LA Times Crossword 7 Aug 23, Monday

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Constructed by: Laura Dershewitz
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Up, Up and Away

Today’s three themed answers are, in order, things that are “UP”, “UP” AND “AWAY”:

  • 62A Classic sunshine pop hit single with hot-air-balloon imagery, and what 17-, 30-, and 47-Across literally are : UP, UP AND AWAY
  • 17A Tied with a scrunchie, maybe : (UP) IN A PONYTAIL
  • 30A No longer on deck : (UP) AT THE PLATE
  • 47A Taking time off : (AWAY) ON VACATION

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

Bill’s time: 5m 08s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

6 Palindromic title : MADAM

The three most famous palindromes in English have to be:

  • Able was I ere I saw Elba
  • A man, a plan, a canal, Panama!
  • Madam, I’m Adam

One of my favorite terms is “Aibohphobia”, although it doesn’t appear in the dictionary and is a joke term. “Aibohphobia” is a great way to describe a fear of palindromes, by creating a palindrome out of the suffix “-phobia”.

11 “¡Dios __!” : MIO

“Dios mio!” translates from Spanish as “My God!”

14 Fictional chocolatier Wonka : WILLY

Willy Wonka is the lead character in the 1964 novel by Roald Dahl called “Charlie & the Chocolate Factory”. Willy Wonka has been portrayed on the big screen twice. Gene Wilder was a fabulous Wonka in the 1971 version titled “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory”, and Johnny Depp played him in the Tim Burton movie from 2005 called “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. I’m not too fond of Tim Burton movies, so I haven’t seen that one …

17 Tied with a scrunchie, maybe : (UP) IN A PONYTAIL

When Rommy Wevson patented the Scrunchie hair tie in 1987, she called it a “Scunci”, after her pet poodle.

19 Director DuVernay : AVA

Ava DuVernay is a filmmaker who became the first African-American woman to win the Best Director Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, a feat she achieved in 2012 for her feature film “Middle of Nowhere”. “Middle of Nowhere” tells the story of a woman who drops out of medical school to focus on her husband when he is sentenced to 8 years in prison. DuVernay also directed the 2014 film “Selma” about the 1965 voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.

20 Italian ice cream : GELATO

Gelato (plural “gelati”) is the Italian version of American ice cream, differing in that it has a lower butterfat content than its US counterpart.

25 Mosaic tile : TESSERA

In the Middle Ages, mosaics were often dedicated to the Muses. The term “mosaic” translates as “of the Muses”.

27 Stargazer’s bear : URSA

The constellation Ursa Major (Latin for “Larger Bear”) is often just called “the Big Dipper” because of its resemblance to a ladle or dipper. Ursa Major also resembles a plow, and that’s what we usually call the same constellation back in Ireland, “the Plough”.

30 No longer on deck : (UP) AT THE PLATE

That could be baseball.

32 Election night backdrop for Steve Kornacki : MAP

Steve Kornacki is a journalist and TV presenter who is perhaps best known for presenting election data on MSNBC. In 2020, Kornacki was listed as one of “People” magazine’s sexiest men alive. His signature on-air garb that included a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves, a striped tie and khaki pants led to some referring to the “Kornacki Khakis” look.

33 Whispery video genre, for short : ASMR

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR ) is a tingling sensation that some people experience in response to certain stimuli, such as soft sounds, gentle whispering, or slow movements. It is often described as a feeling of relaxation and well-being. Although there is no consensus on what causes ASMR, one suggestion is that it may be related to the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure. There are a wide variety of ASMR videos available, including videos of people whispering, tapping on objects, or performing other gentle actions.

34 “Fiddlesticks!” : DRAT!

We’ve been using “fiddlesticks” to mean “nonsense” since the early 17th century. Prior to that time, “fiddlestick” just referred to the bow of a fiddle.

37 Word before salt or snail : SEA …

The lobbyists have done their shameful job when it comes to the labeling of “sea salt”. In the US, sea salt doesn’t even have to come from the sea. The argument is that all salt came from the sea if you look back far enough. The politics of food; don’t get me started …

“Sea snail” is a common name used to describe a large and diverse group of marine gastropod molluscs that have external shells. Included in the group are whelks, abalone, conch, limpets and periwinkles.

