LA Times Crossword 10 Jan 20, Friday

Advertisement

Constructed by: Joe Deeney
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Joint Ventures

Themed clues are all the same, namely “Joint venture”:

  • 18A Joint venture? : ORTHOPEDIC OFFICE
  • 28A Joint venture? : PRIVATE PRISON
  • 47A Joint venture? : MARIJUANA SHOP
  • 62A Joint venture? : FURNITURE FACTORY

Bill’s time: 8m 11s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

6 “Masterpiece” airer : PBS

PBS’s wonderful “Masterpiece Theatre” changed its name to “Masterpiece” in 2008. At the same time, three different versions of the show were introduced:

  • “Masterpiece Classic” introduced by Gillian Anderson, and then Laura Linney
  • “Masterpiece Mystery!” introduced by Alan Cumming
  • “Masterpiece Contemporary” introduced by Matthew Goode, and then David Tennant

18 Joint venture? : ORTHOPEDIC OFFICE

Orthopedics (orth.) is the branch of surgery that deals with the musculoskeletal system. The term “orthopedics” was coined in 1741 by French physician Nicolas Andry. Actually, Andry used the French term “Orthopédie” for the title of a book. The term comes from the Greek “orthos” meaning “straight” and “paidon” meaning “child”.

21 Neon tips? : ENS

There are two letters N (ens) in the word “neon”, one at either end.

28 Joint venture? : PRIVATE PRISON

The cooler, the pen, the joint, the slammer, the can … the prison.

31 Winter Olympics event : LUGE

A luge is a small sled used by one or two people, on which one lies face up and feet first. The luge can be compared to the skeleton, a sled for only one person and on which the rider lies face down and goes down the hill head-first. Yikes!

32 Programming pioneer Lovelace : ADA

Ada Lovelace’s real name and title was Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace. She was the only legitimate child of Lord Byron, the poet. Lovelace was fascinated by mathematics and wrote about the work done by Charles Babbage in building his groundbreaking mechanical computer. In some of her notes, she proposed an algorithm for Babbage’s machine to compute Bernoulli numbers. This algorithm is recognized by many as the world’s first computer program and so Lovelace is sometimes called the first “computer programmer”. There is a computer language called “Ada” that was named in her honor. The Ada language was developed from 1977 to 1983 for the US Department of Defense.

42 U.K. singer Rita __ : ORA

Rita Ora is a British singer who was born Rita Sahatçiu in Pristina, Yugoslavia to Albanian parents. The family name “Sahatçiu” comes from a Turkish word meaning “watchmaker”. Rita’s parents changed their name to make it easier to pronounce. So, the family name morphed from “watchmaker” to “time”, which is “ora” in Albanian.

45 Cause of some royal sleeplessness : PEA

“The Princess and the Pea” is a fairy tale from the pen of Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. The essence of the story is that a prince’s mother tests the royal blood of an apparent princess by placing a pea under a pile of mattresses on which the young girl sleeps. The girl complains of a restless night, demonstrating a physical sensitivity that can only be attributed to a princess. And they all lived happily ever after …

46 Salt Lake City team : UTES

The Utah Utes are the athletic teams of the University of Utah.

47 Joint venture? : MARIJUANA SHOP

The term “joint” has a long history in the drug world. The word originally came from French in which it is the past participle of the word for “to join”. It became an Anglo-Irish term for a side-room “joined” onto a main room in the early 1800s. Towards the end of the 19th century it was US slang for a small, shady establishment, such as an opium den. By the 1930s a joint was a hypodermic needle used to inject heroin, and soon after became the term for a marijuana cigarette.

55 Character usually seen in 41-Down : TILDE
(41D Pacific weather phenomenon : LA NINA)

The tilde diacritical mark (~) is very much associated with the Spanish language. We use the name “tilde” in English, taking that name from Spanish. Confusingly, the word “tilde” in Spanish is used more generally to mean “accent mark, diacritic”, of which a “~” is just one. What we call a “tilde” in English is usually referred to as a “virgulilla” or “tilde de la eñe” in Spanish.

57 Pink drink : ROSE WINE

Rosé wines get their color from the skins of the grapes, although the intensity of the color is not sufficient to make them red wines. Of the varying type of rosé wines available, we are most familiar with sweet White Zinfandels. Personally I am fond of the really dry Provençal rosé wines.

59 “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very __ Day”: 2014 film : BAD

“Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day” is a 2014 comedy film starring Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner as the parents of an 11-year-old boy who has a really bad day. The movie is loosely based on a 1972 children’s book of the same name by Judith Viorst.

66 Timbuktu’s land : MALI

The Republic of Mali is a landlocked country in western Africa located south of Algeria. Formerly known as French Sudan, the nation’s most famous city is Timbuktu. Mali is the third-largest producer of gold on the continent, after South Africa and Ghana.

67 “Stronger” rapper West : KANYE

Kanye West is a rap singer who was born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago. He also spent some time in Nanjing, China as a child, where his mother was teaching as part of an exchange program. West is married to reality star Kim Kardashian.

