0620-23 NY Times Crossword 20 Jun 23, Tuesday

Constructed by: Aimee Lucido
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: Blow Your Top

Themed answers are all in the down-direction. The TOP word is something that YOU BLOW:

  • 10D Absolutely lose it … or a hint to 6-, 18-, 21- and 24-Down : BLOW YOUR TOP
  • 6D Political campaign made up of a series of short appearances : WHISTLE-STOP TOUR
  • 18D Poppable packing material : BUBBLEWRAP
  • 21D 1948 musical based on “The Taming of the Shrew” : KISS ME, KATE
  • 24D Tiny computer with a dessert-inspired name : RASPBERRY PI

Bill’s time: 8m 14s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Bobbie Gentry’s “___ to Billie Joe” : ODE

“Ode to Billie Joe” is a hit song written and recorded by Bobbie Gentry in 1967. It tells the tale of a family talking about the day that “Billie Joe McAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge.”

Bobbie Gentry is a retired singer who hit the big time with the release of the 1967 song “Ode to Billie Joe”. A few years later, she changed her focus from recording to performing in variety shows on the Las Vegas Strip. Gentry was briefly married to casino magnate Bill Harrah (who was more than twice her age) from 1969 to 1970. She retired from the music business in the early nineties.

4 Front row at a chess tournament? : PAWNS

In the game of chess, the pawns are the weakest pieces on the board. A pawn that can make it to the opposite side of the board can be promoted to a piece of choice, usually a queen. Using promotion of pawns, it is possible for a player to have two or more queens on the board at one time. However, standard chess sets come with only one queen per side, so a captured rook is often used as the second queen by placing it on the board upside down.

9 “Sesame Street” Muppet whose last name rhymes with her first : ABBY

Back in 1966, the Carnegie Institute allocated money to study the use of television to help young children prepare for school. The institute gave a multimillion dollar grant to set up the Children’s Television Workshop with the task of creating an educational TV program for young people. The program began to come together, especially after Jim Henson (of Muppet fame) got involved. The name “Sesame Street” was chosen simply because it was the “least disliked” of all names proposed just before the program went on the air.

13 Anxiety-based reason to attend a party, in modern lingo : FOMO

Fear of missing out (FOMO)

16 Purplish fruit used in gin : SLOE

The sloe is the fruit of the blackthorn bush, and the main flavoring ingredient in sloe gin. A sloe looks like a small plum, but is usually much more tart in taste.

19 Attire in old Rome : TOGA

In ancient Rome, the color of a man’s toga could indicate the wearer’s social status. For example, a plain white toga (known as a “toga candida”) was worn by candidates for political office, while a “toga praetexta” with a purple border was worn by magistrates and certain priests. A “toga picta”, which was decorated with elaborate embroidery and gold trim, was reserved for victorious generals and triumphal processions.

21 Fuzzy fruits : KIWIS

What we call kiwifruit today (and sometimes just “kiwi”) used to be called a Chinese gooseberry. Marketing folks in the fifties decided to call it a “melonette”, and then New Zealand producers adopted the name “kiwifruit”.

22 Candy brand from Germany : HARIBO

Haribo is a confectionary company based in Germany, in the city of Bonn. Founded by Johannes “Hans” Riegel, Sr. in 1920, the company name derives from the first two letters of the words “Hans”, “Riegel” and “Bonn”.

25 Actress Garr : TERI

Actress Teri Garr had a whole host of minor roles in her youth, including appearances in nine Elvis movies. Garr’s big break came with the role of Inga in “Young Frankenstein”, and her supporting role in “Tootsie” earned Garr an Academy Award nomination. Sadly, Teri Garr suffers from multiple sclerosis. She is a National Ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

28 British pop star Rita : ORA

Rita Ora is a British singer who was born Rita Sahatçiu in Pristina, Yugoslavia to Albanian parents. The family name “Sahatçiu” comes from a Turkish word meaning “watchmaker”. Rita’s parents changed their name to make it easier to pronounce. So, the family name morphed from “watchmaker” to “time”, which is “ora” in Albanian.

