1023-18 NY Times Crossword 23 Oct 18, Tuesday

Constructed by: Kathy Wienberg
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: Athletic Cup

Themed answers each combine two words, the second of which is the name of a sporting CUP:

  • 60A. Protective sportswear … or a hint to the ends of 17-, 24-, 36- and 51-Across : ATHLETIC CUP
  • 17A. Kid-lit character who travels via envelope : FLAT STANLEY (giving “Stanley Cup”)
  • 24A. Thelma’s portrayer in “Thelma & Louise” : GEENA DAVIS (giving “Davis Cup”)
  • 36A. Co-star of “Stranger Things” : WINONA RYDER (giving “Ryder Cup”)
  • 51A. “I can’t believe we both know him” : SMALL WORLD (giving “World Cup”)

Bill’s time: 7m 56s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1. Bob Marley, e.g. : RASTA

I must admit that I don’t really know much about Rastafarianism. I do know that a “Rasta”, such as Bob Marley, is a follower of the movement. Some say that Rastafarianism is a religion, some not. I also know that it involves the worship of Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia.

Bob Marley is the most widely-known reggae performer, with big hits such as “I Shot the Sheriff”, “Woman, No Cry” and “One Love”. A little sadly perhaps, Marley’s best selling album was released three years after he died. That album would be the “legendary” album called “Legend”.

6. J. ___ Hoover : EDGAR

J. Edgar Hoover was the controversial director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from the time of its founding in 1935 until his death in 1972. While being given the credit for establishing the FBI as a first-class crime-fighting organization, he was also criticized by many for exceeding his authority. In particular, he came into conflict with Presidents Truman and Kennedy, both of whom considered dismissing him. Neither took that step however, fearing the political fallout.

11. Rainbow, for one : ARC

Sunlight shining through airborne water droplets can produce rainbows. The water droplets act as little prisms, dispersing the white light into its constituent colors. Sometimes we see double rainbows. If we look carefully, we can see that the order of the colors in the first and second arcs is reversed.

17. Kid-lit character who travels via envelope : FLAT STANLEY (giving “Stanley Cup”)

The Stanley Cup is named for Lord Stanley of Preston, the Governor General of Canada from 1888 to 1893. Lord Stanley’s sons became avid fans of ice hockey while in Canada, and so he donated the trophy in 1909, originally as a challenge cup for the country’s best amateur club.

19. Ref’s decision : TKO

Technical knockout (TKO)

20. ___ pad : STENO

Stenography is the process of writing in shorthand. The term comes from the Greek “steno” (narrow) and “graphe” (writing).

23. Hot couple : ITEM

An unmarried couple known to be involved with each other might appear in the gossip columns. This appearance as “an item” in the papers, led to the use of “item” to refer to such a couple, but only since the very early seventies.

24. Thelma’s portrayer in “Thelma & Louise” : GEENA DAVIS (giving “Davis Cup”)

As well as being a successful Hollywood actress, Geena Davis is an accomplished archer and came close to qualifying for the US archery team for the 2000 Summer Olympics. Davis is also a member of American Mensa. She is quite the lady …

“Thelma & Louise” is a thought-provoking movie, and one that is very entertaining. It was directed by Ridley Scott in 1991, and stars two fabulous leads in Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon. You’ll also spot Brad Pitt onscreen in his first significant movie role.

The Davis Cup is referred to as the “World Cup of Tennis” as teams from competing countries play in a knock-out format. Although there are now over 120 nations competing, it all started in 1900 with an event featuring teams for just the US and Great Britain. That first competition came about when four members of the Harvard University tennis team wanted to challenge the British. One of the Harvard players was Dwight D. Davis. Davis designed the format for the tournament, and bought a sterling silver trophy using his own money. The event was called the International Lawn Tennis Challenge at first, but this evolved into the Davis Cup, taking the name of the trophy awarded to the winning nation.

29. Lobster ___ Newburg : A LA

Lobster Newburg is a rich dish made from lobster with butter, cream, cognac, sherry, eggs and Cayenne pepper. The dish was created by one Ben Wenberg for Delmonico’s Restaurant in New York City in 1876, and was listed on the menu as Lobster à la Wenberg. Wenberg and the restaurant owner had a falling out, and so the restaurant owner renamed the dish to Lobster à la Newberg.

30. Aloha State bird : NENE

The nene is a bird that native to Hawaii, and is also known as the Hawaiian goose. The name “nene” is imitative of its call. When Captain Cook landed on the islands in 1778, there were 25,000 nene living there. By 1950, the number was reduced by hunting to just 30 birds. Conservation efforts in recent years have been somewhat successful. The nene was named State Bird of Hawaii in 1957.

