LA Times Crossword 13 Jun 21, Sunday

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Constructed by: Matt Skoczen
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme: Get Wise

Themed answers are common phrases with a letter Y added to the end of one word:

  • 23A Irish region named for a literary nobleman? : COUNTY DRACULA (from “Count Dracula”)
  • 31A Commiseration at a cookout? : BARBECUE PITY (from “barbecue pit”)
  • 51A Sham indignation? : IMITATION FURY (from “imitation fur”)
  • 67A Excited cry from a gemologist? : AY, THERE’S THE RUBY (from “Ay, there’s the rub”)
  • 85A Dilemma presented by a suspicious peace offering? : TRICK OR TREATY (from “trick or treat”)
  • 104A Young farm animals’ taxi company? : CALVES’ LIVERY (from “calves’ liver”)
  • 116A Cues from the Miracles’ lead singer? : SMOKEY SIGNALS (from “smoke signals”)

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

Bill’s time: 19m 43s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Jelly Roll Morton genre : RAGTIME

Ragtime music was at the height of its popularity in the early 1900s. It takes its name from its characteristic “ragged” rhythms. The most famous ragtime composer was Scott Joplin, who had a big hit with his “Maple Leaf Rag” when it was published in 1899. He followed that up with a string of hits, including the “Pine Apple Rag” (sic). Ragtime fell out of favor about 1917 when the public turned to jazz. It had a resurgence in the forties when jazz musicians started to include ragtime tunes in their repertoires. But it was the 1973 movie “The Sting” that brought the true revival, as the hit soundtrack included numerous ragtime tunes by Scott Joplin, including the celebrated “The Entertainer” originally published in 1902.

“Jelly Roll Morton” was the stage name of Ferdinand LaMothe, a ragtime and early jazz musician. Morton apparently had quite the ego and claimed to have “invented” the jazz genre in 1902. That said, he did indeed record the first ever published jazz composition, his own “Jelly Roll Blues” in 1915. Early in his career, Morton worked as piano player in a brothel, and there took the nickname “Jelly Roll”, a suggestive slang term related to female anatomy.

8 Benjamin : C-SPOT

Benjamin Franklin’s portrait is featured on one side of the hundred-dollar bill (also called a “C-spot, C-note, benjamin”), and Philadelphia’s Independence Hall on the other side. There is a famous error in the image of Independence Hall. If you look closely at the clock face at the top of the building you can see that the “four” is written in Roman numerals as “IV”. However, on the actual clock on Independence Hall, the “four” is denoted by “IIII”, which has been the convention for clock faces for centuries.

20 Repertoire : ARSENAL

Our word “arsenal” comes from the Italian “arzenale”, a work adapted from the Arabic for “workshop”. There was a large wharf in Venice called the Arzenale that became associated with the storage of weapons and ammunition, and this led to our contemporary usage of “arsenal”.

21 Riveting WWII icon : ROSIE

Rosie the Riveter is a cultural icon who represented women working in factories across the country during WWII as part of the war effort. The term “Rosie the Riveter” first appeared as the title of a 1942 song that was a national hit. The image that we bring to mind today that supposedly depicts “Rosie” is a wartime poster with the words “We Can Do It!”, which shows a woman in blue overalls and a red and white polka-dot headscarf. However, this image was used by Westinghouse as an internal motivation tool only for a two-week period in 1943, and was never associated with the Rosie the Riveter persona. The “Rosie” association to that image came decades later, in the 1980s. The best-known WWII representation of Rosie the Riveter was a “Saturday Evening Post” cover drawn by Norman Rockwell in 1943. This image shows a female worker with a rivet gun, and a lunch box bearing the name “Rosie”.

22 Volatile solvent : ACETONE

Acetone is the active ingredient in nail polish remover, and in paint thinner.

23 Irish region named for a literary nobleman? : COUNTY DRACULA (from “Count Dracula”)

The island of Ireland comprises 32 counties in all. Six of those counties are part of the United Kingdom. The remaining 26 counties form the Republic of Ireland.

“Dracula” is a novel written by the Irish author Bram Stoker and first published in 1897. Dracula wasn’t the first vampire of literature, but he certainly was the one who spawned the popularity of vampires in theater, film and television, and indeed more novels. Personally, I can’t stand vampire fiction …

26 Works with purls : KNITS

As all of us knitters know, the purl stitch and knit stitch are very similar, one being sort of the inverse of the other. Yes, I’ve knitted a few sweaters in my day …

30 “Star Wars” antagonist : SITH

The Sith are characters in the “Star Wars” universe who use the “dark side” of “the Force”, and as such are the antithesis of the Jedi Knights. Members of the Sith use the title “Darth” before their name, as in Darth Vader. The last made of the six “Star Wars” movies is called “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith”.

