LA Times Crossword 25 Aug 18, Saturday

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Constructed by: Patti Varol & Doug Peterson
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 10m 03s

Bill’s errors: 0

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Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

18. One pulling his weight around Christmas : BLITZEN

We get the names for Santa’s reindeer from the famous 1823 poem called “A Visit from St. Nicholas”, although we’ve modified a couple of the names over the years. The full list is:

  • Dasher
  • Dancer
  • Prancer
  • Vixen
  • Comet
  • Cupid
  • Donder (originally “Dunder”, and now often “Donner”)
  • Blitzen (originally “Blixem”)

Rudolph was added to the list by retailer Montgomery Ward, would you believe? The store commissioned Robert L. May to create a booklet that could be handed out to children around Christmas in 1939, and May introduced us to a new friend for Santa, namely Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

22. Proactiv target : ZIT

The Proactiv range of skincare products were introduced in 1995 by two dermatologists who met up with each other while studying at Stanford. Proactiv is market to people suffering with acne. There are quite a few folks who complain about the direct marketing approach to sales used for the products. Customers are “members” of a club, and the products keep coming until a subscription is canceled.

23. European underground nickname : THE TUBE

The official name “London Underground” is a little deceptive, as over half of the track system-wide is actually “over ground”, with the underground sections reserved for the central areas. It is the oldest subway system in the world, having opened in 1863. It was also the first system to use electric rolling stock, in 1890. “The Tube”, as it is known by Londoners, isn’t the longest subway system in the world though. That honor belongs to the Shanghai Metro. My personal favorite part of the Tube is the Tube map! It is a marvel of design …

26. Flood insurance, once upon a time : ARK

The term “ark”, when used with reference to Noah, is a translation of the Hebrew word “tebah”. The word “tebah” is also used in the Bible for the basket in which Moses was placed by his mother when she floated him down the Nile. It seems that the word “tebah” doesn’t mean “boat” and nor does it mean “basket”. Rather, a more appropriate translation is “life-preserver” or “life-saver”. So, Noah’s ark was Noah’s life-preserver during the flood.

33. Grizabella the Glamour Cat’s solo : MEMORY

Grizabella is a character in T. S. Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats”. In the musical ”Cats” that is adapted from the book, Grizabella is the character who sings the show-stopping song “Memory”.

36. Single from Dylan’s “Blood on the Tracks” : TANGLED UP IN BLUE

“Tangled Up in Blue” is a Bob Dylan song that he released in 1975. Apparently, Dylan once revealed that he wrote the song after spending much of a weekend listening to Joni Mitchell’s 1971 album “Blue”. I guess that would make sense given the title of the Dylan song …

38. Some navels : INNIES

The navel is basically a scar left behind when the umbilical cord is removed from a newborn baby. One interesting use of the umbilicus (navel, belly button) is to differentiate between identical twins, especially when they are very young.

39. Puerto Rico’s __ de Morro : CASTILLO

The Castillo del Morro is a citadel in San Juan, Puerto Rico that dates back to the 16th century. It was built by the Spanish to protect the port city by guarding the entrance to San Juan Bay. The American military occupied El Morro starting in 1898, after Puerto Rico was ceded to the US at the end of the Spanish-American War. The US Army handed the facility over to civilian control in 1961, and it is now a National Park, and indeed a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

40. Hosp. sections : ERS

Emergency room (ER)

41. Warehouse supplies : SKIDS

There is a difference between a wooden pallet and a wooden skid, both of which are used for shipping. A pallet has boards on top and bottom, whereas a skid only has boards on top.

43. Vince with 18 CMA Awards : GILL

Vince Gill is a country music singer-songwriter. Gill has been honored with more Grammy Awards than any other male country singer.

48. Nine Inch Nails founder Reznor : TRENT

Nine Inch Nails is the name of a rock band that was founded in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988 by singer-songwriter Trent Reznor. Reznor chose the name “Nine Inch Nails” mainly because it abbreviated easily and succinctly, to “NIN”.

53. Brewery sugar : MALTOSE

Maltose, also known as malt sugar, is a disaccharide made up of two glucose units.

55. Where old records may be kept : JUKEBOX

Although coin-operated music players had been around for decades, the term “jukebox” wasn’t used until about 1940. “Jukebox” derives from a Gullah word, the language of African Americans living in the coastal areas of South Carolina and Georgia. In Gullah, a “juke joint”, from “juke” or “joog” meaning “rowdy, wicked”, was an informal establishment where African Americans would gather and for some music, dancing, gambling and drinking. The coin-operated music players became known as “jukeboxes”.

