LA Times Crossword Answers 7 May 2018, Monday

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Constructed by: Lila Cherry
Edited by: Rich Norris

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Today’s Reveal Answer: Bar Menu

Themed answers start with words that often follow BAR:

  • 63A. List including nachos, sliders, wings, etc. … and what the starts of the answers to starred clues comprise? : BAR MENU
  • 17A. *Official emergency status : CODE RED (giving “barcode”)
  • 20A. *Angler’s skill : FLY CASTING (giving “barfly”)
  • 33A. *#1 hit : CHART TOPPER (giving “bar chart”)
  • 42A. *One who rats to the cops : STOOL PIGEON (giving “barstool”)
  • 54A. *Floater in a luxurious bath : SOAP BUBBLE (giving “bar soap”)

Bill’s time: 5m 09s

Bill’s errors: 0

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Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

4. Pennies: Abbr. : CTS

The official name of our smallest denomination coin is a “cent”, and our use of the word “penny” is just a colloquialism derived from the British coin of the same name. In the UK, the plural of penny is “pence”, whereas we have “pennies” in our pockets.

7. “Later, dude” : BYE

Our term “dude” arose as slang in New York City in the 1880s, when it was used to describe a fastidious man. In the early 1900s, the term was extended to mean “city slickers”, easterners who vacationed in the West. The first use of the term “dude ranch” was recorded in 1921.

10. Mil. strongholds : FTS

Fort (ft.)

13. Long Island university : ADELPHI

Adelphi University is located in Garden City, New York on Long Island. The university started out as Adelphi Academy in Brooklyn in 1863. By 1929, the academy had moved to Garden City and was a woman’s college. Adelphi reverted to co-education after WWII when it admitted many students under the GI Bill.

18. Month that once was eighth : OCTOBER

October is the tenth month in our calendar but was the eighth month in the old Roman calendar, hence the prefix “octo-”. Back then there were only ten months in the year. “Ianuarius” (January) and “Februarius” were then added as the eleventh and twelfth months of the year. Soon after, the year was reset and January and February became the first and second months.

20. *Angler’s skill : FLY CASTING (giving “barfly”)

We use the verb “to angle” to mean “to fish” because “angel” was an Old English word for a hook.

25. __ Martin: Bond’s car : ASTON

Aston Martin is a British car manufacturer, founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin. The Aston part of the company name comes from Aston Hill, a famous site for hill-climbing cars that is nearby the original factory. Aston Martin cars are much loved by the British entertainment industry. James Bond was given one in “Goldfinger”, and Michael Caine drove one in the 1969 version of “The Italian Job”. Also, Roger Moore’s character drove a yellow Aston Martin in the seventies television show “The Persuaders!”.

28. Garlicky sauce : AIOLI

To the purist, especially in Provence in the South of France, aioli is prepared just by grinding garlic with olive oil. However, other ingredients are often added to the mix, particularly egg yolks.

41. Old golf club named for its copper alloy-plated face : BRASSIE

In golf, a No. 2 wood is sometimes referred to a a “brassie”, which is the old traditional name for the club. The old name is a reference to a brass soleplate that lowered the center of gravity of the club’s head.

42. *One who rats to the cops : STOOL PIGEON (giving “barstool”)

Stoolies, also called “canaries”, will sing to the cops given the right incentive. “Stoolie” is short for “stool pigeon”. A stool pigeon was a decoy bird tied to a stool so as to lure other pigeons. Originally a stoolie was a decoy for the police, rather than an informer, hence the name.

44. Spanish Mrs. : SRA

The equivalent of “Mrs.” in French is “Mme.” (Madame), in Spanish is “Sra.” (Señora) and in Portuguese is also “Sra.” (Senhora).

45. Selassie worshiper : RASTA

I must admit that I don’t really know much about Rastafarianism. I do know that a “Rasta”, such as Bob Marley, is a follower of the movement. Some say that Rastafarianism is a religion, some not. I also know that it involves the worship of Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia.

Emperor Haile Selassie I ruled Ethiopia until he was removed from power in a revolution in 1974. Selassie died in 1975 under suspicious circumstances and it is widely believed that he was assassinated.

62. Existing independent of experience, in logic : A PRIORI

In the world of philosophy, one can have “a priori” knowledge or “a posteriori” knowledge. A priori (“from the earlier”) knowledge is independent of experience, it is just known or assumed. For example, one might say that “all boys are males” is a priori knowledge. A posteriori knowledge relies on experience or some empirical evidence. For example, one might say that “boys are more likely to diagnosed with ADD” is a posteriori knowledge.

65. Another year of Time, say : RENEWAL

“Time” magazine has a readership of about 25 million, making it the largest-circulation weekly news magazine in the world.

66. “Canyon With Crows” artist Georgia : O’KEEFFE

Georgia O’Keeffe was an influential American artist, one who led the introduction of American art into Europe. Famously, she was married to photographer Alfred Stieglitz who helped develop her career in the early days. Georgia O’Keeffe’s last home was in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she had done a lot of her work during her lifetime. She died there in 1986, at the ripe old age of 98. One of her most famous paintings is from 1926, called “Black Iris III”.

