LA Times Crossword 3 Nov 22, Thursday

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Constructed by: Carly Schuna
Edited by: Patti Varol

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): Start the Car

Themed answers are common phrases, reinterpreted by referencing a model of car at the start of each answer:

  • 17A Place that showcases certain Fords? : ESCAPE ROOM
  • 29A Beacon that illuminates some Hondas? : PILOT LIGHT
  • 46A Starting line for a race exclusively for some Hyundais? : ACCENT MARK
  • 62A Overall condition of certain Nissans? : ROGUE STATE

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

Bill’s time: 7m 35s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Minor in astronomy? : URSA

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.

5 Golden St. region : SOCAL

Southern California (SoCal)

“Golden State” has been the official nickname of California since 1968. The nickname reflects the expansion of the state’s economy that followed the discovery of gold in 1848, and also the fields of golden poppies seen growing wild across California in the spring.

10 Org. that includes the Sun and the Sky : WNBA

The WNBA’s Connecticut Sun joined the league as an expansion team in 1999 as the Orlando Miracle. The Miracle moved to Uncasville, Connecticut in 2003, changing their name to the Sun. For several years, the Sun were the only WNBA franchise that didn’t share the local market with an NBA team. That distinction ended when the NBA’s Supersonics relocated, leaving the WNBA’s Storm as the only professional team based in Seattle.

The Chicago Sky are a professional basketball team based in Rosemont, Illinois that plays in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Sky were founded in 2006

16 Swag : HAUL

Swag is loot, stolen property, and a term that started out as criminal slang in England in the 1830s. “Swag” is also the name given to the promotional freebies available at some events. That said, there’s an urban myth that the promotional version of “swag” is an acronym standing for “stuff we all get”.

17 Place that showcases certain Fords? : ESCAPE ROOM

The Ford Escape is an SUV that was developed jointly with Mazda and introduced in the 2001 model year. The Mazda version of the same vehicle is known as the Tribute.

19 Marine mammal with the same colors as an Oreo : ORCA

The taxonomic name for the killer whale is “Orcinus orca”. The use of the name “orca”, rather than “killer whale”, is becoming more and more common. The Latin word “Orcinus” means “belonging to Orcus”, with Orcus being the name for the Kingdom of the Dead.

National Oreo Cookie Day is March 6th each year. There is an urban legend that the particular day was chosen as this was the day that the name “Oreo” was registered as a trademark. However, that’s not the case. The application was filed on March 14, 1912 and registration took place on August 12, 1913. The suggestion is that the first Oreos went on sale on March 6, 1912.

26 Planets, poetically : ORBS

The eight planets of our solar system can be sorted into two categories. Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars are “terrestrials” as they are largely composed of rock. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are “gas giants”, as they are largely composed of gaseous material. Uranus and Neptune can be called “ice giants”, a subcategory of gas giants. Ice giants have a lower mass than other gas giants, with very little hydrogen and helium in their atmospheres and a higher proportion of rock and ice.

29 Beacon that illuminates some Hondas? : PILOT LIGHT

The Honda Pilot is a mid-size crossover SUV that was introduced in 2002. The luxury version of the vehicle is sold as the Acura MDX.

36 Oft-injured knee parts, for short : ACLS

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of four major ligaments that support the knee.

37 Falcon’s 69-Across : AERIE
[69A Egg holder : NEST}

An aerie (sometimes “eyrie”) is an eagle’s nest, and a young eagle is an eaglet.The term “aerie” can also more generally describe any bird’s nest that is located on a cliff or a mountaintop.

There are about 40 species of the birds of prey classed as falcons, with examples being several species of kestrel. Falcons differ from hawks and eagles in that they kill their prey with their beaks, as opposed to their talons. Famously, falcons swoop down on their prey at great speed. Peregrine falcons have been clocked at well over 200 miles per hour, making them the fastest-moving creatures on the planet.

41 Nail-biting NFL periods : OTS

Overtime (OT)

42 Dharma follower : HINDU

Hinduism is the world’s third largest religion, after Christianity and Islam.

