LA Times Crossword Answers 3 Jun 16, Friday

LA Times Crossword Solution 3 Jun 16 - 125%







Constructed by: Elliot M. Abrams

Edited by: Rich Norris

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

Theme: Shaq/Sheik/Schick/Shock/Shuck

Today’s themed clues form a vowel progression of sorts, with each clue being a word starting with a SH-sound and ending with a hard-C sound:

  • 18A…Shaq..EX-NBA CENTER
  • 24A…Sheik..ARAB NOBLE
  • 37A…Schick..RAZORBLADE MAKER
  • 49A…Shock..OVERWHELM
  • 55A…Shuck..OPEN OYSTERS

Bill’s time: 13m 21s

Bill’s errors: 0




Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies

Across

4…Went into second, in a way..SLID

That would be in baseball.

8…Energy units..JOULES

James Joule was an English physicist who spent much of his life working in the family brewing business. Joule used his work in the brewery to study the relationship between heat and mechanical work. In honor of his achievements, his name is used for the unit of energy in the International System of Units (i.e. the joule).

14…She played Mia in “Pulp Fiction”..UMA

I”m not a big fan of director Quentin Tarantino. His movies are too violent for me, and the size of his ego just turns me right off. Having said that, I think “Pulp Fiction” is a remarkable film. If you can look past the violence it’s really well written. And what a legacy it has. John Travolta’s career was on the rocks and he did the film for practically no money, and it turned out be a re-launch for him. Uma Thurman became a top celebrity overnight from her role. Even Bruce Willis got some good out of it, putting an end to a string of poorly received performances.

17…AWOL pursuers..MPS

The Military Police (MPs) often track down personnel who go AWOL(absent without leave).

18…Shaq..EX-NBA CENTER

Retired basketball player Shaquille O’Neal now appears regularly as an analyst on the NBA TV show “Inside the NBA”. Shaq has quite a career in the entertainment world. His first rap album, called “Shaq Diesel”, went platinum. He also starred in two of his own reality show: “Shaq’s Big Challenge” and “Shaq Vs.”

22…Long, on Lanai..LOA

Mauna Loa on the “big island” of Hawaii is the largest volcano on the planet (in terms of volume). The name “Mauna Loa” is Hawaiian for “Long Mountain”.

23…Hi, on Lanai..ALOHA

The Hawaiian word “Aloha” has many meanings in English: affection, love, peace, compassion and mercy. More recently “aloha” has come to mean “hello” and “goodbye”, but only since the mid-1800s.

Lanai is the sixth largest of the Hawaiian Islands. Lanai was first spotted by Europeans just a few days after Captain Cook was killed on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1779. In 1922, the Hawaiian Pineapple Company bought the whole island of Lanai and turned most of it into the world’s largest pineapple plantation. Since then, Lanai has been known as “The Pineapple Island”. Today, 98% of the island is owned by Larry Ellison, the CEO of Oracle, and 2% is owned by the State of Hawaii.

24…Sheik..ARAB NOBLE

The word “sheik” is an honorific title in the Arabic world, translating into English as “elder”.

32…”Darkness at __”: Arthur Koestler novel..NOON

The novel “Darkness at Noon” is the best-known work by Hungarian-British author Arthur Koestler. Koestler live the last four decades of his life in Britain, before committing suicide with his wife in their home in London in 1983.

33…Fortress of Solitude statue honoree..JOR-EL

Jor-El was a scientist on the planet Krypton who was married to Lara. Jor-El and Lara had an infant son named Kal-El who they were able to launch into space towards Earth just before Krypton was destroyed. Kal-El became Superman. In the 1978 movie “Superman”, Jor-El was played by Marlon Brando, Lara was played by Susannah York, and Kal-El/Superman was of course played by Christopher Reeve.

According to DC Comics, Superman finds peace and tranquility in the Fortress of Solitude. The fortress is a castle that has been located in the Arctic, the Antarctic, the Andes and Amazon rainforest, depending on the issue. Regardless of its location, the Fortress of Solitude is home to statues of Superman’s parents Jor-El and Lara, as well a large globe depicting his home planet Krypton.

37…Schick..RAZORBLADE MAKER

The Schick brand of safety razors was introduced by Jacob Schick in 1926 as the Magazine Repeating Razor Company. Today, Schick products are sold under the name Wilkinson Sword in Europe.

43…Mudville number..NINE

“Casey at the Bat” is a poem written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer, first published in the San Francisco Examiner. The poem became very popular due to repeated live performances in vaudeville by DeWolf Hopper. Casey played for the Mudville Nine, and the last line of the poem is “But there is no joy in Mudville – mighty Casey has struck out.”