“Canyon With Crows” is a 1917 watercolor by artist Georgia O’Keeffe. It is part of a series of paintings that O’Keeffe made of Palo Duro Canyon which she taught at West Texas State Normal College between 1916 and 1918.

67. ’60s radical gp. : SDS

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was an activist group in the sixties. The SDS organized the largest student strike in the history of the United States on 26 April 1968, with about a million students staying away from class that day. The “Students for a Democratic Society” name was revived in 2006 with the foundation of a new US-based student organization with left wing beliefs. Today’s SDS was founded by a pair of high school students from Greenwich Village, New York.

Down

4. Basic technique in EMT training : CPR

An emergency medical technician (EMT) might administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

7. Coll. hotshot : BMOC

Big Man On Campus (BMOC)

8. Female leadership org. : YWCA

The Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) was founded in the mid-1800s about 50 years after the YMCA, although the two organizations have always been independent of each other. Having said that, some YWCA and YMCA organizations have amalgamated at the local level and often share facilities. The YWCA is quite the organization, and is the largest women’s group in the whole world.

10. One-named Milanese model : FABIO

Fabio Lanzoni (usually called just “Fabio”) is an Italian fashion model and all-round celebrity. Fabio’s real claim to fame was his appearance on the cover of many, many romance novels in the eighties and nineties.

11. If-__: conditional statements : THENS

In the world of computer programming, an “if-then-else” construct is a type of conditional statement. The idea is that IF a particular condition is met THEN a particular action is executed. The additional ELSE statement can be used to define an alternative action.

16. “MASH” nickname : HOT LIPS

Loretta Swit started playing Major “Hot Lips” Houlihan on “M*A*S*H” in 1972. She and Alan Alda were the only actors who appeared in both the pilot and the series finale. Swit has written a book on needlepoint, would you believe? It’s called “A Needlepoint Scrapbook”.

23. 7-Up nickname : UNCOLA

7UP was introduced to the world as “Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda”, and was a patent medicine that contained lithium citrate, a mood-stabilizing drug. Paradoxically, it came on the market in 1929 just two weeks before the Wall Street Crash. 7UP’s “Uncola” advertising campaign dates back to 1967.

26. Ella’s style : SCAT

Scat singing is a vocal improvisation found in the world of jazz. There aren’t any words as such in scat singing, just random nonsense syllables made up on the spot.

Ella Fitzgerald, the “First Lady of Song”, had a hard and tough upbringing. She was raised by her mother alone in Yonkers, New York. Her mother died while Ella was still a schoolgirl, and around that time the young girl became less interested in her education. She fell in with a bad crowd, even working as a lookout for a bordello and as a Mafia numbers runner. She ended up in reform school, from which she escaped, and found herself homeless and living on the streets for a while. Somehow Fitzgerald managed to get herself a spot singing in the Apollo Theater in Harlem. From there her career took off and as they say, the rest is history.

29. Beatles’ “Let __” : IT BE

“Let It Be” was the last album that the Beatles released as an active group playing together. The title song “Let It Be” was written by Paul McCartney, and it is clearly one of his own favorites. McCartney says that he was inspired to write the song after having had a dream about his mother (who had died some years earlier from cancer). In fact he refers to her (Mary McCartney) in the line “Mother Mary comes to me”. Paul’s first wife, Linda, is singing backing vocals on the song, the only time she is known to have done so in a Beatles recording. 18 years after that 1970 recording was made, Paul, George and Ringo sang “Let It Be” at a memorial service for Linda, who was also lost to cancer. Sad stuff, but a lovely song …

30. Other, in Oaxaca : OTRO

Oaxaca (officially “Oaxaca de Juárez”) is the capital city of the Mexican state of Oaxaca, located in the south of the country.

37. The Auld Sod : EIRE

“Auld Sod” (meaning simply “old sod”) is a familiar term for Ireland, especially when referring to the country as one’s homeland from abroad. ‘Tis true …

40. Trademark Buster Keaton hat with a culinary name : PORK PIE

The pork pie hat originated in the mid-1800s. It is round, usually made of felt, and has a flat top. When first introduced it was a woman’s hat, but then men grabbed hold of it …

Buster Keaton was a comic actor who was most famous for his work during the silent era. Keaton starred in and co-directed the 1926 silent comedy “The General”, lauded by some as the greatest movie of all time.

48. Nicholas II was the last of them in Russia : TSARS

The last ruler of Imperial Russia was Tsar Nicholas II (of the House of Romanov). Famously, the Tsar and his family were murdered in 1918 in the basement of a house in Yekaterinburg, Russia by members of the Bolshevik secret police. The Tsar’s youngest daughter was 16-year-old Anastasia and rumors of her escape have persisted for years. The rumors grew with the help of numerous women who claimed to be Anastasia. In 2009, DNA testing finally proved that the remains of all of the Tsar’s immediate family, including Anastasia, have been found and identified.

49. Caught, as dogies : ROPED

“Dogie” is cowboy slang for a motherless calf in a herd.

