0523-23 NY Times Crossword 23 May 23, Tuesday

Constructed by: Lee Taylor
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): No. Inside

Themed answers are nouns referenced in the clue, with a number placed inside:

  • 16A Poets + 10 = Serves drinks : BARTENDS (TEN in BARDS)
  • 35A Small amphibian + 7 = Story worth covering : NEWS EVENT (SEVEN in NEWT)
  • 58A Phase + 1 = Ancient period : STONE AGE (ONE in STAGE)
  • 18D Supervisor + 9 = Quality that makes a fish hard to eat : BONINESS (NINE in BOSS)
  • 28D Annoyed + 2 = “Success!” : IT WORKED! (TWO in IRKED)

Bill’s time: 5m 13s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

4 Gulf nation : OMAN

The Arabian Peninsula is shaped like a boot, with the Sultanate of Oman occupying the toe of that boot.

13 Dada artist Jean : ARP

Jean Arp was a prominent artist and sculptor who played a crucial role in the development of the Dada and Surrealist movements at the beginning of the 20th century. In the early years of his career, Arp experimented with a range of styles, including Expressionism, Cubism, and Futurism. In 1916, he co-founded the Zurich Dada movement with artists such as Tristan Tzara and Hugo Ball. After the Dada movement began to decline in the 1920s, Arp became associated with the Surrealist movement and continued to explore the possibilities of abstraction in his art.

14 “Warrior princess” of old TV : XENA

The Xena character, played by New Zealander Lucy Lawless, was introduced in a made-for-TV movie called “Hercules and the Amazon Women”. Lawless reprised the role in a series called “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys”. Xena became so popular that a series was built around her character, with Lawless retained for the title role. The fictional Xena supposedly came from the “non-fictional” Greek city of Amphipolis.

15 Capital of Vietnam : HANOI

Hanoi (“Hà Nội” in Vietnamese) was the capital of North Vietnam, and Saigon the capital of South Vietnam. After the Vietnam War, Hanoi was made capital of the reunified state. Saigon, the larger metropolis, was renamed to Ho Chi Minh City. Hanoi is located in the delta of the Red River, and is just over 50 miles from the Gulf of Tonkin in the South China Sea.

19 Kazakhs and Uzbeks, e.g. : ASIANS

The Republic of Kazakhstan in Central Asia is the world’s largest landlocked country. Kazakhstan was also the last of the former Soviet Republics (SSRs) to declare itself independent from Russia.

The Republic of Uzbekistan is a former Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR). Uzbekistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia, and is in fact surrounded by countries which are also landlocked. This means that to reach a coastline from Uzbekistan, you have to cross at least two international borders. There are only two “doubly landlocked” countries in the world: Uzbekistan in Central Asia, and Liechtenstein in Central Europe.

20 Stratford-upon-___ : AVON

Stratford-upon-Avon is a town in the county of Warwickshire in the English midlands. Most famously perhaps, it was the birthplace of William Shakespeare.

22 First U.S. state alphabetically: Abbr. : ALA

The first four US states in an alphabetical list all start with the letter A:

  • Alabama
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas

The last four states in an alphabetical list all start with the letter W:

  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming

24 They may share a tartan : CLAN

“Tartan” is sometimes called “plaid” over here in the US, and is a word not used in the same sense outside of this country. In Scotland, a plaid is a blanket or a tartan cloth slung over the shoulder.

26 Country with the longest border along the Adriatic Sea : CROATIA

The Republic of Croatia is a Balkan country. The Croats declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Croatia became a member of NATO in 2009, and a member of the European Union in 2013.

The Adriatic is the sea separating Italy from the Balkans.

29 Growths on rocks and bark : LICHENS

Lichens are interesting organisms, as they are made up of a partnership of a fungus and either an alga or a bacterium existing in a symbiotic relationship. The algae or bacteria are capable of photosynthesis, and so manufacture simple sugars using light and carbon dioxide from the air. The fungus uses the manufactured sugars, and in return provides a stable environment for the algae or bacteria to thrive.

31 German sunrise direction : OST

In German, “Wien” (Vienna) is located “ost” (east) of “München” (Munich).

32 Mailing label abbr. : ATTN

Attention (attn.)

34 Actress Lupita : NYONG’O

Lupita Nyong’o is a Kenyan-Mexican actress who was born in Mexico, raised in Kenya, and educated in the US. Nyong’o got her big break in movies with an Oscar-winning supporting role in the 2013 film “12 Years a Slave”. She was named “People” magazine’s “ Most Beautiful Woman” in 2014.

