LA Times Crossword Answers 27 Mar 2018, Tuesday

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Constructed by: Bruce Haight & Loren Muse Smith
Edited by: Rich Norris

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Today’s Reveal Answer: W-Edged

Themed answers have letters W at either end, at either EDGE:

  • 49D. Crammed (into) … and, when aptly hyphenated, like 18-, 24-, 39-, 52- and 58-Across : WEDGED and W-EDGED
  • 18A. “You think anyone cares about MY opinion?” : WHAT DO I KNOW?
  • 24A. Boatload (of) : WHOLE SLEW
  • 39A. “Let’s see here … ” : WELL NOW
  • 52A. Overall concept of the universe : WORLDVIEW
  • 58A. Eye-of-newt concoction : WITCHES BREW

Bill’s time: 6m 13s

Bill’s errors: 0

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Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

14. Stanley Cup org. : NHL

The National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup is named for Lord Stanley of Preston, the Governor General of Canada from 1888 to 1893. Lord Stanley’s sons became avid fans of ice hockey while in Canada, and so he donated the trophy in 1909. It was originally a challenge cup for the country’s best amateur club.

17. Drink with jam and bread, in song : TEA

Doe, a deer, a female deer
Ray, a drop of golden sun
Me, a name I call myself
Far, a long, long way to run
Sew, a needle pulling thread
La, a note to follow Sew
Tea, a drink with jam and bread
That will bring us back to Do

22. HBO miniseries “Big Little __” : LIES

“Big Little Lies” is 2017 TV miniseries that is based on a 2014 novel of the same name. It stars Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon and Shailene Woodley as three women who, while dealing with their own emotional problems, find themselves involved in a murder investigation. I haven’t seen this one, but hear very good things …

23. Easy-to-scam people : SAPS

“Sap” is slang for “fool, someone easily scammed”. The term arose in the early 1800s in Britain when it was used in “saphead” and “sapskull”. All these words derive from “sapwood”, which is the softwood found in tree trunks between the bark and the heartwood at the center.

24. Boatload (of) : WHOLE SLEW

Our usage of “slew” to mean “large number” has nothing to do with the verb “to slew”. The noun “slew” come into English in the early 1800s from the Irish word “sluagh” meaning “host, crowd, multitude”.

27. Caramel-filled candy : ROLO

Rolo was a hugely popular chocolate candy in Ireland when I was growing up. Rolo was introduced in the thirties in the UK, and is produced under license in the US by Hershey. I was a little disappointed when I had my first taste of the American version as the center is very hard and chewy. The recipe used on the other side of the Atlantic calls for a soft gooey center.

28. “Hold the Hellmann’s” : NO MAYO

Mayonnaise originated in the town of Mahon in Menorca, a Mediterranean island belonging to Spain. The Spanish called the sauce “salsa mahonesa” after the town, and this morphed into the French word “mayonnaise” that we use in English today.

The Hellmann’s brand of mayonnaise was developed by New York City delicatessen owner Richard Hellmann in 1905. The product is sold under the Hellmann’s label east of the Rockies, and under the Best Foods brand in the western US.

29. Protein-building acid : AMINO

Amino acids are essential to life in many ways, not least of which is their use as the building blocks of proteins. Nine amino acids are considered “essential” for humans. These nine must be included in the diet as they cannot be synthesized in the body.

31. Mother in Calcutta : TERESA

Mother Teresa was born in 1910 in the city that is now called Skopje, the capital of Macedonia. At birth she was given the names Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu (“Gonxha” means “little flower” in Albanian). She left home at the age of 18 and joined the Sisters of Loreto, and headed to Loreto Abbey in Rathfarnham in Dublin, Ireland in order to learn English. Her goal was to teach in India, and English was the language used there for instruction by the nuns. After Mother Teresa passed away in 1997 she was beatified by Pope John Paul II, a step on the road to canonization. In order for her to be beatified there had to be documented evidence of a miracle that was performed due to her intercession. The miracle in question was the healing of a tumor in the abdomen of a woman due to the application of a locket containing a picture of Mother Teresa. Documentation of a second miracle is required for her to be declared a saint. The canonization process seems to well underway, with Pope Francis recognizing a second miracle in December 2015.

Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) is the capital of West Bengal, India. Kolkata grew up around a fort that the British built in the area in 1712. Prior to the arrival of the British, there were three villages at the site, one named Kalikata. Kalikata gave its name to the city that eventually developed. This was anglicized to “Calcutta” which became the official name for centuries, until it was changed back to Kolkata in 2001.

35. “On the Beach” novelist Shute : NEVIL

“Nevil Shute” was the pen name of English-Australian novelist Nevil Shute Norway. Several of Shute’s more famous novels have been adapted for the big screen, including “On the Beach”, “No Highway” and “A Town Like Alice”. I was a big fan of Nevil Shute novels in my younger days …

“On the Beach” is a wonderful novel by Nevil Shute that was first published in 1957. The famous story is about the ending of the human race as nuclear fallout spreads south from the northern hemisphere after WWIII. The novel was adapted into a great 1959 movie starring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner and even Fred Astaire.

