LA Times Crossword 27 Jan 23, Friday

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Constructed by: Jeffrey Wechsler
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): An Ordeal

Themed answers are common phrases with -OR added to the end:

  • 16A Specialized work at a confectionary? : CHOCOLATE LABOR (chocolate lab + OR)
  • 36A Instructor for a monarch? : KING TUTOR (King Tut + OR)
  • 38A Nickname for Luciano Pavarotti? : THE BIG TENOR (The Big Ten + OR)
  • 40A Estate that went all-out with turquoise paint? : AQUA MANOR (Aquaman + OR)
  • 59A Vicar who puts the pedal to the metal? : SPEEDING PASTOR (speeding past + OR)

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

Bill’s time: 6m 44s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

6 South Dakota region : BADLANDS

Badlands may be “bad lands” for agriculture (hence the name), but they can be beautiful. A badlands is an extensive area from which the topsoil has been eroded by wind and water, leaving exposed rock and very little vegetation. One of the most beautiful badlands in the US is preserved for the nation as South Dakota’s Badlands National Park.

14 __ All: car care brand : ARMOR

The Armor All line of car care products was introduced in 1972, although back then the brand was known as “Trid-on”. The latter name is “no dirt” spelled backwards.

15 Collection of Buddhist sculpture, Chinese jades, etc. : ASIAN ART

“Jade” is actually the name given to two different mineral rocks, both of which are used to make gemstones. The first is nephrite, a mineral with a varying degree of iron content, the more iron the greener the color. The second is jadeite, a sodium and aluminum-rich pyroxene. As well as being used for gemstones, both jade minerals can be carved into decorative pieces.

16 Specialized work at a confectionary? : CHOCOLATE LABOR (chocolate lab + OR)

The Labrador (Lab) breed of dog has been around at least since 1814. The breed comes in three registered colors: black, yellow and chocolate.

19 Investigative journalist __ B. Wells : IDA

Ida B. Wells was an African-American journalist and leader of the civil rights movement. She published a pamphlet in 1892 called “Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases”, which publicized the horrors of lynching of African Americans by white mobs in the South.

22 Connecticut home of ESPN studios : BRISTOL

The city of Bristol is located just 20 miles outside Hartford, the capital of the state of Connecticut. Two of the city’s many claims to fame are that it is home to the headquarters and main studios of ESPN, and home to Lake Compounce, the coldest continuously operating theme park in the US. Bristol was once a leading producer of chrysanthemums, earning it the nickname “Mum City”.

26 Nail polish brand with an Always Bare for You collection : OPI

Opi (originally “Odontorium Products Inc.”) is a manufacturer of nail polish based in North Hollywood, California. One of Opi’s marketing coups was the introduction of a line of Legally Blonde 2 polishes, which featured in the film.

27 Prefix with gender : CIS-

The term “cisgender” is used as the opposite of “transgender”. Cisgender people have a gender identity that matches the sex they were assigned at birth.

28 Body care brand : NIVEA

Nivea is a brand name of skin-care products from Germany. The Latin word “nivea” means “snow-white”.

33 Caribbean gastropod : CONCH

Although “conch” is now used as a generic term for largish sea snails and their shells, the true conch belongs to a specific group of gastropods. The “meat” is very popular, and so the conch is the second-most popular edible snail after “escargot”. The conch shell can be used as a wind instrument, and the true conch is also a good source for pearls.

36 Instructor for a monarch? : KING TUTOR (King Tut + OR)

“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.

38 Nickname for Luciano Pavarotti? : THE BIG TENOR (The Big Ten + OR)

Luciano Pavarotti was one of the most celebrated tenors of all time. He was able to appeal to audiences beyond the traditional fans of opera, helped by his performances with the Three Tenors: Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras. Pavarotti made his final performance on stage at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, where he sang his famous rendition of the moving aria “Nessun dorma” and brought the house down. Pavarotti passed away from pancreatic cancer the following year, at the age of 71.

