0404-22 NY Times Crossword 4 Apr 22, Monday

Constructed by: Derek J. Angell
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Meaningful Dinosaurs

Themed answers are each DINOSAURS:

  • 20A Dinosaur whose name means “swift seizer” : VELOCIRAPTOR
  • 36A Dinosaur whose name means “winged finger” : PTERODACTYL
  • 42A Dinosaur whose name means “three-horned face” : TRICERATOPS
  • 58A Dinosaur whose name means “thunder lizard” : BRONTOSAURUS
  • 59D “King” of this puzzle? : T-REX

Bill’s time: 7m 07s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Certain athletic honorees, for short : MVPS

MVP (most valuable player)

9 Lodging near a highway interchange : MOTEL

The term “motel” is a portmanteau of “motor” and “hotel”.

14 Crazy, in Cancún : LOCO

Cancún is a city and island on the east coast of Mexico, on the other side of the Yucatan Channel from Cuba. The city is growing rapidly due to its booming tourist business. Cancún is the center of what’s often called “The Mexican Caribbean” or the “Mayan Riviera”.

15 Strap attached to a horse’s bit : REIN

The type of horse tack known as a bit is placed in a horse’s mouth and is used to aid communication of instruction from rider to mount. The bit is held in place by means of a bridle around the head, and is controlled by the rider using the attached reins.

18 Crumbly salad cheese : FETA

Feta is a Greek cheese made from sheep’s milk, or a mixture of sheep and goat’s milk. The cheese is salted and cured in a brine solution for several months before it is eaten.

19 Karate studios : DOJOS

The Japanese word “dojo” translates literally as “place of the way”. Originally the term applied to training halls that were found in or beside temples. The teaching in a dojo was not limited to the martial arts, but in the Western world we use the dojo as the name for a training facility for judo, karate and the like.

20 Dinosaur whose name means “swift seizer” : VELOCIRAPTOR

Velociraptors were relatively small, feathered dinosaurs that were known for their running speed (“velociraptor” translates from Latin as “swift seizer”). They became quite infamous following the release of the “Jurassic Park” series of movies, in which they were portrayed as very effective pack hunters, and very keen on killing humans.

28 Impose (upon) : FOIST

The word “foist”, meaning “to pass off fraudulently as genuine”, comes from the Dutch word meaning “take in hand”. The original concept came from playing dice, in which one die was held surreptitiously in one hand.

31 Bonus performance : ENCORE

“Encore” is French for “again, one more time”, and is a shout that an audience member will make here in North America to request perhaps another song. But, the term is not used this way in France. Rather, the audience will shout “Bis!”, which is the Italian for “twice!”

36 Dinosaur whose name means “winged finger” : PTERODACTYL

Pterodactyls were flying reptiles, the fossilized remains of which have been found mainly in limestone deposits in Bavaria, Germany. Now extinct, pterodactyls lived in the late Jurassic Period, around 150 million years ago. The term “pterodactyl” comes from Greek words meaning “winged finger”).

38 Designer Chanel : COCO

Coco Chanel was a French fashion designer. I’m no fashionista, but if I had to pick a designer whose clothes I really liked, it would be Chanel. She had a way of creating simpler designs that look so elegant on a woman.

42 Dinosaur whose name means “three-horned face” : TRICERATOPS

A triceratops was a dinosaur that kind of looked like a rhinoceros, but with three horns. The name “triceratops” is derived from the Greek for “three-horned face”.

47 Barbie’s beau : KEN

Barbie’s male counterpart doll is Ken, and Ken’s family name is Carson. Barbie’s full name is Barbie Millicent Roberts. When Ken was introduced in 1959, it was as Barbie’s boyfriend. In 2004 it was announced that Ken and Barbie were splitting up, and needed to spend quality time apart. Soon after the split, Barbie “met” Blaine, a boogie boarder from Australia. Happily, Barbie and Ken reconciled and reunited on Valentine’s Day 2011.

The famous Barbie doll was created by businesswoman Ruth Handler and first appeared on store shelves in 1959. Barbie was based on a German fashion doll called Bild Lilli that was introduced in 1955. Lilli had been a German cartoon character before taking on a three-dimensional form. Prior to the introduction of Bild Lilli and Barbie, children’s dolls were primarily representations of infants.

51 Insult, informally : DIS

“Dis” (also “diss”) is a slang term meaning “insult” that originated in the eighties. It is a shortened form of “disrespect” or “dismiss”.

52 Prefix with genetics or Pen : EPI-

EpiPen is a brand of epinephrine auto-injector. An EpiPen delivers a measured dose of epinephrine, which is a common treatment for an extreme allergic reaction.

