LA Times Crossword 3 Oct 24, Thursday

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Constructed by: Katherine Simonson
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Regional Incursions

Themed answers are regional adjectives overlapped with common phrases:

  • 17A Warmup bands from Casablanca? : MOROCCAN OPENERS (Moroccan & can openers)
  • 23A Liquid from Munich? : TEUTONIC WATER (Teutonic & tonic water)
  • 45A Faucet hardware from Stockholm? : SWEDISH WASHER (Swedish & dishwasher)
  • 53A Ice cream treats from Manila? : PHILIPPINE CONES (Philippine & pine cones)

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

Bill’s time: 7m 59s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

9 Automaker owned by Stellantis : FIAT

Stellantis is a Dutch automaker that formed in 2021 with the merger of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot. The list of brands owned by Stellantis includes Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati and Peugeot.

13 “Hot To Go!” singer Chappell : ROAN

“Chappell Roan” is the stage name of singer/songwriter Kayleigh Amstutz. Roan got her start in the music industry after she uploaded an original song titled “Die Young” to YouTube, when she was just 17 years old. She signed on with Atlantic Records soon after.

14 Grand film format : IMAX

The IMAX Corporation, which is behind the IMAX film format, is a Canadian company. The impetus for developing the system came after Expo ’67 in Montreal. Back then large format screenings were accomplished using multiple projectors with multiple screens, with images basically stitched together. The team behind the IMAX technology set out to simplify things, and developed a single-camera, single-projector system.

15 Collector of synonyms : ROGET

Peter Mark Roget was an English lexicographer. He was an avid maker of lists, apparently using the routine of list-making to combat depression, a condition he endured for most of his life. Roget published his famous thesaurus in 1852, with revisions and expansions being made years later by his son, and then in turn by his grandson.

17 Warmup bands from Casablanca? : MOROCCAN OPENERS (Moroccan & can openers)

The country of Morocco is located in North Africa, but lies just 9 miles south of Spain. Spain and Morocco, and hence Europe and Africa, are separated by those 9 miles across the Mediterranean Sea known as the Straits of Gibraltar.

Casablanca is a major city in western Morocco that sits on the Atlantic coast in Northern Africa. It is the country’s largest city (although the capital is Rabat), and the country’s largest port.

20 Olympic gymnast Strug who was part of the gold-winning American team in 1996 : KERRI

Kerri Strug is that plucky little gymnast who made an outstanding final vault in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics despite having an injured ankle. I think we all remember her being carried off after her vault in the arms of the US team coach Bela Karolyi.

23 Liquid from Munich? : TEUTONIC WATER (Teutonic & tonic water)

The Germanic peoples of Northern Europe are often called Teutonic, a term which originated with the Teutons, one of the Germanic tribes that lived in the region in the days of ancient Greece and Rome.

Munich is the capital of the German state of Bavaria, and is the third-largest city in the country (after Berlin and Hamburg). The city is called “München” in German, a term that derives from the Old German word for “by the monks’ place”, which is a reference to the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city in 1158.

The original tonic water was a fairly strong solution of the drug quinine dissolved in carbonated water. It was used in tropical areas in South Asia and Africa where malaria is rampant. The quinine has a prophylactic effect against the disease, and was formulated as “tonic water” so that it could be easily distributed. In British colonial India, the colonial types got into the habit of mixing gin with the tonic water to make it more palatable by hiding the bitter taste of quinine. Nowadays, the level of quinine in tonic water has dropped, and sugar has been added.

26 Wag : CARD

A very amusing person might be referred to as a card, stitch, wag or riot.

27 Acid type produced during exercise : LACTIC

Lactic acid buildup in muscles occurs during intense physical activity when the body’s demand for oxygen exceeds the supply. In such conditions, muscle cells resort to anaerobic respiration to produce energy, a less efficient process that generates lactic acid as a byproduct. As lactic acid accumulates, it can cause a burning sensation and muscle fatigue, signaling the need to reduce exertion or rest.

28 Himalayan herd : YAKS

The English word “yak” is an Anglicized version of the Tibetan name for the male of the species. Yak milk is much prized in Tibetan culture. It is made into cheese and butter, and the butter is used to make a tea that is consumed in great volume by Tibetans. The butter is also used as a fuel in lamps, and during festivals the butter is even sculpted into religious icons.

30 Loose overcoat : ULSTER

If you’ve watched Victorian dramas, you might have seen the original Ulster coat, which is very distinctive. It is a full-length, heavy coat, with an attached cape made from the same material that hangs down as far as the waist. The cape was dropped in the 20th century, and now an Ulster is a relatively simple, hard-wearing, double-breasted overcoat.

