Constructed by: Jeffrey Wechsler
Edited by: Rich Norris
Quicklink to a complete list of today’s clues and answers
Quicklink to comments
Theme: It’s All Garbage
Today’s themed answers are each include a hidden word, shown with circled letters in the grid. Each of those hidden words is a synonym of GARBAGE:
- 36A. “I don’t believe a word!” … or, the truth about this puzzle’s circles : IT’S ALL GARBAGE
- 17A. “Epic fail!” : THAT WAS TERRIBLE!
- 25A. Like some cheddar : EXTRA SHARP
- 52A. Electrical backup supplies : SPARE FUSES
- 60A. Two of the three founders of the Distilleria Nazionale di Spirito di Vino : MARTINI AND ROSSI
Bill’s time: 9m 58s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
11. Wagner’s “__ Rheingold” : DAS
“Das Rheingold” is an 1869 opera by Richard Wagner, the first of four works that comprise his famous “Ring Cycle”.
Richard Wagner’s “Ring Cycle” is more properly called “Der Ring des Nibelungen” (The Ring of Nibelung), and comprises four very, very long operas. The individual operas are:
- “Das Rheingold”
- “Die Walkure”
- “Siegfried”
- “Gotterdammerung”
14. Uses Blue Apron, say : EATS IN
Blue Apron is a meal delivery service that has been providing customers across the US with a weekly supply of meals since 2012. The “kit” for a meal comes pre-proportioned with ingredients for a home-cooked repast.
15. Baseball family name : ALOU
Moises Alou played major league baseball, as did his father Felipe and his uncles Matty and Jesús.
16. Space bar neighbor : ALT
The Alt (alternate) key is found on either side of the space bar on US PC keyboards. The Alt key evolved from what was called a Meta key on old MIT keyboards, although the function has changed somewhat over the years. Alt is equivalent in many ways to the Option key on a Mac keyboard, and indeed the letters “Alt” have been printed on most Mac keyboards starting in the nineties.
20. Lady Gaga’s “__ It Happens to You” : TIL
“Til It Happens to You” is a song written and performed by Lady Gaga. It was composed for the 2015 documentary “The Hunting Ground” that deals with rape on US campuses. The song is used twice in the film, on both occasions underscoring the pain experienced after a sexual assault.
21. Presidential nickname : IKE
When the future president was growing up, the Eisenhower family used the nickname “Ike” for all seven boys in the family, as “Ike” was seen as an abbreviation for the family name. “Big Ike” was Edgar, the second oldest boy. “Little/Young Ike” was Dwight, who was the third son born. Dwight had no sisters.
25. Like some cheddar : EXTRA SHARP
Cheddar cheese takes its name from the English village of Cheddar in Somerset. Over 50% of the cheese sold in the UK is cheddar. Here in the US cheddar is the second most popular cheese sold, behind Mozzarella.
28. “Ghostbusters” actor : RAMIS
Harold Ramis was a real all-rounder, working as an actor, director and writer. Indeed, in both “Ghostbusters” and “Stripes” he was a co-writer as well as playing a lead character. Ramis worked as writer-director on “Caddyshack”, “National Lampoon’s Vacation”, “Groundhog Day” and “Analyze This”.
1984’s “Ghostbusters” really is an entertaining movie. It stars Bill Murray and Harold Ramis, and was directed by Ivan Reitman (a trio that also worked together on 1981’s “Stripes”). The first draft of the screenplay was written by another star of the movie, Dan Aykroyd. Aykroyd originally envisioned “Ghostbusters” as a vehicle for himself and John Belushi, but sadly Belushi passed away before the project could be realized.
30. Shanghai-born ex-NBA center : YAO
Yao Ming is a retired professional basketball player from Shanghai who played for the Houston Rockets. At 7’6″, Yao was the tallest man playing in the NBA.
31. German : Kopf :: French : __ : TETE
The English word “head” translates into French as “tête”, and into German as “Kopf”.
