Friday, February 5, 2021

Friday's New York Times crossword puzzle solved: February 5, 2021















My time: 11:43, three and a half minutes faster than average.

The fill?  Let's HAVE A GO at it.  IT'S ON!  

I had no idea what "'deuce and a quarter' automobile" referred to.  It's a nickname for the BUICK Electra, derived from its total length, 225 inches.  "Rollin' in my deuce deuce 5 / Convertible top down so I can see the honeys passin' me by." -- Prince, New Power Generation song "Deuce & a Quarter."

REPARATIONS is the subject of H.R. 40, "introduced in every Congress since 1989."  Someday we'll get it right!

I don't think I've heard of the RAZOR brands Bevel or Oui the People.  But it seems like they're good!  That Oui the People one sure is expensive.

PORT Louis is the capital of Mauritius.  Port Louis is home to the nation's main harbor, which is the only official port of entry and exit for sea vessels in Mauritius.  It's named after Louis XIV.

Mary LOU Williams was a jazz pianist, acclaimed by some as the greatest female pianist.  She got her start with Andy Kirk and his Twelve Clouds of Joy.  "Until the Real Thing Comes Along," with Williams' arrangement, became "the biggest song of 1936."

I know the magazine THE ROOT, but I didn't know it was co-founded by Henry Louis Gates Jr

"Observes one of the Five Pillars of Islam" is FASTS.  That is sawm, the fourth pillar.  It refers to fasting during Ramadan.

Keeping with the Islam theme, FATIMA is the youngest daughter of the Prophet Muhammad.  Fatimah is termed as the mother of Imams and is revered by both Sunni and Shia Muslims. 

The NATS (Washington Nationals) were the 2019 MLB champs.  They beat the Astros 4-3.  That's nice for them.

"One-named rapper who became co-host of CBS's 'The Talk'" is EVE, née Eve Jihan Jeffers Cooper.  She has been nominated twice for a Daytime Emmy for her work on "The Talk."  She's no longer with the show.

An OIL BARREL is equivalent to 42 gallons.  I guess that proves oil is the answer to the question about the meaning of life.  The amount was agreed upon in 1886.

I had forgotten about Marcus Garvey's helmet and its PLUMES!  He was a segregationist who thought black people should go back to Africa.

"Spelman figure, informally" baffled me, as I had completely forgotten about SPELMAN College's one and only appearance in the blog on December 23, 2017.  The figure is PROF.

Poet laureate RITA Dove was in the puzzle on August 14, 2020

Clever clues: "Pop up a lot, perhaps?" is NEW DAD.  "Pair of rings?" is TAG TEAM; I guess this means a pair who work in, and are thus "of," wrestling rings.  "A fine way to discourage foul language?" is SWEAR JAR.  "Underground rap?" is SECRET KNOCK."

Well, this was a great Friday puzzle!  It was a nice amount of new material and some challenging clues.  I liked FLOW STATE ("what you're in when you're in the zone").

No comments:

Post a Comment