LA Times Crossword 24 Oct 19, Thursday

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Constructed by: Christopher Adams
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: AYCE

Themed answers end with the words “ALL YOU CAN EAT”:

  • 66A Bottomless buffet acronym spelled out by the ends of 17-, 31-, 43- and 60-Across : AYCE
  • 17A “Are we done here?” : IS THAT ALL?
  • 31A “Tsk tsk” : SHAME ON YOU
  • 43A “Might be able to help” : I THINK I CAN
  • 60A “Not hungry, but not not hungry either” : I COULD EAT

Bill’s time: 9m 57s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Sources of foreign aid? : AU PAIRS

An au pair is a domestic assistant from a foreign country working and living as part of a host family. The term “au pair” is French, and means “on a par”, indicating that an au pair is treated as an equal in the host family.

14 Sacagawea’s people : SHOSHONE

The Shoshone Native American people comprise four cultural groups:

  • The Eastern Shoshone in Wyoming
  • The Northern Shoshone in southeastern Idaho
  • The Western Shoshone in Nevada and northern Utah
  • The Gosiute in western Utah and eastern Nevada

One of the more celebrated Shoshone people was Sacagawea, the woman who traveled thousands of miles with the Lewis and Clark Expedition, serving as a guide and interpreter.

Sacagawea was the Shoshone guide who accompanied Lewis and Clark on their famous expedition. She was hired as a guide along with her husband, a French-Canadian trapper named Toussaint Charbonneau. When the expedition set out, Sacagawea was pregnant and had her child on the journey, in early 1805. Three years after the journey ended, Charbonneau and his family settled in St. Louis, Missouri where Sacagawea died in 1812. Sacagawea’s image is found on a US dollar coin first minted in 2000. The coin has a copper core clad with manganese brass, so it has a golden color.

16 Aquarium growth : ALGAE

Algae are similar to terrestrial plants in that they use photosynthesis to create sugars from light and carbon dioxide, but they differ in that they have simpler anatomies, and for example lack roots.

19 Rio neighborhood of song : IPANEMA

Ipanema is a beach community in the south of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The name Ipanema is a local word meaning “bad water”, signifying that the shore is bad for fishing. The beach became famous on release of the song “The Girl from Ipanema” written in 1965.

21 “Me Talk Pretty One Day” writer David : SEDARIS

“Me Talk Pretty One Day” is a collection of essays by the great humorist David Sedaris that was first published in 2000.

24 Coarse cloth : TWEED

Tweed is a rough woolen fabric that is very much associated with Scotland in the UK, and with County Donegal in Ireland. The cloth was originally called “tweel”, the Scots word for “twill”. Apparently a London merchant misinterpreted some handwriting in the early 1800s and assumed the fabric was called “tweed”, a reference to the Scottish River Tweed, and the name stuck …

28 Metal giant : ALCOA

The Aluminum Corporation of America (ALCOA) is the largest producer of aluminum in the United States. The company was founded in 1888 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where its headquarters are to this day.

38 Chocolate treat : BROWNIE

Apparently, the first brownies were created for the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. The recipe was developed by a pastry chef at the city’s Palmer House Hotel. The idea was to produce a cake-like dessert that was small enough and dainty enough to be eaten by ladies as part of a boxed lunch.

40 Letter before sigma : RHO

Rho is the Greek letter that looks just like our Roman letter “p”, although it is equivalent to the Roman letter R.

41 __ song : SWAN

The phrase “swan song” is used for a final gesture, a last performance. The expression derives from an ancient belief that swans are silent for most of their lives, but sing a beautiful song just before they die.

45 “… let’s play two!” ballplayer Banks : ERNIE

First baseman Ernie Banks was known as “Mr. Cub”, and played his entire 19-year professional career with the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs retired Banks’ uniform number 14 in 1982, making him the first Cubs player to be so honored. Banks was known for his catchphrase, “It’s a beautiful day for a ballgame … Let’s play two!”, a reference to his love of the game, always wanting to play a doubleheader.

