0302-23 NY Times Crossword 2 Mar 23, Thursday

Constructed by: Malaika Handa
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: Stem Cells

We have a rebus puzzle today, with the word “STEM” appearing in three CELLS of the grid:

  • 60A Subject of some medical research … or a description of this puzzle’s theme? : STEM CELLS
  • 17A Sites of many revolutions : SOLAR SYSTEMS
  • 38A Image in some “Happy Halloween!” texts : GHOST EMOJI
  • 45A “Ooh … I so want to!” : IT’S TEMPTING!
  • 7D Influencer, as with fashion : TASTEMAKER
  • 10D Boil over : LOSE ONE’S TEMPER
  • 24D 1987 biopic set in China : THE LAST EMPEROR

Bill’s time: 10m 20s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Young farm animal : COLT

There are lots of terms to describe horses of different ages and sexes, it seems:

  • Foal: horse of either sex that is less than one year old
  • Yearling: horse of either sex that is one to two years old
  • Filly: female horse under the age of four
  • Colt: male horse under the age of four
  • Gelding: castrated male horse of any age
  • Stallion: non-castrated male horse four years or older
  • Mare: female horse four years or older

5 Palindromic staple in Indian cuisine : ATTA

Atta is a whole-wheat flour used to make flatbreads in South Asian cuisine, such as chapati and naan. “Atta” is the Hindi or Urdu word for “dough”.

14 Classic cartoon character originally named Spot : ODIE

Odie is Garfield’s best friend, and is a slobbery beagle. Both are characters in Jim Davis’ comic strip named “Garfield”.

15 Palindromic honorific : MA’AM

The three most famous palindromes in English have to be:

  • Able was I ere I saw Elba
  • A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!
  • Madam, I’m Adam

One of my favorite terms is “Aibohphobia”, although it doesn’t appear in the dictionary and is a joke term. “Aibohphobia” is a great way to describe a fear of palindromes, by creating a palindrome out of the suffix “-phobia”.

16 It helps you show your point of view : GOPRO

GoPro is a company that makes high-definition video cameras that have a rugged design. Famously, GoPro cameras are used in extreme conditions. For example, they are often mounted on moving vehicles or used by people playing sports. Two astronauts on the International Space Station inserted a GoPro camera inside a floating ball of water, and then showed the view from inside the ball of water. Amazing footage …

17 Sites of many revolutions : SOLAR SYSTEMS

All of the planets in the Solar System, except for Earth, were named for Greek and Roman gods and goddesses:

  • Mercury was Roman god of travel
  • Venus was the Roman goddess of love and beauty
  • Mars was the Roman god of war
  • Jupiter was the king of the Roman gods
  • Saturn was the Roman god of agriculture
  • Uranus was the Greek god of the sky
  • Neptune was the Roman god of the sea
  • (also, Pluto was the Roman god of the underworld)

19 Flower whose name comes from the Greek for “star” : ASTER

Apparently, most aster species and cultivars bloom relatively late in the year, usually in the fall. The name “aster” comes into English via Latin from the Greek word “astéri” meaning “star”, a reference to the arrangement of the petals of the flower.

21 Dark-colored drink : COLA

The nut of the kola tree has a bitter taste, and is loaded with caffeine. Despite the taste, the nut is habitually chewed in some cultures, especially in West Africa where the tree is commonly found in the rainforest. Here in the US we best know the kola nut as a flavoring used in cola drinks.

23 Child-oriented nonprofit grp. : PTA

Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)

27 Physicist who invented the electric battery : VOLTA

Alessandro Volta was the physicist who invented the first battery, way back in 1800. One of Volta’s first applications of his new invention was to use a battery (and a very long run of wire between the Italian cities of Como and Milan) to shoot off a pistol from 30 miles away! The electric potential unit “volt” is named for Volta.

38 Image in some “Happy Halloween!” texts : GHOST EMOJI

All Saints’ Day is November 1st each year. The day before All Saints’ Day is All Hallows’ Eve, better known by the Scottish term “Halloween”.

44 Any of the Baudelaire children in “A Series of Unfortunate Events” : ORPHAN

“Lemony Snicket” is a pen name used by Daniel Handler, a novelist from San Francisco, California. Snicket also appears as the narrator of his books, including the best known of the works: “A Series of Unfortunate Events”. Count Olaf is the antagonist in “A Series of Unfortunate Events”.

