LA Times Crossword 14 Jun 19, Friday

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Constructed by: Jeffrey Wechsler
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Besides

Themed answers common phrases with the letters “BE” wrapped either SIDE of the last word:

  • 38A Also … and, in three parts, a hint to the four longest Across answers : BESIDES and B E SIDES
  • 17A Best Custard Enhancement award? : THE GOLDEN BRULEE (from “The Golden Rule”)
  • 28A Eve’s incentive not to eat the apple? : ADAM’S BRIBE (from “Adam’s Rib”)
  • 46A Whom to interrupt to end a couple’s tedious conversation? : EITHER BORE (from “either/or”)
  • 61A Description of a consistent ogre? : THE SAME OLD BRUTE (from “the same old rut”)

Bill’s time: 7m 23s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

6 Grainy side : PILAF

“Pilaf” is a Persian word, one that we use to describe rice that is browned in oil and then cooked in a seasoned broth.

11 Pixar SFX : CGI

Computer-generated imagery (CGI)

The abbreviation “FX” stands for “effects” as in “special effects”. “Special effects” can also be shortened to “SFX”.

Pixar Animation Studios started out as part of Lucasfilm in 1979, George Lucas’s production company. Lucas sold what was to become Pixar to Apple CEO Steve Jobs in 1986. Pixar produced its first feature film in 1995, the fabulous “Toy Story”, and followed up with a string of hits. The company was then sold to Walt Disney in 2006, when valued at $7.4 billion. That transaction resulted in Steve Jobs becoming the biggest shareholder in Walt Disney.

14 Certain Sri Lankan : TAMIL

Tamils are a large ethnic group of almost 80 million people who speak Tamil as their mother tongue. Despite the large Tamil population, there is no Tamil state. The highest concentration of Tamils is in Sri Lanka, where they make up about 25% of the population.

The island nation of Sri Lanka lies off the southeast coast of India. The name “Sri Lanka” translates from Sanskrit into English as “venerable island”. Before 1970, Sri Lanka was known as Ceylon, a name given to the country during British rule.

15 Defense concern : ALIBI

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

17 Best Custard Enhancement award? : THE GOLDEN BRULEE (from “The Golden Rule”)

Crème brûlée is a classic French dessert consisting of a rich custard topped with a crusty layer of caramelized sugar. The name “crème brûlée” translates from French as “burnt cream”.

The Golden Rule is also known as the ethic of reciprocity, and is a basis for the concept of human rights. A version of the rule used in the Christian tradition is attributed to Jesus:

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

21 Overly orotund orator : GASBAG

“Orotund” can mean full in sound, and sonorous. However, the term can also mean pompous and bombastic.

22 Sacred symbol : TOTEM

“Totem” is a word used to describe any entity that watches over a group of people. As such, totems are usually the subjects of worship. Totem poles are really misnamed, as they are not intended to represent figures to be worshiped, but rather are heraldic in nature often celebrating the legends or notable events in the history of a tribe.

24 Pro __ : TEM

“Pro tempore” can be abbreviated to “pro tem” or “p.t.” “Pro tempore” is a Latin phrase that best translates as “for the time being”. It is used to describe a person who is acting for another, usually a superior. The President pro tempore of the US Senate is the person who presides over the Senate in the absence of the Vice President of the US. It has been tradition since 1890 that the president pro tem is the most senior senator in the majority party. The president pro tem ranks highly in the line of succession to the presidency, falling third in line after the Vice President and the Speaker of the House.

25 Romeo’s partner? : ALFA

The “Alfa” in Alfa Romeo is actually an acronym, one standing for Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili (“Lombard Automobile Factory, Public Company”). ALFA was an enterprise founded in 1909 and which was taken over by Nicola Romeo in 1915. In 1920 the company name was changed to Alfa Romeo.

28 Eve’s incentive not to eat the apple? : ADAM’S BRIBE (from “Adam’s Rib”)

And here it is, my favorite movie of all time! “Adam’s Rib” is a classic romantic comedy starring the powerful duo Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, playing two lawyers married to each other. Inevitably, the married couple have to take opposite sides in a high-profile court case, and hilarity ensues. The film is an interesting exploration of the roles of men and women in 1949 American society.

