LA Times Crossword 28 Oct 18, Sunday

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Constructed by: Greg Johnson
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme: Change of Address

Themed answers look like pretty odd phrases, and that’s because we’re dealing with anagrams here. The last part of each themed answer is an anagram of a state name, the one referenced by the abbreviation in the clue. The first part is an anagram of a major city in that state:

  • 23A. Message about nearly a dozen U.S. sailors being flown overseas? (Pa.) : ALL TEN NOW, IN NAVY PLANES (from “Allentown, Pennsylvania”)
  • 35A. Annoyed Mayberry aunt gets an old Toyota at a raffle? (Wis.) : ANGRY BEE, WINS SCION (from “Green Bay, Wisconsin”)
  • 57A. Boast about Japanese animation? (Me.) : BRAG ON, ANIME (from “Bangor, Maine”)
  • 64A. Emanation from an aging rural miner? (Co.) : OLD RUBE, COAL ODOR (from “Boulder, Colorado”)
  • 75A. Lunch treats from Clinton’s veep? (Or.) : MEALS, ON GORE (from “Salem, Oregon”)
  • 93A. Black Friday headline? (Md.) : RETAIL MOB, RAN MADLY (from “Baltimore, Maryland”)
  • 110A. Muslim ascetics drain Sahara pipeline contents? (Ca.) : FAKIRS BLEED, AFRICAN OIL (from “Bakersfield , California”)

Bill’s time: 24m 06s

Bill’s errors: 0

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Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

10. Defunct Ford div. : MERC

The Mercury brand of car was made by Ford from 1938 until 2011. Mercury was introduced by Henry Ford’s son Edsel Ford. Mercury vehicles were positioned as being more luxurious that the regular Ford models, and more economical than Ford’s high-end Lincoln models.

14. Like some bulls : PAPAL

A bulla (also “bull”) is a type of seal impression. A Papal Bull is a formal document from the Vatican that has such a seal attached, hence the name of the document.

23. Message about nearly a dozen U.S. sailors being flown overseas? (Pa.) : ALL TEN NOW, IN NAVY PLANES (from “Allentown, Pennsylvania”)

The Pennsylvania city of Allentown was founded in 1762 by William Allen, a loyalist who served as Chief Justice of the Province of Pennsylvania and also mayor of Philadelphia. Allen named the new development “Northampton Town”, although the the name “Allentown” was used by locals for decades. The official name change had to wait until 1838. Today, Allentown is the third-largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

30. One terminus of Chicago’s Blue Line : O’HARE

Blue Line trains connect O’Hare International Airport with the Forest Park suburb of Chicago via downtown. The Blue Line operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

33. Soccer goose egg : NIL

The use of the phrase “goose egg” to mean “zero” is baseball slang that dates back to the 1860s. The etymology is as expected: the numeral zero and a goose egg are both large and round.

35. Annoyed Mayberry aunt gets an old Toyota at a raffle? (Wis.) : ANGRY BEE, WINS SCION (from “Green Bay, Wisconsin”)

Aunt Bee is a character in “The Andy Griffith Show”. The character’s full name is Beatrice Taylor but everyone in Mayberry calls her “Aunt Bee”. In the storyline, she is the aunt of protagonist Sheriff Andy Taylor, and is great-aunt to Andy’s son Opie. Aunt Bee was played by actress Frances Bavier.

The Scion is a family of cars manufactured by Toyota from 2003 to 2016. Scion models were aimed at younger drivers, and are sporty and compact in design. Some of the Scion models are still available, but are sold under the Toyota name.

The city of Green Bay is the third-largest in the state of Wisconsin, after Milwaukee and Madison. The city is located on an arm of Lake Michigan called Green Bay. People in the area refer to the city as “Green Bay” and the body of water as “the Bay of Green Bay” in order to avoid confusing one with the other.

41. Delaware’s capital? : DEE

The word “Delaware” starts with a capital letter D (dee).

48. Tanning time on the Riviera : ETE

In French, “été” (summer) is “la saison chaude” (the warm season).

“Riviera” is an Italian word meaning “coastline”. The term is often applied to a coastline that is sunny and popular with tourists. The term “the Riviera” is usually reserved for the French Riviera (the Mediterranean coastline in southeastern France), and the Italian Riviera (the Mediterranean coastline centered on Genoa).

