1028-20 NY Times Crossword 28 Oct 20, Wednesday

Constructed by: Peter Gordon
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Carrie Bradshaw Said …

Themed answers finish off a quote by Carrie Bradshaw, the protagonist in “Sex and the City”:

  • 1A With 21-, 30-, 49-, 61- and 74-Across, end of a Carrie Bradshaw quote that starts “Men in their 40s are like the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle …” : … TRICKY, …
  • 21A Part 2 of the quote : … COMPLICATED AND …
  • 30A Part 3 : … YOU’RE NEVER …
  • 49A Part 4 : … REALLY SURE …
  • 61A Part 5 : … YOU GOT THE RIGHT …
  • 74A End of the quote : … ANSWER

Bill’s time: 12m 41s!

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 With 21-, 30-, 49-, 61- and 74-Across, end of a Carrie Bradshaw quote that starts “Men in their 40s are like the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle …” : … TRICKY, …

The HBO show “Sex and the City” is based on a book of the same name by Candace Bushnell. Bushnell created the book by compiling columns that she wrote for the “New York Observer”. The lead character Carrie Bradshaw is really Bushnell’s alter ego (note that the initials CB apply both to author and character).

11 Peter the Great, for one : TSAR

Peter the Great (aka “Peter I”) was perhaps the most successful of the Romanov tsars, and was famous for modernizing Russia and expanding the country’s sphere of influence, creating the Russian Empire. He ruled from 1682 until his death in 1725.

16 Orchestra tuner : OBOE

When you hear an orchestra tuning before a performance, you’ll note (pun!) that the oboe starts off the process by playing an “A”. The rest of the musicians in turn tune to that oboe’s “A”.

18 Turkish inn : IMARET

Imarets were inns or hostels used by pilgrims throughout the Ottoman Empire. The network of imarets was set up to provide food to anyone in need, so they also served as soup kitchens, as it were.

19 Frequent “S.N.L.” role for Beck Bennett : MIKE PENCE

Mike Pence served as the 50th Governor of Indiana from 2013 until 2017, when he became the 48th Vice President of the US, in the Trump administration. Famously, Vice President Pence has described himself as “a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, in that order”, although he grew up in an Irish-Catholic Democrat family.

23 Category in pitching’s Triple Crown, in brief : ERA

In Major League baseball, a player can earn the Triple Crown when he is the leader in three specific statistics. The pitching Triple Crown includes wins, strikeouts and earned run average (ERA). The batting Triple Crown includes home runs, runs batted in (RBI) and batting average.

24 Exam for a wannabe A.D.A. : LSAT

Law School Admission Test (LSAT)

Assistant District Attorney (Asst. DA, ADA)

34 Like two-thirds of Fibonacci numbers : ODD

Leonardo of Pisa was a famous and respected Italian mathematician, also known as simply “Fibonacci”. He is remembered for writing about a number sequence (although he didn’t “discover” it) that later was given the name “Fibonacci sequence”. He wrote about the series of numbers in his book called “Liber Abaci”, a celebrated work that introduced Arabic numerals (i.e. 0-9) to the Western world.

37 Flatow of public radio : IRA

“Science Friday” is an excellent talk show broadcast every Friday on NPR, and hosted by Ira Flatow. Flatow is known to television audiences as the host of “Newton’s Apple”, which ran from 1983 to 1998.

38 Major-league manager Kapler : GABE

Gabe Kapler was an MLB outfielder who played professional ball for 13 seasons. He spent one season playing in Japan, and in 2013 coached the Israeli national baseball team.

41 Do some lexicography : DEFINE

A lexicographer is someone who compiles a dictionary. The term comes into English via French from the Greek “lexikon” meaning “wordbook”, and “graphos” meaning “writer”.

44 Sicken with sweetness : CLOY

To cloy is to cause distaste by oversupplying something that would otherwise be pleasant, especially something with a sweet taste.

47 Liberty Mutual commercial mascot : EMU

Liberty Mutual is an insurance company based in Boston. The business was founded in 1912 as the Massachusetts Employees Insurance Association (MEIA). Liberty Mutual has a famous advertising icon named LiMu Emu.