29 “Jacques ___ Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris” (1968 musical) : BREL

Elly Stone was an actress and singer noted for performing works by Belgian songwriter Jacques Brel. One of her more direct connections to Brel is the revue “Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris” that Stone co-wrote with her husband. She also co-starred in the revue for two years in the late sixties, and in a revival of the show in 2006.

38 With 68-Across, pancake topping : MAPLE …
68A See 38-Across : … SYRUP

About 75% of the world’s maple syrup comes from the province of Quebec. The US’s biggest producer is the state of Vermont, which produces 5-6% of the world’s supply.

41 ___ Polo (pool game) : MARCO

Marco Polo is a game of tag that is played in a swimming pool. Marco! Polo!

44 Starchy, deep-fried bite : TATER TOT

Ore-Ida’s founders came up with the idea for Tater Tots when they were deciding what to do with residual cuts of potato. They chopped up the leftovers, added flour and seasoning, and extruded the mix through a large hole making a sausage that they cut into small cylinders. We eat 70 million pounds of this extruded potato every year!

46 Raison d’___ : ETRE

“Raison d’être” is a French phrase meaning “reason for existence”.

48 Flamenco cheer : OLE!

Flamenco is a style of Spanish music and dance. The origin of the word “flamenco” isn’t clearly understood, but the explanation that seems most credible to me is that it comes from Flanders in Northern Europe. Given that “flamenco” is the Spanish word for “Flemish” and Flanders is home to the Flemish people it makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?

49 72, at Augusta National : PAR

The Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia was founded in 1933 by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts. Famously, Augusta hosts the Masters Tournament each year. Augusta is very much a private club, and some of its policies have drawn criticism over the years. Prior to 1959, the club had a bylaw requiring that all caddies be African American. There were no African-American club members admitted until 1990, and no women until 2012.

51 Seniors’ org. : AARP

AARP is the official name now for the interest group that used to be called “The American Association of Retired Persons”. The name change reflects the current focus of the group on all Americans aged 50 or over, as opposed to just people who have retired. The AARP was founded by Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus in 1958 and is a successor to the National Retired Teachers Association, also founded by Andrus over ten years earlier.

57 Nuclear experiments, for short : A-TESTS

The Atomic Age began with the detonation of the first atomic bomb on July 16, 1945 at the Alamogordo Bombing and Gunnery Range in New Mexico. The phrase “Atomic Age” was coined by William L. Laurence, the official journalist for the Manhattan Project. Laurence personally witnessed the Trinity Test, as well as the dropping of Fat Man on Nagasaki.

64 Big name in dog food : ALPO

Alpo is a brand of dog food introduced by Allen Products in 1936, with “Alpo” being an abbreviation for “Allen Products”. Lorne Greene used to push Alpo dog food in television spots, as did Ed McMahon and Garfield the Cat, would you believe?

65 Popeye’s burly foe : BLUTO

Bluto is the villain in the Popeye cartoon strip, a character who has been around since 1932. Sometimes you will see Bluto go by the name Brutus, depending on the date of the publication. This “confusion” arose because there was an unfounded concern that the name “Bluto” was owned by someone else. Bluto, Brutus … it’s the same guy.

66 “Time and ___ wait for no man” : TIDE

Versions of the idiomatic expression “time and tide wait for no man” have been around since the early 1200s. Even though the phrase seems to conjure up images of King Canute trying to hold back the tide, there is no connection to the sea at all. Back in the 1200s, the word “tide” wasn’t associated with ocean currents but rather to a period of time, as in yule-tide, Christmas-tide, etc. So basically, the idiom says that man can’t put a halt to time, despite what one’s plastic surgeon might tell one …

67 Ragamuffin : WAIF

A waif is a street urchin, or perhaps a stray animal.

Down

2 “I’m such a bozo!” : D’OH!

The unsavory word “bozo” describes a person with a low IQ, and someone who is usually quite muscular. The term has been used since the early 1900s, and possibly comes from the Spanish “bozal” that was used to describe someone who spoke Spanish poorly.

