LA Times Crossword 16 Oct 21, Saturday

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Constructed by: Bill Pipal
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme: None

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

Bill’s time: 7m 34s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Term of address in old Westerns : KEMOSABE

“Kemosabe” is a term used by the Tonto character in the iconic radio and television program “The Lone Ranger”. “Kemosabe” doesn’t really mean anything outside of the show, and in fact was written as “ke-mo sah-bee” in the original radio show scripts. The term was created by longtime director of “The Lone Ranger” Jim Jewell. To come up with the term, Jewell used the name of a boy’s camp that his father-in-law established called Kamp Kee-Mo Sah-Bee.

16 DNA sample source : SALIVA

I’ve always been fascinated by the fact that the DNA of living things is so very similar across different species. Human DNA is almost exactly the same for every individual (to the degree of 99.9%). However, those small differences are sufficient to distinguish one individual from another, and to determine whether or not individuals are close family relatives.

18 Ascent, for one : SUBARU

Subaru introduced the Ascent crossover SUV in 2018. It is the largest model that Subaru produces.

22 “Seinfeld” surname : BENES

The character Elaine Benes, unlike the other lead characters (Jerry, Kramer and George), did not appear in the pilot episode of “Seinfeld”. NBC executives specified the addition of a female lead when they picked up the show citing that the situation was too “male-centric”.

27 2018 film for which Alfonso Cuarón won Best Director : ROMA

“Roma” is a 2018 drama film on which Mexican film director served as writer, co-producer, cinematographer, co-editor as well as director. It is a semi-autobiographical piece inspired by Cuarón’s early life in Mexico City’s Colonia Roma neighborhood.”Roma” won several Oscars, including Best Cinematography and Best Director for Cuarón himself.

Film director Alfonso Cuarón has been at the helm of some real blockbusters, including 2004’s “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” and 2013’s “Gravity”. When he won the Academy Award for Best Directing for the latter film, Cuarón became the first Mexican director to be so honored.

28 Beersheba’s region : NEGEV

Beersheba is the largest city in the desert region in southern Israel called the Negev. Beersheba is home to many Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union, who brought with them many aspects of the culture of their former homeland. For example, Beersheba now has more chess grandmasters per capita than any other city in the world.

30 Organic fuel source : PEAT BOG

When dead plant matter accumulates in marshy areas, it may not fully decay due to a lack of oxygen or acidic conditions. We are familiar with this in Ireland, because this decaying matter can form peat, and we have lots and lots of peat bogs around the country.

32 “The Color of Money” game : NINE-BALL

Eight-ball and nine-ball are arguably the most popular variants of pool played in North America. In eight-ball, one player sinks the striped balls and the other the solid balls. The first to sink all his or her balls and then the black 8-ball, without fouling, wins the game. In nine-ball, each player must hit the lowest numbered ball on the table first with the cue ball. The first player to sink the 9-ball wins. Sinking the nine ball can happen when first hitting the lowest bowl on the table, or possibly when balls numbered 1-8 have been sunk.

“The Color of Money” is a 1986 Martin Scorsese film starring Paul Newman as pool hustler Fast Eddie Felson. Newman co-stars with Tom Cruise and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. Prior to this particular film, Newman had been nominated for an Oscar eight times without winning. It was “The Color of Money” that finally earned him his Best Actor Academy Award. Newman was reprising the Fast Eddie role that he played in 1961’s “The Hustler”.

37 Controversial phenomenon in response to controversial actions : CANCEL CULTURE

The contemporary term “cancel culture” describes a form of ostracism in which a person is ousted from various social circles. The victims, or so-called “victims”, of cancel culture are often celebrities who have acted questionably or made a controversial statement.

41 “Capisce?” : AM I CLEAR?

“Capeesh?” is a slang term meaning “do you understand?” It comes from the Italian “capisce” meaning “understand”.

42 They make a lot of calls : UMPIRES

Back in the 15th century, “an umpire” was referred to as “a noumpere”, which was misheard and hence causing the dropping of the initial letter N. The term “noumpere” came from Old French “nonper” meaning “not even, odd number”. The idea was that the original umpire was a third person called on to arbitrate between two, providing that “odd number” needed to decide the dispute.

