0616-22 NY Times Crossword 16 Jun 22, Thursday

Constructed by: Parker Higgins & Ross Trudeau
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): UUUUUUUUUUous Answers?

Themed answers use a specific number of letters in place of syllables:

  • 17A One performing a palm print analysis : FORENSIC SCIENTIST (4-Ns-ic scientist)
  • 23D Pizzeria supplies : TOMATOES (tom-8-Os)
  • 25D Eventgoers : ATTENDEES (a-10-Ds)
  • 35D Adorable sweethearts : CUTIE PATOOTIES (cutie pa-2-Ts)

Bill’s time: 11m 23s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

9 Provides a hideout for, maybe : ABETS

The word “abet” comes into English from the Old French “abeter” meaning “to bait” or “to harass with dogs” (literally “to make bite”). This sense of encouraging something bad to happen morphed into our modern usage of “abet” meaning to aid or encourage someone in a crime.

15 Round figure? : PAR

That would be golf.

17 One performing a palm print analysis : FORENSIC SCIENTIST (4-Ns-ic scientist)

Something described as forensic is connected with a court of law, or with public discussion or debate. The term comes from the Latin “forensis” meaning “of a forum, of a place of assembly”. We mainly use the word today to mean “pertaining to legal trials” as in “forensic medicine” and “forensic science”.

24 Ones playing cornhole, e.g. : TOSSERS

Cornhole is a game in which contestants throw bean bags towards a tilted-up platform with a hole in it. Bags that land in the hole score 3 points, and bags that land on the board score 1 point.

28 Wedding speech opener : A TOAST …!

The tradition of toasting someone probably dates back to the reign of Charles II, when the practice was to drink a glass of wine to the health of a beautiful or favored woman. In those days, spiced toast was added to beverages to add flavor, so the use of the word “toast” was an indicator that the lady’s beauty would enhance the wine. Very charming, I must say …

30 Sonny and Cher, e.g. : POP DUO

Singing duo Sonny & Cher started out in the mid-1960s as backing singers working with Phil Spector. The couple married in 1964, and the next year released their breakthrough numbers “Baby Don’t Go” and “I Got You Babe”. Sonny and Cher divorced in 1975, and dissolved their act that same year. Cher moved onto a successful solo career that continues to this day. Sonny Bono was elected as a US Congressman for California in 1995. Sadly, he didn’t finish his term in the House as he died from injuries sustained in a skiing accident in 1998.

32 Trochee’s counterpart : IAMB

An iamb is a metrical foot containing an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. The lines in Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” use four sequential iambs, e.g. “Whose woods / these are / I think / I know”. With that sequence of four iambs, the poem’s structure is described as iambic tetrameter.

A trochee (also “choree, choreus”) is a metrical foot in poetry. It consists of a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed syllable (so is an iamb reversed). Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “The Song of Hiawatha” is written using trochaic meter

Should you / ask me,/ whence these / stor/ies?
Whence these / legends / and tra/ditions,

33 Country bumpkins : HICKS

“Bumpkin” is really a not-so-nice term for someone from a rural area. The term has an even less nice derivation. It comes from from the Middle Dutch “bommekijn” meaning “little barrel”. “Bumpkin” was used as a derogatory term for Dutch people, who were regarded as short and plump.

38 One of the pounds of a pound cake : FLOUR

Pound cake is so called because the traditional recipe calls for a pound of each of four ingredients:

  • a pound of flour
  • a pound of butter
  • a pound of eggs
  • a pound of sugar

I’d say that’s a lot of cake …

40 Something used to improve one’s English? : CUE

Basically “English” is another name for “side-spin” that is applied to a cue ball in billiards.

45 Repeated Warhol subject : MAO

Andy Warhol made a famous series of portraits of Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong in 1973. An exhibition of Warhol’s works toured China in 2012 but the images of Mao were excluded, apparently at the request of the Chinese government.

46 Tree in the etymology of “gin” : JUNIPER

The spirit known as gin gets its unique flavor mainly from juniper berries. The name “gin” comes into English from the translation of “juniper” from either French (genièvre), Dutch (jenever) or Italian (ginepro).

49 Leads, as a D&D campaign : DMS

Dungeon Master (DM)

Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is a complex role-playing game (RPG) introduced in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules Incorporated (TSR). Dungeons & Dragons was probably the first of the modern role-playing games to be developed, and the most successful. It is still played by lots of people today, including my youngest son …

53 Common scat syllable : DOO

Scat singing is a vocal improvisation found in the world of jazz. There aren’t any words as such in scat singing, just random nonsense syllables made up on the spot.

54 Setting for the memorable cable car scene in “Moonraker” : RIO

“Moonraker” is the third of Ian Fleming’s “James Bond” novels, and was first published in 1955. It is unique in the series in that it is the only one in which all of the action takes place entirely in Britain. The title “Moonraker” was used for the eleventh in the series of “James Bonds” movies, but the film’s plot was very different from that of the book.

57 TiVo, e.g. : DVR

TiVo was introduced in 1999 and was the world’s first commercially successful digital video recorder (DVR).

