LA Times Crossword Answers 31 Mar 2018, Saturday

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Constructed by: Neville Fogarty
Edited by: Rich Norris

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Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 9m 25s

Bill’s errors: 0

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Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1. Dandies : FOPS

A dandy is a man who is overly fastidious with regard to his personal appearance. There’s a suggestion that the term originated in Scotland, where “Dandy” is a diminutive of the name “Andrew”. Back in the early 1800s, when the use of “dandy” was at its height, the female equivalent was a dandizette.

5. Space Invaders genre : SHOOT-‘EM-UP

Space Invaders is one of my favorite video games. It is truly a classic from the good old days (not that I play video games anymore). When Space Invaders was first released in video arcades in Japan in 1978, it was so popular that it caused a shortage of 100-yen coins.

14. Blue dye : ANIL

“Anil” is another name for the indigo plant, as well as the name for the blue indigo dye that is obtained from it. The color of anil is relatively close to navy blue. The main coloring agent in indigo dye is a crystalline powder called indigotin.

15. Quintet that won a Grammy for their a cappella version of “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” : PENTATONIX

Pentatonix (sometimes “PTX”) is an a cappella group that was founded by school chums in Arlington, Texas. The group’s break came with a win in 2011 on the NBC reality show “The Sing-Off”.

In Tchaikovsky’s delightful ballet “The Nutcracker”, much of the action takes place in the Land of Sweets, which is ruled by the Sugar Plum Fairy. The Sugar Plum Fairy’s dance is performed to music that usually features the keyboard instrument known as a celesta, resulting in a unique and memorable sound.

17. ’20s tennis star Lacoste : RENE

René Lacoste was a French tennis player who went into the clothing business, and came up with a more comfortable shirt that players could use. This became known as a “tennis shirt”. When it was adopted for use in the sport of polo, the shirts also became known as “polo shirts”. The “golf shirt” is basically the same thing.

18. 1996 McDonald’s offering : ARCH DELUXE

McDonald’s launched the Arch Deluxe hamburger in 1996 in an attempt to appeal to a more adult audience. The sandwich was marketed as having more sophisticated ingredients, and it it came at a premium price. But, it also came with a premium of calories, which is one reason that the “Deluxe” line of sandwiches flopped. Supposedly, McDonald’s spent over $300 million to come up with the Arch Deluxe, making it one of the most expensive flops of all time.

21. Shellac ingredient : RESIN

Shellac is a resin that comes not from plants, but from the female lac bug that inhabits forests of India and Thailand. The resin is dissolved in alcohol and sold as “shellac”. Shellac is used today mainly as a wood finish, but it can also be used as a food glaze. Vegans, beware …

22. Egg, in Ecuador : HUEVO

“Ecuador” is the Spanish word for “equator”, which gives the country its name.

23. Former Monopoly token : IRON

There are eight tokens included in the game of Monopoly as of 2013. These are the wheelbarrow, battleship, race car, thimble, boot, Scottie dog, top hat and cat. The latest to be introduced was the cat in 2013, replacing the iron. The battleship and the cannon (aka howitzer, now retired) had been added to the Monopoly game as part of a recycling exercise. The pieces were intended for the game “Conflict” released in 1940, but when Parker Bros. pulled “Conflict” off the market due to poor sales, they added their excess battleships and cannons to Monopoly.

25. Fair-hiring letters : EEO

“Equal Employment Opportunity” (EEO) is a term that has been around since 1964 when the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) was set up by the Civil Rights Act. Title VII of the Act prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin or religion.

26. Anthony of “black-ish” : ANDERSON

Anthony Anderson is an actor and comedian who stars in the sitcom “black-ish”. He also turns up regularly as a judge on “Iron Chef America”.

“Black-ish” is a sitcom starring Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross that premiered in 2014. The show is noted for tackling tough issues such as racism, police brutality, attitudes toward the LGBT community, and even the 2016 US presidential election.

31. Sgt., e.g. : NCO

A non-commissioned officer (NCO) might be a sergeant (sgt.) or a corporal (cpl.).

32. Hawaii’s __ Coast : KONA

The Kona district on the Big Island of Hawaii is on the western side of the island. The largest town in Kona is Kailua-Kona. Kailua-Kona is often incorrectly referred to as “Kona”. The term “kona” translates as “leeward side of the island” in Hawaiian.

36. Dynamite guy? : NOBEL

Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist and businessman. Nobel is famous for the invention of dynamite during his lifetime, as well as for instituting the Nobel Prizes by providing the necessary funds in his will.

