0312-20 NY Times Crossword 12 Mar 20, Thursday

Constructed by: Ruth Bloomfield Margolin
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answers: Six-Word Ernest Hemingway

Themed answers give us a SIX-WORD story that is often attributed to ERNEST HEMINGWAY:

  • 34A Author of the concise yet evocative story told in this puzzle : ERNEST HEMINGWAY
  • 58A Like this puzzle’s story, in length : SIX-WORD
  • 17A Part 1 of a story attributed to 34-Across : FOR SALE: …
  • 24A Part 2 of the story : … BABY SHOES, …
  • 49A End of the story : … NEVER WORN

… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 11m 01s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Card game with melds : CANASTA

The card game canasta originated in Uruguay apparently, with “canasta” being the Spanish word for “basket”. In the rummy-like game, a meld of seven cards or more is called a canasta.

16 Wonder Woman, for one : HEROINE

Superhero Wonder Woman first appeared in print in 1941, in a publication from DC Comics. As she was created during WWII, Wonder Woman’s first foes were the axis powers. In the less realistic world her biggest foe was and still is Ares, a “baddie” named after the Greek mythological figure. Wonder Woman had several signature expressions, including “Merciful Minerva!”, “Suffering Sappho!” and “Great Hera!”. She also has several devices that she uses in her quest for justice, e.g. the Lasso of Truth, a pair of indestructible bracelets and a tiara that can be used as a deadly projectile. Wonder Woman uses the name “Diana Prince” when “out of uniform”.

21 Sellout abbr. : SRO

Standing room only (SRO)

22 Institution founded by Benjamin Franklin, in brief : UPENN

The University of Pennsylvania (also “Penn” and “UPenn”) was founded in 1740 by Benjamin Franklin. Penn was the first school in the country to offer both graduate and undergraduate courses. Penn’s sports teams are known as the Quakers, and sometimes the Red & Blue.

29 Nast of publishing : CONDE

Condé Nast is a mass media corporation that has a very large portfolio of publications, including “Vogue”, “GQ”, “House and Garden”, “Golf Digest”, “Wired”, “Vanity Fair” and “The New Yorker”.

30 Foie ___ : GRAS

Pâté is a rich spreadable paste made from a mixture of ground meat and fat, to which various vegetables, herbs and spices may be added. The most famous version of the paste is pâté de foie gras, which is made from the fattened livers of geese (“foie gras” means “fat liver” in French).

34 Author of the concise yet evocative story told in this puzzle : ERNEST HEMINGWAY

Ernest Hemingway’s writing style has been described variously as lean, terse, economical, spare and tight. He didn’t waste words, and avoided complicated syntax. His writing is “Hemingwayesque”.

42 Subject of a 1960 expedition by Sir Edmund Hillary : YETI

Edmund Hillary was a mountaineer and explorer from New Zealand. Famously, Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first climbers to summit Mount Everest, doing so in 1953. Edmund’s son Peter Hillary also became a climber, and he reached the summit of Everest in 1990. Peter repeated the feat in 2002, climbing alongside Tenzing Norgay’s son Jamling.

43 Yoga pose : ASANA

“Asana” is a Sanskrit word that translates literally as “sitting down”. The asanas are the poses that a practitioner of yoga assumes. The most famous is the lotus position, the cross-legged pose called “padmasana”.

51 Montana mining city : BUTTE

The city of Butte, Montana has a history that is rooted in mining. Butte was founded as a mining town in the late 1800s. Although mining brought great growth to the area, it also brought environmental problems. Today Bette is home to the country’s largest Superfund cleanup site.

53 Mister, abroad : SRI

“Sri” is a title of respect for a male in India.

54 One of the only remaining “people’s republics” : LAOS

The present-day nation of Laos can trace its roots back to the historic Lao kingdom of Lan Xang that existed from 1354 to 1707. The full name of the kingdom was “Lan Xang Hom Khao”, which translates as “The Land of a Million Elephants and the White Parasol”.

