Constructed by: Willa Angel Chen Miller
Edited by: Will Shortz
Not your puzzle? Try today’s …
… syndicated NY Times crossword
Today’s Theme: None
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Bill’s time: 12m 11s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
1 Introductory course : SALAD
Our word “salad” comes from the Latin “salare” meaning “to salt”. The Latin “herba salata” translates as “salted vegetables”, which I guess could be a salad …
6 Exchange letters : IPO
An initial public offering (IPO) is the very first offer of stock for sale by a company on the open market. In other words, an IPO marks the first time that a company is traded on a public exchange. Companies have an IPO to raise capital to expand (usually).
9 Venue for the sale of the town of Buford, Wyo., in 2012 (price: $900,000) : EBAY
There have been some notable things sold on eBay over the years. For example:
- Ad space on a guy’s forehead, in the form of a temporary tattoo – $37,375
- William Shatner’s kidney stone – $25,000
- A cornflake shaped like Illinois – $1,350
- A single corn flake – $1.63
- A box of 10 Twinkies – $59.99
- The original Hollywood sign – $450,400
- The meaning of life – $3.26
17 Jörmungandr, in Norse mythology : SEA MONSTER
Jörmungandr is a huge sea serpent of Norse mythology. It lives in the world sea that encircles the Earth. Jörmungandr is also known as the World Serpent as it encircles the whole planet, with its tail in its mouth.
18 ___ option : CALL
In the world of stock trading, a call option (also “call”) is a type of financial contract. The buyer of a call option purchases the right, without obligation, to buy a particular commodity from the seller before a specified date (the expiration date) at a specified price (the strike price). The related put option (also “put”) gives the owner of a commodity the right to sell that commodity at the strike price.
19 Narrow passage: Abbr. : STR
A strait (str.) is a narrow waterway connecting two large bodies of water. A strait might be considered the opposite of an isthmus, which is a narrow strip of land connecting two large land masses. Straits often have significant economic and geopolitical significance, as they can form choke points for maritime traffic. Examples are the Strait of Hormuz (connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman) and the Strait of Gibraltar (connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea).
24 Shattering results : SHARDS
A shard is a small piece, especially a fragment, of broken ceramic or glass.
25 So-so at best : NO GREAT SHAKES
The idiomatic phrase “no great shakes” means “not very skilful”, as in “Bill is no great shakes at solving sports clues in the crossword”. There is a suggestion that the term comes from the act of shaking dice, as some shakes result in great numbers, and some don’t.
29 Buff marsh resident : EGRET
Egrets are a group of several species of white herons. Many egret species were faced with extinction in the 1800s and early 1900s due to plume hunting, a practice driven by the demand for egret plumes that could be incorporated into hats.
30 Budget alternative : ALAMO
The third-largest car rental company in recent years is Alamo, which was founded in 1974. Alamo made inroads (pun!) into the market by popularizing the idea of “unlimited mileage”.
31 Saucer contents, in brief : ETS
Disc-shaped flying objects have been reported in the sky since the Middle Ages. In the modern era, the event that launched the term “flying saucer” was a UFO sighting in 1947, which was covered widely in the media. Kenneth Arnold reported seeing nine unidentified flying objects in formation near Mount Rainier in Washington. In describing the objects, he repeatedly used the words “saucer”, “disc” and “pie-plate”. Newspapers latched onto the terminology, and we’ve been seeing flying “saucers” ever since.
35 First Pixar film with a female protagonist : BRAVE
“Brave” is an animated film released by Pixar studios in 2012. The movie has a great cast of voice actors that includes the talented Kelly Macdonald, Julie Walters, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Craig Ferguson and Robbie Coltrane. As you might guess from that cast, the story is set in Scotland, in the highlands in the tenth century.
36 Fulminate : RAIL
To fulminate is to explode or detonate, perhaps in rage. It’s a lovely word derived from the Latin “fulminare” meaning “to hurl lightning”.
