LA Times Crossword Answers 10 Aug 16, Wednesday




LA Times Crossword Solution 10 Aug 16







Constructed by: Nancy Salomon

Edited by: Rich Norris

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

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Theme: Comeback Kid

Today’s themed answers each contain a hidden word shown by circled letters in the grid. That word is a synonym of the verb KID, and is written BACKWARDS:

  • 63A…Young player on the rebound … or, in another way, what each set of circles in this puzzle represents..COMEBACK KID
  • 17A…Spread some gossip..DISH THE DIRT (hiding RIDE backwards)
  • 24A…Hybrid toaster oven snacks..PIZZA ROLLS (hiding RAZZ backwards)
  • 38A…He has a nest at 123 1/2 Sesame Street..BIG BIRD (hiding RIB backwards)
  • 52A…Stayed on..HUNG AROUND (hiding RAG backwards)

Bill’s time: 7m 09s

Bill’s errors: 0




Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies

Across

6…Japanese cartoon art..ANIME

Anime is cartoon animation in the style of Japanese Manga comic books.

14…Send to cloud nine..ELATE

I don’t think that anyone is really certain of the etymology of the term “on cloud nine” meaning “elated”, but I do like the following explanation. The 1896 “International Cloud-Atlas” was a long-standing reference used to define cloud shapes that was based on a classification created by amateur meteorologist Luke Howard some decades earlier. The biggest and puffiest of all cloud shapes (and most comfortable-looking to lie on) is cumulonimbus. And you guessed it, of the ten cloud shapes defined in the atlas, cumulonimbus was cloud nine …

15…Sir Arthur __ Doyle..CONAN

The Scottish writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is most closely associated with his wonderful character Sherlock Holmes. Doyle also wrote a series of science fiction stories featuring the character Professor Challenger. The first book in which Challenger appears is the famous “The Lost World”, a story about prehistoric creatures that are found living in the modern age on an isolated plateau in South America.

16…Traffic court letters..DWI

In some states, there is no longer a legal difference between a DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) and a DUI (Driving Under the Influence). Other states retain that difference, so that by definition a DUI is a lesser offence than a DWI.

19…Chow fixer?..VET

The Chow Chow is a breed of dog that originated in China. The Chinese name for the breed is “Songshi Quan”, which translates as “puffy-lion dog”, a rather apt name given its appearance …

23…Original “Veronica Mars” airer..UPN

The United Paramount Network (UPN) was a TV channel that launched in 1995, and shut down in 2006. Some of UPN’s programming was moved to the CW channel at the time of UPN’s demise.

“Veronica Mars” is a TV show starring Kristen Bell in the title role. Mars is a student who also works as a private investigator.

27…Surrealism pioneer 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.

30…”… Mr. Tambourine Man, __ song for me”..PLAY A

Bob Dylan first released his now-classic song “Mr. Tambourine Man” in 1965. That same year, the Byrds released a cover version of the song that also became a big hit. Dylan’s rendition includes all four verses, whereas record released by the Byrds only uses the second verse. Great stuff …

33…Birch or beech..TREE

Birch is a hardwood tree. The bark of the birch has eye-like features, leading to the trees nickname of “the Watchful Tree”.

Beech bark is very thin and delicate, and is often scarred by people carving their initials or other forms of graffiti. These markings are permanent because the tree cannot heal itself. There is also a fungal infection that damages the American beech that is called beech bark disease, which can be fatal to the tree.

37…Buns and flips..DOS

The flip hairstyle was popular with women in the sixties, and was characterized by an upward curl in the ends of the hair (a “flip”).

38…He has a nest at 123 1/2 Sesame Street..BIG BIRD

The man “inside” Big Bird on “Sesame Street” is Caroll Spinney, who has been playing the character since 1969. That’s a long time, so Matt Vogel has been Spinney’s understudy since 1998.

42…Actress Gardner..AVA

Ava Gardner is noted for her association with some big movies, but also for her association with some big names when it came to the men in her life. In the world of film, she appeared in the likes of “Mogambo” (1953), “On the Beach” (1959), “The Night of the Iguana” (1964) and “Earthquake” (1974). The men in her life included husbands Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra. After her marriages had failed (and perhaps before!) she had long-term relationships with Howard Hughes and bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguin whom she met through her friend Ernest Hemingway.

