Constructed by: Patti Varol & Doug Peterson
Edited by: Rich Norris
Quicklink to a complete list of today’s clues and answers
Quicklink to comments
Theme: None
Bill’s time: 12m 24s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
1. Not much : JUST A TAD
Back in the 1800s “tad” was used to describe a young child, and this extended into our usage of “small amount” in the early 1900s. The original use of “tad” for a child is very likely a shortened version of “tadpole”.
9. “__ Weeks”: classic Van Morrison album : ASTRAL
Van Morrison is a singer-songwriter from Belfast in Northern Ireland. Back in Ireland we refer to him as “Van the Man”. Some of his more famous songs are “Brown Eyed Girl”, “Moondance”, “Gloria” and “Have I Told You Lately”.
15. Caravaggio masterpiece that pictures Pontius Pilate with Jesus : ECCE HOMO
“Ecce Homo” is the name of several famous paintings classifies as Christian art. The scene depicted is taken from the Gospel of John, and usually shows Pontius Pilate displaying Jesus Christ to the crowd prior to his execution. The phrase “Ecce homo” was spoken by Pilate to the onlookers, and translates as “Behold the man!” The most famous painting bearing the title is probably the early 17th-century work by Caravaggio that can be seen at the Palazzo Bianco in Genoa, Italy.
17. Iconic building with “point” offices : FLATIRON
The Flatiron Building in Manhattan, New York is a 21-story skyscraper completed in 1902. The building has a wedge-shaped footprint, giving rise to the “Flatiron” name. The most coveted offices are located at the sharpest of three angular ends, the so-called “point”. One oddity in the building is that the male bathrooms are located on the even floors, and the female bathrooms on the odd. Also, the 21st floor was added in 1905, and to access this floor requires an elevator ride from the 1st to the 20th floor, and a second elevator ride to the 21st. Such is the celebrity of the structure that the surrounding area took on the name Flatiron District.
20. Specialty docs : ENTS
Ear, nose and throat specialist (ENT)
33. River to the Severn : AVON
There are actually four rivers called the Avon in England, but “Shakespeare’s Avon” lies mainly in Warwickshire. The name “Avon” comes from the Old English word for a river, “abona”. Stratford-upon-Avon was the birthplace of William Shakespeare.
The River Severn is the longest river in the UK (the Thames is second). The Severn rises in the Cambrian Mountains in the center of Wales and empties into the Bristol Channel at the Severn Estuary.
34. First volume of a Beverly Cleary series : BEEZUS AND RAMONA
“Ramona and Beezus” is a 2010 kid’s movie based on the “Ramona” series of children’s novels by Beverly Cleary. The title characters are played by Joey King (Ramona) and Selena Gomez (Beezus). The original novel that inspired the title of the film is “Beezus and Ramona” (note the transposition of the names), but the movie’s plot is based on the storylines in the sequel novels “Ramona Forever” and “Ramona’s World”.
37. Cornerstone word : ANNO
The Latin word for year is “annus”. We often see it used in Latin phrases, but usually with a different spelling. For example in “anno Domini”, the “anno” is the ablative case of “annus” as the phrase means “in the year of the Lord”. Another example is “per annum”, in which “annum” is the accusative case as the literal translation of the phrase is “during the year”.
39. 2009 A.L. MVP Joe : MAUER
Joe Mauer is a professional baseball player from St. Paul, Minnesota, and who also started playing for the Minnesota Twins in 2004. Mauer is famous for wearing long sideburns, it says here …
40. Spectrum band : RED
“Roy G. Biv” can be used as a mnemonic for the colors in a rainbow:
- Red
- Orange
- Yellow
- Green
- Blue
- Indigo
- Violet
41. 1969-’70 Broadway musical that ends with a fashion show : COCO
The 1969 musical “Coco” by Alan Jay Lerner and André Previn was based on the life of French fashion designer Coco Chanel. The title role was played by Katharine Hepburn, marking the only time the Hollywood star appeared in a stage musical.
42. Brandt of “Breaking Bad” : BETSY
Betsy Brandt is an actress best known for playing Marie Schrader on “Breaking Bad”. Brandt has two children, the second of which was born while the second season of “Breaking Bad” was being filmed.
