0313-23 NY Times Crossword 13 Mar 23, Monday

Constructed by: Sam Koperwas & Jeff Chen
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: Mocktail

The TAIL (end) of each themed answer is a synonym of “MOCK”:

  • 62A Nonalcoholic mixed drink … or a hint to the synonyms found at the ends of 16-, 24-, 37- and 51-Across : MOCKTAIL
  • 16A Quality beef cut : PRIME RIB
  • 24A Have a noticeable impact, so to speak : MOVE THE NEEDLE
  • 37A Young phenom : WHIZ KID
  • 51A Bamboozled : TAKEN FOR A RIDE

Bill’s time: 5m 09s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

4 Ewoks or Klingons, in brief : ETS

The Ewoks are creatures that live on the moon of Endor in the “Star Wars” universe. First appearing in “Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi”, they’re the cute and cuddly little guys that look like teddy bears.

Klingons are a warrior race often featured in the “Star Trek” franchise of shows. Back in the first “Star Trek” movie, the actor James Doohan (who played “Scottie”) put together some Klingon dialogue that was used in the film. For subsequent movies, the American linguist Marc Okrand was commissioned to develop a working Klingon language, which he duly did, using the original words from Doohan as its basis.

15 Actor Radcliffe or Kaluuya : DANIEL

Daniel Radcliffe is the former child-actor who played the title role in the “Harry Potter” series of films. Radcliffe is doing okay in terms of money. He earned about 1 million pounds for the first “Harry Potter” movie, and about 15 million pounds for the last.

16 Quality beef cut : PRIME RIB

“Standing rib roast” is another name for “prime rib”. The use of the term “standing” is a reference to the practice of standing the cut on the rib bones when roasting, so that the meat does not touch the pan.

19 One side in the Peloponnesian War : SPARTA

The Peloponnesian War was fought from 431 to 404 BC between the Athenian Empire and the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta. Prior to the war, Athens was the strongest city-state in Greece. After the victory by the Peloponnesian League, Sparta emerged as the leading power.

20 “___ Karenina” : ANNA

I have to admit to not having read Leo Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina”, but I did see the excellent 1977 British television adaptation starring Nicola Pagett. I also saw the 2012 film adaptation with a screenplay by Tom Stoppard and found that to be far from excellent, awful in fact. I am no Stoppard fan …

23 Porterhouse or T-bone : STEAK

The T-bone and porterhouse are related cuts of meat, with the latter being a larger version of the former, and both being cut from the short loin.

27 Séance invitees : SPIRITS

“Séance” is a French word meaning “sitting”. We use the term in English for a sitting in which a spiritualist tries to communicate with the spirits of the dead.

29 Parks with a Congressional Gold Medal : 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.

30 “___ Meenie,” 2010 hit by Sean Kingston and Justin Bieber : EENIE

“Eenie Meenie” is a 2010 song by Sean Kingston and Justin Bieber. Nope, never heard it …

32 Click “Will attend,” say : RSVP

“RSVP” stands for “répondez s’il vous plaît”, which is French for “answer, please”.

36 “___ is a lie that makes us realize truth”: Picasso : ART

Artist and writer Marius de Zayas interviewed Pablo Picasso in 1910, and published the interview in an article titled “Picasso Speaks”. One of Picasso’s most famous quotes (“Art is a lie …”) is found in this article:

We all know that Art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize truth, at least the truth that is given us to understand. The artist must know the manner whereby to convince others of the truthfulness of his lies.

44 Tiebreaker periods, for short : OTS

Overtime (OT)

47 Pigeon sounds : COOS

Taxonomically, doves and pigeons are the only members of the order Columbidae. The terms “dove” and “pigeon” are often used interchangeably. Scientifically speaking, dove species tend to be smaller than pigeon species. Colloquially though, many refer to doves as the white or nearly white species in the family.

49 Large bird on Louisiana’s state flag : PELICAN

The official nickname of Louisiana is the Pelican State, but it is also known as the Bayou State, the Child of Mississippi, the Creole State, the Sportsman’s Paradise and the Sugar State.

51 Bamboozled : TAKEN FOR A RIDE

It’s thought that the lovely word “bamboozle” came into English from the Scottish “bombaze” meaning “perplex”. We’ve been using “bamboozle” since the very early 1700s.

