LA Times Crossword 22 Feb 19, Friday

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Constructed by: Patti Varol
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Retail Sound

Themed answers end with an “ale” sounding word that has been spelled differently with an -AIL suffix:

  • 17A. Totally rad electric guitar performance? : KILLER WAIL (from “killer whale”)
  • 23A. Emergency bucket on Dior’s boat? : CHRISTIAN BAIL (from “Christian Bale”)
  • 37A. Jib made of clothing labels? : TAG SAIL (from “tag sale”)
  • 51A. Where to find more beach toys? : BEYOND THE PAIL (from “beyond the pale”)
  • 60A. Impressive New York zoo peacock display? : A BRONX TAIL (from “A Bronx Tale”)

Bill’s time: 7m 47s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

10. Chuckleheads : SAPS

“Sap” is slang for “fool, someone easily scammed”. The term arose in the early 1800s in Britain when it was used in “saphead” and “sapskull”. All these words derive from “sapwood”, which is the softwood found in tree trunks between the bark and the heartwood at the center.

14. Yuletide name : CLAUS

The name “Santa Claus” is American English, and came into the language as a phonetic variant of “Sinterklaas”, the Dutch for “Saint Nicholas”.

Yule celebrations coincide with Christmas, and the words “Christmas” and “Yule” (often “Yuletide”) have become synonymous in much of the world. However, Yule was originally a pagan festival celebrated by Germanic peoples. The name “Yule” comes from the Old Norse word “jol” that was used to describe the festival.

15. Philanthropist Wallace : LILA

Lila Wallace founded the “Reader’s Digest” along with her husband in 1922, and initially operated out of a basement office in New York City. The initial print runs were limited to about 5,000 copies. Today, “Reader’s Digest” has about 100 million readers in 163 countries worldwide.

16. Grammy-winning rapper : ICE-T

Rapper Ice-T must be sick of having his name come up as an answer in crossword puzzles (I know I am!). Born Tracy Marrow, Ice-T has been interested in acting for decades and made his film debut in the 1984 movie about breakdancing called “Breakin’”. He has also played Detective Fin Tutuola in the TV show “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” since the year 2000.

20. Upper bod muscle : PEC

“Pecs” is the familiar name for the chest muscle, which is more correctly known as the pectoralis major muscle. “Pectus” is a the Latin word for “breast, chest”.

21. Poor Richard, really : BEN

“Poor Richard’s Almanack” was an annual publication authored by none other than Benjamin Franklin. The first edition hit the shelves in 1732, and was very, very successful, selling about 10,000 copies a year. Apparently Napoleon Bonaparte was a big fan.

22. Brusque : TERSE

Someone described as “brusque” is “gruff, abrupt and curt in manner”. The term comes into English from French, in which language it means “lively, fierce”.

23. Emergency bucket on Dior’s boat? : CHRISTIAN BAIL (from “Christian Bale”)

Christian Dior was a French fashion designer. As WWII approached, Dior was called up by the French military, drawing a temporary halt to his career in fashion. He left the army in 1942 and for the duration of the war designed clothes for wives of Nazi officers and French collaborators. After the war his designs became so popular that he helped re-establish Paris as the fashion center of the world.

Christian Bale is an actor from Wales in the UK, although he is better known for his work on this side of the Atlantic. Bale’s big break in movies came in 1987 with the starring role in Spielberg’s “Empire of the Sun” at only 13 years of age. He has also played Batman three times, in “Batman Begins” (2005), “The Dark Knight” (2008) and “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012).

27. Nonbeliever : ATHEIST

The term “atheism”, meaning “disbelief in the existence of a god or gods”, comes from the Greek “atheos” meaning “without god”.

31. Actor Danson : TED

The actor Ted Danson is noted for in particular for three successful roles that he has played on television. He played Sam Malone on the sitcom “Cheers”, the title role on the sitcom “Becker”, and eventually led the cast on the drama series “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”. Danson has been married to actress Mary Steenburgen since 1995.

32. Dessert chain with Cotton Candy Freeze : TCBY

TCBY is a chain of stores selling frozen yogurt that was founded in 1981 in Little Rock, Arkansas. The acronym TCBY originally stood for “This Can’t Be Yogurt”, but this had to be changed due to a lawsuit being pressed by a competitor called “I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt”. These days TCBY stands for “The Country’s Best Yogurt”.

37. Jib made of clothing labels? : TAG SAIL (from “tag sale”)

A jib is a triangular sail that is set at the bow of a sailboat.

