0626-22 NY Times Crossword 26 Jun 22, Sunday

Constructed by: Matthew Stock & Finn Vigeland
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: Bonus Features

There is a note with today’s puzzle:

When you’ve finished the puzzle, look for an appropriate hidden word.

Themed answers give us titles of well-known movies, if we TAKE OUT one letter. Collectively, the extra letters spell “OUTTAKES”.

  • 19A What you’ll hear after-hours at a sports car sales lot? : THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBOS (O in “The Silence of the Lambs”)
  • 28A Rodeo Drive uprising? : BEVERLY HILLS COUP (U in “Beverly Hills Cop”)
  • 36A Twisted jeans legs? : PANTS LABYRINTH (T in “Pan’s Labyrinth”)
  • 61A Staunch dedication to one’s upper leg exercise routine? : THIGH FIDELITY (T in “High Fidelity”)
  • 69A Winter wear for a stegosaurus? : JURASSIC PARKA (A in “Jurassic Park”)
  • 94A Tire-puncturing way across a river? : BRIDGE OF SPIKES (K in “Bridge of Spies”)
  • 102A Introduction to a chiropractor’s makeshift toolkit? : THIS IS SPINAL TAPE (E in “This is Spinal Tap”)
  • 116A Campaign to convince British P.M. Tony to change parties? : THE BLAIR SWITCH PROJECT (S in “The Blair Witch Project”)

Bill’s time: 27m 00s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Partitions between nostrils : SEPTA

In the world of anatomy, a septum (plural “septa”) is a dividing wall within a chamber or other structure. For example, the interatrial septum separates the left and right atria of the heart, and the nasal septum separates the nostrils of the nose.

6 Place to park a boat : SLIP

A “slipway” or “slip” is a ramp on the shore in which boats can “slip” into the water. This “slipping” into the water is literally the case in a shipyard, where a vessel’s hull “slips” off the ramp after it is coated with grease.

10 Malt-drying kiln : OAST

An oast is a kiln used for drying hops as part of the brewing process. Such a structure might also be called an “oast house” or “hop kiln”. The term “oast” can also apply to a kiln used to dry tobacco.

15 Smaller than small : ATOMIC

Our word “atom” comes from the Latin “atomus” meaning “indivisible particle”. In turn, the Latin term comes from the Greek “a-tomos” meaning “not-cut”.

19 What you’ll hear after-hours at a sports car sales lot? : THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBOS (O in “The Silence of the Lambs”)

Ferruccio Lamborghini was in the business of manufacturing tractors back in the late forties. Almost two decades later, he founded Automobili Lamborghini to produce high-end sports cars. That’s quite a target market shift …

“The Silence of the Lambs” is a 1991 psychological drama based on a novel of the same name by Thomas Harris. Jodie Foster plays FBI trainee Clarice Starling, and Anthony Hopkins plays the creepy cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter. “The Silence of the Lambs” swept the Big Five Oscars (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Screenplay) for that year, being only the third movie ever to do so. The other two so honored were “It Happened One Night” (1934) and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975).

25 RC, for one : COLA

Claude A. Hatcher ran a grocery store in Columbus, Georgia. He decided to develop his own soft drink formula when he balked at the price his store was being charged for Coca-Cola syrup. Hatcher launched the Union Bottling Works in his own grocery store, and introduced Royal Crown Ginger Ale in 1905. The Union Bottling Works was renamed to Chero-Cola in 1910, the Nehi Corporation in 1925, and Royal Crown Company in the mid-fifties. The first RC Cola hit the market in 1934.

26 Fayetteville school, informally : U OF A

The University of Arkansas (U of A) is located in Fayetteville. It was founded in 1871 as the Arkansas Industrial University. An interesting U of A tradition is the carving of the names of graduating students into the concrete walkways of the campus. This tradition started way back in 1876, with the walkway now known as “Senior Walk”.

27 City that neighbors Ann Arbor, for short : YPSI

The city of Ypsilanti, Michigan is named for Demetrius Ypsilanti, a hero in the Greek War of Independence. Among its claims to fame, Ypsilanti was the home to the original Dominick’s pizza store.

Ann Arbor, Michigan was founded in 1824 by John Allen and Elisha Rumsey. Supposedly, Allen and Rumsey originally used the name “Annsarbour” in recognition of stands of bur oak that were on the land they had purchased and in recognition of their wives, both of whom were called “Ann” (i.e. Anns’ Arbor)

28 Rodeo Drive uprising? : BEVERLY HILLS COUP (U in “Beverly Hills Cop”)

There’s a three-block stretch of Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California that is known for expensive shopping, mainly in designer clothes stores. The surrounding business district is known as the Beverly Hills “Golden Triangle”, which extends from Wilshire to Santa Monica Boulevards. The triangle is a mecca for shoppers and tourists.

