LA Times Crossword 11 Dec 23, Monday

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Constructed by: Kevin Christian
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Garden Hose

Themed answers each end with a setting found on a GARDEN HOSE:

  • 59A Backyard item with settings found at the ends of 17-, 25-, 37-, and 47-Across : GARDEN HOSE
  • 17A Baskin-Robbins option : WAFFLE CONE
  • 25A Lemon-lime soda brand discontinued in early 2023 : SIERRA MIST
  • 37A Wet postgame celebration : CHAMPAGNE SHOWER
  • 47A Wealthy executive’s plane : PRIVATE JET

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

Bill’s time: 5m 02s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

14 Walled city near Madrid : AVILA

The Spanish city of Ávila is famous for the walled defenses around the old city (“la muralla de Ávila”) that date back to 1090. They were constructed out of brown granite, and are still in excellent repair. There are nine gateways and eighty-towers in all. Even the cathedral built between the 12th and 14th centuries is part of the city’s defenses, so it looks like an imposing fortress.

16 MC or Visa alternative : AMEX

“Amex” is short for “American Express”, the name of the financial services company that is best known for its credit card, charge card and traveler’s check businesses. The company name is indicative of its original business. American Express was founded in 1850 in Buffalo, New York as an express mail service.

17 Baskin-Robbins option : WAFFLE CONE

The Baskin-Robbins chain of ice cream parlors is the largest in the world. The chain was founded by Burt Baskin and Irv Robbins in Glendale, California in 1945. The company started using the slogan “31 flavors” in 1953, suggesting that a customer could order a different flavor of ice cream on every day of every month.

19 Green gemstone : JADE

“Jade” is actually the name given to two different mineral rocks, both of which are used to make gemstones. The first is nephrite, a mineral with a varying degree of iron content, the more iron the greener the color. The second is jadeite, a sodium and aluminum-rich pyroxene. As well as being used for gemstones, both jade minerals can be carved into decorative pieces.

21 North Carolina campus : ELON

Elon is a city in the Piedmont region of North Carolina located close to the city of Burlington. Elon University is a private liberal arts school founded in 1889.

22 Dasani product : WATER

Dasani is a Coca-Cola brand of bottled water. It is simply filtered tap water with some trace minerals added.

23 Piggy bank opening : SLOT

The word “pig” can be used for earthenware, or an earthenware shard. From this usage there evolved the term “pig jar” that described an earthenware pot that could be filled with water for use as a bed-warmer. Crockery pots were also used to collect coins and these were also termed “pig jars”. By the 1700s, these pig jars had evolved into the first “piggy banks”.

25 Lemon-lime soda brand discontinued in early 2023 : SIERRA MIST

Sierra Mist was a brand of lemon-lime soft drink introduced by PepsiCo in 1999. The drink’s name was changed to Mist Twist in 2016.

28 __ monitor: prenatal device : FETAL

The word “fetus”, used for an unborn young animal, comes from Latin as one might expect. “Fetus” is the Latin word for the act of hatching or bringing forth a young animal or child. The mistaken spelling “foetus” is seen occasionally, but there’s no historical basis for adding that “o”.

30 Smidgen : IOTA

Our word “smidgen” (sometimes shortened to “smidge”) is used to describe a small amount. The term might come from the Scots word “smitch” that means the same thing or “a small insignificant person”.

31 One over par, in golf : BOGEY

The golfing term “bogey” originated at the Great Yarmouth Golf Club in England in 1890, and was used to indicate a total round that was one-over-par (and not one-over-par on a particular hole, as it is today). The name “bogey” came from a music hall song of the time “Here Comes the Bogeyman”. In the following years it became popular for players trying to stay at par to be “playing against Colonel Bogey”. Then, during WWI, the marching tune “Colonel Bogey” was written and named after the golfing term. If you don’t recognize the name of the tune, it’s the one that’s whistled by the soldiers marching in the great movie “The Bridge on the River Kwai”.

33 “Back in Black” rock band : AC/DC

“Back in Black” is a 1980 song by Australian heavy metal band AC/DC. The band members wrote the song as a tribute to AC/DC’s former singer Bon Scott, who died earlier that year at the age of 33.

34 Part of TNT : TRI-

Trinitrotoluene (TNT)

43 “Circle of Friends” novelist Binchy : MAEVE

“Circle of Friends” is a 1990 Maeve Binchy that was adapted into a very successful 1995 feature film. The story revolves around two childhood friends and the life they lead while attending in their teens University College Dublin (my own alma mater). The film verison stars (American) actor Chris O’Donnell and (English) actress Minnie Driver.

