LA Times Crossword 22 Apr 20, Wednesday

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Constructed by: Bruce Haight & Richard Lederer
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: “-INE”

Themed answers include the word ending “-INE”, with each instance pronounced differently:

  • 54A Common word-ending letters that can be pronounced five ways, as demonstrated in five long puzzle answers : -INE
  • 17A Strict prerequisite : SINE QUA NON
  • 22A Powerful force for innovation : ENGINE OF CHANGE
  • 35A Spoke frankly : LAID IT ON THE LINE
  • 43A Trattoria seafood dish : SHRIMP LINGUINE
  • 52A Aquarium collection : MARINE LIFE

Bill’s time: 6m 58s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Tablet compatible with Apple Pencil : IPAD

The Apple Pencil is a stylus released in 2015 that was designed for the iPad Pro tablet computer. The Apple Pencil is quite “smart”, and has a pressure sensitive tip. It also includes a bluetooth device for additional connectivity to the computer system itself,and not just the screen. Another nice feature is a Lightning connector, so that the computer can charge the stylus for half an hour’s use in only 15 seconds.

15 Snorkeling spots : REEFS

Our word “snorkel” comes from German navy slang “Schnorchel” meaning “nose, snout”. The German slang was applied to an air-shaft used for submarines, due to its resemblance to a nose, in that air passed through it and it made a “snoring” sound. “Schnorchel” comes from “Schnarchen”, the German for “snore”.

16 “Marriage Story” 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.

“Marriage Story” is a 2019 movie starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver as a couple going through a messy divorce. The critics loved this one. Me, not so much …

17 Strict prerequisite : SINE QUA NON

“Sine qua non” is a Latin phrase that we use to mean “the essential element or condition”. The literal translation is “without which not”. One might say, for example, “a challenging crossword is the sine qua non of a good newspaper”. Well, crossword fans might say that …

19 Telegraph taps : DITS

Samuel Morse came up with the forerunner to modern Morse code for use on the electric telegraph, of which he was the co-inventor. Morse code uses a series of dots and dashes to represent letters and numbers. The most common letters are assigned the simplest code elements e.g. E is represented by one dot, and T is represented by one dash. When words are spelled aloud in Morse code, a dot is pronounced as “dit”, and a dash is pronounced as “dah”.

20 Circus prop : STILT

The Circus Maximus was an ancient stadium used for chariot racing in Rome. It was the first such stadium built by the Romans, and was the largest ever to be built in the whole of the Roman Empire. The Circus Maximus was over 2,000 feet long and just under 400 feet wide, and could house about 15,000 spectators. There is very little of the original structure remaining and the site is now used as a major park. It was the Circus Maximus and similar “circa” that gave rise to our contemporary word “circus” describing an arena used by clowns, acrobats, etc.

26 Softly hit hit : BLOOP

In baseball, a bloop single is more usually called a blooper. It’s a fly ball that drops for a single between an infielder and an outfielder.

27 Senior advocacy group : AARP

“AARP” is now the official name for the interest group that used to be called the American Association of Retired Persons. The name change reflects the current focus of the group on all Americans aged 50 or over, as opposed to just people who have retired.

29 Certain Muslim : SHIITE

The Islamic sects of Sunni and Shia Muslims differ in the belief of who should have taken over leadership of the Muslim faithful after the death of the Prophet Muhammad. Followers of the Sunni tradition agree with the decision that the Prophet Muhammad’s confidante Abu Bakr was the right choice to become the first Caliph of the Islamic nation. Followers of the Shia tradition believe that leadership should have stayed within the Prophet Muhammad’s own family, and favored the Prophet’s son-in-law Ali.

40 __ collar : ETON

An Eton collar is a wide, stiff, buttoned collar that is still part of the formal school uniform at Eton College near Windsor in England.

41 Shiny fabric : LAME

Lamé is a fabric that has metallic yarns included in the weave. Lamé is a popular fabric for stylish evening wear, and also in the sport of fencing. The metallic threads are conductive and so help register a touch by an épée.

42 Crete peak: Abbr. : MT IDA

Crete is the largest of the Greek Islands. Crete figures heavily in Greek mythology. Zeus was born in a cave at Mount Ida, the highest peak on the island. Crete was also home to the Labyrinth where the Minotaur was slain by Theseus. Icarus and Daedalus, after having crafted the Labyrinth, escaped from the island using wings that they crafted.

