LA Times Crossword 4 Nov 18, Sunday

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Constructed by: Mark McClain
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme: Alphabetical Order

The thirteen themed answers each comprise two words. As we progress down the grid, the initial letters of all of those words are in ALPHABETICAL ORDER:

  • 22A. First-aid kit brand : ACE BANDAGE
  • 24A. Reprimanded : CALLED DOWN
  • 36A. Liz Taylor’s husband before Richard Burton : EDDIE FISHER
  • 39A. One whose mouth shouldn’t be examined? : GIFT HORSE
  • 56A. Disloyal crimes : INSIDE JOBS
  • 62A. One of three planetary motion principles : KEPLER’S LAW
  • 70A. Raised a ruckus, say : MADE NOISE
  • 80A. Source of zest : ORANGE PEEL
  • 84A. What a texter usually expects : QUICK REPLY
  • 99A. Donut … or the consequence of eating too many of them? : SPARE TIRE
  • 104A. Car on craigslist : USED VEHICLE
  • 118A. Ways to detect fractured trapeziums : WRIST X-RAYS
  • 120A. Restricted parking area, perhaps : YELLOW ZONE
  • Bill’s time: 20m 55s

    Bill’s errors: 0

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    Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

    Across

    1. “College Football Live” channel : ESPNU

    ESPNU (short for “ESPN Universities”) is a sports channel focused on college athletics.

    6. Apple-order link : PIE

    Something said to be in apple-pie order is tidy and well-ordered. The etymology of the phrase isn’t very clear.

    14. Start-the-day ABC talk show, familiarly : GMA

    “Good Morning America” (GMA) is ABC’s morning show, and has been since 1975. There was even a spin-off show called “Good Afternoon America”, although that only lasted for a few months in 2012.

    17. Govt. red tape reduction : DEREG

    Back in the days of yore in England, official documents were bound in bundles with red ribbon. So, getting through all the paperwork required “cutting through the red tape”.

    22. First-aid kit brand : ACE BANDAGE

    ACE is a brand of elastic bandage that is often used as a compression wrap.

    27. Harassed impertinently : HECKLED

    Originally, the verb “to heckle” meant to question severely, and for many years was associated with the public questioning of parliamentary candidates in Scotland. In more recent times, the meaning has evolved into questioning that is less polite and that is directed at stand-up comics.

    29. “Bolero” composer : RAVEL

    Maurice Ravel was a great French composer of the Romantic Era. Ravel’s most famous piece of music by far is his “Bolero”, the success of which he found somewhat irksome as he thought it to be a trivial work. Personally though, I love the minimalism and simplicity …

    30. Palais resident : ROI

    In French, a “roi” (king) might be found in a “palais” (palace).

    34. Antipoverty agcy. : OEO

    The Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) was created during the Lyndon Johnson administration. The agency was responsible for administering the War on Poverty programs that were part of the President Johnson’s Great Society agenda. The OEO was shut down by President Nixon, although some of the office’s programs were transferred to other agencies. A few of the OEO’s programs are still around today, e.g. Head Start.

    36. Liz Taylor’s husband before Richard Burton : EDDIE FISHER

    Singer and teen idol Eddie Fisher topped the charts several times in the 1950s, and hosted his own TV variety show “Coke Time with Eddie Fisher” from 1953 to 1957. He was married five time in all, and three of those marriages were to fellow celebrities, i.e. Debbie Reynolds (m. 1955 – div.1959, Elizabeth Taylor (m. 1959 – div. 1964) and Connie Stevens (m. 1967 – div. 1969).

    Actress Elizabeth Taylor married eight times, to seven husbands. Those marriages were to:

    1. Conrad “Nicky” Hilton, the young hotel heir
    2. Michael Wilding, the English actor
    3. Mike Todd, the film and stage producer
    4. Eddie Fisher, the singer
    5. Richard Burton (twice), the Welsh actor
    6. John Warner, who went on to become a US Senator for Virginia
    7. Larry Fortensky, a construction worker whom Taylor met at the Betty Ford Clinic

    39. One whose mouth shouldn’t be examined? : GIFT HORSE

    Someone using the idiom “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth” is giving a warning not to be ungrateful on receiving a gift. One way to be ungrateful, if being given a horse, is too immediately verify the horse’s age by looking in its mouth and checking the shape and size of its teeth. The phrase is ancient, and a form of it can be found in a letter penned circa 400 CE. In the missive, St. Jerome says “Noli equi dentes inspicere donati” (Never inspect the teeth of a given horse).