3 Feathered creature in Liberty Mutual ads : EMU

Liberty Mutual is an insurance company based in Boston. The business was founded in 1912 as the Massachusetts Employees Insurance Association (MEIA). Liberty Mutual has a famous advertising icon named LiMu Emu.

4 First woman, in Greek myth : PANDORA

According to Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman. She was created by the gods, with each god bestowing on her a gift. Her name can be translated from Greek as “all-gifted”. Pandora is famous for the story of “Pandora’s Box”. The story should be about Pandora’s “Jar”,as a 16th-century error in translation created a “box” out of the “jar”. In the story of Pandora’s Box, curiosity got the better of her and she opened up a box she was meant to leave alone. As a result she released all the evils of mankind, just closing it in time to trap hope inside.

5 Purplish fruit used in smoothies : ACAI

Açaí (pronounced “ass-aye-ee”) is a palm tree native to Central and South America. The fruit has become very popular in recent years and its juice is a very fashionable addition to juice mixes and smoothies.

6 Political campaign made up of a series of short appearances : WHISTLE-STOP TOUR

Originally, a whistlestop was a station at which a train would only stop if signaled to do so by a passenger. The passenger would notify the conductor of the need for the stop, then the conductor notified the engineer by pulling a signal cord. The engineer acknowledged the conductor’s signal by sounding the train’s whistle twice. The term was applied to a fast-moving political campaign soon after WWII. President Truman’s extensive railway trip during the 1948 campaign was labeled a “whistle-stop tour”.

7 Actor Nick of “Hotel Rwanda” : NOLTE

Actor Nick Nolte got his big break playing opposite Jacqueline Bisset and Robert Shaw in “The Deep”, a film released in 1976.

“Hotel Rwanda” is a very disturbing 2004 film that is based on a real account of events in 1994 in the Rwandan Genocide. “Hotel Rwanda” has been compared to “Schindler’s List” in that it tells of one man fighting to save as many people as he can from the genocide taking place in his country. Don Cheadle has the starring role.

8 Distress call : SOS

The combination of three dots – three dashes – three dots, is a Morse signal first introduced by the German government as a standard distress call in 1905. The sequence is remembered as the letters SOS (three dots – pause – three dashes – pause – three dots). That said, in the emergency signal there is no pause between the dots and dashes, so “SOS” is really only a mnemonic. Similarly, the phrases “Save Our Souls” and “Save Our Ship” are back-formations that were introduced after the SOS signal was adopted.

9 Sparkling wine region : ASTI

Asti is in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. It is perhaps most famous for its Asti Spumante sparkling white wine. Moscato d’Asti is produced from the same grape (Moscato Bianco). Moscato is a much sweeter wine with a lower alcohol content, and is usually served as a dessert wine.

11 “Casablanca” co-star, informally : BOGIE

Humphrey “Bogie” Bogart’s breakthrough movie was “The Petrified Forest” from 1936, but for me nothing beats “Casablanca”. That said, check out the original “Sabrina” from 1954. It’s a real delight. Bogie was nominated three times for a Best Actor Oscar, but only won once: for “The African Queen”.

The movie “Casablanca” was released in January of 1943, timed to coincide with the Casablanca Conference, the high-level meeting between Roosevelt and Churchill. The film wasn’t a box-office hit, but gained critical acclaim, winning three Oscars including Best Picture. The signature song “As Time Goes By” was written many years earlier for a 1931 Broadway musical called “Everybody’s Welcome”, and was a hit in 1931 for Rudy Vallee. But today we all remember the Casablanca version, sung by Dooley Wilson (who played “Sam” in the film). Poor Dooley didn’t get to record it as a single, due to a musician’s strike in 1943. The 1931 Rudy Vallee version was re-released that year and became an even bigger hit second time round.

12 What raises a lot of dough? : YEAST

Yeasts are unicellular microorganisms in the kingdom Fungi. The species of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been used for centuries in the making of wine and beer, and in breadmaking. Saccharomyces cerevisiae converts carbohydrates into carbon dioxide and alcohol in the process of fermentation. When making beer and wine, the carbon dioxide and alcohol may be captured by the liquid. When making bread, the carbon dioxide and alcohol is driven off by heat.

