1022-23 NY Times Crossword 22 Oct 23, Sunday

Constructed by: Robert Ryan
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: You’re Onto Something

Themed answers are common phrases, but with a -URE suffix added to one word:

  • 23A Acts coy in salary negotiations? : DOESN’T GIVE A FIGURE (from “doesn’t give a fig”)
  • 36A Public stance of a member of Congress? : WASHINGTON POSTURE (from “Washington Post”)
  • 49A Shepherd’s job, essentially? : PASTURE CARING (from “past caring”)
  • 63A Turn more heads than intended? : ALLURE TOO WELL (from “all too well”)
  • 74A Newspaper write-up that’s light on criticism? : NO MEAN FEATURE (from “no mean feat”)
  • 92A Bungee jumping on Tuesday, skydiving on Wednesday, etc.? : ADVENTURE CALENDAR (from “Advent calendar”)
  • 107A Show off one’s vocal range and stamina? : ENDURE ON A HIGH NOTE (from “end on a high note”)

Bill’s time: 19m 21s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Small dosage qtys. : MGS

Milligram (mg)

4 In South America they’re known as “gallinas de palo,” or “chickens of the tree” : IGUANAS

An iguana is a lizard, and as such is cold-blooded. There are times when pet iguanas need heat from an IR lamp to maintain body temperature. They can also be very large lizards, sometimes growing to a length of six feet.

19 Dadaist Jean : ARP

Jean Arp was a prominent artist and sculptor who played a crucial role in the development of the Dada and Surrealist movements at the beginning of the 20th century. In the early years of his career, Arp experimented with a range of styles, including Expressionism, Cubism, and Futurism. In 1916, he co-founded the Zurich Dada movement with artists such as Tristan Tzara and Hugo Ball. After the Dada movement began to decline in the 1920s, Arp became associated with the Surrealist movement and continued to explore the possibilities of abstraction in his art.

20 Greyhound’s competition : DOG RACE

Greyhound dogs were originally bred for coursing game, and today are bred for greyhound racing. Coursing is the pursuit of game by sight, rather than scent. As such, coursing dogs like greyhounds are often referred to as “sighthounds”.

27 Components of some kitschy clocks : CUCKOOS

Cuckoo clocks are usually regulated with a pendulum and signal the hour with the appearance of a cuckoo and the sound of a cuckoo’s call. They have been around since the 1600s, but really took off in the 1850s when production ramped up in the Black Forest region of Germany for the export market.

“Kitsch” is a German word, an adjective that means “gaudy, trash”.

32 Standoffish : ALOOF

I suppose one might guess from the “feel” of the word “aloof” that it has nautical roots. Originally “aloof” meant “to windward” and was the opposite of “alee”. A helmsman might be instructed to stay aloof, to steer the boat into the weather to keep a distance from a lee-shore. It is from this sense of maintaining a distance that aloof came to mean “distant” in terms of personality. Interesting, huh …?

35 Bowlful with Thai basil and bean sprouts : PHO

Pho (pronounced “fuh”) is a noodle soup from Vietnam that is a popular street food. It is often ordered with a side of hanh dam, pickled white onions.

36 Public stance of a member of Congress? : WASHINGTON POSTURE (from “Washington Post”)

“The Washington Post” (WaPo) is the oldest paper still being published in the DC area, having been founded in 1877. Famously, “The Post” reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein led the media’s investigation into what we now called the Watergate scandal. “The Washington Post” was purchased in 2013 by Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon.com.

43 Biblical grandson of Adam and Eve : ENOS

Enos was the son of Seth, and therefore the grandson of Adam and Eve, and nephew of Cain and Abel. According to the ancient Jewish work called the Book of Jubilees, Enos married his own sister Noam.

44 Clichéd name for a lab assistant : IGOR

In the world of movies, Igor has been the assistant to Dracula, Frankenstein and Young Frankenstein among others. Igor is almost invariably portrayed as a hunchback.

45 “S.N.L.” alum Bryant : AIDY

Actor and comedian Aidy Bryant made her debut on “Saturday Night Live” in 2012. Bryant married fellow comedian Conner O’Malley in 2018.

47 Singer Easton : SHEENA

Sheena Easton is a Scottish singer. She was big in the eighties with songs like “9 to 5” (released as “Morning Train” in the US) and “For Your Eyes Only”, which is the theme song for the James Bond film of the same name. Easton collaborated with American singer Prince on many projects. She recorded the 1984 song “Sugar Walls” that was composed for her by Prince under the pseudonym “Alexander Nevermind”.