45 Big name in farm equipment : DEERE

John Deere invented the first commercially successful steel plow in 1837. Prior to Deere’s invention, farmers used an iron or wooden plow that constantly had to be cleaned as rich soil stuck to its surfaces. The cast-steel plow was revolutionary as its smooth sides solved the problem of “stickiness”. The Deere company that John founded uses the slogan “Nothing Runs Like a Deere”, and has a leaping deer as its logo.

55 Part of TLC : CARE

Tender loving care (TLC)

57 Latvia, once: Abbr. : SSR

Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR)

The nation of Latvia in Northern Europe is one of the three Baltic States, along with Estonia and Lithuania. Latvia is known for its vast forested areas, which cover more than half of the country’s territory.

62 Sandals brand owned by Deckers : TEVA

Teva is a brand of sandal marketed as a sport sandal. The first design was the creation of a river guide working the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. The design was patented in 1987.

63 Figure skating leap : AXEL

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.

Down

1 Chess pieces that are often moved first : PAWNS

In the game of chess, the pawns are the weakest pieces on the board. A pawn that can make it to the opposite side of the board can be promoted to a piece of choice, usually a queen. Using promotion of pawns, it is possible for a player to have two or more queens on the board at one time. However, standard chess sets come with only one queen per side, so a captured rook is often used as the second queen by placing it on the board upside down.

3 Ability to speak persuasively : GIFT OF GAB

Blarney is a town in County Cork in the south of Ireland. Blarney is home to Blarney Castle, and inside the castle is the legendary Blarney Stone. “Kissing the Blarney Stone” is a ritual engaged in by many, many tourists (indeed, I’ve done it myself!), but it’s not a simple process. The stone is embedded in the wall of the castle, and in order to kiss it you have to sit on the edge of the parapet and lean way backwards so that your head is some two feet below your body. There is a staff member there to help you and make sure you don’t fall. The Blarney Stone has been referred to as the world’s most unhygienic tourist attraction! But once you’ve kissed it, supposedly you are endowed with the “gift of the gab”, the ability to talk eloquently and perhaps deceptively without offending. The term “blarney” has come to mean flattering and deceptive talk.

5 Black Friday event : SALE

In the world of retail, Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving in the US. It is also the day when many stores start the holiday shopping season, and so offer deep discounts to get ahead of the competition.

8 Middle Brady girl : JAN

On “The Brady Bunch”, Eve Plumb played Jan Brady, the middle of the three sisters. There’s a New York City rock band called Eve’s Plum, which used the actress’s name as inspiration for the band name.

10 __ party: sleepover : PAJAMA

Our word “pajamas” (sometimes “PJs” or “jammies”) comes to us from the Indian subcontinent, where “pai jamahs” were loose fitting pants tied at the waist and worn at night by locals and ultimately by the Europeans living there. And “pajamas” is another of those words that I had to learn to spell differently when I came to America. On the other side of the Atlantic, the spelling is “pyjamas”.

11 Valuable violin : AMATI

The first of the Amati family to make violins was Andrea Amati, who lived in the 14th century. He was succeeded by his sons Antonio and Girolamo. In turn, the two brothers were succeeded by Girolamo’s son Nicolo. Nicolo had a few students who achieved fame making musical instruments as well. One was his own son, Girolamo, and another was the famed Antonio Stradivari.

18 Actress Pataky : ELSA

Elsa Pataky is a model and actress from Spain who is perhaps best known for playing Brazilian military police officer Elena Neves in the “Fast & Furious” movies. Pataky’s husband is Australian actor Chris Hemsworth.

26 Grain grown in a paddy : RICE

A paddy field is a flooded piece of land used to grow rice, or perhaps taro. The water reduces competition from weeds allowing the rice to thrive. The word “paddy” has nothing to do with us Irish folk, and is an anglicized version of the word “padi”, the Malay name for the rice plant.

31 Include on an email surreptitiously : BCC

A blind carbon copy (bcc) is a copy of a document or message that is sent to someone without other recipients of the message knowing about that extra copy.

39 Richard of “Sommersby” : GERE

Richard Gere is an American actor who is a practicing Buddhist and has been a student of the Dalai Lama for many years. He has been married three times, including his first marriage to supermodel Cindy Crawford. They were married from 1991 to 1995.