44…2015 Emmy winner for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series..VEEP

“Veep” is a political satire sitcom on HBO that is a remake of the British show “The Thick of It” (Warning: strong language!). “Veep” is set in the office of a fictional Vice President of the United States played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

55…Shuck..OPEN OYSTERS

“To shuck” is to remove the husk from (say an ear of corn) or to remove the shell from (say an oyster).

61…Nixon admin. creation..EPA

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was set up during the Nixon administration and began operation at the end of 1970.

63…Israeli writer Oz..AMOS

Amos Oz is an Israeli writer. Oz has written 18 books in Hebrew and his works have been translated into 30 languages, including Arabic.

64…Nothing but __..NET

“Nothing but net” is a phrase used in basketball to describe a “clean basket”. A clean basket is a score in which the ball doesn’t touch the backboard or even the rim, and touches only the net.

67…Helical strands..DNA

Francis Crick and James Watson discovered that DNA had a double-helix, chain-like structure, and published their results in Cambridge in 1953. To this day the discovery is mired in controversy, as some crucial results collected by fellow researcher Rosalind Franklin were used without her permission or even knowledge.

Down

1…Like the vertebrae directly above the pelvis..LUMBAR

The human spine comprises five regions of vertebrae, which are (starting at the neck):

  • Cervical (C1 – C7)
  • Thoracic (T1 – T12)
  • Lumbar (L1 – L5)
  • Sacral (S1 – S5)
  • Coccyx (also known as the tailbone)

2…1958 Chevy debut..IMPALA

The Chevrolet Impala was first introduced in 1957 (model year 1958), and we can still buy one today. “Impala” is the Zulu word for “gazelle”.

4…Inscribed stone..STELA

Stelae (singular “stele” or “stela”) were used all over the world, sometimes as territorial markers and sometimes to commemorate military victories. In later times stelae were commonly erected as commemorative markers in graveyards or other religious sites.

5…Elegance..LUXE

Luxe is another word for luxury. The term came into English via French from the Latin “luxus” meaning luxury.

6…Comfort __..INN

The Comfort Inn chain is part of Choice Hotels International. I stay in Comfort Suites every so often. Not bad for the price …

8…Biblical twin..JACOB

In the Torah, the Israelites are traced back to Jacob, the grandson of Abraham. Jacob’s twelve sons became the ancestors of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Jacob’s sons were:

  • Reuben
  • Simeon
  • Levi
  • Judah
  • Dan
  • Naphtali
  • Gad
  • Asher
  • Issachar
  • Zebulun
  • Joseph
  • Benjamin

10…”Thou,” in the Keats line “When old age shall this generation waste, / Thou shalt remain … a friend to man”..URN

Here’s the first verse of the poem “Ode on a Grecian Urn” by John Keats:

THOU still unravish’d bride of quietness,
Thou foster-child of Silence and slow Time,
Sylvan historian, who canst thus express
A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme:
What leaf-fringed legend haunts about thy shape
Of deities or mortals, or of both,
In Tempe or the dales of Arcady?
What men or gods are these? What maidens loth?
What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape?
What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy?

13…Kazakhstan, once: Abbr…SSR

The Republic of Kazakhstan in Central Asia is the world’s largest landlocked country. Kazakhstan was the last of the former Soviet Republics (SSRs) to declare itself independent from Russia.

19…Late actor Rickman..ALAN

Alan Rickman was a marvelous English actor, famous for playing bad guy Hans Gruber in the original “Die Hard” film, Severus Snape in the “Harry Potter” series and my personal favorite, Eamon de Valera in “Michael Collins”. Sadly, Rickman passed away in January 2016, after which fans created a memorial under the “Platform 9¾” sign in London’s Kings Cross Railway Station, from where the Hogwarts Express is said to depart in the “Harry Potter” universe.

21…1989 Jack Nicholson role..THE JOKER

The Joker is one of the most colorful of Batman’s nemeses, introduced into the comic books in 1940, appearing in the first ever edition of “Batman”. The Joker has been played on screen by some colorful characters. In the original television series he was portrayed by Cesar Romero, and on the big screen by Jack Nicholson. What great casting!

24…Double __..AXEL

An Axel is a forward take-off jump in figure skating. It was first performed by Norwegian Axel Paulsen at the 1882 World Figure Skating championships.

29…__’acte..ENTR

The term “entr’acte” comes to us from French, and is the interval “between two acts” (“entre deux actes”) of a theatrical performance. It often describes some entertainment provided during that interval.

31…Mars and others..ORBS

The surface of the planet Mars has a very high iron oxide content, so Mars is red because it is “rusty”!

