0228-24 NY Times Crossword 28 Feb 24, Wednesday

Bill’s time: 8m 40s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 What Professor Moriarty was a professor of : MATH

Well, I’d say “maths” in this situation.

Here’s another term that catches me out all the time, having done my schooling on the other side of the Atlantic. The term “mathematics” is shortened to “math” in the US, but to “maths” in Britain and Ireland.

Professor James Moriarty is the main villain who crosses swords with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “Sherlock Holmes”. Moriarty is always cropping up in Sherlock Holmes television and radio plays and in movies, but if you go back to the original stories he isn’t around very much. He only turns up directly in two of the narratives, and was primarily introduced by Conan Doyle in order to “kill off” Sherlock Holmes in a brawl at the top of the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland. Both Holmes and Moriarty fell to their deaths. Well … public pressure on the author caused Conan Doyle to resurrect Holmes in “The Hound of the Baskervilles”.

14 “O.G. Original Gangster” rapper : ICE-T

“O.G. Original Gangster” is a 1991 song by rap artist Ice-T. Anyone interested in the exploits of Ice-T might want to listen to this one, as it deals with his life before he started rapping.

15 McFlurry flavor : OREO

A McFlurry is an ice cream dessert served in McDonald’s restaurants. A McFlurry is made from soft-serve ice cream, to which are added crushed candy bars or cookies. Cleverly, a McFlurry is mixed on a machine with the mixing blade then doubling as a spoon with which one eats it.

16 Walled city near Madrid : 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.

19 Hell of a guy? : SATAN

Satan is the bringer of evil and temptation in the Abrahamic religions. The name “Satan” is Hebrew for “adversary”.

20 Things with hardware and software components : COMPUTER SYSTEMS (What I.T., information technology, is all about)

Information technology (IT)

24 Infantry members, in brief : GIS

The initialism “GI” stands for “Government Issue”, and not “General Infantry” as is widely believed. “GI” was first used in the military to denote equipment made from Galvanized Iron and during WWI, incoming German shells were nicknamed “GI cans”. Soon after, the term GI came to be associated with “Government Issue” and eventually became an adjective to describe anything associated with the Army.

26 Bunny first appearing in “Space Jam” (1996) : LOLA

Bugs Bunny’s girlfriend is Lola Bunny. She first appeared in the 1996 movie “Space Jam”.

“Space Jam” is a 1996 movie that is a fictional account of the retirement of Michael Jordan from the NBA. Jordan himself stars in the film, along with a whole host of “Looney Tunes” cartoon characters.

33 Someone terrorizing kids in a 1986 Stephen King novel : SCARY CLOWN (What “It”, the novel, is all about)

“It” is a 2017 horror film that is an adaptation of Stephen King’s 1986 novel of the same name.

36 Big letters in home security : ADT

ADT is a home and small-business security company based in Boca Raton, Florida. The company was founded back in 1874 by Edward Calahan. Calahan invented the stock ticker several years earlier, and ran the Gold and Stock Telegraph Company. Calahan was awoken one morning by the sound of a burglar in his house, and so he decided to develop a telegraph-based security alarm system. The success of the system led to the founding of American District Telegraph, later known as ADT.

38 One of the Manning brothers : ELI

Eli Manning is a retired footballer who played quarterback for the New York Giants. Eli’s brother Peyton Manning retired from football as the quarterback for the Denver Broncos in 2015. Eli and Peyton’s father is Archie Manning, who was also a successful NFL quarterback. Eli, Peyton and Archie co-authored a book for children titled “Family Huddle” in 2009. It describes the Mannings playing football together as young boys.

40 Many a Monopoly property: Abbr. : AVE

The street names in the original US version of the board game Monopoly are locations in or around Atlantic City, New Jersey.’

44 Diego ___, one of two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the 20th Century award : MARADONA

Diego Maradona had to have been the most famous of Argentina’s soccer players. He was also one of the country’s most controversial sportsmen and was noted for his outspoken manner with journalists, as well as his cocaine addiction.

47 Captain von Trapp’s betrothed, in “The Sound of Music” : ELSA

Baron Georg Johannes von Trapp was an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Navy who achieved worldwide fame when his family became the inspiration for the musical “The Sound of Musical”.

48 Rapper Lil ___ X : NAS

“Lil Nas X” is the stage name of rapper Montero Lamar Hill. He was born and raised just outside of Atlanta. His first hit was “Old Town Road”, which is classified as country rap.

60 Ending of “The Bachelor”? : -ETTE

“The Bachelorette” is a reality television show about dating with the intent of marriage, and is a spin-off of “The Bachelor”. The marriage that resulted from the first season (2003) is still going strong, with the couple now parents.

