Constructed by: Seth Bisen-Hersh
Edited by: Will Shortz
Not your puzzle? Try today’s …
… syndicated NY Times crossword
Today’s Reveal Answer: It Had to Be You
Themed answers each have two occurrences of the letter pairing “BU”.
- 50A Classic song about a soulmate … or a phonetic hint for repeated pairs of letters in 19-, 27- and 42-Across : IT HAD TO BE YOU
- 19A The 2005 compilation “Killer Queen” is one for Queen : TRIBUTE ALBUM
- 27A Chemistry lab device : BUNSEN BURNER
- 42A Topper for a Whopper : HAMBURGER BUN
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Bill’s time: 5m 06s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
1 ___ for apples (have some fall fun) : BOB
Bobbing for apples is a game played on Halloween. Participants must hold their hands behind their backs and grab apples floating in a large basin of water, using only their mouths.
8 Emmy or Grammy : AWARD
The Emmy Awards are the television equivalent of the Oscars from the world of film, the Grammy Awards in music and the Tony Awards for the stage. Emmy Awards are presented throughout the year, depending on the sector of television being honored. The most famous of these ceremonies are the Primetime Emmy Awards and the Daytime Emmy Awards. The distinctive name “Emmy” is a softened version of the word “immy”, the nickname given to the video camera tubes found in old television cameras. The Emmy statuette was designed by television engineer Louis McManus in 1948, and depicts a woman holding up an atom. McManus used his wife as a model for the woman.
The first Grammy Awards ceremony was held in 1959 and focused on recognizing outstanding achievement in the recording industry. The idea of a Grammy Award came up when recording executives were working on the Hollywood Walk of Fame project in the fifties. These executives concluded that there were many people in the recording industry deserving of accolades but who would probably never make it to the Walk of Fame. As a result, they founded the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. The Academy considered naming the award the “Eddies” after Thomas Edison, but then opted for “Grammy” after Edison’s invention: the gramophone.
13 Prefix with center : EPI-
The epicenter is the point on the surface of the Earth that is directly above the focus of an earthquake.
14 Off-limits : TABOO
The word “taboo” was introduced into English by Captain Cook in his book “A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean”. Cook described “tabu” (likely imitative of a Tongan word that he had heard) as something that was both consecrated and forbidden.
15 Jazz great Count ___ : BASIE
“Count” Basie’s real given name was “William”. Count Basie perhaps picked up his love for the piano from his mother, who played and gave him his first lessons. Basie’s first paying job as a musician was in a movie theater, where he learned to improvise a suitable accompaniment for the silent movies that were being shown. Basie was given the nickname “Count” as he became lauded as one of the so-called “Jazz royalty”. Others so honored are Nat “King” Cole and Duke Ellington.
18 Director Welles : ORSON
Orson Welles is perhaps best-remembered in the world of film for his role in 1941’s “Citizen Kane”. In the world of radio, Welles is known for directing and narrating 1938’s famous broadcast of “The War of the Worlds”, a broadcast that convinced many listeners that the Earth was indeed being invaded by aliens.
19 The 2005 compilation “Killer Queen” is one for Queen : TRIBUTE ALBUM
“Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen” is a 2005 album comprising Queen songs performed by a whole slew of different artists. The album takes its name from Queen’s 1974 song “Killer Queen”.
22 Guided adventure in the Serengeti : SAFARI
The Serengeti is a region in Africa located in northern Tanzania and southwest Kenya. The name “Serengeti” comes from the Maasai language and means “Endless Plains”.
27 Chemistry lab device : BUNSEN BURNER
The Bunsen burner is a common piece of lab equipment that is used for heating and combustion. The device was invented in 1854 by Robert Bunsen at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. It is sometimes referred to as an “etna”, a nickname coming from the Sicilian volcano.
35 “___ Te Ching” (philosophical text) : TAO
Lao Tse (also “Lao-Tzu”, “Laozi”) was a central figure in the development of the religion/philosophy of Taoism. Tradition holds that Lao-Tzu wrote the “Tao Te Ching”, a classical Chinese text that is fundamental to the philosophy of Taoism.
