LA Times Crossword 3 Aug 22, Wednesday

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Constructed by: Susan Gelfand
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Little Women

Themed answers each include the name of a title character in Louisa May Alcott’s novel “LITTLE WOMEN”:

  • 59A Louisa May Alcott classic whose main characters are hidden in the answers to the starred clues : LITTLE WOMEN
  • 17A *”We’ll never understand” : IT’S A MYSTERY (hiding “AMY”)
  • 25A *Color named for a fruit : LIME GREEN (hiding “MEG”)
  • 34A *Large bovine of American folklore : BABE THE BLUE OX (hiding “BETH”)
  • 50A *Political satirist who wrote “Holidays in Hell” : PJ O‘ROURKE (hiding “JO”)

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

Bill’s time: 5m 52s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Maxims : SAWS

Our word “maxim” meaning “precept, principle” has been around since the early 1600s. It ultimately comes from the Latin phrase “maxima propositio”, which translates as “greatest premise”.

A saw is an old saying, one that is often repeated and is very familiar. The term “old saw” is actually a tautology, as by definition a “saw” is “old”.

5 Indian dignitaries : RAJAHS

“Raja” (also “rajah”) is a word derived from Sanskrit that is used particularly in India for a monarch or princely ruler. The female form is “rani” (also “ranee”) and is used for a raja’s wife.

14 Make bootees, say : KNIT

Knitted shoes called bootees might be made as a gift for a baby.

19 Sports rep : AGT

Agent (agt.)

20 Familia members : TIAS

In Spanish, a “tia” (aunt) is a “miembro de la familia” (member of the family).

21 __ Palmas: Canary Islands port : LAS

Gran Canaria, or Grand Canary Island, may be grand but it isn’t quite as big as Tenerife, the largest island of the group and the most populated. The capital of Gran Canaria is Las Palmas, which was a port of call for Christopher Columbus in 1492 on his way to the Americas.

The Canary Islands are located off the northwest coast of Africa. The islands aren’t named for the canary bird and in fact the bird is named for the islands. The name of the Canary Islands comes from the Latin “Canariae Insulae” which translates as “Island of the Dogs”. This was the original name for the third largest island, now called Gran Canaria. In the days of ancient Rome the island was noted as a home to a large number of very large dogs.

30 D’backs, in box scores : ARI

The Arizona Diamondbacks (also “D-backs”) joined Major League Baseball’s National League in 1998. By winning the World Series in 2001, the Diamondbacks became the fastest expansion team to do so in Major League history.

31 Residue in a charcoal grill : ASH

Charcoal is made by heating wood in an atmosphere that minimizes the exposure to oxygen. This process, known as pyrolysis, removes water and volatile materials from the wood leaving the black carbon residue that we call charcoal. The charcoal itself will burn, at a higher temperature, if exposed to oxygen and an ignition source.

33 Pt. of many long weekends : FRI

The name “Friday” comes from an Old English word meaning “day of Frigg”. Frigg was a goddess from Norse mythology who was usually depicted as the wife of Odin.

34 *Large bovine of American folklore : BABE THE BLUE OX (hiding “BETH”)

Paul Bunyan is a character of American myth. He is a skilled lumberjack, and has a sidekick called Babe the Blue Ox. Both Bunyan and Babe are gigantic in size.

Something described as bovine is related to a cow, ox or buffalo, or indeed any ruminant in the genus Bos. “Bos” is the Latin for “cow”, and “bovinus” a Late Latin derivative term.

41 Loaf that may contain caraway seeds : RYE

Caraway is a plant in the carrot family that is prized for its fruits. The caraway “seeds” that we use in cooking are actually caraway “fruits” that each contain a single “seed”.

50 *Political satirist who wrote “Holidays in Hell” : PJ O’ROURKE (hiding “JO”)

P. J. O’Rourke is a political satirist and journalist. I enjoy listening to O’Rourke as a regular panelist on the NPR game show “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!” O’Rourke is also well-known on the other side of the Atlantic for his appearance in a series of satirical TV spots for British Airways.

