0213-26 NY Times Crossword 13 Feb 26, Friday

Bill’s time: 17m 43s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A Org. with checkpoints : TSA

Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

8A Shoe-shaping tools : LASTS

A last is a wooden or metal (usually) form that is shaped like a human foot. It is used by shoemakers when repairing and manufacturing shoes.

19A Bonkers : NUTSO

The word “bonkers” meaning “crazy” originated in the fifties. The term might come from navy slang meaning “slightly drunk”, behaving as though one received a “bonk” on the head.

20A A little sore, say : MIFFED

To miff is to put out, to tee off. It is a verb that has been around since the early 1600s. In 1824, Sir Walter Scott described the word “miffed” as “a woman’s phrase”. That should get him a slap, I’d say …

22A It’s what you should take, in brief : RDA

Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA)

23A Lundi ___, festive Monday observance in New Orleans : GRAS

Lundi Gras (French for “Fat Monday”) is a relatively contemporary term, used in the Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans. More traditionally known as Shrove Monday, Lundi Gras is the day before Fat Tuesday, which in turn is the day before Ash Wednesday.

27A Dating qualifier : CIRCA

“Circa” is a Latin word meaning “around, near, about the time of”. We use “circa” directly in English to mean “about the time of”, as well as in derivative words such as “circle” and “circus”.

29A They don’t give you the full picture : MOVIE TRAILERS

The term “trailer” is used in the film industry to describe advertisements for upcoming features. These trailers were originally shown at the end of a movie being screened, hence the name. This practice quickly fell out of favor as theater patrons usually left at the end of the movie without paying much attention to the trailers. So, the trailers were moved to the beginning of the show, but the term “trailer” persisted.

35A Le contraire de “après” : AVANT

In French, “avant” (before) comes ahead of “après” (after).

40A Goddess often depicted with peacocks : HERA

According to myth, the “eyes” on a peacock’s tail are a tribute from the goddess Hera to her faithful watchman, the giant Argus Panoptes. After Argus was slain by Hermes, Hera preserved his 100 eyes forever by placing them on the tail of the peacock.

43A Alphabetically last nutrient in a multivitamin, often : ZINC

The metal zinc is an essential trace element in the human diet. There are 2-4 grams of zinc in the body typically, with the highest concentrations in the eyes and the male prostate gland.

44A Counsel council, for short : ABA

American Bar Association (ABA)

46A “Andor” actor ___ Luna : DIEGO

The TV show “Star Wars: Andor” serves as a prequel to the 2016 film “Rogue One”, which itself is a prequel to the first “Stars Wars” movie, released in 1977. The title character is Cassian Andor, played by Diego Luna.

47A Research scientist’s jotting : LAB NOTE

Our term “laboratory”, often shortened to “lab”, comes from the Medieval Latin word “laboratorium” meaning “place for labor, work”. This in turn comes from the Latin verb “laborare” meaning “to work”.

51A Birds whose name comes from the Latin word for “golden” : ORIOLES

The songbird called an oriole builds an interesting nest. It is a woven cup-like structure that is suspended from a branch like a hammock.

52A 1976 Fleetwood Mac hit said to be inspired by a Welsh witch : RHIANNON

The band Fleetwood Mac was founded in 1967 in London by Peter Green. He chose “Fleetwood Mac” from the names of two friends in former groups, i.e. “Fleetwood” and “McVie”. Green did this despite the fact that Fleetwood Mac’s drummer’s name happens to be Mick Fleetwood.

53A Provincetown catch : SCROD

Scrod is the name given to fish that has been “scrawed” i.e. split open, dried and then broiled.

Provincetown is located at the very tip of Cape Cod. As a major vacation destination, Provincetown has a summer population of up to 60,000 people, dropping to under 3,000 off season. The land now called Provincetown was the original “Cape Cod” back in the early 1600s. It wasn’t until much later that the Cape Cod name was applied to the entire region.

54A Hit’s counterpart : STAY

“Stand” and “hit me” are instructions to the dealer in the card game Blackjack. The instruction “stand” means “I don’t want any more cards, I’ll use these”. The instruction “hit me” means “please deal me another card”.

Down

4D One with a burning passion? : PYRO

“Pyro-” is the combining form of the Greek word for “fire”. “Pyrotechnics” is the art of making and using fireworks. “Pyromania” is a strong desire to light fires.

5D Bishop’s locale : SEE

In the Roman Catholic Church, an episcopal see is the official seat of a bishop, and is usually described by the town or city where the bishop presides and has his cathedral. The most famous see in the church is called the Holy See, the episcopal see of the Bishop of Rome, the Pope.

6D Tiny nation claiming over 1,700 years of self-governance : SAN MARINO

San Marino is a small enclave in northern Italy with an area of just under 25 square miles. It is the oldest sovereign state and constitutional republic in the world, and has the world’s oldest constitution (dating back to 1600). What is most impressive to me is that San Marino has no national debt and a budget surplus. One can only dream …

9D Longtime teammate of Derek Jeter, familiarly : A-ROD

Baseball player Alex Rodriguez, nicknamed “A-Rod”, hit his 600th home run on August 4th, 2010. He had hit his 500th home run exactly three years earlier, on August 4th, 2007, when he became the youngest player in Major League history to join the 500-home run club.

