LA Times Crossword 7 Nov 19, Thursday

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Constructed by: Sean Biggins
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Split Ticket

Circled letters in the grid spell out types of TICKET. Black squares SPLIT those TICKETS:

  • SEAS-ON (TICKET)
  • LI-FT (TICKET)
  • GOL-DEN (TICKET)
  • PARK-ING (TICKET)
  • ME-AL (TICKET)

Bill’s time: 6m 45s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Astrological Ram : ARIES

Aries the Ram is the first astrological sign in the Zodiac, and is named after the constellation. Your birth sign is Aries if you were born between March 21 and April 20, but if you are an Aries you would know that! “Aries” is the Latin word for “ram”.

14 Old photo hue : SEPIA

Sepia is that rich, brown-grey color so common in old photographs. “Sepia” is the Latinized version of the Greek word for cuttlefish, as sepia pigment is derived from the ink sac of the cuttlefish. Sepia ink was commonly used for writing and drawing as far back as ancient Rome and ancient Greece. The “sepia tone” of old photographs is not the result of deterioration over time. Rather, it is the result of a deliberate preservation process which converts the metallic silver in the photographic image to a more stable silver sulfide. Prints that have been sepia-toned can last in excess of 150 years.

15 Equivocate : HEM

The verb “to equivocate” comes from the Latin “aequus” meaning “equal” and “vocare” meaning “to call”. So, to equivocate is “to call equally”, and is used in the sense of giving equal emphasis to two sides of an argument, to be non-committal, to hedge, to equivocate. So, something described as “unequivocal” is the opposite, is unambiguous and clear.

16 International waters : THE HIGH SEAS

The phrase “international waters” is generally understood to mean the “high seas”, parts of oceans and seas that fall outside of national jurisdiction. There are also semi-enclosed bodies of water that have been declared international waterways. One example is the Danube River, which is deemed to be an international waterway so that it gives secure access to the Baltic Sea for the landlocked nations Austria, Hungary, Moldova, Serbia and Slovakia.

18 Scrabble vowel value : ONE

The game of Scrabble has been around since 1938, the invention of an architect named Alfred Mosher Butts. Butts determined how many tiles of each letter, and the point value of each tile, by analyzing letter distributions in publications like “The New York Times”.

19 Focus of a modern crisis : OPIOIDS

The name of the class of drugs called “opioids” comes from the word “opium”, which describes the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy. Drugs derived from opium are known as “opiates”. The broader term “opioids” covers both natural and synthetic drugs that behave in the same way as opiates, i.e. those drugs that bind to opioid receptors in the brain.

21 “The Persistence of Memory” artist : DALI

“The Persistence of Memory” is probably Salvador Dalí’s most famous work. It features the celebrated “melting clocks”, and you can see them in the painting in the MoMA in New York City.

24 Teleflora rival : FTD

Back in 1910, fifteen florists from around America agreed to fulfill each other’s orders using the telegraph system, setting up what they called the Florists’ Telegraph Delivery. The concept grew so large that in 1965 the group started to offer international service, and changed its name to Florists’ Transworld Delivery (FTD).

25 Ice Capades setting : ARENA

The Ice Capades was a travelling show that featured ice skating performances in a theatrical setting. Stars of the shows were usually retired Olympic competitors. The Ice Capades was founded in Hershey, Pennsylvania in 1940, but went out of business in 1995.

31 Ulaanbaatar native : MONGOL

The name of Mongolia’s capital city Ulaanbaatar (formerly anglicized as “Ulan Bator”) translates as “the Red Hero”. The “Red Hero” name was chosen in honor of the country’s national hero Damdin Sükhbaatar. Sükhbaatar fought alongside the Soviet Red Army in the fight for liberation from Chinese occupation.

35 South of France? : SUD

In French, “nord” (north) is opposite to “sud” (south).

36 Trifling amount : SOU

A sou is an old French coin. We use the term “sou” to mean “an almost worthless amount”.

38 Former NBA exec Jackson : STU

Stu Jackson is a former NBA head coach. Jackson worked with the New York Knicks and the Vancouver Grizzlies in the nineties.

39 “Dumbo” (2019) director Burton : TIM

Movie director and producer Tim Burton makes my least favorite type of movie: dark, gothic, horror fantasies. The list of his titles includes “Edward Scissorhands”, “Sleepy Hollow”, “Sweeney Todd”, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Alice in Wonderland”. Also included in each of these movies is Johnny Depp in a starring role, as Depp and Burton are good friends and frequent collaborators. Another frequent star in Burton movies is English actress Helena Bonham Carter, who has been his domestic partner since 2001.

