Constructed by: Robyn Weintraub
Edited by: Will Shortz
Not your puzzle? Try today’s …
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Today’s Theme: None
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Bill’s time: 12m 33s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
6 Company with the motto “When you rise, we shine” : 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 traveling on Otis devices every few days.
10 Arcade game ender : TILT
In a game of pinball, some players get an irresistible urge to “nudge” the machine . Such a nudge, a movement of the machine designed to influence the path taken by the ball, is called a “tilt”. Most pinball machines have sensors designed to detect a tilt, and when activated a “tilt” warning light comes on and the player’s controls are temporarily disabled.
14 Jimi Hendrix vis-à-vis the Monkees, in 1967 : OPENING ACT
Many of his contemporaries regarded Jimi Hendrix as the greatest electric guitarist in the history of rock music. Hendrix was from Seattle and didn’t really have a really stellar start to his working life. He failed to finish high school and fell foul of the law by getting caught in stolen cars, twice. The courts gave him the option of the army or two years in prison. Hendrix chose the former and soon found himself in the famous 101st Airborne. In the army, his less-than-disciplined ways helped him (as he would have seen it) because his superiors successfully petitioned to get him discharged after serving only one year of his two-year requirement, just to get him out of their hair.
The Monkees pop group was assembled in 1966 specifically for a planned television series called “The Monkees”. The show aired from 1966 to 1968, and the band continued to perform in concerts until 1970. 20 years after the band was formed, there was a revival in interest for both the show and the band’s music, so the Monkees got together for several reunion tours. The lead singer of the group was Englishman Davy Jones, who passed away in February 2012.
19 “Woo-hoo!,” in Oaxaca : OLE!
Oaxaca is a state in the southern part of Mexico on the Pacific coast. The state takes the name of Oaxaca, its largest city.
21 It’s down in France : DUVET
A duvet is a large flat bag that is filled with down feathers or a synthetic substitute that is used as a top cover for a bed. Although a duvet is similar to what is called a “comforter” in the US, there is a difference. A duvet often has an easily removed cover that is usually laundered at the same time as the bottom sheet and pillowcases. We use them a lot in Europe, and generally without a top sheet due to the ease of laundering.
23 Graham of “Gilmore Girls” : LAUREN
“Gilmore Girls” is a comedy show that originally aired from 2000 to 2007 on the WB. The title characters are mother and daughter Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, played by Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. All the action takes place in the fictional Connecticut town of Stars Hollow.
25 Plant with oily seeds : CANOLA
Canola is a type of rapeseed, and Canola oil is made from the seeds. The particular cultivar used in oil production was developed in Canada, and the name Canola in fact comes from “CANadian Oil, Low Acid”.
29 African river with a notorious name : EBOLA
The Ebola River is a tributary of the Congo River and is located in the north of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The river’s name is a contemporary French corruption of its indigenous name “Legbala”, which translates as “White Water”. The deadly Ebola virus is named for the river, as the first outbreak was identified near the Ebola River in 1976.
33 Actor Burton : LEVAR
Actor LeVar Burton is very much associated with two iconic roles on television, i.e. young Kunta Kinte in “Roots” and Geordi La Forge in “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. Burton also hosted the children’s PBS show “Reading Rainbow” for many years. His portrayal of Kunta Kinte in 1977 was Burton’s first acting job. Indeed, Burton’s audition for the part was the first in his professional career!
35 One of three brothers in a Puzo best seller : FREDO
Fredo Corleone is a middle son in the Corleone family that features in Mario Puzo’s “The Godfather”. He was considered the weak son, and was reduced to the role of “gopher”. Fredo was with his father when Don Corleone was shot, and although he tried to retaliate as the shooting took place, he dropped his gun. On the screen, Fredo was played by Italian-American actor John Cazale.