39 First capital of Alaska : SITKA
The city of Sitka is located on Baranof Island and part of Chichagof Island in the Alexander Archipelago off the coast of Alaska. Sitka used to be known as Redoubt Saint Michael and then New Archangel when it was ruled by the Russians. The current city name comes from a local term meaning “People on the Outside of Baranof Island”. Immediately after the purchase of Alaska by the US, Sitka served as the capital of the Alaska Territory until the seat of government was relocated north to Juneau. Sitka is a consolidated city-borough, and so by one definition, Sitka is the largest city in the US. The city-borough covers 2,870 square miles of land, although Urban Sitka covers just 2 square miles of land.
43 Pickle : SCRAPE
To be in a pickle means to be in a fix, in trouble. One of the first uses of “pickle” in such a context was William Shakespeare (who else?), in his play “The Tempest”. Here is part of the conversation between Alonso, King of Naples, and his jester Trinculo:
ALONSO:
And Trinculo is reeling ripe: where should they
Find this grand liquor that hath gilded ’em?
How camest thou in this pickle?TRINCULO:
I have been in such a pickle since I
saw you last that, I fear me, will never out of
my bones: I shall not fear fly-blowing.
44 Actress Melissa Joan ___ : HART
Actress Melissa Joan Hart is perhaps best known for portraying the title character on the long-running TV show “Sabrina the Teenage Witch”. Hart was beyond her teenage years when the show first aired in 1996 (she was 20), and the original run lasted for seven years.
45 Sauce made of seeds : TAHINI
“Tahini” is the Arabic name for a paste made from ground sesame seeds. It is a major ingredient in hummus, one of my favorite dishes.
46 Company behind Sonic the Hedgehog : SEGA
Sonic the Hedgehog is a title character in a videogame and the mascot of Sega, the computer game developer. Sonic was set up as a rival to Nintendo’s mascot Mario.
56 Split things, sometimes : ENDS
The hair condition that we commonly refer to as “split ends”, is more formally known as “trichoptilosis”. The latter term comes from the Greek “tricho-” meaning “hair” and “ptilosis” meaning “arrangement of feathers in definite areas”!
57 Some printer purchases, for short : HPS
The giant multinational HP (originally “Hewlett-Packard”) was founded in 1939 with an investment of $538 in a one-car garage in Palo Alto, California by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard. The company name would have been Packard-Hewlett, if Dave Packard had won a coin toss!
58 Ping maker : SONAR
The British developed the first underwater detection system that used sound waves. Research was driven by defense demands during WWI, leading to production of working units in 1922. This new sound detection system was described as using “supersonics”, but for the purpose of secrecy the term was dropped in favor of an acronym. The work was done under the auspices of the Royal Navy’s Anti-Submarine Division, so ASD was combined with the “IC” from “superson-ic-s” to create the name ASDIC. The navy even went as far as renaming the quartz material at the heart of the technology “ASDivite”. By the time WWII came along, the Americans were producing their own systems and coined the term SONAR (Sound Navigation and Ranging), playing off the related application, RADAR. And so, the name ASDIC was deep-sixed …
Down
1 Work (out) : SUSS
The verb “to suss” means “to figure out”. The term originated in the 1950s as police slang, and is a shortening of “to suspect”.
3 Shakespearean counterpart to Logan on “Succession” : LEAR
William Shakespeare’s play “King Lear” is one of his tragedies. Lear demands homage from his three daughters as he divides up his kingdom between them. The two older daughters, Goneril and Regan, pretend to be devoted to their father, but the youngest, Cordela, refuses to be insincere. Goneril and Regan assume power, but turn on their father, who chooses to become destitute and goes insane.
“Succession” is a very popular dark comedy-drama series that premiered in 2018. It’s about a family-owned, global media company. The “succession” in question is who will get to run the empire after the passing of the ailing family patriarch. The marvelous Scottish actor Brian Cox plays the head of the company Logan Roy. Great stuff, albeit quite depressing and terrifying …
9 “More!” : ENCORE!
