1110-22 NY Times Crossword 10 Nov 22, Thursday

Constructed by: Dan Caprera
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: Plot

Themed answers each include an alphanumeric coordinate hidden within. PLOTTING those coordinates (using the numbers and letters outside the grid … not mine, sadly) spell out the word PLOT:

  • 62A What’s spelled out, appropriately, after mapping the coordinates indicated by this puzzle’s circled letters : PLOT
  • 16A Lucy Lawless had one on “Xena: Warrior Princess” : STUNTWOMAN (hiding “N-TWO”, = P)
  • 26A Fangs : CANINE TEETH (hiding “A-NINE”, = L)
  • 42A Rupiah spenders : INDONESIANS (hiding “D-ONE”, = O)
  • 55A Neither wins nor loses : BREAKS EVEN (hiding “K-SEVEN”, = T)

Bill’s time: 10m 19s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Out of one’s gourd : LOCO

In Spanish, if one isn’t “sano” (sane) one might be described as “loco” (crazy).

10 “Nixon in China” role : MAO

“Nixon in China” is an opera by John Adams, with a libretto by Alice Goodman. The piece was inspired by President Nixon’s famous visit to China in 1972.

13 Its behavior is described by quantum physics : ATOM

Quantum mechanics is a branch of physics dealing with processes involving “the very small”: atoms, photons and the like.

15 Finsteraarhorn, e.g. : ALP

The Finsteraarhorn is the highest of the Alps that lies outside of the main chain, actually in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland. The Finsteraarhorn is the ninth highest peak in the whole of the Alps.

16 Lucy Lawless had one on “Xena: Warrior Princess” : STUNTWOMAN (hiding “N-TWO”, = P)

The Xena character, played by New Zealander Lucy Lawless, was introduced in a made-for-TV movie called “Hercules and the Amazon Women”. Lawless reprised the role in a series called “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys”. Xena became so popular that a series was built around her character, with Lawless retained for the title role. The fictional Xena supposedly came from the “non-fictional” Greek city of Amphipolis.

18 One given to fawning : DOE

A fawn is a young deer, usually one less than a year old.

19 Brown shade : SEPIA

Sepia is that rich, brown-gray color so common in old photographs. “Sepia” is the Latinized version of the Greek word for cuttlefish, as sepia pigment is derived from the ink sac of the cuttlefish. Sepia ink was commonly used for writing and drawing as far back as ancient Rome and ancient Greece. The “sepia tone” of old photographs is not the result of deterioration over time. Rather, it is the result of a deliberate preservation process which converts the metallic silver in the photographic image to a more stable silver sulfide. Prints that have been sepia-toned can last in excess of 150 years.

20 Giedroyc of “The Great British Bake Off” : MEL

“The Great British Bake Off” is a television baking competition introduced by the BBC in the UK in 2010. The show was a phenomenal and perhaps surprising success almost immediately. “Bake Off” is rebroadcast in the US by PBS as “The Great British Baking Show”. There was great controversy in the UK in 2016 when the BBC couldn’t find the fund to pay the producers for the show, and so it had moved to a new channel, with a new set of hosts. The BBC hosts decided not to move with the show, saying they weren’t interested in the “dough” (their pun!).

22 Smelter’s supply : ORE

Metals are found in ore in the form of oxides. In order to get pure metal from the ore, the ore is heated and the metal oxides within are reduced (i.e. the oxygen is removed) in the chemical process known as smelting. The oxygen is extracted by adding a source of carbon or carbon monoxide which uses up the excess oxygen atoms to make carbon dioxide, a waste product of smelting (and, a greenhouse gas).

23 Instrument that superseded the ophicleide : TUBA

The tuba is the lowest-pitched of all brass instruments, and one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra (usually there is just one tuba included in an orchestral line-up). “Tuba” is the Latin word for “trumpet, horn”. Oom-pah-pah …

26 Fangs : CANINE TEETH (hiding “A-NINE”, = L)

The canine teeth of a mammal are also called the eyeteeth or cuspids. The name “canine” is used because these particular teeth are very prominent in dogs. The prefix “eye-” is used because in humans the eyeteeth are located in the upper jaw, directly below the eyes.

