1216-22 NY Times Crossword 16 Dec 22, Friday

Constructed by: Kameron Austin Collins
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 12m 11s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Fallout from a hex, perhaps : BAD JUJU

“Juju” is a term used by Europeans in days gone by to describe West-African religions. Today we use the term for things such as amulets and spells associated with those religions and also witchcraft.

“Hexen” is a German word meaning “to practice witchcraft”. The use of the word “hex” in English started with the Pennsylvania Dutch in the early 1800s.

8 Some ceremonial garments : TOGAS

In ancient Rome, the classical attire known as a toga (plural “togae” or “togas”) was usually worn over a tunic. The tunic was made from linen, and the toga itself was a piece of cloth about twenty feet long made from wool. The toga could only be worn by men, and only if those men were Roman citizens. The female equivalent of the toga was called a “stola”.

14 Commonly farmed fish : TILAPIA

The name “tilapia” is used for almost a hundred species of related fish, most of which are found in freshwater. Tilapia are found in many fish farms as they grow very quickly and are popular in restaurants.

18 Tesla and Toyota : MAKES

Tesla Motors shortened its name to just “Tesla” in early 2017.

Toyota management likes the idea of naming their cars after the word “crown”, as they did with the Toyota Crown, followed by the Toyota Corona (Latin for crown), the Toyota Corolla (Latin for small crown), and the Toyota Camry (Japanese for crown).

25 Syngman of Korean politics : RHEE

Syngman Rhee was born in Korea, but received much of his education in the US, including a Ph.D. from Princeton. The very much westernized Rhee returned to Korea in 1910, a Korea that by then had been annexed by Japan. Soon after he found himself President of a Provisional Government of Korea based in Shanghai, but was eventually ousted for misuse of power. After WWII, Rhee was installed as President, heavily backed by the United States. However, Rhee’s rule proved to be more like tyranny and during the Korean War his relationship with the US Government became very strained. He stayed in power until 1960 when student revolts became popular enough to force him out of office. The CIA flew him out of the country and he went into exile in Hawaii, where a few years later he died of a stroke.

29 Coyote crusher in cartoons : ANVIL

Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner are two much-loved cartoon characters from Warner Bros. Wile E. Coyote was created first, and Road Runner was invented as someone for Wile E. to play off. I love this cartoon; it’s definitely one of the best …

31 Inspiration for some fashion lines? : 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.

32 Some menthols : KOOLS

Kools cigarettes were introduced in 1933, and are still around today. The brand is marketed as being “smooth”, as the ingredient menthol numbs the mouth and dulls the taste of the tobacco.

34 Unhealthy blankets : SMOGS

“Smog” is a portmanteau formed by melding “smoke” and “fog”. The term was first used to describe the air around London in the early 1900s. Several cities around the world have a reputation of being particularly smoggy. For example, the most smog-plagued city in Latin America is Mexico City, which is located in a highland “bowl” that traps industrial and vehicle pollution.

44 Suggestion, in brief : REC

Recommendation (rec.)

46 Superman’s mother : LARA

Lara Lor-Van is the biological mother of Kal-El, and wife of scientist Jor-El. Kal-El is sent to Earth, where we would know him better as “Superman”.

48 Pitted fruit : DATE

Date palms can be either male or female. Only the female tree bears fruit (called “dates”).

52 Posh shopping district of Tokyo : GINZA

Ginza is a district in Tokyo that is noted for its western shops, and especially the leading fashion stores.

55 Some hair dressings : POMADES

Pomade is perfumed ointment, one mainly used for grooming the hair. The word “pomade” comes from the Latin “pomum” meaning “apple”, as the original ointment recipe used smashed apples.

59 Gossip : YENTA

“Yenta” (also “Yente”) is actually a female Yiddish name. In Yiddish theater “yenta” came to mean a busybody, a gossip.

