LA Times Crossword Answers 27 Apr 2018, Friday

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Constructed by: David Alfred Bywaters
Edited by: Rich Norris

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Today’s Reveal Answer: Preinstallation

Themed answers are common phrases with the letter string “PRE” INSTALLED:

  • 52A. Software service provided by hardware sellers … and a hint to three long puzzle answers : PREINSTALLATION
  • 17A. Bishop in bed? : SLEEPING PRELATE (PRE installed in “sleeping late”)
  • 24A. “I happen to have a deck of cards right here”? : POKER PREFACE (PRE installed in “poker face”)
  • 40A. Fake lawyer? : BAR PRETENDER (PRE installed in “bartender”)

Bill’s time: 9m 03s

Bill’s errors: 0

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Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5. Toque wearer : CHEF

A toque was a brimless style of hat that was very fashionable in Europe in the 13th to 16th centuries. Nowadays we associate toques with chefs, as it is the name given to a chef’s hat (called a “toque blanche” in French, a “white hat”). A chef’s toque is quite interesting. Many toques have exactly 100 pleats, often said to signify the number of ways that an egg can be cooked.

9. Tenth of a grand : C-SPOT

Benjamin Franklin is featured on one side of the hundred-dollar bill (also called a “C-spot, C-note”), and Philadelphia’s Independence Hall on the other side. There is a famous error in the image of Independence Hall. If you look closely at the clock face at the top of the building you can see that the “four” is written in Roman numerals as “IV”. However, on the actual clock on Independence Hall, the “four” is denoted by “IIII”, which has been the convention for clock faces for centuries.

15. Quasimodo’s creator : HUGO

The title character in Victor Hugo’s novel “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame” is Quasimodo, the hunchbacked bell-ringer . Quasimodo falls for the beautiful Roma girl Esmeralda, and eventually rescues her just before she is due be hanged. He carries Esmeralda into Notre-Dame crying out “Sanctuary!” There is some recent evidence that a hunchbacked stone carver, working at Notre-Dame at the same time Hugo was alive, may have been the inspiration for the Quasimodo the bell-ringer.

16. Conifer with durable wood : LARCH

Lumber from the larch is valued because it is resistant to rot. The wood is particularly efficacious in boatbuilding and for exterior cladding of buildings. A more prosaic application is for fence posts that are placed in the ground.

17. Bishop in bed? : SLEEPING PRELATE (PRE installed in “sleeping late”)

A prelate is a high-ranking clergy member. “Prelate” comes from the Latin “praelatus” meaning “to set above”, so a prelate is one who is set above others.

20. Mid-’70s cost to mail a typical letter : TEN CENTS

The “forever stamp” for first-class postage was introduced in 2006 (and about time!). Now we have stamps that are good for first-class postage forever, no matter how the rates change.

22. Veracious : TRUE

Someone described as veracious is truthful, from the Latin “verus” meaning “true”.

28. “__ Rose Has Its Thorn”: Poison hit : EVERY

Poison is a glam rock band that formed in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania in 1980. Poison’s biggest hit is 1988’s “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”.

34. “Under the Redwoods” author : HARTE

Bret Harte was a storyteller noted for his tales of the American West, even though he himself was from back East, born in Albany, New York. One work attributed to him is “Ah Sin”, a disastrously unsuccessful play written by Bret Harte and Mark Twain. The two writers didn’t get on at all well during the writing process, and when the play was produced for the stage it was very poorly received. Nevertheless, Twain suggested a further collaboration with Harte, and Harte downright refused!

37. “Good Behavior” broadcaster : TNT

TNT stands for Turner Network Television. The TNT cable channel made a big splash in the eighties when it started to broadcast old MGM movies that had been “colorized”, not something that was a big hit with the public. In recent years, the TNT programming lineup is touted with the tagline “We Know Drama”, and includes shows like “Judging Amy”, “ER” and “Cold Case”.

“Good Behavior” is a TV drama based on a series of novellas of the same name by Blake Crouch. Star of the show is English actress Michelle Dockery, who is best known for playing Lady Mary Crawley on the period drama “Downton Abbey”.

47. Immature insects : LARVAE

The larva is an intermediate stage in the development of an insect. All four stages are embryo, larva, pupa and imago.