57. Congo line? : EQUATOR

Lines of latitude are the imaginary horizontal lines surrounding the planet. The most “important” lines of latitude are, from north to south:

  • Arctic Circle
  • Tropic of Cancer
  • Equator
  • Tropic of Capricorn
  • Antarctic Circle

The African nation once called Zaire is a neighbor of Rwanda. The genocide and war in Rwanda spilled over into Zaire in 1996, with the conflict escalating into what is now called the First Congo War. As part of the war’s fallout there was a regime change, and in 1997 Zaire became the Democratic Republic of Congo.

60. Small restaurants : BISTROS

“Bistro” was originally a Parisian slang term for a “little wine shop or restaurant”.

Down

1. “Brothers & Sisters” matriarch : NORA

“Brothers & Sisters” is a TV drama that originally aired from 2006 until 2011. It tells the story of a wealthy family as it deals with the death of the patriarch, who founded the family business. Apparently, the show is loosely based on a British series called “The Brothers” that aired in the 1970s.

3. Gael, for one : CELT

The Celts were a very broad group of people across Europe, linked by common languages. The Celts were largely absorbed by other cultures, although a relatively modern revival of the “Celtic identity” is alive and well in the British Isles. Such Celtic peoples today are mainly found in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Brittany in France.

A Gael is anyone of a race that speaks or spoke one of the Erse tongues. There are actually three Erse languages. Irish, Manx (spoken on the Isle of Man) and Scots Gaelic. In their own tongues, these would be Gaeilge (in Ireland), Gaelg (on the Isle of Man) and Gaidhlig (in Scotland).

4. Nocturnal Asian snake : KRAIT

Kraits are venomous, nocturnal snakes that are native to the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia.

5. Singer ranked #10 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time : RAY CHARLES

Ray Charles came up with his stage name by dropping the family name from his real moniker “Ray Charles Robinson”. His life was a wild ride, well represented in the excellent biopic called “Ray” released in 2004 and starring Jamie Foxx in the title role. Ray Charles was married twice and fathered 12 children with nine different women. As I said, a wild ride …

“Rolling Stone” issued a list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time” in 2004/2005, and again in 2011. Here’s the top ten:

  1. The Beatles
  2. Bob Dylan
  3. Elvis Presley
  4. The Rolling Stones
  5. Chuck Berry
  6. Jimi Hendrix
  7. James Brown
  8. Little Richard
  9. Aretha Franklin
  10. Ray Charles

6. Sporty truck, briefly : UTE

A utility vehicle is often called a “ute” for short. Nowadays one mainly hears about sport-utes and crossover-utes.

11. Toronto’s prov. : ONT

Beautiful Toronto, Ontario is the largest city in Canada, and the fourth most populous city in North America (after Mexico City, New York and Los Angeles).

14. Coppers : CENTS

The original 1-cent coin was introduced in the US in 1793 and was made of 100% copper, giving rise to the nickname “copper” for a 1-cent coin. The composition varied over time, and was 100% bronze up to the 1940s. During WWII there was a shortage of copper to make bronze, so the US Mint switched to zinc-coated steel for production of one-cent coins in 1943. The “steelie” is the only coin ever issued by the US mint that can be picked up by a magnet. Today’s one-cent coin is comprised mainly of zinc.

21. Hybrid roast : TURDUCKEN

Turducken is a dish that is sometimes served at Thanksgiving. It is a deboned chicken stuffed into a deboned duck stuffed into a deboned turkey. You can also try a gooducken, which is a chicken stuffed into a duck stuffed into a goose.

24. Olympic gear : EPEES

There are three fencing events in the modern Olympics, with each distinguished by the weapon used:

  • Foil
  • Épée
  • Sabre

25. Film fawn : BAMBI

The 1942 Disney classic “Bambi” is based on a book written by Felix Salten called “Bambi, A Life in the Woods”. There is a documented phenomenon known as the Bambi Effect, whereby people become more interested in animal rights after having watched the scene where Bambi’s mother is shot by hunters.

27. “Deadpool” actor Reynolds : RYAN

Ryan Reynolds is an actor from Vancouver who is best known these days for playing the title character in the “Deadpool” superhero films. Named “People” magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive in 2010, Ryan has had some high-profile relationships. He was engaged to singer Alanis Morissette for a couple of years, married to actress Scarlett Johansson (again for a couple of years), and is now married to actress Blake Lively whom he met on the set of “Green Lantern”.

“Deadpool” is a 2016 superhero film, the eighth of the “X-Men” series of movies. The title character is played by Ryan Reynolds.

32. Speakeasy circulator : B-GIRL

B-girl is short for “bar girl”, a young lady employed by a tavern to encourage the (male, presumably) patrons to spend more money on drinks.

43. Xbox devotee : GAMER

The Xbox line of video game consoles is made by Microsoft. The original Xbox platform was followed by Xbox 360 and more recently by Xbox One. Microsoft’s Xbox competes directly with Sony’s PlayStation and Nintendo’s Wii.