In the Hindu tradition, the term “dharma” describes the laws of the natural universe. The observance of those laws enables one to be content and happy, and to avoid suffering.

44 Desktop with a Retina 5K display : IMAC

“Retina Display” is a brand name used by Apple for screens that have a high enough pixel density so that individual pixels are not visible to the naked eye at normal viewing distance.

46 Starting line for a race exclusively for some Hyundais? : ACCENT MARK

The Accent is a subcompact car that was introduced by Hyundai in 1994.

49 “Wanted to mention,” for short : BTW

By the way (BTW)

62 Overall condition of certain Nissans? : ROGUE STATE

The Rogue is a compact SUV that Nissan introduced in the 2008 model year. Outside of North America, the same vehicle is sold as the X-Trail.

65 Nautical units : KNOTS

A knot (kt.) is a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour. Traditionally a vessel’s speed was determined by using a “chip log”. A chip log is made up of a wooden board attached to a line wrapped around a reel. The line (called a “log-line”) had knots tied in it at uniform spacings. To determine the vessel’s speed the board was thrown overboard and the line allowed to unroll. The speed was then the “number of knots” paid out in a fixed time interval.

66 Former Indiana governor Bayh : EVAN

Evan Bayh is the son of Birch Bayh, and like his father was US Senator for the state of Indiana. Prior to serving in the Senate, Evan Bayh was State Governor.

67 Blue part of blue cheese : MOLD

Being a bit of a French speaker (admittedly, a very poor one), the term “bleu cheese” has always kind of irritated me. I would prefer that we use either “blue cheese” or “fromage bleu” and not mix the languages, but then I can be annoyingly picky! It’s said that blue cheese was probably discovered accidentally, as molds tend to develop in the same conditions that are best for storing cheese. The blue mold in the cheese is introduced by adding Penicillium spores before the cheese is allowed to set. And yes, it’s the same mold that is used to produce penicillin, the antibiotic.

68 Fills completely : SATES

“Sate” is a variant of the older word “satiate”. Both terms can mean either to satisfy an appetite fully, or to eat to excess.

Down

1 Taxi alternative : UBER

Uber is a ridesharing service that was founded in 2009 and is based in San Francisco. The service is somewhat controversial and has been described as an illegal taxicab operation. Central to Uber’s service is the company’s mobile app, which can use the client’s GPS location to help find the nearest available ride. Uber’s main competitor is Lyft.

2 Thorny subject? : ROSE

Believe it or not, roses don’t have any thorns as such. Thorns are derived from shoots, spines are derived from leaves, and prickles are derived from the epidermis. The rose’s defensive barbs are in fact prickles.

8 __ gobi: potato and cauliflower dish : ALOO

Aloo gobi is a very tasty vegetarian dish in Indian cuisine made from potatoes and cauliflower, flavored with traditional Indian spices. “Aloo” translates to “potato” and “gobi” to “cauliflower”.

10 __ pie : WHOOPIE

A whoopie pie is sometimes referred to as a “BFO”, standing for Big Fat Oreo. The latter term is quite descriptive as a whoopie pie is made from two mound-shaped pieces of chocolate cake placed above and below a white creamy filling. There is some evidence that the confection originated with the Pennsylvania Amish. Apparently, when farmers found the pie in their lunch bags they shouted “whoopie!”, hence the name.

11 DEA agent : NARC

“Narc” and “narco” are slang terms describing a law enforcement officer who tracks down criminals associated with illegal drugs. Both words are short for “narcotics officer”. Narcs might work for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

12 Mets manager Showalter : BUCK

Buck Showalter serves as the manager of the New York Yankees, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Texas Rangers and the Baltimore Orioles baseball teams. Showalter has won the American League’s Manager of the Year award three times.

18 “I threw away my golf shoes when I got a hole in one,” e.g. : PUN

Here are some of my favorite puns:

  • A man died today when a pile of books fell on him. He only had his shelf to blame.
  • I hate negative numbers and will stop at nothing to avoid them.
  • I wasn’t going to get a brain transplant, but then I changed my mind.
  • I should have been sad when my flashlight batteries died, but I was delighted.