31 Commiseration at a cookout? : BARBECUE PITY (from “barbecue pit”)

It is believed that our word “barbecue” (BBQ) comes from the Taíno people of the Caribbean in whose language “barbacoa” means “sacred fire pit”.

40 “The Purloined Letter” author : POE

“The Purloined Letter” is the third of Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories to feature Le Chevalier C. Auguste Dupin, Poe’s famous detective. The two earlier stories are the celebrated “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” and “The Mystery of Marie Roget”.

41 Cream additive : ALOE

Aloe vera is a succulent plant that grows in relatively dry climates. The plant’s leaves are full of biologically-active compounds that have been studied extensively. Aloe vera has been used for centuries in herbal medicine, mainly for topical treatment of wounds.

42 __-jongg : MAH

Mahjong (also “mahjongg” and “mah-jongg”) is the Chinese word for “sparrow”. Mahjong is a game that originated in China, and is usually played by four players. There is a myth that the game was developed by the Chinese philosopher, Confucius. The myth also suggests that Confucius was fond of birds, and hence chose the name “sparrow”.

45 Normandy city : CAEN

Caen, on the River Orne, lies in the Calvados department of France in the northwest of the country. Caen is famous for the WWII Battle of Caen that left the town practically destroyed. Caen is also the burial place of Norman King William I of England, also known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

49 Bouquets : AROMAS

“Bouquet” comes from the French word for “bunch” in the sense of “bunch of flowers”. In French, the term is derived from an older word describing a little wood or small grove of trees.

51 Sham indignation? : IMITATION FURY (from “imitation fur”)

A sham is something that is imitation, fake. In the world of bed linens, a sham is also an imitation or fake, in the sense that it is a decorative cover designed to cover up a regular pillow used for sleeping.

56 San Juan __: California mission city : CAPISTRANO

Junípero Serra was a Spanish missionary, a founder of several missions out here in California. Among those associated with Serra is the Mission in Carmel, where Serra’s remains are buried, and Mission San Juan Capistrano, the chapel of which is believed to be the oldest standing building in the state.

59 Athlete-turned-sportscaster Rashad : AHMAD

Ahmad Rashad is a former football player who launched a career as a sportscaster after he retired from the game. Rashad proposed marriage to actress Phylicia Ayers-Allen on national television in 1985. Ayers-Allen, who played Bill Cosby’s wife on “The Cosby Show”, accepted the proposal and became Rashad’s third wife.

60 “Weeds” law org. : DEA

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)

“Weeds” is a Showtime television series that originally aired from 2005 to 2012. “Weeds” is a comedy-drama about a mother of two who has to turn to growing and selling marijuana to support her family after her husband dies. Mary-Louise Parker plays the lead, and does an excellent job …

61 Word with rule or show : SLIDE …

The slide rule was invented in the early 17th century, with the design building on the work by John Napier on logarithms. As such, slide rules were introduced primarily to carry out multiplication and division. Here in the US, the device is sometimes referred to as a “slipstick”.

65 USG successor : RBH

Rutherford B. Hayes (RBH) was the 19th president of the US. Long before we had to endure the dispute over the 2000 Presidential election, Rutherford Hayes found himself president after a disputed election in 1876. President Hayes came into office having lost the popular vote to his opponent Samuel Tilden as he was voted into office by one electoral college vote. Hayes was awarded the election in the end because of an informal deal struck between Democrats and Republicans called the Compromise of 1877. Democrats allowed Rutherford to occupy the White House in exchange for removal of federal troops occupying some of the southern states.

Ulysses S. Grant (USG) had risen to commander of all Union armies by the end of the Civil War. He was elected as the 18th president of the US in 1869. Grant served two terms as president, and also made a failed bid for a third term. Grant’s reputation was tarnished by his apparent tolerance of corruption in his administration. On the other hand, Grant worked hard to protect African Americans during Reconstruction after the Civil War, and pursued peaceful relations with Native Americans.

67 Excited cry from a gemologist? : AY, THERE’S THE RUBY (from “Ay, there’s the rub”)

Ruby is a precious stone made from the mineral corundum, also called aluminium oxide. The corundum includes some of the element chromium, which results in the red or pink color.

A rub is a difficulty or obstruction. The term comes from the game of lawn bowls in which a rub is a fault in the bowling surface. The most famous use of “rub” is in the “To be or not to be” soliloquy from William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”.