69 Some informants, informally : STOOLIES

Stoolies, also called “canaries”, will “sing” to the cops given the right incentive. “Stoolie” is short for “stool pigeon”. A stool pigeon was a decoy bird tied to a stool so as to lure other pigeons. Originally a stoolie was a decoy for the police, rather than an informer, hence the name.

72 Part of Q.E.D. : ERAT

The initialism “QED” is used at the end of a mathematical proof or a philosophical argument. QED stands for the Latin “quod erat demonstrandum” meaning “that which was to be demonstrated”.

79 Top-of-the-line Mercedes : S-CLASS

The S-Class is the most luxurious line of Mercedes cars, and is the world’s best-selling luxury sedan. The name “S-Class” stands for “Sonderklasse”, which translates from German as “special class”.

83 Actress Kurylenko of “Black Widow” : OLGA

Olga Kurylenko is a Ukrainian actress and model. Kurylenko played the Bond girl Camille Montes in the James Bond movie “Quantum of Solace”.

“Black Widow” is a 2021 superhero movie in the Marvel Comics universe. The title character is played by Scarlett Johansson, a role that she played in several earlier films.

92 Bungee jumping on Tuesday, skydiving on Wednesday, etc.? : ADVENTURE CALENDAR (from “Advent calendar”)

The first bungee jump using the modern latex cord was from the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, England. It was an illegal jump, with all five jumpers getting arrested soon after “hitting” the ground.

In the Christian tradition, Advent is the season of expectation prior to the Christmas celebration of the birth of Jesus. The term “Advent” comes from the Latin “adventus” meaning “coming”. In non-religious contexts, an advent is a coming into being.

96 Mens ___ (legal concept) : REA

“Mens rea” is Latin for “guilty mind” and is a central concept in criminal law. The concept is expanded to “actus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea” meaning “the act does not make a person guilty unless the mind be also guilty”. In other words, someone should not be deemed guilty of an act, unless he or she had a “guilty mind”, intended to do wrong.

100 Almost spherical in shape : OBLATE

Something that is described as having an oblate shape is spherical and slightly depressed at top and bottom, just like the Earth for example.

103 The world’s best-selling planes : CESSNAS

The Cessna Aircraft manufacturing company was founded in 1911 by Clyde Cessna, a farmer from Kansas. Cessna is headquartered in Wichita and today has over 8,000 employees.

106 2001 biopic starring Will Smith : ALI

“Ali” is a 2001 biographical movie about Muhammad Ali, with Will Smith in the title role. Among other things, the film is noted for its realistic fight scenes. The scenes were realistic because Smith was really being hit, as hard as his opponents could manage.

118 O’Hare identifier : ORD

The IATA airport code for O’Hare International in Chicago is ORD, which comes from Orchard Place Airport/Douglas Field (OR-D).

Down

2 Who once quipped “I never forget a face, but in your case I’ll be glad to make an exception” : GROUCHO

Groucho Marx’s real name was Julius Henry Marx. By the time Groucho started his successful, post-Hollywood career hosting the quiz show “You Bet Your Life”, he was sporting a real mustache. For all his movies, his mustache had been painted on with greasepaint.

3 Singer Ronnie of the Ronettes : SPECTOR

The Ronettes were a sixties girl group from New York City who worked with famed record producer Phil Spector. Their most famous hit was probably “Be My Baby” from 1963. The lead singer of the group was Veronica “Ronnie” Bennett, who ended up marrying Spector in 1968.

6 Footwear craze of the early 2000s : UGGS

Uggs are sheepskin boots that were first produced in Australia and New Zealand. The original Uggs have sheepskin fleece on the inside for comfort and insulation, with a tanned leather surface on the outside for durability. “Ugg” is a generic term Down Under, although it’s a brand name here in the US.

7 Pop singer Grande, to fans : ARI

Ariana Grande is a singer and actress from Boca Raton, Florida. Grande plays the role of Cat Valentine on the sitcom “Victorious” that aired for four seasons on Nickelodeon. Grande’s singing career took off with the release of the 2011 album “Victorious: Music from the Hit TV Show”.

8 Sat ___ : NAV

A global positioning system (GPS) is known as a satellite navigation system (Sat Nav) in Britain and Ireland.

9 Nail polish remover : ACETONE

Acetone is the active ingredient in nail polish remover, and in paint thinner.

10 Porpoise, in old usage : SEA HOG

Porpoises are aquatic mammals. Studies of porpoises in captivity have shown that they have an unusual sleep pattern. Basically, while one hemisphere of the brain rests, is asleep, the other hemisphere remains alert.

