LA Times Crossword Answers 24 Oct 2017, Tuesday

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Constructed by: C.C. Burnikel
Edited by: Rich Norris

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Today’s Theme: Turning Red

Each of today’s themed answers includes a hidden word. Said word is a shade of RED, and it is TURNED around, written backwards:

  • 59A. Showing embarrassment … or what the circles in three puzzle answers are literally doing : TURNING RED
  • 18A. Big commotion : HURLY-BURLY (hiding “RUBY” turned)
  • 28A. It has only two possible answers : YES-OR-NO QUESTION (hiding “ROSE” turned)
  • 46A. Start of a teaching moment from grandpa : WHEN I WAS YOUR AGE … (hiding “WINE” turned)

Bill’s time: 6m 26s

Bill’s errors: 0

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Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1. eBay sale condition : AS IS

eBay was founded in 1995 as AuctionWeb as part of a computer programmer’s personal website. One of the first items purchased was a broken laser pointer, for $14.83. The buyer collected broken laser pointers …

14. Funnyman Jay : LENO

Jay Leno was born James Leno in New Rochelle, New York. Jay’s father was the son of Italian immigrants, and his mother was from Scotland. Leno grew up in Andover, Massachusetts and actually dropped out of school on the advice of a high school guidance counsellor. However, years later he went to Emerson college and earned a Bachelor’s degree in speech therapy. Leno also started a comedy club at Emerson in 1973. Today Jay Leno is a car nut and owns about 200 vehicles of various types. You can check them out on his website: www.jaylenosgarage.com.

15. Actress Falco of “Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders” : EDIE

The actress Edie Falco won three Emmy Awards for playing Carmela Soprano on HBO’s outstanding drama series called “The Sopranos”. Falco also won an Emmy in 2010 for playing the title role in “Nurse Jackie”, an excellent black comedy.

“Law & Order True Crime” is part of the “Law & Order” franchise that recounts true crime stories. The first season is centered on the trial of the Menendez brothers Lyle and Erik, who murdered their parents in 1989.

17. Indonesian resort island : BALI

Bali is both an island and a province in Indonesia. It is a popular tourist spot, although the number of visitors dropped for a few years as a result of terrorist bombings in 2002 and 2005 that killed mainly tourists. Bali became more popular starting in 2008 due to a significant and favorable change in the exchange rate between the US dollar and the Indonesian rupiah.

22. River near the Egyptian pyramids : NILE

Depending on definition, the Nile is generally regarded as the longest river on the planet. The Nile forms from two major tributaries, the White Nile and the Blue Nile, which join together near Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. From Khartoum the Nile flows north, traveling almost entirely through desert making it central to life for the peoples living along its length.

23. Podcast interruptions : ADS

A podcast is basically an audio or video media file that is made available for download. The name comes from the acronym “POD” meaning “playable on demand”, and “cast” from “broadcasting”. So, basically a podcast is a broadcast that one can play on demand, simply by downloading and opening the podcast file.

26. Julep ingredient : MINT

The mint julep is a bourbon-based cocktail that is associated with the American South, and with the Kentucky Derby in particular. If you’d like to make yourself a mint julep, one recipe is:

  • 3 oz of Bourbon
  • 4-6 sprigs of mint
  • granulated sugar to taste

35. Hosp. diagnostic chamber : MRI

MRI scans can be daunting for many people as they usually involve the patient lying inside a tube with the imaging magnet surrounding the body. Additionally, the scan can take up to 40 minutes in some cases. There are some open MRI scanners available that help prevent a feeling of claustrophobia. However, the image produced by open scanners are of lower quality as they operate at lower magnetic fields.

36. Performs like Drake : RAPS

Drake is the stage name of rapper Aubrey Graham from Toronto.

44. “The Blacklist” government agcy. : FBI

“The Blacklist” is an entertaining, albeit a little formulaic, crime drama TV show starring James Spader and Megan Boone. Spader plays a successful criminal who surrenders to the FBI in order to help catch a “blacklist” of high-profile criminals.

