LA Times Crossword 24 Jun 22, Friday

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Constructed by: Rebecca Goldstein
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): A Middling Puzzle

Themed answers each include two words, with the first having MID- as a prefix. The second word is shown literally in the grid, in the MIDDLE of the first word:

• 17A Something heard around Chicago, literally? : WE-ACCENT-ST (MIDWEST ACCENT)
• 26A Hurdle before spring break, literally? : TE-EXAM-RM (MIDTERM EXAM)
• 40A Passport or Pilot, e.g., literally? : SI-SUV-ZE (MIDSIZE SUV)
• 51A Frog that carries fertilized eggs on its back, literally? : WI-TOAD-FE (MIDWIFE TOAD)
• 64A Reason to buy a sports car, for some, literally? : LI-CRISIS-FE (MIDLIFE CRISIS)

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

Bill’s time: 13m 45s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Taper or fade : COIF

A coif is a hairdo. The term “coif” comes from an old French term “coife” describing a skull-cap that was worn under a helmet back in the late 13th century.

9 Charcuterie board selection : EDAM

Edam cheese takes its name from the Dutch town of Edam in North Holland. The cheese is famous for its coating of red paraffin wax, a layer of protection that helps Edam travel well and prevents spoiling. You might occasionally come across an Edam cheese that is coated in black wax. The black color indicates that the underlying cheese has been aged for a minimum of 17 weeks.

In French, a “charcutier” is a pork butcher, although the term “charcuterie” has come to describe a genre of cooking focused on prepared meats such as bacon, ham, sausage and pâté. Although these meats often feature pork, it is not exclusively so. The word “charcuterie” comes from the French “chair” meaning “flesh” and “cuit” meaning “cooked”.

13 Invocation syllables : ABRA

The incantation “abracadabra” has a long history. It was used as far back as the 2nd century AD in ancient Rome when the word was prescribed by a physician to be worn on an amulet to help his emperor recover from disease. “Abracadabra” is Aramaic, and roughly translates as “I will create as I speak”.

14 Tropical evergreen : CACAO

The flowers of the cacao tree grow in clusters, directly on the trunk and on older branches. The pollinated flowers turn into ovoid cacao pods, each of which contain 20-60 seeds or beans. The seeds are used as the main ingredient in chocolate.

16 Chanel scent : COCO

The House of Chanel has its origin in a millinery shop in Paris that Gabrielle “CoCo” Chanel opened in 1909. The shop was on the ground floor of the home of socialite Étienne Balsan, of whom Chanel was his mistress. Using her connection to Balsan, Chanel met many women who lived extravagant lifestyles in Paris in those pre-war years, and hence was able to establish her reputation as a hatmaker. Chanel built on that reputation, and within a few years opened her first dress shop in Paris.

17 Something heard around Chicago, literally? : WE-ACCENT-ST (MIDWEST ACCENT)

Chicago, Illinois is the US’s third most populous city, after New York and Los Angeles. It is also home to O’Hare airport, the busiest airport in the whole world (in terms of takeoffs and landings). Chicago takes its name from the Chicago River, which in turn takes its name from the Native American word “shikaakwa” that translates as “wild onion” or “wild garlic”. Early French explorers chose this name as they found dense growths of wild garlic along the banks of the river.

19 Like AOL software, originally : ON CD

Founded as Quantum Computer Services in 1983, the company changed its name in 1989 to America Online. As America Online went international, the initialism AOL was used in order to shake off the “America-centric” sound to the name. During the heady days of AOL’s success the company could not keep up with the growing number of subscribers, so people trying to connect often encountered busy signals. That’s when users referred to AOL as “Always Off-Line”.

20 EDM instrument : SYNTH

Electronic dance music (EDM)

24 Acorn producer : OAK

These days, we don’t usually consider acorns as a foodstuff. But in days past, many cultures around the world have used acorns as food. Usually, bitter tannins that occur in acorns need to be leached out in water. Acorn meal can be a substitute for grain flour, which can then be used to make bread. Acorns have also been used as a substitute for coffee, especially when coffee was rationed. Notably, acorn coffee was brewed up by Confederates during the American Civil War, and by Germans during World War II.

28 Baby __ : ASPIRIN

“Aspirin” used to be a brand name for the drug acetylsalicylic acid. Aspirin was introduced by the German drug company Bayer AG in the late 1800s. As part of the war reparations paid by Germany after WWI, Bayer AG lost the use of the trademark “Aspirin” (as well as the trademark Heroin!) and it became a generic term.

33 One of 28 Monopoly cards : DEED

In the game of Monopoly there are 28 title deeds:

• 22 streets
• 4 railroads
• 2 utilities

34 Dermatologist’s concern : WART

A wart is a small eruption on the skin caused by a localized viral infection. Apparently, the most successful treatment is topical use of salicylic acid, with a cure rate of 75%. I think it’s best to try to avoid getting them …

37 Overalls material : DENIM

Denim fabric originated in Nîmes in France. The French phrase “de Nîmes” (meaning “from Nîmes”) gives us the word “denim”. Also, the French phrase “bleu de Genes” (meaning “blue of Genoa”) gives us our word “jeans”.

