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Constructed by: Matthew Stock
Edited by: Patti Varol
Today’s Theme: None
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… a complete list of answers
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Bill’s time: 15m 01s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
9 Nintendo console with a GamePad : WII U
The Wii U video game console is the successor to Nintendo’s Wii. I’m wondering if “Wii U” is some sort of play on the pronouns “we” and “you”? Maybe I just think too much …
14 Huevos __ : RANCHEROS
The popular breakfast dish huevos rancheros consists mainly of fried eggs served on tortillas and topped with salsa. The dish’s name translates as “eggs ranch-style”.
17 Neural transmitters : AXONS
A nerve cell is more correctly called a neuron. The long nerve fiber that conducts signals away from the neuron is known as the axon. The axon is surrounded by a myelin sheath, which acts as an electrical insulator and which increases the rate the impulses pass along the axon.
19 Lectures featured on NPR’s “Radio Hour” podcast : TED TALKS
“TED Radio Hour” is an NPR podcast hosted by Guy Raz that uses excerpts from prior TED Talks to examine various subjects of interest.
21 Some WrestleMania venues : ARENAS
“WrestleMania” is a pay-per-view professional wrestling event that was first produced in 1985. I really don’t do wrestling …
23 Japanese stir-fried noodles : YAKISOBA
Yakisoba is a dish from Japanese cuisine comprising fried noodles with chopped pork and vegetables. “Yakisoba” translates as “fried noodle”. Even though soba noodles are usually made from buckwheat flour, the soba noodles in yakisoba are made from wheat flour.
28 Org. that might need to resolve wedge issues? : LPGA
The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) was founded in 1950 by a group of 13 lady golfers, and today it is the oldest ongoing women’s sports professional organization in the US.
32 Take turns before everyone else? : PLAYTEST
Video game designers employ playtesters to check for bugs and design flaws in a new game, before it is released to the market.
34 Koteas of “Chicago P.D.” : ELIAS
Actor Elias Koteas is perhaps best known for playing undercover detective Al Olinsky in the show “Chicago P.D.” In fact, he has also appeared as that character in the other shows of the “Chicago” franchise, i.e. “Chicago Fire” and “Chicago Med”.
42 Designer of Uma Thurman’s iconic 1995 lavender chiffon Oscar gown : PRADA
Uma Thurman was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Award at the Oscar ceremony held in 1995, for her performance in “Pulp Fiction”. She didn’t win (Dianne Wiest did, for “Bullets Over Broadway”), but Thurman did make her mark on the ceremony. She wore a lavender chiffon gown by Prada that attracted a lot of attention. It is credited with launching Prada as a mainstream clothier in America.
49 Home of Venta Rapid, Europe’s widest waterfall : LATVIA
Venta Rapid is a waterfall on the Venta River in western Latvia. Varying in width between 800 and 900 feet, it is the widest waterfall in the whole of Europe.
52 Mythical birds without feet that fly continuously from birth until death : MARTLETS
The martlet is a small bird from English mythology that is widely used in heraldry. The name “martlet” means “little martin”, with the martin being a bird in the swallow family. The mythical creature has no legs, and supposedly remains continuously on the wing from birth until death. As such, it is commonly used on a coat of arms to symbolize continuous and persistent effort.
57 Right hand : FIRST MATE
On a merchant ship, the first mate (sometimes “first officer, chief mate”) is the highest-ranking deck officer, and reports directly to the captain.
Down
1 Tapers off : ABATES
I used to think that the word “taper” was used for a slender candle because said candle was “tapered” in shape, but it’s exactly the opposite. It turns out that our word “tapered” comes from the candle. “Taper” and “tapur” are Old English words meaning “candle”. From these nouns arose the verb “to taper” meaning “shoot up like flame”. This meaning evolved into “become slender” from the idea that a candle’s flame has such a shape.
4 Flat fee : RENT
“Flat”, describing an apartment or condominium, is a word more commonly used in Britain and Ireland than on this side of the pond. The term “flat” is Scottish in origin, in which language it used to mean “floor in a house”.
6 “Live long and prosper” speaker, perhaps : TREKKIE
The Vulcan salute is the hand gesture devised and introduced by Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock on the original “Star Trek” TV series. The salute is made by raising the hand with the palm forward and with the fingers parted between the middle and ring finger. The gesture is often accompanied with the words “live long and prosper”.
8 Larynx-examining doc : ENT
The voice box or larynx is where pitch and volume of sound are manipulated when we talk. The structure called the Adam’s apple that protrudes from the human neck is formed by the thyroid cartilage that surrounds the larynx. The Adam’s apple of males tends to increase in size during puberty, so the feature tended to be associated more with males in days gone by, perhaps leading to the name “Adam’s” apple. A doctor specializing in treating the larynx is a laryngologist.
