Frequently Asked Question: Why isn’t the puzzle in my paper the same as the one shown on your blog?
If the puzzle in your paper doesn’t match the one that I solved, it is probably a Sunday crossword. On Sundays, the “LA Times” chooses to publish a different crossword in print, and not their own “LA Times” Crossword. The “LA Times” puzzle is still sent out in syndication, and is also published in the “LA Times” online.
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CROSSWORD SETTER: Pam Amick Klawitter
THEME: Male Bonding … each of today’s themed answers are common phrases, but with the word MAN inserted:
27A. One whose citations are always on target? QUOTATION MARKSMAN (“quotation mark” + “man”)
47A. Where go-betweens learn their craft? MIDDLEMAN SCHOOL (“middle school” + “man”)
63A. Civil civil servant? FRIENDLY FIREMAN (“friendly fire” + “man”)
74A. Show segment that included shots of New York City? LETTERMAN OPENER (“letter opener” + “man”)
94A. Work force breakdown? MANPOWER FAILURE (“power failure” + “man”)
114A. Ambiguous packing instructions? MANHANDLE WITH CARE (“handle with care” + “man”)
BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 19m 38s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0
Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across
5. Part of a familiar Latin sequence AMAS
“Amo, amas, amat: … “I love, you love, he/she/it loves”, in Latin.
14. Those girls, in Guadalajara ELLAS
Guadalajara is a populous city in the Mexican state of Jalisco. The Mexican city is named after the city of the same name in the center of Spain.
20. Riga native, e.g. BALT
The natives of modern day Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are sometimes referred to as Balts, a reference to the Baltic Sea on which the three countries lie. The term “Balt” is also used for someone who speaks one of the Baltic languages, a group of languages spoken by people mainly residing within the borders of Latvia and Lithuania, as well as in some immigrant communities around the world.
Riga is the capital city of Latvia. The historical center of Riga is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, declared as such because of the city’s magnificent examples of Art Nouveau architecture.
21. 2003 NBA Rookie of the Year Stoudemire AMARE
Amar’e Stoudemire is a professional basketball player who has played with the Phoenix Suns, the New York Knicks and the Dallas Mavericks. Stoudemire is very active off the court, and has his own clothing line, his own record label and has even written a book for children.
22. “There!” VOILA!
“Voilà” means “there it is”, and “voici” means “here it is”. The terms come from “voi là” meaning “see there” and “voi ici” meaning “see here”.
23. Demolish, in Dover RASE
To “raze” (in UK English “rase”) is to level to the ground. How odd is it that “raise”, a homophone of “raze”, means to build up??!!
Dover is a town and port in the county of Kent on the south coast of England. Dover lies just 25 miles from the coast of France, and is a terminus on the much-used Dover-Calais ferry service. The town is also famous its magnificent chalk cliffs that are known as the White Cliffs of Dover.
24. 1968 self-titled folk album ARLO
Arlo Guthrie is the son of Woody Guthrie. Both father and son are renowned for their singing of protest songs about social injustice. Arlo is most famous for his epic “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree”, a song that lasts a full 18m 34s. In the song Guthrie tells how, after being drafted, he was rejected for service in the Vietnam War based on his criminal record. He had only one incident on his public record, a Thanksgiving Day arrest for littering and being a public nuisance when he was 18-years-old.
25. Introvert LONER
The Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung popularized the terms “Introvert” and “extrovert”, although he believed that we all have introverted and extroverted sides to us. Nowadays we tend to think of extroversion and introversion as extremes on a continuum. We sad bloggers sitting at home glued to our laptops tend to the introverted end of the scale …
26. __ wrench ALLEN
The Allen wrench (or “Allen key”, as we call it back in Ireland) is a successful brand of hex wrench that was trademarked in 1943 by the Allen Manufacturing Company of Hartford , Connecticut. However, the hex wrench had in fact been around since the mid-to-late 1800s.
31. “Fore!” site TEE
No one seems to know for sure where the golfing term “fore!” comes from. It has been used at least as far back as 1881, and since then has been called out to warn other golfers that a wayward ball might be heading their way. My favorite possibility for its origin is that it is a contraction of the Gaelic warning cry “Faugh a Ballagh!” (clear the way!) which is still called out in the sport of road bowling. Road bowling is an Irish game where players bowl balls along roads between villages, trying to reach the end of the course in as few bowls as possible, just like in golf!
