LA Times Crossword 13 Sep 18, Thursday

Advertisement

Advertisement

Constructed by: Joe Deeney
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Butter Churn

Themed clues include the hidden word “BUTTER”, but the order of the letters has been CHURNED, changed:

  • 52A. Dairy implement, and a hint to what’s hidden in 16-, 23-, 32-, and 44-Across : BUTTER CHURN
  • 16A. Rolls off the alley : GUTTER-BALLS
  • 23A. Swing era dance : JITTERBUG
  • 32A. Smoking hazard : CIGARETTE BURN
  • 44A. Anticipatory counterargument : PREBUTTAL

Bill’s time: 8m 57s

Bill’s errors: 0

Advertisement

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1. Minimally : A TAD

Back in the 1800s, “tad” was used to describe a young child, and this extended into our usage of “small amount” in the early 1900s. The original use of “tad” for a child is very likely a shortened version of “tadpole”.

10. “Man With a Plan” network : CBS

“Man With a Plan” is a sitcom starring Matt LeBlanc as Pittsburgh construction worker planning on spending more time at home with the kids after his wife relaunches her career. I watched a few episodes, and put it on my list to binge watch one day …

15. No longer active: Abbr. : RET

Retired (ret.)

16. Rolls off the alley : GUTTER-BALLS

Bowling has been around for an awfully long time. The oldest known reference to the game is in Egypt, where pins and balls were found in an ancient tomb that is over 5,000 years old. The first form of the game to come to America was nine-pin bowling, which had been very popular in Europe for centuries. In 1841 in Connecticut, nine-pin bowling was banned due to its association with gambling. Supposedly, an additional pin was added to get around the ban, and ten-pin bowling was born.

19. College Board exam, briefly : AP TEST

The Advanced Placement (AP) program offers college-level courses to kids who are still in high school. After being tested at the end of the courses, successful students receive credits that count towards a college degree.

21. It’s calculated using ht. and wt. : BMI

The body mass index (BMI) is the ratio of a person’s height to his or her mass.

23. Swing era dance : JITTERBUG

The energetic dance known as the jitterbug was popularized in the 1930s by Cab Calloway. Calloway released “Call of the Jitter Bug” in 1934, and appeared in a 1935 musical short titled “Cab Calloway’s Jitterbug Party”.

If you’d like to be a jitter bug,
First thing you must do is get a jug,
Put whiskey, wine and gin within,
And shake it all up and then begin.
Grab a cup and start to toss,
You are drinking jitter sauce!
Don’t you worry, you just mug,
And then you’ll be a jitter bug!

27. Badgers : NAGS

To badger is to harass. The verb “to badger” comes from the cruel practice of badger-baiting, which dates back to medieval times. Badger-baiting is a blood sport in which a dog is used as bait for a badger in its den, to draw it out into the open. The den is an artificial structure built to resemble a natural badgers’ den, complete with a tunnel entrance. The dog is sent down the tunnel causing the badger and dog to lock their jaws on each other. The badger and dog are then removed from the den by pulling on the dog’s tale. Horrible …

29. “Be My __ Ono”: Barenaked Ladies song : YOKO

“Be My Yoko Ono” was the first single released by the Canadian band Barenaked Ladies.

Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian alternative rock band. The somewhat quirky name chosen by the band tends to reflect the group’s concert style. The band is noted for kidding around on stage with lots of banter between songs. They’re also noted for composing and performing the catchy theme song for the hit sitcom “The Big Bang Theory”.

30. West Coast athletic footwear company : LA GEAR

LA Gear is an athletic shoe manufacturer based in Los Angeles.

44. Anticipatory counterargument : PREBUTTAL

A procatalepsis (sometimes “prebuttal”) is a tactic sometimes used by someone making an argument. It involves the speaker raising an objection to their own argument, and then immediately answering that objection. The idea is to deal with any “rebuttals” before the audience can raise them.

47. Goldfinger’s first name : AURIC

“Goldfinger” is the Ian Fleming’s seventh James Bond novel, and was first published in 1959. Fleming was in the habit of naming his characters after people in the real world. The novel’s colorful antagonist Auric Goldfinger was named after Hungarian-born British architect Ernő Goldfinger.

48. Three-time NBA Finals MVP Duncan : TIM

Tim Duncan is professional basketball player from La Croix in the US Virgin Islands. Duncan was a natural swimmer, with his eyes on the 1992 Olympic Games. He was forced to turn his attention to basketball when Hurricane Hugo destroyed St. Croix’s only Olympic-sized pool in 1989.

49. __ Butterworth : MRS

Mrs. Butterworth is a brand of syrups and pancake mixes.

51. Open event gold medalist in the 2016 Chess Olympiad : USA

The Chess Olympiad is a tournament held every two years in which national teams from all over the world compete. The first unofficial Olympiad was held in 1924 in response to a failed attempt to have chess included in that years Olympic Games. The first official Chess Olympiad was held in 1927.

52. Dairy implement, and a hint to what’s hidden in 16-, 23-, 32-, and 44-Across : BUTTER CHURN

Butter churns are devices that convert cream into butter. The churn agitates the cream mechanically, disrupting milk fat. Clumps of disrupted milk fat form larger and larger fat globules. Eventually, the mixture separates into solid butter and liquid buttermilk.

