0731-22 NY Times Crossword 31 Jul 22, Sunday

Constructed by: Jesse Goldberg
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: Why, Why Not?

Themed answers come in pairs in the grid. The lower element of the pair is a common phrase that has lost a Y. That Y moves UP TWO lines in the grid and there is added to a second common phrase. Clever!

  • 115A Become aware of … or a homophonic description of four letter shifts in this puzzle’s grid : WISE UP TO or Ys UP TWO
  • 24A Places where some belts are tightened? : BELLY BOTTOMS (“bell bottoms” + Y)
  • 29A Stephen Crane’s “The Red Badge of Courage,” e.g.? : COMBAT READ (“combat ready” – Y)
  • 51A Lawyer with absurdly exaggerated humor? : CAMPY COUNSELOR (“camp counselor” + Y)
  • 58A Sleep phase? : SLUMBER PART (“slumber party” – Y)
  • 71A Harvesting machine that needs cleaning? : GRIMY REAPER (“Grim Reaper” + Y)
  • 80A Doctor’s description of the birth of triplet sons? : THREE TIMES A LAD (“Three Times a Lady” – Y)
  • 96A Battle between Tinker Bell and Princess Ozma? : FAIRY FIGHT (“fair fight” + Y
  • 108A Census-taking of a Midwest capital? : MADISON COUNT (“Madison County” – Y)

Bill’s time: 30m 04s!

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Condiment at a pho shop : SRIRACHA

Sriracha hot chili sauce is named for the coastal city of Si Racha in eastern Thailand, where the recipe likely originated. Here in North America, we are most familiar with the Sriracha sold in a red bottle with a green that is made by Huy Fong Foods in the city of Irwindale, California. The manufacturer was founded by Vietnamese refugee David Tran, who escaped from Vietnam in 1978 on a Taiwanese freighter called the Huey Fong, after which he named his new company.

Pho (pronounced “fuh”) is a noodle soup from Vietnam that is a popular street food.

9 Got too scared, with “out” : WIMPED …

Our term “wimp”, describing a “timid person”, is probably an alteration of “whimper”, the sound that such an individual might make.

15 Shelve : DEFER

These “tabling” and “shelving” idioms drive me crazy, because they are often misused. If a topic is shelved, it is set aside. If a topic is tabled, it is brought “off the shelf” and put “on the table” for discussion. I know that language evolves, but I think that it should at least make sense …

22 “The ___ Holmes Mysteries” (young adult detective series) : ENOLA

“The Enola Holmes Mysteries” is a series of detective novels for young adults by American author Nancy Springer. The title character is the 14-year-old sister of 34-year-old Sherlock Holmes, the detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Springer’s novels were adapted into a 2020 film “Enola Holmes” that Netflix picked up at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. I saw this one, and enjoyed it …

23 Nationwide competitor : ALLSTATE

Allstate is the second-largest provider of personal insurance in the US, after State Farm. Allstate started doing business in 1931 as part of Sears Roebuck, and indeed I can remember when Allstate offices were located in Sears stores. Sears spun off Allstate in 1993.

24 Places where some belts are tightened? : BELLY BOTTOMS (“bell bottoms” + Y)

Bell-bottom pants have legs that flare out from the knees downwards. It is common knowledge that bell-bottoms originated as a style worn by sailors. They were standard uniform wear in the British Royal Navy starting in the mid-19th century. American sailors, however, were wearing bell-bottoms in the very early 1800s. The wide pant leg allows bell-bottoms to double as a life-saving device. Sailors are trained to remove the pants (without the need to remove shoes), tie a knot in the end of each leg, and then inflate the pants with air so that they can be used to aid flotation.

26 Longtime surname on late-night TV : MEYERS

Seth Meyers is an actor and comedian who is perhaps best-known for his appearances on “Saturday Night Live” (SNL), for which program he served as head writer. Meyers now hosts his own late night talk show on NBC.

27 Rooibos by another name : RED TEA

Red tea is made from the leaves of the South African rooibos plant. The name “rooibos” translates as “red bush”.

28 Simpson imp : BART

Bart Simpson is the main character in television’s “The Simpsons”. His name was chosen by the writers as it is an anagram of “brat”. Bart is voiced by actress and comedian Nancy Cartwright.