57 Senate rebuke : ET TU?

It was Shakespeare who popularized the words “Et tu, Brute?” (meaning “And you, Brutus?”). They appear in his play “Julius Caesar”, although the phrase had been around long before he penned his drama. It’s not known what Julius Caesar actually said in real life (if anything at all) as he was assassinated on the steps of the Senate in Rome.

66 Casual ristorante : TRATTORIA

A trattoria is an Italian restaurant. In Italian, a “trattore” is the keeper of said eating house.

68 U.S. Navy builder : SEABEE

The Seabees are members of the Construction Battalions (CB) of the US Navy, from which the name “Seabee” originates. There’s a great 1944 movie called “The Fighting Seabees” starring John Wayne that tells the story of the birth of the Seabees during WWII. The Seabees’ official motto is “Construimus. Batuimus”, Latin for “We build. We fight.” The group’s unofficial motto is “Can Do!”

70 Dolly’s last name in “Hello, Dolly!” : LEVI

“Hello, Dolly!” is a Broadway musical that was first produced in 1964, and adapted into a hugely successful movie in 1969. The title role of Dolly Levi was played by Barbra Streisand in the film, with Gene Kelly directing and a leading part for a young Michael Crawford. The stage show was revived on Broadway in 2017, with Bette Midler in the title role.

71 Whispered name in “The Raven” : LENORE

“The Raven” is a narrative poem by Edgar Allan Poe that tells of a student who has lost the love of his life, Lenore. A raven enters the student’s bedchamber and perches on a bust of Pallas. The raven can talk, to the student’s surprise, but says nothing but the word “nevermore” (“quoth the raven, ‘Nevermore’”). As the student questions all aspects of his life, the raven taunts him with the same comment, “nevermore”. Finally, the student decides that his soul is trapped beneath the raven’s shadow and shall be lifted “nevermore”.

Down

2 Suckerfish that attaches itself to sharks : REMORA

Remoras are also called “suckerfish”, which name is descriptive of one of the fish’s basic behaviors. One of the remoras dorsal fins is in the shape of a “sucker”, allowing it to take a firm hold on a larger marine animal, hitching a ride.

3 Line in an old series of Apple commercials : I’M A MAC

The “Get a Mac” ad television campaign that ran from 2006 to 2009 featured just two men standing against a white background. The guy on the left called himself a PC, and was played by author and actor John Hodgman. The guy on the right called himself a Mac, and was played by actor Justin Long.

4 N.Y.S.E. listing: Abbr. : CORP

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) can give some quite descriptive ticker symbols to companies, for example:

  • Anheuser-Busch (BUD, for “Budweiser”)
  • Molson Coors Brewing Company (TAP, as in “beer tap”)
  • Steinway Musical Instruments (LVB, for “Ludwig van Beethoven”)
  • Sotheby’s (BID, for the auction house)

6 What members of the Church of the SubGenius parody religion claim to be descended from : YETIS

The yeti, also known as the abominable snowman, is a beast of legend. “Yeti” is a Tibetan term, and the beast is fabled to live in the Himalayan regions of Nepal and Tibet. Our equivalent legend in North America is that of Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch. The study of animals whose existence have not yet been substantiated is called cryptozoology, and a cryptid is a creature or plant that isn’t recognized by the scientific community, but the existence of which has been suggested.

7 First Campbell’s Soup flavor, introduced in 1895 : TOMATO

The Campbell’s Soup company is named for one of the enterprise’s two founders, Joseph A. Campbell. He and Abraham Anderson started the business in 1869. The iconic design of the Campbell’s can was introduced in 1898 and has hardly changed since then. The gold seal in the design comes from the 1900 Paris Exhibition.

8 Piece that often includes a D.O.B. : OBIT

Our word “obituary” comes from the Latin “obituaris”. The Latin term was used for “record of the death of a person”, although the literal meaning is “pertaining to death”.

9 Raw fish dish : POKE

Poke is a Native-Hawaiian dish featuring diced raw fish. “Poke” is a Hawaiian word meaning “to slice”.

