Constructed by: Mark Diehl
Edited by: Will Shortz
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Bill’s time: 20m 02s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
11 One of the Argonauts in Greek myth : IDAS
In Greek mythology, Idas was one of the Argonauts. He was noted for participating in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar. Idas also fought with the twins Castor and Pollux, causing the death of Castor, the mortal of the pair of brothers.
18 Champagne-fueled song finale : … SYNE
The song “Auld Lang Syne” is a staple at New Year’s Eve (well, actually in the opening minutes of New Year’s Day). The words were written by Scottish poet Robbie Burns. The literal translation of “Auld Lang Syne” is “old long since”, but is better translated as “old times”. The sentiment of the song is “for old time’s sake”.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
20 The Oscars, for one : EVENT
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) is the organization that gives the annual Academy Awards, also known as the “Oscars”. The root of the name “Oscar” is hotly debated, but what is agreed is that the award was officially named “Oscar” in 1939. The first Academy Awards were presented at a brunch in 1929 with an audience of just 29 people. The Awards ceremony is a slightly bigger event these days …
21 Brokerage phrase : AT PAR
In days gone by, when companies first issued a stock, each share would be given a face value (called “par value”). In effect, the company was making a commitment not to issue any more stock under that par value, giving investors confidence that there was no better deal to be had. Nowadays, most stock is issued without such a “guarantee” and is called “no-par stock”.
28 Entertained at a 29-Across, e.g. : SUNG TO
29 Covent Garden offering : OPERA
Covent Garden in London’s West End is associated with the Royal Opera House that is located in the area, and with the former fruit and vegetable market that used to sit right at the center of the district. The name “Covent Garden” comes from the fact that there once was a walled garden in the area owned by the Benedictine Monks of the Abbey of St. Peter in Westminster. The abbey rented out the walled garden calling it “Convent Garden”, and this morphed into the area’s current name.
35 Wine often paired with Roquefort cheese : SAUTERNES
Sauternes is a sweet wine from the Sauternais region in Bordeaux. Production of Sauternes calls for the grapes used to become infected with a fungus known as noble rot. The infection can be somewhat unpredictable, resulting in high prices for the wine as supply can be limited and quality can vary. There is a semi-generic wine produced in the US known as “Sauterne”, which has a deliberately misspelled name.
36 River through Carlsbad, N.M. : PECOS
The Pecos River rises north of the village of Pecos in New Mexico, and flows almost a thousand miles before entering the Rio Grande near Del Rio, Texas. Arguably, the Pecos is the only river in the world that crosses itself. In the late 1800s, settlers near Carlsbad, New Mexico built a series of dams and canals to irrigate the semi-arid Pecos Valley. The irrigation project included a large wooden flume that in its heyday carried 9,000 gallons of water per second, 145 feet above the river. Apparently, that water originated in the Pecos, hence the claim that the Pecos “crossed itself”. I’m a bit sceptical of the physics behind that claim though …
37 Space ___ : CADETS
The expression “space cadet” is used to describe someone who is eccentric and disconnected from reality. It may even imply that the person is a user of hallucinogens. The phrase has been around since the sixties, and may be derived from the science fiction TV show “Tom Corbett, Space Cadet” which aired in the fifties.
38 Cape Canaveral sight : GANTRY
The famous headland in Florida called Cape Canaveral was named by Spanish explorers in the early 16th century. As the Cape acts as a launching station for many of NASA’s rockets, when President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 the NASA facility on nearby Merritt Island was renamed the Kennedy Space Center, and President Johnson went as far as renaming the whole of Cape Canaveral to Cape Kennedy. The name change for the cape didn’t go down well in Florida though, as the headland had been called Cape Canaveral for over 400 years. So, the name was restored in 1973, and Cape Kennedy is no more.
39 When dinosaurs roamed : AGES AGO
The Triassic period lasted from about 250 to 200 million years ago. It was during the Triassic that dinosaurs first appeared. A major extinction event at the end of the Triassic that allowed dinosaurs to dominate the landscape throughout the subsequent Jurassic period.
