0624-18 NY Times Crossword Answers 24 Jun 2018, Sunday

Constructed by: Timothy Polin
Edited by: Will Shortz

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Today’s Theme: Creature Feature

We have a rebus puzzle today that is a homage to the FEATURE film “Jaws”. The rebus squares contain the letters FIN, and we can connect those FIN-squares to draw a fin on top of the grid:

  • 106D. 1975 summer blockbuster : JAWS
  • 24A. Worrisome sight for a swimmer : DORSAL FIN
  • 86A. With 87-Across, what might cost you an arm and a leg? : GREAT …
  • 87A. See 86-Across : … WHITE
  • 99A. Menace in 106-Down : SHARK
  • 112A. Fictional setting for 106-Down : AMITY ISLAND
  • 3D. 106-Down director : SPIELBERG
  • 17D. Like the menace in 106-Down : MAN-EATING
  • 101D. Movie org. whose “100 Years … 100 Thrills” list has 106-Down at #2 : AFI

Bill’s time: Not recorded … technical problems, many technical problems!

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1. “Friendly” cartoon character : CASPER

Casper the Friendly Ghost features in a whole series of cartoon shorts made by Famous Studios. Casper made the big time in 1995 when he appeared in his own “Casper” movie, alongside Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman and Eric Idle.

14. Symbols in calculus : SIGMAS

Sigma is the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, and is the one used for an “ess” sound, equivalent to our letter S. Sigma is used in mathematics to represent a summation, the adding together of a sequence of numbers.

20. Simple kind of antenna : DIPOLE

An antenna’s job is to convert electrical power into radio waves, and radio waves into an electrical signal. The first antennas were built by the German physicist Heinrich Hertz in 1888.

26. Some Houdini feats : ESCAPES

“Harry Houdini” was the stage name of Hungarian-born escapologist and magician Erik Weisz (later changed to “Harry Weiss”). Many people are under the impression that Houdini died while performing an escape that went wrong, an impression created by the storyline in a couple of movies about his life. The truth is that he died of peritonitis from a burst appendix. It is also true that a few days prior to his death Houdini took a series of punches to his stomach as part of his act, but doctors believe that his appendix would have burst regardless.

28. John of spy fiction : LE CARRE

“John le Carré” is the pen name of David Cornwell, an English author who is famous for his spy novels. Cornwell worked for British Intelligence during the fifties and sixties, even as he was writing his spy thrillers. He left MI6 soon after his most famous 1963 novel “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold”, became such a great success.

38. Caffeinated drink with tapioca balls : BOBA TEA

Bubble tea, sometimes called Boba tea, is a tea-based drink from Taiwan. The “bubbles” are chewy tapioca balls that are usually added to the drink.

42. “___ Jacques” : FRERE

“Frère Jacques” is a children’s song from France. The French lyrics are:

Frère Jacques, frère Jacques,
Dormez-vous ? Dormez-vous ?
Sonnez les matines ! Sonnez les matines !
Ding, daing, dong. Ding, daing, dong.

The lyrics are usually translated into English as:

Are you sleeping, are you sleeping,
Brother John? Brother John?
Morning bells are ringing! Morning bells are ringing!
Ding, dang, dong. Ding, dang, dong.

56. Dr. ___ Sattler, “Jurassic Park” paleobotanist : ELLIE

The actress Laura Dern is the daughter of the actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd. Among her many notable roles, Laura played the Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris in the 2008 movie “Recount”, and Dr. Ellie Sattler in the 1993 blockbuster “Jurassic Park”.

