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Constructed by: Grace Warrington & Greg Warrington
Edited by: Patti Varol
Today’s Theme: None
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Bill’s time: 11m 49s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
6 Randall Munroe webcomic : XKCD
XKCD is a webcomic created by Randall Munroe that was launched in 2005. The title is not actually an acronym or abbreviation for anything. Munroe has stated that he simply chose the letters “XKCD” because they sounded cool and were easy to remember. XKCD frequently incorporates scientific and mathematical concepts into its humor, as Munroe has a degree in physics.
14 Instant success? : RAMEN
Ramen is a noodle dish composed of Chinese-style wheat noodles in a meat or fish broth flavored with soy or miso sauce. Ramen is usually topped with sliced pork and dried seaweed. The term “ramen” is also used for precooked, instant noodles that come in single-serving, solid blocks.
16 Athletic brand that makes Scoot Zeros : PUMA
Puma is a German company that sells athletic shoes worldwide. The company is most famous for its line of soccer boots.
Scoot Henderson is a professional basketball player who was the third pick in the 2023 NBA draft, signing with the Portland Trail Blazers. He appears in the cast of the 2023 film “Shooting Stars”, a biopic about LeBron James. Henderson portrays former NBA player Romeo Travis.
21 Contamination process : OSMOSIS
Osmosis is the movement of a solvent (often water) across a semipermeable membrane. In the process of osmosis, the solvent tends to flow from an area of less concentration to an area of higher concentration. This sense of absorbing water effortlessly gives rise to the expression “learning by osmosis”.
25 Pet brand since 1946 : IAMS
Iams dog food was introduced by animal nutritionist Paul Iams. He felt that household pets were suffering somewhat by being fed a diet of table scraps, so he developed dry dog food that he felt was more nutritious and suitable for pet dogs. He founded the Iams company, now part of Procter & Gamble, in 1946.
26 “Rock’n Me” band : STEVE MILLER BAND
“Rock’n Me” is a 1976 song written by Steve Miller and released by the Steve Miller Band. Well, the Steve Miller Band was credited for performing the song when it was released in Europe, whereas crest just went to Steve Miller as an individual when it was released in North America.
32 Worked on the road : PAVED
Back in Ireland, the “pavement” is what we call the “sidewalk, footpath” (because the footpath is “paved”, often with “paving” stones!). It’s very confusing when you arrive in this country from Ireland, and a little dangerous when one has been taught from a young age to “walk on the pavement” …
34 Congressional auditing org. : GAO
The Government Accounting Office, established as a branch of the US Congress in 1921, was renamed the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in 2004. A much better name, I think …
38 __ Lingus : AER
Aer Lingus is my favorite airline! Well, the service isn’t that great, but when I get on board an Aer Lingus plane I feel like I am back in Ireland. Aer Lingus is the national airline of Ireland, with “Aer Lingus” being a phonetic spelling of the Irish “aer-loingeas” meaning “air fleet”. These days Aer Lingus can only lay claim to the title of Ireland’s oldest airline as it is no longer the biggest. That honor goes to the controversial budget airline Ryanair.
40 Actress Tazel of “Justified” : ERICA
Actress Erica Tazel is perhaps best known to TV audiences for playing Deputy Marshal Rachel Brooks on the neo-Western crime TV show “Justified”. Her first TV role was playing a dance teacher in a 2001 episode of “Sex and the City”.
“Justified” is a TV drama that originally aired on FX from 2010 until 2015. It’s about a US Marshall behaving somewhat like a 19th-century lawman, while meting out justice in his hometown in Kentucky. The lead is played by Timothy Olyphant, who also played a lawman in the HBO western series “Deadwood”.
44 Thé addition : LAIT
In French, a “tasse” (cup) might contain perhaps “thé” (tea) and added “lait” (milk).
45 Singer who never toured outside North America : ELVIS
Elvis Presley was drafted into the US Army in 1958, as a private. Although he was only a couple of years into his recording career, he already had a fervent following. While in basic training, he was quite certain that his success would be short-lived, and maybe could not recover after his stint with the Army. He used his leave to record new tracks, keeping his name out there. Presley did basic training at Fort Hood, Texas and was then assigned to the 3rd Armored Division stationed in Friedberg, Germany. It was in Friedberg that he met 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu, whom he would marry after courting her for 7 1/2 years. After two years in the Army, he came back home, to a career that was still soaring.
53 Actor who hosted “Scientific American Frontiers” from 1993 to 2005 : ALDA
Even though actor Alan Alda is the son of fellow actor Robert Alda, both were born with the family name “D’Abruzzo”. Alan is a vocal advocate for science education. He is a founder of the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University, where he became a visiting professor. He also hosted the TV show “Scientific American Frontiers” for 14 years.
56 Side hustle option : UBER
A side hustle is a side job, additional employment taken by a person to supplement his or her primary income.