52. “Funny bone” spot : ELBOW

The ulnar nerve runs alongside the ulna (one of the bones in the lower arm). The ulnar nerve is the largest unprotected (not surrounded by muscle or bone) nerve in the human body. The nerve can be touched under the skin at the outside of the elbow. Striking the nerve at this point causes and an electric-type shock, known as hitting one’s “funny bone” or “crazy bone”.

53. Hardwood trees : TEAKS

Teak is a hardwood tree in the mint family, commonly found in monsoon forests of Asia. Teak’s tight grain and high oil content make it very suitable for constructing outdoor furniture, where weather resistance is valued. For the same reason, teak is the wood of choice for wooden decks on boats.

55. Boxer Riddick : BOWE

Riddick Bowe is a former professional boxer from Brooklyn, New York. Bowe was Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World in 1992. A few years later Bowe retired from boxing to join the US Marines. However, after just 11 days of basic training Bowe asked to quit, and the Marine Corps came into a lot of criticism for acceding to his request.

56. It borders Siberia in the game of Risk : URAL

Risk is a fabulous board game, and one introduced in France in 1957. Risk was invented by a very successful French director of short films called Albert Lamorisse. Lamorisse called his new game “La Conquête du Monde”, which translates into English as “The Conquest of the World”. A game of Risk is a must during the holidays in our house …

57. Defraud : BILK

The verb “to bilk”, meaning “to defraud”, comes from the card game of cribbage. “To bilk” in cribbage is to spoil someone’s score.

61. Chop __ : SUEY

Many believe that the Chinese dish known as chop suey was invented in America, by Chinese immigrants. In fact, by the time it showed up in the US it already existed in the Taishan district of Guangdong in southeast China, the origin of many of those immigrants. “Chop suey” translates as “assorted pieces”, and is made up of some meat and eggs quickly cooked with vegetables in a thickened sauce.

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. “I’m all __ it”: “Yes” : FOR
4. Pennies: Abbr. : CTS
7. “Later, dude” : BYE
10. Mil. strongholds : FTS
13. Long Island university : ADELPHI
15. Demonic laugh : MWAHAHA!
17. *Official emergency status : CODE RED (giving “barcode”)
18. Month that once was eighth : OCTOBER
19. Walked (on) : TROD
20. *Angler’s skill : FLY CASTING (giving “barfly”)
22. One getting private lessons : TUTEE
24. Go down to defeat : LOSE
25. __ Martin: Bond’s car : ASTON
28. Garlicky sauce : AIOLI
32. Frozen over : ICY
33. *#1 hit : CHART TOPPER (giving “bar chart”)
39. Venue for exercise swimming : LAP POOL
41. Old golf club named for its copper alloy-plated face : BRASSIE
42. *One who rats to the cops : STOOL PIGEON (giving “barstool”)
44. Spanish Mrs. : SRA
45. Selassie worshiper : RASTA
46. Type in : ENTER
48. Arduous journey : TREK
51. In style again : RETRO
54. *Floater in a luxurious bath : SOAP BUBBLE (giving “bar soap”)
58. “__ end up” : THIS
62. Existing independent of experience, in logic : A PRIORI
63. List including nachos, sliders, wings, etc. … and what the starts of the answers to starred clues comprise? : BAR MENU
65. Another year of Time, say : RENEWAL
66. “Canyon With Crows” artist Georgia : O’KEEFFE
67. ’60s radical gp. : SDS
68. Antlered beast : ELK
69. Opposite of ENE : WSW
70. Birthday gift for a tot : TOY

Down

1. Almanac item : FACT
2. Smell often funky : ODOR
3. Decorate anew : REDO
4. Basic technique in EMT training : CPR
5. Stealing : THEFT
6. Move laterally : SIDLE
7. Coll. hotshot : BMOC
8. Female leadership org. : YWCA
9. Grub : EATS
10. One-named Milanese model : FABIO
11. If-__: conditional statements : THENS
12. NCO nickname : SARGE
14. Resulted in : LED TO
16. “MASH” nickname : HOT LIPS
21. Wine label number : YEAR
23. 7-Up nickname : UNCOLA
25. Afflicts : AILS
26. Ella’s style : SCAT
27. Wrong-key error : TYPO
29. Beatles’ “Let __” : IT BE
30. Other, in Oaxaca : OTRO
31. Car borrowed from a dealer : LOANER
34. One-footed jumps : HOPS
35. Landed : ALIT
36. Whispered “Hey!” : PSST!
37. The Auld Sod : EIRE
38. Stern area : REAR
40. Trademark Buster Keaton hat with a culinary name : PORK PIE
43. Clothing : GARB
47. “I didn’t do it” : NOT ME
48. Nicholas II was the last of them in Russia : TSARS
49. Caught, as dogies : ROPED
50. Gets by working : EARNS
52. “Funny bone” spot : ELBOW
53. Hardwood trees : TEAKS
55. Boxer Riddick : BOWE
56. It borders Siberia in the game of Risk : URAL
57. Defraud : BILK
59. Strain to lift : HEFT
60. Recon collection : INFO
61. Chop __ : SUEY
64. Remote button with left-pointing arrows: Abbr. : REW

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