0708-22 NY Times Crossword 8 Jul 22, Friday

Constructed by: Kyle T. Dolan
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 13m 53s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Something a provocateur opposes : STATUS QUO

“Status quo” translates from Latin as “state in which”, and in English is used to mean the existing condition or state of affairs.

18 Lyre-playing great-granddaughter of 8-Down : ERATO
(8D “Sky father” of Greek myth : URANUS)

In Greek mythology, Erato was the Muse of lyric poetry. She is often depicted with a wreath of myrtle and roses, and playing a lyre.

20 Spam holders : TINS

Spam is a precooked meat product that is sold in cans. It was introduced by Hormel Foods in 1937. The main meat ingredients are pork shoulder meat and ham. The name “Spam” was chosen as the result of a competition at Hormel, with the winner earning himself a hundred dollars. According to the company, the derivation of the name “Spam” is a secret known by only a few former executives, but the speculation is that it stands for “spiced ham” or “shoulders of pork and ham”. Spam is particularly popular in Hawaii, so popular that it is sometimes referred to as “the Hawaiian steak”.

24 Drugstore brand named for its target area : TUMS

The main ingredient in Tums antacid, made by GlaxoSmithKline, is calcium carbonate. Tums have been on the market since 1930. If you want to save a few pennies, Target brand antacid is identical to Tums, or so I hear …

26 ___ Bator : ULAN

The name of Mongolia’s capital city Ulaanbaatar (formerly anglicized as “Ulan Bator”) translates as “the Red Hero”. The “Red Hero” name was chosen in honor of the country’s national hero Damdin Sükhbaatar. Sükhbaatar fought alongside the Soviet Red Army in the fight for liberation from Chinese occupation.

27 What some screens catch : LINT

“Lint”, meaning “fluff”, is one of those terms that I had to learn when I moved to the US. We call the same thing “fuzz” on the other side of the Atlantic.

29 Speak before a meal, perhaps : SAY GRACE

A grace is a short prayer recited before or after a meal.

33 Offering with a blessing? : KLEENEX

Even though “Kleenex” is sometimes used today as a generic term for a tissue, “Kleenex” is a brand name owned by Kimberly-Clark. Kleenex facial tissues came about after WW1. The material used in the tissue had been developed as a replacement for cotton that was in high demand as surgical tissue during the war. The material developed was called “Cellucotton” and was used in gas mask filters. It was first sold as a facial tissue under the name “Kleenex” in 1924.

37 Ottoman title : AGA

“Aga” (also “agha”) is a title that was used by both civil and military officials in the Ottoman Empire.

38 With 45-Down, pre-marriage name of a 1940s-’50s first lady : EVA …
(45D See 38-Across : … DUARTE

Eva Perón was the second wife of President Juan Perón who was in office from 1946 to 1955. The Argentine First Lady was known affectionately by the people as “Evita”, the Spanish language diminutive of “Eva”. “Evita” is also the title of a tremendously successful musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice that is based on the life of Eva Perón.

39 Banned compound once used to control malaria : DDT

DDT is dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (don’t forget now!). DDT was used with great success to control disease-carrying insects during WWII, and when made available for use after the war it became by far the most popular pesticide. And then Rachel Carson published her famous book “Silent Spring”, suggesting there was a link between DDT and diminishing populations of certain wildlife. It was the public outcry sparked by the book, and reports of links between DDT and cancer, that led to the ban on the use of the chemical in 1972. That ban is touted as the main reason that the bald eagle was rescued from near extinction.

Malaria is a disease passed onto humans by mosquitoes. As a result of the disease, a parasite invades human red blood cells and multiplies causing fever and possibly coma or death. Over 750,000 people died from malaria in 2009, out of 225 million cases reported.

49 Defeat soundly : DRUB

A drubbing is a beating, one given either literally or figuratively. The term “drub” dates back in English to the 17th century when it was imported from the Arabic word for a beating, i.e. “darb”.

51 D.C. group : POLS

Politician (pol)

55 Urchin, perhaps : WAIF

A waif is a street urchin, or perhaps a stray animal.

