LA Times Crossword Answers 28 Feb 17, Tuesday










Constructed by: C.C. Burnikel

Edited by: Rich Norris

Quicklink to a complete list of today’s clues and answers

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Theme: That Hurts!

Today’s themed answers each contain two occurrences of the hidden word OW:

  • 60A. Pained expression, and a hint to two cries hidden in each answer to a starred clue : THAT HURTS!
  • 18A. *In Hades, euphemistically : DOWN BELOW
  • 30A. *Puffy Chinese dog : CHOW CHOW
  • 49A. *Bovine yogurt brand : BROWN COW
  • 3D. *Auto feature that doesn’t need a crank : POWER WINDOW
  • 27D. *Head rest on a sofa : THROW PILLOW

Bill’s time: 6m 06s

Bill’s errors: 0




Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies

Across

1. __ New Guinea : PAPUA

Papua New Guinea is a country occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea (the western side of the island is part of Indonesia).

6. Closest buddies, for short : BFFS

Best friend forever (BFF)

15. On the sheltered side, at sea : ALEE

“Alee” is the direction away from the wind. If a sailor points into the wind, he or she is pointing “aweather”.

17. “The Daily Show” regular Black : LEWIS

Lewis Black is a standup comedian who is known for an angry demeanor during his routines.

18. *In Hades, euphemistically : DOWN BELOW

Hades was the god of the underworld to the ancient Greeks. Over time, Hades gave his name to the underworld itself, the place where the dead reside. The term “Hades” was also adopted into the Christian tradition, as an alternative name for hell. But, the concept of hell in Christianity is more akin to the Greek “Tartarus”, which is a dark and gloomy dungeon located in Hades, a place of suffering and torment.

21. Ballet skirt : TUTU

The word “tutu”, used for a ballet dancer’s skirt, is actually a somewhat “naughty” term. It came into English from French in the early 20th century. The French “tutu” is an alteration of the word “cucu”, a childish word meaning “bottom,” or “backside”.

24. Béarnaise sauce herb : TARRAGON

Tarragon is a herb in the sunflower family that is also known by the name estragon. There are several subspecies, with “French tarragon” being the variety most commonly used for cooking. Other subspecies are known as Russian tarragon, Spanish tarragon and wild tarragon.

30. *Puffy Chinese dog : CHOW CHOW

The Chow Chow is a breed of dog that originated in China. The Chinese name for the breed is “Songshi Quan”, which translates as “puffy-lion dog”, a rather apt name given its appearance …

35. Lascivious look : LEER

“Lascivious” is such an appropriate-sounding word, I always think. It means lecherous or salacious.

37. “Raggedy” doll : ANN

Raggedy Ann is a rag doll, created by Johnny Gruelle in 1915 for his daughter, Marcella. He decided to name the doll by combining the titles of two poems by James Whitcomb Riley, “The Raggedy Man” and “Little Orphan Annie”. Gruelle introduced Raggedy Ann in a series of books three years later. Sadly, Marcella died at 13 years of age with her father blaming a smallpox vaccination she was given at school. Gruelle became very active in the movement against mass vaccination, for which Raggedy Ann became a symbol.

38. 601, to Seneca : DCI

Seneca the Younger was a tutor and advisor to the Emperor Nero of Ancient Rome. Although maybe innocent, Seneca was forced to commit suicide by Nero as it was alleged that Seneca participated in a plot to kill the emperor. To kill himself, Seneca cut into a number of veins in order to bleed to death.

42. East, in Essen : OST

Essen is a large industrial city located on the River Ruhr in western Germany.

47. Actor Cary __ of “Kiss the Girls” : ELWES

Cary Elwes is an English actor, perhaps most noted for appearing in the 1987 film “The Princess Bride”. He also played the title role in 1993’s “Cary Elwes”. Cary is the son of a celebrated English portrait painter, Dominick Elwes.

“Kiss the Girls” is a 1997 big-screen adaptation of the 1995 James Patterson psychological thriller novel of the same name. The protagonist in the film, psychologist Alex Cross, is played by Morgan Freeman. Freeman reprises the role in the 2001 sequel “Along Came a Spider”.

