LA Times Crossword 15 Mar 23, Wednesday

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Constructed by: Prasanna Keshava
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: High Tea

Themed answers are all in the down-direction. Each starts with a kind of TEA:

  • 27D British afternoon tradition, and what this puzzle’s four longest answers literally have? : HIGH TEA
  • 3D “Peanuts” girl who calls Charlie Brown “Chuck” : PEPPERMINT PATTY (peppermint tea)
  • 5D Add interest : SPICE THINGS UP (spice tea)
  • 11D Formal social events : BLACK-TIE AFFAIRS (black tea)
  • 19D Party device filled with liquid soap : BUBBLE MACHINE (bubble tea)

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

Bill’s time: 7m 58s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Meal : REPAST

Our word “repast”, meaning “meal”, came to us via French (in which language “repas” is “meal”). Ultimately the term comes from the Latin “repascere” meaning “to repeatedly graze”.

10 Old PCs : IBMS

The IBM PC entered the personal computer market in 1981 and was by all accounts a surprising success, even to many IBM executives. The PC was directed at the business world, and in 1983 IBM made its first foray into the home computing world with the introduction of the PCjr. Codenamed “Peanut” during development, the PCjr has been described as one of the biggest commercial flops in computing history. Various reasons have been cited for the failure, including the poorly-designed keyboard, relatively high price and lack of compatibility with existing IBM products.

14 Syria’s most populous city : ALEPPO

Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and is located not far from Damascus, the nation’s capital. Aleppo owes its size and history of prosperity to its location at the end of the Silk Road, the trade route that linked Asia to Europe (and other locations). The Suez Canal was opened up in 1869 bringing a new route for transport of goods, and so Aleppo’s prosperity declined over the past one hundred years or so. The city’s population has suffered terribly since the start of the Syrian Civil War, with the Battle of Aleppo raging from 2012 to 2016.

15 “Blessed __ the peacemakers” : ARE

The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of teachings of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of Matthew. One famous section of the discourse is known as the Beatitudes. The eight Beatitudes are:

  • … Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
  • … Blessed are those who mourn: for they will be comforted
  • … Blessed are the meek: for they will inherit the earth
  • … Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they will be filled
  • … Blessed are the merciful: for they will be shown mercy
  • … Blessed are the pure in heart: for they will see God
  • … Blessed are the peacemakers: for they will be called children of God
  • … Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

16 Large number : SLEW

Our usage of “slew” to mean “large number” has nothing to do with the verb “to slew” meaning “to turn, skid”. The noun “slew” came into English in the early 1800s from the Irish word “sluagh” meaning “host, crowd, multitude”.

22 Corvallis sch. : OSU

Oregon State University (OSU) in Corvallis is a public research university that was founded in 1868. It is one of only two universities in the United States (the other being Pennsylvania State University) to have Land, Sea, Sun, and Space Grant designations, meaning that it receives federal funding to conduct research in each of these areas. The university is home to the largest research vessel in the United States academic fleet, the R/V Oceanus, which is used for oceanographic research.

Corvallis is a city in western Oregon that is home to Oregon State University (OSU). Corvallis was the capital of the Oregon Territory before Salem was selected as the seat of government. The name “Corvallis” is derived from the Latin words for “heart of the valley”.

23 Windy City commuter org. : CTA

Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)

It seems that the derivation of Chicago’s nickname “Windy City” isn’t as obvious as I would have thought. There are two viable theories. Firstly, that the weather can be breezy with wind blowing in off Lake Michigan. The effect of the wind is exaggerated by the grid-layout adopted by city planners after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The second theory is that “windy” means “being full of bluster”. Sportswriters from the rival city of Cincinnati were fond of calling Chicago supporters “windy” in the 1860s and 1870s, meaning that they were full of hot air in their claims that the Chicago White Stockings were superior to the Cincinnati Red Stockings.