30 Brunch beverage : MIMOSA

Where I come from, the cocktail known in North America as a mimosa is called a buck’s fizz, with the latter named for Buck’s Club in London where it was introduced in 1921. The mimosa came along a few years later, apparently first being served in the Paris Ritz. If you want to make a mimosa, it’s a 50-50 mix of champagne and orange juice, and it is very tasty …

35 Beekeeper Shavitz, who lent his name to a popular lip balm : BURT

Burt’s Bees is a line of personal care products that uses natural ingredients with minimal processing. The company started out in 1984 as a partnership between two entrepreneurs making candles out of excess beeswax from hives owned by one of the partners. Today the company has over $250 million in sales and is a division of Clorox.

38 2012 Oscar-winning role for Daniel Day-Lewis : LINCOLN

The 2012 movie “Lincoln” is a historical drama that portrays the last four months of the life of President Abraham Lincoln. The main focus in the story is Lincoln’s work to have the US House of Representatives pass the Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, the amendment that finally abolished slavery. “Lincoln” was co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Daniel Day-Lewis and Sally Field and Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln. It’s a film I’d recommend …

Irish-English actor Daniel Day-Lewis has three Best Actor Oscars, for his performances in:

  • “My Left Foot” (1989)
  • “There Will Be Blood” (2007)
  • “Lincoln” (2012)

42 Rupiah spenders : INDONESIANS (hiding “D-ONE”, = O)

The rupiah is the currency used in Indonesia. The locals often use the name “perak” for the same unit of currency, which is a word meaning “silver”.

45 Like some insensitive remarks, for short : UN-PC

To be un-PC is to be politically incorrect, not politically correct (PC).

49 Hide : PELT

A pelt is the skin of a furry animal.

51 Uglúk or Gorbag in “The Lord of the Rings” : ORC

According to Tolkien, Orcs are small humanoids that live in his fantasy world of Middle-earth (also called “Mordor”). They are very ugly and dirty, and are fond of eating human flesh.

57 “American ___” : PIE

The first of the “American Pie” sex comedy films was released in 1999. The series now includes some “American Pie Presents” spin-off movies that were released direct-to-video.

58 Kind of layer : OZONE

Ozone gets its name from the Greek word “ozein” meaning “to smell”. It was given this name as ozone’s formation during lightning storms was detected by the gas’s distinctive smell. Famously, there is a relatively high concentration of the gas in the “ozone layer” in the Earth’s stratosphere. This ozone layer provides a vital function for animal life on the planet as it absorbs most of the sun’s UV radiation. A molecule of ozone is made up of three oxygen atoms (O3), whereas a “normal” oxygen (O2) has just two atoms.

60 Suzuki product, in brief : ATV

All-terrain vehicle (ATV)

Suzuki is a Japanese manufacturer, mainly of cars, motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles. The company was founded in 1909 by Michio Suzuki, initially to build weaving looms for the silk industry.

Down

1 Rodeo ring? : LASSO

Our English word “lasso” comes from the Spanish “lazo”, and ultimately from the Latin “laqueum” meaning “noose, snare”.

2 Animal with webbed feet : OTTER

Sea otters actually hold hands while sleeping on their backs so that they don’t drift apart. When sea otter pups are too small to lock hands, they clamber up onto their mother’s belly and nap there.

3 Sporty car : COUPE

The type of car known as a “coupe” or “coupé” is a closed automobile with two doors. The name comes from the French word “couper” meaning “to cut”. In most parts of the English-speaking world the pronunciation adheres to the original French, but here in most of North America we go with “coop”. The original coupé was a horse-drawn carriage that was cut (coupé) to eliminate the rear-facing passenger seats. That left just a driver and two front-facing passengers. If the driver was left without a roof and out in the open, then the carriage was known as a “coupé de-ville”.

4 Radisson competitor : OMNI

Omni Hotels & Resorts is headquartered in Dallas, Texas and has properties in the US, Canada and Mexico.

