0604-26 NY Times Crossword 4 Jun 26, Thursday

Bill’s time: 9m 04s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A In “The Tempest,” when Miranda says “O brave new world, That has such people in’t!” : ACT V

There is a speech by Miranda in “The Tempest” by William Shakespeare that is the source for the title of the dystopian novel “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley:

O wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has such people in’t.

14A Sushi wrapper : NORI

Nori is an edible seaweed that we used to know as “laver” when we were living in Wales. Nori is usually dried into thin sheets. Here in the US, we are most familiar with nori as the seaweed used as a wrap for sushi.

15A Waikiki welcomes : ALOHAS

Waikiki is a neighborhood of Honolulu that is home to the famous Waikiki Beach. The name “Waikiki” means “spouting fresh water” in Hawaiian.

16A Indigenous people of the Great Basin : UTE

The Great Basin is a large region of the US covering most of Nevada, much of Utah and some parts of Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon and California. The 200,000 square mile area drains internally, with all precipitation sinking underground or flowing into lakes. Most of the lakes in the Great Basin are saline, including the Great Salt Lake, Pyramid Lake and the Humboldt Sink.

17A Forbidden idol : GRAVEN IMAGE

In the Christian tradition, the second commandment prohibits the worship of “any graven image”. Usually, this is taken to mean that graven images can be created but not worshipped.

19A “American ___” : PIE

Don McLean released his greatest hit, “American Pie”, back in 1971. Despite the song’s iconic position in the pop repertoire, McLean has been remarkably reticent about its origins and the meaning of the lyrics. We do know that it was inspired by the death of Buddy Holly in a plane crash (“the day the music died”). McLean has also told us that he first read about the death of his idol when delivering newspapers the day after the crash (“February made me shiver/with every paper I’d deliver”). Although the lyrics have been analyzed and interpreted in depth by many, McLean’s stance remains that it is just a poem set to music.

Bye, bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And them good ole boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin’ this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die

20A Neighborhood watering hole : LOCAL DIVE

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 …

21A Subj. for one aspiring to become bilingual : ESL

English as a Second Language (ESL)

23A Tolkien’s Treebeard, for one : ENT

Treebeard is the elder of the tree-like people called Ents in J. R. R. Tolkien’s series of novels set in Middle-earth.

24A Cards : IDS

Identity document (ID)

26A Shamash holder : MENORAH

There is a seven-branched menorah used symbolically in ancient temples. However, the Hanukkah menorah is a nine-branched lampstand that is lit during the eight-day holiday called Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights. “Menorah” is the Hebrew word for “lamp”.

34A Bob who narrated “How I Met Your Mother” : SAGET

Bob Saget was a real enigma to me. He made a name for himself playing very sugary roles in TV shows like “Full House” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos”, and yet in the world of stand-up comedy Saget was known for very blue and raunchy routines.

“How I Met Your Mother” is a sitcom that CBS aired from 2005 to 2014. The main character is Ted Mosby, played by Josh Radnor. Mosby is also the narrator for the show looking back from the year 2030 (the live action is set in the present). As narrator, the older Mosby character is voiced by Bob Saget.

35A Historic Bulgarian ruler : TSAR

The term “czar” (also “tsar”) is a Slavic word that was first used as a title by Simeon I of Bulgaria in 913 AD. “Czar” is derived from the word “caesar”, which was synonymous with “emperor” at that time. We tend to use the “czar” spelling, as opposed to “tsar”, when we describe a person today with great power or authority, e.g. “Drug Czar”.

38A Faux flattery : SMARM

The word “smarm” describes insincere flattery. The term comes from a colloquial word “smalm” that was used in the mid-19th century to mean “smear the hair with some sort of styling product”.

40A Bob who hosted PBS’s “The Joy of Painting” : ROSS

Bob Ross was an artist and art instructor. Ross created and appeared in the long-running PBS show “The Joy of Painting”, a show which provided instructions for budding artists. He was known for some colorful phrases that he tended to repeat on screen, one of the most famous being “let’s add some happy little trees”.