57 Peignoir frill : LACE
A peignoir is a loose-fitting dressing gown worn by a woman. The term “peignoir” comes from “peigner”, the French for “to comb the hair”. The idea was that a peignoir was worn by a lady while she was combing her hair before retiring.
58 __ wafers : NILLA
As one might expect, “Nilla” is a shortened form of “vanilla”. However, you won’t find any vanilla in Nilla brand cookies or wafers. They have always been flavored with vanillin, which is synthetic vanilla. Is nothing sacred …?
59 Hit with an intense beam : LASE
The term “laser” is an acronym standing for “light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation”. It has been pointed out that a more precise name for laser technology is “light oscillation by stimulated emission of radiation”, but the resulting acronym isn’t quite so appealing, namely “loser”.
60 First asteroid landed on by a NASA craft : EROS
Near-Earth asteroids are relatively near to the Earth’s orbit. As such, they are not part of the main asteroid belt that lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. 433 Eros was the first of the near-Earth asteroids to be discovered. It was noticed on the same night in 1898 by two different stargazers, one in Berlin and one in Nice. Rather oddly, Eros was claimed as property by one Gregory Nemitz, who fought in court for the right to charge NASA 20 cents a year parking and storage fee for a spacecraft that they landed on the asteroid in 2001. The case was dismissed …
61 Wimbledon set? : TELLY
“Telly” is a term commonly used in Britain and Ireland that is short for “television”.
Wimbledon is a suburb of London located in the southwest of the metropolis. Wimbledon translates from the Old English “Wynnman’s Dun”, with “dun” being an archaic word for “hill”. Famously, the district is home to the All England Club where the Wimbledon tennis championships are played each year.
Down
1 Con __: with vigor, in music : BRIO
“Brio” is borrowed from Italian, in which language the term means “vigor and vivacity”. “Con brio” is a musical direction often found on a score, instructing the musicians to play “with energy, vigor”.
8 Jazz singer Laine : CLEO
Cleo Laine is a jazz singer from England who is noted for her remarkable range of nearly four octaves. Laine is the only female performer to have received Grammy nominations in each of the classical, jazz and popular music categories. My favorite of her recordings is “He Was Beautiful”, which is also known as “Cavatina” and is a version of the theme from the film “The Deer Hunter”.
9 Files : DOSSIERS
A dossier is a collection of papers with information about a person or subject. “Dossier” is a French term meaning “bundle of papers”.
10 Grace under pressure : APLOMB
“Aplomb” is such a lovely word, one meaning “confidence, assurance”. It is a French word that literally means “perpendicularity”, or “on the plumb line”. The idea is that someone with aplomb is poised, upright, balanced.
13 __ about : GADS
To gad about is to move around with little purpose. The word “gad” comes from the Middle English “gadden” meaning “to hurry”.
24 San Gabriel Valley city north of Whittier : EL MONTE
The California city of El Monte is in Los Angeles County. It was named by the Spanish “El Monte” meaning “the meadow”. Back in the late 18th century, the area was a fertile oasis lying between the San Gabriel and Rio Hondo rivers.
26 Pike, e.g. : SPEAR
A pike is a spear-like weapon that was used as early as the Middle Ages, mainly by European soldiers. It was very long, usually over 10 feet in length, and sometimes over 20 feet.
27 “Oh Myyy! There Goes the Internet” memoirist : TAKEI
Actor George Takei is known for his presence on social media platforms like Twitter, YouTube and Facebook. He explores that presence in a 2012 memoir “Oh Myyy! There Goes the Internet”.
28 Largest subtropical wilderness reserve in North America : EVERGLADES
The Everglades are tropical wetlands that cover much of southern Florida. The area was named “River Glades” by a British surveyor in 1773, and it is suggested that poor transcription of the word “river” led to the use of “ever”. The southern 20% of the Everglades is a protected region that we know as Everglades National Park. The park is the third-largest National Park in the lower 48 states, after Death Valley NP (the largest) and Yellowstone NP.
30 Actor Jack who often collaborated with David Lynch : NANCE
Jack Nance was an American actor who worked a lot with director David Lynch. He was one of the stars of the TV series “Twin Peaks” in which he played Pete Martell, a henpecked lumberjack. Coincidentally, the Log Lady in “Twin Peaks” was played by Catherine E. Coulson, one-time wife of Nance.
David Lynch is a much-respected and lauded American film director. His most famous movies are probably “Eraserhead”, “The Elephant Man”, “Dune” and “Mulholland Drive”. Despite the positive reviews from most critics, I can’t think of one David Lynch film that I’ve really enjoyed …
36 Glitch in “The Matrix,” maybe? : PLOT HOLE
The 1999 movie sensation “The Matrix” was meant to be set in a nondescript urban environment. It was actually shot in Australia, as one of the co-producers of the film was the Australian company, Village Roadshow Pictures. You can pick up all sorts of clues about the location when watching the film, including a view of Sydney Harbour Bridge in a background shot. Also, traffic drives along on the left and there are signs for the “lift” instead of an “elevator”.
