LA Times Crossword 16 Aug 22, Tuesday

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Constructed by: Gary Cee
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Bravely Rave about the Puzzle

Themed answers each comprise an adverb followed by an adjective. The adverb is the adjective with a letter at the start and -LY at the end:

  • 17A Playful but egocentric? : SELFISHLY ELFISH
  • 27A Hopeful but insubstantial? : MEAGERLY EAGER
  • 44A Terrible but legal? : LAWFULLY AWFUL
  • 58A Impolite but uptight? : PRUDISHLY RUDISH

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

Bill’s time: 7m 14s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Barton who wrote “A Story of the Red Cross” : CLARA

Clara Barton was deeply disturbed by her experiences caring for the wounded during the Civil War. She dedicated herself after the war towards American recognition of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The American Red Cross was inevitably formed, in 1881, and Barton was installed as its first president.

“A Story of the Red Cross: Glimpses of Field Work” is a 1904 book by Clara Barton, the first president of the American Red Cross. Barton’s intent in writing the book was to publicize the accomplishments of the Red Cross, both at home and abroad.

6 TMI part, briefly : INFO

Too much information (TMI)

10 Tibetan priest : LAMA

“Lama” is a Tibetan word meaning “chief, high priest”.

14 Refueling ship : OILER

A replenishment oiler is a vessel that specializes in resupplying navy vessels at sea, with fuel and other supplies. Modern replenishment oilers can refuel two vessels at the same time while underway.

16 Actor Bana : ERIC

Eric Bana is an Australian actor who enjoyed a successful career in his home country before breaking into Hollywood playing an American Delta Force sergeant in “Black Hawk Down”. A couple of years later he played the lead in Ang Lee’s 2003 movie “Hulk”, the role of Dr Bruce Banner. More recently he played the Romulan villain Nero, in the 2009 “Star Trek” movie.

20 Egyptian boy king : TUT

“King Tut” is a name commonly used for the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun. Tutankhamun may not have been the most significant of the pharaohs historically, but he is the most famous today largely because of the discovery of his nearly intact tomb in 1922 by Howard Carter. Prior to this find, any Egyptian tombs uncovered by archaeologists had been ravaged by grave robbers. Tutankhamun’s magnificent burial mask is one of the most recognizable of all Egyptian artifacts.

21 “hehe” : LOL

Laugh out loud (LOL)

23 Blue cheese from England : STILTON

Stilton is a lovely village in Cambridgeshire in England, and is the original home of the delicious blue cheese called Stilton. Paradoxically, cheesemakers in Stilton are not allowed to call their product Stilton any more. Stilton can only be made in the counties of Derbysire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, and not in Cambridgeshire.

26 Diagnostic test for epilepsy, for short : EEG

An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a record of electrical activity caused by the firing of neurons within the brain. The EEG might be used to diagnose epilepsy, or perhaps to determine if a patient is “brain dead”.

37 Horseback game with a namesake shirt : POLO

The sport of polo originated in Iran, possibly before the 5th century BC. Polo was used back then primarily as a training exercise for cavalry units.

René Lacoste was a French tennis player who went into the clothing business, and came up with a more comfortable shirt that players could use. This became known as a “tennis shirt”. When it was adopted for use in the sport of polo, the shirts also became known as “polo shirts”. The “golf shirt” is basically the same thing. The Lacoste line of clothing features a crocodile logo, because René was nicknamed “The Crocodile”.

40 __ Millions lottery : MEGA

The Mega Millions lottery game is available in most states of the US, as is its major rival called Powerball.

43 Cheat : COZEN

“To cozen” is such a lovely verb! Meaning “to cheat. hoodwink”, it comes from the Middle English word “cosin” meaning “fraud, trickery”.