34. U.S. intelligence org. : NSA
The National Security Agency (NSA) seal was introduced in 1965 and features an eagle perched upon a key. The eagle represents the agency’s national mission, and the key represents security.
42. Deborah’s “The King and I” co-star : YUL
Yul Brynner was a Russian-born actor. Brynner was well known for his great performances, but also for his shaved head and his deep rich voice. He first adopted the “hairstyle” while playing the King of Siam in the stage version of “The King and I”, and he stuck with it.
The lovely Deborah Kerr was a Scottish actress who made a real name for herself on the American stage and in Hollywood movies. Despite all her success, and six nominations for a Best Actress Oscar, Kerr never actually won an Academy Award. In 1967 she appeared in the James Bond film “Casino Royale” at the age of 46, making her oldest Bond Girl of all time.
“The King and I” is a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical based on a book by Margaret Landon called “Anna and the King of Siam” first published in 1944. Landon’s book is based on a true story, told in the memoirs of Anna Leonowens. Leonowens was the governess of the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the 1860s, and she also taught the king’s wives.
43. Clearly presented : COGENT
Something “cogent” makes sense, it is convincing and reasonable.
49. Nation SE of Cyprus : LEB
Lebanon lies at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. The nation has a rich cultural history, and was home to the ancient civilization of Phoenicia. The name “Lebanon” derives from the Semitic word “lbn” meaning “white”, and is probably a reference to the snow that caps the mountain range known as Mount Lebanon, which parallels the Mediterranean coast.
Cyprus is an island nation in the Mediterranean Sea, a member of the European Union. Cyprus is a divided island, with the Republic of Cyprus controlling about 60% of its area. The remaining 40% calls itself the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and is occupied by Turkish forces.
56. Afghanistan’s national airline : ARIANA
Ariana Afghan Airlines is the national carrier of Afghanistan. Ariana was founded back in 1955 and is owned 100% by the Afghan government.
57. Northwest Passage explorer : RAE
John Rae was a Scottish explorer, who took on the task of searching for the ill-fated Franklin Expedition of 1845. The Franklin Expedition was itself searching for the elusive Northwest Passage through the Arctic Ocean connecting the Atlantic to the Pacific. John Rae stirred up much controversy back in England when he reported evidence of cannibalism among the ill-fated Franklin explorers.
60. Two of the three founders of the Distilleria Nazionale di Spirito di Vino : MARTINI AND ROSSI
The company that is today known as Martini & Rossi was started in the mid-1800s in Italy, by Alessandro Martini and Luigi Rossi (and a third partner who sold out years later). From day one it was focused on bottling the fortified wine known as vermouth. Nowadays, the company is also famous for its sparkling wines, and its sponsorship of Grand Prix racing teams. And yes, the famous cocktail is probably named for Mr. Martini.
65. Brown family shade : ECRU
The shade called ecru is a grayish, yellowish brown. The word “ecru” comes from French and means “raw, unbleached”. “Ecru” has the same roots as our word “crude”.
67. Década division : ANO
In Spanish, “años” (years) are grouped into “décadas” (decades).
69. Scary flier : TSETSE
The tsetse fly is responsible for the transmission of sleeping sickness, and is also responsible for transmission of trypanosomiasis, a disease caused by a parasitic protozoan.
Down
1. English hunters : SETTERS
The breeds of dog known as setters are all gundogs and are used in hunting game.
2. Polynesian catch : MAHI-MAHI
Mahi-mahi is the Hawaiian name for the dolphin-fish, also called a dorado. The mahi-mahi is an ugly looking creature if ever I saw one …
4. Mo. hours : CST
Central Standard Time (CST)
5. Christchurch native : KIWI
Unlike many nicknames for people of a particular country, the name “Kiwi” for a New Zealander isn’t offensive at all. The term comes from the flightless bird called the kiwi, which is endemic to New Zealand and is the country’s national symbol. “Kiwi” is a Maori word, and the plural (when referring to the bird) is simply “kiwi”. However, when you have two or more New Zealanders with you, they are Kiwis (note the “s”, and indeed the capital “K”!).
