LA Times Crossword 15 Dec 18, Saturday

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Constructed by: Greg Johnson
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 10m 20s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

8. Do a sauce preparation job : DEGLAZE

In cooking, deglazing is the removal of browned food residue from the surface of a pan that has been used for cooking a piece of meat. The technique involves the removal of the meat and most of the fat from the pan, and then adding a liquid such as a stock or some wine. The browned food residue is scraped off the pan and dissolved in the liquid. The resulting solution can be served directly as a jus, thickened to form a sauce, or perhaps used as the base for a soup.

15. Wedding employee : LIMOUSINE DRIVER

The word “limousine” derives from the French city of Limoges. The area around Limoges is called the Limousin, and it gave its name to a cloak hood worn by local shepherds. In early motor cars, a driver would sit outside in the weather while the passengers would sit in the covered compartment. The driver would often wear a limousin-style protective hood, giving rise to that type of transportation being called a “limousine”. Well, that’s how the story goes …

19. 42nd’s second : GORE

Former Vice President Al Gore was a joint recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 in recognition for his work in climate change activism. He also won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for his book on climate change called “An Inconvenient Truth”. The documentary of the same name that was spawned by the book won an Academy Award. In addition, Gore won an Emmy as co-owner of Current TV, an independent news network.

21. Polish removers : ACETONES

Acetone is the active ingredient in nail polish remover, and in paint thinner.

24. One of 20 in many books : MATCH

A collector of matchbooks and other match-related items is known as a phillumenist. The term “phillumenist” means “lover of light”.

31. Global warming concern : ICE CAP

The polar ice cap at the north of our planet is floating pack ice in the Arctic Ocean. The southern polar ice cap is an ice sheet that covers the landmass known as Antarctica. About 70% of all the freshwater on Earth is held in the southern polar ice cap.

33. Private dining area : MESS TENT

“Mess” first came into English about 1300, when it described the list of food needed for a meal. The term comes from the Old French word “mes” meaning a portion of food or a course at a meal. This usage in English evolved into “mess” meaning a jumbled mass of anything, from the concept of “mixed food”. The original usage, in the sense of a food for a meal, surfaced again in the military in the 1500s when a “mess” was a communal eating place.

36. “Death at a __” (2010 comedy) : FUNERAL

“Death at a Funeral” is a 2010 American dark comedy that is a remake of a very successful 2007 British film of the same name. I really didn’t like either, to be honest …

38. Cooling-off period : DETENTE

“Détente” is a French word meaning “loosening, reduction in tension” and in general it is used to describe the easing of strained relations in a political situation. In particular, the policy of détente came to be associated with the improved relations between the US and the Soviet Union in the seventies.

41. Hemsley’s role on the sitcom “Amen” : DEACON

“Amen” is a sitcom that originally aired in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The show stars Sherman Hemsley, who was better known for playing George Jefferson on “All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons”. In “Amen”, Hemsley plays a widowed deacon of a church in Philadelphia.

53. First name in late-night talk : DAVE

That’s probably David Letterman, I’m guessing …

57. Bar association concern : AMBULANCE CHASER

“Ambulance chaser” is a derogatory term used for a lawyer. Stereotypically, such a lawyer would follow ambulances into an emergency room and there canvas for clients.

61. First name in late-night talk : ARSENIO

Arsenio Hall got his big break with his role in the movie “Coming to America” with Eddie Murphy in 1988. The following year he started hosting “The Arsenio Hall Show”, which ran until 1994. He had a loyal group of fans in the audience that had the habit of almost “barking” while pumping their fists in the air. The raucous move became so popular it extended far beyond the influences of Arsenio, and to this day it is still used as a mark of appreciation in some arenas. Not by me, mind you …

62. Shower components : METEORS

A meteoroid is a small rocky or metallic body travelling through space. Once in the atmosphere, the meteoroid is referred to as a “meteor” or “shooting star”. Almost all meteoroids burn up, but if one is large enough to survive and reach the ground then we call it a meteorite. The word “meteor” comes from the Greek “meteōros” meaning “high in the air”.

The two most famous meteor showers are the Perseids and Leonids. The Perseid meteor shower is most visible around August 12th each year, and the Leonid meteor shower is most notable around November 17th. The Perseids appear to emanate from the constellation Perseus, and the Leonids from the constellation Leo (hence the names “Perseids” and “Leonids”).

Down

4. Conduct may have it on either end : WORD ACCENT

The way that stresses are distributed among the syllables of a word is known as word stress (also “word accent”).

