Constructed by: Enrique Henestroza Anguiano
Edited by: Will Shortz
Not your puzzle? Try today’s …
… syndicated NY Times crossword
Today’s Reveal Answer: Eye-Openers
Themed answers each OPEN with an “EYE” sound:
- 67A Enlightening experiences … or what 18-, 26-, 41- and 54-Across have, phonetically speaking : EYE-OPENERS
- 18A Affirmative at sea : AYE, CAPTAIN!
- 26A Hit BBC series of 1976 : I, CLAUDIUS
- 41A Award-winning Chinese artist/activist : AI WEIWEI
- 54A Bart catchphrase on “The Simpsons” : AY, CARAMBA
Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers
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Bill’s time: 9m 23s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
1 Colombian cornmeal cake : AREPA
An arepa is a cornmeal cake or bread that is popular in Colombian and Venezuelan cuisines in particular. Each arepa has a flat, round shape and is often split to make a sandwich.
10 Home to more than 20% of Nevadans, informally : VEGAS
Back in the 1800s, the Las Vegas Valley was given its name from the extensive meadows (“las vegas” is Spanish for “the meadows”) present in the area courtesy of the artesian wells drilled by local farmers. Las Vegas was incorporated as a city in 1905, in the days when it was a stopping-off point for pioneers traveling west. It eventually became a railroad town, although with the coming of the railroad growth halted as travelers began to bypass Las Vegas. The city’s tourism industry took off in 1935 with the completion of the nearby Hoover Dam, which is still a popular attraction. Then gambling was legalized, and things really started to move. Vegas was picked, largely by celebrated figures in “the mob”, as a convenient location across the California/Nevada state line that could service the vast population of Los Angeles. As a result, Las Vegas is the most populous US city founded in the 20th century (Chicago is the most populous city founded in the 19th century, just in case you were wondering).
16 City famous for its French Quarter, familiarly : NOLA
The oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans is the French Quarter, which is also called the “Vieux Carré (French for “Old Square”). After being founded by the French in 1718 as “La Nouvelle-Orléans”, the city developed around this central square.
21 ___’easter : NOR
A nor’easter is a storm that blows from the northeast.
22 Dish of stuffed grape leaves : DOLMA
Dolmas are stuffed vegetable dishes from the Middle East. Strictly speaking, dolmas are made by hollowing out some vegetables before adding a stuffing. The derivative dish called “sarma” is made by wrapping vine or cabbage leaves around a filling. In many cuisines, the name “sarma” has been dropped in favor of “dolma”.
26 Hit BBC series of 1976 : I, CLAUDIUS
“I, Claudius” is a 1934 novel penned by Robert Graves, written in the form of an autobiography of Emperor Claudius of Rome. Graves wrote a sequel in 1935 called “Claudius the God”. Both books were adapted by the BBC into a fabulous television series that went by the name of the first book “I, Claudius”.
28 Arab League country : YEMEN
Yemen is located on the Arabian Peninsula, and lies just south of Saudi Arabia and west of Oman. Yemen is the only state on the peninsula that is a republic (its official name is the Republic of Yemen). Everyone over the age of 18 gets to vote, but only Muslims can hold elected office.
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.
30 Name that’s found in “mesmerize” : ESME
Franz Mesmer was a German physician, and the person who coined the phrase “animal magnetism”. Back then the term described a purported magnetic field that resided in the bodies of animate beings. Mesmer also lent his name to our term “mesmerize”.
31 Person who lives next to 28-Across : SAUDI
[28A Arab League country : YEMEN]
The largest country in the Middle East is Saudi Arabia, which covers over 750,000 square miles. The smallest country is Bahrain, which covers less than 700 square miles.
40 Tax org. : IRS
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was set up during the Civil War to raise money to cover war expenses. Prior to the introduction of income tax in 1862, the government was funded by levies on trade and property.
41 Award-winning Chinese artist/activist : AI WEIWEI
Ai Weiwei is a Chinese artist who has been vocal in his criticism of his country’s position on human rights and democracy. Weiwei was an artistic consultant largely responsible for the look and feel of the Beijing National Stadium, commonly referred to as the “Bird’s Nest”, that was showcased during the 2008 Summer Olympics.
47 Watch brand that’s the end-all? : OMEGA
Omega is a manufacturer of high-end watches based in Switzerland. An Omega watch was the first portable timepiece to make it to the moon, Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that James Bond has been wearing an Omega watch in the movies since 1995.
