0529-19 NY Times Crossword 29 May 19, Wednesday

Constructed by: Jules P. Markey
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Say Something

Themed answers are common phrases reinterpreted to mean “say something”:

  • 19A Talk trash? : UTTER RUBBISH
  • 33A Recite aphorisms? : STATE MOTTOES
  • 41A Perform poetry? : EXPRESS LINES
  • 54A Narrate audiobooks? : SPEAK VOLUMES

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

Bill’s time: 6m 59s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Little something to eat : NOSH

Our word “nosh” has been around since the late fifties, when it was imported from the Yiddish word “nashn” meaning “to nibble”. We use “nosh” as a noun that means “snack”, or as a verb meaning “to eat between meals”.

13 McFlurry flavor : OREO

A McFlurry is an ice cream dessert served in McDonald’s restaurants. A McFlurry is made from soft-serve ice cream to which are added crushed candy bars or cookies. Cleverly, a McFlurry is mixed on a machine with the mixing blade then doubling as a spoon with which one eats it.

15 Fawned-over figure : IDOL

The verb “to fawn” has a different etymology to that of the noun “fawn”. The Old English “faegnian” meant “to rejoice, be glad”. In particular, the Old English verb applied to a dog wagging its tail. From there, “to fawn” came to mean “to court favor, to grovel”.

16 Opening night nightmares : PANS

To pan something is to criticize it harshly.

17 Times New ___ (popular typeface) : ROMAN

Times New Roman is a typeface that was designed in 1931 for “The Times” (of London) newspaper. Although the typeface is still very popular today, “The Times” moved away from Times New Roman in the 1970s.

18 Idle, with “off” : GOOF …

A goof is a mistake. The verb “goof off” was coined in 1941 to mean “make a mistake at drill”. After the war, the meaning extended to describe wasting time, loafing around.

22 Nephew of Abraham : LOT

Lot was a nephew of Abraham, with his story appearing in the Book of Genesis. At one point Lot had to flee the doomed city of Sodom with his wife. God gave instructions that the couple should not look back as they left the city, but Lot’s wife disobeyed and she was turned into a pillar of salt.

23 Bygone Mideast inits. : UAR

The United Arab Republic (UAR) was a union between Egypt and Syria made in 1958, and dissolved in 1961 when Syria pulled out of the arrangement.

24 Word with boll or Bowl : COTTON

The boll is the seed-bearing capsule of some plants, particularly of flax and cotton.

The Cotton Bowl college football game was played from its inception in 1937 until 2009 at the Texas State Fair Grounds. The game moved to Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas in 2010.

28 French novelist Marcel : PROUST

Marcel Proust was a French writer famous for the enormous and much respected novel “In Search of Lost Time”. Graham Greene called Proust “the greatest novelist of the twentieth century”, and W. Somerset Maugham dubbed “In Search of Lost Time” as the “greatest fiction to date”. “In Search of Lost Time” is a very, very long novel. It is divided into seven volumes and was first published in 1913-1927. The first of the volumes is called “Swann’s Way”.

30 Hairstyle : COIF

A coif is a hairdo. The term “coif” comes from an old French term “coife” describing a skull-cap that was worn under a helmet back in the late 13th century.

33 Recite aphorisms? : STATE MOTTOES

An aphorism is a short and pithy statement that embodies a general truth or insightful observation. Some great examples are:

  • Life is a journey, not a destination (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
  • The average person thinks he isn’t (Larry Lorenzoni)
  • To err is human, to forgive divine (Alexander Pope)
  • Reality is an illusion, albeit a very persistent one (Albert Einstein)
  • Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely (Lord Acton)

36 Swiss city on the Rhine : BASEL

The city of Basel in Switzerland lies right where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, and so has suburbs that lie in both France and Germany.

The river running through Europe that we know in English as the Rhine, is called “Rhein” in German, “Rhin” in French and “Rijn” in Dutch.

