0405-26 NY Times Crossword 5 Apr 26, Sunday

Bill’s time: 19m 15s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

6A Philippine marinades : ADOBOS

Philippine adobo is sometimes cited as the country’s national dish. The term “adobo” comes from the Spanish “adobar” meaning “marinade, sauce” The marinade used comprises vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves and black peppercorns.

12A Second first lady, after Martha : ABIGAIL

Abigail Adams (born Abigail Smith) had a unique distinction being married to John Adams. She was the first Second Lady of the US, and then became the second First Lady! That said, the titles of “Second Lady” and “First Lady” were not used in her day.

Rather than being called the “First Lady”, a term coined after she had passed away, Martha Washington was known in her lifetime as “Lady Washington”. Lady Washington was born Martha Dandridge, and was the oldest daughter of a Virginia planter. When she was 18 years old, Martha married Daniel Custis, a wealthy planter who was 20 years her senior. Daniel died in 1757, leaving Martha a very wealthy widow. Two years later, when she was 27, she married 27-year-old George Washington. Martha had been living with Daniel on an estate known as “White House”, and indeed George and Martha married at “White House”.

19A Cheap cigar : STOGIE

A stogie (also “stogy”) is both a rough, heavy shoe, and a long, cheap cigar. Both items were favored by the drivers of the covered wagons called Conestogas that wended their way across the Midwest in days gone by. The term “stogie” is derived from the name of the wagon, which itself is named after the area in which the wagons were built, i.e. Conestoga, near Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

20A Philippine capital : MANILA

Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is the most densely populated city proper (discounting metro areas) in the whole world. Metro Manila includes the neighboring Quezon City, which is the most populous city in the country. Quezon City was founded in 1939 and replaced Manila as the nation’s capital in 1948. However, the decision to change the capital was reversed in 1976.

23A “We’re literally giving away our rental cars!” : FREE ENTERPRISE!

Enterprise Rent-A-Car was established in 1957 by Jack C. Taylor in St. Louis, Missouri, where the company is still headquartered today. The company was originally called Executive Leasing Company. The name was changed in 1962 in honor of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, on which Taylor served during WWII.

25A Resembling bone : OSTEOID

The prefix “osteo-” is a combining form meaning “bone”. The term comes from “osteon”, the Greek for “bone”.

29A Phony social media follower : 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.

30A “It hurts how much we’re overcharging for this detergent!” : NO PAIN, NO GAIN!

Gain is a detergent that was introduced in 1969 by Procter & Gamble. Gain was originally positioned in the market as the most powerful stain remover. That focus evolved into Gain being the detergent with the unique, fresh scent.

34A ___ Constitution : USS

“Old Ironsides” is a nickname given to the USS Constitution even though she is actually a wooden-hulled ship. The Constitution was launched in 1797 and can still be seen at sea today. She is the oldest commissioned naval vessel still afloat in the world. You can visit Old Ironsides at the Boston Navy Yard, where I had the privilege of touring her in 2011. As an old sailor, I’d say she is the best-maintained ship I’ve ever been on, and paradoxically, she is also the oldest. Really, really beautiful …

41A Spider’s pouch : EGG SAC

An egg sac is a case made of silk that contains the eggs of a female spider.

43A Inappropriately appropriated : USURPED

To usurp is to seize and hold by force. The term “usurp” comes to us from Latin via French, from “usus” (a use) and “rapere” (to seize).

48A Muse depicted with a lyre : ERATO

In Greek mythology, Erato was the Muse of lyric poetry. She is often depicted with a wreath of myrtle and roses, and playing a lyre.

51A Alexander ___, 1980s secretary of state : HAIG

Alexander Haig was secretary of state under President Reagan, and White House chief of staff under Presidents Nixon and Ford. Famously, Haig took over temporary control of the country immediately after President Reagan was shot in 1981. To do so was a pragmatic move, while waiting on Vice President Bush to arrive in Washington. There was much debate at the time about the legality of the steps taken, as the presidential line of succession called out in the US Constitution is vice president, speaker of the House, president pro tempore of the US Senate, and then secretary of state.

53A Competition with clowns, maybe : RODEO

The job of a rodeo clown emerged in the early 1900s, as a performer who provided comic relief and who acted as a bullfighter to distract the bull and protect an injured rider. Today, the safety role is usually handled by specialized bullfighters. The comic role is often taken on by a “barrelman”, who uses a reinforced barrel as a prop, and a vital refuge. Scary stuff …

55A Showbiz “grand slam,” familiarly : EGOT

Emmy, Grammy, Oscar & Tony Awards (EGOT)

56A Scrooge’s shout : BAH!

