Constructed by: Evans Clinchy
Edited by: Joel Fagliano
Not your puzzle? Try today’s …
… syndicated NY Times crossword
Today’s Theme: None
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… a complete list of answers
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Bill’s time: 20m 55s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
19 Cable inits. for cinephiles : TMC
The Movie Channel (TMC)
22 Ramirez of “Madam Secretary” : SARA
Sara Ramirez is a Mexican-American actress known for playing Callie Torres in “Grey’s Anatomy”. In 2005, Ramirez won a Tony Award for originating the role of Lady of the Lake in the “Spamalot” on Broadway.
“Madam Secretary” is a TV show that first aired from 2014 to 2019. It is about an ex-CIA analyst who is appointed as US Secretary of State. Téa Leoni plays the title role, ably supported by a favorite actress of mine, Bebe Neuwirth. I like this show …
24 Tactic for driving digital subscriptions : PAYWALL
A paywall is the system used by websites to protect content from being accessed by anyone who isn’t a paid-up subscriber.
31 Historical period from 1918 to 1933 : WEIMAR ERA
At the end of WWI, the imperial government of Germany was overthrown in the German Revolution of November 1918. Just under a year later, a new constitution was adopted by a national assembly in the city of Weimar. The resulting Weimar Republic lasted until German democracy collapsed in the early 1930s and the Nazi Party came to power.
33 Money for bread, e.g.: Abbr. : SYN
“Money” is a synonym for “bread”.
41 Meeting places : FORA
The Latin “forum” (plural “fora”) translates as “marketplace, town square”. “The Roman Forum” is the most famous example of such a space. The Forum at the heart of the city of Rome is surrounded by the ruins of several ancient government buildings, and has been referred to as the most celebrated meeting place in the world.
43 TV character who said “What you call ‘love’ was invented by guys like me to sell nylons” : DON DRAPER
Jon Hamm lived the life of a struggling actor for quite some time before he hit gold with a starring role in the AMC drama “Mad Men”. He plays the main character, advertising executive and man about town Don Draper.
45 Author of 2001’s “The Corrections” : FRANZEN
Author Jonathan Franzen’s most famous work is his 2001 novel “The Corrections”, which won a National Book Award. Franzen got into a little dispute with Oprah Winfrey after she listed “The Corrections” as an Oprah Winfrey’s Book Club selection in 2001. After initially welcoming the selection, Franzen publicly expressed concern that the listing might dissuade men from reading the book. These comments led to Winfrey rescinding an invitation to appear on the show and “unlisted” the novel.
54 Reason to look away, for short : PDA
Public display of affection (PDA)
55 Hot dog buns in a pack, often : OCTET
A hot dog is a sausage served in a split roll. The term “hot dog” dates back to the 19th-century and is thought to reflect a commonly-held opinion that the sausages contained dog meat.
56 Bug-catching period : FLU SEASON
Influenza (the “flu”) is an ailment that is caused by a virus. The virus is readily inactivated by the use of soap, so washing hands and surfaces is especially helpful in containing flu outbreaks, and other virus pandemics …
58 East Coast travel option : ACELA
The Acela Express is the fastest train running routinely in the US, as it gets up to 150 mph at times. The service runs between Boston and Washington D.C. via Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York. Introduced in 2000, the brand name “Acela” was created to evoke “acceleration” and “excellence”.
60 Nitwits : DODOS
The dodo was a direct relative of the pigeon and the dove, although the fully-grown dodo was usually three feet tall. One of the reasons the dodo comes to mind when we think of extinction of a species, is that it disappeared not too long ago (last recorded alive in 1662) and humans were the reason for its demise. The dodo lived exclusively on the island of Mauritius and when humans arrived, we cut back the forests that were its home. We also introduced domestic animals, such as dogs and pigs, that ransacked the dodo’s nests. The dodo was deemed to be an awkward flightless bird and so the term “dodo” has come to mean a dull-witted person.
Down
2 Touchdown locale : TARMAC
The terms “tarmac” and “macadam” are short for “tarmacadam”. In the 1800s, Scotsman John Loudon McAdam developed a style of road known as “macadam”. Macadam had a top-layer of crushed stone and gravel laid over larger stones. The macadam also had a convex cross-section so that water tended to drain to the sides. In 1901, a significant improvement was made by English engineer Edgar Purnell Hooley who introduced tar into the macadam, improving the resistance to water damage and practically eliminating dust. The “tar-penetration macadam” is the basis of what we now call “tarmac”.
3 Suffered humiliation : ATE CROW
The phrase “eat crow”, an alternative to “eat humble pie”, perhaps refers to the fact that cooked crow may be edible, but is not a great food choice.
5 Last little bit : DREG
The dregs in wine, the sediment that settles during fermentation (and sometimes in the bottle), are also called “lees”.
