LA Times Crossword Answers 22 Sep 14, Monday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Marti DuGuay-Carpenter
THEME: Billy Club … each of today’s themed answers starts with the family name of a famous BILLY. They could all get together and form a BILLY CLUB:

18A. Selling point for a house on the coast OCEAN VIEW (giving “Billy Ocean”)
25A. Sin forbidden by the Second Commandment IDOL WORSHIP (giving “Billy Idol”)
43A. Fortuneteller’s tool CRYSTAL BALL (giving “Billy Crystal”)
55A. Cop’s night stick, and what the beginnings of 18-, 25- and 43-Across could form BILLY CLUB

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 6m 15s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Southwestern plateaus MESAS
“Mesa” is the Spanish for “table” and is of course is how we get the term “mesa” that describes a geographic feature.

6. “The jig __!” IS UP
Back in Elizabethan times, a “jig” was a trick or game. So, the expression “the jig is up” has for some time meant “the trick or game is exposed”.

10. Equivalent, in France EGAL
“Egal” is the French word for “equal, alike”, and a word we sometimes use in English. The national motto of France is “Liberté, égalité, fraternité”, meaning “Liberty, equality, fraternity (brotherhood).

14. Bucking beast BRONC
A “bronco” (also “bronc”) is a horse that is untamed. In Mexican Spanish “bronco” is a word for “horse”, and in the original Spanish “bronco” means “rough, rude”.

15. Brother of Abel and Cain SETH
According to the Bible, Seth was the third son of Adam and Eve, coming after Cain and Abel. Seth is the only other child of Adam and Eve who is mentioned by name. According to the Book of Genesis, Seth was born after Cain had slain his brother Abel.

16. Prado hangings ARTE
The Museo del Prado is in Madrid, the capital of Spain, and has one of the finest art collections in the world. The gallery’s most famous work is “Las Meninas” By Velazquez.

17. Yoga position ASANA
“Asana” is a Sanskrit word literally meaning “sitting down”. The asanas are the poses that a practitioner of yoga assumes. The most famous is the lotus position, the cross-legged pose called “padmasana”.

18. Selling point for a house on the coast OCEAN VIEW (giving “Billy Ocean”)
Billy Ocean was born in Trinidad and Tobago, and moved with his family to England when he was 8-years old. He was born Leslie Sebastian Charles, but took the name Billy Ocean from a local football team in Trinidad, “Ocean’s Eleven”, who in turn took their name from the famous Frank Sinatra movie. Ocean achieved chart success as early as 1976, with “Love Really Hurts Without You”. However, his global career took off with his 1984 smash “Caribbean Queen”. Perhaps Ocean had global success in mind, because quite cannily he recorded the song under three different names around the world. There’s a version called “European Queen”, and there’s an “African Queen” version out there somewhere as well …

24. Red and Yellow SEAS
There are four seas named for colors in English: the Yellow Sea, the Black Sea, the Red Sea and the White Sea.

25. Sin forbidden by the Second Commandment IDOL WORSHIP (giving “Billy Idol”)
In the Christian tradition the second commandment prohibits the worship of “any graven image”. Usually this means that graven images can be created, but not worshipped.

Billy Idol is an English rock musician, whose real name is William Broad. He started out with the punk band Generation X, and then made it big as a solo artist, helped along by some well received MTV music videos, in the early days of the genre.

30. Auditor of bks. CPA
Certified public accountant (CPA)

34. Like the Oz woodsman TIN
Actor Jack Haley played the Tin Man in “The Wizard of Oz”. Haley was the second choice for the role, as it was originally given to Buddy Ebsen (who later played Jed Clampett in “The Beverly Hillbillies”). Ebsen was being “painted up” as the Tin Man when he had an extreme, near-fatal reaction from inhaling the aluminum dust makeup that was being used. When Haley took over, the makeup was changed to a paste, but it was still uncomfortable and caused him to miss the first four days of shooting due to a reaction in his eyes. During filming, Haley must have made good friends with the movie’s star, Judy Garland, as years later Jack’s son married Judy’s daughter, Liza Minnelli.

