0805-23 NY Times Crossword 5 Aug 23, Saturday

Constructed by: John Guzzetta
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 19m 21s

Bill’s errors: 2

  • TAIKONAUT (trikonaut)
  • ZOROASTER (Zororster)

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Expert with a temper? : SWORDSMITH

A metalsmith (often just “smith”) is a metalworker, someone who fashions useful items out of various metals. The term “metalsmith” is often used to describe someone adept at working with many different metals. Other smiths tend to specialize, e.g. a blacksmith works mainly with iron and steel, a coppersmith works mainly with copper, a gunsmith builds and repairs firearms, and a locksmith works with locks.

16 Finale : CODA

In music, a coda is primarily a passage that brings a movement to a conclusion. “Coda” is Italian for “tail”.

19 Flying formations : VEES

Apparently, birds that fly in a V-formation do so for a couple of reasons. One is that it makes for efficient flight and conserves energy. The leading bird gets no advantage, but every following bird gets to “slipstream” a little. It has been noted that the lead bird drops to the back of the formation when he/she gets fatigued. It’s also thought that the flock can stick together more easily when in formation, so it is more difficult to lose someone along the way.

21 Oscar nominee for 1997’s “Affliction” : NOLTE

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

“Affliction” is a 1997 film based on a novel of the same name by Russell Banks. The movie is about a New Hampshire policeman who becomes obsessed with investigating a fatal hunting accident. “Affliction” has a great cast, including Nick Nolte, James Coburn, Sissy Spacek and Willem Dafoe. I must put it on my viewing list …

28 Edgar winner Levin : IRA

As well as writing novels, Ira Levin was a dramatist and a songwriter. Levin’s first novel was “A Kiss Before Dying”, and his most famous work was “Rosemary’s Baby” which became a Hollywood hit. His best known play is “Deathtrap”, a production that is often seen in local theater (I’ve seen it a couple of times around here). “Deathtrap” was also a successful movie, starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve. My favorite of Levin’s novels are “The Boys from Brazil” and “The Stepford Wives”.

36 “Help!” or “SOS” : SONG

Although credited to Lennon-McCartney, the title song to the 1965 Beatles movie “Help!” was composed by John Lennon, with some assistance from Paul McCartney. Lennon later described the song as one of his most honest and genuine songs. He said, “I was fat and depressed and I was crying out for ‘Help’”.

The ABBA 1975 song “SOS” was originally titled “Turn Me On”. In the movie “Mamma Mia!”, “SOS” is performed by Meryl Streep (brilliantly) and by Pierce Brosnan (terribly).

40 Quite stylish : TRES CHIC

“Très chic” is a French term meaning “very stylish”.

44 Early dial-up service provider : AOL

AOL was a leading Internet Service Provider (ISP) in the 1980s and 1990s. The company does still provide dial-up access to the Internet for some subscribers, but most users now access AOL using faster, non-AOL ISPs.

45 Part of an eclipse : HALO

The Greek word “halos” is the name given to the ring of light around the sun or moon, which gives us our word “halo” that is used for a radiant light depicted above the head of a saintly person.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes into the shadow cast by the Earth from the light of the Sun, in other words when the Earth is positioned directly between the Sun and the Moon. The more spectacular solar eclipse takes place when the Moon passes in front of the Sun, so that the Earth falls into the shadow cast by the Moon.

46 Singer with the 2014 #1 album “1000 Forms of Fear” : SIA

“Sia” is the stage name of Australian singer Sia Furler from Adelaide. She is a cousin of Australian Christian Rock musician Peter Furler. Sia is a very private person, and even covers her face with a blond wig while performing.

50 One of the Allman Brothers : DUANE

The Allman Brothers Band has to be one of the most unlucky bands in the business. Soon after the group had its big break with the 1971 album “At Fillmore East”, one of the two Allman brothers, Duane, was killed in a motorcycle accident. One year later, bassist Berry Oakley was killed, also in a motorcycle accident. The other brother, Gregg Allman, passed away in his home in 2017.

54 Professor in the Potterverse : SNAPE

Severus Snape is a character in the “Harry Potter” novels by J. K. Rowling. He is the Potions Professor at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Snape was played by the wonderful Alan Rickman on the big screen.

55 Senators’ org. : NHL

The Senators are the NHL hockey team based in Ottawa, Canada. The current team, founded in the 1992-93 season, is the second NHL team in the city to use the name “Senators”. The original team was founded in 1917, and had a very successful run until the league expanded into the US in the late twenties. The cost of operating in what became the smallest NHL city eventually drove the Senators to St. Louis where they played for a year as the Eagles before finally folding.

57 Caffeine, for one : DRUG

Caffeine is a naturally occurring stimulant that is found in several plants. The chemical serves as a natural pesticide by paralyzing and killing certain insects that would otherwise feed on the plant. Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive drug that is consumed by humans across the world.