The classic 1843 novella “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens has left us with a few famous phrases and words. Firstly, it led to popular use of the phrase “Merry Christmas”, and secondly it gave us the word “scrooge” to describe a miserly person. And thirdly, everyone knows that Ebenezer Scrooge uttered the words “Bah! Humbug!”.

57A “Our planes don’t have seats!” : UNITED WE STAND!

United Airlines used the tagline “Fly the Friendly Skies” in its marketing materials from 1965 to 1996. It was then replaced with “It’s time to fly”. United chose George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” as the company’s theme music in 1980, and paid the Gershwin estate a fee of $500,000 for the privilege.

64A College admissions fig. : GPA

Grade point average (GPA)

65A Whence St. Francis : ASSISI

Francis of Assisi was a Catholic friar and preacher who founded the Franciscan order. Because he is honored for his love of animals and nature, many churches hold ceremonies to bless animals on the feast day of Saint Francis, October 4th, every year.

71A A chair might cover one : AGENDA

“Agenda” is a Latin word that translates as “things to be done”, coming from the verb “agere” meaning “to do”.

74A Place to store magazines : ARMORY

The word “magazine” was originally used to denote a place for storing goods, particularly military arms and ammunition, back in the late 1500s. This usage was extended to include packs of ammunition attached to automatic weapons. The first use of “magazine” in the sense of a periodical or journal dates back to 1731, with the publication of “Gentleman’s Magazine”. “Magazine” had come to mean a printed list of military stores, and the idea was that the new periodical was to be a “storehouse” of information.

77A First college in the modern era to boast a 15-0 football team : CLEMSON

Clemson University was founded in 1889. The school takes its name from the town in which it is located: Clemson, South Carolina. The athletic teams of Clemson University have been called the Tigers since 1896 when football coach Walter Riggs arrived from Auburn University. Riggs was an admirer of the Princeton Tigers, so he gave his new school the tiger mascot.

78A Bump on the head, say? : ZIT

The slang term “zit”, meaning “pimple”, came into the language in 1966, but no one seems to know its exact derivation.

80A “Our tech products fall apart easily!” : APPLE CRUMBLES!

Apple Computer introduced its “Think Different” advertising slogan in 1997. The Apple slogan was a very clear play on the longstanding motto used by IBM, namely “Think”.

85A Sportsbook figures : ODDS

A sportsbook is a place that accepts bets on sporting events. The name comes from:

• Sports: it accepts wagers on various sports, duh …
• Book: a reference to the ledgers that “bookmakers” (or “bookies”) traditionally used to keep track of all the bets and odds.

87A Grinning Face With Sweat, for one : EMOJI

An emoji is a character much like an emoticon, but more elaborate. The use of emojis originated in 1997 on mobile phones in Japan, and within a few years spread around the world. “Emoji” is a Japanese word meaning “picture word”.

88A Winnow : PARE

We use the verb “to winnow” in a figurative sense to describe the separation of something good from a collection of worthless things. The more literal meaning is the freeing of grain from the lighter chaff by blowing on the mixture, or by throwing it in the air.

89A Some exits in Exeter : TA-TAS

Exeter is a historic city in the county of Devon in the southwest of England. The city takes its name from the river on which it lies: the River Exe.

91A Japanese healing discipline : REIKI

The Japanese practice of hands-on healing called “reiki” was developed by Mikao Usui in 1922. “Reiki” is a Japanese term meaning “universal energy”. Practitioners of reiki believe that they are transferring this universal energy through the palms of the hand into the patient’s body.

93A Hägar the Horrible’s dog : SNERT

“Hägar the Horrible” is a comic strip that was created by the late Dik Browne and is now drawn by his son, Chris Browne. “Hägar the Terrible” (not “Horrible”) was the nickname given to Dik by his sons. The strip’s title character is a red-bearded Viking living on the Norwegian coast during the Middle Ages. Hägar lives with his overbearing wife Helga, his sensitive son Hamlet, his pretty daughter Honi, and his clever dog Snert.

105A “Our cable channel is devoted to censorship!” : LIFETIME BANS!