43 Trattoria seafood dish : SHRIMP LINGUINE

Linguine is a type of pasta that is similar to spaghetti, except that in cross-section linguine is elliptical whereas spaghetti is round. The correct name for the dish is “linguine” meaning “little tongues” in Italian. That said, the misspelling “linguini” is given in some dictionaries as an acceptable Americanized variant..

50 Certain believer : DEIST

Deism (from the Latin “deus” meaning god) is the belief that a supreme being created the universe, a belief based on observation and reason and without the need for faith. Further, a deist does not accept divine intervention and rather believes that the supreme being, having created the universe, leaves the world to its own devices.

52 Aquarium collection : MARINE LIFE

“Aquarium” is a Latin word meaning “pertaining to water”, although in Latin the word only existed as a noun with the meaning “drinking place for cattle”. Before the use of the noun “aquarium” (plural “aquaria”) in the context of fish, a tank was sometimes referred to as a marine vivarium.

57 Hawkish god : ARES

The Greek god Ares is often referred to as the Olympian god of warfare, but originally he was regarded as the god of bloodlust and slaughter. Ares united with Aphrodite to create several gods, including Phobos (Fear), Deimos (Terror) and Eros (Desire). Ares was the son of Zeus and Hera, and the Roman equivalent to Ares was Mars.

The dove is a symbol of peace, and the hawk is a symbol of war.

59 Playing to break a tie, briefly : IN OT

In overtime (in OT)

60 Newbie : TYRO

A tyro (also “tiro”) is a beginner or a novice. “Tyro” comes into English from Latin, in which language “tiro” means “recruit”.

61 Full of gossip : DISHY

To dish the dirt is to talk about someone or something without regard to veracity. The phrase comes from “dish” (in the sense of dishing out food) and “dirt” (in the sense of negative information). To be dishy is to be given to gossip.

62 Some hosp. scans : EEGS

An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a record of electrical activity caused by the firing of neurons within the brain. The EEG might be used to diagnose epilepsy, or perhaps to determine if a patient is “brain dead”.

Down

1 Platform for 1-Across : IOS
(1A Tablet compatible with Apple Pencil : IPAD)

iOS is what Apple now calls their mobile operating system. Previously, it was known as iPhone OS.

2 Honor society letter : PHI

Phi Beta Kappa was the first collegiate Greek fraternity in the US, founded in 1776 at the College of William and Mary. The organization served as a model for future collegiate fraternities and sororities, although in the 19th century Phi Beta Kappa distanced itself from the fraternal focus and transformed into the honor society that it is today, recognizing academic excellence. The initials Phi Beta Kappa stand for “philosophia biou kybernētēs”, which translates into “philosophy is the guide of life”. The symbol of the Phi Beta Kappa Society is a golden key.

3 New England cape : ANN

Cape Ann is located 30 miles north of Boston and is on the northernmost edge of Massachusetts Bay. The Cape was first mapped by the explorer John Smith. Early in his adventurous life Smith had been captured and enslaved by the Ottoman Empire. His “owner” in his days of slavery was a woman called Tragabigzanda, and apparently the slave and owner fell in love. Smith originally called Cape Tragabigzanda in her memory, but King Charles I changed the name to Cape Ann in honor of his own mother, Anne of Denmark.

5 UCLA player : BRUIN

The UCLA Bruins’ mascots are Joe and Josephine Bruin, characters that have evolved over the years. There used to be “mean” Bruin mascots but they weren’t very popular with the fans, so now there are only “happy” Bruin mascots at the games.

6 Washington portraitist Rembrandt __ : PEALE

Rembrandt Peale was a prolific American portrait artist. As one might guess from his given name, Rembrandt was the son of another artist, Charles Willson Peale, who named him for the Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn. Indeed, Rembrandt had two brothers, named Raphaelle and Rubens Peale. Rembrandt Peale’s most famous works are portraits of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

7 Slow, musically : LENTO

A lento passage is a piece of music that has a slow tempo. “Lento” is Italian for “slow”.

8 Eerie sky sight : UFO

Unidentified flying object (UFO)

9 W-9 or W-2 ID : SSN

IRS form W-9 is a Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification. The W-9 is filled out by employees and used by employers for payroll purposes. The form is not submitted to the IRS.

Form W-2 is provided by US employers to their employees by January 31 each year. The form reports wages paid to the employees, as well as taxes withheld.