26 Comedian Margaret : CHO

Margaret Cho is a Korean-American comedian and actress who was born in San Francisco in 1968. As well as performing as a comedian, Cho has also had a successful acting career, appearing in films such as “Face/Off,” “Bam Bam and Celeste,” and “All About Steve,” as well as TV shows such as “Drop Dead Diva” and “30 Rock.”

28 “Sweet Love” singer Anita : BAKER

“Sweet Love” is a classic hit song by Anita Baker, released in 1986. The songwriters, Anita Baker herself and Gary Bias, had written the song with Ella Fitzgerald in mind but were unable to get it to her. As a result, Baker decided to record it herself and it became one of her most successful and enduring songs.

30 __ Lingus : AER

Aer Lingus is the flag carrier airline of Ireland. It was founded in 1936 by the Irish government to provide air service between Ireland and the United Kingdom. The airline’s name means “air fleet” in Irish. In the 1950s, Aer Lingus became the first airline to introduce a duty-free shopping service on board its flights.

31 Bangkok residents : THAIS

Bangkok is the capital city of Thailand. The exact etymology of the name “Bangkok” seems unclear, although “bang” is a Thai word for “a village situated on a stream”.

33 Data units : BYTES

In the world of computing, a bit is the basic unit of information. It has a value of 0 or 1. A “byte” is a small collection of “bits” (usually 8), the number of bits needed to uniquely identify a character of text. The term “byte” is an abbreviation for “binary digit”.

36 Inouye Airport arrival gift : LEI

Honolulu International Airport in Hawaii was renamed in 2012 to honor Senator Daniel K. Inouye, who had represented the state for almost 50 years. Back in the early fifties, Honolulu Airport was the third-busiest in the country, and its 13,000-foot runway was the longest in the world. The facility’s IATA code is “HNL”.

37 __ Lanka : SRI

The island nation of Sri Lanka lies off the southeast coast of India. The name “Sri Lanka” translates from Sanskrit into English as “venerable island”. Before 1970, Sri Lanka was known as Ceylon, a name given to the country during British rule.

44 Religious woman : NUN

Nuns are women who have taken religious vows to live a life of prayer, celibacy, and service to their community. The word “nun” comes from the Latin word “nonna,” which means “mother” or “grandmother”. Nuns have been a part of many different religious traditions, including Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam.

46 Glossary entry : TERM

A gloss is a brief explanation of a complex term, one perhaps written in the margin of a text. A “glossary” is a collection of “glosses”.

50 Comedian Anne featured in Jerry Stiller’s memoir “Married to Laughter” : MEARA

Anne Meara married fellow comedic actor Jerry Stiller in 1954. The couple’s children are actors Ben and Amy Stiller. Meara co-starred with Carroll O’Connor and Martin Balsam in the eighties sitcom “Archie Bunker’s Place”, a spin-off from “All in the Family”.

51 Aromatic tree : FIR

Firs are evergreen coniferous trees, with several species being popular as Christmas trees. The most commonly used species during the holidays are the Nordmann fir, noble fir, Fraser fir and balsam fir. We also see a lot of Douglas fir trees at Christmas, but they’re not actually true firs.

53 Sculling need : OAR

A scull is a boat used for competitive rowing. The main hull of the boat is often referred to as a shell. Crew members who row the boat can be referred to as “oars”. And, a scull is also an oar mounted on the stern of a small boat. It’s all very confusing …

54 __ macchiato : CAFFE

A latte macchiato is a coffee drink made from hot foamed milk to which espresso is added on top. The name “latte macchiato” translates from Italian as “stained milk”, as the espresso “stains” the foamed milk when it is poured into the cup.

57 Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s country: Abbr. : UKR

Volodymyr Zelenskyy had no political experience when he won Ukraine’s presidential election and took office in 2019. He had a very successful career as a comedian and actor. He became famous for playing the president of Ukraine in a satirical comedy show “Servant of the People”, which ran for three seasons from 2015 to 2019.