Lifetime is a pay TV channel with programming aimed at women, and programming featuring women in leading roles.

110A White’s longtime co-host : SAJAK

Pat Sajak took over as host of “Wheel of Fortune” from Chuck Woolery back in 1983, and finally retired in 2025. Sajak had a short run as a talk show host in 1989/1990 and used to sub quite often for Larry King and Regis Philbin.

Vanna White is the lady who turns the letters on the “Wheel of Fortune” game show. White is big into knitting and crochet, and has her own line of yarns called “Vanna’s Choice”.

111A Many a book fair sponsor, for short : PTA

Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)

115A “Go ahead and shoplift one pair of our jeans!” : JUST TAKE A GUESS!

GUESS? is a company producing a whole line of clothing, although it was originally very much associated with the production of denim jeans.

123A Monkey’s place, maybe : BARREL

To have more fun than a barrel of monkeys is to have a great time, lots of fun. Apparently, the expression dates back at least to 1840, when it took the form “cage of monkeys”. There was a “wagonload of monkeys” by the end of the 19th century, and somehow a subsequent relocation into a “barrel”.

125A Erudite : LEARNED

“Erudite” is a lovely-sounding word meaning “learned, well-educated”. The term comes from the Latin verb “erudire” meaning “to educate”, or more literally “to bring out of the rough”.

127A Shoe leather for Elvis : SUEDE

“Blue Suede Shoes” was written and first recorded by Carl Perkins, in 1955. The idea for the song was given to him by Johnny Cash. Cash had been serving with the military in Germany and there met an airman who referred to his military regulation air shoes as “blue suede shoes”. The idea was reinforced when Perkins heard a young man who was dancing say to his partner, “Don’t step on my suede shoes”. Perkins’ version of the song was very, very successful, actually “going gold” in sales. Elvis Presley’s 1956 cover version did even better.

Down

2D “Our soap is deadly!” : DON’T TOUCH THAT DIAL!

Dial was the first antibacterial soap introduced in the US. It was given the name “Dial” as it was touted as offering “round-the-clock” protection against any odors caused by perspiration.

3D Serpentine shape in architecture : OGEE

An ogee is a type of S-curve. Specifically, it is a figure consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite directions (like an S) but both ends of the curve end up parallel to each other (which is not necessarily true for an S).

4D Certain cosmetic surgery, familiarly : LIPO

Liposuction (lipo) dates back to the 1920s when it was developed by a surgeon in France. However, the procedure quickly lost favor when a French model developed gangrene after surgery. As a result, it wasn’t until the mid-seventies that modern liposuction took off, after being popularized by two Italian-American surgeons in Rome.

5D High class? : SEMINAR

A seminar is a meeting called for the exchange of information, especially in a university. The term comes from the Latin “seminarium” meaning “breeding ground, plant nursery”, which is also the root of our word “seminary”.

6D Big letters in bowling : AMF

AMF Bowling Centers is an operator of bowling alleys, and is in fact the largest such company in the world.

7D “Beavis and Butt-Head” spinoff : DARIA

“Daria” is an animated television show on MTV. It is a spin-off from the hit series “Beavis and Butthead”.

11D With 44-Down, home of the U.S.’s most-visited municipal zoo : SAN … 44D See 11-Down : … DIEGO

The world-famous San Diego Zoo opened its doors to visitors for the first time in 1916. It was founded in the Balboa Park area of the city, on the site of the Panama-California Exposition that was held the prior year. The zoo was needed to care for the abandoned exotic animal exhibits from the exposition.

12D ___ rock (music genre) : ARENA

Arena rock (also “stadium rock” and “dad rock”) is rock music played in large arenas. It is a phenomenon that dates back to the British Invasion when successful bands like the Beatles played to large audiences in places such as Shea Stadium in New York.

13D Nickname for Britain’s King Edward VII : BERTIE

Edward VII ascended to the British throne following the death of Queen Victoria, his mother. Due to the exceptionally long reign of Victoria, “Bertie” became king at the advanced age of 59 years. Edward VII ruled for only nine years, from 1901 until his death in 1910.

16D Grande’s perfume line : ARI

Ariana Grande is a singer and actress from Boca Raton, Florida. Grande plays the role of Cat Valentine on the sitcom “Victorious” that aired for four seasons on Nickelodeon. Grande’s singing career took off with the release of the 2011 album “Victorious: Music from the Hit TV Show”.

