LA Times Crossword Answers 5 May 16, Thursday

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

CROSSWORD SETTER: Jennifer Nutt
THEME: All Caps … each of today’s themed answers starts with a type of cap:

36A. Emphatic type … or what the beginnings of the longest entries are? ALL CAPS

16A. Tension-easing activity ICEBREAKER (giving “ice cap”)
22A. It supposedly keeps the monster inside the closet NIGHT-LIGHT (giving “nightcap”)
45A. Jam site BOTTLENECK (giving “bottle cap”)
57A. Baby blanket, perhaps SHOWER GIFT (giving “shower cap”)
3D. Kilt companions KNEE-SOCKS (giving “kneecap”)
32D. High jumps SKYDIVING (giving “skycap”)

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 11m 34s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

1. Fraternal order member ELK
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE) was founded in 1868, and is a social club that has about a million members today. It started out as a group of men getting together in a “club” in order to get around the legal opening hours of taverns in New York City. The club took on a new role as it started to look out for poor families of members who passed away. The club now accepts African Americans as members (since the seventies) and women (since the nineties), but atheists still aren’t welcome.

9. Candy shape CANE
Apparently candy canes were created at the behest of the choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral in Germany in 1672. The sweet sticks were basically used as bribes to keep children quiet during services. The choirmaster specified that the candy sticks should have a crook at the top so that they reminded the children of the three shepherds who visited the infant Jesus just after his birth.

13. Pressure for payment DUN
“To dun” is to insist on payment of a debt. The etymology of the term is unclear, with one suggestion that it dates back to a famous debt collector in London named Joe Dun.

14. He became New York Philharmonic music director 30 years before Leonard ARTURO
Arturo Toscanini was an Italian conductor of classical music. Toscanini took up the baton for the first time under sensational circumstances in 1886. He was attending a performance of “Aida” in Rio de Janeiro in the role of assistant chorus master, on a night when a substitute conductor was leading the orchestra. The substitute was in charge because the lead conductor had been forced to step down by striking performers who would not work with him. The disgruntled lead conductor led the audience in booing the unfortunate substitute, forcing him off the stage. Yet another substitute attempted to lead the performance, but he could not overcome the hostility of the crowd. The musicians themselves begged Toscanini to take up the baton, for the first time in his life, and simply because he knew the score by heart. After over an hour of mayhem, Toscanini led the company in a remarkable performance to marvelous acclaim. He had just launched his conducting career.

The composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein was a man who made great strides in bringing classical music to the masses. He gave numerous lectures on the subject on television. Indeed, one of my favorite recordings of the instructive “Peter and the Wolf” by Prokofiev, is conducted and narrated by Bernstein.

15. Part of ABC: Abbr. AMER
The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is the world’s largest broadcaster in terms of revenues. ABC was formed in 1943, created out of the former NBC Blue radio network.

16. Tension-easing activity ICEBREAKER (giving “ice cap”)
The polar ice cap at the north of our planet is floating pack ice in the Arctic Ocean. The southern polar ice cap is an ice sheet that covers the land mass known as Antarctica. About 70% of all the freshwater on Earth is held in the southern polar ice cap.

21. Durbeyfield daughter TESS
In Thomas Hardy’s novel, the heroine and title character is Tess Durbeyfield. Her father is an uneducated peasant and when he hears that his name is a corruption of the noble name of “D’Urberville”, the news goes to his head.

26. Tiebreakers, briefly OTS
Overtime (OT)

28. Turkish money LIRAS
The currency of Turkey is the Turkish lira, which is divided into 100 kuruş.

29. Host EMCEE
The term “emcee” comes from “MC”, an initialism standing for Master or Mistress of Ceremonies.

31. Holistic healers’ observations AURAS
A holistic approach to medicine emphasises not only physical symptoms but also social considerations and the environment.

35. Winery wood OAK
Wines that are aged in oak are said to exhibit the flavors of vanilla, butter, coconut and dill.

38. Colorful carp KOI
Koi are also called Japanese carp. Koi have been bred for decorative purposes and there are now some very brightly colored examples found in Japanese water gardens.

40. What Lot’s wife looked back at SODOM
The two cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, as well as Admah and Zeboim, were destroyed by God for the sins of their inhabitants, according to the Bible. The name Sodom has become a metaphor for vice and homosexuality, and gives us our word “sodomy”.

Lot was a nephew of Abraham, with his story appearing in the Book of Genesis. At one point Lot had to flee the doomed city of Sodom with his wife. God gave instructions that the couple should not look back as they left the city, but Lot’s wife disobeyed and she was turned into a pillar of salt.

41. Pastoral poem IDYLL
An “idyll” (also “idyl”) is a short poem with a pastoral theme, usually depicting the scene in romantic and idealized terms. The word comes from the Greek “eidyllion”, which literally translates to “little picture” but was a word describing a short, poem with a rustic theme.

