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Constructed by: Kyle Dolan
Edited by: Patti Varol
Today’s Reveal Answer: Housemates
Themed answers each comprise two words, both of which can be MATED with “HOUSE”:
- 60A People who share a living space, and what both parts of 17-, 26-, 37-, and 49-Across can be? : HOUSEMATES
- 17A “Go,” to a driver : GREEN LIGHT (greenhouse & lighthouse)
- 26A Insurance company whose slogan begins “Like a good neighbor” : STATE FARM (state house & farmhouse)
- 37A Trip of a lifetime : DREAM VACATION (dream house & vacation house)
- 49A Boost for a hockey team after a penalty : POWER PLAY (powerhouse & playhouse)
Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers
Want to discuss the puzzle? Then …
… leave a comment
Bill’s time: 6m 20s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
10 Phishing, e.g. : SCAM
Phishing is the online practice of stealing usernames, passwords and credit card details by creating a site that deceptively looks reliable and trustworthy. Phishers often send out safe-looking emails or instant messages that direct someone to an equally safe-looking website where the person might inadvertently enter sensitive information. “Phishing” is a play on the word “fishing”, as in “fishing for passwords, PINs, etc.”
14 Talk Like a Pirate Day greeting : AHOY!
International Talk Like a Pirate Day is September 19th every year, a “holiday” that was created in 1995. The event started out as an inside joke between John Baur and Mark Summers of Albany, Oregon, but when they shared the notion with columnist Dave Barry, he promoted the idea and it took off.
15 Friend in Oaxaca : AMIGO
Oaxaca is a state in the southern part of Mexico on the Pacific coast. The state takes the name of Oaxaca, its largest city.
16 Silicon Valley’s __ Alto : PALO
The city of Palo Alto, California takes its name from a specific redwood tree called El Palo Alto (Spanish for “the tall stick”) that is located within the bounds of the city. The tree is 110 feet tall and over a thousand years old.
The Santa Clara Valley, located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay, is better known as “Silicon Valley”. The term “Silicon Valley” dates back to 1971 when it was apparently first used in a weekly trade newspaper called “Electronic News” in articles written by journalist Don Hoefler.
17 “Go,” to a driver : GREEN LIGHT (greenhouse & lighthouse)
The first traffic lights date back to 1868 when they were installed outside the Houses of Parliament in London. They resembled the signals already in use for trains, with semaphore arms and red and green gas lamps for nighttime use. That first system was operated manually, by a policeman at the base. Sadly, one police officer was killed just one year after the light’s installation, when the gas system exploded.
The oldest lighthouse still in use is the Tower of Hercules located on the coast of Galicia in northwest Spain. Renovated in 1791, this magnificent lighthouse was built by the Romans in 2nd century CE and has been in constant use since that time. It is believed that the structure’s design is based on the famous Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of Ancient World.
26 Insurance company whose slogan begins “Like a good neighbor” : STATE FARM (state house & farmhouse)
State Farm started out in 1922 as an auto insurance company specializing in providing insurance for farmers, hence the name. The jingle the company uses, “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there”, was written in 1971 by Barry Manilow.
32 Scattergories game piece with 20 sides : DIE
Scattergories is a party game that first hit the shelves in 1988. Essentially, it is an updated version of the traditional word game called Categories. In both games, players list words all starting with the same letter that fit into particular categories.
33 Frozen treats in Roma : GELATI
Gelato (plural “gelati”) is the Italian version of American ice cream, differing in that it has a lower butterfat content than its US counterpart.
43 Med. condition featured in the novel “Turtles All the Way Down” : OCD
“Turtles All the Way Down” is a 2017, young adult novel by John Green. The protagonist is a high school student suffering from OCD and anxiety. She ends up searching for her friend’s father, a billionaire construction magnate, who goes missing.
44 “Bien sûr” : OUI
A Frenchman might utter the affirmative “Bien sûr!” (Of course!) or “Oui!” (Yes!).
46 Garden statue with a pointy hat : GNOME
In English folklore, the fairy’s anti-hero is the diminutive gnome, an evil ugly character. Although the charastics of gnomes vary in folklore, typically they are described as diminutive humanoids who live underground. Over the centuries, the gnome has become more lovable. We now have garden gnomes, and even the Travelocity Gnome.
