1021-22 NY Times Crossword 21 Oct 22, Friday

Constructed by: Rafael Musa
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 13m 11s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Company that acquired Skype in 2005 : EBAY

The main feature of the Skype application, when introduced, was that it allows voice communication to take place over the Internet (aka VoIP). Skype has other features such as video conferencing and instant messaging, but the application made its name from voice communication. Skype was founded by two Scandinavian entrepreneurs and the software necessary was developed by a team of engineers in Estonia. The development project was originally called “Sky peer-to-peer” so the first commercial name for the application was “Skyper”. This had to be shortened to “Skype” because the skyper.com domain name was already in use.

5 Help out with Thanksgiving dinner, in a way : BASTE

Thanksgiving Day was observed on different dates in different states for many years, until Abraham Lincoln fixed the date for the whole country in 1863. Lincoln’s presidential proclamation set that date as the last Thursday in November. In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday to the fourth Thursday in November, arguing that the earlier date would give the economy a much-needed boost.

15 Pirouetting, say : ON TOE

We took our word “pirouette” directly from French, in which language it has the same meaning, i.e. a rotation in dancing. “Pirouette” is also the French word for “spinning top”.

22 Today preceder : USA …

The title of the widest circulation of any American newspaper is an honor competed for by “The Wall Street Journal”, “The New York Times” and “USA Today”, with each paper selling about 2 million copies each day (including online subscribers). “USA Today” was launched in 1982.

23 What aspirin can prevent : CLOT

A blood clot is a very necessary response to an injury and is intended to prevent bleeding. Also called a thrombus (plural “thrombi”), the clot comprises aggregated blood platelets trapped in a mesh made from fibrin, a fibrous protein. If a thrombus forms in a healthy blood vessel, restricting blood flow, that condition is known as thrombosis.

“Aspirin” used to be a brand name for the drug acetylsalicylic acid. Aspirin was introduced by the German drug company Bayer AG in the late 1800s. As part of the war reparations paid by Germany after WWI, Bayer AG lost the use of the trademark “Aspirin” (as well as the trademark Heroin!) and it became a generic term.

24 Posture that might be hard to maintain : FACADE

Our word “facade” has been meaning “front of a building” since the mid-17th century. We started using the term figuratively, to mean “superficial appearance”, in the mid-19th century. “Façade” is the original French word with the same meaning, from which our English term derives.

26 Boo : BAE

“Bae” is a contemporary term of endearment. It is a pet name that is an abbreviation of “babe, baby”, although I’ve also read that it is an acronym standing for “before anyone else”.

27 Manhattan purveyor : BAR

The cocktail called a manhattan is made from whiskey, sweet vermouth and Angostura bitters. I favor my own version of a brandy manhattan, using brandy, sweet vermouth and orange bitters.

28 Load : TON

Here in the US, a ton is equivalent to 2,000 pounds. In the UK, a ton is 2,240 pounds. The UK unit is sometimes referred to as an Imperial ton, long ton or gross ton. Folks over there refer to the US ton then as a short ton. To further complicate matters, there is also a metric ton or tonne, which is equivalent to 2,204 pounds. Personally, I wish we’d just stick to kilograms …

36 One-eighty : UEY

Hang a “uey” or “uie”, make a u-turn, make a 180.

37 Didn’t stay put, as mascara : RAN

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”.

45 Stable youth? : COLT

There are lots of terms to describe horses of different ages and sexes, it seems:

  • Foal: horse of either sex that is less than one year old
  • Yearling: horse of either sex that is one to two years old
  • Filly: female horse under the age of four
  • Colt: male horse under the age of four
  • Gelding: castrated male horse of any age
  • Stallion: non-castrated male horse four years or older
  • Mare: female horse four years or older

46 Orchestrated performances? : CONCERTOS

A concerto is a musical work that is usually composed of three movements, and is often written for a solo instrument accompanied by an orchestra.

