1002-26 NY Times Crossword 2 Oct 26, Friday

Bill’s time: 9m 50s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A Important figure on staff? : CLEF

“Clef” is the French word for “key”. In music, a clef is used to indicate the pitch of the notes written on a stave. The bass clef is also known as the F-clef, the alto clef is the C-clef, and the treble clef is the G-clef.

5A Photographer’s inits. : SLR

Single-lens reflex (SLR) camera

17A Core-focused workout in a humid room : HOT PILATES

Pilates is a physical exercise system developed by, and named for, German physical trainer Joseph Pilates. Pilates developed his system of exercises, which he called “Contrology”, while interned by the British during World War One.

18A Unit of sound intensity : BEL

In the world of acoustics, one bel is equal to ten decibels (dBs). The bel is named in honor of the inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell.

19A Like Mitt Romney and Ken Jennings : MORMON

Mitt Romney was born Willard Mitt Romney in 1947 in Detroit, Michigan. Romney’s parents named him after J. Willard Marriott (the hotel magnate) who was the father’s best friend, and after Milton “Mitt” Romney who was the father’s cousin and quarterback for the Chicago Bears.

On the game show “Jeopardy!”, Ken Jennings holds the record for longest winning streak, winning 74 episodes in a row, and amassing over $2.5 million. Brad Rutter holds the record for the highest winnings in cash and prizes overall, and has won over $5 million. The record holder for lifetime winnings by a woman is held by Amy Schneider, who brought home over $1.6 million.

20A Lead-in to “coin” for a major cryptocurrency : DOGE-

The Doge meme features a Shiba Inu dog accompanied by text in broken English, often expressing excitement or wonder. Originating in 2010, the meme gained viral popularity that unexpectedly led to the creation of Dogecoin in 2013, a cryptocurrency initially intended as a joke. Dogecoin gained a loyal community and achieved substantial market value, fueled by social media trends and celebrity endorsements.

25A Hybrid cat : LIGER

The tiger is the largest species in the cat family. Tigers have been known to breed with lions. A liger is a cross between a male lion and female tiger. A tigon is a cross between a female lion and a male tiger.

26A Member of a noble family : SCION

“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.

28A Request after eating a habanero, perhaps : AGUA

In Spanish, one might ask for “agua” (water) at “una taquería” (a restaurant specializing in tacos).

29A What comes from needing little, per Epictetus : WEALTH

Epictetus was a slave as a young man, and eventually earned his freedom. He was a famous student of stoicism, and in turn a teacher who helped proliferate the philosophy.

37A Waze ways: Abbr. : STS

Waze is a navigation app that is similar to Google Maps and Apple Maps. Waze was developed in Israel, and was acquired by Google in 2013.

39A Inkling : IDEA

An inkling is a slight indication or vague notion. The term “inkling” apparently comes from the Middle English word “inclen” meaning “to hint”.

40A Word with cane or corn : CANDY …

Apparently, candy canes were created at the behest of the choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral in Germany in 1670. The sweet sticks were basically used as bribes to keep children quiet during services. The choirmaster specified that the candy sticks should have a crook at the top so that they reminded the children of the three shepherds who visited the infant Jesus just after his birth.

Despite its enduring popularity around Halloween, candy corn consistently ranks as one of America’s least favorite Halloween candies, often due to its waxy texture and overly sweet flavor.

42A Home to the Basilica of St. Clare : ASSISI

The Italian town of Assisi is in Umbria. Assisi is famous as the birthplace of St. Francis and as the home to the Franciscan religious order. It was also the home to Saint Clare and her order of the Poor Sisters (later known as the Poor Clares).

54A Site of a 1956 international conflict : SUEZ

The Suez Crisis of 1956 came about when President Nasser of Egypt decided to nationalize the Suez Canal, a response to a withdrawal of funds by Britain and the US for the building of the Aswan Dam. Egypt then refused to allow any Israeli shipping the use the canal. With British and French support, Israel invaded the Sinai in October 1956, starting the military conflict. Combined British, French and Israeli forces eventually took control of the Suez Canal, which was viewed as a military success but a political disaster. The United Nations, led by the US, pressured the British, French and Israelis to withdraw.

55A Animal chased by Toto in “The Wizard of Oz” : SIAMESE CAT

Toto is Dorothy’s dog in the film “The Wizard of Oz”, and in the original book “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum. Toto was played in the movie by a dog called Terry, but Terry’s name was soon changed to Toto in real life due to the success of the film.