46. Benjamin portrayer : HAWN
I remember watching the ditsy Goldie Hawn character on “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In”. Hawn used to give great performances on the show, convincing everyone that she was the stereotypical dumb blonde. Well, what a great career she was to carve out for herself!
“Private Benjamin” is an entertaining comedy movie that features Goldie Hawn in the title role. Private Benjamin is a new recruit in the US Army who joins under a misapprehension about the army lifestyle. She gets a rude awakening, and hilarity ensues …
48. John follower : ACTS
The Acts of the Apostles is the fifth book of the Christian New Testament. It is believed that the author of the Gospel of Luke was the same person who wrote “Acts”.
52. Fleet destroyed by the Protestant Wind : ARMADA
The Spanish Armada sailed from Spain with an invasion force intent on overthrowing Queen Elizabeth I of England. The fleet was repulsed by the English, who launched an effective fireship attack on the Spanish. After smaller engagements with the English, the Spanish Armada suffered its greatest losses in severe storms in the North Atlantic that left many vessels wrecked on the coasts of Scotland and Ireland. Of the 130 vessels in the original invading force, only two thirds returned to Spain. The storms that help save Queen Elizabeth I’s throne are often referred to as “the Protestant Wind”.
54. Ovid, for one : EPIC POET
The Roman poet Publius Ovidius Naso is today known simply as Ovid. Ovid is usually listed alongside the two other great Roman poets: Horace and Virgil.
58. Joshua tree habitat : DESERT
Joshua Tree is the common name for the plant species more correctly called Yucca brevifolia. One of the best places to see Joshua Trees is in the beautiful Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California. The plant was named by Mormon settlers crossing the Mojave Desert in the mid-1800s. The name was chosen as the shape of the tree reminded the settlers of Joshua reaching his hands to the sky in prayer.
59. Tests using Snellen charts : EYE EXAMS
The commonly used eye chart (that starts with the letters “E FP TOZ LPED”) is called a Snellen chart. The test is named after its developer Herman Snellen, who introduced it way back in 1862.
Down
1. Bridges of Los Angeles County : JEFF
Jeff Bridges has acting in his blood, as the son of Lloyd and Dorothy Bridges, and younger brother of Beau Bridges. Jeff and Beau used to appear occasionally with their father in the TV show “Sea Hunt” in the late fifties and early sixties. Jeff’s breakthrough role came with the 1971 film “The Last Picture Show”, for which he was nominated for an Oscar (at only 22 years of age). He had to wait until he was 60 years old to win an Oscar though, for his performance in 2009’s “Crazy Heart”. Off the screen, Jeff Bridges is an accomplished photographer. I have a fine book of photographs that he shot on and off film sets over the years …
2. Home of the Herb Alpert Sch. of Music : UCLA
Herb Alpert still plays the trumpet today, but he is also a talented painter and sculptor. His works are seen regularly in exhibitions all around the world.
4. Head of the Sorbonne? : TETE
“Tête” is French for “head”.
The Sorbonne is the name usually used for the old University of Paris, and some of the institutions that have succeeded it.
5. Sushi choice : AHI
Yellowfin and bigeye tuna are usually marketed as “ahi”, the Hawaiian name. They are both big fish, with yellowfish tuna often weighing over 300 pounds, and bigeye tuna getting up to 400 pounds.
9. SFPD alert : APB
An All Points Bulletin (APB) is a broadcast from one US law enforcement agency to another.
The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) is the 11th largest police department in the country. The SFPD dates back to the days of the Gold Rush, being founded in 1849 as a force of 35 officers. SFPD has featured a lot in movies and on television. The most famous films are probably “Bullitt”, the “Dirty Harry” series and “48 Hrs.” On television there was “Ironside”, “The Streets of San Francisco” and “Monk”.
10. ”Nausea” novelist : SARTRE
Jean-Paul Sartre was a leading French philosopher, as well as a writer and political activist. He also served with the French army during WWII and spent nine months as a prisoner of war having been captured by German troops. Sartre was one of the few people to have been awarded a Nobel Prize and to have then refused to accept it. He was named winner of the prize for Literature in 1964, for his first novel “Nausea”. Before his win, Sartre knew that his name was on the list of nominees so he wrote to the Nobel Institute and asked to be withdrawn from consideration. The letter somehow went unread, so he found himself having to refuse the award after he had been selected.
