LA Times Crossword Answers 1 Sep 16, Thursday




LA Times Crossword Solution 1 Sep 16







Constructed by: Al Hollmer & C.C. Burnikel

Edited by: Rich Norris

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

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Theme: Strike Site

Today’s themed answers all have the same clue, namely “Strike site”.

  • 18A…Strike site..FRONT LINE
  • 27A…Strike site..BASEBALL PARK
  • 47A…Strike site..BOWLING ALLEY
  • 60A…Strike site..UNION SHOP

Bill’s time: 6m 47s

Bill’s errors: 0




Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies

Across

9…Fur fighters, initially..PETA

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is a very large animal rights organization, with 300 employees and two million members and supporters worldwide. Although the group campaigns for animal rights across a broad spectrum of issues, it has a stated focus in opposition of four practices:

  • Factory farming
  • Fur farming
  • Animal testing
  • Use of animals in entertainment

15…Slushy treat..ICEE

Slush Puppie and ICEE are brands of frozen, slushy drinks. Ostensibly competing brands, ICEE company now owns the Slush Puppie brand.

16…Lumberjack..AXER

A “lumberjack” is a logger, one harvesting and transporting trees to mills. As one might perhaps imagine, “lumberjack” was originally a Canadian term.

17…”Lone Survivor” actor Hirsch..EMILE

Emile Hirsch is an actor from Topanga, California. Hirsch’s most famous role was the lead in the 2007 drama “Into the Wild”.

“Lone Survivor” is a 2013 war film starring Mark Wahlberg as a US Navy SEAL who is the only survivor from a 4-man team in a mission in Afghanistan. The film is based on a 2007 book that recounts the real-life experience of Marcus Luttrell and the comrades that he lost on that mission. It’s a powerful movie …

20…LBJ, for one..DEM

Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) was born in Stonewall, Texas to Samuel Ealy Johnson, Jr. and Rebekah Baines.

21…Champs-Élysées sights..CAFES

The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets in the world. It is the main thoroughfare in Paris, home to the Arc de Triomphe and the Place de la Concorde. The name “Champs-Élysées” is French for Elysian Fields, a place where the righteous went after death according to Greek mythology.

23…Shady garden denizen..HOSTA

The Hosta genus of plant was once classified as a lily, but is now in a family of its own and is described as “lily-like”. The plant was given the name “Hosta” in honor of the Austrian botanist Nicholas Thomas Host.

30…Signature scent since 1968..ESTEE

“Estée” is the signature fragrance from the Estée Lauder Company. “Estée” was the second fragrance developed by Estée Lauder herself, and was introduced in 1968. Lauder’s first fragrance was “Youth Dew”, introduced in 1953.

31…Place for an anvil..EAR

The middle ear is the portion of the ear immediately behind the eardrum. The middle ear contains three small bones called the ossicles, the three smallest bones in the human body. The ossicles’ job is to transmit sound from the outer ear to the inner ear. The shape of the bones gives rise to their names: the hammer (malleus), anvil (incus) and stirrup (stapes).

32…Works at Museo del Prado..ARTE

The Museo del Prado is in Madrid, the capital of Spain, and has one of the finest art collections in the world. The gallery’s most famous work is “Las Meninas” By Velazquez.

36…Sailor’s pronoun..SHE

Seagoing vessels are traditionally referred to as female.

37…Company with a crocodile logo..LACOSTE

René Lacoste was a French tennis player who went into the clothing business, and came up with a more comfortable shirt that players could use. This became known as a “tennis shirt”. When it was adopted for use in the sport of polo, the shirts also became known as “polo shirts”. And then the “golf shirt” is basically the same thing.

41…Pitching stat..ERA

Earned run average (ERA)

42…Banks on some magazine covers..TYRA

Tyra Banks is a tremendously successful model and businesswoman. Banks created and hosts the hit show “America’s Next Top Model “, and also has her own talk show. She was also the first African American woman to make the cover of the “Sports Illustrated” swimsuit issue.

