LA Times Crossword 18 Jun 23, Sunday

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Constructed by: Susy Christiansen & Doug Peterson
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: Human Resources

Themed answers are common phrases reinterpreted as HUMAN BODY parts of HUMANS cited in the corresponding clues:

  • 112A Nonverbal communication, and what can be found in the answers to the starred clues? : BODY LANGUAGE
  • 23A *Witch’s dialect? : WICKED TONGUE
  • 39A *Snowman’s joint? : COLD SHOULDER
  • 44A *Rocket scientist’s trap? : SMART MOUTH
  • 66A *Baker’s digits? : BUTTERFINGERS
  • 87A *Gingerbread man’s chomper? : SWEET TOOTH
  • 92A *Soda jerk’s noggin? : FOUNTAINHEAD
  • 15D *Smurf’s plasma? : BLUE BLOOD
  • 77D *Comic’s humerus? : FUNNY BONE

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

Bill’s time: 12m 38s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

6 Brief survey : APERCU

An apercu is a first view, a glance. By extension, the term “apercu” can also be used for a detached view, an overview or a short synopsis. “Aperçu” is French for “perceived”.

12 Gestation location : WOMB

The normal gestation period for humans is 280 days, a little over 9 months. The gestation period can be a little shorter, or longer. Back in 1945, a pregnancy was confirmed at 375 days, which is just over 12 months.

16 Printer spec. : DPI

Dots per inch (DPI) is a term usually reserved for printing resolution, a measure of the density of individual ink dots that can be positioned on the printed surface. Screen resolution is measured in pixels per inch (PPI), a measure of how closely individual pixels can be placed in a digital display.

19 Word of thanks : MERCI

“Thank you” translates to “merci” in French, “gracias” in Spanish, and “danke” in German.

20 Holy scrolls : TORAHS

A Torah scroll (also “Sefer Torah”) is a handwritten copy of the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures.

21 Former sea in Central Asia : 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 …

22 Geologic age : EON

Geologic time is divided into a number of units of varying lengths. These are, starting from the largest:

  • supereon
  • eon (also “aeon”)
  • era
  • period
  • epoch
  • age

25 French Calvinist of the 16th and 17th centuries : HUGUENOT

Members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France in the 16th and 17th centuries were known as Huguenots. The term might derive from the name of an early Swiss politician named Besançon Hugues, who paradoxically worked to prevent the spread of the Protestant Reformation in his native city of Geneva. Hundreds of thousands of Huguenots fled Catholic France in order to escape prosecution, with some settling in English colonies in North America that were religiously tolerant.

John Calvin was a French theologian who was especially active during the Protestant Reformation. His system of theology took hold, and later became known as Calvinism.

27 Fed. benefits agency : SSA

The Social Security Administration (SSA) was set up as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. The first person to receive a monthly retirement benefit was Ida May Fuller of Vermont who received her first check for the sum of $22.54 after having contributed for three years through payroll taxes. The New Deal turned out to be a good deal for Ms. Fuller, as she lived to be 100 years of age and received a total benefit of almost $23,000, whereas her three years of contributions added up to just $24.75.

28 Unfreeze, as a plane’s wing : DEICE

Deicing is the process of removing snow and ice from a surface. Deicing is particularly important for aircraft operating in freezing conditions. Ice on the surface of a plane can change its aerodynamics, and dislodged ice can cause damage to engines.

29 Avian crop : CRAW

“Craw” is another name for “crop”, a portion of the alimentary tract of some animals, including birds. The crop is used for the storage of food prior to digestion. It allows the animal to eat large amounts and then digest that food with efficiency over an extended period. The expression “to stick in one’s craw” is used when one cannot accept something, cannot “swallow” it.

31 Kid-lit character who says, “It’s not much of a tail, but I’m sort of attached to it” : EEYORE

Eeyore is the donkey character in A. A. Milne’s “Winnie-the-Pooh”. Eeyore is very lovable, but has a gloomy and pessimistic outlook on life.

32 Jazz drummer Max : ROACH

Max Roach was a jazz drummer and pioneer of the bebop music genre. He was respected as a musician all over the world. He was awarded eight honorary doctorates in his life, including degrees from the University of Bologna and the Manhattan School of Music. Roach studied classical percussion at the latter in the 1950s.

