0717-19 NY Times Crossword 17 Jul 19, Wednesday

Constructed by: Adam Nicolle
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): What Happened Inside?

Themed answers include a hidden word (circled letters). The hidden word describes what happened to the answer:

  • 17A Candy that the lovers [circled letters] on Valentine’s Day : CHOCOLATE (ate the chocolate)
  • 24A Politician that the voters [circled letters] to Congress : REPRESENTATIVE (sent the representative)
  • 35A Quick trips that the busy person [circled letters] around town : ERRANDS (ran the errands)
  • 45A Books that Victorians [circled letters] for cheap : PENNY DREADFULS (read the penny dreadfuls)
  • 54A Luxury vehicle that the motorist [circled letters] on the highway : LAND ROVER (drove the Land Rover)

Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 7m 13s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Gymnasts’ supplies : MATS

Our word “gymnasium” comes from the Greek “gymnasion” meaning “public place where exercise is taken”. The Greek term comes from “gymnos” meaning “naked”, as that physical training was usually done unclothed in ancient Greece.

9 New moon or full moon : PHASE

The phases of the moon have been given the following names, in order:

  • New moon
  • Waxing crescent moon
  • First quarter moon
  • Waxing gibbous moon
  • Full moon
  • Waning gibbous moon
  • Third quarter moon
  • Waning crescent moon
  • Dark moon

17 Candy that the lovers [circled letters] on Valentine’s Day : CHOCOLATE (ate the chocolate)

Saint Valentine’s Day was introduced by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD to honor various martyrs with the name Valentine. However, the saint’s day was dropped by the Roman Catholic church in 1969, by Pope Paul VI. Try telling that to Hallmark though …

19 More deadpan, as humor : DRIER

The term “deadpan”, slang for an impassive expression, comes from “dead” (expressionless) and “pan” (slang for “face”).

21 Some pro cameras, for short : SLRS

Single-lens reflex camera (SLR)

23 Shepherd slain by Cain : ABEL

In the story of Cain and Abel in the Book of Genesis, Cain murders his brother Abel. Subsequently, God asks Cain, “Where is Abel thy brother?” Cain replies, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

24 Politician that the voters [circled letters] to Congress : REPRESENTATIVE (sent the representative)

The US Congress is described “bicameral” in that it is divided into two separate assemblies, namely the Senate and the House of Representatives. The term “bicameral” comes from the prefix “bi-” meaning “two”, and the Latin “camera” meaning “chamber”.

40 “Auld Lang ___” : SYNE

The song “Auld Lang Syne” is a staple at New Year’s Eve (well, actually in the opening minutes of New Year’s Day). The words were written by Scottish poet Robbie Burns. The literal translation of “Auld Lang Syne” is “old long since”, but is better translated as “old times”. The sentiment of the song is “for old time’s sake”.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

45 Books that Victorians [circled letters] for cheap : PENNY DREADFULS (read the penny dreadfuls)

“Penny dreadfuls” originally were cheap works of fiction published in the 1800s in Britain. The books’ price-points were originally a penny, which compared to the shilling that was charged for more mainstream works. Just like America’s dime novels, “penny dreadful” came to be a generic term for trash literature.

50 Alternatives to wagons : SUVS

“SUV” is an initialism standing for “sports utility vehicle”, and is a term that was introduced by our marketing friends. Using the phrase “sports utility vehicle” was a very clever way to get us to pay a lot of money for what was essentially a station wagon on a truck chassis, or at least it was back then.

51 One step down on the evolutionary scale : APE

The tailless primates known as apes are divided into two main branches: gibbons (lesser apes) and hominids (great apes). The hominids are the great apes, and belong to the family of primates called Hominidae. Extant genera that make up the family Hominidae are:

  • chimpanzees
  • gorillas
  • humans
  • orangutans

54 Luxury vehicle that the motorist [circled letters] on the highway : LAND ROVER (drove the Land Rover)

Land Rover is a British car manufacturer, the second oldest manufacturer of four-wheel-drive cars in the world (after the American Jeep). The first Land Rover was produced just after WWII, in 1948.

59 Apple’s first location? : EDEN

In the Christian tradition, the “fall of man” took place in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve succumbed to the temptation of eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This went against the bidding of God, and was at the urging of the serpent. As a result, Adam and Eve were banished from Eden to prevent them becoming immortal by eating from the tree of life. The first humans had transitioned from a state of innocent obedience to a state of guilty disobedience.

60 Action to collect on a debt : REPO

Repossession (repo)

61 Shorthand, for short : STENO

Stenography is the process of writing in shorthand. The term comes from the Greek “steno” (narrow) and “graphe” (writing).