29 Stephen Crane’s “The Red Badge of Courage,” e.g.? : COMBAT READ (“combat ready” – Y)

“The Red Badge of Courage” is a 1951 war movie adapted from a novel of the same name by Stephen Crane. Set in the American Civil War, WWII hero Audie Murphy plays the lead role.

39 Actress Lena : OLIN

Lena Olin is a Swedish actress, and someone who has acting in her blood. Her mother was the actress Britta Holmberg and her father the actor and director Stig Olin. Olin had a very successful career in Sweden, often working with the great Ingmar Bergman. Olin’s breakthrough international and English-speaking role was playing opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” released in 1988. Way back in 1974, Miss Olin was crowned Miss Scandinavia in a beauty pageant for Nordic women held in Helsinki, Finland. Olin’s most famous performance was in “Chocolat” released in 2000, and then she won an Emmy in 2003 for Best Supporting Actress in the TV show “Alias”.

41 Medical gloves and N95 masks, for short : PPE

Personal protective equipment (PPE)

44 Andy Dufresne in “The Shawshank Redemption,” e.g. : ESCAPEE

Stephen King’s novella “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption” was adapted into a 2009 stage play and a 1994 film, both of which were titled “The Shawshank Redemption”. The Ohio State Reformatory was used for exterior shots of the fictional Shawshank Prison. That same facility was used for the prison scenes in the 1997 film “Air Force One”.

48 Pear-shaped instrument : LUTE

The lute is a stringed instrument with a long neck and usually a pear-shaped body. It is held and played like a guitar, and was popular from the Middle Ages right through to the late Baroque era. A person who plays the lute can be referred to as a “lutenist”.

54 Where Camus’s “The Plague” is set : ALGERIA

Algeria is a huge country, the largest in Africa, and the largest on the Mediterranean. The capital of Algeria is Algiers, and the country takes its name from the city.

“The Plague” is a novel by Albert Camus, first published in 1947. It is set in the Algerian port of Oran during a terrible plague.

56 Circuit board components : DIODES

A diode is a component in a circuit, the most notable characteristic of which is that it will conduct electric current in only one direction. Some of those vacuum tubes we used to see in old radios and television were diodes, but nowadays almost all diodes are semiconductor devices.

60 Coconut-covered cookie : SAMOA

Depending on which bakery makes the particular variety of Girl Scout cookies, the name can vary. For example, Little Brownie Bakers makes Samoa cookies, while ABC Bakers uses the same recipe and calls the cookies Caramel deLites. The assumption is that these cookies have the exotic name “Samoa” because they contain the tropical ingredients of coconut and cocoa. The most popular variety of Girl Scout cookies sold are Thin Mints.

64 Flagship vehicle line for Mercedes-Benz : S-CLASS

The S-Class is the most luxurious line of Mercedes cars, and is the world’s best-selling luxury sedan. The name “S-Class” stands for “Sonderklasse”, which translates from German as “special class”.

67 Dallas-to-Austin dir. : SSW

The settlement that was to become the Texas city of Dallas was established in 1841. The settlement became a city in 1856, and owed its early growth to the construction of railroads starting in 1873.

Austin is the capital of the state of Texas. When the area was chosen to be the capital of the Republic of Texas, it was known as Waterloo. The name was changed in honor of Stephen F. Austin, a native of Virginia who was raised in Missouri and led the first successful colonization of Texas.

71 Harvesting machine that needs cleaning? : GRIMY REAPER (“Grim Reaper” + Y)

The Grim Reaper is one of the personifications of death, along with the Hooded One and the Angel of Death. Death has been depicted since the 1400s as a skeleton in a hooded, black cloak and carrying a scythe. The name “Grim Reaper” only dates back to the mid-1800s.

79 Mythical weaver : ARACHNE

In Greek and Roman mythology, Arachne was a mortal woman who was a great weaver. Arachne boasted that her weaving was greater than that of the goddess Athena (or Minerva in Roman myth), and this was proven true in a contest. As a result, Arachne was turned into a spider by Athena. “Arachne” is the Greek word for spider.

