LA Times Crossword 29 Aug 20, Saturday

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Constructed by: Gail Grabowski
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme: None

Bill’s time: 8m 43s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

10 Charlie Parker genre : BEBOP

Charlie Parker was a jazz saxophonist who was often just called “Bird” or “Yardbird”. He was a leader in the development of the style of jazz called “bebop”, which gained popularity in the forties. Parker had a rough life outside of music. He was a heroin addict, and a heavy drinker. When he died, the coroner who performed his autopsy estimated his age as between 50 and 60 years old based on the appearance of his body and condition of his organs. Charlie Parker was actually 34-years-old when he died in a New York City hotel room in 1955.

26 Volatile letters : TNT

“TNT” is an abbreviation for “trinitrotoluene”. Trinitrotoluene was first produced in 1863 by the German chemist Joseph Wilbrand, who developed it for use as a yellow dye. TNT is relatively difficult to detonate so it was on the market as a dye for some years before its more explosive properties were discovered.

27 Sports artist Neiman : LEROY

LeRoy Neiman is an artist from Braham, Minnesota who is known for his vibrant paintings of athletes and sporting events. Niemen lives in a home in New York City overlooking Central Park that has a great pedigree in terms of residents. Former occupants include artist Norman Rockwell as well as entertainers Rudolph Valentino and Noël Coward.

39 Bass product : PALE ALE

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.

40 Southwestern state symbol : LONE STAR

The single star on the state flag of Texas is a reminder of the “lone star” on the 1836 National Standard of Texas. The single white star on a blue background symbolizes Texas as an independent republic and its struggle for independence from Mexico.

43 11-time Gold Glove-winning shortstop Vizquel : OMAR

Omar Vizquel is a former MLB shortstop who has the nickname “Little O”. Among his many achievements on the field, Vizquel became the oldest person to play shortstop in an MLB game. He retired from the game in 2007 at 40 years old.

46 Instrument with an end pin : CELLO

The word “cello” (plural “celli” or “cellos”) is an abbreviation for “violoncello”, an Italian word for “little violone”, referring to a group of stringed instruments that were popular up to the end of the 17th century. The name violoncello persisted for the instrument that we know today, although the abbreviation “‘cello” was often used. Nowadays, we just drop the apostrophe.

50 Noir sleuth : TEC

The expression “film noir” has French origins, but only in that it was coined by a French critic in describing a style of Hollywood film. The term, meaning “black film” in French, was first used by Nino Frank in 1946. Film noir often applies to a movie with a melodramatic plot and a private eye or detective at its center. Good examples would be “The Big Sleep” and “D.O.A”.

The word “sleuth” came into English from Old Norse as far back as 1200 when it meant the “track or trail of a person”. In the mid-1800s, a sleuthhound described a keen investigator, a hound close on the trail of the suspect. Sleuthhound was shortened to “sleuth” and was used for a detective in general.

51 Frequent fliers : JET SET

The jet set comprises wealthy individuals who frequent the fashionable resorts around the world. The term “jet set” was coined in 1951, and actually predated (slightly) the introduction of jet planes for commuter flights.

53 Be overly sweet : CLOY

To cloy is to cause distaste by oversupplying something that would otherwise be pleasant, especially something with a sweet taste.

59 Douze mois : ANNEE

In French, there are “douze mois” (twelve months) in an “année” (year).

Down

4 “Don’t Bring Me Down” gp. : ELO

“Don’t Bring Me Down” is the biggest hit that the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) had in the US. The song was dedicated to NASA’s Skylab, which reentered the earth’s orbit in 1979, the same year the song was released.

6 Japanese electronics giant : EPSON

Seiko Epson is a Japanese company, and one of the largest manufacturers of printers in the world. The company has its roots in the watch business, roots that go back to 1942. Seiko was chosen as the official timekeeper for the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and was asked to supply a timer that produced a printed record. This request brought Seiko into the business of printer production. The company developed the world’s first mini-printer for the 1964 Games and called it EP-101 (with “EP” standing for Electronic Printer). In 1975 Seiko introduced the next generation of EP printers which was called EPSON, from “SON of EP”. Cute, huh?