45. Zac of “Baywatch” : EFRON

Zac Efron is an actor from San Luis Obispo, California. Apparently Efron is a heartthrob to “tweenyboppers”. His big break came with the hit Disney movie “High School Musical”.

“Baywatch” is a 2017 comedy film that is based on the TV series of the same name that famously starred David Hasselhoff. The movie stars Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson.

49. Master piece? : PADLOCK

Master Lock is a manufacturer of padlocks and other security products that was founded in 1921 by three friends in Milwaukee. The company’s first product was the patented padlock made from laminated steel layers, which is still around today.

51. Where to find more beach toys? : BEYOND THE PAIL (from “beyond the pale”)

The phrase “beyond the pale” describes something that is offensive, outside the bounds of what is acceptable. The expression has its roots in the palings that defined boundaries in the Middle Ages. Those palings (fences) were made from “pales”, from the Latin “palus” meaning “stake”. The noun “pale” came to describe that area within the palings. The most famous “Pale” was that part of Ireland controlled for centuries directly by the English government, which was land surrounding Dublin that was bounded by ditches and fences. People living outside the Pale did not share the beliefs and customs of those within the boundaries, which gave rise rise to our usage of the phrase “beyond the pale”.

56. Mahershala of “True Detective” : ALI

Mahershala Ali is an actor and sometime rapper. Among the more memorable roles Ali has had are lobbyist Remy Danton in TV’s “House of Cards”, and Colonel Boggs in “The Hunger Games” series of movies. He also won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for playing Juan in the 2016 drama “Moonlight”.

“True Detective” is a crime drama made by HBO that has an interesting format. Each series has its own narrative and cast. The show seems to be attracting some great actors. The first season was led by Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, and the second by Colin Farrell and Rachel McAdams.

57. IMAX purchase : TKT

The IMAX Corporation, which is behind the IMAX film format, is a Canadian company. The impetus for developing the system came after Expo ’67 in Montreal. Back then large format screenings were accomplished using multiple projectors with multiple screens, with images basically stitched together. The team behind the IMAX technology set out to simplify things, and developed a single-camera, single-projector system.

59. X-ray, Yankee, __ : ZULU

The NATO phonetic alphabet is also called the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) phonetic alphabet. It goes Alfa, Bravo, Charlie … X-ray, Yankee, Zulu.

60. Impressive New York zoo peacock display? : A BRONX TAIL (from “A Bronx Tale”)

“A Bronx Tale” is a crime film set in the sixties that was released in 1993. The movie stars Robert De Niro, who also directed. “A Bronx Tale” was De Niro’s directorial debut.

65. X-ray units : RADS

A rad is a unit used to measure radiation levels that is largely obsolete now. The “rad” has been superseded by the “rem”.

66. Starbucks size : VENTI

Starbucks introduced us to coffee drinks in a whole range of volumes:

  • Demi … 3 fl oz
  • Short … 8 fl oz
  • Tall … 12 fl oz
  • Grande … 16 fl oz (Italian for “large”)
  • Venti … 20 fl oz (Italian for “twenty”)
  • Trenta … 30 fl oz (Italian for “thirty”)

67. Double __ Oreos : STUF

Double Stuf Oreo was introduced in 1975, and has twice the normal amount of white cream filling as the original cookie.

69. In other words, in Caesar’s words : ID EST

“Id est” is Latin for “that is”, and is often abbreviated to “i.e.” when used in English.

Down

2. Berth place : SLIP

A “slipway” or “slip” is a ramp on the shore in which boats can “slip” into the water. This “slipping” into the water was is literally the case in a shipyard where a vessel’s hull slips off the ramp after it is coated with grease.

4. Puts a cover on, as a bed : MULCHES

Mulch is a layer of material applied by gardeners over the top of soil. The intent can be to retain moisture, to add nutrients, to reduce weed growth, or just to improve the look of the garden.

5. Jargon suffix : -ESE

“Jargon” can mean nonsensical and meaningless talk, or the specialized language of a particular group, trade or profession. The term is Old French, with the more usual meaning of “a chattering”. How apt …

6. Astros’ MLB division : AL WEST

The Houston baseball team changed its name to the Astros (sometimes “’Stros”) from the Colt .45s in 1965 when they started playing in the Astrodome. The Astrodome was so called in recognition of the city’s long association with the US space program. The Astros moved from the National League to the American League starting in the 2013 season.

