LA Times Crossword Answers 3 Oct 15, Saturday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Barry C. Silk
THEME: None
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 18m 19s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 2 … ROMO (Roma!), ROSTER (raster!!)

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. World War II code name OMAHA BEACH
The Normandy landings on D-Day in 1944 took place along a 50-mile stretch of the Normandy coast divided into five sectors: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. The worst fighting by far took place on Omaha Beach, a sector assigned to the US Army that was transported by elements of the US Navy and the Royal Navy.

15. For instance, in Cannes PAR EXEMPLE
The French for “for example” is “par exemple”.

Cannes is a city on the French Riviera, noted as host of the Cannes Film Festival. The idea of the annual film festival was adopted by the city just before WWII. However, the festival had to wait for the end of the war for its launch in 1946.

17. Diamond rarity TRIPLE PLAY
That would be on a baseball diamond …

18. First name in ’80s-’90s Dodgers history OREL
Orel Hershiser is big into poker now that he has retired from Major League Baseball. Hershiser lives in Las Vegas and when he isn’t working for ESPN, apparently he is at the poker tables, playing professionally. When Hershiser is eliminated in a poker tournament, he is in the habit of presenting the person who ousts him with an autographed baseball.

20. One may be tucked TUMMY
The cosmetic surgery procedure called abdominoplasty is informally referred to as a “tummy tuck”.

22. Emulating A LA
The phrase “in the style of” can be translated as “alla” in Italian and “à la” in French.

23. Talking Heads bassist Weymouth TINA
Tina Weymouth is one of the founding members of the New Wave group called Talking Heads. Talking Heads was a New Wave band from New York City, formed in 1974 and active until 1991. I couldn’t name one of their songs, to be honest …

24. Part of CBS: Abbr. SYS
CBS used to be called the Columbia Broadcasting System. CBS is the second largest broadcaster in the world, second only to the BBC in the UK. CBS introduced its “eye” logo in 1951.

25. Co-star of Humphrey in the 1954 film “Sabrina” AUDREY
“Sabrina” is a fabulous romantic comedy directed by Billy Wilder from 1954. A real favorite of mine, it stars Audrey Hepburn in the title role, opposite Humphrey Bogart in an unusual role for him. William Holden plays the inevitable second love interest. There’s a nice scene in the movie where Hepburn performs a lovely rendition of “La Vie en rose”. “Sabrina was remade in 1995 in a version that’s almost as good as the original, starring Julia Ormond, Harrison Ford and Greg Kinnear.

29. Epson products INKJETS
Inkjet is a very accurate and descriptive name for the type of printer. Printing is done by shooting extremely fine jets of ink onto the page.

33. Last Supper question IS IT I?
At the Last Supper, Jesus told his apostles that one of them would betray him that day. According to the Gospel of Matthew:

And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?

34. Asian __ FLU
The so called “Asian Flu” was a pandemic that originated in China in 1956, and lasted until 1958. The H2N2 virus, which caused the disease, killed an estimated 2 million people worldwide, including almost 70,000 in the US. Years later, in 1997, the financial crisis that rocked many countries across Asia was given the same name, “Asian Flu”. The crisis started in Thailand when the Thai currency collapsed, and like a virus the panic spread across much of southeast Asia and Japan.

39. Traffic cops?: Abbr. DEA
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was set up in 1973 while President Nixon was in office.

40. Fat, e.g. LIPID
Lipids are a groups of naturally occurring molecules, including fats, waxes and fat-soluble vitamins (like A, D and E). Sometimes we use the words “fat” and “lipid” interchangeably but fats are a sub-group of lipids, specifically a group best called triglycerides.

42. Element used in atomic clocks CESIUM
Cesium is a chemical element with the element symbol Cs. It is a metal that is liquid at room temperature, just like mercury. Cesium was discovered by German scientists Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff in 1860. They noted bright blue lines in its emission spectrum, and so named it for the Latin word “caesius” meaning “sky-blue”.

An atomic clock is the most accurate way of keeping track of time that is known. Most clocks work using some sort of an oscillation that takes place at a regular interval, like a pendulum. In the case of an atomic clock, the oscillation that is measured is between the nucleus of an atom (usually cesium) and its surrounding electrons.

44. Hindu retreats ASHRAMS
“Ashram” is a Hindu term that traditionally describes a place of spiritual retreat, one that is typically located in a remote location conducive to spiritual instruction and meditation.