58 Flight unit : STEP

A landing is the area at the top and bottom of a staircase. Apparently, we called the steps between the landings a “flight” of stairs, because one “flies” between landings! Can that be true?

62 Maryland athlete, familiarly : TERP

The sports teams of the University of Maryland are called the Maryland Terrapins, or “Terps” for short. The name dates back to 1932 when it was coined by the university’s president at the time, Curley Byrd. He took the name from the diamondback terrapins that are native to the Chesapeake Bay.

64 Major bear? : URSA

The constellation Ursa Major (Latin for “Larger Bear”) is often just called “the Big Dipper” because of its resemblance to a ladle or dipper. Ursa Major also resembles a plow, and that’s what we usually call the same constellation back in Ireland, “the Plough”.

Down

1 Jewish mourning period : SHIVA

Shiva is a period of mourning in the Jewish tradition that lasts for one week. “Shiva” is a Hebrew word meaning “seven”. The immediate family members of the deceased usually “sit shiva” in the home of the deceased, and there receive visitors. The ritual of sitting shiva is based on the story in Genesis in which Joseph mourns the death of his father Jacob for seven days.

4 Some Rhine wines : RIESLINGS

The Riesling grape variety originated in the Rhine region of Germany, and is used to make wines that are often described as fruity and aromatic. The wine generally has a high level of acidity which makes it ideal for aging, with some examples being proclaimed as excellent at over a hundred-years-old.

7 ___ giraffe, tallest land mammal on earth : MASAI

The giraffe is the tallest terrestrial animal on the planet. Its main source of food is acacia leaves that they eat from high, high up in trees, where other herbivores cannot reach.

9 Swimming/biking/running event, informally : TRI

An Ironman Triathlon is a race involving a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a marathon run of just over 26 miles. The idea for the race came out of a debate between some runners in the 1977 Oahu Perimeter Relay. They were questioning whether runners, swimmers or bikers were the most fit athletes. The debaters decided to combine three local events to determine the answer, inviting athletes from all three disciplines. The events that were mimicked in the first triathlon were the Waikiki Roughwater swim (2.4 miles), the Around-Oahu Bike Race (115 miles) and the Honolulu Marathon (26.2 miles). The idea was that whoever finishes first would be called “the Iron Man”. The first triathlon was run in 1978, with fifteen starters and only twelve finishers. The race format is used all over the world now, but the Hawaiian Ironman is the event that everyone wants to win.

12 Nation smaller than West Virginia with six active volcanoes : COSTA RICA

Costa Rica is a country in Central America that is bordered by Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the South. Costa Rica is remarkable in my opinion, a leader on the world stage in many areas. It has been referred to as the “greenest” country in the world, the “happiest” country in the world, and has a highly educated populace. In 1949, the country unilaterally abolished its own army … permanently!

24 M.L.B.’s so-called “dead-ball ___” : ERA

Before 1919, when Babe Ruth started to hit home runs like they were going out of style, baseball was more of a strategy-driven sport. There was less emphasis on power hitting, and more emphasis on playing “small ball”, with a focus on stolen bases and hit-and-run plays. In addition, the ball used was relatively “dead” and unresponsive to the bat. As a result, the period before 1919 is referred to as baseball’s “dead-ball era”.

26 City near the confluence of the Colorado and Gila rivers : YUMA

The city and county of Yuma, Arizona take their name from the Quechan (aka “Yuma”) Native American tribe that inhabited the area.

27 They’re there in the clutch : EGGS

The group of eggs in a bird’s nest is referred to as a clutch.

32 Iranian sage who inspired Nietzsche : ZOROASTER

Zoroastrianism is a religion founded by the prophet Zoroaster around 600 BCE, making it one of the oldest religions in the world. There are two main Zoroastrian communities today, both of whom migrated to the Indian subcontinent from Greater Iran. The Parsis migrated in the 8th to 10th centuries, and the Irani migrated in the 19th century.

Friedrich Nietzsche was a German philosopher. He’s not my cup of tea …

38 ___ Kedrova, Oscar-winning actress for “Zorba the Greek” : LILA

Lila Kedrova was a Russian-born French actress best-known for playing Mme. Hortense in the 1964 film “Zorba the Greek”. Kedrova won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for that performance.

The film “Zorba the Greek” and the musical “Zorba” are adaptations of the 1952 novel “Zorba the Greek” by Nikos Kazantzakis. The 1964 film version stars Anthony Quinn in the title role, and Alan Bates. The movie is set and was filmed on location on the island of Crete, the home of author Kazantzakis.

43 “___ Mubarak” (holiday greeting in Islam) : EID

“Eid Mubarak” translates from Arabic as “Blessed festival/feast”. It is a greeting used by many Muslins at the two main holidays celebrated in Islam: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.

48 Letter after I : KAPPA

Kappa is the 10th letter of the Greek alphabet, and the equivalent of our letter K.

