LA Times Crossword Answers 4 Oct 2017, Wednesday










Constructed by: C.C. Burnikel

Edited by: Rich Norris

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

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Theme: Broken Record

Today’s themed answers each start with the letter L and end with the letter P. In other words, the letters LP are BROKEN up by the letters in between; we have BROKEN LPs, BROKEN RECORDS:

  • 26A. With 49-Across, it keeps repeating itself … and, based on the first and last letters, an apt description of each answer to a starred clue : BROKEN …
  • 49A. See 26-Across : … RECORD
  • 17A. *Vodka cocktail often served with a sugared rim : LEMON DROP
  • 60A. *Largely bygone penal colony : LABOR CAMP
  • 3D. *Store website feature : LOCATOR MAP
  • 8D. *Shari Lewis puppet : LAMB CHOP
  • 30D. *Totally drunk : LIQUORED UP
  • 39D. *Light source with hypnotic bubbles : LAVA LAMP

Bill’s time: 6m 23s

Bill’s errors: 0




Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies

Across

10. OutKast rapper Big __ : BOI

“Big Boi” is the stage name of rapper Antwan André Patton who is best known as one half of the duo Outkast, performing alongside André 3000.

13. Hi in Hawaii : ALOHA

The Hawaiian word “Aloha” has many meanings in English: affection, love, peace, compassion and mercy. More recently “aloha” has come to mean “hello” and “goodbye”, but only since the mid-1800s.

14. Senior golfer Aoki : ISAO

Isao Aoki is one of Japan’s greatest golfers. Aoki’s best finish in a major tournament was runner-up to Jack Nicklaus in the 1980 US Open.

17. *Vodka cocktail often served with a sugared rim : LEMON DROP

A lemon drop is a sweet-and-sour, vodka-based cocktail, with the “sweet” coming from triple sec and simple syrup, and the “sour” coming from lemon juice. The lemon drop was invented in the seventies here in San Francisco, in a bar called Henry Africa’s.

19. Text update from an Uber driver: Abbr. : ETA

Uber is a ridesharing service that was founded in 2009 and is based in San Francisco. The service is somewhat controversial and has been described as an illegal taxicab operation. Central to Uber’s service is the company’s mobile app, which can use the client’s GPS location to help find the nearest available ride. Uber’s main competitor is Lyft. Personally, I love the service and have only had good experiences …

20. Trippy ’60s drug : LSD

LSD (known colloquially as “acid”) is short for lysergic acid diethylamide. A Swiss chemist called Albert Hofmann first synthesized LSD in 1938 in a research project looking for medically efficacious ergot alkaloids. It wasn’t until some five years later when Hofmann ingested some of the drug accidentally that its psychedelic properties were discovered. Trippy, man …

23. Mai __: rum drinks : TAIS

The mai tai cocktail is strongly associated with the Polynesian islands, but the drink was supposedly invented in 1944 in Trader Vic’s restaurant in Oakland, California. One recipe is 6 parts white rum, 3 parts orange curaçao, 3 parts Orgeat syrup, 1 part rock candy syrup, 2 parts fresh lime juice, all mixed with ice and then a float added of 6 parts dark rum. “Maita’i” is the Tahitian word for “good”.

25. Post-CrossFit woes : ACHES

CrossFit is a trademarked fitness, strength and conditioning program that was introduced in 2000.

29. Down with the flu : ILL

Influenza (flu) is an ailment that is caused by a virus. The virus is readily inactivated by the use of soap, so washing hands and surfaces is especially helpful in containing flu outbreaks.

32. NFLer again in 2016 : LA RAM

The Los Angeles Rams are the only franchise to have won NFL championships in three different cities, i.e. Cleveland (1945), Los Angeles (1951) and St. Louis (1999). The Rams were based in Cleveland from 1936 to 1945, in Los Angeles from 1946 to 1994, in St. Louis from 1995 to 2015, and returned to Los Angeles in 2016.

36. Casino cash source : ATM

The term “casino” originated in the 1700s, then describing a public room for music or dancing. “Casino” is a diminutive of “casa” meaning “house”.

37. Oft-injured knee part, for short : ACL

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of four major ligaments that support the knee.

40. Bit of texting tact : PLS

Please (pls)

41. Sine __ non : QUA

“Sine qua non” is a Latin phrase that we use to mean “the essential element or condition”. The literal translation is “without which not”. One might say, for example, “a challenging crossword is the sine qua non of a good newspaper”. Well, crossword fans might say that …

50. Burton of “Star Trek: TNG” : LEVAR

The actor LeVar Burton is very much associated with two iconic roles on television: young Kunta Kinte in “Roots”, and Geordi La Forge in “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. Burton also hosted the children’s PBS show “Reading Rainbow” for many years. His portrayal of Kunta Kinte in 1977 was Burton’s first acting job. Indeed, Burton’s audition for the part was the first in his professional career!

