0329-22 NY Times Crossword 29 Mar 22, Tuesday

Constructed by: Jamey Smith
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: Industries

Themed answers are place-names, toponyms for industries cited in the corresponding clue:

  • 18A The country music industry : NASHVILLE
  • 20A The lobbying industry : K STREET
  • 26A The high-tech industry : SILICON VALLEY
  • 42A The advertising industry : MADISON AVENUE
  • 51A The automotive industry : DETROIT
  • 54A The film industry : HOLLYWOOD

Bill’s time: 6m 03s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Carne ___ taco : ASADA

The name of the dish called “carne asada” translates from Spanish as “roasted meat”.

6 Ski mountain transport : T-BAR

A T-bar is a ski lift on which the skiers are pulled up the hill in pairs, with each pair standing (not sitting!) either side of a T-shaped metal bar. The bar is placed behind the thighs, pulling along the skiers as they remain standing on their skis (hopefully!). There’s also a J-bar, which is a similar device but with each J-shaped bar used by one skier at a time.

10 Hairdo : COIF

A coif is a hairdo. The term “coif” comes from an old French term “coife” describing a skull-cap that was worn under a helmet back in the late 13th century.

14 Substance used by gymnasts and cellists : ROSIN

Rosin is a solid form of resin derived from plant sources. Rosin is formed into cakes that players of stringed instruments use to rub along the hairs of their bows to help improve sound quality. The rosin increases the degree of friction between the strings and the bow. That same friction-increasing property comes into play when baseball pitchers use rosin to get a better grip on the ball, or when dancers apply rosin to the soles of their shoes.

15 Major or Minor in astronomy? : URSA

The constellation Ursa Major (Latin for “Larger Bear”) is often just called “the Big Dipper” because of its resemblance to a ladle or dipper. Ursa Major also resembles a plow, and that’s what we usually call the same constellation back in Ireland, “the Plough”.

Ursa Minor (Latin for “Smaller Bear”) sits right beside the constellation Draco (Latin for “Dragon”). Ursa Minor used to be considered the wing of Draco, and was once called “Dragon’s Wing”. The tail of the “Smaller Bear” might also be considered as the handle of a ladle, and so the constellation is often referred to as the Little Dipper.

18 The country music industry : NASHVILLE

The Tennessee city of Nashville was founded in 1779 near a stockade in the Cumberland River valley called Fort Nashborough. Both the settlement and the fort were named for General Francis Nash, a war hero who died in combat during the American Revolution.

23 Blog message : POST

Many folks who visit this website regard it as just that, a website. That is true, but more specifically it is referred to as a blog, as I make regular posts (actually daily posts) that then occupy the “front page” of the site. The blog entries are in reverse chronological order, and one can just look back day-by-day, reading older and older posts. “Blog” is a contraction of the term “web log”.

26 The high-tech industry : SILICON VALLEY

The Santa Clara Valley, located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay, is better known as “Silicon Valley”. The term “Silicon Valley” dates back to 1971 when it was apparently first used in a weekly trade newspaper called “Electronic News” in articles written by journalist Don Hoefler.

31 Valuable violin, informally : STRAD

Generations of the Stradivari family produced violins and other stringed instruments, the most famous of which were constructed by Antonio Stradivari.

35 Ja’s opposite : NEIN

In German, one might answer “ja” (yes) or “nein” (no).

36 Banksy’s “Girl With Balloon,” e.g. : MURAL

A mural is a painting that is applied directly to a wall or a ceiling. The term “mural” comes from the Latin “murus” meaning “wall”.

Banksy is an English graffiti artist who is noted for his contempt of the British government for condemning his work as vandalism. Banksy’s work can fetch a pretty penny at auction. No one seems to know for sure who Banksy actually is …

38 Low-ranking NCOs : CPLS

A non-commissioned officer (NCO) might be a sergeant (sgt.) or a corporal (cpl.).

39 Office linkup letters : LAN

You may have a Local Area Network (LAN) in your house. If you’ve got a PC and a router or switch, likely attached to some modem, then you have a LAN.

