0714-22 NY Times Crossword 14 Jul 22, Thursday

Constructed by: Alan Arbesfeld
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: H2O

Themed answers are common phrases in which a letter H has been changed to (“2”) a letter O:

  • 69A Fire fighter, familiarly … or a phonetic hint to this puzzle’s theme : H2O
  • 18A Seeking a dry Italian wine? : AFTER SOAVE (from “aftershave”)
  • 29A Fervor over Senator Rubio? : MARCO MADNESS (from “March Madness”)
  • 46A Blazer worn next to a blaze? : FIRESIDE COAT (from “fireside chat”)
  • 59A TV show about a group of whales? : POD PROGRAM (from “Ph.D. program”)

Bill’s time: 8m 48s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

9 Penguins and Sharks are found in it : RINK

The Penguins are a professional hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They have been around since 1967, and were one of the first expansion teams when the NHL grew from six to twelve teams. The expansion team were to play in Pittsburgh’s Civic Arena, a domed structure known locally as the Igloo. It was the “Igloo” name that inspired a fan to suggest the “Penguins” moniker, which won a contest to choose the name of the new franchise.

The San Jose Sharks hockey team play their home games at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, a venue that we locals call “the Shark Tank”.

13 The “U” in U.X. : USER

User experience (UX)

15 Actress Alexander of “Living Single” : ERIKA

Erika Alexander is the actress who played Pam Tucker, a cousin that came to live with the Huxtable household in “The Cosby Show”. Alexander also won many awards for playing Maxine Shaw on the Fox sitcom “Living Single”.

16 Phone tapping target? : ICON

One often taps an icon or two on the screen of one’s smartphone.

18 Seeking a dry Italian wine? : AFTER SOAVE (from “aftershave”)

Soave is a dry white wine produced in the area around the city of Verona in northeast Italy. Soave is a small town located near Verona.

29 Fervor over Senator Rubio? : MARCO MADNESS (from “March Madness”)

Marco Rubio became the junior US Senator for Florida in 2011. Famously, Rubio ran for the Republican nomination for president in the 2016 race, losing out to future president Donald Trump.

“March Madness” is the name given to the NCAA Men’s Division 1 Basketball Championship (among others), that is held in the spring each year. Another name is “the Big Dance”.

36 Political columnist Peggy : NOONAN

Peggy Noonan is an author and columnist, and was once a speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan. Noonan was responsible for one of President Reagan’s most-remembered speeches, when he addressed the nation after the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. She also came up with some famous phrases used by President George H. W. Bush, such as “a kinder, gentler nation”, “a thousand points of light” and “read my lips; no new taxes”.

38 Graphic text? : EMOJI

An emoji is a character found on many cell phones that is much like an emoticon, but is more elaborate. The use of emojis originated in 1997 on mobile phones in Japan, and within a few years spread around the world. “Emoji” is a Japanese word meaning “picture word”.

40 ___ favor : POR

“Por favor” is Spanish for “please”.

41 Muse of memory : MNEME

In Greek mythology, the muses are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. The number of muses is a subject of debate at times, but the most popular view is that there are nine:

  • Calliope (epic poetry)
  • Clio (history)
  • Erato (lyric poetry)
  • Euterpe (music)
  • Melpomene (tragedy)
  • Polyhymnia (choral poetry)
  • Terpsichore (dance)
  • Thalia (comedy)
  • Urania (astronomy)

Before the adoption of the nine muses of Greek mythology, there were originally three muses, the three Boeotian Muses. These were:

  • Mneme (memory)
  • Melete (meditation)
  • Aoede (song)

42 Year in Tuscany : ANNO

Tuscany is a beautiful region in central Italy, the capital of which is the city of Florence. Tuscany is considered to be the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, which was centered around Florence. It was home to great artistic icons such as Dante, Botticelli, Michelangelo, da Vinci, Galileo and Puccini.

43 Colorful woven shawl : SERAPE

“Serape” is the English pronunciation and spelling of the Spanish word “zarape”. A zarape is like a Mexican poncho, a soft woolen blanket with a hole in the middle for the head. Most serapes have colorful designs that use traditional Mayan motifs.

