0218-24 NY Times Crossword 18 Feb 24, Sunday

Constructed by: Sid Sivakumar
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: The Inside Scoop

We have a GRAPEVINE winding down the center of the (published) grid. Hanging on the VINE, running down the center of the grid, are varieties of GRAPE. Crossing the vine are shaded letter strings, parts of words, that sound like things we might HEAR ON THE GRAPEVINE:

  • 13D With 61-Down, like some gossip … as represented phonetically by each set of shaded squares? : HEARD THROUGH …
  • 61D See 13-Down : … THE GRAPEVINE
  • 8D Variety used to make Bordeaux wine : MERLOT
  • 47D Variety commonly found in jellies and pies : CONCORD
  • 96D Variety that shares its name with a Mideast capital : MUSCAT
  • 31A Some kennel personnel : GROOMERS (giving “RUMOR”)
  • 44A Orders more of than necessary : OVERSTOCKS (giving “TALK”)
  • 67A Prudent : JUDICIOUS (giving “DISH”)
  • 82A Things that perceptive people might pick up : UNDERTONES (giving “DIRT”)
  • 101A Proceeds : REVENUES (giving “NEWS”)

Bill’s time: 17m 12s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

4 Theater backdrop : SCRIM

“Scrim” is the name given to that transparent fabric that hangs down onto a theater’s stage. It is often used with special lighting for various effects.

19 Port container : CARAFE

A carafe is a container made from glass that has no handles, and no stopper.

25 Boos-y drink? : HATERADE

An extremely negative person might be described as having drunk the “haterade”, a play on the beverage “Gatorade”.

27 Olympic gymnast Raisman : ALY

Aly Raisman is a retired gymnast. She captained the US gold-winning teams in the Olympics in 2012 (“The Fierce Five”) and in 2016 (“The Final Five”).

34 Only U.S. coin that does not explicitly indicate how many cents it’s worth : DIME

The term “dime”, used for a 10-cent coin, comes from the Old French word “disme” meaning “tenth part”.

35 Eschewed pork and shellfish, say : ATE KOSHER

According to Jewish dietary laws, kosher food is fit to eat, and food that is not fit to eat is referred to as treif (or “tref”). The usage of “kosher” has extended to include anything considered legitimate.

38 Perfume ingredient : ATTAR

Attar is a fragrant essential oil obtained from flowers. The term “attar” often refers to the attar of roses in particular.

39 Civil wrong : 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.

40 Comedy character who once asked the U.N. secretary general if Disneyland was part of the U.N. : ALI G

“Da Ali G Show” is a satirical TV series featuring English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. I wouldn’t be a big fan …

42 Org. whose initials are aptly hidden in “foreign satellite interception” : NSA

National Security Agency (NSA)

48 Oktoberfest purchase : BIER

Oktoberfest is a 16-day beer festival in Munich that actually starts in September. About six million people attend every year, making it the largest fair in the world. I’ve attended twice, and it really is a remarkable party …

49 “Clifford the Big Red Dog” airer : PBS

“Clifford the Big Red Dog” is a series of children’s books by Norman Bridwell. The title character is the pet dog of an 8-year-old girl Emily Elizabeth, who Bridell named for his daughter. The books are published by Scholastic Corporation, which adopted Clifford as its mascot after the books’ success.

54 Checkout unit : ITEM

I say avoid any express checkout lane in a market that is labeled “10 items or less”. It should be “10 items or fewer”. I know, I know … I should calm down … and get a life …

62 Hindu wedding adornment that’s said to get darker the more the newlyweds love each other : HENNA

Henna has been used for centuries as a dye, for leather and wool as well as hair and skin. In modern days, henna is often used for temporary tattoos.

66 Its panhandle abuts British Columbia : IDAHO

The US state of Idaho has a panhandle that extends northwards between Washington and Montana, right up to the border with Canada. Across that border is the Canadian province of British Columbia. Most of Idaho is in the Mountain Time Zone, but Northern Idaho (the Panhandle) is in the Pacific Time Zone.

69 Texas A&M athlete : AGGIE

Texas A&M is the seventh largest university in the country, and was the first public higher education institute in the state when it accepted its first students in 1876. The full name of the school was the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (hence “A&M”) and its primary mission used to be the education of males in the techniques of farming and military warfare. That’s quite a combination! Because of the agricultural connection, the college’s sports teams use the moniker “Aggies”. Texas A&M is also home to the George Bush Presidential Library.

