LA Times Crossword 19 Sep 18, Wednesday

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Constructed by: Kurt Mengel & Jan-Michele Gianette
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): A Right Bash

Themed answers end with synonyms of “bash”:

  • 17A. Ladled party drink : FRUIT PUNCH
  • 25A. Cigarette brand featured on “Mad Men” : LUCKY STRIKE
  • 37A. Martial arts level : BLACK BELT
  • 51A. Manhattan stage attraction : BROADWAY HIT
  • 62A. Slimy pest in a flower bed : GARDEN SLUG

Bill’s time: 7m 16s

Bill’s errors: 0

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Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1. Most populous città in Italia : ROMA

In Italian, “Roma” (Rome) is a “città” (city) in “Italia” (Italy).

5. Vintage photo tone : SEPIA

Sepia is that rich, brown-grey color so common in old photographs. “Sepia” is the Latinized version of the Greek word for cuttlefish, as sepia pigment is derived from the ink sac of the cuttlefish. Sepia ink was commonly used for writing and drawing as far back as Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece. The “sepia tone” of old photographs is not the result of deterioration over time. Rather, it is the result of a deliberate preservation process which converts the metallic silver in the photographic image to a more stable silver sulfide. Prints that have been sepia-toned can last in excess of 150 years.

17. Ladled party drink : FRUIT PUNCH

The drink we call “punch” can be either alcoholic or non-alcoholic, but usually contains some fruit juice and/or fruit. The original “punch” was served in India, and the name comes from the Hindi word “panch” meaning “five”. This name was used because the traditional drink had “five” ingredients: alcohol, sugar, lemon, water and tea or spices.

20. Island near Maui : 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.

21. “__ a Lady”: Tom Jones hit : SHE’S

“She’s a Lady” is a 1971 song composed by Paul Anka and released by Tom Jones.

Tom Jones … now he has a real voice and is a great showman. I saw him in Las Vegas many, many moons ago, and it was one of the best Vegas shows I’ve ever attended. Although “Tom Jones” is a carefully selected stage name (he was born Thomas Woodward) the name isn’t too far from reality as Jones is his mother’s maiden name. The stage name was chosen by his manager to capitalize on the appeal of “Tom Jones”, a filmed version of the Henry Fielding novel that was having a successful run at the time. The name also emphasized Tom’s Welsh roots, as Jones is a very common name in Wales.

23. It blows things up : TNT

“TNT” is an abbreviation for trinitrotoluene. Trinitrotoluene was first produced in 1863 by the German chemist Joseph Wilbrand, who developed it for use as a yellow dye. TNT is relatively difficult to detonate so it was on the market as a dye for some years before its more explosive properties were discovered.

24. CPR pro : EMT

An emergency medical technician (EMT) might administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

25. Cigarette brand featured on “Mad Men” : LUCKY STRIKE

Lucky Strike is an R.J. Reynolds brand of cigarette. It was the single most successful brand during the thirties in terms of sales. A marketing campaign in the twenties promoted Lucky Strikes to women, touting it as a cigarette that could help keep the weight down, an alternative to eating candy. Times have changed, thank goodness …

29. Ingredient in a Florentine dish : SPINACH

Catherine de’ Medici was an Italian noblewoman who became Queen consort of France in 1547 as wife of King Henry II. Catherine was very fond of spinach, and so had it served at every meal. Catherine hailed from Florence, and to this day dishes that are made with spinach are referred to as “Florentine”, reflecting Catherine’s city of birth.

31. Ancient Aegean region : IONIA

The geographic region called Ionia is located in present day Turkey. Ionia was prominent in the days of Ancient Greece although it wasn’t a unified state, but rather a collection of tribes. The tribal confederacy was more based on religious and cultural similarities than a political or military alliance. Nowadays we often refer to this arrangement as the Ionian League.

33. Crossword-solving Simpson : LISA

Lisa Simpson is Bart’s brainy younger sister on TV’s “The Simpsons”. Lisa is voiced by actress Yeardley Smith. In a 2008 episode of the show, Lisa enters a crossword tournament. Crossword celebrities Merl Reagle and Will Shortz make appearances in that episode, basically playing cartoon versions of themselves.

36. WWI pistol : LUGER

The correct name for the pistol known as the Luger is the Pistole Parabellum 1908. The Luger’s design was patented by Georg J. Luger in 1898, and became most famous for its use by the Germans during WWII. It was produced from 1900 to 1945, although 200 Lugers were produced recently and sold for over $17,000 each.

