1120-18 NY Times Crossword 20 Nov 18, Tuesday

Constructed by: Zhouqin Burnikel
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Turkey’s Places

Themed clues are all the same, i.e. “Turkey’s place”.

  • 17A. Turkey’s place : POULTRY FARM
  • 23A. Turkey’s place : RAZZIE AWARDS
  • 51A. Turkey’s place : BOWLING ALLEY
  • 61A. Turkey’s place : WESTERN ASIA

Bill’s time: 5m 43s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1. Trajectories for fly balls : ARCS

That would be baseball.

5. Bob of “Full House” : SAGET

Bob Saget is a real enigma to me. Saget made a name for himself playing very sugary roles in TV shows like “Full House” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos”, and yet in the world of stand-up comedy he is known for very blue and raunchy routines.

“Full House” is a sitcom that originally aired from the late eighties through the mid-nineties. It’s all about two men helping a third man raise his three young daughters after his wife is killed by a drunk driver. Bob Saget plays the widowed father, and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen play the youngest daughter. A sequel titled “Fuller House” started airing on Netflix in 2016.

10. Tax prep pro : CPA

Certified public accountant (CPA)

13. Sport shirts for golfers : POLOS

René Lacoste was a French tennis player who went into the clothing business, and came up with a more comfortable shirt that players could use. This became known as a “tennis shirt”. When it was adopted for use in the sport of polo, the shirts also became known as “polo shirts”. The “golf shirt” is basically the same thing.

15. Company with a spokesduck : AFLAC

In 1999, Aflac (American Family Life Assurance Company) was huge in the world of insurance but it wasn’t a household name, so a New York advertising agency was given the task of making the Aflac brand more memorable. One of the agency’s art directors, while walking around Central Park one lunchtime, heard a duck quacking and in his mind linked it with “Aflac”, and that duck has been “Aflacking” ever since …

16. Bud’s bud in comedy : LOU

Lou Costello was half of the Abbott & Costello double act. One tragic and terrible event in Lou Costello’s life was the death of his baby son, Lou Costello, Jr. Lou was at NBC studios one night for his regular broadcast when he received word that the 11-month-old baby had somehow drowned in the family swimming pool. With the words, “Wherever he is tonight, I want him to hear me”, he made the scheduled broadcast in front of a live and unsuspecting audience.

Bud Abbott was the straight man in the comedy duo Abbott and Costello, alongside Lou Costello. The pair met on the burlesque circuit in the early 1930s, and formally teamed up in 1936. The initial arrangement for splitting earnings was to give Abbott 60% of the income, as the straight man was traditionally viewed as the more valuable member of a comedy double act. Costello became disgruntled with the split, and eventually renegotiated 50/50 terms. When Abbott and Costello made it to Hollywood in the early 1940s, Costello insisted on taking a 60% share, an arrangement that caused a permanent chill between the partners. Money problems and differences plagued them for the rest of their careers, with the pair eventually having to sell off their assets to pay off back taxes. They parted company in 1957.

17. Turkey’s place : POULTRY FARM

There’s an urban myth out there that Benjamin Franklin was not happy with the choice of the bald eagle as the national bird for the US, and opined that the turkey should fill that role. Letters written by Franklin show that indeed, he was not happy with the choice of the bald eagle, deeming it to be “a bird of bad moral character” that “does not get [its] living honestly”. Franklin went on to describe the image of the bald eagle on the nation’s Great Seal as “more like a turkey”. And that, is how urban myths get started …

19. Continent north of Afr. : EUR

The continent of Europe was named for Europa, a Phoenician princess of Greek mythology.

The Carthaginian Republic was centered on the city of Carthage, the ruins of which are located on the coast of modern-day Tunisia. The Latin name for the people of Carthage was “Afri”. When the Romans took over Carthage, they created a province they called “Africa”. That name extended over time to include the whole continent.

20. Stiller’s partner in comedy : MEARA

Anne Meara married fellow comedic actor Jerry Stiller in 1954. The couple’s children are actors Ben and Amy Stiller. Meara co-starred with Carroll O’Connor and Martin Balsam in the eighties sitcom “Archie Bunker’s Place”, a spin-off from “All in the Family”.

