LA Times Crossword Answers 13 Jun 16, Monday




LA Times Crossword Solution 13 Jun 16 - 125%







Constructed by: Lila Cherry

Edited by: Rich Norris

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Theme: Deejay

Today’s themed answers each comprise two words, beginning with the letters D and J:

  • 47D…Wedding music provider … and a homophonic hint to six puzzle answers..DEEJAY
  • 17A…Hardcover protector..DUST JACKET
  • 25A…Improvisational music style developed in 14-Across..DIXIELAND JAZZ
  • 43A…Local jurist..DISTRICT JUDGE
  • 58A…Maneuver that captures two checkers..DOUBLE JUMP
  • 10D…Guy’s breakup letter..DEAR JANE
  • 37D…Clerical office positions..DESK JOBS

Bill’s time: 5m 39s

Bill’s errors: 0




Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies

Across

5…__ Madness: fruity Snapple flavor..MANGO

Originally “Snapple” was name of just one type of juice made by a company called Unadulterated Food Products. The drink’s name was a contraction of “snappy apple”. The company’s name was changed to the Snapple Beverage Corporation in the early 1980s. Snapple was sold in 1994, and is now a brand name owned by Dr Pepper Snapple Group.

10…Info that isn’t as dumb as it sounds..DOPE

Our use of the word “dope” to mean “inside information” probably comes from horse racing. The idea is that a better might have information about which horse has been drugged (doped) to influence its performance.

14…Mardi Gras city acronym..NOLA

The city of New Orleans, Louisiana has the nickname “The Big Easy”. This name might come from the early 1900s when musicians found it relatively “easy” to find work there. The city is also known by the acronym NOLA, standing for New Orleans (NO), LA.

“Mardi Gras” translates from French as “Fat Tuesday”, and gets its name from the practice of eating rich foods on the eve of the fasting season known as Lent. Lent starts on the next day, called Ash Wednesday.

15…University founder Yale..ELIHU

Elihu Yale was a wealthy merchant born in Boston in 1649. Yale worked for the British East India Company, and for many years served as governor of a settlement at Madras (now Chennai) in India. After India, Yale took over his father’s estate near Wrexham in Wales. It was while resident in Wrexham that Yale responded to a request for financial support for the Collegiate School of Connecticut in 1701. He sent the school a donation, which was used to erect a new building in New Haven that was named “Yale” in his honor. In 1718, the whole school was renamed to “Yale College”. To this day, students of Yale are nicknamed “Elis”, again honoring Elihu.

21…Josephine, for one..EMPRESS

The birth name of the Empress Joséphine, first wife of Napoléon I, was Joséphine Tascher de la Pagerie. Her name just before her marriage to Napoléon Bonaparte was Joséphine de Beauharnais, as she had been the wife of Alexandre de Beauharnais, a general who fell victim to the guillotine during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. Joséphine agreed to a divorce from Napoléon I, as she failed to bear the emperor any children. The couple remained devoted to each other, even after Napoléon married Marie-Louise of Austria. Her former husband insisted that Joséphine retain the title of empress. She passed away in 1814, while Napoleon was in exile on Elba. Napoleon’s final words on his deathbed were “France, the Army, the Head of the Army, Joséphine.”

23…Dictator Amin..IDI

Idi Amin received most of his military training in the British armed forces, eventually achieving the highest rank possible for a Black African in the British Colonial Army in 1959, that of Warrant Officer. On his return to Uganda Amin joined his country’s military and quickly rose to the rank of Deputy Commander of the Army. During that time he was quite the athlete. He was a noted rugby player and swimmer, and for nine years held the Ugandan national light-heavyweight boxing title. By the early seventies, Amin was commander of all the armed forces of Uganda and in 1971 seized power in a military coup, displacing the country’s president Milton Obote. There followed seven years of brutal rule by Amin during which it is estimated that between 100,000 and 500,000 people were murdered. Amin was ousted from power in 1979 after a war with Tanzania, and fled to Libya where he stayed for a year. He then moved to Saudi Arabia, where he was financially supported by the Saudi Royal Family for the remainder of his life. Amin died in 2003.

