Constructed by: Jennifer Nutt
Edited by: Will Shortz
Not your puzzle? Try today’s …
… syndicated NY Times crossword
Today’s Reveal Answer: Gift
Themed answer each start with an item used when wrapping a GIFT:
- 38D Something that can be wrapped using the starts of 17-, 24-, 40-, 51- and 64-Across : GIFT
- 17A Built-in lag time to allow bleeping during a live broadcast : TAPE DELAY
- 24A Part of a swimmer’s sidestroke : SCISSORS KICK
- 40A Good vantage point at an opera house or stadium : BOX SEAT
- 51A Like a puppy who’s learned where to “go” : PAPER-TRAINED
- 64A Archer’s arrow launcher : BOWSTRING
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Bill’s time: 5m 19s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
8 Dodos : ASSES
The dodo was a direct relative of the pigeon and the dove, although the fully-grown dodo was usually three feet tall. One of the reasons the dodo comes to mind when we think of extinction of a species, is that it disappeared not too long ago (last recorded alive in 1662) and humans were the reason for its demise. The dodo lived exclusively on the island of Mauritius and when humans arrived, we cut back the forests that were its home. We also introduced domestic animals, such as dogs and pigs, that ransacked the dodo’s nests. The dodo was deemed to be an awkward flightless bird and so the term “dodo” has come to mean a dull-witted person.
15 Yellow ingredient left out of some omelets : YOLK
The yolk is the yellow part of a chicken’s egg. The term “yolk” comes from the Old English “geolu” meaning “yellow”.
19 Big maker of calculators and digital watches : CASIO
Casio is a Japanese manufacturer of mainly electronic products, including calculators, watches and electronic keyboards. It was Casio that produced the first portable and compact all-electric calculator, way back in 1957.
24 Part of a swimmer’s sidestroke : SCISSORS KICK
The sidestroke is a swimming stroke in which the swimmer lies on his or her side. It is a stroke that can be very useful in lifesaving, as well as in distance swimming.
30 Part of a Superman costume : CAPE
Superman was sent to Earth in a rocket as a child by his parents, who remained on the doomed planet of Krypton. On Earth, the child was discovered by Jonathan and Martha Kent, farmers who lived near the fictional town of Smallville. The Kents raised the infant as their own, giving him the name Clark, which was Ma Kent’s maiden name.
31 Roman love god : AMOR
Cupid was the god of love in Roman mythology. Cupid’s name comes from the Latin verb “cupere” meaning “to desire”. Cupid’s Latin name was Amor, and his Greek counterpart was Eros.
32 Boat wood : TEAK
Teak is a hardwood tree in the mint family that is commonly found in monsoon forests of Asia. Teak’s tight grain and high oil content make it very suitable for constructing outdoor furniture, where weather resistance is valued. For the same reason, teak is the wood of choice for wooden decks on boats.
35 Chimp’s cousin : ORANG
Orangutans (also “orangs”) are arboreal creatures, the largest arboreal animals known to man. They are native to Indonesia and Malaysia, and live in rainforests. Like most species in rainforests these days, orangutans are endangered, with only two species surviving. The word “orangutan” is Malay, meaning “man of the forest”.
39 Hawaiian garland : LEI
“Lei” is a Hawaiian word meaning “garland, wreath”, although in more general terms a lei is any series of objects strung together as an adornment for the body.
42 Seven on a grandfather clock : VII
There are several sizes of longcase clocks, tall and freestanding clocks driven by a pendulum swinging inside a tower below the clock face. A longcase clock over 6 feet tall is called a grandfather, and one below five feet is a granddaughter, One that falls between five and six feet is known as a grandmother. The name of the clock derives from an 1876 song called “My Grandfather’s Clock”.
43 Delhi’s land : INDIA
The Indus river rises in Tibet and flows through the length of Pakistan before emptying into the Arabian Sea, a part of the Indian Ocean lying to the west of the Indian subcontinent. The Indus gives its name to the country of India as “India” used to be the name of the region along the eastern banks of the river, which paradoxically is now in modern-day Pakistan.
New Delhi is the capital city of India. New Delhi resides within the National Capital Territory of Delhi (otherwise known as the metropolis of Delhi). New Delhi and Delhi, therefore, are two different things.