10 Often unjust accusation : BAD RAP

A rap sheet is a criminal record. “Rap” is a slang term dating back to the 1700s that means “blame, responsibility” as in “to take the rap”, “bad rap” and “to beat the rap”. This usage morphed into “rap sheet” in the early 1900s.

18 Makeup-removing swab : Q-TIP

Cotton swabs were originally marketed under the name “Baby Gays”. This was changed in 1926 to “Q-Tips”, with the Q standing for “quality”.

21 Preakness horse’s age : THREE

The Preakness Stakes is a thoroughbred horse race that’s run at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore in May of each year. The Preakness is the second most popular horse race in the US in terms of attendance, after the Kentucky Derby. The race was given its name by former Maryland Governor Oden Bowie in honor of the racehorse named Preakness. Preakness won the inaugural Dixie Stakes that was run at Pimlico in 1870.

22 Yosemite climbing spot featured in “Free Solo,” for short : EL CAP

El Capitan is a stunning vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park in California. The top of El Capitan has been used as the take-off point for many BASE jumps, parachute jumps made by diving off the top of the rock face. The National Park Service put a stop to the practise in 1999. Soon afterwards, a BASE jumper made an illegal jump to protest the ban. She died …

“Free Solo” is an excellent, albeit frightening (to me), 2018 documentary about Alex Honnold’s record-setting free-solo ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. The film won that season’s Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, as well it should …

23 Like four Koufax games : NO-HIT

Sandy Koufax is a retired baseball pitcher who turned out for the Dodgers from 1955 to 1966. Koufax was the first player to win three Cy Young Awards, and the first player to pitch four no-hitters. He was also an iconic Jewish American in the field of sports, notably refusing to play in the first game of the 1965 World Series because it fell on Yom Kippur. When Koufax was invited to attend a White House reception in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month in 2010, President Obama remarked that he and Kofax had something in common. The president continued, “He can’t pitch on Yom Kippur. I can’t pitch.” Funny …

25 Cartoonist Guisewite or her title character : CATHY

“Cathy” is a comic strip drawn by Cathy Guisewite. The strip was largely based on Guisewite’s own life experiences. For decades, cartoon Cathy was a single woman dealing with food, love, family and work. Cathy married her longtime boyfriend Irving in 2005, and the strip ended its run in 2010 with the revelation that Cathy was expecting a baby girl.

26 Western neckwear : BOLO

I’ve never worn a bolo tie, and was surprised to discover that it is a relatively recent invention. The first bolo tie was apparently produced in Wickenburg, Arizona in the late 1940s by a silversmith. The bolo takes its name from the boleadora, an Argentine lariat.

29 Passport mark : STAMP

A visa is usually a stamp in one’s passport, an indication that one is authorized to enter (and less often, to exit) a particular country. The word “visa” comes into English, via French, from the Latin expression “charta visa” meaning “paper that has been seen”, or “verified paper”.

31 Fortune rival : INC

“Inc.” is a business magazine that specializes in articles about growing companies. “Inc.” publishes a list of the 500 fastest-growing private companies in the country each year, calling it the “Inc. 500”. The “Inc. 5000” is an expanded list also published by the magazine.

“Fortune” is a tri-weekly business magazine that was founded by Henry Luce in 1930, just four months after the 1929 Wall Street Crash. “Fortune” is noted for its annual ranking of companies by revenue, especially the Fortune 500.

33 Cell terminal : ANODE

A battery is a device that converts chemical energy into electric energy. A simple battery is made up of three parts: a cathode, an anode and a liquid electrolyte. Ions from the electrolyte react chemically with the material in the anode producing a compound and releasing electrons. At the same time, the electrolyte reacts with the material in the cathode, absorbing electrons and producing a different chemical compound. In this way, there is a buildup of electrons at the anode and a deficit of electrons at the cathode. When a connection (wire, say) is made between the cathode and anode, electrons flow through the resulting circuit from the anode to cathode in an attempt to rectify the electron imbalance.

34 TV ally of Hercules : XENA

The Xena character, played by New Zealander Lucy Lawless, was introduced in a made-for-TV movie called “Hercules and the Amazon Women”. Lawless reprised the role in a series called “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys”. Xena became so popular that a series was built around her character, with Lawless retained for the title role. The fictional Xena supposedly came from the “non-fictional” Greek city of Amphipolis.

36 Part of an ancient boast : I CAME

The oft-quoted statement “Veni, vidi, vici” (“I came, I saw, I conquered”) is believed by many to have been written by Julius Caesar. The words date back to 47 BCE and refer to the short war between Rome and Pharnaces II of Pontus.