12 Arizona State University mascot : SUN DEVIL

Arizona State University (ASU) has a long history, and was founded as the Tempe Normal School for the Arizona Territory in 1885. The athletic teams of ASU used to be known as the Normals, then the Bulldogs, and since 1946 they’ve been called the Sun Devils.

13 Compass creation : ARC

We use the term “compass” to describe both a drawing tool/mathematical instrument, and a mariner’s directional tool. The name was applied first to the drawing tool, back in the 1300s. The usage extended to the navigational tool a century later. That extension of usage is probably because a directional compass is circular and has a needle or point, and so resembles the mathematical instrument.

14 GPS calculation: Abbr. : RTE

A global positioning system (GPS) might point out a route (rte.).

22 Coral reef : CAY

A key (also “cay”) is a low offshore island, as in the Florida “Keys”. Our term in English comes from the Spanish “cayo” meaning “shoal, reef”.

27 See through? : X-RAY

X-rays were first studied comprehensively by the German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen (also “Roentgen”), and it was he who gave the name “X-rays” to this particular type of radiation. Paradoxically, in Röntgen’s native language of German, X-rays are routinely referred to as “Röntgen rays”. In 1901, Röntgen’s work on X-rays won him the first Nobel Prize in Physics that was ever awarded.

29 Good eggs? : ROE

Roe is the name given to fish eggs and to the ovaries of a fish laden with eggs.

31 Rap’s Lil ___ Vert : UZI

“Lil Uzi Vert” is the stage name of rapper Symere Woods from Philadelphia.

32 Saw print : RAN

Was in a print run.

33 Modern pentathlon event : EPEE

The original pentathlon of the ancient Olympic games consisted of a foot race, wrestling, long jump, javelin and discus. When a new pentathlon was created as a sport for the modern Olympic Games, it was given the name the “modern pentathlon”. First introduced in 1912, the modern pentathlon consists of:

  1. pistol shooting
  2. épée fencing
  3. 200m freestyle swimming
  4. show jumping
  5. 3km cross-country running

35 It’s called “le jour J” in France : D-DAY

The most famous D-Day in history was June 6, 1944, the date of the Normandy landings in WWII. The term “D-Day” is used by the military to designate the day on which a combat operation is to be launched, especially when the actual date has yet to be determined. What D stands for seems to have been lost in the mists of time although the tradition is that D just stands for “Day”. In fact, the French have a similar term, “Jour J” (Day J), with a similar meaning. We also use H-Hour to denote the hour the attack is to commence.

39 Palindromist Jon of “Sit on a Potato Pan, Otis!” : AGEE

Jon Agee is a writer who seems to like words. He writes books for children such as “Palindromania!”, which is a celebration of palindromes. He also wrote “Smart Feller Fart Smeller”, which is filled with spoonerisms.

42 Chicago transports : ELS

Elevated railroad (El)

43 Winter malady : FLU

Influenza (the “flu”) is an ailment that is caused by a virus. The virus is readily inactivated by the use of soap, so washing hands and surfaces is especially helpful in containing flu outbreaks … and other virus pandemics …

48 “Rent” role for Idina Menzel : MAUREEN

Actress and singer Idina Menzel came to public attention when she was a member of the original Broadway cast of “Rent”. She is known on the small screen for playing Shelby Corcoran on the musical TV show “Glee”. On the big screen, her most noted performance was as the voice actor behind Queen Elsa in the Disney hit “Frozen”. It is Menzel who sings the Oscar-winning song “Let It Go” in “Frozen”.

58 One of the subjects of the book “War of the Currents” : TESLA

Nikola Tesla was born in Serbia, but later moved to the US. Tesla’s work on mechanical and electrical engineering was crucial to the development of alternating current technology, the same technology that is used by equipment at the backbone of modern power generation and distribution systems.

64 DVR brand : TIVO

TiVo was introduced in 1999 and was the world’s first commercially successful digital video recorder (DVR).

65 Johns, to Scots : IANS

The name “John” translates into Scottish as “Ian”, into Russian as “Ivan”, into Italian as “Giovanni”, into Spanish as “Juan”, into Welsh as “Evan”, and into Irish as “Seán”.