37. Martial arts level : BLACK BELT

Martial arts are various fighting traditions and systems used in combat or simply to promote physical well-being. The term ultimately derives from Latin and means “Arts of Mars”, a reference to Mars, the Roman god of war.

43. Korean imports : KIAS

Kia Motors is the second largest manufacturer of cars in South Korea, behind Hyundai (and Hyundai is a part owner in Kia now). Kia was founded in 1944 as a manufacturer of bicycle parts, and did indeed produce Korea’s first domestic bicycle. The company’s original name was Kyungsung Precision Industry, with the Kia name introduced in 1952.

44. “Hostel” director Roth : ELI

Eli Roth is one of a group of directors of horror movies known quite graphically as “The Splat Pack”. I can’t stand “splat” movies and avoid them as best I can. Roth is also famous for playing Donny Donowitz in the Quentin Tarantino movie “Inglourious Basterds”, a good film I thought, if you close your eyes during the gruesome bits.

“Hostel” is a series of horror movies directed by Eli Roth. I don’t do horror …

47. __ Bornes: card game : MILLE

The name of the French card game “Milles Bornes” translates into “A Thousand Milestones”. It’s a relatively young game, invented in 1954, and you can buy it in stores today. I’ve read that it is similar to an American card game called “Touring”, but I’m not familiar with either.

55. Cal. column : THU

We have seven days in a week because there are seven classical planets in the Solar System. The days were named for the planets during the Roman era:

  • Sun (Sunday)
  • Moon (Monday)
  • Mars (Tuesday)
  • Mercury (Wednesday)
  • Jupiter (Thursday)
  • Venus (Friday)
  • Saturn (Saturday)

57. Saltimbocca herb : SAGE

In Britain, sage is listed as one of the four essential herbs. And those would be “parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme”.

Saltimbocca is a dish from southern Europe made of veal topped with prosciutto and sage, and then marinated in perhaps wine. The name “saltimbocca” is Italian for “jump in the mouth”.

58. Stationery brand : EATON

Eaton Cards and Stationery is a company that specializes in supplying stationery for weddings.

60. Indian music : RAGA

Raga isn’t really a genre of music, but has been described as the “tonal framework” in which Indian classical music is composed. Ravi Shankar was perhaps the most famous raga virtuoso (to us Westerners). Western rock music with a heavy Indian influence might be called raga rock.

62. Slimy pest in a flower bed : GARDEN SLUG

Snails and slugs are referred to collectively as gastropods. There are many, many species of gastropods, found both on land and in the sea. Gastropods with shells are generally described as snails, and those species without shells are referred to as slugs.

67. New Age composer John : TESH

John Tesh is a pianist and composer, as well as a radio and television presenter. For many years Tesh presented the show “Entertainment Tonight”. For “ET” he once covered the filming of an episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation”. As part of the piece, he volunteered to act as a Klingon warrior. If you see the “Star Trek: TNG” episode called “The Icarus Factor” in reruns, watch out for John Tesh engaging in ritual torture with Mr. Worf as his victim.

70. Two-toned cookie : OREO

If you take a close look at the embossed design on the front and back of an Oreo cookie, you’ll spot the main elements of the Nabisco logo. Those elements are an oval with a cross on top, a cross with two bars. Usually the company name “Nabisco” is inside the oval, but for the cookie it’s the brand name “Oreo”. The current embossed design was introduced 1952.

Down

3. Canadian force member : MOUNTIE

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (the Mounties, RCMP) is an unusual police force in that it provides all policing for the whole country. The RCMP works on the national level, and right down to the municipal level. The force’s distinctive uniform of red serge tunic, blue pants with a yellow stripe, stetson hat etc. is known internally as “Review Order”. The red uniform dates back to the days of the North-West Mounted Police, which was one of the existing forces that were merged in 1920 to form the RCMP.

4. Met melody : ARIA

The Metropolitan Opera (often simply “the Met”) of New York City is the largest classical music organization in the country, presenting about 220 performances each and every year. Founded in 1880, the Met is renowned for using technology to expand its audiences. Performances have been broadcast live on radio since 1931, and on television since 1977. And since 2006 you can go see a live performance from New York in high definition on the big screen, at a movie theater near you …

5. Fall mo. : SEP

The month of September is the ninth month in our year, although the name “September” comes from the Latin word “septum” meaning “seventh”. September was the seventh month in the Roman calendar until the year 46 BC when Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar. The Julian system moved the start of the year from March 1st to January 1st, and shifted September to the ninth month. The Gregorian calendar that we use today was introduced in 1582.

