Constructed by: Michael Dewey
Edited by: Will Shortz
Not your puzzle? Try today’s …
… syndicated NY Times crossword
Today’s Reveal Answer: Happy Trails
Themed answers refer to “HAPPY TRAILS”, the signature song of ROY ROGERS and DALE EVANS. Circled letters spell out six synonyms of “HAPPY” that TRAIL through the grid:
- 35A Theme song of a classic western, visually suggested six times in this puzzle’s grid : HAPPY TRAILS
- 20A One singer of 35-Across on old TV/radio : DALE EVANS
- 52A One singer of 35-Across on old TV/radio : ROY ROGERS
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Bill’s time: 8m 23s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
1 TikTok’s 3-D musical eighth note, e.g. : LOGO
TikTok is a video-sharing service that is based in China, and is very popular with the younger set. The TikTok mobile app provides tools facilitating production of sophisticated selfie videos that use special effects.
10 Low face? : JACK
In a deck of cards, both the jack of spades and the jack of hearts are “one-eyed jacks”.
14 Wildly : AMOK
The phrase “to run amok” (sometimes “to run amuck”) has been around since the 1670s and is derived from the Malay word for “attacking furiously”, “amuk”. The word “amok” was also used as a noun to describe Malay natives who were “frenzied”. Given Malaya’s troubled history, the natives probably had a good reason for that frenzy …
15 Pomp and circumstance : ECLAT
“Éclat” can describe a brilliant show of success, as well as the applause or accolade that one receives for that success. The word “éclat” derives from the French “éclater” meaning “to splinter, burst out”.
17 Payment-lowering deal, in brief : REFI
Refinance (refi)
20 One singer of 35-Across on old TV/radio : DALE EVANS
“Dale Evans” was the stage name of actress and singer Lucille Wood Smith, famous as the third wife of Roy Rogers. Evans was from Uvalde, Texas, and had a rough start in life. She eloped with her first husband when she was just 14 years old, and had her first child at 15. That first marriage ended in divorce when she was 17 in 1929, the same year she started on her second marriage. Roy Rogers was Evans’ fourth husband and they married in 1947, a marriage that lasted for 51 years, until Rogers passed away in 1998.
22 Neglected youths : WAIFS
A waif is a street urchin, or perhaps a stray animal.
23 Baseball’s so-called “steroid ___” : ERA
Steroids are found commonly in nature, with familiar examples being cholesterol and testosterone. The controversial class of drugs called anabolic steroids (known informally as “‘roids” or simply “steroids”) are artificially produced chemicals designed to mimic the effect of the male sex hormone, testosterone. They are termed “anabolic” as they build up cellular tissue (particularly muscle) in a process called anabolism. Taking anabolic steroids can be termed “juicing”, and the aggressive behavior that can be a side-effect is known as “‘roid rage”.
24 Angling accessory : NET
We use the verb “to angle” to mean “to fish” because “angel” is an Old English word meaning “hook”.
25 Holi people? : HINDUS
Holi is a Hindu festival, celebrated in spring, that is also known as the Festival of Colours.
26 Like bonds and Bond films : RATED
Here are the first seven actors to portray the iconic English spy in the “James Bond” series of movies:
- Sean Connery: 1961–1967, 1970–1971 and 1982–1983
- David Niven: 1967
- George Lazenby: 1968–1969
- Roger Moore: 1972–1985
- Timothy Dalton: 1986–1994
- Pierce Brosnan: 1994–2004
- Daniel Craig: 2005–2021
28 Princeton Review subj. : PSAT
The Princeton Review is a company that offers test preparation for those about to take college admission tests.
30 “Don’t Bring Me Down” band, in brief : ELO
“Don’t Bring Me Down” is the biggest hit that the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) had in the US. The song was dedicated to NASA’s Skylab, which reentered the earth’s orbit in 1979, the same year the song was released.
