0421-23 NY Times Crossword 21 Apr 23, Friday

Constructed by: Erica Hsiung Wojcik & Matthew Stock
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 11m 15s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Scholarship-offering grp. : NCAA

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)

5 Drink company with a wave in its logo : OCEAN SPRAY

The Ocean Spray brand is owned by a cooperative of growers in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, growers of cranberries and grapefruit.

16 Beefy filling : CARNE ASADA

The name of the dish called “carne asada” translates from Spanish as “roasted meat”.

18 Jorge Luis Borges vis-à-vis William Faulkner or Franz Kafka : TRANSLATOR

Jorge Luis Borges was an Argentine writer and poet from Buenos Aires. By the time Borges was in his early thirties, he was published many times. However, he had not achieved sufficient success to support himself as a writer, and so started a career as a public lecturer. Around this time, Borges garnered more attention through his speaking, but also started to lose his sight. He was to become completely blind in his late fifties. It has been suggested that this progressive blindness gave him a particularly unique writing style, one that was to bring him a lot of celebrity and respect. One of Borges’ more famous quotations is, “I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library”.

William Faulkner was a writer from Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner had been publishing works for thirty years and was largely unknown before he received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1949. He came to despise the fame that came with the award. Even his 17-year-old daughter wasn’t told about his winning the Nobel Prize, and she had to learn about it at school.

Franz Kafka was born in 1883 in Prague, then part of Bohemia and today the capital of the Czech Republic. Kafka is known as one of the greatest novelists who worked in the German language, and even has an adjective named after him. Something that is “kafkaesque” is senseless, disorienting and may have menacing complexity. As it was for many great artists, Kafka’s fame came after his death when much of his work was published.

19 Lengua with a tilde : ESPANOL

In “Español” (Spanish), the word “lengua” translates as “language”.

The tilde diacritical mark (~) is very much associated with the Spanish language. We use the name “tilde” in English, taking that name from Spanish. Confusingly, the word “tilde” in Spanish is used more generally to mean “accent mark, diacritic”, of which a “~” is just one. What we call a “tilde” in English is usually referred to as a “virgulilla” or “tilde de la eñe” in Spanish.

23 Concerning, with “of” : APROPOS

“Apropos”, meaning “relevant, opportune”, comes into English directly from French, in which language “à propos” means “to the purpose”. Note that we use the term as one word (apropos), whereas the original French is two words (à propos).

25 Low notes? : MOOS

The cattle are lowing, mooing.

26 Power ender : -ADE

Powerade is one of those sports drinks, and is the only real competitor to Gatorade.

31 Horror actor Lugosi : BELA

Bela Lugosi was a Hungarian stage and screen actor who was perhaps best known for playing the title role in the 1931 film “Dracula” and for playing the same role on Broadway. Lugosi found himself typecast for the rest of his career and almost always played the role of the villain, often in horror movies. When he passed away in 1956, his wife had him buried in the costume he wore playing Count Dracula on Broadway.

37 Obsolescent two-in-one device : CALCULATOR WATCH

Something described as “obsolescent” is going out of use, becoming “obsolete”.

41 Certain spoken-word performer : SLAM POET

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.

42 Draped garment : SARI

The item of clothing called a “sari” (also “saree”) is a strip of cloth, as one might imagine, unusual perhaps in that it is unstitched along the whole of its length. The strip of cloth can range from four to nine meters long (that’s a lot of material!). The sari is usually wrapped around the waist, then draped over the shoulder leaving the midriff bare. I must say, it can be a beautiful item of clothing.

43 Red-eye ingredient : ESPRESSO

Espresso is made by forcing extremely hot water, under pressure, through finely ground coffee beans. The result is a thick and concentrated coffee drink that contains quite a lot of solids and a lot of foam. An espresso machine was first patented in 1884 in Italy, although it was a machine to make the beverage in bulk. The first patent for a machine that made individual measures was applied for in 1901, also in Italy.

47 Oscar or Felipe, to Miguel, in Pixar’s “Coco” : TIO

“Coco” is a 2017 Pixar movie about a 12-year-old boy named Miguel who ends up in the land of the dead by accident. There, he seeks out the help of the great-great-grandfather to get back to his family in the land of the living.

