LA Times Crossword Answers 8 Jan 17, Sunday




la-times-sun-jan-8-2017-dine-out-_screenshot







Constructed by: Paul Coulter

Edited by: Rich Norris

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

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Theme: Dine Out

To make sense of today’s puzzle we need to understand the theme “Dine Out”, which we must rewrite as “D in, E out”. So, our themed answers are well-known phrases, but with a letter E exchanged for a letter D:

  • 23A. Basis for evaluating an archaeology dig? : EARNINGS PER SHARD (from “earnings per share”)
  • 35A. Warning to Bo Peep that her sheep are really hiding nearby? : HERDS LOOKING AT YOU, KID (from “Here’s looking at you, kid”)
  • 58A. “When leaving the beach, hose off your feet before putting on your shoes”? : SAND ADVICE (from “sane advice”)
  • 68A. Must choose among less volatile investment options? : HAVE A BOND TO PICK (from “have a bone to pick”)
  • 81A. Infant dressed for rain? : BABY BOOTED (from “baby bootee”)
  • 100A. Have a good day birding? : FIND FEATHERED FRIENDS (from “fine feathered friends”)
  • 119A. Paragraph in a lemon law? : DUD PROCESS CLAUSE (from “due process clause”)

Bill’s time: 24m 28s

Bill’s errors: 0




Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies

Across

8. Slithery squeezer : BOA

Boa constrictors are members of the Boidae family of snakes, all of which are non-venomous. Interestingly, the female boa is always larger than the male.

11. San Francisco/Oakland separator : BAY

The San Francisco Bay Area comprises the nine counties that impinge on the San Francisco Bay itself: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma. The region also includes the major cities of San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland.

14. Signature Southern vegetable : OKRA

The plant known as okra is mainly grown for it edible green pods. The pods are said to resemble “ladies’ fingers”, which is an alternative name for the plant. Okra is known as “ngombo” in Bantu, a name that might give us the word “gumbo”, the name for the name of the southern Louisiana stew that includes okra as a key ingredient.

22. Motley : PIED

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.

23. Basis for evaluating an archaeology dig? : EARNINGS PER SHARD (from “earnings per share”)

The ratio of a corporation’s net income to the total number of shares outstanding is known as “earnings per share” (EPS).

26. “Wide Sargasso Sea” author Jean : RHYS

Wide Sargasso Sea” was written by Jean Rhys and first published in 1966. It’s a clever work, written as a sort of prequel to Charlotte Bronte’s famous “Jane Eyre”, which dates back to 1847.

27. Chain founded by Ingvar Kamprad : IKEA

The furniture chain IKEA was founded by Ingvar Kamprad in 1943, when he was just 17-years-old. IKEA is an acronym that stands for Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd (don’t forget now!). Elmtaryd was the name of the farm where Ingvar Kamprad grew up, and Agunnaryd is his home parish in Sweden.

28. 2016 A.L. Manager of the Year Francona, familiarly : TITO

Major League Baseball (MLB) manager Terry Francona is often referred to by the nickname “Tito”. Terry father is Tito Francona, who was an MLB outfielder from 1956 to 1970.

30. Medicare segment : PART A

Medicare is divided into four parts:

  • A: Hospital Insurance
  • B: Medical Insurance
  • C: Medicare Advantage Plans
  • D: Prescription Drug Plans

35. Warning to Bo Peep that her sheep are really hiding nearby? : HERDS LOOKING AT YOU, KID (from “Here’s looking at you, kid”)

The lines that are most commonly quoted for the rhyme about “Little Bo Peep” are:

Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep,
And can’t tell where to find them;
Leave them alone, And they’ll come home,
Wagging their tails behind them.

But, there are actually four more verses, including this one:

It happened one day, as Bo-peep did stray
Into a meadow hard by,
There she espied their tails side by side,
All hung on a tree to dry.

