0210-23 NY Times Crossword 10 Feb 23, Friday

Constructed by: Kavin Pawittranon & Nijah Morris
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 14m 02s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Anteroom : FOYER

“Foyer”, meaning “lobby”, is a French word that we imported into English. In French, “foyer” is used for what we would call a “green room”, a place where actors can gather when not on stage or on set.

17 On, on a memo : IN RE

The term “in re” is Latin, and is derived from “in” (in) and “res” (thing, matter). “In re” literally means “in the matter”, and is used to mean “in regard to” or “in the matter of”.

18 Subdivisions for families : GENERA

Biological classification is a method used to group organisms by biological type. The method uses a hierarchy of nested classes, with an organism being classified with reference to evolutionary traits. The major taxonomic ranks used are:

  • Life
  • Domain
  • Kingdom
  • Phylum (plural “phyla”)
  • Class
  • Order
  • Family
  • Genus (plural “genera”)
  • Species

31 Indigenous Peoples’ Day mo. : OCT

The US holiday Indigenous Peoples’ Day is celebrated on the second Monday of every October. It was first observed in Berkeley, California in 1992 on the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas. Since then, the day has been used by many as a counter-celebration to the federal holiday of Columbus Day.

34 Astronaut Jemison : MAE

Mae Jemison was a crew member on the Space Shuttle Endeavour on a 1992 mission, and as such became the first African-American woman to travel in space. She is also a big fan of “Star Trek” and appeared on an episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. That made Jemison the first real astronaut to appear on any of the “Star Trek” shows.

36 Net hookup abbr. : DSL

The initialism “DSL” originally stood for Digital Subscriber Loop, but is now accepted to mean (Asymmetric) Digital Subscriber Line. It is a technology that allows Internet service to be delivered down the same telephone line as voice service, by separating the two into different frequency signals.

37 Act of self-betrayal : FREUDIAN SLIP

A Freudian slip is an error that is interpreted as being due to an unconscious wish for the same outcome. Named for psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, the “slip” is also called a “parapraxis”.

41 Pinched pasta : FARFALLE

Farfalle is commonly referred to as bow-tie pasta because of its shape. The name comes from the Italian “farfalla” meaning “butterfly”.

49 Sign of affection, in 28-Down : ILY
[28D See 49-Across : ASL]

I love you (ILY)

52 “Sex after 90 is like trying to shoot pool with a ___”: George Burns : ROPE

“George Burns” was the stage name of comedian and actor Nathan Birnbaum. Famously, Burns was married to Gracie Allen, who initially acted as “straight man” in their double act. The duo found that they got more laughs with Gracie acting as “Dumb Dora”, an arrangement that Burns and Allen stuck to for decades.

53 Alternative to pinot grigio : SOAVE

Soave is a dry white wine produced in the area around the city of Verona in northeast Italy. Soave is a small town located near Verona.

The Pinot gris grape is used to make white wine called Pinot gris, which is also known as Pinot grigio. DNA analysis has shown that the Pinot gris grape mutated from the Pinot noir variety.

57 Basketball player in purple and yellow : LAKER

The Los Angeles Lakers (LAL) basketball team started out in 1947 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The team chose the Lakers name in honor of the nickname of Minnesota, “Land of 10,000 Lakes”. The Lakers moved to Los Angeles in 1960.

58 German newsmagazine Der ___ : SPIEGEL

“Der Spiegel” is a very successful German magazine found on newsstands all over Europe. The name “Der Spiegel” translates from German into “the Mirror”.

Down

1 Who reinvented the wheel in 1893? : FERRIS

The first Ferris Wheel was built for the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. That wheel was designed and constructed by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. who lent his name to wheels built from then on.

3 Praise for a queen : YAS

“Yas” is a slang term used in place of the interjection “yes!”, when it expresses pleasure and excitement. The exclamation often takes the form “Yas, queen!”

4 Slate, e.g. : E-MAG

“Slate” is an online magazine that was founded in 1996. “Slate” was originally owned by Microsoft and was part of the MSN online offering. The magazine has been available for free since 1999 (it is ad-supported) and has been owned by the Washington Post Company since 2004.

7 World’s busiest origin and destination airport : LAX

Los Angeles International Airport is the sixth busiest airport in the world in terms of passenger traffic, and the busiest here on the West Coast of the US. The airport was opened in 1930 as Mines Field and was renamed to Los Angeles Airport in 1941. On the airport property is the iconic white structure that resembles a flying saucer. This is called the Theme Building and I believe it is mainly used as a restaurant and observation deck for the public. The airport used to be identified by the letters “LA”, but when the aviation industry went to a three-letter standard for airport identification, this was changed to “LAX”. Apparently, the “X” has no significant meaning.

