Constructed by: Michael Lieberman
Edited by: Joel Fagliano
Not your puzzle? Try today’s …
… syndicated NY Times crossword
Today’s Reveal Answer: Fall Classic
Themed answers are CLASSIC nursery rhymes that feature a FALL:
- 59A Nickname for the World Series … or what you might call 17-, 28- or 45-Across? : FALL CLASSIC
- 17A Nursery rhyme about a disastrous trip up a hill : JACK AND JILL
- 28A Nursery rhyme about the perils of sitting on a wall : HUMPTY DUMPTY
- 45A Nursery rhyme about the hazards of decaying infrastructure : LONDON BRIDGE
Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers
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Bill’s time: 5m 27s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
1 Many a customer service assistant, nowadays : BOT
A bot is a computer program designed to imitate human behavior. It might crawl around the Web doing searches for example, or it might participate in discussions in chat rooms by giving pre-programmed responses. It might also act as a competitor in a computer game.
4 Animal on the state seal of Maine : MOOSE
Maine’s state flag features the state coat of arms on a blue background. The center of the shield depicts a moose resting under a pine tree, and the shield is supported by a farmer and seaman. The North Star sits atop the shield.
13 Blackjack card worth 1 or 11 : ACE
In the card game blackjack, an ace has the point value of one or eleven. When one of the two cards dealt to a player is an ace, the hand is called “soft”. This means that the player cannot go bust by taking another card, as the ace can be revalued at “one” if necessary in order to stay under 21.
14 Friend of Mickey and Goofy : DONALD
Donald Duck was created in 1934 by Walt Disney Productions, and first appeared in “The Wise Little Hen” in 1934. Donald’s full name is Donald Fauntleroy Duck.
Walt Disney’s iconic cartoon character Mickey Mouse, was introduced to the public in 1928 in the cartoon “Steamboat Willie”. Mickey was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1978, making him the first cartoon character to be so honored. Walt Disney had some nice words to say in Disneyland in 1954:
I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse.
Disney’s Goofy first appeared as Dippy Dawg in 1932. Goofy became famous for his “How to …” series of cartoons in the 1940s which dealt with everything from snow skiing to sleeping, and from football to riding a horse. Goofy’s last theatrical appearance was in a 2007 work called “How to Hook Up Your Home Theater”.
15 Actress Kendrick : ANNA
Anna Kendrick is a marvelous actress whose big break came when she played the sidekick to George Clooney’s character in the very interesting 2009 film “Up in the Air”. Kendrick can sing as well as act, and played a student a cappella singer in the 2012 movie “Pitch Perfect”.
17 Nursery rhyme about a disastrous trip up a hill : JACK AND JILL
The “Jack and Jill” nursery rhyme dates back at least to the 1700s:
Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.
21 Southeast Asian language : LAO
Lao, the language of Laos, does not use spaces between words (or periods!), although this is apparently changing. Spaces are used between sentences and clauses.
24 “Four score and seven years ___ …” : AGO
I visited Gettysburg for the first time in 2010, and goodness me what a moving place that is. As I discovered on my visit, there are five known copies of Lincoln’s Gettysburg address and all of them differ in some way or another, so I suppose the exact words spoken will never be known. Martin Luther King Jr. evoked Abraham Lincoln’s words in another of America’s iconic addresses, his “I Have a Dream” speech. Lincoln’s speech began with “Four score and seven years ago …”, and King’s speech began with “Five score years ago …” as a nod to the Gettysburg Address.
26 Pesky summer swarm : GNATS
Gnats have a relatively short lifespan, of about 7-10 days.
28 Nursery rhyme about the perils of sitting on a wall : HUMPTY DUMPTY
Humpty Dumpty is a character in a nursery rhyme. He is usually depicted as an egg, although that isn’t specifically called out in the original rhyme:
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.
37 ___ Z, a.k.a. Zoomers : GEN-
Definitions vary, but it seems that the term “Generation Z” is reserved for the children of “Generation X”, and for the generation that follows the “Millennials” (Generation Y). Gen-Zers are also known as “Zoomers”, a portmanteau of “Z” and “boomer” (as in “baby boomer”).
38 Comedian Schumer or Poehler : AMY
Amy Schumer is a stand-up comedian, and an alumna of the reality TV show “Last Comic Standing”, in which she placed fourth. Schumer now has her own comedy series “Inside Amy Schumer”, which airs on Comedy Central. Amy is a first cousin once removed of Chuck Schumer, the senior US Senator from New York.
Amy Poehler was a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” from 2001 to 2008, notable for appearing in many great sketches, including those where she played Hillary Clinton opposite Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin. Poehler also starred with Fey in the 2008 movie “Baby Mama”. And, Poehler led the cast of the sitcom “Parks and Recreation” for its seven-season run.
