Constructed by: Kameron Austin Collins
Edited by: Will Shortz
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Today’s Theme: None
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Bill’s time: 22m 04s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
10 No big shot : BBS
A BB gun is an air pistol or rifle that shoots birdshot known as BBs. Birdshot comes in a number of different sizes, from size 9 (0.070″ in diameter) to size FF (.230″). Birdshot that is size BB (0.180″ in diameter) gives the airgun its name.
18 “Suitable for all ages” rating : TV-G
TV Parental Guidelines (TV-PG, TV-MA, etc.) were introduced in the US in 1997. Use of the rating system by broadcasters is entirely voluntary.
19 Non-beef steak option : AHI
Yellowfin and bigeye tuna are usually marketed as “ahi”, the Hawaiian name. They are both big fish, with yellowfish tuna often weighing over 300 pounds, and bigeye tuna getting up to 400 pounds.
33 With 53-Down, article of close-fitting attire : WET …
[53D See 33-Across : … SUIT]
Neoprene is the trade name given by DuPont to polychloroprene, a synthetic rubber made by polymerizing chloroprene. Neoprene is perhaps most-readily associated with the manufacture of wetsuits. The version used in wetsuits is foamed neoprene, a material containing gas cells that provide heat insulation.
34 State that many are in when they visit a national park : AWE
The highest number of National Parks (NPs) in any one state is nine, in California. Alaska comes in second with eight, and Utah comes in third with five. The five NPs in Utah are:
- Arches NP
- Bryce Canyon NP
- Canyonlands NP
- Capitol Reef NP
- Zion NP
37 Condition treated in speech therapy : APHASIA
Someone with aphasia has dysfunction in specific regions of the brain that result in an inability to use words as symbols of ideas. The most common causes of aphasia are strokes or head trauma.
40 Neighbor of the patellar tendon, in brief : ACL
The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of four major ligaments that support the knee.
53 Octave follower in a Petrarchan sonnet : SESTET
A sonnet is a short poem with varying rhyming schemes but always with 14 lines. The sonnet form has been around at least since the 13th century. The Shakespearean sonnet is composed of three quatrains (4 lines) and a final couplet (2 lines). The Petrarchan sonnet comprises two quatrains (4 lines) followed by a sestet (6 lines), or two tercets (3 lines).
54 Many a prof : PHD
“Ph.D.” is an abbreviation for “philosophiae doctor”, Latin for “teacher of philosophy”. Often, candidates for a PhD already hold a bachelor’s and a master’s degree, so a PhD might be considered a “third degree”.
56 “Springtime With ___” (2004 Disney adaptation) : ROO
“Springtime with Roo” is a 2004 American animated musical comedy film produced by DisneyToon Studios based on the characters from A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh stories.
57 Quaint word whose syllables rhyme with consecutive numbers : UNTO
“Unto” rhymes with “one, two”.
65 Something wonderful, with “the” : … BEE’S KNEES
There was a whole series of phrases involving animals that developed in the 1920s, with all designed to indicate a superlative. Some are still around today, such as “the cat’s pajamas” and “the bee’s knees”. Others didn’t last too long, e.g. “the eel’s ankle” and “the snake’s hip”.
Down
2 Fruit popular in salads, but not fruit salads : OLIVE
The olive tree developed in and around the Mediterranean Basin, but has been cultivated in many locations around the world for thousands of years. The fruit of the olive tree is prized as a foodstuff, as well as a source of olive oil. Our word “oil” ultimately derives from the Greek “elaia” meaning “olive”.
4 “Just stop talking!” : TMI!
Too much information (TMI)
5 Home to Sicily’s Castello di Lombardia : ENNA
The city of Enna sits very high up in the hills of Sicily, overlooking the whole island below. Enna is the capital of the province that bears its name, which is the highest province in the whole of Italy. Some of the important buildings in and around the city are Lombardy Castle and the Duomo (cathedral).
7 Alternative to Lunesta or Quviviq : AMBIEN
“Ambien” is a brand name for the prescription drug zolpidem. I have a friend who used to swear by Ambien for helping cope with jet lag. I once had to deal with jet lag almost monthly and swear by the diet supplement melatonin, which you can buy over the counter here in the US. But, I am no doctor so don’t listen to anything I say …
8 “Saint” elsewhere : SAO
In Portuguese, the word “são” can mean “saint”, as in São Paulo (Saint Paul) and São José (Saint Joseph). If the saint’s name starts with a letter H or with a vowel, then the word “santo” is used instead, as in Santo Agostinho (Saint Augustine) and Santo Antônio (Saint Anthony).
10 It’s played with a few strings : BLUEGRASS
Bluegrass is a subgenre of country music, and has its roots in the traditional music brought over from Britain and Ireland. The style of music really evolved quite recently, just before WWII. Musician Bill Monroe is referred to as its “founding father”, and indeed bluegrass takes its name from Monroe’s band, the Blue Grass Boys.
11 Art of cutting cards? : BARBED WIT
A very amusing person might be referred to as a card, stitch, wag or riot.