24…Noun following a vb., usually..OBJ

An object (obj.) is a noun following a verb (vb.), usually.

25…Improvisational music style developed in 14-Across..DIXIELAND JAZZ
(14A…Mardi Gras city acronym..NOLA)

The Dixieland style of jazz is also known as New Orleans jazz and early jazz, a reference to the style early roots in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century.

“Dixie” is a nickname sometimes used for the American South, and often specifically for the original 11 states that seceded from the Union just prior to the Civil War. It’s apparently not certain how the name “Dixie” came about. One theory is that it comes from the term “dixie” which was used for currency issued by banks in Louisiana. The 10-dollar bills had the word “dix” on the reverse side, the French for “ten”. From the banknote, the French speaking area around New Orleans came to be known as Dixieland, and from there “Dixie” came to apply to the South in general.

33…East, to Eduardo..ESTE

In Spanish, “el sol” (the sun) rises in the “este” (east).

36…Apple tablet..IPAD

The groundbreaking iPad was introduced by Apple in 2010. The iOS-based iPads dominated the market for tablet computers until 2013, when Android-based tablets (manufactured by several companies) took over the number-one spot.

39…Stonestreet of “Modern Family”..ERIC

Actor Eric Stonestreet is best-known for playing Cameron Tucker on the hit comedy show “Modern Family”. Stonestreet is openly straight, but plays the gay partner of the character Mitchell Pritchett. Pritchett is played by openly-gay actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Ferguson jokingly describes Stonestreet as being “gay for pay”.

48…Divided Asian country: Abbr…KOR

Korea was occupied by the Japanese military from 1910 until Japan surrendered at the end of WWII in 1945. While the UN was working towards a trusteeship administration for Korea, the Soviet Union managed the Korean Peninsula north of the 38th parallel and the US managed the south. The UN’s plans came to nothing as the Cold War dictated the establishment of the two separate states of North Korea and South Korea. North Korea invaded the South in 1950, leading to the Korean War. After three years of fighting, the border between the two states became the demarcation line between the two military forces on the day the Armistice Agreement was signed. That line runs diagonally across the 38th parallel, and is better known as the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

50…”The Grapes of Wrath” protagonist..TOM JOAD

Tom Joad is the protagonist the John Steinbeck’s novel “The Grapes of Wrath”. The role of Joad was played by Henry Fonda in the 1940 film adaptation directed by John Ford. Ford’s movie has a place in history, as it was one of the first 25 movies selected for preservation in the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

57…Small Chevy model..AVEO

The Chevrolet Aveo is a subcompact automobile that has been around since 2002. The Aveo is manufactured by GM Daewoo, the GM subsidiary in South Korea. Although the Aveo name is still used in some markets, here in North America the Aveo has been sold as the Chevrolet Sonic since 2012. By the way, GM Daewoo is the third largest manufacturer of automobiles in South Korea, after Hyundai and Kia.

58…Maneuver that captures two checkers..DOUBLE JUMP

“Checkers” is yet another word that I had to learn moving across the Atlantic. In Ireland the game is called “draughts”.

61…Low-__ diet..CARB

The eating of relatively few carbohydrates is central to the diet proposed by Robert Atkins. Atkins first laid out the principles behind the Atkins diet in a research paper published in 1958 in the “Journal of the American Medical Association”. He popularized his diet starting in 1972 with his book “Dr. Atkins’ Diet Revolution”.

65…Brewery kilns..OASTS

An oast is a kiln used for drying hops as part of the brewing process. Such a structure might also be called an “oast house”.

66…Thief who doesn’t need the combination..YEGG

“Yegg” is a slang word for a burglar and often for a safe-cracker. The origin of the term appears to be unknown.

Down

4…Dot-__ printer..MATRIX

A dot matrix printer works somewhat like an old typewriter. The printer head runs back and forth across the stage striking the paper through an inked ribbon, creating the printed characters from small dots.

6…Oct. baseball semifinal..ALCS

American League Championship Series (ALCS)

8…Indian butter..GHEE

Ghee is clarified butter used in South Asian cuisines. The “ghee” comes from Sanskrit, and translates as “sprinkled”.

