1028-22 NY Times Crossword 28 Oct 22, Friday

Constructed by: Will Nediger
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 10m 06s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

6 ___ law : OHM’S

The unit of electrical resistance is the ohm (with the symbol omega) named after German physicist Georg Simon Ohm. Ohm was the guy who established experimentally that the amount of current flowing through a circuit is directly proportional to the voltage applied, (V=IR) a relationship that every school kid knows as Ohm’s Law.

10 Member of the mammalian order Chiroptera (“hand wing”) : BAT

Bats are the only mammals that are capable of sustained flight. There are many, many different kinds of bats, and indeed they make up about 20% of all mammalian species.

18 N.Y.C. neighborhood west of the Bowery : NOHO

“NoHo” is short for “North of Houston (street)”, and is the equivalent area to SoHo, South of Houston, both of which are in New York City.

The Bowery is a neighborhood at the south end of Manhattan Island in New York City. The name “Bowery” comes from the old Dutch word for a farm, namely “bouwerij”.

21 Rod fitting in a hole : DOWEL

A dowel is a rod made from plastic, wood or metal. In its complete form, it is referred to as a “dowel rod”. We are perhaps more used to the rod cut into short lengths known as “dowel pins”.

23 Festival at the end of Ramadan, informally : EID

Eid al-Fitr is a religious holiday in the Muslim tradition that is known in English as the “Festival of Breaking the Fast”. It marks the end of Ramadan, a period of dawn-to-sunset fasting.

24 Cash in Jordan : DINARS

The Jordanian dinar (JD) has been the currency of Jordan since 1950. As well as being used in Jordan, the Jordanian dinar is recognized as legal tender in the West Bank, alongside the Israeli shekel.

25 Tomfoolery, e.g. : FUN

In Middle English, in the mid-14th century, a mentally deficient man might be referred to as a “Thom Foole”. We retain the old pejorative term in our contemporary word “tomfoolery” meaning “clowning around”.

32 Fragrant, buttery breakfast offering : CINNAMON TOAST

“True” cinnamon sticks are taken from the inner bark of the Cinnamomum verum tree. However, a lot of cinnamon sticks are also sold that come from a related species of tree, and these are more correctly referred to as “cassia”.

33 Something a veteran won’t make : ROOKIE MISTAKE

The term “rookie”, used for a raw recruit, first appeared in Rudyard Kipling’s collection of songs and poems called the “Barrack-Room Ballads”, which was originally published in 1892.

34 Link abbr. : URL

An Internet address (like NYXCrossword.com and LAXCrossword.com) is more correctly called a uniform resource locator (URL).

43 Prejudiced person : BIGOT

“Bigot” is a French word that back in the late 1500s meant “sanctimonious person, religious hypocrite”. We use the term today to describe someone who is biased towards his or her own group, and who is intolerant of those outside of that group.

44 Using frozen grapes as ice cubes and binder clips as cable organizers, e.g. : LIFE HACKS

A life hack is a technique that makes a routine task easier or more efficient. The term “life hack” was coined in 2004 by journalist Danny O’Brien when describing less-than-elegant shortcuts used by IT professionals.

48 Aristocratic type, in British slang : TOFF

“Toff” is a disparaging British term that is used for a well-dressed gentleman of the upper class.

49 Disney’s “___ of Avalor” : ELENA

“Elena of Avalor” is a Disney Channel TV show about a Latina princess and her family. The title character is a 16-year-old crowned princess of the magical king of Avalor.

51 Subject of a houseguest’s query : WI-FI

“Wi-Fi” is nothing more than a trademark, a trademark registered by an association of manufacturers of equipment that use wireless LAN (Local Area Network) technology. A device labeled with “Wi-Fi” has to meet certain defined technical standards, basically meaning that the devices can talk to each other. The name “Wi-Fi” suggests “Wireless Fidelity”, although apparently the term was never intended to mean anything at all.

53 Gender-affirming treatment, in brief : HRT

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)

54 Type of chalcedony : ONYX

Chalcedony is a mineral. It is a form of silica. The name “chalcedony” might come from the ancient town of Chalcedon, which is now a suburb of Istanbul known as Kadıköy. Although the connection seems obvious, there are doubts …

Down

3 Kia Cadenza, e.g. : SEDAN

The Cadenza is a full-size automobile sold in North America, and made by Kia. The same model is sold as the Kia K7 in South Korea.