40 Vegan protein source : TOFU

“Tofu” is a name for bean curd, and is a Japanese word meaning just that … bean that has curdled. Tofu is produced by coagulating soy milk, using either salt or something acidic. Once the protein has coagulated, the curds are pressed into the familiar blocks. Personally I love tofu, but my wife absolutely hates it …

A vegan is someone who stays away from animal products. A dietary vegan eats no animal foods, not even eggs and dairy that are usually eaten by vegetarians. Ethical vegans take things one step further by following a vegan diet and also avoiding animal products in other areas of their lives e.g. items made from leather or silk.

41 Think “OMG! OMG!” : PANIC

“OMG” is text-speak for “Oh My Gosh!” “Oh My Goodness!” or any other G-words you might care to use …

42 The advertising industry : MADISON AVENUE

Madison Avenue became the center of advertising in the US in the twenties, and serves as the backdrop to the great TV drama “Mad Men”. There aren’t many advertising agencies left on Madison Avenue these days though, as most have moved to other parts of New York City. The street takes its name from Madison Square, which is bounded on one side by Madison Avenue. The square in turn takes its name from James Madison, the fourth President of the United States.

47 Ancient Roman statesman known as “the Censor” : CATO

Cato the Elder was a Roman statesman, known historically as “the elder” in order to distinguish him from his great-grandson, Cato the Younger. Cato the Elder’s ultimate position within Roman society was that of Censor, making him responsible for maintaining the census, and for supervising public morality.

51 The automotive industry : DETROIT

The city of Detroit was founded in 1701 by Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, a French explorer. The original settlement was named for the Detroit River, which in turn takes its name from the French word “détroit” meaning “strait”. Detroit became inextricably linked with the automotive business from the very early 20th century when Henry Ford and others set up manufacturing in the area. This link to transportation led to Detroit’s nicknames “Motor City” and “Motown”. The city’s economic strength declined at the beginning of the 21st century, resulting in a 25% drop in population between 2000 and 2010. Detroit filed for the country’s largest municipal bankruptcy in history in 2013, facing a debt of $18.8 billion. The city exited bankruptcy at the end of 2014.

54 The film industry : HOLLYWOOD

Vine Street is a famous thoroughfare in Hollywood. Hollywood’s movie industry grew up around the intersection of “Hollywood and Vine”, where Hollywood Boulevard crossed Vine Street. That same intersection is now home to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the collection of brass stars embedded in the sidewalks that are monuments to achievement in the entertainment industry.

57 More bizarre : ODDER

“Bizarre” is a French word, one with the same meaning in French as English. However, back in the 16th century, “bizarre” used to mean “handsome, brave” in French. So that’s what my wife means when she refers to me as “bizarre” …?

59 Actress Fanning : ELLE

Actress Elle Fanning’s most notable performance to date (probably) was playing Aurora in the 2014 movie “Maleficent”. Elle’s older sister is actress Dakota Fanning.

60 Carmaker with a four-ring logo : AUDI

The predecessor to today’s Audi company was called Auto Union. Auto Union was formed with the merger of four individual entities: Audi, Horch, DKW and Wanderer. The Audi logo comprises four intersecting rings, each representing one of the four companies that merged.

64 Friend of Forman and Fez on “That ’70s Show” : KELSO

Ashton Kutcher played the character Michael Kelso on Fox’s “That ‘70s Show”. Kelso was Kutcher’s breakthrough acting role. Kutcher then starred in the sitcom “Two and a Half Men”, replacing the “disgraced” Charlie Sheen. In 2009, Kutcher became the first user on Twitter to get over 1 million followers.

“That ‘70s Show” is a sitcom that originally aired from 1998 to 2006. As the title suggests, it is set in the 1970s and explores the issues of the time. Two actors from the show that made it particularly big are Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher.

Down

2 Marinate, e.g. : SOAK

Our verb “to marinate” comes from the French “mariner” meaning “to pickle in sea brine”, which in turn comes from the Latin “marinus” meaning “of the sea”. So, “marinade” is related to “marine”.

5 Smartphone operating system with the biggest market share : ANDROID

Google’s Android operating system is used by many manufacturers of smartphones. Google partners with several companies to produce Android One phones. The beauty of the Android One is that it runs an unadulterated version of the Android operating system, one that hasn’t been “customized” by the likes of T-Mobile or Verizon.

11 Like canned sardines and olives, typically : OILY

Sardines are oily fish related to herrings. Sardines are also known as pilchards, although in the UK “sardine” is a noun reserved for a young pilchard. Very confusing …

21 “Emergency” keyboard key : ESC

The escape key (Esc) was originally used just to control computer peripherals. It was a key that allowed the computer operator to stop what the peripheral was doing (cancel a print job, for example). Nowadays the escape key is used for all sorts of things, especially in gaming programs.