56 Sneaky critters : WEASELS

Weasels are small mammals with long, thin bodies. That body shape is an advantage when weasels chase their prey into narrow burrows.

61 Dub, say : ENTITLE
62 One being dubbed : KNEELER

Kneel, and a monarch might “dub thee a knight” if you’re lucky. “Dub” is a specific term derived from Old English that was used to mean “make a knight”. As the knight was also given a knightly name at the same time, “dub” has come to mean “give someone a name”.

Down

2 ___ group (hospital classification) : ABO

How common a particular blood type in a population varies quite a bit depending ethnicity. In general, the rarest blood type is AB-negative. The most common blood type is O-positive.

3 Leif Ericson, for one : NORSEMAN

Leif Erikson was a Norse explorer and the first European to land in North America, some 500 years before Christopher Columbus’s landing in 1492. The Norsemen named the area they discovered “Vinland”, which might translate as “Wine Land” or “Pasture Land”. Erikson built a small settlement called Leifsbudir, which archaeologists believe they have found in modern day Newfoundland, at L’Anse aux Meadows. The settlement discovered in Newfoundland is definitely Norse, but there is some dispute over whether it is actually Erikson’s Leifsbudir.

5 Sullies : STAINS

To sully is to stain, tarnish. The term is often used in the context of sullying or tarnishing a reputation.

7 Gator’s tail? : -ADE

Gatorade was developed at the University of Florida by a team of researchers at the request of the school’s football team. And so, Gatorade is named after the Gators football team.

9 Like some smoky Scotch : PEATY

Many whiskies are noted for a peaty, smoky flavor. That taste is introduced when the malted grain is dried over a peat-heated fire.

10 Biometric ID method : IRIS SCAN

An iris scan is a method of biometric identification. It relies on the fact that the complex patterns in the irises are unique to an individual. Not that an iris scan differs from a retinal scan. The latter uses technology that scans the unique pattern of blood vessels in an individual’s retina.

11 Article in El Mundo : LOS

“El Mundo” is one of the three natioinal newspapers of record in Spain, along with “El País” and “ABC”. “El Mundo” is a relatively young publication, being first published in 1989.

25 “Stardust” composer Carmichael : HOAGY

Singer-songwriter Hoagy Carmichael was born Hoagland Howard Carmichael. Carmichael’s remarkable first name was given to him in honor of a circus troupe called “The Hoaglands” who stayed at the Carmichael house during his mother’s pregnancy. Now that, that’s a story …

31 It flows to the harbor of Le Havre : SEINE

Le Havre is a city on the mouth of the river Seine on the northwest coast of France. The city’s name translates as “The Haven”.

33 The south of France, with “le” : MIDI

In France, the south of the country is often referred to as “Le Midi”, from the Old French “mi’ (middle) and “di” (day). This a reference to the sun being in the south at midday, as France is in the Northern Hemisphere. So, the terms “south” and “midday” were somewhat synonymous in Old French.

36 Part of the DreamWorks logo : MOON

Dreamworks SKG is a movie studio founded by Steven Spielberg with two partners in 1994. The partners were movie producer Jeffrey Katzenberg and record executive David Geffen. It was the first letters in the family names of the three founders that explains the “SKG” in the company name. DreamWorks was sold to Viacom in 2005.

47 Popular new holidays gifts of 2001 : XBOXES

The Xbox line of video game consoles is made by Microsoft. The original Xbox platform was followed by Xbox 360 and more recently by Xbox One. Microsoft’s Xbox competes directly with Sony’s PlayStation and Nintendo’s Wii.

50 Hit 2008 Pixar film : WALL-E

“WALL-E” is a very cute Pixar movie that was released in 2008. The hero of the piece is a robot named WALL-E, who loves his “Hello Dolly”, and who also falls in love with a robot named EVE.