“Beverly Hills Cop” is a fun 1984 action comedy movie starring Eddie Murphy as Detroit cop Axel Foley who heads to Beverly Hills to solve the murder of a friend. The film was the biggest hit of 1984 at the box office, and spawned two sequels.

32 Janelle of “Moonlight” : MONAE

Janelle Monáe is a singer and actress. I’m not familiar with her as a singer, but did see Monáe play NASA engineer Mary Jackson in the excellent 2016 film “Hidden Figures”.

34 Loire contents : EAU

In French, “eau” (water) might be found in a “fleuve” (river).

The Loire is the longest river in France. It is so long that it drains one-fifth of the nation’s land mass. The Loire rises in the southeast, in the Cevennes mountain range, then heads north then due west, emptying into the Bay of Biscay at the city of Nantes. The Loire Valley is home to some of France’s most famous wine production, and includes the wine regions of Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé and Muscadet. It is also home to some of the nation’s most spectacular châteaux. There are over 300 castles along the river, built by French kings and their courtiers.

36 Twisted jeans legs? : PANTS LABYRINTH (T in “Pan’s Labyrinth”)

A labyrinth is a maze, and is named after the maze in which the Minotaur was confined in Greek mythology.

42 Religion of the Maldives : ISLAM

The Maldives is an island nation consisting of two chains of atolls in the Indian Ocean. The population of over 300,000 people is distributed over 192 inhabited islands, with about 1,000 islands remaining uninhabited. The Maldives is one of the countries in the world that is extremely endangered by rising sea levels.

48 Bounces around a pool table : CAROMS

A carom is a ricochet, the bouncing of some projectile off a surface. “Carom” has come to describe the banking of a billiard ball, the bouncing of the ball off the side of the table.

51 Antagonist in “Hop-o’-My-Thumb” : OGRE

An ogre is a monster of mythology and folktales that has the appearance of a man, and which eats human beings. The term “ogre” comes to us via French from the name of the Etruscan god Orcus, who feasted on the flesh of humans.

52 Drink with crumpets : TEA

I do love a nice crumpet. They are made from flour and yeast, with baking soda added to make the characteristic holes in the surface. Served hot, with butter melted into the holes, nothing better …

57 Mini manufacturer : BMW

The initialism “BMW” stands for “Bayerische Motoren Werke”, which translates into Bavarian Motor Works. BMW was making aircraft engines during WWI, but had to cease that activity according to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. The company then started making motorcycles, and moved into automobile production starting in 1928. BMW moved back into aircraft engine manufacturing during the build-up of the Luftwaffe prior to WWII.

58 Chihuahua, por ejemplo : ESTADO

Chihuahua is a state in northern Mexico that shares a border with Texas and New Mexico. Chihuahua is the largest state in the country, earning it the nickname “El Estado Grande”. The state takes its name from the Chihuahuan Desert which lies largely within its borders. The Chihuahua breed of dog takes its name from the state.

61 Staunch dedication to one’s upper leg exercise routine? : THIGH FIDELITY (T in “High Fidelity”)

English author Nick Hornby wrote three books that were adapted into successful movies, namely the novels “High Fidelity” and “About a Boy”, and the memoir “Fever Pitch”.

65 Country whose name together with its capital city has only eight letters : PERU

Lima is the capital city of Peru. Lima was founded in 1535 by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro, who named it “la Ciudad de los Reyes” (the City of Kings). He chose this name because the decision to found the city was made on January 6th, the feast of the Epiphany that commemorates the visit of the three kings to Jesus in Bethlehem. Lima is home to the oldest university in all of the Americas, as San Marco University was founded in 1551 during the days of Spanish colonial rule.

69 Winter wear for a stegosaurus? : JURASSIC PARKA (A in “Jurassic Park”)

A parka is a hooded jacket that is often lined with fur, and that is worn in cold weather. The original parka was a pullover design, but nowadays it is usually zipped at the front. “Parka” is the Russian name for the garment, and it was absorbed into English in the late 1700s via the Aleut language.

The stegosaurus was a herbivorous dinosaur. They were large creatures, with distinctive plates sticking up along their backs and a spiked tail.

“Jurassic Park” is a 1990 novel by Michael Crichton that was adapted into a hugely successful movie by Steven Spielberg in 1993. One of the main premises of the novel is that dinosaur DNA could be harvested from mosquitoes trapped in amber (fossilized tree resin), the DNA coming from the dinosaur blood consumed by the mosquitoes. The dinosaur DNA is then sequenced and used to create clones of the original beasts. Apparently, that’s a clever idea, but not very practical …

75 “I have my ___” : DOUBTS

Me too …

80 Palestinian political party : FATAH

“Fatah” is actually an acronym, formed from the initials (in reverse) of “Palestinian National Liberation Movement”. Al Fatah is the largest political party in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

81 Some feds : NARCS

“Narc” and “narco” are slang terms describing a law enforcement officer who tracks down criminals associated with illegal drugs. Both words are short for “narcotics officer”. Narcs might work for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

86 Labor class? : LAMAZE

The Lamaze technique for childbirth was developed by a French obstetrician called Fernand Lamaze. He introduced the technique in the west after observing similar practices in the Soviet Union during a visit there in 1951.