51 Golfer Palmer, to fans : ARNIE

Arnold Palmer was one of the greats of the world of golf. He was very popular with many fans of the game, and his followers were usually referred to as “Arnie’s Army”. Off the course, Palmer was an avid pilot until his latter years. He resided in Latrobe, Pennsylvania for much of the year and the local airport is named in his honor: Arnold Palmer Regional Airport.

52 ___ York : NUEVA

In Spanish, examples of an “estado” (state) are “Nueva York” (New York) and “Dakota del Norte” (North Dakota).

53 Everglades predator : EGRET

Egrets are a group of several species of white herons. Many egret species were faced with extinction in the 1800s and early 1900s due to plume hunting, a practice driven by the demand for egret plumes that could be incorporated into hats.

The Everglades are tropical wetlands that cover much of southern Florida. The area was named “River Glades” by a British surveyor in 1773, and it is suggested that poor transcription of the word “river” led to the use of “ever”. The southern 20% of the Everglades is a protected region that we know as Everglades National Park. The park is the third-largest National Park in the lower 48 states, after Death Valley NP (the largest) and Yellowstone NP.

56 Peacock or eye, in broadcasting : LOGO

The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) has had a number of different logos in its history, including the famous peacock with which we are familiar today. The first peacock logo was introduced in the early days of color television and was designed to illustrate how wonderful color television would be, so go buy one! (NBC was owned by RCA, and so had a vested interest in sales of color television sets).

CBS used to be known as the Columbia Broadcasting System. CBS introduced its “eye” logo in 1951. That logo is based on a Pennsylvania Dutch hex sign.

58 Disco ___ (“The Simpsons” character) : STU

On “The Simpsons”, the character Disco Stu is voiced by Hank Azaria, although the original intent was for him to be voiced by Phil Hartman. Disco Stu is described as “a black, wrinkly John Travolta”.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Expert with a temper? : SWORDSMITH
11 Con : SCAM
15 Adoration of the Kardashians, e.g. : HAGIOLATRY
16 Finale : CODA
17 Product of busybodies : IDLE GOSSIP
18 Pallid : ASHY
19 Flying formations : VEES
20 Barnyard sound : BAA!
21 Oscar nominee for 1997’s “Affliction” : NOLTE
23 Confuse : ADDLE
25 Challenge before entering a haunted house : IF YOU DARE
28 Edgar winner Levin : IRA
30 Grooves : RUTS
31 Rule, informally : REG
32 Relating to areas : ZONAL
34 Putting out : EMITTING
36 “Help!” or “SOS” : SONG
37 Defensive motions : PLEAS
39 Play group : ACTS
40 Quite stylish : TRES CHIC
42 ___-size (big) : TEXAS
44 Early dial-up service provider : AOL
45 Part of an eclipse : HALO
46 Singer with the 2014 #1 album “1000 Forms of Fear” : SIA
47 One aboard the Tiangong space station : TAIKONAUT
50 One of the Allman Brothers : DUANE
54 Professor in the Potterverse : SNAPE
55 Senators’ org. : NHL
57 Caffeine, for one : DRUG
58 Flight unit : STEP
59 Eatery with a 1950s vibe, say : RETRO DINER
62 Maryland athlete, familiarly : TERP
63 Belittling : DEROGATIVE
64 Major bear? : URSA
65 Luxury vantage point : SKYBOX SEAT

Down

1 Jewish mourning period : SHIVA
2 Didn’t go all in, say : WADED
3 Eyed rudely : OGLED
4 Some Rhine wines : RIESLINGS
5 Follow relentlessly : DOG
6 One slow on the pick-up? : SLOB
7 ___ giraffe, tallest land mammal on earth : MASAI
8 “You can’t tell me what to do!” : IT’S A FREE COUNTRY!
9 Swimming/biking/running event, informally : TRI
10 They make compelling suggestions : HYPNOTISTS
11 Burn, in a way : SCALD
12 Nation smaller than West Virginia with six active volcanoes : COSTA RICA
13 True believers : ADHERENTS
14 Might : MAY
22 Send packing : OUST
24 M.L.B.’s so-called “dead-ball ___” : ERA
26 City near the confluence of the Colorado and Gila rivers : YUMA
27 They’re there in the clutch : EGGS
29 Group members who are the most tech-savvy : ALPHA NERDS
32 Iranian sage who inspired Nietzsche : ZOROASTER
33 “Yo mama” jokes, often : ONE-LINERS
35 Big screens? : TAX AUDITS
36 “Right away!” : STAT!
38 ___ Kedrova, Oscar-winning actress for “Zorba the Greek” : LILA
41 Recipe directive : CHOP
43 “___ Mubarak” (holiday greeting in Islam) : EID
48 Letter after I : KAPPA
49 Pulse : THROB
51 Golfer Palmer, to fans : ARNIE
52 ___ York : NUEVA
53 Everglades predator : EGRET
56 Peacock or eye, in broadcasting : LOGO
58 Disco ___ (“The Simpsons” character) : STU
60 “Oh no!” : EEK!
61 Actor Shepard of “Zathura: A Space Adventure” : DAX