Constructed by: David Kwong
Edited by: Will Shortz
Not your puzzle? Try today’s …
… syndicated NY Times crossword
Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Too Many Cooks …
Today’s puzzle builds on the idiom “Two’s company, three’s a crowd”. Rebus squares contain the letters “ONE”, used for the down-answers. A pair of “ONE” squares side-by-side corresponds to “TWO”, and TWO is “COMPANY”. A trio of “ONE” squares side-by-side corresponds to “THREE”, and THREE is a “CROWD”:
- 16A Officer in charge of a military unit : COMPANY COMMANDER
- 25A Collective opinion : WISDOM OF THE CROWD
- 41A British Empire trade entity founded in 1600 : THE EAST INDIA COMPANY
- 55A Mass method for seeking input : CROWDSOURCING
- 1D Very high : STONED
- 2D Pressed, as clothes : IRONED
- 10D Student at Hogwarts : HERMIONE
- 11D Noted criminal whose name starts with the same first four letters as where he was imprisoned : AL CAPONE
- 22D One serving a queen : DRONE
- 37D Steak option : T-BONE
- 38D Unified : AS ONE
- 39D Like some black tea : CEYLONESE
- 49D “Seriously, don’t bother” : NO NEED
- 56D Without a break : ON END
Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers
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Bill’s time: 10m 09s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
6 Lavender, for instance : HERB
“Lavender” is the common name for the plant genus Lavandula. Lavender is used as an ornamental plant, as a culinary herb and for the production of essential oils. The plant’s name might ultimately be derived from the Latin word “lavare” meaning “to wash”, a reference to the use of essential oils in bathing.
13 One of the main roles on “30 Rock” : TRACY
Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan plays the role of Tracy Jordan on the TV show “30 Rock”. Morgan got his big break on TV when he joined the cast of “Saturday Night Live” in 1996. He stayed with the show for eight seasons.
14 Vacation rental craft : CANOE
The boat known as a canoe takes its name from the Carib word “kenu” meaning “dugout”. It was Christopher Columbus who brought “kenu” into Spanish as “canoa”, which evolved into our English “canoe”.
15 Name in “one liners” : ELI
The name “Eli” is hidden in the phrase “one liners”.
18 Maker of Colortrak TVs, once : RCA
RCA, or the Radio Corporation of America, played a significant role in the history of television as a pioneer in the industry. RCA developed and introduced the first electronic television system in 1939 at the New York World’s Fair. RCA also created the NTSC (National Television System Committee) broadcast standard, which was adopted in the United States in 1953 and is still used today for analog television broadcasting. Additionally, RCA produced the first color television sets in 1954.
19 H.S.T.’s successor : DDE
Dwight D. Eisenhower (DDE) was the 34th US president, but he wanted to be remembered as a soldier. He was a five-star general during WWII in charge of the Allied Forces in the European Theater of Operations (ETO). President Eisenhower died in 1969 at Walter Reed Army Hospital. He was buried in an $80 standard soldier’s casket in his army uniform in a chapel on the grounds of the beautiful Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas.
Harry Truman wanted to go to West Point having served with the Missouri Army National Guard on active duty in WWI, but he couldn’t get in because of his poor eyesight. Young Truman didn’t have the money to pay for college anywhere else. He did manage to study for two years towards a law degree at the Kansas City Law School in the twenties, but he never finished his schooling. So, Harry S. Truman was the last US President (out of a list of ten) who did not have a college degree.
20 The First Lady of Civil Rights : PARKS
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.
21 TV’s Don Draper, for one : AD MAN
Jon Hamm lived the life of a struggling actor for quite some time before he hit gold with a starring role in the AMC drama “Mad Men”. He plays the main character, advertising executive and man about town Don Draper.
33 One of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy : GROOT
“Guardians of the Galaxy” is a 2014 film based on a team of superheroes from the Marvel Comics universe. The movie’s cast is very impressive, including Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Glenn Close and Benicio del Toro. I don’t normally “do” superhero films, but I hear that this one is very entertaining.
39 End of a movement : CODA
In music, a coda is primarily a passage that brings a movement to a conclusion. “Coda” is Italian for “tail”.
40 Most Yemenis : ARABS
Yemen is a country located in the southwestern part of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, Oman to the east, the Red Sea to the west, and the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea to the south. Yemen has a population of over 30 million people and its capital and largest city is Sana’a.
41 British Empire trade entity founded in 1600 : THE EAST INDIA COMPANY
The period of colonial rule by the British in South Asia from 1858 to 1947 is referred to as the British Raj. Prior to 1858, the area was ruled by a private enterprise, the British East India Company. “Raj” is the Hindi word for “reign”.
