0711-22 NY Times Crossword 11 Jul 22, Monday

Constructed by: Roy Greim
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: Finger Paints

Themed answers are common phrases that might be interpreted as the result of getting PAINT on a FINGER:

  • 51A Materials for a preschool artist … or a hint to 20-, 32- and 40-Across : FINGER PAINTS
  • 20A Like a ride that has one holding on for dear life : WHITE-KNUCKLE
  • 32A Architectural diagrams : BLUEPRINTS
  • 40A Knack for gardening : GREEN THUMB

Bill’s time: 5m 20s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 A.T.M. withdrawal : CASH

Our word “cash” comes from the Middle French “caisse” meaning “money box”.

9 Award won by Paul Newman and Gary Oldman : OSCAR

Paul Newman was an actor from Shaker Heights, Ohio. Newman won his only Best Actor Oscar for his role in “The Color of Money”, a Martin Scorsese film. Off screen Newman was a very successful racing driver and won several national championships. He also founded a food company called Newman’s Own which donates its profits to charity, an amount that now exceeds $500 million.

Gary Oldman is an English stage and screen actor. Like many English actors it seems, Oldman has played a lot of villains in Hollywood movies e.g. in “Air Force One” and “The Fifth Element”. My favorite Oldman performance is as Ludwig van Beethoven in “Immortal Beloved”. He also gave an outstanding, and Oscar-winning, portrayal of Winston Churchill in “Darkest Hour”.

14 Cincinnati’s river : OHIO

The Ohio River forms in Pittsburgh where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet. It empties into the Mississippi near the city of Cairo, Illinois.

Cincinnati, Ohio was the first major city to be founded after the American Revolution, and indeed was the first major inland city to be founded in the whole country. Cincinnati was a boomtown in the 1800s, but it’s growth slowed as the railroads displaced the steamboats as the major form of transportation. The city was founded in 1788, and was named “Cincinnati” two years later. It was named for the Society of Cincinnati, an organization with a mission to preserve the ideals and fellowship of the officers of the Revolutionary War. The society was in turn named for Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus. Cincinnatus was a farmer in ancient Rome who left his land to serve as Consul and then lawful dictator of Rome during a war emergency, before happily handing back power to the Senate after the war was won.

16 Tennis champ Osaka : NAOMI

Naomi Osaka is a Japanese-born tennis professional who became the first Asian player to be ranked number-one in singles. She was also the first ever tennis player to light the Olympic cauldron during an opening ceremony, doing so for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

17 Pub projectile : DART

Darts is a game that’s often played in English and Irish pubs, even over here in America. The scoring in a traditional game of darts is difficult to describe in a sentence or two, but the game of darts called “Round the Clock” is simply hitting the numbers 1 through 20 on the dartboard in sequence.

18 Sonic the Hedgehog game company : SEGA

Sonic the Hedgehog is a title character in a videogame and the mascot of Sega, the computer game developer. Sonic was set up as a rival to Nintendo’s mascot Mario.

23 Homeric epic set during the Trojan War : ILIAD

“Iliad” is an epic poem by the Greek poet Homer that tells the story of the ten-year siege of “Ilium” (i.e. “Troy”) during the Trojan war. “The Odyssey”, also attributed to Homer, is sometimes described as a sequel to “Iliad”.

32 Architectural diagrams : BLUEPRINTS

Blueprints are reproductions of technical or architectural drawings that are contact prints made on light-sensitive sheets. Blueprints were introduced in the 1800s and the technology available dictated that the drawings were reproduced with white lines on a blue background, hence the name “blue-print”.

35 Lead-in to “Bop” and “Wolf” in hits by Cyndi Lauper and Shakira : SHE …

“She Bop” is a hit song released by Cyndi Lauper in 1984. The song was considered controversial because of the sexual nature of the lyrics. In fact, Lauper claims that she recorded the vocal track while she was naked.

Shakira is a hugely successful singer from Colombia. She used to appear regularly on TV as one of the coaches on the reality show “The Voice”.

39 Brunched, say : ATE

Our word “brunch” is a portmanteau of “breakfast” and “lunch”. The term was coined as student slang in Oxford, England in the late 1890s. However, “brunch” described a combined meal closer to the breakfast hour, and the term “blunch” was used for a meal closer to lunchtime.

46 Fairy : SPRITE

A sprite is an elfin or fairy-like creature of European myth. The term “sprite” comes from the Latin “spiritus” meaning “spirit”.

50 Lassoed : ROPED

Our English word “lasso” comes from the Spanish “lazo”, and ultimately from the Latin “laqueum” meaning “noose, snare”.