40 Passport or Pilot, e.g., literally? : SI-SUV-ZE (MIDSIZE SUV)

The Honda Passport SUV was basically the same car as the Isuzu Rodeo. Honda desperately needed an entry into the growing SUV market in the early nineties and so made a deal with Isuzu to use their existing design.

The Honda Pilot is a mid-size crossover SUV that was introduced in 2002. The luxury version of the vehicle is sold as the Acura MDX.

42 Scooby-__ : DOO

“Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” is a series of cartoons produced for Hanna-Barbera Productions, first broadcast in 1969. The title character is a great Dane dog owned by a young male called Shaggy Rogers. The character’s name was inspired by the famous “doo-be-doo-be-doo” refrain in the Frank Sinatra hit “Strangers in the Night”. Shaggy was voiced by famed disk jockey Casey Kasem. Shaggy and Scooby’s friends are Velma, Fred and Daphne.

45 Snowballs or paintballs : AMMO

The “paint” in paintball isn’t actually paint, but rather a mix of gelatin and food coloring.

47 Regional plant life : FLORA

The fauna is the animal life of a particular region, and the flora is that region’s plant life. The term “fauna” comes from the Roman goddess of earth and fertility who was called Fauna. Flora was the Roman goddess of plants, flowers and fertility.

51 Frog that carries fertilized eggs on its back, literally? : WI-TOAD-FE (MIDWIFE TOAD)

A midwife is someone trained to assist women in childbirth. The term comes from Middle English “mid wif” meaning “with woman”.

54 NYC member of “The Squad” in Congress : AOC

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a politician who is often referred to by her initials “AOC”. A Democrat, she was first elected to the US House of Representatives in 2018, representing part of the Bronx, Queens and Rikers Island in New York City. When she took office in 2019 at the age of 29, AOC became the youngest woman ever to serve in Congress.

In the US Congress, the term “the Squad” was applied to four House Representatives elected in 2017 and who represent the more progressive side of the Democratic Party. The four original Squad members are Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York), Ilhan Omar (Minnesota), Ayanna Pressley (Massachusetts), and Rashida Tlaib (Michigan). Soon after election day, the four took a group photo together after a live-streamed interview. Ocasio-Cortez published the picture on Instagram, and used the caption “Squad”. The label seems to have stuck since then.

56 48-Down song with the line “But when I call, you never seem to be home” : HELLO

“Hello” is a 2015 song by English singer Adele that won her three Grammy Awards: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance.

58 Shake __ : SHACK

Shake Shack is a chain of restaurants that started out as a simple hot dog cart doing business in Madison Square Park in New York City in 2001. By 2020, the chain operated in over 250 locations worldwide.

66 Grasp : GROK

To grok is to understand. “To grok” is a slang term that’s really only used in “techie” circles. “Grok” is the creation of science fiction author Robert Heinlein, who coined it in his 1961 novel “Stranger in a Strange Land”.

68 Gas lighting? : NEON

The basic design of neon lighting was first demonstrated at the Paris Motor Show in 1910. Such lighting is made up of glass tubes containing a vacuum into which has been introduced a small amount of neon gas. When a voltage is applied between two electrodes inside the tube, the neon gas “glows” and gives off the familiar light.

Down

1 Crow’s cacophony : CAWS

“Cacophony” is such a lovely word, a word used to describe a harsh or jarring sound. The term arises from the Greek “kakos” (bad) and “phone” (voice).

3 Setting of the graphic novel “Persepolis” : IRAN

“Persepolis” is a series of French comic strips by Iranian-born French cartoonist Marjane Satrapi that were published as a graphic novel in the early 2000s. The title refers to the ancient capital of the Persian Empire. The strips are autobiographical in nature, and depict the author’s early life during and after the Islamic Revolution.

5 The “A” of LGBTQIA+, for short : ACE

An “ace” is someone who identifies as “asexual”.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA)

6 Scott who turns into Ant-Man : LANG

In the Marvel universe, Ant-Man has been the superhero persona of three different fictional characters: Hank Pym, Scott Lang and Eric O’Grady. In the 2015 film “Ant-Man”, Michael Douglas plays Hank Pym, and Paul Rudd plays Scott Lang.

7 Valence electrons, often : OCTET

An atom’s valence is the number of electrons that it loses, adds or shares when bonding with other atoms.

11 Squeezeboxes : ACCORDIONS

The accordion (“squeezebox”, colloquially) is a musical instrument related to the concertina. It is box-shaped and driven by a bellows that is compressed and expanded manually. The bellows forces air across metal strips (called “reed”) that vibrate to produce sounds. Notes are selected by using a piano-style keyboard (in a piano accordion) or by pressing down buttons (in a button accordion).