32. Phishing catch: Abbr. SSN
Social Security Number (SSN)
Phishing is the name given to the online practice of stealing usernames, passwords and credit card details by creating a site that deceptively looks reliable and trustworthy. Phishers often send out safe-looking emails or instant messages that direct someone to an equally safe-looking website where the person might inadvertently enter sensitive information. “Phishing” is a play on the word “fishing”, as in “fishing for passwords, PIN numbers etc.”
34. Chaucer works TALES
Geoffrey Chaucer was an English author. He is often referred to as the father of English literature because he established vernacular English as a legitimate language for artistic works, as up to that point authors used French or Latin. Chaucer’s most famous work is actually unfinished, a collection of stories called “The Canterbury Tales”, all written at the end of the 14th century.
36. Salon service PEDI
Pedicure (“pedi”)
37. D.C. team NATS
The Washington Nationals baseball team started out life as the Montreal Expos in 1969. The Expos moved to Washington in 2005 becoming the Nats. There are only two Major Leagues teams that have never played in a World Series, one being the Mariners and the other the Nats.
40. Pathfinders and such NISSANS
The Nissan Pathfinder is an SUV that is sold in Japan and the rest of the world as the Nissan Terrano.
44. Toledo homes CASAS
Toledo is a city in central Spain.
51. California city with an annual classical music festival OJAI
The city of Ojai, California is located just northwest of Los Angeles. One of the city’s claims to fame is that according to the TV shows “The Bionic Woman” and “The Six Million Dollar Man”, Jaime Sommers and Steve Austin grew up in Ojai and were childhood sweethearts!
53. __ Palmas: Canary Islands port LAS
Gran Canaria, or Grand Canary Island, may be grand but it isn’t quite as big as Tenerife, the largest island of the group and the most populated. The capital of Gran Canaria is Las Palmas, which was a port of call for Christopher Columbus in 1492 on his way to the Americas.
55. Aslan’s land NARNIA
Apparently it’s not certain how C. S. Lewis came to choose Narnia as the name of the fantasy world featured in his series of children’s books, including “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”. There was an ancient city in Umbria that the Romans called Narnia, but there is no evidence of a link.
In the C. S. Lewis series of books “The Chronicles of Narnia”, Aslan is the name of the lion character (as in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”). “Aslan” is actually the Turkish word for lion. Anyone who has read the books will recognize the the remarkable similarity between the story of Aslan and the story of Christ, including a sacrifice and resurrection.
57. Past curfew LATE
Our word “curfew” comes from an Old French word meaning “cover fire”. In medieval days a bell would be ring in the evenings as a signal to bank the hearths in preparation for sleeping. The intent was to prevent uncontrolled fires starting from fireplaces that were not tended during the night.
60. “Children of the Poor” author RIIS
Jacob Riis is famous for his photographs and newspaper articles that highlighted the plight of the impoverished in New York City. He wrote “How the Other Half Lives”, originally an extensive article that appeared in “Scribner’s Magazine” at Christmas 1889. The article had such an impact that Riis was commissioned to expand it into a book, which was published the following year.
62. Fund-raising orgs. PTAS
Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)
66. Tree in a carol PEAR
The reference is to “a partridge in a pear tree”, from “The Twelve Days of Christmas”.
The fabulous Christmas Carol called “The Twelve Days of Christmas” dates back at least to 1780 when it was first published in England, though it may be French in origin. The concept of twelve days of Christmas comes from the tradition that the three kings came to visit the Christ Child twelve days after he was born. This same tradition is the origin of the title to Shakespeare’s play “Twelfth Night”.
67. “__: Cyber”: 2015 spin-off CSI
“CSI: Cyber” is the youngest show in the incredibly successful franchise of “CSI” crime dramas. I was excited to hear of the concept behind “CSI: Cyber”, but have given up watching the show after a few episodes …
68. Hammered LIT
“Hammered” and “lit” are terms meaning “drunk”.
