LA Times Crossword 6 Jan 24, Saturday

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Constructed by: Katie Hale & Brian Callahan
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme: None

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

Bill’s time: 11m 33s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Wheels that are longer than cars : LIMO

The word “limousine” derives from the name of the French city of Limoges. The area around Limoges is called the Limousin, and it gave its name to a cloak hood worn by local shepherds. In early motor cars, a driver would sit outside in the weather while the passengers would sit in the covered compartment. The driver would often wear a limousin-style protective hood, giving rise to that type of transportation being called a “limousine”. Well, that’s how the story goes …

5 Chicago pub : TRIB

“The Chicago Tribune” was first published in 1847. The most famous edition of “The Trib” was probably in 1948 when the headline was “DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN”, on the occasion of that year’s presidential election. When it turned out that Truman had actually won, the victor picked up the paper with the erroneous headline and posed for photographs with it … a famous, famous photo, that must have stuck in the craw of the editor at the time.

9 Lighthouse spots : CAPES

The oldest lighthouse still in use is the Tower of Hercules located on the coast of Galicia in northwest Spain. Renovated in 1791, this magnificent lighthouse was built by the Romans in 2nd century CE and has been in constant use since that time. It is believed that the structure’s design is based on the famous Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of Ancient World.

14 Like some Blue Apron kits : OVEN-READY

Blue Apron is a meal delivery service that has been providing customers across the US with a weekly supply of meals since 2012. The “kit” for a meal comes pre-proportioned with ingredients for a home-cooked repast.

16 Kaaba honoree : ALLAH

The Kaaba (sometimes referred to as the “Bayt Allah”) is a large, cube-shaped structure that resides in a mosque in Mecca, in Saudi Arabia. According to the Qur’an, the Kaaba was constructed by Abraham and his son, Ishmael. When Muslims turn to face Mecca during prayers, they are actually turning to the Kaaba.

18 “Westworld” role for Thandiwe Newton : MAEVE

Thandiwe Newton is an English actress who was born in London while her family were visiting relatives. Soon after the birth, the family moved back to Zambia where they lived. Her given name “Thandiwe” translates from Nguni as “beloved”. Coincidentally, one of Newton’s early leading roles was in the gothic horror film “Beloved”, in 1998. Other noted roles were Condoleeza Rice in the 2008 movie “W”, and Maeve Millay in the TV show “Westworld”.

19 Spectrum hue : INDIGO

The name of the color “indigo” ultimately comes from the Greek “indikon” meaning “blue dye from India”.

20 Group that produces the podcast “The Perfect Scam” : AARP

The AARP produces “The Perfect Scam” podcast, airing stories told by people who have been targets of fraudsters. The intent of the podcast is to equip the audience with knowledge that can keep listeners safe from scammers.

23 Older millennials, once : NINETIES KIDS

The Millennial Generation are sometimes referred to as “Generation Y” (Gen-Y). Millennials were born after the “Gen-Xers”, from the early 1980s to the early 2000s.

31 PFCs, e.g. : GIS

The initialism “GI” stands for “Government Issue”, and not “General Infantry” as is widely believed. “GI” was first used in the military to denote equipment made from Galvanized Iron and during WWI, incoming German shells were nicknamed “GI cans”. Soon after, the term GI came to be associated with “Government Issue” and eventually became an adjective to describe anything associated with the Army.

Private first class (PFC)

35 Dish with crushed Oreos : DIRT PIE

Dirt cake (sometimes “dirt pie, dirt pudding”) is a dessert usually made by breaking up Oreo cookies and scattering the pieces over chocolate pudding, and then adding gummy worms on top. Sounds delicious …

39 Got from point A to point B? : SEGUED

A segue is a transition from one topic to the next. “Segue” is an Italian word that literally means “now follows”. It was first used in musical scores directing the performer to play into the next movement without a break. The oft-used term “segway” is given the same meaning, although the word “segway” doesn’t really exist. It is a misspelling of “segue” that has been popularized by its use as the name of the personal transporter known as a Segway.

41 Streetlight Manifesto genre : SKA

Streetlight Manifesto is a ska punk band that formed in 2002 in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

42 Lunar program named for Apollo’s twin sister : ARTEMIS

NASA’s Artemis program has the goal of landing the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024. Artemis is viewed as a step along the road to sending humans to Mars in the 2030s.

Artemis was an ancient Greek goddess, and the equivalent of the Roman goddess Diana. She was also a daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo. Among other things, Artemis was the goddess of the hunt, and so often is depicted carrying a bow and arrows.

46 Spangly camis, e.g. : GOING-OUT TOPS

A camisole (also “cami”) is a sleeveless undershirt worn by women that extends down to the waist. “Camisole” is a French word that we imported into English that ultimately derives from the Latin “camisia” meaning “shirt, nightgown”.

49 Barista’s pot : URN

A barista is a person who serves coffee in a coffee shop. “Barista” is Italian for “bartender”.