57A Figure with three faces, in Dante : SATAN

Satan is the bringer of evil and temptation in the Abrahamic religions. The name “Satan” is Hebrew for “adversary”.

Down

2D Public eye : LIMELIGHT

Limelight was an early form of stage lighting that was also known as Drummond Light. The illumination came from the burning of quicklime (calcium oxide), hence the name. Although limelights are a thing of the past, the term “in the limelight” is still used when describing someone in the public eye.

3D Written posts? : EPILOGUES

Our word “epilog” (also “epilogue”) applies to an addition at the end of a play or other literary work. The term ultimately comes from the Greek “epi-” signifying “in addition”, and “logos” meaning “speech”.

11D One doing the lord’s work? : LIEGE

A liege was a feudal lord, one to whom service or allegiance was owed under feudal law. “Liege” was also the term used for one who owed allegiance or service to a lord. Apparently the term is influenced by the Latin verb “ligare” meaning “to tie, bind”. So, I guess both lord and servant were “bound” to each other.

15D Condition that can be caused by excess earwax : TINNITUS

Tinnitus is a ringing sound in the ears when there is actually no sound present. The term derives from the Latin verb “tinnire” meaning “to ring”.

19D Debussy’s “La ___” : MER

“La Mer” is a lovely group of three symphonic sketches for orchestra by the French composer Claude Debussy. Listen to it, and you can feel yourself at the ocean. “La Mer” is French for “The Sea”.

30D “Wheat Capital” of Oklahoma : ENID

Enid, Oklahoma takes its name from the old railroad station around which the city developed. Back in 1889, that train stop was called Skeleton Station. An official who didn’t like the name changed it to Enid Station, using a character from Alfred Lord Tennyson’s “Idylls of the King”. Maybe if he hadn’t changed the name, the city of Enid would now be called Skeleton, Oklahoma! Enid has the nickname “Queen Wheat City” because it has a huge capacity for storing grain, the third largest grain storage capacity in the world.

35D Ones doing balancing acts? : CPAS

Certified public accountant (CPA)

43D European capital with layers of Thracian, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman history : SOFIA

Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria. Natives pronounce the name “Sofia” with the emphasis on the “o”, while the rest of us tend to stress the “i”. Bulgarians do agree with us though when it comes to the girl’s name “Sofia”, then they stress the “i” like we do!

Thrace is a historical and geographic region of southeast Europe, largely lying in southeastern Bulgaria. The region took its name from the Thracian people, an ancient race that used to inhabit the area. Included in the region is the European side of the city of Istanbul.

Byzantium was a Greek colony that was centered on what was to become Constantinople, now Istanbul. Legend suggests that there was a king Byzas, who gave his name to the city and later the Byzantine Empire. The Eastern Roman Empire later became known as the Byzantine Empire, right up until the Middle Ages.

Osman I was the man who established the Ottoman Dynasty, with “Ottoman” coming from the name “Osman”. This is despite the fact that the “Ottoman Empire” came about with the conquest of Constantinople, and that didn’t happen until almost 130 years after Osman I died.

47D Neighbor of an Estonian, historically : LETT

Latvia is one of the former Soviet Socialist Republics (SSRs). People from Latvia are called Letts.

The European nation of Estonia has embraced the concept of electronic voting. Each citizen is issued an ID card that includes a chip. The ID card allows a citizen to cast a vote via the Internet using a computer with a card reader. One advantage of electronic voting in Estonia is that votes can be cast early, and can be changed right up to the end of election day.

53D Wiseman who directed “Ballerina” and “Live Free or Die Hard” : LEN

Len Wiseman is a movie director best known for the films “Live Free or Die Hard” (2007) and “Total Recall” (2012). Wiseman is married to English actress Kate Beckinsale.

“Ballerina” is a 2025 action-thriller film that is a spinoff of the “John Wick” series of movies. It stars Ana de Armas as a ballerina-assassin who seeks revenge for the murder of her family. The film is set between the events of “John Wick 3” and “John Wick 4”, and Keanu Reeves makes a few appearances, reprising his role as John Wick. An entertaining film, I thought …

54D ___City : SIM

The original SimCity was a very clever and unique computer game back in the day. Players build and grow cities and societies by creating the conditions necessary for people (the Sims) to move in and thrive. SimCity was launched in 1989, and it is still consistently ranked as one of the greatest computer games of all time.