0702-22 NY Times Crossword 2 Jul 22, Saturday

Constructed by: Evan Kalish
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 26m 20s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Painting that inspired an iconic “Home Alone” movie poster : THE SCREAM

Edvard Munch was a Norwegian expressionist, and most famous for his painting “The Scream”, painted in 1893. What a wonderful work that is, a true representation of expressionism. The Munch Museum in Oslo is dedicated to his work and life. In 2004, two of Munch’s paintings, “The Scream” and “Madonna”, were stolen from the Munch Museum by armed robbers who subdued the museum guards. The paintings were missing for two years, but recovered in 2006.

“Home Alone” is a 1990 film starring Macaulay Culkin that has become a Christmas classic. Culkin was nominated for a Best Actor Golden Globe for his performance, becoming the youngest actor ever to be so honored.

17 Certain Australian boomers (male) and flyers (female) : WALLABIES

Wallabies are marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea that look like small kangaroos. One early name for the wallaby was “brush-kangaroo”.

In Australia, male kangaroos are known by several names including bucks, boomers, jacks or old men. Females are called does, flyers, or jills. There seems to be just one name for young kangaroos, i.e. joeys. A group of kangaroos might be called a mob, troop or court.

18 1950s-’70s war locale : SINAI

The Sinai Peninsula is in the eastern part of Egypt, and is a triangular landform bounded by the Mediterranean to the north and the Red Sea to the south. It is the only part of Egypt that lies in Asia as opposed to Africa. The eastern land border of the peninsula is shared with Israel, and Israel occupied the Sinai during the 1956 Suez Crisis and the Six-Day War of 1967.

21 Needlework verb or noun : TAT

One is tatting when one is making lace. The word “tatting” has been around since the 1830s, but no one seems to have unearthed its etymology.

23 Word with mess or press : … KIT

“Mess” first came into English about 1300, when it described the list of food needed for a meal. The term comes from the Old French word “mes” meaning a portion of food or a course at a meal. This usage in English evolved into “mess” meaning a jumbled mass of anything, from the concept of “mixed food”. The original usage, in the sense of a food for a meal, surfaced again in the military in the 1500s when a “mess” was a communal eating place.

24 South Asian toddy cats : CIVETS

The civet is a spotted cat that is native to Africa and Asia. There is a type of coffee that is highly prized in Vietnam and the Philippines that is made from coffee beans that have been eaten by civets, partially digested and then harvested from the civet’s feces. This civet coffee can cost about $100 a cup, if you want to try some …

29 Bosporus resident : TURK

The Bosphorus (also “Bosporus”) is one of the two Turkish Straits, the other being the Dardanelles. The Bosphorus and the Dardanelles lie either side of the Sea of Marmara, allowing continuous navigation from the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea. The Turkish Straits also form the boundary between Europe and Asia.

30 Word on a cornerstone : ANNO

The Latin word for year is “annus”. We often see it used in Latin phrases, but usually with a different spelling. In “anno Domini”, the “anno” is the ablative case of “annus” as the phrase means “in the year of the Lord”. Another example is “per annum”, in which “annum” is the accusative case as the literal translation of the phrase is “during the year”.

36 Hannah Gadsby’s “Nanette” or Hasan Minhaj’s “Homecoming King” : NETFLIX SPECIAL

Hannah Gadsby is a comedian from Australia. She garnered a lot of attention in 2018 with the release of her stand-up show on Netflix under the title “Nanette”. That show, filmed at the Sydney Opera House, won an Emmy and a Peabody Award.

45 Some C.D.C. spots : PSAS

Public service announcement (PSA)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is based in Atlanta, Georgia. The CDC started out life during WWII as the Office of National Defense Malaria Control Activities. The CDC worries about much more than malaria these days …

48 Hi-___ : HAT

In a drum kit, a hi-hat is a pairing of cymbals that sits on a stand and is played by using a foot pedal. The top cymbal is raised and lowered by the foot, hence creating a crashing sound.

52 Port letters : USB

Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard dealing with how computers and electronic devices connect and communicate, and dealing with electrical power through those connections.

54 Tobiko or masago : ROE

In Japanese cuisine, the roe of salmon is called “ikura” and the roe of flying fish is called “tobiko”.

The Japanese dish called “masago” is actually the roe of the capelin fish. Masago is often mixed with wasabi and served as “wasabi caviar”.

55 “Sayonara!” : ADIOS!