43…Racing legend A.J…FOYT

A. J. Foyt is a retired racing driver. He is the only driver to have won the Indianapolis 500 (four times, in fact), the Daytona 500, the 24 Hours of Daytona as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

48…Sharif of “Doctor Zhivago”..OMAR

Omar Sharif was the great Hollywood actor from Egypt, an actor who played major roles in memorable movies such as “Doctor Zhivago” and “Lawrence of Arabia”. But to me he was my bridge hero (the card game). In his heyday Sharif was one of the best bridge players in the world.

“Doctor Zhivago” is an epic novel by Boris Pasternak, first published in 1957. I haven’t tried to read it the book, but the 1965 film version is a must-see, directed by David Lean and starring Omar Sharif in the title role. The story centers on Yuri Zhivago, a doctor and poet, and how he is affected by the Russian Revolution and the Russian Civil War.

56…Dutch banking giant..ING

ING is a huge Dutch banking institution created via a merger in 1991. The company headquarters is in a spectacular building in Amsterdam called simply ING House. ING stands for Internationale Nederlanden Groep.

58…Homeric epic..ILIAD

“The Iliad” is an epic poem by the Greek poet Homer, which tells the story of the ten-year siege of Ilium (also known as Troy) during the Trojan war. “The Odyssey”, also attributed to Homer, is sometimes described as a sequel to “The Iliad”.

59…Philips electric toothbrush brand..SONICARE

Sonicare is a brand of electric toothbrush made Dutch electronics giant Philips. I’ve been using my Sonicare for years now, which gets me a pat on the back from dentist every time I visit him …

62…”Teen Wolf” network..MTV

“Teen Wolf” is a 1985 comedy film starring Michael J. Fox in the title role, a high school student who transforms into a werewolf. There’s a TV series that’s loosely based on the movie. The show features Tyler Posey as the “teen wolf”. Neither movie nor TV show would be my cup of tea …

67…Go off-script..AD LIB

Ad libitum is a Latin phrase meaning “at one’s pleasure”. In common usage the phrase is usually shortened to “ad lib”. On the stage the concept of an “ad lib” is very familiar.

70…Like mosquitoes..PESTY

“Mosquito” is the Spanish for “little fly”. The female mosquito actually has to have a “blood meal” before she is able to lay her eggs.

Down

2…Philanthropist Yale..ELIHU

Elihu Yale was a wealthy merchant born in Boston in 1649. Yale worked for the British East India Company, and for many years served as governor of a settlement at Madras (now Chennai) in India. After India, Yale took over his father’s estate near Wrexham in Wales. It was while resident in Wrexham that Yale responded to a request for financial support for the Collegiate School of Connecticut in 1701. He sent the school a donation, which was used to erect a new building in New Haven that was named “Yale” in his honor. In 1718, the whole school was renamed to “Yale College”. To this day, students of Yale are nicknamed “Elis”, again honoring Elihu.

4…1862 Tenn. battle site..FT HENRY

The American Civil War’s Battle of Fort Henry was an attack by Union troops on the Confederate-held Fort Henry, which sat on the eastern bank of the Tennessee River in the northeast of the state. Union forces were led by Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant, and the engagement marked the first important victory for the North in the conflict.

5…Match makers?..SETS

A tennis match, for example, is divided into sets.

7…Brand for serious last-minute preparation..NODOZ

NoDoz and Vivarin are brand names of caffeine pills.

11…Pain reliever sold in Liqui-Gels..ADVIL

Advil is Wyeth’s brand of ibuprofen, an anti-inflammatory drug.

“Ibuprofen” is a shortened version of the drug’s name Iso-BUtyl-PROpanoic-PHENolic acid. It’s actually an anti-inflammatory, but apparently it is good for headaches too.

18…Arms-akimbo joints..HIPS

Akimbo is such a lovely word, I think (as in “arms akimbo”). I failed to dig up anything too exciting about the term’s etymology. It seems to stem from Middle English, “in kekbowe” or “on kenbow” meaning “bend in a curve”. When the arms are held akimbo, the hands are on the hops and the elbows are pointed outward.

