LA Times Crossword 13 Aug 22, Saturday

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Constructed by: Lewis Rothlein
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: None

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

Bill’s time: 13m 59s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 “Growing Up in New Guinea” author : MEAD

“Coming of Age in Samoa” sounds like a fascinating book. It was written by American cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead and published in 1928. In the book, Mead examines the behavior of youths in Samoa, making some comparisons with youths in America. One major observation she made was the smooth transition from childhood to adulthood of Samoan girls, compared to what she described as a more troublesome transition in the US. Mead followed up “Coming of Age in Samoa” with a similar work in 1930 titled “Growing Up in New Guinea”, which documented her observations of the people of the Manus Province of Papua New Guinea.

5 Softball club : BAT

The sport we know today as softball was created as an indoor version of baseball. The first game was played on Thanksgiving Day in Chicago. Back then, a “soft” ball was indeed used, but the name “softball” wasn’t adopted until 1926.

8 Retirement option : SERTA

Serta was founded in 1931 when a group of 13 mattress manufacturers came together, essentially forming a cooperative. Today, the Serta company is owned by eight independent licensees in a similar arrangement. Serta advertisements feature the Serta Counting Sheep. Each numbered sheep has a different personality, such as:

  • #1 The Leader of the Flock
  • #½ The Tweener
  • #13 Mr. Bad Luck
  • #53 The Pessimist
  • #86 Benedict Arnold

13 Semi bar : AXLE

An 18-wheeler semi-trailer truck has eight wheels under the trailer, i.e. four on each of the two rear axles. There are 10 wheels under the tractor unit. Two of the ten wheels are on the front axle, and eight are on the rear two axles that sit under the front of the trailer.

14 Sage : GURU

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

17 Lollapalooza : ONER

A “lollapalooza” is something outstanding, one of a kind, as is a “dilly”.

22 Bit parts? : REINS

The type of horse tack known as a bit is placed in a horse’s mouth and is used to aid communication of instruction from rider to mount. The bit is held in place by means of a bridle around the head, and is controlled by the rider using the attached reins.

27 Baltic port : RIGA

Riga is the capital city of Latvia. The historical center of Riga is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, declared as such because of the city’s magnificent examples of Art Nouveau architecture.

30 Garter snake prey : NEWTS

The garter snake is found right across the continent, It is in fact the most widely distributed genus of reptile in North America, being found anywhere from Southeast Alaska to Central America.

35 Frank exchange? : TOFU DOG

“Tofu” is a name for bean curd, and is a Japanese word meaning just that … bean that has curdled. Tofu is produced by coagulating soy milk, using either salt or something acidic. Once the protein has coagulated, the curds are pressed into the familiar blocks. Personally I love tofu, but my wife absolutely hates it …

The frankfurter sausage that is typically used in a North American hot dog gets its name from Frankfurter Würstchen. The latter is a German sausage that is prepared by boiling in water, just like a hot dog frank.

37 KOA parkers : RVS

Kampgrounds of America (KOA) was founded in 1962 by Montana businessman Dave Drum, who opened up his first property along the Yellowstone River. His strategy was to offer a rich package of services including hot showers, restrooms and a store, which he hoped would attract people used to camping in the rough. The original campground was an immediate hit and Drum took on two partners and sold franchises all over the country. There are about 500 KOA sites today.

38 Pet __ : PEEVE

The phrase “pet peeve”, meaning “thing that provokes one most”, seems to be somewhat ironic. A “peeve” is a source of irritation, and the adjective “pet” means “especially cherished”.

42 Bluegrass legend Scruggs : EARL

Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt are the musicians who founded the bluegrass band called the Foggy Mountain Boys in 1948.

44 Small cutters : X-ACTOS

The X-Acto knife was invented in the thirties by a Polish immigrant, although his intention was to come up with a scalpel for surgeons. The knife couldn’t cut it as a scalpel though (pun!), because it was difficult to clean. The inventor’s brother-in-law suggested it be used as a craft knife, and it is still around today.

46 CrossFit set : BURPEES

Burpees are strength-training exercises. Each burpee involves a squat thrust followed by a straight stand. The exercise is named for its inventor, physiologist Royal Huddleston Burpee, Sr.

49 Ohno who won “Dancing With the Stars” in 2007 : APOLO

Speed-skater Apolo Ohno has won more Winter Olympics medals than any other American. Ohno also did a great job winning the 2007 season of television’s “Dancing with the Stars”.

50 Cake that traditionally has coconut-pecan icing : GERMAN CHOCOLATE

German chocolate cake is a layered chocolate cake with coconut-pecan frosting. Despite the name, it is an American invention, the creation of British-American chocolatier Samuel German in the 1850s.