17D Major research lab for astronauts, for short : ISS

The International Space Station (ISS) is a modular facility that comprises components launched into space by Russian Proton and Soyuz rockets, and by American Space Shuttles. The station has been occupied by astronauts and scientists continually since November, 2000.

18D Actress Jamie ___ Curtis : LEE

Actress Jamie Lee Curtis got her big break when she played the lead in the original “Halloween” horror movie. She is the daughter of actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. Curtis married fellow actor and director Christopher Guest in 1984. Guest holds the hereditary title of 5th Baron Haden-Guest in the British peerage. That makes Curtis Lady Haden-Guest.

19D Highfalutin sorts : SNOBS

The term “highfalutin” dates back to the mid-1800s. Some suggest that it may be a mutation from “high flying”, as “highfalutin” means “haughty” or “pretentious”.

26D Creature with a signature whistle it can use to identify itself : DOLPHIN

Dolphins are highly intelligent marine mammals known for their playful behavior and complex social structures. Their intelligence is particularly notable, demonstrated by their ability to solve problems, use tools, and recognize themselves in mirrors. Dolphins communicate using a variety of clicks, whistles, and body language, and they often form strong bonds within their pods.

31D Accordion fold : PLEAT

The accordion (“squeeze-box”, colloquially) is a musical instrument related to the concertina. It is box-shaped and driven by a bellows that is compressed and expanded manually. The bellows force air across metal strips (called “reed”) that vibrate to produce sounds. Notes are selected by using a piano-style keyboard (in a piano accordion) or by pressing down buttons (in a button accordion).

32D Iridescent shell material : NACRE

Nacre, also known as mother-of-pearl, is the strong iridescent material laid down by some mollusks on the inside of their shells, and it’s also what makes up pearls. The creature lays down nacre as a defensive mechanism, protecting the soft tissue of its body from the rough surface of the outer shell. Similarly, it uses nacre to encapsulate harmful debris or a parasite that penetrates the shell, and that’s how a pearl is formed. Cultured pearls are made by inserting a tissue graft from a donor oyster, around which the nacre is laid down.

33D Dirt pie ingredients : OREOS

Dirt cake (sometimes “dirt pie, dirt pudding”) is a dessert usually made by breaking up Oreo cookies and scattering the pieces over chocolate pudding, and then adding gummy worms on top. Sounds delicious …

34D “Our magazine hates everything and everyone!” : US AGAINST THE WORLD!

“Us Weekly” is a celebrity gossip magazine that was first published in 1977 as “Us”. Originally issued every two weeks, “Us” became a monthly magazine in 1991, and moved to a weekly format in 2000.

36D Michael ___, Steve Carell’s role on “The Office” : SCOTT

Actor Steve Carell has achieved great success on both television and in movies. On the small screen, Carell came to prominence on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and then as the lead in the US version of “The Office”. On the big screen, he starred in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”, “Evan Almighty”. My personal favorite Carell movie is 2007’s ”Dan in Real Life”, in which he stars opposite the wonderful Juliette Binoche.

38D Sch. endearingly called “Wazzu” : WSU

Washington State University (WSU) was founded in 1890 as a land-grant college under the Morrill Act. Located in Pullman, the original name of WSU was “Agricultural College, Experiment Station and School of Science of the State of Washington”. The name was changed to its current form in 1959, with branch campuses opening in 1989: WSU Spokane, WSU Tri-Cities and WSU Vancouver.

39D Animated TV series set in the 31st century : FUTURAMA

“Futurama” is an animated sci-fi show that airs on Fox. It was co-created by cartoonist Matt Groening, who also created “The Simpsons”.

42D LSAT alternative, for some law schools : GRE

Passing the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is usually a requirement for entry into graduate school here in the US.

Law School Admission Test (LSAT)

46D Lab label : ID TAG

The Labrador (Lab) breed of dog has been around at least since 1814. The name “Labrador Retriever” is simply a reference to the breed’s origin and behavior. Labs originally “retrieved” from the “Labrador Sea”.

52D Natl. economic yardsticks : GDPS

A country’s Gross National Product (GNP) is the value of all services and products produced by its residents in a particular year. GNP includes all production wherever it is in the world, as long as the business is owned by residents of the country concerned. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is different, although related, and is the value of all services and goods produced within the borders of the country for that year.

