Constructed by: Christina Iverson & Katie Hale
Edited by: Will Shortz
Not your puzzle? Try today’s …
… syndicated NY Times crossword
Today’s Theme: Let’s Get Literature
Themed answers are common phrases with a suffix added to the last word, giving an author referenced in the corresponding clue:
- 23A Looks up from reading “Frankenstein”? : COMES OUT OF ONE’S SHELLEY
- 33A Reads “Catch-22,” “Closing Time” and “Something Happened” — and doesn’t stop there? : GOES THROUGH HELLER
- 55A Borrows “The Color Purple” from the library instead of “The Flowers”? : TAKES A LONG WALKER
- 81A Listens to “Tom Jones” on audiobook? : PLAYS THE FIELDING
- 100A Reads “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” so many times its spine splits? : BREAKS THE LAWRENCE
- 117A Donates some copies of “King Lear” to the Renaissance Festival? : GIVES A FAIR SHAKESPEARE
Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers
Want to discuss the puzzle? Then …
… leave a comment
Bill’s time: 18m 14s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
5 ____ bar : SPACE
In early typewriters, the space bar was indeed a bar. It was a metal bar that stretched across the full width of the keyboard.
19 “Hello there, sailor!” : AHOY!
“Ahoy!” is a nautical term used to signal a vessel. When the telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell, he suggested that “ahoy” be used as a standard greeting when answering a call. However, Thomas Edison came up with “hello”, and we’ve been using that ever since.
20 Gourmet mushroom with poisonous lookalikes : MOREL
The morel is that mushroom with the honeycomb-like structure on the cap. Morels are highly prized, especially in French cuisine. They should never be eaten raw as they are toxic, with the toxins being removed by thorough cooking.
22 Core workout challenge : PLANK
The plank is an isometric exercise that strengthens the abdominals, as well as the back and shoulder muscles. There are variations of the plank, such as the side plank and the reverse plank.
23 Looks up from reading “Frankenstein”? : COMES OUT OF ONE’S SHELLEY
Mary Shelley’s Gothic novel has the full title of “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus”. The subtitle underscores one of the themes of the book, i.e. a warning about the expansion into the Industrial Revolution.
32 Revise : AMEND
The verb “to amend” means “to change for the better, put right, alter by adding”. The related verb “to emend” is used more rarely, and mainly in reference to the editing of professional writing. Both terms are derived from the Latin “emendare” meaning “to remove fault”.
33 Reads “Catch-22,” “Closing Time” and “Something Happened” — and doesn’t stop there? : GOES THROUGH HELLER
“Catch-22” is a novel by Joseph Heller set during WWII. The title refers to absurd bureaucratic constraints that soldiers had to suffer. Heller’s “Catch 22” was invoked by an army psychiatrist to explain that any pilot requesting to be evaluated for insanity, to avoid flying dangerous missions, had to be sane as only a sane man would try to get out of such missions. The term “catch-22” has entered the language and describes a paradoxical situation from which one can’t escape due to contradictory rules; one loses, no matter what choice one makes.
44 The joy of text? : LOL
Laugh out loud (LOL)
48 Kendrick Lamar’s 2017 Best Rap Album Grammy winner : DAMN
Kendrick Lamar is a hip-hop singer from Compton, California. Lamar’s full name is Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, with the singer’s given name honoring Motown artist Eddie Kendricks. Notably, his 2017 album “Damn” won a Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first non-classical or non-jazz album to do so.
50 “Aquaman” actor Jason : MOMOA
Jason Momoa is a model and actor who is perhaps best known for playing superhero Aquaman in several DC Comics films. He also played warrior leader Khal Drogo in the HBO TV series “Game of Thrones”. In 2017, Momoa married actress Lisa Bonet, who played Denise Huxtable on “The Cosby Show”.
