0505-23 NY Times Crossword 5 May 23, Friday

Constructed by: Jacob McDermott
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: –m –s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Popular TikTok character : HASHTAG

A hashtag is a word preceded by the symbol #. Hashtags are big these days because of its use by Twitter. The “#” symbol is usually referred to as the “number sign”, but here in the US the name “pound sign” is very common as well.

13 Indecisive child’s first word, perhaps : EENIE

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,
Catch the tiger/monkey/baby by the toe.
If it hollers/screams let him go,
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, you are it!

16 Networking group? : IT SUPPORT

Information technology (IT)

17 Pantheon of Norse gods : AESIR

The gods and goddesses of Norse mythology generally belong to either the Aesir tribe or the Vanir tribe. Most of the Norse gods with which we are familiar belong to Aesir, including Odin, Thor, Frigg and Tyr. Examples of the Vanir gods are Freya and Njord. The Aesir live in Asgard, and the Vanir in Vanaheim. The Aesir and Vanir eventually united into one pantheon after the Aesir-Vanir War.

A pantheon is the set of all gods in a particular religion or mythology. The term comes from the Greek “pan” (all) “theon” (of gods). “Pantheon” is also the name given to a temple dedicated to all deities.

19 Asa Butterfield’s role on “Sex Education” : OTIS

“Sex Education” is a marvelous Netflic comedy-drama show made for Netflix that stars Gillian Anderson as a single-mother and sex therapist, and Asa Butterfield as her insecure teenage son. Highly recommended …

Asa Butterfield is an actor from London whose breakthrough came with the title role in the 2008 Holocaust movie “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas”. More recently, he starred in the excellent Netflix comedy-drama series “Sex Education”, alongside Gillian Anderson.

21 Big name in house speakers : BOSE

Bose Corporation specializes in audio equipment, including headphones, speakers, and sound systems. The company was founded in 1964 by Dr. Amar G. Bose, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Bose Corp. started as a research project in psychoacoustics, the study of how humans perceive sound.

27 1983 Herbie Hancock funk classic : ROCK IT

Herbie Hancock is a jazz pianist from Chicago who was notably a member of Miles Davis’s Second Great Quintet. Hancock started out as a classical pianist, and was considered to be a child prodigy. IN 1952 when he was 11 years old, Hancock played the first movement of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 26 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

34 Crossover, for one : SUV

“SUV” is an initialism standing for “sports utility vehicle”, and is a term that was introduced by our marketing friends. Using the phrase “sports utility vehicle” was a very clever way to get us to pay a lot of money for what was essentially a station wagon on a truck chassis, or at least it was back then.

37 Holders of many long-handled forks : FONDUE POTS

Fondue is a traditional Swiss dish comprising melted cheese served in a pot over a tabletop stove, into which diners dip bread. The term “fondue”, which is French for “melted”, is now applied more widely to similar dishes served in a communal pot into which a food is dipped. Traditional fondue is delicious, so very delicious …

40 Mandlikova with four Grand Slam tournament wins : HANA

Hana Mandlikova is a former professional tennis star from Czechoslovakia. Mandlikova won four Grand Slam titles and then retired in 1990, at the ripe old age of 28.

To win the Grand Slam of tennis, a player must win the four major tournaments in the same season:

  • The Australian Open (in mid-January, played on hard courts)
  • The French Open (in May/June, played on clay)
  • Wimbledon (in June/July, played on grass)
  • The US Open (in August/September, played on hard courts)

41 First name in civil rights : ROSA

Rosa Parks was one of a cadre of 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.

42 Award-winning PBS docuseries : NOVA

“Nova” is an excellent science television series on PBS. It was created back in 1974, and was inspired by a very similar BBC show called “Horizon”, a show that I grew up with. Many “Nova” episodes are actually co-productions with the BBC, with an American narrator used for the PBS broadcasts and a British narrator for the BBC broadcasts.

43 Leeward island where Alexander Hamilton was born : NEVIS

Nevis is an island in the Caribbean Sea, which along with the island of Saint Kitts makes up the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. At the center of Nevis is a volcano, called Nevis Peak. Apparently the clouds at the top of this peak reminded someone of snow, so the island was given the Spanish name “Nuestra Señora de las Nieves” (Our Lady of the Snows). The name “Nevis” then comes from “nieves”, the word for “snow”.

The Leeward Islands are a group of islands in the eastern Caribbean. They form the northern part of the island chain known as the Lesser Antilles. The list of Leeward Islands includes the US and British Virgin Islands.

Alexander Hamilton was one of America’s Founding Fathers, chief of staff to General George Washington and the first Secretary of the Treasury. It was Hamilton who established the nation’s first political party, the Federalist Party. He is also famous for fighting a duel with Vice President Aaron Burr, which resulted in Hamilton’s death a few days later.

44 Cub Scout den leader : AKELA

Akela is the wolf in “The Jungle Book” by Rudyard Kipling. The wolf gave his name to a cubmaster in the scouting movement, who is now known as “Akela”.