10…Guy’s breakup letter..DEAR JANE

Apparently the term “Dear John letter” originated in WWII among American troops who were serving abroad. The servicemen highly valued letters from girlfriends and wives back home, and almost invariably those missives started out with “Dearest”, or “My Darling” or some other expression of affection. A curt, “Dear John” set the tone for a letter which was likely to contain news of a new love interest in the life of the girlfriend or wife. The contemporary equivalent missive from a male to a female is a “Dear Jane letter”.

13…”Grand” ice cream brand..EDYS

Dreyer’s ice cream sells its products under the name Dreyers in the Western United States, and Edy’s in the Eastern states. The company’s founders were William Dreyer and Joseph Edy. The partners launched Edy’s Grand Ice Cream in 1928, with the use of the adjective “Grand” a reference to their street address on Grand Avenue in Oakland, California.

18…Dame Dench..JUDI

Dame Judi Dench is an outstanding English actress, known for decades in her home country mainly as a stage and television actress. Dench’s film career took off in the nineties with a relatively trivial role as “M” in the James Bond series of films. Since then she has played leading roles in several excellent movies including “Shakespeare in Love”, “Mrs. Brown” and “Notes on a Scandal”.

22…Sandwich with Jif and Welch’s, for short..PBJ

Peanut butter and jelly (PB&J or PBJ)

Jif is the leading brand of peanut butter in the US, and has been since 1981. Introduced in 1958, it is now produced by Smuckers.

Welch’s is a beverage and food company that was founded in 1869 by Thomas Bramwell Welch and Lee Steger Welch in Vineland, New Jersey. The company’s first product was “Dr. Welch’s Unfermented Wine”, which was later rebranded as “Welch’s Grape Juice”.

26…Pakistani neighbor..IRANI

Iran is in the process of building a 10-foot high concrete wall along a 700-km stretch of the Iran-Pakistan frontier. The barrier is intended to deter illegal crossings and the smuggling of drugs into Iran.

27…Eleventh of 13 popes..LEO XI

Pope Leo XI ascended to the papal throne on April 1, 1605, almost seventy years old at the time. He became sick and died within a month. For obvious reasons he was nicknamed “Papa Lambo”, the Lightning Pope …

28…Savory gelatin..ASPIC

Aspic is a dish in which the main ingredients are served in a gelatin made from meat stock. “Aspic” is a French word for “jelly”.

29…H-bomb trial, e.g…N-TEST

The first successful detonation of a hydrogen bomb (H-bomb) was in a test codenamed Ivy Mike. The test was conducted by the US on an atoll in the Pacific Ocean named Enewetak.

30…Weightlessness cause, briefly..ZERO-G

The force of gravity that we all feel is referred to as “one-G”. As gravity is a actually an accelerating force, acceleration is measured relative to that force of gravity. So, if we are sitting in a vehicle that accelerates at 3G, then we are experiencing a force that is three times that which we feel from the gravitational pull of the earth. Zero-G is weightlessness that is experienced when in space, outside the influence of the earth’s gravity.

31…Congo, formerly..ZAIRE

The African nation once called Zaire is a neighbor of Rwanda. The genocide and war in Rwanda spilled over into Zaire in 1996, with the conflict escalating into what is now called the First Congo War. As part of the war’s fallout there was a regime change, and in 1997 Zaire became the Democratic Republic of Congo.

32…Newton fruit..FIG

The Fig Newton is based on what is actually a very old recipe that dates back to Ancient Egypt. Whereas we grew up with “Fig Rolls” in Ireland, here in America the brand name “Fig Newton” was used, named after the town of Newton, Massachusetts where they were first produced.

35…Getting it done, initially..TCB

Taking care of business (TCB)

45…Units of energy..JOULES

James Joule was an English physicist who spent much of his life working in the family brewing business. Joule used his work in the brewery to study the relationship between heat and mechanical work. In honor of his achievements, his name is used for the unit of energy in the International System of Units (i.e. the joule).

