0809-19 NY Times Crossword 9 Aug 19, Friday

Constructed by: John Guzzetta
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

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

Bill’s time: 15m 21s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Wall light : SCONCE

A sconce is a light fixture that today uses electric bulbs, but in the past used candles and torches. The defining feature of a sconce is that it is supported by a wall and does not have a base that stands on the ground. Usually the light is indirect, projected upwards towards the ceiling.

16 Feebleness : ANEMIA

The term “anemia” (or “anaemia”, as we write it back in Ireland) comes from a Greek word meaning “lack of blood”. Anemia is a lack of iron in the blood, or a low red blood cell count. Tiredness is a symptom of the condition, and so we use the term “anemic” figuratively to mean “lacking in vitality or substance”.

20 Carrier to Tokyo : ANA

All Nippon Airways (ANA) is a Japanese airline, one that is now larger in size that the nation’s flag carrier Japan Airlines (JAL).

21 Monk’s title : DOM

The honorific “Dom” is used in English for monks of certain orders, such as Benedictines and Carthusians. The term is a shortened form of the Latin “dominus” meaning “master, owner”.

32 Midwest tribe : IOWA

The Iowa Native American people are a Siouan nation. The Iowa speak the Chiwere language, along with the Missouria and Otoe tribes.

33 Private R&R : ME TIME

Rest and relaxation/recuperation/recreation (R&R, “R‘n’R”)

34 Frustrating place to be stranded : TARMAC

The terms “tarmac” and “macadam” are short for “tarmacadam”. In the 1800s, Scotsman John Loudon McAdam developed a style of road known as “macadam”. Macadam had a top-layer of crushed stone and gravel laid over larger stones. The macadam also had a convex cross-section so that water tended to drain to the sides. In 1901, a significant improvement was made by English engineer Edgar Purnell Hooley who introduced tar into the macadam, improving the resistance to water damage and practically eliminating dust. The “tar-penetration macadam” is the basis of what we now call tarmac.

38 Gambling card game that up to 10 may comfortably play at once : FARO

Faro is a card game somewhat akin to Baccarat that was popular in England and France in the 18th century. Faro made it to the Old West, where it became a favorite of Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp. The origin of the name “Faro” is unclear. One popular theory is that Faro is a contraction of ‘pharaoh’ given that Egyptian motifs used to be common on playing cards of the period. There’s another theory involving the usual suspects: Irish immigrants and famines …

47 Pair : BRACE

A brace is a pair, as in a brace of game birds that have been killed for sport.

50 Places where people wear masks, for short : ORS

One might find a medical doctor (MD) in an operating room (OR).

51 Actress Katherine of “27 Dresses” : HEIGL

Katherine Heigl is best associated with the television show “Grey’s Anatomy” on which she plays Dr. Izzie Stevens. That’s not a show I ever watched, but I did enjoy the espionage show “State of Affairs” in which Heigl played the lead. I guess I was in the minority though, as NBC cancelled “State of Affairs” after only one season …

53 Fool : MORON

The unsavory term “moron” was formerly used by the medical community to describe someone with a degree of mental retardation. The term comes from the Greek “moros” meaning “foolish, dull”. Back in the early 1900s, IQ tests were used to classify those suffering from mental retardation into categories:

  • “idiot” … IQ of 0-20
  • “imbecile” … IQ of 21-50
  • “moron” …IQ of 51-70

59 Faux brother of a popular rock group : RAMONE

The Ramones were an American punk rock band. The group formed in Forest Hills, New York in the mid-seventies. The band members took on the stage names Dee Dee, Joey, and Johnny Ramone, even though they were not related. Arguably, the Ramones were the first punk rock group, defining the genre. Something else that’s not my cup of tea …

60 Do a school visit, in a way? : SNORKEL

That would be a school of fish.

Our word “snorkel” comes from German navy slang “Schnorchel” meaning “nose, snout”. The German slang was applied to an air-shaft used for submarines, due to its resemblance to a nose, in that air passed through it and it made a “snoring” sound. “Schnorchel” comes from “Schnarchen”, the German for “snore”.

Down

2 Engage in some P.D.A. : CANOODLE

“To canoodle” is to indulge in caresses and kisses.

Public display of affection (PDA)

6 Subj. of a “Delayed” sign : ETA

Estimated time of arrival (ETA)

7 Cheese sometimes flavored with dill : HAVARTI

Havarti cheese was invented in the mid-1800s by farmer Hanne Nielson. He chose “Havarti” from the name of his farm, Havarthigaard, located in the neighborhood of Øverød, north of Copenhagen.

11 Illinois college town : URBANA

Urbana is an Illinois city that is home to most of the campus of the University of Illinois. The city was named in 1833 after Urbana, Ohio, the hometown of State Senator John Vance who provided the names for both the surrounding county of Champaign and the county’s seat of justice, Urbana.

13 Demesne : ESTATE

All of the land owned and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system was called “the demesne”. The demesne did not include land owned by the lord that was managed by tenants.

15 Greek city visited by Paul before Athens : BEREA

The city of Berea mentioned in the Christian Bible in the Acts of the Apostles is known today as Veria. Veria is in modern-day Greece.

28 Capturer of an unguarded remark : HOT MIC

One of my favorite hot-mic moments took place in 2005, when Paris and London were vying to host the 2012 Olympics. French President Jacques Chirac compared Paris and London in that context while chatting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. Chirac said, over a hot mic:

The only thing that they have ever done for European agriculture is mad cow disease … You cannot trust people who have such bad cuisine.