46 Blazer worn next to a blaze? : FIRESIDE COAT (from “fireside chat”)

A blazer is a less formal version of a suit jacket, usually one with a less formal cut and often metal buttons. The original “blazer” was a red jacket worn by members of the rowing club at Cambridge University in England. The “blazer” is so called because the Cambridge version was “blazing red” in color.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) gave a total of thirty evening radio addresses that were termed “fireside chats”. President Roosevelt had used similar addresses to further his political agenda while he was Governor of New York. In New York, he faced opposition from a Republican legislature and so Roosevelt appealed directly to voters to apply pressure for him.

50 They might get busted at a rock concert : EARDRUMS

The eardrum lies at the intersection of the outer ear and middle ear. Also called the tympanic membrane, the eardrum picks up vibrations in air caused by sound waves, and transmits these vibrations to three tiny bones called “ossicles”. These ossicles (hammer, anvil and stirrup) are in the middle ear, and transmit the vibration to an oval window. The oval window is the membrane-covered opening lying at the intersection of the middle ear and the inner ear. The vibrations are transmitted into fluid in the inner ear, and converted into nerve impulses in the cochlea that are transmitted to the brain.

59 TV show about a group of whales? : POD PROGRAM (from “Ph.D. program”)

A group of whales can be called a gam, as well as a pod.

“Ph.D.” is an abbreviation for “philosophiae doctor”, Latin for “teacher of philosophy”. Often, candidates for a PhD already hold a bachelor’s and a master’s degree, so a PhD might be considered a “third degree”.

64 Concern for Cupid : AMOR

In the myth of Cupid (aka “Eros”) and Psyche, the two title characters must overcome many obstacles to fulfill their love for each other. Overcome them they do, and the pair marry and enjoy immortal love.

65 Cafe order : MOCHA

A caffè mocha is a caffè latte that has been flavored with chocolate. One might also regard a caffè mocha as hot chocolate with the addition of a shot of espresso.

66 Roger who wrote “A Season in the Sun” : KAHN

Roger Kahn is an author who is best known for his nonfiction book about baseball titled “The Boys of Summer”. The book’s title comes from a Dylan Thomas poem “I See the Boys of Summer”.

69 Fire fighter, familiarly … or a phonetic hint to this puzzle’s theme : H2O

A water molecule is composed of an oxygen atom with two hydrogen atoms on roughly opposite sides (at about a 150-degree angle). So, sometimes the molecule is represented by “HOH”, although more usually by “H2O”.

Down

1 Best-selling author of legal thrillers : TUROW

Scott Turow is an author and lawyer from Chicago. Turow has had several bestselling novels including “Presumed Innocent”, “The Burden of Proof” and “Reversible Errors”, all three of which were made into films. He also wrote the autobiographical book “One L: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School”.

2 Kirin alternative : ASAHI

Asahi is a Japanese beer, and the name of the brewery that produces it. “Asahi” is Japanese for “morning sun”. Asahi introduced a “dry beer” in 1987, igniting a craze that rocketed the brewery to the number one spot in terms of beer production in Japan, with Sapporo close behind.

Kirin lager is the oldest brand of beer in Japan. The “Kirin” name comes from the Japanese word for a mythical Chinese creature.

7 Retail giant founded in 1943 by a 17-year-old : IKEA

The IKEA furniture chain was founded by Ingvar Kamprad in 1943, when he was just 17-years-old. IKEA is an acronym standing for Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd (don’t forget now!). Elmtaryd was the name of the farm where Ingvar Kamprad grew up, and Agunnaryd is his home parish in Sweden.

9 Carnival locale, briefly : RIO

Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city in Brazil (after São Paulo). “Rio de Janeiro” translates as “January River”. The name reflects the discovery of the bay on which Rio sits, on New Year’s Day in 1502.

The celebration of Carnival comes right before the Lenten period in some Christian traditions. It is thought that Carnival perhaps arose from the need to “eat and drink up” any excess food and drink before the beginning of Lent.

