LA Times Crossword 18 Jan 21, Monday

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

Today’s Reveal Answer: Pulled Pork

Themed answers each include the letters P-O-R-K, in that order, PULLED throughout:

  • 63A Shredded Southern barbecue dish that’s depicted in this puzzle’s circles : PULLED PORK
  • 17A Energy-boosting munch : POWER SNACK
  • 23A Explosive container for muzzle-loading guns : POWDER FLASK
  • 40A Period or comma : PUNCTUATION MARK
  • 50A Escape from jail : PRISON BREAK

Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 5m 57s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 “Field of Dreams” state : IOWA

“Field of Dreams” is a fantasy drama about baseball, released in 1989 and starring Kevin Costner. The movie is an adaptation of a 1982 novel titled “Shoeless Joe” by Canadian author W. P. Kinsella. Shoeless Joe Jackson was a real baseball player, and someone associated with the Black Sox Scandal that allegedly affected the outcome of the 1919 World Series. Jackson was portrayed by Ray Liotta in the movie. “Field of Dreams” was also the last film in which Burt Lancaster made an appearance. The baseball stadium that was built for the movie can be visited in Dubuque County, Iowa.

5 Easing of govt. control : DEREG

Deregulation (dereg.)

14 Iranian ruler ousted in 1979 : SHAH

The last Shah of Iran was Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, who was overthrown in the revolution led by the Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979. The post-revolution government sought the extradition of the Shah back to Iran while he was in the United States seeking medical care (he had cancer). His prolonged stay in the United States, recovering from surgery, caused some unrest back in Iran and resentment towards the United States. Some say that this resentment precipitated the storming of the US Embassy in Tehran and the resulting hostage crisis.

19 “Be it __ so humble … ” : EVER

“Home! Sweet Home!” is a song that has been around at least since 1827. The melody was composed by Englishman Sir Henry Bishop, using lyrics written by American John Howard Payne.

Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,
Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home;
A charm from the skies seems to hallow us there,
Which seek thro’ the world, is ne’er met elsewhere.
Home! Home!
Sweet, sweet home!
There’s no place like home
There’s no place like home!

20 Former 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.

SeaWorld was started in San Diego in 1964. The original plan was to build an underwater restaurant with a marine life show. Eventually the founders dropped the idea of the eating establishment and just went with a theme park. SeaWorld has been mired in controversy since the 2013 release of the documentary “Blackfish”, which tells of the involvement of a particular orca (killer whale) in the death of two SeaWorld employees and one SeaWorld visitor.

23 Explosive container for muzzle-loading guns : POWDER FLASK

In the days of muzzle-loading guns, an essential accessory was a powder flask, a container to store gunpowder. Powder flasks were made of materials such as wood, copper and ivory. Ferrous metals were routinely avoided as they might give off sparks when struck (not a good thing). Hollowed bovid horn might also be used, for the same reason. Such flasks were known as “powder horns”.

27 Miss a birdie by one : MAKE PAR

The following terms are routinely used in golf for scores relative to par:

  • Bogey: one over par
  • Par
  • Birdie: one under par
  • Eagle: two under par
  • Albatross (also “double eagle”): three under par
  • Condor: four under par

No one has ever recorded a condor during a professional tournament.

31 Base runner’s undoing : TAG

That would be baseball.

33 Qualifying race : HEAT

The term “heat”, meaning “qualifying race”, dates back to the 1660s. Originally, a heat was a run given to a horse to prepare it for a race, to “heat” it up.

44 __ Ration: old dog food brand : KEN-L

Ken-L Ration was a brand of dog food introduced by Quaker Oats. The brand sponsored the pet kennel at Disneyland back in the sixties, and so visitors used to be able to board their dogs at “Ken-L Land”.

45 Opera star Pinza : EZIO

Ezio Pinza was an opera singer from Italy. Pinza performed for many years with the Metropolitan Opera in New York before retiring from the Met in 1948. He then launched a career on Broadway and in Hollywood.

