0601-21 NY Times Crossword 1 Jun 21, Tuesday

Constructed by: Finn Vigeland
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer Bore Fruit

Themed answers are people with FRUITY family names:

  • 34A Turned out successfully … or what the parents of 16-, 19-, 52- and 57-Across did? : BORE FRUIT
  • 16A First African-American to win the Oscar for Best Actress : HALLE BERRY
  • 19A He might have done it with the candlestick in the study : PROFESSOR PLUM
  • 52A Mario’s love interest in Super Mario games : PRINCESS PEACH
  • 57A Pop star with the 1996 3x platinum album “Tidal” : FIONA APPLE

Bill’s time: 6m 22s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Poetry showdown : SLAM

A poetry slam is a competition in which poets read their own work (usually), with winners being chosen by members of the audience. Apparently the first poetry slam took place in Chicago in 1984. Now there is a National Poetry Slam that takes place each year, with representatives from the US, Canada and France.

5 Third word in many limericks : WAS
59A Second word in many limericks : ONCE

No one knows for sure how the limerick got its name, although there does seem to be agreement the name does indeed come from the city or county of Limerick in Ireland. Try this one for size:

There was a young lady named Bright
who traveled much faster than light.
She set out one day
in a relative way,
and came back the previous night.

8 URL opener : HTTP

“http” are the first letters in many Internet links. “http” stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol. More secure and “safer” websites (like this one!) use links starting with “https”, which stands for “http secure”).

An Internet address (like NYXCrossword.com and LAXCrossword.com) is more correctly called a uniform resource locator (URL).

12 Placed a curse on : HEXED

“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.

14 “Let’s do the Time ___ again” (campy 1970s lyric) : WARP

“The Time Warp” is a song and dance from the 1973 rock musical “The Rocky Horror Show” (filmed as “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” in 1975).

15 Prominent elephant features : EARS

There are only three species of elephant living today, with all others being extinct. These are the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant (or “Indian elephant”). As is well known, the African elephant is distinguished from the Asian/Indian elephant by its much larger ears. The African bush elephant is the largest living land animal.

16 First African-American to win the Oscar for Best Actress : HALLE BERRY

Actress Halle Berry was the first African-American woman to win a Best Actress Oscar, which she received for her performance in the 2001 movie “Monster’s Ball”. Berry also won a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress in 2005 for playing the title role in “Catwoman”, and she very graciously accepted that award in person. Good for her!

19 He might have done it with the candlestick in the study : PROFESSOR PLUM

Clue is a board game that we knew under a different name growing up in Ireland. Outside of North America, Clue is marketed as “Cluedo”. Cluedo was the original name of the game, introduced in 1949 by the famous British board game manufacturer Waddingtons. There are cute differences between the US and UK versions. For example, the man who is murdered is called Dr. Black (Mr. Boddy in the US), one of the suspects is the Reverend Green (Mr. Green in the US), and the suspect weapons include a dagger (a knife in the US), and a spanner (a wrench in the US). I think it’s a fabulous game, a must during the holidays …

21 Figure skating biopic of 2017 : I, TONYA

“I, Tonya” is a 2017 comedy biopic about the life of figure skater Tonya Harding, with a focus on the 1994 attack on Harding’s rival Nancy Kerrigan. Harding is played by Australian actress Margot Robbie. I haven’t seen this one, but it’s on my list as I hear good things …

22 Game console that sounds like a pronoun : WII

Introduced in 2006, Nintendo’s Wii quickly became the biggest-selling game console in the world.

23 Wall St. debut : IPO

An initial public offering (IPO) is the very first offer of stock for sale by a company on the open market. In other words, an IPO marks the first time that a company is traded on a public exchange. Companies have an IPO to raise capital to expand (usually).

25 “No bid,” in bridge : PASS

The version of the card game bridge that is played mostly today is contract bridge. Auction bridge is a similar game, and is a precursor to contract bridge.

32 User of the Force : JEDI

The Jedi are the good guys in the “Star Wars” series of movies. The most famous Jedi knights from the films are Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Alec Guinness, and later Ewan McGregor) and Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz). Well, they’re my favorites anyway …

The Force is a metaphysical power much cited in all of the “Star Wars” movies. We may even hear someone in real life say “May the Force be with you”. Fans of the movie franchise even celebrate May 4th every year as Star Wars Day, using the pun “May the 4th be with you”!

36 Titular Mozart opera character : FIGARO

Figaro is the title character in at least two operas: “The Barber of Seville” (“Il barbiere di Siviglia”) by Rossini, and “The Marriage of Figaro” (“Le nozze di Figaro”) by Mozart. The two storylines are based on plays by Pierre Beaumarchais, with one basically being a sequel to the other.

40 Computer addresses, for short : IPS

An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a numerical label assigned to every device on a computer network. The device that you’re using to read this blog post on has been assigned a unique IP address, as has the computer that I’m using to make this post …

44 Note after fa : … SOL

The sol-fa syllables are: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la & ti.