49 Spot for a pingpong table : REC ROOM

Ping-Pong is called table tennis in the UK, where the sport originated in the 1880s. Table tennis started as an after-dinner activity among the elite, and was called “wiff-waff”. To play the game, books were stacked in the center of a table as a “net”, two more books served as “”rackets” and the ball used was actually a golf ball. The game evolved over time with the rackets being upgraded to the lids of cigar boxes and the ball becoming a champagne cork (how snooty is that?). Eventually the game was produced commercially, and the sound of the ball hitting the racket was deemed to be a “ping” and a “pong”, giving the sport its alternative name. The name “Ping-Pong” was trademarked in Britain in 1901, and eventually sold to Parker Brothers in the US.

52 Pampers all the time : SPOILS

Back in the late 1500s. The verb “to pamper” meant “to cram with food”. Over time, the usage evolved to mean “to overindulge”.

56 Links org. : PGA

Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA)

The oldest type of golf course is a links course. The name “links” comes from the Old English word “hlinc” meaning “rising ground”. “Hlinc” was used to describe areas with coastal sand dunes or open parkland. As a result, we use the term “links course” to mean a golf course that is located at or on the coast, often amid sand dunes. The British Open is always played on a links course.

57 Can. neighbor : USA

The US-Canada border is the longest international border in the world. The total length is 5,525 miles. Canada’s border with the lower 48 states is 3,987 miles long, and the border with Alaska extends 1,538 miles.

63 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.

64 Jeff’s wife on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” : SUSIE

Comedian and actress Susie Essman is perhaps best known for playing Susie Green on the comedy show “Curb Your Enthusiasm”. Essman is also a regular on “The View” and she is a good friend of the show’s co-host Joy Behar.

Standup comedian Jeff Garlin is perhaps best known for his TV acting roles. He plays Murray Golgberg, the dad on “The Goldbergs”, and Jeff Green, Larry’s manager and best friend on “Curb Your Enthusiasm”.

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” is an improv comedy show aired by HBO that was created and stars Larry David, the creator of “Seinfeld”. As an aside, Larry David sat a few feet from me at the next table in a Los Angeles restaurant a few years ago. I have such a huge claim to fame …

Down

4 NWSL official : REF

National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL)

5 Melber of MSNBC : ARI

Ari Melber is a television journalist and the chief legal correspondent for MSNBC. He started hosting his own daily show called “The Beat with Ari Melber” in 2017.

6 Apple device featuring Siri : IPHONE

Siri is a software application that works with Apple’s iOS operating system. “Siri” is an acronym standing for Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface. Voice-over artist Susan Bennett revealed herself as the female American voice of Siri a few years ago. The British version of Siri is called Daniel, and the Australian version is called Karen. Also, “Siri” is a Norwegian name meaning “beautiful woman who leads you to victory”, and was the name the developer had chosen for his first child.

19 Stadium section : LOGE

In most theaters and stadiums today, “loge” is the name given to the front rows of a mezzanine level. Loge can also be used for box seating.

The Greek word “stadion” was a measure of length, about 600 feet. The name “stadion” then came to be used for a running track of that length. That “running track” meaning led to our contemporary term “stadium” (plural “stadia”).

25 Chinese philosophical principle : TAO

The name of the Chinese character “tao” translates as “path”, but the concept of Taoism signifies the true nature of the world.

28 Sport with scrums : RUGBY

If you’ve ever seen a rugby match, you’ll recognize the scrum, in which the players designated as forwards bind together and push against the forwards on the opposing team. It’s a way of restarting the game after various types of stoppages. “Scrum” is short for “scrummage”, which in itself is a variation of “scrimmage”. And “scrimmage” has its roots in the word “skirmish”. If you get the chance, take a look at the Matt Damon-Morgan Freeman movie called “Invictus”, directed by Clint Eastwood. It’s all about rugby in South Africa after Nelson Mandela came to power. A powerful film …

29 Under __: sports apparel brand : ARMOUR

Under Armour is a supplier mainly of sports apparel that was founded in 1996 by a 24-year old (Kevin Plank) working out of a basement in Washington, D.C. Plank’s big break came in 1999 when he was asked to outfit cast members in the movies “Any Given Sunday” and “The Replacements”.

