LA Times Crossword 29 Jan 23, Sunday

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Constructed by: Brian Thomas & Brooke Husic
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: Opposite Day

Themed answers are common phrases with one word changed to its OPPOSITE meaning:

  • 23A Drill sergeant, perhaps? : PRIVATE ENEMY NUMBER ONE (from “public enemy number one”)
  • 36A Collective action by society women? : DEBUTANTE STRIKE (from “debutante ball”)
  • 49A Farm bird that never topples? : NO-FALL CHICKEN (from “no spring chicken”)
  • 66A Amendment proposed by a technophile? : RIGHT TO ONE’S OWN DEVICES (from “left to one’s own devices”)
  • 78A Like a typical ride on a mechanical bull? : A FEW BUCKS LONG (from “a few bucks short”)
  • 92A Endure within a group of peers? : LAST AMONG EQUALS (from “first among equals”)
  • 109A Death and taxes, per Benjamin Franklin? : UNIVERSAL BASIC OUTCOME (from “universal basic income”)

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

Bill’s time: 21m 28s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

4 Car once advertised as a “well-built Swede” : SAAB

“SAAB” stands for Svenska Aeroplan AB, which translates into English as Swedish Aeroplane Limited. Although we usually think of SAAB as an auto manufacturer, it is mainly an aircraft manufacturer. If you take small hops in Europe you might find yourself on a SAAB passenger plane. The SAAB automotive division was acquired by General Motors in the year 2000, who then sold it to a Dutch concern in 2010. However, SAAB (automotive) finally went bankrupt in 2011. The assets were acquired in 2012 by NEVS (National Electric Vehicle Sweden), a new company that used the SAAB name on its vehicles for several years.

13 Like cookies soon after the Cookie Monster spots them : EATEN

Cookie Monster is a beloved Muppet on the TV show “Sesame Street”. He is a big eater and is especially fond of cookies, which he eats while grunting out “Om nom nom nom”.

20 Anti-censorship org. : 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”.

21 Provençal mayo : AIOLI

To the purist, especially in Provence in the South of France, aioli is prepared just by grinding garlic with olive oil. However, other ingredients are often added to the mix, particularly egg yolks.

27 New York, for one : STATE

What we know today as New York State has its origins in the province of New Netherland that was established in North America’s Dutch Republic in 1614. During the Second Anglo-Dutch War, the British laid claim to New Amsterdam. King Charles II awarded it to his brother James, Duke of York, who renamed the disputed territory the Province of New York. Following the Third Anglo-Dutch war, the Dutch finally surrendered New Netherland as part of 1674’s Treaty of Westminster that ended the conflict. After the Duke of York ascended to the British throne, as James II, land within the province was reassigned, reducing the Province of New York roughly to present-day New York State and Vermont. The State of New York was established in 1776, at the start of the Revolutionary War. The Vermont Republic gained its independence from New York the following year, in 1777.

30 Audrey Hopburn letters : IPA

Audrey Hopburn is a Belgian IPA (India pale ale) made by the Great Lakes Brewery in Toronto.

34 Ellington composition : RAG

Ragtime music was at the height of its popularity in the early 1900s. It takes its name from its characteristic “ragged” rhythms. The most famous ragtime composer was Scott Joplin, who had a big hit with his “Maple Leaf Rag” when it was published in 1899. He followed that up with a string of hits, including the “Pine Apple Rag” (sic). Ragtime fell out of favor about 1917 when the public turned to jazz. It had a resurgence in the forties when jazz musicians started to include ragtime tunes in their repertoires. But it was the 1973 movie “The Sting” that brought the true revival, as the hit soundtrack included numerous ragtime tunes by Scott Joplin, including the celebrated “The Entertainer” originally published in 1902.

Duke Ellington was a bandleader and composer believed by many to have elevated jazz to the same level as other respected genres of music. Ellington tended not to use the word “jazz” to describe his compositions, preferring the term “American Music”.

35 Inning’s trio? : ENS

There is a trio of letters N (ens) in the word “inning”.

43 Part of an underwater forest : KELP

Kelps are large seaweeds that grow in kelp forests underwater. Kelps can grow to over 250 feet in length, and do so very quickly. Some kelps can grow at the rate of 1-2 feet per day.