33 “Free to Be… You and Me” co-creator Thomas : MARLO

Marlo Thomas’s most famous role was playing the title character in the television sitcom “That Girl”. Thomas is also well known as a spokesperson for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

“Free to Be… You and Me” is a project sponsored by the Ms. Foundation for Women. AS part of the project, an album and book aimed at children was produced under the title “Free to Be… You and Me”. The songs and stories contained therein are designed to promote gender neutrality, individuality and tolerance. The album and book were the idea of actress Marlo Thomas, and she signed up some of her celebrity friends to participate in the project, including Alan Alda, Carol Channing, Michael Jackson, Shirley Jones and Diana Ross.

37 Sette minus sei : UNO

In Italian, “sette” (seven) minus “sei” (six) is “uno” (one).

41 Minn. neighbor : ONT

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).

42 Jose’s opening? : SAN …

San Jose is the third-largest city in California and is located at the heart of Silicon Valley. The city was founded by the Spanish in 1777 and named El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe. Under Spanish and Mexican rule, the territory of Alta California had its capital in Monterey. When California was made a US state, San Jose was named as the first capital, in 1850. Subsequently, the state legislature met in Vallejo in 1852, Benicia in 1853, and finally settled in Sacramento.

43 Je ne __ quoi : SAIS

“Je ne sais quoi” is French for “I don’t know what”.

44 Keyboard offering : ETUDE

An étude is a short instrumental composition that is usually quite hard to play and is intended to help the performer master a particular technique. “Étude” is the French word for “study”. Études are commonly performed on the piano.

50 Part of NAACP: Abbr. : ASSN

The full name of the NAACP, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, is remarkable in that it actually still uses the offensive term “colored people”. The NAACP was founded in 1909, by a group that included suffragette and journalist Mary White Ovington, wealthy socialist William English Walling, and civil rights activist Henry Moskowitz. Another member of the founding group was W. E. B. Du Bois, the first African-American to earn a doctorate at Harvard University. The date chosen for the founding of the NAACP was February 12th, 1909, the 100th anniversary of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln, the man most visibly associated with the emancipation of African-American slaves.

52 Israeli desert : NEGEV

The Negev is a desert region in southern Israel. The largest city in the Negev is Beersheba. The Negev covers about 4,700 square miles, which is about 55% of Israel’s landmass.

64 Stealthy fighter : NINJA

The ninjas were around in Japan at the time of the samurai, but were a very different type of warrior. The ninjas were covert operatives, specializing in the use of stealth to accomplish their missions. As they were a secretive cadre they took on a mystical reputation with the public, who believed they had the ability to become invisible or perhaps walk on water.

65 Result of a leadoff single : ONE ON

That would be baseball.

67 Wyoming county : TETON

Teton County, Wyoming is home to the Grand Teton National Park and the town of Jackson Hole. Teton has the distinction of having the second highest personal per capita income of any county in the US ($94,672 in 2010), second only to New York County ($111,386 in 2010).

68 Aggressive stingers : WASPS

While the wasp is considered to be a nuisance by many, the insect is very important to the agricultural industry. Wasps prey on many pest insects, while having very little impact on crops.

Down

1 Westernmost Aleutian island : ATTU

Attu is the westernmost island in the Aleutian chain, and so is the westernmost part of Alaska. Japanese forces took the island in October 1942, eventually landing as many as 2,900 soldiers there. In May 1943, the US Army retook the island in twenty days of fighting that is now called the Battle of Attu, the only land battle to take place on US soil during WWII. I am very proud of my father-in-law, who served in the Aleutians during WWII …

2 “All the Way” lyricist : CAHN

Sammy Cahn wrote for them all, including Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Doris Day. Cahn’s most famous song was probably “Three Coins in the Fountain”. He also wrote “All the Way”, made famous by Frank Sinatra.

