LA Times Crossword Answers 2 Jul 15, Thursday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Robert E. Lee Morris
THEME: Lemon Twist … each of today’s themed answers contains an anagram of LEMON, i.e. LEMON TWISTS:

61A. Cocktail garnish, and a hint to letters hidden in the answers to starred clues LEMON TWIST

17A. *Serious swearing SOLEMN OATH
24A. *Hunt’s rival DEL MONTE
37A. *Brunch choice WESTERN OMELET
51A. *Camera attachment ZOOM LENS

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 9m 22s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. “Elementary” network CBS
CBS used to be called the Columbia Broadcasting System. CBS is the second largest broadcaster in the world, second only to the BBC in the UK. CBS introduced its “eye” logo in 1951.

If you’ve seen the American television show “Elementary”, you will know that it is an adaptation of the classic tales by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that are set in the present day. “Elementary” is similar in look and feel to the excellent BBC series “Sherlock”, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as a modern-day Holmes. We can pick up “Sherlock” in some parts of the country as part of “Masterpiece Mystery” on PBS.

4. Eponymous obstetrician Fernand LAMAZE
The Lamaze technique for childbirth was developed by a French obstetrician called Fernand Lamaze. He introduced the technique in the west after observing similar practices in the Soviet Union during a visit there in 1951.

14. __ provençale A LA
A dish that is prepared “à la provençale” features ingredients commonly used in Provençe in the South of France. Such dishes typically incorporate tomatoes, onions, garlic and olives.

19. Banded gemstone ONYX
Onyx is a form of banded quartz that comes in many different shades, but most often it’s the black version that’s used for jewelry. The name “onyx” comes from the Greek word for “fingernail”, as onyx in the flesh color is said to resemble a fingernail.

24. *Hunt’s rival DEL MONTE
Del Monte Foods is headquartered just down the road here, in San Francisco. The company’s roots go back to 1886 when a foods distributor in Oakland used the name Del Monte on a premium blend of coffee, specially prepared for the Hotel Del Monte on the Monterey peninsula.

The Hunt’s brand of tomato-based products started out as the Hunt Bros. Fruit Packing Co. back in 1888. The company was founded by brothers Joseph and William Hunt in Sebastopol, California.

31. Former Honda model CR-X
The CR-X is a sports compact car that was built by Honda from 1983 to 1991. The CR-X is sister model to the Honda Civic, with the name “CR-X” standing for “Civic Renaissance Model X”.

32. Honda division ACURA
Acura is a division of the Honda Motor Company, their luxury brand. As an aside, Infiniti is the equivalent luxury brand for the Nissan Motor Company, and Lexus is the more luxurious version of Toyota’s models.

37. *Brunch choice WESTERN OMELET
A Western omelet (or omelette) is also known as a Southwest or Denver omelet. The usual ingredients include diced ham, onions and green bell peppers.

53. Hip bones ILIA
The sacrum and the two ilia are three bones in the human pelvis.

54. Modern detective fiction pioneer POE
Edgar Allan Poe lived a life of many firsts. Poe is considered to be the inventor of the detective-fiction genre. He was also the first notable American author to make his living through his writing, something that didn’t really go too well for him as he was always financially strapped. In 1849 he was found on the streets of Baltimore, delirious from either drugs or alcohol. Poe died a few days later in hospital at 39 years of age.

64. Managing ed.’s concern CIRC
A newspaper’s sales figures are referred to as its circulation (circ.).

65. List closing ET ALIA
Et alii (et al.) is the equivalent of et cetera (etc.), with et cetera being used in place of a list of objects, and et alii used for a list of names. In fact “et al.” can stand for et alii (for a group of males, or males and females), aliae (for a group of women) and et alia (for a group of neuter nouns, or for a group of people where the intent is to retain gender-neutrality).

66. Burns negative NAE
Robert Burns is a cultural icon in Scotland and for Scots around the world. As a poet, Burns was a pioneer in the Romantic movement in the second half of the 18th century. One of his most famous works is the poem “Auld Lang Syne”, which has been set to the tune of a traditional Scottish folk song and is used to celebrate the New Year in the English-speaking world.

68. Webster’s shelfmate ROGET’S
Peter Mark Roget was an English lexicographer. Roget was an avid maker of lists, apparently using the routine of list-making to combat depression, a condition he endured for most of his life. He published his famous thesaurus in 1852, with revisions and expansions being made years later by his son, and then in turn by his grandson.

