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Constructed by: Rich Norris
Edited by: Patti Varol
Today’s Theme: None
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… a complete list of answers
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Bill’s time: 16m 34s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
15 Brown group : IVY LEAGUE
Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island is one of the eight Ivy League schools. Brown has been around a long time, founded in 1764, years before America declared independence from England. The university took the name of Brown in 1804 after one Nicholas Brown, Jr. gave a substantial gift to the school. The school’s athletic teams are known as the Brown Bears, and their mascot is Bruno.
16 “Mad TV” alum Lange : ARTIE
Artie Lange is a comedian who is best known perhaps for his daily radio appearances as a sidekick on “The Howard Stern Show” from 2001 to 2009.
“MADtv” is a television sketch show that ran for fourteen seasons starting in 1995. The show had nothing to do with the famous “Mad” magazine, although it did license the name and logo from the publication.
18 Callas title role : NORMA
“Norma” is an opera written by Vincenzo Bellini that was first performed in 1831. One aria from the work is “Casta diva”, which is one of the most popular arias of the 1800s.
Although Maria Callas was born in New York City, she was educated in music in Greece and launched her career in Italy. Her marvelous performances earned her the nickname “La Davina”, and she was described by Leonard Bernstein as “the Bible of opera …”
22 Occasion to eat bánh chu’ng : TET
Bánh chu’ng is a steamed cake mainly made from glutinous rice, mung bean and pork. The eating of bánh chu’ng is an important part of the Tet holiday in Vietnam.
23 2019 Tyler, the Creator album : IGOR
“Igor” is a 2019 studio album released by Tyler, the Creator. “Tyler, the Creator” is the stage name of rap singer Tyler Okonma.
24 Bridge installer’s deg. : DDS
Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)
25 Feature of an Oscar statuette : SWORD
Legend has it that actor Emilio Fernández was the model for the Oscar statuette. Cedric Gibbons, art director at MGM, created the design and supposedly convinced a reluctant Fernández to pose nude for “Oscar”.
28 Rose __ : PARADE
The first Rose Parade was staged in 1890 on New Year’s Day in Pasadena, California. The initial parades were organized by the Pasadena Valley Hunt Club, whose members wanted to highlight the mild winter weather in the area. The initial parades did not feature flowers, but these were added to underscore the favorable climate. It was the inclusion of the flowers that gave rise to the name “Tournament of Roses”. The first Rose Bowl football game was played in 1902.
30 Syrup brand since 1902 : KARO
Karo is a brand of corn syrup, an industrially manufactured sweetener derived from corn. The brand was introduced in 1902 by the Corn Products Refining Company.
35 Singing competition, familiarly : IDOL
“American Idol” is a spin-off show that was created after the amazing success of the British television show “Pop Idol”. Aired on Fox from 2002 to 2016, the show “jumped ship” and moved to ABC starting in the 2018 season.
36 Dominated, in gaming : PWNED
“To pwn” is online gamer-speak for “to own, defeat easily”. It’s likely that “pwn” evolved from “own” as it is a common typo caused by the close proximity of the o- and p-keys on a computer keyboard. “Pwn” is pronounced like “pone”.
39 Winery discard : LEES
The dregs in wine, the sediment that settles during fermentation (and sometimes in the bottle), are also called “lees”.
40 Old ski lift : J-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.
46 Pro __ : RATA
“Pro rata” is a Latin phrase meaning “in proportion”.
48 All smiles, in a Carroll poem : BEAMISH
Here is a verse from “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll, probably the one poem that we all just loved learning to recite at school:
And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.
50 Soap named for a city : DALLAS
The TV soap “Dallas” revolved around the Ewing family. The series that ran for 13 years was originally intended as a five-part mini-series, with the main characters being newlyweds Bobby and Pam Ewing. But, the devious character in the piece, Bobby’s brother J. R., became so popular with audiences that the series was extended with J. R. at the center of the story. Who can remember who shot J.R.? (It was Kristin Shepard: J.R.’s mistress, who was also his sister-in-law).
53 Yupik craft : UMIAK
There is a type of boat used by Inuit people called an “umiak”. . The term “umiak” means “woman’s boat”, whereas “kayak” means “man’s boat”.
The Yupik are a group of indigenous peoples of Alaska and the Russian Far East.
57 “Their Eyes Were Watching God” protagonist Crawford : JANIE
1937’s “Their Eyes Were Watching God” is the best-known work penned by American author Zora Neale Hurston. The novel gained popularity in the late 1900s after a mediocre reception when first published. It is now associated with the Harlem Renaissance, and in 2005 was named as one of the 100 best English-language novels since 1923.
