0802-18 NY Times Crossword 2 Aug 18, Thursday

Constructed by: Xan Vongsathorn
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: Coin Flips

Themed clues can take two answers, each differing by the exchange of a letter T for a letter H. We note that the letters T and H can represent TAILS and HEADS on a COIN that might be FLIPPED:

  • 65A. With 55-Down, actions that can be performed nine times in this puzzle without affecting any of the clues? : COIN-
  • 55D. See 65-Across : FLIPS
  • 5A. ___ value : SHOCK (or STOCK)
  • 10A. Interjection heard when breaking up : HA-HA (or TA-TA)
  • 20A. Many people may be eliminated by one : HIT LIST (or TITLIST)
  • 31A. With 31-Down, breaking records, maybe : HIP- (or TIP-)
  • 39A. Cry aboard a frigate : HEAVE-HO! (or HEAVE TO!)
  • 46A. Giggle syllable : HEE (or TEE)
  • 56A. Wallops : BASHES (or BASTES)
  • 62A. An investor might want to get a fair one : SHAKE (or STAKE)
  • 1D. Something at the end of the hook? : FISH (or FIST)
  • 6D. Slight coloring : HINT (or TINT)
  • 10D. Carrier of something that might burn : HEAT RAY ( or TEA TRAY)
  • 12D. It’s a blast : HOOT (or TOOT)
  • 29D. It can take root in wet places : RUSH (or RUST)
  • 31D. See 31-Across : HOP (or TOP)
  • 40D. Ones in the know : HIPSTERS (or TIPSTERS)
  • 44D. Yearning : WISHFUL (or WISTFUL)
  • 63D. Evidence of a little spasm : HIC (or TIC)

Bill’s time: 11m 04s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1. 11-time All-Star Carlton : FISK

Carlton “Pudge” Fisk is a retired professional baseball player. Fisk played for both the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago White Sox.

14. Bikini, e.g. : ISLE

The testing of US nuclear weapons by the US at Bikini Atoll in the middle of 1946 went by the codename “Operation Crossroads”. The tests used A-bombs and were designed to measure the effect of blasts on navy vessels. There were three tests planned, but the third had to be cancelled as the Navy couldn’t decontaminate the ships used in the second test.

15. Passed, as bad checks : KITED

Check kiting is illegal. The idea behind kiting is to write a check, even though there are insufficient funds to cover the amount. The con artist then writes another check, also with insufficient funds, from another bank’s account to cover the original check. I am not sure it would work nowadays, but then I am as honest as the day is long! Oh, and I think the term “kiting” comes from the older phrase “go fly a kite”, the idea being that the bad check is floated on air (non-existent funds).

16. Short course in supply and demand? : ECON

Economics (econ.)

17. Dalmatian or Croatian : SLAV

The Slavic peoples are in the majority in communities covering over half of Europe. This large ethnic group is traditionally broken down into three smaller groups:

  • the West Slavic (including Czechs and Poles)
  • the East Slavic (including Russians and Ukrainians)
  • the South Slavic (including Bulgarians and Serbs)

Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, with most of its area falling in modern-day 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.

20. Many people may be eliminated by one : HIT LIST (or TITLIST)

A titlist is one holding a title, a champion.

25. Submarine equipment : SONAR

The British developed the first underwater detection system that used sound waves. Research was driven by defence demands during WWI, leading to production of working units in 1922. This new sound detection system was described as using “supersonics”, but for the purpose of secrecy the term was dropped in favor of an acronym. The work was done under the auspices of the Royal Navy’s Anti-Submarine Division, so ASD was combined with the “IC” from “superson-ic-s” to create the name ASDIC. The navy even went as far as renaming the quartz material at the heart of the technology “ASDivite”. By the time WWII came along, the Americans were producing their own systems and coined the term SONAR, playing off the related application, RADAR. And so, the name ASDIC was deep-sixed …

27. What Christ the Redeemer overlooks, for short : RIO

The iconic statue of Jesus overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil is known as “Cristo Redentor” (Christ the Redeemer). The statue was constructed between 1922 and 1931. It is the largest Art Deco statue in the world, as it stands at over 30 feet tall.

34. Skedaddle : SPLIT

“Skedaddle” is a slang term meaning “run away” that dates back to the Civil War.

36. Chinese money : YUAN

The Korean Won, the Chinese Yuan, and the Japanese Yen (all of which are Asian currencies) take their names from the Chinese written character that represents “round shape”.

39. Cry aboard a frigate : HEAVE-HO! (or HEAVE TO!)

“Heave-ho” is a nautical term that was used as a chant when sailors were hoisting a sail, for example. The term has come to mean “dismissal”, as in “give him the old heave-ho”.

The nautical command “heave to” is an instruction to bring a vessel to a halt. The command especially applies to the maneuvering of a sailing vessel into the wind and trimming the sails so that they act against each other, hence keeping the head of the boat pointed into the wind.

45. Overalls material : DENIM

Denim fabric originated in Nimes in France. The French phrase “de Nimes” (meaning “from Nimes”) gives us the word “denim”. Also, the French phrase “bleu de Genes” (meaning “blue of Genoa”) gives us our word “jeans”.