45 Movie trailer? : CREDITS

The term “trailer” was originally used in the film industry to describe advertisements for upcoming features. These trailers were originally shown at the end of a movie being screened, hence the name. This practice quickly fell out of favor as theater patrons usually left at the end of the movie without paying much attention to the trailers. So, the trailers were moved to the beginning of the show, but the term “trailer” persisted.

49 Farm bird that never topples? : NO-FALL CHICKEN (from “no spring chicken”)

A spring chicken is a young chicken, one destined for the dinner table. We also use “spring chicken” as a slang term to describe a young person, particularly in the phrase “He/she is no spring chicken”.

56 Honeycomb unit : CELL

Honeybees create a structure within their nests called a honeycomb that is used to contain their larvae and also to store honey and pollen. The honeycomb comprises hexagonal cells made from wax.

57 Rep. from the Bronx : AOC

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a politician who is often referred to by her initials “AOC”. A Democrat, she was first elected to the US House of Representatives in 2018, representing part of the Bronx, Queens and Rikers Island in New York City. When she took office in 2019 at the age of 29, AOC became the youngest woman ever to serve in Congress.

58 WWF, e.g. : NGO

Non-governmental organization (NGO)

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) was founded in 1961. It’s mission is …

… to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.

63 Org. with the largest-circulation magazine in the U.S. : AARP

“AARP” is now the official name for the interest group that used to be called the American Association of Retired Persons. The name change reflects the current focus of the group on all Americans aged 50 or over, as opposed to just people who have retired.

71 Ibex range : ALPS

“Ibex” is a common name for various species of mountain goat. “Ibex” is a Latin name that was used for wild goats found in the Alps and Apennines in Europe.

74 Gretchen of “Boardwalk Empire” : MOL

Gretchen Mol is the actress who plays Gillian Darmody on the HBO drama series “Boardwalk Empire”. Mol also played the title role in the 2005 film “The Notorious Bettie Page”.

“Boardwalk Empire” is an HBO drama series set in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The storyline is set in the 1920s and 1930s during the Prohibition Era. Star of the show is Steve Buscemi.

75 La Liga cheer : OLE!

The premier division of Spanish club soccer is the “Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División”, or more usually “La Liga” (The League).

77 Carol contraction : ‘TIS

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!”

83 Some Japanese TVs : SANYOS

Sanyo is a Japanese electronics manufacturer based near Osaka and founded in 1947. The company name means “three oceans” reflecting the company’s original aim to sell its products all around the world (across three oceans: the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Indian).

87 Terr. divided in 1889 : DAK

The Dakota Territory was formed in 1861 and ceased to exist with the admission to the Union of the states of North Dakota and South Dakota. The territory was split into two states in 1889 largely due to lobbying by the Republican Party, which enjoyed a lot of support in the Dakota Territory. The admission of two states added to the political power of the party in the US Senate, by adding four safe Republican seats.

88 Kiwi-shaped : OVAL

What we call kiwifruit today (and sometimes just “kiwi”) used to be called a Chinese gooseberry. Marketing folks in the fifties decided to call it a “melonette”, and then New Zealand producers adopted the name “kiwifruit”.

97 __ carte : A LA

On a restaurant menu, items that are “à la carte” are priced and ordered separately. A menu marked “table d’hôte” (also called “prix fixe”) is a fixed-price menu with limited choice. “Table d’hôte” translates from French as “table of the host”.

98 “Hair Love” voice actress Issa : RAE

Issa Rae is a Stanford University graduate who created a YouTube web series called “The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl”. Rae also plays the title role in the series, a young lady named “J”. “Awkward Black Girl” was adapted into an HBO comedy-drama called “Insecure”, in which Issa Rae stars.

“Hair Love” is a 2019 animated short about a man who has to style his daughter’s hair for the first time. It is a poignant piece, as the father and daughter must use a tutorial video made by the girl’s mother. At the end of the film, the father and daughter visit the mother in hospital, and the latter removes her scarf to reveal that she has lost her hair due to chemotherapy.

100 Strapless bralette : BANDEAU

A bandeau is like a narrow tube top, and is usually worn by women, perhaps as the top part of a bikini. “Bandeau” is diminutive of the French “bande” meaning “strip, band”.

