LA Times Crossword 30 Apr 20, Thursday

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Constructed by: Dave Bardolph
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Reveal Answer: Mystery Novelists

Themed answers each start with the family name of a MYSTERY NOVELIST:

  • 46A Their last names are the first names of three puzzle answers : MYSTERY NOVELISTS
  • 19A Longtime face of CoverGirl : CHRISTIE BRINKLEY (giving “Agatha Christie”)
  • 24A “Honky Tonk Time Machine” singer : GEORGE STRAIT (giving “Elizabeth George”)
  • 42A ’90s-’00s sitcom character who married his friend’s sister : CHANDLER BING (giving “Raymond Chandler”)

Bill’s time: 7m 37s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

1 Box office bust : FLOP

The term “box office” may date back to Shakespearean times. In those days long past, patrons would deposit fees for seeing theater performances in boxes. The full boxes would be collected and placed in an office called, imaginatively enough, the “box office”.

9 Winter Games vehicle : LUGE

A luge is a small sled used by one or two people, on which one lies face up and feet first. The luge can be compared to the skeleton, a sled for only one person and on which the rider lies face down and goes down the hill head-first. Yikes!

13 Dropped precipitously : DOVE

Well, back where I come from, we say “dived” instead of “dove” …

14 Jazz form : BEBOP

The jazz term “bebop” probably came from “Arriba! Arriba!”, which were words of encouragement uttered by Latin-American bandleaders to their musicians.

19 Longtime face of CoverGirl : CHRISTIE BRINKLEY (giving “Agatha Christie”)

Christie Brinkley is a famous model and sometime actress from Monroe, Michigan. Brinkley was studying art in Paris in the early seventies when she was discovered as a model. Soon after, Brinkley signed a contract to become the face of CoverGirl cosmetics, a gig that she held for an amazing 25 years. She has been married four times, most famously to singer Billy Joel for the best part of a decade.

Agatha Christie is the best-selling novelist of all time, having sold about 4 billion copies worldwide in total. The only books to have sold in higher volume are the works of William Shakespeare and the Bible.

24 “Honky Tonk Time Machine” singer : GEORGE STRAIT (giving “Elizabeth George”)

George Strait is a country music singer known as the “King of Country”. The moniker seems to be well deserved, as Strait has had more number-one hits on Billboard’s list of Hot Country Songs than any other artist.

“Honky Tonk Time Machine” is a 2019 studio album recorded by country music singer George Strait. The album is named for the lead single “Every Little Honky Tonk Bar”.

Elizabeth George is an author of mystery novels. Although George is an American writer, her most famous works are set in the UK. Her “Inspector Lynley” novels were adapted into a very successful BBC television series called “The Inspector Lynley Mysteries”.

33 Brinker of kiddie lit : HANS

“Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates” is a children’s novel written by American author Mary Mapes Dodge, and first published in 1865. The novel is famous for introducing a story, told within the novel’s own storyline, the tale of the little Dutch boy who put his finger in the leaking dike. I always thought the tale of the boy and the dike was a Dutch legend but no, it was a literary invention of Mary Mapes Dodge …

34 Soap unit : CAKE

Soap is basically made by adding a strong alkali (like lye) to a fat (like olive oil or palm oil). The fats break down in the basic solution in a process called saponification. The crude soap is extracted from the mixture, washed, purified and finished in molds.

35 Alpaca’s habitat : ANDES

The Andes range is the longest continuous chain of mountains in the world. It runs down the length of the west coast of South America for about 4,300 miles, from Venezuela in the north to Chile in the south. The highest peak in the Andes is Mt. Aconcagua, at an elevation of 22,841 feet. Interestingly, the peak of Mt. Chimborazo in Ecuador is the furthest point on the Earth’s surface from the center of the planet. That’s because of the equatorial “bulge” around the Earth’s “waist”.

Alpacas are like small llamas, but unlike llamas were never beasts of burden. Alpacas were bred specifically for the fleece. As such, there are no known wild alpacas these days, even in their native Peru.