The first Radisson hotel opened in 1909 in Minneapolis. The hotel name was chosen in honor of the 17th-century French explorer Pierre-Esprit Radisson.

6 Diamonds, geometrically : RHOMBI

“Rhomb” is an alternative name for a rhombus (plural “rhombi”), a 4-sided figure with sides of equal length and angles at the corners that aren’t right angles (unless in the special case that the rhombus is a square). So usually, that would make a rhombus a “diamond” shape.

9 Kylo ___ of “Star Wars” films : 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.

10 Small shell-shaped confection : MADELEINE

A madeleine is a small sponge cake associated with the Commercy and Liverdun communes in northeastern France.

11 Medicinal succulent : ALOE

Succulent plants are those with thickened stems and/or leaves that have evolved to retain water. As such, succulents are often found where the climate is particularly dry. The term “succulent” comes from the Latin “sucus” meaning “juice, sap”.

26 Cook up : CONCOCT

To decoct is to extract the flavor of a liquid by boiling down and increasing the concentration. A related term is “to concoct”, meaning “to boil together”. We use the verb “to concoct” in a figurative sense to mean to contrive, devise.

28 Eliot Ness and co. : T-MEN

A T-man is a law-enforcement agent of the US Treasury (“T” stands for “Treasury”).

Eliot Ness was the Treasury agent charged with the task of bringing down the notorious Chicago gangster Al Capone. When Ness took on the job in 1930, Chicago law-enforcement agents were renowned for being corrupt, for being on the take. Ness handpicked 50 prohibition agents who he thought he could rely on, later reducing the group to a cadre of 15 and ultimately just 11 trusted men. That group of 11 earned the nickname “The Untouchables”, the agents who couldn’t be bought.

30 Timbuktu’s locale : MALI

The Republic of Mali is a landlocked country in western Africa located south of Algeria. Formerly known as French Sudan, the nation’s most famous city is Timbuktu. Mali is the third-largest producer of gold on the continent, after South Africa and Ghana.

32 Dmitri ___, formulator of the periodic law : MENDELEEV

Dmitri Mendeleev was a Russian chemist. When Mendeleev classified elements according to their chemical properties, he noticed patterns and was able to group elements into his famous 1869 Periodic Table. So powerful was his table that he actually predicted the properties of some elements that had not even been discovered in 1869. Element number 101 is mendelevium and was named after Mendeleev.

39 Strawberry Fields underwriter : ONO

Strawberry Fields is a memorial in Central Park in New York City. It is located on a triangular piece of land found directly across from the Dakota Apartments where Lennon lived and was murdered. At the center of the triangle of land is a circular pathway mosaic of stones with the word “Imagine” in the middle. Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, contributed over one million dollars to help pay for the memorial’s design and upkeep.

46 Aleve alternative : ADVIL

Advil is Wyeth’s brand of ibuprofen, an anti-inflammatory drug.

“Aleve” is a brand name used for the anti-inflammatory drug Naproxen sodium.

47 Doctrine : CREDO

A creed or credo is a profession of faith, or a system of belief or principles. “Credo” is Latin for “I believe”.

48 Part of a doctrine : TENET

A tenet is an article of faith, something that is held to be true. “Tenet” is Latin for “holds”.

49 Smurf with a red cap : PAPA

The Smurfs are little blue people created in 1958 by the Belgian cartoonist who went by the pen name Peyo. The Smurfs became famous in the US when Hanna-Barbera used them in a children’s cartoon series. The characters are largely a group of males. The original lineup included just one “Smurfette”, who is wooed by almost all of the boy Smurfs. Later, another female was introduced into the mix called Sassette, and still later along came Granny Smurf.

51 Grain-shaped pasta : ORZO

Orzo is pasta that has been formed into granular shapes, much like barley. And indeed, “orzo” is the Italian word for “barley”. Orzo is also called “risoni”, meaning “large rice”.

53 Kind of tide : NEAP

Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon on the oceans. At neap tide, the smaller gravitational effect of the sun cancels out some of the moon’s effect. At spring tide, the sun and the moon’s gravitational forces act in concert causing more extreme movement of the oceans.

