LA Times Crossword 29 Jul 21, Thursday

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Constructed by: Gary Larson
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Barbershop

Themed answers end with things found in a BARBERSHOP:

  • 60A Where to find the ends of 17-, 25-, 36- and 49-Across : BARBERSHOP
  • 17A One of the only two NBA teams that share an arena : LA CLIPPERS
  • 25A Hive feature : HONEYCOMB
  • 36A Simplicity-based problem-solving principle : OCCAM’S RAZOR
  • 49A Nevada state flower : SAGEBRUSH
  • Read on, or jump to …
    … a complete list of answers

    Bill’s time: 7m 52s

    Bill’s errors: 0

    Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

    Across

    1 Letters in a water molecule diagram : HOH

    A water molecule is composed of an oxygen atom with two hydrogen atoms on roughly opposite sides (at about a 150-degree angle). So, sometimes the molecule is represented by “HOH”, although more usually by “H2O”.

    14 Vincent’s agent in “Entourage” : ARI

    Ari Gold is a fictional character in the HBO series “Entourage”. “Entourage” tells the story of a rising film star, Vincent Chase (played by Adrian Grenier), a native of New York but now learning to handle himself in Hollywood. Vincent’s Hollywood agent is Ari Gold, played by Jeremy Piven.

    15 Light cotton fabric : MADRAS

    Madras is a lightweight fabric with a plaid design that is often used for summer clothing. The pattern is sometimes referred to as “Madrasi checks”. The textile takes its name from Madras, the former name of the city of Chennai in India.

    16 Actor Sharif : OMAR

    Omar Sharif was a great Hollywood actor from Egypt, someone who played major roles in memorable movies such as “Doctor Zhivago” and “Lawrence of Arabia”. But to me, he was my bridge hero (the card game). In his heyday, Sharif was one of the best bridge players in the world.

    17 One of the only two NBA teams that share an arena : LA CLIPPERS

    The Los Angeles Clippers NBA team started off life as the Buffalo Braves in 1970. The Braves took on the Clippers name when the franchise moved to San Diego in 1978. The new team name was chosen in honor of the great clipper ships that used to pass through San Diego Bay. The San Diego Clippers were sold in 1982 to real estate developer Donald Sterling, who moved the team to his native Los Angeles two years later. That move was not approved by the NBA, which resulted in a lawsuit and a $6 million fine, but the team was allowed to stay in its new home.

    The Staples Center is a sports arena in Los Angeles that opened in 1999. It is home to several sporting franchises, including the LA Lakers and LA Clippers basketball teams and the LA Kings hockey team.

    23 Getaway : LAM

    To be on the lam is to be in flight, to have escaped from prison. “On the lam” is American slang that originated at the end of the 19th century. The word “lam” also means “beat” or “thrash”, as in “lambaste”. So “on the lam” might derive from the phrase “to beat it, to scram”.

    24 Pre-High Holy Days Hebrew month : ELUL

    Elul is the month in the Hebrew calendar that occurs in August-September.

    25 Hive feature : HONEYCOMB

    Honeybees create a structure within their nests called a honeycomb that is used to contain their larvae and also to store honey and pollen. The honeycomb comprises hexagonal cells made from wax.

    30 Stand for something : EASEL

    The word “easel” comes from an old Dutch word meaning “donkey”, would you believe? The idea is that an easel carries its load (an oil painting, say) just as a donkey would be made to carry a load.

    31 Dazzling displays : ECLATS

    “Éclat” can describe a brilliant show of success, as well as the applause or accolade that one receives for that success. The word “éclat” derives from the French “éclater” meaning “to splinter, burst out”.

    36 Simplicity-based problem-solving principle : OCCAM’S RAZOR

    Ockham’s Razor (also “Occam’s Razor”) is a principle in philosophy and science that basically states that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. This explanation is a corollary to the more exact statement of the principle, that one shouldn’t needlessly use assumptions in explaining something. The principle is referred to as “lex parsimoniae” in Latin, or “the law of parsimony”. Parsimony is being thrifty with money or resources.

    39 Gaucho’s weapon : BOLA

    Bolas are heavy balls connected by cords that constitute a throwing weapon. Bolas are often used to capture animals by tripping them as they run. The weapon is usually associated with gauchos, South American cowboys, although there is evidence that the Inca army used them in battle.

    A gaucho is someone who lives in the South American pampas, the fertile lowlands in the southeast of South America. The term “gaucho” is also used as the equivalent of our “cowboy”.

