0316-23 NY Times Crossword 16 Mar 23, Thursday

Constructed by: Rebecca Goldstein
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: Tumbleweed

Themed answers each include the letters W-E-E-D, with the order changed/TUMBLED. Those four letters are shaded in the grid, and in a square pattern. To read the answer, we have to skip up to the row above for two of the “WEED” letters:

  • 63A Plant seen rolling through this puzzle? : TUMBLEWEED
  • 17A Form of racing that requires one foot on the ground at all times : SPEED WALKING
  • 26A Complicated situation : TANGLED WEB
  • 38A “Count us in!” : WOULD WE EVER!
  • 52A “Through the Looking-Glass” character : TWEEDLEDUM

Bill’s time: 7m 08s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Kind of ray : GAMMA

Gamma radiation was discovered by the French chemist Paul Villard, as he studied radiation coming from the chemical element radium. This radiation was called “gamma”, the third letter in the Greek alphabet, as alpha and beta particles had already been identified.

10 Who says “Play it, Sam” in “Casablanca” : ILSA

There is a famous exchange in the movie “Casablanca” that results in the piano player Sam singing “As Time Goes By”.

Ilsa: Play it once, Sam. For old times’ sake.
Sam: I don’t know what you mean, Miss Ilsa.
Ilsa: Play it, Sam. Play “As Time Goes By.”
Sam: Oh, I can’t remember it, Miss Ilsa. I’m a little rusty on it.
Ilsa: I’ll hum it for you. Da-dy-da-dy-da-dum, da-dy-da-dee-da-dum…
Ilsa: Sing it, Sam.

14 Pink-slipped : AXED

The term “pink-slip” can be used as a verb meaning “to terminate an employee”. No one really seems to know for sure where the phrase originated, but there are lots of stories.

16 Beef that’s aged? : FEUD

A beef is a complaint or a grievance. It’s not quite clear how “beef” came to have this meaning, but one suggestion is that it derives from the habit of soldiers at the end of the 1800s complaining about the quality or availability of beef in their rations.

19 Satirist Mort : SAHL

Mort Sahl is a Canadian-born actor and comedian who moved to the US with his family when he was a child. Sahl became friends with John F. Kennedy. When Kennedy became president, Sahl wrote a lot of jokes for the President’s speeches, although he also told a lot of Kennedy jokes in his acts. After the President was assassinated in 1963, Sahl was intensely interested in finding out who was behind the crime and even got himself deputized as a member of one of the investigating teams. He was very outspoken against the results of the Warren Commission report on the assassination, and soon found himself out of favor with the public. It took a few years for him to make his comeback, and come back he did.

21 Sort unlikely to stoop, say : SNOB

Back in the 1780s, a snob was a shoemaker or a shoemaker’s apprentice. By the end of the 18th century the word “snob” was being used by students at Cambridge University in England to refer to all local merchants and people of the town. The term evolved to mean one who copies those who are his or her social superior (and not in a good way). From there it wasn’t a big leap for “snob” to include anyone who emphasized their superior social standing and not just those who aspired to rank. Nowadays a snob is anyone who looks down on those considered to be of inferior standing.

23 Motorist’s offense, for short : DWI

In some states, there is no longer a legal difference between a DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) and a DUI (Driving Under the Influence). Other states retain that difference, so that by definition a DUI is a lesser offense than a DWI.

31 Buenos ___ : AIRES

Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina, and is located on the estuary of the Ria de la Plata. As it is a port city, the people of Buenos Aires are known as porteños (“people of the port”). The name “Buenos Aires” can be translated from Spanish as “fair winds”.

34 Hockey legend Gordie : HOWE

Gordie Howe was a Canadian hockey player. Regarded as one of the game’s greatest players, Howe was sometimes referred to as “Mr Hockey”. He was the only hockey player to have competed in the NHL for five decades (from the forties through the eighties), and held the NHL record for most games and most seasons played.

43 Home of the Nobel Peace Center : OSLO

The Nobel Peace Center in Oslo opened in 2005 and is located in a former railroad station. The center is inspired by the Nobel Peace Prize and features exhibits that tell the story of Alfred Nobel, as well as the stories of many recipients of the prize.

52 “Through the Looking-Glass” character : TWEEDLEDUM

Tweedledee and Tweedledum are characters in Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There”. Carroll didn’t invent the characters though, as they were already part of a well-known nursery rhyme:

Tweedledum and Tweedledee
Agreed to have a battle;
For Tweedledum said Tweedledee
Had spoiled his nice new rattle.
Just then flew down a monstrous crow,
As black as a tar-barrel;
Which frightened both the heroes so,
They quite forgot their quarrel.

