LA Times Crossword 17 Dec 24, Tuesday

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Constructed by: Susan Gelfand
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Reveal Answer: Put the Squeeze On

Themed answers are all things that we can PUT THE SQUEEZE ON:

  • 37A Coerce, or what can be done to 18-, 23-, 52-, and 58-Across : PUT THE SQUEEZE ON
  • 18A Iced tea garnish : LEMON WEDGE
  • 23A Art class staple with a bovine logo : ELMER’S GLUE
  • 52A Handheld tension reliever : STRESS BALL
  • 58A Bathtime floater : RUBBER DUCK

Read on, or jump to …
… a complete list of answers

Bill’s time: 4m 09s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Mount Etna outflow : LAVA

Lava is a phenomenon that results from the eruption of magma from a volcano. Depending on the type of lava and the volcano it comes from, lava can reach temperatures of up to 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit (1,200 degrees Celsius). That’s hot enough to melt steel …

5 Some Dropbox files, informally : DOCS

Dropbox is a big name in the world of cloud data storage.

9 After-dinner coffee choice : DECAF

The first successful process for removing caffeine from coffee involved steaming the beans in salt water, and then extracting the caffeine using benzene (a potent carcinogen) as a solvent. Coffee processed this way was sold as Sanka here in the US. There are other processes used these days, and let’s hope they are safer …

17 Jell-O shaper : MOLD

If you like Jell-O, then you might want to stop by LeRoy, New York where you can visit the only Jell-O museum in the world. While at the museum, you can walk along the Jell-O Brick Road …

20 Book jacket summary : BLURB

The use of the word “blurb”, to describe a publicity notice on a book jacket, dates back to 1907 when it was used by American humorist Gelett Burgess. Burgess used a picture of a fictitious young woman named Miss Belinda Blurb on the dust jacket of a limited run of his 1906 book “Are You a Bromide?” That jacket proclaimed “YES, this is a ‘BLURB’!” The term persists to this day, without the young damsel.

22 Classical form of poetry : EPODE

An epode is a lyric poem made up of couplets in which the first line is long, and the second line much shorter. The form was invented by the Greek poet Archilochus, and was most famously used by the Roman poet Horace.

23 Art class staple with a bovine logo : ELMER’S GLUE

Elsie the Cow is the mascot of the Borden Company. Elsie first appeared at the New York World’s Fair in 1939, introduced to symbolize the perfect dairy product. She is so famous and respected that she has been awarded the degrees of Doctor of Bovinity, Doctor of Human Kindness and Doctor of Ecownomics. Elsie was also given a husband named Elmer the Bull. Elmer eventually moved over to the chemical division of Borden where he gave his name to Elmer’s Glue.

26 Clean air org. : EPA

The Clean Air Act of 1963 is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

34 Vodka brand, for short : STOLI

Stolichnaya is a brand of “Russian” vodka made from wheat and rye grain. “Stoli” originated in Russia, but now it’s made in Latvia. Latvia is of course a completely different country, so you won’t see the word “Russian” on the label anymore.

42 Japanese cartoon genre : ANIME

Anime drawings are known for their distinct style, which often features large eyes, colorful hair, and exaggerated expressions.

51 That, in Toledo : ESO

Toledo is a city in central Spain that is located just over 40 miles south of the capital Madrid. Toledo is sometimes called the “City of Three Cultures”, due to the historical co-existence of Christian, Muslim and Jewish traditions.

65 Actor Morales : ESAI

Esai Morales is not only a successful actor, he is also a trained martial artist, having studied the Korean martial art of taekwondo since he was a teenager.

66 “… and they all lived happily __ after” : EVER

The stock phrase “Once upon a time …” has been used in various forms as the start of a narrative at least since 1380. The stock phrase at the end of stories such as folktales is often “and they all lived happily ever after”. The earlier version of this ending was “happily until their deaths”.

Down

2 Moon program of the 1960s and 1970s : APOLLO

The Apollo program is very much associated with President Kennedy, as he gave NASA the challenge to land men on the moon by the end of the sixties. However, the Apollo program was conceived during the Eisenhower administration as a follow-up to Project Mercury that put the first Americans in space.

4 Braugher of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” : ANDRE

Andre Braugher was the actor who plays Captain Ray Holt on the sitcom “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”. Braugher played a more serious cop on the TV show “Homicide: Life on the Street”, namely Detective Frank Pembleton.

