LA Times Crossword 28 Dec 23, Thursday

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Constructed by: Adam Vincent
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Dancing Here!

Themed answers are common phrases reinterpreted as APT SPOTS to do a dance cited in the corresponding clues. Very “punny”:

  • 46A Apt spot to do the running man? : POLITICAL PARTY
  • 55A Apt spot to breakdance? : WRECKING BALL
  • 4D Apt spot to swing dance? : GOLF CLUB
  • 11D Apt spot to do the moonwalk? : SPACE BAR

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

Bill’s time: 5m 56s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Buck : STAG

A male deer is usually called a buck, and a female is a doe. However, the male red deer is usually referred to as a stag. The males of even larger species of deer are often called bulls, and the females called cows. In older English, male deer of over 5 years were called harts, and females of over 3 years were called hinds. The young of small species are known as fawns, and of larger species are called calves. All very confusing …

5 Condiment often applied with chopsticks : WASABI

Sometimes called Japanese horseradish, wasabi is a root used as a condiment in Japanese cooking. The taste of wasabi is more like mustard than a hot pepper in that the vapors that create the “hotness” stimulate the nasal passages rather than the tongue. Personally, I love the stuff …

16 Howard who has two Oscars for Best Original Song : ASHMAN

Howard Ashman was a playwright who was better known as a lyricist, especially for Disney movies such as “The Little Mermaid”, “Beauty and the Beast” and “Aladdin”. Ashman also directed, wrote the book and wrote the lyrics for the 1982 musical “Little Shop of Horrors”.

18 Cut out early : BAIL

The phrase “to bail out” (sometimes just “to bail”) means to leave suddenly. We’ve been using the term since the early thirties, when it originated with airline pilots. To bail out is to make a parachute jump.

25 Actor whose final film role was in 1961’s “The Misfits” : CLARK GABLE

Actor Clark Gable was one of the most consistent earners for Hollywood studios, but won just one Best Actor Oscar (for the excellent “It Happened One Night”). He was married five times in all, including a three-year stint with actress Carole Lombard. Gable also had an affair with actress Loretta Young during the filming of “The Call of the Wild” in 1935. The result was a daughter born in 1935, after Young had a very secret pregnancy that was covered up by the film studio.

“The Misfits” is a 1961 drama starring Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe, and directed by John Huston. It is noted for being the last screen appearances by both Gable and Monroe. Gable suffered a heart attack two days after the end of filming, and died ten days later. When the movie premiered in New York, Monroe attended, but was on a pass from a psychiatric hospital. She took a drug overdose and died a year and a half later. Montgomery Clift also starred in the movie. Six years later, the film was on television and his housekeeper asked him if he wanted to watch it. He replied curtly, “Absolutely not”. They were the last words he spoke, as he was found dead in bed the next morning. A movie with a bit of a curse, one might say …

31 Endows (with) : IMBUES

To imbue is to pervade, to soak in. “Imbue” has the same etymological roots as our word “imbibe”.

37 Hallelujah kin : HOSANNA

“Hosanna” is derived from Hebrew, probably from the term “hoshi’ah-nna” meaning “save, we pray”.

The interjection “hallelujah!” means “praise ye the Lord!” The term comes from the Hebrew “halălūyāh” meaning “praise ye Yahweh”.

38 Shallot, for one : BULB

The shallot is a type of onion that is closely related to the garlic, leek and chive. I’m a big fan …

39 Boeing rival : AIRBUS

Airbus is an aircraft manufacturer based in Blagnac, France just outside Toulouse. Airbus produces about half of the world’s jetliners. The company built the first fly-by-wire aircraft (the A320), and also built the world’s largest airliner (the A380).

The Boeing Company was founded in Seattle in 1916 by aviation pioneer William Boeing, with the enterprise’s first name being “Pacific Aero Products Co.” Boeing had worked in the timber industry and set up his aircraft company in the Pacific Northwest to take advantage of the local supply of spruce wood.

42 Wedding invite request : RSVP

“RSVP” stands for “répondez s’il vous plaît”, which is French for “answer, please”.