80 Doctor’s description of the birth of triplet sons? : THREE TIMES A LAD (“Three Times a Lady” – Y)

“Three Times a Lady” is a 1978 song that Lionel Richie wrote for the Commodores, the group for whom Richie was a lead singer. Richie was inspired to write the song after hearing his father toast his mother at their wedding anniversary with the words:

She’s a great lady, she’s a great mother, and she’s a great friend.

86 Rhetoric : ORATORY

Rhetoric is the art of speaking or writing effectively, primarily with the intent to persuade. Aristotle defined three persuasive techniques that can be used to persuade an audience:

  • Ethos is an ethical appeal, an attempt to convince the audience of the good moral character and credibility of the speaker.
  • Logos is an appeal to logic, an attempt to convince an audience by using logic and reason.
  • Pathos is an emotional appeal, an attempt to convince an audience by appealing to their emotions.

89 No longer active: Abbr. : RET

Retired (ret.)

90 Golf ball’s path : ARC

The first golf balls had smooth surfaces. The idea of adding dimples grew out of the empirical observation that used balls flew further. These older balls were beaten up and had nicks in the surface. The nicks, and the dimples in a modern ball, create a turbulent layer of air that “sticks” to the surface of the ball, and this sticky layer of turbulent air has less drag as it slices through the rest of the air between the golfer and the ball’s destination.

91 City north of Des Moines : AMES

The Iowa city of Ames was founded as a stop on the Cedar Rapids and Missouri Railroad in 1864. It was named for US Congressman Oakes Ames from the state of Massachusetts in honor of the role that Ames played in the building of the transcontinental railroad.

The city of Des Moines is the capital of Iowa, and takes its name from the Des Moines River. The river in turn takes its name from the French “Riviere des Moines” meaning “River of the Monks”. It looks like there isn’t any “monkish” connection to the city’s name per se. “Des Moines” was just the name given by French traders who corrupted “Moingona”, the name of a group of Illinois Native Americans who lived by the river. However, others contend that French Trappist monks, who lived a full 200 miles from the river, somehow influenced the name.

93 Cinco + uno : SEIS

In Spanish, “cinco y uno” (five and one) adds up to “seis” (six).

94 They might get all over the floor : ROOMBAS

The Roomba vacuum cleaner is a cool-looking device that navigates its way around a room by itself, picking up dirt as it goes. Like I said, it’s cool-looking but I am not sure how effective it is …

96 Battle between Tinker Bell and Princess Ozma? : FAIRY FIGHT (“fair fight” + Y

Tinker Bell is a fairy in the “Peter Pan” story by J. M. Barrie. “Tink” is a minor character in the original play and novel, but evolved into a major character in the many, many film and television adaptations of the tale.

L. Frank Baum wrote a whole series of books about the Land of Oz. Princess Ozma appears in all of them except the one that’s most famous, namely “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”.

104 Some Guinness records : LEASTS

“The Guinness Book of World Records” holds some records of its own. It is the best-selling, copyrighted series of books of all time and is one of the books most often stolen from public libraries! The book was first published in 1954 by two twins, Norris and Ross McWhirter. The McWhirter twins found themselves with a smash hit, and eventually became very famous in Britain hosting a TV show based on world records.

108 Census-taking of a Midwest capital? : MADISON COUNT (“Madison County” – Y)

Madison is the second-largest city in Wisconsin (after Milwaukee), and is the state capital. The city was named for President James Madison, who was one of the signers of the US Constitution. Many of Madison’s first streets were named for the 39 other signatories.

113 Bel ___ (Italian cheese) : PAESE

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.

116 Partners of hinds : HARTS

A male deer is usually called a buck, and a female is a doe. However, the male red deer is usually referred to as a stag. The males of even larger species of deer are often called bulls, and the females called cows. In older English, male deer of over 5 years were called harts, and females of over 3 years were called hinds. The young of small species are known as fawns, and of larger species are called calves. All very confusing …

118 Comes clean : FESSES UP

The term “fess” is most often seen as part of the phrasal verb “to fess up” meaning “to admit to something”. “Fess” is simply a shortened form of “confess”.

Down

9 Big name in grills : WEBER

In 1952, George Stephen was working for the Weber Brothers Metal works in Chicago. One of the company’s products was a line of half-spheres that were welded together to make buoys used in Lake Michigan. Stephens took two of these metal hemispheres and converted them into the original kettle grill. The Weber company set up a barbecue division that Stephens ran, and Stephen became so successful that he bought out the Weber Brothers factory and converted all production to the manufacture of grills.

