LA Times Crossword 18 Jun 22, Saturday

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Constructed by: Adrian Johnson & Brad Wilber
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: None

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

Bill’s time: 16m 29s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

10 Texas river diverted into the Red Bluff Reservoir : PECOS

The Pecos River rises north of the village of Pecos in New Mexico, and flows almost a thousand miles before entering the Rio Grande near Del Rio, Texas. Arguably, the Pecos is the only river in the world that crosses itself. In the late 1800s, settlers near Carlsbad, New Mexico built a series of dams and canals to irrigate the semi-arid Pecos Valley. The irrigation project included a large wooden flume that in its heyday carried 9,000 gallons of water per second, 145 feet above the river. Apparently, that water originated in the Pecos, hence the claim that the Pecos “crossed itself”. I’m a bit skeptical of the physics behind that claim though …

15 Museum download : AUDIO TOUR

The term “museum” comes from the ancient Greek word “mouseion” that denoted a temple dedicated to the “Muses”. The Muses were the patrons of the arts in Greek mythology.

16 Dippy : INANE

Our word “inane” meaning “silly, lacking substance” comes from the Latin “inanitis” meaning “empty space”.

18 Cake made from ground nuts : TORTE

A torte is a type of cake made primarily with eggs, sugar and ground nuts (but no flour).

19 “While I Was Gone” novelist Miller : SUE

Novelist and short story writer Sue Miller had two of her works adapted into films. 1998’s “The Good Mother” was made into a film starring Diane Keaton and Liam Neeson in the lead roles, and directed by Leonard Nimoy. 1999’s “While I Was Gone” was an Oprah’s Book Club selection, and then a 2004 TV movie.

22 “High Anxiety” actress : KAHN

Madeline Kahn was an actress best known for her comedic roles, especially those directed by Mel Brooks. Kahn also had her own TV sitcom, called “Oh Madeline”. But, it only lasted one season, in 1983.

“High Anxiety” is a Mel Brooks film released in 1977 that parodies suspense films, particularly Alfred Hitchcock’s “Spellbound”, “Vertigo” and “The Birds”. Hitchcock actually helped Brooks with the movie’s screenplay. He also sent Brooks a case of wine after viewing the film with a note that read “A small token of my pleasure, have no anxiety about this.”

24 Corps member : MARINE

United States Marine Corps (USMC)

26 Metered fleet : CABS

We call cabs “taxis”, a word derived from “taximeter cabs” that were introduced in London in 1907. A taximeter was an automated meter designed to record distance traveled and fare to be charged. The term “taximeter” evolved from “taxameter”, with “taxa” being Latin for “tax, charge”.

32 “The Cube” network : TBS

“The Cube” is a TV game show hosted by Dwyane Wade that first aired in 2021. An earlier version of the show, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, was rejected after the pilot. The US show is based on a very successful British show of the same name that premiered in 2009. The idea behind the “game” is that contestants have to carry out tasks inside a perspex cube with 4-meter by 4-meter sized walls.

43 Branch of Islam : SUNNI

The Islamic sects of Sunni and Shia Muslims differ in the belief of who should have taken over leadership of the Muslim faithful after the death of the Prophet Muhammad. Followers of the Sunni tradition agree with the decision that the Prophet Muhammad’s confidante Abu Bakr was the right choice to become the first Caliph of the Islamic nation. Followers of the Shia tradition believe that leadership should have stayed within the Prophet Muhammad’s own family, and favored the Prophet’s son-in-law Ali.

44 Org. whose members take hikes? : NFL

The quarterback (QB) starts each play in football with a snap (also called a “hike”). He announces to his teammates the exact moment of the snap by calling out signals, usually including the word “hut” one or more times in a prearranged sequence.

45 Mets slugger Pete who holds the record for most home runs by a rookie : ALONSO

Pete Alonso is a professional first baseman who made his Major League debut in 2019 with the New York Mets. Alonso’s nickname is “Polar Bear”.

52 Cheese paired with kalamata olives : FETA

Feta is a Greek cheese made from sheep’s milk, or a mixture of sheep and goat’s milk. The cheese is salted and cured in a brine solution for several months before it is eaten.

The kalamata olive is a large, dark purple, almond-shaped olive that is perhaps the most common table olive from Greece. It is named for the city of Kalamata in the southern Peloponnese, which is at the center of the region where the olive variety is grown. Even though the EU reserves the name “kalamata” for only those olives grown in the region, we can buy kalamata olives grown elsewhere, from California for example.