“Dumbo” is a 2019 live-action movie inspired by the original 1941 Walt Disney animated film of the same name. Directed by Tim Burton, 2019’s “Dumbo” focuses less on the title character, and more on the humans who interact with the animals. Indeed, the animals in Burton’s “Dumbo” don’t talk, even though they do in the Disney version.

46 Pine detritus : NEEDLES

Detritus is loose material that results from the process of erosion. The usage of the term has evolved to man any accumulated material or debris. “Detritus” is Latin for “a wearing away”.

48 New York Harbor’s __ Island : ELLIS

Ellis Island is an exclave of New York City that is geographically located within the bounds of Jersey City, New Jersey. The name comes from a Samuel Ellis who owned the island around the time of the American Revolution. Ellis Island was the nation’s main immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954.

49 “Mad About You” daughter : MABEL

“Mad About You” is a sitcom from the nineties that stars Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a couple living in New York City. Reiser and Hunt did well out of the success of the show, each earning one million dollars per episode for the last season.

51 __ Zion Church : AME

The African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AME Zion) Church was formed in New York City. The church was established by African-American Christians who faced discrimination when attending other churches. Initially the African-American congregations were led by Caucasian Methodist ministers, with the first African American being ordained in 1820.

53 Actor Alan : ALDA

Alan Alda has had a great television career, most notably as a lead actor in “M*A*S*H”. He was born Alphonso D’Abruzzo in the Bronx, New York City. Alda won his first Emmy in 1972, for playing surgeon Hawkeye Pierce on “M*A*S*H”. He also won an Emmy in 2006 for his portrayal of Presidential candidate Senator Arnold Vinick in “The West Wing”. When it comes to the big screen, my favorite of Alda’s movies is the 1978 romantic comedy “Same Time, Next Year” in which he starred opposite Ellen Burstyn.

58 Holstein sound : MOO

The Holstein Friesian breed of cattle originated in the province of Friesland in the Netherlands and in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. The breed is very common on dairy farms all over the world, and is the one with the black and white markings. Holstein Friesians are usually referred to as “Holsteins” in North America, and as “Friesians” in Britain and Ireland. Go figure …

59 Politically diverse ballot … and an apt description of each set of puzzle circles : SPLIT TICKET

A split-ticket ballot is one in which a voter votes for candidates from more than one political party.

63 New Haven alum : ELI

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.

64 L.L.Bean headquarters locale : MAINE

L.L.Bean (note the lack of spaces in the company name) was founded back in 1912 in Freeport, Maine as a company selling its own line of waterproof boots. The founder, Leon Leonwood Bean, gave his name to the enterprise. Right from the start, L.L.Bean focused on mail-order and sold from a circular he distributed and then from a catalog. Defects in the initial design led to 90% of the first boots sold being returned, and the company made good on its guarantee to replace them or give back the money paid.

65 River in some Renoir paintings : SEINE

French artists Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Claude Monet were close friends, and spent the summers of 1873 and 1874 together. Some of the works they produced at that time on the banks of the Seine were clearly painted as they stood side by side.

66 “Voices Carry” pop group __ Tuesday : ‘TIL

‘Til Tuesday was a New Wave band from Boston that performed and recorded from 1982 to 1988. Aimee Mann got her start with “Til Tuesday, as a bass player and vocalist. The band’s best-known song is the hit “Voices Carry”, released in 1985.

68 Lauder of cosmetics : ESTEE

Estée Lauder was a very successful businesswoman, and someone with a great reputation as a salesperson. Lauder introduced her own line of fragrances in 1953, a bath oil called “Youth Dew”. “Youth Dew” was marketed as a perfume, but it was added to bathwater. All of a sudden women were pouring whole bottles of Ms. Lauder’s “perfume” into their baths while using only a drop or two of French perfumes behind their ears. That’s quite a difference in sales volume …

Down

7 Slanted page : OP-ED

“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.

9 KLM rival : SAS

SAS was formerly known as Scandinavian Airlines System and is the flag carrier of three countries: Denmark, Norway and Sweden. SAS is based at Stockholm Arlanda Airport located just north of the Swedish capital.