11 Stellar phenomenon : NOVA

A nova (plural “novae”) is basically a star that suddenly gets much brighter, gradually returning to its original state weeks or even years later. The increased brightness of a nova is due to increased nuclear activity causing the star to pick up extra hydrogen from a neighboring celestial body. A supernova is very different from a nova. A supernova is a very bright burst of light and energy created when most of the material in a star explodes. The bright burst of a supernova is very short-lived compared to the sustained brightness of a nova.

21 Saudi neighbor : OMANI

Oman lies on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula and is neighbored by the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Oman is a monarchy, and the official name of the state is the Sultanate of Oman. All of the country’s legislative, executive and judiciary power resides with the hereditary sultan.

30 One of a percussive pair : MARACA

Maracas are percussion instruments that are native to Latin America. They are constructed from dried shells, like those of a coconut, to which handles are attached. The shells are filled with dried seeds or beans, and played by shaking.

32 Whole bunch : SLEW

Our usage of “slew” to mean “large number” has nothing to do with the verb “to slew” meaning “to turn, skid”. The noun “slew” came into English in the early 1800s from the Irish word “sluagh” meaning “host, crowd, multitude”.

34 Prefix with bus or science : OMNI-

We use the term “bus” for a mode of transportation as it is an abbreviated form of the original “omnibus”. We imported “omnibus” via French from Latin, in which language it means “for all”. The idea is that an omnibus is a “carriage for all”.

Omniscience is the quality of having complete knowledge and awareness. The term comes from the Latin “omnis” meaning “all” and “scientia” meaning “knowledge”.

39 Billy with a record 100+ lifetime performances at Madison Square Garden : JOEL

Billy Joel is the third-best selling solo artist in the US, after Elvis Presley and Garth Brooks. Joel’s name has been associated with two supermodels in his life. He dated Elle Macpherson, and wrote two songs about their relationship: “This Night” and “And So It Goes”. Joel’s second wife was Christie Brinkley, to whom he was married from 1985 to 1994. Brinkley appeared in the title role in the music video for “Uptown Girl”.

Madison Square Garden (MSG) is an arena in New York City used for a variety of events. In the world of sports it is home to the New York Rangers of the NHL, as well as the New York Knicks of the NBA. “The Garden” is also the third busiest music venue in the world in terms of ticket sales. The current arena is the fourth structure to bear the name, a name taken from the Madison Square location in Manhattan. In turn, the square was named for James Madison, the fourth President of the US.

41 Gettysburg general : MEADE

George Meade was a career army officer with a depth of experience in civil and military operations even before the onset of the Civil War. During the war he rose to the level of Commander of the Army of the Potomac, and is best remembered for leading the Union forces that defeated General Robert E. Lee at Gettysburg in 1863.

44 Best Actress Oscar winner between Bullock and Streep : PORTMAN

Actress Natalie Portman was born in Israel, in Jerusalem. She moved to the US with her family when she was just three years old.

48 Sedative, for short : TRANK

A tranquilizer (familiarly “tranq, trank”) is a downer, a drug designed to reduce tension or anxiety. Tranquilizers can also be used to sedate animals.

51 Husband of Bathsheba : URIAH

Uriah the Hittite was a soldier mentioned in the Bible, a soldier in the army of King David. Uriah was married to Bathsheba with whom King David had an affair. David had Uriah killed and then took Bathsheba as his wife. Bathsheba and David became the parents of Solomon who succeeded David as king.

52 Double the speed of sound : MACH 2

The Mach number of a moving object (like say an airplane) is its speed relative to the speed of sound. A plane traveling at Mach 2, for example, is moving at twice the speed of sound. The term “Mach” takes its name from the Austrian physicist Ernst Mach who published a groundbreaking paper in 1877 that even predicted the “sonic boom”.

53 Court recorder : STENO

Stenography is the process of writing in shorthand. The term comes from the Greek “steno” (narrow) and “graphe” (writing).

54 Big Apple product : IPAD

The iPad wasn’t Apple’s first foray into the world of tablet computing. Apple created great buzz by introducing the Newton MessagePad way back in 1993. This innovative machine was fraught with problems and really died a very slow death, finally being withdrawn from the market in 1998.

55 Home to Alaska’s oldest newspaper : NOME

In 1899, the Alaska city of Nome was briefly known as Anvil City by locals to avoid confusion with the nearby city of Cape Nome. However, the US Post Office refused to approve the change, and so the name was immediately changed back to Nome.

