LA Times Crossword 14 Oct 20, Wednesday

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Constructed by: Jeff Stillman
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Just Browsing

Themed answers each start with the name of a Web BROWSER:

  • 49A Reply to a salesperson … or a hint to the start of 19-, 25- and 43-Across : JUST BROWSING
  • 19A Outerwear in the bush : SAFARI JACKET
  • 25A Rhyming hair-loss metaphor : CHROME DOME
  • 43A Large urban areas just outside of a central business district : EDGE CITIES

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

Bill’s time: 7m 48s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Req. for some IKEA purchases : ASSY

Some assembly (assy.) required.

The IKEA furniture chain was founded by Ingvar Kamprad in 1943, when he was just 17-years-old. IKEA is an acronym standing for Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd (don’t forget now!). Elmtaryd was the name of the farm where Ingvar Kamprad grew up, and Agunnaryd is his home parish in Sweden.

9 Icy coating : HOAR

The Old English word “har” meant “gray, venerable, old”, and came into English as “hoar” (and later “hoary”) with the same meaning. The term “hoar-frost” dates back to the 13th century, and reflects the similarity of the white feathers of frost to the gray/white of an old man’s beard.

18 Peyton Manning’s alma mater, for short : UTENN

The University of Tennessee (UT, UTenn) is a public school in Knoxville that was founded in 1794. UT is home to the collections of three sets of presidential papers; those of Presidents Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk and Andrew Johnson, all of whom hailed from Tennessee. UT has three primary campuses, in Knoxville, Chattanooga and Martin.

Peyton Manning is a former NFL quarterback who played most of his professional career with the Indianapolis Colts. Manning retired at the top of his game, holding records for passing yards, touchdown passes, Pro Bowl appearances, and several other records. Peyton is the son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning, and the older brother of former NFL quarterback Eli Manning.

19 Outerwear in the bush : SAFARI JACKET

“Safari” is a Swahili word meaning “journey” or “expedition”.

Safari is Apple’s flagship Internet browser, one that is used on its Mac line of computers. A mobile version of Safari is included with all iPhones.

24 Feminist author Wolf : NAOMI

Author and journalist Naomi Wolf served as a political consultant for President Bill Clinton in his successful 1996 reelection bid, and for Al Gore in his unsuccessful 2000 bid for the presidency. A noted feminist, Wolf’s role was to help both campaigns target female voters.

25 Rhyming hair-loss metaphor : CHROME DOME

Google’s Chrome is the most popular web browser by far, with Mozilla Firefox in second place and Apple’s Safari in third. I find Chrome to be much, much more user-friendly than Safari, and more featured than Firefox. Chrome also works very seamlessly with other Google products and with Android phones.

28 __ vu : DEJA

“Déjà vu” is French for “already seen”.

32 Metal in Montana’s motto : ORO

“Oro y Plata” means “gold and silver”, and is the state motto of Montana. The motto was written in Spanish, solely because “it had a nice ring to it”.

33 What snobs put on : AIRS

Back in the 1780s, a snob was a shoemaker or a shoemaker’s apprentice. By the end of the 18th century the word “snob” was being used by students at Cambridge University in England to refer to all local merchants and people of the town. The term evolved to mean one who copies those who are his or her social superior (and not in a good way). From there it wasn’t a big leap for “snob” to include anyone who emphasized their superior social standing and not just those who aspired to rank. Nowadays a snob is anyone who looks down on those considered to be of inferior standing.

34 Descartes et al. : RENES

The great French philosopher Rene Descartes made the famous statement in Latin, “Cogito ergo sum”. This translates into French as “Je pense, donc je suis” and into English as “I think, therefore I am”. Anything pertaining to the philosophy of Descartes can be described by the adjective “Cartesian”.

35 Film critic Kael : PAULINE

Pauline Kael was a film critic who wrote for “The New Yorker” magazine from 1968 to 1991.

37 Brother of Ophelia : LAERTES

In William Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet”, Laertes is the son of Polonius and brother of Ophelia. It is Laertes who kills Hamlet using a poisoned sword..

39 City on the Ruhr : ESSEN

Essen is a large industrial city located on the River Ruhr in western Germany. The city experienced major population growth in the mid-1800s that was driven by the iron works established by the Krupp family.

40 Draws a bead on, with “at” : AIMS

To draw a bead on something is to take aim at it. The “bead” in question is the front sight of a gun.

