LA Times Crossword Answers 18 May 2018, Friday

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Constructed by: David Alfred Bywaters
Edited by: Rich Norris

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Today’s Reveal Answer: Dejection

Themed answers are common phrases with with a letter D removed, a “D ejection”:

  • 59A. Sadness … or, read another way, what five puzzle answers have in common : DEJECTION … or, D EJECTION
  • 16A. Shakespeare’s riverside haunt? : BAR OF AVON (from “Bard of Avon”)
  • 24A. Snow-day play? : SLUSH FUN (from “slush fund”)
  • 35A. Essential pig? : KEY BOAR (from “keyboard”)
  • 38A. Biblical voyage serving that probably upset some passengers? : ARK MEAT (from “dark meat”)
  • 47A. Poor wig maintenance? : RUG ABUSE (from “drug abuse”)

Bill’s time: 7m 20s

Bill’s errors: 0

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Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1. IMDb listing : CAST

The website called the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) was launched in 1990, and is now owned by Amazon.com. It’s a great site for answering question one has about movies and actors.

5. Sylvester and others : CATS

Sylvester J. Pussycat is also known as Puddy Tat, and is a character who appeared in “Looney Tunes” and “Merrie Melodies” cartoons. Sylvester is the cat who is often trying to get the better of Tweety Bird, Speedy Gonzales and Hippety Hopper. Sylvester’s trademark line is the exclamation “Sufferin’ succotash!”, which emphasizes the characters pronounced lisp.

9. Biblical voyager : NOAH

According to the Book of Genesis, Noah lived to a ripe old age. Noah fathered his three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth when he was 500 years old, and the Great Flood took place when he was 600.

14. Predecessors of much email: Abbr. : LTRS

Letter (ltr.)

15. Pasta tubes : PENNE

Cylindrical pasta is known in general as “penne”, and there are many variants. For example, ziti is a particularly large and long tube with square-cut ends. “Penne” is the plural of “penna”, the Italian for “feather, quill”.

16. Shakespeare’s riverside haunt? : BAR OF AVON (from “Bard of Avon”)

The original bards were storytellers, poets and composers of music in medieval Britain and Ireland, with the term coming from the Old Celtic word “bardos” that described a poet or singer. I guess the most famous bard was William Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon.

18. Spanish wine region : RIOJA

Rioja wines come from the province of La Rioja in Northern Spain. In my days living back in Europe, Rioja wines were noted for their heavy oaky flavors and it wasn’t uncommon to order a “rough Rioja” when out for dinner of an evening.

24. Snow-day play? : SLUSH FUN (from “slush fund”)

A “slush fund” is a sum of money that is held in reserve, or in the case of illicit dealings, A SUM that is used for paying bribes.

31. Ambitious sort : TYPE A

The Type A and Type B personality theory originated in the fifties. Back then, individuals were labelled as Type A in order to emphasize a perceived increased risk of heart disease. Type A personality types are so called “stress junkies”, whereas Type B types are relaxed and laid back. But there doesn’t seem to be much scientific evidence to support the linkage between the Type A personality and heart problems.

38. Biblical voyage serving that probably upset some passengers? : ARK MEAT (from “dark meat”)

The term “ark”, when used with reference to Noah, is a translation of the Hebrew word “tebah”. The word “tebah” is also used in the Bible for the basket in which Moses was placed by his mother when she floated him down the Nile. It seems that the word “tebah” doesn’t mean “boat” and nor does it mean “basket”. Rather, a more appropriate translation is “life-preserver” or “life-saver”. So, Noah’s ark was Noah’s life-preserver during the flood.

40. Cork’s place: Abbr. : IRE

Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland. Cork has been a major port for many years, and was the last port of call for many, many Irish emigrants to America. When these Irish people reached the US it was common for them to give their point of origin as “Cork”, whereas they may have come from almost anywhere in Ireland. It’s because of this that many descendants of Irish immigrants who had been told they were from a Cork family often find out they were under a misapprehension as their ancestors just sailed from Cork.

50. Nap : SIESTA

We use the word “siesta” to describe a short nap in the early afternoon, and imported the word into English from Spanish. In turn, the Spanish word is derived from the Latin “hora sexta” meaning “the sixth hour”. The idea is that the nap is taken at the sixth hour after dawn.

54. Kind of family : ONE-CAR

That would be us, and proud of it …

55. World’s most cultivated avocado, named for its developer : HASS

The Hass avocado was named for amateur horticulturist Rudolph Hass who developed the cultivar. The mother tree that Hass used was patented in 1935, marking the first time that a patent was issued on a tree in the US.

57. Roleo surface : LOG

The log-rolling competition traditionally engaged in by lumberjacks is referred to as “roleo”.