25…Oft-baked pasta..ZITI

Cylindrical pasta is known in general as “penne”, and there are many variants. For example, ziti is a particularly large and long tube with square-cut ends. “Penne” is the plural of “penna”, the Italian for “feather, quill”.

30…Adobe file format..PDF

Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format introduced by Adobe Systems in 1993. PDF documents can be shared between users and read using many different applications, making them more universally accessible than documents saved by one particular program.

31…Head of a pub?..LOO

In old sailing ships the toilet area for the regular sailors was located in the forward part (the head) of the ship, hence the term “head” that has been used since then for any toilet on board a boat.

32…Prez on a fiver..ABE

The US five-dollar bill is often called an “Abe”, as President Lincoln’s portrait is on the front. An Abe is also referred to as a “fin”, a term that has been used for a five-pound note in Britain since 1868.

34…Rodent-eating reptiles..RATSNAKES

The king ratsnake is native to Southeast and East Asia. It is also known as the “stink snake” and the “stinking goddess”, referring to the foul odor released from post-anal glands when threatened.

36…Shucker’s unit..EAR

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

40…Pita sandwich..GYRO

A gyro is a traditional Greek dish of meat roasted on a tall vertical spit that is sliced from the spit as required. Gyros are usually served inside a lightly grilled piece of pita bread, along with tomato, onion and tzatziki (a yogurt and cucumber sauce).

44…Frat party wear..TOGA

In Ancient Rome the classical attire known as a toga (plural “togae”) was usually worn over a tunic. The tunic was made from linen, and the toga itself was a piece of cloth about twenty feet long made from wool. The toga could only be worn by men, and only if those men were Roman citizens. The female equivalent of the toga was called a “stola”.

50…Hoity-toity..SNOBBY

Believe it or not, the term “hoity-toity” has been in the English language since the 1660s, but back then it meant “riotous behavior”. It began to mean “haughty” in the late 1800s, simply because the “haughty” sounds similar to “hoity”.

51…Flamboyant Dame..EDNA

Dame Edna Everage is the outrageous character created and played by Australian comedian Barry Humphries. I saw him/her perform live in a San Francisco theater, and what a great show it was …

52…Handmade bleachers sign..HI MOM!

At a sports event one might sit in the “bleachers”. “Bleachers” is a particularly American term used to describe the tiered stands that provide seating for spectators. These seats were originally wooden planks, and as they were uncovered they would be “bleached” by the sun, giving them the name we use today. Sometimes the fans using the bleachers might be referred to as “bleacherites”.

54…Skin “Creme” in blue tins..NIVEA

Nivea is a brand name of skin-care products from Germany. The Latin word “nivea” means “snow-white”.

55…Workout buff’s motto opener..USE IT …

Use it or lose it.

60…SALT weapon..ICBM

An Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with the range necessary to cross between continents. Being ballistic (unlike a cruise missile), an ICBM is guided during the initial launch phase, but later in flight just relies on thrust and gravity to arrive at its target. It is defined as intercontinental as it has a range greater than 3,500 miles. ICBMs are really only used for delivering nuclear warheads. Scary stuff …

There were two rounds of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) between the US and the Soviet Union, and two resulting treaties (SALT I & SALT II). The opening round of SALT I talks were held in Helsinki as far back as 1970, with the resulting treaty signed by President Richard Nixon and General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev in 1972.

64…Metered praise..ODE

The meter of a poem is its rhythmic structure.

65…Portland Timbers’ org…MLS

Portland’s professional soccer team are known as the Timbers. The current Major League Soccer (MLS) club was founded in 2009, and took the name of the original Portland Timbers team that played in the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1982.

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Complete List of Clues and Answers

Across

1…Divers’ destinations..REEFS

6…Japanese cartoon art..ANIME

11…”Shoot!”..ASK!

14…Send to cloud nine..ELATE

15…Sir Arthur __ Doyle..CONAN

16…Traffic court letters..DWI

17…Spread some gossip..DISH THE DIRT

19…Chow fixer?..VET

20…Emphatic affirmation..OH YES I DO!