The official nickname for Hawaii is “The Aloha State”. Hawaii is also referred to as “Paradise of the Pacific” and “The Islands of Aloha”.

31. Mexican Mrs. : SRA

The equivalent of “Mrs.” in French is “Mme.” (Madame), in Spanish is “Sra.” (Señora) and in Portuguese is also “Sra.” (Senhora).

34. U.S.O. audience : GIS

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.

36. Co-star of “Stranger Things” : WINONA RYDER (giving “Ryder Cup”)

The Hollywood actress Winona Ryder’s real name is Winona Horowitz. Ryder was born near the town of Winona in Minnesota, from which she got her name. Her success on the screen has garnered as much media attention as her life off the screen. The papers had a field day when she was arrested in 2001 on a shoplifting charge followed by a very public court appearance. Her engagement with Johnny Depp in the early nineties was another media frenzy. Depp had “Winona Forever” tattooed on his arm, which he had changed after the breakup to “Wino Forever”. A man with a sense of humor …

“Stranger Things” is a sci-fi horror TV show made for Netflix that aired its first season in 2016. I don’t do horror, and so haven’t seen it …

The Ryder Cup trophy was donated to the game of golf by Samuel Ryder, an English entrepreneur. Ryder made his money selling garden seeds in small packets. He only took up golf when he was in his fifties but became quite the enthusiast and eventually donated the trophy in 1927, when it was valued at 100 guineas. The Ryder Cup is a biennial tournament played between teams from the US and Europe.

40. Dapper fellow : DAN

A man described as a “Dapper Dan” is one who is dressed very nattily. There have been a few people who have used the Dapper Dan moniker over the years, including a gangster in the twenties called Dapper Dan Hogan and a baseball player who was active around the same time called Dapper Dan Howley.

41. U.S. city connected to the outside only by airplane, boat and sled : NOME

Nome, Alaska has over 3,500 residents, the majority of whom are Native American. The next largest ethnic group in Nome is the white population. The origin of the name “Nome” isn’t well understood, it seems. One theory is that was a misunderstanding of the local Inupiaq word meaning “Where at?”

48. Japanese garden fish : KOI

Koi are fish that are also known as Japanese carp. Koi have been bred for decorative purposes and there are now some very brightly colored examples found in Japanese water gardens.

51. “I can’t believe we both know him” : SMALL WORLD (giving “World Cup”)

The FIFA World Cup is the most prestigious tournament in the sport of soccer. The competition has been held every four years (excluding the WWII years) since the inaugural event held in Uruguay in 1930. The World Cup is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, even outranking the Olympic Games.

55. Charlie Brown expletive : RATS

The characters in the cartoon series “Peanuts” were largely drawn from Charles Schultz’s own life, with shy and withdrawn Charlie Brown representing Schultz himself.

56. Western ravines : COULEES

In the western US, a coulee is a deep gulch or ravine, as in the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington State.

59. What might bring you to a screeching halt : RED

The first traffic lights date back to 1868 when they were installed outside the Houses of Parliament in London. They resembled the signals already in use for trains, with semaphore arms and red and green gas lamps for nighttime use. That first system was operated manually, by a policeman at the base. Sadly, one police officer was killed, just one year after the light’s installation, when the gas system exploded.

64. Kimono tie : OBI

The lovely Japanese kimono is a garment worn by men, women and children. The word “kimono” translates simply as “thing to wear”, with “ki” meaning “wear” and “mono” meaning “thing”.

65. Choice for a prom : DRESS

A prom is a formal dance held upon graduation from high school (we call them “formals” over in Ireland). The term “prom” is short for “promenade”, the name given to a type of dance or ball.

68. French toast topper : SYRUP

The dish made from bread soaked in milk with beaten eggs and then fried is usually called French toast in the US, but it also goes by the names German toast and Spanish toast. In France, the dish is known as “pain perdu”, which translates as “lost bread”. This name is a reference to the fact that “lost” or stale bread can be reclaimed by dipping it in a mixture of milk and eggs and then frying it.

Down

1. U.K. flying grp. : RAF

The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the oldest independent air force in the world (i.e. the first air force to become independent of army or navy forces). The RAF was formed during WWI on 1 April 1918, a composite of two earlier forces, the Royal Flying Corps (part of the Army) and the Royal Naval Air Service. The RAF’s “finest hour” was the Battle of Britain, when the vastly outnumbered British fighters fought off the might of the Luftwaffe causing Hitler to delay his plan to cross the English Channel. This outcome prompted Winston Churchill to utter the memorable words

Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.

4. Figures on poles : TOTEMS

“Totem” is a word used to describe any entity that watches over a group of people. As such, totems are usually the subjects of worship. Totem poles are really misnamed, as they are not intended to represent figures to be worshiped, but rather are heraldic in nature often celebrating the legends or notable events in the history of a tribe.