47 Set of chromosomes : GENOME

The genome is all the hereditary information needed to reproduce an organism, in other words, all of its chromosomes. When scientists unravel the human genome it takes up an awful lot of computer storage space, and yet all of this information is in almost every cell in our bodies. Each and every cell “knows” how to make a whole human being.

63 A-ha hit that won six MTV Video Music Awards : TAKE ON ME

A-ha is a band from Norway that first appeared on the music scene in Oslo in 1982. The band made it into the Guinness Book of World Records twice. A-ha holds the record for the largest paying audience at a concert, drawing 198,000 people to the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro in 1991. Lead singer Morten Harket has the record for holding the longest live note in a song. He held a note in the song “Summer Moved On” for 22 seconds!

64 Assisted through difficulty, with “over” : TIDED …

Something is said “to tide one over” if it (often money) will see one through a rough patch. The idea behind the expression is that a swelling tide can carry you over an obstacle without effort on your part, as perhaps a reserve fund might keep the lenders from your door. The use of “tide” in this sense might come from some famous lines spoken by Brutus in “Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare

There is a Tide in the affairs of men,
Which taken at the Flood, leads on to Fortune

65 Macy’s logo feature : RED STAR

The original Macy’s store was opened by Rowland Hussey Macy in Haverhill, Massachusetts in 1851. This store, and several others that Macy opened, all failed. Macy picked himself up though, and started over again in New York City. Those early New York stores all focused on the sale of dry goods, but added departments quickly as the clientele grew. The Macy’s red star logo has been around since the company was first established. Macy chose the star because it mimicked the star tattoo that he got as a teenager when he was working on a whaling ship out of Nantucket.

66 Bottomless buffet acronym spelled out by the ends of 17-, 31-, 43- and 60-Across : AYCE

All-you-can-eat (AYCE)

Our word “buffet” comes from the French “bufet” meaning “bench, sideboard”. So, a buffet is a meal served from a “bufet”.

Down

1 Tazo choice : 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”.

The Tazo Tea Company was founded in 1994 in Portland, Oregon. Tazo was purchased in 1999 by Starbucks. Starbucks now runs tea shops that are fully dedicated to Tazo teas.

2 App with many pans : YELP

yelp.com is a website that provides a local business directory and reviews of services. The site is sort of like Yellow Pages on steroids, and the term “yelp” is derived from “yel-low p-ages”.

3 “Star Wars,” for one : SAGA

“Star Wars” is the highest-grossing film media franchise of all time, and the second highest-grossing media franchise in general. The highest-grossing media franchise? That would be “Pokémon”.

4 Classic Pontiac : TRANS AM

The Trans Am, produced from 1969 to 2002, was a specialty version of the Pontiac Firebird. My favorite Trans Am is KITT, the artificially intelligent car in the eighties TV show “Knight Rider” …

5 Malay or Mongol : ASIAN

The Malay Peninsula is that long, thin land mass that forms the southernmost part of the Asian mainland. On the peninsula are the countries of Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar and Singapore (an island nation off the southern tip of the peninsula). People of the Malay ethnic group are mainly found on the Malay peninsula.

The East Asian nation of Mongolia lies between Russian to the north and China to the south. With an area of over 600,000 square miles and a population of about 3 million people, Mongolia is the most sparsely populated sovereign nation on the planet. Almost half of the Mongolian populace lives in the capital city of Ulan Bator.

7 Kettles and kitties : POTS

The pot in a card game has been referred to as the kitty since the 1880s. It’s not certain how the name “kitty” evolved but possibly it came from “kit”, the necessary equipment for the game.

