0406-24 NY Times Crossword 6 Apr 24, Saturday

Constructed by: Byron Walden
Edited by: Joel Fagliano

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 40m 07s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

16 Competitor on “MasterChef” : HOME COOK

“MasterChef” is a cooking competition TV show franchise that originated on the BBC in the UK in 1990. There are now versions of MasterChef made all over the world, from Albania to Vietnam. I quite enjoy the US version of the “MasterChef Junior” manifestation of the show. But, I have no time for host Gordan Ramsay …

17 Can’t they all just git along? : DOGIES

“Dogie” (sometimes “dogy”) is cowboy slang for a motherless calf in a herd.

20 Eponymous Milwaukee brewer Frederick : PABST

Frederick Pabst was a brewer from the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area who had immigrated to the US from Prussia with his parents. Pabst bought himself into his father-in-law’s small brewery and over the years grew the enterprise into a public company. The most famous beer from Pabst is Pabst Blue Ribbon.

23 Deep shade of blue : LAPIS

Lapis lazuli is a blue, semi-precious stone mined mainly in Afghanistan. “Lapis Lazuli” is Latin for “stone of Lazhward”, referring to the Persian name for the location where the stone was mined. Our word “azure”, a shade of blue, has the same root.

24 Something that many people share : MEME

A meme (from “mineme”) is a cultural practice or idea that is passed on verbally or by repetition from one person to another. The term lends itself very well to the online world where links, emails, files etc. are so easily propagated.

25 Dodgers’ foes, for short : 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.

26 Film with the tagline “In space, no one can hear you clean” : WALL-E

“WALL-E” is a very cute Pixar movie that was released in 2008. The hero of the piece is a robot named WALL-E, who loves his “Hello Dolly”, and who also falls in love with a robot named EVE.

32 Option for claustrophobic patients : OPEN MRI

MRI scans can be daunting for many people as they usually involve the patient lying inside a tube with the imaging magnet surrounding the body. Additionally, the scan can take up to 40 minutes in some cases. There are some open MRI scanners available that help prevent a feeling of claustrophobia. However, the images produced by open scanners are of lower quality as they operate at lower magnetic fields.

47 ___ table : CRAPS

If one considers earlier versions of craps, then the game has been around for a very long time and probably dates back to the Crusades. It may have been derived from an old English game called “hazard” also played with two dice, which was mentioned in Geoffrey Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales” from the 1300s. The American version of the game came here courtesy of the French and first set root in New Orleans where it was given the name “crapaud”, a French word meaning “toad”.

48 Flowers that are a source of the anti-inflammatory drug colchicine : CROCI

The crocus (plural “croci”) is a plant genus in the iris family. The term “crocus” ultimately derives from the Sanskrit word for “saffron”. Saffron spice comes from Crocus sativus, the “saffron crocus”.

49 Afghan region whose name means “black cave” : TORA BORA

The famous cave that almost certainly housed Osama Bin Laden for a while was in Tora Bora in eastern Pakistan. Tora Bora is not far (~ 30 mi) from what used to be an even more famous spot, the Khyber Pass. “Tora Bora” is a Pashto name which translates to “black dust”.

53 Cold weather outerwear : ANORAK

Anoraks really aren’t very popular over here in America. Everyone has one in Ireland! An anorak is a heavy jacket with a hood, often lined with fur (or fake fur), and is an invention of the Inuit people.

54 Longtime name in Top 40 radio : SEACREST

Radio and television personality Ryan Seacrest is best known as the host of the talent show “American Idol”. He also started hosting “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” on ABC in 2005, and co-hosting “Live with Kelly and Ryan” in 2017. As a producer, Seacrest is the man behind the show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” (so, he has a lot to answer for …).

55 Stereotypical beatnik accessories : BERETS

The term “beatnik” was coined by journalist Herb Caen in 1958 when he used it to describe the stereotypical young person of the “beat generation”, which is oft associated with the writer Jack Kerouac. That stereotypical beatnik would be playing the bongos, rolling his or her own cigarettes. Male beatniks tended to sport goatees and wear berets.

Down

2 Onetime treat with chocolate creme and vanilla cookies : UH-OH! OREO

Uh-Oh! Oreo is a variant of the Oreo cookie, the reverse of the original in that the outside is made of vanilla wafers, and the filling is chocolate cream. The name was changed to Golden Chocolate Creme Oreo in 2007. Must admit, I’ve never had one …

3 Cinderella’s calling card : BIG UPSET

In the world of sports, a Cinderella story is a situation in which a competitor or team is far more successful than is reasonably expected. The term is a reference to the “Cinderella” fairy tale.

5 Winemaking sediment : LEES

The dregs in wine, the sediment that settles during fermentation (and sometimes in the bottle), are also called “lees”.