23. Turkey’s place : RAZZIE AWARDS

“Razzie” is the familiar name for the Golden Raspberry Award, an award presented annually for the worst in the world of film. The Razzies have been presented on the day before the Oscars since 1981.

26. “OMG, 2 funny!” : LOL!

Laugh out loud (LOL)

33. One of the friends on “Friends” : ROSS

Ross Geller is the character on “Friends” played by David Schwimmer. The role was actually written with Schwimmer in mind, and so Ross was the first of the “Friends” to be cast.

38. “Out of my hair!” : VAMOOSE!

To vamoose is to to leave, coming from the Spanish “vamos” meaning “let’s go”.

42. One of the seven deadly sins : SLOTH

The cardinal sins of Christian ethics are also known as the seven deadly sins. The seven deadly sins are:

  • Wrath
  • Greed
  • Sloth
  • Pride
  • Lust
  • Envy
  • Gluttony

43. Family rec center : YMCA

The YMCA (the “Y”) is a worldwide movement that has its roots in London, England. There, in 1844, the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) was founded with the intent of promoting Christian principles through the development of “a healthy spirit, mind and body”. The founder, George Williams, saw the need to create YMCA facilities for young men who were flocking to the cities as the Industrial Revolution flourished. He saw that these men were frequenting taverns and brothels, and wanted to offer a more wholesome alternative.

46. Soda with fruity flavors : NEHI

The Nehi cola brand has a name that sounds like “knee-high”, a measure of a small stature. Back in the mid-1900’s the Chero-Cola company, which owned the brand, went for a slightly different twist on “knee-high” in advertising. The logo for Nehi was an image of a seated woman’s stockinged legs, with her skirt pulled up to her knees to hint at “knee-high”.

48. Family name of three lawmen brothers : EARP

The famous Earp brothers of the Wild West were Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan. All three brothers participated in what has to be the most famous gunfight in the history of the Old West, the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. Strangely enough, the fight didn’t happen at the O.K. Corral, but took place six doors down the street in a vacant lot next to a photography studio.

51. Turkey’s place : BOWLING ALLEY

In bowling, consecutive strikes are named:

  • A double, also “Barney Rubble” (2 consecutive strikes)
  • A turkey (3 consecutive strikes)
  • A 4-bagger (4 consecutive strikes)
  • A 5-bagger (5 consecutive strikes)
  • And so on …

55. One of three biblical brothers : ABEL

According to the Bible, Adam and Eve had several children, although only the first three are mentioned by name: Cain, Abel and Seth.

56. Paintball need : GUN

The “paint” in paintball isn’t actually paint, but rather a mix of gelatin and food coloring.

57. Host of “The Big Podcast With Shaq” : O’NEAL

Retired basketball player Shaquille O’Neal now appears regularly as an analyst on the NBA TV show “Inside the NBA”. Shaq has quite a career in the entertainment world. His first rap album, called “Shaq Diesel”, went platinum. He also starred in two of his own reality show: “Shaq’s Big Challenge” and “Shaq Vs.”

61. Turkey’s place : WESTERN ASIA

Turkey is a country that straddles the border between the continents of Europe and Asia. Even though most of Turkey lies geographically in Asia, in recent decades the country has been strengthening its ties with its European neighbors. Turkey is a member of NATO, and is well on the way to becoming a member of the European Union.

64. Chow mein additive, maybe : MSG

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of a naturally-occurring,non-essential amino acid called glutamic acid. It is used widely as a flavor enhancer, particularly in many Asian cuisines. Whether or not it is harmful seems to be still under debate. I say that something produced in a test tube shouldn’t be in our food …

“Chow mein” has two slightly different meanings on the East and West Coasts of the US. On the East Coast, basic chow mein is a crispy dish, whereas on the West Coast it is a steamed dish that is relatively soft. On the East Coast the steamed dish is available, but under the name “lo mein”. On the West Coast, the crispy dish is also on the menu, as “Hong Kong-style chow mein”.

