Constructed by: Evan Mahnken
Edited by: Will Shortz
Not your puzzle? Try today’s …
… syndicated NY Times crossword
Today’s Theme: Underdone to Overdone
Themed answers each start with a phase in cooking, progressing from underdone to overdone as we move down the grid:
- 17A Unedited film : RAW FOOTAGE
- 29A Off-the-wall concepts : HALF-BAKED IDEAS
- 45A Committed accounting fraud : COOKED THE BOOKS
- 59A Shade of brown : BURNT UMBER
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… a complete list of answers
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Bill’s time: 4m 41s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
1 Access code to use an A.T.M. : PIN
One enters a Personal Identification Number (PIN) when using an Automated Teller Machine (ATM). Given that the N in PIN stands for “number”, then “PIN number” is a redundant phrase. And, given that the M in ATM stands for “machine”, then “ATM machine” is a redundant phrase as well. Grr …!
10 Banking org. founded during the Great Depression : FDIC
During the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Banking Act of 1933. The legislation established the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), intended to be a temporary government corporation that provided insurance on deposits made by customers of qualified financial institutions. The first accounts to be covered, in 1934, had an insurance limit of $2,500. Since the financial crisis of 2008, that limit is $250,000.
15 Dickens’s “___ Twist” : OLIVER
“Oliver Twist” is an 1838 novel by Charles Dickens. The title character is an orphan who escapes from an oppressive apprenticeship with an undertaker. He gets drawn into the criminal underworld of London, where he meets up with some colorful characters such as the Artful Dodger, Fagin and Bill Sykes. Television, stage and film adaptations of “Oliver Twist” tend to lift the overall mood of the story, which in the novel is pretty bleak.
16 Actress Garr of “Tootsie” : TERI
Actress Teri Garr had a whole host of minor roles in her youth, including appearances in nine Elvis movies. Garr’s big break came with the role of Inga in “Young Frankenstein”, and her supporting role in “Tootsie” earned Garr an Academy Award nomination. Sadly, Teri Garr suffers from multiple sclerosis. She is a National Ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
“Tootsie” is a hilarious 1982 comedy starring Dustin Hoffman in the title role, a male actor who adopts a female identity in order to land an acting job. Jessica Lange won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance in the film. “Tootsie” also provided Geena Davis with her first movie role.
19 Degs. for entrepreneurs : MBAS
An entrepreneur is someone who takes on most aspects of a business venture, from the original idea to the execution. The term is imported from French, with “entreprendre” meaning “to undertake”. The original usage in English dates back to the early 1800s, when it applied to a manager and promoter of a theatrical production.
20 Marie Curie’s research partner and husband : PIERRE
Pierre Curie was a French physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903, sharing the award with his wife Marie and Henri Becquerel. Pierre and Marie spent most of their working lives researching radioactivity. Marie eventually died as a result of prolonged exposure to radiation. Pierre would likely have had the same fate, if he hadn’t been killed in a street accident when he was 46 years old.
23 Dress in India : SARI
The item of clothing called a “sari” (also “saree”) is a strip of cloth, as one might imagine, unusual perhaps in that it is unstitched along the whole of its length. The strip of cloth can range from four to nine meters long (that’s a lot of material!). The sari is usually wrapped around the waist, then draped over the shoulder leaving the midriff bare. I must say, it can be a beautiful item of clothing.
24 East Coast rival of Caltech : MIT
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was founded in 1861 and first offered classes in 1865, in the Mercantile building in Boston. Today’s magnificent campus on the banks of the Charles River in Cambridge opened in 1916.
Caltech is more properly known as the California Institute of Technology, and is a private research-oriented school in Pasadena. One of Caltech’s responsibilities is the management and operation of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. If you watch “The Big Bang Theory” on television like me, you might know that the four lead characters all work at Caltech.
26 Sam who directed the “Evil Dead” series : RAIMI
Sam Raimi is a very successful director and producer. He was behind the “Spider-Man” series of films among others, and TV series’ such as “Xena: Warrior Princess”.
“The Evil Dead” is a horror movie franchise that includes video games and comic books, all derived from a series of three films: “The Evil Dead” (1981), “Evil Dead II” (1987) and “Army of Darkness” (1992). I don’t “do” horror, so I can’t tell you anything about them …
33 Worker for a feudal lord : LIEGE
A liege was a feudal lord, one to whom service or allegiance was owed under feudal law. “Liege” was also the term used for one who owed allegiance or service to a lord. Apparently the term is influenced by the Latin verb “ligare” meaning “to tie, bind”. So, I guess both lord and servant were “bound” to each other.