7 For a song : CHEAPLY

Something that goes “for a song” is sold very cheaply. The first known use of the phrase in print is in William Shakespeare’s “All’s Well That Ends Well”.

Why, he will look upon his boot and sing; mend the
ruff and sing; ask questions and sing; pick his
teeth and sing. I know a man that had this trick of
melancholy sold a goodly manor for a song.

8 Pictures where people are headscarfed? : ZOMBIE MOVIES

A zombie is a corpse that has been brought back to life by some mystical means. Our modern use of the term largely stems from the undead creatures featured in the 1968 horror movie called “Night of the Living Dead”. Now that film I haven’t seen, and probably never will …

To snarf down is to gobble up, to eat voraciously. “Snarf” is a slang term that is probably related to “scarf”, which has the same meaning.

10 “Take Me or Leave Me” musical : RENT

The musical “Rent” by Jonathan Larson is based on the Puccini opera “La bohème”. “Rent” tells the story of struggling artists and musicians living in the Lower East Side of New York, and is set against the backdrop of the AIDS epidemic. We saw “Rent” on Broadway quite a few years ago, and were very disappointed …

11 Off : ICE

To ice, to off, to whack, to knock off, to murder.

12 “Death Be Not Proud,” for one : SONNET

I don’t know about here in America, but at school in Ireland we all had to learn John Donne’s “Holy Sonnet X”, also known as “Death, Be Not Proud”.

27 Philosophy profession : CREDO

A creed or credo is a profession of faith, or a system of belief or principles. “Credo” is Latin for “I believe”.

30 Pieces of punditry : OP-EDS

“Op-ed” is an abbreviation for “opposite the editorial page”. Op-eds started in “The New York Evening World” in 1921 when the page opposite the editorials was used for articles written by a named guest writer, someone independent of the editorial board.

34 Mac, for example : RAINCOAT

When I was growing up in Ireland, we had to take our macs to school in case it rained (and it usually did!). “Mac” is short for “macintosh”, a waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric. The coat was named after its inventor, Scotsman Charles Macintosh.

38 Show stopper? : HIATUS

A hiatus is a break or opening in a material object, or an interruption in time. “Hiatus” is Latin for “opening”.

40 Black heart? : SHORT A

The heart of the word “black” is a short letter A.

44 Didgeridoo sound : DRONE

The didgeridoo is a wind instrument that was developed in northern Australia over a thousand years ago by the indigenous people. Despite the instrument’s origins, the name “didgeridoo” is not aboriginal, and is thought perhaps to be onomatopoetic and imitative of the sound made.

45 Recipient of the inaugural Mark Twain Prize for American Humor : PRYOR

Richard Pryor was a stand-up comedian and actor from Peoria, Illinois. Pryor had a rough childhood. He was the son of a prostitute and was raised in his grandmother’s brothel after his mother abandoned him at the age of ten years. He was regularly beaten by his grandmother, and was molested as a child. Pryor grew up to become the comedian’s comedian, one who was much respected by his peers. Jerry Seinfeld once referred to Pryor as “the Picasso of our profession”.

The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor has been awarded annually since 1998 by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The first recipient of the award was Richard Pryor. George Carlin won in 2008, and was the only person to be awarded posthumously.

47 Many a ten-code user : CB’ER

A CB’er is someone who operates a Citizens Band (CB) radio. In 1945, the FCC set aside certain radio frequencies for the personal use of citizens. The use of the Citizens Band increased throughout the seventies as advances in electronics brought down the size of transceivers and their cost. There aren’t many CB radios sold these days though, as they have largely been replaced by cell phones.

There is a set of “ten-codes” that were developed in 1937 for the use of law enforcement departments. As of 2006, the US federal government is recommending that they be replaced by plain language due to a lack of standardization in ten-codes. Examples of ten-codes are:

  • 10-1 meaning “bad reception”
  • 10-4 meaning “understood”
  • 10-9 meaning “say again”
  • 10-33 meaning “emergency, all units stand by”

