0626-19 NY Times Crossword 26 Jun 19, Wednesday

Constructed by: Zhouqin Burnikel
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): PRONOUNVERB

Themed clues look like simple words, but each can be parsed into a pronoun followed by a verb. It is this pronoun and verb that is the real clue. Very clever …

  • 17A HEBREWS : BEER MAKER (He brews)
  • 24A WEAVER : TRUE BELIEVERS (We aver)
  • 52A SHERIFFS : JAZZ GUITARIST (She riffs)
  • 63A IRATE : APPRAISER (I rate)

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

Bill’s time: 10m 51s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

16 Sans-serif font choice : ARIAL

Serifs are details on the ends of characters in some typefaces. Typefaces without serifs are known as sans-serif, using the French word “sans” meaning “without” and “serif” from the Dutch “schreef” meaning “line”. Some people say that serif fonts are easier to read on paper, whereas sans-serif fonts work better on a computer screen. I’m not so sure though …

19 “American ___ Warrior” (NBC competition series) : NINJA

“American Ninja Warrior” is an entertaining, televised sports competition that is a spin-off of the very popular Japanese show “Sasuke”. Competitors have to navigate their way through a series of very challenging obstacles in the fastest time possible.

20 Condescending sort : SNOOT

“Snoot” is a variant of “snout” and is a word that originated in Scotland. The idea is that someone who is snooty, or “snouty”, tends to look down his or her nose at the rest of the world.

21 One of the first five inductees at Cooperstown : COBB

Ty Cobb’s first cousin, Robert H. Cobb, owned the Brown Derby chain of restaurants. One of his regular customers was the famous Sid Grauman, who ran Grauman’s Chinese Theater. Late one night, Grauman asked for a snack, and Cobb came up with a chopped salad simply made from ingredients he happened to have in the refrigerator. Grauman liked it so much that continued to request it, and the Cobb salad was born.

Cooperstown is a village in New York that is famous as the home to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The village was named for Judge William Cooper, the founder of Cooperstown and the father of the noted writer James Fenimore Cooper.

31 “What chutzpah!” : THE NERVE!

Our word “chutzpah” meaning “nerve, gall, impudence” is derived from the Yiddish “khutspe”, which has the same meaning.

38 Big name in snow blowers : TORO

Toro is a manufacturer mainly of lawn mowers and snow removal equipment that is based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The company was founded in 1914 to build tractor engines.

39 Paycheck abbr. : YTD

Year-to-date (YTD)

42 Alfred Nobel and others : SWEDES

Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist and businessman. Nobel is famous for the invention of dynamite during his lifetime, as well as for instituting the Nobel Prizes by providing the necessary funds in his will.

45 Top with spaghetti straps : CAMISOLE

A camisole (also “cami”) is a sleeveless undergarment worn by women that extends down to the waist. “Camisole” is a French word that we imported into English that ultimately derives from the Latin “camisia” meaning “shirt, nightgown”.

51 Sleep study stage : REM

“REM” is an acronym standing for rapid eye movement sleep. REM sleep takes up 20-25% of the sleeping hours and is the period associated with one’s most vivid dreams.

52 SHERIFFS : JAZZ GUITARIST (She riffs)

A riff is a short rhythmic phrase in music, especially one improvised on a guitar.

58 “Toy Story” boy : ANDY

1995’s “Toy Story” was the world’s first feature-length computer-animated movie. “Toy Story” was also the studio Pixar’s first production. The main roles in the film are Woody and Buzz Lightyear, who are voiced by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen respectively. Hanks was the first choice to voice Woody, but Allen was asked to voice Buzz after Billy Crystal turned down the role.

59 Oldest golfer to win a P.G.A. Tour event (at 52 years 10 months) : SNEAD

Sam Snead was probably the most successful golfer never to win a US Open title, as he won a record 82 PGA Tour events. Snead did win seven majors, but never the US Open. He was also quite the showman. He once hit the scoreboard at Wrigley Field stadium with a golf ball, by teeing off from home plate. Snead’s best-remembered nickname is “Slammin’ Sammy”.

