LA Times Crossword Answers 18 Jun 2018, Monday

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Constructed by: Peter A. Collins
Edited by: Rich Norris

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Today’s Reveal Answer: Foreign Language

Themed answers each reveal a foreign language after the first and last letters are removed:

  • 37A. What’s left when you remove the first and last letters of the answers to starred clues : FOREIGN LANGUAGE
  • 20A. *Indiana university : PURDUE (revealing “URDU”)
  • 22A. *Thin metallic layer : PLATING (revealing “LATIN”)
  • 53A. *Raucous party : SHINDIG (revealing “HINDI”)
  • 56A. *Uniform top : JERSEY (revealing “ERSE”)

Bill’s time: 5m 44s

Bill’s errors: 0

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Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5. Potato chip, to Mr. Chips : CRISP

French fries are called “chips” back in Ireland where I grew up. And what we call “chips” in the US are known as “crisps” in Britain and Ireland. In France, French fries are known as “pommes frites”.

The fabulous 1939 movie “Goodbye, Mr. Chips” is an adaptation of a novel of the same name by James Hilton. Heading the cast are British actors Robert Donat and Greer Garson. “Goodbye, Mr. Chips” was remade as musical in 1969 starring Peter O’Toole and Petula Clark. I haven’t seen the remake, and frankly am a little scared to do so …

10. Barbershop singer : BASS

Barbershop music is played in the a cappella style, meaning that it is unaccompanied vocal music. Barbershop music originated in the African-American communities in the South, as gospel quartets often gathered in neighborhood barber shops to sing together.

14. Israel’s Abba : EBAN

Abba Eban was an Israeli diplomat and politician, born Aubrey Solomon Meir Eban in Cape Town, South Africa. While working at the United Nations after WWII, Eban changed his given name to “Abba”, the Hebrew word for “father”. He made this change as reportedly as he could see himself as the father of the nation of Israel.

15. Book of maps : ATLAS

The famous Flemish geographer Gerardus Mercator published his first collection of maps in 1578. Mercator’s collection contained a frontispiece with an image of Atlas the Titan from Greek mythology holding up the world on his shoulders. That image gave us our term “atlas” that is used for a book of maps.

17. Classic theater name : ROXY

The original Roxy Theater opened in 1927 in New York City, and was designed to be the biggest and best “motion picture palace” of the day. The first theater operator was Samuel “Roxy” Rothafel, someone who had a lot of experience in the industry. As part of the deal to entice Rothafel to take the job, the owners offered to name the theater after him.

18. Alabama march city : SELMA

The Alabama city of Selma was settled in 1815. It was named in 1820 by Alabama politician William R. King, who would later serve briefly as US Vice President under President Franklin Pierce. Meaning “high seat, throne”, King chose the city’s name from the Ossianic poem “The Songs of Selma”. Today, the city is perhaps best known for the Selma to Montgomery civil rights marches, which ultimately led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The Bloody Sunday march took place between Selma and Montgomery, Alabama on 7 March 1965. The 600 marchers involved were protesting the intimidation of African-Americans registering to vote. When the marchers reached Dallas County, Alabama they encountered a line of state troopers reinforced by white males who had been deputized that morning to help keep the peace. Violence broke out with 17 marchers ending up in hospital, one nearly dying. Because the disturbance was widely covered by television cameras, the civil rights movement picked up a lot of support that day. The route of the march is memorialized as a US National Historic Trail called the Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights Trail.

19. Caesar’s cover-up : TOGA

In Ancient Rome the classical attire known as a toga (plural “togae” or “togas”) 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”.

20. *Indiana university : PURDUE (revealing “URDU”)

Purdue University was founded in 1869, largely using a donation from local industrialist John Purdue. Purdue’s donation included 100 acres of land near the town of Battle Ground, on which the campus was built. The university’s location now falls within the bounds of the city of West Lafayette.

Urdu is one of the two official languages of Pakistan (the other being English), and is one of 22 scheduled languages in India. Urdu partly developed from Persian and is written from right to left.