61 Singer Gorme : EYDIE

Eydie Gormé is best known for her work with her husband Steve Lawrence. The duo started performing traditional popular music together in the late fifties. One of the couple’s children is David Nessim Lawrence, a composer who wrote the score for the 2006 movie “High School Musical”.

63 Setting of 2019’s “Parasite” : SEOUL

“Parasite” is a 2019 comedy thriller movie from South Korea that became the nation’s highest-grossing film of all time. It was also the first movie not filmed in English to win the Oscar for Best Picture. I haven’t seen “Paradise” yet, but I hear great things from friends and family who have …

Down

1 Luke, to Darth Vader : SON

When the character Luke Skywalker was created for “Star Wars”, he was named “Annikin Starkiller”. Conceptually, he was a 60-year-old war veteran for a while, and also a female at one point. Luke is played by actor Mark Hamill in the “Star Wars” films.

3 “Facts First” sloganeer : CNN

CNN (Cable News Network) was launched in 1980 by the Turner Broadcasting System, and was the first television channel in the world to provide news coverage 24 hours a day. CNN headquarters is located in Atlanta.

4 Hawaiian coffee : KONA

Kona coffee is cultivated on the Big Island of Hawaii, on the slopes of Mauna Loa and Hualalai, two of the five volcanoes on the island. Coffee plants were brought to Kona in 1828 and late in the 19th century, coffee became a viable and worthwhile crop. Today Kona is one of the most expensive and popular coffees in the world.

6 Features in some houses of worship : APSES

The apse of a church or cathedral is a semicircular recess in an outer wall, usually with a half-dome as a roof and often where there resides an altar. Originally, apses were used as burial places for the clergy and also for storage of important relics.

7 New York City store with 1.2+ million square feet of retail space : MACY’S

The original Macy’s store was opened by Rowland Hussey Macy in Haverhill, Massachusetts in 1851. This store, and several others that Macy opened, all failed. Macy picked himself up though, and started over again in New York City. Those early New York stores all focused on the sale of dry goods, but added departments quickly as the clientele grew. The Macy’s red star logo has been around since the company was first established. Macy chose the star because it mimicked the star tattoo that he got as a teenager when he was working on a whaling ship out of Nantucket.

10 Lunch orders often served hot : BLTS

The BLT (bacon, lettuce and tomato) is the second-most popular sandwich in the US, after the plain old ham sandwich.

11 Biblical patriarch with a two-syllable name : ELI

In the Bible, Eli is a High Priest of Shiloh and the teacher of Samuel. As such, his story is told in the Book of Samuel. Eli had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, both of whom are described as wicked. As a result of their wayward lifestyle, it is prophesied that all of Eli’s male descendents will die before reaching old age.

12 “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee” airer : TBS

Samantha Bee is a comedian from Toronto who found fame as a correspondent on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” starting way back in 2003. Bee left “The Daily Show” in 2015 to host her own late-night talk show “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” on TBS.

19 Three fighters at the O.K. Corral : EARPS

The famous Earp brothers of the Wild West were Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan. All three brothers participated in what has to be the most famous gunfight in the history of the Old West, the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. Strangely enough, the fight didn’t happen at the O.K. Corral, but took place six doors down the street in a vacant lot next to a photography studio.

21 Thin, unhealthy-looking sort : WAIF

A waif is a street urchin, or perhaps a stray animal.

22 Treats usually served in miniature cups : ITALIAN ICES

A sno-cone (also “snow cone”) is just a paper cone filled with crushed ice and topped with flavored water. Italian ice is similar, but different. Whereas the flavoring is added on top of the ice to make a sno-cone, Italian ice is made with water that is flavored before it is frozen.

26 “Booksmart” and “Dumb and Dumber,” e.g. : BUDDY MOVIES

“Booksmart” is a 2019 comedy film about two high school students breaking out of their relatively bookish ways just prior to graduation. The movie was actress Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut, and apparently, the critics loved this film.

“Dumb and Dumber” is a 1994 comedy starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels as two pretty dumb guys, Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne. There was a prequel released in 2003 titled “Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd”, and a sequel in 2011 called “Dumb and Dumber To”.

39 “The Big Bang Theory” role : RAJ

Raj Koothrappali is a character on the sitcom “The Big Bang Theory” who is played by British-Indian actor Kunal Nayyar. Nayyar is married to Neha Kapur, a former Miss India.

41 Cassis cocktail : KIR

Kir is a French cocktail made by adding a teaspoon or so of crème de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur) to a glass, and then topping it off with white wine. The drink is named after Felix Kir, the Mayor of Dijon in Burgundy, who used to offer the drink to his guests. My wife is particularly fond of a variant called a kir royale, in which the white wine is replaced with champagne.

A “cream liqueur” is one that includes dairy cream. The most famous example is probably Baileys Irish Cream, which is made from cream and Irish whiskey. A “crème liqueur”, on the other hand, is one that includes a lot of added sugar, but no dairy cream. Examples are crème de cacao (chocolate-flavored), crème de menthe (mint-flavored) and crème de cassis (blackcurrant-flavored).