37 “The Piano” extra : MAORI

The Māori are the indigenous people of New Zealand. They are eastern Polynesian in origin and began arriving in New Zealand relatively recently, starting some time in the late 13th century. The word “māori” simply means “normal”, distinguishing mortal humans from spiritual entities. The Māori refer to New Zealand as “Aotearoa”.

“The Piano” is a 1993 film set and filmed in New Zealand starring Harvey Keitel, Holly Hunter and Anna Paquin. The movie tells the story of a mute piano player and her daughter, and her efforts to regain her piano after it is sold. Holly Hunter managed to get three screen credits in “The Piano”. She was credited for her acting role, for playing her own piano pieces in the film, and for being the sign-language coach for young Anna Paquin.

42 ’90s-’00s sitcom character who married his friend’s sister : CHANDLER BING (giving “Raymond Chandler”)

Chandler Bing is one of the most beloved characters in the sitcom “The Friends”. Played by Matthew Perry, Bing famously married Monica Geller (played by Courteny Cox), the sister of his friend Ross Geller (played by David Schwimmer).

Raymond Chandler was a novelist and screenwriter who turned to the pen relatively late in life, after losing his job in the oil business at the age of 44. Chandler’s first novel was published when he was published in his early fifties. That novel was “The Big Sleep”, which featured his famous detective Philip Marlowe.

45 Banned orchard spray : ALAR

The chemical name for Alar, a plant growth regulator and color enhancer, is “daminozide”. Alar was primarily used on apples but was withdrawn from the market when it was linked to cancer.

57 Abs-strengthening exercise : PLANK

The plank is an isometric exercise that strengthens the abdominals, as well as the back and shoulder muscles.

59 “Darkest Hour” Oscar winner Oldman : GARY

Gary Oldman is an English stage and screen actor. Like many English actors it seems, Oldman has played a lot of villains in Hollywood movies e.g. in “Air Force One” and “The Fifth Element”. My favorite Oldman performance is as Ludwig van Beethoven in “Immortal Beloved”. He also gave an outstanding, and Oscar-winning, portrayal of Winston Churchill in “Darkest Hour”.

“Darkest Hour” is an excellent 2017 WWII movie about Winston Churchill during the early years of the war. Gary Oldman’s excellent performance as Churchill earned him that season’s Best Actor Oscar. Churchill had used the phrase “the darkest hour in French history” to describe that nation’s invasion by Nazi Germany in 1940.

62 Fencing sword : EPEE

The French word for sword is “épée”. In competitive fencing the épée is connected to a system that records an electrical signal when legal contact is made on an opponent’s body.

Down

1 Org. created by the 1933 Banking Act : FDIC

During the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Banking Act of 1933. The legislation established the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), intended to be a temporary government corporation that provided insurance on deposits made by customers of qualified financial institutions. The first accounts to be covered, in 1934, had an insurance limit of $2,500. Since the financial crisis of 2008, that limit is $250,000.

2 Ness, for one : LOCH

Loch Ness is one of the two most famous lakes in Scotland. Loch Ness is famous for its “monster”, and Loch Lomond is famous for the lovely song “The Bonnie Banks o’ Loch Lomond”. Oh, ye’ll tak’ the high road, and I’ll tak’ the low road …

4 Like some boxers : PEDIGREED

The boxer breed of dog (one of my favorites!) originated in Germany. My first dog was a boxer/Labrador mix, a beautiful combination. Our current family dog is a boxer/pug mix, and is another gorgeous animal.

6 Orchestra pitch setter : OBOE

When you hear an orchestra tuning before a performance, you’ll note (pun!) that the oboe starts off the process by playing an “A”. The rest of the musicians in turn tune to that oboe’s “A”.

8 Michigan State players : SPARTANS

Michigan State University’s sports teams used to be called the Aggies, as the school was founded as the State Agricultural College of Michigan. The team name was changed to the Spartans in 1925, reflecting the school’s shift in focus beyond agriculture-centered education. The school mascot Sparty hit the scene in 1989.