44. Nancy Drew’s beau NED
I loved the Nancy Drew mysteries as a kid (I know, as a boy I “shouldn’t” have been reading girls’ books!). The Nancy Drew stories were written by a number of ghost writers, although the character was introduced by Edward Stratemeyer in 1930. Nancy Drew’s boyfriend was Ned Nickerson, a college student from Emerson.

50. Everymutt FIDO
“Fido”, the name for many a dog, is Latin for “I trust”.

53. WWII attacker U-BOAT
“U-boat” stands for the German “Unterseeboot” (undersea boat). Notably, a U-boat sank the RMS Lusitania in 1915, an event that helped propel the US into WWI.

54. New Hampshire prep school town ANDOVER
Proctor Academy is a private boarding school located in Andover, New Hampshire. Proctor was founded back in 1848.

56. Fanny REAR
“Fanny” is a slang term for the buttocks, rump. One has to be careful using the slang term “fanny” if traveling in the British Isles, because over there it has a much ruder meaning …

61. Trojan hero AENEAS
In Roman and Greek mythology, Aeneas was a Trojan warrior. According to ancient Roman lore, Aeneas traveled to Italy and became the ancestor Romulus and Remus, and thus the ancestor of all Romans. Aeneas’s story is told in Virgil’s epic poem “The Aeneid”.

62. Japanese drama NOH
Noh is a form of musical drama in Japan that has been around since the 14th century. Many of the Noh performers are masked, allowing all the roles to be played by men, both male and female parts.

64. 2012 title judge played by Karl Urban DREDD
The 2012 action movie “Dredd” is based on the comic strip character Judge Dredd. New Zeland actor Karl Urban plays the title role.

65. Prefix with caching GEO-
Geocaching is a game rather like “hide and seek” that is played outdoors using hi-tech equipment. The idea is that someone places a waterproof container in a specific location with known GPS coordinates. The container has a logbook inside, so that players who find the “cache” can record their discovery along with any notes of interest. The location of the container is listed on special sites on the Internet for anyone to access. You can check out caches near you at www.geocaching.com. You will probably be surprised at how many there are! I know I was …

Down
2. Riches LUCRE
Our word “lucre” meaning “money, profits” comes from the Latin “lucrum” that means the same thing.

5. Jaguar creator ATARI
The Atari Jaguar was a video game console introduced in 1993 and discontinued in 1996.

8. Postal motto word NOR
There is no official creed or motto for the US Postal Service. However, there is the oft-quoted inscription that is posted (pun!) over the entrance to the James Farley Post Office in New York City:
Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.

9. French town closest to England CALAIS
Calais is a major ferry port in northern France that overlooks the Strait of Dover, which is the narrowest point in the English Channel. The strait is just over 20 miles wide, making Calais the nearest French town to England.

12. Surrealist Max ERNST
Max Ernst was a painter and sculptor, a pioneer in the Dada movement and Surrealism. Ernst was born near Cologne in Germany in 1891 and he was called up to fight in WWI, as were most young German men at that time. In his autobiography he writes “Max Ernst died the 1st of August, 1914” a statement about his experiences in the war. In reality, Ernst died in 1976 having lived to the ripe old age of 85.

23. Sugary stuff GLUCOSE
Glucose is a simple sugar that is also known as dextrose or grape sugar. It is widely found in nature as glucose is made by plants from carbon dioxide and water during photosynthesis.

24. Distiller Walker HIRAM
Hiram Walker founded his distillery in Windsor, Ontario in 1858. Walker’s most successful brand was Canadian Club Whisky.

30. “Little Red Book” author MAO
During China’s Cultural Revolution, the Communist Party published a book of statements and writings from Chairman Mao Zedong. Here in the West the publication was usually referred to as “The Little Red Book”.

31. Mayflower Compact signer ALDEN
John Alden is said to have been the first person to disembark from the Mayflower and to have set foot on Plymouth Rock in 1620. Alden himself was not a Pilgrim as such, and was a carpenter working on the Mayflower before it sailed. He apparently decided to travel with the ship at the last minute, perhaps in pursuit of the passenger who would become his wife, Priscilla Mullens. Alden ended up in a love triangle with Priscilla and Captain Miles Standish, a relationship which is recounted in the Longfellow poem “The Courtship of Miles Standish”. John and Priscilla were the parents of a son, John Alden, who was later to be accused during the Salem witch trials.

The pilgrims aboard the Mayflower were bound for the Colony of Virginia, but famously landed at the hook of Cape Cod when bad weather forced the ship to the north. The passengers decided to make their new home in what is now Massachusetts. As the new colonists would not now fall under the laws of the Colony of Virginia, a majority of adult males formulated and signed an agreement that defined basic rules of governance that would used once the passengers disembarked the ship. The agreement came to be known as the Mayflower Compact.

