LA Times Crossword Answers 27 Jul 15, Monday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: C.W. Stewart
THEME: Parts of Lamps … each of today’s themed answers ends with a part of a LAMP:

36A. Reading aids, whose parts include the ends of 17-, 23-, 45- and 57- Across LAMPS

17A. Dutch bloom-to-be TULIP BULB
23A. Supply for a knotting craft MACRAME CORD
45A. Blind alternative WINDOW SHADE
57A. Pelvic opening HIP SOCKET

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 6m 24s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Lickety-split FAST
“Lickety-split” is the latest in a line of terms that derived from the word “lick”, which was used in the sense of a “fast sprint in a race” back in the early 1800s. From “lick” there evolved “licketie”, “lickety-click”, “lickety-cut” and finally “lickety-split”, all just colorful ways to say “fast”.

5. Highlander SCOT
The Scottish Highlands are that part of the country that is not classified as the Lowlands. The Highlands make up the north and west of Scotland.

14. Purim month ADAR
Adar is the twelfth month of the Hebrew ecclesiastical calendar. Ada is equivalent to February-March in the Gregorian calendar.

17. Dutch bloom-to-be TULIP BULB
We usually associate the cultivation of tulips with the Netherlands, but they were first grown commercially in the Ottoman Empire. The name “tulip” ultimately derives from the Ottoman Turkish word “tulbend” which means “muslin, gauze”.

21. Orbital high point APOGEE
In the celestial world, an apsis is a point in an orbit when the orbiting body is at its greatest, or least, distance from it’s center of orbit. The farthest and closest points of orbit are known as the apogee and perigee, when talking about bodies orbiting the Earth. The farthest and closest points for bodies orbiting the sun are known as the aphelion and perihelion.

23. Supply for a knotting craft MACRAME CORD
Macramé is a way to make cloth that uses a knotting technique rather than weaving or knitting. Macramé was popularised at sea, where sailors would decorate the likes of knife handles, bottles and even parts of the ship.

26. Venial or mortal lapse SIN
In some Christian denominations, sins can be either venial or mortal in terms of severity, with mortal sins being the more grievous.

35. Ballpoints PENS
The ballpoint pen was invented by László Bíró in the late thirties, a Hungarian newspaper editor. Over in Ireland we use the term “biro” as a generic word for “ballpoint pen”.

41. Passover feast SEDER
The Passover Seder is a ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish Passover holiday, celebrating the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. One of the traditions at the meal is that the youngest child at the table asks “The Four Questions”, all relating to why this night is different from all other nights in the year:

– Why is it that on all other nights during the year we eat either bread or matzoh, but on this night we eat only matzoh?
– Why is it that on all other nights we eat all kinds of herbs, but on this night we eat only bitter herbs?
– Why is it that on all other nights we do not dip our herbs even once, but on this night we dip them twice?
– Why is it that on all other nights we eat either sitting or reclining, but on this night we eat in a reclining position?

42. TiVo button REC
TiVo was introduced in 1999 and was the world’s first commercially successful DVR (Digital Video Recorder).

50. PIN requester ATM
One enters a Personal Identification Number (PIN) when using an Automated Teller Machine (ATM).

56. Pie chart dividers RADII
A “pie chart” can also be referred to as a “circle graph”.

59. Nobel Peace Prize city OSLO
The Peace Prize is the most famous of the five prizes bequeathed by Alfred Nobel. The others are for Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Literature. There is also a Nobel Prize in Economics that is awarded along with the original five, but it is funded separately and is awarded “in memory of Alfred Nobel”. Four of the prizes are awarded by Swedish organizations (Alfred Nobel was a Swede) and so the award ceremonies take place in Stockholm. The Peace Prize is awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, and that award is presented in Oslo.

60. Spanish stewpot OLLA
An olla is a traditional clay pot used for the making of stews. “Olla” was the Latin word used in Ancient Rome to describe a similar type of pot.

