Constructed by: Michael Paleos
Edited by: Will Shortz
Not your puzzle? Try today’s …
… syndicated NY Times crossword
Today’s Reveal Answer: [Sic]
Themed answers are “misspelled” phrases:
- 69A [not my typo] : [SIC]
- 17A Breakfast cereal with a toucan mascot [69-Across!] : FROOT LOOPS (from “fruit loops)
- 23A Team that broke the “Curse of the Bambino” in 2004 [69-Across!] : BOSTON RED SOX (from “Boston Red Socks“)
- 39A Triple Crown winner of 2015 [69-Across!] : AMERICAN PHAROAH (from “American Pharaoh“)
- 48A Video game franchise featuring Sub-Zero and Sonya Blade [69-Across!] : MORTAL KOMBAT (from “Mortal Combat“
- 61A “Pour Some Sugar on Me” rockers [69-Across!] : DEF LEPPARD (from “Deaf Leopard“)
Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers
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Bill’s time: 7m 37s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
1 Repo job : TOW
Repossession (repo)
10 Upscale hotel amenities : GYMS
Our word “gymnasium” comes from the Greek “gymnasion” meaning “public place where exercise is taken”. The Greek term comes from “gymnos” meaning “naked”, as that physical training was usually done unclothed in ancient Greece.
15 Sneaker brand in a Run-D.M.C. hit : ADIDAS
The Adidas brand dates back to when Adolf “Adi” Dassler started making his own sports shoes in his mother’s laundry room in Bavaria after returning from WWI. With his brother, Adi founded Dassler shoes. The company’s big break came in 1936 at the Berlin Olympics, when Adi persuaded American sprinter Jesse Owens to use his shoes, and with the success of Jesse Owens came success for the fledgling shoe company. After WWII the brothers split, acrimoniously. Adi’s brother, Ru-dolf Da-ssler, formed “Ruda” shoes (later to become Puma), and Adi Das-sler formed “Adidas”.
Run-DMC was a hip hop group from Queens, New York. The trio took its name from two of the group’s members: Joseph “Run” Simmons and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels.
17 Breakfast cereal with a toucan mascot [69-Across!] : FROOT LOOPS
Toucan Sam is the mascot of Kellogg’s Froot Loops breakfast cereal, and he can be seen on the front of every box. Froot Loops have been manufactured by Kellogg’s since 1963. The little loops come in different colors, originally red, orange and yellow, but now there are green, purple and blue loops as well. Notice I said “different colors” not “different flavors”. Each loop tastes the same, so I wonder where the color comes from …?
19 Mediterranean erupter : ETNA
Mount Etna on the island of Sicily is the largest of three active volcanoes in Italy, and indeed the largest of all active volcanoes in Europe. Etna is about 2 1/2 times the height of its equally famous sister, Mt. Vesuvius. Mt. Etna is home to a 110-km long narrow-gauge railway, and two ski resorts. It is sometimes referred to as “Mongibello” in Italian, and as “Mungibeddu” (sometimes “Muncibeddu”) in Sicilian. The English name “Etna” comes from the Greek “aitho” meaning “I eat”.
20 Cause of a mascara streak : TEAR
Variants of mascara have been around a long time, and certainly there was a similar substance in use in ancient Egypt. “Mascara” is a Spanish word meaning “stain, mask”.
30 Group that often elects officers in Sept. : PTA
Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)
31 Aurora’s Greek counterpart : EOS
In Greek mythology, Eos was the goddess of the dawn who lived at the edge of the ocean. Eos would wake each morning to welcome her brother Helios the sun. The Roman equivalent of Eos was Aurora. Rather delightfully, Homer referred to Eos as “rosy-fingered dawn” in both “Iliad” and “Odyssey”.
39 Triple Crown winner of 2015 [69-Across!] : AMERICAN PHAROAH
American Pharoah was the twelfth winner of the Triple Crown, achieving the feat in 2015. The horse’s name was inspired by that of his parents: Pioneerof the Nile (dam) and Yankee Gentleman (sire). And, as some kind blog readers have pointed out, there are some unexpected spellings in the names of horses. One might expect “American Pharoah” to be spelled “American Pharaoh”, and indeed “Pioneerof the Nile” to be written as “Pioneer of the Nile”. More challenges for us crossworders …
43 “Buffalo soldier, dreadlock ___”: Bob Marley : RASTA
Bob Marley was the most widely-known reggae performer, with big hits such as “I Shot the Sheriff”, “No Woman, No Cry” and “One Love”. A little sadly perhaps, Marley’s best-selling album was released three years after he died. That album would be the “legendary” album called “Legend”.