The explosive called dynamite contains nitroglycerin as its active component. Dynamite also contains diatomaceous earth and sodium carbonate that absorb the nitroglycerin. The absorbed nitroglycerin is far less sensitive to mechanical shock, making it easier to transport and to handle. Famously, dynamite was invented by Alfred Nobel, the man who used his fortune to institute the Nobel Prizes.

38. It’s administered by the College Board, briefly : PSAT

Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT)

College Board is a company that develops and administers standardized tests used determine college readiness in students and to provide a service within the college admissions process. The company was founded in 1899 at Columbia University by a dozen or so schools to provide guidance to secondary schools as they prepared students for third-level education.

42. Brooding genre : EMO

The emo musical genre originated in Washington D.C. in the 80s, and takes its name from “emotional hardcore”. “Emo” is also the name given to the associated subculture. Not my cup of tea …

44. Welsh national emblem : LEEK

The leek is a vegetable closely related to the onion and the garlic. It is also a national emblem of Wales (along with the daffodil), although I don’t think we know for sure how this came to be. One story is that the Welsh were ordered to wear leeks in their helmets to identify themselves in a battle against the Saxons. Apparently, the battle took place in a field of leeks.

47. Mine countermeasure : SONAR

The British developed the first underwater detection system that used sound waves. Research was driven by defence demands during WWI, leading to production of working units in 1922. This new sound detection system was described as using “supersonics”, but for the purpose of secrecy the term was dropped in favor of an acronym. The work was done under the auspices of the Royal Navy’s Anti-Submarine Division, so ASD was combined with the “IC” from “superson-ic-s” to create the name ASDIC. The navy even went as far as renaming the quartz material at the heart of the technology “ASDivite”. By the time WWII came along, the Americans were producing their own systems and coined the term SONAR, playing off the related application, RADAR. And so, the name ASDIC was deep-sixed …

49. Game with a disc : ULTIMATE

Ultimate is a team sport that is similar to football or rugby in that the goal is to get a flying disc into an endzone or goal area. The sport used to be called “Ultimate Frisbee”, but the “Frisbee” was dropped as it is a registered trademark.

51. “The Lead With Jake Tapper” channel : CNN

“The Lead With Jake Tapper” is a CNN news show that started airing in 2013. The show is hosted by CNN’s Chief Washington Correspondent Jake Tapper. The term “Lead” that is used in the show’s title is used in journalism for the opening one or two lines in a story, which usually state the essential facts.

54. Greek strings : LYRES

The lyre is a stringed instrument most closely associated with Ancient Greece, and with the gods Hermes and Apollo in particular. According to myth, Hermes slaughtered a cow from a sacred herd belonging to Apollo and offered it to the gods but kept the entrails. Hermes used the entrails to make strings that he stretched across the shell of a tortoise, creating the first lyre. Apollo liked the sound from the lyre and agreed to accept it as a trade for his herd of cattle.

62. “Crash __ Me”: Dave Matthews Band hit : INTO

The Dave Matthews Band (sometimes just “DMB”) is a rock band from Charlottesville, Virginia that formed in 1991. DMB hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons in 2004 when their driver decided to dump about 800 pounds of liquid waste from the tour bus into the Chicago River. He pumped the waste through a grate on a bridge, and onto the passengers on sightseeing boat that was passing below.

63. Dwindled to nothing : PETERED OUT

The verb phrase “to peter out”, meaning “to fizzle out”, originated in the 1840s in the American mining industry. While the exact etymology isn’t clear, it probably derives from the term “saltpetre”, a constituent of gunpowder.

64. Poetic units : FEET

In poetry, the foot is a metrical unit comprising usually two, three or syllables. Lines of verse are often classified by the number of feet that they contain, for example “pentameter” (containing five feet).

65. Hospital employees : RESIDENTS

A resident is a physician who has graduated from medical school, and who is receiving specialized graduate training in a hospital. The concept of residency developed in the late 1800s. Back then, the doctors would often “reside” in hospital-provided housing while receiving the training, hence the term “resident”.

Down

2. Like the most valuable American Gold Eagle coins : ONE-OUNCE

The official gold bullion coin of the US is known as the American Gold Eagle. The 1-ounce coin has a face value of $50, but is valued at well over $1,000 as it is comprised of over 90% 22-karat gold.