52. They go up to the knees : SHINS

The tibia is the shin bone, and is the larger of the two bones right below the knee. It is the strongest weight-bearing bone in the human body. “Tibia” is the Roman name for a Greek flute and it is thought that the shin bone was given the same name because flutes were often fashioned out of the shin bones of animals.

59. Abstract sculpture : STABILE

Alexander Calder was an American sculptor and artist. Calder is famous for having invented the mobile sculpture, a work made up of several pieces hanging on a string in equilibrium. In effect they are what we might known as “mobiles”, operating on the same principle as mobiles that sit over cribs in a nursery. Calder refers to his large, stationary sculptures as “stabiles”.

65. With 55-Down, actions that can be performed nine times in this puzzle without affecting any of the clues? : COIN-
(55. See 65-Across : FLIPS)

The two sides of a coin are known as the “obverse” and the “reverse”. The obverse is commonly referred to as “heads”, as it often depicts someone’s head. The reverse is commonly called “tails”, as it is the opposite of “heads”.

67. Falling down in a pillow fight? : EIDER

Eiders are large sea ducks. Their down feathers are used to fill pillows and quilts, giving the name to the quilt called an “eiderdown”.

68. Dog food brand : ALPO

Alpo is a brand of dog food introduced by Allen Products in 1936, with “Alpo” being an abbreviation for “Allen Products”. Lorne Greene used to push Alpo in television spots, as did Ed McMahon and Garfield the Cat, would you believe?

70. Trash boats : SCOWS

A scow is a flat-bottomed boat with squared-off ends that’s often used for transportation, usually pushed or pulled by a barge. Often a scow can be seen carrying junk or garbage.

Down

2. Long Island airport town : ISLIP

The town of Islip on the south shore of Long Island is home to Islip Airport. Now known as Long Island MacArthur Airport, it is used by many as a viable alternative to JFK and LaGuardia.

4. Bulletproof vest material : KEVLAR

Kevlar is a remarkably strong synthetic fiber that was introduced by DuPont in 1965. The material was developed as a lightweight substitute for steel. Kevlar fits the bill, as an equal weight of the synthetic fiber is five times stronger than the alloy. One of the downsides of Kevlar is that its strength degrades when exposed to sunlight.

5. Place for a mogul : SKI SLOPE

Moguls are the series of bumps in the surface of snow that arise naturally as a succession of skiers make turns on a slope.

7. A giant among Giants : OTT

At 5′ 9″, baseball legend Mel Ott weighed just 170 lb (I don’t think he took steroids!) and yet he was the first National League player to hit over 500 home runs. Sadly, Ott died in a car accident in New Orleans in 1958 when he was only 49 years old. And, according to Wikipedia, “Ott’s name frequently appears in crossword puzzles, on account of its letter combination and brevity.” True that …

9. “Constant Craving” Grammy winner : KD LANG

k.d. lang is the stage name of Kathryn Dawn Lang, a Canadian singer and songwriter. Beyond her performing career, lang is a noted activist focused on animal rights, gay rights, and human rights in Tibet.

11. Noted First Amendment advocate, for short : ACLU

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has its roots in the First World War when it was founded to provide legal advice and support to conscientious objectors. The ACLU’s motto is “Because Freedom Can’t Protect Itself”. The ACLU also hosts a blog on the ACLU.org website called “Speak Freely”.

The Constitution of the United States was adopted on September 17, 1787. There have been 27 amendments to the constitution, the first ten of which are collectively called the Bill of Rights. In essence the Bill of Rights limits the power of the Federal Government and protects the rights of individuals. For example, the First Amendment states:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

21. Like Samuel Beckett : IRISH

An Irishman I may be, but I have sat through several plays by Samuel Beckett (the Irish dramatist) and I have yet to come away feeling satisfied that I spent my time well. Of course I am in the minority, as Beckett’s play “Waiting for Godot” was once voted the most significant English language play of the 20th century. Maybe I will give “Waiting for Godot” another chance one day, but I doubt it …

26. Like many Quaker products : OATEN

The Quaker Oats Company was founded in 1901 when four oat mills merged, including the Quaker Mill Company of Ravenna, Ohio. Quaker Mill’s owner Henry Parsons Crowell played the key role in creating the new company and remained at the helm until 1943.

33. Lowly worker : PEON

A peon is a lowly worker with no real control over his/her working conditions. The word “peon” comes into English from Spanish, in which language it has the same meaning.

37. Dec. 31 : NYE

New Year’s Eve (NYE)

40. Ones in the know : HIPSTERS (or TIPSTERS)

The word “hip” meaning “informed” is just a variant of the word “hep”, which has the same meaning. Both terms probably originated as slang first used in the African American community.

41. Home to TD Ameritrade : OMAHA

Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska. It is located on the Missouri River, about 10 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River When Nebraska was still a territory Omaha was its capital, but when Nebraska achieved statehood the capital was moved to the city of Lincoln.

44. Yearning : WISHFUL (or WISTFUL)

“Wistful” is a lovely word, I think, one that can mean “pensively sad, melancholy”.

