LA Times Crossword Answers 27 Sep 2017, Wednesday










Constructed by: Bruce Haight

Edited by: Rich Norris

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Theme: Abhor a Bore?

Each of today’s themed answers comprises two parts: a verb followed by an indefinite article with a noun. The catch is that the two parts of the answer sound exactly the same:

  • 17A. Fall in love with something at the home improvement center? : ADORE A DOOR
  • 25A. Bring Bugs into harmony? : ATTUNE A TOON
  • 37A. Get voices in all ranges? : ACQUIRE A CHOIR
  • 52A. Severely criticize the store special? : ASSAIL A SALE
  • 61A. Criticize the stringed instrument? : ABASE A BASS

Bill’s time: 6m 24s

Bill’s errors: 0




Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies

Across

10. Ski area in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains : ALTA

Alta ski resort actually lies within the Salt Lake City Metropolitan Area. The first ski lift in the resort was opened way back in 1939. Today, Alta is one of only three ski resorts in the country that prohibits snowboarding (along with Deer Valley, Utah and Mad River Glen, Vermont. The ski resort of Snowbird located next to Alta has been in operation since 1971.

The Wasatch Range is at the western edge of the Rocky Mountains and runs through Utah. “Wasatch” is a Ute word meaning “mountain pass”.

16. Classic cars : REOS

The REO Motor Company was founded by Ransom Eli Olds (hence the name REO). The company made cars, trucks and buses, and was in business from 1905 to 1975 in Lansing, Michigan. Among the company’s most famous models were the REO Royale and the REO Flying Cloud.

20. “Frasier” role : NILES

In the sitcom called “Frasier”, Niles Crane is the brother of the title character Frasier Crane. Frasier is played by Kelsey Grammer and Niles is played by David Hyde Pierce. Frasier was originally intended to be an only child in the show’s storyline, but the producers decided to add a brother when they noted the remarkable similarity in appearance between David Hyde Pierce and Kelsey Grammer.

23. iPhone, e.g., briefly : PDA

Personal digital assistant (PDA)

24. Scooby-__ : DOO

“Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” is a series of cartoons produced for Hanna-Barbera Productions, first broadcast in 1969. The title character is a great Dane dog owned by a young male called Shaggy Rogers. The character’s name was inspired by the famous “doo-be-doo-be-doo” refrain in the Frank Sinatra hit “Strangers in the Night”. Shaggy was voiced by famed disk jockey Casey Kasem.

25. Bring Bugs into harmony? : ATTUNE A TOON

Bugs Buggy debuted in the 1940 animated short “A Wild Hare”. Since then, Bugs has appeared in more films than any other cartoon character.

31. “Flashdance…What a Feeling” singer Cara : IRENE

“Flashdance” is a 1983 romantic drama film about a young welder at a steel plant who aspires to become a professional dancer. The movie’s soundtrack was also a big hit and features songs like “Maniac” and “Flashdance …What a Feeling”. The latter was performed by Irene Cara, and won the Best Original Song Oscar for that season.

36. Med. condition with repetitive behavior : OCD

Apparently, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is the fourth most commonly diagnosed mental disorder, making it about as prevalent as asthma.

49. Get fuzzy, as vision : BLEAR

To blear is to dim the vision, usually with watery eyes.

51. Grand __ Opry : OLE

The Grand Ole Opry started out as a radio show in 1925 originally called the WSM “Barn Dance”. In 1927, the “Barn Dance” radio show was broadcast in a slot after an NBC production called “Musical Appreciation Hour”, a collection of classical works including Grand Opera. In a December show, the host of “Barn Dance” announced, “For the past hour, we have been listening to music taken largely from Grand Opera. From now on we will present the ‘Grand Ole Opry'”. That name was used for the radio show from then on.

