LA Times Crossword Answers 17 Dec 16, Saturday

Constructed by: David C. Duncan Dekker

Edited by: Rich Norris

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Theme: None

Bill’s time: 14m 05s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies

Across

1. Bud holder : BEER KEG

The American beer called Budweiser (often shortened to “Bud”) is named for the Czech town of Budweis (“České Budějovice” in Czech). The name is the subject of a dispute as here is an original Czech beer with a similar name, Budweiser Budvar. American Budweiser is sold in most European countries as “Bud”.

14. Symbol on viola sheet music : ALTO CLEF

Clef is the French word for “key”. In music, a clef is used to indicate the pitch of the notes written on the stave. The bass clef is also known as the F-clef, the alto clef is the C-clef, and the treble clef is the G-clef.

16. One who always finds himself over a barrel? : COOPER

A cooper is a craftsman who makes wooden vessels, such as barrels.

23. “The Dukes of Hazzard” deputy : ENOS

Enos Strate (played by Sonny Shroyer) was the small-town deputy in the television sitcom “The Dukes of Hazzard”, and the success of his character merited a follow-on show. The spinoff “Enos” only ran for 18 episodes though.

24. __ Penh : PHNOM

Phnom Penh (also “Pnom Penh”) is the capital of Cambodia, and has been so since the French colonized the country in the late 1800s. The city’s name translates from the Khmer language as “Hill of Penh”.

27. Excitable toon canine : REN

“The Ren and Stimpy Show” is an animated television show that ran on Nickelodeon from 1991 to 1996. The title characters are Marland “Ren” Höek, a scrawny Chihuahua, and Stimpson J. Cat, a rotund Manx cat. Not my cup of tea …

30. Who, in Quebec : QUI

Québec is the largest province in Canada, and the only one with French as its sole official language. The name “Québec” comes from an Algonquin word “kebec” meaning “where the river narrows”. This refers to the area around Quebec City where the St. Lawrence River narrows as it flows through a gap lined by steep cliffs. The province has voted twice in referenda asking whether or not Quebec should become an independent country, once in 1980, and again in 1995. The 1995 result was 49% in favor of sovereignty, up from 40% in 1980.

34. Little squirt : SPRITZ

A “spritz” is a squirt, a brief spray of liquid. The term ultimately comes from German, possibly via Yiddish, in which language “spritzen” means “to squirt, spout”. A “spritzer” is a glass of wine with a “spritz” of carbonated water, and is a drink we’ve been enjoying since the early sixties.

38. Parti-colored : PIEBALD

Something described as “pied” is patchy or blotchy in color, piebald. The term comes from the Middle English “pie”, an old name for the magpie, and is a reference to the bird’s black and white plumage.

44. Links org. : PGA

The oldest type of golf course is a links course. The name “links” comes from the Old English word “hlinc” meaning “rising ground”. “Hlinc” was used to describe areas with coastal sand dunes or open parkland. As a result, we use the term “links course” to mean a golf course that is located at or on the coast, often amid sand dunes. The British Open is always played on a links course.

49. “The Martian” star : DAMON

“The Martian” is a very intriguing 2015 science fiction film starring Matt Damon as an astronaut who is accidentally stranded on Mars. The movie is based on a 2011 novel of the same name by Andrew Weir. One thing that I liked about the film is that the science cited is fairly realistic. In fact, NASA collaborated with the filmmakers extensively from script development to principal casting.

50. Links mounds : TEES

In the game of golf, a “tee” is the wooden or plastic peg on which one can place a ball when “teeing off”. Also, the “teeing ground” (sometimes “tee” or “tee box”) is the area at the beginning of the hole from which the first stroke is taken, from where one tees off.

51. Option for a return : E-FILE

E-file: that’s what I do with my tax return …

53. Moses, for one : JEW

Moses is an important prophet in Christianity and Islam, and the most important prophet in Judaism. It fell to Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt across the Red Sea. He was given the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai, and then wandered the desert with his people for forty years. Moses then died within sight of the Promised Land.

54. Reznor of Nine Inch Nails : TRENT

Nine Inch Nails is the name of a rock band that was founded in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988 by singer-songwriter Trent Reznor. Reznor chose the name “Nine Inch Nails” mainly because it abbreviated easily and succinctly, to “NIN”.