52. Australian isl. state : TASM

Tasmania is the large island lying off the southeast coast of Australia. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to sail past the island, in 1642. Tasman named his discovery Van Diemen’s Land after the Governor of the Dutch East Indies, Anthony van Dieman. The name was officially changed to Tasmania, after the discoverer himself, in 1856. In Australia a more familiar name used is “Tassie”.

58. Hindu sage : SWAMI

A swami is a religious teacher in the Hindu tradition. The word “swami” can also mean “husband” in the Bengali and Malay languages.

63. Thorny plant : BRIAR

“Briar” is a generic name for several plants that have thorns, including the rose. Famously, Br’er Rabbit lives in a briar patch.

67. Get ready for a selfie : POSE

A selfie is a self-portrait, usually one taken with a digital camera or cell phone. A “group selfie” is sometimes referred to as a “groufie” or “wefie”. A “couple selfie” is known as an “usie” or “ussie”, although those terms are sometimes also used for a group picture.

Down

1. Hudson River capital : ALBANY

New York’s state capital of Albany was founded as a Dutch trading post called Fort Nassau in 1614. The English took over the settlement in 1664 and called it Albany, naming it after the future King of England James II, whose title at the time was the Duke of Albany. It became the capital of New York State in 1797.

The Hudson River flows through eastern New York State from Henderson Lake in the Adirondacks to the Port of New York and New Jersey. The river is named for the English explorer Henry Hudson who navigated it in 1609.

2. Naval construction worker : SEABEE

The Seabees are members of the Construction Battalions (CB) of the US Navy, from which the name “Seabee” originates. There’s a great 1944 movie called “The Fighting Seabees” starring John Wayne that tells the story of the birth of the Seabees during WWII. The Seabees’ official motto is “Construimus. Batuimus”, Latin for “We build. We fight.” The group’s unofficial motto is “Can Do!”

4. “C’est la vie” : SO IT GOES

“C’est la vie” is French for “that’s life”.

7. iPad voice-activated app : SIRI

Siri is a software application that works with Apple’s iOS operating system. “Siri” is an acronym standing for Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface. You’ve probably seen the ads on television, with folks talking to their iPhones asking for information and responding with a voice. I hear that Google is a little scared by Siri, as Siri is non-visual. There’s no need to touch a screen or a keyboard to work with Siri, no opportunity to click on one of Google’s ads! By the way, voice-over artist Susan Bennett revealed herself as the female American voice of Siri not that long ago. The British version of Siri is called Daniel, and the Australian version is called Karen. Also, “Siri” is a Norwegian name meaning “beautiful woman who leads you to victory”, and was the name the developer had chosen for his first child.

10. One playing hooky : TRUANT

“Truant” is such a lovely word. We have been using it to describe someone who wanders from an appointed place since the mid-1400s. Prior to that, a truant was a beggar or a vagabond.

Apparently the term “hooky” comes from “hoekje”, the Dutch name for the game hide-and-seek. To play hooky is to shirk one’s responsibility, as in a schoolkid taking a day off without permission.

19. Red Sea republic : YEMEN

Yemen is located on the Arabian Peninsula, and lies just south of Saudi Arabia and west of Oman. Yemen is the only state on the peninsula that is a republic (its official name is the Republic of Yemen). Everyone over the age of 18 gets to vote, but only Muslims can hold elected office. Yemen has seen many rebellions over the centuries, and has been suffering through a Shia uprising since February 2015.

The Red Sea (sometimes called the Arabian Gulf) is a stretch of water lying between Africa and Asia. The Gulf of Suez (and the Suez Canal) lies to north, and the Gulf of Aden to the south. According to the Book of Exodus in the Bible, God parted the Red Sea to allow Moses lead the Israelites from Egypt.

21. Lee of desserts : SARA

In 1935, businessman Charles Lubin bought a chain of three bakeries in Chicago called Community Bake Shops, and soon expanded the operation into seven stores. Lubin introduced a cream cheesecake that he named after his daughter who was only 8-years-old at the time, Sara Lee Lubin. The cheesecake was a hit and he renamed the bakeries to Kitchen of Sara Lee. The business was bought out by Consolidated foods in 1956, but the brand name Sara Lee persists to this day, as does Ms. Sara Lee herself who now goes by the name Sara Lee Schupf.

