LA Times Crossword 7 Apr 21, Wednesday

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Constructed by: Jeff Stillman
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Fall Apart

Themed answers each include the letter string “FALL”, pulled APART to sit at the start and finish:

  • 60A Go to pieces, or what’s literally hidden in the answers to starred clues : FALL APART
  • 16A *Second Commandment prohibition : FALSE IDOL
  • 22A *Old-fashioned parting words : FARE THEE WELL
  • 37A *”Cheese stands alone” kids’ song title guy : FARMER IN THE DELL
  • 49A *Metaphorical insect observer : FLY ON THE WALL

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

Bill’s time: 8m 16s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Go __: hit to right field batting right-handed, say, in baseball lingo : OPPO

In baseball, a batter who routinely hits the ball to the side of the field from which he bats is known as a pull hitter. The opposite to pull hitting is hitting to the opposite field.

9 Performs like Missy Elliott : RAPS

Melissa “Missy” Elliott is a rap artist who was childhood friends with fellow rapper Timbaland.

13 Ruckus : FRAY

The word “ruckus” is used to mean “commotion”, and has been around since the late 1800s. “Ruckus” is possibly a melding of the words “ruction” and “rumpus”.

15 Sun: Pref. : HELIO-

Helios was the god of the Sun in Greek mythology, and is the reason that we use the prefix “helio-” to mean “sun”. He was the brother of Selene, the goddess of the moon, and Eos, the goddess of the dawn. Helios drove his chariot of the sun across the sky during the day, returning to the East at night by travelling through the ocean. The Roman equivalent to Helios was Sol.

16 *Second Commandment prohibition : FALSE IDOL

In the Christian tradition, the second commandment prohibits the worship of “any graven image”. Usually, this is taken to mean that graven images can be created but not worshipped.

19 “Awake and Sing!” dramatist : ODETS

The first play that American playwright Clifford Odets had produced was “Waiting for Lefty”, in 1935. However, the first play that he wrote was “Awake and Sing!”. The latter was produced soon after “Waiting for Lefty”, and is the play that many consider to be his masterpiece.

20 South Carolina state tree : PALMETTO

The state flag of South Carolina consists of a crescent moon and a palmetto palm tree on a blue background.

30 Fri. preceder : THU

The days of the week are named for celestial bodies and gods

  • Sunday — Sun’s Day
  • Monday — Moon’s Day
  • Tuesday — Tiu’s day
  • Wednesday — Woden’s day
  • Thursday — Thor’s day
  • Friday — Freya’s day
  • Saturday — Saturn’s day

36 Sherpa’s home : NEPAL

Nepal lies to the northeast of India. Today, the state is known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. In 2008, the Communist Party of Nepal won the country’s general election. Soon after, the Assembly voted to change the form of government, moving away from a monarchy and creating a secular republic.

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.

37 *”Cheese stands alone” kids’ song title guy : FARMER IN THE DELL

“The Farmer in the Dell” is a nursery rhyme and singing game that probably originated in Germany. The first verse is:

The farmer in the dell
The farmer in the dell
Hi-ho, the derry-o
The farmer in the dell

The last verse is:

The cheese stands alone
The cheese stands alone
Hi-ho, the derry-o…
The cheese stands alone

42 Delhi wrap : SARI

The item of clothing called a “sari” (also “saree”) is a strip of cloth, as one might imagine, unusual perhaps in that it is unstitched along the whole of its length. The strip of cloth can range from four to nine meters long (that’s a lot of material!). The sari is usually wrapped around the waist, then draped over the shoulder leaving the midriff bare. I must say, it can be a beautiful item of clothing.

New Delhi is the capital city of India. New Delhi resides within the National Capital Territory of Delhi (otherwise known as the metropolis of Delhi). New Delhi and Delhi, therefore, are two different things.

43 “Narcos” org. : DEA

“Narcos” is a Netflix show that deals with the Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA’s) battles against drug cartels. The first two seasons focus on the rise and fall of drug lord Pablo Escobar of the Medellín Cartel, and is set and filmed in Colombia.