46 “Luther” actor Elba : IDRIS

English actor Idris Elba plays the drug lord Stringer Bell in the marvelous HBO drama series “The Wire”, and played the title character in the 2013 film “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”. Off the screen, Elba occasionally appears as a disk jockey using the name “DJ Big Driis”.

“Luther” is a British television series starring Idris Elba in the title role as Detective Chief Inspector John Luther. There has been talk about developing a US version of “Luther”, and a Russian version first broadcast in 2016 using the title “Klim”.

47 Bay sound : NEIGH

Bay is a reddish-brown color. The term “bay” usually describes the coat of a horse, or a horse with a coat of such a color.

48 Weasley sister : GINNY

In the “Harry Potter” series of books, Ginny Weasley is the sister of Harry’s friend, Ron Weasley. Late in the series, Harry and Ginny become boyfriend and girlfriend. It is revealed in the epilogue that the couple eventually get married and have three children.

53 Journalist Velshi of MSNBC : ALI

Ali Velshi is a television journalist from Canada who joined MSNBC in 2016, after having worked with CNN and Al Jazeera America.

56 Presumed 8-Down crew : ETS
(8D Eerie sky sight : UFO)

One might speculate that an unidentified flying object (UFO) is flown by an extraterrestrial (ET).

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Tablet compatible with Apple Pencil : IPAD
5 Just short of the A-list? : B-PLUS
10 Entice : BAIT
14 “Yikes!” : OH NO!
15 Snorkeling spots : REEFS
16 “Marriage Story” actor Alan : ALDA
17 Strict prerequisite : SINE QUA NON
19 Telegraph taps : DITS
20 Circus prop : STILT
21 Good dog’s reward : TREAT
22 Powerful force for innovation : ENGINE OF CHANGE
26 Softly hit hit : BLOOP
27 Senior advocacy group : AARP
28 Spanish eight : OCHO
29 Certain Muslim : SHIITE
32 Part of an all-in-one printer : FAX
35 Spoke frankly : LAID IT ON THE LINE
38 Go (for) : OPT
39 Like pop tunes : CATCHY
40 __ collar : ETON
41 Shiny fabric : LAME
42 Crete peak: Abbr. : MT IDA
43 Trattoria seafood dish : SHRIMP LINGUINE
49 Seismic event : QUAKE
50 Certain believer : DEIST
51 Push : URGE
52 Aquarium collection : MARINE LIFE
57 Hawkish god : ARES
58 Set straight : ALIGN
59 Playing to break a tie, briefly : IN OT
60 Newbie : TYRO
61 Full of gossip : DISHY
62 Some hosp. scans : EEGS

Down

1 Platform for 1-Across : IOS
2 Honor society letter : PHI
3 New England cape : ANN
4 Makes the world a better place : DOES GOOD
5 UCLA player : BRUIN
6 Washington portraitist Rembrandt __ : PEALE
7 Slow, musically : LENTO
8 Eerie sky sight : UFO
9 W-9 or W-2 ID : SSN
10 Often unjust accusation : BAD RAP
11 Presumed 8-Down pilot : ALIEN
12 Baggage requirement : ID TAG
13 Hint : TASTE
18 Makeup-removing swab : Q-TIP
21 Preakness horse’s age : THREE
22 Yosemite climbing spot featured in “Free Solo,” for short : EL CAP
23 Like four Koufax games : NO-HIT
24 Belief system : FAITH
25 Cartoonist Guisewite or her title character : CATHY
26 Western neckwear : BOLO
29 Passport mark : STAMP
30 Suite spot : HOTEL
31 Fortune rival : INC
32 Belong : FIT IN
33 Cell terminal : ANODE
34 TV ally of Hercules : XENA
36 Part of an ancient boast : I CAME
37 “Don’t make waves” : LET IT LIE
41 In this way : LIKE SO
42 Ponder : MUSE
43 Stocky : SQUAT
44 Get a move on : HURRY
45 Wild party : RAGER
46 “Luther” actor Elba : IDRIS
47 Bay sound : NEIGH
48 Weasley sister : GINNY
52 Ticked off : MAD
53 Journalist Velshi of MSNBC : ALI
54 Common word-ending letters that can be pronounced five ways, as demonstrated in five long puzzle answers : -INE
55 Highway hazard : FOG
56 Presumed 8-Down crew : ETS