0625-22 NY Times Crossword 25 Jun 22, Saturday

Constructed by: Adam Aaronson
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 16m 29s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Texter’s preamble : IMHO

In my humble opinion (IMHO)

5 Branch of the U.S. military launched in 2019 : SPACE FORCE

The United States Space Force (USSF) was established in 1982 as the Air Force Space Command. The USSF became an independent service branch in 2019, although it still falls under the Department of the Air Force.

15 Soft-soap : COAX

To coax is to cajole, to influence using gentle persuasion. Back in the 16th century, “coax” was a noun meaning “fool”, and was used in the sense of “make a coax of, make a fool of”.

16 Soap in Mexico : TELENOVELA

A telenovela is a “television novel”, a form of programming that is very popular in Latin America. A telenovela is somewhat like a soap opera that has an end in sight, and that runs for less than a year. I like this quote from an executive at Telemundo:

A telenovela is all about a couple who wants to kiss and a scriptwriter who stands in their way for 150 episodes.

18 Best Actor nominee for 2019’s “Marriage Story” : ADAM DRIVER

Adam Driver is an actor perhaps best known to TV audiences for playing Adam Sackler on the show “Girls” that airs on HBO. Driver’s movie career got a huge boost in 2015 when he played villain Kylo Ren in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”.

“Marriage Story” is a 2019 movie starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver as a couple going through a messy divorce. The critics loved this one. Me, not so much …

19 “A Dream Within a Dream” writer : POE

Celebrated American writer Edgar Allan Poe (EAP) was born “Edgar Poe” in 1809 in Boston. Poe’s father abandoned Edgar and his two siblings after the death of their mother. As a result, Edgar was taken into the home of the Allan family in Richmond, Virginia. His foster parents gave the future author the name “Edgar Allan Poe”.

22 King in “The Return of the King” : ARAGORN

Viggo Mortensen is a Danish-American actor who is famous for playing Aragorn in “The Lord of the Rings” movies. Mortensen was born in New York City and lived for periods in the US and periods in Denmark when he was younger. He is fluent in English, Danish and also Spanish.

24 Rapper with the 1999 #1 album “I Am …” : NAS

Rapper Nas used to go by an earlier stage name “Nasty Nas”, and before that by his real name “Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones”. Nas released his first album “Illmatic” in 1994, and inventively titled his fifth studio album “Stillmatic”, released in 2001.

28 Surname of a star-crossed lover : CAPULET

William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” is all about the love between the two title characters, which is forbidden as the pair come from two families who are sworn enemies. Early in the play, Romeo (a Montague) sneaks into a masquerade ball being held by the Capulets in the hope of meeting a Capulet girl named Rosaline. Instead, he meets and falls for Juliet, also a Capulet. Tragedy ensues …

Two lovers who are “star-crossed” are ill-fated, thwarted by the stars. The term was coined by William Shakespeare in the prologue to his play “Romeo and Juliet”

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes,
A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life

33 Apple selection? : IMAC

The iMac is a desktop computer platform that Apple introduced in 1998. One of the main features of the iMac is an “all-in-one” design, with the computer console and monitor integrated. The iMac also came in a range of colors that Apple marketed as “flavors”, such as strawberry, blueberry and lime.

40 Singer/actress Carter : NELL

Nell Carter was a singer and actress from Birmingham, Alabama. Carter won a Tony for her performance on Broadway in “Ain’t Misbehavin’”. She also starred in the TV sitcom “Gimme a Break!” in the 1980s.

45 Lectern locale : DAIS

A dais is a raised platform for a speaker. The term “dais” comes from the Latin “discus” meaning a “disk-shaped object”. I guess that the original daises had such a shape.

51 Supermodel Alek : WEK

Alek Wek is a supermodel originally from Southern Sudan. In her native language, Wek’s name translates as “Black Spotted Cow”, which is a symbol of good luck for the Dinka, her native people.

