LA Times Crossword 16 Sep 20, Wednesday

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Constructed by: Jake Halperin
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: EGOT

Themed answers each contain letters circled in the grid that spell out the name of a theatrical award:

  • 64A Showbiz “grand slam” comprising the awards found in the circled letters : EGOT
  • 17A John McClane in “Die Hard,” e.g. : ONE-MAN ARMY (giving “EMMY”)
  • 28A Promise not to prosecute : GRANT IMMUNITY (giving “GRAMMY”)
  • 43A “The Jungle” author : UPTON SINCLAIR (giving “OSCAR”)
  • 55A What an X may mean : ADULTS ONLY (giving “TONY”)

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

Bill’s time: 5m 46s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 “We’ll tak __ o’ kindness yet”: Burns : A CUP

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.

17 John McClane in “Die Hard,” e.g. : ONE-MAN ARMY (giving “EMMY”)

The 1988 action movie “Die Hard” is such a fun film. We always pull it out at Christmas when we want something “Christmassy”, but different from “The Bishop’s Wife” or “It’s a Wonderful Life”. The “Nakatomi Plaza” building that features so prominently in the film is actually “Fox Plaza” (headquarters for 20th Century Fox) in Los Angeles, which was built not long before filming started.

The Emmy Awards are the television equivalent of the Oscars from the world of film, the Grammy Awards in music and the Tony Awards for the stage. Emmy Awards are presented throughout the year, depending on the sector of television being honored. The most famous of these ceremonies are the Primetime Emmy Awards and the Daytime Emmy Awards. The distinctive name “Emmy” is a softened version of the word “immy”, the nickname given to the video camera tubes found in old television cameras. The Emmy statuette was designed by television engineer Louis McManus in 1948, and depicts a woman holding up an atom. McManus used his wife as a model for the woman.

20 Ont. neighbor : QUE

Québec is the largest province in Canada, and the only one with French as its sole official language. The name “Québec” comes from an Algonquin word “kebec” meaning “where the river narrows”. This refers to the area around Quebec City where the St. Lawrence River narrows as it flows through a gap lined by steep cliffs. The province has voted twice in referenda asking whether or not Quebec should become an independent country, once in 1980, and again in 1995. The 1995 result was 49% in favor of sovereignty, up from 40% in 1980.

The Canadian province of Ontario takes its name from the Great Lake. In turn, Lake Ontario’s name is thought to be derived from “Ontari:io”, a Huron word meaning “great lake”. Ontario is home to the nation’s capital of Ottawa as well as Toronto, Canada’s most populous city (and the capital of the province).

25 Weapon that stuns : PHASER

A MASER is a device that was around long before LASERs came into the public consciousness. A MASER (Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) is similar to a LASER, but microwaves are emitted rather than light waves. When the storyline for “Star Trek” was being developed, the writers introduced a weapon called a “phaser”, with the name “phaser” derived from PHoton mASER.

28 Promise not to prosecute : GRANT IMMUNITY (giving “GRAMMY”)

The first Grammy Awards ceremony was held in 1959 and focused on recognizing outstanding achievement in the recording industry. The idea of a Grammy Award came up when recording executives were working on the Hollywood Walk of Fame project in the fifties. These executives concluded that there were many people in the recording industry deserving of accolades but who would probably never make it to the Walk of Fame. As a result, they founded the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. The Academy considered naming the award the “Eddies” after Thomas Edison, but then opted for “Grammy” after Edison’s invention: the gramophone.

31 RSVP facilitator : SASE

An SAE is a “stamped, addressed envelope”. An SASE is a “self-addressed, stamped envelope”.

“RSVP” stands for “répondez s’il vous plaît”, which is French for “answer, please”.

32 Junk __ : DNA

DNA provides the code necessary for sequencing amino acids into protein molecules. There is some DNA however that isn’t used in sequencing amino acids, and this is known as noncoding DNA. This noncoding DNA picked up the moniker “junk DNA” as the initial perception was that it had no purpose at all. It turns out that at least some noncoding DNA does indeed have biological function, so the “junk DNA” name is probably undeserved.

33 The Game of Life pieces : PEGS

The board game we call “The Game of Life” (also just “Life”) was created quite a few years ago, in 1869 by Milton Bradley. Back then it was called “The Checkered Game of Life” and was the first parlor game to become a popular hit. The modern version of the game was first released in 1960.