44…Golfer Woosnam..IAN

I’ve always thought Ian Woosnam to be the most unlikely-looking of golfers. He is just over 5’ 4” tall and yet is noted as a very powerful hitter of the ball. Woosnam is a Welshman, and was ranked the world’s number one golfer for most of 1991.

45…Spikes..LACES

To lace a drink, is to spike it, by adding perhaps some alcohol or other strong substance.

51…Insect that may live for 17 years..CICADA

Cicadas are insects that are found all over the world. Although they resemble locusts, cicadas are an unrelated family. The name “cicada” is Latin and translated as “tree cricket”. However, the name is imitative of the clicking sound the insect makes using parts of its exoskeleton known as “tymbals”.

54…Live-in helper..AU PAIR

An “au pair” is a domestic assistant from a foreign country working and living as part of a host family. The term “au pair” is French, and means “on a par”, indicating that an au pair is treated as an equal in the host family.

55…Psychologist May..ROLLO

American psychologist Rollo May wrote the influential 1969 book “Love and Will”. In the text, May proposes that awareness of death is essential to life.

58…Peeples of “Walker, Texas Ranger”..NIA

Actress Nia Peeples played the character Nicole Chapman in the TV series “Fame”. Peeples is also a successful singer, releasing the 1988 song “Trouble” that made it to #35 in the Billboard charts.

“Walker, Texas Ranger” is an action TV show starring Chuck Norris in the title role. The TV show was inspired by the 1983 action movie “Lone Wolf McQuade” in which Norris also played a Texas Ranger.

64…Vikings’ home: Abbr…MINN

The Minnesota Vikings joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1960. Founded in Minnesota, the team’s name reflects the location’s reputation as a center of Scandinavian American culture.

66…Mournful music..DIRGE

A “dirge” is a slow and mournful musical piece, like a funeral hymn.

Down

3…Academic term..TRIMESTER

Semester is a German word from the Latin “semestris”, an adjective meaning “of six months”. We use the term in a system that divides an academic year into two roughly equal parts. A trimester system has three parts, and a quarter system has four.

4…Poivre’s tablemate..SEL

In French, one might season one’s food with “sel” (salt) and “poivre” (pepper).

5…Statue of Liberty architect..EIFFEL

The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France to the United States. It was designed by sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and constructed in France by civil engineer Gustave Eiffel. The statue was disassembled, shipped to the US, and reassembled on its pedestal on Bedloe’s Island (now “Liberty Island). A ceremony of dedication was held in 1886. If you take a boat ride down the Seine in Paris you will probably see a one-third replica of Lady Liberty standing on a small island in the river, looking quite magnificent. That copy was given to the people of Paris by the city’s American community in 1889.

8…Tom’s mate..HEN

A male turkey is called a “tom”, taking its name from a “tomcat”. The inference is that like a tomcat, the male turkey is relatively wild and undomesticated, sexually promiscuous and frequently getting into fights. A female turkey is called a “hen”.

9…Lummox..PALOOKA

The word “palooka” was originally used to describe a mediocre prizefighter and dates back to the 1920s. Then there was a comic strip called “Joe Palooka”, and I guess the meanings got melded somehow. Today we use “palooka” as a slang term for an oaf or a clumsy person.

11…Mahler’s last symphony..TENTH

When Gustav Mahler died in 1911, he left his final work unfinished. The “Symphony No. 10” was relatively complete, in the form of a draft, but was not orchestrated. Several composers have “completed” the work, most notably British musician Deryck Cooke in the sixties.

14…Loudness measure..DECIBEL

The “phon” is a unit used to indicate a person’s perception of the loudness of a sound, and is a subjective measure. The related “decibel” is a logarithmic unit measuring objective sound intensity.

19…God with a hammer..THOR

The hammer associated with the Norse god Thor is known as Mjölnir. The name “Mjölnir” translates as “crusher”.

