LA Times Crossword 3 Jan 19, Thursday

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Constructed by: Robin Stears
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): They Never Retire, They Just …

Themed answers are common phrases reinterpreted to represent an alternative to retirement for various professionals mentioned in the clues. And, those answers are pretty “punny”:

  • 17A. Watchmakers never retire, they just __ : WIND DOWN
  • 20A. Musicians never retire, they just __ : DECOMPOSE
  • 39A. Beekeepers never retire, they just __ : BUZZ OFF
  • 55A. Tree surgeons never retire, they just __ : BRANCH OUT
  • 61A. Teachers never retire, they just __ : MARK TIME
  • 12D. Farmers never retire, they just __ : GO TO SEED
  • 38D. Lumberjacks never retire, they just __ : PINE AWAY

Bill’s time: 6m 54s

Bill’s errors: 2

  • OPERATOR (onerator!!!)
  • A PINCH (an inch!!!)

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

16. 1969 World Series competitor : ORIOLE

The Baltimore Orioles were expected by almost everyone to win the 1969 World Series. They were fielding one of their finest ever teams, and were playing the New York Mets, a team that had only been in existence for eight years. But it was the Mets who won the series, 4 games to 1, earning the team the name “Miracle Mets”.

22. Beetle-shaped artifact : SCARAB

Scarabs were amulets in ancient Egypt. Scarabs were modelled on the dung beetle, as it was viewed as a symbol of the cycle of life.

26. FDA overseer : HHS

The Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) was split in 1979, into the Department of Education (ED) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves drugs for specific conditions. It is quite legal for a healthcare professional to prescribe an approved medication for a use that is different to the FDA-approved indication. This usage of the drug is described as “off-label”.

30. First name in architecture : EERO

Eliel Saarinen was a Finnish architect who designed entire city districts in Helsinki. He immigrated to the United States where he became famous for his art nouveau designs. He was the father of Eero Saarinen, who was to become even more renowned in America for his designs, including the Dulles International Airport terminal, and the TWA building at JFK.

33. Prime letters? : USDA

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) classifies meat into eight different grades:

  • Prime
  • Choice
  • Select
  • Standard
  • Commercial
  • Utility
  • Cutter
  • Canner

36. One not seen on “MTV Unplugged” : AMP

“MTV Unplugged” is a show on MTV that features performances by popular artists playing acoustic instruments. The term “unplugged” is commonly used for music played on acoustic instruments that is usually played on amplified instruments, often electric guitars.

41. Anonymous surname : DOE

Though the English court system does not use the term today, “John Doe” first appeared as the “name of a person unknown” in England in 1659, along with the similar “Richard Roe”. An unknown female is referred to as “Jane Doe”. Variants of “John Doe” are “Joe Blow” and “John Q. Public”.

42. Pal : PAISAN

“Paisan” is Italian for “brother, fellow countryman”.

45. Actress Collette of “United States of Tara” : TONI

Toni Collette is a marvelous actress from Australia who really started to garner the public’s attention playing the title role in the 1994 film “Muriel’s Wedding”. She went on to take major roles in films like “Emma” (1996), “The Sixth Sense” (1999), “About a Boy” (2002), all of which are favorites of mine. Collette also played the lead in the excellent Showtime comedy-drama “United States of Tara”.

“United States of Tara” is a comedy-drama that aired for a couple of years on Showtime. Star of the show is the talented Australian actress Toni Collette. The character she plays is Tara, a woman suffering from multiple personality disorder.

46. “Chasing Pavements” singer : ADELE

“Chasing Pavements” is a 2008 song written and recorded by English singer Adele. Apparently, Adele wrote the song after discovering that a boyfriend had cheated on her. She met up with him in a bar, punched him in the face and then stormed out. As she walked down the road she asked herself, “What is it you’re chasing? You’re chasing an empty pavement”. I should explain that “pavement” is not the road surface in Britain, but rather the footpath.

47. Some mil. hospitals : VAS

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) was formed in 1930 to manage pre-existing government benefits affecting war veterans, some of which had existed since the days of the Continental Congress.

53. White weasel : ERMINE

The stoat has dark brown fur in the summer, and white fur in the winter. Sometimes the term “ermine” is used for the animal during the winter when the fur is white. Ermine skins have long been prized by royalty and are often used for white trim on ceremonial robes.

59. State categorically : AVER

The verb “to aver”, meaning “to profess”, comes from the Latin “adverare” meaning “to make true, to prove to be true” from “ad” (to) and “verus” (true).

60. Ides of March word : BEWARE

In Act I of William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” a soothsayer warns the doomed emperor to “beware the ides of March”. Caesar ignores the prophecy and is subsequently killed on the steps of the Capitol by a group of conspirators on that fateful day.