“Holidays in Hell” is a 1988 book by political satirist and journalist P. J. O’Rourke. It is a work of nonfiction in which O’Rourke mainly describes his assignments as a foreign correspondent in war zones and other areas of conflict.

54 “Phooey!” : NERTS!

“Nerts” is a slang term, a corruption of “nuts!”

55 Umbrella spokes : RIBS

Our term “umbrella” ultimately derives from the Latin “umbra” meaning “shade, shadow”.

56 __ chi: martial art : TAI

More correctly called “t‘ai chi ch‘uan”, tai chi is a martial art that is mostly practiced to improve overall health and increase longevity.

57 Ten, for openers : DECA-

Our prefix “dec-” comes from “deka”, the Greek word for “ten”. The prefix “deca-” means “multiplied by ten”, and “deci-” means “divided by ten”.

59 Louisa May Alcott classic whose main characters are hidden in the answers to the starred clues : LITTLE WOMEN

“Little Women” is a novel written by American author Louisa May Alcott. The quartet of “little women” comprises Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March. Jo is a tomboy, the main character in the story, and is based on Alcott herself.

64 Lipton drink : ICE TEA

Sir Thomas Lipton was a grocer in Glasgow, Scotland. He founded a tea packing company in North America in 1893, in Hoboken, New Jersey. He was very successful as his blends of tea became popular in the US. Despite the Lipton roots in the UK, Lipton black tea isn’t available there, so I’ve always thought of it as an American brand.

65 High coif : UPDO

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.

66 Teller of corny jokes, stereotypically : DAD

Here are a few dad jokes that I use to annoy my kids:

  • When does a joke become a “dad joke”? When it becomes apparent.
  • I had a happy childhood. My dad used to put me in tires and roll me down hills. Those were Goodyears.
  • It’s a shame that the Beatles didn’t make the submarine in that song green. That would’ve been sublime.
  • I told your mom she needs to start embracing her mistakes. So she hugged me
  • When your mom is depressed, I let her color in my tattoos. She just needs a shoulder to crayon.

Down

1 Compete in the Super G, e.g. : SKI

Super Giant Slalom (Super G) is an alpine skiing event introduced in 1982. The Super G isn’t as fast as its sister event the Downhill, but is faster than the more technical Giant Slalom.

2 Colony critter : ANT

“Formicary” is another name for “ant nest”, and comes from the Latin “formica” meaning “ant”. The phrase “ant colony” describes the ants living in an ant nest. A formicarium is similar to an aquarium, and used to house an ant colony perhaps for study. The phrase “ant farm” is usually reserved for ant nests built by an ant colony in a formicarium.

3 Climbing vine with purple flowers : WISTERIA

Wisteria is a genus of flowering plants in the bean family. As such, wisterias climb up any available support by twining their stems around that support. They have been known to climb as high as 65 feet off the ground, and can spread over very large areas. The largest known single wisteria plant has spread over an acre of ground, and is estimated to weigh about 250 tons.

4 Connecting flights : STAIRS

A landing is the area at the top and bottom of a staircase. Apparently, we called the steps between the landings a “flight” of stairs, because one “flies” between landings! Can that be true?

5 Tampa Bay baseballers : RAYS

The Tampa Bay Rays MLB team is a relatively young franchise, having been formed in 1998. The initial name of the franchise was the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. While known as the Devil Rays, the team finished last in the league almost every year. The name was changed to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008, and I am told the Rays started into a streak of winning seasons soon after.

6 Horace’s “__ Poetica” : ARS

The full name of Horace’s work is “Ars Poetica, Epistula ad Pisones” (The Art of Poetry, Letters to the Pisos). The work describes the technical aspects of poetry in ancient Rome, and the term “ars poetica” has come to mean the poetry of that period.

