LA Times Crossword 13 Jul 20, Monday

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Constructed by: Paul Coulter
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Set List

Themed answers each comprise two words, both of which are kinds of SET:

  • 35A Itemized concert songs in playing order … and what all the words in answers to starred clues comprise : SET LIST
  • 17A *Rock group since the ’80s with the worldwide hit “Creep” : RADIOHEAD (radio set & headset)
  • 25A *0-0, in tennis : LOVE-ALL (love set & all set)
  • 28A *Improving trend : UPSWING (upset & swing set)
  • 42A *The two-engine F-15 Eagle, e.g. : TWINJET (twin set & jet set)
  • 44A *Greeting card for an ailing friend : GET WELL (get set & well-set)
  • 56A *Lack of subtlety : HEAVY HAND (heavyset & handset)

Bill’s time: 5m 11s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Port in Yemen : ADEN

Aden is a seaport in Yemen that is located on the Gulf of Aden by the eastern approach to the Red Sea. Aden has a long history of British rule, from 1838 until a very messy withdrawal in 1967. A native of Aden is known as an Adeni. Some believe that Cain and Abel are buried in the city.

9 Cheese with holes : SWISS

“Swiss cheese” is a relatively generic term for a type of cheese produced in various countries and not necessarily in Switzerland. What they all have in common though, is a resemblance to the original Swiss Emmental cheese.

15 Jackson 5 brother : TITO

The Jackson 5 singing group was originally made up of brothers Tito, Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael. The four eldest brothers continued to perform, using the name “The Jacksons”, after Michael went solo.

17 *Rock group since the ’80s with the worldwide hit “Creep” : RADIOHEAD (radio set & headset)

Radiohead is an alternative rock band from England that formed in 1985. When the band self-released their 2007 studio album “In Rainbows”, it was a big deal for the music industry. Radiohead offered a digital version of the album using a pay-what-you-want pricing model. Reportedly, most fans paid what would be a normal retail price for the download version of the album. That’s not bad, considering the relatively low cost to produce a download compared to the cost of producing a CD.

“Creep” is a 1992 song by English rock band Radiohead. There’s a chord progression in the “Creep” that is identical to one from “The Air That I Breathe” that was a 1974 hit for the Hollies. The writers of the latter song ended up with co-writing credits and a share of the royalties for “Creep”, after the publisher sued. Apparently, the whole kerfuffle was resolved amicably.

19 Like Keebler’s animated bakers : ELFIN

The famous Keebler Elves have been appearing in ads for Keebler since 1968. The original head of the elves was J. J. Keebler, but he was toppled from power by Ernest J. Keebler in 1970. The Keebler Elves bake their cookies in the Hollow Tree Factory.

20 2020 amt. so far, on paychecks : YTD

Year-to-date (YTD)

24 “East of Eden” son named for Moses’ older brother : ARON

John Steinbeck considered “East of Eden” his magnum opus. Most of the storyline takes place near Salinas, just south of where I live here in the Bay Area. Two of the characters in the story are brothers Cal and Aron Trask, representative of the biblical Cain and Abel.

25 *0-0, in tennis : LOVE-ALL (love set & all set)

In tennis the score of zero is designated as “love”. Some people believe that this usage originates from the French “l’oeuf” (meaning “the egg”). The idea is that the written character “0” looks like an egg.

In tennis, a love set is won without one’s opponent winning a game.

31 Fed. power dept. : ENER

The US Department of Energy (DOE) came into being largely as a result of the 1973 oil crisis. The DOE was founded in 1977 by the Carter administration. The DOE is responsible for regulating the production of nuclear power, and it is also responsible for the nation’s nuclear weapons. The official DOE seal features a lightning bolt and symbols denoting five sources of energy: the sun, an atom, an oil derrick, a windmill and a dynamo.

32 Most draftable : ONE-A

The US government maintains information on all males who are potentially subject to military conscription, using what is called the Selective Service System (SSS). In the event that a draft was held, men registered would be classified into groups to determine eligibility for service. Class 1-A registrants are those available for unrestricted military service. Other classes are 1-A-O (conscientious objector available for noncombatant service), 4-A (registrant who has completed military service) and 4-D (Minister of religion).

