0506-22 NY Times Crossword 6 May 22, Friday

Constructed by: Aaron Ullman
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 9m 22s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

13 Toasted treat : POP-TART

Pop-Tart is the most successful single brand for the Kellogg company, as millions of the sugary treats are sold every year. The US Military bought quite a few in 2001, and dropped 2.4 million Pop-Tarts into Afghanistan during the invasion after 9/11.

15 Japanese for “teacher” : SENSEI

“Sensei” is a Japanese form of address used for figures of authority, from lawyers to martial arts instructors.

19 Paragon : GEM

A paragon is a model of excellence, a peerless example. Ultimately the term derives from the Greek “para-” meaning “on the side” and “akone” meaning “whetstone”. This derivation comes from the ancient practice of using a touchstone to test gold for its level of purity by drawing a line on the stone with the gold and comparing the resulting mark with samples of known purity.

22 Author of “The Kitchen God’s Wife” (1991) : TAN

“The Kitchen God’s Wife” is a 1991 novel by Amy Tan. It was Tan’s second book, and followed the remarkable success of her 1989 story “The Joy Luck Club”.

26 Initialism that might have a ring to it? : WBA

World Boxing Association (WBA)

28 Scale notes : TIS

The sol-fa syllables are: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la & ti.

29 Agent of immunity : T CELL

T cells are a group of white blood cells that are essential components of the body’s immune system. T cells are so called because they mature in the thymus, a specialized organ found in the chest.

37 Two-time Olympic gymnast Raisman : ALY

Aly Raisman is a retired gymnast. She captained the US gold-winning teams in the Olympics in 2012 (“The Fierce Five”) and in 2016 (“The Final Five”).

45 Make lace : TAT

One is tatting when one is making lace. The word “tatting” has been around since the 1830s, but no one seems to have unearthed its etymology.

46 Longtime Disney chief Michael : EISNER

Michael Eisner took over as CEO of the Walt Disney Company in 1984. Eisner has been attributed with turning Disney around, as the company was floundering really since 1966 when Walt Disney died. Eisner had a good run, but ran afoul of Walt Disney’s nephew Roy Disney who led a boardroom revolt that resulted in Eisner’s resignation in 2005.

47 Big ___ : BEN

“Big Ben” is the name commonly used for the large bell in the Clock Tower (“Elizabeth Tower” since 2012) of the Palace of Westminster (aka “Houses of Parliament”). Big Ben’s official name is the Great Bell, and there is some debate about the origins of the nickname. It may be named after Sir Benjamin Hall who supervised the bell’s installation, or perhaps the English heavyweight champion of the day Benjamin Caunt. Big Ben fell silent in 2017 to make way for four years of maintenance and repair work to the clock’s mechanism and the tower.

48 Hair holders : SNOODS

A snood is a net or a bag worn over the hair. “Snood” comes from the Old English word “snod” meaning “ribbon for the hair”.

54 Fatherly tips, to use a portmanteau coinage : DADVICE

“Dadvice” is “Dad” “advice”. According to my kids, I give way too much dadvice …

55 Decks with major and minor arcana : TAROTS

In a 78-card tarot deck, the picture cards are referred to as the Major Arcana. The remaining cards are known as the Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana included The Fool, the Wheel of Fortune, the Hanged Man, and Death.

Down

1 Turn-on for a bartender? : SPIGOT

Back in the 15th century, a spigot was specifically a plug to stop a hole in a cask. Somewhere along the way, a spigot had a valve added for variable control of flow.

2 Big epoch for mammals : EOCENE

The Eocene Epoch lasted from 56 to 34 million years ago. The name “Eocene” comes from the Greek “eos” meaning “dawn” and “kainos” meaning “new”. This is a reference to the “new dawn” for mammals, which emerged during the Eocene epoch.

3 Hypothetical missing links : APEMEN

The term “missing link” is usually applied to the concept that there existed some form of animal that is a hybrid between apes and humans. The idea that there was some “apeman” is discounted these days by the scientific community, who now favor the theory of evolution.

