1113-25 NY Times Crossword 13 Nov 25, Thursday

Bill’s time: 10m 14s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A Palm Sunday remnant used on the first Wednesday of Lent : ASH

Palm Sunday is a celebration in the Christian tradition that falls on the Sunday before Easter Sunday. The day commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, soon after he raised Lazarus from the dead. The faithful carry palms on the day, a reference to the palms scattered in front of Jesus by the welcoming crowd. In many churches, the palms are saved from Palm Sunday and then burned on Shrove Tuesday, The ash from the palms is then used to anoint the faithful on the next day: Ash Wednesday.

4A Milky Way maker … or Milky Way object : MARS

Having lived on both sides of the Atlantic, I find the Mars Bar to be the most perplexing of candies! The original Mars Bar is a British confection (and delicious) that was first manufactured in 1932. The US version of the original Mars Bar is called a Milky Way. But there is a candy bar called a Milky Way that is also produced in the UK, and it is completely different to its US cousin, being more like an American “3 Musketeers”. And then there is an American confection called a Mars Bar, something different again. No wonder I try not to eat candy bars …

According to Greek mythology, our galaxy (the Milky Way) is the breast milk of the goddess Hera, wife of Zeus. The term “Milky Way” is a translation of the Latin “via lactea”, used by the Romans. The Romans used the Latin name because the older Greek term for the same phenomenon was “galaxias kyklos” meaning “milky circle”.

8A Cereal option : MUESLI

“Muesli” is a Swiss-German term describing a breakfast serving of rolled oats, nuts, fruit and milk. The dish can be soaked overnight in milk before serving (“overnight oats”). “Muesli” is a diminutive of the German word “Mues” meaning “puree”. Delicious …

14A Word with brain … or body? : PEA …

The Peabody Awards have been presented annually since 1941 to individuals and organizations for excellence in broadcasting. They are named for businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, who provided the funds to establish the awards program.

17A La ___, Bolivia : PAZ

The administrative capital of Bolivia, La Paz, is officially named Nuestra Senora de La Paz (Our Lady of Peace). La Paz is the seat of the Bolivian government, even though the constitutional capital of the country is Sucre.

28A November honoree, informally : VET

Veterans Day used to be known as Armistice Day, and is observed on November 11th each year. This particular date was chosen as the Armistice that ended WWI was signed on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.

31A Two-cent pieces? : OP-EDS

“Op-ed” is an abbreviation for “opposite the editorial page”. Op-eds started in “The New York Evening World” in 1921 when the page opposite the editorials was used for articles written by a named guest writer, someone independent of the editorial board.

To put in one’s two cents is to add one’s opinion. The American expression derives from the older English version, which is “to put in one’s two pennies’ worth”.

34A Mega Man console, informally : NES

“Mega Man” is a series of video games created by the Japanese company Capcom.

35A Comedian Costello : LOU

Lou Costello was half of the Abbott & Costello double act. One tragic and terrible event in Lou Costello’s life was the death of his baby son, Lou Costello, Jr. Lou was at NBC studios one night for his regular broadcast when he received word that the 11-month-old baby had somehow drowned in the family swimming pool. With the words “Wherever he is tonight, I want him to hear me”, he made the scheduled broadcast in front of a live and unsuspecting audience.

36A Pollen producer on a flower : STAMEN

The stamen is the male reproductive organ of a flower. The part of the stamen known as the anther sits on a stalk called the filament that carries the pollen. The pollen is picked up by insects, especially bees, who then transfer pollen from flower to flower. The pistil is the female reproductive organ, and it accepts the pollen.

38A Time off, perhaps? : JET LAG

For many years, I had to deal with jet lag almost every couple of months. I swear by the diet supplement melatonin, which you can buy over the counter here in the US. But, I am no doctor so don’t listen to anything I say …

41A Where someone might keep a tab on you? : PUB

When we run a “tab” at a bar, we are running a “tabulation”, a listing of what we owe. Such a use of “tab” is American slang that originated in the 1880s.

43A Those in charge: Abbr. : LDRS

Leader (ldr.)

50A One serving a queen, perhaps : ANT

The queen ant of some species can live to a ripe old age of 30 years, which is one of the longest lifespans in the insect world.

56A Sound from Peppa of kids’ TV : OINK

“Peppa Pig” is a children’s animated show that is produced in the UK and airs all over the world. There’s even a Peppa Pig World theme park located in Hampshire, England.

58A Part of Q.E.D. : ERAT

The initialism “QED” is used at the end of a mathematical proof or a philosophical argument. QED stands for the Latin “quod erat demonstrandum” meaning “that which was to be demonstrated”.

59A Props for one’s performance : ROUND OF APPLAUSE

“Props” is North American slang for “proper respect”.

