0731-24 NY Times Crossword 31 Jul 24, Wednesday

Constructed by: Jackson Matz & Ben Matz
Edited by: Joel Fagliano

Today’s Reveal Answer: Under the Sea

Themed answers are all in the down-direction, and UNDER a superfluous letter C:

  • 59A Song from “The Little Mermaid” that’s a phonetic hint to interpreting the answers to the starred clues : UNDER THE SEA
  • 11D *Not moving fast enough : CLOSING TIME (LOSING TIME under the C)
  • 18D *Increases sharply : CRAMPS UP (RAMPS UP under the C)
  • 25D *Rip off : COVER CHARGE (OVERCHARGE under the C)
  • 31D *Like 10%-fat beef : CLEAN-CUT (LEAN CUT under the C)

Bill’s time: 7m 49s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Sluglike “Star Wars” bad guy : JABBA

Jabba the Hutt is the big blob of an alien that appears in the “Star Wars” movie “The Return of the Jedi”. Jabba’s claim to fame is that he enslaved Princess Leia and kitted her out in that celebrated metal bikini.

6 Man, on the Isle of Man : BLOKE

“Bloke” is British slang for “fellow”. The etymology of “bloke” seems to have been lost in the mists of time.

The Isle of Man is a large island located in the middle of the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland. I used to spend a lot of time there in my youth, and find it a very interesting place indeed. The Isle of Man is classed as a British Crown Dependency and isn’t part of the United Kingdom at all. It is self-governing and has its own parliament called the Tynwald. The Tynwald was created in AD 979 and is arguably the oldest continuously-running parliament in the world. The inhabitants of the island speak English, although they do have their own language called Manx, which is very similar to Irish Gaeilge and Scottish Gaelic. And then there are those Manx cats, the ones without any tails. I’ve seen lots of them, and can attest that they are indeed found all over the island.

11 Number cruncher, for short : CPA

Certified public accountant (CPA)

14 Garlicky sauce : AIOLI

Aioli is a French sauce made from garlic, egg yolks, and olive oil. The word “aioli” comes from “alh”, the Provençal word for garlic, and “oli”, a Catalan word meaning “oil”.

28 Benjamin Franklin, by religious philosophy : DEIST

Deism (from the Latin “deus” meaning god) is the belief that a supreme being created the universe, a belief based on observation and reason, and without the need for faith. Further, a deist does not accept divine intervention and rather believes that the supreme being, having created the universe, leaves the world to its own devices.

Benjamin Franklin came from a large family. He was his father’s fifteenth child (Josiah Franklin had seventeen children in all, with two wives). Benjamin was born in Boston in 1706. He had very little schooling, heading out to work for his father when he was ten years old. He became an apprentice printer to his older brother at the age of twelve. Benjamin did quite well with that limited education …

29 Grandchild of Adam and Eve : ENOS

Enos was the son of Seth, and therefore the grandson of Adam and Eve, and nephew of Cain and Abel. According to the ancient Jewish work called the Book of Jubilees, Enos married his own sister Noam.

32 The first two digits of every Brooklyn ZIP code : ONES

The New York City borough of Brooklyn has the same boundaries as Kings County, which is the most populous county in the state of New York.

ZIP codes were introduced in 1963. The acronym “ZIP” stands for “Zone Improvement Plan”, a name indicating that mail travels more efficiently when the codes are included in the postal address.

35 Like T.S.A. lines on holiday weekends : LONG

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is the agency that employs the good folks who check passengers and baggage at airports.

42 Video streaming giant : ROKU

Roku is a manufacturer of digital media players that allow access to audio and video programming over the Internet that is shown on television. The company was founded in Los Gatos, California in 2002 by Anthony Wood. Wood chose the name “Roku” as it is the Japanese word for “six”, and Roku is the sixth company that Wood founded.

44 N.Y.S.E. debut : IPO

An initial public offering (IPO) is a significant event for a company as it marks the first time it becomes a publicly traded company. IPOs are often accompanied by a so-called “lock-up period.” This is a period of time, typically 90 to 180 days after the IPO, during which company insiders, such as executives and early investors, are not allowed to sell their shares on the open market. The purpose of the lock-up period is to prevent a flood of shares from hitting the market and potentially driving down the price of the stock.

52 C.F.O. or C.I.O : EXEC

Chief financial officer (CFO)

Chief information officer (CIO)

53 Currency of Colombia : PESO

Not only is the Colombian peso legal tender in Colombia, it is also used in parts of Venezuela due to hyperinflation of the Venezuelan bolívar.