62. “Paper Moon” girl : ADDIE

“Paper Moon” is a 1973 comedy film that tells the story of a father and daughter during the Great Depression. The onscreen father and daughter are played by real-life father and daughter Ryan and Tatum O’Neal. The original choices for the lead roles were Paul Newman and his daughter Nell Potts, but they left the project after director John Huston also dropped out.

66. Brownish gray : TAUPE

Taupe is a dark, gray-brown color. The word “taupe” comes from the Latin name of the European Mole, which has skin with the same color.

67. Susan of “L.A. Law” : DEY

The actress Susan Dey first appeared on “The Partridge Family” when she was 17-years-old when she had no acting experience. Years later, Dey won a Golden Globe for playing the leading role of Grace Van Owen in “L. A. Law”.

68. Fix, as a feline : SPAY

Our verb “to spay”, meaning “to surgically remove the ovaries of” (an animal) comes from an old Anglo-French word “espeier” meaning “to cut with a sword”.

Down

5. Education financing company, familiarly : SALLIE MAE

“Sallie Mae” is a nickname for SLM Corporation, created in 1972 by the US government as the Student Loan Marketing Association. By 2004 the government had severed all its ties with Sallie Mae, and today SLM is basically a profit-focused lender.

6. Coat, as jewelry : GILD

To gild is a to coat with gold. The phrase “to gild the lily” means to add unnecessary ornamentation, to try to improve something that is already ideal.

8. *Shari Lewis puppet : LAMB CHOP

Shari Lewis was the original puppeteer behind the PBS children’s show “Lamb Chop”. After Shari Lewis died in 1998, her daughter Mallory took over the role of puppeteer on the show.

9. Place for a break? : POOL HALL

The more correct name for the game of pool is pocket billiards. The name “pool” arose after pocket billiards became a common feature in pool halls, places where gamblers “pooled” their money to bet on horse races.

18. Maiden name intro : NEE

“Née” is the French word for “born” when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”.

21. Nine-digit ID : SSN

A Social Security number (SSN) is divided into three parts i.e AAA-GG-SSSS, Originally, the Area Number (AAA) was the code for the office that issued the card. Since 1973, the Area Number reflects the ZIP code from which the application was made. The GG in the SSN is the Group Number, and the SSSS in the number is the Serial Number. However, this is all moot, as since 2011 SSN’s are assigned randomly. However, some random numbers have been excluded from use, i.e. Area Numbers 000, 666 (!) and 900-999.

24. Wanted poster letters : AKA

Also known as (aka)

25. Duke’s conf. : ACC

The collegiate athletic conference known as the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) was founded in 1953. The seven charter members of the ACC were Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina and Wake Forest.

Duke University was founded in 1838 as Brown’s Schoolhouse. The school was renamed to Trinity College in 1859, and to this day the town where the college was located back then is known as Trinity, in honor of the school. The school was moved in 1892 to Durham, North Carolina in part due to generous donations from the wealthy tobacco industrialist Washington Duke. Duke’s donation required that the school open its doors to women, placing them on an equal footing with men. Trinity’s name was changed to Duke in 1924 in recognition of the generosity of the Duke family. Duke’s athletic teams are known as the Blue Devils.

26. Cry from a sheep : BLAT

To blat is to cry, especially like a sheep. In other words, to “blat” is to “bleat”.

31. “Today” co-host Matt : LAUER

Matt Lauer became the news anchor for NBC’s “The Today Show” when he landed the gig as co-host after Bryant Gumbel retired from the job in 1997.

35. Pie crust fat : LARD

Fat, when extracted from the carcass of an animal, is called suet. Untreated suet decomposes at room temperature quite easily so it has to be rendered or purified to make it stable. Rendered fat from pigs is what we call lard. Rendered beef or mutton fat is known as tallow.

38. Mountain climber’s piton spots : CREVICES

A piton is a piece of mountaineering equipment, an anchor designed to protect a climber if he or she falls. It is a metal spike driven into a crack in the rock face with a hammer. The piton has an eyehole through which a rope is attached using a carabiner. “Piton” is a French word for a “hook”.

39. *Light source with hypnotic bubbles : LAVA LAMP

The lava lamp was invented in 1960 by a British man, Edward Craven-Walker. The “lava” is a mixture of wax and carbon tetrachloride, floating in a water/glycerol mix. The wax reduces in density as it picks up heat from the incandescent bulb in the lamp’s base. The wax rises, cools, and then sinks to the bottom of the liquid only to be heated again.

43. Artillery bursts : SALVOS

A salvo is a simultaneous discharge of guns. Ironically, “salvo” comes from the Latin “salve” meaning “be in good health”. Salvo was originally the name given to the firing of guns in the air as a sign of respect or greeting for an important visitor. Good health!