35 __ nut chewing : BETEL

A betel nut is a type of nut that is chewed, especially in parts of Asia. “Betel nut” is a bit of a misnomer, as the nut in question is actually an areca nut from the Areca palm. For chewing, the areca nut is wrapped in betel leaves and the whole thing is called a “betel nut”.

42 Organ array : PIPES

The organ that we often see in churches, synagogues and concert halls is a pipe organ. Sound is produced by pressurized air driven through particular pipes selected by keys on a keyboard.

57 Messing of “Will & Grace” : DEBRA

Debra Messing is most famous for playing Grace Adler on the television series “Will & Grace”.

I’ve always thought the real stars of “Will & Grace” were not the title characters, but rather the supporting characters Jack (played by Sean Hayes) and Karen (played by Megan Mullally).

59 “Hamilton” creator : MIRANDA

Lin-Manuel Miranda is a composer and playwright from New York City, and the creator and star of the hit Broadway musicals “Hamilton” and “In the Heights”. Miranda also co-wrote the songs for the 2016 Disney animated feature “Moana”. He started composing early, and wrote jingles as a child. One of those jingles was later used by Eliot Spitzer in his 2006 gubernatorial campaign.

62 Teller of tall tales : LIAR

In centuries past, “tall talk” was important and grand discourse, and the opposite of “small talk”. Somehow, this use of the adjective “tall” came to be used in the phrases “tall tale” and “tall story”, which both describe an account that is untrue and not to be believed.

63 Umami source, briefly : MSG

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the sodium salt of a naturally-occurring,non-essential amino acid called glutamic acid. It is used widely as a flavor enhancer, particularly in many Asian cuisines. Whether or not it is harmful seems to be still under debate. I say that something produced in a test tube shouldn’t be in our food …

Umami is one of the five basic tastes, along with sweet, sour, bitter and salty. “Umami” is a Japanese word used to describe “a pleasant savory taste”. Umami was proposed as a basic taste in 1908, but it wasn’t until the mid-1990s that the scientific community finally accepted it as such.

70 “Danny and the Dinosaur” writer Hoff : SYD

Syd Hoff wrote the children’s books “Danny and the Dinosaur” and “Sammy the Seal”. Hoff also drew two syndicated comic strips, “Tuffy” (1939-1949) and “Laugh It Off” (1958-1978).

79 Sneaker strings : SHOELACES

“Sneaker” is a common name for an athletic shoe, one that is now used as everyday casual wear. The term “sneaker” is used widely across the US. Back in my homeland of Ireland, the terms “trainers” and “tennis shoes” are more common.

87 *Gingerbread man’s chomper? : SWEET TOOTH

The first documented use of gingerbread shaped in the form of human figures was in the court of Queen Elizabeth I. She used to have figures made to represent her important guests.

91 Actress Skye : IONE

Ione Skye is an American actress born in London, England. She is best known for portraying the character Diane Court in the 1989 high school romance movie “Say Anything…”, starring opposite John Cusack. Skye is the daughter of the Scottish folk singer Donovan.

92 *Soda jerk’s noggin? : FOUNTAINHEAD

A spring that is the source of a stream is called a fountainhead. For centuries, we’ve been using “fountainhead” figuratively to describe the principal source of anything significant.

In the halcyon days of yore, a soda jerk was usually a young person whose main job was to serve ice cream sodas in a drugstore. The server would “jerk” the handle on the soda fountain to dispense the soda water, giving the job its distinctive name.

100 Outfielder Ramirez who won two World Series with the Red Sox : MANNY

Manny Ramirez is a retired outfielder who played for several MLB teams from 1993 to 2011. He also played a season with the EDA Rhinos of the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan. Ramirez is known for some quirky behavior on the field, and the playing of practical jokes. Such incidents are often referred to as “Manny Moments” and “Manny Being Manny”.

102 Wine grape : PINOT

The Pinot family of grapes includes the varieties:

  • Pinot blanc (Pinot bianco)
  • Pinot gris (Pinot grigio)
  • Pinot noir (Pinot nero)

103 Game-enhancing toy by Nintendo : AMIIBO

Amiibo are interactive figures and cards that work with Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS, and Wii U games. When you tap an amiibo to the NFC reader on your console, it can unlock new content, power up a game, or even train to fight alongside a player.

105 Traffic blocker? : NARC

“Narc” and “narco” are slang terms describing a law enforcement officer who tracks down criminals associated with illegal drugs. Both words are short for “narcotics officer”. Narcs might work for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

106 BLT part : BACON

The BLT (bacon, lettuce and tomato) is the second-most popular sandwich in the US, after the plain old ham sandwich.