Down

2 Glass houses? : AQUARIA

“Aquarium” is a Latin word meaning “pertaining to water”, although in Latin the word only existed as a noun with the meaning “drinking place for cattle”. Before the use of the noun “aquarium” (plural “aquaria”) in the context of fish, a tank was sometimes referred to as a marine vivarium.

3 It’ll make a splash at a county fair : DUNK TANK

A dunk tank is a funfair attraction consisting of a large tank filled with water, over which a volunteer sits on a collapsing seat. Balls that are successfully thrown at a target cause the seat to collapse, and the unfortunate volunteer gets dunked.

5 Chicago-based pizza chain, familiarly : UNO’S

The chain of pizza parlors known today as Uno Chicago Grill used to be called Pizzeria Uno, or just “Uno’s”. Apparently, Uno’s created the world’s first deep-dish pizza.

9 Sharon with a Pulitzer for poetry : OLDS

Poet Sharon Olds won a Pulitzer Prize in Poetry in 2013. She was also the first American woman to win the T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry.

15 Jacks and jennies : ASSES

A female donkey/ass is known as a jenny and a male is known as a jack, or sometimes “jackass”. We started using the term “jackass” to mean “fool” in the 1820s.

20 Name synonymous with luxury : RITZ

César Ritz was a Swiss hotelier, who had a reputation for developing the most luxurious of accommodations and attracting the wealthiest clientèle. He opened the Hotel Ritz in Paris in 1898 and the second of his most famous hotels, the Ritz Hotel in London, in 1906. Ritz was lucky in his career, as before starting his own hotel chain he had been dismissed from the Savoy Hotel in London, implicated in the disappearance of a substantial amount of wine and spirits. Today’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company was founded in 1983, although the chain has its roots in the properties developed by César Ritz.

27 Cosmetics brand known for its pore strips : BIORE

Bioré is a skincare brand owned by the Kao Corporation of Tokyo.

30 Red, fruity alcoholic drink, informally : VODKA CRAN

When early European settlers came across red berries growing in the bogs of the northern part of America, they felt that the plant’s flower and stem resembled the head and bill of a crane. As such, they called the plant “craneberry”, which evolved into “cranberry”.

37 2000 #1 Radiohead album : KID A

Radiohead is an alternative rock band from England that formed in 1985. When the band self-released their 2007 studio album “In Rainbows”, it was a big deal for the music industry. Radiohead offered a digital version of the album using a pay-what-you-want pricing model. Reportedly, most fans paid what would be a normal retail price for the download version of the album. That’s not bad, considering the relatively low cost to produce a download compared to the cost of producing a CD.

41 Certain hog : HARLEY

The Harley-Davidson motorcycle company was founded in the very early 1900s by two childhood friends, William Harley and Arthur Davidson, . Their first design was in effect an engine hooked up to a pedal bicycle, but the 116 cc cylinder capacity simply couldn’t generate enough power to get up the hills of their native city of Milwaukee. The pair came up with a redesigned model that had a cylinder capacity of 405 cc, which the partners built in a shed at the back of Davidson’s house. In 1906, the partners built their first factory, located where the company’s headquarters is to this day, on Juneau Avenue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Famously, Harley motorcycles are nicknamed “hogs”.

48 Royal chronicled on “The Crown” : DIANA

Diana, Princess of Wales appeared on back-to-back issues of “Time” magazine in 1997. Both covers were occasioned by Princess Diana’s tragic death.

“The Crown” is a historical drama produced for Netflix that covers the life of British Queen Elizabeth II from her marriage to Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. For the first two seasons, Elizabeth is played by Claire Foy and Philip by Matt Smith. For the next two seasons, Olivia Colman and Tobias Menzies take over as Elizabeth and Philip. The show finishes up with Imelda Staunton and Jonathan Pryce in the roles.