36…Aussie runner..EMU

The emu has had a tough time in Australia since man settled there. There was even an “Emu War” in Western Australia in 1932 when migrating emus competed with livestock for water and food. Soldiers were sent in and used machine guns in an unsuccessful attempt to drive off the “invading force”. The emus were clever, breaking their usual formations and adopting guerrilla tactics, operating as smaller units. After 50 days of “war”, the military withdrew. Subsequent requests for military help for the farmers were ignored. The emus had emerged victorious …

37…Nevada city on I-80..RENO

The city of Reno’s economy took off when open gambling was legalized in Nevada in 1931. Within a short time, a syndicate had built the Bank Club in Reno, which was the largest casino in the whole world at the time.

Interstate 80 is the second-longest highway in the US (after I-90). It runs east-west from San Francisco, California to Teaneck, New Jersey. I-80 largely follows the route of the first road across America, namely the historic Lincoln Highway.

38…Tel __..AVIV

The full name of Israel’s second largest city is Tel Aviv-Yafo. Tel Aviv translates into “Spring Mound”, a name chosen in 1910.

39…Defense choice..ZONE

In some team sports, there is a choice between man-to-man defense and zone defense. In the former, each defensive player guards a corresponding player on the other team. In the latter, each defensive player covers a particular “zone” of the playing area.

44…Dachshund docs..VETS

“Vet” is an abbreviation for “veterinarian”, a professional who treat animals for disease and injury. The word “veterinary” comes from the Latin “veterinae” meaning “working animals, beasts of burden”.

The dachshund breed of dog was originally bred to chase and flush out badgers. The name “dachshund” is German and translates as “badger dog”.

48…Printing problems..ERRATA

“Errata” is the past participle of the Latin word “errare” meaning “to err”. We use “errata” (singular “erratum”) to mean a list of errors that have been noted in some publication.

51…Last Reconstruction president..HAYES

Rutherford B. Hayes was the 19th president of the US. Long before we had to endure the dispute over the 2000 Presidential election, Rutherford Hayes found himself president after a disputed election in 1876. President Hayes came into office having lost the popular vote to his opponent Samuel Tilden as he was voted into office by one electoral college vote. Hayes was awarded the election in the end because of an informal deal struck between Democrats and Republicans called the Compromise of 1877. Democrats allowed Rutherford to occupy the White House in exchange for removal of federal troops occupying some of the southern states.

The Reconstruction Era followed the American Civil War, which ended in 1865. Reconstruction ended in 1877 when President Rutherford B. Hayes removed the last federal troops from the capitals of the Reconstruction states soon after taking office.

52…Rodeo rope..LASSO

Our English word “lasso” comes from the Spanish “lazo”, and ultimately from the Latin “laqueum” meaning “noose, snare”.

54…One that may be transformed by a kiss?..FROG

“The Frog Prince” is a fairy tale about a princess and her encounter with a frog who magically turns into a prince. In the version that is most common today, the prince appears when the princess kisses the frog. In the original Brothers Grimm version of the tale, the transformation takes place when the princess throws a gold ball against a wall in disgust at seeing the frog. In even earlier versions of the tale, the frog changes into the prince when it is allowed to spend a night on the princess’s pillow.

55…Scenes of many stitches: Abbr…ORS

Operating Room (OR)

56…Knight supporter?..PIP

Gladys Knight & the Pips performed together from 1953 to 1989. The Pips were founded around Gladys Knight, originally featuring her brother, sister and two cousins. The group took its name from yet another cousin, called “Pip”.

57…Prefix with genetics..EPI-

DNA contains nucleotide base sequences called genes, that are blueprints for used in the manufacture of proteins needed by the body. Our DNA is also “decorated” with epigenetic markers that modify the activity level of genes, and can even turn genes off. These epigenetic markers respond to environmental conditions, so that organisms with the same DNA can exhibit differences in behavior and appearance, as a result of differing environments. This explains which identical twins develop differences in appearance over time.

58…”All Things Considered” home..NPR

National Public Radio (now just called NPR) was launched in 1970 after President Johnson signed into law the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. The intent of the act was to provide funding for radio and television broadcasting that wasn’t simply driven by profit. As a longtime fan of the state-funded BBC in the UK, I’d have to agree with that intent …

“All Things Considered” is the flagship news broadcast by NPR, aired for two hours every evening.

59…Many a pro athlete’s pride..TAT

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”.