39. Frozen sheet FLOE
An ice floe is a sheet of ice that has separated from an ice field and is floating freely on the ocean.

40. Watch pocket FOB
A fob is attached to another object to make access to it easier. And so a key fob is a chain attached to a key so that it can be retrieved easily. There are also watch fobs, and the pocket in a vest in which a watch can be placed is called a fob. In fact, the original use of the term “fob” was for a small pocket in which one could carry valuables.

42. Aficionado FAN
An “aficionado” is an enthusiast, a word that came to us from Spanish. “Aficionado” was originally used in English to describe a devotee of bullfighting.

43. Fortuneteller’s tool CRYSTAL BALL (giving “Billy Crystal”)
Billy Crystal is an actor and comedian who first gained fame as the character Jodie Dallas on the seventies sitcom “Soap”. Crystal is also famous for hosting the Academy Awards, and has done so nine times. Only Bob Hope has hosted the event more times, and he did so on 18 occasions.

46. Antlered critter ELK
The elk (also known as the wapiti) is the one of the largest species of deer in the world, with only the moose being bigger. Early European settlers were familiar with the smaller red deer back in their homelands, so when they saw the “huge” wapiti they assumed it was a moose, and incorrectly gave it the European name for a moose, namely “elk”. The more correct name for the beast is “wapiti”, which means “white rump” in Shawnee. It’s all very confusing …

47. Lounging robe CAFTAN
A kaftan (also “caftan”) is long robe associated for thousands of years with Islamic cultures.

55. Cop’s night stick, and what the beginnings of 18-, 25- and 43-Across could form BILLY CLUB
The term “billy club” has been used for a policeman’s nightstick or truncheon since the 1850s. Before that, the term was burglar’s slang for a crowbar.

58. New York canal ERIE
The Erie Canal runs from Albany to Buffalo in the state of New York. What the canal does is allow shipping to proceed from New York Harbor right up the Hudson River, through the canal and into the Great Lakes. When it was opened in 1825, the Erie Canal had immediate impact on the economy of New York City and locations along its route. It was the first means of “cheap” transportation from a port on the Atlantic seaboard into the interior of the United States. Arguably it was the most important factor contributing to the growth of New York City over competing ports such as Baltimore and Philadelphia. It was largely because of the Erie Canal that New York became such an economic powerhouse, earning it the nickname of “the Empire State”. Paradoxically, one of the project’s main proponents was severely criticized. New York Governor DeWitt Clinton received so much ridicule that the canal was nicknamed “Clinton’s Folly” and “Clinton’s Ditch”.

59. Inner Hebrides isle IONA
Although the small island of Iona lies just off the west coast of Scotland, it was the site of a monastery built in the Middle Ages by a monk from Ireland names Colm Cille (also known as Columba). Colm Cille and his followers were sent into exile from the Irish mainland and settled in Iona, as at that time the island was part of an Irish kingdom. This monastery in Iona expanded its influence over the decades and founded other institutions all over Ireland and Great Britain. It is believed that the famous Book of Kells may have been written, or at least started, at the monastery on Iona. Iona is also the burial site for Macbeth, King of Scotland who was immortalized in Shakespeare’s fictional account of the king’s life.

62. Pirate’s booty SWAG
“Booty”, meaning plunder or profit, is derived from the Old French word “butin” which has the same meaning.

63. Jackets named for an English school ETONS
An Eton jacket is usually black, cut square at the hips and with wide lapels. It is named for the design of jacket that is worn by the younger students at Eton College just outside London.

Down
1. Some CFOs’ degrees MBAS
A chief financial officer (CFO) might have a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree.

2. Once, old-style ERST
Erstwhile means “in the past” or “once upon a time”.

4. __ Domini ANNO
The designations Anno Domini (AD, “year of Our Lord”) and Before Christ (BC) are found in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The dividing point between AD and BC is the year of the conception of Jesus, with AD 1 following 1 BC without a year “0” in between. The AD/BC scheme dates back to AD 525, and gained wide acceptance soon after AD 800. Nowadays a modified version has become popular, with CE (Common/Christian Era) used to replace AD, and BCE (Before the Common/Christian Era) used to replace BC.

