0406-23 NY Times Crossword 6 Apr 23, Thursday

Constructed by: Sam Buttrey
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: Trading Places

Themed answers come in PAIRS, and have TRADED clues. Each pair is a famous duo:

  • 36A Classic 1983 comedy … or a hint to what the answers to four pairs of starred clues are doing : TRADING PLACES
  • 1A *Acronym of talks : BILL
  • 59D *Unwelcome bit of mail : TED (Bill & Ted)
  • 15A *Bank employee : PENN
  • 45D *Philadelphia university, familiarly : TELLER (Penn & Teller)
  • 61A *Hill’s partner : CHIP
  • 31A *China problem : DALE (Chip ‘n’ Dale)
  • 49D *Able to endure difficult conditions : LAUREL
  • 9A *Kind of wreath : HARDY (Laurel and Hardy)

Bill’s time: 11m 01s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 *Acronym of talks : BILL
59D *Unwelcome bit of mail : TED (Bill & Ted)

The acronym “TED” stands for “Technology, Entertainment and Design”. TED is a set of conferences held around the world by a non-profit group called the Sapling Foundation. The conference subjects are varied, and the meetings are often led by big names such as Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Bill Gates and Jane Goodall. The Sapling Foundation then makes recordings of the conferences available for free online with the intent of disseminating the ideas globally. These conferences are known as “TED Talks”. There are also TEDx events, which are locally-run talks presented under license from TED.

“Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” is a 1989 comedy sci-fi film, starring Alex Winter as Bill and Keanu Reeves as Ted. It’s about two lazy students traveling through time in preparation for a history assignment, with a lot of “Dude!” and “Excellent!” scattered throughout the dialog. Reading the plot, this isn’t a movie that I’d normally go for, but somehow, I enjoyed it …

5 Muslim minority : SHIA

The Islamic sects of Sunni and Shia Muslims differ in the belief of who should have taken over leadership of the Muslim faithful after the death of the Prophet Muhammad. Followers of the Sunni tradition agree with the decision that the Prophet Muhammad’s confidante Abu Bakr was the right choice to become the first Caliph of the Islamic nation. Followers of the Shia tradition believe that leadership should have stayed within the Prophet Muhammad’s own family, and favored the Prophet’s son-in-law Ali.

14 Strawberry ___ Lemonade (Starbucks menu item) : ACAI

Açaí (pronounced “ass-aye-ee”) is a palm tree native to Central and South America. The fruit has become very popular in recent years and its juice is a very fashionable addition to juice mixes and smoothies.

15 *Bank employee : PENN
45D *Philadelphia university, familiarly : TELLER (Penn & Teller)

The University of Pennsylvania (also “Penn” and “UPenn”) was founded in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia. Penn was the first school in the country to offer both graduate and undergraduate courses. Penn’s sports teams are known as the Quakers, and sometimes the Red & Blue.

To tell can mean to count, as in “telling one’s blessings” and “there are 16, all told”. This usage of the word “tell” gives us the term “bank teller”.

Penn Jillette is one half of the duo of magicians known as Penn & Teller (Penn is the one who talks). Penn teamed up with Teller on stage in 1981, having met him through a friend back in 1974. As well as being talkative onstage, Penn is very vocal offstage when it comes to his causes and beliefs. He is a devout atheist, a libertarian and a supporter of free-market capitalism.

The illusionist Teller, of Penn & Teller, was born Raymond Teller in Philadelphia, although he legally changed his name to simply “Teller”. Teller decided not to speak during his performances way back in his youth. He was doing magic at college fraternity parties and discovered that by remaining silent, the potentially rowdy audience focused on his act and refrained from throwing beer at him!

17 Some drums, informally : TOMS

A tom-tom is a drum without snares. The name “tom-tom” came from the Hindi name “tam-tam”, which in turn was likely imitative of the sound made by the instrument.

19 Cafeteria array : TRAYS

“Cafeteria” is a Mexican-Spanish word meaning “coffee store” that we imported into American English around 1840. Somehow, that coffee store became a self-service dining establishment in the 1890s.

22 Sweet libation : MEAD

Mead is a lovely drink that’s made from fermented honey and water.