22…Co-star of Burt in “The Killers”..AVA

Ava Gardner is noted for her association with some big movies, but also for her association with some big names when it came to the men in her life. In the world of film, she appeared in the likes of “Mogambo” (1953), “On the Beach” (1959), “The Night of the Iguana” (1964) and “Earthquake” (1974). The men in her life included husbands Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra. After her marriages had failed (and perhaps before!) she had long-term relationships with Howard Hughes and bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguin whom she met through her friend Ernest Hemingway.

Burt Lancaster was a Hollywood movie star from New York City. Lancaster started out his performance career working as an acrobat with the Kay Brothers circus, but had to retire from the Big Top due to injury. After serving as an entertainer with the US Army during WWII, he took up acting in New York, where he was discovered by a Hollywood agent and started his film career. Lancaster was often cast as a good-looking tough guy, but I personally preferred the movies in which he played the more off-beat roles, e.g. “Separate Tables” (1958), “Judgement at Nuremberg” (1961), “Birdman of Alcatraz” (1962) and “Local Hero” (1983).

“The Killers” is a film noir based on a short story of the same name by Ernest Hemingway. The film stars Ava Gardner, as well as Burt Lancaster in his big-screen debut.

25…Author Harper..LEE

Nelle Harper Lee was an author from Monroeville, Alabama. For many years, Lee had only one published novel to her name. That is a “To Kill a Mockingbird”, a contribution to the world of literature was enough to earn her the Presidential Medal of Freedom and a Pulitzer Prize. Harper Lee was a close friend of fellow author Truman Capote who was the inspiration for the character named “Dill” in her novel. Lee was all over the news in 2015 as she had published a second novel, titled “Go Set a Watchman”. The experts seem to be agreeing that “Go Set a Watchman” is actually a first draft of “To Kill a Mockingbird”. Lee passed away less than a year after “Go Set a Watchman” hit the stores.

26…D.C. : Metro :: S.F. : __..BART

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) serves the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) provides transit service within and around Washington, D.C. The service generally goes by the name “Metro”. The authority’s two main services are Metrorail and Metrobus.

27…Nonpareil..BEST

Something described as “nonpareil” has no equal, is a paragon. “Nonpareil” was an Old French word meaning “not equal”.

28…Téa of “Madam Secretary”..LEONI

Téa Leoni is an American actress. One of Leoni’s early parts was in the great film “A League of Their Own” (a minor role, Racine at first base). She also played Sam Malone’s fiancée on “Cheers” and opposite Adam Sandler in “Spanglish”. My favorite of her more prominent movie roles was as Jane in “Fun with Dick and Jane”. Leoni is now playing the title role in the drama series “Madam Secretary”, a show that I really enjoy …

“Madam Secretary” is TV show that first aired in 2014. It is about an ex-CIA analyst who is appointed as US Secretary of State. Téa Leoni plays the title role, ably supported by a favorite actress of mine, Bebe Neuwirth. I like this show …

29…Strasbourg step..PAS

Strasbourg is a beautiful city that I had the privilege to visit some years ago. Strasbourg is home to many international organizations, including the European Court of Human Rights and the European Parliament.

33…They’re often found in dens..RECLINERS

The first reclining chairs were introduced around 1850 in France. Supposedly, the first reclining chair was owned by Napoleon III.

34…Forest age indicators..TREE RINGS

Growth rings can be seen in a horizontal cross section of a tree trunk. These rings are caused by a change in the rate of a growth of a tree that comes with the seasons, so the rings are more easily discerned in trees that grow in regions with marked seasonal changes.

35…”Duck soup!”..EASY!

The origins of the phrase “duck soup”, meaning anything easily done, aren’t very clear. However, it does at least date back to 1908.

38…Electronics brand relaunched in 2015..AIWA

Aiwa was a Japanese company that produced consumer electronics, mainly audio and video equipment. Sony bought Aiwa in 2002 and eventually discontinued the brand in 2006. The Aiwa trademark was acquired by a Chicago-based consumer electronics company in 2015.

39…19-time All-Star Ripken..CAL

Cal Ripken played his entire, 20-year professional baseball career for the Baltimore Orioles. Ripken was known as the “Iron Man” because he showed up for work every day, come rain or shine. He played 2,632 straight games, blowing past the previous 2,130-game record held by Lou Gehrig.

