1011-23 NY Times Crossword 11 Oct 23, Wednesday

Constructed by: Miranda Kany
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: Cajun

Themed answers are ingredients in JAMBALAYA, which is spelled out in circled letters in the grid:

  • 16A Real tear-jerker? : ONION
  • 17A Bit of pork, but not in a congressional bill : ANDOUILLE
  • 26A Stuff it! : PEPPER
  • 29A Something that’s red-hot in the kitchen? : CAYENNE
  • 48A Scaredy-cat : CHICKEN
  • 50A Stick in a salad? : CELERY
  • 64A What pales in comparison to other carbs? : WHITE RICE
  • 66A Fitting way to invest in Campbell’s : STOCK
  • 29D Cuisine with [circled letters], whose ingredients are the answers to the italicized clues : CAJUN
  • 42D City where 29-Down food is popular, informally : NOLA

Bill’s time: 9m 16s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Propped open, say : AJAR

Our word “ajar” is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which “a char” means “slightly open”.

5 People of northern Scandinavia : SAMI

Lapland is a geographic region in northern Scandinavia, largely found within the Arctic Circle. Parts of Lapland are in Norway, Sweden and Finland. The people who are native to the region are called the Sami people. The Sami don’t like to be referred to as “Lapps” and they regard the term as insulting.

9 Ballerina’s support : BARRE

A barre is a handrail used by ballet dancers for warm-up exercises and to provide support when practicing certain moves.

14 Output of the Rolling Stones, appropriately : ROCK MUSIC

Even though Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have been the driving force behind the Rolling Stones for decades, they didn’t start the group. The band was the idea of guitarist and harmonica player Brian Jones, and it was he who invited Richards and Jagger to join, as well as Ian Stewart, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts to make an original lineup of six band members. Jones called the band “Rollin’ Stone” back then in 1962, named for the song by Muddy Waters. Jones was the leader, manager and decision maker for the first few years until songs written by Richards and Jagger became hits and he started to lose artistic control. In 1967, Jones was arrested for drug possession, and again in 1968. When his trouble with the law prevented him from getting a US work visa, Jones wasn’t able to accompany the Stones on a 1969 US tour. That was the last straw, it seems, and Jones and the Stones parted company. Famously, one month later, Jones was found dead, at the bottom of his swimming pool.

16 Real tear-jerker? : ONION

When an onion is sliced, cells are broken. Enzymatic reactions take place that result in the generation of a volatile gas, syn-propanethial-S-oxide. The gas irritates the eyes and tears are produced in order to clear them.

17 Bit of pork, but not in a congressional bill : ANDOUILLE

Pork-barrel politics have been around for a long time. The term “pork barrel” originated in 1863 in a story by Edward Everett Hale called “The Children of the Public”. Hale used the phrase in a positive way, describing any public spending by the government for the benefit of citizens. By the 1870s the term “pork” had negative connotations, with references in the press to “pork-barrel bills” in Congress. Nowadays “pork” really applies to any government project designed to benefit a relatively small group of citizens (usually potential voters for a particular politician) with the bill being paid by the citizenry as a whole.

19 Pen name : BIC

Société Bic is a company based in Clichy in France. The first product the company produced, more than fifty years ago, was the Bic Cristal ballpoint pen that is still produced today. Bic also makes other disposable products such as lighters and razors.

23 Forever and a day : AEON

Geologic time is divided into a number of units of varying lengths. These are, starting from the largest:

  • supereon
  • eon (also “aeon”)
  • era
  • period
  • epoch
  • age

24 Airline once acquired by Carl Icahn : TWA

Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a big carrier in the US, but was perhaps even more recognized for its extensive presence in Europe and the Middle East. For many years, especially after the collapse of Pan Am and TWA’s purchase by Howard Hughes, TWA was considered the unofficial flag carrier for the US. The company started in 1930, the product of a forced merger of Transcontinental Air Transport and Western Air Express. The Transcontinental and Western Air that resulted (the original meaning of the initialism “TWA”) was what the Postmaster General wanted, a bigger airline to which the Postal Service could award airmail contracts.