55 Borrows “The Color Purple” from the library instead of “The Flowers”? : TAKES A LONG WALKER
Alice Walker is an author and poet. Walker’s best known work is the novel “The Color Purple”, which earned her the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. “The Color Purple” was adapted into a very successful film of the same name, directed by Steven Spielberg.
60 1960s activist Bobby : SEALE
Bobby Seale is a civil rights activist who co-founded the Black Panther Party with Huey Newton. Seale was one of the Chicago Eight, eight people charged as a result of anti-Vietnam war protests that took place during the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. The judge ordered Seale severed from the case, reducing the group of defendants to the Chicago Seven. However, Seale’s vehement protests during the trial led to the judge ordering him bound, gagged and chained to his chair, and eventually sentenced him to four years in jail for contempt of court. That conviction was quickly overturned on appeal.
63 Belgrade resident : SERB
Belgrade is the capital city of Serbia. The name “Belgrade” translates into “White City”.
65 First in a line of 13 popes : LEO I
The first pope named Leo is now known as Pope Saint Leo the Great. Leo I is famous for meeting with the feared Attila the Hun and persuading him to turn back his invading force that was threatening to overrun Western Europe.
69 Lifewater and Elixir brand : SOBE
The brand name “SoBe” can be found on teas, juices and bottled waters. “SoBe” is an abbreviation for “South Beach”, the neighborhood in Miami Beach, Florida.
74 Fashion guru Tim : GUNN
Tim Gunn is a fashion consultant, and these days a television personality as well. He makes regular appearances on the reality TV show “Project Runway”, and is so popular a character that he now has his own show called “Tim Gunn’s Guide in Style”.
81 Listens to “Tom Jones” on audiobook? : PLAYS THE FIELDING
Henry Fielding was an English writer whose most famous work is the 1749 novel “Tom Jones”. Writing isn’t Fielding’s only claim to fame. He also founded the Bow Street Runners, the city of London’s first professional police force.
85 Matterhorn range : ALPS
“Matterhorn” is the German name for the famous Alpine peak that lies on the border between Switzerland and Italy. The Italian name for the same mountain is “Monte Cervino”, and the French call it “Mont Cervin”. “Matterhorn” comes from the German words Matte and Horn meaning “meadow” and “peak”. “Cervino” and “Cervin” come from the Latin name for the mountain, i.e. “Mons Silvius”, meaning “Forest Mountain”.
87 Wheely good invention? : TIRE
John Boyd Dunlop was an inventor and veterinary surgeon from Scotland who spent most of his life in Ireland. He is most remembered for developing the first practical pneumatic tire, for which a patent was awarded in 1888. Dunlop’s patent was eventually invalidated, as others in the US and France had patented similar inventions. Regardless, Dunlop partnered with Dublin-born financier Harvey du Cros to found the Dunlop Rubber company and essentially established the pneumatic tire industry.
89 ____ tube : BOOB
“Idiot box” and “boob tube” are nicknames for television.
91 H : ETA
Eta is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, and is a forerunner of our Latin character “H”. Originally denoting a consonant, eta was used as a long vowel in Ancient Greek.
94 Dawson in the Pro Football Hall of Fame : LEN
Len Dawson is a retired AFL-NFL quarterback who played for the Kansas City Chiefs (originally the Dallas Texans). Dawson played for the Chiefs in the first ever Super Bowl, losing badly to the Green Bay Packers. However, he was on the winning team in Super Bowl IV, when the Chiefs defeated the Minnesota Vikings. Quarterback Dawson was named the MVP that day.
95 “Chat another time!” in an I.M. : TTYL
Talk to you later (TTYL)
97 Bolt in a sprint : USAIN
Usain Bolt is a Jamaican sprinter who won the 100m and 200m race gold medals in the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. Back in Jamaica, Bolt was really into cricket, and probably would have been a very successful fast bowler had he not hit the track instead.
