0414-23 NY Times Crossword 14 Apr 23, Friday

Constructed by: Billy Bratton & Clay Haddock
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 10m 56s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Dungeons & Dragons, e.g., in brief : RPG

Role-playing game (RPG)

8 Abigail who wrote “remember the ladies” to her husband in 1776 : ADAMS

Abigail Adams (born Abigail Smith) had a unique distinction being married to John Adams. Abigail was the first Second Lady of the US, and then became the second First Lady! That said, the titles of “Second Lady” and “First Lady” were not used in her day.

20 Cop show co-starring LL Cool J, informally : NCIS: LA

Rap star LL Cool J was born James Todd Smith. Smith’s stage name stands for “Ladies Love Cool James”. When not rapping, LL Cool J plays Special Agent Sam Hanna on TV show “NCIS: Los Angeles”.

21 The “Y” of the code JPY : YEN

Japanese yen (JPY)

22 Not closeted : OUT

Back in the 1950s, to come “out of the closet” was to admit to being an alcoholic. By the seventies, the phrase mainly referred to gay people shrugging off secrecy about their sexual orientation.

23 Little annoyance : GNAT

Gnats have a relatively short lifespan, of about 7-10 days.

27 “I’ve heard enough,” in brief : TMI

Too much information (TMI)

34 American ___ : ELM

The official state tree of Massachusetts is the American elm. The elm was chosen in 1941, in a gesture commemorating George Washington taking command of the Continental Army in 1775. He did so beneath an American elm on Cambridge Common.

35 Ottomans, e.g. : TURKS

Osman I was the man who established the Ottoman Dynasty, with “Ottoman” coming from the name “Osman”. This is despite the fact that the “Ottoman Empire” came about with the conquest of Constantinople, and that didn’t happen until almost 130 years after Osman I died.

38 Heckelphone relative : OBOE

A heckelphone is a musical instrument like an oboe, but pitched an octave lower. The heckelphone was invented in 1904 by a manufacturer of woodwind instruments in Germany named Wilhelm Heckel.

39 Otherworldly : FEY

“Fey” is such a lovely word, one meaning “magical, fairy-like”. It comes from the Middle English word “feie” which has a less pleasant definition, “fated to die”. The term has been extended over the past century to mean “effeminate”.

44 Medium talent : ESP

The so-called sixth sense is extrasensory perception (ESP). It is also referred to as second sight.

46 Old Jewish enclave : SHTETL

The Yiddish word for “town” is “shtot”, and so “shtetl” is the diminutive form meaning “small town”.

54 Once-trendy green cocktails : APPLETINIS

An appletini is an apple martini, a cocktail containing vodka and an apple-flavored beverage such as apple brandy. One recipe is:

  • 1 part sweet vermouth
  • 1 part dry vermouth
  • 4 parts vodka
  • 3 parts apple juice

57 13x platinum Pearl Jam album that actually has 11 tracks : TEN

Pearl Jam is an alternative rock band from Seattle, Washington.

58 WhatsApped, say : IM’ED

WhatsApp is a popular messaging service used on smartphones that sends messages and other files from one mobile phone number to another. Launched in 2011, WhatsApp is incredibly popular, and indeed the most popular messaging service used today. Facebook acquired WhatsApp in 2014, paying over $19 billion.

Down

1 Feline friend of Tom on “Tom and Jerry” : TOPSY

“Tom and Jerry” is a series of cartoons produced by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera starting in 1940. These short films feature Tom Cat and Jerry Mouse who are always going at it, with Jerry usually emerging victorious.

4 Fork-tailed bird : TERN

Terns are a family of seabirds. They are similar to gulls, but are more slender and more lightly built. Many species of tern are known for their long-distance migrations, with the Arctic tern migrating so far that it is believed to see more daylight in a year than any other animal.

6 Its top score is 1520 : PSAT

Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT)

7 ___ economy : GIG

Musicians use “gig” to describe a job, a performance. The term originated in the early 1900s in the world of jazz. The derivative phrase “gig economy” applies to a relatively recent phenomenon where workers find themselves jumping from temporary job to temporary job, from gig to gig.

8 Stereotypical millennial breakfast item : AVOCADO TOAST

Avocado toast is trendy, but delicious. My homemade version includes a generous sprinkling of freshly cracked black pepper, and a splash of hot sauce. Yum …

Millennials are sometimes referred to as “echo boomers”, as millennials are often the children of “baby boomers”.

12 Kind of bean : SOYA

What are known as soybeans here in the US are called “soya beans” in most other English-speaking countries. So, I drink soy milk here in America, but when I am over in Ireland I drink “soya milk”.

25 Rugby competitor : ETON

The world-famous Eton College is just a brisk walk from Windsor Castle, which itself is just outside London. Eton is noted for producing many British leaders, including prime ministers David Cameron and Boris Johnson. The list of Old Etonians also includes Princes William and Harry, the Duke of Wellington and George Orwell. Author Ian Fleming was also an Eton alumnus, as was Fleming’s iconic character James Bond, although 007 was expelled by the school.

Rugby is a town in County Warwickshire, England. It is a market town, and is also home to the famous Rugby School, one of the oldest private schools in the country. The school gave its name to the sport of rugby, as the laws of the game were first published by three boys at Rugby School in 1845.

