LA Times Crossword 8 May 20, Friday

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Constructed by: Stu Agler
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Novel Magazine Firsts

Themed answers are well-known magazine names, but with the first letter changed:

  • 17A Magazine for masseuses? : ROLF DIGEST (from “Golf Digest”)
  • 21A Magazine for nurses? : IV GUIDE (from “TV Guide”)
  • 26A Magazine for golfers? : PAR AND DRIVER (from “Car and Driver”)
  • 38A Magazine for beekeepers? : HONEY (from “Money”)
  • 44A Magazine for crossword constructors? : PUNNER’S WORLD (from “Runner’s World”)
  • 51A Magazine for pharmacists? : MEDBOOK (from “Redbook”)
  • 60A Magazine for farmers? : HEN’S HEALTH (from “Men’s Health”)

Bill’s time: 8m 45s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Cook Islands language : MAORI

The Māori are the indigenous people of New Zealand. They are eastern Polynesian in origin and began arriving in New Zealand relatively recently, starting some time in the late 13th century. The word “māori” simply means “normal”, distinguishing mortal humans from spiritual entities. The Māori refer to New Zealand as “Aotearoa”.

The Cook Islands is a grouping of 15 small islands in the South Pacific that is an associated state with New Zealand. Under this arrangement, New Zealand is responsible for the defense of the Cook Islands and represents them on the world stage. Cook Islanders are citizens of New Zealand, but they are also Cook Island nationals. The Cook Islands have their own democratically elected parliament and are self-governed.

6 Place for mascara : LASH

Variants of mascara have been around a long time, and certainly there was a similar substance in use in ancient Egypt. “Mascara” is a Spanish word meaning “stain, mask”.

14 Ray __, NBAer with the most regular season 3-point field goals : ALLEN

Ray Allen is a retired NBA player who has made a name for himself as an actor. He gave a lauded performance as basketball prodigy Jesus Shuttlesworth in the 1998 film “He’s Got Game”, appearing alongside Denzel Washington.

15 Northern 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 it has a huge capacity for storing grain, the third largest grain storage capacity in the world.

16 Legal memo phrase : IN RE

The term “in re” is Latin, and is derived from “in” (in) and “res” (thing, matter). “In re” literally means “in the matter”, and is used to mean “in regard to” or “in the matter of”.

17 Magazine for masseuses? : ROLF DIGEST (from “Golf Digest”)

Rolfing is a trademarked massage technique developed by Ida Pauline Rolf in the fifties.

“Golf Digest” is a monthly golf magazine that was founded in 1950. The magazine is noted for its regular listings of “bests” and “greatest”, such as “America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses” and “America’s Top 50 Golf Courses for Women”.

19 Campus area : QUAD

A university often features a central quadrangle (quad).

21 Magazine for nurses? : IV GUIDE (from “TV Guide”)

A registered nurse (RN) might administer an intravenous drip (IV).

The first national “TV Guide” was issued in 1953. The cover of that first issue featured a photo of newborn Desi Arnaz, Jr., son of Lucille Ball.

25 Chopper topper : ROTOR

“Chopper” is an informal term used for a helicopter.

26 Magazine for golfers? : PAR AND DRIVER (from “Car and Driver”)

“Car and Driver” is an automotive magazine published in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “Car and Driver” first appeared in 1955, when it was called “Sports Cars Illustrated”.

32 Salchow relatives : AXELS

An axel is a forward take-off jump in figure skating. The maneuver was first performed by Norwegian Axel Paulsen at the 1882 World Figure Skating championships.

The salchow jump in figure skating is named for Swedish skater Ulrich Salchow, who invented the move.

33 __-deucey : ACEY

Acey-deucey is a fast-played variant of backgammon. Apparently, the game has been a favorite with members of the armed forces since the days of WWI.

34 Hook partner : JAB

That would be boxing.

38 Magazine for beekeepers? : HONEY (from “Money”)

One of the best-known features in “Money” magazine is its annual listing of “America’s Best Places to Live”. Top of the list for 2016 is the city of Columbia, Maryland.

40 Coke __ : ZERO

Even though Coca-Cola Zero is in the category of “diet soda”, the marketing folks at Coca-Cola don’t like its association with the word “diet”. The target market for the beverage is young, adult males, so it is described as “calorie-free” rather than “diet”, the assumption being that males associate “diet” with women. Not in this house …

41 __-Caps : SNO

Sno-Caps are a brand of candy usually only available in movie theaters. Sno-caps have been around since the 1920s, would you believe?

43 Wheel alignment : TOE IN

In the world of car maintenance, “toe” is also known as “tracking”, the angle a wheel makes relative to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

44 Magazine for crossword constructors? : PUNNER’S WORLD (from “Runner’s World”)

“Runner’s World” is a magazine for runner’s that was founded in 1966. Originally titled “Distance Running News”, the name changed to “Runner’s World” in 1969.

