LA Times Crossword Answers 8 Feb 2018, Thursday

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Constructed by: Susan Gelfand
Edited by: Rich Norris

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Today’s Theme: Scrambled Eggs

Themed answers end with a type of EGG, but that egg has been SCRAMBLED, has been anagrammed:

  • 36A. Breakfast order … and a hint to the last words of 17-, 26-, 51- and 58-Across : SCRAMBLED EGGS
  • 17A. Aerialists’ insurance : SAFETY NETS (giving “nest egg”)
  • 26A. Porsche Boxster, e.g. : TWO-SEATER (giving “Easter Egg”)
  • 51A. Like some pizza ovens : WOOD-FIRED (giving “fried egg”)
  • 58A. Conflict in Tennyson’s “The Charge of the Light Brigade” : CRIMEAN WAR (giving “raw egg”)

Bill’s time: 6m 07s

Bill’s errors: 0

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Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

10. Fairy tale bear : MAMA

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.

15. Greenland coin : KRONE

“Krone” translates into English as “crown”, and was the name given to coins that bore the image of the monarch in several countries. Today, the krone is the name given to the currency of Norway and of Denmark. Some of the Norwegian and Danish kroner have holes in the middle, giving them a “doughnut” or “torus” shape.

Greenland is the largest island on the planet. Geographically, Greenland is part of the continent of North America, but culturally and politically is considered part of Europe. The island became a Danish colony in 1815, and joined the European Economic Community (EEC) with Denmark. Greenland withdrew from the EEC after a referendum in 1983. Since 2009, Greenland has been relatively autonomous, with the Danish government retaining control of foreign affairs, defence and the judicial system.

17. Aerialists’ insurance : SAFETY NETS (giving “nest egg”)

The circus act known as the “trapeze” is so called because the shape defined by the crossbar, ropes and ceiling of the tent is a “trapezium”.

19. Days in Durango : DIAS

Durango is one of the 31 states of Mexico. Durango is landlocked, and is located in the northwest of the country.

20. Side by side? : AREA

The area of a rectangle is calculated by multiplying the length of one side (base) by another side (height).

21. Medical priority system : TRIAGE

Triage is the process of prioritizing patients for treatment, especially on a battlefield. The term “triage” is French and means “a sorting”.

26. Porsche Boxster, e.g. : TWO-SEATER (giving “Easter Egg”)

The Boxster is a roadster built by Porsche that was introduced in 1996. The name “Boxster” comes from a melding of “boxer” and “roadster”. A “boxer” engine (also “flat” engine) is one in which the pistons move in a horizontal plane, with the cylinders laid out in two rows opposing each other.

29. Mauritania neighbor : MALI

The Republic of Mali is a landlocked country in western Africa, south of Algeria. Formerly known as French Sudan, the nation’s most famous city is Timbuktu. Mali is the third-largest producer of gold on the continent, after South Africa and Ghana.

The Islamic Republic of Mauritania is a country on the Atlantic coast of North Africa. The nation is named after the old Roman province of Mauretania, although the ancient province was located further north in what is now Morocco and part of Algeria.

42. Printing goofs : ERRATA

“Errata” is the past participle of the Latin word “errare” meaning “to err”. We use “errata” (singular “erratum”) to mean a list of errors that have been noted in some publication.

44. Narrow groove : STRIA

A stria (plural “striae”) is a linear mark or groove on a surface, often one of a series of parallel lines.

53. Decorative draperies : SWAGS

When I was growing up on the other side of the pond, a drapery was a shop where one could buy cloth for making clothes or curtains. It was only when I came to America that I heard the term “drapes” used for curtains.

54. Brand name for the sleep aid zolpidem : AMBIEN

Ambien is a brand name for the prescription drug zolpidem. I have a friend who used to swear by Ambien for helping cope with jet lag. I once had to deal with jet lag almost monthly and swear by the diet supplement melatonin, which you can buy over the counter here in the US. But, I am no doctor so don’t listen to anything I say …

57. Tropical tuber : TARO

I am a big fan of starch (being an Irishman I love potatoes). That said, I think that poi tastes horrible! Poi is made from the bulbous tubers (corm) of the taro plant by cooking the corm in water and mashing it until the desired consistency is achieved.