32 Speckled horse : ROAN

A roan horse has an even mixture of white and colored hairs on the body with the head, lower legs, mane and tail having a more solid color.

33 Hot springs gemstone : OPAL

Geyserite is a form of opal that is found around geysers and hot springs. Fossils found in geyserite in 2017 in Australia may be almost 3.5 million years old, providing evidence of the earliest known life on land.

38 Mammoth : COLOSSAL

A colossus (plural “colossi”) is an exceptionally large statue, the most famous of which was the Colossus of Rhodes. This was a statue of the god Helios that stood over 100 feet tall, on the Greek island of Rhodes. New York’s Statue of Liberty was designed to have similar dimensions. The Emma Lazarus poem that is inscribed on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty is in fact titled “The New Colossus”. We get our adjective “colossal”, meaning “of exceptional size”, from “colossus”.

39 Folk singer Guthrie : ARLO

Singer Arlo Guthrie is known for his protest songs, just like his father Woody Guthrie. The younger Guthrie only ever had one song in the top 40: a cover version of “City of New Orleans”. He has lived for years in the town of Washington, just outside Pittsfield, Massachusetts. His 1976 song “Massachusetts” has been the official folk song of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts since 1981.

43 Ozone-depleting chemical, for short : CFC

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) used to be widely used as propellants in aerosols, and as refrigerants in cooling systems. CFCs make their way up into the ozone layer and trigger a chain reaction that converts ozone (O3) into regular oxygen (O2). That conversion creates “holes” in the ozone layer. Regular O2 is good stuff, but we need O3 to absorb harmful UV radiation raining down on us. CFC is not good stuff …

45 Aptly named hybrid fruit : UGLI

The ugli fruit is a hybrid of an orange and a tangerine that was first discovered growing wild in Jamaica where most ugli fruit comes from today. “UGLI” is a trademark name that is a variant of “ugly”, a nod to the fruit’s unsightly wrinkled rind.

46 Diamond-shaped pattern : ARGYLE

The argyle pattern is based on the Campbell tartan. The Campbell clan is based in the Argyll region (note the spelling) in the west of Scotland, giving the Argyle pattern its name.

50 Davis of “Do the Right Thing” : OSSIE

Ossie Davis was a very successful actor, and also a director, poet, playwright and social activist. One of Davis’s better known performances was in the 1993 movie “Grumpy Old Men”, in which he played the owner of the bait shop by the lake.

“Do the Right Thing” is a Spike Lee movie that was released in 1989. Much of the action in the film is centered on a local pizzeria called “Sal’s” owned by Italian-American Salvatore Frangione (played by Danny Aiello).

51 HBO’s “Real Time With Bill __” : MAHER

Bill Maher is a stand-up comedian and political commentator. Maher has an HBO television show called “Real Time with Bill Maher” which is essentially a follow-on from the very successful “Politically Incorrect” program that started out on Comedy Central.

54 Liqueur with a licorice taste : OUZO

Ouzo is an apéritif from Greece that is colorless and flavored with anise. Ouzo is similar to French pastis and Italian sambuca. All three liqueurs turn cloudy with the addition of water.

A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage comprising a distilled spirit flavored with sugar, fruit, herbs and/or spices. “Liqueur” is a French word that comes from the Latin “liquifacere” meaning “to dissolve”. In North America, liqueurs are often labeled as cordials or schnapps.

Liquorice (also “licorice”) and aniseed have similar flavors, but they come from unrelated plants. The liquorice plant is a legume like a bean, and the sweet flavor is an extract from the roots. The flavor mainly comes from an ether compound called anethole, the same substance that gives the distinctive flavor to anise. The seedpods of the anise plant are what we know as “aniseed”. The anise seeds themselves are usually ground to release the flavor.

