0304-20 NY Times Crossword 4 Mar 20, Wednesday

Constructed by: Tracy Gray
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: One-Up

Themed clues are all in the across-direction, and use the letters “ONE” written in the up-direction in the grid:

  • 69A Outdo … or a hint to entering four answers in this puzzle : ONE-UP
  • 18A Strategy used in basketball and football : ZONE DEFENSE
  • 33A Exclamation of surprise : HOW ON EARTH?!
  • 45A “Paper Moon” Oscar winner : TATUM O’NEAL
  • 60A “Water Lilies” painter : CLAUDE MONET

… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 8m 51s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 E-cigarette output : VAPOR

An electronic cigarette (also called an “e-cigarette”) is a battery-powered device that resembles a real cigarette. The e-cigarette vaporizes a solution that contains nicotine, forming a vapor that resembles smoke. The vapor is inhaled in a process called “vaping”, delivering nicotine into the body. The assumption is that an e-cigarette is healthier than a regular cigarette as the inhaled vapor is less harmful than inhaled smoke. But, that may not be so …

10 Hershey’s Kiss covering : FOIL

The Hershey Company produces over 80 million chocolate Kisses each day, and has been making them since 1907.

15 Coach Reid of the 2020 Super Bowl-winning Chiefs : ANDY

Andy Reid was head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles football team for 13 years before taking up the head coaching position with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013.

16 Garnish for a Corona : LIME

The Mexican beer called Corona is the biggest-selling imported beer in the United States.

17 Dance with a kick : CONGA

The conga line is a dance that originated as a Cuban carnival march. It became popular in the US starting in the thirties. The dance is apparently named after the Congo region of Africa, and it was originated by slaves who were brought from there to Cuba.

18 Strategy used in basketball and football : ZONE DEFENSE

In some team sports, there is a choice between man-to-man defense and zone defense. In the former, each defensive player guards a corresponding player on the other team. In the latter, each defensive player covers a particular “zone” of the playing area.

20 German appliance brand : MIELE

Miele is a manufacturer of kitchen equipment based in Germany. The company was founded by Carl Miele and Reinhard Zinkann in 1899, and is still privately-held and family-run. One of Miele’s first products was a butter churn.

26 Cyclops and others : GIANTS

Cyclops was a one-eyed giant in Greek and Roman mythology. Cyclops lived inside Mount Etna, the Sicilian volcano.

29 “Sunset Boulevard” actress Gloria : SWANSON

Gloria Swanson was the highest-paid movie actor of the Silent Era. Famously, Swanson made a comeback in movies when she played a reclusive silent film star in the 1950 film “Sunset Boulevard”. Off the screen, the actress was notorious for her affair with Joe Kennedy, Sr., father of President John F. Kennedy.

“Sunset Boulevard” is a classic film noir co-written and directed by the great Billy Wilder, and released in 1950. It’s a story about a faded film star (played by Gloria Swanson) who dreams about making a return to the screen. Andrew Lloyd Webber made a reasonably successful musical adaptation of the film using the same title, which opened in London in 1993.

31 Figure in cellphone plans : DATA

What we mostly know as a “cell phone” here in North America is more usually referred to as a “mobile phone” in Britain and Ireland. My favorite term for the device is used in Germany, where it is called a “Handy”.

39 Dweller along the Bering Sea : ALEUT

The Aleuts live on the Aleutian Islands of the North Pacific, and on the Commander Islands at the western end of the same island chain. The Aleutian Islands are part of the United States, and the Commander Islands are in Russia.

The Bering Sea, in the very north of the Pacific Ocean, is named for the Danish navigator Vitus Bering, who was the first European to systematically explore the area in 1728. Many believe that the first humans arrived in the Americas from Asia when the waters of the Bering Sea were lower during the last ice age, over what is known as the Bering land bridge.

42 Big name in little trucks : TONKA

The toy manufacturer today known as Tonka started out as a manufacturer of garden implements in Mound, Minnesota in 1946. By 1955, toys had become the main product line for the company. At that time the owners decided to change the company name and opted for “Tonka”, a Dakota Sioux word meaning “great, big”.

45 “Paper Moon” Oscar winner : TATUM O’NEAL

“Paper Moon” is a 1973 comedy film that tells the story of a father and daughter during the Great Depression. The onscreen father and daughter are played by real-life father and daughter Ryan and Tatum O’Neal. The original choices for the lead roles were Paul Newman and his daughter Nell Potts, but they left the project after director John Huston also dropped out.

55 ___-crab soup : SHE

She-crab soup is a specialty in coastal Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia. The soup is very rich as it is made with cream and is similar to a bisque. The list of ingredients includes Atlantic blue crab, and crab roe. It is the use of the roe that gives the name “She-crab”, as that’s where the roe comes from!

