0116-23 NY Times Crossword 16 Jan 23, Monday

Constructed by: Michael Paleos
Edited by: Will Shortz

Today’s Reveal Answer(s): Mail It In

Themed answers each end with a term related to one’s MAIL:

  • 35A With 37-Across, perform perfunctorily … or a hint to the ends of 16-, 25-, 41- and 55-Across : MAIL …
  • 37A See 35-Across : … IT IN
  • 16A The “e,” but not the “B,” of eBay : LOWERCASE LETTER
  • 25A Traveler’s proof of entry : PASSPORT STAMP
  • 41A “Madam President” or “Your Honor” : TERM OF ADDRESS
  • 55A Test boundaries : PUSH THE ENVELOPE

Bill’s time: 5m 04s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Erica who wrote “Fear of Flying” : JONG

Author Erica Jong’s most famous work is her first: “Fear of Flying”, a novel published in 1973. Over twenty years later, Jong wrote “Fear of Fifty: a midlife memoir”, published in 1994.

9 Most common street name in the U.S. : MAIN

The most common street name in the US is “Park Street”, followed by “Second Street”. “First Street” comes in only at number three, and this is because many cities and towns forgo the use of “First” and instead go with “Main” or something more historical in nature. The spooky “Elm Street” appears on the list at number fifteen.

13 Amo, amas, ___ … : AMAT

“Amo, amas, amat” translates from Latin as “I love, you love, he/she/it loves”.

15 Large group of people : HORDE

A horde is a large crowd. “Horde” ultimately derives from the Turkish “ordu” meaning “camp, army”.

19 Popular video hosting service that works like clockwork? : TIKTOK

TikTok is a video-sharing service that is based in China, and is very popular with the younger set I am told). The TikTok mobile app provides tools facilitating production of sophisticated selfie videos that use special effects.

24 Bobby of the Boston Bruins : ORR

Bobby Orr is regarded as one of the greatest hockey players of all time. By the time he retired in 1978 he had undergone over a dozen knee surgeries. At 31 years of age, he concluded that he just couldn’t skate anymore. Reportedly, he was even having trouble walking. While still 31 years old, in 1979, Orr became the youngest person inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Prior to that, in 1967, Orr became the youngest person named the NHL’s Rookie of the Year.

25 Traveler’s proof of entry : PASSPORT STAMP

A visa is usually a stamp in one’s passport, an indication that one is authorized to enter (and less often, to exit) a particular country. The word “visa” comes into English, via French, from the Latin expression “charta visa” meaning “paper that has been seen”, or “verified paper”.

33 It’s bandaged in a classic van Gogh self-portrait : EAR

Vincent van Gogh was visited by fellow-artist Paul Gauguin in Arles in 1888. At one point the two argued quite violently, with van Gogh eventually threatening his friend with a razor blade. In a panic, van Gogh fled the house and made his way to a local brothel. Famously, he cut off his own left ear later that night.

35 With 37-Across, perform perfunctorily … or a hint to the ends of 16-, 25-, 41- and 55-Across : MAIL …
[37A See 35-Across : … IT IN]

A person who does a job while expending minimal effort is said to “phone it in” or “mail it in”.

38 Insta post : PIC

Instagram (often abbreviated to “Insta”, or “IG”) is a photo-sharing application, one that is extremely popular. Instagram started in San Francisco in 2010. Facebook purchased Instagram two years later, paying $1 billion. The billion-dollar Instagram company had just 13 employees at the time of the sale …

40 Venue for a basketball or hockey game : ARENA

Our term “arena” comes from the Latin “harena”, a place of combat. Originally “harena” was used to describe sand or a sandy place. Those Ancient Roman places of combat were covered with sand to soak up blood.

44 Bird that has calf muscles : EMU

Even though emu meat is classified as a red meat because of its color, it has a fat content that is comparable to other poultry.

45 Opposite of the Russian “da” : NYET

“Nyet” is Russian for “no”, and “da” is Russian for “yes”.

