Constructed by: Philip Koski
Edited by: Will Shortz
Not your puzzle? Try today’s …
… syndicated NY Times crossword
Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Breaking
There is a note with today’s puzzle:
When this puzzle is done, reinterpret each set of shaded squares as three words (1,2,1). Then apply the result to 20-, 22-, 54- and 56-Across to see what 34-Across was once tasked to do.
Those shaded squares give us:
- 15A “___ the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference”: Robert Frost : I TOOK [I to O]
- 29A Gives props : PRAISES [A is E]
- 42A Boil down : DISTILL [D is T]
- 62A Squirrel away : STORE [S to R]
Applying the above letter changes to the words with letters circled in the grid gives us:
- 20A With veneration : SACREDLY (decodes to “SECRETLY”)
- 22A End analysis paralysis : DECIDE (decodes to “DECODE”)
- 54A Meter-reading guy : GASMAN (decodes to “GERMAN”)
- 56A Rubs the right way? : MASSAGES (decodes to “MESSAGES”)
- 34A English site of W.W. II code-breaking : BLETCHLEY PARK
- Mount Holyoke
- Vassar
- Wellesley
- Smith
- Radcliffe
- Bryn Mawr
- Barnard
Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers
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Bill’s time: 12m 20S
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
1 Sea urchin, in Japanese cuisine : UNI
Sea urchins are globular, spiny creatures found just about everywhere in the ocean. The “roe” of a sea urchin is eaten as a delicacy in several cuisines around the world. In a sushi restaurant, the sea urchin roe is called “uni”. The term “roe” normally means “fish eggs”, but in the case of the sea urchin it refers to the gonads of both the male and female.
4 Noted Swede of the silver screen : GARBO
Famously, Greta Garbo lived a life of seclusion in New York City after she retired from the entertainment business. Commentators often associated her need for privacy with a line she uttered in the great 1932 movie “Grand Hotel”. Her character Grusinskaya the Russian ballerina said, “I want to be alone (…) I just want to be alone”.
15 “___ the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference”: Robert Frost : I TOOK
Robert Frost had a poem published in 1916 in which he describes the road he took in the last lines:
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Because of these last lines, the poem is often assumed to be titled “The Road Less Traveled”. In fact, the poem’s correct name is “The Road Not Taken”. Quite interesting …
16 Prefix with biology : PALEO-
The prefix “paleo-” means “prehistoric, primitive”. It comes from the Greek word “palaios” which means “old, ancient”. The prefix “neo-” would be the opposite, meaning “new, recent”.
17 Agent Mulder’s obsession, in brief : ETS
“The X-Files” is a very successful science fiction show that originally aired on the Fox network from 1993 to 2002. The stars of the show are David Duchovny (playing Fox Mulder) and the very talented Gillian Anderson (playing Dana Scully). By the time the series ended, “The X-Files” was the longest running sci-fi show in US broadcast history. An “X-Files” reboot started airing in 2016 with Duchovny and Anderson reprising their starring roles.
19 Amazon deposits : SILTS
Today, we mostly think of silt as a deposit of sediment in a river. Back in the mid-1400s, silt was sediment deposited by seawater. It is thought that the word “silt” is related to “salt”, as found in seawater.
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 Gives props : PRAISES
“Props” is North American slang for “proper respect”.
31 Christmas tree lighting reaction : OOH!
The custom of decorating trees at Christmas seems to have originated in Renaissance Germany. Those first trees were placed in guildhalls and were decorated with sweets and candy for the apprentices and children. After the Protestant Reformation, the Christmas tree became an alternative in Protestant homes for the Roman Catholic Christmas cribs. The Christmas tree tradition was imported into Britain by the royal family because of its German heritage. That tradition spread from Britain into North America.
32 N.B.A. team with the most Hall-of-Famers, familiarly : CELTS
The Boston Celtics NBA basketball team was founded just after WWII, in 1946. The Celtics won eight league championships in a row from 1958 to 1966. That’s the longest consecutive championship winning streak of any professional sports team in North America.
34 English site of W.W. II code-breaking : BLETCHLEY PARK
Bletchley Park was a major codebreaking center during World War II used by the British, and ultimately the Allied Powers. It was at Bletchley Park where messages encoded by the German Enigma machines were broken. I visited Bletchley a few years ago, and found it to be a very cool place …
40 Device patented in 1970 as an “X-Y position indicator for a display system” : MOUSE
The computer mouse was invented at the Stanford Research Institute in 1963, by one Douglas Engelbart. Sadly for him, his patent ran out before mice became standard equipment on computers, so he never made any money from his amazing invention.
41 What’s in the middle of Nashville? : VEE
The middle letter of the word “Nashville” is a letter V (vee).