13. “Years of Minutes” author : ANDY ROONEY
Andy Rooney began his career in newspapers during WWII working for “Stars and Stripes” in London. He had some memorable experiences during the war, including flying on the first American bombing raid over Germany. He was also one of the first American journalists to visit the German concentration camps as they were liberated. He started his segment called “A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney” on CBS’s “60 Minutes” way back in 1978, and so was on our screens for over 40 years. Rooney passed away in 2011.
“Years of Minutes” is a 2003 collection of television essays written by Andy Rooney for “60 Minutes”.
14. SFPD ranks : LTS
Lieutenant (lt.)
23. __ platter : PUPU
n Hawaiian, “pu-pu” is a word originally meaning “snail”. Nowadays “pu-pu” denotes many different types of food that are usually served as an hors d’oeuvres. A “pupu platter” then is a selection of such foods served in a Hawaiian restaurant.
25. Wreck locator : SONAR
The British developed the first underwater detection system that used sound waves. Research was driven by defence demands during WWI, leading to production of working units in 1922. This new sound detection system was described as using “supersonics”, but for the purpose of secrecy the term was dropped in favor of an acronym. The work was done under the auspices of the Royal Navy’s Anti-Submarine Division, so ASD was combined with the IC from “superson-ic-s” to create the name ASDIC. The navy even went as far as renaming the quartz material at the heart of the technology “ASDivite”. By the time WWII came along, the Americans were producing their own systems and coined the term SONAR, playing off the related application, RADAR. And so the name ASDIC was deep-sixed …
26. When, in Act IV, Juliet drinks the potion : SCENE THREE
William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” doesn’t end well for the title characters. Juliet takes a potion as a ruse to fool her parents, to trick them into thinking she is dead. The potion puts her in a death-like coma for 24 hours, after which Juliet plans to awaken and run off with Romeo. Juliet’s sends a message to Romeo apprising him of the plan, but the message fails to arrive. Romeo hears of Juliet’s “death”, and grief-stricken he takes his own life by drinking poison. Juliet awakens from the coma, only to find her lover dead beside her. She picks up a dagger and commits suicide. And nobody lives happily ever after …
27. “The O.C.” and “Gossip Girl” : TEEN DRAMAS
“The O.C.” is a teen drama that aired for four seasons on Fox finishing up in 2007. I never watched it, but I understand that it is set in Newport Beach in Southern California.
“Gossip Girl” is a series of young adult novels by American author Cecily von Ziegesar. The Gossip Girl in the title is the narrator of the tale, a gossip blogger who recounts the experiences of two friends, Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen.
28. Taverna liqueur : OUZO
Ouzo is an aperitif from Greece that is colorless and flavored with anise. Ouzo is similar to pastis from France and also has a flavor like sambuca from Italy.
32. Riata twirler : GAUCHO
A “gaucho” is someone who lives in the South American pampas, the fertile lowlands in the southeast of South America. The term “gaucho” is also used as the equivalent of our “cowboy”.
“Reata” is the Spanish word for “lasso”. We tend to use the spelling “riata” in English, but sometimes can use the original Spanish word.
33. Basic Latin word : AMAT
Amo, amas, amat” … I love, you love, he/she/it loves”, in Latin.
51. FDA output : STDS
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) started out as the Food, Drug and Insecticide organization in 1906, after President Theodore Roosevelt signed into law the Food and Drug Act. The main driver behind the Act was concern over public hygiene.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) started out as the Food, Drug and Insecticide organization in 1906, after President Theodore Roosevelt signed into law the Food and Drug Act. The main driver behind the Act was concern over public hygiene.
53. “The lie that enables us to realize the truth”: Picasso : ART
The artist Pablo Picasso’s full name was Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso, a name he was given right from birth. Got that?
55. Volcano center? : CEE
There is a letter C (cee) at the center of the word “volcano”.
