LA Times Crossword 6 Apr 23, Thursday

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Constructed by: Trent H. Evans
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Come on Down!

Themed answers are in the DOWN-direction, and each is a synonym of “Really?”:

  • 30A “The Price Is Right” signature phrase, and an apt description of the answers to the starred clues : COME ON DOWN!
  • 3A *”Really?” : GET SERIOUS
  • 9A *”Really?” : ARE YOU JOKING?
  • 20A *”Really?” : GIVE ME A BREAK

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

Bill’s time: 7m 17s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Novel units : PAGES

Our word “novel”, used for a lengthy work of fiction, comes from the Latin “novella” meaning “new things”.

6 “The Good Place” Emmy nominee Rudolph : MAYA

Comic actress Maya Rudolph got her break as a regular cast member on “Saturday Night Live”. Rudolph’s mother was singer Minnie Ripperton, who had a big hit in 1975 with the single “Lovin’ You”.

“The Good Place” is a fantasy-comedy TV show about a woman who wakes up in the afterlife. The woman is played by Kristen Bell, and the afterlife is a heaven-like utopia designed by Michael, an immortal architect portrayed by Ted Danson. I haven’t seen this one …

10 Missing reveille, perhaps : AWOL

AWOL (absent without leave)

“Reveille” is a trumpet call that is used to wake everyone up at sunrise. The term comes from “réveillé”, the French for “wake up”.

14 Cornmeal cake similar to a gordita : AREPA

An arepa is a cornmeal cake or bread that is popular in Colombian and Venezuelan cuisines in particular. Each arepa has a flat, round shape and is often split to make a sandwich.

15 Library of Congress collection : AMERICANA

An ana (plural “anas”) is a collection, perhaps of literature, that represents the character of a particular place or a person. “Ana” can be used as a noun or as a suffix (e.g. “Americana”).

The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. is regarded as the national library of the US, although its official function is the library of the US Congress. It is the world’s largest library, and has been so since 1990. Most of the books acquired by the library each year are in languages other than English.

17 One who takes the fall : PATSY

The etymology of the word “patsy” meaning “fall guy” isn’t really understood. One colorful theory suggests that the term comes from an 1890s vaudeville character named Patsy Bolivar. Patsy always got the blame when something went wrong.

20 USO audience : GIS

The United Service Organization (USO) was founded in 1941 at the request of President Franklin D. Roosevelt “to handle the on-leave recreation of the men in the armed forces”. A USO tour is undertaken by a troupe of entertainers, many of whom are big-name celebrities. A USO tour usually includes troop locations in combat zones.

24 Early ISP : AOL

AOL was a leading Internet Service Provider (ISP) in the 1980s and 1990s. The company does still provide dial-up access to the Internet for some subscribers, but most users now access AOL using faster, non-AOL ISPs.

27 Spacewalk initials : EVA

Extravehicular activity (EVA) is the name given to any work done by an astronaut outside of his or her spacecraft. The term would encompass walking on the moon, as well as making a space walk i.e. floating around in space tethered to spacecraft.

33 Asylum seeker, perhaps : EMIGRE

An émigré (fem. “émigrée”) is an emigrant. The term is French in origin, and particularly applies to someone who is a political refugee from his or her native land.

Asylum (plural “asyla”) is a Latin word meaning “sanctuary”.

35 __ Mahal : TAJ

“Mahal” is the Urdu word for “palace”, as in “Taj Mahal” meaning “crown of palaces”. The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum holding the body of Mumtaz Mahal, the third wife of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The name “Mumtaz Mahal” translates as “the chosen one of the palace”.

36 U2 lead singer : BONO

Irish singer Bono is a Dubliner who was born Paul David Hewson. As a youth, Hewson was given the nickname “Bono Vox” by a friend, a Latin expression meaning “good voice”, and so the singer has been known as Bono since the late seventies. His band’s first name was “Feedback”, later changed to “The Hype”. The band members searched for yet another name and chose U2 from a list of six names suggested by a friend. They picked U2 because it was the name they disliked least …

37 Singer Celine : DION

French-Canadian singer Céline Dion first came to international attention when she won the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest, in which she represented Switzerland in the competition that was hosted in Dublin, Ireland. She is now the best-selling Canadian artist of all time.