To die — to sleep.
To sleep — perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub!

74 Female lobster : HEN

A male lobster is called a cock, and a female a hen. A lobster weighing less than a pound is called a chicken.

75 Wells’ island doctor : MOREAU

“The Island of Doctor Moreau” is an 1896 novel penned by H. G. Wells. The book tells the story of a shipwrecked man who ends up on the island of Doctor Moreau. Moreau engages in vivisection and creates new beasts (the “Beast Folk”) by combining different species. The novel was adapted into at least two films of the same name: in 1977 with Burt Lancaster and Michael York, and in 1996 with Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer.

80 Junior Olympic Games org. : AAU

The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) sponsors the AAU Junior Olympic Games, an annual competition held in different cities across the United States, starting in Washington D.C. in 1967, and most recently in Des Moines, Iowa in 2009.

81 __ Tranquility : SEA OF

The Moon’s Mare Tranquillitatis (Latin for “Sea of Tranquility”) was named in 1651 by astronomers Francesco Grimaldi and Giovanni Battista Riccioli. Famously, the first manned landing on the Moon was in the Sea of Tranquility, when the Apollo 11 Lunar Module named Eagle touched down there in 1969. However, the first man-made vehicle to reach the Sea of Tranquility arrived four years earlier. The Ranger 8 spacecraft was deliberately crashed there in 1965, sending back thousands of photographs to Earth in the last 23 minutes of its mission.

90 Ho-hum feeling : ENNUI

“Ennui” is the French word for “boredom”, and a term that we now use in English. It’s one of the few French words we’ve imported and haven’t anglicized, and actually pronounce “correctly”.

91 India is home to a plurality of its employees : IBM

Tech giant IBM was founded as the Tabulating Machine Company in 1896. The company changed its name to the Computing Tabulating Recording Corporation (CTR) in 1911 and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1916. The name “International Business Machines” (IBM) was given first to the company’s Canadian subsidiary, and then to its South American subsidiary. In 1924, it was decided to adopt the International Business Machines name for the whole company. Good choice …

92 __ Victoria : LAKE

Lake Victoria is the largest lake by surface area on the continent of Africa. It was named by English explorer John Hanning Speke in honor of Queen Victoria of the UK. Speke was the first European to set eyes on the lake.

95 “Do-Re-Mi” critter : DEER

Doe, a deer, a female deer
Ray, a drop of golden sun
Me, a name I call myself
Far, a long, long way to run
Sew, a needle pulling thread
La, a note to follow Sew
Tea, a drink with jam and bread
That will bring us back to Do

96 Three Kingdoms Chinese state : WEI

There were two Wei dynasties in Chinese history. The Cao Wei (220-265) existed during the Three Kingdoms period, and the Northern Wei (386-534) that existed during the Southern and Northern dynasties period.

103 Nutrition fig. : RDA

Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) were introduced during WWII, and were replaced by Recommended Daily Intakes (RDIs) in 1997.

104 Young farm animals’ taxi company? : CALVES’ LIVERY (from “calves’ liver”)

Livery is the boarding and care of horses.

106 Radio switch : AM/FM

In telecommunications, a radio signal is transmitted using a sinusoidal carrier wave. Information is transmitted using this carrier wave in two main ways, by varying (modulating) the instantaneous amplitude (signal strength) of the carrier wave, and by modulating the instantaneous frequency of the carrier wave. The former is referred to as an AM signal (“amplitude modulation”), and the latter as an FM signal (“frequency modulation”).

110 Middle Jackson sister : LA TOYA

La Toya Jackson is the fifth child of the Jackson family. Despite her success as a singer and TV personality, it seems that she has led a troubled life and had to overcome many challenges.

111 Uzbekistan, once: Abbr. : SSR

The Republic of Uzbekistan is a former Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR). Uzbekistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia, and is in fact surrounded by countries which are also landlocked. This means that to reach a coastline from Uzbekistan, you have to cross at least two international borders. There are only two “doubly landlocked” countries in the world: Uzbekistan in Central Asia, and Liechtenstein in Central Europe.

112 Farm song letters : E-I-E-I-O

There was an old American version of the English children’s song “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” (E-I-E-I-O) that was around in the days of WWI. The first line of the older US version goes “Old MacDougal had a farm, in Ohio-i-o”.

113 Coup member? : SILENT P

The last letter in the word “coup” is a silent letter P.

116 Cues from the Miracles’ lead singer? : SMOKEY SIGNALS (from “smoke signals”)

Singer Smokey Robinson started his musical career in 1955 when he formed a singing group called the Five Chimes in his native Detroit. The group’s name changed to the Matadors in 1957, and eventually to the Miracles. In 1959, Robinson married Claudette Rogers, who was in the Miracles lineup at the time.