62. WWII submachine gun STEN
The STEN gun is an iconic armament that was used by the British military. The name STEN is an acronym. The S and the T comes from the name of the gun’s designers, Shepherd and Turpin. The EN comes from the Enfield brand name, which in turn comes from the Enfield location where the guns were manufactured for the Royal Small Arms Factory, an enterprise owned by the British government.

63. Dudley Do-Right’s gal NELL
Dudley Do-Right appeared on the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, a cartoon that appeared on television in a couple of different versions from 1959-1964. Dudley was a bungling Mountie who struggled with his nemesis, the evil Snidely Whiplash, while pursuing the romantic intentions of Nell Fenwick (who always seemed to prefer Dudley’s horse!).

Down
1. 1980 Dom DeLuise film FATSO
“Fatso” is a 1980 comedy film starring Dom DeLuise as an overweight guy who starts trying to lose weight when his obese cousin passes away at only 39 years of age. Anne Bancroft plays the sister of DeLuise’s character, and she also directed the film and wrote the screenplay.

Dom DeLuise was a talented comic actor, but also an avid cook. DeLuise wrote several books on cooking and appeared regularly on radio cooking shows. He also wrote a few children’s books.

4. Chicago paper, familiarly TRIB
“The Chicago Tribune” was first published in 1847. The most famous edition of “The Trib” was probably in 1948 when the headline was “DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN”, on the occasion of that year’s presidential election. When it turned out Truman had actually won, the victor picked up the paper with the erroneous headline and posed for photographs with it … a famous, famous photo, that must have stuck in the craw of the editor at the time.

5. Native Israelis SABRAS
Jewish people born in the State of Israel, or the historical region of israel, are known as Sabras. “Sabra” is actually the name of the prickly pear, the thorny desert cactus. Apparently the name “Sabra” is used because someone born in the region is said to be tough on the outside and sweet on the inside, just like a prickly pear.

6. Pretzel-eating sound CRUNCH
Pretzels originated in Europe and are especially popular in Southern Germany where a pretzel is known as “Brezel”. Pretzels were introduced into the US in the 1800s by immigrants from Germany and Switzerland who came to be known over here as the Pennsylvania Dutch.

7. Persian Gulf ship OILER
An “oiler” is an oil tanker, an ocean-going vessel used to transport crude oil.

The Persian Gulf is in effect an inland sea although it technically is an offshoot of the Indian Ocean. The outlet from the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean is one of the most famous maritime “choke points” in the world: the Strait of Hormuz. About 20% of the world’s supply of petroleum passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

10. Formed for a specific purpose AD HOC
The Latin phrase “ad hoc” means “for this purpose”.

11. Insect stage IMAGO
The imago is an intermediate stage in the development of an insect. All four stages are embryo, larva, pupa and imago.

18. Pears, e.g. POMES
The Latin word for “fruit” is “pomum”, which gives us the botanical term “pome” that is used for a group of fleshy fruits, including apples and pears.

24. “Stat!” relative ASAP
As soon as possible (ASAP)

The exact etymology of “stat”, a term meaning “immediately” in the medical profession, seems to have been lost in the mists of time. It probably comes from the Latin “statim” meaning “to a standstill, immediately”. A blog reader has helpfully suggested that the term may also come from the world of laboratory analysis, where the acronym STAT stands for “short turn-around time”.

25. Eucharist celebration MASS
In the Roman Catholic Church, the Eucharist is the celebration of Mass.

The principal act of worship in the Roman Catholic tradition is the Mass. The term “Mass” comes from the Late Latin word “missa” meaning “dismissal”. This word is used at the end of the Latin Mass in “Ite, missa est” which translates literally as “Go, it is the dismissal”.

29. State Farm business: Abbr. INS
State Farm started out in 1922 as an auto insurance company specializing in providing insurance for farmers, hence the name. That jingle the company uses, “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there”, was written in 1971 by Barry Manilow.

30. Prime meridian hrs. GMT
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is the time at the Prime Meridian, the meridian that runs through Greenwich in London.

