LA Times Crossword Answers 7 Jun 16, Tuesday

LA Times Crossword Solution 7 Jun 16







Constructed by: Gail Grabowski & Bruce Venzke

Edited by: Rich Norris

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

Quicklink to comments

Theme: Run to the End

Today’s themed answers ends with a synonym of “run”.

  • 17A…Fastener secured in concrete..ANCHOR BOLT
  • 41A…”The salt-free flavor statement” brand..MRS DASH
  • 64A…Unpredictably nasty quality..MEAN STREAK
  • 11D…Seriously endangered group in Mary Shelley’s “The Last Man”..HUMAN RACE
  • 35D…’60s-’70s Chrysler compact..DODGE DART

Bill’s time: 6m 31s

Bill’s errors: 0




Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies

Across

1…Hoopla..ADO

The word “hoopla” means “boisterous excitement”. The term probably comes from “houp-là”, something the French say instead of “upsy-daisy”. Then again, “upsy-daisy” probably isn’t something said very often here in the US …

15…Brightly plumed songbird..ORIOLE

The songbird called an oriole builds an interesting nest. It is a woven cup-like structure that is suspended from a branch like a hammock.

21…Chocolate-and-toffee bar..SKOR

Skor is a candy bar produced by Hershey’s. “Skor” is Swedish for “shoes”, and the candy bar’s wrapping features a crown that is identical to that found in the Swedish national emblem. Skor is sold in Canada as Rutnam.

23…Cosa __..NOSTRA

Apparently “Cosa Nostra” is the real name for the Italian Mafia. “Cosa Nostra” translates as “our thing” or “this thing of ours”. The term first became public in the US when the FBI managed to turn some members of the American Mafia. The Italian authorities established that “Cosa Nostra” was also used in Sicily when they penetrated the Sicilian Mafia in the 1980s. The term “Mafia” seems to be just a literary invention that has become popular with the public.

25…Wyoming voters since 1869..WOMEN

Wyoming is nicknamed “the Equality State”, and the state motto is “Equal Rights”. In 1869, Wyoming was the first state (although it was a territory back then) to give women the right to vote. The following year, the first women to serve on juries did so in Wyoming.

27…”Morning Joe” airer..MSNBC

“Morning Joe” is a show broadcast by MSNBC each weekday morning. It is hosted by Joe Scarborough, and first went on the air in 2007. Given the name of the show, Starbucks were very content being the show’s sponsor from 2009 through 2013, and got lots of product placement.

30…Central courtyards..ATRIA

In modern architecture an atrium (plural “atria” or “atriums”) is a large open space usually in the center of a building and extending upwards to the roof. The original atrium was an open court in the center of an Ancient Roman house. One could access most of the enclosed rooms of the house from the atrium.

33…Ore-rich vein..LODE

A lode is a metal ore deposit that’s found between two layers of rock or in a fissure. The “mother lode” is the principal deposit in a mine, usually of gold or silver. “Mother lode” is probably a translation of “veta madre”, an expression used in mining in Mexico.

36…Bumbling sort..DOOFUS

“Doofus” (also “dufus”) is student slang that has been around since the sixties. Apparently the word is a variant of the equally unattractive term “doo-doo”.

39…__ nouveau..ART

Art Nouveau (French for “new art”) is a style that was popular from 1890 to 1910. Although the English-speaking world adopted the French name for the style, Art Nouveau was known as “Jugendstil” in Germany, “Modern” in Russia and “Stile Liberty” in Italy.

40…Angst-filled music 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 …

41…”The salt-free flavor statement” brand..MRS DASH

Mrs. Dash is a brand name of seasoning mixes. Just before the product first went to market in 1981, brand owner B&G Foods also considered the name “Mrs. Pinch”.