31 Greyhound’s capacity, perhaps : BUSLOAD
Speaking as someone who lived much of my life outside of the US, I have to say that the Greyhound bus is a real symbol of America. I grew up seeing Greyhound buses in so many old movies. In Ireland the official provincial bus service “stole” the famous logo that gracefully adorns the sides of these buses, but uses a running Irish Setter in place of the iconic greyhound.
35 Theme song of a classic western, visually suggested six times in this puzzle’s grid : HAPPY TRAILS
“Happy Trails” was the theme song of “The Roy Rogers Show”, aired on radio in the 1940s and on television in the 1950s. The song was written by Dale Evans, wife of Roy Rogers.
40 Photo blowup: Abbr. : ENL
Enlargement (enl.)
42 Drink that may be served hot or iced : LATTE
The term “latte” is an abbreviation of the Italian “caffelatte” meaning “coffee (and) milk”. Note that in the correct spelling of “latte”, the Italian word for milk; there is no accent over the “e”. An accent is often added by mistake when we use the word in English, perhaps meaning to suggest that the word is French.
48 Load for Santa Claus : BAG
A central figure on Christmas Day is Santa Claus, aka “Father Christmas”, and “Père Noël” in French.
50 “Elvis ___ left the building” : HAS
The popular phrase “Elvis has left the building” has its roots in the concerts given by the King in his heyday. It was normal for fans to hang around after a performance in hopes of seeing their idol one more time. This became such an issue that an announcement was routinely made that “Elvis has left the building”.
51 Sets to zero, as a scale : TARES
Tare is the weight of a container that is deducted from the gross weight to determine the net weight, the weight of the container’s contents.
52 One singer of 35-Across on old TV/radio : ROY ROGERS
Cowboy actor and singer Roy Rogers’ real name was Leonard Franklin Slye, and his nickname was “King of the Cowboys”. Roy Rogers married Dale Evans in 1947. Evans’ nickname was “Queen of the West”.
55A Lake at one end of the Niagara River : ERIE
38D Lake at one end of the Niagara River : ONTARIO
The mighty Niagara River flows from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, and forms part of the border between the US and Canada. The river is only about 35 miles long, so some describe it as a “strait”. It has a drop in elevation of 325 feet along its length, with 165 feet of that drop taking place at Niagara Falls.
56 Wispy clouds : CIRRI
Cirrus (plural “cirri”) clouds are those lovely wispy, white strands that are often called “mare’s tails”.
57 Sorvino of “Mighty Aphrodite” : MIRA
Mira Sorvino is an American actress, and a winner of an Oscar for her supporting role in the 1995 Woody Allen movie “Mighty Aphrodite”. Sorvino also played a title role opposite Lisa Kudrow in the very forgettable “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion”.
“Mighty Aphrodite” is a 1995 Woody Allen romantic comedy starring Mira Sorvino. The film was inspired by George Bernard Shaw’s play “Pygmalion”. I know that the critics loved “Mighty Aphrodite”, but I can’t stand it …
58 Posh hotel chain : RITZ
César Ritz was a Swiss hotelier, who had a reputation for developing the most luxurious of accommodations and attracting the wealthiest clientèle. He opened the Hotel Ritz in Paris in 1898 and the second of his most famous hotels, the Ritz Hotel in London, in 1906. Ritz was lucky in his career, as before starting his own hotel chain he had been dismissed from the Savoy Hotel in London, implicated in the disappearance of a substantial amount of wine and spirits. Today’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company was founded in 1983, although the chain has its roots in the properties developed by César Ritz.
60 ___-deucey (gambling game) : ACEY
Acey-deucey is a fast-played variant of backgammon. Apparently, the game has been a favorite with members of the armed forces since the days of WWI.
61 Protein bean : SOYA
What are known as soybeans here in the US are called “soya beans” in most other English-speaking countries. So, I drink soy milk here in America, but when I am over in Ireland I drink “soya milk”.
63 Stark and Flanders, for two : NEDS
Ned Stark is the protagonist in George R. R. Martin’s fantasy novel “A Game of Thrones”, although his character doesn’t exactly come out on top by the end of the story. Stark is played by actor Sean Bean in the HBO television adaptation of the novel.