55 __ Emu: insurance ad bird : LIMU

Liberty Mutual is an insurance company based in Boston. The business was founded in 1912 as the Massachusetts Employees Insurance Association (MEIA). Liberty Mutual has a famous advertising icon named LiMu Emu.

56 Dublin’s land: Abbr. : IRE

The city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland, is known as “Baile Átha Cliath” in Irish (“town of the hurdled ford”). The English name “Dublin” is an anglicized form of the older Irish name for the city “Dubh Linn”, meaning “black pool”.

57 Lauder of makeup : ESTEE

Estée Lauder was a very successful businesswoman, and someone with a great reputation as a salesperson. Lauder introduced her own line of fragrances in 1953, a bath oil called “Youth Dew”. “Youth Dew” was marketed as a perfume, but it was added to bathwater. All of a sudden women were pouring whole bottles of Ms. Lauder’s “perfume” into their baths while using only a drop or two of French perfumes behind their ears. That’s quite a difference in sales volume …

62 Seaweed gelatin : AGAR

Agar (also “agar-agar”) is a jelly extracted from seaweed that has many uses. Agar is found in Japanese desserts, and can also be used as a food thickener or even as a laxative. In the world of science, it is the most common medium used for growing bacteria in Petri dishes.

66 Buster Brown’s dog : TIGE

“Buster Brown” is a comic strip created in 1902 by Felton Outcault. Outcault took his name Buster from the very popular film star at the time, Buster Keaton. Buster’s dog Tige, was an American Pit Bull Terrier. Apparently when Tige started to “talk” in the strip, he became the first talking pet in the history of American comics.

71 Stack under a tarp : WOOD

Originally, tarpaulins were made from canvas covered in tar that rendered the material waterproof. The word “tarpaulin” comes from “tar” and “palling”, with “pall” meaning “heavy cloth covering”.

Down

1 Web access cos. : ISPS

Internet service provider (ISP)

3 Toddler’s drink : WAWA

A tot drinks “wawa” (water), perhaps out of a sippy cup.

5 Two-outs-in-a-single-AB stats : DPS

Double play (DP)

7 Author Dahl : ROALD

Roald Dahl’s name is Norwegian. Dahl’s parents were from Norway, although Dahl himself was Welsh. Dahl became one of the most successful authors of the twentieth century. Two of his most famous titles are “James and the Giant Peach” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”.

8 Ceremony host : EMCEE

The term “emcee” comes from “MC”, an initialism used for a Master or Mistress of Ceremonies.

10 Sleight-of-hand scams : SHELL GAMES

A shell game (also “thimblerig”) is a gambling game, at least at first sight. It is usually a confidence trick. Typically, a small ball is placed under three face-down containers on a flat surface. The containers are shuffled around, and a player wins if he or she can “follow the ball” and correctly guess which container has that ball. In an illegal street game say, the operator will often use sleight of hand to fool the players. The alternative name “thimblerig” comes from the fact that the con was originally played out using sewing thimbles.

11 Wife of Augustus : LIVIA

Livia Drusilla (aka “Julia Augusta”) was the third wife of the Emperor Augustus, and a powerful woman in the Roman Empire. In the exceptional fictional work “I, Claudius” by Robert Graves, Livia doesn’t come across at all well. She is portrayed as quite the schemer, and very much the key individual who led to her grandson Claudius winning the imperial throne.

As the first Emperor of Rome, Octavian was given the name Caesar Augustus. The month of August, originally called “Sextilis” in Latin, was renamed in honor of Augustus.

13 Jeter elected to the Hall of Fame : DEREK

Derek Jeter played his entire professional baseball career with the New York Yankees, and was the team’s captain. Jeter is the all-time career leader for the Yankees in hits, games played, stolen bases and at bats. He is also the all-time leader in hits by a shortstop in the whole of professional baseball. Jeter’s performances in the postseason earned him the nicknames “Captain Clutch” and “Mr. November”. Jeter retired from the game in 2014.