89 Airport code for a Delta hub : LGA

Fiorello La Guardia was the Mayor of New York from 1934 to 1945, racking up three full terms in office. The famous airport that bears La Guardia’s name was built at his urging, stemming from an incident that took place while he was in office. He was taking a TWA flight to “New York” and was outraged when the plane landed at Newark Airport, in the state of New Jersey. The Mayor demanded that the flight take off again and land at a small airport in Brooklyn. A gaggle of press reporters joined him on the short hop and he gave them a story, urging New Yorkers to support the construction of a new commercial airport within the city’s limits. The new airport, in Queens, opened in 1939 as New York Municipal, often called “LaGuardia” as a nickname. The airport was officially relabeled as “LaGuardia” (LGA) in 1947.

Delta was the world’s largest airline for a while (after merging with Northwest Airlines in 2008) and is the oldest airline still operating in the US. Delta’s roots go back to 1924 before it started carrying passengers when it was Huff Daland Dusters, a crop-dusting company based in Macon, Georgia. The name “Delta Air Service” was introduced in 1928.

92 Bracket buster’s victory : UPSET

“Bracketology” is a term used to describe the process of predicting which college basketball teams will advance in a bracket in the annual NCAA Basketball Tournament. President Barack Obama famously participates in an ESPN segment called “Baracketology” in which he predicts the outcome of the tournament, game by game.

94 Tire-puncturing way across a river? : BRIDGE OF SPIKES (K in “Bridge of Spies”)

“Bridge of Spies” is a 2015 historical thriller directed by Steven Spielberg and starring his friend Tom Hanks. The story is all about the arrest and trial of U-2 pilot Gary Powers, who was shot down over the Soviet Union while on a spying mission for the CIA. Hanks plays lawyer James B. Donovan, the lawyer who negotiates Powers’ release. Powers was actually exchanged for Soviet spy Rudolf Abel, with the exchange taking place at the bridge connecting Potsdam with Berlin, the “Bridge of Spies”.

100 Musician whose name sounds like an exclamation : ONO

Yoko Ono was born in 1933 in Tokyo into a prosperous Japanese family, and is actually a descendant of one of the emperors of Japan. Yoko’s father moved around the world for work, and she lived the first few years of her life in San Francisco. The family returned to Japan, before moving on to New York, Hanoi and back to Japan just before WWII, in time to live through the great firebombing of Tokyo in 1945. Immediately after the war the family was far from prosperous. While Yoko’s father was being held in a prison camp in Vietnam, her mother had to resort to begging and bartering to feed her children. When her father was repatriated, life started to return to normal and Yoko was able to attend university. She was the first woman to be accepted into the philosophy program of Gakushuin University.

101 Message written on a Wonderland cake : EAT ME

In Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”, Alice follows the white rabbit down a rabbit hole and finds a bottle labeled “DRINK ME”. When she drinks the contents, it causes her to shrink. She also sees a cake adorned with the words “EAT ME” written using currants, and when she eats the cake she grows so big she finds it hard to stand up. After eating the cake, she utters the words, “Curiouser and curiouser”.

102 Introduction to a chiropractor’s makeshift toolkit? : THIS IS SPINAL TAPE (E in “This is Spinal Tap”)

Chiropractic is a type of alternative medicine that largely involves the adjustment of the spinal column. The term “chiropractic” was coined in the US in the late 1800s and comes from the Latinized Greek “chiro-” meaning “hand” and “praktikos” meaning “practical”.

“This Is Spın̈al Tap” is a rock musical mockumentary about the fictional band Spinal Tap, directed by the great Rob Reiner. I love Rob Reiner’s work, but this movie … not so much …

112 First automaker to conduct crash tests (1938) : AUDI

The Audi name has an interesting history. The Horch company was founded by August Horch in 1909. Early in the life of the new company, Horch was forced out of his own business. He set up a new enterprise and continued to use his own name as a brand. The old company sued him for using the Horch name so a meeting was held to choose something new. Horch’s young son was studying Latin in the room where the meeting was taking place. He pointed out that “horch” was German for “hear” and he suggested “Audi” as a replacement, the Latin for “listen”.

113 E.R. imperative : STAT!

The exact etymology of “stat”, a term meaning “immediately” in the medical profession, seems to have been lost in the mists of time. It probably comes from the Latin “statim” meaning “to a standstill, immediately”. A blog reader has helpfully suggested that the term may also come from the world of laboratory analysis, where the acronym STAT stands for “short turn-around time”.