110 Oscar-winning film featuring a bunny named Judy Hopps : ZOOTOPIA

“Zootopia” is a 2016 Disney animated film about a rabbit police officer and a red fox con artist who team up to uncover a bizarre conspiracy.

115 Pressure for payment : DUN

To dun is to insist on payment of a debt. The etymology of the verb is unclear, but one suggestion is that it dates back to a well-known debt collector in London named Joe Dun.

117 Hammed it up : EMOTED

The word “ham”, describing a performer who overacts, is a shortened form of “hamfatter” and dates back to the late 1800s. “Hamfatter” comes from a song in old minstrel shows called “The Ham-Fat Man”. It seems that a poorly performing actor was deemed to have the “acting” qualities of a minstrel made up in blackface.

118 Crèche figure : ANGEL
119 Crèche figure : ASS

In the Christian tradition, a nativity scene (also “crèche”) is a display representing the scene of the birth of Jesus. Nativity scenes might be subjects for paintings, for example, although the term is usually used for seasonal displays associated with the Christmas season.

120 Salinger title heroine : ESME

J. D. Salinger wrote a short story called “For Esmé – with Love and Squalor” that was originally published in “The New Yorker” in 1950. It is a story about a young English girl called Esme and an American soldier, and is set in WWII.

121 L.A. suburb mentioned in Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin'” : RESEDA

Reseda is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles. If you recall the storyline of the 1984 movie “The Karate Kid”, the title character moved from Newark, New Jersey to Reseda, and there met Mr. Miyagi.

“Free Fallin’” is a 1989 song recorded by Tom Petty. It was the first track that Petty completed for his debut album “Full Moon Fever”, and was to become his most successful and best-known song.

Down

1 Some autobahn autos : BMWS

The initialism “BMW” stands for “Bayerische Motoren Werke”, which translates into Bavarian Motor Works. BMW was making aircraft engines during WWI, but had to cease that activity according to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. The company then started making motorcycles, and moved into automobile production starting in 1928. BMW moved back into aircraft engine manufacturing during the build-up of the Luftwaffe prior to WWII.

The federal highway system in Germany is known as the Autobahn (plural “Autobahnen” in German). Famously, there are no federally mandated speed limits on the autobahn, although many, many stretches of the highway do indeed have posted and enforced limits. Where there is no speed limit posted, there is an advisory speed limit of 130 km/hr (81 mph). It is not illegal to travel over this speed limit, but legal liability may increase at higher speeds if that speed contributes to an accident.

3 Killer whale : ORCA

An apex predator is at the top of a food chain, and has no other natural predators. Examples are the orca (“killer whale”) in the oceans, the lion in Africa, and the Tyrannosaurus in the days of the dinosaurs.

6 Aegean region that includes Athens : ATTICA

The historic region of Attica is home to the city of Athens. It comprises a peninsula in the southwest of the country that juts out into the Aegean Sea. As a result, the region is sometimes referred to as the Attic peninsula.

8 Fish-eating bird : ERNE

The ern (sometimes “erne”) is also known as the white-tailed eagle or the sea eagle.

12 “Sad trombone” sound : WAH WAH

The so-called “sad trombone” sound is used a lot in game shows to indicate that a player is losing. It’s that plaintive “wah wah” sound.

13 Christian sch. in Tulsa : ORU

Oral Roberts University (ORU) is a private school in Tulsa, Oklahoma. ORU was founded relatively recently, in 1963 by the late televangelist Oral Roberts. The campus includes a Prayer Tower at its center, a spectacular glass and steel structure designed by architect Frank Wallace. The tower includes an observation deck, and is a popular tourist attraction. The school’s sports teams are known as the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles.

14 2023 Kentucky Derby winner : MAGE

The first Kentucky Derby took place in 1875, and was a race modeled on the Epsom Derby in England and the Grand Prix de Paris (now called the “Prix de l‘Arc de Triomphe”). As such, the Kentucky Derby was run over 1½ miles, although in 1896 this was shortened to 1¼ miles. The winning horse is presented with a very elaborate blanket made of red roses, and so the Derby is nicknamed “Run for the Roses”. The race is held on the first Saturday in May each year, and is limited to 3-year-old horses.