35 Small amphibian + 7 = Story worth covering : NEWS EVENT (SEVEN in NEWT)

Newts wouldn’t be my favorite animals. They are found all over the world living on land or in water depending on the species, but always associated with water even if it is only for breeding. Newts metamorphose through three distinct developmental stages during their lives. They start off as larvae in water, fertilized eggs that often cling to aquatic plants. The eggs hatch into tadpoles, the first developmental form of the newt. After living some months as tadpoles swimming around in the water, they undergo another metamorphosis, sprouting legs and replacing their external gills with lungs. At this juvenile stage they are known as efts, and leave the water to live on land. A more gradual transition takes place then, as the eft takes on the lizard-like appearance of the adult newt.

37 Garden pavilion : GAZEBO

A gazebo is a roofed structure, often octagonal in shape, that is found mainly in public spaces. Gazebos can be quite small, or can be large enough to perhaps serve as a bandstand. The actual etymology of the term “gazebo” seems to be a bit of a mystery, and there are some misconceptions out there.

40 Javier Bardem’s role in 2021’s “Being the Ricardos” : DESI

“Being the Ricardos” is a 2021 biopic about the lives of married couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Lucy and Desi are played by Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem. The title comes from the show “I Love Lucy”, in which Ball and Arnaz played Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. I haven’t seen this one, but it’s on my list as the film was written and directed by the great Aaron Sorkin …

Spanish actor Javier Bardem is probably best known for playing the crazed assassin in 2007’s “No Country for Old Men”, and Bond villain Raoul Silva in 2012’ “Skyfall”. Bardem won the Best Supporting Actor for his performance in “No Country for Old Men”, making him the first Spaniard to win an Academy Award. Bardem wasn’t actually born on the Spanish mainland, but rather in Las Palmas in the Canary Island off the Moroccan coast. He married fellow-actor Penélope Cruz in 2010.

41 Make a faux pas : ERR

The term “faux pas” is French in origin, and translates literally as “false step” (or “false steps”, as the plural has the same spelling in French).

44 Staffers listed on a masthead : EDITORS

The masthead is a list often found on the editorial page of a newspaper that gives the members of a newspaper’s editorial board.

46 One on the lam : ESCAPEE

To be on the lam is to be in flight, to have escaped from prison. “On the lam” is American slang that originated at the end of the 19th century. The word “lam” also means “beat” or “thrash”, as in “lambaste”. So “on the lam” might derive from the phrase “to beat it, scram”.

48 Google ___ : MAPS

Google Maps was developed as a web mapping service for desktops. The (wonderful!) Google Maps mobile app was released in 2008, and is now the most popular smartphone app in the world.

51 Pub serving : PINT

A US pint comprises 16 fluid ounces, and an imperial pint is 20 fluid ounces. The term “pint” comes into English via Old French, ultimately from the Latin “picta” meaning “painted”. The name arose from a line painted on the side of a beer glass that marked a full measure of ale.

52 World finance org. : IMF

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) was established at the end of 1945 with 29 major economies supporting and funding an effort to stabilize economies across the globe after WWII. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the IMF has 187 member countries.

53 Parent company of Facebook : META

Facebook, Inc. changed its name to Meta Platforms, Inc. in 2021 as part of a rebranding exercise.

58 Phase + 1 = Ancient period : STONE AGE (ONE in STAGE)

Ancient societies can be classified by the “three-age system”, which depends on the prevalence of materials used to make tools. The three ages are:

  • The Stone Age
  • The Bronze Age
  • The Iron Age

The actual dates defined by each age depend on the society, as the timing of the transition from the use of one material to another varied around the globe.

63 Landing spots? : STEPS

A landing is the area at the top and bottom of a staircase. Apparently, we called the steps between the landings a “flight” of stairs, because one “flies” between landings! Can that be true?

65 Prez after F.D.R. : HST

The letter “S” in the middle of the name Harry S. Truman (HST) doesn’t stand for anything. The future-president was named “Harry” in honor of his mother’s brother Harrison “Harry” Young. The initial “S” was chosen in honor of young Harry’s two grandfathers: Anderson S-hipp Truman and S-olomon Young.

Down

1 Hot sauce brand : TABASCO

Tabasco is one of Mexico’s 32 “estados” (states), and is located in the very southeast of the country.

3 Jam flavor : APRICOT

Although the apricot originated in Central Asia and China, the fruit is commonly associated with Armenia, where it has been cultivated for centuries. For that reason, the most common cultivar has the Latin name “Prunus armeniaca”.

