1017-24 NY Times Crossword 17 Oct 24, Thursday

Constructed by: August Lee-Kovach
Edited by: Joel Fagliano

Today’s Reveal Answer: Altercation

Themed answers are common phrases reinterpreted as ALTERCATIONS between editor and writer:

  • 56A Punny summary of the battle between editor and writer seen in 17-, 24-, 35- and 46-Across? : ALTERCATION
  • 17A Much ado about some punctuation? : PERIOD DRAMA
  • 24A Anger over a grammatically incorrect sentence? : RUN-ON FUMES
  • 35A Harsh words regarding the past and the present? : TENSE EXCHANGE
  • 46A Brawl over what to call a piece of writing? : TITLE FIGHT

Bill’s time: 9m 11s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

11 #1 pal : BFF

Best friend forever (BFF)

14 Hercule’s creator : AGATHA

Hercule Poirot is one of Agatha Christie’s most beloved characters. He is a wonderful Belgian private detective who plies his trade from his base in London. Poirot’s most famous case is the “Murder on the Orient Express”. First appearing in 1920’s “The Mysterious Affair at Styles”, Poirot finally succumbs to a heart condition in the 1975 book “Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case”. Famously, Poirot is fond of using his “little gray cells”.

15 One who might make a comeback? : ALUM

An alumnus (plural “alumni”) is a graduate or former student of a school or college. The female form is “alumna” (plural “alumnae”). The term comes into English from Latin, in which an alumnus is a foster-son or pupil. “Alum” is an informal term used for either an alumna or alumnus.

17 Much ado about some punctuation? : PERIOD DRAMA

The punctuation mark used to terminate a sentence is called a “period” in American English, and a “full stop” in British English. The same punctuation mark has no symbol in Morse code, so the word STOP is used instead in telegraphy.

21 Only city that entirely surrounds a country : ROME

A city-state, as opposed to a nation-state, is a state comprising the city itself as well the surrounding territory. Famous city-states of the past include Rome, Athens, Sparta and Carthage. In the modern world, we might classify Monaco, Singapore and Vatican City as city-states.

22 Request from Oliver Twist : MORE

“Please, sir. I want some more” are words spoken by the title character in the novel “Oliver Twist” by Charles Dickens. . Oliver is addressing Mr. Bumble, asking for an extra helping of gruel in the workhouse.

24 Anger over a grammatically incorrect sentence? : RUN-ON FUMES

A run-on sentence is one in which two separate clauses are linked without appropriate conjugation. Two examples would be:

Today’s crossword is really tough I can’t finish.
Today’s crossword is really tough, I can’t finish.

More acceptable sentences would be:

Today’s crossword is really tough. I can’t finish.
Today’s crossword is really tough; I can’t finish.
Today’s crossword is really tough, so I can’t finish.

26 She served on the court with Antonin and Anthony : SANDRA

Sandra Day O’Connor is a former associate justice on the US Supreme Court. She was the first woman appointed to the court, and was in office from 1981 after being appointed by President Reagan. As the court became more conservative she was viewed as the swing vote in many decisions. As a result, O’Connor was known as one of the most powerful women in the world. She retired in 2006 (replaced by Samuel Alito), and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama in 2009.

Antonin Scalia was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Reagan in 1986, and was the longest-serving member of the court on the occasion of his passing in 2016. Justice Scalia’s minority opinions were known for the scathing language that he used to criticize the Court’s majority.

Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy of the US Supreme Court was appointed by President Reagan in 1988. Although Justice Kennedy’s decisions are viewed as largely conservative, after Sandra Day O’Connor retired he was considered by many as the “swing vote” on the court. Kennedy retired in 2018, and was succeeded on the bench by Brett Kavanaugh.

29 Silky fabrics : SATINS

The material known as “satin” takes its name from “Zayton”, the medieval Arabic name for the Chinese port city of Quanzhou. Quanzhou was used for the export of large amounts of silk to Europe.

30 Hunting cap feature : EARLAP

Earlaps (or ear flaps) might be attached to a cap.

34 1930s vice president John ___ Garner : NANCE

John Nance Garner was Speaker of the House when he ran against New York Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt for the Democratic nomination for the presidential race in 1932. When it was clear that Roosevelt was to win the nomination, Garner cut a deal with FDR and joined the ticket as candidate for vice president. When the two Democrats won, they were sworn into office on March 4, 1933. As he was still Speaker of the House at the time, Garner is the only person to have held the office of both Speaker and Vice President on the same day.

