LA Times Crossword Answers 30 Jul 16, Saturday




LA Times Crossword Solution 30 Jul 16







Constructed by: Kevin Christian

Edited by: Rich Norris

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

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Theme: None

Bill’s time: 13m 55s

Bill’s errors: 0




Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies

Across

8…Black Friday store opening event?..MAD DASH

In the world of retail, “Black Friday” is the day after Thanksgiving in the US. Black Friday is when many stores start the holiday shopping season, and so offer deep discounts to get ahead of the competition.

18…Island where Dionysus discovered Ariadne..NAXOS

Naxos is the largest island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. According to Greek mythology, Zeus was raised in a cave on the island.

Dionysus was the party animal of Greek mythology. Dionysus was the god of wine, ritual madness and ecstasy! His Roman equivalent was Bacchus.

In Greek mythology, Ariadne was the daughter of Minos, the King of Crete and master of the Minotaur. Minos charged his daughter with control of the labyrinth that housed the Minotaur. However, Ariadne fell in love with Theseus who had vowed to kill the Minotaur, and she helped him fulfill his mission. In other myths, Ariadne became the bride of the god Dionysius.

20…Disney’s “__ & Stitch”..LILO

“Lilo & Stitch” was released by Disney in 2002. Compared to other Disney feature-length cartoons, “Lilo & Stitch” was relatively cheaply produced, using the voices of lesser-known actors. One interesting change had to take place in the storyline during production, when Lilo was meant to fly a Jumbo Jet through downtown Honolulu in one sequence. This was replaced with a sequence using a spaceship instead, as the producers were sensitive to public sentiment after the September 11 attacks.

21…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”.

22…__ owl..BARN

The barn owl is the most common species of owl. The barn owl is found everywhere in the world, except in desert and polar regions.

24…”At Seventeen” Grammy winner __ Ian..JANIS

Janis Ian is a singer-songwriter, mainly of folk music, who was most successful in the sixties and seventies. Her most famous song by far is the 1975 recording “At Seventeen”. In more recent years, Ian has been published several times as a science-fiction author.

25…Spender of rials..OMANI

The Rial is name of the currency of Oman (as well as that of Yemen , Iran, Cambodia and Tunisia).

27…Name..DUB

Kneel, and the Queen might “dub thee a knight” if you’re lucky. “Dub” is a specific term derived from Old English that was used to mean “make a knight”. As the knight was also given a knightly name at the same time, “dub” has come to mean “give someone a name”.

28…Suzanne Collins trilogy, with “The”..HUNGER GAMES

“The Hunger Games” is a 2008 novel by Suzanne Collins, the first in a trilogy of titles that also includes “Catching Fire” (2009) and “Mockingjay” (2010). “The Hunger Games” was adapted into a very successful movie released in 2012, with the sequels following soon after. Amazon.com reports more sales of “The Hunger Games” series books than even the “Harry Potter” series.

32…Rebus pronoun..EWE

A rebus is a puzzle that uses pictures to represent letters and groups of letters. For example, a picture of a “ewe” might represent the letter “U” or the pronoun “you”.

38…Isr. neighbor..SYR

The modern state that we know as Syria was established after WWI as a French mandate. Syria was granted independence from France in 1946.

39…Loreena McKennitt genre..CELTIC MUSIC

Loreena McKennitt is a musician from Canada who writes and performs mainly Celtic music.

41…Big name in jewelry..KAY

Kay Jewelers is perhaps the most famous store brand owned by Sterling Jewelers. Sterling is the largest fine jewelry chain in the country, with the company’s main competitor being Zale Corporation.

43…Half a ’60s pop group..MAMAS

The folk group called the Magic Circle renamed itself to the Mamas and the Papas in the early sixties. Sadly, the Mamas and the Papas weren’t a happy bunch, always fighting over who was getting credit for songs and whose voice was getting mixed out of recordings, so they split up, twice. While they were together though, they wrote and recorded some great songs, songs which really do epitomize the sound of the sixties. “Monday, Monday” was written by John Phillips, one of “the Papas”, and it was to become the only number one hit for the group. Here’s a shocker … when it hit number one in 1966, it was the first time that a group made up of both sexes topped the American charts!

46…Lesage hero Gil __..BLAS

Alain-René Lesage was a novelist and playwright from France. Lesage is best known for his novels “The Devil upon Two Sticks” (1707) and “Gil Blas” (1715-1735).

