LA Times Crossword 15 Nov 19, Friday

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Constructed by: Joe Deeney
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Lines

Themed clues are common phrases reinterpreted as “lines” one might utter:

  • 16A Clothes line? : HOW DO I LOOK?
  • 24A Tag line? : YOU’RE IT!
  • 37A Border line? : PASSPORTS, PLEASE
  • 46A Pick-up line? : WHERE TO?
  • 59A Defensive line? : I DIDN’T DO IT

Bill’s time: 10m 29s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 River past the Museo Galileo : ARNO

The Arno is the principal river in the Tuscany region of Italy, and passes through the cities of Florence and Pisa. Famously the Arno flooded in 1966, the worst flood in the region for centuries. There were numerous deaths and extensive destruction of priceless art treasures, particularly in Florence.

Florence’s Museo Galileo is dedicated to Pisan polymath Galileo Galilei. It features an elaborate collection of scientific instruments, some of which date back to the 1400s. A more gruesome exhibit in the museum comprises a finger, thumb and tooth removed from Galileo’s body by some of his admirers in the 19th century.

10 “Antiques Roadshow” airer : PBS

“Antiques Roadshow” is a very popular PBS TV show in which professional auctioneers appraise antiques brought to them by the general public. The American show is based on a long-running BBC production of the same name. In one episode of the American version of the show, four pieces of carved jade were presented for appraisal, and were given an estimated value of one million dollars!

13 Half of rock’s ’60s “it” couple, per Time : CHER

Singing duo Sonny & Cher started out in the mid-1960s as backing singers working with Phil Spector. The couple married in 1964, and the next year released their breakthrough numbers “Baby Don’t Go” and “I Got You Babe”. Sonny and Cher divorced in 1975, and dissolved their act that same year. Cher moved onto a successful solo career that continues to this day. Sonny Bono was elected as a US Congressman for California in 1995. Sadly, he didn’t finish his term in the House as he died from injuries sustained in a skiing accident in 1998.

15 Chipotle serving, casually : GUAC

Guacamole is one of my favorite dishes. It is prepared by mashing avocados and perhaps adding the likes of tomato, onion and lime juice. The guacamole recipe dates back as early as the 16th century, to the time of the Aztecs. “Guacamole” translates as “avocado sauce”.

Chipotle Mexican Grill is a chain of casual dining restaurants that was founded and is now headquartered in Denver, Colorado. For several years, the major investor in Chipotle was McDonald’s. The chain is named for the smoke-dried jalapeño called a “chipotle”.

19 County bordering London : ESSEX

Essex is a county in England that is referred to as one of the “home counties”. The home counties are those that surround the city of London, outside of London itself. “Home county” is not an official designation but has been in popular use since the 1800s. The list of home counties usually comprises Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Surrey, and Sussex.

20 Ingredient in arròs negre, a squid-and-rice dish : INK

Octopodes and squid have the ability to release a dark pigment into the water as a means of escape. The dark pigment is called cephalopod ink (the squid and octopus belong to the class cephalopoda). The dark color is created by melanin, the same substance that acts as a pigment in human skin.

28 Green of “Casino Royale” : EVA

Despite the English-sounding name, Eva Green is a French actress. Green played Bond girl Vesper Lynd in the 2006 movie “Casino Royale” opposite Daniel Craig.

30 Iraq War danger: Abbr. : IED

Improvised explosive device (IED)

What we now know as the Iraq War started on 20 March 2003 with an invasion by a coalition of forces led by the US. The end of the Iraq War has been set at 15 December 2011, on which date there was a flag-lowering ceremony in Baghdad. The last US troops left Iraq three days later.

31 “The Wire” antihero __ Little : OMAR

The character Omar Little is played by Michael K. Williams on the HBO series “The Wire”.

I didn’t watch the HBO series called “The Wire” when it first aired. We ended up buying all five series on DVD and we watched the whole thing several years ago. It’s is a great drama series, and I thoroughly recommend it. Personally, I think that HBO produces some of the best dramas on American television.

34 Gym surface : MAT

Our word “gymnasium” comes from the Greek “gymnasion” meaning “public place where exercise is taken”. The Greek term comes from “gymnos” meaning “naked”, as that physical training was usually done unclothed in ancient Greece.

41 Bilingual Muppet : ROSITA

On the children’s television show Sesame Street, Rosita is a character who is fluent in both English and Spanish. Rosita is operated by Puppeteer Carmen Osbahr. Osbahr originally worked on “Plaza Sésamo”, which is the version of Sesame Street that is broadcast in Mexico.

42 MD’s diagnostic tools : MRIS

An MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machine uses powerful magnetic fields to generate its images so there is no exposure to ionizing radiation (such as X-rays). We used MRI equipment in our chemistry labs at school, way back in the days when the technology was still called Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging (NMRI). Apparently the marketing folks didn’t like the term “nuclear” because of its association with atomic bombs, so now it’s just called MRI.

