LA Times Crossword 17 Oct 24, Thursday

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Constructed by: Bryant Shain
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Breaks It All Down

Themed answers are all in the DOWN-direction. Each includes “IT ALL” BROKEN up into two hidden words:

• 11D Explains in meticulous detail, and what the answer to each starred clue literally does? : BREAKS IT ALL DOWN

• 3D *Party boss : POLITICAL LEADER
• 9D *Runs out of free content, in a way : HITS A PAYWALL
• 22D *”Let’s go already!” : QUIT STALLING

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

Bill’s time: 8m 09s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

11 Troop gp. : BSA

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) organization was founded in 1910 by American businessman and philanthropist, William D. Boyce. Legend has it that Boyce was moved to do so after he was helped by a young British boy scout while lost in the fog in London. Inspired by the boy scout’s preparedness and helpfulness, Boyce brought the idea of scouting back to the United States and worked to establish the BSA.

15 Set with 95 printable characters : ASCII

ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) lists codes for 32 “control” characters, as well as the 95 printable characters. These binary codes are the way that our computers can understand what we mean when we type, say a letter or a number. Unicode is a more contemporary standard, and is like “Ascii on steroids”, encompassing more characters.

16 Shofar horn source : RAM

A shofar is a musical instrument used in Jewish rituals. It is a relatively simple instrument, made from an animal’s (usually a ram’s) horn.

17 Pooh’s creator : MILNE

Alan Alexander (A.A.) Milne was an English author who is best known for his delightful “Winnie-the-Pooh” series of books. He had only one son, Christopher Robin Milne, born in 1920. The young Milne was the inspiration for the Christopher Robin character in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories. Winnie-the-Pooh was named after Christopher Robin’s real teddy bear, one he called Winnie, who in turn was named after a Canadian black bear called Winnie that the Milnes would visit in London Zoo. The original Winnie teddy bear is on display at the main branch of the New York Public Library in New York.

18 Food regimens : DIETS

Quite often, the terms “regime” and “regimen” seem to be used interchangeably. In contemporary usage, “regime” is applied more generally, and “regimen” more specifically. A “regimen” is a systematic approach that one might apply to something, to exercise or diet for example. The term “regime” can also be used in such contexts, but can have additional definitions, such as “government in power”. A form of government cannot be described as a “regimen”.

19 Wane : EBB

The verb “to wax”, in phrases like “wax lyrical” and “wax poetic”, means “to grow”. “To wax” is the opposite of “to wane”, which means “to decrease”. We are probably most familiar with the “waxing and waning” of the moon.

24 Protein option : TOFU

“Tofu” is a name for bean curd, and is a Japanese word meaning just that … bean that has curdled. Tofu is produced by coagulating soy milk, using either salt or something acidic. Once the protein has coagulated, the curds are pressed into the familiar blocks. Personally I love tofu, but my wife absolutely hates it …

26 Crypto.com Arena player : LA LAKER

The Crypto.com Arena (formerly “Staples Center”) is a sports arena in Los Angeles that opened in 1999. It is home to several sporting franchises, including the LA Lakers and LA Clippers NBA teams, the LA Sparks WNBA team and the LA Kings hockey team.

32 Dutch ovens, e.g. : POTS

A Dutch oven is a cooking pot with a tight lid, usually made from cast-iron. Back in Ireland we call them casserole dishes.

33 Houston university : RICE

Rice University is a private school in Houston, Texas. William Marsh Rice had made a will endowing the funds for the establishment of the school at the time of his death. When he was found dead one morning in his bed, his lawyer announced that his will had been changed, with the bulk of Rice’s estate actually going to the lawyer making the announcement. Upon investigation, it was discovered that the lawyer had paid Rice’s valet to murder his employer using chloroform and a fake will was written. Eventually, the original will was deemed valid and the funds were disbursed so that the school could be built.

34 Naval destroyer, in slang : TIN CAN

A destroyer is a relatively small, fast warship with the primary task of supporting larger vessels. Destroyers mainly use guns, depth charges, torpedoes and guided missiles to carry out their mission. The first destroyers were deployed by the Spanish navy in the late 19th century, with the goal of protecting against torpedo boats. They were described as “torpedo boat destroyers” (TBDs), but the name was routinely shortened to “destroyer” by the time nations plunged into World War One.

