LA Times Crossword 7 Mar 21, Sunday

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Constructed by: Paul Coulter
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme: Outer Limits

The OUTER LIMITS, the circled letters at each end, of themed answers spell out words that can follow “OUTER”:

  • 22A It’s “gravy” to some Italian Americans : SPAGHETTI SAUCE (giving “outer space”)
  • 41A “Melrose Place” complex : GARDEN APARTMENT (giving “outer garment”)
  • 48A Venus, at times : EVENING STAR (giving “outer ear”)
  • 68A Real estate listing datum : OFFERING PRICE (giving “outer office”)
  • 85A Grade school presentation : SHOW AND TELL (giving “outer shell”)
  • 95A Favor asker’s lead-in : WOULD YOU BE A DEAR (giving “outerwear”)
  • 116A America’s most popular dogs in 2017 : BALL PARK FRANKS (giving “Outer Banks”)

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

Bill’s time: 18m 57s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Include so other recipients don’t know, briefly : BCC

A blind carbon copy (bcc) is a copy of a document or message that is sent to someone without other recipients of the message knowing about that extra copy.

4 California neighbor, familiarly : BAJA

Baja California is both the most northern and the most western of the Mexican states. The name translates from Spanish as “Lower California”.

8 Bulk : HEFT

The heft of something is its weight, its heaviness. The term “heft” is derivative of the verb “to heave” meaning “to lift, raise”.

19 Genesis victim : ABEL

In the story of Cain and Abel in the Book of Genesis, Cain murders his brother Abel. Subsequently, God asks Cain, “Where is Abel thy brother?” Cain replies, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

22 It’s “gravy” to some Italian Americans : SPAGHETTI SAUCE (giving “outer space”)

The term “spaghetti” is a plural diminutive form of the Italian word “spago”, which means “thin string, twine”.

The exploration and use of outer space is governed by the Outer Space Treaty that came into force in 1967. The initial signatories were the US, UK and USSR, and now 102 nations are party to the treaty. For the purposes of the treaty, outer space begins at the Kármán line, a theoretical sphere that lies at an altitude of 100km about the Earth’s sea level.

25 Tropical vines : LIANAS

Liana (also “liane”) is a vine that generally grows in moist areas such as rain forests. Lianas grow using the trees in the forest as structural support. My bet is that Tarzan swung from tree to tree on liana vines …

26 Frau’s partner : HERR

In German, a “Herr” (Mr.) is married to a “Frau” (Mrs.), and they live together in a “Haus” (house).

27 Hit one in the trees, maybe : SLICED

That would be golf.

32 Somme soul : AME

The Somme is a department in the Picardy region, in the very north of France. It is famous as the site of devastating battles during WWI.

33 Gothic architecture feature : GABLE

The gable is the triangular portion of a building’s wall that is defined by the intersection of the two slopes of the roof.

41 “Melrose Place” complex : GARDEN APARTMENT (giving “outer garment”)

“Melrose Place” is a soap opera that originally aired from 1992 to 1999. “Melrose” was a spin-off of the hit show “Beverly Hills, 90210”. The show’s name comes from where the story is set, in an apartment complex with the address of 4616 Melrose Place in West Hollywood, California. “Melrose Place” was rebooted in 2009 (and some called “Melrose Place 2.0”, but was canceled after just one season.

46 Fine, lightweight cloth : BATISTE

Batiste is an extremely soft and lightweight fabric, made of cotton, wool or polyester.

47 Obamacare, for short : ACA

The correct name for what has been dubbed “Obamacare” is the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” (ACA).

48 Venus, at times : EVENING STAR (giving “outer ear”)

The planet Venus is very bright in the night sky, brighter than any other planet or any star. When visible after sunset, Venus may be referred to as the Evening Star. When visible before sunrise, it is known as the Morning Star.

55 Mao’s successor : DENG

Deng Xiaoping was the Paramount Leader of the People’s Republic of China from 1978 to 1992. It was Deng Xiaoping who is given the credit for setting policies that led to China’s current economic boom. He moved the country towards a market economy and opened the borders to allow foreign investment.

56 Cartoonist Peter : ARNO

Peter Arno was a cartoonist from New York who had his work published mainly in “The New Yorker” magazine from 1925 until he passed away in 1968. Arno’s real name was Curtis Arnoux Peters.

57 AOL alternative : MSN

The Microsoft Network (MSN) used to be an Internet service provider (ISP). These days, MSN is mainly a web portal.