74. Show segment that included shots of New York City? LETTERMAN OPENER (“letter opener” + “man”)
The “Late Show” with David Letterman ran on CBS from 1993 until Letterman’s retirement in 2015. Letterman had produced a similar show called “Late Night with David Letterman” on NBC from 1982 to 1993. The new iteration of the show will be the “Late Show” with Stephen Colbert, starting in September 2015.
83. Block brand LEGO
Lego is manufactured by Lego Group, a privately held company headquartered in Billund, Denmark. The company was founded by a carpenter called Ole Kirk Christiansen in 1934 and the now-famous plastic interlocking blocks were introduced in 1949. The blocks were originally sold under the name “Automatic Binding Bricks” but I think “Lego” is easier to remember! The name “Lego” comes from the Danish term “leg godt” meaning “play well”.
84. Med. research org. NIMH
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is one the 27 organizations that make up the National Institutes for Health (NIH).
89. Some Caltech grads EES
Electrical engineer (EE)
Caltech is more properly known as the California Institute of Technology, and is a private research-oriented school in Pasadena. One of Caltech’s responsibilities is the management and operation of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. If you watch “The Big Bang Theory” on television like me, you might know that the four lead characters all work at Caltech.
93. What bar patrons may run A TAB
When we “run a tab” at a bar say, we are “running a tabulation”, a listing of what we owe. Such a use of “tab” is American slang that originated in the 1880s.
98. Flora and fauna BIOTA
The biota of a region is the total collection of flora and fauna found there. The fauna (plural “faunae”) is the animal life of a particular region, and the flora (plural “florae”) is that region’s plant life. The term “fauna” comes from the Roman goddess of earth and fertility who was called Fauna. Flora was the Roman goddess of plants, flowers and fertility.
99. Scout shirt feature EPAULET
Epaulet (or epaulette) comes from the French, and literally means “little shoulder”.
101. Hebrew for “skyward” EL AL
El Al Israel Airlines is the flag carrier of Israel. The term “el al” translates from Hebrew as “to the skies”.
103. Candidate who opposed NAFTA PEROT
Ross Perot graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1953, as president of his class. Perot served his 4-year commitment but then resigned his commission, apparently having become somewhat disillusioned with the navy. He was ranked number 101 on the Forbes 400 List of Richest Americans in 2012, and at that time was worth about $3.5 billion. Back in 1992, Perot ran as an independent candidate for US president. He founded the Reform Party in 1995, and ran as the Reform Party candidate for president in 1996.
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is between Canada, Mexico and the United States. When NAFTA came into force in 1994 it set up the largest free trade zone in the world.
108. Dallas NBAer MAV
The Mavericks is the name of the NBA franchise in Dallas, Texas. The team was founded in 1980, and the Mavericks name was chosen by fan votes. The choice of “Mavericks” was prompted by the fact that the actor James Garner was a part-owner of the team, and Garner of course played the title role in the “Maverick” television series.
111. Director’s bane HAM
The word “ham”, describing a performer who overacts, is apparently a shortened form of “hamfatter” and dates back to the late 1800s. “Hamfatter” comes from a song in old minstrel shows called “The Ham-Fat Man”. It seems that a poorly performing actor was deemed to have the “acting” qualities of a minstrel made up in blackface.
120. Ancient Aegean region 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.
The Aegean Sea is that part of the Mediterranean that lies between Greece and Turkey. Within the Aegean Sea are found the Aegean Islands, a group that includes Crete and Rhodes.
121. Florida’s __ City DADE
Dade City, Florida is located in the Tampa Bay Area. The city evolved from a community named Fort Dade that existed in the 1870s. Dade City was home to a prisoner-of-war camp during WWII that housed mainly German soldiers from Rommel’s Afrika Korps, who were captured in North Africa.
122. Drummer Van Halen ALEX
Van Halen is a heavy metal band formed in Pasadena, California back in 1972. Brothers Eddie and Alex Van Halen originally called the band Mammoth, changing the name to Van Halen in 1974 when they found out there was another Mammoth playing the circuit. Early on, the brothers were renting a sound system from David Lee Roth, and they decided to save some money by bringing him into the band and saving on the rental fee!
124. Desilu co-founder ARNAZ
As one might imagine, “Desilu” is a contraction of the names of the production company’s owners, Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. The name “Desilu” was first given to the couple’s ranch in Chatsworth, California. Desilu the production company ended up producing some great shows, including the original “Star Trek” and “Mission: Impossible”.