43…Rock-clinging mollusk..ABALONE

The large edible sea snails that we call abalone are called ormer in the British Isles, and is served as “awabi” at a sushi bar. The abalone shell resembles a human ear, giving rise to the alternative names “ear shell” and “sea ear”.

46…__ carte..A LA

On a restaurant menu, items that are “à la carte” are priced and ordered separately. A menu marked “table d’hôte” (also called “prix fixe”) is a fixed-price menu with limited choice.

51…Bit of Hansel’s trail..CRUMB

“Hansel and Gretel” is a Germanic fairy tale found in the collection of the Brothers Grimm. It tells of two siblings, Hansel and Gretel, the children of a woodcutter. The youngsters are abandoned in a forest at the behest of an evil stepmother. Clever Hansel hears of the plan and leaves a trail of pebbles so that he and his sister can find their way home, which they do. But the children are abandoned again and this time leave a trail of breadcrumbs. Unfortunately, the crumbs are eaten by birds and so the children do indeed become lost. But eventually they do all live happily ever after …

52…Land of ancient Asia Minor..IONIA

The geographic region called Ionia is located in present day Turkey. Ionia was prominent in the days of Ancient Greece although it wasn’t a unified state, but rather a collection of tribes. The tribal confederacy was more based on religious and cultural similarities than a political or military alliance. Nowadays we often refer to this arrangement as the Ionian League.

Asia Minor is also known as Anatolia. It is the geographic part of Asia that protrudes out into the west, towards Europe, and is roughly equivalent to modern-day Turkey.

53…Toast-making sound..CLINK

The tradition of “toasting” someone probably dates back to the reign of Charles II, when the practice was to drink a glass of wine to the health of a beautiful or favored woman. In those days, spiced toast was added to beverages to add flavor, so the use of the word “toast” was an indicator that the lady’s beauty would enhance the wine. Very charming, I must say …

61…Good name for a cook?..STU

… because “Stu” sounds like “stew”.

63…Guacamole, e.g…DIP

Guacamole is one of my favorite dishes. It is made by mashing avocados and perhaps adding the likes of tomato, onion and lime juice. The guacamole recipe dates back as early as the 16th century, to the time of the Aztecs. “Guacamole” translates as “avocado sauce”.

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Complete List of Clues and Answers

Across

1…Stage segments..ACTS

5…Apiece..EACH

9…Fur fighters, initially..PETA

13…Revealed..BARED

15…Slushy treat..ICEE

16…Lumberjack..AXER

17…”Lone Survivor” actor Hirsch..EMILE

18…Strike site..FRONT LINE

20…LBJ, for one..DEM

21…Champs-Élysées sights..CAFES

23…Shady garden denizen..HOSTA

24…Go through again..RELIVE

26…Counter alternatives..BOOTHS

27…Strike site..BASEBALL PARK

30…Signature scent since 1968..ESTEE

31…Place for an anvil..EAR

32…Works at Museo del Prado..ARTE

36…Sailor’s pronoun..SHE

37…Company with a crocodile logo..LACOSTE

41…Pitching stat..ERA

42…Banks on some magazine covers..TYRA

44…Golfer Woosnam..IAN

45…Spikes..LACES

47…Strike site..BOWLING ALLEY

51…Insect that may live for 17 years..CICADA

54…Live-in helper..AU PAIR

55…Psychologist May..ROLLO

56…Date bk. listings..APPTS

58…Peeples of “Walker, Texas Ranger”..NIA

60…Strike site..UNION SHOP

62…Unspoiled spots..EDENS

64…Vikings’ home: Abbr…MINN

65…Opinion..TAKE

66…Mournful music..DIRGE

67…Get too much sun..BAKE

68…Hand-me-down..USED

69…It’s often spoken with one hand at the edge of one’s mouth..PSST!