46 Vital concern : PULSE RATE

One’s pulse is the rhythmic throbbing of arteries that is usually detected at the wrist or the neck. The contraction of the heart creates a pressure wave in the blood that moves the arterial walls, which is detected as the pulse.

There are four primary vital signs that are measured by health professionals:

  1. Body temperature
  2. Blood pressure
  3. Pulse
  4. Breathing rate

48 Dum-dum : MORON

The unsavory word “moron” was formerly used by the medical community to describe someone with a degree of mental retardation. The term comes from the Greek “moros” meaning “foolish, dull”. Back in the early 1900s, IQ tests were used to classify those suffering from mental retardation into categories:

  • “idiot” … IQ of 0-20
  • “imbecile” … IQ of 21-50
  • “moron” …IQ of 51-70

50 Diplomatic professional : ENVOY

An envoy works at an embassy and is a representative of a government, and someone ranking below an ambassador. The name comes from the concept of the envoy being a “messenger” from his or her government. “Envoyer” is the French word for “to send”.

53 Creator of Aunt Annie and Benjamin B. Bickelbaum : DR SEUSS

“Dr. Seuss” was the pen name of Theodor Seuss Geisel. Geisel first used the pen name while studying at Dartmouth College and at the University of Oxford. Back then, he pronounced “Seuss” as it would be in German, i.e. rhyming with “voice”. After his books found success in the US, he went with the pronunciation being used widely by the public, quite happy to have a name that rhymes with “Mother Goose”.

Down

1 “Impish Fruit” artist, 1943 : HANS ARP

Jean Arp was a French artist renowned for his work with torn and pasted paper, although that wasn’t the only medium he used. Arp was the son of a French mother and German father and spoke both languages fluently. When he was speaking German he gave his name as Hans Arp, but when speaking French he called himself Jean Arp. Both “Hans” and “Jean” translate into English as “John”. During WWI, Arp moved to Switzerland to avoid being called up to fight, taking advantage of Swiss neutrality. Eventually he was told to report to the German Consulate and fill out paperwork for the draft. In order to get out of fighting, Arp messed up the paperwork by writing the date in every blank space on the forms. Then he took off all of his clothes and walked with his papers over to the officials in charge. Arp was sent home …

4 Prefix on the links : HTTP

“http” are the first letters in many Internet links. “http” stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol. More secure and “safer” websites (like this one!) use links starting with “https”, which stands for “http secure”).

5 Planet with a Wookieepedia page : TATOOINE

Tatooine is the desert planet that features in almost every “Star Wars” movie. It is the home planet of Anakin and Luke Skywalker, and is also where Obi-Wan Kenobi first met Han Solo.

7 First animated dinosaur (1914) : GERTIE

“Gertie the Dinosaur” is an animated short film that dates way back, to 1914. “Gertie …” was made by Winsor McCay, the cartoonist behind the old comic strip “Little Nemo”.

10 Bunny slope option : MINISKI

In North America, ski runs are given a standardized rating in terms of skiing difficulty. The ratings are:

  • Green circles: easy to ski, often termed “bunny slopes”.
  • Blue squares: medium difficulty
  • Black diamond: steep and challenging terrain
  • Double black diamond: experts only (I’ve never braved one!)

12 Needle work : TATTOO

According to a 2019 survey, about 30% of Americans have at least one tattoo, and the tattoo industry is estimated to be worth over $1 billion in the United States alone. Me? Not into pain, so one of the 70% …

23 Joint chief of staff? : WARDEN

The cooler, the pen, the joint, the slammer, the can … the prison.

24 Nellie Tayloe ___, first female governor of a U.S. state (Wyoming) : ROSS

Wyoming is nicknamed the “Equality State”, and the state’s motto is “equal rights”. Wyoming was the first state to give women the vote, and the first to allow women to serve on juries. It was also the first state to have a female governor, Nellie Tayloe Ross, who took office in 1925. Unofficially, Wyoming is also referred to as the “Cowboy State”.

26 Source of the Amazon River : PERU

The Amazon River of South America is the world’s largest in terms of volume, and accounts for an amazing one-fifth of the world’s total river flow. Perhaps even more amazing is that there are no bridges across the Amazon! There isn’t even one, mainly because the river flows through tropical rainforest where there are few roads and cities.

29 Ransomware threat : DATA LOSS

Ransomware is a piece of software used to extort money from computer users ranging from individuals to complete enterprises. The ransomware usually encrypts the victim’s data, and presents a message demanding a payment in exchange for the key needed to decrypt the data. One famous example is the WannaCry ransomware attack that was launched in May of 2017. Almost a quarter of a million computers were affected in over 150 countries. Actual ransom payments made by victims (to bitcoin accounts) amounted to over $130,000. The attackers have never been brought to justice.

30 Chalet alternatives : A-FRAMES

An A-frame house is one that has a steeply-angled roof, one forming the shape of the letter “A”. The A-frame design is popular in snowy regions, as the roof is so steeply pitched that it does not collect snow.

