0608-23 NY Times Crossword 8 Jun 23, Thursday

Constructed by: Philip Koski
Edited by: Will Shortz

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

    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:

    • Mount Holyoke
    • Vassar
    • Wellesley
    • Smith
    • Radcliffe
    • Bryn Mawr
    • Barnard

    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.

    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