43 Big bird : EMU

Emu eggs are very large, with a thick shell that is dark-green in color. One emu egg weighs about the same as a dozen chicken eggs.

44 Relative of Da and De : VON

We often see the words “da”, “de” and “von” in names. All can be translated as “of, from”. Famous examples are:

  • Leonardo da Vinci
  • Charles de Gaulle
  • Maria von Trapp

50 Rte. with a Lake Michigan ferry crossing : US-TEN

US Route 10 is a highway that used to run from from Detroit, Michigan to Seattle, Washington. Dating back to 1926, interstates have replaced some of its length, so that now US-10 runs from Bay City, Michigan to West Fargo, North Dakota. There’s a ferry service connecting Ludington, Michigan to Manitowoc, Wisconsin across Lake Michigan. That ferry service is an officially designated section of US-10.

52 Times New __ : ROMAN

Times New Roman is a typeface that was designed in 1931 for “The Times” (of London) newspaper. Although the typeface is still very popular today, “The Times” itself moved away from Times New Roman in the 1970s.

53 Health care provider: Abbr. : LPN

Licensed practical nurse (LPN)

55 “Set Fire to the Rain” singer : ADELE

“Adele” is the stage name of English singer Adele Adkins. Adele’s debut album is “19”, named after the age she was during the album’s production. Her second album was even more successful than the first. Called “21”, the second album was released three years after the first, when Adele was three years older. Her third studio album “25”, released in 2015, broke the first-week sales records in both the UK and the US.

58 Beyond regulation play, briefly : IN OT

In overtime (in OT)

61 WWII Axis general : TOJO

Hideki Tojo was a general and the Prime Minister of Japan during most of WWII. Although the attack on Pearl Harbor was planned before he took office, Tojo was the Prime Minister who made the decision to declare war on the US. After Japan surrendered, General MacArthur ordered Tojo’s arrest. Tojo attempted to commit suicide by shooting himself in the heart, but missed. There is a story that while recovering, Tojo was given a set of replacement dentures that were made by an American dentist. Apparently the dentist drilled the message “Remember Pearl Harbor” into the teeth in Morse code. Tojo was hanged for war crimes in 1948.

Before WWII, Hungary’s prime minister was lobbying for an alliance between Germany, Hungary and Italy and worked towards such a relationship that he called an “axis”. The main Axis powers during the war were Germany, Italy and Japan. However, also included in the relationship were Romania, Bulgaria and the aforementioned Hungary.

62 Kansas Army fort : RILEY

Fort Riley is an active military installation in Northeast Kansas. The original fort was built in 1853 and was named for a Major General Bennet C. Riley who led the first military escort along the Santa Fe trail. The fort itself was established to protect travellers on the Oregon, California and Santa Fe Trails. Fort Riley became a major post for the US Cavalry and, in 1865, it was home to the renowned George Custer.

63 Slaughter on the diamond : ENOS

Enos Slaughter has a remarkable playing record in Major League Baseball over a 19-year career. Slaughter’s record is particularly remarkable given that he left baseball for three years to serve in the military during WWII.

64 Asian honorific : SRI

“Sri” is a title of respect for a male in India.

65 Neglected : SEEDY

We use the word “seedy” to mean “shabby”. The usage probably arose from the appearance of a flowering plant that has gone to seed.

Down

2 Frat letters : RHOS

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

5 Lilly of drugs : ELI

Eli Lilly is the largest corporation in the state of Indiana. Founder Eli Lilly was a veteran of the Union Army in the Civil War, and a failed Mississippi plantation owner. Later in life he returned to his first profession and opened a pharmaceutical operation to manufacture drugs and sell them wholesale. Under Lilly’s early guidance, the company was the first to create gelatin capsules to hold medicines and the first to use fruit flavoring in liquid medicines.

6 Bullpen staff : RELIEVERS

That would be baseball.

10 Applesauce, e.g. : PUREE

A purée is a food that has been made smooth by straining or blending. “Purée” is a French term, which I believe is now used to mean “pea soup” (more completely written as “purée de pois”). The French verb “purer” means “to strain, clean”, from the Latin “purare” meaning “to purify, clean”.

11 Low singers : BASSI

The bass is the lowest male singing voice. A man with such a voice might be called a “basso” (plural “bassi”). In an opera, the villain of the piece is usually played by a basso.

12 “Waverley” novelist : SCOTT

“Waverley” is a novel by Sir Walter Scott that he first had published anonymously in 1814. The book was Scott’s first venture into prose fiction, and it is now regarded as the West’s first historical novel. “Waverley” is about a young English soldier during the Jacobite uprising of 1745 in which Bonnie Prince Charlie sought to regain the British throne for the House of Stuart.

