LA Times Crossword 17 Mar 19, Sunday

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Constructed by: Matt McKinley
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme: Going Green

Happy Saint Paddy’s Day, everyone! Themed clues today are the same, namely “Green”:

  • 23A. Green : GOLFER’S PUTTING SURFACE
  • 37A. Green : LOOKING SICKLY
  • 66A. Green : VILLAGE CENTER
  • 95A. Green : EASILY TRICKED
  • 113A. Green : COLOR FOR ST PATRICK’S DAY
  • 36D. Green : NEW ON THE JOB
  • 42D. Green : ECO-FRIENDLY

Bill’s time: 17m 40s

Bill’s errors: 2

  • NOM (now!!)
  • MSU (WSU)

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1. Boxer who defeated Holyfield twice : BOWE

Riddick Bowe is a former professional boxer from Brooklyn, New York. Bowe was Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World in 1992. A few years later Bowe retired from boxing to join the US Marines. However, after just 11 days of basic training Bowe asked to quit, and the Marine Corps came into a lot of criticism for acceding to his request.

Evander Holyfield is a professional boxer from Atmore, Alabama. Holyfield was Undisputed World Champion twice over, once as a cruiserweight and then as a heavyweight. Since retiring, Holyfield has stayed in the limelight. He competed in “Dancing with the Stars” in 2005, and “Celebrity Big Brother (UK)” in 2014.

5. Contentious shoulder piece? : CHIP

The idiomatic phrase “to have a chip on one’s shoulder” dates back to at least 1830. It is an American expression making reference to the belligerent practice of putting a wood chip on one’s shoulder and defying someone to knock it off.

13. Rugby tussles : SCRUMS

If you’ve ever seen a rugby match, you’ll recognize the “scrum”, where the players designated as “forwards” bind together and push against the forwards on the opposing team. It’s a way of restarting the game after various types of stoppages. Scrum is short for “scrummage”, which in itself is a variation of “scrimmage”. And “scrimmage” has its roots in the word “skirmish”. If you get the chance, take a look at the Matt Damon-Morgan Freeman movie called “Invictus”, directed by Clint Eastwood. It’s all about rugby in South Africa after Nelson Mandela came to power. A powerful film …

19. Lang. of Livorno : ITAL

Livorno is a port city on the west coast of Italy. The city is often called “Leghorn” in English and gave its name to the leghorn breed of chicken, and by extension to the cartoon character known as Foghorn Leghorn.

20. Border Patrol city of the Southwest : YUMA

The city and county of Yuma, Arizona take their name from the Quechan (aka “Yuma”) Native American tribe that inhabited the area.

The US Border Patrol (USBP) is the uniformed law enforcement arm of US Customs and Border Protection. USBP is one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the nation, with about 20,000 active agents.

21. Three Rivers river : OHIO

The Ohio River forms in Pittsburgh where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet. It empties into the Mississippi near the city of Cairo, Illinois.

27. Samson’s betrayer : DELILAH

Delilah is the love and eventually temptress of Samson, according to the Bible. Delilah was engaged by the Philistines to betray Samson by determining the secret of his great strength. Samson lied to her three times, but on the fourth asking he told Delilah the truth, that he did not cut his hair. Delilah then persuaded Samson to shear his locks and so allowed him to be captured by his enemies. Over the centuries, it has been usual to depict Delilah actually cutting off her husband’s hair, but the Bible actually says that she allowed a man to do the deed while Samson was sleeping.

29. Apostle also called Levi : MATTHEW

In the Christian tradition, Matthew was one of the twelve apostles and one of the four Evangelists, the authors of the four Gospels. According to some accounts, before becoming an apostle, Matthew was a tax collector and was known by the name Levi.

31. Happy eating word : NOM

“Om Nom Nom Nom” is a slang expression that indicates satisfied eating.

33. Kewpie and kachina : DOLLS

Kewpie dolls are figurines that were introduced originally in 1909 as characters in a comic strip drawn by cartoonist Rose O’Neill. The name “Kewpie” comes from “Cupid”, the name of the Roman god of erotic love.

Kachina dolls are wooden figures representing various Hopi spirits and deities. Traditionally, Kachina dolls were made by men and then passed on to the daughters of the village in a ceremony feting a particular spirit.