3 “__ a traveller from an antique land”: “Ozymandias” : I MET

“Ozymandias” is a sonnet written by Percy Bysshe Shelley that was first published in 1818:

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

4 Like most selfies : DIGITAL

A selfie is a self-portrait, one usually taken with a digital camera or cell phone. A “group selfie” is sometimes referred to as a “groufie” or “wefie”. A “couple selfie” is known as an “usie” or “ussie”, although those terms are sometimes also used for a group picture.

5 Cinematographer’s option : SLO-MO

Slow motion (slo-mo) replay of film.

7 Martinique, par exemple : ILE

The island of Martinique in the eastern Caribbean is actually a part of France, and is referred to as an “overseas department”. As such, Martinique is part of the European Union and even uses the euro as its currency. The island is fully represented in the French National Assembly and Senate, just like any department within France. It’s sort of like the status of Hawaii within the US.

8 CNN host Lisa : LING

Lisa Ling is a journalist who is best known as a former co-host of the television show “The View”. Lisa’s younger sister is Laura Ling. Laura is one of the pair of journalists who were sentenced to 12 years hard labor in prison for illegal entry to North Korea, but who were released in 2009 after a visit from former President Bill Clinton.

9 Their logo has a mirrored letter : ABBA

Only three members of the quartet that made up the Swedish pop group ABBA were born in Sweden. Anni-Frid Lyngstad was born in Norway just after the end of WWII, the daughter of a Norwegian mother and a father who was German soldier and a member of the German occupying force during the war. The father returned to Germany with the army, and in 1947, Anni-Frid was taken with her family to Sweden. They left fearing reprisals against those who dealt with the German army during the occupation.

12 Novelist Iles : GREG

Author Greg Iles was born in German, but raised in Mississippi, where many of his novels are set.

18 “__ Smile Be Your Umbrella” : LET A

“Let a Smile Be Your Umbrella” is a song first published in 1927. The most successful recording was probably the 1957 version made by Bing Crosby.

19 Designated driver alternative : UBER

Uber is a ridesharing service that was founded in 2009 and is based in San Francisco. The service is somewhat controversial and has been described as an illegal taxicab operation. Central to Uber’s service is the company’s mobile app, which can use the client’s GPS location to help find the nearest available ride. Uber’s main competitor is Lyft.

23 “The Federalist Papers” co-author : MADISON

James Madison was one of the Founding Fathers, and the fourth President of the US. Madison played a key role in drafting the the US Constitution as well as the Bill of Rights, and so is sometimes referred to as the Father of the Constitution. Along with future president Thomas Jefferson, Madison founded the Democratic-Republican Party, which was one of the nation’s first two major political parties along with Alexander Hamilton’s Federalist Party.

The Federalist Papers are a series of published articles, promoting the ratification of the US Constitution, that were written anonymously by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay. In fact, all three authors used “Publius” as a pen name, in honor of the Roman consul Publius Valerius Publicola. Publius was one of four Roman aristocrats who led the overthrow of the Roman monarchy in the revolution of 509 BC, effectively founding the Roman Republic.

26 Mostly private Hawaiian island : LANAI

Lanai is the sixth largest of the Hawaiian Islands. Lanai was first spotted by Europeans just a few days after Captain Cook was killed on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1779. In 1922, the Hawaiian Pineapple Company bought the whole island of Lanai and turned most of it into the world’s largest pineapple plantation. Since then, Lanai has been known as “The Pineapple Island”. Today, 98% of the island is owned by Larry Ellison, the CEO of Oracle, and 2% is owned by the State of Hawaii.

27 Incisors : FRONT TEETH

The incisors are the front teeth, of which humans have eight. The term “incisor” comes from the Latin “incidere” meaning “to cut”.

29 Like Lear, ultimately : MAD

Shakespeare was inspired to write his famous drama “King Lear” by the legend of “Leir of Britain”, the story of a mythological Celtic king.

30 Notre-Dame honoree: Abbr. : STE

“Sainte” (ste.) is French for “saint”, when referring to a “femme” (woman).

