LA Times Crossword 7 Feb 22, Monday

Advertisement

Constructed by: Andy Wang & C.C. Burnikel
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme: Lincoln Center

Themed answers each include “ABE” as a hidden word:

  • 58A Home of the Metropolitan Opera … and a hint to the “honest” guy hiding in 20-, 32- and 45-Across : LINCOLN CENTER
  • 20A Gets trounced : TAKES A BEATING
  • 32A Cubs’ caretakers : MAMA BEARS
  • 45A Veggies from Peru : LIMA BEANS

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

Bill’s time: 4m 49s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Fish with valuable roe : SHAD

The shad is also known as the river herring. The eggs (roe) of the shad are prized as a delicacy, especially in the Eastern US.

9 Jeweler’s weight unit : CARAT

The carat is a unit of mass equal to 200 mg (0.2 grams). It is used in sizing gemstones.

15 ”Those __ the days!” : WERE

They certainly were …

16 Sister company of Enterprise Rent-A-Car : ALAMO

The third-largest car rental company in recent years is Alamo, which was founded in 1974. Alamo made inroads (pun!) into the market by popularizing the idea of “unlimited mileage”.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car was established in 1957 by Jack. C. Taylor in St. Louis, Missouri, where the company is still headquartered today. The company was originally called Executive Leasing Company. The name was changed in 1962 in honor of the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, on which Taylor served during WWII.

18 Arab League dignitary : EMIR

The Arab League was formed in 1945 in Cairo with six founding members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Syria. As a result of events during the 2011 Arab Spring, the Arab League has suspended Syria’s membership.

19 “The Thinker” sculptor : RODIN

Rodin’s famous sculpture known as “The Thinker” has been reproduced many times. Rodin’s original version of “The Thinker” is actually a detail in a much larger work known as “The Gates of Hell”. The original plaster version of “The Gates of Hell” can be seen at the magnificent Musée d’Orsay in Paris.

23 Crime scene clue exposed by dusting : PRINT

In the world of criminology, there are three classes of fingerprints:

  • Patent prints are those which are obvious, easily spotted by the naked eye.
  • Impressed prints are those made when the fingertips apply pressure to a soft material or surface, such as the skin.
  • Latent prints are those that are invisible to the naked eye, but which can be detected using special equipment and materials.

24 Candied veggie : YAM

Although in the US we sometimes refer to sweet potatoes as “yams”, the yam is actually a completely different family of plants. True yams are more common in other parts of the world than they are in this country, and are especially common in Africa.

25 Apple operating system : IOS

iOS is what Apple now calls its mobile operating system. Previously, it was known as iPhone OS.

30 Royal flush card : TEN

The poker hand called a royal flush is the highest-ranking hand possible. It consists of a run of 10, jack, queen, king and ace, with all in the same suit.

35 Foamy hot drink : LATTE

The term “latte” is an abbreviation of the Italian “caffelatte” meaning “coffee (and) milk”. Note that in the correct spelling of “latte”, the Italian word for milk; there is no accent over the “e”. An accent is often added by mistake when we use the word in English, perhaps meaning to suggest that the word is French.

39 “College GameDay” channel : ESPN

There are several sports shows on ESPN called “College GameDay”, the oldest of which is the one covering college football.

45 Veggies from Peru : LIMA BEANS

The lima bean is also known as the butter bean or madagascar bean. It was introduced to Europe from the area around Lima, Peru, hence the name.

47 Approx. landing hr. : ETA

Estimated time of arrival (ETA)

51 Govt. Rx watchdog : FDA

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has its roots in the Division of Chemistry (later “Bureau of Chemistry”) that was part of the US Department of Agriculture. President Theodore Roosevelt gave responsibility for examination of food and drugs to the Bureau of Chemistry with the signing of the Pure Food and Drug Act. The Bureau’s name was changed to the Food, Drug and Insecticide Organization in 1927, and to the Food and Drug Administration in 1930.

There seems to be some uncertainty about the origin of the symbol “Rx” that’s used for a medical prescription. One explanation is that it comes from the astrological sign for Jupiter, a symbol put on prescriptions in days of old to invoke Jupiter’s blessing to help a patient recover.