    46. NYC area above Houston Street : NOHO

    NoHo is short for North of Houston (street), and is the equivalent area to SoHo, South of Houston. Both are neighborhoods in New York City.

    50. Drew __, Patriots’ quarterback before Brady : BLEDSOE

    Drew Bledsoe is a former NFL quarterback, one who most famously played for the New England Patriots in the 1990s. Today, Bledsoe is a partner in the Doubleback Winery in Walla Walla, Washington.

    52. Upscale retailer : SAKS

    Saks Fifth Avenue is a high-end specialty store that competes with the likes of Bloomingdale’s and Neiman Marcus. The original Saks & Company business was founded by Andrew Saks in 1867. The first Saks Fifth Avenue store was opened on Fifth Avenue in New York City in 1924. There are now Saks Fifth Avenue stores in many major cities in the US, as well in several locations worldwide.

    62. One of three planetary motion principles : KEPLER’S LAW

    Johannes Kepler was a mathematician, and most famously an astronomer. Kepler came up with his celebrated laws of planetary motion in the early 1600s.

    64. Menlo Park initials : TAE

    Thomas Alva Edison (TAE) was nicknamed “The Wizard of Menlo Park” by a newspaper reporter, a name that stuck. He was indeed a wizard, in the sense that he was such a prolific inventor. The Menlo Park part of the moniker recognizes the location of his first research lab, in Menlo Park, New Jersey.

    65. Opera outburst : BRAVO!

    To express appreciation for a male performer at an operatic performance, traditionally one calls out “bravo!”. Appreciation for a female performer is shown by using “brava!”, and for more than one performer by using “bravi!”

    67. __ Sketch : ETCH A

    Etch A Sketch was introduced in 1960. The toy was developed in France by inventor André Cassagnes.

    68. Ward (off) : STAVE

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

    70. Raised a ruckus, say : MADE NOISE

    The word “ruckus” is used to mean “commotion”, and has been around since the late 1800s. “Ruckus” is possibly a melding of the words “ruction” and “rumpus”.

    74. Song of worship : PSALM

    The Greek word “psalmoi” originally meant “songs sung to a harp”, and gave us the word “psalms”. In the Jewish and Western Christian traditions, the Book of Psalms contains 150 individual psalms, divided into five sections.

    76. U.N. workers’ agcy. : ILO

    The International Labour Organization (ILO) is an agency, now administered by the UN, that was established by the League of Nations after WWI. The ILO deals with important issues such as health and safety, discrimination, child labor and forced labor. The organization was recognized for its work in 1969 when it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

    77. Slow, on scores : LENTO

    A lento passage is a piece of music that has a slow tempo. “Lento” is Italian for “slow”.

    79. Humdinger : PIP

    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.

    87. “Sacré bleu!” kin : MON DIEU!

    French speakers don’t really use the profanity “sacré bleu”, at least not anymore, but we see it a lot in English literature featuring native French speakers. Most famously it is uttered by Agatha Christie’s delightful Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. There is some dispute about the origins of “sacré bleu” (sacred blue), but French dictionaries explain that it is a “softening” of the alternative “sacré Dieu” (Holy God).

    90. To the __: maximally : HILT

    The hilt of a weapon is its handle. One might push in the blade of a knife to the hilt, to the maximum degree.

    91. Himalayan native : SHERPA

    In the Tibetan language, “Sherpa” means “eastern people” (sher = east, pa = people). Sherpas are an ethnic group from Nepal, but the name is also used for the local guides who assist mountaineers in the Himalayas, and particularly on Mount Everest.