48 Kids’ song locale : DELL

“The Farmer in the Dell” is a nursery rhyme and singing game that probably originated in Germany. The first verse is:

The farmer in the dell
The farmer in the dell
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The farmer in the dell

The last verse is:

The cheese stands alone
The cheese stands alone
Hi-ho, the derry-o…
The cheese stands alone

52 Tireless assistant : SIRI

Siri is a software application that works with Apple’s iOS operating system. “Siri” is an acronym standing for Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface. Voice-over artist Susan Bennett revealed herself as the female American voice of Siri a few years ago. The British version of Siri is called Daniel, and the Australian version is called Karen. Also, “Siri” is a Norwegian name meaning “beautiful woman who leads you to victory”, and was the name the developer had chosen for his first child.

53 Puppy : WHELP

A whelp is a young dog, and also a young wolf, bear, lion, tiger and seal. The term has largely been replaced by “pup” or “puppy”.

55 L.A.’s __ Museum of the American West : AUTRY

The Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles was founded in 1988 by actor Gene Autry as the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum.

63 Alicia Keys label : ARISTA

Arista Records was set up as part of Columbia Pictures by one Clive Davis. He chose “Arista” as it was the name of the New York City Honor Society to which Davis belonged.

“Alicia Keys” is the stage name of Alicia Cook, an R&B and soul singer from Hell’s Kitchen in New York City.

Down

1 Oscar winner as Woolf in 2002 : KIDMAN

Nicole Kidman is an Australian-American actress whose breakthrough role was the female lead in 1989’s “Dead Calm”. Kidman was actually born in Hawaii, to Australian parents. As a result, she has dual citizenship of Australia and the US. Famously, Kidman was married to fellow-actor Tom Cruise from 1990 to 2001, and is now married to New Zealand-born country singer Keith Urban.

“The Hours” is 2002 film with an outstanding leading cast consisting of Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore and Nicole Kidman. The leads play three women in three different decades who are connected in some way to Virginia Woolf’s 1925 novel “Mrs Dalloway”. I haven’t seen this one, but it just has to be worth watching …

3 Common name for a cockchafer : MAYBUG

The cockchafer is genus of beetles that also goes by the names “maybug” and “doodlebug”. If you’re interested, there’s a recipe for cockchafer soup that dates back to 19th-century France:

… roast one pound of cockchafers without wings and legs in sizzling butter, then cook them in a chicken soup, add some veal liver and serve with chives on a toast

7 Gymnast who won four golds in Rio : BILES

Simone Biles holds the record for the most gold medals (4) won by an American gymnast in a single Olympic Games. She achieved the feat at the 2016 games held in Rio.

8 Brilliance : ECLAT

“Éclat” can describe a brilliant show of success, as well as the applause or accolade that one receives for that success. The word “éclat” derives from the French “éclater” meaning “to splinter, burst out”.

9 Biblical mount : ASS

The ass or donkey is mentioned several times in the Bible. One of the most-quoted biblical stories involving an ass is the story of Balaam. Balaam was a diviner who appears in the Book of Numbers in. In one account, Balaam is held to task by an angel for particularly cruel treatment of an ass.

10 Slap (on) : DAUB

To daub is to coat a surface with something thick and sticky, like say plaster or mud.

11 Renaissance painter Dürer : ALBERT

Albrecht (also “Albert”) Dürer was a German artist who was noted for his etchings and engravings as well as for his paintings.

12 Setting for a Billy Joel classic : PIANO BAR

“Piano Man” is a great 1973 song released by Billy Joel, his first ever single. The song reflects Joel’s own experiences working as a piano-lounge singer in a Los Angeles bar called the Executive Room. The lyrics mention a “waitress practicing politics”. That waitress was Elizabeth Weber who worked at the Executive Room. Weber became Joel’s first wife.

13 One hiding in the cushions? : TV REMOTE

The first television remote control was introduced by Zenith Radio Corporation, in 1950. That remote was hard-wired to the TV, and was marketed as “Lazy Bones”. Personally, my first “remote” was a broomstick that I used by pushing in large mechanical buttons that selected each of the three channels that were available back then on the east coast of Ireland …

14 Breakfast link : SAUSAGE

Link sausages are so called as they can come in chains, with each sausage being a link in that chain.