42 Pre-calc math class : TRIG

Trigonometry (trig) is a branch of mathematics dealing with triangles, and calculations based on the relationship between a triangle’s angles and the lengths of its sides.

44 YouTube diary : VLOG

A video blog is perhaps what one might expect, i.e. a blog that is essentially a series of video posts. The phrase “video logging” is often shortened to “vlogging”.

46 Irish actor Stephen : REA

Stephen Rea is an actor from Belfast, Northern Ireland. His most successful role was Fergus in 1992’s “The Crying Game”, for which performance he was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar. In “The Crying Game”, Fergus was a member of the IRA. In real life, Rea was married to IRA bomber and hunger striker Dolours Price at the time he made the movie.

50 Car sticker amt. : MSRP

Manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP)

52 Turner known as the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll” : TINA

“Tina Turner” was the stage name used by Anna Mae Bullock, the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll”. Turner always loved Europe and moved there in the eighties, splitting her time between her homes in England, France and Switzerland.

55 Donne couplet? : ENS

There are a couple of letters N (ens) side by side in the word “Donne”.

61 “The Real World” airer : MTV

“The Real World” is a reality television show that airs on MTV. It’s all about a group of strangers that agree to live in a house together and get filmed as relationships develop. Many view “The Real World” as the original reality television show, as it debuted way back in 1992. It is MTV’s longest-running program.

62 Classic sunshine pop hit single with hot-air-balloon imagery, and what 17-, 30-, and 47-Across literally are : UP, UP AND AWAY

The song “Up, Up and Away”, famously used by TWA in its advertising, was released by the 5th Dimension in 1967.

65 Draped silk dresses : SARIS

The item of clothing called a “sari” (also “saree”) is a strip of cloth, as one might imagine, unusual perhaps in that it is unstitched along the whole of its length. The strip of cloth can range from four to nine meters long (that’s a lot of material!). The sari is usually wrapped around the waist, then draped over the shoulder leaving the midriff bare. I must say, it can be a beautiful item of clothing.

67 Letters of distress : SOS

The combination of three dots – three dashes – three dots, is a Morse signal first introduced by the German government as a standard distress call in 1905. The sequence is remembered as the letters SOS (three dots – pause – three dashes – pause – three dots). That said, in the emergency signal there is no pause between the dots and dashes, so “SOS” is really only a mnemonic. Similarly, the phrases “Save Our Souls” and “Save Our Ship” are back-formations that were introduced after the SOS signal was adopted.

68 Utopias : EDENS

The word “Utopia” was coined by Sir Thomas More in his book “Utopia” published in 1516 to describe an idyllic fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. More’s use of the name Utopia comes from the Greek “ou” meaning “not” and “topos” meaning “place”. By calling his perfect island “Not Place”, More was apparently making the point that he didn’t think that the ideal could actually exist.

Down

2 Sonoma County product : WINE

Did you know that there are far more wine grapes produced in Sonoma than Napa? Within Sonoma County some of the more well-known appellations are Chalk Hill, Anderson Valley and Russian River Valley. Personally, when I want to visit the wine country, I head for the Russian River Valley as it’s far less crowded and much more fun than Napa Valley.

3 Ben Gurion-based airline : EL AL

Ben Gurion International (TLV) is Israel’s main airport, and is located in the city of Lod just a few miles southeast of Tel Aviv. The airport is named for David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister.

4 South American kin of a camel : ALPACA

Alpacas are like small llamas, but unlike llamas were never beasts of burden. Alpacas were bred specifically for the fleece. As such, there are no known wild alpacas these days, even in their native Peru.

5 Japanese city with many shrines : KYOTO

The city of Kyoto was once the capital of Japan. Indeed, the name “Kyoto” means “capital city” in Japanese. Kyoto is sometimes referred to as the City of Ten Thousand Shrines.

6 Star Wars Day month : MAY

The Force is a metaphysical power much cited in all of the “Star Wars” movies. We may even hear someone in real life say “May the Force be with you”. Fans of the movie franchise even celebrate May 4th every year as Star Wars Day, using the pun “May the 4th be with you”!