121 Loom power source : TREADLE

A treadle is a foot pedal that is used to create motion in a machine such as a loom or a potter’s wheel.

122 White-plumed heron : EGRET

Egrets are a group of several species of white herons. Many egret species were faced with extinction in the 1800s and early 1900s due to plume hunting, a practice driven by the demand for egret plumes that could be incorporated into hats.

123 Hot air : PRATTLE

“Prattle” is idle talk. The term comes via the verb “to prate” from the Swedish “prata” meaning “to talk, chatter”.

126 Night flights : RED-EYES

A red-eye flight is one departing late at night and arriving early the next morning. The term is a reference to tired passengers disembarking with red eyes.

Down

2 Rice-__ : A-RONI

Rice-A-Roni was introduced in 1958 by the Golden Grain Macaroni Company of San Francisco. The company was run by an Italian immigrant and his four sons. The wife of one of the sons created a pilaf dish for the family diner they owned. It was a big hit, so her brother-in-law created a commercial version by blending dry chicken soup mix with rice and macaroni. Sounds like “a San Francisco treat” to me …

3 Astronaut’s apparel : G-SUIT

A G-suit is needed when astronauts and aviators are subject to high accelerations. Such acceleration can cause blood to pool in the lower part of the body, reducing the supply to the brain and possibly leading to a blackout. A G-suit is basically a special pair of tight-fitting pants that are fitted with inflatable bladders. The bladders inflate during high accelerations, tightening around the legs and abdomen, reducing the amount of blood pooling. So, a “G-suit” is more correctly referred to as an “anti-G suit”.

5 QB’s concerns : INTS

In football, if a quarterback’s (QB’s) pass ends up in the hands of a cornerback (CB), then that’s an interception (INT).

6 5, in 5/8, say : MAY

The month of May was named for Maia, the Greek goddess of fertility.

8 Buster of old Hollywood : CRABBE

As an actor, Buster Crabbe was best known for playing Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers. Before taking up acting, Crabbe was a championship swimmer. His crowning achievement in the pool must have been winning the 1932 Olympic gold medal for the 400 meter freestyle.

9 Game with strikers : SOCCER

Soccer (also known as “association football”) is the most popular sport in the world. The term “association football” was introduced in 1863 in England, with the name chosen to distinguish the sport from rugby football. The term “soccer” started to appear about 20 years later in Oxford, as an abbreviation for “association”.

10 Nittany Lions’ sch. : PSU

The athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University (PSU) are called the Nittany Lions, or in the case of the female teams, the Lady Lions. The Nittany Lion was introduced as a mascot way back in 1904 and is modeled after mountain lions that used to roam Mount Nittany located near the school’s campus.

11 Jed Clampett’s find : OIL

Jed Clampett was played by Buddy Ebsen in “The Beverly Hillbillies”.

“The Beverly Hillbillies” sitcom originally aired from 1962 to 1971. The show had consistently respectable ratings, but was canceled as part of “the Rural Purge” at CBS. Advertisers at the time were applying pressure on the network to move to more urban-themed shows. CBS responded by canceling shows such as “Petticoat Junction”, “Green Acres”, “Lassie” as well as “The Beverly Hillbillies”.

13 Hispanic city area : BARRIO

“Barrio” is the name given to an urban district in Spanish-speaking countries.

14 Whist relative : ECARTE

Écarté is a card game that comes to us from France, with a name that translates into ‘discarded”. Écarté is similar to whist but is played with a stripped-down deck and involves only two players.

15 Shill : DECOY

A shill is someone planted, perhaps in an audience, with the job of feigning enthusiasm.

16 Booyah or bouillabaisse : STEW

Booyah is a thick soup or stew that is quite common in the Upper Midwest of the US. It is thought that the dish originated in Belgium, with the name “booyah” deriving from the French word “bouillir” meaning “to boil”.

Bouillabaisse is a traditional seafood stew that originated in the port city of Marseille on the Mediterranean coast of France. The term “bouillabaisse” comes from Provençal dialect meaning “boil and simmer”, or more literally “boil and lower (heat)”.

17 Games org. : IOC

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded in 1894, and has its headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

18 CSI stuff : DNA

Crime scene investigation (CSI)

32 Block ending : -ADE

“Embargo” and “blockade” are two similar yet different terms. An embargo is a legal prohibition of trade with a particular country, whilst a blockade is an act of war, a militarily enforced prevention of the movement of goods and services. The term “embargo” came into English from Spanish, in the late 16th century.