34 Tailless simian : APE

The tailless primates known as apes (also “hominoids”) are divided into two main branches: gibbons (lesser apes) and hominids (great apes). The hominids are the great apes, and belong to the family of primates called Hominidae. Extant genera that make up the family Hominidae are:

  • chimpanzees
  • gorillas
  • humans
  • orangutans

“Simian” means “pertaining to monkeys or apes”, from the Latin word “simia” meaning “ape”.

35 Amazon Prime vehicle : VAN

Rivian EDV is a company in Normal, Illinois that developed a line of electric delivery vans (EDVs) for Amazon, after Amazon invested $700 million in the project. Amazon deployed the first Rivian vans in 2022, and the following year Rivian started offering EDVs to companies beyond Amazon. I’ve seen a few Amazon EDVs, and I think they are pretty cool …

36 Not virtually, briefly : IRL

In real life (IRL)

37 Kitchen gadget brand : OXO

The OXO line of kitchen utensils and housewares is designed to be ergonomically superior to the average household tools. The intended user of OXO products is someone who doesn’t have the normal range of motion or strength in the hands e.g. someone suffering from arthritis.

38 Broadway legend Ethel : MERMAN

Ethel Merman was an actress and singer, one noted for having a very powerful voice. Merman was married and divorced four times. The last marriage was to actor Ernest Borgnine in 1964, although it lasted only 32 days.

40 Diner coffee : JOE

It seems that no one really knows why we refer to coffee as “joe”, but we’ve been doing so since early in WWII.

41 Failed, as a fuse : BLEW

Fuses include a metal component that melts when too much current passes through it, hence breaking the circuit.

42 Timeworn saying : OLD SAW

A saw is an old saying, one that is often repeated and is very familiar. The term “old saw” is actually a tautology, as by definition a “saw” is “old”.

45 Faucet hardware from Stockholm? : SWEDISH WASHER (Swedish & dishwasher)

Stockholm is the capital of Sweden and the most populous city in the country. Over one fifth of all Swedish residents live in Stockholm.

49 Afr. neighbor : EUR

The continent of Europe was named for Europa, a Phoenician princess of Greek mythology.

The Carthaginian Republic was centered on the city of Carthage, the ruins of which are located on the coast of modern-day Tunisia. The Latin name for the people of Carthage was “Afri”. When the Romans took over Carthage, they created a province they called “Africa”. That name extended over time to include the whole continent.

53 Ice cream treats from Manila? : PHILIPPINE CONES (Philippine & pine cones)

Many moons ago, I spent a couple of very happy years living in Manila in the Philippines. I had an apartment there, and residing in the apartment building next door was Imelda Marcos, along with all of her 3,000 shoes, I assume …

58 Irish New Age singer : ENYA

Enya’s real name is Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, which can translate from Irish into Enya Brennan. Her Donegal family (in the northwest of Ireland) formed a band called Clannad, which included Enya. In 1980 Enya launched her very successful solo career, eventually becoming Ireland’s best-selling solo musician. And, she sure does turn up a lot in crosswords!

The New Age Movement is a western philosophy with roots that date back to the early 1800s. The movement focuses on achieving the highest human potential as an individual and embraces many traditionally eastern spiritual practices, but eschews all religious doctrines. New-Age music is composed with the intent of supporting this philosophy. It tends to be very minimalistic, very tonal and harmonic. It is often used as a backdrop for relaxation or meditation.

59 Elite Eight org. : NCAA

In the NCAA Division I Basketball Championship, the teams remaining at various stages of the tournament are known as:

  • The “Sweet Sixteen” (the regional semi-finalists)
  • The “Elite Eight” (the regional finalists)
  • The “Final Four” (the national semi-finalists)

61 Fawning parents : DEER

A fawn is a young deer, usually one less than a year old.

Down

6 Actress Thurman : UMA

Uma Thurman started her working career as a fashion model, at the age of 15. She appeared in her first movies at 17, with her most acclaimed early role being Cécile de Volanges in 1988’s “Dangerous Liaisons”. Thurman’s career really took off when she played the gangster’s moll Mia in Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” in 1994. My favorite of all Thurman’s movies is “The Truth About Cats & Dogs”, a less acclaimed romcom released in 1996. She took a few years off from acting from 1998 until 2002 following the birth of her first child. It was Tarantino who relaunched her career, giving her the lead in the “Kill Bill” films.