14 Hyatt alternative : OMNI

Omni Hotels & Resorts is headquartered in Dallas, Texas and has properties in the US, Canada and Mexico.

18 Poppable packing material : BUBBLEWRAP

Bubble wrap was invented in 1957 in an abortive attempt to make a 3-dimensional wall covering. The result was a material that wasn’t suitable as a “wallpaper” but that did make a great packing material. And don’t forget the last Monday of every January … that’s Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day.

21 1948 musical based on “The Taming of the Shrew” : KISS ME, KATE

“Kiss Me, Kate” is a musical written by Cole Porter first produced on Broadway in 1948. Cole Porter had a string of successes in the twenties and thirties including “Gay Divorce” and “Anything Goes”, but he found his career in decline in the forties. “Kiss Me, Kate” proved to be a dramatic comeback, and was the only one of his shows that ran for more than 1,000 performances on Broadway. Famously, “Kiss Me, Kate” is an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew”.

William Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew” is about a courting couple. The male in the couple is Petruchio, a gentleman of Verona, and the female is Katharina/Kate, the so-called “shrew”. As the play progresses, the “shrew” is “tamed” and becomes an “obedient” bride … a controversial storyline in the contemporary world, to say the least. Regardless, modern adaptations have been made, including 1948’s Broadway musical “Kiss Me, Kate” and the 1999 romantic comedy “10 Things I Hate About You”.

22 Man, in France : HOMME

In French, an “homme” (man) might be a “père” (father).

23 Popular typeface : ARIAL

Arial is a basic, no-frills typeface.

24 Tiny computer with a dessert-inspired name : RASPBERRY PI

Eben Upton is a computer scientist and businessman who is famous as the chief designer of the software and hardware architecture of the Raspberry Pi series of computers. The Raspberry Pi is a simple and affordable computer designed in Britain for use in schools for the teaching of basic computer science.

26 Big retailer of rock-climbing gear : REI

REI is a sporting goods store, with the initialism standing for Recreational Equipment Inc. REI was founded in Seattle by Lloyd and Mary Anderson in 1938 as a cooperative that supplies quality climbing gear to outdoor enthusiasts. The first full-time employee hired by the Andersons was Jim Whittaker, who was the first American to climb Mount Everest.

32 Old Russian 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”.

36 Chartres school : ECOLE

In French, one might learn “une leçon” (a lesson) in an “école” (school).

Chartres is a town in north-central France, lying about 60 miles southwest of Paris.

43 Milieu for snorkeling : SEA

Our word “snorkel” comes from German navy slang “Schnorchel” meaning “nose, snout”. The German slang was applied to an air-shaft used for submarines, due to its resemblance to a nose, in that air passed through it and it made a “snoring” sound. “Schnorchel” comes from “Schnarchen”, the German for “snore”.

50 Speedy Amtrak service : ACELA

The Acela Express is the fastest train routinely running in the US, as it gets up to 150 mph at times. The service runs between Boston and Washington D.C. via Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York. Introduced in 2000, the brand name “Acela” was created to evoke “acceleration” and “excellence”.

58 “___, Brute?” : ET TU

Julius Caesar was assassinated on the 15th (the ides) of March, 44 BC. He was attacked by a group of sixty people in the Roman Senate, and was stabbed 23 times. The first to strike a blow was Servilius Casca, who attacked Caesar from behind and stabbed him in the neck. In Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar”, Casca utters the words “Speak, hands, for me!” just before making the fatal blow. The following line, uttered by Caesar, is more famous though: “Et tu, Brute?”

60 Airer of “48 Hours” and “60 Minutes” : CBS

“48 Hours” is a CBS news magazine show that has aired since 1988.

The marvelous news magazine program “60 Minutes” has been on the air since 1968. The show is unique among all other regularly-scheduled shows in that it has never used theme music. There is just the ticking of that Aristo stopwatch.