25. QB’s flub : INT

Interception (Int.)

27. Magazine unit: Abbr. : ISS

Issue (iss.)

29. Ear cleaners : Q-TIPS

Cotton swabs were originally marketed under the name “Baby Gays”, but this was changed in 1926 to “Q-Tips”, with the Q standing for “quality”.

30. Carrier whose largest hub is O’Hare: Abbr. : UAL

United Airlines (UAL) has a complicated history, but can trace its roots back to Aviation Enterprises, founded in 1944 and later called Texas International. The first use of the “United” name in the company’s history was when airplane pioneer William Boeing merged his Boeing Air Transport with Pratt & Whitney to form the United Aircraft and Transport Corporation (UATC) in 1929. The Air Mail Act of 1934 required that UATC be broken up into United Aircraft (which became United Technologies), the Boeing Aircraft Company and United Air Lines.

38. University of South Africa city : PRETORIA

Pretoria is the executive capital of South Africa (RSA), and one of three capital cities in the country. Cape Town is the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein is the judicial capital.

The University of South Africa (Unisa) is the largest university in the whole of Africa. It was founded in 1873 as the University of the Cape of Good Hope, although it operated for many years as an examining agency for universities in Oxford and Cambridge in England. Actual classes were first offered in 1946. Unisa’s main campus is located in Pretoria.

39. Org. for docs : AMA

American Medical Association (AMA)

49. “Lawrence of __” : ARABIA

“Lawrence of Arabia” is a 1962 movie that recounts the real life story of T. E. Lawrence, a British army officer famous for his role in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I. The title role in the film is played by Irish actor Peter O’Toole. The role of Sherif Ali ibn el Kharish is played by Omar Sharif.

50. The Twins of the Zodiac : GEMINI

“Gemini” is the Latin word for “twins”.

56. PC key used for scrolling : PGUP

PGUP (Page Up) and PGDN (Page Down) are two keys found on a PC keyboard.

57. “Logically, … ” : ERGO …

“Ergo” is the Latin word for “hence, therefore”.

59. Channel formerly called “Superstation” : TBS

The tbs cable television station started out in 1967 as local broadcast TV station in Atlanta. The station’s first call letters were WJRJ-TV, and this was changed to WTCG in 1970 when it was acquired by Ted Turner (the TCG stood for Turner Communications Group). In 1976, Turner started distributing WTCG via satellite making its programming available in other parts of the country. WTCG was only the second channel to transmit via satellite, following HBO. The difference was that WTCG was broadcast without requiring a premium subscription. The station’s call sign was changed again in 1979 to WTBS, with TBS standing for Turner Broadcasting System. In 1981, the channel adopted the moniker “Superstation WTBS”.

61. Just For Men product : DYE

Just for Men is a hair-coloring product. It is usually applied to remove gray in the hair, and is effective for one to six weeks. So they tell me …

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. eBay sale condition : AS IS
5. Nasal spray, e.g. : MIST
9. Guiding values of a group : ETHOS
14. Funnyman Jay : LENO
15. Actress Falco of “Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders” : EDIE
16. Bench-clearing fight : BRAWL
17. Indonesian resort island : BALI
18. Big commotion : HURLY-BURLY (hiding “RUBY” turned)
20. Assists with a felony : ABETS
22. River near the Egyptian pyramids : NILE
23. Podcast interruptions : ADS
24. Taxable profit : NET GAIN
26. Julep ingredient : MINT
28. It has only two possible answers : YES-OR-NO QUESTION (hiding “ROSE” turned)
33. Enjoy a pizza, say : EAT
34. Summer shades : TANS
35. Hosp. diagnostic chamber : MRI
36. Performs like Drake : RAPS
39. Have a bug : AIL
40. Pedal pushers : FEET
41. Lifeboat mover : OAR
42. Like cellars, typically : DAMP
44. “The Blacklist” government agcy. : FBI
46. Start of a teaching moment from grandpa : WHEN I WAS YOUR AGE … (hiding “WINE” turned)
52. Australian isl. state : TASM
53. Chose from a menu : ORDERED
54. Refuse to share : HOG
55. Imitated : APED
58. Hindu sage : SWAMI
59. Showing embarrassment … or what the circles in three puzzle answers are literally doing : TURNING RED
62. Not much : A BIT
63. Thorny plant : BRIAR
64. Like eyesores : UGLY
65. Snippet of poetry : LINE
66. Platform for a play : STAGE
67. Get ready for a selfie : POSE
68. __-back: relaxed : LAID