“Encore” is French for “again, one more time”, and is a shout that an audience member will make here in North America to request perhaps another song. But, the term is not used this way in France. Rather, the audience will shout “Bis!”, which is the Italian for “twice!”
11 It shows the lay of the land : ATLAS
The first modern atlas was published in 1570 by Abraham Ortelius, a Flemish cartographer. It was called “Theatrum Orbis Terrarum” (Theater of the World).
15 Kenneth who wrote “The Wind in the Willows” : GRAHAME
“The Wind in the Willows” is a classic children’s novel first published in 1908. Featured in the story are characters such as Mole, Ratty, Mr. Toad and Mr. Badger. The story’s author was Kenneth Grahame, a man who held the exalted position of Secretary of the Bank of England.
22 Speedy shark : MAKO
The shortfin mako shark can appear on restaurant menus, and as a result the species is dying out in some parts of the world. The mako gets its own back sometimes though, as attacks on humans are not unknown. It is the fastest-swimming shark, and has been clocked at speeds of over 40 miles/hour. And the shark in Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea”, that’s a mako. “Mako” is the Maori word for “shark” or “shark tooth”.
23 Father of Phobos and Deimos : ARES
The Greek god Ares is often referred to as the Olympian god of warfare, but originally he was regarded as the god of bloodlust and slaughter. He united with Aphrodite to create several gods, including Phobos (Fear), Deimos (Terror) and Eros (Desire). Ares was the son of Zeus and Hera, and the Roman equivalent to Ares was Mars.
32 ___ bar : TIKI
The world’s first tiki bar was called “Don the Beachcomber”, and was opened in L.A. in 1933 by Ernest Gantt (also known as “Donn Beach”). The bar became famous for its exotic rum cocktails. Gantt was called to serve in WWII, and the business expanded dramatically under his ex-wife’s management so that there was a 160-restaurant chain waiting for Gantt when he returned stateside.
33 Louver : SLAT
A louver (also “louvre”) is a window cover with horizontal slats that can be angled to admit air and light, and at the same time provide shade from direct light and protection from rain.
39 Unfortunate twists : SPRAINS
Sprained ligaments are graded on severity:
- Grade 1 (Mild): Slight stretching, some pain and swelling, but you can still walk.
- Grade 2 (Moderate): Partial tear, more pain, swelling, and bruising, making walking difficult.
- Grade 3 (Severe): Complete tear, significant swelling and bruising, unable to bear weight.
41 Blooms for van Gogh : IRISES
Van Gogh painted his “Irises” while he was in an asylum in the south of France the year before he committed suicide. The original owner was a French art critic and supporter of van Gogh who paid 300 francs to purchase the painting. “Irises” was bought for $53.9 million in 1987, making it the most expensive painting sold up to that point. But, the buyer didn’t actually have the necessary funds, so it had to be resold in 1990. It was picked up by the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, where you can see it today.
42 Quarter back? : EAGLE
State quarters were introduced in 1999. Prior to that, the quarter had an eagle on its reverse.
45 Schlep : TOTE
Our word “schlep” (sometimes “schlepp”) means “carry, drag”. “Schlep” comes from Yiddish, with “shlepen” having the same meaning.
48 ___ Tokarczuk, winner of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature : OLGA
Olga Tokarczuk is a Polish author who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2018. She also won the 2018 Man Booker International Prize for her novel “Flights”. Her epic historical novel “The Books of Jacob”, published in 2014, is generally regarded as Tokarczuk’s magnum opus.
49 Big name in paint : BEHR
The name of the Behr brand of paint is pronounced “bear”, and the cans even have a bear logo. The company was founded in 1947 by Otho Behr, Jr.