61 Animal that hunts for truffles : PIG

Truffles are rooted out by pigs, or by specially trained dogs. The reason why pigs, especially sows, are so attracted to truffles is that there is a chemical compound found within the truffle that is very similar to androstenol, a sex pheromone found in the saliva of boars.

63 Butterfly catcher : NET

Several butterfly species, such as the monarch and painted lady, migrate each year over long distances, often thousands of miles. However, no individual butterfly survives the whole journey. Instead, the migrations take place over a number of generations.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Bobbie Gentry’s “___ to Billie Joe” : ODE
4 Front row at a chess tournament? : PAWNS
9 “Sesame Street” Muppet whose last name rhymes with her first : ABBY
13 Anxiety-based reason to attend a party, in modern lingo : FOMO
15 Sneeze sound : ACHOO!
16 Purplish fruit used in gin : SLOE
17 Compact images on a desktop : THUMBNAILS
19 Attire in old Rome : TOGA
20 Person who can’t be the victim of a pickpocket : NUDIST
21 Fuzzy fruits : KIWIS
22 Candy brand from Germany : HARIBO
25 Actress Garr : TERI
27 Thus far : YET
28 British pop star Rita : ORA
29 “Jacques ___ Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris” (1968 musical) : BREL
31 This, in Spanish : ESTO
33 Lose : MISPLACE
35 Dispensed : ISSUED
38 With 68-Across, pancake topping : MAPLE …
39 Spanish bear : OSO
41 ___ Polo (pool game) : MARCO
42 Nudges to move over, say : ELBOWS
44 Starchy, deep-fried bite : TATER TOT
46 Raison d’___ : ETRE
47 “You can stop, I get it!” : OK! OK!
48 Flamenco cheer : OLE!
49 72, at Augusta National : PAR
51 Seniors’ org. : AARP
53 Chatted away : YAPPED
55 Metal for recycling : SCRAP
57 Nuclear experiments, for short : A-TESTS
59 Attention-grabbing shouts : HEYS
60 Washday item that may be used indoors or outdoors : CLOTHES PIN
64 Big name in dog food : ALPO
65 Popeye’s burly foe : BLUTO
66 “Time and ___ wait for no man” : TIDE
67 Ragamuffin : WAIF
68 See 38-Across : … SYRUP
69 Comprehended : GOT

Down

1 Frequently, in verse : OFT
2 “I’m such a bozo!” : D’OH!
3 Feathered creature in Liberty Mutual ads : EMU
4 First woman, in Greek myth : PANDORA
5 Purplish fruit used in smoothies : ACAI
6 Political campaign made up of a series of short appearances : WHISTLE-STOP TOUR
7 Actor Nick of “Hotel Rwanda” : NOLTE
8 Distress call : SOS
9 Sparkling wine region : ASTI
10 Absolutely lose it … or a hint to 6-, 18-, 21- and 24-Down : BLOW YOUR TOP
11 “Casablanca” co-star, informally : BOGIE
12 What raises a lot of dough? : YEAST
14 Hyatt alternative : OMNI
18 Poppable packing material : BUBBLEWRAP
21 1948 musical based on “The Taming of the Shrew” : KISS ME, KATE
22 Man, in France : HOMME
23 Popular typeface : ARIAL
24 Tiny computer with a dessert-inspired name : RASPBERRY PI
26 Big retailer of rock-climbing gear : REI
30 Green: Prefix : ECO-
32 Old Russian ruler : TSAR
34 What a book review might spoil : PLOT
36 Chartres school : ECOLE
37 Lovingly spoiled, with “on” : DOTED …
40 Symbol of strength and endurance : OAK
43 Milieu for snorkeling : SEA
45 Place to buy goodies for kids : TOY SHOP
49 “Yeah, right!” : PSHAW!
50 Speedy Amtrak service : ACELA
52 Auto competition that’s not held on a track : RALLY
54 Attention-grabbing whisper : PSST!
56 Starting on : AS OF
58 “___, Brute?” : ET TU
60 Airer of “48 Hours” and “60 Minutes” : CBS
61 Animal that hunts for truffles : PIG
62 “From this day forward” vow : I DO
63 Butterfly catcher : NET