58 Pop singer’s nickname that omits 51-Across : ARI
[51A Woman’s name that’s a palindrome : ANA]

Ariana Grande is a singer and actress from Boca Raton, Florida. Grande plays the role of Cat Valentine on the sitcom “Victorious” that aired for four seasons on Nickelodeon. Grande’s singing career took off with the release of the 2011 album “Victorious: Music from the Hit TV Show”.

59 Ingenuity org. : NASA

Ingenuity is a robotic helicopter that NASA sent to Mars in 2020 along with the Perseverance rover. Nicknamed “Ginny”, Ingenuity’s primary mission is to scout for areas of interest for the rover to examine. Symbolically, Ingenuity has on board a small piece of fabric from the airplane that the Wright Brothers used in 1903 for the first sustained flight of an airplane.

61 Golfer’s involuntary wrist spasms while putting, with “the” : … YIPS

The informal term “yips” applies to the nervous twitching that can sometimes spoil a sportsman’s performance, especially a golfer’s putting stroke.

63 Plant seen rolling through this puzzle? : TUMBLEWEED

A tumbleweed is the upper part of a plant that has dried out, broken away from the roots, and is blown along by the wind. The tumbleweed spreads seeds or spores as it tumbles.

66 Hexagon bordering two rectangles : UTAH

When viewed on a map of the US, the state of Utah has six sides. It’s almost shaped like a rectangle, but there is a “bite” out of that rectangle in the northeast corner of the state.

67 Great Lakes people : ERIES

The Erie people lived on lands south of Lake Erie, in parts of the modern-day US states of New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. The Erie were sometimes referred to as the Cat Nation, a reference to the mountain lions that were ever-present in the area that they lived. The name “Erie” is a shortened form of “Erielhonan” meaning “long tail”, possibly a further reference to the mountain lion or cat, which was possibly used as a totem. The Erie people gave their name to the Great Lake.

68 John Irving protagonist T. S. ___ : GARP

John Irving’s 1978 novel “The World According to Garp” is somewhat biographical. In fact, Irving’s mother found parts of the novel difficult to read, recognizing elements of herself in Garp’s mother Jenny Fields.

70 Hit the mall, say : SPEND

Surprisingly (to me!), our word “mall”, meaning “shady walk” or “enclosed shopping space”, comes from the Italian for “mallet”. All of our shopping-style malls are named for “The Mall” in St. James’s Park in London. This tree-lined promenade was so called as it used to be a famous spot to play the croquet-like game called “pall-mall”. The game derived its name from the Italian for ball (palla) and mallet “maglio”. The London thoroughfare called the Mall still exists, at one end of which is Buckingham Palace. Indeed, parallel to the Mall is a street called Pall Mall.

71 Possible cause of a cough : SMOG

“Smog” is a portmanteau formed by melding “smoke” and “fog”. The term was first used to describe the air around London in the early 1900s. Several cities around the world have a reputation of being particularly smoggy. For example, the most smog-plagued city in Latin America is Mexico City, which is located in a highland “bowl” that traps industrial and vehicle pollution.

Down

1 Gargantuan : MASSIVE

Our term “gargantuan” meaning “enormous” comes from a series of five novels titled “The Life of Gargantua and of Pantagruel” written in the 1500s by François Rabelais. Gargantua and Pantagruel are two giants in the tale, a father and a son.

2 Kayak alternative : EXPEDIA

Expedia is one of the largest Internet-based travel companies, and has a site where you can book airline tickets and reserve hotel rooms and rental cars. I use Expedia a lot because I am an AARP member, and the AARP Travel website is powered by the Expedia search engine. In my travels I’ve found by comparison shopping that the AARP Travel site often has the best prices for hotel rooms.

5 16 cups: Abbr. : GAL

The name of our fluid measure called a “gallon” ultimately comes from the Medieval Latin term “galleta” meaning “bucket, pail”.

6 Holy scroll holder : ARK

The Torah ark is found in a synagogue, and is the ornamental container in which the Torah scrolls are stored. The word “Torah” best translates as “teaching” or “law”, I am told.

8 It’s heaven-sent : MANNA

According to the Book of Exodus, manna was a food eaten by the Israelites as they traveled out of Egypt. The manna “fell” to Earth during the night, six days a week, and was gathered in the morning before it had time to melt.

9 Neighbor of chlorine on the periodic table : ARGON

The chemical element argon has the symbol Ar. It is a noble gas, and so by definition is relatively nonreactive. The name “argon” comes from the Greek word for “lazy, inactive”. There’s a lot of argon around, as it is the third-most abundant gas in our atmosphere.