60 “Water Lilies” painter : CLAUDE MONET

French artist Claude Monet was one of the founders of the Impressionist movement, and indeed the term “Impressionism” comes from the title of his 1872 painting “Impression, Sunrise”. That work depicts the port of Le Havre, which was Monet’s hometown. Later in his life, Monet purchased a house in Giverny, and famously installed lily ponds and a Japanese bridge in the property’s extensive gardens. He spent two decades painting the water lily ponds, producing his most famous works.

“Water Lilies” by French Impressionist Claude Monet is actually a whole series of paintings, numbering about 250 in total. The subjects of the works were the water lilies in Monet’s flower garden at Giverny in northern France.

62 Birds with effervescent voices : WRENS

The wren is a small songbird belonging to the family troglodytidae and the genus troglodytes. Wrens are known for making dome-shaped nests.

68 Fast-swimming shark : MAKO

The shortfin mako shark can appear on restaurant menus, and as a result the species is dying out in some parts of the world. The mako gets its own back sometimes though, as attacks on humans are not unknown. It is the fastest-swimming shark, and has been clocked at speeds of over 40 miles/hour. And the shark in Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea”, that’s a mako. “Mako” is the Maori word for “shark” or “shark tooth”.

70 Party goodies : SWAG

“Swag” is “loot, stolen property”, and a term that started out as criminal slang in England in the 1830s. “Swag” is also the name given to the promotional freebies available at some events. That said, there’s an urban myth that the promotional version of “swag” is an acronym standing for “stuff we all get”.

71 TV actor/director Ken : OLIN

Ken Olin was one of the stars on the hit television series “Thirtysomething”, playing Michael Steadman. After “Thirtysomething”, Olin moved behind the camera and is now a producer and director.

Down

3 Paella cooker : PAN

Paella is sometimes referred to as the Spanish national dish, but not by Spaniards. In Spain, paella is regarded as a typical regional dish from Valencia.

4 “Srsly?!” : OMG!

“Srsly?” is text-speak for “seriously?”

5 20 quires = 1 ___ : REAM

A quire is a measure of paper quantity. There are usually 25 sheets in a quire, and 20 quires (500 sheets) in a ream. To complicate things, a quire sometimes only contains 15, 18, 20 or 24 sheets, depending on the type of paper.

7 ___ Gay (W.W. II bomber) : ENOLA

The Enola Gay was the B-29 that dropped the first atomic bomb, the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in August 1945. Enola Gay was the name of the mother of pilot Col. Paul W. Tibbets, Jr.

8 Either 1 in “1+1” : ADDEND

“Addend” is short for “addendum”, and is the name given to any element in a set of numbers that is to be added.

19 Profile posting, for short : FB STATUS

Facebook (FB)

21 “Young Frankenstein” character who asks “What hump?” : IGOR

I am not really a big fan of movies by Mel Brooks, but “Young Frankenstein” is the exception. I think the cast has a lot to do with me liking the film, as it includes Gene Wilder (Dr. Frankenstein), Teri Garr (Inga), Marty Feldman (Igor) and Gene Hackman (Harold, the blind man).

23 Extremely muscular, in slang : SWOLE

I know, I know. “Swole” means nothing to me either …

27 Middle X or O : TAC

When I was growing up in Ireland we played “noughts and crosses” … our name for the game tic-tac-toe.

29 “Major Barbara” playwright : SHAW

“Major Barbara” is a 1905 play by Irish author George Bernard Shaw. The title character is Barbara Undershaft, a major in the Salvation Army who spends a great deal of her time helping the poor. Barbara takes offense when her father donates money to the Salvation Army, money that he earned selling munitions.

30 Stuffed to the gills : SATIATED

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

36 He was raised by Cain : ENOCH

According to the Bible’s Book of Genesis, Enoch was the son of Cain, and therefore the grandson of Adam and Eve. Enoch’s mother was Awan, who was also Enoch’s aunt (Cain’s sister).

37 Diamond-shaped ray : SKATE

Skates (formally “Rajidae”) are a family of fish in the superorder of rays (formally “batoidea”). Skates look very similar to stingrays, but they lack stinging spines.

38 Pizzeria in “Do the Right Thing” : SAL’S

“Do the Right Thing” is a Spike Lee movie that was released in 1989. Much of the action in the film is centered on a local pizzeria called “Sal’s” owned by Italian-American Salvatore Frangione (played by Danny Aiello).

41 Winner of 11 Tonys in 2016 : HAMILTON

“Hamilton” is a 2015 musical based on the life of US Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, as described in the 2004 biography by Ron Chernow. The show opened off-Broadway in February 2015, and transferred to Broadway in August of the same year. Advance ticket sales for the Broadway production were unprecedented, and reportedly amounted to $30 million. The representations of the main characters are decidedly ground-breaking. The show is rooted in hip-hop and the main roles such as Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington are all played by African-American and Hispanic actors.