7 Subway fare? : HERO

A hero is a submarine sandwich. It originated in New York City in the 1800s among Italian immigrants who wanted an Italian sandwich that reminded them of home. The name “hero” was coined in the 1930s, supposedly by a food critic in the “New York Herald Tribune” when he wrote that “one had to be a hero” to finish the gigantic sandwich. Hero is a prevalent term to this day in New York City, reserved for a submarine sandwich with an Italian flavor.

The SUBWAY chain of fast food restaurants is the largest single-brand restaurant in the world. I’m a big fan of SUBWAY sandwiches, especially the toasted ones …

15 Like the author of “Beowulf,” in brief : ANON

“Beowulf” is an old epic poem from England, although the story is set in Scandinavia. Beowulf fights a battle, defending the Danish King Hrothgar from the ferocious outcast Grendel. Hrothgar had built a great hall for his people in which they could celebrate; singing, dancing and drinking lots of mead. Grendel was angered by the carousing and attacked the hall, devouring many of the incumbent warriors as they slept. A bit of an extreme reaction to noisy neighbors I’d say …

20 Carl who pioneered modern taxonomy : LINNAEUS

Carl Linnaeus was a botanist and physician from Sweden. Linnaeus who developed the system of biological classification that we still use today. He introduced us to kingdoms, classes, orders, families, genera and species in his 1735 publication “Systema Naturae”.

21 “Hot Stuff” and “I’m Every Woman,” e.g. : DISCO ANTHEMS

Discotheques first appeared during WWII in Occupied France. American-style music (like jazz and jitterbug dances) was banned by the Nazis, so French natives met in underground clubs that they called discotheques where records were often played on just a single turntable. After the war, these clubs came out into the open. One famous Paris discotheque was called “Whiskey a Gogo”. In that Paris disco, non-stop music was played using two turntables next to a dance-floor, and this concept spread around the world.

24 Roll with many functions : DUCT TAPE

What we tend to call “duct” tape today was originally known as “duck” tape. In its first form, duck tape was rubber-based adhesive applied to a duck cloth backing, hence the name. Cotton duck cloth is a canvas-like material, a plain woven cotton fabric. The name “duck” comes from the Dutch “doek” meaning “linen canvas”. Duck tape started to be known as “duct tape” in the fifties, as it was commonly used to wrap air ducts in the construction industry.

25 James Brown genre : FUNK

Funk is a genre of music that originated in the late sixties with African-American musicians, and has been described as a mix of soul, jazz and R&B. One of the more famous names associated with funk was James Brown.

Singer James Brown was often referred to as “The Godfather of Soul” and sometimes “Mr. Dynamite”. Brown was born in Barnwell, South Carolina and had a rough and impoverished upbringing. He lived for some years in his aunt’s house which she ran as a brothel, and when he was sixteen he was convicted of armed robbery and was sent to reform school. While in reform school, Brown was noticed by the R&B star Bobby Byrd, who took him under his wing. Byrd helped secure the young man an early release, and thereafter Brown turned his energies to music.

26 Afternoon hour in Québec : TROIS

In French, “trois” (three) is the square root of “neuf” (nine).

Québec is the largest province in Canada, and the only one with French as its sole official language. The name “Québec” comes from an Algonquin word “kebec” meaning “where the river narrows”. This refers to the area around Quebec City where the St. Lawrence River narrows as it flows through a gap lined by steep cliffs. The province has voted twice in referenda asking whether or not Quebec should become an independent country, once in 1980, and again in 1995. The 1995 result was 49% in favor of sovereignty, up from 40% in 1980.

30 Courteney Cox was the only “Friends” star who never got one : EMMY

Courteney Cox played Monica Geller on the incredibly successful sitcom “Friends”. Before “Friends” she played the girlfriend of Michael J. Fox’s character on “Family Ties” for a couple of years in the late eighties. Her role in “Friends” was her biggest success, no question, when she and her fellow female co-stars became the highest paid TV actresses ever, earning a million dollars per episode.

31 Sommelier’s adjective : OAKY

Oak barrels are sometimes used to store wine during fermentation and aging. The oak wood has a profound effect, usually changing the wine’s color, flavor and texture. If the wine is stored in stainless steel barrels, then a similar effect can be achieved by adding oak chips or staves to the liquid.

“Sommelier” is the French word for “wine steward”. If that steward is a female, then the term used in French is “sommelière”.