14 Heart-pumping activity : CARDIO

Aerobic exercise is moderate activity designed to be at a low enough intensity that very little anaerobic activity takes place. In other words, the exercise is at a level where oxygen is taken in to burn fat and carbohydrate and to create energy. Anaerobic exercise is more intense and uses carbohydrate (glycogen) in the muscle to provide energy, without the need for oxygen. Aerobics are also called “cardio” as the exercises strengthen the cardiovascular system.

17 *Facepalm* : I’M A MORON!

The unsavory word “moron” was formerly used by the medical community to describe someone with a degree of mental retardation. The term comes from the Greek “moros” meaning “foolish, dull”. Back in the early 1900s, IQ tests were used to classify those suffering from mental retardation into categories:

  • “idiot” … IQ of 0-20
  • “imbecile” … IQ of 21-50
  • “moron” …IQ of 51-70

18 Disposables kept as mementos : EPHEMERA

“Ephemera” was originally a medical term used to describe a fever that only lasted a day. The use of the term was expanded in the 17th century to include insects that were short-lived. By the end of the 18th century, ephemera were any items of transitory existence.

25 Age for a Latin American celebration : FIFTEEN

“Quinceañera” is a celebration of a girl’s fifteenth birthday, and is an event common in many parts of Latin America.

32 “Eureka!” : AHA!

“Eureka” translates from Greek as “I have found it”. The word is usually associated with Archimedes, uttered as he stepped into his bath one day. His discovery was that the volume of water that was displaced was equal to that of the object (presumably his foot) that had been submerged. He used this fact to determine volume (and density) of a crown, something he needed in order to determine if it was made of pure gold or was a forgery.

36 Nintendo Switch predecessor : WII U

The Wii U video game console is the successor to Nintendo’s Wii. I’m wondering if “Wii U” is some sort of play on the pronouns “we” and “you”? Maybe I just think too much …

37 1500 Pennsylvania Ave., e.g.: Abbr. : ADDR

Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. is sometimes called “America’s Main Street”, as it runs between the White House and the US Capitol. The exact reason why this important thoroughfare was given the name “Pennsylvania” seems to be unclear. One favored theory is that it was a gesture to the state of Pennsylvania after moving the country’s capital from Philadelphia.

49 Kitties : POTS

The pot in a card game has been referred to as “the kitty” since the 1880s. It’s not certain how the name “kitty” evolved but possibly it comes from “kit”, the necessary equipment for the game.

52 Highly rated French vineyards : CRUS

“Cru” is a term used in the French wine industry that means “growth place”. So, “cru” is the name of the location where the grapes are grown, as opposed to the name of a specific vineyard. The terms “premier cru” and “grand cru” are also used, but the usage depends on the specific wine region. Generally it is a classification awarded to specific vineyards denoting their potential for producing great wines. “Grand cru” is reserved for the very best vineyards, with “premier cru” the level just below.

53 Word on an Irish flag carrier : AER

Aer Lingus is the flag carrier airline of Ireland. It was founded in 1936 by the Irish government to provide air service between Ireland and the United Kingdom. The airline’s name means “air fleet” in Irish. In the 1950s, Aer Lingus became the first airline in the world to introduce a duty-free shopping service on board its flights.

54 Issa who plays President Barbie in “Barbie” : RAE

Issa Rae is a Stanford University graduate who created a YouTube web series called “The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl”. Rae also plays the title role in the series, a young lady named “J”. “Awkward Black Girl” was adapted into an HBO comedy-drama called “Insecure”, in which Issa Rae stars.

58 Journalist Ifill : GWEN

Gwen Ifill was a television journalist who was regularly seen on PBS’s “Newshour”. Ifill was also the moderator on the weekly PBS show “Washington Week”, and was also selected to moderate the US Vice Presidential debates in 2004 and 2008.

59 Shade of unbleached linen : ECRU

The textile known as linen is made from flax fibers. The name “linen” probably comes from “linum”, which is Latin for both “flax” and “textile made from flax”.

64 Shares one’s bunk? : LIES

The word “bunk” is short for “bunkum”, the phonetic spelling of “Buncombe”, which is a county in North Carolina. Supposedly, a state representative made a dull and irrelevant speech that was directed to his home county of Buncombe, bringing the term “bunkum” into the language with the meaning of “nonsense”. The derivative word “debunk” first appeared in a novel by William Woodward in 1923, when he used it to describe “taking the bunk out of things”.

67 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.

76 Escapes are made by them : FORD

The Ford Escape is an SUV that was developed jointly with Mazda and introduced in the 2001 model year. The Mazda version of the same vehicle is known as the Tribute.