5 Broadband initials : DSL

In Internet terms, the word “broadband” is used to describe Internet access that is faster than dialup. In more broad (pun!) telecommunication terms, “broadband” is used to describe “bandwidth” data transmission that is “broad” enough to carry several signals and several different types of traffic at the same time.

6 Run a tab : OWE

When we run a “tab” at a bar, we are running a “tabulation”, a listing of what we owe. Such a use of “tab” is American slang that originated in the 1880s.

7 Desert beast : CAMEL

Camels are well adapted to the desert, most notably perhaps having a fatty hump that acts as a reservoir of water. They also have long eyelashes and ear hairs, as well as nostrils that can close, all of which act as barriers to blown sand. They even have a third eyelid, which dislodges any sand that gets lodged in the eye.

9 Pulitzer-winning columnist Maureen : DOWD

Maureen Dowd is a celebrated columnist for “The New York Times” as well as a best-selling author. Dowd won a Pulitzer for her columns about the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

11 Legendary Spanish knight El __ : CID

Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar was known as El Cid Campeador, which translates as “The Champion” or perhaps “The Lord, Master of Military Arts”. El Cid was a soldier who fought under the rule of King Alfonso VI of Spain (among others). However, he was sent into exile by the King in 1080, after acting beyond his authorization in battle. El Cid then offered his services to his former foes, the Moorish kings, After a number of years building a reputation with the Moors, he was recalled from exile by Alfonso. By this time El Cid was very much his own man. Nominally under the orders of Alfonso, he led a combined army of Spanish and Moorish troops and took the city of Valencia on the Mediterranean coast in 1094, making it his headquarters and home. He died in Valencia, quite peacefully, in 1099.

12 Director Lee : ANG

Taiwanese director Ang Lee sure has directed a mixed bag of films, mixed in terms of genre but not in terms of quality. He was at the helm for such classics as “Sense & Sensibility” (my personal favorite), “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, “Hulk”, “Brokeback Mountain” and “Life of Pi”.

21 Epson competitor : BROTHER

Brother is a Japanese company that is perhaps best known in North America for producing typewriters and printers. Brother started out as a manufacturer of sewing machines, in Nagoya in 1908.

26 Actress Falco : EDIE

Actress Edie Falco won three Emmy Awards for playing Carmela Soprano on HBO’s outstanding drama series called “The Sopranos”. Falco also won an Emmy in 2010 for playing the title role in “Nurse Jackie”, an excellent black comedy.

27 Colombian currency : PESO

Not only is the Colombian peso legal tender in Colombia, it is also used in parts of Venezuela due to hyperinflation of the Venezuelan bolívar.

28 Yemen coastal city : ADEN

Aden is a seaport in Yemen that is located on the Gulf of Aden by the eastern approach to the Red Sea. Aden has a long history of British rule, from 1838 until a very messy withdrawal in 1967. A native of Aden is known as an Adeni. Some believe that Cain and Abel are buried in the city.

34 Acct. summary : STMT

Statement (stmt.)

35 Brainpower nos. : IQS

Although it is correct these days to say that the abbreviation IQ stands for “intelligence quotient”, the term was actually coined by German psychologist William Stern, and so is actually an abbreviation for the German “Intelligenz-Quotient”.

38 Deep-dish pizza chain, informally : UNO’S

The chain of pizza parlors known today as Uno Chicago Grill used to be called Pizzeria Uno, or just “Uno’s”. Apparently, Uno’s created the world’s first deep-dish pizza.

39 Mambo legend Puente : TITO

After serving in the Navy in WWII for three years, musician Tito Puente studied at Juilliard, where he got a great grounding in conducting, orchestration and theory. Puente parlayed this education into a career in Latin jazz and mambo. He was known as “El Rey” as well as “The King of Latin Music”.

The form of music and dance known as “mambo” developed in Cuba. “Mambo” means “conversation with the gods” in Kikongo, a language spoken by slaves taken to Cuba from Central Africa.

40 Alternative magazine name : UTNE

The “Utne Reader” is known for aggregation and republishing of articles on politics, culture and the environment from other sources in the media. It was founded in 1984 by Eric Utne, with management taken over by Eric’s wife Nina Rothschild Utne in 1990.

45 Letters on outdated maps : USSR

When the former Soviet Union (USSR) dissolved in 1991, it was largely replaced by the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The formation of the CIS underscored the new reality, that the former Soviet Republics (SSRs) were now independent states. Most of the 15 former SSRs joined the CIS. Notably, the three Baltic SSRs (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) opted not to join the new commonwealth, and in 2004 joined NATO and the EU.

