0410-19 NY Times Crossword 10 Apr 19, Wednesday

Constructed by: Alan Arbesfeld
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: Doubleheader

Themed answers start with homophones of numbers. We start at number one, and DOUBLE as we progress down the grid:

  • 35A Baseball rarities nowadays … or a phonetic hint to the starts of 17-, 26-, 48- and 57-Across : DOUBLEHEADERS
  • 17A Was barely victorious, as in boxing : WON ON POINTS (giving “one”)
  • 26A Cole Porter song from “Kiss Me, Kate” : TOO DARN HOT (giving “two”)
  • 48A As something different to do : FOR A CHANGE (giving “four”)
  • 57A Opposite of “consumed daintily” : ATE LIKE A PIG (giving “eight”)

Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 6m 11s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 A ewe for you, say : REBUS

A rebus is a puzzle that uses pictures to represent letters and groups of letters. For example, a picture of a “ewe” might represent the letter “U” or the pronoun “you”, and s picture of an “oar” might represent the letter “R” or the conjunction “or”.

6 Mideast’s Gulf of ___ : AQABA

The coastal city of Aqaba is the only seaport in the country of Jordan. The city lies at the very northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, which is off the Red Sea.

15 Some bonds, for short : MUNIS

A municipal bond (“muni”) is one that is issued by a city or local government, or some similar agency. Munis have an advantage over other investments in that any interest earned on the bond is usually exempt from state and federal income taxes.

16 Yule drink : NOG

It’s not really clear where the term “nog” (as in “eggnog”) comes from although it might derive from the word “noggin”, which was originally a small wooden cup that was long associated with alcoholic drinks.

Yule celebrations coincide with Christmas, and the words “Christmas” and “Yule” (often “Yuletide”) have become synonymous in much of the world. However, Yule was originally a pagan festival celebrated by Germanic peoples. The name “Yule” comes from the Old Norse word “jol” that was used to describe the festival.

22 Hershey coconut bar : MOUNDS

I think my favorite candy growing up was an Almond Joy, although in my part of the world it was a little different formulation and was called a Bounty Bar (and was more like a Mounds bar). The Almond Joy bar has been around since 1946. Hershey’s used a famous jingle in a seventies ad campaign for the Mounds and Almond Joy:

Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t
Almond Joy’s got nuts
Mounds don’t

24 Mavens : ACES

I’ve always loved the term “maven”, which is another word for “expert”. Maven comes into English from the Yiddish “meyvn” describing someone who appreciates and is a connoisseur.

26 Cole Porter song from “Kiss Me, Kate” : TOO DARN HOT (giving “two”)

“Kiss Me, Kate” is a musical written by Cole Porter first produced on Broadway in 1948. Cole Porter had a string of successes in the twenties and thirties including “Gay Divorce” and “Anything Goes”, but he found his career in decline in the forties. “Kiss Me, Kate” proved to be a dramatic comeback, and was the only one of his shows that ran for more than 1,000 performances on Broadway. Famously, “Kiss Me, Kate” is an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew”.

31 Target numbers : QUOTAS

A quota is an allotment. The term “quota” was used originally with reference to the number of soldiers or quantity of supplies required from a particular town or district.

34 Saturn S.U.V. : VUE

The VUE is a compact SUV made by General Motors under the Saturn brand from 2001 to 2009. The VUE was the best-selling of all Saturn models.

39 ___-lacto-vegetarian : OVO

A lacto-ovo vegetarian is someone who does not consume meat or fish, but does who eat eggs (ovo) and dairy (lacto) products.

44 Big name in oil : WESSON

Wesson cooking oil was named for David Wesson, a food chemist who came up with a process to deodorize cottonseed oil in 1899. Wesson used to be pure cottonseed oil, but is now a mixture of cheaper vegetable oils. Actress Florence was the longtime spokesperson for the product, appearing in Wesson TV commercials from 1976 until 1996.

51 Mediterranean tourist attraction : ETNA

Mount Etna on the island of Sicily is the largest of three active volcanoes in Italy, and indeed the largest of all active volcano in Europe. Etna is about 2 1/2 times the height of its equally famous sister, Mt. Vesuvius. Mt. Etna is home to a 110-km long narrow-gauge railway, and two ski resorts. It is sometimes referred to as “Mongibello” in Italian, and as “Mungibeddu” in Sicilian. The English name “Etna” comes from the Greek “aitho” meaning “I eat”.

52 Bo’s’n’s quarters : FO’C’SLE

The forecastle (usually abbreviated to “fo’c’sle”) is the forward part of a ship where the sailors’ sleeping quarters are located. The term is also used to describe the upper deck, forward of the foremost mast. The related phrase “before the mast” is used to describe anything related to a ship’s enlisted men, those sailors who are not officers.

A boatswain works on the deck of a boat. He or she is unlicensed, and so is not involved in the navigation or handling of the vessel, and instead is in charge of the other unlicensed workers on the deck. “Boatswain” is pronounced “bosun” and this phonetic spelling is often used interchangeably with “boatswain”. The contraction “bo’s’n” is also very popular.