7 Potassium-rich snacks : BANANAS

The banana is actually a berry, botanically speaking. And, bananas don’t really grow on trees. The “trunk” of the banana plant is in fact a pseudostem. The pseudostem is a false stem comprising rolled bases of leaves, and it can grow to 2 or 3 meters tall.

8 Different in an alluring way : EXOTIC

The word “exotic” means “belonging to another country”, and is derived from the Greek “exo-” meaning “outside”. Exotica are things that are excitingly strange, often from foreign parts.

9 Opposite of determinism : FREE WILL

Determinism proposes that all events, including human actions, are ultimately determined by causes external to the will. This suggests our choices are pre-determined and we lack true freedom. In contrast, free will argues that we have the capacity to make choices that are not entirely dictated by prior events or external factors. It implies that we are responsible for our actions.

18 “Rats!” : CRUD!

The word “crud”, meaning “something disgusting”, is American slang dating back to the 1920s. Originating in the US Army, the term was used in place of “venereal disease”.

24 Actor/director Ken : OLIN

Ken Olin was one of the stars on the hit television series “thirtysomething”, playing Michael Steadman. After “thirtysomething”, Olin moved behind the camera and is now a producer and director.

25 Summer systs. : ACS

The modern form of air conditioning (AC) that is still used today was invented by Willis Carrier in 1902. He co-founded the Carrier Engineering Corporation in New York in 1915. The Carrier Corporation eventually moved to Syracuse, New York in 1937. Beyond the world of air conditioning, the Carrier name has been associated with Syracuse University’s famous Carrier Dome since it opened in 1980. The Carrier Dome is the largest on-campus basketball stadium in the country.

33 Work out on an erg : ROW

An indoor rowing machine is often referred to as an ergometer (or simply “erg”). However, the term “ergometer” really applies to a device that measures the amount of work performed.

36 State where sliced bread was invented : IOWA

Wonder Bread was introduced in 1921 by the Taggart Baking Company of Indianapolis. Wonder Bread was introduced as “the greatest forward step in the baking industry since bread was wrapped”. The loaves were unsliced back then, with the sliced version being introduced nationally in the 1930s. It was the “wonder” of this sliced bread that eventually led to the idiom “the best thing since sliced bread”.

41 Natives of northwest France : BRETONS

Brittany is a large peninsula in the northwest of France that is known in French as “Bretagne”. A native of Brittany is a Breton.

45 Huit minus un : SEPT

In French, “huit minus un” (eight minus one) is “sept” (seven).

46 Capital of China’s Hubei Province : WUHAN

Wuhan is the capital of the inland province of Hubei in Central China. The city is a major transportation hub, and so is sometimes referred to as “the Chicago of China”. Famously, in December 2019, the coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic was first discovered in Wuhan. The city was the first to lockdown during the pandemic, in January 2020.

47 CNN national correspondent Hill : ERICA

Erica Hill was the co-anchor of “CBS This Morning”, and before that she was co-anchor of CBS’s “The Early Show”. Hill moved in 2008 to NBC News and co-hosted the weekend edition of “Today”. She moved to CNN in 2016.

48 Asparagus unit : SPEAR

Asparagus is a perennial flowering plant that is grown mainly for its edible shoots (or “spears”). The shoots must be harvested when they are very young, as they become woody very quickly.

52 Son of John and Yoko : SEAN

Sean Lennon is the only child of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and godson of Elton John. Sean is a musician and composer, and has a band called the Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger.

54 Actress Tyler : LIV

Actress and model Liv Tyler is the daughter of Steven Tyler, lead singer with Aerosmith, and Bebe Buell, a celebrated model and singer. Apparently, Buell hid the fact that Tyler was Liv’s father until Liv was 8 years old. Buell wanted to insulate her child from the rock-and-roll lifestyle. Liv Tyler plays the Elf maiden Arwen Undómiel in Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

