1026-19 NY Times Crossword 26 Oct 19, Saturday

8jn0

Constructed by: Sam Trabucco
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 14m 29s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Symbol of Halloween : BLACK CAT

All Saints’ Day is November 1st each year. The day before All Saints’ Day is All Hallows’ Eve, better known by the Scottish term “Halloween”.

14 Chewed up, as a sweater : MOTHY

The larvae of several types of moth are noted for eating fabrics made from natural fibers such as wool or cotton. Many people store woolens in cedar chests believing that the scent of the wood prevents a moth infestation. In fact, the only known effective repellent is the naphthalene found in mothballs, which might be a health concern for humans. One way to kill moth larvae in fabric is to freeze the garment for several days at a temperature below -8 degrees centigrade.

20 Girlfriend on “Orange Is the New Black” : ALEX

“Orange Is the New Black” is a very entertaining comedy-drama series made by Netflix about an upper middle-class woman who goes to jail for a drug-related offense committed ten years earlier, in her youth. The series is based on a memoir by Piper Kerman called “Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison”.

26 2012 Grammy-winning rap hit that samples “Try a Little Tenderness” : OTIS

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”.

The love song “Try a Little Tenderness” was first released in 1932 by the Ray Noble Orchestra, and has since been covered countless times. The most famous version is probably by Otis Redding from 1966. My personal favorite performance is in the Irish movie “The Commitments”. That movie is a must-see for anyone interested in contemporary Irish culture, in my humble opinion …

33 Peter, Paul and Mary: Abbr. : STS

Simon Peter (often “Peter” or “Saint Peter”) was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. The Christian tradition holds that Peter founded the Roman Church, and the Roman Catholic tradition names Peter as the first pope.

According to the Bible, Saint Paul was an apostle, although he was not one of the original Twelve Apostles. Paul is said to have written 14 of the 27 books in the Christian New Testament.

According to the Christian New Testament and the Quran, the mother of Jesus was a woman from Nazareth named Mary (“Maryam” in the Islamic account),.

38 Ballroom alternatives to the foxtrot : ONE-STEPS

The foxtrot is smooth and flowing like a waltz, but in 4/4 time as opposed to 3/4. The dance is named for the vaudeville dancer Harry Fox, who popularized it in the early 1900s.

42 Na+ or Cl-, in NaCl : ION

Sodium chloride (NaCl, common salt) is an ionic compound. It comprises a crystal lattice made up of large chloride (Cl) ions in a cubic structure, with smaller sodium (Na) ions in between the chlorides.

44 Loyal friend to Aeneas : ACHATES

Aeneas was a Trojan hero of myth who traveled to Italy and became the ancestor of all Romans. Aeneas’s story is told in Virgil’s epic poem “The Aeneid”.

46 Vessel at a Japanese restaurant : SAKE CUP

We refer to the Japanese alcoholic beverage made from rice as “sake”. We’ve gotten things a bit mixed up in the West. “Sake” is actually the word that the Japanese use for all alcoholic drinks. What we know as sake, we sometimes refer to as rice wine. Also, the starch in the rice is first converted to sugars that are then fermented into alcohol. This is more akin to a beer-brewing process than wine production, so the end product is really a rice “beer” rather than a rice “wine”.

Down

1 Some expensive imports : BMWS

The initialism “BMW” stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke, which translates into Bavarian Motor Works. BMW was making aircraft engines during WWI, but had to cease that activity according to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. The company then started making motorcycles, and moved into automobile production starting in 1928. BMW moved back into aircraft engine manufacturing during the build-up of the Luftwaffe prior to WWII.

4 Like some eye surgery : CORNEAL

The cornea is the transparent part of the eye in the front, and the part that covers the iris and the pupil. Even though the cornea is not part of the eye’s lens, it acts as a lens. In fact, the cornea does most of the work focusing light coming in through the eye. It is in effect a fixed-focus lens passing on light to the variable-focus lens that is inside the eye.

5 Riddle in Zen Buddhism : KOAN

The concept of koan appears in the Zen Buddhist tradition. A koan is a story, question or perhaps a statement that is used as an aid to meditation. It often takes the form of a problem or riddle that has no logical solution and is intended to help the meditator break free of reason and develop intuition.

6 Cannes festival focus : CINE

Cannes is a city on the French Riviera that is noted as host of the Cannes Film Festival. The decision to host an annual film festival was adopted by the city just before WWII. However, the festival had to wait for the end of the war for its launch in 1946.

7 Spiritual realms in religious cosmology : ASTRAL PLANES

Some believe that a person’s spirit inhabits the astral plane after dying, and before entering the spirit world.

8 Symbols next to logos: Abbr. : TMS

Trademark (TM)

10 Shuttle that docked with 14-Down : ATLANTIS
(14D See 10-Down : MIR)

The Space Shuttle Atlantis had its first launch in 1985. The shuttle takes its name from the RV Atlantis, a two-masted sailboat that operated from the thirties through the sixties with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the largest independent marine research organization in the country. The “odometer” reading on the Space Shuttle Atlantis after her 32nd flight, was about the same as 505 one-way flights from the Earth to the Moon!

12 They require you to read the fine print : EYE TESTS

The commonly used eye chart (that starts with the letters “E FP TOZ LPED”) is called a Snellen chart. The test is named after its developer Herman Snellen, who introduced it way back in 1862.