15 Big export of Ecuador and Nigeria : CACAO
The flowers of the cacao tree grow in clusters, directly on the trunk and on older branches. The pollinated flowers turn into ovoid cacao pods, each of which contain 20-60 seeds or beans. The seeds are used as the main ingredient in chocolate.
21 Story line : ARC
A story arc is a continuing storyline in say a television show that runs through a number of episodes. Story arcs are also found in comics, books, video games, and other forms of media.
26 Actress de Matteo of “The Sopranos” : DREA
Drea de Matteo is an actress who is most familiar to me for playing Adriana la Cerva on HBO’s wonderful series “The Sopranos”. De Matteo also played Joey’s sister on the short-lived “Friends” spin-off called “Joey”, and the character Angie Bolen on “Desperate Housewives”.
29 Mares, e.g. : SEAS
A mare is a large dark area on the moon. “Mare” is the Latin for “sea”. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Mare Tranquillitatis, the Sea of Tranquility.
30 Valley where David fought Goliath : ELAH
In the story of David and Goliath, the Israelites and the Philistines faced each other in battle at the Valley of Elah. Goliath was the warrior champion of the Philistines and each day he challenged the Israelites to send out their champion to decide the battle in a one-on-one fight. No one was courageous enough to accept the challenge until young David agreed to face the mighty Goliath. David felled the giant soldier with a stone from his sling.
39 Novelist Jean : AUEL
As Jean Auel prepared her first book in the “Earth’s Children” series, she did a lot of research about the Ice Age, the setting for her stories. She went as far as taking a survival course in cold conditions, learning to build an ice cave and how to make fire, tan leather and knap stone.
42 “O fairest beauty, do not fear ___ fly!”: “Henry VI, Part I” : NOR
The consensus seems to be that William Shakespeare wrote 38 plays in all. Seven of the plays are about kings called “Henry”:
- Henry IV, Part 1
- Henry IV, Part 2
- Henry V
- Henry VI, Part 1
- Henry VI, Part 2
- Henry VI, Part 3
- Henry VIII
45 Shirley of “Goldfinger” : EATON
English actress Shirley Eaton was one of the original Bond Girls, and is perhaps one of the most memorable as she appeared as Jill Masterson in “Goldfinger”. It is Masterson who is murdered by covering her body in gold paint.
47 Pal of Scooby-Doo : DAPHNE
“Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” is a series of cartoons produced for Hanna-Barbera Productions, first broadcast in 1969. The title character is a great Dane dog owned by a young male called Shaggy Rogers. The character’s name was inspired by the famous “doo-be-doo-be-doo” refrain in the Frank Sinatra hit “Strangers in the Night”. Shaggy was voiced by famed disk jockey Casey Kasem. Shaggy and Scooby’s friends are Velma, Fred and Daphne.
50 Dunne of classic screwball comedies : IRENE
Irene Dunne was a wonderful Hollywood actress. She played a variety of roles, but I always think of her as the leading lady with Cary Grant in the movies “The Awful Truth”, “My Favorite Wife” and “Penny Serenade”. Irene Dunne was great friends with fellow actress Loretta Young, and the two often attended church together. Dunne is often described as the best actress never to win an Oscar, even though she was nominated five times for the Best Actress Academy Award.
The original screwball was a delivery in the sport of cricket. That term “screwball” was imported into baseball in the 1920s, and applied to an erratic baseball pitch. By the 1930s, a screwball was an eccentric and erratic person.
59 Noggin : NOB
Slang terms for “head” include “bean”, “coconut”, “gourd”, “noodle” and “noggin”.
61 Company connection inits. : LAN
You may have a Local Area Network (LAN) in your house. If you’ve got a PC and a router or switch, likely attached to some modem, then you have a LAN.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Directive for the board : DON’T ERASE!
10 No big shot : BBS
13 Popular pubs for college grads : ALUMNI MAGS
15 Finger-point? : CLAW
16 Footwear with a sturdy toe : RIDING BOOT
17 Something about you : AURA
18 “Suitable for all ages” rating : TV-G
19 Non-beef steak option : AHI
20 Pass quickly : RACE BY
22 Spots : SEES
24 Young point of one’s life : TENDER AGE
27 Some damning legal evidence : PHONE RECORDS
30 Enter gradually : EDGE IN
33 With 53-Down, article of close-fitting attire : WET …
34 State that many are in when they visit a national park : AWE
35 Chairs, for instance : LEADERS
37 Condition treated in speech therapy : APHASIA
40 Neighbor of the patellar tendon, in brief : ACL
41 ___ gun (sci-fi weapon) : ION
43 Gives a rude awakening : ROUSTS
44 “Until next time!” : HAVE A GOOD ONE!