42…Iams eater..CAT

Iams dog food was produced by the animal nutritionist Paul Iams. He felt that household pets were suffering somewhat by being fed a diet of table scraps, so he developed a dry dog food that he felt was more nutritious and suitable for pet dogs. He founded the Iams company, now part of Procter & Gamble, in 1946.

48…Tennis tie..DEUCE

In tennis, if the score reaches “deuce” (i.e. when both players have scored three points), then the first player to win two points in a row wins the game. The player who wins the point immediately after deuce is said to have the “advantage”. If the player with the advantage wins the next point then that’s two in a row and that player wins the game. If the person with the advantage loses the next point, then advantage is lost and the players return to deuce and try again. If the one of the players is calling out the score then if he/she has the advantage then that player announces “ad in” or more formally “advantage in”. If the score announcer’s opponent has the advantage, then the announcement is “ad out” or “advantage out”. Follow all of that …?

59…Oscar winner Sorvino..MIRA

Mira Sorvino is an American actress, winner of an Oscar for her supporting role in the 1995 Woody Allen movie “Mighty Aphrodite”. Sorvino also played a title role opposite Lisa Kudrow in the very forgettable “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion”.

62…__ cotta..TERRA

The name “terra cotta” comes to us from Latin via Italian and means “baked earth”. Terra cotta is a ceramic made from clay which is left unglazed. Maybe the most famous work in terra cotta is the Terracotta Army, the enormous collection of life-size figures that was buried with the Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of China around 210 BC. I had the privilege of seeing some of this collection when it toured the US a few years ago, and just the few pieces on display were so very impressive.

66…Firestone product..TIRE

Firestone is a tire company founded by Harvey Firestone in 1900. The Firestone company took off when it was selected by Henry Ford as the supplier of tires for his Model T.

68…Holy mlle…STE

“Sainte” (ste.) is French for “saint”, when referring to a female.

Señorita (Srta.) is Spanish and mademoiselle (Mlle.) is French for “Miss”.

70…Dangerous tropical fly..TSETSE

Tsetse flies live on the blood of vertebrate mammals. The name “tsetse” comes from Tswana, a language of southern Africa, and translates simply as “fly”. Tsetse flies are famous for being carriers of the disease known as “sleeping sickness”. Sleeping sickness is caused by a parasite which is passed onto humans when the tsetse fly bites into human skin tissue. If one considers all the diseases transmitted by the insect, then the tsetse fly is responsible for a staggering quarter of a million deaths each year.

71…Distress letters..SOS

The combination of three dots – three dashes – three dots, is a Morse signal first introduced by the German government as a standard distress call in 1905. The sequence is remembered as the letters SOS (three dots – pause – three dashes – pause – three dots), although in the emergency signal there is no pause between the dots and dashes, so SOS is in effect only a mnemonic. Similarly, the phrases “Save Our Souls” and “Save Our Ship” are also mnemonics, introduced after the “SOS” signal was adopted.

Down

7…Concoct, with “up”..COOK

“To decoct” is to extract the flavor of a liquid by boiling down and increasing the concentration. A related term is “to concoct”, meaning “to boil together”. We use the verb “to concoct” in figurative sense to mean to contrive, devise.

10…Official seal..CACHET

“Cachet” is a French word that we use in English for an official seal, usually one applied to a document. We also use the term figuratively. When we say that something has “a certain cachet”, we are implying that it has a certain level of prestige, as if some authority has given it a seal of approval.

11…Seriously endangered group in Mary Shelley’s “The Last Man”..HUMAN RACE

“The Last Man” is an 1826 science fiction novel by Mary Shelley, author of the Gothic novel “Frankenstein”, and husband of poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. “The Last Man” is an apocalyptic tale, describing a future in which the human race has been decimated by a terrible plague.

24…Tennis great Agassi..ANDRE

Renowned tennis professional Andre Agassi was nicknamed “the Punisher”, because of the efficiency with which he ran most of his opponents around the court. He wrote an autobiography called “Open”, published in 2009. An amazing revelation in the book is that Agassi’s famous head of hair was actually a wig for much of his playing career. Can you imagine how hard it must have been to play tennis at his level with a rug stuck on?

