LA Times Crossword 10 Aug 22, Wednesday

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Constructed by: Catherine Cetta
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Grain of Salt

Themed answers each include a GRAIN OF SALT, “NACL” hidden within:

  • 60A Quantity applied to dubious advice, and what’s found in the answer to each starred clue : GRAIN OF SALT
  • 17A *When “you can see forever,” per the classic song : ON A CLEAR DAY
  • 30A *Genetic lab project : DNA CLONING
  • 35A *Almost got the gold : RAN A CLOSE SECOND
  • 44A *Long, curved barrette : BANANA CLIP

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

Bill’s time: 6m 21s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Starts a triathlon : SWIMS

An Ironman Triathlon is a race involving a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a marathon run of just over 26 miles. The idea for the race came out of a debate between some runners in the 1977 Oahu Perimeter Relay. They were questioning whether runners, swimmers or bikers were the most fit athletes. The debaters decided to combine three local events to determine the answer, inviting athletes from all three disciplines. The events that were mimicked in the first triathlon were the Waikiki Roughwater swim (2.4 miles), the Around-Oahu Bike Race (115 miles) and the Honolulu Marathon (26.2 miles). The idea was that whoever finishes first would be called “the Iron Man”. The first triathlon was run in 1978, with fifteen starters and only twelve finishers. The race format is used all over the world now, but the Hawaiian Ironman is the event that everyone wants to win.

11 Short lines at the register? : UPC

The initialism “UPC” stands for Universal Price Code or Universal Product Code. The first ever UPC-marked item to get scanned in a store was on June 26, 1974 at 08:01 a.m. at Marsh’s supermarket in Troy, Ohio. It was a 10-pack of Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit chewing gum.

14 Chocolate source : CACAO

Chocolate is made from the seeds of the Theobroma cacao tree. The seeds are very bitter and the traditional drink made with the seed was called “xocolatl” by the Aztecs, meaning “bitter water”. Our word “chocolate” comes from “xocolatl”.

17 *When “you can see forever,” per the classic song : ON A CLEAR DAY

“On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)” is the title song from a 1965 musical by Burton Lane and Alan Jay Lerner. It is about a reincarnated woman with the gift of ESP. The musical is loosely based on the 1926 play “Berkeley Square” by John L. Balderston. In turn, the play is loosely based on the 1917 novel “The Sense of the Past” by Henry James. Barbra Streisand had a big hit with the song when it was released as a promotional single for a 1970 movie adaption of the musical.

19 Watch chain : FOB

A fob is attached to an object to make it easier to access. And so, a key fob is a chain attached to a key so that it can be retrieved easily. There are also watch fobs, and the pocket in a vest in which a watch can be placed is called a fob. In fact, the original use of the term “fob” was for a small pocket in which one could carry valuables.

22 DVR pioneer : TIVO

TiVo was introduced in 1999 and was the world’s first commercially successful digital video recorder (DVR).

23 Rich cake : TORTE

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

28 Skateboarding star Tony : HAWK

Tony Hawk is a former professional skateboarder from Carlsbad, California. He is probably the most famous skateboarder in the world. I certainly couldn’t name another one …

32 Qatari bigwigs : EMIRS

Qatar is a sovereign state in the Middle East occupying the Qatar Peninsula, itself located in the Arabian Peninsula. Qatar lies on the Persian Gulf and shares one land border, with Saudi Arabia to the south. Qatar has more oil and gas reserves per capita of population than any other country in the world. In 2010, Qatar had the fastest growing economy in the world, driven by the petrochemical industry. Qatar is scheduled to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, although the nation’s eligibility to do so is under question after a far-reaching bribery scandal was uncovered at the sport’s governing body.

42 Word on Irish euros : EIRE

“Éire” is the Irish name for Ireland, coming from “Ériu”. Ériu was the matron goddess of Ireland in Irish mythology.

Euro coins carry a design on one side that indicates the country of issue (Ireland uses a harp, for example). Euro banknotes, on the other hand, lack any such indication. The banknotes all feature stylized architectural designs of bridges, arches and gateways that reflect the large number of historic structures found throughout the continent.

43 Finnish hot spot : SAUNA

As my Finnish-American wife will tell you, “sauna” is a Finnish word, and is pronounced more correctly as “sow-nah” (with “sow” as in the female pig).

44 *Long, curved barrette : BANANA CLIP

A barrette is a hair clip, a clasp for holding the hair in place. The word is French in origin, with a literal translation of “little bar”.

50 Academic acronym : STEM

The acronym “STEM” stands for the disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. An alternative acronym with a similar meaning is MINT, standing for mathematics, information sciences, natural sciences and technology. The acronym STEAM adds (liberal) arts to the STEM curriculum.