51…__ I: Jewish month added in leap years..ADAR

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

52…Watch chain..FOB

A fob is attached to an object to make it easier to access. And so a key fob is a chain attached to a key so that it can be retrieved easily. There are also watch fobs, and the pocket in a vest in which a watch can be placed is called a fob. In fact, the original use of the term “fob” was for a small pocket in which one could carry valuables.

54…Parker or Getz..JAZZ SAXOPHONIST

Charlie Parker was a Jazz saxophonist, who was often just called “Bird” or “Yardbird”. He was a leader in the development of the style of jazz called “bebop”, which gained popularity in the forties. Charlie Parker had a rough life outside of music. He was a heroin addict, and a heavy drinker. When he died, the coroner who performed his autopsy estimated his age as between 50 and 60 years old based on the appearance of his body and condition of his organs. He was actually 34-years-old when he died in a New York City hotel room in 1955.

Stan Getz was a jazz saxophonist. Getz’s playing style earned him the nickname “The Sound”.

58…Ancient..OLD AS METHUSELAH

Methuselah was the son of Enoch and the grandfather of Noah, and the man in the Bible who is reported to have lived the longest. Methuselah passed away seven days before the onset of the Great Flood, and tradition holds that he was 969 years old when he died.

Down

2…Like Romantic music..TONAL

The Romantic era was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated towards the end of the 18th century, and lasted until the mid-19th century. In terms of music, the era is more usually defined as the period between 1800 and 1850. The composers Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven tend to “pigeon-holed” into the preceding Classical era, with the likes of Chopin, Schumann, Debussy and Liszt labeled as Romantic composers.

3…Singer/songwriter __ Ray Joel..ALEXA

Singer-songwriter Alexa Ray Joel is the oldest daughter of Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley.

6…Commercial suffix with wheat..-ENA

Wheatena is a toasted wheat cereal that has been on the shelves since about 1879. Back in the golden days of radio, Wheatena sponsored the “Popeye the Sailor” show, which resulted in the jingle:

Wheatena is his diet,
He asks you to try it,
With Popeye the sailor man.

7…Word from Homer..D’OH!

“The Simpsons” is one of the most successful programs produced by the Fox Broadcasting Company. Homer Simpson’s catchphrase is “D’oh!”, which became such a famous exclamation that it has been included in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) since 2001. “D’oh!” can be translated as “I should have thought of that!”

8…Mullally of “Will & Grace”..MEGAN

Megan Mullally is an actress probably best known for playing Karen Walker on the TV sitcom “Will & Grace”. Mullally also has a recurring role on the sitcom “Parks and Recreation”, playing Tammy Swanson, the ex-wife of Ron Swanson. In real life Tammy and Ron aren’t exes, as Megan Mullally is married to actor Nick Offerman who plays Ron Swanson.

9…Blue Cash Everyday card co…AMEX

The American Express card aimed at young people is called “Blue”. There is also a cashback version known as “Blue Cash”.

11…”CSI” facility..DNA LAB

The “CSI” franchise of TV shows has been remarkably successful. That said, only one of the four “CSI” shows is now in production (“CSI: Cyber”)

  • CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (set in Las Vegas)
  • CSI: Miami
  • CSI: NY
  • CSI: Cyber (set in Washington, DC)

12…How coq may be cooked..AU VIN

The French word “coq” actually means rooster, but a more tender bird is usually chosen for the classic French dish “coq au vin”. The most common wine used for the “vin” is burgundy, but sometimes another red wine is chosen, and you can also find on a menu “coq au Champagne” and “coq au Riesling”.

13…Absolut alternative, familiarly..STOLI

Stolichnaya is a brand of Russian vodka made from wheat and rye grain. Well, “Stoli” originated in Russia but now it’s made in Latvia, which is of course a completely different country, so you won’t see the word “Russian” on the label.

I must admit, if I ever do order a vodka drink by name, I will order the Absolut brand. I must also admit that I do so from the perspective of an amateur photographer. I’ve been swayed by the Absolut marketing campaign that features such outstanding photographic images. I’m sure you’ve come across examples …

16…Semiaquatic rodent..NUTRIA

The river rat, also known as the coypu or nutria, is a native of South America, although is now found all over the word as an invasive species. The river rat was introduced into locations outside of South America by ranchers who farmed them for their fur.