54 Fútbol cheer : OLE!

“Fútbol” is the Spanish word for “football, soccer”.

56 Caribbean cruise stops : ISLES

The Caribbean Sea takes its name from the Island Carib people. The Island Caribs are an American Indian people that live in the Lesser Antilles islands, part of the West Indies.

58 Home of the Metropolitan Opera … and a hint to the “honest” guy hiding in 20-, 32- and 45-Across : LINCOLN CENTER

The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts takes its name from the neighborhood in which it is situated, i.e. Lincoln Square in the Upper West Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan.

The Metropolitan Opera (often simply “the Met”) of New York City is the largest classical music organization in the country, presenting about 220 performances each and every year. Founded in 1880, the Met is renowned for using technology to expand its audiences. Performances have been broadcast live on radio since 1931, and on television since 1977. And since 2006 you can go see a live performance from New York in high definition on the big screen, at a movie theater near you …

Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth President of the US. There are several stories told about how he earned the nickname “Honest Abe”. One story dates back to early in his career as a lawyer. Lincoln accidentally overcharged a client and then walked miles in order to right the wrong as soon as possible.

63 “Et voilà!” : TA-DA!

“Et voilà” is French for, “And there it is!”

67 Salary increase : RAISE

It has been suggested that our term “salary” comes from the Latin “sal” meaning “salt”. The idea is that a Roman soldier’s “salarium” might have been an allowance to purchase salt.

70 Like a javelin’s path : ARCED

A javelin is a light spear used as a long-range throwing weapon. That said, most of today’s javelins are designed for sporting use, in a competition to see who can throw the farthest.

71 Russo of “Tin Cup” : RENE

The talented actress Rene Russo is a native of Burbank, California. Russo went to high school (with actor/director Ron Howard), but dropped out in tenth grade. At seventeen, she was given the opportunity to train as a model and within a very short time appeared on the cover of “Vogue”. As her modeling jobs slowed down in her early thirties, Russo made a career change and studied theater and acting.

“Tin Cup” is a fun romantic comedy starring Kevin Costner. Costner plays a former golf prodigy who has hit bottom, but who drags himself up by the bootstraps thanks to the influence of the female lead played by Rene Russo. Costner plays the title character Roy “Tin Cup” McAvoy.

72 Russian autocrat : TSAR

The term “czar” (also “tsar”) is a Slavic word that was first used as a title by Simeon I of Bulgaria in 913 AD. “Czar” is derived from the word “caesar”, which was synonymous with “emperor” at that time. We tend to use the “czar” spelling, as opposed to “tsar”, when we describe a person today with great power or authority, e.g. “Drug Czar”.

Down

1 “Can u believe it?!” : OMG!

“OMG” is text-speak for “Oh My Gosh!” “Oh My Goodness!” or any other G-words you might care to use …

2 Card-vs.-card game : WAR

War is a card game, one played mainly by children.

4 Red Sea peninsula : SINAI

The Sinai Peninsula is in the eastern part of Egypt, and is a triangular landform bounded by the Mediterranean to the north and the Red Sea to the south. It is the only part of Egypt that lies in Asia as opposed to Africa. The eastern land border of the peninsula is shared with Israel, and Israel occupied the Sinai during the 1956 Suez Crisis and the Six-Day War of 1967.

The Red Sea (sometimes “Arabian Gulf”) is a stretch of water lying between Africa and Asia. The Gulf of Suez (and the Suez Canal) lies to the north, and the Gulf of Aden to the south. According to the Book of Exodus in the Bible, God parted the Red Sea to allow Moses lead the Israelites from Egypt.

6 Blouse edges : HEMS

A blouse is a loose-fitting shirt, particularly one worn by women or children. The term “blouse” is French, and originally described a peasant’s smock.