36 Jazz great Fitzgerald : ELLA
Ella Fitzgerald, the “First Lady of Song”, had a hard and tough upbringing. She was raised by her mother alone in Yonkers, New York. Her mother died while Ella was still a schoolgirl, and around that time the young girl became less interested in her education. She fell in with a bad crowd, even working as a lookout for a bordello and as a Mafia numbers runner. She ended up in reform school, from which she escaped, and found herself homeless and living on the streets for a while. Somehow Fitzgerald managed to get herself a spot singing in the Apollo Theater in Harlem. From there her career took off and as they say, the rest is history.
37 Sounds from new instant messages : PINGS
Even though instant messaging (sending and receiving IMs) has been around since the 1960s, it was AOL who popularized the term “instant message” in the eighties and nineties. The “AOL Instant Message” service was known as AIM.
38 Basic origami step : FOLD
Origami is the traditional Japanese art form of paper folding. The best-known example of the craft is the paper crane (“orizuru“). The word “origami” is derived from “ori“ (folding) and “kami” (paper).
39 U.S. spy org. : CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is the successor to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) formed during WWII. The CIA was chartered by the National Security Act of 1947. The organization is often referred to familiarly as “the Company”.
40 Who might grant you three wishes : GENIE
The “genie” in the bottle takes his or her name from “djinn”. “Djinns” were various spirits considered lesser than angels, with people exhibiting unsavory characteristics said to be possessed by djinn. When the book “The Thousand and One Nights” was translated into French, the word “djinn” was transformed into the existing word “génie”, because of the similarity in sound and the related spiritual meaning. This “génie” from the Arabian tale became confused with the Latin-derived “genius”, a guardian spirit thought to be assigned to each person at birth. Purely as a result of that mistranslation the word genie has come to mean the “djinn” that pops out of the bottle. A little hard to follow, I know, but still quite interesting …
42 Topper for a Whopper : HAMBURGER BUN
If you were in Japan at the end of 2009 and went to Burger King, you might have ordered a Windows 7 Whopper, a promotion for the Windows 7 Operating System. The sandwich was 5 inches in height, and contained seven beef patties!
45 Liveliness, from the French : ESPRIT
Our word “esprit”, meaning “liveliness of mind”, comes to us from Latin via French. The Latin “spiritus” means “spirit
46 Flower that vanilla comes from : ORCHID
The flavor extract that we call “vanilla” comes from the pod-like fruit of climbing orchids belonging to the genus Vanilla. Genuine vanilla is a relatively expensive spice, second only to saffron, due to the amount of work required to grow and harvest the fruit (also called “beans” and “pods”). Spanish and Portuguese explorers came across the Vanilla orchid while exploring the Gulf Coast of Mexico. They gave it the name “vainilla” meaning “little pod”.
50 Classic song about a soulmate … or a phonetic hint for repeated pairs of letters in 19-, 27- and 42-Across : IT HAD TO BE YOU
“It Had to Be You” was published in 1924, written by Isham Jones with lyrics written by Gus Kahn. The song has been performed on screen a number of times, including a lovely version by Dooley Wilson (the piano player “Sam”) in “Casablanca”.
54 Fashion label from Milan : PRADA
Prada started out in 1913 as a leather-goods shop in Milan, one established by the two Prada brothers. One of the brothers, Mario Prada, prevented the female members of his family from participating in the running of the company as he didn’t believe women should be involved in business (!). When the sexist brother died, his son had no interest in the business so it was his daughter who took over and ran the company for about twenty years, handing it over to her own daughter. I’d say the devil loved that …
57 ___ donna : PRIMA
The Italian operatic term “prima donna” is used for the lead female singer in an opera company. “Prima donna” translates from Italian as “first lady”. The lead male singer is known as the “primo uomo”. The term “prima donna assoluta” is reserved for a prima donna who is generally accepted as being an outstanding performer. We tend to use “prima donna” for a female performer who has an inflated ego.
58 “Why was 6 afraid of 7? Because 7 ___ 9!” : ATE
Here are a few riddles:
- Imagine you are in a dark room. How do you get out?
- What can travel around the world while staying in a corner?
- There is a word and six letters it contains. Take one away and twelve is what remains. What word is it?
