LA Times Crossword Answers 2 Sep 16, Friday




LA Times Crossword Solution 2 Sep 16







Constructed by: Mark Feldman

Edited by: Rich Norris

Quicklink to a complete list of today’s clues and answers

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Theme: Spooner

Today’s themed answers are all SPOONERISMS:

  • 66A…Oxford don associated with slips similar to 17-, 28-, 45-, and 59-Across..SPOONER
  • 17A…Politically active fowl?..TRUMP DUCK (spoonerism of “dump truck”)
  • 28A…Clever insect?..CUNNING ROACH (spoonerism of “running coach”)
  • 45A…Embarrassed avian?..BLUSHING CROW (spoonerism of “crushing blow”)
  • 59A…Street-wise amphibian?..ROUGH TOAD (spoonerism of “tough road”)
  • Bill’s time: 11m 21s

    Bill’s errors: 3

    • BEAUT (beast!)
    • RATITE (ratine)
    • AUTO (asno!)



    Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies

    Across

    1…Books in which each sheet of paper is folded into eight leaves..OCTAVOS

    Some common book formats/sizes are folio, octavo and quarto. For an octavo book, sixteen pages of text are printed, eight pages on each side of a “full-size” piece of paper. The pages are formed by folding the sheet of paper three times in half, giving a group of sixteen pages printed on eight leaves (after separation). The size of the resulting pages of course depends on the size of the original sheet, but each page is one eighth the size of that original (hence the name octavo). Nowadays the octavo size refers to books that are between eight and ten inches tall.

    17…Politically active fowl?..TRUMP DUCK (spoonerism of “dump truck”)

    When Donald Trump won the nomination as presidential candidate in 2016, he wasn’t the first candidate to become the Republican nominee without any political experience. The most famous such candidate in recent decades was Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was put on the top of the ticket in 1952.

    18…Eyelashes..CILIA

    “Cilia” is Latin for “eyelashes”.

    19…”A Chorus Line” number..ONE

    “One” is “one” of the big numbers in the hit musical “A Chorus Line”.

    One singular sensation
    Every little step she takes
    One thrilling combination
    Every move that she makes
    One smile and suddenly nobody else will do
    You know you’ll never be lonely with you know who

    “A Chorus Line” is a phenomenal hit musical first staged in 1975, with music by Marvin Hamlisch and lyrics by Edward Kleban. The original Broadway production ran for well over 6,000 performances, making it the longest running production in Broadway history up to that time, a record held for over 20 years (until “Cats” came along).

    20…Goddess with a throne headdress..ISIS

    Isis was the ancient Egyptian goddess of fertility, as well as the protector of the dead and the goddess of children. She was the personification of the pharaoh’s power. The name “Isis” translates as “throne”, and she is usually depicted with a headdress shaped like a throne.

    22…Become clear..JELL

    “Jell” means to congeal, to set. The word has been used since the early 1800s, and comes from the earlier word “jelly”. Nowadays, we tend to use the alternate spelling “gel”.

    23…Flair..ELAN

    Our word “élan” was imported from French, in which language the word has a similar meaning to ours, i.e “style” or “flair”.

    28…Clever insect?..CUNNING ROACH (spoonerism of “running coach”)

    The insect known as a cockroach is closely related to the termite. Although generally considered a pest, the lowly cockroach has at least one claim to fame. A cockroach named Nadezhda was sent into space in 2007 by Russian scientists, where it became the first terrestrial creature to give birth in space. Nadezhda bore 33 cockroaches.

    33…Dresden’s river..ELBE

    The River Elbe rises in the Czech Republic and travels over a thousand kilometers before emptying into the North Sea near the port of Hamburg in Germany.

    The German city of Dresden was almost completely destroyed during WWII, especially as a result of the famous firebombing of the city in 1945. Restoration work in the inner city in recent decades led to it being designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. However, in 2006 when the city built a highway bridge close to the city center, UNESCO took Dresden off the list. This marked the only time a European location has lost World Heritage status.