60 Events with bulls and barrels : RODEOS

“Rodeo” is a Spanish word that is usually translated into English as “round up”.

62 Stern with a bow : ISAAC

Isaac Stern was Ukrainian-born, and moved with his family to San Francisco at a very young age. He was a wonderful violin virtuoso, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George H. W. Bush in 1992. Stern passed away in 2001 at 81 years of age.

64 Bit of statuary : TORSO

“Torso” (plural “torsi”) is an Italian word meaning the “trunk of a statue”, and is a term that we imported into English.

65 Like some pkgs. : PPD

Prepaid (PPD)

71 D.C. bigwig : SEN

A bigwig is someone important. The use of the term “bigwig” harks back to the days when men of authority and rank wore … big wigs.

72 Classical name of Troy : ILION

Ilion (or in Latin “Ileum”), was the ancient name for the city of Troy. It’s this name for Troy that gives rise to the title of Homer’s epic poem “Iliad”.

76 “For honest men and bonie __”: Burns : LASSES

Here are a few lines from the anglicized version of the poem “Tam O’Shanter” by Robert Burns:

This truth finds honest Tam o’ Shanter,
As he from Ayr one night did canter;
Old Ayr, which never a town surpasses,
For honest men and bonny lasses.

78 Star Wars initials : SDI

One of the positive outcomes of President Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), aka “Star Wars”, was a change in US defense strategy. The new approach was to use missiles to destroy incoming hostile weapons, rather than using missiles to destroy the nation attacking the country. The former doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction went by the apt acronym of MAD …

79 Bar mitzvah staple : HORA

The hora is a circle dance that originated in the Balkans. It was brought to Israel by Romanian settlers, and is often performed to traditional, Israeli folk songs. The hora (also “horah”) is a regular sight at Jewish weddings. Sometimes the honoree at an event is raised on a chair during the hora.

A Jewish girl becomes a bat mitzvah at 12 years of age, the age at which she becomes responsible for her actions. Boys become bar mitzvahs at 13. The terms translate into English as daughter and son of the commandments.

80 Wells race : ELOI

In the 1895 novella by H. G. Wells called “The Time Machine”, there are two races that the hero encounters in his travels into the future. The Eloi are the “beautiful people” who live on the planet’s surface. The Morlocks are a domineering race living underground who use the Eloi as food.

84 Tropical Chinese tree : LYCHEE

Litchis are better known in English as “lychees”. One can’t eat the skin of the lychee fruit, which is why you’ll notice that you are only served the sweet flesh. If you’ve never tried them, you should do so as they’re delicious. Even though there is a nut-like seed within the edible flesh of the lychee fruit, I wouldn’t eat it, as it is poisonous …

88 “I’ll take what I can get,” in classifieds : OBO

Or best offer (OBO)

89 Hearing tube : COCHLEA

The cochlea is a spiral structure in the inner ear. Included in the cochlea are hair cells that receive sound vibrations, causing them to move. The movement of the hairs is converted into nerve impulses that are interpreted in the brain.

94 Foray : SORTIE

A sortie is an attack by an armed unit, and usually a breakout by forces that are besieged, The term “sortie” comes directly from French and means “a going out”. “Sortie” is also used for a mission by a combat aircraft.

101 Archaeological site : RUINS

“Archaeology” is a word that looks like it’s British English, and one might be forgiven for using the spelling “archeology” in American English. Even though the latter spelling has been around for a couple of hundred years, the former is the standard spelling on both sides of the Atlantic.

102 Damascus’ land : SYRIA

Damascus is the second largest city in Syria (after Aleppo), and is the country’s capital. Damascus has the distinction of being the oldest, continuously-inhabited city in the world, having been settled in the 2nd millennium BC. Also, it has the nickname “City of Jasmine”.

103 Introduction : PROEM

A proem is a brief introduction, a prelude. The term comes into English via Old French and is ultimately derived from the Greek “prooimion” meaning “prelude”, especially a prelude to music or poetry.

104 ’70s extremist gp. : SLA

The Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) was founded in 1973 by an escapee from the prison system, Donald DeFreeze. The group’s manifesto promoted the rights of African Americans although, in the 2-3 year life of the group, DeFreeze was the only black member. Famously, the SLA kidnapped heiress Patty Hearst in 1974. Hearst apparently fell victim to what is called the Stockholm syndrome and became sympathetic to her captors’ cause. She joined the SLA and assumed the name “Tania”.

