Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Wednesday's New York Times crossword puzzle solved: December 16, 2020


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My time: 8:15, a minute and a half faster than average.

Theme: a play on GOVERNMENT BONDS.  These bonds are three-letter acronyms that are government agencies, and "bond" two-word answers together.

For example, "place to land that's not on land" is AIRCRAFT CARRIER, and the two words are "bonded" by the FTC, or Federal Trade Commission.

Fun.  As for the fill, it's a SKOSH POSH.  (Or "a little bit" "fancy-schmancy.")  It isn't really.  I just wanted to write those two answers out.

"______ the only one?"  AM I the only one who hates blank clues??

It's not surprising that HAIRSPRAY won eight Tonys.

I can never remember if the Bronx Bombers are the Yankees (NYY) or the Mets.

Toussaint Louverture is known as the Father of HAITI.  Louverture (also spelled L'Ouverture) was born a slave on the French colony of Saint-Domingue, now known as Haiti.  He became a free man and a Jacobin, and began his military career as a leader of the 1791 slave rebellion in Saint-Domingue.  During his life, Louverture first fought against the French, then for them, and then finally against France again for the cause of Haitian independence. As a revolutionary leader, his military and political acumen helped transform the fledgling slave rebellion into a revolutionary movement. It's nice that the answer to his right is REVOLT.

"Pfizer competitor" is MERCK.  It is known as MSD outside the US and Canada.

OHIO ART is a metal and lithography company started in 1908 by a dentist. It started with pictures frames, moved into novelties and toys, and currently makes rather sedate and modern picture frames.  It made the Etch-a-Sketch from 1960 to 2016.

"Kind of wave" is SINE, as shown on July 31, 2018.

Clever clues: "Very picture of idleness?" is SCREEN SAVER.  "Something you grin and bare?" is TOOTH (I prefer my first guess, *TEETH).

I liked this one!  Not too hard, not too easy, with a theme that required a little brain power but helps you solve once it clicks.

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