The term “adiós” is Spanish for “goodbye”. “Adiós” comes from the phrase “a Dios vos acomiendo” meaning “I commend you to God”.

“Sayonara” means “farewell” in Japanese.

63 Campus with a landmark statue of Will Rogers on his horse Soapsuds : TEXAS TECH

Texas Tech University is located in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech opened for classes in 1925 as Texas Technical College.

Will Rogers was such a successful actor that he was the highest paid Hollywood star in the 1930s. Sadly, his career was cut short as he died in a plane crash in 1935. Piloting the doomed aircraft was famed aviator Wily Post, the first person to fly solo around the world.

Down

4 Comedian Vulcano of “Impractical Jokers” : SAL

“Impractical Jokers” is a show that first aired in 2011 that falls into the “Candid Camera” genre, with the hosts pranking the public.

6 Image problem? : REBUS

A rebus is a puzzle that uses pictures to represent letters and groups of letters. For example, a picture of a “ewe” might represent the letter “U” or the pronoun “you”, a picture of an “oar” might represent the letter “R” or the conjunction “or”, and a picture of an “awl” might represent the word “all”.

12 Bathing suit portmanteau : TANKINI

A “tankini” is a two-piece bathing suit comprising a “tank” top and a “bikini” bottom.

14 Verbal equivalent of picking up the gauntlet : OH, IT’S ON

Gauntlets are gloves, usually with an extended cuff that extends to cover the forearm. Gauntlets were often made of metal and were used as part of a suit of armor. In days of yore a knight might “throw down the gauntlet”, tossing one of his gauntlets to the ground symbolizing that he has issued a challenge. The prospective opponent would pick up the gauntlet if he accepted that challenge.

22 Certain hydrocarbon : ALKENE

An alkene is an organic compound made up of carbon and hydrogen atoms. It differs from an alkane in that it has at least one C=C double bond. The simplest alkene is the gas ethylene, a major raw material used in the manufacture of plastics (like polyethylene).

25 Roquefort source : EWE

Roquefort is a cheese made from sheep milk. It comes from the commune of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in the South of France.

27 ___-relief : BAS

In bas-relief, an image projects just a little above the background, as in perhaps a head depicted on a coin.

29 Commercial mascot with floppy ears : TRIX RABBIT

Trix is a corn-based breakfast cereal that has been around since 1954, produced by General Mills. Ads for the cereal featured Trix Rabbit, who would try hard to get hold of bowls of the cereal. He would always get caught though, and be admonished with, “Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids!” With 46% sugar content, the rabbit probably wouldn’t have liked it anyway …

32 Code for the primary hub of Delta Air Lines : ATL

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is the world’s busiest airport, as measured by passenger traffic. Atlanta has had that distinction since 1998, and was the world’s busiest in terms of take-offs and landings from 2005 until 2013. Over 50% of Atlanta’s traffic comes from Delta Air Lines.

Delta was the world’s largest airline for a while (after merging with Northwest Airlines in 2008) and is the oldest airline still operating in the US. Delta’s roots go back to 1924 before it started carrying passengers when it was Huff Daland Dusters, a crop-dusting company based in Macon, Georgia. The name “Delta Air Service” was introduced in 1928.

36 Decorative painting on an airplane fuselage : NOSE ART

“Fuselage” is a French word that we imported into English in the early days of powered flight. The French term developed from “fuselé” meaning “spindle-shaped”, a reference to the shape of a fuselage. “Fusus” is Latin for “spindle”.

38 Mid-April, in the U.S. : TAX TIME

April 15th wasn’t always Tax Day in the US. The deadline for returns was March 1st from 1913-18, when it was moved to March 15th. Tax Day has been April 15th since 1955.

40 Lagunitas offering : IPA

The Lagunitas Brewing Company was founded in 1993 and takes its name from Lagunitas, California where the brewery was originally located. Famously, the brewery has been associated with the use of marijuana. There used to be a tradition of a weekly party at which marijuana was openly smoked. The State of California went so far as to shut down operations in 2005 for twenty days while they investigated alleged cannabis dealing. No charges were filed, and the Lagunitas later brought out a beer called “Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale”.

42 Succinct : LACONIC

Ancient Laconia was a region in southern Greece that was dominated by the city of Sparta. The people from Laconia were proud of their brevity of speech, which gives rise to our modern term “laconic” meaning someone who uses few words.

46 Saya, for a katana : SHEATH

A katana is a curved sword worn by the samurai of Japan. It is sometimes referred to as a “samurai sword”.