    42 Engineer Citroën : ANDRE

    André-Gustave Citroën was a Parisian industrialist who founded the Citroën automotive company in 1919, which became the fourth-largest manufacturer of automobiles by the 1930s. Citroën was also quite the gambler and his huge losses eventually led to his company going bankrupt and being taken over by Michelin, the enterprise that provided the tires for the Citroën cars.

    49 Nevada state flower : SAGEBRUSH

    Sagebrush is a name used for many plants in the genus Artemisia, which is in the daisy family. The best-known and most common species is the basin sagebrush (also “big sagebrush”), which was chosen as Nevada’s State Flower in 1967.

    53 Fayetteville sch. : U OF A

    The University of Arkansas is located in Fayetteville. It was founded in 1871 as the Arkansas Industrial University. An interesting U of A tradition is the carving of the names of graduating students into the concrete walkways of the campus. This tradition started way back in 1876, with the walkway now known as “Senior Walk”.

    54 NBC skit show : SNL

    NBC first aired a form of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) in 1975 under the title “NBC’s Saturday Night”. The show was actually created to give Johnny Carson some time off from “The Tonight Show”. Back then “The Tonight Show” had a weekend episode, and Carson convinced NBC to pull the Saturday or Sunday recordings off the air and hold them for subsequent weeknights in which Carson needed a break. NBC turned to Lorne Michaels and asked him to put together a variety show to fill the vacant slot, and he came up with what we now call “Saturday Night Live”.

    56 Parodies : SPOOFS

    The word “spoof” came into the language in the 1880s with the meaning “hoax, deception”. The term was coined by British comedian Arthur Roberts as the name for a card game he invented that involved trickery and nonsense. The verb “to spoof” came to mean “to satirize gently” starting in the 1920s.

    60 Where to find the ends of 17-, 25-, 36- and 49-Across : BARBERSHOP

    Barbers originally offered a wide range of services, including surgery. Back in the Middle Ages, one of the primary services offered was bloodletting. The red and white sign outside a barber’s place of business represented bloody bandages wrapped around a pole. Henry VIII restricted barbers to just haircutting … and dentistry. Our term “barber” comes to us via Anglo-French from the Latin “barba” meaning “beard”.

    63 Spiny lizard : IGUANA

    An iguana is a lizard, and as such is cold-blooded. There are times when pet iguanas need heat from an IR lamp to maintain body temperature.

    65 “Watermark” musician : ENYA

    Enya’s real name is Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, which can translate from Irish into Enya Brennan. Her Donegal family (in the northwest of Ireland) formed a band called Clannad, which included Enya. In 1980 Enya launched her very successful solo career, eventually becoming Ireland’s best-selling solo musician. And, she sure does turn up a lot in crosswords!

    Down

    1 Like the moon, at times : HALOED

    The Greek word “halos” is the name given to the ring of light around the sun or moon, which gives us our word “halo” that is used for a radiant light depicted above the head of a saintly person.

    2 Soothsayer : ORACLE

    In ancient Greece and Rome, an oracle was someone believed to be inspired by the gods to give wise counsel. The word “oracle” derives from the Latin “orare” meaning “to speak”, which is the same root for our word “orator”. One of the most important oracles of ancient Greece was Pythia, the high priestess to Apollo at Delphi.

    A soothsayer is someone who claims to have the ability to predict the future. The term “soothsayer” comes from “sooth”, an archaic word for “truth”. So a soothsayer was supposedly one who told the “truth” (about the future).

    3 Glitch : HICCUP

    “Glitch” comes into English from German via Yiddish. The original German word is “glitschen” meaning “to slip”. It is a relatively new term, and generally applied to computer software bugs.

    4 Qatari leader : EMIR

    Qatar is a sovereign state in the Middle East occupying the Qatar Peninsula, itself located in the Arabian Peninsula. Qatar lies on the Persian Gulf and shares one land border, with Saudi Arabia to the south. Qatar has more oil and gas reserves per capita of population than any other country in the world. In 2010, Qatar had the fastest growing economy in the world, driven by the petrochemical industry. Qatar is scheduled to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, although the nation’s eligibility to do so is under question after a far-reaching bribery scandal was uncovered at the sport’s governing body.

    6 Payroll service initials : ADP

    Automatic Data Processing (ADP) is an enterprise based in Roseland, New Jersey that provides business services to companies. The company was founded back in 1949 by Henry Taub as Automatic Payrolls, Inc.