“Jurassic Park” is a 1990 novel by Michael Crichton that was adapted into a hugely successful movie by Steven Spielberg in 1993. One of the main premises of the novel is that dinosaur DNA could be harvested from mosquitoes trapped in amber (fossilized tree resin), the DNA coming from the dinosaur blood consumed by the mosquitoes. The dinosaur DNA is then sequenced and used to create clones of the original beasts. Apparently, that’s a clever idea, but not very practical …

57. Energy giant that fell into ignominy in 2002 : ENRON

After all the trials following the exposure of fraud at Enron, several of the key players ended up in jail. Andrew Fastow was the Chief Financial Officer. He plea-bargained and received ten years without parole, and became the key witness in the trials of others. Even Fastow’s wife was involved and she was sentenced to one year for helping her husband hide money. Jeffrey Skilling (ex-CEO) was sentenced to 24 years and 4 months. Kenneth Lay (CEO) died in 2006 after he had been found guilty but before he could be sentenced. The accounting firm Arthur Andersen was found guilty of obstruction of justice for shredding thousands of pertinent documents and deleting emails and files (a decision that the Supreme Court later overturned on a technicality). But still, Arthur Andersen collapsed under the weight of the scandal and 85,000 people lost their jobs (despite only a handful being directly involved with Enron).

61. Get a new mortgage : REFINANCE

Our word “mortgage” comes from the Old French “mort gaige” which translated as “dead pledge”. Such an arrangement was so called because the “pledge” to repay “dies” when the debt is cleared.

65. Powerful D.C. lobby : AARP

“AARP” is now the official name for the interest group that used to be called the American Association of Retired Persons. The name change reflects the current focus of the group on all Americans aged 50 or over, as opposed to just people who have retired.

68. Scylla or Charybdis : SEA MONSTER

Charybdis was a beautiful naiad, a water nymph of Greek mythology. Zeus became enraged with Charybdis and turned her into a sea monster. In Greek myth, the monstrous form of Charybdis lay at one side of a narrow channel of water, with another sea monster named Scylla lying at the other. Sailors found it impossible to navigate the channel as getting to a safe distance from one monster left them in the clutches of the other. From this tale arose the expression “between Scylla and Charybdis” meaning having two choices, neither of which is a good one.

82. Buzz out in space : ALDRIN

Buzz Aldrin was a true American hero, I’d say. He flew 66 combat missions in Korea, shot down two MiGs, earned his Sc. D. degree from MIT, and was one of the two men who landed on the moon for the first time. Now that man, he lived a life worth living.

84. Staff leader? : CLEF

“Clef” is the French word for “key”. In music, a clef is used to indicate the pitch of the notes written on the stave. The bass clef is also known as the F-clef, the alto clef is the C-clef, and the treble clef is the G-clef.

89. 2004 also-ran : KERRY

Secretary of State John Kerry enlisted in the Naval Reserve in 1966 and went straight into Officer Candidate School. Kerry’s first post was as an ensign on a frigate in the Vietnam theater, mainly working on rescue missions picking up downed pilots. He requested a transfer to Swift boat duty. While serving on Swift boats Kerry was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts.

91. Martin who wrote “The Pregnant Widow” : AMIS

I suppose the successful English novelist Martin Amis must have writing in his blood. He is the son of the respected author Kingsley Amis, a Booker Prize winner. Martin Amis’s best-known novels comprise his so-called “London Trilogy” consisting of “Money” (1984), “London Fields” (1989) and “The Information” (1995).

93. Southern sandwich : PO’ BOY

A po’ boy is a submarine sandwich from Louisiana. There are a lot of theories about where the name came from, and none sound too convincing to me. A po’ boy differs from a regular submarine sandwich in that it uses Louisiana French bread, which is soft in the middle and crusty on the outside.

96. Zen Buddhist goal : SATORI

“Satori” is a Japanese term that is used in the Zen Buddhist tradition. Satori does not refer to full enlightenment (nirvana) but rather is a step along the way, a flash of awareness.

117. Caffè ___ : LATTE

The term “latte” is an abbreviation of the Italian “caffelatte” meaning “coffee (and) milk”. Note that in the correct spelling of “latte”, the Italian word for milk, there is no accent over the “e”. An accent is often added by mistake when we use the word in English, perhaps meaning to suggest that the word is French.