33 Mozart’s “__ fan tutte” : COSI

Mozart’s comic opera “Così fan tutte” is also known in English as “The School for Lovers”. The literal translation of the opera’s Italian title is “Thus do all (women)”, or “Women are like that”.

36 Nighttime shindig : SOIREE

“Soir” is the French word for “evening” and a soirée is an evening party. The French word “soirée” has an acute accent over the first “e”, but we tend to drop this when using the word in English.

“Shindig” is such a lovely word, I think, and one describing a party that usually includes some dancing. Although its origin isn’t really clear, the term perhaps comes from “shinty”, a Scottish game similar to field hockey.

37 Ugandan neighbor : KENYAN

Kenya lies on the east coast of Africa, right on the equator. The country takes her name from Mount Kenya, the second-highest peak on the continent (after Kilimanjaro). The official languages of Kenya are English and Swahili.

Uganda is a landlocked county in East Africa lying just to the west of Kenya. Uganda was ruled by the British as a protectorate from 1894 and gained independence in 1962. Uganda is very much associated with the tyrannical rule of Idi Amin in the 1970s.

39 “The Plough and the Stars” playwright Sean : O’CASEY

Seán O’Casey was an Irish playwright noted for his works exploring the plight of the working class in Dublin. O’Casey’s most famous works are “Juno and the Paycock” and “The Plough and the Stars”.

41 TV alien : ALF

“ALF” is a sitcom that aired in the late eighties. The title character is a hand-puppet, and supposedly an alien named Gordon Shumway from the planet Melmac. The alien crash-landed into the house of amateur radio enthusiast Willie Tanner. Tanner renamed the intruder “ALF”, standing for “alien life form”.

42 Apple offerings : MACS

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” …

43 Depleted sea : ARAL

The Aral Sea is a great example of how man can have a devastating effect on his environment. In the early sixties the Aral Sea covered 68,000 square miles of Central Asia. Soviet irrigation projects drained the lake to such an extent that today the total area is less than 7,000 square miles, with 90% of the lake now completely dry. Sad …

44 Southwestern native : HOPI

Many members of the Hopi nation live on a reservation that is actually located within the much larger Navajo reservation in Arizona.

50 Golden touch king : MIDAS

King Midas of Greek mythology might be termed an alchemist as he had the power to turn everything he touched into gold i.e. the Midas touch. That power became a curse, as everything he touched turned to gold, including his food and drink, and even his children.

52 Internet link : MODEM

A modem is a device that is used to facilitate the transmission of a digital signal over an analog line. At one end of the line, a modem is used to “modulate” an analog carrier signal to encode digital information. At the other end of the line, a modem is used to “demodulate” the analog carrier signal and so reproduce the original digital information. This modulation-demodulation gives the device its name: a MOdulator-DEModulator, or “modem”.

54 Saturate : IMBRUE

To imbrue something is to stain it, especially with blood.

55 Nicole Kidman’s island birthplace : OAHU

Nicole Kidman is an Australian-American actress whose breakthrough role was the female lead in 1989’s “Dead Calm”. Kidman was actually born in Hawaii, to Australian parents. As a result, she has dual citizenship of Australia and the US. Famously, Kidman was married to fellow-actor Tom Cruise from 1990 to 2001, and is now married to New Zealand-born country singer Keith Urban.

64 Classic Fender, for short : STRAT

The Stratocaster (often “Strat”) is an electric guitar that has been made by Fender since 1954. The company that made Fender electric guitars was founded in Fullerton, California in 1946 by Leo Fender.

68 Vincent van Gogh’s brother : THEO

Theo van Gogh was the younger brother of painter Vincent van Gogh, and a successful art dealer. Theo provided financial support for his brother throughout his life, allowing Vincent to pursue his passion for creating art. Vincent and Theo died about six months apart. The former committed suicide and the later died from the effects of syphilis.

69 Actress Lamarr : HEDY

Hedy Lamarr was an American actress who was actually born in Vienna in modern-day Austria. Not only was Lamarr a successful Hollywood performer, during WWII she was the co-inventor of a frequency-hopping, spread-spectrum method of transmitting radio signals that is still used to this day in wireless communication. Impressive …

73 Mali neighbor : GUINEA

Guinea lies north of Liberia on the west African coast. Like much of Africa, it was for many years a French Colony (as “French Guinea”). Guinea declared independence in 1958, but has suffered from autocratic rule since then, and is now one of the poorest countries in Africa.

