LA Times Crossword Answers 15 Apr 15, Wednesday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Ed Sessa
THEME: Miles Apart … each of today’s themed answers has the letter sequence MILES divided into two parts, with one part at the start of the answer, and the other at the end. We have MILES split APART:

60A. Not even close to an agreement … or, literally, what 17-, 27- and 45-Across have in common MILES APART

17A. Key collection of records MASTER FILE
27A. Canadian crooner with four Grammys MICHAEL BUBLE
45A. Telltale white line MILK MUSTACHE

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 7m 47s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

5. Classic milk flavoring BOSCO
Bosco Chocolate Syrup is produced in New Jersey, and first hit store shelves in 1928.

10. Degs. for choreographers MFAS
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

14. Yours, to Yves A TOI
“À toi” is the French term for “yours”, when talking to someone with whom one is familiar. “À toi” literally means “to you”.

19. Command to Fido STAY
“Fido”, the name for many a dog, is Latin for “I trust”.

27. Canadian crooner with four Grammys MICHAEL BUBLE
Michael Bublé is a singer from Burnaby in British Columbia. He is of Italian descent on his father’s side. Bublé has held dual Italian-Canadian citizenship since 2005.

35. Protein-rich beans SOYS
What are known as soybeans here in the US are called “soya beans” in most other English-speaking countries. So, I drink soy milk here in America, but when I am over in Ireland I drink “soya milk”.

39. “Divergent” heroine __ Prior TRIS
Tris Prior is the main protagonist in “The Divergent Series” of movies, and is played by actress Shailene Woodley.

“The Divergent Series” of movies is based on the “Divergent” novels written by Veronica Roth. The movies and novels are set in a post-apocalyptic version of Chicago called the Divergent Universe. The story is about a citizenry that is divided into five different factions based on personality traits. The critics weren’t crazy about the first movie in the series, but I really enjoyed it …

41. Oil magnate Halliburton ERLE
Erle P. Halliburton was a businessman who made his fortune in the oil business. Halliburton founded the New Method Oil Well Cementing Company in 1919, which changed its name after his death to Halliburton Company.

43. Feared African fly TSETSE
Tsetse flies live on the blood of vertebrate mammals. The name “tsetse” comes from Tswana, a language of southern Africa, and translates simply as “fly”. Tsetse flies are famous for being carriers of the disease known as “sleeping sickness”. Sleeping sickness is caused by a parasite which is passed onto humans when the tsetse fly bites into human skin tissue. If one considers all the diseases transmitted by the insect, then the tsetse fly is responsible for a staggering quarter of a million deaths each year.

48. Home to Sean O’Casey ERIN
Seán O’Casey was an Irish playwright noted for his works exploring the plight of the working class in Dublin. O’Casey’s most famous works are “Juno and the Paycock” and “The Plough and the Stars”.

57. Mineral used in water softening BORAX
Borax is also known as sodium borate, and is a salt of boric acid. Borax is a white powder that dissolves easily in water. The compound has many uses, for example as an antifungal agent, water-softening agent and as an antiseptic. Actor and future US president Ronald Reagan used to tout 20 Mule Team Borax that was used as a laundry product.

59. Dr. Seuss’ “If __ the Circus” I RAN
“If I Ran the Circus” is a 1956 children’s book by Dr. Seuss.

62. Like some beers LITE
The first light beer was produced by Chicago’s Meister Brau brewery in the sixties. Miller took over Meister Brau, reformulated the light beer using the same process and became the first of the big breweries to come out with a light beer, “Lite Beer from Miller” introduced in 1973. There really wasn’t a serious competitor to Miller Lite until Anheuser-Busch finally came up with a process and a product in 1982 that they called Bud Light.

63. Visually teasing genre OP ART
Op art is also known as optical art, and puts optical illusions to great effect.

66. Smallville family KENTS
Smallville, Kansas is the town on Earth in which Superman grew up (as Clark Kent). One of Clark’s best friends in Smallville, and the romantic interest of his youth, was Lana Lang.

67. Zilch NADA
The word “nothing” translates to “nada” in Spanish.

We use the term “zilch” to mean “nothing”. Our current usage evolved in the sixties, before which the term was used to describe “meaningless speech”. There was a comic character called Mr. Zilch in the 1930s in “Ballyhoo” magazine. Mr. Zilch’s name probably came from the American college slang “Joe Zilch” that was used in the early 1900s for “an insignificant person”.

Down
2. Centipede video game creator ATARI
Centipede is an arcade game from Atari (it was my favorite!). The game was designed by Ed Logg and Dona Bailey, with Bailey being one of the few female game designers back then (it was released in 1980). Perhaps due to her influence, Centipede was the first arcade game to garner a significant female following.