22. *Thin metallic layer : PLATING (revealing “LATIN”)

The Latins were a race who migrated into the Italian peninsula during the Bronze Age, settling in a triangular region on the west coast that became known as Latium. It was the Latins who founded the city of Rome in Latium. The language that developed among the people of Latium is what we now know as “Latin”.

25. Hex : WHAMMY

“Whammy” is a slang term meaning “hex, supernatural spell”.

27. Pacific cyclone : TYPHOON

The term “typhoon” may come from the Cantonese “tai fung”, which translates as “a great wind”.

33. “Aladdin” monkey : ABU

Abu is a monkey in the Disney production of “Aladdin”. The character is based on Abu, a thief in the 1940 film “The Thief of Baghdad”.

35. Museum filler : ART

The term “museum” comes from the ancient Greek word “mouseion” that denoted a temple dedicated to the “Muses”. The Muses were the patrons of the arts in Greek mythology.

41. Yearly records : ANNALS

“Annal” is a rarely used word, and is the singular of the more common “annals”. An annal would be the recorded events of one year, with annals being the chronological record of events in successive years. The term “annal” comes from the Latin “annus” meaning “year”.

42. Choice from a tap, for short : IPA

India pale ale (IPA) is a style of beer that originated in England. The beer was originally intended for transportation from England to India, hence the name.

43. “If I Ruled the World” rapper : NAS

Rapper Nas used to go by an earlier stage name “Nasty Nas”, and before that by his real name “Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones”. Nas released his first album “Illmatic” in 1994, and inventively titled his fifth studio album “Stillmatic”, released in 2001. Not my cup of tea, I would say …

44. Vermouth name : ROSSI

The company that is today known as Martini & Rossi was started in the mid-1800s in Italy, by Alessandro Martini and Luigi Rossi (and a third partner who sold out years later). From day one it was focused on bottling the fortified wine known as vermouth. Nowadays, the company is also famous for its sparkling wines, and its sponsorship of Grand Prix racing teams. And yes, the famous cocktail is probably named for Mr. Martini.

Vermouth is a fortified wine that is infused with various aromatic flavors. The vermouth that we use today originated in Turin, Italy in the mid-1700s. The various vermouths produced all use a neutral grape wine as a base, with alcohol added to fortify it. Dry ingredients like herbs or roots are added to give a distinctive flavor, and then sugar can be added to make the drink sweeter. Today, most vermouth comes from Italy and France.

53. *Raucous party : SHINDIG (revealing “HINDI”)

“Shindig” is such a lovely word, I think, describing a party that usually includes some dancing. Although its origin isn’t really clear, the term perhaps comes from “shinty”, a Scottish game that’s similar to field hockey.

Hindi is one of the two official languages of India, along with English. Hindi is the fourth most-spoken first language in the world (after Mandarin, Spanish and English).

56. *Uniform top : JERSEY (revealing “ERSE”)

We use the word “jersey” for a sports shirt worn by a particular team member, one that usually bears the player’s name and team number. Back in the mid-1800s, the term was used for a knitted shirt or close-fitting tunic. The item of clothing was named for Jersey in the Channel Islands off the coast of France. The island was famous for its knitting trade during the Middle Ages.

There are actually three Erse languages: Irish, Manx (spoken on the Isle of Man) and Scots Gaelic. In their own tongues, these would be Gaeilge (in Ireland), Gaelg (on the Isle of Man) and Gaidhlig (in Scotland).

58. Home of the NBA’s Heat : MIAMI

The Miami Heat basketball team debuted in the NBA in the 1988-89 season. The franchise name was chosen in a competitive survey, with “Miami Heat” beating out “Miami Vice”.

61. Meat safety org. : USDA

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) classifies meat into eight different grades:

  • Prime
  • Choice
  • Select
  • Standard
  • Commercial
  • Utility
  • Cutter
  • Canner

62. Caesar’s surprised words : ET TU

It was Shakespeare who popularized the words “Et tu, Brute?” (meaning “And you, Brutus?”). They appear 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 (if anything at all) as he was assassinated on on the steps of the Senate in Rome.

