0609-22 NY Times Crossword 9 Jun 22, Thursday

Constructed by: Dan Ziring
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: Short Films

Today’s rebus puzzle includes some squares containing the SHORT, two-letter titles of notable FILMS:

“ET”
1982’s classic science fiction movie “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” was directed by Steven Spielberg. The idea behind the film came from Spielberg himself, and the character E.T. was based on an imaginary friend that he conjured up as a child after his parents divorced in 1960.

  • 17A “Queen” of 40-Down : ARETHA
  • 3D Rom-com staples : MEET CUTES

“It”
“It” is a 2017 horror film that is an adaptation of Stephen King’s 1986 novel of the same name.

  • 18A CeeLo Green’s “Forget You” and the Black Eyed Peas’ “Don’t Mess With My Heart” : RADIO EDITS
  • 12D Ingredient in sushi rolls and poke bowls : AHI TUNA

“Up”
“Up” was the tenth movie released by Pixar studios, and features the wonderful animation that we have come to expect from Pixar. The film earned itself two Academy Awards. The main voice actor is Ed Asner, whose animated persona as Carl Fredricksen was created to resemble Spencer Tracy, as Tracy appeared in his last film, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”.

  • 61A Increasingly common weather event akin to a hurricane : SUPERSTORM
  • 47D E-commerce site with a portmanteau name : GROUPON

“Us”
“Us” is a 2019 horror film. I don’t do horror …

  • 63A One with Windows : PC USER
  • 40D Otis Redding’s genre : SOUL MUSIC

Bill’s time: 16m 49s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Some sleeveless undergarments, informally : CAMIS

A camisole (also “cami”) is a sleeveless undergarment worn by women that extends down to the waist. “Camisole” is a French word that we imported into English that ultimately derives from the Latin “camisia” meaning “shirt, nightgown”.

6 It may result in damages : TORT

“Tort” is a French word meaning “mischief, injury or wrong”. In common law, a tort is a civil wrong that results in the injured party suffering loss or harm, and the injuring party having a legal liability. Tort law differs from criminal law in that torts may result from negligence and not just intentional actions. Also, tort lawsuits may be decided on a preponderance of evidence, without the need of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

10 Hip-hop subgenre in Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” : TRAP

“Lil Nas X” is the stage name of rapper Montero Lamar Hill. He was born and raised just outside of Atlanta. His first hit was “Old Town Road”, which is classified as country rap.

14 Creature whose saliva acts as a blood thinner : LEECH

We are most familiar with medicinal leeches, which feed on the blood of mainly vertebrate animals. However, most leeches are predatory and swallow other invertebrates for food.

15 One side of a bet : OVER

An over-under bet is a wager that a number will be over or under a particular value. A common over-under bet is made on the combined points scored by two teams in a game.

17 “Queen” of 40-Down : ARETHA

I think that Aretha Franklin, the “Queen of Soul”, had a tough life. Franklin had her first son when she was just 13-years-old, and her second at 15. In 2008, “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked Franklin as number one on its list of the greatest singers of all time.

23 Distribute, as pineapples? : DOLE OUT

James Dole lent his name to today’s Dole Food Company. He was known as the Pineapple King, as he developed the pineapple industry in Hawaii and founded the Hawaiian Pineapple Company, the forerunner to the Dole Food Company. Dole might have had some help on the way, as he was a cousin of Sanford B, Dole, President of the Republic of Hawaii from 1894 to 1900.

24 “Rugrats” dad : STU

“Rugrats” is a cartoon show that aired on Nickelodeon from 1991 to 2004. The show spawned a series of movies, starting with 1998’s “The Rugrats Movie”.

27 Irene of old Hollywood : DUNNE

Irene Dunne was a wonderful Hollywood actress. She played a variety of roles, but I always think of her as the leading lady with Cary Grant in the movies “The Awful Truth”, “My Favorite Wife” and “Penny Serenade”. Irene Dunne was great friends with fellow actress Loretta Young, and the two often attended church together. Dunne is often described as the best actress never to win an Oscar, even though she was nominated five times for the Best Actress Academy Award.

