0122-25 NY Times Crossword 22 Jan 25, Wednesday

Constructed by: Landon Horton
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: Mixed Doubles

The three themed answers look like common phrases that include a DOUBLED pair of letters. Those doubled pairs have been MIXED around between the three answers, so that the common phrases have been changed to suit the corresponding clues:

  • 51A Tennis format … or a description of some of the letters in 20-, 31- and 38-Across : MIXED DOUBLES
  • 20A Jay Gatsby, to Nick Carraway? : PLAYBOY BUDDY (from “PLAYBOY BUNNY”)
  • 31A Mare/hare pair? : HORSE AND BUNNY (from “HORSE AND BUGGY”)
  • 38A Horse-drawn party vehicle? : DRINKING BUGGY (from “DRINKING BUDDY”)

Bill’s time: 9m 35s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Org. of the main characters in “The Americans” : KGB

The “Komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti” (KGB) was the national security agency of the Soviet Union until 1991. The KGB was dissolved after the agency’s chairman led a failed attempt at a coup d’état designed to depose President Mikhail Gorbachev.

“The Americans” is a very engaging drama series set during the Cold War that features two KGB spies living as a married couple just outside Washington, D.C. The show was created by Joe Weisberg, who is a novelist and former CIA officer. The lead roles in “The Americans” are played by real-life couple Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys.

8 Words before “Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope” : HELP ME …

In the first “Star Wars” movie, Princess Leia hides plans for the Galactic Empire’s Death Star in the droid named R2-D2. She also records a holographic message, so when it is played we can see Princess Leia as a hologram, asking for help to destroy the Death Star:

I have placed information vital to the survival of the Rebellion into the memory systems of this R2 unit. My father will know how to retrieve it. You must see this droid safely delivered to him on Alderaan. This is our most desperate hour. Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.

14 Drum location : EAR

The eardrum lies at the intersection of the outer ear and middle ear. Also called the tympanic membrane, the eardrum picks up vibrations in air caused by sound waves, and transmits these vibrations to three tiny bones called “ossicles”. These ossicles (hammer, anvil and stirrup) are in the middle ear, and transmit the vibration to an oval window. The oval window is the membrane-covered opening lying at the intersection of the middle ear and the inner ear. The vibrations are transmitted into fluid in the inner ear, and converted into nerve impulses in the cochlea that are transmitted to the brain.

15 ___-Seltzer : ALKA

Alka-Seltzer is a brand of fizzy antacid that has been marketed since 1931. In terms of ingredients, it is a mix of sodium bicarbonate, aspirin and anhydrous citric acid.

16 Gamer’s likeness : AVATAR

The Sanskrit word “avatar” describes the concept of a deity descending into earthly life and taking on a persona. It’s easy to see how in the world of online presences one might use the word avatar to describe one’s online identity.

18 500 sheets of paper : REAM

A ream is 500 sheets of paper. As there were 24 sheets in a quire, and 20 quires made up a ream, there used to be 480 sheets in a ream. Ever since the standard was changed to 500, a 480-sheet packet of paper has been called a “short ream”. We also use the term “reams” to mean a great amount, evolving from the idea of a lot of printed material.

20 Jay Gatsby, to Nick Carraway? : PLAYBOY BUDDY

Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway are the two central characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel “The Great Gatsby”. Gatsby is a millionaire who throws lavish parties at his West Egg mansion, and is driven by an all-consuming love for the elusive Daisy Buchanan. Carraway is the narrator of the storyline. He is a young Midwesterner who moves in next door to Gatsby, and gets drawn into his world of wealth, glamour, and ultimately, tragedy.

23 Puffs : TOKES

“Toke” is a slang term describing a puff on a marijuana cigarette, or on a pipe containing the drug.

29 Company that once sold the Magic 8 Ball : TYCO

The Tyco brand of toys was founded in 1926 as Mantua Metal Products by John Tyler. The first products made were scale model trains using die-cast metal. The company introduced the Tyco brand in the fifties, with “Tyco” standing for “Tyler Company”.

