LA Times Crossword 28 Jun 24, Friday

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Constructed by: Zachary David Levy
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: No Use

Themed answers are common phrases, but with a “you” sound changed to an “ooh” sound:

• 67A Pointless, or a phonetic hint to five of this puzzle’s long answers : NO USE

• 17A Remark from a revolutionary? : THAT’S MY COUP (from “that’s my cue”)
• 25A Feature of a broken remote? : MOOT BUTTON (from “mute button”)
• 35A One gold doubloon? : A THING OF BOOTY (from “a thing of beauty”)
• 49A Asset in bartending school? : POUR GENIUS (from “pure genius”)
• 56A Nitwits from the past? : FOSSIL FOOLS (from “fossil fuels”)

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

Bill’s time: 11m 25s

Bill’s errors: 3

AGREE (absee??!!)
DROGO (Drobo)
ORU (OSU)

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 “One-Punch Man” genre : ANIME

“One-Punch Man” is a superhero manga series from Japan. The title character is so named because he can defeat any opponent with a single punch.

6 Diving acronym : SCUBA

Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA)

14 Wheel of Fortune setting : TAROT

Tarot cards have been around since the mid-1400s, and for centuries were simply used for entertainment as a game. It has only been since the late 1800s that the cards have been used by fortune tellers to predict the future. The list of tarot cards includes the Wheel of Fortune, the Hanged Man and the Lovers.

17 Remark from a revolutionary? : THAT’S MY COUP (from “that’s my cue”)

A coup d’état (often just “coup”) is the sudden overthrow of a government, and comes from the French for “stroke of state”. The Swiss-German word “putsch” is sometimes used instead of “coup”, with “Putsch” translating literally as “sudden blow”. We also use the abbreviated “coup” to mean “sudden, brilliant and successful act”.

20 Serengeti pack animal : HYENA

Hyenas have the reputation of being cowardly scavengers. That said, the spotted hyena that lives in Sub-Saharan Africa actually kills about 95% of its food and a pack of spotted hyenas are capable of driving off leopards or lionesses before they can consume their kill.

The Serengeti is a region in Africa located in northern Tanzania and southwest Kenya. The name “Serengeti” comes from the Maasai language and means “Endless Plains”.

22 Calligraphy array : INKS

Calligraphy is the art of fine handwriting. The term “calligraphy” comes from the Greek “kallos” meaning “beauty” and “graphein” meaning “to write”.

25 Feature of a broken remote? : MOOT BUTTON (from “mute button”)

To moot is to bring up as a subject for discussion or debate. So, something that is moot is open to debate. Something that is no longer moot, is no longer worth debating. We don’t seem to be able to get that right, which drives me crazy …

29 Karate belt level : DAN

Practitioners of judo and karate proceed through a series of proficiency grades known as the kyu-dan system. At each progression, a different colored belt is awarded.

34 Wales who co-founded Wikipedia : JIMMY

Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia, and is the most-used reference site on the Internet. The site was launched by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger in 2001. I, for one, am very grateful …

35 One gold doubloon? : A THING OF BOOTY (from “a thing of beauty”)

“Booty”, meaning “plunder, profit”, is derived from the Old French word “butin” that has the same meaning.

The doubloon was a Spanish gold coin worth two escudos. The name comes from the Spanish “doblón”, which means “double”.

43 Home of the world’s busiest airport : ATLANTA

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is the world’s busiest airport, as measured by passenger traffic. Atlanta has had that distinction since 1998, and was the world’s busiest in terms of take-offs and landings from 2005 until 2013. Over 50% of Atlanta’s traffic comes from Delta Air Lines.

48 Brew in a 42-Down : ALE
[42D See 48-Across : KEG]

The many, many different styles of beer can generally be sorted into two groups: ales and lagers. Ales are fermented at relatively warm temperatures for relatively short periods of time, and use top-fermenting yeasts, i.e. yeasts that float on top of the beer as it ferments. Lagers ferment at relatively low temperatures and for relatively long periods of time. Lagers use bottom-fermenting yeasts, i.e. yeasts that fall to the bottom of the beer as it ferments.

51 Remnant : DREG

The dregs in wine, the sediment that settles during fermentation (and sometimes in the bottle), are also called “lees”.

A remnant is a small part that’s left over from something larger. The term comes from the Latin “remanour” meaning “to remain”. So, a “remnant” is something “remaining”.

56 Nitwits from the past? : FOSSIL FOOLS (from “fossil fuels”)

Originally, the term “fossil” described anything that was unearthed, dug up. We tend to define the term more narrowly today, reserving it for the geological remains of a plant or animal. “Fossil” comes from the Latin “fossilis” meaning “dug up”.

Fossil fuels are refined forms of the complex mixture of hydrocarbons found in pockets under the surface of the Earth. Strictly speaking, the term “petroleum” describes the mixture in all its forms: liquid, gaseous and solid. The liquid form is “crude oil”, the gaseous form is “natural gas” and the solid form is “bitumen”. In common usage, however, crude oil is often referred to as “petroleum”.

Down

1 Parent company of Cricket Wireless : ATT

Cricket is a wireless service that started out in 1999 providing coverage in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Cricket became a subsidiary of AT&T in 2014.