55 Mid-month day : IDES

There were three important days in each month of the old Roman calendar. These days originally depended on the cycles of the moon but were eventually “fixed” by law. “Kalendae” were the first days of each month, originally the days of the new moon. “Nonae” were originally the days of the half moon. And “idus” (the ides) was originally the day of the full moon, eventually fixed at the 15th day of a month. Actually, the ides were the 15th day of March, May, July and October. For all other months, the ides fell on the 13th. Go figure …

59 Managed care gp. : HMO

Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)

60 The Trojans of the NCAA : USC

The University of Southern California (USC) is a private school in Los Angeles. Apart from its excellent academic record, USC is known for the success of its athletic program. USC Trojans have won more Olympic medals than the students of any other university in the world. The USC marching band is very famous as well, and is known as the “Spirit of Troy”. The band has performed with many celebrities, and is the only college band to have two platinum records.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Barton who wrote “A Story of the Red Cross” : CLARA
6 TMI part, briefly : INFO
10 Tibetan priest : LAMA
14 Refueling ship : OILER
15 Juice extractor extraction : PULP
16 Actor Bana : ERIC
17 Playful but egocentric? : SELFISHLY ELFISH
20 Egyptian boy king : TUT
21 “hehe” : LOL
22 Jot down : NOTATE
23 Blue cheese from England : STILTON
26 Diagnostic test for epilepsy, for short : EEG
27 Hopeful but insubstantial? : MEAGERLY EAGER
33 Words in the title of some tribute poems : ODE TO
35 “__ your head!”: “Think!” : USE
36 Start all over : REDO
37 Horseback game with a namesake shirt : POLO
38 Like pet birds, typically : CAGED
40 __ Millions lottery : MEGA
41 Starting on : AS OF
42 Heavenly sphere : ORB
43 Cheat : COZEN
44 Terrible but legal? : LAWFULLY AWFUL
48 Mucky stuff : GOO
49 Spot for a pingpong table : REC ROOM
52 Pampers all the time : SPOILS
56 Links org. : PGA
57 Can. neighbor : USA
58 Impolite but uptight? : PRUDISHLY RUDISH
62 Exude, as confidence : OOZE
63 Human rights lawyer Clooney : AMAL
64 Jeff’s wife on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” : SUSIE
65 “Terrible” time for tots (and their parents) : TWOS
66 Solitary : LONE
67 Joyful shout : CHEER

Down

1 Is priced at : COSTS
2 Fire dept. rank : LIEUT
3 Coldest temperature on record, e.g. : ALL-TIME LOW
4 NWSL official : REF
5 Melber of MSNBC : ARI
6 Apple device featuring Siri : IPHONE
7 __ and void : NULL
8 Travel by air : FLY
9 Carefully attentive : OPEN-EYED
10 Skipped town : LEFT
11 Opera solo : ARIA
12 Fine spray : MIST
13 Dull pain : ACHE
18 Uphill climb : SLOG
19 Stadium section : LOGE
24 Release, as steam : LET OFF
25 Chinese philosophical principle : TAO
26 “What __ is new?” : ELSE
28 Sport with scrums : RUGBY
29 Under __: sports apparel brand : ARMOUR
30 “Heavens to Betsy!” : GEEZ LOUISE!
31 Advantage : EDGE
32 Speckled horse : ROAN
33 Hot springs gemstone : OPAL
34 Lentil pancake in Indian cuisine : DOSA
38 Mammoth : COLOSSAL
39 Folk singer Guthrie : ARLO
43 Ozone-depleting chemical, for short : CFC
45 Aptly named hybrid fruit : UGLI
46 Diamond-shaped pattern : ARGYLE
47 Have on : WEAR
50 Davis of “Do the Right Thing” : OSSIE
51 HBO’s “Real Time With Bill __” : MAHER
52 Catch sight of : SPOT
53 Ship’s front : PROW
54 Liqueur with a licorice taste : OUZO
55 Mid-month day : IDES
56 Course of action : PLAN
59 Managed care gp. : HMO
60 The Trojans of the NCAA : USC
61 “I think we all know that!” : DUH!