59 Conductor Zubin : MEHTA

Zubin Mehta is an Indian conductor of western classical music, from Mumbai. Mehta studied music in Vienna, where he made his conducting debut in 1958. In 1961 he was named assistant director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, creating a fuss with the music director designate of the orchestra, Georg Solti. Solti resigned as a protest, and Mehta took his job. In 1978 Mehta took over as Music Director and Principal Conductor of the New York Philharmonic, eventually becoming the longest holder of that position. In 2019, the Los Angeles Philharmonic bestowed on Mehta the title of Conductor Emeritus.

61 Devices for reproducing signatures : AUTOPENS

An autopen is a device used to provide an automatic signature, usually for a batch of documents. With today’s technology, we can provide photographic copies of signatures quite readily. An autopen has the advantage of automatic writing of the signature, while creating the illusion that the document was signed in person using a pen.

67 Old PC screens : CRTS

Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) … there aren’t many of them available in stores these days!

68 Narrow waterway : RIA

A drowned valley might be called a ria or a fjord, and both are formed as sea levels rise. A ria is a drowned valley created by river erosion, and a fjord is a drowned valley created by glaciation.

70 Florida vacation destination : KEYS

The Florida Keys are a chain of low islands that stretch from the tip of the Florida peninsula, about 15 miles south of Miami. The westernmost inhabited island is Key West, and the westernmost uninhabited island is Dry Tortugas. Most of the inhabited islands are connected by US Highway 1, which traverses several impressive bridges.

Down

2 “Xanadu” gp. : ELO

The title song of the 1980 movie “Xanadu” was performed by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) and Olivia Newton-John (who starred in the film). Despite the popularity of ELO around the world, the song “Xanadu” was the band’s only number-one hit back in their homeland of the UK.

3 “Peanuts” girl who calls Charlie Brown “Chuck” : PEPPERMINT PATTY (peppermint tea)

Peppermint Patty is a character in the long-running comic strip “Peanuts”, by Charles M. Schulz. Peppermint Patty has a friend named Marcie who famously refers to Peppermint Patty as “Sir”, which is perhaps a reference to her reputation as a tomboy. Tomboy or not, it is revealed in the strip that Peppermint Patty has quite a crush on Charlie Brown.

4 Cathedral niches : APSES

A cathedral is the church at the center of a Christian diocese or episcopate. The name “cathedral” comes from the “cathedra” that it houses, the “seat” of the bishop. That seat is more like a throne.

6 Honky-__ : TONK

A honky-tonk is a bar with musical entertainment, usually country music. The etymology of the term “honky-tonk” seems unclear. The term has evolved to mean any cheap, noisy bar or dance hall.

8 Cookies for breakfast? : OREO O’S

Oreo O’s cereal was made by Post from 1998 to 2007. The pieces of cereal were basically O-shaped (like Cheerios) but chocolate-flavored, dark brown in color and with white sprinkles on them. Oh, and lots of sugar.

12 Protégé : MENTEE

A mentor is a trusted teacher or counselor. The term “mentor” comes from Homer’s “Odyssey” in which there is a character named Mentor. He is a friend of Odysseus, although he is a relatively ineffective old man. The goddess Athena takes on Mentor’s appearance in order to guide Odysseus’s young son Telemachus through difficult times.

We use the term “protégé” for someone whose career is helped along and guided by a more experienced person, a mentor. “Protégé” is French for “protected”.

19 Party device filled with liquid soap : BUBBLE MACHINE (bubble tea)

Bubble tea, sometimes called “boba tea”, is a tea-based drink from Taiwan. The “bubbles” are chewy tapioca balls that are usually added to the drink.

27 British afternoon tradition, and what this puzzle’s four longest answers literally have? : HIGH TEA

Especially in the UK, high tea is a major meal served in the late afternoon or early evening. Said meal should of course include a pot of tea!