Carl Icahn has many business interests, and is probably best known in recent years for his dealings with Yahoo! Icahn has a reputation as a corporate raider, a reputation that dates back to his hostile takeover of TWA in 1985. He made a lot of money out of that deal, before being ousted in 1993 after the company filed for bankruptcy protection.

29 Something that’s red-hot in the kitchen? : CAYENNE

The cayenne pepper is a hot chili pepper that is often used in a powdered form, when it might be referred to as “red pepper”. The pepper is named for the city of Cayenne in French Guiana, an overseas department of France located on the northeast coast of South America.

40 Garlic, in Guadalajara : AJO

Guadalajara is a populous city in the Mexican state of Jalisco. The Mexican city is named after the city of the same name in the center of Spain.

50 Stick in a salad? : CELERY

There’s an urban myth that the process of eating celery burns more calories than the body can obtain from the vegetable through digestion. While celery is indeed a low-calorie food, eating it does provide a net-positive number of calories.

52 Mai ___ : TAI

The mai tai cocktail is strongly associated with the Polynesian islands, but the drink was supposedly invented in 1944 in Trader Vic’s restaurant in Oakland, California. One recipe is 6 parts white rum, 3 parts orange curaçao, 3 parts orgeat syrup, 1 part rock candy syrup, 2 parts fresh lime juice, all mixed with ice and then a float added of 6 parts dark rum. “Maita’i” is the Tahitian word for “good”.

53 Nut once used as an ingredient in Coke : KOLA

The nut of the kola tree has a bitter taste, and is loaded with caffeine. Despite the taste, the nut is habitually chewed in some cultures, especially in West Africa where the tree is commonly found in the rainforest. Here in the US we best know the kola nut as a flavoring used in cola drinks.

62 “Stranger Things” kid : LUCAS

“Stranger Things” is a sci-fi horror TV show made for Netflix that aired its first season in 2016. I don’t do horror, and so haven’t seen it …

66 Fitting way to invest in Campbell’s : STOCK

The Campbell’s Soup company is named for one of the enterprise’s two founders, Joseph A. Campbell. He and Abraham Anderson started the business in 1869. The iconic design of the Campbell’s can was introduced in 1898 and has hardly changed since then. The gold seal in the design comes from the 1900 Paris Exhibition.

Down

2 Musical Mitchell : JONI

Joni Mitchell is a Canadian singer and songwriter from Fort MacLeod in Alberta. Mitchell is perhaps best known for her recordings “Big Yellow Taxi” and “Woodstock”.

3 Current choice : AC/DC

Anyone with a laptop with an external power supply has an AC/DC converter, that big “block” in the power cord. It converts the AC current from a wall socket into the DC current that is used by the laptop.

4 One of the Big Five film studios of Hollywood’s golden age : RKO

During the Golden Age of Cinema (roughly, the thirties and forties), the “Big Five” Hollywood studios were:

  • Lowe’s/MGM
  • Paramount
  • Fox (later “20th Century Fox”)
  • Warner Bros.
  • RKO

6 Narnia lion : ASLAN

In the C. S. Lewis series of books known as “The Chronicles of Narnia”, Aslan is the name of the lion character (as in the title “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”). “Aslan” is actually the Turkish word for lion. Anyone who has read the books will recognize the remarkable similarity between the story of Aslan and the story of Christ, including a sacrifice and resurrection.

7 George Eliot’s “The ___ on the Floss” : MILL

“The Mill on the Floss” is an 1860 novel by Mary Anne Evans, published under her pen name George Eliot. Evans opted to publish using a male name in order to distance herself from the perception that female authors only wrote lighthearted romances.

9 Logan Airport code : BOS

Boston’s Logan Airport (BOS) is named for General Edward Lawrence Logan, a military officer from South Boston who fought in the Spanish-American War.

10 Marvel role for Paul Rudd : ANT-MAN

In the Marvel universe, Ant-Man has been the superhero persona of three different fictional characters: Hank Pym, Scott Lang and Eric O’Grady. In the 2015 film “Ant-Man”, Michael Douglas plays Hank Pym, and Paul Rudd plays Scott Lang.

11 Nickname for Rihanna : RIRI

Singer Rihanna was born and grew up on the island of Barbados and moved to the US when she was 16-years-old to pursue a singing career. “Rihanna” is her stage name, as she was born Robyn Rihanna Fenty. The name “Rihanna” is derived from the Welsh name “Rhiannon”. And, Rihanna sometimes goes by the nickname “RiRi”, which is also the name of her line of beauty products.