7 “Fist of Legend” action star : JET LI

Actor Jet Li’s real name is Li Jian Jie. Jet Li is a martial artist and international film star from Beijing, China. Li played a villain in “Lethal Weapon 4”, and had a leading role in the 2000 movie “Romeo Must Die”.

“Fist of Legend” is a 1994 martial arts movie starring Jet Li that is a remake of the 1972 Bruce Lee film “Fist of Fury”.

10 __ latte: dairy-free order : SOY

What are known as soybeans here in the US are called “soya beans” in most other English-speaking countries. So, I drink soy milk here in America, but when I am over in Ireland I drink “soya milk”.

18 Cinco de __ : MAYO

The celebration known as Cinco de Mayo is observed all over the US and in parts of Mexico. Cinco de Mayo is not, as some believe, Mexico’s Independence Day. Independence is celebrated on September 16, whereas Cinco de Mayo is celebrated on May 5th. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

22 Golfer Palmer, informally : ARNIE

Arnold Palmer was one of the greats of the world of golf. He was very popular with many fans of the game, and his followers were usually referred to as “Arnie’s Army”. Off the course, Palmer was an avid pilot until his latter years. He resided in Latrobe, Pennsylvania for much of the year and the local airport is named in his honor: Arnold Palmer Regional Airport.

23 Org. with a Climate Change section on its website : EPA

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

25 Mascara target : LASH

Variants of mascara have been around a long time, and certainly there was a similar substance in use in ancient Egypt. “Mascara” is a Spanish word meaning “stain, mask”.

26 Hindu spiritual adviser : GURU

“Guru” is a Hindi word meaning “teacher” or “priest”.

28 The older of baseball’s two leagues: Abbr. : NATL

Major League Baseball’s National League was founded in 1876, as a replacement for the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players that operated from 1971 to 1875. The American League was founded 25 years after the National League, and so the former is sometimes referred to as the “Junior Circuit”, and the latter the “Senior Circuit”.

33 Vamoose : FLEE

To vamoose is to to leave, coming from the Spanish “vamos” meaning “let’s go”.

36 Architect Saarinen : EERO

Eliel Saarinen was a Finnish architect who designed entire city districts in Helsinki. He immigrated to the United States where he became famous for his art nouveau designs. He was the father of Eero Saarinen, who was to become even more renowned in America for his designs, including the Dulles International Airport terminal, and the TWA building at JFK.

37 Data unit : BYTE

In the world of computing, a bit is the basic unit of information. It has a value of 0 or 1. A “byte” is a small collection of “bits” (usually 8), the number of bits needed to uniquely identify a character of text. The prefix mega- stands for 10 to the power of 6, so a megabyte (meg) is 1,000,000 bytes. The prefix giga- means 10 to the power of 9, and so a gigabyte (gig) is 1,000,000,000 bytes. Well, those are the SI definitions of megabyte and gigabyte. The purists still use 2 to the power of 20 for a megabyte (i.e. 1,048,576), and 2 to the power of 30 for a gigabyte.

43 Overhead trains : ELS

Elevated railroad (El)

45 Algonquian language : OJIBWA

The Ojibwe (also “Ojibwa”) are the second-largest of the First Nations, surpassed only by the Cree. The name “Ojibwa” is more common in Canada, whereas the alternative anglicization “Chippewa” is more common in the US.

49 Get back : RECOUP

To recoup is to make up for a loss. The term “recoup” comes from the Old French “re-” meaning “back” and “couper” meaning “to cut”.

51 City near Syracuse : UTICA

Utica in New York is known as “Second Chance City” these days, due to the recent influx of refugees from war-torn parts of the world and from Bosnia in particular. These immigrants have helped revitalize the area and reverse a trend of population loss.

Syracuse is a large city in Central New York. The settlement that eventually became Syracuse was given its name in 1825, in honor of the city of Syracuse in Sicily. It just so happens that the US company that employed me in Ireland transferred me to Syracuse, New York, way back in 1983. As a result, I have fond memories of the city, and visit as often as I can …

53 Poker pot : KITTY

The pot in a card game has been referred to as “the kitty” since the 1880s. It’s not certain how the name “kitty” evolved but possibly it comes from “kit”, the necessary equipment for the game.

