LA Times Crossword 11 Nov 22, Friday

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Constructed by: Patti Varol
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: I’ve Been Had

Themed answers are common phrases that have HAD the suffix “-IVE” inserted:

  • 63A Scam victim’s lament, and an apt title for this puzzle : I’VE BEEN HAD!
  • 16A Part of a player piano? : PASSIVE KEY (from “pass key”)
  • 23A Letter from Zurich? : SWISS MISSIVE (from “Swiss Miss”)
  • 39A Excited cry from a chicory farmer waiting for harvest? : THE ENDIVE IS NEAR (from “the end is near”)
  • 50A Dust, silverfish, or dampness? : ARCHIVE ENEMY (from “archenemy”)

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

Bill’s time: 6m 42s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Cherry-pick : CULL

Cherry picking is a tactic used to support an argument in which favorable individual cases are cited as representative of all cases. Cherry picking attempts to bias an audience by focusing only on data that is supportive of an argument, while overlooking data that is non-supportive.

5 “On the Basis of Sex” monogram : RBG

Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG) served on the US Supreme Court. Justice Ginsburg was the second woman to join the Court, and was nominated by President Bill Clinton. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1999 and underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. During that time she did not miss one day on the bench. In 2009 Justice Ginsburg had surgery for pancreatic cancer, and was back to work 12 days later. She had left-lung lobectomy to remove cancerous nodules in 2018, which forced Justice Ginsburg to miss oral argument in January 2019, for the first time since joining the court 25 years earlier. She finally succumbed to pancreatic cancer in 2020. Much of Ginsburg’s life is recounted in the excellent 2018 movie “On the Basis of Sex”.

8 Calm and Headspace, for two : APPS

Calm is a San Francisco-based company producing meditation products and services, the main one being the Calm meditation app. Calm was founded in 2012, and in 2019 was valued at one billion dollars. That would calm me down quite a bit …

Headspace is an app and website offering guided meditations. The Headspace company was founded in 2010 by a marketing expert and a former Buddhist monk.

12 China setting : ASIA

The world’s most populous country is the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The Republic of China (ROC) is the official name of the sovereign state that we usually call Taiwan.

16 Part of a player piano? : PASSIVE KEY (from “pass key”)

A player piano is a piano that plays itself. The original Pianola, a brand introduced in the early 1900s, used a pneumatic mechanism to depress the keys. The tune itself was stored on a paper roll that had carefully positioned perforations.

18 “I w-wish I’d brought a sw-sweater!” : BRRR!

Until the early 1880s, the word “sweater” applied to clothing worn specifically for weight reduction by “sweating”.

19 Art that may later be regretted : TATTOO

The word “tattoo” (often shortened to “tat”) was first used in English in the writings of the famous English explorer Captain Cook. In his descriptions of the indelible marks adorning the skin of Polynesian natives, Cook anglicized the Tahitian word “tatau” into our “tattoo”. Tattoos are sometimes referred to as “ink”.

20 Sandwich title : EARL

Meats placed between slices of bread was first called a sandwich in the 18th century, named after the Fourth Earl of Sandwich. The earl was fond of eating “sandwiches” while playing cards at his club.

22 Fr. holy woman : STE

“Sainte” (ste.) is French for “saint”, when referring to a “femme” (woman).

23 Letter from Zurich? : SWISS MISSIVE (from “Swiss Miss”)

Swiss Miss is a brand of cocoa powder and related products sold by ConAgra Foods. The original Swiss Miss product was introduced in the 1950s and sold exclusively to airlines. Back then, airlines were in the habit of making hot cocoa for their passengers. Swiss Miss became so popular on flights that it was later added to grocery store shelves.

Zurich is located in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. It is the largest city in the country.

26 Royal Navy letters : HMS

The prefix “HMS” is used by the warships of the Royal Navy, and stands for “Her/His Majesty’s Ship/Submarine”. The prefix “RMS” is used by ships of the merchant navy, and stands for “Royal Mail Ship/Steamer”.

The Royal Navy is the oldest of the armed services of the United Kingdom, having been formed in the early 16th century. As such, it is known as the Senior Service. The first truly organized naval force was founded by Henry VIII in 1546.

29 Oral health org. : ADA

The American Dental Association (ADA) is the largest and oldest national dental association in the world. Today the ADA is based in Chicago, but the association was founded in Niagara Falls, New York in 1859. The ADA started out as a group of 26 dentists, and it now has more than 152,000 members.