3. Pitcher’s gripping aid ROSIN
Rosin is a solid form of resin derived from plant sources. Rosin is formed into cakes that players of stringed instruments use to rub along the hairs of their bows to help improve sound quality. The rosin increases the degree of friction between the strings and the bow. That same friction-increasing property comes into play when baseball pitchers use rosin to get a better grip on the ball.

8. Cartoon collectibles CELS
In the world of animation, a cel is a transparent sheet on which objects and characters are drawn. In the first half of the 20th century the sheet was actually made of celluloid, giving the “cel” its name.

9. “No Spin Zone” newsman O’REILLY
Bill O’Reilly is best known as the host of “The O’Reilly Factor” on the Fox News Channel. O’Reilly’s positions are very much on the right side of the political spectrum, with at least one notable exception, his opposition to the death penalty. He suggests that convicted murderers should be locked up without the possibility of parole, in a military prison with forced labor for eight hours a day.

10. Enterprise helmsman, to Kirk MR SULU
Mr Sulu was played by George Takei in the original “Star Trek” series. Takei has played lots of roles over the years, and is still very active in television. Did you know that he appeared in the 1963 film, “Pt-109”? He played the helmsman steering the Japanese destroyer that ran down John F. Kennedy’s motor torpedo boat.

11. “Hey hey hey!” toon FAT ALBERT
Fat Albert is a character who was created by comedian Bill Cosby. The character starred in an animated television series called “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids” that originally aired from 1972 to 1085. Fat Albert was voiced by Bill Cosby himself, and his catchphrase was “hey hey hey!”

12. Gross subj.? ANAT
“Gross anatomy” is a the study of anatomical structures that can be observed with the naked eye. Other branches of anatomy are embryology (the anatomy of embryos) and neuroanatomy (the anatomy of the nervous system).

18. Counting word in a rhyme EENIE

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,
Catch the tiger/monkey/baby by the toe.
If it hollers/screams let him go,
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, you are it!

25. Med. condition with repetitive behavior OCD
Apparently obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is the fourth most commonly diagnosed mental disorder, making it about as common as asthma.

29. Fair-hiring initials EOE
Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE)

32. Long-range nuke ICBM
An Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with the range necessary to cross between continents. Being ballistic (as opposed to a cruise missile) an ICBM is guided during the initial launch phase, but later in flight just relies on thrust and gravity to arrive at its target. It is defined as intercontinental as it has a range greater than 3,500 miles. ICBMs are really only used for delivering nuclear warheads. Scary stuff …

33. Rani’s wrap SARI
“Raja” (also “rajah”) is word derived from Sanskrit that is used particularly in India for a monarch or princely ruler. The female form is “rani” (also “ranee”) and is used for a raja’s wife.

34. Deadlock STALEMATE
“Stalemate” is a term used in chess when one player (who is not in check) cannot make a legal move. A game of chess with a stalemate is declared a draw. We use the term metaphorically for a no-win situation in general.

38. Aboveground trains ELS
Elevated railroad (EL)

42. Go wild RUN AMOK
The phrase “to run amok” (sometimes “to run amuck”) has been around since the 1670s and is derived from the Malay word for “attacking furiously”, “amuk”. The word “amok” was also used as a noun to describe Malay natives who were “frenzied”. Given Malaya’s troubled history, the natives probably had good reason for that frenzy …

43. Ft. Worth campus TCU
Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private school in Fort Worth, Texas. TCU used to be called AddRan Male & Female, named after an AddRan Clark, the son of Addison Clark who died at the age of 3-years-old from diphtheria. Poor young AddRan was named after his father and his brother, Addison and Randolph.

44. Queen of __: noted visitor of King Solomon SHEBA
Sheba is referenced in the Bible several times. The “Queen of Sheba” is mentioned as someone who traveled to Jerusalem to behold the fame of King Solomon. No one knows for sure where the kingdom of Sheba was located, although there is evidence that it was actually the ancient Semitic civilization of Saba. The Sabeans lived in what today is Yemen, on the Arabian Peninsula.

46. Copenhagen coins KRONER
“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.

Copenhagen is the largest city and the capital of Denmark. I have never visited Copenhagen, but I hear it is a wonderful metropolis with a marvelous quality of life. The city is also very environmentally friendly, with over a third of its population commuting to work by bicycle.

50. Cry to a prima donna BRAVA
To express appreciation for a male performer at an operatic performance, traditionally one calls out “bravo!”. Appreciation for a female performer is shown by using “brava!”, and for more than one performer by using “bravi!”