8 Churchill Downs race : DERBY

The first Kentucky Derby took place in 1875, and is a race modeled on the Epsom Derby in England and the Grand Prix de Paris (now called the “Prix de l‘Arc de Triomphe”). As such, the Kentucky Derby was run over 1½ miles, although in 1896 this was shortened to 1¼ miles. The winning horse is presented with a very elaborate blanket made of red roses, and so the Derby is nicknamed “Run for the Roses”. The race is held on the first Saturday in May each year, and is limited to 3-year-old horses.

Churchill Downs is a thoroughbred racetrack located in Louisville, Kentucky that is famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby each year. The track is named for John and Henry Churchill who once owned the land on which the course was built.

9 Milky Way ingredient : CARAMEL

The confectionery product known as caramel is made by heating sugar. The process of caramelization requires slow heating of the sugar to about 170 °C. The heating causes the sugar molecules to break down and convert into the compounds that provide the characteristic color and flavor of caramel.

Having lived on both sides of the Atlantic, I find the Mars Bar to be the most perplexing of candies! The original Mars Bar is a British confection (and delicious) that was first manufactured in 1932. The US version of the original Mars Bar is called a Milky Way. But there is a candy bar called a Milky Way that is also produced in the UK, and it is completely different to its US cousin, being more like an American “3 Musketeers”. And then there is an American confection called a Mars Bar, something different again. No wonder I try not to eat candy bars …

11 Diameter halves : RADII

“Radius” (plural “radii”) is a Latin word, as one might expect, a word meaning “spoke of a wheel”. Makes sense, huh?

12 Essential acid, familiarly : AMINO

Amino acids are essential to life in many ways, not least of which is their use as the building blocks of proteins. Nine amino acids are considered “essential” for humans. These nine must be included in the diet as they cannot be synthesized in the body.

13 Salad bar pair : TONGS

A pair of tongs is a tool with a scissor-like hinge used to pick up things, like meat cooking on a barbecue grill or ice from an ice bucket. The verb “to tong” means “to handle with tongs”.

21 Etch A Sketch control : KNOB

Etch A Sketch was introduced in 1960. The toy was developed in France by inventor André Cassagnes, who initially named it “L’Écran Magique” (The Magic Screen).

26 “I feel the same way!” : AMEN!

The word “amen” translates as “so be it”. “Amen” is said to be of Hebrew origin, but it is also likely to be influenced by Aramaic and Arabic.

28 Starbucks size after Short : TALL

Starbucks introduced us to coffee drinks in a whole range of volumes:

  • Demi … 3 fl oz
  • Short … 8 fl oz
  • Tall … 12 fl oz
  • Grande … 16 fl oz (Italian for “large”)
  • Venti … 20 fl oz (Italian for “twenty”)
  • Trenta … 30 fl oz (Italian for “thirty”)

29 Planet’s path : ORBIT

Our word “planet” ultimately comes from the Greek word “plantai” meaning “wandering”. In olden times, the planets were deemed “wandering” stars, sort of like Lee Marvin …

34 Osaka wrestler : SUMO

Sumo is a sport that is practiced professionally only in Japan, the country of its origin. There is an international federation of sumo wrestling now, and one of the organization’s aims is to have the sport accepted as an Olympic event.

The Japanese city of Osaka used to be called Naniwa, with the name changing to Osaka sometime before 1500. “Osaka” can be translated either as “large hill” or “large slope”. Osaka is sometimes referred to as “the Chicago of Japan” as it is a major center of commerce and industry. The city has also been named the “nation’s kitchen”, and was a center for Japan’s rice trade for centuries.

37 Homes for pet fish : TANKS

“Aquarium” is a Latin word meaning “pertaining to water”, although in Latin the word only existed as a noun with the meaning “drinking place for cattle”. Before the use of the noun “aquarium” (plural “aquaria”) in the context of fish, a tank was sometimes referred to as a marine vivarium.

38 Site with homemade gifts : ETSY

Etsy.com is an e-commerce website where you can buy and sell the kind of items that you might find at a craft fair.

41 Pre-grilling sauce : MARINADE

Our verb “to marinate” comes from the French “mariner” meaning “to pickle in sea brine”, which in turn comes from the Latin “marinus” meaning “of the sea”. So, “marinade” is related to “marine”.