41 “We ___ the World” : ARE

“We Are the World” is a 1985 charity single recorded by a whole host of celebrity singers who came together as “USA for Africa”. “We Are the World” was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and sold over 20 million copies. The idea for the USA for Africa recording came out of the great success of the UK project, Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”.

48 Decorates superficially : GILDS

To gild is to coat with gold. The phrase “to gild the lily” means to add unnecessary ornamentation, to try to improve something that is already ideal.

59 Get fuzzy : BLEAR

To blear is to dim the vision, usually with watery eyes.

60 Glamour rival : ELLE

“Elle” magazine was founded in 1945 in France and today has the highest circulation of any fashion magazine in the world. “Elle” is the French word for “she”. “Elle” is published monthly worldwide, although you can pick up a weekly edition if you live in France.

The women’s monthly magazine “Glamour” was founded in 1939 as “Glamour of Hollywood”.

64 Kind of terrier : SKYE

The Skye terrier is a breed of dog that is actually under threat of extinction. A few years ago, there were only 30 Skye terriers born in the breed’s native land of the UK. The breed was named for the Isle of Skye in Scotland.

Down

3 G7 member : USA

The G6 was a group of six industrialized nations that formed in 1975 and whose governments met on a periodic basis. The founding members were France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US. The membership expanded in 1976 with the addition of Canada, forming the G7. Russia was given representation in the group in 1997, forming the G8. Russia’s membership was suspended in 2014 after the annexation of Crimea.

6 The Destroyer, in Hinduism : SIVA

Shiva (also “Siva”) is one of the major deities of the Hindu tradition, and is known as the destroyer of evil and the transformer. Shiva is also part of the Hindu trinity known as the Trimurti, along with Brahma and Vishnu.

7 Cans under dishes : STERNOS

Sterno is a jellied alcohol that usually comes in a can. The can is opened and the contents burn very easily and persistently. The brand name “Sterno” comes from the original manufacturer, S. Sternau & Co. of Brooklyn, New York.

11 Elizabeth I’s mother : ANNE

Anne Boleyn was the second wife of Henry VIII of England. Anne was found guilty of high treason after about a thousand days of marriage to Henry, accused of adultery and incest (probably trumped-up charges). She was executed, but perhaps her legacy lived on in her only child, as her daughter reigned for 45 very prosperous years as Queen Elizabeth I.

15 Island east of Manila : GUAM

Guam is a US territory in the western Pacific Ocean, and is the largest of the Mariana Islands. Guam is also the first territory in the United States to see the sun rise on any particular day. As such, the territory has adopted the motto, “Where America’s day begins”. During WWII, the US territory of Guam was occupied by the Japanese for 31 months until it was liberated in the Battle of Guam in July 1944. Of the 18,000 Japanese men holding the island, only 485 surrendered, so almost all perished in the invasion. One Japanese sergeant hid out on the island for an incredible 28 years, finally surrendering in 1972!

Many moons ago, I spent a couple of very happy years living in Manila in the Philippines. I had an apartment there, and residing in the apartment building next door was Imelda Marcos, along with all of her shoes I assume …

20 Java : JOE

It seems that no one really knows why we refer to coffee as “joe”, but we’ve been doing so since early in WWII.

Back in 1850, the name “java” was given to a type of coffee grown on the island of Java, and the usage of the term spread from then.

26 Article in Der Spiegel : EIN

“Der Spiegel” is a very successful German magazine found on newsstands all over Europe. The name “Der Spiegel” translates from German into “the Mirror”.

27 Dr. with Grammys : DRE

“Dr. Dre” is the stage name of rapper Andre Romelle Young. Dr. Dre is known for his own singing career as well as for producing records and starting the careers of others such as Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent.

37 Fish story : LIE

I caught a fish “this” big …

38 “Mad Men” network : AMC

“Mad Men” was the flagship show on the AMC television channel for several seasons. Set in the sixties, it’s all about an advertising agency located on Madison Avenue in New York (hence the title). “Mad Men” became the first show created by a basic cable channel to win an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series.

AMC, formerly known as “American Movie Classics”, is one of my favorite television channels. Although the channel’s focus has shifted from airing classic movies to including other programming, there’s still a lot of quality output. AMC’s flagship shows are “Mad Men”, “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul”.

