0210-18 NY Times Crossword Answers 10 Feb 2018, Saturday

[ad_above_grid]

Constructed by: Finn Vigeland
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: Did not finish!

Bill’s errors: Missing 4-5 answers in the top-left after 60 minutes

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

6. Kind of system in which 64 is 100 : OCTAL

The decimal number 64 is represented by 100 in the octal base 8.

18. ___ Panza, sidekick of Don Quixote : SANCHO

Sancho Panza is Don Quixote’s squire, a character who spouts out humorous comments called “sanchismos”.

20. ⬅ ÷ 40 : ONE HALF

That arrow is pointing at the number 20.

25. Adjective on Tex-Mex menus : ASADA

The name of the dish called “carne asada” translates from Spanish as “roasted meat”.

26. “Seriez” is a form of it : ETRE

“Vous seriez” is French for “you would be”.

28. Things with microgrooves : LPS

The first vinyl records designed to play at 33⅓ rpm were introduced by RCA Victor in 1931, but were discontinued due to quality problems. The first long play (LP) 33⅓ rpm disc was introduced by Columbia Records many years later in 1948, with RCA Victor following up with a 45 rpm “single” the following year, in 1949.

29. Winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama : LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA

Lin-Manuel Miranda is the creator and star of the hit Broadway musicals “Hamilton” and “In the Heights”.

39. Backdrop to AMC’s “The Walking Dead” : ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE

“The Walking Dead” is a horror television show that is made by AMC that is based on a comic book series of the same name. There are lots of flesh-eating zombies featured, so I won’t be caught “dead” watching it …

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 …

41. Letters on some bulletproof vests : SWAT

SWAT is an acronym standing for Special Weapons and Tactics. The first SWAT team was pulled together in the Los Angeles Police Department in 1968.

45. Big name in mops : SWIFFER

Swiffer is a brand of cleaning products introduced by Procter & Gamble in 1999. The mainstays of the Swiffer cleaning system are the Swiffer WetJet mop and the Swiffer Sweeper.

50. One of a kind : RARA AVIS

A “rara avis” is anything that is very rare. The Latin term translates as “rare bird”.

54. Beer pong receptacle : SOLO CUP

The Solo Cup was introduced in 1930, and was the creation of a former employee of the Dixie Company. The first Solo Cup was a paper cone that founder Leo Hulseman made at home and sold to companies that distributed bottled water. Apparently, Solo’s red plastic cup sell very well, and are used by college students playing beer pong.

The game of beer pong is also known as “Beirut”. Beer pong apparently originated as a drinking game in the fraternities of Dartmouth College in the fifties, when it was played with paddles and a ping pong net on a table. The origin of the “Beirut” name is less clear, but it probably was coined in while the Lebanese Civil War was raging in late seventies and the eighties.

58. Wife in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Tender Is the Night” : NICOLE

“Tender Is the Night” is a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald that was adapted into a 1962 film starring Jennifer Jones, Jason Robards and Joan Fontaine.

Down

2. Mounts with a little white on top? : ROANS

A roan horse has an even mixture of white and colored hairs on the body with the head, lower legs, mane and tail having a more solid color.

3. French novelist/dramatist associated with the Theater of the Absurd : GENET

“Theater of the Absurd” was a literary movement popular mainly in Europe from the forties through the eighties. Adherents to the style were inspired by Albert Camus’ Philosophy of the Absurd, which stated that the search for meaning and truth was absurd. Playwrights associated with the movement were Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter and Edward Albee. I am not a big fan, not a fan at all …

4. Dried chili pepper on Tex-Mex menus : ANCHO

An “ancho” is a dried poblano pepper. The poblano is a relatively mild chili.