53 Landmark 1990 antidiscrimination legislation, for short : ADA

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)

57 More than 75% of Finland, environmentally : FORESTS

The Nordic country of Finland is the most sparsely populated nation in the European Union. The relatively modest population of 5.5 million people lives in the eighth largest country on the continent.

59 Where servers work around the clock : DATA CENTER

In the world of computer science, a computer accessing a service is called a “client”. The service is provided on a computer called a “server”. These days, clients and servers often communicate via the Internet. I am typing up this blog post on my laptop (the client) and am connected via the Internet to the Google Drive service that resides on a computer somewhere (the server).

62 Ici : French :: ___ : Spanish : AQUI

“Here” is “aquí” in Spanish, and “ici” in French.

Down

1 Trade letters : NYSE

The roots of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) go back to 1792 when a group of 24 stock brokers set up the New York Stock & Exchange Board. They did so in an agreement signed under a buttonwood tree outside 68 Wall Street. That document became known as the Buttonwood Agreement. Today, the NYSE is located in a National Historic Landmark building with the address 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City.

3 Unaccompanied, in a way : A CAPPELLA

A cappella music is sung without instruments accompanying. “A cappella” translates from Italian as “in the manner of the chapel”.

4 Great, in Arabic : AKBAR

The Arabic phrase “Allahu akbar” is usually translated as “God is greatest”. The phrase can be seen written in Arabic letters at the center of the flag of Iraq, and written 22 times across the flag of Iran.

5 They’re armed to the gills : OCTOPI

The term “octopus” comes from the Greek for “eight-footed”. The most common plural used is “octopuses”, although the Greek plural form “octopodes” is also quite correct. The plural “octopi” isn’t really correct as the inference is that “octopus” is like a second-declension Latin noun, which it isn’t. That said, dictionaries are now citing “octopi” as an acceptable plural. Language does evolve, even though it drives me crazy …

8 Actress Gunn of “Breaking Bad” : ANNA

Anna Gunn is an actress from Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is best known for playing Skyler White on the TV show “Breaking Bad”.

11 “This is your brain on drugs” spot, e.g., in brief : PSA

“This Is Your Brain on Drugs” was a memorable anti-narcotics campaign launched in 1987 that used the effective imagery of two eggs frying in a pan.

13 Mexican marinade : ADOBO

In Spanish and Mexican cuisine, a dish prepared “adobo” style has been marinated in a mixture containing paprika, oregano, salt, garlic and vinegar. “Adobo” is Spanish for “marinade, seasoning”.

14 Fabulist’s fabulations : YARNS

The phrase “to spin a yarn”, meaning “to tell a tall tale”, originated in the early 1800s with seamen. The idea was that sailors would tell stories to each other while engaged in mindless work such as twisting yarn.

A “fabulist” is a writer of “fables”.

25 High lands : MESAS

“Mesa” is the Spanish for “table” and is how we get the term “mesa” that describes the geographic feature. A mesa is similar to a butte. Both are hills with flat tops, but a mesa has a top that is wider than it is tall. A butte is a much narrower formation, taller than it is wide.

26 Kindergarten stuff : ABCS

“Kindergarten” is a German term, one translating as “children’s garden”. The term was coined by the German education authority Friedrich Fröbel in 1837, when he used it as the name for his play and activity institute that he created for young children to use before they headed off to school. His thought was that children should be nourished educationally, like plants in a garden.

29 1920 play from which the word “robot” comes : RUR

Karel Čapek was a Czech writer noted for his works of science fiction. Čapek’s 1921 play “R.U.R.” is remembered in part for introducing the world to the word “robot”. The words “automaton” and “android” were already in use, but Capek gave us “robot” from the original Czech “robota” meaning “forced labor”. The acronym “R.U.R.”, in the context of the play, stands for “Rossum’s Universal Robots”.

34 That’s just the way it is : STATUS QUO

“Status quo” translates from Latin as “state in which”, and in English is used to mean the existing condition or state of affairs.

36 Cuyahoga Valley National Park setting : OHIO

The Cuyahoga River in northeastern Ohio has a sad history. Deemed to be one of the most polluted US rivers in the 20th century, the river actually caught fire at least 13 times. A 1952 blaze caused over a million dollars worth of damage. Things have improved over the past few decades, with fish now inhabiting stretches off the river that were once practically devoid of life.