55 Limo window feature : TINT

The word “limousine” derives from the name of the French city of Limoges. The area around Limoges is called the Limousin, and it gave its name to a cloak hood worn by local shepherds. In early motor cars, a driver would sit outside in the weather while the passengers would sit in the covered compartment. The driver would often wear a limousin-style protective hood, giving rise to that type of transportation being called a “limousine”. Well, that’s how the story goes …

59 Kylo ___ of “Star Wars” : REN

Kylo Ren is the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa in the “Star Wars” universe. The character’s birth name was Ben Solo. He was trained as a Jedi knight by his uncle, Luke Skywalker. However, Ben came to embrace the Dark Side, and changed his name to Kylo Ren. Ren is played by actor Adam Driver.

60 “Dr.” with the 2011 hit “I Need a Doctor” : DRE

“Dr. Dre” is the stage name of rapper Andre Romelle Young. Dr. Dre is known for his own singing career as well as for producing records and starting the careers of others such as Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Card game with melds : CANASTA
8 Divulged : SPILLED
15 Scrubbed : ABORTED
16 Wonder Woman, for one : HEROINE
17 Part 1 of a story attributed to 34-Across : FOR SALE: …
18 Elevate, redundantly : RAISE UP
19 Bed of roses? : SOIL
20 Fortitude : GUTS
21 Sellout abbr. : SRO
22 Institution founded by Benjamin Franklin, in brief : UPENN
24 Part 2 of the story : … BABY SHOES, …
26 It adds punch to punch : RUM
27 Goes back and forth (with) : SPARS
29 Nast of publishing : CONDE
30 Foie ___ : GRAS
32 “___ better be good!” : IT’D
33 Barnyard bleat : MAA!
34 Author of the concise yet evocative story told in this puzzle : ERNEST HEMINGWAY
40 Unwelcoming : ICY
41 Show of approval : NOD
42 Subject of a 1960 expedition by Sir Edmund Hillary : YETI
43 Yoga pose : ASANA
46 Sainted 11th-century pope : LEO IX
48 Feeling of a frosty wind : NIP
49 End of the story : … NEVER WORN
51 Montana mining city : BUTTE
53 Mister, abroad : SRI
54 One of the only remaining “people’s republics” : LAOS
55 A whole bunch : TONS
56 Sneaky critters : WEASELS
58 Like this puzzle’s story, in length : SIX-WORD
61 Dub, say : ENTITLE
62 One being dubbed : KNEELER
63 Confirm, as an email address : RE-ENTER
64 “No making changes now” : IT’S DONE

Down

1 Shortening in a coffee order : CAF
2 ___ group (hospital classification) : ABO
3 Leif Ericson, for one : NORSEMAN
4 Burning desire? : ARSON
5 Sullies : STAINS
6 Let the cat out of the bag : TELL
7 Gator’s tail? : -ADE
8 Alternative to a fence : SHRUBS
9 Like some smoky Scotch : PEATY
10 Biometric ID method : IRIS SCAN
11 Article in El Mundo : LOS
12 Surmounts : LIES ON
13 Accustomed : ENURED
14 Oust : DEPOSE
20 People found in rows : GARDENERS
22 Push : URGE
23 Sign of cat love : PURR
24 Cat hate : BATH
25 “Stardust” composer Carmichael : HOAGY
28 ___ party : PITY
31 It flows to the harbor of Le Havre : SEINE
33 The south of France, with “le” : MIDI
35 1991 sequel to “Gone With the Wind” : SCARLETT
36 Part of the DreamWorks logo : MOON
37 Struck out on one’s own : WENT SOLO
38 Squabbling : AT IT
39 Cry of pain : YIPE!
43 Echo, e.g. : ANSWER
44 Unfazed : SERENE
45 Do loop-the-loops, maybe : AVIATE
46 Not so fast? : LOOSER
47 Popular new holidays gifts of 2001 : XBOXES
50 Hit 2008 Pixar film : WALL-E
52 Single : UNWED
55 Limo window feature : TINT
57 Opposite of purity : SIN
58 Take to the hills? : SKI
59 Kylo ___ of “Star Wars” : REN
60 “Dr.” with the 2011 hit “I Need a Doctor” : DRE