47…Wedding music provider … and a homophonic hint to six puzzle answers..DEEJAY

The world’s first radio disk jockey (DJ, deejay) was one Ray Newby of Stockton, California who made his first broadcast in 1909, would you believe? When he was 16 years old and a student, he started to play his records on a primitive radio located in the Herrold College of Engineering and Wireless in San Jose. The records played back then were mostly recordings of Enrico Caruso.

53…Spanish lady..DONA

In Spain, a title of respect for men is “Don”. The equivalent female title is “Dona”.

55…__ of thumb..RULE

The exact origin of the phrase “rule of thumb” appears to be unclear. However, the expression does exist in languages other than English, although the wording can vary. In Finnish and German the equivalent is “rule of fist”, and in Hebrew the phrase is “rule of finger”.

56…City skyline obscurer..SMOG

“Smog” is a portmanteau formed by melding “smoke” and “fog”. The term was first used to describe the air around London in the early 1900s.

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Complete List of Clues and Answers

Across

1…”Pardon me … “..AHEM …

5…__ Madness: fruity Snapple flavor..MANGO

10…Info that isn’t as dumb as it sounds..DOPE

14…Mardi Gras city acronym..NOLA

15…University founder Yale..ELIHU

16…Quaint “Yikes!”..EGAD!

17…Hardcover protector..DUST JACKET

19…One on your side..ALLY

20…Old show showings..RERUNS

21…Josephine, for one..EMPRESS

23…Dictator Amin..IDI

24…Noun following a vb., usually..OBJ

25…Improvisational music style developed in 14-Across..DIXIELAND JAZZ

32…Cat covering..FUR

33…East, to Eduardo..ESTE

34…Orderly..NEAT

36…Apple tablet..IPAD

38…Handled things somehow..COPED

39…Stonestreet of “Modern Family”..ERIC

40…Heredity unit..GENE

41…x or y, in plane geometry..AXIS

42…Planet, in verse..ORB

43…Local jurist..DISTRICT JUDGE

48…Divided Asian country: Abbr…KOR

49…Miner’s objective..ORE

50…”The Grapes of Wrath” protagonist..TOM JOAD

54…Boring tools..AUGERS

57…Small Chevy model..AVEO

58…Maneuver that captures two checkers..DOUBLE JUMP

61…Low-__ diet..CARB

62…Outie’s opposite..INNIE

63…Natural skin soother..ALOE

64…Bullfight cheers..OLES

65…Brewery kilns..OASTS

66…Thief who doesn’t need the combination..YEGG

Down

1…Also..AND

2…Time of day..HOUR

3…”Anything __?”..ELSE

4…Dot-__ printer..MATRIX

5…Malicious one..MEANIE

6…Oct. baseball semifinal..ALCS

7…Suffix with 34-Across..-NIK

8…Indian butter..GHEE

9…No longer in style..OUTMODED

10…Guy’s breakup letter..DEAR JANE

11…Gawk at..OGLE

12…Buddies..PALS

13…”Grand” ice cream brand..EDYS

18…Dame Dench..JUDI

22…Sandwich with Jif and Welch’s, for short..PBJ

25…Fooled..DUPED

26…Pakistani neighbor..IRANI

27…Eleventh of 13 popes..LEO XI

28…Savory gelatin..ASPIC

29…H-bomb trial, e.g…N-TEST

30…Weightlessness cause, briefly..ZERO-G

31…Congo, formerly..ZAIRE

32…Newton fruit..FIG

35…Getting it done, initially..TCB

37…Clerical office positions..DESK JOBS

38…Music provider on the road..CAR RADIO

44…Also..TOO

45…Units of energy..JOULES

46…Strongly suggest..URGE

47…Wedding music provider … and a homophonic hint to six puzzle answers..DEEJAY

50…Mexican snack in a shell..TACO

51…Track shape..OVAL

52…Nothing but..MERE

53…Spanish lady..DONA

54…Not much..A BIT

55…__ of thumb..RULE

56…City skyline obscurer..SMOG

59…Young __: tots, in dialect..’UNS

60…Tent stake..PEG




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