    104. Car on craigslist : USED VEHICLE

    Craigslist (usually written as “craiglist”) is an online network of communities that features classified advertisements organized geographically. Craigslist was started by Craig Newmark in 1995, originally as an email distribution list for his friends who lived and worked in the San Francisco Bay Area.

    107. Jazz pianist Chick : COREA

    Chick Corea is an American jazz pianist. Corea is noted for his work in the area of jazz fusion, as well as for his promotion of Scientology.

    113. Song title words before “for Miles” : I CAN SEE

    “I Can See for Miles” is the biggest selling single for the Who in the United States. The song earned some added exposure when it was adopted as the theme tune for the TV show “CSI: Cyber”.

    118. Ways to detect fractured trapeziums : WRIST X-RAYS

    The trapezium is one of the eight carpal bones that make up the wrist. It is located close to the thumb and is important to the movement of the thumb.

    125. Nemo’s creator : VERNE

    Jules Verne really was a groundbreaking author. Verne pioneered the science fiction genre, writing about space, air and underwater travel, long before they were practical and proved feasible. Verne is the second-most translated author of all time, with only Agatha Christie beating him out.

    In the 1954 movie version of “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”, Captain Nemo goes down with his ship. In the novel by Jules Verne, the fate of Nemo and his crew isn’t quite so cut and dry, although the inference is perhaps that they did indeed head for Davy Jones’ Locker.

    126. Falco of “The Sopranos” : 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.

    128. Waze ways: Abbr. : STS

    Waze is a navigation app that is similar to Google Maps and Apple Maps. Waze was developed in Israel, and was acquired by Google in 2013.

    Down

    1. Author LeShan : EDA

    Eda LeShan wrote several nonfiction books including “When Your Child Drives You Crazy” and “The Conspiracy Against Childhood”. LeShan was also host of the PBS television show “How Do Your Children Grow?”

    2. Bama’s conf. : SEC

    The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an athletic conference comprised mainly of schools in the southeastern US. The SEC was founded back in 1932 with a roster of thirteen schools, ten of which are still members of the conference.

    The athletic teams of the University of Alabama (“Bama”) are nicknamed the Crimson Tide, which is a reference to the team colors of crimson and white.

    4. Mount from which Moses saw the Promised Land : NEBO

    Mount Nebo is an elevated spot in Jordan that is mentioned in the Bible. According to the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab in order to see the Promised Land, the Land of Israel that he was destined never to enter. According to Christian and some Islamic traditions, Moses was buried on Mount Nebo.

    5. Lorre’s “Casablanca” role : UGARTE

    Signor Ugarte is a wonderful character in the classic 1942 film “Casablanca”. Ugarte is played by Peter Lorre, and is the man who has possession of the crucial letters of transit that were obtained by murdering two German couriers.

    6. Two-time British Open champ Harrington : PADRAIG

    Pádraig Harrington is a professional golfer from Ireland, and a winner of three major championships. Harrington attended the same high school in Dublin as fellow golfer Paul McGinley, giving said school the honor of educating two Ryder Cup golfers. Harrington’s given name “Pádraig” is the Irish version of “Patrick”.

    7. Keogh plan rel. : IRA

    Keogh plans are retirement plans used by self-employed individuals and small businesses. The plans are named for Democratic member of the US House Eugene James Keogh who sponsored the bill that introduced such plans.

    9. Age of Reason philosopher : LOCKE

    Thomas Paine’s pamphlet known as “The Age of Reason” (published in three parts, in 1794, 1795 and 1807) is critical of mainstream religion and also challenges the legitimacy of the Bible.

    14. Muppet prone to eschewing contractions : GROVER

    Grover is a character on the TV show “Sesame Street”. A blue monster, Grover is a muppet who was performed originally by Frank Oz.

    16. Shakers founder : ANN LEE

    Mother Ann Lee was the leader of the Shakers, members of the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing. Lee was born and raised in Manchester, England. It was there that she became prominent as a speaker declaring faith in the second coming of Christ. Lee took a band of her followers to America in 1774 and eventually settled just outside Albany, New York.