8. Lead-bearing ore : GALENA

Galena is the most commonly used mineral to produce lead. It is a form of lead sulfide. Galena is the state mineral of Missouri and of Wisconsin.

10. Like Lady Liberty’s crown : RAYED

The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France to the United States. It was designed by sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and constructed in France by civil engineer Gustave Eiffel. The statue was disassembled, shipped to the US, and reassembled on its pedestal on Bedloe’s Island (now “Liberty Island). A ceremony of dedication was held in 1886. If you take a boat ride down the Seine in Paris you will probably see a one-third replica of Lady Liberty standing on a small island in the river, looking quite magnificent. That copy was given to the people of Paris by the city’s American community in 1889.

11. Like the ingredient acetaminophen in Tylenol : ACTIVE

Tylenol is pain relieving drug with the active ingredient acetaminophen (which is known as paracetamol outside of the US).

13. Stick in a field game : CROSSE

A lacrosse stick is also known as a crosse.

Even though lacrosse was dropped from the Olympics after the 1908 games, the sport is currently enjoying a resurgence of popularity outside of North America.

18. Dude (up) : TOG

The verb “to tog up”, meaning “to dress up”, comes from the Latin “toga” describing the garment worn in Ancient Rome. “Tog” can be also be used as an informal word for a coat or a cloak. Back in Ireland, togs are what we call swimming shorts.

22. Cleric’s house : MANSE

A manse is a minister’s home in various Christian traditions. “Manse” derives from “mansus”, the Latin for “dwelling”. The term can also be used for any stately residence.

26. Rigby who “waits at the window, wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door” : ELEANOR

When Paul McCartney was writing “Eleanor Rigby”, he started out with the title “Daisy Hawkins”. He also had a “Father McCartney” in the lyrics, but was afraid that folks would assume that was a reference to his Dad. So, he looked through the phone book and changed McCartney to McKenzie. The name Eleanor was borrowed from actress Eleanor Bron (a fine English actress who had a role in the movie “Help!”). The name Rigby came from Rigby & Evans Ltd, Wine & Spirit Shippers. Whatever it takes, I guess!

28. Poet ___ St. Vincent Millay : EDNA

Edna St. Vincent Millay was an American poet and playwright, the third woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (in 1923 for “The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver”). Millay was noted not only for her work, but also for the open arrangement that she and her husband had in their marriage. Millay took many lovers, including the poet George Dillon, for whom she wrote a number of sonnets.

34. Trainer’s workplace : GYM

Our word “gymnasium” comes from the Greek “gymnasion” meaning “public place where exercise is taken”. The Greek term comes from “gymnos” meaning “naked”, as that physical training was usually done unclothed in ancient Greece.

37. Short narrative poem : IDYLL

An “idyll” (also “idyl”) is a short poem with a pastoral theme, usually depicting the scene in romantic and idealized terms. The word comes from the Greek “eidyllion”, which literally translates to “little picture” but was a word describing a short, poem with a rustic theme.

43. Kayaker’s attire : WETSUIT

There is a type of boat used by Inuit people called an “umiak”. . The term “umiak” means “woman’s boat”, whereas “kayak” means “man’s boat”.

45. Money held by a third party : ESCROW

One type of escrow account is held by a trusted third party for two parties who have some contractual arrangement, an arrangement that is often in dispute. The third party only releases the funds when both parties have fulfilled their contractual obligations.

46. Slide presentation? : AMOEBA

An ameba (or “amoeba”, as we spell it back in Ireland) is a single-celled microorganism. The name comes from the Greek “amoibe”, meaning change. The name is quite apt, as the cell changes shape readily as the ameba moves, eats and reproduces.

47. Gulf War allies : SAUDIS

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest Arab country in the Middle East and is the world’s largest oil producer, home to the world’s largest oil reserves. The Saudi dynasty started in central Arabia in 1744 when the secular leader Muhammad ibn Saud joined forces with the Islamic scholar and Imam, Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab. At the time, Saud was a ruler of a town near Riyadh and he was determined to bring “true” Islam to the Arabian peninsula. Since 1744 the fortunes of the Saudi family have risen and fallen, but it is that same family who rules what we know today as Saudi Arabia.

The Gulf War was a response to Iraq’s invasion and annexation of Kuwait. The first major ground engagement of the conflict was the Battle of Khafji. Saddam Hussein ordered his troops to invade Saudi Arabia from Kuwait, resulting in a brief Iraqi occupation of the Saudi city of Khafji. Coalition air and ground forces regained control of the city after just one night.