65. “__ Fiction”: 1994 Tarantino film : PULP

I’m not a big fan of director Quentin Tarantino. His movies are too violent for me, and the size of his ego just turns me right off. Having said that, I think 1994’s “Pulp Fiction” is a remarkable film. If you can look past the violence, it’s really well written. And what a legacy it has. John Travolta’s career was on the rocks and he did the film for practically no money, and it turned out be a re-launch for him. Uma Thurman became a top celebrity overnight from her role. Even Bruce Willis got some good out of it, putting an end to a string of poorly-received performances.

Although Quentin Tarantino’s big break as a screenwriter and director came with the release of the 1992 film “Reservoir Dogs”, Tarantino funded that project by selling the screenplay of “Natural Born Killers” to Oliver Stone. I must admit to not being a big fan of Tarantino movies as I find his aggrandizement of violence a bit much to take …

66. County near London : ESSEX

Essex is a county in England that is referred to as one of the “home counties”. The home counties are those that surround the city of London, outside of London itself. “Home county” is not an official designation but has been in popular use since the 1800s. The list of home counties usually comprises Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Surrey, and Sussex.

67. Part of DOS: Abbr. : SYST

MS-DOS (short for “Microsoft Disk Operating System”) was the main operating system used by IBM-compatible PCs in the eighties and for much of the nineties.

Down

1. U. of Maryland team : TERPS

The sports teams of the University of Maryland are called the Maryland Terrapins, or “the Terps” for short. The name dates back to 1932 when it was coined by the the university’s president at the time, Curley Byrd. He took the name from the diamondback terrapins that are native to the Chesapeake Bay.

3. Spring onslaught at the IRS : TAX RETURNS

Here in the US we can choose one of three main forms to file our tax returns. Form 1040 is known as the “long form”. Form 1040A is called the “short form”, and can be used by taxpayers with taxable income below $100,000 who don’t itemize deduction. Form 1040EZ is an even simpler version of the 1040, and can be used by those with taxable income less than $100,000 who take the standard deduction and who also have no dependents. Form 1040 was originally created just for tax returns from 1913, 1914 and 1915, but it’s a form that just keeps on giving, or should I say “taking” …?

6. 66, for one: Abbr. : RTE

The famous old highway called Route 66 has largely been replaced by modern interstates. It ran from Chicago to Los Angeles, right through the heart of America, and so it was often called the “Main Street of America”. The road gained notoriety because of Nat King Cole’s song “(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66”, and also because of the sixties TV show called “Route 66”.

8. Chinese watercraft : SAMPAN

A sampan is a flat-bottomed wooden boat from China. The term “sampan” means “three planks” in Cantonese, alluding to the original simple design of this flat-bottomed boat. There was one wide plank on the bottom, and two at either side forming the sides of the vessel.

9. One starts, “The Lord is my shepherd” : PSALM

Psalm 23 starts with:

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

10. Pig-tailed Muppet : BETTY LOU

Jim Henson’s ensemble of puppets known as the Muppets made their debut on the TV show “Sam and Friends” in the 1950s. Some Muppets started appearing in 1969 on “Sesame Street”, and then the troupe were given “The Muppet Show” in 1976. And today, there’s no sign of their popularity waning.

13. Buck : STAG

A male deer is usually called a buck, and a female is a doe. However, the male red deer is usually referred to as a stag. The males of even larger species of deer are often called bulls, and females cows. In older English, male deer of over 5 years were called harts, and females of over 3 years were called hinds. The young of small species are known as fawns, and of larger species are called calves. All very confusing …

21. One working at home? : UMP

Back in the 15th century, “an umpire” was referred to as “a noumpere”, which was misheard and hence causing the dropping of the initial letter N. The term “noumpere” came for Old French “nonper” meaning “not even, odd number”. The idea was that the original umpire was a third person called on to arbitrate between two, providing that “odd number” needed to decide the dispute.

28. Some Halloween figures : HAGS

“Hag” is a shortened form of the Old English word “haegtesse” meaning “witch”.

All Saints’ Day is November 1st each year. The day before All Saints’ Day is All Hallows’ Eve, better known by the Scottish term “Halloween”.