Down

1…Retired..ABED

2…Resisting being taken?..CAMERA-SHY

3…Academic term..TRIMESTER

4…Poivre’s tablemate..SEL

5…Statue of Liberty architect..EIFFEL

6…One of 640 in a square mile..ACRE

7…Top suits..CEOS

8…Tom’s mate..HEN

9…Lummox..PALOOKA

10…Live and breathe..EXIST

11…Mahler’s last symphony..TENTH

12…Fields..AREAS

14…Loudness measure..DECIBEL

19…God with a hammer..THOR

22…Co-star of Burt in “The Killers”..AVA

25…Author Harper..LEE

26…D.C. : Metro :: S.F. : __..BART

27…Nonpareil..BEST

28…Téa of “Madam Secretary”..LEONI

29…Strasbourg step..PAS

33…They’re often found in dens..RECLINERS

34…Forest age indicators..TREE RINGS

35…”Duck soup!”..EASY!

38…Electronics brand relaunched in 2015..AIWA

39…19-time All-Star Ripken..CAL

40…Went by..ELAPSED

43…Rock-clinging mollusk..ABALONE

46…__ carte..A LA

48…Have too much, briefly..OD ON

49…Took a snooze..NAPPED

50…Inner, as a feeling..GUT

51…Bit of Hansel’s trail..CRUMB

52…Land of ancient Asia Minor..IONIA

53…Toast-making sound..CLINK

56…Cries of discovery..AHAS

57…Elbow..POKE

59…”I’d hate to break up __”..A SET

61…Good name for a cook?..STU

63…Guacamole, e.g…DIP




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19 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 1 Sep 16, Thursday”

  1. Hmm, I don’t know what to say specifically about this grid. The theme was consistent and befitting a Thursday. Some of the answers were fun like CICADA, DIRGE, PALOOKA and LACOSTE were fun. But it’s tempered by some horrible crossfill. AXER, ABED, ODON, etc were just dreck. HOSTA is a complete outlier.

    The thing also felt very French. That’s not good or bad, just an impression.

  2. DNF – too clever by half. I’ve taken to giving up by Friday, but sort of liked and “got” the theme. And agree @Willie, too French.

    For shady garden denizen, had HOSes instead of HOSTA. Have both slinking around my garden.

  3. Enjoyed the puzzle. Right about par for a Thursday. I will say, however, that ABED is criminal, and I believe Carrie will back me up on that one.

    I don’t remember the Champs-Elysees having many cafes. I remember a lot of expensive restaurants, expensive shops, expensive hotels and a McDonalds (of course), but I don’t remember many of what I think of as a Paris cafe there. Last time I was there was about 15 years ago so it could have changed and/or my memory could be flawed. I also believe it’s a straight shot from the Louvre up the Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. In fact, I was on top of the Arc while watching Lance Armstrong win the first of his (albeit tainted)Tour de France titles.

    Note there’s no elevator to the top of that thing. You have to climb about a thousand stairs to get up there. It’s a taller structure than it looks.

    Best –

  4. Hi all, a little early for the holiday weekend and required events. Anyhow, good to read as always and if there’s no big letdown, I’m sure the Cubs will be in the thick of things this year. Have a good safe weekend, everyone!

  5. I too, had a reflection of some very unusual clues. But, for a change, I got them, so I m very happy. A really delightful puzzle. Yay, a Thursday. I see CC has another one of her proteges…

    Carrie, the ‘other woman’ who turns up on your Gravatar, must either be your ‘alter ego’ or ‘an alternate living arrangement’ landlady. …. and I thought ‘Host’ was your last name ! ( …. as in Bill’s blog, ‘for whom’ the Hosta is named …. ).

    Maybe you could make a deal with this mysterious lady, and you could just ‘turn up’ on her web site. I thought of joining airbnb, as a host …. just for some company of strangers, but I dont think my city is popular enough as a tourist destination. How I wish I lived in NYC or Chicago or SF or LA.

    On the art museums, in Spain, apparently there are 3 art museums in a triangular square – the Prado, The museum of Thyssen-Bornemisza and one other .