53 Oil or kerosene : FUEL

Kerosene is a mixture of hydrocarbons that is used mainly as a fuel. Kerosene is volatile, but is less flammable than gasoline. Over in the UK and Ireland, we call the same fuel “paraffin”.

55 Bit of work : ERG

An erg is a unit of mechanical work or energy. It is a small unit, with one joule comprising 10 million ergs. it has been suggested that an erg is about the amount of energy required for a mosquito to take off. The term comes from “ergon”, the Greek word for work.

60 Stephen of “V for Vendetta” : REA

Stephen Rea is an Irish actor from Belfast. Rea’s most successful role was Fergus in 1992’s “The Crying Game”, for which performance he was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar. In “The Crying Game”, Fergus was a member of the IRA. In real life, Rea was married to IRA bomber and hunger striker Dolours Price at the time he made the movie.

“V for Vendetta” is a 2006 movie based on the political thriller graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore and David Lloyd. The film stars Hugo Weaving, Natalie Portman and Stephen Rea. Two other Moore novels made it to the big screen: “From Hell” and “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”.

63 Strongman player on “The A-Team” : MR T

Mr. T’s real name is Laurence Tero Tureaud. Mr. T is famous for many things, including the wearing of excessive amounts of jewelry. He started this habit when he was working as a bouncer, wearing jewelry items that had been left behind by customers at a nightclub so that the items might be recognized and claimed. It was also as a bouncer that he adopted the name Mr. T. His catch phrase comes from the movie “Rocky III”. In the film, before he goes up against Rocky Balboa, Mr. T says, “No, I don’t hate Balboa, but I pity the fool”. He parlayed that line into quite a bit of success. He had a reality TV show called “I Pity the Fool”, and produced a motivational video called “Be Somebody … or Be Somebody’s Fool!”.

“The A-Team” is an action television series that originally ran in the eighties. The A-Team was a group of ex-US special forces personnel who became mercenaries. Star of the show was Hollywood actor George Peppard (as “Hannibal” Smith), ably assisted by Mr. T (as “B.A.” Baracus) and Robert Vaughn (as Hunt Stockwell).

64 Not quite a strike : SPARE

In bowling, a spare is recorded on a score sheet with a forward slash mark. A strike is recorded with a large letter X.

Down

2 Beethoven’s Third : EROICA

Beethoven originally dedicated his “Symphony No. 3” to Napoleon Bonaparte. Beethoven admired the principles of the French Revolution and as such respected Bonaparte who was “born” out of the uprising. When Napoleon declared himself Emperor, Beethoven (and much of Europe) saw this as a betrayal to the ideals of the revolution so he changed the name of his new symphony from “Bonaparte” to “Eroica”, meaning “heroic, valiant”.

4 Mil. morale booster : USO

The United Service Organization (USO) was founded in 1941 at the request of President Franklin D. Roosevelt “to handle the on-leave recreation of the men in the armed forces”. A USO tour is undertaken by a troupe of entertainers, many of whom are big-name celebrities. A USO tour usually includes troop locations in combat zones.

6 Gas brand with a torch in its logo : AMOCO

“Amoco” is an abbreviation for “American Oil Company”, an oil company that merged with BP in 1998. Amoco was the first oil company to introduce gasoline tanker trucks and drive-through filling stations. I wonder did they know what they were starting …?

7 World capital at 9,350 feet : QUITO

The full name of the capital city of Ecuador is San Francisco de Quito. Quito is the second highest administrative capital city in the world, after La Paz, Bolivia.

8 “Commonwealth” novelist Patchett : ANN

Ann Patchett is an author who lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Patchett’s most famous work is probably her novel “Bel Canto”, published in 2001. In 2012, “Time” included her in the magazine’s list of 100 most influential people in the world.

9 Computer image file format : BITMAP

A bitmap is an image file format used to store digital images. Basically, each pixel in a bitmap file is stored as a “bit” of information, hence the name “bitmap”. In 1987, CompuServe introduced a new type of image file called the Graphics Interchange Format (GIF). A GIF image takes the same information as a bitmap and then compresses it, resulting in a smaller file size. However, during compression the image may lose some resolution. The GIF format also handles short video clips, usually animations.

12 Brewskis : COLD ONES

“Brewski”, “suds” and “cold one” are slang terms for “beer”.

25 Forest giants : SEQUOIAS

The giant sequoia tree is also known as the giant redwood. There’s only one part of the world where you can see giant sequoias growing naturally, and that’s on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. However, there are plenty of examples of giant sequoias that have been planted as ornamentals all over the world.

32 Actress Thompson : TESSA

Tessa Thompson is an actress from Los Angeles who is known for playing the supporting role of Jackie Cook on the TV show “Veronica Mars”, and for playing student leader Diane Nash in the 2014 film “Selma”.

37 Magazine with an Agency of the Year award : ADWEEK

“Adweek” is a weekly trade magazine serving the advertising industry. It is the second-biggest seller in the sector, behind “Advertising Age”.

38 “Zip-a-___-Doo-Dah” : DEE

“Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” is a song from the Disney film “Song of the South” released in 1946. “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” won that season’s Oscar for Best Original Song. The song is also featured at the end of the Disney theme parks’ ride called Splash Mountain.