55. Destructive beetles : BORERS

“Borer” is a name given to various species of insect that bore into the woody parts of plants.

Down

2. Seinfeld character who ordered the “big salad” : ELAINE

“The Big Salad” is an episode of the sitcom “Seinfeld”. The episode is built around Elaine asking George to buy a “big salad to go” for her at Monk’s restaurant. George’s girlfriend is the one who actually hands the salad to Elaine, and Elaine thanks her … and not George. Hilarity ensues …

3. Word origin : ETYMON

The “etymon” (plural “etyma”) is the word from which another word is derived. For example, the etymon of “Ireland” is “Eriu”, the old Celtic name for the island of Ireland.

5. ’80s Chrysler : K-CAR

Chrysler’s K-cars were designed to carry 6 passengers, on two bench seats. Remember taking a corner a little too fast on those seats, in the days when no one wore seat belts?

6. Cambridgeshire cathedral town : ELY

Ely Cathedral is a famous and beautiful church in the city of Ely in the county of Cambridgeshire. There is a Gothic door on the north face of the cathedral that was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, the man famous as the architect of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. Christopher Wren had a personal link to the church, as his uncle was the Bishop of Ely.

11. Quilting technique : APPLIQUE

An “appliqué” is a small ornamental design that is applied to a surface. Appliqués are often applied to textiles, but also to other surfaces such as ceramics. “Appliqué” is French for “applied”.

15. __ Ferdinand, whose assassination set off WWI : FRANZ

As with WWII, tension was building as the European powers jockeyed for position on the world stage in the run-up to the First World War . The event that triggered the open warfare was the June 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria by a Yugoslav nationalist. There followed an ultimatum by the Austro-Hungarian Empire against the Kingdom of Serbia. This in turn triggered what were basically automatic threats invoked by age old alliances, and within weeks the major powers were at war. As these were colonial powers, the conflict spread around the world. By the time an armistice was signed in November 1918, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire had ceased to exist, and the German and Russian Empires had been defeated.

25. Salma Hayek, by birth : MEXICAN

Salma Hayek is a Mexican actress. Hayek was the first Mexican national to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, for her portrayal of artist Frida Kahlo in the 2002 movie “Frida”.

28. Doha is its capital : QATAR

Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar located on the Persian Gulf. The name “Doha” translates from Arabic as “the big tree”.

29. Franklin Mint founder Joseph : SEGEL

The Franklin Mint was founded in 1964 by Joseph Segel, the same businessman who founded QVC.

31. Spinnaker relative : JIB

A jib is a triangular sail that is set at the bow of a sailboat.

A spinnaker is sail that is used when a sailboat is sailing off the wind. It is a bulbous sail that balloons out when it fills with wind. Spinnakers might be said to resemble parachutes as they use similar light fabric, and both are often very colorful in design.

33. Jersey chew : CUD

Jersey cattle were originally bred on the island of Jersey in the Channel Islands, off the coast of France. If you’ve seen Elsie the Cow, the mascot of Borden in the US, then you’ve seen a Jersey cow.

34. Elongated key : SPACE BAR

In early typewriters, the “space bar” was indeed a bar. It was a metal bar that stretched across the full width of the keyboard.

35. Sleeveless smock : PINAFORE

The sleeveless garment known as a pinafore is often worn as a protective apron. In days gone by, pinafores were “pinned” to the front (“fore”) of a dress, hence the name.

36. Cards nickname : REDBIRDS

The St. Louis Cardinals were originally called the “Brown Stockings”, changing their name to the “Perfectos” in 1899. That obviously didn’t go down well with the locals, as the owners changed it one year later to the Cardinals.

39. Key of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto: Abbr. : D MAJ

Beethoven wrote only one violin concerto, “Violin Concerto in D major” that he completed in 1806. The work was not a success during Beethoven’s lifetime, but has been a favorite since it was revived in 1844, with a performance by 12-year old Joseph Joachim in London, conducted by Felix Mendelssohn.

43. Homer’s final character? : OMEGA

The Greek alphabet starts with the letter alpha, and ends with the letter omega.

