0525-26 NY Times Crossword 25 May 26, Monday

Bill’s time: 5m 25s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

9A Super 8 or Red Roof Inn : MOTEL

Super 8 is a budget hotel chain. The chain got the name as the original room rate (back in 1972) was set at $8.88.

The Red Roof Inn chain of hotels was founded in Columbus, Ohio in 1973, with the intent of providing affordable accommodation. The chain’s original slogan was “Sleep Cheap”.

30A Variety of chili that can reach a Scoville score of 1+ million : GHOST PEPPER

The ghost pepper is also known as the “bhüt jolokia” or Bhutanese pepper. The term “bhüt” somehow morphed into the similar-sounding “ghost”, hence the English name. Guinness World Records declared the ghost pepper the world’s hottest chili pepper in 2007, although the Carolina reaper was given that honor in 2017.

The Scoville scale is a measure of the spiciness of chili peppers. The scale was invented by a pharmacist in 1912, Wilbur Scoville. To determine the position of a pepper on the Scoville scale, the amount of capsaicin in the chili is measured. Capsaicin is an irritant that causes the sensation of burning when it comes into contact with tissue, particularly mucous membranes.

39A Sample collected by Ancestry.com : SALIVA

Ultimately, our contemporary term “saliva” is the Latin word for “spittle”.

40A Daily Planet reporter Lois : LANE

Lois Lane has been the love interest of Superman/Clark Kent since the comic series was first published in 1938. Lois and Clark both work for the big newspaper in the city of Metropolis called “The Daily Planet”. The couple finally got hitched in the comics (and on television’s “Lois and Clark”) in 1996. One has to wonder how challenging the crossword is in “The Daily Planet” …

43A “___ sesame!” : OPEN

In the folk tale “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”, the title character is a poor woodcutter who discovers the magic phrase “Open sesame!” that opens the thieves’ den.

48A California national park known for its dryness : DEATH VALLEY

Death Valley is a spectacular desert valley in California that is part of the Mojave Desert. Badwater Basin in Death Valley is the lowest point in North America, sitting at 282 feet below sea level. Remarkably, Badwater Basin is located just 84 miles from Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States.

55A Bring dishonor upon : BESMIRCH

“Besmirch” is a derivative of “smirch”, with both words meaning to “make dirty”. In particular, to besmirch is to sully someone’s reputation.

64A Ancient Mexican empire : AZTEC

The Aztec people of Central America dominated the region in the 14th – 16th centuries. Two traits of the Aztec people are oft cited today. They built some magnificent pyramids, and they also engaged in human sacrifice. The two traits were linked in a way … for the consecration of the Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan, 84,400 prisoners were sacrificed over a period of four days.

65A 1980s hit with the lyric “Me mind on fire, me soul on fire” … or how one might describe 17-, 30- and 48-Across? : HOT HOT HOT

“Hot Hot Hot” is a song written and first recorded in 1982 by Arrow, a singer-songwriter from the island of Montserrat in the Caribbean. “Hot Hot Hot” became a dance floor hit for Arrow, and then really took off when it was covered in 1987 by Buster Poindexter. Ole ole …

68A Back of a car or front of an elephant : TRUNK

In North America we use the word “trunk” for the storage space in the back of a vehicle as that space is reminiscent of the large traveling chest called a “trunk”. Such trunks used to be lashed onto the back of automobiles before storage was integrated. On the other side of the Atlantic, a trunk is known as a “boot”. The original boot was a built-in storage compartment on a horse-drawn carriage on which a coachman would sit.

72A Japanese electronics giant : SONY

Sony was founded by Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuka as Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo (Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation). The two partners met in the Japanese Navy during WWII.

Down

1D Seaweed in an underwater forest : KELP

Kelps are large seaweeds that grow in kelp forests underwater. Kelps can grow to over 175 feet in length, and do so very quickly. Some kelps can grow at the rate of 1-2 feet per day.

9D Frothy drink often served with boba : MILK TEA

Bubble tea, sometimes called “boba tea”, is a tea-based drink from Taiwan. The “bubbles” are chewy tapioca balls that are usually added to the drink.