50 Cause of a game’s end : TILT

In a game of pinball, some players get an irresistible urge to “nudge” the machine . Such a nudge, a movement of the machine designed to influence the path taken by the ball, is called a “tilt”. Most pinball machines have sensors designed to detect a tilt, and when activated a “tilt” warning light comes on and the player’s controls are temporarily disabled.

52 N.Y. footballers, to fans : G-MEN

The New York Giants (NYG) football team plays home games in MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, a stadium shared with the New York Jets (NYJ). The Giants are the only team remaining from a group of five that joined the league in 1925. For many years, the Giants shared team names with the New York Giants MLB team, before the baseball franchise moved to San Francisco after the 1957 season.

56 Longtime West Coast brew, informally : OLY

The Olympia Brewing Company was founded in the town of Tumwater, Washington in 1896, by a German immigrant. Olympia (familiarly “Oly”) was acquired by Pabst in 1983.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Fallout from a hex, perhaps : BAD JUJU
8 Some ceremonial garments : TOGAS
13 Philosopher known as the “Father of Thomism” : AQUINAS
14 Commonly farmed fish : TILAPIA
16 Channel through a barrel : GUN BORE
17 Annual Roman Catholic service for members of the legal profession : RED MASS
18 Tesla and Toyota : MAKES
19 Brother : FRA
21 Dissenting groups : SECTS
22 Dark ___ : ARTS
23 Buildings in bad standing? : RUINS
25 Syngman of Korean politics : RHEE
26 Director DaCosta of “Candyman,” 2021 : NIA
27 Last resort for a locksmith : BOLT CUTTERS
29 Coyote crusher in cartoons : ANVIL
31 Inspiration for some fashion lines? : ZEBRA
32 Some menthols : KOOLS
34 Unhealthy blankets : SMOGS
36 Toasted : DRUNK
38 “Here comes the fight!” : IT’S ON!
40 Jam producers? : CHOKE POINTS
44 Suggestion, in brief : REC
46 Superman’s mother : LARA
47 Some mixers : SODAS
48 Pitted fruit : DATE
49 Build up : ERECT
51 Sound that might follow a buzz : ZAP!
52 Posh shopping district of Tokyo : GINZA
53 Court order : ALL RISE!
55 Some hair dressings : POMADES
57 Used car business : RESALES
58 Abbott known for her “Treasure Island” and “Grimm’s Fairy Tales” illustrations : ELENORE
59 Gossip : YENTA
60 Firecracker personalities : DYNAMOS

Down

1 Intermediary in illicit transactions : BAGMAN
2 Glass houses? : AQUARIA
3 It’ll make a splash at a county fair : DUNK TANK
4 Agrees : JIBES
5 Chicago-based pizza chain, familiarly : UNO’S
6 Unsettle : JAR
7 Advantageous : USEFUL
8 Even up : TIE
9 Sharon with a Pulitzer for poetry : OLDS
10 Handles made to be played with : GAMERTAGS
11 Arizona county that borders Utah and New Mexico : APACHE
12 Related, as one city to another : SISTER
14 Spells : TRANCES
15 Jacks and jennies : ASSES
20 Name synonymous with luxury : RITZ
23 Some retractable window shades : ROLL-UPS
24 Capitulates : SUBMITS
27 Cosmetics brand known for its pore strips : BIORE
28 Brings (out) : TROTS
30 Red, fruity alcoholic drink, informally : VODKA CRAN
33 Complete bores : SNOOZES
35 Like … all over the place : SO RANDOM
37 2000 #1 Radiohead album : KID A
39 Environmentalist’s goal for harmful emissions : NET ZERO
40 Transparent : CLEAR
41 Certain hog : HARLEY
42 Unnamed alternative : OR ELSE
43 Went out for a while : NAPPED
45 Ends : CEASES
48 Royal chronicled on “The Crown” : DIANA
50 Cause of a game’s end : TILT
52 N.Y. footballers, to fans : G-MEN
54 Domain of Thetis, in Greek myth : SEA
56 Longtime West Coast brew, informally : OLY