36 Employer of Kirk and Spock : STARFLEET
In the “Star Trek” universe, Starfleet is a military service maintained by the United Federation of Planets. Famously, Starfleet is also tasked with deep-space exploration, “to boldly go where no man has gone before …”
38 Like O negative vis-à-vis O positive : RARER
Here is an approximate distribution of blood types across the US population:
- O-positive: 38 percent
- O-negative: 7 percent
- A-positive: 34 percent
- A-negative: 6 percent
- B-positive: 9 percent
- B-negative: 2 percent
- AB-positive: 3 percent
- AB-negative: 1 percent
We can use the French phrase “vis-à-vis” as a preposition meaning “compared with”. When used as an adverb or adjective, it means “face-to-face”, which is a more literal translation from French.
39 Hucksters have them : SPIELS
A spiel is a lengthy speech or argument designed to persuade, like a sales pitch. “Spiel” comes to us from German, either directly (“spiel” is the German for “play”) or via the Yiddish “shpil”.
A huckster is an aggressive peddler of goods. The term derives from the Middle Dutch “hokester”, a word for a peddler.
44 All 12 Disney princesses, e.g. : TEENS
As of 2022, there were 12 “official” Disney princesses:
- Princess Snow White (from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”)
- Princess Cinderella (from “Cinderella”)
- Princess Aurora (from “Sleeping Beauty)
- Princess Ariel (from “The Little Mermaid”)
- Princess Belle (from “Beauty and the Beast”)
- Princess Jasmine (from “Aladdin”)
- Princess Pocahontas (from “Pocahontas”)
- Princess Mulan (from “Mulan”)
- Princess Tiana (from “The Princess and the Frog”)
- Princess Rapunzel (from “Tangled”)
- Princess Merida (from “Brave”)
- Princess Moana (from “Moana”)
49 Clip : RATE
A clipper was a three-masted sailing ship commonly crossing the seas in the 19th century. Clippers were built for speed, so were narrow and had less room for carrying freight than many vessels used in trade. They were developed largely due to the demand for speedy delivery of fresh tea from China to Europe. The name comes from the term “to clip” meaning to move swiftly (as in “at a clip”). Perhaps the most famous clipper ship is the Cutty Sark built in 1869, the last clipper to be built as a merchant vessel. The Cutty Sark owes her fame to the fact that she is on display as a museum ship in a dry dock in Greenwich in London.
54 Ingredients in mattar paneer : PEAS
Paneer is a South Asian cheese, most commonly encountered in Indian dishes here in North America. Paneer is a “fresh” cheese, one that is made just before it is consumed.
56 Hoi polloi : PEONS
A peon is a lowly worker who has no real control over his/her working conditions. The word “peon” comes into English from Spanish, in which language it has the same meaning.
“Hoi polloi” is a Greek term that translates literally as “the majority, the many”. In English, “hoi polloi” has come to mean “the masses” and is often used in a derogatory sense. Oddly, the term has also come to describe “the elite”.
Down
1 Endangered Western wolf : LOBO
The timber wolf is also known as the gray wolf, tundra wolf or lobo.
2 Olympic Australis is a noted one : OPAL
The largest opal ever found, and the most valuable, is the Olympic Australis. It was discovered in South Australia in 1956. That same year, the Summer Olympics were being held in Melbourne so the newly discovered stone was given the name “Olympic Australis”.
3 Tiny inheritance : GENE
A gene is a section of a chromosome that is responsible for a particular characteristic in an organism. For example, one gene may determine eye color and another balding pattern. We have two copies of each gene, one from each of our parents, with each copy known as an allele.
8 Hoth, in “The Empire Strikes Back” : ICE PLANET
The fictional planet known as Hoth is featured in the “Star Wars” movie “The Empire Strikes Back”. Hoth is an ice planet, and home to a secret base belonging to the Rebel Alliance.
9 Regular: Abbr. : STD
Standard (std.)
10 Path at a university : TENURE TRACK
A job in a university that is described as “tenure-track” is one that can lead to a tenured position. A tenured position is a “job for life”. A person with tenure can only be dismissed for cause.
12 Wrinkle-prone fabric : LINEN
The textile known as linen is made from flax fibers. The name “linen” probably comes from “linum”, which is Latin for both “flax” and “textile made from flax”.