66. Compound in perfumes : ESTER

Esters are very common chemicals. The smaller, low-molecular weight esters are usually pleasant smelling and are often found in perfumes. At the other end of the scale, the higher-molecular weight nitroglycerin is a nitrate ester and is very explosive, and polyester is a huge molecule and is a type of plastic. Fats and oils found in nature are fatty acid esters of glycerol known as glycerides.

4. Renewable kind of energy : SOLAR

Solar panels are arrays of solar cells that make use of what’s known as the photovoltaic effect. We are more likely to have learned about the photoelectric effect in school, in which electrons were ejected from the surface of some materials when it was exposed to light or other forms of radiation. The photovoltaic effect is related but different. Instead of being electrons ejected from the surface, in the photovoltaic effect electrons move around in the material creating a difference in voltage.

6. Staples of soap operas : AFFAIRS

The original soap operas were radio dramas back in the fifties. Given the structure of society back then, the daytime broadcasts were aimed at women working in the home as housewives. For some reason the sponsors of those radio shows, and the television shows that followed, were soap manufacturers like Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive and Lever Brothers. And that’s how the “soap” opera got its name …

9. Cable inits. for older films : TCM

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is one of my favorite television channels as it delivers just what its name promises, i.e. classic movies.

12. Heavenly glows : AURAS

An aura (plural “aurae”) is an intangible quality that surrounds a person or thing, a “je ne sais quoi”. “Je ne sais quoi” is French for “I don’t know what”.

18. Shadow removers : RAZORS

A male might shave to remove his five o’clock shadow.

22. Honshu city that hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics : NAGANO

Nagano is a city on Japan’s largest island, Honshu. Nagano hosted the 1998 Winter Olympic Games.

24. Deschanel of “New Girl” : ZOOEY

Zooey Deschanel is an actress and singer-songwriter from Los Angeles. Zooey is the younger sister of Emily Deschanel who plays the title role on the TV show “Bones”. Now Zooey is playing Jess Day, the lead character on the sitcom “New Girl”. In the world of music, Zooey teams up with “M” Ward in the duo that goes by the name “She & Him”.

26. W.C.s : LAVS

Our word “lavatory” (sometimes “lav”) originally referred to a washbasin, and comes from the Latin “lavatorium”, a place for washing. In the 1600s, “lavatory” came to mean a washroom, and in the 1920s a toilet.

When I was growing up in Ireland, a bathroom was a room that had a bath and no toilet. The separate room with the commode was called the toilet or sometimes the W.C. (the water closet). Apparently the term “closet” was used because in the 1800s when homeowners started installing toilets indoors they often displaced clothes and linens in a closet, as a closet was the right size to take the commode.

27. Birthstone after sapphire : OPAL

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)

28. Garnish for a vodka tonic : LEMON WEDGE

The distilled beverage we call “vodka” takes its name from the Slavic word “voda” meaning “water”, with “vodka” translating as “little water”.

34. Home of the Rams, for short : SOCAL

Southern California (SoCal)

The Los Angeles Rams are the only franchise to have won NFL championships in three different cities, i.e. Cleveland (1945), Los Angeles (1951) and St. Louis (1999). The Rams were based in Cleveland from 1936 to 1945, in Los Angeles from 1946 to 1994, in St. Louis from 1995 to 2015, and returned to Los Angeles in 2016.

36. Gyro bread : PITA

A gyro is a traditional Greek dish of meat roasted on a tall vertical spit that is sliced from the spit as required. Gyros are usually served inside a lightly grilled piece of pita bread, along with tomato, onion and tzatziki (a yogurt and cucumber sauce).

37. Worker during a strike : SCAB

We first started calling strikebreakers “scabs” in the early 1800s, and before that a scab was a person who refused to join a trade union (back as early 1777). The word probably comes from the use of “scab” as a symptom of a skin disease, and so is a term that is meant to insult.

49. Tube-shaped pasta : PENNE

Cylindrical pasta is known in general as “penne”, and there are many variants. For example, ziti is a particularly large and long tube with square-cut ends. “Penne” is the plural of “penna”, the Italian for “feather, quill”.

53. Keen enjoyment : GUSTO

“Gusto” is an Italian word meaning “taste”. We use it in English in the phrase “with gusto” meaning “with great enjoyment”.