5 ___ Wearhouse (clothing chain) : MEN’S

Men’s Wearhouse is a retailer of men’s dress clothes that was founded in 1973 by George Zimmer. Zimmer is known for the slogan “You’re gonna like the way you look. I guarantee it.”

6 & : AND

Back in the day, when reciting the alphabet, it was common to emphasize that some letters could be used as a word in itself. One would say “A per se A, B, C, D … I per se I, J, K, L … denoting that the letters A and I are also their own words. It was common to add the & symbol at the end of the recitation, as if it were a 27th letter. So the alphabet ended with “X, Y, Z, & (and) per se and”. This “and per se and” statement was slurred to “ampersand”, giving the name that we use today for the & symbol.

9 Language spoken west of 15-Across : LAO
[15A Capital of Vietnam : HANOI]

Lao, the language of Laos, does not use spaces between words (or periods!), although this is apparently changing. Spaces are used between sentences and clauses.

12 “Guernica” painter : PICASSO

“Guernica” is a painting by Pablo Picasso that he completed in 1937. Picasso painted it soon after the aerial bombing of the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. The attack was carried out by German warplanes sent by Adolf Hitler at the request of the Spanish Nationalist government. The town was regarded as a bastion of Republican resistance, although it had no military significance. As the town was largely left without men who were fighting for the Republican cause, the vast majority of casualties were women and children.

21 Kilmer who played Batman : VAL

Val Kilmer’s first big leading role in a movie was playing Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone’s 1991 biopic “The Doors”. A few years later, Kilmer was chosen for the lead in another big production, “Batman Forever”. Things haven’t really gone as well for Kilmer since then, I’d say. Off the screen, he flirted with the idea of running for Governor of New Mexico in 2010. A Hollywood actor as a governor? Would never happen …

“Batman Forever” is a 1995 superhero film, one in a string of movies featuring the comic book hero Batman. This one has Val Kilmer in the title role, with the two main villains played by Jim Carrey (the Riddler) and Tommy Lee Jones (Two-Face).

25 Kaput : SHOT

“Kaput” is a familiar term meaning “incapacitated, destroyed”, and comes to us from French (via German). The original word “capot” means “not having won a single trick” in the French card game Piquet.

27 Karate-like exercise program : TAE BO

Tae Bo isn’t an ancient martial art, even though it perhaps sounds like one. The discipline was developed as a form of aerobic exercise in the 1990s by taekwondo expert Billy Blanks who gave it the name Tae Bo, a melding of “taekwondo” and “boxing”.

30 Jaded person : CYNIC

Antisthenes was a Greek philosopher, and a pupil of Socrates. He was one of the founders of the cynicism school of thought, which holds that the purpose of life is to live in virtuous harmony with nature. The name “cynic” comes from the Greek for “dog”, and that name was originally applied to the cynics as an insult.

Our term “jaded”, meaning tired and feeling a little “ho-hum”, comes from the noun “jade” which in the 14th century was an old, worn-out horse.

33 Actor Beatty : NED

Actor Ned Beatty is possibly best remembered for the rather disturbing “squeal like a pig” scene in the movie “Deliverance”. Beatty also earned an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the 1976 movie “Network”.

36 Vivaldi duet? : VEES

There are two letters V (vee) in the word “Vivaldi”.

Antonio Vivaldi was one of the great composers of the Baroque period. He achieved fame and success within his own lifetime, although that celebrity faded soon after he died. Vivaldi’s music has reemerged in recent decades and I am sure everyone is familiar with at least part of his most famous composition, the violin concerto called “The Four Seasons”. Vivaldi was nicknamed “The Red Priest” because he was indeed a priest, and he had red hair.

37 Many births in late spring, astrologically : GEMINIS

Gemini is the third sign of the Zodiac. “Gemini” is the Latin word for “twins”.

38 Firm in one’s stance : ADAMANT

The words “adamant” and “adamantine” can mean “hard like rock, stony”, in the literal sense. In the more figurative sense, someone who is adamant or adamantine is stubborn or inflexible, like a mule, mulish.

41 Words written in marble : EPITAPH

Our word “epitaph” ultimately comes from the Greek “epitaphion”, which translates as “funeral oration”.

42 Pulls out of a deal : RENEGES

To renege on something is to back out of it. It’s a verb commonly used in card games like bridge and whist. A renege is when a player doesn’t follow suit, even though there may be a card of the suit led in his/her hand.

47 Basilica recess : APSE

In its modern usage, the term “basilica” applies to a Roman Catholic church that has been given special ceremonial rights by the Pope.

