LA Times Crossword 19 Aug 20, Wednesday

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Constructed by: Nina Sloan & Ross Trudeau
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Egocentric

Themed answers each include “SELF” as a hidden word. To underscore the theme, there’s a big letter “I” at the CENTER of the grid:

  • 59A Like someone who only has I’s for you? … or an apt description of the answers to starred clues : EGOCENTRIC
  • 17A *Colorful addition to an aquarium : DAMSELFISH
  • 24A *Big rig need : DIESEL FUEL
  • 46A *Eco-friendly source of some shellfish : MUSSEL FARM

Bill’s time: 5m 49s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

14 NAACP co-founder __ B. Wells : IDA

Ida B. Wells was an African-American journalist and leader of the civil rights movement. She published a pamphlet in 1892 called “Southern Horrors: Lynch Law in All Its Phases”, which publicized the horrors of lynching of African Americans by white mobs in the South.

15 Really go for, as an opportunity : LEAP AT

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) awards the Spingarn Medal every year, to honor outstanding achievement by an African American. The award was created in 1914 and is named for Joel Elias Spingarn, the NAACP’s first Chairman of the Board.

16 Spanish boy : NINO

In Spanish, a “niño” (boy) turns into a “hombre” (man).

17 *Colorful addition to an aquarium : DAMSELFISH

Damselfish are brightly colored fish that are commonly found in coral reefs, and in home aquariums.

21 13th to beware?: Abbr. : FRI

In our Gregorian calendar there is always at least one occasion annually when the 13th day of the month falls on a Friday, with the dreaded day only coming three times at most each year. Someone with a fear of Friday the 13th is said to be “friggatriskaidekaphobic”, from “Frigg”, the Norse goddess for whom Friday is named, and from “triskaidekaphobia”, the fear of the number thirteen. No one seems to know for sure from where the superstition arises, but it was first documented in the mid-1800s, apparently in an 1869 biography of the composer Rossini.

23 Weaver’s contraption : LOOM

There are many types of loom used to weave cloth, but they all hold parallel threads in tension in one direction, while allowing the interweaving of threads in the perpendicular direction. The threads held under tension are the warp threads, and the “woven” threads are the “weft” threads.

24 *Big rig need : DIESEL FUEL

There are two main types of internal combustion engine. Most cars in the US use spark injection engines (gasoline engines) in which a spark plug sparks in order to ignite the fuel-air mixture. A diesel engine, on the other hand, has no spark plug per se, and uses the heat generated by compressing the air-fuel mixture to cause ignition.

26 Modern sweetie : BAE

“Bae” is a contemporary term of endearment. It is a pet name that is an abbreviation of “babe, baby”, although I’ve also read that it is an acronym standing for “before anyone else”.

29 Hot stuff : TABASCO

Edward McIlhenny created Tabasco Sauce in 1868. He recycled old cologne bottles as a container for the sauce so that he could present it to friends, and when he went into business he ordered new cologne bottles for the commercial product. Even today, the Tabasco Sauce bottle bears a striking resemblance to the bottle used to distribute 4711 cologne.

33 They roll at the end : CREDITS

Prior to the 1970s, most films lacked closing credits and relied only on opening credits. Some closing credits take a long time to roll though. For example, the end credits for 1978’s “Superman” add nearly eight minutes to the movie’s runtime. The 2018 Argentine film “La Flor” has a total runtime of 808 minutes, including 37 minutes for the closing credits.

36 “Planet Money” network : NPR

“Planet Money” is an NPR-produced podcast and blog that was launched in 2008, at the end of the 2007-2008 financial crisis.

37 ATM user’s need : PIN

One enters a Personal Identification Number (PIN) when using an Automated Teller Machine (ATM). Given that the N in PIN stands for “number”, then “PIN number” is a redundant phrase. And, given that the M in ATM stands for “machine”, then “ATM machine” is a redundant phrase as well. Grr …!