8 Capa wavers : TOREROS

The term “torero” is used to describe all bullfighters. The term “matador” is reserved for the bullfighter whose job is to make the final kill. Aptly enough, “matador” is Spanish for “killer”.

11 Bremner of “Black Hawk Down” : EWEN

Perhaps most famously, Scottish actor Ewen Bremner played the character “Spud” Murphy in the 1996 film “Trainspotting”.

“Black Hawk Down” is a 2001 film adaptation of a 1999 book of the same name by Mark Bowden. Both book and movie tell the true story of two US Black Hawk helicopters that were downed in the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, and the resulting casualties.

12 Low-pitched wind : BASS TUBA

The tuba is the lowest-pitched of all the brass instruments, and one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra (usually there is just one tuba included in an orchestral line-up). “Tuba” is the Latin word for “trumpet, horn”. Oom-pah-pah …

13 Avenue after Reading Railroad : ORIENTAL

Oriental Avenue, Connecticut Avenue and Vermont Avenue are examples of properties in the US version of the game of Monopoly. The street names in the US version of Monopoly are locations in or around Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The four railroad (RR) properties in the Monopoly board game are:

  • Reading Railroad
  • Pennsylvania Railroad
  • B&O Railroad
  • Short Line

14 Seller of Lab supplies : PET STORE

The Labrador (Lab) breed of dog has been around at least since 1814, and the chocolate Labrador appeared over a century later in the 1930s. The name “Labrador Retriever” is simply a reference to the breed’s origin and behavior. Labs originally “retrieved” from the “Labrador Sea”.

21 Model 3 autos : TESLAS

Tesla’s Model 3 was introduced in 2017. Within three years, Tesla sold more than half a million Model 3 units, making it the best-selling electric car of all time.

23 “Conspiracy Theory” director Richard : DONNER

Director and producer Richard Donner has directed some blockbuster films in his time, including “The Omen”, “Superman” and the “Lethal Weapon” series. The Donners’ Company, which he co-owns with his wife, produced the “X-Men” films.

28 Aches : YENS

The word “yen”, meaning “urge”, has been around in English since the very early 1900s. It comes from the earlier word “yin” imported from Chinese, which was used in English to describe an intense craving for opium.

30 Commercial bigwig : AD EXEC

A bigwig is someone important. The use of the term “bigwig” harks back to the days when men of authority and rank wore … big wigs.

34 Co-star of Meryl in “It’s Complicated” : ALEC

Alec Baldwin is the oldest of the acting Baldwin brothers. I think Alec’s big break was playing Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan in “The Hunt for Red October”, but thank goodness that role was taken over by Harrison Ford for the subsequent Jack Ryan movies. Baldwin also made a name for himself playing Jack Donaghy on “30 Rock”, opposite Tina Fey. More recently, he is known for impersonating President Donald Trump on “Saturday Night Live”.

Meryl Streep has had more nominations for an Academy Award than any other actor, which is both a tribute to her talent and the respect she has earned in the industry. I am not a huge fan of her earlier works but some of her recent movies are now on my list of all-time favorites. I recommend “Mamma Mia!” (you’ll either love it or hate it!), “Julie & Julia”, “It’s Complicated” and ”Hope Springs”.

“It’s Complicated” is a fun 2009 Nancy Meyers romcom starring Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, despite being disappointed with the casting of the two male leads. If you see the film in the future, take note of the house and garden that Meryl Streep’s character lives in. My kind of pad …

35 Toys that run on tracks : SLOT CARS

Slot cars are those motorized toy cars that run around on tracks picking up power from a slot in the racing surface. The first slot cars were made in 1912 by the Lionel company, the manufacturer of toy train sets.

37 Amazon predator : ANACONDA

Anacondas are native to the tropical regions of South America. The green anaconda is one of the world’s largest snakes, growing to 17 feet long and weighing up to 550 pounds! Anacondas are not venomous, and prefer to kill their prey by coiling around it and then squeeeeeezing …

41 Nile home of a historic stone : ROSETTA

Rosetta is a coastal city and port on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt. The Rosetta Stone is an ancient Egyptian artifact of tremendous importance in deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics. Carvings on the stone are actually three translations of the same passage of prose, one in Egyptian hieroglyphics, one in Egyptian Demotic language, and one in classical Greek. The stone was discovered by the French military during Napoleon’s 1798 campaign in Egypt. Before the French could get it back to France, the stone somehow ended up in enemy hands (the British), so it is now on display in the British Museum. Ownership of the stone is very much in dispute. The French want it and, understandably, the Egyptians would like it back.

