LA Times Crossword 8 Nov 22, Tuesday

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Constructed by: David Karp
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Shake, Shake, Shake

Themed answers are each synonyms of “SHAKE”:

  • 61A Start of a KC and the Sunshine Band title, and 17-, 29-, and 46-Across : SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE
  • 17A Shiver during a horror film, perhaps : TREMBLE WITH FEAR
  • 29A Thick fast-food beverage : CREAMY DRINK
  • 46A Finalize an agreement, say : SEAL THE DEAL

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

Bill’s time: 5m 12s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Island nation near Fiji : TONGA

The Kingdom of Tonga is made up of 176 islands in the South Pacific, 52 of which are inhabited and scattered over an area of 270,000 square miles. Tonga was given the name Friendly Islands in 1773 when Captain James Cook first landed there, a reference to the warm reception given to the visitors. The nation’s capital is the city of Nukuʻalofa on the island of Tongatapu.

10 Milky birthstone : OPAL

An opal is often described as having a milky iridescence known as opalescence.

14 Teensy bit : IOTA

Iota is the ninth letter in the Greek alphabet, and one that gave rise to our letters I and J. We use the word “iota” to portray something very small, as it is the smallest of all Greek letters.

16 Payroll tax that funds Soc. Sec. : FICA

The Federal Insurance Contributions Act tax (FICA) was introduced in the 1930s as part of President Roosevelt’s New Deal. FICA payments are made by both employees and employers in order to fund Social Security and Medicare.

21 Historic German state : PRUSSIA

Prussia was a German kingdom that had the city of Berlin as its capital. The German monarchies were abolished after WWI, and Prussia ceased to exist as an entity right after WWII.

26 “Slumdog Millionaire” actor Patel : DEV

Dev Patel is an actor from Harrow in England who is perhaps best known for playing the lead in the hit movie “Slumdog Millionaire”. He also stars in a lovely 2012 film called “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” alongside an incredible cast that included Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith and Tom Wilkinson. Patel also had a regular role in the marvelous HBO drama series called “The Newsroom”.

The brilliant film “Slumdog Millionaire” is a screen adaptation of a 2005 novel by Indian author Vikas Swarup. A low-budget movie, it ended up winning eight Oscars in 2008. I reckon it turned a profit …

34 Colorful eye part : IRIS

The iris is the colored part of the eye. It has an aperture in the center that can open or close depending on the level of light hitting the eye.

36 Jazz great Fitzgerald : ELLA

Ella Fitzgerald, the “First Lady of Song”, had a hard and tough upbringing. She was raised by her mother alone in Yonkers, New York. Her mother died while Ella was still a schoolgirl, and around that time the young girl became less interested in her education. She fell in with a bad crowd, even working as a lookout for a bordello and as a Mafia numbers runner. She ended up in reform school, from which she escaped, and found herself homeless and living on the streets for a while. Somehow Fitzgerald managed to get herself a spot singing in the Apollo Theater in Harlem. From there her career took off and as they say, the rest is history.

38 Reef explorer’s tube : SNORKEL

Our word “snorkel” comes from German navy slang “Schnorchel” meaning “nose, snout”. The German slang was applied to an air-shaft used for submarines, due to its resemblance to a nose, in that air passed through it and it made a “snoring” sound. “Schnorchel” comes from “Schnarchen”, the German for “snore”.

42 Tiny hairs : CILIA

“Cilia” (singular “cilium”) is Latin for “eyelashes”.

45 “American Gods” novelist Gaiman : NEIL

Neil Gaiman is an English author whose works include novels, comic books and graphic novels. He has a very noteworthy friendship with musician Tori Amos. Amos has included “Neil” in the lyrics of several of her songs. In turn, Gaiman included her as a character in his comic book “The Sandman”, and Amos penned the introduction to the comic “Death: The HIgh Cost of Living”, and features on the cover.