51 Plant life : FLORA

The fauna is the animal life of a particular region, and the flora is that region’s plant life. The term “fauna” comes from the Roman goddess of earth and fertility who was called Fauna. Flora was the Roman goddess of plants, flowers and fertility.

52 Bahrain currency : DINAR

The dinar is the official currency in many countries, such as Iraq, Tunisia, Bahrain and Serbia. The gold dinar dates back to the early days of Islam, with the name deriving from the Roman currency called “denarius” meaning “ten times” (as it was originally a coin worth ten asses).

61 Genesis garden : EDEN

According to the Book of Genesis, Adam and Eve lived in a garden “in” Eden, with Eden being geographically located by reference to four rivers, including the Tigris and the Euphrates. Some scholars hypothesize that Eden was located in Mesopotamia, which encompasses much of modern-day Iraq.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Has a balance due : OWES
5 Fish with valuable roe : SHAD
9 Jeweler’s weight unit : CARAT
14 Extra-long dress : MAXI
15 ”Those __ the days!” : WERE
16 Sister company of Enterprise Rent-A-Car : ALAMO
17 Wide smile : GRIN
18 Arab League dignitary : EMIR
19 “The Thinker” sculptor : RODIN
20 Gets trounced : TAKES A BEATING
23 Crime scene clue exposed by dusting : PRINT
24 Candied veggie : YAM
25 Apple operating system : IOS
26 “I get it now!” : AHA!
27 Palindromic man’s name : OTTO
30 Royal flush card : TEN
32 Cubs’ caretakers : MAMA BEARS
35 Foamy hot drink : LATTE
39 “College GameDay” channel : ESPN
40 Vinyl collectible : ALBUM
42 Pork or beef : MEAT
43 Tree houses : NESTS
45 Veggies from Peru : LIMA BEANS
47 Approx. landing hr. : ETA
49 Ripped apart : TORE
50 Cloud’s place : SKY
51 Govt. Rx watchdog : FDA
54 Fútbol cheer : OLE!
56 Caribbean cruise stops : ISLES
58 Home of the Metropolitan Opera … and a hint to the “honest” guy hiding in 20-, 32- and 45-Across : LINCOLN CENTER
62 Like much beer at a bar : ON TAP
63 “Et voilà!” : TA-DA!
64 Slack-jawed look : GAPE
67 Salary increase : RAISE
68 Managed, with “out” : EKED …
69 Brainstorm : IDEA
70 Like a javelin’s path : ARCED
71 Russo of “Tin Cup” : RENE
72 Russian autocrat : TSAR

Down

1 “Can u believe it?!” : OMG!
2 Card-vs.-card game : WAR
3 Highway turnoffs : EXIT RAMPS
4 Red Sea peninsula : SINAI
5 Sugary Southern beverage : SWEET TEA
6 Blouse edges : HEMS
7 Operatic solo : ARIA
8 Churchill Downs race : DERBY
9 Milky Way ingredient : CARAMEL
10 Tons : A LOT
11 Diameter halves : RADII
12 Essential acid, familiarly : AMINO
13 Salad bar pair : TONGS
21 Etch A Sketch control : KNOB
22 Have a bite : EAT
23 Temporary stage : PHASE
26 “I feel the same way!” : AMEN!
28 Starbucks size after Short : TALL
29 Planet’s path : ORBIT
31 Birth certificate entry : NAME
33 Initial poker stake : ANTE
34 Osaka wrestler : SUMO
36 Promos to pique interest : TEASER ADS
37 Homes for pet fish : TANKS
38 Site with homemade gifts : ETSY
41 Pre-grilling sauce : MARINADE
44 Bent down : STOOPED
46 Second to none : BEST
48 Every one : ALL
51 Plant life : FLORA
52 Bahrain currency : DINAR
53 Playful prank : ANTIC
55 Large keyboard key : ENTER
57 On the level : LEGIT
59 Social worker’s assignment : CASE
60 Birthday candle holder : CAKE
61 Genesis garden : EDEN
65 Split __ soup : PEA
66 Organ with a canal : EAR