0705-19 NY Times Crossword 5 Jul 19, Friday

Constructed by: Freddie Cheng
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

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

Bill’s time: 9m 28s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Gum-producing plant : GUAR

Guar gum is a powder that is extracted from guar beans. About 80% of the world’s supply of guar gum comes from India. It is used mainly in the food industry, often as a substitute for gluten in gluten-free recipes and products.

19 Former Houston hockey team : AEROS

The Aeros were the professional ice hockey team based in Houston, Texas until 2013. The Houston Aeros were added to the International Hockey League in 1994. The franchise name was taken from the World Hockey Association’s Houston Aeros of the seventies, the team for whom Gordie Howe played. When the team moved to Des Moines in 2013, they became the Iowa Wild.

20 Illustration, for example: Abbr. : SYN

“Illustration” and “example” are synonyms (syns.).

21 Ad time filler, for short : PSA

Public service announcement (PSA)

22 Half of an interrogation team : BAD COP

Good cop … bad cop.

24 Neighbors of Estonians : LETTS

Latvia is one of the former Soviet Socialist Republics (SSRs). People from Latvia are called Letts.

Estonia is one of the former Soviet Socialist Republics (SSRs) and is located in Northern Europe on the Baltic Sea due south of Finland. Estonia has been overrun and ruled by various empires over the centuries. The country did enjoy a few years of freedom at the beginning of the 20th century after a war of independence against the Russian Empire. However, Estonia was occupied again during WWII, first by the Russians and then by the Germans, and then reoccupied by the Soviets in 1944. Estonia has flourished as an independent country again since the collapse of the USSR in 1991.

26 First American film in which a toilet is heard being flushed (1960) : PSYCHO

The classic Alfred Hitchcock suspense film “Psycho” released in 1960 is based on a 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch. The Bloch novel in turn is loosely based on actual crimes committed by murderer and grave robber Ed Gein. The female protagonist is named Mary Crane in the novel, but that name was changed to Marion Crane in the movie. Marion Crane, portrayed by Janet Leigh, died in a celebrated and terrifying shower scene

37 Big name in Deco design : ERTE

“Erté” was the pseudonym of French (Russian-born) artist and designer Romain de Tirtoff. Erté is the French pronunciation of his initials “R.T.” Erté’s diverse portfolio of work included costumes and sets for the “Ziegfeld Follies” of 1923, productions of the Parisian cabaret show “Folies Bergère”, as well as the 1925 epic movie “Ben-Hur”. Erté’s most famous work by far is an image titled “Symphony in Black”. It depicts a tall and slender woman dressed in black, holding a black dog on a leash.

39 Struck out : DELED

“Dele” is the editorial instruction to delete something from a document, and is often written in red.

47 Word with nursing or training : BRA

The word “brassière” is French in origin, but it isn’t the word that the French use for a “bra”. In France, what we call a bra is known as a “soutien-gorge”, translating to “held under the neck”. The word “brassière” is indeed used in France but there it describes a baby’s undershirt, a lifebelt or a harness. “Brassière” comes from the Old French word for an “arm protector” in a military uniform (“bras” is the French for “arm”). Later “brassière” came to mean “breastplate” and from there the word was used for a type of woman’s corset. The word jumped into English around 1900.

50 Touch of color : TINCT

To tinct is to add a little color to something. The term “tinct” ultimately derives from the Latin verb “tingere” meaning “to dye”.

51 One making a living by pushing drugs, informally : PHARMA REP

“Big Pharma” is a nickname for the pharmaceutical industry. The monker comes from the acronym for the lobbying group for the industry, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).

56 Good earth : LOESS

Loess is a wind-blown accumulation of silt. The word is German in origin and was first used to describe silt along the Rhine Valley.

Down

1 Sources of cashmere : GOATS

Cashmere wool comes not only from the Cashmere goat, but also from other types of goat. Technically, cashmere isn’t really a wool, but rather a hair. Unlike hair, wool is elastic and grows in clusters.

4 Large quantity : RAFT

A raft is a large amount, coming from the Middle English “raf” meaning the same thing.

5 Like the role of Albus Dumbledore after the second Harry Potter movie : RECAST

Professor Albus Dumbledore is the headmaster of the school for wizards called Hogwarts, in the Harry Potter universe. Dumbledore’s specialties are nonverbal spells and alchemy. Author J. K. Rowling chose the name Dumbledore as it is an Early English word for a bumblebee. Apparently she pictured him wandering around, humming to himself.

8 Poindexter : DWEEB

“Dweeb” is relatively recent American slang that came out of college life in the late sixties. Dweeb, squarepants, nerd; they’re all not-nice terms that mean the same thing, i.e. someone excessively studious and socially inept.

Poindexter is a character in the television show “Felix the Cat”, which originally aired in the late fifties. He is a nerdy type, wearing a lab coat and glasses with thick lenses. The character lends his name to the term “poindexter”, meaning just that, a nerd.

14 Daffy Duck, notably : LISPER

Daffy Duck first appeared on the screen in “Porky’s Duck Hunt” in 1937. In the original cartoon, Daffy was just meant to have a small role, but he was a big hit as he had so much sass. Even back then, Daffy was voiced by the ubiquitous Mel Blanc.