18 Kentucky’s __ Arena : RUPP

The Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky is home to the University of Kentucky’s men’s basketball team. The arena is named for former Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp, and is the country’s largest sports indoor area with a capacity of 24,000 people.

24 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.

25 Inflict, as havoc : WREAK

Havoc is great damage or destruction. The term “havoc” comes from the Anglo-French phrase “crier havok”, which was an order given in the late 1500s to soldiers, instructing them to seize plunder.

26 Stag’s daughter : FAWN

A male deer is usually called a buck, and a female is a doe. However, the male red deer is usually referred to as a stag. The males of even larger species of deer are often called bulls, and females cows. In older English, male deer of over 5 years were called harts, and females of over 3 years were called hinds. The young of small species are known as fawns, and of larger species are called calves. All very confusing …

28 Isla surrounder : AGUA

In Spanish, “agua” (water) is found in a “río” (river), and around an “isla” (island).

29 “Be __: rewind”: old video rental reminder : KIND

How easily we forget …

37 Häagen-__ : DAZS

Häagen-Dazs ice cream originated in the Bronx, New York in 1961. The name “Häagen-Dazs” is a “nonsense” term, words chosen for its Scandinavian feel that the producers thought would appeal to potential customers.

38 The “E” in the mnemonic HOMES : ERIE

A well-known mnemonic for remembering the names of the Great Lakes is HOMES, an acronym standing for Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior.

39 Bygone theaters : RKOS

The RKO Pictures studio was formed when RCA (RADIO Corporation of America) bought the KEITH-Albee-ORPHEUM theaters (and Joe Kennedy’s Film Booking Offices of America). The RKO initialism then comes from the words “Radio”, “Keith” and “Orpheum”.

42 Cantina crockery : 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.

47 “Blade” star Wesley : SNIPES

Wesley Snipes is a movie actor, and a martial artist. The role most associated with Snipes is the title character in the “Blade” series of films. Snipes was sent to federal prison in 2010 to serve a 3-year sentence for wilful failure to file tax returns, and was released earlier this month.

50 Student of Socrates : PLATO

Plato was a Greek philosopher and mathematician. He was a student of the equally famous and respected Socrates, and Plato in turn was the teacher and mentor of the celebrated Aristotle.

53 “Et tu, __?” : BRUTE

It was Shakespeare who popularized the words “Et tu, Brute?” (meaning “And you, Brutus?”). They appear in his play “Julius Caesar”, although the phrase had been around long before he penned his drama. It’s not known what Julius Caesar actually said in real life (if anything at all) as he was assassinated on the steps of the Senate in Rome.

60 Hence, in logic : ERGO

“Ergo” is a Latin word meaning “hence, therefore”, and one that we absorbed directly into English.

65 Golf’s “Big Easy” Ernie : ELS

Ernie Els is a South African golfer. He is a big guy but he has an easy fluid golf swing that has earned him the nickname “The Big Easy”. Els is a former World No. 1 and has won four majors: the US Open (1994 & 1997) and the British Open (2002 & 2012).

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 “Field of Dreams” state : IOWA
5 Easing of govt. control : DEREG
10 Snow glider : SLED
14 Iranian ruler ousted in 1979 : SHAH
15 Teaser ad : PROMO
16 Buzzing colony : HIVE
17 Energy-boosting munch : POWER SNACK
19 “Be it __ so humble … ” : EVER
20 Former SeaWorld attraction : SHAMU
21 Meadowland : LEA
22 Convenience store inconvenience : LINE
23 Explosive container for muzzle-loading guns : POWDER FLASK
27 Miss a birdie by one : MAKE PAR
31 Base runner’s undoing : TAG
32 Not fer : AGIN
33 Qualifying race : HEAT
36 Waterproof fishing boot : WADER
40 Period or comma : PUNCTUATION MARK
43 With regret : SADLY
44 __ Ration: old dog food brand : KEN-L
45 Opera star Pinza : EZIO
46 Covert __: secret missions : OPS
48 Lip applications : GLOSSES
50 Escape from jail : PRISON BREAK
55 __ Emu: insurance ad bird : LIMU
56 Dublin’s land: Abbr. : IRE
57 Lauder of makeup : ESTEE
62 Seaweed gelatin : AGAR
63 Shredded Southern barbecue dish that’s depicted in this puzzle’s circles : PULLED PORK
66 Buster Brown’s dog : TIGE
67 Cybercommerce : ETAIL
68 Word after cutting or leading : … EDGE
69 Poetic tributes : ODES
70 Battle of the __ : SEXES
71 Stack under a tarp : WOOD