Down

1. Norse gods’ home : ASGARD

Asgard is one of the Nine Worlds of Norse religions. It is where the Norse gods live, and is also home to Valhalla, the enormous hall ruled over by the god Odin.

3. Window-switching keyboard shortcut : ALT-TAB

By pressing the Alt and Tab key at the same time on a PC, a user can alternate between windows open on the desktop. This keyboard shortcut is known as Task Switcher or Flip.

5. Yellow __ : LAB

The Labrador (Lab) breed of dog has been around at least since 1814. The breed comes in three registered colors: black, yellow and chocolate.

6. “Fifty Shades of Grey” heroine : ANA

“Fifty Shades of Grey” is an incredibly popular erotic novel by British writer E. L. James. “Fifty Shades of Grey” is the fastest-selling paperback of all time. There are two other titles to complete the trilogy: “Fifty Shades Darker” and “Fifty Shades Freed”.

8. French toast : SALUT!

In French, “salut” means “hi”, and is less formal than “bonjour”. The term can also be used as a friendly toast.

9. Nail polish brand : ESSIE

Essie Cosmetics is a company that was founded by Essie Weingarten, and which is now owned by L’Oreal. Apparently, Queen Elizabeth II will only wear Essie’s Ballet Slippers color nail polish. Well, that’s what Wikipedia claims …

10. More like Oscar the Grouch : CRABBIER

Oscar the Grouch is the Muppet that lives in a garbage can. Oscar’s persona comes from various sources. He is named after Oscar Brand who was one of the board members of the Children’s Television Workshop, the backers for “Sesame Street” as the Muppets were being developed in the sixties. Oscar’s personality was inspired by an angry waiter that once served Jim Henson (father of the Muppets). The voice was modeled on a grumpy New York cab driver encountered one day by Caroll Spinney, the puppeteer who brings Oscar to life.

11. Hamilton local : BERMUDAN

Hamilton is the capital of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda located in the North Atlantic Ocean. The city was founded in 1790 and was named for Henry Hamilton, who was Governor of Bermuda at that time. As recently as 2016, Hamilton has topped the list of the most expensive cities in the world in which to live.

12. “In the Heat of the Night” Oscar winner Rod : STEIGER

Rod Steiger played some powerful roles on the screen, perhaps most memorably the Chief of Police in the 1967 drama “In the Heat of the Night”, for which he won a Best Actor Oscar. Steiger was married five times, including a 10-year marriage to fellow actor Claire Bloom. Together Bloom and Steiger had a daughter, the British opera singer Anna Steiger.

“In the Heat of the Night” is a 1967 film based on a 1965 novel of the same name by John Ball. Both tell the story of an African American detective from Philadelphia was gets involved in a murder investigation in a small town in Mississippi. The Oscar-winning film stars Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger. The most famous line in the movie is “They call me MISTER Tibbs!” This line was used as the title of a 1970 sequel, with Sidney Poitier reprising his role of police detective Virgil Tibbs.

14. B.A. Baracus player : MR T

“The A-Team” is an action television series that originally ran in the eighties. The A-Team was a group of ex-US special forces personnel who became mercenaries. Star of the show was Hollywood actor George Peppard (as “Hannibal” Smith), ably assisted by Mr. T (as “B.A.” Baracus) and Robert Vaughn (as Hunt Stockwell).

23. Copacetic : JAKE

Both “jake” and “dandy” are slang words meaning “fine”, as in “things are just dandy”.

Something described as “copacetic” is very fine, very acceptable.

25. Old World Style sauce : RAGU

The Ragú brand of pasta sauce is owned by Unilever. The name ” Ragù” is the Italian word for a sauce used to dress pasta, however the spelling is off a little. In Italian the word is “Ragù” with a grave accent over the “u”, but if you look at a jar of the sauce on the supermarket shelf it is spelled “Ragú” on the label, with an acute accent. Sometimes I think we just don’t try …

27. Swed. neighbor : NORW

Norway has been ranked as the country in the world with the highest standard of living almost every year since 2001. Norway is rich in natural resources and has a relatively low population. The people benefit from a comprehensive social security system, subsidized higher education for all citizens and universal health care. And Norway is famous for her success at the Winter Olympic Games, having won more gold medals than any other nation in the world.

29. Retired NBAer Ming : YAO

Yao Ming is a retired professional basketball player from Shanghai who played for the Houston Rockets. At 7’6″, Yao was the tallest man playing in the NBA.

30. Tax : LEVY

A levy is a tax. The term “levy” comes from Old French in which “levée” means “raising”. So a levy is a tax that has been “raised” (in the sense of “collected”, not “increased”).

31. Japanese prime minister since 2012 : ABE

Shinzo Abe first became Prime Minister of Japan in 2006, at which time he was the youngest person to hold the post since WWII and was the first PM born after the war. Abe was in office for less than a year, but was voted in again in 2012. Abe is usually characterized as a right-wing nationalist.