126. Artist Magritte RENE
Belgian artist René Magritte was a surrealist. His most recognized work maybe is “The Son of Man”, a painting he created as a self-portrait. It is the work that shows a man in a bowler hat with his face covered by an apple. The image features prominently in the great movie, the 1999 remake of “The Thomas Crown Affair”.
127. “Our Gang” pooch PETEY
Hal Roach made a whole series of comedy shorts with “The Little Rascals”, also known as “Our Gang”. The gang included a Pit Bull Terrier that we should remember, as he had that distinctive ring around his eye. When the dog first appeared on screen, he was called “Pansy”, but the name was soon changed to “Pete the Pup”, or sometimes simply “Petey”.
129. Breton or Gael CELT
The Celts were a very broad group of people across Europe, linked by common languages. The Celts were largely absorbed by other cultures, although a relatively modern revival of the “Celtic identity” is alive and well in the British Isles. Such Celtic peoples today are mainly found in Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Brittany in France..
A Breton is a native of Brittany. Brittany is a large peninsula in the northwest of France, known in French as “Bretagne”.
A Gael is anyone who speaks or spoke one of the Erse tongues. There are actually three Erse languages. Irish, Manx (spoken on the Isle of Man) and Scots Gaelic. In their own tongues, these would be Gaeilge (in Ireland), Gaelg (on the Isle of Man) and Gaidhlig (in Scotland).
130. Awareness-raising TV ads PSAS
Public service announcement (PSA)
Down
1. Root beer that “has bite!” BARQ’S
When the Barq Brothers decided to go into the root beer business around 1900, they were faced with a dilemma as the Hires Root Beer Company was attempting to trademark the term “root beer”. So, the Barqs produced their beverage and called it simply Barq’s. They did indeed keep things simple, with an early advertising slogan of “Drink Barq’s. It’s good.” As the trademark issue dissipated, the company then introduced a slogan “Is it root beer?” before finally “coming out” and calling their drink “Barq’s root beer”.
2. Waikiki wingdings LUAUS
Nowadays the word “luau” denotes almost any kind of party on the Hawaiian Islands, but to the purist a luau is a feast that always includes a serving of “poi”, the bulbous underground stems of taro baked with coconut milk.
Waikiki is a neighborhood of Honolulu, home to the famous Waikiki Beach. The name “Waikiki” means “spouting fresh water” in Hawaiian.
A wingding is a wild and enthusiastic celebration. This meaning of the term started to be used in the late 1940s. Back in the twenties, “wingding” was hobo slang, a word describing a fake seizure designed to attract attention and sympathy.
9. Like some consonants PALATAL
Palatal consonants that are sounded out with the body of the tongue raised against the hard palate in the roof of the mouth. An example would be the “y” sound in “young”.
10. “El __ brujo”: de Falla work AMOR
“El amor brujo” is a ballet composed by Manuel de Falla, although the composer created several derivative works, including a second version of the ballet itself. The title translates literally as “The Bewitched Love”, but is often written as “Love, the Magician”.
Manuel de Falla was a composer from Cádiz in Spain. In recognition of de Falla’s contribution to Spanish culture, his image was placed on the 1970 100-peseta banknote.
13. Novelist Hesse HERMANN
Hermann Hesse was not only a novelist, but also a poet and a painter. His best known work is probably his 1927 novel “Steppenwolf”.
14. Fade from sight EVANESCE
To evanesce is to disappear, like a vapor.
17. Captain’s direction ALEE
“Alee” is the direction away from the wind. If a sailor points into the wind, he or she is pointing “aweather”.
28. Son of Zeus ARES
The Greek god Ares is often referred to as the Olympian god of warfare, but originally he was regarded as the god of blood-lust and slaughter. Ares united with Aphrodite to create several gods, including Phobos, Deimos and Eros. The Roman equivalent to Ares was Mars. Ares was the son of Zeus and Hera.
36. “The Age of Reason” writer PAINE
Thomas Paine was an English author who achieved incredible success with his pamphlet “Common Sense” published in 1776 which advocated independence of colonial America from Britain. Paine had immigrated to the American colonies just two years before his pamphlet was published, and so was just in time to make a major contribution to the American Revolution.