64 “My Inventions” autobiographer : TESLA

Nikola Tesla was born in Serbia, but later moved to the US. Tesla’s work on mechanical and electrical engineering was crucial to the development of alternating current technology, the same technology that is used by equipment at the backbone of modern power generation and distribution systems.

Down

2 County in Wyoming, Montana or Idaho : TETON

Teton County, Wyoming is home to the Grand Teton National Park and the town of Jackson Hole. Teton has the distinction of having the second highest personal per capita income of any county in the US ($94,672 in 2010), second only to New York County ($111,386 in 2010).

3 River for which a European capital is named : AMSTEL

Amsterdam is the cultural capital and the commercial capital of the Netherlands, but not the administrative capital. That honor goes to the Hague. Amsterdam’s name translates as “Dam on the river Amstel”.

5 Game with a 112-card deck : UNO!

UNO! is a card game that was developed in the early seventies and that has been sold by Mattel since 1992. UNO falls into the shedding family of card games, meaning that the goal is to get rid of all your cards while preventing opponents from doing the same.

6 Burns, e.g. : SCOT

Robert Burns is a cultural icon in Scotland and for Scots around the world. As a poet, Burns was a pioneer in the Romantic movement in the second half of the 18th century. One of his most famous works is the poem “Auld Lang Syne”, which has been set to the tune of a traditional Scottish folk song and is used to celebrate the New Year in the English-speaking world.

8 “Sky father” of Greek myth : URANUS

All of the planets in the Solar System, except for Earth, were named for Greek and Roman gods and goddesses:

  • Mercury was Roman god of travel
  • Venus was the Roman goddess of love and beauty
  • Mars was the Roman god of war
  • Jupiter was the king of the Roman gods
  • Saturn was the Roman god of agriculture
  • Uranus was the Greek god of the sky
  • Neptune was the Roman god of the sea
  • (also, Pluto was the Roman god of the underworld)

10 Mission Santa ___ (National Historic Landmark in California) : INES

Mission Santa Ines is located in the beautiful city of Solvang, California, a city with marked Danish influences.

25 Like much of Maine : SYLVAN

A sylvan area is wooded, covered in trees. “Silva” is the Latin word for “forest”.

28 Like ancient Roman senators : TOGAED

In ancient Rome, the classical attire known as a toga (plural “togae” or “togas”) was usually worn over a tunic. The tunic was made from linen, and the toga itself was a piece of cloth about twenty feet long made from wool. The toga could only be worn by men, and only if those men were Roman citizens. The female equivalent of the toga was called a “stola”.

32 Insect with a delicate nest : PAPER WASP

Paper wasps usually build their nests from “paper”, hence the name. The female wasps collect wood fibers and dead plant tissue in their mouths. These materials make a paper pulp when mixed with saliva. The nest itself is a collection of hexagonal cells with paper walls.

36 Colorful blooms along the coast : RED TIDES

An algal bloom that takes on a red or brown color is commonly referred to as “red tide”. The algae causing the bloom are phytoplankton containing photosynthetic pigments that give the red/brown color. Some red tides are extremely harmful to marine life as there can be a depletion of oxygen dissolved in the seawater. The algae can also contain natural toxins that can kill those creatures that eat it.

52 Source of some fur : STOAT

The stoat has dark brown fur in the summer, and white fur in the winter. Sometimes the term “ermine” is used for the animal during the winter when the fur is white. Ermine skins have long been prized by royalty and are often used for white trim on ceremonial robes.