The Magic 8-Ball is a toy, and supposedly a fortune-telling device, introduced by Mattel in 1946. There are 20 answers that the Magic 8-Ball can provide, including:

  • Without a doubt
  • Ask again later
  • My sources say no
  • Outlook not so good
  • Signs point to yes

30 Kipling or Keats : POET

Rudyard Kipling was a British poet and writer famous for his tales of the British Raj, the rule of the British Empire in India. Kipling was actually born in Bombay, but returned with his family to England when he was very young. After being educated in England, he returned to India and from there traveled the world. Kipling’s most famous works are the stories “The Jungle Book”, “Just So Stories”, “The Man Who Would Be King”, and the poems “Mandalay”, “Gunga Din” and “If-”.

English poet John Keats died in Rome in 1821, and is buried there in the Protestant Cemetery. His last wish was that his grave be marked with a tombstone bearing just the words “”Here lies One whose Name was writ in Water”, and no name nor a date. Keats’ friends honored his request to some extent, as the words were included on the stone and no name is given. The full epitaph reads:

This Grave
contains all that was Mortal
of a
Young English Poet
Who
on his Death Bed, in the Bitterness of his Heart
at the Malicious Power of his Enemies
Desired
these Words to be
engraven on his Tomb Stone:
Here lies One
Whose Name was writ in Water.
24 February 1821

35 Spain and Portugal : IBERIA

The Iberian Peninsula in Europe is largely made up of Spain and Portugal. However, also included is the Principality of Andorra in the Pyrénées, a small part of the south of France, and the British Territory of Gibraltar. Iberia takes its name from the Ebro, the longest river in Spain, which the Romans named the “Iber”.

37 Steakhouse order : RIB EYE

If you’re in Australia or New Zealand and looking for a rib eye steak, you’ll need to order a “Scotch fillet”.

42 Cuckoo : LOCO

In Spanish, if one isn’t “sano” (sane) one might be described as “loco” (crazy).

43 The “A” of U.A.E. : ARAB

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

44 Morning TV host Kelly : RIPA

When Kelly Ripa secured the co-host spot on morning television with Regis Philbin, she was still acting in “All My Children” in a role she had been playing for over ten years. After a year of holding down two jobs, she eventually gave up the acting gig. Ripa has acted as spokeswoman for several brands over the years, including Electrolux and Rykä.

53 Noted name in suits : ARMANI

Giorgio “Gio” Armani is an Italian fashion designer and founder of the company that has borne his name since 1975. Although Armani is famous for his menswear, the company makes everything from jewelry to perfume.

57 Feeling induced by a total eclipse, perhaps : AWE

A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes into the shadow cast by the Earth from the light of the Sun, in other words when the Earth is positioned directly between the Sun and the Moon. The more spectacular solar eclipse takes place when the Moon passes in front of the Sun, so that the Earth falls into the shadow cast by the Moon.

59 The “grand slam” of showbiz : EGOT

The acronym “EGOT” stands for “Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony”, and is a reference to performers who have won all four awards.

60 Souvenir for a Final Four team : NET

In the NCAA Division I Basketball Championship, the teams remaining at various stages of the tournament are known as:

  • The “Sweet Sixteen” (the regional semi-finalists)
  • The “Elite Eight” (the regional finalists)
  • The “Final Four” (the national semi-finalists)

63 ___ Moines : DES

The city of Des Moines is the capital of Iowa, and takes its name from the Des Moines River. The river in turn takes its name from the French “Riviere des Moines” meaning “River of the Monks”. It looks like there isn’t any “monkish” connection to the city’s name per se. “Des Moines” was just the name given by French traders who corrupted “Moingona”, the name of a group of Illinois Native Americans who lived by the river. However, others contend that French Trappist monks, who lived a full 200 miles from the river, somehow influenced the name.