Christchurch is the third most-populous city in New Zealand (after Auckland and Wellington, the capital). Christchurch is also the largest city on New Zealand’s South Island. The city is named for Christ Church, the Oxford college attended by Irishman John Robert Godley who founded the Canterbury region of New Zealand.
7. Bowler, e.g. : HAT
I think a bowler hat is usually called a derby here in the US. The bowler was first produced in 1849 in London by hatmakers Thomas and William Bowler, hence the name. The alternative name of “derby” comes from the tradition of wearing bowler hats at the Derby horse race (a major race held annually in England).
8. Cakes go-with : ALE
The phrase “cakes and ale” makes a number of appearances in literature. Aesop uses the phrase in his fable “The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse”, to symbolize the good life. Shakespeare included the line “Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?” in his play “Twelfth Night”. W. Somerset Maugham used the Shakespearean line as inspiration for the title of his 1930 play “Cakes and Ale, or, The Skeleton in the Cupboard”.
24. Pantry stack : TINS
The word “pantry” dates back to 1300 when it came into English from the Old French “panetrie” meaning a “bread room”. Bread is “pain” in French, and “panis” in Latin.
27. Civil rights icon Parks : ROSA
Rosa Parks was one of a few brave women in days gone by who refused to give up their seats on a bus to white women. It was the stand taken by Rosa Parks on December 1, 1955 that sparked the Montgomery, Alabama Bus Boycott. President Clinton presented Ms. Parks with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996. When she died in 2005, Rosa Parks became the first ever woman to have her body lie in honor in the US Capitol Rotunda.
29. Red __ : SEA
The Red Sea (sometimes called the Arabian Gulf) is a stretch of water lying between Africa and Asia. The Gulf of Suez (and the Suez Canal) lies to north, and the Gulf of Aden to the south. According to the Book of Exodus in the Bible, God parted the Red Sea to allow Moses lead the Israelites from Egypt.
35. Chip shot path : ARC
That would be in golf.
37. Ripsnorter : LULU
We call a remarkable thing or a person a “lulu”. The term is used in honor of Lulu Hurst, the Georgia Wonder, who was a stage magician active in the 1880s.
“Ripsnorter” is a slang term for a person or thing noted for strength or excellence, a “lulu”.
38. Bit of Christmas morning detritus : BOW
“Detritus” is the loose material that results from the process of erosion. The usage of the term has evolved to man any accumulated material or debris. “Detritus” is Latin for “a wearing away”.
39. Thickening agent : AGAR
Agar (also “agar-agar”) is a jelly extracted from seaweed that has many uses. Agar is found in Japanese desserts, and can also be used as a food thickener or even as a laxative. In the world of science it is the most common medium used for growing bacteria in Petri dishes.
44. SEC powerhouse, familiarly : THE TIDE
The athletic teams of the University of Alabama (“Bama”) are nicknamed the Crimson Tide, a reference to the team colors of crimson and white.
46. Shag, e.g. : HAIRDO
A shag cut is a layered hairstyle. Actress Meg Ryan famously sported a shag cut for many years.
47. Part of Q.E.D. : ERAT
QED is used at the end of a mathematical proof or a philosophical argument. The QED initialism stands for the Latin “quod erat demonstrandum” meaning “that which was to be demonstrated”.
50. “Feel the __”: 2016 campaign slogan : BERN
“Feel the Bern” is perhaps the best-known of several slogans used by the Bernie Sanders campaign for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination.
52. Iconic Rio carnival activity : SAMBA
The Samba is a Brazilian dance, very much symbolic of the festival known as Carnival. Like so much culture around the world, the Samba has its roots in Africa, as the dance is derived from dances performed by former slaves who migrated into urban Rio de Janeiro in the late 1800s. The exact roots of the name “samba” seem to have been lost in the mists of time. However, my favorite explanation is that it comes from an African Kikongo word “Semba” which means “a blow struck with the belly button”. We don’t seem to have a need for such a word in English …
54. Nasser’s successor : SADAT
Anwar Sadat was the third President of Egypt right up to the time of his assassination in 1981. Sadat won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978 along with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin for the role played in crafting the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty of 1978 at Camp David. It was this agreement that largely led to Sadat’s assassination three years later.
