LA Times Crossword Answers 17 Apr 2018, Tuesday

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Constructed by: Roland Huget
Edited by: Rich Norris

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Today’s Reveal Answer: Mixed Breed

Themed answers each include a string of letters circled in the grid. Those strings are the letters in the word “BREED”, but with their order MIXED:

  • 62A. Pet without papers … or what is literally found in the circled letters : MIXED BREED
  • 17A. Welcome wind on a hot day : MILD BREEZE
  • 36A. Successful cryptographer : CODEBREAKER
  • 42A. “Best thing since” invention metaphor : SLICED BREAD

Bill’s time: 5m 35s

Bill’s errors: 0

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Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

14. Use a surgical beam : LASE

The term “laser” is an acronym standing for “Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation” (LASER). It has been pointed out that a more precise name for laser technology is “Light Oscillation by Stimulated Emission of Radiation”, but the resulting acronym isn’t quite so appealing, namely LOSER.

16. “What I Am” singer Brickell : EDIE

Edie Brickell is a singer-songwriter from Dallas, Texas. Brickell has been married to fellow singer Paul Simon since 1991.

23. Migratory flying formations : VEES

Apparently, geese fly in a V-formation for a couple of reasons. One is that it makes for efficient flight and conserves energy. The leading bird gets no advantage, but every following bird gets to “slipstream” a little. It has been noted that the lead bird drops to the back of the formation when he/she gets fatigued. It’s also thought that the flock can stick together more easily when in formation, so it is more difficult to lose someone along the way.

29. Dangerous tide : RIP

Riptides are stretches of turbulent water caused by the meeting of different currents in the ocean.

35. Dr.’s orders : RXS

There seems to 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.

41. Not reactive, as gases : INERT

An inert gas can be different from a noble gas. Both are relatively non-reactive, but a noble gas is an element. An inert gas might be a compound, i.e. made up of more than one element.

47. Typical John Grisham subject : LAW

John Grisham is a lawyer and an incredibly successful author best known for his legal thrillers. After graduating from law school, Grisham practiced law for about ten years and then went into politics. He served in the Mississippi House of Representatives for six years, during which time he wrote his first novel, “A Time to Kill”.

53. Cigarette stimulant : NICOTINE

Nicotine is an alkaloid stimulant found in the nightshade family of plants, most notably in the tobacco plant. The alkaloid takes its name from the tobacco plant (Nicotiana tabacum). In turn, the plant takes its name from French diplomat Jean Nicot. Nicot was the ambassador to Portugal from 1559 to 1561. When Nicot returned to Paris from his assignment in Lisbon, he brought with him tobacco plants, and introduced the French court to snuff.

61. Neutral shade : ECRU

The shade called ecru is a grayish, yellowish brown. The word “ecru” comes from French and means “raw, unbleached”. “Ecru” has the same roots as our word “crude”.

65. Oscar-winning “Skyfall” singer : ADELE

I have not been a fan of Daniel Craig as James Bond (preferring Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan in the role). However, I saw “Skyfall” when it first came out and have been won over. “Skyfall” is one of the best Bond films so far, in my humble opinion. And, Adele’s rendition of the title song is an added plus …

68. Massenet opera about a Spanish legend : LE CID

“Le Cid” is an opera by Jules Massenet that premiered at the Paris Opéra in 1885. The opera is adapted from a play of the same name by Pierre Corneille. Both works are based on the legends surrounding Spanish military leader El Cid.

69. Absolut rival : SKYY

Skyy Vodka is produced in the US, although the operation is owned by the Campari Group headquartered in Italy. Skyy first hit the shelves in 1992 when it was created by an entrepreneur from San Francisco, California.

Down

1. O’Neill’s “Desire Under the __” : ELMS

“Desire Under the Elms” is a classic American play written by Eugene O’Neill and published in 1924. It is basically a retelling of a Greek tragedy, but set in contemporary New England. Sophia Loren stars in a movie version released in 1958.

3. Cuba, por ejemplo : ISLA

In Spanish, Cuba “por ejemplo” (for example), is an “isla” (island).