The Big Ten is the nation’s oldest Division I college athletic conference. It was founded in 1896, and earned the name “Big Nine” in 1899 when Iowa and Indiana joined to bring the number of teams in the conference to nine. The conference name was changed to the Big Ten after Michigan rejoined in 1917. Right after WWII, the University of Chicago dropped out so the conference became known as the Big Nine again until 1949. The official designation of “Big Ten” was adopted in 1987 when the conference (once again with a complement of ten teams) registered as a not-for-profit corporation. It was decided to keep the official name of Big Ten when Penn State joined in 1990 bringing the number of schools to the level of eleven. The number of schools in the conference continues to evolve, but that “Big Ten” moniker persists.

40 Estate that went all-out with turquoise paint? : AQUA MANOR (Aquaman + OR)

“Turquoise” is the Old French word for “Turkish”. The name was given to the blue mineral because much of it was brought into Europe from Turkey, although most of the turquoise mines were located in the Khorasan Province of Iran.

Aquaman is a comic book superhero who first appeared in 1941. He was inspired by a character in a Russian science-fiction novel named “Amphibian Man”.

53 Deep-dish chain, familiarly : UNO’S

The chain of pizza parlors known today as Uno Chicago Grill used to be called Pizzeria Uno, or just “Uno’s”. Apparently, Uno’s created the world’s first deep-dish pizza.

58 Investment option, briefly : IRA

Tax shelters are methods used to reduce taxable income, hence reducing tax liability. Tax shelters can be legal or illegal. The most common example of a legal tax shelter is a sanctioned retirement plan, such as an individual retirement account (IRA).

59 Vicar who puts the pedal to the metal? : SPEEDING PASTOR (speeding past + OR)

A pastor is a minister or priest in some Christian traditions. “Pastor” is the Latin word for “shepherd”.

A vicar is a member of the clergy in several Christian traditions. In more general terms, we can use the word “vicar” for a person who acts in the place of another, i.e. a deputy. It was the latter usage of the term that gave rise to the religious usage, as a vicar in a church was considered a person acting for God.

A speed demon is someone who likes to drive at high speeds, likes to floor it, put the pedal to the metal.

66 Hard section of a textbook, perhaps : SPINE

In the US, the convention is to write the title on the spine of a book from top-to-bottom. In most of Europe, the convention is to write the title from bottom-to-top. We have a lot of books in the “library” in our house from both sides of the Atlantic, and so there is much movement of the head from left to right as we glance along our bookshelves.

Down

1 Cul-de-__ : SAC

Even though “cul-de-sac” can indeed mean “bottom-of-the-bag” in French, the term “cul-de-sac” is of English origin (the use of “cul” in French is actually quite rude). The term was introduced in aristocratic circles at a time when it was considered very fashionable to speak French. Dead-end streets in France are usually signposted with just a symbol and no accompanying words, but if words are included they are “voie sans issue”, meaning “way without exit”.

2 Letters for Kate Middleton : HRH

His/Her Royal Highness (HRH)

Kate Middleton is the wife of Prince William of the UK. Middleton is what one might call a commoner, although since her marriage she is known as the Duchess of Cambridge. She was born to parents who had worked together as flight attendants before becoming quite wealthy running their own mail-order business. As is so often the case in Britain, Kate’s ancestry can be traced back far enough to show that she and William do have common ancestors, dating back to the 1500s on her mother’s side and to the 1400s on her father’s side.

3 Punk subgenre : EMO

“Emo” is short for “emotional hardcore”.

4 Place : LOCUS

“Locus” (plural “loci”) is Latin for “place”, and is used in English with the same meaning. The term can also be used to describe a center of power or activity. In mathematics, a locus is a set of points that satisfy some property. For example, a locus might be a straight line, part of a line, a surface, or perhaps a curve.

7 Italian wine region : ASTI

Asti is in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. It is perhaps most famous for its Asti Spumante sparkling white wine. Moscato d’Asti is produced from the same grape (Moscato Bianco). Moscato is a much sweeter wine with a lower alcohol content, and is usually served as a dessert wine.