13 Wings things : AD-LIBS

“Ad libitum” is a Latin phrase meaning “at one’s pleasure”. In common usage, the phrase is usually shortened to “ad-lib”. On the stage, the concept of an ad-lib is very familiar.

18 Sister of King Charles III : ANNE

Anne, Princess Royal was born in 1950 and is the only daughter of British Queen Elizabeth II. Princess Anne has been in the public spotlight for many things, including her success as an equestrian. Princess Anne was the first member of the British Royal Family to have competed in an Olympic Games. Her daughter Zara Phillips continued the tradition and competed as a member of the British equestrian team in the 2012 Olympic Games. Zara’s medal was presented to her by her own mother, Princess Anne.

25 Home of the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial : OAHU

The USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor sits across the sunken hull of the battleship, the resting place of 1,102 out of 1,117 sailors of the Arizona who were killed during the 1941 attack. After the attack, the superstructure of the Arizona protruded above the surface of the water. This was removed during and after WWII, hence leaving just a submerged hull. The memorial itself was approved by President Eisenhower in 1958, and the building was opened in 1962. In 1999, the battleship USS Missouri was permanently moored in Pearl Harbor, docked nearby and perpendicular to the Arizona. It was on board the Missouri that the Japanese surrendered, marking the end of WWII.

30 Candy in a gold foil wrapper : ROLO

Rolo was a hugely popular chocolate candy in Ireland when I was growing up. It was introduced in the thirties in the UK, and is produced under license in the US by Hershey. I was a little disappointed when I had my first taste of the American version as the center is very hard and chewy. The recipe used on the other side of the Atlantic calls for a soft gooey center.

35 Essay count: Abbr. : WDS

Words (wds.)

39 Elizabeth of “WandaVision” : OLSEN

“WandaVision” is a TV miniseries featuring characters from Marvel Comics. The title characters are Wanda Maximoff (aka Scarlet Witch) played by Elizabeth Olsen and Vision played by Paul Bettany. I am by no means a fan of screen adaptations of comic characters, but I might take a look at “WandaVision”. Wanda and Vision are living in suburbia, trying to conceal their superhero identities. Each episode progresses the storyline through several decades, using situations encountered in sitcoms of the day. Episodes use the format of shows such as:

  • The Dick Van Dyke Show
  • I Love Lucy
  • Bewitched
  • I Dream of Jeannie
  • The Brady Bunch
  • Good Times
  • The Mary Tyler Moore Show
  • Full House
  • Malcolm in the Middle
  • Modern Family
  • Out of this World
  • The Twilight Zone

Sounds very intriguing …

40 “Va-va-___!” : VOOM

“Va-va-voom!” is an expression that turns up in a lot of places. For example, it was a frequent utterance by comic actor Art Carney, most notably while playing Ed Norton in the sitcom “The Honeymooners” from the 1950s. Carney even released a comedy song “Va Va Va Voom” in 1954.

42 Like a certain Freudian complex : OEDIPAL

An oedipal relationship is one in which a child exhibits sexual desire for the parent of the opposite sex. A child exhibiting such behavior is said to have an Oedipus complex, named for the play “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles.

46 Developing, say : IN UTERO

“In utero” is a Latin term meaning “in the uterus”. The Latin “uterus” (plural “uteri”) translates as both “womb” and “belly”. “Uterys” comes from the Greek “hystera” that also means “womb”, which gives us the words “hysterectomy”, and “hysterical”.

50 Shakespearean humor : BILE

In days past, health was said to depend on the balance between the body’s four “humors”, four vital fluids. These humors were blood, phlegm, yellow bile (aka “choler”) and black bile. Excesses of yellow and black bile were thought to produce aggression and depression. As a result, we use the terms “bile” and “choler” today to mean “ill temper” and “anger”.

54 Seize : USURP

To usurp is to seize and hold by force. The term “usurp” comes to us from Latin via French, from “usus” (a use) and “rapere” (to seize).

55 First lady between Bess and Jackie : MAMIE

Mamie Eisenhower was surely one of the most charming of all the First Ladies of the United States. Ms. Eisenhower suffered from an inner ear complaint called Ménière’s disease which caused her to lose her balance quite often. Because she was unsteady on her feet there were unfounded rumors floating around Washington that Ms. Eisenhower had a drinking problem. People can be very unkind …

57 University of Georgia athletes, to fans : DAWGS

The University of Georgia (UGA) is primarily located in Athens, Georgia. UGA was founded in 1785 and was the nation’s first state-chartered university. UGA’s sports teams are called the Georgia Bulldogs (sometimes just “Dawgs”).