Back in the 14th century, libation was the pouring of wine in the honor of a god. The term “libation” comes from the Latin word “libare”, which basically means the same thing. Nowadays we tend to use “libation” as a somewhat ornate word meaning “drink”.

23 Bygone city in present-day Iraq, once the world’s most populous : NINEVEH

Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city on the eastern bank of the Tigris River in modern-day Iraq. The ruins of the city are located just on the other side of the river from the Iraqi city of Mosul. At one time, Nineveh was the largest city in the world.

34 Reason to stop : RED

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.

If you’re sitting behind a car that doesn’t make a right on red, it may just be a rental car driven by someone from Europe. Speaking as someone who learned to drive over there, I must admit I held up a few people at red lights when I first visited this country. That’s because in Europe we aren’t allowed to make any move past a red light, unless there is an accompanying green arrow. So, if you’re driving overseas, take care …

35 Short-term job : GIG

Musicians use “gig” to describe a job, a performance. The term originated in the early 1900s in the world of jazz. The derivative phrase “gig economy” applies to a relatively recent phenomenon where workers find themselves jumping from temporary job to temporary job, from gig to gig.

36 Classic 1983 comedy … or a hint to what the answers to four pairs of starred clues are doing : TRADING PLACES

“Trading Places” is a fun comedy film released in 1983, starring Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy. The film is all about a high-flying commodities broker (Aykroyd) “trading places” with a street hustler (Murphy). There’s also a great supporting cast that includes Don Ameche and Jamie Lee Curtis.

42 Bird spotted in eastern Samoa? : MOA

The word “moa” is hidden at the eastern/right end of the word “Samoa”.

Moas were flightless birds native to New Zealand that are now extinct. The fate of the Moa is a great example of the detrimental effect that humans can have on animal populations. The Maoris arrived in New Zealand about 1300 AD, upsetting the balance of the ecosystem. The Moa were hunted to extinction within 200 years, which had the knock-on effect of killing off the Haast’s Eagle, the Moa’s only predator prior to the arrival of man. Moa were huge creatures, measuring up to 12 feet tall with their necks stretched upwards.

The official name for the South Pacific nation formerly known as Western Samoa is the Independent State of Samoa. Samoa is the western part of the island group, with American Samoa lying to the southeast. The whole group of islands used to be known as Navigators Island, a name given by European explorers in recognition of the seafaring skills of the native Samoans.

48 Bananagrams pieces : TILES

Bananagrams is a fun game that was introduced in 2006. Bananagrams is a little like Scrabble in that letter tiles are used to make interlocking words.

54 Gas for a tank : PROPANE

Propane is a gas with the formula C3H8. It is an abundant byproduct of the refining of petroleum and is used as a fuel. The gas liquefies readily under pressure, and is usually transported in pressurized containers. However, the containers of “propane” that we purchase in stores are actually a mixture of propane and butane, usually in the ratio of about 50:50.

56 ___ club : GLEE

A glee club is a choir group, usually of males, that sings short songs known as “glees”. A glee is a song scored for three or more voices that is performed unaccompanied.

61 *Hill’s partner : CHIP
31A *China problem : DALE (Chip ‘n’ Dale)

The ceramic known as “porcelain” can be referred to as “china” or “fine china”, as porcelain was developed in China.

Chip ‘n’ Dale are two chipmunk characters created by Disney in 1943. The characters’ names are a pun on “Chippendale”, the family name of noted English furniture designer Thomas Chippendale.

62 Part of the eye : IRIS

The iris is the colored part of the eye. It has an aperture in the center that can open or close depending on the level of light hitting the eye.

63 Something to get down from : EIDER

Eiders are large sea ducks. Their down feathers are used to fill pillows and quilts, giving the name to the quilt called an “eiderdown”.

67 Old org. for Armenia : USSR

Armenia is a landlocked country located east of Turkey, and is a former Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR). Back in the year 301 CE, the ancient Kingdom of Armenia became the first nation in the world to adopt Christianity as its national religion.

Down

3 Thin layer : LAMINA

A lamina is a layer, plate or scale. “Lamina” is Latin for “thin slice”.

8 Fire ___ : ANT

Fire ants are stinging ants, and many species are known as red ants. Most stinging ants bite their prey and then spray acid on the wound. The fire ant, however, bites to hold on and then injects an alkaloid venom from its abdomen, creating a burning sensation in humans who have been nipped.

