LA Times Crossword 16 Mar 21, Tuesday

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Constructed by: Rebecca Goldstein
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Lemon Slice

Themed answers each include LEMON as a hidden word:

  • 63A Fish dish garnish, or a hidden feature of the answers to starred clues : LEMON SLICE
  • 17A *Embezzled : STOLE MONEY
  • 11D *Everyone in Paris? : TOUT LE MONDE
  • 25D *King or prince : MALE MONARCH

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

Bill’s time: 5m 41s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

6 Elitist sort : SNOB

Back in the 1780s, a snob was a shoemaker or a shoemaker’s apprentice. By the end of the 18th century the word “snob” was being used by students at Cambridge University in England to refer to all local merchants and people of the town. The term evolved to mean one who copies those who are his or her social superior (and not in a good way). From there it wasn’t a big leap for “snob” to include anyone who emphasized their superior social standing and not just those who aspired to rank. Nowadays a snob is anyone who looks down on those considered to be of inferior standing.

10 Great Salt Lake state : UTAH

The Great Salt Lake in Utah is extremely shallow, and so the area of the lake fluctuates greatly with the changing volume of water. Back in 1963 the lake shrunk to 950 square miles, whereas in 1988 the area was measured at a whopping 3,300 square miles.

14 Kayak kin : CANOE

The boat known as a canoe takes its name from the Carib word “kenu” meaning “dugout”. It was Christopher Columbus who brought “kenu” into Spanish as “canoa”, which evolved into our English “canoe”.

There is a type of boat used by Inuit people called an “umiak”. . The term “umiak” means “woman’s boat”, whereas “kayak” means “man’s boat”.

15 Skating medalist Lipinski : TARA

When American skater Tara Lipinski won the figure skating gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics, she was only 15 years old. To this day, Lipinski is the youngest person to win an individual gold at the Winter Games.

16 Corn bread : PONE

“Pone” is another name for corn bread, and comes from the Powhatan term “apan” meaning “something baked”.

23 Starfish’s five, usually : ARMS

Starfish (sometimes known as “sea stars”) come in many shapes and sizes, but commonly have “pentaradial symmetry”, meaning they have symmetrical body-shapes with five points. Most starfish are predators, mainly living on a diet of mollusks such as clams and oysters.

26 Call from the rear? : BUTT DIAL

“Butt dialing” is an alternative name for “pocket dialing”, the accidental placing of a call while a phone is in one’s pocket or purse.

30 Mom-and-pop org. : PTA

Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)

34 Forensic tech’s tool : UV LAMP

A blacklight is a lamp that emits very little visible light, and mainly long-wave ultraviolet light. Blacklights are routinely used with materials that fluoresce in the presence of UV radiation.

Something described as forensic is connected with a court of law, or with public discussion or debate. The term comes from the Latin “forensis” meaning “of a forum, of a place of assembly”. We mainly use the word today to mean “pertaining to legal trials” as in “forensic medicine” and “forensic science”.

36 66-Down pro : EMT
(66D Life-saving proc. : CPR)

An emergency medical technician (EMT) might administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

41 Prestigious broadcasting award : PEABODY

The Peabody Awards have been presented annually since 1941 to individuals and organizations for excellence in broadcasting. They are named for businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, who provided the funds to establish the awards program.

44 Answer to “Who’s hungry?” : I AM

Me too …

47 Makes right : AMENDS

The verb “to amend” means “to change for the better, put right, alter by adding”. The related verb “to emend” is used more rarely, and mainly in reference to the editing of professional writing. Both terms are derived from the Latin “emendare” meaning “to remove fault”.

54 Decade in which many Gen Zers were born : NINETIES

Definitions vary, but it seems that the term “Generation Z” is reserved for the children of “Generation X”, and for the generation that follows the “Millennials” (Generation Y).

57 Cincinnati MLB team : REDS

When the Cincinnati Reds were a dominating force in the National League in the seventies, the team was given the nickname “the Big Red Machine”.

58 Snoopy is one : BEAGLE

The beagle breed of dog is a scent hound, one developed for tracking small game. Because of this characteristic, beagles are often used as detection dogs in customs halls around the world. The world’s most famous beagle is probably Snoopy from the comic strip “Peanuts”.