6. Part of a college URL : EDU

An Internet address (like NYTCrossword.com and LAXCrossword.com) is more correctly called a Uniform Resource Locators (URL).

7. Belarus city : PINSK

Pinsk is a city in Belarus that lies to the southeast of the nation’s capital of Minsk. The city’s name derives from the river Pina, on which it is built.

The Republic of Belarus is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, located east of Poland and north of Ukraine. Belarus didn’t exist as an entity until the Russian Revolution when it was created as one of the Soviet Socialist Republics (SSRs) that made up the USSR. The Republic of Belarus was formed soon after the USSR dissolved in 1990, but unlike many of the former Soviet Republics, Belarus has retained many of the old Soviet policies. Alexander Lukashenko is the country’s president and he believes in state ownership of the economy. Belarus and Russia have formal agreements in place that pledge cooperation.

8. In need of calamine lotion : ITCHY

Calamine is mainly zinc oxide, with a small percentage of iron oxide. Calamine is incorporated into a lotion that is used for many things, including treatment of sunburn and itching.

12. Hostess sponge cake : TWINKIE

The snack cakes called Twinkies have been around since 1930. They were created by a baker called James Dewar, who chose the name from a billboard advertising “Twinkle Toe Shoes”. The original filling in the cake was a banana cream, but this was swapped out as a result of rationing during WWII. The vanilla cream became so popular that the banana recipe was dropped completely.

13. Painting the town red : ON A TEAR

It’s possible that the phrase “to paint the town red”, meaning “to go on a raucous spree”, actually dates back to a particular event. It is well documented that in 1837, the Marquis of Waterford and a group of friends went wild one day in the town of Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, England. They actually painted a whole load of the town’s buildings red. Which came first though, the incident or the idiom? Well, that is the question …

18. Chef Jet __, frequent “Cutthroat Kitchen” judge : TILA

Jet Tila (born “Jet Tilakamonkul”) is an American celebrity chef who specializes in Thai and Chinese cooking.

“Cutthroat Kitchen” is a reality television show that airs on Food Network. It’s all about four chefs competing to cook the best gourmet dishes for a celebrity judge.

30. Sci-fi/fantasy award : NEBULA

The best works of science fiction and fantasy published each year are recognized annually by the Nebula Awards. The first Nebulas were awarded in 1966.

34. Slalom slider : SKI

“Slalom” is an anglicized version of the Norwegian word “slalam” that translates as “skiing race”. There is a longer version of the traditional slalom that is called giant slalom

38. West Yorkshire city : LEEDS

I went to school for a while not far from Leeds in West Yorkshire in the north of England. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, Leeds was a major center for the production and trading of wool, and then with the onset of mechanization it became a natural hub for manufacture of textiles. These days Leeds is noted as a shopping destination and so has been dubbed “the Knightsbridge of the North”.

39. Morales of “The Brink” : ESAI

The actor Esai Morales is best known in the world of film for the 1987 movie “La Bamba”, which depicted the life of Ritchie Valens and his half-brother Bob Morales (played by Esai). On the small screen, Morales plays Lt. Tony Rodriguez on “NYPD Blue” and Joseph Adama on “Caprica”.

“The Brink” is a TV comedy that ran for just one season, starting in 2015. The show stars Tim Robbins and Jack Black, and centers on a geopolitical crisis in Pakistan.

40. Boards at the dock : EMBARKS

In getting on and off a seagoing vessel, one embarks and debarks. The terms come from the name of the small ship known as a barque.

41. Kurt Cobain’s group : NIRVANA

Nirvana is a rock band, formed in Washington in 1987 by Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic. The band effectively disbanded in 1994 after Cobain committed suicide.

Kurt Cobain was famous as the lead singer of the band Nirvana. Cobain was constantly in the spotlight for the last few years of his short life. The media was fascinated with his marriage to fellow rock star Courtney Love, and continually reported on Cobain’s heroin addiction. He finally succumbed to the pressure and committed suicide by inflicting a gunshot wound to his head in 1994, at only 27 years of age.

