1012-22 NY Times Crossword 12 Oct 22, Wednesday

Constructed by: Drew Schmenner
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: Auto-Tune

Themed answers are the names of TUNES about AUTOS:

  • 60A Modern music staple that’s a punny description of 17-, 24-, 38- and 48-Across : AUTO-TUNE
    • 17A Top 10 funk hit from War with an iconic bass line (1975) : LOW RIDER
    • 24A Classic Wilson Pickett cover (1966) : MUSTANG SALLY
    • 38A Tracy Chapman hit with the line “I had a feeling I could be someone” (1988) : FAST CAR
    • 48A Janis Joplin’s final recording, which had an anticonsumerism message (1970) : MERCEDES BENZ

    Bill’s time: 9m 28s

    Bill’s errors: 0

    Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

    Across

    1 Vegetable rich in vitamin K, appropriately : KALE

    Vitamin K is actually a group of vitamins that are essential to the process of blood coagulation. A form of vitamin K is also involved in photosynthesis in plants, so green leafy vegetables are the best source of the vitamin for humans.

    5 Undergrad conferrals, for short : BAS

    Bachelor of Arts (BA)

    15 Gymnast Raisman : ALY

    Aly Raisman is a retired gymnast. She captained the US gold-winning teams in the Olympics in 2012 (“The Fierce Five”) and in 2016 (“The Final Five”).

    17 Top 10 funk hit from War with an iconic bass line (1975) : LOW RIDER

    “Low Rider” is a 1975 song written and recorded by the band War. It was used as the theme song for the sitcom “George Lopez”, which ran from 2002 to 2007. Lopez referred to the song as the “Chicano National Anthem”.

    20 Inspiration for some psychedelic music : LSD

    The term “psychedelic” was coined in 1956 by British-born psychiatrist Humphry Osmond. He proposed the term to describe the effects of taking the drugs LSD and mescaline. He suggested that “psychedelic” be defined as “mind-manifesting”, from the Greek “psyche” (mind) and “delos” (manifest).

    21 ___ Kondo, organizing guru : MARIE

    Marie Kondo runs a very successful organizing consulting business that she founded when she was 19 years old, and while a student at Tokyo Woman’s Christian University. She wrote an extremely successful book titled “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing” that was first published in 2011. I’ve read it, and acted on at least some of the advice given therein …

    24 Classic Wilson Pickett cover (1966) : MUSTANG SALLY

    “Mustang Sally” is a 1965 song written and recorded by Mack Rice that became famous through a cover version released by Wilson Pickett the following year. Personally, my favorite rendition appears in the 1991 film “The Commitments”, sung by Andrew Strong (when he was just 16 years old).

    31 Garment traditionally woven from white wool : TOGA

    In ancient Rome, the classical attire known as a toga (plural “togae” or “togas”) was usually worn over a tunic. The tunic was made from linen, and the toga itself was a piece of cloth about twenty feet long made from wool. The toga could only be worn by men, and only if those men were Roman citizens. The female equivalent of the toga was called a “stola”.

    32 Close chica : AMIGA

    In Spanish, an “amigo” is a male friend, and an “amiga” a female friend.

    In Spanish, a “niña” is a young girl, a child. The term “chica” applies to an older girl or perhaps a young woman. The term “muchacha” applies to girls in general, I think …

    34 Cartoon collectible : CEL

    In the world of animation, a cel is a transparent sheet on which objects and characters are drawn. In the first half of the 20th century the sheet was actually made of celluloid, giving the “cel” its name.

    37 Sports trainer’s concern, for short : ACL

    The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of four major ligaments that support the knee.

    38 Tracy Chapman hit with the line “I had a feeling I could be someone” (1988) : FAST CAR

    “Fast Car” is a 1988 song written and recorded by Tracy Chapman. The song got a big boost that year when she performed it at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert broadcast around the world from Wembley Stadium in London.

    41 Small dog : TOY

    The toy group of dogs is made up of the smallest breeds. The smallest of the small breeds are sometimes called teacup breeds.

    43 Water balloons on a hot day, say : AMMO

    The word “munitions” describes materials and equipment used in war. The term derives from the Latin “munitionem” meaning “fortification, defensive wall”. Back in the 17th century, French soldiers referred to such materials as “la munition”, a Middle French term. This was misheard as “l’ammunition”, and as a result we ended up importing the word “ammunition” (often shortened to “ammo”), a term that we now use mainly to describe the material fired from a weapon.

    48 Janis Joplin’s final recording, which had an anticonsumerism message (1970) : MERCEDES BENZ

    “Mercedes Benz” is a 1970 song co-written and released by Janis Joplin. It was recorded just three days before Joplin died from a heroin overdose, and released the following year.