- Two girls were born to the same mother, on the same day, at the same time, in the same month and year and yet they’re not twins. How can this be?
- What is so delicate that even saying its name will break it?
- What word in the English Language is always spelled incorrectly?
And the answers:
- Stop imagining.
- A stamp
- Dozens
- They’re in a set of triplets
- Silence
- Incorrectly
61 Bit of body ink, for short : TAT
The word “tattoo” (often shortened to “tat”) was first used in English in the writings of the famous English explorer Captain Cook. In his descriptions of the indelible marks adorning the skin of Polynesian natives, Cook anglicized the Tahitian word “tatau” into our “tattoo”. Tattoos are sometimes referred to as “ink”.
63 Kerfuffle : STIR
“Kerfuffle” comes from the Scottish “curfuffle”, with both words meaning “disruption”.
64 General on a Chinese menu : TSO
General Tso’s chicken is an American creation, and a dish often found on the menu of a Chinese restaurant. The name General Tso may be a reference to General Zuo Zongtang of the Qing Dynasty, but there is no clear link.
Down
2 “La Bohème” or “La Traviata” : OPERA
“La bohème” by Giacomo Puccini is the second-most frequently performed opera in the US (after “Madama Butterfly”, also by Puccini). The lead female role in the piece is Mimì, a seamstress.
Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “La Traviata” was originally titled “Violetta” after the main character in the piece. The title “La Traviata” translates into “The Woman Gone Astray”, reflecting Violetta’s life as a courtesan.
4 Actor/comedian Steve : MARTIN
Comedian, actor and writer Steve Martin is from Waco, Texas. Martin’s entertainment career started to take off with success as a writer for the “Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour”. He then turned to stand-up comedy and often appeared on “The Tonight Show”. He was, and still is, a popular guest host on “Saturday Night Live”. He is so popular on “SNL” that many mistakenly believe that he was a permanent member of the “Saturday NIght Live” cast.
5 8-Across for some New York plays : OBIE
[8A Emmy or Grammy : AWARD]
The Obies are the Off-Broadway Theater Awards. They have been presented annually since 1956. The recipients used to be chosen by “The Village Voice” newspaper, but now are jointly administered with the American Theatre Wing.
6 Civil rights icon ___ Parks : ROSA
Rosa Parks was one of some brave women in days gone by who refused to give up their seats on a bus to white women. It was the stand taken by Rosa Parks on December 1, 1955 that sparked the Montgomery, Alabama Bus Boycott. President Clinton presented Ms. Parks with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996. When she died in 2005, Rosa Parks became the first ever woman to have her body lie in honor in the US Capitol Rotunda.
7 Christmas carol : NOEL
“Noël” is the French word for the Christmas season, and ultimately comes from the Latin word for “birth” (natalis). “Noel” has come to be used as an alternative for “Christmas carol”.
11 ___ de Janeiro : RIO
Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city in Brazil (after São Paulo). “Rio de Janeiro” translates as “January River”. The name reflects the discovery of the bay on which Rio sits, on New Year’s Day in 1502.
14 Ford model that’s also a zodiac sign : TAURUS
Taurus is the birth sign for those born between April 21st and June 16th. “Taurus” is Latin for “bull”.
The Taurus is an incredibly successful car that was introduced by Ford in 1985. The Taurus was the successor to the Ford LTD, and is still in production today. The Taurus was the best-selling automobile in the US between 1992 and 1996, before being knocked off its pedestal by Japanese imports.
20 Loaf-shaped cake : BABKA
Babka is a sweet yeast cake that can also be called bobka or baba. Babka originated in Eastern Europe and is served traditionally on Easter Sunday, and with a drizzle of rum syrup.
21 Innocent sorts “in the woods” : BABES
“Babes in the Wood” is a children’s tale, dating back to the late 1500s, that I think is quite morbid and scary. The basic story is that two children are abandoned in a wood, die, and are then covered in leaves by robins. It’s a morality tale that does describe the downfall of the uncle who has the children taken to the woods. However, today we think more of the “innocent babes”, as we describe someone who is naive as a “babe in the woods”.