62A Nonhuman source of spam : BOT

Spambots are nasty little computer programs that send out spam emails and messages, often from fake accounts. This blog gets about 500 spam comments a day that I have to delete, almost all of which are written by spambots.

65A The Israelites’ golden calf, e.g. : IDOL

According to the Book of Exodus in the Bible, Moses’ brother Aaron made a golden calf as an idol for the Israelites to worship while Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments. When Moses returned, he became angry on seeing the calf, a “false idol”, and destroyed it.

69A Subject discussed in — and also hidden in the name of — the 2019 documentary “Third Eye Spies” : ESP

Extrasensory perception (ESP)

The “third eye” is also known as the “inner eye”. The term refers to the concept of an invisible eye that allows one to perceive beyond ordinary sight, to gain insight.

Down

1D Maps or Notes, e.g. : APP

Google Maps was developed as a web mapping service for desktops. The (wonderful!) Google Maps mobile app was released in 2008, and is now the most popular smartphone app in the world.

2D They’re known for their bark : SEA LIONS

The terms “seal” and “seal lion” are often used interchangeably, although they belong to two different families. There are several ways to tell them apart. The most obvious difference is the ears: sea lions have visible external ear flaps, whereas true seals just have ear holes. Another key distinction is how they move on land. A sea lion can rotate its large rear flippers forward, allowing it to “walk” on all fours. A seal cannot rotate its rear flippers and must move on land by wriggling on its belly. Finally, sea lions are noisy, and communicate in loud barks and roars, while seals are much quieter, using just soft grunts and hisses.

3D Flavor of Frangelico liqueur : HAZELNUT

Frangelico is a hazelnut-flavored liqueur from Italy. A Frangelico bottle is very distinctive as it is shaped like a friar, complete with a knotted white cord around the waist. The manufacturers tell us that the liqueur is based on the legend of Fra Angelico, a hermit and monk who made unique liqueurs, hence the shape of the bottle and the name “Frangelico”.

6D Cheat, informally : ROOK

To rook is to cheat. The earlier use of “rook” as a noun was as a disparaging term describing a swindler or cheat. Somehow, it was insulting to refer to a person as a rook, as in the type of bird.

8D He smashed his tablets in anger : MOSES

According to the Book of Exodus, God inscribed the Ten Commandments on two stone tablets and gave them to Moses on Mount Sinai.

10D Nobel Prize category, for short : ECON

The Peace Prize is the most famous of the five prizes bequeathed by Alfred Nobel. The others are for Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Literature. There is also a Nobel Prize in Economics that is awarded along with the original five, but it is funded separately and is awarded “in memory of Alfred Nobel”. Four of the prizes are awarded by Swedish organizations (Alfred Nobel was a Swede) and so the award ceremonies take place in Stockholm. The Peace Prize is awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, and is presented in Oslo.

11D Actor J.B. of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” : SMOOVE

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” is an improv comedy show aired by HBO that was created and stars Larry David, the creator of “Seinfeld”. As an aside, Larry David sat a few feet from me at the next table in a Los Angeles restaurant a few years ago. I have such a huge claim to fame …

19D Things caddies carry : TEAS

A caddy is a container used for tea. “Caddy” comes from the Malay word “kati”, a unit of weight used as a standard by British tea companies in the East Indies.

24D Sign of a packed house : SRO

Standing room only (SRO)

25D Brightest star in Cygnus : DENEB

Cygnus is a constellation in the northern sky, with its name being Latin for “Swan”. Four stars define the main features of the “swan”, namely Albireo (the tip of the beak), Delta and Epsilon Cygnis (the wings) and Deneb (the tail). Deneb is one of the brightest stars in the night sky and is also part of the Northern Cross, which lies within the constellation of Cygnus.

30D Kyoto cash : YEN

The Japanese yen (JPY) is the third-most traded currency in the world, after the US dollar and the euro.

The city of Kyoto was once the capital of Japan. Indeed, the name “Kyoto” means “capital city” in Japanese. Kyoto is sometimes referred to as the City of Ten Thousand Shrines.

40D Caves : GROTTOES

A grotto is a cave or cavern. “Grotto” is a word that we have imported from Italian, in which language it has the same meaning, and can also describe a vault.

45D Undeserved reputation, informally : BAD RAP

A rap sheet is a criminal record. “Rap” is a slang term dating back to the 1700s that means “blame, responsibility” as in “to take the rap”, “bad rap” and “to beat the rap”. This usage morphed into “rap sheet” in the early 1900s.

48D Common serving of lobster : TAIL

A male lobster is called a cock, and a female a hen. A lobster weighing less than a pound is called a chicken.

57D Bit of praise, humorously : KUDO

Our word “kudos” means “acclaim given for an exceptional achievement”. “Kudos” is both a singular and plural noun, and comes from the Greek “kyddos” meaning “glory, fame”.