38 Co. famous for its trucks : UPS

United Parcel Service (UPS) is based in Sandy Springs, Georgia and has its own airline that operates out of Louisville, Kentucky. UPS often goes by the nickname “Brown”, because of its brown delivery trucks and brown uniforms.

40 ___ Lingus : AER

Aer Lingus is the flag carrier airline of Ireland. It was founded in 1936 by the Irish government to provide air service between Ireland and the United Kingdom. The airline’s name means “air fleet” in Irish. In the 1950s, Aer Lingus became the first airline in the world to introduce a duty-free shopping service on board its flights.

45 They’ve got bills for their newborns : STORKS

In German and Dutch society, storks resting on the roof of a house were considered a sign of good luck. This tradition led to nursery stories that babies were brought to families by storks.

46 “Jingle Bells” contraction : O’ER

The traditional Christmas song “Jingle Bells” was first published in 1857, penned by James Lord Pierpont. We associate the song with Christmas, although in fact Pierpont wrote it as a celebration of Thanksgiving.

Dashing through the snow
In a one horse open sleigh
O’er the fields we go
Laughing all the way

49 Home of the Sawtooth Wilderness : IDAHO

Sawtooth National Forest is located almost completely in Idaho, with 4% of its area spilling over into Utah. Named for the Sawtooth Mountains that cross it, the area was set aside for the nation in a proclamation signed by President Teddy Roosevelt in 1905.

50 Turkic language : TATAR

Tatars (sometimes “Tartars”) are an ethnic group of people who mainly reside in Russia (a population of about 5 1/2 million). One of the more famous people with a Tatar heritage was Hollywood actor Charles Bronson. Bronson’s real name was Charles Buchinsky.

52 “No more than passing from one room into another,” per Helen Keller : DEATH

Helen Keller became a noted author, despite being deaf and blind, largely through the work of her teacher Anne Sullivan. Keller was left deaf and blind after an illness (possibly meningitis or scarlet fever) when she was about 18 months old. She was to become the first deaf and blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. The relationship between Sullivan and Keller is immortalized in the play and film called “The Miracle Worker”.

54 “Law & Order: SVU” actor : ICE-T

Rapper Ice-T must be tired of having his name come up as an answer in crossword puzzles (I know I am!). Born Tracy Marrow, Ice-T has been interested in acting for decades and made his film debut in the 1984 movie about breakdancing called “Breakin’”. He has also played Detective Fin Tutuola in the TV show “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” since the year 2000.

55 Mother of Artemis : LETO

In Greek mythology, the goddess Leto and her sister Asteria are daughters of the Titans Coeus and Phoebe. Leto’s twin children Apollo and Artemis were fathered by Zeus, the king of the gods.

60 One of 17 spaces on a Monopoly board: Abbr. : AVE

The street names in the original US version of the board game Monopoly are locations in or around Atlantic City, New Jersey.

61 Half a cocktail : … TAI

The mai tai cocktail is strongly associated with the Polynesian islands, but the drink was supposedly invented in 1944 in Trader Vic’s restaurant in Oakland, California. One recipe is 6 parts white rum, 3 parts orange curaçao, 3 parts orgeat syrup, 1 part rock candy syrup, 2 parts fresh lime juice, all mixed with ice and then a float added of 6 parts dark rum. “Maita’i” is the Tahitian word for “good”.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Scholarship-offering grp. : NCAA
5 Drink company with a wave in its logo : OCEAN SPRAY
15 “Blech!” : YUCK!
16 Beefy filling : CARNE ASADA
17 Attempt : STAB
18 Jorge Luis Borges vis-à-vis William Faulkner or Franz Kafka : TRANSLATOR
19 Lengua with a tilde : ESPANOL
21 Took in : ATE
22 ___ al-Haytham, medieval mathematician called “the father of modern optics” : IBN
23 Concerning, with “of” : APROPOS
25 Low notes? : MOOS
26 Power ender : -ADE
27 Scatter : DISPERSE
31 Horror actor Lugosi : BELA
33 Noncommittal assent : I GUESS SO
37 Obsolescent two-in-one device : CALCULATOR WATCH
41 Certain spoken-word performer : SLAM POET
42 Draped garment : SARI
43 Red-eye ingredient : ESPRESSO
47 Oscar or Felipe, to Miguel, in Pixar’s “Coco” : TIO
48 Number ones, e.g. : HITS
51 Was out of one’s league, so to speak : DATED UP
53 Landmark 1990 antidiscrimination legislation, for short : ADA
54 Type : ILK
57 More than 75% of Finland, environmentally : FORESTS
59 Where servers work around the clock : DATA CENTER
62 Ici : French :: ___ : Spanish : AQUI
63 “OK, there’s something puzzling me …” : I HAVE TO ASK …
64 Spin : TURN
65 Shredded : TORE TO BITS
66 Clod busters : HOES