15 Designer Kamali who made Farrah Fawcett’s iconic red swimsuit : NORMA
Norma Kamali is a fashion designer from New York City. One of the more famous of Kamali’s designs is a reddish-orange swimsuit worn by Farrah Fawcett in a 1976 poster. That poster has sold over 12 million copies, making it the best-selling poster in history. That Kamali-designed bathing suit was donated to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in 2011.
Farrah Fawcett’s first big role was that of Jill Monroe, one of the famous “Charlie’s Angels”. Fawcett’s life off-screen was just as celebrated as her performances on television. Fawcett was married to actor Lee Majors (“The Six Million Dollar Man”) for nine years, and then spent fifteen years with actor Ryan O’Neal.
21 Non-taxing part of airline travel? : DUTY-FREE SHOP
Shannon Airport in the West of Ireland was the first place in the world to offer duty-free shopping. Shannon was also where the Irish Coffee originated, despite many claims to the contrary …
22 They work using photovoltaic cells : SOLAR PANELS
Solar panels are arrays of solar cells that make use of what’s known as the photovoltaic effect. We are more likely to have learned about the photoelectric effect in school, in which electrons were ejected from the surface of some materials when it was exposed to light or other forms of radiation. The photovoltaic effect is related but different. Instead of being electrons ejected from the surface, in the photovoltaic effect electrons move around in the material creating a difference in voltage.
25 Images of Pluto, perhaps : CELS
Pluto is Mickey Mouse’s pet dog, as well as a star in his own right. Pluto is an unusual Disney character in that he is portrayed basically as a dog as opposed to a “humanized” version of a dog, as are the other Disney characters.
26 Assist on the job : ABET
The word “abet” comes into English from the Old French “abeter” meaning “to bait” or “to harass with dogs” (literally “to make bite”). This sense of encouraging something bad to happen morphed into our modern usage of “abet” meaning to aid or encourage someone in a crime.
27 Part of Canada named for part of Europe : NOVA SCOTIA
The Canadian province of Nova Scotia (NS) lies on the east coast of the country and is a peninsula surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. The area was settled by Scots starting in 1621, and Nova Scotia is Latin for “New Scotland”.
31 Yemeni seaport : ADEN
Aden is a seaport in Yemen that is located on the Gulf of Aden by the eastern approach to the Red Sea. Aden has a long history of British rule, from 1838 until a very messy withdrawal in 1967. A native of Aden is known as an Adeni. Some believe that Cain and Abel are buried in the city.
32 It may be part of a suit : 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.
37 Abstract artist Krasner : LEE
Lee Krasner was an abstract expressionist painter from Brooklyn, New York. Krasner was married to fellow abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock, and the couple were known to have had enormous influence on each other’s work. Krasner is one of a short list of female artists to have had retrospective shows in the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
40 Actress who played Queens Elizabeth and Victoria in film : DENCH
Dame Judi Dench is an outstanding English actress who has appeared for decades in her home country on stage and screen. Dench’s film career took off in the nineties with a relatively trivial role as “M” in the James Bond series of films. Since then she has played leading roles in several excellent movies including “Shakespeare in Love”, “Mrs. Brown”, “Notes on a Scandal” and “Philomena”.
42 “Cheers” actor George : WENDT
The character of Norm Peterson was the only customer of the bar to appear in every episode of “Cheers”, something that one couldn’t really call ironic since he loved that barstool! George Wendt played Norm. I suppose the fact that Wendt was expelled from Notre Dame after one semester with a 0.0 GPA, that might have helped him get the role!
46 Paste in soup : MISO
Miso is the name of the seasoning that makes miso soup. Basic miso seasoning is made by fermenting rice, barley and soybeans with salt and a fungus to produce a paste. The paste can be added to stock to make miso soup, or perhaps to flavor tofu.
48 Private dining room : MESS
“Mess” first came into English about 1300, when it described the list of food needed for a meal. The term comes from the Old French word “mes” meaning a portion of food or a course at a meal. This usage in English evolved into “mess” meaning a jumbled mass of anything, from the concept of “mixed food”. The original usage, in the sense of a food for a meal, surfaced again in the military in the 1500s when a “mess” was a communal eating place.