46 Massage deeply : ROLF
Rolfing is a trademarked massage technique developed by Ida Pauline Rolf in the fifties.
47 Wetlands critter with snapping jaws : CROC
Crocodiles and alligators do indeed bear a resemblance to each other, although they belong to distinct biological families. One of the main ways used to distinguish them is by their teeth and jaws. Both the upper and lower sets of teeth of a crocodile are visible when its mouth is closed, whereas only the upper teeth of an alligator are visible with the mouth shut.
49 Small piano : SPINET
“Spinet” is the name given to a smaller version of keyboard instruments, such as a small harpsichord, piano or organ. Spinets are still made today, as cheaper versions of full-size instruments.
56 Minnesota’s St. ___ College : OLAF
St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota was named for the former king and patron saint of Norway, Olaf II.
57 27th U.S. president and 10th chief justice : TAFT
William Howard Taft may have been the 27th President of the United States, but his lifelong ambition was to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The future president had served as dean and professor at the Cincinnati Law School. President Taft was able to realize that dream in 1921, eight years after losing his bid for re-election as president. As Chief Justice, this former US President swore in two new presidents: Calvin Coolidge (in 1925) and Herbert Hoover (in 1929). William Howard Taft is also remembered as the most obese president. In the last year of his presidency, he weighed about 340 pounds (he was 5 feet 11 inches tall). Twelve months after leaving the White House, President Taft had dropped 80 pounds and substantially lowered his blood pressure.
58 Intuit : SENSE
“To intuit” is a verb formed from the noun “intuition”, and means “to know intuitively”.
62 Prime bird-watching spots for indoor cats : SILLS
“Sill plate”, or simply “sill”, is an architectural term describing a bottom horizontal member to which vertical members are attached. Window sills and door sills are specific sill plates found at the bottoms of windows and door openings.
66 Island nation in Polynesia : SAMOA
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.
The term “Polynesia” was coined in 1756 by author Charles de Brosses when he used it to describe all the islands in the Pacific. This usage was later restricted to what we now refer to as a subregion of Oceania.
67 Hawaiian party : LUAU
The Hawaiian party or feast known as a “luau” really dates back to 1819, when King Kamehameha II removed religious laws that governed the eating of meals. These laws called for women and men to eat separately. At the same time as he changed the laws, the king initiated the luau tradition by symbolically eating with the women who moved in his circle.
69 English county at one end of the Thames : ESSEX
Essex is a county in England that is referred to as one of the “home counties”. The home counties are those that surround the city of London, outside of London itself. “Home county” is not an official designation but has been in popular use since the 1800s. The list of home counties usually comprises Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Surrey, and Sussex.
The River Thames that flows through London is the longest river entirely located in England.
Down
1 Beanies and bonnets : HATS
A beanie is a knitted, close-fitting hat with no brim. The name probably comes from the slang term “bean” meaning “head”.
2 Something in an office that’s not PC? : IMAC
The iMac is a desktop computer platform that Apple introduced in 1998. One of the main features of the iMac is an “all-in-one” design, with the computer console and monitor integrated. The iMac also came in a range of colors that Apple marketed as “flavors”, such as strawberry, blueberry and lime.
The original IBM Personal Computer is model number 5150, which was introduced to the world on August 12, 1981. The term “personal computer” was already in use, but the success of the IBM 5150 led to the term “PC” being used for all computer products compatible with the IBM platform.
5 ___-Royce : ROLLS
Charles Rolls founded the Rolls-Royce auto manufacturing company along with his partner Henry Royce in 1906. Sadly, Rolls died just a few years later in a plane crash. Rolls was a pioneering aviator. He became the first Briton to die in a powered aircraft crash when the tail of his plane broke off during a flying display.
6 Mrs. ___ (year-round North Pole resident) : CLAUS
If you want to send a note to Santa from Canada, he has his own special postal code: “North Pole, HOH OHO”. The US Postal Service suggests that we send mail for Santa to zip code 99705, which directs it to the city of North Pole, Alaska.
