0830-18 NY Times Crossword 30 Aug 18, Thursday

Constructed by: Grant Thackray
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: Ad Block

Four black squares (BLOCKS) in today’s grid contain the letters AD, and these letters form part of the adjacent answers:

  • 64A. Popular browser extension … or a literal description of four black squares in this puzzle : ADBLOCK
  • 11A. Light lunch choice : SALAD
  • 37A. Like zombies : UNDEAD
  • 38A. Program for reducing litter on highways : ADOPT-A-ROAD
  • 40A. Lines screenwriters didn’t write : AD LIBS
  • 70A. Number 2 or 6 : ADAMS
  • 5D. Annoyance from a subway seatmate : MANSPREAD
  • 16D. Whole lot, slangily : BUTTLOAD
  • 17D. Speak to : ADDRESS
  • 45D. Doing grown-up things, in modern lingo : ADULTING
  • 47D. Endearingly awkward, in slang : ADORKABLE
  • 48D. Easily angered sort : HOTHEAD

Bill’s time: 17m 37s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

8. Word after “be” or “end” : -ALL

This is the be-all and end-all of clues.

18. Class that doesn’t require in-person attendance : WEBINAR

“Webinar” is short for “Web-based seminar”, i.e. a presentation, lecture or similar event held online. In a Webinar, there is two-way interaction, with the audience able to ask questions of the presenter.

19. Place in 1861 news, for short : FT SUMTER

Fort Sumter is a fortification lying on an artificially constructed island in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina. In December 1860, when South Carolina seceded from the Union, US Army forces relocated to Fort Sumter deeming it to be a relatively defensible location. On 11 April 1861, confederate forces demanded that the fort be surrendered. When the defenders refused to budge, confederate artillery opened fire at 4:30 in the morning on 12 April 1861, starting the American Civil War.

20. Abbr. on a college entrance sign : ESTD

Established (“est.” or “estd.”)

28. Dorm V.I.P.s : RAS

A resident assistant or resident adviser (RA) is a peer leader found in a residence hall, particularly on a college campus.

29. Genre for Panic! at the Disco : EMO

The emo musical genre originated in Washington D.C. in the 80s, and takes its name from “emotional hardcore”. “Emo” is also the name given to the associated subculture. Not my cup of tea …

34. Place for pilots : RANGE TOP

A pilot light is a small gas flame, one using a relatively small amount of fuel, that remains lit as an ignition source for larger gas burners.

36. Dorm V.I.P. : BMOC

Big Man On Campus (BMOC)

37. Like zombies : UNDEAD

A zombie is a corpse that has been brought back to life by some mystical means. Our modern use of the term largely stems from the undead creatures featured in the 1968 horror movie called “Night of the Living Dead”. Now that film I haven’t seen, and probably never will …

40. Lines screenwriters didn’t write : AD LIBS

“Ad libitum” is a Latin phrase meaning “at one’s pleasure”. In common usage, the phrase is usually shortened to “ad lib”. On the stage, the concept of an ad lib is very familiar.

52. It borders B.C. : IDA

Idaho borders six states, and one Canadian province:

  • Montana
  • Wyoming
  • Nevada
  • Utah
  • Washington
  • Oregon
  • British Columbia, Canada

53. Magic, on scoreboards : ORL

The Orlando Magic were formed in 1989 as an NBA expansion team. A local paper was asked to run a competition to suggest names for the new team and the community came up with its four top picks of “Heat”, “Tropics”, “Juice” and “Magic”. A committee then opted for “Orlando Magic”. A good choice I think …

54. Movie camera settings : T-STOPS

Basically, I think a t-stop is used in lenses on movie cameras the same way that an f-stop is used on lenses in still cameras.

Varying the f-stop in a lens varies how big the lens opening (the aperture) is when a photograph is taken. Smaller apertures (higher f-stop values) admit less light, but result in a greater depth of field (more of the photograph is in focus).

56. Casey who voiced Shaggy : KASEM

Not only was Casey Kasem so closely associated with the radio show “American Top 40”, but he was also well known for playing the voice of Shaggy Rogers on the “Scooby-Doo” animated series.

59. Some brewery offerings, in brief : IPAS

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.