34 Telly on the telly, once : SAVALAS

I think we all remember Telly Savalas playing the title role in the detective drama “Kojak”, but do we recall his performance in the 1962 “Birdman of Alcatraz”? Savalas played a supporting role opposite Burt Lancaster in that movie, earning himself an Oscar nomination. Another of his more significant roles was Pontius Pilate in the 1965 epic “The Greatest Story Ever Told”. Savalas had to shave his head to play Pilate, and he liked the look so much that he remained bald for the rest of his life.

39 Like oocytes : OVULAR

An oocyte is an immature egg cell involved in reproduction.

43 First prime minister of an independent India : NEHRU

Jawaharlal Nehru was the first prime minister of India, serving from 1947-64. Nehru was basically the heir to his mentor Mahatma Gandhi. Nehru’s only daughter Indira, also became prime minister (known as Indira Gandhi through marriage, though she was not related to Mahatma).

47 Malady that rhymes with the area it affects : STYE

A stye is a bacterial infection of the sebaceous glands at the base of the eyelashes, and is also known as a hordeolum.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Popular TikTok character : HASHTAG
8 Growth area for many : WOMB
12 That’s incredible! : TALL TALE
13 Indecisive child’s first word, perhaps : EENIE
14 One way to reach a distant star : FAN LETTER
15 What a graph may show : TREND
16 Networking group? : IT SUPPORT
17 Pantheon of Norse gods : AESIR
18 Kickoff : START
19 Asa Butterfield’s role on “Sex Education” : OTIS
21 Big name in house speakers : BOSE
22 Went like a bat out of hell : TORE
23 Silly sallies : WISECRACKS
25 Appeasement : SOP
26 Take a broad view? : PAN
27 1983 Herbie Hancock funk classic : ROCK IT
28 “Same ___” : HERE
29 Owl-light : DUSK
30 On : ABOARD
33 Muscles that stretch during pregnancy : ABS
34 Crossover, for one : SUV
37 Holders of many long-handled forks : FONDUE POTS
40 Mandlikova with four Grand Slam tournament wins : HANA
41 First name in civil rights : ROSA
42 Award-winning PBS docuseries : NOVA
43 Leeward island where Alexander Hamilton was born : NEVIS
44 Cub Scout den leader : AKELA
46 Vital concern : PULSE RATE
48 Dum-dum : MORON
49 Epic fails? : PLOT HOLES
50 Diplomatic professional : ENVOY
51 Little romance, maybe : EASY READ
52 Try for : SEEK
53 Creator of Aunt Annie and Benjamin B. Bickelbaum : DR SEUSS

Down

1 “Impish Fruit” artist, 1943 : HANS ARP
2 Intrigue : ALLURE
3 Had dreams, presumably : SLEPT
4 Prefix on the links : HTTP
5 Planet with a Wookieepedia page : TATOOINE
6 Sources of some dings : ALERTS
7 First animated dinosaur (1914) : GERTIE
8 Words after a commercial break : WE’RE BACK
9 The odd thing about laundry : ONE SOCK
10 Bunny slope option : MINISKI
11 Doctor’s order : BED REST
12 Needle work : TATTOO
13 Traveler’s approx. : ETA
14 They may be shaken, but not stirred : FISTS
20 Delivery person’s uniform : SCRUBS
23 Joint chief of staff? : WARDEN
24 Nellie Tayloe ___, first female governor of a U.S. state (Wyoming) : ROSS
26 Source of the Amazon River : PERU
28 Peeked : HAD A LOOK
29 Ransomware threat : DATA LOSS
30 Chalet alternatives : A-FRAMES
31 Series opener : BOOK ONE
32 Like a set without a break, in tennis : ON SERVE
34 Telly on the telly, once : SAVALAS
35 Part of many soccer team names : UNITED
36 Tulipieres, e.g. : VASES
38 Was visually exciting : POPPED
39 Like oocytes : OVULAR
40 Frontline workers, to many : HEROES
43 First prime minister of an independent India : NEHRU
45 Whatever : ANY
47 Malady that rhymes with the area it affects : STYE

4 thoughts on “0505-23 NY Times Crossword 5 May 23, Friday”

  1. 48:13
    2 squerrs. I had vINes instead of vASes for 36D.

    I thought I was a goner at one point but I feel like what turned it around was through the multiple red herrings upon revisiting the NW corner esp. 14A. Fanletter, then 14D Fists. I feel like the dominoes fell after that.
    Recording: https://tinyurl.com/2px85s49

  2. 27:27. Did this 5 weeks ago, but Bill was going through a lot and this post wasn’t up at the time. That’s why no one had posted.

    Big fan of BOSE. Have a bunch of their stuff in my home.

    Best –

    1. At first I was looking for the name of a House Speaker til I clued in to the red herring. I counted around 14 red herrings as I call them in this puzzle i.e. the ostensible subject matter of the clue is misleading.

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