LA Times Crossword 11 Jan 19, Friday

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Constructed by: Jeffrey Wechsler
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Crossword Puzzy?

Themed answers are common phrases in which an -LE has been changed to a -Y:

  • 18A. Indigent ones hiding among bales? : NEEDY IN A HAYSTACK (from “needle in a haystack”)
  • 29A. Holders of poor-taste gifts? : TACKY BOXES (from “tackle boxes”)
  • 35A. Result of smashing a piñata during a hurricane? : CANDY IN THE WIND (from “candle in the wind”)
  • 44A. Script for an absurdist play? : BATTY LINES (from “battle lines”)
  • 59A. Concept for creating difficult crossword puzzles? : TRICKY DOWN THEORY (from “trickle-down theory”)

Bill’s time: 9m 25s

Bill’s errors: 0

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Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

15. Texter’s cautioning letters : IMO

In my opinion (IMO)

16. Take to the skies : AVIATE

Our word “aviation” is a relatively new term. It was coined in 1863 by French aviation pioneer Guillaume Joseph Gabriel de La Landelle in a book titled “Aviation ou Navigation Aérienne” (Aviation or Air Navigation). He used the Latin “avis”, meaning “bird”, as the stem for his new word “aviation”.

17. “The Phantom of the Opera” setting : PARIS

In Gaston Leroux’s novel “The Phantom of the Opera”, the young Christine Daaé is obsessively admired by Erik, the “phantom” who lives below the Paris Opera House. Christine is also pursued by her childhood friend Raoul, Viscount de Chagny.

22. Japanese volcano : ASO

Mount Aso is the largest active volcano in Japan and is found on the island of Kyushu.

24. Author Jong : ERICA

The author Erica Jong’s most famous work is her first: “Fear of Flying”, a novel published in 1973. Over twenty years later, Jong wrote “Fear of Fifty: a midlife memoir”, published in 1994.

28. Stark in “Game of Thrones” : NED

Ned Stark is the protagonist in George R. R. Martin’s fantasy novel “A Game of Thrones”, although his character doesn’t exactly come out on top by the end of the story. Stark is played by actor Sean Bean in the HBO television adaptation of the novel.

29. Holders of poor-taste gifts? : TACKY BOXES (from “tackle boxes”)

Something tacky is in bad taste. The term “tacky” derives from the noun “tackey” that was used in the early 1800s to describe a neglected horse.

33. Presidential nickname : ABE

Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth President of the US. There are several stories told about how he earned the nickname “Honest Abe”. One story dates back to early in his career as a lawyer. Lincoln accidentally overcharged a client and then walked miles in order to right the wrong as soon as possible.

35. Result of smashing a piñata during a hurricane? : CANDY IN THE WIND (from “candle in the wind”)

Piñatas originated in Mexico, probably among the Aztecs or Mayans. Today piñatas are usually made from cardboard that is brightly decorated with papier-mâché. Traditionally a piñata was made out of a clay pot, adorned with feathers and ribbons and filled with small treasures. During religious ceremonies the clay pots would be suspended and broken open so that the contents would spill out onto the ground at the feet of a god as an offering.

41. Food industry headgear : TOQUES

A toque was a brimless style of hat that was very fashionable in Europe in the 13th to 16th centuries. Nowadays we associate toques with chefs, as it is the name given to a chef’s hat (called a “toque blanche” in French, a “white hat”). A chef’s toque is quite interesting. Many toques have exactly 100 pleats, often said to signify the number of ways that an egg can be cooked.

42. Barrel contents : OIL

The volume of one oil barrel is equivalent to 42 US gallons. A barrel is correctly abbreviated to “bbl”. Barrels aren’t really used for transporting crude oil anymore. Instead, oil moves in bulk through pipelines and in tankers. “Barrel” is just used as a unit of volume these days.