8 1970 Jackson 5 hit with the line “Easy as 1, 2, 3” : ABC
“ABC” topped the charts for the Jackson 5 in 1970, and might perhaps be called the Jackson 5’s signature tune.
10 Some Japanese cuisine : SUSHI
Sushi is a Japanese dish that has as its primary ingredient cooked, vinegared rice. The rice is usually topped with something, most often fish, and can be served in seaweed rolls. If we want raw fish by itself, then we have to order sashimi.
11 Giant computer of the 1940s : ENIAC
The acronym ENIAC stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (although many folks insist that the C was for “Computer”). ENIAC was introduced at the University of Pennsylvania in 1946, at which time it was the first general-purpose electronic computer, and dubbed “Giant Brain” by the press. Its original purpose was the calculation of artillery firing tables, but it ended up being used early on to make calculations necessary for the development of the hydrogen bomb. Given its uses, it’s not surprising to hear that development of ENIAC was funded by the US Army during WWII.
12 Bird on many a birth announcement : STORK
In German and Dutch society, storks resting on the roof of a house were considered a sign of good luck. This tradition led to nursery stories that babies were brought to families by storks.
18 Empire State Building style, for short : DECO
New York City’s Empire State Building was the world’s tallest building from 1931, the date of its completion, until 1970 when the North Tower of the World Trade Center surpassed it in height in 1970. The Empire State Building was constructed in less than 15 months, handily beating the planned 18-month schedule.
22 Victorian ___ (1837-1901) : ERA
Queen Victoria ruled over the UK from 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign saw the expansion of the British Empire, especially with the incorporation of British possessions on the Indian subcontinent. Indeed, for the last quarter century of her reign, Victoria also used the title Empress of India.
27 Timbuktu’s country : MALI
The Republic of Mali is a landlocked country in western Africa located south of Algeria. Formerly known as French Sudan, the nation’s most famous city is Timbuktu. Mali is the third-largest producer of gold on the continent, after South Africa and Ghana.
36 Stratford’s river : AVON
There are actually four rivers called the Avon in England, but “Shakespeare’s Avon” lies mainly in Warwickshire, and so is sometimes known as the Warwickshire Avon. The name “Avon” comes from the Old English word “abona” meaning “river”. Stratford-upon-Avon was the birthplace of William Shakespeare.
37 Cairo’s river : NILE
Cairo is the capital city of Egypt. It is nicknamed “The City of a Thousand Minarets” because of its impressive skyline replete with Islamic architecture. The name “Cairo” is a European corruption of the city’s original name in Arabic, “Al-Qahira”.
40 Roseanne of “Roseanne” : BARR
Comedian Roseanne Barr is perhaps best known as the star of her own sitcom called “Roseanne” in which she played the character Roseanne Conner. In 2012, Barr unsuccessfully vied for the Green Party’s nomination for US President. She didn’t give up though, and was successful in winning the nomination of the Peace and Freedom Party. In the 2012 presidential election she earned over 60,000 votes, and placed sixth in the list of candidates.
44 Drifting platform for polar wildlife : ICE FLOE
An ice floe is a sheet of ice that has separated from an ice field and is floating freely on the surface of the ocean.
48 Baseball Hall-of-Famer Mel : OTT
At 5′ 9″, baseball legend Mel Ott weighed just 170 lb (I don’t think he took steroids!) and yet he was the first National League player to hit over 500 home runs. Sadly, Ott died in a car accident in New Orleans in 1958 when he was only 49 years old. And, according to Wikipedia, “Ott’s name frequently appears in crossword puzzles, on account of its letter combination and brevity.” True that …
51 Crew : POSSE
Our word “posse” comes from an Anglo-Latin term from the early 15th century “posse comitatus” meaning “the force of the county”
53 Coconut trees : PALMS
The coconut is the fruit of the coconut palm. The term “coconut” comes from “coco” and “nut”, with “coco” being 16th-century Spanish and Portuguese for “head”, and more specifically “grinning face”. The three holes found in the base of a coconut shell might be said to resemble a human face.
59 “Backlash Blues” singer ___ Simone : NINA
“Nina Simone” was the stage name of Eunice Waymon. Simone was very much associated with jazz music, although she really wanted to be a classical musician early in her career. She was inspired by a love for the music of Bach.
