0807-24 NY Times Crossword 7 Aug 24, Wednesday

Bill’s time: 8m 38s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 On the ___ : LAM

To be on the lam is to be in flight, to have escaped from prison. “On the lam” is American slang that originated at the end of the 19th century. The word “lam” also means “beat” or “thrash”, as in “lambaste”. So “on the lam” might derive from the phrase “to beat it, scram”.

8 Rhyme of 46-Across, but not a homophone of 21-Across : DOFF

One doffs one’s hat, usually as a mark of respect. To doff is to take off, with “doff” being a contraction of “do off”. The opposite of “doff” is “don”, meaning “to put on”.

13 Olay competitor : NIVEA

Nivea is a brand name of skin-care products from Germany. The Latin word “nivea” means “snow-white”.

28 Like Plan B, for short : OTC

Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs don’t need a prescription (Rx).

“Plan B” is a brand name for the hormonal medication levonorgestrel that is used for birth control. Known familiarly as the morning-after pill, it works by delaying release of an egg from the ovaries, hence preventing sperm from fertilizing.

35 “___ Choice” : SOPHIE’S

“Sophie’s Choice” is a novel by William Styron. The title character is a Polish survivor of Nazi concentration camps. The tragic “choice” which Sophie had to make was forced on her by a sadistic German doctor during the war. Sophie had to decide which of her two young children would be immediately gassed, and which would be allowed to live in a camp. Famously, Sophie was played on the big screen by actress Meryl Streep.

40 Everglades wader : HERON

Herons are birds with long legs that inhabit freshwater and coastal locales. Some herons are routinely referred to as egrets, and others as bitterns. Herons look a lot like storks and cranes, but differ in their appearance in flight. Herons fly with their necks retracted in an S-shape, whereas storks and cranes have their necks extended.

The Everglades are tropical wetlands that cover much of southern Florida. The area was named “River Glades” by a British surveyor in 1773, and it is suggested that poor transcription of the word “river” led to the use of “ever”. The southern 20% of the Everglades is a protected region that we know as Everglades National Park. The park is the third-largest National Park in the lower 48 states, after Death Valley NP (the largest) and Yellowstone NP.

42 Gun-regulating grp. : ATF

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) today is part of the Department of Justice (DOJ). The ATF has its roots in the Department of Treasury dating back to 1886 when it was known as the Bureau of Prohibition. “Explosives” was added to the ATF’s name when the bureau was moved under the Department of Justice (DOJ) as part of the reorganization called for in the Homeland Security Act of 2002.

53 Pacific ___ : RIM

The phrase “Pacific Rim” describes the countries that surround the Pacific Ocean. The related phrase “Pacific Basin” includes the islands in the Pacific Ocean, in addition to the Pacific Rim nations.

58 Corkscrew-shaped pasta : FUSILLI

Fusilli is a corkscrew-shaped pasta. The term “fusilli” comes from the Italian word “fuso” meaning “spindle”.

68 Denver-to-Omaha dir. : ENE

Denver, Colorado is nicknamed “Mile-High City” because its official elevation is listed as exactly one mile. Denver City was founded in 1858 as a mining town. The name was chosen in honor of the Kansas Territorial Governor at the time, James W. Denver.

Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska. It is located on the Missouri River, about 10 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River. When Nebraska was still a territory Omaha was its capital, but when Nebraska achieved statehood the capital was moved to the city of Lincoln.

Down

4 Classic accessory for Humphrey Bogart : FEDORA

A fedora is a lovely hat, I think. It is made of felt, and is similar to a trilby, but has a broader brim. “Fedora” was a play written for Sarah Bernhardt and first performed in 1889. Bernhardt had the title role of Princess Fedora, and on stage she wore a hat similar to a modern-day fedora. The play led to the women’s fashion accessory, the fedora hat, commonly worn by women into the beginning of the twentieth century. Men then started wearing fedoras, but only when women gave up the fashion …

Humphrey “Bogie” Bogart’s breakthrough movie was “The Petrified Forest” from 1936, but for me nothing beats “Casablanca”. That said, check out the original “Sabrina” from 1954. It’s a real delight. Bogie was nominated three times for a Best Actor Oscar, but only won once: for “The African Queen”.

