0715-23 NY Times Crossword 15 Jul 23, Saturday

Bill’s time: 18m 45s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

15 Wolfgang ___, pioneer in quantum physics : PAULI

Wolfgang Pauli was an Austrian-born theoretical physicist whose name is most associated with the Pauli exclusion principle. The principle states that particles such as protons, neutrons and electrons cannot have the same quantum numbers, cannot be at the same place at the same time and with the same energy. The discovery of his exclusion principle led to Pauli being awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1945.

20 One of many produced in a particle accelerator : MESON

A meson is an unstable subatomic particle, one made up of a quark and an antiquark.

In a particle accelerator, the particles that are accelerated have to have a charge, and so are ions. The charged ions are subjected to high magnetic fields that propel them around a circular “racetrack”, before being smashed into something, just to see what happens!

21 Subjects of King Vajiralongkorn : THAIS

The Thai people are an ethnic group found mainly in Central and Southern Thailand. That said, the term “Thai people” is also used to describe all people from Thailand.

27 Title abroad : SAO

In Portuguese, the word “são” can mean “saint”, as in São Paulo (Saint Paul) and São José (Saint Joseph). If the saint’s name starts with a letter H or with a vowel, then the word “santo” is used instead, as in Santo Agostinho (Saint Augustine) and Santo Antônio (Saint Anthony).

30 Words after grace, perhaps : LET’S EAT

A grace is a short prayer recited before or after a meal, especially in the Christian tradition. The term “grace” comes from the Latin “gratiarum actio” meaning “act of thanks”.

36 Item that can be described by changing its last letter to a P : SHARD

A “shard” is usually “sharp”.

A shard is a small piece, especially a fragment of broken ceramic or glass.

37 Many a Mauritanian : ARAB

The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is a country in North Africa on the Atlantic coast. The country is named after the old Roman province of Mauretania, although the ancient province was located further north in what is now Morocco and part of Algeria.

38 Job actions that come with reimbursement packages, in brief : RELOS

Relocate (relo)

40 Figure in the Book of Samuel : ELI

In the Bible, Eli is a High Priest of Shiloh and the teacher of Samuel. As such, his story is told in the Book of Samuel. Eli had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, both of whom are described as wicked. As a result of their wayward lifestyle, it is prophesied that all of Eli’s male descendents will die before reaching old age.

41 Nickname that sounds like its second and third letters : ARTIE

“Artie” sounds like “RT”.

49 Like Google searches, typically : CASE INSENSITIVE

The Google search engine was originally called “BackRub” would you believe? The name was eventually changed to “Google”, an intentional misspelling of the word “googol”. A googol is a pretty big number, 10 to the power of 100. That would be the digit 1 followed by 100 zeros.

53 Tourist town NE of Snowbird : ALTA

Alta ski resort actually lies within the Salt Lake City Metropolitan Area. The first ski lift in the resort was opened way back in 1939. Today, Alta is one of only three ski resorts in the country that prohibits snowboarding (along with Deer Valley, Utah and Mad River Glen, Vermont). The ski resort of Snowbird, located next to Alta, has been in operation since 1971.

54 ___-feuille (French pastry named for its layers) : MILLE

A Napoleon is a French layered pastry that is often called a “mille-feuille” on the other side of the Atlantic. “Mille-feuille” is French for “thousand-leaf”. The origin of the “Napoleon” name is unclear, but is thought to derive from the French “napolitain” meaning “from Naples”. The shift to “Napoleon” perhaps took place during the reign of Napoleon I, although there is no direct connection to the emperor.

59 O.E.D. unit: Abbr. : SYLL

Syllable (syll.)

Oxford English Dictionary (OED)

61 North Macedonia joined it in 2020 : NATO

“NATO” is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (or “OTAN” in French, “l’Organisation du Traité de l’Atlantique Nord”).

North Macedonia is one of the nations that emerged following the breakup of Yugoslavia from 1989 to 1992. It occupies the northern third of the geographic and historical region known as Macedonia, sharing the area with Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia and Kosovo. North Macedonia used the disputed name “Macedonia” after gaining independence in 1991, but agreed to change the name to “North Macedonia” starting in 2019.

Down

1 Mailing address abbr. : APT

Apartment (apt.)

2 Head of the bar? : FOAM

That would be the foamy head of a beer.

4 Brand name associated with cups : REESE’S

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were invented by Harry Burnett “HB” Reese. Peanut Butter Cups were originally called penny cups, reflecting the price at which they were sold. Then inflation took over, and maybe that’s why they were broken into smaller “Pieces” …

6 World’s largest ethnic group, representing about 18% of the global population : HAN

The Han Chinese people are the largest ethnic group in the world, and comprise 18% of the planet’s population. The 1.3 billion Han also make up 92% of China’s population. The group takes its name from the Han dynasty that ruled much of modern day China from roughly 200 BCE to 220 CE.

7 Tear down to the studs : GUT

In home construction, a wall stud is a vertical member providing support inside a wall.

10 Natasha ___ (“Rocky and Bullwinkle” antagonist) : FATALE

Fearless Leader, Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale are all characters in the cartoon show “Rocky and Bullwinkle”. Fearless Leader is the dictatorial ruler of Pottsylvania, and Boris and Natasha are two of his minions, two inept government agents.

13 Milk source : EWE

An adult male sheep is a ram, although a castrated ram is known as a wether. An adult female is a ewe, and a young sheep is a lamb.

18 Natural jewelry material : CORAL

Precious coral (also “red coral”) is a marine coral that develops a very hard, red skeleton. The skeleton is so durable that it can be collected and polished to make glassy beads that are used as jewelry.

24 Bloody Mary request : NO SALT

The Bloody Mary is one of my favorite cocktails, perhaps because it seems to taste so differently depending on who makes it. It has numerous ingredients above and beyond the requisite vodka and tomato juice, and has been described as “the world’s most complex cocktail”.

28 Writer who collaborated with Malcolm X on his posthumous 1965 autobiography : ALEX HALEY

Not only did Alex Haley author the magnificent novel “Roots”, he was also the collaborator with Malcolm X on “The Autobiography of Malcolm X”. His 1976 novel “Roots” is based on Haley’s own family history, and he claimed to be a direct descendant of the real life Kunta Kinte, the slave who was kidnapped in the Gambia in 1767. If you remember the original television adaptation of “Roots”, you might recall that Kunta Kinte was played by LeVar Burton, who later went on to play another famous role, Geordi La Forge on “Star Trek: the Next Generation”.

29 Crayon alternative : OIL PASTEL

A “pastel” is a crayon made from a “paste” containing a powdered pigment in a binder. The term “pastel” can also be used to describe a work created using pastels.

31 Plant genus named after the Greek goddess of nature : ARTEMISIA

Artemis was an ancient Greek goddess, and the equivalent of the Roman goddess Diana. Artemis was also a daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo. Among other things, she was the goddess of the hunt, and so often is depicted carrying a bow and arrows.

35 Who’s in the running? : POL

Politician (pol)

39 Tech debut of 2011 : SIRI

Siri was originally developed as a standalone app by a startup company of the same name. Apple acquired the company in 2010 and integrated the technology into their operating system.

51 They form parallel lines along the National Mall : ELMS

The National Mall is a park in downtown Washington, D.C. It is home to several museums that are part of the Smithsonian, as well as the National Gallery of Art.