46. Lacking radiating processes, as nerve cells APOLAR
A nerve cell is more correctly called a neuron, and the long nerve fiber that is part of a neuron is called the axon. A neuron that has no definite axon is referred to as “apolar” or “nonpolar”. In apolar neurons, the nerve impulses radiate in all directions.

50. Nissan SUV introduced in 1999 XTERRA
The Xterra is a compact SUV built in Smyrna, Tennessee (and in Brazil).

51. Being in a life-imitating computer game SIM
“SimCity” is a very clever computer game. Players build and grow cities and societies by creating the conditions necessary for people (the Sims) to move in and thrive. “SimCity” was launched in 1989, and to this day it is consistently ranked as one of the greatest computer games of all time.

53. Cowboys quarterback Tony ROMO
Tony Romo is a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. Romo is also an avid amateur golfer and has even tried (albeit unsuccessfully) to qualify for the US Open golf championship.

54. Black __ SEA
The Black Sea in southeastern Europe drains into the Mediterranean via the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits. There are four seas named for colors in English: the Yellow Sea, the Black Sea, the Red Sea and the White Sea.

55. Six-Day War hero DAYAN
Moshe Dayan had a long and distinguished military career (including command of Israeli forces during the 1956 Suez Crisis). He also played a pivotal, and militarily active, role as Minister for Defense during the Six-Day War of 1967. He was a very recognizable figure with a black patch over his left eye. Dayan received that injury when he was fighting for the Allies in Vichy French Lebanon during WWII. He was using a pair of binoculars that was hit by an enemy bullet, smashing metal and glass fragments into his eye.

The Six-Day War took place from June 5th to June 10th, 1967, and was fought between Israel and its neighbors Egypt, Jordan and Syria. By the time the ceasefire was signed, Israel had seized huge swaths of land formerly controlled by Arab states, namely the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank of the Jordan River and the Golan Heights. The overall territory under the control of Israel grew by a factor of three in just six days.

58. Green state? ENVY
William Shakespeare was one of the first to associate the color green with envy. He called jealousy the “green-eyed monster” in his play “Othello”.

62. Landing nos. ETAS
Estimated time of arrival (ETA)

65. WorkCentre cartridge filler XEROX TONER
The key features of a laser printer (or copier) are that it uses plain paper and produces quality text at high speed. Laser printers work by projecting a laser image of the printed page onto a rotating drum that is coated with photoconductors (material that becomes conductive when exposed to light). The areas of the drum exposed to the laser carry a different charge than the unexposed areas. Dry ink (toner) sticks to the exposed areas due to electrostatic charge. The toner is then transferred to paper by contact and is fused into the paper by the application of heat. So, that explains why paper coming out of a laser printer is warm, and sometimes powdery.

The WorkCentre is a line of all-in-one printer/copier/scanner and fax machine made by Xerox.

Down
2. Game fish MARLIN
The fish called a marlin takes its name from the sailor’s took called a marlinspike. The long nose of the marlin might indeed be described as a “spike”. A marlinspike is used by sailors when working with rope, untying knots or perhaps splicing. The name of the tool comes from the practice of “marling”, which is the winding of twine around the ends of a larger piece of rope to prevent it from unravelling.

3. French satellite launcher ARIANE
Ariane is a launch vehicle used by European space agencies. The Ariane rocket is launched from French Guiana in the northern part of South America.

4. Deadly sins and others HEPTADS
A “heptad” is a group of seven. The prefix “hept-”, that is used for “seven”, comes from Greek. The “sept-” prefix, which means the same thing, comes from Latin.

The cardinal sins of Christian ethics are also known as the seven deadly sins. The seven deadly sins are:

– wrath
– greed
– sloth
– pride
– lust
– envy
– gluttony

5. Ferris wheel component AXLE
The first Ferris Wheel was built for the Chicago World’s Fair (officially known as the “World’s Columbian Exposition”) in 1893. That wheel was designed and constructed by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. who lent his name to wheels built from then on.

6. Fresno daily BEE
“The Fresno Bee”, serving the city of Fresno, California and surrounding area, was founded in 1922. The paper was started by two McClatchy brothers, who were the sons of James McClatchy who was the editor of “The Sacramento Bee”.

7. Item sometimes redeemed EMPTY
The first container-deposit legislation was the Oregon Bottle Bill that was enacted in 1971. Apparently Oregonians return about 90% of their empty drink containers, which is the highest return rate in the country.