11 Home of the NCAA’s Gaels : IONA
Iona College is a Roman Catholic school run by Christian Brothers in New Rochelle, New York. The Brothers named the college for the island of Iona off the west coast of Scotland on which is located Iona Abbey, which was founded by St. Columba. The school’s sports teams are called the Iona Gaels, and the team mascot goes by the name “Killian”.
16 Catnip, e.g. : HERB
About 50% of all cats are affected in some way by the plant catnip. There is a terpenoid in the oil of the plant called nepetalactone that the cat inhales and that can cause anything from drowsiness to anxiety.
26 Computer-based civil disobedience : HACKTIVISM
Anonymous is a network of Internet activists (known as “hacktivists”). Formed around 2003, the group has been responsible for several attacks on government, corporate and religious websites over the years. When members of Anonymous (known as “Anons”) appear in public, they do so wearing Guy Fawkes masks.
29 Crash pad? : PIED-A-TERRE
A pied-à-terre is a secondary living space or temporary accommodation, often somewhere to live in a big city that is some distance away from a primary residence. “Pied-à-terre” is French for “foot on the ground”.
35 Coverage plan abbr. : SPF
In theory, the sun protection factor (SPF) is a calibrated measure of the effectiveness of a sunscreen in protecting the skin from harmful UV rays. The idea is that if you wear a lotion with say SPF 20, then it takes 20 times as much UV radiation to cause the skin to burn than it would take without protection. I say just stay out of the sun …
42 Mass number : PSALM
The Greek word “psalmoi” originally meant “songs sung to a harp”, and gave us the word “psalms”. In the Jewish and Western Christian traditions, the Book of Psalms contains 150 individual psalms, divided into five sections.
50 Cognac confidante : AMIE
Cognac is a famous variety of brandy named after the commune of Cognac in the very west of France. To be called “Cognac”, the brandy must be distilled twice in copper pot stills and aged at least two years in very specific French oak barrels.
51 Stanford basketball coach VanDerveer : TARA
Tara VanDerveer is the only coach in NCAA history to win 1,000 games. She is also the all-time winningest coach in women’s college basketball, with 1,157 wins. Tara’s sister Heidi is also a very successful college and professional basketball coach.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Hot : AFIRE
6 III’s nickname : TRE
9 Nintendo console with a GamePad : WII U
13 Waits : BIDES
14 Huevos __ : RANCHEROS
17 Neural transmitters : AXONS
18 “Both seem fine” : EITHER ONE
19 Lectures featured on NPR’s “Radio Hour” podcast : TED TALKS
21 Some WrestleMania venues : ARENAS
22 Afore : ERE
23 Japanese stir-fried noodles : YAKISOBA
25 “__ is life” : SUCH
27 Joins the chorus : SINGS
28 Org. that might need to resolve wedge issues? : LPGA
32 Take turns before everyone else? : PLAYTEST
34 Koteas of “Chicago P.D.” : ELIAS
35 Slots : SPACES
36 Pore (over) : OBSESS
37 Cheers (up) : PERKS
38 Some bunk mates : TWIN BEDS
41 Bite one’s nails, say : FRET
42 Designer of Uma Thurman’s iconic 1995 lavender chiffon Oscar gown : PRADA
43 Bye line : TA-TA
45 “You could not be more right!” : IT SURE IS
48 Feature that may be opened with Ctrl+T : TAB
49 Home of Venta Rapid, Europe’s widest waterfall : LATVIA
52 Mythical birds without feet that fly continuously from birth until death : MARTLETS
54 Marketing group : EMAIL LIST
56 Eaglet home : AERIE
57 Right hand : FIRST MATE
58 Magnate : BARON
59 Crew : TEAM
60 Short change? : MOD
61 In need of recharging : SPENT
Down
1 Tapers off : ABATES
2 Work in progress : FIXER-UPPER
3 “Well, paint me green and call me a pickle!” : I DO DECLARE!
4 Flat fee : RENT
5 Piece of one’s mind? : ESSAY
6 “Live long and prosper” speaker, perhaps : TREKKIE
7 Oatmeal topping, perhaps : RAISINS
8 Larynx-examining doc : ENT
9 “Nothing more to do here” : WE’RE ALL SET
10 Hotel room amenity : IRON
11 Home of the NCAA’s Gaels : IONA
12 Applications : USES
15 __ theory : CHAOS
16 Catnip, e.g. : HERB
20 Stands the test of time : LASTS
24 Mil. rank : SGT
26 Computer-based civil disobedience : HACKTIVISM
29 Crash pad? : PIED-A-TERRE
30 Place to get some air : GAS STATION
31 Donkey : ASS
33 “Right on” : YES
34 Motion of the ocean : EBB
35 Coverage plan abbr. : SPF
36 For all to hear : ON AIR
38 “u right” : TRU
39 Comes around on : WARMS TO
40 Cooked up : IDEATED
42 Mass number : PSALM
44 Neither here nor there : ABSENT
46 Tip : TILT
47 Wild guesses : STABS
49 Not right? : LEFT
50 Cognac confidante : AMIE
51 Stanford basketball coach VanDerveer : TARA
53 Logical omission : LEAP
55 [Raises hand] : I AM
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17 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 21 Oct 23, Saturday”
Comments are closed.
