0425-22 NY Times Crossword 25 Apr 22, Monday

Constructed by: Li Ding
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: Food Fight

Themed answers are characters with a military rank, and associated with FOOD:

  • 36A Type of battle that 17-, 26-/49- and 60-Across might be engaged in? : FOOD FIGHT
  • 17A Military leader who lends his name to a Chinese dish : GENERAL TSO
  • 26A With 49-Across, the face of Kentucky Fried Chicken : COLONEL
  • 49A See 26-Across : … SANDERS
  • 60A Cereal mascot in a naval uniform : CAP’N CRUNCH

Bill’s time: 6m 01s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Desensitizes, as with Novocain : NUMBS

“Novocain” is actually a brand name, one for the local anesthetic procaine.

10 Prefix with potent : OMNI-

Someone or something described as omnipotent if almighty, possesses infinite power. The term “omnipotent” comes from the Latin “omnis” (all) and “potens” (powerful, potent).

16 Sizable paper quantity : REAM

A ream is 500 sheets of paper. As there were 24 sheets in a quire, and 20 quires made up a ream, there used to be 480 sheets in a ream. Ever since the standard was changed to 500, a 480-sheet packet of paper has been called a “short ream”. We also use the term “reams” to mean a great amount, evolving from the idea of a lot of printed material.

17 Military leader who lends his name to a Chinese dish : GENERAL TSO

General Tso’s chicken is an American creation, and a dish often found on the menu of a Chinese restaurant. The name General Tso may be a reference to General Zuo Zongtang of the Qing Dynasty, but there is no clear link.

19 Dot on a radar screen : BLIP

Scientists have been using radio waves to detect the presence of objects since the late 1800s, but it was the demands of WWII that accelerated the practical application of the technology. The British called their system RDF standing for Range and Direction Finding. The system used by the US Navy was called “Radio Detection And Ranging”, which was shortened to the acronym “RADAR”.

21 Slenderest parts of Champagne flutes : STEMS

The narrow bowl of a champagne flute is usually preferred over the wide bowl of a champagne coupe as the smaller surface area of the wine helps retain its carbonation.

23 Director DuVernay : AVA

Ava DuVernay is a filmmaker who became the first African-American woman to win the Best Director Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, a feat she achieved in 2012 for her feature film “Middle of Nowhere”. “Middle of Nowhere” tells the story of a woman who drops out of medical school to focus on her husband when he is sentenced to 8 years in prison. DuVernay also directed the 2014 film “Selma” about the 1965 voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.

24 Cartoon films like “Spirited Away” and “Ninja Scroll” : ANIMES

“Ninja Scroll” is a 1993 Japanese anime film. An English-dubbed version was released the same year. The latter is widely regarded as being at least partially responsible for popularizing the adult anime genre in the West.

26 With 49-Across, the face of Kentucky Fried Chicken : COLONEL …
49A See 26-Across : … SANDERS

“Colonel” Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) fame has been portrayed in ads on television by several celebrities. The list includes Norm Macdonald, Jim Gaffigan, George Hamilton, Billy Zane, Rob Lowe, Ray Liotta and even Reba McEntire.

28 Bar mitzvah, for one : RITE

A Jewish girl becomes a bat mitzvah at 12 years of age, the age at which she becomes responsible for her actions. Boys become bar mitzvahs at 13. The terms translate into English as daughter and son of the commandments.

29 One making a listing on Airbnb : HOST

Airbnb is a website-based service that matches people wanting to rent out short-term living quarters to people seeking accommodation. The company was founded in 2008 as AirBed & Breakfast. The original concept was renting out an “air bed” and providing “breakfast” to someone looking for cheap, temporary accommodation.

34 Chocolate-and-caramel candy brand : ROLO

Rolo was a hugely popular chocolate candy in Ireland when I was growing up. It was introduced in the thirties in the UK, and is produced under license in the US by Hershey. I was a little disappointed when I had my first taste of the American version as the center is very hard and chewy. The recipe used on the other side of the Atlantic calls for a soft gooey center.

35 Trig 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.

39 Desert watering hole : OASIS

An isolated area of vegetation in a desert is called an oasis (plural “oases”). As water is needed for plant growth, an oasis might also include a spring, pond or small lake. We often use the term “oasis” more generally to describe a haven, a place of rest.