The famous line “Here’s looking at you, kid.” from 1942’s “Casablanca” was ranked no. 2 in a list of top movie quotes compiled by “The Hollywood Reporter”. The top of the list makes interesting reading, with the following comprising the top five:

  1. “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” from “Gone With the Wind” (1939)
  2. “Here’s looking at you, kid.” from “Casablanca” (1942)
  3. “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” from “Jaws” (1975)
  4. “May the Force be with you.” from “Star Wars” (1977)
  5. “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” from “The Wizard of Oz” (1939)

44. “The Sage of Concord” : EMERSON

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an essayist and poet who was active in the mid-1800s. Most of the essays that Emerson wrote were composed originally as lectures and then revised for print. He is often referred to as “The Sage of Concord”, as Emerson spent much of his life in Concord, Massachusetts.

45. Romeo or Juliet : TEEN

In Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”, it is explicitly stated that Juliet is 13 years of age, and the assumption is that Romeo is perhaps a little older.

46. South of France : MIDI

In France, the south of the country is often referred to as “Le Midi”, from the Old French “mi’ (middle) and “di” (day). This a reference to the sun being in the south at midday, as France is in the Northern Hemisphere. So, the terms “south” and “midday” were somewhat synonymous in Old French.

50. Times for vespers : EVES

In the Roman Catholic tradition, there is an official set of daily prayers known as the Liturgy of the Hours. The traditional list of prayers is:

  • Matins (during the night, or at midnight)
  • Lauds or Dawn Prayer (Dawn, or 3 a.m.)
  • Prime or Early Morning Prayer (First Hour, or 6 a.m.)
  • Terce or Mid-Morning Prayer (Third Hour, or 9 a.m.)
  • Sext or Midday Prayer (Sixth Hour, or 12 noon)
  • None or Mid-Afternoon Prayer (Ninth Hour, or 3 p.m.)
  • Vespers or Evening Prayer (“at the lighting of the lamps”, or 6 p.m.)
  • Compline or Night Prayer (before retiring, generally at 9 p.m.)

55. Schleps : TOTES

Our word “schlep” means “to carry, drag”. “Schlep” comes from Yiddish, with “shlepen” having the same meaning.

62. Jiffs : SECS

A jiff, an instant, is short for “jiffy”, thought originally to be thieves’ slang for “lightning”.

66. Yorkshire river : OUSE

“Ouse” is the name of several rivers in England, most notably the Great Ouse in Yorkshire. The name comes from the Celtic word “usa” meaning “water”.

67. Bygone bird : MOA

Moas were flightless birds native to New Zealand that are now extinct. The fate of the Moa is a great example of the detrimental effect that humans can have on animal populations. The Maoris arrived in New Zealand about 1300 AD, upsetting the balance of the ecosystem. The Moa were hunted to extinction within 200 years, which had the knock-on effect of killing off the Haast’s Eagle, the Moa’s only predator prior to the arrival of man. Moas were huge creatures, measuring up to 12 feet tall with their necks stretched upwards.

73. Bossy remark? : MOO

“Bossy” is an informal word for a cow or calf. The term comes from “bos”, the Latin for “cow”.

76. Wine center NNE of Monaco : ASTI

Asti is in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. The region is perhaps most famous for its Asti Spumante sparkling white wine.

77. Flaw-spotting aid : LOUPE

A loupe is a little magnifying lens that is held in the hand. “Loupe” is the French name for such a device.

78. Canterbury’s county : KENT

Canterbury is a city in the southeast of England in the county of Kent. Canterbury is famous for Canterbury Cathedral where Thomas Becket was murdered in 1170, making it a pilgrimage destination for Christians. It was one of these pilgrimages that was the inspiration for Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales”, written in the 14th century.

85. Bas-relief medium : GESSO

Gesso is the Italian word for “chalk” and gives its name to the powdered calcium carbonate that is used as a primer coat under artistic panel paintings. The gesso is mixed with a glue and applied to wood so that it acts as an absorbent surface for paint.

In “bas-relief”, an image projects just a little above the background, as in perhaps a head depicted on a coin.

89. Cavaradossi’s “Recondita armonia,” for one : ARIA

“Recondita armonia” is an aria sung by the character Cavaradossi in Puccini’s opera “Tosca”. ”Recondita armonia” translates from Italian as “Concealed harmony”.