105 “The A-Team” actor : MR T

Mr. T’s real name is Laurence Tero Tureaud. Mr. T is famous for many things, including the wearing of excessive amounts of jewelry. He started this habit when he was working as a bouncer, wearing jewelry items that had been left behind by customers at a nightclub so that the items might be recognized and claimed. It was also as a bouncer that he adopted the name Mr. T. His catch phrase comes from the movie “Rocky III”. In the film, before he goes up against Rocky Balboa, Mr. T says, “No, I don’t hate Balboa, but I pity the fool”. He parlayed that line into quite a bit of success. He had a reality TV show called “I Pity the Fool”, and produced a motivational video called “Be Somebody … or Be Somebody’s Fool!”.

“The A-Team” is an action television series that originally ran in the eighties. The A-Team was a group of ex-US special forces personnel who became mercenaries. Star of the show was Hollywood actor George Peppard (as “Hannibal” Smith), ably assisted by Mr. T (as “B.A.” Baracus) and Robert Vaughn (as Hunt Stockwell).

106 WNBA great Weatherspoon : TERESA

Teresa Weatherspoon is a WNBA coach and former player. Her playing career included 8 years with teams in Italy, France and Russia.

114 Long battles : SIEGES

Our word “siege” comes from a 13th century word for a “seat”. The military usage derives from the concept of a besieging force “sitting down” outside a fortress until it falls.

116 America’s most popular dogs in 2017 : BALL PARK FRANKS (giving “Outer Banks”)

The Ball Park Franks brand of hot dogs were introduced in the 1950s, with their popularity in the early days very much associated with the Detroit Tigers baseball team. The management of Tigers Stadium were unhappy with the supplier of hot dogs in the stadium in 1958, and so held a competition to find a new supplier. A meat packer called Hygrade came up with a new recipe for the contest, and were awarded the contract. Hygrade held a competition themselves within the company to come up with a name for the new product, which resulted in the brand name “Ball Park Franks”.

The Outer Banks are a 200-mile long chain of barrier islands lying just off the coast of North Carolina (and a small section of Virginia). The seas of the Outer Banks have a reputation as being very treacherous and so are nicknamed the Graveyard of the Atlantic.

121 Big cat hybrid : LIGER

The tiger is the largest species in the cat family. Tigers have been known to breed with lions. A liger is a cross between a male lion and female tiger. A tigon is a cross between a female lion and a male tiger.

122 Beauty chain with a salon inside each store : ULTA

Ulta Beauty is an American chain of beauty stores that was founded in 1990 and headquartered in Bolingbrook, Illinois. I am not part of the company’s target demographic …

124 Assignations : 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.

127 GATT successor : WTO

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The stated aim of the WTO is to liberalize international trade. The organization was founded in 1995 when an international agreement on trade was reached that effectively replaced the existing General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) that was laid down in 1949.

Down

3 Dickens’ Mrs. Dilber and Andy Capp’s wife Flo : CHARWOMEN

“Charwoman” is a term used in Britain sometimes to describe a female cleaner, a paid part-time worker who cleans a house or other building on a regular, periodic basis. The term “char” is related to “chore”.

Mrs. Dilber is a charwoman employed by Ebeneezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ novella “A Christmas Carol”.

“Andy Capp” is a comic strip from Britain that is syndicated internationally. The strip was created by Reg Smythe in 1957 and is still going strong, despite the fact that Smythe passed away in 1998. Andy Capp and his wife Florrie (also “Flo”) are working class characters who live in the northeast of England. Andy is unemployed and Flo works as a charwoman. “Andy Capp” was my favorite comic strip growing up …

5 Fins in registers : ABES

The US five-dollar bill is often called an “Abe”, as President Abraham Lincoln’s portrait is on the front. An Abe is also referred to as a “fin”, a term that has been used for a five-pound note in Britain since 1868.

6 Long-distance traveler’s concern : JET LAG

For many years, I had to deal with jet lag almost every couple of months. I swear by the diet supplement melatonin, which you can buy over the counter here in the US. But, I am no doctor so don’t listen to anything I say …

7 Nissan sedan : ALTIMA

Nissan has been making the Altima since 1993. In 2007 the company started to produce a hybrid version, Nissan’s first foray into the hybrid market and a successful one by all accounts. Altima hybrids are even used as police cruisers by the New York Police Department.