7. American workers : PILOTS

American Airlines was founded in 1930 through the acquisition of 82 existing small airlines, and initially operated as American Airways. The company name was changed to “American Air Lines” in 1934. Back then, airlines made their profits by carrying the US mail, and American became the first airline to turn a profit on a route that could solely carry passengers. It did so by working with Donald Douglas to develop the DC-3 passenger plane. At that time, American started calling its aircraft “Flagships” and introduced its more wealthy passengers to the first Admirals Club.

9. August hrs. in Augusta : EDT

Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)

As well as being the easternmost state capital, Augusta, Maine is the third smallest, with a population of under 20,000. The least populous state capitals are Montpelier, Vermont (~7,000) and Pierre, South Dakota (~14,000).

10. Breakfast food mentioned in court in “My Cousin Vinny” : GRITS

“My Cousin Vinny” is a really fun film from 1992 starring Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei. In 2008, the American Bar Association rated “My Cousin Vinny” as the #3 Greatest Legal Movie of all time, after “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “12 Angry Men”!

11. Green bean : LIMA

The lima bean is also known as the butter bean. The lima bean was introduced to Europe from the area around Lima, Peru, hence the name.

12. “It’s Your Space” sloganeer : AVIS

Rental car company Avis used the tagline “We Try Harder” for five decades, starting in the early 1960s. The slogan had its roots in a 1962 ad campaign in which the company made brilliant use of its position behind market leader Hertz. The first rendition of the new tagline was “When you’re only No. 2, you try harder. Or else”. Within a year, Avis turned its first profit in over a decade, and within three years, increased the company’s market share from 29% to 36%. Avis eventually moved on to the slogan “It’s Your Space” in 2012.

14. Art Deco designer : ERTE

“Erté” was the pseudonym of French (Russian-born) artist and designer Romain de Tirtoff. Erté is the French pronunciation of his initials “R.T.” Erté’s diverse portfolio of work included costumes and sets for the “Ziegfeld Follies” of 1923, productions of the Parisian cabaret show “Folies Bergère”, as well as the 1925 epic movie “Ben-Hur”. Erté’s most famous work by far is an image titled “Symphony in Black”. It depicts a tall and slender woman dressed in black, holding a black dog on a leash.

22. Pie __ : CHART

A pie chart can also be referred to as a circle graph. It is often stated that Florence Nightingale invented the pie chart. While this is not in fact true, she is due credit for popularizing it, and for developing the pie chart variation known as the polar area diagram. The earliest known pie chart appears in a book published in 1801 by Scottish engineer William Playfair.

24. Tick off : MIFF

To miff is to put out, to tee off, and is verb that has been around since the early 1600s. Interestingly, in 1824 Sir Walter Scott described the word “miffed” as “a women’s phrase”. That should get him a slap, I’d say …

25. Luxury auto : ACURA

Acura is the luxury brand of the Honda Motor Company. As an aside, Infiniti is the equivalent luxury brand for the Nissan Motor Company, and Lexus is the more luxurious version of Toyota’s models.

26. Carpentry joint component : TENON

One simple type of joint used in carpentry is a mortise and tenon. It is basically a projection carved at the end of one piece of wood that fits into a hole cut into the end of another. In the related dovetail joint, the projecting tenon is not rectangular but is cut at a bias, so that when the dovetails are joined they resist being pulled apart. You’ll see dovetail joints in drawers around the house.

29. Pound parts : PENCE

I remember the days when there used to be 240 pence (pennies) in an Irish/British pound. Life became so much easier when that was changed to 100 “new” pence in 1971.

30. Playwright Chekhov : ANTON

Anton Chekhov was a Russian writer of short stories and a playwright, as well as a physician. He wrote four classic plays that are often performed all around the world, namely “The Seagull”, “Uncle Vanya”, “Three Sisters” and “The Cherry Orchard”. All the time Chekhov was writing, he continued to practice medicine. He is quoted as saying “Medicine is my lawful wife, and literature is my mistress.”

32. Prosciutto di __ : PARMA

Parma is a city in northern Italy, famous for its ham (prosciutto) and cheese (parmesan). The adjective “Parmesan” means of or from Parma.

40. “Amazing Grace” figure : WRETCH

“Amazing Grace” is a very, very famous hymn, with words written by John Newton in 1779. The words have been set to a number of different melodies, and what we are used to hearing today is music from a tune called “New Britain”.

Amazing Grace, How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now am found
T’was blind but now I see

47. Spin, say : CYCLE

In recent years, indoor cycling on stationary bicycles has come to be known as “spinning”. “Spinning” is actually a brand name of indoor bicycle that was launched in 1993 by Mad Dogg Athletics. Mad Dogg is trying to defend the use of the term “spinning” as a trademark, but it’s an uphill climb (pun!).

