0927-19 NY Times Crossword 27 Sep 19, Friday

Constructed by: Jack Mowat
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 24m 49s!

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Southwest tribe or river : ZUNI

The Zuni are one of the Pueblo peoples. They live on the Zuni River in western New Mexico, a tributary of the Little Colorado River.

14 Longtime name in cosmetics : AVON

In 1886, a young man called David McConnell was selling books door-to-door. To enhance his sales numbers he was giving out free perfume to the ladies of the houses that he visited. Seeing as his perfume was more popular than his books, he founded the California Perfume Company in New York City and started manufacturing and selling across the country. The company name was changed to Avon in 1939, and the famous “Avon Calling” marketing campaign was launched in 1954.

16 Neighbors of the Omaha : OTOE

The Otoe (also “Oto”) Native American tribe originated in the Great Lakes region as part of the Winnebago or Siouan tribes. The group that would become the Otoe broke away from the Winnebago and migrated southwestward, ending up in the Great Plains. In the plains the Otoe adopted a semi-nomadic lifestyle dependent on the horse, with the American bison becoming central to their diet.

The Omaha Nation was one of the most welcoming of the Native American tribes, never resisting the influx of European explorers and traders. The Omaha even fought alongside Union troops during the American Civil War, and have stood by the US people ever since. Regardless, the Omaha people lost most of their land and now reside on the Omaha Reservation in northeastern Nebraska and western Iowa.

22 Bouncer-turned-TV star : MR T

Mr. T’s real name is Laurence Tero Tureaud. Mr. T is famous for many things, including the wearing of excessive amounts of jewelry. He started this habit when he was working as a bouncer, wearing jewelry items that had been left behind by customers at a nightclub so that the items might be recognized and claimed. It was also as a bouncer that he adopted the name Mr. T. His catch phrase comes from the movie “Rocky III”. In the film, before he goes up against Rocky Balboa, Mr. T says, “No, I don’t hate Balboa, but I pity the fool”. He parlayed that line into quite a bit of success. He had a reality TV show called “I Pity the Fool”, and produced a motivational video called “Be Somebody … or Be Somebody’s Fool!”.

24 Need for 7-Down : RADAR
(7D Activity for a storm chaser : TORNADO TRACKING)

Scientists have been using radio waves to detect the presence of objects since the late 1800s, but it was the demands of WWII that accelerated the practical application of the technology. The British called their system RDF standing for Range and Direction Finding. The system used by the US Navy was called “Radio Detection And Ranging”, which was shortened to the acronym RADAR.

29 Sport in a ring : SUMO

Sumo is a sport that is practiced professionally only in Japan, the country of its origin. There is an international federation of sumo wrestling now, and one of the organization’s aims is to have the sport accepted as an Olympic event.

33 Image on the back of a $50 bill : US CAPITOL

President Ulysses S. Grant appears on the obverse of the US fifty-dollar bill. There have been two unsuccessful attempts in recent years in Congress to have President Grant’s image replaced with that of President Ronald Reagan.

40 Johns across the pond : IANS

The name “John” translates into Scottish as “Ian”, into Russian as “Ivan”, into Italian as “Giovanni”, into Spanish as “Juan”, into Welsh as “Evan”, and into Irish as “Seán”.

41 Local fund-raising grp. : PTA

Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)

45 Hip-hop’s ___ tha Kyd : SYD

“Syd” (also “Syd tha Kyd”) is the stage name of rapper Sydney Loren Bennett. I know nothing …

55 Fruit with a cedilla in its name : 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.

A cedilla is the diacritical mark found under the letter C in many French words, as in the words “garçon” and “façade”.

59 Cooper’s creation : CASK

A cooper is a craftsman who makes wooden vessels, such as barrels. The term “cooper” ultimately derives from the Latin “cupa” meaning “barrel”.

60 What the “E” of Euler’s formula V – E + F = 2 represents : EDGES

Leonhard Euler was a brilliant Swiss mathematician and physicist, and a pioneer in the fields of logarithms and graph theory. Euler’s eyesight deteriorated during his working life, and eventually became almost totally blind.

61 “Sharknado” channel : SYFY

“Sharknado” is a 2013 tongue-in-cheek disaster movie that was made for the Syfy television channel. The basis of the plot is a freak hurricane that hits Los Angeles, resulting in a flood that leaves man-eating sharks roaming the city. I don’t think so …

Down

2 Eye part : UVEA

The uvea is the middle of the three layers that make up the eyeball. The outer layer is called the fibrous tunic, and the inner layer is the retina.

3 Traditional crop grown by a small farm, maybe : NON-GMO CORN

A genetically modified organism (GMO) is one with genetic material that has been altered by genetic engineering. One might argue that the oldest form of genetic engineering is selective breeding, the use of animals or plants with desired traits for the creation of the next generation.

8 “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” singer : BRENDA LEE

Brenda Lee is a country and rockabilly singer who had 37 songs that made the charts in the sixties. Lee’s biggest hits are probably “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” from 1958, and “I’m Sorry” from 1960. Lee was only 13 years old when she recorded “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”.

12 Popular caramel candy : ROLO

Rolo was a hugely popular chocolate candy in Ireland when I was growing up. Rolo was introduced in the thirties in the UK, and is produced under license in the US by Hershey. I was a little disappointed when I had my first taste of the American version as the center is very hard and chewy. The recipe used on the other side of the Atlantic calls for a soft gooey center.