114 Pair in an ellipse : FOCI

One way to envision the two foci of an ellipse is to imagine two nails sticking up out of a board, placed a small distance apart. A loop of string is placed on the board, with the nails in the middle. A pen is placed inside the loop, and moved as far away from the nails as possible, confined by the string. The pen is then run around the nails, stretching out the string so that it is taut. The pen will draw an ellipse, and the point where the nails are, they are the ellipse’s two foci.

115 Capital on the Atlantic : DAKAR

The Republic of Senegal is a country on the far western coast of Africa. For many years Senegal was a French colony, gaining independence in 1960. The capital of Senegal is Dakar. Dakar is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean, thus making it the westernmost capital on the African mainland.

116 Campaign to convince British P.M. Tony to change parties? : THE BLAIR SWITCH PROJECT (S in “The Blair Witch Project”)

Tony Blair was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom for ten years, from 1997 to 2007. Blair moved his Labour Party from the left towards the center, utilizing the moniker “New Labour”. Under his leadership, Labour won a landslide victory in 1997 and was comfortably elected into power again in 2001 and 2005. Blair stepped down in 2007 and Gordon Brown took over as prime minister. Labour was soundly defeated at the polls in the next general election, in 2010.

“The Blair Witch Project” is a 1999 horror film with an unusual twist in terms of structure. It’s about three young filmmakers who hike into the Black Hills in Maryland looking for the legendary Blair Witch. The three disappear, with only the disturbing footage they recorded being left behind. It is this “real footage” that is used to make the film.

122 Operator of the Valley Flyer and Coast Starlight : AMTRAK

“Amtrak” is the name used commercially by the National Railroad Passenger Corporation. It comes from a melding of the words “America” and “track”.

124 Wranglers alternative : LEES

The Lee company that is famous for making jeans was formed in 1889 by one Henry David Lee in Salina, Kansas.

126 Rulers until 1917 : TSARS

The last ruler of Imperial Russia was Tsar Nicholas II (of the House of Romanov). Famously, the Tsar and his family were murdered in 1918 in the basement of a house in Yekaterinburg, Russia by members of the Bolshevik secret police. The Tsar’s youngest daughter was 16-year-old Anastasia and rumors of her escape have persisted for years. The rumors grew with the help of numerous women who claimed to be Anastasia. In 2009, DNA testing finally proved that the remains of all of the Tsar’s immediate family, including Anastasia, have been found and identified.

Down

1 Top of a range? : STETSON HAT

Stetson is a brand of hat manufactured by John B. Stetson Company of St. Joseph, Missouri. The so-called “cowboy hat” that Stetson pioneered was such a success that the company became the largest hat maker in the world, producing over 3.3 million hats per year.

5 First songwriter to win an Oscar for a James Bond theme : ADELE

I have not been a fan of Daniel Craig as James Bond (preferring Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan in the role). However, I saw “Skyfall” when it first came out and have been won over. “Skyfall” is one of the best Bond films so far, in my humble opinion. And, Adele’s rendition of the title song is an added plus …

7 Head of Eton? : LOO

It has been suggested that the British term “loo”, meaning “toilet”, comes from “Waterloo” (water closet … water-loo), but no one seems to know for sure. Another suggestion is that the term comes from the card game of “lanterloo”, in which the pot was called the loo!

8 Global finance org. : IMF

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) was established at the end of 1945 with 29 major economies supporting and funding an effort to stabilize economies across the globe after WWII. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., today the IMF has 187 member countries.

10 Tribe whose flag features a circle of tepees on a red background : OGLALA

The Oglala are a subtribe of the Lakota Native American people. The name “Oglala” translates from the Lakota language as “to scatter one’s own”.

11 French menu word : A LA

The phrase “in the style of” can be translated as “alla” in Italian and “à la” in French.

13 Game with a card that might say “Lawyer: court judge legal crime case” : TABOO

Taboo is a guessing game that was introduced by Parker Brothers in 1989. Players must encourage their teammates to guess a word on a card, without using that word or related words defined on the card. It’s a fun game that’s played regularly around here …

14 Swabs, say : SHIPMATES

“Swabbie” (also “swabby, swab, swabber”) is a slang term meaning “sailor” that we’ve been using since the late 1700s. A swab was originally a member of the crew assigned to the swabbing (mopping) of the ship’s decks.

20 ___ system (GPS device) : NAV

A global positioning system (GPS) is known as a satellite navigation system (Sat Nav) in Britain and Ireland.

21 Vogue rival : ELLE

“Elle” magazine was founded in 1945 in France and today has the highest circulation of any fashion magazine in the world. “Elle” is the French word for “she”. “Elle” is published monthly worldwide, although you can pick up a weekly edition if you live in France.

22 April fool target : SAP

April Fools’ Day is celebrated on April 1st in the Western world. In the US (and Ireland) one can make practical jokes all day long if one wants, but in the UK there is a noon deadline. Anyone pranking after midday is called an “April Fool”.

