LA Times Crossword 19 Aug 19, Monday

Bill’s time: 5m 12s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

16 Easter beginning? : NOR-

A nor’easter is a storm that blows from the northeast.

17 Data-intensive branch of engineering : INFORMATICS

Information science is concerned with the various aspects of managing information, including collection, classification, analysis, dissemination protection. Informatics is an applied branch of information science, and is focused on the interaction between humans and information.

19 “Positively Entertaining” TV network : ION

Ion Television started out as PAX TV in 1998, was renamed to “i:Independent Television” in 2005 and then to “Ion” in 2007. The Ion network adopted the slogan “Positively Entertaining” in 2008, with “positive” being a play on the positive charge of some atoms and molecules.

21 Unveiling word : VOILA!

The French word “voilà” means “there it is”, and “voici” means “here it is”. The terms come from “voi là” meaning “see there” and “voi ici” meaning “see here”.

22 Iraq War worries, for short : WMDS

The first recorded use of the term “Weapon of Mass Destruction” (WMD) was in 1937. The words were used by Cosmo Gordon Lang, the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time, in reference to the bombardment of Guernica in Spain during the Spanish Civil War by the German Luftwaffe. He said, “Who can think without horror of what another widespread war would mean, waged as it would be with all the new weapons of mass destruction?”

23 God, in Judaism : YAHWEH

“Tetragrammaton” is a Greek word meaning “consisting of four letters” It is the name given to the four-letter word in Hebrew for the name God. The four letters are usually translated into English as YHWH, with “Yahweh” used as the ancient pronunciation. Another pronunciation that has been used is “Jehovah”.

25 Red-handed : IN THE ACT

To be caught red-handed is to be caught in the act. The expression originated in Scotland and dates back at least to the 1400s. The red in question is blood, as in being caught with blood on one’s hands after perhaps committing a murder or an act of poaching.

30 “__ luego” : HASTA

“Hasta luego!” translates literally from Spanish as “until later!”, and is used to say “see you later!”.

34 Choir voice : TENOR

A tenor is a male with a singing voice lower than a countertenor, and higher than a baritone. “Tenor” comes from the Latin “tenere” meaning “to hold”. The term is rooted in medieval polyphonic music, when it described the voice that sang (held) the sustained melody, around which all other voices were arranged.

36 Judge on “The People v. O.J. Simpson” : ITO

Judge Lance Ito came in for a lot of criticism for his handling of the 1995 O.J. Simpson murder trial. The lead prosecutor in that trial was Marcia Clark, you might recall. I read the book that’s Clark wrote about the trial called “Without a Doubt”, and she pointed out one trait of Judge Ito that I think is quite telling. Ito would almost always refer to the prosecutor as “Marcia”, while addressing the men on both sides of the case with the honorific “Mister”.

Actor Kenneth Choi is from Chicago. He is best known for playing Henry Lin on the TV crime drama “Sons of Anarchy”. Choi also played a pivotal role on the TV series “The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story”, portraying Judge Lance Ito.

41 Avant-garde music genre : ART ROCK

Art rock is a genre of rock music that aims to make an artistic statement, rather than just provide entertainment.

44 Greetings from Fido : WOOFS

“Fido”, the name for many a dog, is Latin for “I trust”.

46 Aired with sharper resolution : IN HD

High-definition (HD)

49 Lariat : LASSO

Our English word “lasso” comes from the Spanish “lazo”, and ultimately from the Latin “laqueum” meaning “noose, snare”.

54 Insect-sized superhero : ANT-MAN

In the Marvel universe, Ant-Man has been the superhero persona of three different fictional characters: Hank Pym, Scott Lang and Eric O’Grady. In the 2015 film “Ant-Man”, Michael Douglas plays Hank Pym, and Paul Rudd plays Scott Lang.

62 Approx. landing time : ETA

Estimated time of arrival (ETA)

63 “Best thing” bakery metaphor … and a hint to each row of circles : SLICED BREAD

Wonder Bread was introduced in 1921 by the Taggart Baking Company of Indianapolis. Wonder Bread was introduced as “the greatest forward step in the baking industry since bread was wrapped”. The loaves were unsliced back then, with the sliced version being introduced nationally in the 1930s. It was the “wonder” of this sliced bread that eventually led to the idiom “the best thing since sliced bread”.

