LA Times Crossword 17 Dec 19, Tuesday

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Constructed by: Bruce Venzke & Gail Grabowski
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Scale

Themed answers include hidden words that are units measured by a SCALE:

  • 65A Device related to the circled letters : SCALE
  • 17A Very exciting episode : HIGH DRAMA (hiding “dram”)
  • 26A One doing the play-by-play : SPORTS ANNOUNCER (hiding “ounce”)
  • 44A Stand-up comic who is a recurring panelist on “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me” : PAULA POUNDSTONE (hiding “pound”)
  • 60A Subject of the 2019 biopic “Rocketman” : ELTON JOHN (hiding “ton”)

Bill’s time: 6m 13s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Tax law pros : CPAS

Certified public accountant (CPA)

14 Tune from “Tosca” : ARIA

Unlike so many operas, Giacomo Puccini’s “Tosca” was a big hit right from day one, when it was first performed in 1900 at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome. Currently, “Tosca” is the eighth-most performed opera in America.

15 The “A” in SATB : ALTO

The voice types soprano, alto, tenor and bass can be abbreviated to the initialism “SATB”.

17 Very exciting episode : HIGH DRAMA (hiding “dram”)

I think that the dram is a confusing unit of measurement. It has one value as an ancient unit of mass, and two different values as a modern unit of mass, another value as a unit of fluid volume, and yet another varying value as a measure of Scotch whisky!

19 Rich boy in “Nancy” comics : ROLLO

“Nancy” is a comic strip that was originally called “Fritzi Ritz” when it first appeared in 1938. Nancy Ritz is a mischievous young girl, and Rollo is a friendly rich kid.

21 Responding to an Evite : RSVP’ING

“RSVP” stands for “répondez s’il vous plaît”, which is French for “answer, please”.

23 CD-__: data holders : ROMS

“CD-ROM” stands for “compact disc read only memory”. The name indicates that you can read information from the disc (like a standard music CD for example), but you cannot write to it. You can also buy a CD-RW, which stands for “compact disc – rewritable”, with which you can read data and also write over it multiple times using a suitable CD drive.

26 One doing the play-by-play : SPORTS ANNOUNCER (hiding “ounce”)

Our term “ounce” (abbreviated to “oz.”) comes from the Latin “uncia”. An “uncia” was 1/12 of a Roman “libra” (pound).

35 Snobbish attitude : AIRS

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.

36 Road service org. : AAA

The American Automobile Association (AAA) is a not-for-profit organization focused on lobbying, provision of automobile servicing, and selling of automobile insurance. The AAA was founded in 1902 in Chicago and published the first of its celebrated hotel guides back in 1917.

37 Irish New Ager : ENYA

Enya’s real name is Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, which can translate from Irish into Enya Brennan. Her Donegal family (in the northwest of Ireland) formed a band called Clannad, which included Enya. In 1980 Enya launched her very successful solo career, eventually becoming Ireland’s best-selling solo musician. And, she sure does turn up a lot in crosswords!

41 DDE’s WWII domain : ETO

Dwight D. Eisenhower (DDE) was the 34th US president, but he wanted to be remembered as a soldier. He was a five-star general during WWII in charge of the Allied Forces in the European Theater of Operations (ETO). President Eisenhower died in 1969 at Walter Reed Army Hospital. He was buried in an $80 standard soldier’s casket in his army uniform in a chapel on the grounds of the beautiful Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas.

42 Hula-Hoops and Pogs : FADS

Hula hoops were a big craze in the 1950s, but they have been around in various forms at least since the year 500 BCE.

The game of pogs was originally played with bottle caps from POG fruit juice. The juice was named for its constituents, passion fruit, orange and guava.

44 Stand-up comic who is a recurring panelist on “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me” : PAULA POUNDSTONE (hiding “pound”)

Paula Poundstone is a stand-up comedian who grew up in Sudbury, Massachusetts. She is a regular panelist on the NPR weekly news quiz show “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me”. I had the privilege of seeing Poundstone performing in a local theater a few years ago, and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

48 Orbiting research facility: Abbr. : ISS

The International Space Station (ISS) is a modular facility that comprises components launched into space by Russian Proton and Soyuz rockets, and by American Space Shuttles. The station has been occupied by astronauts and scientists continually since November, 2000.