46 Russian pancakes served with sour cream : BLINI

A blintz (also “blintze” and “blin”, plural “blini”) is a thin pancake similar to a crêpe, although unlike a crêpe, a blintz may contain yeast.

47 Mom to Jaden and Willow Smith : JADA

Jada Pinkett Smith is an actress from Baltimore, Maryland. Pinkett Smith’s most famous role is the human rebel Niobe in “The Matrix” series of movies. Back in 1990, she auditioned for the TV show “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”, to play the girlfriend of the character played by Will Smith. She didn’t get the role but did get Will Smith, as the couple were married in 1997.

53 U.S. public health org. : CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is based in Atlanta, Georgia. The CDC started out life during WWII as the Office of National Defense Malaria Control Activities. The CDC worries about much more than malaria these days …

54 Puzzle type with pictures : REBUS

A rebus is a puzzle that uses pictures to represent letters and groups of letters. For example, a picture of a “ewe” might represent the letter “U” or the pronoun “you”, a picture of an “oar” might represent the letter “R” or the conjunction “or”, and a picture of an “awl” might represent the word “all”.

60 Cereal mascot in a naval uniform : CAP’N CRUNCH

The first Cap’n Crunch commercials aired in 1963, at the time the product line was launched. The Cap’n’s full name is Captain Horatio Magellan Crunch, would you believe? Crunch’s voice was provided for many years by Daws Butler, the same voice actor who gave us Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound. Cap’n Crunch is commander of the S.S. Guppy.

62 Nick at ___ : NITE

“Nick at Nite” is the name given to the late-night programming aired on the Nickelodeon channel space. Nick at Nite started broadcasting in 1985 and was conceived as television’s first “oldies” television network.

63 Bacon or Hamm, e.g. : ACTOR

Kevin Bacon is an actor from Philadelphia who appeared first on the big screen in the 1978 comedy “National Lampoon’s Animal House”. That wasn’t to be the big break that Bacon needed though, which came with “Footloose” in 1984. A fun fact about him is that he is the subject of a popular trivia game called “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” in which players have to show that a particular actor can be related to Kevin Bacon in fewer than six links, with each link being a movie in which two actors appear together.

Jon Hamm lived the life of a struggling actor for quite some time before he hit gold with a starring role in the AMC drama “Mad Men”. He plays the main character, advertising executive and man about town Don Draper.

64 Berry in a smoothie bowl : ACAI

Açaí (pronounced “ass-aye-ee”) is a palm tree native to Central and South America. The fruit has become very popular in recent years and its juice is a very fashionable addition to juice mixes and smoothies.

65 Grammy winner who sometimes sings in Gaelic : ENYA

Enya’s real name is Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, which can translate from Irish into Enya Brennan. Her Donegal family (in the northwest of Ireland) formed a band called Clannad, which included Enya. In 1980 Enya launched her very successful solo career, eventually becoming Ireland’s best-selling solo musician. And, she sure does turn up a lot in crosswords!

There are actually three Erse languages: Irish, Manx (spoken on the Isle of Man) and Scots Gaelic. In their own tongues, these would be “Gaeilge” (in Ireland), “Gaelg” (on the Isle of Man) and “Gaidhlig” (in Scotland).

66 Something shared on Instagram : PHOTO

Instagram (often abbreviated to “Insta”) is a photo-sharing application, one that is extremely popular. Instagram started in San Francisco in 2010. Facebook purchased Instagram two years later, paying $1 billion. The billion-dollar Instagram company had just 13 employees at the time of the sale …

67 “And I – I took the one ___ traveled by”: Robert Frost : LESS

Robert Frost had a poem published in 1916 in which he describes the road he took in the last lines:

I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Because of these last lines, the poem is often assumed to be titled “The Road Less Traveled”. In fact, the poem’s correct name is “The Road Not Taken”. Quite interesting …

Down

1 Straggling sort : LAGGARD

A “laggard” is someone or something that “lags” behind.

2 South Pacific region : OCEANIA

The part of the Pacific Ocean known as “Oceania” is roughly equivalent to the tropical islands of the South Pacific. Oceania can be divided into the regions of Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.

3 Income source for some retirees : ANNUITY

Annuities are regular payments made at fixed intervals of time. That interval of time used to be yearly (annual), but the term is used now for any regular payment, regardless of the interval of time.