22 Leaves in a bowl : SALAD

Our word “salad” comes from the Latin “salare” meaning “to salt”. The Latin “herba salata” translates as “salted vegetables”, which I guess could be a salad …

24 Mr. Boddy in Clue, e.g. : VICTIM

Clue is a board game that we knew under a different name growing up in Ireland. Outside of North America, Clue is marketed as “Cluedo”. Cluedo was the original name of the game, introduced in 1949 by the famous British board game manufacturer Waddingtons. There are cute differences between the US and UK versions. For example, the man who is murdered is called Dr. Black (Mr. Boddy in the US), one of the suspects is the Reverend Green (Mr. Green in the US), and the suspect weapons include a dagger (a knife in the US), and a spanner (a wrench in the US). I think it’s a fabulous game, a must during the holidays …

26 Missouri River city : OMAHA

Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska. It is located on the Missouri River, about 10 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River. When Nebraska was still a territory Omaha was its capital, but when Nebraska achieved statehood the capital was moved to the city of Lincoln.

At 2,341 miles, the Missouri is the longest river in North America. Rising in Montana in the Rocky Mountains, it flows into the Mississippi at St. Louis. The Mississippi-Missouri river system is the fourth largest on the planet.

27 Remnant of the past : RELIC

A relic is something that has survived from the past, reminding us of that past. In the world of religion, a relic is an object revered due to its association with a saint or martyr.

28 Sauvignon __ : BLANC

Sauvignon blanc is a variety of grape used in wine-making. It is an old grape variety, and is indigenous to South West France. The name “sauvignon” probably comes from the French word “sauvage” meaning “wild”, and probably refers to its origins as a grape growing wild. The term “Fumé Blanc” may be used in California for a sauvignon blanc wine, but that’s just marketing.

30 Andes animal : LLAMA

The llama is a camelid mammal very much associated with the Andean cultures. Despite the association with South America, it is thought that the ancestors of the modern llama migrated south from the Great Plains of North America about 40 million years ago.

31 Filmdom awards : OSCARS

Legend has it that actor Emilio Fernández was the model for the Oscar statuette. Cedric Gibbons, art director at MGM, created the design and supposedly convinced a reluctant Fernández to pose nude for “Oscar”.

34 Battery units? : TESTS

Tests often come in batteries, as in “a battery of tests”.

47 Dances suggestively : TWERKS

Twerking is a dancing move in which someone (usually a woman) shakes her hips up and down causing a lot of “wobbling”. It’s possible that “twerk” is a portmanteau of “twist” and “jerk”. The term may have been coined back in the early 2000s with the song “Whistle While You Twurk” released by the Ying Yang Twins. Twerking became a real phenomenon in 2013 when Miley Cyrus posted a video of herself twerking in a unicorn suit to the 2011 song “Wop” by J. Dash. That video went viral on YouTube, amassing over 4 million views in no time at all.

51 Opposite of trans : CIS

In Latin, the prefix “cis-” means “this side of”. The prefix “trans-” means “the other side of”.

52 Proctor’s handout : EXAM

A proctor is a supervisor, and especially a person overseeing a school examination or a dormitory. The word “proctor” originated in the late 1500s, and is a contraction of the word “procurator”, the name given to an official agent of a church.

53 Sentimental sign-off : XOXO

In the sequence letter sequence “X-O-X”, the X represents a kiss, and the O a hug. “O-O-O” is a string of hugs, and “X-X-X” a string of kisses. Hugs and kisses …

54 Winnow : CULL

To cull is to pick out the best, get rid of the rejects.

We use the verb “to winnow” in a figurative sense to describe the separation of something good from a collection of worthless things. The more literal meaning is the freeing of grain from the lighter chaff by blowing on the mixture, or by throwing it in the air.