40 No longer in : PASSE

“Passé” is a French word, meaning “past, faded”. We’ve imported the term into English, and use it in the same sense.

44 Ring master : ALI

Muhammad Ali won 56 professional fights, 37 of which were knockouts. He lost 5 fights, 4 being decisions and one being a technical knockout (TKO). The TKO-loss was Ali’s second-last fight, against Larry Holmes. By the time Ali took on Holmes, he was already showing signs of Parkinson’s Syndrome, although the diagnosis would not come until four years later.

46 Old Soviet naval base site : ODESSA

The city of Odessa (also “Odesa”) in Ukraine was founded relatively recently, in 1794 by Catherine the Great. The city was originally meant to be called Odessos after an ancient Greek city believed to have been located nearby. Catherine liked the way the locals pronounced the name as “Odessa” and so went with the less Greek-sounding name.

52 Taking after : A LA

The phrase “in the style of” can be translated into “alla” in Italian and “à la” in French.

53 Bordeaux buddy : AMI

Bordeaux is perhaps the wine-production capital of the world. Wine has been produced in the area since the eighth century. Bordeaux has an administrative history too. During WWII, the French government relocated from Paris to the port city of Bordeaux when it became clear that Paris was soon to fall to the Germans. After the Germans took France, the capital was famously moved to Vichy.

58 Native people of southern Arizona : PIMA

The Pima people are a group of Native Americans living in what is now central and southern Arizona. The name “Pima” is thought to be an anglicization of the phrase “pi mac”, which members of their tribe often said in their first meetings with Europeans.

61 First sign of spring : ARIES

Aries the Ram is the first astrological sign in the Zodiac, and is named after the constellation. Your birth sign is Aries if you were born between March 21 and April 20, but if you are an Aries you would know that! “Aries” is the Latin word for “ram”.

62 Snake eyes or boxcars, in craps : ROLL

“Snake eyes” is the slang term for a roll of two dice in which one pip turns up on each die.

“Boxcars” is a slang term for two sixes rolled on a pair of dice, particularly in the game of craps. The idea is that the twelve pips on the dice resemble a pair of boxcars on a freight train.

63 Digital image format : JPEG

The JPEG file format (also “.jpg”) was created by the Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG), hence the name.

65 Archipelago part : ISLE

“Archipelago” is our spelling of the Italian “arcipelago”, a word that has Greek roots. The Aegean Sea was once known as the Archipelago. The usage of “Archipelago” migrated over time, eventually applying only to the Aegean Islands. As a result, we use the term “archipelago” today not for a sea, but for a group or chain of islands.

66 Make content : SATE

“Sate” is a variant of the older word “satiate”. Both terms can mean either to satisfy an appetite fully, or to eat to excess.

67 Place for a crow’s-nest : MAST

A crow’s nest is a structure atop the mainmast of a ship that is used as a lookout point. The first crow’s nest was erected in 1807, and was simply a barrel that was lashed to the tallest mast. Supposedly, the structure is named for the crows or ravens that Vikings carried with them on their voyages. The birds were released and used as navigation aids as invariably, the crow or raven headed straight for the nearest land.

Down

2 One on a soapbox : ORATOR

Back in the 1650s, a soapbox was just that, a wooden box for holding or transporting soap. Empty soapboxes were easily carried by a potential orator and used as a stand from which to deliver an address.

7 Run ___ (postpone the bar bill) : A TAB

When we run a “tab”, at a bar say, we are running a “tabulation”, a listing of what we owe. Such a use of “tab” is American slang that originated in the 1880s.

8 Del Toro of “The Usual Suspects” : BENICIO

Benicio Del Toro is an actor from Puerto Rico. He is an Academy Award winner, for the role he played in “Traffic”, released in 2000. He also played the title role in the 2008 movie “Che”.

The Usual Suspects is somewhat of a cult film now, released in 1995. The cast is amazing, including Gabriel Byrne, Benicio Del Toro, Kevin Pollak and Kevin Spacey. The title comes from one of the most memorable lines in movie history, from the film “Casablanca”. In that 1942 movie, Captain Renault (played by Claude Rains) pronounces, “Major Strasser has been shot. Round up the usual suspects.”