57 Many early PCs : IBMS

The IBM PC entered the personal computer market in 1981 and was by all accounts a surprising success, even to many IBM executives. The PC was directed at the business world, and in 1983 IBM made its first foray into the home computing world with the introduction of the PCjr. Codenamed “Peanut” during development, the PCjr has been described as one of the biggest commercial flops in computing history. Various reasons have been cited for the failure, including the poorly-designed keyboard, relatively high price and lack of compatibility with existing IBM products.

60 One whose writing is aggregated on Rotten Tomatoes : CRITIC

Rotten Tomatoes is a website that mainly provides reviews and ratings of movies, although it now covers TV shows as well. The site was launched in 1998 and takes its name from the practice of audience members throwing rotten tomatoes at an unappreciated performer on stage.

64 Regarding this point : HERETO

The word “hereto” is legalese for “to here”, as in “attached hereto” meaning “attached to here”.

65 Great Basin tribe : UTE

The Great Basin is a large region of the US covering most of Nevada, much of Utah and some parts of Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon and California. The 200,000 square mile area drains internally, with all precipitation sinking underground or flowing into lakes. Most of the lakes in the Great Basin are saline, including the Great Salt Lake, Pyramid Lake and the Humboldt Sink.

66 Pioneer in color TV : RCA

Early television programming was broadcast in monochrome, i.e. black-and-white or grayscale. The introduction of color television built on the technology behind monochrome TV in the sense that color television images are a combination of three monochrome images. The colors of these three monochrome signals are red, green and blue (RGB).

67 ♠ ♠ ♠ : SPADES

Spades is one of the four suits in a standard deck of cards. The spade symbol represents the pike, a medieval weapon.

68 Org. at the airport : TSA

Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

Down

1 One of the Three Bears : PAPA

The story of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” was first recorded in 1837 in England, although the narrative was around before it was actually written down. The original fairy tale was rather gruesome, but successive versions became more family-oriented. The character that eventually became Goldilocks was originally an elderly woman, and the three “nameless” bears became Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear.

3 Top-selling Girl Scout cookies : THIN MINTS

Depending on which bakery makes the particular variety of Girl Scout cookies, the name can vary. For example, Little Brownie Bakers makes Samoa cookies, while ABC Bakers uses the same recipe and calls the cookies Caramel deLites. The assumption is that these cookies have the exotic name “Samoa” because they contain the tropical ingredients of coconut and cocoa. The most popular variety of Girl Scout cookies sold are Thin Mints.

4 Locale for the pupil and iris : EYE

The pupil of the eye is the hole located in the center of the iris through which light enters the retina. The term “pupil” came into English via French from the latin “pupilla”, which is the diminutive form of “pupa” meaning “girl, doll”. The term came about due to the tiny doll-like image that one can see of oneself when looking into the center of another’s eyes.

The iris is the colored part of the eye. It has an aperture in the center that can open or close depending on the level of light hitting the eye.

6 Minis and A-lines, for two : SKIRTS

An A-line skirt is one that fits snugly at the hips and flares towards the hem. The term “A-line” was first used in fashion by French designer Christian Dior in his 1955 spring collection.

7 Bank offerings, in brief : CDS

A certificate of deposit (CD) is like a less-flexible and higher-paying savings account. Instead of depositing money into a savings account and earning interest periodically, one can open a CD. With a CD one deposits a minimum amount of money but must leave it there for a specified length of time. In return for committing the funds for a fixed period, one is given a higher interest rate than a savings account and can redeem that interest and the initial deposit when the term has expired. CDs are relatively low-risk investments as they are FDIC insured, just like savings accounts.

11 Flower part in potpourri : PETAL

The French term “pot pourri” literally translates literally to “rotten pot”, but in France it used to mean “stew”. Over time, the term “potpourri” evolved in English usage to mean a “medley”, and eventually a mixture of dried flowers and spices.

12 Satisfy, as a thirst : SLAKE

To slake is to satisfy a craving, as in “slaking one’s thirst”.

17 One of the two official languages of New Zealand : MAORI

The Māori are the indigenous people of New Zealand. They are eastern Polynesian in origin and began arriving in New Zealand relatively recently, starting some time in the late 13th century. The word “māori” simply means “normal”, distinguishing mortal humans from spiritual entities. The Māori refer to New Zealand as “Aotearoa”.