46 Crow known to sing : SHERYL
Singer Sheryl Crow dated cyclist Lance Armstrong from 2003-2006. Armstrong has stated publicly more than once that Crow’s music cured his cancer.
47 ___-chic (fashion style) : BOHO
Boho-chic is a style of fashion that grew out of the bohemian and hippie looks.
49 Weeper of Greek myth : NIOBE
In Greek mythology, Niobe fled to Mount Sipylus when her children were killed. There, she was turned into stone and wept for eternity. There is indeed a Niobe’s Rock on Mount Sipylus (in modern-day Turkey) that resembles a female face, and so is known as “The Weeping Rock”.
51 Actress ___ Dawn Chong of “The Color Purple” : RAE
Rae Dawn Chong is the daughter of Tommy Chong, of “Cheech and Chong” fame. Rae Dawn acted in quite a few films in the eighties and nineties, including “The Color Purple” and “Commando”.
58 Whose sculpture faces a 2,000-foot-long reflecting pool, familiarly : ABE
The Lincoln Memorial is my favorite place to visit in the whole of Washington D.C. The memorial itself was designed by Henry Bacon, and the sculptor of the magnificent statue of President Lincoln was Daniel Chester French. I spent a wonderful afternoon a few years ago touring the workshop and home of French, in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The workshop is stunning, with miniature studies for his magnum opus, the Lincoln Statue, as well as many other beautiful works.
Down
8 Sturgeon product : ROE
Sturgeons are sometimes classed a primitive fish, meaning that their characteristic features are relatively unchanged when compared to the earliest fossil records. Several species of sturgeon are farmed for their roe, which is made into caviar.
10 Student at Hogwarts : HERMIONE
Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger are the principal characters in the “Harry Potter” series of fantasy novels by J. K. Rowling. The three are the best of friends. As the stories progress, the friendship between Ron and Hermione developed to the point that they became husband and wife and had two children together.
11 Noted criminal whose name starts with the same first four letters as where he was imprisoned : AL CAPONE
Chicago gangster Al Capone was eventually jailed for tax evasion. He was given a record 11-year sentence in federal prison, of which he served 8 years. He left prison suffering from dementia caused by late-stage syphilis. Capone suffered through 7-8 sickly years before passing away in 1947.
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary was a maximum high-security prison operating from 1934 to 1963 on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. The US Army had opened Fort Alcatraz on the island back in 1859, and constructed the first prison there in 1868. The first buildings that were to become the Federal Penitentiary were erected between 1910 and 1912, and again were used as a military prison. The construction was modernized and became the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in 1934. The Federal prison housed famous inmates like Al Capone, The Birdman of Alcatraz and “Machine Gun” Kelly. The prison was closed in 1963 by Attorney General Robert Kennedy, as the cost of operation was excessively high and major capital improvements were needed.
12 Fashion designer von Fürstenberg : DIANE
Diane von Fürstenberg (DVF) is a fashion designer from Brussels, now based in the US. Born Diane Halfin, she was Princess Diane of Fürstenberg from 1969 until 1972 while married to Prince Egon of Fürstenberg.
14 ___ Rossi (wine brand) : CARLO
Carlo Rossi is a brand of wine produced by E & J Gallo. The name was chosen in honor of a salesman working for the winery named Charles Rossi, who was also a member of the Gallo family by marriage. Charles Rossi used to appear in TV ads for the wine in seventies.
22 One serving a queen : DRONE
Drone bees (and ants) are fertile males of the species, whose sole role in life seems to be to mate with a queen. Given that drone bees make no honey, we sometimes use the term “drone” figuratively, to describe a lazy worker, or someone who lives on the labors of others.
23 Wax-wrapped wheel : EDAM
Edam cheese takes its name from the Dutch town of Edam in North Holland. The cheese is famous for its coating of red paraffin wax, a layer of protection that helps Edam travel well and prevents spoiling. You might occasionally come across an Edam cheese that is coated in black wax. The black color indicates that the underlying cheese has been aged for a minimum of 17 weeks.
26 Hairy member of the Addams family : ITT
In the television sitcom “The Addams Family”, the family had a frequent visitor named Cousin Itt. Itt is a short man with long hair that runs from his head to the floor. He was played by Italian actor Felix Silla.
They’re creepy and they’re kooky,
Mysterious and spooky,
They’re altogether ooky,
The Addams Family.
29 Path to enlightenment : TAO
The name of the Chinese character “tao” translates as “path”, but the concept of Taoism signifies the true nature of the world.