47 New England retailer since 1912 : LL BEAN

L.L.Bean (note the lack of spaces in the company name) was founded back in 1912 in Freeport, Maine as a company selling its own line of waterproof boots. The founder, Leon Leonwood Bean, gave his name to the enterprise. Right from the start, L.L.Bean focused on mail-order and sold from a circular he distributed and then from a catalog. Defects in the initial design led to 90% of the first boots sold being returned, and the company made good on its guarantee to replace them or give back the money paid.

49 Bed occupant : OYSTER

A group of oysters is commonly referred to as a “bed”, and oysters can be farmed in man-made beds. The largest body of water producing oysters in the US today is Chesapeake Bay, although the number of beds continues to dwindle due to pollution and overfishing. Back in the 1800s, most of the world’s oysters came from New York Harbor.

61 It may be natural: Abbr. : SCI

Science (sci.)

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Followed : ADHERED TO
10 Charlie Parker genre : BEBOP
15 Carpenter’s accessory : NAIL APRON
16 Not in the dark : AWARE
17 “Perhaps” : I’M NOT SURE
18 Convene again : RESIT
19 Wild : MAD
20 More than a little : SOME
21 Language class subject : TENSES
22 Changed by time : AGED
24 Took in slowly : NURSED
26 Volatile letters : TNT
27 Sports artist Neiman : LEROY
29 Comics socks : POWS
30 Start to fill? : AUTO-
31 Green : NEW
33 Diner’s grazing spot : SALAD BAR
35 Checked out : SCANNED
39 Bass product : PALE ALE
40 Southwestern state symbol : LONE STAR
42 It sells in advertising : SEX
43 11-time Gold Glove-winning shortstop Vizquel : OMAR
44 Bring (out) : TROT
46 Instrument with an end pin : CELLO
50 Noir sleuth : TEC
51 Frequent fliers : JET SET
53 Be overly sweet : CLOY
54 Did some course work : COOKED
56 Release : EMIT
58 Shuttle __ : BUS
59 Douze mois : ANNEE
60 Now : AT PRESENT
62 What a hitchhiker aspires to be : RIDER
63 Enclosure for dangerous underwater cinematography : STEEL CAGE
64 Clothes closers : SNAPS
65 One who won’t give : HARD-LINER

Down

1 __ shelter : ANIMAL
2 Crash or crush : DAMAGE
3 Get in the way of : HINDER
4 “Don’t Bring Me Down” gp. : ELO
5 “Aw, nuts!” : RATS!
6 Japanese electronics giant : EPSON
7 Devise : DRUM UP
8 Capa wavers : TOREROS
9 Gender-neutral pronoun : ONE
10 Revealed : BARED
11 Bremner of “Black Hawk Down” : EWEN
12 Low-pitched wind : BASS TUBA
13 Avenue after Reading Railroad : ORIENTAL
14 Seller of Lab supplies : PET STORE
21 Model 3 autos : TESLAS
23 “Conspiracy Theory” director Richard : DONNER
25 Trade : SWAP
28 Aches : YENS
30 Commercial bigwig : AD EXEC
32 Soaked : WETTED
34 Co-star of Meryl in “It’s Complicated” : ALEC
35 Toys that run on tracks : SLOT CARS
36 “Door’s open” : COME ON IN
37 Amazon predator : ANACONDA
38 Projectile with a flight : DART
41 Nile home of a historic stone : ROSETTA
45 State of mind : TEMPER
47 New England retailer since 1912 : LL BEAN
48 Room for leisure activity : LOUNGE
49 Bed occupant : OYSTER
51 Shows disapproval, in a way : JEERS
52 Ready to pack it in : TIRED
55 Stay fresh : KEEP
57 Snitch : TELL
60 Shade of gray : ASH
61 It may be natural: Abbr. : SCI