0530-25 NY Times Crossword 30 May 25, Friday

Bill’s time: 13m 10s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A Establishment that might host a drag brunch : GAY BAR

The etymology of the term “drag”, as used in the transvestite world, seems to be unclear. It perhaps relates to the tendency of a transvestite’s skirts to drag along the ground in days of old (although why they just didn’t hitch up their skirts is beyond me!).

18A The White Stripes or Deep Purple : ROCK BAND

The White Stripes were a rock duo from Detroit that were together from 1997 to 2011. The duo was made up of Meg and Jack White, who were married from 1996 to 2000. Prior to the couple tying the knot, Jack’s family name was Gillis. Gillis took the unusual step of taking his wife’s family name when they married.

English rock band Deep Purple were active from 1968 to 1976, and reformed in 1984. One of the group’s claims to fame is a 1975 “Guinness Book of World Records” listing as the “loudest band” in the world following a 1972 concert. Reportedly, three members of the audience were carried out of the concert unconscious due to noise level.

21A Turpentine sources : PINES

Turpentine is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines. It is a colorless, oily, odorous, flammable, water-immiscible liquid. Showing my age perhaps, I mostly think of turpentine as a paint thinner, and a solvent used to clean paint brushes.

28A Nail polish brand with a Raisin Your Voice shade : OPI

Opi (originally “Odontorium Products Inc.”) is a manufacturer of nail polish based in North Hollywood, California. One of Opi’s marketing coups was the introduction of a line of Legally Blonde 2 polishes, which featured in the film.

32A “The Good Dinosaur” protagonist : ARLO

“The Good Dinosaur” is a Pixar movie that premiered in Paris on November 14th, 2015 under the title “Le Voyage d’Arlo”.

35A Descendants of aristocratic families, e.g. : SCIONS

“Scion” comes from the old French word “sion” or “cion”, meaning “a shoot or a twig”. In botanical terms today, a scion is used in grafting two compatible plants together. In grafting, one plant is selected for its root system (the “rootstock”), and the other plant is selected for its stems, leaves and fruit (the “scion”). The term scion migrated naturally into the world of family history. A scion is simply a descendant, a son or a daughter and therefore a branching point in the family tree.

37A Things checked at checkpoints : DRIVER’S LICENSES

It took me years to stop using the term “driving license” after I moved to the US. We call a driver’s license a “driving license” back in Ireland.

43A Tennis’s U.S. Open is played on it : EDT

Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)

48A Leavened loaf made sans yeast : SODA BREAD

Soda bread is a bread in which sodium bicarbonate is used as a raising agent instead of yeast. It is a bread common in Irish cuisine, and indeed we usually refer to sodium bicarbonate as “bread soda”.

50A Creature with “Underwater eyes, an eel’s / Oil of water body,” per the poet Ted Hughes : OTTER

Ted Hughes was an English poet and children’s writer who served as the UK’s Poet Laureate from 1984 until 1998. Hughes’ first wife was American poet Sylvia Plath. The stormy and perhaps abusive relationship between Hughes and his wife has been cited as a contributing factor to Plath’s suicide in 1963.

53A Oscar-winning Saldaña : ZOE

American actress Zoë Saldana played the Na’vi princess in “Avatar”, and Uhura in the 2009 movie “Star Trek” (and sequels). Saldana seems to pick the right movies, as she is the only actress to have three different films in the top twenty at the box office for three consecutive weeks (“Avatar”, “The Losers” and “Death at a Funeral”).

59A Dish often served on a skillet : FAJITA

“Fajita” is a Tex-Mex term that refers to grilled meat served on a tortilla. The original Mexican-Spanish term “fajita” is used to describe a small strip of chicken or beef. Nowadays, fajitas are often served on a sizzling platter with the tortillas and condiments on the side.

61A Sure thing : SLAM DUNK

In basketball, a player makes a slam dunk by jumping up and powering the ball downward into the basket with his or her hands over the rim. The term “slam dunk” was coined by Chick Hearn, an announcer for the L.A. Lakers. The NBA even holds an annual Slam Dunk Contest.

64A Rare treat, maybe? : 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”.

Down

1D Shout during a Real Madrid penalty shootout : GOL!

Real Madrid is a professional soccer team based in Madrid, Spain. The team name translates as “Royal Madrid”. Real Madrid is often ranked as the world’s most valuable soccer team, and is one of the most widely supported sports teams on the planet. One of the team’s nicknames is “Los Blancos” (the Whites).

3D Elusive hirsute creature : YETI

“Hirsute” means “hairy”. The term comes from the Latin “hirsutus” meaning “rough, shaggy”.

4D Brazilian genre that’s an offshoot of samba : BOSSA NOVA

Bossa nova is a style of music from Brazil that evolved from samba. The most famous piece of bossa nova is the song “The Girl from Ipanema”. The term “bossa nova” translates from Portuguese as “new trend”, or more colloquially as “new wave”.