44. Kirkuk native : IRAQI

Kirkuk is a city in northern Iraq, in the Kurdish region of the country.

45. Name on “The Magnificent Ambersons” theater poster : ORSON

“The Magnificent Ambersons” is a 1942 film that is based on a 1918 novel by Booth Tarkington. The film is a little controversial in that RKO, the studio that made the film, cut a substantial amount of footage and reshot a happier ending, against the wishes of producer and director Orson Welles. The film tells the story of a wealthy Indianapolis family whose fortune changes with the arrival of the automobile age.

46. Pulitzer-winning film critic : EBERT

Roger Ebert co-hosted a succession of film review television programs for over 23 years, most famously with Gene Siskel until Siskel passed away in 1999. Siskel and Ebert famously gave their thumbs up or thumbs down to the movies they reviewed. Ebert himself died in 2013.

48. Terry’s role in the original “The Wizard of Oz” : TOTO

Toto is Dorothy’s dog in the film “The Wizard of Oz”, and in the original book “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum. Toto was played in the movie by a dog called Terry, but Terry’s name was soon changed to Toto in real life due to the success of the film.

54. Check for drinks : TAB

When we run a tab at a bar say, we are running a “tabulation”, a listing of what we owe. Such a use of “tab” is American slang that originated in the 1880s.

56. Org. with an “Odd News” web page : UPI

Founded in 1958, United Press International (UPI) used to be one of the biggest news agencies in the world, sending out news by wire to the major newspapers. UPI ran into trouble with the change in media formats at the end of the twentieth century and lost many of its clients as the afternoon newspapers shut down due to the advent of television news. UPI, which once employed thousands, still exists today but with just a fraction of that workforce.

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Knot remover : NECK RUB
8. Not pointless? : ON TOPIC
15. Took too many courses? : OVERATE
16. “Marvelous” : HOW NICE
17. Sent along : RELAYED
18. One pulling his weight around Christmas : BLITZEN
19. Caper : ANTIC
20. Stuff on the deck : STAIN
22. Proactiv target : ZIT
23. European underground nickname : THE TUBE
25. Forbids : BANS
26. Flood insurance, once upon a time : ARK
29. Copycat’s talent : APERY
30. Alley goop : TAR
31. Toasting candidate : RYE BREAD
33. Grizabella the Glamour Cat’s solo : MEMORY
36. Single from Dylan’s “Blood on the Tracks” : TANGLED UP IN BLUE
38. Some navels : INNIES
39. Puerto Rico’s __ de Morro : CASTILLO
40. Hosp. sections : ERS
41. Warehouse supplies : SKIDS
42. Darn things : SEW
43. Vince with 18 CMA Awards : GILL
45. Lacking versatility : ONE-NOTE
47. Raised eyebrow, e.g. : ARC
48. Nine Inch Nails founder Reznor : TRENT
49. Stomach : ABIDE
53. Brewery sugar : MALTOSE
55. Where old records may be kept : JUKEBOX
57. Congo line? : EQUATOR
58. Do an inside job? : OPERATE
59. Fair rewards : RIBBONS
60. Small restaurants : BISTROS

Down

1. “Brothers & Sisters” matriarch : NORA
2. Square : EVEN
3. Gael, for one : CELT
4. Nocturnal Asian snake : KRAIT
5. Singer ranked #10 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time : RAY CHARLES
6. Sporty truck, briefly : UTE
7. Framework for retiring : BEDSTEAD
8. “Yowza!” : OH BABY!
9. “Honestly!” : NO LIE!
10. Matching : TWIN
11. Toronto’s prov. : ONT
12. Party bites from the toaster oven : PIZZA ROLLS
13. Maroon at a chalet, maybe : ICE IN
14. Coppers : CENTS
21. Hybrid roast : TURDUCKEN
24. Olympic gear : EPEES
25. Film fawn : BAMBI
26. Basic studio class : ART I
27. “Deadpool” actor Reynolds : RYAN
28. Group concerned with good breeding : KENNEL CLUB
30. Camper’s anchors : TENT STAKES
32. Speakeasy circulator : B-GIRL
33. Bungle : MISDO
34. Word with home or slide : … RULE
35. Stinging response : YEOW!
37. House coat : PAINT JOB
41. Ugly looks : SNEERS
43. Xbox devotee : GAMER
44. Kirkuk native : IRAQI
45. Name on “The Magnificent Ambersons” theater poster : ORSON
46. Pulitzer-winning film critic : EBERT
48. Terry’s role in the original “The Wizard of Oz” : TOTO
50. Structural beam : I-BAR
51. Inflict on : DO TO
52. They’re split : EXES
54. Check for drinks : TAB
56. Org. with an “Odd News” web page : UPI

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