanotechnology is the study of the manipulation of matter at the atomic and molecular level. Nanotechnology is essential to the electronic and biomaterials industries.

31 25-Across on Earth, in brief : ONE G
(25A The “F” in F = ma : FORCE)

32 “Superfood” commonly used as a smoothie bowl topping : CHIA SEEDS

The force of gravity (g-force) that we all feel is referred to as “one G”. As gravity is an accelerating force, acceleration is measured relative to that force of gravity. So, if we are sitting in a vehicle that accelerates at 3G, then we are experiencing a force that is three times that which we feel from the gravitational pull of the earth. Zero G is weightlessness that is experienced when in space, and outside the influence of the earth’s gravity.

36 Like bell peppers, on the Scoville scale : MILD

The Scoville scale is a measure of the spiciness of chili peppers. The scale was invented by a pharmacist in 1912, Wilbur Scoville. To determine the position of a pepper on the Scoville scale, the amount of capsaicin in the chili is measured. Capsaicin is an irritant that causes the sensation of burning when it comes into contact with tissue, particularly mucous membranes.

40 Classic gag gift at a bachelorette party : SEX TOY

Back where I come from, bachelor parties are called stag parties, and bachelorette parties are known as hen parties.

42 Negro leagues legend Satchel : PAIGE

Satchel Paige pitched baseball in the Negro League and then the majors, before retiring in 1966. When he moved to the Major League, Paige was 42 as he pitched his first game, making him the oldest ever “rookie” to play Major League Baseball. And when he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1971, Paige was the first person to be so honored from the Negro League.

43 Portmanteau for a certain hybrid feline : TIGON

The tiger is the largest species in the cat family. Tigers have been known to breed with lions. A liger is a cross between a male lion and female tiger. A tigon is a cross between a female lion and a male tiger.

44 Washington, but not Jefferson : STATE

The people from what today is Washington state first petitioned the US Congress for statehood in 1852. At that time the proposal was to name the new state Columbia, but this was rejected as it was felt that a state called Columbia might be confused with the District of Columbia. Somewhat bizarrely, the alternative name of Washington was accepted. Certainly, the name Washington honors the first President, but there’s still potential confusion with the nation’s capital. I hate to admit my ignorance, but as a young man in Ireland, whenever I heard talk of Washington (state), I assumed the discussion was about Washington, D.C. …

46 Right triangle ratios : SINES

The most familiar trigonometric functions are sine, cosine and tangent (abbreviated to “sin, cos and tan”). Each of these is a ratio: a ratio of two sides of a right-angled triangle. The “reciprocal” of these three functions are cosecant, secant and cotangent. The reciprocal functions are simply the inverted ratios, the inverted sine, cosine and tangent. These inverted ratios should not be confused with the “inverse” trigonometric functions e.g. arcsine, arccosine and arctangent. These inverse functions are the reverse of the sine, cosine and tangent.

50 Nuclear bomb, e.g., for short : WMD

The first recorded use of the term “Weapon of Mass Destruction” (WMD) was in 1937. The words were used by Cosmo Gordon Lang, the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time, in reference to the bombardment of Guernica in Spain during the Spanish Civil War by the German Luftwaffe. He said, “Who can think without horror of what another widespread war would mean, waged as it would be with all the new weapons of mass destruction?”

52 Business card abbr. : STE

Suite (ste.)

53 Jersey greeting : MOO

Jersey cattle were bred originally on the island of Jersey in the Channel Islands, off the coast of France. If you’ve seen Elsie the Cow, the mascot of Borden in the US, then you’ve seen a Jersey cow.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Epiphanies : AHA MOMENTS
11 Spoke to a judge, say : PLED
15 Classic Warhol subject : TOMATO SOUP
16 Lead-in to -stat : AERO-
17 Like hitting a million-dollar jackpot : IMPROBABLE
18 Grps. receiving Our Children magazine : PTAS
19 Classic O’Keeffe subject : LILIES
20 Get into : ACCESS
22 Fox’s ___ Choice Awards : TEEN
23 Pub container : TANKARD
25 The “F” in F = ma : FORCE
27 Object : THING
30 Musician on the cover of Rolling Stone, often : ROCK IDOL
34 Martial arts actor Steven : SEAGAL
35 Obtain a sum via special relativity? : INHERIT
36 Some like it dirty : MARTINI
37 Model/TV personality Chrissy who wrote the cookbook series “Cravings” : TEIGEN
38 One who objects to screw caps, say : WINE SNOB
39 Shocked : AGASP
40 Cry heard at a shoe auction? : SOLED!
41 Per diem, e.g. : STIPEND
43 Shortening used in many recipes : TSPS
47 Reason for a colonial “party” : TEA TAX
48 Mendeleev who created the periodic table : DMITRI
50 Timely query : WHEN
51 “I’m ba-a-ack!” : IT’S ME AGAIN!
54 Anti-D.W.I. org. : MADD
55 Be in direct competition : GO TOE-TO-TOE
56 Insult, slangily : DISS
57 Epiphanies : EYE-OPENERS

Down

1 Not straight : ATILT
2 Bud : HOMIE
3 More than enough : AMPLE
4 California county that’s home to Muir Woods : MARIN
5 Great Plains tribe : OTOE
6 Packs : MOBS
7 Spanish pronoun : ESA
8 Head, in slang : NOB
9 New Orleans university : TULANE
10 Iota : SPECK
11 Homemade headwear for kids : PAPER HATS
12 “Time to eat!” : LET’S DIG IN!
13 Ballpark figs. : ERAS
14 ___ Equis : DOS
21 Like many fancy parties : CATERED
23 Moderate pace : TROT
24 ___ tear (sports injury) : ACL
25 Place to roast marshmallows : FIRE PIT
26 Norse war god : ODIN
28 Prefix with technology : NANO-
29 A bit too articulate, perhaps : GLIB
30 Eponym for an Italian ice chain : RITA
31 25-Across on Earth, in brief : ONE G
32 “Superfood” commonly used as a smoothie bowl topping : CHIA SEEDS
33 Frat party stunts : KEG STANDS
34 All there : SANE
36 Like bell peppers, on the Scoville scale : MILD
38 Earned : WON
40 Classic gag gift at a bachelorette party : SEX TOY
42 Negro leagues legend Satchel : PAIGE
43 Portmanteau for a certain hybrid feline : TIGON
44 Washington, but not Jefferson : STATE
45 Previous : PRIOR
46 Right triangle ratios : SINES
47 Like the ancestry of 37-Across : THAI
48 Challenger ___ (lowest known point in the earth’s oceans) : DEEP
49 Bud : MATE
50 Nuclear bomb, e.g., for short : WMD
52 Business card abbr. : STE
53 Jersey greeting : MOO