0812-22 NY Times Crossword 12 Aug 22, Friday

Constructed by: Trent H. Evans
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 8m 55s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Summer program in Huntsville, Ala. : SPACE CAMP

The US Space Camp was founded in 1982 largely at the suggestion of Wernher von Braun. The original Space Camp was opened in Huntsville, Alabama and it still operates today. There followed Space Camp Florida and Space Camp California, but they’ve since closed their doors.

Huntsville is a city in northern Alabama that was founded in 1805 as a settlement with the name “Twickenham”. One of the early landowners was LeRoy Pope, and he opted for “Twickenham” as that was the name of the town in England where Alexander Pope lived, as Alexander was a distant relative. The settlement was renamed within a few years in honor of John Hunt, another early settler and veteran of the Revolutionary War.

14 Bronze from a bottle : FAKE TAN

The most effective fake tans available today are not dyes or stains. Instead, they are sprays with the active ingredient dihydroxyacetone (DHA). DHA reacts chemically with amino acids in the dead layer of skin on the surface of the body. Sounds a little risky to me …

15 Common bug : FLU

Influenza (the “flu”) is an ailment that is caused by a virus. The virus is readily inactivated by the use of soap, so washing hands and surfaces is especially helpful in containing flu outbreaks, and other virus pandemics …

16 Fella : BUB

“Bub” is American slang, and a term used to address males. “Bub” is possibly a variation of “bud”.

19 Means of communication with Commissioner Gordon : BATPHONE

The Batphone was introduced in the Batman comic books before gaining celebrity in the Batman television series of the sixties. The Batphone was Commissioner Gordon’s secure line to Batman. The term “bat phone” is used quite a bit in the business world, where it describes a private telephone number that is handled as a priority above the regular lines.

21 ___ blanc : VIN

In French, a “vin” (wine) might be “rouge” (red) or “blanc” (white).

26 Gets the heck out of odgeday : AMSCRAYS

Pig Latin is in effect a game. One takes the first consonant or consonant cluster of an English word and moves it to the end of the word, and then adds the letters “ay”. So, the Pig Latin for the word “nix” is “ixnay” (ix-n-ay), and for “scram” is “amscray” (am-scr-ay).

The phrase “get out of Dodge”, meaning “scram, flee”, is a reference to Dodge City, Kansas. The phrase became a cliché on TV westerns (mainly “Gunsmoke”, I think) and was then popularized by teenagers in the sixties and seventies.

28 Fictional weapon of the 23rd century : PHASER

A MASER is a device that was around long before LASERs came into the public consciousness. A MASER (Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) is similar to a LASER, but microwaves are emitted rather than light waves. When the storyline for “Star Trek” was being developed, the writers introduced a weapon called a “phaser”, with the name “phaser” derived from PHoton mASER.

41 The Bengals, on scoreboards : CIN

The NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals team was founded in 1966 as a member of the American Football League (AFL). There was an earlier team called the Bengals in the city that played from 1937 to 1941. That team used the “Bengal” name because Cincinnati Zoo was home to a very rare Bengal tiger.

42 Trumpeter Wynton : MARSALIS

Wynton Marsalis is a trumpeter and composer. He holds the position of Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. In 1997, Marsalis became the first jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music.

45 ___ noire : BETE

“Bête noire” translates from French as “black beast”, and is used in English to describe something or someone that is disliked.

Down

3 1998 Sarah McLachlan hit : ADIA

Sarah McLachlan is a singer/songwriter from Halifax, Nova Scotia who lives in Vancouver. In 1997, McLachlan married Ashwin Sood, the drummer in her band. The 1998 hit song “Adia”, which she co-wrote and recorded, was intended as an apology to her best friend … for stealing her ex-boyfriend and then marrying him!

4 Part of New England: Abbr. : CONN

The official nickname of Connecticut (CT) is the “Constitution State”, but can also be referred to as the Nutmeg State, the Provisions State, and the Land of Steady Habits.

The geographical region of New England comprises the six northeastern states Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The name “New England” was given to the region by English explorer John Smith in 1616, just a few years before the Mayflower arrived in 1620.

6 Site that offers vehicle history reports : CARFAX

Carfax is a company that supplies the history of a used vehicle to a potential buyer. The information mainly comes from motor vehicle departments, and is available to anyone. Carfax just adds a layer of convenience by producing a summary report on demand.