43. __ cuisine : HAUTE

“Haute cuisine”, literally “high cooking” in French, is the name given to skillfully and elegantly prepared food, especially if it is in the French style.

44. Script for an absurdist play? : BATTY LINES (from “battle lines”)

The expression “bats in the belfry” meaning “mad, crazy” conjures up images of bats flying around Gothic bell towers, but actually it’s a relatively recent addition to our vernacular. The term is American in origin, and dates back only to the early 1900s. The concept is that someone who is “crazy”, with wild ideas flying around his or her head, can be described as having bats (wild ideas) flying around the belfry (head). The terms “bats” and “batty” originated at the same time, and are clearly derivative.

51. PHL stat : ETA

Estimated time of arrival (ETA)

Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) opened for business in 1925 as a training airfield for the Pennsylvania National Guard. Famed Aviator Charles Lindbergh dedicated the site as Philadelphia Municipal Airport in 1927. The facility became Philadelphia International Airport in 1945, when American overseas Airlines started direct flights to Europe.

54. Lavender asset : AROMA

“Lavender” is the common name for the plant genus Lavandula. Lavender is used as an ornamental plants, as a culinary herb and for the production of essential oils. The plant’s name might ultimately be derived from the Latin word “lavare” meaning “to wash”, a reference to the use of essential oils in bathing.

55. Gillette brand : ATRA

Fortunately for crossword constructors, the Atra was introduced by Gillette in 1977, as the first razor with a pivoting head. The Atra was sold as the Contour in some markets and its derivative products are still around today.

57. Like Dorothy Parker’s humor : WRY

Dorothy Parker was a poet and satirist, a founding member of the Algonquin Round Table. After the famed meetings at the Algonquin Hotel ceased, Parker headed to Hollywood where she became a successful screenwriter, earning two Oscar nominations. However she ended up on the Hollywood blacklist for being involved in left-wing politics. When Parker passed away in 1967, her body was cremated. Her ashes remained unclaimed for over twenty years before the NAACP took charge of them and placed them in a specially-designed memorial garden outside their headquarters in Baltimore. The plaque reads:

Here lie the ashes of Dorothy Parker (1893–1967) humorist, writer, critic. Defender of human and civil rights. For her epitaph she suggested, ‘Excuse my dust’. This memorial garden is dedicated to her noble spirit which celebrated the oneness of humankind and to the bonds of everlasting friendship between black and Jewish people.

58. Pollen site : STAMEN

The stamen is the male reproductive organ of a flower. The part of the stamen known as the anther sits on a stalk called the filament, and carried carries the pollen. The pollen is picked up by insects, especially bees, who then transfer pollen from flower to flower. The pistil is the female reproductive organ, and it accepts the pollen.

59. Concept for creating difficult crossword puzzles? : TRICKY DOWN THEORY (from “trickle-down theory”)

In the world of economics, “trickle-down theory’ refers to the reduction of taxes on businesses and the wealthy in order to stimulate the economy at large. The idea is that everyone benefits when businesses and the wealthy do well. Hmm …

63. Gaucho’s tool : REATA

A riata is a lariat or a lasso. “Riata” comes from “reata”, the Spanish word for lasso.

A gaucho is someone who lives in the South American pampas, the fertile lowlands in the southeast of South America. The term “gaucho” is also used as the equivalent of our “cowboy”.

64. Gift to an audience : ENCORE

“Encore” is French for “again, one more time”, and is a shout that an audience member will make here in North America to request another song, say. But, the term is not used this way in France. Rather, the audience will shout “Bis!”, which is the Italian for “twice!”

65. “Road to __”: Hope/Crosby film : RIO

“Road to Rio” is the fifth of the “Road” series of films that starred Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour. “Road to Rio” was released in 1947. Crosby and Hope play vaudeville performers who stow away on an ocean liner bound for Rio. Lamour plays someone with a crooked guardian who is a fortune hunter, and who uses hypnosis to control the young woman.