5D Early investors, in lingo : ANGELS

An angel investor is one who provides capital very early in a business’s life cycle. The term “angel” is borrowed from Broadway, where angels are wealthy people who provide funds to stage theatrical productions.

6D Onetime manufacturer of the Flying Cloud : REO

The REO Motor Company was founded by Ransom Eli Olds (hence the name REO). The company made cars, trucks and buses, and was in business from 1905 to 1975 in Lansing, Michigan. Among the company’s most famous models were the REO Royale 8 and the REO Flying Cloud.

7D Topiarist’s “canvas” : SHRUB

Topiary is the practice of training and clipping perennial plants into clearly defined shapes.

9D Alternative to an ellipsis : ETC.

An ellipsis (plural “ellipses”) is a series of dots (usually three) used to indicate an omission in some text. The term comes from the Greek word “élleipsis”, which means “omission”.

10D Stock seller’s stipulation : ASK PRICE

In the world of securities trading, the “ask price” is the price that a seller states he or she is willing to accept in a transaction. The “bid price” is the highest price that a buyer is willing to pay.

11D Overzealous : RABID

“Rabies” is actually the Latin word for “madness”. The name is a good choice for the viral disease, as once the virus spreads to the brain the infected person or animal exhibits very tortured and bizarre behavior including hydrophobia, a fear of water. The virus is passed on to humans most often through a bite from an infected dog. It is curable if it is caught in time, basically before symptoms develop. Once the virus passes up the peripheral nervous system to the spine and the brain, there isn’t much that can be done. We can also use the derivative term “rabid” figuratively, to mean extremely violent, to have extreme views.

14D Merlot and Shiraz : REDS

Merlot is one of the main grapes used to make Bordeaux wines, along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

The Iranian city of Shiraz has long been associated with wine, but there is no proven link between the city and the wine/grape we know today as “Shiraz” (also called “Syrah”). Having said that, some clay jars were found just outside of the city of Shiraz that contained wine; wine that was 7,000 years old!

20D Some outcomes from Match.com : DATES

Match.com is an online dating service. The company was started in 1993 and claims to have over 20 million members worldwide, in the ratio of male to female of 49:51.

24D 4 is a good one, in brief : AP SCORE

The Advanced Placement (AP) program offers college-level courses to kids who are still in high school (HS). After being tested at the end of an AP course, successful students receive credits that count towards a college degree.

25D Mother, in Milan : MADRE

Milan (“Milano” in Italian) is Italy’s second-largest city, second only to Rome. It is a European fashion capital, the headquarters for the big Italian fashion houses of Valentino, Gucci, Versace, Armani, Prada and others. Mario Prada was even born in Milan, and helped establish the city’s reputation in the world of fashion.

29D South Asian wraps : DOSAS

A dosa is a thin, savory pancake from South Indian cuisine. Dosas are made using a fermented batter consisting of ground black lentils and rice. They are usually served hot, and often with chutney and sambar, a lentil-based vegetable stew.

31D Nail polish brand with a Gossip N’ Spill shade : ESSIE

Essie Cosmetics is a company that was founded by Essie Weingarten, and which is now owned by L’Oreal. Apparently, Queen Elizabeth II would only wear Essie’s Ballet Slippers color nail polish. Well, that’s what Wikipedia claims …

38D Mythical land of untold riches : EL DORADO

The original El Dorado was a Muisca chief who was covered with gold dust in a tribal ritual and then dove into Lake Guatavita in present-day Colombia. Later, “El Dorado” was adopted as the name for a mythical “Lost City of Gold” that became a quest from many Spanish Conquistadors who explored the Americas.

47D Typical floor covering in a washitsu : TATAMI

A tatami is a traditional mat used on floors in Japan. The term “tatami” comes from the Japanese word “tatamu” meaning “to fold”, reflecting the fact that the mat is designed to be folded up for storage.

49D Strikes on the noggin : BONKS

Slang terms for “head” include “bean”, “coconut”, “gourd”, “noodle” and “noggin”.

55D Company named for a goddess : NIKE

Nike was the Greek goddess of victory, and was often referred to as “the Winged Goddess of Victory”. The athletic shoe company Nike uses the “Nike swoosh” as its logo, a logo that is inspired by the goddess’ wing.

59D Christmas centerpiece : FIR

The custom of decorating trees at Christmas seems to have originated in Renaissance Germany. Those first trees were placed in guildhalls and were decorated with sweets and candy for the apprentices and children. After the Protestant Reformation, the Christmas tree became an alternative in Protestant homes for the Roman Catholic Christmas cribs. The Christmas tree tradition was imported into Britain by the royal family because of its German heritage. That tradition spread from Britain into North America.