    39…Doozy..BEAUT

    A “doozy” is something extraordinary or bizarre. The word’s exact origins aren’t clear, but it might be a derivative of the name Eleanora Duse, an Italian actress popular early in the 20th century.

    41…Loan fig…PCT

    Percent (pct.)

    42…”The Little Mermaid” prince..ERIC

    “The Little Mermaid” is a 1989 animated feature from Disney that is based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of the same name. It tells the story of a mermaid princess named Ariel who falls in love with the human Prince Eric. Ariel’s father is chief merman King Triton.

    44…The kiwi is the smallest one..RATITE

    Ratites are species of birds that cannot fly. Ratites are different physiologically than other birds in that they have nowhere on their sternum to attach the muscles needed for flight.

    The kiwi is an unusual bird in that it has a highly developed sense of smell and is the only one of our feathered friends with nostrils located at the tip of its long beak.

    51…Sandy’s home..UTAH

    The city of Sandy is a suburb of Salt Lake City.

    54…Achievement of many a CEO..MBA

    The world’s first Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree was offered by Harvard’s Graduate School of Business Administration, in 1908.

    Chief executive officer (CEO)

    63…Birch of “American Beauty”..THORA

    Thora Birch is an actress from Los Angeles. Birch is probably best known for her breakthrough role in the 1999 movie “American Beauty” in which she was the insecure daughter of a married couple played by Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening.

    While I found the film “American Beauty” to be an enjoyable and interesting film (loved Annette Bening in it), I also found it very depressing. If you haven’t seen it, the main story is about a man having a midlife crisis (played by Kevin Spacey) and developing an infatuation for his teenage daughter’s flirtatious friend (played by Mena Suvari, and whom I guess is the “American Beauty”). It’s definitely worth watching, and received got huge accolades when released in 1999.

    65…Slender woman..SYLPH

    A sylph (also “sylphid”) is a mythological creature, an invisible and wispy being of the air. We also use the term “sylph” to describe a slender and graceful woman.

    66…Oxford don associated with slips similar to 17-, 28-, 45-, and 59-Across..SPOONER

    Spoonerisms are errors in speech in which letters or sounds are switched from one word to another. Famous examples are “Three cheers for our queer old dean” (dear old Queen … Victoria) and “Is it kisstomary to cuss the bride?” (customary to kiss …). Spoonerisms are named after an Oxford don William Archibald Spooner, who was notorious for his tendency to pepper his speech with “spoonerisms”.

    Down

    1…Anne Frank’s father..OTTO

    Anne Frank has to be one of the most famous victims of the Holocaust. This is largely because the story of this young girl lives on in her widely published diary, and in adaptations of the diary for stage and screen. Anne Frank was a German until she lost her nationality in 1941 when the Nazis came to power. By this time she was living with her family in Amsterdam, as the Franks chose to flee Germany in 1933. When the Germans occupied the Netherlands, the family went into hiding in the attic of Otto Frank’s office building (Otto was Anne’s father). There the family hid for two whole years until they were betrayed. The family was split up, and Anne and her sister died from typhus in a concentration camp in 1945.

    2…With 13-Across, Mexican restaurant choices..CORN
    13…See 2-Down..TORTILLAS

    “Tortilla” translates from Spanish literally as “little cake”.

    4…20s dispenser..ATM

    ATM (Automatic Teller Machine)

    5…Bigwig..VIP

    A “bigwig” is someone important. The use of the term harks back to the days when men of authority and rank wore big wigs.

    7…Swinging about..SLUING

    “To slue” (also “slew) is to turn sharply, or to rotate on an axis.

    8…__ fly: productive MLB out..SAC

    That would be a sac(rifice) fly, in baseball.

    9…Hebrew prophet..ELIJAH

    Elijah was a prophet in the northern kingdom of Israel according to the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible and the Qur’an. The name “Elijah” translates from Hebrew as “My God is Yahweh”. Elijah is also known Elias.

    11…Operatic vocal effect..TRILL

    In music a “trill” is the rapid alternation of two tones that are very close to each other to make a vibrato sound.

    14…Coolers, briefly..ACS

    Room coolers are air conditioning units (ACs).