61. Steps over a fence : STILE

A stile is a structure allowing people to pass over or through a fence, while at the same time preventing livestock from escaping. The derivative term “turnstile” describes a revolving structure in a wall or fence that allows the controlled passage of people.

62. Line 32 items on 1040 forms : IRAS

Here in the US we can choose one of three main forms to file our tax returns. Form 1040 is known as the “long form”. Form 1040A is called the “short form”, and can be used by taxpayers with taxable income below $100,000 who don’t itemize deduction. Form 1040EZ is an even simpler version of the 1040, and can be used by those with taxable income less than $100,000 who take the standard deduction and who also have no dependents. Form 1040 was originally created just for tax returns from 1913, 1914 and 1915, but it’s a form that just keeps on giving, or should I say “taking” …?

65. Cousteau’s milieux : MERS

“Mer” is the French word for “sea”.

We use the French term “milieu” (plural “milieux”) to mean “environment, surroundings”. In French, “milieu” is the word for “middle”.

Jacques-Yves Cousteau started off his career in the French Navy, aiming for a working life in aviation. Because of a car accident, Cousteau had to abandon his first career choice and instead went to sea. Famously, he co-invented the Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA), also called the aqua-lung.

Down

1. Internet provider : CABLE

An Internet service provider (ISP) is just what the name indicates, a company that provides its customers with access to the Internet. One way that ISPs differentiate themselves from each other is in the way in which end users are connected to the ISP’s network. So, there are cable ISPs, DSL ISPs, dial-up ISPs and satellite ISPs.

6. Off-road rec equipment : ATVS

All-terrain vehicle (ATV)

7. Lenin frenemy : TROTSKY

Leon Trotsky was a Soviet politician and revolutionary, the founder and first leader of the Red Army as well as one of the first members of the Politburo. Trotsky was ousted and deported in 1929 when he opposed the policies of Joseph Stalin. Trotsky continued to be vocal in opposition to Stalin in Mexico, his place of exile. Stalin had him assassinated there in 1940.

“Lenin” wasn’t the birth name of the Russian leader. He was born Vladimir Ulyanov, and originally used “Lenin” as a pen name.

8. Nine-digit ID : SSN

A Social Security number (SSN) is divided into three parts i.e AAA-GG-SSSS, Originally, the Area Number (AAA) was the code for the office that issued the card. Since 1973, the Area Number reflects the ZIP code from which the application was made. The GG in the SSN is the Group Number, and the SSSS in the number is the Serial Number. However, this is all moot. Since 2011 SSNs are assigned randomly. However, some random numbers have been excluded from use, i.e. Area Numbers 000, 666 (!) and 900-999.

11. Pear variety : ANJOU

The Anjou pear is a cultivar of the European Pear. The Anjou is thought to have originated in Belgium or France (Anjou is a province in the Loire Valley of western France).

12. Basketball Hall of Fame announcer Chick : HEARN

Chick Hearn was the play-by-play announcer for the LA Lakers for 36 years, from 1965 until 2001. Hearn coined, or at least popularized, phrases such as “slam dunk”, “air ball” and “no harm, no foul”.

23. Sepulcher : TOMB

A sepulcher is a burial vault. The term “sepulcher” ultimately comes from the Latin “sepelire” meaning “to bury, embalm”.

28. __ patrol : SKI

The US’s National Ski Patrol was founded in 1938 by Charles Minot “Minnie” Dole, with the first deployment taking place in Stowe, Vermont.

29. QE2 designation : HER

Cunard’s ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) was launched in 1967. The QE2 was taken out of service in 2008 and purchased by investment firm which is converting the vessel into a floating hotel that will be moored in Dubai.

34. Word often improperly punctuated : ITS

The word “it’s” is a contraction for “it is”, as in “it’s a fun crossword”. The spelling “its”, without an apostrophe, is used in all other cases, most commonly as the possessive form of the pronoun “it”. In that sense, “its” is akin to the pronouns his, hers, ours, etc., as in “the newspaper is known for its great crosswords”.

37. Pepé Le Pew’s pursuit : AMOUR

Pepé Le Pew is a very likeable cartoon character from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series. Pepé is a French skunk, first introduced way back in 1945. He is always thinking of “l’amour” and chases the lady skunks, or a black cat with a white stripe accidentally painted down her back.

47. Martini partner : ROSSI

The company that is today known as Martini & Rossi was started in the mid-1800s in Italy, by Alessandro Martini and Luigi Rossi (and a third partner who sold out years later). From day one it was focused on bottling the fortified wine known as vermouth. Nowadays, the company is also famous for its sparkling wines, and its sponsorship of Grand Prix racing teams. And yes, the famous cocktail is probably named for Mr. Martini.