53 Adverb much used by Goldilocks : TOO
The story of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” was first recorded in 1837 in England, although the narrative was around before it was actually written down. The original fairy tale was rather gruesome, but successive versions became more family-oriented. The character that eventually became Goldilocks was originally an elderly woman, and the three “nameless” bears became Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Introductory course : SALAD
6 Exchange letters : IPO
9 Venue for the sale of the town of Buford, Wyo., in 2012 (price: $900,000) : EBAY
13 What you might get after being taken for a ride : UBER RATING
16 Hint : NOTE
17 Jörmungandr, in Norse mythology : SEA MONSTER
18 ___ option : CALL
19 Narrow passage: Abbr. : STR
20 Affixes, in a way : PINS
21 Unprincipled : AMORAL
23 Midrange performer : ALTO
24 Shattering results : SHARDS
25 So-so at best : NO GREAT SHAKES
29 Buff marsh resident : EGRET
30 Budget alternative : ALAMO
31 Saucer contents, in brief : ETS
34 Industrial Revolution and others : ERAS
35 First Pixar film with a female protagonist : BRAVE
36 Fulminate : RAIL
37 Cubby hole? : DEN
38 Playwright/screenwriter Douglas Carter ___ : BEANE
39 First capital of Alaska : SITKA
40 One method of payment : DIRECT DEPOSIT
43 Pickle : SCRAPE
44 Actress Melissa Joan ___ : HART
45 Sauce made of seeds : TAHINI
46 Company behind Sonic the Hedgehog : SEGA
47 Blubber : SOB
50 2011 hit by Jay-Z and Kanye West that samples a 1966 soul performance : OTIS
51 Very : NOT A LITTLE
54 Bit of a subway station wall : TILE
55 “That’ll do” : GOOD ENOUGH
56 Split things, sometimes : ENDS
57 Some printer purchases, for short : HPS
58 Ping maker : SONAR
Down
1 Work (out) : SUSS
2 Provide crooked support for : ABET
3 Shakespearean counterpart to Logan on “Succession” : LEAR
4 Ready to fight : ARM
5 Bead : DROPLET
6 “Take your time!” : IT’S NOT A RACE!
7 Worst possible circumstances, with “the” : … PITS
8 Horizontal line, in Chinese writing : ONE
9 “More!” : ENCORE!
10 Positions of governance : BOARD SEATS
11 It shows the lay of the land : ATLAS
12 Big whoop : YELL
14 Borg who co-founded the Institute for Women in Technology : ANITA
15 Kenneth who wrote “The Wind in the Willows” : GRAHAME
22 Speedy shark : MAKO
23 Father of Phobos and Deimos : ARES
24 Features of some monks and punks : SHAVED HEADS
25 It’s a must : NEED
26 Fantasy creature : OGRE
27 Relative minor? : GRANDCHILD
28 Way of looking at things : SLANT
32 ___ bar : TIKI
33 Louver : SLAT
35 Alarm sound option on a smartphone : BEEPING
36 Hoot : RIOT
38 Milling byproduct : BRAN
39 Unfortunate twists : SPRAINS
41 Blooms for van Gogh : IRISES
42 Quarter back? : EAGLE
43 Smooth kind of finish : SATIN
45 Schlep : TOTE
46 Point on a bus route : STOP
47 Floor : STUN
48 ___ Tokarczuk, winner of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature : OLGA
49 Big name in paint : BEHR
52 “How gorgeous!” : OOH!
53 Adverb much used by Goldilocks : TOO
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15:47, no errors. Hung up for a bit in the lower left; once I changed LILIES to IRISES, the rest of the corner filled in pretty quickly. Nice puzzle.
17:40, no errors. @Dave, my hangup was in the lower right. I tried FAT & CRY before SOB. Once I GOT SOB it was GOODENOUGH for me to finish.
20:59, no errors.
Glad to see “Behr,” as paint (49D). As a painting contractor, I found it to be high quality.
21:57, cat on my lap commanded me to finish before I could get up, no problems, which surprised me for a Friday