21…Paperless tax return option..E-FILE

23…Original “Veronica Mars” airer..UPN

24…Hybrid toaster oven snacks..PIZZA ROLLS

27…Surrealism pioneer Max..ERNST

29…That being the case..IF SO

30…”… Mr. Tambourine Man, __ song for me”..PLAY A

32…__ standstill..AT A

33…Birch or beech..TREE

37…Buns and flips..DOS

38…He has a nest at 123 1/2 Sesame Street..BIG BIRD

42…Actress Gardner..AVA

43…Racing legend A.J…FOYT

45…”Later!”..BYE!

46…Absolute..UTTER

48…Sharif of “Doctor Zhivago”..OMAR

50…Prophets..SEERS

52…Stayed on..HUNG AROUND

56…Dutch banking giant..ING

58…Homeric epic..ILIAD

59…Philips electric toothbrush brand..SONICARE

62…”Teen Wolf” network..MTV

63…Young player on the rebound … or, in another way, what each set of circles in this puzzle represents..COMEBACK KID

66…Iron source..ORE

67…Go off-script..AD LIB

68…Mix..BLEND

69…Baby goat sound..MAA

70…Like mosquitoes..PESTY

71…In disarray..MESSY

Down

1…Second try..REDO

2…Philanthropist Yale..ELIHU

3…”No sweat”..EASY PEASY

4…1862 Tenn. battle site..FT HENRY

5…Match makers?..SETS

6…Nailed the test..ACED IT

7…Brand for serious last-minute preparation..NODOZ

8…Italian food ending..-INI

9…Tarnish..MAR

10…Comes in..ENTERS

11…Pain reliever sold in Liqui-Gels..ADVIL

12…”Peachy”..SWELL

13…Windy weather fliers..KITES

18…Arms-akimbo joints..HIPS

22…Arch site..FOOT

25…Oft-baked pasta..ZITI

26…Miles away..AFAR

28…Arrest..NAB

30…Adobe file format..PDF

31…Head of a pub?..LOO

32…Prez on a fiver..ABE

34…Rodent-eating reptiles..RATSNAKES

35…Day before a big day..EVE

36…Shucker’s unit..EAR

39…Letter-shaped beam..I-BAR

40…Pita sandwich..GYRO

41…Deserving..DUE

44…Frat party wear..TOGA

47…Barely flow..TRICKLE

49…Wild..MADCAP

50…Hoity-toity..SNOBBY

51…Flamboyant Dame..EDNA

52…Handmade bleachers sign..HI MOM!

53…Hyper..ULTRA

54…Skin “Creme” in blue tins..NIVEA

55…Workout buff’s motto opener..USE IT …

57…Impish looks..GRINS

60…SALT weapon..ICBM

61…Whirlpool..EDDY

64…Metered praise..ODE

65…Portland Timbers’ org…MLS




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21 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 10 Aug 16, Wednesday”

  1. Mosquitos are “pesty?” I always thought they were “pesky.” I’ve never heard anyone say “pesty.” My auto-correct doesn’t like it either.

    Until about ten years ago, I thought “akimbo” meant “flailing wildly.”

    Hope your Hump Day is great, folks. Thanks to all who checked my blog yesterday!

  2. Typical Wed. for me. I didn’t notice the theme, didn’t Google, but never heard of UPN, ING, SONICARE, or MLS; and too many abbrevs.

    Don’t like EASY PEASY. Lame.

    @Joe – Also had PESkY first. Akimbo is Old Norse for hands on hips.

  3. I have noticed lately more clues about what station aired some obscure show that I never saw. This seems very pesty to me!

  4. 14:00, no errors, iPad. Several mis-steps for me: PESKY instead of PESTY, SING A instead of PLAY A, and GIRO instead of GYRO (I’d swear the Greek restaurant I occasionally go to spells the word with an I!) Also didn’t know UPN or MLS. And I agree with Sfingi about EASY PEASY; I’ve certainly heard the phrase, but maybe it’s past time for it to go away … 🙂

  5. Jeez, C.C. — This is a pretty fair Wednesday puzzle, but we gotta wonder: Did you put it together while flipping from re-runs of “Sesame Street,” “Veronica Mars,” and “Teen Wolf” (brought to you by Nivea, No-Doz, Advil, Sonicare …)??
    @Justjoel — Once again, me too (pesky)

  6. I just have a problem with the whole concept.
    Why are RIDE, RAZZ, RAG and RIB applicable to the theme?
    Don’t people usually encourage, root for, and cheer on someone whose career/fame hit a low point and they are striving to come back?