8 Annual competition that starts on the first Saturday in March : IDITAROD

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race covers an incredible 1,161 miles, from Anchorage to Nome in Alaska. The race starts every year on the first Saturday in March, with the first race having been held in 1973. Finishing times range from over 8 days to 15 days or more. The first few races only used a northern route, but then a southern route was added to the roster every second year. It’s kind of a good thing, because when the racers take the northern route they don’t even pass through the town of Iditarod!

11 Late-night talk show from 2010 to 2021 : CONAN

“Conan” was a late-night talk show on TBS that was hosted by Conan O’Brien and aired from 2010 to 2021. “Conan” came about as a result of the so-called “War for Late Night”, when Jay Leno ceded the chair of “The Tonight Show” to “O’Brien” only to launch “The Jay Leno Show” competing on the same network.

12 Bird whose Latin root means “dog” : CANARY

What we now know as the domestic canary was first brought to Europe from Macaronesia, off the coast of Africa, by Spanish sailors in the 1600s. Macaronesia is a collection of four archipelagos that includes the Canary Islands. The name of the islands comes from the Latin “Insula Canaria” meaning “island of dogs”, a reference to the many large dogs found locally. So, the canary bird is named for the Canary Islands, which in turn are named for dogs.

14 Amenity with a password : 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.

22 Moshers in a mosh pit : SLAM DANCERS

Moshing (also “slam dancing”) is the pushing and shoving that takes place in the audience at a concert (usually a punk or heavy metal concert). The area directly in front of the stage is known as the mosh pit. When a performer does a “stage dive”, it is into (or I suppose “onto”) the mosh pit. It doesn’t sound like fun to me. Injuries are commonplace in the mosh pit, and deaths are not unknown.

24 Language spoken near the Thai region of Isan : LAO

Lao is the official language of Laos. It is also spoken in the northeast of Thailand, but there the language is known as Isan.

28 See 49-Across : ASL
[49A Sign of affection, in 28-Down : ILY]

American Sign Language (ASL)

30 What’s read in tasseomancy : TEA LEAF

Tasseography is the reading of fortunes by interpreting the patterns of tea leaves, coffee grounds and wine sediments that are left in the bottom of a cup or glass.

33 Dish with soy sauce and mirin : TERIYAKI

Teriyaki is a Japanese technique of cooking in which the foods are grilled in a sweet soy sauce marinade. The marinade may or may not include ginger.

38 Klaatu’s vehicle in “The Day the Earth Stood Still” : UFO

“The Day the Earth Stood Still” is a classic sci-fi movie from 1951 starring Michael Rennie as Klaatu, a humanoid alien who lands a flying saucer in Washington, DC. The film’s all about distrust, suspicion and misunderstandings.

40 Pan-fried dumplings : PIEROGI

Pirogi (also “pierogi”) are Eastern European pies or dumplings, made from unleavened dough, that can have a sweet or savory filling.

44 Flower part : SEPAL

In a flower, the sepals are the green, leaf-like structures that are “interleaved” with the petals, providing support. Prior to acting as support for the petals, the sepals protect the flower in bud.

45 It’s a long shot in basketball : TREY

A trey is a three in a deck of cards. The term “trey” can also be used for a domino with three pips, and even for a three-point play in basketball.

49 Key : ISLE

A key (also “cay”) is a low offshore island, as in the Florida “Keys”. Our term in English comes from the Spanish “cayo” meaning “shoal, reef”.

54 Apt rhyme for “pet” : VET

A veterinarian (vet) is a professional who treats animals for disease and injury. The word “veterinary” comes from the Latin “veterinae” meaning “working animals, beasts of burden”.

56 Source of salt : SEA

The lobbyists have done their shameful job when it comes to the labeling of “sea salt”. In the US, sea salt doesn’t even have to come from the sea. The argument is that all salt came from the sea if you look back far enough. The politics of food; don’t get me started …