50 Younger Obama daughter : SASHA

Sasha is the younger of the two Obama children, having been born in 2001. She was the youngest child to reside in the White House since John F. Kennedy, Jr. moved in with his parents as a small infant. Sasha’s Secret Service codename is “Rosebud”, and her older sister Malia has the codename “Radiance”.

54 Mitchell whose “Blue” was named #1 on NPR’s “150 Greatest Albums Made by Women” list : JONI

Joni Mitchell is a Canadian singer and songwriter from Fort MacLeod in Alberta. Mitchell is perhaps best known for her recordings “Big Yellow Taxi” and “Woodstock”.

55 Codas : ENDS

In music, a coda is primarily a passage that brings a movement to a conclusion. “Coda” is Italian for “tail”.

57 Napkin’s place : LAP

Our word “napkin” dates back to the 1300s, when it had the same meaning as today. The term comes from the old French word “nape” meaning “tablecloth” and the Middle English suffix “-kin” meaning “little”. So, a napkin is a little tablecloth.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Beverage that may come with a bag : TEA
4 Gulf nation : OMAN
8 Noisy drinker’s sound : SLURP!
13 Dada artist Jean : ARP
14 “Warrior princess” of old TV : XENA
15 Capital of Vietnam : HANOI
16 Poets + 10 = Serves drinks : BARTENDS (TEN in BARDS)
18 Relating to living things : BIOTIC
19 Kazakhs and Uzbeks, e.g. : ASIANS
20 Stratford-upon-___ : AVON
22 First U.S. state alphabetically: Abbr. : ALA
23 Religious offshoot : SECT
24 They may share a tartan : CLAN
25 Gear rented at a mountain : SKIS
26 Country with the longest border along the Adriatic Sea : CROATIA
29 Growths on rocks and bark : LICHENS
31 German sunrise direction : OST
32 Mailing label abbr. : ATTN
34 Actress Lupita : NYONG’O
35 Small amphibian + 7 = Story worth covering : NEWS EVENT (SEVEN in NEWT)
37 Garden pavilion : GAZEBO
40 Javier Bardem’s role in 2021’s “Being the Ricardos” : DESI
41 Make a faux pas : ERR
44 Staffers listed on a masthead : EDITORS
46 One on the lam : ESCAPEE
48 Google ___ : MAPS
49 Lock lips : KISS
51 Pub serving : PINT
52 World finance org. : IMF
53 Parent company of Facebook : META
54 Court entertainer : JESTER
56 Got exactly : NAILED
58 Phase + 1 = Ancient period : STONE AGE (ONE in STAGE)
60 Family member via marriage : IN-LAW
61 Round of applause : HAND
62 ___-brained (not smart) : PEA
63 Landing spots? : STEPS
64 Graph line : AXIS
65 Prez after F.D.R. : HST

Down

1 Hot sauce brand : TABASCO
2 Whiteboard cleaners : ERASERS
3 Jam flavor : APRICOT
4 Plow pullers : OXEN
5 ___ Wearhouse (clothing chain) : MEN’S
6 & : AND
7 Like a twangy voice : NASAL
8 Part of the leg below the knee : SHIN
9 Language spoken west of 15-Across : LAO
10 Free, as a seat : UNTAKEN
11 Making turbulent : ROILING
12 “Guernica” painter : PICASSO
17 British “bye-bye” : TA-TA
18 Supervisor + 9 = Quality that makes a fish hard to eat : BONINESS (NINE in BOSS)
21 Kilmer who played Batman : VAL
24 Revered animals in ancient Egypt : CATS
25 Kaput : SHOT
27 Karate-like exercise program : TAE BO
28 Annoyed + 2 = “Success!” : IT WORKED! (TWO in IRKED)
30 Jaded person : CYNIC
33 Actor Beatty : NED
35 Makes after expenses : NETS
36 Vivaldi duet? : VEES
37 Many births in late spring, astrologically : GEMINIS
38 Firm in one’s stance : ADAMANT
39 Email attachment with compressed content : ZIP FILE
41 Words written in marble : EPITAPH
42 Pulls out of a deal : RENEGES
43 Pull back : RETREAT
45 “Pull up a chair!” : SIT!
47 Basilica recess : APSE
50 Younger Obama daughter : SASHA
53 Kittens’ cries : MEWS
54 Mitchell whose “Blue” was named #1 on NPR’s “150 Greatest Albums Made by Women” list : JONI
55 Codas : ENDS
57 Napkin’s place : LAP
59 Civic duty, of a sort : TAX