54. Constitution letters : USS

“Old Ironsides” was a nickname given to the USS Constitution even though she is actually a wooden-hulled ship. The Constitution was launched in 1797 and can still be seen at sea today. She is the oldest commissioned naval vessel in the world. You can visit Old Ironsides at the Boston Navy Yard, where I had the privilege of touring her in 2011. As an old sailor, I’d say she is the best-maintained ship I’ve ever been on, and paradoxically, she is also the oldest. Really, really beautiful …

55. White selection, briefly : CHARD

The Chardonnay grape is believed to have originated in the Burgundy wine region of France. Now it’s grown “everywhere”. Drinkers of California “Chards” seem to be particularly fond of oak flavor, so most Chardonnay wines are aged in oak barrels.

57. Boast about Japanese animation? (Me.) : BRAG ON, ANIME (from “Bangor, Maine”)

Anime is cartoon animation in the style of Japanese Manga comic books.

Bangor is the third-most populous city in the state of Maine (after Portland and Lewiston). The city was given its name in 1791, after the hymn “Antiphonary of Bangor” that was written at Bangor Abbey in Northern Ireland.

62. Hopefully, what’s left for dessert? : ROOM

Our word “dessert” comes from the French verb “desservir” meaning “to clear the table”. The idea is that dessert is usually the the last course to be cleared from the table.

64. Emanation from an aging rural miner? (Co.) : OLD RUBE, COAL ODOR (from “Boulder, Colorado”)

A rube is person lacking sophistication, someone often described as a country bumpkin. The term derives from the masculine name “Reuben”, which was considered back in the early 1800s to be a typical name used in rural areas.

The Colorado city of Boulder is located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains about 25 miles northwest of Denver. Boulder is a college town, and is home to the main campus of the University of Colorado.

75. Lunch treats from Clinton’s veep? (Or.) : MEALS, ON GORE (from “Salem, Oregon”)

Al Gore was born in Washington DC, the son of Al Gore, Sr., then a US Representative for the state of Tennessee. After deferring his military service in order to attend Harvard, the younger Gore became eligible for the draft on graduation. Many of his classmates found ways of avoiding the draft, but Gore decided to serve and even took the “tougher” option of joining the army as an enlisted man. Actor Tommy Lee Jones shared a house with Gore in college and says that his buddy told him that even if he could find a way around the draft, someone with less options than him would have to go in his place and that was just wrong.

Salem is the state capital of Oregon. It is thought that the city takes its name from the older city of Salem, Massachusetts.

78. Holiday song sextet : GEESE

The fabulous Christmas Carol called “The Twelve Days of Christmas” dates back at least to 1780 when it was first published in England, though it may be French in origin. The concept of twelve days of Christmas comes from the tradition that the three kings came to visit the Christ Child twelve days after he was born. This same tradition is the origin of the title to Shakespeare’s play “Twelfth Night”.

80. Ornate molding : OGEE

An ogee is a type of S-curve. Specifically it is a figure consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite directions (like an S) but both ends of the curve end up parallel to each other (which is not necessarily true for an S).

81. Sources of bow wood : YEWS

Yew is the wood of choice for the longbow, a valued weapon in the history of England. The longbow is constructed with a core of yew heartwood (as the heartwood resists compression) that has a sheath of yew sapwood (as the sapwood resists stretching). The yew was in such demand for longbows that for centuries yew trees were in short supply in Britain and the wood had to be imported from all over Europe.

82. Author Caleb : CARR

One of Caleb Carr’s novels is a latter day Sherlock Holmes mystery called “The Italian Secretary”. The novel was written as a homage to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (using the Holmes character with the permission of the Doyle estate). I am a big fan of Sherlock Holmes stories, so I must put this one on my reading list …

83. Five-O alert : APB

An All Points Bulletin (APB) is a broadcast from one US law enforcement agency to another.

“Five-O” has become urban slang for a police officer, or the police force in general. The term is rooted in the 1970s TV Show “Hawaii Five-O”. Hawaii Five-O was a totally fictional police force created for the television show. The name recognizes that Hawaii was the 50th state to join the union. Steve McGarrett in the original show was played by Jack Lord, and “Danno” Williams was played by James MacArthur.