68 1975 Wimbledon winner : ASHE

Arthur Ashe was a professional tennis player from Richmond, Virginia. In his youth, Ashe found himself having to travel great distances to play against Caucasian opponents due to the segregation that still existed in his home state. He was rewarded for his dedication by being selected for the 1963 US Davis Cup team, the first African American player to be so honored. Ashe continued to run into trouble because of his ethnicity though, and in 1968 was denied entry into South Africa to play in the South African Open. In 1979, Ashe suffered a heart attack and had bypass surgery, with follow-up surgery four years later during which he contracted HIV from blood transfusions. Ashe passed away in 1993 due to complications from AIDS. Shortly afterwards, Ashe was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton.

The Wimbledon Championships of tennis are held at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club located in Wimbledon, a district of London. The Wimbledon Championships started in 1877, and have been played on grass since day one.

69 Coddling, briefly : TLC

Tender loving care (TLC)

The verb “to coddle”, meaning “to treat tenderly”, was actually coined in 1815 by Jane Austen in her novel “Emma”. At least, that is the first written record we have of the verb’s usage. John Knightley (younger brother of George Knightley) addresses his wife Isabella (elder sister of Emma Woodhouse) with the following words:

“My dear Isabella,” exclaimed he, hastily, “pray do not concern yourself about my looks. Be satisfied with doctoring and coddling yourself and the children, and let me look as I chuse.”

Down

1 Plum used to flavor spirits : SLOE

The sloe is the fruit of the blackthorn bush, and the main flavoring ingredient in sloe gin. A sloe looks like a small plum, but is usually much more tart in taste.

4 E. African land : ETH

Ethiopia holds an important position within the nations of Africa, with the capital of Addis Ababa being home to many international organizations that are focused on the continent.

5 It commonly involves spiders : PHOBIA

Here are some phobias that I find quite interesting:

  • Somniphobia – fear of falling asleep
  • Coulrophobia – fear of clowns
  • Omphalophobia- fear of the navel
  • Nomophobia- fear of being without mobile phone coverage
  • Triskaidekaphobia- fear of the number 13

8 Last-second online auction participant : SNIPER

Auction sniping is a relatively new phenomenon, a phenomenon that is associated with online auctions. A sniper waits until the final seconds of an auction and drops in a slightly higher bid, winning the auction as other bidders have no time to respond. Auction sniping is often executed with the help of a software application, or by using an online service.

10 Furry TV ET : ALF

“ALF” is a sitcom that aired in the late eighties. The title character is a hand-puppet, and supposedly an alien named Gordon Shumway from the planet Melmac. The alien crash-landed into the house of amateur radio enthusiast Willie Tanner. Tanner renamed the intruder “ALF”, standing for “alien life form”.

11 Tony winner Menzel : IDINA

Actress and singer Idina Menzel came to public attention when she was a member of the original Broadway cast of “Rent”. She is known on the small screen for playing Shelby Corcoran on the musical TV show “Glee”. On the big screen, her most noted performance was as the voice actor behind Queen Elsa in the Disney hit “Frozen”. It is Menzel who sings the Oscar-winning song “Let It Go” in “Frozen”.

15 Food recall cause : E COLI

Escherichia coli (E. coli) are usually harmless bacteria found in the human gut, working away quite happily. However, there are some strains that can produce lethal toxins. These strains can make their way into the food chain from animal fecal matter that comes into contact with food designated for human consumption.

17 Auctioned wheels : REPO

Repossession (repo)

20 Tolkien brutes : ORCS

According to Tolkien, Orcs are small humanoids that live in his fantasy world of Middle-earth (also called “Mordor”). They are very ugly and dirty, and are fond of eating human flesh.

25 Halloween __ : EVE

All Saints’ Day is November 1st each year. The day before All Saints’ Day is All Hallows’ Eve, better known by the Scottish term “Halloween”.

27 “Reflection” musician Brian : ENO

Brian Eno’s 2017 album “Reflection” comprises just one track. That track is 54 minutes of ambient music.

35 “Wonderfilled” cookie : OREO

Nabisco launched an ad campaign for the Oreo brand of in 2012, telling us that the cookie is “wonderfilled”, that the modest little Oreo cookie can bring about a positive change of perspective and create a sense of wonder. I think that’s the idea …

39 “The Problem with __”: 2017 documentary about racial stereotypes : APU

“The Problem with Apu” us a 2017 documentary that explores the use of racial stereotypes by focusing on the character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon from the animated sitcom “The Simpsons”. The film was written by and stars American stand-up comedian Hari Kondabolu.

41 Pacific weather phenomenon : LA NINA

The ocean-atmosphere phenomenon known as “La Niña” (Spanish for “the girl”) is the opposite of the more familiar “El Niño”. During a period of La Niña, the surface temperature across the equatorial Eastern Central Pacific Ocean is lower than usual by 3-5 degrees centigrade. During a period of El Niño, that same temperature is higher than normal.

44 Iraq war issue, briefly : WMD

The first recorded use of the term “Weapon of Mass Destruction” (WMD) was in 1937. The words were used by Cosmo Gordon Lang, the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time, in reference to the bombardment of Guernica in Spain during the Spanish Civil War by the German Luftwaffe. He said, “Who can think without horror of what another widespread war would mean, waged as it would be with all the new weapons of mass destruction?”