45 Actress Tomei : MARISA

Marisa Tomei’s first screen role was in the daytime soap “As the World Turns”, but her break came with a recurring role in “The Cosby Show” spin-off “A Different World”. Tomei won an Oscar for her delightful performance in “My Cousin Vinny” in 1992.

47 College inits. on both the East and West Coasts : USC

The University of Southern California (USC) is a private school in Los Angeles. Apart from its excellent academic record, USC is known for the success of its athletic program. USC Trojans have won more Olympic medals than the students of any other university in the world. The USC marching band is very famous as well, and is known as the “Spirit of Troy”. The band has performed with many celebrities, and is the only college band to have two platinum records.

55 Man is one : ISLE

The Isle of Man is a large island located in the middle of the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland. I used to spend a lot of time there in my youth, and find it a very interesting place indeed. The Isle of Man is classed as a British Crown Dependency and isn’t part of the United Kingdom at all. It is self-governing and has its own parliament called the Tynwald. The Tynwald was created in AD 979 and is arguably the oldest continuously-running parliament in the world. The inhabitants of the island speak English, although they do have their own language called Manx, which is very similar to Irish Gaeilge and Scottish Gaelic. And then there are those Manx cats, the ones without any tails. I’ve seen lots of them, and can attest that they are indeed found all over the island.

56 Florida has some : KEYS

The Florida Keys are a chain of low islands that stretch from the tip of the Florida peninsula, about 15 miles south of Miami. The westernmost inhabited island is Key West, and the westernmost uninhabited island is Dry Tortugas. Most of the inhabited islands are connected by US Highway 1, which traverses several impressive bridges.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Good or bad vacuum review? : SUCKS
6 Psych (up) : AMP
9 Provides a hideout for, maybe : ABETS
14 “… but it seems like you hate the idea” : … OR NOT
15 Round figure? : PAR
16 “Well, imagine that!” : I’LL BE!
17 One performing a palm print analysis : FORENSIC SCIENTIST (4-Ns-ic scientist)
20 Some strays : ALLEY CATS
21 Essence of a good roast : WIT
24 Ones playing cornhole, e.g. : TOSSERS
25 Core assets? : ABS
28 Wedding speech opener : A TOAST …!
30 Sonny and Cher, e.g. : POP DUO
32 Trochee’s counterpart : IAMB
33 Country bumpkins : HICKS
37 Tots (up) : ADDS
38 One of the pounds of a pound cake : FLOUR
40 Something used to improve one’s English? : CUE
41 Informal term of affection : KIDDO
42 Grain : IOTA
43 Downed : ATE
44 ___Car Series : INDY
45 Repeated Warhol subject : MAO
46 Tree in the etymology of “gin” : JUNIPER
49 Leads, as a D&D campaign : DMS
51 “I’ll take that as ___” : A NO
52 Worries : STEWS
53 Common scat syllable : DOO
54 Setting for the memorable cable car scene in “Moonraker” : RIO
55 First-aid item : ICE PACK
57 TiVo, e.g. : DVR
58 Desktop array : ICONS
60 Factory vessel : VAT
61 Singer Gorme : EYDIE
63 Setting of 2019’s “Parasite” : SEOUL
64 “…” equivalent : ETC
65 High number? : YODEL
66 Together : AS ONE
67 ___ degree : NTH
68 In a lather, say : SUDSY

Down

1 Luke, to Darth Vader : SON
2 Catering vessel : URN
3 “Facts First” sloganeer : CNN
4 Hawaiian coffee : KONA
5 Features of some beach houses : STILTS
6 Features in some houses of worship : APSES
7 New York City store with 1.2+ million square feet of retail space : MACY’S
8 Something that’s asked : PRICE
9 “That’s a goldang lie!” : AIN’T SO!
10 Lunch orders often served hot : BLTS
11 Biblical patriarch with a two-syllable name : ELI
12 “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee” airer : TBS
13 Stand-up comic’s material : SET
18 Clergy, metaphorically : CLOTH
19 Three fighters at the O.K. Corral : EARPS
21 Thin, unhealthy-looking sort : WAIF
22 Treats usually served in miniature cups : ITALIAN ICES
23 Pizzeria supplies : TOMATOES (tom-8-Os)
25 Eventgoers : ATTENDEES (a-10-Ds)
26 “Booksmart” and “Dumb and Dumber,” e.g. : BUDDY MOVIES
27 Uninspiring : SO-SO
29 Be up against : ABUT
31 Hassle : PAIN
34 “This is just … too much” : I CAN’T EVEN …
35 Adorable sweethearts : CUTIE PATOOTIES (cutie pa-2-Ts)
36 Stand guard : KEEP WATCH
39 “The Big Bang Theory” role : RAJ
41 Cassis cocktail : KIR
45 Actress Tomei : MARISA
47 College inits. on both the East and West Coasts : USC
48 Bailout button : ESC
50 One way to be missed : SORELY
55 Man is one : ISLE
56 Florida has some : KEYS
59 Sister : NUN
62 Solver of this puzzle : YOU