42 Shipmate of Capt. Kirk : LT SULU

Mr. Hikaru Sulu was played by George Takei in the original “Star Trek” series. Takei has played lots of roles over the years, and is still very active in television. Did you know that he appeared in the 1963 film, “Pt-109”? He played the helmsman steering the Japanese destroyer that ran down John F. Kennedy’s motor torpedo boat. From destroyer helmsman to starship helmsman …

According to the storyline in “Star Trek”, Captain James Tiberius Kirk was born in Riverside, Iowa on March 22, 2233. The town of Riverside displays a plaque, noting Riverside as the “future birthplace of James T. Kirk”, but the date given is March 22, 2228. I sense a disturbance in the space-time continuum …

58 Ornamental pond fish : KOI

Koi are fish that are also known as Japanese carp. Koi have been bred for decorative purposes and there are now some very brightly colored examples found in Japanese water gardens.

60 Pill bug, e.g. : ISOPOD

Isopods are small crustaceans with seven pairs of legs. Examples would be woodlice and pill bugs. The name “isopod” comes from the Greek “iso” (same) and “pod” (foot). All isopods have seven pairs of jointed limbs.

61 The Middle Ages or the Renaissance : ERA

European history is often divided in three major periods: classical antiquity and the modern period, with the Middle Ages in between. Specifically, the Middle Ages are said to have begun in 476 CE, when the last Roman Emperor was deposed by a Germanic chieftain. The end date for the Middle Ages is less specific, but is about 1500 CE. The list of events signaling the end of the Middle Ages includes Christopher Columbus’s first voyage to the New World (1492) and the Protestant Reformation (1517). The term “medieval” is used to describe something belonging to the Middle Ages.

The Renaissance is the period in European history that bridges the Dark Ages and the Modern Era. “Renaissance” is French for “rebirth”, and is a term reflecting the rebirth of interest in the learnings from ancient Greece and ancient Rome.

62 ___ Nublar, fictional setting of “Jurassic Park” : ISLA

“Jurassic Park” is a 1990 novel by Michael Crichton that was adapted into a hugely successful movie by Steven Spielberg in 1993. One of the main premises of the novel is that dinosaur DNA could be harvested from mosquitoes trapped in amber (fossilized tree resin), the DNA coming from the dinosaur blood consumed by the mosquitoes. The dinosaur DNA is then sequenced and used to create clones of the original beasts. Apparently, that’s a clever idea, but not very practical …

63 Ending point of the first marathon : ATHENS

The marathon commemorates the legendary messenger-run by Pheidippides from the site of the Battle of Marathon back to Athens, and is run over 26 miles and 385 yards. The first modern Olympic marathon races were run over a distance that approximated the length of the modern-day Marathon-Athens highway, although the actual length of the race varied from games to games. For the 1908 Olympics in London, a course starting at Windsor Castle and ending in front of the Royal Box at White City Stadium was defined. That course was 26 miles and 385 yards, the standard length now used at all Olympic Games. Organizers of subsequent games continued to vary the length of the race, until a decision was made in 1921 to adopt the distance used in London in 1908.

Down

1 Sprinkling on a lox bagel : CAPERS

The seasoning we know as “capers” are the edible flower buds of the caper bush, also known as Flinders rose. By the time we get them in a jar, the buds have been pickled and salted. I’m not a huge fan of capers …

Lox is a brine-cured salmon filet that is finely sliced. The term “lox” comes into English via Yiddish, and derives from the German word for salmon, namely “Lachs”.

2 What is to be done? : AGENDA

“Agenda” is a Latin word that translates as “things to be done”, coming from the verb “agere” meaning “to do”.

3 Pattern of intersecting stripes : TARTAN

“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.

5 What Alexander Graham Bell suggested as the standard telephone-answering greeting : AHOY!

Before the 1880s, the most popular greeting in English was “hallo” or “hullo”. The use of “hello” became popular along with the proliferation of telephones. When the telephone was invented, Alexander Graham Bell suggested that the greeting “Ahoy” be used when answering. Thomas Edison preferred “Hello”, which won out. By the end of the 1880s, telephone operators were being referred to as “hello-girls”.