Snoopy is a central and much-loved character in the Charles M. Schulz comic strip “Peanuts”. He is Charlie Brown’s pet beagle, and first appeared in “Peanuts” just two days after the strip’s debut in 1950. He was identified as “Snoopy” a month later, and first “spoke” (in a thought balloon) in 1952. Initially depicted as a more traditionally dog-like figure, Schulz started to anthropomorphize Snoopy in 1952, first drawing him upright on his hind legs in 1952, while ice-skating on a frozen lake.

60 Poker-faced : STOIC

Zeno of Citium was a Greek philosopher famous for teaching at the Stoa Poikile, the “Painted Porch”, located on the north side of the Ancient Agora of Athens. Because of the location of his classes, his philosophy became known as stoicism (from “stoa”, the word for “porch”). We get our adjective “stoic”, meaning “indifferent to pleasure or pain”, from the same root.

68 Tall hiking socks can protect against one : TICK

Ticks are external parasites that feed on blood, blood mainly harvested from mammals and birds. Animals that feed on blood are known as hematophages.

69 Qatari leader : EMIR

Qatar is a sovereign state in the Middle East occupying the Qatar Peninsula, itself located in the Arabian Peninsula. Qatar lies on the Persian Gulf and shares one land border, with Saudi Arabia to the south. Qatar has more oil and gas reserves per capita of population than any other country in the world. In 2010, Qatar had the fastest growing economy in the world, driven by the petrochemical industry. Qatar is scheduled to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, although the nation’s eligibility to do so is under question after a far-reaching bribery scandal was uncovered at the sport’s governing body.

72 Tape type : DUCT

What we tend to call “duct” tape today was originally known as “duck” tape. In its first form, duck tape was rubber-based adhesive applied to a duck cloth backing, hence the name. Cotton duck cloth is a canvas-like material, a plain woven cotton fabric. The name “duck” comes from the Dutch “doek” meaning “linen canvas”. Duck tape started to be known as “duct tape” in the fifties, as it was commonly used to wrap air ducts in the construction industry.

Down

1 Mac alternatives : PCS

The IBM PC entered the personal computer market in 1981 and was by all accounts a surprising success, even to many IBM executives. The PC was directed at the business world, and in 1983 IBM made its first foray into the home computing world with the introduction of the PCjr. Codenamed “Peanut” during development, the PCjr has been described as one of the biggest commercial flops in computing history. Various reasons have been cited for the failure, including the poorly-designed keyboard, relatively high price and lack of compatibility with existing IBM products.

Macintosh (also “Mac”, since 1998) is a line of computers from Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced in 1984, and I remember someone showing me one at work in those early days of personal computing. There was a piece of white plastic connected to the main computer by a cord, and I was amazed when the guy showed me that it controlled where the cursor was on the screen. My colleague told me that this lump of plastic was called “a mouse” …

2 Back muscle, briefly : LAT

The muscles known as the “lats” are the latissimi dorsi, and are the broadest muscles in the back. “Latissimus” is the Latin for “broadest” and “dorsum” is Latin for “back”.

3 Card game cry : UNO!

UNO is a card game that was developed in the early seventies and that has been sold by Mattel since 1992. UNO falls into the shedding family of card games, meaning that the goal is to get rid of all your cards while preventing opponents from doing the same.

6 Visit at the penthouse : STOP UP

Originally, the term “penthouse” described a modest building attached to a main structure. In fact, in centuries past, the manger in which Jesus was born was often referred to as a penthouse. The modern, more luxurious connotation dates back to the early twenties.

7 Comedy special for which Hannah Gadsby won a 2019 Emmy : NANETTE

Hannah Gadsby is a comedian from Australia. She garnered a lot of attention in 2018 with the release of her stand-up show on Netflix under the title “Nanette”. That show, filmed at the Sydney Opera House, won an Emmy and a Peabody Award.

8 Mother lode stuff : ORE

A lode is a metal ore deposit that’s found between two layers of rock or in a fissure. The mother lode is the principal deposit in a mine, usually of gold or silver. “Mother lode” is probably a translation of “veta madre”, an expression used in mining in Mexico.

11 *Everyone in Paris? : TOUT LE MONDE

The French term “tout le monde” means “everyone, everybody”. A literal translation is “all the world, all the people”.

13 Company with toy trucks : HESS

Hess Corporation is an oil company based in New York City. In 1964, the company started selling toy trucks with the Hess logo on them, in Hess gas stations. The company has been selling them every since, bringing out new models just before Christmas. Hess toy trucks have become quite collectible and the old ones can fetch a pretty penny.