49 “And That Reminds Me” singer Reese : DELLA

Della Reese is the stage name of actress, singer and all-round entertainer Deloreese Patricia Early. Her career started as a singer in the fifties and was revived in the nineties when she played the lead character in the TV show “Touched by an Angel”.

50 Is flabbergasted : REELS

Apparently, there was a 1772 magazine article that described “flabbergasted” as a word that was in vogue at the time. That article also stated that the origin of the term was uncertain. Someone who is flabbergasted is utterly astonished. Like me, most of the time …

52 Click-N-Ship org. : USPS

United States Postal Service (USPS)

53 Plant that symbolized purity in ancient Egypt : FLAX

Flax is mainly grown for its seeds (to make oil) and for its fibers. Flax fibers have been used to make linen for centuries, certainly back as far as the days of the ancient Egyptians. Flax fibers are soft and shiny, resembling blond hair, hence the term “flaxen hair”.

58 Game 1 starter, typically : ACE

That would be baseball, I think …

59 Through working: Abbr. : RET

Retired (ret.)

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Painting that inspired an iconic “Home Alone” movie poster : THE SCREAM
10 Locale for a power wash : PATIO
15 Sugar cubes, e.g. : HEXAHEDRA
16 Part of a fraction : SLASH
17 Certain Australian boomers (male) and flyers (female) : WALLABIES
18 1950s-’70s war locale : SINAI
19 Carrying-on : ADO
20 Wing ___ : NUT
21 Needlework verb or noun : TAT
23 Word with mess or press : … KIT
24 South Asian toddy cats : CIVETS
26 Come together : GEL
27 Auction series : BIDS
28 “Who ___?” : KNEW
29 Bosporus resident : TURK
30 Word on a cornerstone : ANNO
31 Early-21st-century crisis, with “the” : … GREAT RECESSION
35 Choice words : THIS ONE
36 Hannah Gadsby’s “Nanette” or Hasan Minhaj’s “Homecoming King” : NETFLIX SPECIAL
43 Like some defenses : ORAL
44 Looking like rain, say : GRAY
45 Some C.D.C. spots : PSAS
47 Hot : SEXY
48 Hi-___ : HAT
49 “S.N.L.” alum Rachel : DRATCH
51 Verb whose past tense form is an anagram of its present tense : EAT
52 Port letters : USB
53 Taken charge : FEE
54 Tobiko or masago : ROE
55 “Sayonara!” : ADIOS!
57 Competitor in the Prix de Lausanne : BALLERINA
60 Assign new keyboard shortcuts to : REMAP
61 “See? Told ya!” : I CALLED IT!
62 Pioneers’ trips west, e.g. : TREKS
63 Campus with a landmark statue of Will Rogers on his horse Soapsuds : TEXAS TECH

Down

1 Big hit : THWACK
2 Direction : HEADING
3 Old flame : EX-LOVER
4 Comedian Vulcano of “Impractical Jokers” : SAL
5 Something “U.S.A.” may be part of : CHANT
6 Image problem? : REBUS
7 Add or subtract, say : EDIT
8 Make, in math : ARE
9 Something kept in a Hollywood archive : MASTER COPY
10 Discreet attention-getter : PSST!
11 Tony-winning actress Stroker : ALI
12 Bathing suit portmanteau : TANKINI
13 “Don’t ask me again!” : I SAID NO!
14 Verbal equivalent of picking up the gauntlet : OH, IT’S ON
22 Certain hydrocarbon : ALKENE
25 Roquefort source : EWE
26 Try to get through intuition : GUESS AT
27 ___-relief : BAS
29 Commercial mascot with floppy ears : TRIX RABBIT
32 Code for the primary hub of Delta Air Lines : ATL
33 Some pieces in a bucket : THIGHS
34 Tick or tock : SEC
36 Decorative painting on an airplane fuselage : NOSE ART
37 Aid for going paperless : E-READER
38 Mid-April, in the U.S. : TAX TIME
39 Be feasible, as a proposal : FLY
40 Lagunitas offering : IPA
41 In a saddle, say : ASTRIDE
42 Succinct : LACONIC
46 Saya, for a katana : SHEATH
49 “And That Reminds Me” singer Reese : DELLA
50 Is flabbergasted : REELS
52 Click-N-Ship org. : USPS
53 Plant that symbolized purity in ancient Egypt : FLAX
56 Wine barrel wood : OAK
58 Game 1 starter, typically : ACE
59 Through working: Abbr. : RET