LA Times Crossword 30 Jul 20, Thursday

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Constructed by: Roland Huget
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Worlds Apart

Four rows of the puzzle each include the name of a planet hidden in two PARTS, with a black square dividing the two parts:

  • 59A Not remotely on the same page … and what can literally be found in four puzzle rows : WORLDS APART
  • 17A Flirts with : MAKES EYES AT
  • 19A Coffee server : URN (giving “SAT-URN“)
  • 23A All thumbs : INEPT
  • 24A Nefarious : UNETHICAL (giving “NEPT-UNE”)
  • 36A Square things : GET EVEN
  • 38A Put many miles on : USE A LOT (giving “VEN-US”)
  • 51A Where to find a hammer and anvil : MIDDLE EAR
  • 53A Unifying idea : THEME (giving “EAR-TH”)

Bill’s time: 6m 30s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Vitamin amts. : RDAS

Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) were introduced during WWII, and were replaced by Recommended Daily Intakes (RDIs) in 1997.

15 Southwestern community : PUEBLO

A pueblo is a Native-American village found in the American Southwest. The buildings in a pueblo are usually made of stone and adobe mud.

16 __ Fáil : Irish coronation stone : LIA

The Lia Fáil is the coronation stone that is found on the Hill of Tara, the traditional seat of the High Kings of Ireland. “Lia Fáil” translates from Irish as “stone of destiny”.

30 Parker and Waterman : PENS

The Parker Pen Company was founded in 1888 in Janesville, Wisconsin by George Safford Parker. Parker had repaired and sold fountain pens as a sideline for many years. With this experience, he created pens that were less likely to leak ink and founded his company based on these patented designs.

Lewis Edson Waterman founded his company to make fountain pens in 1884 in New York City. Even though he produced pens that were technically superior, his company really didn’t take off commercially until after he died and his nephew took over. Eventually, the competition caught up and Waterman had to shut its doors in 1954. The French subsidiary (now Waterman S.A.) survived, and absorbed the US and UK assets.

31 Sanford of “The Jeffersons” : ISABEL

Actress Isabel Sanford was best known for playing the character Louise Jefferson on the sitcoms “All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons”. She won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1981, making her the first African-American actress to be so honored.

44 Lily’s role in “All of Me” : EDWINA

Lily Tomlin is a comedian and actress who got her big break as a regular member of the cast of “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” in the late sixties and early seventies. Tomlin created several great characters on the show. My personal favorite is Ernestine, the condescending telephone operator with the marvelous nasal voice and snorting laugh. Ernestine was fond of saying “One ringy dingy …” I really enjoy Tomlin’s performances as an actress, notably in the movies “9 to 5” and “All of Me”, and on the TV shows “The West Wing” and “Grace and Frankie”. I went to her stage show many years ago in San Francisco, and just did not enjoy it. I was devastated …

“All of Me” is a very entertaining 1984 comedy film starring Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin, and directed by Carl Reiner. The storyline is a little fantastic, but hilarious. The Lily Tomlin character ends up occupying the Steve Martin character’s body. Two years after meeting on the “All of Me” film set, Steve Martin ended up marrying supporting actress Victoria Tennant.

45 Smoothie berry : ACAI

Açaí (pronounced “ass-aye-ee”) is a palm tree native to Central and South America. The fruit has become very popular in recent years and its juice is a very fashionable addition to juice mixes and smoothies.

48 YouTube journals : VLOGS

A video blog is perhaps what one might expect, i.e. a blog that is essentially a series of video posts. The phrase “video logging” is often shortened to “vlogging”.

51 Where to find a hammer and anvil : MIDDLE EAR

The middle ear is the portion of the ear immediately behind the eardrum. The middle ear contains three small bones called the ossicles, the three smallest bones in the human body. The ossicles’ job is to transmit sound from the outer ear to the inner ear. The shape of the bones gives rise to their names: the hammer (malleus), anvil (incus) and stirrup (stapes).

55 “Caveman” diet : PALEO

The paleolithic (or “paleo, caveman”) diet is a fad diet that became popular in the 2000s. The idea is to eat wild plants and animals that would have been available to humans during the Paleolithic era (roughly the Stone Age). This period precedes the introduction of agriculture and the domestication of animals. As a result, someone on the diet avoids consuming grains, legumes, dairy and processed foods. The diet consists mainly of lean meat (about 45-65% of the total calorie intake), non-starchy vegetables, fruits, berries and nuts.