43 Pro who wears a Star of Life emblem : EMT

The Star of Life is a symbol used in many regions of the world to identify emergency medical services. The emblem was designed in 1963 by the American Medical Association (AMA). It comprises a blue, six-pointed star with a Rod of Asclepius in the middle. The six branches of the star are used to represent the six principal tasks executed by rescuers in an emergency:

  1. Detection
  2. Reporting
  3. Response
  4. On-scene care
  5. Care in transit
  6. Transfer to definitive care

45 Canon SLR camera : EOS

I’ve been using Canon EOS cameras for decades now, and have nothing but good things to say about both the cameras and the lenses. The EOS name stands for Electro-Optical System, and was chosen because it evokes the name of Eos, the Titan goddess of dawn from Greek mythology.

46 Apt spot to do the running man? : POLITICAL PARTY

The running man is a street dance move that has been around since the 1980s. In the move, the dance is stationary, but makes a running motion with the legs while pushing and pulling their fists horizontally in front of them.

53 James Blunt’s “__ Beautiful” : YOU’RE

“James Blunt” is the stage name of an English singer whose real family name is “Blount”. Before achieving fame in the world of pop music, Blunt was an officer in a cavalry regiment of the British Army, and served as part of the NATO deployment in Kosovo. Blunt’s biggest hit to date is the 2004 song “You’re Beautiful”.

62 __ of New York: photoblog with street portraits and interviews : HUMANS

“Humans of New York” is a 2013 book published by photographer Brandon Stanton that includes hundreds of color portraits of and stories about the people who live and work in New York City. Stanton started the project as a photoblog in 2010.

66 River through Aswan : NILE

The Egyptian city of Aswan lies in the south of the country, on the River Nile. Aswan is famous for its stone quarries, going back to ancient times. The most celebrated granite rock from the area is called syenite. Stone from Aswan was shipped northwards along the Nile and used in the construction of the pyramids. From ancient times right up to 1970, the annual flooding of the Nile was a significant event in Egypt. The flooding allowed the deposition of fertile silt far beyond the banks of the river, helping the region’s agriculture. However, the flooding was unpredictable. So the Aswan Dam was built in the sixties and from 1970 the flooding was brought under control.

68 Gadget review site : CNET

CNET is an excellent technology website. It started out in 1994 as a television network specializing in technology news. The host of “American Idol”, Ryan Seacrest, started off his career as host of a CNET show.

69 Let the cat out of the bag : TOLD

To let the cat out of the bag means to reveal hidden facts. Apparently, there’s no really clear derivation of the phrase “Letting the cat out of the bag”, but one suggestion is that it is a reference to the whip known as the “cat o’nine tails”. The story is that the “cat” was stored in a red bag, and so someone reporting a punishable offense would be “letting the cat out of the bag”.

70 Pre-MBA hurdle : GMAT

If you want to get into a business school’s graduate program then you might have to take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), which will cost you about $250, I believe …

Down

3 Cambodia’s continent : ASIA

The Kingdom of Cambodia is located in the Indochina Peninsula of Southeast Asia, and is bordered by Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and the Gulf of Thailand. “Cambodia” is the English version of the country’s name, which in Khmer is “Kampuchea”.

9 Model wood : BALSA

Balsa is a very fast-growing tree that is native to parts of South America. Even though balsa wood is very soft, it is actually classified as a hardwood, the softest of all the hardwoods (go figure!). Balsa is light and strong, so is commonly used in making model airplanes. In WWII, a full-size British plane, the de Havilland Mosquito, was built largely from balsa and plywood. No wonder they called it “The Wooden Wonder” and “The Timber Terror”.

11 Apt spot to do the moonwalk? : SPACE BAR

In early typewriters, the space bar was indeed a bar. It was a metal bar that stretched across the full width of the keyboard.

The backslide dance move that we know as the moonwalk has been around at least since the 1930s. Back then, it was used by the great Cab Calloway, who dubbed the move “the Buzz”. It was Michael Jackson who popularized the backslide in the 1980s, and gave it the name “moonwalk”.