24 Playwright Chekhov : ANTON
Anton Chekhov was a Russian writer of short stories and a playwright, as well as a physician. He wrote four classic plays that are often performed all around the world, namely “The Seagull”, “Uncle Vanya”, “Three Sisters” and “The Cherry Orchard”. All the time Chekhov was writing, he continued to practice medicine. He is quoted as saying “Medicine is my lawful wife, and literature is my mistress.”
28 Attack, as a bee might : STING
A queen bee has a stinger, just like worker bees. When a worker bee stings, it leaves its stinger in its victim. The worker bee dies after losing its stinger as the loss rips out part of its insides. However, a queen bee can sting with impunity as her stinger’s anatomy is different.
29 Muppet who loves his rubber duckie : ERNIE
“Rubber Duckie” is a song performed by the muppet Ernie on “Sesame Street”. Rubber Duckie is also Ernie’s favorite toy, his rubber duck. “Rubber Duckie” was released as a single in 1970 and actually made it into the charts.
30 Neighbor of Mali : NIGER
The Republic of Niger is a landlocked country in Western Africa that gets its name from the Niger River. 80% of the country lies within the bounds of the Sahara Desert.
The Republic of Mali is a landlocked country in western Africa located south of Algeria. Formerly known as French Sudan, the nation’s most famous city is Timbuktu. Mali is the third-largest producer of gold on the continent, after South Africa and Ghana.
32 Buffalo Bill, for William Cody : ALIAS
Buffalo Bill Cody became a great showman after he retired from the US Army. While serving in the Army, Buffalo Bill was awarded the Medal of Honor. William Frederick Cody earned his “Buffalo Bill” nickname while supplying buffalo meat to the Kansas Pacific Railroad. Cody “hunted” and slaughtered over 4,000 American bison in an 18-month period to fulfill his contract with the railroad.
37 Capital of Western Australia : PERTH
Perth is the capital city of Western Australia. Perth earned itself the nickname of “City of Light” in 1962 as virtually all the town’s lights were turned on at full power when astronaut John Glenn passed overhead in earth orbit in Friendship 7, so that he could see the city below. The city gave a repeat performance for Glenn in 1998 when he passed overhead in the Space Shuttle in 1998.
38 Engage in épée, e.g. : FENCE
The French word for sword is “épée”. In competitive fencing the épée is connected to a system that records an electrical signal when legal contact is made on an opponent’s body.
40 Things with necks and frets : GUITARS
A kithara (also “cithara”) was a lyre-like instrument in ancient Greece. Our word “guitar” is ultimately derived from “kithara”. Indeed, “kithara” is the modern Greek word for “guitar”.
44 One born shortly after W.W. II, informally : BOOMER
A baby boomer is someone who was born in the post-WWII baby boom. The rate of births had been falling fairly steadily in the US at least since 1900, but this trend was sharply reversed in 1946 after WWII. The higher birth rate continued until 1964, when it returned to pre-war levels. Since then the birth rate has continued to decline, although at a slower pace. The period between 1946 and 1964 is often defined as the “baby boom”.
47 Hotel chain whose name rhymes with “quiet” : HYATT
The Hyatt hotel chain takes its name from the first hotel in the group, i.e. Hyatt House at the Los Angeles International Airport that was purchased in 1957. Among other things, Hyatt is famous for designing the world’s first atrium hotel, the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta.
48 Scintillas : IOTAS
A scintilla is a small amount. The term “scintilla” can also be used to describe a spark or a flash (as in “to scintillate”). The term came into English from Latin, in which language it means “spark, particle of fire, atom”.
51 Many N.Y.C. dwellings: Abbr. : APTS
The terms “condominium” and “apartment” tend to describe the same type of residential property, namely a private living space with facilities shared with others residing in the same building or complex. The difference is that a condominium is usually owned, and an apartment is rented. At least that’s how it is in the US. The word “condominium” comes from the Latin “com-” (together) and “dominum” (right of ownership).
52 “Oh, nerts!” : DRAT!
“Nerts” is a slang term, a corruption of “nuts!”