33 Number prominently featured on a GoFundMe page : GOAL
GoFundMe is a crowdfunding website, and is based in San Diego.
36 Driver’s org. : AAA
The American Automobile Association (AAA) is a not-for-profit organization focused on lobbying, provision of automobile servicing, and selling of automobile insurance. The AAA was founded in 1902 in Chicago and published the first of its celebrated hotel guides back in 1917.
39 Like some black tea : CEYLONESE
Gunpowder tea is a mainly Chinese green tea in which the leaves are rolled into small pellets. Apparently the resulting grains of tea resemble black powder, giving the name “gunpowder tea”. There is also a variety known as Formosa gunpowder grown in Taiwan, and a Ceylon gunpowder grown in Sri Lanka.
41 Rockets frequently travel in this : THE NBA
The Houston Rockets NBA team was founded as a league expansion team in 1967 in San Diego. The Rockets relocated to Houston in 1971. Surprisingly (to me), the Rockets were not named for Houston’s connection to NASA. The “Rockets” moniker was partly due to San Diego’s more tenuous NASA connection. General Dynamics’ San Diego operation developed and built the first Atlas rockets, including those used in Project Mercury.
43 Romantic ___ : ERA
The Romantic era was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated towards the end of the 18th century, and lasted until the mid-19th century. In terms of music, the era is more usually defined as the period between 1800 and 1850. The composers Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven tend to be “pigeon-holed” into the preceding Classical era, with the likes of Chopin, Schumann, Debussy and Liszt labeled as Romantic composers.
44 Former Apple laptop : IBOOK
From 1996 to 2006, Apple sold a relatively cost-effective line of laptops called iBooks. Basically, an iBook was a stripped-down version of the high-end PowerBook, in a different form factor and targeted at the consumer and education markets. The iBook was replaced by the MacBook in 2006.
45 Celebrity chef Matsuhisa, or his restaurant chain : NOBU
Nobu Matsuhisa is a celebrity chef from Japan. Nobu was invited to open a Japanese restaurant in Lima, Peru in 1973, and while in South America developed his own Peruvian-Japanese fusion cuisine. He moved to the US a few years later, and now there are “Nobu” and “Matsuhisa” restaurants all over the world.
46 Bit of gear in Dungeons & Dragons : SPEAR
Dungeons & Dragons (D&D, DND) is a complex role-playing game (RPG) introduced in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules Incorporated (TSR). Dungeons & Dragons was probably the first of the modern role-playing games to be developed, and the most successful. It is still played by lots of people today, including my youngest son …
52 “The Queen’s Gambit” actress ___ Taylor-Joy : ANYA
Actress Anya Taylor-Joy had quite the international upbringing. She was born in Miami, and raised in Buenos Aires and then London. She is perhaps best known for playing the title character in the 2020 film adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Emma”, and the lead role in the Netflix miniseries “The Queen’s Gambit”.
“The Queen’s Gambit” is a wonderful 2020 miniseries based on a 1983 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis. Anya Taylor-Joy plays a young chess prodigy who has a tough upbringing in an orphanage, and who then struggles with alcohol and drug dependency. The series was so popular with viewers that it sparked a renewed interest in the game of chess, with sales of chess sets and chess books increasing dramatically.
53 “Holy Toledo!” : EGAD!
The origin of the term “Holy Toledo!” is much debated. My favorite story is that it comes from the days of Vaudeville. Back then, the week before Easter (Holy Week) was the worst week at the box office. Old Vaudeville entertainers used to quip that any week in Toledo was Holy Week, that ticket sales were always bad there. They referred to the city as “Holy Toledo”.
57 Tesla, for one : CAR
Tesla Motors shortened its name to just “Tesla” in early 2017.
Read on, or …
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Parts of a horse’s bloodline : SIRES
6 Lavender, for instance : HERB
10 Gave birth to : HAD
13 One of the main roles on “30 Rock” : TRACY
14 Vacation rental craft : CANOE
15 Name in “one liners” : ELI
16 Officer in charge of a military unit : COMPANY COMMANDER
18 Maker of Colortrak TVs, once : RCA
19 H.S.T.’s successor : DDE
20 The First Lady of Civil Rights : PARKS
21 TV’s Don Draper, for one : AD MAN
23 Bibliographical abbr. : ET AL
24 Line at a pool hall : STRIPE
25 Collective opinion : WISDOM OF THE CROWD
30 Crack squad : A-TEAM
31 Speak highly of : LAUD
32 Grow (from) : STEM
33 One of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy : GROOT
35 “Later!” : TA-TA!