72 Like Loki : NORSE

Loki is a trickster god in Norse mythology known for continually creating chaos. Loki is the father of sons with his wife Sigyn. Because Loki is also a shape-shifter, he gave birth to children “himself” by assuming the shape of the opposite sex.

75 Home to the Great Ziggurat of Ur : IRAQ

Ziggurats were massive, terraced, step pyramids built in the ancient Mesopotamian valley. The ziggurat-style of architecture has been used in modern buildings, with notable examples being the US Bullion Depository in Fort Knox, and the MI6 Building in London.

79 Subject of 1960s-’70s addiction research : LSD

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)

88 Sound in “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” : MOO!

There was an old American version of the English children’s song “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” (E-I-E-I-O) that was around in the days of WWI. The first line of the older US version goes “Old MacDougal had a farm, in Ohio-i-o”.

90 The “A” of the ACT UP organization : AIDS

AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP)

95 Piece of info : DATUM

Our word “data” (singular “datum”) comes from the Latin “datum” meaning “given”. The idea is that data are “things given”.

97 Body of water adjoining Korea Bay : YELLOW SEA

The Yellow Sea is the northern part of the East China Sea, and is located between the Korean peninsula and China. The water surface does indeed take on a golden yellow hue at times when it picks up sand particles from sand storms in the Gobi Desert, which lies to the west of the Yellow Sea.

100 ___-de-camp : AIDE

“Aide-de-camp” (ADC) is a French term that we have imported into English. The phrase translates to “field assistant” and usually applies to the most senior personal aide to a high-ranking military officer or head of state.

104 Hardly worth mentioning : TRIVIAL

Trivia are things of little consequence. “Trivia” is the plural of the Latin word “trivium” which means “a place where three roads meet”. Now that’s what I call a trivial fact …

106 ID whose first five digits are sometimes ignored : SSN

So often, we are asked for “the last four digits” of our Social Security Numbers (SSNs).

107 Keister : PATOOTIE

Back in the 1920s, the term “patootie” was used for a sweetheart, a very pretty girl. Somehow, the term has evolved into slang for the posterior, rear end.

Back in the early 1900s, a keister was a safe or a strongbox. It has been suggested that “keister” was then used as slang by pickpockets for the rear trouser pocket in which one might keep a wallet. From this usage, “keister” appeared as a slang term for the buttocks in the early 1930s.

108 Flight segment : STAIRSTEP

A landing is the area at the top and bottom of a staircase. Apparently, we called the steps between the landings a “flight” of stairs, because one “flies” between landings! Can that be true?

111 Demographic group : COHORT

“Cohort” can be used as a collective noun, meaning “group, company”. The term can also apply to an individual supporter or companion, although usually in a derogatory sense. “Cohort” comes from the Latin “cohors”, which was an infantry company in the Roman army, one tenth of a legion.

113 Tiny member of a swarm : GNAT

Gnats are attracted to the smell of rotting food, and vinegar. Simple homemade traps that use vinegar are often constructed to attract and kill gnats.

114 Big Ten school that plays home football games at Beaver Stadium : PENN STATE

The athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University (PSU) are called the Nittany Lions, or in the case of the female teams, the Lady Lions. The Nittany Lion was introduced as a mascot way back in 1904 and is modeled after mountain lions that used to roam Mount Nittany located near the school’s campus.

117 Seat in the London Stock Exchange? : ARSE

Well, the word “arse” would never make it into a crossword on the other side of the pond, as it would be considered too rude. I have a similar reaction to the word “shag” as in “The Spy Who Shagged Me”. The film would never have been released with that title in the UK (where it was released as “Austin Powers 2”).

Down

3 Powerlifter’s helper : SPOTTER

In a gym, a “spotter” is a person who watches and guards someone who is training or performing, in order to prevent injury.

5 First Nations people : CREE

“First Nations” is a term used in Canada describing the ethnicity of Native Americans who are neither Inuit nor Métis people.

8 Variety used to make Bordeaux wine : MERLOT

Merlot is one of the main grapes used to make Bordeaux wines, along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

10 Musical artist Yoko : ONO

John Lennon and Yoko Ono married at the height of the Vietnam War in 1969. The couple decided to use the inevitable publicity surrounding their wedding and honeymoon to promote peace in the world. They honeymooned in the Presidential Suite of the Amsterdam Hilton, inviting the world’s press to join them and to witness their “bed-in”. They spent the week talking about peace, and an end to war. The marriage and bed-in is chronicled by the Beatles in their song “The Ballad of John and Yoko”. A few weeks after the marriage, Lennon adopted the middle name “Ono” by deed poll.

