LA Times Crossword 30 May 26, Saturday

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Constructed by: Alan Levin

Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: None

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

Bill’s time: 8m 12s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

12A Smithwick’s, for one : ALE

My guess is that the most famous Irish red ale that actually comes from Ireland is Smithwick’s, which originated in Kilkenny. Many visitors to Ireland flock to the world-famous Guinness Storehouse. The equivalent Smithwick’s Experience in Kilkenny is a much more intimate affair, and one that I highly recommend …

19A Rogers Centre team : TORONTO BLUE JAYS

The Rogers Centre is the current name of the stadium in downtown Toronto that was originally known as the SkyDome, a title it held until its purchase by Rogers Communications in 2005. The 2005 rebranding occurred as part of a package deal when the telecommunications giant acquired both the venue and the baseball.

21A Georgia city nickname : A-TOWN

The city of Atlanta, Georgia (A-Town) had its beginnings in the late 1830s when the location was chosen as the terminus for a new railroad to be built connecting Georgia with the Midwestern United States. The city’s name was chosen by the Chief Engineer of the Georgia Railroad, apparently after the middle name of the daughter of Governor Wilson Lumpkin: “Atalanta”.

22A Rodeo circuit? : LASSO

Our English word “lasso” comes from the Spanish “lazo”, and ultimately from the Latin “laqueum” meaning “noose, snare”.

26A Boondocks : STICKS

“Boondocks” (often shortened to “boonies”) is a term used in North America for a remote, usually rural area. Often the term is used derogatively, implying that a remote location is unsophisticated. “Boondocks” was first used by American soldiers stationed in the Philippines in the early 1900s. The word evolved from the Tagalog “bundok” meaning “mountain”.

32A Rendezvous : TRYST

In the most general sense, a tryst is a meeting at an agreed time and place. More usually we consider a tryst to be a pre-arranged meeting between lovers. The term “tryst” comes from the Old French “triste”, a waiting place designated when hunting. Further, a tryst taking place at lunchtime is sometimes referred to as a nooner.

35A One goal of the Marine Mammal Protection Act : DOLPHIN-SAFE TUNA

Yellowfin tuna have a mysterious biological tendency to swim directly beneath pods of dolphins. Historically, tuna fishermen would drop large nets around pods in order to maximize their catch. Even though there has been some progress towards “dolphin-safe tuna” fishing, over 90,000 dolphins are thought to be killed annually in tuna fisheries, as they are caught unintentionally.

39A Diamond who went platinum : NEIL

I saw Neil Diamond in concert back in the mid-nineties, and I must say he put on a great show. His voice has cracked a bit, but that didn’t seem to spoil anyone’s enjoyment. I’ve also seen Diamond interviewed a few times on television, and I wouldn’t say he has the most scintillating of personalities.

40A Ricochet : CAROM

A carom is a ricochet, the bouncing of some projectile off a surface. “Carom” has come to describe the banking of a billiard ball, the bouncing of the ball off the side of the table.

41A Syncopated piece : RAG

Ragtime music was at the height of its popularity in the early 1900s. It takes its name from its characteristic “ragged” rhythms. The most famous ragtime composer was Scott Joplin, who had a big hit with his “Maple Leaf Rag” when it was published in 1899. He followed that up with a string of hits, including the “Pine Apple Rag” (sic). Ragtime fell out of favor about 1917 when the public turned to jazz. It had a resurgence in the forties when jazz musicians started to include ragtime tunes in their repertoires. But it was the 1973 movie “The Sting” that brought the true revival, as the hit soundtrack included numerous ragtime tunes by Scott Joplin, including the celebrated “The Entertainer” originally published in 1902.

In the world of music, syncopation is the expected emphasis away from the normally accented beat, producing an unexpected rhythm, an “offbeat” rhythm. Syncopation is a characteristic of many genres of music, notably ragtime and jazz.

49A Try to get a rise out of : TROLL

In Internet terms, a troll is someone who attempts to disrupt online group activities. The fishing term “troll” is used to describe such a person as he or she throws out off-topic remarks in an attempt to “lure” others into some emotional response. I must admit to feeling sorry for people who have such sad lives …

59A Pong maker : ATARI

Founded in 1972, electronics and video game manufacturer Atari was once the fastest-growing company in US history. However, it never really recovered from the video game industry crash of 1983. The name “Atari” was chosen because it is a term used in the Japanese game Go that is the equivalent of “check” in chess.

61A Arch Manning’s uncle : ELI

Quarterback Archibald “Arch” Manning is the son of Cooper Manning, the eldest brother of the famous quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning. Despite all the attention he gets, Arch is known for a media-shy approach that mirrors the “old school” discipline of his grandfather, quarterback Archie Manning, for whom he is named.

63A “Gorillas in the Mist” subject : APE

“Gorillas in the Mist” is a 1988 film that tells the story of naturalist Dian Fossey’s work with mountain gorillas in Rwanda. The movie is based on Fossey’s 1983 book of the same name, and features Sigourney Weaver playing the lead.

Down

1D “__ la vista” : HASTA

“Hasta la vista” is Spanish for “goodbye”. The phrase translates literally as “until the seeing”, i.e. “goodbye until we see each other again”.

2D “Daniel Deronda” novelist : ELIOT

“Daniel Deronda” was the last novel penned by English author George Eliot. It was originally published in eight installments, in 1876. The novel starts with the meeting of Daniel Deronda and Gwendolen Harleth. Early on in the tale, the two separate. The remainder of the novel is in two parts: one following the history of Gwendolen, and the other the history of Daniel.