42. Alabama Slammer ingredient : SLOE GIN

An Alabama Slammer is cocktail that is served over ice in a Collins glass. A common recipe is:

  • ¾ oz. Amaretto
  • ¾ oz. Southern Comfort
  • ¾ oz. Sloe Gin
  • top up with orange juice

49. WWII weapon : STEN

The STEN gun is an iconic armament that was used by the British military. The name STEN is an acronym. The S and the T comes from the name of the gun’s designers, Shepherd and Turpin. The EN comes from the Enfield brand name, which in turn comes from the Enfield location where the guns were manufactured for the Royal Small Arms Factory, an enterprise owned by the British government.

50. Enthusiastic : GUNG-HO

“Kung ho” is a Chinese expression meaning “work together, cooperate”. The anglicized version “gung-ho” was adopted by a Major Evans Carlson as an expression of combined spirit for his 2nd Marine Raider Battalion during WWII. From there the term spread throughout the Marine Corps and back to America where it persists to this day.

53. “Only __”: NPR sports program : A GAME

NPR’s flagship sports program is “Only a Game”. It is hosted by Bill Littlefield and airs on Saturdays.

54. __ maté: tealike beverage : YERBA

Mate is a caffeine-rich beverage from South America that is prepared by steeping dried leaves of the yerba mate plant in hot water. The name of the drink is often written as “maté” in English, although no accent is used in Spanish, nor in Portuguese. The acute accent appears to have been added to distinguish the name of the drink from the English word “mate”.

63. St. with a former “Small Wonder” slogan : DEL

The state of Delaware has several nicknames, including the First State, the Small Wonder, the Blue Hen State and the Diamond State.

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Most populous città in Italia : ROMA
5. Vintage photo tone : SEPIA
10. Scheming : UP TO
14. “Are you __ out?” : IN OR
15. Tidies text : EDITS
16. Scattered, as seeds : SOWN
17. Ladled party drink : FRUIT PUNCH
19. Vast landmass : ASIA
20. Island near Maui : LANAI
21. “__ a Lady”: Tom Jones hit : SHE’S
23. It blows things up : TNT
24. CPR pro : EMT
25. Cigarette brand featured on “Mad Men” : LUCKY STRIKE
29. Ingredient in a Florentine dish : SPINACH
31. Ancient Aegean region : IONIA
32. Notice : SEE
33. Crossword-solving Simpson : LISA
36. WWI pistol : LUGER
37. Martial arts level : BLACK BELT
40. Happen next : ENSUE
43. Korean imports : KIAS
44. “Hostel” director Roth : ELI
47. __ Bornes: card game : MILLE
48. Being disrespectful to : SASSING
51. Manhattan stage attraction : BROADWAY HIT
55. Cal. column : THU
56. Oft-numbered rd. : AVE
57. Saltimbocca herb : SAGE
58. Stationery brand : EATON
60. Indian music : RAGA
62. Slimy pest in a flower bed : GARDEN SLUG
65. Heal, in a way : KNIT
66. Fire remnant : EMBER
67. New Age composer John : TESH
68. Not mad : SANE
69. Fixes the leaks in : SEALS
70. Two-toned cookie : OREO

Down

1. Rummages (through) : RIFLES
2. Parkway entrances : ON-RAMPS
3. Canadian force member : MOUNTIE
4. Met melody : ARIA
5. Fall mo. : SEP
6. Part of a college URL : EDU
7. Belarus city : PINSK
8. In need of calamine lotion : ITCHY
9. Fire pit residue : ASHES
10. N. American land : USA
11. Bulletin board item : POSTING
12. Hostess sponge cake : TWINKIE
13. Painting the town red : ON A TEAR
18. Chef Jet __, frequent “Cutthroat Kitchen” judge : TILA
22. “All the same … ” : STILL …
26. Western sch. with NCAA Division One team championships in 20 sports : UCLA
27. Hen-to-be : CHICK
28. Post office assignments : ROUTES
30. Sci-fi/fantasy award : NEBULA
34. Slalom slider : SKI
35. Embarrass : ABASH
38. West Yorkshire city : LEEDS
39. Morales of “The Brink” : ESAI
40. Boards at the dock : EMBARKS
41. Kurt Cobain’s group : NIRVANA
42. Alabama Slammer ingredient : SLOE GIN
45. More diminutive : LITTLER
46. Not outsourced : IN-HOUSE
49. WWII weapon : STEN
50. Enthusiastic : GUNG-HO
52. Pay : WAGES
53. “Only __”: NPR sports program : A GAME
54. __ maté: tealike beverage : YERBA
59. About : AS TO
61. Dined : ATE
63. St. with a former “Small Wonder” slogan : DEL
64. Stammering sounds : ERS

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