LA Times Crossword 6 Mar 21, Saturday

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Constructed by: Jamey Smith
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme: None

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

Bill’s time: 14m 08s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Dwarf planet named for a goddess : ERIS

Eris is the largest known dwarf planet in our solar system. It is also the ninth largest body orbiting the sun, a fact that helped relegate Pluto (the tenth largest body) from its status of planet in 2006. Eris was discovered in 2005, and named for the goddess of discord.

In Greek mythology, Eris was the goddess of discord. The name “Eris” is derived from the Greek word for strife, and translates into Latin as “Discordia”. In Greek her counterpart was Harmonia, and in the world of the Roman gods, Concordia. The largest dwarf planet in our solar system is called Eris, named after the goddess.

14 Prefix meaning “personal” : IDIO-

The prefix “idio-” indicates something peculiar, as in “idiosyncrasy”, a peculiarity exhibited by an individual or a group.

15 Caribbean isle seriously damaged by a 1995 volcanic eruption : MONTSERRAT

The island of Montserrat is a British Overseas Territory, and hence a remnant of the British Empire. It has the nickname “The Emerald Isle of the Caribbean” for two reasons. Firstly, the coastal geography resembles that of coastal Ireland, and secondly, the British brought many Irish people to Montserrat starting in the 1620s. Most of the Irish population were indentured servants who worked alongside African slaves, although there were also Irish who were merchants and plantation owners. Many African-Irish descendents used the Irish language as recently as the mid-19th century. The British abolished slavery on Montserrat, and all of its territories, in 1834.

17 Threshold adjoiner : JAMB

A door jamb or window jamb is the vertical portion of the frame. The term “jamb” comes from the French word “jambe” meaning “leg”.

18 Law enforcement tool that may be triggered by a siren : BODY CAMERA

Police body cameras can be pretty high-tech. In particular, they can have automatic triggers that start the device recording. Examples of such triggers are the removal of a taser or firearm from a holster, or when a police car’s door is opened or its siren is activated.

21 1959 winner of 11 Oscars : BEN-HUR

The celebrated 1959 Charlton Heston movie “Ben-Hur” is a dramatization of a book published in 1880 by Lew Wallace titled “Ben-Hur: A Tale of Christ”. The 1959 epic film won a record 11 Academy Awards, a feat that has been equaled since then but never beaten. The other winners of 11 Oscars are “Titanic” (1997) and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Rings” (2003).

23 Alfred of coffee fame : PEET

Peet’s is a chain of coffee houses based in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was founded in 1966 by Dutch immigrant Alfred Peet. Peet served as a mentor to Jerry Baldwin, who co-founded Starbucks in 1971.

24 Mollycoddle : COSSET

To cosset is to pamper. The verb comes from the noun “cosset”, which was once used for a lamb that was brought up as a pet.

To mollycoddle is to be overprotective. Back in the mid-1700s, “mollycoddle” was an insulting term used to describe a man who was weak and effeminate.

26 Jocular headlock accompaniment : NOOGIE

A noogie is a childish move in which someone rubs his (and it’s always a guy!) knuckles into a person’s head to create a little soreness.

31 Yani __, youngest golfer to win five majors : TSENG

Yani Tseng is a professional golfer from Taiwan. Tseng was ranked number one in the Women’s World Golf Rankings from 2011 to 2013, and is the youngest player (male or female) to win five majors.

38 Some holy city dwellers : MECCANS

Mecca is in the Makkah province of Saudi Arabia. It was the birthplace of Muhammad and is the holiest city in Islam. Every year several million Muslims perform the Hajj, a holy pilgrimage to Mecca.

41 Ithaca opening : IOTA

Iota is the ninth letter in the Greek alphabet, and one that gave rise to our letters I and J. We use the word “iota” to portray something very small, as it is the smallest of all Greek letters.

Ithaca is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. The island features in Homer’s “Odyssey” as it was the home of the mythological hero Odysseus, who was Ithaca’s king.

43 Pirogue, e.g. : CANOE

The term “pirogue” (also “piragua, piraga”) is used to describe small native boats, especially dugout canoes, that are native to areas once colonized by Spain and France. “Pirogue” is French, and probably comes from the Galibi (a Carib language) word “piragua” meaning “dug-out”.

48 Viral internet item : MEME

A meme (from “mineme”) is a cultural practice or idea that is passed on verbally or by repetition from one person to another. The term lends itself very well to the online world where links, emails, files etc. are so easily propagated.

50 NFL highlight reel clip : TD PASS

Touchdown (TD)

53 Barista’s concoction : CAFFE MOCHA

A caffè mocha is a caffè latte that has been flavored with chocolate. One might also regard a caffè mocha as hot chocolate with the addition of a shot of espresso.