58. Conflict in Tennyson’s “The Charge of the Light Brigade” : CRIMEAN WAR (giving “raw egg”)

The disastrous “Charge of the Light Brigade” took place in Balaclava in the Crimea on October 25th 1854 during the Crimean War. Commander of the British Army that day was Lord Raglan, and in overall command of the Cavalry unit was the Earl of Lucan. Under Lucan, in command of the Light Brigade was the Earl of Cardigan. Raglan sent a Captain Nolan to Lucan with orders to attack “the guns”. When Lucan asked Nolan which guns, it appears that Nolan indicated the wrong ones. Lucan then instructed Cardigan to lead the Light Cavalry in a charge on the designated guns, which he dutifully did. As the charge started, Nolan noted the error and rode onto the field to intercept the Light Brigade, but was killed by an artillery shell. The charge continued into an overwhelming artillery battery (“into the Valley of Death”, to use Tennyson’s famous words), causing the loss of over 2/3 of the mounted brigade, a loss of 400 horses and 250 men killed or wounded, for no military purpose at all. Cardigan survived, left the field of battle immediately and boarded his yacht in Balaklava Harbor and had a champagne lunch. Lucan was made a member of the Order of the Bath the following year, and Raglan was promoted to Field Marshal …

“The Charge of the Light Brigade” is a narrative poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson published in 1854, just two months after the “Charge” took place at the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War. Apparently, Tennyson took only a few minutes to write the poem, after reading two accounts of the military engagement in “The Times” of London. Here’s the first of the six verses:

Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
“Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!” he said.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

69. Jet black : ONYX

Onyx is a form of quartz that comes in many different shades, but most often it’s the black version that’s used for jewelry. The name “onyx” comes from the Greek word for “fingernail”, as onyx in the flesh color is said to resemble a fingernail.

The color “jet black” takes its name from the minor gemstone known as jet. The gemstone and the material it is made of takes its English name from the French name: “jaiet”.

Down

1. Wedding reception VIPs : DJS

The world’s first radio disc jockey (DJ) 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.

3. Cookie baker in the Hollow Tree : ELF

The famous Keebler Elves have been appearing in ads for Keebler since 1968. The original head of the elves was J. J. Keebler, but he was toppled from power by Ernest J. Keebler in 1970. The Keebler Elves bake their cookies in the Hollow Tree Factory.

5. Terrier breed from Scotland : SKYE

The Skye terrier is a breed of dog that is actually under threat of extinction. A few years ago, there were only 30 Skye terriers born in the breed’s native land of the UK. The breed was named for the Isle of Skye in Scotland.

10. Highway divider : MEDIAN

Here in the US, the area separating opposing lanes of traffic on a divided highway called the “median strip”. Over in the UK, that median strip is known as the “central reservation”.

18. Little Italian number : TRE

“One, two, three” in Italian is “uno, due, tre”.

22. “Stand By Me” director : REINER

The great director and actor Rob Reiner first came to prominence playing “Meathead”, Archie and Edith Bunker’s son-in-law in “All in the Family”. Since then, Reiner has directed a long string of hit movies including, “The Princess Bride”, “Stand by Me”, “This Is Spinal Tap”, “When Harry Met Sally”, “Misery” and “A Few Good Men”.

“Stand by Me” is 1986 film directed by Rob Reiner that is based on a Stephen King novella called “The Body”. The title of the movie comes from the wonderful Ben E. King song of the same name.

23. Bowling alley initials : AMF

AMF Bowling Centers is an operator of bowling alleys, and is in fact the largest such company in the world.

25. Baldwin brother : ALEC

Alec Baldwin is the oldest of the acting Baldwin brothers. I think Alec’s big break was playing Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan in “The Hunt for Red October”, but thank goodness that role was taken over by Harrison Ford for the subsequent Jack Ryan movies. Baldwin also made a name for himself playing Jack Donaghy on “30 Rock”, opposite Tina Fey. More recently, he is known for impersonating President Donald Trump on “Saturday Night Live”.

28. 1930s migrant to California : OKIE

“Okies” is a derogatory term used during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s for farming families who migrated from Oklahoma (hence the name), Arkansas, Kansas and Texas in search of agricultural jobs in California. The road used by many of these migrant families was Route 66, which is also called “Mother Road”.

30. Beverage company __ Cointreau : REMY

Rémy Cointreau is a French supplier of alcoholic beverages that formed in the early 1990s with the merger of Rémy Martin and Cointreau.

37. Paint brand sold at Home Depot : BEHR

The Behr brand of paint is pronounced “bear”, and the cans even have a bear logo. The company was founded in 1947 by Otho Behr, Jr.

39. “Born This Way” Lady : GAGA

“Lady Gaga” is the stage name of Stefani Germanotta. Germanotta is a big fan of the band Queen, and she took her stage name from the marvelous Queen song titled “Radio Ga Ga”.

45. Minestrone ingredient : TOMATO

Minestrone is a hearty Italian soup with varying ingredients, but usually including lots of vegetables in a vegetable broth with added pasta or rice. The term “minestrone” comes from the Italian “minestrare” meaning “to serve”.

