LA Times Crossword Answers 17 Jul 15, Friday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Jeffrey Wechsler
THEME: Nine Holes … each of today’s NINE themed answers is missing the word HOLE at the end:

46A. Quick round … and, collectively, what the answers to starred clues lack NINE HOLES

1A. *It offers an ocean view PORT(HOLE)
5A. *Hardware insertion point SCREW (HOLE)
10A. *Sci-fi shortcut WORM(HOLE)
38A. *Means of evasion LOOP(HOLE)
40A. *Stephen Hawking subject BLACK (HOLE)
41A. *Orca feature BLOW(HOLE)
67A. *Geologic danger SINK(HOLE)
68A. *Serengeti gathering place WATER(HOLE)
69A. *Home security device PEEP(HOLE)

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 11m 30s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. *It offers an ocean view PORT(HOLE)
A porthole is a circular window in the side of a ship that provides light and air. As it penetrates the hull of the ship, the porthole cover provides a strong, watertight seal. The name “porthole” has nothing to do with the port side of a ship, and rather is derived from the French word “porte” meaning “door”. Henry VI of England hired a French shipbuilder to come up with a way mount large guns on his warships, below the upper deck. The design called for holes in the hull, and “doors” (“portes”) to be fitted for use in heavy weather.

10. *Sci-fi shortcut WORM(HOLE)
A wormhole is a theoretical shortcut that connecting two points in the space-time continuum. Got that …?

14. Chevy subcompact AVEO
The Chevrolet Aveo is a subcompact automobile that has been around since 2002. The Aveo is manufactured by GM Daewoo, the GM subsidiary in South Korea. Although the Aveo name is still used in some markets, here in North America the Aveo has been sold as the Chevrolet Sonic since 2012. By the way, GM Daewoo is the third largest manufacturer of automobiles in South Korea, after Hyundai and Kia.

16. Domingo forte ARIA
Plácido Domingo is a Spanish tenor, from Madrid. Famously, Domingo was one of “The Three Tenors”, the performing trio that brought classical arias to the masses. The other two “Tenors” were fellow-Spaniard José Carreras and Italian Luciano Pavarotti.

17. Spectator sport since the Edo period SUMO
Sumo is a sport that is practiced professionally only in Japan, the country of its origin. There is an international federation of sumo wrestling now, and one of the organization’s aims is to have the sport accepted as an Olympic event.

Edo is the former name of the Japanese city of Tokyo. Edo was the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate, a feudal regime that ruled from 1603 until 1868. The shogun lived in the magnificent Edo castle. Some parts of the original castle remain and today’s Tokyo Imperial Palace, the residence of the Emperor of Japan, was built on its grounds.

19. Checker, e.g. DISC
“Checkers” is yet another word that I had to learn moving across the Atlantic. In Ireland the game is called draughts.

22. Pounding tools SLEDGES
A sledgehammer is a big hammer, used to apply a lot of force. The word “sledgehammer” comes from the Anglo Saxon “Slaegan” meaning “to strike violently”. “Slaegan” is also the root of the words “slag”, “slay” and “slog”.

24. Veto NIX
The use of “nix” as a verb, meaning “to shoot down”, dates back to the early 1900s. Before that “nix” was just a noun meaning “nothing”. “Nix” comes from the German “nichts”, which also means “nothing”.

“Veto” comes directly from Latin and means “I forbid”. The word was used by tribunes of Ancient Rome to indicate that they opposed measures passed by the Senate.

25. Clay, nowadays ALI
Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. was born in 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali when he converted to Islam in 1964.

30. “Terribly strange” age in Simon & Garfunkel’s “Old Friends” SEVENTY
Can you imagine us years from today, sharing a parkbench quietly
How terribly strange to be seventy

Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel performed together as “Simon & Garfunkel”, as I am sure we all know. The friends started singing together way back in the fifties when they were still in school together. The name of their act at that time was “Tom & Jerry”.