49. *Bovine yogurt brand : BROWN COW

Brown Cow yogurt was introduced in 1975, operating from a small farm in Ithaca, New York. The company name was chosen in honor of Lily, a brown cow on the farm. Nowadays, Brown Cow yogurt is produced in Antioch, California.

59. Where bovines graze : LEA

Something “bovine” is related to a cow, ox or buffalo, any ruminant in the genus Bos. “Bos” is the Latin for “cow”, and “bovinus” a Late Latin derivative term.

66. German automaker : AUDI

The name of the automotive manufacturer Audi has an interesting history. The Horch company was founded by August Horch in 1909. Early in the life of the new company, Horch was forced out of his own business. He set up a new enterprise and continued to use his own name as a brand. The old company sued him for using the Horch name so a meeting was held to choose something new. Horch’s young son was studying Latin in the room where the meeting was taking place. He pointed out that “Horch” was German for “hear” and he suggested “Audi” as a replacement, the Latin for “listen”.

67. Commuter’s choice : RAIL

Our verb “to commute”, meaning “to go back and forth to work”, ultimately derives from the Latin “commutare”, meaning “to often change”. Back in the late 1800s, a “commutation ticket” was a season pass, so named because it allowed one to “change” one kind of payment into another. Quite interesting …

69. Fountain of jazz : PETE

Pete Fountain is a New Orleans clarinetist. For four years Fountain played with the Lawrence Welk orchestra, but left when he and Welk had artistic differences.

70. Poet St. Vincent Millay : EDNA

Edna St. Vincent Millay was an American poet and playwright, the third woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (in 1923 for “The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver”). Millay was noted not only for her work, but also for the open arrangement that she and her husband had in their marriage. Millay took many lovers, including the poet George Dillon for whom she wrote a number of sonnets.

Down

4. College, to Aussies : UNI

In Australia (Down Under) and in the British Isles the term “Uni” is routinely used for “university”.

7. Frilly addition to a skirt : FLOUNCE

A flounce is a strip of fabric that has been gathered to create the appearance of fullness, like a wide ruffle. Flounces are usually sewn onto the edge of skirts.

8. “A __ Good Men” : FEW

The marvelous 1992 movie “A Few Good Men” was adapted for the big screen by Aaron Sorkin, from his own play of the same name. Sorkin is also the man behind “The West Wing” and “The Newsroom” on television, two great shows. Stars of the movie version “A Few Good Men” are Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore.

9. Capitol Hill lawmakers : SENATORS

Washington D.C.’s designer Pierre L’Enfant chose the crest of a hill as the site for the future Congress House. He called the location “Jenkins Hill” and “Jenkins Heights”. Earlier records show the name as “New Troy”. Today we call it “Capitol Hill”.

11. Rock singer Rose : AXL

Axl Rose is the lead vocalist of the American rock band, Guns N’ Roses.

12. Prefix with political or logical : GEO-

Geopolitics is the study of human and physical geography on international politics and relations. An example of geopolitics would be US policy when it comes to the production of oil around the world, given the nation’s status as the world’s leading oil consumer.

35. Long ride, for short : LIMO

The word “limousine” derives from the French city of Limoges. The area around Limoges is called the Limousin, and it gave its name to a cloak hood worn by local shepherds. In early motor cars, a driver would sit outside in the weather while the passengers would sit in the covered compartment. The driver would often wear a limousin-style protective hood, giving rise to that type of transportation being called a “limousine”. Well, that’s how the story goes anyway …

39. Intolerably confident : COCKSURE

To be “cocksure” is to be confident, “as assured as a cock”. English author D. H. Lawrence introduced us to a female version of the term: “hensure”.

50. Trio member with Crosby and Stills : NASH

Graham Nash is a singer-songwriter from England. Nash is famous as one of the founders of the Hollies, and as a member of the supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

51. Metro stop: Abbr. : STA

The Paris Métro is the busiest underground transportation system in western Europe, carrying about 4.5 million passengers a day, about the same as the New York City Subway. The system took its name from the company that originally operated it, namely “La Compagnie du chemin de fer métropolitain de Paris”, which was shorted to “Métro”. The term “Metro” was then adopted for similar systems in cities all over the world.

54. Electrical pioneer Nikola : TESLA

Nikola Tesla was born in Serbia, but later moved to the US. Tesla’s work on mechanical and electrical engineering was crucial to the development of alternating current technology, the same technology that is used by equipment at the backbone of modern power generation and distribution systems.