9. __ set: building toy : ERECTOR

Oh how I loved my Erector Set as a kid. The version we used growing up was referred to as a Meccano set, as “Meccano” was the brand name used for for the toy sold as “Mechanics Made Easy”. The original Erector Set was developed by inventor Alfred Carlton Gilbert, and first produced in 1913. Back then it was sold as “The Erector/Structural Steel and Electro-Mechanical Builder”.

11. Singing competition that returned in 2018, familiarly : IDOL

Fox’s “American Idol” is a spin-off show that was created after the amazing success of the British television show “Pop Idol”. Neither program(me) would be my cup of tea …

18. Letters in old dates : BCE

The designations Anno Domini (AD, “year of Our Lord”) and Before Christ (BC) are found in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The dividing point between AD and BC is the year of the conception of Jesus, with AD 1 following 1 BC without a year “0” in between. The AD/BC scheme dates back to AD 525, and gained wide acceptance soon after AD 800. Nowadays a modified version has become popular, with CE (Common/Christian Era) used to replace AD, and BCE (Before the Common/Christian Era) used to replace BC.

22. Virgil epic : AENEID

Aeneas was a Trojan hero of myth who traveled to Italy and became the ancestor of all Romans. Aeneas’s story is told in Virgil’s epic poem “The Aeneid”.

Publius Vergilius Maro (better known as “Virgil”) was a poet from Ancient Rome. His best known works are:

  • The “Eclogues” (or Bucolics)
  • The “Georgics”
  • The “Aeneid”

24. Flip of a 45 record : SIDE-B

The first vinyl records designed to play at 33⅓ rpm were introduced by RCA Victor in 1931, but were discontinued due to quality problems. The first long play (LP) 33⅓ rpm disc was introduced by Columbia Records many years later in 1948, with RCA Victor following up with a 45 rpm “single” the following year, in 1949.

30. Oyster jewel : PEARL

Pearls form in oysters because of a reaction that is similar to an immune system response in higher animals. The pearl is formed as the oysters lays down successive layers of calcium carbonate around some microscopic foreign body that has penetrated the shell.

32. Cub Scout leader : AKELA

Akela is the wolf in the “Jungle Book” by Rudyard Kipling. He gave his name to a cubmaster in the scouting movement, now known as “Akela”.

33. Hatcher and Garr : TERIS

Teri Hatcher’s most famous role is the Susan Mayer character on the TV comedy-drama “Desperate Housewives”. I’ve never seen more than a few minutes of “Housewives” but I do know Teri Hatcher as a Bond girl, as she appeared in “Tomorrow Never Dies”. More recently, she portrayed Lois Lane on the show “Lois & Clark”.

The lovely Teri Garr had a whole host of minor roles in her youth, including appearances in nine Elvis movies. Garr’s big break came with the role of Inga in “Young Frankenstein”, and her supporting role in “Tootsie” earned Garr an Academy Award nomination. Sadly, Teri Garr suffers from multiple sclerosis. She is a National Ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

34. Some Deco prints : ERTES

“Erté” was the pseudonym of French (Russian born) artist and designer Romain de Tirtoff. Erté is the French pronunciation of his initials “R.T.” Erté’s diverse portfolio of work included costumes and sets for the “Ziegfeld Follies” of 1923, productions of the Parisian cabaret show “Folies Bergère”, as well as the 1925 epic movie “Ben-Hur”. Erté’s most famous work by far is an image titled “Symphony in Black”. It depicts a tall and slender woman dressed in black, holding a black dog on a leash.

48. Rudder locales : STERNS

A rudder is usually a flat sheet of wood or metal located at the stern of a boat, under the waterline. The rudder is attached to a rudder post, which rotates to change the orientation of the rudder hence steering the boat. That rotation of the rudder post can be achieved by pulling or pushing a lever at the top of the post called a tiller.

50. Snarky : SNIDE

“Snark” is a term that was coined by Lewis Carroll in his fabulous 1876 nonsense poem “The Hunting of the Snark”. Somehow, the term “snarky” came to mean “irritable, short-tempered” in the early 1900s, and from there “snark” became “sarcastic rhetoric” at the beginning of the 21st century.

54. Slushy drink brand : ICEE

Slush Puppie and ICEE are brands of frozen, slushy drinks. Ostensibly competing brands, ICEE company now owns the Slush Puppie brand.

