LA Times Crossword 27 Sep 19, Friday

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Constructed by: David Alfred Bywaters
Edited by: Rich Norris

Today’s Theme (according to Bill): S to Z

Themed answers are common phrases with a letter S changed to a letter Z:

  • 17A Really terrible wine? : UNPARDONABLE ZIN (from “unpardonable sin”)
  • 27A Dad jokes? : POP ZINGERS (from “pop singers”)
  • 46A Hardware store window feature? : DISPLAY ADZ (from “display ads”)
  • 56A Power nap? : MAINTENANCE DOZE (from “maintenance dose”)

Bill’s time: 8m 05s

Bill’s errors: 0

Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies

Across

5 Infatuated, old-style : SMIT

“Smitten” is a past participle of “smite” meaning “to inflict a heavy blow”. We tend to use “smitten” to mean “affected by love, love-struck”.

9 “The Goldbergs” actor George : SEGAL

Actor George Segal was one of my favorite Hollywood stars when I was growing up. I most remember him from the dramatic role he played in 1966’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” alongside Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, and the comedic role he played in 1973’s “A Touch of Class” opposite Glenda Jackson. Segal has made a successful transition to television in recent years, playing lead roles on the sitcoms “Just Shoot Me!” and “The Goldbergs”.

“The Goldbergs” is a very entertaining sitcom that started airing in 2013. The show was created by Adam F. Goldberg and is based on Goldberg’s own childhood and family. My favorite part of the show comes at the end of each episode, when a clip from Goldberg’s real home movies is shown, which clip relates back to that episode’s storyline.

17 Really terrible wine? : UNPARDONABLE ZIN (from “unpardonable sin”)

Zinfandel is one of my favorite red wine varietals. It amazes me that the rich and heavy red Zinfandel comes from the same grape as does the sweet White Zinfandel.

22 Hosp. area for critical cases : ICU

Intensive care unit (ICU)

24 Truck unit : TON

Here in the US, a ton is equivalent to 2,000 pounds. Over in the UK, a ton is 2,240 pounds. The UK unit is sometimes referred to as an Imperial ton, long ton or gross ton. Folks over there refer to the US ton then as a short ton. To further complicate matters, there is also a metric ton or tonne, which is equivalent to 2,204 pounds. Personally, I wish we’d just stick to kilograms …

25 PreCheck org. : TSA

The Transportation Security Administration operates its a precheck program known as “TSA Pre✓” or “TSA PreCheck”). Members of the program receive expedited screening at airports at most airports. In order to become a member, a traveler must apply online, appear in person at a designated office for a background check and fingerprinting, and pay a fee for a 5-year membership.

26 Focus word in a Scripps logo : BEE

The Scripps National Spelling Bee is sponsored and managed by the E. W. Scripps Company. ESPN has been televising the latter rounds of the National Spelling Bee since 2006.

27 Dad jokes? : POP ZINGERS (from “pop singers”)

I tell dad jokes all the time, just to annoy the kids …

  • I’m reading a book about anti-gravity. It’s impossible to put down!
  • If you see a robbery at an Apple Store does that make you an iWitness?
  • A termite walks into a bar and asks, “Is the bar tender here?”
  • Two guys walk into a bar, the third one ducks.
  • What’s the best part about living in Switzerland? I don’t know, but the flag is a big plus.

34 Beethoven wrote just one : OPERA

“Fidelio” is Ludwig van Beethoven’s one and only opera, and a work that he really struggled with. “Fidelio” tells of a woman named Leonore who disguises herself as a prison guard in order to get her condemned husband out of prison.

35 Academic growth : IVY

The term “Ivy League” originally defined an athletic conference, but now it is used to describe a group of schools of higher education that are associated with both a long tradition and academic excellence. The eight Ivy League Schools are: Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale.

36 Indian silk region : ASSAM

Assam is a state in the far northeast of India, and just south of the Himalayas. Assam is noted for its tea, as well as its silk.

42 Mrs. King on “Scarecrow and Mrs. King” : AMANDA

“Scarecrow and Mrs. King” is a TV show that originally aired in the mid-eighties starring Brice Boxleitner and Kate Jackson in the title roles. Jackson is the actress who played Sabrina Duncan in the seventies show “Charlie’s Angels”.

