LA Times Crossword 4 May 20, Monday

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Constructed by: Craig Stowe
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Eye-Opener

Themed answers each OPEN with a type of EYE:

  • 62A Shock to the system, and what the start of each answer to a starred clue can be : EYE-OPENER
  • 17A *Revolving tray : LAZY SUSAN (giving “lazy eye”)
  • 25A *1991 cult film based on a William S. Burroughs novel : NAKED LUNCH (giving “naked eye”)
  • 38A *1974 Harry Chapin hit that mentions Little Boy Blue : CAT’S IN THE CRADLE (giving “cat’s eye”)
  • 49A *Rich exec’s transport : PRIVATE JET (giving “private eye”)

Bill’s time: 5m 36s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

6 Toronto Argos’ org. : CFL

The Toronto Argonauts Canadian Football League (CFL) was founded way back in 1873. That makes the Argos the oldest existing professional sports team in North America that still plays using its original name.

15 Comedian Wong : ALI

Ali Wong is a stand-up comedian from San Francisco who is a protégé of Chris Rock. She made two very successful Netflix stand-up specials “Baby Cobra” and “Hard Knock Wife”. She also worked as a writer for the hit sitcom “Fresh Off the Boat”.

16 Bat mitzvahs, e.g. : RITES

A Jewish girl becomes a bat mitzvah at 12 years of age, the age at which she becomes responsible for her actions. Boys become bar mitzvahs at 13. The terms translate into English as daughter and son of the commandments.

17 *Revolving tray : LAZY SUSAN (giving “lazy eye”)

A lazy Susan is a circular tray at the center of a dining table that can be rotated by those partaking in the meal. The term “lazy Susan” was introduced in the early 1900s, first appearing in an article in the magazine “Good Housekeeping”. Before this designation, the device had been called a “dumbwaiter”, a term that we now reserve for a small elevator used for transporting food from the kitchen to the dining room.

19 Apple app mostly replaced by Messages : ICHAT

iChat was introduced in 2002, and was Apple’s “instant messaging” application that integrated with the Mac Operating System. iChat was replaced by the Messages app.

20 Summer on the French Riviera : ETE

“Riviera” is an Italian word meaning “coastline”. The term is often applied to a coastline that is sunny and popular with tourists. The term “the Riviera” is usually reserved for the French Riviera (the Mediterranean coastline in southeastern France), and the Italian Riviera (the Mediterranean coastline centered on Genoa).

21 __ hash: served in a diner : SLUNG

To sling hash (also “to sling plates”) is to serve food in a diner.

22 Maui memento : LEI

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.

23 Tableland : 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.

25 *1991 cult film based on a William S. Burroughs novel : NAKED LUNCH (giving “naked eye”)

“Naked Lunch” is a 1991 sci-fi film based on a 1959 novel of the same name by William S. Boroughs. The critics liked this one, but the public largely ignored it.

29 Iranian money : RIAL

The rial is the currency of Iran (as well as Yemen, Oman, Cambodia and Tunisia). Generally, there are 1,000 baisa in a rial.

31 Brazilian hot spot : RIO

Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city in Brazil (after São Paulo). “Rio de Janeiro” translates as “January River”. The name reflects the discovery of the bay on which Rio sits, on New Year’s Day in 1502.

32 Mauna __: Hawaii’s highest peak : KEA

Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii, the peak of which is the highest point in the whole state. Mauna Kea is in effect the tip of a gigantic volcano rising up from the seabed.

33 “Peer Gynt” playwright : IBSEN

Henrik Ibsen’s play “Peer Gynt” is based on a Scandinavian fairy tale “Per Gynt”. The incidental music to the play, written by Edvard Grieg, is some of the most approachable classical music ever written, at least in my humble opinion …

36 “__ the season … ” : ‘TIS

The music for the Christmas song “Deck the Halls” is a traditional Welsh tune that dates back to the 16th century. The same tune was used by Mozart for a violin and piano duet. The lyrics with which we are familiar (other than the “f-la-la”) are American in origin, and were recorded in the 19th century.

“’Tis the season to be jolly, Fa la la la la la la la!”

37 Easter flower : LILY

The Easter lily has distinctive trumpet-shaped, white flowers. The plant gets its name from its use as a symbol in Christian traditions of the resurrection of Christ at Easter.

38 *1974 Harry Chapin hit that mentions Little Boy Blue : CAT’S IN THE CRADLE (giving “cat’s eye”)

Singer Harry Chapin is perhaps best remembered musically for his 1974 folk rock song “Cat’s in the Cradle”, which was his only number one hit. Sadly, Chapin died after a terrible auto accident that perhaps happened after he suffered a heart attack. Chapin was only 39 years old.