46 Currency mkt. money : USD

The dollar sign ($) was first used for the Spanish-American peso, in the late 18th century. The peso was also called the “Spanish dollar” (and “piece of eight”). The Spanish dollar was to become a model for the US dollar that was adopted in 1785, along with the dollar sign.

51 Smart set? : ALECKS

Apparently the original “smart Alec” (sometimes “Aleck”) was one Alec Hoag, a pimp, thief and confidence trickster who plied his trade in New York City in the 1840s.

53 Automaker whose current models end in X : ACURA

Acura is the luxury brand of the Honda Motor Company. As an aside, Infiniti is the equivalent luxury brand for the Nissan Motor Company, and Lexus is the more luxurious version of Toyota’s models.

54 “The Big Bang Theory” crowd : NERDS

“The Big Bang Theory” is very clever sitcom that first aired in 2007. “The Big Bang Theory” theme song was specially commissioned for the show, and was composed and sung by Canadian band Barenaked Ladies. The theme song was released in 2007 as a single and is featured on a Barenaked Ladies greatest hits album.

60 “Game of Thrones” girl __ Stark : ARYA

Maisie Williams is the English actress who plays the tomboyish young girl Arya Stark on the hit HBO series “Game of Thrones”.

63 Japanese drama : NOH

Kabuki is a Japanese form of theater involving dance and drama. In the original Kabuki theater, both male and female parts were played by women. In contrast, the Noh dramas have the male and female parts played by men.

64 Skin pic : TAT

The word “tattoo” (often shortened to “tat”) was first used in English in the writings of the famous English explorer Captain Cook. In his descriptions of the indelible marks adorning the skin of Polynesian natives, Cook anglicized the Tahitian word “tatau” into our “tattoo”. Tattoos are sometimes referred to as “ink”.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 They may be counted : SHEEP
6 “Masterpiece” airer : PBS
9 Hideaway : LAIR
13 Disinclined : LOATH
14 One in the script : LINE
16 Tribal leader : ELDER
18 Joint venture? : ORTHOPEDIC OFFICE
21 Neon tips? : ENS
22 “C’mon, play along” : BE A SPORT
23 A toddler may be put down for one : NAP
24 Curtails, with “in” : REINS
26 Of inferior quality : EL CHEAPO
28 Joint venture? : PRIVATE PRISON
31 Winter Olympics event : LUGE
32 Programming pioneer Lovelace : ADA
33 Hustle : MOTOR
37 Combustion residue : ASH
38 Like the object of an “Aww!” : ADORABLE
42 U.K. singer Rita __ : ORA
43 Food packaging abbr. : NET WT
45 Cause of some royal sleeplessness : PEA
46 Salt Lake City team : UTES
47 Joint venture? : MARIJUANA SHOP
52 Coastal evergreen : SAND PINE
55 Character usually seen in 41-Down : TILDE
56 Nail : ACE
57 Pink drink : ROSE WINE
59 “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very __ Day”: 2014 film : BAD
62 Joint venture? : FURNITURE FACTORY
65 Trauma pro : ER DOC
66 Timbuktu’s land : MALI
67 “Stronger” rapper West : KANYE
68 1975 Wimbledon winner : ASHE
69 Coddling, briefly : TLC
70 Place : STEAD

Down

1 Plum used to flavor spirits : SLOE
2 Jazz band staple : HORN
3 Adheres to a healthy diet : EATS RIGHT
4 E. African land : ETH
5 It commonly involves spiders : PHOBIA
6 “I’d love that!” : PLEASE DO!
7 Auction action : BIDS
8 Last-second online auction participant : SNIPER
9 Moved out : LEFT HOME
10 Furry TV ET : ALF
11 Tony winner Menzel : IDINA
12 Summarize : RECAP
15 Food recall cause : E COLI
17 Auctioned wheels : REPO
19 Fivesome : PENTAD
20 Tolkien brutes : ORCS
25 Halloween __ : EVE
27 “Reflection” musician Brian : ENO
28 Map out : PLAN
29 Subterfuge : RUSE
30 It’s expected : PAR
34 As much as possible : TO THE BONE
35 “Wonderfilled” cookie : OREO
36 Coarse file : RASP
38 Not without ramifications : AT A PRICE
39 “The Problem with __”: 2017 documentary about racial stereotypes : APU
40 Blissful : BEATIFIC
41 Pacific weather phenomenon : LA NINA
44 Iraq war issue, briefly : WMD
46 Currency mkt. money : USD
48 Real hoot : RIOT
49 “To recap … ” : IN SUM …
50 Boo : JEER AT
51 Smart set? : ALECKS
52 Cautious : SAFE
53 Automaker whose current models end in X : ACURA
54 “The Big Bang Theory” crowd : NERDS
58 “Actually … ” : WELL …
60 “Game of Thrones” girl __ Stark : ARYA
61 Turned green, say : DYED
63 Japanese drama : NOH
64 Skin pic : TAT