90. Cooper’s creations : STAVES

The word “stave” was originally the plural of “staff”, a wooden rod. To “stave off” originated with the concept of holding off with a staff. In the world of barrel-making, a stave is a narrow strip of wood that forms part of a barrel’s sides.

A cooper is a craftsman who makes wooden vessels, such as barrels. The term “cooper” ultimately derives from the Latin “cupa” meaning “barrel”.

92. Green need : PUTTER

That would be golf.

98. Where Java may be found : ASIA

Java is a large island in Indonesia that is home to the country’s capital, Jakarta. With a population of over 130 million, Java is the most populous island in the world, with even more people than Honshu, the main island of Japan.

108. Nursing a sprain, perhaps : GIMPY

The term “gimp” emerged in the 1920s, describing a lame leg. Within a few years, the usage extended to describe a person with a lame leg. I think that nowadays, such a usage is considered quite derogatory and is best avoided.

113. Stunned accusation : ET TU!

It was Shakespeare who popularized the words “Et tu, Brute?” (And you, Brutus?), in his play “Julius Caesar”, although the phrase had been around long before he penned his drama. It’s not known what Julius Caesar actually said in real life just before he was assassinated on the steps of the Senate in Rome.

126. River to the Fulda : EDER

The Eder is a river in Germany, a tributary of the Fulda River. The Eder has a dam near the small town of Waldeck which holds water in the large Edersee reservoir. This was one of the dams that was attacked by the RAF during WWII with the famous Barnes Wallis bouncing bombs. It was destroyed in the Dam Busters raid in 1943, but rebuilt the same year.

127. It’s used for some trips : LSD

LSD (known colloquially as “acid”) is short for lysergic acid diethylamide. A Swiss chemist called Albert Hofmann first synthesized LSD in 1938 in a research project looking for medically efficacious ergot alkaloids. It wasn’t until some five years later when Hofmann ingested some of the drug accidentally that its psychedelic properties were discovered. Trippy, man …

128. WWII venue : ETO

General Dwight D. Eisenhower (DDE) was in command of the European Theater of Operations (ETO) during WWII.

Down

2. Moonfish : OPAH

Opah is the more correct name for the fish also known as the sunfish, moonfish or Jerusalem haddock. I’ve seen one in the Monterrey Aquarium. It is one huge fish …

5. Italian counterpart of the BBC : RAI

Rai 1, 2 & 3 are three television channels owned and operated by the Italian government. Rai stands for “Radiotelevisione Italiana”, Italian public broadcasting.

8. Onetime California oil town : BREA

The city of Brea, California takes its name from “brea”, the Spanish word for “tar”. Back in the 1800s, entrepreneurs were attracted to the area by the “black gold” (crude oil) that in some location was just bubbling up from the ground.

9. “__ the fields we go” : O’ER

The traditional Christmas song “Jingle Bells” was first published in 1857, penned by James Lord Pierpont. We associate the song with Christmas, although in fact Pierpont wrote it as a celebration of Thanksgiving.

Dashing through the snow
In a one horse open sleigh
O’er the fields we go
Laughing all the way

12. Radar or laser : ACRONYM

Strictly speaking, words formed from the first letters or other words are known as “initialisms”. Examples would be FBI and NBC, where the initials are spoken by sounding out each letter. Certain initialisms are pronounced as words in their own right, such as NATO and AWOL, and are called “acronyms”. So, acronyms are a subset of initialisms. As I say, that’s “strictly speaking”, so please don’t write in …

13. Accountant’s initialism : YTD

Year-to-date (YTD)

14. European automaker that was originally a sewing machine company : OPEL

Adam Opel founded his company in 1863, first making sewing machines in a cowshed. Commercial success brought new premises and a new product line in 1886, namely penny-farthing bicycles. Adam Opel died in 1895, leaving his two sons with a company that made more penny-farthings and sewing machines than any other company in the world. In 1899 the two sons partnered with a locksmith and started to make cars, but not very successfully. Two years later, the locksmith was dropped in favor of a licensing arrangement with a French car company. By 1914, Opel was the largest manufacturer of automobiles in Germany. My Dad had an Opel in the seventies, a station wagon (we’d say “estate car” in Ireland) called an Opel Kadett.