12 Fat/flour mixture : ROUX

A roux is a mixture of wheat flour and clarified butter (or other fat) cooked together until it can be used as a thickening agent.

15 Le Louvre, e.g. : MUSEE

The Musée du Louvre has the distinction of being the most visited art museum in the whole world. The collection is housed in the magnificent Louvre Palace that was the seat of power in France until 1682, when Louis XIV moved to Versailles.

21 Eye affliction : STYE

A stye is a bacterial infection of the sebaceous glands at the base of the eyelashes, and is also known as a hordeolum.

28 Cook in simmering liquid : POACH

Our verb “to poach”, meaning “to cook in liquid”, comes from the Old French verb “pochier”, meaning “to put into a pocket”. The idea is that the yolk of a “poached” egg is “pocketed” in the egg white.

29 Cuisine with [circled letters], whose ingredients are the answers to the italicized clues : CAJUN

Cajun cuisine is named for the French-speaking Acadian people who were deported from Acadia in Canada to Louisiana in the 18th century.

35 Adroitness : EASE

The French for “to the right” is “à droit”, from which we get our word “adroit”. The original meaning of “adroit” was “rightly, properly”, but it has come to mean dexterous and skillful. Someone described as “maladroit” is unskilled and awkward.

39 Sheet mineral : MICA

Mica is a silicate mineral. Thin sheets of mica are transparent and are used in place of glass in certain applications. This form of mica is called isinglass, and as it has a better thermal performance than glass it is a great choice for “peepholes” in boilers and lanterns. Mica is also used in the electronics industry, making use of its unique electrical and thermal insulating properties.

42 City where 29-Down food is popular, informally : NOLA
[29D Cuisine with [circled letters], whose ingredients are the answers to the italicized clues : CAJUN]

The city of New Orleans, Louisiana has the nickname “The Big Easy”. This name might come from the early 1900s when musicians found it relatively “easy” to find work there. The city is also known by the acronym NOLA, standing for New Orleans (NO), Louisiana (LA).

45 Largest human organ : SKIN

The skin is the largest organ in the human body by surface area. The largest organ by mass is the liver.

49 New York home of Cornell University : ITHACA

Ezra Cornell was an associate of Samuel Morse and made his money in the telegraph business. After he retired he co-founded Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He provided a generous endowment and donated his farm as a site for the school, and was then rewarded by having the institute named after him.

51 Cary of “The Princess Bride” : ELWES

Cary Elwes is an English actor who is perhaps most noted for appearing in the 1987 film “The Princess Bride”. He also played the title role in 1993’s “Cary Elwes”. Cary is the son of a celebrated English portrait painter, Dominick Elwes.

“The Princess Bride” is a novel by William Goldman written in 1973. Famously, the book was adapted into a 1987 film of the same name directed by Rob Reiner that has become a cult classic.

57 “Wise” ones : OWLS

The Greek goddess Athena (sometimes “Athene”) is often associated with wisdom, among other attributes. In many representations. Athena is depicted with an owl sitting on her head. It is this linkage of the owl with the goddess of wisdom that led to today’s perception of the owl as being “wise”. Athena’s Roman counterpart was Minerva.

59 “___ Las Vegas” : VIVA

“Viva Las Vegas” is an Elvis Presley movie released in 1964 that is considered one of his best films. The good reception for the movie was at least in part due to the performance of the female lead, the talented actress Ann-Margret.

61 Wonk : NERD

A wonk is an overly studious person. “Wonk” is an American slang term that has been around at least since 1954. More recently, “wonk” has acquired an air of respectability as it has come to mean someone who has studied a topic thoroughly and become somewhat expert.

63 Place for pie, idiomatically : SKY

We use the phrase “pie in the sky” to describe a ridiculously optimistic goal. The expression was coined by songwriter and labor activist Joe Hill in 1911 as a lyric in the hymn parody “The Preacher and the Slave”. The chorus is:

You will eat, bye and bye
In that glorious land above the sky
Work and Pray, live on hay
You’ll get pie in the sky when you die

65 Word after alpha, beta or gamma : RAY

There are many types of radiation. Alpha rays are streams of alpha particles, which are basically helium nuclei, i.e. two protons and two neutrons bound together. Alpha particles are emitted by many different types of radioactive elements in the process known as alpha decay.