13 With 61-Down, like some gossip … as represented phonetically by each set of shaded squares? : HEARD THROUGH …
[61D See 13-Down : … THE GRAPEVINE]

There are competing stories about the etymology of the phrase “heard it through the grapevine”, meaning “heard it by means of gossip or rumor”. One is that it is a reference to the Grapevine Tavern in Greenwich Village in New York City. The Grapevine was a popular meeting place for Union officers and Confederate spies during the Civil War, and so was a great spot for picking up and spreading vital gossip.

14 Like a bathroom directly connected to a bedroom : EN SUITE

The expression “en suite” is an example of the French language being used in English, but with a new meaning. Firstly, the word “ensuite” translates from French as “then” or “later”. The phrase “en suite” translates as “as a set, series”. The French also use the term “suite” as we do sometimes, as in a suite of connecting rooms. Over in Britain and Ireland, “en suite” is a phrase used in the hotel industry for a bedroom that has a private bathroom or shower room attached. Some smaller establishments in that part of the world might rent out bedrooms with the occupants having to share bathing facilities.

26 Summer Olympics host between London and Tokyo : RIO

Even though the 2016 Olympic Games was a summer competition, it was held in Rio de Janeiro in winter. As Rio is in the southern hemisphere, the opening ceremony on 5th August 2016 fell in the local winter season. The 2016 games was also the first to be held in South America, and the first to be hosted by a Portuguese-speaking country.

32 Record holder for most games played in the FIFA World Cup (26) : MESSI

Lionel “Leo” Messi is a soccer player from Argentina. Messi has been awarded FIFA’s Ballon d’Or (Golden Ball) award more times than any other player. The Ballon d’Or is presented to the player who is considered the best in the world in the prior year.

47 Variety commonly found in jellies and pies : CONCORD

Concord grapes are mostly used to make grape jelly, and are only occasionally used as table grapes or for making wine. The Concord cultivar was developed in the mid 1800s by Ephraim Wales Bull in Concord, Massachusetts, hence the name.

50 President who campaigned on the slogan “Our best days still lie ahead” : BIDEN

Future President Joe Biden was a US Senator representing the state of Delaware from 1973 until he joined the Obama administration. While he was a senator, Vice President Biden commuted to Washington from Wilmington, Delaware almost every working day. He was such an active customer and supporter of Amtrak that the Wilmington Station was renamed as the Joseph R. Biden Railroad Station in 2011. Biden has made over 7,000 trips from that station, and the Amtrak crews were known to even hold the last train for a few minutes so that he could catch it. Biden earned himself the nickname “Amtrak Joe”.

51 Real pickle : SNAFU

“SNAFU” is an acronym standing for “situation normal: all fouled up” (well, that’s the polite version!). As one might perhaps imagine, the term developed in the US Army, during WWII.

59 Word before dating or skating : SPEED …

Speed dating is a matchmaking process in which single people meet a relatively large number of potential partners in a short period of time. The first speed-dating event took place in Beverly Hills in 1998 at a Peet’s Café.

The competitive sport of speed skating has been enjoyed for a long, long time. When the International Skating Union was formed in 1892 to govern speed skating, it was the world’s first international governing body for a winter sport.

62 Dance at a luau : HULA

The hula is a native dance of Hawaii that uses arm movements to relate a story. The hula can be performed while sitting (a noho dance) or while standing (a luna dance).

65 Lake house rental : CANOE

The boat known as a canoe takes its name from the Carib word “kenu” meaning “dugout”. It was Christopher Columbus who brought “kenu” into Spanish as “canoa”, which evolved into our English “canoe”.

68 Sea hawks : OSPREYS

The osprey is also known as the sea hawk or fish eagle. Osprey nests are large heaps of sticks usually built in forks of trees and rocky outcrops. I’ve seen quite a few osprey nests built on the tops of light poles and utility poles. A pair of mating ospreys is known as a duet.

71 Lyft request : RIDE

Lyft was founded in 2012 as a ride-sharing service in San Francisco, California. The company’s original name was “Zimride” and it was focused on long-distance ride-sharing.

73 Lithium-___ battery : ION

Lithium-ion and nickel-cadmium are types of rechargeable batteries.

81 Real-time PC exchanges : IMS

Instant message (IM)

87 Trigonometry units : RADIANS

The radian is a unit of angular measure. The unfortunate radian has been demoted, as the SI unit of angular measure is the steradian.