36. Texter’s #1 pal : BFF

Best friend forever (BFF)

44. Ophthalmologist’s concern : MYOPIA

A myope is someone suffering from myopia, short-sightedness. Far-sightedness or long-sightedness is known as hypermetropia or hyperopia .

46. Myanmar, once : BURMA

The Republic of the Union of Myanmar is the official name of the Asian country that some nations still recognize as the Union of Burma.

55. Guthrie of folk : ARLO

Singer Arlo Guthrie is known for his protest songs, just like his father Woody Guthrie. The younger Guthrie only ever had one song in the top 40: a cover version of “City of New Orleans”. He has lived for years in the town of Washington, just outside Pittsfield, Massachusetts. His 1976 song “Massachusetts” has been the official folk song of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts since 1981.

57. Designer Gucci : ALDO

Gucci was founded in Rome, in 1921, by Guccio Gucci. Guccio’s son Aldo took over the company after his father’s death in 1953. It was Aldo who established the international presence for the brand and opened the company’s first overseas store, in New York City.

58. Eye-of-newt concoction : WITCHES BREW

The witches in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” have some lovely lines as they boil up and evil brew and cast a spell:

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,
Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting,
Lizard’s leg, and howlet’s wing,–
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

64. Christmas season : YULE

Yule celebrations coincide with Christmas, and the words “Christmas” and “Yule” (often “Yuletide”) have become synonymous in much of the world. However, Yule was originally a pagan festival celebrated by Germanic peoples. The name “Yule” comes from the Old Norse word “jol” that was used to describe the festival.

65. U.S. House member : REP

The number of seats in the US House of Representatives has been 435 since the year 1913, although there was a temporary increase to 437 seats at the time of the admission of Alaska and Hawaii to the Union. The number of representatives assigned to each state is proportional to that state’s population, except that each state is guaranteed a minimum of one delegate by the US Constitution.

67. City near Tulsa : ENID

Enid, Oklahoma takes its name from the old railroad station around which the city developed. Back in 1889, that train stop was called Skeleton Station. An official who didn’t like the name changed it to Enid Station, using a character from Alfred Lord Tennyson’s “Idylls of the King”. Maybe if he hadn’t changed the name, the city of Enid would now be called Skeleton, Oklahoma! Enid has the nickname “Queen Wheat City” because is has a huge capacity for storing grain, the third largest grain storage capacity in the world.

Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma (after Oklahoma City). Tulsa started out as a settlement established by the Loachapoka and Creek Native American tribes in 1836. These early settlers called their new home “Tallasi” meaning “old town”, and this name morphed into “Tulsa” that we use today.

68. Radical ’60s campus 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

2. “My Generation” rock band : THE WHO

“My Generation” is a 1965 song by the Who that is sometimes hailed as an anthem of the mod counterculture that was at its height in the mid-sixties. Reportedly, Pete Townshend was inspired to write the song after the Queen Mother had his 1935 Packard hearse towed off the street as she was offended by its presence as she drove through the neighborhood.

3. Zigzag ski event : SLALOM

“Slalom” is an anglicized version of the Norwegian word “slalam” that translates as “skiing race”. There is a longer version of the traditional slalom that is called giant slalom

4. “Before I forget,” in texts : BTW

By the way (BTW)

7. Longtime “Today” co-host Couric : KATIE

Katie Couric left NBC’s “The Today Show” in 2006 and took over as news anchor for “CBS Evening News”. In so doing she became the first solo female anchor of a broadcast network evening news program. Couric also has the honor of being the only person to guest-host on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”. In fact she “swapped jobs” on that particular day, and Leno filled in for Couric on “The Today Show”.

9. Kauai garland : LEI

Because the Hawaiian island of Kauai is one of the wettest places on earth, all the rainfall has helped to carve out magnificent canyons and left superb waterfalls. The island is often used as a backdrop for movies. The facilities at the island’s Lihue Airport reflect the pleasant climate enjoyed by the Hawaiian Islands. Check-in takes place completely outdoors!

13. Evergreens shrubs : YEWS

The family of trees known as yews propagate by producing a seed surrounded by soft, sweet and brightly colored aril. Birds eat the fruit and then disperse the seed in their droppings. The birds leave the seed undamaged, and so are unharmed by the potent poisons taxine and taxol that are found within the seed. The seeds are highly toxic to humans.

36. Lobster eater’s protection : BIB

The word “bib” comes from the Latin “bibere” meaning “to drink”, as does our word “imbibe”. So, maybe it’s less about spilling the food, and more about soaking up the booze …

37. The “F” element in CFC : FLUORINE

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) used to be widely used as propellants in aerosols, and as refrigerants in cooling systems. CFCs make their way up into the ozone layer and trigger a chain reaction that converts ozone (O3) into regular oxygen (O2). That conversion creates “holes” in the ozone layer. Regular O2 is good stuff, but we need O3 to absorb harmful UV radiation raining down on us. CFC is not good stuff …

38. Full-size cars of the 1960s-’80s : FORD LTDS

There has been a lot of speculation about what the abbreviation LTD stands for in the car model known as “Ford LTD”. Many say it is an initialism standing for Luxury Trim Decor, and others say that it is short for “limited”. Although the car was produced in Australia with the initialism meaning Lincoln Type Design, it seems LTD was originally chosen as just three meaningless letters that sound well together.