Down

1 Web access cos. : ISPS
2 “I know! Call on me!” : OH OH!
3 Toddler’s drink : WAWA
4 “Can I get a word in?” : AHEM!
5 Two-outs-in-a-single-AB stats : DPS
6 East end? : -ERN
7 Author Dahl : ROALD
8 Ceremony host : EMCEE
9 Low-riding, open-wheel racer : GO-KART
10 Sleight-of-hand scams : SHELL GAMES
11 Wife of Augustus : LIVIA
12 Odds opposite : EVENS
13 Jeter elected to the Hall of Fame : DEREK
18 Kentucky’s __ Arena : RUPP
24 Island near Maui : OAHU
25 Inflict, as havoc : WREAK
26 Stag’s daughter : FAWN
27 Weather report visual aids : MAPS
28 Isla surrounder : AGUA
29 “Be __: rewind”: old video rental reminder : KIND
30 Extras in an envelope : ENCLOSURES
34 Didn’t fast : ATE
35 Hint of color : TINGE
37 Häagen-__ : DAZS
38 The “E” in the mnemonic HOMES : ERIE
39 Bygone theaters : RKOS
41 Keying-in error : TYPO
42 Cantina crockery : OLLA
47 “Blade” star Wesley : SNIPES
49 Gave the nod to : OKED
50 Student of Socrates : PLATO
51 Stiff as a board : RIGID
52 Public persona : IMAGE
53 “Et tu, __?” : BRUTE
54 “No reason to get all upset!” : RELAX
58 Eject, as lava : SPEW
59 Chore list heading : TO DO
60 Hence, in logic : ERGO
61 Barely made it, with “by” : EKED …
64 Tell it like it isn’t : LIE
65 Golf’s “Big Easy” Ernie : ELS

11 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 18 Jan 21, Monday”

  1. No errors; didn’t hurt that I knew “Rupp” because at one time he
    coached in my home town high school. In my mother’s time, not
    mine!!

    1. UK seems set to change the name given his legacy of racism. Appropriate to hope they do on MLK Day. Have a good one

  2. The puzzlers gave this old-timer a gift with KEN L, EZIO, KIND, RKOS, TIGE (he lives in a shoe); and, I thought “bulge,” the battle raging while I was born – but that was SEXES.

    They made up for it with sports, 2 of which I didn’t know: RUPP, DPS. Most sports’ words I’ve learned from crosswords.
    Had noN quesTION MARK before PUNCTUATION MARK.
    Misspelled DAZS.
    Reminded myself ROALD is Ronald witout the N.
    An interesting Monday.

  3. Roald Dahl was also anti semetic, racist, nazi apologist whose family is trying to make amends now, but who never personally did this himself

  4. 14:00 one error…I had EMAIL for 67A and due to my laziness I didn’t notice BRUME for 53D…I’ll never learn.
    Stay safe.😀
    Go Ravens next year😥

  5. Somebody needs to get a memo out to the constructors: for 2D, It’s “ooh! ooh!” not ‘oh! oh!’ for when an eager student wants to be called upon.

    For people who constantly dabble on the edges of language, they can be conveniently lax with terminology.

    9 minutes, 45 seconds, no errors.

  6. Greetings!!🤗

    Easy Monday. I got the theme right away. Luckily I gave the grid a final check – I’d put ENIO instead of EZIO – caught it in time. I’m a gal who knows how to spell Häagen-DAZS!!!!

    Be well~~🥂

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