55 Venue for Stevie Nicks or the Knicks : ARENA

Singer Stevie Nicks came to fame as the lead singer of Fleetwood Mac. She has a very distinctive voice, heard at its best (I think) on the famous 1977 album “Rumours”.

The New York Knickerbockers (“Knicks”) team is one of only two founding members of the original National Basketball Association that still plays in its original home city. The other is the Boston Celtics.

57 Doily fabric : LACE

There was a draper in London in the seventeenth century named Doiley, and he gave his name to the lace fabric that he sold. The fabric in turn gave its name to the ornamental mat that we call a “doily”. I can’t stand doilies …

61 Card deck used in divination : TAROT

Tarot cards have been around since the mid-1400s, and for centuries were simply used for entertainment as a game. It has only been since the late 1800s that the cards have been used by fortune tellers to predict the future. The list of tarot cards includes the Wheel of Fortune, the Hanged Man and the Lovers.

63 ___ Office (room in the West Wing) : OVAL

Although there have been several “oval” offices used by US presidents in the White House, the current Oval Office was designed and constructed at the bequest of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The room has four doors. One door opens onto the Rose Garden; a second door leads to a small study and dining room; a third opens onto the main corridor running through the West Wing; the fourth door opens to the office of the president’s secretary.

64 Kisses and caresses, in British lingo : SNOGS

“Snogging” is British slang of unknown origin that dates back to the end of WWII. The term is used for “kissing and cuddling”, what we call “making out” over here in the US.

Lingo is specialized vocabulary. Journalese and legalese would be good examples.

65 Honorees on the second Sunday in May : MOMS

Note the official punctuation in “Mother’s Day”, even though one might think it should be “Mothers’ Day”. President Wilson and Anna Jarvis, who created the tradition, specifically wanted Mother’s Day to honor the mothers within each family and not just “mothers” in general, so they went with the “Mother’s Day” punctuation.

Down

1 Fish-and-chips fish, typically : COD

In Britain and Ireland, the most common fish that is used in traditional “fish and chips” is Atlantic cod. Cod has been overfished all over the world, and is now considered to be an endangered species by many international bodies. Confrontations over fishing rights in the North Atlantic led to conflicts called “the Cod Wars” between Iceland and the UK in the 1950s and the 1970s, with fishing fleets being protected by naval vessels and even shots being fired.

2 “Eureka!” : AHA!

“Eureka” translates from Greek as “I have found it”. The word is usually associated with Archimedes, uttered as he stepped into his bath one day. His discovery was that the volume of water that was displaced was equal to that of the object (presumably his foot) that had been submerged. He used this fact to determine the volume of a crown, something he needed in order to determine if it was made of pure gold or was a forgery.

3 Knight’s title : SIR

Kneel, and a monarch might “dub thee a knight” if you’re lucky. “Dub” is a specific term derived from Old English that was used to mean “make a knight”. As the knight was also given a knightly name at the same time, “dub” came to mean “give someone a name”.

8 Vampire slayer’s weapon : STAKE

Legends about vampires were particularly common in Eastern Europe and in the Balkans in particular. The superstition was that vampires could be killed using a wooden stake, with the preferred type of wood varying from place to place. Superstition also defines where the body should be pierced. Most often, the stake was driven through the heart, but Russians and northern Germans went for the mouth, and northeastern Serbs for the stomach.

10 Base for a teacup : SAUCER

A saucer is a shallow plate used to support a cup or other vessel from which a liquid can spill. The term “saucer” comes from the Anglo-Latin “saucerium” meaning “sauce dish”.

11 It may pop before a toast : CORK

Cork, as in the material used to make wine stoppers, comes from the bark of cork oak trees. The bark of a cork oak is very thick and rugged, and can be harvested every 7-10 years, without harming the trees.

The tradition of toasting someone probably dates back to the reign of Charles II, when the practice was to drink a glass of wine to the health of a beautiful or favored woman. In those days, spiced toast was added to beverages to add flavor, so the use of the word “toast” was an indicator that the lady’s beauty would enhance the wine. Very charming, I must say …

12 Human rights lawyer Clooney : AMAL

Amal Alamuddin married celebrated Hollywood actor George Clooney in 2014. Alamuddin was born in Beirut, Lebanon and moved with her family to London when she was a toddler. She is a lawyer specializing in international law, with one of her more renowned clients being the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange.

22 Almonds, e.g. : NUTS

“Almond” is the name of a deciduous tree, and of the edible seed of that tree. The fruit of the almond tree is a drupe, and not a nut. The drupe comprises an outer hull surrounding a woody endocarp. The edible seed is found inside the woody shell, and that’s the almond “nut”.

