LA Times Crossword 17 Apr 20, Friday

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Constructed by: Joe Deeney
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Round of Applause

Today’s grid includes four ROUNDS OF APPLAUSE, four circular arrangements of the letters CLAP around a black square:

  • 36A Acknowledgement of success–four are hidden in this puzzle, each adjacent to a black square : ROUND OF APPLAUSE

Bill’s time: 10m 14s

Bill’s errors: 2

  • MC REN (MC Ran)
  • GREY GOOSE (Gray Goose!!!)

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Nice with? : AVEC

The French city of Nice is on the Mediterranean coast in the southeast of the country. Although Nice is only the fifth most populous city in France, it is home to the busiest airport outside of Paris. That’s because of all the tourists flocking to the French Riviera.

5 “The Empire Strikes Back” ice planet : HOTH

The fictional planet known as Hoth is featured in the “Star Wars” movie “The Empire Strikes Back”. Hoth is an ice planet, and home to a secret base belonging to the Rebel Alliance.

9 Big bucks : STAGS

A male deer is usually called a buck, and a female is a doe. However, the male red deer is usually referred to as a stag. The males of even larger species of deer are often called bulls, and females cows. In older English, male deer of over 5 years were called harts, and females of over 3 years were called hinds. The young of small species are known as fawns, and of larger species are called calves. All very confusing …

16 __ board : EMERY

Emery is a very hard type of rock that is crushed for use as an abrasive. Emery paper is made by gluing small particles of emery to paper. Emery boards are just emery paper with a cardboard backing. And emery boards are primarily used for filing nails.

17 “Les Rougon-Macquart” author : EMILE ZOLA

“Les Rougon-Macquart” is a series of twenty books by French author Émile Zola. The series follows the life of a fictional family during the Second French Empire in the second half of the 19th century.

18 N.W.A member portrayed by Aldis Hodge in “Straight Outta Compton” : MC REN

“MC Ren” is the stage name of rapper Lorenzo Patterson. The “Ren” in his stage name comes from the middle letters in his given name “Lorenzo”.

“Straight Outta Compton” was the first album by N.W.A. N.W.A was a hip hop group from Compton, California. The original five group members included rappers who have made a name for themselves as solo acts, including: Dr. Dre and Ice Cube. The story of NWA is told in a 2015 film, also called “Straight Outta Compton”.

19 Upper bod muscle : PEC

“Pecs” is the familiar name for the chest muscle, which is more correctly known as the pectoralis major muscle. “Pectus” is the Latin word for “breast, chest”.

20 Drainage system component : AIR TRAP

Foul odors and gases from drains and sewage lines are shut off, from a sink say, by an air trap.

22 Caustic solution : LYE

What we call “lye” is usually sodium hydroxide, although historically the term “lye” was used for potassium hydroxide. Lye has many uses, including to cure several foodstuffs. Lye can make olives less bitter, for example. The chemical is also found in canned mandarin oranges, pretzels and Japanese ramen noodles. More concentrated grades of lye are used to clear drains and clean ovens. Scary …

23 Calendering machine for glossing paper : HOT PRESS

Calendered paper has a smooth and glossy appearance. This effect is achieved by “calendering”, applying pressure at the end of the paper-making process.

25 Longtime sportscaster Sager : CRAIG

Craig Sager was a sports reporter who is best remembered for his sideline reporting of NBA games. He is also remembered for wearing some smart, but colorful, sports coats and suits while on air.

28 Chafing dish heaters : STERNOS

Sterno is a jellied alcohol that usually comes in a can. The can is opened and the contents burn very easily and persistently. The brand name “Sterno” comes from the original manufacturer, S. Sternau & Co. of Brooklyn, New York.

A chafing dish is a portable grate used for food that must be cooked over a slow heat, The heat source is often charcoal or an alcohol burner. The term “chafing” comes from the French “chauffer” meaning “to make warm”.

30 “Your Unfiltered View of Government” sloganeer : C-SPAN

C-SPAN is a privately-funded, nonprofit cable channel that broadcasts continuous coverage of government proceedings.

33 Jesus in the outfield : ALOU

Jesus Alou played Major League Baseball, as did his brothers Matty and Felipe, and as did Felipe’s son Moises.

35 Entertainment awards acronym : EGOT

The acronym “EGOT” stands for “Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony”, and is a reference to performers who have won all four awards.

42 Michigan/Ontario border river : ST CLAIR

The St. Clair River runs for just over 40 miles, and connects Lake Huron with Lake St. Clair. The river forms part of the US-Canada international border, and lies between Ontario and Michigan.

44 Kellogg School deg. : MBA

The business school at Northwestern University is called the John L. Kellogg School of Management. John L. Kellogg was the son of Will Keith Kellogg of breakfast cereal fame, and John’s foundation made a generous donation in 1979, hence the current name for the business school.