9 “Deck the Halls” chorus fragment : -LA-LA-

The music for the Christmas song “Deck the Halls” is a traditional Welsh tune that dates back to the 16th century. The same tune was used by Mozart for a violin and piano duet. The lyrics with which we are familiar (other than the “fa-la-la”) are American in origin, and were recorded in the 19th century.

“’Tis the season to be jolly, Fa la la la la la la la la!”

10 Political commentator Navarro : ANA

Ana Navarro is a Nicaraguan-born, American political strategist and commentator. Navarro is a lifelong Republican who worked for Governor Jeb Bush and for Senator John McCain. However, she was very critical of presidential candidate Donald Trump during his 2016 campaign. She was so vehement in her anti-Trump views that she ended up voting for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the election.

17 Boxer Spinks : LEON

Leon Spinks was a professional boxer and former heavyweight champion. Spinks won the title in 1978 in an upset, defeating Muhammad Ali in a split decision. That championship win was only his eighth professional fight.

22 Email on the q.t. : BCC

A blind carbon copy (bcc) is a copy of a document or message that is sent to someone without other recipients of the message knowing about that extra copy.

“On the qt” is a slang term for “on the quiet”. It has been around since the 1870s.

23 2016 Olympics city : RIO

Even though the 2016 Olympic Games was a summer competition, it was held in Rio de Janeiro in winter. As Rio is in the southern hemisphere, the opening ceremony on 5th August 2016 fell in the local winter season. The 2016 games was also the first to be held in South America, and the first to be hosted by a Portuguese-speaking country.

30 Item on a menu : ENTREE

“Entrée” means “entry” in French. An entrée can be something that helps one get “a way in”, an interview for example perhaps helped along by a recommendation letter. In Europe, even in English-speaking countries, the entrée is the name for the “entry” to the meal, the first course. I found the ordering of meals to be very confusing when I first came to America!

32 Subatomic particle : MUON

A muon is a subatomic particle that is similar to an electron but very unstable. A muon has a mean lifetime of only 2.2 microseconds.

34 Cartoonist Addams, familiarly : CHAS

Charles Addams was a cartoonist who signed his work “Chas Addams”. He didn’t draw a cartoon strip but rather individual cartoons, although many of his cartoons did feature regular characters. The most famous of these were the members of the Addams Family, who were published in single-panel cartoons between 1938 and 1988 in “The New Yorker”. The Addams Family moved onto the small and big screens starting in 1964.

They’re creepy and they’re kooky,
Mysterious and spooky,
They’re altogether ooky,
The Addams Family.

37 “Star Trek” spinoff before “DS9” : TNG

When Gene Roddenberry first proposed the science fiction series that became “Star Trek”, he marketed it as “Wagon Train to the Stars”, a pioneer-style Western in outer space. In fact, his idea was to produce something more like “Gulliver’s Travels”, as he intended to write episodes that were adventure stories on one level, but morality tales on another. Personally, I think that he best achieved this model with the spin-off series “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (TNG). If you watch individual episodes you will see thinly disguised treatments of moral issues such as racism, homosexuality, genocide etc. For my money, “The Next Generation” is the best of the whole franchise …

“Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” (DS9) is a TV series belonging to the “Star Trek” franchise that originally ran from 1993 to 1999. This show was set on a space station, so there wasn’t much trekking going on. The station’s name is “Deep Space Nine”. I never cared for this one …

39 Steamed bun : BAO

A baozi (also “bou, bao”) is a steamed, filled bun in Chinese cuisine.

40 Org. concerned with privacy laws : ACLU

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has its roots in the First World War. It grew out of the National Civil Liberties Bureau (CLB) that was founded to provide legal advice and support to conscientious objectors. The ACLU’s motto is “Because Freedom Can’t Protect Itself”. The ACLU also hosts a blog on the ACLU.org website called “Speak Freely”.