46. Drink named for a Scottish hero : ROB ROY

Rob Roy was a folk hero in Scotland from the 18th century. He was a sort of Scottish Robin Hood, an outlaw who had the support of the populace. Rob Roy’s full name was Robert Roy MacGregor, itself an anglicization of the Scottish Raibeart Ruadh. He gave his name to a famous cocktail called a Rob Roy, a relative of the Manhattan that is made with Scotch instead of bourbon.

49. One of a ’50s singing quartet : ED AMES

The Ames Brothers were a singing quartet who were active in the 1950s. The “Ames” brothers were actually the “Urick” brothers, and used “Ames” as a stage name. They had started out as an act called the Amory Brothers. After the quartet disbanded in 1961, Ed Ames went on to have a successful solo singing career, and became a familiar television actor. Ed played Mingo, the sidekick to the title character on the TV show “Daniel Boone” that ran in the sixties.

52. Ancient empire builders : INCAS

The Inca Empire was known as the Tawantinsuyu, which translates as “land of the four quarters”. The Inca Empire was a federal organization having a central government that sat above four “suyu” or “quarters”, four administrative regions.

53. Madrid Mrs. : SRA

Madrid is the largest city in Spain and the capital. Madrid is located very close to the geographical center of the country. It is the third-largest city in the European Union (after London and Paris). People from Madrid called themselves Madrileños.

60. Yo La Tengo guitarist Kaplan : IRA

Yo La Tengo is an indie rock band from Hoboken, New Jersey that formed in 1984 as the husband/wife duo Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley. The band’s name translates from Spanish as “I have it”, and was chosen with reference to a baseball anecdote. Elio Chacon was a baseball player from Venezuela, the seventh person to play in the Majors from that country. There’s a story that Mets center fielder Richie Ashburn was always running into Elio Chacon in the outfield, because he would call for the ball in English, and Chacon only understood Spanish. Ashburn started to call for the ball in Spanish “Yo la tengo!” (I’ve got it!), at which point he’d be run down by left fielder Frank Thomas who only understood English!

63. King of ancient Rome : REX

“Rex” is Latin for “king”.

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Color changers : DYES
5. Allowing for the uncertainty of the future : SO FAR
10. Fairy tale bear : MAMA
14. Set : JELL
15. Greenland coin : KRONE
16. Holiday lead-ins : EVES
17. Aerialists’ insurance : SAFETY NETS (giving “nest egg”)
19. Days in Durango : DIAS
20. Side by side? : AREA
21. Medical priority system : TRIAGE
23. Visually transfixed : AGAZE
26. Porsche Boxster, e.g. : TWO-SEATER (giving “Easter Egg”)
29. Mauritania neighbor : MALI
30. Make a big stink : REEK
31. Immobile : INERT
32. Lining fabric : FLEECE
34. Zebra hunter : LION
36. Breakfast order … and a hint to the last words of 17-, 26-, 51- and 58-Across : SCRAMBLED EGGS
41. Loaves that may be seeded : RYES
42. Printing goofs : ERRATA
44. Narrow groove : STRIA
48. Take to heart : HEED
50. “Yikes!” : EGAD!
51. Like some pizza ovens : WOOD-FIRED (giving “fried egg”)
53. Decorative draperies : SWAGS
54. Brand name for the sleep aid zolpidem : AMBIEN
55. Culture starter? : AGRI-
57. Tropical tuber : TARO
58. Conflict in Tennyson’s “The Charge of the Light Brigade” : CRIMEAN WAR (giving “raw egg”)
64. Tiny bit : ATOM
65. Broadcaster : AIRER
66. Sticking point : TINE
67. Many Christmas presents : TOYS
68. Involuntary muscle contraction : SPASM
69. Jet black : ONYX

Down

1. Wedding reception VIPs : DJS
2. Vote for : YEA
3. Cookie baker in the Hollow Tree : ELF
4. More disreputable : SLEAZIER
5. Terrier breed from Scotland : SKYE
6. Richly decorated : ORNATE
7. Rival : FOE
8. Colony crawler : ANT
9. Stops working for a while : RESTS
10. Highway divider : MEDIAN
11. Pilot : AVIATE
12. Scanty : MEAGER
13. State strongly : ASSERT
18. Little Italian number : TRE
22. “Stand By Me” director : REINER
23. Bowling alley initials : AMF
24. Some square dancers : GALS
25. Baldwin brother : ALEC
27. “Maybe” : WE’LL SEE
28. 1930s migrant to California : OKIE
30. Beverage company __ Cointreau : REMY
33. Coffee server : CARAFE
35. Binged (on) : OD’ED
37. Paint brand sold at Home Depot : BEHR
38. Got big enough for : GREW INTO
39. “Born This Way” Lady : GAGA
40. Antlered animal : STAG
43. Program interruptions : ADS
44. Try to hit, as a fly : SWAT AT
45. Minestrone ingredient : TOMATO
46. Drink named for a Scottish hero : ROB ROY
47. Make a scene and act up : IDIOMS
49. One of a ’50s singing quartet : ED AMES
52. Ancient empire builders : INCAS
53. Madrid Mrs. : SRA
56. Start of an idea : GERM
59. Fabric flaw : RIP
60. Yo La Tengo guitarist Kaplan : IRA
61. Break the tape : WIN
62. Whichever : ANY
63. King of ancient Rome : REX