42. Not a Crimson fan : ELI

Eli is the nickname for a graduate of Yale University, a term used in honor of the Yale benefactor Elihu Yale.

Not only is crimson the school color, “Harvard Crimson” is the name given to the athletic teams, and to the school newspaper. The school color was chosen by a vote of the student body in 1875.

47. Hawaiian goose : NENE

The nene is a bird that is native to Hawaii, and is also known as the Hawaiian goose. The name “nene” is imitative of its call. When Captain Cook landed on the islands in 1778, there were 25,000 nene living there. By 1950, the number was reduced by hunting to just 30 birds. Conservation efforts in recent years have been somewhat successful. The nene was named State Bird of Hawaii in 1957.

50. Premier League soccer anchor Rebecca : LOWE

Rebecca Lowe is a sportscaster working for NBC. Rebecca is from London, and is the daughter of Chris Lowe, a former newscaster for the BBC for almost 40 years. Lowe is married to Paul Buckle, the head coach for the Sacramento Republic soccer team.

51. Nissan model : SENTRA

The Nissan Sentra is sold as the Nissan Sunny back in Japan.

54. Suffragist Julia Ward __ : HOWE

Julia Ward Howe was an active pacifist and suffragist. Howe is also well known as the writer of the lyrics to “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”.

60. Cremona Christmas : NATALE

Cremona is a city in Lombardy in northern Italy that lies on the Po river. Cremona has a rich musical history and was the home to famous craftsmen who made stringed instruments, including Stradivari and several members of the Amati family.

62. AEC successor : NRC

The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was set up right after WWII in 1946, with the aim of promoting the peaceful use of atomic energy. Establishing the AEC was a significant move made by President Truman, as it passed control of atomic energy from the military to the civilian sector. The AEC continued to operate until 1974 when its functions were divided up into two new agencies: the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Energy Research and Development Administration (NRDA). The NRDA was merged with the Federal Energy Administration in 1977 to form the Department of Energy.

63. Beast in a Beatles’ title : WALRUS

“I Am the Walrus” is a Beatles song released in 1967. It was written by John Lennon, with the “Walrus” being a reference to the poem “The Walrus and the Carpenter” from Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking-Glass”.

64. Iowa summer hrs. : CDT

Central Daylight Time (CDT)

71. Land in the Seine : ILE

There are two famous “îles” (islands) in the middle of the River Seine in Paris, one being the Île de la Cité, and the other Île Saint-Louis. Île de la Cité is the most renowned of the two, as it is home to the cathedral of Notre Dame.

78. Tenth of a grand : C-NOTE

“C-note” and “C-spot” are slang terms for “$100 bill”.

84. Pacific island nation : FIJI

The island nation of Fiji is an archipelago in the South Pacific made up of over 330 islands, 110 of which are inhabited. Fiji was occupied by the British for over a century and finally gained its independence in 1970.

90. “Mean Girls” actress : LOHAN

I think that actress Lindsay Lohan’s big break was in the Disney remake of “The Parent Trap” in 1998. I’ve really only enjoyed one of Lohan’s films though, “Freaky Friday” from 2003 in which she stars alongside the fabulous Jamie Lee Curtis.

“Mean Girls” is a teen comedy movie released in 2004 starring Lindsay Lohan. Tina Fey also puts in an appearance, which really isn’t surprising as Fey wrote the screenplay.

92. Jim Davis canine : ODIE

Odie is Garfield’s best friend, and is a slobbery beagle. Both are characters in Jim Davis’ comic strip named “Garfield”.

93. “The Nutcracker” dip : PLIE

The French word for “bent” is “plié”. In the ballet move known as a plié, the knees are bent. A “demi-plié” is a similar move, but with less bending of the knees.

Today, Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” is one of the most popular ballets in the repertoire, although that popularity really only emerged in the late sixties. It’s “must-see ballet” during the Christmas holidays.

99. Himalayan beast : YAK

The English word “yak” is an Anglicized version of the Tibetan name for the male of the species. Yak milk is much prized in the Tibetan culture. It is made into cheese and butter, and the butter is used to make a tea that is consumed in great volume by Tibetans. The butter is also used as a fuel in lamps, and during festivals the butter is even sculpted into religious icons.