30 Pets in a Lilian Jackson Braun mystery series : CATS

Lilian Jackson Braun was the author of the “The Cat Who” series of mystery novels. The main characters in the stories are an ex-reporter named James Qwilleran and his Siamese cats called KoKo and Yum-Yum.

33 Pretty pitcher : EWER

A pitcher is a container for liquid that has a handle, mouth and spout. The term “jug” is used for the same container in other English-speaking countries. “Ewer” is an older term describing a pitcher/jug. Today, a ewer is a highly decorative pitcher, often with a base and flared spout.

36 Aquarium fish : TETRA

The neon tetra is a freshwater fish that is native to parts of South America. The tetra is a very popular aquarium fish and millions are imported into the US every year. Almost all of the imported tetras are farm-raised in Asia and very few come from their native continent.

39 Excited cry from a chicory farmer waiting for harvest? : THE ENDIVE IS NEAR (from “the end is near”)

Endive is a leaf vegetable belonging to the chicory genus, and so is in the daisy family. Endive is also known as “escarole”.

45 The Dalai __ : LAMA

The Dalai Lama is a religious leader in the Gelug branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The current Dalai Lama is the 14th to hold the office. He has indicated that the next Dalai Lama might be found outside of Tibet for the first time, and may even be female.

47 PO alternative : UPS

United Parcel Service (UPS) is based in Sandy Springs, Georgia and has its own airline that operates out of Louisville, Kentucky. UPS often goes by the nickname “Brown”, because of its brown delivery trucks and brown uniforms.

49 Assam export : TEA

Assam is a state in the far northeast of India, and just south of the Himalayas. Assam is noted for its tea, as well as its silk.

50 Dust, silverfish, or dampness? : ARCHIVE ENEMY (from “archenemy”)

Despite the name, a silverfish is a small, wingless insect. It is so called because it makes fishlike movements, and is silver in color. Famously, silverfish are enemies of booklovers. They can digest cellulose and are quite fond of eating paper and book bindings.

57 Worrywart’s words : DEAR ME

The term “worrywart”, meaning one who dwells unnecessarily on troubles, comes from a cartoon strip. Worry Wart was a character introduced in 1956 in the strip “Out Our Way” that was drawn by American cartoonist J.R. Williams. Worry Wart the character caused others to do the worrying, which is the opposite of the meaning we give the term “worrywart” today.

61 Some Neruda poems : ODES

“Pablo Neruda” was the pen name, and eventually the legal name, used by Chilean writer Neftali Ricardo Reyes Basoalto. Basoalto chose the name as an homage to Czech poet Jan Neruda.

“Odes to Common Things” is a collection of poems by Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. Included in the list of 25 odes is “Ode to the Table”, “Ode to the Dog”, “Ode to the Artichoke”, “Ode to French Fries” and “Ode to Things”.

65 “Fargo” co-star : MACY

William H. Macy is a favorite actor of mine, and one who appears in several of my favorite movies, including “Fargo” and “Air Force One”. He is also magnificent in the US version of the British TV show “Shameless”. In 1997, Macy married fellow actor Felicity Huffman, someone found guilty of fraud in the infamous case about college admissions bribery. Macy was never charged.

“Fargo” is one of my favorite films of all time, and stars perhaps my favorite actress, Frances McDormand. “Fargo” was directed by the Coen brothers, Joel and Ethan. Frances McDormand is Joel’s wife.

67 Russell of “The Americans” : KERI

Actress Keri Russell’s big break in television came with the title role in the drama show “Felicity” that ran from 1998 from 2002. The lead character in the show is Felicity Porter, a young lady introduced to the audience with a head of long curly blonde hair. Famously, Russell cut her hair extremely short at the start of the second season, an action that was associated with a significant drop in the show’s viewership. Russell had to grow out her hair over the season. I haven’t seen “Felicity”, but I really do enjoy Russell playing one of the leads in the entertaining Cold War drama called “The Americans” that is aired by FX.

“The Americans” is a very engaging drama series set during the Cold War that features two KGB spies living as a married couple just outside Washington, D.C. The show was created by Joe Weisberg, who is a novelist and former CIA officer. The lead roles in “The Americans” are played by real-life couple Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys.’