99 Director Guillermo ____ Toro : DEL
Guillermo del Toro is a film director from Guadalajara in Mexico who has had success directing and producing American films. His best-known works are probably action movies like “Blade II” (2002) and “Hellboy” (2004). Del Toro won an Oscar for Best Director for the 2017 movie “The Shape of Water”.
100 Reads “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” so many times its spine splits? : BREAKS THE LAWRENCE
D. H. Lawrence was very much a reactionary novelist, in the sense that his work tended to decry the social impact of the industrial revolution. His novels were also criticized for their erotic content, so much so that Lawrence was publicly labelled as a pornographer by the end of his days. His most famous novels are “Sons and Lovers”, “The Rainbow”, “Women in Love” and “Lady Chatterley’s Lover”.
“Lady Chatterley’s Lover” is perhaps the most famous novel by the English author D. H. Lawrence. The novel is renowned for its explicit description of sexual encounters and its use of strong language. “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” was first published in 1928, but so “edgy” was the content that the first unexpurgated edition wasn’t published in the UK until 1960.
105 Cryptids on snowy mountains : YETIS
The yeti, also known as the abominable snowman, is a beast of legend. “Yeti” is a Tibetan term, and the beast is fabled to live in the Himalayan regions of Nepal and Tibet. Our equivalent legend in North America is that of Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch. The study of animals whose existence have not yet been substantiated is called cryptozoology, and a cryptid is a creature or plant that isn’t recognized by the scientific community, but the existence of which has been suggested.
107 Mars bar with shortbread and chocolate : TWIX
I remember Twix bars from way back in 1967 when they were introduced in Britain and Ireland. Twix bars made it to the US over a decade later, in 1979. The name “Twix” is a portmanteau of “twin bix”, short for “twin biscuit”.
117 Donates some copies of “King Lear” to the Renaissance Festival? : GIVES A FAIR SHAKESPEARE
Shakespeare was inspired to write his famous drama “King Lear” by the legend of “Leir of Britain”, the story of a mythological Celtic king.
121 Curling locale : RINK
I think curling is such a cool game (pun!). It’s somewhat like bowls, but played on a sheet of ice. The sport was supposedly invented in medieval Scotland, and is called curling because of the action of the granite stone as it moves across the ice. A player can make the stone take a curved path (“curl”) by causing it to slowly rotate as it slides.
122 Musical with the song “Another Suitcase in Another Hall” : EVITA
“Another Suitcase in Another Hall” is a song from the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical “Evita”. The song is sung by Juan Perón’s mistress after Eva throws her onto the street. Scottish singer Barbara Dickson recorded the original version, which was released as a single in 1977. Madonna sang “Another Suitcase in Another Hall” in the 1996 film adaptation of “Evita”, even though she played Eva Perón and not the mistress.
123 ____ Rachel Wood of “Westworld” : EVAN
Actress Evan Rachel Wood’s most famous role to date is playing one of the leads in the 2003 movie “Thirteen”. Wood’s private life draws a lot of attention, especially as she was romantically linked for some time with the “outrageous” musician Marilyn Manson.
“Westworld” is an HBO series that is based on a 1973 movie of the same name, which was written and directed by novelist Michael Crichton. Westworld is a high-tech theme park populated by androids that interact with the guests.
Down
1 “Octopuses can use tools,” e.g. : FACT
The name “octopus” comes from the Greek for “eight-footed”. The most common plural used is “octopuses”, although the Greek plural form “octopodes” is also quite correct. The plural “octopi” isn’t really correct as the inference is that “octopus” is like a second-declension Latin noun, which it isn’t. That said, dictionaries are now citing “octopi” as an acceptable plural. Language does evolve, even though it drives me crazy …
5 Suave : SMOOTH
The Latin word “suavis” translates as “agreeable, pleasant to the senses”. “Sauvis” is the root of the English word “suave” that describes someone who is gracious and sophisticated, and perhaps somewhat superficial. “Sauvis” also gave us the English word “sweet” meaning “pleasing to the taste”.