11. Latin 101 word AMO
“Amo, amas, amat: … “I love, you love, he/she/it loves”, in Latin.

12. “Sharknado” actress TARA REID
Tara Reid is an actress known for roles she played on television and the big screen. My guess is her most remembered performances were in the “American Pie” series of movies in which she played Vicky. Sadly, Reid succumbed to the pressure to alter her looks with plastic surgery. In interviews, she has shared that her first experience under the knife “went wrong” leading to more surgeries in attempts to rectify the resulting deformity.

“Sharknado” is a 2013 tongue-in-cheek disaster movie that was made for the Syfy television channel. The basis of the plot is a freak hurricane that hits Los Angeles, resulting in a flood that leaves man-eating sharks roaming the city. I don’t think so …

14. Two-part country MALAYSIA
The Asian nation of Malaysia is divided into two similarly sized regions separated by the South China Sea. Peninsular Malaysia takes up most of the Malay peninsula, and shares a land border with Thailand to the north and a maritime border with the island nation of Singapore to the south. East Malaysia is part of the island of Borneo, which Malaysia shares with Indonesia and Brunei.

21. Clown around YUK IT UP
I’m really laughing, busting a gut, yuk yuk yuk!

24. 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee SEAU
Junior Seau was an NFL linebacker, first playing for the San Diego Chargers and then the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots. Sadly, Seau was found dead in his home in 2011, having committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest.

26. CD players DJS
The world’s first radio disk jockey was one Ray Newby of Stockton, California who made his debut broadcast in 1909, would you believe? When he was 16 years old and a student, Newby started to play his records on a primitive radio located in the Herrold College of Engineering and Wireless in San Jose. The records played back then were mostly recordings of Enrico Caruso.

28. “The Great Dictator” co-star Paulette GODDARD
Paulette Goddard was a Hollywood actress, most famous on the screen as the leading lady in the Charlie Chaplin movies “Modern Times” and “The Great Dictator”. Goddard and Chaplin lived as husband and wife for several years and apparently married in secret in Canton, China in 1936. The couple were granted a Mexican divorce in 1942.

29. 7/15, e.g. IDES
There were three important days in each month of the old Roman calendar. These days originally depended on the cycles of the moon but were eventually “fixed” by law. “Kalendae” were the first days of each month, originally the days of the new moon. “Nonae” were originally the days of the half moon. And “idus” (the ides) was originally the day of the full moon, eventually fixed at the 15th day of a month. Well, actually the ides were the 15th day of March, May, July and October. For all other months, the ides fell on the 13th. Go figure …

31. Muscle beach display PECS
“Pecs” is the familiar term for the chest muscle, more correctly known as the pectoralis major muscle. “Pectus” is a the Latin word for “breast, chest”.

34. Vegetable oil source FLAXSEED
Linseed oil is also known as flaxseed oil, as the oil is extracted from the dried seeds of the flax plant.

38. Musical king’s land SIAM
Siam was the official name of Thailand up to 1939 (and from 1945 to 1949).

“The King and I” is a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical based on a book by Margaret Landon called “Anna and the King of Siam” first published in 1944. Landon’s book is based on a true story, told in the memoirs of Anna Leonowens. Leonowens was the governess of the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the 1860s, and she also taught the king’s wives.

41. Discount abbr. IRR
Irregular (irr.)

43. Marrakesh setting MOROCCO
Marrakesh is the fourth largest city in the northwest African nation of Morocco, with Casablanca, Fes and Tangier being larger.

45. Antacid brand MAALOX
Maalox is a brand of antacid that has been on sale since 1949.

48. Current unit AMPERE
The unit of electric current is the ampere, abbreviated correctly to “A” rather than “amp”. It is named after French physicist André-Marie Ampère, one of the main scientists responsible for the discovery of electromagnetism.

52. Emcee’s job INTRO
The term “emcee” comes from “MC”, an initialism standing for Master or Mistress of Ceremonies.

59. Initials on L’Homme fragrance YSL
Yves Saint-Laurent was a French fashion designer, actually born in Algeria. Saint-Laurent started off working as an assistant to Christian Dior at the age of 17. Dior died just four years later, and as a very young man Saint-Laurent was named head of the House of Dior. However, in 1950 Saint-Laurent was conscripted into the French Army and ended up in a military hospital after suffering a mental breakdown from the hazing inflicted on him by his fellow soldiers. His treatment included electroshock therapy and administration of sedatives and psychoactive drugs. He was released from prison, managed to pull his life back together and started his own fashion house. A remarkable story …

