Constructed by: Ben Tolkin
Edited by: Will Shortz
Not your puzzle? Try today’s …
… syndicated NY Times crossword
Today’s Theme: None
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Bill’s time: 7m 24s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
15 Cheat : BILK
The verb “to bilk”, meaning “to defraud”, comes from the card game of cribbage. “To bilk” in cribbage is to spoil someone’s score.
16 Poet Scott-Heron : GIL
Gil Scott-Heron was a jazz poet and musician who is best remembered as a spoken word performer from the seventies and eighties. Scott-Heron’s most famous work is the poem and song “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”, the title of which became a popular slogan for the Black Power movements in the sixties.
17 God who is destined to slay the serpent Jörmungandr : THOR
In Norse mythology, Thor was the son of Odin. Thor wielded a mighty hammer and was the god of thunder, lightning and storms. Our contemporary word “Thursday” comes from “Thor’s Day”.
18 “Beowulf” and “Gilgamesh,” for two : EPICS
“Beowulf” is an old epic poem from England, although the story is set in Scandinavia. Beowulf fights a battle, defending the Danish King Hrothgar from the ferocious outcast Grendel. Hrothgar had built a great hall for his people in which they could celebrate; singing, dancing and drinking lots of mead. Grendel was angered by the carousing and attacked the hall, devouring many of the incumbent warriors as they slept. A bit of an extreme reaction to noisy neighbors I’d say …
The “Epic of Gilgamesh” is an epic poem from Mesopotamia. It is one of the earliest known works of literature that has survived. Fragments of the first version of the epic date back to the 18th century BC.
22 “His ___ little mouth was drawn up like a bow” (line from “A Visit From St. Nicholas”) : DROLL
The poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” was published anonymously in 1823, and is better known today by its first line “‘Twas the night before Christmas”. Most scholars believe that the poem was written by Clement Clarke Moore, a theologian from New York City. Others say that it was written by Henry Livingston, Jr., a poet from Upstate New York.
24 Forest giant : REDWOOD
The giant sequoia tree is also known as the giant redwood. There’s only one part of the world where you can see giant sequoias growing naturally, and that’s on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. However, there are plenty of examples of giant sequoias that have been planted as ornamentals all over the world.
33 Mulligan : REDO
There doesn’t seem to be a definitive account for the origin of the term “mulligan”, which is most often used for a shot do-over in golf. There are lots of stories about golfers named Mulligan though, and I suspect that one of them may be true …
36 Shift, for one : DRESS
A shift is a dress that is cut above-the-knee and has no clearly-defined waist. This style of dress originated in the 1920s when it was worn by the “flappers”, young women who defied social norms at the time. The shift was comfortable to wear and allowed easy movement, particularly on the dance floor.
42 Dutch scientist with an eponymous “cloud” : OORT
The Oort Cloud is a hypothetical spherical cloud of comets that lies about a light-year from the sun. It is postulated that periodic comets that enter our solar systems (like Halley’s Comet) originate in this cloud.
44 Mark’s replacement : EURO
One of the currencies replaced by the euro was Germany’s Deutsche Mark (known as “deutschmark” in English).
45 NewLeaf potato, e.g., in brief : GMO
A genetically modified organism (GMO) is one with genetic material that has been altered by genetic engineering. One might argue that the oldest form of genetic engineering is selective breeding, the use of animals or plants with desired traits for the creation of the next generation.
46 “Anything Goes” writer Porter : COLE
“Anything Goes” is a musical by Cole Porter, from a book by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse, that tells of the goings on aboard an ocean liner sailing from New York to London. Some of the famous songs from the show are “Anything Goes”, “You’re the Top”, “I Get a Kick Out of You” as well as “The Gypsy in Me”.
49 Flinches, but only a little : BATS AN EYELASH
At least as far back as the 1800s, the term “batting” was used in falconry to describe the fluttering of a hawk’s wings while on a perch or a fist, as if the bird intended to fly away. The usage of “batting” extended to the fluttering of a human’s eyelids, giving us the expressions “batting an eye” and “batting an eyelid”.
Down
1 They’re offered seven times a year : SATS
Today, the standardized test for admission to colleges is known as the SAT Reasoning Test, but it used to be called the Scholastic Aptitude Test and Scholastic Assessment Test, which led to the abbreviation “SAT”.