9 Keebler cookie with shortbread and chocolate : E.L. FUDGE
When Keebler introduced its E.L. Fudge line of cookies, the “E.L.” was deemed to stand for “Everybody Loves”. The marketing folks now say that the ELF monogram is in honor of the Keebler Elves.
The famous Keebler Elves have been appearing in ads for Keebler since 1968. The original head of the elves was J. J. Keebler, but he was toppled from power by Ernest J. Keebler in 1970. The Keebler Elves bake their cookies in the Hollow Tree Factory.
11 Biblical analogue of Aron in “East of Eden” : ABEL
John Steinbeck considered his 1952 novel “East of Eden” to be his magnum opus. Most of the storyline takes place near Salinas, just south of the San Francisco Bay Area. Two of the characters in the story are brothers Cal and Aron Trask, representative of the biblical Cain and Abel.
13 South Korean “Princes of Pop” : BTS
BTS is a boy band from South Korea with seven members. The initialism “BTS” stands for the phrase “Bangtan Sonyeondan”, which translates literally as “Bulletproof Boy Scouts”. BTS is the best-selling musical act in the history of South Korea.
14 Jimmies and corkscrews : OPENERS
“Jimmy” is a variant of the word “jemmy”. A jemmy is a type of crowbar, one associated with burglars back in the 1800s.
15 Debbie of “Fame” and “Grey’s Anatomy” : ALLEN
Debbie Allen is an actress, dancer and choreographer who is best known for playing dance teacher Lydia Grant on the great TV show “Fame” in the 1980s. Allen is the younger sister of actress Phylicia Rashad, who played Calir Huxtable on the sitcom “The Cosby Show”.
16 Things often next to napkins in place settings : SALAD FORKS
Our word “napkin” dates back to the 1300s, when it had the same meaning as today. The term comes from the old French word “nape” meaning “tablecloth” and the Middle English suffix “-kin” meaning “little”. So, a napkin is a little tablecloth.
18 Absolut alternative : SKYY
Skyy Vodka is produced in the US, although the operation is owned by the Campari Group headquartered in Italy. Skyy first hit the shelves in 1992 when it was created by an entrepreneur from San Francisco, California.
I must admit, if I ever do order a vodka drink by name, I will order the Absolut brand. I must also admit that I do so from the perspective of an enthusiastic amateur photographer. I’ve been swayed by the Absolut marketing campaign that features such outstanding photographic images.
25 Text-writer’s segue : OTOH
On the other hand (OTOH)
26 Philosopher David : HUME
David Hume was a philosopher and historian from Scotland. One of his greatest works is the massive “The History of England”, which was published in six volumes from 1754 to 1762. The massive tome covers the nation’s history from the Roman conquest of Britain led by Julius Caesar in 55 BCE, up to the Glorious Revolution of 1688 that removed King James II from the throne and replaced him with William III and Mary II.
31 Alternative to a diaphragm : IUD
It seems that it isn’t fully understood how the intrauterine device (IUD) works. The design that was most popular for decades was a T-shaped plastic frame on which was wound copper wire. It’s thought that the device is an irritant in the uterus causing the body to release chemicals that are hostile to sperm and eggs. This effect is enhanced by the presence of the copper.
33 Strong wind : GALE
A gale is a very strong wind, one defined by the Beaufort scale as having wind speeds from 50 to just over 100 kilometers per hour.
35 Chivalrous avatar of Vishnu : RAMA
In the Hindu tradition, the god Vishnu has several different avatars i.e. incarnations or manifestations. Rama is the seventh of these avatars.
37 Saint associated with a “fire” : ELMO
Saint Elmo is the patron saint of sailors. More formally referred to as Erasmus of Formia, St. Elmo is perhaps venerated by sailors as tradition tells us that he continued preaching despite the ground beside him being struck by a thunderbolt. Sailors started to pray to him when in danger of storms and lightning. He lends his name to the electrostatic weather phenomenon (often seen at sea) known as St. Elmo’s fire. The “fire” is actually a plasma discharge caused by air ionizing at the end of a pointed object (like the mast of a ship), something often observed during electrical storms.