64. Roughly three nautical miles : LEAGUE

A league is a unit of distance that dates back to the Middle Ages. No longer used, it was originally defined as the distance that a person could walk in an hour. In the English-speaking world, a league was equal to three miles on land, and three nautical miles at sea.

65. Often-fried tropical fruit : PLANTAIN

There is no botanical distinction between bananas and plantains. The terms simply describe fruit intended for eating raw (bananas) and fruit intended for cooking (plantains).

67. It may be diagrammed : SENTENCE

A sentence diagram (also “parse tree”) is a visual representation of the grammatical structure of a sentence.

Down

1. On the paltry side, as an offer : LOWISH

The adjective “paltry” comes from an older use of “paltry” as a noun meaning a “worthless thing”.

2. Between-finger-and-thumb quantity : A PINCH

In cooking, the terms “dash”, “pinch” and “smidgen” can all be used for a very small measure, one that is often undefined. However, you can in fact buy some measuring spoons that define these amounts as follows:

  • a dash is 1/8 teaspoon
  • a pinch is 1/16 teaspoon
  • a smidgen is 1/32 teaspoon

3. They mind your own business : YENTAS

Yenta (also “Yente”) is actually a female Yiddish name. In Yiddish theater “yenta” came to mean a busybody, a gossip.

7. 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.

8. Marine eagle : ERNE

The ern (sometimes “erne”) is also called the white-tailed eagle or the sea-eagle.

13. Dots in la mer : ILES

In French, an “île” (island) is “terre dans la mer” (land in the sea).

14. Aloha State bird : NENE

The nene is a bird that native to Hawaii, and is also known as the Hawaiian goose. The name “nene” is imitative of its call. When Captain Cook landed on the islands in 1778, there were 25,000 nene living there. By 1950, the number was reduced by hunting to just 30 birds. Conservation efforts in recent years have been somewhat successful. The nene was named State Bird of Hawaii in 1957.

The official nickname for Hawaii is “The Aloha State”. Hawaii is also referred to as “Paradise of the Pacific” and “The Islands of Aloha”.

21. Prefix with play : COS-

Cosplay (costume play)

23. Oranjestad’s island : ARUBA

Oranjestad is the capital city of the island of Aruba in the Caribbean. Aruba is a constituent country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Oranjestad translates as “Orange Town”, and was named for the first King William of Orange-Nassau.

24. Petty officer : BO’S’UN

A boatswain works on the deck of a boat. He or she is unlicensed, and so is not involved in the navigation or handling of the vessel, and instead is in charge of the other unlicensed workers on the deck. “Boatswain” is pronounced “bosun” and this phonetic spelling is often used interchangeably with “boatswain”. The contraction “bo’s’n” is also very popular.

28. Woodworking tool : ADZ

An adze (also “adz”) is similar to an axe, but is different in that the blade of an adze is set at right angles to the tool’s shaft. An axe blade is set in line with the shaft.

31. __ Grande : RIO

The Rio Grande (Spanish for “big river”) is a river forming part of the border between Mexico and the United States. Although we call the river the Rio Grande on this side of the border, in Mexico it is called the Río Bravo or Río Bravo del Norte (Spanish for “furious river of the north”).

32. Only partner? : ONE

Today is my wife’s birthday, the one-and-only love of my life … 🙂

34. System used for many returns : E-FILE

E-file: that’s certainly what I do with my tax return …

37. 1972 host to Nixon : MAO

President Richard Nixon made a famous visit to China in 1972 that marked a thawing in the relationship between the United States and the People’s Republic of China (PRC). It was the first time that a US president had visited the PRC, and followed several secret diplomatic missions to Beijing by National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger. During the week-long visit, President Nixon had talks with Chairman Mao Zedong, and First Lady Pat Nixon was very visible as she toured schools, hospitals and factories.

38. Lumberjacks never retire, they just __ : PINE AWAY

A lumberjack is a logger, one harvesting and transporting trees to mills. As one might perhaps imagine, “lumberjack” was originally a Canadian term.

40. Horatian creation : ODE

A Horatian ode is an ode with a specific structure, one designed to resemble the odes of the Roman poet Horace.

47. Vance of “I Love Lucy” : VIVIAN

In the hit television show “I Love Lucy”, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz play Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. The Ricardos’ best friends are also their landlords, Fred and Ethel Mertz. The Mertz’s are played by William Frawley and Vivian Vance.