Complete List of Clues and Answers
Across
1. Not much : JUST A TAD
9. “__ Weeks”: classic Van Morrison album : ASTRAL
15. Caravaggio masterpiece that pictures Pontius Pilate with Jesus : ECCE HOMO
16. Raise : PARENT
17. Iconic building with “point” offices : FLATIRON
18. Market array : BRANDS
19. What stars have : FAME
20. Specialty docs : ENTS
22. In order : TIDY
23. They’re hard to put down : PAGE-TURNERS
26. Dauntless : STOUT
29. Spray holder : VASE
30. Site of monkey business : ZOO
31. Get a winter coat? : ICE UP
32. Part of an inheritance : GENE
33. River to the Severn : AVON
34. First volume of a Beverly Cleary series : BEEZUS AND RAMONA
37. Cornerstone word : ANNO
38. Hauls : LUGS
39. 2009 A.L. MVP Joe : MAUER
40. Spectrum band : RED
41. 1969-’70 Broadway musical that ends with a fashion show : COCO
42. Brandt of “Breaking Bad” : BETSY
43. Comedy team staples : STRAIGHT MEN
46. Benjamin portrayer : HAWN
47. Cries of surprise : OHOS
48. John follower : ACTS
52. Fleet destroyed by the Protestant Wind : ARMADA
54. Ovid, for one : EPIC POET
56. More expensive : DEARER
57. Bought back : REDEEMED
58. Joshua tree habitat : DESERT
59. Tests using Snellen charts : EYE EXAMS
Down
1. Bridges of Los Angeles County : JEFF
2. Home of the Herb Alpert Sch. of Music : UCLA
3. Hustle : SCAM
4. Head of the Sorbonne? : TETE
5. Sushi choice : AHI
6. Eagerly unwrapped : TORE AT
7. In with : AMONG
8. “You’re skating on thin ice” : DON’T EVEN GO THERE
9. SFPD alert : APB
10. ”Nausea” novelist : SARTRE
11. Express, say : TRAIN
12. Orbital maneuver : RENDEZVOUS
13. “Years of Minutes” author : ANDY ROONEY
14. SFPD ranks : LTS
21. Resolute policies : STANDS
23. __ platter : PUPU
24. One working on keys : USER
25. Wreck locator : SONAR
26. When, in Act IV, Juliet drinks the potion : SCENE THREE
27. “The O.C.” and “Gossip Girl” : TEEN DRAMAS
28. Taverna liqueur : OUZO
31. Structural pieces : I-BARS
32. Riata twirler : GAUCHO
33. Basic Latin word : AMAT
35. Rough going : SLOG
36. “Yes!” : AMEN!
41. __ block : CINDER
42. Next to : BESIDE
44. Clued in : AWARE
45. Glum : MOPEY
48. Crown : APEX
49. Food __: after-eating drowsiness : COMA
50. Come down hard : TEEM
51. FDA output : STDS
52. Throw into the mix : ADD
53. “The lie that enables us to realize the truth”: Picasso : ART
55. Volcano center? : CEE
3 errors yesterday after 68 minutes. Definitely going to do better with the NYT again this week (0 errors yesterday, one today).
@Pookie
It’s hard to describe, but there’s a varying level of things we had to know. The more common elements were the ones we really had to “know”, versus the uncommon ones that we just had to be “familiar with”. This was determined, mostly, by the number of applications that the particular element has. Anything beyond #92 is not naturally occurring (read mostly made in atom smashers and only survive for moments), and a small handful of the other elements are more chem lab curiosities than anything you can point at in nature or industrial application. The ones I really had to “know” were the edges, plus a handful in the center that are common base metals (iron, nickel, copper, gold, silver, etc).
Anyhow, all, have a happy night and an even happier 2017. I certainly hope so, given how terrible this year has been.
I needed a lot of time and 2 Googles (both at the top) to finish this one. Very well done puzzle. Other than perhaps AHI and STDS not a lot of crossword staples in this one – not a lot of layups.
VASE as a “Spray holder” confuses me, but I got it via crosses. Can someone enlighten me? Usually when it’s not covered in the blog it means I’m missing something obvious. Wouldn’t be the first time…
Have a safe New Years Eve, all –
Best –
@jeff. A spray refers to a type of floral arrangement. Usually long stemmed flowers radiating outward in a fan like design.