118. Justin Bieber or Justin Timberlake : TENOR

Justin Bieber is a young pop singer from London, Ontario. Bieber was actually discovered on YouTube by talent manager Scooter Brown. Fans of Bieber call themselves “Beliebers”. Personally, I’m no believer in Bieber …

Justin Timberlake got his break by appearing on TV’s “Star Search” from which he was given a starring role in “The New Mickey Mouse Club”. It was on “The New Mickey Mouse Club” that he met his future girlfriend Britney Spears, as well JC Chasez who would join Timberlake in the lineup of the boy band NSYNC.

Down

1. Things investors take an interest in? : CDS

A certificate of deposit (CD) is like a less-flexible and higher-paying savings account. Instead of depositing money into a savings account and earning interest periodically, one can open a CD. With a CD one deposits a minimum amount of money but must leave it there for a specified length of time. In return for committing the funds for a fixed period, one is given a higher interest rate than a savings account and can redeem that interest and the initial deposit when the term has expired. CDs are relatively low-risk investments as they are FDIC insured, just like savings accounts.

3. 106-Down director : SPIELBERG

The director Steven Spielberg has had so many hit movies. Spielberg won two Best Director Oscars, one being “Schindler’s List” from 1993 and “Saving Private Ryan” from 1998. Three Spielberg films broke box office records: “Jaws” (1975), “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (1982) and “Jurassic Park” (1993). That’s quite a portfolio of movies …

4. Pink, e.g. : POP STAR

“P!nk” is the stage name of American singer Alecia Beth Moore. I known so little about “modern” music, but I do like the P!nk song “Just Give Me a Reason” …

9. Save for later, in a way : DVR

Digital Video Recorder (DVR)

11. Santa ___ : ANA

Santa Ana is the county seat of Orange County, California and takes its name from the Santa Ana River that runs through the city.

14. Horn of Africa native : SOMALI

Somalia is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Sadly, the nation is noted today for a devastating civil war and for its use as a base for pirates who prey on ships passing through the Indian Ocean along the Somali coast.

The Horn of Africa is that horn-shaped peninsula at the easternmost tip of the continent, containing the countries Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia as well as Somalia. The Horn of Africa is also known as the Somali Peninsula.

15. Neon, e.g. : INERT GAS

An inert gas can be different from a noble gas. Both are relatively non-reactive, but a noble gas is an element. An inert gas might be a compound, i.e. made up of more than one element.

Neon was discovered in 1898 by two British chemists Sir William Ramsay and Morris Travers. They chilled a sample of air, turning it into a liquid, and then warmed the liquid and separated out the gases that boiled off. Along with nitrogen, oxygen and argon (already known), the pair of scientists discovered two new gases. The first they called “krypton” and the second “neon”. “Krypton” is Greek for “the hidden one” and “neon” is Greek for “new”.

18. Common knee injury site, briefly : ACL

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of four major ligaments that support the knee.

27. Fairy tale “lump” : PEA

“The Princess and the Pea” is a fairy tale from the pen of Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The essence of the story is that a prince’s mother tests the royal blood of an apparent princess by placing a pea under a pile of mattresses on which the young girl sleeps. The girl complains of a restless night, demonstrating a physical sensitivity that can only be attributed to a princess. And they all live happily ever after …

29. Hack : CAB

Hackney is a location in London, and it probably gave it’s name to a “hackney”, an ordinary type of horse around 1300. By 1700 a “hackney” was a person hired to do routine work, and “hackneyed” meant “kept for hire”, and then “stale, uninteresting”. This morphed into a hackney carriage, a carriage or car for hire, and into “hack”, a slang term for a taxi driver or cab.