55 What comes before a bet : ALEPH

Aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and beth is the second.

61 Abandon ship : BAIL

The phrase “to bail out” (sometimes just “to bail”) means to leave suddenly. We’ve been using the term since the early thirties, when it originated with airline pilots. To bail out is to make a parachute jump.

Down

2 Line at Disney World : MONORAIL

In 2012, President Barack Obama visited Walt Disney World in Florida. He was there on official government business, and included a reference to Mickey Mouse in his speech:

And I confess, I am excited to see Mickey. It’s always nice to meet a world leader who has bigger ears than me.

Good one, Mr. President …

4 Competitor of Stridex : OXY

The OXY Skin Care products were developed by GlaxoSmithKline, but the brand name has been owned by Mentholatum since 2005.

Stridex is a line of acne treatments owned by Blistex that comes as medicated pads. The active ingredient in most Stridex products is salicylic acid, but others include benzoyl peroxide.

6 Like the grammar police : PEDANTIC

A pedant is a person “who trumpets minor points of learning”, a person who tends to nit-pick. “Pedant” comes via Middle French from the Italian word “pedante” meaning “teacher”.

7 “Succession” co-star Ruck : ALAN

“Succession” is a very popular dark comedy-drama series that premiered in 2018. It’s about a family-owned, global media company. The “succession” in question is who will get to run the empire after the passing of the ailing family patriarch. The marvelous Scottish actor Brian Cox plays the head of the company Logan Roy.

8 Place for a handprint, maybe : CEMENT

The terms “cement”, “mortar” and ”concrete” are related, and tend to get confused at times. Cement is a binder that hardens over time and binds other materials together. Cement mixed with a fine aggregate forms mortar, a workable paste used to bind building blocks together. Cement mixed with sand and gravel forms concrete, a pourable slurry that hardens into an extremely robust building material.

11 Pioneer of elegies : OVID

The Roman poet Publius Ovidius Naso is known today simply as Ovid. Ovid is usually listed alongside the two other great Roman poets: Horace and Virgil. Although he was immensely popular during his own lifetime, Ovid spent the last ten years of his life in exile. He fell foul of Emperor Augustus and so was banished to Tomis, an island in the Black Sea. What led to this disfavor seems to have been lost in the mists of time.

20 In Germany it’s “Krautsalat” : COLESLAW

The term “coleslaw” is an Anglicized version of the Dutch term “koolsla”, which in itself is a shortened form of “Koolsalade” meaning “cabbage salad”.

25 Source of protein in a poke bowl : AHI

Back in the early 1800s, a “poke” was a device attached to domestic animals such as pigs or sheep to keep them from escaping their enclosures. The poke was like a yoke with a pole, and slowed the animal down, hence the term “slowpoke”.

26 Pop singer who came out as nonbinary in 2019 : SAM SMITH

Sam Smith is a singer from London. I think that the only recording I’ve heard of there’s is “Writing’s on the Wall”, which is the theme song from the 2015 James Bond movie “Spectre”.

34 Playthings with “belly badges” : CARE BEARS

The Care Bears franchise includes a line of toys as well as TV shows and movies. The original Care Bears were characters created for greeting cards marketed by American Greetings starting in 1981.

37 Place where shells are put away? : TAQUERIA

In Spanish, one might order “pollo” (chicken) at “una taquería” (a restaurant specializing in tacos).

39 Chains of churches : ROSARIES

The Rosary is a set of prayer beads used in the Roman Catholic tradition. The name “Rosary” comes from the Latin “rosarium”, the word for a “rose garden” or a “garland of roses”. The term is used figuratively, in the sense of a “garden of prayers”.

43 Rowlf the Dog and Robin the Frog, for two : MUPPETS

Jim Henson’s ensemble of puppets known as the Muppets made their debut on the TV show “Sam and Friends” in the 1950s. Some Muppets started appearing in 1969 on “Sesame Street”, and then the troupe were given “The Muppet Show” in 1976. And today, there’s no sign of their popularity waning.