60…Rock genre..EMO

The musical genre of “emo” originated in Washington D.C. in the 80s, and takes its name from “emotional hardcore”. “Emo” is also the name given to the associated subculture. Not my cup of tea …

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Complete List of Clues and Answers

Across

1…Backtalk..LIP

4…Went into second, in a way..SLID

8…Energy units..JOULES

14…She played Mia in “Pulp Fiction”..UMA

15…Mackerel relative..TUNA

16…Opposite of down..ACROSS

17…AWOL pursuers..MPS

18…Shaq..EX-NBA CENTER

20…Combat..BATTLE

22…Long, on Lanai..LOA

23…Hi, on Lanai..ALOHA

24…Sheik..ARAB NOBLE

30…Exceptional..RARE

31…Team members..OXEN

32…”Darkness at __”: Arthur Koestler novel..NOON

33…Fortress of Solitude statue honoree..JOR-EL

35…Formal assessment..REPORT

37…Schick..RAZORBLADE MAKER

41…Calls up..EVOKES

42…Pip..BEAUT

43…Mudville number..NINE

44…2015 Emmy winner for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series..VEEP

45…Wheels..RIDE

49…Shock..OVERWHELM

52…Hardly a socialite..LONER

53…It may be humbly held in hand..HAT

54…Stumble..FALTER

55…Shuck..OPEN OYSTERS

61…Nixon admin. creation..EPA

62…__ effect..RIPPLE

63…Israeli writer Oz..AMOS

64…Nothing but __..NET

65…Church symbols..SPIRES

66…Not for here..TOGO

67…Helical strands..DNA

Down

1…Like the vertebrae directly above the pelvis..LUMBAR

2…1958 Chevy debut..IMPALA

3…Sermon giver..PASTOR

4…Inscribed stone..STELA

5…Elegance..LUXE

6…Comfort __..INN

7…Touch..DAB

8…Biblical twin..JACOB

9…Large amount..OCEAN

10…”Thou,” in the Keats line “When old age shall this generation waste, / Thou shalt remain … a friend to man”..URN

11…Building site..LOT

12…End of much language?..ESE

13…Kazakhstan, once: Abbr…SSR

19…Late actor Rickman..ALAN

21…1989 Jack Nicholson role..THE JOKER

24…Double __..AXEL

25…Mark down, perhaps..RELABEL

26…Keeping the beat?..ON PATROL

27…Secure, as a room..BOOK

28…Past wisdom..LORE

29…__’acte..ENTR

31…Mars and others..ORBS

34…Vein yield..ORE

35…Get as a return..REAP

36…Aussie runner..EMU

37…Nevada city on I-80..RENO

38…Tel __..AVIV

39…Defense choice..ZONE

40…Consider..DEEM

44…Dachshund docs..VETS

46…Plan..INTEND

47…Become more heartfelt..DEEPEN

48…Printing problems..ERRATA

50…__ milk..WHOLE

51…Last Reconstruction president..HAYES

52…Rodeo rope..LASSO

54…One that may be transformed by a kiss?..FROG

55…Scenes of many stitches: Abbr…ORS

56…Knight supporter?..PIP

57…Prefix with genetics..EPI-

58…”All Things Considered” home..NPR

59…Many a pro athlete’s pride..TAT

60…Rock genre..EMO




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13 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 3 Jun 16, Friday”

  1. Zero errors. Very weirdly, felt like a Thursday. Can’t say there’s much interesting in the grid, though the rhyming literalisms were different.

  2. As I started on the upper left corner I kept thinking, this is way to easy for a Friday. Then the cluing got more difficult with some real “naticks” thrown in such as 22 Across “Long on Lanai”. Eventually it all came together successfully. I’m just glad that the puzzle maker didn’t make it too easy. I would hate to have the Friday grid seem like a Monday without any challenge at all.

    Have a great Friday all.

  3. I assume this constructor is a different Elliot Abrams from the one in the Reagan and Bush administrations? I could almost cut and paste Tony’s assessment and it would just about match my own experience with the puzzle. Started off very fast, but I bogged down in the lower third of the puzzle. Interesting intersection of ERRATA and DNA – two plural clues with no “s” for either. I eventually finished and shaved a few minutes off of my normal Friday time. Another tweener puzzle – about a Thursday and a half.

    Did not know the beer connection with James Joule. I knew there was a reason I liked him all these years….

    @Carrie
    Thanks for the well wishing. An 8 inch rain on top of a 20 inch rain on top of another 20 inch rain with others in between over the course of 6 weeks or so. The entire Southeast Texas region is drenched. Places that have never even thought of floods are flooding. Up where I am (I live in a suburb called The Woodlands) things are stable and the worst has passed. But east of us and south of us things are horrific. Worse yet – it’s STILL raining, but at least it’s a light rain now. Nevertheless it’s not helping any of the flooding to subside. Supposedly things will start drying out after tomorrow. It will take anywhere from several days to several weeks for all of the rivers, creeks and resevoirs to recede in these areas. I’ve never seen anything like this before.

