Constructed by: Blake Slonecker
Edited by: Will Shortz
Not your puzzle? Try today’s …
… syndicated NY Times crossword
Today’s Theme: None
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Bill’s time: 14m 54s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
1 Snack brand that originated in 1919 : HOSTESS
Hostess CupCake is a bakery product that has been around a long time, with the first being sold in 1919.
14 Physical feature of the god Pan : GOATEE
A goatee is a beard formed by hair on a man’s chin. The name probably comes from the tuft of hair seen on an adult goat.
In Greek mythology, Pan was a lecherous god who was part-man and part-goat, and one who fell in love with Echo the mountain nymph. Echo refused Pan’s advances so that he became very angry. Pan’s anger created a “panic” (a word derived from the name “Pan”) and a group of shepherds were driven to kill Echo.
17 N.B.A. great nicknamed “Sir Charles” : BARKLEY
Former pro-basketball player Charles Barkley was nicknamed “Sir Charles” as well as “The Round Mound of Rebound”. Now that Barkley is retired he spends some of his time commenting on games for Turner Network Television (TNT) on the show “Inside the NBA”. He also has expressed interest in getting into politics and pondered a 2014 run for Governor of Alabama.
18 How knights jousted, typically : IN ARMOR
“Jousting” and “tilting” are synonyms describing the medieval competition in which two horsemen yielding blunted lances attempt to unseat each other. Such an event has been referred to as “jousting” since the 1300s. At some point, the path of the two charging horsemen was separated by a cloth barrier known as a tilt (“tilt” meant “cloth covering”). The term “tilting” was applied to the sport in the 1500s, although by then the cloth barrier had been upgraded to a wooden fence.
19 Denim dye : ANIL
“Anil” is another name for the indigo plant, as well as the name of the blue indigo dye that is obtained from it. The color of anil is relatively close to navy blue. The main coloring agent in indigo dye is a crystalline powder called indigotin.
Denim fabric originated in Nîmes in France. The French phrase “de Nîmes” (meaning “from Nîmes”) gives us the word “denim”. Also, the French phrase “bleu de Genes” (meaning “blue of Genoa”) gives us our word “jeans”.
24 Tip at a hair salon? : SPLIT END
The hair condition that we commonly refer to as “split ends”, is more formally known as “trichoptilosis”. The latter term comes from the Greek “tricho-” meaning “hair” and “ptilosis” meaning “arrangement of feathers in definite areas”!
25 Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts : HAGRID
Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane is perhaps best known in North America for his portrayal of Hagrid in the “Harry Potter” movies. Coltrane is quite the celebrity in the UK. He appeared sixth on a UK list of “most famous Scots”, after the likes of Sean Connery and the Loch Ness Monster!
30 Sics on : SETS AT
To sic on is to let at or set on. The verb “to sic on” comes from the attack command given to a dog: “sic ‘em”.
37 Site of Chicago’s Centennial Wheel : NAVY PIER
The first Ferris Wheel was built for the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. That wheel was designed and constructed by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. who lent his name to wheels built from then on.
40 Young Frankenstein player, 1974 : GENE WILDER
Gene Wilder was an actor noted for his comedic roles. Wilder had a successful collaboration with Mel Brooks on three great films: “The Producers”, “Blazing Saddles” and my favorite, “Young Frankenstein”. For a while, Wilder dated his “Young Frankenstein” co-star Teri Garr, but he was married most famously to “Saturday Night Live” star Gilda Radner.
I am not really a big fan of movies by Mel Brooks, but “Young Frankenstein” is the exception. I think the cast has a lot to do with me liking the film, as it includes Gene Wilder (Dr. Frankenstein), Teri Garr (Inga), Marty Feldman (Igor) and Gene Hackman (Harold, the blind man).