9 Évian water : EAU

Évian-les-Bains (or simply “Évian”) is in the very east of France, on the shores of Lake Geneva directly across the lake from Lausanne, Switzerland. As one might imagine, Évian is the home of Évian mineral water, the most successful business in town. Personally, I can’t stand the distinctive taste of Évian water …

10 TV monitor : FCC

TV broadcasting is monitored by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC has been around since 1934, when it replaced the Federal Radio Commission.

11 Mont Blanc’s range : THE ALPS

Mont Blanc is the highest peak in the Alps. The name “Mont Blanc” translates from French into “white mountain”. The mountain lies on the border between France and Italy, and it has been generally accepted for decades that the summit lies within French territory. However, there have been official claims that the summit does in fact fall within the borders of Italy.

12 Artist who created fashion designs for Schiaparelli : DALI

The famous surrealist painter Salvador Dalí was born in Figueres, Spain. I had the privilege of visiting the Dalí Museum in Figueres some years ago, just north of Barcelona. If you ever get the chance, it’s a “must see” as it really is a quite magnificent building with a fascinating collection.

Elsa Schiaparelli was an Italian fashion designer, and a great rival of the perhaps more famous Coco Chanel. Schiaparelli was most successful between the two World Wars, but her business closed in 1954 as she failed to adapt to changing tastes after WWII.

14 Hebrew hello … and goodbye : SHALOM

“Shalom” is a Hebrew word meaning “peace” that is also used to mean “hello” and “goodbye”.

15 Some Vulcans, via melds : MIND READERS

Mr. Spock was the first to show us the Vulcan mind meld, in the original “Star Trek” series. Vulcans have the ability to meld with the minds of other Vulcans, and indeed humans, in order to see what’s “going on” in the other individual’s mind.

16 Gasteyer of “Mean Girls” : ANA

Ana Gasteyer is an actress best known for being a cast member of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) from 1996 to 2002. Gasteyer was famous on SNL for playing Martha Stewart … topless!

“Mean Girls” is a teen comedy movie released in 2004 starring Lindsay Lohan. Tina Fey also puts in an appearance, which really isn’t surprising as Fey wrote the screenplay.

17 NFLers near centers : LGS

Left guard (LG)

20 “The Waste Land” monogram : TSE

T. S. Eliot (TSE) wrote his poem called “The Waste Land” in 1922. “The Waste Land” opens with the famous line, “April is the cruellest month …”

23 Sampling the smorgasbord : GRAZING

A smorgasbord is a buffet-style meal that originated in Sweden. “Smörgåsbord” is a Swedish word comprised of “smörgås” meaning “slice of bread and butter” and “bord” meaning “table”.

31 First name in early TV : DESI

Desi Arnaz has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. One was placed to mark his contribution to motion pictures, and the other for his work in television.

34 Tiny queen : ANT

The queen ant of some species can live to a ripe old age of 30 years, which is one of the longest lifespans in the insect world.

35 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.

39 One of the Weasley twins : FRED

Fred and George Weasley are two characters in the “Harry Potter” universe. They are older twin brothers of Ron Weasley, Harry’s loyal friend. The twins were born on April Fools’ Day, and love working together to prank people.

40 Dream, in Dijon : REVE

Dijon is a city in eastern France in the Burgundy region. Dijon is famous for its mustard, a particularly strong variation of the condiment. The European Union doesn’t protect the name “Dijon” so anyone can use it on a label. That seems fair enough to me, given that 90% of the mustard made in and around Dijon is produced using mustard seed imported from Canada!

42 Corporate alias abbr. : DBA

Doing business as (DBA)

45 Gobble (up) : SNARF

To snarf down is to gobble up, to eat voraciously. “Snarf” is a slang term that is probably related to “scarf”, which has the same meaning.

49 Dirty money : GRIFT

Grift is money made dishonestly, especially as the result of a swindle. The term is perhaps an alteration of the word “graft”, which can have a similar meaning.

51 Like the zone between two tropics : TORRID

The Earth has five geographical zones defined by the major circles of latitude:

  • The North Frigid Zone lies north of the Arctic Circle
  • The North Temperate Zone lies between the Arctic Circle and the Tropic of Cancer
  • The Torrid Zone lies between the two Tropical Circles
  • The South Temperate Zone lies between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle
  • The South Frigid Zone lies south of the Antarctic Circle

57 No __: menu notice : MSG

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of a naturally-occurring,non-essential amino acid called glutamic acid. It is used widely as a flavor enhancer, particularly in many Asian cuisines. Whether or not it is harmful seems to be still under debate. I say that something produced in a test tube shouldn’t be in our food …

58 Plato’s “tenth Muse” : SAPPHO

Sappho was an Ancient Greek poet born on the Greek island of Lesbos. Sappho was much admired for her work, although very little of it survives today. She was renowned for writing erotic and romantic verse that dealt with the love of women as well as men. It was because of this poetry that the word “lesbian” (someone from Lesbos) is used to describe a gay woman.