5 Where Wizards play with Magic, in brief : NBA

The Washington Wizards are the professional basketball team based in the nation’s capital. The franchise began playing in Chicago as the Packers, in 1961. One year later, the Chicago team changed its name to the Zephyrs. After one more season, the franchise relocated and became the Baltimore Bullets. In 1973, the team moved to Landover, Maryland to become the Capital Bullets, and then took the Washington Bullets name the following season. The final name change came in 1995, as the owner was uncomfortable with the violent images conjured up by the “Bullets” name. The Wizards name was chosen after a fan contest.

The Orlando Magic were formed in 1989 as an NBA expansion team. A local paper was asked to run a competition to suggest names for the new team and the community came up with its four top picks of “Heat”, “Tropics”, “Juice” and “Magic”. A committee then opted for “Orlando Magic”. A good choice I think …

6 Web addresses, for short : URLS

An Internet address (like NYXCrossword.com and LAXCrossword.com) is more correctly called a uniform resource locator (URL).

7 Abolitionist Lucretia : MOTT

Lucretia Coffin Mott (what a name!) was an American Quaker, and an advocate for women’s rights. Mott has been called the first American “feminist”. Her first job was teaching in the Quaker school in which she was educated. There she learned that her salary was to be one third of that paid to the males with the same job (she had married one of the male teachers). That injustice initiated her interest in women’s rights.

9 Sports replay effect : SLO-MO

Slow motion (slo-mo) replay of film.

11 Pigment giving color to skin : MELANIN

Melanin is a natural pigment found in most organisms. In humans, melanin is the pigment in the skin, the production of which accelerates in response to UV radiation causing a “tan”. Melanin is also what is released as cephalopod ink, a defensive cloud squirted into the water by squids and octopodes.

12 Gullibility based on inexperience : NAIVETE

A gull is someone easily cheated, a dupe. The term “gull” gave rise to the word “gullible”, which is in common use today. Did you know that the word “gullible” has been removed from all online dictionaries?

31 “Modern Family” actress Vergara : SOFIA

Sofía Vergara is an actress and model from Barranquilla, Colombia who is perhaps best known from playing Gloria on the hit TV sitcom “Modern Family”. In 2016, “Forbes” magazine reported that Vergara was the highest paid actress on television.

“Modern Family” is a marvelous television show shown on ABC since 2009. The show’s format is that of a “mockumentary”, with the cast often addressing the camera directly. In that respect “Modern Family” resembles two other excellent shows: “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation”, both of which might also be described as “mockumentaries”.

38 Mardi ___ : GRAS

“Mardi Gras” translates from French as “Fat Tuesday”, and gets its name from the practice of eating rich foods on the eve of the fasting season known as Lent. Lent starts on the next day, called Ash Wednesday.

40 1992 Disney film with the ballad “A Whole New World” : ALADDIN

The Disney animated feature “Aladdin” was released in 1992. It is one of the best movies to come out of the studio, in my opinion, largely due to the great performance by Robin Williams who voiced the Genie. “Aladdin” was the most successful film of 1992, earning over $500 million worldwide, an unusual feat for an animated movie.

41 Nickname for Las Vegas : SIN CITY

Back in the 1800s, the Las Vegas Valley was given its name from the extensive meadows (“las vegas” is Spanish for “the meadows”) present in the area courtesy of the artesian wells drilled by local farmers. Las Vegas was incorporated as a city in 1905, in the days when it was a stopping-off point for pioneers traveling west. It eventually became a railroad town, although with the coming of the railroad growth halted as travelers began to bypass Las Vegas. The city’s tourism industry took off in 1935 with the completion of the nearby Hoover Dam, which is still a popular attraction. Then gambling was legalized, and things really started to move. Vegas was picked, largely by celebrated figures in “the mob”, as a convenient location across the California/Nevada state line that could service the vast population of Los Angeles. As a result, Las Vegas is the most populous US city founded in the 20th century (Chicago is the most populous city founded in the 19th century, just in case you were wondering).

43 Something that may be golden or broken : SILENCE

The exact etymology of the phrase “silence is golden” seems unclear, although it is part of the older and more expansive idiom “speech is silver; silence is golden”.

44 Camel relatives of South America : ALPACAS

Alpacas are like small llamas, but unlike llamas were never beasts of burden. Alpacas were bred specifically for the fleece. As such, there are no known wild alpacas these days, even in their native Peru.