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).
50 “The Wizard of Oz” pooch : TOTO
Toto is Dorothy’s dog in the film “The Wizard of Oz”, and in the original book “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum. Toto was played in the movie by a dog called Terry, but Terry’s name was soon changed to Toto in real life due to the success of the film.
52 New Haven collegian : YALIE
The city of New Haven, Connecticut was founded in 1638 by Puritan immigrants from England. Famously, it is home to Yale University. The city also initiated the first public tree planting program in the country. The large elms included in the program led to New Haven being called “the Elm City”.
54 Bart catchphrase on “The Simpsons” : AY, CARAMBA
Bart Simpson apparently uses the expression “Ay, caramba!” when he is positively surprised about something, often something related to a female I am told …
59 What Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” and “Us” evoke : TERROR
Jordan Peele is a former cast member of the sketch comedy show “Mad TV”. Peele created his own sketch comedy show “Key & Peele” with fellow-Mad TV alum Keegan-Michael Key. Peele started hosting and producing the revival of “The Twilight Zone” in 2019.
“Get Out” is a 2017 horror film written and directed by Jordan Peele. I don’t do horror, but I do hear that this one is well made …
“Us” is a 2019 horror film. I don’t do horror …
63 First noble gas, alphabetically : ARGON
The chemical element argon has the symbol Ar. It is a noble gas, and so by definition is relatively nonreactive. The name “argon” comes from the Greek word for “lazy, inactive”. There’s a lot of argon around, as it is the third-most abundant gas in our atmosphere.
The noble gases (also “rare gases”) are those elements on the extreme right of the Periodic Table. Because of their “full” complement of electrons, noble gases are very unreactive. The six noble gases that occur naturally are helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon and radon.
66 ___ Haute, Ind. : TERRE
Terre Haute, Indiana is a city close to the state’s western border with Illinois. The city is home to a state prison which in turn is home to the state’s death row. The name “Terre Haute” was chosen by French explorers in the 18th century to describe the location, as “terre haute” is French for “high ground”.
69 Big kitchen brand : OSTER
The Oster brand of small appliances was introduced in 1924 by John Oster. He started out by making manually-powered hair clippers designed for cutting women’s hair, and followed up with a motorized version in 1928. The clippers kept the company in business until 1946 when Oster diversified, buying a manufacturer of liquefying blenders in 1946. The blender was renamed to “Osterizer” and was a big hit. Oster was bought by Sunbeam, which has owned the brand since 1960.
70 ___ Hendryx, “Lady Marmalade” singer : NONA
Nona Hendryx is a singer-songwriter known for her solo work and for her performances with the girl-group trio Labelle. Nona is a cousin of iconic musician Jimi Hendrix.
“Lady Marmalade” is a song that was most famously recorded by Labelle in 1975. A 2001 cover version by Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya and Pink was also very successful, released from the soundtrack of the film “Moulin Rouge!”. The song is noted for its suggestive chorus “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?”, which translates from French as “Do you want to sleep with me tonight?”
71 DreamWorks ogre : SHREK
Before “Shrek” was a successful movie franchise and Broadway musical, it was a children’s picture book called “Shrek!” that was authored and illustrated by William Steig. The title “Shrek!” came from the German/Yiddish word Schreck, meaning “fear” or “terror”.
Down
1 Big kitchen brand : AMANA
The Amana Corporation takes its name from the location of its original headquarters, in Middle Amana, Iowa. Today, the Amana name is very much associated with household appliances. The company was founded in 1934 to manufacture commercial walk-in coolers.
2 Lustrous semisynthetic fabric : RAYON
Rayon is a little unusual in the textile industry in that it is not truly a synthetic fiber, but nor can it be called a natural fiber. Rayon is produced from naturally occurring cellulose that is dissolved and then reformed into fibers.
4 Part of an Insta feed : PIC
Instagram (often abbreviated to “Insta”) is a photo-sharing application, one that is extremely popular. Instagram started in San Francisco in 2010. Facebook purchased Instagram two years later, paying $1 billion. The billion-dollar Instagram company had just 13 employees at the time of the sale …
5 Milieu with tenure tracks : ACADEMIA
A job in a university that is described as “tenure-track” is one that can lead to a tenured position. A tenured position is a “job for life”. A person with tenure can only be dismissed for cause.