Derek Jeter played his entire professional baseball career with the New York Yankees, and was the team’s captain. Jeter is the all-time career leader for the Yankees in hits, games played, stolen bases and at bats. He is also the all-time leader in hits by a shortstop in the whole of professional baseball. Jeter’s performances in the postseason earned him the nicknames “Captain Clutch” and “Mr. November”. Jeter retired from the game in 2014.

11D Poem so beloved by Abraham Lincoln that he carried it in his pocket and memorized it : THE RAVEN

“The Raven” is a narrative poem by Edgar Allan Poe that tells of a student who has lost the love of his life, Lenore. A raven enters the student’s bedchamber and perches on a bust of Pallas. The raven can talk, to the student’s surprise, but says nothing but the word “nevermore” (“quoth the raven, ‘Nevermore’”). As the student questions all aspects of his life, the raven taunts him with the same comment, “nevermore”. Finally, the student decides that his soul is trapped beneath the raven’s shadow and shall be lifted “nevermore”.

12D Sheryl ___, author of the 2013 best seller “Lean In” : SANDBERG

Sheryl Sandberg used to be the chief operating officer of Facebook, having left her position as a vice president with Google. She is also the co-author of a very influential book called “Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead”.

14D Many a bonny bairn : LASS

“Bairn” is a Scots word meaning “child”.

15D Sharp wind? : FIFE

A fife is a small flute that is often used in military and marching bands. The name “fife” comes from the German “Pfeife” meaning “pipe”.

16D Offerings at a reception : TOASTS

The tradition of toasting someone probably dates back to the reign of Charles II, when the practice was to drink a glass of wine to the health of a beautiful or favored woman. In those days, spiced toast was added to beverages to add flavor, so the use of the word “toast” was an indicator that the lady’s beauty would enhance the wine. Very charming, I must say …

21D Ones who don’t believe in global revolutions? : FLAT EARTHERS

The Flat Earth Society is a modern incarnation of a much older group that believed that the earth was in fact flat and not an oblate spheroid. The new version was established by Samuel Shenton in 1956 in Dover in the UK. When man ventured to the moon, the Flat Earth Society took the position that the Apollo program was an elaborate hoax.

24D Saves for later, in a way : TIVOS

TiVo was introduced in 1999 and was the world’s first commercially successful digital video recorder (DVR).

27D Teammate of Cupid in “A Visit From St. Nicholas” : COMET

We get the names for Santa’s reindeer from the famous 1823 poem called “A Visit from St. Nicholas”, although we’ve modified a couple of the names over the years. The full list is:

• Dasher
• Dancer
• Prancer
• Vixen
• Comet
• Cupid
• Donder (originally “Dunder”, and now often “Donner”)
• Blitzen (originally “Blixem”)

Rudolph was added to the list by retailer Montgomery Ward, would you believe? The store commissioned Robert L. May to create a booklet that could be handed out to children around Christmas in 1939, and May introduced us to a new friend for Santa, namely Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

28D Mythological figure who turns men into pigs : CIRCE

Circe was a minor goddess in Greek mythology. The goddess of magic, she was fond of transforming those who did not please her into animals by using magical potions. In Homer’s “Odyssey”, Odysseus was given the herb called “moly” to protect him from the magical powers of Circe.

29D Spiritual sustenance : MANNA

According to the Book of Exodus, manna was a food eaten by the Israelites as they traveled out of Egypt. The manna “fell” to Earth during the night, six days a week, and was gathered in the morning before it had time to melt.

32D Ones offering cheap shots? : DIVE BARS

We’ve been using the word “dive” in American English for a run-down bar since the latter half of the 19th century. The term comes from the fact that disreputable taverns were usually located in basements, so one had to figuratively dive into them. I’m a big fan …

33D How the Quran is written : IN ARABIC

The Koran is also known as the “Qur’an” and “Quran” in English. “Qur’an” a transliteration of the Arabic name for the holy text of the Muslim faith. The literal translation of “Koran” is “the recitation”.

34D Honolulu thank you : MAHALO

In Hawaiian, “mahalo” means “thank you” and “mahalo nui loa” translates as “thank you very much”.

37D Ferruginous pigment : SIENNA

The shade known as “sienna” or “burnt sienna” was originally a pigment made from earth found around Siena in Tuscany.

41D Like some breath : BATED

To bate is to restrain, as in “with bated breath” meaning “with restrained breath”. “Bate” can also mean “lessen”, and is a shortening of “abate”.

43D Canyon with a much-hiked section called the Narrows : ZION

To me, the most spectacular feature of southwestern Utah’s Zion National Park is the magnificent Zion Canyon. The canyon cuts through red Navajo sandstone and truly is a beautiful sight.

46D Historic event the French call “le jour J” : D-DAY

The most famous D-Day in history was June 6, 1944, the date of the Normandy landings in WWII. The term “D-Day” is used by the military to designate the day on which a combat operation is to be launched, especially when the actual date has yet to be determined. What D stands for seems to have been lost in the mists of time although the tradition is that D just stands for “Day”. In fact, the French have a similar term, “Jour J” (Day J), with a similar meaning. We also use H-Hour to denote the hour the attack is to commence.

50D Director Coppola of 2024’s “The Last Showgirl” : GIA

Gia Coppola is the latest director from a celebrated filmmaking dynasty, following in the footsteps of her grandfather Francis Ford Coppola and her aunt Sofia Coppola. Her father was Gian-Carlo Coppola, whom sadly, she never met. He died in a tragic boating accident while her mother was still pregnant with her.