    7 Sauce whose name means “please” : PREGO

    The Prego brand of pasta sauce is owned by the Campbell Soup Company. It is actually based on the family recipe of one of the company’s chefs. “Prego” literally means “I pray” in Italian, but it translates best in English as “you’re welcome” when it is used after a “thank you” (“grazie”, in Italian).

    8 Kitchen wrap : SARAN

    What’s known as plastic wrap in America, we call cling-film in Ireland. The brand name “Saran” is often used generically in the US, while “Glad” wrap is common down under. Plastic wrap was one of those unintended inventions, a byproduct of a development program to create a hard plastic cover for cars.

    9 Nail polish brand : ESSIE

    Essie Cosmetics is a company that was founded by Essie Weingarten, and which is now owned by L’Oreal. Apparently, Queen Elizabeth II will only wear Essie’s Ballet Slippers color nail polish. Well, that’s what Wikipedia claims …

    11 “Beatles ’65” song : I’M A LOSER

    The Beatles song “I’m a Loser” first appeared on the “Beatles for Sale” album in 1964. The first pressing of the album listed the song’s title as “I’m a Losser”, i.e. with a spelling error. If you have one of those records, I’d say it’s worth a pretty penny …

    “Beatles ’65” is a Beatles album that was actually released at the end of 1964. That release only took place in North America. It was a sister album to “Beatles for Sale”, which was released outside of North America at the same time. Eight out fourteen tracks were the same on “Beatles ’65” and “Beatles for Sale”.

    12 Pepcid rival : TAGAMET

    “Tagamet” is a brand name used for the drug Cimetidine. Used in the treatment of heartburn and peptic ulcers, cimetidine inhibits the production of stomach acid.

    “Pepcid” is a brand name for famotidine, a drug used in the treatment of peptic ulcers by decreasing production of stomach acid.

    22 “Science Guy” Bill : NYE

    That would be “Bill Nye the Science Guy”. Bill’s show ran on PBS for four years, from 1993-97.

    25 Big wheels : HELMS

    In its broadest sense, the term “helm” describes the whole of a ship’s steering mechanism, including the rudder and tiller. In a more specific sense, the helm is the handle, tiller or wheel that is used to control the steering gear.

    26 Gear for stealth, briefly : CAMO

    Our word “camouflage” (often abbreviated to “camo”) evolved directly from a Parisian slang term “camoufler” meaning “to disguise”. The term was first used in WWI, although the British navy at that time preferred the expression “dazzle-painting” as it applied to the pattern painted on the hulls of ships.

    28 Former nuclear agcy. : AEC

    The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was set up right after WWII in 1946, with the aim of promoting the peaceful use of atomic energy. Establishing the AEC was a significant move made by President Truman, as it passed control of atomic energy from the military to the civilian sector. The AEC continued to operate until 1974 when its functions were divided up into two new agencies: the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Energy Research and Development Administration (NRDA). The NRDA was merged with the Federal Energy Administration in 1977 to form the Department of Energy.

    29 Indiana-based sports org. : NCAA

    The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) dates back to the Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. When his son broke his nose playing football at Harvard, President Roosevelt turned his attention to the number of serious injuries and even deaths occurring in college sports. He instigated meetings between the major educational institutions, leading to the formation of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS) in 1906, which was given the remit of regulating college sports. The IAAUS became the NCAA in 1910. The NCAA has been headquartered in Indianapolis since 1999.

    32 Stubborn equine : ASS

    Prior to the 1780s, the equine animal that we usually call a “donkey” was referred to as an “ass”. Today, the terms are interchangeable.

    33 Word in a court oath : TRUTH

    Do you solemnly (swear/affirm) that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, (so help you God/under pains and penalties of perjury)?

    36 Stars and Stripes : OLD GLORY

    The person who coined the phrase “Old Glory” with reference to the American flag was Captain William Driver, a shipmaster from Salem, Massachusetts. As Driver was leaving on an 1831 voyage aboard the brig Charles Doggett, he unfurled the American flag that he had just been given by a group of friends. As the flag caught the breeze, he uttered the words, “Old Glory!”. That’s the story anyway. On that same voyage, Charles Doggett rescued the famous mutineers of the HMS Bounty, after he encountered them on Pitcairn Island.

    Legend has it that Betsy Ross made the first American flag for General George Washington. However, this story only surfaced during the centennial celebrations of 1876, and although Betsy Ross was indeed one of several flag makers in Philadelphia in the days of George Washington, sadly there’s no definitive evidence that Ross provided that first Stars and Stripes.

    38 Type of garden : ZEN

    Japanese Zen gardens are inspired by the meditation gardens of Zen Buddhist temples. Zen gardens have no water in them, but often there is gravel and sand that is raked in patterns designed to create the impression of water in waves and ripples.