24 Piece of greenery for a winner’s wreath : LAUREL

In the Ancient Olympic Games, the winner of an event was awarded an olive wreath. When the games were revived in 1896, the winners were originally given a silver medal and an olive branch, with runners-up receiving a bronze medal and a laurel branch. The tradition of giving gold, silver and bronze medals began at the 1904 Summer Olympic Games held in St. Louis, Missouri.

27 Christian of fashion : DIOR

Fashion designer Christian Dior showed off his first collection in 1947, to great acclaim. The editor-in-chief of “Harper’s Bazaar” remarked, “it’s such a new look!” as there was a clear contrast with the austere designs that dominated the war years. The remark resulted in the collection being labeled forever as the “New Look”.

34 Uno + dos : TRES

In Spanish, “tres” (three) is “uno y dos” (one plus two).

38 Captain’s record at sea : SHIP’S LOG

The word “logbook” dates back to the days when the captain of a ship kept a daily record of the vessel’s speed, progress etc. using a “log”. A log was a wooden float on a knotted line that was dropped overboard to measure speed through the water.

41 Presenter of “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered” : NPR NEWS

NPR’s flagship news program is “Morning Edition”, a 2-hour show broadcast from Monday through Friday. The sister show “Weekend Edition” is broadcast on Saturday and Sunday.

“All Things Considered” is the news broadcast by NPR that airs for two hours every evening.

44 Yuletide beverage : EGGNOG

It’s not really clear where the term “nog” (as in “eggnog”) comes from although it might derive from the word “noggin”, which was originally a small wooden cup that was long associated with alcoholic drinks.

Yule celebrations coincide with Christmas, and the words “Christmas” and “Yule” (often “Yuletide”) have become synonymous in much of the world. However, Yule was originally a pagan festival celebrated by Germanic peoples. The name “Yule” comes from the Old Norse word “jol” that was used to describe the festival.

49 Japanese bread crumb coating : PANKO

Panko is a breadcrumb used in some Japanese cuisine, primarily as a crunchy coating for fried foods.

53 Emperor during the Great Fire of Rome : NERO

The Great Fire of Rome raged for five and a half days in 64 AD. Of the fourteen districts of Rome, three were completely destroyed and seven more suffered serious damage. The emperor at the time was Nero, although reports that he fiddled, played his lyre or sang while the city burned; those accounts are probably not true. In fact, Nero was staying outside of Rome when the fire started and rushed home upon hearing the news. He organized a massive relief effort, throwing open his own home to give shelter to many of the citizens who were left living on the street.

58 “___ Maria” (hymn) : AVE

“Ave Maria” (“Hail Mary” in English) is the prayer at the core of the Roman Catholic Rosary, which itself is a set of prayers asking for the assistance of the Virgin Mary. Much of the text of the “Hail Mary” comes from the Gospel of Luke. The words in Latin are:

AVE MARIA, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.

The prayer has been adapted as a hymn. The two most famous musical versions of “Ave Maria” are by Charles Gounod (based on a piece by Bach) and by Franz Schubert.

59 Ford or Fiat : CAR

Industrialist Henry Ford was born in Michigan, and was the son of an Irish immigrant from County Cork. Ford’s most famous vehicle was the one that revolutionized the industry: the Model T. Ford’s goal with the Model T was to build a car that was simple to drive, and cheap to purchase and repair. The Model T cost $825 in 1908, which isn’t much over $20,000 in today’s money.

Fiat is the largest car manufacturer in Italy, and is headquartered in Turin in the Piedmont region in the north of the country. Fiat was founded in 1899 by Giovanni Agnelli, when the company’s name was “Fabbrica Italiana di Automobili Torino” (FIAT). A few years ago, Fiat became the majority shareholder in Chrysler.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 A.T.M. withdrawal : CASH
5 Mischievous ones : IMPS
9 Award won by Paul Newman and Gary Oldman : OSCAR
14 Cincinnati’s river : OHIO
15 Tidy : NEAT
16 Tennis champ Osaka : NAOMI
17 Pub projectile : DART
18 Sonic the Hedgehog game company : SEGA
19 In the countryside : RURAL
20 Like a ride that has one holding on for dear life : WHITE-KNUCKLE
23 Homeric epic set during the Trojan War : ILIAD
25 Employ again : REUSE
26 Damaged, as a surface : MARRED
28 Defeat soundly : THRASH
32 Architectural diagrams : BLUEPRINTS
35 Lead-in to “Bop” and “Wolf” in hits by Cyndi Lauper and Shakira : SHE …
36 Hearing things? : EARS
37 Rowing tool : OAR
38 Big-time celebrity : STAR
39 Brunched, say : ATE
40 Knack for gardening : GREEN THUMB
43 Backspace over : DELETE
46 Fairy : SPRITE
47 Comprehend : GRASP
50 Lassoed : ROPED
51 Materials for a preschool artist … or a hint to 20-, 32- and 40-Across : FINGER PAINTS
55 Venue for Stevie Nicks or the Knicks : ARENA
56 Start a poker pot : ANTE
57 Doily fabric : LACE
61 Card deck used in divination : TAROT
62 Distort, as facts : SKEW
63 ___ Office (room in the West Wing) : OVAL
64 Kisses and caresses, in British lingo : SNOGS
65 Honorees on the second Sunday in May : MOMS
66 Microbe : GERM