10 ___ la Cité, home of Notre-Dame : ILE DE

There are two famous “îles” (islands) in the middle of the River Seine in Paris, one being the Île de la Cité, and the other Île Saint-Louis. Île de la Cité is the most renowned of the two, as it is home to the cathedral of Notre-Dame.

Notre-Dame de Paris is the spectacular Gothic cathedral that sits on the Île de la Cité, one of the islands in the middle of the River Seine in Paris. Notre-Dame is home to many beautiful and significant artifacts, the most famous of which is the Crown of Thorns supposedly worn by Jesus Christ at his execution, placed in the cathedral in 1239. It’s also home to some magnificent gargoyles on the roof, and you can climb up to the roof and take a very close look at them. Well, you used to be able to, until the tragic fire of 2019.

11 Smallest country in the E.U., by area : MALTA

The island state of Malta is relatively small (122 square miles), but its large number of inhabitants makes it one of the most densely populated countries in Europe. Malta’s strategic location has made it a prized possession for the conquering empires of the world. Most recently it was part of the British Empire and was an important fleet headquarters. Malta played a crucial role for the Allies during WWII as it was located very close to the Axis shipping lanes in the Mediterranean. The Siege of Malta lasted from 1940 to 1942, a prolonged attack by the Italians and Germans on the RAF and Royal Navy, and the people of Malta. When the siege was lifted, King George VI awarded the George Cross to the people of Malta collectively in recognition of their heroism and devotion to the Allied cause. The George Cross can still be seen on the Maltese flag, even though Britain granted Malta independence in 1964.

13 Musical artist known as the “Queen of New Age” : ENYA

Enya’s real name is Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, which can translate from Irish into Enya Brennan. Her Donegal family (in the northwest of Ireland) formed a band called Clannad, which included Enya. In 1980 Enya launched her very successful solo career, eventually becoming Ireland’s best-selling solo musician. And, she sure does turn up a lot in crosswords!

16 ___ nous : ENTRE

In French, something might perhaps be discussed “entre deux” (between two) or “entre nous” (between us).

17 Server error : FOOT FAULT

That would be tennis.

18 The Liberty Tree, e.g. : ELM

The original Liberty Tree was an elm that stood near Boston Common and marked the place where folks would rally in the build-up to the American Revolution. The symbolism of the Liberty Tree migrated across the Atlantic during the French Revolution. Revolutionaries planted “Les arbres de la liberté” as symbols of revolutionary hope.

19 Some free housing recipients, for short : RAS

A resident assistant/adviser (RA) is a peer leader found in a residence hall, particularly on a college campus.

25 Longtime surname on late-night TV : O’BRIEN

Before Conan O’Brien came to fame as a late night talk show host, he was a writer. He wrote for both “Saturday Night Live” and “The Simpsons”. While attending Harvard, O’Brien was president of “The Harvard Lampoon”.

32 Couleur de l’océan : BLEU

In French, “bleu” (blue) is the “couleur de l’océan” (color of the ocean).

33 Rhapsodize over : EXTOL

To extol something is to praise it loudly. The term “to extol” comes from the Latin “extollere” meaning “to raise up, elevate”.

34 Caterpillar alternative : DEERE

John Deere invented the first commercially successful steel plow in 1837. Prior to Deere’s invention, farmers used an iron or wooden plow that constantly had to be cleaned as rich soil stuck to its surfaces. The cast-steel plow was revolutionary as its smooth sides solved the problem of “stickiness”. The Deere company that John founded uses the slogan “Nothing Runs Like a Deere”, and has a leaping deer as its logo.

Back in the early 1900s, Benjamin Holt invented a steam tractor that was able to move over soggy land. The new vehicle crawled over the ground using wheels that drove tracks. Someone apparently noted that the tractor moved along like a caterpillar, and so the enterprise that was to be known as the Caterpillar Tractor Company was born.

36 God associated with the moon : APOLLO

In Greek and Roman mythology, Apollo was the son of Zeus and Leto, and the twin brother of the goddess Artemis. Among other things, Apollo was worshiped as a god of light and the sun, truth and prophecy, archery, as well as healing and plague.