6 Gabriel García Márquez’s “El ___ en los Tiempos del Cólera” : AMOR
“Love in the Time of Cholera” (“El amor en los tiempos del cólera” in the original Spanish) is a 1985 novel by Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Márquez. The book was first published in English in 1988. A famous Hollywood movie version came out in 2007, although the film was widely panned by the critics as a poor adaptation of a great novel.
10 N.B.A. coach Pat who trademarked the term “three-peat” : RILEY
Pat Riley is a former professional basketball player and NBA head coach. Off the court, Riley is quite the celebrity and is noted as a snappy dresser. He is a friend of Giorgio Armani and wears Armani suits at all his games. Riley even modeled suits at an Armani fashion show.
A three-peat is the winning of a sports championship three seasons in a row. The term “three-peat” was coined in 1988 by LA Lakers’ player Byron Scott, and then trademarked by Lakers’ head coach Pat Riley. The Lakers were attempting in 1988 to clinch their third championship title in a row at that time, and eventually lost to the Detroit Pistons. The Lakers had to wait until the 2002 season to claim that three-peat.
12 Pioneer Day celebrants : UTAHANS
Pioneer Day is a state holiday celebrated on July 24th in Utah. The holiday commemorates the arrival into the Salt Lake Valley of Brigham Young and the first Mormon pioneers on 24 July 1847. Some members of the LDS Church celebrate by walking portions of the Mormon Trail.
21 Word with sound or language : … BARRIER
When an aircraft or other object approaches the speed of sound, it experiences a dramatic increase in drag and other undesirable aerodynamic effects. Pilots of high-speed fighter aircraft during WWII became acutely aware of this phenomenon and coined the term “sound barrier” to describe the apparent inability of flying controllably beyond the speed of sound. In 1947, American pilot Chuck Yeager was the first to demonstrate that a purposely-designed aircraft could indeed fly through the sound barrier.
28 Artist who released her first-ever rock album, “Rockstar,” a year after being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame : PARTON
Dolly Parton is a country music singer-songwriter, as well as an actress. Parton has written over 3,000 songs, my favorite of which is “I Will Always Love You” that was a huge hit for herself and for Whitney Houston.
29 Ten-legged sea creature : PRAWN
Decapods are an order of crustaceans that includes crayfish, crabs, lobsters, prawns and shrimp. Even though decapods can have perhaps over 30 appendages, only ten of these are considered legs, hence the name “decapod”.
The terms “prawn” and “shrimp” are often used interchangeably on menus. Over in the UK, the term “prawn” is most common, while “shrimp” is seen more often here in North America. Sometimes there is a differentiation from a food standpoint, with “prawn” being used for larger species and “shrimp” for smaller species. As a result, “jumbo prawns” seems to be an acceptable descriptor for a dish, whereas “jumbo shrimp” seems to be an oxymoron.
37 Nation that declared independence from France in March 1956 : MOROCCO
The country of Morocco is located in North Africa, but lies just 9 miles south of Spain. Spain and Morocco, and hence Europe and Africa, are separated by those 9 miles across the Mediterranean Sea known as the Straits of Gibraltar.
40 Get rid of : DEEP-SIX
To deep-six something is to toss it, possibly overboard, or to completely destroy it. The derivation of this slang term is from “six feet deep”, not the length of a fathom but rather the traditional depth of a grave.
42 ___ Dundee, trainer for Muhammad Ali and George Foreman : ANGELO
Angelo Dundee was the man in the corner of the ring for Muhammad Ali throughout his career. Dundee also trained actor Russell Crowe for his role in the 2005 movie “Cinderella Man”, and even made a cameo appearance in the film.
Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. was born in 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali when he converted to Islam in 1964. Who can forget Muhammad Ali lighting the Olympic flame for the 1996 games in Atlanta? Ali was presented with a gold medal during those ’96 Games, a replacement for the medal he won at the 1960 Olympics. He had thrown the original into the Ohio River as a gesture of disgust after being refused service at a “whites only” restaurant.
George Foreman is a former World Heavyweight Champion boxer and Olympic gold medalist. Famously, Foreman lost his title to Muhammad Ali in the 1974 title fight that was billed as “the Rumble in the Jungle”. Foreman is also known for promoting the George Foreman Grill, and for naming all five of his sons “George”.
50 First name of the “First Lady of Jazz” : ELLA
Ella Fitzgerald, the “First Lady of Song”, made her real stage debut at the Apollo Theater in Harlem on Amatuer Night when she was just 17 years old. She had intended to perform a dance routine, but decided to sing instead after seeing a superior dance act. She won the Amatuer Night competition.
53 Material in some sports equipment : NERF
Nerf is a soft material used in a whole series of toys designed for “safe” play indoors. The Nerf product is used to make darts, balls and ammunition for toy guns. “NERF” is an acronym, standing for Non-Expanding Recreational Foam.