15. Rwanda’s capital : KIGALI

Kigali is the capital of the African nation of Rwanda, and is located in the center of the country. That location led to the city being picked as the capital in 1962, over the traditional capital of Nyanza. The choice was made on the occasion of Rwanda’s independence from Belgium. Kigali was the center of the Rwandan Genocide of 1994, in which half a million to one million Rwandans were killed. That was perhaps 20% of the country’s total population wiped out in the space of four months.

16. Didn’t just criticize : REAMED

I must admit that I find the slang term “to ream out”, with its meaning “to scold harshly”, to be quite distasteful. The usage of the word as a reprimand dates back to about 1950.

21. Honor society leader? : PHI

Phi Beta Kappa was the first collegiate Greek fraternity in the US, founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary. The organization served as a model for future collegiate fraternities and sororities, although in the 19th century Phi Beta Kappa distanced itself from the fraternal focus and transformed into the honor society that it is today, recognizing academic excellence. The initials Phi Beta Kappa stand for “philosophia biou kybernētēs”, which translates into “philosophy is the guide of life”. The symbol of the Phi Beta Kappa Society is a golden key.

31. “__ good name is ne’er retriev’d”: John Gay : A LOST

John Gay was a poet and playwright from England. He is best remembered for his ballad opera “The Beggar’s Opera”, the story of which was famously adapted by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill into “The Threepenny Opera”.

35. “His,” to Bierce : HERS

“The Devil’s Dictionary” is a satirical work by Ambrose Bierce, consisting of a list of common words with some very amusing definitions. First published in 1911, “The Devil’s Dictionary” is a more complete version of Bierce’s 1906 publication “The Cynic’s Word Book”. Here are some of my favorite definitions found therein:

  • Cabbage, n. A familiar kitchen-garden vegetable about as large and wise as a man’s head.
  • Corporation, n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility.
  • Dentist, n. A prestidigitator who, putting metal into your mouth, pulls coins out of your pocket.
  • Love, n. A temporary insanity curable by marriage.
  • Hers, pron. His.
  • Money, n. A blessing that is of no advantage to us excepting when we part with it.
  • Quotation, n: The act of repeating erroneously the words of another.
  • Selfish, adj. Devoid of consideration for the selfishness of others.
  • Sweater, n. Garment worn by child when its mother is feeling chilly.
  • Year, n. A period of three hundred and sixty-five disappointments.

40. Outlaw Kelly : NED

Ned Kelly was an Irish-Australian outlaw, regarded by many as a symbol of resistance against the British ruling class in Australia in the 19th century. There have been two famous films made of his life story. “The Story of the Kelly Gang” was released in 1906, and is recognized today as the first feature film ever made. We might be more familiar with the film called “Ned Kelly” released in 1970, as it starred Mick Jagger in the title role.

42. “The King and I” role : ANNA

“The King and I” is a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical based on a book by Margaret Landon called “Anna and the King of Siam” first published in 1944. Landon’s book is based on a true story, told in the memoirs of Anna Leonowens. Leonowens was the governess of the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the 1860s, and she also taught the king’s wives.

43. City on the Dnieper : KIEV

Kiev is located on the Dnieper River, and is the capital of Ukraine. We tend to use the spelling “Kiev”, but the Ukrainian government decided in 1995 to refer to the city as “Kyiv” when using Roman/Latin script.

48. Winning Super Bowl III coach Ewbank : WEEB

Weeb Ewbank was a football coach mostly known for coaching the Baltimore Colts and the New York Jets in the fifties, sixties and seventies. He won two NFL championships with the Colts (1958, 1959), and one AFL championship with the Jets (1968).

52. “Foucault’s Pendulum” author : ECO

“Foucault’s Pendulum” is a 1988 Italian novel by Umberto Eco that was translated into English by William Weaver the following year. The title of the book refers to a large pendulum that was constructed by French physicist Léon Foucault to demonstrate the effect of the Earth’s rotation.

53. Yellow __ : SEA

There are four seas named for colors in English:

  • the Yellow Sea
  • the Black Sea
  • the Red Sea
  • the White Sea.