46 Style of New York City’s Chrysler Building : ART DECO

The Chrysler Building in Manhattan is a magnificent Art Deco structure that was opened in 1930. Standing at over 1,000 feet tall, it was the tallest building in the world for almost a year, until the Empire State Building was completed in 1931. The building was constructed for use of the Chrysler Corporation, but the company never owned it. The car manufacturer’s founder decided to pay for the Chrysler Building out of his personal wealth, so that he could pass it on to his children.

50 Many October babies : LIBRAS

Libra is the seventh sign of the zodiac, and is named for the scales held by the goddess of justice. It is the only sign of the zodiac that isn’t named for a living creature.

55 Test boundaries : PUSH THE ENVELOPE

The phrase “push the envelope” is a relatively recent one, and only dates back to the 1970s. It was popularized in Tom Wolfe’s celebrated book “The Right Stuff”, as it was oft-quoted during the space program. The envelope in question was the mathematical envelope that had to be “pushed” in order to make the space program successful.

58 High, like many a Woodstock attendee : ON POT

“Potiguaya” is the Mexican-Spanish word for “marijuana leaves”. The slang name “pot” comes from “potiguaya”.

The 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Fair was held on Max Yasgur’s dairy farm located 43 miles southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York. 400,000 young people attended, and saw 32 bands and singers perform over three days.

59 Body part covered by a mullet : NAPE

A mullet haircut is one that is short at the front and sides, and is long in the back.

Down

1 Mineral sprinkled on icy roads : SALT

Halite is the mineral form of sodium chloride, and is also known as “rock salt”. Halite is used to melt ice, as salt water has a lower freezing point than pure water. Adding salt to icy sidewalks can therefore cause any ice to melt (as long as the ambient temperature isn’t too low). A mixture of halite and ice can also be used to cool things below the freezing point of water, perhaps to make ice cream.

2 Mine, in Montréal : A MOI

The original name of Montreal was “Ville-Marie”, meaning “City of Mary”. “Ville-Marie” is now the name of a borough in the city, the borough which includes the downtown area and “Old Montreal”. The present-day city covers most of the Island of Montreal (in French, “Île de Montréal”) that is located where the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers meet. The name “Montreal” comes from the three-headed hill that dominates the island and is called “Mount Royal”.

4 [Cancel previous edit] : STET

“Stet” is a Latin word meaning “let it stand”. In editorial work, the typesetter is instructed to disregard any change previously marked by writing the word “stet” and then underscoring that change with a line of dots or dashes.

5 Raise aggressively, as prices : JACK UP

“Jack” is a nickname for “John”. Back in the 1500s, the term “jack” came to be used colloquially to describe any man of low status (as in “jack of all trades, master of none”). The usage was extended to describe any tool that saved work, perhaps replaced menial labor. By the end of the 1600s, the term “jack” became particularly associated with a portable device used to lift heavy weights using leverage.

7 The Legend of Zelda console, for short : NES

“The Legend of Zelda” is a whole series of video games. First released in 1986, I hear that it is very successful …

8 One of the Brady Bunch : GREG

The character Greg Brady is the oldest Brady son in the sitcom “The Brady Bunch”. Greg was played by Barry Williams in the TV show. It was revealed in spin-offs of the original sitcom that Greg married a nurse and became an obstetrician.

The famous sitcom “The Brady Bunch” originally aired from 1969 to 1974 on ABC. If you ever see a movie called “Yours, Mine and Ours” starring Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda (and remade with Dennis Quaid and Rene Russo), you might notice a similarity in storyline. It was because of the success of the 1968 movie that ABC decided to go ahead with the development of “The Brady Bunch”.

9 Winged Godzilla nemesis of Japanese film : MOTHRA

Mothra is a giant moth-like monster that made its big-screen debut in the 1961 film “Mothra”. Mothra turns up quite often in “Godzilla” movies.

12 Self-description for a D&D enthusiast, maybe : NERD

Dungeons & Dragons (D&D, DND) is a complex role-playing game (RPG) introduced in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules Incorporated (TSR). Dungeons & Dragons was probably the first of the modern role-playing games to be developed, and the most successful. It is still played by lots of people today, including my youngest son …

15 Trick-taking game named for a card suit : HEARTS

Hearts is a fun card game that is in the Whist family of trick-taking games, as are bridge (my favorite) and spades.