54 Caviar choice : SHAD ROE

The shad is also known as the river herring. The eggs (roe) of the shad are prized as a delicacy in the Eastern US.

59 __ acids: protein components : AMINO

Amino acids are essential to life in many ways, not least of which is their use as the building blocks of proteins. Nine amino acids are considered “essential” for humans. These nine must be included in the diet as they cannot be synthesized in the body.

60 Subject of the 2019 biopic “Rocketman” : ELTON JOHN (hiding “ton”)

“Elton John” is the stage name of English singer and pianist Reginald Dwight. John is an avid football (soccer) supporter, and is especially enthusiastic about Watford Football Club, which was his local team growing up. After he achieved financial success, John was able to purchase Watford FC, and owned the club from 1976 to 1987, and again from 1997 until 2002.

Here in the US, a ton is equivalent to 2,000 pounds. Over in the UK, a ton is 2,240 pounds. The UK unit is sometimes referred to as an Imperial ton, long ton or gross ton. Folks over there refer to the US ton then as a short ton. To further complicate matters, there is also a metric ton or tonne, which is equivalent to 2,204 pounds. Personally, I wish we’d just stick to kilograms …

62 Baltimore NFLer : RAVEN

The name of the Baltimore Ravens football team has a literary derivation. Baltimore was the home of the writer Edgar Allan Poe, and so the team took its moniker from his most famous poem, “The Raven”. The name was selected in a fan contest. Baltimore’s mascot is a raven named Poe. Prior to the 2008 season, the Raven’s had a trio of avian mascots: Edgar, Allan and Poe.

64 Oklahoma city NNW of Oklahoma City : ENID

Enid, Oklahoma takes its name from the old railroad station around which the city developed. Back in 1889, that train stop was called Skeleton Station. An official who didn’t like the name changed it to Enid Station, using a character from Alfred Lord Tennyson’s “Idylls of the King”. Maybe if he hadn’t changed the name, the city of Enid would now be called Skeleton, Oklahoma! Enid has the nickname “Queen Wheat City” because is has a huge capacity for storing grain, the third largest grain storage capacity in the world.

66 PC scrolling key : PGDN

PGUP (Page Up) and PGDN (Page Down) are two navigation keys found on a PC keyboard.

67 British mil. honors : DSOS

The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a British military award that is usually presented to officers with the rank of major or higher.

Down

1 __ Men: “Who Let the Dogs Out” band : BAHA

The Baha Men are so called because they hail from the Bahamas. Their big hit was “Who Let the Dogs Out?” That song once ranked third in a list of the world’s most annoying songs!

2 Leprechaun land : ERIN

A leprechaun is a mischievous fairy of Irish folklore. Traditionally, leprechauns spend their days making shoes and hide all their money in a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Our word “leprechaun” comes from the Irish name for such a sprite, i.e. “leipreachán”.

4 Island near Maui : OAHU

Oahu has been called “The Gathering Place”, although the word “O’ahu” has no translation in Hawaiian. It seems that “O’ahu” is simply the name of the island. One story is that it is named after the son of the Polynesian navigator who first found the islands. The island is made up of two volcanoes, Wai’anae and Ko’olau, joined together by a broad valley, the O’ahu Plain.

Maui is the second largest of the Hawaiian islands. It is sometimes called the “Valley Isle” as it is composed of two volcanoes to the northwest and southeast of the island, each with numerous beautiful valleys carved into them.

5 Guitarist Santana : CARLOS

Carlos Santana is a Mexican American rock guitar player, famous for heading the band called Santana who melded rock music with Latin and African themes.

6 Red Cross supply : PLASMA

Plasma (sometimes “plasm”) is the clear, yellow-colored liquid component of blood and lymph in which cells are suspended.