42 “___ for now” : TA-TA
An Englishman might say “ta-ta” or “cheerio” instead of “goodbye”. Well, supposedly so …
43 Rudolph’s signature feature : RED NOSE
We get the names for Santa’s reindeer from the famous 1823 poem called “A Visit from St. Nicholas”, although we’ve modified a couple of the names over the years. The full list is:
- Dasher
- Dancer
- Prancer
- Vixen
- Comet
- Cupid
- Donder (originally “Dunder”, and now often “Donner”)
- Blitzen (originally “Blixem”)
Rudolph was added to the list by retailer Montgomery Ward, would you believe? The store commissioned Robert L. May to create a booklet that could be handed out to children around Christmas in 1939, and May introduced us to a new friend for Santa, namely Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
44 Server unit : TERABIT
In the world of computer science, a computer accessing a service is called a “client”. The service is provided on a computer called a “server”. These days, clients and servers often communicate via the Internet. I am typing up this blog post on my laptop (the client) and am connected via the Internet to the Google Drive service that resides on a computer somewhere (the server).
51 Like the “s” in debris (but not Du Bois) : ASONANT
In phonetics, a letter or syllable that is “sonant” is voiced, whereas an “assonant” (also “asonant”) letter is not voiced.
Down
2 Big Brother’s superstate in “1984” : OCEANIA
The action in George Orwell’s 1949 novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four” takes place in the intercontinental superstate of Oceania. Orwell also created two other superstates, one called Eurasia and the other Eastasia.
7 Ones with strong appetites : SATYRS
The satyrs of Greek mythology came with a very high sex drive. They are the “rude” male subjects drawn on the side of old Greek vases. The nubile maidens known as nymphs were often an object of attention for the satyrs.
8 Mountebanks : CON ARTISTS
A mountebank is a charlatan, a swindler. The term applies more specifically to someone who sells quack medicines to a small crowd, using tricks and exaggerated stories to convince individuals to purchase. “Mountebank” comes into English via Italian from “monta” meaning “to mount” and “banco” meaning “bench”. The idea is that the swindler would “mount a bench” from where he can address the crowd and hawk his fraudulent wares.
10 Cartoon superhero with an “A” on his chest : ATOM ANT
Atom Ant is a cartoon character introduced by Hanna-Barbera in 1965. He is a tiny superhero who fights villains such as Ferocious Flea and a mad scientist named Professor Von Gimmick.
12 Third eye users : SEERS
The “third eye” is also known as the “inner eye”. The term refers to the concept of an invisible eye that allows one to perceive beyond ordinary sight, to gain insight.
16 Pooh’s bestie : PIGLET
In A. A. Milne’s “Winnie-the-Pooh” collection of stories, Pooh has many friends in the Hundred Acre Wood. Besides Christopher Robin, who doesn’t actually live in the woods, the list includes Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, Rabbit, Tigger and Owl.
23 Targets for censors : DIRTY WORDS
The original “censor” was an officer in ancient Rome who had responsibility for taking the “census”, as well as supervising public morality.
30 Bringer of sleep and dreams : SANDMAN
The sandman is a mythical character from folklore who is said to induce sleep and bring good dreams by sprinkling sand on the eyes of children.
31 Word before star or after good : EVENING
The planet Venus is the second planet from the Sun in our solar system. It is very bright in the night sky, brighter than any other planet or any star. When visible after sunset, Venus may be referred to as the Evening Star. When visible before sunrise, it is known as the Morning Star.
33 Narcolepsy medicine : RITALIN
Ritalin is a trade name for the drug methylphenidate that is used for treatment of ADHD and narcolepsy. Methylphenidate has a similar structure and similar properties to the drug cocaine, although it is less potent.
Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder in which the sufferer is drowsy during the day and experiences sudden needs for sleep. The term “narcolepsy” comes from the Greek words “narke” (numbness, stupor) and “lepsis” (seizure, attack).
34 Coffee first cultivated in Yemen : ARABICA
The species Coffea arabica is thought to be the first plant cultivated for coffee. Today, 75-80% of the world’s coffee comes from Coffea arabica.