30 Sanctuary scrolls : TORAHS

A Torah scroll (also “Sefer Torah”) is a handwritten copy of the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures.

32 Place for a hammer and anvil : EAR

The middle ear is the portion of the ear immediately behind the eardrum. The middle ear contains three small bones called the ossicles, the three smallest bones in the human body. The ossicles’ job is to transmit sound from the outer ear to the inner ear. The shape of the bones gives rise to their names: the hammer (malleus), anvil (incus) and stirrup (stapes).

33 Christmas display : CRECHE

In the Christian tradition, a nativity scene (also “crèche”) is a display representing the scene of the birth of Jesus. Nativity scenes might be subjects for paintings, for example, although the term is usually used for seasonal displays associated with the Christmas season.

37 With 39-Across, some Sundance submissions … or a hint to four squares in this puzzle : SHORT …
39 See 37-Across : … FILMS

The Sundance Film Festival is the largest independent film event in the country, and takes place every year around the Sundance Resort near Provo, Utah. The festival has its roots in the Utah/US Film Festival which started in Salt Lake City in 1978. Management of the festival was taken over by Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute in 1985. The festival has become a bit of a media feeding frenzy in recent years, as a lot of A-list celebrities attend. The Festival organizers introduced a “Focus on Film” campaign in 2007 in an attempt to offset some of the madness.

41 Comedian who said “Embrace who you are. Literally. Hug yourself,” familiarly : ELLEN

Ellen DeGeneres is a very, very successful TV personality, having parlayed her career in stand-up comedy into lucrative gigs as an actress and talk show host. Back in 1997 DeGeneres chose the “Oprah Winfrey Show” to announce that she was a lesbian. Her character on “The Ellen Show” also came out as a lesbian in a scene with her therapist, who was played by Oprah Winfrey. Nice twist!

43 Popular urban hangouts : STOOPS

A stoop is a raised platform at the door of a house. “Stoop” came into American and Canadian English in the mid-1700s from the Dutch “stoep” meaning “flight of steps”.

46 Cold War inits. : KGB

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.

49 Sappho, for one : LYRIST

The lyre is a stringed instrument that is most closely associated with ancient Greece, and with the gods Hermes and Apollo in particular. According to myth, Hermes slaughtered a cow from a sacred herd belonging to Apollo and offered it to the gods but kept the entrails. Hermes used the entrails to make strings that he stretched across the shell of a tortoise, creating the first lyre. Apollo liked the sound from the lyre and agreed to accept it as a trade for his herd of cattle.

Sappho was an Ancient Greek poet born on the Greek island of Lesbos. Sappho was much admired for her work, although very little of it survives today. She was renowned for writing erotic and romantic verse that dealt with the love of women as well as men. It was because of this poetry that the word “lesbian” (someone from Lesbos) is used to describe a gay woman.

51 Spiritual teacher : GURU

“Guru” is a Hindi word meaning “teacher” or “priest”.

54 Best Actor winner for “Bohemian Rhapsody” : MALEK

Actor Rami Malek’s big break came with the leading role in the television series “Mr. Robot”. In 2018, Malik gave an Oscar-winning performance playing Freddie Mercury in the hit biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody”. That marked the first time that an actor of Egyptian descent won an Academy Award for Best Actor.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” is an outstanding 2018 film about the life of Freddie Mercury, lead singer with the British rock band Queen. Rami Malek portrayed Mercury, in an Oscar-winning performance. The original choice to play Mercury was Sacha Baron Cohen, the title character in the “Borat” mockumentary films.

56 Grist for a mill : LOG

When grain has been separated from its chaff, to prepare it for grinding, it is called “grist”. Indeed, the word “grist” is derived from the word “grind”. Grist can be ground into a relatively coarse meal, or into a fine flour. The names can be confusing though. For example, the grist from maize when ground to a coarse consistency is called “grits”, and when ground to a fine consistency is called “corn meal”. There is an idiomatic phrase “grist for one’s mill”, meaning something used to one’s advantage. The grinding mechanism, or the building that holds the mechanism, is known as a “gristmill”.