31 Latin 101 word : AMAT

“Amo, amas, amat” translates from Latin as “I love, you love, he/she/it loves”.

35 Clear choice for auto buyers : MOONROOF

A sunroof is a panel in the roof of a car that can be pulled back to let in light and air. A moonroof is similar, but in a moonroof there is an option to slide back a fabric-covered panel to expose a glass panel that allows in light, but not air.

41 Some social media commenters : TROLLS

In Internet terms, a troll is someone who attempts to disrupt online group activities. The fishing term “troll” is used to describe such a person as he or she throws out off-topic remarks in an attempt to “lure” others into some emotional response. Sad, sad people …

44 Most common noble gas : ARGON

The chemical element argon has the symbol Ar. Argon is a noble gas, and so by definition is relatively nonreactive. The name “argon” comes from the Greek word for “lazy, inactive”. There’s a lot of argon around, as it is the third-most abundant gas in our atmosphere.

48 Hinder : EMBAR

“To embar” is to hinder or stop, to perhaps hinder with a bar. The related term “embargo” describes the action of barring vessels from entering or leaving a nation’s ports.

52 Emmy winner Falco : EDIE

Actress Edie Falco won three Emmy Awards for playing Carmela Soprano on HBO’s outstanding drama series called “The Sopranos”. Falco also won an Emmy in 2010 for playing the title role in “Nurse Jackie”, an excellent black comedy.

56 Wine aperitif : KIR

Kir is a French cocktail made by adding a teaspoon or so of crème de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur) to a glass, and then topping it off with white wine. The drink is named after Felix Kir, the Mayor of Dijon in Burgundy, who used to offer the drink to his guests. My wife is particularly fond of a variant called a Kir Royale, in which the white wine is replaced with champagne.

57 One of the first artists to incorporate random chance : ARP

Jean Arp was a French artist renowned for his work with torn and pasted paper, although that wasn’t the only medium he used. Arp was the son of a French mother and German father and spoke both languages fluently. When he was speaking German he gave his name as Hans Arp, but when speaking French he called himself Jean Arp. Both “Hans” and “Jean” translate into English as “John”. In WWI Arp moved to Switzerland to avoid being called up to fight, taking advantage of Swiss neutrality. Eventually he was told to report to the German Consulate and fill out paperwork for the draft. In order to get out of fighting, Arp messed up the paperwork by writing the date in every blank space on the forms. Then he took off all of his clothes and walked with his papers over to the officials in charge. Arp was sent home …

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Wall light : SCONCE
7 “Well, excu-u-use me!” : HOW RUDE!
14 Frisk : CAVORT
15 What short sleeves leave : BARE ARMS
16 Feebleness : ANEMIA
17 Wholly : EVERY BIT
18 The religiously unaffiliated : NONES
19 Wipe out : ERASE
20 Carrier to Tokyo : ANA
21 Monk’s title : DOM
22 Single-___ : PAYER
24 Twerp : SNOT
25 Terse response accepting responsibility : I DID
27 Unnerving look : DEATH STARE
30 4K : ULTRA HD
32 Midwest tribe : IOWA
33 Private R&R : ME TIME
34 Frustrating place to be stranded : TARMAC
38 Gambling card game that up to 10 may comfortably play at once : FARO
40 Involve, as in controversy : EMBROIL
41 Some social media celebrities : TWITTERATI
45 Days of old : YORE
46 Decays : ROTS
47 Pair : BRACE
49 Org. that penalizes carrying : NBA
50 Places where people wear masks, for short : ORS
51 Actress Katherine of “27 Dresses” : HEIGL
53 Fool : MORON
55 Like well-connected investigative reporters, say : LEAKED TO
57 Detests : ABHORS
58 “If … then” sort of thinker : LOGICIAN
59 Faux brother of a popular rock group : RAMONE
60 Do a school visit, in a way? : SNORKEL
61 Play favorites with : PREFER

Down

1 Rare-earth element named after where it was discovered : SCANDIUM
2 Engage in some P.D.A. : CANOODLE
3 Handy item in the kitchen? : OVEN MITT
4 The ___ Nugget (alliteratively named newspaper since 1897) : NOME
5 English potato chip : CRISP
6 Subj. of a “Delayed” sign : ETA
7 Cheese sometimes flavored with dill : HAVARTI
8 Subjects of tests for purity : ORES
9 “___ sorry …” : WE’RE
10 Beam : RAY
11 Illinois college town : URBANA
12 Key of Mozart’s “Requiem” : D MINOR
13 Demesne : ESTATE
15 Greek city visited by Paul before Athens : BEREA
19 Sized up : EYED
23 Stick : ADHERE
24 Like a cloudless night : STARRY
26 Gets carried away : DRIFTS
28 Capturer of an unguarded remark : HOT MIC
29 Stick in a cabinet, say : SWAB
31 Latin 101 word : AMAT
35 Clear choice for auto buyers : MOONROOF
36 Like the 101st Division : AIRBORNE
37 Skin care product : CLEANSER
39 Kind of velocity in planetary physics : ORBITAL
40 And others: Abbr. : ET AL
41 Some social media commenters : TROLLS
42 Kept going and going : WORE ON
43 “We’ve got the green light” : IT’S A GO
44 Most common noble gas : ARGON
48 Hinder : EMBAR
51 “Shoot!” : HECK!
52 Emmy winner Falco : EDIE
54 “Heavens to Betsy!” : OH ME!
56 Wine aperitif : KIR
57 One of the first artists to incorporate random chance : ARP