1008-22 NY Times Crossword 8 Oct 22, Saturday

Constructed by: Kyle T. Dolan
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 20m 28s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Guiding belief : CREDO

A creed or credo is a profession of faith, or a system of belief or principles. “Credo” is Latin for “I believe”.

6 Animal Crossing fox whose name references a legendary comedian : REDD

“Redd Foxx” was the stage name of John Elroy Sanford, who was best known for starring in “Sanford and Son”. “Sanford and Son” was an American version of a celebrated hit BBC sitcom that I grew up with in Ireland called “Steptoe and Son”.

10 “Hang on a sec” : BRB

Be right back (brb)

15 Language descended from Proto-Algonquian : CREE

The Cree are one of the largest groups of Native Americans on the continent. In the US, Montana is home to most of the Cree nation. They live on a reservation shared with the Ojibwe people. In Canada, most of the Cree live in Manitoba.

16 Line from Pinocchio : I’M A REAL BOY

“The Adventures of Pinocchio” is an 1883 children’s novel by Carlo Collodi, which is all about an animated puppet named Pinocchio, and Geppetto, his poor woodcarver father. In one of his adventures, Pinocchio encounters “the Terrible Dogfish”, a huge sea monster that is given the nickname “the Attila of fish and fishermen”. The sea monster features in the 1940 film “Pinocchio”, but in Walt Disney’s version it is given the name “Monstro” (the Portuguese word for “monster”).

19 Bad time to take stock? : BEAR MARKET

The terms “bull market” and “bear market” come from the way in which each animal attacks. A bull thrusts his horns upwards (an “up” market), whereas a bear swipes with his paws downward (a “down” market).

31 Free spot, in brief : PSA

Public service announcement (PSA)

33 Dash of panache : ZHUZH

Someone exhibiting panache is showing dash and verve, and perhaps has a swagger. “Panache” is a French word used for a plume of feathers, especially one in a hat.

35 Campus home of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in brief : UVA

The University of Virginia (UVA) was founded by Thomas Jefferson, who then sat on the original Board of Visitors alongside former US Presidents James Madison and James Monroe. In fact, the original UVA campus was built on land near Charlottesville that was once a farm belonging to President Monroe.

36 Sierra ___ : LEONE

The Republic of Sierra Leone is a country in West Africa that lies on the Atlantic Coast. The capital city of Freetown was originally set up as a colony to house the “Black Poor” of London, England. These people were mainly freed British slaves of Caribbean descent who were living a miserable life in the run-down parts of London. Perhaps to help the impoverished souls, perhaps to rid the streets of “a problem”, three ships were chartered in 1787 to transport a group of blacks, with some whites, to a piece of land purchased in Sierra Leone. Those who made the voyage were granted British citizenship and protection. The descendants of these immigrants, and others who made the journey over the next 60 years, make up the ethnic group that’s today called the Sierra Leone Creole.

37 Craft since ancient times : CANOE

The boat known as a canoe takes its name from the Carib word “kenu” meaning “dugout”. It was Christopher Columbus who brought “kenu” into Spanish as “canoa”, which evolved into our English “canoe”.

42 Rightmost symbol on Alaska’s state flag : POLARIS

Because the orientation of the Earth’s axis shifts, albeit very slowly, the position of north relative to the stars changes over time. The bright star that is closest to true north is Polaris, and so we call Polaris the “North Star” or “Pole Star”. Because of the relatively stable position of Polaris in the Northern Sky, it is a useful navigational tool. 14,000 years ago, the nearest bright star to true north was Vega, and it will be so again in about 12,000 year’s time.

Seven stars on the flag of the state of Alaska form the pattern of stars known as the Big Dipper, which is found in the constellation of Ursa Major. Ursa Major (Big Bear) symbolizes an animal that is indigenous to Alaska. The eighth star on the flag represents Polaris, the North Star. The arrangement of the stars on the flag roughly represents the arrangement of the stars in the night sky.

53 Cairo-based group : ARAB LEAGUE

The Arab League was formed in 1945 in Cairo with six founding members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Syria. As a result of events during the 2011 Arab Spring, the Arab League has suspended Syria’s membership.

Down

2 It follows Quebec in the NATO alphabet : ROMEO

The NATO phonetic alphabet is also called the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) phonetic alphabet. Alfa, Bravo, Charlie … X-ray, Yankee, Zulu.