In nuclear physics, beta particles (also “beta rays”) are high-energy electrons or positrons. Beta particles are produced by unstable atomic nuclei with an excess of neutrons in the process of beta decay.

Gamma radiation was discovered by the French chemist Paul Villard, as he studied radiation coming from the chemical element radium. This radiation was called “gamma”, the third letter in the Greek alphabet, as alpha and beta particles had already been identified.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Propped open, say : AJAR
5 People of northern Scandinavia : SAMI
9 Ballerina’s support : BARRE
14 Output of the Rolling Stones, appropriately : ROCK MUSIC
16 Real tear-jerker? : ONION
17 Bit of pork, but not in a congressional bill : ANDOUILLE
18 Confident gait : STRUT
19 Pen name : BIC
20 Gets old, say : STALES
22 Socialize : MIX
23 Forever and a day : AEON
24 Airline once acquired by Carl Icahn : TWA
26 Stuff it! : PEPPER
29 Something that’s red-hot in the kitchen? : CAYENNE
33 Upon : ATOP
34 Shut up : SEALED
36 Saloon sip : ALE
38 Great divide : CHASM
40 Garlic, in Guadalajara : AJO
41 Slyly derisive : SNIDE
43 Personal quirk : TIC
44 Emanates (from) : ISSUES
47 Hot spot for a chef : OVEN
48 Scaredy-cat : CHICKEN
50 Stick in a salad? : CELERY
52 Mai ___ : TAI
53 Nut once used as an ingredient in Coke : KOLA
54 “Whatevs” : MEH
56 “Oh, settle down …” : NOW NOW …
59 N.Y.C.’s ___ Cortlandt Park : VAN
62 “Stranger Things” kid : LUCAS
64 What pales in comparison to other carbs? : WHITE RICE
66 Fitting way to invest in Campbell’s : STOCK
67 Paramedic, perhaps : LIFESAVER
68 Test of patience : DELAY
69 Risked a ticket, say : SPED
70 Three feet : YARD

Down

1 Many an Omani or Iraqi : ARAB
2 Musical Mitchell : JONI
3 Current choice : AC/DC
4 One of the Big Five film studios of Hollywood’s golden age : RKO
5 Romantic hopefuls : SUITORS
6 Narnia lion : ASLAN
7 George Eliot’s “The ___ on the Floss” : MILL
8 Beverage that can cause brain freeze : ICEE
9 Logan Airport code : BOS
10 Marvel role for Paul Rudd : ANT-MAN
11 Nickname for Rihanna : RIRI
12 Fat/flour mixture : ROUX
13 Suffix with differ : -ENT
15 Le Louvre, e.g. : MUSEE
21 Eye affliction : STYE
23 Yummly, SideChef and Food Monster : APPS
25 Does rite by one’s partner? : WEDS
26 Treaty : PACT
27 Guiding principle : ETHIC
28 Cook in simmering liquid : POACH
29 Cuisine with [circled letters], whose ingredients are the answers to the italicized clues : CAJUN
30 Ancient Egyptians referred to it as the “plant of immortality” because of its ability to survive without soil : ALOE
31 Green : NAIVE
32 Respected figure : ELDER
35 Adroitness : EASE
37 Itsy : EENY
39 Sheet mineral : MICA
42 City where 29-Down food is popular, informally : NOLA
45 Largest human organ : SKIN
46 Moved (over) : SCOOTED
49 New York home of Cornell University : ITHACA
51 Cary of “The Princess Bride” : ELWES
53 Part of a place setting : KNIFE
54 Smartphone button : MUTE
55 Environmental sci. : ECOL
57 “Wise” ones : OWLS
58 Beat into a froth, as cream : WHIP
59 “___ Las Vegas” : VIVA
60 Laptop brand : ACER
61 Wonk : NERD
62 Alternative to mushrooms : LSD
63 Place for pie, idiomatically : SKY
65 Word after alpha, beta or gamma : RAY