6. Berliner’s address : HERR

In German, a “Mr.” (Herr) is married to a “Mrs.” (Frau), and they live together in a house (Haus).

Berlin is the capital and largest city in Germany, and is the second most populous city in the European Union (after London).

7. Rarely : ONCE IN A BLUE MOON

As there is a full moon once every four weeks, approximately monthly, there are usually twelve full moons in any given year. However, every 2-3 years, depending on the phase of the moon at the beginning of the calendar year, there may be a thirteenth full moon. The “extra” full moon is called a “blue moon”, although no one seems to really know why the term “blue” is used, as far as I can tell. Which of the thirteen full moons that is designated as the blue moon varies depending on tradition. My favorite definition is from the Farmer’s Almanac. It states that as each of the seasons normally has three full moons (one for each calendar month), then the season with four full moons is designated as “special”, then the third (and not the fourth) full moon in that “special” season is the blue moon. Complicated, huh?

13. Short cuts : PIXIES

The pixie cut is a hairstyle that is relatively short at the back and sides compared to the top. Famous examples of women wearing the cut are Audrey Hepburn in “Roman Holiday”, Twiggy for much of the 1960s, Goldie Hawn on “Laugh-In” and Halle Berry in the Bond film “Die Another Day”.

16. Foreign opening? : XENO-

The Greek combining form “xeno-” means “strange, foreign” as in “xenophobia”, a fear of foreigners.

20. Pennsylvania city where Peppermint Pattie was first produced : YORK

York, Pennsylvania was named for the historic city of York in the North of England. York was one of the cities that served as a capital of the Continental Congress during the Revolutionary War. It was in York that the Articles of Confederation were drafted and adopted.

A York Peppermint Pattie is a very rich candy produced by Hershey under license from Cadbury’s in the UK. The confection shouldn’t be confused with Peppermint Patty (a different spelling), the character in the comic strip “Peanuts”.

27. State bordering Arizona and New Mexico : SONORA

Sonora is the state in Mexico that lies just south of the borders with Arizona and New Mexico. Sonora is the second-largest state in the country, after Chihuahua.

28. Wish Tree artist : ONO

“Wish Tree” is a series of living art installations by Yoko Ono. The series consists of native trees planted under her direction, Ono invites viewers to tie written wishes to the trees. Ono has been installing “Wish Tree” exhibits in locations around the world since the 1990s. She does not read the wishes, but collects them for burial under the Imagine Peace Tower, a memorial to John Lennon located on an island near Reykjavik, Iceland. There are over a million such wishes under the memorial today.

35. “Dancing With the Stars” achievement : TEN

When I was growing up in the British Isles, there was a surprisingly popular BBC television show featuring professional ballroom dancing called “Come Dancing”. It ran almost every year from 1949 to 1998, and in 2004 the BBC resurrected it with a new twist, adding celebrities to dance with the professionals. The new show, called “Strictly Come Dancing”, is a huge success and has become a worldwide franchise. Over here we watch the American version called “Dancing with the Stars”. It really is fun television …

39. Gateway Arch designer : SAARINEN

The Gateway Arch in St. Louis is located on the banks of the Mississippi River, and is the tallest monument in the United States. It was designed by Eero Saarinen, with the help of structural engineer Hannskarl Bandel. They did their design work back in 1947, but construction wasn’t started until 1963. In 1980, a daredevil took it upon himself to parachute onto the top of the arch, intending to further jump from the apex of the arch and parachute to the ground. He hit the arch alright, and slid all the way down one of the arches to his death. No comment …

43. Musical chairs? : MAESTRI

“Maestro” is often used to address a musical conductor. “Maestro” (plural “maestri”) is the Italian word for “master, teacher”. The plural in English is usually “maestros”.

45. Last word of two James Bond film titles : KILL

“A View to a Kill” is 1985 James Bond film, and the last to star Roger Moore as the MI6 agent. The movie’s title comes from an Ian Fleming short story called “From a View to a Kill”, although the plots of the story and the film bear no resemblance to each other. The bad guy in this one is Max Zorin, portrayed by Christopher Walken.

“Licence to Kill” is a 1989 James Bond film, one starring Timothy Dalton as the iconic MI6 agent. One thing to note about “Licence to Kill” is that it is the first film in the series not to use a title of a story authored by Ian Fleming.