42 High-end Mercedes line : 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”.

49 A Lion, but not a Tiger, informally : NFLER

The Detroit Lions are the NFL team that play home games at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. The team was founded way back in 1929 as the Portsmouth Spartans from Portsmouth, Ohio. The Spartans joined the NFL during the Great Depression as other franchises collapsed. However, the Spartans couldn’t command a large enough gate in Portsmouth so the team was sold and relocated to Detroit in 1934.

The origins of the Detroit Tigers baseball team’s name seems a little unclear. One story is that it was taken from the Detroit Light Guard military unit who were known as “The Tigers”. The Light Guard fought with distinction during the Civil War and in the Spanish-American War. Sure enough, when the Detroit baseball team went into the Majors they were formally given permission to use “The Tigers” name by the Detroit Light Guard.

54 Jared of “Dallas Buyers Club” : LETO

Jared Leto is an actor and musician. In the world of music, Leto is the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the rock band 30 Seconds to Mars. In the film world, one of his most critically acclaimed role was that of a heroin addict in “Requiem for a Dream”. He also appeared in “American Psycho”, “Panic Room” and “Lord of War”. Leto won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance in 2013’s “Dallas Buyers Club”, which he portraying a transgender woman.

“Dallas Buyers Club” is a 2013 film that tells the real-life story of AIDS patient Ron Woodroof. Woodroof smuggled unapproved AIDS drugs across the US border into Texas in opposition to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The movie won the Best Actor Oscar for Matthew McConaughey and Best Supporting Actor for Jared Leto.

58 ___ of Good Feelings : ERA

The Era of Good Feelings lasted from about 1816 to 1824, during the administration of President James Monroe. The term described the feeling of bipartisanship that permeated politics at that time, largely due to President Monroe deliberately downplaying differences between the parties in Washington. One can only dream …

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 A ewe for you, say : REBUS
6 Mideast’s Gulf of ___ : AQABA
11 Swelling reducer : ICE
14 Popped up : AROSE
15 Some bonds, for short : MUNIS
16 Yule drink : NOG
17 Was barely victorious, as in boxing : WON ON POINTS (giving “one”)
19 Brooklyn Brown or Newcastle Brown : ALE
20 Storage unit : BIN
21 Diplomacy : TACT
22 Hershey coconut bar : MOUNDS
24 Mavens : ACES
26 Cole Porter song from “Kiss Me, Kate” : TOO DARN HOT (giving “two”)
28 Not for kids, say : RATED R
30 Acquires the film rights to : OPTIONS
31 Target numbers : QUOTAS
34 Saturn S.U.V. : VUE
35 Baseball rarities nowadays … or a phonetic hint to the starts of 17-, 26-, 48- and 57-Across : DOUBLEHEADERS
39 ___-lacto-vegetarian : OVO
40 More blue : SADDER
41 Ones who never listen to oldies? : AGEISTS
44 Big name in oil : WESSON
48 As something different to do : FOR A CHANGE (giving “four”)
51 Mediterranean tourist attraction : ETNA
52 Bo’s’n’s quarters : FO’C’SLE
53 Oil or kerosene : FUEL
55 Bit of work : ERG
56 Swear words? : I DO
57 Opposite of “consumed daintily” : ATE LIKE A PIG (giving “eight”)
60 Stephen of “V for Vendetta” : REA
61 Tender spots : SORES
62 How many times the little hand goes around in a full day : TWICE
63 Strongman player on “The A-Team” : MR T
64 Not quite a strike : SPARE
65 Possessed : OWNED

Down

1 Where to order oysters : RAW BAR
2 Beethoven’s Third : EROICA
3 Lift : elevator :: ___ : car hood : BONNET
4 Mil. morale booster : USO
5 On its way : SENT
6 Gas brand with a torch in its logo : AMOCO
7 World capital at 9,350 feet : QUITO
8 “Commonwealth” novelist Patchett : ANN
9 Computer image file format : BITMAP
10 Put into categories : ASSORT
11 60 minutes from now : IN AN HOUR
12 Brewskis : COLD ONES
13 Casts out : EGESTS
18 Do beat work : PATROL
23 Everything, with “the” : UNIVERSE
25 Forest giants : SEQUOIAS
27 Given medicine : DOSED
29 Do some voice work : DUB
32 Actress Thompson : TESSA
33 “Caught ya!” : AHA!
35 Often-naive reformer : DO-GOODER
36 Garment left in a cloakroom : OVERCOAT
37 Magazine with an Agency of the Year award : ADWEEK
38 “Zip-a-___-Doo-Dah” : DEE
41 Validate : AFFIRM
42 High-end Mercedes line : S-CLASS
43 Lonely place, so they say : THE TOP
45 Substitute (for) : STEP IN
46 How curry dishes are often served : ON RICE
47 Pestered : NAGGED
49 A Lion, but not a Tiger, informally : NFLER
50 External appearance : GUISE
54 Jared of “Dallas Buyers Club” : LETO
58 ___ of Good Feelings : ERA
59 “So cute!” : AWW!