41 __ hut : QUONSET

Quonset huts are prefabricated galvanized steel structures, semicircular in cross section. The Quonset hut design is based on the British Nissen hut that was used during WWI. The hut takes its name from Quonset Point near Davisville, Rhode Island. It was there that the first Quonset huts were manufactured in 1941.

43 “My bounty is as boundless as the __”: Juliet : SEA

In the famous balcony scene in William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”, Juliet says:

My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
My love as deep; the more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite.

44 Panama, for one : HAT

Panama hats are traditional headgear from Ecuador, and have never been made in volume in Panama. The “panama” moniker came about as many of the hats were shipped to the Isthmus of Panama for transportation by sea to the rest of the world. Authentic panama hats are made from the leaves of a palm-like plant known locally as the jipijapa palm.

54 Spanish : noche :: Italian : __ : SERA

The word “night” translates into “noche” in Spanish, and into “sera” in Italian.

55 God who gave up an eye to gain wisdom : ODIN

In Norse mythology, Odin was the chief of the gods. He is usually depicted as having one eye, reflecting the story of how he gave one of his eyes in exchange for wisdom.

57 Second word of many limericks : ONCE

No one knows for sure how the limerick got its name, although there does seem to be agreement the name does indeed come from the city or county of Limerick in Ireland. Try this one for size:

There was a young lady named Bright
who traveled much faster than light.
She set out one day
in a relative way,
and came back the previous night.

60 Prefix with gram or graph : EPI-

An epigram is a short and clever statement, poem or discourse.

In the world of literature, an epigraph is a few words at the beginning of a composition that sets forth a theme, and is often a quotation. The term “epigraph” can also be used for an inscription on maybe a building or a statue.

64 Rare color? : RED

That might be a steak cooked “rare”.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Stock holder? : SHELF
6 South Dakota region : BADLANDS
14 __ All: car care brand : ARMOR
15 Collection of Buddhist sculpture, Chinese jades, etc. : ASIAN ART
16 Specialized work at a confectionary? : CHOCOLATE LABOR (chocolate lab + OR)
18 Application : USE
19 Investigative journalist __ B. Wells : IDA
20 Tiff : SPAT
22 Connecticut home of ESPN studios : BRISTOL
26 Nail polish brand with an Always Bare for You collection : OPI
27 Prefix with gender : CIS-
28 Body care brand : NIVEA
32 Tone down : MUTE
33 Caribbean gastropod : CONCH
36 Instructor for a monarch? : KING TUTOR (King Tut + OR)
38 Nickname for Luciano Pavarotti? : THE BIG TENOR (The Big Ten + OR)
40 Estate that went all-out with turquoise paint? : AQUA MANOR (Aquaman + OR)
42 Grind together : GNASH
45 Baking measures : CUPS
46 Fantasy brutes : OGRES
48 Loose __ : TEA
49 Subdivision unit : LOT
50 Plead : ENTREAT
53 Deep-dish chain, familiarly : UNO’S
55 “And what have we here?” : OHO
58 Investment option, briefly : IRA
59 Vicar who puts the pedal to the metal? : SPEEDING PASTOR (speeding past + OR)
65 Telemarketer’s accessory : EARPIECE
66 Hard section of a textbook, perhaps : SPINE
67 Compact cars? : TRAIN SET
68 Made a big deal of : HYPED