51 Glasses for bookworms : READERS

A bookworm is someone devoted to reading and study. The term “bookworm” refers to insect larvae prone to eating holes in the bindings and paper of old books.

55 Han who said, “It’s not wise to upset a Wookiee” : SOLO

Wookiees are a biped race featured in “Star Wars”. The most notable Wookiee is Chewbacca (aka “Chewie”), the loyal friend and associate of Han Solo who serves as co-pilot on the Millennium Falcon spaceship.

59 __ sale : TAG

A tag sale is a sale of household belongings, so called because the prices are usually marked on tags attached to the items for sale.

60 Quantity applied to dubious advice, and what’s found in the answer to each starred clue : GRAIN OF SALT

To take something with a grain of salt is to view something skeptically. On the other side of the Atlantic, the same meaning is expressed using “pinch of salt”. A grain was an old unit of weight equal to about 65 mg, which approximates how much table salt one might pick up by pinching together one’s fingers.

67 __ light bulb : LED

A light-emitting diode (LED) is a specialized form of semiconductor that when switched on releases photons (light). LEDs were used in early digital watches, and are getting more and more popular even though their use in electronic equipment is fading away. LEDs are used as replacements for the much less-efficient tungsten light bulbs. I replaced all of my tungsten Xmas lights a few years ago and saved a lot on my electricity bill.

Down

1 Person in Paisley : SCOT

The town of Paisley is located in the western Lowlands of Scotland. During the Industrial Revolution, Paisley was an important center of the weaving industry. As a result, the familiar Paisley pattern is named for the Scottish town.

5 __ power : SOLAR

Solar panels are arrays of solar cells that make use of what’s known as the photovoltaic effect. We are more likely to have learned about the photoelectric effect in school, in which electrons were ejected from the surface of some materials when it was exposed to light or other forms of radiation. The photovoltaic effect is related but different. Instead of being electrons ejected from the surface, in the photovoltaic effect electrons move around in the material creating a difference in voltage.

6 Like some martinis : SHAKEN

Why have a vodka martini shaken and not stirred (as does James Bond, 007)? For one thing, the shaken drink tends to be colder. And with more melted ice in the drink, it isn’t as strong. These are my personal observations. No need to write in …

7 AirPods holders : EARS

AirPods are Apple’s line of bluetooth earpods. When AirPods were introduced in 2016, the market reacted with some skepticism. The left and right AirPods are not connected by any wire, so there was concern that individual earbuds could fall out of the ear, and possibly get lost. Another concern is Apple’s stated intent to abandon the wired headphone socket on new iPhone models.

9 Hermana de la madre : TIA

In Spanish, the “hermana” (sister) of your “madre” (mother) is your “tia” (aunt).

11 Florence gallery with Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus” : UFFIZI

The Uffizi Gallery (“Galleria degli Uffizi” in Italian) is one of the oldest art museums in the western world and is housed in the Palazzo degli Uffizi in Florence, Italy. The Palazzo was built in 1560, intended to house the offices of the Florentine magistrates. This original usage gave the gallery its name, as “uffizi” is Italian for “offices”.

Sandro Botticelli was a painter of the Early Renaissance belonging to the Florentine school. Perhaps his best known work is “The Birth of Venus”, painted about 1486, which can be seen in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

13 Seven of Nine of “Star Trek,” for one : CYBORG

“Cyborg” is an abbreviation for “cybernetic organism”, a being that is made up of both organic and synthetic parts.

Jeri Ryan’s most famous role is the de-assimilated Borg known as Seven of Nine on “Star Trek: Voyager”. I haven’t seen that show, but I know Ryan from a supporting role on the legal drama “Shark”, playing opposite James Woods. She also plays Ronnie Cooke on “Boston Public”.

18 Founded, for short : ESTD

Established (“est.” or “estd.”)

22 Pewter component : TIN

Pewter is a relatively soft alloy that is made up mostly of tin, with some copper, antimony, bismuth and lead.

24 Gumbo vegetable : OKRA

Gumbo is a type of stew or soup that originated in Louisiana. The primary ingredient can be meat or fish, but to be true gumbo it must include the “holy trinity” of vegetables, namely celery, bell peppers and onion. Okra used to be a requirement but this is no longer the case. Okra gave the dish its name as the vernacular word for the African vegetable is “okingumbo”, from the Bantu language spoken by many of the slaves brought to America.

25 Cold, slushy treat : ICEE

A slushie is a flavored frozen drink. The brand names Slurpee and ICEE are examples of the genre.