101 “__ Lasso” : TED

“Ted Lasso” is a marvelous sports-comedy TV show about an American college football coach who moves to the UK to manage an English soccer team. The title character is played very admirably by Jason Sudeikas. Sudeikas first played Lasso in a series of TV commercials commissioned to promote NBC’s coverage of the British Premier League. Great stuff, and highly recommended …

107 Hides in plain sight? : TIPIS

A tepee (also written as “tipi” and “teepee”) is a cone-shaped tent traditionally made from animal hides that is used by the Great Plains Native Americans. A wigwam is a completely different structure and is often a misnomer for a tepee. A wigwam is a domed structure built by Native Americans in the West and Southwest, intended to be a more permanent dwelling. The wigwam can also be covered with hides but more often was covered with grass, reeds, brush or cloth.

109 Death and taxes, per Benjamin Franklin? : UNIVERSAL BASIC OUTCOME (from “universal basic income”)

In a letter to Jean-Baptiste Leroy dated 13 Nov 1789, Benjamin Franklin wrote “Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”

115 French 101 verb : AVOIR

Avoir is French for “to have”.

116 Ziggurat level : TIER

Ziggurats were massive, terraced, step pyramids built in the ancient Mesopotamian valley. The ziggurat-style of architecture has been used in modern buildings, with notable examples being the US Bullion Depository in Fort Knox, and the MI6 Building in London.

121 Nestlé’s __-Caps : SNO

Sno-Caps are a brand of candy usually only available in movie theaters. Sno-caps have been around since the 1920s, would you believe?

Down

1 Nintendo : DS :: Sony : __ : PSP

PlayStation Portable (PSP)

2 Measure typically given in knots : AIRSPEED

A knot (kt.) is a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour. Traditionally a vessel’s speed was determined by using a “chip log”. A chip log is made up of a wooden board attached to a line wrapped around a reel. The line (called a “log-line”) had knots tied in it at uniform spacings. To determine the vessel’s speed the board was thrown overboard and the line allowed to unroll. The speed was then the “number of knots” paid out in a fixed time interval.

5 The “A” of LGBTQIA+, for short : ACE

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA)

6 The “A” of 30-Across : ALE

[30 Audrey Hopburn letters : IPA]

India pale ale (IPA) is a style of beer that originated in England. The beer was originally intended for transportation from England to India, hence the name.

7 __ cord : BUNGEE

The elastic cord known as bungee cord is also known as shock cord. The term “bungee” probably comes from Britain where it was schoolboy slang for “rubber eraser”, and likely came from the words “bouncy” and “spongy”.

10 Cyclotron particles : IONS

A cyclotron accelerates charged particles (ions) using a magnetic field, usually directing the particles round and round a huge underground circular structure.

15 BOGO deal : TWOFER

Buy one, get one (BOGO) or buy one, get one free (BOGOF).

16 Weather-affecting Pacific current : EL NINO

When the surface temperature of much of the Pacific Ocean rises more than half a degree celsius, then there is said to be an El Niño episode. That small temperature change in the Pacific has been associated with climatic changes that can stretch right across the globe. El Niño is Spanish for “the boy” and is a reference to the Christ child. The phenomenon was given this particular Spanish name because the warming is usually noticed near South America and around Christmas-time.

17 Politburo nos : NYETS

The first politburo was formed by the Bolshevik Party in Russia in 1917, during that year’s Russian Revolution. The name is a contraction of “Politicheskoe Byuro” meaning “Political Bureau”. The original politburo had seven members, including Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin.

19 Noblezada of “Easter Sunday” : EVA

Eva Noblezada is an actress and singer who debuted on Broadway playing the lead in a 2017 revival of “Miss Saigon”. That performance earned her a Tony nomination, as did her portrayal of Eurydice in “Hadestown”.

26 __-free plastic : BPA

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an organic chemical that is used extensively in the manufacture of plastics. The main source of the controversy surrounding the use of the chemical is that BPA has hormone-like properties and has been classified as an endocrine disruptor, meaning that it can interfere with human hormone systems. BPA is “everywhere”, given the amount of plastic that we use in society. The debate seems to be whether or not the levels that we are exposed to are sufficient to create a health risk.

30 Brief “Beats me!” : IDK!

I don’t know (IDK)

33 Great Basin native : UTE

The Great Basin is a large region of the US covering most of Nevada, much of Utah and some parts of Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon and California. The 200,000 square mile area drains internally, with all precipitation sinking underground or flowing into lakes. Most of the lakes in the Great Basin are saline, including the Great Salt Lake, Pyramid Lake and the Humboldt Sink.

