LA Times Crossword 27 Jul 22, Wednesday

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Constructed by: Peter A. Collins
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Take the Wrong Way

Themed answers each include the letter string “TAKE”, but in the wrong order, THE WRONG WAY:

  • 59A Misinterpret, or what is hidden in each of the answers to the starred clues? : TAKE THE WRONG WAY
  • 17A *Small Hershey’s treats : CHOCOLATE KISSES
  • 23A *Cabbagelike ornamental plant : WHITE KALE
  • 38A *Baker’s pan : CAKE TIN
  • 51A *Pedicabs : BIKE-TAXIS

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

Bill’s time: 6m 13s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Windex target : PANE

Windex glass cleaner was introduced in 1933. The formulation that was sold up to the end of WWII had to be packed in metal cans, because it was so flammable.

9 Blackjack stack : CHIPS

The card game known as “twenty-one” was first referred to in print in a book by Cervantes, the author famous for writing “Don Quixote”. He called the game “veintiuna” (Spanish for “twenty-one”). Cervantes wrote his story just after the year 1600, so the game has been around at least since then. Twenty-one came to the US but it wasn’t all that popular so bonus payments were introduced to create more interest. One of the more attractive bonuses was a ten-to-one payout to a player who was dealt an ace of spades and a black jack. This bonus led to the game adopting the moniker “Blackjack”.

14 Black Card co. : AMEX

“Amex” is short for “American Express”, the name of the financial services company that is best known for its credit card, charge card and traveler’s check businesses. The company name is indicative of its original business. American Express was founded in 1850 in Buffalo, New York as an express mail service.

15 “Hey, sailor!” : AHOY!

“Ahoy!” is a nautical term used to signal a vessel. When the telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell, he suggested that “ahoy” be used as a standard greeting when answering a call. However, Thomas Edison came up with “hello”, and we’ve been using that ever since.

16 Largest city on the Red River : HANOI

Hanoi (“Hà Nội” in Vietnamese) was the capital of North Vietnam, and Saigon the capital of South Vietnam. After the Vietnam War, Hanoi was made capital of the reunified state. Saigon, the larger metropolis, was renamed to Ho Chi Minh City. Hanoi is located in the delta of the Red River, and is just over 50 miles from the Gulf of Tonkin in the South China Sea.

17 *Small Hershey’s treats : CHOCOLATE KISSES

The Hershey Company produces over 80 million chocolate Kisses each day, and has been making them since 1907.

21 Chowder head? : CLAM

The type of soup known as “chowder” is possibly named for the pot in which it used to be cooked called a “chaudière”, a French term.

22 “Outlander” cable network : STARZ

The Starz premium cable channel is owned by Lionsgate, the same company that owns the Encore cable channel. Starz was launched in 1994 and mainly shows movies.

The “Outlander” period drama TV show is based on a series of novels of the same name by Diana Gabaldon. Stars of the show are Irish actress Caitríona Balfe and Scottish actor Sam Heugan. Balfe plays a military nurse who is transported back in time to mid-17th century Scotland, where she falls in love with a Highland warrior played by Heugan. Because of the success of the TV show, there’s word floating around that there might be a prequel in the works.

34 Orecchiette shape : EAR

Orecchiette are small dome-shaped pasta from Southern Italy. Each piece resembles a small ear, hence the name. “Orecchietta” (the singular) comes from the Italian “orecchia” meaning “ear” and “-etta” meaning “small”.

36 Henrik whose last play was “When We Dead Awaken” : IBSEN

“When We Dead Awaken” is an 1899 play by Henrik Ibsen that was to be his last. It is about a Norwegian sculptor looking back on his life as an artist. It is generally accepted that the play is somewhat autobiographical, with Ibsen looking back on his struggles and achievements as a playwright.