58 Dinosaur whose name means “thunder lizard” : BRONTOSAURUS

The brontosaurus was a gigantic dinosaur with a long neck, small head, and long tail. It was closely related to the similar-looking apatosaurus. Both creatures were herbivores. The term “brontosaurus” comes from Greek for “thunder lizard”, and “apatosaurus” from the Greek for “deceptive lizard”.

61 Sci. class for many future pre-meds : AP BIO

The Advanced Placement (AP) program offers college-level courses to kids who are still in high school (HS). After being tested at the end of an AP course, successful students receive credits that count towards a college degree.

64 Jason’s ship, in Greek myth : ARGO

In Greek mythology, Jason and the Argonauts set sail on the Argo from the city of Iolcos in search of the Golden Fleece. Jason’s vessel was called the “Argo” in honor of the ship’s builder, a man named Argus.

66 Gem from an oyster : PEARL

Pearls form in oysters because of a reaction that is similar to an immune system response in higher animals. The pearl is formed as the oysters lay down successive layers of calcium carbonate around some microscopic foreign body that has penetrated the shell.

68 Falco of “Nurse Jackie” : EDIE

“Nurse Jackie” is a comedy-drama series centered on an emergency room nurse at a hospital in New York City. The lead character is played by Edie Falco, who also played Tony Soprano’s wife on “The Sopranos”. I binge-watched “Nurse Jackie” a while back and found it to be a very well-written show …

69 Letters on a gearshift : PRNDL

PRNDL … that would be Park, Reverse, Neutral, Drive and Low. The gear shift for an automatic transmission is sometimes known familiarly as the “prindle” stick, from the abbreviation PRNDL.

71 A buck or two? : DEER

A male deer is usually called a buck, and a female is a doe. However, the male red deer is usually referred to as a stag. The males of even larger species of deer are often called bulls, and the females called cows. In older English, male deer of over 5 years were called harts, and females of over 3 years were called hinds. The young of small species are known as fawns, and of larger species are called calves. All very confusing …

Down

1 Many Balkan inhabitants : SLAVS

The Slavic peoples are in the majority in communities covering over half of Europe. This large ethnic group is traditionally broken down into three smaller groups:

  • the West Slavic (including Czechs and Poles)
  • the East Slavic (including Russians and Ukrainians)
  • the South Slavic (including Bulgarians, Croats and Serbs)

The Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe is usually referred to as “the Balkans”. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains located in present-day Bulgaria and Serbia. “Balkan” is Bulgarian for “mountain”.

7 Gyro bread : PITA

A gyro is a traditional Greek dish of meat roasted on a tall vertical spit that is sliced from the spit as required. Gyros are usually served inside a lightly grilled piece of pita bread, along with tomato, onion and tzatziki (a yogurt and cucumber sauce).

9 One-named singer called the “Queen of Pop” : MADONNA

Madonna’s full name is Madonna Louise Ciccone. Born in Bay City, Michigan, Madonna was destined to become the top-selling female recording artist of all time, earning her the nickname “Queen of Pop”.

11 ___ Mahal : TAJ

The most famous mausoleum in the world has to be the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. It was built after the death of the fourth wife of Shah Jahan, Mumtaz Mahal (hence the name of the mausoleum). The poor woman died in childbirth delivering the couple’s 14th child. When Shah Jahan himself passed away 35 years later, he was buried beside his wife Mumtaz, in the Taj Mahal.

12 Narcissist’s problem : EGO

Narcissus was a proud and vain hunter in Greek mythology. He earned himself a fatal punishment, falling in love with his own reflection in a pool. So, taken was he by his own image that he could not leave it, and wasted away and died by the pool. Narcissus gives us our term “narcissism” meaning “excessive love of oneself”.

13 “___ Miz” : LES

The 1980 musical “Les Misérables” is an adaptation of the 1862 novel of the same name by Victor Hugo. The show opened in London in 1985, and is the longest running musical in the history of London’s West End. My wife and I saw “Les Miz” in the Queen’s Theatre in London many years ago, but were only able to get tickets in the very back row. The theater seating is very steep, so the back row of the balcony is extremely high over the stage. One of the big events in the storyline is the building of a street barricade over which the rebels fight. At the height we were seated we could see the stagehands behind the barricade, sitting drinking Coke, even smoking cigarettes. On cue, the stagehands would get up and catch a dropped rifle, or an actor who had been shot. It was pretty comical. I didn’t really enjoy the show that much, to be honest. Some great songs, but the musical version of the storyline just didn’t seem to hang together for me.

21 Henhouse : COOP

The Old English word “cypa”, meaning “basket”, evolved in the 14th century to the word “coop” to describe a small cage for poultry. We still use “coop” today.