34. ICU connections IVS
One might see intravenous drips (IVs) in an intensive care unit (ICU).

38. *Means of evasion LOOP(HOLE)
A “loophole” is a means of evading perhaps a rule or a law. This usage derives from the older meaning of the word to describe an arrow slit in a fortification, a vertical window through which defenders could shoot arrows from a sheltered position.

40. *Stephen Hawking subject BLACK (HOLE)
A black hole in space is a region that is extremely dense and one that has an enormous gravitational field. The force of gravity is so great that not even light can escape, so all that can be observed is “blackness”, which gives the phenomenon the name of “black hole”. It is believed that black holes form when large stars reach the end of their lives and collapse in upon themselves.

Stephen Hawking is a theoretical physicist from Oxford, England. Hawking owes much of his fame in the world of popular science to his incredibly successful book called “A Brief History of Time”. “A Brief History of Time” has sold over 10 million copies and was on London’s “Sunday Times” bestseller list for over four years. Hawking does a wonderful job of explaining many aspects of cosmology without losing the average reader. There is only one equation in the whole book, and that equation is “E = mc2”. Hawking’s life story is recounted in the excellent 2014 film “The Theory of Everything”.

41. *Orca feature BLOW(HOLE)
Many marine mammals have one or two blowholes on the backs of their heads, through which they expel carbon dioxide and inhale oxygen. These blowholes are the equivalent of our nostrils, and there may be one or two depending on the species.

The taxonomic name for the killer whale is Orcinus orca. The use of the name “orca”, rather than “killer whale”, is becoming more and more common. The Latin word “Orcinus” means “belonging to Orcus”, with Orcus being the name for the Kingdom of the Dead.

44. F1 neighbor ESC
On many computer keyboards, the escape key (Esc) is located beside the first function key (F1).

45. Makers of wood pulp nests WASPS
Social wasps (as opposed to “solitary” wasps) build nests, mainly using plant fibers as the key material. The most common fiber used is wood pulp, which is collected from weathered wood and softened by chewing and mixing with saliva.
.
46. Quick round … and, collectively, what the answers to starred clues lack NINE HOLES
There’s an urban myth that the standard number of holes on a golf course is 18 because it takes 18 shots to polish off a fifth of scotch whisky. However, the truth is that the standard number of holes in the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland happened to settle down over time at 18, and that standard was adopted all around the world.

58. “Whip It” rockers DEVO
Devo is a band from Akron, Ohio formed back in 1973. The band’s biggest hit is “Whip It” released in 1980.

59. Order outfit HABIT
Members of a monastic order often wear habits.

65. Midway alternative O’HARE
O’Hare International is the fourth busiest airport in the world. The original airport was constructed on the site between 1942 and 1943, and was used by the Douglas Aircraft Company for the manufacture of planes during WWII. Before the factory and airport were built, there was a community in the area called Orchard Place, so the airport was called Orchard Place Airport/Douglas Field. This name is the derivation of the airport’s current location identifier: ORD (OR-chard D-ouglas). Orchard Place Airport was renamed to O’Hare International in 1949 in honor of Lieutenant Commander Butch O’Hare who grew up in Chicago. O’Hare was the US Navy’s first flying ace and a Medal of Honor recipient in WWII.

Midway Airport started off with just one cinder runway in 1923, and was called Chicago Air Park. By 1927 the airport had expanded and earned the name Chicago Municipal Airport. In 1932 Midway was the world’s busiest airport, a title it held for thirty years. In 1949, in honor of the WWII Battle of Midway, the airport was renamed again to Chicago Midway Airport. Then in 1955, along came Chicago International Airport and all the major airlines started moving their operations over to the newer facility. Today Midway is a major hub for just one airline: Southwest.

68. *Serengeti gathering place WATER(HOLE)
The Serengeti is a region in Africa, located in northern Tanzania and southwest Kenya. The name “Serengeti” comes from the Maasai language and means “Endless Plains”.

Down
1. “¿Qué __?” PASA
In Spanish, “qué pasa?” literally translates as “what’s happening?” but is used to mean “how are things going with you?”