15 Addressees of valedictories : GRADS

A valediction is an act of taking one’s leave, from the Latin “vale dicere”, to say farewell. An example of a valediction would be the words “yours truly” at the end of a letter. And, the valedictorian (here in the US anyway) is the student in a graduating class that is chosen to say the final words at the graduation ceremony, a farewell to the classmates.

27 Bit of punditry : OP-ED

“Op-ed” is an abbreviation for “opposite the editorial page”. Op-eds started in “The New York Evening World” in 1921 when the page opposite the editorials was used for articles written by a named guest writer, someone independent of the editorial board.

A pundit is a learned person who one might turn to for an opinion. “Pundit” is derived from the Hindi word “payndit” meaning “learned man”.

28 “___ Death,” movement from “Peer Gynt” : ASE’S

“Ase’s Death” is a movement in Edvard Grieg’s beautiful “Peer Gynt” suite. The suite is a collection of incidental music that Grieg composed for Ibsen’s play of the same name. Ase is the widow of a peasant, and the mother of Peer Gynt.

Henrik Ibsen’s play “Peer Gynt” is based on a Scandinavian fairy tale “Per Gynt”. The incidental music to the play, written by Edvard Grieg, is some of the most approachable classical music ever written, at least in my humble opinion …

47 “Project Runway” cable channel : BRAVO

“Project Runway” is a reality show that is hosted by model Heidi Klum. On the show, contestants compete by presenting clothes designs having been given limited time and materials. “Project Runway” is now a worldwide franchise. North of the border, the show is called “Project Runway Canada” and is hosted by supermodel Iman. The show in the UK is known as “Project Catwalk” and has had several hosts, including Elizabeth Hurley and Kelly Osbourne.

50 Anklebones : TALI

The collection of seven bones in the foot just below the ankle are known collectively as the tarsus. One of those bones is the talus (plural “tali”), more commonly called the ankle bone. The talus is the lower part of the ankle joint and articulates with the lower ends of the tibia and fibula in the lower leg.

52 Activity for which you need a fair amount of wiggle room : HULA

The hula is a native dance of Hawaii that uses arm movements to relate a story. The hula can be performed while sitting (a noho dance) or while standing (a luna dance).

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Gum-producing plant : GUAR
5 Addition to a compost pile : RIND
9 Rush home? : FRAT
13 Store discount come-on : ON SALE NOW!
15 ___-Turkish War (post-W.W. I conflict) : GRECO
16 “Doesn’t concern me” : AS IF I CARE
17 Take two : RETRY
18 “Not true!” : THAT’S A LIE!
19 Former Houston hockey team : AEROS
20 Illustration, for example: Abbr. : SYN
21 Ad time filler, for short : PSA
22 Half of an interrogation team : BAD COP
24 Neighbors of Estonians : LETTS
26 First American film in which a toilet is heard being flushed (1960) : PSYCHO
28 Equally distant : AS FAR
31 Cry at a surprise birthday party : HIDE!
33 Shut (up) : COOP
34 Pull a fast one on : SCAM
35 Chill : RELAX
36 Where a stud might go : LOBE
37 Big name in Deco design : ERTE
38 Hipsteresque, in a way : ARTY
39 Struck out : DELED
40 Like bonds designated AAA : SAFEST
42 A-listers : STARS
44 Little mischief-makers : PIXIES
46 Fernando or Felipe, once : REY
47 Word with nursing or training : BRA
50 Touch of color : TINCT
51 One making a living by pushing drugs, informally : PHARMA REP
54 Contend : ARGUE
55 Sound evidence? : AUDIO TAPE
56 Good earth : LOESS
57 Stay with a friend, say : SLEEPOVER
58 Concerning : IN RE
59 What areology is the study of : MARS
60 Synthetic fiber, for short : POLY

Down

1 Sources of cashmere : GOATS
2 Openly confident : UNSHY
3 ___ fusion (cuisine) : ASIAN
4 Large quantity : RAFT
5 Like the role of Albus Dumbledore after the second Harry Potter movie : RECAST
6 All huffy : IN A LATHER
7 “Me neither” : NOR I
8 Poindexter : DWEEB
9 Gives away to a better home, in a modern coinage : FREECYCLES
10 Back in again : RETROCOOL
11 One who hates heights : ACROPHOBE
12 Messes around (with) : TOYS
14 Daffy Duck, notably : LISPER
15 Addressees of valedictories : GRADS
23 High point : APEX
24 “Nobody ever told me,” e.g. : LAME EXCUSE
25 Deposits in some banks : SILTS
27 Bit of punditry : OP-ED
28 “___ Death,” movement from “Peer Gynt” : ASE’S
29 Metal in a junk heap : SCRAP IRON
30 Cause of typos, humorously : FAT FINGER
32 One who gives a lot of orders : DAY TRADER
35 Be highly regarded : RATE
39 Clean lightly, as a floor : DRY-MOP
41 Listings in a travel guide : SITES
43 Metaphor for penthouse suites : AERIES
45 Back problem : SPASM
47 “Project Runway” cable channel : BRAVO
48 Turn back : REPEL
49 Mimic’s skill : APERY
50 Anklebones : TALI
52 Activity for which you need a fair amount of wiggle room : HULA
53 On : ATOP