51 Scale abbr. : OZS
Our term “ounce” (abbreviated to “oz.”) comes from the Latin “uncia”, which was 1/12 of a “libra”, the Roman “pound”. “Uncia” is also the derivation of our word “inch”, 1/12 of a foot.
53 U.S. capital in Lewis and Clark County : HELENA
Helena is the capital of the state of Montana, and is known as the Queen City of the Rockies. Helena’s main street has a very colorful name, i.e. Last Chance Gulch.
59 Shakespeare’s “___ Andronicus” : TITUS
“Titus Andronicus” is one of Shakespeare’s tragedies, perhaps even the first that he wrote. I’ve never seen the play and apparently it is very gory, perhaps the reason why it was quite popular in Shakespeare’s own lifetime. Over the decades, sensibilities have changed and as a result, “Titus Andronicus” is performed less often today than his other works.
63 Second-smallest of 50: Abbr. : DEL
The state of Delaware takes its name from Virginia’s first colonial governor, Englishman Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr. Delaware is known as “the First State” as it was the first to ratify the US Constitution, in 1787.
65 “Arabian Nights” prince : AHMED
The marvelous collection of folk tales from the Middle East called “One Thousand and One Nights” is sometimes known as “Arabian Nights” in the English-speaking world. The original collection of tales did not include the three with which we are most familiar in the West. European translators added some stories, including “Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp”, “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”, and “The Seven Voyages of Sinbad”.
66 Ones with issues to work on, for short : EDS
Editor (ed.)
Down
4 Supermodel Bündchen : GISELE
Gisele Bündchen is a fashion model from Brazil. Bündchen does quite well for herself as she has been the highest-paid model in the world for several years now and has amassed a fortune of about $150 million. She was romantically involved with Leonardo DiCaprio for about five years and was married for thirteen years to Tom Brady, the NFL quarterback.
6 Turn in Yahtzee, e.g. : ROLL
The dice game Yahtzee was introduced in 1956 and is a variant of earlier dice games, especially the game “Yacht” (which even has a similar name). Yahtzee is required entertainment in our house during holidays. The game involves the rolling of five dice, with the intent of getting certain combinations. A lot of those combinations resemble poker hands, such as a straight, three of a kind, four of a kind and a full house.
9 Nook for a cardinal : APSE
An apse of a church or cathedral is a semicircular recess in an outer wall, usually with a half-dome as a roof and often where there resides an altar. Originally, apses were used as burial places for the clergy and also for storage of important relics.
10 Exercise often described as “meditation in motion” : TAI CHI
More correctly called “t‘ai chi ch‘uan”, tai chi is a martial art that is mostly practiced to improve overall health and increase longevity.
21 Swiss drug giant : ROCHE
The giant pharmaceutical and medical diagnostics company Hoffmann-La Roche is based in Basel, Switzerland. The company was founded back in 1896 by Fritz Hoffmann-La Roche, and initially produced vitamins.
25 Bad temper : SPLEEN
“To vent one’s spleen” means to vent one’s anger, perhaps by shouting and screaming. This expression is rooted in the humoral medicine of the ancient Greeks. The Greeks believed that a person’s temperament was dictated by the balance of the body’s four “humors”. The spleen produced the humor known as yellow bile, which was associated with an aggressive and energetic personality.
28 Woodstock artist : SCHULZ
Woodstock is Snoopy’s best friend in the Charles Schulz comic strip “Peanuts”. He is a little yellow bird, and takes his name from the Woodstock rock festival. The naming is a reference to the festival’s iconic publicity poster that features a dove of peace sitting on the neck of a guitar.
30 Sight in the final scene of “Cleopatra” : ASP
The asp is a venomous snake found in the Nile region of Africa. It is so venomous that the asp was used in ancient Egypt and Greece as a means of execution. Cleopatra observed such executions noting that the venom brought on sleepiness without any painful spasms. When the great queen opted to commit suicide, the asp was therefore her chosen method.
The 1963 movie “Cleopatra” really is an epic work. It was the highest grossing film of the year, taking in $26 million dollars at the box office, yet it still lost money. The original budget for the film was just $2 million, but so many things went wrong the final cost swelled to a staggering $44 million dollars, making it the second most expensive movie ever made (taking into account inflation). Elizabeth Taylor was supposed to earn a record amount of $1 million for the film, and ended up earning seven times that amount due to delays. But she paid dearly, as she became seriously ill during shooting and had to have an emergency tracheotomy to save her life. The scar in her throat can actually be seen in some of the shots in the film.
33 Rapid transit options : ELS
Elevated railroad (El)
35 “Enough!,” said? : TMI!
Too much information (TMI)
37 Walled city of Spain : AVILA
The Spanish city of Ávila is famous for the walled defenses around the old city (“la muralla de Ávila”) that date back to 1090. They were constructed out of brown granite, and are still in excellent repair. There are nine gateways and eighty-towers in all. Even the cathedral built between the 12th and 14th centuries is part of the city’s defenses, so it looks like an imposing fortress.