Mocha is a port city in Yemen on the Red Sea and was once the principal port for the capital city of Sana’a. Mocha was the major marketplace in the world for coffee until the 1600s, and gave its name to the Mocha coffee bean, which in turn gave its name to the mocha brown color, and the flavor of coffee infused with chocolate.

A barista is a person who serves coffee in a coffee shop. “Barista” is Italian for “bartender”.

59 Reference for budding meteorologists : CLOUD ATLAS

Meteorology is the science dealing with weather and weather conditions. The term “meteorology” comes into English via French from the Greek “meteoron” meaning “thing high up” and “-logia” meaning “treatment of”.

60 Acid __ : RAIN

Acid rain is any precipitation that is unusually acidic. The acidity in rain mainly comes from sulfur dioxide that is discharged into the atmosphere from industrial plants and volcanic eruptions.

61 Sara Pennypacker kid-lit heroine : CLEMENTINE

Sara Pennypacker is a successful children’s author living in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Her works include the “Clementine” series of books and the New York Times Bestseller “Pax”.

62 Capone capturers : T-MEN

A T-man is a law-enforcement agent of the US Treasury (“T” stands for “Treasury”).

Chicago gangster Al Capone was eventually jailed for tax evasion. He was given a record 11-year sentence in federal prison, of which he served 8 years. He left prison suffering from dementia caused by late-stage syphilis. Capone suffered through 7-8 sickly years before passing away in 1947.

63 Evening stroll : PASEO

A paseo is a slow stroll or walk taken outdoors, particularly one taken in the evening. The term “paseo” comes from the Spanish “pasear” meaning “to take a stroll”.

64 Stone massage sites : SPAS

The word “spa” migrated into English from Belgium, as “Spa” is the name of a municipality in the east of the country that is famous for its healing hot springs. The name “Spa” comes from the Walloon word “espa” meaning “spring, fountain”.

65 Class with poses : YOGA

“Asana” is a Sanskrit word that translates literally as “sitting down”. The asanas are the poses that a practitioner of yoga assumes. The most famous is the lotus position, the cross-legged pose called “padmasana”.

Down

1 Muslim veil : HIJAB

Some Muslim women wear a hijab in the presence of males outside of their immediate family. A hijab is a veil covering the head and chest. Some also wear a niqab as part of the hijab, which is a cloth that covers the face. Other Muslim women wear a burqa, which covers the whole body from the top of the head to the ground.

2 Allan-__: Robin Hood cohort : A-DALE

According to the legend of Robin Hood, Alan-a-Dale was a member of Robin’s outlaw band of Merry Men. Based on the legend, Alan-a-Dale was a wandering minstrel, a lute player.

3 Citrus liqueur : LIMONCELLO

Limoncello is a rather tasty lemon liqueur that is mostly associated with Southern Italy. I’ve come across California-made limoncello quite a lot in recent years …

5 Imprisons : EMBARS

To embar is to hinder or stop, to perhaps hinder with bars, to imprison. The related term “embargo” describes the action of barring vessels from entering or leaving a nation’s ports.

6 Leeway : ROOM

Our word “leeway” meaning “spare margin” is nautical in origin. A vessel’s leeway is the amount of drift motion away from her intended course that is caused by the action of the wind.

8 Composer Jule : STYNE

Jule Styne was an English songwriter who made a name for himself in America with a series of popular musicals. Styne wrote a number of famous songs including “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from “Funny Girl”, “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” from “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”, and “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” from “Gypsy”.

10 Private employer : ARMY

The lowest military rank of soldier is often a private (pvt.). The term “private” comes from the Middle Ages when “private soldiers” were hired or conscripted by noblemen to form a “private army”. The more generic usage of “private” started in the 1700s.

11 Wisconsin-based bike brand : TREK

Trek Bicycle is a manufacturer of bicycles that was founded in Waterloo, Wisconsin in 1975. Although still headquartered in Waterloo, most Trek bikes today are made offshore.

12 Spydom name : HARI

“Mata Hari” was the stage name used by Margaretha Geertruida Zelle, born in the Netherlands in 1876. After an unsuccessful and somewhat tragic marriage, Zella moved to Paris in 1903 where she struggled to make a living. By 1905 she was working as an exotic dancer and using the name Mata Hari. She was a successful courtesan, notably moving in various circles of high-ranking military officers. She apparently worked as a double agent, both for the French and the Germans. When Mata Hari was accused by the French of passing information to the enemy, she was tried, found guilty and executed by firing squad at the height of WW1, in 1917.

13 Actuarial datum, e.g. : STAT

In the world of insurance, an actuary is a person who works out the appropriate premium based on risk.