The South American country of Colombia takes its name from the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus (“Cristoforo Colombo” in Italian).

59 Song from “The Little Mermaid” that’s a phonetic hint to interpreting the answers to the starred clues : UNDER THE SEA

“Under the Sea” is an Oscar-winning song from the 1989 Disney animated film “The Little Mermaid”. It is performed by the crab character named Sebastian.

67 Discussion starter? : DEE

The word “discussion” starts with a letter D (dee).

68 Afflictions that rhyme with the body parts they’re found in : STYES

A stye is a bacterial infection of the sebaceous glands at the base of the eyelashes, and is also known as a hordeolum.

Down

1 Vaccine, informally : JAB

Anything described as hypodermic (such as “hypodermic needle”) is related to parts under the skin. The term “hypodermic” comes from the Greek “hypo-” meaning “under” and “derma” meaning “skin”.

2 Word with France or Force : AIR …

Air France is my favorite airline. Okay … after Aer Lingus, the Irish airline. I used to fly Air France a lot (I lived in France for a while), but haven’t done so since the company merged with KLM in 2004. Back in 2008, Air France-KLM was the world’s largest airline in terms of revenue.

4 Valuable Scrabble tiles : BLANKS

The game of Scrabble has been around since 1938, and is the invention of an architect named Alfred Mosher Butts. Butts was born on April 13th, and we now celebrate National Scrabble Day on April 13th each year in his honor.

6 Actor in “12 Years a Slave” and “12 Monkeys” : BRAD PITT

Brad Pitt’s first major role was the cowboy hitchhiker in the 1991’s “Thelma & Louise”. Pitt’s life offscreen garners as much attention as his work onscreen, it seems. The tabloids revel in the series of high-profile relationships in which he has been involved. He was engaged to Gwyneth Paltrow for a while, married to Jennifer Aniston and then to Angelina Jolie.

“12 Years a Slave” is a powerful 2013 film adapted from the memoir “Twelve Years a Slave” by Solomon Northup. Northup was an African American who was born a free man in Upstate New York where he worked as a farmer and a violinist. He was lured to Washington, D.C. where slavery was legal, and there was kidnapped by slave traders. Northup spent twelve years as a slave in Louisiana before an intermediary made contact with friends and family who were able to obtain his release. The slave trader in Washington who committed the crime was arrested and tried, although he was acquitted, because D.C. law prohibited an African American from testifying against Caucasians.

“12 Monkeys” is a 1995 sci-fi movie starring Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe and Brad Pitt. It is a remake of 1962 French short film “La Jetée”. “12 Monkeys” was directed by Terry Gilliam, who was a key member of the “Monty Python” team.

7 ___ Cruces, N.M. : LAS

Las Cruces (Spanish for “the crosses”) is the second largest city in the state of New Mexico, and is the home of New Mexico State University.

8 Ocean creatures with three hearts : OCTOPI

The term “octopus” comes from the Greek for “eight-footed”. The most common plural used is “octopuses”, although the Greek plural form “octopodes” is also quite correct. The plural “octopi” isn’t really correct as the inference is that “octopus” is like a second-declension Latin noun, which it isn’t. That said, dictionaries are now citing “octopi” as an acceptable plural. Language does evolve, even though that drives me crazy …

27 Meditation mantras : OMS

“Om” is a sacred mystic word from the Hindu tradition. “Om” is sometimes used as a mantra, a focus for the mind in meditation.

39 Duck delicacy : FOIE GRAS

Pâté is a rich spreadable paste made from a mixture of ground meat and fat to which various vegetables, herbs and spices may be added. The most famous version of the paste is pâté de foie gras, which is made from the fattened livers of geese (“foie gras” means “fat liver” in French).

46 Time when glaciers form : ICE AGE

Ice ages are periods in the Earth’s history when there are extensive ice sheets present in the northern and southern hemispheres. One might argue that we are still in an ice age that began 2.6 million years ago, as evidenced by the presence of ice sheets covering Greenland and Antarctica.