A “cat’s eye” is a type of marble, sometimes used as a shooter in the game. A cat’s eye marble is made from glass, with a colored insert that resembles a real cat’s eye.

42 River of Spain : EBRO

The Ebro is the longest river in Spain. The river was known by the Romans as the Iber, and it is the “Iber” river that gives the “Iberian” Peninsula its name.

44 Kindle download : E-BOOK

Amazon’s Kindle line of e-book readers was introduced in 2007. The name “kindle” was chosen to evoke images of “lighting a fire” through reading and intellectual stimulation. I bought myself a Kindle Fire HD several years ago. I started reading e-books for the first time in my life, as well as enjoying other computing options available with the tablet device …

45 Abu Dhabi’s fed. : UAE

Abu Dhabi is one of the seven Emirates that make up the federation known as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The two largest members of the UAE (geographically) are Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the only two of the seven members that have veto power over UAE policy. Before 1971, the UAE was a British Protectorate, a collection of sheikdoms. The sheikdoms entered into a maritime truce with Britain in 1835, after which they became known as the Trucial States, derived from the word “truce”.

46 Dudes : MEN

Our term “dude” arose as slang in New York City in the 1880s, when it was used to describe a fastidious man. In the early 1900s, the term was extended to mean “city slickers”, easterners who vacationed in the West. The first use of the term “dude ranch” was recorded in 1921.

49 *Rich exec’s transport : PRIVATE JET (giving “private eye”)

A private eye is a private investigator, a PI, a private “I”.

57 Pub game : DARTS

Darts is a wonderful game that’s often played in English and Irish pubs, even over here in America. The scoring in a traditional game of darts is difficult to describe in a sentence or two, but the game of darts called “Round the Clock” is simply hitting the numbers 1 through 20 on the dartboard in sequence.

65 __ Arbor : ANN

Ann Arbor, Michigan was founded in 1824 by John Allen and Elisha Rumsey. Supposedly, Allen and Rumsey originally used the name “Annsarbour” in recognition of stands of bur oak that were on the land they had purchased and in recognition of their wives, both of whom were called “Ann” (i.e. Anns’ Arbor)

66 Chris of women’s tennis : EVERT

Chris Evert is a former professional tennis player from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Evert has the best winning percentage in professional tennis, man or woman worldwide, losing less than 10% of all her matches.

69 Peddler’s assortment : WARES

In its purest sense. A peddler is someone who sells his or her wares on the street or from door to door. The term probably comes from the Latin “pedarius” meaning “one who goes on foot”.

Down

1 Witch trial town : SALEM

Salem is a seaport on the Massachusetts coast. It is noted as the location of the Salem witch trials of 1692, an event that the city commemorates during the run-up to Halloween every year in October.

The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings held in 1692 and 1693 in colonial Massachusetts, most famously in Salem. As a result of mass hysteria, twenty people were convicted of practicing witchcraft and were executed. The events were deemed to be a terrible injustice almost immediately. As early as 1696, there was a legal ruling by the Massachusetts General Court that referred to the outcome of the trials as a tragedy. In 2001, the Massachusetts legislature officially exonerated all of those convicted.

4 Minnesota senator Klobuchar : AMY

Amy Klobuchar was elected to the US Senate in 2006, and became the first elected female senator for Minnesota when she took her seat in the following January. Former Second Lady of the US Muriel Humphrey was Minnesota’s first female senator. Ms. Humphrey was appointed to serve out the balance of her husband’s term after Hubert Humphrey died.

8 Boudoir apparel : LINGERIE

“Lingerie” is a French term. As used in France, it describes any underwear, worn by either males or females. In English we use “lingerie” to describe alluring underclothing worn by women. The term “lingerie” comes into English via the French word “linge” meaning “washables”, and ultimately from the Latin “linum”, meaning “linen”. We tend not to pronounce the word correctly in English, either here in the US or across the other side of the Atlantic. The French pronunciation is more like “lan-zher-ee”, as opposed to “lon-zher-ay” (American) and “lon-zher-ee” (British).

A boudoir is a women’s private bedroom, or her private room adjoining the bedroom. The etymology of “boudoir” is pretty sexist, I think, as the term comes from the French verb “bouder” meaning “to pout, sulk”. A boudoir is a place for women to go sulk and pout … yikes!

9 Scouring pad brand : BRILLO

Brillo Pad is a soapy, steel wool pad, patented in 1913. The company claims that the name “Brillo” is derived from the Latin word for “bright”.