58 Keyboard ornament : GRACE NOTE
In musical notation, a grace note calls for an ornament or embellishment, a musical flourish. Grace notes look like regular notes, but are written in a smaller print size.
59 Figure skating leaps : AXELS
An axel is a forward take-off jump in figure skating. The maneuver was first performed by Norwegian Axel Paulsen at the 1882 World Figure Skating championships.
60 Word from the Greek for “working together” : SYNERGISM
The word “synergy”, meaning “working together”, comes from the Greek “syn-” (together) and “ergon” (work).
Down
1 Solder element : TIN
Solder is a metal alloy that is used to join pieces of work together using the principle that the melting point of the alloy is below the melting point of the workpieces.
2 Zipcar parent : AVIS
Zipcar is a carsharing company. Carsharing differs from car rental in that cars are available only to members, and for 24 hours a day as opposed to office hours. There are other differences, including the fact that members are usually responsible for leaving cars gassed up and clean for the next user.
3 Luke’s nephew : KYLO
Kylo Ren is the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa in the “Star Wars” universe. The character’s birth name was Ben Solo. He was trained as a Jedi knight by his uncle, Luke Skywalker. However, Ben came to embrace the Dark Side, and changed his name to Kylo Ren. Ren is played by actor Adam Driver.
4 Whirlpool alternative : ELECTROLUX
Electrolux is a Swedish company, the second largest manufacturer of household appliances in the world (after Whirlpool). The company was founded in 1919 mainly to make vacuum cleaners. Electrolux owns dozens of brands including Frigidaire and Westinghouse.
6 “The Goldfinch” Pulitzer winner : TARTT
Novelist Donna Tartt won a Pulitzer for her 2013 novel “The Goldfinch”. That same novel was adapted into a 2019 film, which bombed at the box office.
7 Pointed arch : OGEE
An ogee is a type of S-curve. Specifically, it is a figure consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite directions (like an S) but both ends of the curve end up parallel to each other (which is not necessarily true for an S).
9 Contests with numbered balls : KENO GAMES
The name of the game keno has French or Latin roots, with the French “quine” being a term describing five winning numbers, and the Latin “quini” meaning “five each”. The game originated in China and was introduced into the West by Chinese immigrants who were working on the first Transcontinental Railroad in the 1800s.
10 “Let’s get toasty” fast-casual chain : PANERA
Panera Bread is a chain of bakery/coffeehouses. A Panera restaurant is a good place to get online while having a cup of coffee. Back in 2006 and 2007, Panera was the largest provider of free Wi-Fi access in the whole of the US.
12 Super Bowl debut of 2008 revived in 2022 : E-TRADE BABY
E-Trade is mainly an online discount brokerage. It was founded in 1982 in Palo Alto, California, and I used to drive by its headquarters almost every day. The company is now run out of New York City. E-Trade used to produce those famous Super Bowl ads with the talking babies staring into a webcam.
23 Rio region : IPANEMA
Ipanema is a beach community in the south of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The name Ipanema is a local word meaning “bad water”, signifying that the shore is bad for fishing. The beach became famous worldwide following the release of the song “The Girl from Ipanema” in 1962.
26 13-time All-Star inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2023 : WADE
Dwyane Wade is a basketball player who started his NBA career with the Miami Heat in 2003. “D-Wade” was chosen as the “Sports Illustrated” Sportsman of the Year in 2006.
The Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts is more correctly known as the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The facility is named for James Naismith, the Canadian-American physical educator who invented the sport. Although the first Hall of Fame class was inducted in 1959, the first Basketball Hall of Fame building did not open until 1968, on the grounds of Springfield College. The increasing number of visitors resulted in the construction of a new building, which opened in 1985 on the banks of the Connecticut River in Springfield. The current facility is also located on the river, and opened in 2002.
27 University town northeast of Augusta : ORONO, MAINE
The town of Orono is home to the University of Maine that was founded in 1862. The college is actually located on an island (Marsh island) lying between the Penobscot and Stillwater rivers. The town of Orono is named after Joseph Orono, a chief of the Penobscot Nation. The school’s athletic teams are named the Maine Black Bears.
As well as being the easternmost state capital, Augusta, Maine is the third smallest, with a population of under 20,000. The least populous state capitals are Montpelier, Vermont (~7,000) and Pierre, South Dakota (~14,000).
29 Indian district known for a beverage : DARJEELING
Darjeeling is a town in West Bengal in the east of India in the Lesser HImalayas. Today, Darjeeling is perhaps best known outside India for the black tea that bears its name. In the days of the British Raj, the cooler climate of Darjeeling made it a popular destination for British residents seeking respite from the summer heat at the lower elevations.