Notre-Dame de Paris is the spectacular Gothic cathedral that sits on the Île de la Cité, one of the islands in the middle on the River Seine in Paris. Notre Dame is home to many beautiful and significant artifacts, the most famous of which is the Crown of Thorns supposedly worn by Jesus Christ at his execution, placed in the cathedral in 1239. It’s also home to some magnificent gargoyles on the roof, and you can climb up to the roof and take a very close look at them. Well, you used to be able to, until the tragic fire of 2019.

31 Switchback features : BENDS

A switchback is road that zigzags through mountainous terrain. The term “switchback” dates back to the 1860s, when it applied to zig-zag rail tracks.

32 Moth-__ : EATEN

The larvae of several types of moth are noted for eating fabrics made from natural fibers such as wool or cotton. Many people store woolens in cedar chests believing that the scent of the wood prevents a moth infestation. In fact, the only known effective repellent is the naphthalene found in mothballs, which might be a health concern for humans. One way to kill moth larvae in fabric is to freeze the garment for several days at a temperature below -8 degrees centigrade.

39 Stirrup location : EAR

The middle ear is the portion of the ear immediately behind the eardrum. The middle ear contains three small bones called the ossicles, the three smallest bones in the human body. The ossicles’ job is to transmit sound from the outer ear to the inner ear. The shape of the bones gives rise to their names: the hammer (malleus), anvil (incus) and stirrup (stapes).

45 Spot to sip ouzo : TAVERNA

Ouzo is an apéritif from Greece that is colorless and flavored with anise. Ouzo is similar to French pastis and Italian sambuca.

47 Kentucky Derby showpieces : HATS

The first Kentucky Derby took place in 1875, and is a race modeled on the Epsom Derby in England and the Grand Prix de Paris (now called the “Prix de l‘Arc de Triomphe”). As such, the Kentucky Derby was run over 1½ miles, although in 1896 this was shortened to 1¼ miles. The winning horse is presented with a very elaborate blanket made of red roses, and so the Derby is nicknamed “Run for the Roses”. The race is held on the first Saturday in May each year, and is limited to 3-year-old horses.

49 “Great Scott!” : EGAD!

No one seems to know for sure who the Scott is in the exclamation “great Scott!”. One theory is that the reference is to the commander-in-chief of the US Army during the Civil War, General Winfield Scott. Scott weighed in at 300 pounds later in his life, and was so obese that he could not ride a horse.

54 Fillmore was the last president who was one : WHIG

The Whig Party (in the US) was active from 1833 to 1856, and was the opposition party to the Democrats at that time. One of the tenets of the Whig Party was the supremacy of Congress over the Executive branch. Prominent members of the party included Presidents Zachary Taylor and John Tyler. Abraham Lincoln was also a Whig while he served a two-year term as a US Representative for the state of Illinois. By the time he became President, Lincoln was a member of the Republican Party.

Vice President Millard Fillmore took over the US Presidency when Zachary Taylor died after only 16 months in office. Fillmore was born in the Finger Lakes region of New York State, but grew up around Buffalo. He was one of the founders of the University of Buffalo and served as chancellor there after he left office in 1853. He was also the last Whig to occupy the White House, as the party broke up after Fillmore’s presidency.

55 Lisette’s BFF : AMIE

A male friend in France is “un ami”, and a female friend is “une amie”.

Best friend forever (BFF)

56 You can see Lincoln on one : CENT

The original one-cent coin was introduced in the US in 1793 and was made of 100% copper, giving rise to the nickname “copper” for a 1-cent coin. The composition varied over time, and was 100% bronze up to the 1940s. During WWII there was a shortage of copper to make bronze, so the US Mint switched to zinc-coated steel for production of one-cent coins in 1943. The “steelie” is the only coin ever issued by the US mint that can be picked up by a magnet. Today’s one-cent coin is comprised mainly of zinc.

The US one-cent coin has borne the profile of President Abraham Lincoln since 1909, the centennial of Lincoln’s birth. Fifty years later, a representation of the Lincoln Memorial was added to the reverse side.

60 Second-ranked pinochle cards : TENS

Pinochle is a card game that was developed from the 19th-century French game called bezique.