88. Myrtle whose oil is a folk remedy for skin conditions : TEA TREE

Tea tree oil is an essential oil that is extracted from the leaves of several species known as “tea tree”, all of which are in the myrtle family. The oil is used as a folk remedy for several skin conditions, including acne, nail fungus and athlete’s foot and dandruff. We are warned that tree oil is poisonous when taken internally, and may cause skin irritation when used externally.

93. Black Friday headline? (Md.) : RETAIL MOB, RAN MADLY (from “Baltimore, Maryland”)

In the world of retail, “Black Friday” is the day after Thanksgiving in the US. Black Friday is when many stores start the holiday shopping season, and so offer deep discounts to get ahead of the competition.

Cecilius Calvert was the 2nd Baron of Baltimore, an English peer and member of the Irish House of Lords who became Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland. Calvert managed the Maryland colony from his home in England, for 42 years. As Calvert was a Roman Catholic, the colony of Maryland became a haven for Catholics from England who were suffering religious persecution. The city of Baltimore is named after Calvert, who was also known as Lord Baltimore. The Baltimore title comes from the Manor of Baltimore, a large estate in County Longford in Ireland.

98. Simba, at the start of “The Lion King” : CUB

In the 1994 movie “The Lion King”, the protagonist is Simba, the lion cub born to Mufasa and Sarabi. The main antagonist is Scar, Simba’s uncle and Mufasa’s brother. Simba is voiced by Matthew Broderick, and Scar is voiced by Jeremy Irons.

99. Primrose family plant : OXLIP

The plant known as the oxlip is more properly called Primula elatior. The oxlip is often confused with its similar-looking cousin, the cowslip.

The “primrose” name comes from an older term meaning “first rose”, reflecting the fact that the primrose is one of the first plants to flower in spring in Europe. That said, the primrose is not very closely related to true roses.

100. Ready to breed : AT STUD

The word “stud”, meaning “a male horse kept for breeding”, is derived from the Old English word “stod”, which described a whole herd of horses. The term “stud” can be used figuratively for a “ladies’ man”.

106. Tokyo shopping district : GINZA

Ginza is a district in Tokyo that is noted for its western shops, and especially the leading fashion stores.

110. Muslim ascetics drain Sahara pipeline contents? (Ca.) : FAKIRS BLEED, AFRICAN OIL (from “Bakersfield , California”)

A fakir (also “faqir”) is an ascetic in the Muslim tradition. The term “fakir” is derived from “faqr”, an Arabic word for “poverty”.

The California city of Bakersfield is named for Thomas Baker, an Ohio man who came to the area at the tail end of the California Gold Rush. Baker set up home by the Kern River in 1863, and his spread became known as “Baker’s Field”. Others settled in the area, and the city of “Bakersfield” was incorporated in 1873.

115. Cap’n’s underling : BO’S’N

A boatswain works on the deck of a boat. A boatswain is unlicensed, and so is not involved in the navigation or handling of the vessel. He or she has charge of the other unlicensed workers on the deck. Boatswain is pronounced “bosun” and this phonetic spelling is often used interchangeably with “boatswain”. The contraction “bo’s’n” is also very popular.

116. “Free your pores!” skincare brand : BIORE

Biore is a skincare brand owned by the Kao Corporation of Tokyo.

120. Prefix for a Dow foam : STYRO-

Styrofoam is an extruded polystyrene foam made by the Dow Chemical Company. Styrofoam has loads of applications, including home insulation and use as a buoyancy aid. It is also formed into “peanuts” used as a packaging filler.

Down

1. 1990s-2000s Laker star, familiarly : SHAQ

Retired basketball player Shaquille O’Neal now appears regularly as an analyst on the NBA TV show “Inside the NBA”. Shaq has quite a career in the entertainment world. His first rap album, called “Shaq Diesel”, went platinum. He also starred in two of his own reality show: “Shaq’s Big Challenge” and “Shaq Vs.”

2. Humdinger : LULU

We call a remarkable thing or a person a “lulu”. The term was coined in honor of Lulu Hurst, the Georgia Wonder, who was a stage magician active in the 1880s.

A humdinger or a pip is someone or something outstanding. “Humdinger” is American slang dating back to the early 1900s, and was originally used to describe a particularly attractive woman.