26…Big attractions..MECCAS

Mecca is in the Makkah province of Saudi Arabia. It was the birthplace of Muhammad and is the holiest city in Islam. Every year several million Muslims perform the Hajj, a holy pilgrimage to Mecca. We use the word “mecca” in English to describe any place that many people visit.

27…Wild things?..DEUCES

A “two” playing card might be called a “deuce”, from the Middle French “deus” (or Modern French “deux”) meaning “two”.

Deuces might be “wild”, might replace any card, in a variant of poker.

28…Some game enders: Abbr…HRS

Home run (HR)

29…Pike no-no..UEY

Hang a uey, make a u-turn.

Back in the 15th century a “turnpike” was a defensive barrier across a road. By the 17th century the term was used for a barrier that stopped travellers until a toll was paid. By the 18th century a turnpike was the name given to a road with a toll.

30…ATM giant..NCR

NCR is an American company that has been in business since 1884, originally called the National Cash Register Company. The company has done well in a market where new technologies seem to be constantly disrupting the status quo.

31…Actress Kelly..MOIRA

Moira Kelly is an actress from Queens, New York. Kelly provided the voice for the female lion cub Nala in “The Lion King” and its sequel. I mostly remember her for playing a White House media consultant in the first series of the wonderful TV drama “The West Wing”.

32…Aurora’s counterpart..EOS

In Greek mythology, Eos is the goddess of the dawn who lived at the edge of the ocean. Eos would wake each morning to welcome her brother Helios the sun. The Roman equivalent of Eos is Aurora.

33…Either of two Chinese dynasties..WEI

There were two Wei Dynasties in Chinese history. The Cao Wei (220-265) existed during the Three Kingdoms Period, and the Northern Wei (386-534) that existed during the Southern and Northern Dynasties Period.

34…Bailout key..ESC

The Escape (ESC) key on a PC keyboard is usually located in the top-left corner. The Escape key was introduced in 1960 by IBM programmer Bob Berner, originally to switch from one type of code to another. Nowadays, the Escape key is mainly used as “stop, quit, cancel, abort”.

37…Don Quixote’s unseen love..DULCINEA

The full name of Cervantes’s novel is “The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha”. In the story, Don Quixote is a retired country gentleman who heads out as a knight-errant and who renames himself Don Quixote of la Mancha. In his mind he designates a neighboring farm girl called Aldonza Lorenzo as his lady love, and renames her Dulcinea del Toboso.

40…Screen Actors Guild co-founder Lyle __..TALBOT

Lyle Talbot was an actor probably best known for playing Joe Randolph, the helpful neighbor on “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” in the fifties and sixties.

The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) is a labor union representing TV and film performers that was founded in 1933. The SAG was effectively dissolved in 2012, when the organization merged with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) to create SAG-AFTRA.

41…2000s-’10s Afghan president..KARZAI

Hamid Karzai is the current President of Afghanistan, coming to power in 2004 after the Taliban were overthrown. Karzai remained in office for two five-year terms, being replaced in 2014 by Ashraf Ghani.

43…Not at all trivial..MAJOR

Trivia are things of little consequence. “Trivia” is the plural of the Latin word “trivium” which means “a place where three roads meet”. Now that’s what I call a trivial fact …

44…Allan-__: Robin Hood cohort..A-DALE

According to the legend of Robin Hood, Alan-a-Dale was a member of Robin’s outlaw band of Merry Men. Based on the legend, Alan-a-Dale was a wandering minstrel, a lute player.

45…With 53-Across, Japanese roadster..MAZDA
(53A…See 45-Down..MIATA)

The Mazda MX-5 is sold as the Miata in North America, and as the Roadster in Japan. I’ve always liked the looks of the Mazda Miata, probably because it reminds me so much of old British sports cars. The Miata is built in Hiroshima, Japan.

53…__ pit..MOSH

Moshing (also “slam dancing”) is the pushing and shoving that takes place in the audience at a concert (usually a punk or heavy metal concert). The area directly in front of the stage is known as the mosh pit. When a performer does a “stage dive” it is into (or I suppose “onto”) the mosh pit. It doesn’t sound like fun to me. Injuries are commonplace in the mosh pit, and deaths are not unknown.