38 Birds on Canadian dollars : LOONS
The common loon (also “great northern diver”) is the provincial bird of Ontario, and the state bird of Minnesota. The loon once appeared on Canadian $20 bills and also appears on the Canadian one-dollar coin, giving the coin the nickname “the loonie”.
40 Big-eyed hatchling : OWLET
A baby owl is an owlet. The term “owlet” can also be used for the adults of the smaller species of owls.
41 1989 film for which Denzel Washington won Best Supporting Actor : GLORY
“Glory” is a 1989 movie about the 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, one of the first African-American units formed during the Civil War.
46 Follower of “So” or “lo” : … CAL
Southern California (SoCal)
50 Homes for cattails and bulrushes : MARSHES
Cattails are flowering plants found in wetlands. We call them bulrushes back in Ireland …
54 Blueberry-picking girl of children’s literature : SAL
“Blueberries for Sal” is a children’s storybook by Robert McCloskey that was published in 1948. It won the Caldecott Medal in 1949, recognizing “Blueberries for Sal” as the most distinguished picture for children released in the preceding year.
59 “Chiquitita” singing group : ABBA
The title of the 1979 ABBA hit “Chiquitita” translates from Spanish into “little girl”, The song was released in English, and became a great hit. None of the members of ABBA speak Spanish, but they managed to put together a Spanish version anyway.
66 Scarfs down : INHALES
To snarf down is to gobble up, to eat voraciously. “Snarf” is a slang term that is probably related to “scarf”, which has the same meaning.
70 Geological span : ERA
Geological time is divided into a number of units of varying lengths. These are, starting from the largest:
- supereon
- eon (also “aeon”)
- era
- period
- epoch
- age
72 QB’s protection : O-LINE
Offensive line (O-line)
75 Ancient home of a mythical lion : NEMEA
“The Twelve Labors of Hercules” is actually a Greek myth, although Hercules is the Roman name for the hero that the Greeks called “Heracles”. The first of these labors was to slay the Nemean lion, a monster that lived in a cave near Nemea. Hercules had a tough job as the lion’s golden fur was impenetrable to normal weapons. One version of the story is that Hercules killed the lion by shooting an arrow into its mouth. Another version says that Hercules stunned the monster with a club and then strangled him with his bare hands.
77 Delphic prophet : SIBYL
The word “sibyl” and the name “Sibyl” come from the Greek word “sibylla” meaning “prophetess”. There were many prophetic sibyls, but the most famous is probably the Delphic Sibyl.
80 Fiber-____ : OPTIC
Optical fibers are lengths of glass or plastic that are slightly thicker than a human hair. They are usually bundled into cables, and then used for transmission of data signals. Optical transmission has advantages over electrical transmission, especially in terms of interference and loss of signal strength.
83 Rat : FINK
A fink is an informer, someone who rats out his or her cohorts.
84 The Big Easy : NOLA
The city of New Orleans, Louisiana has the nickname “The Big Easy”. This name might come from the early 1900s when musicians found it relatively “easy” to find work there. The city is also known by the acronym NOLA, standing for New Orleans (NO), Louisiana (LA).
90 Fabric made from jute : BURLAP
Burlap, also called “hessian”, is a coarse woven fabric made from fibers taken from jute, sisal or hemp plants.
93 Med. exams with intradermal injections : TB TESTS
The Mantoux test is a skin test used to screen for tuberculosis (TB). The test is named for French physician Charles Mantoux who developed it in 1907. The procedure involves the injection of a small amount of tuberculin into the skin to check for an immune response. Tuberculin is a protein that is extracted from the outer membrane of the bacterium that causes TB.