11 What you might think “The Fast and the Furious” is about? : ROAD RAGE

“The Fast and the Furious” is a series of action movies about street racing and car heists. The original 2001 film spawned several sequels, making it Universal Pictures’ most successful franchise of all time.

12 Martini specification : DRY

The term “martini” probably takes its name from the “Martini & Rossi” brand of dry vermouth, although no one seems to be completely sure. What is clear is that despite the Martini name originating in Italy, the martini drink originated in the US. The original martini was made with gin and sweet vermouth, but someone specifying a “dry” martini was given gin and dry vermouth. Nowadays we use dry vermouth for all martinis, and the term “dry” has become a reference to how little vermouth is included in the drink. Famously, Noël Coward liked his drink very dry and said that a perfect martini is made by “filling a glass with gin then waving it in the general direction of Italy”. The German-American journalist and satirist H. L. Mencken referred to the martini as “the only American invention as perfect as a sonnet”.

13 “Sim,” in Brazil : YES

Brazil is the largest country in South America, and the fifth largest country in the world (after Russia, Canada, China and the US). Brazil was a Portuguese colony from 1500 to 1815. The official name of the country under Portuguese rule was Terra da Santa Cruz (Land of the Holy Cross). However, European sailors used the name Terra do Brasil (Land of Brazil), a reference to the brazilwood tree that was much prized in Europe for the deep red dye that it produced.

25 Basslike : DEEP

The bass is the lowest male singing voice. A man with such a voice might be called a “basso” (plural “bassi”). In an opera, the villain of the piece is usually played by a basso.

26 Princeton Tiger rivals : ELIS

“Eli” is the nickname for a graduate of Yale University, and a term used in honor of the Yale benefactor Elihu Yale.

When Princeton are playing in a game, one might hear a cheer known as the locomotive, i.e. “Rah rah rah! Tiger, tiger, tiger! Sis, sis, sis, boom, boom, boom, ah!” This cheer is sometimes referred to as “Sis Boom Ah!” Supposedly, the cheer dates back to 1861 when the Seventh New York Regiment came through Princeton on a train. The soldiers were shouting out their “rocket” cheer, ““ssss-boom-ahhh!”

27 M.A., e.g. : DEG

Master of Arts (MA)

30 Skin, for one : ORGAN

The skin is the largest organ in the human body by surface area. The largest organ by mass is the liver.

33 Colorful analogy, perhaps : SIMILE

A simile is a figure of speech in which a comparison is made between two things that are unalike. For example, a person might be described as “cute as a kitten” or as “busy as a bee”.

37 Apostate : RENEGADE

A renegade is a person who leaves one cause, usually to take up an opposing cause. “Renegade” likely comes from the Spanish “renegado”, a term which originally was used for a Christian who had converted to Islam back in the late 16th century.

Someone may be described as an apostate if he or she abandons his or her faith, political party, principles, or any particular cause.

40 Part of a collage, perhaps : CLIPPING

A collage is a piece of artwork that is made by assembling pieces of paper and objects that are glued onto paper or canvas. The term “collage” comes from the French “coller” meaning “to glue”.

47 Booty : SPOILS

“Booty”, meaning “plunder, profit”, is derived from the Old French word “butin” that has the same meaning.

49 *Able to endure difficult conditions : LAUREL
9A *Kind of wreath : HARDY (Laurel and Hardy)

Stan Laurel was an English comic actor (born Arthur Stanley Jefferson), who made a great career for himself in Hollywood. Laurel ended up at the Hal Roach studio directing films, intent on pursuing a career in writing and directing. However, he was a sometime actor and was asked to step in when another comic actor, Oliver Hardy, was injured and couldn’t perform. Laurel and Hardy started to share a stage together during that time and when it was clear they worked so well together, their partnership was born. Oh, and the oft-quoted story that Clint Eastwood is the son of Stan Laurel … that’s just an urban myth.