35 Web browser? : NETIZEN
A netizen is an “Internet citizen”, someone with a presence on the Internet. I guess I would be a netizen, then …
38 Eye piece : RETINA
The retina is the tissue that lines the inside of the eye, and is the tissue that is light-sensitive. There are (mainly) two types of cells in the retina that are sensitive to light, namely rods and cones. Rods are cells that best function in very dim light and only provide black-and-white vision. Cones on the other hand function in brighter light and can perceive color.
40 Pot : GRASS
“Potiguaya” is the Mexican-Spanish word for “marijuana leaves”. The slang name “pot” comes from “potiguaya”.
41 Mulligans : REDOS
There doesn’t seem to be a definitive account for the origin of the term “mulligan”, which is most often used for a shot do-over in golf. There are lots of stories about golfers named Mulligan though, and I suspect that one of them may be true …
45 Fantasy sports format, informally : ROTO
Rotisserie League Baseball (“Roto”) is a version of fantasy baseball that uses a particular scoring system that was popularized by a group of journalists. The apparently strange name for the league is a reference to the New York restaurant La Rôtisserie Française, where the founders met to first play the game.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Snack brand that originated in 1919 : HOSTESS
8 Burns at the steak? : CHARS
13 Wife whom Marc Antony deserted for Cleopatra : OCTAVIA
14 Physical feature of the god Pan : GOATEE
15 Service setting : TEA CART
16 Roger ___, Physics Nobelist known for tilings : PENROSE
17 N.B.A. great nicknamed “Sir Charles” : BARKLEY
18 How knights jousted, typically : IN ARMOR
19 Denim dye : ANIL
20 Medical research of a sort : DRUG TRIALS
22 Forklike : TINED
24 Tip at a hair salon? : SPLIT END
25 Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts : HAGRID
27 Remove, as from a stock exchange : DELIST
28 Some commercial come-ons : REBATES
30 Sics on : SETS AT
32 Leave high and dry : STRAND
37 Site of Chicago’s Centennial Wheel : NAVY PIER
39 Storm warning : SIREN
40 Young Frankenstein player, 1974 : GENE WILDER
42 “___ for now” : TA-TA
43 Rudolph’s signature feature : RED NOSE
44 Server unit : TERABIT
46 Put on a pedestal : ADMIRED
47 Put on a pedestal : IDOLIZE
48 Pedestals : STANDS
49 Bulletin board material : NOTICES
50 “The Love ___ of W.E.B. Du Bois” (2021 novel) : SONGS
51 Like the “s” in debris (but not Du Bois) : ASONANT
Down
1 Steamy scene? : HOT BATH
2 Big Brother’s superstate in “1984” : OCEANIA
3 It might be done “into space” : STARING
4 Safety, often : TACKLER
5 Appraisal: Abbr. : EVAL
6 Brought forth : SIRED
7 Ones with strong appetites : SATYRS
8 Mountebanks : CON ARTISTS
9 Torments : HARRIES
10 Cartoon superhero with an “A” on his chest : ATOM ANT
11 Flipped, in a way : RESOLD
12 Third eye users : SEERS
14 New Testament folk : GENTILES
16 Pooh’s bestie : PIGLET
21 Filled in : UPDATED
23 Targets for censors : DIRTY WORDS
26 Can’t stomach : DESPISES
29 Quit early, so to speak : BAILED
30 Bringer of sleep and dreams : SANDMAN
31 Word before star or after good : EVENING
33 Narcolepsy medicine : RITALIN
34 Coffee first cultivated in Yemen : ARABICA
35 Web browser? : NETIZEN
36 Occasion for cheek swabs : DNA TEST
37 Must : NEED TO
38 Eye piece : RETINA
40 Pot : GRASS
41 Mulligans : REDOS
45 Fantasy sports format, informally : ROTO
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