48 20 Questions category : ANIMAL

The parlor game called Twenty Questions originated in the US and really took off in the late forties as it became a weekly quiz show on the radio. Am I the only one who thinks that there aren’t enough quiz shows on the radio these days? Apart from a couple of great shows on NPR, I have to resort to listening to the BBC game shows over the Internet …

54 Long-stemmed mushroom : ENOKI

Enokitake (also known as “enoki”) are long and thin white mushrooms often added to soups or salads.

59 Numbers for Noah : TWOS

Genesis 6:19-20 states that Noah was instructed to take two animals of every kind into the ark. Later, in Genesis 7:2-3 Noah was instructed to take on board “every clean animal by sevens … male and female, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth”. Apparently, “extras” (7 rather than 2) were needed for ritual sacrifice.

61 Jimmy Eat World music genre : EMO

Jimmy Eat World is an alternative rock band from Mesa, Arizona.

63 Single-stranded genetic molecule : RNA

Both DNA and RNA are complex molecules comprising nucleotide bases arranged in chains. Famously, DNA molecules form a double-helix structure, with two chains coiled around each other. RNA chains are single-stranded structures that usually fold onto themselves.

66 Use a nanny cam, say : SPY

From what I’ve read, it is legal to record video with a hidden camera, at least to monitor the behavior of a caregiver in your home. Apparently there is also a law that prohibits the recording of audio. So, “nanny cams” are sold without audio capability. But (disclaimer) that’s just what I read, so don’t take my word for it!

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 E-cigarette output : VAPOR
6 Something to shift into or stow : GEAR
10 Hershey’s Kiss covering : FOIL
14 Best competitive effort : A-GAME
15 Coach Reid of the 2020 Super Bowl-winning Chiefs : ANDY
16 Garnish for a Corona : LIME
17 Dance with a kick : CONGA
18 Strategy used in basketball and football : ZONE DEFENSE
20 German appliance brand : MIELE
22 Maker of tarts and tortes : BAKER
23 Wis.-to-Ga. direction : SSE
26 Cyclops and others : GIANTS
28 Hog’s heaven : STY
29 “Sunset Boulevard” actress Gloria : SWANSON
31 Figure in cellphone plans : DATA
33 Exclamation of surprise : HOW ON EARTH?!
35 Touch lovingly : CARESS
39 Dweller along the Bering Sea : ALEUT
40 “That’s going to leave a mark!” : OOH!
42 Big name in little trucks : TONKA
43 Prank involving yanking underwear : WEDGIE
45 “Paper Moon” Oscar winner : TATUM O’NEAL
47 Major city of west-central Syria : HAMA
49 Behaves improperly : MISACTS
50 Butter square : PAT
53 Turn the dial to a radio station : TUNE IN
55 ___-crab soup : SHE
56 What an acrobat needs to be : AGILE
58 Buzzards Bay, for one : INLET
60 “Water Lilies” painter : CLAUDE MONET
62 Birds with effervescent voices : WRENS
67 Struggling with a decision : TORN
68 Fast-swimming shark : MAKO
69 Outdo … or a hint to entering four answers in this puzzle : ONE-UP
70 Party goodies : SWAG
71 TV actor/director Ken : OLIN
72 Kind of language used by sailors : SALTY

Down

1 Household device with a hose, informally : VAC
2 Before now : AGO
3 Paella cooker : PAN
4 “Srsly?!” : OMG!
5 20 quires = 1 ___ : REAM
6 Stare at, as another’s eyes : GAZE INTO
7 ___ Gay (W.W. II bomber) : ENOLA
8 Either 1 in “1+1” : ADDEND
9 Bread with seeded and unseeded varieties : RYE
10 Hartz collar target : FLEA
11 Sounds from a 28-Across : OINKS
12 “Good to go here!” : I’M SET!
13 Skeptical : LEERY
19 Profile posting, for short : FB STATUS
21 “Young Frankenstein” character who asks “What hump?” : IGOR
23 Extremely muscular, in slang : SWOLE
24 Cut, as lumber : SAWED
25 “Just be quiet already!” : ENOUGH!
27 Middle X or O : TAC
29 “Major Barbara” playwright : SHAW
30 Stuffed to the gills : SATIATED
32 Memory triggers, for many : AROMAS
34 All the rage : HOT
36 He was raised by Cain : ENOCH
37 Diamond-shaped ray : SKATE
38 Pizzeria in “Do the Right Thing” : SAL’S
41 Winner of 11 Tonys in 2016 : HAMILTON
44 Goose : gaggle :: ___ : mob : EMU
46 One of three on an oyster fork : TINE
48 20 Questions category : ANIMAL
50 Diplomatic agreements : PACTS
51 Shining : AGLOW
52 Bejeweled head ornament : TIARA
54 Long-stemmed mushroom : ENOKI
57 It’s breath-taking : LUNG
59 Numbers for Noah : TWOS
61 Jimmy Eat World music genre : EMO
63 Single-stranded genetic molecule : RNA
64 Smoked fish : EEL
65 Trail mix bit : NUT
66 Use a nanny cam, say : SPY