50 Pangolin diet : ANTS

The pangolin is also known as the scaly anteater. It is the only mammal that has a layer of protective scales made from keratin that covers the skin. Pangolins are highly prized by hunters, for their meat and their armor. They are in danger of extinction, and yet there is no more highly-trafficked species on the planet.

59 Serengeti lumberer : RHINO

There are five types of rhinoceros that survive today, with the smaller Javan Rhino being the most rare. The rhinoceros is probably the rarest large mammal on the planet, thanks to poaching. Hunters mainly prize the horn of the rhino as it is used in powdered form in traditional Chinese medicine.

The Serengeti is a region in Africa located in northern Tanzania and southwest Kenya. The name “Serengeti” comes from the Maasai language and means “Endless Plains”.

61 Bank visitor : DONOR

Prior to 1915, blood transfusions were carried out directly, from a vein of the donor into a vein of the recipient. All that changed pretty quickly when it was discovered that sodium citrate could be added to blood to stop it coagulating. Soon, it was clear that refrigerated blood treated with an anticoagulant could be stored, and blood “depots” were created in Britain during WWI. The term “blood bank” was first used in 1937, to describe the store of blood kept in the Cook County Hospital in Chicago.

62 Fox tail? : -TROT

The foxtrot is smooth and flowing like a waltz, but in 4/4 time as opposed to 3/4. The dance is named for the vaudeville dancer Harry Fox, who popularized it in the early 1900s.

63 Slugger Sammy : SOSA

Sammy Sosa was firmly in the public eye in 1998 when he and Mark McGwire were vying to be the first to surpass the home run record held by Roger Maris. McGwire fell out of public favor due to stories of steroid abuse (stories which he later admitted were true) while Sosa fell out of favor when he was found to be using a corked bat in a 2003 game.

Down

1 __ hip hop: genre also called “chillhop” : LOFI

Lofi hip hop is a genre of music that combines chill-out music with elements of hip hop. It is a downtempo style that became popular on YouTube in the 2010s. I’m an old fogie who hasn’t learned to appreciate hip hop, but I checked out lofi hip hip, and I like it …

2 Tennis great Lendl : IVAN

Ivan Lendl is a former professional tennis player from Czechoslovakia. Lendl appeared in eight consecutive US Open finals in the eighties, a record that stands to this day. After retiring from tennis, Lendl took up golf, and eventually became a scratch player. Three of Lendl’s five daughters followed their father into golf, all playing for their college golf teams.

4 Connected with a server : ONLINE

In the world of computer science, a computer accessing a service is called a “client”. The service is provided on a computer called a “server”. These days, clients and servers often communicate via the Internet. I am typing up this blog post on my laptop (the client) and am connected via the Internet to the Google Drive service that resides on a computer somewhere (the server).

5 Rocky range : TETON

The Teton Range is located just to the south of Yellowstone National Park, and is part of the Rocky Mountains. The origins of the name “Teton” is not very clear, although one story is that it was named by French trappers, as the word “tetons” in French is a slang term meaning “breasts”.

6 Chuck E. Cheese, e.g., until 1993 : RAT

Chuck E. Cheese is a sit-down pizza restaurant that features entertainment for children. The original Chuck E. Cheese’s Pizza Time Theatre was opened in San Jose, California in 1977 by founder Nolan Bushnell. Bushnell had already achieved success in the business world as the founder of Atari.

8 How many travel in Europe : BY RAIL

Yep, I used to take two trains to high school every day, and two trains back home …

9 Bivouac : CAMPSITE

A bivouac is a temporary camp out of doors. The term comes to us via French from the Swiss/Alsatian word “biwacht” meaning “night guard”. The original bivouac was a group of soldiers camped out as a night guard.

11 Material that clearly divides people? : PLEXIGLASS

“Plexiglass” is a trade name used for acrylic “glass”, which is made from a synthetic polymer called polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA).

15 Hair salon giant that owns Supercuts : REGIS

Regis is a chain of hair salons. The Regis Corporation was founded back in 1922, under the name Kunin Beauty Salon, by Paul and Florence Kunin. Their son took over the business and introduced the Regis name in 1958. Some of the trade names used for Regis salons are SmartStyle, Supercuts and Cost Cutters.

31 Amateur sleuth Fell of John Dickson Carr mysteries : GIDEON

Dr. Gideon Fell is the protagonist in a large series of mystery novels penned by American author John Dickson Carr. Reputedly, Fell’s appearance and personality is based on English author G. K. Chesterton, who wrote the “Father Brown” short stories.

John Dickson Carr was an American author of crime fiction. Carr’s most famous work is “The Hollow Man” published in 1935, a so-called “locked-room mystery” in which two murders are committed in apparently impossible circumstances. “The Hollow Man” was selected in 1981 as the best “locked-room mystery” of all time.

33 Edmonton CFL team : ELKS

The Edmonton Elks Canadian football team was founded back in 1949 as the Edmonton Eskimos. The team abandoned the offensive “Eskimos” name in 2020, and adopted the “Elks” name in 2021.