26…Sitcom set in Korea..MASH

“M*A*S*H” has only three stars (three asterisks, that is!). These asterisks first appeared on the poster for the 1970 movie, but they were omitted in the opening titles. The TV series went on to use the asterisks from the poster.

28…Pear variety..BOSC

Bosc is a cultivar of the European Pear grown in the northwest of the United States. The Bosc is that pear with a skin the color of a potato, with a long neck. I always seem to use the potato as my point of reference. How Irish am I …?

29…Like a cryptogram..CODED

In the world of word puzzles, a “cryptogram” is a short piece of encrypted text that is solved by working out which letters have been substituted for which letters. I think cryptograms are my favorite type of word puzzle, after the crossword of course …

31…Pakistan neighbor..IRAN

Before 1935 the country we know today as Iran was called Persia by the Western world. The official name of the country since the Iranian Revolution of 1979 is the “Islamic Republic of Iran”.

The official name of the country is the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The name “Pakistan” translates from both Persian and Urdu as “Land of the Pure”.

32…Justice Dept. employee..ATTY

Attorney (atty.)

35…’60s-’70s Chrysler compact..DODGE DART

The Dodge Dart was originally produced by Chrysler from 1960 to 1976 in North America. The Dodge Dart name was resurrected in 2013 when Chrysler introduced it as a new compact passenger automobile.

41…Auto ad no…MSRP

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP)

47…Space station supply..OXYGEN

Although pressurized oxygen tanks are available as a backup, water is the main source of oxygen on the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS’s large solar arrays provide electrical power that is used to electrolyse water into its constituent elements of hydrogen and oxygen. The explosive hydrogen is vented into space.

51…Irish nationalist Robert..EMMET

Irish nationalist Robert Emmet led the unsuccessful 1803 rebellion against the British, for which he was hung, drawn and quartered.

52…Creditors’ claims..LIENS

A lien is the right that one has to retain or secure someone’s property until a debt is paid. When an individual takes out a car loan, for example, the lending bank is usually a lien holder. The bank releases the lien on the car when the loan is paid in full.

54…Rapunzel feature..TRESS

“Rapunzel” is a fairy tale in the collection of the Brothers Grimm. Rapunzel was a maiden who was locked in a tower by an enchantress. The inevitable prince turns up, and he climbs up to Rapunzel using her long, fair hair as a climbing rope.

55…Muse of poetry..ERATO

In Greek mythology, Erato was the Muse of lyric poetry and is often depicted playing a lyre.

57…Software prototype..BETA

In the world of software development, the first tested issue of a new program is usually called the “alpha” version. Expected to have a lot of bugs that need to be fixed, the alpha release is usually distributed to a small number of testers. After reported bugs have been eliminated, the refined version is called a “beta” and is released to a wider audience, but with the program clearly labeled as “beta”. The users generally check functionality and report further bugs that are encountered. The beta version feeds into a release candidate, the version that is tested just prior to the software being sold into the market, bug-free hopefully …

61…Pre-med subj…ANAT

Anatomy (anat.)

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Complete List of Clues and Answers

Across

1…Hoopla..ADO

4…Device for a selfie video..WEBCAM

10…Poker pot disk..CHIP

14…Under the __: pressured..GUN

15…Brightly plumed songbird..ORIOLE

16…Subtle glow..AURA

17…Fastener secured in concrete..ANCHOR BOLT

19…”You’re not serious!”..C’MON!