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. World War II code name OMAHA BEACH
11. Small matter? ATOM
15. For instance, in Cannes PAR EXEMPLE
16. Early word MAMA
17. Diamond rarity TRIPLE PLAY
18. First name in ’80s-’90s Dodgers history OREL
19. Clean __ SLATE
20. One may be tucked TUMMY
22. Emulating A LA
23. Talking Heads bassist Weymouth TINA
24. Part of CBS: Abbr. SYS
25. Co-star of Humphrey in the 1954 film “Sabrina” AUDREY
27. Tense ON EDGE
29. Epson products INKJETS
30. In a lather, with “up”? SOAPED
33. Last Supper question IS IT I?
34. Asian __ FLU
37. Heading for old wagons DUE WEST
39. Traffic cops?: Abbr. DEA
40. Fat, e.g. LIPID
42. Element used in atomic clocks CESIUM
44. Hindu retreats ASHRAMS
46. Lacking radiating processes, as nerve cells APOLAR
50. Nissan SUV introduced in 1999 XTERRA
51. Being in a life-imitating computer game SIM
53. Cowboys quarterback Tony ROMO
54. Black __ SEA
55. Six-Day War hero DAYAN
57. Railroad turnarounds LOOPS
58. Green state? ENVY
60. Ski area purchase LIFT TICKET
62. Landing nos. ETAS
63. Music with vocal parts OPERA SCORE
64. 16-Across speaker DOLL
65. WorkCentre cartridge filler XEROX TONER

Down
1. Decides one will OPTS TO
2. Game fish MARLIN
3. French satellite launcher ARIANE
4. Deadly sins and others HEPTADS
5. Ferris wheel component AXLE
6. Fresno daily BEE
7. Item sometimes redeemed EMPTY
8. Outstanding A-PLUS
9. Secretive sort CLAM
10. “Yo!” HEY, MAN!
11. Latin 101 word AMO
12. “Sharknado” actress TARA REID
13. Café order OMELETTE
14. Two-part country MALAYSIA
21. Clown around YUK IT UP
24. 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee SEAU
26. CD players DJS
28. “The Great Dictator” co-star Paulette GODDARD
29. 7/15, e.g. IDES
31. Muscle beach display PECS
32. Field grazer EWE
34. Vegetable oil source FLAXSEED
35. Mind LISTEN TO
36. Turmoil UPHEAVAL
38. Musical king’s land SIAM
41. Discount abbr. IRR
43. Marrakesh setting MOROCCO
45. Antacid brand MAALOX
47. Spectate LOOK ON
48. Current unit AMPERE
49. Roll ROSTER
51. More cautious SAFER
52. Emcee’s job INTRO
56. “Good grief!” YIPE!
57. Place for tick marks LIST
59. Initials on L’Homme fragrance YSL
61. Burden TAX

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7 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 3 Oct 15, Saturday”

  1. Prototypical Saturday for me. I did look things up and trudge through it instead of DNFing it – 11 things I either got wrong or had to look up. I'll go see how the Sunday grid rates now.

  2. This just wasn't up to Mr. Silk's usual standard of mind boggling, curse word inducing, Excedrin headache producing puzzles (g). For whatever reason this just fell into place in, what for me, was a record short solve time. I know I'll pay for my hubris later on next week, but I don't care! I'm crowing today (and no doubt eating it later).

    Hope everyone has a relaxing, amusing and enjoyable weekend. Catch you all again on Monday.

  3. Had an easy time with this puzzle except for the NW where I simply drew a blank. I couldn't even get started there. I needed 3 or 4 googles before I could get the rest of it. In retrospect, it wasn't that hard….then again it's always that way once you know the answers…

    Best –

  4. Just to give Talking Heads their due: Their big number was "Burning Down the House" (1983). That song is so iconic, it is still being played today on rock stations. They also did "And She Was" (1985) which you still hear once in a while.

    My puzzle was difficult but solvable. I had HEPTIDS instead of HEPTADS so I missed by one letter 🙂

  5. See what happens when you worry about getting a BCS on Saturday? You get one. And for that matter, I'll also have to contend with his dreck over at the NY Times as well. Marvelous. 😉

    Piano Man: do you remember the video on MTV for "Once In A Lifetime" by the Talking Heads? That David Byrne was one strange dude.

  6. Thanks so much for explaining empty (7d), bottles never occurred to me.

    Yes all Reagle puzzles are old, but still so grateful for his wife to put them up.

    I sure miss him

    Thanks again for your help Mr W

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