34 Sends off the soccer pitch : RED-CARDS

A series of colored penalty cards is used by referees and umpires in several sports, most notably in soccer. The cards were first used in the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico, after language difficulties created confusion during the prior competition in 1966. The main cards used are a yellow card indicating a caution, and a red card indicating expulsion from the game.

38 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).

39 Offline, briefly : IRL

In real life (IRL)

42 Sch. that competes against Notre Dame for the Jeweled Shillelagh : USC

A shillelagh is a wooden walking stick that, according to Irish folklore, was often used as a weapon, as a club. The term “shillelagh” is an anglicized corruption of “sail éille” meaning “thonged willow”. The spelling of this corruption somehow got confused over the years with the village of Shillelagh in County Wicklow. The name of the village is unrelated to the walking stick, and rather comes from the Irish “Síol Éalaigh” meaning “people descended from Élothach”, i.e. descended from Élothach mac Fáelchon, one of the Irish kings.

50 Ye __ Shoppe : OLDE

The word “olde” wasn’t actually used much earlier than the 1920s. “Olde” was introduced to give a quaint antique feel to brand names, shop names etc. as in “Ye Olde Shoppe”.

51 Eschew a co-pilot : FLY SOLO

“To eschew”, meaning “to avoid, shun”, comes from the Old French word “eschiver” that means the same thing.

53 Wading bird : EGRET

Egrets are a group of several species of white herons. Many egret species were faced with extinction in the 1800s and early 1900s due to plume hunting, a practice driven by the demand for egret plumes that could be incorporated into hats.

54 “Au contraire!” : NOT SO!

“Au contraire” is French for “on the contrary”.

59 Espresso froth : CREMA

“Crema” is the name given to that brown foam that sits on the top of a freshly prepared cup of espresso. There’s no milk involved; just foamy coffee.

67 Tibia neighbor : TALUS

The collection of seven bones in the foot just below the ankle are known collectively as the tarsus. One of those bones is the talus (plural “tali”), more commonly called “ankle bone”. The talus is the lower part of the ankle joint and articulates with the lower ends of the tibia and fibula in the lower leg.

69 Thinking a song is about oneself, say : VAIN

“You’re So Vain” is a Carly Simon song that was released in 1972. The song is about a self-absorbed man and is supposedly one of Simon’s former lovers. The subject of the song has led to much speculation for decades. Simon agreed to reveal the name of the subject to the highest bidder in a charity auction in 2003. The president of NBC Sports Dick Ebersol won that auction, and he has pledged never to reveal what he was told. Simon did allow him to give one clue to the public, that the name contains the letter E.

75 Music store supply : OBOE REEDS

A double-reed instrument is one in which two pieces of cane vibrate against each other to produce sound. In a single-reed instrument, just one piece of cane vibrates the mouthpiece. The best-known examples of double-reed instruments are the oboe and the bassoon.

79 Pacific Northwest sch. : WSU

Washington State University (WSU) was founded in 1890 as a land-grant college under the Morrill Act. Located in Pullman, the original name of WSU was “Agricultural College, Experiment Station and School of Science of the State of Washington”. The name was changed to its current form in 1959, with branch campuses opening in 1989: WSU Spokane, WSU Tri-Cities and WSU Vancouver.

80 Hawaiian for “white” : KEA

Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii, the peak of which is the highest point in the whole state. Mauna Kea is in effect the tip of a gigantic volcano rising up from the seabed.

81 Texting tech : SMS

Short Message Service (SMS) is the name for the text messaging service that many of us still use on our cell phones to contact friends and family.

82 “If we must die, O __ us nobly die”: McKay : LET

Claude McKay was a Jamaican-American novelist and poet whose name is very much associated with the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s.

83 Herb used in some smudging rituals : SAGE

The burning of sage is known as “smudging”. It is a ritual that originated with many Native-American peoples, although similar practices are found around the world in other cultures. The most common type of sage used in smudge sticks (sage bundles) is white sage, Salvia apiana.

84 Big hands? : OVATIONS

Give ’em a big hand, maybe even a standing “O”, a standing ovation.

85 Word in an Arthur Miller title : SALESMAN

“Death of a Salesman” is a famous play by Arthur Miller that was first produced in 1949. “Death of a Salesman” won a Pulitzer and several Tony Awards over the years. The “Salesman” is the famous character Willy Loman. The play originally opened up on Broadway and ran for 724 performances. It was directed by Elia Kazan, and the lead role was played by veteran actor Lee J. Cobb.