102. Moving wheels : VAN

The vehicle we call a “van” takes its name from “caravan”, and is a shortened version of the older term. Back in the 1600s, a caravan was a covered cart. We still used the term “caravan” in Ireland to describe what we call a “mobile home” or “recreational vehicle” here in the US.

113. Green : COLOR FOR ST PATRICK’S DAY

There is a fair amount known about Saint Patrick, some of which comes from two letters written in his own hand. St. Patrick lived in the fifth century, but was not born in Ireland. He was first brought to Ireland at about 16 years of age from his native Britain, by Irish raiders who made him a slave for six years. Patrick managed to escape and returned to his homeland where he studied and entered the Church. He went back to Ireland as a bishop and a missionary and there lived out the rest of his life. There seems to be good evidence that he died on March 17th (now celebrated annually as Saint Patrick’s Day), although the year is less clear. The stories about shamrock and snakes, I am afraid they are the stuff of legend.

Ireland is often referred to as “the Emerald Isle” (and described as “green”) because of all that green grass that grows due to the seemingly non-stop rain.

119. With 109-Down, obsession : IDEE …
(109D. See 119-Across : … FIXE)

An “idée fixe” (a French term) is basically a fixed idea, an obsession

120. Hot message : SEXT

Sexting (a portmanteau of “sex” and “texting”) is the sending of explicit dialog and images between cell phones. The term “sexting” was coined by the UK’s “Sunday Telegraph Magazine” in a 2005 article.

121. Against-the-wind sailing maneuver : TACK

“To tack” is a sailing term, one meaning “to veer into and through the wind in order change course”. After the maneuver is completed, the wind is coming over the opposite side of the vessel.

122. Handy reference : ROGET’S

Peter Mark Roget was an English lexicographer. Roget was an avid maker of lists, apparently using the routine of list-making to combat depression, a condition he endured for most of his life. He published his famous thesaurus in 1852, with revisions and expansions being made years later by his son, and then in turn by his grandson.

124. Skip-a-round privileges : BYES

The word “bye”, as used in sport, originated in cricket. A bye is a run scored due to an error by the wicketkeeper (similar to a catcher in baseball) when he fails to stop a ball bowled by the bowler (like a pitcher in baseball). Later the word “bye” in sport came to mean the position of a player in a tournament who is left without a competitor when the rest have drawn pairs. In these commercial times, those byes tend to be awarded to the best (seeded) players, so that the most popular players always advance past the first round of competition.

125. Barrie’s bosun : SMEE

In J. M. Barrie’s play and novel about Peter Pan, Smee is one of Captain Hook’s pirates and is Hook’s right-hand man. Smee is described by Barrie as being “Irish” and “a man who stabbed without offence”. Nice guy! Captain Hook and Smee sail on the pirate ship called the Jolly Roger.

Down

1. Texas city nickname : BIG D

“Big D” is a nickname for the city of Dallas, Texas.

2. Siouan tribe : OTOE

The Otoe (also “Oto”) Native American tribe originated in the Great Lakes region as part of the Winnebago or Siouan tribes. The group that would become the Otoe broke away from the Winnebago and migrated southwestward, ending up in the Great Plains. In the plains the Otoe adopted a semi-nomadic lifestyle dependent on the horse, with the American bison becoming central to their diet.

3. Interactive Facebook feature : WALL

The Facebook Wall is kind of the homepage for a Facebook user, I think.

5. Roxane’s lover : CYRANO

Cyrano de Bergerac was a French dramatist who lived in the 17th century. Paintings and drawings show that Bergerac had a large nose, although the size was exaggerated by those who wrote about his life. Reputedly, Cyrano fought in over 1000 duels, mostly instigated by someone insulting his nose. In the play written about his life, Cyrano had a famous lover named Roxane. It is thought that the Roxane character was modeled on Cyrano’s cousin who lived with his sister in a convent.

8. Name of six popes : PAUL

Pope Paul VI was head of the Roman Catholic Church from 1963 to 1978. Pope Paul VI was born in the village of Concesio in Lombardy, Italy as Giovanni Battista Montini. The future pope’s mother was from a noble family, and his father was a member of the Italian parliament.

