0502-19 NY Times Crossword 2 May 19, Thursday

Constructed by: Julie Bérubé
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer: On and Off

We have a rebus puzzle today, with the words ON and OFF appearing side by side at four locations in the gird:

  • 39A Intermittently : ON AND OFF
  • 18A Greenhouse gas mitigators : CARBON OFFSETS
  • 28A Third in a horror series : SON OF FRANKENSTEIN
  • 47A Administerer of citizenship tests : IMMIGRATION OFFICE
  • 63A Churchgoer, e.g. : PERSON OF FAITH

Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 13m 18s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Kind of case in grammar: Abbr. : OBJ

In a sentence, the noun preceding the verb is usually the subject, and the noun succeeding is usually the object. The subjective is in the nominative case, and the object is in the objective case.

4 Pandora and others : APPS

Pandora is a clever music-streaming site that runs what’s called the Music Genome Project. The idea behind the project is that particular pieces of music can be classified by specific characteristics (genes). The assumption is that given a person’s liking for the genome of a particular song, then a recommendation of another song with a similar genome will also be enjoyed by that person. I’ve used Pandora quite a lot, and it seems to work!

8 “Autumn frosts have ___ July”: Lewis Carroll : SLAIN

Lewis Carroll was the pen name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. He was born in 1832 in the village of Daresbury near Warrington in the county of Cheshire, in the northwest of England. And, let’s not forget one of Carroll’s most beloved characters, the Cheshire Cat.

13 Vichyssoise ingredient : LEEK

Vichyssoise is a thick puréed potato soup that can be served hot, but is usually served cold. As well as potatoes, a classic vichyssoise contains leeks, onions, cream and chicken stock. Although the origin is disputed, it seems that the vichyssoise was invented in America, albeit by a French chef. That chef named his soup after the town of Vichy in France.

15 ___ cheese : BLEU

Being a bit of a French speaker (admittedly, a very poor one), the term “bleu” cheese has always kind of irritated me. I would prefer that we use either “blue cheese” or “fromage bleu” and not mix the languages, but then I can be annoyingly picky! It’s said that blue cheese was probably discovered accidentally, as molds tend to develop in the same conditions that are best for storing cheese. The blue mold in the cheese is introduced by adding Penicillium spores before the cheese is allowed to set. And yes, it’s the same mold that is used to produce penicillin, the antibiotic.

16 Summer camp sight : CANOE

The boat know as a canoe takes its name from the Carib word “kenu” meaning “dugout”. It was Christopher Columbus who brought “kenu” into Spanish as “canoa”, which evolved into our English “canoe”.

17 Famous Alan whose last name shares three of the four letters of ALAN : ALDA

Alan Alda has had a great television career, especially of course as a lead actor in “M*A*S*H”. Alda won his first Emmy in 1972, for playing surgeon Hawkeye Pierce on “M*A*S*H”. He also won an Emmy in 2006 for his portrayal of Presidential candidate Senator Arnold Vinick in “The West Wing”. When it comes to the big screen, my favorite of Alda’s movies is the 1978 romantic comedy “Same Time, Next Year” in which he starred opposite Ellen Burstyn.

18 Greenhouse gas mitigators : CARBON OFFSETS

“Cap and trade” is an emissions trading scheme designed to reduce overall emission of greenhouse gases. The idea is that a government can limit a country’s overall industrial emissions by allowing companies to pollute to a maximum level by issuing each a permit. A company needing to emit more gases can trade permits with a company needing a lower limit, so that the country’s overall emissions target can still be achieved.

Greenhouse gases are those that absorb and emit infrared radiation, meaning that they act as an insulator for our planet. The most abundant greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide and methane. Levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have increased by about 40% since 1750, and levels of methane have increased over 150% in the same time frame.

22 Big Four bank, informally : CITI

During the global financial crisis of 2008-2009, the US government rescued Citibank by providing loan guarantees and two payments of $25 billion each. It turns out that the government made a tidy profit on that deal, as Citibank has since repaid the loans in full, along with interest.

24 Olympics event since 1964 : LUGE

A luge is a small sled used by one or two people, on which one lies face up and feet first. The luge can be compared to the skeleton, a sled for only one person and on which the rider lies face down and goes down the hill head-first. Yikes!