67. Ancient eponymous advisor : NESTOR

Nestor was one of the Argonauts, the adventurers who sailed on the Argo with Jason on his search for the Golden Fleece of Greek mythology. In Homer’s “Iliad”, wise old Nestor is noted for giving sage advice. We use the term “nestor” today for any wise old man.

68. Ernie with irons : ELS

Ernie Els is a South African golfer. Els a big guy but he has an easy fluid golf swing that has earned him the nickname “The Big Easy”. He is a former World No. 1 and has won four majors: the US Open (1994 & 1997) and the British Open (2002 & 2012).

Down

1. Stately dance : MINUET

A minuet is a dance that originated in France. At some point, the middle section of the minuet was routinely scored for just a trio of instruments. The resulting composition was known as a minuet and trio. In the Classical Era, a minuet and trio was often chosen as the third movement of a symphony.

2. Ancient Egyptian deity : AMEN-RA

Amun-Ra (also “Amon, Amen”) was a god in Egyptian mythology. Amun lends his name to our word “ammonia”. This is because the Romans called the ammonium chloride that they collected near the Temple of Jupiter Amun, “sal ammoniacus” (salt of Amun).

3. How one might wax, but not wane : POETIC

The verb “wax”, in phrases like “wax lyrical” and “wax poetic”, means “to grow”. “To wax” is the opposite of “to wane”, which means “to decrease”. We are probably most familiar with “waxing and waning” with reference to the phases of the moon.

6. Architect Maya __ : LIN

Maya Lin is a Chinese American born in Athens, Ohio, and is an artist and architect. Her most famous work is the moving Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Lin was only 21-years-old when she won a public design competition in 1981 to create the memorial. Although her design is very fitting, sadly Lin was not a popular choice for the work given her Asian heritage. As she said herself, she probably would not have been picked had the competition been judged with the knowledge of who was behind each submission.

7. 2002 W.S. champs, nowadays : LAA

The Anaheim Angels won the 2002 World Series, beating the San Francisco Giants.

The Anaheim Angels baseball team are today more correctly called the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (LAA). The “Angels” name dates back to 1961 when the team was founded in the “City of Angels”, Los Angeles. When the franchise moved to Anaheim in 1965 they were known as the California Angels, then the Anaheim Angels, and most recently the Los Angeles Angels at Anaheim. The Angels are also known as “the Halos”.

8. Hydrocarbon gas : ETHANE

Ethane is the second largest component of natural gas, after methane. Ethane’s main use is in the production of ethylene, a compound that is widely used in the chemical industry.

10. Traveler’s aid, briefly : GPS

A global positioning system (GPS) is known as a satellite navigation system (Sat Nav) in Britain and Ireland.

11. Censor’s target : OATH

The original censor was an officer in ancient Rome who had responsibility for taking the “census”, as well as supervising public morality.

20. The Gershwins’ “Embraceable __” : YOU

“Embraceable You” is a jazz song written in 1928 by George and Ira Gershwin for an operetta called “East is West” that never made it to the stage. The song was recycled, and appeared in the 1930 Gershwin musical “Girl Crazy”, in which it was performed by a 19-year-old Ginger Rogers.

25. Arid Asian region : GOBI

The large desert in Asia called the Gobi lies in northern China and southern Mongolia. The Gobi desert is growing at an alarming rate, particularly towards the south. This “desertification” is caused by increased human activity. The Chinese government is trying to halt the desert’s progress by planting great swaths of new forest, the so called “Green Wall of China”. The name “Gobi” is Mongolian for “waterless place, semidesert”.

30. Hudson and James : BAYS

Hudson Bay in northern Canada is the second largest bay in the world, after the Bay of Bengal. Hudson Bay was named by English explorers after Henry Hudson who explored the area in 1610 on his ship “Discovery”. Hudson’s crew mutinied during that voyage and set Hudson and his officers adrift in a small boat. It is presumed that the castaways didn’t survive for very long.