49 Boost for a hockey team after a penalty : POWER PLAY (powerhouse & playhouse)
“Power play” is a term used in several sports. Perhaps most notably, the phrase is used in ice hockey when one team has a numerical advantage due to an opposing player serving a penalty.
58 Sign of B’way success : SRO
Standing room only (SRO)
59 __ golf : MINI
Apparently, the first minigolf course in the world was built in St. Andrews in Scotland, and you can still play that course today. Back in 1867, about 100 years after the Royal and Ancient Golf Club was founded, the Ladies’ Putting Club was constructed by some of the golf clubs members so that the ladies could “have a go” at the sport. Back then it was believed that the energetic swing required to hit a ball on a full-size course was far from ladylike, so a small, 18-hole course of putting greens was deemed to be more acceptable. Different times …
63 Blackjack cards : ACES
In the card game blackjack, an ace has the point value of one or eleven. When one of the two cards dealt to a player is an ace, the hand is called “soft”. This means that the player cannot go bust by taking another card, as the ace can be revalued at “one” if necessary in order to stay under 21.
64 Fertile spots in a desert : OASES
An isolated area of vegetation in a desert is called an oasis (plural “oases”). As water is needed for plant growth, an oasis might also include a spring, pond or small lake. We often use the term “oasis” more generally to describe a haven, a place of rest.
Down
1 Lava, while underground : MAGMA
Magma is the molten material below the Earth’s surface. When magma cools, it forms igneous rock. “Magma” is a Greek term that describes a thick ointment.
4 Organ on a dollar bill : EYE
If you look at the back of a one-dollar bill there is an eye sitting above a pyramid. This is known as the Eye of Providence, and is similar to the Eye of Horus that we see so often in ancient Egyptian designs and hieroglyphs. The Eye of Providence is a common Christian emblem from the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
7 Like an inflated blood pressure cuff : TIGHT
A blood pressure monitor is known more formally as a sphygmomanometer. It comprises an inflatable cuff and a manometer to measure the pressure in the cuff. The cuff is first inflated to the extent that the brachial artery in the upper arm becomes occluded (halting the blood flow). Two measurements are taken as the pressure is gradually reduced. The first is the pressure at which blood just starts to flow again. The second is the pressure at which blood starts to flow freely, unimpeded by the cuff.
9 Shepherd’s pie topper : POTATO
Shepherd’s pie, also known as “cottage pie”, is one of my favorite dishes. It is a meat pie (although my wife makes a vegetarian version), with a crust made from mashed potato. Yum …
11 Dashboard feature : CAR RADIO
Back in the 1800s, “dashboard” was the name given to a board placed at the front of a carriage to stop mud from “dashing” against the passengers in the carriage, mud that was kicked up by the hooves of the horses. Quite interesting …
12 Native of Africa’s largest country : ALGERIAN
Algeria is a huge country, the largest in Africa, and the largest on the Mediterranean. The capital of Algeria is Algiers, and the country takes its name from the city.
23 __ point: condensation temperature : DEW
The air’s dew point is the temperature to which it has to be cooled in order to become saturated with water vapor. Below this temperature, water vapor condenses on a surface to form dew.
27 Wonderland visitor : ALICE
The title character in Lewis Carroll’s 1865 novel “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” is based on a child named Alice Liddell. Lewis Carroll (real name “Charles Lutwidge Dodgson”) met the Liddell family while he was photographing Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford, after which he befriended the Liddells. Carroll told the three Liddell sisters (including Alice) a story about a little girl named Alice and her adventures, in order to entertain the children while on a boating trip on the River Isis in Oxford. He elaborated on the story for the girls on a subsequent boat trip, and agreed to write down the tale as the children loved it so much. Carroll’s writings became a full-fledged manuscript, including the author’s own illustrations. It was first published in 1865, three years after that boat trip.
28 Filmmaker Brooks : MEL
Mel Brooks’ birth name is Melvin Kaminsky. He is one of relatively few entertainers to win the “Showbiz Award Grand Slam” i.e. an Oscar, Tony, Grammy and Emmy (EGOT). He is in good company, as the list also includes the likes of Richard Rogers, Sir John Gielgud, Marvin Hamlisch and Audrey Hepburn.