2. Reproductive cell OVUM
“Ovum” (plural “ova”) is Latin for “egg”.

4. Goldilocks complaint TOO BIG
The story of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” was first recorded in 1837, in England, although the narrative was around before it was actually written down. The original fairy tale was rather gruesome, but successive versions became more family-oriented. The character that eventually became Goldilocks was originally an elderly woman, and the three “nameless” bears became Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear.

5. Protein-rich bean SOYA
What are known as soybeans here in the US are called “soya beans” in most other English-speaking countries. So, I drink soy milk here in America, but when I am over in Ireland I drink “soya milk”.

6. Blood __ CLOT
A blood clot is a very necessary response to an injury and is intended to prevent bleeding. Also called a “thrombus”, the clot comprises aggregated blood platelets trapped in a mesh made from fibrin, a fibrous protein. If a thrombus forms in a healthy blood vessel, restricting blood flow, that condition is known as thrombosis.

13. Pro and mini MACS
The Mac Pro is the most powerful line of computers made by Apple. The level below the Mac Pro is the iMac, Apple’s all-in-one line of desktops that is most popular. The Mac Mini is Apple’s least powerful desktop, and the smallest. The Mini uses mainly laptop components.

23. Architectural projection EAVE
The eaves are the overhanging edges of a roof that project beyond the supporting wall. The term “eaves” evolved from the Old English “efes” meaning “edge.

26. Colorado tributary GILA
The Gila River is a tributary of the Colorado and flows through New Mexico and Arizona. From 1848 to 1853, the Gila marked part of the border between the US and Mexico.

29. Petulance SPLEEN
The spleen has a couple of functions in the human body. It removes old red blood cells, and recycles the iron contained therein. The waste product of this recycling is bile. It also holds a reserve of blood that can be released when necessary (if the body goes into “circulatory shock”). Greek and Roman physicians ascribed to the theory that the body had four basic substances, the so-called four humors. All diseases were caused by these four substances getting out of balance. The four humors were:

– Black bile (melancolia)
– Yellow bile (cholera)
– Phlegm (phlegma)
– Blood (sanguis)

Out terms “splenetic” and “venting one’s spleen” are derived from this concept of have the humors out of balance.

31. Yosemite grazer ELK
President Abraham Lincoln passed a bill in 1864 creating the Yosemite Grant, which was the first piece of federal legislature that set aside park land for preservation and public use. The Yosemite Grant paved the way for the creation of Yellowstone as the nation’s first national park in 1872. Yosemite was made a national park in 1890.

32. Stadium in St. Pete, with “The” TROP
Tropicana Field is home to the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball.

36. Obi, e.g. SASH
The sash worn as part of traditional Japanese dress is known as an obi. The obi can be tied in what is called a butterfly knot.

39. “Pure, stripped down” genre, per Tommy Ramone PUNK ROCK
“The Ramones” were an American punk rock band. The group formed in Forest Hills, New York in the mid-seventies. Arguably, it was the first punk rock group, defining the genre. Something else that’s not my cup of tea …

45. “__ Got Tonight”: 1983 hit duet WE’VE
“We’ve Got Tonite” is a 1978 song written and performed by Bob Seger. Although Seger’s version was quite successful, a 1983 duet cover version by Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton did even better. Note that the title of the 1983 release had a more conventional spelling “We’ve Got Tonight”.

48. Sci-fi author/editor del Rey LESTER
Lester Del Rey was a science fiction author in his own right, as well as the editor at Del Rey Books. Del Rey Books is a branch of Ballantine Books that was established in 1977 as specialty sci-fi and fantasy imprint.

49. Fills with cargo LADES
The verb “lade” meaning “to load” comes from an Old English word “hladan”. Lade also used to mean “to draw water” and indeed gave us our word “ladle”. So “lade” and “ladle” are close cousins.