56 __ diavolo sauce : FRA

Fra diavolo is a spicy sauce used for pasta and seafood that is usually made with chili peppers in a tomato base. The name “Fra diavolo” translates to “Brother devil”. The sauce may be named for the Italian revolutionary Michele Pezza who was also known as Fra Diavolo.

59 #LiveUplifted sneakers brand : ASICS

ASICS is a Japanese company based in Kobe that produces athletic gear, including running shoes. The company name comes from the first letters of the Latin phrase “anima sana in corpore sano”, which translates to “a healthy soul in a healthy body”.

61 Arthroscopic procedure that may follow an MRI of the knee : ACL REPAIR

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of four major ligaments that support the knee.

63 McNairy of “Halt and Catch Fire” : SCOOT

Actor Scoot McNairy earned the nickname “Scoot” when he was about two years, apparently because he was always “scooting” around on his butt!

65 Buttonlike flower : TANSY

The tansy is a flowering plant of the aster family, native to Europe and Asia. It is found in other parts of the world, but there it is often considered to be invasive.

Down

1 Some carpentry noises : BAMS

When I do carpentry, there are fewer “bams” and more “ows” …

2 Party with poke : LUAU

Poke is a Native-Hawaiian dish featuring diced raw fish. “Poke” is a Hawaiian word meaning “to slice”.

4 Bupkis : NIL

“Bupkis” (also “bubkes”) is a word that means “absolutely nothing, nothing of value”, and is of Yiddish origin.

7 Spot for a koi or a decoy : POND

Koi are fish that are also known as Japanese carp. Koi have been bred for decorative purposes and there are now some very brightly colored examples found in Japanese water gardens.

11 Miso soup mushroom : ENOKI

Enokitake (also known as “enoki”) are long and thin white mushrooms often added to soups or salads.

Miso is the name of the seasoning that makes miso soup. Basic miso seasoning is made by fermenting rice, barley and soybeans with salt and a fungus to produce a paste. The paste can be added to stock to make miso soup, or perhaps to flavor tofu.

12 Road show necessity? : CAR ANTENNA

An antenna’s job is to convert electrical power into radio waves, and radio waves into an electrical signal. The first antennas were built by the German physicist Heinrich Hertz in 1888.

23 Warts and all : AS IS

It is said that the phrase “warts and all” was coined by Oliver Cromwell, although there is no real evidence that he ever uttered the phrase. Cromwell had his portrait painted by Sir Peter Lely, an artist who had a reputation for producing works that flattered the subject. Cromwell was a puritan, and may indeed have instructed Lely to produce a less flattering and more objective image. Indeed, the painting includes warts on Cromwell’s face, imperfections that could easily have been omitted.

26 Whoopi’s birth name : CARYN

Whoopi Goldberg’s real name is Caryn Elaine Johnson. Goldberg is multi-talented, and is one of a very short list of entertainers to have won all four major showbiz awards:

  • an Oscar (for “Ghost”)
  • an Emmy (two, for “The View”)
  • a Grammy (for “Thoroughly Modern Millie”, as a producer)
  • a Tony (also for producing “Thoroughly Modern Millie”)

27 Drink often flavored with hibiscus : AGUA FRESCA

An agua fresca is a blended drink made with sugar and water flavored with fruit, cereal, flowers or seeds. Traditional aguas frescas are sold by street vendors, especially in Mexico and the American Southwest. Common flavorings are hibiscus and tamarind.

28 Aveeno product : BABY LOTION

Aveeno is a manufacturer of skincare and haircare products that was founded in 1945. The name Aveeno comes from the Latin name for the common oat, i.e. Avena sativa.

33 French composer who influenced Ravel : SATIE

Erik Satie was a French composer best known for his beautiful composition, the three “Gymnopédies”. I have tried so hard to appreciate other works by Satie but I find them so very different from the minimalist simplicity of the lyrical “Gymnopédies”.

Maurice Ravel was a great French composer of the Romantic Era. Ravel’s most famous piece of music by far is his “Bolero”, the success of which he found somewhat irksome as he considered it a trivial work. Personally though, I love the piece’s minimalism and simplicity …

46 Egyptian god invoked in “The Magic Flute” : OSIRIS

Osiris was the Egyptian god of the underworld. Osiris was the son of Geb the Earth god, and Nut the sky goddess. His wife Isis was also his sister. Osiris was killed and mutilated by Set, his own brother. Isis reassembled Osiris and revived him, just long enough that they could conceive their son Horus.

Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute” (“Die Zauberflöte” in German) premiered in 1791 in Vienna, just two months before the composer died. Mozart conducted the orchestra himself that night. His sister-in-law, soprano Josepha Weber, performed the role of the Queen of the Night.

49 __ al pastor : TACOS

A taco al pastor is a popular street food from Mexico that can also be found in parts of the US. The key ingredient in al pastor is sliced, spit-grilled pork. The cooking method, using a vertical spit, is one introduced into Mexico by Lebanese immigrants in the 1800s. The term “al pastor” translates from Spanish as “shepherd style”).

55 “Proof” or “Doubt” : PLAY

“Proof” is a play by David Auburn that premiered in 2000 in New York City, and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2001. It was adapted for the big screen in a 2005 film of the same name starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins. I saw “Proof” a couple of decades ago, and I’m afraid it didn’t work for me …

“Doubt: A Parable” is a play by John Patrick Shanley that premiered off-Broadway in 2004. It won both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play in 2005. It was adapted into a very powerful 2008 film titled “Doubt” starring Merylt Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

62 Gp. central to the 1993 Oslo Accords : PLO

The Oslo Accords grew out of secret negotiations between the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel in a residence in Oslo in the early nineties. The delegates shared the same house while they conducted 14 meetings. While eating all their meals together at the same table, the negotiators came to respect one another and apparently, friendships developed.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Concern when merging : BLIND SPOT
10 Texas river diverted into the Red Bluff Reservoir : PECOS
15 Museum download : AUDIO TOUR
16 Dippy : INANE
17 Stranger in many a family holiday photo : MALL SANTA
18 Cake made from ground nuts : TORTE
19 “While I Was Gone” novelist Miller : SUE
20 Becomes, finally : ENDS UP
22 “High Anxiety” actress : KAHN
23 Say further : ADD
24 Corps member : MARINE
26 Metered fleet : CABS
29 Treatment plant input : SEWAGE
32 “The Cube” network : TBS
34 Delighted toddler’s demand : AGAIN!
36 “Jinkies!” : YIKES!
37 Time worth studying : ERA
38 Gruff prescription for a minor injury : RUB SOME DIRT ON IT
41 “Glad to hear it!” : YAY!
42 Aspect : FACET
43 Branch of Islam : SUNNI
44 Org. whose members take hikes? : NFL
45 Mets slugger Pete who holds the record for most home runs by a rookie : ALONSO
47 Benefit : SAKE
48 Irredeemable : ROTTEN
50 Word of invitation : SIT
52 Cheese paired with kalamata olives : FETA
53 Do more than listen : STEP IN
56 __ diavolo sauce : FRA
59 #LiveUplifted sneakers brand : ASICS
61 Arthroscopic procedure that may follow an MRI of the knee : ACL REPAIR
63 McNairy of “Halt and Catch Fire” : SCOOT
64 Ride between runs : CHAIRLIFT
65 Buttonlike flower : TANSY
66 Setting for some unboxing videos : TOY STORES

Down

1 Some carpentry noises : BAMS
2 Party with poke : LUAU
3 Between jobs : IDLE
4 Bupkis : NIL
5 Gave a shot, say : DOSED
6 Efforts at resistance : STANDS
7 Spot for a koi or a decoy : POND
8 Ballpark figure : OUTS
9 Emergency gear : TRAUMA KITS
10 Depression : PIT
11 Miso soup mushroom : ENOKI
12 Road show necessity? : CAR ANTENNA
13 Flirting with : ON THE BRINK
14 Camille Pagán’s “Woman Last __ in Her Thirties” : SEEN
21 “Your table’s ready” device : PAGER
23 Warts and all : AS IS
25 Relies (on) : RESTS
26 Whoopi’s birth name : CARYN
27 Drink often flavored with hibiscus : AGUA FRESCA
28 Aveeno product : BABY LOTION
30 Peer-to-peer sharing? : EYE CONTACT
31 Add capacity to, in a way : WIDEN
33 French composer who influenced Ravel : SATIE
35 Diet food choice : NO FAT
39 Some mechanical connectors : MALES
40 Dethrone : OUST
46 Egyptian god invoked in “The Magic Flute” : OSIRIS
49 __ al pastor : TACOS
51 Disinclined to form compounds : INERT
52 Media __: unplugged period : FAST
54 Sign of hollowness : ECHO
55 “Proof” or “Doubt” : PLAY
56 “Point taken” : FAIR
57 Abounding (with) : RIFE
58 Review-heavy newspaper section : ARTS
60 Trough spot : STY
62 Gp. central to the 1993 Oslo Accords : PLO