    25…Mayo is in it..ANO

    In Spanish, “mayo” (May) is one of the months of the “año” (year).

    29…Letters at N.C.’s Camp Lejeune..USMC

    Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune is located in Jacksonville, North Carolina. The 246-square mile facility includes 14 miles of beaches, making Camp Lejeune important for amphibious assault training. Built in 1941, the base was named for the 13th Commandant of the Marine Corps John A. Lejeune, who served in the USMC for nearly forty years, and who is often referred to as the “greatest of Leathernecks”.

    30…Drink order..NEAT

    The adjective “neat” has been used to describe “straight liquor” since about 1800. Before then, the term applied to wine, when it meant “unadulterated wine”. The term comes from Old French “net” meaning “clear, pure”.

    31…Clinton’s first Labor secretary..REICH

    Robert Reich is a political economist who served in three administrations, with Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and with Bill Clinton, for whom he was Secretary of Labor.

    35…Aries or Taurus..AUTO

    The Dodge Aries (and the Plymouth Reliant) were Chrysler’s first “K-cars”, introduced in 1981. The K-cars were designed to carry 6 passengers, on two bench seats. Remember taking a corner a little too fast on those seats, in the days when no one wore seat belts?

    The Taurus is an incredibly successful car that was introduced by Ford in 1985. The Taurus was the successor to the Ford LTD, and is still in production today. The Taurus was the best-selling automobile in the US between 1992 and 1996, before being knocked off its pedestal by Japanese imports.

    43…Hose problems..RUNS

    A “snag” is a pull or a tear in a fabric. A snag, particularly in stockings, might lead to a run. And on the other side of the Atlantic, a “run” is called a “ladder”.

    44…Stranded messenger..RNA

    Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) is an essential catalyst in the manufacture of proteins in the body. The genetic code in DNA determines the sequence of amino acids that make up each protein. That sequence is read in DNA by messenger RNA, and amino acids are delivered for protein manufacture in the correct sequence by what is called transfer RNA. The amino acids are then formed into proteins by ribosomal RNA.

    45…C equivalent..B-SHARP

    That would be in music.

    46…Time units..ISSUES

    “Time” magazine has a readership of about 25 million, making it the largest circulation weekly news magazine in the world.

    49…Given orally, as evidence..PAROL

    In the law, a statement described as “parol” is given orally as opposed to in written form.

    55…Thorn in one’s side..BANE

    Today we tend to use the word “bane” to mean anathema, a source of persistent annoyance. A few centuries ago, a bane was a cause of harm or death, perhaps a deadly poison.

    56…Dely. destination..ADDR

    An address (addr.) is usually required for a delivery (dely.).

    58…Half a tuba sound..PAH

    The tuba is the lowest-pitched of all the brass instruments, and one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra (usually there is just one tuba included in an orchestral line-up). “Tuba” is the Latin word for “trumpet, horn”. Oom-pah-pah …

    60…Econ. yardstick..GDP

    A country’s Gross National Product (GNP) is the value of all services and products produced by its residents in a particular year. GNP includes all production wherever it is in the world, as long as the business is owned by residents of the country concerned. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is different, although related, and is the value of all services and goods produced within the borders of the country for that year.

    61…One-tenth of a Vietnamese dong, formerly..HAO

    The currency of Vietnam is known as the dong. One dong is divided into ten hao, and one hao is divided into ten xu.

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    Complete List of Clues and Answers

    Across

    1…Books in which each sheet of paper is folded into eight leaves..OCTAVOS

    8…Factions..SECTS

    13…See 2-Down..TORTILLAS

    16…Not likely to miss much..ALERT

    17…Politically active fowl?..TRUMP DUCK (spoonerism of “dump truck”)

    18…Eyelashes..CILIA

    19…”A Chorus Line” number..ONE

    20…Goddess with a throne headdress..ISIS

    22…Become clear..JELL

    23…Flair..ELAN

    26…Easily bent..PLIABLE

    28…Clever insect?..CUNNING ROACH (spoonerism of “running coach”)