38 2013 Literature Nobelist Alice : MUNRO

Alice Munro is a short story writer from Canada, who sets many of her works in her native southwestern Ontario. She won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature.

40 Paintballs, e.g. : AMMO

The “paint” in paintball isn’t actually paint, but rather a mix of gelatin and food coloring.

41 Request after eating too many jalapeños : AGUA

The jalapeño is a chili pepper, and a favorite of mine. The pepper’s name translates from Spanish as “from Xalapa”. Xalapa (also “Jalapa”) is the capital of the Mexican state of Veracruz, and the traditional origin of the jalapeño pepper. A smoke-dried jalapeño, called a chipotle, is used for seasoning.

42 Defib expert : EMT

A defibrillator (defib) might be operated by an emergency medical technician (EMT).

43 Hall of Famer Abdul-Jabbar : KAREEM

Basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s name at birth was Ferdinand Lewis “Lew” Alcindor. Alcindor changed his name when he converted to Islam.

50 “The Smartest Guys in the Room” company : ENRON

“The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron” is a 2003 book by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind, two writers working for “Fortune” magazine. The book was used as the basis for a 2005 documentary “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room”.

52 Like “Marriage Story” but not “Toy Story” : RATED-R

“Marriage Story” is a 2019 movie starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver as a couple going through a messy divorce. The critics loved this one. Me, not so much …

1995’s “Toy Story” was the world’s first feature-length computer-animated movie. “Toy Story” was also Pixar’s first production. The main roles in the film are Buzz Lightyear and Woody, who are voiced by Tim Allen and Tom Hanks respectively. Hanks was the first choice to voice Woody, but Allen was asked to voice Buzz after Billy Crystal turned down the role.

57 4K display, e.g. : HDTV

When we buy an HDTV, our display resolution choices are usually:

  • 1080i (1920 × 1080 split into two interlaced fields of 540 lines)
  • 1080p (1920 × 1080 progressive scan)

When we splash out for a UHDTV, the choices are:

  • 4K UHD (3840 × 2160 progressive scan)
  • 8K UHD (7680 × 4320 progressive scan)

62 Greek gathering place : AGORA

In early Greece, an agora was a place of assembly. The assemblies held there were often quite formal, perhaps for the reading of a proclamation. Later in Greek history, things became less formal as the agora evolved into a marketplace. Our contemporary word “agoraphobia” comes from these agorae, in the sense that an agoraphobe has a fear of open spaces, a fear of “public meeting places”.

65 Petrol brand : ESSO

The Esso brand has its roots in the old Standard Oil company as it uses the initial letters of “Standard” and “Oil” (ESS-O). The Esso brand was replaced by Exxon in the US, but ESSO is still used in many other countries.

66 “Girl on Fire” singer Alicia : KEYS

“Girl on Fire” is a 2012 song recorded by Alicia Keys. Keys released three versions of the song. As well as the main version, there is an Inferno remix and a Bluelight remix. The former features two new verses written and raped by Nicki Minaj. The latter is a slower version of the main song.

Down

2 Rapidly drying Asian sea : ARAL

The Aral Sea is a great example of how humankind can have a devastating effect on the environment. In the early sixties the Aral Sea covered 68,000 square miles of Central Asia. Soviet irrigation projects drained the lake to such an extent that today the total area is less than 7,000 square miles, with 90% of the lake now completely dry. Sad …

4 __ salts : EPSOM

The Surrey town of Epsom in England is most famous for its racecourse (Epsom Downs), at which the Epsom Derby is run every year, one of the three races that make up the English Triple Crown. We also come across “Epsom salts” from time to time. Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate, originally prepared by boiling down mineral waters. Epsom was indeed a spa town at one time. The town is also home to Epsom College, an English “public school” (which actually means “private, and expensive”). One of Epsom’s “old boys” was the Hollywood actor Stewart Granger.

6 Capital city on Luzon : MANILA

Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is the most densely populated city proper (discounting metro areas) in the whole world. Metro Manila includes the neighboring Quezon City, which is the most populous city in the country. Quezon City was founded in 1939 and replaced Manila as the nation’s capital in 1949. However, the decision to change the capital was reversed in 1976.

Luzon is the largest of the Philippine Islands, and home to the capital city of Manila.

7 John of “Roots” and “The West Wing” : AMOS

John Amos is an actor best known for playing James Evans Sr. on the television show “Good Times”. He also played Admiral Fitzwallace on “The West Wing”, and Special Forces Major Grant in “Die Hard 2”. Also, Evans is a former professional football player.

8 “Hallelujah!” : YES!

The interjection “hallelujah!” means “praise ye the Lord!” The term comes from the Hebrew “halălūyāh” meaning “praise ye Yahweh”.

10 Prilosec target : ACID

“Prilosec” is a brand name for the drug omeprazole. It is a proton-pump inhibitor, meaning that it reduces the production of gastric acid.

12 Scott Turow book : ONE L

Scott Turow is an author and lawyer from Chicago. Turow has had several bestselling novels including “Presumed Innocent”, “The Burden of Proof” and “Reversible Errors”, all three of which were made into films. He also wrote the autobiographical book “One L: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School”.

23 __ 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.

25 Gold __ flour : MEDAL

The Washburn-Crosby Company entered several brands of flour at the Millers’ International Exhibition in Cincinnati in 1880. The company’s brands won bronze, silver and gold medals at the show, prompting Washburn-Crosby to launch the Gold Medal brand of flour. That Gold Medal brand is now produced by General Mills.

29 Alternative to an uphill climb : T-BAR

A T-bar is a ski lift on which the skiers are pulled up the hill in pairs, with each pair standing (not sitting!) either side of a T-shaped metal bar. The bar is placed behind the thighs, pulling along the skiers as they remain standing on their skis (hopefully!). There’s also a J-bar, which is a similar device but with each J-shaped bar used by one skier at a time.

30 “The Price Is Right” signature phrase, and an apt description of the answers to the starred clues : COME ON DOWN!

“The Price is Right” game show started airing in its current format in 1972, with Bob Barker hosting. Drew Carey took over as host in 2007. There was an earlier version of the show that had a somewhat different format, and it aired from 1956 to 1965. Apparently, “The Price is Right” is the longest running TV game show in the world.

32 Goes lickety-split : ZOOMS

“Lickety-split” is the latest in a line of terms that come from the word “lick”, which was used in the sense of a “fast sprint in a race” back in the early 1800s. From “lick” there evolved “licketie”, “lickety-click”, “lickety-cut” and finally “lickety-split”, all just colorful ways to say “fast”.

34 Pesky insect : GNAT

Gnats have a relatively short lifespan of about 7-10 days.

35 Blast letters : TNT

“TNT” is an abbreviation for “trinitrotoluene”. Trinitrotoluene was first produced in 1863 by the German chemist Joseph Wilbrand, who developed it for use as a yellow dye. TNT is relatively difficult to detonate so it was on the market as a dye for some years before its more explosive properties were discovered.

44 National Poetry mo. : APR

April was chosen as National Poetry Month by the Academy of American Poets in 1996.

53 Iowa State city : AMES

The Iowa city of Ames was founded as a stop on the Cedar Rapids and Missouri Railroad in 1864. It was named for US Congressman Oakes Ames from the state of Massachusetts in honor of the role that Ames played in the building of the transcontinental railroad.

54 Highlands hats : TAMS

A tam o’shanter is a man’s cap worn traditionally by Scotsmen. “Tams” were originally all blue (and called “blue bonnets”) but as more dyes became readily available they became more colorful. The name of the cap comes from the title character of the Robert Burns poem “Tam o’ Shanter”. A pom-pom adorning a tam is known as a toorie.

The Scottish Highlands are that part of the country not classified as the Lowlands(!). The Highlands make up the north and west of Scotland.

55 Monster who’s in his own world : ELMO

In 2002, The Muppet Elmo got to testify before a US House subcommittee. Elmo’s goal was to get an increase in funding for music education. In the transcript of the hearing, his statements are ascribed to “Elmo Monster” and “Mr. Monster”.

59 “Off the Wall” sneakers brand : VANS

Vans is a manufacturer of mainly skateboarding shoes. The company was founded as a shoe manufacturer in 1966 called the Van Doren Rubber Company. The business turned towards skateboarders in the seventies, and then adopted the “Vans” name in the nineties.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Novel units : PAGES
6 “The Good Place” Emmy nominee Rudolph : MAYA
10 Missing reveille, perhaps : AWOL
14 Cornmeal cake similar to a gordita : AREPA
15 Library of Congress collection : AMERICANA
17 One who takes the fall : PATSY
18 Takes a fall : NOSE-DIVES
19 Not to mention : ALSO
20 USO audience : GIS
21 Sings some high notes? : YODELS
22 Office chore : EMAIL
24 Early ISP : AOL
25 Sully : MAR
27 Spacewalk initials : EVA
28 Informal “No reason” : JUST CUZ
33 Asylum seeker, perhaps : EMIGRE
35 __ Mahal : TAJ
36 U2 lead singer : BONO
37 Singer Celine : DION
38 2013 Literature Nobelist Alice : MUNRO
40 Paintballs, e.g. : AMMO
41 Request after eating too many jalapeños : AGUA
42 Defib expert : EMT
43 Hall of Famer Abdul-Jabbar : KAREEM
45 NASCAR climax : LAST LAP
47 Taste : SIP
48 Extra qtrs. : OTS
49 Sit-up targets : ABS
50 “The Smartest Guys in the Room” company : ENRON
52 Like “Marriage Story” but not “Toy Story” : RATED-R
56 Trough guy : PIG
57 4K display, e.g. : HDTV
60 “Lay it on me” : I’M ALL EARS
62 Greek gathering place : AGORA
63 Fightin’ words : LEMME AT ‘EM
64 Victorious cry : WE WON!
65 Petrol brand : ESSO
66 “Girl on Fire” singer Alicia : KEYS
67 Allows to use for a bit : LENDS

Down

1 Dada : PAPA
2 Rapidly drying Asian sea : ARAL
3 *”Really?” : GET SERIOUS
4 __ salts : EPSOM
5 “I’ve been meaning to ask … ” : SAY …
6 Capital city on Luzon : MANILA
7 John of “Roots” and “The West Wing” : AMOS
8 “Hallelujah!” : YES!
9 *”Really?” : ARE YOU JOKING?
10 Prilosec target : ACID
11 Greet silently : WAVE
12 Scott Turow book : ONE L
13 Gal : LASS
16 Megastars : IDOLS
20 *”Really?” : GIVE ME A BREAK
23 __ Lingus : AER
24 Barely open : AJAR
25 Gold __ flour : MEDAL
26 Latina friend : AMIGA
29 Alternative to an uphill climb : T-BAR
30 “The Price Is Right” signature phrase, and an apt description of the answers to the starred clues : COME ON DOWN!
31 Yet to be satisfied : UNMET
32 Goes lickety-split : ZOOMS
34 Pesky insect : GNAT
35 Blast letters : TNT
39 Ballpark judges : UMPS
44 National Poetry mo. : APR
46 Big dipper : LADLE
47 Quakes : SEISMS
51 “Gosh!” : OH GEE!
52 Irritate but good : RILE
53 Iowa State city : AMES
54 Highlands hats : TAMS
55 Monster who’s in his own world : ELMO
56 Salmon, to bears : PREY
58 Stepped : TROD
59 “Off the Wall” sneakers brand : VANS
61 Did lunch : ATE
62 Leatherwork tool : AWL