11 Menagerie : ZOO

A menagerie is a varied group, and particularly refers to a collection of wild or unusual animals. The term “menagerie“ comes from the French “ménagerie”, which described housing for domestic animals.

14 Typos and such : ERRATA

“Errata” is the past participle of the Latin word “errare” meaning “to err”. We use “errata” (singular “erratum”) to describe a list of errors that have been noted in some publication.

20 Prepares on short notice : RUSTLES UP

To rustle up or scare up something is to find it by searching, by using some effort.

25 New Mexico resort town : TAOS

The town of Taos, New Mexico is named for the Native American village nearby called Taos Pueblo. Taos is famous for its art colony. Artists began to settle in Taos in 1899, and the Taos Society of Artists was founded in 1915.

26 Horatian creations : ODES

One of ancient Rome’s leading lyric poets was Quintus Horatius Flaccus, or “Horace” as we tend to know him. Horace’s most famous work is probably his collection of Latin lyric poems titled “Carmina” (the Latin for “Odes).

30 Green with the 2010 hit “Forget You” : CEELO

“CeeLo Green” is the stage name of rapper Thomas DeCarlo Callaway. Apparently Green is one of the coaches for the contestants on the singing TV show “The Voice”. That’s all I need to know …

31 Marriott competitor : OMNI

Omni Hotels & Resorts is headquartered in Irvine, California and has properties in the US, Canada and Mexico.

34 ___ Trueheart, Dick Tracy’s love : TESS

In the “Dick Tracy” comic strip, Tess Trueheart was Dick’s love interest and later his wife (and still his love interest, I am sure!).

35 Give quite a shock : TASE

To tase is to use a taser, a stun gun.

36 Slider on an abacus : BEAD

The abacus (plural “abaci”) was used as a counting frame long before man had invented a numbering system. It is a remarkable invention, particularly when one notes that abaci are still widely used today across Africa and Asia.

47 Appetizer often served with chutney : SAMOSA

A samosa is quite a tasty appetizer. It is usually a triangular-shaped savory that often has a vegetarian filling. The word “samosa” is primarily used on Indian menus, and the name comes from “sanbosag”, the name for the dish in Persia.

Chutney is a typically southern Asian condiment, made from spices with vegetables or fruit. The term “chutney” comes from the Sanskrit “caṭnī” meaning “to lick”.

49 Two things in a 747 : AISLES

The first jet to be called a “Jumbo” was Boeing’s 747, as it was the first wide-body airliner. A wide-body passenger aircraft has seating laid out with two aisles running the length of the plane. The 747 also has three decks for part of its length, with the lower deck being used for cargo and galley space, and the upper deck for extra passenger seating. The Airbus A380 is called a “Superjumbo” as it has two full decks of passengers.

51 River named for a Plains tribe : OSAGE

Much of the Osage River in Missouri is now taken up by two large reservoirs created behind two dams that provide power for St. Louis and the surrounding area. The two reservoirs are the Truman Reservoir and the Lake of the Ozarks.

55 ___ code : AREA

Area codes were introduced in the 1940s. Back then, the “clicks” one heard when dialling a number led to mechanical wear on various pieces of equipment. In order to minimize overall mechanical wear, areas with high call volumes were given the most efficient area codes (lowest number of clicks). That led to New York getting the area code 212, Los Angeles 213 and Chicago 313.

56 Souls, e.g. : KIAS

The Kia Soul is a compact car produced in South Korea, although it was designed by Kia here in the US, in Irvine, California. Yep, the Kia Soul is made in Seoul …

57 “Exodus” author : URIS

“Exodus” is a wonderful novel written by American writer Leon Uris that was first published in 1947. The hero of the piece is Ari Ben Canaan, a character played by Paul Newman in the 1960 film adaptation directed by Otto Preminger.