60D Chartreuse or brandy, e.g. : DIGESTIF

An apéritif is an alcoholic drink served before a meal, to stimulate the palate. A digestif is an alcoholic drink served after a meal, to aid digestion.

66D Part of a sch. year : SEM

“Semester” is a German word from the Latin “semestris”, an adjective meaning “of six months”. We use the term in a system that divides an academic year into two roughly equal parts. A trimester-system has three parts, and a quarter-system has four.

70D Land rover : NOMAD

A nomad is someone who roams about. The term “nomad” comes from the Latin “nomas” meaning “wandering shepherd”. In turn, “nomas” comes from the Greek “nomas” meaning “roaming (especially when looking for pasture)”.

72D Home of Qatar Airways : DOHA

Doha is the capital city of the Persian Gulf state of Qatar. The name “Doha” translates from Arabic as “big tree” or “roundness”.

73D A long time, in Spain : ANOS

In Spanish, an “año” (year) has “doce meses” (twelve months).

75D Tach stats : RPMS

The tachometer takes its name from the Greek word “tachos” meaning “speed”. A tachometer in a car measures engine revolutions per minute (rpm).

77D Sax player Clarence : CLEMONS

Saxophonist Clarence Clemons was a founding member of Bruce Springsteen’s backing group, the E Street Band, playing with them from 1972 until his death in 2011. After his passing, Clemons was replaced in the band by his nephew, Jake Clemons.

78D “The Greek” in a 1964 film : ZORBA

The film “Zorba the Greek” and the musical “Zorba” are adaptations of the 1952 novel “Zorba the Greek” by Nikos Kazantzakis. The 1964 film version stars Anthony Quinn in the title role, and Alan Bates. The movie is set and was filmed on location on the island of Crete, the home of author Kazantzakis.

82D High, wispy clouds : CIRRI

Cirrus (plural “cirri”) clouds are those lovely wispy, white strands that are often called “mare’s tails”.

83D Alice of TV’s “Queen of the South” : BRAGA

“Queen of the South” is an English-language TV show that is an adaptation of the Spanish-language telenovela “La Reina del Sur”. Both shows are in turn based on the Spanish novel of the same name by Arturo Pérez-Reverte.

86D Manage moguls, say : SKI

Moguls are the series of bumps in the surface of snow that arise naturally as a succession of skiers make turns on a slope.

94D Fried Japanese fare : TEMPURA

Tempura is a style of Japanese cuisine that features seafood, meat and vegetables that have been deep-fried in batter. The use of batter in fried foods was introduced into Japan by the Portuguese in the late 1500s.

98D 1997 Demi Moore military drama : GI JANE

G.I. Joe was the original “action figure”, the first toy to carry that description. G.I. Joe first hit the shelves in 1964. There have been a few movies based on the G.I. Joe figure, but, more famous than all of them I would say is the 1997 movie “G.I. Jane” starring Demi Moore in the title role. I thought that “G.I. Jane” had some potential, to be honest, but it really did not deliver in the end.

Demi Moore was born Demetria Guynes and took the name Demi Moore when she married her first husband, Freddy Moore. Moore’s second husband was Bruce Willis. She changed her name to Demi Guynes Kutcher a few years after marrying her third husband, Ashton Kutcher. However, Kutcher and Moore split in 2013.

103D Statistics tool used to find significant differences : T-TEST

A “t-test” in the world of statistics is one that makes use of a “Student’s t distribution”. The t-statistic was introduced by a chemist working in the Guinness Brewery in Dublin, back in 1908. “Student” was the chemist’s pen name.

116D Luau instrument, in brief : UKE

The ukulele (uke) originated in the 1800s and mimicked a small guitar brought to the Hawaiian Islands by Portuguese immigrants.

117D Mme., across the Pyrenees : SRA

The Pyrenees is a mountain range that runs along the border between Spain and France. Nestled between the two countries, high in the mountains, is the lovely country of Andorra, an old haunt of my family during skiing season …

118D “The Bachelor” network : ABC

“The Bachelor” is an American dating and relationship reality show that debuted in 2002. Its success resulted in several spin-offs including “The Bachelorette”, “Bachelor Pad”, “Bachelor in Paradise”, as well as spawning many international editions of the original “The Bachelor” format.

119D Actress Gadot : GAL

Gal Gadot is an actress and former Miss Israel. She played Gisele Yashar in the “Fast & Furious” film franchise, and then began portraying Wonder Woman in superhero movies.