LA Times Crossword 25 Oct 18, Thursday

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Constructed by: C.C. Burnikel
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: March

Themed answers each contain a hidden word. Together, those words form a MARCHING sequence: HUP, TWO, THREE, FOUR:

  • 53D. Spring time … or a military procession involving a word sequence hidden in 15-, 31-, 41- and 61-Across : MARCH
  • 15A. Trying to overcome a late start, say : PLAYING CATCH-UP
  • 31A. “Any minute now” : IT WON’T BE LONG
  • 41A. Critical shuttle maneuver : EARTH REENTRY
  • 61A. NBC soap since 1965 : DAYS OF OUR LIVES

Bill’s time: 7m 07s

Bill’s errors: 0

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Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

9. Instagram or Snapchat : APP

Instagram is a photo-sharing application, one that is extremely popular. Instagram was started in San Francisco in 2010. Facebook purchased Instagram two years later, paying $1 billion. The billion-dollar Instagram company had just 13 employees at the time of the sale …

Snapchat is a messaging system that allows users to send photos and video clips to a limited list of recipients. The photos and clips, called “snaps”, can be viewed for only a few seconds before they are deleted from the recipient’s device, and from the Snapchat servers.

12. Past time : YORE

We use the word “yore” to mean “time long past” as in “the days of yore”. “Yore” comes from the Old English words for “of years”.

18. Clemson’s conf. : ACC

The collegiate athletic conference known as the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) was founded in 1953. The seven charter members of the ACC were Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State, South Carolina and Wake Forest.

Clemson University was founded in 1889. The school takes its name from the town in which it is located: Clemson, South Carolina. The athletic teams of Clemson University have been called the Tigers since 1896 when a new football coach, Walter Riggs, arrived from Auburn University. Riggs was an admirer of the Princeton Tigers, so he gave his new school the tiger mascot.

19. Silicon Valley setting : BAY AREA

The Santa Clara Valley, located just a few miles from me at the south of San Francisco Bay, is better known as “Silicon Valley”. The term “Silicon Valley” dates back to 1971 when it was apparently first used in a weekly trade newspaper called “Electronic News” in articles written by journalist Don Hoefler.

22. Deli order : SALAMI

“Salame” (note the letter E at the end) is an Italian sausage that is traditionally associated with the peasant classes. The meat in the sausage is preserved with salt, and it can be hung and stored for as long as ten years. The name “salame” comes from “sale”, the Italian word for salt, and “-ame”, a suffix indicating a collective noun. Our English word “salami” is actually the Italian plural for “salame”.

24. New York prison in 1971 headlines : ATTICA

The Attica Correctional Facility in Attica, New York is used to incarcerate the toughest of the state’s convicts. Famous people who have spent time in Attica include David Berkowitz (Son of Sam) and Mark David Chapman (who killed John Lennon). Attica was the site of a famous riot in 1971 involving almost 1,000 inmates. Control of the prison was restored by the authorities after several days of unrest that left 39 people dead, including ten guards and other prison employees.

30. Prince Harry’s alma mater : ETON

Eton College near Windsor in the south of England was founded way back in 1440 by King Henry VI. Originally known as “The King’s College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor”, the school was intended to provided free education to poor boys. Free education today at Eton? Not so much …

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex is the younger of the two sons of Charles and Diana, Prince and Princess of Wales. Famously, Prince Harry married American actress Meghan Markle in 2018. The groom’s name was Prince Henry of Wales until the marriage, at which time his name changed officially to “Prince Harry”.

36. Org. with Jays and Rays : MLB

The Toronto Blue Jays baseball franchise was founded in 1977. The Blue Jays are the only team based outside the US to have won a World Series, doing so in 1992 and 1993. And since the Montreal Expos relocated to Washington, the Blue Jays are the only Major League Baseball team now headquartered outside of the US.

The Tampa Bay Rays are a relatively young franchise, having been formed in 1998. The initial name of the franchise was the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. While known as the Devil Rays, the team finished last in the league in almost every year. The name was changed to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008, and I am told the Rays started into a streak of winning seasons soon after.

39. Elastic bikini top : BANDEAU

A bandeau is like a narrow tube top, and is usually worn by women, perhaps as the top part of a bikini. “Bandeau” is diminutive of the French “bande” meaning “strip, band”.

40. Org. with an annual Codebreaker Challenge : NSA

The National Security Agency (NSA) runs an annual Codebreaker Challenge that is aimed mainly at the student population. As best I can tell, the focus of the challenge is reverse software engineering. Checking out the Codebreaker Challenge website suggests that the NSA runs this program in order to identify and attract potential new employees.

41. Critical shuttle maneuver : EARTH REENTRY

NASA’s Space Shuttle program was the agency’s fourth human spaceflight program, following Projects Mercury, Gemini and Apollo. Five fully functional shuttles were built and deployed into space:

  1. Columbia made its first flight in 1981, but was destroyed during a tragic re-entry disaster in 2003.
  2. Challenger made its first flight in 1983, but was destroyed in an accident just after launch in 1986.
  3. Discovery made its first flight in 1984, and was retired to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum annex at Washington Dulles Airport
  4. Atlantis made its first flight in 1985, and was retired to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
  5. Endeavour made its first flight in 1992, and was retired to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City.

44. Skier’s pick-me-up? : T-BAR

A T-bar is a ski lift on which the skiers are pulled up the hill in pairs, with each pair standing (not sitting!) either side of a T-shaped metal bar. The bar is placed behind the thighs, pulling along the skiers as they remain standing on their skis (hopefully!). There’s also a J-bar, a similar device, but with each J-shaped bar used by one skier at a time.

45. Summer hrs. : DST

On the other side of the Atlantic, Daylight Saving Time (DST) is known as “summer time”. The idea behind summer/daylight-savings is to move clocks forward an hour in spring (“spring forward”), and backwards in the fall (“fall back”) so that afternoons have more daylight.

46. Archipelago part : ISLE

“Archipelago” is our spelling of the Italian “arcipelago”, a word that has Greek roots. The Aegean Sea was once known as the Archipelago. The usage of “Archipelago” migrated over time, eventually applying only to the Aegean Islands. As a result, we use the term “archipelago” today not for a sea, but for a group or chain of islands.

50. Sweater pattern : ARGYLE

The argyle pattern is based on the Campbell tartan. The Campbell clan is based in the Argyll region (note the spelling) in the west of Scotland, giving the Argyle pattern its name.

53. Salieri, to Liszt : MENTOR

If you’ve seen the brilliant 1984 movie “Amadeus”, you’ll have seen the composer Salieri portrayed as being very envious and resentful of the gifted Mozart. It is no doubt true that two composers fought against each other, at least on occasion, but the extent of the acrimony between the two has perhaps been exaggerated in the interest of theater. Mozart and his wife had six children, but only two survived infancy. The youngest boy was called Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart, born just five months before his father died. Franz was to become a gifted composer, teacher, pianist and conductor, helped along the way by lessons from his father’s supposed rival, Antonio Salieri. In addition to the Mozarts, Salieri also taught such luminaries as Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Liszt and Franz Schubert

Franz Liszt was a Hungarian composer and a fabulous pianist. Particularly towards the end of his life, Liszt gained a tremendous reputation as a teacher. While he was in his sixties, his teaching profession demanded that he commute regularly between the cities of Rome, Weimar and Budapest. It is quite remarkable that a man of such advanced age, and in the 1870s, could do so much annual travel. It is estimated that Liszt journeyed at least 4,000 miles every year!

56. Spiritual leader of Nizari Ismaili Muslims : AGA KHAN

“Aga Khan” is a hereditary title of the Imam of a large sect within the Shi’a Muslim faith known as the Nizari Ismailis. The current Aga Khan is Shah Karim al-Hussayni, who has held the position since 1957.

60. Actress Mendes : EVA

I best know the actress Eva Mendes as the female lead in the movie “Hitch”, in which she played opposite Will Smith. Mendes was known off the screen for dating actor Ryan Gosling from 2011 to 2013.

61. NBC soap since 1965 : DAYS OF OUR LIVES

NBC’s “Days of Our Lives” is the second-longest running soap opera on US television, second only to “General Hospital”. “Days …” has been aired since November 1965.

65. Poolroom powder : TALC

Talc is a mineral, actually hydrated magnesium silicate. Talcum powder is composed of loose talc, although these days “baby powder” is also made from cornstarch. Talc has many uses, including the reduction of friction between a pool players bridge hand and the cue.

66. Gimlet garnish : LIME

A gimlet is a relatively simple cocktail that is traditionally made using just gin and lime juice. The trend in more recent times is to replace the gin with vodka.

67. ACLU concerns : RTS

Rights (rts.)

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has its roots in the First World War when it was founded to provide legal advice and support to conscientious objectors. The ACLU’s motto is “Because Freedom Can’t Protect Itself”. The ACLU also hosts a blog on the ACLU.org website called “Speak Freely”.

68. Cross with a top loop : ANKH

The ankh was the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic character for “eternal life”. The ankh wasn’t just used in inscriptions but was often fashioned into amulets and as surrounds for mirrors (perhaps symbolizing a view into another world). The ankh is also known as “the key of the Nile” and “crux ansata” (Latin for “cross with a handle”).

Down

2. Humorous feline meme : LOLCAT

A lolcat is an image of a cat with a humorous message superimposed in text. Such images have been around since the late 1800s, but the term “lolcat” only surfaced in 2006 as the phenomenon was sweeping across the Internet. “Lolcat” is a melding of the acronym for “laugh out loud” (LOL) and “cat”.

3. Prophecy source : ORACLE

In Ancient Greece and Rome, an oracle was someone believed inspired by the gods to give wise counsel. The word “oracle” derives from the Latin “orare” meaning “to speak”, which is the same root for our word “orator”. One of the most important oracles of Ancient Greece was the priestess to Apollo at Delphi.

4. “The Daughter of Time” novelist : TEY

“Josephine Tey” was the pen name of Scottish mystery writer Elizabeth Mackintosh, who was best known for writing mystery novels. One of Tey’s more famous works is the 1949 crime novel “Brat Farrar”, the story of an orphan who impersonates the missing son of rich family in order wangle his way into an inheritance. Another is “The Daughter of Time”, in which a Scotland Yard inspector who is laid up in hospital takes on the mystery of whether or not King Richard III of England murdered his nephews, the Princes in the Tower.

5. Six-Day War peninsula : SINAI

The Six-Day War took place from June 5th to June 10th, 1967, and was fought between Israel and its neighbors Egypt, Jordan and Syria. By the time the ceasefire was signed, Israel had seized huge swaths of land formerly controlled by Arab states, namely the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank of the Jordan River and the Golan Heights. The overall territory under the control of Israel grew by a factor of three in just six days.

7. Soft-drink word since 1886 : COCA

The first cola drink to become a commercial success was Coca-Cola, soon after it was invented by a druggist in 1886. That original Coca-Cola was flavored mainly with kola nuts and vanilla. The formulation was based on an alcoholic drink called Coca Wine that had been on sale for over twenty years.

8. Deposed Russian ruler : TSAR

The last ruler of Imperial Russia was Tsar Nicholas II (of the House of Romanov). Famously, the Tsar and his family were murdered in 1918 in the basement of a house in Yekaterinburg, Russia by members of the Bolshevik secret police. The Tsar’s youngest daughter was 16-year-old Anastasia and rumors of her escape have persisted for years. The rumors grew with the help of numerous women who claimed to be Anastasia. In 2009, DNA testing finally proved that the remains of all of the Tsar’s immediate family, including Anastasia, have been found and identified.

11. Katy Perry and Mariah Carey : POP ICONS

Katy Perry is an American singer who grew up listening to and singing gospel music, as she was the daughter of two Christian pastors. In fact, her first musical release was a gospel album in 2001. She has branched out since then. Her first successful single was “Ur so Gay”, followed by “I Kissed A Girl”. She was married (for only a year) to the British comedian Russell Brand, until 2012.

Mariah Carey produced her first album in 1990 under the guidance of Tommy Mottola, an executive at Columbia Records. Mottola and Carey must have hit it off, because they were married three years later (although Mottola is now married to a different singer …).

14. “Get outta here!” : SCAT!

Our word “scat!” means “get lost!” It comes from a 19th-century expression “quicker than s’cat”, which meant “in a great hurry”. The original phrase probably came from the words “hiss” and “cat”.

16. Watson creator : IBM

Watson is a computer system developed by IBM. Watson is designed to answer questions that are posed in natural language, so that it should be able to interpret questions just as you and I would, no matter how the question is phrased. The program is named after the founder of IBM, Thomas J. Watson. Today’s Watson competed in a few memorable episodes of “Jeopardy!” in 2011 taking out two of the best players of the quiz show. That made for fun television …

17. Beverage with dim sum : TEA

Dim sum is a Chinese cuisine made up of small portions of various dishes. The tradition of serving dim sum is associated with the serving of tea, when small delicacies were offered to travelers and guests along with tea as a refreshment. The name “dim sum” translates as “touch the heart” implying that dim sum is not a main meal, just a snack “that touches the heart”.

21. Comics read vertically : MANGA

Japanese can be written either horizontally or vertically. Horizontal writing is called “yokogaki”, and is written from left-to-right, and top-to-bottom, just like English. Vertical writing is called “tategaki”, and is read from top-to-bottom and right-to-left. Vertical writing tends to be used in newspapers, novels and manga (comic books).

23. Montréal mate : AMI

The original name of Montreal was Ville-Marie, meaning the City of Mary. Ville-Marie is now the name of a borough in the city, the borough which includes the downtown area and “Old Montreal”. The present-day city covers most of the Island of Montreal (in French, “Île de Montréal”) that is located where the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers meet. The name “Montreal” comes from the three-headed hill that dominates the island and is called “Mount Royal”.

25. __ Aviv : TEL

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

28. Mints brand with mountain peaks in its logo : ANDES

Andes Chocolate Mints were first produced by a company called Andy’s Candies, established in 1921 by Andrew Kanelos in Chicago. Kanelos learned that men didn’t like giving boxes of candy to their wives and girlfriends if there was another man’s name on the box, so he changed his business to Andes Candies, for the South American mountain range.

29. Surgical tube : STENT

In the world of medicine and surgery, a stent is an artificial tube inserted inside a vessel in the body, say an artery, so that it reduces the effects of a local restriction in the body’s conduit.

32. “Speaking frankly,” in texts : TBH

To be honest (TBH)

35. Spain’s cont. : EUR

The continent of Europe was named for Europa, a Phoenician princess of Greek mythology.

Spain is the second largest country in the European Union (after France). “Spain” is an anglicized form of the Spanish name “España”, which comes from the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula “Hispania”.

37. __ retriever : LABRADOR

The Labrador (Lab) breed of dog has been around at least since 1814, and the chocolate Labrador appeared over a century later in the 1930s. The name “Labrador Retriever” is simply a reference to the breed’s origin and behavior. Labs originally “retrieved” from the “Labrador Sea”.

43. Yang’s opposite : YIN

The yin and the yang can be illustrated using many different metaphors. In one, as the sun shines on a mountain, the side in the shade is the yin and the side in the light is the yang. The yin is also regarded as the feminine side, and the yang the masculine. The yin can also be associated with the moon, while the yang is associated with the sun.

47. Memorable guitarist __ Ray Vaughan : STEVIE

Stevie Ray Vaughan was a guitarist and singer who was very much associated with the blues revival of the 1980s. Sadly, Vaughan died in a helicopter crash in East Troy, Wisconsin when he was just 35 years old.

48. 2009 Justin Bieber hit : LOVE ME

Justin Bieber is a young pop singer from London, Ontario. Bieber was actually discovered on YouTube by talent manager Scooter Brown. Fans of Bieber call themselves “Beliebers”. Personally, I’m no believer in Bieber …

51. Highlands girl : LASS

The Scottish Highlands are that part of the country not classified as the Lowlands(!). The Highlands make up the north and west of Scotland.

53. Spring time … or a military procession involving a word sequence hidden in 15-, 31-, 41- and 61-Across : MARCH

March is the third month in our Gregorian calendar. It takes its name from the Latin “Martius”, which was the first month of the earliest Roman calendar. In turn, Martius was named for Mars, the Roman god of war.

54. Bigger photo: Abbr. : ENL

Enlargement (enl.)

57. Mennen lotion : AFTA

Afta is an aftershave in the Mennen range of products that is owned by Colgate-Palmolive.

58. Zen question : KOAN

The concept of koan appears in the Zen Buddhist tradition. A koan is a story, question or perhaps a statement that is used as an aid to meditation. It often takes the form of a problem or riddle that has no logical solution and is intended to help the meditator break free of reason and develop intuition.

59. “Incredible” hero : HULK

The comic book hero named “the Hulk” first made an appearance in 1962. The Hulk is the alter ego of reserved and withdraw physicist Bruce Banner. Banner mutates into the Hulk when he gets angry.

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Smudge : BLOT
5. Splinter group : SECT
9. Instagram or Snapchat : APP
12. Past time : YORE
13. Union agreements? : I DOS
14. “Get outta here!” : SHOO!
15. Trying to overcome a late start, say : PLAYING CATCH-UP
18. Clemson’s conf. : ACC
19. Silicon Valley setting : BAY AREA
20. Hoops net holder : RIM
22. Deli order : SALAMI
24. New York prison in 1971 headlines : ATTICA
26. Wine glass feature : STEM
27. Suffers from : HAS
30. Prince Harry’s alma mater : ETON
31. “Any minute now” : IT WON’T BE LONG
36. Org. with Jays and Rays : MLB
39. Elastic bikini top : BANDEAU
40. Org. with an annual Codebreaker Challenge : NSA
41. Critical shuttle maneuver : EARTH REENTRY
44. Skier’s pick-me-up? : T-BAR
45. Summer hrs. : DST
46. Archipelago part : ISLE
50. Sweater pattern : ARGYLE
53. Salieri, to Liszt : MENTOR
55. Streaming delay : LAG
56. Spiritual leader of Nizari Ismaili Muslims : AGA KHAN
60. Actress Mendes : EVA
61. NBC soap since 1965 : DAYS OF OUR LIVES
64. Mineral sources : ORES
65. Poolroom powder : TALC
66. Gimlet garnish : LIME
67. ACLU concerns : RTS
68. Cross with a top loop : ANKH
69. Creepy glance : LEER

Down

1. Go around : BYPASS
2. Humorous feline meme : LOLCAT
3. Prophecy source : ORACLE
4. “The Daughter of Time” novelist : TEY
5. Six-Day War peninsula : SINAI
6. Pushing boundaries : EDGY
7. Soft-drink word since 1886 : COCA
8. Deposed Russian ruler : TSAR
9. “That feels good” : AHH
10. Pull out all the stops : POUR IT ON
11. Katy Perry and Mariah Carey : POP ICONS
14. “Get outta here!” : SCAT!
16. Watson creator : IBM
17. Beverage with dim sum : TEA
21. Comics read vertically : MANGA
23. Montréal mate : AMI
25. __ Aviv : TEL
27. Perfected : HONED
28. Mints brand with mountain peaks in its logo : ANDES
29. Surgical tube : STENT
32. “Speaking frankly,” in texts : TBH
33. Armed conflict : WAR
34. Home run hitter? : BAT
35. Spain’s cont. : EUR
36. Like virtually all golf club heads nowadays : METAL
37. __ retriever : LABRADOR
38. Blowhard : BRAGGART
42. Push to the limit : TRY
43. Yang’s opposite : YIN
47. Memorable guitarist __ Ray Vaughan : STEVIE
48. 2009 Justin Bieber hit : LOVE ME
49. Correction device : ERASER
51. Highlands girl : LASS
52. Big 38-Down feature : EGO
53. Spring time … or a military procession involving a word sequence hidden in 15-, 31-, 41- and 61-Across : MARCH
54. Bigger photo: Abbr. : ENL
57. Mennen lotion : AFTA
58. Zen question : KOAN
59. “Incredible” hero : HULK
62. “Of course!” : YES!
63. Not well : ILL

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