0813-21 NY Times Crossword 13 Aug 21, Friday

Constructed by: John Guzzetta & Michael Hawkins
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme None

Bill’s time: 13m 00s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

9 Some diner orders : HASHES

Hash, beef and vegetables mashed together, is a very American dish and one that really surprised me when I first came across it. “Hash” just seems like such an unappetizing item, but I soon found out how delicious it was. The name “hash” in this context comes from the French “hacher” meaning “to chop”. Back in the early 1900s the dish called “hashed browned potatoes” was developed, which quickly morphed into “hash browns”. From there the likes of corned beef hash was introduced.

18 Midwest city that shares its name with a suburb of Phoenix : PEORIA

Peoria is the oldest European settlement in the state of Illinois, having been settled by the French in 1680. The city is famous for being cited as “the average American city”.

28 Brand with the flavors Grabbin’ Grape and Blazin’ Blueberry : HI-C

Hi-C orange drink was created in 1946, and introduced to the market in 1948, initially in the south of the country. The name “Hi-C” was chosen to emphasize the high vitamin C content in the drink, as it contained added ascorbic acid (vitamin C).

29 Active ingredient in marijuana, for short : THC

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the main psychoactive in cannabis.

39 Org. behind the Carl Sagan Center : SETI

“SETI” is the name given to a number of projects searching for extraterrestrial life. The acronym stands for “search for extraterrestrial intelligence”. One of the main SETI activities is the monitoring of electromagnetic radiation (such as radio waves) reaching the Earth in the hope of finding a transmission from a civilization in another world.

42 Cardi B’s “___ Bad” : SHE

“Cardi B” is the stage name of rap artist Belcalis Almánzar from the Bronx in New York City. The name “Cardi B” comes from the brand name “Bacardi”.

43 Choler : IRE

“Choler” is “anger, irritability”. Choler (also “cholera”) was one of the body’s four basic substances of medieval science, the so-called four humors. All diseases were caused by these four substances getting out of balance. The four humors were:

  • Black bile (melancholia)
  • Yellow bile (cholera)
  • Phlegm (phlegma)
  • Blood (sanguis)

44 Setting in Marvel Comics : ASGARD

Marvel Comics was founded in 1939 as Timely Comics, before becoming Atlas Comics in 1951 and eventually Marvel Comics in 1961. The “Marvel” brand had existed from day one, and Timely Comics’ first publication was “Marvel Comics #1” in October 1939. That first comic featured the superhero the Human Torch.

45 Wind with a three-octave range : OBOE

The oboe is perhaps my favorite of the reed instruments. The name “oboe” comes from the French “hautbois” which means “high wood”.

47 Where majors have majors, in brief? : ROTC

The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) is a training program for officers based in colleges all around the US. The ROTC program was established in 1862 when as a condition of receiving a land-grant to create colleges, the federal government required that military tactics be part of a new school’s curriculum.

48 Track #1 on the Beatles compilation album “1” : LOVE ME DO

“Love Me Do” is a song written by Paul McCartney on a day that he was playing hooky from school when he was just 16 years of age.

51 That’s a wrap! : SARAN

What’s known as plastic wrap in America, we call cling-film in Ireland. The brand name “Saran” is often used generically in the US, while “Glad” wrap is common down under. Plastic wrap was one of those unintended inventions, a byproduct of a development program to create a hard plastic cover for cars.

55 Pioneering Ford auto : MODEL A

The Ford Model A was the original car produced by the Ford Motor Company. The first production run lasted from 1903 to 1904, when it was replaced by the Model C. The name “Model A” was brought back in 1927 and used for the successor to the Model T.

58 Handsome guy : ADONIS

In Greek mythology, Adonis is a beautiful young god loved by Aphrodite. Adonis dies in a hunting accident (gored by a boar), but not before he gives Aphrodite a child. Adonis was originally a Phoenician god “absorbed” into Greek lore (Phoenicia is modern day Lebanon). The child born of Adonis to Aphrodite was called Beroe, after which is named Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon. We also use the term “adonis” to mean “beautiful male”.

59 When Harry first shared a ride with Sally, e.g. : MEET CUTE

“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.