37 Tetris shape : ELL

Tetris is a very addictive video game that was developed in the Soviet Union in 1984. The name Tetris comes from a melding of the prefix “tetra-” (as all the game pieces have four segments) and “tennis” (a favorite sport played by the developer). Since 2005 there have been more than 100 million copies of the game installed on cell phones alone.

41 Mormons, initially : LDS

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) is known colloquially as the Mormon Church.

42 Prom queen topper : TIARA

A prom is a formal dance held upon graduation from high school (we call them “formals” over in Ireland). The term “prom” is short for “promenade”, the name given to a type of dance or ball.

44 Links standard : PAR

The oldest type of golf course is a links course. The name “links” comes from the Old English word “hlinc” meaning “rising ground”. “Hlinc” was used to describe areas with coastal sand dunes or open parkland. As a result, we use the term “links course” to mean a golf course that is located at or on the coast, often amid sand dunes. The British Open is always played on a links course.

49 Transmission selection : GEAR

Here’s yet another term that confused me when I moved across the Atlantic. Back in Britain and Ireland, a car’s transmission is the whole drivetrain. Here in America, the term “transmission” tends to be synonymous with “gearbox”.

51 *Pedicabs : BIKE-TAXIS

A pedicab is also known as a cycle rickshaw.

53 Sacramento team : KINGS

The Sacramento Kings are one of the oldest basketball franchises still operating, having been founded way back in 1923 as the Rochester Seagrams. The Kings moved to Sacramento in 1985 from Kansas City, Missouri.

57 Apropos of : AS TO

“Apropos”, meaning “relevant, opportune”, comes into English directly from French, in which language “à propos” means “to the purpose”. Note that we use the term as one word (apropos), whereas the original French is two words (à propos).

64 String quartet instrument : VIOLA

A standard string quartet is made up of two violins, a viola and a cello. A string quintet consists of a standard string quartet with the addition of a fifth instrument, usually a second viola or cello.

66 Old Italian bread? : LIRE

In a “banca” (bank) in Italy, the currency of favor was the lira, and now it’s the euro.

67 Poetry fests : SLAMS

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.

68 General __ chicken : TSO’S

General Tso’s chicken is an American creation, and a dish often found on the menu of a Chinese restaurant. The name General Tso may be a reference to General Zuo Zongtang of the Qing Dynasty, but there is no clear link.

Down

1 Trivia quiz fodder : FACTS

Trivia are things of little consequence. “Trivia” is the plural of the Latin word “trivium” which means “a place where three roads meet”. Now that’s what I call a trivial fact …

3 “Glassheart” singer Lewis : LEONA

“Glassheart” is a 2012 studio album released by English singer Leona Lewis. That release was initially in Britain and Ireland, and relatively soft sales led to the planned release in North America being canceled.

8 Lens cover : EYELID

The lens in the eye can change shape, and in so doing change its focal length. This change allows the eye to focus on objects at different distances. The shape of the lens alters due to the action of the eye’s ciliary muscles.

12 Baltimore Ravens mascot named for a writer : POE

The name of the Baltimore Ravens football team has a literary derivation. Baltimore was the home of the writer Edgar Allan Poe, and so the team took its moniker from his most famous poem, “The Raven”. The name was selected in a fan contest. Baltimore’s mascot is a raven named Poe. Prior to the 2008 season, the Raven’s had a trio of avian mascots: Edgar, Allan and Poe.

18 Ricelike pasta : ORZO

Orzo is pasta that has been formed into granular shapes, much like barley. And indeed, “orzo” is the Italian word for “barley”. Orzo is also called “risoni”, meaning “large rice”.

19 Green Hornet sidekick : KATO

In “The Green Hornet” television series, Kato was played by Bruce Lee. The Kato role has been cited as a driving force behind the increase in popularity of martial arts in the US during the sixties.

24 USSR secret service : KGB

The “Komitet gosudarstvennoy bezopasnosti” (KGB) was the national security agency of the Soviet Union until 1991. The KGB was dissolved after the agency’s chairman led a failed attempt at a coup d’état designed to depose President Mikhail Gorbachev.