3. Not-cute fruit : UGLI

The ugli fruit is a hybrid of an orange and a tangerine that was first discovered growing wild in Jamaica where most ugli fruit comes from today. “UGLI” is a trademark name that is a variant of “ugly”, a nod to the fruits unsightly wrinkled rind.

4. Geminids sights : METEORS

The Geminids meteor shower was first documented in 1862. The meteors in the shower appear to emanate from the constellation Gemini, hence the name “Geminids”.

5. 3-2-4 ID : SSN

A Social Security number (SSN) is divided into three parts i.e AAA-GG-SSSS, Originally, the Area Number (AAA) was the code for the office that issued the card. Since 1973, the Area Number reflects the ZIP code from which the application was made. The GG in the SSN is the Group Number, and the SSSS in the number is the Serial Number. However, this is all moot. Since 2011 SSNs are assigned randomly. However, some random numbers have been excluded from use, i.e. Area Numbers 000, 666 (!) and 900-999.

7. Orbital high point : APOGEE

In the celestial world, an apsis is a point in an orbit when the orbiting body is at its greatest, or least, distance from it’s center of orbit. The farthest and closest points of orbit are known as the apogee and perigee, when talking about bodies orbiting the Earth. The farthest and closest points for bodies orbiting the sun are known as the aphelion and perihelion.

8. “Deadliest Catch” narrator Mike : ROWE

Mike Rowe is host of the successful reality show called “Dirty Jobs” that is broadcast by “Discovery Channel”. Rowe is also a spokesperson for Ford Motor Company in a series of television commercials. He is quite the singer too, and he sang professionally with the Baltimore Opera for a while.

“Deadliest Catch” is yet another reality show, although this one is perhaps worth a look. It is produced for the Discovery Channel and deals with the exciting life on board fishing boats in the Bering Sea.

10. Six-legged prayer? : MANTIS

The term “praying mantis” is often used for species of insects more correctly called simply “mantises”. The familiar term refers to the prayer-like posture adopted by the insect with their forelimbs folded. Strangely, the praying mantis is the only animal that we know with only one ear. That ear is located deep in the thorax or chest.

11. Addresses with “@” : EMAILS

The “at symbol” (@) originated in the commercial word, as shorthand for “each at, per” and similar phrases. I suppose we see the symbol most commonly these days as part of email addresses.

12. Brief invite answer? : RSVP

RSVP stands for “répondez s’il vous plaît”, which is French for “answer, please”.

14. Treo maker, before it shortened its name : PALMONE

The Treo is a smartphone that was originally developed by a company called Handspring. Handspring was bought by Palm Inc. Subsequently, the Treo was phased out and replaced by the Palm Pre.

15. Sheikdom of song : ARABY

“The Sheik of Araby” is a song that dates back to 1921, when it was a Tin Pan Alley hit. It was soon absorbed into the jazz standard repertoire. The inspiration of the song was Rudolph Valentino’s performance in the 1921 movie “The Sheik”.

17. On the briny : ASEA

The briny is the sea, with “brine” meaning “salty water”. The term “briny” was originally used for “tears”.

24. Kind of alcohol : ETHYL

Ethyl alcohol is more usually known as ethanol. Ethanol is the alcohol found in intoxicating beverages, and nowadays is also used as a fuel for cars. It is also found in medical wipes and hand sanitizer, in which it acts as an antiseptic.

25. Kid raiser, in two ways : NANNY

Male goats are called “bucks” or “billies”, although castrated males are known as “wethers”. Female goats are called “does” or “nannies”, and young goats are referred to as “kids”.

26. Cockpit worker : PILOT

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the original “cockpit” was a “pit” used for fighting “cocks”. The term was then applied nautically, as the name for the compartment below decks used as living quarters by midshipmen. The cockpit of a boat today, usually on a smaller vessel, is a sunken area towards the stern in which sits the helmsman and others (who can fit!). The usage extended to aircraft in the 1910s and to cars in the 1930s.

31. Prez on a five : ABE

The US five-dollar bill is often called an “Abe”, as President Abraham Lincoln’s portrait is on the front. An Abe is also referred to as a “fin”, a term that has been used for a five-pound note in Britain since 1868.