44 Plants from which ropes are made : SISALS
The sisal plant is an agave, the flesh of which is not generally used in making tequila. Sisal is grown instead for the fibers that run the length of its leaves. The fiber is used extensively for twine, rope, carpeting, wall coverings etc. My favorite application though, is in the construction of dartboards. Sisal takes its name from the port of Sisal in Yucatan, Mexico that was a major shipping point for sisal plants.
45 Soybean product : TEMPEH
Tempeh is a soy product that originated in Indonesia. It is made from soybeans that have been partly cooked and fermented. I’ve had quite a bit of tempeh used as a meat substitute in vegetarian dishes. It doesn’t have an appealing texture to me, so I’m not a fan …
48 Tinkered (with) : MESSED
To tinker with something is to adjust or experiment with it. Back in the late 1500’s, “to tinker” was “to work as a tinker”. In those days, a tinker was someone who mended pots and pans.
49 Things that Jackson Pollock famously eschewed : EASELS
The word “easel” comes from an old Dutch word meaning “donkey”, would you believe? The idea is that an easel carries its load (an oil painting, say) just as a donkey would be made to carry a load.
Jackson Pollock was an abstract expressionist painter who famously used a “drip painting” style. Pollock was married to Lee Krasner, herself an influential abstract expressionist.
52 One of the Seven Sisters colleges : SMITH
The Seven Sisters are a group of (traditionally women’s) colleges in the northeast of the country that were founded to parallel the all-male (as they were then) Ivy League colleges. The seven are:
55 “The Thin Man” pet : ASTA
Asta is the wonderful little dog in the superb “The Thin Man” series of films starring William Powell and Myrna Loy (as Nick and Nora Charles). In the original story by Dashiell Hammett, Asta was a female Schnauzer, but on screen Asta was played by a wire-haired fox terrier called “Skippy”. Skippy was also the dog in “Bringing Up Baby” with Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn, the one who kept stealing the dinosaur bone. Skippy retired in 1939, so Asta was played by other dogs in the remainder of “The Thin Man” films.
59 Org. that lets you carry on : TSA
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is the agency that employs the good folks who check passengers and baggage at airports.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Sea urchin, in Japanese cuisine : UNI
4 Noted Swede of the silver screen : GARBO
9 In the slightest : AT ALL
14 Prince, e.g. : SON
15 “___ the one less traveled by, / And that has made all the difference”: Robert Frost : I TOOK
16 Prefix with biology : PALEO-
17 Agent Mulder’s obsession, in brief : ETS
18 Notes to self? : SOLOS
19 Amazon deposits : SILTS
20 With veneration : SACREDLY (decodes to “SECRETLY”)
22 End analysis paralysis : DECIDE (decodes to “DECODE”)
23 Support : UPHOLD
24 “___ expected …” : AS I
26 One who’s bound to succeed? : HEIR
27 It’s due in court : PROCESS
29 Gives props : PRAISES
31 Christmas tree lighting reaction : OOH!
32 N.B.A. team with the most Hall-of-Famers, familiarly : CELTS
34 English site of W.W. II code-breaking : BLETCHLEY PARK
40 Device patented in 1970 as an “X-Y position indicator for a display system” : MOUSE
41 What’s in the middle of Nashville? : VEE
42 Boil down : DISTILL
46 Convention winner : NOMINEE
50 Something that Dr. Mom might tend to : OWIE
51 Scale abbr. : OZS
53 U.S. capital in Lewis and Clark County : HELENA
54 Meter-reading guy : GASMAN (decodes to “GERMAN”)
56 Rubs the right way? : MASSAGES (decodes to “MESSAGES”)
58 Has finally *had* it : SNAPS
59 Shakespeare’s “___ Andronicus” : TITUS
60 Word of favor : AYE
61 Shelter from a storm : INLET
62 Squirrel away : STORE
63 Second-smallest of 50: Abbr. : DEL
64 Gospel singer ___ Cobbs Leonard : TASHA
65 “Arabian Nights” prince : AHMED
66 Ones with issues to work on, for short : EDS
Down
1 Drains : USES UP
2 “‘S all good” : NOT A PROB
3 Like over 40% of all Americans aged 18-24 : IN SCHOOL
4 Supermodel Bündchen : GISELE
5 Crossing swords : AT ODDS
6 Turn in Yahtzee, e.g. : ROLL
7 Poor winner’s shout : BOO-YA!
8 Licenses, say : OKS
9 Nook for a cardinal : APSE
10 Exercise often described as “meditation in motion” : TAI CHI
11 They’re on your side : ALLIES
12 Abandon, as a conversation topic : LET DIE
13 Duds : LOSERS
21 Swiss drug giant : ROCHE
22 Like some jobs and jokes : DIRTY
25 Bad temper : SPLEEN
28 Woodstock artist : SCHULZ
30 Sight in the final scene of “Cleopatra” : ASP
33 Rapid transit options : ELS
35 “Enough!,” said? : TMI!