5. Scamp SCALAWAG
Scallywag is actually a term we use in Ireland to describe a rogue, usually one that is harmless, and it comes from the Irish word “sgaileog” meaning a farm servant. The American use of “scalawag” as a rogue was originally borrowed as a nickname for southern white people that supported reconstruction after the Civil War.

6. Weather map line ISOBAR
An isobar is a line on a weather map connecting points of equal barometric pressure.

7. Cabinet dept. head SECY
In the Westminster system, the Cabinet is a group of sitting politicians chosen by the Prime Minister to head up government departments and also to participate collectively in major governmental decisions in all areas. In the US system, the Cabinet is made up not of sitting politicians, but rather of non-legislative individuals who are considered to have expertise in a particular area. The Cabinet members in the US system tend to have more of an advisory role outside of their own departments.

8. Sport-__: off-road vehicle UTE
A utility vehicle is often called a “ute” for short. Nowadays one mainly hears about sports utes and crossover utes.

13. Lascivious LEWD
“Lascivious” is such an appropriate-sounding word, I always think. It means lecherous or salacious.

19. Minimum-range tide NEAP
Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon on the oceans. At neap tide, the smaller gravitational effect of the sun cancels out some of the moon’s effect. At spring tide, the sun and the moon’s gravitational forces act in concert causing more extreme movement of the oceans.

21. Thailand neighbor LAOS
The official name for the country of Laos is the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. In the Lao language, the country’s name is “Meuang Lao”. The French ruled Laos as part of French Indochina, having united three separate Lao kingdoms. As there was a plural of “Lao” entities united into one, the French added the “S” and so today we tend to use “Laos” instead of “Lao”.

26. Alfalfa’s sweetheart DARLA
Alfalfa’s love interest in “Our Gang” was Darla, whose real name was Darla Hood. Hood became quite a successful singer after she grew out of her “Our Gang” role.

Alfalfa was one Hollywood’s “Little Rascals”, also known as “Our Gang”. Alfalfa’s real name was Carl Switzer. He and his brother were quite the young performers around his hometown in Illinois, singing and playing instruments. On a trip to California, the Switzer family were touring the Hal Roach movie studio and were fooling around in the studio cafeteria, basically giving an impromptu performance. Hal Roach happened to be there at the time, and signed both brothers up for roles in “Our Gang”. Carl was to play “Alfalfa”, and brother Harold played “Slim” (aka “Deadpan”).

27. Bagel flavor ONION
The bagel was invented in the Polish city of Kraków in the 16th century. Bagels were brought to this country by Jewish immigrants from Poland who mainly established homes in and around New York City.

30. Grammy winner Khan CHAKA
Chaka Khan is the stage name of singer Yvette Stevens from Chicago. Chaka Khan was the front woman for the band Rufus before she launched her very successful solo career.

32. Yosemite photographer Adams ANSEL
As an amateur photographer, I have been a big fan of the work of Ansel Adams for many years and must have read all of his books. Adams was famous for clarity and depth in his black and white images. Central to his technique was the use of the zone system, his own invention. The zone system is a way of controlling exposure in an image, particularly when there is a high contrast in the subject. Although the technique was developed primarily for black & white film, it can even apply to digital color images. In the digital world, the main technique is to expose an image for the highlights, and one or more images for the shadows. These images can then be combined digitally giving a final photograph with a full and satisfying range of exposures.

37. “Joy to the World” songwriter Axton HOYT
Hoyt Axton was a singer-songwriter best known for his folk-style songs. The Axton song most familiar to me is “Joy to the World”, which was a bit hit for Three Dog Night in 1971.

40. Saint from Assisi FRANCIS
St. Francis founded the Franciscan religious order in Assisi in 1208. He died in 1226, and was declared a saint just two years later in 1228. Construction of the Basilica of San Francesco d’Assisi started immediately after the canonization, and finished 25 years later. The Basilica is now a United Nations World Heritage Site.