32. Big name in juice pouches : CAPRI SUN

Capri Sun is juice concentrate that was introduced in 1969. The brand is famous for the laminated foil pouches in which the juice is sold.

35. Home Depot purchase : TOOL

The Home Depot is the largest home improvement retail chain in the US, ahead of Lowe’s. Home Depot opened their first two stores in 1979. The average store size if just over 100,000 square feet. The largest Home Depot outlet is in Union, New Jersey, and it is 225,000 square feet in size. That’s a lot of nuts and bolts …

39. Ready to sire : AT STUD

The word “stud”, meaning “a male horse kept for breeding”, is derived from the Old English word “stod”, which described a whole herd of horses. The term “stud” can be used figuratively for a “ladies’ man”.

45. Sunspot center : UMBRA

Sunspots have two parts, the umbra and penumbra. The central umbra is the darkest part of the sunspot, and the penumbra is a lighter surrounding fringe.

Sunspots are dark patches observed on the surface of the sun. They are temporary, and are associated with intense magnetic activity. The darkness is indicative of a localized reduction in temperature. Sunspots tend to occur in pairs, with each spot having opposite magnetic poles. Also, solar flares tend to originate from sunspots.

47. Theater chain initials : AMC

The AMC theater chain used to go by the name American Multi-Cinema Inc., hence the initialism “AMC”.

50. Form W-9 org. : IRS

IRS form W-9 is a Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification. The W-9 is filled out by employees and used by employers for payroll purposes. The form is not submitted to the IRS.

53. Explosive stuff : TNT

“TNT” is an abbreviation for trinitrotoluene. Trinitrotoluene was first produced in 1863 by the German chemist Joseph Wilbrand, who developed it for use as a yellow dye. TNT is relatively difficult to detonate so it was on the market as a dye for some years before its more explosive properties were discovered.

54. Fair-hiring letters : EEO

“Equal Employment Opportunity” (EEO) is a term that has been around since 1964 when the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was set up by the Civil Rights Act. Title VII of the Act prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin or religion.

Advertisement

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Minimally : A TAD
5. Oversight : LAPSE
10. “Man With a Plan” network : CBS
13. One and only : SOLE
14. Fads : MANIAS
15. No longer active: Abbr. : RET
16. Rolls off the alley : GUTTER-BALLS
18. “__ we there yet?” : ARE
19. College Board exam, briefly : AP TEST
20. French assent : OUI
21. It’s calculated using ht. and wt. : BMI
22. Make a face, say : REACT
23. Swing era dance : JITTERBUG
26. Loan application section : DEBT
27. Badgers : NAGS
28. Staff helper : AIDE
29. “Be My __ Ono”: Barenaked Ladies song : YOKO
30. West Coast athletic footwear company : LA GEAR
32. Smoking hazard : CIGARETTE BURN
36. Got close to empty : RAN LOW
37. Area to lay anchor : COVE
38. High style : UPDO
39. Cry related to “hey” : AHOY!
40. Opt out : PASS
44. Anticipatory counterargument : PREBUTTAL
47. Goldfinger’s first name : AURIC
48. Three-time NBA Finals MVP Duncan : TIM
49. __ Butterworth : MRS
50. Post-workout lament : I’M SORE
51. Open event gold medalist in the 2016 Chess Olympiad : USA
52. Dairy implement, and a hint to what’s hidden in 16-, 23-, 32-, and 44-Across : BUTTER CHURN
55. Do a 5K, e.g. : RUN
56. Meets up with the old gang : REUNES
57. “Makes sense” : I SEE
58. Conclusion : END
59. Increase : ADD TO
60. Typically round-neck shirts : TEES

Down

1. Norse gods’ home : ASGARD
2. Head cover : TOUPEE
3. Window-switching keyboard shortcut : ALT-TAB
4. Catch a scent of : DETECT
5. Yellow __ : LAB
6. “Fifty Shades of Grey” heroine : ANA
7. Trial episodes : PILOTS
8. French toast : SALUT!
9. Nail polish brand : ESSIE
10. More like Oscar the Grouch : CRABBIER
11. Hamilton local : BERMUDAN
12. “In the Heat of the Night” Oscar winner Rod : STEIGER
14. B.A. Baracus player : MR T
17. Superlative suffix : -EST
23. Copacetic : JAKE
24. “Makes sense” : I GOTCHA
25. Old World Style sauce : RAGU
27. Swed. neighbor : NORW
29. Retired NBAer Ming : YAO
30. Tax : LEVY
31. Japanese prime minister since 2012 : ABE
32. Big name in juice pouches : CAPRI SUN
33. Hot : IN DEMAND
34. Amorphous mass : GLOB
35. Home Depot purchase : TOOL
36. Burst : RUPTURE
39. Ready to sire : AT STUD
40. Test limits : PUSH IT
41. Excite : AROUSE
42. Yes or no follower : … SIRREE
43. Drama segments : SCENES
45. Sunspot center : UMBRA
46. Leveled, with “up” : TRUED
47. Theater chain initials : AMC
50. Form W-9 org. : IRS
53. Explosive stuff : TNT
54. Fair-hiring letters : EEO

Advertisement