    1. Pookie, I had the same problem with the concept. I still don’t get it. But, “tomorrow is another day…….!

      1. “Me thinks” that the theme could be a kid’s comeback would be to Ride, Razz, Rib or
        Razz some other kid.

  7. OK Here’s an example.
    After his battle with cancer, Mario Lemieux decided it was time to end his legendary career and enjoy retirement. However, the sport he loved so much wasn’t easy to turn away from, and by the early 2000s, he had returned to the game. His true comeback moment was in 2002, however, when he led his country to a gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

    You think anybody RAZZed, RAGged,RODE, or RIBbed him?
    Meh and pffft for this puzzle.

    1. Each of the words RIDE, RAZZ, RIB, and RAG is a synonym of KID and each of them occurs in the puzzle in such a way as to COME BACK from right to left within the grid; therefore, each of them is a COME-BACK KID.

      1. Thanks, Dave. I had it all wrong. Guess I should have read Bill’s explanation more carefully. Without that I jumped to the wrong conclusion.
        In the words of Roseanne Roseannadanna (Gilda Radner)
        “Never mind”. 🙂

  8. …and that’s why I hardly ever get any help from a theme. I think backwards all the time, except when it would be helpful.

    I also don’t like the references to obscure TV shows. If I watched TV I wouldn’t be doing crossword puzzles. However, it beats asking for the person who hit a bogey on the 3rd hole at Pebble Beach in 1987. There were few sports references in this one. Thanks!
    Happy Wednesday, folks-

  9. 35D: “Day before a big day” – answer is “eve.” I thought that eve meant the evening before a big day, that it doesn’t relate back to the entire day which includes morning, noon, and night. For example, does Christmas Eve really refer to December 24th at 6am? Really? Just asking…

    1. @RestMyCase … I just checked a couple of online dictionaries and they agreed with each other that “eve” can refer to “the day before”, “the evening before”, “the night before”, or “the period just before” an event. I think, when I was young (60 or 70 years ago), the definition was more restricted than it is now …

  10. Tons of crossfill today, with a modestly entertaining theme. I’d say slightly above average for Wednesday.

    ING was previously called ING Barings, after they assumed the assets of the old English Bank Barings, which became nearly insolvent over several rogue traders. Americans might best thank Barings for financing the Louisiana Purchase. The loan was for about US$15 million for 20 years, and we paid it off on time.

  11. Fun puzzle with a bit of difficulty in the NE as well as crossing out manga for ANIME.

    The 1862 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fort_Henry&quot; title="Battle of Ft Henry" is kind of interesting in that it was a combined Union Army and Navy attack on a Confederate Fort, which surrendered to the Navy before the Army even arrived, and if delayed for two days, would have been completely underwater. Its current site is underwater in Kentucky Lake after they dammed the Tennessee River.
    @Bill BTW the location of Ft Henry is in the middle NW of the state.

    Arms Akimbo always brings memories of reading Gogol relating Cossacks riding arms-akimbo singing Russian songs.

  12. Hey Dirk, “Dead Souls?” I love that book and it sounds like something from there. I do like Joel’s former definition tho: AKIMBO sounds like wild flailing!!
    I finíshed the grid but with a few glitches along the way. I also had SING A instead of PLAY A, and I was SO sure I was right….I know that song well! But it’s not working!!
    Apparently I DON’T know that song so well…
    Also disliked PESTY, and it tripped me up for awhile.
    Good stuff!! Time for bed! Night Watch signing off!
    Sweet dreams~~?

  13. Re: 62A Teen Wolf network– there is a Teen Wolf movie with Michael J Fox as Bill explains however the clue asks for a network. Per a Google search, there was a Teen Wolf series on MTV so that would be the appropriate explanation. Have heard of MTV network but never heard of this series.

    1. Thanks, Blurble, for spotting that omission on my part. I tend to gloss over clues and answers involving werewolves. 🙂 All fixed now.

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