Ned Flanders lives next door to Homer Simpson on TV’s “The Simpsons”. Ned was married to Maude, with whom he had two children Rod and Todd. Maude died in an accident involving a T-shirt cannon. Ned is voiced by actor Harry Shearer, and has been around since the very first episode aired in 1989.
Down
1 Food cupboard : LARDER
The Latin word for bacon or lard, is “lardum”, from which developed a Middle Latin word “lardarium” meaning a “room for meats”. This came into English as “larder” to describe a meat storeroom. Over time, our larders stored all types of foods and our fresh meats went into refrigerators.
2 Mark in the World Golf Hall of Fame : O’MEARA
Mark O’Meara is a golfer from Goldsboro, North Carolina. He is known as one of the American players who competes in international tournaments more than most, and has a reputation as a real gentleman all around the world.
4 Resident of the 46th state : OKIE
“Okies” is a derogatory term used during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s for farming families who migrated from Oklahoma (hence the name), Arkansas, Kansas and Texas in search of agricultural jobs in California. The road used by many of these migrant families was Route 66, which is also called “Mother Road”.
6 Old Mac app : ICHAT
iChat was introduced in 2002, and was Apple’s “instant messaging” application that integrated with the Mac Operating System. iChat was replaced by the Messages app.
7 Watkins ___, N.Y. : GLEN
Watkins Glen State Park in New York State was opened in 1863 as a private tourist resort. The central attraction in the park is a 400-foot gorge cut into rock by a stream known as Glen Creek. The resulting rapids and waterfalls are quite spectacular, I hear.
8 Actor Lukas of 2014’s “Dark Was the Night” : HAAS
Lukas Haas is an American actor best known for the role he played as an 8-year-old child in the excellent 1985 film “Witness”. In “Witness”, Haas plays a young Amish boy, alongside Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis. Although Haas still acts today, he is also a musician and plays drums and piano for a band called The Rogues.
9 Part of P.S.T.: Abbr. : STD
Pacific Standard Time (PST)
10 Role for Daveed Diggs on “Black-ish” : JOHAN
“Black-ish” is a sitcom starring Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross that premiered in 2014. The show is noted for tackling tough issues such as racism, police brutality, attitudes toward the LGBT community, and the 2016 US presidential election.
13 Home of the Minotaur’s Labyrinth : KNOSSOS
Knossos was a city on the island of Crete that is widely believed to be the oldest city in Europe. The ruins of Knossos date back to the Bronze Age and have been extensively excavated since their discovery in 1878.
Minos was the King of Crete in Greek mythology, and the son of Zeus and Europa. Minos had an elaborate labyrinth built under the island that was designed by the architect Daedalus and his son Icarus (who famously died trying to escape from the island by “flying” away). In the labyrinth, King Minos kept the Minotaur, a dreadful creature with the head of a bull on the body of a man.
27 Abba of Israel : EBAN
Abba Eban was an Israeli diplomat and politician. He was born Aubrey Solomon Meir Eban in Cape Town, South Africa. While working at the United Nations after WWII, Eban changed his given name to “Abba”, the Hebrew word for “father”. Reportedly, he made this change as Eban saw himself as the father of the nation of Israel.
28 Mrs. ___, “Beauty and the Beast” character : POTTS
Mrs. Potts is a character introduced into the “Beauty and the Beast” tale by Disney in the 1991 film adaptation. Mrs. Potts is a teapot, and her son Chip is a teacup.
29 Dress with one end tied to the waist : SARI
The item of clothing called a “sari” (also “saree”) is a strip of cloth, as one might imagine, unusual perhaps in that it is unstitched along the whole of its length. The strip of cloth can range from four to nine meters long (that’s a lot of material!). The sari is usually wrapped around the waist, then draped over the shoulder leaving the midriff bare. I must say, it can be a beautiful item of clothing.
33 Suburb of Boston : LYNN
Lynn is a city in Massachusetts located just ten miles north of downtown Boston. The city was named for the port town of King’s Lynn in Norfolk, on the east coast of England.