54. What Vegemite ultimately comes from : YEAST

Vegemite is a spread made from spiced-up brewers’ yeast extract. I’m told that it resembles Marmite, a spread that I used to eat as a kid back in Ireland. I’m also told that Vegemite has a flavor similar to beef bouillon.

59. Claim on a house : LIEN

A lien is the right that one has to retain or secure someone’s property until a debt is paid. When an individual takes out a car loan, for example, the lending bank is usually a lien holder. The bank releases the lien on the car when the loan is paid in full.

61. Nuclear bomb, for short : WMD

The first recorded use of the term “Weapon of Mass Destruction” (WMD) was in 1937. The words were used by Cosmo Gordon Lang, the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time, in reference to the bombardment of Guernica in Spain during the Spanish Civil War by the German Luftwaffe. He said, “Who can think without horror of what another widespread war would mean, waged as it would be with all the new weapons of mass destruction?”

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Trajectories for fly balls : ARCS
5. Bob of “Full House” : SAGET
10. Tax prep pro : CPA
13. Sport shirts for golfers : POLOS
15. Company with a spokesduck : AFLAC
16. Bud’s bud in comedy : LOU
17. Turkey’s place : POULTRY FARM
19. Continent north of Afr. : EUR
20. Stiller’s partner in comedy : MEARA
21. Murals, sculptures, etc. : ART
22. Mama’s mama : NANA
23. Turkey’s place : RAZZIE AWARDS
26. “OMG, 2 funny!” : LOL!
29. D-worthy : POOR
30. Completely infatuated : GAGA
31. Acted and spoke like : APED
33. One of the friends on “Friends” : ROSS
35. Speaks with a scratchy voice : RASPS
38. “Out of my hair!” : VAMOOSE!
40. Kind of night at a comedy club : OPEN-MIC
42. One of the seven deadly sins : SLOTH
43. Family rec center : YMCA
45. Take ___ loan : OUT A
46. Soda with fruity flavors : NEHI
48. Family name of three lawmen brothers : EARP
50. Apply gently : DAB
51. Turkey’s place : BOWLING ALLEY
55. One of three biblical brothers : ABEL
56. Paintball need : GUN
57. Host of “The Big Podcast With Shaq” : O’NEAL
60. Headed the pack : LED
61. Turkey’s place : WESTERN ASIA
64. Chow mein additive, maybe : MSG
65. Dull photo finish : MATTE
66. Compound in perfumes : ESTER
67. “Get it now?” : SEE?
68. Baby wipe target : DROOL
69. Voice mail signal : TONE

Down

1. Program activated with a tap : APP
2. Apartment unit : ROOM
3. Crime scene find : CLUE
4. Renewable kind of energy : SOLAR
5. For instance : SAY
6. Staples of soap operas : AFFAIRS
7. Harsh light : GLARE
8. Wild animal tracking aid : EAR TAG
9. Cable inits. for older films : TCM
10. Very confusing : CLEAR AS MUD
11. Basic monetary unit of Egypt, Sudan and Syria : POUND
12. Heavenly glows : AURAS
14. Helmet attachment : STRAP
18. Shadow removers : RAZORS
22. Honshu city that hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics : NAGANO
24. Deschanel of “New Girl” : ZOOEY
25. Suffix with glass or silver : -WARE
26. W.C.s : LAVS
27. Birthstone after sapphire : OPAL
28. Garnish for a vodka tonic : LEMON WEDGE
32. “Let’s hear more!” : DO TELL!
34. Home of the Rams, for short : SOCAL
36. Gyro bread : PITA
37. Worker during a strike : SCAB
39. “Didn’t expect to run into you here!” : OH, HI!
41. Place to get a tattoo or some ice cream : PARLOR
44. Had the intention of doing it : MEANT TO
47. Ready to go, as a car : IN GEAR
49. Tube-shaped pasta : PENNE
51. Sunburn remedies : BALMS
52. Busting the scales : OBESE
53. Keen enjoyment : GUSTO
54. What Vegemite ultimately comes from : YEAST
58. Regarding : AS TO
59. Claim on a house : LIEN
61. Nuclear bomb, for short : WMD
62. Elongated fish : EEL
63. “Why ___ you asking?” : ARE