59 Journalist ___ B. Wells : IDA

Ida B. Wells was an African-American journalist and leader of the civil rights movement. She published a pamphlet in 1892 called “Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases”, which publicized the horrors of lynching of African Americans by white mobs in the South.

60 Underground N.Y.C. group : MTA

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has public transportation responsibility in the state of New York (as well as part of Connecticut).

63 One with Windows : PC USER

MS-DOS (short for “Microsoft Disk Operating System”) was the main operating system used by IBM-compatible PCs in the eighties and for much of the nineties. Microsoft introduced the Windows operating environment in 1985 to sit above MS-DOS as a graphical user interface (GUI). That move was made in response to the success of Apple’s GUI released with the Lisa and Macintosh platforms. A court case ensued, one that was eventually settled in court in favor of Microsoft.

66 Word after G : -MAIL

Gmail is a free webmail service provided by Google, and my favorite of the free email services. Gmail made a big splash when it was introduced because it offered a whopping 1GB of storage whereas other services offered a measly 2-4MB on average.

68 “A Day Without Rain” singer : ENYA

“A Day Without Rain” is an album released in 2000 by New Age singer Enya. I doubt that Enya came up with that title based on life in her native Ireland …

69 Genderqueer identity : ENBY

The non-binary (NB, enbie, enby) spectrum of gender identities covers those that do not qualify as exclusively masculine or feminine.

70 Like a comet’s path : ARCED

Comets and asteroids are similar, both being relatively small celestial bodies orbiting the sun. Comets differ from asteroids in that they have a coma or tail, especially when they are close enough to the sun. The coma and tail are temporary fuzzy atmospheres that develop due to the presence of solar radiation. Comets are sometimes referred to as “dirty snowballs”, a reference to their composition: rock, dust, water ice and frozen gasses.

Down

1 “Old Coke” vis-à-vis New Coke, in marketing : CLASSIC

When “new Coke” was introduced in 1985, the market reacted very, very badly. The public reaction was so negative that the Coca-Cola company quickly reintroduced its “Coca-Cola Classic” line. Ironically, the whole debacle resulted in Coke actually gaining market share when the “old coke” returned to supermarket shelves. Coca-Cola prevailed in the end, and made a successful reintroduction of “New Coke” in 2019.

2 Faucet accessory : AERATOR

A faucet aerator is a device screwed onto the tip of a faucet to deliver a mixture of air and water. The main purpose of faucet aerators, in these days of dwindling water supplies, is to increase the perceived water pressure.

3 Rom-com staples : MEET-CUTES

“Meet-cute” is a term used since the 1930s or 1940s for a scene in a film or TV show in which a future couple have an amusing first encounter.

4 I, to Einstein : ICH

After Albert Einstein moved to the US in 1933, he became quite a celebrity and his face was readily recognizable. Einstein was frequently stopped in the street by people who would naively ask him if he could explain what “that theory” (i.e. the theory of relativity) was all about. Growing tired of this, he finally learned to tell people that he was sorry, but folks were constantly mistaking him for Albert Einstein!

5 Bygone rulers : SHAHS

The last Shah of Iran was Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, who was overthrown in the revolution led by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979. The post-revolution government sought the extradition of the Shah back to Iran while he was in the United States seeking medical care (he had cancer). His prolonged stay in the United States, recovering from surgery, caused some unrest back in Iran and resentment towards the United States. Some say that this resentment precipitated the storming of the US Embassy in Tehran and the resulting hostage crisis.

6 One wearing a traje de luces (“suit of light”) in the ring : TORERO

The term “torero” is used to describe all bullfighters. The term “matador” is reserved for the bullfighter whose job is to make the final kill. Aptly enough, “matador” is Spanish for “killer”.