4 Chain parts: Abbr. : MTS

Mountain (mt.)

6 Lacking literary sparkle : PROSY

Something that is “prosy” resembles prose. Also, “prosy” can be used to mean “lacking impact or dry”, prosaic in fact.

7 Setting for a shot : F-STOP

Varying the f-stop in a lens varies how big the lens opening (the aperture) is when a photograph is taken. Smaller apertures (higher f-stop values) admit less light, but result in a greater depth of field (more of the photograph is in focus).

8 Historic kingdom of Spain : LEON

Castile and León is the largest of the seventeen autonomous communities of Spain, and is located in the northwest of the country. The separate kingdoms of Castile and León were united in medieval times, but the autonomous community was constituted much more recently, in

9 Most populous Canadian prov. : ONT

The Canadian province of Ontario takes its name from the Great Lake. In turn, Lake Ontario’s name is thought to be derived from “Ontari:io”, a Huron word meaning “great lake”. Ontario is home to the nation’s capital of Ottawa as well as Toronto, Canada’s most populous city (and the capital of the province).

11 Sound : TENABLE

Something tenable can be maintained or defended. The term “tenable” comes from the Latin verb “tenere” meaning “to hold, keep”.

12 Traffic light : SIGNAL

The first traffic lights date back to 1868 when they were installed outside the Houses of Parliament in London. They resembled the signals already in use for trains, with semaphore arms and red and green gas lamps for nighttime use. That first system was operated manually, by a policeman at the base. Sadly, one police officer was killed just one year after the light’s installation, when the gas system exploded.

24 Surfer girl : WAHINE

“Wahine” is a word meaning “woman”, in both Hawaiian and Maori.

25 Doctors : AMENDS

The verb “to amend” means “to change for the better, put right, alter by adding”. The related verb “to emend” is used more rarely, and mainly in reference to the editing of professional writing. Both terms are derived from the Latin “emendare” meaning “to remove fault”.The verb “to amend” means “to change for the better, put right, alter by adding”. The related verb “to emend” is used more rarely, and mainly in reference to the editing of professional writing. Both terms are derived from the Latin “emendare” meaning “to remove fault”.

29 Poet who wrote “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” : THOMAS

Dylan Thomas is perhaps the most famous Welsh poet and writer. His most famous poems are “Do not go gentle into that good night” and “And death shall have no dominion”. He also wrote a famous radio drama called “Under Milk Wood” that was first broadcast in 1954, and that was eventually adapted for the stage and the big screen. My favorite Dylan Thomas work is “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” that was also written originally for the radio, before being published as a work of prose.

30 Firmly bond : CEMENT

The terms “cement”, “mortar” and ”concrete” are related, and tend to get confused at times. Cement is a binder that hardens over time and binds other materials together. Cement mixed with a fine aggregate forms mortar, a workable paste used to bind building blocks together. Cement mixed with sand and gravel forms concrete, a pourable slurry that hardens into an extremely robust building material.

32 Court : WOO

To court someone is to woo them, to offer homage. One might do something similar at court, hence the use of the term.

33 “___ Carter III” (best-selling Lil Wayne album) : THA

“Tha Carter III” is an album by rapper Lil Wayne. Lil Wayne’s real name is … Dwayne Carter, Jr.

34 Napa excursion : WINE TOUR

The Napa Valley Wine Train is an excursion train that runs between Napa and St. Helena, California along the original Napa Valley Railroad built in 1864. The line was built back then by pioneer Samuel Brannan to bring tourists from the San Francisco Bay Area to the resort town of Calistoga, which Brannan founded. Today’s Wine Train offers a 3-hour round trip, with a full dining car experience.

35 Fictional African country of film : WAKANDA

“Black Panther” is a 2018 superhero film starring Chadwick Boseman in the title role. Black Panther is a Marvel Comics character created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. When not a superhero, Black Panther is the king of the fictional African nation of Wakanda, and goes by the name “T’Challa”.