54. “Breaking Bad” org. : DEA

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

The AMC drama “Breaking Bad” is a well-written show about a high school teacher stricken by lung cancer who turns to a life of crime to make money. It turns out that the teacher has a talent for making high-quality crystal meth. The show was created by Vince Gilligan who had spent many years as producer and writer of “The X-Files”. There is a “Breaking Bad” spin-off show running on AMC called “Better Call Saul” that focuses on the life of lawyer Saul Goodman. I hear that it’s pretty good …

55. Org. offering written and road tests : DMV

In most states, the government agency responsible for vehicle registration and the issuing of driver’s licenses is called the DMV. This initialism usually stands for the Department of Motor Vehicles, but there are “variations on the theme”. For example, in Arizona the responsible agency is called the Motor Vehicle Division (MVD), and in Colorado the familiar abbreviation “DMV” stands for Division of Motor Vehicles.

56. Mason jar attachment : LID

Mason jars were invented in 1858 in Philadelphia, by a tinsmith named John Landis Mason.

65. Greek peak : OSSA

Mount Ossa in Greece is located between Mt. Pelion in the south, and the famed Mt. Olympus in the north. Mount Ossa is also known as Kissavos.

67. Site with tech reviews : CNET

c|net is an excellent technology website. c|net started out in 1994 as a television network specializing in technology news. The host of “American Idol”, Ryan Seacrest, started off his career as host of a c|net show.

69. Wild West transport : STAGE

Although the stagecoach is very much associated with the Wild West, the vehicle originated in England in the 16th century. Stagecoaches provided transportation for travellers and goods over long distances. The rest points for the travellers were known as “stages”, and later “stations”, hence the name “stagecoach”.

70. Run-of-the-mill : SO-SO

Something described as run-of-the-mill is unspectacular, quite normal. The idea is that the regular production from say a sawmill isn’t perfect, but does the job. Imperfections in the wood can be expected, but the milled wood should get the job done. Going back a few years, similar expressions were quite common, such as “run-of-the-kiln” and “run-of-the-mine”.

Down

1. __ Joe, Charlie’s companion on his tour of Wonka’s chocolate factory : GRANDPA

Willy Wonka is the lead character in the 1964 novel by Roald Dahl called “Charlie & the Chocolate Factory”. Willy Wonka has been portrayed on the big screen twice. Gene Wilder was a fabulous Wonka in the 1971 version titled “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory”, and Johnny Depp played him in the Tim Burton movie from 2005 called “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. I’m not too fond of Tim Burton movies, so I haven’t seen that one …

4. “Where __ you?” : WERE

Right here …

5. Actress Ortiz of “Ugly Betty” : ANA

Ana Ortiz played the title character’s older sister in the TV series “Ugly Betty”.

“Ugly Betty” is a drama-comedy show that originally aired on television from 2006 to 2010. The show is based on a telenovela soap opera from Colombia called “Yo soy Betty, la fea”. The title role of Betty Suarez is played by America Ferrera.

6. Fish sticks fish : COD

Fish sticks are known as fish fingers in the UK and Ireland.

7. Midori on the ice : ITO

Midori Ito is a Japanese figure skater. Ito was the first woman to land a triple/triple jump and a triple axel in competition. In fact, she landed her first triple jump in training when she was only 8 years old.

8. Pop singer Warwick : DIONNE

Dionne Warwick is a very, very successful singer, with more Top 100 hits than any other female vocalist other than Aretha Franklin. Warwick had a pretty successful cousin who was a singer as well … named Whitney Houston.

10. Reliever’s asset : ARM

That would be baseball.

12. Pooch in your lap, maybe : TOY DOG

The toy group of dogs is made up of the smallest breeds. The smallest of the small breeds are sometimes called teacup breeds.

13. Most people : ASIANS

Most of the world’s population lives in Asia (60%), and Asia is the largest continent in terms of landmass (30% of the world). Asia also has the highest population density (246 people per square mile), and the most populous city on the continent is Shanghai, China.

18. Actor Morales : ESAI

The actor Esai Morales is best known in the world of film for the 1987 movie “La Bamba”, which depicted the life of Ritchie Valens and his half-brother Bob Morales (played by Esai). On the small screen, Morales plays Lt. Tony Rodriguez on “NYPD Blue” and Joseph Adama on “Caprica”.

34. Jordan’s only port : AQABA

The coastal city of Aqaba is the only seaport in the country of Jordan. The city lies at the very northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, which is off the Red Sea.

40. Tiny tunes player : IPOD NANO

The iPod Nano was the successor to the iPod Mini and was introduced to the market at the end of 2005. There were seven versions of the Nano, until it was discontinued in 2017.

