Constructed by: Byron Walden
Edited by: Will Shortz
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… syndicated NY Times crossword
Today’s Theme: None
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Bill’s time: 19m 19s
Bill’s errors: 2
- YADA (ya-ya)
- NADERITE (nayerite)
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
1 People for whom a state is named : IOWAS
The Iowa Native-American people are a Siouan nation. The Iowa speak the Chiwere language, along with the Missouria and Otoe tribes.
6 Dolts : JACKASSES
A female donkey/ass is known as a jenny and a male is known as a jack, or sometimes “jackass”. We started using the term “jackass” to mean “fool” in the 1820s.
18 Person with a 99801 ZIP code : JUNEAUITE
Given that it’s the capital of the vast state of Alaska, it is perhaps not surprising to learn that the municipality of Juneau is almost as big as the area of the states of Rhode Island and Delaware combined. And yet, Juneau only has a population of about 31,000 people!
21 ___ Babbitt, inventor of the circular saw : TABITHA
Tabitha Babbitt was a Shaker, and so did not patent her circular saw invention.
30 Like the county where Jack Daniel’s is manufactured : DRY
I used to live in Tennessee, and one weekend took a tour of the Jack Daniel’s distillery in Lynchburg. After watching all the whiskey being produced, we were brought to a room for “refreshments”. We were given lemonade and no samples of the whiskey were offered, because the distillery is located in Moore County, Tennessee, a dry country …
31 U.S. motto starter : IN GOD …
“In God we trust” was adopted as the official motto of the US in 1956. The phrase apparently originated in the national anthem “The Star-Spangled Banner”, the words of which were written during the War of 1812. The actual wording in the anthem is “And this be our motto: ‘In God is our trust’”. Over time, this lyric evolved to “In God we trust”.
33 Role for Robin Williams in Kenneth Branagh’s “Hamlet,” 1996 : OSRIC
In William Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet”, Osric is the courtier that Claudius dispatches to invite Hamlet to participate in a duel.
42 Nativity scene decoration : STRAW
In the Christian tradition, a nativity scene (also “crèche”) is a display representing 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.
52 Fine parchment material : VELLUM
The writing material known as “parchment” is made by processing the untanned skins of animals. If calfskin is used, the writing material is known as “vellum”. Parchment is usually made from the skins of goats, sheep and cows. The term “parchment” comes from the name of the city of Pergamon, which was a major center of parchment production in ancient Greece.
55 How a storm might be tracked : ON RADAR
Scientists have been using radio waves to detect the presence of objects since the late 1800s, but it was the demands of WWII that accelerated the practical application of the technology. The British called their system RDF standing for Range and Direction Finding. The system used by the US Navy was called “Radio Detection And Ranging”, which was shortened to the acronym “RADAR”.
61 Dead letter, in a mail sorter’s vernacular : NIXIE
Dead letter mail is undeliverable, cannot be delivered to the addressee nor returned to the sender. Here in the US, once a letter has been deemed undeliverable, postal workers are permitted to violate the principle of secrecy of correspondence in an attempt to track down the letter’s origin or destination.
62 Surreal : DREAMLIKE
The cultural movement known as Surrealism emerged in the 1920s, and grew out of the Dada activities that were a response to WWI. The term “surrealist” was coined by Guillaume Apollinaire, when he used it in the preface of his play “Les Mamelles de Tirésias”.
63 Buzzy group : GNATS
Gnats are attracted to the smell of rotting food, and vinegar. Simple homemade traps that use vinegar are often constructed to attract and kill gnats.
64 Common name for potassium nitrate : SALTPETER
The chemical name for saltpeter (also “saltpetre, niter, nitre”) is potassium nitrate. The exact origin of the name “saltpeter” isn’t clear, but it may have come from the Latin “sal petrae” meaning “stone salt”. The main use for potassium nitrate is as a fertilizer, a source of potassium and nitrogen. As it is a powerful oxidizing agent, it is also used in amateur rocket propellants. Anyone who has ignited one of those “engines” would have noticed the lilac-colored flame, indicating the presence of potassium.
65 Piazza, for one : EX-MET
Mike Piazza is a former MLB catcher who spent most of his playing career with the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Piazza retired from the game in 2007, but turned to the game again in 2019 when he took on management of the Italian National Baseball team.
Down
5 “The sea is the universal ___”: Jacques Cousteau : SEWER
Jacques-Yves Cousteau started off his career in the French Navy, aiming for a working life in aviation. Because of a car accident, Cousteau had to abandon his first career choice and instead went to sea. Famously, he co-invented the Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA), also called the aqua-lung.
6 Fruit-flavored gumdrop : JUJUBE
Here in the US, the “Jujubes” are a brand of gummy candies. North of the border in Canada, “jujube” is a generic term for various gummy jelly candies. The more nutritious jujube fruit comes from the jujube plant, also known as the red date.
7 Toon husband of Manjula : APU
The fictional Kwik-E-Mart store is operated by Apu Nahasapeemapetilon on “The Simpsons” TV show. Apu is married to Manjula, and the couple have eight children. The convenience store owner doesn’t seem to be making much use of his Ph.D in computer science that he earned in the US. Apu’s undergraduate degree is from Caltech (the Calcutta Technical Institute), where he graduated top of his class of seven million students …
32 Music’s Outkast and Erasure, e.g. : DUOS
OutKast is a hip hop duo consisting of rappers André 3000 and Big Boi.