Back in 1859, a Swiss businessman called Henri Dunant went to meet French emperor Napoleon III, to discuss making it easier to conduct commerce in French-occupied Algeria. The Emperor was billeted at Solferino, where France and Austria were engaged in a major battle. In one day, Dunant witnessed 40,000 soldiers die in battle and countless wounded suffering on the battlefield without any organized medical care. Dunant abandoned his business agenda and instead spent a week caring for the sick and wounded. Within a few years he had founded the precursor to the Red Cross, and in 1901 he was awarded the first ever Nobel Peace Prize.

7 Bodega convenience : ATM

“Bodega” is a Spanish term describing a winery, or these days a grocery store.

11 Colombian metropolis : CALI

In terms of population, Cali is the third largest city in Colombia (after Bogotá and Medellin). Santiago de Cali (the full name for the city) lies in western Colombia. Apparently, Cali is a destination for “medical tourists”. The city’s surgeons have a reputation for being expert in cosmetic surgery and so folks head there looking for a “cheap” nose job. Cali has also been historically associated with the illegal drug trade and money laundering.

18 Vader in “Star Wars” : DARTH

The top 5 movie villains in the American Film Institute’s list “100 Years … 100 Heroes & Villains” are:

  1. Dr. Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs”
  2. Norman Bates in “Psycho”
  3. Darth Vader in “The Empire Strikes Back”
  4. The Wicked Witch of the West in “The Wizard of Oz”
  5. Nurse Ratched in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”

22 Stephen King work : STORY

Stephen King is a remarkably successful author. He has sold well over 350 million copies of his books, with many of them made into hit movies. I’ve tried reading two or three of the novels, and didn’t get too far. I really don’t do horror …

27 Vessel of 1492 : PINTA

Famously, Christopher Columbus used three ships in his first voyage across the Atlantic: the Santa Maria, the Niña and the Pinta. The Pinta was the fastest of the three, and it was from the Pinta that the New World was first spotted by a sailor named Rodrigo de Triana who was a lookout on the fateful day. Pinta was a nickname for the ship that translated as “the painted one”. The Pinta’s real name has been lost in the mists of time.

29 Color TV pioneer : RCA

Early television programming was broadcast in monochrome, i.e. black-and-white or grayscale. The introduction of color television built on the technology behind monochrome TV in the sense that color television images are a combination of three monochrome images. The colors of these three monochrome signals are red, green and blue (RGB).

31 “The Divine Comedy” segment : CANTO

A canto is a section of a long poem, and is a term first used by the Italian poet Dante. “Canto” is the Italian for “song”.

Dante Alighieri’s “Divine Comedy” is an epic poem dating back to the 14th century. The first part of that epic is “Inferno”, which is the Italian word for “Hell”. In the poem, Dante is led on a journey by the poet Virgil, starting at the gates of Hell on which are written the famous words “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here”.

33 Salary increase : RAISE

It has been suggested that out term “salary” comes from the Latin “sal” meaning “salt”. The idea is that a Roman soldier’s “salarium” might have been an allowance to purchase salt.

40 Raid target : ANT

Raid insecticide has been killing bugs since 1956.

43 C.S. Lewis lion : ASLAN

In the C. S. Lewis series of books known as “The Chronicles of Narnia”, Aslan is the name of the lion character (as in the title “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”). “Aslan” is actually the Turkish word for lion. Anyone who has read the books will recognize the remarkable similarity between the story of Aslan and the story of Christ, including a sacrifice and resurrection.

45 Model train giant : LIONEL

Lionel is the brand name most associated with toy trains in the US. The first Lionel trains rolled off the production line in 1901 and they are still produced today, although the original Lionel Corporation is long gone. In 1995, the brand was bought by an investment company that included train enthusiast Neil Young (the singer), and operated as Lionel, LLC. Neil Young’s financial involvement ended after a 2008 reorganization of the company following a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, but the company is still producing and selling.

46 Stacked like Tupperware : NESTED

Back in the 1930s, Earl Tupper was working at the DuPont Chemical Company, and from DuPont obtained inflexible pieces of polyethylene slag. Tupper purified the slag and shaped it into unbreakable containers. He added airtight lids with a “burping seal” that provided tight seals similar to that provided by the lids on paint cans. He called his new product Tupperware.