    21. Sun Valley state : IDAHO

    The resort city of Sun Valley, Idaho was developed in the 1930s by W. Averell Harriman who was convinced that there was a call for a winter resort destination after the success of the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. A 220-room hotel called the Sun Valley Lodge was opened in 1936, quickly followed by the Swiss-style Sun Valley Inn in 1937. Sun Valley became home to the world’s first chair lifts, which were installed in 1936 as a replacement for rope tows.

    23. Soft toy brand : NERF

    Nerf is soft material used in a whole series of toys designed for “safe” play indoors. The Nerf product is used to make darts, balls and ammunition for toy guns. “NERF” is an acronym, standing for Non-Expanding Recreational Foam.

    25. BBC time traveler : DR WHO

    “Dr Who” is an iconic sci-fi television series that is made in the UK by the BBC. First broadcast in 1963, the show is still running today, making it the longest running sci-fi television show in the world. Dr. Who is a time traveler,from the planet Gallifrey, who “regenerates” from time to time (pun!) so that a new actor fits seamlessly into the storyline. He travels in his famous TARDIS spacecraft. Outwardly, the TARDIS looks like a police call box from the 1950s, but inside it is an enormous, multi-roomed time machine. “TARDIS” is an acronym standing for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space.

    28. Reef material : CORAL

    Polyps are tiny sea creatures that are found attached to underwater structures or to other polyps. Polyps have a mouth at one end of a cylindrical “body” that is surrounded by tentacles. Some polyps cluster into groups called stony corals, with stony corals being the building blocks of coral reefs. The structure of the reef comprises calcium carbonate exoskeletons secreted by the coral polyps.

    30. Hoops stat. : REB

    Rebounds (REB)

    33. Breakaway nation: Abbr. : CSA

    Confederate States of America (CSA)

    37. Crucifix letters : INRI

    The letters written on the cross on which Jesus died were INRI. “INRI” is an initialism standing for the Latin “Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum”, which translates into English as “Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews”.

    40. Brit. police rank : INSP

    Inspector (Insp.)

    42. “… I __ wed” : THEE

    “With this ring, I thee wed”.

    45. “Wall Street” antagonist : GEKKO

    “Wall Street” is a very entertaining 1987 film from Oliver Stone starring Charlie Sheen as an up and coming stockbroker, and Michael Douglas as an amoral corporate raider named Gordon Gekko. Douglas’ portrayal of Gekko earned him a Best Actor Oscar, and deservedly so, I’d say …

    48. Stefan of tennis : EDBERG

    Stefan Edberg is a Swedish tennis player, and former world number one. Sadly, one part of Edberg’s legacy is his involvement in a freak accident at the 1983 US Open. A ball struck by Edberg hit one of the linesmen causing him to topple off his chair, fracturing his skull as he hit the ground. That injury was fatal.

    49. __ Spiegel: German magazine : DER

    “Der Spiegel” is a very successful German magazine found on newsstands all over Europe. The name “Der Spiegel” translates from German into “the Mirror”.

    51. Arnaz-Ball studio : DESILU

    As one might imagine, “Desilu” is a contraction of the names of the production company’s owners, Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. The name “Desilu” was first given to the couple’s ranch in Chatsworth, California. Desilu the production company ended up producing some great shows, including the original “Star Trek” and “Mission: Impossible”.

    52. Bygone boomers : SSTS

    Supersonic transports (SSTs) like the Concorde broke Mach 1, the speed of sound. As a plane flies through air, it creates pressure waves in front (and behind) rather like the bow and stern waves of a boat. These pressure waves travel at the speed of sound, so as an aircraft itself accelerates towards the speed of sound it catches up with the pressure waves until they cannot “get out of the way”. When the aircraft reaches the speed of sound, the compressed waves merge into one single shock wave, creating a sonic boom.

    53. Li’l Abner drawer : AL CAPP

    The cartoonist Al Capp set his classic comic strip “Li’l Abner” in the fictional community of “Dogpatch”. According to one of the “Li’l Abner” strips, Dogpatch is located somewhere in the state of Kentucky.