54. Albany-to-Buffalo canal ERIE
The Erie Canal runs from Albany to Buffalo in the state of New York. What the canal does is allow shipping to proceed from New York Harbor right up the Hudson River, through the canal and into the Great Lakes. When it was opened in 1825, the Erie Canal had immediate impact on the economy of New York City and locations along its route. It was the first means of “cheap” transportation from a port on the Atlantic seaboard into the interior of the United States. Arguably it was the most important factor contributing to the growth of New York City over competing ports such as Baltimore and Philadelphia. It was largely because of the Erie Canal that New York became such an economic powerhouse, earning it the nickname of “the Empire State”. Paradoxically, one of the project’s main proponents was severely criticized. New York Governor DeWitt Clinton received so much ridicule that the canal was nicknamed “Clinton’s Folly” and “Clinton’s Ditch”.

56. Spirited style ELAN
Our word “élan” was imported from French, in which language the word has a similar meaning to ours, i.e “style” or “flair”.

61. MD and ME, e.g. STS
Maryland (MD) and Maine (ME) are states (sts.)

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Request an ID from CARD
5. Classic milk flavoring BOSCO
10. Degs. for choreographers MFAS
14. Yours, to Yves A TOI
15. One making a leaf pile RAKER
16. Wild speech RANT
17. Key collection of records MASTER FILE
19. Command to Fido STAY
20. Trophy PRIZE
21. Slyly suggest INSINUATE
23. Religious offense SIN
24. Common “terrible twos” responses NOS
26. Quiet time LULL
27. Canadian crooner with four Grammys MICHAEL BUBLE
32. Came out with ISSUED
35. Protein-rich beans SOYS
36. Sushi fish EEL
37. Scratching post users CATS
38. Peeper EYE
39. “Divergent” heroine __ Prior TRIS
40. Uplifting wear BRA
41. Oil magnate Halliburton ERLE
43. Feared African fly TSETSE
45. Telltale white line MILK MUSTACHE
48. Home to Sean O’Casey ERIN
49. Take to court SUE
50. Buzzy body BEE
53. Aspiring rock star’s submissions DEMO TAPES
57. Mineral used in water softening BORAX
59. Dr. Seuss’ “If __ the Circus” I RAN
60. Not even close to an agreement … or, literally, what 17-, 27- and 45-Across have in common MILES APART
62. Like some beers LITE
63. Visually teasing genre OP ART
64. Continuously EVER
65. Creepy look LEER
66. Smallville family KENTS
67. Zilch NADA

Down
1. Tent sites CAMPS
2. Centipede video game creator ATARI
3. Pitcher’s gripping aid ROSIN
4. Ding-a-ling DITZ
5. “Close the window!” BRR!
6. Like a boor OAFISH
7. Crispy fried chicken part SKIN
8. Cartoon collectibles CELS
9. “No Spin Zone” newsman O’REILLY
10. Enterprise helmsman, to Kirk MR SULU
11. “Hey hey hey!” toon FAT ALBERT
12. Gross subj.? ANAT
13. 38-Across sore STYE
18. Counting word in a rhyme EENIE
22. Well-worn pencils NUBS
25. Med. condition with repetitive behavior OCD
27. Conservatory subj. MUS
28. So far AS YET
29. Fair-hiring initials EOE
30. Flowery rings LEIS
31. Ultimatum ender ELSE
32. Long-range nuke ICBM
33. Rani’s wrap SARI
34. Deadlock STALEMATE
38. Aboveground trains ELS
39. Golf gadget TEE
41. Exude EMIT
42. Go wild RUN AMOK
43. Ft. Worth campus TCU
44. Queen of __: noted visitor of King Solomon SHEBA
46. Copenhagen coins KRONER
47. State as fact ASSERT
50. Cry to a prima donna BRAVA
51. Dog-__: folded at the corner EARED
52. Spare EXTRA
53. Pickle herb DILL
54. Albany-to-Buffalo canal ERIE
55. Water carrier PIPE
56. Spirited style ELAN
58. Major tennis event OPEN
61. MD and ME, e.g. STS

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6 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 15 Apr 15, Wednesday”

  1. Easy. But, when I was done, I said, "Who is FATAL BERT?" No, that's FAT ALBERT. Kinda surprised Cosby is even mentioned, nowadays. Well, guilty until proven.

  2. Hii Sfingi – Your "FATAL BERT" made me think of the SNL "Celebrity Jeopardy" skits in which the Sean Connery character took categories like "Therapists" and turned it into "Alex, I'll take the "rapists" for $100" or "Album covers" he turned into "Anal Bum covers"

  3. That second one should have said "An Album Cover" and he said "Anal Bum Cover" (sorry for messing up the joke so badly)

  4. FAT ALBERT was my first answer. Sometimes I'll just see a clue that pops out at me instead of starting from 1A. Seems the creator's career is FATAL.
    Took a long time to see MILK MUSTACHE!

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