20…Typical film festival entry..INDIE

21…Chocolate-and-toffee bar..SKOR

22…Loiter, with “out”..HANG

23…Cosa __..NOSTRA

25…Wyoming voters since 1869..WOMEN

27…”Morning Joe” airer..MSNBC

30…Central courtyards..ATRIA

33…Ore-rich vein..LODE

36…Bumbling sort..DOOFUS

39…__ nouveau..ART

40…Angst-filled music genre..EMO

41…”The salt-free flavor statement” brand..MRS DASH

42…Iams eater..CAT

43…Football lineman..END

44…Withdraw officially..SECEDE

45…Refuse to confess to, as charges..DENY

46…Severity..RIGOR

48…Tennis tie..DEUCE

50…Kick out of school..EXPEL

53…Sound of little feet..PATTER

57…Murder mystery staple..BODY

59…Oscar winner Sorvino..MIRA

62…__ cotta..TERRA

63…Digital reading, for short..EMAG

64…Unpredictably nasty quality..MEAN STREAK

66…Firestone product..TIRE

67…Involve..ENTAIL

68…Holy mlle…STE

69…Mail-routing abbr…ATTN

70…Dangerous tropical fly..TSETSE

71…Distress letters..SOS

Down

1…From the top..AGAIN

2…”I’m stumped!”..DUNNO!

3…How music may be sold..ON CDS

4…Some wine-and-dine sorts..WOOERS

5…Misspell or misspeak..ERR

6…Spatter catchers..BIBS

7…Concoct, with “up”..COOK

8…Give the go-ahead..ALLOW

9…L.A. rail and bus service..METRO

10…Official seal..CACHET

11…Seriously endangered group in Mary Shelley’s “The Last Man”..HUMAN RACE

12…It’s pumped in gyms..IRON

13…Hint of hunger..PANG

18…”Another card, please”..HIT ME

24…Tennis great Agassi..ANDRE

26…Sitcom set in Korea..MASH

28…Pear variety..BOSC

29…Like a cryptogram..CODED

31…Pakistan neighbor..IRAN

32…Justice Dept. employee..ATTY

33…Creepy look..LEER

34…Upscale hotel chain..OMNI

35…’60s-’70s Chrysler compact..DODGE DART

37…Lose strength over time..FADE

38…Go through entirely..USE UP

41…Auto ad no…MSRP

45…Ward off..DETER

47…Space station supply..OXYGEN

49…Dairy farm animals..CATTLE

51…Irish nationalist Robert..EMMET

52…Creditors’ claims..LIENS

54…Rapunzel feature..TRESS

55…Muse of poetry..ERATO

56…Furrow-making tools..RAKES

57…Software prototype..BETA

58…Leave off the list..OMIT

60…Rank according to ability, say..RATE

61…Pre-med subj…ANAT

65…Family nickname..SIS




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14 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 7 Jun 16, Tuesday”

  1. That was more like it. Finished quickly and error free, but I had one write over that kept me from my A+. Not only did the theme elude me, I never really even noticed which clues were part of the theme. I don’t ever recall seeing DOOFUS in a crossword before. We’ll see if it becomes a trend.

    After dozens of TSE TSE sightings in crosswords, I finally looked up sleeping sickness and what it was. Sounds absolutely awful. Ironically, the first symptom listed is insomnia. But there is also uncontrollable sleepiness during the day that sounds like narcolepsy. You can injure yourself just falling asleep doing an everyday activity …like driving. It’s fatal if not treated. One strain can take 6 months to kill the victim; the other strain takes just a couple of weeks.

    So – on that cheery note

    Best –

  2. Decided to go ahead and play for today, especially since I’m still playing with the new (to me) system:
    LAT: Zero errors, 9:36. Pretty typical both for Tuesday and for this. Only objection has already been noted by Bill.
    WSJ: One letter, 18:18. Most of that time chasing a pretty dumb error.

  3. Bill, with all due respect, the new website does not seem to provide a link to the comments. There is no hyper text link to go to the comments directly. I had to actually post a ‘test’ comment to find out what the comments of other people were. Eventually, I did discover that apparently I was the first (and only ) one. IMHO I think an explicit link should be provided for comments, both to allow for comments, and indeed encourage them, and also some people (like me – ) enjoy reading the other, prior, comments, before they post – to avoid duplication and redundancy. I think this is a very serious flaw in the whole experience, and one I feel needs to be addressed, at the earliest convenience.