9 More, on a score : PIU

“Più” is the Italian word for “more” and is often seen on musical scores, as in “più allegro” (more quickly) and “più mosso” (with more movement).

11 Some unmentionables : TABOOS

The word “taboo” was introduced into English by Captain Cook in his book “A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean”. Cook described “tabu” (likely imitative of a Tongan word that he had heard) as something that was both consecrated and forbidden.

12 “Less is more,” for one : MAXIM

Our word “maxim” meaning “precept, principle” has been around since the early 1600s. It ultimately comes from the Latin phrase “maxima propositio”, which translates as “greatest premise”.

13 Quad-strengthening exercise move : LUNGE

The quadriceps femoris is the muscle group at the front of the thigh. It is the strongest muscle in the human body, and is also the leanest. The “quads” are actually a group of four muscles in the upper leg, hence the use of the prefix “quad-”.

14 Kind of bean that can be used to make falafel : FAVA

The fava bean is also known as the broad bean. “Broad bean” is used “broadly” (pun!) in the UK, whereas “fava bean” is common in the US. “Fava” is the Italian name for the broad bean.

Falafel is a ball of ground chickpeas or fava beans that has been deep fried and served in pita bread. I love chickpeas, but falafel is often too dry for me …

20 Radisson competitor : HYATT

The Hyatt hotel chain takes its name from the first hotel in the group, i.e. Hyatt House at the Los Angeles International Airport that was purchased in 1957. Among other things, Hyatt is famous for designing the world’s first atrium hotel, the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta.

The first Radisson hotel opened in 1909 in Minneapolis. The hotel name was chosen in honor of the 17th-century French explorer Pierre-Esprit Radisson.

22 Messenger for the gods in the “Iliad” : IRIS

In Greek mythology, the goddess Iris was viewed as the link between the gods and humanity, a messenger. She was also the goddess of the rainbow. In Virgil’s “Aeneid”, Iris takes the form of a Trojan woman and incites other Trojan mothers to set fire to Aeneas’ ships, preventing them from leaving Sicily.

23 Basilica section : NAVE

In its modern usage, the term “basilica” applies to a Roman Catholic church that has been given special ceremonial rights by the Pope.

28 Drudge : PEON

A peon is a lowly worker who has no real control over his/her working conditions. The word “peon” comes into English from Spanish, in which language it has the same meaning.

31 Former employer of Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson, for short : WWE

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is a company promoting professional wrestling as a form of entertainment.

Dwayne Johnson is a former professional wrestler whose ring name was “the Rock”. He has used his success as a character in the ring, to cross over into television and movies. He is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as getting the highest payment for a first starring role, an incredible $5.5 million.

32 Maker of a jet-propelled pogo stick : ACME

The Acme Corporation is a fictional company used mainly by Looney Tunes, and within the Looney Tunes empire it appears mostly in “Road Runner” cartoons. Wile E. Coyote is always receiving a new piece of gear from Acme designed to finally capture the Road Runner, but the equipment always leads to his downfall.

What we know today as a pogo stick was invented in Germany by Max Pohlig and Ernst Gottschall. The name “pogo” comes from the first two letters in each of the inventors’ family names: Po-hlig and Go-ttschall.

33 Pamphlet : TRACT

A tract is a political pamphlet, originally a discussion document. The name “tract” comes from the Latin verb “tractare” meaning “to discuss”.

34 Like loam and humus : EARTHY

Loam is soil made up of sand, silt and clay in the ratio of about 40-40-20. Relative to other soil types, loam is usually rich in nutrients and moisture, drains well and is easy to till. Loam can also be used in constructing houses as it is quite strong when mixed with straw and dried.

Humus is the dark organic material found in soil. It is the result of the decomposition of vegetable and animal matter, and supplies vital nutrients to the earth. “Humus” is Latin for “earth, soil”.

38 Building toy brand : K’NEX

The construction toy with the name K’Nex is the phonetic spelling of the word “connects”. The toy was invented by Joel Glickman, who came up with the idea while playing with straws as he sat at a table after a wedding. He launched K’Nex in 1993, and it is still sold in stores.