48 Video game franchise featuring Sub-Zero and Sonya Blade [69-Across!] : MORTAL KOMBAT
Mortal Kombat is a series of video games launched in 1992 by Midway Games. It’s pretty violent stuff, apparently …
56 Designer Gucci : ALDO
Gucci was founded in Rome, in 1921, by Guccio Gucci. Guccio’s son Aldo took over the company after his father’s death in 1953. It was Aldo who established the international presence for the brand and opened the company’s first overseas store, in New York City.
60 One-term president : TAFT
William Howard Taft may have been the 27th President of the United States, but his lifelong ambition was to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The future president had served as dean and professor at the Cincinnati Law School. President Taft was able to realize that dream in 1921, eight years after losing his bid for re-election as president. As Chief Justice, this former US President swore in two new presidents: Calvin Coolidge (in 1925) and Herbert Hoover (in 1929). William Howard Taft is also remembered as the most obese president. In the last year of his presidency, he weighed about 340 pounds (he was 5 feet 11 inches tall). Twelve months after leaving the White House, President Taft had dropped 80 pounds and substantially lowered his blood pressure.
61 “Pour Some Sugar on Me” rockers [69-Across!] : DEF LEPPARD
Def Leppard is a hard rock band from Sheffield in England. Drummer Rick Allen lost his arm in a car crash, severed by an incorrectly-worn seat belt. With the encouragement of the band, he returned to the lineup by using a specially designed electronic drum set. Amazing indeed …
64 Mahjong piece : TILE
Mahjong (also “mahjongg” and “mah-jongg”) is the Chinese word for “sparrow”. Mahjong is a game that originated in China, and is usually played by four players. There is a myth that the game was developed by the Chinese philosopher, Confucius. The myth also suggests that Confucius was fond of birds, and hence chose the name “sparrow”.
66 National Gallery architect : PEI
Chinese-American architect I. M. Pei was raised in Shanghai. He moved to the US to study architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. Although he transferred soon after to MIT. The list of his designs includes the John F. Kennedy Library in Massachusetts, the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong, and the celebrated glass-and-steel pyramid in the Louvre Museum in Paris.
The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. comprises an original West Building and a contemporary East Building. The West Building was opened in 1941 and is a neoclassical structure that was designed by John Russell Pope (who later designed the Jefferson memorial). The East Building opened in 1978 and was designed by I.M. Pei, who later was awarded the renovation of the Louvre Museum in Paris.
67 A lot of these tend to go to waste : ORES
The better ores are processed in a blast furnace, to extract the metal. The waste from this process is called “slag”. Slag does contain some residual metal and it can be processed further in a slag furnace to extract the balance. Slag furnaces also accept lower-quality ores as a raw material.
69 [not my typo] : [SIC]
[Sic] indicates that a quotation is written as originally found, perhaps including a typo. “Sic” is Latin for “thus, like this”. The term is more completely written as “sic erat scriptum”, which translates as “thus was it written”.
Down
2 Dungeons & Dragons monster : OGRE
Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is a complex role-playing game (RPG) introduced in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules Incorporated (TSR). Dungeons & Dragons was probably the first of the modern role-playing games to be developed, and the most successful. It is still played by lots of people today, including my youngest son …
4 H.S. hurdle : SAT
Today, the standardized test for admission to colleges is known as the SAT Reasoning Test, but it used to be called the Scholastic Aptitude Test and Scholastic Assessment Test, which led to the abbreviation “SAT”.
6 Ray of “GoodFellas” : LIOTTA
Actor Ray Liotta was best known for playing Shoeless Joe Jackson in the movie “Field of Dreams” and Henry Hill in “Goodfellas”.
10 King Midas’s vice : GREED
King Midas of Greek mythology might be termed an alchemist as he had the power to turn everything he touched into gold i.e. the Midas touch. That power became a curse, as everything he touched turned to gold, including his food and drink, and even his children.
11 Hairy cryptids : YETIS
The yeti, also known as the abominable snowman, is a beast of legend. “Yeti” is a Tibetan term, and the beast is fabled to live in the Himalayan regions of Nepal and Tibet. Our equivalent legend in North America is that of Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch. The study of animals whose existence have not yet been substantiated is called cryptozoology, and a cryptid is a creature or plant that isn’t recognized by the scientific community, but the existence of which has been suggested.