9 Age of Enlightenment philosopher : LOCKE

John Locke was an English philosopher whose most famous work was “Essay Concerning Human Understanding”. Locke’s position was that at birth the mind is a blank slate, a “tabula rasa”, and that knowledge is determined by experiences perceived through our senses.

The Age of Enlightenment (also known as “the Age of Reason”) was an era bridging the 17th and 18th centuries in which rationalism and scientific method started to hold sway against ideas grounded in tradition and faith. Key figures in the Age of Enlightenment were the likes of John Locke, Isaac Newton and Voltaire.

10 Eurasian range : URAL

The eastern side of the Ural Mountains in Russia and Kazakhstan is generally regarded as the natural divide between the continents of Europe and Asia.

11 “Chicago” star : GERE

Richard Gere has played such great roles on the screen, and I find him to be a very interesting character off the screen. Gere has been studying Buddhism since 1978 and is a very visible supporter of the Dalai Lama and the people of Tibet. Gere has been married twice; to supermodel Cindy Crawford from 1991 to 1995, and to model/actress Carey Lowell from 2002 until 2016. Gere’s breakthrough role was as the male lead in the 1980 film “American Gigolo”.

The wonderful 1975 musical “Chicago” is based on a 1926 play of the same name written by a news reporter called Maurine Dallas Watkins. Watkins had been assigned to cover the murder trials of Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner for the “Chicago Tribune”, and used the story that unfolded as the basis for her play. Annan became the character Roxie Hart, and Gaertner became Velma Kelly. I’ve only ever seen the movie version of “Chicago” and never a live performance …

12 Jacuzzi effect : EDDY

“Jacuzzi” is one of those brand names that has become so much associated with the product that it is often assumed to be a generic term. The Jacuzzi company was founded in 1915 by the seven(!) Jacuzzi brothers in Berkeley California. The brothers, who were Italian immigrants, pronounced their name “ja-coot-si”, as one might suspect when one realizes the name is of Italian origin. The company started off by making aircraft propellers and then small aircraft, but suspended aircraft production in 1925 when one the brothers was killed in one of their planes. The family then started making hydraulic pumps, and in 1948 developed a submersible bathtub pump so that a son of one of the brothers could enjoy hydrotherapy for his rheumatoid arthritis. The “hydrotherapy product” took off in the fifties with some astute marketing towards “worn-out housewives” and the use of celebrity spokesman Jack Benny.

15 “The Devil and Daniel Webster” author : BENET

Stephen Vincent Benét was an author best known for his lengthy narrative poem “John Brown’s Body” that was first published in 1928, and for which he won a Pulitzer Prize. Benét also wrote the story “The Sobbin’ Women” which was later adapted into the musical “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers”.

“The Devil and Daniel Webster” is a 1936 short story penned by American author Stephen Vincent Benét. It’s all about a farmer from New Hampshire who sells his soul to the devil. When it’s time for the man to surrender his soul, he engages famous lawyer and orator Daniel Webster to argue his way out of the contract.

21 Crocus kin : IRIS

Iris is a genus of flowering plants that come in a wide variety of flower colors. The term “iris” is a Greek word meaning “rainbow”. Many species of irises are called “flags”. One suggestion is that the alternate name comes from the Middle English “flagge” meaning “reed”. This term was used because iris leaves look like reeds.

The crocus (plural “croci”) is a plant genus in the iris family. The term “crocus” ultimately derives from the Sanskrit word for “saffron”. Saffron spice comes from Crocus sativus, the “saffron crocus”.

25 Boredom : ENNUI

“Ennui” is the French word for “boredom”, and a term that we now use in English. It’s one of the few French words we’ve imported that we haven’t anglicized, and actually pronounce “correctly”.

29 Wynonna’s mother : NAOMI

The Judds were a country music singing duo made up of Naomi Judd and her daughter Wynonna. Naomi Judd is also the mother of actress Ashley Judd, with Ashley and Wynonna being half-sisters.