55. Avian crop : CRAW

“Craw” is another name for the “crop”, a portion of the alimentary tract of some animals, including birds. The crop is used for the storage of food prior to digestion. It allows the animal to eat large amounts and then digest that food with efficiency over an extended period. The expression “to stick in one’s craw” is used one when one cannot accept something, cannot “swallow” it.

59. Counting rhyme word : EENY

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,
Catch the tiger/monkey/baby by the toe.
If it hollers/screams let him go,
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, you are it!

60. June 6, 1944 : D-DAY

The most famous D-Day in history was June 6, 1944, the date of the Normandy landings in WWII. The term “D-Day” is used by the military to designate the day on which a combat operations are to be launched, especially when the actual date has yet to be determined. What D stands for seems to have been lost in the mists of time although the tradition is that D just stands for “Day”. In fact, the French have a similar term, “Jour J” (Day J), with a similar meaning. We also use H-Hour to denote the hour the attack is to commence.

63. Collegian who roots for the Bulldogs : ELI

The Yale Bulldogs are the athletic teams of Yale University. The Yale school mascot is “Handsome Dan”, the Yale bulldog. The Bulldogs’ logo features a bulldog in front of a letter Y.

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Not at all good : EVIL
5. Piece-of-cake shape : WEDGE
10. Tick off : MIFF
14. Use a surgical beam : LASE
15. Toward the back : AREAR
16. “What I Am” singer Brickell : EDIE
17. Welcome wind on a hot day : MILD BREEZE
19. First-rate : A-ONE
20. Grab greedily : SNATCH
21. Brought back to mind : RECALLED
23. Migratory flying formations : VEES
25. Dance move : STEP
26. Carrots’ partners : PEAS
29. Dangerous tide : RIP
31. Airing in the wee hours : ON LATE
35. Dr.’s orders : RXS
36. Successful cryptographer : CODEBREAKER
38. Diner : EATER
40. Cup handle : EAR
41. Not reactive, as gases : INERT
42. “Best thing since” invention metaphor : SLICED BREAD
45. Untruth : LIE
46. Walked with purpose : STRODE
47. Typical John Grisham subject : LAW
48. Back talk : SASS
49. Nervous twitches : TICS
51. Retail center : MART
53. Cigarette stimulant : NICOTINE
57. Staggered : REELED
61. Neutral shade : ECRU
62. Pet without papers … or what is literally found in the circled letters : MIXED BREED
64. Drop of sorrow : TEAR
65. Oscar-winning “Skyfall” singer : ADELE
66. Family babysitter : NANA
67. Attaches a patch, say : SEWS
68. Massenet opera about a Spanish legend : LE CID
69. Absolut rival : SKYY

Down

1. O’Neill’s “Desire Under the __” : ELMS
2. Fruitless : VAIN
3. Cuba, por ejemplo : ISLA
4. Some HD sets : LED TVS
5. Medal recipient : WAR HERO
6. Poetic preposition before “now” or “long” : ERE …
7. Animal on XING signs : DEER
8. Long looks : GAZES
9. __ set: building toy : ERECTOR
10. College student’s dining choice : MEAL PLAN
11. Singing competition that returned in 2018, familiarly : IDOL
12. “Okay by me” : FINE
13. Nourish : FEED
18. Letters in old dates : BCE
22. Virgil epic : AENEID
24. Flip of a 45 record : SIDE-B
26. Defensive basketball tactic : PRESS
27. Praise highly : EXALT
28. Up and about : ASTIR
30. Oyster jewel : PEARL
32. Cub Scout leader : AKELA
33. Hatcher and Garr : TERIS
34. Some Deco prints : ERTES
36. College transcript unit : CREDIT
37. Silvery freshwater fish : BREAM
39. Nature excursions : ECO-TOURS
43. Dot between dollars and cents : DECIMAL
44. Given, as a medal : AWARDED
48. Rudder locales : STERNS
50. Snarky : SNIDE
52. Yank’s war foe : REB
53. Earns after taxes : NETS
54. Slushy drink brand : ICEE
55. Avian crop : CRAW
56. Boardroom VIP : EXEC
58. Security breach : LEAK
59. Counting rhyme word : EENY
60. June 6, 1944 : D-DAY
63. Collegian who roots for the Bulldogs : ELI

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