36 This goes between chapter and verse : COLON
37 Walled city of Spain : AVILA
38 Rogue : RENEGADE
39 Highly observant : KEEN-EYED
42 Spend time on a doodle, perhaps : DOG-SIT
43 “Lemme!” : I WANNA!
44 Plants from which ropes are made : SISALS
45 Soybean product : TEMPEH
47 Words from a doubter : OH SURE
48 Tinkered (with) : MESSED
49 Things that Jackson Pollock famously eschewed : EASELS
52 One of the Seven Sisters colleges : SMITH
55 “The Thin Man” pet : ASTA
57 Tiny bit : ATOM
59 Org. that lets you carry on : TSA
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21 thoughts on “0608-23 NY Times Crossword 8 Jun 23, Thursday”
Comments are closed.
9:52, no errors. Cute gimmick. Doing the puzzle would have been a lot harder if the name “BLETCHLEY PARK” had not sprung immediately to mind.
Oops. 11:52, no errors. (Oddly, yesterday’s time was 9:52.)
Yes, I’d agree that the name would have been very helpful, were it not for my inventing several alternate spellings that were decidedly unhelpful… Aging brain -> cottage cheese (large curd).
4D…alas, unlike what Bill says in the last line, Giselle and Tom Brady are no longer married .
@PIX – Bill did use the past tense “was” ….
23:42. I thought some of the fill in this puzzle was Friday/Saturday level. Plus I did things like put “Greta” instead of GARBO which slowed me down. Got thrown by the clue “Woodstock artist” until I got it via crosses. Good one.
Saw what the theme was doing (more or less) while solving, but it didn’t help me much. When I did see all that went into it, I was duly impressed. A+ on the “cool” meter.
Best –
26:11 just glad to finish on a Thursday. In keeping with my Sunday tradition of not reading the opening puzzle info, the whole gimmick was lost on me. I stared at it for a while and flew the white flag
10:35, no errors.
I think a lot of what I described was just my very old machine. My eyesight doesn’t help, especially on this one with all the similar hues on most of these apps and trying to distinguish different things. This is what I ran into solving today’s though I think I got tired there towards the end.
On another note, I have to observe with the cryptics I’ve been habitually doing lately that the old SNL Jeopardy Sean Connery jokes keeps coming to mind because that’s basically what you do with a few of the clues in each puzzle. I wouldn’t be surprised if there wasn’t some cryptic inspiration there in the writing or they just didn’t realize that people do puzzles where you seriously do that kind of thing.
A different kind of “mental worm” I guess than a typical song you can’t get out of your head.
1:49:06, 3 ‘squerrors’ (portmanteau word I coined for ‘squares in error’), seen highlighted on video thumbnail.
It can be seen graphically around the 1:05:00+ mark where I finally cracked the code in full. But I went on to get hung up in the lower left corner and ended on a Hail Mary for 58A just to be finally done with it.
Just a funny footnote for this one: at one point (static image link), around the 46th minute, I thought the circled squares were meant to spell ‘enigma’ (for enigma machine).
Same as @davek, I hit on BLETCHLEY PARK early so from that point on, my focus was on ENIGMA, CODE, GERMAN, etc.
Fun time.
Setter must have a hat size one million👎👎
then he buys his hats where dave kennison does
I assume you’re the anonymous poster who was offended that I pointed out the existence of the spelling HOWDEDO. I am truly sorry for having done so, but not for the reason that you might think. I tend to assume that posters here are interested in learning; I forget that some are here for other reasons. When I see a statement like, “there’s no such word as X”, I tend to take it literally; if, in fact, there is such a word, I may well say so. Sometimes, though, the assertion is made hyperbolically; what it means is, “I’ve never heard of this word” or “I’ve heard of this word and I don’t think it ought to exist”. In the future, I will try to take this into account. Meanwhile, it would be nice if you would refrain from behaving like an anonymous troll.
Lighten up, Dave.
I’m trying (or, as a friend used to say, very trying … 🙂).
Two amazing grids this week. No errors and lotsa fun.
14:59 fast time (for me) but a tad too fast; carelessly allowed one squerr to squeak through which I should have known from Philosophy 101 in university. ZETO/ZENO.
sorry this was meant for June 9.
I read my paper (Long Beach Press-Telgram) on-line and then
print out the crossword to solve with (erasable) pen and paper.
Unfortunately today’s printout didn’t have any shaded squares.
I spotted “i-to-o” and “s-to-r” in the grid but couldn’t fined
“a-to-e” or “d-to-t”. I consider this puzzle my greatest triumph because I did have “sacredly decide gasman massages”.