Gamal Abdel Nasser was the second president of Egypt, from 1956 until he died in 1970. He stood alongside Muhammad Naguib, Egypt’s first president, during the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 that overthrew the ruling monarchy of Egypt and Sudan. Nasser was an advocate of Pan-Arabism, an ideology promoting unification of Arab peoples and countries. President Nasser went so far as forming the United Arab Republic (UAR), a union between Egypt and Syria that started in 1958 but fell apart in 1961 when Syria withdrew.
58. Physics units : ERGS
An erg is a unit of mechanical work or energy. It is a small unit, as there are 10 million ergs in one joule. it has been suggested that an erg is about the amount of energy required for a mosquito to take off. The term comes from “ergon”, the Greek word for work.
62. Mozart’s birthplace, now: Abbr. : AUS
The name “Austria” is a Latin variant of the German name for the country, “Österreich”. “Österreich” itself means “Eastern borderlands”, a reference to the country’s history as a prefecture of neighboring Bavaria to the west.
Salzburg is a city in Austria with a great musical tradition. Salzburg was the birthplace of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was also the setting for much of “The Sound of Music”.
Complete List of Clues and Answers
Across
1. Suggests, with “of” : SMACKS
7. Cashbox feature : HASP
11. Wagner’s “__ Rheingold” : DAS
14. Uses Blue Apron, say : EATS IN
15. Baseball family name : ALOU
16. Space bar neighbor : ALT
17. “Epic fail!” : THAT WAS TERRIBLE!
20. Lady Gaga’s “__ It Happens to You” : TIL
21. Presidential nickname : IKE
22. Makeup remover : TISSUE
23. Put out : EMIT
25. Like some cheddar : EXTRA SHARP
28. “Ghostbusters” actor : RAMIS
30. Shanghai-born ex-NBA center : YAO
31. German : Kopf :: French : __ : TETE
32. Does really well : SHINES
34. U.S. intelligence org. : NSA
36. “I don’t believe a word!” … or, the truth about this puzzle’s circles : IT’S ALL GARBAGE
42. Deborah’s “The King and I” co-star : YUL
43. Clearly presented : COGENT
45. Removed : SHED
49. Nation SE of Cyprus : LEB
51. Item on a chain, perhaps : WATCH
52. Electrical backup supplies : SPARE FUSES
55. One may be broken : RULE
56. Afghanistan’s national airline : ARIANA
57. Northwest Passage explorer : RAE
59. Word with hole or holder : POT
60. Two of the three founders of the Distilleria Nazionale di Spirito di Vino : MARTINI AND ROSSI
64. Bridge action : BID
65. Brown family shade : ECRU
66. “I’m on board” : AGREED
67. Década division : ANO
68. Food buyers’ concerns : DYES
69. Scary flier : TSETSE
Down
1. English hunters : SETTERS
2. Polynesian catch : MAHI-MAHI
3. Unable to increase : AT A LIMIT
4. Mo. hours : CST
5. Christchurch native : KIWI
6. Common animal kingdom tattoo subject : SNAKE
7. Bowler, e.g. : HAT
8. Cakes go-with : ALE
9. In a way, in a way : SORTA
10. One unlikely to experiment : PURIST
11. Uses a 22-Across on, as tears : DABS AT
12. Come-hither quality : ALLURE
13. Dear : STEEP
18. Hot : SEXY
19. “__ serious?” : IS HE
24. Pantry stack : TINS
26. Picks a fight (with) : TANGLES
27. Civil rights icon Parks : ROSA
29. Red __ : SEA
33. Calculating : SLY
35. Chip shot path : ARC
37. Ripsnorter : LULU
38. Bit of Christmas morning detritus : BOW
39. Thickening agent : AGAR
40. Flip : GET UPSET
41. Goes around : ENCLOSES
44. SEC powerhouse, familiarly : THE TIDE
45. Runner’s woe : SPRAIN
46. Shag, e.g. : HAIRDO
47. Part of Q.E.D. : ERAT
48. Like some court motions : DENIED
50. “Feel the __”: 2016 campaign slogan : BERN
52. Iconic Rio carnival activity : SAMBA
53. Like : FANCY
54. Nasser’s successor : SADAT
58. Physics units : ERGS
61. Fight cause : IRE
62. Mozart’s birthplace, now: Abbr. : AUS
63. Natural resource : ORE
So this was a ripsnorter of a puzzle? I did enjoy it. It wasn’t that difficult although it did take me a while to get any traction. Throughout the puzzle I kept forgetting to used the theme even though I knew what it was.