10 Houston sch. : RICE U

Rice University is a private school in Houston, Texas. William Marsh Rice had made a will endowing the funds for the establishment of the school at the time of his death. When he was found dead one morning in his bed, his lawyer announced that his will had been changed, with the bulk of Rice’s estate actually going to the lawyer making the announcement. Upon investigation, it was discovered that the lawyer had paid Rice’s valet to murder his employer using chloroform and a fake will was written. Eventually, the original will was deemed valid and the funds were disbursed so that the school could be built.

12 Arthur of “The Golden Girls” : BEA

Actress Bea Arthur’s most famous roles were on television, as the lead in the “All in the Family” spin-off “Maude” and as Dorothy Zbornak in “The Golden Girls”. Arthur also won a Tony for playing Vera Charles on stage in the original cast of “Mame” in 1966, two years after she played Yente the matchmaker in the original cast of “Fiddler on the Roof”.

“The Golden Girls” is a sitcom that originally aired in the eighties and nineties. The show features Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty as four older women who share a house in Miami.

18 Bone parallel to the radius : ULNA

The radius and ulna are bones in the forearm. If you hold the palm of your hand up in front of you, the radius is the bone on the “thumb-side” of the arm, and the ulna is the bone on the “pinky-side”.

26 Part of DVD : DISC

The abbreviation “DVD” doesn’t actually stand for anything these days, although it was originally short for “digital video disk”. The use of the word “video” was dropped as DVDs started to be used for storing a lot more than video. As a result, some folks assign the phrase “digital versatile disk” to “DVD”.

27 String quartet strings : CELLO

The word “cello” (plural “celli” or “cellos”) is an abbreviation for “violoncello”, an Italian word for “little violone”, referring to a group of stringed instruments that were popular up to the end of the 17th century. The name violoncello persisted for the instrument that we know today, although the abbreviation ‘cello was often used. Nowadays we just drop the apostrophe.

A standard string quartet is made up of two violins, a viola and a cello. A string quintet consists of a standard string quartet with the addition of a fifth instrument, usually a second viola or cello.

28 “Frida” star Salma : HAYEK

Salma Hayek is a Mexican actress. Hayek was the first Mexican national to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, earning that nomination with her portrayal of artist Frida Kahlo in the 2002 movie “Frida”.

Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter famous for her self-portraits. She was married to the equally famous artist Diego Rivera. Kahlo was portrayed by actress Salma Hayek in a film about her colorful life called “Frida” released in 2002.

34 Elephant of children’s lit : BABAR

“Babar the Elephant” originated in France, a creation of Jean de Brunhoff in 1931. The first book was “Histoire de Babar”, a book so successful it was translated into English two years later for publication in Britain and the US. Jean de Brunhoff wrote six more Babar stories before he died in 1937, and then his son Laurent continued his father’s work.

35 Barbra of “Yentl” : STREISAND

Barbra Streisand has recorded 31 top-ten albums since 1963, more than any other female recording artist. In fact, she has had an album in the top ten for the last five decades, a rare achievement in itself.

“Yentl” is a play that opened in New York City in 1975. The move to adapt the play for the big screen was led by Barbra Streisand, and indeed she wrote the first outline of a musical version herself as far back as 1968. The film was eventually made and released in 1983, with Streisand performing the lead role.

39 Belarus denial : NYET

The English word “no” translates into Russian as “nyet” and into German as “nein”.

The Republic of Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, located east of Poland and north of Ukraine. Belarus didn’t exist as an entity until the Russian Revolution when it was created as one of the Soviet Socialist Republics (SSRs) that made up the USSR. The Republic of Belarus was formed soon after the USSR dissolved in 1990, but unlike many of the former Soviet Republics, Belarus has retained many of the old Soviet policies. Alexander Lukashenko is the country’s president and he believes in state ownership of the economy. Belarus and Russia have formal agreements in place that pledge cooperation.

41 Sleep acronym : REM

“REM” is an acronym standing for “rapid eye movement”. REM sleep takes up 20-25% of the sleeping hours and is the period associated with one’s most vivid dreams.

48 Bart’s bus driver : OTTO

Otto Mann drives the school bus on the TV show “The Simpsons”. Otto is a Germanic character voiced by Harry Shearer, and his name is a play on “Ottoman Empire”. Whenever Bart sees him, he greets Otto with the words “Otto, man!”

50 Poet’s forte : VERSE

A person’s forte is his or her strength. The term “forte” came into English via French from the Latin “fortis” meaning strong. “Forte” (F) is also a musical direction meaning “loud”.