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Anteroom : FOYER
6 Hit it off : CLICK
11 Like some cutting edges : CERAMIC
13 Wore : HAD ON
14 Jumble of speech : WORD SALAD
16 What no monarch wants to be : EXILE
17 On, on a memo : IN RE
18 Subdivisions for families : GENERA
20 Go ___ to ___ : TOE
21 Most states have state ones : FAIRS
23 A family’s might be unlimited : DATA PLAN
25 “It’s really difficult to underestimate you,” for one : INSULT
27 Major turnoff, perhaps : REST AREA
29 Places where majors are of minor concern? : PARTY SCHOOLS
31 Indigenous Peoples’ Day mo. : OCT
34 Astronaut Jemison : MAE
35 “___ Beach,” acclaimed 1991 children’s book set in Harlem : TAR
36 Net hookup abbr. : DSL
37 Act of self-betrayal : FREUDIAN SLIP
41 Pinched pasta : FARFALLE
42 Most crafty : SLIEST
46 Ones breaking ground : PIONEERS
48 Seesaw, e.g. : LEVER
49 Sign of affection, in 28-Down : ILY
50 Really wants : CRAVES
52 “Sex after 90 is like trying to shoot pool with a ___”: George Burns : ROPE
53 Alternative to pinot grigio : SOAVE
55 Seems acceptable : FEELS OKAY
57 Basketball player in purple and yellow : LAKER
58 German newsmagazine Der ___ : SPIEGEL
59 Cuts, maybe : EDITS
60 Serious-minded : STAID

Down

1 Who reinvented the wheel in 1893? : FERRIS
2 Ask someone to provide, informally : ORDER UP
3 Praise for a queen : YAS
4 Slate, e.g. : E-MAG
5 Provoked : RILED
6 Something simple done for pleasure : CHEAP THRILL
7 World’s busiest origin and destination airport : LAX
8 Annual competition that starts on the first Saturday in March : IDITAROD
9 Ones wearing eagle insignia : COLONELS
10 Take a ___ : KNEE
11 Late-night talk show from 2010 to 2021 : CONAN
12 Bird whose Latin root means “dog” : CANARY
14 Amenity with a password : WI-FI
15 Hates : DETESTS
19 Mischief-makers : RASCALS
22 Moshers in a mosh pit : SLAM DANCERS
24 Language spoken near the Thai region of Isan : LAO
26 One getting hitched : TRAILER
28 See 49-Across : ASL
30 What’s read in tasseomancy : TEA LEAF
31 “Down!” : OFF!
32 Crazy amount : CRAPLOAD
33 Dish with soy sauce and mirin : TERIYAKI
38 Klaatu’s vehicle in “The Day the Earth Stood Still” : UFO
39 Butterflies : NERVES
40 Pan-fried dumplings : PIEROGI
43 Called up : EVOKED
44 Flower part : SEPAL
45 It’s a long shot in basketball : TREY
47 Oozes : SEEPS
49 Key : ISLE
51 Buttonhole, essentially : SLIT
54 Apt rhyme for “pet” : VET
56 Source of salt : SEA

8 thoughts on “0210-23 NY Times Crossword 10 Feb 23, Friday”

  1. 19:24, no errors. Had difficulty getting started in the upper half. Seemed to CLICK with the setter in the lower half.
    Considering that Klaatu’s vehicle was sitting on the ground, in full view of everyone, can you really call it a UFO?

  2. 18:02. Be home tonight, but back at crosswords again. Getting 49D was key.

    Had State Flags before State FAIRS. ATL before LAX – that’s what I always thought, and dialed before EVOKED.

    Heading back to Las Vegas tonight with a few hundred thousand others who are in for the Super Bowl. Thankfully, my car is at the airport as the wait for ubers is supposedly endless.

    Best –

  3. Out of curiosity, I Googled the name “Pawittranon”. A site calling itself “forebears.io” tells me that it’s the 7,117,718th most common surname in the world, used by one person in the US and six people in Thailand.

    This morning, I woke up thinking of a (possible) phrase from my childhood: “bucking the traces”. After some thought, I concluded that the actual phrase was “kicking the traces”, but Google tells me that it’s “kicking over the traces” and refers to rebelling against authority.

    I guess my aging brain was influenced by “bucking the trend”.

    And now …

    You may return to your regularly scheduled lives … 😳.

  4. 25:22 any puzzle containing “crapload” is a winner in my book, in spite of the fact that if I said that as a kid I would then be subjected to the taste of Dial soap…

  5. 71:20 incl. coffee break and cat nap.
    Completed except southwest corner soave got me, plus I’ve eaten Teriyaki many times but still can’t spell it. Big dummy.

  6. Had everything but upper left center. I thought FOYER would work. I got YA_ for 3D. Had WORD_____ but couldn’t finish. Had EM__ for 4D but couldn’t finish. Did not see WORD SALAD… AARRRGGGHHH!

    I thought I was doing good when I figured out PIEROGI!!!

  7. Very difficult start for me. I finished with no errors, but it took me a couple days of deep thought. Of course I failed miserably in today’s no limit poker tournament.

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