LA Times Crossword 21 Jul 20, Tuesday

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Constructed by: Hannah Slovut
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Final Score

Themed answers each end with a synonym of “SCORE”:

  • 58A Game-ending result … or what each of the answers to starred clues has? : FINAL SCORE
  • 17A *Spotify alternative : APPLE MUSIC
  • 27A *”More heat in that dish!,” Emeril-style : KICK IT UP A NOTCH
  • 43A *”Unwell” band : MATCHBOX TWENTY

Bill’s time: 5m 03s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 “__ U Been Gone”: 2004 Kelly Clarkson hit : SINCE

“Since U Been Gone” is a song written by Max Martin and Dr. Luke that they hoped would be recorded by Pink. Pink passed on the opportunity to record it, and so they offered it to Hilary Duff. Duff passed as well, and so the song went to Kelly Clarkson. Clarkson’s 2004 recording did well in the charts.

Kelly Clarkson was the first winner of “American Idol”. That’s all I know …

6 Church section : APSE

The apse of a church or cathedral is a semicircular recess in an outer wall, usually with a half-dome as a roof and often where there resides an altar. Originally, apses were used as burial places for the clergy and also for storage of important relics.

10 __ facto : IPSO

“Ipso facto” is Latin, meaning “by the fact itself”. Ipso facto describes something that is a direct consequence of a particular act, as opposed to something that is the result of some subsequent event. For example, my father was born in Dublin and was an Irish citizen, ipso facto. My son was born in California and is an Irish citizen by virtue of being the son of an Irish citizen (i.e. “not” ipso facto).

15 Abolitionist Lucretia : MOTT

Lucretia Coffin Mott (what a name!) was an American Quaker, and an advocate for women’s rights. Mott has been called the first American “feminist”. Her first job was teaching in the Quaker school in which she was educated. There she learned that her salary was to be one third of that paid to the males with the same job (she married one of the male teachers!). That injustice initiated her interest in women’s rights.

16 Superhero whose surname is Odinson : THOR

Thor Odinson is a superhero who was introduced to us by Marvel Comics in 1962. The character is based on the Norse god Thor, and comes complete with a magical hammer. Like so many comic book heroes it seems, Thor has made it to the big screen. Actor Chris Hemsworth played the role in the 2011 film “Thor” directed by the great Kenneth Branagh. Branagh must have needed the cash. Thor’s father Odin is played by Anthony Hopkins. He must have needed the cash too …

17 *Spotify alternative : APPLE MUSIC

Apple Music is a streaming service launched by Apple in 2015 that provides both video content as well as music.

21 Baldwin of “30 Rock” : ALEC

Alec Baldwin is the oldest of the acting Baldwin brothers. I think Alec’s big break was playing Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan in “The Hunt for Red October”, but thank goodness that role was taken over by Harrison Ford for the subsequent Jack Ryan movies. Baldwin also made a name for himself playing Jack Donaghy on “30 Rock”, opposite Tina Fey. More recently, he is known for impersonating President Donald Trump on “Saturday Night Live”.

23 Not online: Abbr. : IRL

In real life (IRL)

24 Incensed feeling : IRE

To incense someone is to arouse his or her anger. The contemporary usage of “to incense” evolved from the 15th-century meaning “to arouse, inspire”. The verb comes from the Latin “incendere” meaning “to set on fire”.

25 Cincinnati-based supermarket chain : KROGER

The Kroger supermarket chain is the largest grocery store company in the US. It is also the second largest retailer in the country, after Walmart, and the fifth largest retailer in the world. The company was founded in 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio by Barney Kroger.

27 *”More heat in that dish!,” Emeril-style : KICK IT UP A NOTCH

Emeril Lagasse is an American chef who was born in Massachusetts. Lagasse first achieved celebrity as executive chef in Commander’s Palace in New Orleans. Now famous for his television shows, his cuisine still showcases New Orleans ingredients and influences. Lagasse started using his famous “Bam!” catchphrase in order to keep his crew awake during repeated tapings of his show.

31 Formerly called : NEE

“Née” is the French word for “born” when referring to a female. The male equivalent is “né”. The term “née” is mainly used in English when referring to a married woman’s birth name, assuming that she has adopted her husband’s name, e.g. Michelle Obama née Robinson, and Melania Trump née Knavs.

34 African country whose capital is Accra : GHANA

Accra sits on Ghana’s coast and is a major seaport as well as the country’s capital city. The name “Accra” comes from a local word “Nkran” meaning “ants”, a name chosen because of the large number of anthills found in the area when the city was founded.