60. Faulkner’s “__ Lay Dying” : AS I

“As I Lay Dying” is a novel by William Faulkner first published in 1930. The book has an unusual structure, with stream of consciousness writing throughout. There is one whole chapter that I’d like to quote here:

My mother is a fish.

That’s a five-word chapter …

63. Car from Trollhättan : SAAB

Trollhättan is a city in Sweden located about 75 km north of Gothenburg, in the southwest of the country. Trollhättan is home to the headquarters and main manufacturing plant of National Electric Vehicle Sweden, formerly known as SAAB Automotive.

65. NBC show since 1975 : SNL

NBC first aired a form of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) in 1975 under the title “NBC’s Saturday Night”. The show was actually created to give Johnny Carson some time off from “The Tonight Show”. Back then “The Tonight Show” had a weekend episode, and Carson convinced NBC to pull the Saturday or Sunday recordings off the air and hold them for subsequent weeknights in which Carson needed a break. NBC turned to Lorne Michaels and asked him to put together a variety show to fill the vacant slot, and he came up with what we now call “Saturday Night Live”.

69. After-dinner drink letters : VSO

Brandy is a spirit distilled from wine. The term “brandy” ultimately comes from the Dutch “gebrande wijn” meaning “burnt wine”. The length of this aging of the spirit defines the various grades of brandy:

  • VS: Very Special … at least 2 years storage
  • VSOP: Very Special (or Superior) Old Pale … at least 4 years storage
  • XO: Extra Old … at least 6 years
  • VSO: Very Superior Old … 12-17 years

71. Third of seven: Abbr. : TUES

The name “Tuesday” comes from an Old English word that translates as “Tiw’s Day”. In turn, “Tiw” was the Old English name for the Norse god “Týr”. Týr was the Norse god of single combat, victory and heroic glory.

72. “Fine” holder of fish? : KETTLE

The expression “fine kettle of fish” is used to describe an awkward state of a affairs. There’s a derivative expression “whole-new kettle of fish” that has a different meaning, that is used to describe an alternative situation.

73. Wharton deg. : MBA

Wharton is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia. The school was established in 1881 largely due to a donation from industrialist Joseph Wharton, co-founder of Bethlehem Steel.

75. Kimono closer : OBI

The sash worn as part of traditional Japanese dress is known as an obi. The obi can be tied in what is called a butterfly knot.

82. It’s a long story : YARN

The phrase “to spin a yarn”, meaning “to tell a tall tale”, originated in the early 1800s with seamen. The idea was that sailors would tell stories to each other while engaged in mindless work such as twisting yarn.

83. South Dakota, to Pierre : ETAT

The French word for “state” is “état”.

93. 1999 “A God in Ruins” novelist : URIS

Leon Uris’ 1999 novel “A God in Ruins”, tells the story of a Democratic candidate running in the 2008 US presidential election.

96. It’s south of Eur. : AFR

The Carthaginian Republic was centered on the city of Carthage, the ruins of which are located on the coast of modern-day Tunisia. The Latin name for the people of Carthage was “Afri”. When the Romans took over Carthage, they created a province they called “Africa”. That name extended over time to the whole continent.

103. Art Deco artist : ERTE

Erté was the pseudonym of French artist (Russian born) Romain de Tirtoff. Erté is the French pronunciation of his initials “R.T.”

109. House of Lords member : PEER

The UK Parliament is divided into two houses, with the upper house known as the House of Lords and the lower house as the House of Commons. The members of the House of Commons are elected, but most new members of the House of Lords are appointed. Historically, a large proportion of the membership of the upper house were hereditary peers, but recent legislative changes are reducing the numbers who can sit in the House of Lords by virtue of birthright.

111. Balancing pro : CPA

Certified public accountant (CPA)

112. Agatha contemporary : ERLE

I must have read all of the “Perry Mason” books when I was in college. I think they kept me sane when I was facing the pressure of exams. Author Erle Stanley Gardner was himself a lawyer, although he didn’t get into the profession the easy way. Gardner went to law school, but got himself suspended after a month. So, he became a self-taught attorney and opened his own law office in Merced, California. Understandably, he gave up the law once his novels became successful.