50 Sclera neighbor : UVEA

A concerto is a musical work that is usually composed of three movements, and is often written for a solo instrument accompanied by an orchestra.

51 Where it’s at : VENUE

A venue is a specified locale used for an event. The term “venue” came into English via French from the Latin “venire” meaning “to come”. So, a “venue” is a place to which people “come” for an event.

Down

1 College athletics channel : ESPNU

ESPNU (short for “ESPN Universities”) is a sports channel focused on college athletics.

2 Ties for vaqueros : BOLOS

I’ve never worn a bolo tie, and was surprised to discover that it is a relatively recent invention. The first bolo tie was apparently produced in Wickenburg, Arizona in the late 1940s by a silversmith. The bolo takes its name from the boleadora, an Argentine lariat.

The Spanish suffix “-ero” can be added to a noun to describe someone who works with that “noun”. Examples would be a “vaquero” (a cowboy working with a “vaca”, a cow) and a “torero” (a bullfighter fighting a “toro”, a bull).

3 Pigeon pose, for one : ASANA

“Asana” is a Sanskrit word that translates literally as “sitting down”. The asanas are the poses that a practitioner of yoga assumes. The most famous is the lotus position, the cross-legged pose called “padmasana”.

6 Dried chili : ANCHO

An ancho is a dried poblano pepper used in Mexican cuisine. The poblano is a mild chili.

7 Weaselly animal : STOAT

The stoat has dark brown fur in the summer, and white fur in the winter. Sometimes the term “ermine” is used for the animal during the winter when the fur is white. Ermine skins have long been prized by royalty and are often used for white trim on ceremonial robes.

Weasels are small mammals with long, thin bodies. That body shape is an advantage when weasels chase their prey into narrow burrows.

9 Unadon ingredient : EEL

“Unadon” is the Japanese word for “eel bowl”. “Unadon” is actually a contraction of “unagi no kabayaki” (grilled eel) and “donburi” (rice bowl dish).

10 Mauve relative : LILAC

The name given to the light violet color that we know as “mauve” comes via French from the Latin “malva”. The Latin term translates as “mallow”, the common name of several species of plants, many of which have mauve-colored flowers.

13 When repeated, a 2010s dance move : NAE

The Nae Nae is a hip hop dance that is named for the 2013 song “Drop that NaeNae” recorded by We Are Toon. The main move in the dance involves swaying with one hand in the air and one hand down, with both feet firmly planted on the dancefloor. Go on, do it. You know you want to …

27 Currency whose symbol is ฿ : BAHT

The baht is the currency of Thailand. One baht is subdivided into 100 satang.

31 Many a promoter of human rights or voting rights, for short : NGO

Non-governmental organization (NGO)

32 Large Hadron Collider org. : CERN

“CERN” is an acronym standing for “Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire” (European Council for Nuclear Research. CERN’s mission is to provide the largest particle physics lab in the world, and it does just that, having built several enormous particle accelerators. The CERN particle accelerator most in the news these days is the Large Hadron Collider located near Geneva.

The Large Hadron Collider is the world’s largest particle accelerator. It is located on the French-Swiss border near Geneva, in a circular tunnel that is a whopping 17 miles in circumference.

39 They parallel radiuses : ULNAS

The radius and ulna are bones in the forearm. If you hold the palm of your hand up in front of you, the radius is the bone on the “thumb-side” of the arm, and the ulna is the bone on the “pinky-side”.

41 World-weary feeling : ENNUI

“Ennui” is the French word for “boredom”, and a term that we now use in English. It’s one of the few French words we’ve imported and haven’t anglicized, and actually pronounce “correctly”.

42 Where the piano was invented : ITALY

What was remarkable about the piano when it was invented, compared to other keyboard instruments, was that notes could be played with varying degrees of loudness. This is accomplished by pressing the keys lightly or firmly. Because of this quality, the new instrument was called a “pianoforte”, with “piano” and “forte” meaning “soft” and “loud” in Italian. We tend to shorten the name these days to just “piano”.