18 Shakespeare’s fairy queen : MAB

In Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”, Mercutio refers to the fairy known as Queen Mab. It seems that Queen Mab was Shakespeare’s creation, although she became popular in subsequent works of literature. For example, she is referred to in Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick”, in Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility”, and Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote a large poetic work called “Queen Mab: A Philosophical Poem”.

22 Word after hot or before drop : MIC

One of my favorite hot-mic moments took place in 2005, when Paris and London were vying to host the 2012 Olympics. French President Jacques Chirac compared Paris and London in that context while chatting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. Chirac said, over a hot mic:

The only thing that they have ever done for European agriculture is mad cow disease … You cannot trust people who have such bad cuisine.

A mic drop takes place when a performer has done particularly well and decides to celebrate by throwing or dropping the microphone to the floor. That doesn’t seem to happen at the performances I tend to frequent …

23 Egyptian god of the afterlife : ANUBIS

“Anubis” is the Greek name for the ancient Egyptian deity named “Inpu”, a god associated with death and mummification. Anubis’s role was to protect the dead and their tombs.

27 Pack (down) : TAMP

To tamp is to pack down tightly by tapping. “Tamp” was originally used specifically to describe the action of packing down sand or dirt around an explosive prior to detonation.

29 Texter’s “Wow!” : OMG!

“OMG” is text-speak for “Oh My Gosh!” “Oh My Goodness!” or any other G-words you might care to use …

32Like an exaggerated résumé : PADDED

A résumé is a summary of a person’s job experience and education and is used as a tool by a job seeker. In many countries, a résumé is equivalent to a curriculum vitae. “Résumé” is the French word for “summary”.

33 Secret meetings : TRYSTS

In the most general sense, a tryst is a meeting at an agreed time and place. More usually we consider a tryst to be a pre-arranged meeting between lovers. The term comes from the Old French “triste”, a waiting place designated when hunting. Further, a tryst taking place at lunchtime is sometimes referred to as a nooner.

35 Groaner, maybe : PUN

Here are some of my favorite puns:

  • A man died today when a pile of books fell on him. He only had his shelf to blame.
  • I hate negative numbers and will stop at nothing to avoid them.
  • I wasn’t going to get a brain transplant, but then I changed my mind.
  • I should have been sad when my flashlight batteries died, but I was delighted.

37 Bubble __: Taiwanese drink : TEA

Bubble tea, sometimes called “boba tea”, is a tea-based drink from Taiwan. The “bubbles” are chewy tapioca balls that are usually added to the drink.

42 “Better Call Saul” channel : AMC

“Better Call Saul” is a spin-off drama series from the hit show “Breaking Bad”. The main character is small-time lawyer Saul Goodman, played by Bob Odenkirk, who featured in the original series. “Better Call Saul” is set six years before Goodman makes an appearance in the “Breaking Bad” storyline. The lawyer’s real name is James Morgan McGill, and his pseudonym is a play on the words “S’all good, man!”

43 Pastry with an ursine name : BEAR CLAW

Something described as ursine is related to a bear. The term “ursine” comes from “ursus” (plural “ursi”), Latin for “bear”.

49 Montana resort area : BIG SKY

Big Sky Resort is a skiing facility located near the town of Big Sky in southwestern Montana. The resort is the second largest in terms of acreage in the whole country (after Park City in Utah). Big Sky opened for business in 1973, and was founded by TV newscaster Chet Huntley who co-anchored “The Huntley-Brinkley Report” on NBC.

50 NBC skit show : SNL

NBC first aired a form of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) in 1975 under the title “NBC’s Saturday Night”. The show was actually created to give Johnny Carson some time off from “The Tonight Show”. Back then “The Tonight Show” had a weekend episode, and Carson convinced NBC to pull the Saturday or Sunday recordings off the air and hold them for subsequent weeknights in which Carson needed a break. NBC turned to Lorne Michaels and asked him to put together a variety show to fill the vacant slot, and he came up with what we now call “Saturday Night Live”.

55 Sought morays : EELED

Morays are a large group of about 200 species of eels found across the world’s oceans. They are carnivorous and look pretty scary but they’re quite shy when confronted and present no threat to humans. One interesting thing about morays is that they will sometimes work in cooperation with the grouper fish found in reefs, the two helping each other hunt for food.

56 Cain, to Eve : SON

According to the Bible, Adam and Eve had several children, although only the first three are mentioned by name: Cain, Abel and Seth.