43 HUD financing gp. : GNMA

“Ginnie Mae” is the familiar nickname for the Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA), a government-owned corporation created in 1968 with the objective of promoting home ownership. The “Ginnie Mae” nickname is derived from the GNMA abbreviation.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has its roots in the “Great Society” program of President Lyndon Johnson. HUD’s mission is to address the housing needs of the citizenry at the national level. HUD can provide mortgage insurance to help people become homeowners and also provide rental subsidies to lower-income families. HUD also is responsible for enforcement of Federal Fair Housing laws.

46 Hardware store window feature? : DISPLAY ADZ (from “display ads”)

An adze (also “adz”) is similar to an axe, but is different in that the blade of an adze is set at right angles to the tool’s shaft. An axe blade is set in line with the shaft.

49 Mag. listing : EDS

Editor (ed.)

50 Some PCs : HPS

The giant multinational HP (originally “Hewlett-Packard”) was founded in 1939 with an investment of $538 in a one-car garage in Palo Alto, California by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard. The company name would have been Packard-Hewlett, if Dave Packard had won a coin toss!

51 Kitty alternative : KAY

“Kay” and “Kitty” are common nicknames for “Catherine”.

52 Pertaining to a heart chamber : ATRIAL

The heart has four chambers. The two upper chambers (the atria) accept deoxygenated blood from the body and oxygenated blood from the lungs. The atria squeeze those blood supplies into the two lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles), “priming” the pump, as it were. One ventricle pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs, and the other pumps oxygenated blood to the rest of the body.

54 Facial feature named after an animal : GOATEE

A goatee is a beard formed by hair on a man’s chin. The name probably comes from the tuft of hair seen on an adult goat.

63 Rent-a-car choice : SEDAN

The American sedan car is the equivalent of the British saloon car. By definition, a sedan car has two rows of seating and a separate trunk (boot in the UK), although in some models the engine can be at the rear of the car.

64 Cabs and the like : REDS

The cabernet sauvignon (often just “cab”) grape has been around since the 17th century, and is the result of a chance crossing in southwestern France of the cabernet franc and sauvignon blanc grapes.

65 Multinational range : ALPS

There are eight Alpine countries:

  • Austria
  • Slovenia
  • France
  • Switzerland
  • Liechtenstein
  • Germany
  • Monaco
  • Italy

Down

1 A/C measure : BTU

In the world of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), the power of a heating or cooling unit can be measured using the British Thermal Units (BTU). This dated unit is the amount of energy required to heat a pound of water so that the water’s temperature increases by one degree Fahrenheit.

3 35 to 5, say : SEPTUPLE

35 is a septuple of 5, is seven times as great as 5.

5 “Teen Angel” or “Leader of the Pack” : SAD SONG

“Teen Angel” is a popular song written by Jean Dinning and released by her husband Mark Dinning in 1959. The story told in the song is tragic in the extreme, involving a girl who gets run over by a train.

“Leader of the Pack” was a number-one hit for the Shangri-Las in 1964. It is a classic example of a teenage tragedy song, a genre that was popular in the late fifties and early sixties. Betty loves Jimmy, who is the leader of a motorcycle gang. Betty has to dump Jimmy because her parents don’t want her to date someone from “the wrong side of town”. A tearful Jimmy speeds away, crashes his motorcycle and dies. Tragic …

9 Spicy condiment : SALSA

“Salsa” is simply Spanish for “sauce”.

11 Summerhouse : GAZEBO

A gazebo is a roofed structure, often octagonal in shape, that is found mainly in public spaces. Gazebos can be quite small, or can be large enough to perhaps serve as a bandstand. The actual etymology of the term “gazebo” seems to be a bit of a mystery, and there are some misconceptions out there.

18 __ scan: ID method : RETINAL

An iris scan is a method of biometric identification. It relies on the fact that the complex patterns in the irises are unique to an individual. Not that an iris scan differs from a retinal scan. The latter uses technology that scans the unique pattern of blood vessels in an individual’s retina.

19 Soprani opposites : BASSI

The bass is the lowest male singing voice. A man with such a voice might be called a “basso” (plural “bassi”). In an opera, the villain of the piece is usually played by a basso.

The soprano (plural “sopranos” or “soprani”) is the highest singing voice. The term “soprano “ comes from the Italian “sopra” meaning “above”. A male countertenor who is able to sing in the soprano voice range is known as a sopranist. A castrated male who can sing in the same range is known as a “castrato”, and a boy soprano is referred to as a treble.

22 __ facto : IPSO

“Ipso facto” is Latin, meaning “by the fact itself”. Ipso facto describes something that is a direct consequence of 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).

23 Farm home : COOP

The Old English word “cypa”, meaning “basket”, evolved in the 14th century to the word “coop” to describe a small cage for poultry. We still use “coop” today.

25 Helen’s home : TROY

According to Greek mythology, Helen (later “Helen of Troy”) was the daughter of Zeus and Leda. When Helen reached the age of marriage, she had many suitors as she was considered the most beautiful woman in the world. Menelaus was chosen as her husband, and he took her back to his home of Sparta. Paris, a Trojan prince, seduced Helen, as she eloped with him and travelled to Troy. This event sparked the Trojan War that waged between the city of Troy and Greece. Because of this war, Helen was said to have “the face that launched a thousand ships”. And because of this phrase, it has been suggested, probably by author Isaac Asimov, that the amount of beauty needed to launch a single ship is one “millihelen”.

28 Kazantzakis title hero : ZORBA

“Zorba the Greek” the film, and “Zorba” the musical, are adaptations of the 1952 novel “Zorba the Greek” by Nikos Kazantzakis. The 1964 film version stars Anthony Quinn in the title role, and Alan Bates. The movie is set and was filmed on location on the island of Crete, the home of author Kazantzakis.

30 Montaigne work : ESSAY

Michel de Montaigne was a prominent writer of the French Renaissance. He is noted for making popular the essay (“essai” in French) as a legitimate genre of literature.

33 Yoga class greeting : NAMASTE

In the Hindu tradition, “namaste” is a respectful greeting meaning “I bow to the divine in you”. The greeting usually includes a slight bow made with the palms of the hand pressed together, pointing upwards in front of the body.

35 Greek rainbow goddess : IRIS

In Greek mythology, the goddess Iris was viewed as the link between the gods and humanity, a messenger. She was also the goddess of the rainbow. In Virgil’s “Aeneid”, Iris takes the form of a Trojan woman and incites other Trojan mothers to set fire to Aeneas’ ships, preventing them from leaving Sicily.

37 Charlatan’s curative : SNAKE OIL

There is actually a real snake oil, a Chinese medicine made from fat extracted from snakes. You can buy snake oil at traditional Chinese pharmacies and it is supposed to be very efficacious in the treatment of joint pain. Snake oil was introduced into the US by Chinese laborers working on the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. Medicine salesmen started to ridicule the snake oil as it competed with their own remedies, and in time the term “snake oil” became associated with any cure-all potion.

A charlatan is someone who makes false claims of skill or knowledge. “Charlatan” is a word we imported from French, although the original derivation is the Italian “ciarlatano”, a term meaning “quack”.

38 “__ pinch … “: recipe direction : ADD A

In cooking, the terms “dash”, “pinch” and “smidgen” can all be used for a very small measure, one that is often undefined. However, you can in fact buy some measuring spoons that define these amounts as follows:

  • a dash is 1/8 teaspoon
  • a pinch is 1/16 teaspoon
  • a smidgen is 1/32 teaspoon

39 Labyrinthine : MAZY

A labyrinth is a maze, and is named after the maze in which the Minotaur was confined in Greek mythology.

42 Andean animals : ALPACAS

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.

45 Many : MYRIAD

The term “myriad”, meaning “innumerable”, comes from the Greek “muraid”, meaning “ten thousand”. “Myriad” is one of those words that sparks heated debate about the correct usage in English. “Myriad” can be used both as an adjective and a noun. One can have “a myriad of” engagements around the holidays, for example, or “myriad” engagements around those same holidays.