41A Broad-shouldered Titan : ATLAS

In Greek mythology, Atlas was a Titan who was tasked with holding up the celestial sphere on his shoulders. The Greeks observed the planets moving and the stars in fixed positions. They believed that the stars were on the surface of a single starry sphere, the celestial sphere that was supported by Atlas.

45A Italian liquor distilled from winemaking leftovers : GRAPPA

Grappa is an Italian brandy that is made by distilling the skins, pulps, seeds and stems that are left over from winemaking after the grapes have been pressed.

47A Downward dog and others : YOGA POSES

The downward-facing dog pose in yoga is more properly known as “adho mukha svanasana”.

55A They come in black, Belgian and double varieties : IPAS

Single, double (or dual), and triple IPAs are all styles of hoppy beer that progressively increase in intensity. Brewers create the stronger double and triple versions by using significantly more malt, which boosts the alcohol content (ABV), with a corresponding increase in hops to balance the sweetness and amplify the bitter, aromatic flavors.

60A Lillehammer’s land: Abbr. : NOR

Lillehammer, Norway hosted the Winter Olympic Games in 1994. The ‘94 Winter Games were the first to be held two years after the Summer Olympics, and so took place only two years after the ‘92 Games, held in Albertville, France.

61A Large retail establishment … and a hint to four squares in this puzzle : BIG BOX STORE

A big-box store is a very large retail outlet, and one that is often part of a chain.

64A Candy heart phrase : BE MINE

The forerunner to Sweethearts candy was introduced in 1866, with the famous sayings written on the candy tailored for use at weddings. One of the original expressions was, “Married in pink, he will take a drink”. The original candy was a lot bigger, to fit all those words! The smaller, heart-shaped candy hit the shelves in 1901. We’ve been able to buy Sweethearts with the words “Text me” since 2010.

1D It’s a matter of degrees : ANGLE

In geometry, there are several classes of angles:

• Acute (< 90 degrees) 
• Right (= 90 degrees) 
• Obtuse (> 90 degrees and < 180 degrees) 
• Straight (180 degrees) 
• Reflex (> 180 degrees)

2D Beer brand with the slogan “La Playa Awaits” : CORONA

The Mexican beer called Corona was the biggest-selling imported beer in the United States, until it lost popularity due to the resemblance of its name with “Coronavirus”.

4D “The Four Seasons” composer : VIVALDI

Antonio Vivaldi was one of the great composers of the Baroque period. He achieved fame and success within his own lifetime, although that celebrity faded soon after he died. Vivaldi’s music has reemerged in recent decades and I am sure everyone is familiar with at least part of his most famous composition, the violin concerto called “The Four Seasons”. Vivaldi was nicknamed “The Red Priest” because he was indeed a priest, and he had red hair.

“The Four Seasons” is the most famous work by Italian Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi. It is a collection of four violin concerti that evoke the seasons of the year. Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” is a favorite choice for background music in elevators and lobbies. Personally, my favorite use of the piece is as a backdrop to the 1981 romantic comedy film “The Four Seasons”, starring Alan Alda and Carol Burnett.

5D Altered excerpts of a film posted to social media, say : FAN EDITS

A fan edit is a version of a film or television show that has been re-edited by a viewer, creating a reinterpretation of the source material. The practice gained notoriety in 2000 with “The Phantom Edit”, a rework of “Star Wars: Episode I – the Phantom Menace” that famously slashed the screen time of the character Jar Jar Binks, to create a more serious tone.

6D Sons of ___, exemplars of biblical wickedness : ELI

In the Bible, Eli is a High Priest of Shiloh and the teacher of Samuel. As such, his story is told in the Book of Samuel. Eli had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, both of whom are described as wicked. As a result of their wayward lifestyle, it is prophesied that all of Eli’s male descendents will die before reaching old age.

7D Site of an 1899-1909 gold rush : NOME

The Nome Gold Rush of 1899-1909 was remarkable in the ease that the precious metal could be gathered. Many prospectors were finding gold lying in beach sand and were making their fortunes without even having to make a claim.