50 They beat bogeys : PARS

The golfing term “bogey” originated at the Great Yarmouth Golf Club in England in 1890, and was used to indicate a total round that was one-over-par (and not one-over-par on a particular hole, as it is today). The name “bogey” came from a music hall song of the time “Here Comes the Bogeyman”. In the following years it became popular for players trying to stay at par to be “playing against Colonel Bogey”. Then, during WWI, the marching tune “Colonel Bogey” was written and named after the golfing term. If you don’t recognize the name of the tune, it’s the one that’s whistled by the soldiers marching in the great movie “The Bridge on the River Kwai”.

51 Apple computer : IMAC

The iMac is a desktop computer platform that Apple introduced in 1998. One of the main features of the iMac is an “all-in-one” design, with the computer console and monitor integrated. The iMac also came in a range of colors, that Apple marketed as “flavors”, such as strawberry, blueberry and lime.

52 “Choose-A-Sheet” paper towels brand : VIVA

VIVA is a Kimberly-Clark brand of paper towels.

53 Captain Sparrow portrayer : DEPP

Johnny Depp got his big break as an actor on television, in the eighties television show “21 Jump Street”. Depp’s first film success came when he played the title role in 1990’s “Edward Scissorhands”. He has twice been named Sexiest Man Alive by “People” magazine.

Captain Jack Sparrow is the protagonist in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series of movies, and is played by Johnny Depp. Depp has said that he based his portrayal of Sparrow partly on the Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. I could believe that …

55 Kept the party hopping, for short : DJ’ED

The world’s first radio disc jockey (DJ) was one Ray Newby of Stockton, California who made his debut broadcast in 1909, would you believe? When he was 16 years old and a student, Newby started to play his records on a primitive radio located in the Herrold College of Engineering and Wireless in San Jose. The records played back then were mostly recordings of Enrico Caruso.

56 Howard and Silver : RONS

Ron Howard sure has come a long way since playing Opie Taylor on “The Andy Griffith Show”. He has directed some fabulous movies including favorites of mine like “Apollo 13”, “The Da Vinci Code” and “A Beautiful Mind”, the latter earning Howard a Best Director Oscar.

Ron Silver has a long career playing relatively small roles on the big screen and television, with roles in well known films like “Mr. Saturday Night”, “Ali”, and “Garbo Talks”. Notably, Silver was the president of Actors’ Equity from 1991 to 2000.

57 Lake Erie state : OHIO

Lake Erie borders four US states (Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Michigan) and one Canadian province (Ontario).

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Spanish kiss : BESO
5 Tax law pros : CPAS
9 Shaving scratches : NICKS
14 Tune from “Tosca” : ARIA
15 The “A” in SATB : ALTO
16 It’s sent with a click : EMAIL
17 Very exciting episode : HIGH DRAMA (hiding “dram”)
19 Rich boy in “Nancy” comics : ROLLO
20 Many garden flowers : ANNUALS
21 Responding to an Evite : RSVP’ING
23 CD-__: data holders : ROMS
25 Tot’s little piggy : TOE
26 One doing the play-by-play : SPORTS ANNOUNCER (hiding “ounce”)
34 Hoisting device : WINCH
35 Snobbish attitude : AIRS
36 Road service org. : AAA
37 Irish New Ager : ENYA
38 Full of sass : LIPPY
40 Dead set against : ANTI
41 DDE’s WWII domain : ETO
42 Hula-Hoops and Pogs : FADS
43 Gets in on the deal : ANTES
44 Stand-up comic who is a recurring panelist on “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me” : PAULA POUNDSTONE (hiding “pound”)
48 Orbiting research facility: Abbr. : ISS
49 Spa treatment : PEEL
50 Turned on an axis : PIVOTED
54 Caviar choice : SHAD ROE
59 __ acids: protein components : AMINO
60 Subject of the 2019 biopic “Rocketman” : ELTON JOHN (hiding “ton”)
62 Baltimore NFLer : RAVEN
63 Kind of pressure : PEER
64 Oklahoma city NNW of Oklahoma City : ENID
65 Device related to the circled letters : SCALE
66 PC scrolling key : PGDN
67 British mil. honors : DSOS