Down
1. Longtime maker of convertibles CASTRO
The modern convertible couch, seating that converts into a bed, was invented by Italian immigrant Bernard Castro in the 1930s. He founded a chain of retail stores to sell his invention, calling it “Castro Convertibles”. Castro created other convertible furniture items, including the “Scotch n Sofa” that converted from a sofa into a bar!

5. Actress Heche ANNE
My favorite movie starring the actress Anne Heche is “Six Days Seven Nights”, a romantic comedy in which she plays opposite Harrison Ford. Heche is noted for her difficult private life. She wrote that her father had molested her as a child and gave her a sexually transmitted disease (he later revealed that he was homosexual, and died of AIDS). Heche dated comedian Steve Martin for two years, and then lived with comedian Ellen DeGeneres for three. Soon after breaking up with DeGeneres, she started exhibiting eccentric behavior for a while, claiming that she was the daughter of God, and that she would take everyone back to heaven in her spaceship. Happily, I think things have calmed down for her in recent years.

7. Santa __ ANA
Santa Ana is the county seat of Orange County, California and takes its name from the Santa Ana River that runs through the city.

8. Proactiv target ZIT
Proactiv is an over-the-counter medication that is applied as a treatment for acne. Proactiv’s active ingredient is benzoyl peroxide.

9. Great-aunt of Drew ETHEL
Ethel Barrymore was one of the famous Barrymore family of actors. Ethel was the sister of John and Lionel Barrymore. Ethel was a close friend of Winston Churchill, and some even say that Winston proposed marriage to her.

Drew Barrymore has quite the pedigree, being a granddaughter of Hollywood icon John Barrymore. She appeared in her first movie at the age of five, in 1980’s “Altered States”, but her big break was in 1982’s “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”. That same year she became the youngest host of “Saturday Night Live” at the age of seven. She has been invited back to host the show quite a few times and has now hosted six times, more than any other female celebrity.

11. John, in Scotland IAN
The name “John” translates into Scottish as “Ian”, and into Irish as “Seán”.

13. Bewitch HEX
“Hexen” is a German word meaning “to practice witchcraft”. The use of the word “hex” in English started with the Pennsylvania Dutch in the early 1800s.

18. MIT grad, often ENGR
There is a fun section of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) website called “Ask an Engineer” that lists answers given by MIT staff to all sorts of questions submitted by visitors to the site. There you can learn how birds can sit on high voltage power lines without getting electrocuted, and how to detect a car’s keyless remote if it is lost.

22. Doctor’s org. AMA
American Medical Association (AMA)

26. Like Botticelli’s Venus NUDE
Sandro Botticelli was a painter of the Early Renaissance belonging to the Florentine school. Perhaps his best known work is “The Birth of Venus”, painted about 1486, which can be seen in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

30. Rental ad abbr. APT
Apartment (apt.)

31. “Habanera” singer CARMEN
When Georges Bizet wrote his famous opera “Carmen”, he used the melody of what he thought was an old folk song as a theme in the lovely aria “the Habanera”. Not long after he finished “Carmen” he discovered that the folk song was in fact a piece that had been written by another composer, who had died just ten years before “Carmen” was published. Fittingly, Bizet added a note to the score, declaring the original source.

34. Jeans giant LEE
The Lee company famous for making jeans was formed in 1889, by one Henry David Lee in Salina, Kansas.

35. “Wow!” in texts OMG
OMG is text-speak for Oh My Gosh! Oh My Goodness! or any other G words you might think of …

37. Skid row regular WINO
The term “skid row” is used to describe a run-down urban neighborhood. “Skid row” appears to have originated in the Pacific Northwest where a “skid road” was a wooden pathway used for “skidding” logs through forests and over bogs. The terms “skid road” and “skid row” came to be used for logging camps and mills, and then somehow was applied to run-down areas in cities up and down the west coast of North America.

38. Plasm lead-in ECTO-
The endoplasm is the inner part of a cell’s cytoplasm, and the ectoplasm is the outer part.

39. Statute opposed by the Sons of Liberty STAMP ACT
A “stamp act” is a law requiring that taxes be paid when certain documents are “stamped” to make them legal. Such taxes are known as “stamp duty”. The infamous Stamp Act of 1765 was a tax imposed by Britain on the American colonies. The colonies famously rejected the Act declaring “No Taxation without Representation”, and the disagreement became a significant factor in the decision to declare independence.