32. Prince Harry’s locks, e.g. : RED HAIR

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex is the younger of the two sons of Charles and Diana, Prince and Princess of Wales. Famously, Prince Harry married American actress Meghan Markle in 2018. The groom’s name was Prince Henry of Wales until the marriage, at which time his name changed officially to “Prince Harry”.

43. French 101 verb : ETRE

The verb “to be” translates into German as “sein”, and into French as “être”.

50. Pakistani tongue : URDU

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.

57. Italian lawn game : BOCCE

The Italian bowling game of “bocce” (often anglicized as “bocci” or “boccie”) is based on a game played in Ancient Rome. “Bocce” is the plural of the Italian word “boccia” meaning “bowl”.

58. Lymph __ : NODES

Lymph is a fluid that exists alongside blood in the body that is transported through lymph vessels. One of the functions of the system is to pick up bacteria in the body, transporting them to lymph nodes where they are destroyed by lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). Lymph can also carry metastatic cancer cells, which can lodge in lymph nodes making lymph nodes a common site where tumors may be found growing.

61. Motored (along) : TOOLED

The phrase “tooling along”, meaning “driving a vehicle”, dates back to the early 1800s. The expression probably arose from the sense of managing skillfully, either a vehicle or a tool.

68. Silver Bullet Band rocker : SEGER

Bob Seger struggled as a performing artist right through the sixties and early seventies before becoming a commercial success in 1976 with the release of his album “Night Moves”. Since then, Seger has recorded songs that have become classics like “We’ve Got Tonight” and “Old Time Rock & Roll”.

69. Joyous song : PAEAN

A paean is a poem or song that expresses triumph or thanksgiving. “Paean” comes from the ancient Greek “paian” meaning “song of triumph”.

74. Actor Maguire : TOBEY

Actor Tobey Maguire is most associated with the role of Spider-Man these days. I’m not much into comic book hero films, but I do kind of enjoy the understated way that Maguire takes on “Spidey”. Maguire has appeared in other hit films, like “Pleasantville” (1998), “The Cider House Rules” (1999) and “Seabiscuit” (2003). Off the screen, he is big into poker and it’s said that he has won over $10 million playing poker in Hollywood. Apparently, the rather unsavory character “Player X” in the 2017 movie “Molly Bloom” was largely inspired by Maguire.

77. Rowlands of “The Notebook” : GENA

Gena Rowlands is an actress best known for the films made with her husband, actor and director John Cassavetes. More recently, Rowlands played a lead role opposite James Garner in the weepy, weepy 2004 film “The Notebook”. “The Notebook” was directed by her son, Nick Cassavetes. Rowlands was nominated for Oscars for her performances in two films: “Gloria” (1980) and “A Woman Under the Influence” (1974).

82. __-Magnon : CRO

Remains of early man, dating back to 35,000 years ago, were found in Abri de Cro-Magnon in southwest France, giving the name to those early humans. Cro-Magnon remains are the oldest human relics that have been discovered in Europe.

89. Bigger copy: Abbr. : ENL

Enlargement (enl.)

90. Guadalajara gal pal : AMIGA

Guadalajara is a populous city in the Mexican state of Jalisco. The Mexican city is named after the city of the same name in the center of Spain.

94. Most aloof : ICIEST

I suppose one might guess from the feel of the word “aloof” that is has nautical roots. Originally “aloof” meant “to windward” and was the opposite of “alee”. A helmsman might be instructed to stay aloof, to steer the boat into the weather to keep a distance from a lee-shore. It is from this sense of maintaining a distance that aloof came to mean “distant” in terms of personality. Interesting, huh …?

95. Cough drops brand : LUDEN’S

The Luden’s brand of throat lozenge was created in 1879 by William H. Luden. Luden was able to give his cough drops national attention by giving samples to railroad workers, who took their “freebies” all over the country.

96. Scotch cocktail : ROB ROY

Rob Roy was a folk hero in Scotland from the 18th century. He was a sort of Scottish Robin Hood, an outlaw who had the support of the populace. Rob Roy’s full name was Robert Roy MacGregor, itself an anglicization of the Scottish Raibeart Ruadh. He gave his name to a famous cocktail called a Rob Roy, a relative of the Manhattan that is made with Scotch instead of bourbon.