6 Official timekeeper of Wimbledon : ROLEX

My most-prized possession is a beautiful stainless steel Rolex watch that my uncle bought while serving with the RAF in Canada during WWII. Rolex watches were made available to the Canadian servicemen at that time as they were shipping overseas. My uncle brought his Rolex home to Ireland after the war. He needed money one weekend and so sold the watch to my Dad, for five pounds. My Dad gave it to me just before he died, as he knew I loved the watch, and my brothers weren’t interested in it all. Not so long ago I had the watch appraised ($3,000), and my brothers suddenly took a liking to it! Still, it’s not something that will ever be sold, that’s for sure …

The Wimbledon Championships of tennis are held at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club located in Wimbledon, a district of London. The Wimbledon Championships started in 1877, and have been played on grass since day one.

7 Portoferraio is its largest town : ELBA

I had a lovely two-week vacation in Tuscany once, including what was supposed to be a two-night stay on the island of Elba. I had envisioned Elba as a place full of history, and maybe it is, but it is also overrun with tourists who use it as a beach getaway. We left after one day and we won’t be going back again …

10 Accessed the contents of, as a piñata : BROKE OPEN

Piñatas originated in Mexico, probably among the Aztecs or Mayans. Today’s piñatas are usually made from cardboard that is brightly decorated with papier-mâché. Traditionally a piñata was made out of a clay pot, adorned with feathers and ribbons and filled with small treasures. During religious ceremonies the clay pots would be suspended and broken open so that the contents would spill out onto the ground at the feet of a god as an offering.

11 Frigga portrayer in “Thor” : RENE RUSSO

The talented actress Rene Russo is a native of Burbank, California. Russo went to high school (with actor/director Ron Howard), but dropped out in tenth grade. At seventeen, she was given the opportunity to train as a model and within a very short time appeared on the cover of “Vogue”. As her modeling jobs slowed down in her early thirties, Russo made a career change and studied theater and acting.

The 2011 movie “Thor” is yet another film based on a comic book hero. Even though I won’t be seeing it (I don’t do comics), I must admit it does have an impressive cast. Chris Hemsworth plays Thor, supported by Natalie Portman, Rene Russo, Idris Elba and Anthony Hopkins. And to crown it all, Kenneth Branagh is the director.

12 Folate-rich root : BEET

Folic acid is also known as vitamin B9. Folic acid occurs in the human body as folate, a substance essential in the synthesis and repair of DNA.

14 Conspirators : CABAL

A cabal is a small group of plotters acting in secret, perhaps scheming against a government or an individual. The use of “cabal” in this way dates back to the mid-1600s. It is suggested that the term gained some popularity, particularly in a sinister sense, during the reign of Charles II in the 1670s. At that time, it was applied as an acronym standing for “Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley, and Lauderdale”, a group of ministers known for their plots and schemes.

20 They may be presented for visiting dignitaries : ARMS

Two examples of drill commands are “Present, arms!”, at which point the soldiers being drilled present a rifle or hand salute. The command “Order, arms!” instructs the soldiers to bring their rifle or hand back to their sides.

26 Home to many John Constable works, with “the” : … TATE

The museum known as “the Tate” comprises four separate galleries in England. The original Tate gallery was founded by Sir Henry Tate as the National Gallery of British Art. It is located on Millbank in London, on the site of the old Millbank Prison, and is now called Tate Britain. There is also the Tate Liverpool in the north of England that is located in an old warehouse, and the Tate St. Ives in the west country located in an old gas works. My favorite of the Tate galleries is the Tate Modern which lies on the banks of the Thames in London. It’s a beautiful building, a converted power station that you have to see to believe. As of 2018, the Tate Modern was the most visited art museum in the UK.

John Constable is the most English of painters, although during his lifetime his work was more popular in France than it was in his native country. His most famous painting is “The Hay Wain” from 1821, which you can see in the National Gallery in London.

28 Horns played at many pitches : VUVUZELAS

A vuvuzela is a simple horn that produces a loud monotone note. The vuvuzela is a big hit with soccer fans in South Africa, and is now heard in stadiums all around the world after it was introduced to us in the 2010 FIFA World Cup that was held in South Africa. That said, many facilities and organizations are now banning the vuvuzela given that the noise levels produced can actually cause hearing loss.

29 Stinging jellyfish : SEA NETTLE

Jellyfish are found all over the ocean, right across the whole planet. They have been around for 500-700 million years, and so are the oldest multi-organ animal extant.

30 Second line of a child’s joke : WHO’S THERE?

Knock, knock!
Who’s there?
Banana.
Banana who?
Knock knock
Who’s there?
Banana.
Banana who?
Knock knock
Who’s there?
Orange.
Orange who?
Orange you glad I didn’t say banana?

36 Sockdolager : LULU

We call a remarkable thing or a person a lulu. The term “lulu” was coined in honor of Lulu Hurst, the Georgia Wonder, who was a stage magician active in the 1880s.

37 Mustard’s rank: Abbr. : COL

Colonel Mustard is one of the suspects in the board game “Clue”.