101 Costa ____ : RICA
Costa Rica is a country in Central America that is bordered by Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the South. Costa Rica is remarkable in my opinion, a leader on the world stage in many areas. It has been referred to as the “greenest” country in the world, the “happiest” country in the world, and has a highly educated populace. In 1949, the country unilaterally abolished its own army … permanently!
102 Baby birds? : STORKS
In German and Dutch society, storks resting on the roof of a house were considered a sign of good luck. This tradition led to nursery stories that babies were brought to families by storks.
103 Deuces : TWOS
A two in a deck of playing cards might be called a “deuce”, from the Middle French “deus” (or Modern French “deux”) meaning “two”.
104 Cold War pact city : WARSAW
The full title of the Warsaw pact was the Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance. The Soviet Union was behind the signing of the 1955 treaty, and the signatories were:
- Bulgaria
- Czechoslovakia
- East Germany
- Hungary
- Poland
- Romania
- Soviet Union
- Albania
The term “Cold War” was coined by novelist George Orwell in a 1945 essay about the atomic bomb. Orwell described a world under threat of nuclear war as having a “peace that is no peace”, in a permanent state of “cold war”. The specific use of “cold war” to describe the tension between the Eastern bloc and the Western allies is attributed to a 1947 speech by Bernard Baruch, adviser to Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
109 “Here I come, weekend!” : TGIF!
“Thank God It’s Friday” (TGIF) is a relatively new expression that apparently originated in Akron, Ohio. It was a catchphrase used first by disk jockey Jerry Healy of WAKR in the early seventies. That said, one blog reader wrote to me to say that he had been using the phrase in the fifties.
110 In ____ veritas : VINO
The Latin phrase “in vino veritas” translates as “in wine there is truth”. Sometimes the phrase is extended to “in vino veritas, in aqua sanitas”, meaning “in wine there is truth, in water there is health”.
115 Horse with endurance : ARAB
The Arab (also “Arabian”) breed of horse takes its name from its original home, the Arabian Peninsula. Like any animal that humans have over-bred, the horse falls prey to genetic diseases, some of which are fatal and some of which require the horse to be euthanized.
119 Broadway, for one: Abbr. : AVE
Broadway really is, and always has been, the Main Street of New York City. It started out as the Wickquasgeck Trail that was trampled into the Manhattan brush land by the Native Americans of the area. In the days of the Dutch, the trail became the main road through the island of Manhattan, down to the New Amsterdam settlement in the south. The Dutch described it as a “Breede weg”, a broad street or broad way. The name Broadway was adopted as the official name for the whole thoroughfare in 1899 … on Valentine’s Day.
Read on, or …
… return to top of page
Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Precursor to a circuit breaker : FUSE
5 ____ bar : SPACE
10 Pointed remark : BARB
14 Common spa descriptor : OASIS
19 “Hello there, sailor!” : AHOY!
20 Gourmet mushroom with poisonous lookalikes : MOREL
21 Somewhat : A BIT
22 Core workout challenge : PLANK
23 Looks up from reading “Frankenstein”? : COMES OUT OF ONE’S SHELLEY
27 Moody North Yorkshire setting : THE MOORS
28 Handy : UTILE
29 Restless : UNEASY
30 Split hairs? : PART
31 Words exchanged during an “altar”-cation : I DOS
32 Revise : AMEND
33 Reads “Catch-22,” “Closing Time” and “Something Happened” — and doesn’t stop there? : GOES THROUGH HELLER
39 Atmospheric driving hazard : FOG
42 Came to : AWOKE
43 Assistant : AIDE
44 The joy of text? : LOL
45 Expression of a grump : SCOWL
47 Cheeky remarks … or something near the cheek : LIP
48 Kendrick Lamar’s 2017 Best Rap Album Grammy winner : DAMN
50 “Aquaman” actor Jason : MOMOA
52 English indie pop singer Parks : ARLO
53 Sleek reef swimmers : EELS
55 Borrows “The Color Purple” from the library instead of “The Flowers”? : TAKES A LONG WALKER
60 1960s activist Bobby : SEALE
62 Word with play or fight : SWORD-
63 Belgrade resident : SERB
64 See 36-Down : STY
65 First in a line of 13 popes : LEO I
67 Strands : WISPS
69 Lifewater and Elixir brand : SOBE
71 “Wow!” : OOH!