    32…Comfortable with..USED TO

    33…Dresden’s river..ELBE

    34…Takes in..HAS

    37…Big hit..SMASH

    38…Subside, with “down”..DIE

    39…Doozy..BEAUT

    41…Loan fig…PCT

    42…”The Little Mermaid” prince..ERIC

    44…The kiwi is the smallest one..RATITE

    45…Embarrassed avian?..BLUSHING CROW (spoonerism of “crushing blow”)

    47…Fake it, in a way..LIP-SYNC

    50…Pageant accessory..SASH

    51…Sandy’s home..UTAH

    52…Puts in place..SETS

    54…Achievement of many a CEO..MBA

    57…Get rid of..SCRAP

    59…Street-wise amphibian?..ROUGH TOAD (spoonerism of “tough road”)

    63…Birch of “American Beauty”..THORA

    64…Require help..NEED A HAND

    65…Slender woman..SYLPH

    66…Oxford don associated with slips similar to 17-, 28-, 45-, and 59-Across..SPOONER

    Down

    1…Anne Frank’s father..OTTO

    2…With 13-Across, Mexican restaurant choices..CORN

    3…Loyal..TRUE

    4…20s dispenser..ATM

    5…Bigwig..VIP

    6…Dated..OLD

    7…Swinging about..SLUING

    8…__ fly: productive MLB out..SAC

    9…Hebrew prophet..ELIJAH

    10…Star..CELEB

    11…Operatic vocal effect..TRILL

    12…Dated..STALE

    14…Coolers, briefly..ACS

    15…Balancing aid on the slopes..SKI POLE

    21…Piece at the butcher shop..SLAB

    23…Goals..ENDS

    24…In a supple manner..LITHELY

    25…Mayo is in it..ANO

    27…Swell applications..ICE BAGS

    28…Edge..CUSP

    29…Letters at N.C.’s Camp Lejeune..USMC

    30…Drink order..NEAT

    31…Clinton’s first Labor secretary..REICH

    34…Locks often gray..HAIR

    35…Aries or Taurus..AUTO

    36…Brood..STEW

    38…Make out..DISCERN

    40…Make an impression..ETCH

    43…Hose problems..RUNS

    44…Stranded messenger..RNA

    45…C equivalent..B-SHARP

    46…Time units..ISSUES

    47…Hungers (for)..LUSTS

    48…Raring to go..ITCHY

    49…Given orally, as evidence..PAROL

    53…Golf club part..TOE

    54…Complain..MOAN

    55…Thorn in one’s side..BANE

    56…Dely. destination..ADDR

    58…Half a tuba sound..PAH

    60…Econ. yardstick..GDP

    61…One-tenth of a Vietnamese dong, formerly..HAO

    62…E’en if..THO’




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    15 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 2 Sep 16, Friday”

    1. 35-Down:
      I remember wearing a seat belt so I could go around corners faster. Hah! And they thought I was safety conscious.

    2. I’ll categorize this one as an “almost” for me. I just couldn’t make heads nor tails of the NW. For Anne Frank’s father, all I could think of was “Mr. Frank”…but it didn’t fit. OCTAVOS may as well have been Chinese to me, I kept wanting to put “saw” for Dated and “CEO” for Bigwig. Worst of all I couldn’t even come up with CORN TORTILLAS. I kept thinking of empanadas which fit, and of tostadas, enchiladas, and tamales – none of which fit. Sometimes you just over think these things. So I’ll walk away thinking I DNF’d because the puzzle was too easy for me….Hey – It’s Friday and I can think whatever I want no matter how delusional.

      At least I got the section correct where Bill’s errors were. I’ll carry that as a badge of honor, as always.

      It occurred to me as I was trying to think of fun spoonerisms to put down here that I don’t know any that aren’t profane. I suspect that’s more a statement about myself than it is of spoonerisms as a whole.

      Fun theme, but I wish I had figured it out earlier in the puzzle than I did.

      On my way to San Francisco next week for business and pleasure. I hope no one reads about me in the papers. And don’t forget, Bill, you promised me plenty of Anchor Steam would be available throughout the city while I’m there….