Never heard of Blue Apron, but I’ve seen a spate of commercials recently for something called Plated.com which sounds like the same thing. Anyone ever try these things? I wonder if they’re any good.
I always thought it was Mark Twain who said “Wagner’s music is not as bad as it sounds”, but apparently Twain was quoting someone else when he said that. It was Twain who wrote “I did not attend the funeral, but I did send a nice letter saying that I approved of it..” His quotes are endless, but not this one about Wagner.
Super Bowl weekend here in Houston. I just hope the city is still standing on Monday.
Best-
10:49, no errors, and a pleasant solve … no garbage in sight … 🙂
@Vidwan … Thanks for the pointer to that article (in spite of the fact that it depressed me even further). I am of the opinion that we are facing the most serious threat since the Civil War.
@Glenn … Thank you for the comments that you posted over on the NYT blog (which I have not yet read in detail). However, they will not be seen by the participants in the on-going discussion over there until five weeks from now. If you wish them to be seen, you would have to post them to the blog for December 30, 2016. Beware, though … a troll has been aroused … 🙂
@Vidwan and @Glenn … In 2008, the year before I retired, in hopes of lowering my cholesterol and with the blessings of two doctors, I began taking slow-release niacin. All it did was give me gout. By 2010, I could barely get up the stairs in my house, let alone the mountains I had been accustomed to climbing. Even after I figured out what the problem was and stopped taking the niacin, it took a long time for the gout to clear up and then I discovered that there had been additional side effects. At this point, the side effects are finally abating (but of course I am considerably older). So … I know what gout feels like and, believe me, you have all my sympathy …
I finally finished with the southern section looking like I spilled a bottle of black ink over several of the squares, mostly due to writing in “GMO’S” for 68 Across. Man did that have me going in circles for awhile.
I was able to complete this Friday puzzle, with some difficulty. The crossing of RAE and BERN viz. the R, gave me a lot of trouble ! Bernie who ?
Bill, thanks to your blog, and I looked at the Mahi Mahi in Google, and it does seem ugly looking. I have a couple of fillets of the fish in my freezer, and I am in mixed emotions as to whether to eat them …. Fwiw, its ugliness hasn’t protected it from being copiously fished for food….So much for aposematism.( coloration by natural selection, to protect from predators – ) .
My favorite cheese is Monterey Jack. I love the peppery taste.
Bill, you make a very good point when you stated that Kiwi is not an offensive term, at all. In the UAE, the natives ( 8 to 10 percent of the population ) refer to themselves as ‘locals’. Despite its origins, the term is one of honor, and also connotes priviledge – although the term ’emiratis’ would be preferred. I would hazard a guess that whether a word would be considered offensive, or priviledged, would depend upon, whether, by usage, it is considered, by convention and appropriation, an endonym ( by ones own ) or an exonym ( by other peoples). While on the subject of New Zealand, I have alsways been in awe, that such a small country has managed, on its own, to have such a high standard of living, and overall economic and political development.