60 Name of 13 popes : LEO

The first Pope Leo led the church from 440-461 AD and is now known as Pope Saint Leo the Great. Leo I is famous for having met with the feared Attila the Hun, and persuading him to turn back his invading force that was threatening to overrun Western Europe. The last Pope Leo reigned from 1878-1903. Leo XIII died at the age of 93, making him the oldest of all popes.

61 Masthead VIPs : EDS

The masthead is a list often found on the editorial page of a newspaper that gives the members of a newspaper’s editorial board.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Maxims : SAWS
5 Indian dignitaries : RAJAHS
11 Pizzeria order : PIE
14 Make bootees, say : KNIT
15 Childish response : ARE TOO!
16 Lenient : LAX
17 *”We’ll never understand” : IT’S A MYSTERY (hiding “AMY”)
19 Sports rep : AGT
20 Familia members : TIAS
21 __ Palmas: Canary Islands port : LAS
22 Ranch unit : ACRE
23 Not just a few : EVERY
25 *Color named for a fruit : LIME GREEN (hiding “MEG”)
27 Public face : PERSONA
29 Not yet firm : UNSET
30 D’backs, in box scores : ARI
31 Residue in a charcoal grill : ASH
33 Pt. of many long weekends : FRI
34 *Large bovine of American folklore : BABE THE BLUE OX (hiding “BETH”)
40 Slithery swimmer : EEL
41 Loaf that may contain caraway seeds : RYE
42 Rival : FOE
44 Like a designated driver : SOBER
47 Weepy : TEARFUL
50 *Political satirist who wrote “Holidays in Hell” : PJ O’ROURKE (hiding “JO”)
54 “Phooey!” : NERTS!
55 Umbrella spokes : RIBS
56 __ chi: martial art : TAI
57 Ten, for openers : DECA-
58 Recede : EBB
59 Louisa May Alcott classic whose main characters are hidden in the answers to the starred clues : LITTLE WOMEN
63 Wonderment : AWE
64 Lipton drink : ICE TEA
65 High coif : UPDO
66 Teller of corny jokes, stereotypically : DAD
67 Not strict with : EASY ON
68 Discreet summons : PSST!

Down

1 Compete in the Super G, e.g. : SKI
2 Colony critter : ANT
3 Climbing vine with purple flowers : WISTERIA
4 Connecting flights : STAIRS
5 Tampa Bay baseballers : RAYS
6 Horace’s “__ Poetica” : ARS
7 “Fist of Legend” action star : JET LI
8 Starting squad : A-TEAM
9 Neigh-sayer : HORSE
10 __ latte: dairy-free order : SOY
11 Director’s call : PLACES!
12 “So true!” : I AGREE!
13 Magnitude : EXTENT
18 Cinco de __ : MAYO
22 Golfer Palmer, informally : ARNIE
23 Org. with a Climate Change section on its website : EPA
24 Sink or swim : VERB
25 Mascara target : LASH
26 Hindu spiritual adviser : GURU
28 The older of baseball’s two leagues: Abbr. : NATL
32 Possessive pronoun : HER
33 Vamoose : FLEE
35 Pub round : BEERS
36 Architect Saarinen : EERO
37 Data unit : BYTE
38 Freeway exits : OFF-RAMPS
39 Cross off : X-OUT
43 Overhead trains : ELS
44 Cream cheese, e.g. : SPREAD
45 Algonquian language : OJIBWA
46 Rose and fell on the waves : BOBBED
48 Over again : ANEW
49 Get back : RECOUP
51 City near Syracuse : UTICA
52 Hotel postings : RATES
53 Poker pot : KITTY
57 Leader with an .edu address : DEAN
59 Fabrication : LIE
60 Name of 13 popes : LEO
61 Masthead VIPs : EDS
62 “__ too shabby!” : NOT