10. Yellowfin tuna : AHI

Yellowfin and bigeye tuna are usually marketed as “ahi”, the Hawaiian name. They are both big fish, with yellowfish tuna often weighing over 300 pounds, and bigeye tuna getting up to 400 pounds.

11. Three-time Tony winner __-Manuel Miranda : LIN

Lin-Manuel Miranda is composer and playwright from New York City, and the creator and star of the hit Broadway musicals “Hamilton” and “In the Heights”. Miranda also co-wrote the songs for the 2016 Disney animated feature “Moana”. He started composing early, and wrote jingles as a child. One of those jingles was later used by Eliot Spitzer in his 2006 gubernatorial campaign.

13. Blew big-time : SQUALLED

A squall line is a line of thunderstorms that sometimes precedes a cold front.

16. Bryce Canyon locale : UTAH

Bryce Canyon National Park is truly a beautiful part of America. The strange thing is that Bryce isn’t a canyon at all, but rather is a natural amphitheater created by erosion of sedimentary rocks that are part of the Paunsaugunt Plateau.

17. Clock-climbing trio : MICE

As several astute readers have pointed out (below), I think that we’re conflating two nursery rhymes in this clue/answer. A single mouse climbed the clock …

Hickory, dickory, dock.
The mouse ran up the clock.
The clock struck one,
The mouse ran down,
Hickory, dickory, dock.

… whereas a trio of mice had their tails cut off by the farmer’s wife:

Three blind mice. Three blind mice.
See how they run. See how they run.
They all ran after the farmer’s wife,
Who cut off their tails with a carving knife,
Did you ever see such a sight in your life,
As three blind mice?

24. Jewish month after Av : ELUL

Elul is the month in the Hebrew calendar that occurs in August-September.

25. Hide seeker : TANNER

Leather is made from animal skins. When the flesh, fat and hair is removed from the skin and it is dried, the resulting product is called “rawhide”. Further treatment of the skin with chemicals that permanently alter the protein structure of the skin is called “tanning”, and the resulting product is “leather”.

26. Appalachian range : SMOKIES

The Great Smoky Mountains are a subrange of the Appalachians and are located in North Carolina and Tennessee. The “Smokies” lie almost entirely within the bounds of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which is the most-visited national park in the whole country. The name “Smoky” is a reference to the natural fog often seen hanging over the range. The fog is actually a vapor made up of volatile organic compounds released by the vegetation covering the peaks.

32. The NCAA’s Spartans : MSU

Michigan State University (MSU) is located in East Lansing, Michigan. MSU has the largest study-abroad program of any single-campus university in the US. Programs are offered on all continents of the world, including Antarctica. The MSU athletic teams are known as the Spartans.

33. 1971 American Airlines debut : DC-TEN

The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is a very recognizable passenger aircraft, with one engine under either wing and a third incorporated into the base of the vertical stabilizer at the rear of the plane. The DC-10 made its last commercial passenger flight in 2014, but it remains in service as a cargo plane, particularly with FedEx Express.

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.

34. Ice cream treat : MALT

Walgreens claims to have introduced the malted milkshake, back in 1922.

35. Self-help website : EHOW

eHow is a how-to website that was founded in 1999. eHow has an awful lot of content but doesn’t do a great job of assessing the value of that content. I wouldn’t recommend it …

38. 1936 Literature Nobelist : O’NEILL

The playwright Eugene O’Neill was born in a New York City hotel room in what is now called Times Square, in 1888. That building no longer exists and there is a Starbucks on the site today, but you can go take a look at the commemorative plaque at the Northeast corner of 43rd and Broadway. O’Neill died in 1953, in room 401 of the Sheraton Hotel on Bay State Road in Boston. His last words were, “I knew it. I knew it. Born in a hotel room, and God damn it, died in a hotel room.” Eugene O’Neill won a Pulitzer for his play “Anna Christie”.

39. Vacation home for dogs? : KENNEL

Our word “kennel” meaning “doghouse” comes from the Vulgar Latin word “canile” meaning the same thing. A sheep (“ovus”) was kept in an “ovile”, a horse (“equus”) in an “equile”, and a dog (“canis”) in a “canile”.