15 Squash, for one : GOURD

A gourd is a plant in the same family as the cucumber. The hollow, dried out shell of the fruit is large and rounded, and used for a number of purposes. Gourds make fine bottles and bowls, and resonating chambers as part of musical instruments … and drums.

17 Big name in spatulas : OXO

The OXO line of kitchen utensils and housewares is designed to be ergonomically superior to the average household tools. The intended user of OXO products is someone who doesn’t have the normal range of motion or strength in the hands e.g. someone suffering from arthritis.

A spatula is a tool or implement used for mixing, lifting or spreading. “Spatula” is the Latin name for the tool, and is a diminutive of the word “spatha” meaning “broad, flat blade”. “Spatha” also gives rise to our related term “spade”.

25 Crankcase reservoirs : OIL PANS

In most internal combustion engines the pistons that move up and down are arranged in a line, and connected to a crankshaft that runs along the bottom of the engine. The up and down motion of the pistons turns the crankshaft, which turning motion is “transmitted” (via the transmission) to the wheels. The case surrounding the crankshaft is called the crankcase. The crankcase contains a lot of oil that is squirted onto the crankshaft to lubricate it. Excess oil falls to the bottom of the crankcase and into a reservoir called the oil pan.

26 Kachina carver : HOPI

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.

27 Reddit Q&A sessions : AMAS

Reddit.com is a networking and news website that started up in 2005. It is essentially a bulletin board system with posts that are voted up and down by users, which determines the ranking of posts. The name “Reddit” is a play on “read it”, as in “I read it on Reddit”. One popular feature of the Reddit site is an online forum that is similar to a press conference. Known as an AMA (for “ask me anything”), participants have included the likes of President Barack Obama, Madonna, Bill Gates, Stephen Colbert and Gordon Ramsay. President Obama’s AMA was so popular that the high level of traffic brought down many parts of the Reddit site.

29 When Prospero says, “We are such stuff as dreams are made on” : ACT IV

Here is a line that is oft quoted from William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”, one spoken by Prospero:

We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.

34 Ford carrier in the mid-’70s : MARINE ONE

Marine One is the call sign used by a Marine Corps helicopter when it is carrying the US president. In fact, the call sign can be used by any Marine Corps aircraft carrying the president, but usually refers to either a Sea King or White Hawk helicopter that is used routinely in transportation to and from the White House.

Gerald Ford was the only person to have served as both Vice President and President of the US, without having been elected to those positions. Ford was nominated by President Richard Nixon to replace Vice President Spiro Agnew after he resigned in 1973. Vice President Ford assumed the presidency the following year after President Nixon resigned.

35 Tibet’s place : ASIA

Tibet is a plateau region that is part of China, and is located northeast of the Himalayas. Tibet declared its independence from China in 1913, but fell back under Chinese control after the Invasion of Tibet in 1951. The Tibetan leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, fled the country during the 1959 Tibetan Rebellion. Since then, he has led the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamsala, India.

36 Julia’s “Ocean’s Twelve” role : TESS

“Ocean’s 11” is a great film from 1960, starring Frank Sinatra as Danny Ocean. The original storyline is updated for the excellent 2001 remake, with George Clooney playing the lead. In the 1960 movie, the love interest is a character called Beatrice Ocean, played by Angie Dickinson. In the 2001 version, the love interest gets a new name, Tess Ocean, and is played by Julia Roberts. The 2001 remake (titled “Ocean’s Eleven”, note the spelling) spawned two sequels: “Ocean’s Twelve” in 2004 and “Ocean’s Thirteen” in 2007.

Hollywood actress Julia Roberts is from Smyrna, Georgia. Roberts got her big break after starring opposite Richard Gere in the hit 1990 romantic comedy “Pretty Woman”. She was paid $300,000 for her performance in “Pretty Woman”, a little less than the $25 million paycheck she was to earn for appearing in 2003’s “Mona Lisa Smile”. Roberts was married for a couple of years to country singer Lyle Lovett, and her older brother is actor Eric Roberts.

38 Guys who spin : PR MEN

Public relations (PR)

39 Like some war correspondents : EMBEDDED

Although journalists have been directly reporting from the front lines in military conflicts for some time, the term “embedded journalism” only came into fashion during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. A formal arrangement was made between the US Military and hundreds of reporters allowing journalists to travel with military units and, under pre-ordained conditions, report directly from those units. Some say that the arrangement was mutually beneficial. On the one hand the journalists had relatively little to worry about in terms of transportation and travel through combat zones. On the other hand, the military had better control over what did and did not get reported.

43 Poetry Muse : ERATO

In Greek mythology, Erato was the Muse of lyric poetry. She is often depicted with a wreath of myrtle and roses, and playing a lyre.