30 Ohio rubber city : AKRON

For much of the 1800s, the Ohio city of Akron was the fastest-growing city in the country, feeding off the industrial boom of that era. The city was founded in 1825 and its location, along the Ohio and Erie canal connecting Lake Erie with the Ohio River, helped to fuel Akron’s growth. Akron sits at the highest point of the canal and the name “Akron” comes from the Greek word meaning “summit”. Indeed, Akron is the county seat of Summit County. The city earned the moniker “Rubber Capital of the World” for most of the 20th century, as it was home to four major tire companies: Goodrich, Goodyear, Firestone and General Tire.

34 College town on the Charles : CAMBRIDGE

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.

The Charles River runs for 80 miles through eastern Massachusetts, taking a twisting route through 23 cities before emptying into the Atlantic in Boston. That circuitous flow reflects the river’s Native-American name “Quinobequin”, meaning “meandering”. The river’s English name was chosen by English king Charles I, who named it after himself.

36 We’re in one now : LEAP YEAR

I wasn’t sure of the origin of the term “leap year”, and when I checked I found it to be fairly obvious. As a reference, let’s use March 25, 2007, a Sunday. The year before, in 2006, March 25th fell one weekday earlier on a Saturday. That follows the rule that any particular date moves forward in the week by one day, from one year to the next. However, the next year (2008) has an extra day, February 29th. So March 25, 2008 falls on a Tuesday, “leaping” two weekdays forward, not one, as 2008 is a “leap” year. I think I am more confused now then when I started this paragraph …

37 Big picture : MURAL

A mural is a painting that is applied directly to a wall or a ceiling. The term “mural” comes from the Latin “murus” meaning “wall”.

40 Moon goddess : SELENE

Selene was the Greek goddess of the moon, and the equivalent of the Roman deity Luna. Selene gave her name to the word “selenology”, the study of the geology of the moon, and also gave her name to the chemical element “selenium”. According to mythology, Selene fell in love with the handsome hunter/shepherd Endymion, a mere mortal.

42 Store employee : CLERK

Our contemporary word “clerk” described a priest or ordained minister back in the 13th century, and so is related to our term “clerical”. So, our use of “clerk” to describe an office worker arose in the days when it was only the clergy who could read and write.

44 Angioplasty implant : STENT

Angioplasty (“angio”, for short) is a mechanical widening of a narrowed artery. In the surgical procedure, a balloon catheter is inflated at the point of the obstruction to open up the artery. A stent may then be inserted to make sure the vessel remains open.

46 Mike Trout and Cody Bellinger in 2019 : MVPS

Most Valuable Player (MVP)

Mike Trout debuted as a professional baseball player for the Los Angeles Angels in 2011. Trout’s nickname is “the Millville Meteor”, as he grew up in Millville, New Jersey.

Cody Bellinger is a Major League Baseball player, and the son of Clay Bellinger, who also played in the Majors. Cody was named the National League’s Rookie of the Year in 2017.

47 “Seize the day” acronym : YOLO

You only live once (YOLO)

“Carpe diem” is a quotation from Horace, one of ancient Rome’s leading lyric poets. “Carpe diem” translates from Latin as “seize the day” or “enjoy the day”. The satirical motto of a procrastinator is “carpe mañana”, “translating” as “seize tomorrow”.

48 Yellow dwarf or blue giant : STAR

A yellow dwarf is more correctly called a G-type main-sequence star. Main-sequence stars are those that generate thermal energy in their core through the nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium. The term “G-type” refers to the star’s surface temperature, and the resulting yellow light that is emitted. The most yellow dwarf with which we are most familiar is our own Sun.

The term “blue giant” is applied loosely to several types of stars. The group are all moderate in size, larger in size than our Sun, but smaller than red giants. They are blue stars, meaning that they are hotter than our Sun. They are no longer creating helium through the nuclear fission of hydrogen, but are now burning helium at their cores.

49 Early capital of Japan : NARA

The Japanese city of Nara, located not far from Kyoto, was the nation’s capital from 710 to 784 CE.

