1030-23 NY Times Crossword 30 Oct 23, Monday

Constructed by: Kenneth Cortes
Edited by: Will Shortz

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Today’s Reveal Answer: Bright Idea

Today’s grid is “dark”, except for the BRIGHT “IDEA” hidden in four answers:

• 56A Stroke of genius … or the theme of this puzzle : BRIGHT IDEA

• 18A Not difficult at all, in slang : STUPID EASY
• 26A Seeing Eye dog, e.g. : GUIDE ANIMAL
• 44A Game in which one might shout “Ready or not, here I come!” : HIDE AND SEEK

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Bill’s time: 5m 03s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Soul singer Redding : OTIS

Otis Redding is often referred to as the “King of Soul”, and what a voice he had. Like so many of the greats in the world of popular music it seems, Redding was killed in a plane crash, in 1967 when he was just 26 years old. Just three days earlier he had recorded what was to be his biggest hit, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay”.

5 Chocolaty coffee drink : MOCHA

Mocha is a port city in Yemen on the Red Sea and was once the principal port for the capital city of Sana’a. Mocha was the major marketplace in the world for coffee until the 1600s, and gave its name to the Mocha coffee bean, which in turn gave its name to the mocha brown color, and the flavor of coffee infused with chocolate.

14 What magma becomes when it’s erupted : LAVA

Lava is a phenomenon that results from the eruption of magma from a volcano. Depending on the type of lava and the volcano it comes from, lava can reach temperatures of up to 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit (1,200 degrees Celsius). That’s hot enough to melt steel …

15 Earth Day month : APRIL

Earth Day was founded in the US, where it was introduced by Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin. Earth Day was designed to increase awareness and appreciation of our planet’s natural environment. The original Earth Day was on April 22nd, 1970. Decades later, the day is observed in over 175 countries.

16 Durable wood from the tropics : TEAK

Teak is a hardwood tree in the mint family that is commonly found in monsoon forests of Asia. Teak’s tight grain and high oil content make it very suitable for constructing outdoor furniture, where weather resistance is valued. For the same reason, teak is the wood of choice for wooden decks on boats.

17 Figure skating jump : AXEL

An axel is a forward take-off jump in figure skating. The maneuver was first performed by Norwegian Axel Paulsen at the 1882 World Figure Skating championships.

23 Folk singer Guthrie : ARLO

Singer Arlo Guthrie is known for his protest songs, just like his father Woody Guthrie. The younger Guthrie only ever had one song in the top 40: a cover version of “City of New Orleans”. He has lived for years in the town of Washington, just outside Pittsfield, Massachusetts. His 1976 song “Massachusetts” has been the official folk song of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts since 1981.

33 Broadway musical based on a comic strip orphan : ANNIE

The Broadway musical “Annie” is based on the Harold Gray comic strip “Little Orphan Annie”. There have been two film adaptations of the musical. Both were really quite successful, including one released in 1982, directed by John Huston of all people. It was his only ever musical.

40 What the number of spots on a ladybug represents, in a common misconception : AGE

The insect we know as a ladybug (also “ladybird”) has seven spots on its wing covers. These seven spots gave rise to the common name “ladybug”, as in the Middle Ages the insect was called the “beetle of Our Lady”. The spots were said to symbolize the Seven Joys and Seven Sorrows, events in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary called out in the Roman Catholic tradition.

43 ___City (computer game) : SIM

SimCity is a very clever computer game. Players build and grow cities and societies by creating the conditions necessary for people (the Sims) to move in and thrive. SimCity was launched in 1989, and to this day it is consistently ranked as one of the greatest computer games of all time.

50 Jackson 5 hairstyles : AFROS

The Jackson 5 singing group were originally made up of brothers Tito, Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael. The four eldest brothers continued to perform, using the name “The Jacksons”, after Michael went solo.

59 Using ketchup on a steak at a fancy steakhouse, e.g. : NO-NO

The term “ketchup” may be of Chinese origin. One suggestion is that the name comes from “kôe-chiap”, meaning the brine of pickled fish. The name may also come from the Chinese “jyutping”, meaning “tomato sauce”.

61 Nonreactive, as the noble gases : INERT

An inert gas can be different from a noble gas. Both are relatively non-reactive, but a noble gas is an element. An inert gas might be a compound, i.e. made up of more than one element.

64 Cleric’s house : MANSE

A manse is a minister’s home in various Christian traditions. “Manse” derives from “mansus”, the Latin for “dwelling”. The term can also be used for any stately residence.

Down

1 “Frozen” snowman : OLAF

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

3 Bon ___, indie folk band : IVER

Bon Iver is a folk band that started up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin in 2007. The band’s name comes from the French “bon hiver” meaning “good winter”. The phrase “bon hiver” was popularized by the fun nineties TV show “Northern Exposure”.