51 Abbr. that debuted in OED in 2011 : LOL

Laugh out loud (LOL)

Work started on what was to become the first “Oxford English Dictionary” (OED) in 1857. Several interim versions of the dictionary were published in the coming years with the first full version appearing, in ten bound volumes, in 1928. The second edition of the OED appeared in 1989 and is made up of twenty volumes. The OED was first published in electronic form in 1988 and went online in 2000. Given the modern use of computers, the publishing house responsible feels that there will never be a third print version of the famous dictionary.

52 Kind of share : PRO RATA

“Pro rata” is a Latin phrase meaning “in proportion”.

54 MDX ÷ X : CLI

In Roman numerals, MDX (1,510) divided by X (10) is CLI (151).

55 “Three inches is such a wretched height to be” speaker : ALICE

In Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”, Alice says, “Three inches is such a wretched height to be” in a conversation she has with the Caterpillar.

59 World’s fastest hedgehog : SONIC

Sonic the Hedgehog is a title character in a videogame and the mascot of Sega, the computer game developer. Sonic was set up as a rival to Nintendo’s mascot “Mario”.

61 Boxer’s reward : TREAT

The boxer breed of dog (one of my favorites!) originated in Germany. My first dog was a boxer/Labrador mix, a beautiful combination. Our current family dog is a boxer/pug mix, and is another gorgeous animal.

62 1987 Costner role : NESS

Eliot Ness was portrayed by Kevin Costner in the 1987 film “The Untouchables” (good movie).

63 ORD postings : ETAS

The IATA airport code for O’Hare International in Chicago is ORD, which comes from Orchard Place Airport/Douglas Field (OR-D).

Down

1 Beth preceder : ALEPH

Aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and beth is the second.

2 YouTube alternative : VIMEO

Vimeo is a competing video-sharing platform to YouTube. The name “Vimeo” comes from “video” and “me”, and it also happens to be an anagram of “movie”.

4 Toon collectible : CEL

In the world of animation, a cel is a transparent sheet on which objects and characters are drawn. In the first half of the 20th century the sheet was actually made of celluloid, giving the “cel” its name.

6 Olfactory triggers : ODORS

The adjective “olfactory” means “relating to the sense of smell”. The term comes from the Latin verb “olfacere” meaning “to get the smell of”.

8 Winter covering : HOAR

The Old English word “har” meant “gray, venerable, old”, and came into English as “hoar” (and later “hoary”) with the same meaning. The term “hoar-frost” dates back to the 13th century, and reflects the similarity of the white feathers of frost to the gray/white of an old man’s beard.

9 Musical “throughout” : SEMPRE

“Sempre” is a musical term. It is a direction instructing the performer to play in the same manner throughout.

10 HBO competitor : TMC

The Movie Channel is owned by Showtime, which in turn is a subsidiary of CBS. The channel’s name is often abbreviated to “TMC”, although this is informal usage.

11 Carrier with a shamrock logo : AER LINGUS

Aer Lingus is my favorite airline! Well, the service isn’t that great, but when I get on board an Aer Lingus plane I feel like I am back in Ireland. Aer Lingus is the national airline of Ireland, with “Aer Lingus” being a phonetic spelling of the Irish “aer-loingeas” meaning “air fleet”. These days Aer Lingus can only lay claim to the title of Ireland’s oldest airline as it is no longer the biggest. That honor goes to the controversial budget airline Ryanair.

12 Vodka brand : GREY GOOSE

Grey Goose is a vodka that is produced in France. The beverage was developed especially for the American market using resources and expertise available in the French Cognac region.

13 “Auld Lang __” : SYNE

The song “Auld Lang Syne” is a staple at New Year’s Eve (well, actually in the opening minutes of New Year’s Day). The words were written by Scottish poet Robbie Burns. The literal translation of “Auld Lang Syne” is “old long since”, but is better translated as “old times”. The sentiment of the song is “for old time’s sake”.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

24 Self-playing instrument : PIANOLA

A player piano is a piano that plays itself. The original Pianola, a brand introduced in the early 1900s, used a pneumatic mechanism to depress the keys. The tune itself was stored on a paper roll that had carefully positioned perforations.

26 TripAdvisor offering : AREA MAP

TripAdvisor.com is a travel website dedicated to helping users in most aspects of their travels. Much of TripAdvisor’s content is generated by users, in the form of reviews by travelers.

28 Illegal payments : SOPS

Cerberus is a dog with three heads that appears in both Greek and Roman mythology. Cerberus had the job of guarding the gates of Hades and preventing those who had crossed the River Styx from ever escaping. A sop is a piece of food that has been dipped in some liquid, as one might sop a piece of bread in soup. There is an idiomatic expression, “to give a sop to Cerberus”, which means “to give someone a bribe, pay someone off”. The idea is that if one could bribe Cerberus, give him a sop to eat, then he would let you pass and escape from Hades.

29 “Do not remove” mark : STET

“Stet” is a Latin word meaning “let it stand”. In editorial work, the typesetter is instructed to disregard any change previously marked by writing the word “stet” and then underscoring that change with a line of dots or dashes.