40. QBs’ concerns : INTS

Interception (Int.)

44. Actually existing : IN ESSE

The Latin term “in esse” is used to mean “actually existing”, and translates as “in being”.

49. Synagogue : SHUL

“Shul” is another name for a synagogue. “Shul” is the term mostly used in Orthodox Judaism, “synagogue” in Conservative Judaism, and “temple” in Reform Judaism.

58. Frodo pursuer : ORC

Frodo Baggins is a principal character in J. R. R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings”. Frodo is a Hobbit, and is charged with the quest of destroying Sauron’s Ring in the fires of Mount Doom. Frodo is portrayed by American actor Elijah Wood in Peter Jackson’s film adaptations of the novels.

59. Psychiatrist Jung : CARL

Carl Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist, and the founder of analytical psychology. Jung was very much associated with the analysis of dreams, and also introduced us to the psychological concepts of introversion and extroversion.

65. 2003 AFI Life Achievement Award recipient : DE NIRO

Robert De Niro is noted for his longtime and highly successful collaboration with the director Martin Scorsese, in such films as “Taxi Driver” (1976), “Raging Bull” (1980), “Goodfellas” (1990) and “Casino” (1995). De Niro is also noted for his commitment as a method actor. Famously, he gained a full 60 pounds in order to play Jake Lamotta in “Raging Bull”.

The American Film Institute (AFI) introduced its annual Life Achievement Award in 1973. Notable recipients have been:

  • John Ford in 1973: the first recipient
  • Bette Davis in 1977: the first female recipient
  • Lillian Gish in 1984: the only recipient from the silent film era
  • Tom Hanks in 2002: the youngest recipient, at 45 years of age
  • John Williams in 2016: the first composer to receive the award

69. Kind of skiing : NORDIC

Nordic skiing differs from Alpine skiing in the type of equipment used. Nordic ski boots are fixed to the binding so that the heel can lift off the ski, whereas Alpine ski boots are fixed to the binding along the whole sole. Alpine skiing is also known as downhill skiing, and Nordic skiing disciplines include cross-country skiing and Telemark skiing.

70. He has the answers : TREBEK

Alex Trebek has been the host of “Jeopardy!” since the syndicated version of the game show launched in 1984. Trebek has missed just one episode since then, when he and host of “Wheel of Fortune” Pat Sajak swapped roles in 1997 as an April Fool’s joke. In 2014, Trebek picked up the Guinness World Record for hosting the most episodes of a game show.

73. Geraint’s beloved : ENID

Enid is a Welsh name, from “einit” an old Welsh word meaning “purity”. Enid was the wife of Geraint, one of King Arthur’s knights. Enid is described as “the personification of spotless purity”.

79. Like seven Nolan Ryan games : NO-HIT

Nolan Ryan is famous for having more career strikeouts that any other baseball pitcher. However, he also holds the record for the most career walks and wild pitches. Another record that Ryan holds is the most no-hitters, a total of seven over his career.

80. Mani mate : PEDI

Manicure & pedicure (mani-pedi)

82. Lamb pen name : ELIA

Charles Lamb was an essayist and poet from England. Lamb’s best-known works are “Essays of Elia” (1823) and “Tales from Shakespeare”, an 1807 children’s book that he co-authored with his sister Mary Lamb.

87. Shylock’s adversary : PORTIA

In William Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice”, Portia is the formidable heroine who takes on the guise of a male lawyer and calls herself “Balthasar”. Portia does this to save the life of Antonio, the play’s title character. Portia makes a famous speech that gives us the oft-quoted phrase, “the quality of mercy” …

The quality of mercy is not strain’d,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes…

Shylock is a character in William Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice”. Shylock is a moneylender and he gives a loan which is to be secured by “a pound of flesh”. When the money cannot be repaid, Shylock demands his pound of flesh, the collection of which would kill the poor victim of his scheme.

91. Citi Field team, on scoreboards : NYM

Citi Field is the relatively new baseball stadium used by the New York Mets that sits right next door to the site of Shea stadium, where the Mets had played for decades. And the new facility’s name comes from corporate sponsor Citigroup.