38 Kitchen tool brand : OXO

The OXO line of kitchen utensils and housewares is designed to be ergonomically superior to the average household tools. The intended user of OXO products is someone who doesn’t have the normal range of motion or strength in the hands e.g. someone suffering from arthritis.

43 “The Jungle” author : UPTON SINCLAIR (giving “OSCAR”)

Upton Sinclair was a prolific American author, with almost 100 books to his name. Sinclair’s most famous work is probably “The Jungle”, a 1906 novel about the meatpacking industry. Revelations in “The Jungle” contributed to the Meat Inspection Act being passed by Congress a few months after the book was published. Sinclair also wrote “Oil”, published in 1927, which was the basis of the 2007 film “There Will Be Blood” that stars Daniel Day-Lewis.

47 Friend of Natalie, Jo and Blair on “The Facts of Life” : TOOTIE

Actress Kim Fields is best known for playing Tootie Ramsey in the sitcom “The Facts of Life”, and Regine Hunter on “Living Single”.

The sitcom “The Facts of Life” originally aired from 1979 until 1988. It was a spin-off of the equally successful show “Diff’rent Strokes”. Charlotte Rae was the main actress common to both shows. Rae played Edna Garrett, who was a housekeeper on “Diff’rent Strokes” and a dormitory housemother on “The Facts of Life”.

48 Indication of a Realtor’s success : SOLD SIGN

“Real estate agent” is a general, generic term. “Realtor” is the name given to a member of the trade association known as the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The NAR has gone so far as to trademark the term “Realtor” in the US.

53 Article in the L.A. Times? : LOS

Mission San Gabriel Arcángel was founded by Spanish Franciscans led by Friar Junipero Serra in 1771. The mission, which continues running to this day, is located about 10 miles from today’s downtown LA. Forty-four settlers left Mission San Gabriel Arcángel in 1781 to found the pueblo named “El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río de Porciúncula” (The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of the Porciúncula River”). It was this pueblo that grew into the city of Los Angeles.

The “Los Angeles Times” newspaper started out life in 1881 as the “Los Angeles Daily Times”. The paper has a turbulent history, especially in the early 1900s when management and unions were at loggerheads. In 1910, two union members bombed the “Los Angeles Times” building causing a fire that killed 21 newspaper employees.

55 What an X may mean : ADULTS ONLY (giving “TONY”)

When the Motion Picture Association film rating system was introduced in 1968, the most restrictive class was an X-rating. Persons under 16 were not admitted to such films. A few years later, the guidelines were changed for all ratings, and no one under the age of 17 was admitted to films rated X. Over time, the term “X-rating” became associated with pornographic films, and so the under-17 restriction was relabeled in 1990 to “NC-17”.

The Tony Awards are more completely referred to as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Broadway Theatre. The awards are named for Mary Antoinette “Tony” Perry, who was a co-founder of the American Theatre Wing.

58 Sea level shift : TIDE

Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon on the oceans. At neap tide, the smaller gravitational effect of the sun cancels out some of the moon’s effect. At spring tide, the sun and the moon’s gravitational forces act in concert causing more extreme movement of the oceans.

60 Speaker’s spot : DAIS

A dais is a raised platform for a speaker. The term “dais” comes from the Latin “discus” meaning a “disk-shaped object”. I guess that the original daises had such a shape.

62 Don José in “Carmen,” e.g. : TENOR

When Georges Bizet wrote his famous opera “Carmen”, he used the melody of what he thought was an old folk song as a theme in the lovely aria “Habanera”. Not long after he finished “Carmen”, he discovered that the folk song was in fact a piece that had been written by another composer, who had died just ten years before “Carmen” was published. Fittingly, Bizet added a note to the score, declaring the original source.

64 Showbiz “grand slam” comprising the awards found in the circled letters : EGOT

The acronym “EGOT” stands for “Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony”, and is a reference to performers who have won all four awards. Also known as the “Showbiz Award Grand Slam”, there are relatively few individuals who have been so honored. The first five to do so were:

  1. Richard Rodgers in 1962
  2. Helen Hayes in 1977
  3. Rita Moreno in 1977
  4. John Gielgud in 1991
  5. Audrey Hepburn in 1994 (posthumously)

Down

1 Allstate competitor : AFLAC

In 1999, Aflac (American Family Life Assurance Company) was huge in the world of insurance but it wasn’t a household name, so a New York advertising agency was given the task of making the Aflac brand more memorable. One of the agency’s art directors, while walking around Central Park one lunchtime, heard a duck quacking and in his mind linked it with “Aflac”, and that duck has been “Aflacking” ever since …

Allstate is the second-largest provider of personal insurance in the US, after State Farm. Allstate started doing business in 1931 as part of Sears Roebuck, and indeed I can remember when Allstate offices were located in Sears stores. Sears spun off Allstate in 1993.