54 Hawaii’s ___ Coast : KONA

The Kona district on the Big Island of Hawaii is on the western side of the island. The largest town in Kona is Kailua-Kona. Kailua-Kona is often incorrectly referred to as “Kona”. The term “kona” translates as “leeward side of the island” in Hawaiian.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Something a provocateur opposes : STATUS QUO
10 Trailing : IN TOW
15 Tart dessert topping : LEMON CURD
16 “Not true!” : NUH-UH!
17 “Shame, that” : IT’S TOO BAD
18 Lyre-playing great-granddaughter of 8-Down : ERATO
19 Hardly be hard (on) : DOTE
20 Spam holders : TINS
21 Begins to come to : STIRS
22 Point ___, oceanic spot farthest from land : NEMO
24 Drugstore brand named for its target area : TUMS
26 ___ Bator : ULAN
27 What some screens catch : LINT
29 Speak before a meal, perhaps : SAY GRACE
31 Photo-editing function : CROP
33 Offering with a blessing? : KLEENEX
34 “Es tut ___ leid” (“I’m sorry,” in German) : MIR
37 Ottoman title : AGA
38 With 45-Down, pre-marriage name of a 1940s-’50s first lady : EVA …
39 Banned compound once used to control malaria : DDT
40 Part of a typical business search result on Google : AREA MAP
42 Prized, perhaps : RARE
44 “Fare thee well” : GODSPEED
46 No longer feeling : NUMB
48 Really feeling : INTO
49 Defeat soundly : DRUB
51 D.C. group : POLS
53 You may wake up with one in your back : CRICK
55 Urchin, perhaps : WAIF
57 Cart (around) : TOTE
59 Kind of guide at a museum : AUDIO
60 Magazine position : ART EDITOR
62 Win big, with “up” : CLEAN …
63 Hot wheels? : STOLEN CAR
64 “My Inventions” autobiographer : TESLA
65 Pocket-size medical tools : PENLIGHTS

Down

1 Dropped, as in the rankings : SLID
2 County in Wyoming, Montana or Idaho : TETON
3 River for which a European capital is named : AMSTEL
4 Representative : TOTEMIC
5 Game with a 112-card deck : UNO!
6 Burns, e.g. : SCOT
7 Portmanteau unit of computing information : QUBIT
8 “Sky father” of Greek myth : URANUS
9 Book agent? : ODDSMAKER
10 Mission Santa ___ (National Historic Landmark in California) : INES
11 Encourage : NURTURE
12 Where Songkran is a national New Year’s holiday : THAILAND
13 Beat to the finish : OUTRACED
14 Question at a press conference, maybe : WHO’S NEXT?
23 Place to drive, if you’re so inclined? : ON-RAMP
25 Like much of Maine : SYLVAN
28 Like ancient Roman senators : TOGAED
30 Get equipped : GEAR UP
32 Insect with a delicate nest : PAPER WASP
34 Tricky thing to pull off? : MAGIC ACT
35 Absolutism : IRON RULE
36 Colorful blooms along the coast : RED TIDES
41 Withdrawn, in a way : ASOCIAL
43 Tearing up, perhaps : EMOTING
45 See 38-Across : … DUARTE
47 Stain : BLOTCH
50 Dog that’s a cross of two French-named breeds : BITON
52 Source of some fur : STOAT
54 Hawaii’s ___ Coast : KONA
56 Cut down : FELL
58 Isn’t right : ERRS
61 ___ Fratelli (tomato sauce brand) : DEI

8 thoughts on “0708-22 NY Times Crossword 8 Jul 22, Friday”

  1. 11:01. Didn’t have much until I got to the middle, with ULAN, DDT, and SAY GRACE that gave me a foothold.

  2. 59:34, no errors. Total slog for me today, particularly in the SE corner.
    PS: I see KONA makes an appearance again today. To Alaska Jack, we agree, wife and I always make it point to visit the Kohala area; have a gelato in Hawi at Tropical Dreams (now Kona Coffee Mill, I believe). Waipio and Pololu valleys are also must destinations, as long as our old legs can handle the trails.

  3. 33:46. Easy puzzle except where there were those blank spaces. They made it a lot tougher…

    I know of Kona coffee and Kona beer – both of which I like – but I’ve never been to Kona. Maybe I need put that on my list.

    It was only a 4 day week, but it’s still a weekend. So speaking of AMSTEL……Actually I prefer Budweiser, but it wasn’t in today’s puzzle.

    Best –

  4. 38:32 pleasantly surprised to have even finished, given that I had two across answers filled in on the first pass, thank you down answers👍

  5. Took forever and eight cups of coffee before getting traction.
    Finished well caffeinated and with no errors.

  6. 1 wrong letter = 2 incorrect words. Been a while since I had a clean fill on Friday or Saturday. Patience lad. I may never get to crossword heaven but I’m not feeling any heat.

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