87 RPG with a 20-sided die : DND

Dungeons & Dragons (D&D, DND) is a complex role-playing game (RPG) introduced in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules Incorporated (TSR). Dungeons & Dragons was probably the first of the modern role-playing games to be developed, and the most successful. It is still played by lots of people today, including my youngest son …

89 Acid initials : LSD

LSD (known colloquially as “acid”) is lysergic acid diethylamide. A Swiss chemist named Albert Hofmann first synthesized LSD in 1938 in a research project looking for medically efficacious ergot alkaloids. It wasn’t until some five years later when Hofmann ingested some of the drug accidentally that its psychedelic properties were discovered. Trippy, man …

91 Highfalutin : LA-DI-DA

The term “highfalutin” dates back to the mid-1800s. Some suggest that it may be a mutation from “high flying”, as “highfalutin” means “haughty” or “pretentious”.

97 __ frescas: fruit drinks : AGUAS

An agua fresca is a blended drink made with sugar and water flavored with fruit, cereal, flowers or seeds. Traditional aguas frescas are sold by street vendors, especially in Mexico and the American Southwest. Common flavorings are hibiscus and tamarind.

99 Passover’s month, often: Abbr. : APR

The Jewish holiday of Passover begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan and lasts for seven or eight days, depending on the Jewish denomination. Nisan usually falls in March-April on the Gregorian calendar.

106 Four Tops singer Benson : OBIE

The original lineup of the Four Tops agreed to form a vocal quartet when they were high school students together in Detroit. The group started out using the name “The Four Aims”, but changed it to Four Tops to avoid confusion with the Ames Brothers.

111 Spy-fi org. : CIA

Spy-fi is spy fiction that includes elements of science fiction.

113 Nwodim of “SNL” : EGO

Actress and comedian Ego Nwodim joined the cast of “Saturday Night Live” in 2018. She was a biology major at the University of Southern California, a classic foundation for a successful comedian …

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Cat’s attention-getter, maybe : PAW
4 Car once advertised as a “well-built Swede” : SAAB
8 Endpoint for some boots and skirts : THIGH
13 Like cookies soon after the Cookie Monster spots them : EATEN
18 Equine parent : SIRE
20 Anti-censorship org. : ACLU
21 Provençal mayo : AIOLI
22 Only just : NEWLY
23 Drill sergeant, perhaps? : PRIVATE ENEMY NUMBER ONE (from “public enemy number one”)
27 New York, for one : STATE
28 Lubricate : GREASE
29 Return : PROFIT
30 Audrey Hopburn letters : IPA
31 Distribution parties : ISSUERS
34 Ellington composition : RAG
35 Inning’s trio? : ENS
36 Collective action by society women? : DEBUTANTE STRIKE (from “debutante ball”)
41 French bread? : EURO
43 Part of an underwater forest : KELP
44 One-eighty : UIE
45 Movie trailer? : CREDITS
47 Pick up : DETECT
49 Farm bird that never topples? : NO-FALL CHICKEN (from “no spring chicken”)
55 Wrath : IRE
56 Honeycomb unit : CELL
57 Rep. from the Bronx : AOC
58 WWF, e.g. : NGO
59 Mountain goats’ terrain : CRAGS
62 Temperamental : MOODY
63 Org. with the largest-circulation magazine in the U.S. : AARP
65 Corner store : MART
66 Amendment proposed by a technophile? : RIGHT TO ONE’S OWN DEVICES (from “left to one’s own devices”)
70 Cut and paste, say : EDIT
71 Ibex range : ALPS
72 Drops : OMITS
73 Invite for : ASK TO
74 Gretchen of “Boardwalk Empire” : MOL
75 La Liga cheer : OLE!
76 Contact __ : LENS
77 Carol contraction : ‘TIS
78 Like a typical ride on a mechanical bull? : A FEW BUCKS LONG (from “a few bucks short”)
83 Some Japanese TVs : SANYOS
86 “I don’t care!” : SO, SUE ME!
87 Terr. divided in 1889 : DAK
88 Kiwi-shaped : OVAL
90 Color of Montana’s flag : BLUE
92 Endure within a group of peers? : LAST AMONG EQUALS (from “first among equals”)
97 __ carte : A LA
98 “Hair Love” voice actress Issa : RAE
100 Strapless bralette : BANDEAU
101 “__ Lasso” : TED
102 Passing remark? : GO DEEP
104 Slides (over) : SCOOTS
107 Hides in plain sight? : TIPIS
109 Death and taxes, per Benjamin Franklin? : UNIVERSAL BASIC OUTCOME (from “universal basic income”)
114 Contributed : ADDED
115 French 101 verb : AVOIR
116 Ziggurat level : TIER
117 Shoestring catch? : SNAG
118 Creates a Maillard reaction on a steak, say : SEARS
119 Gave back, as land : CEDED
120 Be worthy of : EARN
121 Nestlé’s __-Caps : SNO