13 Fedora material : FELT

A fedora is a lovely hat, I think. It is made of felt, and is similar to a trilby, but has a broader brim. “Fedora” was a play written for Sarah Bernhardt and first performed in 1889. Bernhardt had the title role of Princess Fedora, and on stage she wore a hat similar to a modern-day fedora. The play led to the women’s fashion accessory, the fedora hat, commonly worn by women into the beginning of the twentieth century. Men then started wearing fedoras, but only when women gave up the fashion …

19 Abbr. in an old atlas : SSR

Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR)

25 Presenter at Milan Fashion Week : GUCCI

Milan is Italy’s second largest city, second only to Rome. Milan is a European fashion capital, the headquarters for the big Italian fashion houses of Valentino, Gucci, Versace, Armani, Prada and others. Mario Prada was even born in Milan, and helped establish the city’s reputation in the world of fashion.

26 ___ Jackson, real name of Ice Cube : O’SHEA

Rapper Ice Cube’s real name is O’Shea Jackson Sr. Since the year 2000, Ice Cube has gradually moved away from rap music and focuses more on acting. The 2015 movie “Straight Outta Compton” tells the story of the gangsta rap group N.W.A., of which Ice Cube was a member. Ice Cube co-produced the film, and O’Shea Jackson Jr. played his real-life Dad on screen.

37 When most dreams occur : REM

“REM” is an acronym standing for rapid eye movement sleep. REM sleep takes up 20-25% of the sleeping hours and is the period associated with one’s most vivid dreams.

49 Schnozz : BEAK

“Schnozz” is a slang term for a nose, particularly a large one.

50 UPS drivers’ assignments: Abbr. : RTES

United Parcel Service (UPS) is based in Sandy Springs, Georgia and has its own airline that operates out of Louisville, Kentucky. UPS often goes by the nickname “Brown”, because of its brown delivery trucks and brown uniforms.

52 Little Orphan Annie, e.g. : WAIF

“Little Orphan Annie” is a comic strip created in 1924 by Harold Gray. The title was taken from a poem written in 1885 by James Whitcomb Riley called “Little Orphant Annie” (and yes, that spelling “orphant” is correct). Strangely enough, the original name of the poem was “Little Orphant Allie”, changed forever at its third printing, purely because of a typesetter’s error!

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Southwest tribe or river : ZUNI
5 Lay aside : PUT BY
10 Beach pounder : SURF
14 Longtime name in cosmetics : AVON
15 Lay aside : STORE
16 Neighbors of the Omaha : OTOE
17 Bottled (up) : PENT
18 Hand-held anxiety reliever : STRESS BALL
20 One of seven of ancient Greece : SAGE
21 Slice, e.g. : TENNIS SHOT
22 Bouncer-turned-TV star : MR T
24 Need for 7-Down : RADAR
25 Tease : GOOF ON
28 The world’s largest one is in Hubei, China : DAM
29 Sport in a ring : SUMO
33 Image on the back of a $50 bill : US CAPITOL
35 Person put in a box : JUROR
36 Certain Easter candy : CHOCOLATE RABBIT
38 Sister of Jupiter : CERES
39 Give a false impression of eco-friendliness : GREENWASH
40 Johns across the pond : IANS
41 Local fund-raising grp. : PTA
42 Treating badly : MEAN TO
43 Choose : ELECT
45 Hip-hop’s ___ tha Kyd : SYD
46 It gets the party started : ICEBREAKER
51 Whimper : MEWL
54 Rakes it in : MAKES A MINT
55 Fruit with a cedilla in its name : ACAI
56 Calculation that may involve pi : AREA
57 Feel : SENSE
58 It holds water : PAIL
59 Cooper’s creation : CASK
60 What the “E” of Euler’s formula V – E + F = 2 represents : EDGES
61 “Sharknado” channel : SYFY

Down

1 Shocks : ZAPS
2 Eye part : UVEA
3 Traditional crop grown by a small farm, maybe : NON-GMO CORN
4 Meets (with) : INTERFACES
5 [Over here!] : PSST!
6 Outright : UTTER
7 Activity for a storm chaser : TORNADO TRACKING
8 “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” singer : BRENDA LEE
9 “Indeed” : YES I AM
10 Doesn’t just whimper : SOBS
11 Home of Bears Ears National Monument : UTAH
12 Popular caramel candy : ROLO
13 Fedora material : FELT
19 Abbr. in an old atlas : SSR
23 Traditional literary theme or motif : TOPOS
25 Presenter at Milan Fashion Week : GUCCI
26 ___ Jackson, real name of Ice Cube : O’SHEA
27 Zip : NIL
29 They lead people underground : SUBWAY MAPS
30 Challenge for a mayor : URBAN DECAY
31 Like good cakes and bad cellars : MOIST
32 Prefix with -pedic : ORTHO-
34 Took turns tackling : TAG-TEAMED
35 ___ Addiction, alternative rock band that headlined the first Lollapalooza : JANE’S
37 When most dreams occur : REM
41 Satisfy : PLEASE
43 Speech fillers : ERS
44 Wound up : TENSE
46 “Say hello to ___” (ad slogan of 1998) : IMAC
47 Italian “dear” : CARA
48 Scratches (out) : EKES
49 Schnozz : BEAK
50 UPS drivers’ assignments: Abbr. : RTES
52 Little Orphan Annie, e.g. : WAIF
53 ___ pad : LILY