The initialism KLM stands for “Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij”, which translates from Dutch as “Royal Aviation Company”. KLM is the flag carrier for the Netherlands, and is the oldest airline in the world still operating with its original name. It was founded in 1919. KLM merged with Air France in 2004.

11 Red Square honoree : LENIN

I made it to Russia only once in my life, and it was a memorable trip. I saw all the sites in and around Red Square in Moscow, but couldn’t get in to visit Lenin’s Tomb. It was closed for renovations …

12 Luxury watch : OMEGA

Omega is a manufacturer of high-end watches based in Switzerland. An Omega watch was the first portable timepiece to make it to the moon, Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that James Bond has been wearing an Omega watch in the movies since 1995.

17 Many an animated Twitter pic : GIF

A bitmap is an image file format used to store digital images. Basically, each pixel in a bitmap file is stored as a “bit” of information, hence the name “bitmap”. In 1987, CompuServe introduced a new type of image file called the Graphics Interchange Format (GIF). A GIF image takes the same information as a bitmap and then compresses it, resulting in a smaller file size. However, during compression the image may lose some resolution. The GIF format also handles short video clips, usually animations.

20 Picard’s counselor : TROI

Deanna Troi is a character on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” who is played by the lovely Marina Sirtis. Sirtis is a naturalized American citizen and has what I would call a soft American accent on the show. However, she was born in the East End of London and has a natural accent off-stage that is more like that of a true Cockney.

When Gene Roddenberry was creating the “Star Trek” spin-off series “Star Trek: The Next Generation”, I think he chose a quite magnificent name for the new starship captain. “Jean-Luc Picard” is imitative of one or both of the twin-brother Swiss scientists Auguste and Jean Felix Piccard. The role of Picard was played by the wonderful Shakespearean actor Patrick Stewart.

23 Marinated beef dish : LONDON BROIL

London Broil is purely an American dish, and has nothing to do with London in England. That said, the origin of the same seems unclear. London Broil is usually grilled, marinated flank steak that is cut into thin slices. It’s important to cut across the grain, in order to render more tender a relatively tough cut of meat.

29 Game console letters : NES

The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was sold in North America from 1985 to 1995. The NES was the biggest selling gaming console of the era. Nintendo replaced the NES with Wii, which is also the biggest-selling game console in the world.

37 Result of Googling : URL

An Internet address (like NYXCrossword.com and LAXCrossword.com) is more correctly called a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

40 Natural table : MESA

“What’s the difference between a butte and a mesa?” Both are hills with flat tops, but a mesa has a top that is wider than it is tall. A butte is a much narrower formation, and taller than it is wide.

42 Heist units : GEES

Gs, gees, grands, thousands …

43 “How to Get Away With Murder” lawyer Annalise : KEATING

“How to Get Away With Murder” is legal drama show that first aired in 2014. Star of the show is Viola Davis, playing law professor Annalise Keating who becomes involved in a murder plot with five of her students. I hear good things about this series, but haven’t seen it yet myself …

47 Clobber, biblically : SMITE

To smite is to strike with a firm blow. The term “smite” can also mean “strike down and slay”.

49 “Glengarry Glen Ross” playwright : MAMET

David Mamet is best known as a playwright, and indeed won a Pulitzer for his 1984 play “Glengarry Glen Ross”. Mamet is also a successful screenwriter and received Oscar nominations for the films “The Verdict” (1982) and “Wag the Dog” (1997).

50 Garlicky spread : AIOLI

To the purist, especially in Provence in the South of France, aioli is prepared just by grinding garlic with olive oil. However, other ingredients are often added to the mix, particularly egg yolks.

52 Tonsillitis-treating doc : ENT

The branch of medicine known as “ear, nose and throat” (ENT) is more correctly called “otolaryngology”.

56 Parts of hips : ILIA

The sacrum and the two ilia are three bones in the human pelvis.

57 65-Across feeder : OISE
(65A River in some Renoir paintings : SEINE)

The River Oise rises in Belgium and joins up with the River Seine just outside Paris.

