0926-22 NY Times Crossword 26 Sep 22, Monday

Constructed by: Margaret Seikel
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: Hang in There!

Themed answers are all locations where one might HANG (something):

  • 58A “Stick with it!” … or a hint to the answers to the starred clues : HANG IN THERE!
  • 17A *Indoor bouldering locale : CLIMBING GYM
  • 37A *Male equivalent of a she-shed : MAN CAVE
  • 11D *Room by the foyer, often : COAT CLOSET
  • 27D *Place to buy a painting : ART GALLERY

Bill’s time: 5m 29s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

11 Mushroom top : CAP

A mushroom isn’t a complete living organism per se but rather is one part of a fungus, and is the fruiting body that is responsible for distributing reproductive spores. The mushroom generally has three main components: the stipe (or “stem”), the pileus (or “cap”) and the lamellae (or “gills”) under the cap which distribute the spores.

14 Donkey used as a pack animal : BURRO

Our word “burro”, meaning “donkey”, comes from the Spanish word for the same animal, namely “burrico”.

16 Aioli ingredient … or three of the letters in “aioli” : OIL

To the purist, especially in Provence in the South of France, aioli is prepared just by grinding garlic with olive oil. However, other ingredients are often added to the mix, particularly egg yolks.

19 “Much ___ About Nothing” : ADO

“Much Ado About Nothing” is a play by William Shakespeare, and a favorite of mine. It is a comedic tale of two pairs of lovers with lots of mistaken identities and double meanings. I once saw it performed in the fabulous Globe Theatre in London … by an all-female cast. Such a performance was somewhat ironic, given that in Shakespeare’s day the practice was to use an all-male cast.

24 Purple avenue in Monopoly : BALTIC

Mediterranean Avenue and Baltic Avenue are properties in the game of Monopoly. The street names in the US version of Monopoly are locations in or around Atlantic City, New Jersey.

37 *Male equivalent of a she-shed : MAN CAVE

“Man cave” is a slang term for a male sanctuary within a home. That sanctuary is often a spare bedroom (as it is in our house) or a converted garage.

A “she shed” is the equivalent of a “man cave”. It is somewhere that “she” can use as her own space within a home.

39 What to call a knight : 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”.

40 Kind of sleeve that extends to the collar : RAGLAN

The hereditary title of Baron Raglan was created in 1852 as a reward for Lord Fitzroy Somerset for his service commanding the British troops during the Crimean War. It’s the raglan sleeve that gives the name to the raglan coat. A raglan sleeve extends right to the collar of the garment, a design used to fit the first Baron Raglan who had lost his arm at the Battle of Waterloo.

42 Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the ___” : USA

Miley Cyrus became famous playing the Disney Channel character “Hannah Montana”. Miley is the daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus. When she was born, Billy Ray and his wife named their daughter “Destiny Hope”, but soon they themselves calling her “Smiley” as she was always smiling as a baby, and this got shortened to Miley over time. Cute …

43 Grp. that opposes foie gras and wearing fur : PETA

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is a large animal rights organization, with about 300 employees and two million members and supporters worldwide. Although the group campaigns for animal rights across a broad spectrum of issues, it has a stated focus in opposition of four practices:

  • Factory farming
  • Fur farming
  • Animal testing
  • Use of animals in entertainment

Pâté is a rich spreadable paste made from a mixture of ground meat and fat to which various vegetables, herbs and spices may be added. The most famous version of the paste is pâté de foie gras, which is made from the fattened livers of geese (“foie gras” means “fat liver” in French).

49 Janis ___, “Mean Girls” sidekick : IAN

“Mean Girls” is a teen comedy movie released in 2004 starring Lindsay Lohan. Tina Fey also puts in an appearance, which really isn’t surprising as Fey wrote the screenplay.

51 Give support to : BOLSTER

Back in Ireland I often slept in beds that had a bolster as well as pillows. The bolster was usually a long, bed-wide, stuffed cushion, harder than a pillow. It served the purpose of raising the pillows, perhaps as an aid for sitting up in bed. Our modern usage of the verb “bolster”, meaning to give a metaphoric shot in the arm, derives from this “bolster” that we used to sit up against.

57 Gorilla, e.g. : APE

The gorilla is the largest primate still in existence, and is one of the nearest living species to humans. Molecular biology studies have shown that our nearest relatives are in fact the species in the genus Pan (the chimpanzee and the bonobo), which split from the human branch of the family 4-6 million years ago. Gorillas and humans diverged at a point about 7 million years ago. The term “gorilla” derives from the Greek “gorillai” meaning “tribe of hairy women”. Wow …!