102. “SNL” staple : SKIT

“Saturday Night Live” (SNL)

103. Wild plum : SLOE

The sloe is the fruit of the blackthorn bush, and the main flavoring ingredient in sloe gin. A sloe looks like a small plum, but is usually much more tart in taste.

108. #30 on the periodic table : ZINC

Zinc is the chemical element with the atomic number 30 and the element symbol “Zn”. Zinc is a metal that can form pointed crystals after smelting. It is probably these crystals that gave the element its name, which comes from the Old High German “zint” meaning “point”.

109. Toward shelter : ALEE

Alee is the direction away from the wind. If a sailor points into the wind, he or she is pointing aweather.

111. Small ammo : BBS

A BB gun is an air pistol or rifle that shoots birdshot known as BBs. Birdshot comes in a number of different sizes, from size 9 (0.070″ in diameter) to size FF (.230″). Birdshot that is size BB (0.180″ in diameter) gives the airgun its name.

112. Like deeply discounted mdse. : IRR

Irregular (“irr.” or “irreg.”)

113. Leader with perks : CEO

Chief executive officer (CEO)

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Run-down area : SLUM
5. Fire starter : SPARK
10. Defunct Ford div. : MERC
14. Like some bulls : PAPAL
19. Bigger than big : HUGE
20. Enjoy slowly, as a drink : SIP ON
21. “I __ busted!” : AM SO
22. Come to light : ARISE
23. Message about nearly a dozen U.S. sailors being flown overseas? (Pa.) : ALL TEN NOW, IN NAVY PLANES (from “Allentown, Pennsylvania”)
27. Not talkative : QUIET
28. Receive inside info : GET A TIP
29. Tired comment : I’M BEAT
30. One terminus of Chicago’s Blue Line : O’HARE
33. Soccer goose egg : NIL
34. Cunning plan : PLOY
35. Annoyed Mayberry aunt gets an old Toyota at a raffle? (Wis.) : ANGRY BEE, WINS SCION (from “Green Bay, Wisconsin”)
41. Delaware’s capital? : DEE
44. Disheveled : TOUSLED
45. At least one : ANY
46. Landlord’s reminder : LATE RENT
48. Tanning time on the Riviera : ETE
49. Babe’s counterpart : HUNK
51. “Follow me!” : C’MON!
53. State definitively : AVER
54. Constitution letters : USS
55. White selection, briefly : CHARD
57. Boast about Japanese animation? (Me.) : BRAG ON, ANIME (from “Bangor, Maine”)
60. Not requiring stamps : POSTPAID
62. Hopefully, what’s left for dessert? : ROOM
63. “Funny thing is … ” : ODDLY …
64. Emanation from an aging rural miner? (Co.) : OLD RUBE, COAL ODOR (from “Boulder, Colorado”)
68. Pitcher part : SPOUT
70. Absence : LACK
71. All : EVERY BIT
75. Lunch treats from Clinton’s veep? (Or.) : MEALS, ON GORE (from “Salem, Oregon”)
78. Holiday song sextet : GEESE
79. Brooding genre : EMO
80. Ornate molding : OGEE
81. Sources of bow wood : YEWS
82. Author Caleb : CARR
83. Five-O alert : APB
84. Tied : DEAD EVEN
87. Goof : ERR
88. Myrtle whose oil is a folk remedy for skin conditions : TEA TREE
92. South end? : -ERN
93. Black Friday headline? (Md.) : RETAIL MOB, RAN MADLY (from “Baltimore, Maryland”)
97. Overnight retreats : INNS
98. Simba, at the start of “The Lion King” : CUB
99. Primrose family plant : OXLIP
100. Ready to breed : AT STUD
103. Moonlighter’s work : SIDE JOB
106. Tokyo shopping district : GINZA
110. Muslim ascetics drain Sahara pipeline contents? (Ca.) : FAKIRS BLEED, AFRICAN OIL (from “Bakersfield , California”)
114. Flawed : AMISS
115. Cap’n’s underling : BO’S’N
116. “Free your pores!” skincare brand : BIORE
117. Ignore, with “out” : TUNE …
118. Tighten, as laces : RETIE
119. Jazz club sessions : SETS
120. Prefix for a Dow foam : STYRO-
121. Not quite never : ONCE