@Jeff – A “spray” of flowers may be found is a vase.
I really got hung up for the longest time on the NE corner. Finally I got enough of 9 Across to remember the Van Morrison albums name and that finally got me to the finish line. See you all in the New Year. The best to everyone.
So the FDA produces STDs? One wonders how these diseases are distributed among the public…
My best wishes to you all for the happiest and healthiest of New Years. Though signs have clearly indicated that 2017 will be even more “interesting” than this year, one can hope, sincerely that we are not bound to living under that ancient Chinese curse for much longer! Be safe tonight y’all, and PARTY! Midnight will probably find me curled up with my knitting. It’s just too too cold here in Vegas. (Yes it gets cold here; very cold! I constantly have to remind non-denizens that deserts are DRY, not necessarily hot!)
The puzzle went faster than a normal Sat for me, but I had 2 errors. Both times it was from reading an E as an A. I really have to do something abt my printing!
Beverly Cleary’s books have won many awards, and have been popular around the world for decades. She based her books in her own childhood neighborhood in Portland, OR. You can take your grandchildren to walk Klickitat St., just as Henry Huggins did, and Grant Park has statues of the characters playing.
Zero errors, 44 minutes. Much smoother than yesterday. Good effort too since I really didn’t know of a whole lot in this grid.
Post disappeared twice. I give up
Ovid as an “epic” poet is a “green paint” clue, and the proper noun/pop culture content is plenty high, too. Not much fun here, for me. For the difference between “challenging” and “slog fest,” see
Jeff Chen’s puzzle in today’s NYT. Happy 2017, all.
@Justjoel59: Re STDs — Hu hu! I had the same thought.
19:04, no errors. RAMONA, MAUER, and BETSY were educated guesses, supported by the fact that together they helped to spell out AMAT.
@Joe Bleaux … I’m just curious: Did you view Jeff Chen’s puzzle as “challenging” or as a “slog fest”? I certainly had a heck of a time with it; I finished in 51:13, and I teetered on the edge of calling a foul on one or two of the clues – quite unusual for me. (Then again, I’ve been tied up all day, so I haven’t had a chance to go back and think about it in depth.)
@JustJoel59 … I would agree that the signs are not promising for 2017, but I share your hope for the future. Let’s all cross our fingers … and toes … 🙂
To Mr. Bill Butler-
Once again on New Year’s Eve I would like to take time to give tribute to your expertise, faithful blogging and inside information that you steadfastly provide to your followers. It constantly amazes me that you can take time out of your life to devote such care in giving us a refuge daily to comment, gripe and commend the constructors who provide us with a respite from the daily grind and come together as one to have a group discussion.
Once upon a time I could name all of the participants individually for their contributions to Bill’s blog. Thankfully, there are too many men and women who participate, that I would feel bad if I did not include them all. Those who contribute daily, and those who stop by every so often.
Thank you all for supporting our Bill, and please continue to do so.
I’m sure it means a lot to him. 🙂
I wish you all health, happiness and peace in the coming year.
Take time to reflect and enjoy every day as it comes.
Thanks, Pookie! Well said!
Happy New Year, All
Thank you, Pookie, thank you so much. Those are very kind words, and a lovely way to end 2016. I am very grateful to you, and all those who take the time to leave a comment, or indeed just visit the blog. Let’s hope for a happy and “puzzling” (in a good way!) New Year for all of us.
Dang!! One letter away from a win!! I had ALONG instead of AMONG. I shoulda spent more time staring at that section. What a way to end this year. Dang!!
Very good puzzle tho. Seemed to take me forever to get STOUT. Can’t believe I remembered that Beverly Cleary title. Never read that one, tho I just loved her book “Fifteen.”
@Joe, can you please tell me what you mean by “green paint clue??”
Pookie! Beautifully stated; thank you! Thank YOU, Bill, for another awesome year of fun and education.
I hope the New Year brings POSITIVE surprises….Fingers crossed!! ?
And I wish all of you a happy, safe, peaceful 2017!
Be well~~™???