44 Certain Tibetan : LHASAN

Lhasa is the capital city of Tibet, with the name “Lhasa” translating as “place of the gods”. However, Lhasa used to be called Rasa, a name that translates into the less auspicious “goat’s place”. Lhasa was also once called the “Forbidden City” due to its inaccessible location high in the Himalayas and a traditional hostility exhibited by residents to outsiders. The “forbidden” nature of the city has been reinforced since the Chinese took over Tibet in the early 1950s as it has been difficult for foreigners to get permission to visit Lhasa.

58 Old copy : MIMEO

A mimeograph (also “mimeo”) is a cheap printing press that applies ink to paper through a stencil wrapped around a rotating drum. Mimeographs are still around, but have largely been replaced by offset printers and photocopiers.

59 Little pigs number : THREE

The fairy tale about “The Three Little Pigs” has been around for centuries, although it first appeared in print in the 1840s. One little pig built a house using straw and another built one using wood. The cleverest little pig built its house using bricks.

63 Tally again : READD

Back in the mid-1600s, a tally was a stick marked with notches that tracked how much one owed or paid. The term “tally” came from the Latin “talea” meaning “stick, rod”. The act of “scoring” the stick with notches gave rise to our word “score” for the number in a tally.

64 Skeleton prefix : ENDO-

An animal with an endoskeleton has a supporting skeleton inside its body. So, we humans have an endoskeleton. A turtle, on the other hand, has both an endoskeleton and an exoskeleton, its outer shell.

65 Grandson of Eve : ENOS

Enos was the son of Seth, and therefore the grandson of Adam and Eve, and nephew of Cain and Abel. According to the ancient Jewish work called the Book of Jubilees, Enos married his own sister Noam.

66 Geologic spans : EONS

Geological time is divided into a number of units of varying lengths. These are, starting from the largest:

  • supereon
  • eon (also “aeon”)
  • era
  • period
  • epoch
  • age

67 __ buco : OSSO

“Osso” is the Italian word for bone, as in the name of the dish “osso buco” (bone with a hole), which features braised veal shanks.

68 “The Banana Boat Song” opener : DAY-O

“Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)” is a traditional folk song from Jamaica. It is sung from the standpoint of dock workers unloading boats on the night shift, so daylight has come, and they want to go home. The most famous version of “Day-O” was recorded by Harry Belafonte, in 1956.

Down

2 Designer bag brand : PRADA

Prada started out in 1913 as a leather-goods shop in Milan, one established by the two Prada brothers. One of the brothers, Mario Prada, prevented the female members of his family participating in the company as he didn’t believe women should be involved in business (!). When the sexist brother died, his son had no interest in the business so it was his daughter who took over and ran the company for about twenty years, handing it over to her own daughter. I’d say the devil loved that …

4 Raw bar mollusk : OYSTER

Molluscs (also “mollusks”) are invertebrate (no-backbone) animals that comprise about a quarter of all known marine organisms. Examples are squid, cuttlefish, oysters and octopodes.

Almost all of the shellfish consumed at a raw bar is not only uncooked, it is also still alive.

7 Figurative expression : TROPE

A trope is a figure of speech. The term “trope” comes from the Greek word “tropos” that has the same meaning.

11 Early Briton : PICT

The Picts were a Celtic people who lived in ancient Scotland, in the east and north of the country. The Picts gradually disappeared as an identifiable group, merging with the Gaels in the 10th century.

17 Sunrise dirección : ESTE

“Este” (east) is a “dirección” (direction), in Spanish.

23 Get wind of : HEAR

The phrase “to get wind of”, meaning “to hear of”, has been around since the 15th century. The original meaning was “to perceive by scent”.

24 MLB pitcher Dock profiled in the 2014 film “No No: A Dockumentary” : ELLIS

Dock Ellis was a pitcher who played in the Majors from 1968 to 1979. Famously, Ellis pitched a no-hitter in 1970 and later claimed to have done so under the influence of the drug LSD. Ellis’ life story is told in the 2014 documentary film “No No: A Dockumentary”.