33. Campaign pro POL
Politician (pol)

51. Crusoe creator DEFOE
Daniel Defoe is most famous today as an author, of the novel “Robinson Crusoe” in particular. Defoe was also a trader, and a spy for King William III.

52. Garden products brand ORTHO
Ortho is a brand of weed killer owned by Scotts Miracle-Gro.

55. OBs and ENTs DRS
Obstetrics specialist (Ob)

Ear, Nose and Throat specialist (ENT)

Return to top of page

For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Fraternal order member ELK
4. Deposit PAY IN
9. Candy shape CANE
13. Pressure for payment DUN
14. He became New York Philharmonic music director 30 years before Leonard ARTURO
15. Part of ABC: Abbr. AMER
16. Tension-easing activity ICEBREAKER (giving “ice cap”)
18. Butcher’s cut LOIN
19. Coffee cart item CREAMER
20. Turf controllers GANGS
21. Durbeyfield daughter TESS
22. It supposedly keeps the monster inside the closet NIGHT-LIGHT (giving “nightcap”)
26. Tiebreakers, briefly OTS
28. Turkish money LIRAS
29. Host EMCEE
31. Holistic healers’ observations AURAS
32. Day __ SPA
35. Winery wood OAK
36. Emphatic type … or what the beginnings of the longest entries are? ALL CAPS
38. Colorful carp KOI
39. Turndowns NOS
40. What Lot’s wife looked back at SODOM
41. Pastoral poem IDYLL
43. Stat for a reliever SAVES
44. Nancy Drew’s beau NED
45. Jam site BOTTLENECK (giving “bottle cap”)
50. Everymutt FIDO
53. WWII attacker U-BOAT
54. New Hampshire prep school town ANDOVER
56. Fanny REAR
57. Baby blanket, perhaps SHOWER GIFT (giving “shower cap”)
60. Subtle “Over here!” PSST!
61. Trojan hero AENEAS
62. Japanese drama NOH
63. Hardens SETS
64. 2012 title judge played by Karl Urban DREDD
65. Prefix with caching GEO-

Down
1. Decree EDICT
2. Riches LUCRE
3. Kilt companions KNEE-SOCKS (giving “kneecap”)
4. Groom with a bill PREEN
5. Jaguar creator ATARI
6. Big laugh YUK!
7. Wrath IRE
8. Postal motto word NOR
9. French town closest to England CALAIS
10. Honor __ thieves AMONG
11. Pastoral sound NEIGH
12. Surrealist Max ERNST
14. Branch ARM
17. Keep moist, in a way BASTE
20. Enclose, as a porch GLASS IN
23. Sugary stuff GLUCOSE
24. Distiller Walker HIRAM
25. Snare TRAP
27. Topping for fancy chocolate SEA SALT
29. Long stretch EON
30. “Little Red Book” author MAO
31. Mayflower Compact signer ALDEN
32. High jumps SKYDIVING (giving “skycap”)
33. Campaign pro POL
34. Catch a bug AIL
37. Sweetheart LOVE
42. Clear, as a windshield DEFOG
43. They may be false STARTS
45. Pats on the back, maybe BURPS
46. Really big OBESE
47. Brown TOAST
48. Cried in the cornfield CAWED
49. Work on in a bakery KNEAD
51. Crusoe creator DEFOE
52. Garden products brand ORTHO
55. OBs and ENTs DRS
57. Down SAD
58. What’s-__-name HER
59. United ONE

Return to top of page

18 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 5 May 16, Thursday”

  1. 3 letters off on the LAT, mainly around 54A-55D. Fairly surprised I did that well since I didn't know any of the bottom 1/4 of the grid. Definitely tougher cluing than previously in the week and boding of a harder week in general.

    Too many letters off on the WSJ. A grid I finished on, yet did much worse than expected. (Minor spoiler) Second trick grid I've seen in the last week there. I don't know if there's much of a history there for that, but it's kind of interesting they're starting to show up over there. Wonder when rebus grids will show up in the regular rotation?

  2. Tough but doable. I finally managed to complete it, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I notice the constructors name is 'Nutt' so she could have made a theme of nuts and bolts, or 'Are you a Nut ?' a slogan for Almond Joy candies. ( Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't.)

    My first choice for ARTURO was ENRICO or CARUSO !

    Jaguar, the UK luxury (?) cars and Land Rover, the U.K. cars manufacturer has been owned by Tata Motors, an indian company, since 2006. Lets us see how long that company endures….

    I did not know, but the OAK barrels used for Scotch Whiskey, are infact the same used barrels originally used for aging american bourbon. Apparently, they are dismantled and then exported to Scotland, then used for aging the scotch.

    Carrie, for the record, I think yesterdays constructor was a male.