47 Reddit Q&A : AMA

Reddit.com is a networking and news website that started up in 2005. It is essentially a bulletin board system with posts that are voted up and down by users, which determines the ranking of posts. The name “Reddit” is a play on “read it”, as in “I read it on Reddit”. One popular feature of the Reddit site is an online forum that is similar to a press conference. Known as an AMA (for “ask me anything”), participants have included the likes of President Barack Obama, Madonna, Bill Gates, Stephen Colbert and Gordon Ramsay. President Obama’s AMA was so popular that the high level of traffic brought down many parts of the Reddit site.

52 Mario’s love interest in Super Mario games : PRINCESS PEACH

Princess Peach is the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom in Nintendo’s “Mario” universe. She is also Mario’s love interest.

57 Pop star with the 1996 3x platinum album “Tidal” : FIONA APPLE

Fiona Apple is a singer-songwriter and pianist from New York City. “Fiona Apple” is the artist’s real name, although “Apple” is a given name. She was born Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart.

60 Cuckoo : LOCO

In Spanish, “un maníaco” (a maniac) is “loco” (crazy).

62 “Tell Mama” singer James : ETTA

“Tell Mama” is a 1967 song recorded by Etta James that was written by singer Clarence Carter. Carter had released a 1966 version of the song himself, under the original title “Tell Daddy”.

64 Part of N.Y.U. : YORK

The main campus of the private New York University (NYU) is located right in Manhattan, in Washington Square in the heart of Greenwich Village. NYU has over 12,000 resident students, the largest number of residents in a private school in the whole country. NYU’s sports teams are known as the Violets, a reference to the violet and white colors that are worn in competition. Since the 1980s, the school’s mascot has been a bobcat. “Bobcat” had been the familiar name given to NYU’s Bobst Library computerized catalog.

Down

3 Rocker who sang “Paradise City” : AXL ROSE

Axl Rose is the lead vocalist of the American rock band Guns N’ Roses.

4 Cantaloupes and such : MELONS

The cantaloupe is the most popular type of melon consumed in the US. Apparently the cantaloupe was first cultivated in Cantalupo in Sabina, a town near Rome in Italy.

7 “Heidi” author Johanna : SPYRI

“Heidi” is a children’s book written by Swiss author Johanna Spyri and published in two parts. The first is “Heidi’s years of learning and travel”, and the second “Heidi makes use of what she has learned”. The books tell the story of a young girl in the care of her grandfather in the Swiss Alps. The most famous film adaptation of the story is the 1937 movie of the same name starring Shirley Temple in the title role.

9 Mexican food similar to a flauta : TAQUITO

A “flauta”, also known as a “taquito”, is a rolled tortilla with some kind of filling that has been deep-fried until it is crispy.

11 “Here’s some important info …,” in brief : PSA

Public service announcement (PSA)

14 Director Anderson : WES

Film director Wes Anderson’s most famous movie is probably “The Royal Tenenbaums” that was released in 2001, and is not my favorite film by any stretch. However, Anderson’s 2007 release “The Darjeeling Limited”, that I enjoyed.

20 Enter en masse, as a car : PILE IN

“En masse” is a French term, one that best translates as “as a group”

21 Choice at a microbrewery, for short : IPA

India pale ale (IPA) is a style of beer that originated in England. The beer was originally intended for transportation from England to India, hence the name.

24 Get a lode of this! : ORE

A lode is a metal ore deposit that’s found between two layers of rock or in a fissure. The mother lode is the principal deposit in a mine, usually of gold or silver. “Mother lode” is probably a translation of “veta madre”, an expression used in mining in Mexico.

27 Wordsworth work : ODE

The great English poet William Wordsworth is intrinsically linked with the Lake District in the north of England, where he lived from much of his life. The Lake District is a beautiful part of the country, and I’ve been fortunate enough to visit Dove Cottage in Grasmere a couple of times, where Wordsworth lived with his sister Dorothy …

30 Carpenter ___ : ANT

Carpenter ants can wreak havoc in a wooden structure. They burrow into damp wood creating galleries and pathways that form a complex network of nests. Unlike termites though, carpenter ants don’t feed on the wood.

34 Modern term of endearment : BAE

“Bae” is a contemporary term of endearment. It is a pet name that is an abbreviation of “babe, baby”, although I’ve also read that it is an acronym standing for “before anyone else”.

35 Letter after pi : RHO

Rho is the Greek letter that looks just like our Roman letter “p”, although it is equivalent to the Roman letter R.

38 Part of the digestive system, in brief : GI TRACT

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is a tube by which humans and other animals deliver food to the digestive organs, and dispose of solid wastes.

41 Amy who achieved fame on 42-Down : POEHLER
42 See 41-Down : SNL

Amy Poehler was a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” from 2001 to 2008, notable for appearing in many great sketches, including those where she played Hillary Clinton opposite Tina Fey’s Sarah Palin. Poehler also starred with Fey in the 2008 movie “Baby Mama”. And, Poehler led the cast of the sitcom “Parks and Recreation” for its seven-season run.

48 Marty ___, “Back to the Future” protagonist : MCFLY

In the fun 1985 movie “Back to the Future”, Marty McFly finds himself back in 1955, and is trying to get back to HIS future, 1985. But on the other hand, 1985 is really Marty’s present, before he went back in time. Why does time travel have to be so complicated …?