62 “Buona ___” (Italian greeting) : SERA

“Buona sera” is Italian for “good evening”.

63 Dish that may come with a spork : SLAW

The term “coleslaw” is an Anglicized version of the Dutch name “koolsla”, which in itself is a shortened form of “Koolsalade” meaning “cabbage salad”.

Down

1 Org. that regulates I.S.P.s : FCC

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been around since 1934, when it replaced the Federal Radio Commission.

“Spork” is the more common name for the utensil that is a hybrid between a spoon and a fork. The same utensil is less commonly referred to as a “foon”.

5 Blanc who voiced Bugs Bunny : MEL

Mel Blanc was known as “The Man of a Thousand Voices”. We’ve all heard Mel Blanc at one time or another, I am sure. His was the voice behind such cartoon characters as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, Woody Woodpecker, Elmer Fudd and Barney Rubble. And the words on Blanc’s tombstone are … “That’s all folks”.

7 Mr. or Mrs. : TITLE

Mr. is an abbreviation for “mister”, and Mrs. is an abbreviation for “mistress”.

9 Queen guitarist Brian May has one in astrophysics : PHD

Brian May is the lead guitarist of the English rock band Queen. As well as performing with the group, May composed some of Queen’s biggest hits, including “We Will Rock You” and “I Want It All”. May is also a qualified astrophysicist. He has a bachelor’s degree in physics and worked several years towards a PhD at Imperial College London before abandoning his studies to pursue his career in music. May went back to his PhD studies some 32 years later, and graduated in 2008.

10 Friend of Hamlet : HORATIO

Horatio is a character in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”, a friend of the play’s hero and a relatively uninterested party in the intrigue of the storyline. As a trusted friend, Horatio serves as a sounding board for Hamlet, allowing us in the audience to gain more insight into Hamlet’s thinking and character as we listen to the two in conversation. One of Horatio’s more famous lines is spoken right after the title character dies, as Horatio says goodbye to his friend:

Now cracks a noble heart. Good night sweet prince:
And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!

11 Outs : ALIBIS

“Alibi” is the Latin word for “elsewhere” as in, “I claim that I was ‘elsewhere’ when the crime was committed … I have an ‘alibi’”.

13 ___ Combs, Hall-of-Famer who played for the 1920s-’30s Yankees : EARLE

Earle Combs was a professional baseball player who played for the New York Yankees from 1924 to 1935, his whole playing career. Combs, a native of Kentucky, had the reputation of being a real gentleman and was nicknamed “the Kentucky Colonel”. He was such a gentleman that he was described as the favorite Yankee by sports writers. That must have been quite an honor given that his teammates included Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

18 Other, in Oaxaca : OTRA

Oaxaca is a state in the southern part of Mexico on the Pacific coast. The state takes the name of Oaxaca, its largest city.

24 Surname of national security advisers under both Bush 43 and Obama : RICE

Condoleezza “Condi” Rice was the second African American to serve as US Secretary of State (after Colin Powell) and the second woman to hold the office (after Madeleine Albright). Prior to becoming Secretary of State in President George W. Bush’s administration, Rice was the first woman to hold the office of National Security Advisor. In private life, Rice is a remarkably capable pianist. Given her stature in Washington, Rice has had the opportunity to play piano in public with the likes of cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and soul singer Aretha Franklin.

Susan Rice served as UN Ambassador and then National Security Adviser in the Obama administration.

25 May birthstones : EMERALDS

Here is the “official” list of birthstones, by month, that we tend to use today:

  • January: Garnet
  • February: Amethyst
  • March: Bloodstone or Aquamarine
  • April: Diamond
  • May: Emerald
  • June: Pearl or Moonstone
  • July: Ruby
  • August: Sardonyx or Peridot
  • September: Sapphire or Lapis Lazuli
  • October: Opal or Pink Tourmaline
  • November: Topaz or Citrine
  • December: Turquoise or Zircon (also now, Tanzanite)

38 Gunpowder holder : KEG

Gunpowder is the earliest known explosive chemical. Also called “black powder”, it is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal and saltpeter (i.e. potassium nitrate). The saltpeter is a powerful oxidizing agent, providing the oxygen to burn the sulfur and charcoal, which acts as the fuel in the mixture. Gunpowder was invented by the Chinese in 8th century.