29 “Yes,” on Talk Like a Pirate Day : AYE

International Talk Like a Pirate Day is September 19th every year, a “holiday” that was created in 1995. The event started out as an inside joke between John Baur and Mark Summers of Albany, Oregon, but when they shared the notion with columnist Dave Barry, he promoted the idea and it took off.

32 “The Summer I Turned Pretty” novelist Jenny : HAN

Jenny Han is a Korean-American author who has written several young adult novels, including the popular “The Summer I Turned Pretty” trilogy. Han created a TV show based on the trilogy under the same title, which started airing in 2022.

42 Pre-weekend shout : TGIF!

“Thank God It’s Friday” (TGIF)

45 Dubai’s fed. : UAE

Dubai is one of the seven emirates that make up the federation known as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The two largest members of the UAE (geographically) are Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the only two of the seven members that have veto power over UAE policy.

58 “The Americans” star Russell : 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.

60 “¿De dónde __?” : ERES

“De dónde eres?” is Spanish for “Where are you from?”

62 WWII spy org. : OSS

The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was formed during WWII in order to carry out espionage behind enemy lines. A few years after the end of the war the OSS functions were taken up by a new group, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) that was chartered by the National Security Act of 1947.

63 Word with Jose or Juan : SAN …

San Jose is the third-largest city in California and is located at the heart of Silicon Valley. The city was founded by the Spanish in 1777 and named El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe. Under Spanish and Mexican rule, the territory of Alta California had its capital in Monterey. When California was made a US state, San Jose was named as the first capital, in 1850. Subsequently, the state legislature met in Vallejo in 1852, Benicia in 1853, and finally settled in Sacramento.

San Juan is the capital of Puerto Rico. The city was founded in 1521 by the Spanish, who called it “Ciudad de Puerto Rico” (Rich Port City).

65 Private aid prog. : NGO

Non-governmental organization (NGO)

66 OB-__: med. specialty : GYN

Obstetrics and gynecology (OB-GYN)

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Meal : REPAST
7 Near mist? : FOG
10 Old PCs : IBMS
14 Syria’s most populous city : ALEPPO
15 “Blessed __ the peacemakers” : ARE
16 Large number : SLEW
17 Accepts a driver’s offer : HOPS IN
18 Cell boundary : MEMBRANE
20 Quick kisses : PECKS
22 Corvallis sch. : OSU
23 Windy City commuter org. : CTA
24 The ones here : THESE
26 Comedian Margaret : CHO
28 “Sweet Love” singer Anita : BAKER
30 __ Lingus : AER
31 Bangkok residents : THAIS
33 Data units : BYTES
34 “And there you have it!” : BAM!
35 Suspend : HANG
36 Inouye Airport arrival gift : LEI
37 __ Lanka : SRI
38 Trisected : IN THREE
41 “You get the idea” abbr. : ETC
44 Religious woman : NUN
46 Glossary entry : TERM
47 Long, long __ : AGO
48 Remove one’s username from, on social media : UNTAG
50 Comedian Anne featured in Jerry Stiller’s memoir “Married to Laughter” : MEARA
51 Aromatic tree : FIR
52 Areas that may be irritated by shirt tags : NAPES
53 Sculling need : OAR
54 __ macchiato : CAFFE
56 K-12 support gp. : PTA
57 Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s country: Abbr. : UKR
59 Conductor Zubin : MEHTA
61 Devices for reproducing signatures : AUTOPENS
64 __ star : RISING
67 Old PC screens : CRTS
68 Narrow waterway : RIA
69 Get-up-and-go : ENERGY
70 Florida vacation destination : KEYS
71 Stop on the road : INN
72 __ tickets : SEASON