25 Flight path? : AISLE

While taking a flight, the path to one’s seat is known as an aisle.

26 City near Manchester : LEEDS

I went to school for a while not far from Leeds in West Yorkshire in the north of England. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, Leeds was a major center for the production and trading of wool, and then with the onset of mechanization it became a natural hub for manufacture of textiles. These days Leeds is noted as a shopping destination and so has been dubbed “the Knightsbridge of the North”.

Manchester is the second-most populous city in the UK, and is located in the northwest of England. Manchester grew in size dramatically during the Industrial Revolution. Home to a thriving textile industry, Manchester is often referred to as the world’s first industrialized city.

27 Accounting giant __ & Young : ERNST

Ernst & Young is one of the Big Four accountancy firms, alongside Deloitte, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Ernst & Young is headquartered in London. The company was founded in 1989 with the merger of Ernst & Whinney with Young & Co.

29 __ salt : SEA

The lobbyists have done their job when it comes to the labeling of “sea salt”. In the US, sea salt doesn’t even have to come from the sea. The argument is that all salt came from the sea if you look back far enough. The politics of food; don’t get me started …

31 Adjust a paragraph setting : RETAB

Like most features on our computer keyboards, the tab key is a hangover from the days of typewriters. When using a typewriter, making entries into a table was very tedious, involving lots of tapping on the spacebar and backspace key. So, a lever was added to typewriters that allowed the operator to “jump” across the page to positions that could be set by hand. Later this was simplified to a tab key which could be depressed, causing the carriage to jump to the next tab stop in much the same way that the modern tab key works on a computer.

32 Defensive line? : ALIBI

“Alibi” is the Latin word for “elsewhere” as in, “I claim that I was ‘elsewhere’ when the crime was committed, I have an ‘alibi’”.

33 Lab container : FLASK

Our term “laboratory”, often shortened to “lab”, comes from the Medieval Latin word “laboratorium” meaning “place for labor, work”. This in turn comes from the Latin verb “laborare” meaning “to work”.

35 Iron-pumping unit : REP

Repetition (rep)

38 Some Bach creations : CANTATAS

A cantata is a piece of music that is sung, as opposed to a sonata, which is a piece that is played on some instrument, often a piano. A sonatina is in effect a sonata that has been labeled as something lighter and shorter.

Johann Sebastian Bach died when he was 65-years-old, in 1750. He was buried in Old St. John’s Cemetery in Leipzig, and his grave went unmarked until 1894. At that time his coffin was located, removed and buried in a vault within the church. The church was destroyed in an Allied bombing raid during WWII, and so after the war the remains had to be recovered and taken to the Church of St. Thomas in Leipzig.

39 Puts a glove on, in a way : TAGS

That might be baseball.

43 Food writer Drummond : REE

Ree Drummond is a food writer and blogger. Drummond’s blog “The Pioneer Woman” recounts her daily life on her family’s working ranch outside of Pawhuska, Oklahoma.

47 “Ring of Fire” singer : CASH

The country classic “Ring of Fire” was written by Merle Kilgore and June Carter. The first recording of the song was made by June Carter’s sister Anita, in 1963. The second recording was a little more successful. It was a recording made by June Carter’s husband … Johnny Cash.

52 Siouan speakers : IOWAS

The Iowa Native American people are a Siouan nation. The Iowa speak the Chiwere language, along with the Missouria and Otoe tribes.

56 Ocular woes : STYES

A stye is a bacterial infection of the sebaceous glands at the base of the eyelashes, and is also known as a hordeolum.

58 D.C. veterans : POLS

Politician (pol)

61 RVer’s stopover : KOA

Kampgrounds of America (KOA) was founded in 1962 by Montana businessman Dave Drum, who opened up his first property along the Yellowstone River. His strategy was to offer a rich package of services including hot showers, restrooms and a store, which he hoped would attract people used to camping in the rough. The original campground was an immediate hit and Drum took on two partners and sold franchises all over the country. There are about 500 KOA sites today.