30. Hit BBC comedy, briefly : AB FAB

“Absolutely Fabulous” (sometimes shortened to “Ab Fab”) is a cult-classic sitcom produced by the BBC. The two stars of the show are Jennifer Saunders (Edina Monsoon) and Joanna Lumley (Patsy Stone). “Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie” hit the screens in 2016. I haven’t seen it yet, but my wife did and really enjoyed it. She said that there’s a veritable cavalcade of British stars that make an appearance …

31. Peter of “The Maltese Falcon” : LORRE

The marvelous actor Peter Lorre was born in what is now modern-day Slovakia. Lorre’s real name was Laszlo Lowenstein. He started acting in Vienna when he was quite young, only 17 years old. When Hitler came to power, the Jewish Lowenstein headed to Paris and then London, eventually ending up in Hollywood. Lorre found himself typecast as the wicked foreigner in American movies, but I think he sneered and snarled his way to the bank.

The classic detective novel “The Maltese Falcon” was written by Dashiell Hammett and first published in 1930. The main character is Sam Spade, a character played by Humphrey Bogart in the third movie adaptation of the book, a film of the same name and released in 1941.

44. “___ U.S.A.” (1963 hit) : SURFIN’

“Surfin’ U.S.A.” is a Beach Boys song. The tune for “Surfin’ U.S.A.” is actually the same as “Sweet Little Sixteen”, the rock and roll song written by Chuck Berry.

52. Country music channel, once : TNN

The Nashville Network (TNN)

55. Decorative pillowcase : SHAM

A sham is something that is imitation, fake. In the world of bed linens, a sham is also an imitation or fake, in the sense that it is a decorative cover designed to cover up a regular pillow used for sleeping.

62. Lyricist Sammy : CAHN

Sammy Cahn wrote for them all, including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Doris Day. Cahn’s most famous song was probably “Three Coins in the Fountain”. He also wrote “All the Way”, made famous by Frank Sinatra.

63. Singer Haggard : MERLE

Merle Haggard is a country singer and songwriter whose most famous recording has to be “Okie from Muskogee” released in 1969. Haggard will tell you that the song was actually meant as a spoof, but it has become a country “anthem”.

66. Ska-punk band with the 1997 song “Sell Out” : REEL BIG FISH

Reel Big Fish is a ska punk band from Southern California that was founded in 1991.

70. Small herrings : SPRATS

A sprat is a forage fish that travels in large schools with other species of fish, and that looks like a baby sardine. Although sprats are found all over the world, they are particularly associated with the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe.

72. Actor Morales : ESAI

The actor Esai Morales is best known in the world of film for the 1987 movie “La Bamba”, which depicted the life of Ritchie Valens and his half-brother Bob Morales (played by Esai). On the small screen, Morales plays Lt. Tony Rodriguez on “NYPD Blue” and Joseph Adama on “Caprica”.

77. Mid-crisis hire, perhaps : PR TEAM

Public relations (PR)

79. Frozen dessert chain : TCBY

TCBY is a chain of stores selling frozen yogurt that was founded in 1981 in Little Rock, Arkansas. The acronym TCBY originally stood for “This Can’t Be Yogurt”, but this had to be changed due to a lawsuit being pressed by a competitor called “I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt”. These days TCBY stands for “The Country’s Best Yogurt”.

88. Thugs : GORILLAS

The handheld weapon known as a garrote (also “garotte”) was particular associated with murderers and robbers harassing travelers in India. These felons were known locally as “thuggees” (from the Hindi word for “thief”). This gave us our contemporary word “thug”, meaning “brute”.

90. Aromatic yellow citrus : YUZU

Yuzu is a citrus plant and fruit that is native to East Asia. The flavor of the yuzu fruit is said to resemble that of a grapefruit, with a hint of mandarin orange.

93. Preppy wear : POLO

René Lacoste was a French tennis player who went into the clothing business, and came up with a more comfortable shirt that players could use. This became known as a “tennis shirt”. When it was adopted for use in the sport of polo, the shirts also became known as “polo shirts”. The “golf shirt” is basically the same thing.

95. Himalayan native : NEPALI

Nepal lies to the northeast of India. Today, the state is known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. In 2008, the Communist Party of Nepal won the country’s general election. Soon after, the Assembly voted to change the form of government, moving away from a monarchy and creating a secular republic.