I thought a ripsnorter, was something very funny. Also the SEC convinced me of the reference to – the powerful Securities and Exchange Commission.(!) – so feared on Wall St.
Along with Q.E.D. ( quod erat demonstrandum – which was to be proved – ) in geometrical proofs, is also Q.E.F. ( quod erat faciendum – which was to be done – ) in geometrical construction, and Q.E.I. ( quod erat inveniendum – which was to be found – ) after a geometrical calculation. Just in case they make the Friday or Saturday clues.
Have a nice day, and a great day, all.
Just a slight correction on the Q.E.D., etc. The construction is actually a perfect passive periphrastic, implying a kind of imperative (“which HAD to be proved.”) The most famous example of this usage occurred before the Third Punic War, at which time Cato the Censor ended every speech by saying various versions of
“Cartago delenda est”. “Carthage MUST be destroyed.”
@Robert Cohen
Thank you. Always thought it was a little premature of Cato to keep saying “Carthage is destroyed.”
To all the gout sufferrers, my sympathies. Although the incidence is one to two percent in the USA, it seems rife on our blog. To cope, reduce weight ( if possible), reduce blood pressure, maintain an active, not sedentary lifestyle. Metabolism syndrome is very indicative – apple belly shape, too much pop. sugars, and too much life spent in front of the TV or computer…..
Jeff, thanks for the Mark Twain quote. Some people seem to be gifted with the knack of the right words. Yet, I do hope to listen to Wagner, maybe on Youtube, some day …
Must set my alarm for the Super Bowl.
@Dave
Yes, I think I accidentally posted it to current Thursday as opposed to five-week ago Thursday. Again, a good way to be confused. Since it was my autobiography in solving crossword puzzles (more or less), I wrote it into a text file, which I still have here. I could repost it to five-week ago Friday, but for the length I’m not sure it would be the best idea.
As for the gout, I think I took a similar path to yours. Doctors had me freaking out over the cholesterol thing (another money-making scheme I found out later), so I was on a lot of niacin. Of course, cooking for one didn’t help much either, as well as getting on a nut kick back in those days.
I posted a link indicating I had responded to five-week ago Friday (hopefully?). And here is where I quoted Patti Varol, for reference in what I wrote over at the other place.
And on Fri WSJ grid, 23 minutes no errors, though not sure I got the meta right.
CAKES and ALE is new to me. Never heard it before.
@Vidwan I didn’t know the SEC clue was referring to football either.
I just lucked out on this puzzle, not really understanding a lot of Wechsler’s clues. :Common animal kingdom tattoo subject. Whaa?
“Food buyers’ concerns”
“Runners woe” Why just runners?
Almost quit early on just because I saw the constructor’s name. 🙁
@Pookie
“Cakes and Ale” was a novel by W. Somerset Maugham published in 1930. A little before all our time, I think . . . .
I guess phrases like “The land of milk and honey” or “A bed of roses”
which I can picture, but never heard of that phrase…just wondering, what kind of cake?
Hope it’s “SPICE CAKE” my favorite! 🙂
Thanks for the reply.
Jeff: My husband and I get “Hello Fresh”. We think that it is very good and not very expensive. It’s easy to prepare the meals because they provide everything except salt, pepper, and oil. My favorite part is how clean the fridge stays because we don’t have to buy so much extra stuff that ends up rotting in the veggie bin.
I thought the wording on some of these clues was a little weird but then when I saw the constructor’s name, I understood.
Wow, record time for a Friday at about 20-25 minutes. I guess I’m odd, but I love Wechsler puzzles. Although, I didn’t notice it was a Wechsler until I got here. It also helps to have a good night’s sleep after a busy last few days.
@Glenn Fortunately I never had gout, but I was interested in your “nut kick” statement. I had a 10-12 year “nut kick” and seem to have developed an allergy for, at least almonds (drupes, I guess.) Did this contribute to any health problems that you had/have? I eat about 85-90% vegetables, so too much meat is not going to be a problem I’m going to experience…well maybe on Sunday.