35 Director Lee : ANG
Taiwanese director Ang Lee sure has directed a mixed bag of films, mixed in terms of genre but not in terms of quality. He was at the helm for such classics as “Sense & Sensibility” (my personal favorite), “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, “Hulk”, “Brokeback Mountain” and “Life of Pi”.
38 “Gross! Nobody wants to hear that!” : TMI!
Too much information (TMI)
40 One-named singer with the 2014 hit “Chandelier” : SIA
“Sia” is the stage name of Australian singer Sia Furler from Adelaide. Sia is a cousin of Australian Christian Rock musician Peter Furler.
41 Beer brand whose popularity didn’t drop during the 2020 pandemic, surprisingly : CORONA
The Mexican beer called Corona is the biggest-selling imported beer in the United States.
43 “Dead ___ Society” : POETS
1989’s “Dead Poets Society” was directed by Peter Weir and stars Robin Williams as an English teacher who uses poetry to inspire his students. Tom Schulman wrote the somewhat autobiographical script based on his own experiences at a day school in Nashville, Tennessee. This is one of my favorite Robin Williams movies …
50 Newsroom figs. : EDS
Editor (ed)
51 Equipment in Monopoly and Yahtzee : DICE
The commercial game of Monopoly is supposedly a remake of “The Landlord’s Game” created in 1903 by a Quaker woman named Lizzie Phillips. Phillips used her game as a tool to explain the single tax theory of American economist Henry George. The Landlord’s Game was first produced commercially in 1924. The incredibly successful derivative game called Monopoly was introduced in 1933 by Charles Darrow, who became a very rich man when Parker Brothers bought the rights to the game just two years later in 1935.
The dice game Yahtzee was introduced in 1956 and is a variant of earlier dice games, especially the game “Yacht” (which even has a similar name). Yahtzee is required playing in our house at holidays. The game involves the rolling of five dice, with the intent of getting certain combinations. A lot of those combinations resemble poker hands, such as “three of a kind”, “four of a kind” and “full house”.
53 Like Galileo, by birth : PISAN
Galileo Galilei may be the most famous son of the city of Pisa in Italy and was considered by many to have been the father of modern science. In the world of physics, Galileo postulated that objects of different masses would fall at the same rate provided they did so in a vacuum (so there was no air resistance). There is a story that he dropped two balls of different masses from the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa to demonstrate this, but this probably never happened. Centuries later, Astronaut David Scott performed Galileo’s proposed experiment when he dropped a hammer and feather on the moon during the Apollo 15 mission and we all saw the objects hit the moon surface, at exactly the same time.
59 Shade of brown : BURNT UMBER
Umber is an earthy, brown shade. The word “umber” originally described a pigment made from earth found in Umbria, a region in central Italy. In its natural form, the pigment is referred to as “raw umber”. The heated form of the pigment has a more intense color and is known as “burnt umber”.
62 “East of ___” (Steinbeck novel) : EDEN
John Steinbeck considered “East of Eden” his magnum opus. Most of the storyline takes place near Salinas, just south of the San Francisco Bay Area. Two of the characters in the story are brothers Cal and Aron Trask, representative of the biblical Cain and Abel.
63 Supreme Court justice Stephen : BREYER
Associate Justice Stephen Breyer was appointed to the US Supreme Court by President Clinton in 1994. Justice Breyer is from a San Francisco family. He and his brother are Eagle Scouts. In 2007, Breyer was given the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award by the Boy Scouts of America.
Down
1 People in police “walks” : PERPS
When a crime suspect in the custody of the police is walked through a public place, often to and from a courthouse, it is known as a “perp walk”.
2 Book after Song of Solomon : ISAIAH
The Book of Isaiah is part of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Isaiah is not mentioned in the Qur’an, but many Muslim scholars consider Isaiah a prophet. Isaiah is widely regarded as the most eloquent of the prophets, earning him the moniker “Shakespeare of the Prophets”.
5 ___ vera : ALOE
Aloe vera has a number of alternate names that are descriptive of its efficacy as a medicine. ancient Egyptians knew it as the plant of immortality, and Native Americans called it the wand of heaven.
