0701-18 NY Times Crossword Answers 1 Jul 2018, Sunday

Constructed by: Sam Trabucco
Edited by: Will Shortz

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Today’s Theme: Driving Around

Themed answers require us to DRIVE AROUND a vehicle spelled out in circled letters in the grid. We “pass” those vehicles “on the left”, by continuing the answer on the line above:

  • 109A. It’s left on a highway … or a path used by five answers in this puzzle? : PASSING LANE
  • 23A. Trying to show no signs of life : PLAYING DEAD (passing a CAR)
  • 28A. Began a PC session : LOGGED IN (passing a CAB)
  • 68A. Was forced to turn down an invitation : HAD PLANS (passing a VAN)
  • 69A. Big character? : BLOCK LETTER (passing a BUS)
  • 108A. Bottle for a beachgoer : SUNTAN OIL (passing a TRUCK)

Bill’s time: 31m 11s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5. Total mess : FIASCO

Back in the mid-1800s, “fiasco” was theater slang meaning “failure in performance”. The meaning morphed soon after into any kind of failure or flop. The term evolved from the Italian “far fiasco”, a phrase that the same meaning in Italian theater, but translated literally as “make a bottle”. It turns out that “fiasco” and “flask” both derive from the Latin “flasco” meaning “bottle”.

21. Guido ___, painter of the “Crucifixion of St. Peter” : RENI

Guido Reni was an Italian painter from Bologna who was active in the first half of the 17th century. Reni’s most famous work is probably “Crucifixion of St. Peter”, an altarpiece commissioned in the early 1600s that is now on display in the Vatican.

29. Seminary study: Abbr. : REL

Originally, a seminary was where plants were raised from seeds, as “semen” is the Latin for “seed”. The first schools labeled as seminaries were established in the late 1500s. Those first schools were more likely to be academies for young ladies back then, rather than for trainee priests.

36. “Darth Vader is Luke’s father,” e.g. : SPOILER

Darth Vader is (to me) the most colorful antagonist in the “Star Wars” universe. Born as Anakin Skywalker, he was corrupted by the Emperor Palpatine, and turned to “the Dark Side”. In the original films, Darth Vader was portrayed by English bodybuilder David Prowse, and voiced by actor James Earl Jones. Jones asked that he go uncredited for the first two “Star Wars” films, feeling that his contributions were insufficient to warrant recognition. I disagree …

38. Kind of yoga : HATHA

Hatha yoga is a yoga system developed in 15th century India. Traditional Hatha yoga is a more “complete” practice than often encountered in the west, involving not just exercise but also meditation and relaxation. “Hatha” is a Sanskrit word meaning “force”.

39. Lily Potter’s maiden name in the Harry Potter books : EVANS

In the world of “Harry Potter”, Harry’s mother was Lily Potter nee Evans. Lily Evans was born a Muggle. a person who has no magical ability. Lily married someone who did have that magical ability, namely James Potter, Harry’s father.

44. Longtime CBS police procedural : NCIS

NCIS is the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which investigates crimes in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The service gives its name to the CBS TV show “NCIS”, a spin-off drama from “JAG” in which the main “NCIS” characters were first introduced. The big star in “NCIS” is the actor Mark Harmon. “NCIS” is now a franchise, with spin-off shows “NCIS: Los Angeles” and “NCIS: New Orleans”.

48. Voodoo, e.g. : DARK ART

Voodoo is a religion that originated the French slave colony of Saint-Domingue on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola.

53. Wrecks, as chances : TORPEDOES

The naval weapon called a torpedo is named for the group of electric rays of the genus “Torpedo”. The name of the fish comes from the verb “torpere”, Latin for “to be stiffened, paralyzed”, which is what happens to someone who steps on an electric ray.

55. Relating to gaps : LACUNAR

A lacuna is a missing piece of text (or music) in a larger work. Usually the text has been lost due to damage of an older manuscript. Lacunae can be very controversial as experts vie with each other to suggest what words have been lost.