48. Lackluster : ANEMIC

The term “anemia” (or “anaemia”, as we write it back in Ireland) comes from a Greek word meaning “lack of blood”. Anemia is a lack of iron in the blood, or a low red blood cell count. Tiredness is a symptom of the condition, and so we use the term “anemic” figuratively to mean “lacking in vitality or substance”.

Something described as lackluster is dull, it “lacks luster”. The term “lack-luster” was probably coined by the Bard himself. William Shakespeare used is in his play “As You Like It”, which was probably written in 1599:

And then he drew a dial from his poke
And, looking on it with lackluster eye,
Says very wisely, “It is ten o’clock.

51. Stocking shades : ECRUS

The shade ecru is a grayish, yellowish brown. The word “ecru” comes from French and means “raw, unbleached”. “Ecru” has the same roots as our word “crude”.

55. OPEC units : BBLS

The volume of one oil barrel is equivalent to 42 US gallons. A barrel is correctly abbreviated to “bbl”. Barrels aren’t really used for transporting crude oil anymore. Instead, oil moves in bulk through pipelines and in tankers. “Barrel” is just used as a unit of volume these days.

56. Lively country dance : REEL

The reel is a Scottish country dance that is also extremely popular in Ireland.

58. Tall __ : TALE

In centuries past, “tall talk” was important and grand discourse, and the opposite of “small talk”. Somehow, this use of the adjective “tall” came to be used in the phrases “tall tale” and “tall story”, which both describe an account that is untrue and not to be believed.

62. Got on the ballot : RAN

Today, a ballot is a piece of paper used to cast a vote. Back in the 1500s, a “ballot” was a small “ball” used in the process of voting.

63. Round Table VIP : KNT

Knight (knt.)

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Save for later : LAY ASIDE
9. Place to doodle : MARGIN
15. Smooth talker : OPERATOR
16. 1969 World Series competitor : ORIOLE
17. Watchmakers never retire, they just __ : WIND DOWN
18. Elite area of the pop charts : TOP TEN
19. Passionate about : INTO
20. Musicians never retire, they just __ : DECOMPOSE
22. Beetle-shaped artifact : SCARAB
25. Grad school grillings : ORALS
26. FDA overseer : HHS
27. Urban network : ROADS
30. First name in architecture : EERO
33. Prime letters? : USDA
34. Acclimate gradually : EASE IN
36. One not seen on “MTV Unplugged” : AMP
39. Beekeepers never retire, they just __ : BUZZ OFF
41. Anonymous surname : DOE
42. Pal : PAISAN
44. Polish language : EDIT
45. Actress Collette of “United States of Tara” : TONI
46. “Chasing Pavements” singer : ADELE
47. Some mil. hospitals : VAS
50. Spew out : EGEST
53. White weasel : ERMINE
55. Tree surgeons never retire, they just __ : BRANCH OUT
59. State categorically : AVER
60. Ides of March word : BEWARE
61. Teachers never retire, they just __ : MARK TIME
64. Roughly three nautical miles : LEAGUE
65. Often-fried tropical fruit : PLANTAIN
66. Least candid : SLYEST
67. It may be diagrammed : SENTENCE

Down

1. On the paltry side, as an offer : LOWISH
2. Between-finger-and-thumb quantity : A PINCH
3. They mind your own business : YENTAS
4. Fervor : ARDOR
5. Glum : SAD
6. “What was __ do?” : I TO
7. Columnist Maureen : DOWD
8. Marine eagle : ERNE
9. Hustle : MOTOR
10. Kitchen magnet? : AROMA
11. Gentle waves : RIPPLES
12. Farmers never retire, they just __ : GO TO SEED
13. Dots in la mer : ILES
14. Aloha State bird : NENE
21. Prefix with play : COS-
23. Oranjestad’s island : ARUBA
24. Petty officer : BO’S’UN
28. Woodworking tool : ADZ
29. Out of it : DAZED
31. __ Grande : RIO
32. Only partner? : ONE
34. System used for many returns : E-FILE
35. Word with dark or hours : AFTER …
36. Suitable : APT
37. 1972 host to Nixon : MAO
38. Lumberjacks never retire, they just __ : PINE AWAY
40. Horatian creation : ODE
43. Billboards and posters : SIGNAGE
46. From __ Z : A TO
47. Vance of “I Love Lucy” : VIVIAN
48. Lackluster : ANEMIC
49. Calm : SERENE
51. Stocking shades : ECRUS
52. It may be fitted : SHEET
54. Finish choice : MATTE
55. OPEC units : BBLS
56. Lively country dance : REEL
57. Decides what’s fair, among other things : UMPS
58. Tall __ : TALE
62. Got on the ballot : RAN
63. Round Table VIP : KNT

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