95. __ de corps : ESPRIT

“Esprit de corps” is the morale of a group, best translated from French perhaps as “team spirit”.

98. Like many basements : DANK

“Dank” is such a lovely word that has largely been superseded by “damp”, another nice word. It is thought that “dank” came into English from Scandinavia some time before the 14th century. The modern Swedish word “dank” means “moist place”.

105. Porto-__: Benin’s capital : NOVO

Porto-Novo is the capital city of Benin in West Africa. Porto-Novo may be the nation’s capital but it isn’t the biggest city, and nor is it the most economically important. That honor goes to the city of Cotonou.

108. Accident investigation agcy. : NTSB

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is responsible for the investigation of major accidents involving transportation. Included in this broad definition is the transportation of fluids in pipelines. The organization is independent in that it has no ties to other government agencies or departments so that its investigations can be viewed as “impartial”. The NTSB also earns a little money for the US as it hires out its investigation teams to countries who don’t have the necessary resources available on their own soil.

110. Eliot’s “__ Bede” : ADAM

“Adam Bede” was the first novel written by the English writer George Eliot (aka Mary Ann Evans). It was published in 1859 and has been in print since then, for over 150 years.

112. Youngster : TYKE

“Tyke” has been used playfully to describe a young child since at least 1902, but for centuries before that a tyke was a cur or mongrel, or perhaps a lazy or lower-class man.

115. Star Wars initials : SDI

One of the positive outcomes of President Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) aka “Star Wars”) was a change in US defense strategy. The new approach was to use missiles to destroy incoming hostile weapons, rather than using missiles to destroy the nation attacking the country. The former doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction went by the apt acronym of MAD …

117. Ferdinand II of Aragón, por ejemplo : REY

Ferdinand II of Aragon married Isabella, the future queen of Castille, in 1469. That marriage, and subsequent actions by the couple, brought together the two largest kingdoms of the Iberian peninsula and paved the way for the birth of Spain as unified nation centuries later. Ferdinand and Isabella also elevated Catholicism to the level of “national” religion, and indeed established the infamous Spanish Inquisition to maintain that status. And the two became very wealthy, especially after the successful voyages of Christopher Columbus that led to Spanish territorial expansion into the New World.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Boxer who defeated Holyfield twice : BOWE
5. Contentious shoulder piece? : CHIP
9. Equal-split offer : HALF
13. Rugby tussles : SCRUMS
19. Lang. of Livorno : ITAL
20. Border Patrol city of the Southwest : YUMA
21. Three Rivers river : OHIO
22. “That’s enough!” : QUIT IT!
23. Green : GOLFER’S PUTTING SURFACE
27. Samson’s betrayer : DELILAH
28. Pub bud : LAD
29. Apostle also called Levi : MATTHEW
30. Habit wearer : NUN
31. Happy eating word : NOM
33. Kewpie and kachina : DOLLS
34. Kings, e.g. : MEN
37. Green : LOOKING SICKLY
42. Not a Crimson fan : ELI
45. Break-in sound? : AHEM!
47. Hawaiian goose : NENE
48. Prepare to take off, perhaps : UNTIE
49. Printer function : SCAN
50. Premier League soccer anchor Rebecca : LOWE
51. Nissan model : SENTRA
53. Ownership proof : DEED
54. Suffragist Julia Ward __ : HOWE
55. Terrible year? : TWOS
56. Metal containers : TINS
57. Heart and soul, e.g. : NOUNS
59. Slapped-on restraints : CUFFS
60. Cremona Christmas : NATALE
62. AEC successor : NRC
63. Beast in a Beatles’ title : WALRUS
64. Iowa summer hrs. : CDT
66. Green : VILLAGE CENTER
71. Land in the Seine : ILE
72. Try again : REHEAR
74. Really irritate : VEX
75. Bully’s words : OR ELSE!
77. Come to __ : AN END
78. Tenth of a grand : C-NOTE
80. Part of a cook’s job : PREP
81. Recognized : KNEW
84. Pacific island nation : FIJI
85. Winter truck attachment : PLOW
86. Zoomed past : SPED BY
88. Unproductive : IDLE
89. Walked : TROD
90. “Mean Girls” actress : LOHAN
92. Jim Davis canine : ODIE
93. “The Nutcracker” dip : PLIE
94. Sad sound : SOB
95. Green : EASILY TRICKED
99. Himalayan beast : YAK
100. Until now : AS YET
101. One of the 91-Down : MET
102. Moving wheels : VAN
104. Needing bailing out, maybe : IN A SPOT
107. 60 secs. : MIN
109. Museum works : FINE ART
113. Green : COLOR FOR ST PATRICK’S DAY
118. Allowing for the possibility that : EVEN IF
119. With 109-Down, obsession : IDEE …
120. Hot message : SEXT
121. Against-the-wind sailing maneuver : TACK
122. Handy reference : ROGET’S
123. Springlike, as weather : MILD
124. Skip-a-round privileges : BYES
125. Barrie’s bosun : SMEE