54 Patatas bravas, por ejemplo : TAPA

“Tapa” is the Spanish word for “lid”. There is no clear rationale for why this word came to be used for an appetizer. There are lots of explanations cited, all of which seem to involve the temporary covering of one’s glass of wine with a plate or item of food to either preserve the wine or give one extra space at the table.

Patatas bravas is a Spanish dish comprising fried white potatoes served with a spicy sauce. The name “patatas bravas” translates as “spicy potatoes”. The dish is common in tapas restaurants.

55 Go very slow, or very fast : DRAG

Back in the 18th century, “drag” was slang for a wagon or buggy, as it was “dragged” along by a horse or horses. In the 1930s, the underworld adopted “drag” as slang for an automobile. This sense of the word was imported into automobile racing in the 1940s, giving the name to “drag racing”. A drag race is basically a competition between two cars to determine which can accelerate faster from a standstill.

58 Breakfast brand : EGGO

Eggo is a line of frozen waffles and related products made by Kellogg’s. When they were introduced in the 1930s, the name “Eggo” was chosen to promote the “egginess” of the batter. “Eggo” replaced “Froffles”, the original name chosen by melding “frozen” and “waffles”.

59 Like salsa : ZESTY

“Salsa” is simply Spanish for “sauce”.

60 Convertible’s spot : DEN

I’m guessing that is convertible furniture …

61 Off! ingredient : DEET

“DEET” is short for “N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide”, an active ingredient in insect repellents. DEET is most often used to repel mosquitoes by applying it to the skin and/or clothing. It is also used to protect against tick bites.

Down

2 Condemn harshly : EXCORIATE

To excoriate is to abrade or chafe. “Excoriate” also means “to strongly denounce something or someone”.

5 Hit close to home? : BUNT

To bunt in baseball is to barely hit the ball, just enough to have it roll slowly in front of the infielders.

6 Products helpful when buying flooring : AREAS

The product is the number that results from multiplying two or more numbers together.

9 Sage : ERUDITE

“Erudite” is a lovely-sounding word meaning “learned, well-educated”. The term comes from the Latin verb “erudire” meaning “to educate”, or more literally “to bring out of the rough”.

10 “Hamilton” Tony winner __ Elise Goldsberry : RENEE

Renée Elise Goldsberry is an actress and singer who is best known to me for playing the attorney Geneva Pine on the TV show “The Good Wife”. Goldsberry also originated the role of Angelica Schuyler Church in the hit Broadway musical “Hamilton”.

11 Volga region native : TATAR

Tatars (sometimes “Tartars”) are an ethnic group of people who mainly reside in Russia (a population of about 5 1/2 million). One of the more famous people with a Tatar heritage was Hollywood actor Charles Bronson. Bronson’s real name was Charles Buchinsky.

The Volga is the longest river in Europe. It is also considered the national river of Russia.

20 Masai Mara migrant : GNU

The gnu is also known as the wildebeest, and is an antelope native to Africa. “Wildebeest” is a Dutch meaning “wild beast”.

The Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya sits right beside the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.

21 Vegetable related to lilies : YAM

Although in the US we sometimes refer to sweet potatoes as “yams”, the yam is actually a completely different family of plants. True yams are more common in other parts of the world than they are in this country, and are especially common in Africa.

29 Giancarlo’s “Better Call Saul” role : GUS

Gus Fring is a character on the hit AMC television show “Breaking Bad” and the prequel “Better Call Saul”. Fring is a Machiavellian drug lord who fronts his illegal activities with a successful chain of fast food restaurants called Los Pollos Hermanos. He is played by actor Giancarlo Esposito.

31 Magnified : WRIT LARGE

Something writ large is expressed in a more obvious way.

33 Old boomers : SSTS

Supersonic transports (SSTs) like the Concorde broke Mach 1, the speed of sound. As a plane flies through the air, it creates pressure waves in front (and behind) rather like the bow and stern waves of a boat. These pressure waves travel at the speed of sound, so as an aircraft itself accelerates towards the speed of sound it catches up with the pressure waves until they cannot “get out of the way”. When the aircraft reaches the speed of sound, the compressed waves merge into one single shock wave, creating a sonic boom.

35 Social event where Alice is asked, “Why is a raven like a writing desk?” : TEA PARTY

In Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”, the Mad Hatter poses a riddle to Alice, “Why is a raven like a writing desk?”. Alice can’t answer, and asks for the solution. The Mad Hatter says, “I haven’t the slightest idea!”. Very frustrating …

36 Many a Zapotec : OAXACAN

Oaxaca is a state in the southern part of Mexico on the Pacific coast. The state takes the name of Oaxaca, its largest city.