5 Many a Gilbert and Sullivan work : LIGHT OPERA

The theatrical partnership that we know as “Gilbert & Sullivan” comprised dramatist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan. They wrote fourteen operettas together in the late 19th century, the majority of which are performed regularly to this day. The list of their works includes:

• “H. M. S. Pinafore” (1878)
• “The Pirates of Penzance” (1879)
• “The Mikado” (1885)
• “The Yeomen of the Guard” (1888)
• “The Gondoliers” (1889)

6 Park in N.Y.C., e.g. : AVE

Park Avenue in New York City used to be known as Fourth Avenue, and for much of its length carried the tracks of the New York and Harlem Railroad. When the line was built, some of it was constructed by cutting through the length of the street and then forming underground tunnels by covering over the line with grates and greenery. This greenery formed a parkland between 34th and 40th Streets, and in 1860 the grassy section of Fourth Avenue was renamed Park Avenue, a name that was eventually used for the whole thoroughfare.

25 Insurer with an avian mascot : AFLAC

In 1999, Aflac (American Family Life Assurance Company) was huge in the world of insurance but it wasn’t a household name, so a New York advertising agency was given the task of making the Aflac brand more memorable. One of the agency’s art directors, while walking around Central Park one lunchtime, heard a duck quacking and in his mind linked it with “Aflac”, and that duck has been “Aflacking” ever since …

27 Real mess : 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.

31 Leader who wrote “The Discovery of India” : NEHRU

Jawaharlal Nehru was the first prime minister of India, serving from 1947-64. Nehru was basically the heir to his mentor Mahatma Gandhi. Nehru’s only daughter Indira, also became prime minister (known as Indira Gandhi through marriage, though she was not related to Mahatma).

52 Island country that’s 24 hours ahead of its closest neighbor : SAMOA

The official name for the South Pacific nation formerly known as Western Samoa is the Independent State of Samoa. Samoa is the western part of the island group, with American Samoa lying to the southeast. The whole group of islands used to be known as Navigators Island, a name given by European explorers in recognition of the seafaring skills of the native Samoans.

54 Brownish pear : BOSC

Bosc is a cultivar of the European pear that is grown mainly in the northwest of the United States. It is named for French horticulturist Louis Bosc. The cultivar originated in Belgium or France in the early 19th century. The Bosc is that pear with a skin the color of a potato, with a long neck.

55 “Once more ___ the breach” : UNTO

Shakespeare’s play “Henry V” is more correctly called “The Life of Henry the Fifth”. The story mainly focuses on his life before and immediately after the king’s celebrated victory over the French at the Battle of Agincourt. “Henry V” includes one of Shakespeare’s most celebrated speeches, an address by the king to his troops at the siege of Harfleur, with the opening lines:

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our English dead …

56 Communicate like a Sphynx : MEOW

The sphynx is a breed of cat that has no fur. The lack of fur was introduced by selective breeding in the sixties. Although there is no fur, the sphynx does have some fine hair on its body. Selective breeding has led to some health issues, though. The lack of fur leaves kittens susceptible to respiratory infections, and prolonged exposure to sunlight can cause skin cancer.

58 “___ is very agreeable, but the bad thing is that it goes on 24 hours a day”: Gabriel García Márquez : FAME

Gabriel García Márquez was a novelist from Colombia who was also known by the nickname “Gabo”. Gabo won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982.

59 Leopard’s spot : LAIR

Leopards are the smallest of the big cats, but still very powerful and agile hunters. They are known for their beautiful fur, which is covered in dark spots called rosettes. These spots help to camouflage them in their natural environment. Leopards are solitary animals and they only come together to mate. After a gestation period of about 3 months, a female leopard will give birth to 1-5 cubs. The cubs will stay with their mother for about 2 years before they are old enough to fend for themselves.