33 Only Canadian MLB city : TOR

The Toronto Blue Jays baseball franchise was founded in 1977. The Blue Jays are the only team based outside the US to have won a World Series, doing so in 1992 and 1993. And since the Montreal Expos relocated to Washington, the Blue Jays are the only Major League Baseball team now headquartered outside of the US.

34 Author Beattie : ANN

Ann Beattie is a short story writer and novelist. Beattie’s first novel was “Chilly Scenes of Winter” published in 1976. It was adapted for the big screen in 1979 and released under the same title and also under the name “Head Over Heels”.

40 Had too much, briefly : ODED

Overdose (OD)

42 *The two-engine F-15 Eagle, e.g. : TWINJET (twin set & jet set)

A twinjet is a twin-engine jet, one powered by two engines. The first twinjet to fly was a German fighter prototype, the Heinkel He 280 in 1940, although it never went into full production. The most prolific passenger airliner with a twinjet configuration is the Boeing 737, which first flew in 1967.

44 *Greeting card for an ailing friend : GET WELL (get set & well-set)

Something described as well-set is well established, or strongly built.

47 Bird on Canada’s dollar coin : LOON

The common loon (also “great northern diver”) is the provincial bird of Ontario, and the state bird of Minnesota. The loon once appeared on Canadian $20 bills and also appears on the Canadian one-dollar coin, giving the coin the nickname “the loonie”.

48 Poet Elinor or author Philip : WYLIE

Elinor Wylie was an American poet and novelist who was active in the twenties and thirties. Wylie had quite the family tree. Born Elinor Hoyt, in Somerville, New Jersey, she was the grandchild of Henry M. Hoyt, who served as the 18th Governor of Pennsylvania. Her father was also named Henry M. Hoyt, and served as US Solicitor General under President Theodore Roosevelt.

Philip Wylie was an author from Beverly, Massachusetts, someone who published many works on many subjects in many genres. Wylie’s 1930 science fiction novel “Gladiator” partially inspired the Superman comic-book character. The science-fiction novel that he co-wrote called “When World’s Collide” provided inspiration for the comic strip “Flash Gordon”.

49 Longtime SeaWorld attraction : SHAMU

Shamu was the name of the third orca (aka “killer whale”) ever to be featured in a public exhibition. Shamu starred in a popular SeaWorld show in San Diego in the sixties. After she died in 1971, her name lived on as the “stage name” of orca shows in different SeaWorld parks. That original Shamu was retired after she grabbed and refused to let go of the leg of one of her trainers.

52 Enjoy Aspen : SKI

Aspen, Colorado used to be known as Ute City, with the name change taking place in 1880. Like many communities in the area, Aspen was a mining town, and in 1891 and 1892 it was at the center of the highest production of silver in the US. Nowadays, it’s all about skiing and movie stars.

55 Peter, pumpkinwise : EATER

“Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater” is a nursery rhyme that has been around in the US at least since the early 1800s. It is possibly derived from an older English rhyme, but pumpkins certainly weren’t in the English version.

58 Online finance firm : E-LOAN

E-Loan used to be based just down the road from me in the San Francisco Bay Area, but after a takeover by a Rosemont, Illinois company it was moved to the parent’s headquarters. E-Loan was founded in 1997 to provide customers access to mortgages over the Internet.

59 One-named Deco artist : ERTE

“Erté” was the pseudonym of French (Russian-born) artist and designer Romain de Tirtoff. “Erté” is the French pronunciation of his initials “R.T.” Erté’s diverse portfolio of work included costumes and sets for the “Ziegfeld Follies” of 1923, productions of the Parisian cabaret show “Folies Bergère”, as well as the 1925 epic movie “Ben-Hur”. Erté’s most famous work by far is an image titled “Symphony in Black”. It depicts a tall and slender woman dressed in black, holding a black dog on a leash.

Down

2 The “E” in Q.E.D. : ERAT

The initialism “QED” is used at the end of a mathematical proof or a philosophical argument. QED stands for the Latin “quod erat demonstrandum” meaning “that which was to be demonstrated”.