36 Chapel vow : I DO

Our word “chapel”, meaning “place of worship”, comes from the Latin word “capella” meaning “small cape”. The reference is to a relic of Saint Martin of Tours, part of his cloak. Tradition has it that when Martin was a soldier, he cut his military cloak in two so as to give half to a beggar in need. The remainder he retained as his “capella”. He did not know that the beggar was Christ in disguise. Martin then left the military to become a monk, then abbot and finally bishop. The cape came into the possession of the Frankish kings who brought the relic as they waged war, housing it in a tent called “the capella”. The priests who said mass in the capella each day were known as the “capellani” (the source of our word “chaplain”).

42 Glycerin-based goop : GEL

Glycerol (also “glycerin”) is a sweet-tasting, colorless liquid that is a common sweetener used by the food industry.

43 Eschewed cooked foods : ATE RAW

“To eschew”, meaning “to avoid, shun”, comes from the Old French word “eschiver” that means the same thing.

45 Novelist Scottoline known for legal thrillers : LISA

Lisa Scottoline is an author from Philadelphia who specializes in legal thrillers. Scottoline also pens a humorous column in “The Philadelphia Inquirer” called “Chick Wit” with her daughter Francesca Serritella.

53 Dutch semisoft cheese : EDAM

Edam cheese takes its name from the Dutch town of Edam in North Holland. The cheese is famous for its coating of red paraffin wax, a layer of protection that helps Edam travel well and prevents spoiling. You might occasionally come across an Edam cheese that is coated in black wax. The black color indicates that the underlying cheese has been aged for a minimum of 17 weeks.

54 Pigeonholes : LABELS

Back in the 16th century, a pigeonhole was a small recess used by pigeons for nesting. Towards the end of the 17th century, the term “pigeonholes” had been borrowed to describe compartments at the back of a writing desk. Two hundred years later, we were using the verb “pigeonhole” figuratively, to mean “label mentally”.

62 Fern-to-be : SPORE

Ferns are unlike mosses in that they have xylem and phloem, making them vascular plants. They also have stems, leaves and roots, but they do not have seeds and flowers, and reproduce using spores. Spores differ from seeds in that they have very little stored food.

65 Natives of Pre-Columbian Peru : INCAS

The Inca people emerged as a tribe around the 12th century, in what today is southern Peru. The Incas developed a vast empire over the next 300 years, extending along most of the western side of South America. The Empire fell to the Spanish, finally dissolving in 1572 with the execution of Túpac Amaru, the last Incan Emperor.

66 Mets closer Díaz : EDWIN

Edwin Díaz is a Major League pitcher from Puerto Rico. While playing for the Seattle Mariners, he was named the American League’s Reliever of the Year.

69 Stray adopted by Annie : SANDY

In the “Little Orphan Annie” comic strip, and derivative works, the three main characters are Annie, her dog Sandy, and her benefactor Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks.

Down

1 Rope fiber : HEMP

Hemp, also known as “cannabis”, is a hardy, fast-growing plant that has many uses mainly due to the strength of the fibers in the plant’s stalks. Hemp is used to make rope, paper and textiles. The term “hemp” is sometimes reserved for varieties of the plant grown for non-drug use.

2 Sacred Nile wader : IBIS

The ibis is a wading bird that was revered in ancient Egypt. “Ibis” is an interesting word grammatically speaking. You can have one “ibis” or two “ibises”, and then again one has a flock of “ibis”. And if you want to go with the classical plural, instead of two “ibises” you would have two “ibides”!

4 Approximate weight of the Liberty Bell : TON

The Liberty Bell was commissioned in 1752 and installed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The bell bears the inscription “Proclaim LIBERTY throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof”, a quotation from the Book of Leviticus in the Bible. Famously, the bell cracked when it was first rung in Philadelphia after arriving from the foundry where it was made in London, England. The bell’s fame originated with a short story by George Lippard published in 1847 that gave a fictional account of an old bell-ringer ringing it on July 4, 1776 upon hearing that the Second Continental Congress had voted for independence. That ringing of the bell never actually happened, even though the account was constantly presented as fact in school texts around the country for generations.

5 Michael of “Caddyshack” : O’KEEFE

Actor Michael O’Keefe played young Danny Noonan in the film “Caddyshack” (I’m not a big fan of that movie). He also appeared in the George Clooney film “Michael Clayton”. O’Keefe was married for several years to singer Bonnie Raitt.