18 Scrooge’s “Phooey!” : BAH!

Ebeneezer Scrooge is the main character in the novella “A Christmas Carol” By Charles Dickens. Through the course of the story, Scrooge is visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come, who show him the consequences of his miserly behavior. His name “Scrooge” has become a part of the English language as a term to describe someone who is stingy and mean with money.

22 Yankee great Jeter : DEREK

Derek Jeter played his entire professional baseball career with the New York Yankees, and was the team’s captain. Jeter is the all-time career leader for the Yankees in hits, games played, stolen bases and at bats. He is also the all-time leader in hits by a shortstop in the whole of professional baseball. Jeter’s performances in the postseason earned him the nicknames “Captain Clutch” and “Mr. November”. Jeter retired from the game in 2014.

25 Popular daytime talk show, with “The” : .. VIEW

“The View” is a talk show that was created by Barbara Walters and Bill Geddie in 1997. The show features a panel of five women as co-hosts.

28 Country that’s home to the Inca Trail : PERU

The Incas built almost 25,000 miles of road, and much of that roadway system persists to this day. The most famous section is known as the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. The backbone of the system is formed by two north-south routes, one running along the west coast of the continent, and the other running relatively parallel, further inland.

34 Singer Suzanne, whose name is a star : VEGA

Suzanne Vega is a singer-songwriter from Santa Monica, California. Her two most famous songs are “Luka” and “Tom’s Diner”, both released in the eighties.

35 Round part of a hammer : PEEN

The peen of a hammer is on the head, and is the side of the head that is opposite the striking surface. Often the peen is in the shape of a hemisphere (as in a ball-peen hammer), but usually it is shaped like a claw (mainly for removing nails).

40 “The Persistence of Memory” painter : DALI

“The Persistence of Memory” is probably Salvador Dalí’s most famous work. It features the celebrated melting clocks/watches, and you can see them in the painting in the MoMA in New York City.

49 Succeed in the end : PAN OUT

When prospectors pan for gold, they do so by mixing soil and water in a pan. Because gold is very dense, gravel and soil can be washed over the side of the pan leaving the heavy precious metal at the bottom. The gold has been “panned out”, and so we often use “pan out” figuratively to mean “turn out, succeed”.

51 Geek Squad members : TECHS

Best Buy is a retailer specializing in the supply of consumer electronics. Best Buy services include the famous “Geek Squad”, a band of technical experts that will help solve your computer and other consumer electronic problems.

53 Actress Knightley : KEIRA

English actress Keira Knightley had her big break in the movies when she co-starred in 2002’s “Bend It Like Beckham”. Knightley played one of my favorite movie roles, Elizabeth Bennett in 2005’s “Pride and Prejudice”. Knightley won a Golden Globe for that performance, although that 2005 film isn’t the best adaptation of Austen’s novel in my humble opinion …

58 Creatures that helped make Cinderella’s dress : MICE

In the 1950 Disney animated feature “Cinderella”, the title character has two mousy sidekicks named Jaq and Gus. Along with two other mice, Jaq and Gus are transformed by the Fairy Godmother into horses that pull Cinderella’s carriage so that she can attend the ball.

59 Side dish with fried chicken : SLAW

The term “coleslaw” is an Anglicized version of the Dutch term “koolsla”, which in itself is a shortened form of “Koolsalade” meaning “cabbage salad”.

61 Fortune 500 listings: Abbr. : COS

“Fortune” is a tri-weekly business magazine that was founded by Henry Luce in 1930, just four months after the 1929 Wall Street Crash. “Fortune” is noted for its annual ranking of companies by revenue, especially the Fortune 500.