6 Thomas Lincoln, familiarly : TAD

Tad Lincoln was the youngest son of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln. The child was named Thomas Lincoln III after his paternal grandfather, but was soon christened “Tad” by his father as he “wiggled like a tadpole” when he was very young. Tad was born with a cleft lip and palate, which led to speech problems and difficulties chewing. On the fateful night that his parents went to see “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theatre, Tad was taken to nearby Grover’s Theatre (now the National Theatre) to see “Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp”. Tad heard the news of his father’s assassination from the theatre manager, like all the other patrons. The distraught 12-year-old ran around the theater screaming “They killed Papa! They killed Papa!” Tad himself passed away just six years later due to heart or lung problems.

8 Don’t you forget it! : ALAMO

The famous Alamo in San Antonio, Texas was originally known as Mission San Antonio de Valero. The mission was founded in 1718 and was the first mission established in the city. The Battle of the Alamo took place in 1836, a thirteen-day siege by the Mexican Army led by President General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Only two people defending the Alamo Mission survived the onslaught. One month later, the Texian army got its revenge by attacking and defeating the Mexican Army in the Battle of San Jacinto. During the surprise attack on Santa Anna’s camp, many of the Texian soldiers were heard to cry “Remember the Alamo!”.

9 Light units : LUMENS

The lumen is a measure of the amount of visible light emitted by a source.

10 Violent sport, for short : MMA

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact combat sport in which competitors use a variety of techniques from a variety of traditional combat sports and martial arts.

12 First city in Europe with paved streets (1339) : FLORENCE

Florence is the capital city of the Tuscany region in Italy. Something from or related to Florence is described as “Florentine”. The city is known as “Firenze” in Italian.

18 Gru’s twin brother in the “Despicable Me” franchise : DRU

“Despicable Me 3” is a 2017 animated movie in the “Despicable Me” series. Despite the title, the film is really the fourth film of the franchise, as the spinoff prequel “Minions” came out in 2015.The main character in the movie is Felonious Gru, voiced by Steve Carell. Carell also plays Gru’s twin brother Dru Gru. Gru and Dru’s mother is voiced by the great Julie Andrews.

22 Blue lobsters and white tigers, e.g. : MUTANTS

The American lobster species is normally colored a dark, bluish green to a greenish brown. This color is the result of a mixture of yellow, blue and green pigments. There are known genetic mutations that have resulted in some different colors in the lobster population. About 1 in 2 million lobsters is blue, and 1 in 30 million is yellow. There may even be albino lobsters, occurring at a frequency of about 1 in 100 million.

The white tiger is a Bengal tiger that is missing the pigments that produce the usual orange color due to a genetic mutation. The mutation is a rare one, and the probability of it occurring increases with inbreeding. Inbreeding can cause genetic defects, such as crossed-eyes, a crooked backbone and kidney problems.

33 Drug also called “rocket fuel” or “ozone,” for short : PCP

Phencyclidine is a recreational drug usually referred to on the street as “PCP” or “angel dust”.

36 One side of a perpetual war in Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four” : EASTASIA

The action in George Orwell’s 1949 novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four” takes place in the intercontinental superstate of Oceania. Orwell also created two other superstates, one called Eurasia and the other Eastasia.

41 Uses TurboTax, perhaps : E-FILES

TurboTax is a software- and online-based income tax preparation service. It’s what I’ve used since I retired, and I have no complaints …

44 Scenic spot to snorkel : LAGOON

A lagoon is a shallow body of water, usually separated from the sea by sandbar or reef. The term “lagoon” comes from the Italian “laguna”, the word for a pond or lake. The original “laguna” is the “Laguna Veneta”, the enclosed bay in the Adriatic Sea on which Venice is located. In 1769, Captain Cook was the first to apply the word “lagoon” to the body of water inside a South Seas atoll.

Our word “snorkel” comes from German navy slang “Schnorchel” meaning “nose, snout”. The German slang was applied to an air-shaft used for submarines, due to its resemblance to a nose, in that air passed through it and it made a “snoring” sound. “Schnorchel” comes from “Schnarchen”, the German for “snore”.

48 Climate activist Thunberg : GRETA

Greta Thunberg is an environmental activist from Sweden who came to national attention in her homeland when she was just 15 years old. In 2018, she went on strike from school and paraded with placards in front of the Swedish parliament to pressure the government to take stronger action to address climate change. She then took part in demonstrations across Europe, and became a regular speaker at such events. She addressed the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit at the UN headquarters, opting to sail to New York from Sweden, rather than fly. When she was named “Time” Person of the Year in 2019 at 16 years old, Thunberg was the youngest person ever to be so honored.