26 Children’s author Lowry : LOIS

Lois Lowry is a writer of children’s fiction. Lowry doesn’t stick to “safe” material in her books, and has dealt with difficult subjects such as racism, murder and the Holocaust. Two of her books won the Newbery Medal: “Number the Stars” (1990) and “The Giver” (1993).

28 Third in a horror series : SON OF FRANKENSTEIN

1939’s “Son of Frankenstein” is the third in the series of classic horror films featuring Boris Karloff as the Monster. The prior titles are “Frankenstein” and “Bride of Frankenstein”. Dr. Frankenstein’s assistant Ygor is played by Bela Lugosi.

34 Where you might go for a spell? : BEE

Back in 18th-century America, when neighbors would gather to work for the benefit of one of their group, such a meeting was called a bee. The name “bee” was an allusion to the social nature of the insect. In modern parlance, a further element of entertainment and pleasure has been introduced, for example in a quilting bee, or even a spelling bee.

35 Abbr. on some natural gas bills : BTU

In the world of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), the power of a heating or cooling unit can be measured using the British Thermal Units (BTU). This dated unit is the amount of energy required to heat a pound of water so that the water’s temperature increases by one degree Fahrenheit.

36 Betting game : MONTE

Three-card monte is a confidence trick in which someone is goaded into betting money on the assumption that he or she can find the “money card” (usually a queen) among three cards placed face down. The “mark” who is being duped has all sorts of ways to lose and there are usually several people in on the scam, including others playing who seem to be winning.

37 Some S.&L. offerings : IRAS

Individual retirement account (IRA)

Savings and Loan (S&L)

42 City west of Florence : PISA

The city of Pisa sits right on the Italian coast, at the mouth of the River Arno. The city is perhaps most famous for its Leaning Tower. The tower is actually the campanile (bell tower) of the city’s cathedral, and it has been leaning since it was completed in 1173. Just shows you how important good foundations are …

43 ___ Railway, backdrop of “The Bridge on the River Kwai” : BURMA

The river referred to in the movie (and novel) “The Bridge on the River Kwai” is actually called the Khwae Yai River, and is in western Thailand. The original novel by Pierre Boulle was published in French in 1952, and the wonderful movie released in 1957. Both tell the story of construction of part of the Burma Railway and a bridge over the river, using prisoners of war as laborers. The film stars William Holden, Alec Guinness and Jack Hawkins.

52 Lummox : LOUT

The word “lummox” comes from East Anglian slang , and describes an ungainly and often clueless person. The term is probably a contraction of “lumbering ox”.

57 Small bite, say : NOSH

Our word “nosh” has been around since the late fifties, when it was imported from the Yiddish word “nashn” meaning “to nibble”. We use “nosh” as a noun that means “snack”, or as a verb meaning “to eat between meals”.

59 Dunk alternative : LAY-UP

That would be basketball.

67 Popular sans-serif font : ARIAL

Serifs are details on the ends of characters in some typefaces. Typefaces without serifs are known as sans-serif, using the French word “sans” meaning “without” and “serif” from the Dutch “schreef” meaning “line”. Some people say that serif fonts are easier to read on paper, whereas sans-serif fonts work better on a computer screen. I’m not so sure though …

68 ___-eyed : SLOE

Someone described as “sloe-eyed” has slanted, almond-shaped dark eyes. The sloe is the fruit of the blackthorn bush.

71 Uptown, so to speak : TONY

Something described as tony is elegant or exclusive. “Tony” is derived from the word “tone”.

Down

1 “Frozen” character : OLAF

In the 2013 animated film “Frozen”, Olaf is a happy-go-lucky snowman who provides a lot of comic relief in the movie. Olaf is voiced by actor and comedian Josh Gad.

2 First name in 28-Across : BELA
(28A Third in a horror series : SON OF FRANKENSTEIN)

Bela Lugosi was a Hungarian stage and screen actor, best known for playing the title role in the 1931 film “Dracula” and for playing the same role on Broadway. Lugosi found himself typecast for the rest of his career and almost always played the role of the villain, often in horror movies. When he passed away in 1956, his wife had him buried in the costume he wore playing Count Dracula on Broadway.

3 “The Last ___” : JEDI

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” is a 2017 movie from the “Star Wars” film franchise, and the second installment of the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy. The title character is Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill. Ah, but is Luke in fact the “last Jedi”?