Agatha Christie is the best-selling novelist of all time, having sold about 4 billion copies worldwide in total. The only books to have sold in higher volume are the works of William Shakespeare and the Bible.

114. Nicky of “Boston Public” : KATT

American actor Nicky Katt is best known for playing teacher Harry Senate on the TV drama “Boston Public”.

115. Jour’s opposite : NUIT

In French, “jour” (day) is the opposite of “nuit” (night).

117. Amer. Samoa, e.g. : TERR

There are sixteen US territories in all, but only five of them are inhabited:

  • Puerto Rico
  • Guam
  • Northern Mariana Islands
  • US Virgin Islands
  • American Samoa

Examples of US territories with no permanent or native inhabitants are Wake Island and Midway Islands.

119. ISP alternative : DSL

An Internet Service Provider (ISP) is just what the name indicates, a company that provides its customers with access to the Internet. One way that ISPs differentiate themselves from each other is in the way in which end users are connected to the ISP’s network. So, there are cable ISPs, DSL ISPs, dial-up ISPs and satellite ISPs.

120. Polo Grounds legend : OTT

At 5′ 9″, Mel Ott weighed just 170 lb (I don’t think he took steroids!) and yet he was the first National League player to hit over 500 home runs. Sadly, Ott died in a car accident in New Orleans in 1958 when he was only 49 years old.

The original Polo Grounds in New York city was built in 1876 and as one might expect, it was used to play polo. The property was leased in 1880 by the New York Metropolitans and was converted into a baseball stadium. Over the years, the stadium was replaced, three times in all, but the “Polo Grounds” name was retained.

121. Be-bopper : CAT

The jazz term “bebop” probably came from “Arriba! Arriba!”, words of encouragement from Latin American bandleaders to their musicians.

122. The Tigers of the SEC : LSU

The LSU Tigers are the sports teams of Louisiana State University (LSU). They are officially known as the Fightin’ Tigers, and the school mascot is “Mike the Tiger”. The name comes from the days of the Civil War, when two Louisiana brigades earned the nickname the “Louisiana Tigers”. Given the French/Cajun history of Louisiana, the LSU fans use the cheer “Geaux Tigers” instead of “Go Tigers”.

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Complete List of Clues and Answers

Across

1. Get hot online : GO VIRAL

8. Slithery squeezer : BOA

11. San Francisco/Oakland separator : BAY

14. Signature Southern vegetable : OKRA

18. Treeless tract : OPEN AREA

20. High esteem : RESPECT

22. Motley : PIED

23. Basis for evaluating an archaeology dig? : EARNINGS PER SHARD (from “earnings per share”)

25. “Goodness gracious!” : EGAD!

26. “Wide Sargasso Sea” author Jean : RHYS

27. Chain founded by Ingvar Kamprad : IKEA

28. 2016 A.L. Manager of the Year Francona, familiarly : TITO

29. Heartthrob : FLAME

30. Medicare segment : PART A

32. As to : IN RE

34. Called the shots : LED

35. Warning to Bo Peep that her sheep are really hiding nearby? : HERDS LOOKING AT YOU, KID (from “Here’s looking at you, kid”)

44. “The Sage of Concord” : EMERSON

45. Romeo or Juliet : TEEN

46. South of France : MIDI

47. Holds firmly : RIVETS

48. Dilates : WIDENS

50. Times for vespers : EVES

54. Knock for a loop : STUN

55. Schleps : TOTES

58. “When leaving the beach, hose off your feet before putting on your shoes”? : SAND ADVICE (from “sane advice”)

62. Jiffs : SECS

64. Slip cover : DRESS

66. Yorkshire river : OUSE

67. Bygone bird : MOA

68. Must choose among less volatile investment options? : HAVE A BOND TO PICK (from “have a bone to pick”)

73. Bossy remark? : MOO

76. Wine center NNE of Monaco : ASTI

77. Flaw-spotting aid : LOUPE

78. Canterbury’s county : KENT

81. Infant dressed for rain? : BABY BOOTED (from “baby bootee”)

85. Bas-relief medium : GESSO

87. Dashed : TORE

89. Cavaradossi’s “Recondita armonia,” for one : ARIA

90. Cooper’s creations : STAVES

92. Green need : PUTTER

94. Bring in : REAP

98. Where Java may be found : ASIA

99. Before : EARLIER

100. Have a good day birding? : FIND FEATHERED FRIENDS (from “fine feathered friends”)

105. Pitcher’s pride : ARM

106. Meh : DRAB

107. Breaks : RIFTS

108. Nursing a sprain, perhaps : GIMPY

110. “Good going!” : NICE!