In Greek mythology, the muses are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. The number of muses is a subject of debate at times, but the most popular view is that there are nine:

  • Calliope (epic poetry)
  • Clio (history)
  • Erato (lyric poetry)
  • Euterpe (music)
  • Melpomene (tragedy)
  • Polyhymnia (choral poetry)
  • Terpsichore (dance)
  • Thalia (comedy)
  • Urania (astronomy)

Before the adoption of the nine muses of Greek mythology, there were originally three muses, the three Boeotian Muses. These were:

  • Mneme (memory)
  • Melete (meditation)
  • Aoede (song)

63 “Goodies” singer : CIARA

Ciara is a singer-songwriter from Austin, Texas (never heard of her). Ciara used to date rapper Bow Wow (never heard of him), but married Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson in 2016.

66 Magazine with a lagomorph logo : PLAYBOY

Hugh Hefner (often called “Hef”) was from Chicago. His first publishing job was in the military, where he worked as a writer for a US Army newspaper from 1944-46. He went to college after his military service and then worked as a copywriter for “Esquire” magazine. He left “Esquire” to found his own publication that he called “Playboy”, which first hit the newsstands in 1953. “Playboy” has been around ever since.

Rabbits and hares belong to the taxonomic order Lagomorpha, and specifically in the family Leporidae.

70 Printers’ primary colors : CYANS

“Cyan” is short for “cyan blue”. The term comes from the Greek word “kyanos” meaning “dark blue, the color of lapis lazuli”.

Four-color printing uses four different color inks: cyan, magenta, yellow and black. The black ink is also known as the “key”. The first letter of the colors (with black being ”key”) give the more common name for four-color printing, namely CMYK.

73 __Kosh B’gosh : OSH

OshKosh B’gosh is a company that produces and sells children’s clothes. The trademark OshKosh bib-overalls remind us of the company’s roots, as it was originally a manufacturer of adult work clothes based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

77 Cabinet mem. : SECY

In the Westminster system, the Cabinet is a group of sitting politicians chosen by the Prime Minister to head up government departments and also to participate collectively in major governmental decisions in all areas. In the US system, the Cabinet is made up not of sitting politicians, but rather of non-legislative individuals who are considered to have expertise in a particular area. The Cabinet members in the US system tend to have more of an advisory role outside of their own departments.

80 Ancient region of central Italy : ETRURIA

Etruria was a region in Central Italy, home to the Etruscans. Etruscan society was at its height about 650 BC.

81 When tripled, song that begins, “Oh, the weather outside is frightful” : LET IT SNOW!

“Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” is a holiday song written by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne. Perhaps a little ironically, the pair wrote the song in Hollywood, California in July 1945, on one of the hottest days of the year.

82 Lena of “Chocolat” : OLIN

Lena Olin is a Swedish actress, and clearly someone who had acting in her blood. Her mother was the actress Britta Holmberg and her father the actor and director Stig Olin. Olin had a very successful career in Sweden, often working with the great Ingmar Bergman. Olin’s breakthrough international and English-speaking role was playing opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” released in 1988. Way back in 1974, the lovely Miss Olin was crowned Miss Scandinavia in a beauty pageant for Nordic women held in Helsinki, Finland. Olin’s most famous performance was in “Chocolat” released in 2000, and then she won an Emmy in 2003 for Best Supporting Actress in the TV show “Alias”.

The movie “Chocolat” released in 2000 is a big screen adaption of the novel of the same name by Joanne Harris. “Chocolat” tells the story of a young mother with a six-year-old daughter who opens up a chocolate shop in a French village. The mother is played by the talented Juliette Binoche.

83 Martinique et Guadeloupe : ILES

The island of Martinique in the eastern Caribbean is actually a part of France, and is referred to as an “overseas department”. As such, Martinique is part of the European Union and even uses the euro as its currency. The island is fully represented in the French National Assembly and Senate, just like any department within France. It’s sort of like the status of Hawaii within the US.

