LA Times Crossword 24 Aug 22, Wednesday

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Constructed by: David Alfred Bywaters
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: No Exit

Themed answers comprise two words that are the same, except that the letter string “NO” has “EXITED” the first word to make the second:

  • 69A “Find another way out” sign and a feature of four answers in this puzzle : NO EXIT
  • 20A Teatime treat topped with shaved ice? : SNO-CONE SCONE
  • 33A Feature of King Arthur’s court? : NOTABLE TABLE
  • 41A Gaggle native to northern Italy? : GENOESE GEESE
  • 54A Trainee’s bad habits? : NOVICE’S VICES

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

Bill’s time: 6m 30s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

15 Purple berry from Brazilian palms : ACAI

Açaí (pronounced “ass-aye-ee”) is a palm tree native to Central and South America. The fruit has become very popular in recent years and its juice is a very fashionable addition to juice mixes and smoothies.

17 State that’s an archipelago : HAWAII

The famed British explorer Captain James Cook made three voyages of discovery into the Pacific Ocean. Cook was in command of HMS Resolution on his third voyage, and he and his crew became the first Europeans to visit the Hawaiian Islands, in 1778. He landed on Kauai and named the whole archipelago the Sandwich Islands, in honor of the fourth Earl of Sandwich who was in charge of the British Admiralty at the time. Cook continued his voyage, leaving Hawaii to explore the coast of what is now called Canada and Alaska, and returning to Hawaii the following year. After one month of contact with the native Hawaiians, Cook departed from the islands but was forced to return to repair a broken mast. Relations between the Europeans and the islanders had been good but despite this a dispute developed and got out of control that resulted in Cook being struck on the head and stabbed to death. His body was dragged away by the islanders, and as an apparent sign of respect for the Captain, the natives processed his body according to funeral traditions associated with Hawaiian kings and elders. Eventually, after a petition from the remaining crew, some of Cook’s remains were also returned for a formal burial at sea, adhering to British naval tradition.

“Archipelago” is our spelling of the Italian “arcipelago”, a word that has Greek roots. The Aegean Sea was once known as the Archipelago. The usage of “Archipelago” migrated over time, eventually applying only to the Aegean Islands. As a result, we use the term “archipelago” today not for a sea, but for a group or chain of islands.

18 Went on and on : YAMMERED

Our verb “to yammer”, meaning “to complain”, probably comes from the Middle Duth “jammeren”, which has the same meaning.

20 Teatime treat topped with shaved ice? : SNO-CONE SCONE

A sno-cone (also “snow cone”) is just a paper cone filled with crushed ice and topped with flavored water. Italian ice is similar, but different. Whereas the flavoring is added on top of the ice to make a sno-cone, Italian ice is made with water that is flavored before it is frozen.

22 Bistro : CAFE

“Bistro” was originally a Parisian slang term describing a little wine shop or restaurant.

26 Wind quintet wind : OBOE

A wind quintet is a group of five woodwind players, usually flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon.

27 Pub order : ALE

The many, many different styles of beer can generally be sorted into two groups: ales and lagers. Ales are fermented at relatively warm temperatures for relatively short periods of time, and use top-fermenting yeasts, i.e. yeasts that float on top of the beer as it ferments. Lagers ferment at relatively low temperatures and for relatively long periods of time. Lagers use bottom-fermenting yeasts, i.e. yeasts that fall to the bottom of the beer as it ferments.

33 Feature of King Arthur’s court? : NOTABLE TABLE

King Arthur (and his Round Table) probably never really existed, but his legend is very persistent. Arthur was supposedly a leader of the Romano-British as they tried to resist the invasion of the Anglo-Saxons in the late 5th and early 6th centuries.

36 Buffet fuel : STERNO

Sterno is a jellied alcohol that usually comes in a can. The can is opened and the contents burn very easily and persistently. The brand name “Sterno” comes from the original manufacturer, S. Sternau & Co. of Brooklyn, New York.

Our word “buffet” comes from the French “bufet” meaning “bench, sideboard”. So, a buffet is a meal served from a “bufet”.

37 Farfalle shape : BOW TIE

Farfalle is commonly referred to as bow-tie pasta because of its shape. The name comes from the Italian “farfalla” meaning “butterfly”.

41 Gaggle native to northern Italy? : GENOESE GEESE

A collection of geese is referred to as a “gaggle” when on the ground. When geese are in V-formation in flight, they are referred to collectively as a “skein”.

Genoa is a seaport in the very north of Italy, in the region known as Liguria. One of Genoa’s most famous sons was Christopher Columbus. Another was the violinist Niccolò Paganini.

50 Biblical land west of Nod : EDEN

According to the Bible’s Book of Genesis, after Cain murdered his brother Abel, he fled to the “Land of Nod”. Nod was located “east of Eden” (from which John Steinbeck got the title for his celebrated novel “East of Eden”).