Down

5 Butter alternative : OLEO

Emperor Louis Napoleon III of France announced a competition to develop a substitute for butter, a substitute that would be more accessible to the lower classes and more practical for the armed forces. A French chemist called Hippolyte Mege-Mouries came up with something he called oleomargarine in 1869, which was eventually manufactured under the trade name “margarine”. The name “oleomargarine” also gives us our generic term “oleo”.

7 Italian anise-flavored liqueur : SAMBUCA

Sambuca is an Italian liqueur that is flavored with anise. It is often served straight up with three coffee beans floating on the surface. The beans are said to represent health, happiness and prosperity. A more “saucy” representation for the beans is husband, wife and mistress.

8 Feature of golf and rugby, but not gymnastics or luge? : HARD G

The letter G in the word “golf” and in the word “rugby” is a hard letter G, not a soft letter G.

11 Bankable vacation, for short : PTO

Paid time off (PTO)

22 Japanese noodle : UDON

Udon noodles are made from wheat-flour and are very popular in Japanese cuisines such as tempura.

25 Locale of the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest : CONEY ISLAND

Cony (or “coney”) is an old English word for rabbit or rabbit fur, and Coney Island in New York takes its name from the same root. The Dutch used the name “Conyne Eylandt” (Rabbit Island) after the large population of rabbits that was hunted there.

Nathan’s Famous is a chain of fast food restaurants that specialize in hot dogs. The chain’s first outlet was a hot dog stand in Coney Island set up by husband and wife Nathan and Ida Handwerker. Nathan’s Famous has held a Hot Dog Eating Contest every July 4th since 1916, and always at the same place on Coney Island, where that first hot dog stand was located..

27 Eye irritation : STYE

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

29 Former Taiwanese president ___ Ing-wen : TSAI

Tsai Ing-wen was elected as Taiwan’s first female president in 2016. Tsai was also the nation’s first unmarried president.

33 Wallop : DRUB

A drubbing is a beating, one given either literally or figuratively. The term “drub” dates back in English to the 17th century when it was imported from the Arabic word for a beating, i.e. “darb”.

34 1988 film for which Tom Hanks received his first Oscar nomination : BIG

“Big” is a fun movie that was released in 1988. It is a romantic comedy with an unusual plot involving a young boy who is aged to adulthood overnight (played by Tom Hanks). Who can forget the scene where Hanks and the owner of a toy store hop around on a giant piano keyboard. Remember what they played? “Heart and Soul” and “Chopsticks” …

Tom Hanks is such a great actor. He has played so many iconic roles in a relatively short career. Hanks is from California, and studied theater for a couple of years in Hayward, California not far from here. Tom’s son Colin Hanks is one of the stars of the TV comedy “Life in Pieces”. Hanks is married to the talented actress Rita Wilson.

48 Dressed to the ___ : NINES

The term “to the nines” means “to perfection”. The first person to use the term in literature was Robbie Burns. Apparently the idea behind the use of “nines” is figurative (pun!), with the number nine considered “ideal” as it is arrived at by multiplying three by three.

49 See 50-Down : OXIDE
50 Develops iron 49-Down : RUSTS

Rust is iron oxide. It forms when iron oxidizes, reacts with oxygen.

51 Fairy tale bear who apparently liked cold porridge and soft chairs : MAMA

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.

53 19th-century presidential nickname : ABE

Before Abraham Lincoln was elected president, his political campaign used the nickname “Railsplitter” to emphasize the candidate’s humble upbringing. Lincoln had worked at splitting fence rails in his youth.