44 Marx who co-wrote “The Communist Manifesto” : KARL
“The Communist Manifesto” written in 1848 by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels contains the phrase “Proletarians of all countries, unite!” (“Proletarier aller Länder vereinigt Euch!” in German). This evolved into the English saying “Workers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains!” The words “Workers of all lands, unite“ are written on Karl Marx’s headstone in Highgate Cemetery in London.
51 Flat tire’s lack : AIR
Here’s another example of terms that change as we cross the Atlantic Ocean. When talking about tires (“tyres” in Britain and Ireland), a defect can cause a “flat” (“puncture” in Britain and Ireland).
56 This typeface : ITALICS
Italic type leans to the right, and is often used to provide emphasis in text. The style is known as “italic” because the stylized calligraphic form of writing originated in Italy, probably in the Vatican.
67 Drunk-ish : TIPSY
The term “tipsy” comes from the verb “to tip” meaning “to overturn, knock over”, and has been meaning “drunk” since the late 1500s.
Down
2 Eight-armed creatures : OCTOPUSES
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 …
3 The Bible has an Old and New one : TESTAMENT
The Christian Bible is divided into the Old Testament (OT) and the New Testament (NT).
4 Obstacle for a would-be castle attacker : MOAT
A moat is a protective trench that surrounds a castle, say, or an exhibit in a zoo. A moat may or may not be filled with water.
6 Acorn-bearing tree : OAK
These days, we don’t usually consider acorns (the fruit of the oak tree) as a foodstuff. But in days past, many cultures around the world have used acorns as food. Usually, bitter tannins that occur in acorns need to be leached out in water. Acorn meal can be a substitute for grain flour, which can then be used to make bread. Acorns have also been used as a substitute for coffee, especially when coffee was rationed. Notably, acorn coffee was brewed up by Confederates during the American Civil War, and by Germans during World War II.
7 Downhill skiing event : SLALOM
“Slalom” is an anglicized version of the Norwegian word “slalam” that translates as “skiing race”. There is a longer version of the traditional slalom that is called giant slalom
8 Poet St. Vincent Millay : EDNA
Edna St. Vincent Millay was an American poet and playwright, and the third woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (in 1923 for “The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver”). Millay was noted not only for her work, but also for the open arrangement that she and her husband had in their marriage. Millay took many lovers, including the poet George Dillon for whom she wrote a number of sonnets.
9 ___ Mahal : TAJ
The Taj Mahal in Agra, India is a magnificent marble mausoleum. It was built in the mid-17th century by the fifth Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to house the tomb of his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died while giving birth to her 14th child in 1631. When Shah Jahan himself died in 1666, he was buried in the Taj Mahal, alongside his wife.
10 R&B singer Baker : ANITA
Anita Baker is an R&B and soul singer who was raised in Detroit, Michigan. Baker’s most successful song is the Grammy-winning “Sweet Love” that was released in 1986.
27 Sch. in Lower Manhattan : NYU
The main campus of the private New York University (NYU) is located right in Manhattan, in Washington Square in the heart of Greenwich Village. NYU has over 12,000 resident students, the largest number of residents in a private school in the whole country. NYU’s sports teams are known as the Violets, a reference to the violet and white colors that are worn in competition. Since the 1980s, the school’s mascot has been a bobcat. “Bobcat” had been the familiar name given to NYU’s Bobst Library computerized catalog.
29 Country south of Saudi Arabia : YEMEN
Yemen is a country located in the southwestern part of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, Oman to the east, the Red Sea to the west, and the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea to the south. Yemen has a population of over 30 million people and its capital and largest city is Sana’a.
34 “Submit by” dates : DEADLINES
Our use of the term “deadline”, to mean “point in time before something must be done”, arose as jargon in the American newspaper industry in the 1920s. During the Civil War, a deadline was a do-not-cross line drawn on the ground in Confederate prisons.
35 Beverage with a Big Mac, perhaps : LARGE COKE
The iconic Big Mac sandwich was introduced nationally by McDonald’s in 1967. It was the creation of a Pittsburgh franchisee who offered it on the menu as a response to the very similar “Big Boy” sandwich offered by the competing Big Boy restaurant chain.
36 Christmas season : YULE
Yule celebrations coincide with Christmas, and the words “Christmas” and “Yule” (often “Yuletide”) have become synonymous in much of the world. However, Yule was originally a pagan festival celebrated by Germanic peoples. The name “Yule” comes from the Old Norse word “jol” that was used to describe the festival.
38 Kind of clock that’s ultraprecise : ATOMIC
An atomic clock is the most accurate tool known for keeping track of time. Most clocks work using some sort of an oscillation that takes place at a regular interval, like a pendulum. In the case of an atomic clock, the oscillation that is measured is between the nucleus of an atom (usually a cesium atom) and its surrounding electrons.