Down

1. Texas city nickname : BIG D
2. Siouan tribe : OTOE
3. Interactive Facebook feature : WALL
4. Diminutive : ELFIN
5. Roxane’s lover : CYRANO
6. One may come over a crowd : HUSH
7. Prankster : IMP
8. Name of six popes : PAUL
9. Ballpark staple : HOT DOG
10. Yellowfin tuna : AHI
11. Three-time Tony winner __-Manuel Miranda : LIN
12. Daze : FOG
13. Blew big-time : SQUALLED
14. In a snippy manner : CURTLY
15. Falling-outs : RIFTS
16. Bryce Canyon locale : UTAH
17. Clock-climbing trio : MICE
18. Slow cooker dish : STEW
24. Jewish month after Av : ELUL
25. Hide seeker : TANNER
26. Appalachian range : SMOKIES
32. The NCAA’s Spartans : MSU
33. 1971 American Airlines debut : DC-TEN
34. Ice cream treat : MALT
35. Self-help website : EHOW
36. Green : NEW ON THE JOB
38. 1936 Literature Nobelist : O’NEILL
39. Vacation home for dogs? : KENNEL
40. QBs’ concerns : INTS
41. Bring about : INDUCE
42. Green : ECO-FRIENDLY
43. Allowed : LAWFUL
44. Actually existing : IN ESSE
46. Southwest formation : MESA
49. Synagogue : SHUL
51. Word with way or case : STAIR-
52. Wings : ANNEXES
58. Frodo pursuer : ORC
59. Psychiatrist Jung : CARL
61. Spot during a program : TV AD
63. Reacting to a tearjerker : WEEPY
64. Skillfully makes : CRAFTS
65. 2003 AFI Life Achievement Award recipient : DE NIRO
67. Promise : AVOWAL
68. Acquire : GET
69. Kind of skiing : NORDIC
70. He has the answers : TREBEK
73. Geraint’s beloved : ENID
76. Decide not to attend : SKIP
78. Intimate with : CLOSE TO
79. Like seven Nolan Ryan games : NO-HIT
80. Mani mate : PEDI
82. Lamb pen name : ELIA
83. Common pay period : WEEK
85. End-of-season games : PLAYOFFS
87. Shylock’s adversary : PORTIA
91. Citi Field team, on scoreboards : NYM
95. __ de corps : ESPRIT
96. Filled in : TEMPED
97. Throws out : EVICTS
98. Like many basements : DANK
100. Together : AS ONE
103. Homes in the woods : NESTS
104. Bakery specialist : ICER
105. Porto-__: Benin’s capital : NOVO
106. Shake __: hurry : A LEG
108. Accident investigation agcy. : NTSB
109. See 119-Across : … FIXE
110. Eliot’s “__ Bede” : ADAM
111. Track event : RACE
112. Youngster : TYKE
114. Edge of a canyon : RIM
115. Star Wars initials : SDI
116. Smartphone no. : TEL
117. Ferdinand II of Aragón, por ejemplo : REY

21 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 17 Mar 19, Sunday”

    1. @Glenn … I hope you saw (and were amused by) yesterday’s error-laden Universal puzzle … 😜.