Thomas Paine’s pamphlet known as “The Age of Reason” (published in three parts, in 1794, 1795 and 1807) is critical of mainstream religion and also challenges the legitimacy of the Bible.
38. No. preceded by a code TEL
Area codes were introduced in the 1940s. Back then the “clicks” one heard when dialling a number led to mechanical wear on various pieces of equipment. In order to minimize overall mechanical wear, areas with high call volumes were given the most efficient area codes (lowest number of clicks). That led to New York getting the area code 212, Los Angeles 213 and Chicago 313.
39. Excessive flattery SMARM
The term “smarm”, meaning insincere flattery, comes from a colloquial word “smalm” meaning to smear the hair with some sort of styling product.
41. Cardiologist’s concern AORTA
The aorta originates in the heart and extends down into the abdomen. It is the largest artery in the body.
43. Some shooters, for short SLRS
SLR stands for “single lens reflex”. Usually cameras with changeable lenses are the SLR type. The main feature of an SLR is that a mirror reflects the image seen through the lens out through the viewfinder, so that the photographer sees exactly what the lens sees. The mirror moves out of the way as the picture is taken, and the image that comes through the lens falls onto unexposed film, or nowadays onto a digital sensor.
45. Slightly cracked AJAR
Our word “ajar” is thought to come from Scottish dialect, in which “a char” means “slightly open”.
46. Asian wrap SARI
The item of clothing called a “sari” (also “saree”) is a strip of cloth, as one might imagine, unusual perhaps in that is unstitched along the whole of its length. The strip of cloth can range from four to nine meters long (that’s a lot of material!). The sari is usually wrapped around the waist, then draped over the shoulder leaving the midriff bare. I must say, it can be a beautiful item of clothing.
50. Home to billions ASIA
Most of the world’s population lives in Asia (60%), and Asia is the largest continent in terms of landmass (30% of the world). Asia also has the highest population density (246 people per square mile), and the most populous city on the continent is Shanghai, China.
52. Rakes CADS
Our word “cad”, meaning “a person lacking in finer feelings”, is a shortening of the word “cadet”. “Cad” was first used for a servant, and then students at British universities used “cad” as a term for a boy from the local town. “Cad” took on its current meaning in the 1830s.
A “rake” (short for “rakehell”) is a man who is habituated to immoral conduct (isn’t it always the man??!!). The rake is a character who turns up frequently in novels and films, only interested in wine, women and song and not accepting the responsibilities of life. Good examples would be Wickham in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” and Daniel Cleaver (the Hugh Grant part) in the movie “Bridget Jones’s Diary”. “Rake” comes from the Old Norse “reikall”, meaning “vagrant or a wanderer”.
58. Arcade concern TILT
In a game of pinball, some players get an irresistible urge to “nudge” the machine . Such a nudge, a movement of the machine designed to influence the path taken by the ball, is called a “tilt”. Most pinball machines have sensors designed to detect a tilt, and when activated a “tilt” warning light comes on and the player’s controls are temporarily disabled.
Our word “arcade” comes from the Latin “arcus” meaning “arc”. The first arcades were passages made from a series of arches. This could be an avenue of trees, and eventually any covered avenue. I remember arcades lined with shops and stores when I was growing up on the other side of the Atlantic. Arcades came to be lined with lots of amusements, resulting in amusement arcades and video game arcades.
59. Cat Nation people ERIES
The Erie people lived on lands south of Lake Erie. The Erie were sometimes referred to as the Cat Nation, a reference to the mountain lions that were ever-present in the area that they lived. The name “Erie” is a shortened form of “Erielhonan” meaning “long tail”, possibly a further reference to the mountain lion or cat, which was possibly used as a totem. The Erie people gave their name to the Great Lake.
64. Actress Taylor LILI
The actress Lili Taylor had supporting roles in films like “Mystic Pizza”, “The Haunting” and “Rudy”, and she had a recurring role in the HBO series “Six Feet Under”.
65. French 101 word ETRE
The French for “to be” is “être”.
72. Gemini docking target AGENA
The Agena Target Vehicle (ATV) was used in NASA’s Gemini program to practice rendezvous and docking maneuvers in preparation for the Apollo missions that would take man to the moon.