30. “Gorillas in the Mist” author : DIAN FOSSEY

Dian Fossey carried out her famous study of gorilla populations in the mountain forests of Rwanda. She wrote a 1983 autobiographical account of her work titled “Gorillas in the Mist”, which served as a basis for a 1988 film of the same name starring Sigourney Weaver as Fossey. Sadly, Fossey was found dead in her cabin in Rwanda in 1986, murdered in her bedroom, her skull split open by a machete. The crime was never solved.

31. “Young Frankenstein” role : INGA

I am not really a big fan of movies by Mel Brooks, but “Young Frankenstein” is the exception. I think the cast has a lot to do with me liking the film, as it includes Gene Wilder (Dr. Frankenstein), Teri Garr (Inga), Marty Feldman (Igor) and Gene Hackman (Harold, the blind man).

32. Cézanne’s summers : ETES

In French, the season of “été” (summer) starts in “juin” (June). Note that the names of months are not capitalized in French.

Paul Cézanne was a Post-Impressionist artist who was born and worked in the beautiful city of Aix-en-Provence in the South of France. Cézanne has the reputation of being the artist who bridged the late 19th century Impressionist movement with the early 20th century Cubist movement. Both Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso are quoted as saying that Cézanne “is the father of us all”.

34. U2 frontman : BONO

Irish singer Bono is a Dubliner who was born Paul David Hewson. As a youth, Hewson was given the nickname “Bono Vox” by a friend, a Latin expression meaning “good voice”, and so the singer has been known as Bono since the late seventies. His band’s first name was “Feedback”, later changed to “The Hype”. The band members searched for yet another name and chose U2 from a list of six names suggested by a friend. They picked U2 because it was the name they disliked least …

36. Vet school subj. : ANAT

A veterinarian (vet) is a professional who treat animals for disease and injury. The word “veterinary” comes from the Latin “veterinae” meaning “working animals, beasts of burden”.

39. Trojan War epic : ILIAD

“The Iliad” is an epic poem by the Greek poet Homer that 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”.

The ancient city of Troy was located on the west coast of modern-day Turkey. The Trojan War of Greek mythology was precipitated by the elopement of Helen, the wife of the king of Sparta, with Paris of Troy. The war itself largely consisted of a nine-year siege of Troy by the Greeks. We know most about the final year of that siege, as it is described extensively in Homer’s “Iliad”. The city eventually fell when the Greeks hid soldiers inside the Trojan Horse, which the Trojans brought inside the city’s walls. Beware of Greeks bearing gifts …

40. Church area behind an altar : APSE

The apse of a church or cathedral is a semicircular recess in an outer wall, usually with a half-dome as a roof and often where there resides an altar. Originally, apses were used as burial places for the clergy and also for storage of important relics.

45. Bacchanalian revelries : ORGIES

A bacchanalia is a drunken spree. The term “bacchanalia” derives from the ancient Roman festival held in honor of Bacchus, the god of winemaking.

52. Marriott alternative : HYATT

The Hyatt hotel chain takes its name from the first hotel in the group, i.e. Hyatt House at Los Angeles International Airport that was purchased in 1957. Among other things, Hyatt is famous for designing the world’s first atrium hotel, the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta.

53. “George of the Jungle” elephant : SHEP

“George of the Jungle” is an animated TV show from the creators of “The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show”. The title character is a melding of the on-screen Tarzan and 1962’s Mr Universe, George Eiferman.

54. Native Rwandan : HUTU

The Hutu are the largest population in Rwanda, with the Tutsi being the second largest. The bloody conflict that has existed between the Tutsi and Hutu peoples dates back to about 1880 when Catholic missionaries arrived in the region. The missionaries found that they had more success converting the Hutus than the Tutsi, and when the Germans occupied the area during WWI they confiscated Tutsi land and gave it to Hutu tribes in order to reward religious conversion. This injustice fuels fighting to this very day.

55. IHOP’s “I,” originally: Abbr. : INTL

The International House of Pancakes (IHOP) was founded back in 1958. IHOP was originally intended to be called IHOE, the International House of Eggs, but that name didn’t do too well in marketing tests!

56. Hex : JINX

A jinx is a charm or a spell, and the word “jinx” comes from an older word “jyng” from the 17th-century. A “jyng” was another word for the wryneck, a type of bird much used in witchcraft.