22 Bob Jones Award org. : USGA

The United States Golf Association (USGA) was formed in 1894. The need for a governing body for the sport became evident that year when both the Newport Country Club and the St. Andrew’s Golf Club in Yonkers declared that the winner of a tournament at each of their courses was the “national amateur champion”. The first president of the USGA was Theodore Havemeyer. To this day, the one-and-only US Amateur Trophy bears Havemeyer’s name.

The Bob Jones Award has been presented annually by the US Golf Association since 1955 in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. The award is named for amateur golfing legend Bobby Jones. The list of past winners of the Bob Jones Award includes many of the big names in professional golf, like Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Nancy Lopez. The list also includes golfers who have made names for themselves in other arenas, such as Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, George H. W. Bush and Barbara Nicklaus.

27 Prime spot for stargazing? : OSCAR PARTY

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) is the organization that gives the annual Academy Awards, also known as the “Oscars”. The root of the name “Oscar” is hotly debated, but what is agreed is that the award was officially named “Oscar” in 1939. The first Academy Awards were presented at a brunch in 1929 with an audience of just 29 people. The Awards ceremony is a slightly bigger event these days …

28 Cuban city with a U.S. Navy base : GUANTANAMO

The Guantánamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba is often referred to by using the abbreviation “GTMO” or simply “Gitmo”. Gitmo is the oldest overseas base operated by the navy and dates back to the Cuban-American Treaty of 1903, at which time the US leased the facility as a fueling station. A perpetual lease was offered by Tomas Estrada Palma, the first President of Cuba, after the US took over control of Cuba from Spain following the Spanish-American War of 1898.

29 SSN, e.g. : ID NO

The main purpose of a Social Security Number (SSN) is to track individuals for the purposes of taxation, although given its ubiquitous use, it is looking more and more like an identity number to me. The social security number system was introduced in 1936. Prior to 1986, an SSN was required only for persons with substantial income, so many children under 14 had no number assigned. For some years the IRS had a concern that a lot of people were claiming children on their tax returns who did not actually exist. So, from 1986 onward, it is a requirement to get an SSN for any dependents over the age of 5. Sure enough, seven million dependents “disappeared” in 1987.

34 Mononymous supermodel : IMAN

Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid is a supermodel from Somalia who goes simply by the name “Iman” these days. “Iman” is an Arabic word for “faith”. Iman is a smart cookie. Imam has a degree in Political Science and is fluent in five languages: Somali, Arabic, Italian, French and English. Iman was married to English rock star David Bowie from 1992 until his death in 2016.

37 Jazz group guy : SIDEMAN

Sidemen and sidewomen are professional musicians who are hired to perform live with perhaps a solo musician or with an established group. Many famous names in the music industry started out as sidemen, such as John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Don Henley and Glenn Frey. Sidemen differ from session musicians in that the latter are retained to provide musical support in a studio as opposed to live on stage.

39 In the loop : CCED

I wonder do the kids of today know that “cc” stands for carbon copy, and do they have any idea what a carbon copy was? Do you remember how messy carbon paper was to handle? A kind blog reader pointed out to me a while back that the abbreviation has evolved and taken on the meaning “courtesy copy” in our modern world.

45 Artist Modigliani : AMEDEO

Amedeo Modigliani was an Italian painter and sculptor who spent most of working life in France. Modigliani’s sculpture called “Tête” is an elongated female head made from limestone that he created between 1910 and 1912. The piece was acquired in auction in 2010 for almost $55 million, making it the fifth-most expensive sculpture ever sold.

47 Equilibria : STASES

Our word “equilibrium” meaning “state of balance”, comes from the Latin “aequus” meaning “equal” and “libra” meaning “balance, pair of scales”.

49 Big name in apple products : MOTT’S

Samuel R. Mott was a producer of apple cider and vinegar. In 1842 he founded his own company to market and sell his products. The Mott’s company owns brands such as Mr & Mrs T, Hawaiian Punch and ReaLime/ReaLemon.

51 “The Girl Who Played With Fire” author Larsson : STIEG

Stieg Larsson was a Swedish journalist and writer. Indeed, one of the main characters in his “Millennium” series of novels is a journalist as well. The first two titles in the series are “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and “The Girl Who Played with Fire”. The last of the three titles in the Millennium series is “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest”, which was the most-sold book in the US in 2010. All of the books in the series were published after Larsson’s death. He passed away from a heart attack while climbing several flights of stairs, when he was just 50 years old.

52 Medicinal shrub : SENNA

Sennas are plants in the legume family. Historically, the pods and leaves of the senna plant have been used as a laxative.

