LA Times Crossword 23 Apr 26, Thursday

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Constructed by: Jeffrey Wechsler

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal “Clue”: Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang

Themed answers are all famous names ending in -GG:

• 17A “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe” novelist : FANNIE FLAGG
• 30A Rapper featured on the Dr. Dre song ‘Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang : SNOOP DOGG
• 37A Circumnavigator in a Jules Verne novel : PHILEAS FOGG
• 41A English actress who played Emma Peel on “The Avengers” : DIANA RIGG
• 58A “The Road to Wellville” role for Anthony Hopkins : JOHN KELLOGG

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

Bill’s time: 6m 26s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1A Revels (in) : BASKS

Our verb “to bask”, meaning “to expose one to pleasant warmth”, is derived from the gruesome, 14th-century term “basken”, meaning “to wallow in blood”. The contemporary usage apparently originated with Shakespeare, who employed “bask” with reference to sunshine in “As You Like It”.

6A Kremlin cash : RUBLE

The ruble (also “rouble”) is the unit of currency in Russia. One ruble is divided into one hundred kopecks (also “kopeks”).

I was lucky enough to visit the Moscow Kremlin as a tourist a few decades ago. It sits right on Red Square, along with Saint Basil’s Cathedral and the famed GUM department store. “Kremlin” is a Russian word meaning “fortress”.

11A Part of the DHS : TSA

Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was created in 2002 after the September 11th attacks. Today, the DHS has over 200,000 employees making it the third largest department in the cabinet (the biggest employers are the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs). The formation of the DHS was the biggest government reorganization in US history, with 22 government agencies drawn into a single organization.

14A Like sparrows and swallows : AVIAN

Old World and New World sparrows are two distinct groups of birds. True Old World sparrows are closely related to weavers, while New World sparrows are closer cousins to buntings and warblers. This naming quirk stems from early European colonists who simply applied the familiar label “sparrow” to any small, streaked bird they encountered in the Americas.

Swallows are remarkable birds, at least in one aspect. Along with the related martins, swallows have evolved so that they can feed while flying, snapping up insects in mid-air.

15A One of several mistakes in a Shakespeare comedy? : ERROR

William Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors” is the shortest of all his plays, and one of his earliest. It’s all about two sets of identical twins who are separated at birth. Hilarity ensues …

17A “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe” novelist : FANNIE FLAGG

“Fannie Flagg” is the stage name of American actress Patricia Neal. Neal had to change her name to avoid confusion with the famous Oscar-winning actress of the same name. As well as acting, Flagg is a celebrated author, her most famous work being the 1987 novel “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe”. She also wrote the screenplay for the screen adaptation “Fried Green Tomatoes”, which was released in 1991.

27A Florence’s river : ARNO

The Arno is the principal river in the Tuscany region of Italy, and passes through the cities of Florence and Pisa. Famously the Arno flooded in 1966, the worst flood in the region for centuries. There were numerous deaths and extensive destruction of priceless art treasures, particularly in Florence.

Florence is the capital city of the Tuscany region in Italy. Something from or related to Florence is described as “Florentine”. The city is known as “Firenze” in Italian.

28A One-named singer from Donegal : 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 1982, 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!

30A Rapper featured on the Dr. Dre song ‘Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang : SNOOP DOGG

Rap star Snoop Dogg’s real name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. He is the most famous protege of the notorious rapper Dr. Dre. Sadly, Snoop Dogg has had numerous run-ins with police all round the world, even after he started to live the good life that came with his fame. Snoop Dogg has also been known as “Snoop Doggy Dogg”, and more recently as “Snoop Lion”.

“Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang” is a 1993 song by rap artist Dr. Dre, featuring Snoop Dogg. Snoop Dogg wrote the lyrics for the song, and recorded the first version of those lyrics on a phone call from prison. He was imprisoned on drug-related charges.

33A Warble : TRILL

In music a “trill” is the rapid alternation of two tones that are very close to each other to make a musical ornament.

36A Custardy desserts : FLANS

Flan (also “crème caramel”) is a delicious dessert comprising a molded custard topped with a clear caramel sauce. The related crème brûlée is a dessert made from molded custard with a hard, burnt caramel layer on top.

37A Circumnavigator in a Jules Verne novel : PHILEAS FOGG

“Around the World in 80 Days” is a wonderful adventure story written by French author Jules Verne and first published in 1873. There have been some great screen adaptations of the story, including the 1956 movie starring David Niven as the protagonist Phileas Fogg. In almost all adaptations, a balloon is used for part of the journey, and is perhaps the most memorable means of transportation on Fogg’s trip around the world. However, if you read the book, Fogg never uses a balloon at all.

39A Greek island in “The Two Faces of January” : CRETE

Crete is the largest of the Greek Islands, and figures heavily in Greek mythology. Zeus was born in a cave at Mount Ida, the highest peak on the island. Crete was also home to the Labyrinth where the Minotaur was slain by Theseus. Icarus and Daedalus, after having crafted the Labyrinth, escaped from the island using wings that they crafted.