27 ___ of Troy : HELEN

According to Greek mythology, Helen (later “Helen of Troy”) was the daughter of Zeus and Leda. When Helen reached the age of marriage, she had many suitors as she was considered the most beautiful woman in the world. Menelaus was chosen as her husband, and he took her back to his home of Sparta. Paris, a Trojan prince, seduced Helen, as she eloped with him and travelled to Troy. This event sparked the Trojan War that waged between the city of Troy and Greece. Because of this war, Helen was said to have “the face that launched a thousand ships”. And because of this phrase, it has been suggested, probably by author Isaac Asimov, that the amount of beauty needed to launch a single ship is one “millihelen”.

29 Genesis console maker : SEGA

Genesis is a video game console sold in the US by the Japanese company Sega. Genesis is sold as Mega Drive in the rest of the world, as Sega couldn’t get the rights to the Mega Drive name in the US.

30 Steady equestrian gaits : TROTS

Something described as equestrian is related to horses or horsemanship. The term “equestrian” comes from the Latin “equus” meaning “horse”.

32 Loops into an online convo : CCS

I wonder if the kids of today know that “cc” stands for carbon copy, and do they have any idea what a carbon copy was? Do you remember how messy carbon paper was to handle? A kind blog reader pointed out to me a while back that the abbreviation has evolved and taken on the meaning “courtesy copy” in our modern world.

Convo (conversation)

34 Buckingham Palace dog breed : CORGI

The Welsh corgi is a herding dog that originated in Britain, with two recognized breeds: the Pembroke and Cardigan. Corgis aren’t fast enough to do their job by running around livestock like collies, and instead nip at the heels. “Corgi” is Welsh for “dwarf dog”.

Buckingham Palace is a stately home that has been the official residence of the British monarch since the days of Queen Victoria. Buckingham Palace was originally a large townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703, hence the name.

35 Modern smokes : E-CIGS

An electronic cigarette (also called an “e-cigarette”) is a battery-powered device that resembles a real cigarette. The e-cigarette vaporizes a solution that contains nicotine, forming a vapor that resembles smoke. The vapor is inhaled in a process called “vaping”, delivering nicotine into the body. The assumption is that an e-cigarette is healthier than a regular cigarette as the inhaled vapor is less harmful than inhaled smoke. But, that may not be so …

37 Alternatively, in a text : OTOH

On the other hand (OTOH)

39 Condition that may involve repetitive urges, for short : OCD

Apparently, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is the fourth most commonly diagnosed mental disorder, making it about as prevalent as asthma.

44 Car at an auction, maybe : REPO

Repossession (repo)

46 Actress Ward : SELA

Actress Sela Ward turns up in crosswords a lot. Ward played Teddy Reed in the TV show “Sisters” in the nineties, and was in “Once and Again” from 1999-2002. I don’t know either show, but I do know Ward from the medical drama “House” in which she played the hospital’s lawyer and Greg House’s ex-partner. That was a fun role, I thought. More recently, Ward played a lead role on “CSI: NY” and was a very welcome and much-needed addition to the cast. And, Ward played Dr. Richard Kimble’s murdered wife in the 1993 film version of “The Fugitive”.

56 “Wake Up Little ___” (1957 hit for the Everly Brothers) : SUSIE

“Wake Up Little Susie” is a song most famously associated with the Everly Brothers, as it was a hit for the duo in 1957. “Wake Up Little Susie” is, or at least used to be, the favorite song of President George W. Bush.

The Everly Brothers were noted for their steel guitar sound, and their great use of harmony. Their harmony onstage wasn’t reflected off the stage though. In 1973 the brothers decided to pursue separate careers and scheduled a farewell performance attended by many fans, family and stalwarts from the music industry. Don Everly came on stage too drunk to perform, and eventually brother Phil just stormed off into the wings, smashing his guitar as he left. The boys didn’t talk to each other for ten years after that incident. Phil Everly passed away in January 2014.

57 Perfuming compound : ESTER

Esters are very common chemicals. The smaller, low-molecular weight esters are usually pleasant smelling and are often found in perfumes. At the other end of the scale, the higher-molecular weight nitroglycerin is a nitrate ester and is very explosive, and polyester is a huge molecule and is a type of plastic. Fats and oils found in nature are fatty acid esters of glycerol known as glycerides.

58 Loon or dodo : BIRD

The bird known as a loon here in North America is called a diver in Britain and Ireland. The name “diver” comes from the bird’s habit of swimming calmly and then suddenly diving below the surface to catch a fish. The name “loon” comes from an Old English word meaning “clumsy” and reflects the awkward gait of the bird when walking on land.