Guadeloupe is an archipelago in the Caribbean that is part of the Leeward Islands chain. It is an overseas department of France, and as such is part of the European Union. Christopher Columbus was the first European to land on there, doing so in 1493. He gave the island group the name “Santa María de Guadalupe”, after a shrine in the town of Guadalupe in central Spain.

85 Mariner’s measures : SEA MILES

A nautical mile (sometimes “sea mile”) is a distance measurement that is about a one-minute arc of longitude at the equator. A nautical mile is also equal to about a one-minute arc of latitude along any meridian. The accepted length today is 1,852 meters. The unit of speed known as a “knot” is equal to one nautical mile per hour.

92 “Westworld” airer : HBO

“Westworld” is an HBO series that is based on a 1973 movie of the same name, which was written and directed by novelist Michael Crichton. Westworld is a high-tech theme park populated by androids that interact with the guests.

93 “Malcolm X” (1992) director : LEE

Film director Spike Lee was born in Atlanta, Georgia but has very much made New York City his home and place of work. Most of Lee’s films are set in New York City, including his first feature film, 1986’s “She’s Gotta Have It”. That film was shot over two weeks with a budget of $175,000. “She’s Gotta Have It” grossed over $7 million at the US box office.

“Malcolm X” is a 1992 biographical film about the African American activist Malcolm X. The movie starred Denzel Washington in the title role and was co-written and directed by Spike Lee.

96 Feudal lords : LIEGES

A liege was a feudal lord, one to whom service or allegiance was owed under feudal law. “Liege” was also the term used for one who owed allegiance or service to a lord. Apparently the term is influenced by the Latin verb “ligare” meaning “to tie, bind”. So, I guess both lord and servant were “bound” to each other.

Feudalism was a legal and military system that flourished in medieval Europe. Central to the system were the concepts of lords, vassals and fiefs. Lords would grant fiefs (land or rights) to vassals in exchange for allegiance and service.

99 Old-fashioned warning : ALARUM

“Alarum” is an archaic spelling of our contemporary “alarm”, and a spelling oft used by William Shakespeare in his plays.

100 Stick in one’s craw : RANKLE

“Craw” is another name for “crop”, a portion of the alimentary tract of some animals, including birds. The crop is used for the storage of food prior to digestion. It allows the animal to eat large amounts and then digest that food with efficiency over an extended period. The expression “to stick in one’s craw” is used when one cannot accept something, cannot “swallow” it.

107 Contractors’ figs. : ESTS

Estimate (est.)

109 Network with regular pledge drives : NPR

National Public Radio (now just called “NPR”) was established in 1970 after President Johnson signed into law the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. The station’s first broadcast took place in April of 1971, coverage of the US Senate hearings on the Vietnam War. The intent of the act was to provide funding for radio and television broadcasting that wasn’t simply driven by profit. As a longtime fan of the state-funded BBC in the UK, I’d have to agree with that intent …

110 Little newts : EFTS

Newts wouldn’t be my favorite animals. They are found all over the world living on land or in water depending on the species, but always associated with water even if it is only for breeding. Newts metamorphose through three distinct developmental stages during their lives. They start off as larvae in water, fertilized eggs that often cling to aquatic plants. The eggs hatch into tadpoles, the first developmental form of the newt. After living some months as tadpoles swimming around in the water, they undergo another metamorphosis, sprouting legs and replacing their external gills with lungs. At this juvenile stage they are known as efts, and leave the water to live on land. A more gradual transition takes place then, as the eft takes on the lizard-like appearance of the adult newt.

112 “Laugh-In” segment : SKIT

“Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” was originally recorded as a one-off special for NBC in 1967, but it was so successful that it was brought back as a series to replace the waning spy show “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” Personally, I loved both shows!

113 Munch Museum city : OSLO

Edvard Munch was a Norwegian expressionist, and most famous for his painting “The Scream”, painted in 1893. What a wonderful work that is, a true representation of expressionism. The Munch Museum in Oslo is dedicated to his work and life. In 2004, two of Munch’s paintings, “The Scream” and “Madonna”, were stolen from the Munch Museum by armed robbers who subdued the museum guards. The paintings were missing for two years, but recovered in 2006.