67. Kind of state : ZEN

Zen is a Buddhist school that developed its own tradition in China back in the 7th century AD. Zen is a Japanese spelling of the Chinese word “chan”, which in turn derives from the Sanskrit word “dhyana” meaning “meditation”.

72. News commentator Navarro : ANA

Ana Navarro is a Nicaraguan-born American political strategist and commentator. Navarro is a lifelong Republican who worked for Governor Jeb Bush and for Senator John McCain. However, she was very critical of presidential candidate Donald Trump during his 2016 campaign. She was so vehement in her anti-Trump views that she ended up voting for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the election.

77. “Jeez, you should keep that private” : TMI

Too much information! (TMI)

84. ___ diagram : VENN

Englishman John Venn was an expert in the field of logic, and introduced the Venn diagram in his book “Symbolic Logic” in 1881. Venn diagrams are used in set theory, to illustrate the logical relationships between sets of variables.

86. Green surroundings? : TRAPS

That would be golf.

97. Sam of Watergate hearings : ERVIN

Sam Ervin was a Democratic Senator from North Carolina from 1954 until 1974. Senator Ervin worked on two notable committees during his term. On one he helped bring down Senator Joseph McCarthy in 1954, and on the other he helped investigate the Watergate scandal that brought down President Richard Nixon.

98. Ipecac, e.g. : EMETIC

Syrup of ipecac is a preparation made from the dried roots and rhizomes of the ipecacuanha plant. The syrup is used as an emetic, a substance that induces vomiting. Ipecac accomplishes this by irritating the lining of the stomach.

99. Openly gay : OUT

Back in the 1950s, to come “out of the closet” was to admit to being an alcoholic. By the seventies, the phrase mainly referred to gay people shrugging off secrecy about their sexual orientation.

103. Singer Garfunkel : ART

Singer and actor Art Garfunkel is best-known for the years he spent performing with Paul Simon, although Garfunkel had a successful solo career after the duo split up. As well as singing and acting, he is fond of taking long, long walks while composing poetry. Garfunkel walked across Japan in the early 1980s, and across America in increments from 1983 to 1997. He then walked across Europe, also in increments, from 1998 to 2011.

114. Nota ___ : BENE

“Nota bene” is the Latin for “note well”.

115. Had too much, for short : OD’ED

Overdose (OD)

117. Nuggets in “Poor Richard’s Almanack” : SAWS

“Poor Richard’s Almanack” was an annual publication authored by none other than Benjamin Franklin. The first edition hit the shelves in 1732, and was very, very successful, selling about 10,000 copies a year. Apparently Napoleon Bonaparte was a big fan.

Down

1. Not using sensitive language, say : UN-PC

To be un-PC is to be politically incorrect, not be politically correct (PC).

4. Not wait till evening to crack a bottle : DAY-DRINK

Hic!

6. Rapper ___ Azalea : IGGY

“Iggy Azalea” is the stage name of Australian rapper Amethyst Kelly. I haven’t heard of her outside of crosswords …

7. General’s assistant: Abbr. : ADC

“Aide-de-camp” (ADC) is a French term that we have imported into English. The phrase translates to “field assistant” and usually applies to the most senior personal aide to a high-ranking military officer or head of state.

9. What many runners do before a marathon : CARBO-LOAD

Only relatively small amounts of carbohydrate can be stored by the human body, but those stores are important. The actual storage molecule is a starch-like polysaccharide called glycogen, which is found mainly in the liver and muscles. Glycogen is a quick source of energy when required by the body. Most of the body’s energy is stored in the form of fat, a more compact substance that is mobilized less rapidly. Endurance athletes often eat meals high in carbohydrate (carbo-loading) a few hours before an event, so that their body’s glycogen is at optimum levels.

11. “r u 4 real?” : SRSLY?