10D A ladybug landing on you is considered a good one : OMEN

The insect we know as a ladybug (also “ladybird”) has seven spots on its wing covers. These seven spots gave rise to the common name “ladybug”, as in the Middle Ages the insect was called the “beetle of Our Lady”. The spots were said to symbolize the Seven Joys and Seven Sorrows, events in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary called out in the Roman Catholic tradition.

22D A hardened criminal might have a long one : RAP SHEET

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.

25D Missing part of the Great Sphinx of Giza : NOSE

The Great Sphinx of Giza is a huge limestone statue of a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of a human. It is the largest monolithic statue in the world. Famously, the Great Sphinx is missing its nose and beard.

27D Leafy lunch order : 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 …

28D Piece of armadillo armor : PLATE

The nine-banded armadillo is the most common species of armadillo found in the Americas. The “bands” are bits of armor that circle the body of the armadillo. The term “nine-banded” is a bit of a misnomer as there aren’t always nine bands, but there are usually seven to eleven.

29D Common sleep disorder : APNEA

Sleep apnea (“apnoea” in British English) can be caused by an obstruction in the airways, possibly due to obesity or enlarged tonsils.

35D Singer Newman with the hit “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” : RANDY

Randy Newman is a singer/songwriter who is most famous for his movie scores. The list of scores on his resume includes “The Natural”, “Meet the Parents” and all the “Toy Story” movies from Pixar. Also on his resume are songs that he wrote, but were made hits by others. Included in this list are “You Can Leave Your Hat On” (Joe Cocker & Tom Jones) and “Mama Told Me Not to Come” (Three Dog Night).

“You’ve Got a Friend in Me” is the theme song for the “Toy Story” series of animated films from Pixar. The song was written and first recorded by Randy Newman for the original “Toy Story” movie, with cover versions being used in subsequent releases.

45D Gimmicky routines : SHTICKS

A shtick is a routine, a bit, a piece of entertainment. The term comes from the Yiddish “shtick”, which has the same meaning and derives from the Middle High German word “stücke”, the word for “piece”.

49D Dried poblanos used in mole sauce : ANCHOS

Mole poblano is a classic dish that is sometimes cited as the national dish of Mexico. Two of the essential ingredients in the recipe are chili peppers and chocolate. The chocolate doesn’t dominate the taste, but does serve to offset the heat from the peppers.

50D Toy on a string : YO-YO

Yo-yo enthusiasts can visit the National Yo-Yo Museum in Chico, California. The museum’s centerpiece exhibit is a 256-pound yo-yo that made it into the Guinness Book of World Records in 1982 as the World’s Biggest Working Wooden Yo-Yo. “Working” the yo-yo requires a large crane and a skilled operator.

56D Book just after Ezekiel, alphabetically : EZRA

In the Bible, the Book of Nehemiah is preceded by the Book of Ezra, and followed by the Book of Esther.

57D Flabbergast : STUN

Apparently, there was a 1772 magazine article that described “flabbergasted” as a word that was in vogue at the time. That article also stated that the origin of the term was uncertain. Someone who is flabbergasted is utterly astonished. Like me, most of the time …

59D Drifter in search of work : HOBO

No one seems to know for sure how the term “hobo” originated, although there are lots of colorful theories. My favorite is that “hobo” comes from the first letters in the words “ho-meward bo-und”, but it doesn’t seem very plausible. A kind blog reader tells me that according to Click and Clack from PBS’s “Car Talk” (a great source!), “hobo” comes from “hoe boy”. Hoe boys were young men with hoes looking for work after the Civil War. Hobos differed from “tramps” and “bums” in that “bums” refused to work, “tramps” worked when they had to, while “hobos” traveled in search of work.

61D What to do with egg whites when making meringue : WHIP

Air is incorporated into egg whites when they are whipped to create meringue. The protein in the egg whites traps the air bubbles, forming a foam that expands when heated, resulting in an airy texture.

63D Women in ___ (educational advocacy group) : STEM

The acronym “STEM” stands for the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. An alternative acronym with a similar meaning is MINT, standing for mathematics, information sciences, natural sciences and technology.

Women in STEM (WiSTEM) is an organization focused on addressing attitudes to women working in the STEM disciplines, as well as the relatively limited educational opportunities for girls in high schools who are interested in pursuing STEM careers. WiSTEM was founded in 2017 at the University of Chicago Lab Schools.