57 Feat for a performer, in brief : EGOT

The acronym “EGOT” stands for “Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony”, and is a reference to performers who have won all four awards.

61 Victrola maker : RCA

The Victrola was a phonograph in which the turntable and horn could be hidden away in a wooden cabinet. The “Victrola” name was used as the phonograph was manufactured by the Victor Talking Machine Company. The Victor Talking Machine Company was sold to RCA, leading to the creation of RCA Victor.

62 Tuna variety : AHI

Yellowfin and bigeye tuna are usually marketed as “ahi”, the Hawaiian name. They are both big fish, with yellowfish tuna often weighing over 300 pounds, and bigeye tuna getting up to 400 pounds.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 It isn’t much : TAD
4 Elemental : BASIC
9 Penguins and Sharks are found in it : RINK
13 The “U” in U.X. : USER
15 Actress Alexander of “Living Single” : ERIKA
16 Phone tapping target? : ICON
17 Go, go, go : RACE
18 Seeking a dry Italian wine? : AFTER SOAVE (from “aftershave”)
20 “Pick me! Pick me!” : OH! OH! OH!
22 Tankard filler : ALE
23 “Don’t reckon so” : NAW
24 Screen makeup : WIRE MESH
27 Taking care of business : ON IT
29 Fervor over Senator Rubio? : MARCO MADNESS (from “March Madness”)
33 Put on : DON
36 Political columnist Peggy : NOONAN
37 Like many tracks : OVAL
38 Graphic text? : EMOJI
40 ___ favor : POR
41 Muse of memory : MNEME
42 Year in Tuscany : ANNO
43 Colorful woven shawl : SERAPE
45 Just released : NEW
46 Blazer worn next to a blaze? : FIRESIDE COAT (from “fireside chat”)
49 Plenty : A LOT
50 They might get busted at a rock concert : EARDRUMS
54 Road trip respite : INN
56 Valuable diamond : ACE
58 Rip into : TEAR AT
59 TV show about a group of whales? : POD PROGRAM (from “Ph.D. program”)
63 “Good one!” : NICE!
64 Concern for Cupid : AMOR
65 Cafe order : MOCHA
66 Roger who wrote “A Season in the Sun” : KAHN
67 Showroom display : DEMO
68 Tough spot to get out : STAIN
69 Fire fighter, familiarly … or a phonetic hint to this puzzle’s theme : H2O

Down

1 Best-selling author of legal thrillers : TUROW
2 Kirin alternative : ASAHI
3 Furnishings : DECOR
4 Come to the rescue : BE A HERO
5 Bit of yapping : ARF!
6 ___ pretty : SIT
7 Retail giant founded in 1943 by a 17-year-old : IKEA
8 It often comes in 60-, 72- and 84-month lengths : CAR LOAN
9 Carnival locale, briefly : RIO
10 [speechless!] : [I CAN’T EVEN!]
11 Stellar phenomenon : NOVA
12 Had down : KNEW
14 Take up again, in a way : RE-HEM
19 What a paper airplane may represent : SEND
21 Saudi neighbor : OMANI
25 Checked (out) : SCOPED
26 Roast target, e.g. : HONOREE
28 Aware of : IN ON
30 One of a percussive pair : MARACA
31 “Me too!” : SAME!
32 Whole bunch : SLEW
33 Like many signers : DEAF
34 Prefix with bus or science : OMNI-
35 Like the results of loaded dice : NON-RANDOM
39 Billy with a record 100+ lifetime performances at Madison Square Garden : JOEL
41 Gettysburg general : MEADE
43 Light shows? : SITCOMS
44 Best Actress Oscar winner between Bullock and Streep : PORTMAN
47 Take off : SOAR
48 Sedative, for short : TRANK
51 Husband of Bathsheba : URIAH
52 Double the speed of sound : MACH 2
53 Court recorder : STENO
54 Big Apple product : IPAD
55 Home to Alaska’s oldest newspaper : NOME
57 Feat for a performer, in brief : EGOT
60 No amateur : PRO
61 Victrola maker : RCA
62 Tuna variety : AHI