The Sons of Liberty was a secret organization in Colonial America that opposed the imposition of local taxes by the British. The group embraced the watchword at the time. “No Taxation with Representation”. The most famous act of rebellion by the Sons of Liberty was 1773’s Boston Tea Party. The list of notable members of the organization includes John Adams, Benedict Arnold, Samuel Adams, John Hancock and Paul Revere.

41. Dairy dept. quantity DOZ
Our word “dozen” is used for a group of twelve. We imported it into English from Old French. The modern French word for twelve is “douze”, and a dozen is “douzaine”.

44. Mideast initials PLO
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was founded in 1964. The PLO’s early stated goal was the liberation of Palestine, with Palestine defined as the geographic entity that existed under the terms of the British Mandate granted by the League of Nations back in 1923. The PLO was granted observer status (i.e. no voting rights) at the United Nations in 1974.

48. “Airplane!” heroine ELAINE
The 1980 movie “Airplane!” has to be one of the zaniest comedies ever made. The lead roles were Ted Striker (played by Robert Hays) and Elaine Dickinson (played by Julie Hagerty). But it was Leslie Nielsen who stole the show, playing Dr. Barry Rumack. That’s my own humble opinion of course …

49. Xterra maker NISSAN
The Xterra is a compact SUV built in Smyrna, Tennessee (and in Brazil).

50. Covered in ink, with “up” TATTED
The word “tattoo” (often shortened to “tat”) was first used in English in the writings of the famous English explorer Captain Cook. In his descriptions of the indelible marks adorning the skin of Polynesian natives, Cook anglicized the Tahitian word “tatau” into our “tattoo”.

52. Conger catcher EELER
Conger eels can grow to be very, very large, perhaps up to 10 feet in length.

55. Former North Carolina senator Elizabeth DOLE
Elizabeth Dole is a former US Senator for North Carolina who also served as Secretary of Transportation in the Reagan Administration, and as Secretary of Labor in the George H. W. Bush Administration. Dole was president of the American Red Cross from 1991 until 1999, before resigning to make an unsuccessful bid for Republican nomination in the US presidential election of 2000. She is married to the 1996 Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole.

58. Solitaire base card ACE
I think that a single-player card game is usually called Solitaire in the US whereas we use the name “Patience” back in Ireland.

59. Four times a day, in an Rx QID
“Ter in die” is Latin for “three times a day”, abbreviated to “TID”. “Bis in die” (BID) would be twice a day, and “quater in die” (QID) would be four times a day.

60. Ocean State sch. URI
The University of Rhode Island (URI) was first chartered as an agricultural school, back in 1888. URI’s main campus today is located in the village of Kingston.

Rhode Island is the smallest state in the union, but is the second most densely populated. (after New Jersey). Rhode Island is known as the Ocean State, largely because about 14% of the state’s area is made up of ocean bays and inlets. Exactly how Rhode Island got its name is a little unclear. What is known is that way back in 1524, long before the Pilgrims came to New England, the Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano likened an island in the area to the Island of Rhodes in the Mediterranean. There were subsequent references to “Rhode Island” in English publications, before the colonists arrived.

62. WWII arena ETO
General Dwight D. Eisenhower (DDE) was in command of the European Theater of Operations (ETO) during WWII.

63. GQ, e.g., briefly MAG
The Men’s magazine known today as “GQ” used to be titled “Gentlemen’s Quarterly”, and before that was called “Apparel Arts” when it was launched in 1931.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. “Elementary” network CBS
4. Eponymous obstetrician Fernand LAMAZE
10. “Oh, go on!” PISH!
14. __ provençale A LA
15. Part of the plot IN ON IT
16. Gardening tool RAKE
17. *Serious swearing SOLEMN OATH
19. Banded gemstone ONYX
20. Dorm room item TWIN BED
21. Really trouble, with “at” EAT
23. Help on the way up RUNG
24. *Hunt’s rival DEL MONTE
29. 31-Down, for one OPERA
31. Former Honda model CR-X
32. Honda division ACURA
33. Perform for PLAY TO
36. Target of some sprays ODOR
37. *Brunch choice WESTERN OMELET
41. Ref. book DICT
42. Come to light EMERGE
43. Not from a bottle ON TAP
45. Expected amt. of repairs EST
46. It may be blessed EVENT
51. *Camera attachment ZOOM LENS
53. Hip bones ILIA
54. Modern detective fiction pioneer POE
55. Captain’s heading DUE EAST
58. Shade similar to bright turquoise AQUA
61. Cocktail garnish, and a hint to letters hidden in the answers to starred clues LEMON TWIST
64. Managing ed.’s concern CIRC
65. List closing ET ALIA
66. Burns negative NAE
67. Adjust for space, say EDIT
68. Webster’s shelfmate ROGET’S
69. Come to a conclusion END