4 Vet’s patient : PET

A veterinarian (vet) is a professional who treats animals for disease and injury. The word “veterinary” comes from the Latin “veterinae” meaning “working animals, beasts of burden”.

6 Monroe plays one in “Some Like It Hot” : UKE

The ukulele (uke) originated in the 1800s and mimicked a small guitar brought to the Hawaiian Islands by Portuguese immigrants.

“Some Like it Hot” is such a fun movie, It was released in 1959 and directed by Billy Wilder. The big three in the cast are Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. Several years ago a stage version of “Some Like It Hot” was playing in San Francisco, with Tony Curtis in the cast. This time he played the older man who was wooing the Jack Lemmon character in the movie.

Marilyn Monroe was born in 1926 in LA County Hospital, the child of Gladys Pearl Baker. The young girl was given the name of Norma Jeane Mortenson on her birth certificate, but her mother changed this to Norma Jeane Baker almost immediately. She and her estranged husband, Martin Edward Mortensen, had separated before Baker became pregnant so it is suggested that the Mortensen name was used just to give Norma Jeane “legitimacy”. Norma Jeane married a Jim Dougherty when she 16 years old, and took his name to become Norma Jeane Dougherty in 1932. During WWII she was discovered by a photographer and became quite a successful model. The modelling earned her a screen test, at which time it was suggested that Norma Jeane change her name yet again. The first name chosen for her by studio executives was Carole Lind (after Carole Lombard and Jenny Lind), but then Norma Jeane chose “Jeane Monroe” for herself, using her mother’s maiden name. It didn’t take long before the studio intervened again, suggesting that they had too many “Jeans” already. The name Marilyn Monroe was floated as it had a nice ring to it. Along with the new name, Marilyn changed from a brunette to a blonde, and a star was born …

7 Birthstones, say : GEMS

Here is the “official” list of birthstones, by month, that we tend to use today:

  • January: Garnet
  • February: Amethyst
  • March: Bloodstone or Aquamarine
  • April: Diamond
  • May: Emerald
  • June: Pearl or Moonstone
  • July: Ruby
  • August: Sardonyx or Peridot
  • September: Sapphire or Lapis Lazuli
  • October: Opal or Pink Tourmaline
  • November: Topaz or Citrine
  • December: Turquoise or Zircon (also now, Tanzanite)

8 Daytime talk pioneer : DONAHUE

“Donahue” was a show hosted on MSNBC by longtime talk show host Phil Donahue. Donahue had basically retired after a 26-year run with the successful “Phil Donahue Show” on network television, and then was persuaded to join MSNBC. “Donahue” only ran for a few months before it was cancelled for having low viewership. That said, it had the highest viewership of any show on MSNBC at that time, so there was obviously more going on …

10 Seductive aspect of the Force : DARK SIDE

The Force is a metaphysical power much cited in all of the “Star Wars” movies. We may even hear someone in real life say “May the Force be with you”. Fans of the movie franchise even celebrate May 4th every year as Star Wars Day, using the pun “May the 4th be with you”!

11 Strategic math game : NIM

Nim is a simple mathematical game of strategy, and an ancient entertainment. Nim involves removing items from distinct piles (say matchsticks). Each player must remove at least one item per turn, and the last person to remove an item is the loser.

14 Ludlum spy Jason : BOURNE

The “Bourne” series of films are based on a series of three “Bourne” novels penned by Robert Ludlum. The first three “Bourne” movies star Matt Damon in the title role of Jason Bourne. Damon opted out of the fourth movie (“The Bourne Legacy”), and so a new lead character was added and played by Jeremy Renner. That said, Damon’s image was used in the fourth film, and references were made to his character Jason Bourne. Damon returned for the fifth film in the series, but has suggested that he is unlikely to take on the role again.

18 24-hr. stores next to many BP stations : AMPMS

The first ampm convenience store opened in 1978 in Southern California. The brand was established by the Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO), which was taken over by BP in 2000. That explains why, here in the US, ampm stores are usually found beside ARCO and BP gas stations.