58 Alpha follower : BETA

The Greek alphabet starts off with the letters alpha, beta, gamma …

59 Stonestreet of “Modern Family” : ERIC

Actor Eric Stonestreet is best-known for playing Cameron Tucker on the hit comedy show “Modern Family”. Stonestreet is openly straight, but plays the gay partner of the character Mitchell Pritchett. Pritchett is played by openly-gay actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Ferguson jokingly describes Stonestreet as being “gay for pay”.

61 “Insecure” star Rae : ISSA

Issa Rae is a Stanford University graduate who created a YouTube web series called “The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl”. Rae also plays the title role in the series, a young lady named “J”. “Awkward Black Girl” was adapted into an HBO comedy-drama called “Insecure”, in which Issa Rae stars.

64 Australian avian : EMU

The emu has had a tough time in Australia since man settled there. There was even an “Emu War” in Western Australia in 1932 when migrating emus competed with livestock for water and food. Soldiers were sent in and used machine guns in an unsuccessful attempt to drive off the “invading force”. The emus were clever, breaking their usual formations and adopting guerrilla tactics, operating as smaller units. After 50 days of “war”, the military withdrew. Subsequent requests for military help for the farmers were ignored. The emus had emerged victorious …

65 Brew initials : IPA

India pale ale (IPA) is a style of beer that originated in England. The beer was originally intended for transportation from England to India, hence the name.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Promotes on TV, say : PLUGS
6 Elitist sort : SNOB
10 Great Salt Lake state : UTAH
14 Kayak kin : CANOE
15 Skating medalist Lipinski : TARA
16 Corn bread : PONE
17 *Embezzled : STOLE MONEY
19 Dirt road grooves : RUTS
20 Arrange, as a shawl : DRAPE
21 Acts with passion : EMOTES
23 Starfish’s five, usually : ARMS
26 Call from the rear? : BUTT DIAL
28 “Groovy!” : NEATO!
30 Mom-and-pop org. : PTA
31 Slunk : CREPT
34 Forensic tech’s tool : UV LAMP
36 66-Down pro : EMT
38 Sea, in Spain : MAR
39 Result of too many six-packs? : BEER GUT
41 Prestigious broadcasting award : PEABODY
44 Answer to “Who’s hungry?” : I AM
45 Turndowns : NOS
47 Makes right : AMENDS
48 Messy roommates : SLOBS
51 ‘Neath opposite : O’ER
53 Military academy student : CADET
54 Decade in which many Gen Zers were born : NINETIES
57 Cincinnati MLB team : REDS
58 Snoopy is one : BEAGLE
60 Poker-faced : STOIC
62 Slips up : ERRS
63 Fish dish garnish, or a hidden feature of the answers to starred clues : LEMON SLICE
68 Tall hiking socks can protect against one : TICK
69 Qatari leader : EMIR
70 Sickeningly sweet : SAPPY
71 Hurting after exercise : ACHY
72 Tape type : DUCT
73 Hardly in the dark : AWARE

Down

1 Mac alternatives : PCS
2 Back muscle, briefly : LAT
3 Card game cry : UNO!
4 “Well done” award : GOLD STAR
5 One having visions : SEER
6 Visit at the penthouse : STOP UP
7 Comedy special for which Hannah Gadsby won a 2019 Emmy : NANETTE
8 Mother lode stuff : ORE
9 Howled : BAYED
10 Commotion : UPROAR
11 *Everyone in Paris? : TOUT LE MONDE
12 Pay to play : ANTE
13 Company with toy trucks : HESS
18 Shakespeare’s fairy queen : MAB
22 Word after hot or before drop : MIC
23 Egyptian god of the afterlife : ANUBIS
24 Disclose : REVEAL
25 *King or prince : MALE MONARCH
27 Pack (down) : TAMP
29 Texter’s “Wow!” : OMG!
32Like an exaggerated résumé : PADDED
33 Secret meetings : TRYSTS
35 Groaner, maybe : PUN
37 Bubble __: Taiwanese drink : TEA
40 Quick honk : TOOT
42 “Better Call Saul” channel : AMC
43 Pastry with an ursine name : BEAR CLAW
46 Earthquake-caused : SEISMIC
49 Montana resort area : BIG SKY
50 NBC skit show : SNL
52 “Are so!” or “Am not!” : RETORT
55 Sought morays : EELED
56 Cain, to Eve : SON
58 Alpha follower : BETA
59 Stonestreet of “Modern Family” : ERIC
61 “Insecure” star Rae : ISSA
64 Australian avian : EMU
65 Brew initials : IPA
66 Life-saving proc. : CPR
67 Watch closely : EYE