The 1993 romantic drama “Sommersby” stars Richard Gere and Jodie Foster. The film is about an imposter who returns after the Civil War and moves in with a woman while claiming to be her husband. The real husband returns, and things get very rancorous. I know it sounds implausible, but the storyline is based on true events that took place in France in the 1500s.

44 Gamer’s virtual persona : AVATAR

The Sanskrit word “avatar” describes the concept of a deity descending into earthly life and taking on a persona. It’s easy to see how in the world of online presences one might use the word avatar to describe one’s online identity.

48 Actress Zellweger : RENEE

Renée Zellweger’s big break came with the 1996 movie “Jerry Maguire”. A few years later, Zellweger followed that up with a string of successes in “Bridget Jones’ Diary” (2001), “Chicago” (2002) and “Cold Mountain” (2003). My wife and I love watching her play Bridget Jones, and as someone coming from Britain and Ireland, I have to say that Zellweger does a remarkable job with the accent. She worked hard to perfect that accent, and of course she had a voice coach. She also went “undercover” and worked as a temp in an office for three weeks fine-tuning her skills.

49 “Uncle!” : I GIVE!

To say uncle is to submit or yield. This peculiarly American use of “uncle” dates back to the early 1900s, but nobody seems to know how “uncle!” came to mean “stop!”

50 Preppy clothing brand : J.CREW

J.Crew is a clothing and accessory retailer. Never been there, but I’ve seen the name turn up on credit card statements somehow …

A preppy is a student or graduate of a preparatory school. Such a school is designed to prepare students for college, and is often private with expensive fees.

52 “Grumpy Old Men” actor Davis : OSSIE

Ossie Davis was a prominent actor and civil rights activist. He married his wife, fellow actor Ruby Dee, in 1948. They remained together until his death in 2005, making their marriage one of the longest-lasting in Hollywood history. Davis was a prominent voice in the civil rights movement, and a close friend of both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Davis delivered a powerful eulogy at Malcolm X’s funeral in 1965.

“Grumpy Old Men” is a wonderful romantic comedy film from 1993 starring the great actors Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau and Ann-Margret along with an excellent supporting cast. “Grumpy Old Man” was the sixth on-screen collaboration between Lemmon and Matthau, but the first in over a decade.

53 Small chirpy birds : WRENS

The wren is a small songbird belonging to the family troglodytidae and the genus troglodytes. Wrens are known for making dome-shaped nests. Despite their small size, they are known for their loud and complex songs. Male wrens often sing to attract mates and to establish territory, They have been known to attack much larger birds that get too close to their nests.

56 Irish New Age singer : ENYA

Enya’s real name is Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, which can translate from Irish into Enya Brennan. Her Donegal family (in the northwest of Ireland) formed a band called Clannad, which included Enya. In 1980 Enya launched her very successful solo career, eventually becoming Ireland’s best-selling solo musician. And, she sure does turn up a lot in crosswords!

59 Wander (about) : GAD

To gad about is to move around with little purpose. The word “gad” comes from the Middle English “gadden” meaning “to hurry”.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Sheets of paper : PAGES
6 Indian prince : RAJA
10 Walk back and forth anxiously : PACE
14 Walled city near Madrid : AVILA
15 List-shortening abbr. : ET AL
16 MC or Visa alternative : AMEX
17 Baskin-Robbins option : WAFFLE CONE
19 Green gemstone : JADE
20 Minor complaint : NIT
21 North Carolina campus : ELON
22 Dasani product : WATER
23 Piggy bank opening : SLOT
25 Lemon-lime soda brand discontinued in early 2023 : SIERRA MIST
28 __ monitor: prenatal device : FETAL
30 Smidgen : IOTA
31 One over par, in golf : BOGEY
33 “Back in Black” rock band : AC/DC
34 Part of TNT : TRI-
37 Wet postgame celebration : CHAMPAGNE SHOWER
41 Corn discard : COB
42 “Yeah, right” : I BET
43 “Circle of Friends” novelist Binchy : MAEVE
44 Aspire laptop maker : ACER
45 Big name in farm equipment : DEERE
47 Wealthy executive’s plane : PRIVATE JET
51 Put in the overhead bin : STOW
54 Within the rules : LEGAL
55 Part of TLC : CARE
57 Latvia, once: Abbr. : SSR
58 “Put a lid __!” : ON IT
59 Backyard item with settings found at the ends of 17-, 25-, 37-, and 47-Across : GARDEN HOSE
62 Sandals brand owned by Deckers : TEVA
63 Figure skating leap : AXEL
64 “Coming along?” : YOU IN?
65 Fortuneteller : SEER
66 Like grass at dawn : DEWY
67 Adds to the poker pot : ANTES