12 Tropical flavor : MANGO
The delicious mango is the national fruit of India, Pakistan and the Philippines. Almost half of the world’s supply of mangoes comes from India.
13 Big name in shapewear : SPANX
Spanx is an underwear brand. Most Spanx garments are designed to make the wearer appear thinner. Spanx is a privately held company that was founded by entrepreneur Sara Blakely in 2000. Despite the success of the product line, there is some controversy. Spanx have been referred to as the corset of the modern era.
25 Like a half-moon tide : NEAP
Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon on the oceans. At neap tide, the smaller gravitational effect of the sun cancels out some of the moon’s effect. At spring tide, the sun and the moon’s gravitational forces act in concert causing more extreme movement of the oceans.
26 With 35-Down, savings plan option : ROTH …
35D See 26-Down : … IRA
Roth Individual Retirement Accounts (Roth IRAs) were introduced in 1997 under a bill sponsored by Senator William Roth of Delaware, hence the name.
28 Humorist Bombeck : ERMA
Erma Bombeck wrote for newspapers for about 35 years. She produced more than 4,000 witty and humorous columns under the title “At Wit’s End”, with all describing her home life in suburbia.
29 Some jeans : LEES
The Lee company that is famous for making jeans was formed in 1889 by one Henry David Lee in Salina, Kansas.
33 Verb with thou : … ART
“Thou art” became “you are” quite a while ago.
34 NBC hit since 1975, in brief : SNL
NBC first aired a form of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) in 1975 under the title “NBC’s Saturday Night”. The show was actually created to give Johnny Carson some time off from “The Tonight Show”. Back then “The Tonight Show” had a weekend episode, and Carson convinced NBC to pull the Saturday or Sunday recordings off the air and hold them for subsequent weeknights in which Carson needed a break. NBC turned to Lorne Michaels and asked him to put together a variety show to fill the vacant slot, and he came up with what we now call “Saturday Night Live”.
37 “It has caused a lot of problems in this world, but it has not solved one yet,” per Maya Angelou : HATE
Maya Angelou was an African-American author and poet. Angelou recited her poem “On the Pulse of Morning” at the inauguration of President Clinton in 1983. Here are some words of wisdom from the great lady:
I work very hard, and I play very hard. I’m grateful for life. And I live it – I believe life loves the liver of it. I live it.
41 Supermodel Wek : ALEK
Alek Wek is a supermodel originally from Southern Sudan. In her native language, Wek’s name translates as “Black Spotted Cow”, which is a symbol of good luck for the Dinka, her native people.
45 Said “cheese,” say : SMILED
Photographers often instruct us to say “cheese” to elicit a smile-like expression. Even Japanese photographers use the word “cheese” to achieve the same effect. Bulgarians use the word “zele” meaning “cabbage”. The Chinese say “eggplant”, the Danish “orange”, the Iranians “apple” and many Latin Americans say “whiskey”.
46 Field where Jackie Robinson played : EBBETS
Ebbets Field was home to the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1913 to 1957. The stadium was also home to three NFL teams: the NY Brickley Giants (1921), the Brooklyn Lions (1926) and the Brooklyn Dodgers/Tigers (1930-1944)
The great Jackie Robinson was the first African-American to play in baseball’s Major League. When Robinson made his first MLB appearance, for the Brooklyn Dodgers, he did so in front of over 26,000 spectators. Well over half the crowd that day were African-Americans, there to witness the event. Major League Baseball universally retired Robinson’s number 42 in 1997. However, on the annual Jackie Robinson Day, all MLB players on all teams wear #42 in his honor.
48 “Carpe diem,” for one : MOTTO
“Carpe diem” is a quotation from Horace, one of ancient Rome’s leading lyric poets. “Carpe diem” translates from Latin as “seize the day” or “enjoy the day”. The satirical motto of a procrastinator is “carpe mañana”, “translating” as “seize tomorrow”.
51 “___ adorbs” : TOTES
“Totes adorbs” is a slang term meaning “totally adorable”.
53 Like some water : TAP
The common “faucet” in an American house is almost always referred to as a “tap” on the other side of the pond.
58 Trois : French :: ___ : German : DREI
“Eins, zwei, drei, vier” is German for “one, two, three, four”.
59 Like many of Horace’s works : ODIC
One of ancient Rome’s leading lyric poets was Quintus Horatius Flaccus or “Horace”, as we tend to know him. Horace’s most famous work is probably his collection of Latin lyric poems titled “Carmina” (the Latin for “Odes”).