“American Gods” is a 2001 fantasy novel by English author Neil Gaiman. The book has been adapted into a TV series, with the first season airing on Starz in 2017. It’s all about gods and mythological creatures in contemporary America. Not my cup of tea, although there is a leprechaun named Mad Sweeney in the mix …

49 Tennis do-over : LET

Our modern sport of tennis evolved from the much older racquet sport known as real tennis. Originally just called “tennis”, the older game was labeled “real tennis” when the modern version began to hold sway. Real tennis is played in a closed court, with the ball frequently bounced off the walls.

51 Killer whales : ORCAS

The taxonomic name for the killer whale is “Orcinus orca”. The use of the name “orca”, rather than “killer whale”, is becoming more and more common. The Latin word “Orcinus” means “belonging to Orcus”, with Orcus being the name for the Kingdom of the Dead.

57 Vacuum brand : HOOVER

The first practical portable vacuum cleaner was invented by James Spangler in 1907. Spangler sold the patent for the design to his cousin’s husband, William Henry Hoover. Hoover then made his fortune from manufacturing and selling vacuum cleaners. Hoover was so successful in my part of the world that back in Ireland we don’t use the verb “to vacuum” and instead say “to hoover”. Also, “hoover” is what we call a vacuum cleaner, regardless of who makes it.

61 Start of a KC and the Sunshine Band title, and 17-, 29-, and 46-Across : SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE

KC and the Sunshine Band were founded as a disco band in Florida in 1973. The band was founded by the lead singer Harry Wayne Casey, who also lent his nickname (KC … “Casey”) to the group’s name. Their biggest hits were all released in the 1970s: “Get Down Tonight”, “That’s the Way (I Like It)”, “(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty”, “I’m Your Boogie Man” and “Please Don’t Go”.

64 Big mountain cat : PUMA

The mountain lion is found in much of the Americas from the Yukon in Canada right down to the southern Andes in South America. Because the mountain lion is found over such a vast area, it has many different names applied by local peoples, such as “cougar” and “puma”. In fact, the mountain lion holds the Guinness record for the animal with the most number of different names, with over 40 in English alone.

65 Suez Canal tanker : OILER

The Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea. It took ten years to construct, and opened in 1869. The northern terminus of the waterway is Port Said, and the southern is Port Tewfik in the city of Suez, which gives the canal its name.

68 Shopping centers : MALLS

Surprisingly (to me!), our word “mall”, meaning “shady walk” or “enclosed shopping space”, comes from the Italian for “mallet”. All of our shopping-style malls are named for “The Mall” in St. James’s Park in London. This tree-lined promenade was so called as it used to be a famous spot to play the croquet-like game called “pall-mall”. The game derived its name from the Italian for ball (palla) and mallet “maglio”. The London thoroughfare called the Mall still exists, at one end of which is Buckingham Palace. Indeed, parallel to the Mall is a street called Pall Mall.

Down

1 Bread with a pocket : PITA

Pita is a lovely bread from Middle-Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. Pita is usually round, and has a “pocket” in the center. The pocket is created by steam that puffs up the dough during cooking leaving a void when the bread cools.

4 Language spoken by many a 35-Down : TAMIL
[35D Colombo resident : SRI LANKAN]

Tamils are a large ethnic group of almost 80 million people who speak Tamil as their mother tongue. Despite the large Tamil population, there is no Tamil state. The highest concentration of Tamils is in Sri Lanka, where they make up about 25% of the population.

5 Like many infomercial phone numbers : TOLL-FREE

The nation’s first infomercial was aired in 1950. The product advertised was a Vitamix blender.

12 Antioxidant-rich purple berry : ACAI

Açaí (pronounced “ass-aye-ee”) is a palm tree native to Central and South America. The fruit has become very popular in recent years and its juice is a very fashionable addition to juice mixes and smoothies.

13 “__ Croft: Tomb Raider” : LARA

“Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” is a 2001 action movie that is a spinoff of the very successful video game series “Tomb Raider”. Angelina Jolie plays the title character. I really wanted to enjoy this film, but that didn’t happen …

19 Steeplechase obstacle : HURDLE

Back in the 1700s there was a race called a “steeplehunt”, a horse race from a fixed location to some church in the distance which had a steeple visible. This evolved into the race that we know today as a “steeplechase”.