Down

1 __ Men: “Who Let the Dogs Out” band : BAHA
2 Leprechaun land : ERIN
3 Talk with one’s hands : SIGN
4 Island near Maui : OAHU
5 Guitarist Santana : CARLOS
6 Red Cross supply : PLASMA
7 Bodega convenience : ATM
8 Go sky-high : SOAR
9 On edge : NERVOUS
10 “No plans that day” : I’M OPEN
11 Colombian metropolis : CALI
12 Pottery oven : KILN
13 Laborious walk : SLOG
18 Vader in “Star Wars” : DARTH
22 Stephen King work : STORY
24 Buys eagerly : SNAPS UP
26 Look (for), as electronic bugs : SWEEP
27 Vessel of 1492 : PINTA
28 “The joke’s __!” : ON YOU
29 Color TV pioneer : RCA
30 __ in the bud : NIP
31 “The Divine Comedy” segment : CANTO
32 In one’s tummy : EATEN
33 Salary increase : RAISE
38 Go unrenewed : LAPSE
39 Bachelor’s famous last words? : I DO
40 Raid target : ANT
42 Slick trick : FAST ONE
43 C.S. Lewis lion : ASLAN
45 Model train giant : LIONEL
46 Stacked like Tupperware : NESTED
47 Do a ranch vet’s job : DEHORN
50 They beat bogeys : PARS
51 Apple computer : IMAC
52 “Choose-A-Sheet” paper towels brand : VIVA
53 Captain Sparrow portrayer : DEPP
55 Kept the party hopping, for short : DJ’ED
56 Howard and Silver : RONS
57 Lake Erie state : OHIO
58 Circle’s lack : ENDS
61 Journey segment : LEG

11 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 17 Dec 19, Tuesday”

  1. No errors. Speaking of words often found in crossword puzzles (like
    the mentioned “Enya”)….Enid, Oklahoma shows up a lot. Like today.

  2. Absolute shocker!!! Who would ever have thought you’d see a Venzke/Grabowski no brainer? No errors. No time. No way.

  3. Six minutes flat. For some reason I immediately put in BOYZ as in “Boyz II Men” for 1 down and that took me a little bit of time to un-wedge. Otherwise this went pretty fast. I thought the theme was a bit obvious and yeah, this was an unusually easy one for a Grabowski.

  4. I finished but for some reason the answers didn’t jump out like a regular
    Tuesday puzzle.

    Eddie

  5. 8:38. No surprises. I did put BAjA before BAHA which led to enough nonsense that I changed it quickly.

    Jack – Let me know if you need any help with 62A.

    Carrie – You’re right. One night I couldn’t sleep from the throbbing in my hand which led me to actually see a doctor about it. I’m done with the prednisone now and all seems back to normal. I was on it for 6 days, but I felt relief within the first 4 hours. It’s strong stuff.

    Best –

    1. Not to be a smart aleck (he said, succumbing to the temptation to be one 😜), but … if you had A(L)(S)AN, then you must have had PAULA POUND(L)TONE snd PEE(S), for a total of 3 errors. Proper names would seem to be the least of your worries … 😜.

  6. @Jeff – Jack should answer,”Nevermore.”

    No errors, no Googles. HAd DEworm before DEhorn.

    DIDN’t actually know ISS or BAHA, though I do like that song.

  7. Aloha meine Freunden!!🦆

    No errors, but I got seriously stuck in two places!! Wasn’t sure of either SWEEP or WINCH. Went thru several letters before deciding to stick with the W. Then, I was flummoxed by “ranch vet’s job.” Why does any animal need to be DEHORNed? Must Google!🤔

    Re: 62A — Jack, now you can simply write “Go 62A!!” I’m no football fan, but between the way they got the name and Jack’s enthusiasm I’m beginning to like the RAVENs. 😊

    Be well~~🥂

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