Yep …

12. Jared of “Dallas Buyers Club” : LETO

Jared Leto is an actor and musician. In the world of music, Leto is the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the rock band 30 Seconds to Mars. In the film world, one of his most critically acclaimed role was that of a heroin addict in “Requiem for a Dream”. He also appeared in “American Psycho”, “Panic Room” and “Lord of War”. Leto won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for portraying a transgender woman in 2013’s “Dallas Buyers Club”.

“Dallas Buyers Club” is a 2013 film that tells the real-life story of AIDS patient Ron Woodroof. Woodroof smuggled unapproved AIDS drugs across the US border into Texas in opposition to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The movie won the Best Actor Oscar for Matthew McConaughey and Best Supporting Actor for Jared Leto.

13. Nerd’s epithet for the president? : ANAGRAM

“Nerd’s epithet” is an anagram of “the president”.

17. It’s under helium in the periodic table : NEON

Neon was discovered in 1898 by two British chemists Sir William Ramsay and Morris Travers. They chilled a sample of air, turning it into a liquid, and then warmed the liquid and separated out the gases that boiled off. Along with nitrogen, oxygen and argon (already known), the pair of scientists discovered two new gases. The first they called “krypton” and the second “neon”. “Krypton” is Greek for “the hidden one” and “neon” is Greek for “new”.

33. Goal for many a H.S. dropout : GED

The General Educational Development (GED) tests are a battery of five tests designed to demonstrate that a student has the academic skills of someone who has graduated from an American or Canadian high school.

35. Pantry item : JAR

The word “pantry” dates back to 1300 when it came into English from the Old French “panetrie” meaning a “bread room”. Bread is “pain” in French, and “panis” in Latin.

37. David ___, C.I.A. director under Obama : PETRAEUS

General David Petraeus retired from the US military in 2011 after a very distinguished 38-year career. He then took over as the Director of the CIA under President Obama. However, Petraeus resigned from the post just over a year later when it was revealed that he had conducted an extramarital affair with Paula Broadwell, the author of his biography.

47. Certain Spanish murals : SERTS

José Maria Sert was a painter of murals from Catalan. He was a good friend of fellow-artist Salvador Dali.

57. 1040 reviewer, for short : CPA

Certified public accountant (CPA)

Here in the US we can choose one of three main forms to file our tax returns. Form 1040 is known as the “long form”. Form 1040A is called the “short form”, and can be used by taxpayers with taxable income below $100,000 who don’t itemize deduction. Form 1040EZ is an even simpler version of the 1040, and can be used by those with taxable income less than $100,000 who take the standard deduction and who also have no dependents. Form 1040 was originally created just for tax returns from 1913, 1914 and 1915, but it’s a form that just keeps on giving, or should I say “taking” …?

58. Humerus connection : ULNA

The humerus is the long bone in the upper arm. The bones in the forearm are the radius and ulna. “Ulna” is the Latin word for “elbow”, and “radius” is Latin for “ray”.

66. Bout result, in brief : TKO

Technical knockout (TKO)

67. Like a game with equal winners and losers : ZERO-SUM

A zero-sum game is one in which the gains of the winner are exactly offset by the losses of the loser. There is no net gain. So, a “win-win” situation by definition cannot be arrived at in a zero-sum game.

70. ‘Vette option : T-TOP

A T-top is a car roof that has removable panels on either side of a rigid bar that runs down the center of the vehicle above the driver.

81. Kennedy Library architect : PEI

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library is a splendid structure located right beside the Boston campus of the University of Massachusetts. President Kennedy chose the location for his library just one week before he was assassinated. The library itself was designed by architect I. M. Pei.

82. Nickname for a devil : TAZ

The “Looney Tunes” character known as the Tasmanian Devil, or “Taz”, first appeared in a cartoon short with Bugs Bunny called “Devil May Care” in 1954.

89. Story line : ARC

A story arc is a continuing storyline in say a television show that runs through a number of episodes. Story arcs are also found in comics, books, video games, and other forms of media.