50 Azimuth, e.g. : ARC

When pinpointing an object in the sky, its position can be documented using the altitude and azimuth. The altitude is the angle of the object above the horizon. The azimuth is the angle on the horizon between north and the object.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Vivacious : BUBBLY
7 White Russians, e.g. : CZARISTS
15 “That just clicked” : AH, I SEE
16 Competitor on “MasterChef” : HOME COOK
17 Can’t they all just git along? : DOGIES
18 High station : EMINENCE
19 Lands resoundingly : THUDS
20 Eponymous Milwaukee brewer Frederick : PABST
21 Cue word : NOW
22 Intend : HOPE
23 Deep shade of blue : LAPIS
24 Something that many people share : MEME
25 Dodgers’ foes, for short : IRS
26 Film with the tagline “In space, no one can hear you clean” : WALL-E
27 Presented with a ticket : CITED
28 “Heard enough?” : NEED I SAY MORE?
31 Request to chat : GOT A SEC?
32 Option for claustrophobic patients : OPEN MRI
36 Book it! : RESERVED SEAT
38 London dunderhead : HOSER
41 ___ van Rossum, programmer who created the Python language : GUIDO
42 Lead-in to location : DIS-
43 Ideal for home theaters, for short : IN HD
44 Notably circular formations on Mars : DUNES
45 Cup alternative : PINT
46 Ruckus : ADO
47 ___ table : CRAPS
48 Flowers that are a source of the anti-inflammatory drug colchicine : CROCI
49 Afghan region whose name means “black cave” : TORA BORA
51 Gathering like Brick Fest Live, informally : TOY CON
52 Encouraging signs in the market : UPTRENDS
53 Cold weather outerwear : ANORAK
54 Longtime name in Top 40 radio : SEACREST
55 Stereotypical beatnik accessories : BERETS

Down

1 Demerit : BAD THING
2 Onetime treat with chocolate creme and vanilla cookies : UH-OH OREO
3 Cinderella’s calling card : BIG UPSET
4 Under cut? : B-SIDE
5 Winemaking sediment : LEES
6 Thick envelope during admissions season, say : YES
7 For a song : CHEAPLY
8 Pictures where people are headscarfed? : ZOMBIE MOVIES
9 Off : AMISS
10 “Take Me or Leave Me” musical : RENT
11 Off : ICE
12 “Death Be Not Proud,” for one : SONNET
13 On tap : TO COME
14 Oblique : SKEWED
20 Court order? : PALACE GUARDS
23 Practices photodynamic therapy on : LASES
24 Bearings : MIENS
26 Older companion? : WISER
27 Philosophy profession : CREDO
29 Didn’t shrink : DARED
30 Pieces of punditry : OP-EDS
33 Nothing to write home about : MEDIOCRE
34 Mac, for example : RAINCOAT
35 “Zero stars” : IT STINKS
37 Present for the approval of : RUN PAST
38 Show stopper? : HIATUS
39 Not clean, in a way : ON DOPE
40 Black heart? : SHORT A
44 Didgeridoo sound : DRONE
45 Recipient of the inaugural Mark Twain Prize for American Humor : PRYOR
47 Many a ten-code user : CB’ER
48 Cup alternative : CONE
50 Azimuth, e.g. : ARC
51 Check : TAB

13 thoughts on “0406-24 NY Times Crossword 6 Apr 24, Saturday”

  1. DNF, after a fruitless 90+ minutes slog. The NW corner was frankly atrocious. The puzzle is littered with vague clues and ill-fitting answers. It is hard, but in a totally unenjoyable way. Hoping for a better puzzle tomorrow. Cheers, all!

  2. 41:05, no errors. And, yeah … that NW corner … at the end, after having lots of trouble everywhere else, I spent at least ten minutes flailing about up there until I finally gave up on “LIVELY” for 1-Across, very hesitantly entered “BAD THING” for 1-Down, suddenly thought of “BUBBLY” for 1-Across, and slowly filled in the rest of the corner. (I still don’t understand “YES” for 6-Down; perhaps someone can fill me in on that.) A very difficult puzzle, indeed … 🤨.

    1. Apparently, there is something called a “YES Grant”, where “YES” stands for “Youth Exchange and Study”. It’s intended to support “immigrant students from countries of strategic importance to the US”.

    2. If you applied to a college and got a thin envelope, it was likely that it contained a short rejection letter. Conversely, getting a thick envelope meant the college said yes, and had sent a bunch of brochures, information, etc. along with the acceptance letter.

  3. 53:04, no errors. Very toughly clued puzzle. I had the most difficulty with the SW corner.
    All these years, I thought I was joking when referring to Crocuses as CROCI.

  4. Always appreciate the explanations – was really stumped as to CBER could mean, even after filling it on crosses!

    This one felt full of gristle to me, tough and chewy but not always in an enjoyable way. Had to eventually throw my hands up and resort to the Wordplay column, and come here to understand some of the references. Thanks, Bill!

  5. DNF. I’ll go cry myself to sleep now…between this and the Spelling Bee…..😩

  6. Very, very hard puzzle. Took me about 90 min. Didn’t help that I thought the beatnik accessory was ‘bongos’. I agree that the clueing was awful.

  7. Took a looong while (timed it with a sundial), but finished with no errors (but with a bunch of write-overs). 🤔

    1. A rare DNF. SW corner did me in. Put in “rebounds” and there was no uptrend after that. I got the other quadrants …. eventually.

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