    54 Proof finale, in brief : QED

    The initialism “QED” is used at the end of a mathematical proof or a philosophical argument. QED stands for the Latin “quod erat demonstrandum” meaning “that which was to be demonstrated”.

    57 Rich, fashionable sorts : JET SET

    The jet set comprises wealthy individuals who frequent the fashionable resorts around the world. The term “jet set” was coined in 1951, and actually predated (slightly) the introduction of jet planes for commuter flights.

    60 Modern music staple that’s a punny description of 17-, 24-, 38- and 48-Across : AUTO-TUNE

    Auto-Tune is a proprietary audio process that is primarily used to alter pitch in a recorded track. One of the main uses of Auto-Tune is to correct voice tracks that are slightly off-pitch, which probably explains why even professional singers tend to sound better on a recording than they do live. More extreme levels of Auto-Tune adjustment are now quite common, creating a sound effect that distorts vocals. Such sound effects really took off with the release of Cher’s 1998 hit song “Believe”, in which you can really notice the vocal distortion.

    64 People that built the Temple of Kukulkan : MAYA

    The Mayan civilization held sway in Central America and Mexico from about 350 AD, until the arrival of the Spanish in the 1500s.

    66 Winter hrs. in Boston : EST

    The city of Boston, Massachusetts was founded in 1630 by Puritan colonists from England. The area was eventually named for the city of Boston in Lincolnshire, England from where several of the colonists hailed.

    67 Printer toner color : CYAN

    “Cyan” is short for “cyan blue”. The term comes from the Greek word “kyanos” meaning “dark blue, the color of lapis lazuli”.

    Four-color printing uses four different color inks: cyan, magenta, yellow and black. The black ink is also known as the “key”. The first letter of the colors (with black being ”key”) give the more common name for four-color printing, namely CMYK.

    Down

    2 Foofaraws : ADOS

    Foofaraw is excessive or flashy ornamentation, or a fuss over something that is unimportant.

    4 Home of the body’s vestibular system : EAR

    The inner ear is primarily responsible for detecting sound and maintaining balance. It comprises two main parts. The cochlea is the sensory organ of hearing, and the vestibular system coordinates movement with balance.

    7 Turkey is on top of this : SYRIA

    The modern state that we know as Syria was established after WWI as a French mandate. Syria was granted independence from France in 1946.

    9 “___ más!” : UNO

    In Spanish, one might request “uno más” (one more) in a “cantina” (canteen, café).

    10 Caterpillars and such : LARVAE

    Caterpillars are the larval form of butterflies and moths.

    12 Palace resident : ROYAL

    Our word “palace” ultimately comes from the name of Rome’s Palatine Hill, “Mons Palatinus” in Latin. The original “palace” was the house of Augustus Caesar, which stood on the Palatine Hill.

    13 “ur joking, right?!” : SRSLY?!

    “Srsly?” is text-speak for “seriously?”

    24 Sport with cage matches, in brief : MMA

    Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact combat sport in which competitors use a variety of techniques from a variety of traditional combat sports and martial arts.

    25 Lady ___ : GAGA

    “Lady Gaga” is the stage name of Stefani Germanotta. Germanotta is a big fan of the band Queen, and she took her stage name from the marvelous Queen song titled “Radio Ga Ga”.

    28 Bonkers : LOCO

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

    The word “bonkers” meaning “crazy” originated in the fifties. The term might come from navy slang meaning “slightly drunk”, behaving as though one received a “bonk” on the head.

    35 Friend of Telly and Zoe : ELMO

    The “Sesame Street” character named Elmo has a birthday every February 3rd, and on that birthday he always turns 3½ years old. The man behind/under Elmo on “Sesame Street” for many years was Kevin Clash. If you want to learn more about Elmo and Clash, you can watch the 2011 documentary “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey”.

    38 Prix ___ : FIXE

    On a restaurant menu, items that are “à la carte” are priced and ordered separately. A menu marked “table d’hôte” (also called “prix fixe”) is a fixed-price menu with limited choice. “Table d’hôte” translates from French as “table of the host”.

    43 Woodcarving tool : ADZ

    An adze (also “adz”) is similar to an ax, but is different in that the blade of an adze is set at right angles to the tool’s shaft. An ax blade is set in line with the shaft.

    47 “___ the Wild” (2007 film) : INTO

    “Into the Wild” is an interesting 2007 film directed by Sean Penn that is based on a nonfiction book of the same name by Jon Krakauer. The book and movie tell the true story of Christopher McCandless, a young man who hiked into the Alaskan wilderness with very little food and equipment, seeking an extended period of solitude. After four months alone he was found dead from starvation. At the time of death, he weighed only 67 pounds.

    48 Minimum wage employment, informally : MCJOB

    “McJob” is a slang term for a low-paying position that offers little chance for advancement. The term comes from front-line jobs at a McDonald’s fast-food restaurant.