3 Foxx of “Sanford and Son” : REDD

“Redd Foxx” was the stage name of John Elroy Sanford, best known for starring in “Sanford and Son”. “Sanford and Son” was an American version of a celebrated hit BBC sitcom that I grew up with in Ireland called “Steptoe and Son”.

4 Ling of “The Crow” : BAI

Bai Ling is a Chinese actress who moved to the US in 1994. Apparently, she claims she is from the moon, and her grandmother still lives there …

“The Crow” is another one of those action movies that is based on a comic book. The film was released in 1994 and stars Brandon Lee. Sadly, this was Lee’s last movie as he was accidentally shot on set in the stomach with a dummy bullet, which then lodged in his spine. Lee died eight days later.

6 Semi fuel : DIESEL

There are two main types of internal combustion engine. Most cars in the US use spark injection engines (gasoline engines) in which a spark plug sparks in order to ignite the fuel-air mixture. A diesel engine, on the other hand, has no spark plug per se, and uses the heat generated by compressing the air-fuel mixture to cause ignition.

7 French states : ETATS

In French, an “état” (state) is an “entité politique” (political entity).

10 “Weeping” tree : WILLOW

The lovely tree known as a weeping willow is native to northern China, although is now found all over the world.

11 It’s split in Captain Kirk’s “to boldly go” : INFINITIVE

Whether English infinitives should be “split” or not is the subject of much debate. In the English language the infinitive of a verb is made up of the “to” marker and the “bare infinitive”, e.g. “to be”, “to do” and “to go”. A split infinitive occurs when an adverb is placed not after the infinitive but in between the “to” marker and the bare infinitive. The most famous example in modern English, I think, has to be in the opening lines of the “Star Trek” television series: “… to boldly go where no man has gone before …”.

12 Agitated state : SNIT

The exact etymology of “snit”, meaning “fit of temper”, isn’t really known. The term was first used in print in the play “Kiss the Boys Goodbye” by Clare Boothe Luce, which dates back to the 1930s and is set in the American South.

13 “Auld Lang __” : SYNE

The song “Auld Lang Syne” is a staple at New Year’s Eve (well, actually in the opening minutes of New Year’s Day). The words were written by Scottish poet Robbie Burns. The literal translation of “Auld Lang Syne” is “old long since”, but is better translated as “old times”. The sentiment of the song is “for old time’s sake”.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

32 “__ King Cole” : OLD

Old King Cole was a merry old soul
And a merry old soul was he;
He called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl
And he called for his fiddlers three.
Every fiddler he had a fiddle,
And a very fine fiddle had he;
Oh there’s none so rare, as can compare
With King Cole and his fiddlers three.

36 Barbara of “I Dream of Jeannie” : EDEN

Actress Barbara Eden is best known for playing the title role in the sitcom “I Dream of Jeannie”. For many years, Eden was married to fellow actor Michael Ansara, who was perhaps best known for playing Apache Chief Cochise in the western series “Broken Arrow” in the 1950s.

Back in 1964, the second most watched show on American television was ABC’s “Bewitched”. Sidney Sheldon was tasked with the job of creating a rival sitcom and he came up with “I Dream of Jeannie”, which first aired in 1965 and starred Barbara Eden in the title role. The censors had a big say in how the story developed. For starters, Jeannie’s skimpy costume was permitted on air, provided that Eden didn’t show off her navel on the screen. Also, Jeannie was only allowed to live with an unmarried man as long as the story made it clear that she slept in a bottle.

37 Hanoi holiday : TET

Hanoi (“Hà Nội” in Vietnamese) was the capital of North Vietnam, and Saigon the capital of South Vietnam. After the Vietnam War, Hanoi was made capital of the reunified state. Saigon, the larger metropolis, was renamed to Ho Chi Minh City. Hanoi is located in the delta of the Red River, and is just over 50 miles from the Gulf of Tonkin in the South China Sea.

43 Vegetarian credo : NO MEAT

A creed or credo is a confession of faith, or a system of belief or principles. “Credo” is Latin for “I believe”.

