0930-22 NY Times Crossword 30 Sep 22, Friday

Constructed by: David Karp
Edited by: Will Shortz

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Bill’s time: 8m 43s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 “___ luego” (Spanish “bye”) : HASTA

“Hasta luego” translates literally from Spanish as “until later”, and is used to say “see you later”.

15 Brilliance : ECLAT

“Éclat” can describe a brilliant show of success, as well as the applause or accolade that one receives for that success. The word “éclat” derives from the French “éclater” meaning “to splinter, burst out”.

17 Wild goat with curved horns : IBEX

“Ibex” is a common name for various species of mountain goat. “Ibex” is a Latin name that was used for wild goats found in the Alps and Apennines in Europe.

20 People person? : SEXIEST MAN ALIVE

There used to be a “People” page in each issue of “Time” magazine. This page was spun-off in 1974 as a publication of its own, which we now call “People” magazine. “People” is noted for its annual special editions with features such as “Best & Worst Dressed” and “Sexiest Man Alive”. The “Sexiest Man Alive” edition now appears at the end of November each year. The first choice for “Sexiest Man” was Mel Gibson, in 1985.

24 Ensler who created “The Vagina Monologues” : EVE

Eve Ensler is a playwright whose most famous work is “The Vagina Monologues”. When Ensler was only 23 years of age, she adopted a 15 year old boy. We are familiar with that boy on the big screen these days; actor Dylan McDermott.

31 River of song : SWANEE

“Swanee” was written in 1919 by George Gershwin. Gershwin was very young at the time and came up with the music in just ten minutes while riding on a Manhattan bus. Al Jolson was already a star, and he heard Gershwin playing the song at a party. Jolson made a deal to include the song in his show “Sinbad”, and then “Swanee” just took off.

34 Bill promoting science : NYE

That would be “Bill Nye the Science Guy”. Bill’s show ran on PBS for four years, from 1993-97.

36 Hawaiian crop threatened by the apple snail : TARO

Taro is a root vegetable that is grown for its edible underground plant stems (corms). The English name “taro” is borrowed from the Maori language of New Zealand. The same plant is known as “gabi” in the Philippines, “arbi” in much of India, and “jimbi” in parts of Africa where Swahili is spoken.

41 Ad ___ : HOC

The Latin phrase “ad hoc” means “for this purpose”. An ad hoc committee, for example, is formed for a specific purpose and disbanded after making its final report.

42 The ties that bind? : CORSET

A corset is a close-fitting undergarment that is stiffened with a material such as whalebone. Corsets are more usually worn by women, to shape the body. The word “corset” is a diminutive of the Old French “cors” meaning “body”.

45 Sign of bad service : NO BARS

That would be cell service.

47 Something to be filed, in brief : DOC

Document (doc.)

58 Like the mood fostered by “Waiting for Godot” : BLEAK

“Waiting for Godot” is a play by novelist and playwright Samuel Beckett that premiered in 1953. Irishman Beckett actually wrote the piece in French, under the title “En attendant Godot”. He then translated the play into English himself.

60 Shoe with holes : CROC

Crocs are foam clogs that were originally designed as shoes to be worn at health spas. I recently bought my first pair of crocs, and now my kids won’t talk to me …

61 Robot maid on “The Jetsons” : ROSIE

On “The Jetsons” animated TV show, the character Rosie the Robot was voiced by Jean Vander Pyl. Vander Pyl was also the voice actress behind Wilma Flintstone in “The Flintstones”

62 Mineral used in drywall : MICA

Mica is a silicate mineral. Thin sheets of mica are transparent and are used in place of glass in certain applications. This form of mica is called isinglass, and as it has a better thermal performance than glass it is a great choice for “peepholes” in boilers and lanterns. Mica is also used in the electronics industry, making use of its unique electrical and thermal insulating properties.

63 Funny McKinnon : KATE

Comedian and impressionist Kate McKinnon’s career took off when she became a cast member of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) in 2013. Famously, McKinnon portrayed Hillary Clinton in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. She also co-starred in the 2016 reboot of the movie “Ghostbusters”, playing Dr. Jillian Holtzmann.

65 Rogen who played the other Steve in 2015’s “Steve Jobs” : SETH

Seth Rogen is a Canadian comedian who got a lot of credit for his supporting role in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”. That led to him being cast as the lead in the 2007 film “Knocked Up”. Rogen also co-directed and co-starred in “The Interview”, a movie that created a huge ruckus in the North Korean regime.

“Steve Jobs” is a 2015 biographical film about the life of the Apple co-founder. The film is based on an excellent biography of the same name by Walter Isaacson. Michael Fassbender plays Jobs, and Seth Rogen plays Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. Aaron Sorkin wrote the screenplay, which is always a good thing as far as I’m concerned. I’m going to have to put this film on my watch list …

Steve “Woz” Wozniak was one of the founders of Apple Computer, along with Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne. Wozniak was the driving force behind the creation of the Apple I and Apple II computers that revolutionized the computer market in the seventies.

Down

1 English chip : CRISP

French fries are called “chips” back in Ireland where I grew up. And what we call “chips” in the US are known as “crisps” in Britain and Ireland. In France, French fries are known as “pommes frites” (fried potatoes).

2 Run down illegally : LIBEL

The word “libel” describes a published or written statement likely to harm a person’s reputation. It comes into English from the Latin “libellus”, the word for a small book. Back in the 1500s, libel was just a formal written statement, with the more damaging association arising in the 1600s. The related concept of slander is defamation in a transient form, such as speech, sign language or gestures.

3 Echo voice : ALEXA

Amazon Echo is a voice-controlled hardware device that can be used to provide several services including playing radio programs and music, recording of shopping lists, and managing a calendar. The device just sits in the home listening, until it hears a “wake up” command.

4 Performance with a sombrero : MEXICAN HAT DANCE

In English we think of a sombrero as a wide-brimmed hat, but in Spanish “sombrero” is the word for any hat. “Sombrero” is derived from “sombra” meaning “shade”.

5 Rare find, in an idiom : HENS’ TEETH

Something might be described as scarcer than hens’ teeth, as hens don’t have teeth at all!

6 Winning blackjack hand : ACE-TEN

The card game known as “twenty-one” was first referred to in print in a book by Cervantes, the author famous for writing “Don Quixote”. He called the game “veintiuna” (Spanish for “twenty-one”). Cervantes wrote his story just after the year 1600, so the game has been around at least since then. Twenty-one came to the US but it wasn’t all that popular so bonus payments were introduced to create more interest. One of the more attractive bonuses was a ten-to-one payout to a player who was dealt an ace of spades and a black jack. This bonus led to the game adopting the moniker “Blackjack”.

7 Impressive bucket challenge : SLAM DUNK CONTEST

In basketball, a player makes a slam dunk by jumping up and powering the ball downward into the basket with his or her hands over the rim. The term “slam dunk” was coined by Chick Hearn, an announcer for the L.A. Lakers. The NBA even holds an annual Slam Dunk Contest.

11 Food pronounced in three syllables : ACAI

Açaí (pronounced “ass-aye-ee”) is a palm tree native to Central and South America. The fruit has become very popular in recent years and its juice is a very fashionable addition to juice mixes and smoothies.

12 Pen knife? : SHIV

“Shiv” is a slang term describing a weapon crudely fashioned to resemble a knife. Mostly we hear of shivs that have been fashioned by prison inmates to do harm to others.

22 Colorado N.H.L. team, casually : AVS

The Colorado Avalanche is a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche were founded in Quebec in 1972 as the Quebec Nordiques, and moved to Denver in 1995.

28 They may throw shade : OAKS

The oak was named the official National Tree of the US in 2004. It is also the national tree of many countries around the world, including England, France, Germany, Jordan, Poland, Serbia and Wales.

31 Tibia : SHIN

The tibia is the shinbone, and is the larger of the two bones right below the knee. It is the strongest weight-bearing bone in the human body. “Tibia” is the Roman name for a Greek flute and it is thought that the shinbone was given the same name because flutes were often fashioned out of the shinbones of animals.

38 Chicago’s ___ Center : AON

The Aon Center in Chicago is the third-tallest building in the city. There is also an Aon Center in Los Angeles that is the second-tallest building in that city.

39 Boston and San Francisco, but not Denver : PORTS

Boston is the capital of the state of Massachusetts. The city was founded by Puritan colonists from England in 1630. The city takes its name from Boston, England from where several of the early Puritan settlers hailed.

The California city of San Francisco takes its name from the Presidio of San Francisco and the nearby Mission San Francisco de Asís that were founded in 1776 by Spanish colonists.

Denver, Colorado is nicknamed “Mile-High City” because its official elevation is listed as exactly one mile. Denver City was founded in 1858 as a mining town. The name was chosen in honor of the Kansas Territorial Governor at the time, James W. Denver.

44 Martian day (24 hours, 39 minutes and 35 seconds) : SOL

A solar day on Mars is referred to as a “sol” by astronomers. One sol is equivalent to just under 24 hours 40 minutes here on Earth.

46 Religious adherents governed by the Universal House of Justice : BAHA’IS

The Universal House of Justice is the ruling body of the Baha’i Faith. The body has nine members, and any adult male in the Baha’i Faith is eligible for election to the House. The Seat of the Universal House of Justice is a large building in Haifa, Israel, on the slope of Mount Carmel.