28 ___ Paese cheese : BEL

Bel Paese is a mild Italian cheese that was developed in 1906. The name “bel paese” means beautiful country in Italian, and is taken from the title of a book written by Antonio Stoppani.

29 Secular : LAIC

Anything described as laic (or “laical, lay”) is related to the laity, those members of the church who are not clergy. The term “laic” ultimately comes from the Greek “laikos” meaning “of the people”.

38 Go over 21, say : BUST

The card game known as “twenty-one” was first referred to in print in a book by Cervantes, the author famous for writing “Don Quixote”. He called the game “veintiuna” (Spanish for “twenty-one”). Cervantes wrote his story just after the year 1600, so the game has been around at least since then. Twenty-one came to the US but it wasn’t all that popular so bonus payments were introduced to create more interest. One of the more attractive bonuses was a ten-to-one payout to a player who was dealt an ace of spades and a black jack. This bonus led to the game adopting the moniker “Blackjack”.

40 Nonkosher : TREF

According to Jewish dietary laws, kosher food is fit to eat, and food that is not fit to eat is referred to as treif (or “tref”). The usage of “kosher” has extended to include anything considered legitimate.

41 Hindu Festival of Colors : HOLI

Holi is a Hindu festival, celebrated in spring, that is also known as the Festival of Colours.

43 Community celebrated in June, in brief : LGBT

The police raided a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn on June 29th, 1969. That raid triggered a spate of violent demonstrations led by the LGBT community. Now known as the Stonewall riots, those demonstrations are viewed by many as a significant event leading to the modern-day fight for LGBT rights in the US. Since then, June has been chosen as LGBT Pride Month in recognition of the Stonewall riots.

44 Name of BTS’s fan base : ARMY

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.

49 Anti-D.U.I. org. : MADD

Candace Lightner lost her 13-year-old child to a drunk-driver in 1980. Soon after, Lightner formed the group Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

56 Red Muppet : ELMO

The “Sesame Street” character named Elmo has a birthday every February 3rd, and on that birthday he always turns 3½ years old. The man behind/under Elmo on “Sesame Street” for many years was Kevin Clash. If you want to learn more about Elmo and Clash, you can watch the 2011 documentary “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey”.

59 4/ : APR

The exact etymology of “April”, the name of the fourth month of our year, seems to be uncertain. The ancient Romans called it “mensis Aprilis”, which roughly translated as “opening month”. The suggestion is that April is the month in which fruits, flowers and animals “open” their life cycles.

60 ___ Studies (Gallaudet University department) : DEAF

Gallaudet University is a private school in Washington, D.C. that is focused on the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. Gallaudet was founded in 1864 and is officially a bilingual institution, with classes held in both English and American sign language (ASL).

62 Indian state on the Arabian Sea : GOA

Goa is the smallest state in India, and is located in the southwest of the country. The Portuguese landed in Goa in the early 1500s, at first peacefully carrying out trade, but then took the area by force creating Portuguese India. Portugal held onto Portuguese India even after the British pulled out of India in 1947, until the Indian Army marched into the area in 1961.

63 Mellophone, e.g. : HORN

A mellophone is a brass instrument that is also known as an alto horn. The mellophone often replaces horns in marching bands.

64 Debtor’s note : IOU

I owe you (IOU)

66 Arthur Ashe Stadium org. : USTA

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national organization governing the sport of tennis in the US. The USTA was founded way back in 1881 as the United States National Lawn Tennis Association.

Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York opened in 1997, and is the largest outdoor, tennis-only venue in the world. The stadium was often criticized for not having a retractable dome to protect the playing surface from inclement weather. Well, that changed in 2016 when the stadium debuted its new retractable roof, a $150 million investment in the facility.

69 Wrangler maker : JEEP

Chrysler’s Jeep Wrangler is a direct descendent of the military “Jeep” vehicle that the US military relied on heavily during WWII.

70 Great Basin natives : UTES

The Ute are a group of Native-American tribes who now reside in Utah and Colorado. The Ute were not a unified people as such, but rather a loose association of nomadic groups. The word “Ute” means “Land of the Sun”, and “Ute” also gave us the state name “Utah”.

The Great Basin is a large region of the US covering most of Nevada, much of Utah and some parts of Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon and California. The 200,000 square mile area drains internally, with all precipitation sinking underground or flowing into lakes. Most of the lakes in the Great Basin are saline, including the Great Salt Lake, Pyramid Lake and the Humboldt Sink.

71 “Macbeth,” but not “Hamlet” : IAMB

An iamb is a metrical foot containing an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. The lines in Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” use four sequential iambs, e.g. “Whose woods / these are / I think / I know”. With that sequence of four iambs, the poem’s structure is described as iambic tetrameter.