57 Glossy black cuckoo : ANI
The tropical bird called the ani is related to the cuckoo. Cuckoos go around robbing other birds’ best, but anis don’t.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Journalistic concern : STANDARDS
10 Order at a bar … or at a butcher shop : ROUND
15 Something that fades into the background : WATERMARK
16 Tagging along : IN TOW
17 “Everything good between us?” : ARE WE OKAY?
18 Shove off : LEAVE
19 Cable inits. for cinephiles : TMC
20 Went up : GREW
21 Ancient city near Jerusalem : BETHEL
22 Ramirez of “Madam Secretary” : SARA
24 Tactic for driving digital subscriptions : PAYWALL
25 One interested in bull-dozing? : COW TIPPER
30 ___ something : ONTO
31 Historical period from 1918 to 1933 : WEIMAR ERA
33 Money for bread, e.g.: Abbr. : SYN
34 Moral bankruptcy : DEPRAVITY
36 :-O : OMG
39 Like many viral posts : RETWEETED
41 Meeting places : FORA
43 TV character who said “What you call ‘love’ was invented by guys like me to sell nylons” : DON DRAPER
45 Author of 2001’s “The Corrections” : FRANZEN
47 Run slowly : SEEP
49 Had a burning desire : LONGED
50 Woman who sounds like she’s messin’ up? : ERIN
54 Reason to look away, for short : PDA
55 Hot dog buns in a pack, often : OCTET
56 Bug-catching period : FLU SEASON
58 East Coast travel option : ACELA
59 Zoom classes and the like : E-LEARNING
60 Nitwits : DODOS
61 Simple solutions : EASY FIXES
Down
1 Big hits : SWATS
2 Touchdown locale : TARMAC
3 Suffered humiliation : ATE CROW
4 Sorting category on a social media feed : NEW
5 Last little bit : DREG
6 Gabriel García Márquez’s “El ___ en los Tiempos del Cólera” : AMOR
7 Casino’s cut : RAKE
8 Poker variety : DRAW
9 You might look up to it : SKY
10 N.B.A. coach Pat who trademarked the term “three-peat” : RILEY
11 Left and then a right, say : ONE-TWO
12 Pioneer Day celebrants : UTAHANS
13 Unusual item : NOVELTY
14 Refuse to let go : DWELL ON
21 Word with sound or language : … BARRIER
23 Knocked for a loop : AWED
24 Cross : PEEVED
26 Pricing plan category : TIER
27 Got in the way of : IMPEDED
28 Artist who released her first-ever rock album, “Rockstar,” a year after being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame : PARTON
29 Ten-legged sea creature : PRAWN
32 “___ girl!” : ATTA
35 Casual affirmatives : YEPS
36 Get rid of : OFF-LOAD
37 Nation that declared independence from France in March 1956 : MOROCCO
38 “I will admit …” : GRANTED …
40 Get rid of : DEEP-SIX
42 ___ Dundee, trainer for Muhammad Ali and George Foreman : ANGELO
44 Overhauled : REDONE
46 Some sorority sisters, informally : ZETAS
48 Heartthrobs, e.g. : PANGS
50 First name of the “First Lady of Jazz” : ELLA
51 Feels contrition about : RUES
52 Lead-in to a suggestion : I SAY …
53 Material in some sports equipment : NERF
56 Cancellation deterrent : FEE
57 Glossy black cuckoo : ANI
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6 thoughts on “0706-24 NY Times Crossword 6 Jul 24, Saturday”
Comments are closed.
20:41, no errors. Held up for a bit in the upper left, partly because, for no good reason, I had entered AMC instead of TMC for 19-Across and it took me some time to reconsider it. D’oh.
27:52…but with one bit of help in the NW to get started and a bit in the SW to finish.
46:23, no errors. Just happy to finish. Ready quit when ENDZONE didn’t fit in 2D, and RUNWAY sent me off into weeds. So many alternative entries seemed to make sense. ETTA James before ELLA Fitzgerald; DAW before ANI; SOL before SKY leading to ARE WE REAL; etc.
Had to smile that STANDARDS are still a ‘Journalistic concern’.
25:21. Like Dave, I had AMC before TMC – and a few other missteps…e.g. “dozen” before OCTET. Don’t hot dog buns come in packs of a dozen? What do I know?
I got PARTON as a total guess because it sounds like something she would do….or did.
Jon Hamm didn’t exactly lead the life of a starving actor before “Mad Men”. He attended one of the most expensive private prep schools in St. Louis. It’s not like he was living in the streets. I actually like the guy, but if that’s how he is portraying himself, the laugh is on us.
Agree with Bruce. 1A hasn’t been the case in a long long time.
Best –
DNF- Couldn’t maintain focus.
Just lost interest… but kept at it.
Finished with a lot of help so I didn’t spend an hour on it.
I thought
I was going to get about 10% of this one…got 80% so that’s a win.
Stay safe😀
Go Orioles⚾️