46 Many Chopin piano pieces : ETUDES

An étude is a short instrumental composition that is usually quite hard to play and is intended to help the performer master a particular technique. “Étude” is the French word for “study”. Études are commonly performed on the piano.

Frédéric Chopin was a Polish composer who spent most of his life in France. He was most famous for his piano works in the Romantic style. Chopin was a sickly man and died quite young, at 39. For many of his final years he had a celebrated and tempestuous relationship with the French author George Sand (the nom de plume of the Baroness Dudevant). Those years with Sand may have been turbulent, but they were very productive in terms of musical composition.

48 Mouth moistener : SALIVA

Ultimately, our contemporary term “saliva” is the Latin word for “spittle”.

49 Mars or Mercury : PLANET

Our word “planet” ultimately comes from the Greek word “plantai” meaning “wandering”. In olden times, the planets were deemed “wandering” stars, sort of like Lee Marvin …

50 Birch family trees : ALDERS

Alders are deciduous (i.e. not evergreen) trees with fruit called catkins. The tree carries both male and female catkins that look very similar to each other, but the male catkin is longer than the female. Alders are pollinated by wind usually, although bees can play a role.

60 Bali garment : BRA

The Bali brand of lingerie started out as Fay-Miss in 1927, before becoming the Bali Brassiere Company in 1969.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Mount Etna outflow : LAVA
5 Some Dropbox files, informally : DOCS
9 After-dinner coffee choice : DECAF
14 Atop : UPON
15 Whack, as a fly : SWAT
16 Express a view : OPINE
17 Jell-O shaper : MOLD
18 Iced tea garnish : LEMON WEDGE
20 Book jacket summary : BLURB
22 Classical form of poetry : EPODE
23 Art class staple with a bovine logo : ELMER’S GLUE
26 Clean air org. : EPA
29 Fish eggs : ROE
30 Soccer match chant : OLE!
31 Trudged : PLODDED
34 Vodka brand, for short : STOLI
36 Bump in the night, e.g. : NOISE
37 Coerce, or what can be done to 18-, 23-, 52-, and 58-Across : PUT THE SQUEEZE ON
42 Japanese cartoon genre : ANIME
43 Flair : STYLE
44 “That’s a lie!” : NOT TRUE!
47 Once named : NEE
48 Place to luxuriate : SPA
51 That, in Toledo : ESO
52 Handheld tension reliever : STRESS BALL
55 Magazine edition : ISSUE
57 Leafy starter : SALAD
58 Bathtime floater : RUBBER DUCK
63 Cry from a forgetful performer : LINE!
64 Shake hands (on) : AGREE
65 Actor Morales : ESAI
66 “… and they all lived happily __ after” : EVER
67 “__ for dinner?” : WHAT’S
68 Email button : SEND
69 “Phooey!” : RATS!

Down

1 Wood planks : LUMBER
2 Moon program of the 1960s and 1970s : APOLLO
3 Remote control adjustment : VOLUME
4 Braugher of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” : ANDRE
5 Broadband initials : DSL
6 Run a tab : OWE
7 Desert beast : CAMEL
8 Clog : STOP UP
9 Pulitzer-winning columnist Maureen : DOWD
10 Fencing sword : EPEE
11 Legendary Spanish knight El __ : CID
12 Director Lee : ANG
13 Broker’s charge : FEE
19 Christmas carol : NOEL
21 Epson competitor : BROTHER
24 Plumlike fruit : SLOE
25 Comes together well : GELS
26 Actress Falco : EDIE
27 Colombian currency : PESO
28 Yemen coastal city : ADEN
32 Almost as many : ONE LESS
33 Catch some z’s : DOZE
34 Acct. summary : STMT
35 Brainpower nos. : IQS
37 Window section : PANE
38 Deep-dish pizza chain, informally : UNO’S
39 Mambo legend Puente : TITO
40 Alternative magazine name : UTNE
41 Peepers : EYES
45 Letters on outdated maps : USSR
46 Many Chopin piano pieces : ETUDES
48 Mouth moistener : SALIVA
49 Mars or Mercury : PLANET
50 Birch family trees : ALDERS
53 Find a new purpose for : REUSE
54 Hay bundle maker : BALER
55 “Yeah, sure!” : I BET!
56 Observes : SEES
58 Uncooked : RAW
59 “Yuck!” : UGH!
60 Bali garment : BRA
61 Soup holder : CAN
62 Jest : KID