48 Ed of “Elf” : ASNER

Ed Asner is most famous for playing the irascible but lovable Lou Grant on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and on the spin-off drama “Lou Grant”. Off-screen Asner is noted for his political activism. He served two terms as president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), and was very involved in the 1980 SAG strike. When “Lou Grant” was cancelled in 1982, despite decent ratings, there was a lot of talk that the cancellation was a move by the network against Asner personally. In fact, one of Asner’s activist colleagues, Howard Hesseman (who played Johnny Fever) found that his show “WKRP in Cincinnati” was also canceled … on the very same day.

“Elf” is a comedy movie that was released for the 2003 Christmas season. “Elf” was directed by Jon Favreau and stars Will Ferrell in the title role, with James Caan supporting and Ed Asner playing Santa Claus. It’s all about one of Santa’s elves who finds out he is human and goes to meet his father in New York City.

55 Molecule with A, C, T and G : DNA

Nucleobases are molecules that form the backbone of DNA and RNA chains. It is the sequence of these bases in the DNA chain that makes up the so-called “genetic code”. In DNA, the four bases are adenine (A), guanine (G), thymine (T) and cytosine (C). The same bases are found in RNA, except that thymine is replaced by uracil (U). In DNA, the nucleobases exist in “base pairs”.

56 Green branch, for short : EPA

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was set up during the Nixon administration and began operation at the end of 1970.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 The number of letters in this clue’s answer : FOUR
5 Gymnasts’ supplies : MATS
9 New moon or full moon : PHASE
14 Traffic ___ : CONE
15 Put out : EMIT
16 Give a casual greeting, in modern lingo : HOLLA
17 Candy that the lovers [circled letters] on Valentine’s Day : CHOCOLATE (ate the chocolate)
19 More deadpan, as humor : DRIER
20 Peach’s center : PIT
21 Some pro cameras, for short : SLRS
23 Shepherd slain by Cain : ABEL
24 Politician that the voters [circled letters] to Congress : REPRESENTATIVE (sent the representative)
27 Traditional time to start work : NINE AM
28 Occur, as complications : ARISE
29 Terrific, in dated slang : ACES
30 Erode : EAT INTO
34 Something most people lie about? : BED
35 Quick trips that the busy person [circled letters] around town : ERRANDS (ran the errands)
36 “Yikes!” : EEK!
39 Olympics squad in red, white and blue : TEAM USA
40 “Auld Lang ___” : SYNE
41 “___ thank me later” : YOU’LL
43 Suitable for all ages : RATED-G
45 Books that Victorians [circled letters] for cheap : PENNY DREADFULS (read the penny dreadfuls)
49 In addition : ELSE
50 Alternatives to wagons : SUVS
51 One step down on the evolutionary scale : APE
52 Elite party attendees : A-LIST
54 Luxury vehicle that the motorist [circled letters] on the highway : LAND ROVER (drove the Land Rover)
58 Part of a multimedia ad campaign : RADIO
59 Apple’s first location? : EDEN
60 Action to collect on a debt : REPO
61 Shorthand, for short : STENO
62 “Buona ___” (Italian greeting) : SERA
63 Dish that may come with a spork : SLAW

Down

1 Org. that regulates I.S.P.s : FCC
2 “That’s intriguing!” : OOH!
3 Still in the box : UNOPENED
4 File box filler : RECIPES
5 Blanc who voiced Bugs Bunny : MEL
6 Conglomerate : AMASS
7 Mr. or Mrs. : TITLE
8 Forbidding : STERN
9 Queen guitarist Brian May has one in astrophysics : PHD
10 Friend of Hamlet : HORATIO
11 Outs : ALIBIS
12 Place to hide a card, perhaps : SLEEVE
13 ___ Combs, Hall-of-Famer who played for the 1920s-’30s Yankees : EARLE
18 Other, in Oaxaca : OTRA
22 Benchmark : STANDARD
24 Surname of national security advisers under both Bush 43 and Obama : RICE
25 May birthstones : EMERALDS
26 Word with dark or graphic : … ARTS
27 Apprehend : NAB
31 Headrest for a couch napper, say : ARM
32 T, in an honor society’s name : TAU
33 Connections : INS
35 Slippery : EELY
36 Five to six feet high, roughly : EYE LEVEL
37 Quashes : ENDS
38 Gunpowder holder : KEG
39 Turns the dial (to), say : TUNES IN
40 Dazed states : STUPORS
41 Chastise in no uncertain terms : YELL AT
42 Like some football kicks : ONSIDE
44 Over the horizon : AFAR
45 Products of some orchards : PEARS
46 Sped-up part of a contest commercial : RULES
47 Avoid : EVADE
48 Ed of “Elf” : ASNER
53 Excessively : TOO
55 Molecule with A, C, T and G : DNA
56 Green branch, for short : EPA
57 Big quarrel : ROW