88 B-baller in Big D : MAV

The Mavericks (also “Mavs”) are an NBA franchise in Dallas, Texas. The team was founded in 1980, and the Mavericks name was chosen by fan votes. The choice of “Mavericks” was prompted by the fact that the actor James Garner was a part-owner of the team, and Garner of course played the title role in the “Maverick” television series.

94 Place to pamper pets that purr : CAT SPA

Back in the late 1500s. The verb “to pamper” meant “to cram with food”. Over time, the usage evolved to mean “to overindulge”.

95 Some rivers have them : DELTAS

A river delta is a triangular landform at the mouth of a river created by the deposition of sediment. The use of the term “delta” in this context comes from the triangular shape of the Greek letter delta. The Nile Delta in Northern Egypt is one of the world’s largest river deltas, and covers 150 miles of coastline on the Mediterranean. The most famous “delta” in the United States isn’t actually a delta at all. The Mississippi Delta is an alluvial plain that lies 300 miles north of the river’s actual delta, yet it is known as the “Mississippi River Delta”. Very confusing …

96 Variety that shares its name with a Mideast capital : MUSCAT

Muscat grapes are used to make wine, and are also grown for raisins and table grapes. Muscat is used a lot in Chilean table wines, and relatively rarely in Italian or Californian table wines. However, muscat is used extensively in fortified wines in all wine-growing regions of the world. The sweet dessert wine made from muscat in Spain is called muscatel.

Muscat is the capital of Oman. The city lies on the northeast coast of the state on the Gulf of Oman, a branch of the Persian Gulf.

98 Game with big prizes : LOTTO

Originally, lotto was a type of card game, with “lotto” being the Italian for “a lot”. We’ve used “lotto” to mean a gambling game since the late 1700s.

99 “I’m not working right now,” in email shorthand : OOO

Out of office (OOO)

101 Believer in Jah : RASTA

“Jah” is a shortened form of “Jehovah”, and is a name often associated with the Rastafari movement.

102 Mushroom added to ramen : ENOKI

Enokitake (also known as “enoki”) are long and thin white mushrooms often added to soups or salads.

Ramen is a noodle dish composed of Chinese-style wheat noodles in a meat or fish broth flavored with soy or miso sauce. Ramen is usually topped with sliced pork and dried seaweed. The term “ramen” is also used for precooked, instant noodles that come in single-serving, solid blocks.

105 Org. with the phone number 1-800-TAX-FORM : IRS

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was set up during the Civil War to raise money to cover war expenses. Prior to the introduction of income tax in 1862, the government was funded by levies on trade and property.

107 Cornmeal cake : PONE

“Pone” is another name for corn bread, and comes from the Powhatan term “apan” meaning “something baked”.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Mess hall patrons, in brief : GIS
4 Theater backdrop : SCRIM
9 Stressful work? : POEM
13 Disorganized stack : HEAP
17 Home screen array : APPS
19 Port container : CARAFE
20 Clean hands, so to speak : INNOCENCE
22 Spill (over) : SLOP
23 Strict sales limit, informally : ONE PER
24 Slow-cooked entrees : POT ROASTS
25 Boos-y drink? : HATERADE
27 Olympic gymnast Raisman : ALY
29 Charge (with) : ENTRUST
30 Involves : ENTAILS
31 Some kennel personnel : GROOMERS
34 Only U.S. coin that does not explicitly indicate how many cents it’s worth : DIME
35 Eschewed pork and shellfish, say : ATE KOSHER
37 Arena seating sections : TIERS
38 Perfume ingredient : ATTAR
39 Civil wrong : TORT
40 Comedy character who once asked the U.N. secretary general if Disneyland was part of the U.N. : ALI G
42 Org. whose initials are aptly hidden in “foreign satellite interception” : NSA
43 Really hurt : ACHED
44 Orders more of than necessary : OVERSTOCKS
48 Oktoberfest purchase : BIER
49 “Clifford the Big Red Dog” airer : PBS
52 “Gross!” : ICK!
53 Excessively : TOO
54 Checkout unit : ITEM
56 Eyeballs, e.g. : ORBS
60 “Naw, no way!” : AIN’T SO!
62 Hindu wedding adornment that’s said to get darker the more the newlyweds love each other : HENNA
64 Lifesaving mission, for short : RESCUE OP
66 Its panhandle abuts British Columbia : IDAHO
67 Prudent : JUDICIOUS
69 Texas A&M athlete : AGGIE
70 One fast-tracked in an interview pool : REFERRAL
72 Like Loki : NORSE
73 Absolutely devour : INHALE
74 Fitting a little tight : SNUG
75 Home to the Great Ziggurat of Ur : IRAQ
77 Common jeans feature : RIP
78 “Whoop-de-___” : DOO
79 Subject of 1960s-’70s addiction research : LSD
80 Purges : RIDS
82 Things that perceptive people might pick up : UNDERTONES
86 Picture taker? : FRAME
88 Sound in “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” : MOO!
89 Windy part of a kite? : REEL
90 The “A” of the ACT UP organization : AIDS
94 Thunderous sounds : CLAPS
95 Piece of info : DATUM
97 Body of water adjoining Korea Bay : YELLOW SEA
100 ___-de-camp : AIDE
101 Proceeds : REVENUES
103 Putting together : POOLING
104 Hardly worth mentioning : TRIVIAL
106 ID whose first five digits are sometimes ignored : SSN
107 Keister : PATOOTIE
108 Flight segment : STAIRSTEP
111 Demographic group : COHORT
113 Tiny member of a swarm : GNAT
114 Big Ten school that plays home football games at Beaver Stadium : PENN STATE
115 Much like : AKIN TO
116 What hits the ground running? : SOLE
117 Seat in the London Stock Exchange? : ARSE
118 At the earliest chance : ASAP
119 They get high by the beach : TIDES
120 Airport screening inits. : TSA