69. Common fish in aquaculture : 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.

70. Number 2 or 6 : ADAMS

John Adams was the second President of the United States. I must admit that I learned much of what I know about President Adams in the excellent, excellent HBO series “John Adams”, which is based on David McCullough’s 2001 biography of the same name. Having said that, I have also visited the Adams home in Quincy, Massachusetts several times. He was clearly a great man with a great intellect …

John Quincy Adams, the son of John Adams, was the 6th US president. Like his father, John Quincy worked for many years as a diplomat representing the young United States. After leaving office, Adams served in Congress as Representative from Massachusetts, becoming the only president ever to enter the House after leaving the office of president.

71. Playwright Thomas who predated Shakespeare : KYD

Thomas Kyd’s most famous work is “The Spanish Tragedy”, written in the mid to late 1580s. Even though Kyd was a recognized dramatist within his own lifetime, he fell foul of the standards of the Privy Council of the day and was imprisoned and tortured for allegedly being an atheist. He died soon after, impoverished.

72. Educational toy with a spinning arrow : SEE ‘N SAY

See ‘n Say is a toy that was introduced by Mattel back in 1965. Mattel already had a line of “talking” toys, especially the very successful Chatty Cathy doll. All these toys spoke random phrases after a string was pulled. The See ‘n Say toy was a little different in that the child using the toy could choose which phrase they wanted to hear.

Down

4. Word akin to sayonara : ADIEU

“Adieu” is the French for “goodbye” or “farewell”, from “à Dieu” meaning “to God”. The plural of “adieu” is “adieux”.

“Sayonara” means “farewell” in Japanese.

10. Philosophy of simplicity : LESS IS MORE

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was a German architect who was routinely referred to simply as “Mies”. I am a philistine, I know, but Mies’ buildings look very plain to me. However, he did come up with two far-from-plain sayings: “less is more” and “God is in the details”.

11. Yosemite ___ : SAM

Yosemite Sam is a cartoon character who frequently goes up against Bugs Bunny. As Sam himself would say, “I’m the fastest gun north, south, east, aaaaaaand west of the Pecos.” Yosemite Sam made his debut appearance in a 1945 cartoon short titled “Hare Trigger”.

23. Home of the oldest university in the Western Hemisphere (founded in 1551) : PERU

The National University of San Marcos is the premier institution for higher education in Peru. Located in the capital city of Peru, it was founded in 1551. That makes San Marcos the oldest university in South America.

24. Home of a sultan : OMAN

Qaboos bin Said al Said is the current Sultan of Oman, who came to power in a coup in 1970 by deposing his own father. Qaboos has no children, and no agreed heir. His current instructions are for the royal family to agree on a successor after his death. Qaboos has also specified that should the royal not be able to agree on a successor, then the country’s Defense Council will make the decision, choosing between two names that the Sultan placed in a sealed envelope to be opened after his passing.

25. Polliwog’s place : POND

“Polliwog” is another word for “tadpole”, which describes the larval stage of an amphibian such as a frog or a toad. The term “polliwog” has been around since the mid-15th century and probably comes from the Old English words “pol” (head) and “wiglen” (wiggle).

33. Nonprofit org. since 1920 : 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”.

41. Ancient mother goddess : ISIS

Isis was the ancient Egyptian goddess of fertility, as well as the protector of the dead and the goddess of children. She was the personification of the pharaoh’s power. The name “Isis” translates as “throne”, and she is usually depicted with a headdress shaped like a throne.

42. Sainted English historian : BEDE

The Venerable Bede was a monk in the north of England in the eighth century AD. Saint Bede is mainly known as an author and scholar, publisher of “The Ecclesiastical History of the English People”. In his writings, Bede struggled with the two common ways of referring to dates at that time. Bede turned to the anno domini dating method that had been devised by Dionysius Exiguus in 525. Bede’s writings of circa 730 were extremely influential and helped popularize the the “anno domini” method.

47. Endearingly awkward, in slang : ADORKABLE

I consider “dork” and “adorkable” to be pretty offensive slang. “Dork” originated in the sixties among American students, and has its roots in another slang term, a term for male genitalia.

49. Colored body part : AREOLA

An areola (sometimes “areole”) in anatomy is a small ring of color, as in the areola surrounding the nipple, and the areola surrounding the pupil of the eye. “Areola” comes from Latin, meaning “small open space”, and is a diminutive of the Latin word “area”, meaning “open space”.