The dodo was a direct relative of the pigeon and the dove, although the fully-grown dodo was usually three feet tall. One of the reasons the dodo comes to mind when we think of extinction of a species, is that it disappeared not too long ago (last recorded alive in 1662) and humans were the reason for its demise. The dodo lived exclusively on the island of Mauritius and when man arrived, we cut back the forests that were its home. We also introduced domestic animals, such as dogs and pigs, that ransacked the dodo’s nests. The dodo was deemed to be an awkward flightless bird and so the term “dodo” has come to mean a dull-witted person.

59 “King” of this puzzle? : T-REX

The Tyrannosaurus rex (usually written “T-rex”) was a spectacular looking dinosaur. “Tyrannosaurus” comes from the Greek words “tyrannos” (tyrant) and “sauros” (lizard) and “rex” the Latin for “king”. They were big beasts, measuring 42 feet long and 13 feet tall at the hips, and weighing 7.5 tons.

61 Zoom, for one : APP

Zoom is a videoconferencing app that became remarkably popular in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The market deemed Zoom to be the easiest to use of the free videoconferencing apps. I’ve been using it, but really prefer Google’s Meet offering …

62 The “p” of m.p.h. : PER

Miles per hour (mph)

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Part of the leg between the knee and ankle : SHIN
5 Certain athletic honorees, for short : MVPS
9 Lodging near a highway interchange : MOTEL
14 Crazy, in Cancún : LOCO
15 Strap attached to a horse’s bit : REIN
16 Proverbial saying : ADAGE
17 Enthusiastic : AVID
18 Crumbly salad cheese : FETA
19 Karate studios : DOJOS
20 Dinosaur whose name means “swift seizer” : VELOCIRAPTOR
23 Sneaky devil : SLY FOX
24 Cause for a confession : SIN
25 To the ___ degree : NTH
28 Impose (upon) : FOIST
31 Bonus performance : ENCORE
33 Total pro : ACE
36 Dinosaur whose name means “winged finger” : PTERODACTYL
38 Designer Chanel : COCO
40 Fooled : GOT
41 Indefinite quantity : SOME
42 Dinosaur whose name means “three-horned face” : TRICERATOPS
47 Barbie’s beau : KEN
48 Easter decorating need : EGG DYE
49 Rip into bits : SHRED
51 Insult, informally : DIS
52 Prefix with genetics or Pen : EPI-
54 Go by, as time : ELAPSE
58 Dinosaur whose name means “thunder lizard” : BRONTOSAURUS
61 Sci. class for many future pre-meds : AP BIO
64 Jason’s ship, in Greek myth : ARGO
65 ___ a move (start dancing) : BUST
66 Gem from an oyster : PEARL
67 Fully cooked, as steak : WELL
68 Falco of “Nurse Jackie” : EDIE
69 Letters on a gearshift : PRNDL
70 Crossed (out) : EXED
71 A buck or two? : DEER

Down

1 Many Balkan inhabitants : SLAVS
2 Squalid dwelling : HOVEL
3 In a standoffish manner : ICILY
4 Fall asleep on the couch, perhaps : NOD OFF
5 Handy Andy, by another name : MR FIX-IT
6 Go off course suddenly : VEER
7 Gyro bread : PITA
8 Loses it : SNAPS
9 One-named singer called the “Queen of Pop” : MADONNA
10 Bad smell : ODOR
11 ___ Mahal : TAJ
12 Narcissist’s problem : EGO
13 “___ Miz” : LES
21 Henhouse : COOP
22 Like the score 4-4 : TIED
25 Unacceptable : NOT OK
26 “I might, if you’re willing to ask” : TRY ME
27 ___ of Troy : HELEN
29 Genesis console maker : SEGA
30 Steady equestrian gaits : TROTS
32 Loops into an online convo : CCS
33 Played a role : ACTED
34 Buckingham Palace dog breed : CORGI
35 Modern smokes : E-CIGS
37 Alternatively, in a text : OTOH
39 Condition that may involve repetitive urges, for short : OCD
43 Reaction of silent but obvious disapproval : EYE ROLL
44 Car at an auction, maybe : REPO
45 Reserved for a select customer : PRESOLD
46 Actress Ward : SELA
50 Applied, as foundation or powder : DAUBED
53 Filled with wonder : IN AWE
55 One who’s easily shocked or scandalized : PRUDE
56 “Wake Up Little ___” (1957 hit for the Everly Brothers) : SUSIE
57 Perfuming compound : ESTER
58 Loon or dodo : BIRD
59 “King” of this puzzle? : T-REX
60 Rudely stare : OGLE
61 Zoom, for one : APP
62 The “p” of m.p.h. : PER
63 Prohibit : BAN