31 Crew taught by Gabe Kotter : SWEATHOGS
“Welcome Back, Kotter” is a sitcom from the late seventies. The title character is a teacher at Buchanan High, one Gabe Kotter who himself had attended the school as a student. Kotter teaches a remedial class of students who call themselves the Sweathogs. In fact, Kotter had himself been a founder of the Sweathogs, when he was a student in the same class. Kotter was played by Gabe Kaplan. One of the prominent students in his class Vinnie Barbarino played by a young John Travolta, a role that launched his film career. In recent years you might have seen Gabe Kaplan as co-host of the popular show “High Stakes Poker” on GSN.
33 California classical music festival city : OJAI
The city of Ojai, California is located just northwest of Los Angeles. One of the city’s claims to fame is that according to the TV shows “The Bionic Woman” and “The Six Million Dollar Man”, Jaime Sommers and Steve Austin grew up in Ojai and were childhood sweethearts!
34 Story : YARN
The phrase “to spin a yarn”, meaning “to tell a tall tale”, originated in the early 1800s with seamen. The idea was that sailors would tell stories to each other while engaged in mindless work such as twisting yarn.
43 Off-__ : KILTER
To be “off-kilter” is to be off-balance, not aligned. To be “out of kilter” is to be out of order, not in good condition.
44 Nigerian capital : ABUJA
Nigeria is in West Africa, and it takes its name from the Niger River that flows through the country. Nigeria is the most populous country on the continent, with over 180 million inhabitants. It is also the most populous member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
45 Century 21 rival : RE/MAX
RE/MAX is an international real estate company headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The name “RE/MAX” stands for “real estate maximum”, and the company’s logo is a hot-air balloon with RE/MAX emblazoned on it.
47 “Lovecraft Country” Emmy winner Courtney B. __ : VANCE
One of Courtney B. Vance’s most famous roles, was portraying Asst. DA Ron Carver on the show “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”, which he did from 2001 to 2006. Vance married fellow actor Angela Bassett in 1997.
56 __ sleep : REM
“REM” is an acronym standing for “rapid eye movement”. REM sleep takes up 20-25% of the sleeping hours and is the period associated with one’s most vivid dreams.
/p>
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Stop for an assessment : TAKE STOCK
10 Reverence : PIETY
15 Brown group : IVY LEAGUE
16 “Mad TV” alum Lange : ARTIE
17 Shade named for a river : NILE GREEN
18 Callas title role : NORMA
19 “Aww!” : SO CUTE!
20 Outdoor : OPEN-AIR
22 Occasion to eat bánh chu’ng : TET
23 2019 Tyler, the Creator album : IGOR
24 Bridge installer’s deg. : DDS
25 Feature of an Oscar statuette : SWORD
28 Rose __ : PARADE
30 Syrup brand since 1902 : KARO
31 “__ here” : SAME
32 Gender reveal words : A BOY
35 Singing competition, familiarly : IDOL
36 Dominated, in gaming : PWNED
37 Indian royal : RAJA
38 Handout to the hungry : MENU
39 Winery discard : LEES
40 Old ski lift : J-BAR
41 Pair with quite a lot of pull : OX TEAM
43 Type : KEY IN
44 Branch : ARM
46 Pro __ : RATA
47 Rival : VIE
48 All smiles, in a Carroll poem : BEAMISH
50 Soap named for a city : DALLAS
53 Yupik craft : UMIAK
54 Kitchen counter : OVEN TIMER
57 “Their Eyes Were Watching God” protagonist Crawford : JANIE
58 Keyboard ornament : GRACE NOTE
59 Figure skating leaps : AXELS
60 Word from the Greek for “working together” : SYNERGISM
Down
1 Solder element : TIN
2 Zipcar parent : AVIS
3 Luke’s nephew : KYLO
4 Whirlpool alternative : ELECTROLUX
5 Proceeded without pause : SEGUED
6 “The Goldfinch” Pulitzer winner : TARTT
7 Pointed arch : OGEE
8 Stick on a table : CUE
9 Contests with numbered balls : KENO GAMES
10 “Let’s get toasty” fast-casual chain : PANERA
11 Tend to a pressing task? : IRON
12 Super Bowl debut of 2008 revived in 2022 : E-TRADE BABY
13 Hardly bold : TIMID
14 Junior and senior : YEARS
21 Mulled (over) : PORED
23 Rio region : IPANEMA
25 Take off the top : SKIM
26 13-time All-Star inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2023 : WADE
27 University town northeast of Augusta : ORONO, MAINE
29 Indian district known for a beverage : DARJEELING
31 Crew taught by Gabe Kotter : SWEATHOGS
33 California classical music festival city : OJAI
34 Story : YARN
36 Court answers : PLEAS
42 Short rides? : TRIKES
43 Off-__ : KILTER
44 Nigerian capital : ABUJA
45 Century 21 rival : RE/MAX
47 “Lovecraft Country” Emmy winner Courtney B. __ : VANCE
49 Send : MAIL
50 Campus figure : DEAN
51 French mine : A MOI
52 Court units : SETS
55 Texter’s emphasis : VRY
56 __ sleep : REM
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18 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 11 Nov 23, Saturday”
Comments are closed.