5 Garam ___ (Indian spice blend) : MASALA

Garam masala is a mixture of ground spices that is particularly associated with Indian cuisine. A typical composition of garam masala includes:

• black and white peppercorns
• cloves
• cinnamon
• black and white cumin seeds
• black, brown, and green cardamom pods

All of the ingredients are toasted, and then ground together.

9 “___ Baba and the 40 Thieves” : ALI

In the folk tale “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves”, the title character is a poor woodcutter who discovers the magic phrase “Open sesame!” that opens the thieves’ den.

10 Fetal development sites : UTERI

The word “fetus”, used for an unborn young animal, comes from Latin as one might expect. “Fetus” is the Latin word for the act of hatching or bringing forth a young animal or child. The mistaken spelling “foetus” is seen occasionally, but there’s no historical basis for adding that “o”.

11 Colorful marine invertebrate : SEA ANEMONE

The name “anemone” means “daughter of the wind” in Greek, and at one time it was believed that the wind was what actually caused the flower to bloom. The sea anemone is named for the terrestrial plant even though the sea anemone isn’t a plant at all. The sea anemone is a predatory animal found on the ocean floor.

13 Scottish isle and stargazing locale, aptly : SKYE

The Isle of Skye is off the northwest coast of Scotland in the Inner Hebrides. It is the second largest island in the country, and has been linked to the mainland by a road bridge since 1995. I’ve never been there, but I hear the views are spectacular.

19 Features of rotary phones : DIALS

The first patent for a rotary dial mechanism for a phone was granted in 1898, and the familiar rotary dial phones (with holes for the finger) were introduced by the Bell System in 1919. This form of dialing was called “pulse dialing”. When you dialed the number 5, say, the dial would rotate back to the start position, opening and closing electrical contacts five times and sending five pulses over the telephone line. I used to love rotary dial phones when I was a kid. My grandfather was a telephone engineer and he showed me how to “tap out” the pulses on the “hook” at the top of a pay phone. I was able to make free calls that way. He definitely contributed to the delinquency of a minor …

21 Weeping willow or quaking aspen : TREE

The lovely-looking tree known as a weeping willow is native to northern China, although is now found all over the world.

The “quaking” aspen tree is so called because the structure of the leaves causes them to move easily in the wind, to “tremble, quake”.

24 “No time to dillydally!” : C’MON!

To dillydally is to loiter, delay. The verb “to dally” also means “to linger, dawdle”, and so “dillydally” is simply a duplication of “dally”, one that dates back to the mid-1700s.

27 Freshwater eel of Japanese cuisine : UNAGI

“Unagi” is the Japanese term for” freshwater eel”, and “anago” is the term for “saltwater eel”.

28 Phrase on gravestones : IN MEMORIAM

“In memoriam” is a Latin phrase that we use in English to mean “in memory of” when referring to a person that is deceased.

31 One-named singer of the #1 hit “Royals” (2013) : LORDE

“Lorde” is a stage name of the singer-songwriter Ella Yelich-O’Connor from New Zealand. Lorde’s cover version of the great Tears for Fears song “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” was used in the soundtrack for “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” (2013). Her song “Yellow Flicker Beat” is included in the soundtrack for “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1”.

32 Newspaper stand : KIOSK

Our word “kiosk” came to us via French and Turkish from the Persian “kushk” meaning “palace, portico”.

37 Ballet bend : PLIE

The French word for “bent” is “plié”. In the ballet move known as a plié, the knees are bent. A “demi-plié” is a similar move, but with less bending of the knees. A fondu is similar to a plié, except that only one leg remains on the ground.

38 Counterpart to cones, in an eye : RODS

The retina is the tissue that lines the inside of the eye, and is the tissue that is light-sensitive. There are (mainly) two types of cells in the retina that are sensitive to light, namely rods and cones. Rods are cells that best function in very dim light and only provide black-and-white vision. Cones on the other hand function in brighter light and can perceive color.

39 Crispy plantain chips : TOSTONES

There is no botanical distinction between bananas and plantains. The terms simply describe fruit intended for eating raw (bananas) and fruit intended for cooking (plantains).

41 ___ kebab : SHISH

The term “kebab” (also “kabob”) covers a wide variety of meat dishes that originated in Persia. In the West, we usually use “kebab” when talking about shish kebab, which is meat (often lamb) served on a skewer. “Shish” comes from the Turkish word for “skewer”.

48 Not genuine : BOGUS

Our word “bogus”, meaning “not genuine” was coined (pun!) in the 1830s, when it applied to counterfeit money.

50 Group with the hits “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” and “Money, Money, Money” : ABBA

“Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” is a 1979 hit for the Swedish group ABBA. The album and single version released generally around the world is 4:48 in length. The single version released in North America was edited down drastically to 3:36.

“Money, Money, Money” is a 1976 hit song for Swedish pop group ABBA. The lyrics are basically a narration by a woman who works hard but struggles to make ends meet, and so deserves a well-off man as a partner. As the song says, “It’s a rich man’s world”.