DNF. Gosh, I was doing so good.
Until I hit the middle bottom portion.
Couldn’t get PIEDA TERRE. Had ASSESS instead of OBSESS. PSALM I got but it was blank from there to the right. Got the southeast portion.
Don’t get LEAP from logical omission.
Certainly didn’t know MARTLETS
Didn’t get PRADA.
I didn’t get EBB either and that should have been a gimme…..
Really didn’t care for the cluing. How is a PLAY TEST taking turns before everyone else??
Oh well. On to sunday.
Play testing is where a beta tester for a video game plays the game and provides feedback on difficulty of the game and other issues outside the code working as intended. In that sense, a video game beta tester takes their turns playing the game before everyone else.
I’ve said all along that I’d be really good at this if only I’d learn how to spell…
Not as hard for Sat as normal but never heard of yakisoba ..glad it filled…some clueing a little vague but that’s what fills are for sometimes it’s better to just leave them if your not sure..Good week end to all !!fun puzzle!!
19:36, needed two lookups
I wish they would stop putting foreign words in these Saturday puzzles. Piedaterre?? Really? First off, I’ve NEVER heard this term in my life (I’m 67 years old and I read a lot!). Second, I do not speak French. What a terrible Saturday puzzle – again. Can we stop with the ridiculous cutesy clues and put a solvable puzzle out there? Not fair, and definitely not fun.
38:34(!), no errors. Much of my time was spent in one relatively small area. Like “Anon Mike”, I initially had “ASSESS” for 36-Across (mostly because “ALOUD” worked so well for 36-Down). Once I finally saw that “TWIN BEDS” was a logical answer for 38-Across, I put in “OBSESS” and then “ON MIC”. Oops. In due course, “ON AIR” finally came to me and I was able to fill in most of my problem area, but I then spent several minutes looking at the crosses that gave me “MARTLETS” (something I’d never heard of) before finally deciding that they were all solid enough to justify calling myself done. A decent puzzle, but can I apply for a grant to cover the cost of the ink I used up on write-overs? (😳🙂😜!)
Still not getting why “mod” is answer to “short change?”.
Agree completely with Anon Mike. I breezed through the top half of the puzzle and spent probably two hours altogether on the bottom half. Getting “hacktivism” sent me on my way. And as usual, I went through the alphabet, guessing on so many until they started to look right. Saturdays seem to be getting more difficult.
No look ups, no errors. Took me a while
though and almost threw the towel in
halfway through. Was stuck on the upper
left until I changed places to spaces and
things opened up. Other changes on the fly
orate/on air, spicy/afire, slopes/abates.
I shouldn’t do Saturday puzzles.
14 mins 37 sec, and DNF, with 11 left unfilled.
Chalk it up to cynical, intentionally-misphrased clues.
Tip is TILT?
I do declare, Saturdays remain difficult! 42:20 – lookups for Uma Thurman’s dress designer, where Venta Rapid is located, and the mythical birds that fly continuously. The bottom-middle was particularly difficult.
False starts: MRSPOCK>TREKKIE, AGO>ERE, THIS>SUCH, BETATEST>PLAYTEST, ALOUD>ONAIR, SIBLINGS>TWINBEDS, WAKESUP>WARMSTO, SWAGS>STABS.
New or forgotten: WIIU, TED Radio Hour, ELIAS Koteas, “Venta Rapid,” MARTLETS, “NCAA Gaels,” PIEDATERRE, TARA VanDerveer, HACTIVISM.
Some cogitating on the meaning/angle of several of the clues such as “place to get some air,” right on,” “coverage plan,” “u right,” “tip,” “cognac confidante.” Disagree that a fixer-upper is necessarily a work “in progress.”
I wish they would stop putting foreign words in these Saturday puzzles. Piedaterre?? Really? First off, I’ve NEVER heard this term in my life (I’m 67 years old and I read a lot!). Second, I do not speak French. What a terrible Saturday puzzle – again. Can we stop with the ridiculous cutesy clues and put a solvable puzzle out there? Not fair, and definitely not fun.
A little too tough for me today; took 1:09:59 with 9 errors on the first grid-check and 6-7 more, along with 6 more grid-checks. Got PIED-A-TERRE before GAS STATION, which I’d heard of before, since our little complex sometimes serves as one. Mostly flamed out in the middle bottom, but had a few problems in the NW.
It was difficult, but I did have fun and was elated when I got the banner.
Yes, it’s nice to get to the end result after a tough go at something.