49 Sounds at a poetry slam : SNAPS

A poetry slam is a competition in which poets read their own work (usually), with winners being chosen by members of the audience. Apparently the first poetry slam took place in Chicago in 1984. Now there is a National Poetry Slam that takes place each year, with representatives from the US, Canada and France.

52 Direction en España : ESTE

“Este” (east) is a “dirección” (direction), in Spanish.

Spain is the second largest country in the European Union (after France). “Spain” is an anglicized form of the Spanish name “España”, which comes from the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula “Hispania”.

53 Bon ___, indie band with a platinum debut album of 2008 : IVER

Bon Iver is a folk band that started up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin in 2007. The band’s name comes from the French “bon hiver” meaning “good winter”. The phrase “bon hiver” was popularized by the fun nineties TV show “Northern Exposure”.

55 Long-running animated TV role that hasn’t had a speaking appearance since 2017 : APU

“The Problem with Apu” is a 2017 documentary that explores the use of racial stereotypes by focusing on the character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon from the animated sitcom “The Simpsons”. The film was written by and stars American stand-up comedian Hari Kondabolu.

60 Subject of some medical research … or a description of this puzzle’s theme? : STEM CELLS

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that can become specialized cells. Stem cells are found in embryos (embryonic stem cells), and are especially prevalent about 4-5 days of growth after fertilization. Stem cells are also found throughout the bodies of adults (somatic stem cells). Somatic stem cells are associated with a particular organ and have the potential to regenerate all the cell types of the organ from which they originate.

66 Salt-N-___ (“Let’s Talk About Sex” group) : PEPA

Salt-N-Pepa are an all-female hip-hop trio from New York made up of “Salt” (Cheryl James), “Pepa” (Sandra Denton) and “DJ Spinderella” (Deidra Roper). The group’s 1991 song “Let’s Talk Sex” created quite a fuss as the lyrics explored the subject of sex, and safe sex in particular. A later version addressed the dangers of AIDS.

Down

6 Whom so-called “Swifties” are fans of : TAYLOR

A swiftie is a fan of singer Taylor Swift.

8 Breakfast times, in brief : AMS

Something described as “antemeridian” takes place before noon. The related term “ante meridiem” means the same thing, and is abbreviated to “a.m.”

9 Grp. of club owners? : PGA

The Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) was founded in 1916 and today has its headquarters (unsurprisingly) in Florida, where so many golfers live. Back in 1916, the PGA was based in New York City.

13 “Squid Game” setting : KOREA

“Squid Game” is a brutal survival drama TV series made in South Korea for Netflix. The title refers to a Korean children’s game, and the show itself features a series of children’s games. The players are adults, all of whom are in debt. They play a deadly series of games in the hope of surviving, and winning a multimillion-dollar prize. As I said, brutal …

24 1987 biopic set in China : THE LAST EMPEROR

“The Last Emperor” is a 1987 biographical film about Puyi, the last Emperor of China. It is a unique movie in that it was the first time the Chinese government allowed filming in the Forbidden City in Beijing. In fact, Queen Elizabeth II was on a state visit to China the same time that filming was taking place, and the Chinese government gave priority to filming, so the British royal party could not visit the Forbidden City.

26 Kind of beetle with large jaws : STAG

Stag beetles are so called as the males of the species have large mandibles that resemble the antlers of stags.

28 “Hold on,” in a message : BRB

Be right back (brb)

29 Simu ___, portrayer of Shang-Chi in the Marvel Universe : LIU

Simu Liu is a Chinese-born Canadian actor. One of his more famous roles was playing the title character in the Marvel Comics 2021 superhero movie “Shang-Chi and the legend of the Ten Rings”.

31 Jaunty greeting : HI-HO!

Our words “jaunty” and “genteel” are related in that they both derive from the French “gentil” meaning “nice, pleasing”. In modern usage, someone described as jaunty has a buoyant air. Someone described as genteel is refined in manner.

46 Body image? : TATTOO

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”.