Down

1. Hudson River capital : ALBANY
2. Naval construction worker : SEABEE
3. Shoreline recesses : INLETS
4. “C’est la vie” : SO IT GOES
5. “I’m not impressed” : MEH
6. “Beats me” : I DUNNO
7. iPad voice-activated app : SIRI
8. Reveal : TELL
9. Fade away : EBB
10. One playing hooky : TRUANT
11. Difficulty, with “a” : HARD TIME
12. Birds that can rotate their heads about 270 degrees : OWLS
13. Sneaky : SLY
19. Red Sea republic : YEMEN
21. Lee of desserts : SARA
25. QB’s flub : INT
27. Magazine unit: Abbr. : ISS
29. Ear cleaners : Q-TIPS
30. Carrier whose largest hub is O’Hare: Abbr. : UAL
31. Mine extraction : ORE
32. Petty peeve : NIT
36. Information on a Broadway ticket : ROW
37. Satisfied sigh : AAH!
38. University of South Africa city : PRETORIA
39. Org. for docs : AMA
40. Computer network security system : FIREWALL
42. Bad-mouth : DIS
43. “Oh, drat!” : AW MAN!
44. Word on a gift tag : FOR
45. Future blossoms : BUDS
47. “Get off my back!” : NAG NAG!
48. Alpine songs : YODELS
49. “Lawrence of __” : ARABIA
50. The Twins of the Zodiac : GEMINI
51. Worked on text : EDITED
54. Injured : HURT
56. PC key used for scrolling : PGUP
57. “Logically, … ” : ERGO …
59. Channel formerly called “Superstation” : TBS
60. Fury : IRE
61. Just For Men product : DYE

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23 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword Answers 24 Oct 2017, Tuesday”

  1. 5:47, no errors on this.

    @Robert Sucher (yesterday)
    This isn’t Crossword Corner (a coop site with Zhouquin Burnikel), but a different blog altogether (one done by Bill Butler). Most of what you posted isn’t common jargon, but more specifically used on that blog. But I’ll try to explain it from what I see browsing that site.

    A “wag” seems to be an acronym for “wild-assed guess”.

    “Perp” is perpendicular, basically they refer to using the opposite entries in order to get parts of an entry that is unknown. There are other terms such as “crosses” that people use.

    “Red Letter Runs” are referring to online software which immediately highlights letters which are incorrect in red. When the term is used, they are referring to hammering letters into a square until it comes up black.

    A “Natick” (the only common jargon out of that list of yours) refers to a “cross” or “perp” where both items are unknown – or more accurately so esoteric that the average solver will not likely know it. The name comes from a famous namesake clue in a NYT puzzle where that was the answer to a clue “Town at the eighth mile of the Boston Marathon”. Not too many outside of that area are going to be able to know that.

    Anyhow, here’s a page with the listing of their blog-specific comment jargon. If you are hanging around and have more questions, by all means feel free to ask them.

  2. Todays puzzle was easier then Mondays. Sat & Sun almost killed me of for good. But I’m starting, this week, with new hope again.

    Carrie & Megan: Here we go with the World Series! But it’s so hot I don’t know how the players are going to make it though. And again tomorrow!!!! Fans will suffer if on the sunny side. You couldn’t pay me enough to show up tonight. Go Dodgers!!!

  3. Today’s puzzle was pretty easy, didn’t notice the theme until the end. I downloaded Across Lite and really like the layout and ease of use. Much better than the actual LA Times page.

    @Bill – just noticed the bit of change in the layout at the top of the page. Funny how the comments link opens up a new page (at least in my browser) instead of jumping down to the bottom of the page. I have to be carefull otherwise I’ll end up with your blog opened on a bunch of tabs. 🙂

    @Dave – I’ll have to look out for the red herrings in the future. I’m sure I’ll get tricked one of these days! I’ve been stumped a few times and I’m not sure if I’d have gotten those answers if I had even more time to work on it.