Down

1 Short cut : BOB

A bob cut is a short hairstyle in which the hair is cut straight around the head, at about the line of the jaw. Back in the 1570s, “bob” was the name given to a horse’s tail that was cut short, and about a century later it was being used to describe short hair on humans. The style became very popular with women in the early 1900s (as worn by actress Clara Bow, for example), with the fashion dying out in the thirties. The style reemerged in the sixties around the time the Beatles introduced their “mop tops”, with Vidal Sassoon leading the way in styling women’s hair in a bob cut again. Personally, I like it …

6 Land east of Iran: Abbr. : PAK

The suffix “-stan” in many place names is Persian for “place of”. One example is “Pakistan”, the Place of the Pure. “Pakistan” is a relatively recent name, first coined in 1933. It comes from the abbreviation PAKSTAN, standing for Punjab – Afghan Province – Kashmir – Sindh – BaluchisTAN, all regions in the north of India. The “I” was added to Pakistan to make it easier to pronounce, and to fit the translation “Land of the Pure”.

8 Part of an auto engine : FAN BELT

The fan belt on an engine transfers torque from the crankshaft to cooling fan.

9 Melber of MSNBC : ARI

Ari Melber is a television journalist and chief legal correspondent for MSNBC. He has hosted his own daily show called “The Beat with Ari Melber” since 2017.

18 Clicking device : MOUSE

The computer mouse was invented at the Stanford Research Institute in 1963, by one Douglas Engelbart. Sadly for him, his patent ran out before mice became standard equipment on computers, so he never made any money from his amazing invention.

25 Group of quail : BEVY

“Bevy” is a collective noun used for a number of types of bird, including quail and swans. “Bevy” is also sometimes used as a collective noun for ladies.

“Quail” is a name used for several chicken-like wild birds. Quail are common prey for hunters.

26 Some recurring YouTube journals : VLOGS

A video blog is perhaps what one might expect, a blog that is essentially a series of video posts. The phrase “video logging” is often shortened to “vlogging”.

27 Figures on USA’s “Suits”: Abbr. : ATTS

“Suits” is an entertaining, albeit formulaic, legal drama that is set in New York City. One of the main characters in the show Mike Ross, a brilliant law school dropout who poses as a law associate. Mike Ross’ love interest is paralegal Rachel Zane. Zane is played by actress Meghan Markle, who married the UK’s Prince Harry in 2018.

28 Third place : SHOW

When betting on a horse race, the first-place finisher is said to “win”. A horse finishing first or second is said to “place”. A horse finishing first, second or third is said to “show”.

32 Help for pulling an all-nighter : NODOZ

NoDoz and Vivarin are brand names of caffeine pills.

36 Key with a chain, maybe : ISLE

A key (also “cay”) is a low offshore island, as in the Florida Keys. Our term in English comes from the Spanish “cayo” meaning “shoal, reef”.

43 “Get ready!” : EN GARDE!

“En garde” is a French term that has been absorbed into the sport of fencing. Originally a warning “on guard!”, it is spoken at the start of an encounter to warn the fencers to take a defensive position.

46 Shade akin to rust : MARS RED

The surface of the planet Mars has a very high iron oxide content, so Mars is red because it is rusty!

47 ___ Menzel, Tony-winning actress for “Wicked” : IDINA

Actress and singer Idina Menzel came to public attention when she was a member of the original Broadway cast of “Rent”. She is known on the small screen for playing Shelby Corcoran on the musical TV show “Glee”. On the big screen, her most noted performance was as the voice actor behind Queen Elsa in the Disney hit “Frozen”. It is Menzel who sings the Oscar-winning song “Let It Go” in “Frozen”.

49 Author of “Burr” and “Lincoln” : VIDAL

Gore Vidal was an author and political activist from West Point, New York. Vidal’s most celebrated novel is probably “Myra Breckinridge”. His most controversial work has to be “The City and the Pillar” from 1948, which is cited as one of the first major novels to feature unambiguous homosexuality.

54 Two-tone beast that sleeps standing up : ZEBRA

The term “zebra” comes from an old Portuguese word “zevra” meaning “wild ass”. Studies of zebra embryos show that zebras are basically black in color, with white stripes that develop with growth. Before this finding, it was believed they were white, with black stripes.