6 Relative of a chickadee : TIT
The birds known as chickadees or titmice in North America, are usually called simply “tits” in the rest of the English-speaking world.
7 “Little” girl in “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” : EVA
Little Eva is a character in the novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. Eva’s full name is Evangeline St. Clare.
9 Number between dos and cuatro : TRES
In Spanish, “tres” (three) is the number before “cuatro” (four).
10 Md. home to the U.S. Cyber Command : FT MEADE
US Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) is located in Fort Meade, Maryland, a home it shares with the National Security Agency. USCYBERCOM has the mission to ensure the US has freedom of action in cyberspace and to deny such freedom to US adversaries.
12 $$$ put away for old age : IRA
Individual retirement account (IRA)
13 Opposite of trans, in gender studies : CIS
The term “cisgender” is now used as the opposite of “transgender”. Cisgender people have a gender identity that matches the sex they were assigned at birth.
24 Travelers to Bethlehem, in Matthew : MAGI
“Magi” is the plural of the Latin word “magus”, a term applied to someone who was able to read the stars. Hence, “magi” is commonly used with reference to the “wise men from the East” who followed the star and visited Jesus soon after he was born. In Western Christianity, the three Biblical Magi are:
- Melchior: a scholar from Persia
- Caspar: a scholar from India
- Balthazar: a scholar from Arabia
The Gospel of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament in the Christian Bible. Despite the book’s title, the author is not named, with the words “according to Matthew” added about two centuries after it was written.
25 “I Like ___” (1950s political slogan) : IKE
“I Like Ike” was a political slogan that originated with the grassroots movement to get Dwight D. Eisenhower (Ike) to run for president in the 1952 presidential election.
27 Hawaii surfing destination : MAUI
Maui is the second largest of the Hawaiian islands. It is sometimes called the “Valley Isle” as it is composed of two volcanoes to the northwest and southeast of the island, each with numerous beautiful valleys carved into them.
28 Majorca, e.g.: Sp. : ISLA
The Island of Majorca (“Isla Mallorca” in Spanish) is Spain’s largest island, and is located in the Mediterranean Sea. The population of the island ballooned over the past few decades as Majorca became a mecca for tourists from all over Europe.
32 Nerd : DWEEB
“Dweeb” is relatively recent American slang that came out of college life in the late sixties. Dweeb, squarepants, nerd; they’re all not-nice terms that mean the same thing, i.e. someone excessively studious and socially inept.
35 No. on a bank statement : ACCT
Account (acct.)
36 Koh-i-___ diamond : NOOR
The Koh-i-Noor is one of the world’s largest cut diamonds, and weighs over 100 carats. It is thought that the diamond came from Kollur Mine in Andhra Pradesh, India. Originally owned by a series of Mughal Emperors, the Koh-i-Noor eventually fell into the hands of Queen Victoria during the days of the British Raj. The diamond is now part of the British Crown Jewels that can be seen by the public in the Tower of London. Understandably, ownership of the Koh-i-Noor is in dispute, with India, Pakistan, Afghanistan as well as Britain all making claims to being the rightful owner.
42 Gestures of approval : OK SIGNS
Back in the late 1830s, there were some slang abbreviations coined mainly in Boston. The craze called for two-letter abbreviations of deliberately misspelled phrases. For example “no use” became “KY” from “know yuse”, and “enough said” became “NC” from “‘nuff ced”. Fortunately (I say!), the practice was short-lived. But, one of those abbreviations persists to this day. “All correct” was misspelled to give “oll korrect”, abbreviated to “OK”.
43 Goal after a master’s, for short : PHD
“Ph.D.” is an abbreviation for “philosophiae doctor”, Latin for “teacher of philosophy”. Often, candidates for a PhD already hold a bachelor’s and a master’s degree, so a PhD might be considered a “third degree”.
44 Gomorrah’s sister city : SODOM
The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, as well as Admah and Zeboim, were destroyed by God for the sins of their inhabitants, according to the Bible. The name Sodom has become a metaphor for vice and homosexuality, and gives us our word “sodomy”.
46 Professor’s goal : TENURE
A job in a university that is described as “tenure-track” is one that can lead to a tenured position. A tenured position is a “job for life”. A person with tenure can only be dismissed for cause.
47 Army knapsack : KIT BAG
“Knapsack” is a Low German word describing a bag with straps designed to be carried on the back. The word “knapsack” probably comes from the German verb “knappen” meaning “to eat”.