75. 911 situation: Abbr. EMER
The first use of an emergency phone number nationally was in the UK in 1937, where the number 999 was introduced to call emergency services. If you need emergency services in the UK or Ireland to this day, you have to dial 999. It’s not really clear why 911 became the emergency number in the US. The most credible suggestion (to me) is that when it was introduced by the FCC in 1967, it was a number that “fit” with the numbers already used by AT&T for free services (211-long distance; 411-information; 611-repair service).
76. It may be grand THEFT
In the US, there is a dividing line between felony grand theft (a more serious crime) and misdemeanor petty theft (a lesser crime). That dividing line is a dollar amount, and that dollar amount varies from state to state.
78. River to the Strait of Tartary AMUR
The Amur is a river that serves as the border between Russia and China in Manchuria. On one side of the border is Outer Manchuria (in Russia) and on the other is Inner Manchuria (in China).
The Strait of Tartary (also “Tartar Strait”) is a the stretch of water dividing the Russian island of Sakhalin from the mainland.
79. Cybersales ETAIL
“Etail” is the term used these days for online shopping. Etail is often compared to regular shopping in the “real world” by juxtaposing it with a “brick and mortar” store.
80. Partnership for Peace gp. NATO
The Partnership for Peace (PfP) program is a NATO initiative that dates back to 1994. The intent of the PfP is to foster trust between NATO and the former Soviet Union.
81. __ de Louisiane ETAT
In French, Louisiana (Louisiane) is a state (état).
82. 2000s sitcom set in Houston REBA
Reba McEntire is a country music singer and television actress. McEntire starred in her own sitcom called “Reba” that aired on the WB and the CW cable channels from 2001 to 2007.
84. Big name in sports caps NEW ERA
The New Era Cap Company is a headwear manufacturer based in Buffalo, New York. It is New Era that supplies all the official baseball caps used by the Major League teams.
90. __ Tomé SAO
São Tomé is one of two islands off the west coast of Africa that make up the nation of São Tomé and Príncipe.
92. One Direction band member, e.g. TEEN IDOL
One Direction is a UK-based boy band. Each member of the band competed in the reality show “The X Factor”, and didn’t do very well. The five were then combined in a boy band at a later stage of the competition. They only finished in third place, but I don’t think they care. They’re doing very, very well for “losers” …
95. Ian Fleming or James Bond ETONIAN
The world-famous Eton College is just a brisk walk from Windsor Castle, which itself is just outside London. Eton is noted for producing many British leaders including David Cameron who took power in the last UK general election. The list of Old Etonians also includes Princes William and Harry, the Duke of Wellington, George Orwell, and the creator of James Bond, Ian Fleming (as well as 007 himself as described in the Fleming novels).
98. Composer of six unaccompanied cello suites BACH
Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Cello Suites” are extremely popular to this day, and are often heard being played on other instruments as well as the intended cello. As popular as they are today, the six suites were relatively unknown until the start of the 20th century, when renowned cellist Pablo Casals began to study and perform them.
102. Not yet visible LATENT
Something is said to be latent if it present, but not active. For example, latent fingerprints are those that are invisible to the naked eye, but which can be detected using special equipment and materials.
106. Front VIP MEDIC
A medic can be an important person on a battlefront.
115. Year in Sicily ANNO
In the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, the “boot” is the mainland of Italy, and the “ball” being kicked by the boot is the island of Sicily.
116. Actress Vardalos et al. NIAS
Not only is the delightful Nia Vardalos the star of the 2002 hit movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”, she also wrote the screenplay. The film never made it to number one at the box office, but it still pulled in more money than any other movie in history that didn’t make it to number one. That record I think reflects the fact that the film wasn’t a blockbuster but rather a so-called “sleeper hit”, a movie that people went to see based on referrals from friends. The big fat mistake came when a spin-off TV show was launched, “My Big Fat Greek Life”. It ran for only 7 episodes.
117. Moan and groan CARP
The word “carp” used to mean simply “talk” back in the 13th century, with its roots in the Old Norwegian “karpa” meaning “to brag”. A century later the Latin word “carpere” meaning “to slander” influenced the use of “carp” so that it came to mean “find fault with”.