47 Weasel cousin : STOAT

The stoat has dark brown fur in the summer, and white fur in the winter. Sometimes the term “ermine” is used for the animal during the winter when the fur is white. Ermine skins have long been prized by royalty and are often used for white trim on ceremonial robes.

Weasels are small mammals with long, thin bodies. That body shape is an advantage when weasels chase their prey into narrow burrows.

51 Magazine for pharmacists? : MEDBOOK (from “Redbook”)

“Redbook” is a monthly magazine aimed at women. It was introduced in 1903 as “The Red Book Illustrated”, and was focused on the publication of short fiction by established authors. In fact, Dashiel Hammett’s marvelous story “The Thin Man” first saw the light of day in “Redbook”, in 1933.

54 Pal of Barbarino in “Welcome Back, Kotter” : EPSTEIN

“Welcome Back, Kotter” is a sitcom from the late seventies. The title character is a teacher at Buchanan High, one Gabe Kotter who himself had attended the school as a student. Kotter teaches a remedial class of students who call themselves the Sweathogs. In fact, Kotter had himself been a founder of the Sweathogs, when he was a student in the same class. Kotter was played by Gabe Kaplan. One of the prominent students in his class Vinnie Barbarino played by a young John Travolta, a role that launched his film career. In recent years you might have seen Gabe Kaplan as co-host of the popular show “High Stakes Poker” on GSN.

60 Magazine for farmers? : HEN’S HEALTH (from “Men’s Health”)

“Men’s Health” is the most popular men’s magazine sold in the US today. “Men’s Health” started out in 1987 focused on health, but has broadened and is now described as a lifestyle magazine.

62 Leave in : STET

“Stet” is a Latin word meaning “let it stand”. In editorial work, the typesetter is instructed to disregard any change previously marked by writing the word “stet” and then underscoring that change with a line of dots or dashes.

63 Half of Mork’s sign-off : NANU

The sitcom “Mork & Mindy” was broadcast from 1978 to 1982. We were first introduced to Mork (played by Robin Williams) in a special episode of “Happy Days”. The particular episode in question has a bizarre storyline culminating in Fonzie and Mork having a thumb-to-finger duel. Eventually Richie wakes up in bed, and alien Mork was just part of a dream! Oh, and “Nanu Nanu” means both “hello” and “goodbye” back on the planet Ork. “I am Mork from Ork, Nanu Nanu”. Great stuff …

65 __ d’oeuvres : HORS

An hors d’oeuvre is a first course in a meal. “Hors d’oeuvre” translates from French as “apart from the work”, which really means “not the main course”.

67 Funny Anne : MEARA

Anne Meara married fellow comedic actor Jerry Stiller in 1954. The couple’s children are actors Ben and Amy Stiller. Meara co-starred with Carroll O’Connor and Martin Balsam in the eighties sitcom “Archie Bunker’s Place”, a spin-off from “All in the Family”.

Down

1 Second-smallest of eight : MARS

Here is a list of the planets in our solar system in order of size, in order of radius:

  • Jupiter (1120% the size of Earth)
  • Saturn (945% the size of Earth)
  • Uranus (400% the size of Earth)
  • Neptune (388% the size of Earth
  • Earth
  • Venus (95% the size of Earth)
  • Mars (53% the size of Earth)
  • Mercury (38% the size of Earth)

3 Cantina crock : OLLA

An olla is a traditional clay pot used for the making of stews. “Olla” was the Latin word used in ancient Rome to describe a similar type of pot.

4 Works the game : REFS

Back in the early 17th century, a referee was someone who examined patent applications. We started using the same term for a person presiding over a sporting event in the 1820s. “Referee” is a derivative of the verb “to refer”, and literally describes someone who has the authority to make a decision by “referring to” a book, archive etc.

5 Team with the longest World Series drought (71 years) : INDIANS

The Cleveland baseball franchise started out in 1869 as the Forest Citys, named after Forest City, the nickname for Cleveland. After a number of transitions, in 1914 the team took on the name “Indians”. The media came up with the name “Indians” after being asked for suggestions by the team owners. “Indians” was inspired by the successful Boston team of the day, the Boston Braves.

7 Suffix with hex- : -ANE

A hexane is a hydrocarbon, and more specifically an alkane with six carbon atoms. Hexanes of varying types are major components of gasoline.

8 “Absolutely!” in Madrid : SI SI!

Madrid is the largest city in Spain, and is the nation’s capital. Madrid is located very close to the geographical center of the country. It is the third-largest city in the European Union (after London and Paris). People from Madrid called themselves Madrileños.

