LA Times Crossword 7 Apr 22, Thursday

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Constructed by: Bruce Haight
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Heads of State

Themed answers each comprise two words. Each word is HEADED with the postal abbreviation for the US STATE that is home to the city cited in the clue:

  • 61A Country leaders, and along with names in parentheses, a hint to 18-, 24-, 39- and 49-Across : HEADS OF STATE
  • 18A Bracketology event (Cambridge) : MARCH MADNESS (MA = Massachusetts)
  • 24A Series that included Bugs and Daffy (Augusta) : MERRIE MELODIES (ME = Maine)
  • 39A Risky operations often with code names (Ann Arbor) : MILITARY MISSIONS (MI = Michigan)
  • 49A Science class visual aid (Joplin) : MOLECULAR MODEL (MO = Missouri)

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

Bill’s time: 8m 17s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Reminder trademark : POST-IT

The Post-it note was invented at 3M following the accidental discovery of a low-tack, reusable adhesive. The actual intent of the development program was the discovery of a super-strong adhesive.

7 1994 National Women’s Hall of Fame inductee : OPRAH

The National Women’s Hall of Fame is located in Seneca Falls, New York, which was home to the nation’s first women’s rights convention, in 1848. The Hall was established in 1969, when it was hosted by Eisenhower College, which is also in Seneca Falls. The current facility opened for visitors in 1979. I was lucky enough to spend a very uplifting afternoon there several years ago ….

12 One having a ball : DEB

“Deb” is short for “debutante”, which translates from French as “beginner” when referring to a female.

15 Kia model : OPTIMA

The Kia Optima was sold for a while in Canada and Europe as the Kia Magentis.

16 Magna cum __ : LAUDE

When an academic degree is awarded, a level of distinction can be noted depending on the degree of success achieved by the student. There are three types of honor, each with a Latin name:

  • cum laude: meaning “with honor” (literally “with praise”)
  • magna cum laude: meaning “with great honor”
  • summa cum laude: meaning “with highest honor”

18 Bracketology event (Cambridge) : MARCH MADNESS (MA = Massachusetts)

“March Madness” is the name given to the NCAA Men’s Division 1 Basketball Championship (among others), that is held in the spring each year. Another name is “the Big Dance”.

“Bracketology” is a term used to describe the process of predicting which college basketball teams will advance in a bracket in the annual NCAA Basketball Tournament. President Barack Obama famously participates in an ESPN segment called “Baracketology” in which he predicts the outcome of the tournament, game by game.

The Massachusetts city of Cambridge lies just across the Charles River from Boston. The area was settled in 1630, and named “Cambridge” in 1638 in honor of the English university. Famously, Cambridge is home to Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as well as Lesley University and Hult International Business School.

20 Narrow waterway : RIA

A drowned valley might be called a ria or a fjord, and both are formed as sea levels rise. A ria is a drowned valley created by river erosion, and a fjord is a drowned valley created by glaciation.

21 Soup served with chopsticks : PHO

Pho (pronounced “fuh”) is a noodle soup from Vietnam that is a popular street food.

24 Series that included Bugs and Daffy (Augusta) : MERRIE MELODIES (ME = Maine)

“Looney Tunes” and “Merrie Melodies” are two series of animated short films produced by Warner Bros. from 1930 until 1969. The list of famous “Looney Tunes” characters includes Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Elmer Fudd, Tweety Bird, and my favorites Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner.

As well as being the easternmost state capital, Augusta, Maine is the third smallest, with a population of under 20,000. The least populous state capitals are Montpelier, Vermont (~7,000) and Pierre, South Dakota (~14,000).

29 Paso __, Calif. : ROBLES

Paso Robles is a lovely little city in San Luis Obispo County, California. Paso Robles is home to many, many wineries. The name Paso Robles translates from Spanish as “The Pass of the Oaks”.

31 Radamès’ love : AIDA

“Aida” is a celebrated opera by Giuseppe Verdi that is based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette. Mariette also designed the costumes and stages for the opening performance. The opera was first staged in 1871 in an opera house in Cairo. In the storyline, Aida is an Ethiopian princess brought into Egypt as a slave. Radamès is an Egyptian commander who falls in love with her, and then complications arise!