3D Chicago, for one : METROPOLIS

Chicago, Illinois is the US’s third most populous city, after New York and Los Angeles. It is also home to O’Hare airport, one of the busiest airports in the whole world. Chicago takes its name from the Chicago River, which in turn takes its name from the Native American word “shikaakwa” that translates as “wild onion” or “wild garlic”. Early French explorers chose this name as they found dense growths of wild garlic along the banks of the river.

5D Pasta aglio e __ : OLIO

“Pasta aglio e olio” (pasta with garlic and oil) is a relatively simple yet delicious dish that comes from the city of Naples. One popular version of the dish calls for some of the starchy pasta water to be mixed with the olive oil to create a creamy sauce that includes no dairy.

6D Seventh-inning stretch song, often : GOD BLESS AMERICA

Irving Berlin wrote “God Bless America” while serving with the US Army in 1918. Berlin didn’t come across an opportunity to publicize the song until just before WWII. He felt it was the right time to introduce a patriotic song, and famously gave it to singer Kate Smith for a broadcast on Armistice Day in 1938. The song was such a hit that there were even moves to have it adopted as a new national anthem.

If there are a lot of extra innings in a baseball game, there can be a fourteenth-inning stretch to supplement the seventh-inning stretch. There might even be a twenty-first-inning stretch …

8D Noir establishment : GIN JOINT

I do love a gin joint …

9D Arizona’s __ Fria river : AGUA

The Agua Fria River runs from a spot near the city of Prescott, Arizona south through the Agua Fria National Monument and into Lake Pleasant located near Peoria, Arizona. “Agua Fria” translates from Spanish as “Cold Water”.

13D “30 Rock” page : KENNETH

The character Kenneth Parcell is the chirpy NBC page portrayed by Jack McBrayer on the TV sitcom “30 Rock”. He was written as a supporting character in the show’s first couple of episodes, but he was so well received that the producers promoted him to the main cast.

14D Actress Ward : SELA

Sela Ward is an American actress who won Emmys for her role on the TV show “Sisters” in 1994 and for her role on “Once and Again” in 2000. She is a published author and released her autobiography “Homesick: A Memoir” in 2012.

17D Pick up a few spares, perhaps : BOWL

In bowling, the downing of all ten pins in two balls in the same frame is called a spare, and scores ten points. The player gets a bonus, equal to the number of pins downed with the next ball, which could be up to ten. Hence, a spare can be worth up to 20 points.

20D Carrier letters : USS

The abbreviation “USS” stands for “United States Ship”. The practice of naming US Navy vessels in a standard format didn’t start until 1907, when President Theodore Roosevelt issued an executive order that addressed the issue.

The first launching of an aircraft from a ship took place way back in 1910. Aviation pioneer Eugene Burton Ely flew a Curtiss Pusher airplane from a temporary platform erected on the bow of the USS Birmingham, which was anchored off Norfolk Navy Base in Virginia. Ely also recorded the first landing on a ship two months later, touching down on a platform on the USS Pennsylvania anchored in San Francisco Bay.

24D “Midsommar” director Aster : ARI

Ari Aster is a filmmaker associated with horror and dark comedy movies, and films that include graphic violence. Probably not for me …

“Midsommar”: it’s a horror film …

27D Writ, e.g. : COURT ORDER

A writ is an order issued by some formal body (these days, usually a court) with the order being in “written” form. Warrants and subpoenas are examples of writs.

28D Longboard Island Lager brewer : KONA

Kona Brewing Company is located in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii. It started operations in 1994, and its biggest-selling beer is Big Wave Golden Ale.

30D Honey Cone lead singer Wright : EDNA

Honey Cone is a female soul trio that was founded back in 1968 by Edna Wright. Wright is the younger sister of Darlene Love. Love was supposed to appear on an Andy Williams TV special, and had to bail, asking her sister to fill in for her. Wright called on Carolyn Lewis and Shelly Clark to join her. Soon after, the trio signed up with the Detroit label Hot Wax Records. Honey Cone became the label’s premier female group.

33D Hill of __: home of Ireland’s Lia Fáil : TARA

Tradition has it the Hill of Tara was the seat of the High King of Ireland. That was back in the 11th century. More recently, Margaret Mitchell referred to the Hill of Tara as being the inspiration for the name of the Tara plantation in her novel “Gone with the Wind”.

The Lia Fáil is the coronation stone that is found on the Hill of Tara, the traditional seat of the High Kings of Ireland. “Lia Fáil” translates from Irish as “stone of destiny”.

36D Abundance : PLETHORA

“Plethora” is such a lovely word, I think. It means “a lot of”, and usually in the sense of “too much”. This usage dates back to about 1700, and before that “plethora” was a word used in the medical field to describe an “excess of bodily fluid”.

37D Arctic __ : FOX

The arctic fox is a mammal that is remarkably well adapted to its native environment in the Arctic region of the northern hemisphere. One adaptation is that its thick fur is brown in the summer and white in the winter.

44D Poivre et __ : SEL

In French, one might season one’s food with “sel” (salt) and “poivre” (pepper).

51D Bolshevik leader : LENIN

At the second party congress of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party in 1903, a split developed. The faction with the most support was led by Vladimir Lenin. As they were in the majority, the group became known as the “Bolsheviks”, a term derived from the Russian word for “more” or “majority”. Lenin and the Bolsheviks led the October Revolution of 1917, as a result of which Lenin came to power. He headed the new Soviet State during its formative years.

55D Show appreciation at a poetry slam, e.g. : SNAP

A poetry slam is a competition in which poets read their own work (usually), with winners being chosen by members of the audience. Apparently the first poetry slam took place in Chicago in 1984. Now there is a National Poetry Slam that takes place each year, with representatives from the US, Canada and France.