    Re: Andover, the school. A few days ago, there was a discussion, here, on 'disorganised' meaning 'inchoate'…. Choate ( – Rosemary Hall ) is also a private school near Boston, tuition about $ 45,000 per year…. and I remember thinking, if In-Choate means what it does, do the students have to be disorganized, as well as rich ? 😉

    Have a nice day, all.

  3. This puzzle came together really quickly for me, for whatever reason. I probably approached Bill's solve time – which never happens!

    When will Tata Motors bring out a car named "bodacious"?

    If Choate told me it was going to cost $45,000 a year to send my kid there I'd Exeter laughing!

  4. There are also two down answers that go with "All caps." Three – "knee caps," and 32 – "sky caps."

  5. Finished quickly for a Thursday. Had whats-in a-name before HER which slowed that entire quadrant down.

    Interesting that this week the LAT has alternated beginning Sunday female, male, female, male, female setters. It's probably more a statement about me than anything else, but in general I have noticeably more difficulty getting on the same wavelength as the female setters. Art imitating life I suppose.

    @aylasnowdog
    I noiced KNEE cap and SKY cap as theme answers as well, but I missed that Bill had omitted them. Nice catch.

    Best –

  6. @Anonymous
    My bad. I referred to Phillips Academy in Andover, MA in my little blurb, instead of Proctor Academy in Andover, NH. All fixed now.

  7. When are AURAE…… AURAS?
    I've been zapped by the electric crossword fence
    so many times I just "….wait for it".
    My porch is CLOSED IN…(Actually SCREENED IN)
    I rOASTED before I TOASTED.
    Ah, What's His name? No, What's HER name?
    Not too bad for a Thursday, I got it.
    If you-know- who (What's his name)shows up tomorrow I'm taking the day off.
    The rumors of ____'s retirement have been greatly exaggerated. ^0^

  8. Glad to see Phillips Academy in Andover, MA get its proper recognition, where George HW Bush and many other famous Americans attended prep school. It is just as blue blooded and Choate and Exeter.

    BTW, the Longfellow account of John Alden and Priscilla Mullins is a great classic, but is completely fictional with no basis in fact. No-one has ever come up with any historical evidence that there was a love triangle.

  9. Thanks Bill.
    @Jeff, I'm aware that there is an Andover, NH …
    I was pointing out that, per the 54A Clue, Andover Academy is located in Andover MA and
    not NH …

  10. Bill, thanks for writing this fun blog.

    I'm wondering what the scoring scheme is for the Regular puzzle. (Haven't dared the Master yet, but I will someday soon.) I've looked in your FAQ and the LAT FAQ, then Googled several ways. Can't find the answer. So I've kept scores and times for the past few days to see if I can see the pattern. No.
    1870 11:17 minutes
    1870 8:05
    1840 9:16
    1850 10:00

    Thanks again for your friendly and helpful blog!

  11. Andover MA is the biggest Internal Revenue Service Center in the nation. (also, in the world … 🙂
    180,000+ people work there. … or pretend to.

  12. @Bill
    Thanks for your blog and your efforts!

    @Stella
    As far as I can find, the scoring scheme offers a certain number of points for each percentage of the puzzle that's done unaided. Then, there's a time bonus given which varies depending on how quickly you did it. Can't say however that there's a specific scheme that's posted for that particular system or not.

  13. "It supposedly keeps the monster inside the closet NIGHT-LIGHT" Tshh! Whatya mean supposedly, I don't think I'd be here now if precautions weren't taken; plus the even scarier one underneath the bed!

    Pretty quick grid for me today, with just one letter off SA(T)-(T)REDD which I forgot to refix after I fixed something else.

    -Dirk

  14. Also, as much as I love the fact that you cite Cologne, one of my favorite cities besides SF, as the city where the candy cane was invented, it may not be accurate. On the German version of PBS they have correspondents in different interesting parts of the world and the Scandinavian group put out one which featured the invention of the candy cane (Polkagris) in 1859.

    -Dirk

  15. @Tony–funny stuff!
    @Dirk–funny also!
    Our lil gang is so entertaining. Always much to smile about here, if not in the puzzle….
    This one was a good challenge tho, and I made it through, barely. I had SWIFT before DEFOE, and ALDER before ALDEN. That last perplexonomy left me stuck forever with BOTTLENECK (no pun intended.)
    Well, last week I pretty much bailedbailed on Friday's grid, so that I could rest my synapses for Saturday, and it worked! May do the same this week, so I'll be one up on Dirk for Saturdays!! (I think I'm "throwing down the gauntlet" here, but I'm not sure, cuz I never really was clear on the meaning of that phrase…Words are dangerous things in the wrong hands …)
    NIGHTLIGHTS ON!
    Sweet dreams~~™

Comments are closed.