39 ’60s war zone : ‘NAM

By some definitions, the official involvement of Americans in the Vietnam War started in 1955. At that time, President Eisenhower deployed a Military Assistance Advisory Group to assist in the training of the South Vietnamese Army. American involvement in the conflict officially ended in 1973, with the signing of an agreement that came out of the Paris Peace Accords.

44 Bareilles of “Waitress” : SARA

Sara Bareilles achieved success with her 2007 “Love Song” with the help of the iTunes online store. In one week in June of that year, iTunes offered the song as “free single of the week” and it quickly became the most downloaded song in the store, and from there climbed to the number spot in the charts.

“Waitress” is a 2015 musical by Sara Bareilles that is based on a 2007 movie of the same name starring Keri Russell in the title role. Both stage show and film are about a waitress and pie chef who is in an unhappy marriage, and who becomes pregnant. Feeling trapped, she sees a pie contest and its grand prize as her way out of her failed marriage.

45 “Star Wars” sequel trilogy heroine : REY

Rey is a central character in the “Star Wars” universe. She first appeared in 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”. Rey is played by British actress Daisy Ridley.

46 *Eco-friendly source of some shellfish : MUSSEL FARM

Some argue that eating mussels grown in farms may be friendlier to the planet than following a vegan diet. Mussel farms use no land, no freshwater, no fertilizer, and even clean up the surrounding seawater.

51 GI on the lam : AWOL

MPs (military police officers) often track down personnel who go AWOL (absent without leave).

To be on the lam is to be in flight, to have escaped from prison. “On the lam” is American slang that originated at the end of the 19th century. The word “lam” also means to “beat” or “thrash”, as in “lambaste”. So “on the lam” might derive from the phrase “to beat it, to scram”.

55 Celestial ovine : ARIES

According to the ancient Greeks, the constellation Aries the Ram represents the mythological winged ram with the Golden Fleece. The Greeks “hijacked” the constellation though, because it also represented a ram in late Babylonian times, long before the Golden Fleece came along.

56 Dictator Amin : IDI

Idi Amin received most of his military training in the British armed forces, eventually achieving the highest rank possible for a Black African in the British Colonial Army in 1959, that of Warrant Officer. On his return to Uganda Amin joined his country’s military and quickly rose to the rank of Deputy Commander of the Army. During that time he was quite the athlete. He was a noted rugby player and swimmer, and for nine years held the Ugandan national light-heavyweight boxing title. By the early seventies, Amin was commander of all the armed forces of Uganda and in 1971 seized power in a military coup, displacing the country’s president Milton Obote. There followed seven years of brutal rule by Amin during which it is estimated that between 100,000 and 500,000 people were murdered. Amin was ousted from power in 1979 after a war with Tanzania, and fled to Libya where he stayed for a year. He then moved to Saudi Arabia, where he was financially supported by the Saudi Royal Family for the remainder of his life. Amin died in 2003.

57 Where to find Bologna : ITALY

Bologna is a city in northern Italy. The city is home to the University of Bologna that was founded way back in 1088. The University of Bologna is the oldest existing university in the world.

63 Binge-watcher’s device : DVR

Digital Video Recorder (DVR)

65 Shorthand pros : STENOS

Stenography is the process of writing in shorthand. The term comes from the Greek “steno” (narrow) and “graphe” (writing).

Down

1 __ wave : TIDAL

Even though the terms “tidal wave” and “tsunami” are often used interchangeably by the lay person, scientists use the terms to describe two related but different phenomena. A tsunami is an ocean wave triggered by the large displacement of water caused by a large earthquake (usually). A tidal wave is a wave triggered by the displacement of water under the gravitational influence of the Sun, Moon and Earth.

2 Craters of the Moon state : IDAHO

Craters of the Moon National Monument in Central Idaho is a breathtakingly beautiful spot. The park includes three extensive lava fields that really do give one the impression that one is looking at craters on the moon. The term “Craters of the Moon” was coined in 1923 during a campaign to convince the National Park Service to protect the area. Apollo astronauts actually trained in the park, learning to seek out and collect rock specimens just as they would be doing on the actual moon.