48. On the up and up : KOSHER

According to Jewish dietary law, kosher food is fit to eat, and food that is not fit to eat is referred to as treif (or “tref”). The usage of “kosher” has extended to include anything considered legitimate.

50. Nativity scene : CRECHE

In the Christian tradition, a nativity scene (also “crèche”) is a display of representing the 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.

54. The Pistons, on scoreboards : DET

The NBA’s Detroit Pistons team was founded in 1941 as the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons of the National Basketball League. The team was owned by Fred Zollner, who supplied pistons to the automotive industry. The Pistons moved from Indiana to Detroit in 1957.

61. The Fighting Tigers of the N.C.A.A. : LSU

The Tigers are the sports teams of Louisiana State University (LSU). They are officially known as the Fightin’ Tigers, and the school mascot is “Mike the Tiger”. The name comes from the days of the Civil War, when two Louisiana brigades earned the nickname the “Louisiana Tigers”. Given the French/Cajun history of Louisiana, the LSU fans use the cheer “Geaux Tigers” instead of “Go Tigers”.

62. Subj. of a test that might involve identifying playing cards : ESP

Zener cards were developed in the early thirties by psychologist Karl Zener, for use in experiments related to extra-sensory perception (ESP). These five simple and distinctive cards replaced the standard deck of cards that had been used in trials up to that point. The five symbols used on the cards are a circle, a cross, three wavy lines, a square and a star.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Bob Marley, e.g. : RASTA
6. J. ___ Hoover : EDGAR
11. Rainbow, for one : ARC
14. Choir voices : ALTOS
15. Band at a royal wedding : TIARA
16. Elevator unit : CAR
17. Kid-lit character who travels via envelope : FLAT STANLEY (giving “Stanley Cup”)
19. Ref’s decision : TKO
20. ___ pad : STENO
21. Communists and capitalists, e.g. : ENEMIES
23. Hot couple : ITEM
24. Thelma’s portrayer in “Thelma & Louise” : GEENA DAVIS (giving “Davis Cup”)
27. Trumped-up : FALSE
29. Lobster ___ Newburg : A LA
30. Aloha State bird : NENE
31. Mexican Mrs. : SRA
32. Catastrophic : DIRE
34. U.S.O. audience : GIS
36. Co-star of “Stranger Things” : WINONA RYDER (giving “Ryder Cup”)
40. Dapper fellow : DAN
41. U.S. city connected to the outside only by airplane, boat and sled : NOME
42. What debtors do : OWE
45. “Piece of cake” : EASY
48. Japanese garden fish : KOI
49. Tops : ACMES
51. “I can’t believe we both know him” : SMALL WORLD (giving “World Cup”)
55. Charlie Brown expletive : RATS
56. Western ravines : COULEES
57. Ideal places : EDENS
59. What might bring you to a screeching halt : RED
60. Protective sportswear … or a hint to the ends of 17-, 24-, 36- and 51-Across : ATHLETIC CUP
64. Kimono tie : OBI
65. Choice for a prom : DRESS
66. His and her : THEIR
67. “Now where ___ I?” : WAS
68. French toast topper : SYRUP
69. Having some kick : ZESTY

Down

1. U.K. flying grp. : RAF
2. Standout player : ALL-STAR
3. What a governor enforces : STATE LAW
4. Figures on poles : TOTEMS
5. Org. : ASSN
6. GPS display : ETA
7. Racket : DIN
8. Lead-bearing ore : GALENA
9. Big concert venue : ARENA
10. Like Lady Liberty’s crown : RAYED
11. Like the ingredient acetaminophen in Tylenol : ACTIVE
12. Make hand over fist : RAKE IN
13. Stick in a field game : CROSSE
18. Dude (up) : TOG
22. Cleric’s house : MANSE
23. Provisos : IFS
25. Become worthy of : EARN
26. Rigby who “waits at the window, wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door” : ELEANOR
28. Poet ___ St. Vincent Millay : EDNA
33. It’s not free of charge : ION
34. Trainer’s workplace : GYM
35. Brainstorm : IDEA
37. Short narrative poem : IDYLL
38. Stir up : ROIL
39. Woos : ROMANCES
43. Kayaker’s attire : WETSUIT
44. Double curve : ESS
45. Money held by a third party : ESCROW
46. Slide presentation? : AMOEBA
47. Gulf War allies : SAUDIS
48. On the up and up : KOSHER
50. Nativity scene : CRECHE
52. Performers who get top billing : LEADS
53. Humble reply to “Great job, folks!” : WE TRY
54. The Pistons, on scoreboards : DET
58. Airhead : DITZ
61. The Fighting Tigers of the N.C.A.A. : LSU
62. Subj. of a test that might involve identifying playing cards : ESP
63. Get too personal : PRY