66 Fish in Japanese unadon : EEL

“Unadon” is the Japanese word for “eel bowl”. “Unadon” is actually a contraction, of “unagi no kabayaki” (grilled eel) and “donburi” (rice bowl dish).

68 Montana Tech city : BUTTE

The city of Butte, Montana has a history that is rooted in mining. Butte was founded as a mining town in the late 1800s. Although mining brought great growth to the area, it also brought environmental problems. Today Bette is home to the country’s largest Superfund cleanup site.

Montana Technology University is a public school in Butte that was founded as the Montana State School of Mines in 1900. The university’s motto is “De re metallica” (Of the metals), reflecting the continuing importance of Montana Tech’s School of Mines & Engineering.

70 Slanted columns : OP-EDS

“Op-ed” is an abbreviation for “opposite the editorial page”. Op-eds started in “The New York Evening World” in 1921 when the page opposite the editorials was used for articles written by a named guest writer, someone independent of the editorial board.

Down

1 CBS forensic spin-off starring Gary Sinise : CSI: NY

Actor Gary Sinise was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for playing Lieutenant Dan Taylor in the 1994 film “Forrest Gump”. Sinise then played the lead in television’s “CSI: NY” starting in 2004. Sinise was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Bush for his work helping Iraqi school children as well as his work with the USO.

2 Sleep concern : APNEA

Sleep apnea (“apnoea” in British English) can be caused by an obstruction in the airways, possibly due to obesity or enlarged tonsils.

3 Elegant Manhattan avenue : FIFTH

Fifth Avenue in New York is sometimes referred to as the “most expensive street in the world” as the section that runs through Midtown Manhattan is home to upscale stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue.

6 Spiced tea : CHAI

Chai is a drink made from spiced black tea, honey and milk, with “chai” being the Hindi word for “tea”. We often called tea “a cup of char” growing up in Ireland, with “char” being our slang word for tea, derived from “chai”.

7 Emergency phone link : HOTLINE

A famous hotline was used during WWII by President Roosevelt in the White House and Prime Minister Churchill in the Cabinet War Room bunker in London. That link was secured in 1943, marking the world’s very first use of voice encryption. An even more famous hotline was set up between Washington and Moscow in 1963, in the aftermath of the near catastrophic Cuban Missile Crisis. Often referred to as the “red telephone”, the Washington-Moscow hotline has never used phones. Instead, there were teletypewriters at either end, which were later upgraded to telecopiers, and now the parties use emails.

8 Birdlike : AVIAN

An aviary is a large cage that houses birds, and something described as avian is bird-like or bird-related. “Avis” is Latin for “bird”.

9 Jiff : SEC

“Jiff” or “jiffy”, meaning “short time, instant” is thought originally to be thieves’ slang for “lightning”.

10 Doubtfire’s title : MRS

The 1993 comedy “Mrs. Doubtfire” is based on a 1987 novel called “Madame Doubtfire” by Anne Fine. The movie is set and was filmed in San Francisco. The title role is played by Robin Williams, who spent most of the movie dressed as the female Mrs. Doubtfire. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the movie won the Oscar for Best Makeup.

11 Pixar specialty : ANIMATION

Pixar Animation Studios started out as part of Lucasfilm in 1979, George Lucas’s production company. Lucas sold what was to become Pixar to Apple CEO Steve Jobs in 1986. Pixar produced its first feature film in 1995, the fabulous “Toy Story”, and followed up with a string of hits. The company was then sold to Walt Disney in 2006, when valued at $7.4 billion. That transaction resulted in Steve Jobs becoming the biggest shareholder in Walt Disney.

13 Surrealist Max : ERNST

Max Ernst was a painter and sculptor, and a pioneer in the Dada movement and Surrealism. Ernst was born near Cologne in Germany in 1891 and he was called up to fight in WWI, as were most young German men at that time. In his autobiography he writes “Max Ernst died the 1st of August, 1914”, which was a statement about his experiences in the war. In reality, Ernst died in 1976 having lived to the ripe old age of 85.

The cultural movement known as Surrealism emerged in the 1920s, and grew out of the Dada activities that were a response to WWI. The term “surrealist” was coined by Guillaume Apollinaire, when he used it in the preface of his play “Les Mamelles de Tirésias”.