15 *Smurf’s plasma? : BLUE BLOOD

The Smurfs are little blue people created in 1958 by the Belgian cartoonist who went by the pen name Peyo. The Smurfs became famous in the US when Hanna-Barbera used them in a children’s cartoon series. The characters are largely a group of males. The original lineup included just one “Smurfette”, who is wooed by almost all of the boy Smurfs. Later, another female was introduced into the mix called Sassette, and still later along came Granny Smurf.

The idiomatic phrase “blue blood” applies to someone of noble descent. The phrase is a translation from the Spanish “sangre azul”, which was applied to the royal family in Spain. The notion is that someone of noble birth does not have to work outdoors in the fields, and so has untanned skin. The veins showing in the skin had “blue blood”, whereas those veins were masked by the darker skin of the peasant classes.

18 Recon acquisition : INTEL

A “recon” (reconnaissance) might provide “intel” (intelligence).

24 Official at Oberlin, e.g. : DEAN

Oberlin College was established way back in 1833 as Oberlin Collegiate Institute. It was named for J. F. Oberlin, a pastor from Alsace in France who also loaned his name to the Ohio city of Oberlin that grew up around the college. Oberlin was the first school in the US to permanently open its doors to women, doing so in 1837.

30 Runners in hot weather: Abbr. : ACS

Air conditioner (AC)

32 Auxiliary rockets, for short : RETROS

Retrorockets are rocket engines designed to decelerate a spacecraft. They provide thrust in the direction opposite to the vehicle’s motion. Perhaps most notably, retrorockets are usually fired when a space vehicle is landing.

33 JV player, perhaps : SOPH

The term “sophomore” has been used for a student in the second year of university since the 1680’s. The original meaning of the word was “arguer”. The term has Greek roots, from two Greek words that have been artificially combined in English. The Greek “sophos” means “wise”, and “moros” means “foolish”.

Junior varsity (JV)

37 1995 NL Rookie of the Year Hideo : NOMO

Hideo Nomo is a former professional baseball pitcher from Osaka, Japan. After achieving success in Japan, Nomo became the first Japanese-born player to appear in Major League Baseball in the US. Nomo threw two no-hitters while playing here in the Majors. He is the only Japanese-born player to have thrown even one no-hitter.

45 Chi-Town daily, with “the” : … TRIB

“The Chicago Tribune” was first published in 1847. The most famous edition of “The Trib” was probably in 1948 when the headline was “DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN”, on the occasion of that year’s presidential election. When it turned out that Truman had actually won, the victor picked up the paper with the erroneous headline and posed for photographs with it … a famous, famous photo, that must have stuck in the craw of the editor at the time.

46 Calculator button : MINUS

When I was 10 or 11 year’s old, I remember our teacher bringing into class a calculator to show us. It was an electrical device that plugged into a wall socket. It had cogs that one turned to input numbers for an arithmetic calculation, and the answer was printed on a roll of paper that exited the machine. Addition and subtraction were cool to watch. Multiplication and division were impressive in a different way, as the machine chugged and chugged as it carried out a whole string of repeated operations. They don’t make ‘em like that anymore …

47 Left, on un mapa : OESTE

In Spanish, “oeste” (west) is usually to the left on “un maps” (a map).

50 Argentine tennis player Juan Martín __ Potro : DEL

Juan Martín del Potro is a very successful Argentine tennis player. He is a former world No. 3 and has won 22 ATP Tour titles. Del Potro has had more than his fair share of injuries and surgeries throughout his career, which have hampered his ability to compete at the highest level. He has undergone three surgeries on his left wrist, and he has also had problems with his right knee.

51 Silk ties : OBIS

The sash worn as part of traditional Japanese dress is known as an obi. The obi can be tied at the back in what is called a butterfly knot. The term “obi” is also used for the thick cotton belts that are an essential part of the outfits worn by practitioners of many martial arts. The color of the martial arts obi signifies the wearer’s skill level.

52 __ vision : X-RAY

Although Superman’s ability to see through objects is termed “x-ray vision”, the phenomenon as described cannot involve just the use of x-rays. The issue is that Superman can perceive color while using his superpower, and that’s not possible with x-rays.

56 Empire State canal : ERIE

The Erie Canal runs from Albany to Buffalo in the state of New York. What the canal does is allow shipping to proceed from New York Harbor right up the Hudson River, through the canal and into the Great Lakes. When it was opened in 1825, the Erie Canal had an immediate impact on the economy of New York City and locations along its route. It was the first means of “cheap” transportation from a port on the Atlantic seaboard into the interior of the United States. Arguably it was the most important factor contributing to the growth of New York City over competing ports such as Baltimore and Philadelphia. It was largely because of the Erie Canal that New York became such an economic powerhouse, earning it the nickname of “the Empire State”. Paradoxically, one of the project’s main proponents was severely criticized. New York Governor DeWitt Clinton received so much ridicule that the canal was nicknamed “Clinton’s Folly” and “Clinton’s Ditch”.

59 Diagnostic pics : MRIS

An MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machine uses powerful magnetic fields to generate images that can be used by medical professionals to diagnose injury and disease.

60 “Moll Flanders” author : DEFOE

Daniel Defoe is most famous today as the author of the novels “Robinson Crusoe” and “Moll Flanders”. He was also a trader … and a spy for King William III!

“Moll Flanders” is a novel written by Daniel Defoe in 1722, three years after he achieved fame with “Robinson Crusoe”. The book’s full title gives a lot of insight into the storyline:

The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, Etc. Who Was Born In Newgate, and During a Life of Continu’d Variety For Threescore Years, Besides Her Childhood, Was Twelve Year a Whore, Five Times a Wife [Whereof Once To Her Own Brother], Twelve Year a Thief, Eight Year a Transported Felon In Virginia, At Last Grew Rich, Liv’d Honest, and Died a Penitent. Written from her own Memorandums.

61 Stop, in Strasbourg : ARRET

Strasbourg is a beautiful city in the Grand Est region of France that I had the privilege to visit some years ago. Strasbourg is home to many international organizations, including the European Court of Human Rights and the European Parliament.

63 Nutmeg spice : MACE

The fruit of the nutmeg tree yields two very different spices. What we call “nutmeg” comes from the seed of the tree. “Mace” is the dried covering of the seed.

64 Balkan native : SLAV

The Slavic peoples are in the majority in communities covering over half of Europe. This large ethnic group is traditionally broken down into three smaller groups:

  • the West Slavic (including Czechs and Poles)
  • the East Slavic (including Russians and Ukrainians)
  • the South Slavic (including Bulgarians, Croats and Serbs)

The Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe is usually referred to as “the Balkans”. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains located in present-day Bulgaria and Serbia. “Balkan” is Bulgarian for “mountain”.

65 Glitzy gathering : GALA

Our word “glitz”, meaning “showiness”, is the Yiddish word for “glitter”.

68 New Haven alumni : ELIS

Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut was founded in 1701, making it the third-oldest university in the US. Originally called the Collegiate School, it was renamed to Yale University in honor of retired merchant Elihu Yale, who made generous contributions to the institution. Yale University’s nickname is “Old Eli”, in a nod to the benefactor.

69 Tots seasoning : SALT

Ore-Ida’s founders came up with the idea for Tater Tots when they were deciding what to do with residual cuts of potato. They chopped up the leftovers, added flour and seasoning, and extruded the mix through a large hole making a sausage that they cut into small cylinders. We eat 70 million pounds of this extruded potato every year!

72 [Not my mistake] : [SIC]

[Sic] indicates that a quotation is written as originally found, perhaps including a typo. “Sic” is Latin for “thus, like this”. The term is more completely written as “sic erat scriptum”, which translates as “thus was it written”.

75 Disciple of Laotzu : TAOIST

Lao Tse (also “Lao-Tzu”, “Laozi”) was a central figure in the development of the religion/philosophy of Taoism. Tradition holds that Lao-Tzu wrote the “Tao Te Ching”, a classical Chinese text that is fundamental to the philosophy of Taoism.

77 *Comic’s humerus? : FUNNY BONE

The ulnar nerve runs alongside the ulna (one of the bones in the lower arm). It is the largest unprotected (not surrounded by muscle or bone) nerve in the human body. The nerve can be touched under the skin at the outside of the elbow. Striking the nerve at this point causes an electric-type shock known as hitting one’s “funny bone” or “crazy bone”.

79 Scand. nation : SWED

The country of Sweden emerged during the Middle Ages, and became one of the great powers of Europe in the days of the Swedish Empire in the 17th and early 18th century. Since then Sweden’s influence has waned. What was the eastern part of Sweden was lost to Russia in the early 1800s, and is now modern-day Finland. In the 20th century Sweden has adopted a very non-aggressive stance and was neutral in both World Wars. Sweden is not a member of NATO, but is a member of the European Union, although the country does not use the euro as its currency.

82 Italian rumbler : ETNA

Mount Etna on the island of Sicily is the largest of three active volcanoes in Italy, and indeed the largest of all active volcanoes in Europe. Etna is about 2 1/2 times the height of its equally famous sister, Mt. Vesuvius. Mt. Etna is home to a 110-km long narrow-gauge railway, and two ski resorts. It is sometimes referred to as “Mongibello” in Italian, and as “Mungibeddu” (sometimes “Muncibeddu”) in Sicilian. The English name “Etna” comes from the Greek “aitho” meaning “I eat”.

83 Billy Joel’s “__ Got a Way” : SHE’S

“She’s Got a Way” is a beautiful love ballad written and recorded by Billy Joel. It was originally released on his 1971 debut album “Cold Spring Harbor”. “She’s Got a Way” is a popular choice for wedding playlists.

85 NFL stat : ATT

In football, one statistic (stat) used to track the performance of a quarterback (QB) is attempts (ATT).

86 Asian cuisine with drunken noodles and massaman curry : THAI

Drunken noodles is a Thai dish also known as “phat khi mao”. “Khi mao” translates from Thai as “drinkard”. Paradoxically, there is no alcohol in the list of ingredients for drunken noodles. There are suggestions that the meal’s name arose because rice used to be an ingredient, or because whoever created the dish did so when drunk!

Massaman curry is a rich and mildly spicy Thai curry. The main ingredients in the dish are coconut milk, potatoes, carrots, peanuts, and massaman curry paste. The curry paste is made with a variety of spices, including cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and cloves. Yum …

89 Walter Mitty creator James : THURBER

“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” is a short story by James Thurber that was first published in 1939 in “The New Yorker”. The story was made into a film in 1947 with Danny Kaye in the title role. The Danny Kaye film was remade in 2013 with Ben Stiller playing Mitty. Mitty is a mild-mannered man with a very active fantasy life.

95 Not learned : INNATE

Something innate is untaught, has existed from birth. The term comes from the Latin “innatus” meaning “inborn”.

96 Wiretapping org. : NSA

The National Security Agency (NSA) was set up in 1952 by President Truman, a replacement for the Armed Forces Security Agency that had existed in the Department of Defense (DoD) since 1949. The NSA has always been clouded in secrecy and even the 1952 letter from President Truman that established the agency was kept under wraps from the public for over a generation. I really like the organization’s nickname … “No Such Agency”.

97 Insect that resembles a locust : CICADA

Cicadas are insects that are found all over the world. Although they resemble locusts, cicadas are an unrelated family. The name “cicada” is Latin and translated as “tree cricket”. However, the name is imitative of the clicking sound the insect makes using parts of its exoskeleton known as “tymbals”.

99 Citizen of a Polynesian archipelago : TONGAN

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.

100 Miata maker : MAZDA

The Mazda MX-5 is sold as the Miata in North America, and as the Roadster in Japan. I’ve always liked the looks of the Mazda Miata, probably because it reminds me so much of old British sports cars. The Miata is built in Hiroshima, Japan. The name “Miata” comes from an Old High German word meaning “reward”.

104 “See how the morning __ her golden gates”: Shakespeare : OPES

The following lines are from William Shakespeare’s play “Henry VI, Part 3”:

See how the morning opes her golden gates,
And takes her farewell of the glorious sun!
How well resembles it the prime of youth,
Trimm’d like a younker prancing to his love!

113 Tijuana pair : DOS

Tijuana is the largest city in the Mexican state of Baja California, and lies just across the US-Mexico border from San Diego. Tijuana is also the most westerly of all Mexican cities. A lot of Tijuana’s growth took place in the twenties as tourists flocked south of the border during the days of prohibition in the US. One of the many casinos and hotels that flourished at that time was Hotel Caesar’s in the Avenida Revolución area. Hotel Caesar’s claims to be the birthplace of the now ubiquitous Caesar Salad.

114 French article : UNE

“Une” is the French word for “a”, but only when used with a feminine noun (like “une dame” meaning “a lady”).