55 A.L. East team, on scoreboards : BOS

The Boston Red Sox are one of the most successful Major League Baseball teams and so command a large attendance, but only when on the road. The relatively small capacity of Boston’s Fenway Park, the team’s home since 1912, has dictated that every game the Red Sox have played there has been a sell-out from May of 2003 to April 2013. I recently had the pleasure of touring Fenway Park. It’s quite a place …

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Out of one’s gourd : LOCO
5 Zeal : ARDOR
10 “Nixon in China” role : MAO
13 Its behavior is described by quantum physics : ATOM
14 Info on an invitation : WHERE
15 Finsteraarhorn, e.g. : ALP
16 Lucy Lawless had one on “Xena: Warrior Princess” : STUNTWOMAN (hiding “N-TWO”, = P)
18 One given to fawning : DOE
19 Brown shade : SEPIA
20 Giedroyc of “The Great British Bake Off” : MEL
21 Many a Disney channel star : TEEN
22 Smelter’s supply : ORE
23 Instrument that superseded the ophicleide : TUBA
25 MSN competitor : AOL
26 Fangs : CANINE TEETH (hiding “A-NINE”, = L)
30 Brunch beverage : MIMOSA
33 Former : ONE-TIME
34 “Too true!” : AMEN!
35 Beekeeper Shavitz, who lent his name to a popular lip balm : BURT
37 All over again : ANEW
38 2012 Oscar-winning role for Daniel Day-Lewis : LINCOLN
40 Becomes less green, say : RIPENS
42 Rupiah spenders : INDONESIANS (hiding “D-ONE”, = O)
44 Prefix with hotel : ECO-
45 Like some insensitive remarks, for short : UN-PC
46 Sham : ACT
49 Hide : PELT
51 Uglúk or Gorbag in “The Lord of the Rings” : ORC
52 Actor/comedian Eric ___ : ANDRE
54 Big feller? : AXE
55 Neither wins nor loses : BREAKS EVEN (hiding “K-SEVEN”, = T)
57 “American ___” : PIE
58 Kind of layer : OZONE
59 Gofer, say : AIDE
60 Suzuki product, in brief : ATV
61 Bighearted sort : SOFTY
62 What’s spelled out, appropriately, after mapping the coordinates indicated by this puzzle’s circled letters : PLOT

Down

1 Rodeo ring? : LASSO
2 Animal with webbed feet : OTTER
3 Sporty car : COUPE
4 Radisson competitor : OMNI
5 “How adorable!” : AWW!
6 Diamonds, geometrically : RHOMBI
7 Outward behavior : DEMEANOR
8 Mouthy? : ORAL
9 Kylo ___ of “Star Wars” films : REN
10 Small shell-shaped confection : MADELEINE
11 Medicinal succulent : ALOE
12 Word with French, British or Australian : OPEN
17 Farewells : TA-TAS
21 Core-strengthening floor exercises : TOE-TAPS
24 Not up to it : UNABLE
25 Apt letters missing from assimil_ _ _d : ATE
26 Cook up : CONCOCT
27 Set up, in a way : ENTRAP
28 Eliot Ness and co. : T-MEN
29 Swings a 54-Across at, say : HEWS
30 Timbuktu’s locale : MALI
31 “Let’s do it!” : I’M IN!
32 Dmitri ___, formulator of the periodic law : MENDELEEV
36 Not confident about : UNSURE OF
39 Strawberry Fields underwriter : ONO
41 The emperor’s people, in the 2000 Disney comedy “The Emperor’s New Groove” : INCAS
43 Recite ritually : INCANT
46 Aleve alternative : ADVIL
47 Doctrine : CREDO
48 Part of a doctrine : TENET
49 Smurf with a red cap : PAPA
50 Often-backlit sign : EXIT
51 Grain-shaped pasta : ORZO
53 Kind of tide : NEAP
55 A.L. East team, on scoreboards : BOS
56 Enter, for one : KEY