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17 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 8 Feb 2018, Thursday”

  1. LAT: 9:48, no errors. The theme wasn’t much help during the solve, but at least I remembered to check it out after I finished. The clue for 47D would have been clearer with some paired quotes around the idiomatic phrases. Deceptive. And a little edgy … ?. I think it could have used a final question mark (as in “Center of gravity?” => VEE).

    Newsday: 7:22, no errors. WSJ: 13:57, no errors, but the upper left held me up for a bit. BEQ: 15:16, with a one-square error at the intersection of 24D and 27A (which I should have looked at a little longer).

  2. Had a good laugh with 18D, read it as “Indian” and put in “ten” which made perfect sense at the time till my mother re-read the clue

  3. Yes, 47D was odd, but overall I thought this was easier than the earlier puzzles this week.

    1. Yeah, when Carrie sees that one, they’re gonna have some ‘splainin’ to do! … ? … (and I didn’t like it much, either … ?)

  4. 16:49. What is it with anagram themes today (today’s NYT as well)?? I simply solved it like I would a themeless, and that worked out ok.

    Whatever accomplishments Ed Ames had as a singer or actor were overshadowed by his Tonight Show appearance with Johnny Carson in 1965. I’ll let any interested parties simply look up “The Ed Ames Moment” on you tube if they’re interested…

    Best –

  5. LAT’s grid seemed pretty easy today. On the other hand the upper half of the WSJ (actually everything but the lower left corner) was a good challenge today. Plenty of tricky puns to punish!

  6. LAT: 12:20, no errors. This is definitely the easiest of the week. WSJ: DNF after 37 minutes, needed to look up one entry to finish. BEQ: DNF after 63 minutes. This one was exceedingly far from a “medium” – thought I might have a similar effort to my usual with Croce or the Sat Newsday on this one for a long time. Overall, just can’t seem to do puzzles well at all the last couple of weeks…

  7. I had an easier time with todays puzzle, than yesterdays …. which isn’t saying much. ‘Idioms’ which seemed – a possible answer, made me think a lot, before I accepted it. I did not get the theme, though I realized it had to do with Scrambled Eggs. …

    Regarding Ambien and Melatonin: I am not a doctor either, but I have a niece who is, and she got addicted to Ambien, and somehow, someway, wisely quit. Ambien is highly addictive, thats why they have so many ‘gentle, butterfly flapping’ ads. Melatonin is much milder, and not at all, (I think- ) addictive.

    Finally, on matters regarding the Charge of the Light Brigade, … for the Nth time, I would like to fervently recommend for all, ….. to read this book ( my most favorite book, ever ) by an Irish-british author Ms. Cecil Woodham-Smith, called “The reason Why”. It is a perfect book, if there is one, on history. She also wrote ‘The Hunger: Ireland”. She was knighted as DBE. …. Or, borrow the book, from your local library ….
    By the way, the Earls of Cardigan and the Earl of Lucan were brothers-in-law for 40 years and hated each other, as sworn enemies…..

    Have a nice day and evening, folks.

  8. Fairly straight-forward Thursday; took about 30 minutes with no errors. The theme was not really helpful, although I did get it afterward. Stria and swags(as drapes) are new to me.

    Had to change pOtATO to TOMATO, CARpFE to CARAFE and AGApE to AGAZE…I might have to go atilt with someone if I see more of these…

  9. Aloha meine freunden!!! ✌
    No errors. Jeff, you make a good point — this puzzle could easily be approached as a themeless. I didn’t notice the theme, but it seems it was convoluted and wouldn’t have helped. ?
    AGAZE???!!! Folks, we’ve hit a new low as regards the made-up A-words. Here’s the thing, too: JUST BECAUSE A WORD APPEARS IN A DICTIONARY DOESN’T MEAN YOU SHOULD USE IT!!!
    JEFF!! I know that Ed Ames moment — he really took a hatchet to the Breakfast Rule, one could say…?
    VIDWAN — Thank you for reminding me of that author.. I’d be interested in reading her!
    Be well~~™?

  10. Way too hard for my wife and I, who enjoy doing the puzzle daily. Usually
    get Mondays and Tuesdays, then fall off. Answers should be exactly as
    printed in the Webster Puzzle Dictionary. As for today’s number clues, no
    way. No way to know what was wanted. Ease off Wed. through Saturday.

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