3 Typical Stan Lee role : CAMEO

Even in my day, a cameo role was more than just a short appearance in a movie (or other artistic piece). For the appearance to be a cameo, the actor had to play himself or herself, and was instantly recognizable. With this meaning it’s easy to see the etymology of the term, as a cameo brooch is one with the recognizable carving of the silhouette of a person. Nowadays, a cameo is any minor role played by a celebrity or famous actor, regardless of the character played.

Stan Lee did just about everything at Marvel Comics over the years, from writing to being president and chairman of the board. If you like superhero movies based on the characters from Marvel Comics, then you could spend a few hours trying to spot Stan Lee in those films as he had a penchant for making cameo appearances. Lee can be spotted in “X-Men” (2000), “Spider-Man” (2002), “Hulk” (2003), “Fantastic Four” (2005), “Iron Man” (2008) and many other films.

5 It might shock you : EEL

“Electrophorus electricus” is the biological name for the electric eel. Despite its name, the electric “eel” isn’t an eel at all, but rather what is called a knifefish, a fish with an elongated body that is related to the catfish. The electric eel has three pairs of organs along its abdomen, each capable of generating an electric discharge. The shock can go as high as 500 volts with 1 ampere of current (500 watts), and that could perhaps kill a human.

6 One-named “Baby Beluga” singer : RAFFI

Raffi Cavoukian, usually just “Raffi”, is a Canadian singer-songwriter who specializes in entertaining children.

7 Empire State Building topper : SPIRE

The zeppelin airship was developed by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, the design of which was granted a US patent in 1899. When zeppelins went into service, they were operated by the company Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-AG (DELAG), making that company the world’s first commercial airline. DELAG was operating commercial flights even before WWI. Famously, that big spire at the top of the Empire State Building was designed to be a docking point for zeppelin airships. However, after several attempts to use it as such, the idea was abandoned as the updrafts coming up from the streets below made docking too hazardous a maneuver.

New York City’s Empire State Building was the world’s tallest building from 1931, the date of its completion, until 1970 when the North Tower of the World Trade Center surpassed it in height in 1970. The Empire State Building was constructed in less than 15 months, handily beating the planned 18-month schedule.

8 Desert relief spot : OASIS

An isolated area of vegetation in a desert is called an oasis (plural “oases”). As water is needed for plant growth, an oasis might also include a spring, pond or small lake. We often use the term “oasis” more generally to describe a haven, a place of rest.

10 Wolfed (down) : SNARFED

To snarf down is to gobble up, to eat voraciously. “Snarf” is a slang term that is probably related to “scarf”, which has the same meaning.

11 Stretch at a wedding? : LIMOUSINE

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 …

12 Licorice-like flavoring : ANISE

Liquorice (also “licorice”) and aniseed have similar flavors, but they come from unrelated plants. The liquorice plant is a legume like a bean, and the sweet flavor is an extract from the roots. The flavor mainly comes from an ether compound called anethole, the same substance that gives the distinctive flavor to anise. The seedpods of the anise plant are what we know as “aniseed”. The anise seeds themselves are usually ground to release the flavor.

18 Brazilian dance : SAMBA

The samba is a Brazilian dance that is very much symbolic of the festival of Carnival. Like so much culture around the world, the samba has its roots in Africa, as the dance is derived from dances performed by former slaves who migrated into urban Rio de Janeiro in the late 1800s. The exact roots of the name “samba” seem to have been lost in the mists of time. However, my favorite explanation is that it comes from an African Kikongo word “semba” which means “a blow struck with the belly button”. We don’t seem to have a need for such a word in English …

22 Like firm pasta : AL DENTE

The Italian expression “al dente” literally means “to the tooth” or “to the bite” and is used to describe not only pasta, but also vegetables that are cooked so that they are tender and yet still crisp.

24 Number that has a point : DECIMAL

The decimal separator in a number written in decimal form is the symbol that separates the integer part of the number from the fractional part. Here in the US, we tend to use a decimal point for that separation. In Central Europe, a decimal comma is the norm.