55. Dodger Pee Wee : REESE

Pee Wee Reese was a shortstop who played his professional career with the Brooklyn and LA Dodgers. Reese is remembered not only for his skill on the field, but for his very visible support for teammate Jackie Robinson, who famously struggled to be accepted as the first African American player in the majors. As he was an outstanding marbles player as a child, Reese was given the nickname “pee wee” after the name for a small marble.

62. Home security giant : ADT

ADT is a home and small-business security company based in Boca Raton, Florida. The company was founded back in 1874 by Edward Calahan. Calahan had invented the stock ticker several years earlier, and ran the Gold and Stock Telegraph Company. Calahan was awoken one morning by the sound of a burglar in his house, and so he decided to develop a telegraph-based security alarm system. The success of the system led to the founding of American District Telegraph, later known as ADT.

65. Nest egg initials : IRA

Individual retirement account (IRA)

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Complete List of Clues and Answers

Across

1. __ New Guinea : PAPUA

6. Closest buddies, for short : BFFS

10. Cleaning cloths : RAGS

14. Three through nine, in many golf club sets : IRONS

15. On the sheltered side, at sea : ALEE

16. Old flames : EXES

17. “The Daily Show” regular Black : LEWIS

18. *In Hades, euphemistically : DOWN BELOW

20. Back to square __ : ONE

21. Ballet skirt : TUTU

23. Every bit : ALL

24. Béarnaise sauce herb : TARRAGON

26. Pearly whites : TEETH

29. Escorted by : WITH

30. *Puffy Chinese dog : CHOW CHOW

33. Where to find a sleeper hit, perhaps : B-SIDE

35. Lascivious look : LEER

36. “Good point!” : TRUE!

37. “Raggedy” doll : ANN

38. 601, to Seneca : DCI

40. Obstinate mount : ASS

42. East, in Essen : OST

43. Fishing poles : RODS

45. Leave out : OMIT

47. Actor Cary __ of “Kiss the Girls” : ELWES

49. *Bovine yogurt brand : BROWN COW

51. Part of a process : STEP

52. Adjust just a bit : TWEAK

53. “Way to go, sister!” : ATTA GIRL!

57. Hook shape : ESS

58. “Very cool!” : NEAT!

59. Where bovines graze : LEA

60. Pained expression, and a hint to two cries hidden in each answer to a starred clue : THAT HURTS!

64. Makes angry, with “up” : RILES

66. German automaker : AUDI

67. Commuter’s choice : RAIL

68. Popped up : AROSE

69. Fountain of jazz : PETE

70. Poet St. Vincent Millay : EDNA

71. Poked at, cat-style : PAWED

Down

1. First sitcom episode : PILOT

2. Hockey venue : ARENA

3. *Auto feature that doesn’t need a crank : POWER WINDOW

4. College, to Aussies : UNI

5. Per what was previously mentioned : AS STATED

6. Mistreating : BAD TO

7. Frilly addition to a skirt : FLOUNCE

8. “A __ Good Men” : FEW

9. Capitol Hill lawmakers : SENATORS

10. Put back in office : REELECT

11. Rock singer Rose : AXL

12. Prefix with political or logical : GEO-

13. NNE opposite : SSW

19. Failed, as a fuse : BLEW

22. “That’s awful!” : UGH!

25. Divested (of) : RID

27. *Head rest on a sofa : THROW PILLOW

28. Lawmaking body : HOUSE

31. Oil or gas follower : … HEAT

32. Dampens : WETS

33. Stinging remark : BARB

34. Stifled laugh : SNORT

35. Long ride, for short : LIMO

39. Intolerably confident : COCKSURE

41. Put out bait, say : SET A TRAP

44. Beau or boo : SWEETIE

46. “Sign me up!” : I WANT IN!

48. Relay race part : LEG

50. Trio member with Crosby and Stills : NASH

51. Metro stop: Abbr. : STA

54. Electrical pioneer Nikola : TESLA

55. Dodger Pee Wee : REESE

56. Zapped with a beam : LASED

60. Activate, as a phone app : TAP

61. Tint : HUE

62. Home security giant : ADT

63. “Cool!” : RAD!

65. Nest egg initials : IRA

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