37 Rail yard piece : CROSSTIE
The rectangular supports under rails in railroad tracks are known as railroad ties or crossties here in North America. Over on the other side of the Atlantic, we call them railway sleepers.
42 Capital of Zimbabwe : HARARE
Harare is the capital of Zimbabwe, and the African nation’s largest city. It was founded by the British in 1890 as Fort Salisbury (later just “Salisbury”). The outpost was named after Lord Salisbury, who was Prime Minister of the UK at the time. Salisbury was renamed to Harare in 1982, on the second anniversary of the independence of Zimbabwe. The name “Harare” applied to the area in which Fort Salisbury had been erected. “Harare” is a local word meaning “It doesn’t sleep”, a word applied to locations with constant noise.
43 Pernicious : EVIL
Something pernicious is very harmful, causing death or serious injury. The term ultimately comes from the Latin “per-” meaning “completely” and “necis” meaning “violent death”.
47 Heimdall player in Marvel’s “Thor” films : ELBA
The Norse god Heimdall lived in Himinbjörg (“Heaven’s Castle/Mountain”) from where he kept watch for invaders. To aid him in his task, he had exceptional eyesight and hearing.
52 Buffet surface : TRAY
Our word “buffet” comes from the French “bufet” meaning “bench, sideboard”. So, a buffet is a meal served from a “bufet”.
55 Prefix with footprint : ECO-
The carbon footprint of a person, family or organization, say, is defined as the total set of greenhouse gases caused by the presence and activities of that entity. More simply it is a measure of the total amount of carbon dioxide and methane emitted by the entity.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Tells : BLABS
6 Randall Munroe webcomic : XKCD
10 In a tizzy : AGOG
14 Instant success? : RAMEN
15 Move, informally : RELO
16 Athletic brand that makes Scoot Zeros : PUMA
17 “So … you’re not saying no … ?” : IS THAT A YES …?
19 Conditionally give : LEND
20 “My mistake” : OH, SORRY
21 Contamination process : OSMOSIS
23 Drab shade : OLIVE
25 Pet brand since 1946 : IAMS
26 “Rock’n Me” band : STEVE MILLER BAND
32 Worked on the road : PAVED
33 “Good thinking!” : SMART!
34 Congressional auditing org. : GAO
35 Squeezes (out) : EKES
36 Devout : PIOUS
37 Some recyclables : CANS
38 __ Lingus : AER
39 For company : ALONG
40 Actress Tazel of “Justified” : ERICA
41 Correct : RIGHT ON THE MONEY
44 Thé addition : LAIT
45 Singer who never toured outside North America : ELVIS
46 Spots for fireside chats : HEARTHS
49 “You must let me” : I INSIST
53 Actor who hosted “Scientific American Frontiers” from 1993 to 2005 : ALDA
54 Editorial piece, perhaps : OPEN LETTER
56 Side hustle option : UBER
57 Peignoir frill : LACE
58 __ wafers : NILLA
59 Hit with an intense beam : LASE
60 First asteroid landed on by a NASA craft : EROS
61 Wimbledon set? : TELLY
Down
1 Con __: with vigor, in music : BRIO
2 Word in some mascara names : LASH
3 Receipt figs. : AMTS
4 Is incumbent upon : BEHOOVES
5 Congested, in a way : SNARLED
6 Penetrating gaze? : X-RAY VISION
7 Escape room find : KEY
8 Jazz singer Laine : CLEO
9 Files : DOSSIERS
10 Grace under pressure : APLOMB
11 “Still wrong” : GUESS AGAIN
12 Hotel chain headquartered in Dallas : OMNI
13 __ about : GADS
18 Short cut : TRIM
22 Outlet : MART
24 San Gabriel Valley city north of Whittier : EL MONTE
26 Pike, e.g. : SPEAR
27 “Oh Myyy! There Goes the Internet” memoirist : TAKEI
28 Largest subtropical wilderness reserve in North America : EVERGLADES
29 Wrinkles in time? : LAUGH LINES
30 Actor Jack who often collaborated with David Lynch : NANCE
31 “If I __ so myself” : DO SAY
36 Glitch in “The Matrix,” maybe? : PLOT HOLE
37 Rail yard piece : CROSSTIE
39 Busy, busy, busy : AT IT
40 Celebrated : EMINENT
42 Capital of Zimbabwe : HARARE
43 Pernicious : EVIL
46 Spoils : HAUL
47 Heimdall player in Marvel’s “Thor” films : ELBA
48 Box : SPAR
50 “__ come to me … ” : IT’LL
51 Pitch well? : SELL
52 Buffet surface : TRAY
55 Prefix with footprint : ECO-
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20 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 3 Feb 24, Saturday”
Comments are closed.