Down

1 Nintendo : DS :: Sony : __ : PSP
2 Measure typically given in knots : AIRSPEED
3 Like some data disks : WRITABLE
4 Chili-based Vietnamese condiment : SATE SAUCE
5 The “A” of LGBTQIA+, for short : ACE
6 The “A” of 30-Across : ALE
7 __ cord : BUNGEE
8 Maximally vanilla : TAMEST
9 “Howdy there!” : HIYA!
10 Cyclotron particles : IONS
11 “I’m rubber, you’re __ … ” : GLUE
12 That guy : HIM
13 Fired up : ENERGETIC
14 Prefix with Mexico : AERO-
15 BOGO deal : TWOFER
16 Weather-affecting Pacific current : EL NINO
17 Politburo nos : NYETS
19 Noblezada of “Easter Sunday” : EVA
24 Bumping heads : AT IT
25 Drops the ball, say : ERRS
26 __-free plastic : BPA
30 Brief “Beats me!” : IDK!
32 Fit of pique : SNIT
33 Great Basin native : UTE
34 Sends off the soccer pitch : RED-CARDS
37 Far from relaxed : UPTIGHT
38 Color TV pioneer : RCA
39 Offline, briefly : IRL
40 Kenan’s “Good Burger” co-star : KEL
42 Sch. that competes against Notre Dame for the Jeweled Shillelagh : USC
46 [Crossing my fingers!] : I HOPE!
48 German “first” : ERST
49 Bright shades : NEONS
50 Ye __ Shoppe : OLDE
51 Eschew a co-pilot : FLY SOLO
52 Real talent : KNACK
53 Wading bird : EGRET
54 “Au contraire!” : NOT SO!
56 Member-owned grocery : CO-OP
59 Espresso froth : CREMA
60 Free from : RID OF
61 Fleet of foot : AGILE
62 Chemistry class model : MOLECULE
63 Filling with wonder : AWING
64 Children’s song marchers : ANTS
65 Text in a long-distance relationship, maybe : MISS YOU
67 Tibia neighbor : TALUS
68 Spilled salt, to some : OMEN
69 Thinking a song is about oneself, say : VAIN
75 Music store supply : OBOE REEDS
77 Roll the dice, say : TAKE A TURN
79 Pacific Northwest sch. : WSU
80 Hawaiian for “white” : KEA
81 Texting tech : SMS
82 “If we must die, O __ us nobly die”: McKay : LET
83 Herb used in some smudging rituals : SAGE
84 Big hands? : OVATIONS
85 Word in an Arthur Miller title : SALESMAN
87 RPG with a 20-sided die : DND
89 Acid initials : LSD
90 Strawberry __ : BLONDE
91 Highfalutin : LA-DI-DA
93 “All __!” : ABOARD
94 Rolls in yoga class : MATS
95 In the office : ON SITE
96 Word after rage or force : -QUIT
97 __ frescas: fruit drinks : AGUAS
99 Passover’s month, often: Abbr. : APR
103 Even once : EVER
104 Back up : SAVE
105 Graceless one : CLOD
106 Four Tops singer Benson : OBIE
108 Some laptops : PCS
110 __ fly : SAC
111 Spy-fi org. : CIA
112 Not ‘neath : O’ER
113 Nwodim of “SNL” : EGO

29 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 29 Jan 23, Sunday”

    1. Yeah, that’s pretty bad… (smh). Probably relying on the permissive Marion-Webster Dictionary as precedent.

    2. I think “tipi” is actually the preferred spelling. See this article for information on its etymology:

      https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipi

      And I have to say that cluing it as “Hides in plain sight?” absolutely made my day – a very fresh, clever, and amusing clue! … 😜

      Marion-Webster Dictionary? Never heard of that … 😳.