53 Cosmonaut’s insignia, once : CCCP

The abbreviation CCCP stands for “Сою́з Сове́тских Социалисти́ческих Респу́блик”, which translates from Russian as “Union of Soviet Socialist Republics”, the USSR.

54 Spaghetti __ puttanesca : ALLA

Spaghetti alla puttanesca is a pasta dish from Naples in which the sauce’s main ingredients are tomatoes, olive oil, olives, capers and garlic.

55 Krystle and Alexis on the 1980s “Dynasty,” e.g. : FOES

“Dynasty” was ABC’s shot at CBS’s incredibly successful soap opera “Dallas”. Both shows were centered on wealthy oil families, with “Dynasty” starring John Forsythe as Blake Carrington and Linda Evans as his new wife Krystle. The show didn’t really make much impact on the viewing figures for “Dallas” until season two, when Joan Collins joined the cast as the scheming ex-wife Alexis. “Dynasty” had a very successful run then, from 1981 to 1989. The 1980s “Dynasty” was rebooted under the same title starting in 2017.

57 Maui’s famously twisty Road to __ : HANA

If you visit the island of Maui, a trip to the Haleakala National Park is a must. One section of the park features the spectacular Haleakala Crater, where you would swear you are on the moon. The second part of the park is the Kipahulu section, which features the very picturesque pools accessed along the Road to Hana. When we visited (quite a few years ago), the Road to Hana was a tad undeveloped and rental car companies would not allow you to drive their cars there. Funnily enough, the only cars you’d meet on the Road to Hana were rental cars …

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Arrest : HALT
5 Dwarf planet named for a goddess : ERIS
9 Places to relax : BATHS
14 Prefix meaning “personal” : IDIO-
15 Caribbean isle seriously damaged by a 1995 volcanic eruption : MONTSERRAT
17 Threshold adjoiner : JAMB
18 Law enforcement tool that may be triggered by a siren : BODYCAMERA
19 Natural healer : ALOE
20 First-class freebie on long-haul flights : AMENITY KIT
21 1959 winner of 11 Oscars : BEN-HUR
23 Alfred of coffee fame : PEET
24 Mollycoddle : COSSET
26 Jocular headlock accompaniment : NOOGIE
31 Yani __, youngest golfer to win five majors : TSENG
33 Trendy : CHIC
35 Head makeup : SUDS
36 Loose : UNLEASH
38 Some holy city dwellers : MECCANS
40 They go with guys : GALS
41 Ithaca opening : IOTA
43 Pirogue, e.g. : CANOE
44 Campaign buy : SPOT AD
46 Reply card, say : INSERT
48 Viral internet item : MEME
50 NFL highlight reel clip : TD PASS
53 Barista’s concoction : CAFFE MOCHA
58 Get in the game : ANTE
59 Reference for budding meteorologists : CLOUD ATLAS
60 Acid __ : RAIN
61 Sara Pennypacker kid-lit heroine : CLEMENTINE
62 Capone capturers : T-MEN
63 Evening stroll : PASEO
64 Stone massage sites : SPAS
65 Class with poses : YOGA

Down

1 Muslim veil : HIJAB
2 Allan-__: Robin Hood cohort : A-DALE
3 Citrus liqueur : LIMONCELLO
4 “Truth is … ” : TO BE HONEST …
5 Imprisons : EMBARS
6 Leeway : ROOM
7 Thorough : IN DEPTH
8 Composer Jule : STYNE
9 Reach ahead of : BEAT TO
10 Private employer : ARMY
11 Wisconsin-based bike brand : TREK
12 Spydom name : HARI
13 Actuarial datum, e.g. : STAT
16 Rocket __ : SCIENCE
22 Bob Jones Award org. : USGA
25 Parrot : ECHO
27 Prime spot for stargazing? : OSCAR PARTY
28 Cuban city with a U.S. Navy base : GUANTANAMO
29 SSN, e.g. : ID NO
30 To be, in Latin : ESSE
31 Harbor sights : TUGS
32 Flip out : SNAP
34 Mononymous supermodel : IMAN
37 Jazz group guy : SIDEMAN
39 In the loop : CCED
42 Accessory with a suit : TIE CLIP
45 Artist Modigliani : AMEDEO
47 Equilibria : STASES
49 Big name in apple products : MOTT’S
51 “The Girl Who Played With Fire” author Larsson : STIEG
52 Medicinal shrub : SENNA
53 Cosmonaut’s insignia, once : CCCP
54 Spaghetti __ puttanesca : ALLA
55 Krystle and Alexis on the 1980s “Dynasty,” e.g. : FOES
56 Stew : FUME
57 Maui’s famously twisty Road to __ : HANA