56 Chicago suburb : AURORA

Aurora, Illinois is the second-most populous city in the state, after Chicago. Aurora’s nickname is “City of Lights”, a nod to the early implementation of all-electric street lighting in 1881.

58 New Haven Ivy Leaguer : ELI

Elihu Yale was a wealthy merchant born in Boston in 1649. Yale worked for the British East India Company, and for many years served as governor of a settlement at Madras (now Chennai) in India. After India, Yale took over his father’s estate near Wrexham in Wales. It was while resident in Wrexham that Yale responded to a request for financial support for the Collegiate School of Connecticut in 1701. He sent the school a donation, which was used to erect a new building in New Haven that was named “Yale” in his honor. In 1718, the whole school was renamed to “Yale College”. To this day, students of Yale are nicknamed “Elis”, again honoring Elihu.

64 Barbecue piece : RIB

It is believed that our word “barbecue” (BBQ) comes from the Taíno people of the Caribbean in whose language “barbacoa” means “sacred fire pit”.

67 Slalom shape : ESS

“Slalom” is an anglicized version of the Norwegian word “slalam” that translates as “skiing race”. There is a longer version of the traditional slalom that is called giant slalom

68 Speech platforms : ROSTRA

A rostrum (plural “rostra”) is an elevated platform, particularly one for public speaking. The original rostrum was the platform used by public speakers in the Forum of ancient Rome.

69 Radar’s favorite soda : NEHI

The Nehi cola brand has a name that sounds like “knee-high”, a measure of a small stature. Back in the mid-1900’s the Chero-Cola company, which owned the brand, went for a slightly different twist on “knee-high” in advertising. The logo for Nehi was an image of a seated woman’s stockinged legs, with her skirt pulled up to her knees to hint at “knee-high”.

Corporal Radar O’Reilly is a character in the “M*A*S*H” television series and film. The role was played by Gary Burghoff in both the film and on television.

Down

3 Art that may be covered by a sock : ANKLE TAT

The word “tattoo” (often shortened to “tat”) was first used in English in the writings of the famous English explorer Captain Cook. In his descriptions of the indelible marks adorning the skin of Polynesian natives, Cook anglicized the Tahitian word “tatau” into our “tattoo”. Tattoos are sometimes referred to as “ink”.

9 Dockworkers’ org. : ILA

International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA)

11 Gold miner’s water trough : SLUICE

A sluice is a water channel with a gate at its head that is used to control the amount of water flowing.

12 Lindbergh, e.g. : AIRMAN

Renowned aviator Charles Lindbergh was dubbed “Lucky Lindy” by the press, which was perhaps a reference to his narrow escape in four airplane crashes, including two incidents when he had to deploy his parachute.

22 Tool for cutting with the grain : RIP SAW

In woodworking, a cut across the grain is known as a cross cut. A cut along the grain is called a rip cut. Most saws are designed to perform the best cross cuts, but there is a special rip saw that more easily cuts straight lines along the grain.

26 Neutral shade : ECRU

The color 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”.

37 Khartoum’s river : NILE

Depending on definition, the Nile is regarded generally as the longest river on the planet. The Nile forms from two major tributaries, the White Nile and the Blue Nile, which join together near Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. From Khartoum the Nile flows north, traveling almost entirely through desert making it central to life for those living along its length.

45 Current unit : AMPERE

The unit of electric current is the ampere, which is abbreviated correctly to “A” rather than “amp”. It is named after French physicist André-Marie Ampère, one of the main scientists responsible for the discovery of electromagnetism.

46 Viagra competitor : CIALIS

Cialis and Viagra are not just brands competing against each other, they also have differing active ingredients. Viagra is a trade name for Sildenafil citrate, and Cialis is tadalafil. Both drugs are used to treat erectile dysfunction, and more recently to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension.

47 Deviates from the script : AD-LIBS

“Ad libitum” is a Latin phrase meaning “at one’s pleasure”. In common usage, the phrase is usually shortened to “ad lib”. On the stage, the concept of an ad lib is very familiar.