32 Texter’s “But … ” : OTOH …

On the other hand (OTOH)

36 Frat letter : TAU

Tau is the 19th letter of the Greek alphabet, and the letter that gave rise to our Roman “T”. Both the letters tau (T) and chi (X) have long been symbolically associated with the cross.

39 Risky operations often with code names (Ann Arbor) : MILITARY MISSIONS (MI = Michigan)

Ann Arbor, Michigan was founded in 1824 by John Allen and Elisha Rumsey. Supposedly, Allen and Rumsey originally used the name “Annsarbour” in recognition of stands of bur oak that were on the land they had purchased and in recognition of their wives, both of whom were called “Ann” (i.e. Anns’ Arbor)

43 Tire pressure fig. : PSI

Pounds per square inch (PSI) is a measure of pressure.

44 12-step offshoot : AL-ANON

Al-Anon and Alateen are fellowships for relatives and friends of alcoholics. Alateen specifically supports teens who are affected by another’s drinking, whereas Al-Anon focuses on people of all ages.

47 Acted as an informant, in Ipswich : NARKED

Ipswich is the county town of Suffolk in the south of England. It is an ancient town that owes much of its development to its proximity to the North Sea, located about 10 miles downriver. The Ipswich docks on the River Orwell have operated since the 7th century.

49 Science class visual aid (Joplin) : MOLECULAR MODEL (MO = Missouri)

Joplin is a city in the southwest corner of Missouri.The city went through a very difficult time in 2011, when an EF5-rated tornado touched down. 158 people were killed, and about 1,150 people were injured. It destroyed about a third of Joplin, making it the most expensive tornado in US history.

55 Second word of many limericks : ONCE

No one knows for sure how the limerick got its name, although there does seem to be agreement the name does indeed come from the city or county of Limerick in Ireland. Try this one for size:

There was a young lady named Bright
who traveled much faster than light.
She set out one day
in a relative way,
and came back the previous night.

56 “Cheers” server : DIANE

Actress Shelley Long is best known for playing Diane Chambers on the sitcom “Cheers”. There are lots of stories out there about tension on the set of “Cheers”, particularly between Long and her co-star Ted Danson. Long decided to leave the show after the fifth season, but “Cheers” kept running, for eleven seasons in all.

67 Anti-anxiety med : ATIVAN

Ativan is a brand name for the drug Lorazepam, which is often prescribed for anxiety disorders.

69 Player in 18-Across : CAGER
(18A Bracketology event (Cambridge) : MARCH MADNESS)

In the early days of basketball, when a ball went out of bounds possession was awarded to the player who first retrieved the ball. This led to mad scuffles off the court, often involving spectators. As the game became more organized, courts were routinely “caged”, largely because of this out of bounds rule, to limit interaction with the crowd. It’s because of these cages that basketball players are sometimes referred to today as “cagers”.

70 Firmly held ideas : TENETS

A tenet is an article of faith, something that is held to be true. “Tenet” is Latin for “holds”.

Down

2 Large deep-water fish : OPAH

“Opah” is the more correct name for the fish also known as the sunfish, moonfish or Jerusalem haddock. I’ve seen one in the Monterey Aquarium. It is one huge fish …

3 The Blue Fairy helped Pinocchio escape from him, in the Disney film : STROMBOLI

Mangiafuoco is a character in the 1883 children’s novel “The Adventures of Pinocchio”. He is the director of a puppet theater, and has a fearsome demeanor. The name “Mangiafuoco” translates from Italian as “Fire-Eater”. Disney decided to change the name in the 1940 animated feature “Pinocchio”, calling him “Stromboli” after the volcano.

7 iHeartRadio fare : OLDIE

iHeartRADIO is an Internet radio broadcaster that is owned by Clear Channel. The iHeart.com website provides access to over 800 radio stations that can all be played on a computer or mobile device.

8 “The Hunger Games” land : PANEM

“Panem” is the name of the fictional nation in “The Hunger Games” series of novels. Panem is in North America, with a capital city located in the Rocky Mountains, and thirteen surrounding, outlying districts. The name “Panem” comes from the Latin for “bread”.

9 French way : RUE

“Street” translates into French as “rue” and Italian as “via”.

10 Some taxi toppers : ADS

We call cabs “taxis”, a word derived from “taximeter cabs” that were introduced in London in 1907. A taximeter was an automated meter designed to record distance traveled and fare to be charged. The term “taximeter” evolved from “taxameter”, with “taxa” being Latin for “tax, charge”.