12 Internet hookup : 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”.

15 Mammal that uses kelp as a blanket : OTTER

Sea otters actually hold hands while sleeping on their backs so that they don’t drift apart. When sea otter pups are too small to lock hands, they clamber up onto their mother’s belly and nap there.

Kelps are large seaweeds that grow in kelp forests underwater. Kelps can grow to over 250 feet in length, and do so very quickly. Some kelps can grow at the rate of 1-2 feet per day.

22 Rust : OXIDE

Rust is iron oxide. Rust forms when iron oxidizes, reacts with oxygen.

25 Fuzzy fruit : KIWI

What we call kiwifruit today (and sometimes just “kiwi”) used to be called a Chinese gooseberry. Marketing folks in the fifties decided to call it a “melonette”, and then New Zealand producers adopted the name “kiwifruit”.

28 Adult __ : ADHD

The “official” name for the condition we sometimes still refer to as “attention deficit disorder” (ADD) is “attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder” (ADHD).

30 Shark cage? : PENALTY BOX

The San Jose Sharks hockey team play their home games at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, a venue that we locals call “the Shark Tank”.

31 Ingenuity org. : NASA

Ingenuity is a robotic helicopter that NASA sent to Mars in 2020 along with the Perseverance rover. Nicknamed “Ginny”, Ingenuity’s primary mission is to scout for areas of interest for the rover to examine. Symbolically, Ingenuity has on board a small piece of fabric from the airplane that the Wright Brothers used in 1903 for the first sustained flight of an airplane.

35 Coquito liquor : RUM

A coquito is a rum-based drink from Puerto Rico that is traditionally served at Christmas. The name translates as “little coconut”, a reference to the ingredients of rum, coconut milk, cream of coconut, condensed milk, vanilla, nutmeg, clove and cinnamon. Yum …

36 Rating for “Euphoria,” briefly : TV-MA

“Euphoria” is an HBO teen drama show that is loosely based on a miniseries of the same name from Israel. Lead actress in the show is Zendaya, who plays a recovering teenage drug addict.

38 No longer relevant : MOOT

To moot is to bring up as a subject for discussion or debate. So, something that is moot is open to debate. Something that is no longer moot, is no longer worth debating. We don’t seem to be able to get that right, which drives me crazy …

40 Cab alternative : SYRAH

The Iranian city of Shiraz has long been associated with wine, but there is no proven link between the city and the wine/grape we know today as “Shiraz” (also called “Syrah”). Having said that, some clay jars were found just outside of the city of Shiraz that contained wine; wine that was 7,000 years old!

41 First name in the Harlem Renaissance : ZORA

Zora Neale Hurston was an American author who was most famous for her 1937 novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God”.

“Harlem Renaissance” is the term used to describe a cultural movement in the 1920s that was known at the time as the “New Negro Movement”. The movement involved new cultural expression by African Americans that was centered mainly in urban areas in the northeast and midwest, and that was especially vibrant in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood.

44 Piglet pal : ROO

Like most of the characters in A. A. Milne’s “Winnie-the-Pooh”, the kangaroo named “Roo” was inspired by a stuffed toy belonging to Milne’s son Christopher Robin.

46 Tide pool sights : URCHINS

Sea urchins are globular, spiny creatures found just about everywhere in the ocean. The “roe” of a sea urchin is eaten as a delicacy in several cuisines around the world. In a sushi restaurant, the sea urchin roe is called “uni”. The term “roe” normally means “fish eggs”, but in the case of the sea urchin it refers to the gonads of both the male and female.

A tidal pool (also “rock pool”) is a pool of seawater that is left along a rocky coastline after an ebb tide.

50 Zen garden growth : MOSS

Japanese Zen gardens are inspired by the meditation gardens of Zen Buddhist temples. Zen gardens have no water in them, but often there is gravel and sand that is raked in patterns designed to create the impression of water in waves and ripples.

53 Yosemite peak free-climbed by Emily Harrington, familiarly : EL CAP

El Capitan is a stunning vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park in California. The top of El Capitan has been used as the take-off point for many BASE jumps, parachute jumps made by diving off the top of the rock face. The National Park Service put a stop to the practice in 1999. Soon afterwards, a BASE jumper made an illegal jump to protest the ban. She died …

Emily Harrington is a professional rock climber. Among her many achievements is summiting Cho Oyu in a record two weeks in 2016. Cho Oyu is located a few miles west of Everest in the Himalaya, and is the sixth-highest mountain in the world. On completing the climb, Harrington skied down from the summit.

57 Black-and-white predator : ORCA

The taxonomic name for the killer whale is “Orcinus orca”. The use of the name “orca”, rather than “killer whale”, is becoming more and more common. The Latin word “Orcinus” means “belonging to Orcus”, with Orcus being the name for the Kingdom of the Dead.

60 Corp. bean counters : CFOS

Chief financial officer (CFO)

63 Chicago WNBA team : SKY

The Chicago Sky are a professional basketball team based in Rosemont, Illinois that plays in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Sky were founded in 2006