8 Second African-American inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame : ASHE

Arthur Ashe was a professional tennis player from Richmond, Virginia. In his youth, Ashe found himself having to travel great distances to play against Caucasian opponents due to the segregation that still existed in his home state. He was rewarded for his dedication by being selected for the 1963 US Davis Cup team, the first African American player to be so honored. Ashe continued to run into trouble because of his ethnicity though, and in 1968 was denied entry into South Africa to play in the South African Open. In 1979, Ashe suffered a heart attack and had bypass surgery, with follow-up surgery four years later during which he contracted HIV from blood transfusions. Ashe passed away in 1993 due to complications from AIDS. Shortly afterwards, Ashe was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton.

Althea Gibson was known as “the Jackie Robinson of tennis” as she broke the “color barrier”. She became the first African-American woman to win a Grand Slam title, in France in 1956, and the first African-America to be inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame. Gibson was quite the athlete and was a great golfer as well as a great tennis player. She was the first African-American woman to play in the Ladies PGA tour, although she never had a win. Outside of sport, she sang a little and recorded an album, and even appeared in a movie (“The Horse Soldiers”) with John Wayne and William Holden. Sadly, towards the end of her life she ended up destitute and on welfare. When her plight was made known in a tennis magazine, well-wishers from all over the world sent her gifts of money, a total of nearly one million dollars. Quite a story …

11 Drum kit item : SNARE

Snare drums are so called because they have a set of wire strands (snares) stretching across the bottom surface of the drum. When the drum is struck, the snares vibrate against the bottom drumhead producing a unique sound.

13 Area that’s hard to find while surfing? : DEEP WEB

“Dark Web” is the name given to content on the World Wide Web that requires specific software and/or authorization for access. The Dark Web is a subset of the “Deep Web”, the collection of content on the Web that isn’t indexed by search engines. Dark Web users refer to the regular Web that you and I access as “Clearnet”.

15 “A Jew Today” writer Wiesel : ELIE

Elie Wiesel was a holocaust survivor, and is best known for his book “Night” that tells of his experiences in Auschwitz and Buchenwald. Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. He was also the first recipient of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum Award, which was later renamed the Elie Wiesel Award in his honor.

18 Trip letters : LSD

LSD (known colloquially as “acid”) is lysergic acid diethylamide. A Swiss chemist named Albert Hofmann first synthesized LSD in 1938 in a research project looking for medically efficacious ergot alkaloids. It wasn’t until some five years later when Hofmann ingested some of the drug accidentally that its psychedelic properties were discovered. Trippy, man …

25 Well of Souls threats in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” : ASPS

According to the “Indiana Jones” series of films, Indy’s fear of snakes goes back when he was a young man. In “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”, we see actor River Phoenix playing young Indie as a Boy Scout and falling into a huge pit of snakes during a chase scene.

29 Actress Anderson : LONI

Loni Anderson’s best-remembered role was Jennifer Marlowe on the sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati”. Anderson has been married four times, most famously to actor Burt Reynolds from 1988 to 1993.

34 With the bow, in music : ARCO

“Arco” is a musical direction instructing a string player to return to normal bowing technique after a passage played using some other technique (perhaps pizzicato).

36 Fried Dixie bread : PONE

“Pone” is another name for corn bread, and comes from the Powhatan term “apan” meaning “something baked”.

“Dixie” is a nickname sometimes used for the American South, and often specifically for the original 11 states that seceded from the Union just prior to the Civil War. It’s apparently not certain how the name “Dixie” came about. One theory is that it comes from the term “dixie” which was used for currency issued by banks in Louisiana. The 10-dollar bills had the word “dix” on the reverse side, the French for “ten”. From the banknote, the French speaking area around New Orleans came to be known as Dixieland, and from there “Dixie” came to apply to the South in general.

42 Kimono sash ornament : NETSUKE

Netsuke are small Japanese sculptures. The original netsuke were both decorative and functional, serving as a small container as well as a fastener at the top of a robe’s sash.

44 Subject of Newton’s first law : INERTIA

Newton’s first law of motion states that a body that is moving maintains the same velocity unless it is acted upon by an external force. That resistance to changing velocity is known as “inertia”.