39 End of a movement : CODA
40 Most Yemenis : ARABS
41 British Empire trade entity founded in 1600 : THE EAST INDIA COMPANY
46 Crow known to sing : SHERYL
47 ___-chic (fashion style) : BOHO
48 Step on it : PEDAL
49 Weeper of Greek myth : NIOBE
51 Actress ___ Dawn Chong of “The Color Purple” : RAE
54 High school subj. : ENG
55 Mass method for seeking input : CROWDSOURCING
58 Whose sculpture faces a 2,000-foot-long reflecting pool, familiarly : ABE
59 Eavesdropping sort, maybe : SNEAK
60 G.P.A. booster : EASY A
61 “Far out!” : RAD!
62 It keeps going in circles : EDDY
63 Apprehension : DREAD
Down
1 Very high : STONED
2 Pressed, as clothes : IRONED
3 What hearts and horses might do : RACE
4 “Green” starter : ECO-
5 Sign that you have something : SYMPTOM
6 Hair piece : HANK
7 Word with split or loose : … ENDS
8 Sturgeon product : ROE
9 Really let have it : BERATED
10 Student at Hogwarts : HERMIONE
11 Noted criminal whose name starts with the same first four letters as where he was imprisoned : AL CAPONE
12 Fashion designer von Fürstenberg : DIANE
14 ___ Rossi (wine brand) : CARLO
17 Palindromic term of address : MA’AM
22 One serving a queen : DRONE
23 Wax-wrapped wheel : EDAM
24 Close : SHUT
25 Portrayed : WAS
26 Hairy member of the Addams family : ITT
27 “Can’t you ___?” : SEE
28 Gently suggest, as an idea : FLOAT
29 Path to enlightenment : TAO
33 Number prominently featured on a GoFundMe page : GOAL
34 Ramps might connect them: Abbr. : RDS
35 Many a jazz ensemble : TRIO
36 Driver’s org. : AAA
37 Steak option : T-BONE
38 Unified : AS ONE
39 Like some black tea : CEYLONESE
40 Stuck (to) : ADHERED
41 Rockets frequently travel in this : THE NBA
42 Played it safe, in a way : HEDGED
43 Romantic ___ : ERA
44 Former Apple laptop : IBOOK
45 Celebrity chef Matsuhisa, or his restaurant chain : NOBU
46 Bit of gear in Dungeons & Dragons : SPEAR
49 “Seriously, don’t bother” : NO NEED
50 Brit’s “My word!” : I SAY!
51 “All ___” : RISE
52 “The Queen’s Gambit” actress ___ Taylor-Joy : ANYA
53 “Holy Toledo!” : EGAD!
56 Without a break : ON END
57 Tesla, for one : CAR
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10 thoughts on “0323-23 NY Times Crossword 23 Mar 23, Thursday”
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21:18, no errors. Took a long time to see the need for rebus entries since CAPONE seemed to work in 11D. Took even longer to understand why some entries had 2 rebuses and others had 3.
Many entries brought back memories. I remember my father switching careers from Postal Worker to Electronics Technician after taking the RCA home study course. He took me to an open house at the RCA Building in Manhattan where I got my first glimpse of a color TV.
21:13, no errors. By the time I finished, I understood that each set of ONE’s was meant to represent some kind of “group”, but I didn’t catch on to the connection with the phrase “two is company, three is a crowd” until some time later. (I had thought of “group commander” instead of “company commander” and the phrases “wisdom of the crowd” and “crowd sourcing” did not come readily to mind. “East India Company” did come to mind, but didn’t trigger the necessary association.)
In other news, Brendan Emmett Quigley’s latest puzzle contains what I’m absolutely certain (wink, wink … 😜) is a nod to one of his most devoted solvers: The clue for 37-Across is “Dentist’s concern” and the answer is (drum roll) “TOOTH DK”! What a clever way to insert my initials into his puzzle!
29:47. I got the theme but never really got the theme. I saw the pattern, but I didn’t look for the meaning since I was filling it all in anyway.
My mother passed away 2 nights ago. I think that’s slowing down my brain as well.
Best –
I’m sorry to hear that, Jeff. You have my sympathy.
Solved it Thursday night with a cat sleeping on my lap that never sits on anybody’s lap. The cat got a nice nap with my solve time of 37:14, with time added beyond that to try to figure out the theme, the operative word being “try” :- )
46:27 2 squares wrong.
Soho , Niome->
Boho, Niobe
woops, finger slipped. Nick here.
Same as others. Got the whole crossword filled in. Didn’t get the ONE theme.
43:12 no errors…it took a minute to get the “company crowd” part of the theme but it actually helped for a change👍👍
Stay safe😀
NIOME/NOMU Grrr…