Down

1 Fish-and-chips fish, typically : COD
2 “Eureka!” : AHA!
3 Knight’s title : SIR
4 Starts by bypassing the ignition system : HOT-WIRES
5 One with access to privileged information : INSIDER
6 Track-and-field competition : MEET
7 Hospital notification device : PAGER
8 Vampire slayer’s weapon : STAKE
9 Incoming deluge : ONRUSH
10 Base for a teacup : SAUCER
11 It may pop before a toast : CORK
12 Human rights lawyer Clooney : AMAL
13 Make angry : RILE
21 Angel’s instrument : HARP
22 Almonds, e.g. : NUTS
23 “Whoa, gotta run!” : I’M LATE!
24 Piece of greenery for a winner’s wreath : LAUREL
27 Christian of fashion : DIOR
29 Sharp-witted : ASTUTE
30 Tut-tutted, say : SHAMED
31 Garden variety? : HERB
32 Decoration on a moccasin or purse : BEAD
33 Scot’s denial : NAE
34 Uno + dos : TRES
38 Captain’s record at sea : SHIP’S LOG
40 Equipment : GEAR
41 Presenter of “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered” : NPR NEWS
42 Leisurely pace after hitting a home run : TROT
44 Yuletide beverage : EGGNOG
45 Rewards dispensed in obedience training : TREATS
48 Twitch : SPASM
49 Japanese bread crumb coating : PANKO
51 Coconut oil and butter, for two : FATS
52 Land bordering Afghanistan : IRAN
53 Emperor during the Great Fire of Rome : NERO
54 Thing : ITEM
58 “___ Maria” (hymn) : AVE
59 Ford or Fiat : CAR
60 Stately tree : ELM

8 thoughts on “0711-22 NY Times Crossword 11 Jul 22, Monday”

  1. One thing I will point out out of Saturday’s puzzle (yeah I heard a stink about it, so I know it’s coming. I’d jump and play it, normally, but I’ll wait the five weeks…) that I thought was interesting in general to people: If you wanted to compare with a lot of people on the NYT app, there’s a site that lets you do that:

    https://xwstats.com/puzzles

    Have fun.

    1. On June 23, Brendan Emmett Quigley, who has become one of my two favorite constructors, posted the following comment about the puzzle he had created for that day:

      Easy puzzle on deck. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t have that BEQ flavor that y’all have come to enjoy. So savor it, unless you’re one of them speed solvers then … I don’t know what to tell you. You do these things too fast.

      I’m with him.

  2. 5:49. Straightforward Monday puzzle. A needed mindless change of pace from the weekend. They could have added a YELLOW JACKET wasp. That would indicate one of the kids getting paint on his clothes…

    I’d like to speak to the 6% of NYT solvers who solved Saturday’s puzzle much faster than their normal. I suspect many of those were of the open book variety as I had to solve it. The NYT sees my time as 45 minutes (just a few minutes longer than the median solve). What they can’t measure is all the lookups I did to solve that fast. I gave up way before the 45 minute mark and just started cheating as necessary. Ergo my time is meaningless.

    As Dave alludes to, I would have been much happier actually finishing without help regardless of the time.

    Best –

  3. 4:46, no errors. As per stated site, that’s average…I probably would have gotten it quicker except for writing being slower…

  4. The point I was trying to make with my post above is that many here (me, for one) don’t really care whether or not a given time is “competitive”. I do record my times so as to somewhat quantify the effects of proceeding further into my dotage, but I find that trying to go faster severely impacts my enjoyment of the puzzles. The time I put in my own records includes a significant amount of fidgeting, being distracted by the animal life on my patio, blowing my increasingly irritating nose, tending to a shrieking tea kettle, answering the phone, etc. I make notes of such things for myself, but recording all that here would do no one else any good.

    My two cents’ worth … okay, maybe one cent’s worth … 😜

Comments are closed.