48 Certain curtain : SCRIM

“Scrim” is the name given to that transparent fabric that hangs down onto a theater’s stage. It is often used with special lighting for various effects.

50 Cause of an uprising? : YEAST

Yeasts are unicellular microorganisms in the kingdom Fungi. The species of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been used for centuries in the making of wine and beer, and in breadmaking. Saccharomyces cerevisiae converts carbohydrates into carbon dioxide and alcohol in the process of fermentation. When making beer and wine, the carbon dioxide and alcohol may be captured by the liquid. When making bread, the carbon dioxide and alcohol is driven off by heat.

54 Violeta o rosa : FLOR

In Spanish, a “flor” (flower) might be a “violeta o rosa” (violet or rose).

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Texter’s preamble : IMHO
5 Branch of the U.S. military launched in 2019 : SPACE FORCE
15 Soft-soap : COAX
16 Soap in Mexico : TELENOVELA
17 Coveted object : ENVY
18 Best Actor nominee for 2019’s “Marriage Story” : ADAM DRIVER
19 “A Dream Within a Dream” writer : POE
20 Provider of a lift : CRANE
21 ___-purpose : DUAL
22 King in “The Return of the King” : ARAGORN
24 Rapper with the 1999 #1 album “I Am …” : NAS
27 What investigators might do : PRY
28 Surname of a star-crossed lover : CAPULET
29 “What they said” : THAT
31 Slayed : KILLED IT
33 Apple selection? : IMAC
35 Stretches for a swimmer : LAPS
36 Camp sight : COT
38 Squabble : SPAR
40 Singer/actress Carter : NELL
42 Talk, talk, talk : YAMMER ON
45 Lectern locale : DAIS
47 “Why, yes indeed!” : QUITE SO!
48 Where snorting isn’t rude : STY
51 Supermodel Alek : WEK
52 Standing at home, say : UP TO BAT
53 Course pro? : CHEF
55 What comes before a bet : ALEPH
57 Classic Vans sneaker model : ERA
58 “Oh, grow up” : REAL MATURE
61 Abandon ship : BAIL
62 Comment from one who’s moved on : I’M SO OVER IT
63 Brand name on Cakesters snack cakes : OREO
64 They include satellite cities : METRO AREAS
65 Poke alternative, maybe : PSST!

Down

1 Cold case? : ICE PACK
2 Line at Disney World : MONORAIL
3 Go in prepared : HAVE A PLAN
4 Competitor of Stridex : OXY
5 Like some book reviews : STARRED
6 Like the grammar police : PEDANTIC
7 “Succession” co-star Ruck : ALAN
8 Place for a handprint, maybe : CEMENT
9 Heel, e.g. : END
10 Kind of loop in programming : FOR
11 Pioneer of elegies : OVID
12 Gun : REV UP
13 Unblocked : CLEAR
14 ___ voting : EARLY
20 In Germany it’s “Krautsalat” : COLESLAW
23 Chugged, with “down” : GULPED …
25 Source of protein in a poke bowl : AHI
26 Pop singer who came out as nonbinary in 2019 : SAM SMITH
30 Stick on, in a way : TAPE TO
32 Mess around (with) : TOY
34 Playthings with “belly badges” : CARE BEARS
37 Place where shells are put away? : TAQUERIA
39 Chains of churches : ROSARIES
41 Bit of mendacity : LIE
43 Rowlf the Dog and Robin the Frog, for two : MUPPETS
44 Few : NOT A LOT
46 Performer in both the Winter and Summer Olympics, in different sports : SKATER
48 Certain curtain : SCRIM
49 Party consideration : THEME
50 Cause of an uprising? : YEAST
54 Violeta o rosa : FLOR
56 Draw : LURE
59 Low call : MOO
60 2020 thriller in which Jessica Chastain plays the title role : AVA
61 Catchy song, in modern slang : BOP

13 thoughts on “0625-22 NY Times Crossword 25 Jun 22, Saturday”

  1. 14:09. I was zipping right along until I got to the bottom third. Finally came up with CARE BEARS (though at first stupidly misspelled it as “care bares”), which broke it for me.