68 Torah chests : ARKS

The Torah ark is found in a synagogue, and is the ornamental container in which the Torah scrolls are stored. The word “Torah” best translates as “teaching” or “law”, I am told.

Down

1 Lt.’s superior : CAPT

The rank of lieutenant (lt.) is superior to the rank of sergeant (sgt.), and below the rank of captain (capt.).

2 Insurance option for military families: Abbr. : USAA

The United Services Automobile Association (USAA) is an insurance company that was founded in 1922 by officers in the US Army. The group was prompted to form the enterprise as main street insurance companies viewed members of the military as a high-risk group and so refused coverage or charged excessive rates. The USAA continues to focus on its niche market, members and immediate family members of the US military.

8 Clerical robe : ALB

An alb is a white, neck-to-toe vestment worn by priests, usually with a rope cord around the waist. The term alb comes from “albus”, the Latin word for “white”.

10 “The Empire Strikes Back,” chronologically : PART V

The main “Star Wars” franchise of films, sometimes referred to as the “Skywalker Saga”, comprises three trilogies:

  1. The prequel trilogy:
    • Episode I – The Phantom Menace
    • Episode II – Attack of the Clones
    • Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
  2. The original trilogy:
    • Episode IV – Star Wars
    • Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
    • Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
  3. The sequel trilogy:
    • Episode VII – The Force Awakens
    • Episode VIII – The Last Jedi
    • Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker

11 Jag : SPREE

Our word “spree”, meaning “carefree outing”, might be an alteration of the French “esprit”, a term meaning “spirit, lively wit”.

The terms “jag” and “bender” describe periods of unrestrained activity, particularly those involving alcohol. Both words have been in use since the 1800s.

17 “Field of Dreams” state : IOWA

“Field of Dreams” is a fantasy drama about baseball, released in 1989 and starring Kevin Costner. The movie is an adaptation of a 1982 novel titled “Shoeless Joe” by Canadian author W. P. Kinsella. Shoeless Joe Jackson was a real baseball player, and someone associated with the Black Sox Scandal that allegedly affected the outcome of the 1919 World Series. Jackson was portrayed by Ray Liotta in the movie. “Field of Dreams” was also the last film in which Burt Lancaster made an appearance. The baseball stadium that was built for the movie can be visited in Dubuque County, Iowa.

21 Exams for future attys. : LSATS

Law School Admission Test (LSAT)

25 Gregg pro : STENO

Stenography is the process of writing in shorthand. The term comes from the Greek “steno” (narrow) and “graphe” (writing).

Gregg shorthand was developed in 1888 by John Robert Gregg, a native of Ireland who was living in New York City at the time.

26 “Property Brothers” channel : HGTV

“Property Brothers” is a reality show in which twin brothers Jonathan and Drew Scott try to help home buyers purchase and renovate fixer-uppers.

27 Fish tacos fish, informally : MAHI

“Mahi-mahi” (meaning “very strong”) is the Hawaiian name for the dolphinfish, which is also known as the dorado. The mahi-mahi is an ugly looking creature if ever I saw one …

32 Hebrew word in the Book of Psalms : SELAH

“Selah” is a word that appears commonly in the Book of Psalms in the Bible. Apparently the exact meaning of the term is unclear, but it is used as an instruction in reading or singing the text.

34 Woman on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel : EVE

“The Creation of Adam” is a fresco by Michelangelo that is part of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. Famously, “The Creation of Adam” features Adam and God reaching towards each other, with hands very nearly touching.

The Sistine Chapel is located in the Pope’s residence in Rome. The chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who was responsible for restoring the old Capella Magna in the 15th century. It was about a century later (1508-1512) that Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel under the patronage of Pope Julius II.

38 General vicinity : AREA

A vicinity is an area surrounding a place. The term “vicinity” ultimately comes from the Latin “vicus” meaning “group of houses, village”.

40 Coastal desert of southern Africa : NAMIB

The Namib Desert is in Namibia, as one might expect, and also stretches into part of Angola. It is thought to be the oldest desert in the world, having been arid for over 55 million years.

48 Barrie buccaneer : SMEE

In J. M. Barrie’s play and novel about Peter Pan, Smee is one of Captain Hook’s pirates and is Hook’s bosun and right-hand man. Smee is described by Barrie as being “Irish” and “a man who stabbed without offence”. Nice guy! Captain Hook and Smee sail on a pirate ship called the Jolly Roger.

