LA Times Crossword 22 Feb 20, Saturday

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

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 9m 21s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

7 Rose’s record 14,053 : AT BATS

Pete Rose was a talented baseball player who holds the record for all-time Major League hits. Rose’s nickname was “Charlie Hustle”. In recent years, his reputation has been tarnished by admissions that he bet on games in which he played and managed.

13 Dessert for one, maybe : MINI-PIE

Our word “dessert” comes from the French verb “desservir” meaning “to clear the table”. The idea is that dessert is usually the last course to be cleared from the table.

15 Cotton farm threat : WEEVIL

A weevil is a small beetle known for the damage that it can do to crops. The boll weevil damages cotton plants by laying eggs inside cotton bolls. The young weevils then eat their way out. Some weevils have snouts that are as long as their body.

16 Handlers for a mixologist : ICE TONGS

A pair of tongs is a tool with a scissor-like hinge used to pick up things, like meat cooking on a barbecue grill or ice from an ice bucket. The verb “to tong” means “to handle with tongs”.

A mixologist is someone who is well versed in the mixing of cocktails, said he reaching for the shaker …

18 Joey of *NSYNC : FATONE

NSYNC was a boy band from Orlando, Florida that was formed in 1995. The name of the group came from a comment by the mother of band member Justin Timberlake, who said the boys voices sounded “in sync”. But, it’s also true that the letters of the name NSYNC are the last letters of the given names of the five band members:

  • Justin Timberlake
  • Chris Kirkpatrick
  • Joey Fatone
  • Lance “Lansten” Bass
  • JC Chasez

19 Liquid meas. : GAL

The name of our fluid measure called a “gallon” ultimately comes from the Medieval Latin term “galleta” meaning “bucket, pail”.

20 Mythical mount that flies : PEGASUS

Pegasus is a white, winged stallion of Greek mythology. Pegasus was sired by Poseidon and foaled by Medusa.

22 ’90s sitcom “__ and Stacey” : NED

“Ned and Stacey” is a sitcom that first aired in the nineties. The title roles were played by Thomas Haden Church and Debra Messing. Ned and Stacey are a couple in a marriage of convenience. Ned needs a wife in order to get a promotion at work, and Stacey just wants to get out of her parents’ house. I’ve never seen this one …

27 Shocker on a cop’s belt : TASER

Victor Appleton wrote a novel for young adults called “Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle”. The company that developed the TASER electroshock weapon partly named its product as a homage to the novel. The acronym “TASER” stands for “Thomas A. Swift’s Electric Rifle”.

39 Score half : TEN

Our verb “to score” meaning “to tally”, comes from the Old Norse “skor”, which is a “mark, notch”. It is likely that items such a livestock were counted by placing a notch in a stick for each set of twenty, hence our use of the noun “score” to mean “twenty”.

40 Stadium souvenirs : STUBS

A souvenir is a memento, a token of remembrance. We imported the word “souvenir” from French, in which language it has the same meaning. The term comes from the Latin “subvenire” meaning “to come to mind”, or literally “to come up”.

46 Maui, for one : ISLE

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.

48 Hillary aides : SHERPAS

In the Tibetan language, “Sherpa” means “eastern people” (sher = east, pa = people). Sherpas are an ethnic group from Nepal, but the name is also used for the local guides who assist mountaineers in the Himalayas, and particularly on Mount Everest.

Edmund Hillary was a mountaineer and explorer from New Zealand. Famously, Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first climbers to summit Mount Everest, doing so in 1953. Edmund’s son Peter Hillary also became a climber, and he reached the summit of Everest in 1990. Peter repeated the feat in 2002, climbing alongside Tenzing Norgay’s son Jamling.

51 Springfield small business owner : MOE

Moe Szyslak is the surly bartender and owner of Moe’s Tavern in “The Simpsons” animated TV show. I don’t really care for “The Simpsons”, but Hank Azaria who supplies the voice for the Moe character … him I like …

“The Simpsons” television show is meant to be set in “anytown, USA”. The creators chose the name “Springfield”, as it is one of the most common town and city names in the country.

52 Taste test need : TONGUE

There are 2,000 to 8,000 taste buds on the human tongue, and together they detect five different tastes: salty, sour, bitter, sweet and umami. Taste buds have a short lifetime, and are replaced about every ten days.

54 Sun spot? : SOLARIUM

A solarium (plural “solaria”) is a sunroom or sun lounge, a structure usually built onto the side of a house that contains a lot of glass to let in the sun.

56 Major course : ENTREE

“Entrée” means “entry” in French. An entrée can be something that helps one get “a way in”, an interview for example perhaps helped along by a recommendation letter. In Europe, even in English-speaking countries, the entrée is the name for the “entry” to the meal, the first course. I found the ordering of meals to be very confusing when I first came to America!

59 Sent revealing messages : SEXTED

Sexting (a portmanteau of “sex” and “texting”) is the sending of explicit dialog and images between cell phones. The term “sexting” was coined by the UK’s “Sunday Telegraph Magazine” in a 2005 article.

Down

2 City for which a creed is named : NICAEA

What is known today in the Christian tradition as the Nicene Creed, was originally adopted by the first ecumenical council when it met in 325 AD. The meeting took place in the city of Nicaea, which gave its name to this particular profession of faith. Nicaea is the Greek name of the city that is now called Iznik, and it lies in the northwest of Turkey.

3 Solemn sounds : KNELLS

The word “knell” is used for a solemn ring from a bell, often associated with death or a funeral. “Knell” comes from the Old English “cnell” and is probably imitative in origin, sounding like a peal from a large bell.