53 Kind of bar with island-themed drinks : TIKI
The world’s first tiki bar was called “Don the Beachcomber”, and was opened in L.A. in 1933 by Ernest Gantt (also known as “Donn Beach”). The bar became famous for its exotic rum cocktails. Gantt was called to serve in WWII, and the business expanded dramatically under his ex-wife’s management so that there was a 160-restaurant chain waiting for Gantt when he returned stateside.
54 Winter hrs. in L.A. : PST
Pacific Standard Time (PST)
56 “___ roads lead to Rome” : ALL
The expression “all roads lead to Rome” is used to mean “whatever way we do this, we’ll get the same result”. The phrase has been used since the 1100s and probably even earlier than that. The expression arises because the ancient Roman road system had all major roads radiating from Rome like spokes on a wheel.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 ___ for apples (have some fall fun) : BOB
4 Start of the day, in poetry : MORN
8 Emmy or Grammy : AWARD
13 Prefix with center : EPI-
14 Off-limits : TABOO
15 Jazz great Count ___ : BASIE
16 Chicken piece that’s not a breast or a wing : LEG
17 Come up : ARISE
18 Director Welles : ORSON
19 The 2005 compilation “Killer Queen” is one for Queen : TRIBUTE ALBUM
22 Guided adventure in the Serengeti : SAFARI
23 Drill sergeant’s “Relax!” : AT EASE
27 Chemistry lab device : BUNSEN BURNER
31 Doesn’t have : LACKS
34 Attempts : TRIES
35 “___ Te Ching” (philosophical text) : TAO
36 Jazz great Fitzgerald : ELLA
37 Sounds from new instant messages : PINGS
38 Basic origami step : FOLD
39 U.S. spy org. : CIA
40 Who might grant you three wishes : GENIE
41 Present, past or future perfect : TENSE
42 Topper for a Whopper : HAMBURGER BUN
45 Liveliness, from the French : ESPRIT
46 Flower that vanilla comes from : ORCHID
50 Classic song about a soulmate … or a phonetic hint for repeated pairs of letters in 19-, 27- and 42-Across : IT HAD TO BE YOU
54 Fashion label from Milan : PRADA
57 ___ donna : PRIMA
58 “Why was 6 afraid of 7? Because 7 ___ 9!” : ATE
59 Sun-related : SOLAR
60 No longer available, as a seat : TAKEN
61 Bit of body ink, for short : TAT
62 Rats (on) : TELLS
63 Kerfuffle : STIR
64 General on a Chinese menu : TSO
Down
1 Straps that go around the waist : BELTS
2 “La Bohème” or “La Traviata” : OPERA
3 It’s very unlikely to happen : BIG IF
4 Actor/comedian Steve : MARTIN
5 8-Across for some New York plays : OBIE
6 Civil rights icon ___ Parks : ROSA
7 Christmas carol : NOEL
8 Information header on a business’s website : ABOUT US
9 Higher in temperature : WARMER
10 ___-backwards (utterly wrong, in slang) : ASS
11 ___ de Janeiro : RIO
12 Thieves’ hangout : DEN
14 Ford model that’s also a zodiac sign : TAURUS
20 Loaf-shaped cake : BABKA
21 Innocent sorts “in the woods” : BABES
24 Playwright Chekhov : ANTON
25 Makes watertight, say : SEALS
26 Wear away : ERODE
28 Attack, as a bee might : STING
29 Muppet who loves his rubber duckie : ERNIE
30 Neighbor of Mali : NIGER
31 Milk, in Spanish : LECHE
32 Buffalo Bill, for William Cody : ALIAS
33 Gripping tool : CLAMP
37 Capital of Western Australia : PERTH
38 Engage in épée, e.g. : FENCE
40 Things with necks and frets : GUITARS
41 Head covering that’s wrapped : TURBAN
43 ___ shower (pre-wedding event) : BRIDAL
44 One born shortly after W.W. II, informally : BOOMER
47 Hotel chain whose name rhymes with “quiet” : HYATT
48 Scintillas : IOTAS
49 Because of : DUE TO
51 Many N.Y.C. dwellings: Abbr. : APTS
52 “Oh, nerts!” : DRAT!
53 Kind of bar with island-themed drinks : TIKI
54 Winter hrs. in L.A. : PST
55 Fish eggs : ROE
56 “___ roads lead to Rome” : ALL
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