26 World Cup chants : OLES

The FIFA World Cup is the most prestigious tournament in the sport of soccer. The competition has been held every four years (excluding the WWII years) since the inaugural event held in Uruguay in 1930. The men’s World Cup is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, even outranking the Olympic Games. And, the women’s World Cup is fast catching up …

29 “No question is too personal” session, for short : AMA

Ask me anything (AMA)

31 “Yosemite Valley Winter” photographer Adams : ANSEL

As an avid amateur photographer, I have been a big fan of the work of Ansel Adams for many years and must have read all of his books. Adams was famous for clarity and depth in his black and white images. Central to his technique was the use of the zone system, his own invention. The zone system is a way of controlling exposure in an image, particularly when there is a high contrast in the subject. Although the technique was developed primarily for black & white film, it can even apply to digital color images. In the digital world, the main technique is to expose an image for the highlights, and one or more images for the shadows. These images can then be combined digitally giving a final photograph with a full and satisfying range of exposures.

37 Tolkien creatures : ORCS

Orcs are mythical humanoid creatures that appear in the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien. Since Tolkien’s use of orcs, they have also been featured in other fantasy fiction as well as in fantasy video games.

49 Casual top : POLO

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”.

53 Awesome, in showbiz : BOFFO

“Boffo” (sometimes “boff”) is show biz slang for “very successful”, and is a term that dates back to the early sixties.

55 Etsy, e.g. : SITE

Etsy.com is an e-commerce website where you can buy and sell the kind of items that you might find at a craft fair.

57 “Frozen” sister : ELSA

“Frozen” is a 2013 animated feature from Walt Disney Studios that is based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale “The Snow Queen”. The film is all about the exploits of Princess Anna, the younger sister of Elsa, Snow Queen of Arendelle. Spoiler alert: Prince Hans of the Southern Isles seems to be a good guy for most of the film, but turns out to be a baddie in the end. And, a snowman named Olaf provides some comic relief.

58 Start of an address : HTTP

“http” are the first letters in many Internet links. “http” stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol. More secure and “safer” websites (like this one!) use links starting with “https”, which stands for “http secure”).

61 Color TV pioneer : RCA

Early television programming was broadcast in monochrome, i.e. black-and-white or grayscale. The introduction of color television built on the technology behind monochrome TV in the sense that color television images are a combination of three monochrome images. The colors of these three monochrome signals are red, green and blue (RGB).

62 North Sea diving bird : AUK

Auks are penguin-like sea birds that live in colder northern waters including the Arctic. Like penguins, auks are great swimmers, but unlike penguins, auks can fly.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Starts a triathlon : SWIMS
6 Airplane assignments : SEATS
11 Short lines at the register? : UPC
14 Chocolate source : CACAO
15 “I’ve __ up to here!” : HAD IT
16 Swelter : FRY
17 *When “you can see forever,” per the classic song : ON A CLEAR DAY
19 Watch chain : FOB
20 Top __ : TEN
21 Requests : ASKS
22 DVR pioneer : TIVO
23 Rich cake : TORTE
25 Air purifying gadget : IONIZER
28 Skateboarding star Tony : HAWK
30 *Genetic lab project : DNA CLONING
32 Qatari bigwigs : EMIRS
34 “__ I say more?” : NEED
35 *Almost got the gold : RAN A CLOSE SECOND
42 Word on Irish euros : EIRE
43 Finnish hot spot : SAUNA
44 *Long, curved barrette : BANANA CLIP
50 Academic acronym : STEM
51 Glasses for bookworms : READERS
52 Court attire : ROBES
54 Itch : URGE
55 Han who said, “It’s not wise to upset a Wookiee” : SOLO
56 [shrug] : [MEH]
59 __ sale : TAG
60 Quantity applied to dubious advice, and what’s found in the answer to each starred clue : GRAIN OF SALT
64 Put away : ATE
65 Very serious : ACUTE
66 Leading : FIRST
67 __ light bulb : LED
68 Cookie source : BAKER
69 Ready to flow : ON TAP