74 Mythical ship that sailed to Colchis : ARGO

In Greek mythology, Jason and the Argonauts set sail on the Argo from the city of Iolcos in search of the Golden Fleece. Jason’s vessel was called the “Argo” in honor of the ship’s builder, a man named Argus.

In Greek mythology, Colchis was a wealthy land located at the edge of the world. It was in Colchis that Jason and the Argonauts found the Golden Fleece.

78 “___ All That” (1999 rom-com) : SHE’S

The 1999 romantic comedy “She’s All That” is an adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion” (as is “My Fair Lady”). The critics hated “She’s All That”, but it still made it to number one at the box office.

79 “Despicable Me” antihero : GRU

The main protagonist in the “Despicable Me” movies is the supervillain Felonius Gru, usually referred to simply as “Gru”. Gru is voiced by Steve Carell.

82 Half-___ : CAF

Caffeine is a naturally occurring stimulant that is found in several plants. The chemical serves as a natural pesticide by paralyzing and killing certain insects that would otherwise feed on the plant. Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive drug that is consumed by humans across the world.

87 Utah’s ___ National Park : ZION

To me, the most spectacular feature of southwestern Utah’s Zion National Park is the magnificent Zion Canyon. The canyon cuts through red Navajo sandstone and truly is a beautiful sight.

88 “Hairspray” mom : EDNA

In the musical “Hairspray”, Edna Turnblad is one of the main characters. “Hairspray” was originally a John Waters movie, from 1988. In that film, Edna was played by Divine, a famous drag queen who featured in many Waters films. In the stage musical that opened in 2002, the original Broadway cast featured Harvey Fierstein as Edna. The 2007 movie adaptation of the musical had John Travolta in the role.

90 Fig. on a transcript : GPA

Grade point average (GPA)

91 One with a storied education, informally? : LIT MAJOR

Literature (lit.)

93 Race in which one begins in a wetsuit, for short : TRI

An Ironman Triathlon is a race involving a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a marathon run of just over 26 miles. The idea for the race came out of a debate between some runners in the 1977 Oahu Perimeter Relay. They were questioning whether runners, swimmers or bikers were the most fit athletes. The debaters decided to combine three local events to determine the answer, inviting athletes from all three disciplines. The events that were mimicked in the first triathlon were the Waikiki Roughwater swim (2.4 miles), the Around-Oahu Bike Race (115 miles) and the Honolulu Marathon (26.2 miles). The idea was that whoever finishes first would be called “the Iron Man”. The first triathlon was run in 1978, with fifteen starters and only twelve finishers. The race format is used all over the world now, but the Hawaiian Ironman is the event that everyone wants to win.

95 Shade that one might find on the links? : GOLF TAN

The oldest type of golf course is a links course. The name “links” comes from the Old English word “hlinc” meaning “rising ground”. “Hlinc” was used to describe areas with coastal sand dunes or open parkland. As a result, we use the term “links course” to mean a golf course that is located at or on the coast, often amid sand dunes. The British Open is always played on a links course.

99 Source of Italian bubbles : ASTI

Asti is in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. It is perhaps most famous for its Asti Spumante sparkling white wine. Moscato d’Asti is produced from the same grape (Moscato Bianco). Moscato is a much sweeter wine with a lower alcohol content, and is usually served as a dessert wine.

102 Heart on one’s sleeve, for short? : TAT

The word “tattoo” (often shortened to “tat”) was first used in English in the writings of the famous English explorer Captain Cook. In his descriptions of the indelible marks adorning the skin of Polynesian natives, Cook anglicized the Tahitian word “tatau” into our “tattoo”. Tattoos are sometimes referred to as “ink”.

105 Prefix with legal : PARA-

A paralegal (sometimes just “para”) is a person who is trained sufficiently in legal matters to assist a lawyer. A paralegal cannot engage in the practice of law and must be supervised by a qualified lawyer.

106 Exclamation while seeing oneself on the Jumbotron, perhaps : IT’S ME!

A Jumbotron is a big-screen television system that is often seen in sports stadiums. The brand name “JumboTron” was introduced by Sony in 1985. “Jumbotron” is used pretty generically now for any big-screen system in such venues as Sony exited the business in 2001.

108 German lament : ACH!

The German exclamation “ach!” is usually translated into English as “oh!”

109 Lab dropper : PIPET

A pipette (also “pipet”) is a tool used in a lab to transport an accurately measured volume of liquid. Back in my day, we would suck up the liquid into the pipette by applying our mouths to the top of the instrument. This could be quite dangerous, as one ends up with a mouthful of something unsavory if one lifts the top of the pipette out of the liquid too soon. Nowadays, things are much safer.

111 N.Y.C. subway inits. : IRT

The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) was the original private operator of the New York Subway when it opened in 1904. The city took over ownership of the system in 1940, but the lines originally operated by the IRT are still known by the IRT moniker.

115 Capital of Qatar : DOHA

Doha is the capital city of the Persian Gulf state of Qatar. The name “Doha” translates from Arabic as “the big tree”.

