NYXCrossword.com

Bill’s time: 14m 14s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A Bit of radiological work : SCAN

A radiologist is a medical doctor who specializes in using imaging as a means to diagnose disease and monitor treatment. A radiographer, also “radiologic technician”, is a trained professional who uses the imaging hardware to produce the images for a radiologist to interpret.

5A Component that may emerge from Earth’s asthenosphere : MAGMA

Magma is the molten material below the Earth’s surface. When magma cools, it forms igneous rock. “Magma” is a Greek term that describes a thick ointment.

15A Dirt pie ingredients : OREOS

Dirt cake (sometimes “dirt pie, dirt pudding”) is a dessert usually made by breaking up Oreo cookies and scattering the pieces over chocolate pudding, and then adding gummy worms on top. Sounds delicious …

19A “Your guide to a better future” website : CNET

CNET is a technology website, with the acronym “CNET” standing for “computer network”. It started out in 1994 as a television network specializing in technology news. The host of “American Idol”, Ryan Seacrest, started off his career as host of a CNET show.

21A Animals considered divine messengers in Shinto culture : DEER

It is perhaps best not to describe Shinto as a religion, but more as a “spirituality of the Japanese people”, a spirituality that encompasses folklore, history and mythology. Having said that, “Shinto” translates literally as “Way of the gods”. Most people in Japan who are described as practicing Shinto, also practice Buddhism.

22A Aperitif with black currant liqueur : KIR

Kir is a French cocktail made by adding a teaspoon or so of crème de cassis (blackcurrant liqueur) to a glass, and then topping it off with white wine. The drink is named after Felix Kir, the Mayor of Dijon in Burgundy, who used to offer the drink to his guests. My wife is particularly fond of a variant called a kir royale, in which the white wine is replaced with champagne.

24A Like a politically diverse U.S. state : PURPLE

On political maps, red states are predominantly Republican and blue states predominantly Democrat. The designation of red and blue states is a very recent concept, only introduced in the 2000 presidential election by TV journalist, the late Tim Russert. In retrospect, the choice of colors is surprising, as in other democracies around the world red is usually used to describe left-leaning socialist parties (the reds under the bed!), and blue is used for conservative right-wing parties. In election cycles, swing/battleground states are often depicted in purple.

28A “Mark Twain” biographer Chernow : RON

Author and journalist Ron Chernow is perhaps best known as a biographer. He wrote about the lives of two US presidents, namely Ulysses S. Grant and George Washington. His biography of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton was adapted into the incredibly successful stage musical: “Hamilton” by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

37A One of 17 in Monopoly: Abbr. : AVE

The street names in the original US version of the board game Monopoly are locations in or around Atlantic City, New Jersey.

53A 2019 Grammy-winning album for Tyler, the Creator : IGOR

“Igor” is a 2019 studio album released by Tyler, the Creator. “Tyler, the Creator” is the stage name of rap singer Tyler Okonma.

54A Rimes with rhymes : LEANN

LeAnn Rimes has been a country music star since she was 13 years old. In 2008 she disclosed publicly that she suffered from the autoimmune disease psoriasis. She has been active since then in raising money to fight the disease and helping fund cancer research as well. So, not only did Rimes win two Grammy Awards in 1997, she also won a 2009 Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Country Music.

55A Beta tester, e.g. : USER

In the world of software development, the first tested issue of a new program is usually called the alpha version. Expected to have a lot of bugs that need to be fixed, the alpha release is usually distributed to a small number of testers. After reported bugs have been eliminated, the refined version is called a beta and is released to a wider audience, but with the program clearly labeled as “beta”. The users generally check functionality and report further bugs that are encountered. The beta version feeds into a release candidate, the version that is tested just prior to the software being sold into the market, hopefully bug-free.

Down

2D U.S. soccer legend ___ Lloyd : CARLI

Carli Lloyd is a retired professional soccer player who played on the US teams that won the FIFA World Cup in 2015 and 2019. In the 2015 tournament, she scored a hat-trick in the final. I well remember the first hat trick in a World Cup final, a feat accomplished by Geoff Hurst for England in 1966.

3D Fox or Foxx : ACTOR

Michael J. Fox was the first choice to play the lead character, Marty McFly, in 1985’s “Back to the Future”. Unfortunately, the producers of his TV sitcom “Family Ties” would not release him to make the movie, so the crew started filming with a different choice for the lead, namely actor Eric Stoltz. Weeks into production, it was decided that Stoltz was miscast, and Fox was approached again. An arrangement was made with the “Family Ties” producers to “share” Fox, which led to an exhausting schedule. Fox worked seven days a week, filming “Family Ties” during the day and working on “Back to the Future” at night, usually until 2:30 in the morning.