44 Covered, in a way, as a road : TARRED
The terms “tarmac” and “macadam” are short for “tarmacadam”. In the 1800s, Scotsman John Loudon McAdam developed a style of road known as “macadam”. Macadam had a top-layer of crushed stone and gravel laid over larger stones. The macadam also had a convex cross-section so that water tended to drain to the sides. In 1901, a significant improvement was made by English engineer Edgar Purnell Hooley who introduced tar into the macadam, improving the resistance to water damage and practically eliminating dust. The “tar-penetration macadam” is the basis of what we now call “tarmac”.
45 Contents of college blue books : ESSAYS
“Blue book exam” is a term used for a test given at many colleges in the US. Blue book exams usually involve the writing of essays. The first blue book exams were administered by Butler University in Indianapolis, and the “blue” was chosen because Butler’s school colors are blue and white. The color blue is still commonly used regardless of which school is giving the test, although other colors can be used.
47 Gibbons of talk TV : LEEZA
Leeza Gibbons had her own radio show called “Hollywood Confidential”, and her own talk show on NBC television that aired from 1994 to 2000. Gibbons is the founder of a nonprofit group called Leeza’s Place which supports people giving care to patients with memory disorders. Since 2007, she has been a board member of California’s stem cell research agency, appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
48 “Turn! Turn! Turn!” band, with “the” : … BYRDS
The Byrds were a rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1964. The band’s most successful songs were cover versions of earlier hits i.e. “Mr. Tambourine Man” (Bob Dylan) and “Turn! Turn! Turn!” (Pete Seeger).
There aren’t many pop hits that have lyrics taken almost entirely from the Bible. Pete Seeger took some words from the Book of Ecclesiastes, and set them to music in 1959, using the title “To Everything There Is a Season”. He recorded the song in 1962 for one of his albums. It wasn’t until it was recorded by the Byrds as “Turn! Turn! Turn!” that the song climbed the charts. It’s a nice contemplative song, I always think …
52 Cambodian cash : RIEL
The Cambodian riel was introduced in 1953, and was taken out of circulation by the Khmer Rouge in 1975 when they completely abolished money on taking control of the country. After the Vietnamese invasion of 1978, money was reintroduced and the Cambodian people are still using the “second” riel. The original riel was divided into 100 centimes, but this was changed to 100 “sen” in 1959.
53 Brand behind Cakesters snack cakes : OREO
Oreo Cakesters are a soft version of the celebrated cookie, a version introduced by Nabisco in 2007.
54 F.B.I. guy : G-MAN
The nickname “G-men” is short for “government men” and refers to agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
56 Midwestern metropolis, informally : CHI
The city of Chicago is sometimes referred to as “Chi-Town”.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 TikTok’s 3-D musical eighth note, e.g. : LOGO