61 Business index, with “the” : … DOW
Dow Jones & Company was founded as a publishing house in 1882 by three newspaper reporters, Charles Dow, Edward Jones and Charles Bergstresser. Today, the company’s most famous publication has to be “The Wall Street Journal”. In 1884, Charles Dow started reporting the average dollar value of the stock of eleven companies, an index which spawned a whole host of metrics that carry the Dow Jones name to this day. The most famous of these metrics is the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), also known as “the Dow 30” or simply “the Dow”.
63 “Gangnam Style” rapper : PSY
“PSY” is the stage name of South Korean rapper Park Jae-sang. PSY became an international star when his 2012 music video “Gangnam Style” went viral on YouTube. That video had over 1 billion views on YouTube in about six months, making it the most viewed YouTube video clip of all time. The title of the song refers to a lifestyle experienced in the Gangnam District of Seoul.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Repo job : TOW
4 ___ gel (drying agent that comes in small packets) : SILICA
10 Upscale hotel amenities : GYMS
14 “Nasty!” : UGH!
15 Sneaker brand in a Run-D.M.C. hit : ADIDAS
16 Gather : REAP
17 Breakfast cereal with a toucan mascot [69-Across!] : FROOT LOOPS
19 Mediterranean erupter : ETNA
20 Cause of a mascara streak : TEAR
21 “Star Wars” cantina patrons, for short : ETS
22 Hold sway : REIGN
23 Team that broke the “Curse of the Bambino” in 2004 [69-Across!] : BOSTON RED SOX
27 Reef dweller : EEL
30 Group that often elects officers in Sept. : PTA
31 Aurora’s Greek counterpart : EOS
32 Reward for giving a paw : TREAT
34 Didn’t move : SAT TIGHT
39 Triple Crown winner of 2015 [69-Across!] : AMERICAN PHAROAH
42 Time for parting shots? : LAST CALL
43 “Buffalo soldier, dreadlock ___”: Bob Marley : RASTA
44 Fury : IRE
45 “Clear now?” : SEE?
47 Ax : HEW
48 Video game franchise featuring Sub-Zero and Sonya Blade [69-Across!] : MORTAL KOMBAT
54 Word with green or pearl : … ONION
55 “Traffic was terrible,” maybe : FIB
56 Designer Gucci : ALDO
60 One-term president : TAFT
61 “Pour Some Sugar on Me” rockers [69-Across!] : DEF LEPPARD
64 Mahjong piece : TILE
65 Largish jazz combos : OCTETS
66 National Gallery architect : PEI
67 A lot of these tend to go to waste : ORES
68 Like the smell of fresh pine : WOODSY
69 [not my typo] : [SIC]
Down
1 Clump of grass : TUFT
2 Dungeons & Dragons monster : OGRE
3 “Easy there!” : WHOA!
4 H.S. hurdle : SAT
5 Least active : IDLEST
6 Ray of “GoodFellas” : LIOTTA
7 “Not true what you say about me!” : I DO SO!
8 Gown go-with : CAP
9 Buffoon : ASS
10 King Midas’s vice : GREED
11 Hairy cryptids : YETIS
12 Tropical flavor : MANGO
13 Big name in shapewear : SPANX
18 Planet, to a poet : ORB
22 Place for a pit stop : REST AREA
24 A sight for sore eyes? : OPTICIAN
25 Like a half-moon tide : NEAP
26 With 35-Down, savings plan option : ROTH …
27 And others, for short : ET AL
28 Humorist Bombeck : ERMA
29 Some jeans : LEES
33 Verb with thou : … ART
34 NBC hit since 1975, in brief : SNL
35 See 26-Down : … IRA
36 “Gee whiz!” : GOSH!
37 “It has caused a lot of problems in this world, but it has not solved one yet,” per Maya Angelou : HATE
38 Sign of spring : THAW
40 Fast Lewis : CARL
41 Supermodel Wek : ALEK
45 Said “cheese,” say : SMILED
46 Field where Jackie Robinson played : EBBETS
48 “Carpe diem,” for one : MOTTO
49 Sign in a radio booth : ON AIR
50 Rummage (through) : RIFLE
51 “___ adorbs” : TOTES
52 Leaving for : OFF TO
53 Like some water : TAP
57 Track units : LAPS
58 Trois : French :: ___ : German : DREI
59 Like many of Horace’s works : ODIC
61 Business index, with “the” : … DOW
62 Prefix with friendly : ECO-
63 “Gangnam Style” rapper : PSY
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