67 Lyon king : ROI

The city of Lyon in France is sometimes known as “Lyons” in English. Lyon is the second-largest metropolitan area in the country, after Paris. It is located just to the north of the confluence of the Rhône and Saône Rivers.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 With 21-, 30-, 49-, 61- and 74-Across, end of a Carrie Bradshaw quote that starts “Men in their 40s are like the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle …” : … TRICKY, …
7 At most : TOPS
11 Peter the Great, for one : TSAR
15 Take out : REMOVE
16 Orchestra tuner : OBOE
17 Smart, in a way : HURT
18 Turkish inn : IMARET
19 Frequent “S.N.L.” role for Beck Bennett : MIKE PENCE
21 Part 2 of the quote : …. COMPLICATED AND …
23 Category in pitching’s Triple Crown, in brief : ERA
24 Exam for a wannabe A.D.A. : LSAT
25 Piolet, e.g. : ICE AX
28 Surveying unit : ACRE
30 Part 3 : … YOU’RE NEVER …
34 Like two-thirds of Fibonacci numbers : ODD
36 Microwaves : ZAPS
37 Flatow of public radio : IRA
38 Major-league manager Kapler : GABE
41 Do some lexicography : DEFINE
44 Sicken with sweetness : CLOY
45 A barb might cause it to deflate : EGO
46 When to take a foliage tour : FALL
47 Liberty Mutual commercial mascot : EMU
49 Part 4 : … REALLY SURE …
53 Sounds at pounds : ARFS
56 “Same” : ME TOO
57 Senate rebuke : ET TU?
59 Black ___ : OPS
61 Part 5 : … YOU GOT THE RIGHT …
66 Casual ristorante : TRATTORIA
68 U.S. Navy builder : SEABEE
69 Ticked off : SORE
70 Dolly’s last name in “Hello, Dolly!” : LEVI
71 Whispered name in “The Raven” : LENORE
72 Sue Monk ___, author of “The Secret Life of Bees” : KIDD
73 Pull a fast one on : FOOL
74 End of the quote : … ANSWER

Down

1 Very short time : TRICE
2 Suckerfish that attaches itself to sharks : REMORA
3 Line in an old series of Apple commercials : I’M A MAC
4 N.Y.S.E. listing: Abbr. : CORP
5 Was verklempt from pride : KVELLED
6 What members of the Church of the SubGenius parody religion claim to be descended from : YETIS
7 First Campbell’s Soup flavor, introduced in 1895 : TOMATO
8 Piece that often includes a D.O.B. : OBIT
9 Raw fish dish : POKE
10 Start of an idea : SEED
11 From that place : THENCE
12 Arizona State University mascot : SUN DEVIL
13 Compass creation : ARC
14 GPS calculation: Abbr. : RTE
20 Careful effort : PAINS
22 Coral reef : CAY
26 Sleekly designed, for short : AERO
27 See through? : X-RAY
29 Good eggs? : ROE
31 Rap’s Lil ___ Vert : UZI
32 Saw print : RAN
33 Modern pentathlon event : EPEE
35 It’s called “le jour J” in France : D-DAY
38 Start of an idea : GERM
39 Palindromist Jon of “Sit on a Potato Pan, Otis!” : AGEE
40 Shipbuilding place : BOATYARD
42 Chicago transports : ELS
43 Winter malady : FLU
44 Mongrel : CUR
46 Openly disregard : FLOUT
48 “Rent” role for Idina Menzel : MAUREEN
50 Plundered : LOOTED
51 Go (for) : RETAIL
52 Biblical verb ending : -ETH
54 Rare weather phenomenon that’s white, unlike its colorful cousin : FOG BOW
55 Area of expertise : SPHERE
58 One of the subjects of the book “War of the Currents” : TESLA
60 Helm : STEER
62 Driving test, of a sort : GOLF
63 Cookie with creme : OREO
64 DVR brand : TIVO
65 Johns, to Scots : IANS
66 Disapproving sound : TSK
67 Lyon king : ROI