55 Emmy-winning TV scientist Bill : NYE

That would be “Bill Nye the Science Guy”. Bill’s show ran on PBS for four years, from 1993-97.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Rudimentary elements : ABCS
5 Service station job : LUBE
9 Automaker owned by Stellantis : FIAT
13 “Hot To Go!” singer Chappell : ROAN
14 Grand film format : IMAX
15 Collector of synonyms : ROGET
17 Warmup bands from Casablanca? : MOROCCAN OPENERS (Moroccan & can openers)
20 Olympic gymnast Strug who was part of the gold-winning American team in 1996 : KERRI
21 Play to __ : A TIE
22 Intel org. : NSA
23 Liquid from Munich? : TEUTONIC WATER (Teutonic & tonic water)
26 Wag : CARD
27 Acid type produced during exercise : LACTIC
28 Himalayan herd : YAKS
29 That guy’s : HIS
30 Loose overcoat : ULSTER
34 Tailless simian : APE
35 Amazon Prime vehicle : VAN
36 Not virtually, briefly : IRL
37 Kitchen gadget brand : OXO
38 Broadway legend Ethel : MERMAN
40 Diner coffee : JOE
41 Failed, as a fuse : BLEW
42 Timeworn saying : OLD SAW
44 Standing on the street : CRED
45 Faucet hardware from Stockholm? : SWEDISH WASHER (Swedish & dishwasher)
49 Afr. neighbor : EUR
50 Bilateral : DUAL
51 Fillable flatbreads : PITAS
53 Ice cream treats from Manila? : PHILIPPINE CONES (Philippine & pine cones)
57 Understood implicitly : TACIT
58 Irish New Age singer : ENYA
59 Elite Eight org. : NCAA
60 Fleet : NAVY
61 Fawning parents : DEER
62 Dispatched : SENT

Down

1 Branch : ARM
2 Work that’s bound to sell? : BOOK
3 Keeper : CARETAKER
4 Nocturnal noisemakers : SNORERS
5 Allowed : LICIT
6 Actress Thurman : UMA
7 Potassium-rich snacks : BANANAS
8 Different in an alluring way : EXOTIC
9 Opposite of determinism : FREE WILL
10 Charged particle : ION
11 Plant that’s hard to find : AGENT
12 Crisp : TERSE
16 Russian monarch : TSAR
18 “Rats!” : CRUD!
19 Imagine : PICTURE
24 Actor/director Ken : OLIN
25 Summer systs. : ACS
26 Peninsular land formation : CAPE
28 Thanksgiving staple : YAM
29 Cry at the end of a cooking competition : HANDS UP!
31 Capacity to endure : TOLERANCE
32 Struck (out) : EXED
33 Work out on an erg : ROW
35 Sound quality? : VALIDITY
36 State where sliced bread was invented : IOWA
39 Quaintly stylish : MOD
40 Place for stubble : JAWLINE
41 Natives of northwest France : BRETONS
43 Sculpted : SHAPED
44 Stylish : CHIC
45 Huit minus un : SEPT
46 Capital of China’s Hubei Province : WUHAN
47 CNN national correspondent Hill : ERICA
48 Asparagus unit : SPEAR
52 Son of John and Yoko : SEAN
54 Actress Tyler : LIV
55 Emmy-winning TV scientist Bill : NYE
56 Didn’t play : SAT

10 thoughts on “LA Times Crossword 3 Oct 24, Thursday”

  1. 29 min 2 errors

    TEATONIC / TEU TONIC
    CRAP / CRUD
    CARP / CARD

    couldn’t remember if WAG was a person who complained or what… forgot it was a person who made jokes.

    I really liked how CRAP and CARP went together.

    … and the whole TEUTONIC threw me for a loop. I got the tonic water thing.

    TEU was TOO much for me!

  2. Had to untangle the SW corner but when I finally saw tacit for 57 Across the grid was successfully completed. Oh yeah – I also needed to ink over drat instead of crud for 18 Down. Another self inflicted injury that I had to straighten out. Some day I’ll learn not to ink in the first answer that pops into my brain!

  3. Didn’t really like this one.

    Teutonic didn’t feel like it went with the other long clues.

    18 min, 3 errors

  4. I got the first part of the theme but not the hidden one. Not surprising.

    Took a long time and I needed two lookups, both names.

    Bill: if Wonder Bread started in Indy, and I assume they did the first sliced bread as they are the subject of your recap, why is the answer IOWA instead of Indiana…or am I just making an assumption instead of checking for myself😆

  5. No errors…tough but doable.👍👍
    Stay safe😀
    Know how to beat the Orioles in a playoff game? Score a run⚾️

  6. 16ish minutes, 2 errors. Initially had BRITONS for 41D & didn’t correct it when I figured out the DISHWASHER cross. Good theme, took a while to figure it out.

  7. 14 mins 59 seconds and DNF: 12 fills left incomplete, scattered all over the grid. Just chock full of naticks. Or maybe just bad clues. Theme, too, was like mind-reading. Just no idea.

  8. 14:06 – no errors or lookups. False start: KARLI>KERRI, BRITONS>BRETONS.

    New or forgotten: “huit,” “Hubei.”

    I saw the theme after the puzzle was complete. The theme wasn’t needed to help in solving. A pretty good scheme.

    Overall, not a brain-strain.

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