8. “The House with a Clock in Its Walls” director Roth : ELI

Eli Roth is one of a group of directors of horror movies known quite graphically as “The Splat Pack”. I can’t stand “splat” movies and avoid them as best I can. Roth is also famous for playing Donny Donowitz in the Quentin Tarantino movie “Inglourious Basterds”, a good film I thought, if you close your eyes during the gruesome bits.

“The House with a Clock in Its Walls” is a 2018 fantasy movie that is based on a 1973 novel of the same name by John Bellairs. The cast is headed by Jack Black and Cate Blanchett who play a warlock and witch. I’m not a fan of warlocks and witches …

9. “On the Road” narrator : SAL

Jack Kerouac’s 1957 novel “On the Road” is largely autobiographical, telling the story of Sal Paradise (Jack K.) and the road trips that he and his friends took across the country in the fifties.

11. Integra maker : ACURA

The Honda Integra was sold in the US under the Acura badge. The Integra was produced from 1985 until 2006.

12. “For every generation” soft drink : PEPSI

The Pepsi-Cola formulation was developed by one Caleb Bradham who made the drink at home and sold it as Brad’s Drink. Bradham’s aim was to provide a drink that was pleasant to taste, that would aid digestion and boost energy. Included in the formula were pepsin (a digestive enzyme) and kola nuts. These two ingredients inspired the brand name we use today: Pepsi-Cola.

13. 1943 penny metal : STEEL

The original 1-cent coin was introduced in the US in 1793 and was made of 100% copper, giving rise to the nickname “copper” for a 1-cent coin. The composition varied over time, and was 100% bronze up to the 1940s. During WWII there was a shortage of copper to make bronze, so the US Mint switched to zinc-coated steel for production of one-cent coins in 1943. The “steelie” is the only coin ever issued by the US mint that can be picked up by a magnet. Today’s one-cent coin is comprised mainly of zinc.

18. Hitting stat : RBIS

Run batted in (RBI)

22. Paramount Network, once : TNN

Paramount Network is a pay TV channel that was founded back in 1983 as the Nashville Network (TNN). The channel went through some name and programming changes over the years:

  • The Nashville Network (1983-2000)
  • The National Network/the New TNN/WWE (2000-2003)
  • Spike TV (2003-2018)
  • Paramount Network (2018- )

24. “Norma Rae” director : RITT

Martin Ritt is best remembered as a television and movie director. During the bad old days of the “Red Scare”, Ritt was working in television until he found himself on a blacklist for supposed support of Communist causes. He turned to the theater for work until the Red Scare had run its course, and then moved into the world of film. Some of his best known movies are “Hud”, “The Great White Hope” and “Norma Rae”.

“Norma Rae” is a 1979 movie starring Sally Field as Norma Rae Webster in a tale of union activities in a textile factory in Alabama. The film is based on the true story of Crystal Lee Sutton told in a 1975 book called “Crystal Lee, a Woman of Inheritance”.

26. German wheels : AUDI

The predecessor to today’s Audi company was called Auto Union. Auto Union was formed with the merger of four individual entities: Audi, Horch, DKW and Wanderer. The Audi logo comprises four intersecting rings, each representing one of the four companies that merged.

28. Marsh duck : TEAL

The beautiful color teal takes it name from the duck called a teal, which has dark greenish-blue (teal) markings on its head and wings.

33. Actress who plays Kimmy Schmidt’s landlady : CAROL KANE

The actress Carol Kane played Andy Kaufman’s wife Simka Gravis, on the iconic sitcom “Taxi”. In 2015, she was cast as Lillian Kaushtupper, the title character’s landlady in the Netflix sitcom “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”.

“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” is a Netflix-made sitcom that was created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock (who worked with Fey on “30 Rock”). The title character, played by Ellie Kemper, is a young woman adjusting to life in New York City after she was rescued from an underground bunker in Indiana where she had been held for 15 years. I tried a few episodes and found that it didn’t really hold my attention. But, I may give it another go one day, as I hear good things …

38. “Sunday Night Baseball” analyst, familiarly : A-ROD

Baseball player Alex Rodriguez, nicknamed “A-Rod”, broke a lot of records in his career, albeit under a shroud of controversy due to his use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs. When he signed a 10-year contract with the Texas Rangers for $252 million in 2000, it was the most lucrative contract in sports history. In 2007, Rodriguez signed an even more lucrative 10-year contract with the New York Yankees, worth $275 million. Rodriguez retired in 2016.