23 Half of seis : TRES

In Spanish, “tres y tres” (three plus three) is “seis” (six).

26 Sicilian smoker : ETNA

Mount Etna on the island of Sicily is the largest of three active volcanoes in Italy, and indeed the largest of all active volcanoes in Europe. Etna is about 2 1/2 times the height of its equally famous sister, Mt. Vesuvius. Mt. Etna is home to a 110-km long narrow-gauge railway, and two ski resorts. It is sometimes referred to as “Mongibello” in Italian, and as “Mungibeddu” in Sicilian. The English name “Etna” comes from the Greek “aitho” meaning “I eat”.

27 Seacrest of morning talk : RYAN

Radio and television personality Ryan Seacrest is best known as the host of the talent show “American Idol”. Seacrest has also been hosting “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” on ABC since 2005, and co-hosting “Live with Kelly and Ryan” since 2017. He is also a producer, and is the man behind the show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians”. Ryan has a lot to answer for …

29 Mother’s Day month : MAY

Note the official punctuation in “Mother’s Day”, even though one might think it should be “Mothers’ Day”. President Wilson and Anna Jarvis, who created the tradition, specifically wanted Mother’s Day to honor the mothers within each family and not just “mothers” in general, so they went with the “Mother’s Day” punctuation.

34 Trade show : EXPO

The first “World’s Fair” was held in 1851, known back then as the “Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations”. The fair was the idea of Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria. It was held in a magnificent glass and cast-iron structure called the Crystal Palace that was purpose-built for the occasion. The “Great Exhibition” spawned a tradition of what became known as World’s Fairs, expositions that feature national pavilions created by participating countries. The term “Expo” was coined for Expo 67, a 1967 World’s Fair held in Montreal. Since then, we’ve been using “expo” to describe any large exposition or trade show.

36 Hindu title : SRI

“Sri” is a title of respect for a male in India.

37 Island garlands : LEIS

“Lei” is a Hawaiian word meaning “garland, wreath”, although in more general terms a lei is any series of objects strung together as an adornment for the body.

39 Short-stemmed brandy glass : SNIFTER

A brandy snifter is a glass with a short stem, a wide bowl and a narrow top. The bowl is cupped in the hand so that the brandy, whiskey or other spirit is warmed, to facilitate evaporation. The wide bowl gives a large surface area, further encouraging evaporation, and the narrow top traps the aroma in the glass. So, one can easily “sniff” the spirit’s aroma in the “snifter”.

41 White gold et al. : ALLOYS

White gold is an alloy made from gold and a white metal. Typically, that white metal is nickel, manganese or palladium.

42 Glasgow guys : LADS

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and sits on the River Clyde. Back in the Victorian Era, Glasgow earned a reputation for excellence in shipbuilding and was known as “Second City of the British Empire”. Glasgow shipyards were the birthplaces of such famous vessels as the Lusitania, the Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth. People for Glasgow are known as Glaswegians.

44 Verdi’s penultimate opera : OTELLO

Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Otello” was first performed in 1887 at La Scala Theater in Milan. The opera is based on Shakespeare’s play “Othello” and is considered by many to be Verdi’s greatest work.

Giuseppe Verdi was an Italian composer, mainly of operas, who was active during the Romantic era. Equally as famous as Verdi’s operas, are arias from those operas such as “La donna è mobile” from “Rigoletto”, “The Drinking Song” from “La Traviata” and “The Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves” from “Nabucco”. Verdi was a big fan of William Shakespeare and wrote three operas based on the Bard’s plays: “Macbeth”, “Otello” and “Falstaff”.

45 Lassie, for one : COLLIE

The collie isn’t actually a breed of dog, but rather the name given to a group of herding dogs that originated in Scotland and Northern England. An obvious (and wonderful) example would be the Border Collie. Many dogs classed as collies don’t have the word “collie” in the name of the breed, for example the Old English Sheepdog and the Shetland Sheepdog.

The canine character Lassie is the creation of Eric Knight, an author who wrote a short story that he expanded into a novel called “Lassie Come Home” published in 1940. “Lassie Come Home” was turned into a movie three years later, the first of a very successful franchise. The original Lassie (a female) was played by a dog called Pal (a male). In fact, all of the dogs that played Lassie over the years were males, because they looked better on camera, retaining a thick coat even during the summer months.