4 Start of a kindergarten song : ABC …

“The Alphabet Song” was copyrighted in 1835 in the US. The tune that goes with the words is the French folk song “Ah! vous dirai-je, Maman”, used by Mozart for a set of piano variations. The same tune is used for the nursery rhyme “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”.

5 One end of an umbilical cord : PLACENTA

The navel is basically the scar left behind when the umbilical cord is removed from a newborn baby. One interesting use of the umbilicus (navel, belly button) is to differentiate between identical twins, especially when they are very young.

6 Prefix with -scope : PERI-

The prefix “peri-” is Greek in origin and means “around”. An example of its use is “periscope”, a device on a submarine for looking “around”.

11 Speck : IOTA

Iota is the ninth letter in the Greek alphabet, and one that gave rise to our letters I and J. We use the word “iota” to portray something very small, as it is the smallest of all Greek letters.

14 Co-star of 28-Across : KARLOFF
(28A Third in a horror series : SON OF FRANKENSTEIN)

“Boris Karloff” was the stage name of English actor William Henry Pratt. Karloff famously played the monster in a series of “Frankenstein” movies in the 1930s. Karloff also played the Grinch, and the narrator, in the oft-seen 1966 animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” that was made for television.

21 Big ___ : SUR

Big Sur is a lovely part of the California Coast located south of Monterey and Carmel. The name “Big Sur” comes from the original Spanish description of the area as “el sur grande” meaning “the big south”.

25 Country straddling the Equator : GABON

The nation of Gabon lies on the west coast of Central Africa. Since it became independent from France in 1960, Gabon has become one of the most prosperous countries on the continent, by making use of the abundant natural resources and willing foreign investment.

28 Lifesaving supply : SERUM

Blood serum (plural “sera”) is the clear, yellowish part of blood i.e. that part which is neither a blood cell or a clotting factor. Included in blood serum are antibodies, the proteins that are central to our immune system. Blood serum from animals that have immunity to some disease can be transferred to another individual, hence providing that second individual with some level of immunity. Blood serum used to pass on immunity can be called “antiserum”.

31 “Giant Brain” of 1946 : ENIAC

The acronym ENIAC stands for Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (although many folks insist that the C was for “Computer”). ENIAC was introduced at the University of Pennsylvania in 1946, at which time it was the first general-purpose electronic computer, and dubbed “Giant Brain” by the press. Its original purpose was the calculation of artillery firing tables, but it ended up being used early on to make calculations necessary for the development of the hydrogen bomb. Given its uses, it’s not surprising to hear that development of ENIAC was funded by the US Army during WWII.

33 Tide type : NEAP

Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon on the oceans. At neap tide, the smaller gravitational effect of the sun cancels out some of the moon’s effect. At spring tide, the sun and the moon’s gravitational forces act in concert causing more extreme movement of the oceans.

34 Israel’s Netanyahu, informally : BIBI

Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu has been the Prime Minister of Israel since 2009. Netanyahu is the only leader of the country to date who was born in the state of Israel. After graduating high school, he served in the Israeli special forces and participated in several combat missions, and was wounded on multiple occasions. After leaving the army in 1972, Netanyahu studied at MIT in the US, earning bachelors degree in architecture and a masters degree in business.

40 “The Ipcress File” novelist : DEIGHTON

I used to walk my dog right past author Len Deighton’s house years ago, as we lived in the same village in Ireland (probably my only claim to “fame”). Deighton wrote the excellent espionage thriller “The IPCRESS File”, made was into a 1965 movie starring Michael Caine.

49 Wedding reception cry : A TOAST!

The tradition of toasting someone probably dates back to the reign of Charles II, when the practice was to drink a glass of wine to the health of a beautiful or favored woman. In those days, spiced toast was added to beverages to add flavor, so the use of the word “toast” was an indicator that the lady’s beauty would enhance the wine. Very charming, I must say …

50 Variety meat : OFFAL

The internal organs and entrails of a butchered animal are referred to collectively as “offal”. Examples of dishes that make use of offal would be sausages, foie gras, sweetbreads and haggis. The term is a melding of the words “off” and “fall”, and dates back to the 14th century. The idea is that offal is what “falls off” a butcher’s block.

51 Rial spender : IRANI

Rial is the name of the currency of Iran (as well as Yemen, Oman, Cambodia and Tunisia). Generally, there are 1,000 baisa in a rial.