The Zapotec languages are spoken mainly by the Zapotec people from the southwestern-central highlands of Mexico, mainly located in the state of Oaxaca.

39 State whose capital is named for a French city : VERMONT

The state name “Vermont” probably comes from the French “les Verts Monts”, meaning “The Green Mountains”.

Montpelier is the capital of the state of Vermont, the smallest state in the Union in terms of population. The city was named for the French city of Montpelier in the days when there was great enthusiasm for things French after the aid received during the American Revolution.

43 Driver’s “Star Wars” role : REN

Kylo Ren is the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa in the “Star Wars” universe. The character’s birth name was Ben Solo. He was trained as a Jedi knight by his uncle, Luke Skywalker. However, Ben came to embrace the Dark Side, and changed his name to Kylo Ren. Ren is played by actor Adam Driver.

45 PFC’s address : APO

Army post office (APO)

Private first class (PFC)

46 Color whose name comes from Old French for “natural wool” : BEIGE

Our word “beige” comes from the Old French “bege”, a term that applied to the natural color of wool and cotton that was not dyed.

50 Austrian city on the eastern edge of the Alps : GRAZ

Graz is the second-largest city in Austria, after the capital Vienna. One of Graz’s sons is actor and former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. I used to work for a company headquartered in Graz and had the privilege of visiting that beautiful city several times …

52 Awards acronym : EGOT

The acronym “EGOT” stands for “Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony”, and is a reference to performers who have won all four awards. Also known as the “Showbiz Award Grand Slam”, there are relatively few individuals who have been so honored. The first five to do so were:

  1. Richard Rodgers in 1962
  2. Helen Hayes in 1977
  3. Rita Moreno in 1977
  4. John Gielgud in 1991
  5. Audrey Hepburn in 1994 (posthumously)

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 “Growing Up in New Guinea” author : MEAD
5 Softball club : BAT
8 Retirement option : SERTA
13 Semi bar : AXLE
14 Sage : GURU
15 Place to get bike wear : TREAD
16 Screen symbol : ICON
17 Lollapalooza : ONER
18 Cost as much as : RUN TO
19 “Whatever you’re thinking, no” : DON’T GET ANY IDEAS
22 Bit parts? : REINS
23 Less sound : SHAKIER
24 Gets out of a slump? : SITS UP
25 Emanate : EMIT
26 “Hold on” : WAIT
27 Baltic port : RIGA
30 Garter snake prey : NEWTS
34 Outer bank? : ATM
35 Frank exchange? : TOFU DOG
37 KOA parkers : RVS
38 Pet __ : PEEVE
40 Italian pronoun : ESSA
41 Free of lumps : SIFT
42 Bluegrass legend Scruggs : EARL
44 Small cutters : X-ACTOS
46 CrossFit set : BURPEES
49 Ohno who won “Dancing With the Stars” in 2007 : APOLO
50 Cake that traditionally has coconut-pecan icing : GERMAN CHOCOLATE
53 Severity : RIGOR
54 Patatas bravas, por ejemplo : TAPA
55 Go very slow, or very fast : DRAG
56 Deal-maker : AGENT
57 Free of lumps : EVEN
58 Breakfast brand : EGGO
59 Like salsa : ZESTY
60 Convertible’s spot : DEN
61 Off! ingredient : DEET

Down

1 Part of the inn crowd : MAID
2 Condemn harshly : EXCORIATE
3 Recharging period : ALONE TIME
4 Bridge inspector? : DENTIST
5 Hit close to home? : BUNT
6 Products helpful when buying flooring : AREAS
7 Attract attention : TURN HEADS
8 Attracting attention : STRIKING
9 Sage : ERUDITE
10 “Hamilton” Tony winner __ Elise Goldsberry : RENEE
11 Volga region native : TATAR
12 Stirs : ADOS
14 Makes a major decision? : GOES PRO
20 Masai Mara migrant : GNU
21 Vegetable related to lilies : YAM
24 Even trade : SWAP
28 Words from a runner : IF ELECTED
29 Giancarlo’s “Better Call Saul” role : GUS
31 Magnified : WRIT LARGE
32 Some coverage : TV FOOTAGE
33 Old boomers : SSTS
35 Social event where Alice is asked, “Why is a raven like a writing desk?” : TEA PARTY
36 Many a Zapotec : OAXACAN
39 State whose capital is named for a French city : VERMONT
41 Took to task : SCOLDED
43 Driver’s “Star Wars” role : REN
45 PFC’s address : APO
46 Color whose name comes from Old French for “natural wool” : BEIGE
47 Drives : URGES
48 Prepare cheese, in a way : SHAVE
50 Austrian city on the eastern edge of the Alps : GRAZ
51 Transparent : OPEN
52 Awards acronym : EGOT