25 Far-too-memorable song : EARWORM

“Earworm” is a colloquial term used for a catchy tune that is also somewhat irritating, one that you can’t get out of your head.

29 “Snowpiercer” network : TNT

“Snowpiercer” is a TV show about a giant train (the Snowpiercer) that circles a frozen planet Earth after the human race has all but died out. The remaining population lives aboard the train in carriages that are separated by social class. The TV series is an adaptation of a 2013 film of the same name, which in turn came from a 1982 graphic novel “Le Transperceneige”.

31 Lingerie top : BRASSIERE

The word “brassière” is French in origin, but it isn’t the word that the French use for a “bra”. In France, what we call a bra is known as a “soutien-gorge”, translating to “held under the neck”. The word “brassière” is indeed used in France but there it describes a baby’s undershirt, a lifebelt or a harness. “Brassière” comes from the Old French word for an “arm protector” in a military uniform (“bras” is the French for “arm”). Later “brassière” came to mean “breastplate” and from there the word was used for a type of woman’s corset. The word jumped into English around 1900.

“Lingerie” is a French term. As used in France, it describes any underwear, worn by either males or females. In English we use “lingerie” to describe alluring underclothing worn by women. The term “lingerie” comes into English via the French word “linge” meaning “washables”, and ultimately from the Latin “linum”, meaning “linen”. We tend not to pronounce the word correctly in English, either here in the US or across the other side of the Atlantic. The French pronunciation is more like “lan-zher-ee”, as opposed to “lon-zher-ay” (American) and “lon-zher-ee” (British).

34 Road goo : TAR

The terms “tarmac” and “macadam” are short for “tarmacadam”. In the 1800s, Scotsman John Loudon McAdam developed a style of road known as “macadam”. Macadam had a top-layer of crushed stone and gravel laid over larger stones. The macadam also had a convex cross-section so that water tended to drain to the sides. In 1901, a significant improvement was made by English engineer Edgar Purnell Hooley who introduced tar into the macadam, improving the resistance to water damage and practically eliminating dust. The “tar-penetration macadam” is the basis of what we now call tarmac.

35 Texting format, for short : SMS

Short Message Service (SMS) is the name for the text messaging service that many of us still use on our cell phones to contact friends and family.

41 Used a stun gun on : TASERED

Victor Appleton wrote a novel for young adults called “Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle”. The company that developed the TASER electroshock weapon partly named its product as a homage to the novel. The acronym “TASER” stands for “Thomas A. Swift’s Electric Rifle”.

43 Hilton competitor : HYATT

The Hyatt hotel chain takes its name from the first hotel in the group, i.e. Hyatt House at the Los Angeles International Airport that was purchased in 1957. Among other things, Hyatt is famous for designing the world’s first atrium hotel, the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta.

47 Archangel who guarded Eden with a fiery sword : URIEL

Uriel is one of the archangels in the Jewish and Christian traditions. Uriel makes a few notable appearances in literature: in John Milton’s epic poem “Paradise Lost” and in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s poem “Uriel”.

50 “Breaking Bad” poison : RICIN

Ricin is a highly toxic chemical found in the seeds of the castor oil plant. It is so poisonous because it inhibits one of the most basic metabolic processes, the synthesis of protein. One famous use of ricin as a weapon was the assassination of Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov in London in 1978. An agent of the Bulgarian secret police injected a tiny pellet of ricin into his victim’s leg using a modified umbrella.

The AMC drama “Breaking Bad” is a well-written show about a high school teacher stricken by lung cancer who turns to a life of crime to make money. It turns out that the teacher has a talent for making high-quality crystal meth. The show was created by Vince Gilligan who had spent many years as a producer and writer of “The X-Files”. There is a “Breaking Bad” spin-off show running on AMC called “Better Call Saul” that focuses on the life of lawyer Saul Goodman. To be honest, I enjoyed “Better Call Saul” even more than the original show …

53 Kalamata __ : OLIVE

The kalamata olive is a large, dark purple, almond-shaped olive that is perhaps the most common table olive from Greece. It is named for the city of Kalamata in the southern Peloponnese, which is at the center of the region where the olive variety is grown. Even though the EU reserves the name “kalamata” for only those olives grown in the region, we can buy kalamata olives grown elsewhere, from California for example.