29 Jazz legend Fitzgerald : ELLA

Ella Fitzgerald, the “First Lady of Song”, had a hard and tough upbringing. She was raised by her mother alone in Yonkers, New York. Her mother died while Ella was still a schoolgirl, and around that time the young girl became less interested in her education. She fell in with a bad crowd, even working as a lookout for a bordello and as a Mafia numbers runner. She ended up in reform school, from which she escaped, and found herself homeless and living on the streets for a while. Somehow Fitzgerald managed to get herself a spot singing in the Apollo Theater in Harlem. From there her career took off and as they say, the rest is history.

30 Maker of nonstick cookware : T-FAL

Tefal (also “T-Fal”) is a French manufacturer of cookware that is famous for its nonstick line. The name “Tefal” is a portmanteau of TEFlon and ALuminum, the key materials used in producing their pots and pans.

32 Constellation bear : 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”.

Ursa Minor (Latin for “Smaller Bear”) sits right beside the constellation Draco (Latin for “Dragon”). Ursa Minor used to be considered the wing of Draco, and was once called “Dragon’s Wing”. The tail of the “Smaller Bear” might also be considered as the handle of a ladle, and so the constellation is often referred to as the Little Dipper.

34 Political commentator Navarro : ANA

Ana Navarro is a Nicaraguan-born, American political strategist and commentator. Navarro is a lifelong Republican who worked for Governor Jeb Bush and for Senator John McCain. However, she was very critical of presidential candidate Donald Trump during his 2016 campaign. She was so vehement in her anti-Trump views that she ended up voting for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the election.

45 “Science Guy” Bill : NYE

That would be “Bill Nye the Science Guy”. Bill’s show ran on PBS for four years, from 1993-97.

47 Blood: Pref. : HEMA-

The prefix “hemo-” meaning “blood” comes from the Greek “haima”, which has the same meaning.

50 Lover of Euridice, in a Monteverdi work : ORFEO

The Italian composer Claudio Monteverdi was a true pioneer. His opera “L’Orfeo” was one of the first operas ever composed, and is the earliest surviving opera that is still regularly performed. The debut performance of “L’Orfeo” was in 1607.

Orpheus is a figure from Greek mythology, very often associated with poetry, singing, music and the lyre in particular. In ancient Greece there was even an Orphic cult that in effect adopted the poetry ascribed to Orpheus as central to the cult’s belief system. The adjectives “Orphic” and “Orphean” describe things pertaining to Orpheus, and because of his romantic, musical bent, the term has come to describe anything melodious or enchanting. One of the more famous stories about Orpheus describes his attempts to rescue his wife Eurydice from the underworld.

51 Tandoori breads : NAANS

Naan (also “nan”) bread is very popular in Indian restaurants, as well as in other West, Central and South Asian cuisines. Indian Naan is traditionally baked in a clay oven known as a tandoor.

52 Maytag rival : AMANA

The Amana Corporation takes its name from the location of its original headquarters, in Middle Amana, Iowa. Today, the Amana name is very much associated with household appliances. The company was founded in 1934 to manufacture commercial walk-in coolers.

The Maytag Washing Machine Company was founded in 1893 by Frederick Maytag, in Newton, Iowa. Over time, the company developed a reputation for reliability, and did a great job marketing the concept. One move they made was to change the address of the corporate headquarters in Newton to “One Dependability Square”. The Maytag repairman in the famous advertising campaign was known as “Ol’ Lonely”, the guy who was never called out because Maytag washers and dryers never broke down. Whirlpool bought Maytag in 2006 and basically shut down all Maytag operations, and now just put the Maytag label on Whirlpool appliances.

53 “Bad, Bad” Brown of song : LEROY

“Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” is a song written and first performed by Jim Croce. It was a number-one hit for him in 1973. The song was inspired by a real-life Leroy Brown, who was someone that Croce met while serving in the US Army.

54 Bear voiced by Ned Beatty in “Toy Story 3” : LOTSO

Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear (nicknamed “Lotso”) is the main antagonist in the Pixar movie “Toy Story 3”. Voiced by Ned Beatty, Lotso is revealed to be a ruthless prison warden holding the toys captive in the Sunnyside Daycare Center.

Actor Ned Beatty is possibly best remembered for the rather disturbing “squeal like a pig” scene in the movie “Deliverance”. Beatty also earned an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the 1976 movie “Network”.

55 Basic French verb : ETRE

The French for “to be” is “être”, and for “I am” is “je suis”.