57 Actor Robbins or Robinson : TIM

Tim Robbins is a Hollywood actor, director and producer. I’d say that Robbins’ best-known roles are the leads in “The Shawshank Redemption” and “The Player”. Robbins also wrote, produced and directed the 1995 movie “Dead Man Walking” starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. Robbins was married for almost thirty years to Susan Sarandon, although they split up in 2009.

Comedian Tim Robinson worked as a cast member and writer on “Saturday Night Live” for one season in 2012, but was fired from the show after only one year. Despite this setback, Robinson continued to pursue his passion for comedy and eventually found success with “I Think You Should Leave,” which has been praised for its absurdist humor and unconventional approach to sketch comedy.

58 Once ___ blue moon : IN A

As there is a full moon once every four weeks, approximately monthly, there are usually twelve full moons in any given year. However, every 2-3 years, depending on the phase of the moon at the beginning of the calendar year, there may be a thirteenth full moon. The “extra” full moon is called a “blue moon”, although no one seems to really know why the term “blue” is used, as far as I can tell. Which of the thirteen full moons that is designated as the blue moon varies depending on tradition. My favorite definition is from the Farmer’s Almanac. It states that as each of the seasons normally has three full moons (one for each calendar month), then the season with four full moons is designated as “special”, then the third (and not the fourth) full moon in that “special” season is the blue moon. Complicated, huh?

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Soul singer Redding : OTIS
5 Chocolaty coffee drink : MOCHA
10 Multitools have many of these : USES
14 What magma becomes when it’s erupted : LAVA
15 Earth Day month : APRIL
16 Durable wood from the tropics : TEAK
17 Figure skating jump : AXEL
18 Not difficult at all, in slang : STUPID EASY
20 Kind of kit with bandages, antiseptic, etc. : FIRST AID
22 Enraged : IRATE
23 Folk singer Guthrie : ARLO
24 Word before link or reaction : CHAIN …
26 Seeing Eye dog, e.g. : GUIDE ANIMAL
30 Beast sighted in the Rockies : ELK
33 Broadway musical based on a comic strip orphan : ANNIE
34 Cuts, as grass : MOWS
35 Me, in Paris : MOI
36 Light on a night stand : LAMP
37 Planting a whoopee cushion, e.g. : PRANK
39 Bull, in Spanish : TORO
40 What the number of spots on a ladybug represents, in a common misconception : AGE
41 Tedious task : SLOG
42 Investments that aren’t stocks : BONDS
43 ___City (computer game) : SIM
44 Game in which one might shout “Ready or not, here I come!” : HIDE AND SEEK
47 Theater awards : OBIES
49 Tidy : NEAT
50 Jackson 5 hairstyles : AFROS
52 “Suns” of some breakfasts : EGG YOLKS
56 Stroke of genius … or the theme of this puzzle : BRIGHT IDEA
59 Using ketchup on a steak at a fancy steakhouse, e.g. : NO-NO
60 Boyfriend : BEAU
61 Nonreactive, as the noble gases : INERT
62 Like this clue’s number : EVEN
63 Cash dispensers, in brief : ATMS
64 Cleric’s house : MANSE
65 Goes to, as a movie : SEES

Down

1 “Frozen” snowman : OLAF
2 Cab : TAXI
3 Bon ___, indie folk band : IVER
4 Accompaniment for a tortilla chip : SALSA DIP
5 Garam ___ (Indian spice blend) : MASALA
6 Key between Control and Command, on a Mac : OPTION
7 Gunky residue : CRUD
8 Cool-sounding body part? : HIP
9 “___ Baba and the 40 Thieves” : ALI
10 Fetal development sites : UTERI
11 Colorful marine invertebrate : SEA ANEMONE
12 90°, on a compass : EAST
13 Scottish isle and stargazing locale, aptly : SKYE
19 Features of rotary phones : DIALS
21 Weeping willow or quaking aspen : TREE
24 “No time to dillydally!” : C’MON!
25 Bird of prey : HAWK
26 Dressy parties : GALAS
27 Freshwater eel of Japanese cuisine : UNAGI
28 Phrase on gravestones : IN MEMORIAM
29 Icon, e.g. : IMAGE
31 One-named singer of the #1 hit “Royals” (2013) : LORDE
32 Newspaper stand : KIOSK
37 Ballet bend : PLIE
38 Counterpart to cones, in an eye : RODS
39 Crispy plantain chips : TOSTONES
41 ___ kebab : SHISH
42 Time to cut a cake, for short : B’DAY
45 Enrages : ANGERS
46 Render null and void : NEGATE
48 Not genuine : BOGUS
50 Group with the hits “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” and “Money, Money, Money” : ABBA
51 Worry : FRET
52 Home for Adam and Eve : EDEN
53 Common sign-off in a letter : LOVE
54 Midleg : KNEE
55 Daughters’ counterparts : SONS
57 Actor Robbins or Robinson : TIM
58 Once ___ blue moon : IN A

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