100. Actress Salma : HAYEK

Salma Hayek is a Mexican actress. Hayek was the first Mexican national to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, for her portrayal of artist Frida Kahlo in the 2002 movie “Frida”.

101. Movie org. whose “100 Years … 100 Thrills” list has 106-Down at #2 : AFI

The American Film Institute’s (AFI’s) list of the top suspense movies is known as “AFI’s 100 Years…100 Thrills”. The top five films on the list are:

  1. “Psycho” (1960)
  2. “Jaws” (1975)
  3. “The Exorcist” (1973)
  4. “North by Northwest” (1959)
  5. “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991)

103. Superman, by birth : KAL-EL

Jor-El was a scientist on the planet Krypton who was married to Lara. Jor-El and Lara had an infant son named Kal-El who they were able to launch into space towards Earth just before Krypton was destroyed. Kal-El became Superman. In the 1978 movie “Superman”, Jor-El was played by Marlon Brando, Lara was played by Susannah York, and Kal-El/Superman was played by Christopher Reeve.

106. 1975 summer blockbuster : JAWS

“Jaws” is a thrilling 1975 movie directed by Steven Spielberg that is based on a novel of the same name by Peter Benchley. The film has a powerful cast, led by Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw. “Jaws” was perhaps the first “summer blockbuster” with the highest box office take in history, a record that stood until “Star Wars” was released two years later.

107. Morse clicks : DITS

Samuel Morse came up with the forerunner to modern Morse code for use on the electric telegraph, of which he was the co-inventor. Morse code uses a series of dots and dashes to represent letters and numbers. The most common letters are assigned the simplest code elements e.g. E is represented by one dot, and T is represented by one dash. When words are spelled aloud in Morse code, a dot is pronounced as “dit”, and a dash is pronounced as “dah”.

108. Indian blueblood : RANI

A ranee (also “rani”) is an Indian queen or princess, and the female equivalent of a raja.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. “Friendly” cartoon character : CASPER
7. Pro : OLD HAND
14. Symbols in calculus : SIGMAS
20. Simple kind of antenna : DIPOLE
21. Expenditures’ counterpart : REVENUE
22. Lacking a break : ONE-ACT
23. Add surreptitiously : SLIP IN
24. Worrisome sight for a swimmer : DORSAL FIN
25. With spite : MEANLY
26. Some Houdini feats : ESCAPES
28. John of spy fiction : LE CARRE
30. Something extraordinary that won’t soon be forgotten : ALL-TIMER
32. Some northern Europeans : FINNS
35. Bit of hydrotherapy : SALT BATH
38. Caffeinated drink with tapioca balls : BOBA TEA
39. Doled (out) : METED
41. Opposite of colorblindness? : BIGOTRY
42. “___ Jacques” : FRERE
43. Ones eligible for marathon prizes : FINISHERS
45. “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you,” e.g. : AXIOM
46. Flight board abbr. : ARR
47. Sinking feelings : DREADS
50. Mistrusts : DOUBTS
53. Mother or sister : NUN
54. Does more than ask : BEGS
56. Dr. ___ Sattler, “Jurassic Park” paleobotanist : ELLIE
57. Energy giant that fell into ignominy in 2002 : ENRON
58. Elevs. : HGTS
59. Peevish quality : HUFFINESS
61. Get a new mortgage : REFINANCE
63. [Kiss] : MWAH!
65. Powerful D.C. lobby : AARP
68. Scylla or Charybdis : SEA MONSTER
74. Speedy wide receiver, perhaps : DEEP THREAT
80. Skill : ART
81. [Fingers crossed] : HOPE SO
82. Buzz out in space : ALDRIN
83. And so on: Abbr. : ETC
84. Staff leader? : CLEF
86. With 87-Across, what might cost you an arm and a leg? : GREAT …
87. See 86-Across : … WHITE
88. Silver-tongued : GLIB
89. 2004 also-ran : KERRY
91. Martin who wrote “The Pregnant Widow” : AMIS
92. Evening, in ads : NITE
93. Southern sandwich : PO’ BOY
94. Is there in spirit? : HAUNTS
96. Zen Buddhist goal : SATORI
98. Makes fun of : RAZZES
99. Menace in 106-Down : SHARK
104. Bad-mouth : MALIGN
106. Add spice to : JAZZ UP
107. Metaphor for deliberate ignorance : DEAF EAR
109. Gobbled (down) : WOLFED
111. Seriously uptight : ANAL
112. Fictional setting for 106-Down : AMITY ISLAND
115. “A ___ believes no one” (old saying) : LIAR
116. Pottery : WARE
117. Caffè ___ : LATTE
118. Justin Bieber or Justin Timberlake : TENOR
119. Concerning : AS TO
120. Conventions: Abbr. : STDS
121. “There, there” : IT’S OK
122. Disgustingly obsequious : SLIMY
123. Class with drills : SHOP