42 Prerevolutionary rulers : TSARS

The year 1917 saw two revolutions in Russia, with the pair collectively called “the Russian Revolution”. As a result of the February Revolution that centered on Petrograd, the last Emperor of Russia (Tsar Nicholas II) abdicated and members of the Imperial parliament took control of the country, forming the Russian Provisional Government. The Provisional Government was itself overthrown in the October Revolution, which was led by Vladimir Lenin and the Bolshevik party.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Flummoxed : AT SEA
6 ___ law : OHM’S
10 Member of the mammalian order Chiroptera (“hand wing”) : BAT
13 Late show? : DREAM
14 It’s raised by a wedge : HEEL
15 Ecologist Leopold who advocated “thinking like a mountain” : ALDO
16 Symbolic hand gesture in Hinduism : MUDRA
17 Like overcast skies, in England : GREY
18 N.Y.C. neighborhood west of the Bowery : NOHO
19 “This is too painful to watch!” : I CAN’T LOOK!
21 Rod fitting in a hole : DOWEL
22 Number written as a simple cross in Chinese : TEN
23 Festival at the end of Ramadan, informally : EID
24 Cash in Jordan : DINARS
25 Tomfoolery, e.g. : FUN
26 That way : THUS
28 Late ___ : FEE
29 Means of making untraceable social media posts : BURNER ACCOUNT
32 Fragrant, buttery breakfast offering : CINNAMON TOAST
33 Something a veteran won’t make : ROOKIE MISTAKE
34 Link abbr. : URL
35 When said three times, “Come on, you all” : GUYS!
36 “___ advice?” : ANY
37 Stocks : BROTHS
39 Likely : APT
40 Word with baby or house : -SIT
43 Prejudiced person : BIGOT
44 Using frozen grapes as ice cubes and binder clips as cable organizers, e.g. : LIFE HACKS
47 “Gotcha” : I DIG
48 Aristocratic type, in British slang : TOFF
49 Disney’s “___ of Avalor” : ELENA
50 “Meh”-inducing : SO-SO
51 Subject of a houseguest’s query : WI-FI
52 Small-time : MINOR
53 Gender-affirming treatment, in brief : HRT
54 Type of chalcedony : ONYX
55 Broods : STEWS

Down

1 Grudgingly agree : ADMIT
2 “No hard feelings?” : TRUCE
3 Kia Cadenza, e.g. : SEDAN
4 Take home : EARN
5 Event that might include poetry, but not pros? : AMATEUR NIGHT
6 “This is a disaster!” : OH GOD!
7 Subway fare? : HERO
8 Unassuming : MEEK
9 Tricksy : SLY
10 Fly off the handle : BLOW A FUSE
11 Follower : ADHERENT
12 You might throw a wrench into it : TOOL SET
15 Like the author of “Beowulf,” in brief : ANON
20 Carl who pioneered modern taxonomy : LINNAEUS
21 “Hot Stuff” and “I’m Every Woman,” e.g. : DISCO ANTHEMS
24 Roll with many functions : DUCT TAPE
25 James Brown genre : FUNK
26 Afternoon hour in Québec : TROIS
27 John equivalent : HANS
29 Cell authority, maybe : BIOLOGIST
30 Courteney Cox was the only “Friends” star who never got one : EMMY
31 Sommelier’s adjective : OAKY
32 It goes door to door : CORRIDOR
33 Codswallop : RUBBISH
38 Like some orders : TO-GO
39 Tack on : AFFIX
40 Segment made of lines : SCENE
41 “Right!” : I KNOW!
42 Prerevolutionary rulers : TSARS
44 Tender ender : -LOIN
45 Dubious : IFFY
46 Came down : ALIT
48 Afternoon hour : TWO

10 thoughts on “1028-22 NY Times Crossword 28 Oct 22, Friday”

  1. 9:49. The things that were outside my realm of experience (TOFF, ELENA, ALDO, MUDRA) were nicely spread around for me to get them from the crosses.

    1. Thanks, Pete. Another case of more haste, less speed. All fixed now. I appreciate the help!

  2. 32:38. What Bruce said.

    Several missteps – oK NOW before I KNOW (??). sOHO before NOHO. I see before I DIG and a few others.

    How does using frozen grapes as ice cubes make life easier? LIFE HACK? Try ordering your drink that way at a bar…..

  3. 26:30, particularly happy with this since my first pass in both directions yielded 3 answers to build off of…

  4. Messed up on EOD . Had EID.
    That lead to LONNAEUS instead of LINNAEUS. Didn’t know either one anyway.

    Took a while but quite satisfying fill

  5. My friend says he lives south of South Street here in Long Beach CA.
    He calls it a SOSO neighborhood.

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