61 Nashville sch. : TSU

Tennessee State University (TSU) was established in 1912 in Nashville. It was founded as the Agricultural and Industrial State Normal School, and was originally intended as a school for African Americans. There was a court-ordered merger in 1979 with the traditionally white University of Tennessee at Nashville.

The Tennessee city of Nashville was founded in 1779 near a stockade in the Cumberland River valley called Fort Nashborough. Both the settlement and the fort were named for General Francis Nash, a war hero who died in combat during the American Revolution.

62 Eye in most of Iberia : OJO

The Iberian Peninsula in Europe is largely made up of Spain and Portugal. However, also included is the Principality of Andorra in the Pyrénées, a small part of the south of France, and the British Territory of Gibraltar. Iberia takes its name from the Ebro, the longest river in Spain, which the Romans named the “Iber”.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Chem lab array : ACIDS
6 Grainy side : PILAF
11 Pixar SFX : CGI
14 Certain Sri Lankan : TAMIL
15 Defense concern : ALIBI
16 Orbital section : ARC
17 Best Custard Enhancement award? : THE GOLDEN BRULEE (from “The Golden Rule”)
20 Like moves in casual chess games : UNTIMED
21 Overly orotund orator : GASBAG
22 Sacred symbol : TOTEM
24 Pro __ : TEM
25 Romeo’s partner? : ALFA
28 Eve’s incentive not to eat the apple? : ADAM’S BRIBE (from “Adam’s Rib”)
33 “Free to Be… You and Me” co-creator Thomas : MARLO
35 Information : DATA
36 See 13-Down : … TEA
37 Sette minus sei : UNO
38 Also … and, in three parts, a hint to the four longest Across answers : BESIDES and B E SIDES
41 Minn. neighbor : ONT
42 Jose’s opening? : SAN …
43 Je ne __ quoi : SAIS
44 Keyboard offering : ETUDE
46 Whom to interrupt to end a couple’s tedious conversation? : EITHER BORE (from “either/or”)
50 Part of NAACP: Abbr. : ASSN
51 Roadwork supply : TAR
52 Israeli desert : NEGEV
54 Big improvement over a mop, for short : WET VAC
57 Was horrified by : PALED AT
61 Description of a consistent ogre? : THE SAME OLD BRUTE (from “the same old rut”)
63 “Take a load off” : SIT
64 Stealthy fighter : NINJA
65 Result of a leadoff single : ONE ON
66 “Feh!” : UGH!
67 Wyoming county : TETON
68 Aggressive stingers : WASPS

Down

1 Westernmost Aleutian island : ATTU
2 “All the Way” lyricist : CAHN
3 “__ a traveller from an antique land”: “Ozymandias” : I MET
4 Like most selfies : DIGITAL
5 Cinematographer’s option : SLO-MO
6 Fraudulently increased : PADDED
7 Martinique, par exemple : ILE
8 CNN host Lisa : LING
9 Their logo has a mirrored letter : ABBA
10 Diamond corner : FIRST BASE
11 Disastrous : CALAMITOUS
12 Novelist Iles : GREG
13 With 36-Across, summer drink : ICE …
18 “__ Smile Be Your Umbrella” : LET A
19 Designated driver alternative : UBER
23 “The Federalist Papers” co-author : MADISON
25 What jesters do : AMUSE
26 Mostly private Hawaiian island : LANAI
27 Incisors : FRONT TEETH
29 Like Lear, ultimately : MAD
30 Notre-Dame honoree: Abbr. : STE
31 Switchback features : BENDS
32 Moth-__ : EATEN
34 Paying attention : OBSERVANT
39 Stirrup location : EAR
40 Bro, say : SIB
45 Spot to sip ouzo : TAVERNA
47 Kentucky Derby showpieces : HATS
48 Change the itinerary : REPLAN
49 “Great Scott!” : EGAD!
53 Nudge : ELBOW
54 Fillmore was the last president who was one : WHIG
55 Lisette’s BFF : AMIE
56 You can see Lincoln on one : CENT
58 Club payments : DUES
59 On : ATOP
60 Second-ranked pinochle cards : TENS
61 Nashville sch. : TSU
62 Eye in most of Iberia : OJO