23 “The ___ Nights,” collection of stories that includes Aladdin and Ali Baba : ARABIAN

The marvelous collection of folk tales from the Middle East called “One Thousand and One Nights” is sometimes known as “Arabian Nights” in the English-speaking world. The original collection of tales did not include the three with which we are most familiar in the West. European translators added some stories, including “Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp”, “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”, and “The Seven Voyages of Sinbad”.

26 Wonderland girl : ALICE

The title character in Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” is based on a child named Alice Liddell. Lewis Carroll (real name “Charles Lutwidge Dodgson”) met the Liddell family while he was photographing Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford, after which he befriended the Liddells. Carroll told the three Liddell sisters (including Alice) a story about a little girl named Alice and her adventures, in order to entertain the children while on a boating trip on the River Isis in Oxford. He elaborated on the story for the girls on a subsequent boat trip, and agreed to write down the tale as the children loved it so much. Carroll’s writings became a full-fledged manuscript, including the author’s own illustrations. It was first published in 1865, three years after that boat trip.

27 Note between fa and la : SOL

The sol-fa syllables are: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la & ti.

31 What a guitar cable might plug into : AMP

An electric guitar, for example, needs an amplifier (amp) to take the weak signal created by the vibration of the strings and turn it into a signal powerful enough for a loudspeaker.

34 Microscopic messenger : RNA

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is an essential catalyst in the manufacture of proteins in the body. The genetic code in DNA determines the sequence of amino acids that make up each protein. That sequence is read in DNA by messenger RNA, and amino acids are delivered for protein manufacture in the correct sequence by transfer RNA. The amino acids are then formed into proteins by ribosomal RNA.

39 ___ Till, namesake of a landmark hate-crime law of 2022 : EMMETT

The Emmett Till Antilynching Act was signed into law by President Biden in 2022. The bill was named for a 14-year-old African-American boy who was abducted, tortured and lynched in 1955 in Mississippi. Till had been accused of offending a white woman. Two white men were tried for Till’s murder, and acquitted by an all-white jury. A year later, the men admitted the crime and sold their story to a magazine. They enjoyed double jeopardy protection, and could not be tried for the same crime.

40 Bandleader Shaw : ARTIE

Artie Shaw was a composer, bandleader and jazz clarinetist. His real name was Arthur Jacob Arshawsky, born in New York City in 1910. One of Shaw’s many claims to fame is that he (a white bandleader) hired Billie Holiday (a black vocalist) and toured the segregated South in the late thirties. Holiday chose to leave the band though, due to hostility from Southern audiences back then. Artie Shaw was married eight times in all. The list of his wives includes the actresses Lana Turner and Ava Gardner, as well as Betty Kern, daughter of songwriter Jerome Kern.

42 Spicy cinnamon candy : RED HOT

Red Hots are cinnamon-flavored candy pieces. I recently found out that Red Hots are sometimes used in apple sauce …

47 Old Norse character : RUNE

A rune is a character in an alphabet that is believed to have mysterious powers. In Norse mythology, the runic alphabet was said to have a divine origin.

48 Rx amts. : TSPS

There seems to be some uncertainty about the origin of the symbol “Rx” that’s used for a medical prescription. One explanation is that it comes from the astrological sign for Jupiter, a symbol put on prescriptions in days of old to invoke Jupiter’s blessing to help a patient recover.

49 Wine: Prefix : OENO-

In Greek mythology, Oeno was the goddess of wine, giving us “oeno-” as a prefix meaning “wine”. For example, oenology is the study of wine and an oenophile is a wine-lover.