40. Lustrous white gem : OPAL

An opal is often described as having a milky iridescence, known as “opalescence”.

45. Thomas __ Edison : ALVA

Thomas Alva Edison (TAE) was nicknamed “The Wizard of Menlo Park” by a newspaper reporter, a name that stuck. He was indeed a wizard, in the sense that he was such a prolific inventor. The Menlo Park part of the moniker recognizes the location of his first research lab, in Menlo Park, New Jersey.

48. Persian Gulf ships : OILERS

The Persian Gulf is in effect an inland sea although it technically is an offshoot of the Indian Ocean. The outlet from the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean is one of the most famous maritime “choke points” in the world, and is known as the Strait of Hormuz. About 20% of the world’s supply of petroleum passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

54. “Friends” episode, now : RERUN

When the incredibly successful sitcom “Friends” was in development it was given a working title “Insomnia Cafe”. This was changed to “Friends Like Us”, before final going to air as “Friends”.

60. Quarterback Manning : ELI

Eli Manning plays as quarterback for the New York Giants. Eli’s brother Peyton Manning retired from football as the quarterback for the Denver Broncos in 2015. Eli and Peyton’s father is Archie Manning, who was also a successful NFL quarterback. Eli, Peyton and Archie co-authored a book for children titles “Family Huddle” in 2009. It describes the Mannings playing football together as young boys.

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Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1. “__ show time!” : IT’S
4. Get some rays : BASK
8. Weak, excuse-wise : FLIMSY
14. Stanley Cup org. : NHL
15. “See ya” : TA-TA
16. Change from five stars to three, say : RERATE
17. Drink with jam and bread, in song : TEA
18. “You think anyone cares about MY opinion?” : WHAT DO I KNOW?
20. Nocturnal birds : OWLS
22. HBO miniseries “Big Little __” : LIES
23. Easy-to-scam people : SAPS
24. Boatload (of) : WHOLE SLEW
27. Caramel-filled candy : ROLO
28. “Hold the Hellmann’s” : NO MAYO
29. Protein-building acid : AMINO
31. Mother in Calcutta : TERESA
35. “On the Beach” novelist Shute : NEVIL
36. Texter’s #1 pal : BFF
39. “Let’s see here … ” : WELL NOW …
41. Finish : END
42. “You win” : I LOSE
44. Ophthalmologist’s concern : MYOPIA
46. Myanmar, once : BURMA
47. Gives the go-ahead : ALLOWS
51. Scent : ODOR
52. Overall concept of the universe : WORLDVIEW
55. Guthrie of folk : ARLO
56. Manufacture : MAKE
57. Designer Gucci : ALDO
58. Eye-of-newt concoction : WITCHES BREW
62. Sense of self : EGO
63. “You can say that again!” : AND HOW!
64. Christmas season : YULE
65. U.S. House member : REP
66. “You can say that again!” : YES YES!
67. City near Tulsa : ENID
68. Radical ’60s campus gp. : SDS

Down

1. Visiting the area : IN TOWN
2. “My Generation” rock band : THE WHO
3. Zigzag ski event : SLALOM
4. “Before I forget,” in texts : BTW
5. “Say __”: doctor’s directive : AAH
6. Buy time : STALL
7. Longtime “Today” co-host Couric : KATIE
8. Some big dos : FROS
9. Kauai garland : LEI
10. Exasperating : IRKSOME
11. “Holy smokes!” : MAN ALIVE!
12. Drop by, colloquially : STOP ON IN
13. Evergreens shrubs : YEWS
19. Drops on the grass : DEW
21. Wood strip : SLAT
25. Glasses and goggles : EYEWEAR
26. Achy : SORE
27. Acted without restraint : RAN WILD
30. Overused, as jokes : OLD
32. Shade tree : ELM
33. Foxy : SLY
34. “I’ll take that as __” : A NO
36. Lobster eater’s protection : BIB
37. The “F” element in CFC : FLUORINE
38. Full-size cars of the 1960s-’80s : FORD LTDS
40. Lustrous white gem : OPAL
43. Kissy-kissy : SMOOCHY
45. Thomas __ Edison : ALVA
48. Persian Gulf ships : OILERS
49. Crammed (into) … and, when aptly hyphenated, like 18-, 24-, 39-, 52- and 58-Across : WEDGED and W-EDGED
50. Descends suddenly : SWOOPS
52. Used to be : WAS
53. “All right, so long” : OK, BYE
54. “Friends” episode, now : RERUN
55. Not 1-Down : AWAY
56. Kitty sounds : MEWS
59. Groundbreaking invention? : HOE
60. Quarterback Manning : ELI
61. Marry : WED

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