39 One with an “If You Choose the Lesser of Two Evils — You Are Still Choosing Evil” bumper sticker, perhaps : NADERITE
Ralph Nader has run as a third-party candidate for the office of President of the United States four times now, in every election from 1996 to 2008. Nader’s name was first linked with the presidential race in 1971, when the famous Dr. Benjamin Spock offered to stand aside as a candidate in the 1972 race if Nader would agree to run, but he declined.
43 30-yr. securities : T-BONDS
A Treasury note (T-note) is a government debt that matures in 1-10 years. A T-note has a coupon (interest) payment made every six months. The T-note is purchased at a discount to face value, and at the date of maturity can be redeemed at that face value. A Treasury bill (T-bill) is a similar financial vehicle, but it matures in one year or less, and a T-bond matures in 20-30 years.
53 Canine affliction : MANGE
Mange is a skin disorder in animals caused by parasitic mites that embed themselves in the skin, perhaps living in hair follicles. The same disorder in humans is called scabies. We use the adjective “mangy” to describe an animal suffering from mange, but also anything that is seedy or shabby.
58 Spoil, superstitiously : JINX
A jinx is a charm or a spell. The word “jinx” comes from an older word “jyng” from the 17th-century. A “jyng” was a wryneck, a type of bird much used in witchcraft.
60 Barinholtz of “The Mindy Project” : IKE
Ike Barinholtz is an actor and comedian who appeared on MADtv from 2002 until 2007. More recently, Barinholtz became a writer on the TV show “The Mindy Project”, and was then cast as Nurse Morgan Tookers.
“The Mindy Project” is a Fox sitcom that stars and was created by Mindy Kaling. Mindy plays an obstetrician/gynecologist, a role that was inspired by her own mother who is an OB/GYN.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 People for whom a state is named : IOWAS
6 Dolts : JACKASSES
15 Clear one’s head? : SHAVE
16 Abruptly resign : UP AND QUIT
17 Confounded : THREW
18 Person with a 99801 ZIP code : JUNEAUITE
19 School co-founded by Albert Einstein in 1918, informally : HEBREW U
21 ___ Babbitt, inventor of the circular saw : TABITHA
22 With 12-Down, unfit : ILL
23 Salty and spicy : RIBALD
25 Judge : DEEM
26 Overly sentimental fare : SLOP
28 Round bits : ZEROES
30 Like the county where Jack Daniel’s is manufactured : DRY
31 U.S. motto starter : IN GOD …
33 Role for Robin Williams in Kenneth Branagh’s “Hamlet,” 1996 : OSRIC
35 They have everyone buzzing : TOSS-UP QUESTIONS
41 Shape of the heart’s electromagnetic field : TORUS
42 Nativity scene decoration : STRAW
43 Click that is often doubled : TSK
46 A piece of cake : SO EASY
49 “Blah” alternative : YADA
50 Word with belly or barrel : BEER
52 Fine parchment material : VELLUM
54 Male name hidden in this clue : LEN
55 How a storm might be tracked : ON RADAR
57 “How lousy of me” : I’M A JERK
59 Private : NONPUBLIC
61 Dead letter, in a mail sorter’s vernacular : NIXIE
62 Surreal : DREAMLIKE
63 Buzzy group : GNATS
64 Common name for potassium nitrate : SALTPETER
65 Piazza, for one : EX-MET
Down
1 “Perhaps I have what you’re looking for?” : IS THIS IT?
2 “Abso-freakin-lutely not!” : OH HELL NO!
3 Battle sites? : WAR BLOGS
4 Contend : AVER
5 “The sea is the universal ___”: Jacques Cousteau : SEWER
6 Fruit-flavored gumdrop : JUJUBE
7 Toon husband of Manjula : APU
8 Surefire : CAN’T LOSE
9 Ones working with bread : KNEADERS
10 Not much, as of gel : A DAB
11 Ika, in a sushi restaurant : SQUID
12 See 22-Across : SUITED
13 Disjunctive conjunction : EITHER
14 R-rated, as a love scene : STEAMY
20 Crackerjack : WIZ
24 Excitement : AROUSAL
27 Put on the board : POST
29 Tends to a minor issue? : SITS
32 Music’s Outkast and Erasure, e.g. : DUOS
34 It has its limits : CITY
36 Like the strongest cases : PROVABLE
37 Genre for “Fun Home” and “Stone Butch Blues” : QUEER LIT
38 Thesis defense, e.g. : ORAL EXAM
39 One with an “If You Choose the Lesser of Two Evils — You Are Still Choosing Evil” bumper sticker, perhaps : NADERITE
40 Most chic : SWANKEST
43 30-yr. securities : T-BONDS
44 Overseas title : SENORA
45 Ear lobe? : KERNEL
47 Deli machine : SLICER
48 Positive restaurant review? : YUM
51 Knock on : RAP AT
53 Canine affliction : MANGE
56 Hovel : DUMP
58 Spoil, superstitiously : JINX
60 Barinholtz of “The Mindy Project” : IKE
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