James Bay is the southernmost part of the Arctic Ocean, and is located at the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. The first European to explore James Bay was Henry Hudson. That said, the bay is named for Thomas James, a Welsh captain who explored the area more thoroughly some twenty years after Hudson.

32. 3-Down pugilist : ALI
(3D. How one might wax, but not wane : POETIC)

Muhammad Ali first used his famous catchphrase “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee” before his world title fight against Sonny Liston in 1964. Back then Ali still went by his birth name of Cassius Clay.

“Pugilism”, another word for “boxing”, comes from the Latin “pugil” meaning “boxer”. In turn, “pugil” derives from “pugnus”, the word for “fist”.

35. Foyer convenience : COAT TREE

“Foyer”, meaning “lobby”, is a French word that we’ve imported into English. In French, “foyer” is used for what we would call a “green room”, a place where actors can gather when not on stage or on set.

36. Winter birth, perhaps : AQUARIAN

People born between January 20 and February 18 have the star sign Aquarius, the water carrier. The water carrier represented by the constellation Aquarius is a beautiful youth named Ganymede who served as the cupbearer to the gods of ancient Greece.

41. London’s Old Vic, for one : THEATRE

The Old Vic is a very famous theater (or I should I say “theatre”?) in London. It was previously known as the Royal Coburg Theatre and then the Royal Victorian Theatre (giving it the current name “The Old Vic”). The theater owes a lot of its fame and standing to the fact that it housed the National Theater of Great Britain after it was founded in 1963 by Sir Laurence Olivier. Today the National Theater has new, modern premises, but the Old Vic Theatre Company stills garners a lot of attention.

44. Corporate source of the Elmer’s Glue logo : BORDEN

Elsie the Cow is the mascot of the Borden Company. Elsie first appeared at the New York World’s Fair in 1939, introduced to symbolize the perfect dairy product. She is so famous and respected that she has been awarded the degrees of Doctor of Bovinity, Doctor of Human Kindness and Doctor of Ecownomics. Elsie was also given a husband named Elmer the Bull. Elmer eventually moved over to the chemical division of Borden where he gave his name to Elmer’s Glue.

47. Wrath, in a hymn : IRAE

“Dies Irae” is Latin for “Day of Wrath”. It is the name of a famous melody in Gregorian Chant, one that is often used as part of the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass.

48. “When!” : NO MORE!

Say when …

49. “Bam!” chef : EMERIL

Emeril Lagasse is an American chef who was born in Massachusetts. Lagasse first achieved celebrity as executive chef in Commander’s Palace in New Orleans. Now famous for his television shows, his cuisine still showcases New Orleans ingredients and influences. Lagasse started using his famous “Bam!” catchphrase in order to keep his crew awake during repeated tapings of his show.

50. Some HDTVs : SANYOS

Sanyo is a Japanese electronics manufacturer based near Osaka and founded in 1947. The company name means “three oceans” reflecting the company’s original aim to sell its products all around the world (across three oceans: the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Indian).

53. 1-Acr. marking : HWY
(1A. Old gas station freebie : MAP)

Highway (hwy.)

56. Book after John : ACTS

The Acts of the Apostles is the fifth book of the Christian New Testament. It is believed that the author of the Gospel of Luke was the same person who wrote “Acts”.

58. Minute Maid Park player, to fans : ‘STRO

Enron Field, as it was known, is a retractable-roof ballpark that was built next to Houston’s old Union Station. Enron paid $100 million to get its name on the field, and then when the world found out what a scam Enron actually was, the Astros bought back the contract for the name, for a mere $2.1 million. The stadium became Astros Field for a few months, until the Coke people paid $170 million for a 28-year contract to rename the stadium Minute Maid Park. A good deal for the Astros, I’d say.