56 Great shakes? : SEISM

The combining form “seismo-” means “earthquake”, and comes from “seismos”, the Greek for “earthquake”.

62 Contraction in “Jingle Bells” : O’ER

The traditional Christmas song “Jingle Bells” was first published in 1857, penned by James Lord Pierpont. We associate the song with Christmas, although in fact Pierpont wrote it as a celebration of Thanksgiving.

Dashing through the snow
In a one horse open sleigh
O’er the fields we go
Laughing all the way

64 Spot for a good cause, for short : PSA

Public service announcement (PSA)

65 Whiskey choice : RYE

For whiskey to be labelled as “rye” in the US, it has to be distilled from at least 51% rye grain. In Canada however, a drink called rye whiskey sometimes contains no rye at all.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Spanish newborn : BEBE
5 Store offering that can be free : APP
8 Produce producers : FARMS
13 Complete : OVER
14 Help around the house : MAID
16 Sans-serif font choice : ARIAL
17 HEBREWS : BEER MAKER (He brews)
19 “American ___ Warrior” (NBC competition series) : NINJA
20 Condescending sort : SNOOT
21 One of the first five inductees at Cooperstown : COBB
23 Break down : SOB
24 WEAVER : TRUE BELIEVERS (We aver)
27 Flicked bit : ASH
29 Go after, in a way : SUE
30 Take it easy : LOLL
31 “What chutzpah!” : THE NERVE!
34 “Cut that out!” : STOP IT!
38 Big name in snow blowers : TORO
39 Paycheck abbr. : YTD
41 “Holy guacamole!” : GOSH!
42 Alfred Nobel and others : SWEDES
45 Top with spaghetti straps : CAMISOLE
48 Airing : ON TV
50 Little bit : TAD
51 Sleep study stage : REM
52 SHERIFFS : JAZZ GUITARIST (She riffs)
57 Be behind : OWE
58 “Toy Story” boy : ANDY
59 Oldest golfer to win a P.G.A. Tour event (at 52 years 10 months) : SNEAD
61 Birthing : LABOR
63 IRATE : APPRAISER (I rate)
66 In need of a break, say : TIRED
67 Come up short : LOSE
68 Canine command usually spoken slowly in a low voice : STAY
69 Compete in a no-blinking contest : STARE
70 Down : SAD
71 Insignificant : MERE

Down

1 Short cut : BOB
2 Special holiday periods : EVES
3 Empathetic comment : BEEN THERE
4 What autocorrect corrects : ERROR
5 College athlete, e.g. : AMATEUR
6 Land east of Iran: Abbr. : PAK
7 One-___ (modest bathing attire) : PIECE
8 Part of an auto engine : FAN BELT
9 Melber of MSNBC : ARI
10 Light wash : RINSE
11 Something a college junior has that a freshman usually doesn’t : MAJOR
12 Big hunks : SLABS
15 Whimsically witty : DROLL
18 Clicking device : MOUSE
22 Bits of writing often accompanied by headshots : BIOS
25 Group of quail : BEVY
26 Some recurring YouTube journals : VLOGS
27 Figures on USA’s “Suits”: Abbr. : ATTS
28 Third place : SHOW
32 Help for pulling an all-nighter : NODOZ
33 And the like: Abbr. : ETC
35 What connoisseurs don’t have, by definition : POOR TASTE
36 Key with a chain, maybe : ISLE
37 The enemy : THEM
40 Help in supporting (or refuting) a hunch : DATA
43 “Get ready!” : EN GARDE!
44 Knock for a loop : STUN
46 Shade akin to rust : MARS RED
47 ___ Menzel, Tony-winning actress for “Wicked” : IDINA
49 Author of “Burr” and “Lincoln” : VIDAL
52 Sudden shocks : JOLTS
53 Look forward to : AWAIT
54 Two-tone beast that sleeps standing up : ZEBRA
55 Printed slips : TYPOS
56 Great shakes? : SEISM
60 Precious : DEAR
62 Contraction in “Jingle Bells” : O’ER
64 Spot for a good cause, for short : PSA
65 Whiskey choice : RYE