19 NFL’s Cardinals, on scoreboards : ARI

The Arizona Cardinals were founded in 1898 as the Chicago Cardinals. That makes the Cardinals the oldest, continuously-run, professional football team in the whole country.

23 OTC watchdog : FDA

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has its roots in the Division of Chemistry (later “Bureau of Chemistry”) that was part of the US Department of Agriculture. President Theodore Roosevelt gave responsibility for examination of food and drugs to the Bureau of Chemistry with the signing of the Pure Food and Drug Act. The Bureau’s name was changed to the Food, Drug and Insecticide Organization in 1927, and to the Food and Drug Administration in 1930.

Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs don’t need a prescription (Rx).

25 K-12, in brief : ELHI

“Elhi” is an informal word used to describe anything related to schooling from kindergarten through grade 12, i.e. elementary through high school.

“Kindergarten” is a German term, one translating as “children’s garden”. The term was coined by the German education authority Friedrich Fröbel in 1837, when he used it as the name for his play and activity institute that he created for young children to use before they headed off to school. His thought was that children should be nourished educationally, like plants in a garden.

27 “Balderdash!” : LIES!

“Balderdash” means “senseless jumble of words”. The original balderdash (back before the late 1600s) was a jumbled mix of liquids like maybe beer and wine, or even beer and milk!

30 Publisher Chandler : OTIS

Otis Chandler was the fourth member of the Chandler family to publish the “Los Angeles Times”. Otis Chandler was publisher from 1960 to 1980, when he retired from the job at the age of 52.

34 Writer Rand : AYN

Ayn Rand was a Russian-American novelist born “Alisa Rosenbaum”. Her two best known works are her novels “The Fountainhead” published in 1943 and “Atlas Shrugged” from 1957. Back in 1951, Rand moved from Los Angeles to New York City. Soon after, she gathered a group of admirers around her with whom she discussed philosophy and shared drafts of her magnum opus, “Atlas Shrugged”. This group called itself “The Collective”, and one of the founding members was none other than future Federal Reserve chairman, Alan Greenspan. Rand described herself as “right-wing” politically, and both she and her novel “Atlas Shrugged” have become inspirations for the American conservatives, and the Tea Party in particular.

35 “If u ask me … ” : IMO …

In my opinion (IMO)

40 Locker room powder : TALC

Talc is a mineral, hydrated magnesium silicate. Talcum powder is composed of loose talc, although these days “baby powder” is also made from cornstarch.

41 MLB family name : ALOU

Felipe Alou is a former professional baseball player and manager. Alou managed the Montreal Expos from 1992 to 2001, and the San Francisco Giants from 2003 to 2006. Alou was born and raised in the Dominican Republic and came to the US to play for the Giants in 1955. Felipe’s brothers Matty and Jesús followed him to the US, and into Major League baseball.

48 Carol opener : ADESTE …

The lovely Christmas hymn “Adeste Fideles” (entitled “O Come, All Ye Faithful” in English) was written by one John Francis Wade in the 13th century. Well, he wrote the original four verses, with four more verses being added over time. A kind blog reader pointed out to me that the English translation is in fact a little “off”. The term “adeste” best translates from Latin as “be present, attend”, rather than “come”. The verb “come” appears later in the lyrics in “venite adoremus”, meaning “come, let us worship”.

49 It might be crowned : MOLAR

Molars are grinding teeth. The term “molar” comes from the Latin “mola” meaning “millstone”.

51 High-def screen : LCD TV

Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) are the screens that are found in most laptops today, and in flat panel computer screens and some televisions. LCD monitors basically replaced Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) screens, the old television technology.

53 Choral platform : RISER

A riser is a platform that elevates a group of people above a crowd, and so is ideal for the performance of a choir.

54 World leader with a distinctive suit : MAO

What we call the Mao suit in the west is known as the Zhongshan suit in China. The style was introduced by Sun Yat-sen (also known as Sun Zhongshan) as the form of national dress after the founding of the Republic of China in 1912.

58 Assists, e.g. : STAT

That would be basketball.

59 Till stack : TENS

The obverse of the US ten-dollar bill features the image of Alexander Hamilton, the first US Secretary of the Treasury. As such, ten-dollar bills are sometimes called “Hamiltons”. By the way, the $10 bill is the only US currency in circulation in which the portrait faces to the left. The reverse of the ten-dollar bill features the US Treasury Building.