44 Téa of CBS’s “Madam Secretary” : LEONI

Téa Leoni is an American actress. One of Leoni’s early parts was in the great film “A League of Their Own” (a minor role: Racine at first base). She also played the fiancée of Sam Malone from “Cheers” on the spin-off sitcom “Frasier”. A leading role on the big screen was opposite Adam Sandler in “Spanglish”. My favorite of her more prominent movie roles was as Jane in “Fun with Dick and Jane”. Leoni started playing the title role in the drama series “Madam Secretary” in 2014, and that’s a show I quite enjoy …

“Madam Secretary” is A TV show that first aired from 2014 to 2019. It is about an ex-CIA analyst who is appointed as US Secretary of State. Téa Leoni plays the title role, ably supported by a favorite actress of mine, Bebe Neuwirth. I like this show …

48 Election season news : POLL

Election day was chosen by Congress back in 1845. The month of November was selected as it suited an agricultural society, following the fall harvest and yet not too far into winter, which could make travel difficult. Tuesday was chosen so that people had time to travel to polling stations. Monday elections might have meant that some would have to start out on Sunday, and that could interfere with Christian services.

52 Brand of camera or lip balm : EOS

I’ve been using Canon EOS cameras for decades now, and have nothing but good things to say about both the cameras and the lenses. The EOS name stands for Electro-Optical System, and was chosen because it evokes the name of Eos, the Titan goddess of dawn from Greek mythology.

eos Products is a company that was founded in 2006 in New York City. eoS sells beauty products such as lotions and creams, and is most famous for its lip balm. The initials “eos” stand for “Evolution of Smooth”.

53 Idiosyncrasy : TIC

The prefix “idio-” indicates something peculiar, as in “idiosyncrasy”, a peculiarity exhibited by an individual or a group.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Summer program in Huntsville, Ala. : SPACE CAMP
10 Poor excuse for a student : THE DOG ATE IT
12 Making one’s bed, taking a shower and solving a crossword, say : MORNING RITUAL
14 Bronze from a bottle : FAKE TAN
15 Common bug : FLU
16 Fella : BUB
18 Cut off : AXED
19 Means of communication with Commissioner Gordon : BATPHONE
21 ___ blanc : VIN
22 Position in an array, to a computer scientist : INDEX
25 You might bend over backward for it : YOGA
26 Gets the heck out of odgeday : AMSCRAYS
28 Fictional weapon of the 23rd century : PHASER
30 Give updates on in real time, perhaps : LIVE-TWEET
32 Comfortable : AT EASE
35 “Clearly, you’d like me to leave that topic alone” : I WON’T ASK
39 Quick study? : CRAM
40 Some frigid temps : TEENS
41 The Bengals, on scoreboards : CIN
42 Trumpeter Wynton : MARSALIS
45 ___ noire : BETE
46 Outer: Prefix : ECT-
47 Study : DEN
48 “Less is more,” for one : PARADOX
51 “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” song : THE DOCTOR IS IN
54 Response to someone who got the answer instantly : YOU NAILED IT
55 SoulCycle offering : SPIN CLASS

Down

1 Bit : SHRED
2 Confined : PENT
3 1998 Sarah McLachlan hit : ADIA
4 Part of New England: Abbr. : CONN
5 ___ salad : EGG
6 Site that offers vehicle history reports : CARFAX
7 Crooked : ATILT
8 Got together : MET UP
9 More, on a score : PIU
10 Mere placeholders : TOKENS
11 Some unmentionables : TABOOS
12 “Less is more,” for one : MAXIM
13 Quad-strengthening exercise move : LUNGE
14 Kind of bean that can be used to make falafel : FAVA
17 Camping danger : BEAR
19 Friends 4ever : BESTIES
20 Radisson competitor : HYATT
22 Messenger for the gods in the “Iliad” : IRIS
23 Basilica section : NAVE
24 Curl Up and ___ (punnily named hair salon) : DYE
27 Digger’s harvest : CLAMS
28 Drudge : PEON
29 No cock-a-doodle-doo-ers : HENS
31 Former employer of Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson, for short : WWE
32 Maker of a jet-propelled pogo stick : ACME
33 Pamphlet : TRACT
34 Like loam and humus : EARTHY
36 Crushed a test : ACED IT
37 Suppress : SIT ON
38 Building toy brand : K’NEX
40 Naval destroyer, in old slang : TIN CAN
43 Make sense : ADD UP
44 Téa of CBS’s “Madam Secretary” : LEONI
45 Grounds : BASIS
48 Election season news : POLL
49 Grounds : AREA
50 Purges : RIDS
52 Brand of camera or lip balm : EOS
53 Idiosyncrasy : TIC