“When Harry Met Sally… “ is a 1989 romantic comedy starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan in the title roles. This marvelous film was written by the late Nora Ephron and directed by Rob Reiner.

60 Father of Hecate : PERSES

Hecate (sometimes “Hekate”) was a three-faced goddess in the Greek and Roman traditions. She was associated with many phenomena, including magic and witchcraft.

Down

10 Artist behind the best-selling album of the 21st century (30+ million units) : ADELE

“Adele” is the stage name of English singer Adele Adkins. Adele’s debut album is “19”, named after the age she was during the album’s production. Her second album was even more successful than the first. Called “21”, the second album was released three years after the first, when Adele was three years older. Her third studio album “25”, released in 2015, broke the first-week sales records in both the UK and the US.

11 Close-to-the-ground sports feat : SHOESTRING CATCH

In baseball, a shoestring catch is one made just before the ball hits the ground while the catcher is still running. He catches the ball right at the level of his shoestrings, as it were …

23 Camp show grp. : USO

The United Service Organization (USO) was founded in 1941 at the request of President Franklin D. Roosevelt “to handle the on-leave recreation of the men in the armed forces”. A USO tour is undertaken by a troupe of entertainers, many of whom are big-name celebrities. A USO tour usually includes troop locations in combat zones.

27 It’s “rarely pure and never simple,” Oscar Wilde once wrote : TRUTH

If you didn’t know Oscar Wilde was Irish, you will when you see the name he was given at birth: Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde!

31 Baller, in old lingo : CAGER

In the early days of basketball, when a ball went out of bounds possession was awarded to the player who first retrieved the ball. This led to mad scuffles off the court, often involving spectators. As the game became more organized, courts were routinely “caged”, largely because of this out of bounds rule, to limit interaction with the crowd. It’s because of these cages that basketball players are sometimes referred to today as “cagers”.

33 Do in the evening : SOIREE

“Soir” is the French word for “evening” and a soirée is an evening party. The French word “soirée” has an acute accent over the first “e”, but we tend to drop this when using the word in English.

38 Bikini, e.g. : TEST SITE

The testing of US nuclear weapons by the US at Bikini Atoll in the middle of 1946 went by the codename “Operation Crossroads”. The tests used A-bombs and were designed to measure the effect of blasts on navy vessels. There were three tests planned, but the third had to be cancelled as the Navy couldn’t decontaminate the ships used in the second test.

41 Kung ___ : PAO

Kung Pao chicken is a Sichuan stir-fry dish that includes chicken, peanuts, vegetables and chili peppers. The name “Kung Pao” is thought to come from a governor of the Sichuan province whose title was “Gongbao”, meaning “Palace Guardian”.

47 Title of hits by Garth Brooks and Lil Nas X : RODEO

Country singer Garth Brooks retired from recording and performing in 2001. He came back out of retirement in 2009, signing a five-year concert deal with the Encore Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.

“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.

48 Rich source : LODE

A lode is a metal ore deposit that’s found between two layers of rock or in a fissure. The mother lode is the principal deposit in a mine, usually of gold or silver. “Mother lode” is probably a translation of “veta madre”, an expression used in mining in Mexico.

49 Something carbon monoxide lacks : ODOR

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas that is slightly lighter than air and highly toxic. Its toxicity arises because it easily combines with hemoglobin in the blood, displacing the sites that normally transport oxygen around the body.

52 Philanderer : ROUE

“Roue” is a lovely word, but one used to describe a less than lovely man, someone of loose morals. “Roue” comes from the French word “rouer” meaning “to break on a wheel”. This describes the ancient form of capital punishment where a poor soul was lashed to a wheel and then beaten to death with cudgels and bars. I guess the suggestion is that a roue, with his loose morals, deserves such a punishment.

To philander is to womanize, with the verb coming from the noun “philander” that was used in the 1700s to mean “lover”. In fact, the name “Philander” was often used back then in novels and plays for a character who was a lover. The name was derived from the Greek adjective “philandros” meaning “with love for people”.

53 The “A” of A.D.L. : ANTI-

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is a US organization that fights anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry. The ADL was founded in 1913 as the Independent Order of B’nai B’rith.