4 Date center : PIT

Date palms can be either male or female. Only the female tree bears fruit (dates).

8 Hot spots? : TEAS

As in “a spot of tea”.

10 Sellers of some beauty products : AVON REPS

In 1886, a young man called David McConnell was selling books door-to-door. To enhance his sales numbers he was giving out free perfume to the ladies of the houses that he visited. Seeing as his perfume was more popular than his books, he founded the California Perfume Company in New York City and started manufacturing and selling across the country. The company name was changed to Avon in 1939, and the famous “Avon Calling” marketing campaign was launched in 1954.

12 Heavy hitter : SLEDGE

A sledgehammer is a big hammer, one used to apply a lot of force. The word “sledgehammer” comes from the Anglo Saxon “Slaegan” meaning “to strike violently”. “Slaegan” is also the root of the words “slag”, “slay” and “slog”.

14 Starbucks holiday drink : EGGNOG LATTE

The term “latte” is an abbreviation of the Italian “caffelatte” meaning “coffee (and) milk”. Note that in the correct spelling of “latte”, the Italian word for milk, there is no accent over the “e”. An accent is often added by mistake when we use the word in English, perhaps meaning to suggest that the word is French.

17 Many an Arab News reader : SAUDI

“Arab News” is an English-language paper published in Ryadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. It was founded in 1975, and had a major relaunch in 2018.

26 Flatbread similar to naan : CHAPATI

Chapati is an unleavened flatbread that is associated with India. The name of the bread comes from the Hindi word “chapat” meaning “flat”.

30 According to the poet’s oldest son, it was written “by a window looking down a wooded hill” : TREES

The American journalist and poet Joyce Kilmer is primarily known for his 1913 poem titled “Trees”. The original text of the poem is:

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

Kilmer died a few years after writing “Trees”. He was a casualty of the Second Battle of the Marne in 1918 at the age of 31.

41 Where a lot of money is made : US MINT

The nation’s first mint was established in Philadelphia in 1792, as back then Philadelphia was the capital of the United States. That first mint was located in a building that previously housed a whiskey distillery.

42 Top : BLOUSE

A blouse is a loose-fitting shirt, particularly one worn by women or children. The term “blouse” is French, and originally described a peasant’s smock.

49 Bass and such : ALES

The red triangle on the label of a bottle of Bass Ale was registered in 1875 and is UK Registered Trade Mark (TM) No: 00001, the first trademark issued in the world.

50 Call at a base : SAFE!

That would be baseball.

53 Hurdle for srs. : GRE

Passing the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is usually a requirement for entry into graduate school here in the US.

55 Dog in the Reagan White House : REX

Rex was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel owned by the Reagans while they lived in the White House. Rex was given as a Christmas gift by conservative commentator William F. Buckley, Jr. to First Lady Nancy Reagan. The dog was named for Rex Scouten, who was the White House Chief Usher at the time.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Rubber-stamped item? : INK PAD
7 Rose’s record 14,053 : AT BATS
13 Dessert for one, maybe : MINI-PIE
15 Cotton farm threat : WEEVIL
16 Handlers for a mixologist : ICE TONGS
18 Joey of *NSYNC : FATONE
19 Liquid meas. : GAL
20 Mythical mount that flies : PEGASUS
22 ’90s sitcom “__ and Stacey” : NED
23 Maintained : HELD
25 Invalid : NULL
26 Steep projection : CRAG
27 Shocker on a cop’s belt : TASER
29 High words : ODE
30 “All done!” : THERE!
31 Light lunch choices : VEGGIE WRAPS
34 Pinkish nail polish shade : CORAL
35 Buddies, in slang : PEEPS
36 “That could work” : NOT A BAD IDEA
38 Sheets, e.g. : LINEN
39 Score half : TEN
40 Stadium souvenirs : STUBS
44 Some are random and kind : ACTS
45 Alone, in a way : STAG
46 Maui, for one : ISLE
47 “Told ya!” : SEE?!
48 Hillary aides : SHERPAS
51 Springfield small business owner : MOE
52 Taste test need : TONGUE
54 Sun spot? : SOLARIUM
56 Major course : ENTREE
57 Team on a football field : DEFENSE
58 About 25% of California : DESERT
59 Sent revealing messages : SEXTED

Down

1 “Maybe” : I MIGHT
2 City for which a creed is named : NICAEA
3 Solemn sounds : KNELLS
4 Date center : PIT
5 Each : A POP
6 It goes with wine : DINE
7 Really bad : AWFUL
8 Hot spots? : TEAS
9 Get in the pool : BET
10 Sellers of some beauty products : AVON REPS
11 Problems for ones making notes? : TIN EARS
12 Heavy hitter : SLEDGE
14 Starbucks holiday drink : EGGNOG LATTE
17 Many an Arab News reader : SAUDI
21 Capsule for a nap : SLEEPING POD
24 Allocates : DEVOTES
26 Flatbread similar to naan : CHAPATI
28 Showed over : RERAN
30 According to the poet’s oldest son, it was written “by a window looking down a wooded hill” : TREES
32 Shoot the breeze : GAB
33 Unite : WED
34 What’s inside : CONTENTS
36 “Impressive!” : NICE ONE!
37 Sweeties : DEARS
38 Went the distance : LASTED
41 Where a lot of money is made : US MINT
42 Top : BLOUSE
43 Appeared : SEEMED
45 One might be fit for a king : SHEET
48 Litigant : SUER
49 Bass and such : ALES
50 Call at a base : SAFE
53 Hurdle for srs. : GRE
55 Dog in the Reagan White House : REX