26 Texted eyes, maybe : COLON

An emoticon is a glyph created using text characters to represent facial features, and usually oriented sideways. The emoticon is designed to indicate emotion or attitude. The classic example is the smiley face 🙂. “Emoticon” is short for “emotion icon”.

27 Lavatory, informally : THRONE ROOM

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.

31 Some branded coolers : YETIS

YETI is a manufacturer of coolers and related products that is based in Austin, Texas. There was a kerfuffle between YETI and the National Rifle Association in 2018, when YETI removed the NRA from its membership discount program. That kerfuffle got quite public when some NRA members published videos of themselves destroying their own YETI products in protest.

32 Free alternative to Netflix : TUBI

Tubi is an ad-supported streaming service that was launched in 2014. Programs available from Tubi include both films and TV series. Program availability increased in 2020 when Tubi was purchased by Fox Corporation, for $440 million.

33 Alternative to Skippy : JIF

Jif is the leading brand of peanut butter in the US, and has been since 1981. Introduced in 1958, Jif is now produced by Smuckers.

41 Maine attractions : PINES

Maine is the least-densely populated state east of the Mississippi, with almost 90% of its land covered with forests. Perhaps that’s why the state’s nickname is “The Pine Tree State” …

42 Key collaborator : PEELE

Jordan Peele is a former cast member of the sketch comedy show “Mad TV”. Peele created his own sketch comedy show “Key & Peele” with fellow-Mad TV alum Keegan-Michael Key. Peele started hosting and producing the revival of “The Twilight Zone” in 2019.

47 People of Arizona : HOPI

Many members of the Hopi nation live on a reservation that is actually located within the much larger Navajo reservation in Arizona.

48 Suitable for most audiences : TV-PG

TV Parental Guidelines (TV-PG, TV-MA, etc.) were introduced in the US in 1997. Use of the rating system by broadcasters is entirely voluntary.

52 Give a card to : HIT

Hit me, give me another card.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Fool : TWIT
5 Dungeons & Dragons, e.g., in brief : RPG
8 Abigail who wrote “remember the ladies” to her husband in 1776 : ADAMS
13 Sighed aside : OH ME
14 Grammy category won twice each by Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Johnny Cash : MUSIC VIDEO
16 Walk on water? : PIER
17 When things are going well : ON A GOOD DAY
18 Hold one’s hand? : STAND PAT
20 Cop show co-starring LL Cool J, informally : NCIS: LA
21 The “Y” of the code JPY : YEN
22 Not closeted : OUT
23 Little annoyance : GNAT
24 Pricey : STEEP
26 Rep : CRED
27 “I’ve heard enough,” in brief : TMI
30 Supply at a nursery : POTS
31 “Go for it” : YOU DO THAT
33 Name spelled by the first letters of consecutive calendar months : JASON
34 American ___ : ELM
35 Ottomans, e.g. : TURKS
36 Addict’s plaint : I CAN’T STOP
38 Heckelphone relative : OBOE
39 Otherworldly : FEY
40 Water line : MAIN
41 Perfectionists take great ones : PAINS
42 Treads lightly : PADS
43 Bro hugger, perhaps : SIS
44 Medium talent : ESP
46 Old Jewish enclave : SHTETL
49 Snack item with green filling : MINT OREO
51 Get off on criticizing, perhaps : LOVE TO HATE
53 Fowl call : HONK
54 Once-trendy green cocktails : APPLETINIS
55 Water line : HOSE
56 Go-getter : TIGER
57 13x platinum Pearl Jam album that actually has 11 tracks : TEN
58 WhatsApped, say : IM’ED

Down

1 Feline friend of Tom on “Tom and Jerry” : TOPSY
2 Blank part of a page : WHITE SPACE
3 “Let me rephrase” : I MEAN TO SAY
4 Fork-tailed bird : TERN
5 Charge : RUN AT
6 Its top score is 1520 : PSAT
7 ___ economy : GIG
8 Stereotypical millennial breakfast item : AVOCADO TOAST
9 “Ta-da!” : DID IT!
10 Goes on to say : ADDS
11 Fast-food option for a reduced price : MEAL
12 Kind of bean : SOYA
14 Finish the dirty work : MOP UP
15 Took for a ride : CONNED
19 “Either is fine, honestly” : DOESN’T MATTER
23 One with cross words : GRUMP
25 Rugby competitor : ETON
26 Texted eyes, maybe : COLON
27 Lavatory, informally : THRONE ROOM
28 Tracks, so to speak : MAKES SENSE
29 “___ time!” : IT’S
31 Some branded coolers : YETIS
32 Free alternative to Netflix : TUBI
33 Alternative to Skippy : JIF
37 They’re awfully sorry : SAD LOT
41 Maine attractions : PINES
42 Key collaborator : PEELE
43 Demonstration that’s not going anywhere : SIT-IN
45 Gave the finger? : POKED
46 Blind piece : SLAT
47 People of Arizona : HOPI
48 Suitable for most audiences : TV-PG
49 Head locks? : MANE
50 “Huh, didn’t expect to see you here” : OH, HI
52 Give a card to : HIT