      Best –

    3. Could not get the due East section to fall. Everything else filled in very quickly but for some reason (age related no doubt) that section just wouldn’t fall into place. Very frustrating! I’ll see if I can redeem myself tomorrow. Have a good lead in to the long weekend.

    4. This made my head hurt. My thought process was similar to a drugged spider’s web. google it! 🙂
      My bigwig was a pIP. (an excellent or very attractive person or thing.)
      RNA or DNA? No matter, never heard of RATITE anyway.
      Donald TRUMP…Donald DUCK.. is that the theme? No!
      PAROL/THORA cruel.
      Dely. destination ADDR …..criminal!

      1. Hey, Pook — With you on DATITE/RATITE — and I wouldn’t give a HAO to find out, even if the answer was PAROL. And SANDY who? Give us a break! (Thanks for the fun Spoonerisms, Mr. Feldman, but your clunky cluing is a BANE.)

        1. Addendum: Actually, it ain’t the cluing. It’s so much of the fill itself that’s just … dreck.

    5. Had more back ins than usual, including guessing “ing”s and “s”es. Managed to miraculously finish however which always feels good after thinking “this puzzle is impossible” 🙂

      American audiences are probably most familiar with spoonerisms by listening to the old country music star Mel Tillis. In his stage patter he always told funny stories and got his mirds wixed. His daughter Pam became a singer too, but didn’t inherit the (intentional) affliction.

    6. Just completed the WSJ grid without any final errors but more than my share of ‘ink” overs. Not a clue in the world as to the “Meta” answer.

    7. Hi, hey Argyle ! Nice to see you. For those who don’t know, Argyle is a very eminent blogger in his own right ! ….. though I can’t imagine that you were once young enough to do, those foolish things, ….. well, what foolish things, young people do.

      I had a tough, tough time with this puzzle …. so I came here to see what my suave and experienced superiors thought of it. Bill’s mistakes for one, were a sobering thought.

      I was familiar with ratite, since emus and ostrichs are also ratites …. all birds that can’t fly … except dodo’s who are something else altogether … and ofcourse, our domesticated chickens are also not ratites. Once I saw a rather cruel person release a domesticated hen from the third floor window of his farmhouse ….. it flapped its wings, very hastily, and landed somewhat safely.

      The spoonerisms were a delight. I just love this concept – although I remember it has been done before – probably by the same constructor. No matter, it is always welcome. But, it being a Friday, the clues were difficult.

      I just bought, last week, a small set of fake ( read,’made in china’) egyptian figurines, of King Tut, a ‘completed’ sphinx, and an Isis – from an egyptian coptic church lady …. whose first name, according to her business card … is Isis. She said it was pronounced “ee-sis”. She also talked about what a non-pc name, it was ….. during these times.

      Have a nice day, all.

    8. “PAROL”?? Really? Gimmeabreak! I dslk abbrvs in crswrds that nbdy uses. Only ornithologists know kiwis are RATITEs, but who cares -they’re cute and fuzzy. I actually have been in SANDY, Utah – but never made the connection (I taw, you taw, we all taw what? would have been a cuter clue!) Crunched the newspaper after an hour of struggle. Not fun!

    9. Too busy to spend much time on this… Got all the top and the MW but the ME and bottom were sparsely filled in. Strange clues but liked the spoonerisms.

    10. Hi gang!
      Finished!!….and I actually liked this puzzle; well done. I thought the cluing was challenging but (with a few exceptions) fair. The whole east side was a BEAR!! I guessed on the R, rather than D, for RATITE.

      I’d heard of spoonerisms but thought they were just bungled phrases. Switching up that first sound is new to me. SO THAT’S what they are!!

      Of course I had POP before SAC, and I struggled with that whole NE corner till it came to me.

      Of course I’d never heard of RATITE, nor did I know PAROL or HAO. Guess I’m hoping to remember them, cuz they’ll probably be back.

      Jeff, enjoy SF and try to stay out of the news!
      Wishing y’all a safe and enjoyable weekend…

      Be well~~™?⛺?

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