49 Some Eastern Europeans : SERBS

Serbs are an ethnic group native to the Balkans in southeastern Europe. Although Serbs exist as a minority group in many countries in the region, they are the majority ethnic group in Serbia, in Montenegro and in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

51 Lead-in to sine, cosine or tangent : ARC

The most familiar trigonometric functions are sine, cosine and tangent (abbreviated to “sin, cos and tan”). Each of these is a ratio: a ratio of two sides of a right-angled triangle. The “reciprocal” of these three functions are cosecant, secant and cotangent. The reciprocal functions are simply the inverted ratios, the inverted sine, cosine and tangent. These inverted ratios should not be confused with the “inverse” trigonometric functions e.g. arcsine, arccosine and arctangent. These inverse functions are the reverse of the sine, cosine and tangent.

56 Kind of job that’s coveted : PLUM

To describe something as plum is to say that it is especially desirable, e.g. a plum job, the plum choice. We’ve been using “plum” in this sense since the late 18th century, and it is probably a reference to the particularly sweet and enjoyable parts of a plum pudding.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Young farm animal : COLT
5 Palindromic staple in Indian cuisine : ATTA
9 Gumption : PLUCK
14 Classic cartoon character originally named Spot : ODIE
15 Palindromic honorific : MA’AM
16 It helps you show your point of view : GOPRO
17 Sites of many revolutions : SOLAR SYSTEMS
19 Flower whose name comes from the Greek for “star” : ASTER
20 Sample : TRY
21 Dark-colored drink : COLA
22 Lighten (up) : EASE
23 Child-oriented nonprofit grp. : PTA
25 Confirmations : OKS
27 Physicist who invented the electric battery : VOLTA
28 Drab : BLAH
30 Further considers : RETHINKS
32 Add-ons to some bills : RIDERS
35 Scary thing to ask for, maybe : RAISE
36 City street demarcation : BUS LANE
38 Image in some “Happy Halloween!” texts : GHOST EMOJI
42 Line at a theater, maybe : ASIDE
44 Any of the Baudelaire children in “A Series of Unfortunate Events” : ORPHAN
45 “Ooh … I so want to!” : IT’S TEMPTING!
48 Whiffs : ERRS
49 Sounds at a poetry slam : SNAPS
50 “about when will u b here?” : ETA
51 Add up to : ARE
52 Direction en España : ESTE
53 Bon ___, indie band with a platinum debut album of 2008 : IVER
55 Long-running animated TV role that hasn’t had a speaking appearance since 2017 : APU
58 Back in style : RETRO
60 Subject of some medical research … or a description of this puzzle’s theme? : STEM CELLS
62 Ponder, with “over” : BROOD …
63 Recipient of some donation requests, informally : ALUM
64 Stick with it : GLUE
65 Supply : STORE
66 Salt-N-___ (“Let’s Talk About Sex” group) : PEPA
67 Places for squatters : GYMS

Down

1 Amount to : COST
2 Sign of ripeness, perhaps : ODOR
3 Hopping spots? : LILY PADS
4 Remedy for a sore throat : TEA
5 “I ___ tired!” : AM SO
6 Whom so-called “Swifties” are fans of : TAYLOR
7 Influencer, as with fashion : TASTEMAKER
8 Breakfast times, in brief : AMS
9 Grp. of club owners? : PGA
10 Boil over : LOSE ONE’S TEMPER
11 Speech that ends sentences with rising tones : UPTALK
12 Peaks : CRESTS
13 “Squid Game” setting : KOREA
18 ___ Records, division of Sony : RCA
24 1987 biopic set in China : THE LAST EMPEROR
26 Kind of beetle with large jaws : STAG
27 Shade provider : VISOR
28 “Hold on,” in a message : BRB
29 Simu ___, portrayer of Shang-Chi in the Marvel Universe : LIU
31 Jaunty greeting : HI-HO!
33 Grates : RASPS
34 Huff : SNIT
37 Name found in “ingredient” : EDIE
39 “Is that so?” : OH REALLY?
40 Shake up : JAR
41 They’re good to know : INS
43 Qualify : ENTITLE
45 Program extra : INSERT
46 Body image? : TATTOO
47 Waved the white flag : GAVE UP
49 Some Eastern Europeans : SERBS
51 Lead-in to sine, cosine or tangent : ARC
54 Tennis champ Raducanu : EMMA
56 Kind of job that’s coveted : PLUM
57 Purposes : USES
59 Flattering lines : ODE
60 Gradually weaken : SAP
61 ___ tart (Chinese custard pastry) : EGG