9 Best Buy purchase : HDTV

Best Buy is a retailer specializing in the supply of consumer electronics. Best Buy services include the famous “Geek Squad”, a band of technical experts that will help solve your computer and other consumer electronic problems.

11 Greenland language : INUIT

The Inuit people live in the Arctic, in parts of the US, Russia, Greenland and Canada.

Greenland is the largest island on the planet. Geographically, Greenland is part of the continent of North America, but culturally and politically is considered part of Europe. The island became a Danish colony in 1815, and joined the European Economic Community (EEC) with Denmark. Greenland withdrew from the EEC after a referendum in 1983. Since 2009, Greenland has been relatively autonomous, with the Danish government retaining control of foreign affairs, defence and the judicial system.

12 Madrid museum : PRADO

The Museo del Prado is in Madrid, the capital of Spain, and has one of the finest art collections in the world. The gallery’s most famous work is “Las Meninas” By Velazquez.

13 Where the same questions are asked annually : SEDER

The Passover Seder is a ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish Passover holiday, celebrating the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. One of the traditions at the meal is that the youngest child at the table asks “The Four Questions”, all relating to why this night is different from all other nights in the year:

  • Why is it that on all other nights during the year we eat either bread or matzoh, but on this night we eat only matzoh?
  • Why is it that on all other nights we eat all kinds of herbs, but on this night we eat only bitter herbs?
  • Why is it that on all other nights we do not dip our herbs even once, but on this night we dip them twice?
  • Why is it that on all other nights we eat either sitting or reclining, but on this night we eat in a reclining position?

22 Ethically uncertain, in Sussex : GREY

Sussex is a county in the southeast of England that lies right on the English Channel. The county of Sussex has about the same boundaries as the ancient Kingdom of Sussex, a Saxon colony that existed for about five hundred years until the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Hastings, a town on the Sussex coast, was the site of the first battle of the Norman Conquest of England.

27 Nerve impulse carrier : AXON

A nerve cell is more correctly called a neuron. The branched projections that receive electrochemical signals from other neurons are known as dendrites. The long nerve fiber that conducts signals away from the neuron is known as the axon. A neuron that has no definite axon is referred to as “apolar” or “nonpolar”. In apolar neurons the nerve impulses radiate in all directions.

28 HR dept. concern : RELO

Relocate (relo)

29 Alien from Melmac : ALF

“ALF” is a sitcom that aired in the late eighties. The title character is a hand-puppet, and supposedly an alien named Gordon Shumway from the planet Melmac. The alien crash-landed into the house of amateur radio enthusiast Willie Tanner. Tanner renamed the intruder “ALF”, standing for “alien life form”.

30 __ dancing : ICE

Ice dancing was introduced as an event at the World Figure Skating Championships in 1952, and in the Winter Olympics in 1976.

31 “Oy __!” : VEY

“Oy vey” is a Yiddish expression of dismay that translates literally as “oh, pain”. The more usual translation is “woe is me”.

35 Seed covering : ARIL

The casing surrounding many seeds is called the aril, and it may be quite fleshy. This fruit-like characteristic makes it desirable as a food and hence aids in the dispersion of the seeds.

36 M’s favorite agent : BOND

The character “M” in the James Bond stories is the head of the British Secret Intelligence Service, also called MI6. The name “M” is chosen as a nod to former head of MI5 Maxwell Knight who routinely signed his memos simply as “M”.

38 24 hrs.-per-day retail channel : HSN

The Home Shopping Network (HSN) was the first national shopping network, and was launched locally as the Home Shopping Club in Florida in 1982.

39 Wine: Pref. : OEN-

In Greek mythology, Oeno was the goddess of wine, giving us “oeno-” as a prefix meaning “wine”. For example, oenology is the study of wine and an oenophile is a wine-lover.

43 Type of fastball grip : TWO-SEAM

That would be baseball.

44 Blue Ribbons, e.g. : PABSTS

Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) is the most recognizable brand of beer from the Pabst Brewing Company. There appears to be some dispute over whether or not Pabst beer ever won a “blue ribbon” prize, but the company claims that it did so at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. The beer was originally called Pabst Best Select, and then just Pabst Select. With the renaming to Blue Ribbon, the beer was sold with an actual blue ribbon tied around the neck of the bottle until it was dropped in 1916 and incorporated into the label.

45 Monkey used in research : RHESUS

The Rhesus macaque is also known as the Rhesus monkey. As it is widely available and is close to humans anatomically and physically, the Rhesus macaque has been used in scientific research for decades. The Rhesus monkey was used in the development of rabies, smallpox and polio vaccines, and it also gave its name to the Rhesus factor that is used in blood-typing. It was also Rhesus monkeys that were launched into space by the US and Soviet space programs. Humans and macaques share about 93% of their DNA and had a common ancestor about 25 million years ago.