39 Longtime meat substitute brand : BAC-OS

Betty Crocker Bac-Os aren’t real “bacon bits”. Rather, they are “bacon-flavor” morsels made out of, well, probably nothing too healthy. But still, vegans should be happy to hear that there are no animal products included.

43 “With a Little Help From My Friends” singer, familiarly : RINGO

Sir Ringo Starr’s real name is Richard Starkey. Before he joined the Beatles, replacing drummer Pete Best, Starkey played with the Raving Texans. It was with the Raving Texans that he adopted the name “Ringo Starr”, because he wore a lot of rings and he thought it sounded “cowboyish”. Back then his drum solos were billed as “Starr Time”.

“With a Little Help From My Friends” is a Lennon/McCartney song from the 1967 “Sgt. Pepper” album. The song-writing duo wrote it specifically for the band’s drummer Ringo Starr, and so gave it a limited vocal range, except for the last note. The song opens with:

What would you think if I sang out of tune
Would you stand up and walk out on me?

Starr had those words changed from:

What would you think if I sang out of tune
Would you throw ripe tomatoes at me?

Ringo was afraid that fans would do just that, if he should ever perform the song live.

45 Warm compresses can relieve them : STYES

A stye is a bacterial infection of the sebaceous glands at the base of the eyelashes, and is also known as a hordeolum.

47 Leader in prayer : IMAM

An imam is a Muslim leader, and often the person in charge of a mosque and/or perhaps a Muslim community.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Guiding belief : CREDO
6 Animal Crossing fox whose name references a legendary comedian : REDD
10 “Hang on a sec” : BRB
13 Some specific references that can add authenticity to writing : LOCAL COLOR
15 Language descended from Proto-Algonquian : CREE
16 Line from Pinocchio : I’M A REAL BOY
17 Top-tier : A-ONE
18 Personal parking space, e.g. : PERK
19 Bad time to take stock? : BEAR MARKET
21 Pop tribute? : SODA TAX
23 Terminal helper : PORTER
24 “Ha ha!” : LOL!
25 Forces to leave : DRUMS OUT
27 Show runner? : TV SET
30 Works in a cafe, maybe : WAITS
31 Free spot, in brief : PSA
32 Silver and gold : HUES
33 Dash of panache : ZHUZH
34 What was once due to American pioneers? : WEST
35 Campus home of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in brief : UVA
36 Sierra ___ : LEONE
37 Craft since ancient times : CANOE
38 Sudden effect of a cloud passing : SUNBURST
40 Trifle (with) : TOY
41 Evangelistic sort : ZEALOT
42 Rightmost symbol on Alaska’s state flag : POLARIS
46 Where fur might collect indoors : PET CUSHION
48 Touch : HINT
49 Mid-range? : ALTO
50 It fills seats at an office : TEMP AGENCY
52 Misses : GALS
53 Cairo-based group : ARAB LEAGUE
54 Legal suffix : -ESE
55 Rap artist ___ Ma : REMY
56 Some powerful evokers of memories : ODORS

Down

1 Highlights, e.g. : CLIPS
2 It follows Quebec in the NATO alphabet : ROMEO
3 Greeting the post office can’t deliver : E-CARD
4 Brews that Belgium is famous for : DARK ALES
5 Good cheer : OLE!
6 Official timekeeper of Wimbledon : ROLEX
7 Portoferraio is its largest town : ELBA
8 Subject of a drawing, perhaps : DOOR PRIZE
9 Sign of anxiety : DRY MOUTH
10 Accessed the contents of, as a piñata : BROKE OPEN
11 Frigga portrayer in “Thor” : RENE RUSSO
12 Folate-rich root : BEET
14 Conspirators : CABAL
15 Hauls (away) : CARTS
20 They may be presented for visiting dignitaries : ARMS
22 Someone to push around? : TOT
25 Cow : DAUNT
26 Home to many John Constable works, with “the” : … TATE
27 As shown : THUS
28 Horns played at many pitches : VUVUZELAS
29 Stinging jellyfish : SEA NETTLE
30 Second line of a child’s joke : WHO’S THERE?
33 Awful, or worse : ZERO-STAR
34 Unlikely to be caught : WAY AHEAD
36 Sockdolager : LULU
37 Mustard’s rank: Abbr. : COL
39 Longtime meat substitute brand : BAC-OS
40 Pitch-related : TONAL
42 Make a quick stop : POP BY
43 “With a Little Help From My Friends” singer, familiarly : RINGO
44 Take on : INCUR
45 Warm compresses can relieve them : STYES
46 Citation information : PAGE
47 Leader in prayer : IMAM
51 Prefix with physics or engineering : GEO-