A meridian is a line of longitude, and the Prime Meridian is that line of longitude defined as 0 degrees. The Prime Meridian is also called the Greenwich Meridian as it passes through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich in southeast London. Of course the line of longitude that is used to represent 0 degrees is an arbitrary decision. 25 nations formally decided in 1884 to use the Greenwich Meridian as 0 degrees as it was already a popular choice. That is all except the French, who abstained from the vote and used the Paris Meridian as 0 degrees on French charts for several decades.

33. Churchillian sign VEE
One has to be careful making that V-sign depending where you are in the world. Where I came from, the V for victory (or peace) sign has to be made with the palm facing outwards. If the sign is made with the palm facing inwards, it can be interpreted as a very obscene gesture.

Soon after Winston Churchill took over as Prime Minister of the UK in 1940, he delivered some stirring speeches that rallied the country in the face of German victories right across Europe. The first of these was his “Blood, toil, tears, and sweat” speech as he reported the formation of a new coalition government designed to unite the country in time of war. The second was his “We shall fight on the beaches” speech, as he reported the successful evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk. The third speech concluded with, “This was their finest hour”, words delivered to Parliament just as France fell, and Churchill pledged that the British Commonwealth would fight on, alone if necessary. The last lines of this third speech, from this magnificent orator, were:

… But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new dark age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves, that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, ‘This was their finest hour’.

36. Longtime theater chain LOEWS
Loews Theatres was a chain of movie theaters founded in 1904 by Marcus Loew and Brantford Schwartz. The chain merged with AMC Theaters in 2006.

41. Dictation taker STENO
Stenography is the process of writing in shorthand. The term comes from the Greek “steno” (narrow) and “graphe” (writing).

44. Prolific inventor EDISON
Thomas Alva Edison was nicknamed “The Wizard of Menlo Park” by a newspaper reporter, a name that stuck. He was indeed a wizard, in the sense that he was such a prolific inventor. The Menlo Park part of the moniker recognizes the location of his first research lab, in Menlo Park, New Jersey. Edison had 1,093 patents in his name in the US, and 2,332 patents worldwide.

45. Sausage served with kraut WURST
“Wurst” is simply a German word for “sausage”.

“Sauerkraut” translates from German as “sour herb” or “sour cabbage”. During WWI, sauerkraut producers changes its name in order to distance their product from the “enemy”. They called it “Liberty cabbage”.

47. Low point NADIR
The nadir is the direction pointing immediately below a particular location (through to the other side of the Earth for example). The opposite direction, that pointing immediately above, is called the zenith.

48. Faucet woes DRIPS
Here’s another word I had to learn to use when I moved to the US. The common “faucet” in an American house is almost always referred to as a “tap” on the other side of the pond.

51. Immune system agent T CELL
T cells are a group of white blood cells that are essential components of the body’s immune system. T cells are so called because they mature in the thymus, a specialized organ found in the chest.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Lickety-split FAST
5. Highlander SCOT
9. They may be split by quibblers HAIRS
14. Purim month ADAR
15. Opera highlight ARIA
16. Let in ADMIT
17. Dutch bloom-to-be TULIP BULB
19. Stage of development PHASE
20. Carried by the tides SEABORNE
21. Orbital high point APOGEE
22. From the past OLD
23. Supply for a knotting craft MACRAME CORD
25. Fit together nicely MESH
26. Venial or mortal lapse SIN
27. Assumed name ALIAS
30. Pilot light site GAS STOVE
35. Ballpoints PENS
36. Reading aids, whose parts include the ends of 17-, 23-, 45- and 57- Across LAMPS
38. Thinker’s output IDEA
39. Travel document PASSPORT
41. Passover feast SEDER
42. TiVo button REC
43. Complete collections SETS
45. Blind alternative WINDOW SHADE
50. PIN requester ATM
53. Takes weapons from UNARMS
54. High repute EMINENCE
56. Pie chart dividers RADII
57. Pelvic opening HIP SOCKET
58. Cuts with scissors SNIPS
59. Nobel Peace Prize city OSLO
60. Spanish stewpot OLLA
61. To the point TERSE
62. WWII submachine gun STEN
63. Dudley Do-Right’s gal NELL