44 Jacks are male ones : ASSES

A female donkey/ass is known as a jenny and a male is known as a jack, or sometimes “jackass”. We started using the term “jackass” to mean “fool” in the 1820s.

46 Native Canadian : 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.

49 Feature of some TVs, for short : DVR

Digital video recorder (DVR)

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Company that acquired Skype in 2005 : EBAY
5 Help out with Thanksgiving dinner, in a way : BASTE
10 ___ bowling : LAWN
14 OK : SO-SO
15 Pirouetting, say : ON TOE
16 Head light? : IDEA
17 Act casual : PLAY IT COOL
19 The Solomon’s lily’s smell of rotting fruit, to flies : LURE
20 “The other one!” : NO, NOT THAT!
21 Hayride seat : BALE
22 Today preceder : USA …
23 What aspirin can prevent : CLOT
24 Posture that might be hard to maintain : FACADE
26 Boo : BAE
27 Manhattan purveyor : BAR
28 Load : TON
29 “Hold up …” : HANG ON A SECOND …
33 “Don’t move!” : WAIT RIGHT HERE!
34 Make dough from scratch? : WIN THE LOTTERY
35 “So what?” : AND?
36 One-eighty : UEY
37 Didn’t stay put, as mascara : RAN
38 What an investor hopes for : RETURN
40 Necklace bit : BEAD
42 ___ flash : IN A
45 Stable youth? : COLT
46 Orchestrated performances? : CONCERTOS
48 It’s shortest at the Equator : DAWN
49 Buzzes while buzzed? : DRUNK-DIALS
50 Sclera neighbor : UVEA
51 Where it’s at : VENUE
52 “Folded,” in French : PLIE
53 Comes together : GELS
54 Updated, as a kitchen : REDID
55 Sizes up : EYES

Down

1 College athletics channel : ESPNU
2 Ties for vaqueros : BOLOS
3 Pigeon pose, for one : ASANA
4 Opposite of flatline : YO-YO
5 Dark hue named after a type of glassware : BOTTLE GREEN
6 Dried chili : ANCHO
7 Weaselly animal : STOAT
8 [Go! The light turned!] : [TOOT!]
9 Unadon ingredient : EEL
10 Mauve relative : LILAC
11 Excessively admiring : ADULATORY
12 “That’s all. Goodbye” : WE’RE DONE
13 When repeated, a 2010s dance move : NAE
18 “Might as well try” : IT CAN’T HURT
21 Uncapped? : BAREHEADED
24 Accelerated, in a way : FAST-TRACKED
25 Destination : END
26 Angler’s supply : BAIT
27 Currency whose symbol is ฿ : BAHT
29 Item often seen in home bathrooms, but rarely in public ones : HAND TOWEL
30 Sebaceous : OILY
31 Many a promoter of human rights or voting rights, for short : NGO
32 Large Hadron Collider org. : CERN
33 Place to store some barrels : WINE CAVE
34 Word with horse or hero : WAR …
39 They parallel radiuses : ULNAS
40 In book form : BOUND
41 World-weary feeling : ENNUI
42 Where the piano was invented : ITALY
43 “For real!” : NO LIE!
44 Jacks are male ones : ASSES
46 Native Canadian : CREE
47 Red, maybe : RIPE
48 Vibed with : DUG
49 Feature of some TVs, for short : DVR

7 thoughts on “1021-22 NY Times Crossword 21 Oct 22, Friday”

  1. 17:02. Not bad for a Friday.

    Had bhat before BAHT. I had remembered it from other crosswords – just not correctly. Otherwise a smooth solve.

    Only about 20 physicists work at CERN – a pretty select group as one might imagine.

    Best –

  2. DNF…Lawn, Idea and Facade wouldn’t come to me🤪 otherwise no errors.
    Stay safe😀
    I just got a call from “Medicare” from someone speaking very broken English and after 5 minutes of me grilling him he hung up😠😠😠
    Methinks I smelled a rat

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