37 American ___ : LEAGUE

Major League Baseball’s National League was founded in 1876, as a replacement for the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players that operated from 1971 to 1875. The American League was founded 25 years after the National League, and so the former is sometimes referred to as the “Junior Circuit”, and the latter the “Senior Circuit”.

39 Marsupial that goes into shock when frightened : OPOSSUM

Although they are both marsupials, the opossum and the possum are two distinct animals. True possums are found in Australia and other places in the South Pacific. Opossums are found in North America.

42 Kind of parking : CURBSIDE

“Curb” is another of those words that I had to learn when I came to the US. We park by the “kerb” on the other side of the Atlantic. Oh, and the “pavement”, that’s what we call the “footpath” (because the footpath is “paved”!). It’s very confusing when you arrive in this country from Ireland, and a little dangerous, when one has been taught to “walk on the pavement” …

44 Arab leaders : EMIRS

An emir is a prince or chieftain, one most notably from the Middle East in Islamic countries. In English, “emir” can also be written variously as “emeer, amir, ameer” (watch out for those spellings in crosswords!).

45 “I spilled ___ remover on my dog. Now he’s gone”: Steven Wright : SPOT

Steven Wright is a remarkably droll comedian from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Wright is very, very quotable:

  • What’s another word for Thesaurus?
  • If a word in the dictionary were misspelled, how would we know?
  • I intend to live forever. So far, so good.
  • When I was a little kid we had a sandbox. It was a quicksand box. I was an only child… eventually.

46 Dancer Charisse of “Singin’ in the Rain” : CYD

Actress Cyd Charisse was famous for her dancing ability and the many roles she played opposite Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. Charisse carved out a career based on dance despite the fact that she suffered from polio as a child. In fact, she took up ballet at the age of twelve to help build up her strength as she recovered from the disease.

In the movie “Singin’ in the Rain”, the wonderful, wonderful dance sequence to the title song was filmed over 2-3 days. Gene Kelly was splashing through puddles and getting rained on while all the time he was sick, with a fever of 103F.

48 Sci-fi daughter of Padmé : LEIA

The full name of the character played by Carrie Fisher in the “Star Wars” series of films is Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan, and later Leia Organa Solo. Leia is the twin sister of Luke Skywalker, and the daughter of Anakin Skywalker (aka “Darth Vader”) and Padmé Amidala. Leia is raised by her adoptive parents Bail and Breha Organa. She eventually marries Han Solo.

50 D as in D.C.?: Abbr. : DEM

The modern-day Democratic Party was founded in 1828, when supporters of Andrew Jackson broke away from the former Democratic-Republican Party during the presidency of John Quincy Adams. That date makes the Democratic Party the oldest voter-based political party in the world. Andrew Jackson became the first Democratic US president, in 1829.

52 Some prosecutors, for short : ADAS

Assistant district attorney (Asst. DA, ADA)

53 Primeval : STONE-AGE

Ancient societies can be classified by the “three-age system”, which depends on the prevalence of materials used to make tools. The three ages are:

  • The Stone Age
  • The Bronze Age
  • The Iron Age

The actual dates defined by each age depend on the society, as the timing of the transition from the use of one material to another varied around the globe.

Something described as primeval is very old or ancient, belongs to the earliest ages.

55 First name in folk : ARLO

Singer Arlo Guthrie is known for his protest songs, just like his father Woody Guthrie. The younger Guthrie only ever had one song in the top 40: a cover version of “City of New Orleans”. He has lived for years in the town of Washington, just outside Pittsfield, Massachusetts. His 1976 song “Massachusetts” has been the official folk song of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts since 1981.

59 Some wide-brimmed hats : PANAMAS

Panama hats are traditional headgear from Ecuador, and have never been made in volume in Panama. The “panama” moniker came about as many of the hats were shipped to the Isthmus of Panama for transportation by sea to the rest of the world. Authentic panama hats are made from the leaves of a palm-like plant known locally as the jipijapa palm.

62 ___ Day, early collaborator with Prince : MORRIS

Singer Prince was born in Minneapolis, and he lived there most of his life. Born Prince Rogers Nelson, his given name honored his father, a jazz musician who used the stage name Prince Rogers. Starting in 1993, he changed his stage name (adopting an unpronounceable symbol) and was often referred to as “The Artist Formerly Known as Prince” (TAFKAP). He died in 2016 due to an accidental fentanyl overdose at his home and recording studio located just southwest of Minneapolis. The home and studio, known as Paisley Park, is now a museum that is open to the public.