21 “Drag Race” host : RUPAUL

RuPaul is a famous drag queen who has developed a diverse career beyond performing on stage. He works as an actor, model, author and a recording artist. Famously, RuPaul doesn’t mind whether one addresses him as “he” or as “she” …

You can call me he. You can call me she. You can call me Regis and Kathie Lee; I don’t care! Just as long as you call me.

He currently hosts his own reality TV show called “RuPaul’s Drag Race”, which is billed as a search for “America’s next drag superstar”.

24 Ark. neighbor : TENN

During the War of 1812, volunteer soldiers from Tennessee fought with valor, especially during the Battle of New Orleans, hence the state’s nickname “Volunteer State”.

26 Ball charmer : BELLE

A beau (plural “beaux”) is the boyfriend of a belle, a young lady. “Beau” and “belle” are the masculine and feminine forms of the French word for “handsome, beautiful”.

29 Church official : VICAR

A vicar is a member of the clergy in several Christian traditions. In more general terms, we can use the word “vicar” for a person who acts in the place of another, i.e. a deputy. It was the latter usage of the term that gave rise to the religious usage, as a vicar in a church was considered a person acting for God.

33 Site of Hercules’ first labor : NEMEA

“The Twelve Labors of Hercules” is actually a Greek myth, although Hercules is the Roman name for the hero that the Greeks called “Heracles”. The first of these labors was to slay the Nemean lion, a monster that lived in a cave near Nemea. Hercules had a tough job as the lion’s golden fur was impenetrable to normal weapons. One version of the story is that Hercules killed the lion by shooting an arrow into its mouth. Another version says that Hercules stunned the monster with a club and then strangled him with his bare hands.

34 “24” actress Cuthbert : ELISHA

Elisha Cuthbert is a Canadian actress who came to world attention playing Kim Bauer, Jack Bauer’s daughter on TV’s “24”. After “24”, Cuthbert played one of the lead characters on the sitcom “Happy Endings” that ran from 2011 to 2013.

“24” is an action-packed TV show with Kiefer Sutherland starring as counter-terrorism agent Jack Bauer in the show’s original incarnation. The title refers to the structure of the series. Each season has 24 episodes, with each episode representing an hour of real-time action in the story. The collection of 24 episodes builds up to a plot that lasts a full 24 hours.

35 Discreetly send a dupe to : BCC

A blind carbon copy (bcc) is a copy of a document or message that is sent to someone without other recipients of the message knowing about that extra copy.

38 Slice of Americana? : APPLE PIE

The full expression is “as American as motherhood and apple pie”. I think the concept here is not that America is the home of motherhood nor apple pie, but rather that America is as wholesome as motherhood and apple pie. I’ve heard that the phrase originated in WWII when GI’s being interviewed by journalists would say that they were going to war “for Mom and apple pie”.

39 “Trinity” novelist : URIS

“Trinity” is a 1976 novel by American author Leon Uris. The story is set in Ireland, with a storyline that runs from the Great Famine of the 1840s through the Easter Rising of 1916.

40 Spa treatment whose effects are temporary, per the FDA : MUD WRAP

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has its roots in the Division of Chemistry (later “Bureau of Chemistry”) that was part of the US Department of Agriculture. President Theodore Roosevelt gave responsibility for examination of food and drugs to the Bureau of Chemistry with the signing of the Pure Food and Drug Act. The Bureau’s name was changed to the Food, Drug and Insecticide Organization in 1927, and to the Food and Drug Administration in 1930.

45 Small Asian ape : GIBBON

Gibbons are referred to as lesser apes as they differ in size and behavior from the great apes e.g. chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and humans.

46 Announcement that suggests strength : I RAISE

That might be the card game poker.

47 Homer or jack : DINGER

“Dinger” and “round trip” are familiar terms for a home run in baseball.

50 Feminist poet Lorde : AUDRE

Audre Lorde was and American feminist author and civil rights activists. Lorde spent many years in Germany. She held a visiting professorship at the Free University of Berlin, and while holding that position became a leading light in the Afro-German movement.

54 It’s a wrap : PITA

Pita is a lovely bread from Middle-Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. Pita is usually round, and has a “pocket” in the center. The pocket is created by steam that puffs up the dough during cooking leaving a void when the bread cools.