50 Grammy winner Redding : OTIS

Otis Redding is often referred to as the “King of Soul”, and what a voice he had. Like so many of the greats in the world of popular music it seems, Redding was killed in a plane crash, in 1967 when he was just 26 years old. Just three days earlier he had recorded what was to be his biggest hit, “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay”.

51 TV cliff-hanger : SOAP

The original soap operas were radio dramas back in the fifties. Given the structure of society back then, the daytime broadcasts were aimed at women working in the home as housewives. For some reason the sponsors of those radio shows, and the television shows that followed, were soap manufacturers like Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive and Lever Brothers. And that’s how the “soap” opera got its name …

53 Eye ailment : STYE

A stye is a bacterial infection of the sebaceous glands at the base of the eyelashes, and is also known as a hordeolum.

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Box office bust : FLOP
5 Exhibits grief : SOBS
9 Winter Games vehicle : LUGE
13 Dropped precipitously : DOVE
14 Jazz form : BEBOP
15 Nodding off in class, say : BORED
16 Frosted : ICED
17 Enticing emanation : AROMA
18 Digital greeting : E-CARD
19 Longtime face of CoverGirl : CHRISTIE BRINKLEY (giving “Agatha Christie”)
22 Boarding area : GATE
23 Trunk holder : TREE
24 “Honky Tonk Time Machine” singer : GEORGE STRAIT (giving “Elizabeth George”)
29 Capture : NAB
32 Ingratiate : ENDEAR
33 Brinker of kiddie lit : HANS
34 Soap unit : CAKE
35 Alpaca’s habitat : ANDES
36 Parcels : LOTS
37 “The Piano” extra : MAORI
38 Regretted : RUED
39 “And __ off!” : WE’RE
40 Send for : SUMMON
41 Polite title : SIR
42 ’90s-’00s sitcom character who married his friend’s sister : CHANDLER BING (giving “Raymond Chandler”)
44 Berth place : SLIP
45 Banned orchard spray : ALAR
46 Their last names are the first names of three puzzle answers : MYSTERY NOVELISTS
54 One on a roll : VOTER
55 Enjoy leftovers, say : EAT IN
56 “Go ahead, I dare you!” : DO IT!
57 Abs-strengthening exercise : PLANK
58 Spring up : ARISE
59 “Darkest Hour” Oscar winner Oldman : GARY
60 Do a laundry chore : SORT
61 Too hasty : RASH
62 Fencing sword : EPEE

Down

1 Org. created by the 1933 Banking Act : FDIC
2 Ness, for one : LOCH
3 Wrapped up : OVER
4 Like some boxers : PEDIGREED
5 Sequence : SERIES
6 Orchestra pitch setter : OBOE
7 Box office bust : BOMB
8 Michigan State players : SPARTANS
9 Age of Enlightenment philosopher : LOCKE
10 Eurasian range : URAL
11 “Chicago” star : GERE
12 Jacuzzi effect : EDDY
14 Player in a box : BATTER
15 “The Devil and Daniel Webster” author : BENET
20 Epic tales : SAGAS
21 Crocus kin : IRIS
24 They’re changed on the road : GEARS
25 Boredom : ENNUI
26 Less mundane : ODDER
27 Sticker : THORN
28 Graded : RATED
29 Wynonna’s mother : NAOMI
30 Ohio rubber city : AKRON
31 Person : BEING
34 College town on the Charles : CAMBRIDGE
36 We’re in one now : LEAP YEAR
37 Big picture : MURAL
39 Sound like a fan : WHIR
40 Moon goddess : SELENE
42 Store employee : CLERK
43 Extravagant : LAVISH
44 Angioplasty implant : STENT
46 Mike Trout and Cody Bellinger in 2019 : MVPS
47 “Seize the day” acronym : YOLO
48 Yellow dwarf or blue giant : STAR
49 Early capital of Japan : NARA
50 Grammy winner Redding : OTIS
51 TV cliff-hanger : SOAP
52 Part of a regular rotation : TIRE
53 Eye ailment : STYE