65 Psycho- pharmacology inits. : LSD

LSD (known colloquially as “acid”) is lysergic acid diethylamide. A Swiss chemist named Albert Hofmann first synthesized LSD in 1938 in a research project looking for medically efficacious ergot alkaloids. It wasn’t until some five years later when Hofmann ingested some of the drug accidentally that its psychedelic properties were discovered. Trippy, man …

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 What Do You ___? (popular modern party game) : MEME
5 Kind of ray : GAMMA
10 Who says “Play it, Sam” in “Casablanca” : ILSA
14 Pink-slipped : AXED
15 Deafening : AROAR
16 Beef that’s aged? : FEUD
17 Form of racing that requires one foot on the ground at all times : SPEED WALKING
19 Satirist Mort : SAHL
20 Take hold : SET IN
21 Sort unlikely to stoop, say : SNOB
23 Motorist’s offense, for short : DWI
24 [Shrug] : [I DUNNO]
26 Complicated situation : TANGLED WEB
28 Notable : VIP
29 Spot for a stud … or a “bud” : EAR
31 Buenos ___ : AIRES
32 Heading in the right direction? : EAST
34 Hockey legend Gordie : HOWE
37 This might be rigged : MAST
38 “Count us in!” : WOULD WE EVER!
41 Churn : ROIL
43 Home of the Nobel Peace Center : OSLO
44 Big to-do : STIR
48 Ones who know what’s coming? : SEERS
49 Blubber : SOB
51 Woman’s name that’s a palindrome : ANA
52 “Through the Looking-Glass” character : TWEEDLEDUM
56 Intestine’s place : MIDGUT
58 Pop singer’s nickname that omits 51-Across : ARI
59 Ingenuity org. : NASA
60 Italian for “milk” : LATTE
61 Golfer’s involuntary wrist spasms while putting, with “the” : … YIPS
63 Plant seen rolling through this puzzle? : TUMBLEWEED
66 Hexagon bordering two rectangles : UTAH
67 Great Lakes people : ERIES
68 John Irving protagonist T. S. ___ : GARP
69 Hawaiian goddess of volcanoes and fire : PELE
70 Hit the mall, say : SPEND
71 Possible cause of a cough : SMOG

Down

1 Gargantuan : MASSIVE
2 Kayak alternative : EXPEDIA
3 Get-togethers : MEETUPS
4 Singer McCain with the 1998 hit “I’ll Be” : EDWIN
5 16 cups: Abbr. : GAL
6 Holy scroll holder : ARK
7 Like towelettes in a fast-food restaurant : MOIST
8 It’s heaven-sent : MANNA
9 Neighbor of chlorine on the periodic table : ARGON
10 Contingencies : IFS
11 Chairs, e.g. : LEADERS
12 “Bee-you-tiful!” : SUH-WEET
13 Wings things : AD-LIBS
18 Sister of King Charles III : ANNE
22 Mediocre effort : B-GAME
25 Home of the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial : OAHU
27 Make-up artists? : LIARS
30 Candy in a gold foil wrapper : ROLO
33 Go a few rounds, say? : TWIRL
35 Essay count: Abbr. : WDS
36 Creatures described as anguilliform : EELS
39 Elizabeth of “WandaVision” : OLSEN
40 “Va-va-___!” : VOOM
41 Editorial overhaul : REWRITE
42 Like a certain Freudian complex : OEDIPAL
45 Take on together : TAG-TEAM
46 Developing, say : IN UTERO
47 Family-friendly, for the most part : RATED-PG
48 Not go to bed : STAY UP
50 Shakespearean humor : BILE
53 Sees : DATES
54 Seize : USURP
55 First lady between Bess and Jackie : MAMIE
57 University of Georgia athletes, to fans : DAWGS
62 “___ Said” (critically acclaimed 2022 biographical drama) : SHE
64 Hebrew word meaning “son of” : BEN
65 Psycho- pharmacology inits. : LSD

5 thoughts on “0316-23 NY Times Crossword 16 Mar 23, Thursday”

  1. 15:34, no errors. Was able to recognize the theme early enough to use it, a rarity for me.

  2. 12:47. Saw the the theme pretty quickly at WOULD WE EVER and went from there.

    I’ve seen golfers with the YIPS. It can ruin their game – usually just the putting.

    “Hexagon bordering two rectangles” for UTAH really threw me. Clue of the day.

    Best –

  3. Like @jeff, caught same clue early then off to the races.. and like others, groaned at “hexagon bordering two rectangles”. Ha!

  4. 41:24 with one error…no one including Bill commented on 12D so I guess suhweet is a word?
    Stay safe😀

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