Down

1 Cul-de-__ : SAC
2 Letters for Kate Middleton : HRH
3 Punk subgenre : EMO
4 Place : LOCUS
5 Orchardist’s concern : FROST
6 “Hey, ewe!” : BAA!
7 Italian wine region : ASTI
8 Ran out of juice : DIED
9 “Deck the Halls” chorus fragment : -LA-LA-
10 Political commentator Navarro : ANA
11 Catches : NABS
12 Worrisome educational statistic : DROPOUT RATE
13 Attach, in a way : STRAP TO
17 Boxer Spinks : LEON
21 Level : TIER
22 Email on the q.t. : BCC
23 2016 Olympics city : RIO
24 Disappoints : ISN’T UP TO PAR
25 Preference : LIKING
29 Energy : VIGOR
30 Item on a menu : ENTREE
31 Medical chart datum : AGE
32 Subatomic particle : MUON
34 Cartoonist Addams, familiarly : CHAS
35 Adjustable border : HEM
37 “Star Trek” spinoff before “DS9” : TNG
39 Steamed bun : BAO
40 Org. concerned with privacy laws : ACLU
41 __ hut : QUONSET
43 “My bounty is as boundless as the __”: Juliet : SEA
44 Panama, for one : HAT
47 Cut a bit : SNIP
51 Wreck : TRASH
52 Hoarse : RASPY
54 Spanish : noche :: Italian : __ : SERA
55 God who gave up an eye to gain wisdom : ODIN
56 Shakes a leg, quaintly : HIES
57 Second word of many limericks : ONCE
60 Prefix with gram or graph : EPI-
61 Comprehend : GET
62 Bit of advice : TIP
63 Early afternoon hour : ONE
64 Rare color? : RED

20 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 27 Jan 23, Friday”

  1. Well , no errors. Good for me given a Wechsler puzzle.
    Went fairly quick. About 15 minutes.

    Hung up on SHELF for a bit. Not sure how a shelf is a stock holder. “I put my million dollar stocks on the shelf?”. “My bullion stock is on the shelf?”

  2. First time in a long time: no errors or lookups. Once I figured out
    the theme, everything fell into place. But, as usual, took about four
    times longer than Bill’s speedy solve.

  3. Anon Mike: ever heard of stocking the shelves? Not literally stocks (like stocks & bonds)! 😂

  4. First, it was fun and clever. But I had myself convinced that instructor for a monarch was about butterflies. (I know, I know) So that led me to put in nets for catches at 11 down. Duh. I’ve heard of Navarro, but thought it was Ari or Ani or something like that. That left me with chocolate litor, which made no sense. I had to look up Navarro, which then gave me Asian art and nabs and finally chocolate lab. It all reminds me of the saying “Oh what tangled webs we weave when first we practice to deceive.” This time I didn’t even look at how long it took Bill, because it is just to demoralizing.

  5. 12:21 – no lookups or errors. False starts: SCOT>CHAS, AHA>OHO.

    New: ESPN studios. Nothing else new, but didn’t right away recall OPI, NIVEA, UNOS, CHAS Addams.

    It looked like there might be a theme to this one, but I didn’t see it. Guess I should have perused it longer. Thanks to @Bill for elucidating.

  6. Good puzzle, good theme. Almost got everything but stumbled on SERA and CIS. Getting the theme relatively early helped.

  7. 17 mins 41 sec, 2 errors (BAO/THEBIGTENOR). Just glad to finish any Wechsler grid. Odd that there’s no explanation or theme fill for this OR-ending puzzle. They’re not even bothering to justify these stretched, forced concepts.

  8. Yesterday’s puzzle

    For anyone who enjoyed yesterday’s puzzle – one of the constructors, Ross Trudeau, has a website: https://rosswordpuzzles.com He creates a puzzle for it each Sunday. One can sign up to have the puzzles sent to ones email each Sunday.

    1. Thanks, Mark. I was surprised to learn that you are indeed correct, as far as the IRS is concerned. Thank you!

  9. Mostly easy Friday Wechsler for me; took 13:53 with no peeks or errors. I didn’t get the banner when I finished and had to hunt down UNOn/nERA which I’d preemptively assumed started with an “n.” I remembered when Pope Francis first assumed his position and opened his first speech with “Buonasera!” instead of some holy verse 🙂 Also, I’ve eaten at Uno’s, albeit a while ago. Anyway that got me the slightly delayed banner.

    Still catching up with all my Star Trek, after my tv blew up back in the 80s. I’ve finally finished TNG, DS9 and I’m 1/3 through Voyager. Pretty soon I’ll be in this century 🙂

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