30 Street in a horror franchise : ELM
“A Nightmare on Elm Street” is a Wes Craven slasher-horror film that was released in 1984. As I don’t do “slasher” or “horror”, I was surprised to learn that Johnny Depp was in the movie, making his feature film debut.
35 Sticky stuff : TAR
The terms “tarmac” and “macadam” are short for “tarmacadam”. In the 1800s, Scotsman John Loudon McAdam developed a style of road known as “macadam”. Macadam had a top-layer of crushed stone and gravel laid over larger stones. The macadam also had a convex cross-section so that water tended to drain to the sides. In 1901, a significant improvement was made by English engineer Edgar Purnell Hooley who introduced tar into the macadam, improving the resistance to water damage and practically eliminating dust. The “tar-penetration macadam” is the basis of what we now call “tarmac”.
37 Batman publisher : DC COMICS
DC Comics takes its name from what used to be a highly popular series called “Detective Comics”. The main competitor to DC Comics is Marvel Comics, and between the two companies, they command 80% of comic sales in the US market. Nowadays of course, a lot of company income comes from movies that use the most popular characters from the original comics.
38 Merlot, Malbec, Montepulciano, etc. : RED WINES
Merlot is one of the main grapes used to make Bordeaux wines, along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Malbec is a red wine grape that used to be mainly associated with Bordeaux. A frost killed off much of the crop in Bordeaux in the fifties, and today Malbec wines are more closely linked to Argentina and California. I must admit to being a fan of Malbec blends …
Montepulciano is a red wine grape that originated in Tuscany in Italy. It is named for the hill town of Montepulciano in the province of Siena.
39 “The Ice Storm” director Lee : ANG
“The Ice Storm” is a 1997 drama film based on a 1994 novel of the same name by Rick Moody. Set in the seventies, it’s the story of two dysfunctional families celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday. The film was a flop at the box office, despite having a fabulous cast and positive reviews from the critics. The cast includes Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci and Elijah Wood. Based on that alone, I am putting “The Ice Storm” on my “to see” list ..
44 Smelter input : ORE
Metals are found in ore in the form of oxides. In order to get pure metal from the ore, the ore is heated and the metal oxides within are reduced (i.e. the oxygen is removed) in the chemical process known as smelting. The oxygen is extracted by adding a source of carbon or carbon monoxide which uses up the excess oxygen atoms to make carbon dioxide, a waste product of smelting (and, a greenhouse gas).
45 Conclusion : UPSHOT
Back in the 1500s, the “up shot” was the final shot in an archery match. We now use the term “upshot” to describe the end result, the conclusion.
47 Occult practitioner : MYSTIC
The adjective “occult” means “secret, beyond the realm of human comprehension”. The term derives from the Latin “occultus” meaning “hidden, concealed”.
48 “Aha!” : EUREKA!
“Eureka” translates from Greek as “I have found it”. The word is usually associated with Archimedes, uttered as he stepped into his bath one day. His discovery was that the volume of water that was displaced was equal to that of the object (presumably his foot) that had been submerged. He used this fact to determine volume (and density) of a crown, something he needed in order to determine if it was made of pure gold or was a forgery.
52 Some RSVPs : YESES
“RSVP” stands for “répondez s’il vous plaît”, which is French for “answer, please”.
61 Canoeist’s need : OAR
The boat known as a canoe takes its name from the Carib word “kenu” meaning “dugout”. It was Christopher Columbus who brought “kenu” into Spanish as “canoa”, which evolved into our English “canoe”.
Read on, or …
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Speck released by fluffing cushions : MOTE