43 Storm, for one : MUTANT

Storm is a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe whose superpower is the ability to control the weather. Storm was played by Halle Berry in the “X-Men” series of movies.

44 Gothic architecture feature : SPIRE

Gothic architecture is a style that dates back to the mid and late medieval period, following on from the Romanesque style. Gothic architecture originated in France in the 12th century, and was prevalent until the 16th century, when it was largely superseded by the Renaissance style. Gothic buildings often feature pointed arches, ribbed vaults and flying buttresses. The best known example of Gothic edifices are magnificent cathedrals and abbeys across Europe, many of which are still used today. Examples of the style can be seen in Notre-Dame de Paris in France, Westminster Abbey in England, and Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin.

45 Sun Salutation sequence : ASANAS

In yoga, a sun salutation is a sequence of linked poses (asanas). A typical sequence involves twelve distinct asanas, starting and ending from a standing position, and included downward and upward dog poses.

47 Right introduction? : ORTHO-

The prefix “ortho-” in a word can describe “straight, upright, correct”. A literal interpretation of “orthopedics” is “straightening of a child”, and a literal interpretation of “orthodoxy” is the “correctness of opinion”.

52 Accessory with a slide clip : BOLO

I’ve never worn a bolo tie, and was surprised to discover that it is a relatively recent invention. The first bolo tie was apparently produced in Wickenburg, Arizona in the late 1940s by a silversmith. The bolo takes its name from the boleadora, an Argentine lariat.

54 “Dark Sky Island” singer : ENYA

“Dark Sky Island” is a 2015 studio album released by Irish new-age singer Enya. The record’s title is a reference to the island of Sark in Britain’s Channel Islands. Sark is remarkably free of light pollution and so was officially designated a Dark Sky Community in 2011, making it the world’s first Dark Sky Island.

56 “That’s __ from me” : A NO

And from me …

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Wheels that are longer than cars : LIMO
5 Chicago pub : TRIB
9 Lighthouse spots : CAPES
14 Like some Blue Apron kits : OVEN-READY
16 Kaaba honoree : ALLAH
17 Attempt to reach a distant star : FAN LETTER
18 “Westworld” role for Thandiwe Newton : MAEVE
19 Spectrum hue : INDIGO
20 Group that produces the podcast “The Perfect Scam” : AARP
22 Marked, as on a treasure map : XED
23 Older millennials, once : NINETIES KIDS
26 Spa garb : ROBES
29 Looking (into) : DELVING
30 Draft choice : IPA
31 PFCs, e.g. : GIS
32 Wraps : STOLES
35 Dish with crushed Oreos : DIRT PIE
38 Item best not pocketed : CUE BALL
39 Got from point A to point B? : SEGUED
40 Deplete : SAP
41 Streetlight Manifesto genre : SKA
42 Lunar program named for Apollo’s twin sister : ARTEMIS
44 Fresh : SASSY
46 Spangly camis, e.g. : GOING-OUT TOPS
49 Barista’s pot : URN
50 Pangolin diet : ANTS
51 Worth pursuing : VIABLE
55 Up : AT BAT
57 Day time : AFTERNOON
59 Serengeti lumberer : RHINO
60 “Oh, come on” : NOW, REALLY
61 Bank visitor : DONOR
62 Fox tail? : -TROT
63 Slugger Sammy : SOSA

Down

1 __ hip hop: genre also called “chillhop” : LOFI
2 Tennis great Lendl : IVAN
3 Darn : MEND
4 Connected with a server : ONLINE
5 Rocky range : TETON
6 Chuck E. Cheese, e.g., until 1993 : RAT
7 Forms a mental picture : IDEATES
8 How many travel in Europe : BY RAIL
9 Bivouac : CAMPSITE
10 Following : A LA
11 Material that clearly divides people? : PLEXIGLASS
12 Hanging out, in a way : EAVED
13 Loses : SHEDS
15 Hair salon giant that owns Supercuts : REGIS
21 Gets ready to go, perhaps : REVS UP
24 Name that sounds like consecutive letters : EDIE
25 Handle : KNOB
26 Clears (of) : RIDS
27 Name that sounds like consecutive letters : OPIE
28 Saving space : BARGAIN BIN
31 Amateur sleuth Fell of John Dickson Carr mysteries : GIDEON
33 Edmonton CFL team : ELKS
34 Knock ’em dead : SLAY
36 Move : TURN
37 Housemate who’s liable to snap : PET GATOR
38 Throw : CAST
40 Indulges, as a portraitist : SITS FOR
43 Storm, for one : MUTANT
44 Gothic architecture feature : SPIRE
45 Sun Salutation sequence : ASANAS
46 Position that requires passing judgment? : GUARD
47 Right introduction? : ORTHO-
48 Not subtle : OVERT
52 Accessory with a slide clip : BOLO
53 Reacts to a meme, maybe : LOLS
54 “Dark Sky Island” singer : ENYA
56 “That’s __ from me” : A NO
58 Wee hour : TWO