50 “The Carol Burnett Show” network : CBS
Carol Burnett routinely ended “The Carol Burnett Show” with a rendition of the song “I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together”. As she sang the last line, she would gently tug on her left ear. According to Burnett, that ear tug was a secret signal to her grandmother meaning, “Hi Nanny. I’m fine. I love you”.
51 Day associated with Mars, in astrology: Abbr. : TUE
We have seven days in a week because there are seven classical planets in the Solar System. The days were named for these “planets” during the Roman era:
- Sun (Sunday)
- Moon (Monday)
- Mars (Tuesday)
- Mercury (Wednesday)
- Jupiter (Thursday)
- Venus (Friday)
- Saturn (Saturday)
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Puzzle genre : LOGIC
6 Company with the motto “When you rise, we shine” : OTIS
10 Arcade game ender : TILT
14 Jimi Hendrix vis-à-vis the Monkees, in 1967 : OPENING ACT
16 Eastern leader : EMIR
17 Supplied with dough, as a bakery : BANKROLLED
18 Giving chocolate to the dog, e.g. : NO-NO
19 “Woo-hoo!,” in Oaxaca : OLE!
20 Proceed during rush hour, say : CREEP
21 It’s down in France : DUVET
22 Totals : SUMS
23 Graham of “Gilmore Girls” : LAUREN
25 Plant with oily seeds : CANOLA
28 Give and take : BARTER
29 African river with a notorious name : EBOLA
30 “Well, who’da thunk it!” : FANCY THAT!
33 Actor Burton : LEVAR
34 Hot flash? : IRE
35 One of three brothers in a Puzo best seller : FREDO
36 Employer of Kirk and Spock : STARFLEET
38 Like O negative vis-à-vis O positive : RARER
39 Hucksters have them : SPIELS
40 Dressed, so to speak : DECENT
41 Went up : SCALED
42 Magazine with the slogan “All you need to know about everything that matters,” with “The” : … WEEK
43 The average American spends over four hours a day on it : PHONE
44 All 12 Disney princesses, e.g. : TEENS
46 Small-business partner, perhaps : MOM
49 Clip : RATE
50 Period before a big deadline : CRUNCH TIME
52 It’s not good : EVIL
53 Buildings with many wings : BIRDHOUSES
54 Ingredients in mattar paneer : PEAS
55 Place to park : SPOT
56 Hoi polloi : PEONS
Down
1 Endangered Western wolf : LOBO
2 Olympic Australis is a noted one : OPAL
3 Tiny inheritance : GENE
4 It commonly comes in black and blue : INK
5 Trash can, jocularly : CIRCULAR FILE
6 Looks like a jerk : OGLES
7 Chronicle : TALE
8 Hoth, in “The Empire Strikes Back” : ICE PLANET
9 Regular: Abbr. : STD
10 Path at a university : TENURE TRACK
11 Comment made while waving in a crowd : I’M OVER HERE!
12 Wrinkle-prone fabric : LINEN
13 Parade, with “out” : TROT …
15 Designer Kamali who made Farrah Fawcett’s iconic red swimsuit : NORMA
21 Non-taxing part of airline travel? : DUTY-FREE SHOP
22 They work using photovoltaic cells : SOLAR PANELS
24 Bow : ARC
25 Images of Pluto, perhaps : CELS
26 Assist on the job : ABET
27 Part of Canada named for part of Europe : NOVA SCOTIA
28 Shows : BARES
30 Reason some kids won’t go to class : FIELD TRIP
31 Yemeni seaport : ADEN
32 It may be part of a suit : TORT
37 Abstract artist Krasner : LEE
40 Actress who played Queens Elizabeth and Victoria in film : DENCH
41 Take a plane to : SHAVE
42 “Cheers” actor George : WENDT
43 Gear up : PREP
45 Dollar alternative : EURO
46 Paste in soup : MISO
47 Dark clouds, e.g. : OMEN
48 Private dining room : MESS
50 “The Carol Burnett Show” network : CBS
51 Day associated with Mars, in astrology: Abbr. : TUE
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