Author and dramatist J.M. Barrie is best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. Barrie wrote a play in 1904 called “Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up”. He turned this into a novel called “Peter and Wendy” in 1911. The girl’s name “Wendy” was very uncommon before Barrie named his character, and he is given credit for making the name as popular as it is today.

Buccaneers were pirates who worked the Caribbean in the 1800s, mainly attacking Spanish vessels. The original buccaneer was a French hunter living on Hispaniola (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic). These hunters used a local design of frame called a “buccan” as a smokehouse for meat, and so picked up the name “buccaneer”. In the first half of the 17th century, many of the buccaneers were driven off the island of Hispaniola by the Spanish and so they turned to the sea, making their living by pirating Spanish shipping.

50 Patisserie lure : AROMA

A patisserie is a French bakery that sells pastries, or “tartes”.

51 Plane tracker : RADAR

Scientists have been using radio waves to detect the presence of objects since the late 1800s, but it was the demands of WWII that accelerated the practical application of the technology. The British called their system RDF standing for Range and Direction Finding. The system used by the US Navy was called “Radio Detection And Ranging”, which was shortened to the acronym “RADAR”.

52 2022 music biopic directed by Baz Luhrmann : ELVIS

“Elvis” is an excellent 2022 biopic about the life of Elvis Presley. Austin Butler landed the title role, and stars opposite Tom Hanks, who plays Presley’s manager “Colonel” Tom Parker. The movie was filmed in Australia. Famously, filming was put on hold in March 2020 when Hanks (and his wife Rita Wilson) tested positive for COVID-19. It was six months later that filming resumed.

53 Two-time WNBA MVP __ Delle Donne : ELENA

Elena Delle Donne is a professional basketball player who was the second pick in the 2013 WNBA draft, and was drafted by the Chicago Sky. She was the first WNBA player to join the 50-40-90 club, an informal statistic used to rate shooters. The requirement is to achieve a 50% field goal percentage, a 40% three-point field goal percentage, and a 90% free throw percentage.

54 BoSox rivals : YANKS

The New York Yankees (NYY) baseball team has the nickname “the Bronx Bombers”. The nickname reflects where the team plays (the Bronx) and the team’s reputation for hitting (bombers). The Yankees were the first team to retire a uniform number, doing so on July 4, 1939. That day they retired the number 4 in honor of Lou Gehrig.

58 Ostrichlike bird : RHEA

The rhea is a flightless bird that is native to South America. It takes its name from the Greek Titan Rhea. That’s an apt name for a flightless bird as “rhea” comes from the Greek word meaning “ground”.

60 Singer Brickell : EDIE

Edie Brickell is a singer-songwriter from Dallas, Texas. Brickell has been married to fellow singer Paul Simon since 1991.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Cherry-pick : CULL
5 “On the Basis of Sex” monogram : RBG
8 Calm and Headspace, for two : APPS
12 China setting : ASIA
13 One bit : AT ALL
15 Sudden transition : LEAP
16 Part of a player piano? : PASSIVE KEY (from “pass key”)
18 “I w-wish I’d brought a sw-sweater!” : BRRR!
19 Art that may later be regretted : TATTOO
20 Sandwich title : EARL
22 Fr. holy woman : STE
23 Letter from Zurich? : SWISS MISSIVE (from “Swiss Miss”)
26 Royal Navy letters : HMS
29 Oral health org. : ADA
30 Pets in a Lilian Jackson Braun mystery series : CATS
31 Continuity problems : GAPS
33 Pretty pitcher : EWER
36 Aquarium fish : TETRA
39 Excited cry from a chicory farmer waiting for harvest? : THE ENDIVE IS NEAR (from “the end is near”)
42 Large country estate : VILLA
43 Period : TERM
44 Way back when : ONCE
45 The Dalai __ : LAMA
47 PO alternative : UPS
49 Assam export : TEA
50 Dust, silverfish, or dampness? : ARCHIVE ENEMY (from “archenemy”)
55 “Go team!” : RAH!
56 Great time : BALL
57 Worrywart’s words : DEAR ME
61 Some Neruda poems : ODES
63 Scam victim’s lament, and an apt title for this puzzle : I’VE BEEN HAD!
65 “Fargo” co-star : MACY
66 Like some raincoats : LINED
67 Russell of “The Americans” : KERI
68 Torah chests : ARKS
69 Droop : SAG
70 “Oh, for heaven’s __!” : SAKE