50. Division symbols OBELI
The division symbol consists of a horizontal line with a dot above and below. It is called an “obelus” (plural “obeli”). “Obelus” is the Greek word for “sharpened stick, pointed pillar”, and is the same root as word “obelisk”. Prior to 1659, the obelus was used as the symbol for subtraction, and not division.

51. Neopagan gathering COVEN
“Coven” is an old Scottish word meaning simply “gathering”. The first known application of the word to witchcraft came during the trial of a Scotswoman in 1662 accused of being a witch. At that time, “coven” came to mean a group of 13 witches.

53. Nepal currency RUPEE
The rupee is a unit of currency, used in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan.

54. Big name in air conditioning TRANE
The heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) company called Trane was formed in 1913 by father and son James and Reuben Trane. James was a Norwegian immigrant, and Reuben earned his mechanical engineering degree at the University of Wisconsin.

55. Everything but the liquor SET-UP
In the world of bartending, the set-up for a drink is the glass, ice, mixer … everything but the liquor. New to me …

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. *It offers an ocean view PORT(HOLE)
5. *Hardware insertion point SCREW (HOLE)
10. *Sci-fi shortcut WORM(HOLE)
14. Chevy subcompact AVEO
15. Salad bar morsel OLIVE
16. Domingo forte ARIA
17. Spectator sport since the Edo period SUMO
18. Alpine air YODEL
19. Checker, e.g. DISC
20. “What an exhausting day!” AM I BEAT!
22. Pounding tools SLEDGES
24. Veto NIX
25. Clay, nowadays ALI
26. Handy assortment GADGETS
30. “Terribly strange” age in Simon & Garfunkel’s “Old Friends” SEVENTY
34. ICU connections IVS
35. Medical unit CAPSULE
37. “__ you finished?” ARE
38. *Means of evasion LOOP(HOLE)
40. *Stephen Hawking subject BLACK (HOLE)
41. *Orca feature BLOW(HOLE)
42. Terrible AWFUL
44. F1 neighbor ESC
45. Makers of wood pulp nests WASPS
46. Quick round … and, collectively, what the answers to starred clues lack NINE HOLES
49. Gets in one’s sights, with “to” LOCKS ON-
52. Backslides REVERTS
56. Cancels the launch ABORTS
57. Fasten SECURE
58. “Whip It” rockers DEVO
59. Order outfit HABIT
63. __ on the back A PAT
64. Monthly pmt. ELEC
65. Midway alternative O’HARE
66. Choice array MENU
67. *Geologic danger SINK(HOLE)
68. *Serengeti gathering place WATER(HOLE)
69. *Home security device PEEP(HOLE)

Down
1. “¿Qué __?” PASA
2. Reproductive cell OVUM
3. Takes back to REMINDS OF
4. Goldilocks complaint TOO BIG
5. Protein-rich bean SOYA
6. Blood __ CLOT
7. Unburden RID
8. Anticipatory times EVES
9. More than adequately WELL
10. Swaying walk WADDLE
11. Art museum works, usually ORIGINALS
12. Increase RISE
13. Pro and mini MACS
21. Business VIP EXEC
23. Architectural projection EAVE
26. Colorado tributary GILA
27. State as accurate AVOW
28. Bar __ TAB
29. Petulance SPLEEN
30. Help SUCCOR
31. Yosemite grazer ELK
32. Stadium in St. Pete, with “The” TROP
33. Landscaping shrubs YEWS
36. Obi, e.g. SASH
39. “Pure, stripped down” genre, per Tommy Ramone PUNK ROCK
41. Climber’s refuge BASE CAMP
43. Choice array LIST
45. “__ Got Tonight”: 1983 hit duet WE’VE
47. Absentee NO-SHOW
48. Sci-fi author/editor del Rey LESTER
49. Fills with cargo LADES
50. Division symbols OBELI
51. Neopagan gathering COVEN
53. Nepal currency RUPEE
54. Big name in air conditioning TRANE
55. Everything but the liquor SET-UP
60. Word associated with a light bulb AHA!
61. Echolocation user BAT
62. Steaming state IRE

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