Down

1 Chess pieces that are often moved first : PAWNS
2 To no __: in vain : AVAIL
3 Ability to speak persuasively : GIFT OF GAB
4 Santa’s helper : ELF
5 Black Friday event : SALE
6 Shrink back in fear : RECOIL
7 Make amends : ATONE
8 Middle Brady girl : JAN
9 Pub brew : ALE
10 __ party: sleepover : PAJAMA
11 Valuable violin : AMATI
12 Gives over (to) : CEDES
13 Apply, as pressure : EXERT
18 Actress Pataky : ELSA
22 “Don’t think I won’t!” : WATCH ME!
24 Overflow (with) : TEEM
26 Grain grown in a paddy : RICE
27 Towel holders : RODS
29 Usual : TYPICAL
31 Include on an email surreptitiously : BCC
32 “Caught you!” : OHO!
33 Picnic invader : ANT
34 Announces on X : TWEETS OUT
35 Gun, as an engine : REV
36 Wrath : IRE
38 Help in wrongdoing : ABET
39 Richard of “Sommersby” : GERE
40 Rowboat set : OARS
44 Gamer’s virtual persona : AVATAR
45 Lethal : DEADLY
46 “To be,” in French : ETRE
47 Parcels of land : PLOTS
48 Actress Zellweger : RENEE
49 “Uncle!” : I GIVE!
50 Preppy clothing brand : J.CREW
52 “Grumpy Old Men” actor Davis : OSSIE
53 Small chirpy birds : WRENS
56 Irish New Age singer : ENYA
59 Wander (about) : GAD
60 Logger’s tool : AXE
61 Sweetie : HON

15 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 11 Dec 23, Monday”

  1. Nice start to the week. A few proper names I didn’t know but all solved by crosses. You’d think I’d remember Amati by now, as many times as I’ve seen it.
    I liked how ABET and IBET crossed!

  2. Pretty quick run.

    Never heard of TEVA sandals but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen them. They look very chic!!

    1. As a gardener, I would have to clarify that it is not the actual hose that has settings, but rather the nozzle or wand that one can attach to the hose.

  3. 5 mins 20 sec, and four errors, because I thought 6A was RANI, and didn’t spell-check the crosses. Nice Monday grid.

  4. 7:45 – no errors, lookups, or false starts.

    New or forgotten: “Back In Black,” “Circle of Friends,” MAEVE Binchy, ELSA Pataky.

    A different kind of theme with the garden hose sprayer settings, and a good Monday outing overall.

    To me, having a GIFTOFGAB isn’t particularly the same as being persuasive.

  5. Ya, ‘garden hose’ doesn’t quite fit the clue, better would be hose nozzle or sprinkler or something like that.

    Thanks, Bill – I had never made (or heard) of the connection between the Colonel Bogey march and the golf term!

  6. Mostly easy Monday; took 8:10 with no peeks or errors. Just had to revisit one spot where I had rake before realizing it needed to be HOSE. Didn’t see a bunch of names that I didn’t really know, since I already had them with crosses for the most part.

    Didn’t notice the theme.

  7. 3D = I thought that the phrase was “Gift of THE Gab” (as quoted by Bill) not just “Gift of Gab”
    34D = I don’t use Twitter, but I thought the verb for doing so was just “Tweets” not “Tweets OUT”
    49A = I thought the phrase people used was “I Give IN” not just “I Give”

    Interestingly, I thought that the word IN had been left OUT, in 49D and the word OUT had been added IN to 34D, so I was trying to compare the similarly-positioned 3D where THE had been left *out*, with 11D (Amati), but couldn’t see what might have been added *in*. Answer = nothing, a red herring of my own making I guess.

  8. Actually, RAJA is a Hindi word meaning a KING, not a PRINCE.
    A PRINCE would be RAJKUMAR.
    RANI is a QUEEN.

  9. Actually, RAJA is a Hindi word meaning a KING, not a PRINCE.
    A PRINCE would be RAJKUMAR.
    RANI is a QUEEN.

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