54 Dict. tag : ABBR
Dictionary (dict.)
55 Dish from a crockpot : STEW
We often use the term “crockpot” as an alternative for “slow cooker”. The generic term comes from the trademark “Crock-Pot”, which is now owned by Sunbeam products.
58 Nutrition fig. : RDA
Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) were introduced during WWII, and were replaced by Recommended Daily Intakes (RDIs) in 1997.
60 Kylo ___, Jedi-in-training seduced to the dark side : REN
Kylo Ren is the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa in the “Star Wars” universe. The character’s birth name was Ben Solo. He was trained as a Jedi knight by his uncle, Luke Skywalker. However, Ben came to embrace the Dark Side, and changed his name to Kylo Ren. Ren is played by actor Adam Driver.
61 Bill, the Science Guy : NYE
That would be “Bill Nye the Science Guy”. Bill’s show ran on PBS for four years, from 1993-97.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Access code to use an A.T.M. : PIN
4 Inventor’s goal : PATENT
10 Banking org. founded during the Great Depression : FDIC
14 Opposite of WNW : ESE
15 Dickens’s “___ Twist” : OLIVER
16 Actress Garr of “Tootsie” : TERI
17 Unedited film : RAW FOOTAGE
19 Degs. for entrepreneurs : MBAS
20 Marie Curie’s research partner and husband : PIERRE
21 In accordance with : AS PER
23 Dress in India : SARI
24 East Coast rival of Caltech : MIT
26 Sam who directed the “Evil Dead” series : RAIMI
29 Off-the-wall concepts : HALF-BAKED IDEAS
33 Worker for a feudal lord : LIEGE
34 In a sorry state : WOEFUL
35 Director Lee : ANG
38 “Gross! Nobody wants to hear that!” : TMI!
39 ___ Majesty the Queen : HER
40 One-named singer with the 2014 hit “Chandelier” : SIA
41 Beer brand whose popularity didn’t drop during the 2020 pandemic, surprisingly : CORONA
43 “Dead ___ Society” : POETS
45 Committed accounting fraud : COOKED THE BOOKS
49 Bind tightly : TRUSS
50 Newsroom figs. : EDS
51 Equipment in Monopoly and Yahtzee : DICE
53 Like Galileo, by birth : PISAN
55 Make calm : SOOTHE
57 Uptight sort : PRIG
59 Shade of brown : BURNT UMBER
62 “East of ___” (Steinbeck novel) : EDEN
63 Supreme Court justice Stephen : BREYER
64 Friend in France : AMI
65 “No thanks” : PASS
66 Extends, as a subscription : RENEWS
67 “Golly!” : GEE!
Down
1 People in police “walks” : PERPS
2 Book after Song of Solomon : ISAIAH
3 What a revolution may usher in : NEW ERA
4 Rich’s opposite : POOR
5 ___ vera : ALOE
6 Relative of a chickadee : TIT
7 “Little” girl in “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” : EVA
8 Nullify : NEGATE
9 Number between dos and cuatro : TRES
10 Md. home to the U.S. Cyber Command : FT MEADE
11 Gets intel from after a mission : DEBRIEFS
12 $$$ put away for old age : IRA
13 Opposite of trans, in gender studies : CIS
18 Bit of embellishment : FRILL
22 Before : PRIOR TO
24 Travelers to Bethlehem, in Matthew : MAGI
25 “I Like ___” (1950s political slogan) : IKE
27 Hawaii surfing destination : MAUI
28 Majorca, e.g.: Sp. : ISLA
30 Kind of center with exercise machines : FITNESS
31 “Fine, stay angry!” : BE MAD!
32 Nerd : DWEEB
35 No. on a bank statement : ACCT
36 Koh-i-___ diamond : NOOR
37 Band hangers-on : GROUPIES
39 Tools for tilling : HOES
42 Gestures of approval : OK SIGNS
43 Goal after a master’s, for short : PHD
44 Gomorrah’s sister city : SODOM
46 Professor’s goal : TENURE
47 Army knapsack : KIT BAG
48 Devious plot : SCHEME
52 Spooky : EERIE
54 Dict. tag : ABBR
55 Dish from a crockpot : STEW
56 Not mine alone : OURS
57 Vim : PEP
58 Nutrition fig. : RDA
60 Kylo ___, Jedi-in-training seduced to the dark side : REN
61 Bill, the Science Guy : NYE
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