12 Part of the St. Louis skyline : ARCH

The Gateway Arch in St. Louis is located on the banks of the Mississippi River, and is the tallest monument in the United States. It was designed by Eero Saarinen, with the help of structural engineer Hannskarl Bandel. They did their design work back in 1947, but construction wasn’t started until 1963. In 1980, a daredevil took it upon himself to parachute onto the top of the arch, intending to further jump from the apex of the arch and parachute to the ground. He hit the arch all right, and slid all the way down one of the arches to his death. No comment …

14 Spots on spuds : EYES

The word “spud”, used as a slang term for “potato”, was first recorded in the mid-1800s, in New Zealand would you believe?

22 Got the heck out of Dodge : FLED

The phrase “get out of Dodge”, meaning “scram, flee”, is a reference to Dodge City, Kansas. The phrase became a cliché on TV westerns (mainly “Gunsmoke”, I think) and was then popularized by teenagers in the sixties and seventies.

27 “About us” blurbs : BIOS

The use of the word “blurb”, to describe a publicity notice on a book jacket, dates back to 1907 when it was used by American humorist Gelett Burgess. Burgess used a picture of a fictitious young woman named Miss Belinda Blurb on the dust jacket of a limited run of his 1906 book “Are You a Bromide?” That jacket proclaimed “YES, this is a ‘BLURB’!” The term persists to this day, without the young damsel.

33 Official messengers : ENVOYS

An envoy works at an embassy and is a representative of a government, and someone ranking below an ambassador. The name comes from the concept of the envoy being a “messenger” from his or her government. “Envoyer” is the French word for “to send”.

48 Galway’s isl. : IRE

Galway is a city on the west coast of Ireland. It is the fourth most populous city in the country (after Dublin, Cork and Limerick).

50 Part of PBR : PABST

Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) is the most recognizable brand of beer from the Pabst Brewing Company. There appears to be some dispute over whether or not Pabst beer ever won a “blue ribbon” prize, but the company claims that it did so at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. The beer was originally called Pabst Best Select, and then just Pabst Select. With the renaming to Blue Ribbon, the beer was sold with an actual blue ribbon tied around the neck of the bottle until it was dropped in 1916 and incorporated into the label.

51 Lawyers’ org. : ABA

American Bar Association (ABA)

52 Do up again, as a corset : RELACE

A corset is a close-fitting undergarment that is stiffened with a material such as whalebone. Corsets are more usually worn by women, to shape the body. The word “corset” is a diminutive of the Old French “cors” meaning “body”.

56 “__ Fu Panda” : KUNG

“Kung Fu Panda” is a 2008 animated film from DreamWorks. It’s all about a panda who is an expert in kung fu, as one might guess …

57 Quran scholar : IMAM

The Koran is also known as the “Qur’an” and “Quran” in English. “Qur’an” a transliteration of the Arabic name for the holy text of the Muslim faith. The literal translation of “Koran” is “the recitation”.

60 Dynamite kin : TNT

The explosive called dynamite contains nitroglycerin as its active component. Dynamite also contains diatomaceous earth and sodium carbonate that absorb the nitroglycerin. The absorbed nitroglycerin is far less sensitive to mechanical shock, making it easier to transport and to handle. Famously, dynamite was invented by Alfred Nobel, the man who used his fortune to institute the Nobel Prizes.

61 __ Grande : RIO

The Rio Grande (Spanish for “big river”) is a waterway that forms part of the border between Mexico and the United States. Although we call the river the Rio Grande on this side of the border, in Mexico it is called the Río Bravo or Río Bravo del Norte (Spanish for “furious river of the north”).

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Buck : STAG
5 Condiment often applied with chopsticks : WASABI
11 Out of harm’s way : SAFE
15 Quite : OH SO
16 Howard who has two Oscars for Best Original Song : ASHMAN
17 Thank God, maybe : PRAY
18 Cut out early : BAIL
19 Backless furniture : STOOLS
20 Crop unit : ACRE
21 Walking stick : STAFF
23 Non-neutral particles : IONS
24 Is sore : ACHES
25 Actor whose final film role was in 1961’s “The Misfits” : CLARK GABLE
28 Piano exercise : SCALES
31 Endows (with) : IMBUES
35 Refers (to) : ALLUDES
37 Hallelujah kin : HOSANNA
38 Shallot, for one : BULB
39 Boeing rival : AIRBUS
42 Wedding invite request : RSVP
43 Pro who wears a Star of Life emblem : EMT
44 Genuine : REAL
45 Canon SLR camera : EOS
46 Apt spot to do the running man? : POLITICAL PARTY
53 James Blunt’s “__ Beautiful” : YOU’RE
54 Helps in a bad way : ABETS
55 Apt spot to breakdance? : WRECKING BALL
60 Long hike : TREK
62 __ of New York: photoblog with street portraits and interviews : HUMANS
63 Afflicts : AILS
66 River through Aswan : NILE
67 Respond impatiently : SNAP AT
68 Gadget review site : CNET
69 Let the cat out of the bag : TOLD
70 Pre-MBA hurdle : GMAT
71 Like custard : EGGY