65 “r u 4 real?” : SRSLY?

“Srsly?” is text-speak for “seriously?”

66 Serving with a meze platter : PITA

Meze is a platter of small dishes served as appetizers in several Mediterranean locales.

68 Japanese honorific : SENSEI

“Sensei” is a Japanese form of address used for figures of authority, from lawyers to martial arts instructors.

72 Prefix with puncture : ACU-

Acupressure and acupuncture are related alternative medical techniques. Both aim to clear blockages in the flow of life energy through the body’s meridians. The treatment is given by stimulating “acupoints” in the body, by applying pressure in the case of acupressure, and by applying needles in the case of acupuncture.

73 For face value : AT PAR

In days gone by, when companies first issued a stock, each share would be given a face value (called “par value”). In effect, the company was making a commitment not to issue any more stock under that par value, giving investors confidence that there was no better deal to be had. Nowadays, most stock is issued without such a “guarantee” and is called “no-par stock”.

74 One-named entertainer from Spain : CHARO

Charo is an actress, comedian and flamenco guitarist from Spain. She is quite famous for her comedic catchphrase “cuchi cuchi”. Charo’s real name is … wait for it … María del Rosario Pilar Martínez Molina Gutiérrez de los Perales Santa Ana Romaguera y de la Hinojosa Rasten.

75 Hand-held device used by Mr. Spock : TRICORDER

Leonard Nimoy played the logical Mr. Spock in the original “Star Trek” television series. Spock has to be the most popular character on the show, and he kept popping up in “Star Trek” spin offs. Nimoy first worked alongside William Shatner (Captain Kirk) in an episode of “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” (I loved that show as a kid!), with Nimoy playing a bad guy and Shatner playing an U.N.C.L.E. recruit.

77 Lunar New Year : TET

The full name for the New Year holiday in Vietnam is “Tet Nguyen Dan” meaning “Feast of the First Morning”, with the reference being to the arrival of the season of spring. Tet usually falls on the same day as Chinese New Year.

78 General name for a dish? : TSO

General Tso’s chicken is an American creation, and a dish often found on the menu of a Chinese restaurant. The name General Tso may be a reference to General Zuo Zongtang of the Qing Dynasty, but there is no clear link.

88 Fish in a poke bowl : AHI

Poke is a Native-Hawaiian dish featuring diced raw fish. “Poke” is a Hawaiian word meaning “to slice”.

92 WaPo alternative : NYT

“The New York Times” (NYT) has been published since 1851, and is sometimes referred to as “the Gray Lady”. These days a viable alternative to buying the paper is to read the news online. NYTimes.com is the most popular online newspaper website in the country.

“The Washington Post” (WaPo) is the oldest paper still being published in the DC area, having been founded in 1877. Famously, “The Post” reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein led the media’s investigation into what we now called the Watergate scandal. “The Washington Post” was purchased in 2013 by Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon.com.

97 They might hold on to their caps, for short : ALUMS

An alumnus (plural “alumni”) is a graduate or former student of a school or college. The female form is “alumna” (plural “alumnae”). The term comes into English from Latin, in which an alumnus is a foster-son or pupil. “Alum” is an informal term used for either an alumna or alumnus.

101 Beginning of a toast : HERE’S …

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 …

106 Co-author of 2016’s “The Book of Joy,” along with the Dalai Lama : TUTU

Desmond Tutu was a South African, a former Anglican bishop who was an outspoken opponent of apartheid. Tutu won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009, among other distinguished awards.

The Dalai Lama is a religious leader in the Gelug branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The current Dalai Lama is the 14th to hold the office. He has indicated that the next Dalai Lama might be found outside of Tibet for the first time, and may even be female.

108 Inits. on the road : MPH

Miles per hour (mph)

109 Inits. on the road : AAA

The American Automobile Association (AAA) is a not-for-profit organization focused on lobbying, provision of automobile servicing, and selling of automobile insurance. The AAA was founded in 1902 in Chicago and published the first of its celebrated hotel guides back in 1917.