40. Helen of Troy’s mother : LEDA

In Greek mythology, Leda was the beautiful Queen of Sparta who was seduced by Zeus when he took the form of a swan. Leda produced two eggs from the union. One egg hatched into Clytemnestra and the beautiful Helen of Troy, over whom was fought the Trojan War. The other egg hatched into the twins Castor and Pollux. Castor and Pollux had different fathers according to the myth. Pollux was the son of Zeus and was immortal, while Castor was the son of Leda’s earthly husband, and so he was a mortal. In the world of the arts, William Butler Yeats wrote a famous sonnet called “Leda and the Swan” in 1924, and Peter Paul Rubens made a copy of a now-lost painting called “Leda and the Swan” by Michelangelo.

43. Try to find oneself? : EGOSURF

We’ve all done it, googling our own names to see what comes up. It’s called “egosurfing”.

46. Made moth moves : FLITTED

It isn’t really understood why moths are attracted to artificial lights. There is one theory that sounds plausible to me though. It is suggested that moths navigate at night by maintaining the moon (the brightest celestial object) at a fixed angle. When a moth finds a brighter light source, like an artificial light, it gets confused.

49. House speaker after Ryan : PELOSI

Nancy Pelosi first became Speaker of the House in 2007, and was the 60th person to hold that position. Ms. Pelosi represents a district not far from here, which covers most of San Francisco. She was the first Californian, the first Italian-American and the first woman to be Speaker of the House. As Speaker of the House is second-in-line to the presidency, after the Vice President, Nancy Pelosi is the highest-ranking female politician in US history.

Paul Ryan was a nominee for Vice President in the 2012 election, and was on the Republican ticket with Mitt Romney. Ryan was elected as Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2015 after John Boehner resigned. At 45, Ryan then became the youngest Speaker since 1875.

50. Neat as __ : A PIN

Apparently the idiom “neat as a pin” arose in the early 1800s, with the advent of mass production. Up until that time, pins were handmade and so were irregular and relatively flawed. Mass-produced pins were uniform and of consistent quality. So, something that was uniform and of consistent quality came to be described as “neat as a pin”.

51. Amazon founder : BEZOS

Jeff Bezos is the founder and CEO of Amazon.com, a company that he set up in his garage in 1994. Bezos used some of the fortune that he made with Amazon to purchase “The Washington Post” in 2013.

53. Ivy in Conn. : YALE U

Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut was founded in 1701, making it the third-oldest university in the US. Originally called the Collegiate School, it was renamed to Yale University in honor of retired merchant Elihu Yale, who made generous contributions to the institution. Yale University’s nickname is “Old Eli”, in a nod to the benefactor.

58. Small songbirds : TITS

The birds known as chickadees or titmice in North America, are usually called simply “tits” in the rest of the English-speaking world.

60. Parka sleeve : ARM

A parka is a hooded jacket that is often lined with fur, and that is worn in cold weather. The original parka was a pullover design, but nowadays it is usually zipped at the front. “Parka” is the Russian name for the garment, and it was absorbed into English in the late 1700s via the Aleut language.

62. Income tax Amendment : XVI

The Sixteenth Amendment to the US Constitution gives the US Congress the right to levy a personal income tax without the need to reapportion the funds collected to the states proportionally based on census results. Prior to the amendment, taxes collected had to be returned to the states based on population.

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Information desk sign : ASK ME
6. Sits in a cellar, say : AGES
10. Chuckleheads : SAPS
14. Yuletide name : CLAUS
15. Philanthropist Wallace : LILA
16. Grammy-winning rapper : ICE-T
17. Totally rad electric guitar performance? : KILLER WAIL (from “killer whale”)
19. Short copy? : DUPE
20. Upper bod muscle : PEC
21. Poor Richard, really : BEN
22. Brusque : TERSE
23. Emergency bucket on Dior’s boat? : CHRISTIAN BAIL (from “Christian Bale”)
27. Nonbeliever : ATHEIST
29. Shoreline flood protection : DUNE
30. Caper film event : HEIST
31. Actor Danson : TED
32. Dessert chain with Cotton Candy Freeze : TCBY
36. Travel guide : MAP
37. Jib made of clothing labels? : TAG SAIL (from “tag sale”)
41. SE state : ALA
42. “When all __ fails … ” : ELSE
44. “Let ‘er __!” : RIP
45. Zac of “Baywatch” : EFRON
47. Error : GOOF
49. Master piece? : PADLOCK
51. Where to find more beach toys? : BEYOND THE PAIL (from “beyond the pale”)
55. Expunge : ERASE
56. Mahershala of “True Detective” : ALI
57. IMAX purchase : TKT
59. X-ray, Yankee, __ : ZULU
60. Impressive New York zoo peacock display? : A BRONX TAIL (from “A Bronx Tale”)
64. Phone button abbr. : OPER
65. X-ray units : RADS
66. Starbucks size : VENTI
67. Double __ Oreos : STUF
68. “If you don’t mind?” : MAY I?
69. In other words, in Caesar’s words : ID EST