48 Poli __ : SCI

Political science (poli sci)

52 JusSimple juicer maker : OSTER

The Oster brand of small appliances was introduced in 1924 by John Oster. He started out by making manually-powered hair clippers designed for cutting women’s hair, and followed up with a motorized version in 1928. The clippers kept the company in business until 1946 when Oster diversified, buying a manufacturer of liquefying blenders in 1946. The blender was renamed to “Osterizer” and was a big hit. Oster was bought by Sunbeam, which has owned the brand since 1960.

54 Foofaraws : ADOS

Foofaraw is excessive or flashy ornamentation, or a fuss over something that is unimportant.

59 “__ Dinah”: Frankie Avalon hit : DEDE

“Dede Dinah” was a 1958 hit for Frankie Avalon.

Frankie Avalon is a singer and actor who was a famous teen idol. Notably, he teamed up with actress and singer Annette Funicello in a series of “Beach Party” movies in the sixties.

61 Doc’s org. : AMA

American Medical Association (AMA)

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Dermatology issue : CYST
5 Sources of foreign aid? : AU PAIRS
12 Learned : HEARD
14 Sacagawea’s people : SHOSHONE
16 Aquarium growth : ALGAE
17 “Are we done here?” : IS THAT ALL?
19 Rio neighborhood of song : IPANEMA
21 “Me Talk Pretty One Day” writer David : SEDARIS
22 Takes turns? : SPINS
24 Coarse cloth : TWEED
25 When an early voyage may start : AT DAWN
28 Metal giant : ALCOA
31 “Tsk tsk” : SHAME ON YOU
33 Harsh cry : YAWP!
37 Light touch : PAT
38 Chocolate treat : BROWNIE
40 Letter before sigma : RHO
41 __ song : SWAN
43 “Might be able to help” : I THINK I CAN
45 “… let’s play two!” ballplayer Banks : ERNIE
47 Set of chromosomes : GENOME
48 Avalanche : SPATE
51 Din : NOISE
53 Traveling tot’s spot : CAR SEAT
56 Sounded indignant : SNORTED
60 “Not hungry, but not not hungry either” : I COULD EAT
62 Of service : UTILE
63 A-ha hit that won six MTV Video Music Awards : TAKE ON ME
64 Assisted through difficulty, with “over” : TIDED …
65 Macy’s logo feature : RED STAR
66 Bottomless buffet acronym spelled out by the ends of 17-, 31-, 43- and 60-Across : AYCE

Down

1 Tazo choice : CHAI
2 App with many pans : YELP
3 “Star Wars,” for one : SAGA
4 Classic Pontiac : TRANS AM
5 Malay or Mongol : ASIAN
6 Stammering syllables : UHS
7 Kettles and kitties : POTS
8 Second African-American inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame : ASHE
9 “There was no other choice” : I HAD TO
10 Disintegrate, as old wood : ROT AWAY
11 Drum kit item : SNARE
13 Area that’s hard to find while surfing? : DEEP WEB
15 “A Jew Today” writer Wiesel : ELIE
18 Trip letters : LSD
20 Study on the side : MINOR IN
23 Pouring instruction : SAY WHEN
25 Well of Souls threats in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” : ASPS
26 Soften : THAW
27 Info : DATA
29 Actress Anderson : LONI
30 Bringing up to speed : CUING IN
32 Formal “It wasn’t me” : NOT I
34 With the bow, in music : ARCO
35 “Pow!” relative : WHAM!
36 Fried Dixie bread : PONE
39 Just makes : EKES OUT
42 Kimono sash ornament : NETSUKE
44 Subject of Newton’s first law : INERTIA
46 Nearly fell : REELED
48 Poli __ : SCI
49 Agreement : PACT
50 Like a cheering crowd : AROAR
52 JusSimple juicer maker : OSTER
54 Foofaraws : ADOS
55 Camping gear : TENT
57 Orderly : TIDY
58 Power co. output : ELEC
59 “__ Dinah”: Frankie Avalon hit : DEDE
61 Doc’s org. : AMA