47. Twisted Sister frontman Dee : SNIDER

Dee Snider is the frontman from the heavy metal band Twisted Sister from Long Island, New York. Not my kind of music …

50. Billy Joel hit with the line “I don’t want you to tell me it’s time to come home” : MY LIFE

“My Life” is a 1978 song by Billy Joel that appears on the album “52nd Street”, which was released in the same year.

Billy Joel is the third-best selling solo artist in the US, after Elvis Presley and Garth Brooks. Joel’s name has been associated with two supermodels in his life. He dated Elle Macpherson, and wrote two songs about their relationship: “This Night” and “And So It Goes”. Joel’s second wife was Christie Brinkley, to whom he was married from 1985 to 1994. Brinkley appeared in the title role in the music video for “Uptown Girl”.

53. Salsa __ : VERDE

“Salsa verde” is simply Spanish for “green sauce”.

59. Young newts : EFTS

Newts wouldn’t be my favorite animals. They are found all over the world living on land or in water depending on the species, but always associated with water even if it is only for breeding. Newts metamorphose through three distinct developmental stages during their lives. They start off as larvae in water, fertilized eggs that often cling to aquatic plants. The eggs hatch into tadpoles, the first developmental form of the newt. After living some months as tadpoles swimming around in the water, they undergo another metamorphosis, sprouting legs and replacing their external gills with lungs. At this juvenile stage they are known as efts, and leave the water to live on land. A more gradual transition takes place then, as the eft takes on the lizard-like appearance of the adult newt.

61. X’ing one? : PED

Pedestrian crossing (ped x’ing)

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Dandies : FOPS
5. Space Invaders genre : SHOOT-‘EM-UP
14. Blue dye : ANIL
15. Quintet that won a Grammy for their a cappella version of “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” : PENTATONIX
17. ’20s tennis star Lacoste : RENE
18. 1996 McDonald’s offering : ARCH DELUXE
19. Gold mine : MONEY TREE
21. Shellac ingredient : RESIN
22. Egg, in Ecuador : HUEVO
23. Former Monopoly token : IRON
25. Fair-hiring letters : EEO
26. Anthony of “black-ish” : ANDERSON
29. Cleaning staff members : MAIDS
31. Sgt., e.g. : NCO
32. Hawaii’s __ Coast : KONA
33. Split-resistant wood : ELM
34. Bit of progress : DENT
36. Dynamite guy? : NOBEL
38. It’s administered by the College Board, briefly : PSAT
42. Brooding genre : EMO
44. Welsh national emblem : LEEK
46. Downed : ATE
47. Mine countermeasure : SONAR
49. Game with a disc : ULTIMATE
51. “The Lead With Jake Tapper” channel : CNN
52. Gutter locale : EAVE
54. Greek strings : LYRES
55. What Santa Claus makes and gets : LISTS
57. Ornament : EMBELLISH
60. Really easy to use : IDIOT-PROOF
62. “Crash __ Me”: Dave Matthews Band hit : INTO
63. Dwindled to nothing : PETERED OUT
64. Poetic units : FEET
65. Hospital employees : RESIDENTS
66. Closes : ENDS

Down

1. Field worker : FARMHAND
2. Like the most valuable American Gold Eagle coins : ONE-OUNCE
3. Attached, as a ribbon : PINNED ON
4. Magical hiding place : SLEEVE
5. Minor fight : SPAT
6. Berliner’s address : HERR
7. Rarely : ONCE IN A BLUE MOON
8. Survey question option : OTHER
9. Little bit : TAD
10. For all time : ETERNAL
11. Insidious insider : MOLE
12. Idle : UNUSED
13. Short cuts : PIXIES
16. Foreign opening? : XENO-
20. Pennsylvania city where Peppermint Pattie was first produced : YORK
24. Folded fare : OMELET
27. State bordering Arizona and New Mexico : SONORA
28. Wish Tree artist : ONO
30. “Here comes trouble” type : IMP
35. “Dancing With the Stars” achievement : TEN
37. Grown elver : EEL
39. Gateway Arch designer : SAARINEN
40. Bore witness : ATTESTED
41. They may be long drives : TEE SHOTS
43. Musical chairs? : MAESTRI
45. Last word of two James Bond film titles : KILL
47. Twisted Sister frontman Dee : SNIDER
48. In the plant, say : ON-SITE
50. Billy Joel hit with the line “I don’t want you to tell me it’s time to come home” : MY LIFE
51. Cut : CLIP
53. Salsa __ : VERDE
56. Socks cover them : TOES
58. Set of rounds : BOUT
59. Young newts : EFTS
61. X’ing one? : PED

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