111 Personal ad abbr. : SWF

Single white female (SWF)

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Condiment at a pho shop : SRIRACHA
9 Got too scared, with “out” : WIMPED …
15 Shelve : DEFER
20 Big picture : WIDE SHOT
21 Author/journalist Welteroth : ELAINE
22 “The ___ Holmes Mysteries” (young adult detective series) : ENOLA
23 Nationwide competitor : ALLSTATE
24 Places where some belts are tightened? : BELLY BOTTOMS (“bell bottoms” + Y)
26 Longtime surname on late-night TV : MEYERS
27 Rooibos by another name : RED TEA
28 Simpson imp : BART
29 Stephen Crane’s “The Red Badge of Courage,” e.g.? : COMBAT READ (“combat ready” – Y)
32 Gave the scoop : BRIEFED
35 Its presence on Mars offers a clue to life : SALT
38 Growler’s contents : ALE
39 Actress Lena : OLIN
40 Can : AXE
41 Medical gloves and N95 masks, for short : PPE
42 Pen : CAGE
44 Andy Dufresne in “The Shawshank Redemption,” e.g. : ESCAPEE
48 Pear-shaped instrument : LUTE
49 Buy a lot of, with “on” : LOAD UP …
51 Lawyer with absurdly exaggerated humor? : CAMPY COUNSELOR (“camp counselor” + Y)
54 Where Camus’s “The Plague” is set : ALGERIA
56 Circuit board components : DIODES
57 Count, e.g. : TITLE
58 Sleep phase? : SLUMBER PART (“slumber party” – Y)
60 Coconut-covered cookie : SAMOA
63 It might get the weed out : HOE
64 Flagship vehicle line for Mercedes-Benz : S-CLASS
65 Encourage : SPUR ON
67 Dallas-to-Austin dir. : SSW
70 Test, as a new mattress : LIE ON
71 Harvesting machine that needs cleaning? : GRIMY REAPER (“Grim Reaper” + Y)
73 Didn’t just sit there : ACTED
76 Vouch for, with “to” : ATTEST …
79 Mythical weaver : ARACHNE
80 Doctor’s description of the birth of triplet sons? : THREE TIMES A LAD (“Three Times a Lady” – Y)
84 “Well, maybe” : I GUESS
85 Connect, as two devices : PAIR
86 Rhetoric : ORATORY
87 Relax : EASE
89 No longer active: Abbr. : RET
90 Golf ball’s path : ARC
91 City north of Des Moines : AMES
92 Slangy turndown : NAH
93 Cinco + uno : SEIS
94 They might get all over the floor : ROOMBAS
96 Battle between Tinker Bell and Princess Ozma? : FAIRY FIGHT (“fair fight” + Y
102 Cream : ROUT
103 “Ready?” : ALL SET?
104 Some Guinness records : LEASTS
108 Census-taking of a Midwest capital? : MADISON COUNT (“Madison County” – Y)
111 Begin : START OUT
113 Bel ___ (Italian cheese) : PAESE
114 Charm : ENAMOR
115 Become aware of … or a homophonic description of four letter shifts in this puzzle’s grid : WISE UP TO or Ys UP TWO
116 Partners of hinds : HARTS
117 Reaches : GETS TO
118 Comes clean : FESSES UP