63 Mauna ___ : KEA

Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii, the peak of which is the highest point in the whole state. Mauna Kea is in effect the tip of a gigantic volcano rising up from the seabed.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Teacher’s ___ : PET
4 Ewoks or Klingons, in brief : ETS
7 Walks noisily : CLOMPS
13 “Yeah, that’s the spot!” : AAH!
14 Jabber : YAK
15 Actor Radcliffe or Kaluuya : DANIEL
16 Quality beef cut : PRIME RIB
19 One side in the Peloponnesian War : SPARTA
20 “___ Karenina” : ANNA
21 Last year’s sr. : GRAD
23 Porterhouse or T-bone : STEAK
24 Have a noticeable impact, so to speak : MOVE THE NEEDLE
27 Séance invitees : SPIRITS
29 Parks with a Congressional Gold Medal : ROSA
30 “___ Meenie,” 2010 hit by Sean Kingston and Justin Bieber : EENIE
31 Opposite of ‘neath : O’ER
32 Click “Will attend,” say : RSVP
36 “___ is a lie that makes us realize truth”: Picasso : ART
37 Young phenom : WHIZ KID
41 Letter before “cue” : PEE
42 Tousle : MUSS
44 Tiebreaker periods, for short : OTS
45 “Better late than never,” for one : ADAGE
47 Pigeon sounds : COOS
49 Large bird on Louisiana’s state flag : PELICAN
51 Bamboozled : TAKEN FOR A RIDE
55 Perfect places : EDENS
56 Digit that looks like another digit when turned upside down : NINE
57 Many early PCs : IBMS
60 One whose writing is aggregated on Rotten Tomatoes : CRITIC
62 Nonalcoholic mixed drink … or a hint to the synonyms found at the ends of 16-, 24-, 37- and 51-Across : MOCKTAIL
64 Regarding this point : HERETO
65 Great Basin tribe : UTE
66 Pioneer in color TV : RCA
67 ♠ ♠ ♠ : SPADES
68 Org. at the airport : TSA
69 Stitch up : SEW

Down

1 One of the Three Bears : PAPA
2 Bring in, as a salary : EARN
3 Top-selling Girl Scout cookies : THIN MINTS
4 Locale for the pupil and iris : EYE
5 Something to aim for : TARGET
6 Minis and A-lines, for two : SKIRTS
7 Bank offerings, in brief : CDS
8 Breaks in concentration : LAPSES
9 Winning game after game : ON A TEAR
10 Stuck in the muck : MIRED
11 Flower part in potpourri : PETAL
12 Satisfy, as a thirst : SLAKE
17 One of the two official languages of New Zealand : MAORI
18 Scrooge’s “Phooey!” : BAH!
22 Yankee great Jeter : DEREK
25 Popular daytime talk show, with “The” : .. VIEW
26 “Me neither” : NOR I
27 Line of stitches : SEAM
28 Country that’s home to the Inca Trail : PERU
31 Parts of lbs. : OZS
33 Longest keys on keyboards : SPACE BARS
34 Singer Suzanne, whose name is a star : VEGA
35 Round part of a hammer : PEEN
38 Horse’s foot : HOOF
39 “Let’s do this thing!” : IT’S ON!
40 “The Persistence of Memory” painter : DALI
43 Fragrant : SCENTED
46 Accomplished the task : DID IT
48 Like some job training : ONSITE
49 Succeed in the end : PAN OUT
50 Constructs, as a house : ERECTS
51 Geek Squad members : TECHS
52 Pro pitcher, of a sort? : AD REP
53 Actress Knightley : KEIRA
54 Basketball net holder : RIM
58 Creatures that helped make Cinderella’s dress : MICE
59 Side dish with fried chicken : SLAW
61 Fortune 500 listings: Abbr. : COS
63 Mauna ___ : KEA

3 thoughts on “0313-23 NY Times Crossword 13 Mar 23, Monday”

  1. 6:16. Didn’t see the theme before the reveal.

    I looked at a photo of an old IBM PC JR, and I can see why that keyboard flopped. Looks cumbersome as can be. It was called “the chicklet keyboard” for a reason. I guess they were just trying to distinguish it from a regular PC at the time.

    Putting PRIME RIB and T-bone STEAKs in the same puzzle made me hungry.

    I found out yesterday that Mexico has dropped daylight savings time. Here’s an instance where we really need to catch up to Mexico’s ingenuity.

    Best –

  2. 7:54, no errors. About as fast as I can read/type on my laptop, which has a keyboard very similar to the hated IBM PCjr.
    Between Saturday’s FOVEA/RETINA and today’s EYE, learning a lot about the eye structure.
    Here in Washington State our pols passed legislation to adopt year-round Daylight-Saving Time. Perfect example of appearing to do something while accomplishing nothing. Had they spent the same effort adopting year-round Standard Time we would not have to change our clocks.

  3. Nothing fancy.

    Speaking of old PCs.. I have a drawer full of those diskettes. It’s like having an 8 track tape or even the “newer” VCR tape.

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