8 Star with low luminosity : RED DWARF

A red dwarf is a relatively small star, and one that is relatively cool. In terms of size, a red dwarf has less than half the mass of our sun. Being a “cool” star, a red dwarf is classified as a K or M spectral type of star. Red dwarfs are the most common type of star in our Galaxy, with our nearest star (other than the sun) being a good example, Proxima Centauri.

10 What Britain left in 2020, in brief : THE EU

The UK held a referendum in June 2016 in which 52% of voters chose to leave the European Union (EU). The term “Brexit” was used for the vote, a portmanteau of “Britain” and “exit”. The vote led to some debate about the future of the UK. The Scottish electorate voted for the UK to stay in the EU, and so that revived speculation about Scotland leaving the UK. There is also some discussion about Northern Ireland’s future in the UK, as the Northern Irish electorate also voted to stay in the EU.

12 Ingredient in sushi rolls and poke bowls : AHI TUNA

Yellowfin and bigeye tuna are usually marketed as “ahi”, the Hawaiian name. They are both big fish, with yellowfish tuna often weighing over 300 pounds, and bigeye tuna getting up to 400 pounds.

26 ___ Now (onetime political button) : ERA

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was written by the American suffragist leader, Alice Paul. Although Paul was successful in her campaign to get passage of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution (guaranteeing voting rights regardless of sex), her 1923 Equal Rights Amendment didn’t make it to the Senate floor until 1972. The amendment was passed by the Senate, and then headed to the state legislatures for the required ratification. 38 states had to approve the legislation for the amendment to be adopted, but only 35 states voted in favor before the deadline. The amendment is still pending, although about half of the fifty states have adopted the ERA into their state constitutions.

36 Urban ill : SMOG

“Smog” is a portmanteau formed by melding “smoke” and “fog”. The term was first used to describe the air around London in the early 1900s. Several cities around the world have a reputation of being particularly smoggy. For example, the most smog-plagued city in Latin America is Mexico City, which is located in a highland “bowl” that traps industrial and vehicle pollution.

40 Otis Redding’s genre : SOUL MUSIC

Otis Redding is often referred to as the “King of Soul”, and what a voice he had. Like so many of the greats in the world of popular music it seems, Redding was killed in a plane crash, in 1967 when he was just 26 years old. Just three days earlier he had recorded what was to be his biggest hit, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay”.

42 Actress Long : NIA

Nia Long is an American actress who is probably best known for playing Will Smith’s sometime girlfriend and fiancee Lisa Wilkes on the TV show “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air”.

44 Mentored one : PROTEGE

We use the term “protégé” for someone whose career is helped along and guided by a more experienced person, a mentor. “Protégé” is French for “protected”.

A mentor is a trusted teacher or counselor. The term “mentor” comes from Homer’s “Odyssey” in which there is a character named Mentor. He is a friend of Odysseus, although he is a relatively ineffective old man. The goddess Athena takes on Mentor’s appearance in order to guide Odysseus’s young son Telemachus through difficult times.

46 Words on a candy heart : KISS ME

The forerunner to Sweethearts candy was introduced in 1866, with the famous sayings written on the candy tailored for use at weddings. One of the original expressions was, “Married in pink, he will take a drink”. The original candy was a lot bigger, to fit all those words! The smaller, heart-shaped candy hit the shelves in 1901. We’ve been able to buy Sweethearts with the words “Text me” since 2010.

47 E-commerce site with a portmanteau name : GROUPON

Groupon is a deal-of-the-day website that was started in 2008. The concept behind the business is illustrated by the company name, a portmanteau of “group” and “coupon”. Each day a discount coupon is offered to website members who sign up knowing that the coupon requires a minimum number of “takers” in order for it to be valid. If too few buyers sign up, then the coupon is void. When sufficient buyers sign up the coupon is honored, and the retailer benefits from the large volume of business generated. Groupon was very successful for a couple of years and predictions were made that the company would reach $1 billion in sales faster than any other company in history. That forecast changed dramatically, and the CEO was ousted in February 2013.