Homer was a famous poet of Ancient Greece, believed to be the author of the two classic epic poems, the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey”. However, some scholars believe that Homer did not actually exist, but rather he is the personification of oral tradition that was passed down through the ages.

45. Family subdivisions : GENERA

Biological classification is a method used to group organisms by biological type. The method uses a hierarchy of nested classes, with an organism being classified with reference to evolutionary traits. The major taxonomic ranks used are:

• Life
• Domain
• Kingdom
• Phylum (plural “phyla”)
• Class
• Order
• Family
• Genus (plural “genera”)
• Species

48. Hard weather to deal with : SLEET

Apparently “sleet” is a term used to describe two weather conditions. One is a shower of ice pellets, smaller than hail, and the second is a mixture of rain and snow, with the snow melting as it falls.

50. Cache of cash, perhaps : TROVE

A “cache” is a secret supply. We imported the term into English from French Canadian trappers in the 17th century. Back then, “cache” was a slang term for a “hiding place for stores”, derived from the French verb “cacher” meaning “to hide”.

52. Seaside glider : ERNE

The ern (sometimes “erne”) is also called the white-tailed eagle, or the sea-eagle.

56. Norm: Abbr. : STD

Standard (std.)

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Complete List of Clues and Answers

Across

1. Bud holder : BEER KEG

8. Horrified : AGHAST

14. Symbol on viola sheet music : ALTO CLEF

16. One who always finds himself over a barrel? : COOPER

17. Pessimistic sort : NAYSAYER

18. Take down : TOPPLE

19. Kitchen counter : TIMER

20. Ball : WAD

22. Guy : FELLA

23. “The Dukes of Hazzard” deputy : ENOS

24. __ Penh : PHNOM

26. Disorderly conduct : RIOT

27. Excitable toon canine : REN

28. Examines informally : QUIZZES

30. Who, in Quebec : QUI

31. Product of New Orleans : JAZZ

32. Do : EXECUTE

34. Little squirt : SPRITZ

37. “Sure, why not” : I GUESS

38. Parti-colored : PIEBALD

40. Passed perfectly : ACED

41. So-so connection? : AND

42. Process of elimination : REMOVAL

44. Links org. : PGA

47. Truck parts : CABS

49. “The Martian” star : DAMON

50. Links mounds : TEES

51. Option for a return : E-FILE

53. Moses, for one : JEW

54. Reznor of Nine Inch Nails : TRENT

55. Destructive beetles : BORERS

57. Message to a loser : GAME OVER

59. Zealous : ARDENT

60. It can help with the healing process : ALOE VERA

61. Concluded one’s case : RESTED

62. Sooner or later : SOMEDAY

Down

1. Kidding : BANTER

2. Seinfeld character who ordered the “big salad” : ELAINE

3. Word origin : ETYMON

4. Romantic buds? : ROSES

5. ’80s Chrysler : K-CAR

6. Cambridgeshire cathedral town : ELY

7. “Aw, shucks” : GEE WHIZ

8. Fake being : ACT

9. “Oops!” evoker : GOOF

10. Optimistic sort : HOPER

11. Quilting technique : APPLIQUE

12. Smash hits, often : SELLOUTS

13. Pacts : TREATIES

15. __ Ferdinand, whose assassination set off WWI : FRANZ

21. Nod : DOZE

24. At a loss : PUZZLED

25. Salma Hayek, by birth : MEXICAN

28. Doha is its capital : QATAR

29. Franklin Mint founder Joseph : SEGEL

31. Spinnaker relative : JIB

33. Jersey chew : CUD

34. Elongated key : SPACE BAR

35. Sleeveless smock : PINAFORE

36. Cards nickname : REDBIRDS

39. Key of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto: Abbr. : D MAJ

40. Professions : AVOWALS

43. Homer’s final character? : OMEGA

44. Mad : PEEVED

45. Family subdivisions : GENERA

46. Off the mark : ASTRAY

48. Hard weather to deal with : SLEET

50. Cache of cash, perhaps : TROVE

52. Seaside glider : ERNE

54. Brim : TEEM

56. Norm: Abbr. : STD

58. Stock response? : MOO

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