14 See 10-Down : MIR
(10D Shuttle that docked with 14-Down : ATLANTIS)

Russia’s Mir space station was a remarkably successful project. It held the record for the longest continuous human presence in space at just under 10 years, until the International Space Station eclipsed that record in 2010. Towards the end of the space station’s life however, the years began to take their toll. There was a dangerous fire, multiple system failures, and a collision with a resupply ship. The Russian commitment to the International Space Station drained funds for repairs, so Mir was allowed to reenter the Earth’s atmosphere and burn up in 2001. “Mir” is a Russian word meaning “peace” or “world”.

28 Champagne pop : PERE

Champagne is a historic province in the northeast of France that is famous for its sparkling white wine.

29 Biden time? : OBAMA ERA

Vice President Joe Biden was a US Senator representing the state of Delaware from 1973 until he joined the Obama administration. While he was a senator, Vice President Biden commuted to Washington from Wilmington, Delaware almost every working day. He was such an active customer and supporter of Amtrak that the Wilmington Station was renamed as the Joseph R. Biden Railroad Station in 2011. Biden has made over 7,000 trips from that station, and the Amtrak crews were known to even hold the last train for a few minutes so that he could catch it. Biden earned himself the nickname “Amtrak Joe”.

30 Arcade game spinoff of 1983 : JR PAC-MAN

The Pac-Man arcade game was first released in Japan in 1980, and is as popular today as it ever was. The game features characters that are maneuvered around the screen to eat up dots and earn points. The name comes from the Japanese folk hero “Paku”, known for his voracious appetite. The spin-off game called Ms. Pac-Man was released in 1981.

35 Author of the 2012 book “Cypherpunks: Freedom and the Future of the Internet” : ASSANGE

Julian Assange founded WikiLeaks, the website that is notorious for publishing information that governments and individuals would rather remain secret. Assange is currently in England and lost an appeal to avoid extradition to Sweden to face charges of sexual assault. Assange entered the Ecuadorian Embassy in London seeking political asylum in 2012. He was granted asylum and lived at the embassy for almost seven years before being arrested and incarcerated in a UK prison.

36 Big name in mail-order catalogs : SPIEGEL

Spiegel is a company that sells women’s clothing and accessories, and which has a famous catalog sales business. The company was founded way back in 1865 by Joseph Spiegel as a home furnishings retail outlet in Chicago.

48 Mother of the royals George, Charlotte and Louis : KATE

Kate Middleton is the wife of Prince William of the UK. Middleton is what one might call a commoner, although since her marriage she is known as the Duchess of Cambridge. She was born to parents who had worked together as flight attendants before becoming quite wealthy running their own mail-order business. As is so often the case in Britain, Kate’s ancestry can be traced back far enough to show that she and William do have common ancestors, dating back to the 1500s on her mother’s side and to the 1400s on her father’s side.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Symbol of Halloween : BLACK CAT
9 10/10, say : DATE
13 Imitative practice : ME-TOOISM
14 Chewed up, as a sweater : MOTHY
15 Justifies : WARRANTS
16 Propagandist’s technique : BIG LIE
17 Alternative to a die : SPINNER
18 Sharply sarcastic : MORDANT
19 Try to get money from, maybe : SUE
20 Girlfriend on “Orange Is the New Black” : ALEX
22 “I’ve got this!” : ON ME!
23 Competitive problem solver : MATHLETE
26 2012 Grammy-winning rap hit that samples “Try a Little Tenderness” : OTIS
27 Hot spots? : LEOPARD PRINT
29 Brunch beverages, for short : OJS
32 Standing order : ALL RISE
33 Peter, Paul and Mary: Abbr. : STS
34 Street entertainers with boomboxes : BREAKDANCERS
37 Zoo exhibit : APES
38 Ballroom alternatives to the foxtrot : ONE-STEPS
40 Yoga class sights : MATS
41 “___ funny!” : VERY
42 Na+ or Cl-, in NaCl : ION
44 Loyal friend to Aeneas : ACHATES
46 Vessel at a Japanese restaurant : SAKE CUP
50 Key with one sharp : E-MINOR
51 Message typically associated with the color pink : IT’S A GIRL
52 Long and lean : RANGY
53 Not worry : BE AT EASE
54 ___ ou Démon (Givenchy perfume) : ANGE
55 Drove : IMPELLED

Down

1 Some expensive imports : BMWS
2 Huge progress, metaphorically : LEAPS
3 Open chamber : ATRIUM
4 Like some eye surgery : CORNEAL
5 Riddle in Zen Buddhism : KOAN
6 Cannes festival focus : CINE
7 Spiritual realms in religious cosmology : ASTRAL PLANES
8 Symbols next to logos: Abbr. : TMS
9 Barker’s entrance? : DOG DOOR
10 Shuttle that docked with 14-Down : ATLANTIS
11 Snack that, despite its name, doesn’t help with weight loss : THIN MINT
12 They require you to read the fine print : EYE TESTS
14 See 10-Down : MIR
16 Music store purchase for an avid fan : BOXED SET
18 Many of the world’s rulers use it : METRIC SYSTEM
21 Tutee or trainee : LEARNER
24 Salad bowl wood : TEAK
25 Relic : HOLDOVER
28 Champagne pop : PERE
29 Biden time? : OBAMA ERA
30 Arcade game spinoff of 1983 : JR PAC-MAN
31 Really angry : SEETHING
35 Author of the 2012 book “Cypherpunks: Freedom and the Future of the Internet” : ASSANGE
36 Big name in mail-order catalogs : SPIEGEL
39 Word with justice or grace : SOCIAL …
43 One who might give you a shot : NURSE
45 Miniature : TOY
47 “Now!” : ASAP!
48 Mother of the royals George, Charlotte and Louis : KATE
49 Stated one’s case : PLED
51 There: Lat. : IBI