8. Home to Rodin’s “The Kiss,” with “the” : TATE

“The Kiss” is a beautiful sculpture created in 1889 by Auguste Rodin. I’ve had the privilege of standing beside a large, life-size marble version of the work on a few occasions in the Rodin Museum, my favorite of all museums in Paris. The Musée Rodin is very special in that the building and garden that hold all of the works were Rodin’s actual home and studio. Well worth a visit if you make it to Paris …

11. Oenophile’s criterion : AROMA

In Greek mythology, Oeno was the goddess of wine, giving us “oeno-” as a prefix meaning “wine”. For example, oenology is the study of wine and an oenophile is a wine-lover.

17. Region near Mount Olympus : THESSALY

The region of Greece known as Thessaly used to be called Aeolia, and appears in Homer’s “Odyssey” under that name.

Mount Olympus is the highest peak in Greece. In Greek mythology, Mount Olympus was home to the gods, and in particular home to the principal gods known as the Twelve Olympians.

21. Bauhaus-influenced typeface : FUTURA

The literal translation to the term “Bauhaus” is “House of Building”. It was a school (i.e. education establishment) that operated from 1919 to 1933. It became famous for its approach to design across many disciplines, everything from art to typography.

28. Celebratory round : LIBATIONS

Back in the 14th century libation was the pouring of wine in the honor of a god. The term comes from the Latin word “libare”, which basically means the same thing. Nowadays we tend to use “libation” as a somewhat ornate word for a drink.

29. Tracy and Jenna’s boss on “30 Rock” : LIZ

“30 Rock” is a sitcom on NBC that was created by the show’s star Tina Fey. Fey is an ex-performer and writer from “Saturday Night Live” and uses her experiences on that show as a basis for the “30 Rock” storyline. Fey plays Liz Lemon, the head writer for the fictional sketch comedy series “TGS with Tracy Jordan”.

30. Odysseus’ rescuer : INO

Ino was a mortal queen of Thebes through her marriage to King Athamas. In Greek mythology, Ino became the goddess Leukothea after her death. As Leukothea she provided divine aid to Odysseus, according to Homer’s “Odyssey”. She provided Odysseus with a magical veil that he used to escape from Poseidon.

34. Colorful birds : MACAWS

Macaws are beautifully colored birds of native to Central and South America, and are actually a type of parrot. Most species of macaw are now endangered, with several having become extinct in recent decades. The main threats are deforestation and illegal trapping and trafficking of exotic birds.

36. Letters that come before AA? : DTS

The episodes of delirium that can accompany withdrawal from alcohol are called delirium tremens (the DTs). The literal translation of this Latin phrase is “trembling madness”.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was founded in 1935, by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio. As the organization grew, the guiding principles established by the founders were formatted into a 12-step program that was in place by the forties.

43. “Manners require time, as nothing is more vulgar than ___”: Ralph Waldo Emerson : HASTE

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an essayist and poet who was active in the mid-1800s. Most of the essays that Emerson wrote were composed originally as lectures and then revised for print. He is often referred to as “The Sage of Concord”, as Emerson spent much of his life in Concord, Massachusetts.

44. ___ the Hittite, soldier in King David’s army : URIAH

Uriah the Hittite was a soldier mentioned in the Bible, a soldier in the army of King David. Uriah was married to Bathsheba with whom King David had an affair. David had Uriah killed and then took Bathsheba as his wife. Bathsheba and David became the parents of Solomon who succeeded David as king.

46. Popped (out) : FLIED

That would be baseball.

48. C.D.C. concern : E COLI

Escherichia coli (E. coli) are usually harmless bacteria found in the human gut, working away quite happily. However, there are some strains that can produce lethal toxins. These strains can make their way into the food chain from animal fecal matter that comes into contact with food designated for human consumption.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is based in Atlanta, Georgia. The CDC started out life during WWII as the Office of National Defense Malaria Control Activities. The CDC worries about much more than malaria these days …

51. Burrowing animal : VOLE

Vole populations can really increase rapidly. Mama vole is pregnant for just three weeks before giving birth to litters of 5-10 baby voles. Then the young voles become sexually mature in just one month! If you have one pregnant vole in your yard, within a year you could have over a hundred of the little critters.

