Constructed by: Brooke Husic & Yacob Yonas
Edited by: Will Shortz
Not your puzzle? Try today’s …
… syndicated NY Times crossword
Today’s Theme: None
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… a complete list of answers
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Bill’s time: 26m 49s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
1 World capital whose name means “new flower” : ADDIS ABABA
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia. The city is relatively young, having been founded in 1886 by Emperor Menelik II. Addis Ababa holds an important position within the nations of Africa as it is home to many international organizations that are focused on the continent.
16 Place for some outlets : MALL
Surprisingly (to me!), our word “mall”, meaning “shady walk” or “enclosed shopping space”, comes from the Italian for “mallet”. All of our shopping-style malls are named for “The Mall” in St. James’s Park in London. This tree-lined promenade was so called as it used to be a famous spot to play the croquet-like game called “pall-mall”. The game derived its name from the Italian for ball (palla) and mallet “maglio”. The London thoroughfare called the Mall still exists, at one end of which is Buckingham Palace. Indeed, parallel to the Mall is a street called Pall Mall.
19 Traffic controllers, in brief? : DEA
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was set up in 1973 while President Nixon was in office.
22 Connected via Bluetooth, say : PAIRED
Bluetooth is a standard for wireless technology that was introduced by Swedish telecom vendor Ericsson in 1994. The name was chosen in honor of Harald Bluetooth, a medieval King of Denmark and Norway. Harald is said to have earned his name because of his love of blueberries, which stained his teeth. Harald was said to have a gift for convincing diverse factions to talk to one another, so Ericsson’s communication protocol was given Harald’s name.
28 Facilities : TOILET
Our word “toilet” comes into our vocabulary via a tortuous route from the Middle French “toile” meaning “cloth, net”. The French “toilette” is a diminutive of “toile”, and describes a cloth or bag for clothes. From this usage, the English word “toilet” came to mean “fine cloth cover over a dressing table”, and the “the articles used in dressing”. From there, “toilet” described the act of dressing, and then a dressing room. By the early 1800s, a toilet was a dressing room that had a lavatory attached, and eventually the lavatory itself.
30 Satyajit Ray’s “The ___ Trilogy” : APU
Satyajit Ray was a Bengali filmmaker famous for directing “The Apu Trilogy”. These were three Bengali films that were released between 1955 and 1959. They featured music composed by Ravi Shankar, and are considered to be some of the greatest movies of all times by international critics, yet they were filmed on tiny budgets.
37 Where one might look for a good club : PRO SHOP
That would be a pro club at a golf course.
40 “___ … Sasha Fierce” (2008 #1 album) : I AM
Sasha Fierce is an alter-ego that Beyoncé Knowles has developed for her stage and recording work. Beyoncé describes Sasha as very sensual and aggressive. She released a studio album called “I Am… Sasha Fierce” in 2008.
42 Basic assessment : PH TEST
As we all recall from chemistry class, a pH of 7 is considered neutral. Anything less than 7 is an acid, and anything above 7 is a base.
43 Grape variety authorized for Bordeaux : MALBEC
Malbec is a red wine grape that used to be mainly associated with Bordeaux. A frost killed off much of the crop in Bordeaux in the fifties, and today Malbec wines are more closely linked to Argentina and California. I must admit to being a fan of Malbec blends …
47 Parlays, e.g. : WAGERS
A parlay is a combination wager, one that links two or more bets. All bets have to win in order to collect on a parlay.
52 It’s slightly larger than all of New England combined : IDAHO
Idaho was admitted as the 43rd state of the union in 1890. The passage to statehood was not without difficulty. There had been plans in Washington to split what is now Idaho between the new states of Washington and Nevada.
The geographical region of New England comprises the six northeastern states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The name “New England” was given to the region by English explorer John Smith in 1616.
57 Tourney stage : SEMI
“Tourney” is another word for “tournament”. “Tourney” comes from the Old French word “tornei” meaning “contest of armed men”, from “tornoier” meaning “to joust, jilt”.
58 Santa’s is H0H 0H0, in Canada : POSTAL CODE
Canada Post has an official Santa Claus letter-response system that it introduced in 1983. Those wishing to write to Santa can address the envelope with the special post code H0H 0H0 (that might be written as “H0 H0 H0”). Canada Post answers about a million letters a year, each of them in the language of the sender. My hat is off to Canada Post, and to the volunteer workers at the Montreal post office that started the tradition of answering letters to Santa back in 1974 …
Down
1 Something a person typically drops on purpose : ACID
Someone taking the drug LSD is often said to be “dropping acid”. The use of the verb “to drop” was popular slang long before LSD came on the scene, and back then applied to the taking of any illegal drug.
11 One who can finally stop postponing that long R.V. trip, maybe : EMPTY NESTER
We love our children, but we love our empty nest too …
13 W.N.B.A. star ___ Delle Donne : ELENA
Elena Delle Donne is a professional basketball player who was the second pick in the 2013 WNBA draft, and was drafted by the Chicago Sky. She was the first WNBA player to join the 50-40-90 club, an informal statistic used to rate shooters. The requirement is to achieve a 50% field goal percentage, a 40% three-point field goal percentage, and a 90% free throw percentage.