Down

1 Winter house-warming option : GAS HEAT
2 “That’s my goal” : I PLAN TO
3 Powerlifter’s helper : SPOTTER
4 Marine predator often seen near shorelines : SAND SHARK
5 First Nations people : CREE
6 Best Melodic ___ Performance (Grammy category) : RAP
7 “My concern is …” : I FEAR …
8 Variety used to make Bordeaux wine : MERLOT
9 Dot on a die : PIP
10 Musical artist Yoko : ONO
11 Joins those on the stage : ENTERS
12 Counterparts of eves : MORNS
13 With 61-Down, like some gossip … as represented phonetically by each set of shaded squares? : HEARD THROUGH …
14 Like a bathroom directly connected to a bedroom : EN SUITE
15 Feigns indignation : ACTS MAD
16 Bug : PESTER
18 Address : SPEAK TO
19 Barbecue grill fill : COALS
21 Camp bed : COT
26 Summer Olympics host between London and Tokyo : RIO
28 Comics sound when something is snatched : YOINK!
31 Clenched, as teeth : GRITTED
32 Record holder for most games played in the FIFA World Cup (26) : MESSI
33 Modern ___ : ERA
36 Trains above street level : ELS
38 Delivery that can’t be returned : ACE
41 “Well, don’t wait out here!” : GO ON IN!
43 Goals : AIMS
45 Sun shield : VISOR
46 ___-conscious : ECO
47 Variety commonly found in jellies and pies : CONCORD
48 Wax figures? : BEES
49 Golf tournament division : PAIRS
50 President who campaigned on the slogan “Our best days still lie ahead” : BIDEN
51 Real pickle : SNAFU
55 So … or a word following “so” : TRUE
57 Fit for a king : REGAL
58 Sees red : BOILS
59 Word before dating or skating : SPEED-
61 See 13-Down : … THE GRAPEVINE
62 Dance at a luau : HULA
63 More open to the elements : AIRIER
65 Lake house rental : CANOE
67 Unnerves : JARS
68 Sea hawks : OSPREYS
71 Lyft request : RIDE
73 Lithium-___ battery : ION
76 “Don’t ___ me …” : QUOTE
78 1994 single by Hole whose cover art depicts a miniature wedding dress and veil : DOLL PARTS
81 Real-time PC exchanges : IMS
83 Man, woman and child, e.g. : NOUNS
84 Little lifter : TEE
85 Snore loudly : SAW LOGS
86 One dropping amorous hints : FLIRTER
87 Trigonometry units : RADIANS
88 B-baller in Big D : MAV
91 “Am I mistaken?” : IS IT NOT?
92 Turndowns : DENIALS
93 Hot herbal brew : SAGE TEA
94 Place to pamper pets that purr : CAT SPA
95 Some rivers have them : DELTAS
96 Variety that shares its name with a Mideast capital : MUSCAT
98 Game with big prizes : LOTTO
99 “I’m not working right now,” in email shorthand : OOO
101 Believer in Jah : RASTA
102 Mushroom added to ramen : ENOKI
105 Org. with the phone number 1-800-TAX-FORM : IRS
107 Cornmeal cake : PONE
109 Info you might send someone when you’re running late : ETA
110 Liven (up) : PEP
112 Stashed away : HID