57 Food safety org. : USDA

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) dates back to 1862, when it was established by then-president Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln referred to the USDA as the “people’s department” as our economy had such a vast agrarian base back then.

60 Good Grips utensil brand : OXO

The OXO line of kitchen utensils and housewares is designed to be ergonomically superior to the average household tools. The intended user of OXO products is someone who doesn’t have the normal range of motion or strength in the hands e.g. someone suffering from arthritis.

61 Coke alternatives : RCS

Claude A. Hatcher ran a grocery store in Columbus, Georgia. He decided to develop his own soft drink formula when he balked at the price his store was being charged for Coca-Cola syrup. Hatcher launched the Union Bottling Works in his own grocery store, and introduced Royal Crown Ginger Ale in 1905. The Union Bottling Works was renamed to Chero-Cola in 1910, the Nehi Corporation in 1925, and Royal Crown Company in the mid-fifties. The first RC Cola hit the market in 1934.

62 Court call : LET!

That might be tennis, for example.

63 How-hot-it-feels stat. : THI

Temperature-humidity index (THI)

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Vitamin amts. : RDAS
5 Come by : OBTAIN
11 Pancake syrup source : SAP
14 Isn’t informal? : AIN’T
15 Southwestern community : PUEBLO
16 __ Fáil : Irish coronation stone : LIA
17 Flirts with : MAKES EYES AT
19 Coffee server : URN
20 Picks up gradually : GLEANS
21 Type of wave or spree : CRIME
23 All thumbs : INEPT
24 Nefarious : UNETHICAL
28 Web address feature : DOT
29 Enliven, with “up” : SPICE …
30 Parker and Waterman : PENS
31 Sanford of “The Jeffersons” : ISABEL
34 Amusement park shuttles : TRAMS
36 Square things : GET EVEN
38 Put many miles on : USE A LOT
42 Catch on : SEE IT
44 Lily’s role in “All of Me” : EDWINA
45 Smoothie berry : ACAI
48 YouTube journals : VLOGS
50 Water source : TAP
51 Where to find a hammer and anvil : MIDDLE EAR
53 Unifying idea : THEME
55 “Caveman” diet : PALEO
56 Chicago suburb : AURORA
58 New Haven Ivy Leaguer : ELI
59 Not remotely on the same page … and what can literally be found in four puzzle rows : WORLDS APART
64 Barbecue piece : RIB
65 Surpass : EXCEED
66 Allergic reaction : ITCH
67 Slalom shape : ESS
68 Speech platforms : ROSTRA
69 Radar’s favorite soda : NEHI

Down

1 The one for ewe? : RAM
2 Figure out : DIAGNOSE
3 Art that may be covered by a sock : ANKLE TAT
4 Allow to soak, as tea : STEEP
5 Conducting business : OPEN
6 Purchases all of : BUYS UP
7 Informal top : TEE
8 Crunch targets : ABS
9 Dockworkers’ org. : ILA
10 V-shaped slit : NOTCH
11 Gold miner’s water trough : SLUICE
12 Lindbergh, e.g. : AIRMAN
13 Discussion groups : PANELS
18 Perched : SAT
22 Tool for cutting with the grain : RIP SAW
23 “Gotcha, man” : I DIG
25 Small point : NIT
26 Neutral shade : ECRU
27 Pokes fun at : TEASES
29 Record holder : SLEEVE
32 Next to : BESIDE
33 Night before : EVE
35 __ school : MED
37 Khartoum’s river : NILE
39 Knowledgeable, as in a particular field : LITERATE
40 Protesting, maybe : ON A MARCH
41 Sticky stuff : TAPE
43 Ode title words : TO A
45 Current unit : AMPERE
46 Viagra competitor : CIALIS
47 Deviates from the script : AD-LIBS
49 Landscaping equipment : GRADER
52 Farther down : LOWER
53 Singing syllable : TRA
54 Hitchhiker’s welcome : HOP IN
57 Food safety org. : USDA
60 Good Grips utensil brand : OXO
61 Coke alternatives : RCS
62 Court call : LET!
63 How-hot-it-feels stat. : THI