117 Inits. on a cellphone : LTE

In the world of telecommunications, the initialism LTE stands for Long-Term Evolution, and is wireless broadband communication standard. In general terms, LTE improves broadband speeds. As I understand it, LTE technology allows a 3G network to perform almost as well as a true 4G network, and so LTE is sometimes marketed as 4G LTE, even though it’s really “3G plus”.

118 Sports org. founded by Billie Jean King : WTA

Former World No. 1 tennis player Billie Jean King founded the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) in 1973.

119 Like the verb “to be”: Abbr. : IRR

“To be” is an irregular (irr.) verb (vb.)

120 Scripts : RXS

There seems to be some uncertainty about the origin of the symbol “Rx” that’s used for a medical prescription. One explanation is that it comes from the astrological sign for Jupiter, a symbol put on prescriptions in days of old to invoke Jupiter’s blessing to help a patient recover.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Partitions between nostrils : SEPTA
6 Place to park a boat : SLIP
10 Malt-drying kiln : OAST
14 Gave a look of “Can you believe that?!” : STARED
15 Smaller than small : ATOMIC
17 Rub it in : GLOAT
19 What you’ll hear after-hours at a sports car sales lot? : THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBOS (O in “The Silence of the Lambs”)
23 Cry from a boxing coach : HIT ‘EM!
24 Swimmer’s assignment : LANE
25 RC, for one : COLA
26 Fayetteville school, informally : U OF A
27 City that neighbors Ann Arbor, for short : YPSI
28 Rodeo Drive uprising? : BEVERLY HILLS COUP (U in “Beverly Hills Cop”)
32 Janelle of “Moonlight” : MONAE
34 Loire contents : EAU
35 Per person : EACH
36 Twisted jeans legs? : PANTS LABYRINTH (T in “Pan’s Labyrinth”)
42 Religion of the Maldives : ISLAM
46 Mission statement’s inspiration : ETHOS
47 Expected : DUE
48 Bounces around a pool table : CAROMS
51 Antagonist in “Hop-o’-My-Thumb” : OGRE
52 Drink with crumpets : TEA
53 South Asian crepes : DOSAS
55 Thrill : ELATE
57 Mini manufacturer : BMW
58 Chihuahua, por ejemplo : ESTADO
61 Staunch dedication to one’s upper leg exercise routine? : THIGH FIDELITY (T in “High Fidelity”)
65 Country whose name together with its capital city has only eight letters : PERU
67 [I’m a cow!] : [MOO!]
68 Take for a spin : DEMO
69 Winter wear for a stegosaurus? : JURASSIC PARKA (A in “Jurassic Park”)
75 “I have my ___” : DOUBTS
79 Understand : GET
80 Palestinian political party : FATAH
81 Some feds : NARCS
83 “Look, fireworks!” : OOH!
84 Diver’s destination : REEF
86 Labor class? : LAMAZE
89 Airport code for a Delta hub : LGA
90 It’s a small world : GLOBE
92 Bracket buster’s victory : UPSET
94 Tire-puncturing way across a river? : BRIDGE OF SPIKES (K in “Bridge of Spies”)
97 Region : AREA
100 Musician whose name sounds like an exclamation : ONO
101 Message written on a Wonderland cake : EAT ME
102 Introduction to a chiropractor’s makeshift toolkit? : THIS IS SPINAL TAPE (E in “This is Spinal Tap”)
110 Ankle-length dress : MAXI
112 First automaker to conduct crash tests (1938) : AUDI
113 E.R. imperative : STAT!
114 Pair in an ellipse : FOCI
115 Capital on the Atlantic : DAKAR
116 Campaign to convince British P.M. Tony to change parties? : THE BLAIR SWITCH PROJECT (S in “The Blair Witch Project”)
121 Like sailors’ language, stereotypically : SALTY
122 Operator of the Valley Flyer and Coast Starlight : AMTRAK
123 Urge strongly : EXHORT
124 Wranglers alternative : LEES
125 Make : EARN
126 Rulers until 1917 : TSARS