Down

1 Cries and cries : SOBS
2 “How about __!” : THAT
3 Cambodia’s continent : ASIA
4 Apt spot to swing dance? : GOLF CLUB
5 Used to be : WAS
6 Moving : ASTIR
7 Trembled : SHOOK
8 Mixed in with : AMONG
9 Model wood : BALSA
10 __ and outs : INS
11 Apt spot to do the moonwalk? : SPACE BAR
12 Part of the St. Louis skyline : ARCH
13 Cost of a ride : FARE
14 Spots on spuds : EYES
22 Got the heck out of Dodge : FLED
24 Poor offering : ALMS
26 On a cruise : ASEA
27 “About us” blurbs : BIOS
28 “¿Quién __?”: Spanish “Who knows?” : SABE
29 Not smooth : CLUMPY
30 More than one would like : ALL TOO WELL
32 Disturbing : UNSETTLING
33 Official messengers : ENVOYS
34 Weakens : SAPS
36 Apple virtual assistant : SIRI
37 Much of a shipwreck : HULL
40 Cam button : REC
41 Easy for ewe to say? : BAA!
47 Stuck to the shadows : LURKED
48 Galway’s isl. : IRE
49 Some lab workers : TECHS
50 Part of PBR : PABST
51 Lawyers’ org. : ABA
52 Do up again, as a corset : RELACE
56 “__ Fu Panda” : KUNG
57 Quran scholar : IMAM
58 Wine-producing valley : NAPA
59 Minute annoyance : GNAT
60 Dynamite kin : TNT
61 __ Grande : RIO
64 Drumstick : LEG
65 Hog’s digs : STY

10 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 28 Dec 23, Thursday”

  1. No errors… took about 30 minutes..

    QUE Sabe held me up a bit ..
    Didn’t know the EMT symbol was referred to as the star of life. Thats cool.

    Had to change CLUMSY to CLUMPY.

  2. QUE SABE and EMT got me too so that whole area was mucked up with bad guesses for a while.
    I was so confident because the whole top section came together so well.
    The theme was helpful

  3. 10:18 – no errors or lookups. False starts: CLUMSY>CLUMPY, HULK>HULL.

    New or forgotten: “Star of Life emblem,” “James Blunt,” “You’re Beautiful.”

    A fairly clever theme, IMO; but then, I like puns and other plays on words.

  4. A “cursed” movie is one that was never finished such as “I, Cladius” in 1937 staring Charles Laughton.

  5. 31:45 with the help of Check Grid. I had no idea who Howard Ashman was and was quite content with ASHLAND.

    @Cynthia: Bill comes a few times a day to approve comments, I guess so we all behave. This means your comment won’t appear until it’s approved. Please don’t feel rejected. 😞

    1. Thanks, Eric, for salvaging my ego! The crossword and comments are the highlights of my day. Maybe Bill will take pity and publish me before long. The best to you and your brain in 2024!

  6. 20:57, not bad for me for Thurs. Not many PPPs I think. Had CLUMSY, not CLUMPY, and REW, not REC together causing much grief on POLITICALPARTY.

    30D “More than one would like” should be ALL TOO MANY or ALL TOO MUCH. The answer ALL TOO WELL should have clue “BETTER than one would like”!

  7. Mildly tricky Thursday for me; took 15:21 with no peeks or errors and just a bit of dancing around. Didn’t know a few items: ASHMAN, YOU’RE, SABE but crosses helped out. A little bit of a struggle with esse before SABE and CLUMsY before CLUMPY.

    Nice theme although I was stuck on POLITICAL… for awhile.

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