50. Event that looks like its first letter? : SLALOM

“Slalom” is an anglicized version of the Norwegian word “slalam” that translates as “skiing race”. There is a longer version of the traditional slalom that is called giant slalom

61. Actress Falco : EDIE

The actress Edie Falco won three Emmy Awards for playing Carmela Soprano on HBO’s outstanding drama series called “The Sopranos”. Falco also won an Emmy in 2010 for playing the title role in “Nurse Jackie”, an excellent black comedy.

65. Black ___ : OPS

“Black ops” is the name given to covert operations, activities that are usually outside of standard military protocol and may even be against the law. Funding for black ops is usually provided by a secret “black budget”.

67. King Arthur’s foster brother : KAY

According to Arthurian legend, Sir Kay was one of the first Knights of the Round Table. He was also King Arthur’s foster brother. Over time, Sir Kay came to be described as a boor and bully, having started out as valiant warrior.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Classic video game hero a.k.a. the Blue Bomber : MEGA MAN
8. Word after “be” or “end” : -ALL
11. Light lunch choice : SALAD
14. Seeing someone, say : ON A DATE
15. Like the services of many financial planners : FEE-BASED
18. Class that doesn’t require in-person attendance : WEBINAR
19. Place in 1861 news, for short : FT SUMTER
20. Abbr. on a college entrance sign : ESTD
21. Neighbor of N.Z. : AUST
22. ‘Fore : ERE
23. Temporary, as a store : POP-UP
26. “Let’s go to the next one” : SKIP IT
28. Dorm V.I.P.s : RAS
29. Genre for Panic! at the Disco : EMO
30. Pinker, say : RARER
32. Biases : SLANTS
34. Place for pilots : RANGE TOP
36. Dorm V.I.P. : BMOC
37. Like zombies : UNDEAD
38. Program for reducing litter on highways : ADOPT-A-ROAD
40. Lines screenwriters didn’t write : AD LIBS
44. Ignore, with “out” : TUNE
46. Ride taken for a spin? : CAROUSEL
48. Bother : HASSLE
51. Real stunner : TASER
52. It borders B.C. : IDA
53. Magic, on scoreboards : ORL
54. Movie camera settings : T-STOPS
56. Casey who voiced Shaggy : KASEM
58. Pot leaves? : TEA
59. Some brewery offerings, in brief : IPAS
60. Regain hit points, in video games : HEAL
62. Part of a pope’s title : HOLINESS
64. Popular browser extension … or a literal description of four black squares in this puzzle : ADBLOCK
68. Stretch : ELONGATE
69. Common fish in aquaculture : TILAPIA
70. Number 2 or 6 : ADAMS
71. Playwright Thomas who predated Shakespeare : KYD
72. Educational toy with a spinning arrow : SEE ‘N SAY

Down

1. Trim, in a way : MOW
2. Phoenix-to-Albuquerque dir. : ENE
3. Yak : GAB
4. Word akin to sayonara : ADIEU
5. Annoyance from a subway seatmate : MANSPREAD
6. Rat-___ : A-TAT
7. Crunchy candy with a gummy string center : NERDS ROPE
8. Dalliance : AFFAIR
9. Go easier : LET UP
10. Philosophy of simplicity : LESS IS MORE
11. Yosemite ___ : SAM
12. Rudderward : ASTERN
13. Watch wolfishly : LEER AT
16. Whole lot, slangily : BUTTLOAD
17. Speak to : ADDRESS
23. Home of the oldest university in the Western Hemisphere (founded in 1551) : PERU
24. Home of a sultan : OMAN
25. Polliwog’s place : POND
27. Held on to : KEPT
31. Performing flawlessly : AT ONE’S PEAK
33. Nonprofit org. since 1920 : ACLU
35. Understands : GETS
36. High-ranking officers : BRASS HATS
39. Put ___ on (limit) : A CAP
41. Ancient mother goddess : ISIS
42. Sainted English historian : BEDE
43. Roast : SLAM
45. Doing grown-up things, in modern lingo : ADULTING
47. Endearingly awkward, in slang : ADORKABLE
48. Easily angered sort : HOTHEAD
49. Colored body part : AREOLA
50. Event that looks like its first letter? : SLALOM
51. Put in the trash : TOSSED
55. Lip-smacking : TASTY
57. Bloom who wrote “The Closing of the American Mind” : ALLAN
61. Actress Falco : EDIE
63. People whom it’s helpful to know : INS
65. Black ___ : OPS
66. Secretive org. : CIA
67. King Arthur’s foster brother : KAY