60 La Brea ___ Pits (Los Angeles attraction) : TAR

The La Brea Tar Pits are located right in the heart of the city of Los Angeles. At the site there is a constant flow of tar that seeps up to the surface from underground, a phenomenon that has been around for tens of thousands of years. What is significant is that much of the seeping tar is covered by water. Over many, many centuries animals came to the water to drink and became trapped in the tar as they entered the water to quench their thirst. The tar then preserved the bones of the dead animals. Today a museum is located right by the Tar Pits, recovering bones and displaying specimens of the animals found there. It’s well worth a visit if you are in town …

61 Rhode Island, the ___ State : OCEAN

Rhode Island is the smallest state in the union, and is the second-most densely populated. (after New Jersey). Rhode Island is known as the Ocean State (and more informally “Little Rhody”), largely because about 14% of the state’s area is made up of ocean bays and inlets. Exactly how Rhode Island got its name is a little unclear. What is known is that way back in 1524, long before the Pilgrims came to New England, the Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano likened an island in the area to the Island of Rhodes in the Mediterranean. There were subsequent references to “Rhode Island” in English publications, before the colonists arrived.

62 This Greek letter: Ω : OMEGA

Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet and is the one that looks like a horseshoe (Ω) when in uppercase. The lowercase omega looks like a Latin W. The word “omega” literally means “great O” (O-mega). Compare this with the Greek letter Omicron, meaning “little O” (O-micron).

65 Passover meal : SEDER

The Passover Seder is a ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish Passover holiday celebrating the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

Down

1 Kindergarten basics : ABCS

“Kindergarten” is a German term, one translating as “children’s garden”. The term was coined by the German education authority Friedrich Fröbel in 1837, when he used it as the name for his play and activity institute that he created for young children to use before they headed off to school. His thought was that children should be nourished educationally, like plants in a garden.

2 “I before E except after C,” e.g. : RULE

“I before E, except after C”. With so many exceptions, I think this is one rule that’s not taught in schools anymore …

3 Children’s book author ___ Carle : ERIC

Eric Carle is a very successful children’s author and book illustrator, with over 100 million of his books sold around the world. Carle’s most famous title is “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”, and it alone has sold 30 million copies.

6 Philosopher Descartes : RENE

Anything pertaining to the philosophy of the great Rene Descartes can be described by the adjective “Cartesian”.

7 Unit of work : ERG

An erg is a unit of mechanical work or energy. It is a small unit, with one joule comprising 10 million ergs. It has been suggested that an erg is about the amount of energy required for a mosquito to take off. The term comes from “ergon”, the Greek word for work.

9 Pastoral poem : IDYLL

An idyll (also “idyl”) is a short poem with a pastoral theme, usually depicting the scene in romantic and idealized terms. The word “idyl” comes from the Greek “eidyllion”, which literally translates to “little picture” but was a word describing a short poem with a rustic theme.

11 *Room by the foyer, often : COAT CLOSET

In Old French a “clos” was an enclosure, with the diminutive form “closet” describing a small enclosure or private room. Over time this evolved into our modern usage of “closet”, describing a cabinet or cupboard.

“Foyer”, meaning “lobby”, is a French word that we imported into English. In French, “foyer” is used for what we would call a “green room”, a place where actors can gather when not on stage or on set.

22 ___-A-Whirl (carnival ride) : TILT

The Tilt-A-Whirl is the fairground ride that has seven cars on a spinning platform, with the cars rotating freely and randomly. Each of the cars hold 3-4 riders; pretty nauseated riders at times.

24 Cookie, to the Brits : BISCUIT

Our word “biscuit” comes from the Medieval Latin “biscotum” meaning “twice-baked”. This etymology reflects the original two-step process used to make biscuits. After initially baking at a relatively high temperature, biscuits were then dried out in an oven set at a lower temperature.

29 ___ Arbor, Mich. : ANN

Ann Arbor, Michigan was founded in 1824 by John Allen and Elisha Rumsey. Supposedly, Allen and Rumsey originally used the name “Annsarbour” in recognition of stands of bur oak that were on the land they had purchased and in recognition of their wives, both of whom were called “Ann” (i.e. Anns’ Arbor)

37 Running portion of an Ironman race : MARATHON

The marathon commemorates the legendary messenger-run by Pheidippides from the site of the Battle of Marathon back to Athens, and is run over 26 miles and 385 yards. The first modern Olympic marathon races were run over a distance that approximated the length of the modern-day Marathon-Athens highway, although the actual length of the race varied from games to games. For the 1908 Olympics in London, a course starting at Windsor Castle and ending in front of the Royal Box at White City Stadium was defined. That course was 26 miles and 385 yards, the standard length now used at all Olympic Games. Organizers of subsequent games continued to vary the length of the race, until a decision was made in 1921 to adopt the distance used in London in 1908.

An Ironman Triathlon is a race involving a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a marathon run of just over 26 miles. The idea for the race came out of a debate between some runners in the 1977 Oahu Perimeter Relay. They were questioning whether runners, swimmers or bikers were the most fit athletes. The debaters decided to combine three local events to determine the answer, inviting athletes from all three disciplines. The events that were mimicked in the first triathlon were the Waikiki Roughwater swim (2.4 miles), the Around-Oahu Bike Race (115 miles) and the Honolulu Marathon (26.2 miles). The idea was that whoever finishes first would be called “the Iron Man”. The first triathlon was run in 1978, with fifteen starters and only twelve finishers. The race format is used all over the world now, but the Hawaiian Ironman is the event that everyone wants to win.