Down
1. Longtime maker of convertibles CASTRO
2. Have a tantrum BLOW UP
3. Solution for contacts SALINE
4. Trunk projection LIMB
5. Actress Heche ANNE
6. Attitude MOOD
7. Santa __ ANA
8. Proactiv target ZIT
9. Great-aunt of Drew ETHEL
10. Diplomatic code PROTOCOL
11. John, in Scotland IAN
12. __ blue SKY
13. Bewitch HEX
18. MIT grad, often ENGR
22. Doctor’s org. AMA
24. Sarcastic quality DRYNESS
25. Use a threat to get EXTORT
26. Like Botticelli’s Venus NUDE
27. Easy pace TROT
28. Place for a plug EAR
30. Rental ad abbr. APT
31. “Habanera” singer CARMEN
34. Jeans giant LEE
35. “Wow!” in texts OMG
37. Skid row regular WINO
38. Plasm lead-in ECTO-
39. Statute opposed by the Sons of Liberty STAMP ACT
40. Wide size EEE
41. Dairy dept. quantity DOZ
44. Mideast initials PLO
47. Mountaintop allure VIEW
48. “Airplane!” heroine ELAINE
49. Xterra maker NISSAN
50. Covered in ink, with “up” TATTED
52. Conger catcher EELER
55. Former North Carolina senator Elizabeth DOLE
56. Cohesive group UNIT
57. Cockpit announcements, briefly ETAS
58. Solitaire base card ACE
59. Four times a day, in an Rx QID
60. Ocean State sch. URI
62. WWII arena ETO
63. GQ, e.g., briefly MAG

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5 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 2 Jul 15, Thursday”

  1. Interesting puzzle. Mainly because I actually finished it (1 error, 2 lookups – *), but a number of good things to learn out of this one. Still the weird crosswordese (18-Down, 41-Across, 64-Across, 62-Down, among others), but kept to more of a minimum than yesterday.

    I think the highlight of Airplane! for me always has to be Barbara Billingsley speaking jive on the plane – that scene made more for who she was than actually doing it.

    *- When I finish these rare ones, I always have to ask if it happened to be easier or if I'm getting better.

  2. Took me a normal Thursday time to finish, but it sure felt longer. I started slowly, but ZIT got me LAMAZE. LAMAZE got me the rest of the NW and the rest of the puzzle fell into place after that.

    Are you sure that Patience isn't also the word used for crosswords in addition to solitaire??

    The backup catcher for the Houston Astros is a guy named Hank Conger. So I was taken aback a bit when I saw the clue for 52D – Conger catcher…..

    Best –

  3. I must have gone back and stared at the answer I put in for 1 Down "Castro" for long time maker of convertibles at least 10 times trying to figure out if I went wrong somewhere. Finally came to Bill's blog and found out that was right. Phew!

    Clean, but slow, solve. Good Thursday challenge without a doubt. Friday and Saturday are shaping up to be real brainteasers if today's grid is an indication of things to come.

    Hope everyone has a good day. See you tomorrow.

  4. 50D "Covered in ink" describes my SE corner, even with my erasable gel pen.
    It didn't help that I put down LEMON WEDGE.
    INONIT? Duh, IN ON IT
    The NW took the longest.
    WESTERN OMELETTE is making me hungry!

  5. Theme was of little help in solving, but what the heck. It took me years to figure out that most of the actors in Airplane! parodied themselves. June Cleaver included. I've seen that flick so many times, if I want to see it again, I just play it in my mind.

    Back pain flaring up today. Need to lie down for a bit. Slainte.

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