    49 Kagan of the Supreme Court : ELENA

    Elena Kagan was the Solicitor General of the United States from 2009 until 2010, when she replaced Justice John Paul Stevens on the US Supreme Court. That made Justice Kagan the first female US Solicitor General and the fourth female US Supreme Court justice. Kagan also served as the first female dean of Harvard Law School from 2003 to 2009.

    55 Singer born Eithne Ní Bhraonáin : ENYA

    Enya’s real name is Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, which can translate from Irish into Enya Brennan. Her Donegal family (in the northwest of Ireland) formed a band called Clannad, which included Enya. In 1980 Enya launched her very successful solo career, eventually becoming Ireland’s best-selling solo musician. And, she sure does turn up a lot in crosswords!

    59 Actor Danson : TED

    Actor Ted Danson is noted in particular for three successful roles that he has played on television. He played Sam Malone on the sitcom “Cheers”, the title role on the sitcom “Becker”, and eventually led the cast on the drama series “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”. Danson has been married to actress Mary Steenburgen since 1995.

    Complete List of Clues/Answers

    Across

    1 Vegetable rich in vitamin K, appropriately : KALE
    5 Undergrad conferrals, for short : BAS
    8 Sticks around a classroom? : RULERS
    14 “I have no ___” : IDEA
    15 Gymnast Raisman : ALY
    16 Captivate : ENAMOR
    17 Top 10 funk hit from War with an iconic bass line (1975) : LOW RIDER
    19 Initial attempts : FORAYS
    20 Inspiration for some psychedelic music : LSD
    21 ___ Kondo, organizing guru : MARIE
    23 Serum vessel : VIAL
    24 Classic Wilson Pickett cover (1966) : MUSTANG SALLY
    27 Bad streaks : SLUMPS
    30 Some damning evidence : TAPES
    31 Garment traditionally woven from white wool : TOGA
    32 Close chica : AMIGA
    34 Cartoon collectible : CEL
    37 Sports trainer’s concern, for short : ACL
    38 Tracy Chapman hit with the line “I had a feeling I could be someone” (1988) : FAST CAR
    40 What “XXX” might represent in comics : ALE
    41 Small dog : TOY
    42 “You got me this time!” : I GIVE!
    43 Water balloons on a hot day, say : AMMO
    44 Wore out : TAXED
    46 Seeks at an auction : BIDS ON
    48 Janis Joplin’s final recording, which had an anticonsumerism message (1970) : MERCEDES BENZ
    52 “I have no ___” : CLUE
    53 Water balloon sound : SPLAT!
    54 Proof finale, in brief : QED
    57 Rich, fashionable sorts : JET SET
    60 Modern music staple that’s a punny description of 17-, 24-, 38- and 48-Across : AUTO-TUNE
    62 Available, as a London cab : ON HIRE
    63 Prefix with city or state : TRI-
    64 People that built the Temple of Kukulkan : MAYA
    65 Moistened, in a way : BASTED
    66 Winter hrs. in Boston : EST
    67 Printer toner color : CYAN

    Down

    1 Crush (it) : KILL
    2 Foofaraws : ADOS
    3 Like some PG-13 language : LEWD
    4 Home of the body’s vestibular system : EAR
    5 Supercool individual : BADASS
    6 Smartphone notification : ALERT
    7 Turkey is on top of this : SYRIA
    8 Expert with flags, perhaps : REF
    9 “___ más!” : UNO
    10 Caterpillars and such : LARVAE
    11 Many messages in spam folders : EMAIL SCAMS
    12 Palace resident : ROYAL
    13 “ur joking, right?!” : SRSLY?!
    18 Waking announcement : I’M UP
    22 Tempt : ENTICE
    24 Sport with cage matches, in brief : MMA
    25 Lady ___ : GAGA
    26 Get a round of punch? : SPAR
    27 “Right now” : STAT
    28 Bonkers : LOCO
    29 Unpleasant realities : UGLY TRUTHS
    32 Some stage whispers : ASIDES
    33 “Catfish” airer : MTV
    35 Friend of Telly and Zoe : ELMO
    36 Name hidden in “paleontology” : LEON
    38 Prix ___ : FIXE
    39 Gray-haired, say : AGED
    43 Woodcarving tool : ADZ
    45 Doesn’t just pass the test : ACES IT
    46 “Get outta here!” : BEAT IT!
    47 “___ the Wild” (2007 film) : INTO
    48 Minimum wage employment, informally : MCJOB
    49 Kagan of the Supreme Court : ELENA
    50 Sudden wave : SPATE
    51 Obscures : BLURS
    54 Docking spot : QUAY
    55 Singer born Eithne Ní Bhraonáin : ENYA
    56 Many a diploma signer : DEAN
    58 Before, poetically : ERE
    59 Actor Danson : TED
    61 Cable option for cinephiles : TMC