52 Only weapon in Clue that isn’t metallic : ROPE

Clue is a board game that we knew under a different name growing up in Ireland. Outside of North America, Clue is marketed as “Cluedo”. Cluedo was the original name of the game, introduced in 1949 by the famous British board game manufacturer Waddingtons. There are cute differences between the US and UK versions. For example, the man who is murdered is called Dr. Black (Mr. Boddy in the US), one of the suspects is the Reverend Green (Mr. Green in the US), and the suspect weapons include a dagger (a knife in the US), and a spanner (a wrench in the US). I think it’s a fabulous game, a must during the holidays …

56 ___ de parfum : EAU

In the world of perfumery, eau de parfum (EdP) is generally more concentrated than eau de toilette (EdT), which in turn is generally more concentrated than eau de cologne (EdC).

57 “All Things Considered” broadcaster : NPR

“All Things Considered” is a news broadcast by NPR that airs for two hours every evening.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Droops : SAGS
5 Erica who wrote “Fear of Flying” : JONG
9 Most common street name in the U.S. : MAIN
13 Amo, amas, ___ … : AMAT
14 State plainly : AVER
15 Large group of people : HORDE
16 The “e,” but not the “B,” of eBay : LOWERCASE LETTER
19 Popular video hosting service that works like clockwork? : TIKTOK
20 “Be my guest” : GO AHEAD
21 Put ___ fire : OUT A
24 Bobby of the Boston Bruins : ORR
25 Traveler’s proof of entry : PASSPORT STAMP
31 Parcel out : ALLOT
32 Peels, as an apple : PARES
33 It’s bandaged in a classic van Gogh self-portrait : EAR
35 With 37-Across, perform perfunctorily … or a hint to the ends of 16-, 25-, 41- and 55-Across : MAIL …
36 Clearheaded : SOBER
37 See 35-Across : … IT IN
38 Insta post : PIC
39 Like Santa’s little helpers : ELFIN
40 Venue for a basketball or hockey game : ARENA
41 “Madam President” or “Your Honor” : TERM OF ADDRESS
44 Bird that has calf muscles : EMU
45 Opposite of the Russian “da” : NYET
46 Style of New York City’s Chrysler Building : ART DECO
50 Many October babies : LIBRAS
55 Test boundaries : PUSH THE ENVELOPE
58 High, like many a Woodstock attendee : ON POT
59 Body part covered by a mullet : NAPE
60 One side of a storefront sign : OPEN
61 Irritating sort : PEST
62 Not just yours or mine : OURS
63 Message that might include an emoji or a GIF : TEXT

Down

1 Mineral sprinkled on icy roads : SALT
2 Mine, in Montréal : A MOI
3 Stare stupidly : GAWK
4 [Cancel previous edit] : STET
5 Raise aggressively, as prices : JACK UP
6 Eggs, scientifically : OVA
7 The Legend of Zelda console, for short : NES
8 One of the Brady Bunch : GREG
9 Winged Godzilla nemesis of Japanese film : MOTHRA
10 Spanish paintings and such : ARTE
11 Brainstorming product : IDEA
12 Self-description for a D&D enthusiast, maybe : NERD
15 Trick-taking game named for a card suit : HEARTS
17 Chicken’s perch : ROOST
18 Not as tight : LOOSER
22 Fill fuller, as a glass or a gas tank : TOP OFF
23 “The ___ Nights,” collection of stories that includes Aladdin and Ali Baba : ARABIAN
25 One of a braid-y bunch? : PLAIT
26 Wonderland girl : ALICE
27 Note between fa and la : SOL
28 In fashion : TRENDY
29 Parcels (out) : METES
30 “It ___ me to say this …” : PAINS
31 What a guitar cable might plug into : AMP
34 Microscopic messenger : RNA
36 Exhibit poor posture : SLOUCH
37 Wrath : IRE
39 ___ Till, namesake of a landmark hate-crime law of 2022 : EMMETT
40 Bandleader Shaw : ARTIE
42 Spicy cinnamon candy : RED HOT
43 Digs deep (into) : DELVES
46 Each : A POP
47 Old Norse character : RUNE
48 Rx amts. : TSPS
49 Wine: Prefix : OENO-
51 Dab, as spilled ink : BLOT
52 Only weapon in Clue that isn’t metallic : ROPE
53 High point : APEX
54 Outbox folder : SENT
56 ___ de parfum : EAU
57 “All Things Considered” broadcaster : NPR