Oliver Hardy was born Norvell Hardy in 1892 in Harlem, Georgia. Hardy used the stage name “Oliver” as a tribute to his father Oliver Hardy. His early performances were credited as “Oliver Norvell Hardy”, and off camera his nickname was “Babe Hardy”. Hardy appeared in several films that also featured the young British actor Stan Laurel, but it wasn’t until 1927 that they teamed up to make perhaps the most famous double act in the history of movies. The Laurel and Hardy act came to an end in 1955. That year, Laurel suffered a stroke, and then later the same year Hardy had a heart attack and stroke from which he never really recovered.

60 Bravo in the movies? : RIO

“Rio Bravo” is a Western movie from 1959 directed by the great Howard Hawks. “Rio Bravo” has an impressive cast including John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Angie Dickinson and Walter Brennan. The film was made as a “response” to “High Noon” and is considered on one level to be a criticism of McCarthyism and the days of the Hollywood blacklists.

61 PC “brain” : CPU

The central processing unit (CPU) is the main component on the motherboard of a computer. The CPU is the part of the computer that carries out most of the functions required by a program. Nowadays you can get CPUs in everything from cars to telephones.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 *Acronym of talks : BILL
5 Muslim minority : SHIA
9 *Kind of wreath : HARDY (Laurel and Hardy)
14 Strawberry ___ Lemonade (Starbucks menu item) : ACAI
15 *Bank employee : PENN
16 Ere : AFORE
17 Some drums, informally : TOMS
18 Social split : RIFT
19 Cafeteria array : TRAYS
20 “Right away, chief!” : ON IT!
21 Kind of trip : EGO
22 Sweet libation : MEAD
23 Bygone city in present-day Iraq, once the world’s most populous : NINEVEH
25 Sought after : DESIRED
28 Alarm : SCARE
29 Hit off the end of the club, in golf lingo : TOED
31 *China problem : DALE (Chip ‘n’ Dale)
32 Drop-___ : INS
34 Reason to stop : RED
35 Short-term job : GIG
36 Classic 1983 comedy … or a hint to what the answers to four pairs of starred clues are doing : TRADING PLACES
41 Date : SEE
42 Bird spotted in eastern Samoa? : MOA
43 Right-angled bend : ELL
44 Something he or she can use that you can’t? : ISN’T
46 Comfy lodgings : INNS
48 Bananagrams pieces : TILES
52 High point, of a sort : STEEPLE
54 Gas for a tank : PROPANE
56 ___ club : GLEE
57 Seek favor with : WOO
58 Green movement? : PUTT
59 Refrain syllables : TRA-LA
61 *Hill’s partner : CHIP
62 Part of the eye : IRIS
63 Something to get down from : EIDER
64 Advantageous kind of position : POLE
65 Black: It. : NERO
66 “Those who can” : DOERS
67 Old org. for Armenia : USSR
68 Valley : GLEN

Down

1 Sticks around for a race? : BATONS
2 Immediately recognizable : ICONIC
3 Thin layer : LAMINA
4 Why pregnant women are advised against eating raw fish : LISTERIA
5 Jag : SPREE
6 Vital statistic : HEIGHT
7 Stats, e.g. : INFO
8 Fire ___ : ANT
9 Severely criticizes, with “on” : HATES …
10 Yellow, so to speak : AFRAID
11 What you might think “The Fast and the Furious” is about? : ROAD RAGE
12 Martini specification : DRY
13 “Sim,” in Brazil : YES
22 Interfere : MEDDLE
24 Sell : VEND
25 Basslike : DEEP
26 Princeton Tiger rivals : ELIS
27 M.A., e.g. : DEG
30 Skin, for one : ORGAN
33 Colorful analogy, perhaps : SIMILE
36 Common subject of a stress dream : TEST
37 Apostate : RENEGADE
38 Survey choice : NONE
39 Tall: Sp. : ALTO
40 Part of a collage, perhaps : CLIPPING
41 Family nickname : SIS
45 *Philadelphia university, familiarly : TELLER (Penn & Teller)
47 Booty : SPOILS
49 *Able to endure difficult conditions : LAUREL
50 Complete : ENTIRE
51 Puts atop : SETS ON
53 Fruits you might aptly buy in twos? : PEARS
55 Cowboy, sometimes : ROPER
57 “___ asking?” : WHO’S
59 *Unwelcome bit of mail : TED (Bill & Ted)
60 Bravo in the movies? : RIO
61 PC “brain” : CPU