47 Composer of the “Brandenburg Concertos,” in brief : JS BACH

The six, beautiful Brandenburg Concertos were composed by Johann Sebastian Bach and presented to the Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt in 1721.

56 Annoying little squirt : SNOT

“Squirt” is a slang term describing a small child.

59 Pekoe or Darjeeling : TEA

A pekoe (or more commonly “orange pekoe”) is a medium-grade black tea. There is no orange flavor in an orange pekoe tea. The “orange” name most likely derived from the name of the trading company that brought the tea to Europe from Asia.

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

61 ___-Magnon : CRO

Remains of early man, dating back to 35,000 years ago, were found in Abri de Cro-Magnon in southwest France, giving the name to those early humans. Cro-Magnon remains are the oldest human relics that have been discovered in Europe.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Unit of bread : LOAF
5 Desensitizes, as with Novocain : NUMBS
10 Prefix with potent : OMNI-
14 Pimply skin condition : ACNE
15 High-heat oven setting : BROIL
16 Sizable paper quantity : REAM
17 Military leader who lends his name to a Chinese dish : GENERAL TSO
19 Dot on a radar screen : BLIP
20 Loud and flashy : GAUDY
21 Slenderest parts of Champagne flutes : STEMS
23 Director DuVernay : AVA
24 Cartoon films like “Spirited Away” and “Ninja Scroll” : ANIMES
26 With 49-Across, the face of Kentucky Fried Chicken : COLONEL …
28 Bar mitzvah, for one : RITE
29 One making a listing on Airbnb : HOST
32 Rally around a common cause : UNITE
33 Clear as ___ (plain to see) : DAY
34 Chocolate-and-caramel candy brand : ROLO
35 Trig ratios : SINES
36 Type of battle that 17-, 26-/49- and 60-Across might be engaged in? : FOOD FIGHT
39 Desert watering hole : OASIS
42 Humble reply to “Nice job!” : I TRY!
43 Slump : SAG
46 Russian pancakes served with sour cream : BLINI
47 Mom to Jaden and Willow Smith : JADA
48 Walk a ___ in someone’s shoes : MILE
49 See 26-Across : … SANDERS
51 Work in clay or marble : SCULPT
53 U.S. public health org. : CDC
54 Puzzle type with pictures : REBUS
57 Really bothered : ATE AT
58 Touch up before publication : EDIT
60 Cereal mascot in a naval uniform : CAP’N CRUNCH
62 Nick at ___ : NITE
63 Bacon or Hamm, e.g. : ACTOR
64 Berry in a smoothie bowl : ACAI
65 Grammy winner who sometimes sings in Gaelic : ENYA
66 Something shared on Instagram : PHOTO
67 “And I – I took the one ___ traveled by”: Robert Frost : LESS

Down

1 Straggling sort : LAGGARD
2 South Pacific region : OCEANIA
3 Income source for some retirees : ANNUITY
4 “I’m hungry!” : FEED ME!
5 Where Wizards play with Magic, in brief : NBA
6 Web addresses, for short : URLS
7 Abolitionist Lucretia : MOTT
8 Halve : BISECT
9 Sports replay effect : SLO-MO
10 Spherical shape : ORB
11 Pigment giving color to skin : MELANIN
12 Gullibility based on inexperience : NAIVETE
13 Runs through with a sword : IMPALES
18 Deli bread variety : RYE
22 Like winter roads during a thaw : SLUSHY
25 “Get outta here!” : SHOO!
27 “You can bet ___” : ON IT
30 Grayed : OLD
31 “Modern Family” actress Vergara : SOFIA
34 More promising : ROSIER
36 Locate : FIND
37 “___ be an honor” : IT’D
38 Mardi ___ : GRAS
39 Shockingly vulgar : OBSCENE
40 1992 Disney film with the ballad “A Whole New World” : ALADDIN
41 Nickname for Las Vegas : SIN CITY
43 Something that may be golden or broken : SILENCE
44 Camel relatives of South America : ALPACAS
45 “Here’s the best part …” : GET THIS …
47 Composer of the “Brandenburg Concertos,” in brief : JS BACH
48 Held in common : MUTUAL
50 Summary of last week’s episode, perhaps : RECAP
52 Electric or hybrid product, maybe : CAR
55 No more than : UP TO
56 Annoying little squirt : SNOT
59 Pekoe or Darjeeling : TEA
61 ___-Magnon : CRO