37 __-Z: Millennials’ followers : GEN

Definitions vary, but it seems that the term “Generation Z” is reserved for the children of “Generation X”, and for the generation that follows the “Millennials” (Generation Y).

42 Bygone airline : TWA

Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a big carrier in the US, but was perhaps even more recognized for its extensive presence in Europe and the Middle East. For many years, especially after the collapse of Pan Am and TWA’s purchase by Howard Hughes, TWA was considered the unofficial flag carrier for the US. The company started in 1930, the product of a forced merger of Transcontinental Air Transport and Western Air Express. The Transcontinental and Western Air that resulted (the original meaning of the initialism “TWA”) was what the Postmaster General wanted, a bigger airline to which the Postal Service could award airmail contracts.

43 *”Unwell” band : MATCHBOX TWENTY

Matchbox Twenty is a rock band from Orlando, Florida that formed in 1995. The group’s 2003 song “Unwell” was the second most-played song in the US that year.

53 Crowd requirement? : THREE

Two’s company, and three’s a crowd.

56 South American berry : ACAI

Açaí (pronounced “ass-aye-ee”) is a palm tree native to Central and South America. The fruit has become very popular in recent years and its juice is a very fashionable addition to juice mixes and smoothies.

57 Clarinet insert : REED

The clarinet is a lovely-sounding instrument, isn’t it? The name “clarinet” comes from the Italian word “clarino” meaning “trumpet”, with the “-et” suffix indicating “small”.

60 Othello’s betrayer : IAGO

Iago is the schemer in Shakespeare’s “Othello”. He is a soldier who fought alongside Othello and feels hard done by, missing out on promotion. Iago hatches a plot designed to discredit his rival Cassio by insinuating that Cassio is having an affair with Desdemona, Othello’s wife.

61 Memorial notice : OBIT

Our word “obituary” comes from the Latin “obituaris”. The Latin term was used for “record of the death of a person”, although the literal meaning is “pertaining to death”.

64 Candy apple and fire engine : REDS

“Candy apple” is yet another term that I had to learn when I came to the US. Candy apples are called “toffee apples” outside of North America.

Down

3 Sherpa, typically : NEPALI

In the Tibetan language, “Sherpa” means “eastern people” (sher = east, pa = people). Sherpas are an ethnic group from Nepal, but the name is also used for the local guides who assist mountaineers in the Himalayas, and particularly on Mount Everest.

5 Suffix with morph : -EME

“Morpheme” is a term used in linguistics. A morpheme is a language’s smallest grammatical unit. A word may have several morphemes. A prefix such as “un-” is an example of a morpheme in English, as is the letter “s” added at the end of a word to make a plural.

6 Protective piece of jewelry : AMULET

Amulets are items worn to ward off disease or to protect against harmful magic spells.

18 Decluttering maven Kondo : MARIE

Marie Kondo runs a very successful organizing consulting business that she founded when she 19 years old, and while a student at Tokyo Woman’s Christian University. She wrote an extremely successful book titled “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing” that was first published in 2011. I’ve read it, and acted on the advice given therein …

22 Opposite of oui : NON

In French, a response on “un questionnaire” (a questionnaire) might be “oui” (yes) or “non” (no).

24 DIY furniture brand : IKEA

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.

28 Current events TV channel : CNN

CNN (Cable News Network) was launched in 1980 by the Turner Broadcasting System, and was the first television channel in the world to provide news coverage 24 hours a day.

29 Popular ride app’s basic service level : UBERX

The basic service offered by ride-hailing company Uber is known as UberX. The service provides a private ride for up to four passengers in a standard car. UberXL provides a minivan or SUV with room for up to 6 passengers.

30 Horses eat it : HAY

Hay is dried grass that is stored for use as animal fodder. Straw consists of the dried stalks of cereal plants, the residue left after the grain and chaff have been removed. Straw can also be used as animal fodder, as well as fuel, bedding and thatch.

36 Hannah Montana, for Miley Stewart : ALTER EGO

Miley Cyrus became famous playing the Disney Channel character “Hannah Montana”. Miley is the daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus. When she was born, Billy Ray and his wife named their daughter “Destiny Hope”, but soon they themselves calling her “Smiley” as she was always smiling as a baby, and this got shortened to Miley over time. Cute …

39 Indian flatbread : NAN

Naan (also “nan”) bread is very popular in Indian restaurants, as well as in other West, Central and South Asian cuisines. Indian Naan is traditionally baked in a clay oven known as a tandoor.