Down

1 Proceeded down a lane, maybe : SWAM
2 Tick off : RILE
3 Without much thought : IDLY
4 Excise surgically : RESECT
5 Household robot from Amazon : ASTRO
6 Abyss : CHASM
7 Like some towels and topics : HOT
8 Put away : ATE
9 Big name in grills : WEBER
10 ___ la Cité, home of Notre-Dame : ILE DE
11 Smallest country in the E.U., by area : MALTA
12 Stacked : PILED
13 Musical artist known as the “Queen of New Age” : ENYA
14 Interior secretary Haaland : DEB
15 Hold in custody : DETAIN
16 ___ nous : ENTRE
17 Server error : FOOT FAULT
18 The Liberty Tree, e.g. : ELM
19 Some free housing recipients, for short : RAS
25 Longtime surname on late-night TV : O’BRIEN
27 Fwy. or expy. : RTE
30 Clutch, e.g. : BAG
31 Name hidden in “global economy” : ALEC
32 Couleur de l’océan : BLEU
33 Rhapsodize over : EXTOL
34 Caterpillar alternative : DEERE
35 Disruption for a poolside sunbather : SPLASH
36 God associated with the moon : APOLLO
37 American ___ : LEAGUE
39 Marsupial that goes into shock when frightened : OPOSSUM
42 Kind of parking : CURBSIDE
43 Each : APIECE
44 Arab leaders : EMIRS
45 “I spilled ___ remover on my dog. Now he’s gone”: Steven Wright : SPOT
46 Dancer Charisse of “Singin’ in the Rain” : CYD
47 Wizard : ACE
48 Sci-fi daughter of Padmé : LEIA
50 D as in D.C.?: Abbr. : DEM
52 Some prosecutors, for short : ADAS
53 Primeval : STONE-AGE
55 First name in folk : ARLO
59 Some wide-brimmed hats : PANAMAS
61 Killer of the Night King on “Game of Thrones” : ARYA
62 ___ Day, early collaborator with Prince : MORRIS
65 “r u 4 real?” : SRSLY?
66 Serving with a meze platter : PITA
67 It’s a ball : SPHERE
68 Japanese honorific : SENSEI
69 Pries (from) : WRESTS
70 Icky look : LEER
71 Boots, helmets, rope, etc. : GEAR
72 Prefix with puncture : ACU-
73 For face value : AT PAR
74 One-named entertainer from Spain : CHARO
75 Hand-held device used by Mr. Spock : TRICORDER
77 Lunar New Year : TET
78 General name for a dish? : TSO
81 Shade of red : TOMATO
82 Ticks off : IRES
83 Like Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts : DEAF
88 Fish in a poke bowl : AHI
91 Unfairly takes advantage of, as a policy : ABUSES
92 WaPo alternative : NYT
93 Square figure? : STATUE
95 Like a tasty cake : MOIST
96 Ice cream treat : FLOAT
97 They might hold on to their caps, for short : ALUMS
98 “Failure ___ an option” : IS NOT
99 Back in style : RETRO
100 You can see right through it : GLASS
101 Beginning of a toast : HERE’S …
103 What concealer might conceal : ACNE
105 Soaks (up) : SOPS
106 Co-author of 2016’s “The Book of Joy,” along with the Dalai Lama : TUTU
107 Break … or brake : STOP
108 Inits. on the road : MPH
109 Inits. on the road : AAA
110 Darkroom item, in brief : NEG
111 Personal ad abbr. : SWF
112 No-win situation : TIE

7 thoughts on “0731-22 NY Times Crossword 31 Jul 22, Sunday”

  1. 29:35. Yikes; I struggled with this one. I don’t know if it was tough cluing or just morning pre-coffee brain fog. Wasn’t helped by an error (I had mistyped SOMOA for SAMOA). Also, I knew the reference to “hinds” was to female deer, but I’d never heard of HARTS as their male counterpart.

  2. 33:44. Felt very uneasy the entire time I was doing this puzzle. Took me too long to figure out what was happening with the theme, but I did use it once I figured it out.

    1A was easy as I had just finished eating something with SRIRACHA sauce on it right before I did the puzzle.

    “Failure IS NOT an option” is, of course, the phrase uttered by Gene Kranz, Flight Director for Apollo 13, when asked what the chances of survival were for the crew. I met him on a Houston to Boston flight when he was on a book tour for his book of the same name.

    Kranz is a very humble guy who was a little surprised someone had recognized him. I always say it’s one of the very few times in my life I was star-struck. We had a nice 10-minute conversation about some of the goings on in the Apollo days and some of the mutual friends we had, but then I left him alone as he was traveling with his wife.

    Best –

  3. 48:05. Man, I just couldn’t get started anywhere on this one. Even though I got the theme early, it didn’t help much. Brain not engaged today at all.

  4. After 2 hours I finished this thing with no errors except for the NW corner which was almost totally blank…all the “never heard of “ were all together (what’s new)👎👎👎
    Very discouraging.
    Stay safe😀

  5. 32:06, no errors. Should have been a lot better, but it took about 1/2 way in for my brain to kick in.

  6. Yeah, this took me longer than I realized. Really got stuck in the NW corner. There’s a robot called ASTRO? thought maybe it was something from THE JETSONS!

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