2 Classic Beat Generation roman à clef : ON THE ROAD
Jack Kerouac’s 1957 novel “On the Road” is largely autobiographical, telling the story of Sal Paradise (Jack K.) and the road trips that he and his friends took across the country in the fifties.
The group of American writers known as the Beat Generation first came to prominence at a poetry reading at the Six Gallery in San Francisco in October of 1955. Five young poets presented their work that day:
- Allen Ginsberg
- Philip Lamantia
- Michael McClure
- Gary Snider
- Philip Whalen
3 Rocks : ICE
“Ice” and “rocks” are slang terms meaning “diamonds”.
4 Popular pet originally from Mongolia : GERBIL
Most species of gerbil are native to arid regions, and in fact used to be called “desert rats”. They make popular household pets because they are very social and friendly by nature. As desert natives, they also have specially adapted kidneys that produce a very small amount of waste so that bodily fluids are preserved.
8 GPS guess : ETA
A global positioning system (GPS) might provide one with an estimated time of arrival (ETA).
13 London-based insurance company : LLOYD’S
Lloyd’s of London isn’t actually an insurance company, but rather is a market where members can get together to spread the risk associated with policies that have been underwritten.
20 Ancestral emblem : TOTEM
“Totem” is a word used to describe any entity that watches over a group of people. As such, totems are usually the subjects of worship. Totem poles are really misnamed, as they are not intended to represent figures to be worshiped, but rather are heraldic in nature, and often celebrating the legends or notable events in the history of a tribe.
25 German food that’s better than it sounds? : WURST
“Wurst” is simply a German word meaning “sausage”.
31 Department store that once sold mail-order houses : SEARS
Richard Sears was a station agent on the railroad. In the late 1800s, he bought up a shipment of unwanted watches that was left at his depot and sold the watches to other agents up and down the line. He was so successful that he ordered more watches and then came up with the idea of using a catalog to promote more sales. Sears hired his first employee in 1887, a watch repairman named Alvah Curtis Roebuck who was brought on to repair watches that were returned. Sear and Roebuck co-founded Sears Roebuck & co. in 1895. By the mid 1900s, Sears was the biggest retailer in the whole country.
37 Ray on one’s TV : ROMANO
Ray Romano is a comic actor and stand-up comedian from Queens, New York. He is perhaps best-known as the star of the sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond”. Off-screen, Romano can be seen appearing regularly in pro-am golf tournaments. And, he has competed many times in the World Series of Poker.
38 Like some N.S.F.W. content : EROTIC
The abbreviation “NSFW” stands for “not safe/suitable for work”. It’s Internet slang used to describe online content that is best not viewed at work.
43 Bat signal : SONAR
Echolocation, when used by animals, is known as biosonar. The best-known example of an animal using biosonar is probably the bat, although not all species of bat use sounds to locate objects.
46 Fatigues, familiarly : CAMO
Our word “camouflage” (often abbreviated to “camo”) evolved directly from a Parisian slang term “camoufler” meaning “to disguise”. The term was first used in WWI, although the British navy at that time preferred the expression “dazzle-painting” as it applied to the pattern painted on the hulls of ships.
50 Pepper, for one: Abbr. : SGT
“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” was the alter-ego of the Beatles, and the title of a famous studio album released in 1967, as well as the name of the album’s title track.
51 Chess ranking system named for a Hungarian physicist : ELO
The Elo rating system is used to compare the skill levels of competing players in games like chess and Scrabble. The system is named for a Hungarian-born professor of physics called Arpad Elo, who was also a master-level chess player active in the US Chess Federation.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 “Well, that much was clear” : SO I GATHERED
12 Sequence of steps : DANCE ROUTINE
13 Present-day request? : LETTER TO SANTA
14 Don’t match : CLASH
15 Cheat : BILK
16 Poet Scott-Heron : GIL
17 God who is destined to slay the serpent Jörmungandr : THOR
18 “Beowulf” and “Gilgamesh,” for two : EPICS
20 Drain : TIRE
21 “You there!” : HEY!
22 “His ___ little mouth was drawn up like a bow” (line from “A Visit From St. Nicholas”) : DROLL
23 City planner, at times : ZONER
24 Forest giant : REDWOOD
26 Right on a map : EAST
28 Disney villain inspired by the drag queen Divine : URSULA
29 Anxiety : UNEASE
33 Mulligan : REDO
35 Betray nervousness, in a way : STAMMER
36 Shift, for one : DRESS
39 “High five!” : UP TOP!