18 Mineral hardness scale : MOHS

The Mohs scale of mineral hardness was developed in 1812 by Friedrich Mohs. Basically Mohs took minerals and scratched them with other minerals. In this way he was able to determine which minerals were hardest (most scratch resistant) and which softest. On the scale, diamond is the hardest (and rated 10), while talc is the softest (and rated 1).

22 Director Anderson : WES

Film director Wes Anderson’s most famous movie is probably “The Royal Tenenbaums” that was released in 2001, and is not my favorite film by any stretch. However, Anderson’s 2007 release “The Darjeeling Limited”, that I enjoyed.

24 Stinging flier : WASP

While the wasp is considered to be a nuisance by many, the insect is very important to the agricultural industry. Wasps prey on many pest insects, while having very little impact on crops.

26 Norse god with a hammer : THOR

The hammer associated with the Norse god Thor is known as Mjölnir. The name “Mjölnir” translates as “crusher”.

27 Kevin of “Central Intelligence” : HART

Kevin Hart is an actor and comedian from Philadelphia. Hart plays the lead role on a reality TV parody on BET called “Real Husbands of Hollywood”.

“Central Intelligence” is a 2016 comedy movie starring Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson as two old high-school buddies. Hart’s character becomes and accountant, while Johnson’s character joins the CIA. I haven’t seen this one yet …

29 “The Simpsons” bus driver : OTTO

Otto Mann drives the school bus on the TV show “The Simpsons”. Otto is a Germanic character voiced by Harry Shearer, and his name is a play on “Ottoman Empire”. Whenever Bart sees him, he greets Otto with the words “Otto, man!”

31 MLB’s Diamondbacks, on scoreboards : ARI

The Arizona Diamondbacks joined Major League Baseball’s National League in 1998. By winning the World Series in 2001, the Diamondbacks became the fastest expansion team to do so in Major League history.

35 Space-research org. : NASA

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

40 __ Hashanah: Jewish New Year : ROSH

Rosh Hashanah is loosely referred to as “Jewish New Year”. The literal translation from Hebrew is “head of the year”.

42 Tear gas situation : RIOT

Technically speaking, tear gas is a lachrymatory agent. This means that it causes tearing (“lacrima” is Latin for “tear”).

45 Bilked : FLEECED

The verb “to bilk”, meaning “to defraud”, comes from the card game of cribbage. “To bilk” in cribbage is to spoil someone’s score.

50 DUI-fighting org. : SADD

Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) was founded in Massachusetts in 1981. SADD’s aim is to prevent road traffic accidents by urging students to avoid potentially destructive decisions (such as driving under the influence of alcohol).

51 Stuck-up : SNOBBY

Back in the 1780s, a snob was a shoemaker or a shoemaker’s apprentice. By the end of the 18th century the word “snob” was being used by students at Cambridge University in England to refer to all local merchants and people of the town. The term evolved to mean one who copies those who are his or her social superior (and not in a good way). From there it wasn’t a big leap for “snob” to include anyone who emphasized their superior social standing and not just those who aspired to rank. Nowadays a snob is anyone who looks down on those considered to be of inferior standing.

52 1974 hit “__ Home Alabama” : SWEET

“Sweet Home Alabama” was one of the biggest hits for Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd when it was released in 1974. Famously, the song was written in response to “Southern Man” and “Alabama” released by Neil Young just a couple of years earlier. Young’s songs raise the issues of racism and slavery in the American South, and so he gets a mention in the lyrics of “Sweet Home Alabama”:

Well, I heard Mister Young sing about her
Well, I heard ol’ Neil put her down
Well, I hope Neil Young will remember
A Southern man don’t need him around anyhow

56 Playing marble : AGATE

A playing marble made from agate is called just that, an agate. Steelies on the other hand, are made from solid steel.

63 “City by the Bay” airport code : SFO

The San Francisco Bay Area is served by three major airports: San Francisco (SFO), Oakland (OAK) and San Jose (SJC).

“Frisco” is not a term you’d hear used in the San Francisco Bay Area for our main city. Acceptable nicknames are “the City by the Bay” and “Fog City”. We usually just refer to it as “the City”.