50 A-bomb tryout : N-TEST

The testing of US nuclear weapons by the US at Bikini Atoll in the middle of 1946 went by the codename “Operation Crossroads”. The tests used A-bombs and were designed to measure the effect of blasts on navy vessels. There were three tests planned, but the third had to be cancelled as the Navy couldn’t decontaminate the ships used in the second test.

There are two classes of nuclear weapons, both of which get the energy for the explosion from nuclear reactions. The first nuclear bombs developed, called atomic bombs (A-bombs), use fission reactions. Uranium nuclei are split into smaller nuclei with the release of an awful lot of energy in the process. The second class of nuclear weapons are fusion bombs. These devices are called thermonuclear weapons or hydrogen bombs (H-bombs). In a fusion reaction, the nuclei of hydrogen isotopes are fused together to form bigger nuclei, with the release of even greater amounts of energy.

52 Movie guru with his own grammar : YODA

In the “Star Wars” series of films, the character named Yoda has a unique speech pattern. He often uses the word order object-subject-verb. For example:

  • Patience you must have …
  • Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is.
  • To answer power with power, the Jedi way this is not.

55 Sports rep. : AGT

Agent (agt.)

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 “We’ll tak __ o’ kindness yet”: Burns : A CUP
5 Made, as a tunnel : DUG
8 “Oh, no you __!” : DIDN’T
13 Item inspected with a flashlight, perhaps : FUSE
14 Commute but not pollute : BIKE
15 “We’re broadcasting” sign : ON AIR
16 Remaining : LEFT
17 John McClane in “Die Hard,” e.g. : ONE-MAN ARMY (giving “EMMY”)
19 Have something : AIL
20 Ont. neighbor : QUE
21 Lips sound : SMACK
22 B sharp equivalent : C-NATURAL
25 Weapon that stuns : PHASER
28 Promise not to prosecute : GRANT IMMUNITY (giving “GRAMMY”)
30 Peeper : EYE
31 RSVP facilitator : SASE
32 Junk __ : DNA
33 The Game of Life pieces : PEGS
36 Wreck room? : STY
37 Rely (on) for support : LEAN
38 Kitchen tool brand : OXO
39 “You got it” : SURE!
41 Brown or pale order : ALE
43 “The Jungle” author : UPTON SINCLAIR (giving “OSCAR”)
47 Friend of Natalie, Jo and Blair on “The Facts of Life” : TOOTIE
48 Indication of a Realtor’s success : SOLD SIGN
51 Put back in the hot oil : REFRY
53 Article in the L.A. Times? : LOS
54 Email address part : DOT
55 What an X may mean : ADULTS ONLY (giving “TONY”)
58 Sea level shift : TIDE
59 Con artist’s asset : GUILE
60 Speaker’s spot : DAIS
61 Homey lodgings : INNS
62 Don José in “Carmen,” e.g. : TENOR
63 Vote of agreement : AYE
64 Showbiz “grand slam” comprising the awards found in the circled letters : EGOT

Down

1 Allstate competitor : AFLAC
2 Bring up to speed : CUE IN
3 Govt. building flier : US FLAG
4 Vet’s patient : PET
5 Enjoy, as a restaurant : DINE AT
6 Monroe plays one in “Some Like It Hot” : UKE
7 Birthstones, say : GEMS
8 Daytime talk pioneer : DONAHUE
9 Like much beer : IN A CAN
10 Seductive aspect of the Force : DARK SIDE
11 Strategic math game : NIM
12 Sample : TRY
14 Ludlum spy Jason : BOURNE
18 24-hr. stores next to many BP stations : AMPMS
20 Wharf : QUAY
23 Half of seis : TRES
24 Does as told : LISTENS
26 Sicilian smoker : ETNA
27 Seacrest of morning talk : RYAN
29 Mother’s Day month : MAY
33 Annoyed look : POUT
34 Trade show : EXPO
35 Totally collapse : GO TO RUIN
36 Hindu title : SRI
37 Island garlands : LEIS
39 Short-stemmed brandy glass : SNIFTER
40 App buyers : USERS
41 White gold et al. : ALLOYS
42 Glasgow guys : LADS
44 Verdi’s penultimate opera : OTELLO
45 Lassie, for one : COLLIE
46 Emulating cavalry members : RIDING
49 “That’s awful!” : GOD NO!
50 A-bomb tryout : N-TEST
52 Movie guru with his own grammar : YODA
55 Sports rep. : AGT
56 To be paid : DUE
57 Vote of disagreement : NAY
58 Game no one wins : TIE