Too many tv guide type references for me.
Technically a DNF . 2 lookups.
Still took me over an hour.
Started out pretty good. Almost had the whole left side done before I hit the SW corner. Didn’t know ABUJA or JANIE ..
I wasn’t sure if PLEAS was a court “answer” or what? So I waffled around there for awhile.
Do not know GRACE NOTE ..
anyway, it was a challenge for me.
A pair of oxen is called a yoke. Just ask Sweet Betsy…
…and I’m sorry, but reverence is not piety, and a grace note may be played on a keyboard, but does not ornament the keyboard. To me these clues are not typical Norris, and should have been challenged by Varol…
17:09, no errors. Only misstep: T-BAR instead of J-BAR (but DARJEELING straightened that out). Memories of my skiing days have mostly faded to black, but I may have last seen a J-BAR at Mount Snow, Vermont, in 1965. (I was a rank beginner and I have a clear memory of my last day there. I had the temerity to go all the way to the top and come down a trail called “Long John”, portions of which consisted of 1/3 snow, 1/3 ice, and 1/3 rock. Not one of my better memories … but … I lived … 🙂.)
About 20 minutes, but needed two lookups- Abuja and Panera. Not great, not terrible.
Three incorrect letters resulting in 6 wrong answers. However, they were close enough for me. For example, I had “key on” instead of “key in.” Compared to my recent Saturday difficulties, I’ll give myself a pass today.
Wa
All I have to say on this one after doing it is “Wow”. Just “wow”.
12D and 36A…two worst clues in a while👎👎
Stay safe😀
BTW you guys say DNF if you have to look up an answer… do you seriously think that these setters don’t use all kinds of electronic help to create these puzzles?
17 mins, 34 seconds before throwing in the towel with only about 60% filled …. no chance at this one. UMIAK? BEAMISH? ABUJA? Get outta here!!!
If you’re wondering about “beamish”, see Lewis Carrol’s “Jabberwocky”.
“Pwned”?!! Tartt?!! Abuja?!! Really?
I had no idea on those, like many of you. I do these LA crossword puzzles along with New York Times every Saturday and Sunday. Almost never DNF. This was a DNF for me.
DNF the SW corner did me in. Got a lot
further than I thought I would when I
started though. Also had owned instead
of pwned,who knew that was a word?!
These Saturday puzzles get tougher every
week!
Anytime I finish a Saturday puzzle in under 30 minutes, it’s a good day.
26:00 – one look up for “yupik craft.” I recognize that I’ve seen UMIAK before, but couldn’t get it today.
False starts: ITSA>ABOY, MEAL>MENU, TBAR>JBAR, FOE>VIE.
New or forgotten: ARTIE Lange, NORMA opera role, “banh chu’ng,” “Tyler, the Creator,” IGOR album, BEAMISH, JANIE Crawford and the novel, “The Goldfinch,” TARTT, ABUJA, “Lovecraft Country.”
The SW corner was the “tough nut to crack;” hence, the lookup of yupik craft. After that, I figured out TRIKES and guessed at the J for JANIE, giving me ABUJA (not Lagos).
Some days make you humble…
I love/hate puzzles like this. Are you with me?
Count me on the side of “love” (though I will admit to a certain level of angst while I’m scratching my head, trying to remember … that … word … that I saw a while back … and swore I’d remember the next time I saw it … but … oh … yeah … maybe … yes! … that was it! … 😜).
Another too tough for me today – a day late; took 41:09 with numerous errors and about 7 grid-checks. Had most of the west side and only parts of the east.
Well for me ABUJA and UMIAK were gimmes and BEAMISH I slowly warmed up to with crosses. On the other hand: ARTIE, IGOR, KENOGAMES, ETRADE BABY, PWNED, “J” BAR, WADE, GRACE NOTE and JANIE were almost completely unknown, although I did get WADE, JANIE and ETRADE BAB?.
This was one of those puzzles where I just didn’t feel confident enough to put in a guess, except in 1 or 2 places.