    @Robert – Welcome. You’ll find there are lots of tangents in the comments sections. It’s great!

    Hope y’all have a great day!

    -Megan

  4. Pretty easy one. No idea as to my time. I was interrupted a few times trying to finish.

    Interesting discussion about OD-ING (crosswordese) on crosswords. It’s easy to get compulsive with these things. I stick to the LAT and NYT precisely because I’m sure I’d like the WSJ, BEQ…etc., and I really don’t have time for more than these 2……or even these two sometimes

    Darrell Porter was one of the first baseball players to go public with alcoholism and cocaine addiction back in the early 80’s. He made a comment that you should never try drugs “because you’re bound to find one you like…” Not trying to compare drugs and crosswords, but…..

    I know I’m outnumbered here, but go Astros tonight…

    Best –

  5. Almost finished without help. tBs/Briar is where I needed help Perhaps I could have “hammered red” but wasn’t sure of nagnAg. Crosses helped a lot.
    Since many here do at least two grids, I am proud to do the same- LAT of today and LAT of syndicated 6 weeks old (August 04). I look up both the blogs.
    I noticed the use of ‘connoisseur’ . It reminded me of Prof. Grasso at l’Alliance francaise 40 years ago, who had nothing but derision for this faux franglais. There is no such word in French.

    In my school, 50 years ago, we used to play baseball (unheard of in India. Some well wisher had donated a kit). India is heavily into cricket.These grids being so full of baseball related clues, I decided to look up common terms and rules of the game. Maybe one day I might sidestep a Natick.
    be well.
    Francophile.

  6. Straightforward, easy puzzle.

    Loved watching the players running around in the fog.

    1. @Ed
      Apologies. That sentence was from another blog post. A bit of iffy cutting and pasting on my part!

  7. Drat, I was going to answer that as well. but our two fiends, er, friends as above have done a wonderful job 🙂

    I had a good time with this puzzle, challenging clues but not too difficult, thanks to the Tuesday.

    Not familiar with ‘Drake’ other than a duck’s hubby !@! Btw, J. Lo, after her third marriage, has a boyfriend named Drake … which is not of very much interest to me ….

    It is very interesting that Yemen actually has a voting system and ‘allows’ votes to lots of people …. who knew ?

    Have a nice day, all.

  8. Jeff, I just read your blog post.

    I am suffering from an intense molar ( upper left bicuspid ) toothache, and since my dentist wouldn’t ( or hadn’t ) returned my call … I went to my “trusty” internet sources and asked – what to do as a temporary relief ?? There was an actual blog post of someone who recommended that you rub a ‘rice grain’ size of the “good white powder” …. ( which he clarified as cocaine – ) on the gums for temporary relief !@!

    Meanwhile I’m off to my trusty low price store for some Oragel / Ambesol / Clove oil / Aspirin laded Listerine / Toradol ( if it doesn’t require a Rx ) …. or a Loritab etc. etc.

    Other ‘remedies’ that seemed have helped some people are : Vicks Vapor Rub ( on the outside of the jaw, ofcourse ! ) Myrrh Oil /Vanilla concentrate – swished around / cotton balls with either Whiskey or choloroseptic cough drop solution / a small powder pack of Aspirin or Ibuprofen / …. with one persistent blogger who used a pill of Paracetomol (Tylenol) – brake (sic) in half. and pack into cavity …..

    If nothing else works, there is always an ice pack ….
    Have a nice evening, all.

  9. temporary toothache “remedies” continued ….