For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Insignificant disruption BLIP
5. Part of a familiar Latin sequence AMAS
9. Make very thirsty PARCH
14. Those girls, in Guadalajara ELLAS
19. Start to correct? AUTO-
20. Riga native, e.g. BALT
21. 2003 NBA Rookie of the Year Stoudemire AMARE
22. “There!” VOILA!
23. Demolish, in Dover RASE
24. 1968 self-titled folk album ARLO
25. Introvert LONER
26. __ wrench ALLEN
27. One whose citations are always on target? QUOTATION MARKSMAN (“quotation mark” + “man”)
31. “Fore!” site TEE
32. Phishing catch: Abbr. SSN
33. Share with followers, in a way RETWEET
34. Chaucer works TALES
36. Salon service PEDI
37. D.C. team NATS
40. Pathfinders and such NISSANS
44. Toledo homes CASAS
47. Where go-betweens learn their craft? MIDDLEMAN SCHOOL (“middle school” + “man”)
51. California city with an annual classical music festival OJAI
52. Give up CEDE
53. __ Palmas: Canary Islands port LAS
54. Shredder TEARER
55. Aslan’s land NARNIA
57. Past curfew LATE
60. “Children of the Poor” author RIIS
62. Fund-raising orgs. PTAS
63. Civil civil servant? FRIENDLY FIREMAN (“friendly fire” + “man”)
66. Tree in a carol PEAR
67. “__: Cyber”: 2015 spin-off CSI
68. Hammered LIT
69. Dedicated lines ODE
71. Foolhardy RASH
74. Show segment that included shots of New York City? LETTERMAN OPENER (“letter opener” + “man”)
83. Block brand LEGO
84. Med. research org. NIMH
85. Come across as SEEM
86. Subject of passing concern? ESTATE
87. Not on edge AT EASE
89. Some Caltech grads EES
91. Bar freebie NUTS
93. What bar patrons may run A TAB
94. Work force breakdown? MANPOWER FAILURE (“power failure” + “man”)
98. Flora and fauna BIOTA
99. Scout shirt feature EPAULET
100. Up-good connection TO NO
101. Hebrew for “skyward” EL AL
103. Candidate who opposed NAFTA PEROT
105. Researcher’s reference ALMANAC
108. Dallas NBAer MAV
111. Director’s bane HAM
114. Ambiguous packing instructions? MANHANDLE WITH CARE (“handle with care” + “man”)
118. Great quantity OCEAN
120. Ancient Aegean region IONIA
121. Florida’s __ City DADE
122. Drummer Van Halen ALEX
123. Part of a beach house collection SHELL
124. Desilu co-founder ARNAZ
125. Resolve, with “out” IRON
126. Artist Magritte RENE
127. “Our Gang” pooch PETEY
128. Rope loop NOOSE
129. Breton or Gael CELT
130. Awareness-raising TV ads PSAS
Down
1. Root beer that “has bite!” BARQ’S
2. Waikiki wingdings LUAUS
3. Fighting words IT’S ON
4. One concerned with rhythm POET
5. Tapered off ABATED
6. Nautical MARITIME
7. Let ALLOW
8. Paving unit STONE
9. Like some consonants PALATAL
10. “El __ brujo”: de Falla work AMOR
11. Relative position RANK
12. High spot CREST
13. Novelist Hesse HERMANN
14. Fade from sight EVANESCE
15. “OMG ur 2 funny” LOL
16. Bouncy tune LILT
17. Captain’s direction ALEE
18. Sensible SANE
28. Son of Zeus ARES
29. Darn MEND
30. Highly regarded groups A-LISTS
35. Double curve S-SHAPE
36. “The Age of Reason” writer PAINE
38. No. preceded by a code TEL
39. Excessive flattery SMARM
41. Cardiologist’s concern AORTA
42. Musical deficiency NO EAR
43. Some shooters, for short SLRS
44. NCAA division CONF
45. Slightly cracked AJAR
46. Asian wrap SARI
48. In a slothful way IDLY
49. Unheeding DEAF
50. Home to billions ASIA
52. Rakes CADS
56. Move very carefully INCH
58. Arcade concern TILT
59. Cat Nation people ERIES
61. Part of, plotwise IN ON
64. Actress Taylor LILI
65. French 101 word ETRE
66. Spices (up) PEPS
70. Completes DOES
71. Put another hole in, as a keg RETAP
72. Gemini docking target AGENA
73. Get in a lather SOAP UP
75. 911 situation: Abbr. EMER
76. It may be grand THEFT
77. Where to see available courses MENU
78. River to the Strait of Tartary AMUR
79. Cybersales ETAIL
80. Partnership for Peace gp. NATO
81. __ de Louisiane ETAT
82. 2000s sitcom set in Houston REBA
83. Not even a little cool LAME