Down

1. 1990s-2000s Laker star, familiarly : SHAQ
2. Humdinger : LULU
3. Not-cute fruit : UGLI
4. Geminids sights : METEORS
5. 3-2-4 ID : SSN
6. Wrestler’s coup : PIN
7. Orbital high point : APOGEE
8. “Deadliest Catch” narrator Mike : ROWE
9. Work with needles : KNIT
10. Six-legged prayer? : MANTIS
11. Addresses with “@” : EMAILS
12. Brief invite answer? : RSVP
13. Artfully shy : COY
14. Treo maker, before it shortened its name : PALM ONE
15. Sheikdom of song : ARABY
16. Air freshener scent : PINE
17. On the briny : ASEA
18. For fear that : LEST
24. Kind of alcohol : ETHYL
25. Kid raiser, in two ways : NANNY
26. Cockpit worker : PILOT
31. Prez on a five : ABE
32. Prince Harry’s locks, e.g. : RED HAIR
34. Holder of keys : PIANO
35. Devoured : ATE UP
36. Untrue : NOT SO
37. “C’mon, take a __” : GUESS
38. Security checkpoint device : WAND
39. Well filler : INK
40. Shoe or its dance : CLOG
41. Hot sauce bottle image : DEVIL
42. Good guy, to a bad guy : ENEMY
43. French 101 verb : ETRE
47. Stopped flowing : RAN DRY
50. Pakistani tongue : URDU
51. Swindler : CROOK
52. What may be baby’s first word : MAMA
55. Fair grade : C-PLUS
56. Couldn’t avoid it : HAD TO
57. Italian lawn game : BOCCE
58. Lymph __ : NODES
59. Love to bits : ADORE
61. Motored (along) : TOOLED
62. Parents : REARS
65. Leave, slangily : BLOW
66. Inappropriate look : LEER
67. Demand too much of : OVERTAX
68. Silver Bullet Band rocker : SEGER
69. Joyous song : PAEAN
72. A new one may itch : BEARD
73. Push forward : IMPEL
74. Actor Maguire : TOBEY
75. Style : MODE
76. Nikita’s negatives : NYETS
77. Rowlands of “The Notebook” : GENA
78. Worn things : GARB
82. __-Magnon : CRO
85. Hosp. drama role : ER NURSE
86. Sells : VENDS
87. Add to a website, as a video : EMBED
89. Bigger copy: Abbr. : ENL
90. Guadalajara gal pal : AMIGA
91. Draw upon : TAP INTO
94. Most aloof : ICIEST
95. Cough drops brand : LUDEN’S
96. Scotch cocktail : ROB ROY
97. “Just me,” formally : IT IS I
100. Quite a distance : AFAR
101. Hardly a threat : TAME
102. “SNL” staple : SKIT
103. Wild plum : SLOE
104. Sparring punches : JABS
105. “Never heard __” : OF IT
107. Car, truck or bike : NOUN
108. #30 on the periodic table : ZINC
109. Toward shelter : ALEE
111. Small ammo : BBS
112. Like deeply discounted mdse. : IRR
113. Leader with perks : CEO

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20 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 28 Oct 18, Sunday”

  1. LAT: 27:49, no errors. Washington Post: DNF after 66:37, 9 errors, 50% filled. Sort of caught the gimmick but not entirely, then some *very* stiff fill consistent with said gimmick. Sort of puzzle that Shortz would love and the rest of us wouldn’t like. But that’s my assessment.

    1. @Glenn … Because this was a day at sea, with little else to do, I tried the Washington Post puzzle: 1:47:36(!), no errors. An outrageous gimmick, indeed, but I liked it a lot, so I would quarrel with your blanket statement about “the rest of us” 😜. (And my timing would have been slightly better, but the app was malfunctioning for the first ten minutes or so: the timer was running, but I could not reposition the cursor at all.)

  2. Poor report for us on Thursday and Friday, like less than half on Thursday
    and even lower on Friday. Never attempt them on weekends.

    For my two cents worth, the clues on Th and Fri. were way too vague and no
    help was obtained from our dictionary. I would ask that the constructors stop
    trying to be cute or using clues that are known only to them. Stick to the basics
    and don’t use words that cannot be found in the puzzle dictionary. If one takes
    the time to look up words, he or she should be able to find them. The purpose
    should not be to see how many people can be stumped, rather give everyone
    a chance to solve the puzzles in whatever time they need. I have preached this
    before and little or nothing was done, so I expect the same response here.