  1. I remember “mouse ran up the clock”….but not three of them. Is there
    a slight mixup in nursery rhymes there?

    1. He has the wrong nursery rhyme; he’s referring to Hickory Dickory Dock, the mouse ran up the clock, but is actually only ONE mouse. The nursery rhyme with THREE mice is “Three Blind Mice”, which goes…
      Three blind mice, three blind mice
      See how they run, see how they run.
      They all ran after the farmer’s wife who cut off their tails with a carving knife,
      Did you ever see such a sight in your life as three blind mice!

      Therefore, the clue is incorrect.

    2. @Mary
      I agree, and must admit that I missed that slip. I think that the clue/answer is mixing up the two nursery rhymes. Late in the day, I’ve noted that fact in my notes above. Well spotted!

    1. Only one mouse

      Hickory, dickory, dock.
      The mouse ran up the clock.
      The clock struck one,
      The mouse ran down,
      Hickory, dickory, dock.

      1. @Sallee & Mary – I think it’s a different rhyme as Bill covered completely in quoting the correct one above that begins “Three blind mice…”

      2. Mary is right. Bill has quoted the wrong nursery rhyme. Instead, the clue refers to a humorous variant of Sallee’s rhyme. A version that I’ve heard is as follows:

        Hickory, dickory, dock.
        Two mice ran up the clock.
        The mouse struck one,
        And the other escaped with minor injuries …

        This can easily be (and probably has been) altered to speak of three mice, instead of two … 😜.

  2. I’ve said “num-num” to many a baby and toddler over a spoonful of pureed gunk, but never heard of NOM. Maybe I need to watch more TV.

      1. I think you’re right. However, Cookie Monster doesn’t enunciate very well, probably due to his lack of teeth. I’m sure he means “num.

  3. 36 minutes and DNF, with 12 errors, besides. Just not on the same page with this constructor. Well, even Bill couldn’t escape this grid without a mistake, so I don’t feel so bad…

  4. 56:15 with 2 kinda dump errors (jet for met and Roy for Rey ). I got nom by crosses but you’ve got to be kidding me.
    NYT #0310 2 and a half hours with 2 errors.. This***^^^%%%### puzzle stinks

  5. 39:00. Fun one for St. Patrick’s Day. No theme answer about being envious surprised me a little. As long as I ignore the clue for NOM, this was a good puzzle. Couldn’t they have opted for “___ de plume”?

    I heard recently that Alex TREBEK has stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Neither of those things are good…stage 4 anything or pancreatic cancer. Best wishes, Alex. Funny how the truly simple quiz shows like Jeopardy are the ones that pass the test of time.

    Bill – Sorry to hear you won’t be at the ACPT this year, but it sounds like you’re doing the right thing by staying in Ireland for the time being.

    Carrie – Cardinals have yellow beaks too: https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/cardinal?sort=mostpopular&mediatype=photography&phrase=cardinal

    I’ll probably have a green beer or two on the strip this evening, then I’m headed to the Golden Knights hockey game tonight. They shouldn’t have St Patrick’s Day on a Sunday. Unfair.

    Best –

    1. Jeff! Thank you for the link– they are such lovely birds! 🐔 I found online that they’re not common in the west or northwest, so I guess I know now why I never see them … BTW I like how the link includes Roman Catholic cardinals– there’s one halfway down who looks exactly like a young Rudy Giuliani….!!!! 😯

  6. LAT: 27:41, no errors, but I paused for several minutes over the “M” of “NOM” and “MSU”, thinking there had to be something wrong with it. I have seen “NOM” before (I think), and it is in slang dictionaries:

    https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Noms

    Newsday: 16:19, no errors.

    Washington Post: forgot to time it, no errors. Safari (on my iMac) would not let me download the PDF for this puzzle (or the LAT puzzle) from the WP site. (In both cases, it showed me an advertising video, which paused irrevocably with one second remaining.) I finally got the PDFs using FireFox.

    1. Forgot to mention that last week’s Sunday WP meta, which I never got, was completely obvious, once explained. (But … aren’t they all? … 🤪.)

  7. This was a struggle for me. What really did me in was “Smokey’s which was wrong on my part. Never came up with the correct “Smokies/” Next time I will!

  8. At the risk of being a pedantic jerk I’d like to point out that Frodo was never pursued by an ORC (58D). He avoided them but his only real pursuers were Black Riders.

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