    54. Poet Gibran : KAHLIL

    Kahlil Gibran was a Lebanese author who emigrated to the US in 1895 as a young man. Apparently, he is the third-best selling poet of all time, after William Shakespeare and Lao-Tzu. Gibran owes his place in that ranking almost exclusively due to sales of “The Prophet”, a collection of twenty-six prose poems that was published in 1923.

    55. Like England’s “the Fens” : SWAMPY

    The Fens are a coastal plain located in the east of England. That plain comprised natural marshes until several centuries ago, when the local population started to drain much of the area’s excess water by building a network of drainage channels and man-made rivers. As a result, the mixture of fresh-and saltwater wetlands has been transformed into low-lying, but very arable, fields that produce grains and vegetables.

    59. Fruity spread : JAM

    Jelly is made using strained juice from crushed fruit. Jam is similar, but the whole crushed fruit is used, and often includes seeds.

    63. Think tank output : REPORT

    A think tank is a research institute. The use of the term “think tank” dates back to 1959, and apparently was first used to describe the Center for Behavioral Sciences in Palo Alto, California.

    66. Tokyo-born Yoko : ONO

    Yoko Ono was born in 1933 in Tokyo into a prosperous Japanese family, and is actually a descendant of one of the emperors of Japan. Yoko’s father moved around the world for work, and she lived the first few years of her life in San Francisco. The family returned to Japan, before moving on to New York, Hanoi and back to Japan just before WWII, in time to live through the great firebombing of Tokyo in 1945. Immediately after the war the family was far from prosperous. While Yoko’s father was being held in a prison camp in Vietnam, her mother had to resort to begging and bartering to feed her children. When her father was repatriated, life started to return to normal and Yoko was able to attend university. She was the first woman to be accepted into the philosophy program of Gakushuin University.

    69. World Cup skiing champ Lindsey : VONN

    Lindsey Vonn is a World Champion alpine ski racer from Saint Paul, Minnesota. She is one of the few women to have won World Cup races in all five alpine racing disciplines: downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom and super combined. In fact, Vonn is the most successful US ski racer in history.

    71. Perry of fashion : ELLIS

    Perry Ellis was a fashion designer from Portsmouth, Virginia. Ellis was noted for his sportswear creations.

    72. Due times tre : SEI

    In Italian, “due” (two) times “tre” (three) is “sei” (six).

    73. Bus. letter insert : ENC

    An envelope (env.) might include an enclosure (enc.).

    78. Ref’s call : TKO

    In boxing, a knockout (KO) is when one of the fighters can’t get up from the canvas within a specified time, usually 10 seconds. This can be due to fatigue, injury, or the participant may be truly “knocked out”. A referee, fighter or doctor may also decide to stop a fight without a physical knockout, especially if there is concern about a fighter’s safety. In this case the bout is said to end with a technical knockout (TKO).

    82. __ sci : POLI

    Political science (poli sci)

    83. __’acte : ENTR

    The term “entr’acte” comes to us from French, and is the interval “entre deux actes” (between two acts) of a theatrical performance. The term often describes some entertainment provided during that interval.

    84. Q&A part, briefly : QUES

    Question and answer (Q&A)

    85. Morales of “Jericho” : 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”.

    “Jericho” is a drama series that was initially produced by CBS. It that tells of life in the aftermath of nuclear attacks on many cities in the US.

    88. Israeli prime ministers Barak and Olmert : EHUDS

    Ehud Barak served as Prime Minister of Israel from 1999 to 2001, taking over from Benjamin Netanyahu. Barak left office after he called a special election for Prime Minister and lost the vote to Ariel Sharon. Barak resigned from the Knesset and took an advisory job with the US company Electronic Data Systems (EDS), and did some security-related work with a private equity company. In 2007, Barak took over leadership of Israel’s Labor Party.

    Ehud Olmert took over as Acting Prime Minister when Ariel Sharon suffered a severe stroke early in 2006. Olmert then led his party to victory in a general election held later that same year. He held Israel’s highest office in his own right until 2009, when he had to step down facing allegations of corruption.