61 Things usually sold by the dozen : EGGS
Our word “dozen” is used for a group of twelve. We imported it into English from Old French. The modern French word for “twelve” is “douze”, and for “dozen” is “douzaine”.
63 Instrument often used as the “J” in a “Jazz Club” sign : SAX
The saxophone was invented by Belgian musician Adolphe Sax, hence the name. Sax developed lip cancer at one point in his life, and one has to wonder if his affliction was related to his saxophone playing (I am sure not!). I had the privilege of visiting Sax’s grave in the Cemetery of Montmartre in Paris a few years ago.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 With it : HIP
4 Curving flight paths : ARCS
8 Dodos : ASSES
13 Within : AMID
15 Yellow ingredient left out of some omelets : YOLK
16 Not sharp, as a pencil or knife : BLUNT
17 Built-in lag time to allow bleeping during a live broadcast : TAPE DELAY
19 Big maker of calculators and digital watches : CASIO
20 Landscape, e.g. : SCENE
21 Shiny item of fishing tackle : LURE
23 Scorch : CHAR
24 Part of a swimmer’s sidestroke : SCISSORS KICK
27 “Get over it” : MOVE ON
30 Part of a Superman costume : CAPE
31 Roman love god : AMOR
32 Boat wood : TEAK
35 Chimp’s cousin : ORANG
39 Hawaiian garland : LEI
40 Good vantage point at an opera house or stadium : BOX SEAT
42 Seven on a grandfather clock : VII
43 Delhi’s land : INDIA
45 Consumes : EATS
46 Massage deeply : ROLF
47 Wetlands critter with snapping jaws : CROC
49 Small piano : SPINET
51 Like a puppy who’s learned where to “go” : PAPER-TRAINED
56 Minnesota’s St. ___ College : OLAF
57 27th U.S. president and 10th chief justice : TAFT
58 Intuit : SENSE
62 Prime bird-watching spots for indoor cats : SILLS
64 Archer’s arrow launcher : BOWSTRING
66 Island nation in Polynesia : SAMOA
67 Hawaiian party : LUAU
68 Cozy : SNUG
69 English county at one end of the Thames : ESSEX
70 “Will there be anything ___?” : ELSE
71 “Washboard” muscles, informally : ABS
Down
1 Beanies and bonnets : HATS
2 Something in an office that’s not PC? : IMAC
3 Sink attachment : PIPE
4 “Yes, captain” : AYE
5 ___-Royce : ROLLS
6 Mrs. ___ (year-round North Pole resident) : CLAUS
7 Soar : SKYROCKET
8 1970 Jackson 5 hit with the line “Easy as 1, 2, 3” : ABC
9 Goof-off : SLACKER
10 Some Japanese cuisine : SUSHI
11 Giant computer of the 1940s : ENIAC
12 Bird on many a birth announcement : STORK
14 More tightly packed : DENSER
18 Empire State Building style, for short : DECO
22 Victorian ___ (1837-1901) : ERA
25 “What’s gotten ___ you?” : INTO
26 Smudge : SPOT
27 Timbuktu’s country : MALI
28 Predictive sign : OMEN
29 Like a canceled check : VOID
33 Unspeakably awful : EXECRABLE
34 Hungry ___ bear : AS A
36 Stratford’s river : AVON
37 Cairo’s river : NILE
38 Something that can be wrapped using the starts of 17-, 24-, 40-, 51- and 64-Across : GIFT
40 Roseanne of “Roseanne” : BARR
41 Org. : ASSN
44 Drifting platform for polar wildlife : ICE FLOE
46 Subway patrons : RIDERS
48 Baseball Hall-of-Famer Mel : OTT
50 Nuisance : PEST
51 Crew : POSSE
52 Pen name, e.g. : ALIAS
53 Coconut trees : PALMS
54 Run ___ of (conflict with) : AFOUL
55 “___ all a dream!” : IT WAS
59 “Backlash Blues” singer ___ Simone : NINA
60 Give the cold shoulder : SNUB
61 Things usually sold by the dozen : EGGS
63 Instrument often used as the “J” in a “Jazz Club” sign : SAX
65 Seek damages : SUE
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