The title of Patricia Highsmith’s 1964 suspense novel “The Two Faces of January” refers to Janus, the Roman god of gates and beginnings. Janus has two faces, one looking toward the past and the other toward the future, symbolizing the duplicity and shifting identities of the novel’s main characters, fleeing a crime in Greece. I find it interesting that Highsmith set her “Two Faces” novel in Greece, given that the Janus is one of the few Roman gods that doesn’t have a Greek equivalent.

41A English actress who played Emma Peel on “The Avengers” : DIANA RIGG

Diana Rigg was a marvelous actress from England who was best known for playing Emma Peel on the hit sixties show “The Avengers”. Rigg also won an Emmy for her performance in a 1997 television adaptation of “Rebecca”. In my humble opinion, she was also the best-ever “Bond girl” (opposite George Lazenby, the worst-ever Bond guy), in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” …

“The Avengers” was must-see television when I was growing up. It is a sixties comedy spy series set in England during the days of the Cold War. The hero was John Steed, played ably by Patrick Macnee. Steed had various female partners as the series progressed, the first of which was Cathy Gale, played by Honor Blackman (who also played Pussy Galore in “Goldfinger”). Following Ms. Gale was Emma Peel, played by the wonderful Diana Rigg. Finally there was Tara King, played by Linda Thorson.

47A eBay caveat : AS IS

A caveat is a warning or a qualification. “Caveat” is the Latin for “let him, her, or it beware”.

51A Lille pal : AMI

Lille is a large city in the very north of France that sits right on the border with Belgium. The name “Lille” is a derivation of the term “l’isle” meaning “the island”. The former name “L’Isle” dates back to 1066, and is a reference to a castle that once stood on an island in the Deûle river that runs through the city. The city grew around the island and the castle.

53A “The View” airer : ABC

“The View” is a talk show that was created by Barbara Walters and Bill Geddie in 1997. The show features a panel of five women as co-hosts.

55A Driver’s lic. with an added star : REAL ID

What we know today as “Real IDs” are the result of the Real ID Act of 2005. One of the most visible results of the law are state-issued drivers’ licenses that meet new minimum security standards set by the federal government.

58A “The Road to Wellville” role for Anthony Hopkins : JOHN KELLOGG

The 1994 film “The Road to Wellville” satirizes the real-life Battle Creek Sanitarium and its eccentric leader, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg. Kellogg, played by Anthony Hopkins, was a Seventh-day Adventist physician who co-invented Corn Flakes in 1894, as a “simple, pure and unstimulating diet”. The impressive supporting cast includes Matthew Broderick, Bridget Fonda, John Cusack, Dana Carvey and Colm Meaney.

61A Round topper for a scepter : ORB

A scepter (“sceptre” in Britain and Ireland) is a ceremonial staff, one often held by a monarch.

62A Part of the Dutch Caribbean : ARUBA

Aruba is one of the so-called ABC islands located off the northern coast of Venezuela. “ABC Islands” is a name given to the three westernmost islands of the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean. The nickname comes from the first letters of the island names: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. All three of the ABC islands are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Down

2D Island where Excalibur was forged : AVALON

Avalon is a legendary island featured in the Arthurian legends. The name Avalon probably comes from the word “afal”, the Welsh word for “apple”, reflecting the fact that the island was noted for its beautiful apples. Avalon is where King Arthur’s famous sword “Excalibur” was forged, and supposedly where Arthur was buried.

Excalibur is the legendary sword of the legendary King Arthur of Great Britain. In some accounts, Arthur was given the sword by the Lady of the Lake. There is sometimes confusion about the origin of Excalibur, as Arthur famously is said to have pulled a sword from a stone, hence proving him to be a true king. The Sword in the Stone is a different sword, and not Excalibur.

4D “Citizen __” : KANE

1941’s “Citizen Kane” was the first film made by Orson Welles, and is considered by many to be the finest movie ever made. It’s a remarkable achievement by Welles, as he played the lead and also produced and directed. Despite all the accolades for “Citizen Kane” over the decades, the movie was far from a commercial success in its early run and actually lost money at the box office.

8D Corleone player : BRANDO

Actor Marlon Brando really hit the big time with his Oscar-winning performance in the 1951 movie “A Streetcar Named Desire”. Brando went on to win another Best Actor Oscar for his performance in 1972’s “The Godfather”, which gave him the platform to establish himself as a political activist. He turned down the award and didn’t attend the ceremony. Instead he sent a Native American rights activist called Sacheen Littlefeather who made a speech protesting the depiction of Native Americans in Hollywood movies. Brando wasn’t the first person to refuse an Oscar. George C. Scott did the same thing when he won for playing the title role in 1970’s “Patton”. Scott just didn’t like the whole idea of “competing” with other actors.

Mario Puzo created the Corleone Mafia family in his 1969 novel “The Godfather”. The head of the family is Vito Corleone (whose birth name was Vito Andolini), a native of Corleone in Sicily. He was given the name Corleone by immigration officers at Ellis Island. Don Corleone was played so very memorably, with a distinctive rasping voice, by Marlon Brando in the 1972 movie adaptation directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

9D Theater section : LOGE

In most theaters and stadiums today, “loge” is the name given to the front rows of a mezzanine level. “Loge” can also be used for box seating.