Down

1 Top of a range? : STETSON HAT
2 Enter smoothly : EASE INTO
3 Proper partner? : PRIM
4 Number on a bus. card : TEL
5 First songwriter to win an Oscar for a James Bond theme : ADELE
6 One in the driver’s seat : STEERER
7 Head of Eton? : LOO
8 Global finance org. : IMF
9 Word before or after perfect : PITCH
10 Tribe whose flag features a circle of tepees on a red background : OGLALA
11 French menu word : A LA
12 To such an extent (that) : SO MUCH SO
13 Game with a card that might say “Lawyer: court judge legal crime case” : TABOO
14 Swabs, say : SHIPMATES
15 Target for salicylic acid : ACNE
16 Fourth-most common surname in Korea (after Kim, Lee and Park) : CHOI
18 Stinky ___ (popular Chinese street food) : TOFU
19 “Your” of yore : THY
20 ___ system (GPS device) : NAV
21 Vogue rival : ELLE
22 April fool target : SAP
28 ___ Paese cheese : BEL
29 Secular : LAIC
30 One-named singer with the 2016 hit “Crush” : YUNA
31 High school dept. : SCI
33 Follower of smart or wise : … ASS
36 Comic Davidson : PETE
37 Big whoop : ADO
38 Go over 21, say : BUST
39 “What she said” : YEAH
40 Nonkosher : TREF
41 Hindu Festival of Colors : HOLI
43 Community celebrated in June, in brief : LGBT
44 Name of BTS’s fan base : ARMY
45 Kitten’s sound : MEW
49 Anti-D.U.I. org. : MADD
50 Mounts : STEEDS
53 Kind of fin : DORSAL
54 One offering intense but unrequited affection, in modern usage : SIMP
56 Red Muppet : ELMO
59 4/ : APR
60 ___ Studies (Gallaudet University department) : DEAF
62 Indian state on the Arabian Sea : GOA
63 Mellophone, e.g. : HORN
64 Debtor’s note : IOU
66 Arthur Ashe Stadium org. : USTA
69 Wrangler maker : JEEP
70 Great Basin natives : UTES
71 “Macbeth,” but not “Hamlet” : IAMB
72 Burn a little : CHAR
73 Vegetable that’s massaged before eating : KALE
74 Mythical ship that sailed to Colchis : ARGO
76 Odds fellows? : BOOKMAKERS
77 Specifically : TO BE EXACT
78 “___ All That” (1999 rom-com) : SHE’S
79 “Despicable Me” antihero : GRU
82 Half-___ : CAF
85 Within reach, as a goal : FEASIBLE
87 Utah’s ___ National Park : ZION
88 “Hairspray” mom : EDNA
90 Fig. on a transcript : GPA
91 One with a storied education, informally? : LIT MAJOR
93 Race in which one begins in a wetsuit, for short : TRI
95 Shade that one might find on the links? : GOLF TAN
96 “What did I tell you?” : SEE?
98 Some writing samples : ESSAYS
99 Source of Italian bubbles : ASTI
102 Heart on one’s sleeve, for short? : TAT
103 Verbal shrugs : HUHS
104 Perfect : IDEAL
105 Prefix with legal : PARA-
106 Exclamation while seeing oneself on the Jumbotron, perhaps : IT’S ME!
107 Tick follower : -TOCK
108 German lament : ACH!
109 Lab dropper : PIPET
111 N.Y.C. subway inits. : IRT
115 Capital of Qatar : DOHA
117 Inits. on a cellphone : LTE
118 Sports org. founded by Billie Jean King : WTA
119 Like the verb “to be”: Abbr. : IRR
120 Scripts : RXS

9 thoughts on “0626-22 NY Times Crossword 26 Jun 22, Sunday”

  1. This one took me a while. 48:16. Real groaners on the long answers. I couldn’t pick a favorite. They were all too cute.

  2. 38:34. Only vaguely heard of PAN’S LABYRINTH, so that section was the last to fall. The crosses YEAH, YUNA and HOLI didn’t help at all. Impressive construction.

  3. 31:58. Clever theme, but I forgot to look for the hidden word after I finished. Saw it here on the blog.

    Kinda did this from the bottom up. THE BLAIR SWITCH PROJECT was my aha moment.

    Had to take OGLALA on faith.

    Best –

  4. 15:27. A surprisingly decent time considering when I did this (about 3am, while preparing for a race).

  5. top of a range is not a person so stetson hat doesn’t work. French menu word is not a la which is two words. Race in which one begins in a wetsuit is not tri, it is triathalon. sorry to nitpick but these are not good clues and kind of a cheat. good puzzle otherwise.

    1. Bob –

      A STETSON HAT is a top one would wear on a range ergo “Top of a range?”. The question mark indicates it’s a bit of a play on words.

      Ala is accepted as one word in English. In fact, it’s only recently that a la with an accent over the a has come into favor in English in order to preserve the French roots of it. I’ll grant you that on a French menu it’s likely going to be written as two words, but most French restaurant menus are written in English so ala is ok for this clue – but not great, I’ll admit.

      The clue for TRI includes “for short” so you know it’s the shortened version of the word. In this case TRI being short for triathlon.

  6. Over 2 hours and one error to top it off…some puzzles have obscure clues…some have rediculous clues…this one had it all…When my paper arrived this morning it was soaked…maybe it was an omen to throw it away…I should have 👎 👎 👎 👎
    Stay safe😀

  7. Got halfway and decided enough was enough. Not fun. Couldn’t get to the theme. Couldn’t get in author’s head. Way too many “never heard of”s

    The hidden word was the title of the crossword.

    Nope. Not for me today.

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