  2. Thanks to those who expressed concern here as to my recent whereabouts … 🙂.

    As Jeff said a couple of days ago, I was off on a two-week Caribbean adventure, which was (mostly … 😜) fun. Two downsides: 1) having to schedule (and, in two cases, get) three different Covid tests (to a total tune of $150!) in order to get one set of results back in time to be allowed on the ship, and 2) spending two whole days getting from Fort Lauderdale back to Denver (via scenic Indianapolis, Indiana … 😳), due to cancelation of our scheduled direct flight. What can one say but “all’s well that ends well” … 🤪??!!

    That said, I may be taking a bit of a break from the blogs. I do an awful lot of crossword puzzles because they afford a welcome escape from a world that I see as increasingly going to hell in a hand basket (and I know that’s a typical old-man view, but I think my generation may finally have the right of it … 😳). What I don’t enjoy is the increasing self-serving negativity which has infested the LAT blog and which, I fear, may be in store for this one.

    We’ll see … 🤨.

    1. Welcome back, Nonny.

      Don’t give up just yet on us earthlings. I have faith we’ll figure it all out. We always have. Our differences aren’t as big as Twitter and national newscasts would have us think.

      As for the blogs – we’re all pretty much good eggs still on this one…although Duncan and I are admittedly a little cracked sometimes. Occasionally you’ll see some negative comments later on, but what goes on here is NOTHING compared to the LAT blog. I peeked over there recently and couldn’t bear to read any of it.

      In summary – don’t give up on earthlings nor NYT crossword posters….which may not always be the same thing…. Hope you’ll stick around.

      Best –

  3. 39:03. Spent 5 minutes or so trying to fix both the SE and SW and finally did. Every time I thought I had fixed something, I still wasn’t getting the music. Finally did.

    Like a lot of Saturdays, this looked much easier after it was filled in.

    Fun to see PEDANTIC in a puzzle since all of us are a bit pedantic at times. I think it’s a prerequisite for solving crosswords.

    I guess I’ll go post for yesterday now since it’s up. When I didn’t see Bill’s blog yesterday, I just assumed all time had stopped. I thought we just had 2 Thursdays in a row and today would be Friday…..

    Best –

  4. 33:57. I coulda been a contender. Immediately entered SPACE FORCE, but then couldn’t see how the verticals would work out. So I erased it, to enter PROXY-vote in 14D. Also took a while to make the 9D Heel > END connection (as on a loaf of bread).
    I also appreciate the civil discussion prevalent on this blog. Thank you all.

  5. 36:12 Nonny, please consider sticking around this blog, we have an entertaining and insightful group here and your presence would be missed. And admit it, you’d miss us…. C’mon, you know it’s true. :- )

  6. 24:21, 1 Natick. Per usual spending 80% of the time on one section guessing at some utter nonsense and finally just writing *something*.

  7. No errors. But it took a long time. Got COLESLAW early and that really helped.

  8. No errors, so… I enjoyed this one! It made me think. I don’t post comments very often, but I just want you to know how much I enjoy each of yours. I am not a speed racer As I enjoy taking my time and smoking a good cigar and sitting in the shade. I have a good time taking my time.
    Please, don’t anyone leave this wonderful island of individuality and common recreation. this is a unique bunch of thinkers.

  9. Missed you Nonny. Please don’t bail.
    Completed the grid but not 100%-
    S W gave me fits. One lookup, one misspelled word. I am on a mission to learn the Hebrew alphabet. Never imagined I’d write THAT sentence.

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