84. Big name in sports caps NEW ERA
88. Common way to swear SOLEMNLY
90. __ Tomé SAO
92. One Direction band member, e.g. TEEN IDOL
95. Ian Fleming or James Bond ETONIAN
96. Stupefied IN A DAZE
97. Veg out LOLL
98. Composer of six unaccompanied cello suites BACH
102. Not yet visible LATENT
104. Detailed, briefly THORO
106. Front VIP MEDIC
107. Mindful AWARE
108. NFL players, e.g. MALES
109. Game site ARENA
110. Bugs VEXES
111. “H” on a blue road sign: Abbr. HOSP
112. Pang ACHE
113. Comply with MEET
115. Year in Sicily ANNO
116. Actress Vardalos et al. NIAS
117. Moan and groan CARP
119. Pub buy ALE
Very shameful number of errors on this one (let's just say between 15-20), but finally finished it.
Main comment I had is that Pam Amick Klawitter and Rich Norris failed miserably in fact-checking 44-Down. The clue "NCAA division" is fallacious as the NCAA formally has both divisions and conferences. Specifically the divisions (3 or 4 of them depending on the sport – specifically FBS, FCS, Div II, Div III for football) consists of conferences (the FBS has conferences such as the Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, and ACC). This is something I'm very surprised that wasn't caught, as it's very easy to find out.
"On Sundays, the "LA Times" chooses to publish Merl Reagle's excellent crossword, and not their own "LA Times" Crossword."
With Merl's passing, is this still true? Just curious, as I really am not finding anything indicating whether this is true or not.
This one filled out very quickly at the top but I got gradually more and more bogged down as I moved south. The SE corner especially caused me problems. I eventually finished but not in the fast time I first thought I would.
I'm ok with NCAA CONF for divisions as long as you take "division" in simply its generic meaning and not the official capacity Glenn points out above. Remember in crosswords it only has to be able to be correct; it doesn't have to be absolutely correct.
My biggest gripe was with THORO. I've never seen that spelling even in text messaging "language". Yet another crime I need to report to the crossword police.
Interestingly, Bill, I had the exact same reaction to CSI Cyber. I was interested in the idea of the show, but after 2 or 3 episodes I stopped watching.
Another crossword conspiracy for Sfingi to investigate: LATENT HEAT last week and now LATENT today…..
Best –
I thought this played pretty normal. I finished a little faster than usual. The theme was pretty easy to flush out.
All NCAA divisions have conferences, even Division 3. This is one of those misdirection clues. The kind of stunt that makes Barry Silk giggle. BTW, his initials: BCS 😉 And yes, THORO is as LAME as EPULET is good.
I too was interested in CSI Cyber, but it quickly faded. I fear Patricia Arquette, fresh off an Oscar, got herself into a multi-year contract with CBS for a show that gets horrible ratings. A write for the Hollywood Reporter quipped, What's next, CSI: Whole Foods?
Glenn, I checked the Washington Post website today. There is a puzzle, but Merl's name isn't on it, and there is no title to the grid. I suspect he may have had plenty of these already completed, but they don't seem to be using his name. I assumed they would eventually switch to this puzzle. They may have omitted his name out of respect. I just don't know.
@Glenn, Quote from today's L.A.Times….
"This is the final crossword puzzle from Merl Reagle who died August 22nd. On September 6 The Times will introduce a Sunday version of the daily puzzle by David Poole which is edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis"
The puzzle is "Wiseguy Studies"
Last week was "Things are People too" you can find it here
http://www.sundaycrosswords.com/ccpuz/MPuz.php
Still very saddened by Merl's death.