45 High dice roll : ELEVEN

When rolling two dice, there are 36 possible outcomes. There are six outcomes that add up to seven (1-6, 2-5, 3-4, 4-3, 5-2, 6-1), making seven the most probable total thrown. The least probable totals are two (1,1) and twelve (6,6).

50 Angel’s topper : HALO

The Greek word “halos” is the name given to the ring of light around the sun or moon, which gives us our word “halo” that is used for a radiant light depicted above the head of a saintly person.

52 Marquis de __ : SADE

The Marquis de Sade was a French aristocrat with a reputation for a libertine lifestyle. De Sade was also a writer, well known for his works of erotica. He fell foul of the law for some of his more extreme practices and for blaspheming the Catholic church. On and off, de Sade spent 32 years of his life in prison and in insane asylums.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Come or go, e.g. : VERB
5 Port in Yemen : ADEN
9 Cheese with holes : SWISS
14 Side squared, for a square : AREA
15 Jackson 5 brother : TITO
16 Foolish one : NINNY
17 *Rock group since the ’80s with the worldwide hit “Creep” : RADIOHEAD (radio set & headset)
19 Like Keebler’s animated bakers : ELFIN
20 2020 amt. so far, on paychecks : YTD
21 Exams : TESTS
22 Upper crust : ELITE
23 Turns loose : FREES
24 “East of Eden” son named for Moses’ older brother : ARON
25 *0-0, in tennis : LOVE-ALL (love set & all set)
28 *Improving trend : UPSWING (upset & swing set)
31 Fed. power dept. : ENER
32 Most draftable : ONE-A
33 Only Canadian MLB city : TOR
34 Author Beattie : ANN
35 Itemized concert songs in playing order … and what all the words in answers to starred clues comprise : SET LIST
38 Here, in France : ICI
39 Stew holder : POT
40 Had too much, briefly : ODED
41 Elliptical : OVAL
42 *The two-engine F-15 Eagle, e.g. : TWINJET (twin set & jet set)
44 *Greeting card for an ailing friend : GET WELL (get set & well-set)
47 Bird on Canada’s dollar coin : LOON
48 Poet Elinor or author Philip : WYLIE
49 Longtime SeaWorld attraction : SHAMU
51 Rip to pieces : SHRED
52 Enjoy Aspen : SKI
55 Peter, pumpkinwise : EATER
56 *Lack of subtlety : HEAVY HAND (heavyset & handset)
58 Online finance firm : E-LOAN
59 One-named Deco artist : ERTE
60 Adored singer, say : IDOL
61 Harbor towns : PORTS
62 Caught in the act : SEEN
63 Wet with morning moisture : DEWY

Down

1 Fluctuate : VARY
2 The “E” in Q.E.D. : ERAT
3 Foxx of “Sanford and Son” : REDD
4 Ling of “The Crow” : BAI
5 Like an obedient dog on a walk : AT HEEL
6 Semi fuel : DIESEL
7 French states : ETATS
8 Agreeing gestures : NODS
9 Shows contempt for : SNEERS AT
10 “Weeping” tree : WILLOW
11 It’s split in Captain Kirk’s “to boldly go” : INFINITIVE
12 Agitated state : SNIT
13 “Auld Lang __” : SYNE
18 Other, to Ortiz : OTRA
23 Votin’ yes on : FER
24 Copies : APES
25 Jumped : LEAPT
26 Currently airing : ON NOW
27 Device providing fresh air : VENTILATOR
28 Prefix with form or brow : UNI-
29 Lite to the max : NO-CAL
30 Cook over coals : GRILL
32 “__ King Cole” : OLD
35 Temporary stays : SOJOURNS
36 Barbara of “I Dream of Jeannie” : EDEN
37 Hanoi holiday : TET
41 Be indebted to : OWE
43 Vegetarian credo : NO MEAT
44 Whirl on the dance floor : GYRATE
45 High dice roll : ELEVEN
46 Neat : TIDY
48 Word of location : WHERE
49 Ooze : SEEP
50 Angel’s topper : HALO
51 Cows and sows : SHES
52 Marquis de __ : SADE
53 Don’t have to ask : KNOW
54 In a shiftless way : IDLY
57 Ducked out of sight : HID