27 Olympic figure skater Slutskaya : IRINA

Irina Slutskaya is a retired Russian figure skater. Slutskaya won the World Figure Skating Championships twice, in 2002 and 2005.

28 Like some tights and baseball games : NO-RUN

A snag is a pull or a tear in a fabric. A snag, particularly in stockings, might lead to a run. And on the other side of the Atlantic, a “run” is called a “ladder”.

29 College sports channel : ESPNU

ESPNU (short for “ESPN Universities”) is a sports channel focused on college athletics.

30 New Haven Ivy Leaguer : YALIE

Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut was founded in 1701, making it the third-oldest university in the US. Originally called the Collegiate School, it was renamed to Yale University in honor of retired merchant Elihu Yale, who made generous contributions to the institution. Yale University’s nickname is “Old Eli”, in a nod to the benefactor.

31 NBC weekend skit show, for short : SNL

NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) was named “NBC’s Saturday Night” during its first season. This was to differentiate it from the ABC show airing at that time, called “Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell”. Chevy Chase uttered the famous line “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night” in the very first SNL episode on October 11, 1975. That careful wording has persisted, even though the NBC show’s name was changed to “Saturday Night Live” after Cosell’s show went off the air in 1976.

34 Situation Room grp. : NSC

The National Security Council (NSC) was created by President Harry S. Truman in 1947. It is chaired by the sitting president and meets in the White House Situation Room.

The official name of the Situation Room in the White House is the John F. Kennedy Conference Room. The facility was built in the basement of the West Wing on the orders of President Kennedy in 1961 after the failed Bay of Pigs invasion. Analysis showed that the invasion failed largely due to a lack of real-time information, and so the Situation Room was built to prevent that from happening in the future.

37 Alien transports : UFOS

Unidentified flying object (UFO)

38 Make out : CANOODLE

To canoodle is to indulge in caresses and kisses.

40 A bit lit : TIPSY

The term “tipsy” comes from the verb “to tip” meaning “to overturn, knock over”, and has been meaning “drunk” since the late 1500s.

41 Gag gift in a ventilated box : PET ROCK

The Pet Rock lives on in history even though the fad really only lasted about 6 months, in 1975. It was enough to make Gary Dahl a millionaire though. His next idea, a “sand farm”, didn’t fly at all.

43 Fairway challenge : DOGLEG

A dogleg on a golf course is a hole that bends to the left or right. The name comes from the shape of a dog’s hind leg.

48 Sous-___ : CHEF

The “sous-chef de cuisine” (a French term) is the “under-chef of the kitchen”, the second-in-command.

50 Spaghetti ___ carbonara : ALLA

A carbonara pasta dish includes a sauce made with eggs, cheese, bacon and black pepper. Apparently, the name of the dish is derived from “carbonaro”, the Italian for “charcoal burner”. One suggestion is that it was first made for Italian charcoal workers in the mid-1900s.

51 Chowderhead : DODO

The dodo was a direct relative of the pigeon and dove, although the fully-grown dodo was usually three feet tall. One of the reasons the dodo comes to mind when we think of extinction of a species, is that it disappeared not too long ago (last recorded alive in 1662) and humans were the reason for its demise. The dodo lived exclusively on the island of Mauritius and when man arrived, we cut back the forests that were its home. We also introduced domestic animals, such as dogs and pigs, that ransacked the dodo’s nests. The dodo was deemed to be an awkward flightless bird and so the term “dodo” has come to mean a dull-witted person.

The word “chowderhead”, applied to someone who is regarded as stupid, has nothing to do with chowder at all. Rather, it is a corruption of an older term “cholter-head” meaning the same thing, but of unknown origin.

52 “White Wedding” singer Billy : IDOL

Billy Idol is an English rock musician, whose real name is William Broad. He started out with the punk band Generation X before making it big as a solo artist. Idol’s career was helped along by some well-received MTV music videos in the early days of the genre. His stage name was inspired by a school teacher who described young Billy as “idle”. He decided to avoid the “Billy Idle” spelling so as to avoid confusion with the “Monty Python” star Eric Idle.