77 Disney’s ___ of Arendelle : ELSA

“Frozen” is a 2013 animated feature from Walt Disney Studios that is based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale “The Snow Queen”. The film is all about the exploits of Princess Anna, the younger sister of Elsa, Snow Queen of Arendelle. Elsa was originally intended to be a villain, a malicious and power-hungry character. By the final version of the film, Elsa had transformed from a one-dimensional villain into a fully fleshed-out protagonist.

79 Govt. funds for mom-and-pop shops : SBA LOANS

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is a government agency with the mission of assisting small businesses. The SBA doesn’t give loans itself, but it does act as a guarantor under the right circumstances. The SBA was set up in 1953, and isn’t a favorite with fiscal conservatives.

80 “Colorful” exclamation in a hospital drama : CODE BLUE!

A Code Blue alert in a hospital generally indicates that a resuscitation team is needed for a patient in cardiac or respiratory arrest.

81 Basis for a fortuneteller’s romantic prediction : LOVE LINE

In the practice called palmistry, someone might tell your fortune by interpreting the lines and other features seen on the palm of your hand. The lines in the palm have names such as life line, head line, heart line and fate line. The life line is the curve that sweeps around in an arc centered at the base of the thumb.

86 ___ Foundation for Justice (international human rights group) : CLOONEY

Amal Alamuddin married celebrated Hollywood actor George Clooney in 2014. Alamuddin was born in Beirut, Lebanon and moved with her family to London when she was a toddler. She is a lawyer specializing in international law, with one of her more renowned clients being the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange.

89 “___ Flow” (song by Enya) : ORINOCO

“Orinoco Flow” is a song by Irish singer Enya that she released in 1988. It’s the one that goes “sail away, sail away, sail away …”

93 Munitions compounds : NITERS

The chemical name for saltpeter (also “saltpetre, niter, nitre”) is potassium nitrate. The exact origin of the name “saltpeter” isn’t clear, but it may have come from the Latin “sal petrae” meaning “stone salt”. The main use for potassium nitrate is as a fertilizer, a source of potassium and nitrogen. As it is a powerful oxidizing agent, it is also used in amateur rocket propellants. Anyone who has ignited one of those “engines” would have noticed the lilac-colored flame, indicating the presence of potassium.

95 ___ Lobel, author of the “Frog and Toad” series : ARNOLD

The “Frog and Toad” series of books for young children was written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel. The books were the basis of a 2002 Broadway musical called “A Year with Frog and Toad”.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Small dosage qtys. : MGS
4 In South America they’re known as “gallinas de palo,” or “chickens of the tree” :
IGUANAS
11 You can see right through ’em : SPECS
16 Jockey (for) : VIE
19 Dadaist Jean : ARP
20 Greyhound’s competition : DOG RACE
21 Went for : HAD AT
22 Little demon : IMP
23 Acts coy in salary negotiations? : DOESN’T GIVE A FIGURE (from “doesn’t give a fig”)
26 Dismissive rejection : NAH
27 Components of some kitschy clocks : CUCKOOS
28 What was once yours? : THINE
29 “Good gracious!” : DEAR ME!
31 Play opener : ACT I
32 Standoffish : ALOOF
34 Celeb’s hangout : VIP ROOM
35 Bowlful with Thai basil and bean sprouts : PHO
36 Public stance of a member of Congress? : WASHINGTON POSTURE (from “Washington Post”)
41 Unsavory relation? : SORDID TALE
43 Biblical grandson of Adam and Eve : ENOS
44 Clichéd name for a lab assistant : IGOR
45 “S.N.L.” alum Bryant : AIDY
46 Document that may be kept in a lockbox : DEED
47 Singer Easton : SHEENA
49 Shepherd’s job, essentially? : PASTURE CARING (from “past caring”)
55 Unpleasant surprises when buying concert tickets : FEES
56 Relative of a musette : OBOE
57 Take in : READ
58 Do something illegal around a basketball hoop : GOAL-TEND
62 Business card abbr. : TEL
63 Turn more heads than intended? : ALLURE TOO WELL (from “all too well”)
68 Head for business? : CEO
69 Some informants, informally : STOOLIES
71 Memo starter : IN RE
72 Part of Q.E.D. : ERAT
73 Nourish : FEED
74 Newspaper write-up that’s light on criticism? : NO MEAN FEATURE (from “no mean feat”)
79 Top-of-the-line Mercedes : S-CLASS
82 Object with one hole or two, depending on whom you ask : TUBE
83 Actress Kurylenko of “Black Widow” : OLGA
84 Blessing : BOON
85 They’re craze-y! : FADS
86 It can be a strain on the pupils : COURSE LOAD
92 Bungee jumping on Tuesday, skydiving on Wednesday, etc.? : ADVENTURE CALENDAR (from “Advent calendar”)
96 Mens ___ (legal concept) : REA
97 Less trustful (of) : LEERIER
98 Wear down : ERODE
99 Swamplike : MIRY
100 Almost spherical in shape : OBLATE
101 [Shrug] :[ DUNNO]
103 The world’s best-selling planes : CESSNAS
106 2001 biopic starring Will Smith : ALI
107 Show off one’s vocal range and stamina? : ENDURE ON A HIGH NOTE (from “end on a high note”)
111 Mother figure : NUN
112 Up and about : RISEN
113 “Stop obsessing over that” : LET IT GO
114 Downside : CON
115 Go out with : SEE
116 Unloads, in a way : SELLS
117 Diagnostic using an injected tracer : DYE TEST
118 O’Hare identifier : ORD