56 “Sons of Anarchy” actor Rossi : THEO

Actor Theo Rossi is perhaps best known for playing Juice Ortiz on the TV show “Sons of Anarchy”.

“Sons of Anarchy” is a popular FX crime series about an outlaw motorcycle club in California’s Central Valley. Apparently, it is the most successful FX show ever.

57 Fruit drink prefix : CRAN-

When early European settlers came across red berries growing in the bogs of the northern part of America, they felt that the plant’s flower and stem resembled the head and bill of a crane. As such, they called the plant “craneberry”, which evolved into “cranberry”.

61 Mormons’ gp. : LDS

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) is known colloquially as the Mormon Church.

62 Bath bathroom : LOO

It has been suggested that the British term “loo”, meaning “toilet”, comes from “Waterloo” (water closet … water-loo), but no one seems to know for sure. Another suggestion is that the term comes from the card game of “lanterloo”, in which the pot was called the loo!

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Go __: hit to right field batting right-handed, say, in baseball lingo : OPPO
5 Trying to block : ANTI
9 Performs like Missy Elliott : RAPS
13 Ruckus : FRAY
14 Eve’s opposite : MORN
15 Sun: Pref. : HELIO-
16 *Second Commandment prohibition : FALSE IDOL
18 Heroic sagas : EPICS
19 “Awake and Sing!” dramatist : ODETS
20 South Carolina state tree : PALMETTO
22 *Old-fashioned parting words : FARE THEE WELL
25 See stars : REEL
26 Widen, as pupils : DILATE
30 Fri. preceder : THU
33 “Oh dear!” : ALAS!
36 Sherpa’s home : NEPAL
37 *”Cheese stands alone” kids’ song title guy : FARMER IN THE DELL
41 When some dinners are served : AT SIX
42 Delhi wrap : SARI
43 “Narcos” org. : DEA
44 Certain Tibetan : LHASAN
46 Sounds of disgust : UGHS
49 *Metaphorical insect observer : FLY ON THE WALL
55 “Yada, yada, yada” : ET CETERA
58 Old copy : MIMEO
59 Little pigs number : THREE
60 Go to pieces, or what’s literally hidden in the answers to starred clues : FALL APART
63 Tally again : READD
64 Skeleton prefix : ENDO-
65 Grandson of Eve : ENOS
66 Geologic spans : EONS
67 __ buco : OSSO
68 “The Banana Boat Song” opener : DAY-O

Down

1 No longer using : OFF OF
2 Designer bag brand : PRADA
3 Not as bright : PALER
4 Raw bar mollusk : OYSTER
5 “__ imagining things?” : AM I
6 Doze : NOD
7 Figurative expression : TROPE
8 Eloper’s acquisition : IN-LAW
9 Drove back : REPELLED
10 Came down : ALIT
11 Early Briton : PICT
12 Just okay : SO-SO
15 Fashion variable : HEMLINE
17 Sunrise dirección : ESTE
21 Was ahead : LED
23 Get wind of : HEAR
24 MLB pitcher Dock profiled in the 2014 film “No No: A Dockumentary” : ELLIS
27 Parroted : APED
28 One shared at a campfire : TALE
29 Jazz legend Fitzgerald : ELLA
30 Maker of nonstick cookware : T-FAL
31 Doth possess : HATH
32 Constellation bear : URSA
34 Political commentator Navarro : ANA
35 Walk with a swagger : STRUT
38 Many printer jams : MISFEEDS
39 Praised highly : EXALTED
40 Elevation word : HIGH
45 “Science Guy” Bill : NYE
47 Blood: Pref. : HEMA-
48 Ran through a reader : SWIPED
50 Lover of Euridice, in a Monteverdi work : ORFEO
51 Tandoori breads : NAANS
52 Maytag rival : AMANA
53 “Bad, Bad” Brown of song : LEROY
54 Bear voiced by Ned Beatty in “Toy Story 3” : LOTSO
55 Basic French verb : ETRE
56 “Sons of Anarchy” actor Rossi : THEO
57 Fruit drink prefix : CRAN-
61 Mormons’ gp. : LDS
62 Bath bathroom : LOO