48. Revolutionary symbol : CHE

“Guerrillero Heroico” is the name of an iconic photograph taken Alberto Korda of the revolutionary Che Guevara. With the title translating into English as “Heroic Guerrilla Fighter”, the image shows Guevara in a dark beret, with an “implacable” stare. It is versions of this photo that have been used so many time in tattoos, poster, paintings, etc. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has determined that “Guerrillero Heroico” has been reproduced more than any other image in the history of photography.

49. The x’s of xoxo : KISSES

In the sequence letter sequence “XOX”, the X represents a kiss, and the O a hug. “OOO” is a string of hugs, and “XXX” a string of kisses. Hugs and kisses …

51. Video blogger’s aid : WEBCAM

A video blog is perhaps what one might expect, a blog that is essentially a series of video posts. The phrase “video logging” is often shortened to “vlogging”.

54. Garlicky sauce : AIOLI

To the purist, especially in Provence in the South of France, aioli is prepared just by grinding garlic with olive oil. However, other ingredients are often added to the mix, particularly egg yolks.

57. 1975 Wimbledon winner : ASHE

The great American tennis player Arthur Ashe spent the last years of his life writing his memoir called “Days of Grace”. He finished the manuscript just a few days before he passed away, dying from AIDS caused by a tainted blood transfusion.

60. Space chimp of 1961 : ENOS

Enos was a chimpanzee that was launched into Earth orbit in 1961 by NASA on a Mercury Atlas 4 rocket. Enos’s flight was a rehearsal for the first orbital flight made by an American, astronaut John Glenn. Enos returned from his mission safely, but died the following year from dysentery.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. 11-time All-Star Carlton : FISK
5. ___ value : SHOCK (or STOCK)
10. Interjection heard when breaking up : HA-HA (or TA-TA)
14. Bikini, e.g. : ISLE
15. Passed, as bad checks : KITED
16. Short course in supply and demand? : ECON
17. Dalmatian or Croatian : SLAV
18. Gathering of spies? : INTEL
19. Tons : A LOT
20. Many people may be eliminated by one : HIT LIST (or TITLIST)
22. Perceptive : ASTUTE
24. Shade of white : PEARL
25. Submarine equipment : SONAR
27. What Christ the Redeemer overlooks, for short : RIO
28. Dawdler : LAGGARD
31. With 31-Down, breaking records, maybe : HIP- (or TIP-)
34. Skedaddle : SPLIT
36. Chinese money : YUAN
38. Ring cry : OLE!
39. Cry aboard a frigate : HEAVE-HO! (or HEAVE TO!)
42. Farm enclosure : STY
43. Winter truck attachment : PLOW
45. Overalls material : DENIM
46. Giggle syllable : HEE (or TEE)
47. Go “heh-heh” : SNICKER
50. Manhandle : PAW
52. They go up to the knees : SHINS
53. Bunch of papers : SHEAF
56. Wallops : BASHES (or BASTES)
59. Abstract sculpture : STABILE
61. “Puh-lease!” : AS IF!
62. An investor might want to get a fair one : SHAKE (or STAKE)
65. With 55-Down, actions that can be performed nine times in this puzzle without affecting any of the clues? : COIN-
66. Drive-___ : THRU
67. Falling down in a pillow fight? : EIDER
68. Dog food brand : ALPO
69. Cad : HEEL
70. Trash boats : SCOWS
71. Bad shot : MISS

Down

1. Something at the end of the hook? : FISH (or FIST)
2. Long Island airport town : ISLIP
3. Schedule : SLATE
4. Bulletproof vest material : KEVLAR
5. Place for a mogul : SKI SLOPE
6. Slight coloring : HINT (or TINT)
7. A giant among Giants : OTT
8. Average mark : CEE
9. “Constant Craving” Grammy winner : KD LANG
10. Carrier of something that might burn : HEAT RAY ( or TEA TRAY)
11. Noted First Amendment advocate, for short : ACLU
12. It’s a blast : HOOT (or TOOT)
13. Pot grower? : ANTE
21. Like Samuel Beckett : IRISH
23. Give a little bit : SAG
25. Cake servings for dieters : SLIVERS
26. Like many Quaker products : OATEN
29. It can take root in wet places : RUSH (or RUST)
30. Line on a contract : DATE
31. See 31-Across : HOP (or TOP)
32. Afflictions : ILLS
33. Lowly worker : PEON
35. Weighed down : LADEN
37. Dec. 31 : NYE
40. Ones in the know : HIPSTERS (or TIPSTERS)
41. Home to TD Ameritrade : OMAHA
44. Yearning : WISHFUL (or WISTFUL)
48. Revolutionary symbol : CHE
49. The x’s of xoxo : KISSES
51. Video blogger’s aid : WEBCAM
54. Garlicky sauce : AIOLI
55. See 65-Across : FLIPS
56. Wet bar locale? : BATH
57. 1975 Wimbledon winner : ASHE
58. What to call a king : SIRE
59. Distort : SKEW
60. Space chimp of 1961 : ENOS