3 403(b) alternative : IRA

A 403(b) is a retirement savings plan that is available to specific groups, e.g. public education organizations and self-employed ministers.

4 Some lepidopterans : MOTHS

Butterflies and moths belong to the order lepidoptera. The term “lepidoptera” comes from the Greek “lepido-” meaning “scale” and “pteron” meaning wing. Butterflies and moths are insects with scaly bodies and large, triangular wings.

5 “Keep Commerce Human” company : ETSY

Etsy.com was founded in 2005 as a way for artists and craftspeople to sell their handmade goods online, and has since grown to include vintage items and crafting supplies as well. The company’s name is derived from the Italian word “etsi,” which means “oh, yes”? This was a nod to founder Rob Kalin’s love of Italy and his appreciation for the country’s history and artistry.

7 Crème de __ : CACAO

A “cream liqueur” is one that includes dairy cream. The most famous example is probably Baileys Irish Cream, which is made from cream and Irish whiskey. A “crème liqueur”, on the other hand, is one that includes a lot of added sugar, but no dairy cream. Examples are crème de cacao (chocolate-flavored), crème de menthe (mint-flavored) and crème de cassis (blackcurrant-flavored).

8 Service gp. : USO

The United Service Organization (USO) was founded in 1941 at the request of President Franklin D. Roosevelt “to handle the on-leave recreation of the men in the armed forces”. A USO tour is undertaken by a troupe of entertainers, many of whom are big-name celebrities. A USO tour usually includes troop locations in combat zones.

9 Window unit meas. : BTU

In the world of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), the power of a heating or cooling unit can be measured using the British Thermal Unit (BTU). This dated unit is the amount of energy required to heat a pound of water so that the water’s temperature increases by one degree Fahrenheit.

12 Dijon denial : PAS MOI

“Pas moi” translates from French as “not me”.

Dijon is a city in eastern France in the Burgundy region. Dijon is famous for its mustard, a particularly strong variation of the condiment. The European Union doesn’t protect the name “Dijon” so anyone can use it on a label. That seems fair enough to me, given that 90% of the mustard made in and around Dijon is produced using mustard seed imported from Canada!

30 Activity where newcomers practice “pizza” and “french fries” : SKIING

Folks learning to ski might be familiar with the terms “pizza” and “french fries”. The triangular snowplow (pizza) position is used to slow down. The parallel (french fries) is used to speed up.

36 “Great” detective of kid-lit : NATE

The “Nate the Great” series of children’s novels was written (mainly) by Marjorie Sharmat. Nate is like a young Sherlock Holmes, with a dog for a sidekick called Sludge. Some of the books have been adapted for television.

39 New Haven school : YALE

The city of New Haven, Connecticut was founded in 1638 by Puritan immigrants from England. Famously, it is home to Yale University. The city also initiated the first public tree planting program in the country. The large elms included in the program led to New Haven being called “the Elm City”.

45 “__ Mansion”: Nintendo series : LUIGI’S

“Luigi’s Mansion” is a series of video games that was launched by Nintendo in 2001. It is part of the “Mario” franchise. In the original “Luigi’s Mansion”, Mario’s brother Luigi searches for his sibling in a haunted mansion.

47 Sports org. revived in 2022 after a 37-year hiatus : USFL

The United States Football League (USFL) was started in 1983 as a league playing during the spring and summer. The league’s backer’s thought there would be a lot of interest in watching and attending games during the NFL’s offseason. The USFL folded after three years, so apparently the backers were wrong. That said, the USFL was revived in 2022 as part of the United Football League (UFL).

50 Playwright Henrik : IBSEN

Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen is the second-most frequently performed dramatist in the world, with only the works of William Shakespeare staged more often. As he was a pioneer in the genre, he is often referred to as “the father of realism”.

51 Jason Momoa’s “Game of Thrones” role : DROGO

Jason Momoa is a model and actor who is perhaps best known for playing superhero Aquaman in several DC Comics films. He also played warrior leader Khal Drogo in the HBO TV series “Game of Thrones”. In 2017, Momoa married actress Lisa Bonet, who played Denise Huxtable on “The Cosby Show”. The marriage dissolved in 2024.

56 Org. concerned with price-fixing : FTC

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was established in 1914 with the mission of protecting consumers.

57 Rice University athlete : OWL

The sports teams of Rice University in Houston are known as the Rice Owls. The “Owl” name comes from the three owls in the university’s crest.

58 __ salt : SEA

The lobbyists have done their shameful job when it comes to the labeling of “sea salt”. In the US, sea salt doesn’t even have to come from the sea. The argument is that all salt came from the sea if you look back far enough. The politics of food; don’t get me started …

59 Tulsa sch. : ORU

Oral Roberts University (ORU) is a private school in Tulsa, Oklahoma. ORU was founded relatively recently, in 1963 by the late televangelist Oral Roberts. The campus includes a Prayer Tower at its center, a spectacular glass and steel structure designed by architect Frank Wallace. The tower includes an observation deck, and is a popular tourist attraction. The school’s sports teams are known as the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles.