LA Times Crossword 1 May 19, Wednesday

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Constructed by: Paul Coulter
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Bell-Bottoms

Themed answers are in the down-direction, and the BOTTOM of each answer is a type of BELL:

  • 28D Retro pants, and a hint to the answers to starred clues : BELL-BOTTOMS
  • 3D *Many Northeast tourists look up to her : LADY LIBERTY (giving “liberty bell”)
  • 9D *Bring-a-dish event : POTLUCK DINNER (giving “dinner bell”)
  • 18D *Controversial educational institution : CHARTER SCHOOL (giving “school bell”)
  • 26D *Real moneymaker : CASH COW (giving “cowbell”)

Bill’s time: 5m 57s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Indonesian resort island : BALI

Bali is both an island and a province in Indonesia. It is a popular tourist spot, although the number of visitors dropped for a few years as a result of terrorist bombings in 2002 and 2005 that killed mainly tourists. Bali became more popular starting in 2008 due to a significant and favorable change in the exchange rate between the US dollar and the Indonesian rupiah.

5 Champagne flute part : STEM

The narrow bowl of a champagne flute is preferred over the wide bowl of a champagne coupe as the smaller surface area of the wine helps retain its carbonation.

14 Australian export : OPAL

The largest opal ever found, and the most valuable, is the Olympic Australis. It was discovered in South Australia in 1956. That same year, the Summer Olympics were being held in Melbourne so the newly discovered stone was given the name “Olympic Australis”.

15 Hilo feast : LUAU

Hilo is the largest settlement on the big island of Hawaii, with a population of over 43,000 (that’s not very many!). I love the Big Island …

16 “SNL” alum Cheri : OTERI

Cheri Oteri was the SNL (“Saturday Night Live”) cast member who regularly appeared with Will Ferrell in the skit featuring a pair of Spartan cheerleaders.

20 Marshal at Waterloo : NEY

Michel Ney was one of the first 18 Marshals of France created by Napoleon. When Bonaparte was eventually defeated for the last time, Ney was arrested and sentenced to death. He was executed in Paris by firing squad. Nay refused to wear a blindfold, and demanded that he himself be allowed to give the order to fire.

Waterloo is a small municipality in Belgium. The name “Waterloo” originated with the Dutch and is probably an anglicization of a Dutch word meaning “wet clearing in a forest”. The town is famous for the Battle of Waterloo that took place nearby in 1815. Said battle was fought between the Imperial French army led by Emperor Napoleon, and an Anglo-Allied army led by Irish-born British Field Marshal, the Duke of Wellington. Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo led to his abdication and the restoration of King Louis XVIII to the throne of France. Bonaparte was exiled to the British-owned island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, where he died in 1821. Such is the fame of the battle that the term “Waterloo” is used figuratively today for any decisive or crushing defeat.

21 Solo played by Harrison Ford and Alden Ehrenreich : HAN

“Solo: A Star Wars Story” is a 2018 installment in the “Star Wars” anthology series of films. This one tells the story of a young Han Solo and his young (190-year-old) sidekick Chewbacca. Solo, famously played by Harrison Ford in the original movies, is portrayed by American actor Alden Ehrenreich.

24 Producing a direct electric current : GALVANIC

A galvanic cell is a device that uses a chemical reaction to create an electrical current. A simple battery is a galvanic cell, with larger batteries being a collection of galvanic cells operating in concert.

27 Colorado town that means “town” in Spanish : PUEBLO

The city of Pueblo, Colorado is located just over 100 miles south of Denver. The city takes its name from a settlement established by fur trappers around 1842 that they called “El Pueblo” or “Fort Pueblo”. The original buildings were adobe structures, hence the “Pueblo” name.

31 Tel Aviv’s land: Abbr. : ISR

The full name of Israel’s second largest city is Tel Aviv-Yafo. “Tel Aviv” translates into “Spring Mound”, and is a name that was chosen in 1910.

32 Pre-exam feeling, if you didn’t study : PANIC

In Greek mythology, Pan was a lecherous god, one who fell in love with Echo the mountain nymph. Echo refused Pan’s advances so that he became very angry. Pan’s anger created a “panic” (a word derived from the name “Pan”) and a group of shepherds were driven to kill Echo.

34 Brain scan letters : EEG

An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a record of electrical activity caused by the firing of neurons within the brain. The EEG might be used to diagnose epilepsy, or perhaps to determine if a patient is “brain dead”.

35 Clog kin : SABOT

There is a story that disgruntled textile workers would kick their wooden shoes, called sabots, into the looms in order to disable them so that they didn’t have to work. This act of vandalism was named for the shoe, an act of … sabotage.

38 Short, for short : LIL’

Lil’ is a short form of the word “little”. There are a whole slew of rappers named “Lil’ something”, such as Lil Wayne, Lil’ J, and Lil’ Kim.

39 Brunch serving : CREPE

“Crêpe” is the French word for “pancake”.

41 Sweetly, to Solti : DOLCE

The musical term “dolce” instructs the performer to play “gently and sweetly”.

Sir Georg Solti was a great Hungarian-British conductor, who spent 22 years as music director of the Chicago Symphony, one of many prestigious positions he held in the world of classical music and opera. Solti was awarded 31 Grammy Awards, the most won by any individual in any genre of music. I think it’s kind of cool that Solti’s name comprises two notes in the solfa scale: sol-ti …

43 Part of HRH : HER

His/Her Royal Highness (HRH)

44 Campus mil. group : ROTC

The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) is a training program for officers based in colleges all around the US. The ROTC program was established in 1862 when as a condition of receiving a land-grant to create colleges, the federal government required that military tactics be part of a new school’s curriculum.

48 In one fell __ : SWOOP

The phrase “at one fell swoop” may have been coined by William Shakespeare, or at the very least he popularized the use of the phrase. The character Macduff says in the 1605 play “Macbeth” (on hearing that his family and servants have all been killed):

All my pretty ones?
Did you say all? O hell-kite! All?
What, all my pretty chickens and their dam
At one fell swoop?

The “kite” reference is to the hunting bird, that “swoops” down to catch its prey.

50 Paleo- opposite : NEO-

The prefix “paleo-” means “prehistoric, primitive”. It comes from the Greek word “palaios” which means “old, ancient”. The prefix “neo-” would be the opposite, meaning “new, recent”.

51 Source of theatrical fog : DRY ICE

Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide (CO2). The material’s main use is to preserve food and for cooling in general. It is also used in fog machines in theaters and haunted houses.

57 “Gotcha” : AHSO

The slang term “ahso” is used in American English to mean “I see”. The term derives from the Japanese expression “Ah so desu ka” meaning “Oh, that’s how it is”.

59 Bonanza find : ORE

A bonanza is a mine with a rich pocket of ore that can be exploited. “Bonanza” is the Spanish word for a rich lode, and we imported the term into English. “Bonanza” originally meant “fair weather at sea”, and from that came to mean “prosperity, good fortune”. Ultimately, “bonanza” comes from the Latin “bonus” meaning “good”.

60 1960s chess champ Mikhail : TAL

Mikhail Tal truly was a chess legend. Tal holds the record for the longest unbeaten streak in competition chess. And the second longest winning streak? Well, that also was by Tal.

61 Historic Texas landmark : ALAMO

The famous Alamo in San Antonio, Texas was originally known as Mission San Antonio de Valero. The mission was founded in 1718 and was the first mission established in the city. The Battle of the Alamo took place in 1836, a thirteen-day siege by the Mexican Army led by President General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Only two people defending the Alamo Mission survived the onslaught. One month later, the Texian army got its revenge by attacking and defeating the Mexican Army in the Battle of San Jacinto. During the surprise attack on Santa Anna’s camp, many of the Texian soldiers were heard to cry “Remember the Alamo!”.

64 Book’s epilogue : AFTERWORD

A “preface” is a book’s introduction that is written by the author himself or herself. A “foreword” is an introduction written by a different person, and precedes the author’s preface. Note the spelling of “foreword”, as opposed to the spelling of the relative direction “forward”. A book may also have an “afterword”, a commentary that may or may not be written by the author.

Our word “epilog” (also “epilogue”) applies to an addition at the end of a play or other literary work. The term ultimately comes from the Greek “epi-” signifying “in addition”, and “logos” meaning “speech”.

67 “The Hobbit” hero : BILBO

In J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy novel “The Hobbit”, the title character is Bilbo Baggins. He is a hobbit who stumbles across a magical ring and then embarks on a series of adventures.

68 Hoops shot : HOOK

Basketball is truly a North American sport. It was created in 1891 by Canadian James Naismith at the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts. His goal was to create something active and interesting for his students in the gym. The first “hoops” were actually peach baskets, with the bottoms of the baskets intact. When a player got the ball into the “net”, someone had to clamber up and get the ball back out again in order to continue the game!

69 French friend : AMIE

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

70 Creeping critter : SNAIL

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.

71 __ Major : URSA

The constellation Ursa Major (Latin for “Larger Bear”) is often just called “the Big Dipper” because of its resemblance to a ladle or dipper. Ursa Major also resembles a plow, and that’s what we usually call the same constellation back in Ireland, “the Plough”.

72 Old autocrat : TSAR

The term “czar” (also “tsar”) is a Slavic word that was first used as a title by Simeon I of Bulgaria in 913 AD. “Czar” is derived from the word “Caesar”, which was synonymous with “emperor” at that time.

Down

2 Sleep clinic study : APNEA

Sleep apnea (“apnoea” in British English) can be caused by an obstruction in the airways, possibly due to obesity or enlarged tonsils.

3 *Many Northeast tourists look up to her : LADY LIBERTY (giving “liberty bell”)

The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France to the United States. It was designed by sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and constructed in France by civil engineer Gustave Eiffel (of Eiffel Tower fame). The statue was disassembled, shipped to the US, and reassembled on its pedestal on Bedloe’s Island (now “Liberty Island). A ceremony of dedication was held in 1886. If you take a boat ride down the Seine in Paris you will probably see a one-third replica of Lady Liberty standing on a small island in the river, looking quite magnificent. That copy was given to the people of Paris by the city’s American community in 1889.

The Liberty Bell was commissioned in 1752 and installed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The bell bears the inscription “Proclaim LIBERTY throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof”, a quotation from the Book of Leviticus in the Bible. Famously, the bell cracked when it was first rung in Philadelphia after arriving from the foundry where it was made in London, England. The bell’s fame originated with a short story by George Lippard published in 1847 that gave a fictional account of an old bell-ringer ringing it on July 4, 1776 upon hearing that the Second Continental Congress had voted for independence. That ringing of the bell never actually happened, even though the account was constantly presented as fact in school texts around the country for generations.

4 Paris’s __ de la Cité : ILE

There are two famous “îles” (islands) in the middle of the River Seine in Paris, one being the Île de la Cité, and the other Île Saint-Louis. Île de la Cité is the most renowned of the two, as it is home to the cathedral of Notre Dame.

5 “McSorley’s Bar” painter : SLOAN

John French Sloan was an artist who did much of his work in New York City in the early 1900s. Sloan was a founder of the Ashcan School, a movement that focused on portrayals of daily life in New York. One of my favorite Sloan paintings is “McSorley’s Bar”, a 1912 work that depicts the inside of the celebrated East Village ale house the artist used to visit quite regularly.

A few years ago, I accompanied my wife and sister-in-law into McSorley’s bar in New York City. I was foolish enough to ask what kind of wine they had for the ladies. The gruff answer was “McSorley’s Light or McSorley’s Dark” (both of which are beers).

6 Root vegetable : TURNIP

The names of veggies cause me grief sometimes. What’s called a turnip here in the US, we call a swede back in Ireland. An Irishman’s turnip is a rutabaga over here. Thank goodness a potato is a potato, or I’d just give up altogether 🙂

7 __ Claire, Wisconsin : EAU

Eau Claire, Wisconsin is named for the Eau Claire River, which in turn was named by French explorers. The explorers had been travelling down the muddy Chippewa River and diverted into the clear water of what is now called the Eau Claire River. They exclaimed “Voici l’eau claire!” meaning “Here is clear water!” The French phrase “Voici l’eau claire” is now the city’s motto that appears on the city seal.

8 Rose Parade flowers : MUMS

Chrysanthemums are perennial flowering plants that are often called “mums”.

The first Rose Parade was staged in 1890 on New Year’s Day in Pasadena, California. The initial parades were organized by the Pasadena Valley Hunt Club, whose members wanted to highlight the mild winter weather in the area. The initial parades did not feature flowers, but these were added to underscore the favorable climate. It was the inclusion of the flowers that gave rise to the name “Tournament of Roses”. The first Rose Bowl football game was played in 1902.

11 Links supporter? : TEE

The oldest type of golf course is a links course. The name “links” comes from the Old English word “hlinc” meaning “rising ground”. “Hlinc” was used to describe areas with coastal sand dunes or open parkland. As a result, we use the term “links course” to mean a golf course that is located at or on the coast, often amid sand dunes. The British Open is always played on a links course.

12 Ocean State sch. : URI

The University of Rhode Island (URI) was chartered as an agricultural school back in 1888. Rhody the Ram was chosen as the school’s mascot in 1923, a nod to URI’s agricultural past. As a result, the school’s sports teams are known as the Rams. URI’s main campus is located in the village of Kingston.

Rhode Island is the smallest state in the union, and is the second most densely populated. (after New Jersey). Rhode Island is known as the Ocean State, largely because about 14% of the state’s area is made up of ocean bays and inlets. Exactly how Rhode Island got its name is a little unclear. What is known is that way back in 1524, long before the Pilgrims came to New England, the Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano likened an island in the area to the Island of Rhodes in the Mediterranean. There were subsequent references to “Rhode Island” in English publications, before the colonists arrived.

13 Debit card code : PIN

One enters a Personal Identification Number (PIN) when using an Automated Teller Machine (ATM). Given that the N in PIN stands for “number”, then “PIN number” is a redundant phrase. And, given that the M in ATM stands for “machine”, then “ATM machine” is a redundant phrase as well. Grr …!

18 *Controversial educational institution : CHARTER SCHOOL (giving “school bell”)

Charter schools receive government funding, but operate independently. There are even cyber charter schools that cater to K-12 students.

25 Brandy bottle abbr. : VSOP

Brandy is a spirit distilled from wine. The term “brandy” ultimately comes from the Dutch “gebrande wijn” meaning “burnt wine”. The length of this aging of the spirit defines the various grades of brandy:

  • VS: Very Special … at least 2 years storage
  • VSOP: Very Special (or Superior) Old Pale … at least 4 years storage
  • XO: Extra Old … at least 6 years
  • VSO: Very Superior Old … 12-17 years

26 *Real moneymaker : CASH COW (giving “cowbell”)

On a farm, a dairy cow can produce a steady supply of milk, with relatively little maintenance. In the world of business, by analogy, a “cash cow” is an operation that delivers a steady stream of profits, with relatively little investment.

29 German camera : LEICA

Leica is a German optics company that is famous for production of lenses and cameras. The 1913 Leica was the first practical camera that could use 35mm film, a size chosen because it was already the standard for film used in motion pictures.

33 Long of “Empire” : NIA

Nia Long is an American actress who is probably best known for playing Will Smith’s sometime girlfriend and fiancee Lisa Wilkes on the TV show “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air”.

“Empire” is a musical drama series that first aired on Fox early in 2015. The title refers to a hip hop music company.

40 Geneva-based commerce gp. : WTO

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The stated aim of the WTO is to liberalize international trade. The organization was founded in 1995 when an international agreement on trade was reached that effectively replaced the existing General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) that was laid down in 1949.

42 Basie’s “__’Clock Jump” : ONE O

“One O’Clock Jump” is a 1938 jazz instrumental written by Count Basie that became the theme song for the Count Basie Orchestra.

“Count” Basie’s real given name was “William”. Count Basie perhaps picked up his love for the piano from his mother, who played and gave him his first lessons. Basie’s first paying job as a musician was in a movie theater, where he learned to improvise a suitable accompaniment for the silent movies that were being shown. Basie was given the nickname “Count” as he became lauded as one of the so-called “Jazz royalty”. Others so honored are Nat “King” Cole and Duke Ellington.

52 Frost-y feet? : IAMBI

An iamb is a metrical foot containing an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. The lines in Robert Frost’s “Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening” use four sequential iambs, e.g. “Whose woods / these are / I think / I know”. With that sequence of four iambs, the poem’s structure is described as iambic tetrameter.

54 California town wrongly thought to be named from a backwards “bakery” sign : YREKA

The California city of Yreka developed from a miners’ camp called Thompson’s Dry Diggings. “Yreka” derives from the name for Mount Shasta (wáik’a) in the Shasta language, which translates as “North Mountain” or “White Mountain”. There is, however, a story related by Mark Twain that the name “Yreka” comes from the word “bakery”. Back when the area was a mining boomtown, a baker was preparing a canvas sign with the word “BAKERY”. Leaving it out to dry, all but the B could be seen through the canvas. This reversed “-AKERY” was read by a stranger, and he presumed that the sign gave the name of the camp, and read it as “YREKA”. The name stuck. Well, that’s Mark Twain’s story …

55 “The Sound of Music” matriarch : MARIA

“The Sound of Music” is a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical that was made into a celebrated movie in 1965 starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. The musical is based on “The Story of the Trapp Family Singers”, a memoir by Maria von Trapp. The von Trapp family ended up in Stowe, Vermont after the war, and one family descended from the Vermont von Trapps lives here in the same town in which I live in California.

58 Maui neighbor : OAHU

Oahu has been called “The Gathering Place”, although the word “O’ahu” has no translation in Hawaiian. It seems that “O’ahu” is simply the name of the island. One story is that it is named after the son of the Polynesian navigator who first found the islands. The island is made up of two volcanoes, Wai’anae and Ko’olau, joined together by a broad valley, the O’ahu Plain.

Maui is the second largest of the Hawaiian islands. It is sometimes called the “Valley Isle” as it is composed of two volcanoes to the northwest and southeast of the island, each with numerous beautiful valleys carved into them.

61 Muscles seen at Muscle Beach : ABS

The original Muscle Beach was located on the south side of Santa Monica Pier in Southern California. Bodybuilders started working out on the beach back in the 1930s when exercise equipment was installed there as part of the WPA program. Some of the equipment was removed in the fifties, so the bodybuilding community shifted to the Venice Beach Weight Pen. That area was developed and is now known as Muscle Beach Venice.

62 Architect Maya __ : LIN

Maya Lin is a Chinese American artist and architect from Athens, Ohio. Her most famous work is the moving Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Lin was only 21-years-old when she won a public design competition in 1981 to create the memorial. Although her design is very fitting, sadly Lin was not a popular choice for the work given her Asian heritage. As she said herself, she probably would not have been picked had the competition been judged with the knowledge of who was behind each submission.

63 Montgomery’s st. : ALA

Montgomery is the capital of Alabama, and is the state’s second biggest city (after Birmingham). Montgomery is a port city, located on the Alabama River. The city is actually named for an Irishman. Richard Montgomery was an Irish-born soldier who served in the British Army and later in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

66 Angkor __: Cambodian temple : WAT

Angkor Wat is a temple in Cambodia that was built in the 12th century. The beautiful building is iconic in Cambodia and is even featured in the center of the country’s national flag.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Indonesian resort island : BALI
5 Champagne flute part : STEM
9 Provide with lodging : PUT UP
14 Australian export : OPAL
15 Hilo feast : LUAU
16 “SNL” alum Cheri : OTERI
17 Lack of propriety : INDECORUM
19 Link : TIE IN
20 Marshal at Waterloo : NEY
21 Solo played by Harrison Ford and Alden Ehrenreich : HAN
22 Fly off the shelves : SELL
24 Producing a direct electric current : GALVANIC
27 Colorado town that means “town” in Spanish : PUEBLO
31 Tel Aviv’s land: Abbr. : ISR
32 Pre-exam feeling, if you didn’t study : PANIC
34 Brain scan letters : EEG
35 Clog kin : SABOT
37 Down with something : SICK
38 Short, for short : LIL’
39 Brunch serving : CREPE
40 “Huh?” : WHA?
41 Sweetly, to Solti : DOLCE
43 Part of HRH : HER
44 Campus mil. group : ROTC
46 Out of favor : IN BAD
47 “Dig in!” : EAT!
48 In one fell __ : SWOOP
50 Paleo- opposite : NEO-
51 Source of theatrical fog : DRY ICE
53 “I’m qualified, too!” : WHY NOT ME?!
57 “Gotcha” : AHSO
59 Bonanza find : ORE
60 1960s chess champ Mikhail : TAL
61 Historic Texas landmark : ALAMO
64 Book’s epilogue : AFTERWORD
67 “The Hobbit” hero : BILBO
68 Hoops shot : HOOK
69 French friend : AMIE
70 Creeping critter : SNAIL
71 __ Major : URSA
72 Old autocrat : TSAR

Down

1 Spring sound : BOING!
2 Sleep clinic study : APNEA
3 *Many Northeast tourists look up to her : LADY LIBERTY (giving “liberty bell”)
4 Paris’s __ de la Cité : ILE
5 “McSorley’s Bar” painter : SLOAN
6 Root vegetable : TURNIP
7 __ Claire, Wisconsin : EAU
8 Rose Parade flowers : MUMS
9 *Bring-a-dish event : POTLUCK DINNER (giving “dinner bell”)
10 Serving a purpose : UTILE
11 Links supporter? : TEE
12 Ocean State sch. : URI
13 Debit card code : PIN
18 *Controversial educational institution : CHARTER SCHOOL (giving “school bell”)
23 Awesome : EPIC
25 Brandy bottle abbr. : VSOP
26 *Real moneymaker : CASH COW (giving “cowbell”)
28 Retro pants, and a hint to the answers to starred clues : BELL-BOTTOMS
29 German camera : LEICA
30 Eyed inappropriately : OGLED
33 Long of “Empire” : NIA
35 Timetable: Abbr. : SCHED
36 Backward, shipwise : AREAR
40 Geneva-based commerce gp. : WTO
42 Basie’s “__’Clock Jump” : ONE O
45 Has to pay : OWES
49 Snaps : PHOTOS
52 Frost-y feet? : IAMBI
54 California town wrongly thought to be named from a backwards “bakery” sign : YREKA
55 “The Sound of Music” matriarch : MARIA
56 Church leader : ELDER
58 Maui neighbor : OAHU
61 Muscles seen at Muscle Beach : ABS
62 Architect Maya __ : LIN
63 Montgomery’s st. : ALA
65 In favor of : FOR
66 Angkor __: Cambodian temple : WAT