118 NY airport named for a mayor : LGA

Fiorello La Guardia was the Mayor of New York from 1934 to 1945, racking up three full terms in office. The famous airport that bears La Guardia’s name was built at his urging, stemming from an incident that took place while he was in office. He was taking a TWA flight to “New York” and was outraged when the plane landed at Newark Airport, in the state of New Jersey. The Mayor demanded that the flight take off again and land at a small airport in Brooklyn. A gaggle of press reporters joined him on the short hop and he gave them a story, urging New Yorkers to support the construction of a new commercial airport within the city’s limits. The new airport, in Queens, opened in 1939 as New York Municipal, often called “LaGuardia” as a nickname. The airport was officially relabeled as “LaGuardia” (LGA) in 1947.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Include so other recipients don’t know, briefly : BCC
4 California neighbor, familiarly : BAJA
8 Bulk : HEFT
12 Gloomy : DISMAL
18 Pleased sigh : AAH
19 Genesis victim : ABEL
20 Train : TEACH
21 Painful : ACHING
22 It’s “gravy” to some Italian Americans : SPAGHETTI SAUCE (giving “outer space”)
25 Tropical vines : LIANAS
26 Frau’s partner : HERR
27 Hit one in the trees, maybe : SLICED
28 Off course : AFIELD
30 Bunch of bills : WAD
32 Somme soul : AME
33 Gothic architecture feature : GABLE
36 Tender spots : SORES
39 Preserved, in a way : FROZE
41 “Melrose Place” complex : GARDEN APARTMENT (giving “outer garment”)
44 Derelict : REMISS
46 Fine, lightweight cloth : BATISTE
47 Obamacare, for short : ACA
48 Venus, at times : EVENING STAR (giving “outer ear”)
52 With passion : AVIDLY
55 Mao’s successor : DENG
56 Cartoonist Peter : ARNO
57 AOL alternative : MSN
60 Events with bulls and barrels : RODEOS
61 Like desert climates, comparatively : DRIER
62 Stern with a bow : ISAAC
64 Bit of statuary : TORSO
65 Like some pkgs. : PPD
68 Real estate listing datum : OFFERING PRICE (giving “outer office”)
71 D.C. bigwig : SEN
72 Classical name of Troy : ILION
74 Fool : TRICK
75 Fervently wishes : PRAYS
76 “For honest men and bonie __”: Burns : LASSES
78 Star Wars initials : SDI
79 Bar mitzvah staple : HORA
80 Wells race : ELOI
84 Tropical Chinese tree : LYCHEE
85 Grade school presentation : SHOW AND TELL (giving “outer shell”)
88 “I’ll take what I can get,” in classifieds : OBO
89 Hearing tube : COCHLEA
94 Foray : SORTIE
95 Favor asker’s lead-in : WOULD YOU BE A DEAR? (giving “outerwear”)
101 Archaeological site : RUINS
102 Damascus’ land : SYRIA
103 Introduction : PROEM
104 ’70s extremist gp. : SLA
105 “The A-Team” actor : MR T
106 WNBA great Weatherspoon : TERESA
108 Off the wall : INSANE
111 Playground retort : IS SO!
114 Long battles : SIEGES
116 America’s most popular dogs in 2017 : BALL PARK FRANKS (giving “Outer Banks”)
120 Go-ahead : ASSENT
121 Big cat hybrid : LIGER
122 Beauty chain with a salon inside each store : ULTA
123 Black gold : OIL
124 Assignations : TRYSTS
125 Ages : ERAS
126 Coordinate : MESH
127 GATT successor : WTO