58 Attire in which to retire, briefly : PJS

Our word “pajamas” (sometimes “PJs” or “jammies”) comes to us from the Indian subcontinent, where “pai jamahs” were loose fitting pants tied at the waist and worn at night by locals and ultimately by the Europeans living there. And “pajamas” is another of those words that I had to learn to spell differently when I came to America. On the other side of the Atlantic, the spelling is “pyjamas”.

59 Hoppy quaff, for short : 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.

The foodstuff that we call “hops” are actually the female flower of the hop plant. The main use of hops is to add flavor to beer. The town in which I live here in California used to be home to the largest hop farm in the whole world. Most of the harvested hops were exported all the way to the breweries of London, where they could fetch the best price.

“Quaff” is both a verb and a noun. One “quaffs” (takes a hearty drink) of a “quaff” (a hearty drink).

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Little something to eat : NOSH
5 Love handles, essentially : FLAB
9 Word with pint or plus : -SIZE
13 McFlurry flavor : OREO
14 Delight : ELATE
15 Fawned-over figure : IDOL
16 Opening night nightmares : PANS
17 Times New ___ (popular typeface) : ROMAN
18 Idle, with “off” : GOOF …
19 Talk trash? : UTTER RUBBISH
22 Nephew of Abraham : LOT
23 Bygone Mideast inits. : UAR
24 Word with boll or Bowl : COTTON
28 French novelist Marcel : PROUST
30 Hairstyle : COIF
32 Flurry : ADO
33 Recite aphorisms? : STATE MOTTOES
36 Swiss city on the Rhine : BASEL
39 Morn’s counterpart : E’EN
40 No longer in : PASSE
41 Perform poetry? : EXPRESS LINES
44 Ring master : ALI
45 C-worthy : SO-SO
46 Old Soviet naval base site : ODESSA
50 Long way to go? : DETOUR
52 Taking after : A LA
53 Bordeaux buddy : AMI
54 Narrate audiobooks? : SPEAK VOLUMES
58 Native people of southern Arizona : PIMA
61 First sign of spring : ARIES
62 Snake eyes or boxcars, in craps : ROLL
63 Digital image format : JPEG
64 Brings up : REARS
65 Archipelago part : ISLE
66 Make content : SATE
67 Place for a crow’s-nest : MAST
68 Freshness : SASS

Down

1 Orange juice specification : NO PULP
2 One on a soapbox : ORATOR
3 Mailed : SENT TO
4 Hydrant hookup : HOSE
5 Fine meal : FLOUR
6 Exemplar of innocence : LAMB
7 Run ___ (postpone the bar bill) : A TAB
8 Del Toro of “The Usual Suspects” : BENICIO
9 Something to see : SIGHT
10 Pledge of allegiance, maybe : I DO
11 Menagerie : ZOO
12 Little help? : ELF
14 Typos and such : ERRATA
20 Prepares on short notice : RUSTLES UP
21 Downplay : SOFT-PEDAL
25 New Mexico resort town : TAOS
26 Horatian creations : ODES
27 There’s a bridge at the top of it : NOSE
29 Operator : USER
30 Green with the 2010 hit “Forget You” : CEELO
31 Marriott competitor : OMNI
34 ___ Trueheart, Dick Tracy’s love : TESS
35 Give quite a shock : TASE
36 Slider on an abacus : BEAD
37 It gets the wheels turning : AXLE
38 Rain slightly : SPIT
42 Pitcher’s problem : SORE ARM
43 “Good riddance!” : NO LOSS!
47 Appetizer often served with chutney : SAMOSA
48 Senses, as trouble : SMELLS
49 Two things in a 747 : AISLES
51 River named for a Plains tribe : OSAGE
52 Head off : AVERT
55 ___ code : AREA
56 Souls, e.g. : KIAS
57 “Exodus” author : URIS
58 Attire in which to retire, briefly : PJS
59 Hoppy quaff, for short : IPA
60 Convened : MET