44. Essen article : DER

The definite article in German is der, die or das, for masculine, feminine and neuter nouns. The indefinite article is ein, eine or ein, again depending on the gender of the noun. A further complication, relative to English, is that the masculine form (and only the masculine form) of the article changes when used in the accusative case, when used with the object of a sentence. The accusative forms are “den” and “einen”.

Essen is a large industrial city located on the River Ruhr in western Germany.

49. Hitter’s stat : RBI

Run batted in (RBI)

55. “Buy It Now” site : EBAY

eBay is an auction site with a twist. If you don’t want to enter into an auction to purchase an item, there’s a “Buy It Now” price. Agree to pay it, and the item is yours!

58. Like orange or red persimmons : RIPE

The persimmon is the edible fruit of several species of tree, and in botanical terms is actually a berry.

61. Athletes for Hope co-founder Hamm : MIA

Mia Hamm is a retired American soccer player, a forward who played on the US national team that won the FIFA women’s World Cup in 1991. Hamm has scored 158 international goals, more than other player in the world, male or female. Amazingly, Hamm was born with a clubfoot, and so had to wear corrective shoes when she was growing up.

63. Calendar square : DAY

Our word “calendar” ultimately derives from the Latin “calendae”. “Calends” were the first days of each Roman month. The Latin “calendarium” was an account book, as the debts fell due and accounts were reckoned on the first day of each month.

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Complete List of Clues and Answers

Across

1. Fancy parties : GALAS

6. [This is gonna be really bad!] : GULP!

10. OutKast rapper Big __ : BOI

13. Hi in Hawaii : ALOHA

14. Senior golfer Aoki : ISAO

15. Lends support to : AIDS

16. Likely to speak out : VOCAL

17. *Vodka cocktail often served with a sugared rim : LEMON DROP

19. Text update from an Uber driver: Abbr. : ETA

20. Trippy ’60s drug : LSD

22. Milked for all it’s worth : BLED DRY

23. Mai __: rum drinks : TAIS

25. Post-CrossFit woes : ACHES

26. With 49-Across, it keeps repeating itself … and, based on the first and last letters, an apt description of each answer to a starred clue : BROKEN …

28. “__-ching!” : CHA

29. Down with the flu : ILL

32. NFLer again in 2016 : LA RAM

33. Early American furniture style : COLONIAL

36. Casino cash source : ATM

37. Oft-injured knee part, for short : ACL

40. Bit of texting tact : PLS

41. Sine __ non : QUA

42. Interest-arousing promo : TEASER AD

45. More accurate : TRUER

47. Mud bath offerer : SPA

48. Night before : EVE

49. See 26-Across : … RECORD

50. Burton of “Star Trek: TNG” : LEVAR

52. Wild swine : BOAR

53. Win out : PREVAIL

56. Tiny drink : SIP

57. Go wrong : ERR

60. *Largely bygone penal colony : LABOR CAMP

62. “Paper Moon” girl : ADDIE

64. Notable times : ERAS

65. Mideast dignitary : EMIR

66. Brownish gray : TAUPE

67. Susan of “L.A. Law” : DEY

68. Fix, as a feline : SPAY

69. Promoted heavily : HYPED

Down

1. Conceded, with “up” : GAVE

2. Tons : A LOT

3. *Store website feature : LOCATOR MAP

4. “I thought so!” : AHA!

5. Education financing company, familiarly : SALLIE MAE

6. Coat, as jewelry : GILD

7. Put in the game : USE

8. *Shari Lewis puppet : LAMB CHOP

9. Place for a break? : POOL HALL

10. Dove or robin : BIRD

11. Campfire attraction : ODOR

12. Kids’ game for car trips : I SPY

15. Includes : ADDS IN

18. Maiden name intro : NEE

21. Nine-digit ID : SSN

24. Wanted poster letters : AKA

25. Duke’s conf. : ACC

26. Cry from a sheep : BLAT

27. Motel postings : RATES

30. *Totally drunk : LIQUORED UP

31. “Today” co-host Matt : LAUER

34. Manipulative health care practitioner : OSTEOPATH

35. Pie crust fat : LARD

38. Mountain climber’s piton spots : CREVICES

39. *Light source with hypnotic bubbles : LAVA LAMP

43. Artillery bursts : SALVOS

44. Essen article : DER

46. Electronics giant : RCA

49. Hitter’s stat : RBI

51. Sound-detecting organ : EAR

53. Claimed in court : PLED

54. Hard to find : RARE

55. “Buy It Now” site : EBAY

56. Agile : SPRY

58. Like orange or red persimmons : RIPE

59. Marsh plant : REED

61. Athletes for Hope co-founder Hamm : MIA

63. Calendar square : DAY

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