60. Jewelry giant : KAY

Kay Jewelers is perhaps the most famous store brand owned by Sterling Jewelers. Sterling is the largest fine jewelry chain in the country, with the company’s main competitor being Zale Corporation.

61. Lavs : WCS

When I was growing up in Ireland, a bathroom was a room that had a bath and no toilet. The separate room with the commode was called the toilet or sometimes the W.C. (the water closet). Apparently the term “closet” was used because in the 1800s when homeowners started installing toilets indoors they often displaced clothes and linens in a closet, as a closet was the right size to take the commode.

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Old gas station freebie : MAP
4. One holding all the cards? : WALLET
10. “__ run!” : GOTTA
15. Texter’s cautioning letters : IMO
16. Take to the skies : AVIATE
17. “The Phantom of the Opera” setting : PARIS
18. Indigent ones hiding among bales? : NEEDY IN A HAYSTACK (from “needle in a haystack”)
21. Like much ordinary history : UNTOLD
22. Japanese volcano : ASO
23. Long walk : HIKE
24. Author Jong : ERICA
25. Ascended : GONE UP
28. Stark in “Game of Thrones” : NED
29. Holders of poor-taste gifts? : TACKY BOXES (from “tackle boxes”)
31. Must : HAS TO
33. Presidential nickname : ABE
34. Type of pitcher : RELIEF
35. Result of smashing a piñata during a hurricane? : CANDY IN THE WIND (from “candle in the wind”)
41. Food industry headgear : TOQUES
42. Barrel contents : OIL
43. __ cuisine : HAUTE
44. Script for an absurdist play? : BATTY LINES (from “battle lines”)
51. PHL stat : ETA
52. Calls : PHONES
54. Lavender asset : AROMA
55. Gillette brand : ATRA
57. Like Dorothy Parker’s humor : WRY
58. Pollen site : STAMEN
59. Concept for creating difficult crossword puzzles? : TRICKY DOWN THEORY (from “trickle-down theory”)
63. Gaucho’s tool : REATA
64. Gift to an audience : ENCORE
65. “Road to __”: Hope/Crosby film : RIO
66. Wee, jocularly : EENSY
67. Ancient eponymous advisor : NESTOR
68. Ernie with irons : ELS

Down

1. Stately dance : MINUET
2. Ancient Egyptian deity : AMEN-RA
3. How one might wax, but not wane : POETIC
4. Ambush : WAYLAY
5. Passionate : AVID
6. Architect Maya __ : LIN
7. 2002 W.S. champs, nowadays : LAA
8. Hydrocarbon gas : ETHANE
9. Kids : TEASES
10. Traveler’s aid, briefly : GPS
11. Censor’s target : OATH
12. Prepares for, as a profession : TRAINS IN
13. Cited on the road : TICKETED
14. Required from : ASKED OF
19. Harbor sight : DOCK
20. The Gershwins’ “Embraceable __” : YOU
25. Arid Asian region : GOBI
26. Pair in a field : OXEN
27. “Is it ever hot today!” : PHEW!
30. Hudson and James : BAYS
32. 3-Down pugilist : ALI
34. Count (on) : RELY
35. Foyer convenience : COAT TREE
36. Winter birth, perhaps : AQUARIAN
37. Commonly hexagonal hardware : NUT
38. Not superficial : DEEP
39. Purse relative : TOTE
40. Pop radio fodder : HITS
41. London’s Old Vic, for one : THEATRE
44. Corporate source of the Elmer’s Glue logo : BORDEN
45. Random individual : ANYONE
46. Agitation metaphor : LATHER
47. Wrath, in a hymn : IRAE
48. “When!” : NO MORE!
49. “Bam!” chef : EMERIL
50. Some HDTVs : SANYOS
53. 1-Acr. marking : HWY
56. Book after John : ACTS
58. Minute Maid Park player, to fans : ‘STRO
60. Jewelry giant : KAY
61. Lavs : WCS
62. “Just kidding!” : NOT!

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