“Jamie Foxx” is the professional name used by Eric Marlon Bishop, an actor from Terrell, Texas. Foxx is a very versatile entertainer. He is an Oscar-winning actor (for playing the title role in “Ray”), and a Grammy Award winning musician. He is also a stand-up comedian and a talk-radio host.

4D Warning next to a suspicious link, perhaps : NSFW

The abbreviation “NSFW” stands for “not safe/suitable for work”. It’s Internet slang used to describe online content that is best not viewed at work.

5D Venus, or sometimes Mercury : MORNING STAR

A morning star (also “daystar”) is a bright planet that is visible in the brightening sky at sunrise or just before. The term “daystar” can also describe the Sun.

6D Lingo : ARGOT

“Argot” is a French term. It is the name given in the 17th century to “the jargon of the Paris underworld”. Nowadays argot is a set of idioms used by any particular group, the “lingo” of that group.

9D Jack or jenny : ASS

A female donkey/ass is known as a jenny and a male is known as a jack, or sometimes “jackass”. We started using the term “jackass” to mean “fool” in the 1820s.

10D Bad gut feeling? : ULCER

Until fairly recently, a peptic ulcer was believed to be caused by undue amounts of stress in one’s life. It is now known that 70-90% of all peptic ulcers are in fact associated with a particular bacterium.

21D Cookware sometimes used over campfires : DUTCH OVENS

A Dutch oven is a cooking pot with a tight lid, usually made from cast-iron. Back in Ireland we call them casserole dishes.

25D Language of Barbados: Abbr. : ENG

Now that Barbados is an independent country, by all measures it is a very developed country. Using the Human Development Index (HDI), Barbados is one of the most developed countries in the Caribbean

26D Tool for a sting : WIRE

A sting operation often involves a law enforcement officer operating undercover, and is designed to catch a person in the act of committing a crime.

30D School described as “the chief nurse of England’s statesmen” : ETON

The world-famous Eton College is just a brisk walk from Windsor Castle, which itself is just outside London. Eton is noted for producing many British leaders, including prime ministers David Cameron and Boris Johnson. The list of Old Etonians also includes Princes William and Harry, the Duke of Wellington and George Orwell. Author Ian Fleming was also an Eton alumnus, as was Fleming’s iconic character James Bond, although 007 was expelled from the school.

31D Follower of “Doctor” or “That’s” : … WHO

“Doctor Who” is an iconic sci-fi television series that is made in the UK by the BBC. First broadcast in 1963, the show is still running today, making it the longest running sci-fi television show in the world. Doctor Who is a time traveler, from the planet Gallifrey, who “regenerates” from time to time (pun!) so that a new actor fits seamlessly into the storyline. He travels in his famous TARDIS spacecraft. Outwardly, the TARDIS looks like a police call box from the 1950s, but inside it is an enormous, multi-roomed time machine. “TARDIS” is an acronym standing for Time and Relative Dimension in Space.

41D Element whose name comes from the Greek for “inactive” : ARGON

The chemical element argon has the symbol Ar. It is a noble gas, and so by definition is relatively nonreactive. The name “argon” comes from the Greek word for “lazy, inactive”. There’s a lot of argon around, as it is the third-most abundant gas in our atmosphere.

43D Singer whose album titles represent ages : ADELE

“Adele” is the stage name of English singer Adele Adkins. Adele’s debut album is “19”, named after the age she was during the album’s production. Her second album was even more successful than the first. Called “21”, the second album was released three years after the first, when Adele was three years older. Her third studio album “25”, released in 2015, broke the first-week sales records in both the UK and the US. “30” followed in 2021.

44D Recipient of Emmys in different categories for the same role : ASNER

Ed Asner was most famous for playing the irascible but lovable Lou Grant on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and on the spin-off drama “Lou Grant”. Off-screen Asner was noted for his political activism. He served two terms as president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), and was very involved in the 1980 SAG strike. When “Lou Grant” was canceled in 1982, despite decent ratings, there was a lot of talk that the cancellation was a move by the network against Asner personally. In fact, one of Asner’s activist colleagues, Howard Hesseman (who played Johnny Fever) found that his show “WKRP in Cincinnati” was also canceled … on the very same day.

47D “Is the whole world against me?” : ET TU?

It was Shakespeare who popularized the words “Et tu, Brute?” (meaning “And you, Brutus?”). They appear in his play “Julius Caesar”, although the phrase had been around long before he penned his drama. It’s not known what Julius Caesar actually said in real life (if anything at all) as he was assassinated on the steps of the Senate in Rome.

48D Guru’s honorific : SRI

“Guru” is a Hindi word meaning “teacher” or “priest”.