61 “___ you vera much!” (punny valentine) : ALOE

Saint Valentine’s Day was introduced by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD to honor various martyrs with the name Valentine. However, the saint’s day was dropped by the Roman Catholic church in 1969, by Pope Paul VI. Try telling that to Hallmark though …

63 Suit material? : TORT

“Tort” is a French word meaning “mischief, injury or wrong”. In common law, a tort is a civil wrong that results in the injured party suffering loss or harm, and the injuring party having a legal liability. Tort law differs from criminal law in that torts may result from negligence and not just intentional actions. Also, tort lawsuits may be decided on a preponderance of evidence, without the need of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

Down

1 Comedian Hedberg who said “I’m against picketing but I don’t know how to show it” : MITCH

Mitch Hedberg was a stand-up comedian from Saint Paul, Minnesota. He made a lot of jokes about his drug use, and in 2003 he was arrested for possession of heroin. He was found dead in a hotel room in 2005, having overdosed on cocaine and heroin.

4 Start of many URLs : 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 Firebird maker : PONTIAC

The Pontiac Firebird was made by General Motors (GM) from 1967 to 2002. GM introduced the Firebird to compete with the Ford Mustang.

6 2020 N.F.L. retiree who leads all QBs with 123 regular-season games of 300+ passing yards : BREES

Drew Brees is a quarterback who played for the San Diego Chargers before signing with the New Orleans Saints in 2006. On top of his success in the NFL, Brees was an excellent tennis player in his youth. In one competition, he actually beat a young Andy Roddick who later became the world’s number one.

11 Bar mitzvah, for one : RITE

A Jewish girl becomes a bat mitzvah at 12 years of age, the age at which she becomes responsible for her actions. Boys become bar mitzvahs at 13. The terms translate into English as daughter and son of the commandments.

28 Many a Weird Al Yankovic medley : POLKA

The polka is a dance from central Europe, one that originated in Bohemia in the mid-1800s. It’s thought that “polka” comes from a Czech word meaning “little half”, reflecting the little half-steps included in the basic dance.

“Weird Al” Yankovic is a singer-songwriter who is noted for writing and performing parodies of popular songs. Of the 150 or so such songs, the best known are probably “Eat It” (parodying “Beat It” by Michael Jackson) and “Like a Surgeon” (parodying “Like a Virgin” by Madonna).

32 Place to order handmade goods : ETSY

Etsy.com was founded in 2005 as a way for artists and craftspeople to sell their handmade goods online, and has since grown to include vintage items and crafting supplies as well. The company’s name is derived from the Italian word “etsi,” which means “oh, yes”? This was a nod to founder Rob Kalin’s love of Italy and his appreciation for the country’s history and artistry.

35 Soul singer Bridges : LEON

Leon Bridges is an R&B singer from Fort Worth, Texas who is best known for his 2015 hit single “Coming Home”. Bridges’ debut album, also titled “Coming Home,” was released in 2015 and peaked at number six on the US Billboard 200 chart. The album was praised for its authenticity and vintage sound, which Bridges achieved by recording with analog equipment and using techniques from the 1960s.

41 Parasite’s place : HOST

Our word “parasite” comes from the Greek “parasitos”, which describes a person who eats at the table of another, i.e. one who lives at another’s expense. “Parasitos” comes from “para-” (beside) and “sitos” (bread, food). I guess the idea is that a parasite is feeding right beside one.

43 “Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi,” e.g. : PLEA

In the first “Star Wars” movie, Princess Leia hides plans for the Galactic Empire’s Death Star in the droid named R2-D2. She also records a holographic message, so when it is played we can see Princess Leia as a hologram, asking for help to destroy the Death Star:

I have placed information vital to the survival of the Rebellion into the memory systems of this R2 unit. My father will know how to retrieve it. You must see this droid safely delivered to him on Alderaan. This is our most desperate hour. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.

45 Buffoonery : ANTICS

A buffoon is a clown or jester, although the word “buffoon” tends to be used more figuratively to describe someone foolish and ridiculous. The term comes from the Italian “buffa” meaning “joke”.

49 Michelob ___ (light brew) : ULTRA

Michelob Ultra is a diet beer, a beer low in carbohydrates that was introduced in 2002.

53 Small songbird : WREN

The wren is a small songbird belonging to the family troglodytidae and the genus troglodytes. Wrens are known for making dome-shaped nests. Despite their small size, they are known for their loud and complex songs. Male wrens often sing to attract mates and to establish territory, They have been known to attack much larger birds that get too close to their nests.

54 Fabled slacker : HARE

“The Tortoise and the Hare” is perhaps the most famous fable attributed to Aesop. The cocky hare takes a nap during a race against the tortoise, and the tortoise sneaks past the finish line for the win while his speedier friend is sleeping.

58 ___ ghanouj : BABA

Baba ganoush (also “baba ghanouj”) is an Arab dish with the main ingredient of mashed eggplant. It is sometimes served as a (delicious) dip.