I pulled out 2D Kissing-related: OSCULAR because I hadn’t heard this specific word before, but I’d heard similar words. Oscilloscope comes from oscillation + scope.
oscillation (n.)
“kind of vibration in which a body swings backward and forward,” 1650s, from French oscillation and directly from Latin oscillationem (nominative oscillatio), noun of action from past-participle stem of oscillare “to swing,” from oscillum “a swing,” which usually is identified with the oscillum that meant “little face” (literally “little mouth”), a mask of open-mouthed Bacchus hung up in vineyards as a charm (the sense evolution would be via the notion of “swinging in the breeze”); from PIE *os- “mouth” (see oral). Figurative use, in reference to a swinging back and forth (in opinion, attitude, etc.) is by 1798.
The Proto-Indo-European os is the same as in oscular. From Oxford: “Late 18th century from Latin osculum ‘mouth, kiss’ (diminutive of os ‘mouth’) + -ar.”
Just like the rest of the puzzle, the theme was meh.
40A One way to run … or a hint to four geographical intersections found in this grid: CROSSCOUNTRY. Is that really a way to run? I disagree that it is.
21A It comes first in China, but second in the U.S.: SURINAME. The country SURINAME, but the idea is surname.
4D Bad start?: MALI. The country MALI, but the idea is mal. Like malapropism, which is arguably the the theme of today’s crossword.
9A “Not a chance!”: NORWAY. Like no way but with an R.
11D Title character in a classic John Cleese comedy: RWANDA. The John Cleese film is A Fish Called Wanda. Rwanda and Wanda. Lolz!
68A Media exec Robert: NIGER. Bob Iger. I thought it would be AILES, but he’s dead, so that couldn’t be right. After all, Will Shortz is a real stickler for things that are real and make sense.
58D Hippie happening: BENIN. The hippie thing was the Human Be-In.
The Human Be-In 1967
On January 14, 1967, the “Human Be-In” was held in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California. This so-called “Gathering of the Tribes” drew more than 20,000 people and came to symbolize the counterculture movement of the 1960s. The Be-In was also a symbol of the growing youth movement. The organizers of the event wanted to bring together people to get involved in what they believed to be disparate movements in the community. They wanted groups from all distinct parts of the community to get more familiar with each other and to see they all had similar mindsets when it came to activism in the community. The counterculture that surfaced at the “Human Be-In” encouraged people to “question authority”.
Ibid.
72A First airline to complete a round-the-world flight: PANAMA. Pan-Am had its first flight around the world in 1947!
Early in 1947 Pan Am was lobbying in Congress to become the focal core of a
new exclusive unified airline (Community Company) representing the American Flag
round-the-world. Opponents of the Congressional Bill printed a booklet, “The New
Monopoly Aviation Bill” stating that the formation of the “Community Company”
would eliminate transportation competition and be alien to our nation’s foreign
policy. It was stated that the real competition in international air transportation
was not between US air carriers but between nations. The US could not regulate
that competition, the US could only meet it. International transportation under
the American flag stood at a crossroads. Congress defeated the formation of the
Community Company. The concept of an exclusive unified airline was dead to
everyone except Juan Trippe of Pan American Airlines.Trippe now considered merging Pan American with TWA or American Airlines.
Such a merger would give him US domestic routes in addition to his established
international air route superiority. Discussions with Howard Hughes of TWA produced
no results. Discussions with Cyrus Rowlett Smith of American Airlines yielded
international route additions but Pan Am’s petition for US domestic routing
failed.Trippe put much effort in lobbying his causes with influential friends and
From WingNet.org
associates. To this end, he arranged a gala ceremonial journey round-the-world on
one of Pan Am’s newly acquired Lockheed Constellations, the “Clipper America.”
This Press Flight would depart New York on June 17, 1947, nine days before the
formal inauguration of Pan Am’s (FAM-14/18) round-the-world flight service via
Calcutta, India.
57D Grab by pinching, as an ice cube: TONGA. Tongs. Ice tongs. Or just scoop it with your hands like a normal human being amirite?
Finished this one in 27:49.
| Day | This Wk | Best | Average | 4-Wk Avg | Streak |
| Monday | 7:27 | 3:49 | 9:27 | 7:38 | 71 |
| Tuesday | 10:25 | 5:22 | 13:36 | 12:25 | 14 |
| Wednesday | 10:06 | 7:38 | 17:20 | 11:34 | 12 |
| Thursday | 27:49 | 12:12 | 29:05 | 26:20 | 12 |
| Friday | 16:23 | 34:24 | 31:21 | 11 | |
| Saturday | 27:43 | 34:38 | 35:35 | 11 | |
| Sunday | 15:11 | 55:13 | 40:49 | 0 |