24 Take badly? : USURP
To usurp is to seize and hold by force. The term “usurp” comes to us from Latin via French, from “usus” (a use) and “rapere” (to seize).
32 Knight shift, e.g. : CHESS MOVE
In the game of chess, the knight is a piece with relatively unusual properties. It doesn’t move in a straight line, but rather moves two squares in one-direction, and one square in the other. Also, the knight is the only piece that can jump over others.
36 Amount owed : TAB
When we run a “tab” at a bar, we are running a “tabulation”, a listing of what we owe. Such a use of “tab” is American slang that originated in the 1880s.
41 McCarthy of “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” : MELISSA
Melissa McCarthy is an actress and comedian who is perhaps best known on the small screen for playing Molly on the sitcom “Mike & Molly”, and on the big screen for playing the wild and wacky Megan Price in the 2011 comedy “Bridesmaids”. According to “Forbes”, McCarthy was the third-highest paid actress in 2014/2015, after Jennifer Lawrence and Scarlett Johansson.
48 “Easy on Me” singer, 2021 : ADELE
“Easy on Me” is a 2021 song co-written and recorded by Adele. In the song, Adele is directly addressing her 9-year-old son, asking him to be “easy on” her following her divorce from his father.
49 Reach : GAMUT
In medieval times, the musical scale was denoted by the notes “ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la”. The term “gamma ut”, shortened to “gamut”, was used to describe the whole scale. By the 1620s, “gamut” was being used to mean the entire range of anything, the whole gamut.
53 Democracy imperative : VOTE
You aint’ kidding …
56 Gen ___ (demographic group, in brief) : XERS
The term “Generation X” originated in the UK where it was the name of a book by Jane Deverson. Her book detailed the results of a study of British youths in 1964, contrasting their lifestyle to those of previous generations. It was Canadian author Douglas Coupland who was responsible for popularizing the term, with his more successful publication “Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture”. By one definition, Gen-Xers were born between 1961 and 1981.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 World capital whose name means “new flower” : ADDIS ABABA
11 Some sleepless nights : EVES
15 Areas impacted by global recessions? : COASTLINES
16 Place for some outlets : MALL
17 “So you’re in?” : IS THAT A YES?
18 It might be enhanced with puppy dog eyes : PLEA
19 Traffic controllers, in brief? : DEA
20 Sink hole : BASIN
21 Blows away : STUNS
22 Connected via Bluetooth, say : PAIRED
24 “Well, OK, sure” : UH, YEAH
25 Accessory in many a baby carriage : DOLL
26 Spice up : SEASON
28 Facilities : TOILET
30 Satyajit Ray’s “The ___ Trilogy” : APU
31 Ring : ECHO
35 Intimates : HINTS AT
37 Where one might look for a good club : PRO SHOP
39 Not supporting : ANTI
40 “___ … Sasha Fierce” (2008 #1 album) : I AM
42 Basic assessment : PH TEST
43 Grape variety authorized for Bordeaux : MALBEC
46 “Give it a ___!” : REST
47 Parlays, e.g. : WAGERS
50 Duo who have to give up their foosball table spot : LOSERS
52 It’s slightly larger than all of New England combined : IDAHO
53 Quite a view : VISTA
54 Crossbreed : MIX
57 Tourney stage : SEMI
58 Santa’s is H0H 0H0, in Canada : POSTAL CODE
60 Hype : PLUG
61 “We’re doomed!” : IT’S ALL OVER!
62 Vikram ___, author of “A Suitable Boy” : SETH
63 They’re about to say “I do” : NEARLY-WEDS
Down
1 Something a person typically drops on purpose : ACID
2 One shot, perhaps : DOSE
3 One of several in a trend, statistically : DATA POINT
4 “Kind of” suffix : -ISH
5 Mobile relatives : STABILES
6 Place of worship : ALTAR
7 Diagonals, in sewing : BIASES
8 “What do you think?” : ANY IDEA?
9 “I’ve ___ a Woman” (Sonia Sanchez poetry collection) : BEEN
10 Behind : ASS
11 One who can finally stop postponing that long R.V. trip, maybe : EMPTY NESTER
12 Treasure : VALUE
13 W.N.B.A. star ___ Delle Donne : ELENA
14 Part of 1/2 : SLASH
21 “Desus & Mero” airer, for short : SHO
23 Peak figure : ALLTIME HIGH
24 Take badly? : USURP
25 Slay : DO IN
27 Modern installation : APP
28 Fourth letter of the Arabic alphabet : THA
29 Shadows : TAILS
32 Knight shift, e.g. : CHESS MOVE
33 Person you might bring a gift for : HOST
34 Decide : OPT
36 Amount owed : TAB
38 “That a fact?” : OH REALLY?
41 McCarthy of “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” : MELISSA
44 Queer identity for one who feels little to no romantic attraction, informally : ARO
45 Someone to split the bill with : COSTAR
47 Puffs : WISPS
48 “Easy on Me” singer, 2021 : ADELE
49 Reach : GAMUT
51 Stop turning, as an engine : STALL
53 Democracy imperative : VOTE
55 Like many bar patrons, informally : ID’ED
56 Gen ___ (demographic group, in brief) : XERS
58 Fix : PIN
59 Bully … but not a bull : COW
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