113. Stunned accusation : ET TU!

114. Come together : KNIT

118. Fever with chills : AGUE

119. Paragraph in a lemon law? : DUD PROCESS CLAUSE (from “due process clause”)

123. Needle holder : PINE

124. Espionage asset : STEALTH

125. More frothy : YEASTIER

126. River to the Fulda : EDER

127. It’s used for some trips : LSD

128. WWII venue : ETO

129. __ step: deceptive hoops tactic : STUTTER

Down

1. Attendee : GOER

2. Moonfish : OPAH

3. Darned : VERY

4. Quaint stopovers : INNS

5. Italian counterpart of the BBC : RAI

6. Prince Valiant’s son : ARN

7. Shackle : LEG-IRON

8. Onetime California oil town : BREA

9. “__ the fields we go” : O’ER

10. Kind of prof. : ASST

11. Marching orders? : BEAT IT!

12. Radar or laser : ACRONYM

13. Accountant’s initialism : YTD

14. European automaker that was originally a sewing machine company : OPEL

15. Rwanda’s capital : KIGALI

16. Didn’t just criticize : REAMED

17. Put on : ADDED

19. Invite for : ASK TO

21. Honor society leader? : PHI

24. Reach a high : PEAK

29. Clan clash : FEUD

30. “Hey … over here!” : PSST!

31. “__ good name is ne’er retriev’d”: John Gay : A LOST

33. King of France : ROI

35. “His,” to Bierce : HERS

36. Gives off : EMITS

37. Variety show : REVUE

38. Soak : DRENCH

39. “Yea, verily” : IT IS SO

40. Outlaw Kelly : NED

41. Thug’s thousands : GEES

42. “The King and I” role : ANNA

43. City on the Dnieper : KIEV

48. Winning Super Bowl III coach Ewbank : WEEB

49. Busybodies : SNOOPS

51. Get-up-and-go : VIM

52. “Foucault’s Pendulum” author : ECO

53. Yellow __ : SEA

56. Start of a tribute : ODE TO …

57. Pride and prejudice : TRAITS

59. Fools : DUPES

60. Faulkner’s “__ Lay Dying” : AS I

61. Card collection : DECK

63. Car from Trollhättan : SAAB

65. NBC show since 1975 : SNL

69. After-dinner drink letters : VSO

70. Literary fold : DOG-EAR

71. Third of seven: Abbr. : TUES

72. “Fine” holder of fish? : KETTLE

73. Wharton deg. : MBA

74. Crew member : OAR

75. Kimono closer : OBI

79. Away from the office : NOT IN

80. In a tough spot : TREED

82. It’s a long story : YARN

83. South Dakota, to Pierre : ETAT

84. Pizzazz : DASH

86. Eyeball-bending work : OP ART

88. Drops the ball : ERRS

91. Go (for) : VIE

93. 1999 “A God in Ruins” novelist : URIS

95. Go around in circles? : EDDY

96. It’s south of Eur. : AFR

97. Small change : PEANUTS

99. Gushes : EFFUSES

100. Standoffish : FRIGID

101. Protected, as from prosecution : IMMUNE

102. Put up with : ABIDED

103. Art Deco artist : ERTE

104. Scatterbrained : DITSY

105. Slack-jawed : AGAPE

109. House of Lords member : PEER

111. Balancing pro : CPA

112. Agatha contemporary : ERLE

113. Bounce back : ECHO

114. Nicky of “Boston Public” : KATT

115. Jour’s opposite : NUIT

116. “Got it” : I SEE

117. Amer. Samoa, e.g. : TERR

119. ISP alternative : DSL

120. Polo Grounds legend : OTT

121. Be-bopper : CAT

122. The Tigers of the SEC : LSU

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28 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 8 Jan 17, Sunday”

  1. 28:47, no errors. I figured out how the theme entries were created from common phrases, but I didn’t understand how that related to “Dine Out” until I came here. A very clever theme (but me, not so much … 🙂 ).