46 Future junior : SOPH

The term “sophomore” has been used for a student in the second year of university since the 1680’s. The original meaning of the word was “arguer”. The term has Greek roots, from two Greek words that have been artificially combined in English. The Greek “sophos” means “wise”, and “moros” means “foolish”.

53 New Jersey university : KEAN

Kean University is a university in Union and Hillside, New Jersey. Kean University was founded in 1855 in Newark, and relocated in 1958.

56 People Magazine’s 2018 Sexiest Man Alive : ELBA

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”.

There used to be a “People” page in each issue of “Time” magazine. This page was spun-off in 1974 as a publication of its own, which we now call “People” magazine. “People” is noted for its annual special editions with features such as “Best & Worst Dressed” and “Sexiest Man Alive”. The “Sexiest Man Alive” edition now appears at the end of November each year. The first choice for “Sexiest Man” was Mel Gibson, in 1985.

57 Old Roman road : ITER

“Iter” is Latin for “road”.

58 Dragster’s org. : NHRA

The sport of drag racing is administered by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA).

Back in the 18th century “drag” was slang for a wagon or buggy, as it was “dragged” along by a horse or horses. In the 1930s, the underworld adopted “drag” as slang for an automobile. This sense of the word was imported into automobile racing in the forties, giving the name to “drag racing”. A drag race is basically a competition between two cars to determine which can accelerate faster from a standstill.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Cook Islands language : MAORI
6 Place for mascara : LASH
10 Rims : LIPS
14 Ray __, NBAer with the most regular season 3-point field goals : ALLEN
15 Northern Oklahoma city : ENID
16 Legal memo phrase : IN RE
17 Magazine for masseuses? : ROLF DIGEST (from “Golf Digest”)
19 Campus area : QUAD
20 Place with shells : SEASIDE
21 Magazine for nurses? : IV GUIDE (from “TV Guide”)
23 Informal negative : AIN’T
25 Chopper topper : ROTOR
26 Magazine for golfers? : PAR AND DRIVER (from “Car and Driver”)
32 Salchow relatives : AXELS
33 __-deucey : ACEY
34 Hook partner : JAB
37 Gobble (down) : WOLF
38 Magazine for beekeepers? : HONEY (from “Money”)
40 Coke __ : ZERO
41 __-Caps : SNO
42 “Be there in __” : A SEC
43 Wheel alignment : TOE IN
44 Magazine for crossword constructors? : PUNNER’S WORLD (from “Runner’s World”)
47 Weasel cousin : STOAT
50 “Get lost!” : SHOO!
51 Magazine for pharmacists? : MEDBOOK (from “Redbook”)
54 Pal of Barbarino in “Welcome Back, Kotter” : EPSTEIN
59 Afterthoughts : ANDS
60 Magazine for farmers? : HEN’S HEALTH (from “Men’s Health”)
62 Leave in : STET
63 Half of Mork’s sign-off : NANU
64 Brew hue : AMBER
65 __ d’oeuvres : HORS
66 First column to add, usually : ONES
67 Funny Anne : MEARA

Down

1 Second-smallest of eight : MARS
2 Ointment ingredient : ALOE
3 Cantina crock : OLLA
4 Works the game : REFS
5 Team with the longest World Series drought (71 years) : INDIANS
6 Folklore tale : LEGEND
7 Suffix with hex- : -ANE
8 “Absolutely!” in Madrid : SI SI!
9 Best Buy purchase : HDTV
10 __ license : LIQUOR
11 Greenland language : INUIT
12 Madrid museum : PRADO
13 Where the same questions are asked annually : SEDER
18 “__ it my way” : I DID
22 Ethically uncertain, in Sussex : GREY
24 Spells : TRANCES
26 Treat holders : PAWS
27 Nerve impulse carrier : AXON
28 HR dept. concern : RELO
29 Alien from Melmac : ALF
30 __ dancing : ICE
31 “Oy __!” : VEY
34 Boo : JEER
35 Seed covering : ARIL
36 M’s favorite agent : BOND
38 24 hrs.-per-day retail channel : HSN
39 Wine: Pref. : OEN-
40 Wild place : ZOO
42 Jam component : AUTO
43 Type of fastball grip : TWO-SEAM
44 Blue Ribbons, e.g. : PABSTS
45 Monkey used in research : RHESUS
46 Future junior : SOPH
47 Big hit : SMASH
48 :50, another way : TEN TO
49 Stranger : ODDER
52 “That’s awful!” : OH NO!
53 New Jersey university : KEAN
55 Domesticate : TAME
56 People Magazine’s 2018 Sexiest Man Alive : ELBA
57 Old Roman road : ITER
58 Dragster’s org. : NHRA
61 Austin-to-Dallas dir. : NNE