59. Baseballers Kaline and Rosen : ALS

Al Kaline is a former Major League Baseball player. Kaline played his whole career with the Detroit Tigers, and then became a sportscaster for the team when he retired. He now works as a front office official for Detroit. Given the years that Kaline has devoted to the same team, it’s perhaps not surprising that he has the nickname “Mr. Tiger”.

Al Rosen is a former Major League baseball player who played his whole career with the Cleveland Indians. As one of the best all-time players of the game with a Jewish heritage, his fans gave him the nickname “the Hebrew Hammer”.

60. Head Stooge : MOE

Moe Howard was the stage name of Moses Harry Horwitz. Howard was one of the Three Stooges. In 1925, he married Helen Schonberger, who was a cousin of Harry Houdini.

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. “See ya!” : TA-TA!
5. Potato chip, to Mr. Chips : CRISP
10. Barbershop singer : BASS
14. Israel’s Abba : EBAN
15. Book of maps : ATLAS
16. Shoot out : EMIT
17. Classic theater name : ROXY
18. Alabama march city : SELMA
19. Caesar’s cover-up : TOGA
20. *Indiana university : PURDUE (revealing “URDU”)
22. *Thin metallic layer : PLATING (revealing “LATIN”)
24. Water vapor : STEAM
25. Hex : WHAMMY
27. Pacific cyclone : TYPHOON
29. Yesterday’s hit : OLDIE
33. “Aladdin” monkey : ABU
35. Museum filler : ART
36. Sanctify with oil : ANOINT
37. What’s left when you remove the first and last letters of the answers to starred clues : FOREIGN LANGUAGE
41. Yearly records : ANNALS
42. Choice from a tap, for short : IPA
43. “If I Ruled the World” rapper : NAS
44. Vermouth name : ROSSI
45. Employed full time : ON STAFF
48. “You convinced me” : I AGREE
50. Shelter resident : POOCH
53. *Raucous party : SHINDIG (revealing “HINDI”)
56. *Uniform top : JERSEY (revealing “ERSE”)
57. On the wall, as art : HUNG
58. Home of the NBA’s Heat : MIAMI
61. Meat safety org. : USDA
62. Caesar’s surprised words : ET TU
63. Fruit served in balls : MELON
64. Cross paths : MEET
65. “__ Fiction”: 1994 Tarantino film : PULP
66. County near London : ESSEX
67. Part of DOS: Abbr. : SYST

Down

1. U. of Maryland team : TERPS
2. Close to : ABOUT
3. Spring onslaught at the IRS : TAX RETURNS
4. Soon : ANY DAY
5. Beer purchase : CASE
6. 66, for one: Abbr. : RTE
7. Sick : ILL
8. Chinese watercraft : SAMPAN
9. One starts, “The Lord is my shepherd” : PSALM
10. Pig-tailed Muppet : BETTY LOU
11. Mine, in France : A MOI
12. “__ on the dotted line” : SIGN
13. Buck : STAG
21. One working at home? : UMP
23. In a crowd of : AMONG
25. Unlike new clothes : WORN
26. Crisis telephone : HOTLINE
28. Some Halloween figures : HAGS
30. “Gorillas in the Mist” author : DIAN FOSSEY
31. “Young Frankenstein” role : INGA
32. Cézanne’s summers : ETES
33. Way, way off : AFAR
34. U2 frontman : BONO
36. Vet school subj. : ANAT
38. Relaxing, as restrictions : EASING UP
39. Trojan War epic : ILIAD
40. Church area behind an altar : APSE
45. Bacchanalian revelries : ORGIES
46. Subject for 30-Down : APE
47. Discussion platforms : FORUMS
49. “I wannit!” : GIMME!
51. Surrenders formally : CEDES
52. Marriott alternative : HYATT
53. “George of the Jungle” elephant : SHEP
54. Native Rwandan : HUTU
55. IHOP’s “I,” originally: Abbr. : INTL
56. Hex : JINX
59. Baseballers Kaline and Rosen : ALS
60. Head Stooge : MOE

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