51 Old-time actress Mansfield or Meadows : JAYNE

Actress Jayne Mansfield is perhaps best remembered as a Hollywood sex symbol from the fifties and sixties. She was also one of the early “Playboy” Playmates, and appeared in several issues of the magazine. Mansfield was married three times, and had five children. Those children include actress Mariska Hargitay, who plays Olivia Benson on the TV police drama “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”.

Jayne Meadows was an American actress and television personality. Meadows was married to Steve Allen, with whom she sometimes appeared as a panelist on the TV show “What’s My Line?”

63 Longoria of “Overboard” (2018) : EVA

Eva Longoria is a fashion model and actress who had a regular role on TV’s “Desperate Housewives”, playing Gabrielle Solis.

“Overboard” is a 2018 film starring Eugenio Derbez and Anna Farris. It is a remake of the 1987 film of the same name starring Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn. In the original, a rich heiress falls overboard, suffers from amnesia, and is then fooled into thinking she is the wife of a poor widower. In the remake, roles are reversed. A rich heir falls overboard, suffers amnesia, and is fooled into thinking he is married to a single mother working two jobs.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Cream and ice cream : SODAS
6 Toronto Argos’ org. : CFL
9 Pay to look the other way : BRIBE
14 Pleasing smell : AROMA
15 Comedian Wong : ALI
16 Bat mitzvahs, e.g. : RITES
17 *Revolving tray : LAZY SUSAN (giving “lazy eye”)
19 Apple app mostly replaced by Messages : ICHAT
20 Summer on the French Riviera : ETE
21 __ hash: served in a diner : SLUNG
22 Maui memento : LEI
23 Tableland : MESA
25 *1991 cult film based on a William S. Burroughs novel : NAKED LUNCH (giving “naked eye”)
29 Iranian money : RIAL
31 Brazilian hot spot : RIO
32 Mauna __: Hawaii’s highest peak : KEA
33 “Peer Gynt” playwright : IBSEN
36 “__ the season … ” : ‘TIS
37 Easter flower : LILY
38 *1974 Harry Chapin hit that mentions Little Boy Blue : CAT’S IN THE CRADLE (giving “cat’s eye”)
42 River of Spain : EBRO
43 “__-hoo!” : YOO
44 Kindle download : E-BOOK
45 Abu Dhabi’s fed. : UAE
46 Dudes : MEN
47 “__ other time”: “No, thanks” : SOME
49 *Rich exec’s transport : PRIVATE JET (giving “private eye”)
52 Hard times : LOWS
56 Ready-go link : SET
57 Pub game : DARTS
59 “__ cares!” : WHO
60 Separated : APART
62 Shock to the system, and what the start of each answer to a starred clue can be : EYE-OPENER
64 Like pea-soup fog : DENSE
65 __ Arbor : ANN
66 Chris of women’s tennis : EVERT
67 Tell the waitperson what you want : ORDER
68 Entry charge : FEE
69 Peddler’s assortment : WARES

Down

1 Witch trial town : SALEM
2 Give a speech : ORATE
3 Nods off : DOZES
4 Minnesota senator Klobuchar : AMY
5 Get smart with : SASS
6 Like some Friday work attire : CASUAL
7 Butcher’s cut : FLANK
8 Boudoir apparel : LINGERIE
9 Scouring pad brand : BRILLO
10 Houston sch. : RICE U
11 Tentatively positive response : I THINK I DO
12 Arthur of “The Golden Girls” : BEA
13 Repair approx. : EST
18 Bone parallel to the radius : ULNA
24 “You __ lucky!” : ARE SO
26 Part of DVD : DISC
27 String quartet strings : CELLO
28 “Frida” star Salma : HAYEK
30 Pasta suffix : -INI
33 Frost over : ICE UP
34 Elephant of children’s lit : BABAR
35 Barbra of “Yentl” : STREISAND
36 However, briefly : THO’
37 Designer __ : LABEL
39 Belarus denial : NYET
40 Lacking a musical ear : TONE DEAF
41 Sleep acronym : REM
46 Make a difference : MATTER
47 Peaceful : SERENE
48 Bart’s bus driver : OTTO
50 Poet’s forte : VERSE
51 Old-time actress Mansfield or Meadows : JAYNE
53 Deed holder : OWNER
54 In what place : WHERE
55 Alphabetizes, say : SORTS
58 Eject, as lava : SPEW
60 Fuss : ADO
61 As __: according to : PER
63 Longoria of “Overboard” (2018) : EVA