41 Claims rated “four Pinocchios,” say : LIES

“The Washington Post” takes on the tasks of fact-checking statements made by politicians. The paper grades Members of Congress based on lies told using a scale of zero to four “Pinocchios”.

43 “I must be dreaming!” : PINCH ME!

Ouch!

45 Gather, as support : GARNER

A garner is a granary, a building in which grain is stored. The related verb “to garner” means to gather into a granary. We also use the verb figuratively to mean “accumulate, collect” in general.

48 What a dove symbolizes : PEACE

The dove is a symbol of peace, and the hawk is a symbol of war.

52 Birthstone for most Libras : OPAL

Here is the “official” list of birthstones, by month, that we tend to use today:

  • January: Garnet
  • February: Amethyst
  • March: Bloodstone or Aquamarine
  • April: Diamond
  • May: Emerald
  • June: Pearl or Moonstone
  • July: Ruby
  • August: Sardonyx or Peridot
  • September: Sapphire or Lapis Lazuli
  • October: Opal or Pink Tourmaline
  • November: Topaz or Citrine
  • December: Turquoise or Zircon (also now, Tanzanite)

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Regions : AREAS
6 Made over from square one : REDID
11 Mushroom top : CAP
14 Donkey used as a pack animal : BURRO
15 Wear away, as soil : ERODE
16 Aioli ingredient … or three of the letters in “aioli” : OIL
17 *Indoor bouldering locale : CLIMBING GYM
19 “Much ___ About Nothing” : ADO
20 Produce, as by a gland : SECRETE
21 Found a place for on the schedule : SLOTTED
23 Slice of history : ERA
24 Purple avenue in Monopoly : BALTIC
25 “Too bad, so sad!” : ALAS!
28 French for “milk” : LAIT
30 “___ well that ends well” : ALL’S
32 Kids may make one out of pillows or snow : FORT
33 ___ and outs : INS
34 Say no, when given a choice : OPT OUT
36 Do something : ACT
37 *Male equivalent of a she-shed : MAN CAVE
39 What to call a knight : SIR
40 Kind of sleeve that extends to the collar : RAGLAN
42 Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the ___” : USA
43 Grp. that opposes foie gras and wearing fur : PETA
44 Den : LAIR
45 Heart of the matter : GIST
46 Thingy : ITEM
47 Ambitiously pursue, as an opportunity : LEAP AT
49 Janis ___, “Mean Girls” sidekick : IAN
51 Give support to : BOLSTER
53 Cosmetic reapplication : TOUCH-UP
57 Gorilla, e.g. : APE
58 “Stick with it!” … or a hint to the answers to the starred clues : HANG IN THERE!
60 La Brea ___ Pits (Los Angeles attraction) : TAR
61 Rhode Island, the ___ State : OCEAN
62 This Greek letter: Ω : OMEGA
63 Crafty : SLY
64 Proudly brainy sorts : NERDS
65 Passover meal : SEDER

Down

1 Kindergarten basics : ABCS
2 “I before E except after C,” e.g. : RULE
3 Children’s book author ___ Carle : ERIC
4 Place where elbows bump on a plane : ARMREST
5 Not drunk : SOBER
6 Philosopher Descartes : RENE
7 Unit of work : ERG
8 Watched a neighbor’s pup, say : DOG-SAT
9 Pastoral poem : IDYLL
10 Cassette submitted to a record label : DEMO TAPE
11 *Room by the foyer, often : COAT CLOSET
12 Errand runner : AIDE
13 Lumber (along) : PLOD
18 Like pizzas and piazzas : ITALIAN
22 ___-A-Whirl (carnival ride) : TILT
24 Cookie, to the Brits : BISCUIT
25 Off in the distance : AFAR
26 Good person to ask to show you around town : LOCAL
27 *Place to buy a painting : ART GALLERY
29 ___ Arbor, Mich. : ANN
31 Multiroom hotel offering : SUITE
34 A big one might be standing in a concert hall : OVATION
35 Coal carrier : TRAM
37 Running portion of an Ironman race : MARATHON
38 Stubborn animal : ASS
41 Claims rated “four Pinocchios,” say : LIES
43 “I must be dreaming!” : PINCH ME!
45 Gather, as support : GARNER
48 What a dove symbolizes : PEACE
50 Cars : AUTOS
51 Faces a pitcher : BATS
52 Birthstone for most Libras : OPAL
53 Breath mint containers : TINS
54 Follow, as advice : HEED
55 Compulsive feeling : URGE
56 Not-quite-round fruit : PEAR
59 Aimlessly wander (about) : GAD