    Regarding::: Spikes: Laces …… not entirely familiar with mixed drinks, intentionally alcoholized or otherwise ….. I went with the conventional use of spikes as in the cleated shoes used in football ( the ‘crude’ european kind – ) or in sprints and short distance races. I figured all such shoes would require laces ….

    have a nice day, all.

  6. Had GALLEY at the end of 47A.
    What “strike” is in the galley of a ship?
    It also didn’t help spelling LEONe.
    ***LEN GALLEY. What could it be?
    Sheesh.
    Also kept thinking TOAST as in “bread”
    My toaster doesn’t “clink”, it beeps.
    Finally finished correctly with IAN/AIWA.

  7. @Jeff: I was on the Champs De Elysee about two years ago and you are right. There are a couple of sidewalk cafes at the end where the Arc is but they are not common. You can find some on the side streets. Most of the Champs is shops (including a large Abercrombie & Fitch), restaurants, museums and gardens.

    Hosta was a reach and LACES too indirect.

  8. @Jeff- abet (not abed) is criminal as in “to aid and abet” a robbery by driving the getaway car. 🙂
    Separately, maybe I’m just missing something, but I don’t understand 18A strike set being “front line.”

  9. @RestMyCase – Funny! I don’t know if you were making a joke or not, but it was funny anyway. I was saying “ABED” was criminal in the crossword sense because no one uses the word and Carrie has specifically complained about words like that with an “A” in front. “In bed” is fine; ABED…uhh not so much. I wasn’t mistaking it for “abet”. In fact, that never occurred to me when I made the comment until I saw your response…

    Best –

  10. I was a little confused by that as well. I understood it as meaning like an airstrike or something on the enemy’s frontline as in a battle. At least I was ok with that explanation. Often there are better ones, but that’s the one that came to my mind.

    Best

  11. A good Friday puzzle should be challenging; this one was (even with its yawner of a “theme”). But meeting the challenge should also be fun. This one wasn’t so much, for me anyway, because at least a third of the answers were PPPs (proper nouns, products, places): TV stars, models, clothing brands, perfumes, athletes, electronics firms, architects … sheesh! As I’ve said before, I’m in awe of all constructors, but IMHO, the better ones keep in mind that solvers prefer crossWORD puzzles to crossSTAR or crossBRAND slogs.

  12. I also thought of toast as in bread, so was unsure of CLINK as an answer. I just figured that people who could come up w/ so many clues for AHHH’s and AH HA s and OH NO s are capable of anything. Not to mention AXER.
    All in all, though, overlooking a few things, I thought it was a fun puzzle. On a Thursday that’s a miracle.

    Happy weekend-

  13. Fun puzzle done at a very leisurely pace, although I had troubles with FRONTLINE and UNIONSHOP. I can accept Jeff’s explanation of Frontline strike, as in war, but Unions strike on a picket-line, not at there own union shop. I guess the employer, that the union is striking, could be referred to a union shop.

    Anyway, just the right amount of PP that I could still make educated guesses with the help of crosses.

    On to Friday… and the long weekend.

  14. Hi folks!
    Yes, lock up ABED!! Along with AROAR, which thankfully we haven’t seen in awhile….
    Hey Vidwan, I’m thinking that the Other Woman sees ME on HER profile page! ? Or perhaps it’s just a generic profile that shows up because I haven’t properly completed mine yet.
    BTW Vidwan, if you do decide to look into hosting on Airbnb: they’re found in EVERY city and town. It’s not just for tourists; for example, if you have a teaching hospital nearby, you could get students doing rotations. They make great guests –they keep busy and they’re usually very responsible.
    Nice puzzle, and altho I had a few stumbles, I’d call it a tweener — is that the word @Jeff? Seemed Wed/Thur to me.
    @Pookie and Bella: I also thought toaster! Mine doesn’t beep, tho. (Actually, it doesn’t even work….) but I initially had CLICK. That’s a toaster sound, when you lower the toast and it clicks into place. Is that like an old-fashioned thing now??!
    Back tomorrow…and GO CUBS!!
    Be well~~™⚾⚾⚾

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