    Also, the ‘post-link’ has no option to ‘edit’ your own comment, before it is posted.

    I found the puzzle more challenging that yesterday’s – which is to be expected. I had a lot of fun and enjoyed it very much.

    I was not aware Orioles were (a) plumed ( see link) and (b) built elaborate, woven nests. …..

    …. like the weaver birds’ nests , for example. .
    Maybe, I am not familiar with the concept of ‘plumage’ from an ornithologist’s point of view, but I always thought that plumes meant a prominent head crowning feather and / or prominent tail feathers.

    Like a quetzal bird of South America. (Wikipedia says I am totally misinformed on this subject.)

    25Across, Wyo. voters …. my first choice was going to be INDIANS or BLACKS , but I ran out of spaces.

    Thank you for introducing ‘Mighty Aphrodite’, I hope to see the movie soon.

    Finally, having read copiously on Pakistan and Indian history, and especially about the ‘partition’, I feel I might state that the word ‘pak’ serendipitously meaning ‘pure’, was actaully fromed from the initials Punjab, Afghanistan and Kashmir, which Mr. M. A. Jinnah had hoped would, in some form, be incorporated into the nascent Pakistan. All that is now long forgotten history, and has as much relevance as waters that have passed under the bridge, decades ago.

    have a nice day, all.

    1. Hi, Vidwan.

      Let me work out how to get a link to the comments section at the top of the page. It’s a very valid point. My posts are very long, and you shouldn’t have to scroll all the way to the bottom to find out if anyone has made a comment.

      As for “editing” a comment before posting, do you mean “previewing” before posting?

      I’ll delete that “test comment” for you.

    2. OK, Vidwan.

      I’ve added a “Quicklink” to the comments section, placing it just below the grid. That should work for the moment, until I can research how to include something more elegant.

      Thanks for the suggestion.

  4. Poor New Jersey: ever the bridesmaid and never the bride. Contrary to Bill’s entry for 25 Across — and there’s no reason he should know since apparently no one else does — New Jersey was actually the first state to grant women the right to vote. In 1797 the state Assembly passed “An Act to regulate the Election of Members of the Legislative-Council and the General Assembly, Sheriffs, and Coroners, in this State” which specifically recognized the right of women to vote.

    Ten years later, however, in an ignoble effort to conform to other states, the New Jersey Assembly passed a new law limiting voting rights to free white males.

  5. I thought today’s LAT’s puzzle was much easier than Monday and it came together really quickly. I just finished the WSJ with no final errors, but had fun with it as it made me think in more than a few places. While doing crossword puzzles all these years has helped my spelling, it still let’s me down at times and that often contributes to my having to go back and figure out what is wrong with an answer I’ve put in (“amateur” I’m looking at you!)

  6. Plenty of crosswordese today. ANCHORBOLT brough Olympic sprinter Usuain Bolt, and how he might have the most appropriate name for his sport. On the other side of the spectrum might be former hockey play Larry Playfair, who led the NHL in penalty minutes several years. 😀

    On occasion, Elaine would refer to Kramer as a hipster DOOFUS on Seinfeld.

  7. Didn’t know MSRP.
    Otherwise, didn’t notice the theme, and agree with Tony that today’s was easier than yesterday’s

  8. Side note. I signed up for Gravatar, but still getting nothing. Anyone else?

      1. I don’t know what happened, but something worked. The internet amazes sometimes.

  9. Whaaa?!
    Just typed out my comment then managed to erase the whole thing!! Could it be that I don’t have anything worthwhile to say??!
    Well — I AM surprised that no one else complained about the ridiculous number of ABBREVIATIONS and INITIALS in this grid!
    Be well~~?

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