53 Ancient Peruvian : INCA

The Inca people emerged as a tribe around the 12th century, in what today is southern Peru. The Incas developed a vast empire over the next 300 years, extending along most of the western side of South America. The Empire fell to the Spanish, finally dissolving in 1572 with the execution of Tupac Amaru, the last Incan Emperor.

54 Wind warning indicated by two red flags : GALE

A gale is a very strong wind, a wind that is defined by the Beaufort wind scale as a wind with speeds from 50 to just over 100 kilometers per hour.

55 Icelandic poetic work : EDDA

The Poetic Edda and Prose Edda are two ancient works that are the source for much of Norse mythology. Both Eddas were written in the 13th century in Iceland.

57 “Morning Edition” airer : NPR

NPR’s flagship news program is “Morning Edition”, a 2-hour show broadcast from Monday through Friday. The sister show “Weekend Edition” is broadcast on Saturday and Sunday.

59 Little League leaders? : ELS

The leading letters in the phrase “Little League” are letters L (els).

Complete List of Clues/Answers

Across

1 Doing something : BUSY
5 Infatuated, old-style : SMIT
9 “The Goldbergs” actor George : SEGAL
14 Corner : TREE
15 First-rate : A-ONE
16 Hardly in the dark : AWARE
17 Really terrible wine? : UNPARDONABLE ZIN (from “unpardonable sin”)
20 Master’s degree seeker’s assignment : THESIS
21 Evaluate : ASSESS
22 Hosp. area for critical cases : ICU
24 Truck unit : TON
25 PreCheck org. : TSA
26 Focus word in a Scripps logo : BEE
27 Dad jokes? : POP ZINGERS (from “pop singers”)
30 Extensive periods : EONS
31 “See ya” : SO LONG
32 Pork cuts : LOINS
34 Beethoven wrote just one : OPERA
35 Academic growth : IVY
36 Indian silk region : ASSAM
40 Trumpet sound : BLARE
42 Mrs. King on “Scarecrow and Mrs. King” : AMANDA
43 HUD financing gp. : GNMA
46 Hardware store window feature? : DISPLAY ADZ (from “display ads”)
48 Tanning line : RAY
49 Mag. listing : EDS
50 Some PCs : HPS
51 Kitty alternative : KAY
52 Pertaining to a heart chamber : ATRIAL
54 Facial feature named after an animal : GOATEE
56 Power nap? : MAINTENANCE DOZE (from “maintenance dose”)
60 Location : PLACE
61 Innocent, for one : PLEA
62 Keypad predecessor, in some cases : DIAL
63 Rent-a-car choice : SEDAN
64 Cabs and the like : REDS
65 Multinational range : ALPS

Down

1 A/C measure : BTU
2 Caterer’s item : URN
3 35 to 5, say : SEPTUPLE
4 Slangy assent : YEAH
5 “Teen Angel” or “Leader of the Pack” : SAD SONG
6 Sounds from the pasture : MOOING
7 Holiday places : INNS
8 English cuppa : TEA
9 Spicy condiment : SALSA
10 Farm moms : EWES
11 Summerhouse : GAZEBO
12 Out of bed : ARISEN
13 They can make things clearer : LENSES
18 __ scan: ID method : RETINAL
19 Soprani opposites : BASSI
22 __ facto : IPSO
23 Farm home : COOP
25 Helen’s home : TROY
28 Kazantzakis title hero : ZORBA
29 Fabled mischief-makers : ELVES
30 Montaigne work : ESSAY
33 Yoga class greeting : NAMASTE
35 Greek rainbow goddess : IRIS
37 Charlatan’s curative : SNAKE OIL
38 “__ pinch … “: recipe direction : ADD A
39 Labyrinthine : MAZY
41 Disorient : ADDLE
42 Andean animals : ALPACAS
43 Dad’s dad : GRAMPS
44 Italian Christmas : NATALE
45 Many : MYRIAD
47 Contacted, in a way : PHONED
49 Gobbled up : EATEN
53 Ancient Peruvian : INCA
54 Wind warning indicated by two red flags : GALE
55 Icelandic poetic work : EDDA
57 “Morning Edition” airer : NPR
58 Nuke : ZAP
59 Little League leaders? : ELS