24 Paolantonio of ESPN : SAL

Sal Paolantonio is a reporter for ESPN who is based in Philadelphia. He is mostly associated with coverage of the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and the New York Jets.

26 Vertebrae separators : DISCS

Our intervertebral discs are composed mainly of cartilage. They perform the crucial functions of separating the vertebrae while allowing slight movement, and also absorbing shock. A “slipped disc” isn’t really a disc that has “slipped”, but rather a disc that “bulges”. If that bulge causes pressure on the sciatic nerve then the painful condition known as sciatica can result.

27 123 Sesame Street resident : ERNIE

The central location in “Sesame Street” is a three-story row house with the address 123 Sesame Street. The first floor of the house is home to Robinson family, and the second story is occupied by the Rodriguez family. Bert and Ernie live in the basement, and Oscar lives in a trash can outside the house’s fence.

28 String quartet instrument : VIOLA

A standard string quartet is made up of two violins, a viola and a cello. A string quintet consists of a standard string quartet with the addition of a fifth instrument, usually a second viola or cello.

30 The “M” of MBA : MASTER

The world’s first Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree was offered by Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration, in 1908.

35 Colombo resident : SRI LANKAN

Colombo is the largest city in Sri Lanka. It is also the commercial capital of the island nation, whereas the administrative capital is Kotte (or more formally “Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte). Kotte is in fact a suburb of Colombo.

39 TV host __ Lee Gifford : KATHIE

Kathie Lee Gifford is most famous for working alongside Regis Philbin on the talk show “Live with Regis and Kathie Lee”, in a stint that lasted for about 15 years.

44 Brouhaha : ADO

“Brouhaha”, meaning “ado, stir”, was a French word that back in the 1550s meant “the cry of the devil disguised as clergy” . Wow!

47 __ cab: two-wheeled carriage : HANSOM

A hansom cab is a very specific design of horse and buggy that was patented by Joseph Hansom in 1834 in England. The “cab” in the name is short for “cabriolet”, an earlier design of carriage on which the hansom was based. It’s from “hansom cab” that we get our modern term “cab”.

48 Landlocked Asian country : LAOS

The official name for the country of Laos is the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. In the Lao language, the country’s name is “Meuang Lao”. The French ruled Laos as part of French Indochina, having united three separate Lao kingdoms. As there was a plural of “Lao” entities united into one, the French added the “S” and so today we tend to use “Laos” instead of “Lao”.

55 Actor Malek : RAMI

Actor Rami Malek’s big break came with the leading role in the television series “Mr. Robot”. In 2018, Malik gave an Oscar-winning performance playing Freddie Mercury in the hit biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody”. That marked the first time that an actor of Egyptian descent won an Academy Award for Best Actor.

56 Karmann __: classic Volkswagen : GHIA

Volkswagen made the Karmann Ghia sports car from 1955 to 1974. The original model was built on the VW Beetle chassis, was styled by the Italian automobile design house Ghia, and the bodywork was hand-built by the German coach-builder Karmann.