53 Oolong and Darjeeling : TEAS

The name for the Chinese tea called “oolong” translates into English as “black dragon” or “dark dragon”.

Darjeeling tea comes from the Darjeeling district of West Bengal in India.

55 Angkor ___ (Cambodian temple) : WAT

Angkor Wat is a temple in Cambodia that was built in the 12th century. The beautiful building is iconic in Cambodia and is even featured in the center of the country’s national flag.

58 Onetime movie studio rival of MGM : RKO

The RKO Pictures studio was formed when RCA (RADIO Corporation of America) bought the KEITH-Albee-ORPHEUM theaters (and Joe Kennedy’s Film Booking Offices of America). The RKO initialism then comes from the words “Radio”, “Keith” and “Orpheum”.

The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) film studio was founded in 1924 by Marcus Loew. Loew was already a successful movie theater owner when he purchased Metro Pictures Corporation in 1919, and then Goldwyn Pictures in 1924. Later in 1924, Loew also purchased Louis B. Mayer Pictures, mainly so that Louis B. Mayer could merge all three studios and run them himself as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Carne ___ taco : ASADA
6 Ski mountain transport : T-BAR
10 Hairdo : COIF
14 Substance used by gymnasts and cellists : ROSIN
15 Major or Minor in astronomy? : URSA
16 Cry just before the guest of honor arrives at a surprise party : HIDE!
17 Staged, as a disappearance : FAKED
18 The country music industry : NASHVILLE
20 The lobbying industry : K STREET
22 So far : AS YET
23 Blog message : POST
24 Like facts, but not fiction : TRUE
26 The high-tech industry : SILICON VALLEY
31 Valuable violin, informally : STRAD
32 Leave out : OMIT
33 Japanese honorific : SAN
35 Ja’s opposite : NEIN
36 Banksy’s “Girl With Balloon,” e.g. : MURAL
38 Low-ranking NCOs : CPLS
39 Office linkup letters : LAN
40 Vegan protein source : TOFU
41 Think “OMG! OMG!” : PANIC
42 The advertising industry : MADISON AVENUE
46 Makes a choice : OPTS
47 Ancient Roman statesman known as “the Censor” : CATO
48 Rocky outcrops : CRAGS
51 The automotive industry : DETROIT
54 The film industry : HOLLYWOOD
57 More bizarre : ODDER
59 Actress Fanning : ELLE
60 Carmaker with a four-ring logo : AUDI
61 Conceal : CLOAK
62 National symbol : FLAG
63 Put on display, with “out” : TROT …
64 Friend of Forman and Fez on “That ’70s Show” : KELSO

Down

1 Sound from a little dog : ARF!
2 Marinate, e.g. : SOAK
3 Shows curiosity : ASKS
4 Nutritionist’s offering : DIET PLAN
5 Smartphone operating system with the biggest market share : ANDROID
6 Find on the radio dial : TUNE TO
7 Sitter’s handful : BRAT
8 Ninny : ASS
9 Encouraging word : RAH!
10 Sculptor’s tool : CHISEL
11 Like canned sardines and olives, typically : OILY
12 Just twiddling one’s thumbs : IDLE
13 Three in a yard : FEET
19 Strongroom : VAULT
21 “Emergency” keyboard key : ESC
24 Rating for non-kid shows : TV-MA
25 Train travel : RAIL
26 Use a rice cooker, e.g. : STEAM
27 Olympic figure skater Slutskaya : IRINA
28 Like some tights and baseball games : NO-RUN
29 College sports channel : ESPNU
30 New Haven Ivy Leaguer : YALIE
31 NBC weekend skit show, for short : SNL
34 Situation Room grp. : NSC
36 Not quite all : MOST
37 Alien transports : UFOS
38 Make out : CANOODLE
40 A bit lit : TIPSY
41 Gag gift in a ventilated box : PET ROCK
43 Fairway challenge : DOGLEG
44 Scored 100 on an exam : ACED IT
45 Brewery fixture : VAT
48 Sous-___ : CHEF
49 Get moving, casually : ROLL
50 Spaghetti ___ carbonara : ALLA
51 Chowderhead : DODO
52 “White Wedding” singer Billy : IDOL
53 Oolong and Darjeeling : TEAS
55 Angkor ___ (Cambodian temple) : WAT
56 Fox drama “___ Kind of People” : OUR
58 Onetime movie studio rival of MGM : RKO