11D Like many electric plugs : TWO-PRONG

A two-prong plug uses polarization to ensure electricity flows in a single safe direction through the appliance’s internal switch. One of the two blades is wider than the other to ensure that the electricity flows in the intended direction. A three-prong plug adds a “grounding” pin that serves as a dedicated emergency exit for stray electricity. If a critical wire snaps inside a metal toaster, stray current will “choose” to travel down this third pin into the earth rather than through the person holding it.

12D Some Malaysian attire : SARONGS

“Sarong” is the Malay word for “sheath”. The term originally described a garment worn by Malay men and women around their waists. The Malay sarong is actually a tube of fabric, about a yard wide and two-and-a-half yards long. Many variations of the sarong are worn all over South Asia and the Pacific Islands. I had occasion to wear one in Hawaii many years ago, and found it very … freeing!

13D Like Big Ben’s clock : ANALOG

The phrase “analog clock” is a retronym, meaning that is a relatively new term used to distinguish old-style clocks from the more recent digital clocks. Prior to the introduction of digital clocks, analog clocks were known as … “clocks”.

“Big Ben” is the name commonly used for the large bell in the Clock Tower (“Elizabeth Tower”, since 2012) of the Palace of Westminster (aka “Houses of Parliament”). Big Ben’s official name is the Great Bell, and there is some debate about the origins of the nickname. It may be named after Sir Benjamin Hall who supervised the bell’s installation, or perhaps the English heavyweight champion of the day Benjamin Caunt. Big Ben fell silent in 2017 to make way for five years of maintenance and repair work to the clock’s mechanism and the tower.

25D Michigan’s __ Royale National Park : ISLE

Isle Royale in Michigan is the largest island in Lake Superior. The main island, along with over 400 smaller surrounding islands, is now part of Isle Royale National Park.

29D Greek city in “The Two Faces of January” : ATHENS

Athens is the capital city of Greece and is one of the world’s oldest cities, with a history that goes back around 3,400 years. In its heyday, Classical Athens was a remarkable center for the arts and philosophical debate, and was home to Plato and Aristotle. Athens is often called “the cradle of Western civilization” and “the birthplace of democracy”. The city was named for the Greek goddess Athena.

34D With 19-Across, “How We Do (Party)” singer : RITA …
19A See 34-Down : … ORA

“How We Do (Party)” is a 2012 song released by English singer Rita Ora as the lead single from her debut studio album “Ora”, which was released the same year. The song samples the refrain from a 1993 song by the Notorious B.I.G. As a result, when the Notorious B.I.G. was sued for an alleged copyright infringement related to the original song, Rita Ora was also dragged into court. But, the court ruled against the plaintiff, and life moved on.

35D Robert of “The Sopranos” : ILER

Actor Robert Iler’s most famous role was A.J., son of mob leader Tony Soprano in HBO’s “The Sopranos”. Apparently Iler’s screen persona has spilled over into his personal life, as he was arrested for armed robbery of two tourists in 2001 (and pleaded guilty to a lesser charge).

37D “Hallelujah!” : PRAISE BE!

The interjection “hallelujah!” means “praise ye the Lord!” The term comes from the Hebrew “halălūyāh” meaning “praise ye Yahweh”.

38D Video game giant : SEGA

Sega is a Japanese video game company headquartered in Tokyo. Sega actually started out in 1940 as Standard Games and was located in Honolulu, which at that time was a city in the US Territory of Hawaii. The owners moved the operation to Tokyo in 1951 and renamed the company to Service Games. The name “Sega” is a combination of the first two letters of the words “Se-rvice” and “Ga-mes”.

45D New citizen, perhaps : EMIGRE

An émigré (fem. “émigrée”) is an emigrant. The term is French in origin, and particularly applies to someone who is a political refugee from his or her native land.

49D Otto meno cinque : TRE

In Italian, “otto meno cinque” (eight minus five) is “tre” (three).

50D Hägar the Horrible’s wife : HELGA

“Hägar the Horrible” is a comic strip that was created by the late Dik Browne and is now drawn by his son, Chris Browne. “Hägar the Terrible” (not “Horrible”) was the nickname given to Dik by his sons. The strip’s title character is a red-bearded Viking living on the Norwegian coast during the Middle Ages. Hägar lives with his overbearing wife Helga, his sensitive son Hamlet, his pretty daughter Honi, and his clever dog Snert.

59D Bulls org. : NBA

The Chicago Bulls have won six NBA championships in the life of the franchise, all of them in the nineties. They won in the 1991, 1992 and 1993 seasons (a so-called “three-peat”), and then again in 1996, 1997 and 1998 (a second “three-peat”).

60D Big name in jewelry : KAY

Kay Jewelers is perhaps the most famous store brand owned by Sterling Jewelers. Sterling is the largest fine jewelry chain in the country, with the company’s main competitor being Zale Corporation.