52 Part of t.i.d., on an Rx : TER

Abbreviations on a medical prescription (Rx) are shortened forms of Latin phrases. “Ter in die” is Latin for “three times a day”, abbreviated to “TID”. “Bis in die” (BID) would be twice a day, and “quater in die” (QID) would be four times a day.

53 Lover of Aphrodite : ARES

The Greek god Ares is often referred to as the Olympian god of warfare, but originally he was regarded as the god of bloodlust and slaughter. Ares united with Aphrodite to create several gods, including Phobos (Fear), Deimos (Terror) and Eros (Desire). Ares was the son of Zeus and Hera, and the Roman equivalent to Ares was Mars.

59 Microscope blobs : PROTOZOA

Protozoans are single-celled organisms that were traditionally grouped with animals. Nowadays, protozoans are considered a group by themselves, and neither animals, plants nor fungi. The term “protozoa” translates as “first animals”.

60 Excuses : ALIBIS

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

64 Folk singer DiFranco : ANI

Ani DiFranco is a folk-rock singer and songwriter. DiFranco has also been labeled a “feminist icon”, and in 2006 won the “Woman of Courage Award” from National Organization for Women.

65 Champagne designation : BRUT

Sparkling wines can be classified according to sweetness. These classifications are, from driest to sweetest:

  • Brut Nature
  • Extra Brut
  • Brut
  • Extra Dry
  • Dry
  • Semi-Dry
  • Sweet

67 Drug in Michael Pollan’s “How to Change Your Mind” : LSD

Journalist Michael Pollan wrote a 2018 book that became a No. 1 New York Times bestseller. The full title of the work is “How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence”. Pollan adapted the book into a four-part documentary for Netflix, using the shorter title “How to Change Your Mind”.

68 Feed adequately : SATE

Journalist Michael Pollan wrote a 2018 book that became a No. 1 New York Times bestseller. The full title of the work is “How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence”. Pollan adapted the book into a four-part documentary for Netflix, using the shorter title “How to Change Your Mind”.

Down

1 Tennis star Barty who announced her retirement in 2022, familiarly : ASH

Ashleigh Barty is a retired professional tennis player from Australia. She was ranked No. 1 in the world in singles when she retired in March of 2022. Barty is the only the second Australian to earn the WTA’s No. 1 ranking, after Evonne Goolagong Cawley. Barty is a natural athlete. She took a break from tennis from 2014 to 2016, during which time she played semi-professional cricket. She had never played competitive cricket before, and yet earned her place as a regular member of her team.

3 Adage : SAW

A saw is an old adage, a saying.

5 Halter attachment : REIN

A halter is a piece of headgear used to aid in the control of animals such as horses, bulls and dogs. The halter usually has a lead rope or leash attached.

7 Rifle attachment : BAYONET

A bayonet is a blade that is attached to the muzzle end of a rifle. It’s thought that the term “bayonet” derives from the French city of Bayonne in Gascony, where perhaps bayonets were first made.

8 Anthem with the line “The True North strong and free” : O CANADA

Canada’s national anthem “O Canada” was commissioned in 1880 by the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, so the original words are in French. The first English translation was made in 1906. The current English lyrics have been revised a few times, but the French version remains the same as it did back in 1880.

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all of us command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

9 Fabric with metallic threads : LAME

Lamé is a fabric that has metallic yarns included in the weave. It is a popular fabric for stylish evening wear, and also in the sport of fencing. The metallic threads are conductive and so help register a touch by an épée.

11 Flashing light : STROBE

A strobe light is a device that produces regular flashes, like the light on top of a police car. The term derives from the Greek “strobos” meaning “twisting, whirling”.

28 Doubleday incorrectly credited with inventing baseball : ABNER

Abner Doubleday was a general in the Union Army during the Civil War. Some say that Doubleday fired the first shot in defense of Fort Sumter in the first battle of the war. After the Civil War, while stationed in San Francisco, Doubleday took out a patent for the cable car system that still runs in the city. Claims have been made that Doubleday also invented baseball, with the first game being played in Elihu Phinney’s cow pasture in Cooperstown, New York.

30 Westminster landmark : ABBEY

The actual name for the Gothic church we know as Westminster Abbey is the Collegiate Church of St. Peter at Westminster. The Abbey is a favored location for coronations and royal weddings and burials.

34 Bol. neighbor : ARG

Argentina is the second largest country in South America (after Brazil), and the world’s largest Spanish-speaking nation. The name “Argentina” comes from the Latin “argentum”, the word for “silver”. It is thought that the name was given by the early Spanish and Portuguese conquerors who also named the Rio de la Plata (the “Silver River”). Those early explorers got hold of lots of silver objects that they found among the native population.

Bolivia is a landlocked country in South America that is bordered by Brazil, Paraguay, Chile, Peru and Argentina. The land now occupied by Bolivia was originally part of the Inca Empire. The country declared independence from Spain in 1809, which led to 16 years of war. When the Republic was finally named, “Bolivia” was chosen in honor of Venezuelan-born revolutionary leader, Simón Bolívar.

35 Short-horned bighorn : EWE

The male bighorn sheep of North America has horns that can weigh up to 30 pounds, which is about 10% of the animal’s body weight.