Down

1. Things investors take an interest in? : CDS
2. Suffer : AIL
3. 106-Down director : SPIELBERG
4. Pink, e.g. : POP STAR
5. Brought out : ELICITED
6. Christen anew : RENAME
7. Tidiness : ORDER
8. Proud, fiery types, they say : LEOS
9. Save for later, in a way : DVR
10. Fathers or brothers : HES
11. Santa ___ : ANA
12. No longer in force : NULL
13. Gives meaning to : DEFINES
14. Horn of Africa native : SOMALI
15. Neon, e.g. : INERT GAS
16. Transmission : GEARBOX
17. Like the menace in 106-Down : MAN-EATING
18. Common knee injury site, briefly : ACL
19. Locale for a trough : STY
27. Fairy tale “lump” : PEA
29. Hack : CAB
30. Hit BBC comedy, briefly : AB FAB
31. Peter of “The Maltese Falcon” : LORRE
32. Handles deftly : FINESSES
33. Utmost degree : NTH
34. Farm machine : SEEDER
36. Something to angle for : TROUT
37. “In Dulci Jubilo” and others : HYMNS
39. Modest skirts : MIDIS
40. Modern subject of F.A.A. regulation : DRONE
43. TV show with the season’s highest rating, often : FINALE
44. “___ U.S.A.” (1963 hit) : SURFIN’
48. Sports arbiter : REF
49. Pixielike : ELFIN
51. Cabaret accessory : BOA
52. Country music channel, once : TNN
55. Decorative pillowcase : SHAM
58. Adjudicate, as a case : HEAR
60. “This is looking bad” : UH-OH
62. Lyricist Sammy : CAHN
63. Singer Haggard : MERLE
64. Golfer’s obstacle : WATER HAZARD
66. Ska-punk band with the 1997 song “Sell Out” : REEL BIG FISH
67. Sunning area : PATIO
68. Ax : SACK
69. Seasonal quaff : NOG
70. Small herrings : SPRATS
71. Is a crowd : TEEMS
72. Actor Morales : ESAI
73. Deteriorates : ROTS
74. Beginning : DAWN
75. Precollege, for short : ELHI
76. Text tweaks : EDITS
77. Mid-crisis hire, perhaps : PR TEAM
78. Word with black or blood : TIE
79. Frozen dessert chain : TCBY
85. Leaves nervously exhausted : FRAZZLES
88. Thugs : GORILLAS
90. Aromatic yellow citrus : YUZU
93. Preppy wear : POLO
95. Himalayan native : NEPALI
97. Cheap and gaudy : TAWDRY
98. Charged : RAN AT
99. Scrap : SET-TO
100. Actress Salma : HAYEK
101. Movie org. whose “100 Years … 100 Thrills” list has 106-Down at #2 : AFI
102. Takes a load off : RESTS
103. Superman, by birth : KAL-EL
105. “Coo-oo-ool!” : NEATO!
106. 1975 summer blockbuster : JAWS
107. Morse clicks : DITS
108. Indian blueblood : RANI
110. Teensy amount : DROP
113. Yogi’s accessory : MAT
114. Oscar ___ (Hollywood honor, informally) : NOM