Down

1 Trade letters : NYSE
2 Finalizes business (with) : CUTS A DEAL
3 Unaccompanied, in a way : A CAPPELLA
4 Great, in Arabic : AKBAR
5 They’re armed to the gills : OCTOPI
6 Former N.B.A. All-Star Boozer : CARLOS
7 Period of one’s life, in TikTok talk : ERA
8 Actress Gunn of “Breaking Bad” : ANNA
9 Sticks together? : NEST
10 Something’s off with this : SALE
11 “This is your brain on drugs” spot, e.g., in brief : PSA
12 Two to one, e.g. : RATIO
13 Mexican marinade : ADOBO
14 Fabulist’s fabulations : YARNS
20 Go-ahead : NOD
24 Like a roast pig : SPITTED
25 High lands : MESAS
26 Kindergarten stuff : ABCS
28 It’s not you, it’s me : EGO
29 1920 play from which the word “robot” comes : RUR
30 Needle, in a way : SEW
32 Number one spots : ACMES
34 That’s just the way it is : STATUS QUO
35 What’s the Word? : SCRIPTURE
36 Cuyahoga Valley National Park setting : OHIO
38 Co. famous for its trucks : UPS
39 Cut (off) : LOP
40 ___ Lingus : AER
44 Best-kept : SAFEST
45 They’ve got bills for their newborns : STORKS
46 “Jingle Bells” contraction : O’ER
48 Lost all patience : HAD IT
49 Home of the Sawtooth Wilderness : IDAHO
50 Turkic language : TATAR
52 “No more than passing from one room into another,” per Helen Keller : DEATH
54 “Law & Order: SVU” actor : ICE-T
55 Mother of Artemis : LETO
56 Many a handle : KNOB
58 Confessor’s confessions : SINS
60 One of 17 spaces on a Monopoly board: Abbr. : AVE
61 Half a cocktail : … TAI

12 thoughts on “0421-23 NY Times Crossword 21 Apr 23, Friday”

  1. 13:27. Pretty straightforward today. I knew Bill wouldn’t like OCTOPI.

    According to the app, this was my 2000th NYT solve. I’ll be serving drinks in the lobby to celebrate. Feel free to stop by…

    Best –

  2. 22:11, no errors. I had trouble with the short entries while getting the long ones pretty easily. Go figure.

  3. @glen – SUPER pic!! I was not on the same wavelength at all. Thanks for doing that picture… wow!!

  4. As for grid, messed up at MOOS and EBN. didn’t get there.

    The rest was ok.

    My first electronic calculator was a nixie tube type display. I was on top of the world. I could stay up late in the dark , do calculations, all while listening to my new FM radio.

  5. 29:10
    10 lett-errs.
    Problems NE and SW with:
    Mexican marinade and Beefy filling, Sawtooth Wilderness and Turkic tongue.

    Approach 30 min. I had it, I was zonked, and slammed in Hail Marys like HONS for Number Ones and YADAS for Fabulist’s fabulations.

    1. usually not one to nitpick but “Fabulists Fabulations,” not a fan of that clue. I find it a hyperbolic clue for the word, ‘yarn’ which may be real, not necessarily imagined, story. I do not think yarn, although it can be tall tale, has that strong a connotation of falsity as the clue implied. Could be wrong.

  6. Also IRA for the Middle Eastern math guy. Not exactly an Arab name LOL.

    (IBN did actually cross my mind.)

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