    93. Calif. summer hrs. : PDT

    Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)

    94. “Anne of Green Gables” setting : AVONLEA

    “Anne of Green Gables” is a 1908 novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery that she set in the fictional Prince Edward Island community of Avonlea. Montgomery wrote several sequels to “Anne”, with them all being set on Prince Edward Island (PEI), from where the author hailed.

    96. Pantomimes : ACTS OUT

    Our word “pantomime” comes from the Greek word “pantomimos” meaning “actor”. The literal translation of the Greek is “imitator of all”, from “panto-” (all) and “mimos” (imitator). We use the term today to describe communication by means of facial expression and physical gestures. On the other side of the Atlantic, pantomimes (often “pantos”) are also very popular Christmas entertainments based on nursery tales like “Mother Goose”, “Aladdin” and “Jack and the Beanstalk”. Great, great stuff …

    99. Pair in “awaken” : SCHWAS

    A schwa is an unstressed and toneless vowel found in a number of languages including English. Examples from our language are the “a” in “about”, the “e” in “taken” and the “i” in pencil.

    100. “Little grey cells” detective : POIROT

    Hercule Poirot is one of Agatha Christie’s most beloved characters. He is a wonderful Belgian private detective who plies his trade from his base in London. Poirot’s most famous case is the “Murder on the Orient Express”. First appearing in 1920’s “The Mysterious Affair at Styles”, Poirot finally succumbs to a heart condition in the 1975 book “Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case”. Famously, Poirot is fond of using his “little grey cells”.

    101. Acting father and son : ARKINS

    The actor Alan Arkin won his only Oscar (Best Supporting Actor) for his role in “Little Miss Sunshine” from 2006, a movie that I just did not understand …

    Actor Adam Arkin’s breakthrough role was probably playing Aaron Shutt in the TV drama “Chicago Hope”. Born in 1956, Adam is the son of fellow-actor Alan Arkin.

    102. Piece maker? : REESE

    Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were invented by Harry Burnett “H.B.” Reese. Peanut Butter Cups were originally called penny cups, reflecting the price at which they were sold. Then inflation took over, and maybe that’s why they were broken into smaller “Pieces” …

    103. Funny Boosler : ELAYNE

    Elayne Boosler is a stand-up comedian and was one of the first female comedians to have her act aired as a special on cable television. She does have some funny lines, and here’s one that I particularly like:

    When women are depressed they either eat or go shopping. Men invade another country.

    105. Buck back? : -EROO

    The American-English word “buckaroo” (sometimes “buckeroo”) comes from “vaquero”, the Spanish for cowboy.

    106. Harry Potter’s owl : HEDWIG

    Hedwig is the owl belonging to Harry Potter in the J. K. Rowling series of fantasy novels. Hedwig is a female owl, although she is played in the movies by male snowy owls. Male snowy owls are completely white, whereas females have dark patches on their plumage.

    114. Poet Sandburg : CARL

    Carl Sandburg was a writer from Galesburg, Illinois. Sandburg won two Pulitzers for poetry, and one for a biography titled “Abraham Lincoln: The War Years”.

    117. Cornell founder Cornell : EZRA

    Ezra Cornell was an associate of Samuel Morse and made his money in the telegraph business. After he retired he co-founded Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He provided a generous endowment and donated his farm as a site for the school, and was then rewarded by having the institute named after him.

    119. Driving age in old Rome? : XVI

    In Roman numerals, one might start driving at age “XVI” (16).

    122. Div. with Braves : NLE

    National League East (NLE)

    The Atlanta Braves are the only team to have won baseball’s World Series in three different home cities. They won as the Boston Braves in 1914, the Milwaukee Braves in 1957 and the Atlanta Braves in 1995.

    123. Some RPI grads : EES

    Electrical engineer (EE)

    The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) is a private school in Troy, New York. The university is named after its founder Stephen Van Rensselaer who set up the school in 1824. The goal of RPI has always been the “application of science to the common purposes of life”, an objective set by the founder. Given that, the name for the school’s sports teams is quite apt: the Engineers.