6 Like many flights to JFK and LAX: Abbr. : INTL
LAX (Los Angeles) and JFK (John F. Kennedy) are international (intl.) airports.
8 ___ crest (place for a backpacker’s hip belt) : ILIAC
The ilium (plural “ilia”) is the upper portion of the hipbone.
10 Fine writing paper : VELLUM
The writing material known as “parchment” is made by processing the untanned skins of animals. If calfskin is used, the writing material is known as “vellum”. Parchment is usually made from the skins of goats, sheep and cows. The term “parchment” comes from the name of the city of Pergamon, which was a major center of parchment production in ancient Greece.
11 Kindle or Nook : E-READER
Amazon’s Kindle line of e-book readers was introduced in 2007. The name “kindle” was chosen to evoke images of “lighting a fire” through reading and intellectual stimulation. I bought myself a Kindle Fire HD several years ago. I started reading e-books for the first time in my life, as well as enjoying other computing options available with the tablet device …
The Barnes & Noble electronic-book reader is called the Nook. The reader’s name is intended to evoke the usage of “nook” as a familiar place to sit and read quietly.
12 Mob figure portrayed by Travolta in 2018 : GOTTI
John Gotti was the boss of the Gambino crime family from 1985. Gotti was known as the “Teflon Don” and took over leadership of the family from Paul Castellano when he was gunned down, allegedly on Gotti’s orders. Gotti remained head of the New York family until he was sentenced to life in prison in 1992. Gotti died of throat cancer after ten years behind bars.
13 “I bid you ___” : ADIEU
“Adieu” is French for “goodbye, farewell”, from “à Dieu” meaning “to God”. The plural of “adieu” is “adieux”.
23 Out of fashion : PASSE
“Passé” is a French word, meaning “past, faded”. We’ve imported the term into English, and use it in the same sense.
27 Wiggle room : LEEWAY
Our word “leeway” meaning “spare margin” is nautical in origin. A vessel’s leeway is the amount of drift motion away from her intended course that is caused by the action of the wind.
35 Band’s engagement : GIG
Musicians use “gig” to describe a job, a performance. The term originated in the early 1900s in the world of jazz. The derivative phrase “gig economy” applies to a relatively recent phenomenon where workers find themselves jumping from temporary job to temporary job, from gig to gig.
38 Fish oil source : COD
Cod liver oil is a nutritional supplement that is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, as well as vitamins A and D. I remember being dosed with the stuff as a kid. Ugh …
39 It jingles on a janitor’s ring : KEY
A janitor is someone who takes care of the maintenance or cleaning of a building. An older definition of the term “janitor” is “doorman”. Our word comes from the Latin “ianitor” meaning “doorkeeper”.
51 Bad-tempered and combative : ORNERY
Back in the early 1800s, the word “ornery” was an informal contraction for the word “ordinary”, and meant commonplace, but with a sense of “poor quality, coarse, ugly” as opposed to “special”. Towards the end of the century, the usage “ornery” had evolved into describing someone who was mean or cantankerous.
54 Cher and Sade, vocally : ALTOS
“Cher” is the stage name used by singer and actress Cherilyn Sarkisian. Formerly one half of husband-wife duo Sonny & Cher, she is often referred to as the Goddess of Pop. In her acting career, Cher was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar of 1984 for her performance in “Silkwood”. She went further in 1988 and won the season’s Best Actress Oscar for playing Loretta Castorini in “Moonstruck”.
Singer Sade’s real name is Helen Folasade Adu. Although born in Nigeria, Sade grew up and lives in the UK. She was the lead vocalist for the English group Sade, and adopted the name of the band. The band’s biggest hits were “Smooth Operator” (1984) and “The Sweetest Taboo” (1985).
56 Magna ___ : CARTA
The Magna Carta is a landmark document issued in England in 1215. It represents the first time that an English king had to submit to the will of his subjects, a group of barons who sought to limit the powers of the monarchy. In particular the Magna Carta calls out that no freeman could be punished except through the law of the land. And famously, the Magna Carta was an inspiration for the United States Constitution.
57 Louisiana waterway : BAYOU
A bayou is a marshy inlet or outlet of a lake or river, usually with stagnant or slow-moving water. The exact origins of the term “bayou” is uncertain, but it is thought perhaps to come from the Choctaw (a Native American people from the southeast) word “bayuk”, meaning “small stream”.