42 ___ carte : A LA
On a restaurant menu, items that are “à la carte” are priced and ordered separately. A menu marked “table d’hôte” (also called “prix fixe”) is a fixed-price menu with limited choice. “Table d’hôte” translates from French as “table of the host”.
43 Hawaiian taro dish : POI
The corm of some taro plants is used to make poi, a traditional Hawaiian dish (which I think tastes horrible). When a taro plant is grown as an ornamental, it is often called Elephant Ears due to the shape of its large leaves.
46 Bottled water brand : DASANI
Dasani is a Coca-Cola brand of bottled water. It is simply filtered tap water with some trace minerals added.
50 ___ Island (historic entry point for immigrants) : ELLIS
Ellis Island is an exclave of New York City that is geographically located within the bounds of Jersey City, New Jersey. The name comes from Samuel Ellis, who owned the island around the time of the American Revolution. Ellis Island was the nation’s main immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954.
61 Valvoline competitor : STP
Valvoline is the oldest brand of motor oil marketed here in the US. The formulation was trademarked in 1873.
Read on, or …
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Many a customer service assistant, nowadays : BOT
4 Animal on the state seal of Maine : MOOSE
9 Lacking slack : TAUT
13 Blackjack card worth 1 or 11 : ACE
14 Friend of Mickey and Goofy : DONALD
15 Actress Kendrick : ANNA
16 “___ all good!” : IT’S
17 Nursery rhyme about a disastrous trip up a hill : JACK AND JILL
19 How salt and pepper may be added, in a recipe : TO TASTE
21 Southeast Asian language : LAO
22 Knotted neckwear : TIE
23 Susceptible to sunburn : PALE
24 “Four score and seven years ___ …” : AGO
26 Pesky summer swarm : GNATS
28 Nursery rhyme about the perils of sitting on a wall : HUMPTY DUMPTY
31 Doesn’t waste : USES
32 Dine : EAT
33 How heavy metal bands typically play : LOUDLY
37 ___ Z, a.k.a. Zoomers : GEN-
38 Comedian Schumer or Poehler : AMY
39 Verbalize : SAY
40 Water, in French : EAU
41 Subject of a will : ESTATE
43 “My Zoom joke flopped … I guess it’s not remotely funny,” e.g. : PUN
44 Marx who co-wrote “The Communist Manifesto” : KARL
45 Nursery rhyme about the hazards of decaying infrastructure : LONDON BRIDGE
48 Energy, idiomatically : STEAM
51 Flat tire’s lack : AIR
52 Fashion magazine with a palindromic name : ELLE
53 Commodity measured in barrels : OIL
54 Hypotheticals : IFS
56 This typeface : ITALICS
59 Nickname for the World Series … or what you might call 17-, 28- or 45-Across? : FALL CLASSIC
62 Word repeated in a double negative : NOT
63 Operatic highlight : ARIA
64 Purpose : INTENT
65 Barely scratch (out) : EKE
66 Quality of a hoarse voice : RASP
67 Drunk-ish : TIPSY
68 Work with needle and thread : SEW
Down
1 Angler’s supply : BAIT
2 Eight-armed creatures : OCTOPUSES
3 The Bible has an Old and New one : TESTAMENT
4 Obstacle for a would-be castle attacker : MOAT
5 How often many people brush their teeth (avert your eyes, dentists!) : ONCE A DAY
6 Acorn-bearing tree : OAK
7 Downhill skiing event : SLALOM
8 Poet St. Vincent Millay : EDNA
9 ___ Mahal : TAJ
10 R&B singer Baker : ANITA
11 Like birthday candles before the party starts : UNLIT
12 Stories : TALES
14 Turn at the turntables, for short : DJ SET
18 One might be squeaky or shaped like a bone : DOG TOY
20 “Napoleon Crossing the ___” (painting series) : ALPS
25 Belly : GUT
27 Sch. in Lower Manhattan : NYU
28 Ginormous : HUGE
29 Country south of Saudi Arabia : YEMEN
30 Fallback option : PLAN B
34 “Submit by” dates : DEADLINES
35 Beverage with a Big Mac, perhaps : LARGE COKE
36 Christmas season : YULE
38 Kind of clock that’s ultraprecise : ATOMIC
39 They brighten everyone’s days : SUNRISES
42 ___ carte : A LA
43 Hawaiian taro dish : POI
44 Pass idly, as time : KILL
46 Bottled water brand : DASANI
47 Respond to a stimulus : REACT
48 To date : SO FAR
49 Sparkly headwear : TIARA
50 ___ Island (historic entry point for immigrants) : ELLIS
55 Dart around : FLIT
57 Very small : TINY
58 Hearty meal in a bowl : STEW
60 Place for a snuggly cat : LAP
61 Valvoline competitor : STP
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