46. Somewhat flabby male physique, informally : DAD BOD

A “dad bod” is a man’s body that is softly rounded. Well, that’s the description I like to use …

47. Diffuse slowly through a membrane : OSMOSE

Osmosis is the movement of a solvent (often just water) across a semipermeable membrane. In the process of osmosis, the solvent tends to flow from an area of less concentration to an area of higher concentration. This sense of absorbing water effortlessly gives rise to the expression “learning by osmosis”.

48. Permit to enter the States : US VISA

A visa is a usually a stamp in one’s passport, an indication that one is authorized to enter (and less often, to exit) a particular country. The word “visa” comes into English, via French, from the Latin expression “charta visa” meaning “paper that has been seen”, or “verified paper”.

50. Country’s McEntire : REBA

Reba McEntire is a country music singer and television actress. McEntire starred in her own sitcom called “Reba” that aired on the WB and the CW cable channels from 2001 to 2007.

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Complete List of Clues and Answers

Across

1. Got taller : GREW

5. Etching supplies : ACIDS

10. Ski area in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains : ALTA

14. See 66-Across : … RACE

15. Bad news for the waiter : NO TIP

16. Classic cars : REOS

17. Fall in love with something at the home improvement center? : ADORE A DOOR

19. “Pretty please?” : MAY I?

20. “Frasier” role : NILES

21. Debuting on screen : NEW

23. iPhone, e.g., briefly : PDA

24. Scooby-__ : DOO

25. Bring Bugs into harmony? : ATTUNE A TOON

30. Golf tee, e.g. : PEG

31. “Flashdance…What a Feeling” singer Cara : IRENE

32. Barbecue pair : TONGS

33. Solo in a spotlight : ARIA

35. Smallish batteries : AAS

36. Med. condition with repetitive behavior : OCD

37. Get voices in all ranges? : ACQUIRE A CHOIR

42. Colony resident : ANT

43. Gallery filler : ART

44. Went like crazy : SPED

46. Second thought : DOUBT

49. Get fuzzy, as vision : BLEAR

51. Grand __ Opry : OLE

52. Severely criticize the store special? : ASSAIL A SALE

54. “Breaking Bad” org. : DEA

55. Org. offering written and road tests : DMV

56. Mason jar attachment : LID

57. Humdrum : BANAL

59. Start bubbling : BOIL

61. Criticize the stringed instrument? : ABASE A BASS

65. Greek peak : OSSA

66. With 14-Across, event with batons : RELAY

67. Site with tech reviews : CNET

68. __ end : DEAD

69. Wild West transport : STAGE

70. Run-of-the-mill : SO-SO

Down

1. __ Joe, Charlie’s companion on his tour of Wonka’s chocolate factory : GRANDPA

2. Time before TV : RADIO ERA

3. Environment-related : ECOLOGIC

4. “Where __ you?” : WERE

5. Actress Ortiz of “Ugly Betty” : ANA

6. Fish sticks fish : COD

7. Midori on the ice : ITO

8. Pop singer Warwick : DIONNE

9. Binge : SPREE

10. Reliever’s asset : ARM

11. Seize, as an opportunity : LEAP ON

12. Pooch in your lap, maybe : TOY DOG

13. Most people : ASIANS

18. Actor Morales : ESAI

22. Keep an eye on : WATCH

26. Personal attribute : TRAIT

27. Rip (up) : TEAR

28. Opens, as an official document : UNSEALS

29. Commotions : TO-DOS

34. Jordan’s only port : AQABA

36. In base eight : OCTAL

38. No later than : UNTIL

39. Space : AREA

40. Tiny tunes player : IPOD NANO

41. Big events for film studios : RELEASES

45. Gives a hand : DEALS TO

46. Somewhat flabby male physique, informally : DAD BOD

47. Diffuse slowly through a membrane : OSMOSE

48. Permit to enter the States : US VISA

49. Unwise wager : BAD BET

50. Country’s McEntire : REBA

53. Whopper creators : LIARS

58. Basics : ABCS

60. Young chap : LAD

62. According to : A LA

63. Give in to gravity : SAG

64. Word after eagle or hawk : -EYE

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