Down

1 “Yay, team!” : RAH!
2 “Xanadu” gp. : ELO
3 “Peanuts” girl who calls Charlie Brown “Chuck” : PEPPERMINT PATTY (peppermint tea)
4 Cathedral niches : APSES
5 Add interest : SPICE THINGS UP (spice tea)
6 Honky-__ : TONK
7 Mom, dad, sibs, etc. : FAM
8 Cookies for breakfast? : OREO O’S
9 Tiara twinklers : GEMS
10 Syr. neighbor : ISR
11 Formal social events : BLACK-TIE AFFAIRS (black tea)
12 Protégé : MENTEE
13 Takes an oath : SWEARS
19 Party device filled with liquid soap : BUBBLE MACHINE (bubble tea)
21 Barely enough : SCANT
24 Bar bills : TABS
25 Pick up : HEAR
27 British afternoon tradition, and what this puzzle’s four longest answers literally have? : HIGH TEA
29 “Yes,” on Talk Like a Pirate Day : AYE
32 “The Summer I Turned Pretty” novelist Jenny : HAN
39 Break a peace treaty, perhaps : REARM
40 Make a mistake : ERR
42 Pre-weekend shout : TGIF!
43 Center : CORE
45 Dubai’s fed. : UAE
48 Prepare to stay a couple nights, say : UNPACK
49 Inherent character : NATURE
50 Informal greeting : MORNIN’
55 Clueless : AT SEA
58 “The Americans” star Russell : KERI
60 “¿De dónde __?” : ERES
62 WWII spy org. : OSS
63 Word with Jose or Juan : SAN …
65 Private aid prog. : NGO
66 OB-__: med. specialty : GYN

13 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 15 Mar 23, Wednesday”

  1. Still not sure what HIGH TEA means?
    Is HIGH referring to the mid-aftenoon?

    Messed up MEHTA and ERES. Had MAHTA and ARES. didn’t know either one.

    Liked the Corvallis story. Did not know that was home to Oregon State or it housed the largest underwater lab vehicle.

    1. I recently watched an etiquette show from London with a guy who knew all the proper things to do and say – he said “high” tea refers to the height of the table it is served on

  2. One dumb, dumb mistake…did not know “Keri” but surely should
    have known Zelensky’s country! Where was my head this morning?

  3. Went fast tried to beat Bill today had Don Jose …Juan didn’t double check …thus two errors…fun puzzle like the long answers…happy rainy week or is it month???

  4. Tired of Oreo? OK, let’s find something esoteric with it. Didn’t know OREOOS but prob shoulda got CHO so had one blank square. A little far-fetched theme but not too bad.

  5. 10:11 – no errors, lookups, or false starts.

    New: OREO O’S, Jenny HAN, “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” ERES.

    Very long answers for today’s theme. Black tea with honey and a splash of milk is my go-to.

    Could not imagine what OREOOS referred to when I filled it in. From Bill’s write up, I’m surprised they lasted nine years.

  6. An identical finishing time as yesterday (8 mins 15 seconds) with no issues or errors. Enjoyable, **guileless** puzzle. Sensible, non-tortured theme as a plus. Keep ’em coming.

  7. I dispute your definition of “high tea” – in my experience it is a non-remarkable midday meal, where the only hot offering is the tea. What you describe I have always known as “afternoon tea” (or “cream tea” in the Commonwealth).

  8. I love tea, so the theme was a good one for me. I found the puzzle challenging, but kept at it, and only missed the crosses at 59 A (Mehta) and 60 D (Eres). Ugg, another foreign word I am supposed to know?! Drives me crazy!

  9. Middling tricky Wednesday for me; took 11:23 with no peeks or errors. Last of a quartet of puzzles today…did the WSJ Wednesday at dawn, Thursday LAT at my market, Thursday WSJ back at home and finally this one…pheww! This one I was a bit tired, I knew everything, but I had to re-remember MEARA. She shows up here regularly, but it’s been a while.

    Theme – meh, not a huge tea fan, but I will drink it if I’ve had my two cups of coffee already.

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