53 Mexican sandwich : TORTA

“Torta” is the Italian and Spanish word for “cake”.

55 Italian sportswear brand named after a Greek letter : KAPPA

Kappa is the 10th letter of the Greek alphabet, and the equivalent of our letter K.

64 Tesla, for one : CAR

Tesla Motors shortened its name to just “Tesla” in early 2017.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Some sleeveless undergarments, informally : CAMIS
6 It may result in damages : TORT
10 Hip-hop subgenre in Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” : TRAP
14 Creature whose saliva acts as a blood thinner : LEECH
15 One side of a bet : OVER
16 [giggle] : [HE-HE]
17 “Queen” of 40-Down : ARETHA
18 CeeLo Green’s “Forget You” and the Black Eyed Peas’ “Don’t Mess With My Heart” : RADIO EDITS
20 Egg holder : SAC
21 Shade : HUE
23 Distribute, as pineapples? : DOLE OUT
24 “Rugrats” dad : STU
25 Scatter : STREW
27 Irene of old Hollywood : DUNNE
28 Trace : IOTA
30 Sanctuary scrolls : TORAHS
32 Place for a hammer and anvil : EAR
33 Christmas display : CRECHE
35 Wheelhouses : AREAS
37 With 39-Across, some Sundance submissions … or a hint to four squares in this puzzle : SHORT …
39 See 37-Across : … FILMS
41 Comedian who said “Embrace who you are. Literally. Hug yourself,” familiarly : ELLEN
43 Popular urban hangouts : STOOPS
46 Cold War inits. : KGB
49 Sappho, for one : LYRIST
51 Spiritual teacher : GURU
52 Steamed : IRATE
54 Best Actor winner for “Bohemian Rhapsody” : MALEK
56 Grist for a mill : LOG
57 Sisterly : SORORAL
59 Journalist ___ B. Wells : IDA
60 Underground N.Y.C. group : MTA
61 Increasingly common weather event akin to a hurricane : SUPERSTORM
63 One with Windows : PC USER
65 Come out of one’s shell, say : MOLT
66 Word after G : -MAIL
67 One-named former wrestler who twice won the W.W.E. Divas Championship : PAIGE
68 “A Day Without Rain” singer : ENYA
69 Genderqueer identity : ENBY
70 Like a comet’s path : ARCED

Down

1 “Old Coke” vis-à-vis New Coke, in marketing : CLASSIC
2 Faucet accessory : AERATOR
3 Rom-com staples : MEET-CUTES
4 I, to Einstein : ICH
5 Bygone rulers : SHAHS
6 One wearing a traje de luces (“suit of light”) in the ring : TORERO
7 Eggs : OVA
8 Star with low luminosity : RED DWARF
9 The Minutemen, e.g. : TRIO
10 What Britain left in 2020, in brief : THE EU
11 Fixed up : REDONE
12 Ingredient in sushi rolls and poke bowls : AHI TUNA
13 Bother persistently : PESTER
19 Seasoned sailor : OLD SALT
22 Ridiculous introduction? : UTTERLY …
26 ___ Now (onetime political button) : ERA
29 Place for icing : ACHE
31 Did a job on : HEISTED
34 Calls : HOLLERS
36 Urban ill : SMOG
38 Bank offering with a fixed payment schedule : TERM LOAN
40 Otis Redding’s genre : SOUL MUSIC
42 Actress Long : NIA
44 Mentored one : PROTEGE
45 Powdered, in a way : SUGARED
46 Words on a candy heart : KISS ME
47 E-commerce site with a portmanteau name : GROUPON
48 By a narrow margin : BARELY
50 By a narrow margin : SLIMLY
53 Mexican sandwich : TORTA
55 Italian sportswear brand named after a Greek letter : KAPPA
58 “Look ___!” : AT ME
62 Bone to pick at dinner, say : RIB
64 Tesla, for one : CAR