Down

1 Person in Paisley : SCOT
2 Diminish : WANE
3 “Gosh, no one is happy with me!” : I CAN’T WIN!
4 PC alternative : MAC
5 __ power : SOLAR
6 Like some martinis : SHAKEN
7 AirPods holders : EARS
8 Total : ADD
9 Hermana de la madre : TIA
10 Farm pen : STY
11 Florence gallery with Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus” : UFFIZI
12 Tried and true : PROVEN
13 Seven of Nine of “Star Trek,” for one : CYBORG
18 Founded, for short : ESTD
22 Pewter component : TIN
24 Gumbo vegetable : OKRA
25 Cold, slushy treat : ICEE
26 World Cup chants : OLES
27 Network connections : NODES
28 She/__ pronouns : HER
29 “No question is too personal” session, for short : AMA
31 “Yosemite Valley Winter” photographer Adams : ANSEL
33 Part of an act : SCENE
36 Storyteller : LIAR
37 Tolkien creatures : ORCS
38 Wholesale quantity : CASE
39 Get the better of : OUTSMART
40 U-turn from SSW : NNE
41 Hydroelectric power source : DAM
44 Merciless : BRUTAL
45 Gas up? : AERATE
46 Hounded : NAGGED
47 Stand buy : ADE
48 Wrinkle remover : IRONER
49 Casual top : POLO
53 Awesome, in showbiz : BOFFO
55 Etsy, e.g. : SITE
57 “Frozen” sister : ELSA
58 Start of an address : HTTP
60 Shoot the breeze : GAB
61 Color TV pioneer : RCA
62 North Sea diving bird : AUK
63 Transgression : SIN

21 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 10 Aug 22, Wednesday”

  1. No errors, no lookups. Did not pay attention to the theme
    and probably would never have got it.

  2. ‘Twas an easy puzzle. Maybe it was too easy, not a matter of what you knew but of how fast you could write.

  3. 14 something with 3 errors – rushed things and had BANANACLAW instead of …CLIP. Good theme.

  4. The SW corner slowed me down as I had big sale for 59 across and had to figure out where I had gone wrong since the down answers 44 & 45 weren’t working with the B and the I. Once I got that self inflicted wound straightened out the puzzle came together without final error.

  5. 17:18 no errors…by this time tomorrow I could still be looking for the theme (and not finding it)…also had no idea what 13D was but crosses took care of that.
    Stay safe😀

  6. 10:05 with one revision: EAT>ATE.

    New items/names: UFFIZI. Didn’t know Paisley is a Scottish town, but should have suspected that since it was capitalized in the clue.

    Theme was easy to spot once the puzzle was complete.

  7. No errors, no look-ups, and got the theme after the first two “nacl” answers. Clever puzzle.

    Jeri T.

  8. 11:41 – Clean. Felt I should’ve done better.

    Easy for a Wednesday. Maybe the dearth of PPPs had something to do with it. Keep up the good work Patti!

    Fun puzzle, felt good after completing it. Also got the theme early, for a change …

    Be Well.

  9. 8 mins 40 sec, no errors. Nothing remarkable stood out on this one, for good or ill.

  10. 7:32

    Despite a clever, helpful theme, the puzzle still managed to OUTSMART me in a few places:
    Top DOG->Top TEN
    FOR sale->TAG sale
    BARD->LIAR
    ENTS->ORCS

    Today I learned about the UFFRIZI gallery. Tomorrow, I’ll probably have forgotten.

    1. Ummm … UFFIZI, not UFFRIZI (no “R” in it) … or … did you do that intentionally to make a point? (I can relate … 😜.)

  11. No look ups, no errors. Got the theme right
    at the end and it helped me finish. One
    revision orts/orcs which gave me
    Banana clip and unraveled the SW
    corner!

  12. Got the NACL clue early on, used it to figure out remaining 2 theme clues. I’m not a chemistry-type person, so I’m impressed with myself right now.

    Some group in my city holds a half-triathalon every spring. One year my son in law stayed at my house while he competed in it. The bike portion would be run on our cross-street a block away. He (John) was able to tell me almost to the minute what time he would be passing by, so I stood at the cross street to cheer him on. It was just me and a traffic controller standing at the corner. The bikers were spread out by then, and one came along and flashed us a big smile. The other guy and I looked at each other—“who’s he smiling at?” When the biker reached the turn-around point and started back toward us, I took a good look at the bike colors, and realized it was John. With a lycra suit, helmet and sunglasses, I hadn’t recognized my own son in law!

  13. she/her pronouns? At 91 I admit much escapes me, but she/her pronouns? I’m always wondering what Bill thinks when he makes no comment.

  14. Had to Google twice – for CYBORG (I had ROBOT) and URGE (had nothing. Couldn’t go further without those. Never heard of AMA for texting, and I do text.
    Happy about few PPPs.
    Is Paisley, the design, Scottish or Persian – or both?

  15. Mostly easy Wednesday for me; took 11:41 with no peeks or errors – hmm, same time as Lou Lu. Did this after the demoralizingly difficult WSJ puzzle, so probably a little slower than usual. Didn’t notice the theme until I got here.

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