Down
1. 1980 Dom DeLuise film FATSO
2. “I challenge you to __!” A DUEL
3. Veggies and such from a bar SALAD
4. Chicago paper, familiarly TRIB
5. Native Israelis SABRAS
6. Pretzel-eating sound CRUNCH
7. Persian Gulf ship OILER
8. File folder projection TAB
9. “It just so __ that … ” HAPPENS
10. Formed for a specific purpose AD HOC
11. Insect stage IMAGO
12. Early __: morning person RISER
13. High-spirited mount STEED
18. Pears, e.g. POMES
21. Slightly off AMISS
24. “Stat!” relative ASAP
25. Eucharist celebration MASS
27. iPhone download APP
28. Grazing land LEA
29. State Farm business: Abbr. INS
30. Prime meridian hrs. GMT
31. Knotted neckwear TIES
32. Like a single sock ODD
33. Churchillian sign VEE
34. Place for a stud or hoop EAR
36. Longtime theater chain LOEWS
37. Circle segments ARCS
40. “Cross your heart?” PROMISE?
41. Dictation taker STENO
43. Freebie from a sales rep SAMPLE
44. Prolific inventor EDISON
45. Sausage served with kraut WURST
46. Absurd INANE
47. Low point NADIR
48. Faucet woes DRIPS
49. Event in a caper movie HEIST
50. Spot for a concealed holster ANKLE
51. Immune system agent T CELL
52. Heavy __: music genre METAL
55. Supply-and-demand subj. ECON
57. Sounds from Santa HOS

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5 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 27 Jul 15, Monday”

  1. Done fairly quickly, zero errors. If I think of it, I ought to time myself on the early week grids like this one just to see where it's landing (though it'll be longer than most because I'm using pen and paper – unaided more or less).

  2. I wrassled with this grid for :11. Finally clean, but I felt like Cliff Barnes was trying to take over one of my oil wells at Southfork. 😀

    And thanks to Bill for the theme reveal, 'cause it totally escaped me. Sheesh!

  3. Did the puzzle. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Lots of fun, and easy. Enjoyed your blog, immensely, Bill. Hope you are both having a great time and getting the much needed tan. Although, I'm sure its a working vacation… what with the blog(s) and all.

    Small nit. 'Imago' – A new word for me. Your blog says it's an 'intermediate' stage of the insect life. But the end of the sentence indicates that its the last, or 'end' stage – unless death is also considered a 'stage' ….

    Regarding Tulip. I had no idea, it was originally turkish. I read that tulbend in Turkey also means turban,( which the tulip is supposed to represent ?). If I may speculate, the word tulbend could have meant that the muslin cloth was probably, or may have been used, as a gauze or bandage for a wound etc., thus to 'close, or hold back' the blood(?).

    Thus the suffix 'bend' or (bund) would mean 'to close or closed ' – as it is in Hindi. Thus 'cummerbund' – cummer = waist, bund = close…. a sash worn around the waist, in formal clothing. A bund, in India, is also used to indicate a small dam built to hold back water, like a dike/dyke/weir , to prevent (monsoon – ) flooding of towns etc. A Bandh, ( pronounced bun-dh) is a political protest intended to close all shops and businesses in an area of the city to protest some government policy.

    Have a nice week, all.

  4. Hey folks! Nice Monday puzzle. I got stuck in the SE for a minute, putting CHASE instead of HEIST.
    @Anonymous–I also noticed UNARM, thought "disarm" would be better, then decided UNARM was okay, since "disarm" is used in lighter contexts, as in "She disarmed with her charm." 😀
    Thanks Bill for continuing to solve & post, and for generally keeping us in line!

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