    Best –

    1. I assume this constructor is a different Elliot Abrams from the one in the Reagan and Bush administrations?

      Hard to know for sure since I don’t see a bio (seems this is his debut, as the name isn’t used in any other grids). But looking up the name indicates that one and a famous TV meterologist. Might be cool if one of them moonlighted as a crossword constructor, but likely not. More likely it’s another case like That Other Sam Donaldson that constructs crosswords. Although, there is an Ohio University anthropology professor that answers to the name too.

  4. This puzzle was quite difficult. and I haven’t even read Bill’s ‘syn’. As in ‘synopsis’. I will take my time and chew and ruminate on that.

    Jeff, we are glad that you are safe and dry, in an ocean of sweet water ( that is, not salt water -). But our hearts go out to those who are suffering and soaked. Perhaps it was chance ( or topology – ) but some may say its just good karma that saved you. Keep well, and do what you can for the others.

    Carrie thanks for your wishes on watching Breaking Bad. With your good wishes I know I will enjoy it when I see it, and I will think of you.

    Jeff, I will try to google the quotes from Better Call Saul, and maybe, I may even be able to understand them …

    On the puzzle, I thought ‘went into second’ as SLID, because I thought the person had ‘lost his acme / apex …. or his top ranking’ and now was not the title holder, merely number two seed. Baseball never even entered my mind. Right answer for the wrong concept.

    As for Joule being in the brewing business and having some free time and scientific attitude and dedication to come out with an awespiring concept – I like to think of the ‘students T test’ in statistics which was developed by a brewer chemist William Gosset, who also worked at Guinness’s brewery, making stout. So, even imbibimg beer, in moderation, with due meditation (?) and scientific inquiry, can lead to bigger and better things ….

    Have a nice day and a good weekend, all.

  5. Shaq was a LEAGUER, PLAYER, CAGER and finally a CENTER.
    PIP was an answer and a clue.

  6. For those who work (and discuss here) the daily WSJ I found today to be challenging without going to a stronger adjective such as “vexing”…I always cringe a bit whenever the grid has “Shakespeare” quotations, and this grid was no exception to that rule. But finally, thanks to the down clues, it got solved. My answer for 25 Across “Use of about 15% of Google’s revenue, for short” had me doubting my solution until I realized I was reading the answer incorrectly! D’oh!

    1. For the rules I use, it ended up being about a 4 space DNF for the things I simply didn’t know, but I ended up getting the meta done and entering.

  7. A few fits and starts, but it worked out. Technically, the theme doesn’t work with the a-e-i-o-u progression if you use Shaq, but it was still a decent grid. Shaq amassed so many nicknames, I can’t even begin to remember them all. My favorite was “Clank-Fu” for his horrific free throw shooting.

    Some of these oyster shuckers you see on cooking shows are borderline crazy. How they still have all their digits remains a mystery to me.

  8. Ted Cruz took some heat for calling the metal part of a basketball basket a “ring” and now Bill in his entry for 64 Across has used the same word. In my part of the US (the Northeast) we call it a rim, but maybe ring is the correct word in Europe? And could this mean that Cruz, far from being a Texas hayseed idiot (sorry Jeff), is actually quite the man-of-the-world?

    1. Nope, Anthony. It’s just me and Ted Cruz. My excuse is that I’m sports-challenged. Not sure what his is …

      I’ll go change that right now. Thanks!

  9. Athletes pride = tats. There are so many things to be proud of and so many athletes with no tats. This clue was just outright stupid.
    Loa and errata , whatever. Too many answers that no one would ever know.
    It ruins the puzzle when you do that.

  10. Wazzup y’all?!
    Hey Jeff and Tony, I third that!! I started off strong in the north west, and thought the grid seemed Thursday-ish. Then I got seriously bogged down in the Northeast corner. Didn’t know JOULES, tho I had a coupla the letters. Finally had to look up that one word, and the corner as well as the rest of the puzzle fell together. So, not a bad effort on my part, I think.
    So glad you’re safe, Jeff. It is CRAZY what’s happening to Houston. I don’t recall ever hearing of rains like that anywhere in Texas.
    (BTW, I’m liking “tweener” for the hybrid puzzles we sometimes see, and I may steal — I mean USE the term myself (;)
    Hey Vidwan, hope you enjoy Breaking Bad! Just please don’t blame me for the icky, disturbing, violent parts ?.
    Saturday’s on deck! I’m not feeling confident!!!
    Be well~~?

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