41 ___ End (setting in “The Lord of the Rings”) : BAG
42 Dutch scientist with an eponymous “cloud” : OORT
43 Word with boot or spaghetti : … STRAP
44 Mark’s replacement : EURO
45 NewLeaf potato, e.g., in brief : GMO
46 “Anything Goes” writer Porter : COLE
47 “Skip me” : I PASS
49 Flinches, but only a little : BATS AN EYELASH
52 Study of riddles : ENIGMATOLOGY
53 Absence excuser : DOCTOR’S NOTE
Down
1 They’re offered seven times a year : SATS
2 Classic Beat Generation roman à clef : ON THE ROAD
3 Rocks : ICE
4 Popular pet originally from Mongolia : GERBIL
5 A, for one : ARTICLE
6 Saw and punch : TOOLS
7 Outer ear? : HUSK
8 GPS guess : ETA
9 Celebrate, as a new year : RING IN
10 Total : ENTIRE
11 One holding all the cards : DEALER
12 First word in a 13-Across : DEAR …
13 London-based insurance company : LLOYD’S
14 Say “Yay!,” say : CHEER
17 Via, on signs : THRU
19 Peeved, for short : PO’D
20 Ancestral emblem : TOTEM
22 Dispenses, with “out” : DOLES …
23 Sassy, letter-shaped gesture accompanying a retort : Z-SNAP
25 German food that’s better than it sounds? : WURST
27 “George,” in aviation slang : AUTOPILOT
30 Certain surprise party? : AMBUSH
31 Department store that once sold mail-order houses : SEARS
32 So : ERGO
34 Holes in the wall? : OUTLETS
35 Subway stop: Abbr. : STA
36 Certain creature comfort? : DOG BED
37 Ray on one’s TV : ROMANO
38 Like some N.S.F.W. content : EROTIC
40 Hunt : PREY ON
43 Bat signal : SONAR
44 What one star may represent : EASY
46 Fatigues, familiarly : CAMO
48 Royal attendant : PAGE
50 Pepper, for one: Abbr. : SGT
51 Chess ranking system named for a Hungarian physicist : ELO
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12 thoughts on “0701-23 NY Times Crossword 1 Jul 23, Saturday”
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24:56, no errors. I thought that wasn’t too bad for a Saturday…until I saw Bill’s time. 7:24? Really? I’m impressed!
15:45, no errors. Same thought and reaction as AK Steve.
Rocks: ICE can also be thought of in terms of beverages (more in tune with my thoughts).
8:49, no errors. Indeed, Bill did very well today.
Speaking of semi-ominous grids, I recently did a 15×15 grid with exactly 15 across clues. Needless to say, a lot of pressure on getting those, or the across answers. Lot harder than average for me.
Where did you find it?
Generic crossword book I bought.
32:37. 3 squerrs (image).
No recording. Did the puzzle on my phone. Up north, no access to desktop computer.
No errors for me today… a little more than 7 or 8 minutes but less than 60 minutes and no cheats… I stopped and started so many times.. lots of distractions. I really don’t watch news anymore so I try to catch up on shows I haven’t seen for awhile. The whole NETFLIX, MAX, PRIME VIDEO, DISNEY, APPLE PLUS gives me access to so many different shows that I’ve never heard of or seen before.
Did not know OORT. that had me thinking.
22 mins. Daybed instead of dog bed. Aort works as well as Oort, and hadn’t an answer for 45 across. The explanation for 18 across was nearly as good as the Cliff’s Notes I read in school.
The blank grid looked ominous (bats in the corners?) but I barely stopped writing once I dug-in. Friday seemed more difficult. Just my day, I guess. I’ll take it.
Hee Hee! Who’s smarter than me? Got the top half in about 15 minutes, then took only another (about) 75 minutes on the bottom. The 90 minutes is probably a Saturday record for me, but I’ve only been doing crosswords for about 35 years. Just surprisingly easy for an NYT Saturday.
Came back to this one 3 times over the course of a day only to finish with one error not knowing what 23D was and zoner didn’t occur to me for 23A😥😥
Stay safe😀