74 Fashion guru Tim : GUNN
76 “____ the spirit!” : THAT’S
78 D.E.A. target : NARCO
81 Listens to “Tom Jones” on audiobook? : PLAYS THE FIELDING
85 Matterhorn range : ALPS
87 Wheely good invention? : TIRE
88 Off : AMISS
89 ____ tube : BOOB
91 H : ETA
92 Conclude by : END AT
94 Dawson in the Pro Football Hall of Fame : LEN
95 “Chat another time!” in an I.M. : TTYL
97 Bolt in a sprint : USAIN
99 Director Guillermo ____ Toro : DEL
100 Reads “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” so many times its spine splits? : BREAKS THE LAWRENCE
105 Cryptids on snowy mountains : YETIS
107 Mars bar with shortbread and chocolate : TWIX
108 [sigh] : [ALAS]
109 Pilot green-lighter, in brief : TV EXEC
111 “Ask away!” : SHOOT!
113 Iconic scarecrow topper : STRAW HAT
117 Donates some copies of “King Lear” to the Renaissance Festival? : GIVES A FAIR SHAKESPEARE
120 Still : INERT
121 Curling locale : RINK
122 Musical with the song “Another Suitcase in Another Hall” : EVITA
123 ____ Rachel Wood of “Westworld” : EVAN
124 Castles, essentially : FORTS
125 Chances : ODDS
126 Not let lapse : RENEW
127 It can be outstanding : DEBT
Down
1 “Octopuses can use tools,” e.g. : FACT
2 “This is not good!” : UH-OH!
3 Words said while shaking one’s head in disgust : SOME PEOPLE
4 One might be found next to a neck pillow in an airport shop : EYE MASK
5 Suave : SMOOTH
6 Decant : POUR
7 Painting and filmmaking : ARTS
8 Person in a head set? : CEO
9 Keebler cookie with shortbread and chocolate : E.L. FUDGE
10 Send away : BANISH
11 Biblical analogue of Aron in “East of Eden” : ABEL
12 High-____ (kind of jeans or apartment building) : RISE
13 South Korean “Princes of Pop” : BTS
14 Jimmies and corkscrews : OPENERS
15 Debbie of “Fame” and “Grey’s Anatomy” : ALLEN
16 Things often next to napkins in place settings : SALAD FORKS
17 Spanish Agnes : INES
18 Absolut alternative : SKYY
24 Put in order : SORTED
25 Text-writer’s segue : OTOH
26 Philosopher David : HUME
31 Alternative to a diaphragm : IUD
32 Like games marked 1➔99 : ALL AGES
33 Strong wind : GALE
34 Pains for preschoolers : OWIES
35 Chivalrous avatar of Vishnu : RAMA
36 Sounds from a 64-Across : OINKS
37 Saint associated with a “fire” : ELMO
38 Birds on Canadian dollars : LOONS
40 Big-eyed hatchling : OWLET
41 1989 film for which Denzel Washington won Best Supporting Actor : GLORY
46 Follower of “So” or “lo” : … CAL
49 Patronized a restaurant : ATE OUT
50 Homes for cattails and bulrushes : MARSHES
51 Childhood friend : OLD PAL
54 Blueberry-picking girl of children’s literature : SAL
56 “Yuck!” : EWW!
57 “You’re right about that!” : SO IT IS!
58 “You’re not right about that!” : WRONGO!