54 “I ___ saw true beauty till this night”: Romeo : NE’ER

Here are some passionate lines from William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” that are spoken by Romeo:

Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.

57 Brooks of “Spaceballs” : MEL

“Spaceballs” is a 1987 spoof of sci-fi films that mainly pokes fun at the “Star Wars” franchise. It was co-written and directed by, and indeed stars, Mel Brooks.

Mel Brooks’ real name is Melvin Kaminsky. Brooks is one of relatively few entertainers who have won the “Showbiz Award Grand Slam” i.e. an Oscar, Tony, Grammy and Emmy. He is in good company, as the list also includes the likes of Richard Rogers, Sir John Gielgud, Marvin Hamlisch and Audrey Hepburn.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Breakout performance : STAR TURN
9 Some diner orders : HASHES
15 Mocking response to whining : OH BOOHOO
16 Stick : ADHERE
17 “Did you really just say that?” : WAIT, WHAT?
18 Midwest city that shares its name with a suburb of Phoenix : PEORIA
19 One way to take a stand, ironically? : SIT-IN
20 End up choosing : SETTLE ON
22 Close : SHUT
24 Speeds : HIES
25 Serves the purpose of : ACTS AS
28 Brand with the flavors Grabbin’ Grape and Blazin’ Blueberry : HI-C
29 Active ingredient in marijuana, for short : THC
32 They might claim that things are fixed : SORE LOSERS
34 Bay ___ (certain horse) : ROAN
36 Bit of metal texturing : KNURL
37 Follower of twenty- or thirty- : ODD
38 Hint : TINGE
39 Org. behind the Carl Sagan Center : SETI
40 Hardly a cheapskate : BIG SPENDER
42 Cardi B’s “___ Bad” : SHE
43 Choler : IRE
44 Setting in Marvel Comics : ASGARD
45 Wind with a three-octave range : OBOE
47 Where majors have majors, in brief? : ROTC
48 Track #1 on the Beatles compilation album “1” : LOVE ME DO
51 That’s a wrap! : SARAN
55 Pioneering Ford auto : MODEL A
56 Ticket line? : ADMIT ONE
58 Handsome guy : ADONIS
59 When Harry first shared a ride with Sally, e.g. : MEET CUTE
60 Father of Hecate : PERSES
61 Person who is willfully alone? : SOLE HEIR

Down

1 Plants : SOWS
2 Neighbor of a Malay : THAI
3 ___ much : A BIT
4 Revolutionary inventions in the cooking world? : ROTISSERIE OVENS
5 Campaign Q&A : TOWN HALL
6 [Thinking …] : [UHH …]
7 Put down, in a way : ROAST
8 Put down, in a way : NOTE
9 Study of touch, as with smartphone screens : HAPTICS
10 Artist behind the best-selling album of the 21st century (30+ million units) : ADELE
11 Close-to-the-ground sports feat : SHOESTRING CATCH
12 “My ___!” : HERO
13 Pseudonymous children’s author Hunter : ERIN
14 With 55-Down, oceanographer’s aid : SEA …
21 Even more, perhaps : THIRDS
23 Camp show grp. : USO
25 Bidding considerations : ASKS
26 Traffic directors? : CONES
27 It’s “rarely pure and never simple,” Oscar Wilde once wrote : TRUTH
28 Target of some trimming : HEDGE
30 Insight offerer : HONDA
31 Baller, in old lingo : CAGER
33 Do in the evening : SOIREE
35 Lead-in to core or fest : NERD-
38 Bikini, e.g. : TEST SITE
40 Natural material used for fuel : BIOMASS
41 Kung ___ : PAO
46 Refute : BELIE
47 Title of hits by Garth Brooks and Lil Nas X : RODEO
48 Rich source : LODE
49 Something carbon monoxide lacks : ODOR
50 Blocks : DAMS
52 Philanderer : ROUE
53 The “A” of A.D.L. : ANTI-
54 “I ___ saw true beauty till this night”: Romeo : NE’ER
55 See 14-Down : … MAP
57 Brooks of “Spaceballs” : MEL