49 Billy Joel’s “Tell ___ About It” : HER

“Tell Her About It” is a 1983 hit written and recorded by Billy Joel. I love that song, and its retro feel …

53 Observe Ramadan, in a way : FAST

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Fasting during Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The fast begins at dawn and ends at sunset each day. The end of Ramadan is marked by a three-day festival called Eid al-Fitr, which means “festival of breaking the fast.”

54 “Then again …,” in a text : OTOH …

On the other hand (OTOH)

56 Bon ___ : AMI

In French, a male friend might be described as a “bon ami” (good friend).

57 K.G.B. rival during the Cold War : CIA

The “Komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti” (KGB) was the national security agency of the Soviet Union until 1991. The KGB was dissolved after the agency’s chairman led a failed attempt at a coup d’état designed to depose President Mikhail Gorbachev.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Fed the kitty, perhaps : CAT-SAT
7 Salve : BALM
11 #1 pal : BFF
14 Hercule’s creator : AGATHA
15 One who might make a comeback? : ALUM
16 Hebrew name meaning “my God” : ELI
17 Much ado about some punctuation? : PERIOD DRAMA
19 No pro : CON
20 It’s often gained by knocking : ENTRY
21 Only city that entirely surrounds a country : ROME
22 Request from Oliver Twist : MORE
23 Nutrition fig. : RDA
24 Anger over a grammatically incorrect sentence? : RUN-ON FUMES
26 She served on the court with Antonin and Anthony : SANDRA
29 Silky fabrics : SATINS
30 Hunting cap feature : EARLAP
34 1930s vice president John ___ Garner : NANCE
35 Harsh words regarding the past and the present? : TENSE EXCHANGE
38 Harbor sights : BOATS
39 Take off : DEPART
40 Commercial success? : AD SALE
42 Shipmate of Capt. Kirk : LT SULU
46 Brawl over what to call a piece of writing? : TITLE FIGHT
50 Toddler’s need, maybe : NAP
51 Grassy expanses : LEAS
52 Regarding : IN RE
53 Build, as a relationship : FORGE
55 Possibilities : IFS
56 Punny summary of the battle between editor and writer seen in 17-, 24-, 35- and 46-Across? : ALTERCATION
58 Ornamental pond fish : KOI
59 Cross paths : MEET
60 Pill bug, e.g. : ISOPOD
61 The Middle Ages or the Renaissance : ERA
62 ___ Nublar, fictional setting of “Jurassic Park” : ISLA
63 Ending point of the first marathon : ATHENS

Down

1 Sprinkling on a lox bagel : CAPERS
2 What is to be done? : AGENDA
3 Pattern of intersecting stripes : TARTAN
4 Use a spoon, say : STIR
5 What Alexander Graham Bell suggested as the standard telephone-answering greeting : AHOY!
6 Thomas Lincoln, familiarly : TAD
7 Industry mogul : BARON
8 Don’t you forget it! : ALAMO
9 Light units : LUMENS
10 Violent sport, for short : MMA
11 Flattering, as clothing : BECOMING
12 First city in Europe with paved streets (1339) : FLORENCE
13 Touch : FINESSE
18 Gru’s twin brother in the “Despicable Me” franchise : DRU
22 Blue lobsters and white tigers, e.g. : MUTANTS
24 Half-baked? : RARE
25 Drawings that might encounter problems with intellectual property law : FAN ART
27 Consonants articulated with the tongue against the upper teeth : DENTALS
28 Do some grapplin’ : RASSLE
31 Was up : LED
32 Big feller? : AXE
33 Drug also called “rocket fuel” or “ozone,” for short : PCP
35 Absolutely amazing : TO DIE FOR
36 One side of a perpetual war in Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four” : EASTASIA
37 “Stop right there!” : HALT!
38 Tall and pointy, as ears : BATLIKE
41 Uses TurboTax, perhaps : E-FILES
43 Green, say : UNRIPE
44 Scenic spot to snorkel : LAGOON
45 Overturns : UPENDS
47 Dirt : INTEL
48 Climate activist Thunberg : GRETA
49 Billy Joel’s “Tell ___ About It” : HER
53 Observe Ramadan, in a way : FAST
54 “Then again …,” in a text : OTOH …
56 Bon ___ : AMI
57 K.G.B. rival during the Cold War : CIA