48 One with a forked tongue : COBRA

“Cobra” is the name given to a group of snakes, some of which are in different families. The term is reserved for those snakes that can expand their neck ribs to create a hood. The name “cobra” is an abbreviated form of “cobra de capello” which translates from Portuguese as “snake with hood”.

52 Red wine variety : SYRAH

The Iranian city of Shiraz has long been associated with wine, but there is no proven link between the city and the wine/grape we know today as “Shiraz” (also called “Syrah”). Having said that, some clay jars were found just outside of the city of Shiraz that contained wine; wine that was 7,000 years old!

53 Name on a truck : MACK

Mack Trucks was founded by John Mack in the early 1900s, after he had spent some years working in companies that made carriages and electric motor cars. Along with his two brothers, Mack started their company to focus on building heavy-duty trucks and engines.

54 Garden plant in the mallow family : OKRA

The plant known as okra is mainly grown for its edible green pods. The pods are said to resemble “ladies’ fingers”, which is an alternative name for the plant. Okra is known as “ngombo” in Bantu, a name that might give us the word “gumbo”, the name for the name of the southern Louisiana stew that includes okra as a key ingredient.

Marshmallow was originally made from a paste from the root of the mallow plant. The mallow plant grows near salt marshes, and is sometimes called the “marsh mallow”. Hence the name of the confection. Interesting, but unexpected …

56 Rosa, tulipán or jazmín : FLOR

In Spanish, a “flor” (flower) might be a “rosa” (rose), tulipán (tulip) or “jazmín” (jasmine).

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Zip it, with “up” : CLAM …
5 “___ luego” (Spanish “bye”) : HASTA
10 Play group : CAST
14 Vex : RILE
15 Brilliance : ECLAT
16 Símbolo del infinito, rotated 90° : OCHO
17 Wild goat with curved horns : IBEX
18 “Oh, cool!” : NEATO!
19 Secret spot for a secret plot : LAIR
20 People person? : SEXIEST MAN ALIVE
23 Happy, now : PLACATED
24 Ensler who created “The Vagina Monologues” : EVE
25 Path : AVENUE
27 Show disdain, in a way : SCOFF
31 River of song : SWANEE
34 Bill promoting science : NYE
36 Hawaiian crop threatened by the apple snail : TARO
37 Activity for some big game hunters? : HIGH STAKES POKER
40 Brain wave : IDEA
41 Ad ___ : HOC
42 The ties that bind? : CORSET
43 Makes a house a home, say : NESTS
45 Sign of bad service : NO BARS
47 Something to be filed, in brief : DOC
49 Stretches for the rest of us? : NAP TIMES
53 Tale’s end, often : MORAL OF THE STORY
57 Parallel (to) : AKIN
58 Like the mood fostered by “Waiting for Godot” : BLEAK
59 Always : EVER
60 Shoe with holes : CROC
61 Robot maid on “The Jetsons” : ROSIE
62 Mineral used in drywall : MICA
63 Funny McKinnon : KATE
64 Pretentiously creative : ARTSY
65 Rogen who played the other Steve in 2015’s “Steve Jobs” : SETH

Down

1 English chip : CRISP
2 Run down illegally : LIBEL
3 Echo voice : ALEXA
4 Performance with a sombrero : MEXICAN HAT DANCE
5 Rare find, in an idiom : HENS’ TEETH
6 Winning blackjack hand : ACE-TEN
7 Impressive bucket challenge : SLAM DUNK CONTEST
8 “Later, alligator!” : TA-TA
9 Make up : ATONE
10 Rare comics and vintage dolls, e.g. : COLLECTOR’S ITEMS
11 Food pronounced in three syllables : ACAI
12 Pen knife? : SHIV
13 Rent : TORE
21 Settings for squirrels, at times : EAVES
22 Colorado N.H.L. team, casually : AVS
26 Word with catching or popping : EYE-
28 They may throw shade : OAKS
29 Not busy : FREE
30 Hold the ___ : FORT
31 Tibia : SHIN
32 ___-leg jeans : WIDE
33 Forever and a day : AGES
35 Tool for closing a window : ESCAPE KEY
38 Chicago’s ___ Center : AON
39 Boston and San Francisco, but not Denver : PORTS
44 Martian day (24 hours, 39 minutes and 35 seconds) : SOL
46 Religious adherents governed by the Universal House of Justice : BAHA’IS
48 One with a forked tongue : COBRA
50 You might catch this when seated with other people : MOVIE
51 Put up : ERECT
52 Red wine variety : SYRAH
53 Name on a truck : MACK
54 Garden plant in the mallow family : OKRA
55 Gigglefest : RIOT
56 Rosa, tulipán or jazmín : FLOR

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