43 Zayn formerly of One Direction : MALIK
Zayn Malik is a singer from Yorkshire in northern England who found fame with the boy band One Direction. Malik quit the band in 2015 to launch a solo career. A year later, Malik became the first male artist to hit the number-one spot in both the UK and US charts with both a debut single (“Pillowtalk”) and a debut album (“Mind of Mine”).
45 Brewery letters : IPA
India pale ale (IPA) is a style of beer that originated in England. The beer was originally intended for transportation from England to India, hence the name.
51 “Home away from home” sloganeer : EL AL
El Al Israel Airlines is the flag carrier of Israel. The term “el al” translates from Hebrew as “to the skies”. The company started operations in 1948, with a flight from Geneva to Tel Aviv. Famously, El Al only operates six days a week, not flying on the Sabbath.
54 World Series series : POKER GAMES
The World Series of Poker is an annual event held in Las Vegas. The winner of each event is given a much-coveted World Series of Poker bracelet.
Down
1 Grain bristles : AWNS
“Awn” is the name given to hair- or bristle-like structures found in numerous species of plants. In some species, like barley, the awns can contain photosynthetic tissue.
4 Suggestion from Waze: Abbr. : RTE
Waze is a navigation app that is similar to Google Maps and Apple Maps. Waze was developed in Israel, and was acquired by Google in 2013.
6 Pumpkin spice ingredient : CLOVES
Cloves are the flower buds of the tree Syzygium aromaticum. Until a couple of centuries ago, clove trees were only found in the Maluku Islands in Indonesia. Because they were a rich source of cloves, mace and nutmeg, the Moluccas were referred to historically as the Spice Islands.
12 Mission for a Home Depot customer : DIY PROJECT
Home Depot is the largest home improvement retail chain in the US, ahead of Lowe’s. Home Depot opened their first two stores in 1979. The average store size if just over 100,000 square feet. The largest Home Depot outlet is in Union, New Jersey, and it is 225,000 square feet in size. That’s a lot of nuts and bolts …
24 Decorative motif in ancient Egyptian art : ANKH
The ankh was the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic character for “eternal life”. The ankh wasn’t just used in inscriptions but was often fashioned into amulets and as surrounds for mirrors (perhaps symbolizing a view into another world). The ankh is also known as “the key of the Nile” and “crux ansata” (Latin for “cross with a handle”).
26 South Seas capital : APIA
Apia is the capital city, and in fact the only city, of the Pacific island-nation of Samoa. The harbor of Apia is famous for a very foolish incident in 1889 involving seven naval vessels from Germany, the US and Britain. A typhoon was approaching so the safest thing to do was to head for open water away from land, but no nation would move its ships for fear of losing face in front of others. Six of the ships were lost in the typhoon as a result and 200 American and German sailors perished. The British cruiser HMS Calliope barely managed to escape from the harbor and rode out the storm safely. Apia is also known as the home of writer Robert Louis Stevenson, for the last four years of his life.
27 Quality of 2% milk : REDUCED FAT
The fatty component of milk is known as butterfat (sometimes “milkfat”). To be labeled whole milk, the butterfat content must be at least 3.25%. Low-fat milk is defined as milk containing 0.5-2% fat, with levels of 1% and 2% commonly found on grocery store shelves. Skim milk must contain less than 0.5% fat, and typically contains 0.1%.
30 Puzzle piece made up of five squares : PENTOMINO
A pentomino is a shape comprised of five squares of the same size, with the squares touching at an edge or edges. There are 12 different pentomino shapes in all.
31 Subject for Enrique Iglesias : AMOR
Enrique Iglesias is the singer-songwriter son of pop star Julio Iglesias. Both Julio and Enrique are from Madrid in Spain.
34 The kid in “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” : GREG
“Diary of a Wimpy Kid” is a series of humorous novels for children and teens by cartoonist and author Jeff Kinney. The central character in the books is a middle school student named Greg Heffley. The series is very successful, and there is now a series of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” movies.
38 Ax with a pick? : GUITAR
I guess a guitar looks like an ax(e) …
40 Trait of Loki : GUILE
Loki is a god appearing in Norse mythology. In one story about Loki, he was punished by other gods for having caused the death of Baldr, the god of light and beauty. Loki is bound to a sharp rock using the entrails of one of his sons. A serpent drips venom which is collected in a bowl, and then his wife must empty the venom onto Loki when the bowl is full. The venom causes Loki great pain, and his writhing results in what we poor mortals experience as earthquakes.