    My favorite tidbit from today’s blog: the distinction between an initialism and an acronym. Never knew that …

  2. No issues with the puzzle solution here… but in my (paper) version of today’s LA Times, they printed the wrong actual puzzle part. The clues match here, but the graphic itself does not. Ugh.

    1. I have the same problem with matching clues to squares. Poor editing in L.A time crossword puzzle. Arrgh

    2. My paper dis the same thing. Clues were the same as the site but the graphic was a different puzzle. Now there’s a PUZZLE!

  3. The puzzle printed in the LA Times Delivered to my home in Murrieta is not
    the puzzle shown above.

    Jeff H

  4. I want a cash refund for getting the wrong grid for the clues. Practically the only reason I get this paper is for the crosswords. Really ?.

  5. So glad I viewed the comments, I was concerned that I’d lost my mind over night. I love the Sunday crossword and am a little disappointed I won’t enjoy my favorite way to idle the day away.

  6. Wrong grid in today’s paper. Bummed. Maybe they’ll print the right one in Monday’s paper? Won’t hold my breath on that happening. Sloppy editing and oversight. Really no excuse IMO.

  7. I am upset about getting the wrong grid! The Times has to acknowledge this and make it right somehow!

  8. YES, I’m pissed too. I thought I’d lost my mind. Hope they do a reprint sometime this week.

  9. Same here. Two very disappointed crossworders. Is any one from the LA Times watching these digital postings?!?! No wonder print is dead!!

  10. Wow! Too bad about the grid goof. There’s no good excuse for that. Coulter’s puzzle is a suitable Sunday challenge with a fun theme that’s well-executed. I had some nits to pick with cluing, but I’m not gonna sit here and talk to myself.
    @Bill — Thanks much for the Ambrose Bierce explanation! That one had me scratching my head.

  11. We leave the Sunday crossword on the table throughout the week. My kids (18, 17, 15 and 10) enjoy trying to figure out answers throughout the week. A great way to help expand vocabulary and communication. Hopefully they can print the correct grid tomorrow. Call us old fashioned, but we’d rather do the newspaper crossword instead of a printed copy from the computer. We are disappointed in today’s LA Times……..although 27 across does fit! LOL

  12. At 75 I worry about cognition. I did actually think I’d tipped over the edge
    this morning. Soooo relieved to find out the grid was wrong.

  13. My husband and I read the LA times online the rest of the week, but on Sunday we receive the printed page to peruse at leisure, so hopefully we’ll get a bonus next Sunday: the correct grid plus a new puzzle!
    The Delsons

  14. Well, just got home from playing piano at church and glad I came here.
    I thought it was some kind of across and down run-on puzzle.
    Sheesh!, L.A. Times.
    I went to Mensa and it’s the correct grid.
    Kinda spoiled the solving as I like doing it on paper myself.
    My first line on paper was GOVI RALB OABA Y….etc.

  15. Really disappointing that L.A. Times does not check more thoroughly to match clues and print the correct Password. I don’t think that the “powers that be” at L.A. times realize how important this is for subscribers.

  16. Now I’m convinced they switched Thursday and Friday. They printed last Sunday’s grid with this weeks clues! LOL

  17. Finally had time to do my favorite Sunday pasttime. So disappointed. Thought I’d lost my mind. Wrong grid obviously.

  18. Very disappointing…I didn’t get to do the puzzle with my daughter in SDAK over the phone today as the grid did not match the clues. Whose fault was that. Two weeks ago you would have gotten coal in your stocking!

    1. I had a lot of cross words about Sunday’s puzzle before learning my suspicion of a misprint was correct. Whew! Misprinted grids happen. Best to grin than grrr about a wonky grid?

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