49 Letters in a so-called “supervocalic” word : AEIOU

A supervocalic word is one that contains just one occurence of each of the five vowels. Examples are lovely words like sequoia, ambidextrous and milquetoast, as well as … supervocalic.

51 Aegean and Baltic, for two : SEAS

The Aegean Sea is that part of the Mediterranean that lies between Greece and Turkey. Within the Aegean Sea are found the Aegean Islands, a group that includes Crete and Rhodes.

The Baltic is a sea in northern Europe that is much less saline than the oceans. The lower amount of salt in the Baltic partially explains why almost half of the sea freezes over during the winter. In fact, the Baltic has been known to completely freeze over several times over the past few centuries.

55 ___-Cat (ski resort vehicle) : SNO

The brand name “Sno-Cat” is owned by the Tucker company. All snowcats are tracked vehicles built to work in snow, and are famously used in expeditions to the polar regions. The modern Sno-Cat from Tucker differs from its competitors in that it has four independently-mounted tracks.

56 John or Jane, in court : DOE

Though the English court system does not use the term today, “John Doe” first appeared as the “name of a person unknown” in England in 1659, along with the similar “Richard Roe”. An unknown female is referred to as “Jane Doe ”, and the equivalent to Richard Roe is Jane Roe (as in Roe v. Wade, for example). Variants of “John Doe” used outside of the courts are “Joe Blow” and “John Q. Public”.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Poetry showdown : SLAM
5 Third word in many limericks : WAS
8 URL opener : HTTP
12 Placed a curse on : HEXED
14 “Let’s do the Time ___ again” (campy 1970s lyric) : WARP
15 Prominent elephant features : EARS
16 First African-American to win the Oscar for Best Actress : HALLE BERRY
18 Greenish blue : AQUA
19 He might have done it with the candlestick in the study : PROFESSOR PLUM
21 Figure skating biopic of 2017 : I, TONYA
22 Game console that sounds like a pronoun : WII
23 Wall St. debut : IPO
25 “No bid,” in bridge : PASS
26 Blanket ___ (bad bed partner) : HOG
29 “See ya!” : LATER!
31 Broke bread : ATE
32 User of the Force : JEDI
33 Signify : DENOTE
34 Turned out successfully … or what the parents of 16-, 19-, 52- and 57-Across did? : BORE FRUIT
36 Titular Mozart opera character : FIGARO
39 Better ___ ever : THAN
40 Computer addresses, for short : IPS
43 Had a taste of : TRIED
44 Note after fa : … SOL
45 “Hurry!” : C’MON!
46 Like a floor with a “Caution” sign : WET
47 Reddit Q&A : AMA
50 Mideast country west of 32-Down : ISRAEL
52 Mario’s love interest in Super Mario games : PRINCESS PEACH
56 Unexciting, as a bar scene : DEAD
57 Pop star with the 1996 3x platinum album “Tidal” : FIONA APPLE
59 Second word in many limericks : ONCE
60 Cuckoo : LOCO
61 Spending jag : SPREE
62 “Tell Mama” singer James : ETTA
63 Laugh for a corny joke : YUK
64 Part of N.Y.U. : YORK

Down

1 Library caution : SHH!
2 Accepted without hesitation : LEAPT AT
3 Rocker who sang “Paradise City” : AXL ROSE
4 Cantaloupes and such : MELONS
5 Subjects of many epics : WARS
6 Symbol on a One Way sign : ARROW
7 “Heidi” author Johanna : SPYRI
8 Get better, as a wound : HEAL
9 Mexican food similar to a flauta : TAQUITO
10 Jazz band instrument : TRUMPET
11 “Here’s some important info …,” in brief : PSA
13 Resist, as orders : DEFY
14 Director Anderson : WES
17 Save the day : BE A HERO
20 Enter en masse, as a car : PILE IN
21 Choice at a microbrewery, for short : IPA
24 Get a lode of this! : ORE
27 Wordsworth work : ODE
28 ESP and photographic memory, for two : GIFTS
30 Carpenter ___ : ANT
32 Mideast country east of 50-Across : JORDAN
33 Singer with the 2019 #2 hit “Don’t Start Now” : DUA LIPA
34 Modern term of endearment : BAE
35 Letter after pi : RHO
36 Online initialism of rejoicing : FTW
37 “Forgive me, Father” : I REPENT
38 Part of the digestive system, in brief : GI TRACT
40 Tech release of 2017 : IMAC PRO
41 Amy who achieved fame on 42-Down : POEHLER
42 See 41-Down : SNL
45 Lousy : CRAPPY
48 Marty ___, “Back to the Future” protagonist : MCFLY
49 Letters in a so-called “supervocalic” word : AEIOU
51 Aegean and Baltic, for two : SEAS
53 It’s a thought : IDEA
54 Fashion no-no with a flip-flop : SOCK
55 ___-Cat (ski resort vehicle) : SNO
56 John or Jane, in court : DOE
58 Cartoonish shriek : EEK!