Down

1. “Crikey!” : ACK!
2. Berth place : SLIP
3. Healthy snack : KALE CHIPS
4. Puts a cover on, as a bed : MULCHES
5. Jargon suffix : -ESE
6. Astros’ MLB division : AL WEST
7. Really big : GIANT
8. “The House with a Clock in Its Walls” director Roth : ELI
9. “On the Road” narrator : SAL
10. Secondary wager : SIDE BET
11. Integra maker : ACURA
12. “For every generation” soft drink : PEPSI
13. 1943 penny metal : STEEL
18. Hitting stat : RBIS
22. Paramount Network, once : TNN
24. “Norma Rae” director : RITT
25. Writer’s block breakthrough : IDEA
26. German wheels : AUDI
27. Words of lament : AH ME
28. Marsh duck : TEAL
31. Cough syrup meas. : TSP
33. Actress who plays Kimmy Schmidt’s landlady : CAROL KANE
34. Allied group : BLOC
35. Jerk : YANK
38. “Sunday Night Baseball” analyst, familiarly : A-ROD
39. One often taking a bow : GIFT
40. Helen of Troy’s mother : LEDA
43. Try to find oneself? : EGOSURF
46. Made moth moves : FLITTED
48. Half and half : ONE
49. House speaker after Ryan : PELOSI
50. Neat as __ : A PIN
51. Amazon founder : BEZOS
52. Blow one’s stack : ERUPT
53. Ivy in Conn. : YALE U
54. Resistant to cold, as plants : HARDY
58. Small songbirds : TITS
60. Parka sleeve : ARM
61. “Listen, ewe!” : BAA!
62. Income tax Amendment : XVI
63. Hammered : LIT

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12 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 22 Feb 19, Friday”

  1. LAT: 19:29, no errors. WSJ: 23:29, 1 error. No idea on the meta, per usual. Newsday: 42:19, 1 error. Definitely very hard.

    @Dave
    Finally got my prize.

  2. LAT 40:50 with 4 wrong letters so I guess that’s 8 errors (I call it 4).
    NYT#0118 from my paper today, after an hour and a half and 20% finished I saw the handwriting on the wall and gave up.
    Just not my day.

  3. LAT: 12:00, no errors. Newsday: 11:15, no errors. WSJ: 14:35, no errors; and no idea about the meta (but I haven’t thought about it much, either). Croce later, if I have time.

  4. 16:32. Interesting theme. I guess if a dominant XY chromosome type sent me a message via the internet, it would be called ALPHA MAIL? Guess that didn’t fit into the grid.

    Vidwan –
    That may or may not be a good dish, but I’m not sure why they call it an “omelet”…

    Best –

  5. Jeff, they call it an omelet because probably they have never tasted the real thing. This pancake is pretty big, yellow and fluffy and plenty vegetables and comes with a slice of bread. In a region where there are an overwhelming group of vegetarians ( no meat, no eggs etc) perhaps it is the best substitute they could think up. Recipe on google.

    The puzzle was difficult. Too many names and thd cluing was past my iq level. I was lucky to finish most of it, but it was a slog and the long answers were riddled in themselves…

    Beyond the pale … reminds me of the area in Tsarist Russia where the Jews were allowed to settle and live. They were not allowed anywhere near Moscow etc. I assumed out of sight out of mind …. was what the tsar thought…. sad …. thank you Bill for your lucid explanation.

    Have a nice weekend all.

  6. Hi all!!🐔

    No errors. Seems to me we’ve had a lot of initials this week!🤔

    Jeff, I’ve got one: Headgear for a skiing bride? White Vail! 😁
    …hmmm…not bad but not great….

    Be well~~🌺🌼🌻

  7. 17 mis 40 sec, DNF, 6 left unfinished. I groaned at most of these puns, and flat out couldn’t figure out a couple of them. Meh.

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