56 Athos, Porthos and Aramis, e.g. : TRIO

Alexandre Dumas’ “Three Musketeers” are Athos, Porthos and Aramis, although the hero of the novel is the trio’s young protégé D’Artagnan. A musketeer was an infantry soldier who was equipped with a musket. Funnily enough, the three “musketeers” really don’t use their muskets, and are better known for prowess with their swords.

58 It may be next to an elevator : SILO

“Silo” is a Spanish word that we absorbed into English. The term ultimately derives from the Greek “siros”, which described a pit in which one kept corn.

60 Sci-fi sage : YODA

Yoda is one of the most beloved characters of the “Star Wars” series of films. Yoda’s voice is provided by the great modern-day puppeteer Frank Oz of “Muppets” fame.

62 Soil additive : PEAT

When dead plant matter accumulates in marshy areas, it may not fully decay due to a lack of oxygen or acidic conditions. We are familiar with this in Ireland, because this decaying matter can form peat, and we have lots and lots of peat bogs around the country.

64 One’s partner : ONLY

The one and only.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Kind of case in grammar: Abbr. : OBJ
4 Pandora and others : APPS
8 “Autumn frosts have ___ July”: Lewis Carroll : SLAIN
13 Vichyssoise ingredient : LEEK
15 ___ cheese : BLEU
16 Summer camp sight : CANOE
17 Famous Alan whose last name shares three of the four letters of ALAN : ALDA
18 Greenhouse gas mitigators : CARBON OFFSETS
20 Events with booths : FAIRS
22 Big Four bank, informally : CITI
23 Contraction at the start of a sentence : ‘TWAS …
24 Olympics event since 1964 : LUGE
26 Children’s author Lowry : LOIS
28 Third in a horror series : SON OF FRANKENSTEIN
34 Where you might go for a spell? : BEE
35 Abbr. on some natural gas bills : BTU
36 Betting game : MONTE
37 Some S.&L. offerings : IRAS
39 Intermittently : ON AND OFF
42 City west of Florence : PISA
43 ___ Railway, backdrop of “The Bridge on the River Kwai” : BURMA
45 Fix, as a price : SET
46 Speaker’s place : AMP
47 Administerer of citizenship tests : IMMIGRATION OFFICE
52 Lummox : LOUT
53 What’s packed in a backpack : GEAR
54 Fill : SATE
57 Small bite, say : NOSH
59 Dunk alternative : LAY-UP
63 Churchgoer, e.g. : PERSON OF FAITH
66 Frostbite site : NOSE
67 Popular sans-serif font : ARIAL
68 ___-eyed : SLOE
69 It can be bounced off someone : IDEA
70 Like chimneys : SOOTY
71 Uptown, so to speak : TONY
72 Notoriously hard thing to define : ART

Down

1 “Frozen” character : OLAF
2 First name in 28-Across : BELA
3 “The Last ___” : JEDI
4 Start of a kindergarten song : ABC …
5 One end of an umbilical cord : PLACENTA
6 Prefix with -scope : PERI-
7 Hard to get : SUBTLE
8 Say “Yeah, right!,” say : SCOFF
9 Conductor’s announcement : LAST STOP!
10 Over : ANEW
11 Speck : IOTA
12 Suffix with bald or bold : -NESS
14 Co-star of 28-Across : KARLOFF
19 Tearjerker? : ONION
21 Big ___ : SUR
25 Country straddling the Equator : GABON
27 Foundational belief : ISM
28 Lifesaving supply : SERUM
29 Kind of push-up : ONE-ARM
30 German for 72-Across : KUNST
31 “Giant Brain” of 1946 : ENIAC
32 Answer from behind a door : IT’S ME
33 Tide type : NEAP
34 Israel’s Netanyahu, informally : BIBI
38 Flirts with, in a way : SMILES AT
40 “The Ipcress File” novelist : DEIGHTON
41 Dissonant : OFF-TONE
44 Back : AGO
48 Election after an election : RUN-OFF
49 Wedding reception cry : A TOAST!
50 Variety meat : OFFAL
51 Rial spender : IRANI
54 Springs for a vacation? : SPAS
55 Flying start? : AERO-
56 Athos, Porthos and Aramis, e.g. : TRIO
58 It may be next to an elevator : SILO
60 Sci-fi sage : YODA
61 Addict : USER
62 Soil additive : PEAT
64 One’s partner : ONLY
65 “Cut that out!” : HEY!