5 Outfit : GETUP
10 Phishing, e.g. : SCAM
14 Talk Like a Pirate Day greeting : AHOY!
15 Friend in Oaxaca : AMIGO
16 Silicon Valley’s __ Alto : PALO
17 “Go,” to a driver : GREEN LIGHT (greenhouse & lighthouse)
19 NBA and WNBA : ORGS
20 Tile floor covering : MAT
21 Sworn statement : OATH
22 Go nuts for : ADORE
24 Classic video game maker : ATARI
26 Insurance company whose slogan begins “Like a good neighbor” : STATE FARM (state house & farmhouse)
29 Garden shovel : SPADE
31 Easily reached, in a way : LOW
32 Scattergories game piece with 20 sides : DIE
33 Frozen treats in Roma : GELATI
36 Serum container : VIAL
37 Trip of a lifetime : DREAM VACATION (dream house & vacation house)
41 Hosted, for short : MC’ED
42 Basketball venues : ARENAS
43 Med. condition featured in the novel “Turtles All the Way Down” : OCD
44 “Bien sûr” : OUI
46 Garden statue with a pointy hat : GNOME
49 Boost for a hockey team after a penalty : POWER PLAY (powerhouse & playhouse)
53 Disappear, as a puddle : DRY UP
55 Time-saving options for bakers : MIXES
56 Post re-re-reshared on social media : MEME
58 Sign of B’way success : SRO
59 __ golf : MINI
60 People who share a living space, and what both parts of 17-, 26-, 37-, and 49-Across can be? : HOUSEMATES
63 Blackjack cards : ACES
64 Fertile spots in a desert : OASES
65 See 40-Down : … BIKE
66 Furtive “Hey!” : PSST!
67 Length of hair : TRESS
68 Leave a mark : SCAR
Down
1 Lava, while underground : MAGMA
2 “Darn it!” : OH, RATS!
3 Keep a beat, digitally? : TOE-TAP
4 Organ on a dollar bill : EYE
5 Charity ball, say : GALA
6 Sends out : EMITS
7 Like an inflated blood pressure cuff : TIGHT
8 “Yuck!” : UGH!
9 Shepherd’s pie topper : POTATO
10 Parody : SPOOF
11 Dashboard feature : CAR RADIO
12 Native of Africa’s largest country : ALGERIAN
13 Calendar divs. : MOS
18 “I’m stumped” : NO IDEA
23 __ point: condensation temperature : DEW
25 Ranted and raved : RAGED
27 Wonderland visitor : ALICE
28 Filmmaker Brooks : MEL
30 Street in a horror franchise : ELM
34 To no __: unsuccessfully : AVAIL
35 Sticky stuff : TAR
36 Ski helmet part : VISOR
37 Batman publisher : DC COMICS
38 Merlot, Malbec, Montepulciano, etc. : RED WINES
39 “The Ice Storm” director Lee : ANG
40 With 65-Across, two-person vehicle : TANDEM …
41 Bucket partner : MOP
44 Smelter input : ORE
45 Conclusion : UPSHOT
47 Occult practitioner : MYSTIC
48 “Aha!” : EUREKA!
50 Live : EXIST
51 Bring on a smile : AMUSE
52 Some RSVPs : YESES
54 Tough question : POSER
57 Clutter : MESS
59 Geography class display : MAP
61 Canoeist’s need : OAR
62 Crunched muscles : ABS
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11 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 30 Apr 24, Tuesday”
Comments are closed.
13 min. No errors
Never heard anyone refer to “upshot” as a conclusion. Maybe I’m confusing it with up-side.
Totally missed the theme. Didn’t use it or need it I guess.
No errors…not sure what FSTOP means?
Sta safe😀
Go Orioles⚾️
F-stop is still there from yesterday’s puzzle – today’s reveal answer is housemates
An oar is never used in a canoe – one uses a paddle to move a canoe. Oars are used to row a boat and are fixed to the sides of the craft.
Thanks for the info, Davy.
Right on, David!
Upshot made no sense to me and since it crossed with Mixes (I had MixeR), there was a scratch my head moment. Otherwise, happy Tuesday.
7 mins 49 seconds, no errors, although Check Grid helped uncover one typo at the top of the grid.
11:40 – no errors, lookups, or false starts. I must have let the timer run a little when I wasn’t working the puzzle, because a Tuesday like this normally would have been under 10 minutes.
New or forgotten: “Turtles All the Way Down,” “bien sur,” “montepulciano,” “The Ice Storm.”
A good theme – eight kinds of houses in one 15×15 grid.
21:45. By the time I got the theme all the themed answers were complete. I wanted DISK (DISC) golf but it got in the way of RED WINES.
Nice and easy Tuesday, done on Saturday 🙂 Took me 8:23 with no peeks or errors. Just had to fix ALoCE/GELATo and ShAM/hAR RADIO, which I was able to spot almost immediately.
Nice knowing that Algeria is slightly larger than DR of Congo, being a geography nerd.