44 South Asian garb : SARI

The item of clothing called a “sari” (also “saree”) is a strip of cloth, as one might imagine, unusual perhaps in that it is unstitched along the whole of its length. The strip of cloth can range from four to nine meters long (that’s a lot of material!). The sari is usually wrapped around the waist, then draped over the shoulder leaving the midriff bare. I must say, it can be a beautiful item of clothing.

45 Epistolary friend : PEN PAL

Something described as epistolary relates to a letter or letters. The Latin “epistola” translates into English as “letter, message”.

55 Picnic discards : COBS

Our term “picnic” comes from the French word that now has the same meaning, namely “pique-nique”. The original “pique-nique” was a fashionable potluck affair, and not necessarily held outdoors.

56 “The Snowy Day” Caldecott winner __ Jack Keats : EZRA

Ezra Jack Keats was an American author and illustrator who is most famous for his 1962 award-winning children’s picture book “The Snowy Day”. Keats was known for setting his books in urban environments and for featuring protagonists with varying cultural backgrounds.

57 Adam’s eldest : CAIN

According to the Bible, Adam and Eve had several children, although only the first three are mentioned by name: Cain, Abel and Seth.

58 Red Muppet with a pet goldfish named Dorothy : ELMO

The “Sesame Street” character named Elmo has a birthday every February 3rd, and on that birthday he always turns 3½ years old. The man behind/under Elmo on “Sesame Street” for many years was Kevin Clash. If you want to learn more about Elmo and Clash, you can watch the 2011 documentary “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey”.

61 Amazon.com delivery : BOX

Amazon.com is the largest online retailer in the world. It is also the largest Internet company in the world by revenue. The company was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, in his garage in Bellevue, Washington. I’m a big fan of Amazon’s approach to customer service …

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 State with conviction : ASSERT
7 Adventurous : BOLD
11 Hit the slopes : SKI
14 Less abundant : SPARER
15 Purple berry from Brazilian palms : ACAI
16 Midmorning hour : TEN
17 State that’s an archipelago : HAWAII
18 Went on and on : YAMMERED
20 Teatime treat topped with shaved ice? : SNO-CONE SCONE
22 Bistro : CAFE
25 Spanish article : UNA
26 Wind quintet wind : OBOE
27 Pub order : ALE
28 Played the part of : ACTED AS
32 Put a stop to : END
33 Feature of King Arthur’s court? : NOTABLE TABLE
36 Buffet fuel : STERNO
37 Farfalle shape : BOW TIE
41 Gaggle native to northern Italy? : GENOESE GEESE
45 Augment with superfluous verbiage : PAD
48 Runs again : REPLAYS
49 “It’s __ good” : ALL
50 Biblical land west of Nod : EDEN
52 Part of t.i.d., on an Rx : TER
53 Lover of Aphrodite : ARES
54 Trainee’s bad habits? : NOVICE’S VICES
59 Microscope blobs : PROTOZOA
60 Excuses : ALIBIS
64 Folk singer DiFranco : ANI
65 Champagne designation : BRUT
66 “That’s it for me!” : I’M DONE!
67 Drug in Michael Pollan’s “How to Change Your Mind” : LSD
68 Feed adequately : SATE
69 “Find another way out” sign and a feature of four answers in this puzzle : NO EXIT

Down

1 Tennis star Barty who announced her retirement in 2022, familiarly : ASH
2 Day __ : SPA
3 Adage : SAW
4 Wipe out : ERASE
5 Halter attachment : REIN
6 Half a sextet : TRIO
7 Rifle attachment : BAYONET
8 Anthem with the line “The True North strong and free” : O CANADA
9 Fabric with metallic threads : LAME
10 Turns down : DIMS
11 Flashing light : STROBE
12 Heavily into : KEEN ON
13 “No doubt” : INDEED
19 Prefix with friendly : ECO-
21 Adorable : CUTE
22 Some recyclables : CANS
23 Much : A LOT
24 Big party : FETE
28 Doubleday incorrectly credited with inventing baseball : ABNER
29 Knockoff : CLONE
30 Westminster landmark : ABBEY
31 Tedious journeys : SLOGS
34 Bol. neighbor : ARG
35 Short-horned bighorn : EWE
38 Hot streak : TEAR
39 Land in the water : ISLE
40 Slithery fish : EELS
42 Chooses not to participate : OPTS OUT
43 Raise : ELEVATE
44 South Asian garb : SARI
45 Epistolary friend : PEN PAL
46 Festoons : ADORNS
47 Without, with “of” : DEVOID …
51 Minor issue : NIT
53 Out of the way : ASIDE
55 Picnic discards : COBS
56 “The Snowy Day” Caldecott winner __ Jack Keats : EZRA
57 Adam’s eldest : CAIN
58 Red Muppet with a pet goldfish named Dorothy : ELMO
61 Amazon.com delivery : BOX
62 Suffix on some pasta names : -INI
63 Good to go : SET