92. Sort of rooftop unit, familiarly : HVAC

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC)

97. Subject of a 2001-02 scandal : ENRON

After all the trials following the exposure of fraud at Enron, several of the key players ended up in jail. Andrew Fastow was the Chief Financial Officer. He plea-bargained and received ten years without parole, and became the key witness in the trials of others. Even Fastow’s wife was involved and she was sentenced to one year for helping her husband hide money. Jeffrey Skilling (ex-CEO) was sentenced to 24 years and 4 months. Kenneth Lay (CEO) died in 2006 after he had been found guilty but before he could be sentenced. The accounting firm Arthur Andersen was found guilty of obstruction of justice for shredding thousands of pertinent documents and deleting emails and files (a decision that the Supreme Court later overturned on a technicality). But still, Arthur Andersen collapsed under the weight of the scandal and 85,000 people lost their jobs (despite only a handful being directly involved with Enron).

98. Caught congers : EELED

Conger eels can grow to be very, very large, perhaps up to 10 feet in length.

101. ___ Reader : UTNE

The “Utne Reader” is known for aggregation and republishing of articles on politics, culture and the environment from other sources in the media. The “Utne Reader” was founded in 1984 by Eric Utne, with management taken over by Eric’s wife Nina Rothschild Utne in 1990.

105. Capital of Okinawa : NAHA

Naha is located on the island of Okinawa in the very south of Japan. The city is the capital of Okinawa Prefecture, which comprises hundreds of islands in the Ryukyu Arc that extends over 1,000 km towards Taiwan.

110. Show with Kate McKinnon, for short : SNL

Comedian and impressionist Kate McKinnon’s career took off when when she became a cast member of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) in 2013. Famously, McKinnon portrayed in Hillary Clinton in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. She also co-starred in the 2016 reboot of the movie “Ghostbusters”, playing Dr. Jillian Holtzmann.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Played for a fool : USED
5. Total mess : FIASCO
11. Big piece of cake : SLAB
15. Buzzed : RANG
19. “It’s all good” : NOT A BIG DEAL
21. Guido ___, painter of the “Crucifixion of St. Peter” : RENI
22. “Do I ___!” : EVER
23. Trying to show no signs of life : PLAYING DEAD
24. Show out? : STAGE DOOR
26. Metaphorical time in hell : COLD DAY
27. Future exec, maybe : MBA
28. Began a PC session : LOGGED IN
29. Seminary study: Abbr. : REL
30. One who “went a-courtin’,” in a children’s song : FROGGY
32. Hurried along : RACED
33. Asian berry marketed as a “superfood” : GOJI
36. “Darth Vader is Luke’s father,” e.g. : SPOILER
38. Kind of yoga : HATHA
39. Lily Potter’s maiden name in the Harry Potter books : EVANS
41. Fair : EXPO
42. Attention getters : AHEMS
44. Longtime CBS police procedural : NCIS
48. Voodoo, e.g. : DARK ART
50. Quite a bash, in slang : PARTAY!
52. Partner of shock : AWE
53. Wrecks, as chances : TORPEDOES
55. Relating to gaps : LACUNAR
59. Norm: Abbr. : STD
62. Burrow : LAIR
63. Bit of office greenery : POTTED PLANT
65. Dead end sign : NO OUTLET
67. Kind of state : ZEN
68. Was forced to turn down an invitation : HAD PLANS
69. Big character? : BLOCK LETTER
71. Take as a bride : WIVE
72. News commentator Navarro : ANA
73. Ball of yarn and others : CAT TOYS
74. Confession inducers : TRUTH SERA
77. “Jeez, you should keep that private” : TMI
78. Get down : BOOGIE
79. Go as far down as : STOOP TO
84. ___ diagram : VENN
86. Green surroundings? : TRAPS
88. Seize : GRAB
90. Work : KNEAD
91. “You betcha!” : UH-HUH!
93. Had a leading role? : USHERED
96. S or M : SIZE
97. Sam of Watergate hearings : ERVIN
98. Ipecac, e.g. : EMETIC
99. Openly gay : OUT
101. Fix, as a mess of wires : UNTANGLE
103. Singer Garfunkel : ART
104. Big part of an orchestra : STRINGS
108. Bottle for a beachgoer : SUNTAN OIL
109. It’s left on a highway … or a path used by five answers in this puzzle? : PASSING LANE
111. ___ about (approximately) : ON OR
112. A little : SOME
113. “Yeah, it makes sense” : I CAN SEE THAT
114. Nota ___ : BENE
115. Had too much, for short : OD’ED
116. Go on a drinking spree, in slang : GET LIT
117. Nuggets in “Poor Richard’s Almanack” : SAWS