      SMHAW … 🙂.

    3. To be fair, I just looked up “tipi” in nine different dictionaries that I own. Eight of the nine list it as an alternate way of spelling “tepee” (which may or may not be preferred). A few of them also list “teepee” as an alternate spelling. In any case, a Google search for “tipi” shows that that spelling is all over the place and a number of scholarly sites seem to prefer it.

  1. Another two hours of my life wasted…👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎
    Stay safe😀

  2. For a while now I see you are using different crosswords than I see on latimes.com. I was wondering why that was. If you have any insight, please let me know.

    Thank you, Angela

    1. Angela,

      I really have no explanation for you, but I just checked the puzzles on “latimes.com” for the last week; every one of the seven was consistent with what I downloaded and did and with what I saw/see here.

  3. Sorry (or maybe congratulations) for the worst Sunday puzzle of 2023. Far too may unknowns and PPP’s for most anyone’s taste. Phooey!

  4. ABSOLUTELY STUPID. There’s just no defense for this kind of forced-up CRAP. C’mon, Patti, do your job!!!

    1. I know next to nothing about this, but I think it’s short for “sacrifice fly” and refers to some situation in a game of baseball.

    2. Hi Ken10kRuss. Baseball term…sacrifice fly

      This grid took me forever, but I finally finished without error. I had one heck of a time figuring out the answer to 1 Across for some reason. Paw! Haw!

    3. Sacrifice fly.

      From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaIn baseball, a sacrifice fly (sometimes abbreviated to sac fly) is defined by Rule 9.08(d).  “Score a sacrifice fly when, before two are out, the batter hits a ball in flight handled by an outfielder or an infielder running in the outfield in fair or foul territory thatis caught, and a run scores after the catch, oris dropped, and a runner scores, if in the scorer’s judgment the runner could have scored after the catch had the fly ball been caught.”It is called a “sacrifice” fly because the batter allows a teammate to score a run, while sacrificing his own ability to do so. Sacrifice flies are traditionally recorded in box scores with the designation “SF”.

  5. One Natick, heya/hiya. Finished this but
    there is no joy in Mudville. What a slog.
    Theme was clever enough but too
    disjointed to be of any help for me. Tough
    weekend of puzzles, no fun…

  6. Sacrifice fly. Baseball lingo.

    Kind of like the lingo used elsewhere in this puzzle. Someone knows it from somewhere.

    Crossword constructors delight.

  7. A bit difficult for a Sunday; took 1:03:52 with some 6-8 errors, most in the SW and a few in the SE and 1 in the W. Not really that hard, even as I started to fall asleep, but managed to finish first. I too was confused by TIPIS, even though I got that one right. Just couldn’t work out BLONDE and LADIDA along with CREMe.

    Kind of a sucky sport weekend too…

    1. @Ben …

      If you figure it out, let me know … 😳.

      My take, so far: It is the fate of online blogs to be taken over by the disgruntled few, looking primarily for a place to blow off steam, who eventually drive away others having a more positive nature. (I do very much appreciate the holdouts in the latter group.)

    1. Force quit means to shut down an app or computer that is stuck.

      Rage quit means to stop an activity because you are mad or frustrated.

      You could have found that out if you just entered those terms into Google.

  8. What happened to the ability to get solutions for puzzles in previous years? Can you update your ‘Puzzles by Date’ to include 2022 as a choice?

    1. @RJB …

      The slang term “rage quit” refers to abandoning a project or an activity due to anger. The term “force quit”, on my iMac, refers to a procedure whereby one can stop the execution of a utility that has gone awry.

    2. @Joyce…

      Bill must have some reason for restricting history searches to the current year, so I’m a little reluctant to post this, but …

      If you know the date of the solution that you want or some of the key words in it, you can (almost?) always use Google to find it. Include “laxcrossword.com” as one of the search terms. For example, try this: “laxcrossword.com January 13, 2015”

  9. Wow after my great last week, this was a toughie, and I am not whining, just stating a fact! Here it is Sat. night and I just finished, had to look up one phrase “basic income” because I only had the end of 109A and I figured outcome was the opposite of income. So then I found out there is a phrase “universal basic income.” Was puzzled on how to actually spell UIE and La Di Da. And Sac fly was no where in my brain.

  10. I’m not a big Ellington fan but I think he had little or nothing
    to do with ragtime. Plenty of better clues were available.

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