55 Poet Van Duyn : MONA

Mona Van Duyn was a poet from Waterloo, Iowa. Van Duyn won the National Book Award in 1971, the Pulitzer Prize in 1991, and served as US Poet Laureate from 1992 to 1993.

56 Award quartet that includes 31-Down : EGOT
[31D Filmdom awards : OSCARS]

The acronym “EGOT” stands for “Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony”, and is a reference to performers who have won all four awards.

63 Shoshonean language : UTE

The Shoshone Native-American people comprise four cultural groups:

  • The Eastern Shoshone in Wyoming
  • The Northern Shoshone in southeastern Idaho
  • The Western Shoshone in Nevada and northern Utah
  • The Gosiute in western Utah and eastern Nevada

One of the more celebrated Shoshone people was Sacagawea, the woman who traveled thousands of miles with the Lewis and Clark Expedition, serving as a guide and interpreter.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Minor in astronomy? : URSA
5 Golden St. region : SOCAL
10 Org. that includes the Sun and the Sky : WNBA
14 Gravy __ : BOAT
15 Extremely, in slang : HELLA
16 Swag : HAUL
17 Place that showcases certain Fords? : ESCAPE ROOM
19 Marine mammal with the same colors as an Oreo : ORCA
20 Save : RESCUE
21 Digital covers? : TOE SOCKS
23 Broadcasting : ON TV
25 Result of a crash? : NAP
26 Planets, poetically : ORBS
29 Beacon that illuminates some Hondas? : PILOT LIGHT
35 Diner staple : MELT
36 Oft-injured knee parts, for short : ACLS
37 Falcon’s 69-Across : AERIE
38 In the style of : A LA
39 Heartburn remedy : ANTACID
41 Nail-biting NFL periods : OTS
42 Dharma follower : HINDU
44 Desktop with a Retina 5K display : IMAC
45 Promote aggressively : TOUT
46 Starting line for a race exclusively for some Hyundais? : ACCENT MARK
48 Gear on a tour bus : AMPS
49 “Wanted to mention,” for short : BTW
50 Ailing : SICK
52 “Ahem” : EXCUSE ME
57 Reunion attendees : NIECES
61 Cross off : X OUT
62 Overall condition of certain Nissans? : ROGUE STATE
64 Tollbooth pricing unit : AXLE
65 Nautical units : KNOTS
66 Former Indiana governor Bayh : EVAN
67 Blue part of blue cheese : MOLD
68 Fills completely : SATES
69 Egg holder : NEST

Down

1 Taxi alternative : UBER
2 Thorny subject? : ROSE
3 Anatomical pouches : SACS
4 Not without consequences : AT A COST
5 Ovenware for roasting vegetables : SHEET PAN
6 Above, in odes : O’ER
7 Coagulate : CLOT
8 __ gobi: potato and cauliflower dish : ALOO
9 Mourn : LAMENT
10 __ pie : WHOOPIE
11 DEA agent : NARC
12 Mets manager Showalter : BUCK
13 Word of woe : ALAS
18 “I threw away my golf shoes when I got a hole in one,” e.g. : PUN
22 Leaves in a bowl : SALAD
24 Mr. Boddy in Clue, e.g. : VICTIM
26 Missouri River city : OMAHA
27 Remnant of the past : RELIC
28 Sauvignon __ : BLANC
30 Andes animal : LLAMA
31 Filmdom awards : OSCARS
32 Husband-to-be : GROOM
33 Ask (for) : HIT UP
34 Battery units? : TESTS
39 Reunion attendees : AUNTS
40 Gross feeling : ICKINESS
43 Showed for the first time : DEBUTED
45 Relax for a bit : TAKE TEN
47 Dances suggestively : TWERKS
51 Opposite of trans : CIS
52 Proctor’s handout : EXAM
53 Sentimental sign-off : XOXO
54 Winnow : CULL
55 Poet Van Duyn : MONA
56 Award quartet that includes 31-Down : EGOT
58 Buckle : CAVE
59 Airport guesses, for short : ETAS
60 In the mail : SENT
63 Shoshonean language : UTE