    Sorry to be so negative, but the soap box came out on Sunday (today). Kudos to
    all who try to solve these.

    1. Did it ever occur to you that some people are just better at this than you, and stooping to your level for every puzzle takes THEIR fun away? Keep at it and maybe someday you can be successful too! Getting very tired of your whining!

      1. I am not whining. I know that all of you are better than we are
        at this and I am just stating our score each day and opining as
        to why I thought they were hard or not. I try to state our level
        openly and honestly every day and it is not complaining.
        Just read them objectively and don’t take a position. They are
        just comments and I am not the only one that has these opinions.

  3. 56 min. and one error(par for the course for me). I had MEAT for MEAL on 75 across. Still my best effort for this weekend
    GO RAVENS

  4. 31:00, no errors. Finally understood the theme a minute or two after I finished the puzzle and then figured out all the anagrams (which took me ten or fifteen more minutes). A good puzzle …

    @John … I don’t own a “puzzle dictionary”, nor do I want one. If your ideas were adopted, the resulting puzzles would be of little interest to me. Puzzles (particularly late-week puzzles) are meant to be … well … puzzling. And clues are just that … clues … not just cut-and-dried definitions, to be looked up in a dictionary. I do very much applaud your taking on the puzzles as late in the week as you can manage. (And now I’ll get off my soapbox … 😜.)

    1. Thanks, Dave. I mean no offense and maybe I can state things better. I have to say
      that our dictionary does not help all that much and I see your point about my
      suggestion taking away other guys’ fun and all thought process. I will try to do
      better with my comments. They are not whining or complaining, just comments.

    1. @Mark … Consider the following two sentences:

      “Funny thing is, we were both born on Halloween.”

      “Oddly, we were both born on Halloween.”

  5. 30 minutes, 7 sec, no errors. Completely missed the anagram theme, and now that it’s revealed, I have no desire to try and unscramble them. Do us a favor, constructors: stop slapping yourself on the back creating these wastes of time and just create decent grids without “extra work” no one wants to do.

    1. @Allen … As in my comment to Glenn above, I have to protest your use of the phrase “no one wants to do”. I’m not very good at unscrambling anagrams, but I didn’t mind tackling these, I got a small ego boost out of them, and I appreciated the little peek into the mind of the constructor..

  6. 40:51. Went through the top portion rather methodically but really got bogged down in a couple of areas at the bottom. Interesting theme…and I’ll just leave it at that. I’m sure it was a challenge to construct. I usually do poorly with anagram themes, and this was no different. I understood that the states were in there, but the city part of it went over my head. Solved like a giant themeless for me.

    My $0.02 on the difficulty of these things. Obviously, people do solve these late week puzzles so they aren’t impossible. Secondly, they are indeed puzzles; they are not vocabulary tests. It takes some cunning to get some answers you don’t know. That’s the fun of it. I like the fact that if you just keep grinding at these things, you can eventually learn to solve them. If one wants to get overly philosophical, that’s a metaphor for a lot of problems in life – problems can be solved if given the time to think through them.

    Best –

  7. Boy, I guess a lot of us didn’t like this puzzle. It beat me up too. DNF and lost interest in getting the theme.

    How did those Dodger’s blow that game? They were winning, they only had to not “screw” up. It’s over, they can’t win two games in Boston even it they win tonight.

  8. I finished (won’t say how long) and got the theme when I figured out
    “Bangor Maine”….then knowing the theme, it helped with the rest of the
    themed answers. It was a fun one. I never can work on the Sunday
    puzzles in one go, because I’m in and out all day. Took me all day but
    I can’t give any accumulated time.

  9. Even though we didn’t try Sunday’s puzzle, my computer is showing me those
    results. Today is Monday and we did the puzzle with no errors. No fast time,
    just our usual hour or so. My wife did very well and the ones she chose to
    leave incomplete just jumped out to me and I finished it off pretty fast. I found
    it to be fun and not super hard, but I may have been slower had she not
    nearly gotten so many long words. Kudos to her, to all of you guys and to
    all the constructors. It is possibly the most fun and anticipated thing that I do with her daily, except on weekends.

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