59. Seven __ : SEAS

The phrase “the seven seas” has been used for centuries by many different peoples. The actual definition of what constitutes the collection of seven has varied depending on the period and the culture. Nowadays we consider the seven largest bodies of water as the seven seas, namely:

  • The North Pacific Ocean
  • The South Pacific Ocean
  • The North Atlantic Ocean
  • The South Atlantic Ocean
  • The Indian Ocean
  • The Southern Ocean
  • The Arctic Ocean

Down

2. Archipelago piece : ISLE

“Archipelago” is our spelling of the Italian “arcipelago”, a word that has Greek roots. The Aegean Sea was once known as the Archipelago. The usage of “Archipelago” migrated over time, eventually applying only to the Aegean Islands. As a result, we use the term “archipelago” today not for a sea, but for a group or chain of islands.

3. Normandy city : CAEN

Caen, on the River Orne, lies in the Calvados department of France in the northwest of the country. Caen is famous for the WWII Battle of Caen that left the town practically destroyed. Caen is also the burial place of the Norman King William I of England, also known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

Normandy is a region in northern France that is named for the Normans, a people descended from Norse Vikings who arrived from Denmark, Iceland and Norway. The term “Norman” comes from “Norsemen, men from the north”.

5. Calisthenic exercise : CHIN-UP

Calisthenics are gymnastic exercises designed promote physical health. The term “calisthenics” comes from the Greek “kallos” meaning “beauty” and “sthenos” meaning strength.

8. Metrosexual : FOP

I think it’s generally accepted that the term “metrosexual”, from “metropolitan heterosexual”, refers to a man who lives in an urban environment and puts a fair amount of money and energy into his appearance. That wouldn’t be me …

10. Biblical dancer : SALOME

In the New Testament, Salome was a dancer and a seductress. She was the stepdaughter of Herod and when she danced for him on his birthday, her mother demanded as a reward the execution of John the Baptist. Salome is not actually named in the account in the gospels, and historians rely on other sources to determine that she was indeed “Salome”. Famously, the seductive dance that she performed is said to be the Dance of the Seven Veils. The dance isn’t named in the Biblical account, and is an elaboration that developed in later Christian mythology.

11. Milan-based fashion house : PRADA

Prada was started in 1913 as a leather-goods shop in Milan, by the two Prada brothers. One of the brothers, Mario Prada, prevented the female members of his family participating in the company as he didn’t believe women should be involved in business (!). When the sexist brother died, his son had no interest in the business so it was his daughter who took over and ran the company for about twenty years, handing it over to her own daughter. I’d say the devil loved that …

18. Matthew who led a 19th-century expedition to Japan : PERRY

Commodore Matthew C. Perry led a four-ship squadron of navy vessels into Tokyo Bay (then it was called “Edo Bay”) in 1853. Perry’s mission was to re-establish trade relations with Japan at a time when the country was governed by isolationists. Even though Perry brought with him gifts, to signal good will, he also gave a show of strength to indicate the US was willing to force the issue. The resulting Treaty of Kanagawa was signed the following year.

26. Canterbury’s county : KENT

Kent is a county in the southeast of England. Kent is a little unusual in that it shares a “land” border with France. That border nominally exists halfway through the Channel Tunnel, one end of which comes to surface in the Kent port of Folkestone.

Canterbury is a city in the southeast of England, in the county of Kent. Canterbury is famous for Canterbury Cathedral where Thomas Becket was murdered in 1170, making it a pilgrimage destination for Christians. It was one of these pilgrimages that was the inspiration for Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales” written in the 14th century.

31. Away from the wind : ALEE

Alee is the direction away from the wind. If a sailor points into the wind, he or she is pointing aweather.

32. German title : HERR

In German, a “Herr” (Mr.) is married to a “Frau” (Mrs.), and they live together in a “Haus” (house).

35. Multinational range : ALPS

There are eight Alpine countries:

  • Austria
  • Slovenia
  • France
  • Switzerland
  • Liechtenstein
  • Germany
  • Monaco
  • Italy

38. Learned experts : SAVANTS

A “savant” is a learned person. The term “savant” can also be short for “idiot savant”, the outdated name for someone with a mental disability but who has above-normal capabilities in perhaps calculation or musical expression.