Down

1 Lt.’s superior : CAPT
2 Insurance option for military families: Abbr. : USAA
3 Planning aid : LIST
4 Goes the distance : LASTS
5 Road with a no. : RTE
6 Suffers in the sun : BAKES
7 Sparkle : GLEAM
8 Clerical robe : ALB
9 Nagging : PERSISTENT
10 “The Empire Strikes Back,” chronologically : PART V
11 Jag : SPREE
13 Steered clear of : AVOIDED
14 Like some poetry : LYRIC
17 “Field of Dreams” state : IOWA
21 Exams for future attys. : LSATS
24 “Don’t need to watch that again” : SAW IT
25 Gregg pro : STENO
26 “Property Brothers” channel : HGTV
27 Fish tacos fish, informally : MAHI
28 Word processor feature : SPELLCHECK
32 Hebrew word in the Book of Psalms : SELAH
34 Woman on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel : EVE
35 Sitcom in syndication, e.g. : RERUN
37 Hustle : RACE
38 General vicinity : AREA
40 Coastal desert of southern Africa : NAMIB
41 Slowed down : IMPEDED
46 To no __: in vain : AVAIL
48 Barrie buccaneer : SMEE
50 Patisserie lure : AROMA
51 Plane tracker : RADAR
52 2022 music biopic directed by Baz Luhrmann : ELVIS
53 Two-time WNBA MVP __ Delle Donne : ELENA
54 BoSox rivals : YANKS
58 Ostrichlike bird : RHEA
59 School grade : MARK
60 Singer Brickell : EDIE
62 __ admin : SYS
64 Whine for table scraps, say : BEG

20 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 11 Nov 22, Friday”

  1. I agree with Anon Mike. Enjoyable puzzle. Once again, just about double Bill’s time at 11:55, but I’ll take it….

  2. Enjoyed this one too. No errors, but one personal pronoun name lookup.
    And for the “Fargo” name, I so wanted to put Marg….for Helgenberger you
    know. I think Fargo is one of my favorite movies! Hope I spelled her
    name correctly.

  3. Let’s hear it for Patti Varol and 39 Across “The endive is near”! That made me laugh out loud and was quite the feat of punnery. Thanks, Patti!

    No errors. No real problems. On to the WSJ…

  4. @Mary S.

    I don’t think Marg Helgenberger was in Fargo. Francis McDormand played Marge Gunderson though.

  5. Wow! It’s not often I finish a Friday puzzler without blemish but I did it. Had a couple of wrong-o’s but got ’em right with re-checking. The crosses helped a lot. Nice theme and good puzzle. Thanks.

  6. Mostly easy, but I had BURNS instead of BAKES for “suffers in the sun” and then was just _so positive_ about it that it took me forever to give up on it when the crossings just weren’t working. Cost me minutes, so my time ended up worse than my average even though I’d agree the overall puzzle seemed easier than a “normal” Friday.

  7. 12:11 – one look up for the African desert. I had GALA for “Great time” (which left NAMIg desert and EaENA Del Donne) and didn’t take the time to run through the alphabet for other possibilities on either of those names.

    False start: FIFTH>PARTV, GALA>BALL

    New: MACY in Fargo (I know of W. H. Macy, but not the cast of Fargo – TV and movie), NAMIB, ELENA Del Donne.

    A clever theme construction. It helped me “decode” what to use for “chicory,” and why “silverfish” would be included with “dust” and “dampness” (it’s an insect, not a fish).

  8. 11 minutes 23 seconds, and needed Check Grid to correct an “unforced error on 47A/48D. “UPS” is not a parallel term to “PO”. USPS (US Postal Service) would be that parallel, not “the Post Office”.

  9. Mostly easy Friday for me; took 12:23 with no peeks or errors. Same fix as Charley and Saul to make things fit. Fun theme.

    @Allen – I think they mean United Parcel Service as a PO alternative, although I could be wrong.

  10. Allen, UPS = United Parcel Service, not US Post Office.
    17:23, had BASH instead of BALL, with weird resulting downs.
    O’wise, a fun puzzle. Got the theme right away, I’m happy to say.

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