55…Georgia, once: Abbr…SSR

The former Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) of Georgia is now an independent country. Supposedly, the Georgian people were given their name because they especially revered St. George. The flag of Georgia does indeed feature five St. George’s crosses.

56…Upsilon follower..PHI

Phi is the 21st letter of the Greek alphabet.

Upsilon is the 20th letter of the Greek alphabet, and the one that gives rise to our Roman “Y”.

57…Fifth-century invader..HUN

The Huns were a nomadic people who originated in Eastern Europe in the 4th century. Under the command of Attila the Hun they developed a unified empire that stretched from modern-day Germany across to the steppes of Central Asia. The whole of the Hunnic Empire collapsed within a year of Attila’s death in 453 AD.

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Complete List of Clues and Answers

Across

1…Like some glass..STAINED

8…Black Friday store opening event?..MAD DASH

15…”Be right with you”..HOLD ON ONE MINUTE

17…Serious request for help..I NEED A HUGE FAVOR

18…Island where Dionysus discovered Ariadne..NAXOS

19…Burden..TAX

20…Disney’s “__ & Stitch”..LILO

21…Hebrew for “skyward”..EL AL

22…__ owl..BARN

24…”At Seventeen” Grammy winner __ Ian..JANIS

25…Spender of rials..OMANI

27…Name..DUB

28…Suzanne Collins trilogy, with “The”..HUNGER GAMES

32…Rebus pronoun..EWE

35…Waste management word..RECYCLE

36…Beats..OUTDOES

38…Isr. neighbor..SYR

39…Loreena McKennitt genre..CELTIC MUSIC

41…Big name in jewelry..KAY

42…Dizzy..AREEL

43…Half a ’60s pop group..MAMAS

46…Lesage hero Gil __..BLAS

47…Pad..CRIB

51…__ I: Jewish month added in leap years..ADAR

52…Watch chain..FOB

53…See 45-Down..MIATA

54…Parker or Getz..JAZZ SAXOPHONIST

58…Ancient..OLD AS METHUSELAH

59…Put on again..RE-AIRED

60…Usually not the best way to marry..IN HASTE

Down

1…Excel..SHINE

2…Like Romantic music..TONAL

3…Singer/songwriter __ Ray Joel..ALEXA

4…Belief system..IDEOLOGY

5…Acceptances..NODS

6…Commercial suffix with wheat..-ENA

7…Word from Homer..D’OH!

8…Mullally of “Will & Grace”..MEGAN

9…Blue Cash Everyday card co…AMEX

10…”What’s the __?”..DIF

11…”CSI” facility..DNA LAB

12…How coq may be cooked..AU VIN

13…Absolut alternative, familiarly..STOLI

14…__ welcome..HERO’S

16…Semiaquatic rodent..NUTRIA

22…Brewer’s supply..BARLEY

23…”Buffy the Vampire Slayer” spin-off..ANGEL

24…”I’m alone”..JUST ME

26…Big attractions..MECCAS

27…Wild things?..DEUCES

28…Some game enders: Abbr…HRS

29…Pike no-no..UEY

30…ATM giant..NCR

31…Actress Kelly..MOIRA

32…Aurora’s counterpart..EOS

33…Either of two Chinese dynasties..WEI

34…Bailout key..ESC

37…Don Quixote’s unseen love..DULCINEA

40…Screen Actors Guild co-founder Lyle __..TALBOT

41…2000s-’10s Afghan president..KARZAI

43…Not at all trivial..MAJOR

44…Allan-__: Robin Hood cohort..A-DALE

45…With 53-Across, Japanese roadster..MAZDA

46…Ready to be shipped..BOXED

48…Tracks..RAILS

49…Where __..IT’S AT

50…Come clean?..BATHE

52…Notability..FAME

53…__ pit..MOSH

55…Georgia, once: Abbr…SSR

56…Upsilon follower..PHI

57…Fifth-century invader..HUN




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11 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 30 Jul 16, Saturday”

  1. Hi all, just dropping in for my online puzzle download haul. Think I’m going to see the entire run of NYT this week too, so been kind of lax on doing WSJ puzzles along with being busy with all the garbage going on. Saving them all though. The NYT is definitely more “trickster”, but been good to get to see for some experience, though I still DNF just about every one after Thursday or so. Hopefully I can learn somehow.

    Been reading all the comments this week, too (lots of them, so wish I could jump in, but my library computer time doesn’t let me, especially given the other research I’ve gotten into as of late for a book I ended up getting an editor credit on). I can’t say I know too much about the topics at hand, but good to read of them.