41 The tropics, for one : CLIME
“Clime” is just another word for climate, as in the expression “in search of warmer climes”.
44 Supermodel Wek : ALEK
Alek Wek is a supermodel originally from Southern Sudan. In her native language, Wek’s name translates as “Black Spotted Cow”, which is a symbol of good luck for the Dinka, her native people.
45 Scholar of Islamic law : IMAM
An imam is a Muslim leader, and often the person in charge of a mosque or perhaps a Muslim community.
46 Porthole part : PANE
A porthole is a circular window in the side of a ship that provides light and air. As it penetrates the hull of the ship, the porthole cover provides a strong, watertight seal. The name “porthole” has nothing to do with the port side of a ship, and rather is derived from the French word “porte” meaning “door”. Henry VI of England hired a French shipbuilder to come up with a way to mount large guns on his warships, below the upper deck. The design called for holes in the hull, and “doors” (“portes”) to be fitted for use in heavy weather.
50 Noted org. with a brief history? : ABA
American Bar Association (ABA)
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Draw : ATTRACTION
11 One of the Argonauts in Greek myth : IDAS
15 Line at the bar : WHAT’LL IT BE?
16 “Whatever!” : FINE!
17 In direct confrontation : NOSE-TO-NOSE
18 Champagne-fueled song finale : … SYNE
19 Make a full court press? : SUE
20 The Oscars, for one : EVENT
21 Brokerage phrase : AT PAR
22 Rep : CRED
23 Smuggled weaponry : RAN ARMS
25 Tycoons : BARONS
28 Entertained at a 29-Across, e.g. : SUNG TO
29 Covent Garden offering : OPERA
30 Spear carrier? : PICKLE JAR
33 Was completely uninformed : DIDN’T GET THE MEMO
35 Wine often paired with Roquefort cheese : SAUTERNES
36 River through Carlsbad, N.M. : PECOS
37 Space ___ : CADETS
38 Cape Canaveral sight : GANTRY
39 When dinosaurs roamed : AGES AGO
41 To the point : CURT
42 Like dishwasher water : SUDSY
43 Zayn formerly of One Direction : MALIK
45 Brewery letters : IPA
48 Supreme Court term : LIFE
49 One ready to serve in an emergency : MILITIAMAN
51 “Home away from home” sloganeer : EL AL
52 Multitalented musician : ONE-MAN BAND
53 Keeps fresh, in the produce section : WETS
54 World Series series : POKER GAMES
Down
1 Grain bristles : AWNS
2 Grand : THOU
3 Issue a charge against : TASE
4 Suggestion from Waze: Abbr. : RTE
5 Party planner’s plan B : ALTERNATE DAY
6 Pumpkin spice ingredient : CLOVES
7 Having some valuable points? : TINED
8 Get ___ : IT ON
9 Plugs up : OBSTRUCTS
10 Born overseas : NEE
11 Conditional programming line : IF STATEMENT
12 Mission for a Home Depot customer : DIY PROJECT
13 Former kingdom of central Vietnam : ANNAM
14 Ball handlers? : SEERS
21 Option for downtown streets : ANGLE PARKING
22 Ear locks? : CORN TASSELS
24 Decorative motif in ancient Egyptian art : ANKH
25 Beach displays, informally : BODS
26 South Seas capital : APIA
27 Quality of 2% milk : REDUCED FAT
28 Spots : SITES
30 Puzzle piece made up of five squares : PENTOMINO
31 Subject for Enrique Iglesias : AMOR
32 Upbeat and hopeful : ROSY
34 The kid in “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” : GREG
38 Ax with a pick? : GUITAR
39 Tons : A SLEW
40 Trait of Loki : GUILE
41 The tropics, for one : CLIME
44 Supermodel Wek : ALEK
45 Scholar of Islamic law : IMAM
46 Porthole part : PANE
47 Added details : ANDS
49 Finish off, with “up” : MOP …
50 Noted org. with a brief history? : ABA
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