Down

1 Eccentrics : MADCAPS
2 Who once quipped “I never forget a face, but in your case I’ll be glad to make an exception” : GROUCHO
3 Singer Ronnie of the Ronettes : SPECTOR
4 Some unique digits: Abbr. : ID NO
5 Oft-relied-upon : GO-TO
6 Footwear craze of the early 2000s : UGGS
7 Pop singer Grande, to fans : ARI
8 Sat ___ : NAV
9 Nail polish remover : ACETONE
10 Porpoise, in old usage : SEA HOG
11 ___ guards (soccer gear) : SHIN
12 Summon, in a way : PAGE
13 URL ending : EDU
14 Heart-pumping activity : CARDIO
15 Soaks : STEEPS
16 Pairing for an entrecôte or filet mignon, perhaps : VIN ROUGE
17 *Facepalm* : I’M A MORON!
18 Disposables kept as mementos : EPHEMERA
24 Something a Brazilian is unlikely to wax : SKI
25 Age for a Latin American celebration : FIFTEEN
30 Most showily aesthetic : ARTIEST
32 “Eureka!” : AHA!
33 Small, cutesily : LIL’
34 D.C. tiebreakers, at times : VPS
36 Nintendo Switch predecessor : WII U
37 1500 Pennsylvania Ave., e.g.: Abbr. : ADDR
38 Lid malady : STYE
39 Universal blood type, for short : O-NEG
40 Drift (off) : NOD
42 Go out with : DATE
46 Served a sentence : DID TIME
47 Aquatic barker : SEAL
48 Alternative to high water, in an idiom : HELL
49 Kitties : POTS
50 Be a partner with in crime : ABET
51 Lone word? : SOLO
52 Highly rated French vineyards : CRUS
53 Word on an Irish flag carrier : AER
54 Issa who plays President Barbie in “Barbie” : RAE
55 Antagonist : FOE
58 Journalist Ifill : GWEN
59 Shade of unbleached linen : ECRU
60 Approach : NEAR
61 Heap affection (on) : DOTE
63 Pub lineup : ALES
64 Shares one’s bunk? : LIES
65 Had a following : LED
66 Number that sounds like a past-tense verb : ONE
67 Pop star Rita : ORA
70 Belonging to a particular time : OF AN ERA
72 Among others, for short : ET AL
74 In the altogether : NUDE
75 Like some displays of wealth : OBSCENE
76 Escapes are made by them : FORD
77 Disney’s ___ of Arendelle : ELSA
78 New ___ : AGER
79 Govt. funds for mom-and-pop shops : SBA LOANS
80 “Colorful” exclamation in a hospital drama : CODE BLUE!
81 Basis for a fortuneteller’s romantic prediction : LOVE LINE
82 Road workers’ gloop : TAR
85 Fox coverage? : FUR
86 ___ Foundation for Justice (international human rights group) : CLOONEY
87 British ref. work : OED
88 A, abroad : UNE
89 “___ Flow” (song by Enya) : ORINOCO
90 Gadget for a wine enthusiast : AERATOR
91 Nightfall : DAY’S END
93 Munitions compounds : NITERS
94 Small, cutesily : TEENIE
95 ___ Lobel, author of the “Frog and Toad” series : ARNOLD
99 Web portal with a Bing search bar : MSN
101 Face-off : DUEL
102 Decorative vases : URNS
103 Give a ticket : CITE
104 Batter’s need : EGGS
105 Wrecked : SHOT
108 Wired internet letters : DSL
109 Past-tense verb that sounds like a number : ATE
110 Batter’s objective : HIT