61 “Mushnik & ___” (“Little Shop of Horrors” song) : SON

“Little Shop of Horrors” is a 1982 rock musical based on the cult 1960 film “The Little Shop of Horrors”. The stage musical was adapted into a 1986 film of the same name, directed by Frank Oz. Not my cup of tea …

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Sluglike “Star Wars” bad guy : JABBA
6 Man, on the Isle of Man : BLOKE
11 Number cruncher, for short : CPA
14 Garlicky sauce : AIOLI
15 Certain bib wearer : RACER
16 Played the first card : LED
17 Television pro : BROADCASTER
19 “… ___ lack thereof” : OR A
20 Passionately discuss minutiae, with “out” : NERD …
21 Bares one’s soul : OPENS UP
23 Expose the vulnerabilities of, in a way : HACK
26 Each : A POP
28 Benjamin Franklin, by religious philosophy : DEIST
29 Grandchild of Adam and Eve : ENOS
30 Copy : MIMIC
32 The first two digits of every Brooklyn ZIP code : ONES
33 Cable channel with its own awards show : MTV
34 Goes (for) : OPTS
35 Like T.S.A. lines on holiday weekends : LONG
37 Overlook, as a flaw : SEE PAST
39 Eat plenty of : FEAST ON
42 Video streaming giant : ROKU
43 Fly high : SOAR
44 N.Y.S.E. debut : IPO
45 Shaving cut : NICK
47 Downright : PLAIN
49 Full of oneself : SMUG
50 Aftereffects from working out : ACHES
52 C.F.O. or C.I.O : EXEC
53 Currency of Colombia : PESO
54 Strong squeeze : BEAR HUG
56 Rave (about) : GUSH
58 Where shots are taken : BAR
59 Song from “The Little Mermaid” that’s a phonetic hint to interpreting the answers to the starred clues : UNDER THE SEA
64 Part of a which-came-first debate : EGG
65 Pageant accessory : TIARA
66 Straightens things out, say : IRONS
67 Discussion starter? : DEE
68 Afflictions that rhyme with the body parts they’re found in : STYES
69 Isn’t settled : PENDS

Down

1 Vaccine, informally : JAB
2 Word with France or Force : AIR …
3 What it would be a mistake to write twice? : BOO
4 Valuable Scrabble tiles : BLANKS
5 Right hand, so to speak : AIDE
6 Actor in “12 Years a Slave” and “12 Monkeys” : BRAD PITT
7 ___ Cruces, N.M. : LAS
8 Ocean creatures with three hearts : OCTOPI
9 Label for a box during a household purge : KEEP
10 Messed up : ERRED
11 *Not moving fast enough : CLOSING TIME (LOSING TIME under the C)
12 Read over : PERUSE
13 Gets used to new surroundings : ADAPTS
18 *Increases sharply : CRAMPS UP (RAMPS UP under the C)
22 Highlighter colors, usually : NEONS
23 Traps, with “in” : HEMS …
24 Before: Prefix : ANTE
25 *Rip off : COVER CHARGE (OVERCHARGE under the C)
27 Meditation mantras : OMS
31 *Like 10%-fat beef : CLEAN-CUT (LEAN CUT under the C)
34 Wood used to age brandy : OAK
36 Boat propeller : OAR
38 ___ face : POKER
39 Duck delicacy : FOIE GRAS
40 Great work : OPUS
41 Something that’s not going to happen : NO-GO
43 Bill Clinton’s is displayed at the Smithsonian, for short : SAX
45 Caught : NABBED
46 Time when glaciers form : ICE AGE
48 Gym session devoted to squats, dead lifts, etc. : LEG DAY
49 It’s a ball : SPHERE
51 Powers (down) : SHUTS
55 Textbook section : UNIT
57 Tanker, e.g. : SHIP
60 Before, poetically : ERE
61 “Mushnik & ___” (“Little Shop of Horrors” song) : SON
62 Extra-crusty piece of bread : END
63 Bad thing to make of oneself : ASS

7 thoughts on “0731-24 NY Times Crossword 31 Jul 24, Wednesday”

  1. 10:45, no errors. Didn’t fully understand the theme until I was all done, and essentially ignored the clues for the theme entries until then.

    As I write this, I’m listening to the sounds of the shingles on my hail-damaged roof being removed. If all goes well, I will have all new shingles on there by the end of the day … 🙂.

  2. 17:26, no errors. Embarrassingly slow. I finally had my aha moment “Under the C” late in the solve. Oh, well…

  3. 13:19, hope I don’t have “Under The Sea” running through my head for the rest of the day…..

  4. No errors…I couldn’t make sense of this one until I got to the under the sea clue and then it fell into place.
    Stay safe😀
    GoOrioles⚾️

  5. 15:21 – clean. Holy cow, for a Wednesday NYT, I’ll take it.

    OCTOPI/Three Hearts was just in another puzzle recently (an I actually remembered it). Might have been the NYT.

    Theme was useless to me, had to read Bill’s comments to get it.

    @Dave – 6 weeks later, I hope your new roof isn’t leaking!

    Be Well.

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