“Caddyshack” is a comedy that was released in 1980 that was directed by Harold Ramis, his first movie. The film stars Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight and Bill Murray. “Caddyshack” has quite a cult following, but it’s a little too slapstick for me …

6 Grammy winner Erykah : BADU

“Erykah Badu” is the stage name of Erica Wright, an American “neo-soul” singer. Badu gained some notoriety in March of 2010 when she shot a scene for a music video in Dallas. In the scene, she walks to the spot where President Kennedy was assassinated, removing her clothes until she is nude, and then falls to the ground as if she has been shot in the head. For that stunt she was charged with disorderly conduct.

7 Setting for Best Picture winners “The Last Emperor” and “Parasite” : ASIA

“The Last Emperor” is a 1987 biographical film about Puyi, the last Emperor of China. It is a unique movie in that it was the first time the Chinese government allowed filming in the Forbidden City in Beijing. In fact, Queen Elizabeth II was on a state visit to China the same time that filming was taking place, and the Chinese government gave priority to filming, so the British royal party could not visit the Forbidden City.

“Parasite” is a 2019 comedy thriller movie from South Korea that became the nation’s highest-grossing film of all time. It was also the first movie not filmed in English to win the Oscar for Best Picture. I haven’t seen “Paradise” yet, but I hear great things from friends and family who have …

8 Infection fighter : T CELL

T cells are a group of white blood cells that are essential components of the body’s immune system. T cells are so called because they mature in the thymus, a specialized organ found in the chest.

9 *Runs out of free content, in a way : HITS A PAYWALL

A paywall is a system used by websites to protect content from being accessed by anyone who isn’t a paid-up subscriber.

12 Fine fur : SABLE

Sables are small mammals, about two feet long, that are found right across northern Europe and northern Asia. The sable’s black pelt is highly prized in the fur trade. Sable is unique among furs in that it feels smooth no matter which direction it is stroked.

13 Yellow shade : AMBER

Amber’s technical name is “resinite”, reflecting its composition and formation. Amber starts out life as soft sticky tree resin but then under high temperature and pressure from overlying layers of soil, it fossilizes. The sticky resin can trap organisms or other plant matter, and this material can sometimes remain virtually intact inside the amber fossil giving us a unique gift from the past.

23 Pilates roll : MAT

Pilates is a physical exercise system developed by, and named for, Joseph Pilates. Pilates introduced his system of exercises in 1883 in Germany.

27 Chaney of classic horror : LON

Lon Chaney, Sr. played a lot of crazed-looking characters in the days of silent movies. He did much of his own make-up work, developing the grotesque appearances that became his trademark, and earning himself the nickname “the man of a thousand faces”. Most famous were his portrayals of the title characters in the films “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1923) and “The Phantom of the Opera” (1925).

38 Opinion piece : OP-ED

“Op-ed” is an abbreviation for “opposite the editorial page”. Op-eds started in “The New York Evening World” in 1921 when the page opposite the editorials was used for articles written by a named guest writer, someone independent of the editorial board.

41 “Falling Up” poet/illustrator Silverstein : SHEL

“Falling Up“ is a 1996 collection of poetry written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein.

46 PC pioneer : IBM

Tech giant IBM was founded as the Tabulating Machine Company in 1896. The company changed its name to the Computing Tabulating Recording Corporation (CTR) in 1911 and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1916. The name “International Business Machines” (IBM) was given first to the company’s Canadian subsidiary, and then to its South American subsidiary. In 1924, it was decided to adopt the International Business Machines name for the whole company. Good choice …

48 Fuzzy growths in a terrarium : MOSSES

A terrarium (plural “terraria”) is a contained environment used to house land animals. The term “terrarium“ comes from the equivalent “aquarium”, a tank for holding mainly fish. In general, a contained environment for keeping live animals or plants is known as a “vivarium”

51 Medieval Times prop : LANCE

Medieval Times is a dinner theater show featuring medieval games such as jousting and sword-fighting. The first show opened in a purpose-built building in Orland, Florida.

55 Noodle : BEAN

Slang terms for “head” include “bean”, “coconut”, “gourd”, “noodle” and “noggin”.

58 Cactus-friendly : ARID

The cactus (plural “cacti”) is a member of a family of plants that are particularly well-adapted to extremely dry environments. Almost all cacti are native to the Americas, although some succulent plants from the old world are similar in appearance and are often mislabeled as “cacti”.

61 Soccer great Hamm : MIA

Mia Hamm is a retired American soccer player. She played as a forward on the US national team that won the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1991. Hamm scored 158 international goals, which was more than any other player in the world, male or female, until the record was broken in 2013. Amazingly, Hamm was born with a clubfoot, and so had to wear corrective shoes when she was growing up.

63 Activity that might elicit stares, for short : PDA

Public display of affection (PDA)