9 Ouzo flavoring : ANISEED

Liquorice (also “licorice”) and aniseed have similar flavors, but they come from unrelated plants. The liquorice plant is a legume like a bean, and the sweet flavor is an extract from the roots. The flavor mainly comes from an ether compound called anethole, the same substance that gives the distinctive flavor to anise. The seedpods of the anise plant are what we know as “aniseed”. The anise seeds themselves are usually ground to release the flavor.

Ouzo is an apéritif from Greece that is colorless and flavored with anise. Ouzo is similar to French pastis and Italian sambuca. All three liqueurs turn cloudy with the addition of water.

11 Carnivores : MEAT-EATERS

The adjective “carnivorous” describes something that eats meat. The term comes from the Latin “caro” meaning “flesh” and “vorare” meaning “to devour”.

13 Whoopi’s Oscar-winning role in “Ghost” : ODA MAE

Oda Mae Brown is the psychic medium in the movie “Ghost”, and is played by Whoopi Goldberg.

18 Spanish phrase equivalent to “¡Basta!” : NO MAS!

“No mas!” translates from Spanish as “no more!”.

“Basta!” is Spanish (and Italian) for “enough, no more!”.

22 Five Pillars faith : ISLAM

Followers of the Muslim tradition believe in the Five Pillars of Islam, five obligatory acts that underpin Muslim life. The Five Pillars are:

  1. The Islamic creed
  2. Daily prayer
  3. Almsgiving
  4. Fasting during the month of Ramadan
  5. The pilgrimage to Mecca (haj, hajj, hadj) once during a lifetime

24 Devices called “cashpoints” in the U.K. : ATMS

ATMs are Automated Teller Machines, and are called “cashpoints” back in Britain and Ireland. Well, as students we also called them “drink links”, for obvious reasons …

29 Trumpet parts that need to be drained : SPIT VALVES

The spit valve is a tap on a musical instrument such as a trombone and trumpet, and is used to allow the drainage of accumulated fluid. It is more commonly known as the water key.

31 Fountain near Rome’s Spanish Steps : TREVI

The Trevi Fountain (“Fontana di Trevi”) is a huge fountain in Rome, one that is the largest constructed in the Baroque style. The tradition is that if one throws a coin in the fountain then one is guaranteed a return visit to the city. Tourists throw in an amazing 3,000 euros (over $4,000) every day. The money is collected and is used to stock a supermarket for the needy of the city.

33 Nike rival : ASICS

ASICS is a Japanese company based in Kobe that produces athletic gear, including running shoes. The company name comes from the first letters of the Latin phrase “anima sana in corpore sano”, which translates to “a healthy soul in a healthy body”.

38 Oodles : A LOT

It’s thought that the term “oodles”, meaning “a lot”, comes from “kit and caboodle”.

In the idiomatic expression “the whole kit and caboodle”, “caboodle” (sometimes spelled “kaboodle”) is an informal term describing a bunch of people, or sometimes “the whole lot”.

40 __ 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 in the world to introduce a duty-free shopping service on board its flights.

43 Xbox controller, for one : GAMEPAD

The Xbox line of video game consoles is made by Microsoft. The original Xbox platform was followed by Xbox 360 and more recently by Xbox One. Microsoft’s Xbox competes directly with Sony’s PlayStation and Nintendo’s Wii.

45 Awesome Blossom vegetable : ONION

A blooming onion is a dish comprising an onion that has been cut open to resemble a flower, and then battered and deep-fried. It is usually served as an appetizer. The blooming onion goes by the name “Awesome Blossom” in the Chili’s restaurant chain. In 2008, “Men’s Health” magazine named the Awesome Blossom the Worst Appetizer in America”, largely because it clocked in at a not-so-awesome 2,710 calories, and with as much fat as 67 strips of bacon.

47 2000s first family : OBAMAS

By tradition, the Secret Service code names used for the US President and family all start with the same letter. For the Obama First Family, that letter is R:

  • Barack Obama: Renegade
  • Michelle Obama: Renaissance
  • Malia Obama: Radiance
  • Sasha Obama: Rosebud

49 Academic job security : TENURE

A job in a university that is described as “tenure-track” is one that can lead to a tenured position. A tenured position is a “job for life”. A person with tenure can only be dismissed for cause.

50 Indian spice mix : MASALA

“Masala” is a Hindi word meaning “mixture”, and describes a mixture of spices. A dish named “masala” uses the spices incorporated into a sauce that includes garlic, ginger, onions and chili paste. Who doesn’t love Indian cuisine? Yum …

63 Mule kin : ASS

A hinny is the offspring of a male horse (the “h-” from h-orse) and a female donkey/ass (the “-nny” from je-nny). A mule is more common, and is the offspring of a female horse and male donkey/ass.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Make small adjustments to : TWEAK
6 Palindromic title : MADAM
11 “¡Dios __!” : MIO
14 Fictional chocolatier Wonka : WILLY
15 Sports complex : ARENA
16 Series finale, e.g. : END
17 Tied with a scrunchie, maybe : (UP) IN A PONYTAIL
19 Director DuVernay : AVA
20 Italian ice cream : GELATO
21 Most coll. applicants : SRS
22 Thing : ITEM
23 Food __: lethargy after a big meal : COMA
25 Mosaic tile : TESSERA
27 Stargazer’s bear : URSA
30 No longer on deck : (UP) AT THE PLATE
32 Election night backdrop for Steve Kornacki : MAP
33 Whispery video genre, for short : ASMR
34 “Fiddlesticks!” : DRAT!
35 Big gulps : SWIGS
37 Word before salt or snail : SEA …
39 “Know what __?” : I MEAN
42 Pre-calc math class : TRIG
44 YouTube diary : VLOG
46 Irish actor Stephen : REA
47 Taking time off : (AWAY) ON VACATION
50 Car sticker amt. : MSRP
51 [shrug emoji] : [BEATS ME]
52 Turner known as the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll” : TINA
54 Wheel turner : AXLE
55 Donne couplet? : ENS
57 Forced from power : OUSTED
61 “The Real World” airer : MTV
62 Classic sunshine pop hit single with hot-air-balloon imagery, and what 17-, 30-, and 47-Across literally are : UP, UP AND AWAY
64 Gobbled up : ATE
65 Draped silk dresses : SARIS
66 Mitt : GLOVE
67 Letters of distress : SOS
68 Utopias : EDENS
69 Made less onerous : EASED

Down

1 Small branch : TWIG
2 Sonoma County product : WINE
3 Ben Gurion-based airline : EL AL
4 South American kin of a camel : ALPACA
5 Japanese city with many shrines : KYOTO
6 Star Wars Day month : MAY
7 Review-heavy newspaper section : ARTS
8 Scarcity : DEARTH
9 Ouzo flavoring : ANISEED
10 “Bad” prefix : MAL-
11 Carnivores : MEAT-EATERS
12 Turn upside down : INVERT
13 Whoopi’s Oscar-winning role in “Ghost” : ODA MAE
18 Spanish phrase equivalent to “¡Basta!” : NO MAS!
22 Five Pillars faith : ISLAM
24 Devices called “cashpoints” in the U.K. : ATMS
26 Small branch : SPRIG
27 Sounds of hesitation : UMS
28 Uncooked : RAW
29 Trumpet parts that need to be drained : SPIT VALVES
31 Fountain near Rome’s Spanish Steps : TREVI
33 Nike rival : ASICS
36 Storm drain cover : GRATE
38 Oodles : A LOT
40 __ Lingus : AER
41 Rest in a sleep pod : NAP
43 Xbox controller, for one : GAMEPAD
45 Awesome Blossom vegetable : ONION
47 2000s first family : OBAMAS
48 Alongside of : NEXT TO
49 Academic job security : TENURE
50 Indian spice mix : MASALA
53 Gentle reminder : NUDGE
56 Rotate : SPIN
58 Low poker pair : TWOS
59 Roof trim : EAVE
60 Hid one’s true colors, perhaps : DYED
62 “It’s just no __!” : USE
63 Mule kin : ASS