    Hot salt water solution …. 5 or 7 % Hydrogen peroxide, swished around and spat out ….. Red Cross Toothache drops or kit, …. temp toothache tooth cavity filler kit ….. Oregano Oil …. Benzocaine ….bourbon (!!) …. Benadryl drops soaked in cotton ball … Lidocaine … and finally chew on a garlic clove ( gently ) …

    Use at your own risk !!! ……

  10. @Vidwan –

    Was just about to say when I had awful pains in my throat from pneumonia last year, hot salt water helped as much as anything. Just make sure you gargle it and don’t drink it…. It also helps with infections. 1 tsp with about 8 ounces of water (as hot as you can stand it). I used Kosher salt. I’m not Jewish, but I use it a lot when I grill out (I do make my own season salt) so I had it on hand….Seems to work better for me for some reason…

    Best –

  11. I just finished today’s Croce (#304), with no errors and only four letters written over during the solve – a minor miracle, considering that it took me more than half an hour to get a toehold and write in anything more significant than an occasional “s” where plurals seemed to intersect.

    Earlier, I tried Croce’s #238, from 2017/03/07, and was unable to start after half an hour of reading and rereading the clues. I don’t know if my speculation that his earlier puzzles are harder is true or if I’m just having a weird crisis of confidence. Maybe I’ll try again tomorrow … ?

    1. Finished #238 after several hours (on and off), but with two squares incorrectly filled (because, once again, I should have slept on it and given it a final check in the morning, but I got impatient). At least I finished without any external aids. What a monster!

  12. @Megan
    Across Lite is pretty nice. I use it a lot for my online times here, or just to do puzzles. If you set it up right, it works a whole lot more better than most of the online flash applets. It works incredibly well for printing puzzles, too – it looks a lot less annoying in layout. Then a lot of the applets don’t work when you want to print a grid. PUZ is incredibly easy to create too, so a lot of people offer that file in whatever package that they’re into. Plus, you can store the puzzles offline and redo them at will, especially if you find something good. Do you know how to get the LAT in PUZ format?

    @Jeff
    Indeed. A lot of it is simply starting out with more time on one puzzle and then doing them so quickly later on that you want to find more to get your puzzle time to your satisfaction. Like with this one, 6 minutes or so, and then done. It’s a little light for one day that I’m used to – actually I was sitting here and did 8-10 WSJs the last couple of days with Across Lite. But at the same time, the late week ones drag out way too long for me. I really need to pare back a lot of what I do, but it’s pretty hard to do. Both for short time stuff in the early week and that obsessiveness.

    1. @Glenn and @Megan … I just redid Monday’s LAT using Across Lite on my iPad Mini and liked it a lot, but it looks as if I will need to pay for an upgrade to get certain features (like a timer!) … probably worth it, though …

  13. Jeff, thank you for your comment. I’m afraid I could not even gargle with luke warm water – so I chickened out, and bought a tube of Orajel. the anesthetic – Benzocaine plus a little menthol seems to be working fine. I meet the dentist at ten tomorrow morning. So far, so good.

    Btw, even the Orajel website seems to list other remedies like gargling with – salted hot/warm water, Clove oil, chewing a clove of garlic, or a slice of onion, and even gently chewing a thin slice of lime or lemon ( if possible – ).

  14. Mildly challenging Tuesday; about 14 minutes with no errors. Had tsa before FBI and Page before PGUP. Never heard of the “Blacklist” so thought of no fly list and my keyboard has “Page Up.”

    OK, so I think this time it’s for real: Happy Birthday Carrie! …and you can enjoy your first Dodger win in a World Series game.

  15. Dirk/Carrie – Dodgers made winning Game 1 seem way too easy. Does not portend well for the Astros….sigh. Verlander needs to win tomorrow or this could be a very short series.

  16. Hi folks!! ⚾
    Nice puzzle; no errors. Didn’t notice the theme til I was nearly done.
    FWIW: That “Law & Order: Menendez” thing is pretty terrible, IMO. Really mediocre acting and writing. I watched some because I remember the LA ambiance at the time of the murders.
    DIRK!! Thank you! Yes, today (Tuesday) was my birthday, and ​now I’m 60. I still have this feeling that I’m supposed to behave differently!!! ? Perhaps it will take the whole decade to figure out how to act my age….?
    And the Dodgers’ win provided a nice birthday present! Game lasted only 2:28, which was a refreshing throwback and much needed, given the heat. I’m confident about tomorrow.
    Vidwan, I sympathize! Hope all goes well at the dentist’s.
    Be well~~™???

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