One using a recreational vehicle (RV) might be called an RVer.

62 Common name for a tree-lined street : ELM

The most common street name in the US is “Second Street”. “First Street” comes in only at number three, and this is because many cities and towns forgo the use of “First” and instead go with “Main” or something more historical in nature. The spooky “Elm Street” appears on the list at number fifteen.

63 Ipanema’s city : RIO

Ipanema is a beach community in the south of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The name Ipanema is a local word meaning “bad water”, signifying that the shore is bad for fishing. The beach became famous worldwide following the release of the song “The Girl from Ipanema” in 1962.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Manicurist’s tool : FILE
5 Windex target : PANE
9 Blackjack stack : CHIPS
14 Black Card co. : AMEX
15 “Hey, sailor!” : AHOY!
16 Largest city on the Red River : HANOI
17 *Small Hershey’s treats : CHOCOLATE KISSES
20 Some pore minimizers : TONERS
21 Chowder head? : CLAM
22 “Outlander” cable network : STARZ
23 *Cabbagelike ornamental plant : WHITE KALE
28 Sit for a portrait : POSE
30 More iffy : DODGIER
31 Pool toy : RAFT
34 Orecchiette shape : EAR
36 Henrik whose last play was “When We Dead Awaken” : IBSEN
37 Tetris shape : ELL
38 *Baker’s pan : CAKE TIN
41 Mormons, initially : LDS
42 Prom queen topper : TIARA
44 Links standard : PAR
45 Left on a map : WEST
46 Reason for a makeup test : ABSENCE
49 Transmission selection : GEAR
51 *Pedicabs : BIKE-TAXIS
53 Sacramento team : KINGS
57 Apropos of : AS TO
58 Stuff one’s face : PIG OUT
59 Misinterpret, or what is hidden in each of the answers to the starred clues? : TAKE THE WRONG WAY
64 String quartet instrument : VIOLA
65 Get just right : NAIL
66 Old Italian bread? : LIRE
67 Poetry fests : SLAMS
68 General __ chicken : TSO’S
69 Pulls the plug on : ENDS

Down

1 Trivia quiz fodder : FACTS
2 “Can we turn on the ceiling fan?” : I’M HOT
3 “Glassheart” singer Lewis : LEONA
4 Passage quoted in a book review, say : EXCERPT
5 Buds : PALS
6 “That’s it!” : AHA!
7 Top-__ : NOTCH
8 Lens cover : EYELID
9 Added one’s opinion : CHIMED IN
10 Experiences : HAS
11 Some connections : INS
12 Baltimore Ravens mascot named for a writer : POE
13 Mom, to Auntie : SIS
18 Ricelike pasta : ORZO
19 Green Hornet sidekick : KATO
23 Watered-down : WEAK
24 USSR secret service : KGB
25 Flight path? : AISLE
26 City near Manchester : LEEDS
27 Accounting giant __ & Young : ERNST
29 __ salt : SEA
31 Adjust a paragraph setting : RETAB
32 Defensive line? : ALIBI
33 Lab container : FLASK
35 Iron-pumping unit : REP
38 Some Bach creations : CANTATAS
39 Puts a glove on, in a way : TAGS
40 Wrath : IRE
43 Food writer Drummond : REE
45 Squirm : WRIGGLE
47 “Ring of Fire” singer : CASH
48 Scope : EXTENT
50 Comparable (to) : AKIN
52 Siouan speakers : IOWAS
54 Lose-lose : NO-WIN
55 Keep safe : GUARD
56 Ocular woes : STYES
58 D.C. veterans : POLS
59 Sets in a bar : TVS
60 Feel poorly : AIL
61 RVer’s stopover : KOA
62 Common name for a tree-lined street : ELM
63 Ipanema’s city : RIO