54 Stimpy’s cartoon friend : REN

“The Ren & Stimpy Show” is an animated television serial created by Canadian animator John Kricfalusi, and which ran on Nickelodeon from 1991 to 1996. The title characters are Marland “Ren” Höek, a scrawny Chihuahua, and Stimpson J. Cat, a rotund Manx cat. Not my cup of tea …

55 ___ and cheese : MAC

Thomas Jefferson’s name is associated with the dish we know today as “mac ‘n’ cheese”. The future president discovered baked macaroni with Parmesan cheese while in Paris and in northern Italy. He started serving the dish to guests in the US, and even had a machine imported to make the macaroni locally. Whether or not Jefferson was the first to bring mac ‘n’ cheese to America isn’t entirely clear, but it has been popular ever since.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Org. of the main characters in “The Americans” : KGB
4 What might rain down on opposing players : BOOS
8 Words before “Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope” : HELP ME …
14 Drum location : EAR
15 ___-Seltzer : ALKA
16 Gamer’s likeness : AVATAR
17 It follows ka in the Spanish alphabet : ELE
18 500 sheets of paper : REAM
19 Barbershop stock : RAZORS
20 Jay Gatsby, to Nick Carraway? : PLAYBOY BUDDY
23 Puffs : TOKES
24 Move slightly : BUDGE
25 Many ’90s music purchases : CDS
28 Chooses : OPTS
29 Company that once sold the Magic 8 Ball : TYCO
30 Kipling or Keats : POET
31 Mare/hare pair? : HORSE AND BUNNY
35 Spain and Portugal : IBERIA
37 Steakhouse order : RIB EYE
38 Horse-drawn party vehicle? : DRINKING BUGGY
42 Cuckoo : LOCO
43 The “A” of U.A.E. : ARAB
44 Morning TV host Kelly : RIPA
47 Animal that sounds like you? : EWE
48 “___ intended!” : NO PUN
50 Sneaky schemes : RUSES
51 Tennis format … or a description of some of the letters in 20-, 31- and 38-Across : MIXED DOUBLES
53 Noted name in suits : ARMANI
56 Yaks : GABS
57 Feeling induced by a total eclipse, perhaps : AWE
58 Grinned broadly : BEAMED
59 The “grand slam” of showbiz : EGOT
60 Souvenir for a Final Four team : NET
61 Box up : ENCASE
62 Takes in : SEES
63 ___ Moines : DES

Down

1 Stick with : KEEP TO
2 Racehorse’s gait : GALLOP
3 Get a party going : BREAK THE ICE
4 Zingers : BARBS
5 Butter alternative : OLEO
6 “Well, see ya!” : OKAY, BYE!
7 Italian anise-flavored liqueur : SAMBUCA
8 Feature of golf and rugby, but not gymnastics or luge? : HARD G
9 Dodge : EVADE
10 Having little hustle : LAZY
11 Bankable vacation, for short : PTO
12 Tarnish : MAR
13 Hosp. areas : ERS
21 “Just tell me which it is!” : YES OR NO?!
22 Japanese noodle : UDON
25 Locale of the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest : CONEY ISLAND
26 Refute : DENY
27 Eye irritation : STYE
29 Former Taiwanese president ___ Ing-wen : TSAI
30 Eats that pair well with beer : PUB GRUB
32 Former N.B.A. star Smits, the “Dunking Dutchman” : RIK
33 Wallop : DRUB
34 1988 film for which Tom Hanks received his first Oscar nomination : BIG
35 Not doing anything : IDLE
36 Part of your body that might be furrowed or raised : BROW
39 Back of the neck : NAPE
40 They are sometimes held too long : GRUDGES
41 Item in a first-aid kit : BANDAGE
45 Humorous nickname for the largest player on your baseball team : PEEWEE
46 Strengths : ASSETS
48 Dressed to the ___ : NINES
49 See 50-Down : OXIDE
50 Develops iron 49-Down : RUSTS
51 Fairy tale bear who apparently liked cold porridge and soft chairs : MAMA
52 Thin woodwind : OBOE
53 19th-century presidential nickname : ABE
54 Stimpy’s cartoon friend : REN
55 ___ and cheese : MAC