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    Complete List of Clues/Answers

    Across

    1. “College Football Live” channel : ESPNU
    6. Apple-order link : PIE
    9. Turner’s device : LATHE
    14. Start-the-day ABC talk show, familiarly : GMA
    17. Govt. red tape reduction : DEREG
    18. Parched : ARID
    20. Burger add-on : ONION
    21. Smooth, in a way : IRON
    22. First-aid kit brand : ACE BANDAGE
    24. Reprimanded : CALLED DOWN
    26. More achy : SORER
    27. Harassed impertinently : HECKLED
    29. “Bolero” composer : RAVEL
    30. Palais resident : ROI
    32. Piece of land : TRACT
    34. Antipoverty agcy. : OEO
    35. “__ was I?” : WHERE
    36. Liz Taylor’s husband before Richard Burton : EDDIE FISHER
    39. One whose mouth shouldn’t be examined? : GIFT HORSE
    43. “__ there, done that!” : BEEN
    44. Blowhard : GASBAG
    46. NYC area above Houston Street : NOHO
    47. Nickname usually related to hair color : RED
    50. Drew __, Patriots’ quarterback before Brady : BLEDSOE
    52. Upscale retailer : SAKS
    56. Disloyal crimes : INSIDE JOBS
    62. One of three planetary motion principles : KEPLER’S LAW
    64. Menlo Park initials : TAE
    65. Opera outburst : BRAVO!
    66. Green-lights : OK’S
    67. __ Sketch : ETCH A
    68. Ward (off) : STAVE
    70. Raised a ruckus, say : MADE NOISE
    74. Song of worship : PSALM
    75. Indulge : HUMOR
    76. U.N. workers’ agcy. : ILO
    77. Slow, on scores : LENTO
    79. Humdinger : PIP
    80. Source of zest : ORANGE PEEL
    84. What a texter usually expects : QUICK REPLY
    86. N.C. neighbor : TENN
    87. “Sacré bleu!” kin : MON DIEU!
    89. Extra NHL periods : OTS
    90. To the __: maximally : HILT
    91. Himalayan native : SHERPA
    95. Small cells : AAAS
    99. Donut … or the consequence of eating too many of them? : SPARE TIRE
    104. Car on craigslist : USED VEHICLE
    107. Jazz pianist Chick : COREA
    108. Can cover : LID
    110. Shop : STORE
    111. La. neighbor : TEX
    112. One on a trail : HIKER
    113. Song title words before “for Miles” : I CAN SEE
    116. Connection points : NODES
    118. Ways to detect fractured trapeziums : WRIST X-RAYS
    120. Restricted parking area, perhaps : YELLOW ZONE
    124. Top-drawer : A-ONE
    125. Nemo’s creator : VERNE
    126. Falco of “The Sopranos” : EDIE
    127. Words of domination : I RULE!
    128. Waze ways: Abbr. : STS
    129. Dot in the ocean : ISLET
    130. Pampering place : SPA
    131. Components of fences : GATES