52. Pompeii’s Temple of ___ : ISIS

The ancient city of Pompeii is situated close to Naples in Italy. Pompeii was destroyed in AD 79 by the eruption of the volcano Vesuvius. The city was completely lost from that time, and was only rediscovered in 1748. Excavations have uncovered the remarkably well-preserved buildings and roads, and Pompeii now attracts over 2 million visitors annually.

57. Shortest Magic 8 Ball response : YES

The Magic 8-Ball is a toy, and supposedly a fortune-telling device, introduced by Mattel in 1946. There are 20 answers that the Magic 8-Ball can provide, including:

  • Without a doubt
  • Ask again later
  • My sources say no
  • Outlook not so good
  • Signs point to yes

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Player in a baseball stadium : ORGAN
6. Kind of system in which 64 is 100 : OCTAL
11. “Hold on ___!” : A MO
14. “Serial” podcast host Sarah : KOENIG
16. “Far out!” : WHAT A TRIP!
18. ___ Panza, sidekick of Don Quixote : SANCHO
19. Not go out to dinner : EAT AT HOME
20. ⬅ ÷ 40 : ONE HALF
22. Jesus, with “the” : REDEEMER
23. Went to bat (for) : STOOD UP
25. Adjective on Tex-Mex menus : ASADA
26. “Seriez” is a form of it : ETRE
28. Things with microgrooves : LPS
29. Winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama : LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA
38. Almost certainly : IN ALL PROBABILITY
39. Backdrop to AMC’s “The Walking Dead” : ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE
40. Remote area? : DEN
41. Letters on some bulletproof vests : SWAT
42. Mass-produce, with “out” : CHURN
45. Big name in mops : SWIFFER
50. One of a kind : RARA AVIS
54. Beer pong receptacle : SOLO CUP
56. Seemingly expressing : AS IF TO SAY
58. Wife in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Tender Is the Night” : NICOLE
59. Fugitive’s destination, maybe : STATE LINE
60. Painter’s undercoat : SEALER
61. Sly chuckle : HEH
62. Newspaper divisions : DESKS
63. Group of near nobodies : D-LIST

Down

1. “Your point being …?” : OK SO …
2. Mounts with a little white on top? : ROANS
3. French novelist/dramatist associated with the Theater of the Absurd : GENET
4. Dried chili pepper on Tex-Mex menus : ANCHO
5. Greeting in Guangzhou : NI HAO
6. Fall behind : OWE
7. Scorch : CHAR
8. Home to Rodin’s “The Kiss,” with “the” : TATE
9. Slightly : A TAD
10. When Taurus begins : LATE APRIL
11. Oenophile’s criterion : AROMA
12. Copied : MIMED
13. Word with space or rock : … OPERA
15. British writing award : GOLDEN PEN
17. Region near Mount Olympus : THESSALY
21. Bauhaus-influenced typeface : FUTURA
24. Hospital sections, for short : PRE-OPS
27. Nudges : ELBOWS
28. Celebratory round : LIBATIONS
29. Tracy and Jenna’s boss on “30 Rock” : LIZ
30. Odysseus’ rescuer : INO
31. Marvel series depicting the Tet Offensive, with “The” : NAM
32. Annual June sports event, informally : MLB DRAFT
33. Cut off : ALIENATED
34. Colorful birds : MACAWS
35. Bite : NIP
36. Letters that come before AA? : DTS
37. House call? : AYE
42. Not stay awake any longer : CRASH
43. “Manners require time, as nothing is more vulgar than ___”: Ralph Waldo Emerson : HASTE
44. ___ the Hittite, soldier in King David’s army : URIAH
46. Popped (out) : FLIED
47. Main : FOCAL
48. C.D.C. concern : E COLI
49. Game sheet : RULES
51. Burrowing animal : VOLE
52. Pompeii’s Temple of ___ : ISIS
53. Made, as a putt : SANK
55. Fresh : PERT
57. Shortest Magic 8 Ball response : YES