63 Kenan’s former Nickelodeon partner : KEL

“Kenan & Kel” is a sitcom that aired on Nickelodeon from 1996 to 2000. It starred Kenan Thompson (now of “Saturday Night Live”), and Kel Mitchell.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Hissed “Hey! Over here!” : PSST!
5 Island nation near Fiji : TONGA
10 Milky birthstone : OPAL
14 Teensy bit : IOTA
15 Smells : ODORS
16 Payroll tax that funds Soc. Sec. : FICA
17 Shiver during a horror film, perhaps : TREMBLE WITH FEAR
20 Whenever one wants : AT WILL
21 Historic German state : PRUSSIA
22 Hay storage areas : LOFTS
25 Curved piece : ARC
26 “Slumdog Millionaire” actor Patel : DEV
29 Thick fast-food beverage : CREAMY DRINK
34 Colorful eye part : IRIS
36 Jazz great Fitzgerald : ELLA
37 Iced tea garnish : LEMON
38 Reef explorer’s tube : SNORKEL
40 Church spire : STEEPLE
42 Tiny hairs : CILIA
43 Odd sock’s lack : MATE
45 “American Gods” novelist Gaiman : NEIL
46 Finalize an agreement, say : SEAL THE DEAL
49 Tennis do-over : LET
50 Cry of insight : AHA!
51 Killer whales : ORCAS
53 Starting to spoil : TURNING
57 Vacuum brand : HOOVER
61 Start of a KC and the Sunshine Band title, and 17-, 29-, and 46-Across : SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE
64 Big mountain cat : PUMA
65 Suez Canal tanker : OILER
66 Small bills : ONES
67 Lower leg area : SHIN
68 Shopping centers : MALLS
69 Exam : TEST

Down

1 Bread with a pocket : PITA
2 Put laundry into piles, say : SORT
3 Meat-and-potatoes bowlful : STEW
4 Language spoken by many a 35-Down : TAMIL
5 Like many infomercial phone numbers : TOLL-FREE
6 Poem written “on” or “to” something : ODE
7 Right this minute : NOW
8 Hold tight : GRIP
9 Off course : ASTRAY
10 Like a movie star’s personal life : OFF-SCREEN
11 Diner desserts : PIES
12 Antioxidant-rich purple berry : ACAI
13 “__ Croft: Tomb Raider” : LARA
18 Group of allied countries : BLOC
19 Steeplechase obstacle : HURDLE
23 “Out with it!” : TELL ME!
24 Paolantonio of ESPN : SAL
26 Vertebrae separators : DISCS
27 123 Sesame Street resident : ERNIE
28 String quartet instrument : VIOLA
30 The “M” of MBA : MASTER
31 Urge forward : IMPEL
32 “Honest!” : NO LIE!
33 Prepared to pray : KNELT
35 Colombo resident : SRI LANKAN
39 TV host __ Lee Gifford : KATHIE
41 Classroom figures : TEACHERS
44 Brouhaha : ADO
47 __ cab: two-wheeled carriage : HANSOM
48 Landlocked Asian country : LAOS
52 Not __: far from optimal : SO HOT
53 Recipe amts. : TSPS
54 “Nah” : UH-UH
55 Actor Malek : RAMI
56 Karmann __: classic Volkswagen : GHIA
58 Barn topper that indicates wind direction : VANE
59 Makes do, with “out” : EKES
60 Lie down for a while : REST
62 Completely : ALL
63 Kenan’s former Nickelodeon partner : KEL

16 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 8 Nov 22, Tuesday”

  1. No errors, no lookups….just over 15 minutes. Either I’m getting
    better or the puzzles are getting easier.

  2. Another fast puzzle for me at 6:44. As always, waiting for the other shoe to drop later in the week.

  3. No Googles, no errors. Nice theme. Didn’t actually know a bunch of first names.
    Gotta go vote.

  4. 4:17, no errors.

    @MaryS
    Definitely hard for me to tell the difference. I about have to pull out one of the puzzles I saved from when I started doing this to see how I am with these. So many of these outlets are so inconsistent these days.

  5. Bill’s explanation in 49A leads me to ask if “Real Tennis” was anything like today’s South of the Border “Jai Lai”?

  6. 7 mins, 18 seconds, and no errors or issues; besides just not being able to quickly recall a few that should come to mind instantly. Frustrating when that happens.

  7. Mostly easy Tuesday for me; took 7:57 with no peeks or errors. Didn’t know DEV, SAL, NEIL or KEL but managed okay with crosses. Somewhat embarrassed to immediately know SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE 🙂

    Time to vote.

  8. 7:28 – no errors, lookups, or false starts.

    New: “American Gods,” SAL Pailantonio.

    “Shake your booty” on down to vote if you haven’t yet and still can!

Comments are closed.