45 Common circus wear : TIGHTS

The Circus Maximus was an ancient stadium used for chariot racing in Rome. It was the first such stadium built by the Romans, and was the largest ever to be built in the whole of the Roman Empire. The Circus Maximus was over 2,000 feet long and just under 400 feet wide, and could house about 15,000 spectators. There is very little of the original structure remaining and the site is now used as a major park. It was the Circus Maximus and similar “circa” that gave rise to our contemporary word “circus” describing an arena used by clowns, acrobats, etc.

47 Skier’s aid : T-BAR

A T-bar is a ski lift on which the skiers are pulled up the hill in pairs, with each pair standing (not sitting!) either side of a T-shaped metal bar. The bar is placed behind the thighs, pulling along the skiers as they remain standing on their skis (hopefully!). There’s also a J-bar, which is a similar device but with each J-shaped bar used by one skier at a time.

50 Uma’s role in “The Producers” : ULLA

The sex kitten married to Leo Bloom in the Mel Brooks musical “The Producers” is named Ulla, although her full name is Ulla Inga tor Hansen Benson Yansen Tallen Hallen Svaden Swanson Bloom! Ulla was played by Lee Meredith in the original 1968 film, and by Uma Thurman in the 2005 remake.

56 TV planet : ORK

“Mork & Mindy” is a sitcom that originally aired from 1978 to 1982. The title characters were played by Robin Williams and Pam Dawber. Mork is an alien from the planet Ork who reports back to his superior called Orson. Orson is played by voice actor Ralph James. Ralph James was also known for providing the voice of Mr. Turtle in famous Tootsie Pop commercials in the seventies. Nanu nanu!

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Tranquilize : DRUG
5 Req. for some IKEA purchases : ASSY
9 Icy coating : HOAR
13 Convenience : EASE
14 Construction __ : SITE
15 Planning to, informally : GONNA
16 “Is there a problem here?” : WHAT GIVES?
18 Peyton Manning’s alma mater, for short : UTENN
19 Outerwear in the bush : SAFARI JACKET
21 Tiffs : SPATS
24 Feminist author Wolf : NAOMI
25 Rhyming hair-loss metaphor : CHROME DOME
28 __ vu : DEJA
32 Metal in Montana’s motto : ORO
33 What snobs put on : AIRS
34 Descartes et al. : RENES
35 Film critic Kael : PAULINE
37 Brother of Ophelia : LAERTES
39 City on the Ruhr : ESSEN
40 Draws a bead on, with “at” : AIMS
41 “We ___ the World” : ARE
42 Grasps : SEES
43 Large urban areas just outside of a central business district : EDGE CITIES
46 Goggle : STARE
48 Decorates superficially : GILDS
49 Reply to a salesperson … or a hint to the start of 19-, 25- and 43-Across : JUST BROWSING
54 Top dog : ALPHA
55 At risk of running aground, perhaps : NEAR SHORE
59 Get fuzzy : BLEAR
60 Glamour rival : ELLE
61 Breakfast-in-bed aid : TRAY
62 Cut with a tool : SAWN
63 Place to see runners : SLED
64 Kind of terrier : SKYE

Down

1 Morning coat? : DEW
2 “Yay, team!” : RAH!
3 G7 member : USA
4 Bugs : GETS TO
5 “In your dreams!” : AS IF!
6 The Destroyer, in Hinduism : SIVA
7 Cans under dishes : STERNOS
8 Emphatic confirmation : YES I AM!
9 Drink on a chilly fall day : HOT CIDER
10 Fun run dist. : ONE-K
11 Elizabeth I’s mother : ANNE
12 Sound off : RANT
15 Island east of Manila : GUAM
17 Utility pipe : GAS MAIN
20 Java : JOE
21 Checks (out) : SCOPES
22 Part of a sentence : PHRASE
23 Stimulate : AROUSE
26 Article in Der Spiegel : EIN
27 Dr. with Grammys : DRE
29 Involve by necessity : ENTAIL
30 Rode from the stands : JEERED
31 Take stock of : ASSESS
34 Formally steps down : RESIGNS
36 < : LESS THAN
37 Fish story : LIE
38 “Mad Men” network : AMC
40 Look 35 at 45, say : AGE WELL
43 Keen perception : EAR
44 Unmanned fliers : DRONES
45 Common circus wear : TIGHTS
47 Skier’s aid : T-BAR
49 Setups for knockout punches : JABS
50 Uma’s role in “The Producers” : ULLA
51 Gush forth : SPEW
52 Pitcher’s goal : SALE
53 Teed off : IRED
56 TV planet : ORK
57 Bit of hope : RAY
58 Watch : EYE