Down

1 Big blowout : BASH
2 Superhero garb : CAPE
3 Dickens’ Mrs. Dilber and Andy Capp’s wife Flo : CHARWOMEN
4 “Phooey!” : BAH!
5 Fins in registers : ABES
6 Long-distance traveler’s concern : JET LAG
7 Nissan sedan : ALTIMA
8 Caps, e.g. : HEADGEAR
9 Évian water : EAU
10 TV monitor : FCC
11 Mont Blanc’s range : THE ALPS
12 Artist who created fashion designs for Schiaparelli : DALI
13 Most frigid : ICIEST
14 Hebrew hello … and goodbye : SHALOM
15 Some Vulcans, via melds : MIND READERS
16 Gasteyer of “Mean Girls” : ANA
17 NFLers near centers : LGS
20 “The Waste Land” monogram : TSE
23 Sampling the smorgasbord : GRAZING
24 “Happy birthday” writer, perhaps : ICER
29 Accomplishment : FEAT
31 First name in early TV : DESI
34 Tiny queen : ANT
35 Ling of “The Crow” : BAI
37 Put inside : ENCLOSE
38 Remains awhile : STAYS ON
39 One of the Weasley twins : FRED
40 Dream, in Dijon : REVE
42 Corporate alias abbr. : DBA
43 Back : REAR
45 Gobble (up) : SNARF
49 Dirty money : GRIFT
50 Bad looks : SNEERS
51 Like the zone between two tropics : TORRID
53 Many are mailed in : VOTES
54 Altar avowal : I DO
57 No __: menu notice : MSG
58 Plato’s “tenth Muse” : SAPPHO
59 Thin : NARROW
61 Beneficiary : DONEE
62 Publicity, slangily : INK
63 “Goodies” singer : CIARA
65 Resting places in cases : PILLOWS
66 Magazine with a lagomorph logo : PLAYBOY
67 Rudeness : DISCOURTESY
69 Here, to Henri : ICI
70 Printers’ primary colors : CYANS
73 __Kosh B’gosh : OSH
77 Cabinet mem. : SECY
80 Ancient region of central Italy : ETRURIA
81 When tripled, song that begins, “Oh, the weather outside is frightful” : LET IT SNOW!
82 Lena of “Chocolat” : OLIN
83 Martinique et Guadeloupe : ILES
85 Mariner’s measures : SEA MILES
86 Experienced, as fun : HAD
87 Quad building : DORM
90 Word after a drop : OOPS!
91 Responsive to treatment : CURABLE
92 “Westworld” airer : HBO
93 “Malcolm X” (1992) director : LEE
96 Feudal lords : LIEGES
97 Lacks the courage to : DAREN’T
98 She, in Italy : ESSA
99 Old-fashioned warning : ALARUM
100 Stick in one’s craw : RANKLE
107 Contractors’ figs. : ESTS
109 Network with regular pledge drives : NPR
110 Little newts : EFTS
112 “Laugh-In” segment : SKIT
113 Munch Museum city : OSLO
114 Convened : SAT
115 Leb. neighbor : ISR
117 Put on TV : AIR
118 NY airport named for a mayor : LGA
119 “Go team!” : RAH!

14 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 7 Mar 21, Sunday”

  1. 37:08, 6 errors. If what I’m thinking is happening, just going to have to expect all of these to be bad from here on out…

  2. After 45 minutes I had it filled in just by guessing at some. I gave up and did a grid check and found 5 errors. Never heard of many of the answers (or parts of clues). Ciara, proem, Bai, Deng, and on and on. Let’s hope for a better week coming up!

  3. 1:09:10 no errors…this theme could have even “around the world” as there are clues from China,Italy,France,Norway,Lebanon,Syria,Greece,Germany,lreland and Mexico.
    99D was new to me.
    Stay safe

  4. 121 Across – Definitely not definition of a LIGER,
    cross between a Lion and a Tiger

  5. 21:47 1 error

    Decent puzzle. The theme even helped with a couple of squares.

    I felt a bit sheepish that it took me three passes to remember ULTA, even though I ‘ve consider buying some of their stock.

    Not embarrassed at all that I know nothing about Melrose Place.

    This will probably be fixed by the time my comment posts, but in the explanation for 121A, the LIGER appears to have further hybridized with the HRE.

  6. Took awhile today; one error box as I misspelled Etruria and so didn’t have
    MRT which I would have known if I only had looked at that clue. Darn!
    Oh, well.

  7. 24:56, no errors. Had to guess at the “I” of “BAI” and “BATISTE” and had a couple of missteps (“SDS” before “SLA” and “EONS” before “ERAS”), but no real complaints. Helpful theme.

    @Harry … Lions and tigers are large members of the “cat family”, right? And a “cross” is a “hybrid”? So I don’t understand your point … 😳.

  8. After about 30 minutes, lots of empty spaces, and some partial fills that I couldn’t make head nor tail of. That’s three DNF’s on the bounce. I’m not happy.

  9. Messed up on REVE . and had DING for 55A.

    Never heard of several words but I really never heard of CHARWOMEN. I had to wait for crosses to see if I was right. It was but not because I knew what it was. This puzzle seemed to be quite a foreign word exercise.

  10. Tricky Sunday for me; took 57:26 with no errors, surprisingly. PROEM is a new one for me as was ALARUM and SEA MILES, which is where I finished. Just guessed at HBO with the crosses. Had to change SDS to SLA and SCTY to SECY.

    I knew ULTA right away as I just sold my shares after 2 yrs of almost no gains. I needed the cash, but with the things reopening things look pretty good for them.

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