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Puff up : BLOAT
6 Brief survey : APERCU
12 Gestation location : WOMB
16 Printer spec. : DPI
19 Word of thanks : MERCI
20 Holy scrolls : TORAHS
21 Former sea in Central Asia : ARAL
22 Geologic age : EON
23 *Witch’s dialect? : WICKED TONGUE
25 French Calvinist of the 16th and 17th centuries : HUGUENOT
27 Fed. benefits agency : SSA
28 Unfreeze, as a plane’s wing : DEICE
29 Avian crop : CRAW
31 Kid-lit character who says, “It’s not much of a tail, but I’m sort of attached to it” : EEYORE
32 Jazz drummer Max : ROACH
33 Slopes headgear : SKI CAP
35 __ nut chewing : BETEL
36 Insect appendage : ANTENNA
39 *Snowman’s joint? : COLD SHOULDER
41 Chimney residue : SOOT
42 Organ array : PIPES
43 Psych 101 topic : EGO
44 *Rocket scientist’s trap? : SMART MOUTH
48 Accepted doctrine : ORTHODOXY
54 Unfavorable renown : NOTORIETY
55 Bill of fare : MENU
57 Messing of “Will & Grace” : DEBRA
58 Breaks a commandment : SINS
59 “Hamilton” creator : MIRANDA
62 Teller of tall tales : LIAR
63 Umami source, briefly : MSG
66 *Baker’s digits? : BUTTERFINGERS
70 “Danny and the Dinosaur” writer Hoff : SYD
71 “Woe is me!” : ALAS!
73 Marine creatures : SEA LIFE
74 Greek campus group : FRAT
76 Ariz. neighbor : CALIF
78 Smooch : KISS
79 Sneaker strings : SHOELACES
84 Withdraws to safety : EVACUATES
87 *Gingerbread man’s chomper? : SWEET TOOTH
88 Ultimate degree : NTH
89 Preadolescent : TWEEN
91 Actress Skye : IONE
92 *Soda jerk’s noggin? : FOUNTAINHEAD
97 Feline grooming sites : CAT SPAS
100 Outfielder Ramirez who won two World Series with the Red Sox : MANNY
101 Offend : INSULT
102 Wine grape : PINOT
103 Game-enhancing toy by Nintendo : AMIIBO
105 Traffic blocker? : NARC
106 BLT part : BACON
107 Golfer’s goal : PAR
110 Oscar-winning film featuring a bunny named Judy Hopps : ZOOTOPIA
112 Nonverbal communication, and what can be found in the answers to the starred clues? : BODY LANGUAGE
115 Pressure for payment : DUN
116 Fit together neatly : NEST
117 Hammed it up : EMOTED
118 Crèche figure : ANGEL
119 Crèche figure : ASS
120 Salinger title heroine : ESME
121 L.A. suburb mentioned in Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin'” : RESEDA
122 Emotionally demanding : NEEDY

Down

1 Some autobahn autos : BMWS
2 Luau wreaths : LEIS
3 Killer whale : ORCA
4 “Yikes!” : ACK!
5 Secured, in a way : TIED ON
6 Aegean region that includes Athens : ATTICA
7 Doggie : POOCH
8 Fish-eating bird : ERNE
9 Dust cloth : RAG
10 Laugh : CHUCKLE
11 Login handles : USER IDS
12 “Sad trombone” sound : WAH WAH
13 Christian sch. in Tulsa : ORU
14 2023 Kentucky Derby winner : MAGE
15 *Smurf’s plasma? : BLUE BLOOD
16 Mean : DENOTE
17 Not as prosperous : POORER
18 Recon acquisition : INTEL
24 Official at Oberlin, e.g. : DEAN
26 Gave the once-over : EYED
30 Runners in hot weather: Abbr. : ACS
32 Auxiliary rockets, for short : RETROS
33 JV player, perhaps : SOPH
34 Verse writer : POET
36 Focused gp. : ASSN
37 1995 NL Rookie of the Year Hideo : NOMO
38 Perfectly : TO A T
39 Map dot : CITY
40 “That’s just nasty” : UGH
42 “To __ it mildly!” : PUT
45 Chi-Town daily, with “the” : … TRIB
46 Calculator button : MINUS
47 Left, on un mapa : OESTE
48 __ annual basis : ON AN
49 Ladder step : RUNG
50 Argentine tennis player Juan Martín __ Potro : DEL
51 Silk ties : OBIS
52 __ vision : X-RAY
53 Cloth measure : YARD
55 Annoys a little : MIFFS
56 Empire State canal : ERIE
59 Diagnostic pics : MRIS
60 “Moll Flanders” author : DEFOE
61 Stop, in Strasbourg : ARRET
63 Nutmeg spice : MACE
64 Balkan native : SLAV
65 Glitzy gathering : GALA
67 Make off with : TAKE
68 New Haven alumni : ELIS
69 Tots seasoning : SALT
72 [Not my mistake] : [SIC]
75 Disciple of Laotzu : TAOIST
77 *Comic’s humerus? : FUNNY BONE
79 Scand. nation : SWED
80 81-Down resident : HEN
81 Structure with layers? : COOP
82 Italian rumbler : ETNA
83 Billy Joel’s “__ Got a Way” : SHE’S
85 NFL stat : ATT
86 Asian cuisine with drunken noodles and massaman curry : THAI
87 Boarding pass information : SEAT
89 Walter Mitty creator James : THURBER
90 Greet warmly : WELCOME
92 Widely known : FAMOUS
93 Kitchen bulbs : ONIONS
94 Military group : UNIT
95 Not learned : INNATE
96 Wiretapping org. : NSA
97 Insect that resembles a locust : CICADA
98 Soon, poetically : ANON
99 Citizen of a Polynesian archipelago : TONGAN
100 Miata maker : MAZDA
102 Grew ashen : PALED
104 “See how the morning __ her golden gates”: Shakespeare : OPES
106 Mega- or giga- ending : BYTE
107 Leaf (through) : PAGE
108 On in years : AGED
109 Depend (on) : RELY
111 Doctrine suffix : -ISM
113 Tijuana pair : DOS
114 French article : UNE