39. Company name inspired by a volcano : AETNA

When the healthcare management and insurance company known as Aetna was founded, the name was chosen to evoke images of Mount Etna, the Italian volcano.

40. Like oxen : BOVINE

Something “bovine” is related to a cow, ox or buffalo, any ruminant in the genus Bos. “Bos” is the Latin for “cow”, and “bovinus” a Late Latin derivative term.

44. “__ Theme”: “Doctor Zhivago” melody : LARA’S

The very lovely “Lara’s Theme” is a leitmotif written by Maurice Jarre for the 1965 movie “Doctor Zhivago”. Lara is the name of the character played by the wonderful Julie Christie. The theme was later incorporated into a hit song with the title “Somewhere My Love”.

50. Roman robe : TOGA

In Ancient Rome the classical attire known as a toga (plural “togae” or “togas”) was usually worn over a tunic. The tunic was made from linen, and the toga itself was a piece of cloth about twenty feet long made from wool. The toga could only be worn by men, and only if those men were Roman citizens. The female equivalent of the toga was called a “stola”.

53. NFL stat : TDS

Touchdown (TD)

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. Short shots? : PICS
5. Toque wearer : CHEF
9. Tenth of a grand : C-SPOT
14. “Quickly!” : ASAP!
15. Quasimodo’s creator : HUGO
16. Conifer with durable wood : LARCH
17. Bishop in bed? : SLEEPING PRELATE (PRE installed in “sleeping late”)
20. Mid-’70s cost to mail a typical letter : TEN CENTS
21. Wears down : ERODES
22. Veracious : TRUE
23. Enliven : ANIMATE
24. “I happen to have a deck of cards right here”? : POKER PREFACE (PRE installed in “poker face”)
28. “__ Rose Has Its Thorn”: Poison hit : EVERY
29. Bashes : RAMS
30. “So there!” : HAH!
33. Focusing aid : LENS
34. “Under the Redwoods” author : HARTE
36. Valley : DALE
37. “Good Behavior” broadcaster : TNT
38. High spot on a farm : SILO
39. Radio station, e.g. : AIRER
40. Fake lawyer? : BAR PRETENDER (PRE installed in “bartender”)
43. Nooks : ALCOVES
46. Get behind, with “for” : VOTE
47. Immature insects : LARVAE
48. Indicates : POINTS TO
52. Software service provided by hardware sellers … and a hint to three long puzzle answers : PREINSTALLATION
54. Lacks : HASN’T
55. Bad thing to take in a ring : DIVE
56. Rim : EDGE
57. Beasts of burden : ASSES
58. Gravity-propelled toy : SLED
59. Seven __ : SEAS

Down

1. Historian’s field : PAST
2. Archipelago piece : ISLE
3. Normandy city : CAEN
4. Ghosts : SPECTERS
5. Calisthenic exercise : CHIN-UP
6. Fox pursuer : HUNTER
7. What some poachers poach : EGGS
8. Metrosexual : FOP
9. Priests, e.g. : CLERICS
10. Biblical dancer : SALOME
11. Milan-based fashion house : PRADA
12. Work for a chamber group : OCTET
13. What we have here : THESE
18. Matthew who led a 19th-century expedition to Japan : PERRY
19. Alter, in a way, as a file : RENAME
23. “__ lot of good that’ll do you” : A FAT
24. Bombard : PELT
25. Roasting site : OVEN
26. Canterbury’s county : KENT
27. Mistake : ERROR
30. Word with cash or candy : HARD
31. Away from the wind : ALEE
32. German title : HERR
34. Staff expanders : HIREES
35. Multinational range : ALPS
36. Sets for some 43-Across : DINETTES
38. Learned experts : SAVANTS
39. Company name inspired by a volcano : AETNA
40. Like oxen : BOVINE
41. Gradually develop : EVOLVE
42. Labored : TOILED
43. Highest-ranking : ALPHA
44. “__ Theme”: “Doctor Zhivago” melody : LARA’S
45. Salad green : CRESS
48. Gardening aid : PAIL
49. Aspect : SIDE
50. Roman robe : TOGA
51. Small tip components : ONES
53. NFL stat : TDS

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