58 Locale for gladiators : ARENA
The term “gladiator” means “swordsman”, and comes from “gladius”, the Latin word for “sword”.
60 Propelled a galley : OARED
Galleys were large medieval ships found mainly in the Mediterranean. They were propelled by a combination of sails and oars.
68 Hart Memorial Trophy awarder, in brief : NHL
The Hart Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the player judged to be most valuable for his team in the NHL. The award is named for Dr. David Hart, a Canadian who donated the original trophy to the league.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Colombian cornmeal cake : AREPA
6 “Are you sure about that?” : IS IT?
10 Home to more than 20% of Nevadans, informally : VEGAS
15 Frenzied : MANIC
16 City famous for its French Quarter, familiarly : NOLA
17 Wear away : ERODE
18 Affirmative at sea : AYE, CAPTAIN!
20 Buzz up, perhaps : LET IN
21 ___’easter : NOR
22 Dish of stuffed grape leaves : DOLMA
23 Prepared for serving, as a fancy dish : PLATED
24 12 parts of a dodecagon : ANGLES
26 Hit BBC series of 1976 : I, CLAUDIUS
28 Arab League country : YEMEN
30 Name that’s found in “mesmerize” : ESME
31 Person who lives next to 28-Across : SAUDI
33 12 parts of a dodecagon : EDGES
36 One supplying strong emotional support, metaphorically : ROCK
40 Tax org. : IRS
41 Award-winning Chinese artist/activist : AI WEIWEI
44 Eggs on a sushi roll : ROE
45 “Busy” ones : BEES
47 Watch brand that’s the end-all? : OMEGA
48 ___-o : DADDY
50 “The Wizard of Oz” pooch : TOTO
52 New Haven collegian : YALIE
54 Bart catchphrase on “The Simpsons” : AY, CARAMBA
59 What Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” and “Us” evoke : TERROR
62 Comes to realize : LEARNS
63 First noble gas, alphabetically : ARGON
65 Japanese for “yes” : HAI
66 ___ Haute, Ind. : TERRE
67 Enlightening experiences … or what 18-, 26-, 41- and 54-Across have, phonetically speaking : EYE-OPENERS
69 Big kitchen brand : OSTER
70 ___ Hendryx, “Lady Marmalade” singer : NONA
71 DreamWorks ogre : SHREK
72 Underhanded : SHADY
73 Kind of citizenship : DUAL
74 Uses a coaster : SLEDS
Down
1 Big kitchen brand : AMANA
2 Lustrous semisynthetic fabric : RAYON
3 Activity tracked by the Nest or mySunPower app : ENERGY USE
4 Part of an Insta feed : PIC
5 Milieu with tenure tracks : ACADEMIA
6 Like many flights to JFK and LAX: Abbr. : INTL
7 “Same here” : SO AM I
8 ___ crest (place for a backpacker’s hip belt) : ILIAC
9 Shade akin to camel : TAN
10 Fine writing paper : VELLUM
11 Kindle or Nook : E-READER
12 Mob figure portrayed by Travolta in 2018 : GOTTI
13 “I bid you ___” : ADIEU
14 Dispatches : SENDS
19 Prepare to be painted, say : POSE
23 Out of fashion : PASSE
25 Spearheaded : LED
27 Wiggle room : LEEWAY
29 One attending a parenting class, maybe : NEW MOM
31 Bro or sis : SIB
32 “___ we having fun yet?” : ARE
34 Barely passing grade : DEE
35 Band’s engagement : GIG
37 Sign at a takeout counter : ORDER HERE
38 Fish oil source : COD
39 It jingles on a janitor’s ring : KEY
42 Tiny specks : IOTAS
43 Do-nothing state : IDLENESS
46 Was given first billing : STARRED
49 Lungful : AIR
51 Bad-tempered and combative : ORNERY
53 Perched upon : ATOP
54 Cher and Sade, vocally : ALTOS
55 “Come on, seriously?!” : YEESH!
56 Magna ___ : CARTA
57 Louisiana waterway : BAYOU
58 Locale for gladiators : ARENA
60 Propelled a galley : OARED
61 They’re balanced against possible rewards : RISKS
64 Figure in fund-raising : GOAL
67 Break off : END
68 Hart Memorial Trophy awarder, in brief : NHL
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