30 Football Hall of Famer Carter : CRIS

Cris Carter is a retired NFL wide receiver. At the time of his retirement, Carter was second only to Jerry Rice in terms of career receptions and touchdowns.

37 Rattan alternative : OSIER

Most willows (trees and shrubs of the genus Salix) are called just that, “willows”. Some of the broad-leaved shrub varieties are called “sallow”, and the narrow-leaved shrubs are called “osier”. Osier is commonly used in basketry, as osier twigs are very flexible. The strong and flexible willow stems are sometimes referred to as withies.

38 Congress has a big one : LIBRARY

The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. is regarded as the national library of the US, although its official function is the library of the US Congress. It is the world’s largest library, and has been so since 1990. Most of the books acquired by the library each year are in languages other than English.

44 Ceremonial headdresses : MITERS

A miter (also “mitre”) is a traditional headdress worn by bishops in some Christian traditions. The term “miter” comes from a Greek word for “headband, turban”.

49 South American carrier : LLAMA

The wool from a llama is much softer than that from a sheep, and it is also free from lanolin.

53 __ Lars, who raised Luke Skywalker : OWEN

In the “Star Wars” universe, Owen Lars is the surrogate father and uncle who raised Luke Skywalker. In the “Star Wars” movies, Lars was played by actors Phil Brown and Joel Edgerton.

56 “Homeland” org. : CIA

“Homeland” is a psychological drama on Showtime about a CIA officer who is convinced that a certain US Marine is a threat to the security of the United States. The show is based on a series from Israeli television called “Hatufim” (Prisoners of War”). I saw the first season of this show and highly recommend it …

58 4G __: mobile device standard : LTE

In the world of telecommunications, the initialism LTE stands for Long-Term Evolution, and is wireless broadband communication standard. In general terms, LTE improves broadband speeds. As I understand it, LTE technology allows a 3G network to perform almost as well as a true 4G network, and so LTE is sometimes marketed as 4G LTE, even though it’s really “3G plus”.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Nice with? : AVEC
5 “The Empire Strikes Back” ice planet : HOTH
9 Big bucks : STAGS
14 It’s mostly talk : LIVE RADIO
16 __ board : EMERY
17 “Les Rougon-Macquart” author : EMILE ZOLA
18 N.W.A member portrayed by Aldis Hodge in “Straight Outta Compton” : MC REN
19 Upper bod muscle : PEC
20 Drainage system component : AIR TRAP
22 Caustic solution : LYE
23 Calendering machine for glossing paper : HOT PRESS
25 Longtime sportscaster Sager : CRAIG
27 Cash closing? : -IER
28 Chafing dish heaters : STERNOS
30 “Your Unfiltered View of Government” sloganeer : C-SPAN
33 Jesus in the outfield : ALOU
35 Entertainment awards acronym : EGOT
36 Acknowledgement of success–four are hidden in this puzzle, each adjacent to a black square : ROUND OF APPLAUSE
39 “What __ one comes?” : IF NO
40 Cutters : SAWS
41 “Ready?” response : I’M SET?
42 Michigan/Ontario border river : ST CLAIR
44 Kellogg School deg. : MBA
45 Go after : CHASE
46 In a cheerful way : CHIRPILY
51 Abbr. that debuted in OED in 2011 : LOL
52 Kind of share : PRO RATA
54 MDX ÷ X : CLI
55 “Three inches is such a wretched height to be” speaker : ALICE
57 Drip, perhaps : WATER LEAK
59 World’s fastest hedgehog : SONIC
60 Always : EVERY TIME
61 Boxer’s reward : TREAT
62 1987 Costner role : NESS
63 ORD postings : ETAS

Down

1 Beth preceder : ALEPH
2 YouTube alternative : VIMEO
3 Give the boot : EVICT
4 Toon collectible : CEL
5 Less clear : HAZIER
6 Olfactory triggers : ODORS
7 Leans : TILTS
8 Winter covering : HOAR
9 Musical “throughout” : SEMPRE
10 HBO competitor : TMC
11 Carrier with a shamrock logo : AER LINGUS
12 Vodka brand : GREY GOOSE
13 “Auld Lang __” : SYNE
15 Hit in the back : REAR-END
21 Stop working : ACT UP
24 Self-playing instrument : PIANOLA
26 TripAdvisor offering : AREA MAP
28 Illegal payments : SOPS
29 “Do not remove” mark : STET
30 Football Hall of Famer Carter : CRIS
31 Subdued shade : SOFT COLOR
32 Funny part : PUNCHLINE
33 A long way off : AFAR
34 Common practice : LAW
37 Rattan alternative : OSIER
38 Congress has a big one : LIBRARY
43 Viewpoint : ASPECT
44 Ceremonial headdresses : MITERS
46 Covet : CRAVE
47 Can’t tolerate : HATES
48 Nail down the victory : ICE IT
49 South American carrier : LLAMA
50 “Uh-oh!” : YIKES!
51 Endure : LAST
53 __ Lars, who raised Luke Skywalker : OWEN
56 “Homeland” org. : CIA
58 4G __: mobile device standard : LTE