9D Bald youngster? : EAGLET

The bald eagle is sometimes referred to as the American eagle. It is both the national bird and the national animal of the USA, and appears on the US Seal.

11D Freudian censor : SUPEREGO

In the world of Freudian psychoanalysis, the ego ideal is essentially the positive counterpart to the superego. The superego acts as a conscience telling you what not to do, and the ego ideal is aspirational, telling you what you should become.

13D Links openings? : TEE SHOTS

The oldest type of golf course is a links course. The name “links” comes from the Old English word “hlinc” meaning “rising ground”. “Hlinc” was used to describe areas with coastal sand dunes or open parkland. As a result, we use the term “links course” to mean a golf course that is located at or on the coast, often amid sand dunes. The British Open is always played on a links course.

18D Imported beverage brand : EVIAN

Évian-les-Bains (or simply “Évian”) is in the very east of France, on the shores of Lake Geneva directly across the lake from Lausanne, Switzerland. As one might imagine, Évian is the home of Évian mineral water, the most successful business in town. Personally, I can’t stand the distinctive taste of Évian water …

27D “It Ain’t Hard to Tell” rapper : NAS

Rapper Nas used to go by an earlier stage name “Nasty Nas”, and before that by his real name “Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones”. Nas released his first album “Illmatic” in 1994, and inventively titled his fifth studio album “Stillmatic”, released in 2001.

29D Six-winged angels : SERAPHS

A seraph is a celestial being found in Hebrew and Christian writings. The word “seraph” (plural “seraphim”) literally translates as “burning one”. Seraphs are the highest-ranking angels in the Christian tradition, and the fifth-ranking of ten in the Jewish tradition.

30D Like the appearance of armadillos and anacondas : SCALY

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.

Anacondas are native to the tropical regions of South America. The green anaconda is one of the world’s largest snakes, growing to 17 feet long and weighing up to 550 pounds! Anacondas are not venomous, and prefer to kill their prey by coiling around it and then squeeeeeezing …

33D Many a character on “The Pitt,” informally : ER DOC

“The Pitt” is a medical drama TV show that premiered in 2025. The title refers to the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. In each episode, we follow the staff through an hour in the emergency department, navigating challenges like staff shortages and underfunding. The show has been praised by the medical community for its realistic portrayal of healthcare workers and the psychological challenges faced in a post-pandemic world.

35D “Just Do It” and “Think Different” : TAGLINES

The Nike slogan “Just Do It” was created in an advertising meeting in 1988. Apparently the phrase was inspired by the last words of infamous criminal Gary Gilmore. Gilmore faced execution by the state of Utah in 1977, and when asked if he had any last words he simply replied, “Let’s do it”. A few minutes later, Gilmore was executed by a firing squad.

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”.

37D Not prix fixe : A LA CARTE

On a restaurant menu, items that are “à la carte” are priced and ordered separately. A menu marked “table d’hôte” (also called “prix fixe”) is a fixed-price menu with limited choice. “Table d’hôte” translates from French as “table of the host”.

49D Fancy affair : SOIREE

“Soir” is the French word for “evening” and a soirée is an evening party. The French word “soirée” has an acute accent over the first “e”, but we tend to drop this when using the word in English.

51D Soft rock? : MAGMA

Magma is the molten material below the Earth’s surface. When magma cools, it forms igneous rock. “Magma” is a Greek term that describes a thick ointment.

54D Tube placed during angioplasty : STENT

Angioplasty (“angio”, for short) is a mechanical widening of a narrowed artery. In the surgical procedure, a balloon catheter is inflated at the point of the obstruction to open up the artery. A stent may then be inserted to make sure the vessel remains open.

57D Article that might be prewritten, informally : OBIT

Our word “obituary” comes from the Latin “obituarius”. The Latin term was used for “record of the death of a person”, although the literal meaning is “pertaining to death”.

61D Airer of “The Graham Norton Show” : BBC

Graham Norton is an Irish comedian, actor and television host who is based in the UK. He is best known perhaps for his chat show “The Graham Norton Show” that started airing in 2007. Fans of the sitcom “Father Ted” might remember him playing the character named Father Noel Furlong.