    @Carrie
    The word I was trying to think of back on Tuesday in reference to Soylent Green is “kitsch”.

    @Jeff
    I’m not sure anyone really sets out any “universal” rules for doing crossword puzzles. Shortz has said “any rules you want” at times. Other people have made clear that using Google is acceptable when it comes to WSJ grids (especially for the meta puzzles). But at the same time, there’s those (including me) that believe that using aids pretty much defeats the purpose of doing the grid in general, and generally warrants a DNF when one is used. There’s always the unavoidable, like the time ESAI Morales was a guest at some televised event I was watching, just happening to provide an answer. Or the book or movie I just happen to see on the shelf with an answer at a glance.

    Anyhow, until next time, after I see how I do with the LAT grids this week.

  2. Gave up on this one. There were too many things that I was totally clueless about: Gil Lesage, Moira, Talbot, to just list a few.
    Never heard of the word “mosh” in relation to slam dancing.
    I knew “Methuselah” because my mother was always referring to things being as old as him, but I didn’t know how to spell it.
    Did know Loreena McKennit because we have all her wonderful music.

    Always happy for the new knowledge Sat. usually brings.
    I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

  3. On iPad: 35:03, no errors … except … I think the web site app was behaving oddly (in particular, when erasing an ill-considered entry – which I was doing a lot of – I was having to hit the “backspace” key twice for each letter to be erased), so, when I “finished” the puzzle and it didn’t acknowledge that fact, I wasn’t sure what was going on. It turns out I had an error (EYE/YEI in place of EWE/WEI) and it took me quite a while to figure that out. (I’m more familiar with the NYT crossword app, which would have behaved differently.)

    Anyway, ignoring the above, I still thought this puzzle was a bit harder than the usual LAT Saturday outing …

  4. Was certainly a difficult puzzle using this solver’s knowledge base. I could overcome some of ALEXA, ADALE, ADAR, TALBOT, BLAS, JANIS, Loreena McKennitt, MOIRA, WEI, NAXOS, MEGAN Mullally, DULCINEA, Lesage…..via crosses but not all of it. An awful lot of proper names and pop culture. I was sunk from the outset. I’ll let Carrie tackle AREEL.

    I did win a few battles in this one, but I definitely lost the war. That said, it was an easy puzzle to cheat on. I got STOLI immediately. I liked UEY for “Pike no-no”. Otherwise a “better luck next time” effort.

    Best –

  5. Too tough for me.
    Thumbs up for including JAZZ SAXOPHONISTS, though. ^0^
    Bill, thanks for explaining EWE I couldn’t figure that one out.

    1. You’re welcome, Pookie. Rebus puzzles are “verboten” here at the LATimes, whereas they turn up a lot in the NYTimes puzzles, particularly on Thursdays. The solving population seems to either love them or hate them, and there are a lot of haters out there!

  6. One letter from a solve because I guessed “eye” for the Rebus pronoun. D’oh! Oh well. Back at ’em tomorrow. Have a great Saturday all.

  7. @Jeff — Me, too, on the PPP’s. DNF this puz by a couple of letters after reaching the “Don’t know, don’t give a damn” point at which fun diversion becomes drudgery.

  8. DNF…the NW corner did me in because I stubbornly stuck to “theology” instead of “ideology”. My bad.

  9. Had the bottom, the NE and parts of the middle but the NW did me in. I should have put in STAINED though, as that was my first impulse. Darn. Learned a lot from the explanations; Thanks Bill.

  10. Dang! 3 wrong letters, and boy I worked this thing to death. Kudos @Dave, and @Tony too for only missing one letter.
    I’m pretty happy with how well I did anyway. My toughest moment: I guessed “L” instead of “D” for ADAR/ADALE. I mulled that over for a long time and really thought I had it right. Guess it would have helped if I simply had known the dang names in the first place.
    But that’s the idea, I suppose…. nobody knows everything, and even cross fills can’t save you.
    @Jeff, yikes! AREEL has to be the worst of the hated “A”words! Vexing in the extreme!!
    @Glenn, good to see you! Excellent word. It works. I can just see people buying Soylent for the name’s kitsch appeal.
    Must check out Loreena McKennitt’s music.
    Sweet dreams~~™?

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