48 Fatal attraction? : DEATH TRAP
49 “Need a ___?” : LIFT
53 Octave follower in a Petrarchan sonnet : SESTET
54 Many a prof : PHD
56 “Springtime With ___” (2004 Disney adaptation) : ROO
57 Quaint word whose syllables rhyme with consecutive numbers : UNTO
58 Staying vigilant : ON THE ALERT
62 Logo, often : ICON
63 Sign to turn back : NO ENTRANCE
64 Top ___ : TEN
65 Something wonderful, with “the” : … BEE’S KNEES
Down
1 Flits : DARTS
2 Fruit popular in salads, but not fruit salads : OLIVE
3 Light encouragement : NUDGE
4 “Just stop talking!” : TMI!
5 Home to Sicily’s Castello di Lombardia : ENNA
6 “Ni-i-ice!” : RIGHT ON! RIGHT ON!
7 Alternative to Lunesta or Quviviq : AMBIEN
8 “Saint” elsewhere : SAO
9 Self-care essential? : EGO
10 It’s played with a few strings : BLUEGRASS
11 Art of cutting cards? : BARBED WIT
12 Move left … right … left … right … : SWAY
14 Ones spreading the gospel through rap music or graffiti : STREET PROPHETS
15 Big export of Ecuador and Nigeria : CACAO
21 Story line : ARC
23 Went quickly : SPED
25 Start of many colonial titles : NEW …
26 Actress de Matteo of “The Sopranos” : DREA
28 Go quickly : HIE
29 Mares, e.g. : SEAS
30 Valley where David fought Goliath : ELAH
31 Characteristic of a wild time or a coming decline : DECADENCE
32 Onetime capital of the sovereign Republic of Texas : GALVESTON
36 Santa’s coat? : SOOT
38 Sugar substitute? : HON
39 Novelist Jean : AUEL
42 “O fairest beauty, do not fear ___ fly!”: “Henry VI, Part I” : NOR
45 Shirley of “Goldfinger” : EATON
46 Had a date, maybe : ATE
47 Pal of Scooby-Doo : DAPHNE
50 Dunne of classic screwball comedies : IRENE
51 Might : FORCE
52 “Yeah, def” : TOTES
53 See 33-Across : … SUIT
55 Like some humor and chocolate : DARK
59 Noggin : NOB
60 Three-way intersection : TEE
61 Company connection inits. : LAN
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14 thoughts on “0218-23 NY Times Crossword 18 Feb 23, Saturday”
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Wow, really difficult one for me; 24:32. The SW went by pretty quickly but everything else was a struggle, especially the NW.
“Kameron Austin Collins” has become a name that sends a shiver up my spine. Last night, after a difficult day, while enjoying a sumptuous meal of soft, easily chewed, ramen during which a crowned molar just … broke … off … at the gum line, I sat down to do today’s puzzle, saw Kameron’s name, and nearly decided to give it a pass. However, I persevered and … tada! … 23:19, no errors … so … all’s well that ends well, I guess … except for another pricey implant in my future.
(Then again, perhaps, at 80, I’ll just say no … 🤪.)
43 mins, 2 errors: E(T)NA/ALUM(T)IMAGS. Just couldn’t keep my mind out of the bar.
40:36. Same issue as Bruce with EtNA rather than ENNA….because it’s always ETNA.
More missteps than I can list here, but EasE IN rather than EDGE IN in the SW created more issues than I could believe. Sheesh.
“Hasta la vista” before HAVE A GOOD ONE didn’t help either, but it fit.
Didn’t realize GALVESTON was once the capital. Then again I only lived in Texas for 30 years so I never had the time to learn these things…
I think APHASIA is what Bruce Willis was recently diagnosed with. What an awful disease to have – basically the inability to communicate. Obviously it’s killed his acting career.
Best –
The aphasia was a side effect; Bruce Willis has now been diagnosed with “frontotemporal dementia”. Very sad. The man is only 67 …
50:19 kept wanting to fit Shirley Bassey into 45D, obviously an error there….
Yes! I initially put in “BASSE”, quickly realized it didn’t fit, and backed it out again, but it bugged me for the rest of the puzzle (and I forgot to Google “Shirley Bassey” until now). Thank you for reminding me … 😜.
89:43
4 squares wrong.
donOraTe->
DONTERASE
rousEs->
rousTs
aRe
aWe
Don’t ask me what U.S. state ARE is. Dum-dum here.
Stuck on ‘art of cutting cards’. Approaching 90 min. on the clock it was time to throw in the towel.
Every week I tell myself this is the week you will finish a NYT Saturday puzzle and 9 times out of 10 I am wrong…this is one of those times👎👎
Stay safe😀
I will say one thing about this constructor. KAC (and/or the editing staff) has definitely hit a good point where they have been producing good clean grids that are also challenging. Definitely no major complaints on this one and turned out to be a nice experience.
my god, what a HORRIBLE puzzle
Thanks for YOUR opinion
A few mistakes so a D N F. This was extremely hard for me. There were no knockdowns but my opponent got the decision. I honestly felt it was like trying to pick flys**t out of pepper. Sorry for repeating. Tons of respect for the constructor. Just can’t seem to get my second wind on the harder puzzles.
Too many obscure clues to be any fun at all. What’s the point. This sort of puzzle isn’t clever, it’s just a slog and at the end you wish you’d just ignored it.