Took awhile but no errors. Wait , I did have an error , or 2. Never heard of XKCD and didn’t know Laine. I guessed XKID and ILIO?
ELVIS never toured outside north America stunned me!
You should watch the “Elvis” movie!!
Elvis performed in Hawaii, which to my knowledge is not considered part of North America.
Agreed: Hawaii is not part of North America. So, on this question, I wondered if there could be a distinction between “performed” and “toured.” According to https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/elvis-presley, though, it appears that Elvis “toured” Hawaii in Nov 1957, Nov 1972, and Jan 1973 (six performances in total, four in the USA since Hawaii was not a state until 1959). He also performed at Pearl Harbor at a benefit for the USS Arizona Memorial (March 1961). So, given that he also had tour dates in Canada, one cannot limit the question to the USA or North America.
Elvis never toured outside North America or Hawaii because his manager, Colonel Parker was an illegal immigrant and did not want to be discovered by the Feds. I don’t believe Elvis was aware of this at the time.
No look ups, no errors! Took a while to
get a foothold but once I did it all fell in
nicely with the NE the last to fall. Kinda
worked it bottom to top. Strangely this
Puzzle went from super hard to too easy….
Interesting story about the founder of Puma. He was the brother of Adi Dassler the
founder of Adidas. The two brothers had a
falling out and that’s when Rudolf Dassler
started Puma. The brothers never spoke
again……
DNF…two setter pros only puzzle IMO👎👎
Stay safe😀
15 minutes, 49 seconds and 2 errors XK[C]D/[C]LEO.
This puzzle was TERRIBLE. Total ego exercise in “cute and clever”. As such, it had too many obscure name references, a bunch of poorly/cynically written clues, and the fills barely apt. Of course, it took two people to cobble this together …
Is it not a faux pas to include a word in the clue that is in the answer? 26A should have clued “group” instead of “band?”
Isn’t it a faux pas to have a word in the clue that is part of the answer?
26A should have read “group” or “artist” instead of “band.”
i absolutely agree. having “band” in the clue was a violation of one of the most basic crossword protocols. what’s up Patti?
My paper says group
My paper says “group.”
Don’t get 39 across???
@Adrienne
Think “along for the ride”. You know,
providing company….
My 26A clue is: “Rock’n Me” group. Not sure why yours says band. Weird.
For 39A, if you say something like, “why don’t you come for company,” you can also say, “why don’t you come along.”
21:09 – no errors or lookups. False starts: PEND>LEND, ALPO>IAMS, PLUG>MART, TASE>LASE, OPEDLETTER>OPENLETTER, MATCH>TELLY.
New or forgotten: “Randall Munroe,” “Scoot Zeros,” ERICA Tazel, “Justified,” CLEO Laine, Jack NANCE, “Heimdall.”
Took a moment to recall the ‘C’ in XKCD, then it was CLEm? CLEe? CLEo? But, after figuring out S.M. Band, correcting ALPO>IAMS, and getting APLOMB, the ‘O’ filled in for CLEO/OSMOSIS. That was the last section to solve.
As is typical for a Saturday, there were several clues with multiple possibilities. Just had to plug away to get enough intersecting letters in their answers in order to figure them out. Fortunately, the four long answers (17A, 26A, 41A, 54A) were readily deduced from just a few letters.
@Dirk, yesterday, you were close on the Starbucks size. Veinte (yesterday) means 20 in Spanish, and the Starbucks size (venti) also means 20 (ounces). I had a thought similar to yours, but Starbucks uses Italian.
Well!! Finally solved a Saturday again; took 36:04 with no peeks or errors. It seemed daunting after the first pass, but I made some headway and kept plugging away. Had to fix alpo to IAMS, tared to PAVED and necca to NILLA. Sang “Rock’n Me” until the Steve Miller Band finally popped into my head, while continuing with my fill 🙂 I guessed a lot: BRIO, XKCD, CLEO, PUMA, OMNI, ELBA that I just vaguely knew, although I did know they wanted XKCD, I just didn’t remember the initials. Didn’t really know ERICA, NANCE, but I had almost all the letters and just got them 🙂
Really liked the puzzle overall, although that probably has to do with my having completed it 🙂
Well, we’re getting some rain up here but it hasn’t lived up to the billing yet. I hope my southland neighbors are coping well…although if Dodger Stadium gets flooded…well that wouldn’t be a bad thing in my eyes 🙂
Didn’t time it exactly, but about 30 minutes, no errors. Last was XKCD, never heard of it but the words around it filled it in for me, last solve being escape room find = key to get the K. This was challenging but not all that difficult compared to many Saturday LATCP’s. Been awhile since I’ve had a slove with no errors, so this was satisfying.