61 Brand with a Grabbin’ Grape flavor : HI-C

Hi-C orange drink was created in 1946 and introduced to the market in 1948, initially in the south of the country. The name “Hi-C” was chosen to emphasize the high vitamin C content in the drink, as it contained added ascorbic acid (vitamin C).

62 Laundry brand : ERA

Era was the first liquid laundry detergent produced by Procter & Gamble.

63 Mo. named for an emperor : AUG

As the first Emperor of Rome, Octavian was given the name Caesar Augustus. The month of August, originally called “Sextilis” in Latin, was renamed in honor of Augustus.

64 Pewter, mostly : TIN

Pewter is a relatively soft alloy that is made up mostly of tin, with some copper, antimony, bismuth and lead.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Reminder trademark : POST-IT
7 1994 National Women’s Hall of Fame inductee : OPRAH
12 One having a ball : DEB
15 Kia model : OPTIMA
16 Magna cum __ : LAUDE
17 Get rid of : AXE
18 Bracketology event (Cambridge) : MARCH MADNESS (MA = Massachusetts)
20 Narrow waterway : RIA
21 Soup served with chopsticks : PHO
22 Chill-inducing : EERIE
23 Sensed : FELT
24 Series that included Bugs and Daffy (Augusta) : MERRIE MELODIES (ME = Maine)
29 Paso __, Calif. : ROBLES
31 Radamès’ love : AIDA
32 Texter’s “But … ” : OTOH …
33 Lured : BAITED
36 Frat letter : TAU
39 Risky operations often with code names (Ann Arbor) : MILITARY MISSIONS (MI = Michigan)
43 Tire pressure fig. : PSI
44 12-step offshoot : AL-ANON
45 A, B or C, but not X, Y or Z : NOTE
46 Move like water : FLOW
47 Acted as an informant, in Ipswich : NARKED
49 Science class visual aid (Joplin) : MOLECULAR MODEL (MO = Missouri)
55 Second word of many limericks : ONCE
56 “Cheers” server : DIANE
57 More than -er : -EST
60 Pot part : LID
61 Country leaders, and along with names in parentheses, a hint to 18-, 24-, 39- and 49-Across : HEADS OF STATE
65 Group of scenes : ACT
66 Triumphant cry : I RULE!
67 Anti-anxiety med : ATIVAN
68 Gun, as an engine : REV
69 Player in 18-Across : CAGER
70 Firmly held ideas : TENETS

Down

1 Fanfare : POMP
2 Large deep-water fish : OPAH
3 The Blue Fairy helped Pinocchio escape from him, in the Disney film : STROMBOLI
4 Eye twitch, maybe : TIC
5 Arrival cry : I’M HERE!
6 They might hold chairs at a circus : TAMERS
7 iHeartRadio fare : OLDIE
8 “The Hunger Games” land : PANEM
9 French way : RUE
10 Some taxi toppers : ADS
11 Fellows : HES
12 “__ say it?” : DARE I
13 Banish : EXILE
14 Rhythms : BEATS
19 NFL’s Cardinals, on scoreboards : ARI
23 OTC watchdog : FDA
25 K-12, in brief : ELHI
26 __ kitchen : EAT-IN
27 “Balderdash!” : LIES!
28 Numbers with a colon : ODDS
29 Lopsided win : ROMP
30 Publisher Chandler : OTIS
33 Game delay cause : BRAWL
34 Writer Rand : AYN
35 “If u ask me … ” : IMO …
36 Said goodbye to, with “of” : TOOK LEAVE …
37 Part of a pot : ANTE
38 Exploited : USED
40 Locker room powder : TALC
41 MLB family name : ALOU
42 About : IN RE
46 Charge : FEE
47 Milk for losers : NON-FAT
48 Carol opener : ADESTE …
49 It might be crowned : MOLAR
50 Cooled by rocks, in a way : ON ICE
51 High-def screen : LCD TV
52 Flummox : ADDLE
53 Choral platform : RISER
54 World leader with a distinctive suit : MAO
58 Assists, e.g. : STAT
59 Till stack : TENS
61 Brand with a Grabbin’ Grape flavor : HI-C
62 Laundry brand : ERA
63 Mo. named for an emperor : AUG
64 Pewter, mostly : TIN