56 Surrealist Magritte : RENE

Belgian artist René Magritte was a surrealist. His most recognized work may be “The Son of Man”, a painting he created as a self-portrait. It is the work that shows a man in a bowler hat with his face covered by an apple. The image features prominently in a great movie, the 1999 remake of “The Thomas Crown Affair”.

The cultural movement known as Surrealism emerged in the 1920s, and grew out of the Dada activities that were a response to WWI. The term “surrealist” was coined by Guillaume Apollinaire, when he used it in the preface of his play “Les Mamelles de Tirésias”.

57 Dixie bunch? : Y’ALL

“Dixie” is a nickname sometimes used for the American South, and often specifically for the original 11 states that seceded from the Union just prior to the Civil War. It’s apparently not certain how the name “Dixie” came about. One theory is that it comes from the term “dixie” which was used for currency issued by banks in Louisiana. The 10-dollar bills had the word “dix” on the reverse side, the French for “ten”. From the banknote, the French speaking area around New Orleans came to be known as Dixieland, and from there “Dixie” came to apply to the South in general.

62 “You can’t mean me!” : MOI?!

“Moi” is the French word for “me”. One might say “Moi?” when feigning innocence.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Term of address in old Westerns : KEMOSABE
9 Survives, maybe : ADAPTS
15 Freaking out : IN A PANIC
16 DNA sample source : SALIVA
17 Writer’s challenge : DRY SPELL
18 Ascent, for one : SUBARU
19 Crowd around : MOB
20 Show confidence in, with “by” : SWEAR …
22 “Seinfeld” surname : BENES
23 Touch : ABUT
25 Short piece : STUB
27 2018 film for which Alfonso Cuarón won Best Director : ROMA
28 Beersheba’s region : NEGEV
30 Organic fuel source : PEAT BOG
32 “The Color of Money” game : NINE-BALL
36 Enjoyed, with “up” : ATE …
37 Controversial phenomenon in response to controversial actions : CANCEL CULTURE
40 Disheveled do : MOP
41 “Capisce?” : AM I CLEAR?
42 They make a lot of calls : UMPIRES
44 Inflexible : RIGID
48 Kids’ song locale : DELL
49 Cries of success : AHAS
52 Tireless assistant : SIRI
53 Puppy : WHELP
55 L.A.’s __ Museum of the American West : AUTRY
58 Outlaw : BAN
59 Fix : REPAIR
61 “Anything’s possible” : DREAM BIG
63 Alicia Keys label : ARISTA
64 Got off the leash : RAN LOOSE
65 View secretly : PEEK AT
66 Penciled-in item : EYELINER

Down

1 Oscar winner as Woolf in 2002 : KIDMAN
2 Dress for court, maybe : ENROBE
3 Common name for a cockchafer : MAYBUG
4 Covert __ : OPS
5 Drains : SAPS
6 One way to begin : ANEW
7 Gymnast who won four golds in Rio : BILES
8 Brilliance : ECLAT
9 Biblical mount : ASS
10 Slap (on) : DAUB
11 Renaissance painter Dürer : ALBERT
12 Setting for a Billy Joel classic : PIANO BAR
13 One hiding in the cushions? : TV REMOTE
14 Breakfast link : SAUSAGE
21 “Drag Race” host : RUPAUL
24 Ark. neighbor : TENN
26 Ball charmer : BELLE
29 Church official : VICAR
31 Union setting : ALTAR
33 Site of Hercules’ first labor : NEMEA
34 “24” actress Cuthbert : ELISHA
35 Discreetly send a dupe to : BCC
37 Curt summons : COME HERE
38 Slice of Americana? : APPLE PIE
39 “Trinity” novelist : URIS
40 Spa treatment whose effects are temporary, per the FDA : MUD WRAP
43 “Lemme check” : I’LL ASK
45 Small Asian ape : GIBBON
46 Announcement that suggests strength : I RAISE
47 Homer or jack : DINGER
50 Feminist poet Lorde : AUDRE
51 Many a pound adoptee : STRAY
54 It’s a wrap : PITA
56 Surrealist Magritte : RENE
57 Dixie bunch? : Y’ALL
60 Snitch : RAT
62 “You can’t mean me!” : MOI?!