12 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 18 Jun 23, Sunday”

  1. nothing too fancy going on here.

    never heard of AMIIBO. made for a struggle down in the SW section.
    115A went from DOG to DON to DUN.

    didn’t know HUGUENOT but let the crosses figure that out. 12D went from WA WA WA to WAH WAH…

  2. 17 minutes 20 seconds and no errors. An easy and enjoyable Sunday grid, for a change.

  3. @Elissa (yesterday)
    It’s nice that you are commenting and hopefully you’ll share more. But I thought it’d be a good reminder to point out that this is just someone’s (Bill’s) solve blog and not anything official with the LA Times. I seriously doubt anyone influential with the LA Times Crosswords reads what’s being said here (or frankly cares – same with the NY Times and their sites or the discussion blogs for those).

    Most of the time, if you want to make serious impact, you need to think about making these kind of comments to the editor of the newspaper you get the puzzle from, assuming you don’t source it online. Most of them don’t really solve or know anything about what they’re putting in, past “we need to do it to get engagement”. So any comments or feedback they get usually is something they hear and they will change what they publish if enough fed-up people hit them with feedback. Even if they get too blase about the quality of what they publish, losing money will make them sit up and listen if it happens enough.

  4. Probably the first time I completed a Sunday puzzle with no errors or
    lookups. HOWEVER, I did look up “amiibo” after I had entered it and
    was finished…because I never heard of it and wanted to check it out
    to make sure I had it right before checking with Bill’s site.

  5. Gotta take a little issue with Allen D. here. I thought it to be, while enjoyable, not so easy. Had the most trouble with the NE corner: couldn’t get past bloodloo? for BLUEBLOOD, didn’t know who won the Kentucky Derby this year, kid-lit… and too many others to mention but still enjoyed trying to suss it all out. Got a few others with some lucky guesses and helpful crosses so, all in all, not too bad for a Sunday. Go, Rory!

  6. No look ups one Natick, crow/craw. One
    change on the fly, Ithaca/Attica. My son
    had a ton of Nintendo stuff but I don’t
    recall AMIIBO! Decent challenge and
    amusing theme. Happy Father’s Day to
    all the Dad’s out there!

  7. 22:47 – no errors or lockups, and took the same amount of time as yesterday. False starts: TIEDUP>TIEDON, MESH>NEST.

    Had a few new items to deal with, but not too difficult to figure out, but APERCU and AMIIBO were particularly unheard of.

    An easy theme which helped the confidence level in solving those eight clues.

  8. Actually completed in a little over an hour, which is rare for this seasoned 75-year old. Got APERCU by getting the downs but naturally missed AMIIBO. A couple of other misses but the most I have enjoyed a Sunday puzzle in many a day.

    Thank You!

  9. In the Balkan native clue (64 down) you clarified the various Slav regions. The south region should have included the Slovenians in your list.

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