The Republic of Mali is a landlocked country in western Africa located south of Algeria. Formerly known as French Sudan, the nation’s most famous city is Timbuktu. Mali is the third-largest producer of gold on the continent, after South Africa and Ghana.

77 Río contents : AGUA

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

78 Poet Teasdale : SARA

Sara Teasdale was a poet from St. Louis, Missouri although she spent much of her adult life in New York City. Examples of Teasdale’s most famous poems are “There Will Come Soft Rains” and “I Shall Not Care”. Teasdale committed suicide in 1933 by taking an overdose of sleeping pills.

79 Cockney toast opener : ‘ERE’S …

A Cockney is someone who, according to tradition, is born within the sound of Bow Bells in the center of London. The Cockney accent is usually considered “working class”. Cockney speakers often use a wonderful form of speech called rhyming slang. So, Cockney’s drink a lot of “Rosie Lea” (tea), and climb the “apples and pears” (stairs) using their “plates of meat” (feet). Cockneys also tend to “drop their aitches”, so “home” becomes “‘ome” and “horse” becomes “‘orse”.

82 “Good” day occurring once a yr. : FRI

In the Christian tradition, it is believed that three days after Jesus was put to death, he rose from the dead. Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus on Good Friday, and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday, two days later.

88 Human rights lawyer Clooney : AMAL

Amal Alamuddin married celebrated Hollywood actor George Clooney in 2014. Alamuddin was born in Beirut, Lebanon and moved with her family to London when she was a toddler. She is a lawyer specializing in international law, with one of her more renowned clients being the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange.

93 BOS posting : ARR

Boston’s Logan Airport (BOS) is named for General Edward Lawrence Logan, a military officer from South Boston who fought in the Spanish-American War.

96 Rooster feature : WATTLE

A wattle is that ugly (at least I think it’s ugly) appendage hanging below the neck of some birds, like say a turkey.

98 Boston __ : IVY

Boston ivy is a woody vine that isn’t actually a true ivy. Famously, Boston ivy is used on the outfield walls at Wrigley Field, along with Japanese bittersweet.

102 Jeanne d’Arc, par exemple : SAINTE

Joan of Arc (also “Jeanne d’Arc”, her birth name) led the French Army successfully into battle a number of times during the Hundred Years War with England. When she was eventually captured, Joan was tried in Rouen, the seat of the occupying English government in France at that time. There she was burned at the stake having been found guilty of heresy. In fact, after the fire died down, the executioner raked the coals to display the charred body, proving Joan had died, and then burned the corpse again, twice, so that relics could not be collected. The remaining ashes were then cast into the Seine River. Joan of Arc was canonized some 600 years later, in 1920, and is now one of the patron saints of France.

104 Reese’s output : CANDY

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were invented by Harry Burnett “HB” Reese. Peanut Butter Cups were originally called penny cups, reflecting the price at which they were sold. Then inflation took over, and maybe that’s why they were broken into smaller “Pieces” …

108 Dijon daughter : FILLE

In French, a “jeune fille” (young girl) might be addressed as “Mademoiselle” (Miss).

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!

109 Exodus leader : MOSES

The Book of Exodus is the second book in the Bible, and deals with Moses leading the Hebrews out of Egypt. The name “Exodus” comes from the Greek “exodos” meaning “departure”.

113 Mark and Luke: Abbr. : STS

Saint Mark the Evangelist was the author of the Gospel of Mark. He was also the founder of the Church of Alexandria in Egypt, the first bishop of Alexandria and the founder of Christianity in Africa.

The Gospel of Luke is the third book of the New Testament. It is believed that the author of the Gospel of Luke was the same person who wrote “Acts of the Apostles”, the fifth book of the New Testament.

114 “Deathtrap” playwright Levin : IRA

As well as writing novels, Ira Levin was a dramatist and a songwriter. Levin’s first novel was “A Kiss Before Dying”, and his most famous work was “Rosemary’s Baby” which became a Hollywood hit. His best known play is “Deathtrap”, a production that is often seen in local theater (I’ve seen it a couple of times around here). “Deathtrap” was also a successful movie, starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve. My favorite of Levin’s novels are “The Boys from Brazil” and “The Stepford Wives”.

115 Island garland : LEI

“Lei” is a Hawaiian word meaning “garland, wreath”, although in more general terms a lei is any series of objects strung together as an adornment for the body.