41. “__ Ha’i”: “South Pacific” song BALI
The song “Bali Ha’i” is from the musical “South Pacific” by Rodgers and Hammerstein. In the musical, Bali Ha’i is the name of a volcanic island that neighbors the island on which the story takes place.

44. Lipton unit TEABAG
Sir Thomas Lipton was a grocer in Glasgow, Scotland. He founded a tea packing company in North America in 1893, in Hoboken, New Jersey. He was very successful as his blends of tea became popular in the US. Despite the Lipton roots in the UK, Lipton black tea isn’t available there, so I’ve always thought of it as an American brand.

45. Fifth-cen. pope called “The Great” ST LEO
The first pope named Leo is now known as Pope Saint Leo the Great. Leo I is famous for meeting with the feared Attila the Hun and persuading him to turn back his invading force that was threatening to overrun Western Europe.

47. Driver with a handle CBER
A CBer is someone who operates a Citizens’ Band radio. In 1945, the FCC set aside certain radio frequencies for the personal use of citizens. The use of the Citizens’ Band increased throughout the seventies as advances in electronics brought down the size of transceivers and their cost. There aren’t many CB radios sold these days though, as they have largely been replaced by cell phones.

50. Sashimi staple TUNA
“Sashimi” is thinly sliced raw fish, although it can also be raw meat. The word “sashimi” translates literally as “pierced body”, which may be a reference to the practice of sticking the tail and fin to sliced fish to identify it.

51. Tiny biting insect GNAT
Gnats are attracted to the smell of rotting food, and to vinegar. Simple homemade traps that use vinegar are often constructed to attract and kill gnats.

56. Almost on “E” LOW
Low … almost on empty (E).

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Southwestern plateaus MESAS
6. “The jig __!” IS UP
10. Equivalent, in France EGAL
14. Bucking beast BRONC
15. Brother of Abel and Cain SETH
16. Prado hangings ARTE
17. Yoga position ASANA
18. Selling point for a house on the coast OCEAN VIEW (giving “Billy Ocean”)
20. Amble past STROLL BY
22. Ranked in the tournament SEEDED
23. Top bond rating AAA
24. Red and Yellow SEAS
25. Sin forbidden by the Second Commandment IDOL WORSHIP (giving “Billy Idol”)
30. Auditor of bks. CPA
33. Crazes MANIAS
34. Like the Oz woodsman TIN
35. Avoid like the plague SHUN
36. Circular gasket O-RING
37. Meat with eggs HAM
38. Envelope closers FLAPS
39. Frozen sheet FLOE
40. Watch pocket FOB
41. One taking bets BOOKIE
42. Aficionado FAN
43. Fortuneteller’s tool CRYSTAL BALL (giving “Billy Crystal”)
45. Crate piece SLAT
46. Antlered critter ELK
47. Lounging robe CAFTAN
50. Hold a parking lot party TAILGATE
55. Cop’s night stick, and what the beginnings of 18-, 25- and 43-Across could form BILLY CLUB
57. Get-go ONSET
58. New York canal ERIE
59. Inner Hebrides isle IONA
60. Appraised RATED
61. Auctioned auto, often REPO
62. Pirate’s booty SWAG
63. Jackets named for an English school ETONS

Down
1. Some CFOs’ degrees MBAS
2. Once, old-style ERST
3. Fly like an eagle SOAR
4. __ Domini ANNO
5. Scamp SCALAWAG
6. Weather map line ISOBAR
7. Cabinet dept. head SECY
8. Sport-__: off-road vehicle UTE
9. Gradually introduce PHASE IN
10. Overhangs around the house EAVES
11. Crossword puzzle component GRID
12. Suit to __ A TEE
13. Lascivious LEWD
19. Minimum-range tide NEAP
21. Thailand neighbor LAOS
24. Wedge of wood SHIM
25. “Later!” I’M OFF!
26. Alfalfa’s sweetheart DARLA
27. Bagel flavor ONION
28. Connector of two points LINE
29. Wild guesses STABS
30. Grammy winner Khan CHAKA
31. School kid PUPIL
32. Yosemite photographer Adams ANSEL
35. Untidy type SLOB
37. “Joy to the World” songwriter Axton HOYT
38. Traditional tales FOLKLORE
40. Saint from Assisi FRANCIS
41. “__ Ha’i”: “South Pacific” song BALI
43. Sculptor’s material CLAY
44. Lipton unit TEABAG
45. Fifth-cen. pope called “The Great” ST LEO
47. Driver with a handle CBER
48. Suffix with million or billion -AIRE
49. Fix up and resell quickly FLIP
50. Sashimi staple TUNA
51. Tiny biting insect GNAT
52. Regarding AS TO
53. High schooler TEEN
54. Scheduled takeoff hrs. ETDS
56. Almost on “E” LOW