46 Court directives : WRITS

A writ is an order issued by some formal body (these days, usually a court) with the order being in “written” form. Warrants and subpoenas are examples of writs.

48 Heart Eyes or OK Hand : EMOJI

An emoji is a character found on many cell phones that is much like an emoticon, but is more elaborate.

49 “Yesterday,” today : OLDIE

“Yesterday” is such a beautiful ballad. It was written by Paul McCartney, who also routinely performed the song as a solo piece. “Yesterday” wasn’t originally released as a single, and first appeared as a track on the 1965 Beatles album, “Help!” In several polls over in the UK, “Yesterday” has been named the number one pop song of all time.

51 Bit of body art : TAT

The word “tattoo” (often shortened to “tat”) was first used in English in the writings of the famous English explorer Captain Cook. In his descriptions of the indelible marks adorning the skin of Polynesian natives, Cook anglicized the Tahitian word “tatau” into our “tattoo”. Tattoos are sometimes referred to as “ink”.

56 Safari sight : LION

“Safari” is a Swahili word meaning “journey” or “expedition”.

57 Online marketplace : ETSY

Etsy.com is an e-commerce website where you can buy and sell the kind of items that you might find at a craft fair.

59 Returns home? : IRS

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was set up during the Civil War to raise money to cover war expenses. Prior to the introduction of income tax in 1862, the government was funded by levies on trade and property.

60 Big Apple team, on crawl lines : NYY

New York Yankees (NYY)

A news ticker, or “crawler”, is a text-based graphic that runs across the bottom of a TV screen providing perhaps news headlines or continuous stock quotes.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 River past the Museo Galileo : ARNO
5 Wipe out : ERASE
10 “Antiques Roadshow” airer : PBS
13 Half of rock’s ’60s “it” couple, per Time : CHER
14 “I’ve got this” : LET ME
15 Chipotle serving, casually : GUAC
16 Clothes line? : HOW DO I LOOK?
18 Approximately : OR SO
19 County bordering London : ESSEX
20 Ingredient in arròs negre, a squid-and-rice dish : INK
21 Pursuit : QUEST
22 Solidified : FROZE
24 Tag line? : YOU’RE IT!
26 Able-bodied : HALE
28 Green of “Casino Royale” : EVA
30 Iraq War danger: Abbr. : IED
31 “The Wire” antihero __ Little : OMAR
32 Think back to : RECALL
34 Gym surface : MAT
37 Border line? : PASSPORTS, PLEASE
40 Vague ending : -ISH
41 Bilingual Muppet : ROSITA
42 MD’s diagnostic tools : MRIS
43 Big bird : EMU
44 Relative of Da and De : VON
45 Leaning : BIAS
46 Pick-up line? : WHERE TO?
50 Rte. with a Lake Michigan ferry crossing : US-TEN
52 Times New __ : ROMAN
53 Health care provider: Abbr. : LPN
55 “Set Fire to the Rain” singer : ADELE
58 Beyond regulation play, briefly : IN OT
59 Defensive line? : I DIDN’T DO IT
61 WWII Axis general : TOJO
62 Kansas Army fort : RILEY
63 Slaughter on the diamond : ENOS
64 Asian honorific : SRI
65 Neglected : SEEDY
66 Grant’s opposite : DENY

Down

1 Overexertion symptom : ACHE
2 Frat letters : RHOS
3 Ironic “This should come as no surprise … ” : NEWS FLASH …
4 Ones stocking up : ORDERERS
5 Lilly of drugs : ELI
6 Bullpen staff : RELIEVERS
7 Loads : A TON
8 Like the air around a campfire : SMOKY
9 “What’s THAT?” : EEK!
10 Applesauce, e.g. : PUREE
11 Low singers : BASSI
12 “Waverley” novelist : SCOTT
15 Squash, for one : GOURD
17 Big name in spatulas : OXO
21 Put down : QUELL
23 Reset : ZERO OUT
25 Crankcase reservoirs : OIL PANS
26 Kachina carver : HOPI
27 Reddit Q&A sessions : AMAS
29 When Prospero says, “We are such stuff as dreams are made on” : ACT IV
33 Blew away : ASTOUNDED
34 Ford carrier in the mid-’70s : MARINE ONE
35 Tibet’s place : ASIA
36 Julia’s “Ocean’s Twelve” role : TESS
38 Guys who spin : PR MEN
39 Like some war correspondents : EMBEDDED
43 Poetry Muse : ERATO
46 Court directives : WRITS
47 Esteem : HONOR
48 Heart Eyes or OK Hand : EMOJI
49 “Yesterday,” today : OLDIE
51 Bit of body art : TAT
54 Stack : PILE
56 Safari sight : LION
57 Online marketplace : ETSY
59 Returns home? : IRS
60 Big Apple team, on crawl lines : NYY