48. Apartments or condos : UNITS

The terms “condominium” and “apartment” tend to describe the same type of residential property, namely a private living space with facilities shared with others residing in the same building or complex. The difference is that a condominium is usually owned, and an apartment is rented. At least that’s how it is in the US. The word “condominium” comes from the Latin “com-” (together) and “dominum” (right of ownership).

49. “Friend Like Me” singer in “Aladdin” : GENIE

The Disney animated feature “Aladdin” was released in 1992 and is one of the best movies to come out of the studio, in my opinion, largely due to the great performance by Robin Williams who voiced the Genie. “Aladdin” was the most successful film of 1992, earning over $500 million worldwide, an unusual feat for an animated movie.

51. Arrive at a base, maybe : SLIDE

That would be baseball.

53. Keats’ “The Eve of St. __” : AGNES

Saint Agnes is the patron saint of young girls. John Keats wrote a poem called “The Eve of Saint Agnes” which refers to the superstition that young women should practice certain rituals on Saint Agnes’s Eve in order to identify their future husbands.

The English poet John Keats died in Rome in 1821, and is buried there in the Protestant Cemetery. His last wish was that his grave be marked with a tombstone bearing just the words “”Here lies One whose Name was writ in Water”, and no name nor a date. Keats’ friends honored his request to some extent, as the words were included on the stone and no name is given. The full epitaph reads:

This Grave
contains all that was Mortal
of a
Young English Poet
Who
on his Death Bed, in the Bitterness of his Heart
at the Malicious Power of his Enemies
Desired
these Words to be
engraven on his Tomb Stone:
Here lies One
Whose Name was writ in Water.
24 February 1821

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. IMDb listing : CAST
5. Sylvester and others : CATS
9. Biblical voyager : NOAH
13. Put out in the open : AVOW
14. Predecessors of much email: Abbr. : LTRS
15. Pasta tubes : PENNE
16. Shakespeare’s riverside haunt? : BAR OF AVON (from “Bard of Avon”)
18. Spanish wine region : RIOJA
19. On fire : LIT
20. Irresistible desire : LUST
21. Plead to be given : BEG FOR
22. Overjoys : ELATES
24. Snow-day play? : SLUSH FUN (from “slush fund”)
26. Need to return the favor to : OWE
27. Decks : KAYOS
28. Fake : SHAM
31. Ambitious sort : TYPE A
32. H.S. course : SCI
35. Essential pig? : KEY BOAR (from “keyboard”)
38. Biblical voyage serving that probably upset some passengers? : ARK MEAT (from “dark meat”)
40. Cork’s place: Abbr. : IRE
41. “There’s no choice for me” : I MUST
43. Takes responsibility for : OWNS
44. Shut : CLOSE
45. Tack on : ADD
47. Poor wig maintenance? : RUG ABUSE (from “drug abuse”)
50. Nap : SIESTA
54. Kind of family : ONE-CAR
55. World’s most cultivated avocado, named for its developer : HASS
57. Roleo surface : LOG
58. Goes down : SINKS
59. Sadness … or, read another way, what five puzzle answers have in common : DEJECTION … or, D EJECTION
61. Steps over a fence : STILE
62. Line 32 items on 1040 forms : IRAS
63. Not working : IDLE
64. “Ah, right” : I SEE
65. Cousteau’s milieux : MERS
66. Not as much : LESS

Down

1. Internet provider : CABLE
2. Help : AVAIL
3. In a way, in a way : SORTA
4. __-faced : TWO
5. Sentence component : CLAUSE
6. Off-road rec equipment : ATVS
7. Lenin frenemy : TROTSKY
8. Nine-digit ID : SSN
9. Horseplay outbursts? : NEIGHS
10. Switch words : ON/OFF
11. Pear variety : ANJOU
12. Basketball Hall of Fame announcer Chick : HEARN
15. Treat before washing : PRESOAK
17. Went really fast : FLEW
21. Seller’s need : BUYER
23. Sepulcher : TOMB
25. Wash against gently : LAP AT
28. __ patrol : SKI
29. QE2 designation : HER
30. Word of assent : AYE
31. Bridge support : TRUSS
32. Finalize, with “up” : SEW
33. Cylindrical container : CAN
34. Word often improperly punctuated : ITS
36. Kind of paint : OIL-BASE
37. Pepé Le Pew’s pursuit : AMOUR
39. Fashion : MODE
42. “Wait a minute!” : SEE HERE!
44. Barnyard sound : CACKLE
45. Gauge : ASSESS
46. Pancake, for one : DISC
47. Martini partner : ROSSI
48. Apartments or condos : UNITS
49. “Friend Like Me” singer in “Aladdin” : GENIE
51. Arrive at a base, maybe : SLIDE
52. Trade things : TOOLS
53. Keats’ “The Eve of St. __” : AGNES
56. Open slightly : AJAR
59. Badly lit : DIM
60. Shop __ you drop : ‘TIL

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