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8 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 22 Sep 14, Monday”

  1. Good morning everyone.

    Puzzle was easy enough even with some
    non-Monday level fill.

    Theme eluded me for some reason.
    Was trying to figure out what an Ocean Club, Idol Club and Crystal Club were… D'oh!!

    Have a great day and week all!

  2. Did not get get-go yielding ONSET.

    I feel we're getting a message that puzzlers need not clue an abbreviation with an abbreviation, or the words "in short," or other such indication. Four examples in this puzzle – BRONC, UTE, REPO, CBER.

    Are new rules posted anywhere?

  3. Did not get get-go yielding ONSET.

    I feel we're getting a message that puzzlers need not clue an abbreviation with an abbreviation, or the words "in short," or other such indication. Four examples in this puzzle – BRONC, UTE, REPO, CBER.

    Are new rules posted anywhere?

  4. @ Sfingi, I agree with you. Although some words like repo are pretty common. That one solved itself for me going down, so I didn't really look.

    No issues with this Monday grid. Ansel Adams' name hasn't surfaced recently.

  5. Hello all,

    Rather late to the game. I had a very easy time, being a Monday, so can't complain about any issues.

    Didn't notice the lack of abbr. in the clues. Maybe, they're common enough so the 'abbr.' clue is not de rigueur, required.

    Just guessing.

    Still enjoying the green isle, eh, Bill ? Have fun with the gnomes and the Blarney stone and the four leafed clover leaf. Hope you catch all the great cultural and music activities, while you are there.

    Have a good day, all.

  6. @ Pookie: Regarding octave the other day, I was trying to address the question which had been raised as to why an octave is 8 instead of the 7 notes of the scale. Obviously, I tried to simplify way too much and misstated. Your statements yesterday are correct.

    @ Vidwan: I learned from your comment about short sighted that it is the British phrase for myopia (Google short sighted). I was not aware of that, and thus my feeble play on words. Sorry if you took offense.

  7. Dear Piano Man,

    I sure am glad I came back to read the comments that I posted last Friday. I wanted to know, why in the world, you felt I might have taken offense ? I was not in the least offended. That thought never even occurred to me.

    Aside from my disability of being heavily short sighted, – which obviously, you had nothing to do with, – I was merely discussing the usage of the words 'short sighted' and 'near sighted'. We, you and I and all the others, on this blog are merely discussing words, and ideas, and their usage – and my personal short sightedness has nothing to do with it. I felt the two words were about equivalent, based on my personal experience, and if you disagreed, you may have wanted to give some examples. I am always willing to listen – but this is not a personal matter, where my ego is hurt or my feelings are ruffled. It is merely a friendly academic discussion, in an effort to discover the truth – or at least a common consensus.

    BTW, I am a very genial person, and have a very thick skin, and an optimistic but stoic personality. I have never been bothered by my dim eyesight. I was teased a few times when I was at school for my thick glasses, but I took that in stride. Now, I am much older, and no one teases me – but 3 years I ago, I had 2 detached retinas ( fortunately in the same eye ) and that takes a lot of getting used to. My friend, just had 2 detached retinas, in different eyes – now, that, I can't even imagine !!

    So, to end it, the blog entry may be short, and thus we do not know the feelings of the blogger. But take it easy and stop worrying about stepping on each other's toes …. Good night.

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