118 Okla. campus with a Prayer Tower : ORU

Oral Roberts University (ORU) is a private school in Tulsa, Oklahoma. ORU was founded relatively recently, in 1963 by the late televangelist Oral Roberts. The campus includes a Prayer Tower at its center, a spectacular glass and steel structure designed by architect Frank Wallace. The tower includes an observation deck, and is a popular tourist attraction. The school’s sports teams are known as the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Jelly Roll Morton genre : RAGTIME
8 Benjamin : C-SPOT
13 Kind of manner : BEDSIDE
20 Repertoire : ARSENAL
21 Riveting WWII icon : ROSIE
22 Volatile solvent : ACETONE
23 Irish region named for a literary nobleman? : COUNTY DRACULA (from “Count Dracula”)
25 Vehicle in a pit : RACE CAR
26 Works with purls : KNITS
27 Easy comparison : ABC
28 Heartache : SORROW
30 “Star Wars” antagonist : SITH
31 Commiseration at a cookout? : BARBECUE PITY (from “barbecue pit”)
35 Inquire : ASK
38 Advance with determination : SOLDIER ON
40 “The Purloined Letter” author : POE
41 Cream additive : ALOE
42 __-jongg : MAH
45 Normandy city : CAEN
46 Bro, for one : SIB
48 Spent : ALL IN
49 Bouquets : AROMAS
51 Sham indignation? : IMITATION FURY (from “imitation fur”)
56 Italian city near the tip of the boot : CAPISTRANO
59 Athlete-turned-sportscaster Rashad : AHMAD
60 “Weeds” law org. : DEA
61 Word with rule or show : SLIDE …
62 Wears down : ERODES
65 USG successor : RBH
66 “It’s __ a while” : BEEN
67 Excited cry from a gemologist? : AY, THERE’S THE RUBY (from “Ay, there’s the rub”)
71 Short rules? : REGS
74 Female lobster : HEN
75 Wells’ island doctor : MOREAU
76 Degrade : ABASE
80 Junior Olympic Games org. : AAU
81 __ Tranquility : SEA OF
83 Feature of much commercial maple syrup : ADDED SUGAR
85 Dilemma presented by a suspicious peace offering? : TRICK OR TREATY (from “trick or treat”)
89 “Yeah, right!” : OH SURE!
90 Ho-hum feeling : ENNUI
91 India is home to a plurality of its employees : IBM
92 __ Victoria : LAKE
94 Remote needs : AAS
95 “Do-Re-Mi” critter : DEER
96 Three Kingdoms Chinese state : WEI
99 Trading post visitors : BARTERERS
103 Nutrition fig. : RDA
104 Young farm animals’ taxi company? : CALVES’ LIVERY (from “calves’ liver”)
106 Radio switch : AM/FM
110 Middle Jackson sister : LA TOYA
111 Uzbekistan, once: Abbr. : SSR
112 Farm song letters : E-I-E-I-O
113 Coup member? : SILENT P
116 Cues from the Miracles’ lead singer? : SMOKEY SIGNALS (from “smoke signals”)
121 Loom power source : TREADLE
122 White-plumed heron : EGRET
123 Hot air : PRATTLE
124 Gave the okay : SAID YES
125 Framing supports : STUDS
126 Night flights : RED-EYES