Down

1. Not using sensitive language, say : UN-PC
2. Dis-banded? : SOLO
3. List ender: Abbr. : ET AL
4. Not wait till evening to crack a bottle : DAY-DRINK
5. Semester’s end : FINALS
6. Rapper ___ Azalea : IGGY
7. General’s assistant: Abbr. : ADC
8. Tool for undoing stitches : SEAM RIPPER
9. What many runners do before a marathon : CARBO-LOAD
10. Senectitude : OLD AGE
11. “r u 4 real?” : SRSLY?
12. Jared of “Dallas Buyers Club” : LETO
13. Nerd’s epithet for the president? : ANAGRAM
14. Lions and tigers : BIG CATS
15. Tidbit with rice in Creole cuisine : RED BEAN
16. Sidestep : AVOID
17. It’s under helium in the periodic table : NEON
18. Dog’s warning : GRR!
20. Endure : BIDE
25. Per : EACH
30. ___ News : FOX
31. Annoy, in a way : GRATE ON
33. Goal for many a H.S. dropout : GED
34. Donations to certain clinics : OVA
35. Pantry item : JAR
37. David ___, C.I.A. director under Obama : PETRAEUS
38. “Watch it!” : HEY!
40. Took a breather : SAT
43. Possess, as thou might : HAST
45. Old Testament land : CANAAN
46. “Pick me! Pick me!” : I WANNA!
47. Certain Spanish murals : SERTS
49. Elapse, as years : ROLL BY
51. Braided floor covering : ROPE RUG
54. Where coal miners work : PITS
55. Doesn’t bother : LEAVES BE
56. Telly pitch : ADVERT
57. 1040 reviewer, for short : CPA
58. Humerus connection : ULNA
59. “How uncool!” : SO LAME!
60. “Yer darn ___!” : TOOTIN’
61. It may bring a tear to one’s eye : DUCT
64. “___ Is Us” (65-Down drama) : THIS
65. See 64-Down : NBC TV
66. Bout result, in brief : TKO
67. Like a game with equal winners and losers : ZERO-SUM
70. ‘Vette option : T-TOP
71. Happenin’ place : WHERE IT’S AT
75. Election that’s too close to call : TIGHT RACE
76. Peachy : A-OK
78. “Phooey!” : BAH!
80. Like many clowns and beachside houses : ON STILTS
81. Kennedy Library architect : PEI
82. Nickname for a devil : TAZ
83. Flowery poem : ODE
85. Help grow : NURTURE
86. “You agree?” : THINK SO?
87. Enjoy consistent, favorable luck, in poker lingo : RUN GOOD
89. Story line : ARC
92. Sort of rooftop unit, familiarly : HVAC
94. Another name for a porpoise or dolphin : SEA PIG
95. Certain domain suffix : DOT NET
97. Subject of a 2001-02 scandal : ENRON
98. Caught congers : EELED
100. Strong desire : URGE
101. ___ Reader : UTNE
102. Shade of green : LIME
104. “Absolutely!,” to Alejandro : SI SI!
105. Capital of Okinawa : NAHA
106. Chew (on) : GNAW
107. Match makers? : SETS
108. Get all blubbery : SOB
110. Show with Kate McKinnon, for short : SNL