5 Peak temperatures : HIGHS
10 Low face? : JACK
14 Wildly : AMOK
15 Pomp and circumstance : ECLAT
16 ___ irregular basis : ON AN
17 Payment-lowering deal, in brief : REFI
18 Out in front : AHEAD
19 Lead-in to thesis or thermic : HYPO-
20 One singer of 35-Across on old TV/radio : DALE EVANS
22 Neglected youths : WAIFS
23 Baseball’s so-called “steroid ___” : ERA
24 Angling accessory : NET
25 Holi people? : HINDUS
26 Like bonds and Bond films : RATED
28 Princeton Review subj. : PSAT
30 “Don’t Bring Me Down” band, in brief : ELO
31 Greyhound’s capacity, perhaps : BUSLOAD
34 “Nah, none for me” : PASS
35 Theme song of a classic western, visually suggested six times in this puzzle’s grid : HAPPY TRAILS
37 Sign up for : JOIN
39 License : ENTITLE
40 Photo blowup: Abbr. : ENL
41 Compulsions : YENS
42 Drink that may be served hot or iced : LATTE
46 Lost freshness : STALED
48 Load for Santa Claus : BAG
50 “Elvis ___ left the building” : HAS
51 Sets to zero, as a scale : TARES
52 One singer of 35-Across on old TV/radio : ROY ROGERS
55 Lake at one end of the Niagara River : ERIE
56 Wispy clouds : CIRRI
57 Sorvino of “Mighty Aphrodite” : MIRA
58 Posh hotel chain : RITZ
59 Abides by : HEEDS
60 ___-deucey (gambling game) : ACEY
61 Protein bean : SOYA
62 Words of resignation : I LOSE
63 Stark and Flanders, for two : NEDS
Down
1 Food cupboard : LARDER
2 Mark in the World Golf Hall of Fame : O’MEARA
3 Lose fizz : GO FLAT
4 Resident of the 46th state : OKIE
5 Launch : HEAVE
6 Old Mac app : ICHAT
7 Watkins ___, N.Y. : GLEN
8 Actor Lukas of 2014’s “Dark Was the Night” : HAAS
9 Part of P.S.T.: Abbr. : STD
10 Role for Daveed Diggs on “Black-ish” : JOHAN
11 Brainstorming question : ANY IDEAS?
12 Measures of detergent, maybe : CAPFULS
13 Home of the Minotaur’s Labyrinth : KNOSSOS
21 Finish : END UP
22 Punster : WIT
25 Tore into : HAD AT
27 Abba of Israel : EBAN
28 Mrs. ___, “Beauty and the Beast” character : POTTS
29 Dress with one end tied to the waist : SARI
32 Tear : SPEED
33 Suburb of Boston : LYNN
34 “Not guilty,” e.g. : PLEA
35 Extreme amusement : HILARITY
36 Volunteer’s offer : I’LL GO
37 Some court performers : JESTERS
38 Lake at one end of the Niagara River : ONTARIO
41 “You called me?” : YES?
43 What may be broken at a party : THE ICE
44 Covered, in a way, as a road : TARRED
45 Contents of college blue books : ESSAYS
47 Gibbons of talk TV : LEEZA
48 “Turn! Turn! Turn!” band, with “the” : … BYRDS
49 Pop up : ARISE
52 Cambodian cash : RIEL
53 Brand behind Cakesters snack cakes : OREO
54 F.B.I. guy : G-MAN
56 Midwestern metropolis, informally : CHI
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9 thoughts on “0914-22 NY Times Crossword 14 Sep 22, Wednesday”
Comments are closed.
16:15…another slow start for me. Seems like this week is a bit tougher than usual. At least for me. Anyway, happy trails to you🎶🎵
16:47 If that song stays stuck in my head for the rest of the day, somebody’s gonna pay…. :- )
14:55, no errors. ROY ROGERS, DALE EVANS, HAPPY TRAILS, BYRDS and ELO, now you’re t-t-talkin’ bout my g-g-generation.
15:40 but this felt a lot harder than that. A LOT I didn’t know at first glance. Not sure I’d have finished without the theme.
Blue book exams always tensed me up. Maybe it’s the shade of blue? I had a prof that got so much grief about students having to BUY something in order to take an exam, that he offered to buy it for them just to shut the students up. Good for him. These things went for about 30 cents at the time.
Never heard the term LARDER, but I don’t think it’d be a very appetizing way to describe a food cupboard these days.
Best –
10:35, 1 (yes for real) Natick. 28A-28D. Had to know 28D down pat in order to not make the error as 28A is a dual clue which is accurate for both PSAT and LSAT. Guessed wrong.
Yep, didn’t know LARDER either but it fell in.
Saturday morning Roy Roger reruns for me. The series ended about the time I was born. Got a lot of mileage out of it though. I liked the Lone Ranger better. It ran the same time as Roy Rogers.
20 minutes. No errors or look ups.
No errors.
Knowing who starred or played in a film or tv show is one thing but knowing specific characters is IMO kinda obscure.
Stay safe😀
In reference to 4-Down I don’t think that anyone thinks of the term OKIE as derogatory anymore. A person is now cool to identify as such. BTW, I’m an OKIE.