    Down

    1. Author LeShan : EDA
    2. Bama’s conf. : SEC
    3. Act the chair : PRESIDE
    4. Mount from which Moses saw the Promised Land : NEBO
    5. Lorre’s “Casablanca” role : UGARTE
    6. Two-time British Open champ Harrington : PADRAIG
    7. Keogh plan rel. : IRA
    8. Pizzas slices, commonly : EIGHTHS
    9. Age of Reason philosopher : LOCKE
    10. Not digital : ANALOG
    11. Shower wall item : TILE
    12. Hang onto : HOLD
    13. OKC-to-Tulsa dir. : ENE
    14. Muppet prone to eschewing contractions : GROVER
    15. Lawn machines : MOWERS
    16. Shakers founder : ANN LEE
    19. Not a good mark : DEE
    21. Sun Valley state : IDAHO
    23. Soft toy brand : NERF
    25. BBC time traveler : DR WHO
    28. Reef material : CORAL
    30. Hoops stat. : REB
    31. Tribute in verse : ODE
    33. Breakaway nation: Abbr. : CSA
    37. Crucifix letters : INRI
    38. Pulls back : EBBS
    40. Brit. police rank : INSP
    41. Trick : FOOL
    42. “… I __ wed” : THEE
    45. “Wall Street” antagonist : GEKKO
    48. Stefan of tennis : EDBERG
    49. __ Spiegel: German magazine : DER
    51. Arnaz-Ball studio : DESILU
    52. Bygone boomers : SSTS
    53. Li’l Abner drawer : AL CAPP
    54. Poet Gibran : KAHLIL
    55. Like England’s “the Fens” : SWAMPY
    56. “Turn on the AC!” : IT’S HOT!
    57. Mother __ : NATURE
    58. Low naval rank : SEAMAN
    59. Fruity spread : JAM
    60. Egg cells : OVA
    61. Able or full follower : -BODIED
    63. Think tank output : REPORT
    66. Tokyo-born Yoko : ONO
    69. World Cup skiing champ Lindsey : VONN
    71. Perry of fashion : ELLIS
    72. Due times tre : SEI
    73. Bus. letter insert : ENC
    78. Ref’s call : TKO
    81. Send forth : EMIT
    82. __ sci : POLI
    83. __’acte : ENTR
    84. Q&A part, briefly : QUES
    85. Morales of “Jericho” : ESAI
    88. Israeli prime ministers Barak and Olmert : EHUDS
    90. Ticker : HEART
    92. Works on a lawn : RESEEDS
    93. Calif. summer hrs. : PDT
    94. “Anne of Green Gables” setting : AVONLEA
    96. Pantomimes : ACTS OUT
    97. Pub pint, perhaps : ALE
    98. __ symbol : SEX
    99. Pair in “awaken” : SCHWAS
    100. “Little grey cells” detective : POIROT
    101. Acting father and son : ARKINS
    102. Piece maker? : REESE
    103. Funny Boosler : ELAYNE
    105. Buck back? : -EROO
    106. Harry Potter’s owl : HEDWIG
    109. Map within a map : INSET
    113. More than annoys : IRES
    114. Poet Sandburg : CARL
    115. Hurricane feature : EYE
    117. Cornell founder Cornell : EZRA
    119. Driving age in old Rome? : XVI
    121. Gloss target : LIP
    122. Div. with Braves : NLE
    123. Some RPI grads : EES

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    10 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 4 Nov 18, Sunday”

    1. LAT: 21:15, no errors. Not too bad. Newsday: 16:14, no errors. About to be expected. Washington Post: 15:35, no errors. Bit surprising.

      1. The only time you do the Washington Post is on Sunday? How does it compare to LAT and Newsday?

        1. @Miles
          Yes, the Washington Post comes out every Sunday. Here’s a list of crosswords we mention (and more we usually don’t) and days when they come out. As far as comparisons, it depends on the particular puzzle. They can be very easy like today or much harder, including some variety puzzles with some Thursday New York Times type tricks (rebuses, etc).

    2. LAT: 18:53, no errors; didn’t notice the theme. Will report other puzzle results if and when …

      @Jeff … Yesterday, we visited a tequila facility in Cozumel and got to sample their wares. I think I now understand some of your past comments a lot better. The “Extra Añejo”, in particular, was quite remarkable. I don’t tolerate alcohol well … but perhaps I could learn … 😜.

      1. Newsday: 18:24, no errors. Washington Post: 28:47, no errors; a rather thoughtful one, in my opinion. Last Thursday’s Jones: 13:32, with a one-square error on a personal Natick. Last Friday’s CHE: 18:26, no errors.

    3. Not a good start to the week: 35 mins, 54 seconds, and 8 errors/non-fills, in the NW and SE corner. DNF.

    4. 36:00 one square off. I had IsSP (isspector??) and sOHO as I didn’t pay much attention to the down answer…obviously.

      Fun grid, but I didn’t look for the theme at all. I was completely oblivious to it. I’m surprised there was no reveal.

      @Dave –
      Those tequila tours can be fun. I’ve made many tequila comments here so I’m not sure which one(s) resonated, but I suspect it’s simply my own affinity for it. I think one of the reasons I like it so much is that I’m almost always on vacation when I drink it so I associate it with good times….or do they create the good times? Chicken/egg argument. Hmm

      Best –

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