40 “Romanian Rhapsodies” composer : ENESCO

George Enescu (aka Georges Enesco) was a Romanian composer and performer. Enescu’s most popular works are two “Romanian Rhapsodies” (1901-2) and the opera “Oedipe” (1936).

41 Like the days following Mardi Gras : LENTEN

In Latin, the Christian season that is now called “Lent” was termed “quadragesima” (meaning “fortieth”), a reference to the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert before beginning his public ministry. When the church began its move in the Middle Ages towards using the vernacular, the term “Lent” was introduced. “Lent” comes from “lenz”, the German word for “spring”.

“Mardi Gras” translates from French as “Fat Tuesday”, and gets its name from the practice of eating rich foods on the eve of the fasting season known as Lent. Lent starts on the next day, called Ash Wednesday.

49 Hawaiian fish also called the wahoo : ONO

The wahoo is a cousin of the mackerel, and is known as the “ono” in Hawaii.

52 Some Best Buy buys : TVS

Best Buy is a retailer specializing in the supply of consumer electronics. Best Buy services include the famous “Geek Squad”, a band of technical experts that will help solve your computer and other consumer electronic problems.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Blue print? : SEA MAP
7 Water wings, for example : FLOATS
13 Toasted treat : POP-TART
15 Japanese for “teacher” : SENSEI
16 Skating expos : ICE SHOWS
18 Bearing : TOTING
19 Paragon : GEM
20 Suck up, in a way : SIPHON
22 Author of “The Kitchen God’s Wife” (1991) : TAN
23 There’s no coming back from this : ONE-WAY TRIP
26 Initialism that might have a ring to it? : WBA
27 1000 hrs. : TEN AM
28 Scale notes : TIS
29 Agent of immunity : T CELL
31 “Did I just hear him say that?!” : HE WENT THERE?
34 Principle indicating “No second chances” : WIN OR GO HOME
35 Outer border for 36-Across : WINDOW FRAME
36 See-through items : PANES
37 Two-time Olympic gymnast Raisman : ALY
38 Male’s name hidden backward in this clue : ANSEL
42 Barely make, with “out” : EKE …
43 Whet bar? : GRINDSTONE
45 Make lace : TAT
46 Longtime Disney chief Michael : EISNER
47 Big ___ : BEN
48 Hair holders : SNOODS
50 Descriptor for a champion : GREATEST
53 Half-page, perhaps : AD UNIT
54 Fatherly tips, to use a portmanteau coinage : DADVICE
55 Decks with major and minor arcana : TAROTS
56 Lean against : REST ON

Down

1 Turn-on for a bartender? : SPIGOT
2 Big epoch for mammals : EOCENE
3 Hypothetical missing links : APEMEN
4 Chain parts: Abbr. : MTS
5 “This is the life!” : AAH!
6 Lacking literary sparkle : PROSY
7 Setting for a shot : F-STOP
8 Historic kingdom of Spain : LEON
9 Most populous Canadian prov. : ONT
10 So to speak : AS IT WERE
11 Sound : TENABLE
12 Traffic light : SIGNAL
14 Some social media back-and-forths : TWITTER WARS
17 Short relationship : SPRING FLING
21 One who loves to bring up the past : HISTORY NERD
24 Surfer girl : WAHINE
25 Doctors : AMENDS
29 Poet who wrote “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” : THOMAS
30 Firmly bond : CEMENT
32 Court : WOO
33 “___ Carter III” (best-selling Lil Wayne album) : THA
34 Napa excursion : WINE TOUR
35 Fictional African country of film : WAKANDA
36 Took care of a dog or cat, maybe : PET SAT
39 “Alrighty then” : SO BE IT
40 “Romanian Rhapsodies” composer : ENESCO
41 Like the days following Mardi Gras : LENTEN
43 Cruxes : GISTS
44 Gloomy, poetically : DREAR
46 Sub text, maybe : EDIT
49 Hawaiian fish also called the wahoo : ONO
51 Juice suffix : -ADE
52 Some Best Buy buys : TVS