59 Texting format, briefly : SMS

Short Message Service (SMS) is the name for the text messaging service that many of us still use on our cell phones to contact friends and family.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Astrological Ram : ARIES
6 Cleans out badly? : ROBS
10 __-pitch softball : SLO
13 Dry up : PARCH
14 Old photo hue : SEPIA
15 Equivocate : HEM
16 International waters : THE HIGH SEAS
18 Scrabble vowel value : ONE
19 Focus of a modern crisis : OPIOIDS
20 Branch bit : TWIG
21 “The Persistence of Memory” artist : DALI
24 Teleflora rival : FTD
25 Ice Capades setting : ARENA
26 Word with string or sing : … ALONG
28 Washington post : SENATOR
31 Ulaanbaatar native : MONGOL
33 One concerned with bites : DENTIST
35 South of France? : SUD
36 Trifling amount : SOU
38 Former NBA exec Jackson : STU
39 “Dumbo” (2019) director Burton : TIM
41 Off-leash play area : DOG PARK
44 Like many courtside interviews : IN-GAME
46 Pine detritus : NEEDLES
48 New York Harbor’s __ Island : ELLIS
49 “Mad About You” daughter : MABEL
51 __ Zion Church : AME
53 Actor Alan : ALDA
54 Runs : AIRS
55 Audit : SIT IN ON
58 Holstein sound : MOO
59 Politically diverse ballot … and an apt description of each set of puzzle circles : SPLIT TICKET
63 New Haven alum : ELI
64 L.L.Bean headquarters locale : MAINE
65 River in some Renoir paintings : SEINE
66 “Voices Carry” pop group __ Tuesday : ‘TIL
67 Unaccompanied : STAG
68 Lauder of cosmetics : ESTEE

Down

1 Fitting : APT
2 Root word? : RAH!
3 Hot temper : IRE
4 Bouncing off the walls : ECHOING
5 Castaway’s salvation : SHIP
6 Lived : RESIDED
7 Slanted page : OP-ED
8 Slant : BIAS
9 KLM rival : SAS
10 Locker room feature : SHOWER STALL
11 Red Square honoree : LENIN
12 Luxury watch : OMEGA
14 They’re poured at bars : SHOTS
17 Many an animated Twitter pic : GIF
20 Picard’s counselor : TROI
21 Stops up : DAMS
22 Vocally : ALOUD
23 Marinated beef dish : LONDON BROIL
25 Harmonize : ATTUNE
27 Grammy category : GOSPEL
29 Game console letters : NES
30 Member of the opposition : ANTI
32 Attachment to a car or a boat? : -LOAD
34 Shy : TIMID
37 Result of Googling : URL
40 Natural table : MESA
42 Heist units : GEES
43 “How to Get Away With Murder” lawyer Annalise : KEATING
45 Quick looks : GLANCES
47 Clobber, biblically : SMITE
49 “Glengarry Glen Ross” playwright : MAMET
50 Garlicky spread : AIOLI
52 Tonsillitis-treating doc : ENT
55 Row : SPAT
56 Parts of hips : ILIA
57 65-Across feeder : OISE
59 Texting format, briefly : SMS
60 Set for assembly : KIT

11 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 7 Nov 19, Thursday”

  1. Cute Thursday grid. I didn’t make use of the circled spaces, and actually never saw the theme fill; I got it by crosses.

    9:27, no errors.

  2. Found it very difficult. So many tricky answers, I was at first hesitant to enter mine.
    At least 5 should have been indicated as abbrevs in some way.

    Guessed 7: STU, TIL, ATTUNE, GOSPEL, GEES, ILIA, SMS.
    Never got the theme.

    But only had to Google for KEATING, so I count it as a success.

  3. No real difficulty with this grid. I was expecting something a little more difficult and I’m always glad when that does not turn out to be the case.

    Today’s WSJ had one of the more hilarious “pun” answers that actually made me laugh out loud when I got it. The clue for 40 Across was “Sci-fi cow’s secret weapon?” and the answer was “Teat Ray” or another way to read that is “Tea Tray”. Now that was clever and funny.

  4. I did this at a leisurely pace while selling my honey. That said, I got through most of it without too much trouble but the middle West and SW corner along with KEATING took forever. Especially LONDONBROIL, although once I guessed that it mostly came together. One error in the end: jALI instead of DALI, even though I know the painting but didn’t know the name.

    @Carrie – Thanks for that; so I guess a father might say: Hey Hon, load the fry and I’ll take them out for burgers and fries…??

  5. Greetings y’all!!🦆

    Dirk, yes that’s right! Strictly speaking, however, you’d have to include the word “small” before “fry,” in order to form the idiomatic expression.

    No errors, but a near-Natick at AME/KEATING…didn’t know KEATING, and I blanked momentarily on AME. Cute theme.

    Be well ~~🍹

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