Down

1 Spaces for spices : RACKS
2 Rice-__ : A-RONI
3 Astronaut’s apparel : G-SUIT
4 5, in 2.5 : TENTHS
5 QB’s concerns : INTS
6 5, in 5/8, say : MAY
7 The past, in the past : ELD
8 Buster of old Hollywood : CRABBE
9 Game with strikers : SOCCER
10 Nittany Lions’ sch. : PSU
11 Jed Clampett’s find : OIL
12 Needle : TEASE
13 Hispanic city area : BARRIO
14 Whist relative : ECARTE
15 Shill : DECOY
16 Booyah or bouillabaisse : STEW
17 Games org. : IOC
18 CSI stuff : DNA
19 Poetic adverb : E’ER
24 __ to go: eager, colloquially : RARIN’
29 On the facing pg. : OPP
31 Really good time : BLAST
32 Block ending : -ADE
33 Mozart’s “__ fan tutte” : COSI
34 Textbook segment : UNIT
35 Refer (to) : ALLUDE
36 Nighttime shindig : SOIREE
37 Ugandan neighbor : KENYAN
39 “The Plough and the Stars” playwright Sean : O’CASEY
41 TV alien : ALF
42 Apple offerings : MACS
43 Depleted sea : ARAL
44 Southwestern native : HOPI
47 Song cry heard here, there and everywhere? : BAA!
48 Furthermore : AND
50 Golden touch king : MIDAS
51 “You __ out?” : IN OR
52 Internet link : MODEM
53 Sequence of online posts : THREAD
54 Saturate : IMBRUE
55 Nicole Kidman’s island birthplace : OAHU
57 Try again : REHEAR
58 Playground crack? : ARE NOT!
63 That, to Tito : ESO
64 Classic Fender, for short : STRAT
66 One way to get around town : BY BUS
68 Vincent van Gogh’s brother : THEO
69 Actress Lamarr : HEDY
70 Harsh critic : BASHER
71 Very violent, perhaps : RATED R
72 Made : EARNED
73 Mali neighbor : GUINEA
77 Río contents : AGUA
78 Poet Teasdale : SARA
79 Cockney toast opener : ‘ERE’S …
81 __ lodge : SKI
82 “Good” day occurring once a yr. : FRI
84 “Okey-__!” : DOKEY
86 Snake : CUR
87 Declines : EBBS
88 Human rights lawyer Clooney : AMAL
92 Skeptical : LEERY
93 BOS posting : ARR
96 Rooster feature : WATTLE
97 Runs off to wed : ELOPES
98 Boston __ : IVY
100 Wagered : RISKED
101 Den furnishings : TV SETS
102 Jeanne d’Arc, par exemple : SAINTE
104 Reese’s output : CANDY
105 Relieves : EASES
107 Rich, as tomato sauce : MEATY
108 Dijon daughter : FILLE
109 Exodus leader : MOSES
110 It’s usually played by a star : LEAD
112 “Yikes!” : EGAD!
113 Mark and Luke: Abbr. : STS
114 “Deathtrap” playwright Levin : IRA
115 Island garland : LEI
117 Co. heads : MGT
118 Okla. campus with a Prayer Tower : ORU
119 6-Down is in it: Abbr. : SPR
120 Hot state : IRE

19 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 13 Jun 21, Sunday”

  1. 21:21, a couple of typos. And a little bonus: Did the Sunday Newsday (21×21) electronically instead of hand-written like I usually do it. 8:41, no errors. What a difference a day makes. And still amazed how much slower these things go when I hand write. Especially the big grids. And agreed with what was said yesterday: Lots of grids lots more scarier out there than the average LAT.

  2. Just over an hour but no errors…I don’t get 6D?
    Bills explanation of 65A is just another example of how rediculous the electoral college is. Why is it still around?
    Stay safe😀

    1. I believe the reference is to mm/dd, where 5 is the month of May and the 8 is the eighth day of May. I confess it had me stumped for a while

    2. Hi Jack. Think of how you (at least here in the US) write a date (month/day) and you will get this one.

  3. Tricky puzzle today. I ended with no errors, though I had to look
    the Three Kingdoms Chinese state. Once I realized what the theme
    was, everything went pretty smoothly.

  4. If you like proper nouns and embarrassingly bad clueing, this is the puzzle for you. Ugh-ly.

  5. I don’t get 6 down which feeds into 119 down. I get that May is the 5th month but what is the purpose of the fraction and what is the 8? Why not 5/12?

  6. @Jack, I’m sure someone’s replied to your question by now but 6D, “5 as in 5/8, say” – I’ll bet you’d get it if the clue were “5 as in 5/8/2021, say” wouldn’t you? 🙂

  7. 29 mins 57 sec, and needed Check Grid help to fix 6 entries. Some arcane spellings (such as AY in the Shakespeare quote, and MGT to describe management, which is more commonly expressed MGMT) in both the regular fills and the punny themed fills gave this one the feel of trickery rather than cleverness.

    1. I agree with you on AY and MGT, Allen. I’ve seen MGT enough these days to get it, but it’s not a good abbr. I wanted to use “Ah, THERE’S …” but OCASEh didn’t seem likely.

  8. 41:40 1 error

    Okay theme offered a tiny bit of help. I really wanted 8D to be Buster KEATON.

    If you want to hear more about the kingdom of Wei, you can try the Romance of the Three Kingdoms podcast.

  9. 58:49 with a few “check-grids” to get to the finish line. CALVES… just didn’t make any sense to me…I mean livery is clothing isn’t it? Also, got RBH but didn’t know why until I got here.

    1. You made me learn something new, Dirk. I found the clothing definition (a special uniform, perhaps chiefly British usage) in a few online places. In North America, it typically refers to an animal livery stable, or possibly other transportation for hire.

  10. No errors. Longer than normal slog. Got the theme but some of the crosses were tricky. Like 6D MAY and 119D SPR.

  11. A pretty good theme that helped me figure out a few things. 45:34 with one look up for IMbRUE and RbH. Could not get past “USG Successor” being United States something-or-other instead of Ulysses S. Grant; and imbrue is a new word for me (otherwise, I could have solved “imbue”).

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