54 Stretchy fiber : LYCRA

What we call spandex in the US is known as lycra in Britain and Ireland. “Spandex” was chosen as the name for the elastic fiber as it is an anagram of “expands”.

57 Model/actress Sastre : INES

Inés Sastre is a supermodel and actress from Spain. She is a smart cookie, having studied at the Sorbonne in Paris, and speaking French , English and Italian, as well as her native Spanish.

59 Sci-fi beings : ETS

Extraterrestrial (ET)

60 Novelist Umberto : ECO

Umberto Eco was an Italian writer who is probably best known for his novel “The Name of the Rose”, published in 1980. In 1986, “The Name of the Rose” was adapted into a movie with the same title starring Sean Connery.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Little jerk : TIC
4 Human : PERSON
10 Grand __ : SLAM
14 NAACP co-founder __ B. Wells : IDA
15 Really go for, as an opportunity : LEAP AT
16 Spanish boy : NINO
17 *Colorful addition to an aquarium : DAMSELFISH
19 In the thick of : AMID
20 Down the road : AHEAD
21 13th to beware?: Abbr. : FRI
22 Cropped up : AROSE
23 Weaver’s contraption : LOOM
24 *Big rig need : DIESEL FUEL
26 Modern sweetie : BAE
28 Sidewalk stand drinks : ADES
29 Hot stuff : TABASCO
33 They roll at the end : CREDITS
36 “Planet Money” network : NPR
37 ATM user’s need : PIN
38 Possess : OWN
39 ’60s war zone : ‘NAM
40 Afternoon break in London : TEATIME
42 Vexes : BOTHERS
44 Bareilles of “Waitress” : SARA
45 “Star Wars” sequel trilogy heroine : REY
46 *Eco-friendly source of some shellfish : MUSSEL FARM
51 GI on the lam : AWOL
55 Celestial ovine : ARIES
56 Dictator Amin : IDI
57 Where to find Bologna : ITALY
58 Cake layer : TIER
59 Like someone who only has I’s for you? … or an apt description of the answers to starred clues : EGOCENTRIC
61 Present : HERE
62 Not quite four times : THRICE
63 Binge-watcher’s device : DVR
64 Winter glider : SLED
65 Shorthand pros : STENOS
66 Salty expanse : SEA

Down

1 __ wave : TIDAL
2 Craters of the Moon state : IDAHO
3 Typical Stan Lee role : CAMEO
4 Begged : PLED
5 It might shock you : EEL
6 One-named “Baby Beluga” singer : RAFFI
7 Empire State Building topper : SPIRE
8 Desert relief spot : OASIS
9 To the __ degree : NTH
10 Wolfed (down) : SNARFED
11 Stretch at a wedding? : LIMOUSINE
12 Licorice-like flavoring : ANISE
13 Prototype : MODEL
18 Brazilian dance : SAMBA
22 Like firm pasta : AL DENTE
24 Number that has a point : DECIMAL
25 Far-too-memorable song : EARWORM
27 Hopes (to) : ASPIRES
29 “Snowpiercer” network : TNT
30 Big swinger : APE
31 Lingerie top : BRASSIERE
32 __ of a kind : ONE
33 Kernel holder : COB
34 Road goo : TAR
35 Texting format, for short : SMS
41 Used a stun gun on : TASERED
43 Hilton competitor : HYATT
46 Arithmetic, to Brits : MATHS
47 Archangel who guarded Eden with a fiery sword : URIEL
48 Making-up preceder : FIGHT
49 Love to bits : ADORE
50 “Breaking Bad” poison : RICIN
52 Fends (off) : WARDS
53 Kalamata __ : OLIVE
54 Stretchy fiber : LYCRA
57 Model/actress Sastre : INES
59 Sci-fi beings : ETS
60 Novelist Umberto : ECO