41 Minnesota Timberwolves org. : NBA

The Minnesota Timberwolves is the NBA franchise based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves joined the league as part of an expansion in 1987. The NBA had been in Minneapolis before as the city was home to the Minneapolis Lakers from 1947-1960, until the team moved to Los Angeles.

44 Things one believes : CREDOS

A creed or credo is a confession of faith, or a system of belief or principles. “Credo” is Latin for “I believe”.

47 Business big shot : TYCOON

Our term “tycoon” meaning powerful business person was originally used by foreigners to describe the shogun of Japan. “Tycoon” is an anglicization of the Japanese “taikun” meaning “great lord or prince”.

52 Prolonged attack : SIEGE

Our word “siege” comes from a 13th century word for a “seat”. The military usage derives from the concept of a besieging force “sitting down” outside a fortress until it falls.

55 Geraint’s beloved : ENID

“Idylls of the King” is a cycle of twelve poems by Alfred, Lord Tennyson that retells the tale of King Arthur. One of the “idylls” is the story of Geraint and Enid. This story is told in two parts: “The Marriage of Geraint” and “Geraint and Enid”. Tennyson’s Enid gave her name to the city of Enid, Oklahoma.

56 Very top : ACME

The acme is the highest point. The term “acme” comes from the Greek word “akme” that has the same meaning.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 “__ U Been Gone”: 2004 Kelly Clarkson hit : SINCE
6 Church section : APSE
10 __ facto : IPSO
14 Early morning hr. : ONE AM
15 Abolitionist Lucretia : MOTT
16 Superhero whose surname is Odinson : THOR
17 *Spotify alternative : APPLE MUSIC
19 Foot part : SOLE
20 Palindromic address : MA’AM
21 Baldwin of “30 Rock” : ALEC
22 Family grams : NANAS
23 Not online: Abbr. : IRL
24 Incensed feeling : IRE
25 Cincinnati-based supermarket chain : KROGER
27 *”More heat in that dish!,” Emeril-style : KICK IT UP A NOTCH
31 Formerly called : NEE
32 Really popular : BIG
33 Battery size : AAA
34 African country whose capital is Accra : GHANA
37 __-Z: Millennials’ followers : GEN
38 Not at all pleased : ANGRY
40 Slippery sea creature : EEL
41 Neither’s partner : NOR
42 Bygone airline : TWA
43 *”Unwell” band : MATCHBOX TWENTY
49 Go over again, as a contract : REREAD
50 Cleanse (of) : RID
51 Positive response : YES
53 Crowd requirement? : THREE
54 Turn sharply : VEER
56 South American berry : ACAI
57 Clarinet insert : REED
58 Game-ending result … or what each of the answers to starred clues has? : FINAL SCORE
60 Othello’s betrayer : IAGO
61 Memorial notice : OBIT
62 Honor-thieves link : … AMONG …
63 Cons’ opposites : PROS
64 Candy apple and fire engine : REDS
65 Thick, like fog : DENSE

Down

1 “Me too!” : SO AM I!
2 Like a garaged car, gearwise : IN PARK
3 Sherpa, typically : NEPALI
4 The __ before the storm : CALM
5 Suffix with morph : -EME
6 Protective piece of jewelry : AMULET
7 Ask, as a question : POSE
8 Neckwear-securing accessory : STICKPIN
9 And more: Abbr. : ETC
10 “Let’s do this” : IT’S A GO
11 Frustrating series of missed calls : PHONE TAG
12 Sun-powered vehicle : SOLAR CAR
13 Valuable rocks : ORES
18 Decluttering maven Kondo : MARIE
22 Opposite of oui : NON
24 DIY furniture brand : IKEA
26 Tattered cloth : RAG
28 Current events TV channel : CNN
29 Popular ride app’s basic service level : UBERX
30 Horses eat it : HAY
34 Amazing person : GEM
35 “Agreed!” : HEAR HEAR!
36 Hannah Montana, for Miley Stewart : ALTER EGO
37 Positive feeling : GOOD VIBE
38 Amazed : AWED
39 Indian flatbread : NAN
41 Minnesota Timberwolves org. : NBA
42 Spin, as a baton : TWIRL
44 Things one believes : CREDOS
45 Giggle syllable : HEE
46 Pays for everyone : TREATS
47 Business big shot : TYCOON
48 Longs (for) : YEARNS
52 Prolonged attack : SIEGE
53 Excursion : TRIP
55 Geraint’s beloved : ENID
56 Very top : ACME
58 In favor of : FOR
59 In low spirits : SAD