59 “Chiquitita” singing group : ABBA
61 Endurance, so to speak : LEGS
66 Scarfs down : INHALES
68 Norm: Abbr. : STD
70 Geological span : ERA
71 Chose : OPTED
72 QB’s protection : O-LINE
73 Very rarely : HARDLY EVER
75 Ancient home of a mythical lion : NEMEA
77 Delphic prophet : SIBYL
79 Barbershop specialty : CLEAN SHAVE
80 Fiber-____ : OPTIC
82 “I’m in favor” : YEA
83 Rat : FINK
84 The Big Easy : NOLA
86 Sound : SANE
90 Fabric made from jute : BURLAP
93 Med. exams with intradermal injections : TB TESTS
95 O’er yon : THITHER
96 “The Muppets” villain Richman : TEX
98 Macroalgae : SEAWEED
101 Costa ____ : RICA
102 Baby birds? : STORKS
103 Deuces : TWOS
104 Cold War pact city : WARSAW
106 Use, as influence : EXERT
109 “Here I come, weekend!” : TGIF!
110 In ____ veritas : VINO
111 Reported : SAID
112 Back : HIND
113 Abrade, in a way : SKIN
114 Head: Fr. : TETE
115 Horse with endurance : ARAB
116 Billowy dress style : TENT
118 To’s counterpart : FRO
119 Broadway, for one: Abbr. : AVE
Leave a comment (below), or …
… return to top of page
13 thoughts on “0605-22 NY Times Crossword 5 Jun 22, Sunday”
Comments are closed.
15:08. I knew Shelley and Shakespeare, but not the others (being, I guess, not particularly well-read), so I had to get them through the crosses. But the rest of the grid was pretty straightforward.
Thanks Bill, I always appreciate your commentary. But am I right in thinking that today’s backgrounder on 91-across is misplaced? ( being about iota rather than eta)
Thanks, Jeff. That was a slip of the “paste” key. All fixed now.
34:44. Very good theme. A lazy solve. I was also distracted (poor excuse alert) by a party in my neighborhood that I was going to after I finished the puzzle last night. They were quite loud at an early hour.
A few amusing missteps – Jason SAMOA before MAMOA (what do I know?). Also had SING for “Rat” as in the verb to rat before FINK.
I was all up in arms saying thinking the clue for TWIX was claiming that TWIX bars were just Mars bars (ie with almonds etc) with short bread and chocolate. No it isn’t! Finally realized it’s a bar made by the Mars company. Like I said – there was a party going on
Best –
39:41. As Jeff said, it was a lazy Sunday solve.
39:01. After all the puzzles I’ve done, you’d think I’d remember SKYY the vodka is different from SKYE the Scottish island. Oops.
Anyone have any insight on “person in a head set” being a CEO? Is the head set supposed to be a bunch of executives/department heads or am I missing something?
Yes, that’s my take–upper management, set of leaders/heads
I don’t get the need for the reference to flowers in this clue:
55A Borrows “The Color Purple” from the library instead of “The Flowers”? : TAKES A LONG WALKER
“The Flowers” is a 5 page essay by Alice WALKER. “The Color Purple” is a 300 page book by Alice WALKER. One borrowing “The Color Purple” instead of, perhaps, borrowing “The Flowers” TAKES THE LONG (work written by) WALKER
1:02:22 no errors…not a bad time for me.
Happy Father’s Day to all😀
Stay safe😀
40:55, no errors. Not a bad time for me on these hardest of the week Sunday NYT puzzles.
Late solve. No errors.
Several groaner clues besides not knowing some of the authors. But I made it.
Weird solve for the theme. I had a lot of the crosses filled before the theme emerged but boy once I got the theme it was off to the races.
Did not know EL FUDGE was a cookie. I just eat’em! Never noticed the name. Happens a lot if I go to the store with my wife. “What’s that chip with the salt and they taste good? They have a big potato chip on the front?” I go by the color of the bag or picture.