48. Storied bear : PAPA

The story of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” was first recorded in 1837 in England, although the narrative was around before it was actually written down. The original fairy tale was rather gruesome, but successive versions became more family-oriented. The character that eventually became Goldilocks was originally an elderly woman, and the three “nameless” bears became Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear.

49. 2018 White House visitor from Qatar : EMIR

Qatar is a sovereign state in the Middle East occupying the Qatar Peninsula, itself located in the Arabian Peninsula. Qatar lies on the Persian Gulf and shares one land border, with Saudi Arabia to the south. Qatar has more oil and gas reserves per capita of population than any other country in the world. In 2010, Qatar had the fastest growing economy in the world, driven by the petrochemical industry. Qatar is scheduled to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, although the nation’s eligibility to do so is under question after a far-reaching bribery scandal was uncovered at the sport’s governing body.

50. Kids’ curriculum : ABCS

A curriculum (plural “curricula”) is a set of courses offered by a teaching establishment. “Curriculum” is Latin for “running, course”, and comes from “currere” meaning “to run”.

51. Garden veggie : CUKE

Apparently scientists have shown that the inside of a cucumber (“cuke” for short) growing in a field can be up to twenty degrees cooler than the surrounding air. That’s something that was believed by farmers as early as the 1730s, at which time the phrase “cool as a cucumber” was coined.

58. “100 Years…100 Movies” org. : AFI

The American Film Institute (AFI) was founded in 1967 by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). One of the AFI’s more visible programs is the “100 Year Series”, including lists of Best Movies in several categories and a list of the Best Movie Quotes in 100 years of movie-making.

59. Battleship success : HIT

Battleship is a remarkably fun guessing game that I used to play as a child. Back then we would play it just using pencil and paper, although these days kids are more likely to play an electronic version of the game.

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Brakes : SLOWS UP
8. Do a sauce preparation job : DEGLAZE
15. Wedding employee : LIMOUSINE DRIVER
17. One always looking up : ETERNAL OPTIMIST
18. Meander : WEND
19. 42nd’s second : GORE
20. Food buyer’s consideration : TASTE
21. Polish removers : ACETONES
24. One of 20 in many books : MATCH
27. Pizza party purchase : SODA
28. Stress-free locale, ideally : SPA
31. Global warming concern : ICE CAP
33. Private dining area : MESS TENT
36. “Death at a __” (2010 comedy) : FUNERAL
38. Cooling-off period : DETENTE
39. A, often : FRONT ROW
41. Hemsley’s role on the sitcom “Amen” : DEACON
42. Hill climber : ANT
43. What happy concertgoers want : MORE!
45. Perfect places : EDENS
46. Deeply saddens … or delights : MAKES CRY
48. Parting sentiment : PEACE
52. Little, playfully : ITTY
53. First name in late-night talk : DAVE
57. Bar association concern : AMBULANCE CHASER
60. Top dog? : PICK OF THE LITTER
61. First name in late-night talk : ARSENIO
62. Shower components : METEORS

Down

1. Host : SLEW
2. For calorie counters : LITE
3. Predictor, sometimes : OMEN
4. Conduct may have it on either end : WORD ACCENT
5. Bright star : SUN
6. Data plan number : USAGE
7. American workers : PILOTS
8. Counted (on) : DEPENDED
9. August hrs. in Augusta : EDT
10. Breakfast food mentioned in court in “My Cousin Vinny” : GRITS
11. Green bean : LIMA
12. “It’s Your Space” sloganeer : AVIS
13. Cocktail garnish : ZEST
14. Art Deco designer : ERTE
16. Space observation : NO ROOM
22. Pie __ : CHART
23. Left carefully, with “out” : EASED
24. Tick off : MIFF
25. Luxury auto : ACURA
26. Carpentry joint component : TENON
28. Bae or boo, to former generations : STEADY DATE
29. Pound parts : PENCE
30. Playwright Chekhov : ANTON
32. Prosciutto di __ : PARMA
34. Direct : STEER
35. Some bills : TENS
37. Investigate : LOOK INTO
40. “Amazing Grace” figure : WRETCH
44. Highly regard : ESTEEM
46. Fruit served with prosciutto : MELON
47. Spin, say : CYCLE
48. Storied bear : PAPA
49. 2018 White House visitor from Qatar : EMIR
50. Kids’ curriculum : ABCS
51. Garden veggie : CUKE
54. Regarding : AS TO
55. Suddenly turn : VEER
56. Messes up : ERRS
58. “100 Years…100 Movies” org. : AFI
59. Battleship success : HIT

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