    39 Pub brand with a red triangle logo : BASS 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.

    43 Wane : EBB

    The verbs “to wax” and “to wane” come from Old English. To wax is to increase gradually in size, strength, intensity or number. To wane is to decrease gradually.

    50 Bridge term : REBID

    The version of the card game bridge that is played mostly today is contract bridge. Auction bridge is a similar game, and is a precursor to contract bridge.

    56 D.C. group : SENS

    The District of Columbia (DC) was established by the Residence Act in 1790. Article One, Section 8 of the US constitution provides for the establishment of a district outside of the states, over which the federal government has authority. The constitution also specifies that the district cannot exceed an area of ten miles square.

    57 Start to fall? : PRAT-

    “Prat” is a relatively new word for me, and is a slang term for the buttocks. A “prat-fall” is when someone falls and lands on the buttocks.

    59 Coral, for one : SEA

    The Coral Sea is part of the South Pacific Ocean lying off the northeast coast of Australia. It is home to the renowned Great Barrier Reef.

    61 Sweetie, in modern lingo : BAE

    “Bae” is a contemporary term of endearment. It is a pet name that is an abbreviation of “babe, baby”, although I’ve also read that it is an acronym standing for “before anyone else”.

    Complete List of Clues/Answers

    Across

    1 Letters in a water molecule diagram : HOH
    4 Slip by : ELAPSE
    10 Cook’s protector : MITT
    14 Vincent’s agent in “Entourage” : ARI
    15 Light cotton fabric : MADRAS
    16 Actor Sharif : OMAR
    17 One of the only two NBA teams that share an arena : LA CLIPPERS
    19 Web __ : PAGE
    20 Happens : OCCURS
    21 Put on weight : GAIN
    23 Getaway : LAM
    24 Pre-High Holy Days Hebrew month : ELUL
    25 Hive feature : HONEYCOMB
    27 Exit via the jetway : DEPLANE
    30 Stand for something : EASEL
    31 Dazzling displays : ECLATS
    35 Distribute : METE
    36 Simplicity-based problem-solving principle : OCCAM’S RAZOR
    39 Gaucho’s weapon : BOLA
    41 Take on : ASSUME
    42 Engineer Citroën : ANDRE
    44 Mix drinks : TEND BAR
    49 Nevada state flower : SAGEBRUSH
    53 Fayetteville sch. : U OF A
    54 NBC skit show : SNL
    55 Outplay : BEST
    56 Parodies : SPOOFS
    58 Commotions : ADOS
    60 Where to find the ends of 17-, 25-, 36- and 49-Across : BARBERSHOP
    62 Tales and such : LORE
    63 Spiny lizard : IGUANA
    64 Mine find : ORE
    65 “Watermark” musician : ENYA
    66 Can’t abide : DETEST
    67 Unmatched : ODD

    Down

    1 Like the moon, at times : HALOED
    2 Soothsayer : ORACLE
    3 Glitch : HICCUP
    4 Qatari leader : EMIR
    5 Relay units : LAPS
    6 Payroll service initials : ADP
    7 Sauce whose name means “please” : PREGO
    8 Kitchen wrap : SARAN
    9 Nail polish brand : ESSIE
    10 Clean, in a way : MOP
    11 “Beatles ’65” song : I’M A LOSER
    12 Pepcid rival : TAGAMET
    13 Show fear, maybe : TREMBLE
    18 Soothe : LULL
    22 “Science Guy” Bill : NYE
    25 Big wheels : HELMS
    26 Gear for stealth, briefly : CAMO
    28 Former nuclear agcy. : AEC
    29 Indiana-based sports org. : NCAA
    32 Stubborn equine : ASS
    33 Word in a court oath : TRUTH
    34 Indistinguishable, with “the” : … SAME
    36 Stars and Stripes : OLD GLORY
    37 Word with health or hair : … CARE
    38 Type of garden : ZEN
    39 Pub brand with a red triangle logo : BASS ALE
    40 Endlessly : ON AND ON
    43 Wane : EBB
    45 Many old comedy teams : DUOS
    46 Sarcastic “So sad” : BOO HOO
    47 Manage to pay : AFFORD
    48 Filed, in a way : RASPED
    50 Bridge term : REBID
    51 Practice : USAGE
    52 Swaggering gait : STRUT
    56 D.C. group : SENS
    57 Start to fall? : PRAT-
    59 Coral, for one : SEA
    61 Sweetie, in modern lingo : BAE